“Is it hard to resist?” I said softly, swinging my legs as I leaned forward on the table I sat on.

“Hmm? Is what hard to resist?” Rye asked from the sink as he dried his hands, turning back to me. His face was slightly redder then before, as if he was straining to hold his breath a bit. I waited for his answer but I was already pretty sure about what he was going to say.

He exhaled. “Yes, it is hard to resist. Your blood, it smells amazing. I haven’t smelled human blood in almost a year.” He gulped as he stared at me from across the room. “It’s like food to a starving man. The aroma, promising to satiate the hunger pangs that never end otherwise, even the wildlings blood isn’t enough.” He dropped the towel onto the counter and walked swiftly past me, heading for the door of the infirmary.

“Where are you going?” I jumped to my feet, not wanting him to leave but sure that I couldn’t stop him if he wanted to go. Miranda had already reached the door and shook her head at me as he rushed out and left us.

“Don’t,” she said as I started for the door. “He can resist, but it is like torture to us.” She sighed, rubbing her head. “Go to the left out in the hall and the first inlet on the left will be the showers. There will be a set of clothes there for you and towels. Wash off the blood and then keep going down the hall to the second left and that is our sleeping quarters. Get some rest. We will talk later. Right now we have to debrief Seraphin.” I nodded to her as she let the door close behind her.

Sitting in the silent infirmary made me feel even more alone than ever before. I pondered Seraphin’s aggression and chuckled at her name. I found it strange that everyone here seemed to have a strange name. I would have to ask Miranda or Rye about it later; maybe there was some reason for it. In the meantime, I went to shower the coppery stench of my blood off my body. I felt no closer to finding my family and the days were rushing by without a thought. After I rested again I would ask Blaze about how soon we could start the operation to rescue my mother and brother. I had waited long enough.

Padding out of the locker room, I entered the corridor, relieved to find no one in sight,. But the weight of isolation was making me feel just how much of a minority I was even now, after so long by myself. Now I felt even more alone despite being in a place full of people.

Chapter Nineteen

Who knows how long I had lain in bed, pondering everything that had happened in just the past few days. I hated being in this uncertain place in my life, it felt out of control and I didn’t like it. My mind raced, wondering how I could regain my hold on the situation. It kept me up for hours, restless.

I didn’t hear anyone else come into the sleeping quarters at all the rest of the night and it made me wonder if the vampires even required sleep. Maybe they had realized how different I was and what a hazard it could be to have a human amongst them. If my blood paralyzed Rye so, how would the others react?

Seraphin hadn’t tried to drink my blood. I was definitely relieved for that. She could have easily ripped my throat out if she had so desired. I cringed at the thought as I subconsciously reached up to touch the gauze on my neck. I wondered what they were discussing in their debriefing of Seraphin. I desperately wanted to know and the wait made me feel like I could jump out of my skin from my fraying nerves. I hated waiting, it was worse than getting a tooth pulled.

I sighed, sitting back up as my anxiety made my sleeping impossible. I wondered if I should get up and search for the others. The place was pretty big and I didn’t want to run into any more unknowns. These hybrids were fast, I was going to have to step up my game if I was to fight any of them and live. I sighed again, got up and stretched. I hadn’t worked out lately and I could feel the slack in my muscles growing. I missed the limberness that exercise gave me. It was like meditation in motion.

I had on the loose clothes that they had provided me with; mine were once again blood-stained and dirty, hopefully getting washed by whoever did the laundry around here. I tried not to think about it as my fingers gripped my ankles, enjoying the slow burn in my muscles as they stretched and relaxed. I continued this for a few minutes before I stood up. Luckily, I healed quickly and my arms and hands were now feeling much better. Even the slice on my neck had stopped throbbing.

I grabbed my machete and gave it several swings and jabs, moving my legs along like a dance that I once knew. It felt fluid, like an old friend’s embrace, partnering with me. Spinning, I let my bare feet grip the floor and swipe at an imaginary foe.

