Night Angel

Chapter Eight (Sample)

My God was it cold. I guess I should have expected that, being in the fridge. It's not like he could have just left it out to spoil or coagulate or whatever blood does but he could have least heated it up beforehand. I wasn't about to complain though. After the initial shock of having the chilled liquid hit my empty stomach I felt a sense of relief that was both physical and mental.

It tasted good. I couldn't deny that. It was also extremely satisfying in a way that was almost erotic. I was torn between wanting to savor the smell or drink it down greedily. I held the glass between my hands, trying to warm it up some. Little good it did though as my hands were cold as ice. I would just have to endure. I brought the glass to my lips and sipped, just as Kiernan had done. I braced myself for a terrible aftertaste or even the possibility of it making me sick but quickly discovered that neither of those things were an issue.

The blood did have a slight metallic taste but that was greatly masked by a somewhat more sweet, salty, and slightly bitter flavor. I sipped it again, allowing myself to really absorb the full range of what I was tasting, realizing that there were a number of different components to what I was experiencing. For instance, the sweetness of honey was present, along with the tang of different types of berries. There was also a distinctly woodsy taste like leaves or bark.

I tipped the glass and allowed the fluid to spill over my lips, thickly coating my tongue as it flowed down my throat. It was dark, and rich, and so delectable that I found myself closing my eyes as I relished in the lingering flavor.

I sat the now empty glass on the table and opened my eyes. Kiernan was watching me thoughtfully. "Now tell me." He leaned forward, locking eyes with me. "What was your overall impression?"

I thought about the question carefully. There were so many things going through my mind at the moment, swirling around in utter chaos, but I tried to focus on just one thing. I blurted out the first thing that really stood out to me without really knowing why it had even occurred to me in the first place. "It's not human."

Kiernan sat back. His eyes widened. At first I thought he was upset with me but then he smiled. "And what gave you that impression?" He asked.

I shrugged, trying to come up with a credible answer. "There was something about the aroma. It reminded me of being in a forest and there was something wild about it but not in a gamey way. The mixture of berries and vegetation not unpleasant but if I had to guess I'd say...a deer?"

His smile widened. "I'm impressed. Very perceptive for your first time."

I frowned, dropping my gaze.

"What's wrong?" He asked in a concerned and sympathetic tone.

"I'm just a little disturbed over the fact that I actually liked it. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not."

He nodded in understanding. "You wouldn't be the first to feel that way. Everyone deals with their first feeding differently. I wasn't entirely sure if you could handle hunting this early on. That's why I choose to do it this way. To give you time to get used to it. But, you have to understand one thing, feeding is a necessity and the sooner you become comfortable with it, the better. It's a matter of survival. Regular food will no longer sustain you. You have to drink blood or you will die."

My head jerked up at the mention of hunting. I guess, deep down, I knew that was a part of it but the idea of it was terrifying. I couldn't imagine harming, let alone killing, another living creature. I didn't even know if I had it in me to do it. Which brought up another, even more terrifying question.

"Do...do you...feed on humans?"

Kiernan sighed then folded his arms on the table as he looked at me, his expression sober and a bit dark. "I did once." He confessed. "A very long time ago, but I don't anymore. And I don't condone it."

"But you fed on me." I pointed out. "I mean, you had to, right? That's how it works."

He chuckled softly, shaking his head. "You've seen too many scary movies."

I narrowed my eyes, confused. "Then how?"

"By the time we found you, you'd already lost so much blood. You had a gaping wound in your head and you were barely breathing. If I'd taken anymore of your blood you would have died instantly. The others, Samuel mainly, said I was crazy for wanting to save you, that I should have let you die, but I couldn't. You were close though. You never would have made it to the hospital so I did the only thing I could think of at the time to keep you alive. I fed you my blood. When your wound had closed and I thought it was safe to move you, I brought you here."

"And that's it?"

"That's it."

He sat patiently, waiting as I took it all in. It was still so hard to believe and I questioned my own sanity more than once but I couldn't dispute the fact that this was all real. This was really happening. As much as I wanted it to be a dream, it wasn't, and I needed to face the fact that this was my reality now. After what seemed a ridiculously long time I finally looked up, meeting his gaze once more, and asked. "So, what exactly am I now?"

"I think you know the answer to that."

I nodded. I knew. I think, deep down, I had known since the moment I woke up. I just wasn't willing to admit it to myself. To admit it made it real and if it was real, that meant there were actual monsters in the world, and now, I was one of them.