Almost Midnight (Shadow Falls: After Dark #3.5)(6)

*

Two days later, Della slowly drifted awake. She’d slept fitfully for most of the past forty-eight hours. She recalled sitting up and pretending to eat when her parents came in, so she wouldn’t get stuck going back to the hospital. And she remembered talking to Chan a few times. But she’d been so feverish and out of it that her memory was still hazy. She opened her eyes and quickly slapped her hand over them to block the sun spilling through her window. “Stop that,” she seethed.

“Who are you talking to?” Chan asked.

“The sun!” she growled and nearly cut her tongue on her teeth.

“It pisses me off, too. We’re night people now. But it’s about to go down.” Chan must have lowered the blinds, because the burning brightness faded. He continued talking. “As soon as your parents go to bed, we’re going out. I need to educate you.”

“Educate me in what?”

“Your new life.”

She moved her hand from her eyes and looked around. The first thing she saw was the flowers. Red roses. Lee? Yes, she recalled her mother bringing them in and reading her the card. Lee said he loved her.

She smiled and realized she didn’t hurt. Not her head. Not her gut. In fact, she felt … good. Strong. She felt more alive than ever.

“I’m well!” She stretched out her arms and did a little bed dance.

“Yeah, you made it. Scared me for a while there, but—”

“Where’s my cell?” She wanted to call Lee.

“In the drawer, so I wouldn’t have to listen to all the beeping. Your lover boy is worried about you.”

Right then, all their talk about vampirism ran through her head. Did she really believe? And if she didn’t, how could she explain Chan? She pushed it out of her mind, and decided to enjoy not feeling like day-old dog poop for a few seconds before traveling down that road. A road she somehow knew was going to cause her a lot of pain.

Sitting on the side of the bed, she remembered Chan propping her up on pillows and telling her to fake being okay every time he heard her parents walking up the stairs. She couldn’t remember how well she’d done, but probably not too badly because they never bundled her up to take her to the hospital.

She stood, stretched, and looked down at the chair positioned by the bed. And bam, she was slammed with the memory of Marla, her little sister stepping inside the room. She’d held Della’s hand and cried. Cried silently because even her sister knew how her dad hated weakness. Marla’s words played like sad music in Della’s head. “Please don’t die, Della. You’re supposed to help me, help me learn to be strong like you.”

A big ache filled Della’s chest. She was so glad she hadn’t died and let Marla down.

Looking at the window, she had a vague memory of … standing on the roof.

“Did we go somewhere?”

“Yeah, you were getting cabin fever—needed to sort of test your wings. You did good, too.”

Suddenly, she recalled moving at amazing speeds and feeling the wind in her face. What was real?

Her stomach growled. “I’m starved,” she muttered.

Chan pointed to a big plastic cup with a straw. “You didn’t finish your breakfast.”

She reached for the drink and sipped. A thousand different flavors exploded in her mouth. Berries, dark chocolate, tangy melon. Flavors she didn’t even recognize, but somehow knew she couldn’t live without now that she had sampled them.

“What is this?” She licked her lips and immediately started drinking again.

His right brow arched. “It’s what you’ll be living on from now on. Blood.”

She almost gagged, then stopped herself. She’d bitten her tongue before. “Blood doesn’t taste like this.” She yanked the top off and stared at … at what looked like blood.

“How can…”

“Nothing will taste like it did before. Don’t you remember gagging on the chicken soup your mom brought you?”

She looked at her cousin and vaguely remembered trying to eat the soup. “Tell me you’re lying.”

“Sorry. Everything is different now. No use in me trying to sugarcoat things. Just accept it.”

She stared down at the thick red substance in her cup. “This can’t be real.”

“It’s as real as it gets.”

“Oh, God!” She put the cup on her nightstand and stared at it. “What kind of blood?”

“AB negative. O is better, but I couldn’t find any.”

“That’s … that’s human blood?” Her stomach churned.

He nodded. “Animal isn’t nearly as good. But you’ll learn about that in time. I have a lot to teach you.”

She cupped a hand over her mouth and stared at the cup. But even as the thought of drinking blood sickened her, even as a part of her vowed not to become this monster, her mouth watered for another taste, another swallow.

She hadn’t ever known real hunger or thirst, but this … the feeling that said if she didn’t finish what was in that cup right now she might die, had to be the closest thing she’d ever experienced.

Chan went to grab the cup. Before she knew what she was doing she lunged, knocked him across the room, and grabbed the cup.

He laughed. “I figured as much.”