Page 67 of A Bond Beyond Blood
“You followed me all night?”I asked.
He inclined his head and fear sent another chill skittering down my spine.That meant...shit.He’d seen what I did to the security guard, and knew where Ma lived.
“Who are you?”I whispered.
The man bowed with an unnecessary flourish, then was in front of me before I even realized he’d moved.“Elias Bristol.”He scanned my face quickly, considering something, then gave a curt nod.“But I doubt you’re old enough to recognize that name.No matter.”He flashed a sinister grin.“I’m no one of importance.”
I snorted.As surely as I’d known to stand down when faced with this vampire, the truth behind his lie resonated deep within my bones.He wasabsolutelysomeone of importance.
“Up you go.”When I was back on my feet, he wrapped an arm around my shoulders and began to lead me toward the avenue like we were old friends on a leisurely stroll.“Now,tell me everything you know about the girl.”
And so I did.
In fact, as we walked, I couldn’tstopthe onslaught of stories that spilled from my lips.
From the first moment I saw Jackie to the day I decided to leave her—and everything in between, mundane or monumental.By the time we reached the vampire’s home far outside the city limits, he knew about the time I filled her bathtub with lightning bugs when we were five years old, and the time I tried to cop a feel in the movie theater when we were twelve...
The Duff, that’s what was playing on the screen when my girl gave me my very first black eye.And then a few minutes later, when her cheeks blushed something fierce and her teeth dug into that full bottom lip to keep her smile at bay.
He knew about the night she gave herself to me, and how doing so changed me forever, making me hers in a way I could never belong to anyone else.
Our matching tattoos.The time we cried over the neighbor’s dog getting run over.
The night she got grounded and we tried to run away, only to chicken out and wind up sneaking back into my bedroom window and sleeping with our heads smashed together on top of our duffels.
The day I turned my back on her and destroyed two hearts at once.
This mysterious stranger managed to pull everything I knew about my ex-girlfriend from my mind, leaving me confused and wary.I’d just spilled my guts to a terrifying vampire—ripping open old wounds and experiencing the shame of my betrayal all over again—and I couldn’t for the life of me figure outwhy.
But he seemed pleased, and, as he led me inside, something about that brought a smile to my lips.
This might have been how horror movies began, and if I died here, I’d deserve my demise.
Chapter Twenty-One
Jack
