Wisdom (My Blood Approves book #4)

chapter 3

  The last time I saw Jane, she promised she would get out of this life.

Back in November, she had been seriously injured in the fight with the lycansand spent a month in the hospital recuperating. I hadn't really talked to hermuch after that because I thought it would be better for her if we severed allties. Besides that, there hadn't really been that much keeping us together anymore.

We had been friends since we were seven, but the older we got, the clearer itbecame that our priorities were vastly different. Jane was addicted to partying,drinking, sex, and eventually, vampire bites. I didn't want any part of that life,and she didn't know how to stop.

I hadn't heard from her for a long time, until a few nights before Christmas.Bobby had been working his ass off on some school project, and he aced it.To celebrate that, he wanted to go out. Milo, Bobby, Jack, and I headed out toV – the vampire club in downtown Minneapolis. I had been hanging out theremore since I started training with Olivia, and despite myself, I kinda liked it.

After hearing a dance remix of "Jingle Bell Rock" far too many times, we decided to leave. It was snowing out, but in that nice way, like it does in movies, all magical and soft. With fresh snow, everything seems to look cleaner and brighter, and since it was after four in the morning, there weren't many cars driving around to muck it up.

I was staring up at the sky, watching the snow fall down. The clouds seemed to glow from the city lights, and the skyscrapers towered above us. For one brief moment, the whole world fell silent, and I felt like I was living inside a snow globe.

The silence was broken by the sound of an erratic heartbeat, reminding me of a scared rabbit. My throat felt parched, a dull reminder that it had been almost a week since I'd eaten. But I didn't go to the clubs looking for food. I didn't even feed off humans. Bobby had been the only person I'd bitten, and I had no choice when I did that.

"Oh my god," Milo said. He stood a few feet in front of me, holding Bobby's hand, and he leaned forward to get a closer look. "Is that Jane?"

"What are you talking about?" I brushed past him to see what he was talking about. Jack followed behind me, in case trouble should arise, the way it always seemed to when Jane was around.

When I saw her, I stopped cold. She stood at the corner, waiting around the entrance of V. Her legs were spindle thin, jutting out from her short skirt. Her hair was longer than it had been before, but it hung limply around her gaunt face. Shivering like mad, her skin had a bluish tone to it, and her eyes darted all over.

"Jane?" I took a few uncertain steps over to her. Her eyes locked on mine fora split second, then quickly looked away. "Jane, what are you doing here?"

"Nothing." She shook her head and turned around the corner to get away from me.

"Jane!" I repeated and ran after her. Jack, Milo, and Bobby lagged behind,giving us some space.

"What do you want?" Jane stopped but wouldn't make eye contact. A streetlight glowed nearby, and she hid in the shadows of it.

"Aren't you supposed to be in the hospital?" I asked.

When she moved, I tried to see if there were any bite marks on her neck. I didn't see any, but that didn't mean anything. They healed quickly, and she could have fresh ones on her arms and thighs out of sight.

"I came home yesterday," Jane replied flatly, and she twitched. Once, she had been the most beautiful girl I had ever known. Now she looked like she had leukemia.

"What are you doing here?" I whispered.

Another vampire rounded the corner. He didn't acknowledge us at all, but Jane stared after him with a hungry expression on her face. Humans craved vampires just as much as we craved humans.