Destined for a Vampire (Blood Like Poison 2)

My brow furrowed. “What is it?”

Bo took the final step that would bring my body into contact with his and he drew me gently into his arms. Though I had no idea why, my heart felt like it was breaking.

“What is it?” I repeated, my voice muffled against the side of his neck.

Careful not to squeeze me too tightly, Bo held me as if he was a drowning man hanging on to dry land. It went a long way toward alarming me.

Still he said nothing.

And my concern mounted.

“Bo, please. Tell me what’s wrong.”

I felt as much as heard him sigh.

“I saw her.”

My lungs seized inside my chest. Who? The girl that was bound to take my place at his side? The only girl in the world that I felt like I couldn’t compete with?

“Who?” I asked, though I dreaded the answer.

“My mother.”

I gasped.

“And?”

“She didn’t even know me.”

I closed my eyes against his pain. If a voice could bleed with a wound so deep, then Bo’s was like an arterial spray. My heart cried out for him.

“Oh, Bo,” I whispered, wishing there was something I could do or say, anything to ease the hurt. “I’m so sorry.”

“I doubted you.” It was a statement of fact. “I shouldn’t have.” And another. “I’m the one who should be sorry.”

“I don’t blame you. If I didn’t think you needed to know, I wouldn’t have told you. I would never hurt you like that on purpose.”

“I know. And I love you for that.”

It was wrong of me to feel so much pleasure at his words when he was in such agony. But I did.

Neither of us spoke for a long time. Bo simply held me, swaying gently back and forth. One of his hands stroked my hair, the other my back. And, while his touch sent chills racing down to my toes, the warmth of desire had succumb to a deep and abiding comfort born of love.

After several minutes had passed, Bo reached down and scooped me up in his arms and carried me to the bed, where he gently laid me down and dragged the covers up over me. Without a word, he stretched out beside me and pulled me back into his arms. With my head on his chest, his invincible heart beating beneath my ear and his strong hands holding me tight, I knew I’d never be happier, more at peace. I knew I’d never be more whole.

CHAPTER EIGHT

As far as Mondays go, it was probably one of the best I could remember. My day started with opening my eyes to see Bo standing over me. I must’ve heard him stir.

It was still dark outside, but I could see in the moonlight pouring through the window that he was starting to fade. I didn’t know how long it had been since he fed.

He smiled down at me, a smile that said he was feeling a little bit better, and then he leaned over and kissed me.

“I’ll see you later.”

“Do you have to go?”

He nodded.

“I won’t be far.”

I blinked and he was gone. He’d already stolen out the window like a puff of cooling air.

For the rest of the morning, I carried a glow with me. It burned inside my chest, making me feel warm and fuzzy all over. Each time an unwelcome, disturbing thought sneaked into my mind, I’d bury it ruthlessly. I refused to let worry and insecurity over the inevitable ruin one more day.

By lunch, my glorious early hours had begun to lose some of their luster. It seemed that the high I got from being near Bo, the happiness and fulfillment that I felt in his presence, wasn’t lasting me as long as it once had. It was as if I required more and more as time went on, like my need was growing by the minute.

People had been whispering all morning long, speculating about the fates of Summer, Aisha, Drew and Jason, the most recent disappearances. Most of the talk involved Jason and Summer since their altercation had not only been very violent, but witnessed as well.

Bailey wasn’t at school to right the rumors, so people were making up all sorts of things to fill in the blanks. I’d even heard someone say that Summer had been winged. I nearly laughed out loud. Winged!

I was carrying my tray to the lunch table, observing the easy conversation and relaxed atmosphere as I approached. I sat in Drew’s seat, not as a sign of disrespect, but because I didn’t want to give even the appearance of taking Summer or Trinity’s place as head nasty girl.

As I squeezed dressing onto my salad, I listened to the various conversations taking place around me. When a hush fell across the table, I looked up to identify the cause. I stopped mid-squeeze as Aisha let the cafeteria door close gently behind her.

Her normally-rich cocoa skin had an uncharacteristic pallor and her face was ashy in a way I hadn’t noticed before. Her sparkling brown eyes were dull and haunted. She looked terrible. Whatever had happened to her had obviously taken its toll.

She made a bee line for me, giving all her well-wishers a nod of thanks and a small smile along the way. She sat down right next to me, just as she had sat next to Summer and Trinity before that.

Once she was seated, everyone clamored for her attention, firing question after question at her. For a girl who truly loved the spotlight, Aisha looked incredibly uncomfortable. I couldn’t help the frown that pulled at my eyebrows.

“Maybe we should give her a minute to breathe, guys,” I suggested, raising my voice just enough to be heard at our table. “We’re all glad to have her back and I’m sure she’ll tell us what happened when she’s ready. Right, Aisha?” I said, looking at her meaningfully.

I could see the gratitude light her troubled eyes. “Yeah, but there’s not much to tell. I can’t remember a lot of what happened, so…”

She trailed off, effectively nipping any subsequent questions in the bud. If she had no memory, an interrogation was pointless.

Disappointment was evident on many faces. They could see that they weren’t going to get a juicy story and they were deflated. It was ridiculous how much the people of my school lived, positively lived, for some good gossip. But, never fear. They’d have some spine-tingling, completely fictitious stories made up and ready to go by the end of the day. I felt sure at least a few of them would feature Aisha as some sort of caped super hero, too.

When conversation finally started back up all around the table, Aisha turned to me and smiled.

“Thanks, Ridley.”

“No problem.”

She looked at me expectantly, but I had no idea what to say to her. Like everyone else, all sorts of crazy explanations were flitting through my head. Unlike everyone else, however, I knew the scary kinds of things that were out there going bump in the night, things that were likely responsible for Aisha’s woodland disappearance.