Blood Kisses, Amber Marshall-Nichols [summer reading list txt] 📗

us vampires to fantasise about blood, the adrenaline pumping through a human’s veins, the blood that flooded the cheeks and lips of Josh’s...

“Hey, is this your mum?” Josh pulled me out of my hungry daze and was holding the photo frame that stood not so long ago on my bedside table. Josh was prodding a finger at a long dark haired woman, with fair skin, (well not compared to mine,) a heart shaped face with structured features, cherry lips, and a beautiful smile across her innocent face, as she cradled a baby in her arms.
“No, that’s her,” I said instinctively, referring to the pixie styled blond who had an even fairer complexion, a rounder face and colourless lips. This blond had her arms around the dark haired woman as she held hands with her child- in the other woman’s arms, and laughed at the photographer. I pointed at her and Josh squinted at the picture in hand.
“Oh,” he set the picture down on the floor then turned to face me; crossing his legs as he did so. “She looks a lot like you,” He commented.
“Yeah, people often say that. She was my mum’s best friend in high school, they were practically...” I trailed off. Thoughts had continuously crossed my head whenever I looked at the image of that woman, a woman I knew my mother devoted a life to, who would have promised to look after a child for if she were to die for some reason. A woman whose face too much resembled mine, her eyes to similar a colour, too close a match for mine own. If my eyes did not shine exceptionally more bright, my skin look like snow against her olive tone, my teeth sprout fangs where hers did not, I would too believe that woman could be my mother.
“What?” Josh asked placing a hand on my shoulder.
“Nothing, she was just a close friend of my mothers, died shortly after that image was taken,”
“Ah, so the blond one’s your mother?”
“Yes,” I smiled “She’s off her lid. Crazy I’m telling you,”
“Like you then?” he grinned. “Lying on the floor having a laughing fit,” he reminded me when a puzzled expression flashed my face.
“Yeah, I guess I am like her then, she’s also much organised. Like me. Has a lot of will power, and she’s good hearted. I guess I’m more like her than I thought,” I frowned. How could I ever doubt this was where I belonged? “Silly, Anya,” I murmured.
“I’ll be the judge of that,” Josh said.
“Of what?” I was lost.
“Your good heart,” he laughed and placed a hand above my breast to feel my heart beat. Of course, it took me a moment to realise he’d hear nothing. I grabbed his hand and snatched it away.
“That’s weird,” his eyebrows ruffled on his forehead. “I couldn’t feel anything, not a pulse, nothing. Are you sure we got to YouTube on time?” he grinned and the mood was suddenly light once more.
“Yeah I think you just about saved me, besides; you didn’t mention something everyone else does,”
“What?”
“Well normally I’m accused of being freezing and giving people frost bite,”
“Oh well yeah, you were cold, but I’m cold too.”
“You are?”
“I feel it, give us your hand,” I held out a clammy palm and he took it, placing it over his heart. I could feel the ‘DUH DUM’ noise ring in my ears and tingle against my fingertips. I licked my lips then pulled my hand away before it was too late. Even without the moon making life difficult, it was never a good idea to risk even a feeling or desire.
“You’re not cold,” I said. “You felt a little warm to me,”
“Oh, well I feel freezing,” he actually shivered and colour faded from his face.
“It’s like 30 degrees outside, how are you cold? You sure you aren’t ill?”
“No, I’m not ill. This has been happening a lot lately; especially just before a full moon. Spooky! I get cold shivers and lumps in my throat. You know when the next moon is?” Something got caught in my throat as I realised how off guard I’d been. What if it was tonight, or tomorrow? I’d have to pack, get ready to leave. Surely mum would tell me? Though I hadn’t seen her for day...
“Anya? You okay?”
“Oh yeah I’m fine, what’s the date?”
“18th June,” Josh said.
“Yes well the last full moon was on the 29th” I closed my eyes. I would remember that date for the rest of my life. After all, it was the day an innocent citizen was killed; from loss of blood.
“So the next should be in a few days?” Josh asked.
“Yeah, 26th July, a few days,” my voice was low and rough and I didn’t know if Josh heard me until he spoke again.
“Well that explains me feeling like this. I mum reckons it’s something to do with me inheriting my grandmother’s gifts. Though her ‘gifts’ are bullshit, though I guess it could superstition related seeing as it happens around every full moon. I mean that’s just weird,” he was babbling so I only caught few words, I was also very distant now, running the night of the last full moon over and over in my head. The demon I became that night of the full moon would remember everything about the kill, how good it felt, tasted, why it chose this victim, how it attacked- everything. Where, I, Anya only remembered the withering pain and pleading eyes that the boy sought as I finished him. What made it worse was whenever I went near his family, I had to cope with the fact that their dreams would be filled with misery and fear, and that I knew I’d have to watch them.
“Anya, what do you think?” Josh said anxiously. God knows how long I’d been spaced out for. I tried to acquire myself and controlled my voice easily. It was an easy skill for my kind, to manipulate and lie to people.
