Fear and Blood

Chapter 28

Chapter 28

Rome stumbled a little as she walked the few steps from the guest bedroom to the kitchen. She felt dizzy, tired and breathless all at once and knew she needed to sit down before she fell down.

Staggering into the kitchen she let herself drop heavily onto a chair, which was surprisingly difficult. Ever since she had taken that first few steps into Ly's room she had felt drawn to him and now she had to fight herself to keep from getting up and going back in there. Remembering the look in his eyes when he told her to go was enough to keep her in her chair. It was hard for her to believe that someone like Ly could be so afraid and she had no idea why.

The room spun and it took a while for Rome to remember that she was still bleeding. The cut on her finger had stopped as soon as Ly had removed it from his lips, but she could still feel the sticky wetness on her neck and shoulder from where his fangs had pierced her skin.

She wondered how she was going to keep this a secret from her parents. There was absolutely no way they would let Ly continue to stay with them once they found out he had fed off their daughter.

A frown spread across her face as she pressed a piece of paper towel to her neck. I should be horrified, or afraid, she thought slowly. Her thoughts were still all mixed up but she could feel her head clearing. I shouldn't still feel drawn to him. I shouldn't feel like I want him to...I shouldn't feel happy.

But she did. Despite the dizziness she felt ecstatic. She had finally been able to help Ly, to do something for him that he really needed, something he wouldn't except from anyone else. Now she knew he needed her and that made her feel wonderful. There was something else that was troubling her though.

Ly had asked her, just before taking her blood, if she wanted to become a vampire and she had to be honest with herself, part of her wanted to. She had come to the realisation a while ago that there could never be anything more between the two of them than just friendship because he was a vampire and she a human, but she had always hoped that somehow they would get past that. Now she was wondering if they were just too different.

There wasn't only the fact that Ly would outlive her, or that he lived in the night and she in the day, or even that he needed to feed off human blood to survive. The short time she had spent with Val had taught her that vampire society was so much different to that of humans. It was a society she could never become a part of without becoming a vampire herself, and one that Ly could never leave.

Rome sighed. What do I really feel for him? She asked herself. I like him...a lot, but is that enough for me to give up my life, my family? It's not like I would never see them again, but we would never be the same. Would they hate me if I chose Ly? Even if I did choose him, what kind of vampire would I make? I'm not afraid of blood, but I don't like the sight of it, or the smell, or the taste. Would I be the same if I became a vampire, or would I change?

Then there was also the question of why he had asked. Did he really want her to be with him forever? When he had kissed her she knew he wanted her, but was it really her he wanted or was it just that he was so lost in his blood cravings that he didn't know how much he was asking?

Tears had just begun to fall from her eyes, when the kitchen door opened and Alex stepped inside. He was about to greet her when he noticed she was crying. Quickly his eyes flicked to the blood spattered paper towel pressed to her neck. His eyes narrowed and his face went completely red.

“Where is he?” he growled, his low tone sending shivers through Rome's body. It was obvious who he was talking about and Rome wasn't surprised he knew what Ly was. Mae would have told him when she called. If Alex had hated Ly before then that was nothing when compared to how he felt now. “I'll kill him!”