First Bitten (10 page)

“
Because this has got you written all over it. You were always the one bringing the stray animals home when we were kids.” Cal’s eyes flit in my direction but don’t actually settle on me. “And if you’re mixed up in something dangerous, I need to know about it.”

“
Why?” Nathan’s tone is brusque.

“
Why?” Cal looks incredulous. “Because, brother, whatever you do will automatically have repercussions on me.”

“
Ahh, what a surprise!” Nathan lets out a slow, satirical laugh, shaking his head. “So now we’re getting to it. This isn’t about me, dad and Sol and how it affects us, this about you. What a fucking surprise that is!”

Cal looks so angry I’m pretty sure he’s considering coming over here and taking a swipe at Nathan.

“
Why don’t you both just calm down,” Jack says, finally intervening. “Cal, have a drink.”

Cal eyes the bottle of whiskey Jack is holding up like a golden carrot and I take this as my chance to escape the furore.

“
I’m gonna go outside and get some fresh air,” I say in a quiet voice to Nathan. “I’ll leave you all to talk.”

I’ve already started to move away from him but he reaches out and grabs hold of my arm, stopping me. “I’ll come with you.”

I can tell from his tone he’s not coming with me out of the goodness of his heart. He’s probably worried I’m going to try and do a runner.

“
Stay here,” I say in a soft, placating voice. “I won’t go far, just outside into the garden. You all obviously need some time to talk.” I nod towards Cal who is slumped in his chair and is currently laying into the bottle of Jack Daniels like his life depends on it.

Nathan hesitates, twisting his lips in contemplation. “Okay,” he finally concedes, “just don’t go far.” I can tell he’s not a comfortable with me going outside on my own, but right now I couldn’t care less, I just want out of here.

“
I won’t go far,” I reiterate.

I’m at the back door when Nathan’s voice comes from close behind me, “Put this on, it's cold outside.” He rests a black leather jacket over my shoulders.

I turn, giving him an appreciative look. “Thanks.” I slide my arms into the sleeves and, without another word to anyone else, I slip out the back door.

The cold instantly sweeps over my face, wrapping itself around me. The evening air is surprisingly chilly for July, but I don’t care, I’m just relieved to be outside and away from them.

I zip the jacket up. It’s way too big for me. The sleeves are hanging down past my hands. I’m guessing its Nathan’s jacket as it smells of him. Oddly, it gives me a sense of comfort.

Hugging the coat to me, I look around. The garden is closed in by a low fence. To my right is a path leading up to a gate. Parked up by the gate is a silver truck, I’m guessing Cal’s. In front of me is another path which runs right through the garden and also has a gate at the end of it.

The voices inside suddenly become raised.

I quickly make my way down the path leading into the garden, leaving the hassle behind.

It’s so quiet out here. There are no sounds of traffic or people. I’m literally in the middle of nowhere with nothing but nature to keep me company, and it’s tranquil.

The garden has solar-powered lights dotted all around the edge of the garden. It’s not a big garden for the size of the house, but it’s well tended; someone obviously takes pride in it. I’d take a guess and say Jack.

I continue walking down the path, heading toward the gate.

When I reach it, I lean forward, resting my stomach against it, and have a nosey at what’s out there. The gate opens up straight onto the farmland and it is a vast expanse. It seems to go on for miles. I can see a forest further out on the perimeter, spreading right across the back of their land, and the track that runs down the side of the house, splitting the land, appears to lead straight into the forest. I spy a barn over to my right the other side of the track. It’s all lit up and looks welcoming.

I open the gate, let myself out into the field and head straight for the barn.

Chapter 9

Headlines

The main door to the barn is wide open. I wander inside. The barn’s not as big inside as it looks from the outside, but it does look exactly as a barn should look. There’s a tractor looming over to my left and a work bench fixed up against the wall behind the tractor which is littered with all kinds of different tools. To my right, on its own, is a magnificent looking, shiny red motorbike. It’s a Ducati. I know nothing about motorbikes but it looks impressive, and expensive. I wonder if it’s Nathan’s.

At the back of the barn, taking up a large chunk of space, is a big stack of hay bales. I wander over to them and climb up onto the first lot, that are stacked three high, and rest my back up against the higher stack behind.

I close my eyes. I don’t want to think anymore, I just want to clear my mind of everything and sit in peace.

It’s easier said than done and I’m not left alone for long. It’s maybe been five minutes max when I hear Nathan approaching. I know it’s him because I can smell him.

This super smelling thing of mine is going to take some serious getting used to but I guess it comes in handy at times.

I open my eyes and, as expected, Nathan comes into view a few seconds later, walking with purpose toward me.

I repress a sigh.

“
Hey,” he says climbing up onto the hay bales and sitting beside me.

“
Hey,” I say.

Silence.

If he’s got nothing to say, why is he here? Checking up on me, most likely. I close my eyes again and rest my head back against the hay.

“
So you can change into an animal.” The words are out of my mouth before I even realise. But still, I open my eyes and turn my head to catch his reaction.

His eyes are already on me and they look cautious. “Yes,” he finally answers.

“
You always been able to do that?”

“
Since I was thirteen. The ability comes in at puberty.”

“
Ahh.” Pause. “So, do you have a favourite animal you like to change into or … ”

“
Wolf.”

“
Any reason?”

“
Nope.” Or none that he’s willing to share with me.

I look out at the blackness that is casting its shadows in through the open barn door, threatening to infringe on the light.

“
You can shift as well, you know,” Nathan says out of the blue.

“
What?” My head swivels round on my neck.

