Page 126 of Bitten By Desire
“Sometime within the last ten years.” It came out as more of a question than a statement. I knew he was trying to be better for me. But I didn’t know if he’d given up human blood a year ago or ten.
“Soafterhe met you? That girl on campus disappeared the same night you met him. And he was still killing people then, right?”
Shit.“Zoey, he’s not a bad guy.”
“So you’re saying that hedidn’tkill that girl on campus ten years ago?”
I winced. “I mean…technically he did do that.”
“What?! On the same night he met you? What the fuck, Emma?!”
“Yes, it was the same night. But it happened right before he met me.” As if that helped. Yeah, I had a lot more questions to ask Callum.
“How are you not freaking out right now? Callum literally murdered someone right before he fucked you and ghosted you.”
Okay when she put it like that… Yeah, that was bad. My stomach churned. Exactly how many people had Callum killed? And how close had he really been to killing me? I never would have thought about it when we first met. But he very much looked like he wanted to kill me in that hay maze. With the smell of blood everywhere.
“He killed someone and then kissed you with his murderous lips!”
He hadn’t kissed me that night. I’d wanted him to. But his mouth had been preoccupied. I felt my hand gravitate to my neck. Would I have tasted the blood on his tongue if we’d kissed?Herblood? I swallowed hard. Callum wasn’t a monster. And yet…he’d done very monstrous things.
“Fucking hell.” Zoey pulled my hand off my neck. “He bit you? Are you a vampire now? Why did I give Bennett all my garlic powder?!”
“I’m not a vampire. I don’t know how it all works. You interrupted us when…”
“You’re welcome! I probably saved you.” She looked at my neck again. “You need some Band-Aids. Several. I can’t believe you let him bite you!”
“I’m okay. Really. I…I liked it.” I really freaking liked it. And I deserved the way she was looking at me. Like I’d lost my mind. She’d been staring at me like that a lot over the past ten years.
“Youlikedyour blood being sucked by a vampire? Do you even hear yourself right now? I need to call Bennett…”
“No.” I grabbed her hand to stop her. “You can’t, he’s…” I coughed. “He…” I started choking on nothing but air. I tried to take a deep breath. “He’s dangerous.” I smiled. I’d said something about it! I guess that wasn’t really spilling their secret. But it was a good warning. I breathed a sigh of relief.
She groaned. “Don’t tell me he’s a vampire too.”
“No. But he’s definitely dangerous. His friends too. They’re all really dangerous. Way more dangerous than Callum.”
“Worse than being a vampire?” Zoey shook her head. “I can’t even fathom what is worse than that. And I don’t understand why you won’t just tell me.”
“I can’t. It’s like Callum said…they really do have to show you.” Not that I wanted her to be alone with those werecats. I was pretty sure I’d almost died tonight. I shuddered thinking about Bennett’s sharp teeth and claws.
“I don’t want to see any of it. Creepy things like this aren’t supposed to exist in real life. Especially in a safe town like Crooked Point.”
I laughed. This town was anything but safe. It was as crooked as its name.
She ignored my reaction. “And Halloween is over! Has this town not gotten the memo?”
I laughed again.
“This isn’t funny. Any of it. And damn it, Bennett and his friends are all so hot. Why do they have to be dangerous?”
“I knew you liked Bennett.”
“I can’t help that I’m attracted to bad boys! You know it’s my weakness.”
“I thought hot, married cops were your weakness?”
“Not funny!”
