Once Bitten, No Longer Shy by Julie Steimle (chrome ebook reader txt) 📕

asked, looking at his attire, which was still rather neat.

“Going home,” Troy said. Then he added, “Nicole and I… kind of broke up.”

“You and everybody,” Jandra muttered, looking out into the darkness.

Troy looked back once more and noticed the vampire was gone. He had a feeling the guy was now watching from a high place, metaphorically licking his wounds. And thinking on it, Troy realized he should report this attack to Matthew. He could be the vampire they were looking for. Troy dug out his cellphone to text him.

“Was that for real?” Jandra finally asked Troy. “What you showed me with Bobo. Was it real?”

In a painful nod, Troy said, “Yeah.”

She shook her head wearily, still dazed.

“Bobo likes you, but he does not want to hurt you,” he added.

“Well…” Jandra sighed. “It does explain why he never wanted to go past second base. He’s a great hugger, a magnificent kisser, and his hands are like…” She sighed heavily. “But he kept saying he had no family and that he was some cursed kid from New Orleans. And that crazy story he told…. I never would have believed it. I mean, I don’t get into that voodoo stuff.”

Troy nodded.

“Can I ask?” she said with hesitation. “Why is everybody from your private school a little creepy?”

He eyed her, feeling the darkness around him, still on watch for another vampire. He had not expected that question. With a shrug, he replied, “I can only answer that if you are willing to believe in more than what your eyes tell you.”

“You mean curses,” she said, her tone dry.

A car pulled up.

She checked the license plate number then climbed in and beckoned Troy in also. “It will take us to your place. Don’t worry. It’s on my way.”

He got in. Once settled, she continued the conversation. “Why does Bobo believe in curses?”

What could he say?

“It’s superstitious nonsense,” she said.

Troy leaned back in his seat, wondering how much he should say. He didn’t want to drag her into the supernatural world. It was a dangerous place, and it never left you alone once you are part of it—like with Art. He was, for the most part, an innocent bystander. And yet he was entrenched it whether he liked it or not. Same with Hanz. But at the same time, he didn’t want to see Bobo so lonely. He had been a sad guy as long has Troy had known him. And when he had first seen Bobo with Jandra, Bobo looked like he had been lit up with everlasting joy.

So Troy said, “Do you only believe in your five senses? You don’t really have any religious leanings?”

She shrugged. “My mom raised me Southern Baptist, even though I grew up in New York. I have cousins in Georgia.”

Troy nodded.

“But, I dunno. College makes you question things,” she said. “I’m not so sure now. Not about any of it. I mean really, faith moving mountains. That never happens. You can’t pray and just get things. There is too much suffering in the world besides.”

He nodded again. That sounded pretty typical. It was mostly what he had thought. And yet he had proof there was more.

“I grew up in New York too,” he said. “And I probably would be thinking the exact same as you, if it weren’t for how my life went.” He paused, thinking, realizing he almost sounded like Art. “But if I were to tell you my story, you would not believe it.”

She laughed. “Are you so sure? You are one weird guy. I mean, you look like a vampire.”

Troy laughed. With a shrug, he said, “That’s because I kind of am.”

She stared. It wasn’t doubt on her face. It was pure shock.

“It’s a long story, but again, I don’t think you will believe it,” he continued.

Her eyes widened.

Lowering his voice so the driver would not overhear, he said to her, “If I were able to tell you all the crazy things I knew about this world, you’d freak. Bobo’s story, to be honest, is the mild one. I’ve known dozens of cursed guys. My best friend is a prime example. He is currently married to a professed witch who has left her coven. You know her. Silvia. But anyway… his mother was a witch. His sister was a witch. They used to experiment on him when he was kid, before his dad grabbed him and ran away with him. I met him at that creepy school, and he known Bobo. And that guy who had attacked me on the street—the one you tazed—he was a vampire.”

She looked likely to wet her pants. She peered back to the road as if she would be able to see him. “You mean the guy thinks he is a vampire.”

Shrugging, Troy said as quietly as possible, “I’m sure he thinks it because he actually drinks the blood of people.”

“No way.”

Troy nodded. “Yeah. There actually are people out in the world that do that.”

“And he’s after yours?” she breathed out.

He shook his head. “No. They want me dead.”

Her body shook. Her eyes were nearly large as quarters, staring at him.

“I’ve known about vampires most of my life,” Troy said. “I have been running from them since I was a kid.”

She drew in a breath.

“You see, my dad and my mom both joined them. And they… bit me.” He showed her the scars, lowering his collar

Jandra peered at the bites in his neck then pulled back, her face taking on a green tinge, clearly nauseated.

“It’s not like the movies,” Troy explained. “Vampirism is a lifestyle. You don’t catch it. You choose it. And they don’t care about human life except as a source of food.”

“No way…”

“Now I am saying this because you need to know there is real evil in this world.”

“Human evil,” she protested. “This is story stuff. Fiction.”

Troy nodded. “Yeah. All the worst evil is of human origin. But that does not mean that curses don’t exist.”

