Part 13 (1/2)
”I can do this,” Julie said, as much to convince herself as to convince William. She flipped the blade open, took a deep breath and sliced across her wrist.
Pain seared through her and she bit down hard on her lip to keep from crying out.
”Hurry.” William said. ”Her life force is slipping away. The sooner she drinks the vampire's blood, the better chance we have of turning her.”
Blood oozed from the wound and dripped onto the ground. Julie knelt beside her friend and pressed the b.l.o.o.d.y wrist to Kim's lips. ”Please, Kim. Live.”
Chapter Ten.
When Roger opened his eyes, he stared up at the street lamp over his head and tried to remember where he was and what the h.e.l.l happened. The image of the big, blond vampire biting into Kim's throat surfaced as his last consciousness thought and he jerked to a sitting position.
A few yards away, Julie and her neighbor, William, kneeled next to Kim's limp body and Julie had her wrist pressed to Kim's mouth.
”What are you doing?” Roger asked. Julie's gaze darted to his, her eyes wide and...guilty? Then a jerky smile lifted the corners of her lips. ”Oh Roger, you're awake.
Please, stay where you are until I can get the ER staff out here to a.s.sist you.”
Why didn't she just answer him? He climbed to his feet, staggering a few steps beneath the weight of a pounding headache and a twisted ankle. ”I don't want a.s.sistance. I want to know what the h.e.l.l you're doing. Is that blood?”
Red liquid dripped down the side of Kim's mouth.
Julie glanced down at her friend, her face soft and worried. ”We're trying to save Kim.”
”She's bleeding. Shouldn't she be the one in the ER room?”
”It's too late for that.” Julie's mouth twisted. ”Besides, it's not her blood. It's mine.”
He crossed the pavement toward them. ”What do you mean?”
”She's already dead,” Julie said in a whisper, her gaze soft as she stared down at her friend. ”All we can hope to do is turn her.”
What was she saying? Roger pushed across his scalp. h.e.l.l, even his hair hurt. ”Turn her to what?”
Julie stared up at him. ”A vampire.”
He stopped in mid-stride. Had he heard her right? ”But isn't she already a vampire?”
As Julie shook her head, he traced back through his conversation with her earlier. ”But you said your friend...” He stopped and thought again. ”Kim's not the vampire?”
Julie shook her head again.
Roger looked across at William. ”Him?”
”Well, yes. William is a vampire.” As Julie rose to her feet, tears trembled on the edges of her eyelids. ”But he's not the only one I was talking about.”
”You mean you have more friends who are vampires?”
She shook her head. ”No. I was really talking about me.”
”You?” Roger sucked in a deep breath as her words sank in. ”You're a vampire?”
”Yes.” Julie's chin lifted and she met his gaze. ”I'm a vampire.”
”Wait. Let me get this straight.” Roger tipped his head to the side, his brain slogging through that last little bit she'd said. ”You're a what?”
”Vampire.”
He inhaled and let it out before asking, ”Have you always been?”
”No.” She pressed a hand to the wrist that had been bleeding, but the blood was already drying, the wound closing.
”How long have you been a...a?” He couldn't say it, much less believe what she said. Not his sweet Julie.
”A vampire.” She sighed. ”I've been a vampire since the night before our first date.” ”All this time we've been together, you knew?”
She nodded, her shoulders sagging. ”I didn't know how to tell you.”
He clamped a hand to his neck. ”Did you...”
”Bite you?” Her gaze dropped to her feet. ”Once.”
That's why his neck had hurt so much. ”Last night?”
”Yes.”
”Look, Decker, she didn't tell you, because she didn't want to lose you. If you can't handle that she's a vampire, that's your problem.” William stood, lifting Kim in his arms. She still lay limp and lifeless, but color was beginning to return to her cheeks. ”I need to get her to the apartment before morning.”
Julie nodded to William ”Go ahead. I'll see you before dawn.”
After William left. Julie faced Roger, her shoulders pus.h.i.+ng back. ”Are you going to tell anyone?”
”Hey, Decker,” Parker's voice called out behind him.
Roger turned toward his friend. ”I'm here. You all right?”
”Other than a Texas-sized headache, I think I'll live.” Parker climbed to his feet and staggered over to Roger. ”What happened to Mr. Nasty?”
”He's gone,” Julie answered, her gaze on Roger. ”For good.”
Roger nodded.
Parker scrubbed a hand over his face. ”Guess what the chief said was true. We got us some vampires kickin' a.s.s in the city.”
”Yeah.” Roger felt as though he'd been kicked in the gut. Vampires in the city, having his a.s.s pounded by one, then finding out his girlfriend was one of the bad guys and she'd bit him all in one day was more than he could handle. ”Come on Parker, let's get back to the station and report what happened.” He couldn't look at Julie. Wouldn't.
Her hand shot out and caught his arm. ”Are you going to report everything?”