IM01 - Carpe Noctem by Katie Salidas Read Free Book Online Page B

time, I doubted Lysander would be accommodating. I’d have to hunt and most likely kill for my dinner.
    It was the thirst that woke me, but in personal protest I refused to get out of bed. I tried to fill my mind with anything to prevent me from thinking of blood.
    Staring at the popcorn ceiling above, I focused on the sounds of the house. Lysander had al-ready gotten up and left the room. I heard him moving around the house. At one point the shower turned on, and then after a short while, stopped. I heard a TV playing in what I assumed was the living room. Sounds of laughter and applause suggested to me he had some kind of a game show on. The ringing of a telephone caught my attention, but I couldn’t make out what was being said when Lysander answered it.
    Refusing to give in to the mounting need, I remained in bed. Dehydration crept across my skin, making it dry and itchy as it had been the night before. My stomach ached with emptiness, and my mind started playing tricks on me—reminding me of the pleasure I had experienced, the quenching feeling as the blood pooled in my stomach and diffused through my body. I wanted to ignore it. I knew what was needed to make it stop.
    Could I convince Lysander to let me drink from him once more? Maybe if I pleaded my case, I could go one more night without having to choose between my life or that of another.
    It seemed like hours had gone by. Time always moves slowly when you anticipate something. The aching beast that was my hunger was as relentless as it had been the previous night. Dehydrated and thirsty, I knew it would only be a matter of time before I had to do something.
    Just as I was ready to give in and get out of bed, I heard a door close with a slam. A car engine roared to life outside, and then the sound trailed away.
    Did he just leave me here, all alone?
    I listened quietly. The only sound in the house came from the television. Curiosity got the better of me. I needed to see if Lysander really had left. I got up and walked out to the living room to confirm my suspicions.
    I was right; Lysander was gone.
    Why did he leave?
    I wandered through the empty, cavernous living room. No sign or note was left out to tell me where he had gone. Only the ominous shadows created by the TV’s light stirred in the loneliness.
    Thirst nagged at me. Again, a sickeningly sweet taste clung to the back of my throat. A wave of dizziness rolled through me, weakening my knees. I braced myself against the wall for support until the disorientation left me. I needed to do something about this unrelenting need. I went into the kitchen, praying I might find something my body would accept as food.
    As with the rest of the house, the kitchen was bare, lacking any sign of human use. No appliances, no gadgets, no utensils of any kind; just empty, wide-open counter space in a bland, white and stainless steel kitchen.
    I held out a small hope that there might be something to eat in the fridge, but to my great disappointment, it was empty. Not even a cold breeze escaped from it when I opened it. I doubted it had ever been plugged in.
    “This is ridiculous. C’mon, I just want something to eat,” I whined aloud.
    I was glad Lysander wasn’t around to see my frustration. I remembered him telling me that it was only blood that keeps a vampire going. Vampires had no need for food. I doubted he would have given me much sympathy after last night’s feeding. He had seemed aggravated that I couldn’t even drink from him without assistance.
    I clutched my aching stomach.
    I need blood. I need Lysander to come back. He can’t be gone long. He wouldn’t leave me like this.
    Walking out of the kitchen, I headed to the bathroom, deciding a shower might help snap me out of this feeling, or at least distract me for a little while. I hoped by the time I was done, Lysander would be back, and maybe willing to help me stop this painful ache.
    The warm water of the shower had a soothing effect on my body,