Newborn

PART THIRTY-ONE

There, I bumped into a tall man. He appeared to be in his early twenties and also wore a hood. Behind him, another hooded man stood expectantly like he was waiting. I turned to meet the face of the guy I bumped into and realised that he was a very attractive man. He was tanned with brown hair that sat messily near his ears and wore casual attire, though his large muscles were harder to hide as they pressed into the fabric of his clothing. We locked eyes for a moment before I muttered, "Excuse me," and continued along my way.

When I arrived at the station, I couldn't quite shake that look in the stranger's eyes. I wasn't sure what it meant, exactly, and whether he saw the monster I was or was simply allured by my vampiric charm and mystique. Nevertheless, the train arrived as though it were waiting on cue. I hastily jumped over the barricade where you're meant to pay and rushed upstairs, to platform one, where I just made it onto the train before the doors closed.

The train was full, so I chose to stand near the door, just in case bloodlust struck and I needed to pry it open and bail out.

I stood here, watching the buildings glitter as the train started to move forward. I really hoped that my being locked in a metal box with humans wouldn't be an issue because jumping from a moving train didn't sound too appealing.

It was around eight pm when I arrived at the location. Nostalgia whirled around me as I passed by the large, white bricked home. My eyes lingered on the statue of an angel. I remembered how kind Reed had been, how chivalrous, and how he had made me feel like I was worth something. Things had been so simple back then and I had taken that simplicity for granted. I had complained about minute things—things that shouldn't matter, like arguing with my partner or the way my hair sat when it was raining. Now that I was undead, and dealing with life or death situations, those things seemed irrelevant by comparison.

When I came to the end of the alley, I found it empty. It looked the same as before, dim and bleak, but there was no sign of anyone nearby. No heartbeat, and as I inhaled, I smelled no signs of human sweat.

I glanced around, and my stomach churned. I wondered if perhaps I was too late. I had no doubt in my mind that Darien Valentine found his prey like a true predator. I had seen him kill before in his memories; the same memories he apparently held so close to his cold, dead heart. I pictured the gory image of Darien tearing Reed apart, and hastily pulled out my mobile phone to dial in King's Cross police station.

The click of a gun came from behind me.

"Drop your phone." Reed's voice was like the sweetest melody I had ever heard. Despite being held at gunpoint, I closed my eyes for a moment as I thanked my lucky stars that he was okay. "Hands behind your back. Now."

My eyebrows tugged together. "Which one?" I asked. "Drop my phone or hands behind my back?"

He sighed. "Drop your phone, slowly, and then put your hands behind your back."

I did as he said, lodging my phone in my cleavage before placing my hands behind my back with an eye roll. "What am I going to do? Use my phone's virtualassistant as a torture device?"

My sarcasm went unappreciated as he approached. "Do you have any weapons on you?"

"You mean aside from my teeth?" I glanced at him from over my shoulder. "No."

His expression was businesslike as he moved around me and patted me down. He was still holding me at gunpoint, only now the barrel rested at the back of my head. Once he was satisfied, I felt the metal clasp of handcuffs around my wrists and stared at him, aghast.

"Seriously?" My eyes were wide. I didn't know if it was something programmed from when I was human, but I really didn't like being restricted, let alone with handcuffs forcing my arms behind my back. "Why would I save your ass just to attack you? That's stupid!"