Blood to Spare

Truth Bomb

Vanessa

It wasn't that Byron was dark, more had a dark shadow lurking over him. Vanessa sensed he was indeed himself but hugging him felt like hugging a corpse and that was what disturbed her. She could see Rylie eying him but being a good friend at the same time and keeping to the agreement that Byron was off limits. Of course, it didn't stop her from openly gawking.

“It's really good to see you Little V…" Byron said with tenderness in his voice that Vanessa hadn't heard since the night their parents died. She tried to respond with 'It's good to see you too' but all that formed in her throat was a lump that pushed tears out her eyes. So many questions. So many words to have with him. And yet all that escaped her was those damn tears and a throaty gasp between them.

She could feel how much it hurt him to see her this way. But he did abandon her when she needed him the most. She was the only one that got to be upset right now. “Byron…"

“I know you have a lot of questions. I promise none of why I dropped off the face of the earth is what you think."

“You went to New York!" she shouted. “You didn't have to go, but you did! You did because you couldn't be there! You couldn't even be there for me!"

The entire crowd of baggage claimers stared at them. And Rylie, being the loud-mouth, ready to defend her loved ones to the death, stepped up and hollered, “Mind your business folks! Nothing to see here!"

It was Rylie's voice that reeled Vanessa in and realized she had the attention of an entire crowd. Easily one of her worst nightmares. “Let's just go, please." Her voice trembled.

Byron walked with them out to the parking lot. The air was misty with fog, and it caused Byron to rush to the car as if it made him anxious. Vanessa reached out and ran her fingers through the fog. It seemed unnaturally thick, and it swirled through her fingers as if it wanted to hold onto her. What a strange feeling to have in around fog.

It was normal to feel anxious when fog is out. The unsettling feeling of anything being in the presence of something and having no idea what it is gave Vanessa mixed feelings. Fog just sits there, but she felt as if this strange mist was watching her in some way. It didn't cause any feelings of uneasiness, but it was odd that fog could watch someone.

“Did it rain tonight?" she asked Byron as they loaded up the black 68 Camaro.

“It might have while I was inside." He answered casually as he opened the door for the girls.

Byron started the car and made his way through the parking garage. As they neared the exit, the fog had suddenly lifted and when Vanessa looked out the window, her eyes met a tall, dark, and handsome man. His gaze rose a slight flutter in her chest. She turned to get a better look as they drove past, but he was gone. The rest of the ride was silent until Byron announced they were close to their destination.

“I won't sugar coat it V, I have something to tell you, and Rylie, with all due respect, I will need to talk to my sister alone. You're welcome to anything and everything in my place."

“She knows you and I need to talk." Vanessa grumbled.

“I do, and it's okay. Thank you, Byron. You two take as long as you need. This is New York, I can entertain myself." Rylie mused.

Byron pulled into an underground parking lot and escorted the girls and their luggage into a building. The sound above indicated they were underneath some sort of night club. For a moment she worried about the damn noise, but once they walked through an automatic door to a corridor it stopped. Thank. God.

“You live under a night club?" Rylie asked with an attempt to hide some enthusiasm.

“A bunch of us do." Byron flashed a charming smile.

“A bunch of you?" Vanessa asked.

“The owner of the club rents condos down here. He made sure the ceilings were sound-proof because the party goes on all night."

“Sounds exciting." Rylie's eyes lit up like the lady tent in her leggings.

“It sounds noisy and obnoxious." Vanessa scowled.

“Well Little V, I hope you won't hate it too much when I take you and Rylie for a party up there tomorrow night."

“A party?" Vanessa felt the sense of dread fill her already. Being an introvert meant she was easily drained if too many people were around. Some days just being around Rylie was draining and she required a couple hours to recover.

“Don't worry, it's going to be a classy setting. You'll have to wear a nice dress to attend."

“Sounds like a shopping trip is in order in the morning, V!" Rylie clapped her hands.

Byron chuckled and pulled out his keys to unlock his condo. He turned on the lights to reveal a bachelor pad setting. With a black tufted couch and two recliners, a small kitchen off to the right, and a 72' television screen. The hard wood flooring was a beautiful grey oak with a black rug and grey oak coffee table. He showed Rylie to his guest rooms and Vanessa let her pick one. Byron led Vanessa to the kitchen which looked…rarely used. There wasn't even any signs of takeout.

“And what do you do for a living to afford a place like this?" Vanessa asked.

Byron looked her in the eyes, “I'm just going to come out and say it." He blew out a breath, “Vanessa, the reason I didn't come back, wasn't because I just decided to. I was turned into a vampire."