He reluctantly agrees and on impulse, I hug him. I think it’s the first time I have ever touched him. He stands still, not returning my embrace, so I pull away and ask him, “Are you okay to stay?”
He nods stiffly. I have no more room for hesitation as I grab the man by the throat and viciously clamp down on him. He squirms as I hurt him in my need, but then he relaxes as the pleasure bit takes over. Trying to concentrate on his heartbeat as I drink and drink – trying not to kill him – I finally pull away sated and he slumps to the floor, alive, but just barely. I sink to the floor next to him and breathe in deeply, stamping out the desire to kill him.
“Get me out of here,” I snarl as the feeling gets overwhelming.
Nico, undisturbed by the fact I might bite and kill him, grabs me by the arm, hauls me up and shoves me out of the door unceremoniously. Feeling better now that I’m away from the human blood, I lean against the wall and try to gain control of my wayward self. Christ, what is going on with me? I shake myself and feel loads better now that the human blood is flowing through me. I go back to find Cole, after having abandoned him two and a half hours ago, to my own disgust.
He is still sleeping, much to my relief. Yesterday’s events must have really wiped him out. I watch him sleeping for a few moments before my phone buzzes and I grab it quickly before it wakes him.
It’s CK.
“What?” I snap.
“Hm, are you okay?” he asks briskly after my awful greeting.
“Yes, I’m fine, why?” I ask suspiciously, hoping Nico hasn’t spilled the blood beans.
“I feel your anxiety. I don’t like it. I’m worried,” he says.
Relieved, I sigh. “I’m okay, just tense about what’s coming next.”
“Yes, so am I,” he says dryly. “Have I told you how much I hate this plan?”
I chuckle. “Yes, numerous times. You know I won’t get close enough to him to attempt this any other way,” I state.
“I do, unfortunately. Aefre?”
“Yes?”
“How far will you let him go?” he asks, almost terrified of my answer.
I slide down the wall I’m leaning against and say, “Not that far.”
“What is that far?”
“I don’t know!” I snap suddenly. “I will play it by ear. Close enough that I can summon G.I. and take his life,” I snarl in loathing. “Just don’t be close enough yourself to get caught in the crossfire, so to speak,” I add, concerned.
“How close can I get?” he asks.
Perplexed by the question, I hesitate. “Err, I don’t know. I know I am immune to its effects, but…I don’t know.”
“Then we need to find out.”
“What? No way. I’m not risking you.”
“I want to know so I know I can still protect you if things go wrong,” he says, being all practical.
“They won’t, trust me. This thing was built to kill,” I say.
“Yes, built to kill me and my peers,” he states matter-of-factly.
My stomach sinks in dread. He really wants to test this thing.
I remain silent as Cole comes out to the sitting room with just a towel slung around his hips. I breathe in deeply at the sight of him and he looks at me quizzically sitting on the floor with the phone to my ear not speaking.
“Aefre? Are you still there?” CK asks impatiently.
“Yes, I’m here,” I say as Cole comes to sit in front of me, knees bent.