by Emily Knight
Peter battled through the woods and, after making sure the cop wasn't around, snuck out of the bushes and strolled down the path. He stuck his hands in his jeans pockets and kicked the dirt at his feet. "Damn it. . ." he muttered. "Why couldn't I tell him off? I mean, he's just an old vampire who could drain my blood and make me into his slave." Peter stopped and frowned. "That might be why I didn't tell him off. . ." He shook his head and furrowed his brow. "All right, Pete, you need to decide if she's really worth it." An image of Ana's beautiful, smiling face flashed through his mind, and he sighed and ran a hand threw his hair. A droopy grin slipped onto his lips, his shoulders slumped and he tilted his head to one side. "Yeah, she's worth it."
A cool autumn breeze slipped through him and shook him from his lovesick reverie. He sighed and walked on. "You know it's not going to be easy. There's probably that whole age-difference thing, and she might suck your blood." He recalled the flights through the trees and smiled. "Damn, but it'd be great to fly."
Peter's back-and-forth between his common sense and his infatuation lasted until he reached his house. He walked up the yard and frowned when he noticed the back gate was ajar. The breeze swung the wooden gate to and fro, and it hammered the post with a maddening consistency. The smack echoed through the backyard. He remembered he hadn't latched the gate on his quick escape, but he wondered how Rich was able to ignore that loud noise.
Peter latched the gate behind himself and noticed the house seemed darker than usual. Val had late classes and labs so he knew she probably wasn't home, but he couldn't say the same for Rich. Rich never left the house at night without going to a party, and he always mentioned the party before he inevitably dragged Peter and/or Val to it. Peter walked up to the kitchen door and tested the knob. Unlocked. The door swung open. Starlight spilled into the kitchen, but he couldn't make out anything but vague shapes.
He stepped inside and flicked on the light. Peter's eyes widened when he saw Rich on the floor beside a toppled chair.
"Rich!" Peter rushed forward and fell to his knees beside his friend. The first thing he noticed was his friend's chest still went up and down.
The next two things he noticed were that Rich's skin was ghostly pale, and there were two puncture wounds on his neck.
CHAPTER 10
