Wild Creatures

Chapter 2

00.01 am

Lan Zhan was going to meet his brother, Lan XiChen at a bar in downtown Denver and he was late.

His car had broken down a few blocks back but the tow company had taken ages getting back to him. They finally collected the car around half an hour ago, and Lan Zhan was texting his brother while he walked down the deserted street.

The bar was called Love Bites and Lan Zhan was already uncomfortable about the whole thing. Normally, he would be asleep by now, but a string of bad luck had left him dragging out the day until now.

He couldn't wait to get this meeting over with so his brother could drive him back to his home.

But Lan Zhan was so distracted by the back and forth messages on his phone, that he hardly registered the black shadow that crossed over him.

And then, there was a sharp sudden pain on his neck and his entire body became numb. His phone slipped from his hand.

He was aware of falling...and then there was nothing.

*********

Lan Zhan drifted in and out of consciousness.

He noticed different things every time, but his thoughts were like the bubbles in fresh soda, popping and disappearing before he had a chance to grasp how important they were.

He knew he kept blacking out and time ceased to mean anything any more.

The sharp pain along his side was what roused him, lifting him up out of the quicksand of his mind. His whole body ached and throbbed, but it was the feeling of the growing cold which stood out.

All at once, he smelled gas from a passing car, the oils used in the paints of the graffiti somewhere nearby, soft traces of white spirits, and petrichor in the air; it was going to rain in approximately an hour.

How did he know that?

Where had these thoughts come from?

And overpowering all of those was the most tantalising scent he had ever, ever smelled, awakening his hunger. It was floral, enticing and Lan Zhan wanted nothing more than to sink his teeth into whatever it was.

What was even more astonishing was that his mind could perfectly identify the scent...lotus flowers with a trace of vanilla...his mouth watered at the thought.

Unconsciously, his teeth accidentally bit his lip and his mouth flooded with blood...but rather than being disgusted by that, Lan Zhan licked it away, and was amazed to find that his hunger ebbed away.

When had his teeth become that sharp?

And wasn't he a vegetarian? Since when had meat become so appealing to him? Since that was where his thoughts drifted to, because Lan Zhan was imagining a steak, the rarest kind...in fact, the bloodier, the better...

This...he was appalled at.

Never once in his life had he ever considered eating anything that wasn't a vegetable...his most favourite dish was vegetable dumplings...but right now, he could literally kill for a steak.

That was a surprise...

And this scent!

Wherever it was coming from...it was close.

And it was making Lan Zhan feeling all sorts of things...but there was a major problem.

He couldn't move.

Not even to open his eyes.

His body was heavier than lead, his limbs refusing to cooperate. Lan Zhan was aware of everything, from the tiny ants crawling near his hand, to the heavenly fragrance oh so close to him now...but there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it.