Page 5 of Blood Lust

“Would you say, Aaron, that you finally found a use for your teeth?”

I grin. “You could say that.”

“Aaron, could you please describe for us the process of biting yourself and drinking your own blood?”

And so I do. Once I puncture my flesh with my own teeth, I draw the blood straight from my veins and into my mouth. Often I gargle the blood and swish it around like fine wine. When I’m done sucking and drinking, or feeding, as I refer to it, I’m left with the most incredible hickeys that last sometimes for months.

“Of course,” I say, finishing my recounting, “I always keep my arms covered in public.”

“To hide the scars and hickeys.”

“Yes.”

“Some of these wounds look fresh, Aaron.”

I nod and point to two scabby holes just inside my elbow. “Sure. I was sucking here just last night, in jail.”

Chapter Five

The attorney looks like he might throw up a little in the back of his mouth. The man, a true professional, obviously fights through his discomfort. “Do you ever get sick after sucking your own blood, Aaron? Surely, this can’t be healthy.”

“All the time. I was sick just last night. Puked blood everywhere. Looked like something from a Stephen King novel.”

“But you continue doing it, even when you get sick?”

“It’s not easy being me,” I say, grinning.

“Aaron, did you ever seek any kind of professional help?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Because there’s nothing wrong with me.”

“But you think you’re a vampire.”

I grin broadly, purposefully exposing the long, slightly curved sweep of my upper canines. “Maybe I am, counselor.”

The lawyer looks again at the jury box, his expression almost smug.See, it seems to say, is the kid loony or what?

“Aaron, when did you first meet Annie Hox?”

“When I was seventeen.”

“How old are you now?”

“Eighteen.”

“And where did you meet her?”

“I met her at one of my jobs. I was working as a security guard in a warehouse. The graveyard shift, of course.” I smile. “Annie worked there as well.”

“What attracted you to her?”

“She was different, special. She was one of the few people who accepted me for who I am. She was what some people would call a goth.”

“As in gothic. As in someone who dresses in black, paints their nails black, powders their faces white, and reads Anne Ricenovels. In short, someone obsessed with vampires.”

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