“On occasion, you might befriend someone new, but don’t make that an expectation. For now, just stick to who you already know and don’t try attracting extra attention.”
“I see.” I sighed and stared out the window. Streetlights flew past in blurry streaks as we drove on. I prayed for a red light to pause us on our trip, but it seemed the traffic lights were against me. They all remained green. We would soon be at our hunting ground.
The tall, white Stratosphere tower came into view. It was an unmistakable—and phallic—landmark, long and slender with a huge glass observation deck that was accented with red neon lighting at the top. It dwarfed all of the other bulky, wide hotel casinos of downtown and looked as if it might topple over in a strong gust of wind.
My heart thumped erratically as we approached. Hunting was inevitable now.
How am I going to do this? Does Lysander ever struggle with this?
I looked over at Lysander. His face remained calm, an implacable mask, giving no clue in his expression to tell me what he could be thinking.
I thought about others, vampires, being out there in the world and what it might be like to meet them.
“Tell me about covens,” I said, breaking the silence in the car.
Lysander spoke without taking his eyes off the road. “Covens are like large families: vampires living together, ruled by some form of leader. I wouldn’t get any ideas on joining them. They tend to be very fanatical and look down on those who are not born into their house, so to speak. For now, if you wish, you can consider me your family.”
He turned to look at me. A sincere smile crossed his face. His voice softened. “Of course, once you are comfortable with yourself and ready to face the world alone, the choice will be yours. You will be welcome in my house or free to go your own way.”
I turned away, and stared out the window, thinking about what a large family of vampires would be like. Would it be nice to have lots of people like me to interact with, or would I rather be stuck as a loner with only Lysander as a companion?
“Back to hunting,” Lysander said, sounding a bit more serious. “We’re almost there, so listen closely. We won’t be the only ones hunting. You will need to watch out for others of our kind. Pay attention to those around you. If you think a person is marked, do not try to go after him or her. We may not know one another, but as a rule, we leave one another’s marks alone.”
“How will I know who is marked?”
Did we physically mark our victims?
“Keep an eye out for people being followed or a vampire showing interest in one particular person. Pay attention to your intuition. You should be able to sense when one of our kind is around. If you see or sense one of us close by, go hunt somewhere else.”
Sense? I wasn’t exactly sure what he meant by that, but I nodded anyway, pretending I under-stood. I was more worried about the act of hunting than the consequences of another vampire being around—though both seemed pretty scary.
Lysander pulled into the parking garage of the Stratosphere tower and drove up to the top floor. He found an open parking space near the elevators, along the wall, giving us an unobstructed view of the bustling street below.
Anxiety set my nerves on high alert. I knew there was no way out of this. I was going to have to hunt. A knot formed in my throat. I tried to gulp it down and put on a brave face.
“Alyssa, I know this is hard for you, but you can and you must do this tonight.”
I sucked in a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves.
I’m not ready for this.
Lysander must have sensed my anxiety. He patted my leg in a comforting gesture, and softened the commanding tone in his voice. “I want to make this as easy as possible for you. Just listen and do what I tell you.”
I can’t do this, I can’t do this
.
I nodded.
“There are a few points you can easily drink from. The best places are where the blood flows freely. The faster you drink, the easier it will be on you and your victim.”
I don’t want to do this. I can’t drink blood. I can’t kill
. I tried to gulp down my anxiety.
He leaned his head to one side, showing me his bare neck, and pointed out a thin blue line under his pale skin.
“You see the vein here? The neck is one of the easiest points to drink from.”
I nodded again, not wanting to speak.
He held his wrist out to me. I saw similar blue lines, boldly running down his pale arm.
“The wrist is also an easy target. Choose one of these to feed from.”
“O-okay.”
How can he expect me to do this?
I silently prayed. I desperately wanted to avoid this.
I don’t want to kill.
“We each have to find our way to cope with how we obtain our food,” Lysander said.
“Uh-huh.” I tried again to gulp back my anxiety.
