BloodLust

Black Coffee

Chapter 19

I brought the steaming mug of coffee to my lips with trembling hands, drinking the bitter contents. Under any other circumstances, I would have cringed, or at least shown some sign that I disliked it, but I was simply emotionless, trapped in a state of frozen shock. Peter sat across from me in an extravagant, indigo colored loveseat, the kind that had the ridiculously decorated yet somehow still vintage back lining in brown wood. In between us sat a glass coffee table that sat just below my knees. Those were the only things I noticed as I sat hunched forward, clinging to my coffee mug tightly with both hands.

Peter hadn't taken his eyes off of me since he had carried me to an unknown location and dumped me on this couch. He disappeared for no longer than a split second before he was back again, shoving a mug of black coffee into my hands. My thoughts were a blur in my head, as if my body were trying to understand itself, thinking at a pace not meant for me to understand; but beneath all of it, that tugging in my chest was back, and though it was buried beneath piles of unsorted emotion, it was there, silently whispering Peter's name.

For the first time in... how long had it been? Hours? Days? Minutes? I had lost track of how long I had been sipping at the inky swirls that seemed to be taunting me with its sour taste. I finally made eye contact with Peter, his pale translucent eyes studied me with a blank expression, and I looked away, a small blush heating my cheeks. Had he always been so... I glanced up at him again under a deep compliance to do so, not able to tear my eyes away from his face. It was like putting on glasses for the first time, and you're seeing everything with such clarity it brings you undeniable happiness.

The curve of his jaw slanted upward at the perfect moment, his high cheekbones sharp and angular, and for the first time I saw not a mischievous teenager with no parental guidance, but a man who had seen too much, and felt too much. His eyes were naturally slightly narrowed, and his lips forming a comfortable grim line, features that might belong to someone who hated the world and everyone in it. But maybe he did, maybe behind that sly grin was an ugly frown, maybe he wanted none other than to disappear right off the face of the earth... But it was more than that, he had something that still drove him on, a fierce goal that kept him alive, no matter how broken he was inside.

He was so beautiful, and I found myself trying to find words to describe the indescribable.

"Now that you're... aware, we need to talk." His voice had never sounded so much like a melody sung only for me, yet I still caught the way his voice slightly tremored, as if he were having trouble focusing. I shook my head, remembering the attack.

"That man, I—."

"You killed him." He said, glancing uneasily at my hands. I followed his line of sight, my hand beginning to tremble again.

The mug was slowly fading black around the area where my fingers held it, and I felt a tear drop from my chin. I carefully set the cup down despite my violently shaking hands, bringing my legs up to my chin and hugging myself. So it was true...

"How?" I choked, hoping he'd understand.

"It's one of your powers as a Gold vampire. You sort of absorb the life out of everything you touch." My eyes widened, and I met his with a mortified expression. He peered back at me as if to say 'there's no other way to say it.'

I gulped, nodding slowly. I couldn't help it as a strangled sound escaped my lips, my eyes falling out of focus. I had sucked the life out of someone; I had actually killed someone. Peter got up, and I saw him reaching for me. I gasped, my eyes opening all the way and tears gushing down my cheeks.