Of Fangs & Fins ✔

13. Qualms

SR: bvg - I've given up on you

Thirteen.

Marina.

A lot of people say that you won't understand their pain unless you go through it. I'm pretty sure this is precisely what they meant.

I don't think I fully understood the risk of being around vampires. Scratch that. I know I didn't fully understand the risk. The very people I trusted were the ones who hurt me. I tried to push all these nasty feelings down, make myself completely numb, but the feeling of Ally biting wasn't something I could not push down. It hurt, a lot.

I wondered if I made the wrong choice making Eryn turn Ally. That creature in there wasn't Ally. My anxiety rose as I thought about how I was bitten twelve hours apart.

My hands trembled, but nothing registered in my mind aside from my fears. I was in a guest room, sitting on a very soft bed.

The girl with all the crescent moon scars sat next to me, pressing a wet towel to my neck. Her odd gaze was fixated on me as if I was some sort of museum piece. I turned my head, trying to not let her gaze unnerve me.

Lance stood on the other side of the room, pacing.

"Anika, would you hurry it up, please? There are too many vampires in this household. They're going smell her, and I would hate to tranq the whole clan."

Anika nodded wordlessly, standing up and heading to a drawer. She opened it and pulled out a vial. I recognized it as blood.

"What's that?"

"Vampire blood, it'll heal you quicker," Lance explained, motioning for Anika to give it to me. She sat next to me and handed it to me, urging me to drink it.

"I won't be turned right?" My eyes widened.

Lance shook his head. He didn't seem to have much of a problem being around me. Something about that made me feel a little better.

I stared at the vial and closed my eyes, tipping it back. The blood tasted disgusting, the metallic bitter taste making me want to throw it up.

"Vampires were the ones who hurt me and yet their blood is the thing that heals me. What a paradox."

"The irony, right?" Lance smiled tightly, "I'm so sorry this had to happen, especially after our conversation."

I didn't tell Lance that Eryn bit me; I couldn't bring myself to. Instead, we spent the day scoping out where the quaestor would have her party. Lance wanted to see what we were dealing with before we went in

Afterward, we went out to eat. It was nice to talk to someone as if everything was normal. We went shopping, which at first boggled me. Shopping with a vampire was nothing like I'd imagined it would be. He gave his opinion of fashion to me, taking me to outlets that were far past their time. I fell in love with some dresses but mostly stuck to modern-day clothes. It felt like a regular day. Until the second I came back.

Oh, God. Ally.

"What's going to happen to both of them?" I asked, worried about what was going to happen now.

"We have a detox chamber downstairs. They'll be there for however long they need to. We need to expel all the blood from their systems," Lance explained.

Anika stood up abruptly, leaving the room. I raised a brow and wondered why she left. "Is she okay?"

"Yes, ignore her. Anika is a bit... sensitive. She's been mistreated by vampires and sometimes she feels uncomfortable in this situation. See, no one in this household loses control like that. It was my fault for not being more careful," Lance sat on the bed next to me. "Again, I apologize—"

"You didn't do anything," I sat there, realizing that the people who I cared about was the very thing I was taught to hate and fear, "when do I get to see them?"

He shook his head. "That won't be for a bit, my dear. You see Eryn always has had a problem with keeping herself in check, I should've known Ally would've had issues as well. They're connected now."

"Like a spiritual connection?"

"Yes, I'm just surprised Ally lost her control so quickly. She never has taken mermaid blood before," Lance opened a drawer, the same one that the vial was in, and rummaged through it.

"You said they're connected. Can Ally feel Eryn's thoughts?" My mind flashed back to the way Eryn stared at me when I walked in. I closed my eyes, waiting for Lance's answer.

"Yes, but I don't why that would be..." He stopped mid-sentence and turned to be. A look of resignation flashed across his face, "When?"

My cheeks grew hot. "Last night."

He sighed, turning around with a small zipper bag that looks like a pencil case, "This is for you. If anything like this happens after their detox, don't be afraid to use it."

I unzipped the bag. Four syringes toppled out. "So, whenever I feel threatened, I just stab the people I care about with these?"

"With all due respect, my dear, but I don't think you should be near Eryn. You'll burn each other in the end. Relationships such as yours are too difficult."

I nodded, painfully aware that being with Eryn was risky. I knew I was in over my head, but I wanted to experience life. I wanted to experience her. Eryn made me feel alive, she made me feel like I wasn't just a dainty little princess. Back at home, no one let me simply be. They made me feel dependent on them. With Eryn, I felt equal.

↝↝↝.

Eryn.

Sweet blood burst into my mouth as I punctured her succulent neck. I threw my head back, relishing in the waves of pleasure and lightheadedness her blood gave me. I bit down harder, the blood pouring in waves

Her pulse was fading, but I didn't care about that. I cared about how much blood she could provide me. This woman was an athlete, her health impeccable. The athletes were my favorite, the sweetest blood of them all.

"Enjoying yourself, darling?" Lucinda asked, cradling the back of the girl's neck. She stood over a younger woman who passed out on a chair. Her wrists were tied down to the chair, bite marks all over them.

I gave her a sultry gaze, rising from the couch I was laying on. "I only enjoy myself with you."

Sagan chuckled, causing me to shift my gaze over to her. She was in my bed, completely naked. Another woman laid next to her, asleep and looking worse for wear. I hope we didn't drain her completely, I thought. It would be a shame if she couldn't be a part of the fun.

Luce's dirty blonde ringlets covered her breasts as she walked toward me. I loomed over her, waiting for what she was going to do next. She pulled her long hair to one side of her shoulder and exposed her olive-toned neck. "I love it when you do it."

I pulled her close to me, cupping her cheek and sinking my fangs into her delicate neck slowly. She cried out in pleasure as I fed on her, loving the mix of vampire blood and mermaid blood in her system. I tightened my grip on her, taking long gulps.

Sagan approached us; her gaze locked on me. She stood behind Luce, moving her hair to her back. "I hate missing out on all the fun." She tilted her head and bit down on the other side of Luce's neck. Luce's grasped my arm tightly, sinking into my hold.

After a few minutes, I pulled away, watching as Luce crumpled onto Sagan. She lifted Luce up and dragged her over to the bed. "Ryn, why don't you join us?"

I looked around the room, taking in all the women that were on the brink of death because of us. Guilt wriggled its way into my gut and I turned my head away, trying to focus on anything else. I tried to keep myself in the haze of the bloodlust, but I knew this was wrong.

Sybil wouldn't approve of this.

She would hate that I was doing this.

I hate that I'm doing this.