Page 79 of Wicked Bite
“Totally, you’ve got stone-cold killer written all over you. How many people have you killed?” I kept turning my head to look at him even when he didn’t dare look at me. There was something so pokable about Sav, like he was so serious but in a way that begged to be bothered.
“Countless.” He stopped at the mirror at the end of the hall and pressed his fingers to it. He didn’t bother to wait for us before he shoved himself through.
I hiked my thumb at him. “That’s your best friend?”
“For as long as I can remember.” Grayson motioned for me to step through the rippling mirror.
It was surreal to be in this position. I couldn’t believe I was dating a vampire as a human and now was one myself. This world was unbelievable. When things stopped being crazy, I might actually get my bearings. For now, I went with what they said and asked me to do. They’d been vampires for . . . I paused before I stepped through.
“Um, how old are you?”
He pressed his hand to my back, nudging me forward as he chuckled. “Worried I’m an old man?”
When I stepped through the mirror, a shiver went down my spine. It felt cold and gooey over my skin, like I’d fallen into a bucket of slime. As I stepped through to the other side, the mirror peeled off my skin, leaving none of the stickiness behind. I looked down at my dress expecting glittering piece of the liquid mirror to still be there or to be a little damp. But no, I came out exactly how I went in. I dusted my hands off and faced him as he came through.
I scoffed. “I think it’s too late to worry about old. But I was curious. Are you a thousand?”
“Though I am wise,” he walked to stand beside Sav, “I am not old, love. I’m one hundred and ninety-nine to be exact.”
“So, you are totally old.”
A bark of laughter came from Sav’s lips, and he crossed his arms over his chest. “She’s not mistaken.”
“Good to see you two have reached an agreement on something.”
We stood in an abandoned building. There was a lone mirror in the back corner of a room with broken down walls covered in graffiti. Pieces of ripped plastic tarp hung from doors and exposed ceiling. It was a half-finished construction project that’d been long since abandoned. Broken, exposed pipes and beams hung low everywhere. The cool wind whipped through the building and made goosebumps break out over my skin.
“Where are we?”
“Tower Hamlets. It’s a borough in London.” Grayson walked in front of me toward a broken window.
It was a stark contrast to the royal opulence of The House of Shade. After everything I’d seen there, this was a severe down grade here. Grayson kicked the rest of the glass out from the window, then climbed out of the building onto a ledge. When I made no move to follow, he peeked his head through.
“Come on then.” He nodded toward the outside.
I kicked one leg through the window and placed my foot on the small ledge. The wind whipped past us, sending my hair and dress flying around my body. I stood there looking down at a dark street at least six stories below. This part of London was like nothing I’d ever seen in pictures before. It was rundown and dangerous-looking. The buildings were in disrepair and covered in graffiti. Boarded up windows were a staple in the area. Multiple barrel fires were spread up and down the back-alley streets and disheveled-looking people gathered around them warming their hands against the winter night. There was no merriment for Christmastime here. It was sad and violent. They were all so far away, yet with my vampire eyes I could see everything perfectly. I clung to the side of the building, holding myself on that narrow ledge.
“Now what?”
Sav chuckled. “Are you scared?”
“I’m hanging off the side of a building. Any normal person would be scared.” My fingers dug into the brick exterior, and it crumbled under my grip.
“But you aren’t normal, and you aren’t a person. You’re a vampire.” He let go and leaned back. He fell off the side of the building with his arms spread wide. His hair whipped into his face and he closed his eyes. His echoing laughter filled the air and faded away as he disappeared.
“Oh my God. He’s insane!”
Grayson smirked and winked. “He’s not wrong. Trust your instincts and let’s have a little fun.”
He let go and stepped off the side of the building, falling into the darkness behind Sav. I held onto the building tighter. I closed my eyes. “Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit.”
My mind told me this wasn’t possible. That old saying, ‘if a friend told you to jump off a bridge, would you?’, came to mind. Reason told me not to. But it also told me vampires weren’t real, and yet I was one. There was no reason behind any of this. But it was a new world and a new way of life, and I was going to live it. I let go and leaned forward.
I dropped from the ledge and let gravity take me. My stomach went up into my throat and my hair whipped back from my face. The slit of the dress opened and my legs were exposed to the crisp air. One moment I was free falling with panic riddling my body and the next I felt in total control. My instinct took over and I rotated in midair. I wasn’t a kid about to do a belly flop into a pool. I was a cat finding my feet no matter what distance I fell from. My legs pointed down as the street rushed toward me. I hit the ground and it was like stepping out of bed. My legs bent, taking the impact, and my dress fell into place around me. There was no pain. I even caught my balance right away.
Grayson and Sav melted from the shadows of the building. Sav crossed his arms over his chest and fought a smile. He gave me a nod and walked down the alley. Grayson didn’t bother to hide his smirk. “Very good, Little Creature.”
I looked him up and down. “Pshh. And I did this in heels. How are your nice flat shoes?”
