Bite Me Forever

CHAPTER 28: The Ransom

I stared down at the knife buried deep in Viktor's chest, his blood dripping to the floor. He was panting for air and seemed to be about to lose consciousness. As much as I wanted to help him, I felt like my body wouldn't let me move. My knees shook uncontrollably as I stared at Viktor's wound. I felt like any moment he could slip away from me. What could I do? My mind raced as I tried to figure out what could've happened. How did he get stabbed? Who did this to him? Was it a hunter sent by Queen Naran? Before I could think further, Viktor's breathing became even more laboured and he started coughing up blood. What if he died? I could not stand the thought of it.

Finally, I mustered up the courage to remove the knife from his chest. I was terrified of hurting him even more, but I had to do something. Carefully, I grabbed the handle and pulled it out of Viktor as he groaned in pain. I ripped off a piece of my dress and placed it on the wound in an effort to stop the bleeding.

"What happened?" I asked him as I pressed against the wound. He groaned in pain.

"The prostitute misunderstood what I meant when I said I would take her blood," he grunted as I eased him to the ground and laid him down. "I think I scared her."

I sighed with relief that it wasn't an assassin from Queen Naran's court. I looked at Viktor's handsome face. Even as he lay bleeding before me, he was pitying the woman who stabbed him. At that moment, I felt a swell of love for this man, love for the compassion that he was sometimes capable of displaying. Most people would probably wish to curse this woman, but he felt pity.

"You'll be okay," I said to him. "I promise. I won't let you die." I spoke with hope in an attempt to convince both of us that all would be well.

I didn't know just how long I sat there before the bleeding stopped, but when I noticed his breathing slowly beginning to return to normal, I pulled back the cloth to see that the wound had clotted.

"Thank you," he murmured, and his weak voice held a note of profound appreciation. Seeing the man who snapped a woman's neck with ease to save my life so weak and feeble didn't sit right with me. "You need blood," I said to him.

"I will go hunting tomorrow," he retorted. "I can't right now."

"Drink my blood," I said, full of determination.

Viktor glared at me with a look of disbelief, like I was deranged. His jaw clenched and a vein in his neck pulsed.

"No", he replied, gritting his teeth.

"Viktor," I said, beginning to get angry. "This isn't a game."

"You're weak," he protested. "I will not make you any weaker."

"You're weaker than I am," I told him. "It will heal you," I insisted.

I looked into Viktor's pale blue eyes as he remained silent. Without hesitation, I put my wrist to his mouth but he quickly shook his head and refused me again, turning away from me and shutting himself off from the conversation entirely. In a voice devoid of emotion he said "Stop" and became unresponsive.

My heart sank as I realised that no matter how hard I tried, Viktor was determined not to accept my offer of help; even if it meant dying in the process. The man was so stubborn! I knew that once he had made up his mind about something it would be damn near impossible to change it.

Then suddenly it dawned on me that I had some remaining bottle of human blood tucked away in the cave. So I did the only thing that I could do; I fetched the spare, stale human blood that I had left from the night prior, and I brought it back to where Viktor lay.

"You drink it," he said to me as he saw me approach with the bottle.

"No," I insisted. "You drink it. Now." I was stern, indicating that I was willing to put up a fight, and he finally complied, draining the bottle of its contents as I made him drink all the blood.