Fangs for Freaks (Book 2: Half-blood vampire series)

Chapter Seven

His lips touched mine. I realized too late I’d just fed and my mouth was still warm with blood. Todd didn’t seem to mind; in fact he deepened the kiss immediately. He wrapped his arms around me and I let him hold me. He tasted like caramel and coffee and for a moment I didn’t think about Thomas or my responsibilities as Protector. I just lived in the moment. Todd ended the kiss and held me, softly kissing my jawline, and whispered in my ear, “Bite me, Colby. Let me give you what you need.”

I jumped away as though burned. What kind of sicko game was this? Todd didn’t have the hots for me! He had the hots for vampires. Ewwwwww.

“Leave me alone,” I commanded and he nodded, entranced by my command.

I ran away from him toward the park, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand. I can’t believe I kissed him and let him hold me! He probably got his jollies while watching me feed on the other guy.

I hated this! I hated being different and living in a human world where people didn’t understand or they got excited at the thought of feeding us. For the first time since I became Undead I doubted I could do it. Stay Undead, that is. It would either break my spirit or drive me crazy and that scared me more than any vampire with a grudge ever could. Thomas was the only one who understood and I could hardly share my confusion over this experience. With Piper in Europe, I’d never felt more alone.

It was well after dark when I finally made my way back to Psi Phi House. I still didn’t know what I was going to do. What could I do? I had to find a way to cope with all these feelings, but who could I turn to? My parents wouldn’t understand, vampires certainly wouldn’t understand. Maybe there was a reason half-bloods weren’t allowed to exist before now. Maybe someone, somewhere in time figured out how hard it would be for us and made the merciful decision to snuff us out of existence.

No! My mind railed against that treacherous thought. We did deserve to exist, we could survive. I was not giving up hope yet. I rounded the corner, just as two cars pulled up to the House. I recognized Mr. Holloway and Thomas immediately, but the occupants of the other car were strangers to me.

I slowed down and greeted Mr. Holloway politely, nodded to Thomas and waited to be introduced to the others. I hadn’t met them yet but I had a pretty good idea the lady in question was Cookie Flannegan and one of the gentlemen with her, sporting streaked blond hair and a Hawaiian shirt, was probably Lance, Tina’s ex-boyfriend.

Boy, my day was just getting better and better.

“Is this her?” Cookie demanded, ignoring, yet again, my hand to shake. I really was beginning to think I was lord of the Undead lepers.

“This is Colby Blanchard, the half-blood Protector,” Mr. Holloway confirmed, giving me credence by introducing me using my full title. I really wished I’d rethought the braids and “Barely Legal” shirt.

“Where are they?!” she demanded, shaking her finger at me.

“I assume you mean Tina and Sage? They’re inside,” I responded politely, resisting the urge to grab her finger. Why did every vampire I met have such bad manners?

“Charles, I want them home. I want them on the next flight back to California with me,” Cookie demanded, and I widened my eyes in surprise. No one I knew talked to Mr. Holloway in such a familiar manner. That is, no one but me.

I was waiting for the deep freeze when he surprised me with a gentle rebuff. “Now, Cookie, you know the law. The girls are staying at Psi Phi House. I know it’s difficult for you but that is the way things are going to be.”

Cookie seemed to crumble a bit under his stern kindness and I noted the tears glistening in her blue eyes. “But I didn’t even get to say good-bye,” she whispered brokenly.