Sweet Cravings (2 page)

As soon as the sensation had come, it was gone.

I felt nothing now. A chill settled on me, and I shivered. My neck throbbed. I coughed, and then reached my arms up to stretch but was blocked by something solid.
Where am I?
I touched around. I seemed to be inside a small space that was just narrow and wide enough for my body.

I breathed hard.

No. I can’t be in a coffin! Shit! Had I died? Had I died and been buried alive? If I was dead, then why was I alive now? Wait…How did I die? Am I really in a coffin? Shit. I’m so confused! So confused…Scared. I’m scared. I’m so scared!

I clawed at the ceiling of whatever I was in—banged it and punched it. And then, I started trembling and sobbing uncontrollably
. Please! Is there anyone out there? I’m so scared! Please!
I sucked in a long breath and screamed at the top of my lungs. Just screamed, just let all the noise escape, but I failed to form any words.

As I was screaming, the lid moved and a bright light pierced my eyes. I instantly ceased shrieking, my vocal cords mute from it all, and sat up. My vision was hazy and wriggled—if wriggled was the right word—and everything bled together in an optical mess. Then I noticed someone laughing and heard people talking.

“I didn’t know you put her in the coffin!” scolded the voice of a woman.

A male replied, “I never told you about it. I thought it would be funny—which it totally was—but I didn’t mean for her to be so
shocked
about it.”

“Who cares if you thought it was funny! The poor thing, look at her! She was
just
turned, and this is how you welcome her?”

The male paused. “I also did it to protect her from the sun and keep her warm and safe. Dari told me to keep her here until he figured things out over there. And there’s less of a chance of her being found if she’s here with us.”

I rubbed my eyes and took in a shaky breath. “Um…hi?”

They whipped their heads to the side to look at me. The woman was quite tan and could’ve been in her late twenties at the most. Her auburn hair was rather frizzy but settled on her shoulders; it accentuated her hazel eyes nicely. She was neither skinny nor overweight—very curvy, actually—and she was dressed in a rose-print blouse with quarter-inch sleeves and a red pleated skirt that ended just below her knees. She also seemed to have applied a little too much vibrant cherry lipstick, black eyeliner, and mascara. But who was I to judge?

The man wasn’t very tall. He was actually shorter than the woman by a few inches, so he was less than six feet. He had a pale complexion and straight ebony hair, which grew past his chin. He was thin, but I could see his six-pack poking through the tight black T-shirt he had on. He also wore skinny jeans and a black choker with a skull charm on the front. The most striking feature about him, though, was his eyes. They were a stunning, bright crimson with very long eyelashes. Was he wearing contacts? I’d have to ask.

They were both in their socks and seemed both glad, but perplexed, at my greeting.

It was the male who spoke first. “’Sup, sleeping beauty. How do ya feel?” He flashed a smile.

I wanted to either punch him or yell at the top of my lungs. Instead, I calmly answered, “Where the fuck am I? Oh, and I would’ve felt better if I hadn’t woken up in a goddamn coffin!”

He chuckled. “You’re in my apartment, and ya gotta admit, it was funny putting you in a coffin since you’re a vampire now.”

“Wha-what do you mean? Your apartment? Why am I in your apartment? Putting me in a coffin wasn’t funny! What are you talking about? Vampires? What the hell? Who are you?”

He knelt beside me and stared at my face, then looked at the woman. “Looks like we got a feisty one. Pretty, though. I don’t know why Dari chose her. He said he would never change anyone. Weird.”

“I’m just as clueless as you are,” the woman mumbled.

I snapped, “Look, we’re not
vampires
. This guy…he drugged me good last night, and I hallucinated and passed out. Now he’s taken me to his druggy pals! For Christ’s sake! What is wrong with people?”

The man turned to me again and grinned so I could see that his two canines—what I would call fangs on a dog or a cat. “See, I’m a vampire. You’re one too, now.”

“You can get your teeth sharpened at weird shops in L.A.”

He chuckled lightly. “Then can a store do this?” In a flash, both of his hands turned into monstrous black claws that were larger than a bear’s, and then returned to normal.

I was at a loss for words. This was too unreal. Was he going to tell me that Bigfoot and unicorns were real, too?

“I’m Sang.” He pointed to himself, and then to the woman. “That’s Lune.”

