Page 8 of Night Wedding
“Crap,” I muttered.
“Is it bad?” he asked.
“No, it’s fine. Just superficial.” I barely felt the pain alongside the humiliation. My crash landing had killed the mood quicker than he’d rushed across the room with his super speed.
Glancing at my nightstand, I asked, “Can you pass me a tissue? I need to clean up.”
“I can help you there.” Diego scooped me into his arms and carried me to the bed. His blue eyes gleamed with savage thirst, and he growled with fierce need. “Can I?”
I arched a brow. What a strange shift in mood. Still, I couldn’t deny it struck an erotic note. I motioned to my bleeding leg. “Go for it.”
Diego bent down and captured the end of a bead of blood with his tongue. A primal moan vibrated from deep within his chest. His tongue curled up as he traced the line of blood. It felt strange yet intriguingly erotic. Having a vampire lover came with some drawbacks yet also some perks.
Some very sensual perks.
“Would you like me to be on the menu tonight?” I asked, hoping he’d get my double entendre.
A savage growl of approval was my reply.
Maybe I could salvage this mess after all, leaving us both satisfied.
Diego
Last night with Nova had been unexpected and hot in a strange way. What had gotten into her? Not that I was complaining. She’d left for the Network before I’d woken, so I wouldn’t see her until I returned from work before dawn.
After sunset, I left the house. Dogs barked in the distance. Charcoal clouds billowed across the shadowy sky, and the air was heavy with moisture. A few stars shone dimly through occasional breaks in the clouds. I tipped my head back and opened my mouth. Rain was imminent and welcome to offset the unusual humidity of the last few days. New Englanders weren’t acclimated to it and complained about it with as much fervency as they did when accosted by blankets of snow.
I often walked to work at the healing center where I worked as a lab tech. This job had two distinct advantages to me as a vampire. For one, since I often ran blood tests, it helped me build up a sort of resistance to the vampire’s cursed thirst. And two, I received blood pouches as a perk, which made it easier to stock my fridge and avoid moments of stark hunger that would make me a threat to the public. Being well-fed was key to a peaceful coexistence living among humans. Someone who was full would be less likely to overindulge at an all-you-can-eat buffet.
Yet, my response to Nova’s blood last night had undermined my tolerance. Something about her distinct aroma affected me on a subconscious level. It had done so from the first time we’d met, terrifying me with the unfamiliar longing. Since then, I’d come to believe it was something almost magical that drew us together, similar to my roommates and their connections to their fated mates. The concept of a scent indicating two people were meant to be together would seem ludicrous to humans, but to supes like us, it was understood and respected as something powerful—even if we didn’t completely understand it ourselves.
After I turned a corner, the loud sound of a motorcycle engine rumbled. It intensified as it approached, and I hunched my shoulders up. My sense of hearing as a vampire was acute and many sounds that I’d barely noticed as a human now bothered my sensitive ears.
A sharp sound from behind startled me, and I snapped to face it. Ah, it was only a guy jangling his keys. I laughed to myself. Why was I so on edge?
A cat hissed and another must have unleashed a feral growl in return. A battle of territory, I’d guess. Someone opened a door. “Frankie, stop fighting and get inside.” The door closed.
Flowers spilled from window boxes and hanging baskets, illuminated by outdoor lights. I missed seeing their beauty by day, their colorful petals reaching for the sun. Not for the first time, I brooded on this existence. Most life flourished under the sun’s warm glow. Creatures like me hid from it, choosing to seek refuge in the darkness as if we were no longer welcome in this world. Yet we existed. Why should we be cursed to live a life in hiding?
I could brood for hours on questions like this, but the same truth remained—I’d chosen this life and with it, the consequences. Sure, it may have been a mistake, but it was one I couldn’t undo. I had to live with it, and hopefully, I wouldn’t have to live this way alone. The ultimate fear for most vampires, I believed, was living through the death of our loved ones. As a newbie, I hadn’t experienced this yet. As the decades passed, that would change. Would it harden me, leave me even more cynical than I was now?
It was one of those questions impossible to answer. After all, a year ago, I thought I’d be alone forever. That was before Nova walked into my world. I’d never forget the moment I saw her, smelled her sweet fragrance.
As I left the residential area, the sounds of a baseball game grew louder from a nearby school, including the hit of the bat and the shouts of encouragement from a team. It smacked me with nostalgia for when I’d played as a kid. Innocent times, long gone, which could never be reclaimed. Although I hadn’t been very good at the game, I liked the comradery with my team. I’d see familiar faces, we’d follow the same structure of the game, just varying up the team or location. For someone like me who didn’t adjust well to change, the fewer I had to face, the better.
This was all before I’d made the foolish decision of the biggest life change. Immortality came with epic sacrifices. No, I wouldn’t go there, dwelling over what I’d lost. Now that I had Nova, I promised myself I’d be a better man, worthy of her love.
Cars whooshed by with their windows down. The sound of the newest pop hits rumbled out before they were swallowed and disappeared into the night. The sound of a siren followed. Was it coming this way? I listened, and it grew louder. The lights flashed. As they drove by me, I tensed. Why, I wasn’t sure. I wasn’t doing anything wrong. I’d started reacting this way automatically after I’d turned, as if my very existence in this form, was a crime I had to speak for. In some ways it was. Vampires could slip into the villain zone if unable to control the feed. That was something that I abhorred and wished I never reached a state of hunger where I’d threaten someone’s life.
I steered out of my way to head down a road with a row of stores where I could work on my plan. Streetlamps lit the brick sidewalks, which were busy with pedestrians even at this time of year. Come October, I’d steer far clear of the commercial areas or tourist traps as it would be chockful of humans dressed in costume like this was a month-long Halloween parade.
A few raindrops announced the oncoming summer shower. The breeze picked up, rattling some panes. Light rain followed, refreshing the earlier humidity.
When the rain picked up, I dashed over to the storefronts to use their canopies as cover. No one wanted to start a work shift drenched.
A lit-up jewelry store with a couple of people inside indicated it was still open. I perused the options in the display window. A visit to shop for an engagement ring would take more time than a quick peek while on the way to work. So much sparkle, so many options. Lucas was right, I needed to pick something that Nova would love, yet even the number of limited options I examined was enough to leave my hands clammy.
“What are you looking for?” a woman said from behind me.
