Bite, p.20
Bite, page 20
“Your brother lives here,” I ask while still in shock as I continue to take in the beautiful surroundings of the living room. I shouldn’t be surprised based on what I heard about Charlie. I figured he would live in a place like this.
He smiles, “Actually he shares it with us. This is where we all live. Charlie and I share this house along with Evan, Joseph and David.”
I turn to face him and smile as I say, “Very nice. I mean it’s really beautiful.”
Charlie enters from another room and says, “Thank you. The others don’t have my kind of taste but I’m glad somebody appreciates all my hard work that I put in to make this place presentable.” I smile at him ready to comment further until I almost forget about my injury and I wince again. Charlie is at my side instantly and says, “Let me take a look and see how bad your injury is.”
He gently leads me to a couch where a first aid kit is already waiting which I find odd. On the way home Sam didn’t call ahead to mention I hurt my hand so how did Charlie know I would need first aid? I stay quiet as Charlie removes the paper towel and inspects my hand. There is still a little blood oozing and from the corner of my eye, I see Sam quickly back away. Charlie smirks as he continues to tend to my hand. I’m watching Sam as he stares at my hand but he has a hand covering his nose and mouth.
“Sam, are you squeamish about blood,” I ask worried that he is going to pass out and Charlie will have to tend to his brother as well.
Charlie stifles a laugh but Sam replies with his hand still covering his mouth, “It, um, has an effect on me.”
“Oh,” I respond quietly when I can’t think of anything else to say.
Charlie furrows his brow but finishes cleaning me up and once he’s done he smiles while saying, “There you go. It was a deep cut but good thing you don’t need stitches. Now when you go home make sure you clean it real good and put a fresh bandage on.”
“Cool thanks Dr. St. James.”
“You’re welcome. Would you like something to eat or drink?”
“Um, I’m good thanks.”
He smiles as he says, “Gina, you don’t have to be so polite. This is your first time in our home and I want you to be as comfortable as possible. Whatever you want is fine.”
I nearly blush but I say, “A cup of tea would be nice.”
He smiles wider and says, “You got it. A cup of tea is a perfect remedy after getting such a nasty wound.” He winks at me as he rises to his feet but he gives Sam what seems like a warning look and strolls out the room.
Sam is still standing across the room away from me with an expression that is totally unreadable. I’ve heard of people who have weird reactions to blood but I’ve never seen anyone react the way Sam has. I get up and start to walk over to him but he holds up a hand and I freeze. “Give me a minute,” he curtly says.
I sit back on the couch and watch him. His body looks tense and once again it appears that he is trying to calm himself even though I don’t know why he’s so agitated and slowly the hand that is covering his mouth is lowered. I remain still while watching him relax and I wish I were closer to him to see if there is any red in his eyes again.
He takes a deep breath and asks, “Does your hand still hurt?”
I give a slight shrug of my shoulder and whisper, “It’s a little sore but overall it’s fine.” I giggle, “I don’t think it needs to be cut off or anything so I’ll live.
I’m hoping my little attempt to lighten the mood will cheer him up but he just gives me a blunt response of, “Good.”
Sam slowly makes his way to sit next to me and gently takes my injured hand into his. I remain quiet as he strokes it and his face twists up in pain. He just keeps looking at my hand with such torture on his face and I quietly ask, “Sam what is it?”
He looks up into my eyes and in a whisper he replies, “I’m sorry you got hurt but I was just thinking what would have happened if I didn’t get to you in time. If I was a second late, you could have been…”
I kiss him so he wouldn’t have to keep thinking the worst. I want him to feel how grateful I am that he saved my life, even though I want to know how he did it. How did he know I was being pursued by a wolf and how did he find me? And, most importantly, why was the wolf afraid of him? I need to know and no matter what I am going to get answers from him.
She Can’t Handle the Truth
(Sam)
Her kiss has determination and desire in it and I feel my desire growing as well. But I remain on guard because I’m sure her mind has many questions and I’m trying to prepare myself for her interrogation. Charlie must have seen what was coming because before he left the room, he silently warned me that she was going to demand answers and I wasn’t surprised. It was stupid of me to just have sprung in front of her like that and drove the wolf away so quickly. I should have pretended to wander around a bit and called for her like a normal person would. But the wolf would have torn her to shreds if I didn’t jump when I did so I had no choice but to let my vampire instincts kick it. Now I wish would just let it go and be grateful that I saved her life.
We finally pull apart and I stroke her face as I say, “I can’t believe I almost lost you.” My voice hardens a little as I ask, “Why didn’t you call me to come pick you up? I was waiting for your call. Gina why didn’t you call me?!”
I didn’t mean for my voice to get louder but I was upset. My mood throws her off and she quietly replies, “I figured you needed some rest after last night so I decided to walk thinking you were taking a nap. I was going to call you when I got home. I’m sorry to worry you Sam.”
