A.SPECKHART | Book One

AFTERMATH 9.1

There were no words. I fell silent. 

Over his shoulder and the backseat, I stared out the rear window. A streetlamp blinked. On the main road, cars zoomed past, their lights white then red as they left my line of sight. Our steady breaths slowly fogged the windows, yet moving out of Cole's lap hadn't occurred to me. In hindsight, I suppose that even though his confession was shocking and his fangs were bare, I still couldn't find it in me to be scared of him. I'd run to him when I was terrified that I was being stalked by some evil person whose mission was to murder me. Yet, he was likely a murderer, too. I had attached myself to someone who could so easily bring me harm, but he hadn't—my gut told me he wouldn't.

When I refocused on his face, his eyes held a dead expression. His shoulders had sunken, and his hands had fallen limply into the space between us, barely keeping hold of my wrists. How defeated and hurt he seemed by my reaction caused me to break out in sympathy. 

"Please... Just don't get out of the car." He requested quietly. "By all means, sit as far away from me as you can, but at least let me drop you off somewhere nearer your place."

Now, I wondered, how many people have run away from you because of what you are?

"Cole, were you only interested in me for my blood?" I asked, remembering one of the first things he said to me when we hooked up was how I smelled and that he liked it.

"No. Of course not." Cole met my eyes, but I couldn't help staring at his fangs. "I would have taken it if that's all I'd wanted."

"Is there something wrong with me that made you not want it?"

"How is that the first thing you assume? Ana, there's nothing wrong with you at all. Okay? I mean, I've thought about what you would taste like, but I would never—I don't feed from people. Not anymore. I haven't bitten anyone in a long time."

"How long is a long time?"

"Er, about twenty-six years..."

"Longer than I've been alive!" I exclaimed, distracted, as I manoeuvred myself out of his lap and back into the passenger seat. I sat, my legs curled, arms wrapping my shins. But with my back resting against the door, I faced Cole.

"When you put it like that, it really highlights the... gap." He looked blindsided, but we were on the same track. The bloodier truth wasn't so much a deal breaker as the generational cavern between us. 

"Wait, then, how do you eat if you don't bite people?"

"There are companies that sell products that cater to my... specific diet."

"What like pre-packaged, microwavable blood?" I chuckled; my dark humour was apparently helping me see the funnier side of things.

"Hmm, yeah, kind of," Cole explained but didn't break a smile. "You're taking this really well." He looked over at me with concern.

"I've had loads of shocking shit to deal with lately. Suppose I'm getting used to it." We shared in slowly nodding; the world had turned on its head lately. "And like you said, Vampires are portrayed as being savage and unable to control their thirst for blood—" 

His wary eyes met mine, and his brow was deeply furrowed. He was curious about where my point was going. 

I offered a gentle smile, hoping I could trust my gut. "—and you've had opportunities to hurt me, and you haven't. Not yet, at least." 

"I have no intention of hurting you, Ana." 

"If you didn't want my blood, why did you ask me to get into your car and then make a move on me? Hooking up with students isn't something you regularly do, is it?"