Page 54 of Thirst

“You bitch!” he bellows, and I see him draw back like he's ready to hit me with a closed fist. I turn to look for security again, but then I hear gasps. When I turn back around, Amari is in the booth, and he has the customer by the throat.

How did he get here that fast?

Fear mixes with astonishment as I watch Amari squeeze this man’s throat so hard his entire face reddens in seconds, and it doesn't take a doctor in the building to know that if this goes on too long, he's going to die. The kid tries to fight back, flailing his arms wildly, his fist tapping Amari in the face, but it has no effect whatsoever. Amari takes each blow like it’s nothing, and I watch in absolute awe as veins emerge from his skin like zombies from the ground. They start in his neck, then more pop out from his cheeks and hands as he lifts the kid off the ground like he weighs no more than a few ounces.

“What the …?” one of the kid’s friends yells as he runs into the booth to help his friend. “Let him go, asshole. Let him—”

In a flash, Amari uses his free hand to push the helper out of the booth. He goes flying backward, hitting his group of friends so hard they all fall down together like bowling pins. Chairs fly up in the air, the legs splintering and shooting wood chips up like confetti before smashing back to the ground. It’s strength that can't possibly be real, but Amari still holds the kid in the air above his head as if he's weightless, veins popping out of his face and neck as he snarls at the kid, the gold in his gold grill shimmering in the strobe lights.

“Amari,” I say aloud as the entire club watches in horror. Even security has stopped running toward us to gawk at the kid being held in the air. “Amari, stop. You have to stop.”

His gaze is the most menacing I have ever seen, and when he turns to look at me, there's no mistaking it now. His eyes are blood red, and the veins in his face are writhing like live caterpillars. I'm terrified of him, and it suddenly dawns on me that I've seen him like this before. I've seen these veins and this hue in his eyes, but I can't place it. I don't remember when it happened, so I just stare at him, truly shocked by the scene.

Amari sees the fear in my eyes, and I watch him realize what he is doing. His eyes begin to dart around the room, seeing that everyone is watching him hold a man in the air with one hand. He glances at me again, then closes his eyes … and everything stops.

The music mutes, the people stop moving, the lights above us stop flickering, and even Von is frozen in the middle of a run. The entire world has paused … everyone except Amari and I.

“What is this?” I whisper, looking around and marveling at the bartender pointing at us, her arm outstretched, her mouth agape. I turn to Amari with tears in my eyes, completely overwhelmed with awe. “How is this happening? Is this you? Are you doing this?”

Amari faces me, and my mind is blown as he removes his hand from the neck of the man he was lifting, and the man stays suspended in the air as if gravity no longer exists. My mouth drops open as I stare, and the veins covering Amari’s neck, face, and hands gradually shrink in size before retreating back beneath his skin. His eyes remain dark red when he takes a step toward me, and I fall back into the seat, my mind totally blown.

“Don't be afraid,” he says. “This is going to be confusing, and we’re gonna have a lot to talk about. When you're ready. Until then, I’ll wait for you.”

I shake my head back and forth, unable to come up with any words, and before a single sound can escape my mouth, everything rushes back to normal. The man in the air falls to the floor with a loud thud as his friends scramble to get back to their feet. The bartender withdraws her hand and is suddenly struck with confusion as she realizes she isn't pointing to anything … because Amari is gone.

Somehow, just as the world awoke, he completely vanished, leaving nothing but confusion in his wake. Everyone is wondering what just happened, but none more than me as the truth finally settles in my chest. But denial makes my brain ache as I cover my face with both hands. This can’t be real? I must be losing my mind. Either that, or the culmination of everything I know about Amari has led me to the most unbelievable truth. I shake my head, trying to get the truth out of my mind but it just keeps repeating until I finally accept it.

Amari is a vampire.

Thirty-Two

“You look incredible tonight.”

I step into the darkness, twinkling stars peering between scattered clouds above us. Amari is there, standing in the white light of the moon, wearing a blood red suit. He smiles, and I see his gold grill sparkling like it’s made of magic. He looks so good it hurts, and as I inch closer, I know that I've never wanted anyone more.

“Thank you,” I reply, smelling his fragrance the closer I get to him.

“Come stand with me,” he demands.

He extends his hand for me, and his nails are longer than ever. Each of them is at least an inch and a half, and they’re filed to points, making them look more like claws. Yet, I take his hand as if everything is normal.

“I've been waiting for you, Aaliyah,” he says, pulling me close. We stand chest to chest as his arms slither around my waist. “For far too long, I've been waiting. Now that I've found you, I can't give you up.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means that I want you. Forever.”

“Good. I want forever. You can give it to me, can't you?”

He nods slightly, his eyes solely focused on me. “Of course I can. All you have to do is ask. Request it, and I can give you everything you've ever wanted. You would be my first. And my last.”

“You've never done this before?” I ask.

“No. I've bitten others, but I've never done … this. I’ve always refused to do to others what she did to me. So, if you want it, you must request it.”

I nod as my body suddenly begins to warm even though the night is chilly. A breeze sweeps through, pushing my hair over my shoulder and exposing my neck. Instinctively, I lean my head to the side, offering it to him.

“I want it,” I tell him. “Make me like you.”