“I think you’re grandmother is very gifted, she’s helped many people round here. Saved lives with her visions and she’s never wrong. I’ve seen her myself and she’s a good friend, tax payer, psychic and I’m sure she’ll be a good grandmother too,” I stood up just as the doorbell rang.
“Did she have a vision of the doorbell ringing at this time? Otherwise that’s freaky.”
“No,” I pursed my lips. “I wonder who that is,” Josh shrugged. I wandered down the spiral staircase as the impatient visitor continued to hammer his fists on my door and ring the buzzer. I swung open the door to reveal a very drunk, very rough looking Toby.
“What are you doing here?” I growled. He smiled and took a swig of his beer, throwing the bottle into the drive behind him, where it smashed, and spluttering green flakes of glass everywhere. “And isn’t three o’clock a little early to get wasted?”
“Is everything okay down there?” Josh called from my room. Toby’s ears prickled up to the sound of another male’s voice. He glared at me and brushed past, storming up the stairs to kick ten shits out of whoever was in his girl’s room. He kicked open the door- unnecessarily, and charged inside. Josh was sitting on the floor innocently shuffling through pile of CDs and nodded at Toby’s ghastly entrance.
“Oh,” Toby sounded relieved. “It’s only map boy,”
“Thanks,” Josh grumbled.
“Now Anya, if you’d just step outside,” Josh dropped a CD and rose to his feet.
“I don’t think so mate,”
“Why’s that pretty boy?” Toby slurred, tripping over his own feet. Josh snickered at the ridiculous question, though I defended Toby not him.
“Don’t go making accusations Josh, I’ve seen him in much worse states, and I can take care of myself” I hissed.
“But he’s completed hammered!” Josh argued. “And angry by the looks of it, you had a fight earlier right? Look at his eyes annual, what if he’s on dope or something?”
“I don’t do drugs kid,” he lied, snarling at Josh who had now made his way over to stand beside me.
“Look I’ll only be gone a second, Toby and I just need to sort some things out, and if his drunkenness doesn’t deliver a good enough apology, then more fool him,”
“You’re not going anywhere with him,” said one,
“Come on baby,” Said the other,
“Don’t tell me what to do!” I screamed, and both shut up. “Now come on Toby, let’s sort this out. Quickly” I followed my best friend outside and shut the door behind me, placing my hands firmly on my hips before I turned to face Toby.
“Now then, what do you want?”
“Well...” he swayed on his feet. “I just wanted to say sorry baby, I didn’t mean any of that stuff I said. I love you Anya. I love you!”
“Bull Shit!”
“Did you just seriously swear at me?”
“Yes Toby. Bull Shit! You are drunk and delirious, and probably don’t even understand the definition of love. Because you and I certainly aren’t partners of IT! Now come out with a better apology, or leave!”
“Anya don’t say that. You know I’m sorry, and you know I know the meaning of love, and you know that meaning, for me, is defined as you!”
“Oh cut the crap, what are you on this time Toby? Crack, Weed, E? It’s nothing worse is it? Tell me you’re not in deep shit?”
“I’m not on anything like that,” he said quietly.
“Oh something more natural then, like mushrooms?” I yelled stomping my foot like a four year old.
“I didn’t say that Anya. Look I’m sorting myself out, for you. For US!”
“I repeat, BULL! Do you even care about me?”
“Of course, I love you,”
“You’re a liar Toby. I stand by what I said; all you want is to get a vampire in to bed. Now I love you, but until you start being honest, I’d like you to get lost and don’t come back,”
“You don’t mean that,” Toby whispered, stepping towards me, arms outstretched. I turned my back on him but he caught my wrist, and for some strange reason, I let him turn me around. What happened after that was all very quick and remained as a blur in my memory. Toby had leaned in to kiss me just as Josh burst through the door, throwing a punch directly at Toby. Toby dodged it and swerved left smashing in to the wall where he hit his head. He rubbed the sore there then roared...
“Out-side twerp, NOW!”
“Gladly, I’ll race ya” Josh winked at Toby then catered down the stairs and out in to the street. It should’ve been an even fight. Had I not tried to stop it. Toby favoured in being good with pain; experience from me, and sheer size, where Josh favoured in pure skill and Toby’s drunkenness. However I couldn’t let them fight, so I got in the middle of the two lions of the discovery channel, and stopped them making a show for the neighbours, then out did them both.
I stepped in-between their circling bodies, palms out stretched and resting on each of their chests. Toby gulped knowing what was to come, where Josh struggled against my firm hold yelling ‘Let me at him’ over and over. Then I thrust- Outwards; with just enough strength to hurl both of them several feet into the air in opposite directions. They both slammed down on to the pavement screaming like little girls, and responded in different ways. Josh rolled on the floor groaning and massaging his back side- literally. Where Toby attempted