Damn it. The potion’s effect must have expired. The High Witch said it would last twenty-four hours. I wonder if getting bitten screwed with the magic. I look away. “There’s nothing wrong with my eyes.”
“Vaughn… were you turned?” Annabelle’s voice cracks at the end.
Curling my hands into fists, I swallow the lump in my throat. This evening sure turned into a clusterfuck exponentially fast.
She touches my arm when I don’t answer right away. “Talk to me.”
There’s no point denying it. I might as well come clean. “Yes.” I look at her, my heart constricted tight, expecting repulsion from her.
Her green eyes are brighter thanks to the unshed tears. “When did it happen?”
“A couple of months ago. I was attacked by a nasty bloodsucker, and if it weren’t for Vivi’s boyfriend, I’d have died that night.”
Annabelle’s eyebrows arch. “Vivi is dating a vampire?”
I nod. “Yeah, it’s a long story. I couldn’t tell anyone. I’m so sorry.”
“Oh, Vaughn.” Annabelle pulls me into a bear hug, shocking me for a second. I hug her back, relieved that she didn’t run for the hills.
When we ease off, I ask, “You’re not freaked out?”
“Of course I am. It’s not every day you discover your baby brother is a creature of the night. You need to tell me everything.”
I rub the back of my neck. “I will, but not here. And you can’t tell Mom or Clarissa. It’s not safe right now for them to know.”
“All right. I won’t tell them, but you can’t keep this secret forever.”
“I know.”
She glances at my neck. “The bite is completely healed.”
“Yeah, speed healing is one of the perks of being a vampire.”
She narrows her eyes. “Who bit you?”
“I don’t know, but I will find out.”
Thirteen
VAUGHN
It’s been two days since the evening at Night Crawlers, and I’ve been losing my mind. Who was that vampire girl pretending to be human? I want to look for her, but I know it isn’t safe. She’s probably a spy for Tatiana. Why else would she be concealing what she is? I can’t go out sniffing for trouble when the entire gang is in Ellnesari. If shit hits the fan, I’m cooked. There’s no one to come to the rescue. And I don’t want to confess to the High Witch that my cover was blown.
The only good thing that came out of that disastrous evening was Annabelle discovering my secret. It’s good to be able to talk to someone. It’s like the load I’ve been carrying around since my change isn’t as heavy.
I’m lying on the couch, playing toss and catch with a baseball, when Gerard, the jack-of-all-trades human who works for Lucca, comes looking for me.
“Will you be feeding tonight?”
His job, among other things, is to provide us with willing blood donors. I should feed, but I’m not really hungry or in the mood to be near anyone.
“No, not tonight.”
He arches a brow. “It isn’t wise to go without nourishment for too long, especially in your first year as a vampire.”
“Yeah, I know. I had my fill a couple of nights ago. I’m okay,” I lie.
“All right. Is there anything else I can do for you?”
