First Blood

“Of all the stupid plans!” Cassandra shouted as they stumbled across the parking lot. “You could have died! I told you to run!”

“And miss all the fun?” Joey laughed weakly before immediately wincing and clutching his leg. “Okay, wow… laughing was a mistake. Um… can I go to the hospital now?”

Cassandra appeared beside him instantly, crouching to inspect the wound in his thigh. Even in the dim parking lot lights, her expression tightened.

“This is deep,” she muttered.

Joey looked down at the blood soaking his ruined pant leg. “Yeah, I had kinda picked up on that.”

Without another word Cassandra dragged one sharp nail across her wrist. Dark crimson blood welled immediately. She pressed her wrist over the wound, letting several drops fall into it.

Joey hissed as heat spread through his leg.

The flesh began knitting together almost instantly.

“What the hell,” Joey breathed, watching the skin pull itself closed. “That is both awesome and deeply upsetting.”

“Welcome to my world,” Cassandra muttered.

Joey experimentally flexed his leg.

“…Okay that’s actually incredible.”

Then his expression shifted.

He looked up at her shoulder.

The silver wound was still smoking faintly.

Still open.

“Your turn,” Joey said quietly.

“It’s fine.”

“Cassandra.”

Her eyes flicked toward him.

Joey stepped behind her before she could protest and grabbed the silver blade lodged in her shoulder.

“Wait—”

He yanked hard.

The knife tore free with a wet sound.

Cassandra stiffened violently, one hand slamming against the car hard enough to dent the metal.

But she barely made a sound.

Joey stared at the

wound it wasn’t healing.

Blackened veins spiderwebbed around the injury while smoke curled lazily from the torn flesh.

“…You’re hurt,” Joey said quietly. “Really hurt.”

“I’ll survive,” Cassandra replied dismissively.

Joey frowned.

“That’s not what I asked.”

For a moment, Cassandra said nothing.

Then she looked away.

“…Silver poisoning,” she admitted reluctantly. “It slows healing. Weakens us.”

“Us?”

“Vampires.”

Joey glanced toward Silas’s corpse lying crumpled near the shattered restaurant window.

“…You said he was a vampire hunter.”

“He was.”

The way she said was made Joey glance back at the body uneasily.

“Is he… staying dead?”

Cassandra’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“…Hopefully.”

“That is the least comforting thing you could’ve said.”

Despite herself, Cassandra gave a weak laugh.

Then her knees buckled.

Joey caught her before she hit the ground.

For the first time since meeting her—

she felt fragile.

“Okay,” Joey said firmly. “We’re leaving.”

Cassandra looked up at him tiredly. “Joey—”

“Nope. No arguments.” He pointed toward Crystal **** in the backseat. “First we deal with her, then we get home, then you stop pretending you aren’t falling apart.”

Cassandra stared at him for a long moment.

Then unexpectedly—

she smiled.

“…That tone suits you.”

Joey blinked.

“…Was that flirting?”

“A little.”

“Cool. Great. Awesome. Let’s survive first.”

He climbed shakily into the driver’s seat while Cassandra slid into the passenger

[side.

As Joey started the car, Crystal groaned faintly in the back.

“Oh right,” Joey muttered. “Her.”

Cassandra turned slightly in her seat. Her red eyes softened.

“Sleep,” she said quietly.

The word seemed to settle over Crystal like a blanket.

Her body relaxed instantly.

“She’ll stay asleep until tomorrow afternoon,” Cassandra said. “And when she wakes up, tonight will feel… dreamlike. Confused around the edges.”

Joey stared at her.

“That’s terrifying.”

“It’s practical.”

“…Still terrifying.”

The drive back to Joey’s apartment was tense and quiet.

Every set of headlights made Joey’s stomach tighten.

Every shadow felt

[wrong.

By the time they finally got inside his apartment, Joey was running entirely on adrenaline.

The second the door shut behind them, Cassandra sagged against it heavily.

Joey turned immediately.

“Okay,” he said. “Sit down before you collapse dramatically and make me panic.”

“I do not collapse dramatically.”

“You literally slid down the door like a dying movie star.”

“That was dignified.”

Joey snorted despite himself and guided her toward the couch.

Up close, she looked worse.

Pale.

Sweating slightly.

The wounds from the silver hadn’t healed at all.

“You need blood,” Joey said quietly.

Cassandra’s jaw tightened.

“I’ll manage.”

“That sounds like a no.”

Her eyes flicked up toward him.

For once, there was no teasing in them.

Only restraint.

Dangerous restraint.

“Joey,” she said carefully, “silver wounds increase hunger.”

“Okay.”

“And I’m injured.”

“Still okay.”

“And you,” she continued softly, “smell very good right now.”

Joey swallowed.

“…Oh.”

For a moment neither of them moved.

The tension between them felt thick enough to **** on.

Then Cassandra looked away sharply.

“No,” she muttered. “You’ve lost enough blood already.”

Joey stepped closer instead.

“Cassandra.”

“No.”

“That wasn’t a suggestion.”

Her eyes snapped back to his immediately.

The room went still.

Joey’s pulse thundered in his ears, but somehow he kept talking.

“You took a knife for me,” he said quietly. “You fought that psycho for me. So for once, stop acting like you have to carry everything yourself.”

Cassandra stared at him.

Something **** flickered across her face.

“You don’t understand what you’re offering.”

“Then explain it to me later.”

Slowly, Joey sat beside her on the couch.

Then he tilted his head slightly, exposing his neck.

Cassandra inhaled sharply.

The look she gave him sent heat straight down Joey’s spine.

Dangerous.

Hungry.

But beneath all that—

careful.

Almost nervous.

“You’re sure?” she asked quietly.

Joey’s heart hammered in his chest.

“No,” he admitted honestly. “But I trust you.”

That hit her harder than any weapon Silas carried.

Cassandra moved slowly this time.

Giving him every chance to pull away.

When her hand touched his neck, Joey shivered hard.

Cold fingers.

Soft touch.

Then her lips brushed his skin.

Not biting.

Just there.

Teasing.

Testing.

Joey’s breathing hitched.

“Cassandra,” he said softly.

Her eyes lifted toward his.

And for the first time since meeting her

she looked uncertain.

Joey gently slid his fingers into her dark hair and held her there.

Not forceful.

But firm.

Grounding.

The tiny sound she made at that nearly destroyed his remaining brain function.

“Go ahead,” he whispered.

Her fangs pierced his neck.

Sharp.

Hot.

Joey gasped and grabbed her waist instinctively as a strange warmth spread through his

[body.

It should’ve hurt more.

Instead it felt—

intense.

Overwhelming.

Cassandra trembled against him as she drank carefully, one hand gripping his shirt tightly like she was afraid to lose control.

Joey could feel her wounds beginning to heal beneath his hands.

Slowly.

Piece by piece.

After several long moments Cassandra finally pulled back abruptly, breathing unevenly.

Her eyes glowed brilliantly red.

A faint smear of blood touched her lips.

And somehow she looked even more beautiful than before.

Joey stared at her.

“…Okay,” he said weakly. “That was incredibly hot and deeply concerning.”

Cassandra blinked once.

Then unexpectedly laughed.

A real laugh.

Soft and breathless.

“You absurd man,” she murmured.

But the way she looked at him afterward had changed completely.