Rowan was flustered and making too many mistakes. He never given much thought to what he would say in a case like this because, in over 200 years as a vampire, he’d never been caught. He couldn’t believe he’d gotten himself into this situation in the first place.
He sighed and closed his eyes, thinking back to that precipitous moment. He’d loved Anna enough to take her curse, although, at the time he thought it was a blessing. “I wanted it. I asked her to infect me so I could be with her.”
Garrison wrinkled up his nose and jerked back, scooting his chair back with a screech. “Why the hell would you want to have to drink blood and stay out of the sun?”
“Because he wanted the special abilities that came with it — speed, strength, immortality,” the skinny officer answered for him. Where had he gotten that idea? Rowan hadn’t said that to the psychiatrist, only to Zoë. Had Zoë told this officer? Was she friends with him? A thorn of irritation stabbed at him.
“What are you, some kind of superhero?” Jenson chuckled and rubbed his wiry, red hair.
“More like a super villain.” Hinkle mumbled.
Rowan glanced back and forth between them. “Do I look dangerous to you? If I had these abilities, wouldn’t I have escaped by now?”
“But you’re weak from lack of blood, right?” The kid asked.
Rowan glanced at the blood bag, his hunger roaring so loudly they could probably hear it, but he kept his mouth shut, afraid the truth would only make things worse.
Garrison sighed and ran a hand over his mustache. “Look, we got people all over the country freaking out about vampires running loose, sucking on necks. And thanks to whoever leaked those videos, they know you’re in our custody. Personally, I think you’re a loon, not a vampire. But I can’t release you as long as people are worried you’re dangerous, so I guess you’re staying here a while longer.”
He stood up and tossed the blood back in the cooler. “Better not let you have that. Wouldn’t want you getting strong enough to break out.”
Rowan’s spirits plunged to the bottom of his empty stomach. Death would be better than being locked up indefinitely. If he thought life was pointless before, prison made it ten times worse. Perhaps it was time to reconsider his original plan.
When he returned to his cell, the sun shone brightly on the concrete floor, the bars on the window making shadowed Xs in the yellow square, like targets. All he had to do was take one step into the light, and it would be over in no time.
Rowan skirted the edges of the rectangle, contemplating. He’d made up his mind before; he didn’t understand why he was struggling with the decision now. But memories of the young girl who looked like Anna and the angel-voiced janitor haunted him, reminding him of better days. But the first girl was dead, and the second girl was a human. And although she seemed fascinated by him, in the end, she could never be more than just a passing flicker of light in a dark world.
He stuck his fingers into the light and watched as the skin began to blister.
Chapter 8
Zoë stared at the corner that led to Rowan’s cell, her body leaning against her broom, eager to push forward. But she couldn’t bring herself to visit Rowan even though his presence pulled at her like a magnet, drawing her to his cell whenever she moved in range.
She heard that they’d questioned him again after the videos went viral and told him they couldn’t release him because he was potentially dangerous, thanks in no small part to the words he’d spoken in confidence to her. Guilt tore at her, making her chest ache and her lungs tighten every time she thought about it.
According to the gossip floating around the station, he’d said his kind never drank from humans and weren’t a threat to them, but he’d flat-out told her he was a monster. Yet, for some reason, she didn’t believe that. Or maybe she just didn’t want to.
She wished she’d never posted those videos. If she hadn’t, they probably would’ve let him go. It was her fault he was still a prisoner. She should go apologize, at least. With that excuse propelling her, she hurried towards his cell.
The scent of burning flesh reached her nose before she saw him. She rounded the corner and shrieked when she caught a glimpse of him standing in the patch of sunlight, wearing nothing but boxers. Smoke curled off his body in dark wisps, and his flesh was bubbling.
“No, Rowan! Don’t! What are you doing?” She slammed her body up against the cell and stretched her hands towards him, but she couldn’t reach him.
