WUTHERING BITES

Chapter Seventeen: Midnight

Chapter Seventeen

Midnight

The boy was walking quickly. He had a backpack slung over his shoulder full of supplies and the fruits of his gambling stuffed into the back pocket of his black jeans. Kate caught up with him and flung her arms around him.

He kissed and hugged her in return.

'I was going to wait for you, here,' he said. Kate looked closely at his face. The skin around his right eye was turning black...

'The police officer did that?'

'He wasn't a policeman. Just a thug Harrison hired,' Heath said bitterly.

'I'm so sorry. We should have left sooner,' Kate said, kissing him. His lips were still warm. 'It was foolish of me to try to find the good in Harrison where there is so little.' Kate added regretfully.

They hid behind the shelter of the bus shed as the weather turned and rain spat from the dark sky. Soon it would be midnight and they'd have to hide until morning. They were together now and immune to the outside world.

'This is all that matters,' Kate said as she hugged Heath for warmth.

'C'mon,' the boy said, releasing her. 'There won't be any buses until morning. We must find warmer shelter. Harrison is probably in an alcoholic stupor by now so there's no need for us to freeze to death.'

They trudged across the ground in the dark.

It was almost midnight when Heath began to feel a stirring in his arms. Exhausted, they rested at the base of an oak tree. The muscles in Heath's legs tightened and he was woken by the strong and sweet scent of human blood. Kate was bundled up in her coat next to him. She had scratched her arm, climbing down the side of Hareton Hall and Heath had a strong desire to lick the scratch. He stretched, resisting the almost irresistible. He knew he had to get to his vampire specialist in London, today if possible. He felt sure Kate would understand. The muscles in his body thumped and tightened. The need to drink blood overwhelmed him.

He quickly grabbed a packet of Magenta from his backpack. It was the new product his specialist had urged him to take a sample of during his last visit. This liquid sated him, momentarily, and he fell asleep again next to Kate as the snow began to fall on the glass roof above them.

They'd had no choice but to wait out the storm in the glass house, the place where he and Kate had once loved to visit, loved to be together, just seated side by side, barely bold enough to touch. Heath remembered best those moments of wonder and they only added to his love for her. Meanwhile, his desire to plunge his fangs into her neck was becoming more intense by the minute.

'Heath?' the girl asked sleepily.

'Kate?'

He nudged her awake. The blue coat she hid under was long and heavy, made for stronger weather and travel.

Kate opened her red eyes. He could see she had cried herself to sleep. 'We can never go back,' she whispered. 'He threatened to tell everyone about you or worse... have you framed for some fake financial crime... and he'd be capable of doing it, you know. He can forge your signature on documents...'

Heath looked away.

'I doubt he'd go through with it. He doesn't want to publicly besmirch the family name. Wipe away your tears, Kate. We have each other.'

Kate put her arms around him, but for the first time, he pushed her back.

'Don't Kate,'

'Why not?'