Crave (Harlequin Teen)

craving was left. But this time, that craving was tainted by horror.
    A nightmarish chorus of hisses, high-pitched like nails drawn across a thousand chalkboards, screeched from nearby, breaking through the mental fog and drawing my attention.
    The watchers, just ten yards away on the opposite side of the road, bared their teeth and fangs at me. Fangs. Ohhh, holy crap.
    I shot to my feet, and the vampires fled together in a blur.
    “Savannah. What’s wrong?” Tristan stood up beside me, the panic in his voice an echo of the fear pulsing through me.
    “The watchers. They just hissed at me then took off.”
    “And before that? You completely zoned out on me.”
    “I…” I could not tell him about this, could never admit what seemed too horrible for even my own mind to absorb. “I…have to go home.” Now. Before I did something way worse than just lick the blood off his fingers. I fumbled in my jacket pocket, found the team keys and all but threw them at him, afraid to get too close to him again. “Please lock up for me.”
    “You have to go home? Right now?”
    I nodded, but even that tiny movement threatened to shatter my self-control.
    “Well, at least let me walk you—”
    “No! I can’t. I’m sorry. I…” I could see a vein pulsing in the side of his neck, right there beneath the thin, breakable surface of his skin.
    How easy would it be to cut that skin? Just a little nick, and then…
    Oh, my God.
    Unable to say another word, total loss of control seconds away, I turned and ran for my truck. The key scratched around the keyhole before I could get the door unlocked. I threw myself in, started the engine and caught a tear-blurred glimpse of Tristan running toward me as I sped away. He looked upset, confused, but okay.
    He would be okay now. The watchers were gone. Tristan obviously wasn’t weak anymore, judging by how hard he had been running after me. And since I’d left, he would be safe from me, too.
    Tristan
    It was a night for insanity all around apparently. I ran after Savannah, reaching the parking lot in time to see her truck fishtail out the exit in a flurry of spitting gravel and squealing tires. Wow, she’d gotten to her truck fast.
    Slow down, Sav, please. I willed her to hear me. You’re going to get into a wreck if you don’t.
    I’d have to go after her and make sure she got home okay.
    Jogging back into the sports and art building, I crossed to the far end of the entrance hall and slapped a hand over all four light switches at once, plunging the foyer into darkness. I would lock the foyer doors, too. That should be enough to keep out any vandals. Later I’d come back, turn off the upstairs lights we’d left on and grab our things. But only after I made sure Savannah got home safely.
    Moonlight shone through the windows at either side of the foyer doors, lighting my way toward them. If I hurried, I might even catch up to Savannah before she got home. Then we could talk about whatever had freaked her out so badly.
    A sharp sting stabbed at the side of my neck, and the world went black.
    Savannah
    I had to pull over. I couldn’t see the road through my tears.
    It had finally happened. I’d felt the bloodlust. That was the only explanation for it.
    No denying it now. I was turning into a full-fledged vampire. And that put Tristan in an incredible amount of danger. From me.
    I didn’t have any excuses anymore. I would have to break up with him. Tonight.
    Fumbling with my cell phone, I finally managed to dial his cell. Only to reach his voice mail instead. I couldn’t leave a message; his parents might hear it.
    When I couldn’t cry any more, I finished the drive home then trudged into the house.
    “Savannah, your father finally called again,” Nanna said as soon as I shut the front door.
    “What? Did he leave a—”
    “On the hall table by the phone.”
    I ran for the phone and number. Oh, please, let him have a solution for all of this!
    He answered on the first ring.
    “Dad!” The relief was so sharp it was almost painful, making me forget how much I wanted to hate him. I sank onto the edge of my bed. It would be all right now. He might still be a spy for the council, but at least he had the answers I needed to fix everything. “Oh, man, do I need to talk to you. Are you okay? I thought you’d be gone for weeks, not months.”
    “I am fine. And, yes, we do need to talk. However, it should be done in person. I am back in the States now. Can you meet me for lunch