Page 2 of Accidental Blood Lust
Chuckling, I shake my head. “No, but thank you. You’re a stunning creature. My head’s just not in it tonight.”
“Well, if you change your mind, I can always be found.”
“Noted.”
I watch her walk away, then drop a few bills on the bar to pay for my drinks. No use sitting around now. What I came out for is gone.
I don’t want to think about why the scent has so much power over me. I’ll cross that bridge if I ever get to it. I need to fuck, and whoever that scent belongs to is gonna be in my bed if it’s the last thing I do.
Until then, I slip into the void to return to my quiet apartment and my friends. They’re always good to lift my spirits and distract me until the next full moon.
LOCHLAN
What is that smell?
The farther I get away from the club, the fainter it becomes, but at one point, it made me dizzy. I couldn’t even enjoy my drink in peace.
I was hoping I would bump into Jareth tonight, but he’s clearly gone off the radar. I can’t find him at all, and it’s been weeks since things fell apart between us.Weeks.
All because I made another one of my impulsive decisions. It was the only thing that made sense to me though. I could never have the bond I wanted to have with Jareth if I was just a normal mortal guy, I figured that out ages ago, and it took me months to actually follow through with a plan. It wasn’t even the mage thing, honestly. I think we could have been fine if that’s all it was. I didn’t know what the hell a mage was when we met, and he did try to hide the whole supernatural bit from me as long as he could, but it’s hard when very obviously non-human creatures were constantly knocking on his door at all hours of the day and night asking for favors.
Andthat’swhat the problem really was, why I knew I couldn’t stay mortal. Not because of Jareth, but because of everyone else. Onesomeone elsein particular. I huff in frustration at the thought of him.Roman. And then I force myself to shake it off.
Anyway, staying mortal wasn’t an option and there were only so many ways to make yourselfnotmortal. Vampirism won out because it’s easy.
Or I thought it was.
Turns out it’s insanely hard, a little bit gross, and not at all what I hoped it would be. I assumed Jareth would be flattered that I was willing to do something like that to show my commitment to him, but yeah, that didn’t happen either.
Now I don’t know what the fuck to do, but I know if I don’t eat soon, I’m gonna have a problem. That’s why I went to the club tonight, looking for either a willing mortal or a chance meeting with Jareth. There were tons of people there, but I haven’t quite mastered the art of non-consensual feeding. I was overwhelmed by the number of people and by that scent in the air. Maybe there were too many pheromones mixing together for my newly enhanced senses, but I couldn’t deal with it.
I stop running to inhale deeply, erasing the smells of the nightclub and enjoying the crisp night air instead. It’s almost summer—my favorite season, even though I’ve always had to avoid the sun due to my pale skin. I’m even paler now. I’ve learned I can tolerate small amounts of direct sunlight, but I prefer overcast days now.
Since it’s clear that Jareth is avoiding me, I guess there’s nothing left for me to do but leave this stupid city and find a place where I can settle, maybe even find myself a mentor. I never once thought Jareth would abandon me though, and that stings. If we can’t be together, he could at least look me in the face and tell me he’s too much of a coward to love me.
My eyes sting but the tears won’t come. I’ve felt on the verge of them since the last night I saw Jareth, but I always stop short of full-on sobbing. My heart hurts, but I suppose it will dull with time or maybe I’ll get used to the feeling.
As I trudge down the sidewalk through the center of town, my stomach grumbles painfully, and I almost double over. A dog trots through the darkness ahead of me, but the idea of attacking an innocent animal repulses me. I’d rather find the dog something to eat than be the predator in this equation.
I’m a terrible vampire. A hopeless mess who ruined his shot at a real relationship with someone special because of my stupid decision. If I could go back to that night and make a different choice, I would. I want a burger, fries, and an Oreo shake fromthe diner on 28th Street, but I can’t eat that anymore. I’d just vomit it up and be even more hungry.
I wonder how long I can actually go without eating, and what happens if I don’t. Will I die? Get sick? Just feel miserable? I don’t know and there’s no handbook I can refer to. I mentally add that to my to-do list. When I feel better and get this all figured out, I’m writing a guide on how to be a vampire for others like me.
Up ahead, I see a group of guys hanging out near a convenience store and my stomach grumbles in response. It would be so easy to grab one of them and take off. That’s one awesome benefit of being a vampire. My speed and strength are epic now.
But they look young, and I have trouble regulating how much blood to take. Plus, drinking straight from the source makes me queasy. With disappointment sinking in, I keep walking, passing by the opportunity for a meal and heading back to my tiny studio apartment. I don’t know how much longer I’ll be able to stay here since I lost my job after not showing up for a week.
It’s not like I could drag myself in to wait tables the night after I was turned. I could barely stand, much less function. I had to do nothing but sleep and drink blood for days just to be able to talk again. It’s not like the movies, that’s for sure.
My stomach twists painfully as I enter my dark apartment, kick off my shoes, and plop down on the couch. I pull my phone out of my back pocket and open the texting app, checking to see if Jareth has contacted me even though I already know he hasn’t.
The last message I sent still sits there alone with no response. He left me on read. I don’t know why that hurts worse than anything.
Me: Can we talk please?
What if something happened to him and he can’t reply? Or, more likely, what if he’s with someone else? What if he called hissupposed “friend” Roman? He’s the reason I did all of this. Well, not his existence, but his bond with Jareth. It was so visceral when he came to visit that I felt woozy, like I drank too much.
Then Jareth was prickly later when I asked him about his history with Roman. I was so afraid of losing him, I did the one thing he told me not to do.
