“Joseph?” I said, sitting up slowly and backing away toward the headboard.
He nodded, then stood up from the bed.
I stared at him, studying his face and trying to figure out whether he was any danger to me now. I wondered what his agenda was in saving me from those half-bloods. His face was quite expressionless as he looked me over. It was hard to come to any kind of conclusion.
“So you’re… a vampire?” I asked.
He nodded.
“Why did you help me?”
“Because I saw them beating you into a pulp for apparently no reason.”
I narrowed my eyes on him. “Why would that bother you?”
He paused, frowning as if he were unsure of the answer himself. Then he shrugged. “It’s what any man would have done who wasn’t a total monster.”
So you’re not a total monster?
“What are you going to do with me now?” I asked.
“I’m not going to do anything with you. In fact, it’s best you leave. Are you coupled with a vampire?”
The thought of leaving made me panic. I still didn’t trust this vampire, but so far he hadn’t given me any reason to fear him.
“A vampire called Michael stole me and brought me down here.” I bit my lower lip. “Please… don’t make me leave. He’s going to put me through torture when he finds me again.”
A flicker of discomfort played across Joseph’s face. “So Michael hasn’t been treating you well?” he asked.
I gathered my knees to my chest. “He’s a sick bastard.” That was all I wanted to say of Michael. I was trying to forget the trauma he’d put me through. I didn’t want to relive it over again.
“Where did Michael steal you from?”
“The desert. They also stole my sister and a friend. I was out looking for them. I walked right up to that weird barrier, and Michael pulled me through it… Who are you exactly?”
He paused before responding. “Joseph Brunson.”
It irritated me that his name was all the information he offered. “And? You seem to be different than the other vampires I’ve met here so far. Why did you storm out of the sauna the moment you saw me? I thought you were going to attack me.”
He averted his gaze away from me. “Long story,” he said darkly.
Although I was curious, now certainly wasn’t the time for long stories. This vampire, for whatever reason, was behaving sympathetically toward me and didn’t seem to be as crazy as all the others I’d met here so far. I had to take advantage of the situation while I could.
“You must know where the humans are kept in this place, right?” I asked. “Do you have any idea where my sister might be?”
He took a seat on the edge of the bed, still keeping his distance from me, and breathed out slowly. “Humans are kept in the basement beneath the atrium. But simply knowing this isn’t going to be of much use to you.”
My heart lifted a little, even as my anxiety increased. “The basement? Can you take me there?”
He furrowed his brows. “What’s your name?”
“River. River Giovanni.”
“River,” he said, a deep frown still on his handsome face. “Even if I knew exactly which cell she was being kept in, and you managed to get her out of the prison without alerting anyone, and then up through the many levels of the atrium which is swarming with vampires who can detect human blood miles off, you still couldn’t escape. The boundary surrounding The Oasis won’t let you out.”
“C-couldn’t you help us through the boundary? You’re the only sane person I’ve come across so far in this place. Could you not find it in yourself to help us?”
He breathed out impatiently. He shot a glance toward the door, as if to check nobody was standing there, and then spoke in a low voice. “If I knew a way out, I wouldn’t be here myself.”
His answer took me by surprise. “What do you mean?”
“I can’t pass through the boundary either.”
I stared at him, wondering if he was just lying to me. “But you’re a vampire?”
“Yes. And not all vampires have permission to come and go as they please.”
I was trying to wrap my mind around his words. “So you’re… you’re a prisoner here too?” I asked disbelievingly.
“You could put it like that.”
“How long have you lived this way?”
“I’ve lost track of time down here, but it hasn’t been long.”
I leaned a little closer toward him. “Have you tried to escape?”
“How else would I have discovered I couldn’t pass through the boundary?”
His words dealt my hope a crushing blow. If he, a vampire, couldn’t figure a way out of here, what chance did I have?
“So there’s really no way out of here?”
“There is no immediate way out.”
“What do you mean?”
“An escape will require time and planning,” he replied so quietly he was practically mouthing. “And even then, of course, there’s no guarantee.”
“And have you been planning to escape? Surely you can’t be happy living here forever. What have you discovered so far? Is there anything I can do to help—”
I jumped at a banging on the front door. My eyes widened in panic.
Joseph froze, staring at the door, then looked back at me.
I scrambled off the bed and rushed over to him, gripping his shoulder. I dared not speak but mouthed instead. “Please, if that’s Michael, hide me. Keep me here. I beg you, don’t let him take me.”
He looked reluctantly from me to the door again. It was impossible to know what was going through that mind of his.
There was another round of banging and then Michael called, “Open up, Joseph.”
Somehow he’d managed to find me. Perhaps one of the half-bloods had told him that Joseph had taken me away.
I was relieved when Joseph grabbed my arm, pulled me out of the bedroom, and led me along the corridor toward the farthest room, which happened to be… a sauna. I knew by now that vampires didn’t need saunas, so I wondered whether Joseph had a half-blood of his own already.
