Page 3 of This Blood that Bonds Us

I dropped cash on the bar for my tab, chugged the rest of my beer, then said my goodbyes. Heading out of the bar, I didn’t glance at the boys when I passed them. The click of my heeled boots echoed on the concrete as I tugged my jacket over my shoulders. A chill ran up my spine, but I didn’t shiver. I wasn’t always the bait. Presley was better at it. He got the job done faster and was more personable. Aaron on the other hand . . .

I slowed my pace to give them time to catch up. The bar was in a secluded part of town, and the lack of people around was ideal for what we needed. Even with all the right variables, it was never a guarantee that they’d follow. Sometimes we’d have to wait in an alley for the drunkest ones at close.

The doorbell rang, and Jared called out, “Hey, wait! Where are you going?”

I looked back expecting to see just one, but they all followed me.Perfect.

As I turned into the alleyway without a sound, Jared was hot on my heels.

“Do you need help?” His tone was sincere, but he grabbed my arm. “Wait.”

The alcohol on his breath overwhelmed my senses. He was too close to me, backing me into the wall as two shadows emerged in the moonlight, and our plan commenced.

I yanked Jared by his hood and sank my teeth into his neck. It wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be. Feeding was logical, and I’d done it many times. I could think myself through it pretty easily by counting to a certain number and letting go. That was that. The euphoria I got from drinking blood was nowhere near as strong as the nagging of my own brain and its need for control.

There were only the sounds of struggle and muffled yelling as I drank. The boys had found their marks too. We’d formeda routine that had gotten better every time. The first time, we forgot about the screaming and had to run.

Suddenly, Aaron pulled the guy from my grasp and sank his teeth into his neck.

“Aaron, don’t.” I tried to pry him off, but he wasn’t budging. His eyes were black and filled with rage as he shoved him against the wall.

“Presley, help me!”

It took both of us to pull them apart. Jared’s heart hammered against his ribs. He’d need an ambulance. I tore off a piece of my jacket to hold pressure on his neck and motioned for Presley to hold it.

Aaron wasn’t coming back to himself. His eyes were pure obsidian, and he stood still with rigid shaking shoulders.

“Aaron, you’re in control. It’s okay.” I grabbed his face in my hands. “Fight it.”

I turned to Presley. “Go get someone in the bar to call 911.”

“But—”

“Please, go!”

I ran my hands through the length of Aaron’s hair. “Come back to me. You can do this. I know you can.”

There was something caged behind his irises, tearing its way through. He was like this now. Untamed, with his thirst unquenchable.

“It’s okay.” I placed his hand over my heart and mine onto his. “We can fix this. It will be okay.”

Finally, his eyes softened and melted into pools of golden chocolate.

“Shit. I’m sorry. I tried. I’m trying,” he said. His eyes widened upon seeing a very pale Jared on the ground.

“It’s okay. They’ll be fine. But we have to go.”

“Wait, what?” he said.

I grabbed his hand, and we ran out of the alley, and Presley followed us as we made our escape.

Two

Aaron

Kimberly’s delicate touch stilled the relentless tapping of my leg. I faked a smile and tried to move my focus back to the road while my fingers pressed into the leather of the steering wheel. The tapping would come back. It always did.

The guy at the bar had lived, I think. We’d waited around long enough to see him get taken away in the ambulance at least. Thaton top of everything else just added to the weight in my chest and our mounting list of issues.