Page 3 of Taste of Death

Most of the time, I had been glad Tavia was always there for me, shouting down childhood bullies when I felt faint or couldn’t breathe. But there were still times that I felt seeds of anger. Not entirely at her, but just once I wished I had the chance to stand up for myself.

“Amy.” Tavia moved closer. She stood over me, but never touched me. “I’m sorry, but youneedblood. It’s been two weeks and I’m not gonna tiptoe around the subject anymore. We’re taking you to the blood bank. If we have to drag you, we will.”

She reached over and clutched the blanket I was cocooned in. I promptly shoved her off, hearing her stumble slightly at my inhuman strength.

“Don’t touch me. I’m going.” My throat rasped with a burning hunger.

I got dressed in…something. I was too damn hungry, or maybe too dead on the inside, to care what I looked like.

Tavia’s boyfriend, or blood mate, rather, met us in the corridor outside of Bea’s place. Cyan was probably attractive; most vampires were. He had buzzed dark hair, angular bone structure, and red eyes. Tavia was certainly obsessed with him. But I couldn’t bring myself to notice him more than the lamps on the walls or staircase going up to the main floor.

“Hi Amy.” Cyan smiled, probably trying to convey friendliness. “It’s good to see you.”

I didn’t answer, didn’t engage at all. Tavia squirmed at his side like she wanted to tell me off for being rude.

Do it, I challenged her in my head. Say something to me that isn’t a hollow fucking apology.

It was Cyan’s blood that brought me back to life, that made me this creature with black eyes, fangs, and a gnawing hunger for blood. My best friend’s lover’s blood was inside me. It felt perverse for some reason, wrong in a way I couldn’t explain. Not least of all because neither of them asked for my consent first.

If they had, I would have said no.

“Ready?” Bea’s smile looked convincing, at least. Over the past two weeks, she had been genuinely friendly and warm. There was an adorable pixie vibe to her, if pixies had aquamarine eyes set in black and mini vampire fangs in their smiles.

I nodded and went to walk beside her, moving past Tavia and Cyan without a second glance.

My body moved on autopilot, the hunger pains easing slightly as we left the vampire compound and set out onto the street. It was nighttime, but I still had to blink to adjust to the outside sights and smells.

There weresomany smells. I wrinkled my nose and rubbed it, resisting the urge to sneeze.

“You’ll acclimate to all your new senses after some time,” Bea said. “I know it’s overwhelming. I swear I sneezed for a week straight right after I was turned. But I’m pretty sure we don’t get allergies. At least, I haven’t met any other brusang who have them.”

I grunted out a noise of acknowledgement. Everyone told me I would get used to this new existence, it would just take time. Time to adjust to a nocturnal schedule. Time to get used to drinking blood. Time for my new superhuman senses to acclimate. And the best part was I had all the time in the world with my new eight-hundred-year-plus lifespan. Time was so great. Time healed all wounds. Time was the most precious currency and I was now a rich woman.

Blah blah blah. Fuck time. I never chose this. I’d trade all this fucking time in a heartbeat to get my humanity back.

“Can you pick out that spicy, woodsy smell? It’s coming from there.” Bea pointed to a small building that had the wordDARAKTpainted across the front windows. “Those are the cigarettes Thorne is always smoking, the ones that make red smoke.”

“Is it red because they’re smoking blood?” I asked, my lip curling.

“In powdered form, yeah. But it’s not just blood. There’s a bunch of different herbs mixed in to give it different flavors.”

We passed the smoke shop and I got a strong whiff of thick, spicy smoke. It wasn’t terrible, I had to admit. Back home in Sapien, some people grew their own tobacco either for personal use or to sell in the human world. I never could smoke due to my asthma, but I always did enjoy the smell of the dried, harvested leaves.

“Do vampires get lung cancer?” I wondered.

“Nope, neither do brusang,” Bea said. “Our fast healing counters any damage done to our lungs.”

That made me wonder if I still had my asthma or heart murmur since being turned. I hadn’t felt faint or short of breath since I woke up to my new existence. But then again, I’d spent most of my time in a near-vegetative state on Bea’s couch. This evening stroll was the most physical activity I’d had in two weeks.

“That’s a great restaurant.” Bea pointed to another building labeledCarnassian’sin an elegant script. “Tavia and I have gone there a few times. Great menus for whatever diet you have.”

The place was bustling with activity, every seat filled and wait staff hustling from table to table. Large windows opened up to the street, and string lights lined the outdoor patios.

Bea pointed out a few more places as we walked, with me only taking mild notice. Our journey ended at a square white building that reminded me of human-world clinics or small hospitals. The side readBlood Bankin large red letters, andReceiver Entrancein smaller letters.

Inside felt like a hospital reception area too, clean to the point of sterile, with a front desk and chairs for people to wait in.

I dropped into a chair like a pile of laundry, letting Bea handle things at the front desk while pointedly ignoring Tavia and Cyan easing into chairs next to me.

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