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I FELT HER FEAR BEFORE I heard her screato do with a beach and soes - hers, not h my mind: fire and blood, the smell of smoke, the twistedme, until some rational part of my brain reminded me that this wasn’t , dark hair sticking toand screa the few feet that separated us

"Liss," I said, shaking her "Liss, wake up"

Her screams dropped off, replaced by soft whimpers "Andre," she moaned "Oh God"

I helped her sit up "Liss, you aren’t there anymore Wake up"

After a few , I could see a flicker of consciousness start to take over Her frantic breathing slowed, and she leaned into ainst my shoulder I put an arm around her and ran a hand over her hair

"It’s okay," I told her gently "Everything’s okay"

"I had that dream"

"Yeah I know"

We sat like that for severalelse When I felt her ehtstand between our beds and turned on the lalowed dimly, but neither of us really needed ht, our housemate’s cat, Oscar, leapt up onto the sill of the openHe gave me a wide berth - animals don’t like dhampirs, for whatever reason - but ju softly Animals didn’t have a proble, she scratched his chin, and I felt her cal?" I asked, studying her face Her fair skin was paler than usual Dark circles hung under her eyes, and there was an air of frailty about her School had been hectic this week, and I couldn’t reiven her blood "It’s been like¡­more than two days, hasn’t it? Three? Why didn’t you say anything?"

She shrugged and wouldn’t meet my eyes "You were busy I didn’t want to - "

"Screw that," I said, shifting into a better position No wonder she see me any closer, leapt down and returned to the here he could watch at a safe distance "Come on Let’s do this"

"Rose - "

"Come on It’ll make you feel better"

I tiltedht of ry expression crossed her face, and her lips parted slightly, exposing the fangs she nors contrasted oddly with the rest of her features With her pretty face and pale blond hair, she looked el than a vampire

As her teeth neared my bare skin, I felt my heart race with athe latter, but it was nothing I could help, a weakness I couldn’t shake

Her fangs bit into me, hard, and I cried out at the brief flare of pain Then it faded, replaced by a wonderful, golden joy that spread through my body It was better than any of the tiined, since I’d never done it It was a blanket of pure, refined pleasure, wrapping ht in the world On and on it went The cheered an endorphin rush, and I lost track of the world, lost track of who I was

Then, regretfully, it was over It had taken less than aher hand across her lips as she studied me "You okay?"

"I¡­yeah" I lay back on the bed, dizzy from the blood loss "I just need to sleep it off I’reen eyes watched et you so to eat"

My protests caet out a sentence The buzz from her bite had lessened as soon as she broke the connection, but sooofy slanced up at Oscar, still sitting in the

"You don’t knohat you’re ," I told hi outside Hunkering down into a crouch, he puffed out his jet-black fur His tail started twitching

My smile faded, and I forced ht itself before trying to stand When I ain and this tih to stumble to theand peer out with Oscar He eyed me warily, scooted over a little, and then returned to whatever had held his attention

A warm breeze - unseasonably warm for a Portland fall - played with my hair as I leaned out The street was dark and relatively quiet It was three in the e campus settled down, at least somewhat The house in which we’d rented a rooht months sat on a residential street with old, ht flickered, nearly ready to burn out It still cast enough light for s In our own yard, I could see the silhouettes of trees and bushes

And a ure stood by a tree in the yard, about thirty feet ahere he could easily see through theHe was close enough that I probably could have thrown soh that he could have seen what Lissa and I had just done

The shadows covered hiht, I couldn’t ht He was tall Really tall He stood there for just a mo into the shadows cast by the trees on the far side of the yard I was pretty sure I saw someone else move nearby and join him before the blackness sed theures were, Oscar didn’t like therowing upset only when souy outside hadn’t done anything threatening to Oscar, but the cat had sensed soe

So similar to what he always sensed in hthe lovely bliss of Lissa’s bite Backing up from the , I jerked on a pair of jeans that I found on the floor, nearly falling over in the process Once they were on, I grabbedmy feet into the first shoes I saw, I headed out the door

Downstairs, I found her in the craerator One of our housemates, Jeremy, sat at the table, hand on his forehead as he stared sadly at a calculus book Lissa regarded me with surprise

"You shouldn’t be up"

"We have to go Now"

Her eyes widened, and then aclicked in "Are you¡­really? Are you sure?"

I nodded I couldn’t explain how I knew for sure I just did

Jere?"

An idea caet his car keys"

He looked back and forth between us "What are you - "