Bound in Blood

Chapter 4: Whats Done in the Dark

Drake's jaw was clinched and his and his eyebrow was cocked. Melanie took a calculated step forward.

"Drake, I'm going to need you to calm down." She said like one would to a growling bear.

"I'm calm, I just want you to explain yourself." He said looking at her with his gaze as hard as steel.

"What you heard was taken out of context." She said softly

"Really, elaborate then." He said brow still furrowed.

"I have not lied to you, and I am hiding nothing from you." She started.

"Why is it that I have believed everything you have said up until this very moment?"

"Drake I'm telling you the truth. Kyle believes that because you are fond of me you wont help me in raising who it is I'm trying to raise." She said a bit more firmly.

"And who it that?" He shot.

"My Husband."

There was a silence, and Drake's face was emotionless. He stood there as still as a statue for quite some time.

"Melanie I helped you on the bridge because I wanted to. I agreed to help you in exchange for you showing me everything you know about this world of shadow. That is all I want from you nothing more. You may not have lied to me, but you strategically kept certain details from me. If we are supposed to be partners, why do you feel like you need to manipulate me?" Drake's voice was level but was still a bit cold.

"My intention was not to manipulate you Drake. I guess I was just scared." Melanie said sounding defeated.

"Scared of what? That I would hurt you? Go back on my word?" Drake snapped.

"Any of that!" Melanie shot back. "I know how volatile men can get when there emotions get involved."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Drake, I'm a vampire. When I look at you a certain way I can hear your heart flutter. When I get close to you, your heart pounds so hard that I can barely make out the words you say. So on those grounds I think it is safe to say that you have feelings for me."

There was a long silence and Drakes gaze didn't soften at all. After the long awkward moment he simply said "I'm ready to go home." and climbed in the truck. Melanie sighed and got in as well.

The ride home was silent, nothing like the ride down. There was no laughter, no jokes,no games played, not a single moment of joy shared among the two of them. Melanie kept her eyes on the road and Drake merely stared out of his passenger window, resting his chin on his knuckles. In all of her years of living Melanie got proficient in quite a few things, on of which was reading people, and being able to do so well. She never would have thought that she would have met her match in a 17 year old high schooler. She couldn't tell if Drake was angry, apprehensive, or just trying to sort everything out.

She was hoping for the latter of the three because she knew that if she didn't have his help she would be screwed. Melanie would be hard pressed to find a Vanator that not only wouldn't kill her on sight but she could convince to help her. With the eclipse just weeks away and her still needing to grab one more extremely rare and hard to get item to complete her little ritual she did exactly have time to find another Vanator, and though she wouldn't admit this out loud she had grown fond of Drake as well.

About four hours into their seven hour drive Melanie heard the sounds of hunger tearing at Drakes insides. His stomach growl was so loud that she thought that she would have been able to hear it even if her hearing wasn't enhanced. She pulled off the highway and into what looked like a nice small town. The only problem was that the town itself was foggy as all hell and with their barely being any of the early morning sun able to pierce through it, it gave the town an eerie feel to it. They rolled through Main Street. and there was not a soul in sight. There were cars that looked to be abandoned with their doors open as if the owners and passengers ran from them. The stores and restaurants looked abandoned, which is strange considering it was almost 9:00