Free Demon Blood (Vampire in the City Book 5) by Donna Ansari Page B

remembered that the shifts at the hospital changed at 3 pm. Without quite making a conscious decision, I started walking downtown to the NYU medical center, instead of to the subway home. Even though I was no longer a vampire, my curiosity forced me to find out what had happened to Ethan.

 
     
     
    Chapter Nine
     
    I arrived at the hospital just before three o’clock, only to be confused by the amount of entrances. Knowing that Ethan worked in the emergency department, I hung out there, taking out my cell phone and trying to look casual. I turned off the music I was listening to, but kept in the earbuds to further appear nonchalant and occupied. 
    After about fifteen minutes of rigorous standing around, I saw a familiar figure walk past me out the door. 
    “Ethan!” I yelled, grabbing for his arm. Lacking my previous vampire speed, I missed him completely and grabbed at the air, but he heard me and swiveled around to face me nevertheless. 
    The look of shock on his face was immediate. “Emma! Is that you? What happened?”
    “I’m not totally sure,” I said. “Can we go somewhere and talk?”
    He took out his phone and glanced at it. “I guess I have a few minutes.”
    “Thanks,” I said. “Is there anywhere around here we can go?”
    “Yeah.” He took off across the street and we entered a Starbucks. 
    Ethan stood in front of me on line. He was facing forward, which made it hard to ask him about anything. I couldn’t help but notice that the insulted lunchbox, the one he had always used to carry bags of blood to me, was slung over his shoulder. 
    Finally we had both paid and were waiting for our coffee, and he had no excuse to avoid looking at me. 
    “So, how have you been?” I asked. 
    “Fine. And you?”
    “Recently human.” I accepted my coffee from the barista, and we walked further back into the store, to sit on stools at the window. 
    “Yeah, I noticed. So how did that happen?”
    “I’m still trying to figure that out,” I said. Then, remembering the reason he claimed to be staying in New Jersey, and asked, “How is your grandmother?”
    “My grandmother?” Ethan frowned and then said, “Oh, she’s doing much better. Thanks for asking.”
    We were silent for a few moments as we both sipped our coffee. Finally, I couldn’t ignore the second rather large elephant in the room, and asked, “When did you move out?”
    “A little while ago.” It seemed like he was deliberately not looking at me, despite my no longer being capable of hypnotizing him. 
    I waited an appropriate amount of time for him to continue, but when he didn’t, I asked, “Why?”
    “It’s hard to live with someone once you realize that they’re just using you.”
    Although it was deserved, his answer hit me like a punch to the gut. I was about to apologize when I realized something. “And you’re not being used for blood now?”
    “No, I’m not being used. I have an agreement.”
    “What kind of agreement?”
    “Why are you putting me through the third degree? You must already know what’s going on.”
    “What do you mean? What’s going on? I don’t know anything!” I protested.
    Ethan looked confused. “Really? You have no idea?”
    “No,” I sighed. “In fact, it’s almost like I never have any idea what’s really going on.”
    “Okay, look, I have something to confess,” he said. “The first night I met you, I knew exactly what I was doing.”
    “Which was what?”
    “I knew I was in a vampire club, and I knew you were a vampire.”
    “Oh.”
    He continued, “I was there because I was looking to become a blood doll, and I was hoping to find a female vampire. In almost a year, you were the first one I saw in the city.”
    By then, I was extra confused. “You wanted to be a blood doll on purpose? Why?”
    “In part, because getting bitten by a vampire is pleasurable, but of course that’s not the main reason.”
    “And the main reason would be?”
    “Because I want to become