“What real vampire legends?”
“I need you to listen to me so I can keep you safe, to protect you from things you can’t imagine in your nightmares.”
“I’m already in a nightmare,” she croaked out.
“This? You think this is bad? This is your fault. This wouldn’t be happening if you hadn’t left, putting yourself in danger.” He looked at her with pain and disgust.
“It’s been a nightmare! Being a prisoner, getting my blood drank, dealing with your psychosis…getting my mind fucked…” she dashed the tears off her face with the backs of her hands.
He ran his hands through his hair, “You think I’m fucking with your mind? I can’t fuck with your mind. I’ve tried, baby, but it’s you who is fucking with my mind. Do you have any idea who you’re dealing with, who I am? What I am? This isn’t who I am. You’re fucking me up! This is not at all how this is supposed to go!”
He paced back and forth, “If anyone gets wind of this connection, of the effects of your blood, they’ll wanna take you from me and if I let them get you they won’t stop drinking from you until you’re dead. Do you understand what dead means, Kyla? And do you care if you end up dead? Because you sure don’t act like you care! It’s already dangerous that some of my guys know something is off with you. Running away? Then calling the cops? What the fuck?”
He stopped for air and took a deep breath and then he looked at her and his eyes were practically glowing, “You aren’t going anywhere. You stay the fuck here. Don’t try to leave me again; I’m warning you. This nightmare will seem like a walk in the park.”
She was dizzy. She put her palms over her face. He grabbed her chin and forced her to look at him,
“You know very little about my world but I’m telling you…you belong to me. It’s done.”
“What do you mean ‘it’s done’? What’s done?”
He pursed his lips.
“I don’t understand. It doesn’t make any sense at all. You tell me you’re addicted to me but yet you want to protect me? Which is it? Please just let me go. Just let me out of here and we can pretend we never met. I’ll keep my mouth shut. Please,” she shrieked.
He ran his hands through his hair, looking stressed, “So, you don’t care about me?”
“I don’t even fucking know you!”
“You do know me. You’re in danger. And it’s already done.”
“So you’ve said; whatever the fuck done means! Let me go and I’ll take care of myself. I always do. I’m not your problem.”
“You are. You’re like a drug and you’ve turned me into a fucking junkie. And I need to protect you.”
“You’ve known me a few days. I’m not your problem.”
“You are.”
“Because you’re addicted to my blood.”
“It’s more than just that and you know it.”
“I don’t know anything! All I know is that you’re frigging bipolar or some shit and you’re holding me here. Being a psychotic monster one minute and all lovesick puppy the next.”
Kyla stared into space. Tears streamed down her face. The things he said, they were crazy. This was all so crazy. What he said about knowing about her anxiety, it made sense now. She vividly recalled when she had locked eyes with Joe in the courtyard. Joe’s face was so cold and when she felt afraid of him, Tristan was right there behind her. He’d simply burst out and been there. Yesterday there was that huge clatter in the hall and Tristan had disappeared for hours after that.
The things he’d said about the connection, it was real for both of them. The way she felt every time he fed on her. The magnetic feeling. And what vampire legends? Something was happening and whatever it was, it was so not normal. She was on information and sensory overload here. She was bone tired. She needed some sleep, desperately. Her arms and legs were aching.
“You’re lucky that Joe or Sam didn’t taste you first. So damn lucky, you don’t even know. Joe already smelled your blood and he’s a different person since just smelling it! A newbie vampire was here yesterday and smelling your blood through the door meant I had to remove him and restrain him. He went fucking mental! I’ve had two guys go fucking loco being near you. I need to watch Joe like a hawk. I need you to let me keep you safe, damn it. If you weren’t given to me as a gift Kyla, you’d be dead by now because any of those guys would’ve drained you.”
“Either them or you, right? Someone in this place’ll drain me if I don’t go and that’s why I ran.”
“Lie down.”
“Please don’t restrain me. I won’t try to---”