Fresh Taste

Fourth Part

3rd POV:

He held the man down with his sheer strength as he finished satiating his hunger. The man tasted decent enough for him to drink up. He was a suited up middle class man, who was healthy and surprisingly easy to enthrall. Brandon was used to taking life, but it never did get easier as time progressed. He didn't want to take this man's life because he knew that there were many hunters in this area. He just needed Natalie in order to get out of the city swarmed with hunters. His goal had changed. Now his goal was to protect her and their child.

"You know this is not very undercover." A honeyed voice came out from seemingly nowhere. Brandon looked over to see a red haired woman, "Melanie, what are you doing here?" He asked. "You do know that I can't let you kill that man?" Melanie replied flatly dropping any honeyed traces from her voice. "How did you find me?" He dropped the man on the ground, in his mind Brandon thought this semi burnt warehouse was secluded enough to avoid attention.

"I saw you at the hospital stupid" She retorted. Brandon had every intention of talking to his sister that day but he had bigger fish to fry that day.

"And, I was attending a patient just yesterday. I was taking her blood work and I found out she's a halfling. Now normally this isn't a problem except she seems to be unaware that she's a halfling. I also smelled faint traces of venom in her system. I thought to myself now who could it belong to?" She scoffed. "So I decided to investigate and took a little sip of the blood only to find that it's your venom! And to top it off she's pregnant!" she spat out the last part.

Brandon rolled his eyes, "What is your point? We all take blood from humans, especially halflings. You know that I haven't killed a human unless they were a hunter and even then they don't count" He retorted.

"You're right, it wouldn't have mattered. Except that she's a pregnant halfling in hunter country!" This time she said it vehemently.

"How reckless can you be Bran! If the hunters get a whiff she's a pregnant halfling by a vampire she'll be dead. She won't even make it to the morning Bran". She sighed the last part finding a crate to sit on.

"They let me live in this territory because I'm vegetarian and I'm a doctor. I left the clan long ago because of the antiquated practices. Yet here you are in front of me... practicing." She grimaced.

Brandon felt bad for his sister but he finally understood where she was coming from. "I originally came here to visit you and tell you mom's dead. Among other things." Brandon looked at her.

"Wait, what?" Melanie stood up. In a blink of an eye she was in front of him grabbing her younger brother by his collar. "Don't lie to me Bran! I may be vegetarian but I'll kick your ass."

"I wish I was but she's dead. Killed by those hunters who gave you asylum" He spat out. She let him go leaning on her knees. She didn't have a good relationship with her mother. She loved her nonetheless.

"How did it happen?" She straightened up.

"Hunters shot her in the head with a silver bullet. They left her for dead Melanie, your hunters killed mother thinking it would weaken us. Milos has assumed the leadership and he wants you to come home." Brandon observed his sister after what he said.

She had on a poker face. He did not know what she was thinking. She then walked past him towards the human man. She leaned down and checked his pulse, "He should be fine, lets just drop him off at his apartment, He'll just think he had a crazy drunken night" With that she put him over her shoulders and they took him to his home.

After they took the poor man to his home Melanie took her brother to her house.
Upon entering they sat down in her kitchen as she took out bags of blood from her fridge. "Thanks," Brandon quickly grabbed the bag and put it up to his lip taking a big swig only to spit it back out.

"It's animal blood!" he wiped his mouth frowning. "I told you I don't consume human blood" She rolled her eyes at her brother seeing his contorted face. "So, mom died alone?" Melanie finally asked.