She was that concerned about me? She thought I needed to rest so she chose to walk home in the bitter cold? The anger I feel disappears as I kiss her forehead and her hand. “Gina you didn’t have to worry about that. If I was resting I wouldn’t have been upset if you woke me up so I could pick you up.” I let out a deep sigh as I murmur, “I’m just glad that I got to you in time.”
That did it. Her face changes to a clear mask of determination as questions jump around in her mind and I know I just stepped into something I wish I could get out of. Well there’s nothing else to do but dance around her questions and hope she would give up quickly.
Gina looks at me with puzzlement and with determination in her tone she says, “I wanted to ask you about that. How did you know where I was? How did you get to me so fast?”
I wince as her questions come at me. Part of me wants to tell her the truth so she can finally know the real me but I know that will put her in danger. Knowing about our world will bring nothing but trouble for her. I worry what would happen if she runs into another vampire and what they would do to her when they discover she knows what they are.
But my biggest fear is I’m afraid the truth will push her away and she’s become too important to me to let that happen. She is waiting for an answer so I look at her and reply, “I heard you scream so I went into the woods to help.”
She shakes her head as she says, “My scream wasn’t that loud and I screamed when I realized that I was trapped. I was too far in that you wouldn’t have been able to hear me from the road.”
Damn. “Gina…”
She takes my hand and gives me a pleading look as she says, “Sam, I know there’s something going on that you don’t wanna tell me. I’m even sure that this club you’re in has something to do with it. But I want you to know that you can trust me. Whatever it is, I can handle it.”
At that moment, I want to tell her everything. The words “Gina I’m a vampire” are on the tip of my tongue but I can’t bring myself to say them out loud. Damn she is really making it hard to keep my guard up and even right now the temptation to spill everything is growing stronger but I suppress the urge. She sees the struggle on my face and she murmurs, “How about I ask you a few questions and you answer as honestly as you can. Is that better?”
She isn’t going to let this go so I have no choice but to agree. I sigh as I say, “Alright.”
This is it. This will be the last time I will be with her because after I give her my answers, she will go screaming away from me. Well, what did I have to lose aside from her? Nothing.
“How did you really know I was in trouble?”
I’ll tell her the truth but not the whole truth. “Joseph sensed something was wrong so I went back to your mother’s house. When I heard you scream, I ran to see what was wrong.”
Gina shakes her head while murmuring, “As I said Sam that’s impossible since I was so deep in the woods. There is no way you could have heard me.” She then looks up at me as she asks, “How did you find me?”
I pause considering how to approach this but there is no other way to answer so I reply, “I followed you.”
“But you didn’t or couldn’t have known where I was. How were you able to follow me?”
“I…once you cut yourself, I was able to smell the blood.”
She absorbs that statement but remains calm. “Are you saying the scent of my blood led you to me?”
I hesitate but say, “Yes.”
I hear her heartbeat quicken and she struggles to keep a straight face. But she keeps her composure as she continues, “Okay. One more question; why did the wolf run away from you?”
There is no way to dance around that one either. “I just held my ground and showed it I wasn’t afraid.”
I figured that is believable enough but she shakes her head again. “Sam, that thing was ready to strike and rip me to pieces and no offense but it could have taken you down easy. Plus I heard a growl and it didn’t come from the wolf. So I ask you again, why did it run away from you?” She isn’t going to let me off easy and I’m kind of shocked that she heard my growl. I sigh and try to think of how to answer her when she asks, “Did it have something to do with your eyes being red?”
Her question makes my whole body freeze as I stare at her with my mouth slightly agape. How did she know they were red? I swore I was calm and back in control of my emotions and my eyes went back to gold before I turned to face her. But I must have turned too soon for her to notice. Still I told her I would be honest so I answer, “Yes.”
Gina sighs but she’s still holding my hand. Her warm touch is sending a jolt through my body but it feels good that she is still touching me.
We stand there quietly for a few moments staring at each other. I can tell she is trying to analyze everything but her mind shows me that she still hasn’t put everything together yet since her thoughts are still rapidly jumping around. I see she has more questions but she didn’t know which one to ask next. I smirk when she wonders where her tea is but I know Charlie is waiting until I want him to come back. I guess I should tell her something to pacify her for now. At least until I’m sure of how much more I want her to know.
“Gina I know you must be frustrated that I’m not really telling you anything but please understand I’m just trying to protect you. The less you know the safer you are. But please know this; if anyone or anything ever tries to harm you, I will do whatever I have to, so no harm will ever come to you. You are my heart and I will always keep you safe.”
I hear David mutter, “Mush,” from upstairs but I ignore him, as I stay focused on Gina. I didn’t mean for the last part to sound fierce but I want her to understand that I mean it. I’m expecting her to be angry with me for being so secretive but Gina remains calm and slightly smiles. She strokes my face as she says, “Okay. I better get home to see how my friends are doing. I want to make sure they’re okay especially Amber.”
I hear her thoughts, “…and also try to figure this out. I don’t want her to leave but I need her to think this through. But I’m afraid that if she does and realizes what I am, she will never come back.
