After Dark (The Vampire Next Door Book 2) Read Free Page B

it? If she stayed long enough, then he could do what she lacked the courage to do for herself.
    She shivered internally at the thought of it and forced herself to weakly continue searching about the house.
    The bathroom seemed normal. It was clean, unlike her own. In the cabinet behind the mirror— did he use a mirror? —There were just the usual common items.
    Despite what she saw in the refrigerator he seemed almost human. But that didn’t really matter to her.
    At the end of the hallway was a closed door. Could it be locked? She hesitated, but after a few minutes she tried it. It was unlocked and she opened it carefully. She searched the wall for a light switch.
    What she saw next caused her to gasp in shock.
    It was him.
    Not in a coffin surrounded by candles, but flat on an ordinary bed. She watched for signs of movement. None. He did not even seem to be breathing.
    Lifeless.
    The way she wanted to be.
    Yes. He appeared to be wonderfully lifeless. Flesh nearly as pale as the white sheets under him, motionless like Death itself. Beautiful, cold and painless death.
    She thought about it.
    Would she wake him?
    Or wait?
    If she woke him now he would be angry, and the end might not be the easy painless death she longed for.
    She would wait until nightfall, and hope it would just come easy.
     
    She fell asleep on the couch after another hour of searching about the house and finding very little out of the ordinary. And she awakened into darkness. She had slept through the day. Yet she did not feel rested; she never felt rested.
    “Hey.”
    “Wha— ?”
    “Not every night I wake up and find a pretty girl on my couch.”
    “What?” She sat up quickly.
    “Like, are you here for a reason? Or did you just party too damn hard and get yourself spaced out and totally damn lost? If you did, that’s okay. ’Cause the vast majority of people are mostly lost anyway.”
    “Oh.” She sighed nervously. “Yes, I’m here for a reason. Please, it’s awfully dark. Can I see you? Can I just have a light on, please?” Apparently he could see her quite well without any light.
    He agreed and snapped on a feeble small lamp. “Now. Can I know what’s going on?”
    She looked at him and found him almost attractive. No, she corrected herself, not almost. He was attractive—dangerously so. His hair was slightly wet from the shower; he wore a black T-shirt and faded jeans. His feet were bare. She almost wanted to just say nothing and keep looking at him, but she had to finish what she came for. “I just thought we could be of help to one another.” She wondered if her attraction would make it easier.
    “What do you mean? Look, just tell me what you want, okay?” He grew impatient.
    “Well, I suppose I figured out who you are, and, well, I just thought—”
    “Yeah? So what’s the damn point? Look, okay, maybe you’re one of those New Age types who says she can heal all the world with a mere thought, right? Because if you are, I don’t give a damn. I’m just fine the way I am, and—”
    A tear streamed steadily down her face.
    “You okay?”
    “You don’t understand. I’m here because I need your help. I’m tired of living. I want to end it all. And I’m too much of a coward to do it myself. I’ve tried. Oh God, I have tried. But I can’t!” she sobbed.
    He came closer. “What are you saying?”
    “I’m saying you can have me, take me, kill me, as long as it won’t hurt. I just want to end it.” She finally let go, broke down and cried miserably.
    “There’s something you don’t understand.” He spoke more softly. “Slaughterhouses. We get it from slaughterhouses. It’s from animals. It’s not always fresh, but…. Damn it. I can’t kill you.” He almost laughed, but stopped himself. “I can’t.”
    “Why not? I’m here. I’ll let you. I want to die.”
    “Because it’s wrong. That’s why. It’s just not ethical.”
    “Well,” she sniffed, trying to breathe between sobs. “What does that