Page 26 of Love Bitten

Xander rose to his full height, towering over me with an intimidating glare. “Leave at once if you’re going to speak of my kind like that in front of me. There’s no place for a vampire hunter like you in my life.”

I bristled. “What the fuck did you just call me?”

From all my hours of reading about vampires, I knew how much of an insult that was. Xander knew too. He had to.

“You heard what I said. Now, get out of my house. And don’t come back unless you’re ready to act like an adult.”

That stung – not as much as being called a vampire hunter, but it still stung. I didn’t waste a second storming out, slamming the massive front door so hard, a horrifying crack reverberated through the frame.

I looked back once, long enough to see Xander watching me through the curtains. It was dark enough out now that he could open them a little and he did, his dark eyes piercing straight through my soul.

I scoffed and turned back around, nearly tripping on the gravel along the drive. It wasn’t the dramatic exit I’d hoped to make, but I hurried down the path till I was safely out of the gates and could stew in my misery.

I cursed under my breath the entire walk home, punctuated by feverish thoughts and questions that burned unanswered after they left my lips.

“What did he think would happen? Fuck him, the miserable bastard.”

I kicked a rock on the side of the road, sending a bolt of pain through my big toe.

“I can’t believe I ever thought I loved him, the little fucker. He can go straight to Hell.”

A car drove past, its headlights momentarily blinding me before it disappeared around a bend in the road. I was tempted to turn around and see where it was headed, but I couldn’t look back, not when I would still be able to see Xavier’s manor in the distance.

“How could it have all fallen apart so quickly? Things were great. Why did he have to ruin everything?”

In my blind rage, I didn’t notice the sudden dip in the earth beneath my feet. I stumbled over it, losing my footing as my legs slipped out from underneath me. I tumbled into the ditch, landing in a muddy slop of ditch water.

“Fuck!”

Today was not my day.

I thought back to Xander alone in his mansion as I pulled myself out of the ditch and back onto the side of the road, scraping off as much mud as I could with my bare hands. If he’d been here to witness this, he would have picked me up and rushed me back to his house, bathing me and providing me with a clean set of clothes while he washed mine.

Of course, after today’s events, he probably would have watched and laughed, leaving me to deal with my own mess. It was my fault after all.

My fault.

I shook my head vigorously, spattering mud all around from the tips of my head. No, it was best that things had ended the way they did with Xander. With a guy like him, a breakup was always bound to be messy. I didn’t need to apologize for anything.

Right?

“Right.”

It was time to forget about Xander and start worrying about myself, something I’d neglected in my rush to find love.

24

XANDER

Icouldn’t let Luke go without saying a proper goodbye. I was so angry with him after he insulted me in my own house, I let my rage blind me. I was better than that, even if Luke didn’t think so, and I initially planned on reaching out through a letter. The more I pondered that option, the less appropriate it felt and I doubted he would read it anyway. If I were Luke, I would have tossed it into the rubbish bin the second I picked it up.

I considered going directly to his house to apologize many times, which seemed like my only good option. Every time I readied myself to leave the house, however, I convinced myself that there was still a glow of sunlight outside and it wouldn’t be safe to leave. Even at midnight, when the moon was but a sliver and the stars were covered by clouds, I couldn’t bring myself to step outside the front door.

The only thought that kept me from hiding away in the darkness forever was Luke, alone in his own house, facing the same dark, deep sorrow I had. He deserved better. He deserved to have our short time together tied up neatly with a little bow, tucked into his memories for a later date.

If it were up to me, I would have attempted to remedy the relationship and bring it back to life. Luke wasn’t ready for that, I knew, and the only other option for both of us was to put a stop to our romantic life together and try to forge ahead as friends, or perhaps even strangers. Whatever made Luke happiest, I would agree to it.

I finally worked up the courage to visit Luke after a long, depressing day locked away in my dungeon. I couldn’t bring myself to drink the blood of any more of the poor rabbits I’d purchased, instead letting them go free in my garden. They hopped away excitedly, free from death at the hands of their captor if only to be devoured by another predator weeks or months in the future. It wasn’t a good ending for them, but the poor creatures never stood a chance given the life they were born into, much like myself. I’d never gone off the taste of animal blood or been concerned about the welfare of the creatures surrounding me before. What had changed me?

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