“Lily,” I muttered, rolling my eyes. “Why are your eyes red? Do you have contacts in,
Sang
?”

He rubbed the side of his head. “No, these are genuine. Lily, huh? That’s a cute name. Like the flower.”

I grumbled, “Thanks,” and steadied my hands on the sides of the coffin to lift myself up, but I became light-headed and weak. I was about to flop back down when Sang wrapped his arms around me and hauled me up against him.

“Hey, are you okay? You just slept for five days straight; you shouldn’t push yourself.”

Five days straight? I realized how tired I was, and instead of protesting to let me go, I let myself relax in his embrace, and as stupid and embarrassed as I was, closed my eyes.

“Lily, I’m gonna put you on my bed,” Sang said softly into my ear, and I was lifted bridal-style and set onto a pillowed surface.

The bed creaked and dipped, and I craned my neck to see Sang crawling next to me.

“What are you doing?”

“Trying to make you comfortable. Now, just relax and calm down.”

I had so many questions bubbling in my mind, but I was so weak and decided to ask them later. I squinted my eyes and surveyed myself from the neck down. I wasn’t in
my
clothes. I was dressed in a filmy white gown with belled sleeves and lace hems. It was pretty and fit me quite well, and I could only imagine how expensive it was.

“Where are my clothes?” I huffed, annoyed that these people had stripped me while I was unconscious and dressed me like a Barbie.

Lune came beside me and brushed the hair from my face. My forehead was damp with sweat. “They were covered in blood, so I went out and bought you this. They’re clean now, but I didn’t want to disturb your sleep. Sorry.”

“Oh, thanks.”

Suddenly I was gripped by a searing pain in my head and clutched at the sheets until my knuckles flushed white. My whole body was like a heavy block of lead, and my throat began to burn again, as if I’d eaten a hundred jalapeno peppers and then swallowed fire.

I thrashed out, and my jaw ached. My entire being was on fire, and I was being torn apart from the inside, my head crushed by an enormous, invisible pressure. Sang clambered on top of me, and I could see the panic on his face. I groaned and lashed at him to get off, but he let my nails rake across his cheek and beckoned for Lune to do something. She bent over my head and pinned my wrists to the bed while Sang straddled my legs with his. His face hovered inches from mine, and his deep black hair tumbled down around my head like a curtain.

My thoughts were incoherent and jumbled, and I growled like some starving beast as a riveting hunger strangled my mind, my body, and I bucked against their hold.

Sang uttered kindly, “Lily, listen to me. You’re being overtaken by the hunger. This is a sign of your finished transformation into a vampire. I know it hurts, and I know it’s uncomfortable, but please, bear with it. Look…I want you to drink my blood. Right here.” He patted the side of his neck. “I know it sounds revolting and disgusting, but from now on you need the blood of humans, former humans, or human-like creatures to survive. I know it’s not great sounding, but this is how you’ll live from now on.” He stopped. “And I’ll be here for you, just like I was for Lune right over there. Trust me. Now, extend your fangs, bite into my neck, and drink.”

He nodded to Lune, and she released my hands. I blindly pulled Sang closer to me, dug my fingers into his back, let my fangs extend, and clamped onto his neck with all the force I could muster. He shuddered and moaned but kept completely still as I sucked at his throat. I swallowed gulp after gulp of the tangy, coppery liquid, which was thick and smooth against my tongue and eased the burning inside me. I didn’t know how he could be so calm and collected in this peculiar moment. Was it painful? Did he feel nothing?

I didn’t want to stop and kept drawing at his blood as if I were a starving kitten, like I would die if I didn’t have more. I noticed his eyelashes flutter out of the corners of my eyes, and I buried deeper into him when he grabbed my shoulders and pushed away.

“No more.” He held up an index finger. “Now, I’m gonna have to find an extra meal tonight to make up for all the extra helpings you took.”

I felt guilty and shameful and just fucking
weird
as fuck. I just bit into some guy’s neck and drank his blood. What the hell?

Sang didn’t seem fazed at all, and he wiped my mouth with the back of his hand and licked it. “When you taste yourself it’s not nearly as good as others, like when you hear yourself speak on a recorder. Not what you expected.” He laughed.

I bowed my head in disgust and grumbled, “Are you—are you all right?”

