Bloodlust (The Blood Series #1)

Chapter 17

  Nathan's lips are for a moment frozen against mine like he can't believe I'm kissing him. He recovers fast and pulls me to him and presses his lips harder to mine. My fingers are in his hair, gently tugging them and he moans. I've never felt this kind of passion about anyone, not even Troy. When I kiss Nathan, I don't ever want to stop.

After some serious making out, we lay on the bed, my head on his chest and his arm around me.

"I should probably go", he says reluctantly when the night falls as dark and relentless as a black hood over my street and leaves us in the darkness. He starts to get up but I hold him tighter.

"Stay with me?" I ask in a low voice. My chest tightens in anxiety when I think of him leaving and I'm relieved when he nods and puts his head back on the pillow next to mine. I have been avoiding sleep for too long so when he's cuddling with me again, I fall asleep almost instantly.

This time when I dream, it feels different. As it begins, I know that it's not a dream, it's a memory. A memory that I was supposed to have lost but one that has miraculously been returned to me. But even as I see it, it's a little hazy like my mind can't conjure up all the lost details. The edges of the memory are charred like in a photograph that someone has burned the edges off. My very own sepia colored movie starts rolling in my head and I feel myself being absorbed into it.

I'm standing in an alley trying to find a taxi. Troy is next to me, his eyes nearly tearing up as he stares at me. But I won't look at him. I don't want to feel bad for him, I want to stay angry. I need to stay angry.

"Haley, please", he begs me but I refuse to listen. "Just let me drive you home. You've been drinking and I don't want you to walk alone."

My eyes narrow. "My safety is no longer your concern", I spit and start to walk away.

"It'll always be my concern", he calls out following me. I stop walking and look around. There's not a taxi to be seen and the buses run seldom at this time of the night. I'm stranded in front of a night club on the wrong side of the town so I might as well take Troy up on his offer. I don't want to walk these creepy streets anymore than Troy wants me to. Not that I care what he wants but he does live on the same street as I do. Accepting a ride does not mean that I'm taking him back. I'll make that clear to him too and if he doesn't agree, I'll just walk home. It may take time but it's the weekend, I can sleep as late as I want to as soon as I get home.

"Okay then. But you are not allowed to talk at all during the ride. I mean it, Troy. I'll jump out of the car if you start to list all the reasons I should take you back", I warn him sternly. My words are harsh but I want to be perfectly clear. I'm never taking him back. Not after this.

He shuts his eyes. "Fine, I won't. Just let me take you home", he says again.

The memory jumps forwards and suddenly I'm already in his car, staring sullenly out of the window while Troy drives and tunes the radio. I don't recognize the scenery but then again it's the middle of the night so it's not really a surprise.

We have been driving for awhile when he stops the car and I turn to ask why he did that but the words get stuck in my throat when I see his face. Troy is no longer Troy, in his place there's a monster wearing his skin. There are two pointy teeth in his mouth, fangs that are aimed at me and his eyes are hungry. I don't know how but suddenly I'm all too certain that he's going to attack, rip my skin to shreds and drink my blood.

"No! Troy, please, don't do this!" I try to scream but he won't listen. I'm not even sure he can hear me, he's wrapped up in some dream like state. My cries fall on deaf ears and the hands holding me in place won't budge no matter how hard I struggle.

"I'm sorry Haley... But this is the only way you won't leave me. You need to understand and this is the only way. You can't leave me, I won't let you. You'll be with me... forever."

With that he rips open the skin over his artery and forces his bleeding wrist on my mouth. I refuse to open it, tears rushing down my face. I try to push him away which makes him push me too hard. I fly out of the car and onto the undergrowth on the side of the road. For a second I can't move because the wind has been knocked out of me. Then I stagger to my feet and look for a weapon against Troy. Only thing I find is a short stick that's not really anything but I wrap my fingers around it nonetheless. If nothing else, I can stick it in his eye.

