A Grave Hunger Page 20

  What the hell was I doing here? What did I expect to achieve? A pain so excruciating that it left me gasping for breath ripped through my chest. I knew this had to be the last time I would see her. Following her like this wasn’t fair to her. It wasn't fair to me.

  I turned to leave but was frozen in my tracks. The hairs on the back of my neck stood to attention and my senses pulled tight. My instincts screamed at me that I was being watched.

  Chapter 36

  I smelled their scent before I saw them, the bitter, pungent smell growing stronger as they neared. My body reacted instinctively, feeling my muscles tensing and teeth descending. I spun in the direction of the odour. Three vampires were standing in the shadows. Two females and a male stared towards me, eyes filled with pure disgust. I watched them carefully, eyeing up my opponents for signs of weakness. A blond female stood in front. It watched me curiously, a small smile touching its lips. It had a slender frame and couldn't have been more than 5 feet tall, but the relaxed posture and calm demeanour demonstrated a formidable force that was not to be underestimated. The fact that the other two protectively flanked behind served to cement the theory that it was the one in charge. An agitated female stood to the left, crimson hair dancing like a flame as the creature excitedly bounced from foot to foot, anticipating the next kill. To the right stood a male, who apparently enjoyed playing the stereotypical vampire role. Its long, black hair had been swept back in a slick pony tail, and a long black jacket hung from its muscular shoulders. It obviously took its style tips from Dracula movies.

  I hesitated. Should I run? Stay and fight? I didn't want to draw any other vampires this close to Leah, but I was outnumbered, with no weapons. I was now as strong as these vampires I saw in front of me. But without a weapon I doubted I could win a fight with my bare hands. Although the odds were against me, I decided on the latter, realising I couldn't outrun all three.

  A bitter voice resonated through the dark night. It reached toward me, sounding like an echo down a long corridor. "Another half-breed!" The redhead spat the words out with disgust. Its wild tresses seemed to blaze like fire against the contrasting darkness of the shadows.

  Another half-breed? Did that mean there were more like me out there? The thought comforted me. Maybe I wasn't such a freak after all.

  The blonde smiled sweetly and cocked its head to the side, platinum hair swaying against its shoulders as it did so. "Listen to that heartbeat. Hear the roar of your blood through your veins. So strange when combined with your vampire face." It almost sounded as though the words had been sung; the voice was high and melodic. Blondie skipped over to me, and the other two followed closely behind and stood before me, cold blue eyes sparkling curiously. I flinched away as it leaned closer, inhaling deeply. Its nose wrinkled in disgust.

  "Still can't get used to that scent. It's the animal blood in your system. I don't know how you can drink that stuff. Disgusting." Its nose wrinkled once more, and then it offered another sweet smile. "No offence."

  The sweet and innocent act was wearing thin.

  "So what brings you here? Stalking in the shadows. You watching that hot piece of ass?" The Dracula wannabe spoke for the first time. He sniffed the air, drawing in Leah's slowly fading scent. "Mmm, delicious. Can I have her, boss?"

  A deep growl escaped my lips and reverberated through my body when it spoke of Leah. My body coiled, ready to pounce, and a fresh wave of adrenaline pulsed through me. I instantly regretted the action. I had shown my hand, exposed my weakness. The two lackeys tensed and mirrored my posture, but the blond remained unconcerned by my sudden hostility.

  "You have quite a temper don't you?" The false smile was back. It turned, directing its attention to the redhead. "Bring the girl to me. She obviously means something to the half-breed."

  The redhead shot a quizzical look. "Why? If we are only going to kill him, what's the..." The sentence was cut off by a spine chilling snarl. The blonde's sweet expression turned into terrifying contortion as it showed its vampire face for the first time. The redhead flinched away from the sudden hostility, and then in a streak of crimson she was gone to fulfil her order.

  "The girl has nothing to do with this." I tried to keep my voice level, to camouflage the feelings of terror sweeping through my body at the thought of her being hurt. "I barely noticed her. I'm here to hunt. I caught the scent of a rabbit around here before you frightened it away."

  "Here hunting rabbits? Now that wouldn't be a little white lie would it?" Its eyes pierced into mine, trying to read me. I smiled back warmly and gave a non-committal shrug. "Your little friend wouldn't happen to be a hunter by any chance would she? I've heard all about the alliance you half breeds have with them. I don't think I have to tell you what bad company they are to keep." The sweet expression was back. It blinked up at me through long, thick lashes, looking more like a child than the ruthless predator it was.

  "Alliance with hunters?" I didn't have to play dumb. This time I was genuinely confused.

  It didn't get a chance to reply. The redhead was back, dragging Leah along by the hair. Leah whimpered and begged her captor to let her go. Tears dampened her face and glistened on her cheeks. I knew this was an act, a ruse to give the impression that she wasn't a threat.

  I willed my human face to return before Leah saw the monster in me, and felt relief when I felt it do so. Her gaze flickered to each face and finally rested on me. If she was surprised to see me, she didn't show it. Her poker face was firmly in place. In the short time she had been out of my sight, she had swapped her stiletto heels for knee-high boots, and despite the warm night, she wore a leather jacket. I suppressed a smile. She was wearing her hunting gear. I could only imagine what weapons she had hidden on her person.

