I shook my head, not wanting to meet her gaze. “Just you,” I admitted, only to be surprised when I suddenly smelt her scent become tainted with a new emotion. Guilt. I spoke with more empathy this time. “Hey,” I said softly, turning to look at her fully. She glanced at me, only to blush and avert her gaze. “Don’t feel guilty. If anything, it’s my fault. I didn’t have to stick around so long.”
“I’m glad you did,” she admitted quietly. “But…why did you?”
I shrugged in response, focusing on the fireplace. “I guess I was just worried about you. I didn’t want to leave you all alone after what happened. I knew you were scared…” My voice trailed off.
“I still am,” she admitted.
“Sorry.” I rested my forehead against my knees again, hiding my eyes. In response, I heard her lean toward me abruptly, causing me to flinch.
“N-No, not of you,” she exclaimed. She then pulled back when she realized she’d almost reached out to touch me. She lowered her voice as she continued. “You make me feel safe. I was glad your sister invited me to stay the night. I would have asked anyway.”
“Oh.” I looked back up at her, and for the first time she met my gaze for several long seconds before looking away, her face flushed. “You’re not afraid of me?” I wondered.
She shook her head. “I mean, you saved my life. And you live with your sister, so that means you’re safe, right?”
“If I wasn’t safe, do you really think I’d tell you?”
“Well, I guess maybe not,” she replied, only to fall silent before switching subjects slightly. “What all do you eat?” she asked.
I pursed my lips, wondering why she was inquiring about my diet a second time after she’d already asked my sister. “Same stuff as you? Although, I have to admit, I really like meat.”
“Oh, well, I mean…” She paused as her face turned even more red. “Do you, like, drink blood or anything?”
I just stared at her for a second, before laughing, trying to stop myself from being too loud.
“Why is that funny?” she asked seriously, completely baffled by my reaction.
“I’m not a vampire,” I replied, continuing to chuckle. “I don’t drink blood, and I wasn’t bitten. As far as I know, I was born this way.”
“Oh, sorry.” Her expression dropped. “I didn’t know.”
“Does that disappoint you?” I wondered seriously. “That I’m not dangerous?”
“N-No,” she stuttered. “I’m glad you’re safe. That’s actually preferable.”
“Wait.” Now I was confused. “Preferable? Are you saying it doesn’t matter to you if I’m safe or not?”
“No…” She suddenly looked away again, her cheeks turning even more red as she tried to explain herself. She then began to speak, only to stop abruptly, placing her hands over her face and remaining quiet for a few minutes before continuing. Finally, she worked up the courage to say what was on her mind. “I just…kind of like you. A lot.”
I was honestly shocked to hear her admit she liked me, prompting my spine and chest to instantly turn dark gray, but I tried to remain skeptical that her interest was sincere. “Because I saved you?” I assumed.
She shook her head with her hands still covering her face. “No, I thought that before…” She sucked in a deep breath. “When we first met…”
Still in disbelief, I scoffed. “But you don’t even know me.”
A part of me was already kicking myself in the ass for blurting that out, because I really kind of just wanted to take advantage of this situation. But the problem was that Gabriella knowing my secret meant she could betray me if things didn’t work out. Which thus meant, I couldn’t afford to start something with her when she was only interested because I’d saved her from something horrible.
Gabriella abruptly looked at me. “That’s not true,” she retorted, regarding her not knowing me. However, upon meeting my gaze, she hid her face a second time as she leaned away slightly. “I mean, okay, yes. You’re sort of right. But after we met briefly that first time, I asked your sister more about you — asked what you were like. Although I didn’t know you cooked or were adopted until just a little bit ago.” She took a deep breath. “But, assuming she was telling me the truth, then I do really like you, and…” She paused for another few seconds, her heart rate picking up again. “And…I can tell you like me too.”
“What?” I said in surprise. “How can you tell?”
“I mean…” she started, her pulse throbbing harder as she glanced at me. “Well, I mean…don’t you?” She seemed vulnerable again, like she was afraid of being rejected, wondering if she was misinterpreting my body language.
I supposed it was stupid of me to think that my attraction to her was anything but obvious. I took a deep breath, letting it out slowly, and then just decided to tell her the truth. “When we first met, I disappeared right away because I was really attracted to you. I almost transformed right in front of you both.”
“Oh!” she exclaimed. “I’m sorry!”
Instead of chastising her for apologizing again for something that really wasn’t her fault, I instead just put my forehead back down on my knees, unable to believe I’d really said it.
After I was silent for a few seconds, she continued. “Is that what’s happening right now? I’m making you…transform?”
Knowing that her eyes were on me, I simply nodded in response.
“Does it hurt?” she wondered.
I lifted my head again, surprised by the question. I was pretty confident the sides of my face were showing signs of graying, but she didn’t seem fazed by it. “No, actually it feels really good.”
“Then why hold back now?” she asked. “I think your sister is asleep.”
I shook my head. “No, she’s in bed, but still awake. Granted, she probably will be asleep really soon.”
“Oh!” Gabriella’s emerald eyes widened. “How do you know?”
I hesitated again, uncertain if I should really disclose all my secrets, especially since what I was capable of was kind of invasive to people’s privacy. “Well…” I began slowly. “My senses are a lot stronger than most people. That’s how I found you. I remembered what you smell like.”
She suddenly seemed concerned. “Do I smell okay?” she whispered.
“Yes,” I quickly agreed. “You smell amazing, actually. I’m pretty sure it’s because you’re a vegetarian.”
“That’s good,” she replied in relief. She then paused as she contemplated her next question. “So, do you know how far away I was when you, umm, found my scent?”
I nodded. “Probably about ten miles, more or less.”
Gabriella’s green eyes widened in surprise. “Ten miles? You can smell me from that far away?”
I nodded again, still feeling kind of hesitant to explain just how heightened my senses were, but realizing it probably couldn’t hurt at this point. “I can smell the lip balm on your lips,” I said, only to blush when I focused on them, quickly moving on. “As well as the container in your purse upstairs. I can smell the dinner I made in the fridge. I can smell the gasoline in my sister’s car outside. I can both hear and smell an owl that’s probably a little over a mile away. And if I concentrate really hard…” I closed my eyes, paying close attention to what my nose and ears were telling me before continuing. “I can smell someone smoking, parked in a running car off the side of the main road about five miles away. All from sitting right here.”