Page 69 of You’re So Vein

The practical thoughts mingle with fear as I try to hold her away from my throat. I’m losing. The edges of my vision are growing black. I can’t breathe. My arms burn. I’m going to die.

Behind me, Augustin shouts, but as usual, he’s bloody useless.

I’ve heard that a vampire bite is supposed to be bliss, but I’m not prepared for the wave of pure ecstasy that cascades over me as her fangs sink into my skin. The darkness pools in my vision, but instead of fighting, I let it come. Gloom and pleasure carry me away…

“Komal, can you hear me?”

I’m in a warm room. There’s a fire blazing at the hearth. Three walls are covered with bookshelves framed in twinkling fairy lights and groaning beneath the weight of haphazardly stacked paperbacks. One corner of the room has a wooden bar carved from a single piece of oak, but instead of being covered with bottles, it’s stacked with pairs of shoes all lined up neatly, with handwritten price tags affixed to them.

“Komal, please.”

A shadow looms over me, outlined against the roaring flames. A familiar deep voice drips with concern. I smell chai and honey, and something dark and metallic that makes my stomach churn. I blink, and I know I should be panicking, but my limbs are made of several penguins after a ten-mile hike, and I’m too blissed out to do anything.

“For the sake of all the gods, woman, I can see your eyes are open. Don’t make me force more blood down you.”

The shadow shifts, and Augustin’s profile comes into view. He doesn’t sound distraught now, merely annoyed. And something in that change drags me back into my body.

“What are you doing here?” I mumble.

“I live here. I might ask you the same question.”

But I can’t remember why I’d be at Augustin’s house? And why I feel all strange and wobbly and woozy. It’s like being drunk, only without the fun party beforehand. Because nothing involving Augustin could be fun…

Oh, noooooo.

It all starts coming back.

Augustin’s outburst at my campaign launch, his admission that he thought he was in love with me, and then his cold behaviour at Black Crag. Papa handing me his coat, and then I had some kind of episode and wondered if I might have feelings for him. So I fought through my fear of the dark and came to his cottage in the woods, only…

Only, something happened…

One thing’s for certain, I’m not staying here. I’ve already embarrassed myself enough.

“Right, this is all the mortification I need for a lifetime. I’ll be off, then.” I try to haul myself to my feet, but my legs have become chocolate cheesecake, which is not as structurally sound as one might like. I pitch forward, wonky floorboards rise up to meet me, and I can’t move my hands fast enough to brace for the fall—

I don’t have to.

Strong, cool hands catch me an inch before the floor and shove me back into the sofa.

“Don’t sit up too quickly. You lost a lot of blood. Drink this. How do you feel?”

“Like I wronged the gods in a past life. How…” I reach a trembling hand to the mug of warm chai with honey he holds out to me, and the final piece of the evening rushes back. I was returning Augustin’s coat. I was going to apologise. I followed him to a cabin in the woods, and then I was attacked. “The girl. She…”

“Yes, Hannah took a bit of a nibble. She didn’t mean to.” Augustin sighs. “It’s all my fault. I used to file down her fangs, but it hurts her so much and it seemed superfluous until tonight. She’s in her room now. She won’t come out until we’re certain she won’t hurt you again. Drink.”

I raise the chai to my lips. He’s put honey in this, just the way I like it. But how does he know? I set down the mug. “How did any of this happen? She’s… she’s a vampire. I thought vampires aren’t allowed to Kiss children?”

For ancient bloodthirsty creatures, vampires have strict laws around consent. I love that about them.

Augustin glares at the half-empty mug. “Drink.”

“You put blood in this?”

“Yes. Just a few droplets of mine. It will help your wound heal and your strength return. You didn’t seem to mind the taste last night. Drink.”

I raise the mug and glare at him over the rim. “I’m not drinking until you explain.”

Augustin lets out a sigh with his whole body, as if the trial of talking to me is simply more than he can bear. “The sugar will help you recover.”