Fire

Chapter Six

    "Impossible, you say? I think not, darling. Nothing is impossible, and you are living proof of that. Have you ever wondered why you are able to feel so much love and compassion for those around you? You just cannot stop protecting that human sister of yours. And that man, Kane, you love him so openly. I know you feel more than respect for Derek, as well. You love them all, and that is only because your heart is weak, it is human."

    Dimitri's body was not present in my mind, but I felt his cold, rough hand rest above my chest. 

    "A human heart beats inside of your chest. This is what makes you different. You are the greatest phenomenon of eternity, and only now have you realized it. And it was I who created you. I made you like this.

    "And to think, maybe, if I had a sample of your blood and inject it into myself, would I be granted the gift of humanity as well?"

    Instinctively, my hands balled into fists, but it was an empty feeling, because I did not have full control of my body and mind. I wanted to feel angry, and normally I would have been furious by then, but something was restricting me, keeping my anger at bay.

    "Get out of my head. If you want to talk, come to me in person. Do not invade my mind," I told him through my teeth.

    I felt his presence draw near and braced myself. "Do not fret, my dear. I will not hurt you. You are my champion, my most prized possession. I love you like a daughter, a lover. I wish to protect you, but I want to use you as a weapon, as well. You are so versatile and courageous, I find it oddly attractive."

    "You're sick!" I snapped, grinding my teeth together. And, as my angry emotions finally broke free, I lashed out at my surroundings, clawing at what I assumed was his face and kicking out at what should have been his groin.

    With a start, I was pulled from the depths of my mind and back to reality, where I was lying on the floor with Maya above me trying to revive my unconscious body. She frantically shook my shoulders, saying my name over and over.

    My eyes flew open and I sat up, gasping for air. "M-Maya," I stammered, my hands trembling uncontrollably.

    She threw her arms around me and held me close. "Oh, Natalie! I was so worried-you just fell over and stopped breathing and I thought- I thought you were..." My sister suddenly burst into tears of what seemed to be sadness, happiness, and hysteria all at once.

    I had tears of my own running down my face as I patted her on the back and squeezed her in my arms. "It was Dimitri. I don't know how he did it, but he got into my mind and he was able to control my thoughts and feelings. It was twisted and terrible and if he ever does that again..." The experience was so horrible that I was not sure if I was mad or scared.

    As we sat on the dirty kitchen floor holding each other, I was finally able to let my tears out. I cried real tears for the first time in my life. They were tears bottled up from everything that I should have cried over, but didn't. The death of my parents, my transformation into a vampire, Trish's death, and now the realization that I was not a complete vampire. For once in my life, I was intimidated by someone.

    I believed Dimitri had enough power to eventually take full control over me, and I feared the day he succeeded.

   The sound of our front door opening echoed through the house and I looked up to see who had entered uninvited. Kane's body appeared in our kitchen, and I gave a sigh of relief. I was also slightly astonished, because this was the first time I had seen Kane out of his home.