Free The Heart's Ashes by A. M. Hudson Page B

shame you
won’t love again—I’d have fun with you.”
    “ Love? You?” I laughed.
    “ What’s wrong with me ?”
    “ You’re a vampire.”
    “ So, you loved David, he was a vampire.”
    “ I didn’t know that when I fell for him.”
    “ You’re falling for me.”
    A moment of
silence hovered around us. “I’m not.”
    “ Denial is a river in Egypt. It has no place here.”
    “ Oh, shut up!”
    Eric laughed
warmly when I slapped his thigh with the back of my hand. Then,
sobering himself with a wipe of his palm across his jaw, he said,
“So, you drank his blood, huh?”
    “ Yes.”
    “ And he drank yours?”
    “ What’s your point?”
    He looked at
my lips. “How was it?”
    While the
memory of that day by the lake flooded my heart, I closed my eyes.
“It was—beautiful.”
    Eric stared
ahead and tapped his foot. “I’ve never done it—with a willing
human. Must’ve been exhilarating for him.”
    “ I wouldn’t know, and neither will you—not with me.” Time to go . I stood up,
folding my arms over my chest.
    “ Aw, come on, Amara,” Eric called, following me across the
road. “Just do it with me once. Just once.”
    “ No way. I could never trust you with my blood. I can’t get
bitten again, Eric—I might not survive.”
    “ Well, what if I let you drink mine? I won’t take yours.” He
stopped on the median line.
    I stopped too,
thinking about it—imagining it. “No—” shaking off the image, I
unlocked my car. “It’s too intimate. I’ll never do that again.”
    “ I’ll keep trying until you say yes,” he called as I hopped in
and slammed the door.
    Oh, my God. I
wrapped my fingers in a bone-white grip around the steering wheel.
I want to say yes—I want to get out of this car right now and tell
him to come home with me.
    I watched him
in my rear-view mirror, walking down the street—back toward the
music shop, then shook my head and flipped the mirror so I could
see my own face. “If we’d been alone, then...” I said, touching my
cheek. I would’ve done it. I know myself. I definitely would have.
When I drank David’s blood, it made me feel so good—energised me; I
felt light and yet kind of powerful. The life force in their bodies
must seep out through their blood as well as their, er...seed. I’m
sure it has healing properties, too, because after that, my bruises
healed a little faster than normal and even the slit where he took
my blood healed within the week. But it wore off so quickly—leaving
me craving and bitter inside.
    I’d better
stay away from Eric. If he keeps pressing me, I will give in. I
want to give in.
    But, no more
vampires. I have to stay away from anyone who is at risk of my
falling in love with them.

Chapter
3
     
    As I knew it
would, the weekend finally arrived. I slammed the front door on the
Friday behind me and called into the house to see if anyone was
home.
    “ In here, baby.”
    Emily, when I
walked into the dining area, sat back in her chair, wiping tears of
obvious hilarity from her eyes. “Mike’s been filling me in on all
your quirky little habits, Ara.”
    “ Mike!” I dropped my purse onto the hallstand near the
archway.
    “ What?” He shrugged. “You’re funny.”
    Emily stifled
another giggle when I glared at her.
    “ Well, I have a few funny tales of my own.”
    “ Go ahead.” Mike stood up and carried his and Emily’s plates
to the bench. “But there’s no way any stories about me will be as
funny as your Perkins Park one.”
    My eyes
widened. “You didn’t?”
    He chuckled,
looking at Emily, who couldn’t hold it back any longer. “Oh my God.
I’m gonna wet myself,” she cried, running from the room.
    Mike and I
looked at each other for a second before we both chuckled.
    “ I can’t believe you told her that.”
    “ Aw, Ar, she doesn’t care. She’s your friend. She loves
you.”
    “ Hm.” I walked over and plonked down on the kitchen chair.
“Well, I’m glad to see you two are getting