The Death Thief

Donation

"Y-you want my blood?" All the color drained from my face, as if my blood fled in fear towards the tips of my fingers and bottoms of my toes. I felt lightheaded and heavy all at the same time.

Without answering, Kyra got out of the car, leaving her parasol behind. Just in that short drive, the sun had fallen deeper into its slumber and though a warm glow still cast the park in a golden light, the sky above purpled at it's apex and a few stars twinkled with merriment.

I tried to catch Everett's gaze in the rear view, hopeful he'd once again stand up for my human rights, but he slid out without a word. I suppose he didn't have any rights to defend. Kyra was only asking for my help, she did not make a demand, just a request. A request that I may not have been physically forced to agree to, but morally...

I glanced over to Calista, my mouth gaping as words failed to form upon my tongue. A pleading gleamed in her large eyes, her mouth twitching with a sympathetic frown. She couldn't donate. Her blood was rancid to vampires, if one could even call what she had blood anymore. Calista sighed and stepped out to join the others. I swallowed down my fear and opened the door.

"Okay," I muttered as I shut it behind me. "Take whatever you need." My hands wrapped around each other, my fingers massaging my tense knuckles as I admired the way the grass curled over the tops of my sneakers.

"Oh?" asked Kyra, with a mildly amused tone. "Would you really be drained to see this woman receive her justice?" I caught the gesture of her arm as she drew my eyes towards the stage. There Gregory sat at the edge of his seat with a wide smile on his face. Beside him was a vibrant woman, a couple years younger — at least younger physically — than Calista. She wore a shell pink, knee length dress with ruching that accentuated the curve of her hips. Her hair was swept up in a golden brown bun and topped with a black felt hat decorated with a pale pink organza flower. She sat with a perfectly straight back and her gloved hands folded upon her tightly drawn together knees. A smug smile quirked her burgundy lips.

I looked back at Calista, who appeared hopeful, but uncertain. I then turned to Kyra.

"That's why I'm here, right?" I asked with a wary shrug. "Surely Sheriff Hathaway told you why I found myself in your woods that night. You must know I had intentions to kill myself."

"Many humans," replied Kyra in a soft voice, "called by our spell have considered their previous life one no longer worth living. That's what makes them so appropriate for the life we can offer."

"Well, maybe I don't want either life. Maybe I was called here just to help you." I turned back to Calista, who could no longer look me in the eyes. "It may be a bit delayed, but I can still get what I came for."

"Is that what you really want?" A heavy hand gripped my shoulder, his thick fingers pressing into my skin and warming my tense muscles with his touch. I turned my eyes to Everett and saw my reflection in his dark mahogany gaze.

Unwilling to see myself in his eyes, I turned and looked over the park, filled with the happy people who were both a whole other species and incredibly similar to me all at the same time. Some had scorned me and avoided me. Others, though, welcomed me with a smile, showered me with their affections, and even shared a magical burst of violet with me. Then, there were those who looked at me as if I meant something. As if I had value. I turned back to Everett with a sheen of tears glistening in my eyes.

"No," I said, my lungs gasping after that single word drew everything from me. "No, it's not what I want."

I turned to Calista and saw the disappointment lowering her shoulders, but Everett's sigh of relief brought me back to him.

"Good," he said with a smile, "because Kyra was just joking with you."

"What?" I asked, the shock snapping the tears back to the corners of my eyes.

"Kyra has the pick of the town, remember? She's queen of the vamps here and she can take anyone, even the feeders from vampires she didn't convert herself." He looked out over the crowd, who was settling into their seats as Bernadette approached the mic. "Anyway, if anyone is going to be sucked dry today, it's going to be the guilty party."

With that he turned to face the stage and it was only then that I realized Kyra was no longer standing with us. Instead, she strode up to the front of the crowd, her presence unnoticed in the shadows of the trees while everyone else had their eyes on the guests of honor.

"Come on, let's head up there too." Everett gestured for Calista and I to follow him. We both complied with his command, and though I expected her to wear a victorious smirk upon her face, I found Calista shared my apprehensive gaze, watching the ignorant Gregory as he drank in Bernadette's complimentary words.

"Dr. Fair is not only a generous and gregarious man," said Derosiers, her voice lilting with confidence and brimming with pride, "he's also a professional, a man dedicated to his craft. Dedicated to helping others."

I thought of Gregory's hope for a human clinic in town and I took a few quick steps forward so my low words could be heard by Everett.

"Will she really kill him? He was probably compelled. Would it really be fair to him? Does he really need to die?"

"Only Kyra knows how much blood she needs," answered Everett in a grave timbre. "For his sake, I hope her age will grant her more than enough strength to overpower Bernadette. Maybe she'll only need a bit of fresh blood to reboot her system."

"It's been many years," said Derosiers as we reached the front of the stage, "since I've taken in a male. It's a source of blood I have greatly missed over the decades."

Kyra crept up the stairs, while Everett kept us to the tree line surrounding the open space of the park. Near the front sat Matias, his eyes sad and defeated as he glanced over at Calista. She took a few steps forward, her lover's pain calling to her, but Everett grabbed her shoulder and held her back. Calista turned with a silent question in her eyes and the werewolf answered with a firm shake of his head. Then, the crowd broke our quiet moment with a wave of gasps.

Derosiers' speech halted, her beautiful face twisting as she looked over the crowd with confusion. Following their stares, she turned around to see her handsome catch stepping across the stage with stiff, robotic movements, his eyes empty and unblinking.

"No, you can't!" hissed the villainous vampire.

Kyra, however, didn't hesitate for a moment. She grabbed the mystified Gregory by the back of his head and exposed his long, muscular neck.

Derosiers screeched as Kyra sunk her teeth into his welcoming flesh.