I paused to grab the second machete and began my routine exercises to condition my arms with the work of both blades, letting the air rush past with each movement. It refreshed me as I felt the intensity of it bring the sweat out on my skin. My training routine was calming in a most relaxing way. It let me get lost in my own thoughts as the metal flashed and my body became one with the dance. I’d had some formal training before the outbreak. My entire life I had been more physical than other girls, taking dance classes, karate and other martial arts training, almost anything I could get into. It was exhilarating and had hooked me right off the bat. That, along with a year spent watching my fill of videos on weapons training on the TV and DVD player during the endless hours in the bunker, had done wonders for my strength, agility and abilities. I was an excellent fighter; killing was what I was built for, a vampire hunter in every sense.

Like music in my mind, I let it take the movements of my body with it. I usually had music playing at these times but the silence provided its own. My kicks and jumps reminded my muscles what they should be doing. Practicing flips while holding two swords was difficult at first but once you got the hang of it, it was just a matter of keeping your center of gravity. It could either feel like the world has jolted you about or like you are flying. I preferred the latter and let my body take control of the movements without a problem. The adrenaline filled me up like an empty flask and I drank it in eagerly.

A movement in the room jolted me back into the present as I brought my blades up to the trespasser who had interrupted my solace. I held one of my weapons to their throat, ready to slice through it if I so wanted to.

Rye stood still as a statue as his deep steely eyes took my face in. I was breathing hard as I held my stance, afraid to move and not wanting to look away. His look was not of fear, hatred or anything of the sort; it was like diving into an endless pool of water that gleamed my own face back at me. He had said so much without a word and I wanted to dive all too willingly into his soul, never to turn back. I stood up straight, letting my swords hang to my sides, slowing my breathing as I waited for him to say something. How long had he been watching me? How long had he stood there, taking in my dance of blades, my private meditation, before discovery? It was a sort of violation but I wasn’t angry. I wanted to reach out and touch his face, make him feel the exhilaration I felt at that moment. Make him feel something.

“How long have you been there, watching me?” I asked quietly. I watched as his eyes searched mine, making me feel the tingle of power that emanated from them. I was sure that if I hadn’t been immune, I would have been toast at that moment, completely at his disposal for whatever he wanted. I was glad that I was immune to his vampiric manipulation but, in a way, I almost wouldn’t mind letting someone else make a choice for me. I was alone now but this was someone whom I would let in. He only had to ask. I wondered if he even knew that.

“Long enough,” he whispered back as his hand came up to my face, letting his fingers run slowly down my cheek, feeling more like a slight breeze than fingers.

I shivered under them. His touch was not cold, but it wasn’t hot either. He felt human, if that was possible. Whatever hybrid strain of the virus had infected him, it had transformed him into a most intriguing man. I was certain he had been so beforehand but now he was downright disarming. I sucked in a breath, pulling my eyes away from him. I didn’t want to, but I did. I denied myself what I wanted most as I turned back toward my sleeping area, placing my weapons back in their sheaths. I stared at myself in the small oval mirror that hovered above the dresser, my reflection looking flushed. My hair lay flat, sticking to my neck and temples; I wished I didn’t look so wild then. I wished I had myself put together, made myself beautiful for him. But I wasn’t. This was me. If he didn’t like that, he could always leave.

I caught sight of him at my periphery. His dark figure approached slowly as he came up behind me, closer and closer. He laid his hands on my shoulders and clasped onto them as though he was drawing in my aura. I glanced up to the mirror, watching him move his face next to mine as my hair tickled his cheek. His warm breath sent ripples down my neck and tingled across my skin. I watched his eyes reflecting back at mine, making me almost smile as I thought about the myth that vampires couldn’t see their reflections in a mirror. He was as clear in the reflection as I was. I reached up to touch and run my fingers up his black as night hair, letting the soft waves of it slide out of my fingers, watching his eyes as I did so.

