IM02 - Hunters & Prey by Katie Salidas

her coffee.
    “So, what you’re telling me is vampires are real and you’re one of them?”
    “Let’s just try not to focus on that fact for right now, okay? I’m still Alyssa. No matter what has happened to me, I’m still your friend. Please… accept this.”
    She let out a loud sigh and fumbled with her cup. After a silent moment. she nodded and looked up at me. “I guess an undead friend is better than no friend at all.” She set the coffee cup on the table.
    “I’m not dead, or undead, whatever you want to call it.” I held out my wrist. “Go on, check my pulse. My heart still beats.”
    Fallon recoiled again.
    I groaned. “I’m not going to hurt you.”
    She hesitated for a second before reaching out to place her fingers on my wrist. “You’re so cold.”
    “Poor circulation. Can you feel it?”
    Her fingers rested over the blue vein pulsing slowly on my wrist. After a moment, a small smile spread across her lips. “I do feel it. But I thought…”
    I shook my head. “Not all the myths are true.”
    “So are you… you know…” Her voice lowered and a spark of excitement glinted in her eyes. “Immortal?”
    I giggled at how silly she sounded. “Yeah.”
    “Don’t do that.” She winced and leaned back in her chair.
    “What?”
    “Your smile, it’s creepy. Just looking at those teeth.” She made an exaggerated shivering motion. “How do you even talk with those things?”
    I ran my tongue across my teeth. Fallon shuddered again.
    “Will you stop that?”
    “I guess I don’t notice them anymore. Are they really that obvious?”
    “When you smile they are. Just don’t smile at me, okay?”
    I bit back a laugh so she wouldn’t have to see my fangs again. At least she was beginning to calm down about everything.
    “So if I hadn’t ditched you that night, you wouldn’t be this…thing, huh?” There was a hint of sadness in her voice.
    “Well, I wouldn’t call myself a thing, but yeah, I probably wouldn’t. Not that I blame you.”
    She fidgeted in her chair, grabbed her coffee cup, and rolled it back and forth between her hands. I awaited more questions.
    “What’s it like?”
    “Uh, well…” Not prepared for that one. “Not much different from regular life. Diet kind of sucks, and I won’t be getting a tan anytime soon, but it has its perks.”
    She cocked her head to the side. “So you can’t go out in the daylight?”
    “Nah.” I frowned. “I tend to sunburn easily.”
    Her eyes darted around the room. I could tell she was avoiding looking directly at me. “Yeah, guess that’s a downer.”
    “Wasn’t much of a morning person anyway, so I don’t miss it too much.”
    “So, what are the perks?” She seemed to be reaching to keep the conversation light.
    “Well, my sire, Lysander. That’s the guy who turned me. He is pretty hot.”
    “Oh?”
    “Yeah, we’re kind of a thing now.”
    She giggled. “Go on, describe.”
    I breathed a sigh of relief, feeling the anxiety was finally leaving her. She was right back to the old Fallon again. Girl talk trumped blood sucking any day, and I could sense she was okay with me, at least for the moment.
    “Imagine the statue of David coming to life: tall, dark messy hair, perfect muscles, and gorgeous eyes.”
    She giggled again. “Oooh. Where can I find one?”
    A sudden thought struck me. What if she wanted to be turned? I hoped that wasn’t where the conversation was heading. “They aren’t all hot guys.” I shrugged, trying to look casual. “I just got lucky, I guess.”
    “I’d say. So any other perks?”
    “You know, the usual,” I said, flippantly waving my hand in the air. “Strength, speed, ability to leap tall buildings in a single bound… Oh, wait, that’s Superman.” I winked.
    “Lyssa, stop playing.”
    “Okay, the strength and speed part are true.”
    “Really? Show me!”
    “Not here. That’s the thing.” I leaned in closer to her, and thankfully she didn’t back away. I dropped my voice