Almost Midnight (Shadow Falls: After Dark #3.5)(85)

“Come on, there’s a pathway over here,” her half-sister said and gave her another tug. “Let’s get away from him before he wakes up and kills us both.” Tabitha took her hand and squeezed. “Maybe the black curse isn’t as strong deeper into the tunnel.”

“No.” Miranda dropped her sister’s hand. “We can’t just leave him to die. We have to help him.”

“Are you freaking nuts?” Tabitha asked. “The only way to help him is to give him blood.”

“I know,” Miranda said.

“Well, we kind of need ours!” she spit out.

“We don’t need all of it.” Miranda remembered how in the beginning the idea of donating blood to the vampire bank had repulsed her. Then Kylie had agreed to do it and Miranda went along.

Funny how all her time at Shadow Falls had almost made her forget how prejudiced the outside world could be. “My friend Kylie says that people donate blood to blood banks all the time. Giving it to vampires is the same thing.”

“That’s different.” Tabitha caught her by the arm. “Look, I know you got that vampire girlfriend, and you live at that school where everyone gets along, but this is the real world. You don’t know if he’s rogue and—”

“He doesn’t deserve to die.”

Tabitha put the light under her chin, creating some eerie shadows on her face and she glared at Miranda. “I can’t believe you. He’s a vampire.”

Miranda glared right back. “I can’t believe my sister is a bigot.”

“I’m not!” Tabitha snapped and sounded genuinely offended. “I don’t dislike vampires. But if it’s my life or his, or my half-sister’s, well, I choose us. He could be rogue, and if you give him a little blood, he might … just want more.”

“Look, I know it might be dangerous, but I can’t just let him die.”

“You didn’t do that to him. You aren’t responsible.”

“I am if I leave without trying to help. You can leave if you want. And as soon as he’s better, we’ll try to find you.”

Tabitha shook her head. “You are gonna die. He’s going to be bloodthirsty and you are going to get all the blood sucked out of you. Then he’ll probably rip you open and eat your liver. I hear they like livers.”

“No,” Miranda said, but her stomach quivered.

“No, you’re not going to die or no, they don’t like livers?”

“No, I’m not going to die,” Miranda said, thinking she recalled Della mentioning livers being a prime body part. Then, feeling her pulse pumping to the tune of fear, she watched Tabitha stomp off. With the flashlight.

Hey, that was her flashlight, too, Miranda thought.

She stood there, part of her screaming to run after her sister—but she couldn’t. She wouldn’t be able to live with herself knowing she’d let someone die. Someone who could be as good as Burnett, or Della.

In only seconds, the shadows seemed to move closer and complete darkness fell on her. Her heart thumped against her breastbone. She could hear Tabitha’s footfalls moving away. Growing quieter, until she couldn’t hear anything. Alone.

The sound of someone taking a deep breath echoed and seemed to argue with her last thought. Okay, not alone.

Stiffening her backbone, she turned back to where she knew the injured vampire lay. “Please don’t prove her right. I kind of like my liver.”





Chapter Seventeen


Miranda took one step. Then the darkness seemingly attacking her from all angles started to fade. She swung around and saw the orb of light moving back toward her.

Tabitha? The light came closer. Her footsteps sounded. Then her shape became visual. She kept walking and didn’t stop until they stood face-to-face.

“You lied,” Miranda said, emotion in her throat.

“About what?” Tabitha asked, a frown on her lips.

“At the apartment when I told you I’d saved your life. You said you wouldn’t save mine.”

“I haven’t saved you,” she said. “We’re still stuck down here, possibly with a rogue vampire, and a black curse hanging over our heads.”

Miranda smiled. “Yeah, but you came back. That means—”

“Maybe I just didn’t want to be alone.”

Miranda heard the lie in her sister’s voice. “That or you actually care a little bit.”

“Fine,” Tabitha said. “I care. But if I die, or you die, I’m never going to forgive you for this.”

“We’re not going to die,” Miranda said, and with the warm fuzzy feeling spilling from her heart, she suddenly believed it.

Her sister shined the flashlight at the vampire, then took a deep breath and met Miranda’s eyes. “I’m really not a bigot. I can’t stand it when people judge other people. It’s just … vampires scare me a little.”

“I know,” Miranda said. “They used to scare me, too. But believe me, I couldn’t have a better friend than Della.” She reached over and touched Tabitha’s arm. “Thank you. For coming back.”

Tabitha nodded. “So how do we do it?”

“I’ve got a plan.” Miranda rubbed her injured hand and then squeezed it to see if she could get it to bleed again. She didn’t say it was a good plan. Would it work? She didn’t really know. The only way she’d donated blood was with a needle and a bag. “When they threw me in here I cut my palm a little. I think if I … if I just put my hand there, he’ll smell blood and … bite.”