IM02 - Hunters & Prey by Katie Salidas Page A

to a whisper. “I kind of broke a rule by coming here.”
    “What do you mean?”
    “I’m not supposed to tell anyone about what I am.”
    “Well, technically you didn’t. I figured it out.” She sat up tall in her seat, as if showing off how smart she felt.
    “You’d never have known if I hadn’t shown up.”
    “I see your point.” She reached to her pack of smokes, grabbed one, and lit it. “So showing off is a no-no then?”
    “Yeah.”
    “Gotcha. But, since I already know about you, can you tell me more?
    The damage is already done. “I guess there’s no harm in chatting. Let’s just keep our voices low. Okay?”
    “Yeah. So what else can you tell me? Oooh, weaknesses. Let’s say I needed to kill you.”
    “Right.” I laughed. “With that line of questioning, you think I’m going to tell you?”
    “I was just joking. C’mon, I could never kill my best friend.” She arched an eyebrow at me. “Just like she could never kill me, right?”
    “I already told you, I’m not going to hurt you.”
    “Just checking. So what is it? Garlic, stakes through the heart, holy water?”
    “None of the above.”
    “None? What the hell, you’re just invincible?”
    “Hardly. Those things aren’t going to hurt me though. Stake through the heart might be really painful, but I doubt it would kill me. We regenerate really fast.”
    The fearful look crept back across her face.
    “So what does kill you?”
    I lowered my voice to a barely audible murmur. “Fire and dismemberment.”
    She cringed. “Well … at least there is something.”
    “Happy now?”
    “For the moment.”
    Another awkward pause left us both fidgeting in our seats. I wished I were strong enough to read her mind. It would make this so much easier. I could sense her lingering fear rising back to the surface. I knew she wanted to know more, but the details we had yet to discuss were the ones that would scare her.
    She nibbled at her thumbnail. “So, what about blood?”
    “Do you really want these details?”
    She took a deep breath and sighed. “Yeah, I think I have to know.”
    I groaned. “Before I answer this question, you have to know, I only do what I need to do to survive.” Please don’t make me give details.
    “How often do you… drink?”
    “Right now, every other night.”
    “Can you eat real food?”
    “No.” The answer came out faster than I wanted it to. My heart beat like a drum roll as I awaited the inevitable. Here comes the bad question.
    “When did you last… have a drink?”
    Not the one I expected; maybe she won’t go into detail. Now, do I tell her I just fed, or do I tell her it’s been a while? What will she be able to accept?
    “I drank earlier this evening. I’m not thirsty, if that’s what you’re getting at.”
    She gave me a weak smile. “And how exactly do you get your bl… drinks?”
    Crap, that’s the one I was dreading. “Look, I’ve got plenty of sources all over the city. I told you, I have to drink it to survive.”
    “Hey, this isn’t like choosing to be a vegan or something,” she snapped at me. “You’re drinking blood.”
    “Keep it down. I don’t want the whole café hearing this.”
    “Fine. I’m just trying to figure out if I can accept this.” Fallon’s disgust was starting to show again.
    Maybe if I keep her arguing with me, I can avoid the finer points of obtaining blood.
    “Yeah, I get it, you’re shocked. How do you think I felt? It’s not like I had a choice in the matter.” I shot her a cold stare. “I was dying. Cut me a little slack.”
    “Well this isn’t easy for me either. I just found out my best friend is a blood sucking vampire.”
    A few people around us stopped their conversation and looked back giving me an odd look.
    “Fallon, why did you have to ruin my secret?” I tried to fill my voice with sarcastic laughter. “Now what will I be for Halloween this year?” Thankfully with all the Goths frequenting this place, talk of vampires