  "You think she is a hunter?" My tone was sardonic. "Look at her, she's a whimpering mess."

  The redhead smirked and yanked Leah backwards, pulling her head upwards to rest against its shoulder. It inhaled deeply, and dipped its head to run a tongue along the length of her throat. "No matter. Her blood smells so good. I'll enjoy my midnight snack anyway."

  I watched Leah carefully reach behind her back to retrieve a weapon from under her jacket. This was my cue to act. I launched myself towards the petite blond, teeth bared and ready to strike. Before I had a chance, I felt an excruciating pain shoot through my left shoulder and smelled the blood flow from the bite wound. I saw a flash of black as a dark figure flew at me. The speed at which this thing moved was incredible. It smashed into me, sending us both crashing to the ground. I was on my feet in a fraction of a second, but so was the Dracula wannabe. I sent a sharp kick into its stomach, feeling a sense of vindication as I heard it roar in pain. It fixed me with a cold stare that burned with sheer loathing. I smirked back at it, riling its fury even further. Its fist flashed through the darkness towards me, connecting with my nose. I heard a snap at the force of the blow. A snarl escaped my lips as the pain came seconds later. Our blows came fast and strong, like a well-rehearsed dance. It threw a punch towards me, and I blocked it. I sent a kick, and it dodged the blow. We were evenly matched. I cursed in frustration. I was better than this. I had killed vampires for as long as I could remember. I should be able to put down this fucker, especially now with my increased strength and speed, but it was harder to do without a weapon. The frustration spurred me on and gave me a sudden burst of energy. I lunged at the beast with a powerful head-butt to the face, and in a flash my hands wrapped around its the throat. I saw the fear in its eyes for the first time since our fight began. It hissed and growled at me as it tried to free itself from my vice grip, but it was too late. I tightened my grasp around its throat and pulled with all my strength, ripping the creatures head from its body.

  One down, two to go.

  I sent a panicked glance towards Leah. I watched in awe as she lithely danced around the vampire, decapitating the redhead with a savage strike to the neck with her machete. Its head bounced to the ground, red hair shimmering as it caught the light fr
om the moon.

  In my peripheral vision I noticed the petite blond who had been watching our performance with amusement now began to look panicked. It realised it was now outnumbered. It lunged towards me, grabbing me tightly by the throat. Despite its small stature, it easily managed to dominate me. I now understood why it was the leader of this group. This was no weak new-born. Its strength was proof that it was a mature vampire. Its taloned fingers tightened around my oesophagus and I gasped for breath. My body screamed out for oxygen. I desperately tried to fight back, but it was too fast and my weakened body wouldn't comply. I felt weak, drained, and more human than ever. The black night erupted in an explosion of yellow light as a powerful blow hit my face and distorted my vision.

  I slumped onto my hands and knees, trying to block out the agonising pain that swept through my body. I fought against the urge to pass out as the blackness threatened to take over. The smell of spilt blood hung heavy in the air, and I wondered how much blood I had lost. Before I had time to react, the blond had flipped me onto my back and had me pinned to the ground, towering over me. The last thing I saw before I blacked out was a set of razor sharp teeth gnashing towards me.

  I came to in a panic. How long had I been out? Where was I? I breathed a sigh of relief as I saw the petite blonde's decapitated head lying a few feet from me. Cold, dead eyes stared blankly in my direction. I rolled onto my hands and knees, trying and failing to push myself up onto my feet. I heard Leah move towards me, her feet crunching under the dry underbrush as she edged tentatively closer.

  She slumped down beside me. "Finlay, you're hurt. Let me treat you?" It was a question. She was unsure of my response. I didn't reply. I couldn't let her touch me, be anywhere near the beast. I closed my eyes, trying to beat the monster into submission before she saw me. I willed my face to return to its human form, but the pain searing through me prevented the transformation. I flinched as I felt her warm hand on my face. Against my better judgement, I let her pull my face upwards. I couldn't look her in the eyes, afraid to see the revulsion. I was caught by surprise as I felt her hand affectionately stroke my cheek. Meeting her gaze for the first time, I looked for any sign of fear or revulsion. What I saw was concern. Concern for me.

  "Come on, let me get you inside. You’re badly hurt." She smiled encouragingly. "Come on."

  She helped me to my feet, ducking under my arm to support my weight, and we stumbled to the house. The heat from her body felt like a furnace despite the layers of clothing in between us. A light breeze wafted the scent of fresh blood in my direction. The scent hit me like a wrecking ball. It was sweet and floral. My gaze was drawn to a small cut on her forehead. The monster inside reared his ugly head, and I struggled to fight it into submission as the scent fogged my brain.

  Back in the house, she guided me into the kitchen. I sat down on the chair beside the kitchen table and watched her collect the first aid kit and a bowl of warm water. She sat the items on the table and pulled a chair over so we were sitting face to face. I flinched away from her closeness. She was apparently ok with being near to a monster, but I wasn't. A hurt look crossed her face, but she recovered quickly and worked to replace it with a smile.