Easy for you to say.
“Do you remember how you felt when those men attacked you?”
The mention of the men who attacked me sent my blood boiling. It was because of them that I was this thing. If they had never attacked me, I wouldn’t have to do this— hunt a human for their blood.
The attack was still fresh in my mind. Anger flared inside of me, as images of being kicked in the stomach and whipped with a belt flashed before my eyes.
“Yes,” I growled. “I remember.”
“Good. You’re angry. I can see it. Use that feeling, Alyssa. Use your anger. Do you want others to suffer the same injustice as you were subjected to? Do you want another person to have the same fate as you?”
“No. No one should have to go through that,” I said coldly. My mind was torn now between anxiety and anger.
“Good. Then use that to justify your hunting. I want you to seek out those that would do harm to others. Use yourself as bait. Attract them to you so they cannot hurt anyone else. Use your immortality to bring them to justice.”
Images of my attackers, those two horrible men, flashed before me again, and the anger inside of me cried out for vengeance. The monstrous voice in my head begged for blood.
Lysander smiled at me, as if he understood the battle going on inside my head: the anger and rage, mixed with fear.
“It is time,” he whispered, leaning in close so our eyes met. “You can do this.” He had such strength in his eyes; I felt I could do anything he asked, as long as I was looking into them.
Lysander exited the car. I did the same. The warm night air greeted me as I opened the door. I followed behind him, heading for the elevators.
My stomach knotted with anxiety and anger. I was soon going to find out what I was really capable of.
We remained quiet in the elevator down to the casino floor. When the doors parted, sounds of slot machines, coins dropping, mindless chatter, and an endless sea of people overwhelmed me; but it was the intoxicating aroma that stopped me dead in my tracks.
I was knocked back against the wall by the perfumes of hundreds of people. The mix of smells was almost too much to handle. Each scent was a little different. Some were sweet, some spicy, some pungent, all working together to create an enchanting and enticing aroma that threatened to unleash the monster inside of me.
Lysander must have recognized the sensory overload. He put an arm around me and held me tight against his body as he guided me towards the front doors of the casino.
I absently licked at my fangs. My mouth watered. Instinct urged me to reach out and grab one of these sweet-smelling people.
This newfound anger and bloodlust had a strange control over my mind. Gone were thoughts of if or how I could do it. The monster crying for blood had entrapped my consciousness. My thoughts jumped from person to person, trying to pinpoint the one who would satisfy me best.
The packed casino, swarming with hundreds of people, had become the buffet line I’d suggested it was earlier.
Lysander urged me forward, towards the doors. “Breathe through your mouth, young one, it will make this easier. And stop licking your fangs. You need to learn to control those instincts.”
I’m sure if I hadn’t been in the throes of bloodlust, I would have been embarrassed by Lysander’s comment. Instead, I was thankful for the advice. I needed to get my head straight and gain some control. I took a deep breath through my mouth, as instructed. It weakened the scent, though I still tasted small hints of it.
We passed an elderly man in a wheelchair playing at one of the nickel slot machines. His wrinkled skin sagged against his cheekbones. He wheezed as he put a cigarette to his lips. I noticed a particularly pungent odor from him, drastically different than the wonderful perfumes surrounding me. It momentarily broke me from my craving.
“What is that smell?” I commented, reaching to cover my nose.
“Disease,” Lysander said matter-of-factly. “That man is probably dying of emphysema.”
We exited the casino. Relief washed through me as the fresh breeze blew though my hair. The sweet fragrances still hung all around, tempting me, but they seemed to be dampened by the lack of recirculated air. It was easier now to discern the directions to which each scent belonged. The monster inside of me still begged for blood, but out here, in the fresh air, I managed to regain a little mental control.
We walked a block away from the Stratosphere. Lysander’s arm was still draped around me, keeping me restrained as he escorted me down the street, while preventing me from acting out of thirst in the crowds that passed us. Awkward as it was, I was thankful to have him there, with me.
