Page 125 of Tell Me Why
She would not run.
She would walk.
She was a human being, not an animal, even if she was a vampire, and she would walk with self-control across the gravel parking lot.
“Geez, Tina,” he said as she got closer. “What happened to you? Tell said, but… Geez.”
She couldn’t answer him.
There was no possible way.
She could feel the way she was leering at him, and she saw him go stiff and lean away from her.
She couldn’t stop. She dashed at him and he put an arm up to protect himself, trying to climb the car to get away.
She was tearing at him with claws of fingers, gnashing at his neck as he feebly tried to fight her off, screaming.
And then Tell’s hand, stronger than she was in the way of a parent handling a toddler, was flat on her chest from over her shoulder. He tore her away and tossed her back, turning to stand over her as she landed on the ground and scrambled to go after Tony again.
She had to.
She had to.
She had to.
There wasbloodthere, on her hands, on her face, in his veins, she could hear it, she could smell it, she could think of nothing else.
Tell was in the way, but it wasn’t going to stop her.
She would tear him to bits if she had to, to get to Tony.
“Tina,” he said, his voice calling herselfout of the fog, if just for a moment. “Stay.”
She pressed her hands down into the gravel, willing them to keep her there. He turned to face Tony again. The man was cowering against his car, eyes astonished and wide on Tina.
“Whatisshe?” he whispered.
“She is herself,” Tell answered. “And if you do not let her feed on you, she is going to die. That remains true. What I don’t know is if you can physically tolerate it. She doesn’t wantthis. Even if it means her death, she would prefer to die than…” He shook his head. “Than for it to be like this.”
Tony straightened.
“I can’t,” he said, and Tell sighed again, looking back at Tina with… something. Tina couldn’t see it, really. Even as she tried. All she could see was Tony.
“I understand,” Tell said, beginning to turn. Tony grabbed his elbow.
“No,” he said. “Ican’t. She has to make me.Youhave to make me. I’m… it’s not going to kill me, any more than any other time, is it?”
Tell shook his head.
“I will see to it that you heal correctly and normally.”
Tony still had his hand on his neck where she’d clawed it, his shirtsleeve staining with blood where it was torn.
“And she’ll be… like she was?”
“I can’t promise that, but I believe it,” Tell said. “She was as she was, until she saw you. This is primal. She istryingto survive, which is… the best sign I can hope for.”
“Then do it,” Tony said. “But…” He looked Tina in the eye. “I know what I’m doing. It’s okay.”
