Page 7 of Stranded with a Wounded Vampire

As if I didn’t know.

I do not want her coming up the mountain to get me in the midst of this storm. It wouldn’t be safe for her, driving her tiny car up these roads, and yet she’d do it in a heartbeat.

I’m fine, I lie. I’m in the house with Bruce. I’ll tell you all about it later.

Bruce? You’re on a first-name basis now with this mysterious Korn? She sends a heart-eyed emoji.

I roll my eyes and ghost.

My mom can’t come and get me. And my best friend is eight months pregnant, with two small children in the house and I know for a fact her husband is at work.

Looks like I’m on my own.

Luckily, there’s a new romance novel I preordered and it released today. My phone is still almost fully charged. Both Bruce Bloodworth and Steve Banks are lucky I have this book available. This decreases my anxiety by at least eighty percent. My shoulders soften as I pick up the phone again and tap on my reader app and open the first chapter. I smile, loving the familiar words and voice of my favorite author, ready to go in deep.

I settle down and happily read for the next hour on my phone, laughing out loud at my favorite parts.

This works perfectly fine for the first hour because the book is great, sucking me in deep, like usual.

But I eventually the cold gets to me. I get antsy and stiff so when I notice a pause in the rain, I step out after a while and walk around in the just to stretch my legs. But then the storm gets worse and I get back inside.

I think I see a shuffle from the drapes again, this time in a window on the first floor.

Thirty minutes later I put the phone down and look around because I'm getting disgruntled. The rain is now falling so heavy there are puddles in the front yard and driveway and it’s really getting chilly out here.

After two hours and thirty minutes of this nonsense I tap the app closed and put the phone down for good and call Steve back. I can’t focus on my story when I’m so hungry and thirsty.

It rings and rings and rings again and goes to a recording. I call again, trying to get him to actually pick up. Finally, he responds. “Yeah?”

I try my best to sound normal, like I don’t have a care in the world even though I’m now highly agitated. “Steve, it's now almost five o’clock. Are you almost here?”

“Oh, that's right,” he offers. “You’re on that mountain…”

I let out a whimper of dismay.

“There's been a multi-car crash on route 40. All of us have been called in to help. I can't get to you. Isn't that old Masson house nearby?”

I glance at the house. “Yeah. I’m parked in the driveway.”

“It’s raining hard and the storm is only going to get worse. Just stay the night there. I know Bruce Bloodworth. Tell him I said I can’t pick you up and you have to stay.”

“No, I…I…”

“After I’m done helping with this mess on the freeway it’s going to be late. I'm not coming out there in a storm in the middle of the night to get you when you’re not in an emergency. I'll be there later in the morning. Bye.”

He hangs up on me again.

Oh hell. I look over at the mansion and let out another deep sigh. Then I pull on my hood, grab my purse and sprint through the rain to the porch.

The front door opens.

“Stop,” Bruce yells. “You don’t want to come in here or get close to me right now. This is not a safe location for a human female.”

I swear he looks even more enraged. His eyes are flaming, his skin which is normally preternaturally pale, looks flushed. And I can see both of his elongated fangs. He’s standing with a wide stance and looks extremely determined to keep me out of his house.

And I don’t even care because I'm fed up and standing in a rainstorm. It’s growing ever darker outside and the wind is picking up. My feet are now wet and muddy and I need his help. And even though he’s claiming this isn’t a safe place for me, I’m ninety-nine percent certain those fears are unfounded. The Korn have been on this planet long enough that stories have filtered down about their mating practices and I know they hold the idea of consent prior to blood-sharing super serious, which I appreciate. And I have a basic understanding of their life-long mating practices. But I’ve already thought of all that ahead of time because I’m not stupid. I came up here basically knowing what I’d be getting into if I chose to start something with him, and I’m up for it.

“Bruce, I need?—”

---