Silently, he pushed me inside and closed the door. I pressed my ear against the wood, listening to his footsteps disappear down the corridor.
The front door opened.
“You have my half-blood,” Michael said.
“Your half-blood?”
“Yes, my half-blood,” Michael replied irritably.
“The same one you left to be beaten by a gang of men?”
“Just hand her over, Joseph,” Michael snarled. “She brought it on herself by running away from me.”
“And what made her run away?”
“That’s none of your business… You seem to forget, vampire, that I am one of the rulers of The Oasis. I suggest you hand over the girl now lest you sorely regret it.”
“Please,” Joseph said. “We both know who really runs this place.”
I heard a scuffle, the banging of a door, something smashing against a wall. Then Michael swore loudly, and Joseph spoke again. “Come on, Michael. We’ve never been the best of friends, but surely we can settle this like gentlemen. Why don’t we go to Jeramiah and see what he has to say.”
I froze.
Jeramiah?
The same vampire who let Michael have me to begin with?
What is Joseph thinking?
“Agreed,” Michael said, his voice strained.
“Wait here,” Joseph said. “I’ll get her.”
No. No. No.
Footsteps approached, and Joseph opened the door to the sauna.
His shirt was ripped and rumpled, as though he’d just been in a fight, though there were no signs of cuts or blood anywhere.
He held out a hand for me to take.
“No, Joseph. You don’t understand. Jeramiah is going to choose Michael.”
“River,” he said, looking at me sternly, “if you want my help, then you’ll come with me.”
&nb
sp; I didn’t know what else to do. I had no choice but to trust him. I reached for his hand, and took it. At least his strength gave me some comfort as his fingers closed around mine and he led me outside. I was glad that he continued holding on to me, even as we exited the corridor and appeared by the doorway.
I stepped behind Joseph, trying to hide myself from Michael, as I eyed him warily.
To my surprise, his eye appeared to have healed already, though he looked like he had just borne the brunt of the scuffle between the two men. His arm had a deep gash in it, and his neck also looked red.
He glared at me, and I was only able to hold his gaze for a short while before I looked down at the ground and clutched Joseph’s hand even tighter. I was grateful that Joseph kept me on the opposite side of him, away from Michael, as we left the apartment.
We traveled along the veranda in silence until we reached Jeramiah’s front door. Michael knocked.
Footsteps sounded and the door creaked open.
The vampire with harsh blue eyes and dark shoulder-length hair appeared behind it, his eyebrows raised in surprise as he looked at the three of us.
“We are here to settle a dispute,” Michael said. I winced at the confidence in his voice.
I looked up at Joseph’s face. He seemed to be quite unfazed as he looked calmly at Jeramiah. I couldn’t fathom what gave him such confidence. I just prayed that it was founded on something other than male ego.
“Joseph has claimed my half-blood as his,” Michael said.
Jeramiah’s eyes fixed on me, and then he looked back at Joseph.
“What is this, Joseph? I thought you said you weren’t interested in a companion?”
“I did say that. But I’ve changed my mind.”
“How come?”
Joseph ran a hand through his thick dark hair. He breathed out a sigh that I was sure was exaggerated. “I regret not being able to do what you requested of me earlier. My confidence evaporated as I was locked in the room with a human… this girl. Her blood called to me and I didn’t think that even you would be able to restrain me. I was sure that I would end up killing her. I know now that I have a very serious problem, but I want—and need—to solve it if I’m to be of any real use to The Oasis… I think the only way I can overcome my problem around humans is with a half-blood assisting me. The bitterness of her blood will help me.”
As Jeramiah stared at Joseph, I wondered for a moment whether he doubted Joseph’s story. “But why this one? There are others you could have.”
Joseph glanced down at me. “Because… I’ve taken a liking to this one. She’s newly half-turned, so she and I have much in common. We’re both getting used to these supernatural bodies and I think we might make a good team.”
Jeramiah frowned. I was sure that he was about to refuse Joseph’s request, but then his eyes softened and he shrugged.
“Michael,” he said. “Just let Joseph have her. He’s been having a rough time adjusting and this might help him to finally be of some real use to us.”
Michael looked furious, but surprisingly, he didn’t argue with Jeramiah. It seems that Jeramiah really does wear the pants in this place…
Michael glared daggers at both Joseph and I and, without another word, turned on his heel and stormed away.
“I do have a condition though,” Jeramiah said as Michael disappeared.
I held my breath.
“What’s that?” Joseph asked.
“We still have one human left to half-turn from the most recent batch. Prove your theory. Take this girl with you and half-turn a healthy human. Let’s see if you can control yourself.”
Joseph’s tension seemed to spread from his jaw down to his hand, which squeezed mine tighter.
There was a pause. I had no idea what he was going to say.
The thought of my assisting in half-turning someone was the most horrific thing I could imagine. And yet, if Joseph refused, I’d be stuck with Michael. I tried to justify that the human would be half-turned anyway—just by another vampire, who I guessed would be much more insane than Joseph.
