Page 15 of This Blood That Binds Us

“Okay, people are looking for us.”

“Can you explainpeople?” Her fingers gripped the edge of the fountain’s stone wall.

The courtyard had emptied as the next classes started. The noon day sun was still high and bright.

I chose my words very carefully. “Umm, a . . . a group of . . . of . . .non-people.”

“So, there are more vampires out there.”

“Yeah, apparently. And apparently, that’s why we had to leave everything I loved and knew behind, andapparently, my older brothers think telling us nothing means protecting us. I think it’s bullshit. Pardon my French.”

“You don’t seem like you know that much.” A smile rested on her lips, and she sighed.

“Finally, you see it. I’m just here, trying to live my life and not kill people. And now, I’ve pulled you into our mess.”

“I guess you do get the whole life-ruining thing.”

I did.

My hands would be sweaty—if I could have sweated—from struggling to get the words out. “About that...there’s a reason I wanted to talk to you alone...away from my brothers.”

She eyed me suspiciously, her heartbeat picking up. “Go on.”

“You can forget this ever happened. Right here. Right now.” I stood, hands to my side, looking toward the police officers enjoying their afternoon coffee. “I can walk right over there and turn myself in. I’ll tell them I attacked you.”

A wrinkled appeared between her brow again. “Why would you do something like that? You don’t even know me.”

“Because it’s the right thing to do. I can’t fix what happened. This is the only thing I can think of that makes any sense. Who knows...maybe I look great in prison orange?”

The words didn’t flow like I wanted them to. I didn’t want her to feel like I was guilting her into some situation. I wanted to want what she wanted. That was easier said than done.

The mystery girl was still watching me, though her eyes were glazed over in contemplation. She bit the inside of her lip and tapped her foot on the cobblestone.

I let her take her time and watched a group of students laugh in the distance. I couldn’t help but think about how my life had completely catapulted into the sun. One day changed everything.

One minute, I was studying, going to a community college close to my house. Presley had just turned eighteen, and he talked my ear off all year about how he wanted to go on a trip this summer. And then my brothers stormed in and ruined everything.

It wasn’t all bad, though. I didn’t miss the city. Surrounding our campus were redwood trees, and I never got tired of looking at them. I tried to soak in my last moments of freedom. The sounds of the birds and the breeze running through the trees.

“It doesn’t make sense!” she concluded. “You don’t really mean that. You wouldn’t do that. No one would do that.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. “You underestimate me?” I turned back toward the police officers and straightened my shirt. “I guess I’ll just have to show you.”

I started walking but stopped. “It was nice meeting you, by the way. Sorry again for everything.”

Her eyes were wide as I turned back to the policeman. I didn’t want to think too much about what I was doing. I had to right my wrong, and I hurt this girl. Her life would never be the same because of me and my mistakes. She was innocent. I had to protect her. That was the most important thing.

“Officers, I need to report a crime I committed.” I cleared my throat, puffing out my chest and trying to look as threatening as possible.

They didn’t flinch at my words or even stop sipping their coffee.

“All right, go on.” One of the officers shared a playful smile with the other.

“I attacked someone.”

Everything in my body was telling me to run. The Thing in my head was fighting for my attention. But I left my feet firmly planted in the grass. This was my choice, and I wasn’t going to let anything sway me this time. This was my chance to right my wrong and make the decision I wasn’t strong enough to make in the forest. It was her or me, and I should have chosen her over myself.

The officers stared at me for a minute, one of them lowering his sunglasses to his mustache. “You attacked someone? Like you got into a fight?”