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

another vampire being around—though both seemed pretty scary.
    Lysander pulled into the parking garage of the Stratosphere tower and drove up to the top floor. He found an open parking space near the elevators, along the wall, giving us an unobstructed view of the bustling street below.
    Anxiety set my nerves on high alert. I knew there was no way out of this. I was going to have to hunt. A knot formed in my throat. I tried to gulp it down and put on a brave face.
     “Alyssa, I know this is hard for you, but you can and you must do this tonight.”
    I sucked in a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves. I’m not ready for this.
    Lysander must have sensed my anxiety. He patted my leg in a comforting gesture, and softened the commanding tone in his voice. “I want to make this as easy as possible for you. Just listen and do what I tell you.”
    I can’t do this, I can’t do this .
    I nodded.
    “There are a few points you can easily drink from. The best places are where the blood flows freely. The faster you drink, the easier it will be on you and your victim.”
    I don’t want to do this. I can’t drink blood. I can’t kill . I tried to gulp down my anxiety.
    He leaned his head to one side, showing me his bare neck, and pointed out a thin blue line under his pale skin.
    “You see the vein here? The neck is one of the easiest points to drink from.”
    I nodded again, not wanting to speak.
    He held his wrist out to me. I saw similar blue lines, boldly running down his pale arm.
    “The wrist is also an easy target. Choose one of these to feed from.”
    “O-okay.” How can he expect me to do this? I silently prayed. I desperately wanted to avoid this. I don’t want to kill.
    “We each have to find our way to cope with how we obtain our food,” Lysander said.
    “Uh-huh.” I tried again to gulp back my anxiety. Easy for you to say.
    “Do you remember how you felt when those men attacked you?”
    The mention of the men who attacked me sent my blood boiling. It was because of them that I was this thing. If they had never attacked me, I wouldn’t have to do this— hunt a human for their blood.
    The attack was still fresh in my mind. Anger flared inside of me, as images of being kicked in the stomach and whipped with a belt flashed before my eyes.
    “Yes,” I growled. “I remember.”
    “Good. You’re angry. I can see it. Use that feeling, Alyssa. Use your anger. Do you want others to suffer the same injustice as you were subjected to? Do you want another person to have the same fate as you?”
    “No. No one should have to go through that,” I said coldly. My mind was torn now between anxiety and anger.
    “Good. Then use that to justify your hunting. I want you to seek out those that would do harm to others. Use yourself as bait. Attract them to you so they cannot hurt anyone else. Use your immortality to bring them to justice.”
    Images of my attackers, those two horrible men, flashed before me again, and the anger inside of me cried out for vengeance. The monstrous voice in my head begged for blood.
    Lysander smiled at me, as if he understood the battle going on inside my head: the anger and rage, mixed with fear.
    “It is time,” he whispered, leaning in close so our eyes met. “You can do this.” He had such strength in his eyes; I felt I could do anything he asked, as long as I was looking into them.
    Lysander exited the car. I did the same. The warm night air greeted me as I opened the door. I followed behind him, heading for the elevators.
    My stomach knotted with anxiety and anger. I was soon going to find out what I was really capable of.
    We remained quiet in the elevator down to the casino floor. When the doors parted, sounds of slot machines, coins dropping, mindless chatter, and an endless sea of people overwhelmed me; but it was the intoxicating aroma that stopped me dead in my tracks.
    I was knocked back against the wall by the perfumes of hundreds of people. The mix of smells was almost