Free Rylie Cruz 2 - How to Date a Vampire by Rose Pressey

meat ripped open haphazardly. The counter was
bloody as if he’d slaughtered the animal right there on the
counter. Sick. I stepped toward the kitchen with Jack on my
heels.
    “I don’t know what came over me. I can’t
quench the craving I have for blood. This isn’t a good sign, Rylie.
Sensitive to light. Drinking blood. I’m like an animal.”

Chapter Ten
    How to Date a Vampire, Rule #10:
    Take an iron supplement before your
date.
     
    “Jack, take a deep breath and let it out.”
He followed my directions and took in a deep breath, then let it
out. “It’s not your fault. What I want to tell you is…well, last
night at my parents’ house, I guess, the vampire did, kind of,
sorta, bite you.”
    “So I’m a vampire now?”
    Drinking blood and being sensitive to the
light was a pretty good indication, but there was no need to freak
him out yet. I’d break it to him in spurts.
    “No, that’s not necessarily what it means,
at all. Maybe you’re just imagining these things.” Oh how the
tables had turned. Now I was accusing him of being delusional. He’d
thought I was a mental patient instead of a werewolf just a short
time ago. He’d even convinced Jennifer that I was bonkers. I’d had
to shift right in front of his eyes to convince him. He had been
ready to mix me a Prozac/Xanax martini when I turned hairy right in
front of his eyes.
    Jack fell into the oversized black leather
chair behind him.
    “It’ll be okay, Jack. I’ll figure this thing
out.” I kneeled down beside him.
    Too bad they didn’t have one of those For
Dummies books for being a vampire. “I have a few vampire contacts.
I’m going to call everyone I can and see what they say.”
    “I don’t want to be a vampire. I like
sunshine. I need daylight.”
    I knew Jack was afraid. He may try to play a
tough guy, just like any male would, but he was human, er, used to
be human. It was a normal reaction.
    “It’s okay to be upset and it’s okay to be
afraid. This is something completely crazy. Something right out
there in a different realm.” I rubbed his hand.
    “It’s more than that.” He let out a deep
breath. “I mean, I don’t know if I believe what you say about it
being a different realm. I am a psychiatrist. I deal with mental
illness on a daily basis.” He shook his head. “I’ve never told
anyone this…”
    “You can tell me anything, Jack.” I leaned
in a little closer to him and placed my hand on his arm.
    He stared straight ahead, not meeting my
gaze. “I’ve always had this fear that I’d someday be affected by
something. It’s this strange sensation that I’ve never been able to
shake. Maybe somewhere deep down I knew something would happen to
me one day. But is this real or am I just imagining it?”
    I retained my calm, even tone. “You know I’m
a werewolf.”
    “Are you? Or did I just dream all that up?
God, maybe I have more issues than I ever imagined.”
    “Of course I’m a werewolf.” Unfortunately, I
couldn’t deny it. I had tried when I was young to pretend I was
normal, but my denials didn’t make it any less real. “Jack, you
need rest. You’ll be able to think more clearly then. This has been
a traumatic event.”
    He didn’t move, but continued to stare
blankly at the wall. I took his hand in mine. “How long have you
felt this way?”
    He paused, then looked me in the eyes. “For
a while, I guess. With all my patients, I see how easily it is to
let day-to-day life get the best of you. It’s hard to fight it
off.”
    “We all have a tough time with it.”
    “I know, I know, but I guess I’ve always
worried that one day I wouldn’t be able to fight back any problems
I might have. Is this the day? The day I can’t handle it?”
    What could I say? There was no easy answer.
“Oh, Jack. You are the strongest person I’ve ever met. You always
see the positive in everything. I know you can handle anything that
comes your way.”
    He touched his finger to my chin. “You’ve
got