Page 22 of Liberty
She tapped her fingers on her bottle. “Heartbeat, do you have one?”
“Not in two hundred years, well not a striving one, anyway. Just a faint beat here and there,” I confessed, and she looked like she might pass out at that.
“Two hundred?” she repeated.
“I may look young and suave, but I promise you, I am an old soul who prefers to be in bed by nine and always matches my socks.” Okay, not always, but – mostly.
She tilted her head to the side. “So, how is it done?”
“There are three of us, and you pick me to ask this shit to?”
“You volunteered to come, plus I don’t think Oak would be as forthcoming with information; he’s a bit- “
She searched for the word, as I said, “Solid.”
She bit her lip, trying not to laugh. “And I thought you didn’t do puns.”
“I haven’t eaten off a person in years, you know. I hate it. I hate the feeling that I’m using someone. I hate stealing what they aren’t willingly giving, and I hate knowing that all it takes is sealing the wounds, and they forget everything that’s happened that evening. I think Oak feels the same way. I eat only if I absolutely have to, and only then, and only from a donor bank. I think Oak is the same, mostly, though he’s probably more willing to munch off a human. As far as Sterling, he goes out too much, parties too hard; I have no doubt which route he prefers to take.”
She wasn’t afraid; I only sensed curiosity. “Does it hurt?”
“Do you want to find out?” I was baiting her, though she was the one time I might allow myself to indulge. The scent of her blood was a temptation that nearly pulled me to her.
“No. Maybe. I don’t know. I’ll admit it’s scary. But a part of me is curious.” She fiddled with the edge of her shirt as she admitted this.
“It’s euphoric if you really want to know the truth. When we drink from a bag, it’s disgusting and foul, but it keeps us going. But from the source, it’s like sparks of lightning coursing through every nerve of my body. For you, orgasmic. Humans become addicted, seeking something they aren’t sure of because their memory is hazed but their body, their body still remembers.”
She blushed at my description, but I wouldn’t lie to her. “That doesn’t seem so bad.”
“Not on your end,” I huffed.
“Definitely not on my end,” she sighed, then raised her arms to stretch and muffle a long yawn. “Do you sleep?”
“Do you?”
“I guess I wasn’t thinking about that question, now was I?” She wrapped her arms around her legs as she assessed me for a moment. “So, I assume you won’t kill me in my sleep, then?”
“I’ll probably be passed out before you can get your eyes closed.”
She nodded and joked, “So much for guarding me.”
“I can hear everything a block away if I so choose. You think I would let my watch slip even in sleep? I promise you; you’re safe.”
I could still feel the fear pouring off her, but she also had trust. I could damn near preen at the fact that she trusted me, even after all she learned. “Alright then, off to bed. If you’re cold, there is a throw in the closet.”
I watched her walk away, her ass looking perfect in those too-short shorts. She closed the door behind her. Then I got up and opened the closet, taking out the bubble gum pink blanket before situating myself to sleep facing her room. I might have lied that I would be passed out before she closed an eye, but I sure followed shortly after.