Page 938 of One More Kiss

Odessa

After a night of driving,Draven convinces me to come back to the apartment. He thinks that being around the guys will help control my hunger. The pangs of bloodlust ebb and flow, and I feel like I’m dying. The hunger is so great that, when we were at a stoplight, I tried to jump out of the car and attack a man on his cell phone. If Draven wasn’t so fast, the guy would have died.

Realizing how out of control I am made me understand I need help. All the victims that come into my office look for the same thing, a sanctuary to hide away until they can get back on their feet alone. That’s what I’m going to do. Use these vampires until I can control the lust and then leave. I’ll have to quit my job and say goodbye to Megan, but it’s the right thing to do. I can’t risk her.

“You’re back.” Julius says, popping up from his sitting position on the couch. He makes a move to come over to me, but pauses. Either he’s scared or unsure if I want him near me.

“I am. Draven is very convincing. Well, that and the fact that I want to rip everyone’s throats out,” I say.

He takes his gaze off of me and looks down at his feet. I don’t have it in me to console him. He’s the one who fucked up and did this to me.

“I’m glad you’ve come back. I’ve wanted to apologize for what we did. It wasn’t fair for us to take that choice from you, and we didn’t know it would transfer to you. It’s a curse, and we should have known there would be repercussions, but we just wanted to be free,” Theron pleads. He looks genuinely sorry, but there are just some things you can’t forgive. This is one of them.

“While I hear what you’re saying, know this: I will not be staying here a minute more than I have to. You will teach me how to control the bloodlust, and then I’m gone. And I never want to see any of you again.”

* * *

Three weekslater

Theron

“Again! Block him with your left arm and then come around with the right,” Draven yells at Odessa. She’s been sparring with Julius for four hours. So far, they seem like an even match.

It’s been a hard three weeks. A lot of close calls, and a lot of bloodshed. She’s never sated, and it’s a test to get her to focus on anything else. The physical activity usually wears her out enough to think clearly, but it always comes back. Always haunting us.

We haven’t told her about being mates yet. Julius thinks we should wait. I’d prefer to get it out in the open and let her hate us for everything all at once. At least she’d be more informed. It’s not like she’s warming up to us. She stays away unless she has to train, or wants blood. She doesn’t leave her room for hours. We tried to go pick up her things from her old apartment, but she didn’t want us to touch them, so we kept paying the rent, though we haven’t told her yet. Another thing we’re keeping from her.

A loud smack vibrates around the room, and Julius is down on the floor with a bloody nose. Odessa is heavily breathing in and out. Her eyes have become predatory, and her focus is fully on the blood.

She closes her eyes a moment and inhales the scent. You can see the struggle inside of her. I tense, but she rolls her head around and when she opens them up again; they are back to normal. She says nothing as she walks out of the training room.

“She resisted,” Draven says, looking down at Julius in amazement. If she has that much control in three weeks, then there is hope that she could do this on her own, which causes a pang in my gut.

It took us a very long time to stop the bloodlust from taking over. We had to move to different towns and cities. Never being able to stay in one place. Then we learned, adapted, and put rules in place. It helped us have a more normal existence, but it’s a lonely one.

“Do you think she’ll leave now?” Julius asks, grabbing a towel from the bench to stop the blood from dripping down his nose. It’s a weird feeling, not being so enamored by the blood that is surrounding us. Now it’s just another action, something so mundane.

“Yes. She’s determined to not be around us, and can you blame her? We fucked her whole life up to make ours easier. I’d leave too,” I say, getting up from my chair and walking out of the room. I need some air.

* * *

Odessa

I’m leaving tonight. This afternoon was a test for how much I can control myself. Julius and the other two’s blood are the most intoxicating I’ve ever tasted. The human blood bags they give me are good, but there is nothing like their blood. And I resisted it. I’m proud of myself.

Throwing the rest of my clothes into a duffle bag, I zip it up and flop down on the floor near the door. I’m not worried about them coming in and finding it. The one good thing about them is that they respect my privacy. This room has become a sanctuary for me in these last weeks. A place where I could get away from them and not have to be constantly reminded that I’m a monster.

A knock sounds on the door. Before opening it, I kick the bag out of view. When I open it, Draven stands before me, looking as hot as ever. They sent him, so they must want something.

“What’s up?” I say, nonchalantly. His eyes always try to see through me, like I’m some sort of mystery that needs to be solved.

“We’re going to go out for dinner. Do you want to come with us?” He asks.

“No, I think I’ll stay here. I’m exhausted from sparring this afternoon. We were at it for a while,” I respond.

This will give me the best opportunity to leave. No one will be home and there will be no fear of getting caught.

“Oh, um… we’ll bring you back something, I guess.”

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