Bleeder [Blood Magic, Book 1]

Chapter 26: To Everything, Change

I wondered how much more insight the altered bond gave him into my brain. Was he listening in on my runaway thought-train of worry? If so, he was allowing me my quiet contemplation. Keel's eyes rarely left the road. I'd have believed him totally focused on the task of driving, were it not for his left foot tapping along with beat of the songs on the radio, every single one of them. For someone who'd never heard music before, it'd sure wormed its way into his soul fast.

"We're gonna need some money," I told him, as we started to see signs for the Canada-US border crossing. We were getting close to the Falls.

"We have money," he assured me.

I looked at him with genuine surprise.

"You think we don't understand the human world, but like I explained before, we're all taught enough about it to get by."

"Did they teach you about stores, too?" I asked. Maybe this wouldn't be so hard after all.

"Only a little," Keel admitted. "It's recommended we avoid them, just like every other place heavily trafficked by humans. You've seen what we look like, post-transition."

What Keel was saying made perfect sense: human eyes would be drawn to the tall, gaunt, sunken-cheeked Nosferatu, though I doubted many would leap straight to the "supernatural being" conclusion. Most folks were far too skeptical for that, which was how the vampires were able to spend years abducting people without much, if any, notice. But that wasn't going to be a problem for us. Keel still looked mostly human, maybe even more so than me, now that I had that weird red circle ringing my eyes.

As I scanned the passing buildings for a Walmart or a Target, I gave Keel the quick and dirty rundown on what he could expect to find inside a big box store and what he'd need to buy there – clothes, shoes, sunglasses and a hat for me; new pants and a hoodie for him; a mirror, a flashlight, a jug of water, washcloths, soap, toothbrush, toothpaste, scissors, a hairbrush and a pack of razor blades. He listened intently as I rattled off descriptions and instructions, only stopping me once or twice to ask for clarification. By the time Keel pulled into the store's oversized, one-quarter-full parking lot, he was confident he had it all down.

"Park a bit away from the rest of the cars," I told him. "We don't need spectators."

Keel navigated the van into an empty spot four rows away from the nearest vehicle and cut the engine. He already had his hand on the door latch when I leaned over to stop him. "Wait," I said. "We need to get some of that blood off your face first."

I retrieved Keel's discarded jacket from behind the seat, then slid out of my half-shredded tank top and into his coat. When I looked up, I saw he'd averted his eyes. Funny how sometimes he had more class than most human guys his age, and other times it was entirely lost to the monster he shared his body with.

I turned what remained of my shirt inside out and wrapped it around my hand like a rag, then I spat on it. In the absence of running water, I'd have to do this the mom way.

"Okay, look at me," I said. When he did, I started mopping the dried blood off of his face and removing what I could from his hair. It was slow going, with only the parking lot lights to provide illumination, but a half hour later I was satisfied with what I'd accomplished. His face still looked dirty, but a lot less like he'd aided and abetted in a grisly homicide.

"So you know what we need?" I asked.

Keel reeled back the list perfectly, including clothing sizes, and once again I found myself impressed by his near-perfect memory.

"And if you run into trouble, get out of there," I reminded him.

He rolled his eyes at me. "I've got this covered," he insisted, then swung open the door and stepped out into the parking lot. I watched him as he made his way towards the store's entrance. It was weird seeing Keel surrounded by everyday things. But if he was nervous or wary, it didn't show in his confident stride. Even in a world he didn't belong in, he was utterly at ease – or at least seriously good at faking it. When he disappeared through the store's clear glass doors, my heart did an awkward double-thump. He was on his own now. If something went wrong, I wouldn't know – not until it was too late.