Bad Taste (Part I) // Colby Brock

10 - Colby

          It had been a while since I'd had a dream so potent that it woke me up. In fact, it had been a while since I'd had any kind of dream at all. And even longer since I'd been disturbed from my sleep by myself. But here I was, lying in bed staring at the back of my eyelids waiting to fall back asleep. It just wasn't happening and that was increasingly clear. I gave up trying to sleep, opening my eyes. The light coming through the window instantly blinded me, making me hiss and roll away from it. My dark grey covers came with me. I was hidden beneath a heap of blankets now, unsure whether or not I had been drained over the past few hours.

Aside from the annoying pair of brown eyes stuck in my head, I didn't feel any different to normal. So I darted out from my covers, pulling my curtains together before zipping to my closet. I found an outfit and ran for a shower. Technically, I didn't have to shower — since everything on me was made to be still and pristine after the change — but my hair got fluffier when it got wet, and it curled more. I'd always liked the curls, deep down, but I still flattened them when I stared in the mirror. I looked too soft with curls. Wearing a pair of jeans with lots of chains, a slightly baggy shirt with the sleeves rolled to my elbows, the two top buttons undone, and all of my rings, I headed downstairs.

During the day, it was very rare that I would ever run into anyone. Most of the time, it was Katrina or Xepher. But mostly Katrina since she was the only human now. Thanks to Griffin's amazing self-control, his One changed into a vampire after one night of being with her sexually.

My shoes sounded loud on the wooden floors as I floated into the kitchen. A few remnants of the party from last night laid around like cups, one passed out person, and a big trash bag with the rest of the cups stuffed in — our last-minute lazy cleanup. But out of everything, the only thing I saw was the upside down glass sitting on a nearby table. Even from here, it smelled like that girl, the one that filled my dreams and made sleep impossible. I didn't know her name; I didn't know why she was at the party; I didn't know why I was so drawn to her. But my entire body screamed with a rage to take that glass, find her scent on it, and hunt her down. That deranged side of me would search all of LA if it needed to.

However, I was in control of myself a little more than that. I did walk up to the glass and pick it up, but I didn't sniff it to find her, I sniffed it to remind myself of last night. I could still see her dazed brown eyes as she stared up at me, pinned against the wall by my body, I could still feel her body against me, I could still hear her heart pounding in her chest. When I asked Kevin to persuade her to go home last night, I hadn't expected it to fail. She had left, and Kevin took that as a for-certain, but she hadn't left because of him. I didn't know how I knew this, I just knew it. Deep inside.

The sound of somebody moving around upstairs woke me up quite quickly. I ran to the kitchen, dropping the glass in the sink before running to the passed-out party goer. I stood over him for a second, considering feeding on him when he suddenly shuffled. My hand came down onto his shoulder and I yanked him up. In a drunken haze — definitely hung over — he groaned and started to open his eyes. I pushed him against a wall, which was all it took.

"Go home," I ordered, the uncomfortable sting behind my eyes coming back. Without question, the random dude started to leave. At the same time, Katrina glided onto the bottom step. She paused for a moment, looking at me. I saw the gears turning in her head; should she talk to me? Should she leave me alone? Should she go and tell someone I wasn't asleep? She decided on the first one.

"Hey, Colby," she greeted, smiling.

I just stared at her blankly.

She sighed. "Great. Because we needed someone else to be an asshole around here." She walked away as if I hadn't been able to hear what she'd said. If she were a vampire, I would have snapped her neck, but she wasn't and she was Sam's 'One', or whatever, so I couldn't do a damn thing to her. Anger surged through my body. I thought about how easy it would be to take his 'One' right now, just for a quick feed. It had been a day or two since I'd last fed anyways. If I just-

Before I could do anything, which I probably wasn't going to, Sam came flying down the stairs and slammed me into the wall. He was shirtless, like he had just been asleep, and was glaring at me. I could see the resentment in his eyes, the 'I dare you' attitude that made him my brother. "Don't even think about it," he growled.

I wondered for a second how he had known what I was thinking. But then my clan leader ego kicked in full force and I easily overpowered Sam, throwing him into the floor. Katrina shrieked, watching with horror, but I ignored her. The floor had dented under Sam's head.

"Don't touch me again, brother," I snarled.

He growled back as I stood up. I examined the damage beneath him.

"Fix that," I ordered, then ran away.

Sam started to cuss me out but I ignored him.My bedroom suddenly felt like a safe haven, where nobody would come in and bother me and I could just peacefully be. I wished that was the case, but as usual, it wasn't, for I laid down and closed my eyes, and there were those brown ones again.