A Turn of Tides (A Shade of Vampire #13)(9)

What did they actually do with half-vampires? I didn’t care for this hunter, but it was more for myself than for him that I stepped away from him.

This all felt a step closer toward the darkness I was trying to escape.

I shook my head.

“I’m sorry.

I can’t.” Jeramiah raised a brow in surprise.

“Are you serious?” “Yes.” The vampires exchanged glances and remained silent.

“Very well,” Jeramiah said.

“Let’s go,” Michael said.

“We’ve wasted enough time already.

We don’t need anyone else, we’ll manage ourselves.

Worst case, we just turn one of the humans we have already and then train them to half-turn if we want more half-bloods.” Michael turned on his heel and began to walk away.

The other vampires followed.

It was Jeramiah who remained beside me, still staring at me.

“Wait, Michael,” he said.

Michael stopped short, no longer bothering to hide the impatience in his face.

“Hand me your phone.” “Why?” “Just hand it over.” Michael looked taken aback, but reluctantly pulled out a small black flip phone from his pocket and handed it to Jeramiah, who held it out in front of me.

“What’s this for?” I asked, taking the phone in my hand and flipping it open.

“In case you change your mind,” Jeramiah said.

“My number is the only contact on there.

You’ll be able to contact me wherever you are.

It’s not an ordinary phone.” I was about to hand the phone back to him—I wasn’t sure I wanted to accept any kind of gifts from these people—but I had second thoughts and kept it.

I nodded.

“If you want to join us,” he said, “you’ll find a human, half-turn them and call the number.

Then we’ll talk.

Perhaps you’ll be desperate enough in a few days of trying to survive alone by yourself… Remember, the trick is to stop before you feel you’ve started.” I looked at him in confusion.

Before I could ask him anything else, he bent down, picked up the human again, and followed the others.

I stared after them as the group disappeared into the trees.

I had no idea where they were heading.

And I had no idea what I would do now that I’d been left alone again.

I breathed more freely as they rushed off, the scent of human blood becoming fainter and fainter.

But I was beginning to feel the burning again.

The agony I’d endured in the sun had taken a lot out of me.

Once they’d disappeared, I looked down at the phone, then slipped it into my pocket.

I didn’t know what I was going to do now.

But somehow, going with them didn’t feel like the right path.

I was giving into darkness enough as it was.

Something told me that their company might make it settle permanently over my eyes.

I was better off trying to figure myself out on my own.

What they did to humans and the way they managed wherever it was they lived—it seemed to be everything my parents had come to fight against.

Besides, I didn’t know them.

They could have been enemies of The Shade for all I knew.

As I made my way across the hot sand back toward my submarine, trying to run as quickly as I could beneath the sun’s rays, the craving for blood returning full force, I felt glad that I hadn’t told them my real name.

Not just for my own safety, but because I didn’t want to mar the name of my parents.

Chapter 4: Ben

In many ways, returning to the submarine was a foolish move, especially since I’d already detected my hunger coming back.

It wasn’t more than a few hours before my eyes became clouded again and my bloodlust took over my brain.

I found myself navigating back toward shore and arrived by the time it was evening.

I had reached some South American coast.

As I climbed out of the hatch, part of me dreaded what I might find, while the other part of me was trembling with anticipation.

For the rush that would once again fill my veins with ecstasy.

The beach I’d landed on seemed quite empty.

I stalked along for several miles, but on still finding nobody, moved further inland.

I walked through a tree-lined path, sniffing the night air for any sign of human proximity.

I stopped abruptly as I reached a main road.

The occasional car whizzed by, but otherwise it was quiet.

But it didn’t take long for me to find a square full of people.

Young people, not much older than myself, hanging on the swings and smoking.

As soon as I laid eyes on them, I was a lost cause.

I sped into the center of the square like a flash of light.

They barely knew what hit them.

I rushed off, a man in my arms, my fangs already burying deep into his neck as I ran.

The screams of the others drowned out as I lifted him up a tree and finished sucking out every last drop from his veins.

Then I let go of the body, letting it smash against the concrete below.

The pleasure was still lighting up my brain.

It was still too early for the horror and guilt to kick in.

I’d expected to feel full after consuming that man.