My heart fluttered in my chest, making my breath feel harsh as I sucked in smaller draughts of air. He didn’t move but closed his eyes as my hand made its way back down his crown and to his jaw, crossing his crimson lips. I wanted to feel his lips on my own, let them press tightly against mine and part to let my tongue into his warm mouth. I wondered if he felt the same. I had never fallen for someone so fast and a twinge of panic emerged as I realized that what I wanted more than anything was to fall for him even harder.

Rye pulled me away from the dresser and turned me to face him as his pupils dilated, making them seem like a small band of hot white fire as both rings of color thinned into circles of light. I wanted to know him, to know who he was before the outbreak, what he did, what he liked and what had made him happy. I didn’t want to feel this way about anyone but I knew that it was now too late to stop it. Since it bothered me slightly, I briefly took my reluctance into consideration but threw it into the back crevices of my mind.

“April, I….” His voice came out in a nervous whisper, as though it was hard to form words when the air was electrified. His hands cupped my face as his eyes looked more and more entranced, as if I was a drug to be savored. It was nothing that I had ever felt before. His closeness made my body want to pull him even closer, until our souls fused and we would never part ever again.

“What is it?” I asked dreamily, wanting him to say something more, anything at all. I waited but he continued to let his eyes hover around my face, taking in every detail. I felt my cheeks flush under his gaze.

“I never thought I would meet someone like you. You’re different; you’re stronger than anyone I’ve ever met, even amongst the hybrids. I’ll help you in whatever you need; I’ll be there for you.” His lips came closer as his words left them, brushing against mine. My lips burned at his touch.

Desperately our kiss deepened. Our lips sought out one another like a desert plant seeking out the slightest drop of water. His body felt amazing next to mine. Our arms held on tight, not wanting to let go of each other. Now that we had found one another, would we ever let go? Would the differences between our worlds and our blood keep us apart or pull us closer together? I wanted to know the answer to that, hoping that the desire engulfing us now would be enough to make it happen.

“Ow!” I pulled away slightly, bringing my hand to my lip which was oozing a sliver of blood where Rye’s fang had grazed me. I looked at him in surprise before I burst out laughing. The look of sudden fear filled his eyes, concerned about the injury he had given me. My laugh made him stare back in confusion. I pulled him closer, letting my head fall to his chest, listening to his heart beating almost as fast as mine. It made me smile to know that he was just as flustered as I was.

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to–I should be more careful,” he offered as he tightened his embrace, rubbing his chin against my soft hair. He sighed happily as we stood there, holding on to one another for dear life.

“It’s ok,” I whispered. “It’s just a scratch.” I licked the metallic taste away from my sore lip. He pulled away and held me at arm’s length, studying my face as I returned his stare. “What’s wrong?” I asked, feeling the nervousness slip back into my chest.

“I don’t really understand why I feel this way. But this is something that burns inside me like a raging fire. I’ve wanted to tell you that from the moment we met. I want you to know something first, though.” Rye paused as he took a deep breath, looking slightly distressed.

“Know what?” I asked with curiosity laced with uncertainty. I was afraid to hear what he was going to say but I knew that he had to say it now, no matter what.

“The year that we’ve been here, after we’d mutated, we discovered that if we fell in love with someone we would leave the ones we came with, even if we were married, to be with that person. It’s like our new DNA compels us to want that other person, like two souls binding.” He paused, sighing with some strain.

We sat on the bed as I continued to listen to his story.

“It was unexplainable at first but we discovered that it was something that was necessary, as if once we had mutated and found ‘the one’ we became mated forever. I don’t know if you understand that, but I wouldn’t have believed it either if I hadn’t witnessed it myself.”

I shifted on the bed as I listened, leaning my chin on one of my knees.

“So,” I pondered, “if a married couple came to your hive and one of them bonded to another vampire they would leave their spouse to be with this other person? Like, forever?” My eyebrows lifted as I glanced back at him, surprised and slightly impressed. “What if the other person didn’t want that? Do both of them bind to someone else or just one of them? What if you don’t find this other half even if your spouse did? What then?” I studied his face, my heart now a calm drummer in my chest. I wondered if this phenomenon explained our feelings.