Angelina

Chapter 24

     “I will do my best to explain why you are gone.” Lex assured me.

     “What will you tell them?”

     “That you have important business to attend and if he inquires as to the nature of your business, I will simple say I am not always privy to your affairs but that I trust you implicitly.”

     I extended my hand to his shoulder and gave it a firm squeeze and he did the same to me. It was enough to replace words. I know how lucky I am to have such a compassionate creator.

     Dread crept around inside of me; it held me in a gridlock with rancid fingers. I needed to prepare myself for whatever I find at the cabin. Even if Corinth knows about Angelina, he does not know about her blood; we were too careful yet it was not impossible.  

     Corinth practiced the old ways; the only one he truly cared an ounce about is Lex. Their history goes back before my time, a time when they lived and ruled together. Lex never talks about that time. From the little Lex has given away and stories told by elders, I summate that they terrorized humankind. It is understandable that he would want only to forget.

     It was possible that they encountered other vampires. I hoped that was not the case. Stella was too young and too weak to fend them off on her own. I wasted no time taking a car to the cabin. My way is faster.

     Fresh Blood. Angelina’s blood heightened the air around me. I came to a complete stop. Raw fear and crave gripped me and I staggered. I would have preferred to be eviscerated than endure a single moment of this sickening feeling consuming me.

     I pushed myself beyond reason to get to her, terrified of what I might find. Things I never felt before surfaced as I blew pass everything around me. Somehow, her existence became the sole reason for my existence. Without her, I would sink into darkness.

     There was no other vampire presence except Stella. I slammed through the front door and followed the scent of Angelina’s blood to Stella’s room. The door was unlocked and I pushed it open. 

     Stella hissed and flew to the corner of the room half-afraid of my presence and half threatened that I might take her feeder. I quickly assessed the situation. Angelina lay on the bed partially clothed and pale as a near death body. There were bite marks on her legs, stomach, chest and arms; some fresh and some were beginning to look infected. Stella was a weak vampire, the infections would take long to spread and cause any serious damage.

     Her heartbeat sounded weak as I moved to the bed and picked her up in my arms. Besides the bites, there were also cuts on her cheek and some nasty looking bruises about her body but she was alive. She must have put up a fight. Stella was obviously going for a slow drain or maybe she did not really want to kill Angelina.

     “No,” Stella shouted as I exited the room. She was not finished feeding. I ignored her and took Angelina to my room.

     Holding her head at an angle so my blood could slide down her throat, I wasted no time in slitting my wrist and putting it to her mouth. That would stop any infection from poisoning her blood. She was so unresponsive but I knew that would not be for long.

     My wrist healed and I slit it open again so that I could cover the fresh bite marks with my blood. There was only one way to heal the infected bite marks and that was to bite over them and then heal them anew with my blood.

     Her supple skin melted beneath my teeth. Her blood was sweet but not as warm. It covered my tongue, indulging all of my senses, yet I could not enjoy it. Relief washed over me as already I could see her pallor skin regained soft color and her heartbeat steadily increased to normalcy. Her skin was once again flawless.