She seemed to go an even sicker color in the dark. Her fingers trembled.

“Jandra, I am also saying this as Bobo’s friend. The world we—as in he and I—inhabit is extremely dangerous. He genuinely doesn’t want you to get hurt, which is why he told you about his past. He wouldn’t tell you otherwise.” Troy paused, thinking for a moment then he added, “So keep that tazer with you.”

He sat back in his seat. He looked out the window, hoping he hadn’t invited too much danger into her life. Hopefully she was sufficiently scared to stay away.

She stared at him in silence as the car steered along. But then she broke the silence with, “How is it, then, if vampirism is a choice, that you said you were kind of a vampire? Do you drink blood?”

He shook his head, sighing. “No. But they—meaning a group of vampires who call themselves the Order of Blood—did force their blood down my throat. And it changed me. I wasn’t actually this white before then. And my teeth—my canines—they were never this long.” He paused. Looking at her terrified expression, he dared to add, “I also no longer have a heartbeat.”  

Her eyes widened on him.

“Go ahead,” he said, lifting his arms. “Feel for my pulse. Put your ear to my chest and see if you can hear my heart.”

“That’s impossible.” But she kept her distance.

“A scientist would test it out and see if I am lying,” Troy said, goading her. She had to know. She had to find out. She could have ignored him on the street, but she didn’t. She was an inquisitive human being. A thinker. It was obvious.

And Jandra did inch in close. She gingerly put her ear against his chest, and listened. She heard nothing but his breathing.

“I should hold my breath,” he said. And he took in a big one.

She listened again. As she pressed her ear against his cold chest more, listening more intently, the only things she could hear was the rumble of the car engine and the muted sounds outside. No thump-thump.

She grabbed his wrist, pressing against it for a pulse. Then, impulsively, she put her fingers on his jugular and groped for some sign of life.

“If you hold up a mirror, I hardly have a reflection,” he added.

She pulled away, staring widely at him.

“The only reason I am not a full vampire is that I refuse to drink blood.”

“This is not possible,” she breathed out, her voice shaking.

He shook his head. “I wish it weren’t. But now you know.” He painfully chuckled. “You and your friends had the right instinct. I am creepy because I am a monster.”

“Does your girlfriend know?” Jandra asked, almost gasping.

“Sure,” Troy said then sighed. “She was a bite victim of another vampire. I met her at our bite victims’ group meeting.

“What?” This time she leaned forward.

He nodded. They were getting close to his home. “Biting victims’ group meeting. I was giving them advice on how to avoid vampires. I was pretty good at it before the Order of Blood finally caught up to me. My fault. I didn’t follow my own, very strict, rules. I was also there to pass along a temporary cure for the bite. The bite does not stop bleeding unless treated right, and I had been dealing with it since forever.

Jandra gaped, more amazed than scared.

“Bobo likes you,” Troy said again. “I have no doubts he wants to give you everything you ask for, but he just doesn’t want any harm to come to you. I heard a rumor that he initially joined your group to protect Audry from… I dunno, someone dangerous—on Rick Deacon’s request. He didn’t trust somebody in your group. But I believe Bobo stayed for you.”

The car pulled to the curb. Seeing he was home, Troy undid his seatbelt and got out. Jandra watched in silence, too stunned really. He said before closing the door, “Stay safe. And if you think it is necessary, stay away. And trust me, no one would believe anything I just told you anyway, so be careful who you confide in. The supernatural world likes to stay a secret for a reason.”

He shut the door and waved as the Uber drove off. Then he went up into the building.

Inside, Troy felt the weight of the day falling back on him as he walked to the elevator and rode up. The worst part was that when he got to his floor, the blues were blaring from the apartment, which he could hear long before he even opened the door. He knew the man inside was feeling down. And therefore it was unwise to talk about meeting Jandra.

He opened the door and went in.

“What? No girlfriend?” Bobo sat up from the couch when he heard the door. He was eating from a large bowl of macaroni and cheese. Apparently Bobo was in no mood to cook.

Troy shrugged, crossing the room to him, sure there would be no mac and cheese for him. He doubted the depressed man wanted to share. But he decided to tell Bobo the truth. “I went to surprise her at lunch during her work… and I discovered she was cheating on me.”

Bobo twisted his head around, closing one eye. Troy could see the question in his face. It was all over him, actually.

Irritation rose in Troy’s chest. It all flooded back to him as he stood there. What he saw that afternoon. How she lied. How Marcus paid her. How that creep was touching her. But Bobo’s current looks—which said he knew that Troy knew that Nicole was infamously loose and therefore it was obvious something like that would be going on—made Troy just snap in two.

“I knew what she was, ok? But she was prostituting herself! Not just cheating!” Troy punched the wall. To his surprise, his fist went deep into the cinderblock, making a huge hole. He pulled his hand out and stared at it. No scrapes. No bruises. He had no idea he was that strong.

“Woah!” Bobo popped onto his feet. “Calm down. If