Bloodshed

Chapter Thirty: Bloodshed

Three more days passed, and the pain in my back was finally gone. I tried to hold onto the hope that Duke and Lucius had made their way to wherever Linc and Aiden were, that they were able to help out with whatever was going on and that everyone was okay. But I couldn't ignore the nagging feeling in the pit of my stomach.

Something wasn't right. And the longer I went without hearing from the guys, the more on edge I became.

"I grow weary of this one." Master exhaled, ripping his mouth from the neck of a half-dead warlock. "You can have the rest."

I barely even looked his way. "I don't want your leftovers."

"Feeling temperamental, Child?" He asked in a smart tone.

I didn't answer him.

"You know, if you would drink, you would not be so irritable." Master said, coming to stand in front of me, clutching onto the warlock he'd been feeding from.

"I'm not thirsty." I lied, turning my nose up at the man.

I hadn't fed since drinking that cold blood the other night, the night I last saw Lucius. I would have given anything to not have to send him away, but I couldn't risk Master hurting him again. Plus, I needed him to help Duke find Aiden and Linc.

I felt a pang of guilt at that thought and fought to squash it down.

There was something obviously wrong with Lucius that night, though I wasn't sure what. And instead of trying harder to figure it out, I pushed him away and sent him to track down Linc and Aiden. It couldn't have been helped, I know that. We didn't have a lot of time before Master came to, so it wasn't like I could really get into the depth of what was bothering him. Still, I had a hard time fighting the overwhelming sense of guilt swallowing me up.

"Great-granddaughter, please." Master's voice pulled me back into the presence, and I shook my head.

"We are so close to the grimoire now," he hissed, shoving the warlock into my arms. "I can feel it. Now feed! You will need every ounce of strength you can acquire."

I looked down at the man, whose eyes were closed and lashes damp with tears, and took in a calming breath.

As bad as I hated to admit it, Master was right; I did need to build my strength up. But I couldn't take anymore killing, I didn't want to be a part of any more bloodshed. I just wanted it to be over.

"What are you doing?" Master gasped, watching as I let the warlock slip out of my grip.

"No more." I said, squaring my shoulders to look him straight in the eye.

"No more?" Master repeated, confused. "What do you mean? How could you have more if you have not even drunk any blood?"

I shook my head, frustrated by his lack of understanding. "No, I mean I'm done with this. I'm done with hurting people, with drinking blood. I'm done with being a vampire!"

I watched Master's expression change, going from confused to saddened to furious all in less than a minute. Moving too fast for me to see, Master snatched up the warlock I'd dropped, tore a bigger hole into his neck with his fangs, then swiftly knocked my legs from underneath me.

"Foolish girl!" Master bellowed, straddling my waist before hauling the bleeding man to loom over my face. "I refuse to allow you to wither and leave me. You will drink, even if I must force you to do so."

Blood gushed from the open wound hanging above me, drenching my face. I tried to turn away, but Master gripped me by the chin with his free hand and yanked my head where he wanted it.