Page 16 of This Blood That Binds Us

“Not exactly. I technically . . . bit someone.”

The officers exchange glances, looking amused.

The one with the deep voice scratched his beard, stifling a laugh. “Son, you want to make a report stating you bit someone? Do you have the name of the person you bit? Do they even want to press charges?”

“Well, actually, I don’t know the name. I—”

“What are you doing?” Mystery girl’s voice caught me by surprise, as she walked in closer to the scene. “I didn’t think you’dactuallygo through with it. I’m sorry...this is my...my friend. He’s doing this as a dare for his YouTube channel.” She held up her hand, showing her phone.

“You two are aware that filing a false police report is a serious offense.” The officer’s deep voice boomed, but his expression was relaxed. He took another sip of his coffee.

“Yeah, I know. That’s why I wanted to stop him before he actually said it.”

I probably looked as confused as I felt. She narrowed her eyes at me before turning her attention back to the officers.

“Well, no amount of views are worth going to jail for. Kids these days.” He chuckled under his breath.

“You are so right. I’m sorry. It won’t happen again,” she said before whipping me with her hair and motioning for me to follow her. We walked into a clearing away from ear shot.

“What are you doing?” I said quickly.

“Me? What are you doing?! What was that?” she said through clenched teeth.

“I told you I was going to do it! I wanted to make it right! I thought this is what you want?”

“How could you possibly know what I want if I don’t even know what I want?!” She groaned and turned to look at the courtyard. “Just give me a second to think.”

I stuffed my hands in my pockets and let the silence sit between us. She kept her eyes on the cars passing in the distance. I could hear her mumbling. Counting. One after another, she counted the cars. Not every one. Only the bright-colored ones as they drove up to the crosswalks and stopped for pedestrians before zooming down the hill.

“I don’t want this on my conscience.”

When she turned to me again, her eyes were softer than before. But worry settled in them.

“If you are telling me the truth, and everything just happened to you like it did me, then.. .then I don’t want it on my conscience. I’m not done with my vampire questions, and if you go to jail, I’m never going to know if you were telling the truth about my shoulder or anything you just said.”

I didn’t know what to say, but she was clearly waiting for me to speak. I wanted to say thank you, then hurl myself over a bridge. I didn’t deserve the mercy she was giving me.

“So, what do we do now?”

She crossed her arms. “We keep living our lives...as strangers. You don’t know me, and I don’t know you. If I have more questions, then I’ll come to you for help, but we’re not friends. You don’t approach me. You don’t know me.”

I rubbed the stress knot on the back of my neck. “Well, what if I...want to be friends?”

She smiled. “You look like you have plenty of people to keep you company.”

I laughed. She was joking. For the first time, she relaxed. “Fine. You’re the boss. Can I at least get your name?”

“Kimberly . . . Kimberly Burns.”

She looked down at her hand before stretching it out for me. A flash of excitement hit me, and I grabbed her hand a little too fast, but she didn’t flinch.

“I’m Aaron...uh...just Aaron. We’re using a fake last name...Coleman. You know, because of the people following us. It even says it on my driver’s license now. I should definitely not be telling you that, but I didn’t want to lie. So, Aaron Coleman, I guess.” A sheepish grin swiped my face.

I was breaking every single one of the rules my brothers had set in place. But I didn’t care. For the first time since I was changed, I felt like myself again. The me before I turned into the guy who stalked girls in the forest.

The smile returned to her face. “So many questions...but for now, I have to get to my next class.”

“I guess . . . see you around, then, Burns.”