FOREVER

Deal

Deal

Alice laughed at the comment, further revealing her splendidly white teeth and I sighed, not feeling guilty for watching her this time. When she relaxed a few moments later she shook her head, seemingly at my previous comment. "You are interesting, Bella. I mean, granted, I've never told a human that I was a vampire but I have a feeling others would handle it differently." I shrugged, not really having an answer to give and she turned to face forward again. While she wasn't looking directly at her I roamed my eyes over her body. Not in a perverted way...it was more like I was just trying to further figure her out and I somehow thought I could achieve that with staring. What can I say, logic was pretty well failing me at this moment. Alice absently let her right hand fall onto the gearshift and I studied it as it laid there. Her fingers were long and slender, well fitting for her figure, and her nails were a good length and looked manicured. Of course, I doubted that they were. Her being, you know, cold to the touch and hard and stuff. I studied the porcelain skin of the top of her hand and noted where the pen should have driven through. It was untouched. Remembering the pen reminded me of her speed and I inhaled to speak, causing Alice to look over at me again.

"So, why do you have super speed? I noticed when you stabbed yourself with the pen." Alice nodded as if super speed was the most appropriate topic in the world.

"It's one of our predatory skills. We have the speed to catch whatever we're hunting. It especially comes in handy for those of us that don't feed on humans because obviously, the game we hunt are faster than you." She pointed a slender finger at me smiled sweetly. It seemed like the wrong action to do but I smiled anyway and nodded.

"So, what other super special skills do you have? Can you fly?"

"No, no flying. Nor can we turn into bats, sadly. We can jump fairly high and...we're strong and...hard and cold and deadly. Some of us have miscellaneous powers. Though we should smell like decay, we have a very intoxicating scent to lure in our prey." I quirked my brow at Alice's last words and she tilted her head to the side. "You haven't really smelled it?" she asked.

I shook my head. "Not really, just once or twice but I wouldn't call it intoxicating. No offense." Alice shook her head and murmured that none was taking. Then she shifted in her seat and leaned towards me with her neck outstretched. By this time the column of her throat was a few mere inches away from my nose.

"How about now? It's not supposed to be all that potent." I blinked for a few moments, holding my breath out of some subconscious spite or something. But after a few moments I inhaled. Oh, it did smell nice. I breathed in again and closed my eyes. The scent could not have a name and I would do it an injustice to try to compare it to something like vanilla or oranges. But it was delicious and I felt myself wanting more. However, much to my dismay, Alice pulled away at that moment and relaxed back into her seat.

"Okay, I smelled it then," I said shyly.

"What did you think of it?"

"I kind of wanted to drink it in."

"That's how we feel with human blood." I opened my mouth to agree but stopped myself. Alice was looking intently at me, studying my reaction. I mulled her words over in my mind and finally formulated the right response.

"So, blood smells to you what you smell to me?" Alice nodded.

"Pretty much, but far more potent. When we're full and not craving, it's about the equivalent of what you just experienced. When we're, you know, deprived of satiation for long periods it becomes dangerously heady." She paused for a moment to study my expression again and then quickly added, "I'm fine, by the way. I would never get close to you or any other human if I couldn't handle myself." The girl then looked down ashamedly and began to play with her hands. Before I really thought about what I was doing, I reached out and placed both of my hands on hers. She looked up quickly and we almost bumped foreheads so I leaned back a bit but kept my hands in place.