Madison scrambled to pick up the knife before either man could pick it up again. She grabbed it and stepped away quickly looking at the blade, shocked by all the blood dripping down the blade.

“Now, you were telling us about a bet?” Ephraim prompted. If his hand hurt it didn’t show. He stalked forward as David retreated.

“It was stupid. She came into the bookstore a month ago and the guys and I took a bet who could nail her.” He held up his hands. “I didn’t know it would take this long! I didn’t mean to keep up this act this long. I swear it was just a bet!”

Ephraim shot a quick look back at Madison. She was crying. Ephraim fought for control as his teeth descended. “Your eyes…what’s wrong with your eyes?” David asked nervously. Ephraim turned his head before Madison could see.

“Madison, please leave,” he said in a soothing voice.

“No.” Her voice broke.

“Madison, now!” he roared. He couldn’t control it any longer. He ran his tongue over his fangs, trying to send them back, but they refused to go. His hands shook with rage and the need to tear this bastard apart.

Madison took a deep breath. She couldn’t leave, she just couldn’t. “No, I’m staying.”

“Damn it, Madison, leave now!”

“No!”

Ephraim opened his eyes and turned back to look at David. “Oh my God! What the hell is this?” He grabbed a chair and flung it at Ephraim and ran for the door.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Ephraim demanded as he moved in front of David, cutting him off. David stumbled back against the table. His entire body began to shake.

“Please, I’m so sorry…so sorry…I’ll never do anything like this again I swear!” He sobbed uncontrollably.

Ephraim grabbed David’s shirt with one hand, raising him off the ground until David was looking down at him. His arms and legs flailed wildly.

“If you ever talk to her or about her ever again I will get you. I don’t care where you are I will come for you. There is no window I can’t crawl through, no door I can’t open, no place is safe from me. I know your scent now. I can hunt you down anywhere you go. Do you believe me, David?” Ephraim asked in cold calculating voice.

“Y-yes!” he cried uncontrollably.

“Good. I’m going to let you leave now. You are not to speak of this to anyone. If I find out you spoke of me I will kill you. Do you understand?”

“Yes!” The scent of urine hit the room. Ephraim looked down at the floor and stepped back away from the pool of urine forming on the floor, taking David with him. This man was not going to talk.

“Is this real?” David asked in a high pitched voice.

Keeping his eyes locked on David, Ephraim grabbed one of David’s hands and brought it close to his face. “Stick out your finger.”

“No!”

“Do it!”

His hands shook violently as he stuck out his index finger. Ephraim brought the finger to his mouth and ran it over one of his fangs.

“Ouch!” David whimpered. The man was weak. It was no more painful than a needle prick. Several drops of blood hit Ephraim’s lip. As David pulled his hand away Ephraim licked the blood and cringed. He turned his head away from Madison and spit the blood back out.

He turned his head back. Things were different now. He had to handle this differently. “David, I don’t know how to tell you this,” he said in a much calmer voice than the emotions raging inside of him demanded.

“What?”

Ephraim placed the man down. “You need go see a doctor immediately.”

“What?” He hadn’t expected that.

“Tomorrow go see your doctor,” Ephraim said. His rage was doubling. If this son of a bitch touched Madison he would have given her a death sentence.

“What’s wrong with my blood?” David pleaded. He held his finger against his chest as if it were a life threatening wound.

“Just go see a doctor. Take your girlfriend with you to get tested and anyone else you’ve been with.”

David’s chin trembled. “You’re not going to tell me?”

“No, just go.” His body was still trembling. He prayed to god Madison didn’t do anything with this man. She was still a virgin but that didn’t mean they didn’t do other things.

“You’re letting me go?”

Ephraim turned his back on the man and faced Madison. She was hugging herself tightly and staring at him. She'd seen everything.

*******

His eyes were bright red. They were so bright. She couldn’t imagine why he would carry around red eye contacts. It didn’t make sense.

Then he turned around. This couldn’t be real. Her body screamed for her to run, but she couldn’t. She watched as Ephraim ran faster than any human she’d ever seen. She watched in horror as he picked David up with ease with only one hand. This wasn’t happening.

This was so not happening.

He looked like a vampire. They weren’t real. This was a game. Someone was playing a joke on her. This couldn’t be real. She’d watched enough movies to know the rules for vampires.

She went over the list of what she knew in her head and compared it to Ephraim. He just ate for one thing and vampires couldn’t eat food. Granted this was the first time she ever saw him eat food. He also went out in the sun. Vampires were supposed to fry in the sun. She didn’t remember the logic behind that, but she was sure it had something to do with them being dead and all.

Then there was the whole dead part. He wasn’t! He breathed air for Christ sake’s and he was warm. She could still feel his touch on her skin. He wasn’t dead and vampires were supposed to be dead.

Then he went and proved it. She was a foot away, watching. She watched in amazement as his tooth sliced through David’s finger. If it was fake it would have fallen out of his mouth and it certainly wouldn’t have cut his finger. He tasted the blood! That was disgusting. She couldn’t believe this. She had to get it together.

She was about to turn and run for it when Ephraim started to tell David to go see a doctor. As she contemplated that, David ran out of the room leaving her to face Ephraim.

“What the hell….” she murmured against her better judgment.

He gave her a lopsided grin. “I don’t suppose there’s any chance that you didn’t see that?”

She shook her head. His smile disappeared as he sighed, “I didn’t think so.”

He turned to face her. “I need to taste your blood.”

She backed away from him. “I’m not letting you sink your teeth into me, you bloodsucker!”

As her back hit the table she reached back for a weapon. She found the roll basket and picked it up quickly, hugging it to her chest. She began throwing rolls at him while she retreated away from him. “Get back!”

He ducked out of the way easily. “Or what? You’ll throw butter at me?” he teased.

“I’m not kidding….I’ll….I’ll…” She looked around the room, there was nothing around that she could use, no crosses, no holy water. Damn it, why hadn’t her Grandmother found religion? That would be really helpful at the moment.

Ephraim held his hands up. She was out of rolls. “Listen, I know you’re frightened and I understand that. I’m not trying to scare you, but I need to taste your blood.”