Page 9 of Fallen Star

Thick.

Viscous.

Iron and salt.

Red.

Blood.

I pull away from him with reflexes I never had before tonight. "What have you done to me?"

I ask, but I already know. Because I'd long suspected what the enigmatic Dean Vane really was.

Rumors spread.

He only travels at night.

His name appears in journals far older than any human has any right to be.

He targets paranormal artifacts, which is why it's so hard to believe we've never run into each other. But he keeps such a low profile.

Like he has a secret to hide.

He shrugs, as if this is no big deal. "I had no choice really. You would have died."

I look down at my hands, and they are more pale than normal. My skin more perfect than it ever has been. Everything in me feels different. More alive, ironically. More attuned to every scent, every change in the wind, every sound. I'm a predator. A hunter. A monster.

"Did you turn me into a vampire?"

Alex Stone

"No need to be maudlin about it, my dear. It wouldn't be the end of the world. But no, I didn't need to turn you. Though it was a close call. I did, however, have to feed you copious amounts of my blood to keep you alive. You're welcome, by the way." He smiles, but I am not charmed.

Well, I'm trying really, really hard not to be charmed. Damn him and his… magnetism. It's incredibly difficult to stay mad a man you want to… well, explore. If you catch my drift.

Can't get too detailed here, in case some young ones are reading this. But you grown-ups, you can fill in the blanks, I'm sure. Or just watch the opening credits of True Blood and you'll get the idea.

I definitely want to do bad things to this man.

This… no, not man. Vampire. Monster.

The thing that killed my parents.

That ruined my life.

That… saved my life?

"I drank vampire blood?" I ask, suddenly feeling like I'm going to vomit.

"And quite a lot of it. I've never seen anything like it, to be honest. Are you sure you're entirely human?" he raises an eyebrow at me, and my heart pounds against my ribs in alarm.

"Of course, why would you even ask such a thing?" He can't know my secret. The secret I don't even fully know. No one but me and my friend know the truth about what I am—and she has her own secrets.

He leans into me and inhales deeply, his face coming close to my neck. "My blood has changed your scent, but before, when you were bleeding out… let's just say the last human girl I met who smelled this delicious turned out to be more than human. You don't smell like her, but you smell… different."

I scoot away from him, though the feel of his body so close to mine sends shivers through my spine. Traitorous body. "Why do I feel so different? What did your blood to do me?"

He frowns. "It shouldn't have done anything to you, other than heal you. Vampire blood doesn't give powers or change people. It can heal mortal wounds. That's it. Why? What are you feeling?"