Page 30 of This Blood That Binds Us
She contemplated for a minute before nodding and scooting toward the edge of the bed. She moved her hair out of the way and revealed an imprint, similar to the one on my shoulder. It was a clean imprint but not deep.
“That’s weird. It’s like...they bit you but didn’t take any blood. It doesn’t hurt at all?”
“Nope. Just my shoulder. Thanks toyou. I planned on going back to the doctor tomorrow, but I’ve been dreading it because it didn’t go well last time. Another joy of vampires existing: mention them one time, and everyone wants to ship you to the looney bin.”
I chuckled. “You seem to be taking it well. I was completely mute for the first couple of days.”
“That must have been hell, not knowing what’s going on and being changed...” Her eyes beckoned me to say more.
I contemplated how much I should say. Every bit of information I gave her would push her farther and farther down the rabbit hole. She’d be lost in wonderland.
The bite on her neck was a visual reminder it was too late for that. Besides, it was not like I knew that much, anyway. She deserved to know everything I knew after everything I had put her through.
“What you need to know about my older brothers is that they have their own little secret life that they don’t like to share with the class. Not sure if it’s a twin thing or an older brother thing,but it’s been that way since we were kids. I never thought much about it until it was too late.”
“How did they change you without . . . telling you?” Her eyes softened.
“Since it’s late, I’ll give you the cliff note version. They came home one day, looking frantic. Told us to get in the car and wouldn’t say why. Just that someone was after us. There wasn’t time to grab anything or even call my mom. We threw away our cellphones, got these weird fake IDs. We drove for hours and hours without stopping until, finally, they took us to some safe house they knew about and then...changed us. Just like that. It was kinda a trust thing...”
Saying it out loud only reminded me of how stupid I sounded. Blind trust was something that was expected in my family. Family over everything else. I used to think it was cool, and being so close to my brothers felt like we were part of some secret club. But since, I’ve regretted ever trusting them.
Her eyes traced the lines on my bedspread. “What about your mom?”
“She’s safe. They took care of her somehow, and she’s somewhere where...theycan’t get her. I don’t know where she is, though.”
I missed my mom. Her traits reflected in each of my brothers, and I couldn’t go a day without thinking about her. Presley got her humor, Luke her warmth, and Zach got her endless determination and fiery spirit. Despite everything my brothers had put me through, it was hard to want to be away from them. They were the only thing I had.
“I’m sorry.” Kimberly’s voice brought me back to the present. “That must have been hard.”
There was no ounce of sarcasm in her voice. She was genuinely being kind.
“Not as hard as being bit by a vampire twice in one month.” I chuckled, hoping the new heaviness of our conversation would disappear.
A crooked smile played on her lips. “You’re right. Tonight is all about me. I’m the only one in this friendship that’s allowed to have problems.”
I sat up in my chair. “Did you just say the F-word?”
“Of course not. I wouldn’t say that.”
“You definitely said it. Admit it, Burns, you want to be my friend.”
“Help me with my shoulder problem, and maybe we’ll talk,” she said, an extra sharpness lacing her words.
I didn’t need to be told twice. “Yes ma’am. I’ve got just the thing.”
I opened the small wooden drawer in my desk. Within seconds, I held up a long sewing needle. “This.”
Kimberly’s eyes grew wide. “Oh, no. Absolutely not. What would you do with that?!”
“It’s for your shoulder. The way it works is...younger, inexperienced vampires—aka me—have trouble controlling their...venom. Uh, yeah—let’s call it that. It’s supposed to numb everything, but if you can’t control it, then it gets trapped under the skin, and it hurts.”
“So, you use that needle to get it out?” She grimaced. “Are you playing a joke on me right now?”
“What?! No. See, look.” I grabbed the collar of my shirt and pulled it down, revealing my shoulder. “It should look like this. I’m just going to make small pricks, and it will help release all that pressure.”
“I don’t know . . .”
“Hey, if you don’t want to...that’s okay. I understand.” I turned my whole body to face her, making sure I could get to her at eye level. “I just want you to know that...I’m...indebted toyou. I dragged you into this. I can’t change that, but I can try to make your life better, and hopefully...you’ll trust me after that.”
