Page 24 of Those That Don’t Exist (Hidden Vampires #1)

AURORA

E ven in my wildest thoughts I didn’t think he was a vampire. Murderous stalking psychopathic criminal maybe. A shifter living illegally beyond their boundaries even. Not this. I can’t believe they still exist.

Spending as much time as I do reading about them, of course I hoped some had escaped the persecution, didn’t mean I thought for a second they’d be hiding in Froan.

And me? I can’t be one of them. It's not true.

But it makes sense. The voice I’ve been ignoring makes itself known. The one that wanted David’s blood. The one that sighed in relief when Ty said the words, adding up everything odd about me since my accident.

Oh gods, it wasn’t an accident. Overwhelming darkness surrounds the thought.

But the strength, the lack of appetite, the ability to function on so little sleep. The figure I see in my nightmares. My brain has been trying to tell me the truth this whole time.

No. No, no, no .

Ty is still looking at me, waiting for my reaction to his last question.

Do I want to drink blood? I wish I had the sick feeling in my stomach, you know the one, when you must eat something you don’t like. I should be repulsed, the thought should make me ill.

It’s all absent.

I want it.

I want to taste it.

“I…,” I stammer, “I don’t know.”

I watch as Ty slowly moves across the bed, not towards me but to reach for his backpack which I’d leant against the frame. He pulls the bag onto the bed and sits up again slowly, having jostled his injured shoulder and ribs.

He unzips the bag, the sound jarring me, and reaches inside. My eyes widen as he pulls out two packets filled with a deep crimson liquid.

Blood.

It's blood in those packets. It's the exact ones you get in a hospital, the ones I remember being hooked up next to me for a time when they first woke me up after the accident - not an accident. I’d needed a transfusion to try and halt an infection raging in my body.

I fight the pull inside me wanting to grab the blood packs in his hand, they’re calling to me like a magnetic force.

“Sorry your first taste isn’t fresh but until you get fangs this will have to do. It’s not bad to be fair, just cold,” Ty says, holding one of the packets towards me.

I leap back off the bed as if it's going to explode in my face, but don’t take my eyes off it. The liquid inside is swirling around invitingly. I want to run, leave, but the hunger keeps me rooted to the spot.

“I can’t.” I wipe at the tears leaking from my eyes, still not taking my gaze from the packet in Ty’s outstretched hand.

“It’s ok, you’re allowed to want it.” Ty seems to read my mind, siding with the monster encouraging me to drink this. I look up at him again.

He looks a little more relaxed now, the pain in his eyes has lessened somewhat.

He’s not forcing this, he’s waiting for me to decide.

“Are you going to freak out if I drink some?” he asks, drawing my attention to his extended canines. “I could really use it to speed up the healing.”

I gesture at him to go ahead like it's a completely normal thing he’s about to do. Whilst inside I’m spiralling. What I’m seeing doesn’t seem real.

Oh gods, he has fangs, real fangs.

My blood pulses with fear, or is it something much darker? I can’t tell.

He lifts the packet to his teeth, and uses one of those sharp, deadly looking, fangs to pierce the valve on the top.

I smell it as soon as the seal breaks. It makes all protests in my head cease. The rich metallic scent permeates the air. My stomach clenches in starvation. Fuck.

I’m back on the bed in a flash, practically sitting on his lap. He’s barely taken a mouthful before I find my hand reaching for the packet.

He chuckles as he slowly lowers the pack from his mouth, leaving a drip on his lower lip.

“Careful, I don't want to spill it.” He gently angles the open valve towards my mouth. My hand goes to take it but Ty stops me. “Let me do it, I don’t want you to grip it too tight and end up choking.”

I let him ease the packet to my lips. My heart is slamming in my chest, the voice I've been ignoring is rejoicing. I need this.

I keep my eyes locked on Ty’s as he gently squeezes his fist. At the first flood of blood on my tongue I groan. It's the best thing I’ve ever tasted. It's like I’ve been walking in a desert parched, and this is the sweet relief of water. It's what I imagine a hit is like to a drug addict.

I swallow greedily before I’m sucking on the valve, trying to get more. My hand comes up to cover Ty’s on the packet to squeeze more out. I need more.

Several mouthfuls later I’m still thirsty, but drawing again on the valve I don't get the hit of fresh blood. At some point my eyes must’ve closed as I open them now to look down at the empty packet in our hands.

