Bloodshed

Chapter Three: Duplicity (Audrey's POV)

After seeing Lucius, Simone, and Aiden off with Master, I caught up with Duke in the banquet hall. He was looking a bit forlorn as he sipped on a bag of B-positive blood, but seemed to brighten up when he saw me.

Being able to lift his spirits lifted my own just a bit, and I offered him a genuine smile while taking the seat in front of him.

"Are you okay?" I asked, watching him watch me.

His auburn hair moved lazily as he gave me a nod. Mind your words, lest Master hears us.

How sure are you that he can't hear us now? I mentally asked while speaking out loud. "That was my blood type when I was alive."

On the outside, it would look like we were struggling to make smalltalk. But it was just for show. On the inside, telepathically, conversation between me and Duke flowed seamlessly.

I can't be. At least not entirely. He took a sip and paused to speak aloud. "I remember." Then his voice entered my head again. Though we must be doing something right, considering Master hasn't ripped any of us to shreds for trying to find a way to get rid of him.

That had been the real reason behind Lucius and Aiden and Simone's trip. They didn't owe Master an explanation for their departure, but they had told him it was simply wanderlust. That they needed to spread their wings after eighteen years of being trapped on Lachlan Island.

It had been a believable ruse.

In reality, they were sent on a retrieval mission. Lachlan Island's witch, whom I have yet to meet, told them to find her grimoire. A book of spells that had been passed down to her by the original witch who locked Master away many, many years ago. It was her hope, as well as ours, that the spell to put him down was in the book.

I guess Nero's lessons are paying off. I thought back, before actually speaking. "Do you miss it? Drinking my blood?"

Nero had been training all of us to shield against Master, the way he had guarded his thoughts from Duke's ability. One of the ways he had guarded himself was with duplicity. He carried on two different conversations at once; one external, the other internal. He made the external louder, more intense, so that his internal conversation was effectively drowned out, buried deep within himself.

It was exhausting!

And confusing.

I struggled to keep up with what came out of my mouth. Which was why I hadn't realized what I asked Duke until I saw his pupils expand.

"Sometimes." He answered with a shrug. "I don't miss the pain I caused from feeding on you, but I do miss the taste. The rush of your blood as it spread warmth through every part of me. I had never felt more alive, even when I actually was alive."

I gulped, dropping my hands to where they lied flat on the table.

Duke sucked down the last of his blood bag, and sat it down. "No, it's more than that. I miss feeling close to you. I miss the intimacy of feeding."

My heart didn't beat anymore, but if it could, it would be pounding right now.

I missed it, too. Missed the sting of his fangs piercing my flesh, the rush of desire that scorched my veins as he drew my blood into him. Just thinking about it now made me shudder, bringing with it a painful surge of arousal.

"Holy shit," I gasped.

I hadn't been turned on since becoming a vampire. Sure, I still got butterflies, but I hadn't been horny in a month. It felt...different. It was more urgent, more excruciating, like being brought to the edge of orgasm only to be pulled back over and over again.