Page 43 of The Way You Bite
Chapter Thirteen
Don’t think. Run.
The mantra fast looped in her brain for miles. The initial adrenaline rush had worn off long ago. Her legs screamed to the point she slowed to a walk. Minutes later she rested against a speed limit sign. Her head throbbed. She rubbed her eye sockets, massaging an acupressure point. It worked. The headache dulled.
Aside from being tired, she was okay. Maybe better than okay. Her world didn’t go into a vertigo shudder every time she moved. For the first time in ages she wasn’t consumed by a relentless, stomach-eroding blood hunger.
This was the power of Lexan’s blood. The logical jump to half werewolf didn’t seem as ridiculous as it’d sounded when he suggested it a half hour ago. Ingesting wolf blood hadn’t resulted in a fatal allergic reaction. Oh my God. She’d ingested the most toxic substance on earth without reaction. Her feelings of not belonging when around vamps made sense, but, crap, she really wasn’t a vampire. This must be why she couldn’t do superspeed moves and why she never seemed to develop a tolerance for the sun as most did as they aged.
A mix. Half vampire and half werewolf. The implications were awful. Vampires despised mixes and targeted them for death as abominations. She wasn’t sure what wolves did to them. What did it really mean to be a mix? As a vampire, she belonged. Even if she didn’t buy into Dominic’s ideals, she knew her place in the world. She knew her people, her longevity, her diet, and her weaknesses.
She was alone with no one to ask for advice. A future of hiding and running sounded pretty bleak.
She stared at the stars sparkling in the sky. Now what?
A mud-splattered Jeep pulled over to the side of the road beside her. She could barely find the strength to move to the driver’s window.
A twenty-something guy smiled at her. Young, enthusiastic. Of course, like all young humans, his mind filled with sex. In her current mood, he better not try anything. She’d bite, and not in a nice way, not that she planned to drink from him. She could hurt him, though.
She smiled, allowing vampiric charm to overwhelm him. Usually, she kept the allure in check around humans, especially at work. Right now, with her lethargy worsening, she needed a lift.
“Need a ride?” he asked.
“I need to get to downtown.” She forced a wider smile.
“Sure. Hop in. The Jeep’s a mess, but if you don’t mind…” He threw some items off the passenger seat into the back to make space.
“Thanks.” She slid in.
He held out his hand. “I’m Tony.”
She clasped his hand briefly. “Good to meet you. I’m…”Give him a fake name.“Cindy.”
“You don’t look like a Cindy.”
She didn’t reply, uncaring what he thought.
“Where to,Cindy?”
“Seventh Street. Drop me anywhere.”
“That’s a pretty big street.”
“I’ll be fine.” Her head hit the headrest. She needed sleep and a place to avoid daylight. Dawn loomed on the horizon.
She sensed the driver’s gaze on her. “Are you sick? I can drop you at one of the hospitals downtown.”
She shook her head, which caused her stomach to lurch. “I went for a run and overdid it. Marathon training.” She managed a smile for him.
He glanced at her jeans, not buying the lie.
Minutes later they were in downtown. “Here is fine.” She pointed to the curb.
He pulled over. As she opened the door, he grabbed her wrist. His mind filled with lustful images, and then his thoughts detoured into vile.
Too tired to mask her inner being, she dropped her charming veneer and smiled full-fang.
He froze. A trembling set into his entire body.