“Alright. Do you want me to drive you home?”
“If you don’t mind sure.”
I smile and say, “Of course I don’t mind. Come on.”
We rise up from the couch and Gina goes to take a step but stops as her eyes stare at the door leading to the kitchen. She then turns to look back at me and with a sad face she says, “I should go tell Charlie that I don’t need the tea anymore since I’m leaving. It would be rude of me to just walk out without saying goodbye especially after he fixed up my hand.”
Right on cue, Charlie emerges from the kitchen with a huge smile and he winks at her as he says, “I’m sorry to report that since we haven’t gone grocery shopping yet, we’re out of tea. Is there something else I can get you?”
I smirk at his bullshit lie but grateful that he said it so Gina wouldn’t be suspicious of anything. She shakes her head as she responds, “Thanks but I’m going to head out now. I want to check on my friends.”
“Of course I understand and please express my deepest sympathy to them,” he murmurs.
“I will Charlie thank you.” They embrace in a friendly hug as she says, “And thanks again for the first aid.”
He smiles at her while saying, “You’re very welcome Gina. Don’t be a stranger now. You’re welcome back here anytime you like.”
“Yeah right,” I hear David mutter and I narrow my eyes while glaring at the stairs as she responds, “I will thank you.” She turns to look at me where my facial expression has changed and she takes my hand as she murmurs, “I’m ready now.”
I nod to my brother before leading Gina out the door. Fifteen minutes later, we are in front of her house sitting in the car. I don’t want to say goodbye but I know I have to let her go so she can sort everything out. I’m sure my responses added new questions in her mind and I will give her all the space she needs to come to her own conclusions. Gina is facing me so I caress her face even if this is the last time and whisper, “Gina, if after you thought things over and decide you don’t want to be with me anymore, I will understand and respect your decision.”
Her eyes grow wide in total confusion as she asks, “Why would I not want to be with you?”
“I’m saying just in case. I will not interfere in your life if you no longer want to see me. My brother will make sure that I stay away from you if I ask that of him.”
I feel her breath quicken and panic fills her voice as she replies, “You listen to me Sam St. James. I told you that I was here for you and I meant it. No matter what the truth is I love you and nothing is going to push me away unless you no longer want to be with me. Don’t think whatever it is I’m going to be scared of you. You saved my life! I would have been puppy chow if it wasn’t for you!” Tears well up in her eyes and she roughly brushes them away as they begin to fall while whispering, “I love you Sam. You’ll just have to accept that there’s someone who cares that deeply for you.”
The pain of her words pierces right through me and if I could, I would be crying right along with her. Instead, I lean forward and kiss her trembling lips and murmur, “I love you too. Call me when you’re ready.”
She gives me a smile and gets out the car. Once she’s inside her house, I drive back home where Evan is waiting for me at the front door. When I get out the car, he calmly says, “Charlie said she’ll be back. Go do what you have to do so you’ll be ready when she returns.”
“Where exactly am I going,” I ask while sighing with frustration.
“To keep your promise. He said the wolf is still in the area. He said start practicing.”
I have no idea what he means but I did want to find the wolf before it attacks another person or worse a child. Then my brother’s message sinks in and I understand clearly. At that moment I make a silent promise to myself and to Gina. Even though I know Charlie’s vision isn’t wrong, if Gina does come back then I will no longer be a monster. I will be the man that she loves. I will no longer hunt humans. I know it’s not going be easy but for Gina I will endure the taste of animal blood.
Won’t my brother be thrilled?
The Truth Shall
Set Me Free
(Gina)
That night I toss and turn. I kick the covers off just to pull them back over my body. I spend most of the time moving around in my bed that I don’t know why I even bothered to try to sleep. Sam’s words are repeating in my head over and over. Every time I think I have the puzzle solved, I discover that there are still many pieces that I’m missing. What a way to start the year off.
The night moves on and it seems like my eyes keep jumping to the clock and when morning comes, I calculate that I must have gotten a total of maybe two hours sleep. Great; little sleep and a whole lot of questions swimming around in my brain, I start groaning as I literally roll out the bed and make my way downstairs. Maybe coffee will make me feel better.
Tiffany is in the kitchen sipping on a cup and points to the pot when I enter. Once I fix me a cup, I ask, “How’s it going? I wanted to give you a call when I saw you weren’t home when I arrived but I was so tired I just passed right out. How was Amber after I left you guys?”
“Okay. We had to give her a sedative just so she would go to sleep. Diane said she was going to spend the night with her just in case she upsets herself all over again.”
“I really feel bad for her.”
“Me too. I know I would be a wreck if something happened to you.”
I wince at her words and decide that I’ll tell her about the wolf another time. She notices the bandage on my hand and I lie and tell her that I fell while helping my mom with something in the backyard. Weak I know but I didn’t want Tiffany to get all worked up. I take a long sip of my coffee as she says, “Mark called for you last night. I heard the message on the machine this morning. Geek boy said to call him back whenever.”
