Fighting For My Undead Soul

Chapter 13

We pulled up to a house hours later, the world around us was dark and the sounds of different bugs and critters filled the air. The drive to the countryside had been beautiful after however many days or weeks I spent cooped up in my cell. I hadn't asked any questions, too absorbed in the sights and the feelings of the blood I was under the influence of. Valerie stepped out into the cool night air and offered me a hand. I ignored her, pulling myself out of the car and stumbling on shaky legs. Gravel crunched and shifted underneath my weight. Valerie caught my elbow, steadying me. I yanked away quickly, my unsteady balance toppling me in the other direction. One of her guards was behind me in an instant, mistaking my sudden movements as an attempt to escape. Valerie raised a hand in his direction, halting him from touching me.

"Don't try anything stupid, Artemis," Valerie said to me, her hand still raised. I looked all around me, at the vast and dark land. I knew the road we travelled down was the only one back towards civilization. I knew I could try to escape at some point, even if it would be difficult. But strangely, I didn't want to. My eyes eventually landed on the massive house in front of me and my feet shuffled forward on their own accord. With each step forward, I let go of any pieces of me that longed to go back to my old life. I let go of my parents. Cassie. Jasmine. Spencer. I couldn't go back to the person I had been. The one who had fought for their lives and cared so deeply. Truth be told, I didn't care anymore. I was numb inside. The only way to feel things was to drink blood. And I craved it, simply for the way it made me feel something rather than nothing.

The sound of Valerie's footsteps echoed behind me. I stopped at the door of the house; my head cocked to the side as I listened to the sounds coming from the other side of the door. Laughter rang out and the sounds of glasses clinking were barely audible over the chorus of music. I glanced at Valerie, curious. "A party," her lips parted slightly in a soft smile, "in your honor." She held out her hand to me once more, and I accepted the offer, allowing her to pull me through the now open door.

The inside of the house was larger than it appeared on the outside. The ceiling was tall, making the open space in front of me appear cavernous. Everything inside was as dark as the night. Black, green, and purple colors were filtered through the house, covering the walls, the floor, and the ceiling. Flashes of gold lit up dark corners and enticed me forward. My hand slowly trailed out of Valerie's as I moved through the house. People danced and chatted everywhere I looked, vampires and humans. I walked past a waiter, who held a tray of champagne glasses full of blood. I grabbed one off the tray as I walked by and sipped lightly. I twirled, relishing in the feelings running through my body once again. Someone's hand snaked around my waist before I could continue my journey throughout the dark and moody house. I giggled at the blonde woman standing in front of me with strikingly blue eyes. She smirked as she pushed my glass back to my lips and held it there until the contents were gone.

She quickly sat the empty glass on another waiter's tray as he scurried past, and her hands found their way back to my waist. The music rattled through my bones as she helped me sway back and forth. I leaned into her, my hands wrapping around her neck as I let myself lose control. Her mouth kissed along my jaw, moving slowly and sensually towards my lips. I turned my face, capturing her lips hungrily, not enjoying the slow burn. My hands wound into her hair, pressing her even closer into me. She moaned into my mouth, and I sighed contentedly at the feeling of Lena's lips on mine. Lena. I stopped abruptly, pushing myself off the blonde woman. She stumbled back, confusion lighting up her eyes. I shook my head, feeling disoriented. Why did I think of her? This girl looks nothing like her, tastes nothing like her, but she somehow found a way to invade this moment.

The blonde woman stalked back up to me, grabbing my waist firmly and pulling me back into her. She placed her hand on the back of my neck and guided my lips to her own. Adrenaline and hormones guided my actions, and I licked her neck. She whimpered and craned her head, giving me even better access to her neck. My lips brushed against her, and I let my teeth rake against her skin. She leaned into the movement, and I did it again. This time, I tasted blood, and my body shuddered. I sank my teeth into her neck lightly and sucked as I kissed her. Her breathing quickened along with her heartbeat, and she held me even tighter. I smirked into her neck. She was human, I knew that from the taste of her blood, but I didn't know she wanted this from me until now. And it turned me on more than anything has in a while.

I pulled away after a few seconds, my head tilted towards the ceiling as I gasped for breath amongst the blood trailing from my mouth. The woman grabbed my hand and tugged me towards a grand staircase in the middle of the floor, golden handrails leading up to darker abyss. I stumbled behind her, struggling to not lose myself in the blood. Red lips caught my attention as I made my up the staircase behind the blonde goddess. They were frowning at me, and I frowned back. My half-opened eyes trailed up, meeting the gaze of a pair of dark, chocolate brown eyes. They stared at me intently, beckoning me to come to them. I tripped on the last step, breaking eye contact. Before I could refocus my attention, I was pulled around a corner and into a room with a giant, ornate bed pushed against the far wall.

I didn't have time to look around as my lips were pulled back into the woman's neck and I resumed my position from earlier. She tried to remove my shirt, but my lips were glued to her neck. She chuckled, the sound more nervous than anything and she used both hands in an attempt to push me back. The movements caused us to topple onto the bed with me on top of her and I grabbed her hands, pausing my drinking long enough to look in her eyes and give her a warning, "stop." Fear consumed her blue eyes, and I moved back to her neck just as her screams began filling the air around us. I couldn't contain myself as I hit her artery, and more blood poured into my mouth. She had served me heaven on a platter, and I was feeling ravenous. I heard the door swing open and felt hands grabbing my waist, but I was too far gone to make sense of what was really happening.

My back slammed into the ground and I'm sure I watched the blonde woman slide off the bed and crawl out of the room. Brown eyes and red lips hovered above me, with long, slender legs straddling my waist. I reached up, grabbing a soft, black curl between my fingers. I twirled the piece of hair, in awe of the smoothness. The thought briefly crossed my mind that I hadn't showered since I was taken or even brushed my teeth. It didn't matter though, I didn't have a need to be clean anymore, just a need to drink blood. I felt a few tears sliding down the side of my face. What was I doing? Who had I allowed myself to become? "I'm sorry, Lena," I whispered, allowing myself to look up into her eyes. But they weren't her eyes, were they? They were brown and they were accompanied by red lips. They were still frowning at me and now the eyes were sad. "Please kill me, Valerie," I whispered, feeling a moment of clarity in the haze. She shook her head, her eyes closing for just a moment. "Sure thing, Artemis," she whispered back grabbing my neck and twisting. My last thought before darkness enclosed me was of Lena. And the relief that accompanied me as I let her go.