Rowan jerked around at the sound of her cry and stepped towards her, out of the sunshine. “Zoë! What are you doing here?”
“Don’t hurt yourself, please. I’ll make it right, I swear.”
He shook his head, a wretched look on his face. “This has nothing to do with you, Zoë.”
Her own face twisted in regret and tears welled up in her eyes. “Yes, it does. It’s all my fault. I’m the one who leaked those videos. If I hadn’t done that, they probably would’ve let you go. I’m so sorry, Rowan. I don’t expect you to forgive me, but please don’t kill yourself.”
Rowan’s jaw tensed, and his eyes narrowed. He took a step closer. His skin was already starting to heal, the liquid-filled blisters shrinking and disappearing, the charred flesh turning pink then white. She stared at his bare chest, fascinated by the transformation.
“I’m sorry to hear it was you, but I shouldn’t be surprised. I know I’m a morbid curiosity. I shouldn’t have told you my secrets. I have no idea why I did.”
She didn’t understand that, either, but she’d felt a connection to him ever since she first laid eyes on him. Maybe he did, too.
Zoë dipped her head and stared at the floor. The tile was dirty because, instead of cleaning, she spent her time talking to him.
“You thought you could trust me, and I betrayed that. I don’t know why I did it. I showed the video to my sister, and she told me I would get a lot of views if I put it up on YouTube. I could use the money, so I did it. I never expected it to blow up like this.”
He frowned. “How many people have seen the video?”
The huge number she’d been so amazed by now made her feel even worse. “There were over three million views, last I checked.”
Rowan’s dark eyes got wide, revealing the normally hidden whites. “What are people saying about it?”
“People are freaking out, saying that vampires are real.” She waited for him to contradict her, but all he did was stare at her, his lips pressed together in a hard line.
“This isn’t good, Zoë. They’ll never let me out if the whole country thinks I’m a danger to society. I need to end this. Once I’m gone, they’ll forget about me.” He turned around and stared at the patch of sunlight again.
“The sun will kill you?”
He held out his hand towards the light. The bright rays illuminated his perfectly-healed, pale skin. “Yes, it will turn me to ash in a matter of minutes.”
“But then they’d know you were something… different.”
He turned back towards her like he was reconsidering, but his face was draped with sorrow. “You could sweep it away, and there’d be nothing left. They’d think I escaped.”
Her own heart incinerated at the thought of that. He didn’t deserve to be tossed in the garbage like dirt. She held out a hand to him, hoping he’d take it and she could pull him back from the brink.
“Rowan, please don’t kill yourself. You don’t deserve to die because of my mistake.” She’d never be able to live with the guilt if he did.
He stepped forward and took her hand. His flesh was cold and hard, but her palm got damp and tingled at the contact. He flicked his eyes towards the connection like he felt it, too, and squeezed tighter.
“This isn’t because of the videos, Zoë. I’ve been wanting to end my life for a long time. I told you I was starving myself, but I’d grown impatient. I had planned to kill myself the night I was arrested. I was waiting for the sunrise when I saw the accident. I went down to see if I could s
ave anyone, and that’s when I found the woman. She looked like Anna, and I couldn’t resist her.”
“You miss her very much,” Zoë whispered around a lump in her throat.
He pulled away, dropping her hand, and started to wander around the cell as his mind drifted back in memories that Zoë wished she could see. “She was my life. I was a human, and she was the most incredible thing I’d ever seen. When she offered to change me, I gave up everything to be with her. I stopped aging, so I couldn’t see my family after a while. Eventually, they all died. It was just the two of us for a long time. But she was all I needed. When she died, it felt like I did, too.”
He’d given up his humanity for love? That was the most tragically romantic thing she’d ever heard, and it made him seem more human, not less. Her heart swelled with emotions too complicated to name. She had to find a way to persuade him not to kill himself.
“That’s a beautiful love story. Don’t you want a chance to have that again?”
