behind my back? Mind reading would be a useful trait to have—another reason to be jealous of Jake and the connection him and Emily shared despite my desires to ignore it.
Jake could read her thoughts if she let him. Jake could easily slide into a place of need to her.
Emily wasn’t looking at either of us anymore. I could see concern on Jake’s face replace the amazement he’d previously had to the fact of the pills. For some reason I hated that look on him. It made him seem sappy.
“At any rate, my guess is that this isn’t just a generic, this is the real stuff, straight from our favorite twin brother.” He rattled the pills out of the jar and into the palm of his hand, inspecting them. “I’ve sometimes heard that when you ingest the blood of another being,” he looked at me. “And sometimes even animals, you get a glimpse into their souls.”
Emily’s attention was shamefully fixated on the pills in Jake’s hand. Was it really so hard for her to suppress the craving?
“I’ve only had human blood once. They make us taste it to show us it doesn’t taste good—it doesn’t—but you definitely get a hint of soul in it, old thoughts, strange desires and dreams. And it’s true you do get a hint of the animal’s soul when you ingest that, when it’s fresh, but they’re simple thoughts from simple minds.” He gestured to the can in his hand. “This blood is so processed there’s no hint of anything anymore. Sad really.” I could tell Jake was trying to act as though that bothered him, but for some reason a small part of me thought otherwise. “I’ve never had Angel Blood before, a little too narcotic for me. I’ve heard the effects are wild, though. I suspect this is what you experienced? I’m personally not into that trippy kind of stuff. It’s bad for you, and stupid.” He was taking a less compassionate approach than me but I was grateful for it. “But the stuff out there on the market is usually synthetic or harvested from a dead angel, if they can find one—hence the richy rich reputation of it. Potent as Hell—I would imagine.”
Emily recoiled beside me in assumed shame.
Jake went on. “I remember how I felt after having that human blood—I felt horrible. My mind was a wreck of thoughts that weren’t mine. It wore off after about fifteen minutes, I believe, but it was the strangest fifteen minutes of my life.” He directed his attention toward Emily. “Didn’t you feel this when he fed it to you before?”
Emily drew her gaze out of her lap. “I don’t remember. I don’t really want to remember.”
All I could think about was the way she had been, completely dazed. I couldn’t blame her for not remembering, not when I saw for myself the blank look in her eyes. They had been ink wells of nothingness, blackness to where there was no end.
“Well, that has to be what’s happening to you, but in this case, the blood you’re taking isn’t from a person who is dead. You must be getting clean, up to date thoughts like a Twitter feed on auto-post.” I could see the excitement in Jake build, but I beat him to the question I assumed came next.
“So, what did Greg say?” I asked as respectfully as I could, hoping she wasn’t too traumatized to tell us. I hadn’t bothered to ask in the car, I was too frightened of what she’d tell me and how I’d handle it while driving.
Emily seemed to collect herself as best she could. She tore her gaze away from the pills Jake was guiding back into the belly of the orange bottle, lifting her chin. “He was talking to Avery.”
Jake and I both steeled as she said this. Now I was a little upset she hadn’t filled me in in the car.
“You heard Avery, too?” Jake gushed.
Emily nodded. “It was a little harder to hear what she had to say, but I still heard it. Probably the last voice I ever wanted to hear right now . . . even worse than hearing Greg’s.”
I touched her gently. I could literally feel her arm hairs rise under
Jake could read her thoughts if she let him. Jake could easily slide into a place of need to her.
Emily wasn’t looking at either of us anymore. I could see concern on Jake’s face replace the amazement he’d previously had to the fact of the pills. For some reason I hated that look on him. It made him seem sappy.
“At any rate, my guess is that this isn’t just a generic, this is the real stuff, straight from our favorite twin brother.” He rattled the pills out of the jar and into the palm of his hand, inspecting them. “I’ve sometimes heard that when you ingest the blood of another being,” he looked at me. “And sometimes even animals, you get a glimpse into their souls.”
Emily’s attention was shamefully fixated on the pills in Jake’s hand. Was it really so hard for her to suppress the craving?
“I’ve only had human blood once. They make us taste it to show us it doesn’t taste good—it doesn’t—but you definitely get a hint of soul in it, old thoughts, strange desires and dreams. And it’s true you do get a hint of the animal’s soul when you ingest that, when it’s fresh, but they’re simple thoughts from simple minds.” He gestured to the can in his hand. “This blood is so processed there’s no hint of anything anymore. Sad really.” I could tell Jake was trying to act as though that bothered him, but for some reason a small part of me thought otherwise. “I’ve never had Angel Blood before, a little too narcotic for me. I’ve heard the effects are wild, though. I suspect this is what you experienced? I’m personally not into that trippy kind of stuff. It’s bad for you, and stupid.” He was taking a less compassionate approach than me but I was grateful for it. “But the stuff out there on the market is usually synthetic or harvested from a dead angel, if they can find one—hence the richy rich reputation of it. Potent as Hell—I would imagine.”
Emily recoiled beside me in assumed shame.
Jake went on. “I remember how I felt after having that human blood—I felt horrible. My mind was a wreck of thoughts that weren’t mine. It wore off after about fifteen minutes, I believe, but it was the strangest fifteen minutes of my life.” He directed his attention toward Emily. “Didn’t you feel this when he fed it to you before?”
Emily drew her gaze out of her lap. “I don’t remember. I don’t really want to remember.”
All I could think about was the way she had been, completely dazed. I couldn’t blame her for not remembering, not when I saw for myself the blank look in her eyes. They had been ink wells of nothingness, blackness to where there was no end.
“Well, that has to be what’s happening to you, but in this case, the blood you’re taking isn’t from a person who is dead. You must be getting clean, up to date thoughts like a Twitter feed on auto-post.” I could see the excitement in Jake build, but I beat him to the question I assumed came next.
“So, what did Greg say?” I asked as respectfully as I could, hoping she wasn’t too traumatized to tell us. I hadn’t bothered to ask in the car, I was too frightened of what she’d tell me and how I’d handle it while driving.
Emily seemed to collect herself as best she could. She tore her gaze away from the pills Jake was guiding back into the belly of the orange bottle, lifting her chin. “He was talking to Avery.”
Jake and I both steeled as she said this. Now I was a little upset she hadn’t filled me in in the car.
“You heard Avery, too?” Jake gushed.
Emily nodded. “It was a little harder to hear what she had to say, but I still heard it. Probably the last voice I ever wanted to hear right now . . . even worse than hearing Greg’s.”
I touched her gently. I could literally feel her arm hairs rise under
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