The Vampire's Siren

Chapter 5

I wake up the next morning to Jackson groaning. He's shifting slightly in the bed next to me, but his body temperature is slightly higher than normal.

"Jackson. Hey, are you okay?" I ask, shaking his shoulder.

He groans in response.

I have no idea if a Vampire can get sick, and I have no idea what to do right now. Before I can fall completely into panic, I get the idea to call Jasper. I roll back to my side of the bed and grab my phone. He picks up on the third ring.

"What, Car? It's so early." He yawns into the phone.

"Can a Vampire get sick?" I ask, my voice conveying my worry.

There's shifting around on the other side of the call. "Uh... No. That's one of the perks of immortality. Why? Is something wrong?"

"Jackson feels warmer than usual, and he's only groaning. I can't seem to get an answer." I feel his forehead again.

"When was the last time he fed?" Jasper asks, more shuffling coming from his side.

"Fed? I don't know." I put the phone on speaker, rolling out of bed, to get a wet cloth from the ensuite bathroom.

"Jesus..." Jasper groans. "I think he's been starving himself. He needs to drink, Carmen." He sighs.

"Drink? Like water, tea, coffee?" I ask, applying the damp cloth to Jackson's forehead.

"No, dork. He needs to drink blood." Jasper sighs, exasperated with me.

"Oh." I say softly.

"I think he's been starving himself, because once a Vampire finds their other half, they can no longer stand blood from another person. And in his case it's even worse, since you're his Siren. Since he's bound to you, he can't get nutrition from anyone else. He can't even stomach blood from anyone else." Jasper explains.

I hum in thought. "What should I do? Do I make him drink?"

"NO!" Jasper shouts. "Are you insane?! He'd kill you!"

"Sorry!" I gasp. "So, what do I do?"

"Just wait for me. I'll be over soon." Jasper sighs, then hangs up.

I sigh, and take the cloth from Jackson's forehead and go to the bathroom and rewet it.

"Hang in there, J. Jasper's on his way over." I say softly.

There's a knock on the front door, and I make my way downstairs to answer it.

"Come outside with me." Jasper beckons.

I'm curious, so I follow him. We only go a short distance from the house, and he sits down on the ground. He pulls out a small bag from his jacket and beckons me to sit next to him.

"What's this?" I pick up a tube.

"This is how we're going to feed Jackson until you're ready to be Marked." Jasper says, getting his supplies set up. "Now, give me your arm." He reaches out to me, and I oblige.

He's quiet as he prepares my arm, wiping the corner of my elbow with an alcohol wipe. Then he pokes me with a needle, and I watch as the blood seeps into a bag.

"So, basically, I'm donating blood until Jackson feels better?" I ask, watching the blood fill the bag.

"Essentially." Jasper sighs. "I can't believe this idiot." He grits his teeth. "Luckily, as his Siren, he won't need to feed too often. Along with your blood being the only source of nutrition, it's also very filling."