The Good Daughter

Eight

Slater's computer was a piece of shit. It took me forever to get past his fucking firewalls. Apparently this guy knew a good chunk.

Enough that he should've been on at least Elijah's radar.

I mean... shit.

There was a even file in here about the daggers. I added it to the growing pile of files I'd trashed.

"You've been busy." Elijah stepped up beside me, his eyes on the screen.

"Had to see what he knew."

He set three blood bags on the desk, making me pause. "Really?" I deadpanned, trying my best not to let anything show.

"If I were to open one, would I see your control slipping?"

I refused to look at him.

"Need I remind you of the consequences."

"No."

"Then walk me through an exercise."

Fucking hell. "Fine." I snatched up a bag, drawing the straw to my mouth. As soon as the blood hit my tongue, veins descended, and I quickly took it away, breathing deeply. "I want to feed, feel every vein in my body begging to rip this blood bag apart."

"But..." He urged. It was all part of the tedious process.

"It'd only be binging. I need to slowly drink, so that my mind can catch up with my body to tell me when it's enough. It makes me feel a bit anxious, because I'm afraid that since I've missed so many exercises lately that I'll lose control and I'm also relieved that you're here to help me through it."

A warm hand settled on my shoulder.

I took another small sip, letting the blood seep into my tongue, before I swallowed, and repeated the process until the bag was drained.

"Good." Elijah praised with a small, proud smile, which honestly did make me feel a little better. "Again."

"I can't do it."

"You can." He gently took the empty bag, replacing it with a full one. "Again."

Elijah could drink without his vampire expression coming out, as could I at one point. I really needed to get back to that or everyone would know I was a ripper.

That and I'd kill a lot of people.

Hesitantly, I raised it to my lips, bracing myself for the taste. Drinking blood was one of the most euphoric things a vampire could do. It was like fireworks going off, and that wasn't even quite doing the feeling justice.

I'd never felt as alive as I did when drinking blood.

Which was ironic, because I was quite dead.

Everything began to get fuzzy.

Elijah's hand wrapped around my wrist, drawing the blood bag away from me, and pulling me back into reality. "How long?"

"What?"

"How long has it been? Clearly you've only been drinking just enough to get by."

"I don't know, Elijah." I stood, backpedaling and giving myself some much needed space. "Okay? I don't know."

"I haven't seen you lose this much control since your first daggering." He set his hands on his hips. "So tell me. How long have you been starving yourself?"

"It was an accident. I knew I shouldn't." Maybe it's that he never let me miss an exercise, or that he always pushed the boundaries of my precious control.

But I was so afraid I'd become a ripper, that I only barely stopped myself from desiccation.

I stopped my meditations or I'd miss them for the day, and I'd promise myself I'd do better the next day. Then it turned into weeks, which turned into years.

"You'll go into recovery."

"Elijah, no."

"It's for your own good."

"My brothers-"

"Playtime's over, dear one. I've allowed this to go too far."

I eyed the door, ready to bolt. Recovery meant isolation. The kind that would not see me interact with my brothers for at least a year, if not more, depending on how long Elijah deemed me in danger of going ripper.

"Don't." He warned.

"This is what you wanted, isn't it. To be out of the way when Nik gets here. Why you're trying to hide me away."

"You know as well as I how unforgiving he can be."

"Can't be that unforgiving if I give him something he wants."

He tutted. "I hope you're not referring to Katarina."

Damn it. "He's been hunting her forever."

"Now that there is a new doppelgänger in play, he'll care very little about her, past petty revenge."

"Then I'll leverage the doppelgänger."

"You will do nothing of the sort. I've already brokered a deal, one that you would destroy if you attacked her in any way."

"They don't know about my relationship to you. They'd never see me coming."

He let out a sharp breath through his nose. "That'll be difficult to do when you're in recovery."

I can't go there, not when they've been alive and I could've known them all this time. "Don't take me away from my brothers. I'll follow every one of your instructions. Please Elijah."

"You would?" His brow lifted.

"Yes." Fucking yes. Anything to keep me from recovery.

"You'll not engage with Katarina." He picked up the unfinished blood bag. "You will come when I call, and you will allow me to handle Niklaus when he appears."

"Deal."

"I need you to say it."

Damn it all to hell. "You have my word."

A small smile tugged at his lips. "Finish this, and I'll let you return to your brothers." He held it out for me.