Gabriel's Mate

Bottles of what? “I mean, at least I think … I want some blood.”

“I know. Over there.” Yvette pointed at the bedside table. On it were two bottles with unrecognizable contents.

Maya approached. As she inched forward, she read the labels. The only thing printed on them was O-positive. Was this what she thought it was? “Is that—”

Yvette responded before she had a chance to finalize her thoughts. “Human blood. Not all of us actually go out and bite humans. We have evolved.”

They drank blood out of bottles? No biting? For the first time since she’d awoken, a sense of relief spread inside her. She wouldn’t turn into an animal that attacked humans.

“You don’t bite people?”

“No, not for food anyway.”

Maya decided not to have Yvette explain her comment. Thinking back to her kiss with Gabriel, her instinct told her that biting wasn’t reserved for the purpose of food intake. And right now she didn’t want to think any further about what had happened with Gabriel.

She picked up one of the bottles and unscrewed the top. She sniffed and inhaled the metallic scent. Her stomach recoiled. It smelled nothing like Gabriel’s blood. This wasn’t what her body wanted.

“It smells awful,” she commented.

“Awful?” Yvette’s incredulous tone gave her pause. “I thought you were thirsty.”

Maya nodded. “I’m famished. But this is not what I want.” Gabriel’s blood had smelled delicious, and the enticing package it had come in—well, she didn’t even want to think of it or she would charge downstairs and try to find him to get what she wanted.

Yvette shook her head. “We all drink this. It’s first-quality; Samson only buys the best. Drink.”

Maya set the bottle to her lips. The moment the blood touched her tongue, she virtually gagged. She tried to swallow, but couldn’t get the repulsive liquid down her throat. She spat.

“It’s God-awful.”

A shocked look passed over Yvette’s features. “But you have to drink human blood: without it, you can’t survive. We all feed once a day, sometimes more often if we are injured or expend more energy.”

Maya still had the vile taste of the blood in her mouth. All she could think of was to get rid of it. She didn’t care what the others did—she wasn’t going to drink that disgusting liquid. “I’m going to puke.”

She ran into the bathroom and scooped water from the faucet into her mouth to wash out the taste. When she turned, she saw Yvette standing at the door.

“Maybe you’ve got it all wrong. Maybe I didn’t turn.”

Yvette shook her head. “The signs were all there. And besides, I can sense your aura.”

Maya didn’t understand. What kind of new-age junkie was she? “What aura?”

“Every vampire has a certain unmistakable aura. Only other vampires or preternatural creatures can see it. It’s how we recognize each other.”

“I don’t understand.” She couldn’t see any aura.

“You will. You’re weak right now because you haven’t fed yet. Once you’ve recovered, you’ll slowly find your new senses. So feed or I’m calling the doc and tell him there’s something wrong with you,” Yvette said.

That was all Maya needed: not only was she a vampire, no, now something was wrong with her. She couldn’t accept it. “Let me try again.”

When Yvette handed her the open bottle, Maya held her breath. Maybe if she didn’t breathe the scent in, she would be able to swallow. Again, she put the bottle to her lips and took a swig. A second later, she spewed the red liquid over the white-marble counter and the pristine mirror. The droplets on the mirror created little rivers and ran down toward the counter, creating an eerie pattern of long strings meant to trap her and tie her up. Like a net in which she felt captured.

“I’m calling the doc,” was Yvette’s only comment.

Maya braced herself on the counter. “Maybe I need real human blood.”

“This is real human blood. It’s fresh, it’s bottled. There’s nothing wrong with it.” As if to prove it, Yvette took a sip and swallowed. “See?”

There was no denying it. Yvette drank the blood without problems.

“Maybe I’m allergic. Are there any other brands?” Even as a human she’d had a few minor food allergies, so maybe this was all it was: an allergy to one type of blood.

“Allergic? Impossible. I’ve never heard of a vampire who was allergic to blood.” Yvette’s dismissal came without any hesitation.