Page 28 of Bitten Vampire

Now stop stalling and drink the blood.

Resigned, I lift the cup. Cold or warm, it will be thick and metallic. Eyes shut, I pretend it’s tequila and throw it back. Copper sludge coats my throat; I gag but force itdown. I can’t even chase it with water—night body won’t tolerate it.

No surge of energy follows. I sit, mildly nauseous, working my throat, trying not to vomit. After a few breaths the feeling subsides. I nod. “All right. That was… fine. I’m going to brush my teeth.”

The cup vanishes.

“Thanks,” I sigh, heading upstairs.

Soon I’ll log on to the overnight customer-service job I picked up. One benefit of not needing sleep. My human selfrestswhile the vampireworks; between forms I’m effectively awake twenty-four hours a day.

Yet, astonishingly, boredom creeps in.

None of my motivational podcasts have ever coveredhow to become a vampire. Not one. There’s no ‘Five Steps to Reclaiming Your Power After Undeath.’ NoVampire for Dummies,I checked.

After working for a few more hours, I log out of the system at two in the morning and stretch. I settle on the sofa, laptop balanced on my knees, and stare down the hallway towards the front door. Baylor snores at my feet, content and oblivious.

I need to move about.The thought has been looping in my head all night.

I need to move.I am going stir-crazy.

During the day I still do delivery runs, but at night, I am trapped, and where I once found comfort in the house’s safety, the darkness now calls to me. I want to test my vampire abilities. Out here, in the middle of nowhere, it seems the perfect opportunity… but should I?

I know going outside at night is stupid. Dangerous. Butthe blood I consumed sings in my veins, and the feeling is making me itchy and anxious.

I have got to move.

I spring up, grab a coat and shove on my trainers. “I’m going to stretch my legs.” Then I slip outside and hurry down the garden path.

It’s not safe,House murmurs behind me.

I ignore her.

I stand at the gate, hands on hips, scanning the silent road. Far off, traffic hums at the border. Otherwise, nothing. Stillness.

I walk this road with Baylor in daylight all the time, yet the darkness transforms it. The night feels alive. I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve been outside in the dark. The newness is intoxicating.

I roll my shoulders and start to jog. I’ve never been much for exercise, just enough to keep myself strong. I haven’t gone for a proper run since school PE. But tonight feels different. Tonight, I feel strong.

Though I no longer need to breathe, I fall into the rhythm out of habit. My muscles don’t burn or tire; they are powered by magic, not oxygen. Where once I would have been puffing after a minute, now the motion is effortless.

For an experiment, I hold my breath. My feet strike the road, steady and fast. I’m not even winded. My stride stays smooth, my lungs untroubled, but I inhale anyway—no point testing how long a human brain endures without oxygen.

I loop back towards the house, then halt, drawn by the scrubland beyond. In the distance, the Vampire Sectorglows: buildings, towers, windows shining. When I was human, those lights were invisible. Now my night vision is crisp, as though binoculars are strapped to my face.

I glance at House, so close, then make a reckless choice. Instead of going inside, I veer into the grass. Cross-country. The ground is rocky, tufted with spiky weeds. Normally I would fear twisting an ankle, but tonight I am agile, my feet barely touching the ground. Wind whips my hair. It is exhilarating. This is?—

This isfun.

I’m still grinning when I realise how far I have run. I have crossed the boundary, right to the very edge of the Vampire Sector.

A shout cracks the air. Guards. They must have seen me running.

Shit.

Chapter Thirteen

I flip up my hood,jam my hands into my pockets and saunter on, trying to look like I belong here. Just another harmless night-walker. Another shout, sharper this time. Fear knots my stomach.