Chapter 6
Red eyes study me from across the room, orbs of flames swarming with heat from the deepest pits of hell. Their intensity makes me weak at the knees. It's like they're reaching inside me, seeping into my veins and swallowing me whole. I try to look away, but I'm stuck. He keeps me frozen under his gaze. There's nothing I can do.
He gracefully moves from his chair to stand in front of me. My chest wheezes in protest as I try to catch a breath. His tongue slides along his bottom lip, and the tips of his fangs glisten with hope. When he reaches out to touch my face, my throat closes up.
I can't scream.
I can't talk.
I can't breathe.
I frantically scratch at the closed airways. He smirks while I struggle. My fingernails scrape down my burning neck. I mouth for him to help me. He tilts his head, studying my fingers clawing away at the flesh of my neck. Then his pupils dilate.
"Such a good consort," he whispers. "You've cooked and cut my meal for me."
The smell of my own blood stains the smoky air. I lift my hands to my face, studying the stream of blood starting at my nails slipping down my fingers. My neck is exposed. Inch by inch he lowers his fangs to my neck. My vein throbs when he breathes against it, flicking his tongue over my broken skin.
His fangs scrape against my neck. Pain trickles down my spine. I try to push him away, but he pins me against the wall. There's nowhere for me to go. I'm trapped.
"Just relax, Finn," I hear him mutter against my neck. "It'll be over soon."
Tears burn my eyes when he pierces my skin. It's liquid fire. The pain is unbearable. I want to scream, but I can't. The pain. Oh, the pain. It's too much. I can't -
"Stop! Damnit, human. Stop!"
I thrash myself awake at the sound of Bogdan's low voice. My fingers fly to my throat, reflexively feeling over the delicate skin for any traces of his mark. There's nothing. I slowly take a breath. My vampire hovers over me, his eyes wild with confusion. Sweat collects at the small of my back, and my throat burns with thirst.
"Please," I whisper hoarsely. "Can I have some water?"
Muddy, red eyes dance over my face. There's so much anger in his gaze, but I don't know why. He sets his lips into a thin line and moves away from me. His movements are so fast and graceful I wonder if he has wings hiding under his shirt. Maybe the myths are true – that vampires are nothing more than demons in disguise.
He returns in only seconds, presenting me with a cup of water filled to the brim. My fingers move along its exterior, brushing over the jagged edges and wondering what it looks like. I bring the edge to my lips and let the cool water wash over my tongue and throat like a foamy wave crashing onto a deserted shore.
I drink until my stomach sloshes in protest. It's been hours since I've last eaten, and while I'd love another glass, I'm afraid drinking it on an empty stomach will be a recipe for seeing it come back in reverse.
"Thank you," I whisper into the silence.
Bogdan stares at me. He's picks up his newspaper and continues to read. In complete darkness. I pull my phone from my pocket to see what time it is. I only manage to unlock it before Bogdan snatches it from my hands.
"You do realize that your scent is all over this town, don't you? They know you're here, human. It's only been a few hours. Vampires might be immortal, but they're not stupid and don't forget easily. They're looking for you. Any traces of light – any – can be spotted for miles and miles away."
I shudder at what I think is hatred weaved into his voice.
"I'm sorry," I whisper. "I didn't know."
"Vampires are hunters," he continues. "Their ears and eyes are everywhere, waiting to get a taste of your blood. Don't forget, human - you're on our territory now."
Bogdan shoves my phone into his pocket. I don't ask to have it back. I have a feeling if I do, it'll be the last I ever see of my phone. Bogdan moves to the window and peers outside. I suck my bottom lip into my mouth to keep from talking. The healing flesh tastes bitter. My tongue presses against it so hard my eyes start to tear up.
"You need to go back to bed," Bogdan instructs.
I startle to his voice and bite down. The taste of copper fills my mouth. Shit. My tongue gently rubs against my cut that's now re-open. Bogdan whips around to face me. The muddiness in his eyes becomes lost to the swirl of red swarming around his pupils.
My eyes catch on his hands. His fists clench. Then unclench. Then clench.
"You need to close that wound," Bogdan commands.
The silkiness of his voice makes me shiver. Even his voice is hypnotic. I swallow and try to swipe my tongue against the cut, over and over to make it stop. His fangs begin to elongate, and he closes his eyes, shaking his head like my scent is causing him pain.
"Close it up!" he says again, this time louder than the first.
"I'm trying!"
Bogdan takes a step towards me but stops. His attention snaps to the window. I watch his gaze flicker over every detail from the small space of earth beyond the blinds.
"Damnit," he whispers, so quietly I can barely hear him.
He moves away from the window and races over to me to try and urge me off the couch. His movements are so fast they almost blur together. He disposes of my cup, adjusts the cushions and curses under his breath.
Then he holds his hands out to me. "We need to go. Now."
"What? Why?"
The hinges of the front door creak in warning. We turn towards the noise, and Bogdan wastes no time in scooping me into his arms when the doorknob jiggles just enough to be noticeable. His arms are like vices, clutching me to his chiseled chest. He squeezes me against him so tightly it becomes hard to breathe.
