“Why are you asking?” he asks me inquisitively.
I decide to be honest. “Curiosity, and the fact that I can’t seem to keep my damn mouth shut.”
His lips tug up to a miniscule smile. “You really want me to tell you how it feels to sink my teeth into another person’s neck?” I start to apologize because I think he’s upset, when he leans forward. “How it feels to suck hot blood out of someone’s vein?” I swallow hard at the animalistic look in his eyes as he dips his head toward my face. “How it feels to hold someone in my arms, knowing I can do anything to them?” His voice purrs across my skin. He puts a hand on each side of me, slants his body and moves closer. “You really want to know, Gemma?” He breathes on my neck and I choke.
“I don’t… I don’t…” I trail off as his lips brush against my skin and my eyelids shut on their own accord.
“What if I told you it was terrible?” he whispers against my neck. “Would you run?”
“I don’t know…” I begin to fall backwards on the stool and grab ahold of the edge of the counter.
“What if I told you it felt mind-numbingly good?” He kisses my neck and my shoulder shudders into him. “Would you let me bite you?”
My mind has melted into wax and air has gotten trapped in my lungs. “Would you bite me, if I said yes?”
“What do you think?” His lips part and I feel his teeth nick my skin. I don’t move because I want to know. I want to stay right here.
As I’m entirely letting go to my curiosity and my body’s need for an answer, his tongue slides out and he licks me like a dog. My eyes snap open as he pulls away and there’s a huge smile on his face.
“I would never bite you, sweetheart,” he says with humor in his eyes. “You’re too innocent and pure and that makes for a bad addiction.” When I pout, he touches his finger to my bottom lip. “And besides, I’d never be able to forgive myself if I bit you.” I let my lip return to its rightful place as he gets up from the stool and makes his way to the window. “And I’m not a fan of feeding. I’ve only done it a few times and it makes me feel guilty afterwards.” He draws back the curtain and lets the sunlight inside. “So, what do you want to do next—”
The window explodes, sending shards of glass through the air, like deadly raindrops. Laylen ducks down as a wave of ice rushes through the broken window and curves down to the floor. It slithers towards my feet and spirals up and attaches to the ceiling, forming thick beams.
“Laylen!” I jump from the stool and it topples over. “Are you okay?”
As I round the corner of the island, he stands up. My brain barely registers his movements as he races over to me at an inhuman speed and grabs my hand. The next thing I know, we’re racing down the hallway and the ice is chasing us.
“What the hell was that?” I pant as I force my legs to take longer strides.
“Death Walkers.” He veers us to the right as one of the rooms’ doors blows from the hinges and flies towards our heads. The rest of the doors follow and he hunkers down, pulling me down with him. He shields my head with his arm and glances up and down the hall. “I have no idea how they fucking found us.”
Ice crawls across the floor, along the ceilings and glazes the walls. Snow whirls in the air as the house begins to crack down the center of the floor. It’s petrifyingly cold and I have flashbacks to the night in the woods, being chased, watching the Death Walkers take out the cabin with their ice.
My heart hammers in my chest as I tuck my head into his shoulder. “What do we do?”
His chin brushes the top of my head as he turns his head from left to right. “Come on. Follow me. And keep your head down.”
He moves his body away from mine and keeps his head low as he gets down on his hands and knees, crawling toward the front door. I follow; the ice on the floor burns against my palms and the wintery cold air crisps my eyelashes. Beams are forming in bulks, creating a jail cell with no way out.
I continue to follow Laylen, sliding from left to right out of the beams, but fog starts to seep through the open doors and windows, filling up the entire house. Before I know it, I can’t see a damn thing.
“Laylen?” I cough against the plunging temperature in the air. “Laylen, where are you?” He doesn’t answer. “Laylen, please.”
The dead silence is terrifying, but I try not to panic. I crawl on my hands and knees until I find my way into a room that’s clear from the murky fog. I jump to my feet and remove the knife from my back pocket; noting the blue tint of my skin and the tremble and tightness of my frozen limbs. The fog is getting to me and I need to move fast before I get hypothermia.
“What the hell should I do?” There are no windows in the room, just a few empty shelves and a door. I quickly run over to it, but it comes crashing down and flies straight at my head. I drop to the floor, flat on my stomach, and the blade of the knife grazes my hand and slices my palm open. With my uninjured hand, I begin to push myself up when something steps up in front of my face. Black fabric circles its feet and ice cracks out from under it.
I kneel up and tip my chin up to the Death Walker standing in front of me. It’s sickening to look at up close; dry peeling skin and blood oozing from the visible muscles. Its eyes are hidden underneath the hood, but the glow is blinding.
I skitter backward on my knees, poising the knife out in front of me. Without warning, it charges, sending ice dispersing from the walls and ceiling. The shards are as sharp as glass and each piece that hits me rips at my skin. I manage to swing the knife at the monster, knowing it won’t kill it, but hoping it will wound it. I only slice the fabric of its cloak, though, and seem to piss it off. I dodge to the side and try to get my feet steady beneath me, but it floats over my head and lands behind me. I whirl and aim the knife at it again, but I’m way off goal and I stab at the air.
My feet slip against the slick floor as I try to spin back around to run, but it grabs ahold of my arm and lifts me up until my legs are dangling below me. I open my mouth to scream, but a dense cloud puffs from its fleshless lips. Cold air enters my throat and steals the sound away.