Chapter 16: The Vampire Pirate's Daughter by Lynette Ferreira
“How long are you going to stay at the hospital?”
“I don’t know.”
She reminds me, “You know it is new moon tomorrow. I do not know how you can be at the hospital with all that blood when you must be dipping from your high.”
“I have managed to block it out.” She has reminded me, though, and once again, I smell the sweet stickiness of the dark red fluid.
“I’ll see you later then. Do not cause a scandal, by staying longer than you feel comfortable,” she warns.
“Okay.”
Ending the call, I look at Andrew. His hand is folded around mine. I know he could not hear Amanda because the sound setting on my phone is set on one, unlike other people who have their settings on full and you can hear every word the person on the other side of the line is saying.
Sighing exasperated, I roll my eyes. “My sister-in-law.”
He smiles up at me, his strong face turned toward me. Softly he asks, “You live with your brother?”
“I do. My mum and dad died when I was.” I almost say sixteen and stop myself shocked. Quickly I say, “When I was younger.”
“I am sorry.” He looks sorry. Unlike the countless people, I have said this to before, he knows exactly what it feels like.
Now that he seems more aware than yesterday, I ask tentatively, “Can you remember anything from yesterday?”
He smiles apologetically. “It’s hazy. I have flashes of things, but it is too weird, though, so I do not think it is a memory, more like wild nightmares.”
I smile sadly. He thinks I am a nightmare. To get my mind off it, I say, “Duncan spent last night in jail for DUI and Carmine has a small cut across her arm, but she will be fine.”
Andrew laughs annoyed. “We should never have gotten into that car with Duncan.”
I hear Mr Van Heerden’s booming voice from outside the doors of the ward and get up slowly from the bench. Leaning down to him, I softly kiss him on his cheek.
Frowning he looks up at me, so I explain, “I have to go before Amanda phones me again.”
“Will you come visit me again?”
I feel my heart trip over itself. Heart? It is a weird indescribable feeling and I know love does not make hearts speed up and palpitate. I do not even have a beating heart, yet, in my chest, I feel the oddest sensation.
I smile down at him and I feel as if I could fall into the bottomless depths of his dark, brown eyes. “I’ll come again tonight.”
The Van Heerden’s come walking into the room, and like a mother hen, Mrs Van Heerden waddles to his bed. I move aside away from Andrew, letting my fingers slide out of his and he follows me with his eyes.
Carmine rushes to me. “Oh, Susie.” She starts crying, the tears flowing freely down her cheeks. She slumps against me and her arms come up around my shoulders. The small wound is close to my cheek and although there is no more blood, the smell lingered on her skin.
Suddenly I can feel her pulse rush through her body. I can feel her heart hammering against me, and I fight the feeling of tunnel vision.
Just one small bite the monster tells me. Just a lick, a tiny, weenie suckle.
I push away from Carmine abruptly. Apologetically I say, “I am sorry Carmine, but I have to go. I am in a hurry. I will phone you later. Promise.”
I walk out of the hospital hurriedly, almost running. When I am out of the hospital, I start to walk faster and if there were someone looking at me directly, they would have thought they had seen a magic trick or a miracle because I move away from the hospital too fast for any human eye to observe.
Slamming the front door closed behind me moments later, I walk straight into the kitchen and then the freezer. I pull the popsicle from its plastic wrapping irritated and I do not know why they must be wrapped individually. I want to snap at Amanda when she walks into the room.
The look of worry on her face stops me, though, and I pop the icy meat stick into my mouth. I take a few because only one will not do for the moment.
My body is going to cramp and spasm from now until when we go out to hunt. The only, only thing I will be able to think about is blood.
I WAIT IMPATIENTLY for Ethan. Shayne insists we wait for him and I am starting to feel extraordinarily agitated. By the time the doorbell rings and I open the door, I growl at him.
He greets me, smiling amused, “Good Evening, sweet Susanna.”
I push past him and out the door. With annoyance I call, “Can we just go now.” Angrily I growl again and walk in circles. The need and want in me are so great, it burns like peat in the pit of my stomach. The pain is enormous. Never have I waited this long or felt this tremendous need for blood. I long for the days when I could run into rural Europe and have my pick of clean, fresh blood. All I can think about is blood, blood, blood.
Ethan takes me gently by the elbow. “Come with me. We will leave in my car. We do not always have to hunt in a pack, do we?”
I nod my head, yes, eagerly. I cannot remember a single time I have gone hunting without Amanda or Shayne. Although I am over two hundred years old, they still treat me like a child they need to protect. As always, Shayne is waiting for midnight because he is a stickler for ritual. After spending the last few days in the hospital with Andrew, surrounded by the smell of blood, I need to go – desperately.
Ethan leads me to his car, and he opens the passenger door for me. I get into the car and settle into the plush seats. Irritated I watch him walk around the car. Amanda is standing by the front door and she is frowning worriedly. Lifting my hand and waving, I manage to smile reassuringly.
Ethan starts his car and backs out of the driveway. We drive out of the security estate and then he turns south. I watch the houses and trees flash by, and the night is black and dark without the moon. Everything looks ghost-like. We drive away from the city and later Ethan turns off the main road and onto a rural road. We do not speak, and I doubt I would be able to hold down a logical conversation. I do relax a little because I know not long from now I can feed my needy monster.
Continue reading Chapter 17/23
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