Page 6 of This Blood that Bonds Us

“How are you holding up?” Kimberly asked. She always asked me that. She asked Aaron that too. Kimberly was working hard as our glue. I guess someone had to be, but I felt bad because it wasn’t how it was supposed to be. It should have been us taking care of her. That was the original plan.

“So peachy, Kim. Happier than I’ve ever been.”

She gave me her serious brow.

“I’d be a lot better if Aaron wasn’t so annoying.”

“He’s trying his best. We’re all a little stressed. And he’s—”

“I know. I’m sorry you’re in the middle of all this.”

“Nowhere else I’d rather be.”

“Seriously, you’re telling me your fluffy strawberry bedspread back at BFU wouldn’t beat walking in a blizzard in the dark in the middle of nowhere?”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying.”

Aaron and I would have killed each other already if it wasn’t for her. She’d seen adversity and had a level head. Aaron did too when his veins weren’t full of the queen’s blood like mine.

It wasn’t fair. All of us were going to go somewhere safe. We were going to help her through the change. We were all supposed to be—

She squeezed my arm as we entered the brightest building ever. The convenience store had buzzing fluorescent bulbs and was blaring Christmas music. I rubbed my chest where it suddenly felt hollow. Kind of like when I used to get heartburn from eating way too many hot chips and drinking energy drinks.

A man dressed in a green elf costume looking for donations rang a bell just inside the entrance of the store. Kimberly gripped my arm.She must be hurting.The sensory overload hadn’t been that hard for me to manage when I changed. It was different for everyone, but for her, the sound was killer. “Too much noise in my head,”she’d say.

“I’ll take care of him,” I whispered to her.

She mouthed,Thank youas she pulled her hood over her head to shield her ears.

“Hey, dude. Can I see that bell?”

A large man with salt-and-pepper hair looked down at me and raised a bushy brow.

“No.”

“Come on, I want to show you a magic trick. It’s worth it. I promise.”

I grabbed the bell and covered it with my hands. I’d practiced sleight of hand a lot as a kid who liked to cheat, and it was about a thousand times easier as a vampire. It was criminal that my brothers didn’t let me get on social media, because I would’ve made us so much money as a social media magician. Luke never thought the idea was stupid.

I did the ole behind the ear trick which he wasn’t too enthused with.Tough crowd.

“Oh my god, what is that?” I pointed at nothing across the store, and as he turned, I chucked the bell outside in the snow as far as it would go.

I was gone by the time he turned around.Sucker.

“Hey!” His voice echoed in the store, but I’d already found Kim. She’d protect me. Any man would shiver and quake in the face of an angry Kimberly Burns. Human or vampire.

“Here.” She shoved the smallest MP3 player in my face.

“Oh god, it’s ancient . . . and gray. No pink? Green?”

She scoffed with a smile. “It’s all they had.”

“How do I put music on it?”

“There are instructions on the back. Maybe you can use a computer at the hotel.”

“It comes with a manual!? We’re really in trouble, aren’t we?”