He led me to an empty side street. “This is where we go our separate ways, for now,” he said.
“What! Wait. How am I supposed to…” I panicked. I needed him. I needed the confidence he gave me. I needed him to stop me from doing something stupid.
“Don’t worry,” Lysander said with a hint of amusement. “I will not be too far. But I can’t be seen walking with you if you are to attract your prey.” He gave me a wicked smile. His eyes seemed to roam across my body as if sizing me up. Apparently I passed whatever inspection he was giving. He gave a small nod and continued. “Just walk around and take a few back alleyways, and I am sure you will catch something. Hold back your urges until you are out of sight. Remember to be discreet and to breathe through your mouth. Don’t sniff at the air unless you are sure you are ready.”
I needed that reminder. Breathing through my nose threatened to drive me insane. The sweet honeyed smell of blood was too enticing. Just the thought of it had me flicking my tongue against my teeth in anticipation.
“Quit licking your fangs,” Lysander said sternly. “People will notice that.”
He reached out, brushing the side of my face with his hand. “You can do this. I will be close by, in case you need help.”
Before I could say anything, he turned and walked away. In a superhuman blur of motion, he vanished, disappearing into a crowd of pedestrians on the main street.
I stood there for a moment, scared and anxious, feeling alone and vulnerable to my new beastly instincts. I knew I was being tested now and I needed to do this, but I still didn’t want to.
Lysander had showed me as much patience as I thought he was capable of, and if I failed this time, there was no telling what would happen. People wandered by me. I caught wind of their scents and breathed in their sweet perfume.
I became very aware of my teeth and had to stop myself from licking my tongue across them over and over. Somewhere, in the back of my mind, I wondered if Lysander was watching. I imagined for a moment, hearing his voice chiding me for being so obvious about my new fangs. I couldn’t help myself. Instinct urged me to attack, to bite down on something. I hoped it wouldn’t always be this way. I didn’t want to walk around like a crazed, bloodthirsty monster forever.
There. That blonde woman, alone on the corner. No one would miss her.
Oh, my God, no! What am I thinking?
I mashed the palm of my hand into my forehead, as if I could push the horrid thought out.
Oooh, there’s a handsome man crossing the street. Just take a little taste.
The monster inside of me would not quiet its desperate pleading. Blood was at the forefront of all of my thoughts.
Lysander was right. I need to breathe through my mouth. I can’t concentrate with all these smells around me. If I can’t smell them, I might be able to hold back from attacking them.
My throat dried as I took a deep breath. My mind still begged for blood to quench the thirst, but the muted scent made it more bearable.
I walked further away from the Stratosphere, hoping to keep the desperate craving at bay until absolutely necessary.
Passing a few cute little wedding chapels, I chuckled at the drunken brides falling over in their pretty white dresses. I turned left, heading down toward Charleston and Main Street.
Thankfully, the crowds were thinner the further I got away from Las Vegas Boulevard. Each time I passed a group of people, the beast in my mind screamed at me to attack. I didn’t know how long I could hold off the urges, or how I would do it discreetly, as Lysander had instructed.
I imagined the horror of letting the beast take over and the massacre that could happen.
I wonder if Lysander is still following me.
Instantly a new, frightening thought crossed my mind.
What would happen if I ran into another vampire? What would they do? Would they just shoo me away, or try to defend their territory?
Lysander hadn’t said much about others like us. He’d admitted to being a loner, but said each group had its own rules and laws.
What if another vampire recognized me as an infant, a fledgling vampire only a day old, and decided to destroy me?
Fear washed through me. The hairs prickled on the back of my neck. I wanted this all to be over. I’d been happy thinking vampires were just fairytales and living my boring, normal life. The reality of my new life was nothing like the fantasy. I didn’t want to have to feed on others or watch out for stronger vampires.
I turned down Main Street, heading back towards the Stratosphere, which was all but deserted. I figured if I was going to run into any questionable types, this was the place to do it. It was late, and the streets all seemed empty of tourists.