Page 11 of The Predator
She moved the tomatoes to the back of the cutting board, and then chopped celery.
I rubbed my temples as a headache loomed. “What do you think, Jordyn? Should we clue Aunt Tab in?”
Jordyn shrugged, pursing her lips. “Depends. Aunt Tab, how do you feel about us working for vampires?”
My aunt’s head shot up, and, at the same time, the blade missed the celery and snagged her forefinger. “Ow.”
The sight of blood scrambled my brain as I froze.
Jordyn hopped off the stool and skirted the island to help Aunt Tab.
“Layla, get the first aid kit,” Aunt Tab said calmly. “It’s in the pantry on the top shelf, off to the left.”
I couldn’t move as Jordyn examined the cut.
“Layla.” Jordyn’s tone was screeching and harsh. “Snap out of it. First aid kit.”
I shook my head and bolted into the pantry and grabbed the kit. When I returned, Aunt Tab was at the sink, running water over her cut.
Jordyn took the first aid kit from me. “Aunt Tab, sit on the stool.”
Aunt Tab tore a paper towel from its holder near the sink then sat on the stool. “It doesn’t look like I need stitches.”
Jordyn proceeded to unpack the necessary supplies as though she’d been a skilled nurse for many years.
I had normally been the one to respond quickly in tense situations, but the blood seeping into the paper towel was messing with my head.
“What’s wrong, Layla?” Aunt Tab asked. “You look pale.”
Fear obviously washed over Jordyn.
I picked up the knife, staring at the blood on the blade, and images of me sucking on Sam’s wrist came soaring back. My pulse quickened as my tongue darted out. Before my brain could catch up with my actions, I was licking the blood off the knife as if it was a spatula that had chocolate-cake batter on it. I moaned as the sweet, tangy blood danced on my tongue.
Aunt Tab screeched, “What are you doing, Layla?”
Jordyn whipped her head at me, horrified.
Aunt Tab tore the knife from me and threw it in the sink. “What did those vampires do to you?”
The clanging sound made me flinch, and I briefly closed my eyes, scolding myself.
Aunt Tab wrapped her finger in the paper towel since Jordyn hadn’t yet bandaged her wound. “Your uncle was right. Something happened to you girls.”
I dug my nails into the palms of my hands. Jordyn’s suggestion to leave and work for Steven suddenly sounded good. If anything, I didn’t want to be there when my uncle came home. I swallowed, hoping to clear the tanginess from my tongue. “You want to know what happened to us?”
Jordyn shook her head, and strands of her brown hair fell forward. “Don’t, Layla. Aunt Tab isn’t ready to hear that.”
Aunt Tab closed her wounded hand into a fist. “Jack will be home soon. Given the events of the day so far, I think it’s best if you two leave for a few hours so you can think about where you go from here. Plus, I might be able to calm your uncle down.”
I doubted that. Uncle Jack listened to no one.
“Why? Are you going to tell him what I just did?” Her answer would tell me if I could at least begin to trust her.
She regarded me with equal parts sadness and concern. “No. It’s bad enough he blew his top when he read the text from Sam.”
Jordyn packed up the first aid kit, leaving out a bandage. “You should put a Band-Aid on your finger.”
Aunt Tab moved a wispy strand of her salt-and-pepper hair off the side of her face. “I’ll be fine. But I have one question for Jordyn. Were you serious about working with them?”
