In Cold Blood Read Free Page B

to the hotel – she prayed he didn’t know where she was staying. Somewhere in the night she heard the wail of a siren. Police or ambulance? It had taken a long time, if it were for the man she’d attacked.
    She shuddered, thinking of him taken away to hospital, telling them what had happened, seeing the disbelief or horror on the doctors’ faces. Would they believe him? What if they spoke to her stalker? Had he seen her do it? It wouldn’t take long to put the three cases together and realise he was telling the truth – especially now the first two had been on television.

Seven
    ‘Truth or dare?’
    Ivan slammed down a tiny, chipped beaker in front of Ava. Thick red liquid slopped up the inside.
    She was back in his trailer, unable to keep away. The rickety table rocked and the lamp flickered. Ava laughed and hooked a strand of hair behind her ear. She felt safe here, with Ivan. She could put the horror and guilt of last night out of her mind.
    ‘Truth,’ she said.
    ‘Do you have a boyfriend?’
    ‘Not any more,’ Ava said.
    ‘What happened?’
    ‘Not fair – that’s a second question.’ Ava looked down, twisted her fingers together. Nathan’s face floated into her mind and she shook her head to get rid of it. ‘My turn. Truth or dare?’
    ‘Truth.’
    ‘Are you really a vampire?’
    Ivan downed the drink and sloshed more into the glass from a jug.
    ‘Trade secret. Now you – truth or dare?’
    ‘Dare.’
    ‘Bite me. Let’s see if you could do my trade.’
    ‘I can’t. I’ll do anything else – but not bite.’
    ‘No – only biting will do. Drink, then.’
    Ava knocked back the drink.
    ‘It’s blood,’ she gasped. Her whole body thrilled to it. It took all her will power not to grab the jug and down it all.
    Ivan laughed. ‘Of course. But you did it!’
    Ava refilled the glass. She closed her eyes in pleasure and Ivan raised an eyebrow.
    ‘Strange girl,’ he said. ‘Dare.’
    Ava’s mind was full of the blood. She couldn’tthink of anything – least of all a dare.
    ‘Handstand.’
    ‘What? That’s tame! What’s got into you?’
    ‘I can’t think of anything I want you to do.’
    ‘What, not anything?’ He stroked her face, then leaned in to kiss her. He tasted good. Ava put a hand on the back of his head and drew him towards her as soon as he started to pull away.
    ‘Wow. Have we finished this game?’ he said at last.
    ‘Nope. You haven’t done the handstand.’
    Ivan stood up, bowed, then did a handstand on one hand. He held it for thirty seconds, jumped upright, and bowed again. Ava clapped.
    ‘I live in a circus, remember,’ he said. ‘It’s as if Idared you to breathe. One more round. You – truth or dare?’ Ava hoped he wouldn’t dare her to breathe.
    ‘Truth.’
    Ivan slammed the drink down in front of her.
    ‘Why won’t you bite me?’
    ‘Because I’m a vampire,’ she said.
    ‘No way? Me too. So that’s OK, you can bite me.’
    ‘No, seriously. You wouldn’t answer my question. You wouldn’t say if you really are. And I am,’ Ava said.
    ‘Prove it. Bite me.’
    ‘No.’
    ‘I want you to,’ he said.
    ‘I know. But that’s not enough.’
    He leaned over and kissed her again.
    ‘What if I bit you?’ he whispered.
    They kissed, long and hungrily. He hooked her long blonde hair behind her ear to bare her neck and traced his tongue along a blue vein. Then he pushed the sweater from her shoulder. The skin glowed pale gold and smooth in the dim light of the lamp.
    Ivan kissed her shoulder, played his tongue over it until he found the warm, plump top of her arm and then, ever so slowly at first, sank his pointed fangs into the flesh. Ava gasped with excitement and alarm, and Ivan sucked long and hard. When he raised his head she looked into his eyes, expecting to see passion. But she saw only fear.
    She looked down at her shoulder. Two holes marked the place he had bitten. Two slightly pinkishholes. They both looked at the holes and waited. It