The Last Corvus (completed)

Ch. 20 Isadora

Chapter 20

Isadora

I collect my toothbrush, toothpaste, and pajamas to take with me to the bathroom and hear a very loud argument from the other side of the door. One side has a decidedly male voice, though I can't peg who it is. The other sounds female; too high-pitched to be Mrs. Jones, which leaves the only other option I know of being Jem. I wonder what's got her in such a mood.

The argument soon stops, ending with someone stomping peevishly down the hall. I open the door to find Henry standing on the other side, about to knock. "Hello, Henry. I'm really tired, so if you don't mind, I'd like to get ready for bed."

"That makes it easier, then. I have something to tell you."

"Could you make it quick? I feel like I'm about to fall asleep standing."

He smiles, and I have no idea why. What's so amusing?

"I'd like to say, how dare you."

"What-?"

"You come in here, changing everything. You come proposing this "cure" for vampirism. Guess what? WE DON'T WANT IT! We don't want you! You act like it's a disease; but it's not. We're gods! We have so much power; and you want to take it away. How DARE you?" His voice is gradually rising and I try to leave the room but he closes and locks the door behind him, trapping me in here with him.

"Linden? Could you come here? Henry is starting to scare me."

I sound like such a girl. I don't even know if he can hear me, I heard him leave his room a minute or so ago and I now have no idea where he is.

"You couldn't be more wrong. I had no idea what I was capable of until yesterday, when one of your fellow "gods" brought me here."

"Don't you dare. Don't you dare blame Lin for this! He never could resist a pretty face. He doesn't appreciate what he has, the powers he has. I can't let him make that mistake; waste his powers. "

"I don't care about what he does, he has a choice. That's all I can offer- a choice!" I can't believe this is happening. I kind of figured something like this would happen, that there would be opposition, but why did it have to happen now? I can feel my strength lagging; I don't know how long I can stand up. Yet at the same time, the annoyance from this whole thing and the panic that's setting in makes me feel more awake, more alert.

He steps forward, somehow maneuvering me against the wall, his giant hands on either side of my head. I try to escape, but he's too imposing, giving me a glare that says if I move he'll snap my neck. "There's one thing you don't have a choice about... dying."

And with that, I fumble to open my necklace, suddenly very afraid of what will happen and desperate for any amount of protection. Some very small of my mind, the stupid-to-not-be-freaking-out-that-I'm-about-to-die part, laughs at how ridiculously cliché he just sounded. "Linden! Help me! He's going to kill me. Help!"

He laughs at my pathetic attempt to defend myself, casually swiping the choker off my neck. His nails dig into my neck, tearing it open in long gashes and making rivulets of warm blood soak into the collar of my shirt. It falls to the floor, out of reach, and I try to escape to the door by ducking under his arm. He slams me into the wall, pins my arms to my sides, and steps on my feet. I can't move.

He leans toward me and I crane my head away from him, right into his arm. Smiling, fangs extended, he slowly, deliberately, licks my gaping neck wounds.

To someone who didn't know what was going on, this could look extremely kinky. I, on the other hand, barely manage not to gag in terrified revulsion.

Someone tries to open the door and yells when they find it locked. Linden. He heard me. I can honestly say I've never felt more relieved in my life and almost sag against the wall as my knees threaten to give out.

Henry snarls in annoyed defiance and sinks his fangs into my neck, Linden still yelling and trying to bust the door down.

He tears open my neck, chugging my blood as if he had just found water after being in the desert for two weeks. I can feel a cold stabbing trough my veins, radiating out from my neck and where he's still sucking, chewing, tearing at my neck.

"Linden..."

"Hold on, Kitty. I'm coming."

Everything goes cold.

Colder. My extremities tingle.

Colder. Numbness. I couldn't move even if I wanted to. And I do want to. One part of my brain says to run away, NOW, while another says to just let it happen.

I don't want to die. Somehow, I'm able to feel a warm tear roll down my cheek.

Cold to the point of heat. And here I was, thinking I'd lost all feeling. That would be nice. Oh, well.

I hear the door get kicked in.

"Not... fast enough... Lin."

Darkness.