"Ah, but you see, she is the one who stole mine."
"I hope so, cuz if you hurt her, you can be certain I will hurt you. That is a promise."
Jackson kissed her on the cheek. "I'm glad she has you for a friend."
Sam pulled away to look at him. "Are there any more like you at home?"
***
They took Samantha home and asked her to visit soon. The airport was nearby. Elisabeth had fallen asleep with her head in Jackson's lap before they even took off.
Jackson ran his fingers through her hair, reflecting on the day and the new challenge they faced with her pack. The physical ramifications of not feeding for over thirty hours commanded attention. Bloodlust kicked in, and his head began to pound. He cursed himself for not packing provisions or even remembering to feed before leaving Fairhaven. He was unaccustomed to planning ahead and now would pay. The flight attendant approached and asked, "Can I get you anything?"
"Yes, I am going to need a lot of scotch, please."
She giggled, thinking him a nervous flier. "Coming right up." She returned with a bottle and a glass. Upon seeing Elisabeth sound asleep, she leaned close. "Anything else, anything at all?"
Jackson heard her heart beating. Venom replaced saliva and his jaw began to ache. He grabbed her arm, locked eyes with her and rasped through gritted teeth, "You need to stay away from me."
She smiled, "Have a nice flight," and walked away.
Jackson had not been this hungry since first being turned. He began drinking the scotch fast, hoping to find some reprieve. He put his head back and closed his eyes for a short time, but the pounding headache and the burning in his throat only intensified. The one saving grace was that Elisabeth lay sound asleep, unable to witness his distress. They finally landed and he nudged her awake. "We're home."
"Oh my, I guess I was pretty tired." She smiled, then frowned. "What's the matter?"
"Nothing, just anxious to get home."
She stood. "Jackson, tell me. What is wrong?"
"I'm really hungry."
"Oh no, you didn't bring any blood?"
"No." They hurried to the car.
"Gee, maybe you should have taken Sam up on her offer."
He closed his eyes tightly. "Not really helping here."
"I'm sorry, that was mean. What can I do?"
Jackson considered running to Fairhaven and having her drive the car, but worried he might lose it and feed on an unsuspecting pedestrian along the way. "Let's just get home."
Elisabeth tried to make small talk, however, Jackson couldn't think straight. He felt like he would implode if he didn't get some blood soon. He pulled up to the front of the house and ran straight to the fridge. Sarah entered the panty to find him drinking straight from a bottle.