Page 126 of Tell Me Why
She shuddered.
His hand dropped, and she surged forward.
Discovered that her incision had torn, and her body didn’t move right.
Didn’t care.
Tell caught her by the shoulder and wrapped his other arm around her neck, pulling her back solidly in against his chest.
“Not like that,” he said firmly. Tony nodded at him again.
Tina was weak. Tell wassomuch stronger than she was. The middle of her body slipped and gave rather than coiling like it was supposed to, but her arms were still out, grasping at theideaof Tony’s blood.
“Best if we just do it fast, I think,” Tony said. Tina felt Tell nod.
He didn’t let her go.
He jerked her rudely back, off-balance, and grabbed her wrists, gathering them both in one hand behind her back as she tilted toward Tony. Once again, Tony tried to flee, but Tell pinned him against the car, standing, covering his mouth as he screamed.
Tina fed.
It was a black feed, nothing organic or personal or even sensory about it.
Maybe she would have expected some semblance of self-control to come back to her as she did it, but it never came. She mauled his neck as he groped at everything around him, trying to get away, then Tell tossed her back again, and curled down to Tony’s neck, himself.
Tina lay on the ground, her actual appetite sated but not her instinct to feed.
She wasstilldesperate, even though the organs involved in storing the blood she’d taken were full.
Tell had known.
She would have just gone on gnawing at Tony’s neck for no purpose.
He saw to the wounds on Tony’s neck and then his arm, straightening.
“Where else did she get you?” he asked.
Tony was better-composed, but held his arm against his chest as he looked over at Tina.
“I’m fine,” he said. “Is she going to be okay?”
“We’ll find out. I’ll… I’ll contact you to let you know, either way. You’re a good friend.”
Tony felt the side of his neck thoughtfully.
“Tina?” he asked.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered. He shook his head.
“I’m glad that I could help. I mean that. I’m okay.”
It was a lie.
She was impressed that he could stand there at all, rather than just running away from her. She had hurt him.
And she hadn’t even cared, as she’d done it.
Tony took a step forward, and Tell moved to block him.
