other side to keep him propped up. "Give it up, Penny. Don't you think it's a little creepy to accept a date with a guy and then take advantage of him by drinking his blood?"
"Maybe." Penny showed me her fangs. "But he left me on that hilltop, you know. No excuse is good enough for that. Especially considering what happened there. So maybe he owes me this. I can hear the blood going through his veins, his heart pumping. It's calling to me. I . . . I want it. Need it. Bloodlust? What the hell? It's fantastic." She kept brushing her thumb over his jugular, then leaned in and inhaled again before she shuddered, forcing herself to sit back.
I knew what she meant. Wasn't immune myself. But I'd had a long, long time to gain control over my urges. In a way, I almost envied her the newness of this experience. But it was a dangerous thing, easy to get out of hand.
"Slow down, Penny. I get it, I really do. But you're letting your baser instincts take over. That's not like you, is it?" Not according to what she'd told me, this genius teen.
"Maybe becoming vampire has changed more about me than just my sleeping and drinking habits." Penny sighed, still staring at Josh like he was the last cookie in the jar. "Come on, Glory, you saw that movie. So much blood. Is it weird that it made me thirsty?"
"No. Even though I knew it was all faked, it made me thirsty too. But I can ignore my thirst when I have to." I wondered if I should give in on this. At least I was here to stop her before anything too drastic happened. "You had two bottles of synthetic before your date. You aren't really hungry, Penny, just drawn to the real deal. Am I right?"
Penny frowned like she was doing a gut check. "Guess so." She kept stroking his jugular. "I can feel his pulse. So strong, so warm."
"I may be sorry, but I'm going to teach you how to drink from a mortal safely. Even I realize I can't dog you every waking moment." I glanced at Josh. He was a healthy mortal, a fairly big guy who could spare a pint or two.
"No, you can't. Better to train me than to just ignore the fact that I'm going to have this bloodlust issue." Penny actually smiled, sure she'd won something here. "Do I just lay his head back?" She gazed at him hungrily. "Oh, God, thanks, Glory. I thought I was going to have to fight you for him."
"And that wouldn't have ended well, Penny." I didn't say that I knew I could take her. Let her keep her illusions. "Forget the neck for now. Too dangerous. Pick up his wrist." I grabbed his other arm for a demo. "Find his vein. You can see it and feel it, of course. Easy, isn't it?"
"Sure, it's practically calling my name." She pulled his arm up close to her mouth and her eyes closed. "Mmm."
"Now open your mouth and your fangs will know what to do." I sighed, not allowing myself to join in on the fun. "I'll tell you when to stop and you'll obey me if I have to physically pull you off to get you to do it."
"Got it. I don't want to kill him, Glory. He's told me over and over again how sorry he was about that night on the hill. He'd just had too much to drink. He never should have been driving at all." Penny's hand was shaking as she held his wrist. When her fangs sank in, she was obviously surprised. Then her eyes closed and she moaned. I didn't need to read her mind. A new vampire's appreciation of real blood bordered on orgasmic. Penny gulped and sighed and clung to Josh's arm like she'd never let it go. But I knew she'd have to and well before she'd want to.
"That's enough."
Her eyes popped open and she glared at me. She kept drinking.
I stood, one hand on Penny's shoulder, one on Josh's arm.
"I said let him go."
Penny's mental message was colorful and boiled down to "Ain't no way."
"You asked for it." I gripped her hair, giving it a sharp tug, then ripped Josh's wrist away, leaving her mouth smeared with blood.
"Bitch!" Penny snarled and hit at me, trying to make contact with Josh's bleeding wounds again.