Page 60 of Bite of Sin

“You seem pretty confident that I have no desire to kill you,” I taunted, stepping onto the first stair. “So why are you scared?”

“I’m not scared,” she retorted. She was rigid as she cautiously moved forward and stepped next to me. I closed the door and slid the dead bolt. Her heart was beating faster, and I heard her suck in a few deep breaths.

“I can’t see anything. It’s pitch black,” she said tightly.

That wasn’t an issue for me. I could see her pretty damn well, and I turned slightly, sweeping her up in my arms. She yelled in surprise, squirming in my hold until I began descending the steps.

“It will take us forever if you walk,” I explained. There were no other sounds except my footsteps and the pounding of her heart, which had started racing faster when I picked her up.

“Or we could have brought a flashlight.”

“I don’t need one. In a couple of months, neither will you.” I got to the bottom of the steps and followed the narrow tunnel. “You’re nearly a month old. You’re going to need to drink blood soon.”

“I can’t believe vampires don’t need blood for the first month,” she muttered. “Humans don’t know that. At least not civilians.”

“That’s the point. Can’t show them our weaknesses.” I glanced down, watching her awkwardly adjusting her arms. “You know you can put your arms around my neck. I won’t bite.”

“If I were human, you would.” She crossed her arms instead. “When does the blood craving happen?”

“Between four and six months,” I answered. “Vampires can’t control it. Not even around humans they have a bond with.”

“I would attack people I care about?”

“Yes. The craving of blood…it controls you. Doesn’t matter who it is.”

“You’re telling me that I’d kill someone I’ve known my entire life?”

The tunnel came to an end, and I began climbing the stairs, feeling Kali shift in my arms.

“If you care for Warner, you should probably stay far away from him when your cravings start.”If he lived that long.

“How long do the cravings last?”

“It’s different for each vampire.”

“How long did it last for you?”

“It doesn’t matter,” I said gruffly. “We’re here.”

I set her down on the top step and slid the lock before pushing open the door. Letting her go out first, I followed behind, making sure to close it and lock it. We were on the outskirts of the city, and I grabbed her hand, pulling her with me. We passed a wide road, and Kali pulled against me when she saw a cliff.

“Where the hell are you taking me?” she hissed.

“Don’t worry. There’re stairs.”

She caught sight of the railing, and even though the metal had seen better days, it was still stable enough to use. I would know. I came here all the time. I bounded down the steps, the full moon lighting the area enough for her to see. She didn’t even make it to the first step before her movements stopped. I glanced over my shoulder to see her staring down past me.

“What’s that noise?” she asked.

“What do you think it is?”

She squinted as if that would help her see better while tilting her head to the sound in front of us. Shock crossed her face, and her eyes cut to me.

“Is that…is that the ocean?” she nearly whispered.

“Yes. The Atlantic Ocean.”

“It was this close?” she mumbled. “I had no idea it was here.”

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