“Feel better?” Ty asks. I take in his electric blue eyes as they search my face. He’s trying hard to read my emotions with the level of concentration in them. He lifts one hand to brush my hair back out of my face, he hooks it round my ear sending a shiver through me.

I nod.

“Let down your glamour,” he gently requests.

It takes a small effort, as I’m so used to having it in place, but I do.

Ty’s face lifts in wonder. His fingers are still in the ends of my hair, only now it's longer and a fiery red.

I look at my hands, noticing how my skin has flushed to a normal colour, not deathly pale and translucent. I touch my face, feeling less hollowed cheeks too.

I jolt off the bed, spinning to face my mirror. A gasp escapes as I look at the reflection. There are still dark circles under my eyes, and I’m still thin but I don't look emaciated. My skin looks glowy, my eyes more vibrant than they have in weeks. The difference is staggering.

Ty joins me, his chest to my back. I notice how he moves with grace once more, his injuries already significantly better after the one mouthful he’d drank before I stole his meal.

“It's powerful, blood,” he says, smiling down at me. “We don’t need more than a few mouthfuls a day to survive, unless injured or starved.”

“I’m a vampire aren’t I?” I can't ignore the evidence of the last few minutes.

“Yes Red, you are.” The breath from his answer blows across my neck. He doesn’t seem fully happy about it. I’ll explore that later. He holds my gaze a second longer before reaching across the bed. He retrieves the second packet. “Still hungry?”

“Yes,” I answer without hesitation. Turning so fast, I nearly slam into him as my feet don’t keep up.

My hands land on Ty’s waist to balance myself.

I quickly draw them back when I realise he’s still only wearing boxers.

He chuckles, flashing me one of his crooked grins, momentarily making me forget about the blood.

“Ok, maybe let’s sit down first.” He nods to the bed, “This should restore you to full health, but be warned you may be able to move a little quicker than you’re used to. You were starving before.”

I jump back onto the bed, and he hands me the second packet already opened courtesy of his fangs. I eagerly drink it down, surprised at how quickly I’m over the fact that this is blood. Human blood. It tastes so good I don’t care.

As I finish the drink I notice Ty has grabbed some clothes from his bag and is putting them on, carefully sliding the black sweatpants over his injured leg so as to not rip the dressing off the wound.

He also dons a black long-sleeved t-shirt to cover his beautiful chest and his ink, which I’ve noticed swirls over his shoulder blade as well as the top of his chest. It looks like shadows dancing across his skin.

Fully dressed he joins me on the bed once more. We watch each other for a few beats. Part of me still can’t believe he’s real. Vampires are real. They’ve not been obliterated into legends like the world thinks. There’s living proof on my bed.

The silence between us stretches. It’s not awkward, but I feel like he’s assessing me again. I haven’t bothered to put my glamour back up because for the first time in weeks I’m ok in my own skin.

I suddenly become aware I’m still wearing my pyjamas, a simple lilac cami and loose pair of cotton shorts. And now his gaze doesn’t seem so innocent, heat rushes to between my thighs. My cheeks redden as I need to wiggle a little with the onslaught of lust.

“What happens now?” I ask, clearing my throat. I need to distract my body, now is not the time to be sidetracked. Although we are on a bed…

No. Rory! Focus on the life changing fact you’re now a vampire.

“Am I going to have to join your pack?” I add, remembering Ty telling me one resides here in the city. Although if Adicious is the reason my dad is dead I’ll take a hard pass.

Ty’s face crumples a little at my question. I’m not going to like this am I?

“I’m meant to take you back to where the pack resides. I’m under orders to bring you to Adicious as soon as you turn.” He visibly winces as he tells me.

“You’re here to kidnap me?” I squeak, the heat I felt gets extinguished with the ice now slicing through me.

“Only if you didn’t come willingly, but I don’t want to take you at all, Red,” Ty rushes out, pain in his eyes but resignation in his tone.

“But you’re bound. You have no choice, right?”

This whole situation is getting clearer and clearer in my mind. I thought I was regaining control over my life, that’s all a lie. This Adicious guy has been playing puppet master over my life for the last six months and has sent Ty to collect. It's like some mafia bullshit.

I fly off the bed again, aiming for the door this time. Ty moves faster, impossibly fast, but his body is between me and freedom. He puts his hands out as if he’s approaching a wild animal. Hell, I’m like a trapped animal right now, breaths coming in short pants.

“Aurora, give me a minute to think, please. I don’t want to trap you into pack life, please believe me.” He tries soothing me but it's too late.

I bolt.