Curse of Blood, Tamer's Touch

Chapter 4- To Be Glass Is To Be Fragile

LeDay Vamorin~ 

Blood. It was everywhere, and I basked in it. A mission from the Council had me massacring an entire family, and I'd just completed the task with glee. The killing was something I enjoyed doing and enjoyed immensely.

Suddenly, Vanessa was in front of me, arms wide to stop me (like there was anything to stop anymore) and tears in her eyes.

"Please stop, Liliana," she pleaded, "You don't have to do everything they say! Look at what they did to me!"

That was when I realized that she was wearing a filthy slave's outfit, barely enough clothing to cover herself, and I felt some confusion before rage took control. I snarled at her, flexing my claws, "I don't have to listen to anyone but myself! If I want to kill, then I will, and you can do nothing to stop me."

The High Council stood in the background, the scenery shrouded in darkness I hadn't noticed before. We stood in the High Council's Discussion Chamber, the family dead on the floor and blood sprayed up the high wall that raised the Council above the ground a good several feet. They were all grinning approvingly at me.

"Good, Vamorin," the leader said in common-speak, "now kill the girl. She's part of the family too: Kill her now."

I took a step towards her before that small part of me that was Liliana screamed at me to halt. So halt I did, glaring at Vanessa and the Council in glances, battling with myself at what to do. The monster told me to do it, her blood would quell the madness, but my human side told me that it was the Council who was doing wrong. The monster agreed, but the girl's blood would be so much sweeter, and we could keep killing with hardly any limitations.

My clone stepped out of the darkness, watching me with a scowl.

"You've fallen so far," she told me with a disgusted look. "You're letting your humanity control you? Have you forgotten what we are, you stuffy old fossil?"

I twitched, growling at her. "I don't need some cheap faker to tell me what I am."

"Then kill her!" my clone replied angrily, moving closer and pulling off the heavy cloak she wore with a smooth and dramatic motion.

She narrowed her gaze dangerously at Vanessa, "If you don't, I will."

I moved before I could think, standing between her and Vanessa in a threatening pose, claws outstretched.

"You will do no such thing! This is my mission, not yours!"

My clone snarled right back, "Any mission of yours is free game to me as well. I'm your replacement; you're out of date, you fossil. The High Council doesn't need you anymore because they have me. I'll serve them a lot better than you."

"I don't serve them!" I yelled, my throat throbbing with the effort it wasn't used to. "I serve only myself!"

"And what are you, exactly?" my clone snapped.

I froze, realizing that my mind had come up empty for an answer. My old reply of being death was nowhere to be found, and I couldn't push it past my lips. I fumbled silently for a response while my clone simply laughed.

"You don't know anymore, do you?"

Then she launched herself at me, claws out and teeth snarling. I had a split-second to decide what to do, but she was much faster than before—I didn't have that time. Her claws sank into me and I cried out, retaliating and lashing out, but she was just too fast, I couldn't touch her.

Vanessa screamed behind me, and I spotted wet claws sticking out of her belly, her wide eyes staring at me, pleading before she slumped to the ground. My clone withdrew her claws, watching the girl bleed out on the floor. She looked up at me, pale blue eyes blazing.