Joseph seemed to have come to the same conclusion as he said, “Certainly.” I was amazed by the confidence in his voice.
“Good,” Jeramiah said, a contented expression on his face. “Let’s do this right now.”
Chapter 12: Ben
What have I gotten myself into?
I hadn’t been able to see any way out of the situation.
I’d realized on the way to Jeramiah’s apartment that River being a half-blood could be used as an advantage both for herself and for me in escaping. After I’d refused to half-turn anyone in front of Jeramiah, I saw no way of suggesting that I join them on a hunt in the near future. Because what reason would Jeramiah have to trust me after my behavior?
Then, after realizing how off-putting River’s blood had become to me after her half-turning, I’d seen just how we might be able to help each other.
But it had backfired.
I had of course expected Jeramiah to put my theory to the test. But I’d thought he might wait until the hunt itself, once we were already outside of the boundary, not have me experiment on a human beforehand.
Although I felt guilty about inflicting on another human the life of a half-blood here in The Oasis, with no guarantee of who might take him or her on, Jeramiah had made clear that the person had already been chosen to be a half-blood. Either I did the job, or someone else would.
Now I just had to hope that my theory would indeed hold up, because there was no way out of this now.
Jeramiah, River and I made our way down to the ground level and Jeramiah led us into a room where a woman was huddled in one corner.
I’ve got to pull through this.
I can’t murder again.
Having hot human blood within such close proximity immediately stirred the predator within me, even as I tried to put it back to sleep. I wanted nothing more than to sink my fangs into her and never let go. I clutched River’s arm and held her closer to me, breathing in her scent deeply, hoping that her bitterness would blur out the sweetness of the human less than five feet away.
Once I felt a little more confident in moving closer, I did, still holding River close to me, until I was standing right next to the cowering woman.
I knew what to do—I had already half-turned Tobias, after all. I knew how to inject my venom, and at what moment to pull away. But that was just the problem—summoning the willpower to pull away. Taking one last deep breath of River, and then holding my nose so that her scent would remain with me longer, I bent down quickly. Grabbing the woman, I dug in my fangs.
She squirmed and cried beneath me, but I held her tight. As blood began to seep into my mouth—fresh, hot, exhilarating blood—any small confidence I’d felt evaporated. There was no way I could stop myself from taking another gulp of blood, and then another and another. I was going to finish this woman off, and not even Jeramiah would have the strength to pull me off.
“That’s enough blood, Joseph,” Jeramiah commanded as he gripped my shoulder. “Release your venom now.”
I heard him, and yet I couldn’t find it in myself to obey. It seemed like a sin to poison this blood, so pure and divine. To turn something so sweet into something so bitter and rotten.
The woman began to grow weak beneath me, her struggling lessening. A few more gulps, and she likely wouldn’t have the strength to survive the half-turning—I would’ve made her too weak to make it to the other side even if I could find it in myself to release my venom.
Then a wrist slid between my nose and the human’s flesh. A cold, smooth wrist. As I breathed in, it smelt disgusting. River’s scent was mixing with the blood that I was drinking, making it less palatable.
I drew back, swallowing the gulp that was already in my mouth, but not feeling such an appetite to go back for more.
My mind returned to me, along with my willpower to not let this be a failure. I clutched River’s arm and breathed heavily aga
inst her skin again before once again plunging my teeth into the woman’s neck. I refused to suck this time, and instead inserted my ice-cold venom into her bloodstream. I drew away before it felt like I had begun—as Jeramiah had once instructed me—and, holding River by the waist, I buried my head in her neck. I breathed her in for the final time before darting out the door.
If I had performed it correctly, the half-turning would now be in process and the human would be shaking. But I didn’t want to stay any longer than I had to. I headed for the gardens and stopped once I was in the center of the willow orchard.
I leaned against the trunk of a tree. Exhaling and inhaling, I tried to calm myself after the frenzy that I had just managed to break free from… thanks to my new half-blood friend.
I looked up to see River approaching. Her expression was a mixture of fascination and horror as she stared at me. I must have looked a state, with blood dripping from my mouth and staining my shirt.
“Did you do it?” she asked in a hoarse whisper.
I nodded slowly, finding my voice.
“I think we did.”
Chapter 13: Ben
River waited with me a while longer as I recovered my senses beneath the willow tree. After ten minutes, the door to the room where I had half-turned the woman opened, and Jeramiah stepped out. He made his way directly toward us.
I was relieved to see that he had a satisfied expression on his face.
“It looks like you did the job,” he said, looking from me to River. “The human is showing all the right symptoms. Seems you two do make a good team.”
“Good to hear,” I replied dryly.
“I’ll check back on the human tomorrow morning. As for you, feel free to take the girl back to your place.” He winked at me. “She’s yours now.”
With that, he headed off.
River and I stood in silence, just looking at each other.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
I didn’t need her thanks. When I had caught sight of her being beaten by a man almost twice her size in the gardens, I hadn’t thought twice about going to her aid.