Read Thirst for Free Online Page A

think of a better
word.
    Peter snorted
derisively. I ignored him.
    Eddie nodded with
understanding. “That you have. He’s threaded very tightly to you.
So you want to cut the threads, is that it?”
    “Yeah, or
whatever. I just want him gone, before... I want him to leave me
alone, okay?”
    Eddie stared at
me, and I felt another odd sensation roll over me. I tried not to
react, but it was so invasive I couldn’t stop myself from taking a
step back to try and shrug it off. As soon as it stopped, I felt
something cold brush against my hands, like something else was
there with us. Eddie nodded finally, as if deciding
something.
    “I’m going to
take a break now. Would you three care to join me for some
coffee?”
    He put a sign up
on the door but didn’t bother locking it. Eddie escorted us into a
small backroom with a makeshift kitchen then brewed some coffee. I
couldn’t help glancing at Peter with concern. Eddie wasn’t at all
what I had expected. Peter shook his head slightly, so I looked
away. I knew I disgusted him, but a little camaraderie would have
been nice.
    Nerves got the
better of me. Back in the shop, I had been able to count books if I
got jumpy. The backroom was so sparse that I needed to count
heartbeats again. It was that sort of thing which got me into
trouble in the first place.
    Eddie sat down at
last, having placed cups in front of us all. Both Peter and Eddie
stared at me like I was supposed to do something. I glanced at
Carl, but his eyes were closing, apparently taking my instructions
to take care of his needs literally. I sipped the coffee to give
myself something to do as an uncomfortable silence draped over us.
The coffee was surprisingly good. Eddie noted my appreciation with
some satisfaction.
    “Enjoying
it?”
    “Yes, it’s
delicious. I thought it was instant.” I realised Peter’s mouth had
dropped open, and I frowned at him in confusion.
    “What?”
    He shook his
head. “You really like it?”
    “Uh, yeah. Don’t
you?”
    He frowned at
Eddie. “What the hell is she?”
    Eddie gave a low
chuckle. Fury burned up inside me, drowning out the
panic.
    “What’s in this?
Poison?” I slammed my hands on the table, livid at the idea and
disgusted with myself for being so naive.
    Carl stood up
abruptly, startling everyone. He glared at Eddie who signalled
toward him and made a low noise. Carl fell back down, his anger
forgotten. Still hot with fear and rage, I got to my feet instead.
Ready for a confrontation, ready to fight my way out.
    “It’s alright, child. It isn’t poison, but
it is magic. It won’t harm you, don’t
worry. I just had to make sure your intentions were purer than
Peter suspected.”
    I sat in my
chair, my concern for Carl the only thing stopping me from lashing
out. I was sick of being tested. They couldn’t just help Carl and
let me go on my merry way. Everything had to involve
suspicion.
    “I’m sorry,”
Eddie said, his voice soft and velvety. An unexpectedly sudden bout
of drowsiness caused my eyes to flutter and almost stay closed. I
struggled to clear my thoughts through the haze. I sat up straight
and forced myself to be more aware, trusting Eddie less and
less.
    “I’ll help you,
Ava. I see exactly who you are now. I see it all. The only problem
is, the vampires see it all, too. Their seer is a pain at the best
of times.” He waved his arm vaguely in the air.
    “Seer?” I had no
clue what he was talking about.
    “Aye. I’m sorry,
Ava, but your problems just got a lot bigger. They know you’re
coming.”
    “How could you
possibly know that?” I asked, mystified.
    I took note of
the furtive glances exchanged between Eddie and Peter.
    “I have eyes
everywhere, so I know for certain they’ll be waiting. Or worse,
they’ll come looking.”
    “Looking for me?
Why? What did I do?”
    “Not what you
did. It’s what you are, pet.” His words were kind, but I couldn’t
allow myself to soften for a second. I couldn’t let the