  "How am I meant to treat you, if you don't let me near you?"

  I realised that I hadn't actually spoken to her yet. "Sorry..." I left the unfinished sentence hanging in the air, unsure what to say, where to start. She nodded, seeming to realise my reluctance to talk. She took a pair of scissors out of the first aid box and started to cut my bloody t-shirt to expose my wounds. I winced in pain, in spite of her gentleness, as she pulled the material away from my body. She threw the bloody shirt into a nearby bin.

  "Sorry, I'll try to be gentle."

  I sighed and she met my eyes with a confused expression. "You shouldn't have to touch me when I'm like this."

  Smiling, she reached up to cup my face with her hands. "I didn't even notice," she lied, kissing me gently on the cheek. I gaped at her, shocked by her tolerant attitude to what I was. She hated vampires as much as I did, why wasn't she as disgusted as I was?

  She let her hands drop from my face and picked up a sterile cloth from the first aid box. Dipping it into the water, she leaned the bottom of her hands against my chest for support as she dabbed a bite wound on my shoulder, tentatively cleaning the dried blood from the injury. Her hands lay flat on my chest over my heart, feeling my heart beat. She froze for a second, a perplexed look crossing her face. I watched her carefully, desperately trying to work out what she was thinking, how she felt. Her eyes gave nothing away. She tore open a large rectangular bandage with her teeth, leaving behind a smear of red lipstick on the paper packaging. I concentrated on her lips to distract me from the pain as she applied the bandage to my wound. I imaged kissing the soft flesh, remembering the feel of them on my mouth, my neck, my chest. I pushed the image from my mind. The pain from realising I would never again touch her like that was more torturous than my physical wounds. She repeated the process for the other lacerations over my chest and back.

  "Ok, that's you cleaned up. You've lost a lot of blood, but the wounds should heal nicely as long as you keep them clean. I'll change the dressing again in the morning." She spoke quickly, the words rushing out nervously. It didn't escape my attention that she had said she would change the dressing in the morning. That meant she still wanted me around. An internal battle raged inside me as I thought about what I should do now. I knew I should leave, but now that I was with her, her pull was just too strong. It was as though she were a powerful magnet drawing me to her, keeping me here.

  Relief strong and pure washed through me as my face returned to its human form. I felt like myself now that the monster was tightly back in its cage. An awkward silence lengthened between us. There was so much I wanted to say, but I didn't know how. I hid my discomfort with humour.

  "Thanks. You would have made a great nurse. And what's with the outfit? Pretty revealing ain't it?" I teased. I couldn't stop myself. Teasing her kept the conversation light, and I wasn't ready to face the questions just yet. "Why are you working at a place like that anyway?" I watched her blush. She was obviously ashamed to be working at such a sleazy place.

  "I've got to pay the bills somehow. My savings won't last forever." She leaned forward, laser blue eyes staring intently. The heat from her body hit me like I was standing in front of a furnace. "What are you Finlay? You're not like any vampire I've ever met."

  "Why aren't you scared of me? I'm a monster." I held her intense gaze, searching for an answer.

  "Any other vampire would have attacked me, but you fought for me out there. You won't hurt me."

  "How can you be so sure?" I whispered.

  "If you were going to hurt me you would have done it already. Especially since I was bleeding.” She reached up with her fingers to check that her wound had stopped bleeding.

  “What are you?" she asked again. She placed her hand on my chest, over my heart. "I can feel your heart beat. And the blood lust, how you controlled yourself when I was bleeding. A normal vampire can't do that." Her blue eyes pierced into mine, searching for answers.

  I sighed, running my fingers through my hair. Looks like the moment I had been avoiding was here. I closed my eyes, trying to formulate a good explanation.

  "I'm a hybrid. Half human, half vampire."

  "How?" she asked intensely. She leaned closer still.

  "I think it's because I fed on animal blood, not human blood, during my transition."

  She was silent, eyebrows creased, taking in what she had heard. Her expression suddenly hardened as she thought of something.

  "What do you eat?" Her eyes narrowed imperceptibly. I knew what she was asking. She wanted to know if I was a murderer.

  "I eat human food for the most part, but once a month ..." I had to look away from her intense stare. I didn't want to see the look in her eyes when I told her what I was about to say. "I need to drink blood once a month. Animal blood that I get from the butcher. I've
never killed anyone."

  When she didn't reply, I looked up alarmed. She was absent-mindedly twirling a stray stand of hair that had fallen from her pony tail.

  "A hybrid. I've never heard of such a thing." She muttered the words quietly, more to herself than for my benefit. I sat silently and let her process what she had heard. She suddenly snapped out of her daze. "We can talk about this tomorrow. You need to rest. You can sleep in your old room. I'll take Robert's."

  She stood and began to walk out of the room, gesturing for me to follow, but I hesitated. I wanted her to be sure. Her lack of concern worried me. She didn't seem to comprehend that I wasn't the same person she once knew. She gave me a quizzical look when I didn't comply.