A Darker Love

Chapter Seventeen- The Truth

"What?" He laughed again and it sounded so beautiful and mellow, it pained me to be mad at him.

"What are you? Your have inhuman strength, your agile like an animal, you can control people's minds and your face, it changed around blood..." I couldn't look at him, it sounded so stupid out loud.

"You already know."

"I don't know..." My voice was shaky and it trailed away from me.

He gave me a tired smile. "Oh, but you do. And now your afraid of me."

"I don't know, all of this is crazy. I don't know if any of this is true, I mean, how is that even possible?"

He shrugged. "I'm not sure I even understand it myself to be honest."

"And if you can control people's minds then how do I know if anything I feel is what I want to feel?"

"No, I could never do that to you." He looked at me with fiercely determined eyes, an icy passion behind them that somehow made me believe him.

"How do I know if what happened with Kai won't happen between you and me? If you could shatter all the bones in his hand how do I know you won't hurt me?"

He snorted. "I did all that to protect you, Sam. How could I hurt you when your the only thing I want to protect?"

"I don't know, if you drink blood and stuff you might try to drink mine. I saw how your face went at your house, it was like you wanted to rip me apart." Tears streamed down my face, this was not how I wanted to start my fun roadtrip.

"You saw how I was able to control it at the house and I don't have to kill people, I just have to take some blood bags from the local medical hospital and then I'm fine." He looked down. "Sure, the hunger is bad but I've spent a long time learning how to control it."

I thought for a moment then dared to ask more questions. "How long have you been alive or dead or whatever?"

"I was turned when I was 18/19 and after that I've been a vampire for 150 years I think, it's round about that number anyway. My parents died 8 years after I turned because I pissed off a vampire called Mikel and he killed them."

He paused, trying to regain composure.

"When they noticed I wasn't getting any older I had to leave home, I went to Florida and it was scary being on my own for a while but I sort of got use to it. Then my friend Siobhan told me that Mikel was after my family so I had to go back to Pittsburgh. Went I got there they were already dead, it was awful, blood everywhere..."

Tears filled his eyes and I took his hand, he looked so lost and sad.

"Then he found out that Siobhan had helped me and he hunted her down too  and then everyone that ever cared about me until I had no one left. I've been alone every since, until I met you. You were the only one who made me feel like I belonged again out of everyone I met in the last 75 years of searching for a home and I decided to stay here. I understand if you don't want to know me anymore, if I've scared you too much but that doesn't mean I'm going to stop protecting you. Your special Sam, and you deserve someone in your life who's going to protect you and make sure your loved even if that can't be me."

I started crying again, it was mostly because of happiness and confusion. No one had ever said anything like that to me before and I was so glad that it was him, even though he was a monster who's drive in life was to drink the blood of humans.

I smiled at him through the tears. "I'm going to come on this trip with you and your going to tell me everything, your history and what else vampires can do, everything. And your not going to compel me or anything, right?"

"Of course I not, I would never do that to you." He went into his pocket and got out a small parcel. "I was saving this for later but I think you need it now." He got out a beautiful silver charm bracelet and threaded it onto my wrist.

"It's beautiful, thank you. But what's it for?"

"It's filled with vervain, a herb that protects you from vampire compulsion. I was going to give it to you in New York but I think you need it now." He smiled and then put his hands on the wheel. "Are you sure you still want to go?"

"Yeah, I'm already packed now."

"Then let's go, New York awaits." He turned the key and stepped on the gas pedal, driving out of Stonewell and into a brand new adventure.