The Vampire's Prey

chapter 8

I ran as quietly as I could. First I went into the kitchen and I hurriedly grabbed some fruits and bread and I packed it up. Then I ran down to the storeroom where my escape hole awaited me. I grabbed all the things I had put in the wardrobe for myself and I packed them altogether in a sack-like bag. Finally I stood before the broken window from where light and fresh air called me.
It was now or never. The longer I take, the more I hesitate, the more I hesitate the more reluctant I become to leave and the more I would end up regretting it. I had made up my mind I must leave immediately or else I would be swayed by Aden. I must leave while I still care about myself more than I care about him. I must leave while I still want to. I must leave now!
I could always come back later but I must leave now or else it'll only become harder for me over time. Yes, that's my plan, I'll return some day but for now I need to leave, I need to claim my freedom... Now or never!
I took a deep breath and pushed myself to step forward. I carefully and as silently as I could, I crawled out through the broken glass of the window and just like that I was outside! I was free!
As I stepped barefooted onto the soft soil and cold ticklish grass a stinging pain on my feet made me look down. Oh no, I had cut my ankle and toes while getting through the broken glass and now I was bleeding! I panicked and ran for it. It was the only way, Aden would easily be able to track me down if I left behind a trail of blood so the best and only way was that I ran as far as I could before he could ever even discover that I was missing and I had escaped. I ran and ran as fast as I could and I didn't plan to stop unless I was far away from the mansion. I dashed across the cold forest and became breathless quite fast. I still didn't stop. I ran in the direction of the stream near which I saw the garden of roses. I eventually slowed down to save my energy but I didn't stop.
Time dragged by and I couldn't keep track of how long I had been walking. I pulled out the map I had scribbled and sadly so far I only came across one familiar landmark on my way. I won't accept myself as lost just yet. I must have only gone a little this way or that way, that's all I'm sure. If I keep looking around I'll figure out where I am and where I should go soon enough... But I'm not lost.
It started to get dark, the sun didn't stay long since it was winter and since I was so deep in the woods by now that even the sun's presence would have been useless. The dense fog begin to rise and spread. I was limping now, the cut was deep and it was still stinging. The blood had clotted a bit by now but it was still a wet and open wound. I decided to stop and attend to my injury first. I sat down on the ground against a tree and I tore a piece of cloth from my dress and I tied it around my feet's scars.
Suddenly I heard a noise. I instantly froze. The feeling of being watched and sneaked up on took over me. I heard the noise again and this time I instantly got up to my feet; it was the sound of shuffling dry leaves under someone's footsteps. I turned to the sound and stared through the trees into the darkness of the forest as I searched for a sign of what I heard. Should I run or is it nothing maybe just a small animal? Or what if a big animal? A wolf? A beast? But what if its just some person passing by? What if its Aden who followed and found me here. My heart raced as I heard movement again and I even spotted moving shadows. It was surely some kind of person.
Finally a figure came out from behind a tree, I was startled as he had managed to sneak up closer to me than I expected. There wasn't much light but whatever luminescence there was, he stepped into it while facing me. I knew instantly he wasn't Aden since he was taller with a much different physique and lighter hair. But before I could relax sighing with relief his eyes gleamed red over his smirking face as he stepped forth. My heart sank, my bleeding had attracted another vampire!
He casually stepped closer and stopped only far enough in front of me so that I could get a good grasp of his facial features. He was handsome, almost as good looking as Aden and yet he was the complete opposite of him. If Aden was handsome because of his small cute eyes and thin pink lips, this vampire was handsome because of his big attractive semicircular eyes and soft plump lips. If Aden was handsome because of his skinny physique and relaxed figure, then this vampire was handsome because of his muscular, stiff, upright and tall figure. If Aden was handsome because of his dark brown messy, fuzzy hair, then this vampire was handsome because of his jet black smooth flat silky hair flipped sideways. If Aden was handsome because of his usual emotionless pokerface than this vampire was handsome because of his scary mischievous smirk and his bright alert eyes staring into my soul.
I must have been mesmerized by his looks that I didn't move at all as he continued to come closer straight towards me. By the time I realized I was in trouble he had already come close enough to make me freeze with fear. He scrutinized me amusingly with a mischievous glint in his blood red eyes. He licked his lips attractively before he spoke, "did you hurt yourself, I could smell your blood from a mile away. Are you lost?" His voice made my heart skip a beat...it was beautiful! It was once again the total opposite of Aden, his voice was smooth soft and almost musical compared to Aden's rough husky voice. I was at a complete loss of words after hearing his magically beautiful voice. He looked down at my things place on the ground and asked, "are you a traveler? Where are you from? Where are you going? Maybe I can guide you."
I doubt it, he's clearly a deceptive lying vampire who only wants me as his prey. "I don't need any help, I'm fine, I know where I'm going," I said softly trying my best not to sound scared and nervous.
"Really?" He asked playfully as he took another step closer. He reached out to me and gently touched a lock of hair from in front of my face. He stroked his fingers down along the lock of hair and as he did so his cold skin brushed across my cheek sending shivers down my spine. Then suddenly his fingers landed on the side of my neck. He pushed my hair back from my neck till the mark of Aden's bite was completely exposed. He stared at it with an amused expression on his face and he whispered, "strange how someone bitten by a vampire skill bleeds fresh blood. Are you perhaps a witch?" I don't know, am I? Can I be, is being a witch maybe the reason why I never turned into a vampire? "Or are you just a stray on the run from the vampire who owns you," he continued to ask but I didn't answer. "Tch tch, looking at this looks like you weren't treated well. He must have been a monster." No that's not true, I argued in my thoughts, Aden was great to me and I'm already regretting leaving him. But I guess he truly was a monster when he first bit me ever so savagely, I guess the mark shows that. "You can come with me then, I'm very much well known for being extremely gentle with my prey," he said as he playfully touched my cheeks with the back of his hand, "I'll treat you very well, in fact if you really are a witch whose blood never runs out then you can even be my princess, I'll treat you better than anyone and everyone."
I jerked my face away from his hand and decided to just walk away and maybe run for it but I had only turned around and walked a few steps away when suddenly his arms were tightly around me. He pulled me in his chest, hugging me firmly from behind and he forced his face deep through my hair and into my neck. I felt him breathing softly against my ear. "Man, you smell nice," he said as he took a deep inhale of my scent and squeezed me even tightly. I suddenly tried to shake him off and escape but he was incredibly strong, I could feel the firmness of his muscles around me. I gave up, its too late, I was done for, there's nothing I can do now. Its not like I was going to end up someplace better after escaping from Aden, what was I thinking running away from him? "Don't worry it won't hurt at all compared to whoever's been drinking your blood last," he whispered into my ear with his musical heart-melting voice.
I gave in, its not like I have anything to fear, its not like I haven't already been a vampire's prey all this time, its not like I haven't become used to the torture and pain... What difference does it make whether its Aden drinking my blood or some other Vampire.