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I gave Nathaniel a disapproving snort. This behavior was unusual for me. Nathaniel had a few staff members he fed from; I knew that, but it seemed he was escalating. Although I didn’t approve, I ultimately accepted Trisha’s offer.

Bringing her wrist to my lips, I hesitated, glancing back at Nathaniel. “Help me stop if I can’t.”

Nathaniel nodded over Trisha’s head, and her eyes widened as she grasped the implication. The muscles in her arm tensed as I inhaled her scent. I tried to sense any hint of the wrongness from my last feeding, but there was nothing. Satisfied, I bit down. I meant to be gentle, but the moment her clean blood touched my tongue, I clamped down fiercely and began to suck.

I was starving.

I hadn’t realized how hungry I’d been until her blood hit my system. She was exactly what I needed. Within a minute, Nathaniel’s hands settled on my shoulders, easing me back.

I broke off feeding and looked up. Trisha pulled away and slid across the sofa as Nathaniel switched places with her, taking position between us. He checked on me briefly, then turned to the woman to tend her wound. When he was done, he kissed her wrist and thanked her. She stood on unsteady feet and moved to one of the large chairs that framed the chessboard on the opposite side of the room. It was the farthest she could be from me without leaving the room.

“Is she okay?” I asked. “I didn’t take too much, did I?”

“She’s fine,” Nathaniel said, sliding open the cooler’s lid. “Besides, she’s used to it.” He made a dismissive gesture toward her. His disregard for the woman filled me with shame and embarrassment, but I wasn’t ready to confront it yet.

The blood was already helping me feel more like myself. My mind was clearer, and my muscles and joints ached a little less. Nathaniel handed me an IV bag of O-negative and signaled for me to proceed. I grimaced as I stared down at the bag.

“Don’t act like that, Vincent. You look better already, but you still need more.”

“I’m sorry. I’m grateful. Truly,” I said, bringing the tube to my lips and tearing the end off with my teeth.

It was bad—not as bad as starving, but still bad. I finished all ten bags Nathaniel had brought. When I was done, he packed everything away.

“Thank you, Nathaniel. I’m glad you came,” I said. “This illness was a shock. Frankly, I’m disturbed by the whole thing.” I picked at the fabric on the back of the sofa. “I don’t like feeling this way. It’s uncomfortable after so many years of being healthy and strong.”

Nathaniel studied me for a moment. “It’s okay. That’s what friends are for,” he said. He paused, then added, “I’ve been worried about you. And it’s not just because of this illness.” He gestured toward my condition. “I think you know what I mean. But for tonight, I want you to rest. We’ll talk about it soon, okay?”

I met his gaze and nodded. What did he know? I wondered. Nathaniel stood and picked up the cooler. “I’ll head out and let you get some more sleep. You look like you could still use it.” He smiled, squeezing my shoulder as he walked away.

I walked them both to the door. Nathaniel helped Trisha, with an arm around her waist, which made me feel a bit guilty. However, Nathaniel had been right; I’d needed that. I was still tired, but I felt restored.

“I’ll swing by tomorrow night,” Nathaniel said. “To see how you’re doing.”

“Checking up on me?” I asked as I handed them their coats.

“Yes.”

“Fine. But come alone, please,” I said.

Nathaniel nodded. They stepped into the elevator, and Nathaniel smiled and waved farewell as the doors closed.

I didn’t go back inside right away. I stared at the cold metal doors where Nathaniel had just stood. I meant what I said. I was glad to see my friend again and grateful for his help. But I was worried it wasn’t over. What if Nathaniel knew what I’d been doing? And what did that mean for our friendship—and my safety?

Finally, I turned and went back into the apartment. The first thing I did was head to my room and grab my phone, which still lay behind the chair in the corner. Next, I made my way to the office, pointedly ignoring the large stain on the concrete floor, and picked up the stack of papers and notes Karl had left on my desk. I decided to work through them as an apology.

I carried everything into the living room, where I could still look out the windows without being reminded of what had happened the night before. I spread everything out on the glass-top coffee table and turned on the flat-screen TV. It was time to find out what had been going on while I’d been running around, playing the monster.

10

VINCENT

After sifting through my numerous messages, emails, and voicemails—and watching an hour of coverage from different news networks—I had a solid grasp of what was happening outside. The rumors were true. A fast-spreading human virus had recently arrived in our city.

The virus was discovered less than two weeks earlier, but people were already concerned. Reports from other parts of the world were not encouraging. As my friends’ voicemails and text messages confirmed, vampires were affected as well. Not that we were getting infected, but as I had learned, we couldn’t feed from infected humans.

Just as I’d finally had enough cable news, noises from the kitchen told me Karl was awake. He’d showered again and was dressed in his usual: a pressed charcoal suit and a crisp white shirt with the collar unbuttoned. His graying hair was wet and sticking up in several places, but he looked much more like himself as he made a sandwich at the kitchen island.

“I had no idea we had food here,” I said.