Deserae

Chapter 5

I must look like a starfish from above. With my left arm straight out beside me and my right one placed over my chest. My legs are apart and not under the covers, because, is it just me or is it a thousand degrees in here? Goddess, I feel like I'm melting.

I can't imagine what could be keeping me awake. I've been lying here for hours sweating through my shirt. Not to mention there's a horrible pain in my stomach, like a brick is trying to fit itself through my small intestine. Maybe it was something I ate? I had a squirrel while I was hunting, then at dinner I had some soup with a grilled chicken salad. Nothing in that meal should be making me feel this sick.

Maybe it's that leech. Maybe she poisoned me when I wasn't looking. Or put some of her venom on the bed while I was away and now my body's reacting to it. I hope that's not it, I know Vampire venom can make other creatures sick for days with symptoms of high fevers, muscle pains or numbness, and a lowered immune system.

So, I can get ill from the venom, then turn around and get ebola in the same week. All thanks to that leech.

I sighed deeply, did I do the wrong thing? Was throwing her outside and giving her the death-or-submission option too much? Maybe, for her first day here at least. Perhaps I should have waited a little bit longer before making her sleep outside in the pouring rain.

But why do I care? She's just a pet, a slave. Her entire existence is to make me happy and please me. Every waking thought she has should be to please me and only me. Nothing is more important and nothing comes first. I will be her only reason for living, and I'll be the only thing keeping her from dying.

A loud clash of thunder followed soon after a massive bolt of lightning. The light lasted so long I turned my head to the side and saw my pet's outline against the window. She's huddled to the right side of the balcony, underneath the stone railing, probably to protect herself more from the rain. But there are spaces between the pillars, probably two or three feet across and two feet tall. She could easily fall through if she wasn't careful, but she's managed to stay alive so far.

Perhaps she's thinking that, when this is all over, it'll have been worth it. She might be thinking that I'll reward her if she stays out there all night and does what I tell her. Maybe she thinks I'll even be kind to her for following my instructions so diligently. But she's got to know, deep down, that I could never do something like that.

She's a Vampire, and I'm a Wolf. Our two species' aren't supposed to get along, mix, or even communicate. The Moon Goddess made sure that neither of our kinds would be accepted by the other and that was to ensure the survival of us both. Otherwise, there might be hybrids of Vampires and Wolves out there. Running around turning into their Wolf form and attacking in packs like Wolves do, but killing dozens at a time like Vampires.

The thought disgusts me.

I glanced back at the window to see the faint outline of the girl crawling away. She looks like she's going over to the edge. To jump? Maybe. But she looks more like she's going under the stone railing, instead of over like I would think she would if she were planning on jumping. I wonder if she can see the ground or if the rain is too thick?

Does she know that there isn't a four story drop between her and the ground? I lied and told her that just to see what she'd do. I told the guards to make sure she didn't try to escape sometime during the night.

I told them that I was going to retire to bed, and, if they saw her jumping from the balcony, to catch her immediately. I told them that I would take care of her punishment and they were just to escort her back to my room. The two guards agreed then I came back to the room, to find, surprisingly, that she's still on the balcony.