Eyes wide with terror, I watched the clearish shape move. It appeared that she raised her arm to her mouth. I heard the sickening squish of teeth entering flesh as she bit into her own wrist. It was followed by the popping sound of tendons tearing.
She leaned toward me again, but stopped with her arm hovering over my face. I felt one drop of cool fluid splatter against my cheek beside my mouth. I turned my face away and squeezed my lips shut as tightly as they would go.
I expected her to force me, but she didn’t. She was perfectly motionless for a few seconds before I felt her tense and then spring from the bed. I heard the soft sounds of her dashing across the carpet toward the window and scurrying through it.
Her escape was nearly silent as she scampered across the yard. When those soft sounds faded, there was nothing. I sat up in the bed and rose to my knees. The silence lasted for only a few seconds before I heard more movement, heavier movement. Despite my fear and shock and the fire that burned where she bit me, a familiar tugging in my gut told me that the source of the sounds this time was Bo.
I listened intently, waiting for his approach, my body already begging for him to come closer. I heard his steps stop for an instant before they rushed off.
My heart sank. I’d thought he was coming to me, but it sounded like he had changed his mind.
When I heard his retreat stop, my anticipation rose once more. There was a pause, as if he was hesitating, maybe taking a moment to decide what to do. Then, much to my pleasure, I heard his footfalls as he hurried back toward the house. With my pulse pounding in my ears, I almost missed the nearly-silent sounds of him coming through my window.
The wind carried Bo’s heady scent to my nose first. As I inhaled, I felt a calm steal over me, a peace, a comfort that only Bo’s presence could bring. I could have cried with relief.
He padded quietly to the bed.
“Where?” he asked sharply.
At first I was confused, the intensity of his nearness so poignant I was nearly stupefied.
“Wh- what? Where’s what?” I asked blankly.
“Where did she bite you?”
My mind was still reeling, a bizarre disorientation muddying my thoughts.
“I- I don’t know…”
“Ridley,” Bo snapped, taking me by the shoulders. He shook me lightly.
“Think! Where did she bite you?”
Though my head was abuzz, Bo’s grip on my shoulder reminded me that the area was painful.
“My left shoulder,” I managed sluggishly.
Quickly, Bo came around and knelt behind me, pushing me forward. I felt his chilly fingers at my back and goose flesh raced across my skin. Despite everything else, my ni**les tightened in response to his touch.
“Ridley, focus,” he spat, the “s” making that familiar hissing sound. “Stay still. I have to suck the venom out before it spreads, before it’s too late.”
At that moment, I didn’t care what Bo did to me. I felt oddly detached from my mind, and my body was virtually numb but for the feel of his big hands on me, his cool breath fanning my naked skin and the intense burning at my shoulder.
Once again, he gripped my arms, and then I felt the piercing nip of his teeth.
It wasn’t nearly as painful as the female’s bite had been. Whether because of my desire for Bo or simply his tenderness, I couldn’t be sure, but it was much less unpleasant when he did it.
Only the sounds of Bo’s sucking broke the silence. After several minutes, my mind began to clear and the discomfort receded, giving way to a strange tingling sensation.
The night air, flowing unchecked through the window, had cooled my room.
As Bo drank, the increasing heat of his body scorched the chilly skin of my back.
Besides his rising body temperature, I could feel other changes in him, too, changes that made my heart dance and my stomach flutter. The way Bo held me, the way his lips moved across my skin, I knew that he was no longer entirely focused on the venom. He was tasting my blood in his mouth, feeling my body against his.
Little by little, Bo’s fingers loosened their grip on my arms and his thumbs began to move, drawing small circles on my skin. I felt the silky whisper of his tongue as it licked at the flesh of my back.
Bo’s desire was on the rise. It was like a tangible presence in the room with us. When he shifted closer to my back, pressing his chest against me and bending his body over mine, a wave of heat gushed through my body. I could feel every hard inch of him rubbing against my back side.
The knock at my door jarred me back to reality. The heat of Bo at my back was gone just as my bedroom door opened.
Mom didn’t even open the door enough for me to see her face; she cracked it just enough to ask, “Ridley, are you alright?”
My wits were slow to return, as was normal breathing. I couldn’t hide my breathlessness, so I used it to my advantage.
“I’m fine. I woke up scared. Just a nightmare. Go back to sleep,” I encouraged, resisting the urge to go and slam the door shut in her face so Bo and I could pick up where we left off.
“Okay. G’night,” she said, yawning and pulling the door shut.
I rushed to the window, hoping Bo hadn’t gone, but he had. There was no sign of him, but for the lingering scent of him in my hair and the tingle of the skin at my shoulder.
********
Throughout the next day, I wracked my brain trying to figure out why the scent of my attacker seemed familiar. I knew I’d smelled it before, but I just couldn’t identify it. It was like that elusive word stuck on the tip of your tongue. It’s there, but you just can’t get to it. I’d thought about her on and off all day, my attacker. I was still bothered by it, yes, but it was more an effort to keep my mind off Bo. I wanted desperately to see him, actually see him, to recommit his handsome face to memory. But deep down, I knew he wouldn’t make an appearance. Not in public. Not today, not ever. He couldn’t. There would be too many questions, too many inconsistencies. No, Bo would never be able to show his face in Harker again.
Acid roiled in the pit of my stomach just thinking about it, so I purposely steered my mind into more soothing waters. At least I could still feel him; that always made things seem better.
Once or twice, I’d sensed his presence. I knew he was…somewhere, somewhere close, but I never did catch even a tiny glimpse of his shimmer. The one time I’d actually seen him in his translucent state, I’d seen the way the light bent around his invisible form. It had been like looking at the trees through the heat waves that roll off of hot pavement. I found myself continually watching for that distortion, any visual confirmation that he was out there. Somewhere.