A Dark-Adapted Eye Read Online Free PDF

dramatically. So I stood in front of the TV, bloc king a story about the renovation of a local park. They looked at me, still chewing mouthfuls of cereal. Ivory's hazel eyes were concerned and slightly apprehensive. Les's translucent, pale green ones, shadowed by his low dark brows, were merely curious.
    “I've remembered something,” I announced, “and I want to know if it's true.”
    They shared a quick glance with each other and I felt my stomach plummet. They knew. They had already anticipated what I was about to say. A vampire had bitten me and they had been keeping it a secret from me for ten years.
    “Why didn't you tell me?” My voice sounded smaller than I wanted it to, more wounded.
    “Asha, I don't know what you're—” Ivory started.
    “Just tell her,” Les interrupted, averting his eyes from me.
    “So it's true,” I said eagerly, sinking onto the couch beside Ivory. “It did happen.” I felt giddy and excited without knowing why. I hadn't wanted to find out I was once bitten by a vampire, but now that I had I needed information. Every detail they could offer.
    My brother sighed and set his bowl on the scarred coffee table. “Yes, Asha, it happened. The three of us were here alone. Les and I came inside and saw you on the floor. You were unco nscious and had blood on your neck. Little bite marks. We didn't know what had happened, really, since vampires were still just a myth then. We decided it was a vampire bite anyway because we were kids and believed in that kind of thing, but it wasn’t until a few years later that we realized we’d been right.”
    Hearing it from my brother in such a no-nonsense manner had the power to chill me, to wipe away any trace of misplaced enthusiasm. Blood on my neck. Unconscious on the floor. What if I'd died?
    “Will I become a vampire now?” I asked. I didn't know whether this was a logical question, but I had to ask it.
    “No,” Ivory assured me. “You just . . . have a sort of connection with the vampire who did it. I hear that’s what happens, anyway.”
    “Do you know who did it?”
    “No. But we're always trying to find out. That’s why we started hunting vampires in the first place. That, and because of what happened to Mom.”
    “What made you remember?” Les asked.
    “Asha?” Ivory prompted gently.
    My cheeks heated under their scrutiny. I hadn't expected to be questioned in return and tried to answer without revealing where I'd really been last night. “Um . . . I saw . . . someone . . .”
    “Someone?” Ivory demanded, leaning forward and gazing intently at me. “Did you see the vampire who bit you? What's his name? What does he look like? Or is it a woman?”
    I looked at the carpet, matted and unfortunately brown, and tried not to feel irritated at Ivory’s persistence. “Er, no. I don’t know. I saw a guy who looked familiar, I guess. His face must have triggered the memory.”
    “Was this last night with Criseyde? Where were you?”
    “A club,” I said defensively. “Just like I told you.”
    “ What club? I know it wasn’t Stars.”
    “Um . . . Shiver.”
    Les's eyebrows shot up and Ivory vaulted from the couch. “Shiver!” he yelled. “That's a vampire club. This is exactly why we don't like you going out at night. I should have known Criseyde would pull some shit like this. How could she be so stupid—”
    I came to my feet and faced Ivory, fists clenched at my sides. “She didn't know it was a va mpire club,” I said angrily, “and neither did I.” At least not until the vampires had surrounded us and started salivating at the thought of drinking our blood. My brother was already so livid I didn't think he needed to know about that, though.
    “Well you both should have known. There are certain clubs everyone knows to stay away from. Except you and that idiot friend of yours, apparently.”
    “Criseyde is not —”
    “Hey, calm down, you two,” Les ordered, backing Ivory away from me with a hand on his chest.