I make myself as small as possible while he carries me through the house. He doesn't make a sound. I can't hear the soft pads of his footsteps. I can't hear his breathing. I can't hear his nonexistent heartbeat.
My heart, on the other hand, is beating out of control. Blood rushes through the vein pulsing in my neck. Every part of me prickles with anxiety. I try to steady my breathing so the smell of fear in my scent won't be noticed. But that feels nearly impossible right now.
I close my eyes and rest my head against Bogdan's chest. The warmth and softness of his shirt does little to hide the hard and cold immortal flesh beneath it. It almost feels like I'm being carried by a robot – a humanized machine that looks the part of a mortal but is missing all the key components.
A shift in temperature spreads a layer of goosebumps across the delicate hairs on my forearm, and I open my eyes wide enough to see we've made it outside. I muster the courage to peek over Bogdan's shoulder and immediately regret it. A dozen or so vampires are approaching the house. Their red eyes act as personal torches to guide their way.
One notices Bogdan and me getting away. He exposes his fangs and gets set in his haunches to lunge towards us. As if sensing the danger, Bogdan tightens his hold on me and picks up his pace. It feels like I'm being launched forward in a horizontal roller coaster.
The night blurs into spots of moonlight with the occasional twig snapping beneath us. Wind slaps against my cheeks so fast and hard that it burns. It's hard to catch my breath. We lose the straggling vampire in seconds. At least, I think we do. Everything is moving so fast that it's hard to see. My eyes water trying to focus on something – anything, around us.
I clutch to Bogdan when we make a sudden turn and come to a complete stop behind the wispy branches of a weeping willow. He presses his lips against my ear.
"Don't move. Don't make a sound."
Even though I wasn't the one running through the forest, I'm still the one left trying to catch my breath. Bogdan remains silent and unmoving. I want to ask him a thousand questions, the first of which being if we're safe. And what if we're not? Will we be able to make it back to the house?
My car is there!
How will I get Kelly tomorrow?
"Finn..." Bogdan's voice is a whispered warning. "You need to calm your thoughts and your emotions. They can smell it."
Right. Calm my thoughts. I'm in the heart of vampire land with a vampire, hiding behind a willow tree while a dozen or so blood-sucking predators are trying to find us. Zero reason to panic. I breathe in through my nostrils and out through my mouth. In and out.
Bogdan shifts me in his arms, holding up my entire weight with one arm. His free hand runs down my arm. There's no warmth or affection to his touch. He moves to my legs next, sliding his fingers along exposed length of skin. I start to wonder what he's doing, but the answer unveils itself to me without much effort.
He's trying to cover my scent with his.
If there are vampires around us or even nearby, masking my scent might buy us enough time to keep them away while we find safety. His hand travels to up my thigh, over my backside, and then settles at the small of my back. I glance up at him, studying his red gaze as he looks beyond the branches. The touches haven't affected him at all.
But they're affecting me.
Maybe more than they should.
He slides his fingers along my spine. Not once does he look at me, but the touch is softer this time. It feels more human. He puts enough space between us to trail his fingers around my shoulder and down my chest.
My breathing picks up again, this time for a different reason. His fingers stop just before reaching my navel. A light breeze slips past the branches and I shiver. Bogdan's eyes flicker down to meet my gaze. The redness in them is bright as ever, but there's odd, beautiful specks of orange woven within them too.
The new color makes him look more real. More human. For the first time since meeting him, it's like I can see a piece of the man he used to be. And it's beautiful.
"I think we're safe for now," Bogdan mutters and sets me on my feet. "But I'm going to wait until morning before taking you home."
I wrap myself in my arms and shiver again, this time out of nothing more than wondering why I no longer have his touch.
"Are you going to get my car?"
Bogdan gives me a sideways glance. "I'll get it to you eventually. Right now I'm just focused on getting you back in one piece. Being here isn't safe for you. Or for me."
I nod even though I don't understand. How could this entire situation be dangerous for him?
"And what about Kelly? My friend?" I ask.
Bogdan looks away from me, staring outside with a cautious gaze. "Once you're home safely, I'll bring him home next."
"He'll be alright, won't he?"
My voice squeaks at the end, belying my own fear. Bogdan looks at me like it's a ridiculous question. And after seeing the group of vampires attacking his house a bit ago, maybe it is.
"I told you he'd be safe for the night. And he will be."
"But will he be alive by morning?" I stare at him with wide eyes, catching onto his careful choice of his words.
"I guaranteed his safety for the night," he repeats. "My protection ends there."
"So he could be dead?"
My stomach flip-flops contemplating this alternative. What was I thinking leaving Kelly alone at a vampire's house all night? At least Bogdan took me to a forest where there are places to run. To escape. If vampires tried to raid the house Kelly was in, he'd be dead within minutes.
A faint, pitying smile spreads over Bogdan's lips.
"He could be," Bogdan confesses. "But if he is still alive, he'll probably wish he wasn't."