“Oh, yeah, I’m fine! That was the best I’ve had in a long time, actually. You know that vampire bites are meant to be pleasurable? God, yours is fuckin-a-mazing! I almost lost myself there for a minute. It must be because you’re Darius’. Not bad for your first time. You did get a little carried away at the end, but that’s okay. I’ll have to show you mine tomorrow.” He winked.

Lune was shaking her head and frowning. “Sang, what should we do now? They probably already found out somehow. What’ll we do—” A series of knocks sounded on the door.

Sang’s eyes widened, and he earnestly whispered to me, “Shit, Lily! Get in the coffin! Quick!”

I hopped off the bed and lay down in the coffin. Lune slid the cover in place, and I heard footsteps go toward the door. The hinges creaked as it opened, and Sang welcomed the guest in a giddy voice, “Hey, Caen. What brings you here this lovely afternoon?”

Another man’s voice rumbled, “Sang, I’m here on the Court’s orders. There’s a human who was, not long ago, turned against her will. Do you know anything about it?”

I heard a shuffle of feet and Sang’s voice. “A new vamp? Nah, I have no idea. I’ve been imprisoning myself in my apartment for four days now trying to get a novel started.”

Someone inhaled deeply, as if disappointed. “What is that deli-overwhelming scent, then?” the new man asked.

Sang answered, “Oh that smell? Lune brought me back some really fresh blood an hour ago from a beautiful woman, and boy, is her blood sweet as sugar.”

The floor moaned and footsteps slowly creaked their way toward the coffin. I closed my eyes and kept very, very still.
Don’t screw this up, Lily! Whoever this is might be like that Darius guy and do something to you. You don’t wanna die again.

“Sang, it seems that the scent is coming from your coffin,” said the unfamiliar voice dryly.

“Oh, yeah! I put it in there to drink and lie down to relax in the morning.”

The other man hissed, “Well, Sang, Lune, you both better start taking care of this place. And Sang, the blood can become bad if you let it sit out of a freezer for a while.”

Sang sounded appreciative of the suggestion, maybe too much, perhaps to get the creep out of here. “Thanks so much for the advice.”

“I’ll be leaving now. If either of you hear of an unwillingly changed vampire, please contact me. Sang, you have my number?”

“Yeah! You have a wonderful day, Caen.”

The stranger’s voice was uplifting now, happy. “Thank you. I’ll try.” The door creaked open and slammed back into place.

I waited about five minutes before I tried to ask loudly, but not yell. “Hey, guys! Can you open this thing?”

“Shit!” Lune grumbled and quickly removed the top of the coffin. “That was close.”

“I was so fucking scared. I don’t know if I can keep going on like this.”

Sang laughed. “Oh, man, was that close or what? Lily, I could never have been as still as you were! I could smell your fear it was so stuffy!”

I grumbled, “Ha-ha. So funny.”

Lune bounced onto a faded blue couch and kicked her boots off. “Hey, Sang, would you please take Lily out shopping? Maybe in twenty minutes?”

“Sure.” He winked at her.

He suddenly came over and wrapped his arms around me so tightly I coughed. “Lily, although we’ve only known each other for an hour, and to me, a few days while you were asleep, I’m so happy that you’re here! This is gonna be so much fun!”

His cold breath seeped into the air between us, and I noticed how close he was. He was hugging me, and his face was very close to my neck—too close. I wriggled, uncomfortable, and he turned his head out of respect, as if he knew what I meant.

I faintly smiled. Sang was cute, yes. I was grateful for him and Lune to be the ones who were here for my odd…situation. But to me, they were still strangers, and I have to know someone before completely trusting them. I’d done that twice already, and I was
not
going to do it again! No way.

He brushed his nimble fingers through my hair, and I couldn’t help but picture him as a cat. A black cat. His fingertips swept along my ear as his hand retreated, and I quivered at the brief sensation of his cool skin. Yes, he was cold, as that monster was cold. Darius. That was the bastard’s name
. I’ll get him good the next time I see him.

Sang flopped onto a long couch parallel to the one Lune was on, and he gestured for me to sit there. I came over and sat on the cushion next to him. Somehow I craved company, and I was more secure with him than Lune, which was odd because he was a guy, and I was usually more at home with my own gender.

“So, Lily,” he began, “How old are you? What do you do? What do you like? What’s your full name? Do you like sweets? Do you like cars? Do you like cherry or vanilla more? Am I good-looking?”