Book I: Near Death Experience (18+) ✔️

12.

The smells of mildew and musky water filled my nose, making breathing hard as I slowly awoke. My limbs felt like cinder blocks, aching as I tried to lift myself to be met with the clanking sound of metal. My tired eyes fell to my wrist, seeing metal cuffs that trailed to the wall behind me. The cold cement floor shook my body to my core, as water and mud oozed into my clothing as I was left on the ground to freeze. My jacket was gone, along with my boots leaving me in my blouse, wool socks and trousers. As the rememberings of the hunt began to return to me slowly, it felt like a bucket of water had been poured down my back. Daniel had bitten me, Xander and Knox were...

I couldn't even describe them less than monsters, demons of sorts.

But the beast, or beasts if you will. They were among us, like ordinary people that transformed into these things. The remarks that fell the green-eyed man's mouth, were that he was my father.

My world had already ended yet it still felt like I was descending further to hell. Slipping further into the madness that surrounded me, deceiving me and making me seem too naive to trust those around me. Yet, I gave myself so easily to Xander to rid of the pain. To feel his fangs burrow further through my neck, more than Daniel's canines had. Had I been too ignorant and ingenuous to accept his offer, had I been too feeble to deal with the pain?

The thoughts only caused me to come to tears, flowing down my freezing skin. However, the thoughts of Xander and his words stilled my tears as if pushing away those feelings of doubt. He told Knox that Daniel had forcibly marked my neck, something that was inexcusable to them. I had no clue what it meant, but comparably between the two bites I had endured that night, Daniel's was far worse. The bite from Daniel made me feel dirty, and disgusting while being torn apart by the beasts themselves. But Xanders...

It felt right.

It felt as if everything in my life had waited for that exact moment, that I was meant to have him like that. I couldn't understand the feeling but it was inviting, warm, painful yes but blissful in a sense.

My thoughts were broken by the sound of a rattling in the door in front of me, causing me to jump at the noise.

Daniel.

His neck was a mess, blood oozing and dripping from the bite marks as if a wild animal had torn through his skin. His shirt was torn and bloody, and his pale skin was covered in a mix of dirt and blood. He was breathing heavily, and his eyes were wide with rage.

"Adelaide", As I watched Daniel through the opening of the door, I felt a wave of nausea and revulsion wash over me. His cold, calculating gaze sent a chill down my spine and filled me with dread. His presence in the room brought back memories of the night before, and I felt my skin crawl with disgust at the thought of him. I wanted to run away, to escape his menacing gaze, but I knew I was trapped. I was helpless and could do nothing but watch as he stood in the cell, watching me with a smug grin on his face.

"Get the fuck away from me", I hissed out as I watched him come closer to me making me flinch back on the ground. He whispered watching me intensely, "Hey, hey come on. You know me"

"I clearly don't, you're a monster", I spit out at him with eyes full of hate looking at the man I grew up with. Yet, I would give anything to make him pay for what he did to me.

Daniel grabbed my face violently, squeezing my cheeks hard, and brought his face close to mine. His gaze was cold and calculating, and I could feel his breath on my skin. He leaned in closer, his lips barely brushing against my ear as he spoke. His words were full of menace and rage, and my body shuddered in fear, "Watch this mouth"