Free Fledgling (The Vampire Manifesto, Book Two) by Rashaad Bell Page B

are you?”
    “Something worse.” I pulled up a chair and situated it directly in front her. “Do you still want to be my friend?”
    I held my hand out. Gradually she reached for it, grasping my fingers, pulling me on top of her. She felt like Christmas morning in my arms and as we caressed she placed tender kisses all over my face. I closed my eyes and she kissed my eyelids, each one gently, then she moved on, kissing the tip of my nose, then my cheeks. Her body was flustered, I could feel the heat emanating off it, inviting against my skin. She kissed my lips, hesitant at first, then with more hunger, her appetite surpassing even my own.
    She had her fingers in my hair, pulling my head back, her tongue on my neck, her teeth biting my skin. I wanted her more than I wanted any person in my life. More than Connor, more than Ethan even and to…
    I rose slowly, Dakota straddling my lap, kissing me. “Wait…” I said. She didn’t of course and it was hard for me to stop kissing her as well. “No…wait.” I repeated again.
    “Um…sure.” She said. “Okay.” She sat there, her legs wrapped around my waist, her arms around my neck, her blood scent so strong it was as if it was mine and not hers.
    “What’s wrong?” She asked.
    I wasn’t completely sure. “I don’t know.”
    She started to kiss my neck again, but I moved against it. “Do you hear that?” I asked.
    Dakota paused to listen. “Hear what?” She said finally.
    No, of course she couldn’t hear that Madison, you barely hear it. “Is your mom expecting company?”
    “At this hour?” She climbed off my lap, coming to rest next to me, her head on my shoulder. “God no.”
    “Well she’s about to get some.” I said. “A lot of it.”
    I could hear shuffling across the front lawn. It sounded like there were at least three…wait, make that four of them. They were at the front door now.
    Knock Knock.
    Dakota looked up. “How did you…”
    I positioned a finger over her lips. “Sshh…”
    I could hear her mother rousing, getting up from the couch and moving over to the door.
    “Who is it?” She called out.
    “Ma’am, my name Agent Barcel and I’m with the Homeland Security.” Said the man outside. “Do you mind if I come in to talk?”
    She hadn’t opened the door yet. “May I see some identification please?”
    Good girl.
    “Why are the police here?” Dakota asked.
    “They’re not the police.” I replied. “What here.”
    I could hear a shuffling outside briefly.
    “Thank you.” Mrs. Theia said. “Never can be too careful.” She was opening the front door now.
    I made my way towards the bedroom door, opening it slowly, slipping through. I crouched as low to the ground as I could, making my way towards the steps, risking a glance.
    Four men were filing into the house. They were attired in dark suits and were all clean-shaven.
    “Do you know this girl?” Agent Barcel handed Mrs. Theia a picture. I inhaled suddenly. It was a picture of Dakota and me.
    Mrs. Theia looked over the photo. “Well, that one is my daughter.” She pointed to Dakota. “But the other one, I’ve never seen her before. What’s this got to do with Dakota?”
    The other three men with scanning the living room while trying not to make it look obvious.
    “This photo was taken from a traffic cam earlier tonight.” Barcel explained. “This girl.” He pointed to me in the picture. “We believe that she was abducted not long after this picture was taken.”
    Kidnapped? WTF?
    Mrs. Theia gasped. “Oh my God.”
    “We have witnesses reporting that she was physically forced into a van by an unidentified assailant. Right now we have an Amber alert…”
    An Amber alert? How ironic is that?
    “…issued in the hopes that we can locate her safely, except we are having a difficult time locating anyone who can identify the victim.” Barcel explained. “Is your daughter home Mrs. Theia? If she could impart any information that could assist our…”
    I