Chapter 62 - An Emergency Meal

If I hadn't been panicking before, I was now. My fight-or-flight instinct kicked in again, choosing 'flight' without hesitation, but I couldn't leave JJ here. Nor, I knew, could I drag him with me. I didn't do any exercise—my hands were like noodles. Now I regretted never lifting anything heavier than antique knickknacks.

I reached towards JJ and, after a momentary pause where I fought with my queasiness and the fear of hurting JJ even more, shook his healthier shoulder. To my relief and delight, I saw JJ's eyelashes flutter in response. A slight groan left his lips, but he didn't move.

"JJ, can you get up?" I asked frantically. "The police are going to get there soon. We need to get out!"

I couldn't hear the siren anymore, which meant that the police was already outside, probably deciding if they should burst in or approach with care. The count was going on minutes.

JJ's eye half-opened, but he didn't seem to in the condition to focus it anywhere, nor did he respond to me. He was just fine a moment ago. This looked to me like a moment in fiction where a hero forces himself to fight until the victory through fatigue and wounds with the sheer force of will, only to drop dead after the danger disappears. So stupid! Why wouldn't JJ keep himself up just for long enough for us to ditch this place?

I leaned closer to him as my mind searched for solutions. I just needed to get JJ up and running, and then he would be able to glamour and hypnotise his way of any legal trouble we can get into. But I need to do it before someone comes in, notices his fangs and starts telling tales about a very weird corpse.

An idea struck me just when I was at my wits' end, sure that the police will bang in at any moment. Something that both vampire fiction (not a good source of information) and my own magical vision and common sense told me (now that sounded more trustworthy).

Blood. Vampires lived on blood and life appropriated from others, and JJ was low on that at the moment. If I got him some, it might rejuvenate him.

Except, the only donor around was me. I swallowed. From what I've heard, sharper tools leave wounds that hurt less, and JJ's fangs (the only sharp tool I saw around) looked pretty sharp. I didn't dare to ask for details, but I assumed he could do something to replace whatever pain there was with a feeling of euphoric bliss, but what if it didn't work on witches? Did JJ ever test it?

And the bliss sounded just as scary as pain. What if I became addicted to the feeling? Not that it mattered now, because JJ wasn't in a state to do anything. But what if?..

I shook my head, chasing all thoughts out of my mind. I approached the deed like I would jump into a chilly river. No thinking, no hesitation—just doing. I concentrated on keeping this state of mind as I hurriedly pulled up the sleeve of my shirt. Blue veins run under my light skin, easily visible to an eye. Then I forcefully pushed JJ from his side to his back. He let out a grunt of pain that made me wince, but I kept going.

I forced his mouth open. He didn't help me, but neither did he resist. It was like moving around a doll. JJ's fangs, pearl-white and needle-sharp, were clearly visible between his open lips.

There I hesitated again, my concentration wavering.

The sound of voices from the outside made me freeze like a spooked rabbit. All my hesitation disappeared, like it was never there. I put my wrist in JJ's mouth, my juicy veins to his fangs, and pressed.

The pain caused me to hiss, but it was nothing, because in the same moment I saw JJ's eye flew wide open. It was rich, deep red, and focused on me with a force of intent that made me suck in a breath. Then JJ blinked languidly, a gesture that I interpreted as one of gratitude, closed his lips over my skin, and sucked.

At first, the only thing I could feel was the sharp throbbing of an open wound and a sucking sensation of my blood being pulled out of my body. It reminded me of taking blood tests. Except doctors didn't syphon as much of it from me.

A few seconds later the throbbing of pain vanished, and I tensed, expecting some other mindfuckery to follow. But no. JJ didn't need to use his magic to make me feel all sorts of things.

The lack of pain opened my mind to other sensations. The feel of JJ's lips on my skin, the movement of his teeth and tongue, the sucking that now sent shivers down my arm, shivers that were completely inappropriate, giving the situation. I think I'd blush if I had any blood for it to spare.

When my head began to feel dizzy, a sudden bout of fear flew through me. What if JJ wouldn't stop before he sucks me dry? The fear made me pull on my hand, but JJ's hand caught my wrist in an iron grip before I could do more than twitch.

The panic descended on me, but before I could do something stupid, JJ pulled his fangs out of my hand and let me go entirely. I clutched my wrist as I looked at his face. His lone eye was still red, and his burns were still horrible, and his wounds were still all there, but that he moved was a good sign already.

"You almost hurt yourself, Diana," JJ said with a slight, crooked smile. "My fangs would've torn your wrist."

My eye glanced at the fang peeking through his burnt lip, and I mentally berated myself for being afraid that JJ would harm me like that. In retrospect, I could vividly imagine the chunk of meat he'd tore out of me if I kept pulling.

I heard the door of the restaurant open and shook my head, trying to chase the dizziness and out-of-place thoughts away, but only succeeding with the latter.

"JJ, the police are just outside," I whispered to him, "We have to get out!"