He gets out of the car and approaches me carefully like I am a wounded animal he's trying to catch. "Haley please, just be reasonable. I'm a lot stronger and faster than you are. I'm going to win this fight. You should just give in. I don't want you to get hurt", he pleas.

When Troy lunges at me and his fangs pierce my skin, I sink the short stick into his chest. He groans in pain, lets go off me and drops to his knees as he tries to get the branch out. I take an advantage of his temporary immobility and I run. As I go I start to realize how bad the wound he made is. Blood. There's blood everywhere. My yellow sun dress is stained like a rag used to bind someone's fatal wound. My feet beat the asphalt and my breath rags as I run faster and faster. I hear screams but I'm not sure if they are just in my head or not. Tears rush down my face, they are blinding me. Everything I know is a pain so fierce that it feels like I'm being torn in half.

I can hear him wheezing for air as his last breaths leave his lungs. All he can do is call out my name like it's his lifeline. "Haley... Haley... Haley!" he croaks but I don't look back, I don't have the strength. All I know is I'm running, I'm escaping and I need to get away. If I stop, I'll die. He'll kill me.

I run through an industrial area, leaving behind my shoes because my bare feet can go faster than my high heels. I pass by a few people, they stare but don't say anything and that's how I know that I'm in Blood territory. Only in Blood territory can people be so indifferent to seeing a girl with a neck wound and blood staining her dress running down the street and looking over her shoulder as if excepting someone to be after her.

I have been running for awhile when someone reaches me, catches my wrists and forces me to stop running. "Haley", they call out like they have been saying it for many times already, only I just now am able to comprehend what they are saying.

I stare at him. "I didn't mean to, I didn't mean to kill him, I swear, please just don't kill me, please!" I scream hysterically.

"Kill who?" he asks.

"Troy... his eyes, he's not human. He wants me to be like him. A vampire", I mutter and try frantically free myself again. "Please just let me go, I need to run, I have got to get away, just let me go, please just let me go..."

"Come on", he says in stead and starts to run with me. His dark brown hair flies in the air as he pushes against the screaming wind and all I know is that I'm holding his hand and for now that's all that matters.

I wake up from the dream but not screaming like usually this week, the memory simply ends and my eyes open because of it. I lay still for a moment and find comfort in the arm circling my waist. I'm glad he stayed. No matter what happens from now on, I'll always have this one perfect night that I can look back to. No one can take it away from me.

Something about my movements must have woken Nathan up because he kisses my ear. "Sleep", he whispers to my ear in a groggy voice that tells me that he has just woken up too. He sounds adorably hoarse and I force myself not to giggle. I don't giggle, I'm not the kind to even want to giggle. But when I'm around him, I could be that kind.

I shake my head and he makes a protesting sound when my hair falls on his face. "I don't want to."

Visions of the dreams I've been having all week flash in my eyes. Countless men and women, all screaming my name before they met their ends. I can't watch them again. I can't watch Oliver murder anyone else without being able to stop it. Every time he kills someone, he kills a part of me too. And he knows it which makes it even more excruciating.

"Why not?"

"Because when I sleep, I dream."

I can't see his face but I know his expression has turned to serious when he understands what I mean. "I'll protect you", he says with absolute certainty. I know he means it but can't figure out why. We've only really known each other for so little time, I don't know how I got so lucky as to have him watch out for me. Or why he looks at me like he cares about me. It's hard to understand how we could have possibly gotten this connection during one weekend but I can't pretend like it's not there anymore. Not now when I've felt its power. Our connection is stronger than ever after this night.

"Promise?" I ask, only half-kidding. It's obvious that he can't really protect me from Oliver's sadistic adventures but it makes me feel better to have him here. With his arms around me I feel safe. He's like my knight in a black leather jacket and I need him, unlike I've ever needed anyone.

He kisses me lightly on the lips as a reassurance.

"Always."