“
You’re part werewolf remember.” His tone screams 'stupid'. It irks me, to say the least. “The only difference you have from them is you’re not ruled by the moon,” he adds a little less caustically. “You’re like shifters in that respect. You only change if and when you want to.”

Great. So not only have I changed into a monster that drinks blood but I can also turn into a dog. This just gets bloody better and better.

I lean forward, resting my elbows on my thighs, my chin cupped in my hands, my lips turned downwards, and stare dismally at my feet. “Does it hurt when you change?” I utter into my hands.

“
No. For me it’s as natural as breathing.”

I shift my chin onto one hand and look round at him. “Will it hurt me?” I run my hand over the scar on my stomach.

“
No. It’ll just feel ... uncomfortable, odd, the first time you shift. But the more you do it, the more it’ll become a natural thing for you to do.”

My mind starts to whirl. There’s so much I don’t know about myself. I start to run a list of all the things I know about vampires and werewolves, well all the things I’ve seen in the movies.

“
Not everything you think you know about vampires and werewolves applies to you,” Nathan says as if reading my mind.

I can’t hide the surprise from my face. “You read minds as well?” I ask half-serious.

A smile turns up the corners of his mouth. “No. Just faces.”

I shuffle around so I’m facing his side and pull my legs up, crossing them in front of me. “So is any of the stuff in the movies true?”

“
Some.”

I pause before asking the question which has been on the edge of my mind since I discovered what I am. I mean, I might feel alive but that doesn’t necessarily mean I am. I am part vampire after all.

“
Nathan, am I ... dead, like vampires are?” I hold my breath in anticipation of his answer.

“
Is your heart beating?”

I rest my hand lightly against my chest. “Yes.”

“
Then you’re not dead.”

And now I just feel stupid for asking. Nathan has the amazing ability to make me feel idiotic, seemingly at any given opportunity, and I just keep leaving the door wide open for him.

Looking at anything but him, I start to chew on my fingernail.

Nathan moves around to face me. “Vârcolacs are still living creatures, Alex. You’re still very much alive, you’re just different now, and you need different things to keep you alive.”

I stop chewing and bring my eyes to his. “Blood.”

“
Yes.” He nods.

“
Can I still go out in daylight?”

“
Yes.”

“
Garlic?”

“
No effect.”

What else? What effects werewolves? “What about silver?” I ask.

He nods again. “Silver bullets straight in the heart work best.” He taps his chest in the place where his own beating heart sits. “Once they’re in there, there’s no getting them out.”

I feel a shudder deep inside. “No wooden stakes then?” I let out a shaky laugh and run my finger over the damp patch on the thigh of my jeans that is still wet from the spilt whiskey before.

“
Well, yeah, I’m guessing it’d eventually kill you if someone stabbed you in the heart with a wooden stake. You’re not immortal, Alex.” He smirks and yet again I feel like an idiot. “You’re strong, you heal quickly, so you’ll bounce back from most things, but silver in your system is the real killer. It’s like a disease once it’s in your blood, hence why, if I wanted to kill a Vârcolac, I’d go for the heart, silver straight into there and it’ll flood their system, killing them in a matter of minutes.”

“
Is that how you killed the one that attacked me and Carr … ” My voice wilts as the pain ruptures deep inside of me.

“
I caught him off-guard when he was ... busy.” His tone quietens. He stares straight ahead past me. Nausea washes through me and my head starts to throb. “I broke his neck,” he continues, his voice still lowered. “It left him incapacitated. I carried you back to my car, got my silver blade out of the glove box, went back and stuck it straight into his heart.”

I inhale deeply, pulling tears back with it.

It should make me feel better hearing how he died. But it doesn’t. My brain is so messy, I’m struggling to make sense of anything anymore.

“
Are you okay?” Nathan asks. I feel like it’s all he asks me.

“
I’m fine.” I shake the thoughts out of my mind and yank the elastic band out of my hair as it suddenly feels tight. I put the band around my wrist and rub my scalp, brushing my hair out with my fingers and fanning it out around my shoulders. I catch my hair on the plaster on my hand. I’d forgotten about that. Pulling it free, I look at it. There’s a tiny blood stain where my blood has seeped through. A strand of my blonde hair is still stuck under the plaster. I pull it free.

Then, without a word, Nathan reaches over and takes hold of my hand. I raise a confused eyebrow at him but he’s not looking at me. His eyes are on my hand. His large hand is warm and dwarfs mine, making mine look almost child-sized. He picks at the corner of the plaster and peels it back, pulling it right off.

I can’t help the gasp that escapes me. The air just rushes straight out of my lungs.

The cut has gone. It’s healed completely. Just like he said it would.

“
It’s gone,” I say, voice quivering.

He gives me a knowing look and lets go of my hand, leaving it feeling cold.

I bring my hand closer to my face to examine it, and run my fingertip over the place where the cut should still be. “Do you heal this quickly?” I ask, trying to keep my voice steady.

“
Not as quickly as you do,” he answers. “But, yeah, a lot quicker than a normal person would.”

“
Do you have the good hearing and other stuff as well?”

I want to talk to him about it. I want to know what I’m working with here. However, he apparently doesn’t because he moves away from me, sitting himself on the edge of the bales, letting his long legs dangle down. For a moment I wonder if he’s just going to jump down and leave without another word, then he finally answers a quiet, “Yes.”

I get the distinct impression Nathan doesn’t like to talk about his abilities. Dejected, I stare at my newly healed hand.

“
I’m sorry about Cal’s behaviour before,” Nathan says, breaking the silence and surprising me. “He can be a bit of an arse at times. That’s why we hadn’t told him about you yet.”

“
Run in the family?” The words are out before I can stop them.