Page 39 of Thirst

All I can think about is how I feel after what just happened. I think about the taste of her and the tingle that sizzled through my veins the second her blood touched my tongue. I remember a detonation inside my mind when her blood hit my stomach, and the way my body was taken over. I stopped time without trying to, I floated, and I had to erase Aaliyah’s memory to keep from driving her insane on our first real night together. What an experience.

Nonetheless, even with how disastrous it almost was, one thing stands out above all else. I came into the evening with a plan of consuming Aaliyah’s blood, hoping it would resolve a question for me. A question I already knew the answer to, though I denied it.

After drinking from her, I can't act like I don't know anymore. It’s true. She’s real. After one hundred and twenty-six years as a vampire, I have finally found my Companion, and her blood is the greatest I've ever consumed.

Everything changes now.

Everything starts from here.

AALIYAH

Twenty-Four

The bathroom is still steaming when I step out, and my body feels like it’s riding on a cloud high in the air, floating above all of my problems. I texted Nae as soon as I got out of the shower. Now that I'm back in the house and cleaned up, I'm ready to talk about everything that just went down, and I need my homegirl to help me put all the pieces of the puzzle in the right place.

After I recheck the small bandage Amari applied before I left his penthouse, making sure it’s still dry after washing around it in the shower, I cinch my robe together and head to the kitchen to grab two wine glasses and a bottle of Rosé to help me settle in. The high I've been feeling since Amari brought me to the most insane orgasm of my life has stayed with me this entire time, but I feel it slowly dissipating as I head for the couch and sit down.

Janae hurries through the unlocked door, locking it behind her before facing me with a smile that looks like she’s mimicking the Joker. She's dressed in dark green pajamas with her hair wrapped in a silk scarf, with loose white flip flops on her feet. I hear them sliding across the floor as she quickly makes her way to the living room and drops onto the couch, her hand already reaching for the wine I poured for her.

“Okay. Go,” she says, bringing the glass to her lips and still smirking.

I can't keep myself from smiling as I sit back against the couch pillow and begin. “Alright, so I've been thinking about how I could start this conversation, and I think I got it. I'm gonna start by saying … girl, I think I just got back from the most erotic night of my life.”

Nae’s eyes double in size. “The most erotic? He’s got you using words like erotic? Oh my god. Start from the beginning and don't skip a single detail. What did you wear?”

“A strapless dress with a slit.”

“Nice. How was the drive over?”

“I was picked up by Amari’s assistant. His name is Shawn, and even he was fine as hell. Not as fine as Amari, but still fine.”

“Okay. Let’s pause there for a second. This Shawn you speak of, is he single?”

I laugh as I shrug. “I don't know. I didn't ask him all of that. I just followed him down to the garage when he came. He was pushing a brand new Mercedes with blacked out window tint, and he opened the door for me to get into the backseat. We talked a little bit about the kind of person Amari is, then we got to the casino and used a private entrance to get up to the penthouse where Amari was waiting.”

“What was he wearing?”

“Black and white Gucci from head to toe.”

“Damn,” she exclaims, shaking her head. “Then what?”

“Red wine and dinner prepared by one of the chefs in the building. Filet mignon and seasoned sides. It was so good, girl. I tore it up. Amari didn't eat much, though. I guess he wasn't that hungry.”

“Interesting. Okay, so how did you get from the table to the … blood? I can't even believe I just said that.”

I take a sip of wine as the memory works through my mind. “Umm, well we started talking and doing a little bit of drinking, and he told me he was ready whenever I was. He led down the hall and into his bedroom, where he had me strip for him while he watched from a chair.”

“Oh lord! He got a peep show? How was that?”

“I loved it,” I reply. “It made me feel like I was back at the club, doing what I always do. So when he asked to watch me, it really made me feel more comfortable. By the time I was finished, the music and the wine had me feeling good. I was ready for whatever. Then he asked me to grab this little curved knife that was on his nightstand. I grabbed it, but then I started struggling a little bit. It felt like I was opening a wound that had been closed for a long time—like I was resurrecting a version of myself that had been dead for years. I was hesitant. So he took over.”

“What do you mean he took over?”

“He asked for my permission to let him cut me.”

“And you gave it to him?” she asks, but it comes out like a shout meant for the entire building to hear.

“Damn. With your loud ass. Yes, I told him he could do it.”