Page 4 of Taste of Death

The front desk person gave me a short form to fill out and told me that I would have a human tech assisting me. I didn’t know why it mattered, but also didn’t argue.

Tavia leaned closer to me and I fought the urge to hiss at her being in my personal space.

“Do you want me to come back there with you?”

“No.”

I sensed her flinch in my peripheral vision. “Okay, but maybe Bea can? Just so you won’t be alone.”

Wouldn’t it shock her to know that being left alone was exactly what I wanted?

“No.”

That seemed to send the message clearly enough and she leaned away from me.

A human woman called my name soon enough and led me through a door behind the front desk. She was dressed in maroon scrubs and carried a file folder, just like any nurse would. If I didn’t know any better, I’d thought I’d be getting a checkup in the human world.

“My name’s Rebecca and I’ll be assisting you with your feeding today.” She opened the file folder and scribbled a note on my paperwork. “I understand this is your first time at the blood bank?”

“Yes,” I sighed, wishing for this whole ordeal to be over with.

Rebecca glanced at my form and then at me with her eyebrows slightly lifted. “You were turned two weeks ago?”

“Yeah.”

“So generally, we recommend brusang take blood at least once a week. The amount depends on your caloric needs and other factors such as your height and weight. You may also supplement with rare or raw meat or a bone marrow mash, but that isn’t sustainable for the long term. Since your body is human in origin, you do need calories from human foods as well. Everyone is different, but we like to start with a baseline of one blood meal per week, and a human meal at least every other day.”

She stopped talking and I continued to stare blankly.

“Okay,” I said finally.

Rebecca’s brow pinched, her face showing something like pity. “Did you have any questions?”

“No.”

She sighed and set aside my paperwork, lacing her fingers in front of her. “I can tell this isn’t an existence you wanted. You’re unhappy, maybe even resentful of whoever turned you, and that’s valid. I’ve met a lot of brusang and I promise what you’re feeling is completely normal.”

I blinked, not expecting the validation.

“My job is to make sure you receive the right kind of blood so you can remain alive and healthy. That’s just the first step, but it’s a huge one, Amy. I know you’re resisting because drinking blood from a live person will solidify the fact that you’re no longer human. It’s scary and it’s emotional.”

“I don’t want to do it,” I whispered. It was the first time I admitted it in actual, real words. Any time Tavia or Bea brought up giving me blood, I ignored them or told them to leave me alone. “I don’t want to. Please don’t make me.”

Rebecca gave me a sympathetic look. “I understand, Amy. But you need it to live. Just like breathing air, drinking blood is necessary to your survival. And someone loves you so much they cheated your human death. This is a second chance.”

She sounded like Tavia now. I remembered her anguished, tear-streaked face when I woke up from death.I’m so sorry. I just couldn’t lose you, Ames.

My anger flared back to life. “I never asked for this. No one bothered to ask me if Iwantedthis.”

The hotter my anger burned, the longer my fangs grew in my mouth, which pissed me off even more.

Rebecca nodded dutifully. “We have people here you can talk to as well. A listening ear might help you work through these feelings.”

“No, thanks.” Unless she had an empty room for me in which to scream and throw things, I wasn’t interested.

The nurse nodded and then looked at her watch. “Well, my shift ends in two hours and those hunger pains are only going to get worse if you don’t feed. But ultimately, it’s up to you.”

I almost laughed. Finally, she wasn’t bullshitting. All the pitying looks, not just from her but everyone, the tiptoeing around me, the platitudes ofeverything takes time… I was sick of it all.

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