The Realm of Truth (Book 1) [In the process of editing]

Chapter 23: Bloodlust

(Damien's POV):

Odette looked like she saw a ghost. Her mouth was opened slightly. I could see the blood drip from the side of her mouth, and her emerald eyes were glowing out of hunger. I knew she wanted more blood bags from the fridge, but Ambrosius made her stop from taking a third bag. What would happen if she took a third one? Would she keep consuming the bags until she completely changes?

Ambrosius had whispered something to Odette earlier, and it made her pay attention to him. I raised an eyebrow and I tried to listen, but I couldn't quite hear him. "Well, that settles things." Ambrosius said, standing up straight with a smile. He was very charming, that's for sure, and I'm sure he's pretty ripped underneath his clothes. 

"What do you mean?" I asked and I walked over to Odette who was still staring. "Hey, Odette." I looked at her and Ambrosius walked away with a farewell. "Odette?" I snapped my fingers several times after he left us. She finally heard me snapping after a couple more times and then she snapped out of it.

"Huh?" She said dreamily. I smirked at her. Don't get me wrong, I always have noticed her. The little confused head tilt always made me find that cute. She would never admit it.

"Hey, are you okay?" I asked. "Did Ambrosius talk you about something?"

"Oh yeah," she said, smiling at me as if nothing happened. "Come on, we have a job to do."

"A job?"

"You know...something that you don't have right now?" She teased. I knew she was back to normal with her witty comebacks, so I pouted in response. "I'm kidding. Ambrosius has some errands he wants us to do before dinner." I looked at Esme who just stood idly by. "Okay? After dinner, there's a festival we can attend with my cousins or do a haunted tour on our free time."

"You mean the ladies that were here earlier?"

"Those were the cousins I was referring to, yes. So, will you help me?"

"Will the witch be there, too?" I narrowed my eyes towards Esme.

Odette smiled at me. "I don't really have a plan B so I kind of need Esme for this one." She said.

"Alright, you're the boss." I mumbled in agreement. "I'm just your sidekick."

~~~

It was early afternoon now, and the weather was getting a bit nippy outside, so we headed back to my truck. I drew in a sharp inhale and exhaled out of relief, and laughed. "Thank god they didn't tow my baby away." I said, sheepishly rubbing the back of my neck. "I wouldn't want to have leave you in the middle of everything just to go get my truck back."

"Yeah, wouldn't want to be stranded." Odette said. We hopped in to grab our jackets and Esme sat in the back seat. "You barely made it just in time to use it." 

I rotated my head to the back to look at Esme, who was wearing a modern day blouse than what we saw the night before with how witches used to look back in the day. She returned the look with confusion and didn't really like the staring. "You're not gonna do some wicked voodoo magic thing back there, are you?" I asked with my hand on the wheel.

"You could test me." Esme said, shrugging. "And it's not voodoo magic. Quit calling it that."

"It was a genuine question."

"Damien." Odette said, tightly. "Just drive."

I sighed and then put the key in the ignition. I drove off and had Esme guide me to where we needed to go. Half an hour later, and we arrived at Salem Hospital. I parked in the visitor's lot and then we all hopped out together. "What are we doing here anyway that's so important?" I asked, but Odette and Esme were already gone. "How come I can hear me talking?"

I walked to the front of the hospital to search for them. When I went inside the hospital, I asked the front desk if they have seen them. They only pointed me to the direction they were last seen, and I tried to follow. I brushed past nurses and patients on my way to wherever I was going, and I still couldn't see Odette and Esme. I had no idea what was going on, and why we were even here in the first place. I wondered if I was supposed to stay by my truck so we could leave. 

I walked across the hallway to building C where the lab drawing station was. There was a few people sitting down just waiting to be taken in for their appointments, and some of them looked at me. I hurried to the desk and smiled at the gentleman who works there. "Can I help you?" he asked after a few minutes. 

"Yes, uhm..." I stammered. "I'm looking for two girls. One who has black hair and green eyes. About a few inches shorter than me, almost looks like she can't win a fight in anything. Then, another girl who lives here, with hazel hair color and could probably beat me in a fight?" 

"That tells me a lot about you..." the man said, which wasn't an answer I was looking for.

"Listen, man." I said, trying not to sound peeved off. "If you know something, tell me. They wanted me to accompany them in their...appointments."

"Through the door, they said something about blood labs." he said. I looked confused and I was wondering why he went along with it without checking me in or anything. I thought, that must've been Odette. She must've used her charm to talk him into letting her go through the doors just like that. 

I feel like I'm a parent who's got a kid that doesn't know how to stay still or tell me what they're doing. Except, this kid's got a witch and they're 117 years old, and she's running the show. No big deal. 

I hurried through the doorway, and I turned around. "Odette...Esme!" I harshly whispered. "Guys?" I turned around again and found those two standing right in front of me, making me jump about a few inches in the air. "Will you two quit doing that?"

They were both smiling innocently at me and said nothing. 

"What's gotten into you both?" I asked, then I looked at Odette. "Witch's got your tongue?" Okay, that wasn't the actual saying, but considering we have a witch in the room with us, I felt it was appropriate.

"Don't worry, Damien." Odette said. "I have it all under control." The small room where they draw blood in was quiet. Maybe too quiet. "This is all part of Ambrosius' plan, okay?"

"Exactly." Esme agreed. "He's the one that will lead us into a better society. You should go back to your truck to wait for us there."

I didn't look convinced at all, but I ignored it and shrugged. "Okay." I said, and walked away. 

Those two were lying through their teeth. I smelt the iron from the mass amount of blood in the room as soon as I walked in. It practically hit my face like a gust of wind. There was no way they could've hid that from me.

In fact, I don't think they were trying to hide it from me at all.

On my way out, I turned back to see the feet of the person who worked in the blood labs behind the counter as Odette and Esme went back to work. There were several of them stacked on each other and some were spread out in the room. 

All of them were dead.