“With who, Zoë? I’ve been alive for more than 200 years, and I’ve never met another vampire. And what human would want to give up everything for this life? Strength, heightened senses, immortality — they’re tempting, but it’s a lonely existence, hiding from the rest of the world.”
“But you were willing to do it for her.”
“Yes, for her. She was the prize, not all the other things. But I’m no prize, Zoë.”
He stared at her like he was daring her, or begging her, to deny it. Her heart instantly did, but her mind pushed the feeling down. She’d only known him a couple days; it didn’t make sense for her to feel so drawn to him. But whenever she was around him, she was mesmerized by him.
But there was no reason for him to be interested in her. She was nothing, nobody. She couldn’t stand the thought of him dying, though, even if he wasn’t hers.
“You’re not the monster you think you are, Rowan. Maybe this is an opportunity for you to change things for… people like you. You could show the world that they don’t need to be afraid of you. Then others like you could have a better life. And maybe now that the world knows about you, others will come forward.”
He stared at her, thoughts churning in his dark eyes as he balanced on the precipice. She held out her hand again, hoping he’d take it and step away from the sun. He did, but then he lifted her hand to his nose and breathed deeply. She gasped at the intimacy, and her body quivered.
“I need blood. My body is failing, and so is my resistance.”
Her eyes widened and her breath quickened as chills ran up and down her spine. Did he want to drink from her? The thought terrified her, but a dark fascination bloomed in her mind.
He dropped her hand and exhaled loudly, smiling. “Not from you, Zoë, although the thought is incredibly tempting. But I do need your help. Officer Garrison has a blood bag in a cooler. Could you find it and bring it to me?”
Chapter 9
Rowan’s mouth filled with saliva, and his heart started pumping hard in anticipation. The scent of Zoë’s blood, heightened by her fear, lingered in his cell, taunting him. He couldn’t stop thinking about the feel of her wrist, pressed to his face, her hot blood pulsing right under his nose.
It had taken every ounce of strength he had to stop himself from plunging his fangs into her skin and drinking from her. He’d never been so tempted by a human before. But then again, he’d never let himself get that intimate with one.
What was it about her that compelled him to behave this way? All it took was the sight of her to lighten his mood, a kind look to get him to open up to her, a few words to change his mind about everything. She made him feel like he was better than he was. The way Anna used to make him feel. He thought he might be falling for her.
Which was wrong, and unfair to her. He couldn’t expect her to return his feelings, couldn’t ask that of her. He was a vampire and she knew it; he’d told her! He’d have to be careful not to reveal how he felt. She was obviously intrigued by him, but she was too young to understand what it would mean to be with him. It wouldn’t be right of him to seduce her into falling for him.
She came back quicker than he thought she would. He had no clock, but it was probably less than an hour before she trotted around the corner with a broad smile on her face. If he thought she was cute when she was scared and pretty when she was fascinated, she was downright beautiful when she was happy. She was proud of herself for accomplishing her goal, which was indirectly related to him, but he wished he could have been the reason for that smile on her face.
She bounced to a stop in front of his cell and reached into her blouse, pulling a blood bag out of her left bra cup and another one out of the right. “It makes a pretty good hiding spot, although Officer Jensen couldn’t take his eyes off my chest. He probably thought I got a boob job.”
She laughed, and the sound was like a dose of Ecstasy pumped straight into his veins. She passed the blood bags through the bars of his cell and laid them in his hands. They were slightly warm from her body. A groan burst from his lips at the feel of them, heavy with thick, rich blood.
He couldn’t wait a moment longer. He tore one open and pressed the bag to his lips, gulping it down like water. The viscous liquid coated his teeth and tongue and filled his mouth with the salty, metallic taste. It flooded his body and rushed through his veins, delivering life-giving nutrients that immediately strengthened him. His muscles surged to life, prickling with energy.
When the bag was empty, he tossed it behind him and tore into the other one. He drank a little slower this time, savoring it. He’d gone so long without, his body couldn’t handle so much at one time, but he kept drinking anyway, glutting himself.
When the second bag was empty, he ripped it wide open and licked the residue from the inside. It was only when the bag was completely clean that his fervor abated some, but he still craved more.
And the scent of Zoë’s blood racing through her veins taunted him. Rowan looked up at her and flinched at the expression on her face. Horror and disgust.
As it should be, of course, but it still pained him to see her looking at him that way, like a wild animal, a savage beast. He dropped his eyes and wiped a hand across his lips then went to retrieve the blood bag he’d tossed on the floor. He held them both out to her, and she reached out with shaking hands to take them from him.
“This is what I am, Zoë. I’m a monster. I may be able to control myself most of the time, but I’m still dangerous, and I’ll always have this need for blood.”
Her body quivered in fear, but she didn’t run. Why couldn’t he scare her away? He needed her to get out of there.
“Are you stronger now? Can you escape?” She glanced at the thick bars.
He imagined tearing open his cell and taking her in his arms, sinking his teeth into her neck. He grabbed a hold of the bars and pulled on them as hard as he could, eager to live out his fantasy. They creaked and groaned, but the space between them didn’t stretch.
“I might be able to break the chain on a pair of handcuffs, but I’ll have to wait for them to take me out of here again.”
His mind instantly started thinking of ways to convince the guards to move him from his cell. Maybe if he made a mess they’d take him out to clean it. The thought of Zoë in this tiny space, cleaning up after him, her scent perfuming every inch, her hands touching his bedding, sent frissons of desire racing through his body.
“Would more blood make you stronger?” Her voice was a shaky whisper, and her body curled in on itself like a cornered mouse.
Her vulnerability made her blood fragrant. The scent of it bloomed around her in thick clouds. All he could think about was taking her vein. Fresh, hot blood would make him invincible, but he couldn’t let himself think about that. He was too tempted as it was.
Her soft, warm body pressed against the bars of his cell; her hand draped over the cross bar. He could easily grab her arm and have his fangs in her delicate wrist in seconds. He needed her to leave before he succum
bed to the temptation.
He steeled his voice and his expression, stripping them of the intense emotion he was feeling. “Yes, the more I drink, the stronger I’ll get. You’ve done well, Zoë. But you best go now before someone catches you here. I wouldn’t want you to lose your job. Sounds like you need it.” He forced himself to turn his head and walk away from her.
Her comments about posting the video for money still echoed in his mind. He’d accumulated more wealth than he could ever spend, and he wished he could share some of it with her. It grieved him to know that she was in need. Perhaps he could find a way to help her.
Why did she work at the police station? Surely this wasn’t what she wanted to do for the rest of her life. Did she have goals, dreams? He wished he could get to know her better, but it was best if he didn’t. It only made him more interested in her.
She nodded and dipped her head, pained by the reminder or his dismissal, then took off around the corner. He instantly felt the loneliness of her absence and wished he could call her back. But this was for the best. He’d frightened her and brushed her off. Hopefully she’d stay away, and he wouldn’t be tempted by her. He wanted her in too many ways, ways he could never have her.
Besides, he needed to concentrate on escaping. If he could get out of his cell for a moment, he could probably overpower and outrun the guards. Maybe then he could make his own video and post it, telling humans the truth about his kind. Perhaps Zoë could help him. No, better not go there. He ran his hands along the bars, making a rattling rhythm as he plotted.
Chapter 10
She should be scared of him. She should be terrified. The way his fangs tore into those blood bags and drank them dry like a man dying of dehydration in a desert — she should run screaming in horror. So why was she lying there in bed, wishing she could go to him?
Maybe she felt sorry for him. If what he said was true, he was suffering from this horrible condition that turned him into what society considered a monster, when really he was just a tortured soul, reeling from the loss of his true love and trying to find a place for himself in the world.
Captured by the Vampire: Vampire Enforcement Agency Series Prequel Page 5
