Somber

Chapter 41: Losing Control.

Dedicated to @YouandIKTK

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Chapter 41: Losing Control.

Niall's POV

I let her blood flow through me, as I sucked on the crook of her neck with gentleness learned through years of practice. I knew she wasn't even feeling pain at all. 

I felt a little bit of irritation at the buzzing created from the phone laying on a table nearby. I closed my eyes, savoring one last sip of blood before I unstuck my teeth from the brunette's flesh. 

I reached for the phone then, to answer it.

"Zayn's phone," I said as a form of greeting. A droplet of blood was falling from the corner of my mouth so I cleaned it with my thumb.  

"Niall?" I recognized Skye's voice through the other end. I smiled.

"The one and only," I said with an air of importance. Having just fed, my whole body was tingling and practically vibrating with the new life coursing through my veins. It's what I assume getting high would feel like on ordinary humans. Everything around me looked brighter and colorful. The rush made me lightheaded. 

"Where is Zayn?" she asked me, slightly taken aback. 

"Oh, he is unavailable at the moment. Would you like to leave a message?" I questioned. 

There was a pause, but I could still hear her breathing so I knew she was still on the line.

"I have a meeting with the Fey Queen in a few hours, I guess it's standard protocol since I'll be staying here for a while, but I was just wondering if there is anything I should know beforehand," she explained.

"Ah, I understand. Well, you shouldn't worry. It's not that big of a deal. Just bow down respectfully when everyone else does too, address her as 'your highness' and talk as little as you possibly can. That should keep her content". It was the best advise I could give her under the circumstances. Zayn hadn't told me that she was taken to Winter Garden, probably trying to keep it a secret from everyone, including his close circle of friends, to protect Skye. But I was certain, that even though the Queen agreed to take her in, she was probably not thrilled about it. Skye was an outsider. Only the council could have pressured her into doing something like this. Which meant that the best thing Skye could do was to be as invisible as she possibly could so that the Queen doesn't find an excuse to slit her throat under false pretenses. I didn't tell Skye any of this. There was no point in making her more nervous. 

I heard Skye sigh through the speaker, "Okay. Thanks Niall".

"Anytime. Good luck," I said.

"Please let Zayn know I called," she murmured.

"Will do, darling. Take care". With that, I ended the call. 

I glanced around the small costume shop. The brunette I had fed on was leaning against the counter where the register was, with a hand pressed against the puncture wounds left behind by my fangs. A slim line of blood trickled down her throat. The aroma was hypnotic and I found myself leaning forward to continue what I had been doing before the phone call. 

"We should go," Zayn said. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, pushing the urges away. I had drank enough blood to be satisfied for a while. I turned to face my old friend. 

"Skye called," I told him. My eyes caught sight of his face and I hesitated. His eyes were glowing a dark red. Darker than the blood on his shirt. 

"Bro," I paused.

"I tried to stop..." was all he said, remorse hinting in his words. 

I took a better look around and noticed a slumped body laying on the ground right beside one of the clothing racks. My eyes widened. It was the sales associate that had greeted us when we walked in. A short red head with freckles decorating most of her face.

"Did you kill her?" I asked slowly. 

Silence.

"Zayn-" I started.

"She's alive. But barely," he confessed. My eyes turned towards him.

"How long has it been? Since you last fed?" I asked.

"Very long," was his response. 

"Zayn," I grunted, "how long?" 

"I've only fed on human blood once since I became a hybrid. It's been a very long time," he said through gritted teeth. 

Now I felt guilty. I pushed him to this. I pushed him to feed. He was looking slightly pale, and he was extremely on edge and irritated. I knew he needed blood, so I forced him to get some. I puffed out a breath.

"She's alive. That's what matters. For someone who hasn't been feeding in so long, you showed an incredible amount of self restraint," I said honestly. 

"That's not making me feel better," he said. His eyes were still red. I don't think there's anything I can do about that. 

"I'm sorry I made you do this," I said apologetically, "But giving your vampire side what it wants, is better than letting the Lycan do what it wants".

Zayn's eyes held mine and he nodded.

"You know we're just stalling for time, Niall. A little bit of blood will not calm down the beast. It wants out. And I don't know how long I can keep it from forcing its way out". 

"We'll find a cure," I said firmly.

"We don't have much time," he replied. "I can feel it. Something is different. It's been bad for the last couple of weeks, but the moment I sent Skye away, something changed. I'm restless," he combed a trembling hand through his hair, his eyes shifting around nervously. He was restless. And paranoid. This thing was screwing with his head.

"You're just worried about her... and if Skye is the Lycan's mate, it is probably upset that she's not around anymore". 

"That's what I'm afraid of," Zayn said. "Who knows what the thing will do if it takes control".

"What do you think it'll do?" I asked in return, already dreading the answer. 

Zayn's unsettling red eyes looked up at me, but they weren't really seeing me. It was as if he was seeing through me. 

"I don't know...  probably kill everyone and destroy everything in its path until it finds her," he said.

A chill ran up my spine at his statement. Zayn was dangerous on a good day, God knows there would be no stopping him if he lost control completely. If the beast gets out, it will get exactly what it wants and there's nothing I or anyone else can do about it.

"We'll find a cure," I repeated. I think I was trying to convince myself more than I was trying to reassure him. 

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A/N: So this is a bit of a really bad situation. Zayn is not doing so good. My poor baby :( 

Anyways, I'm updating to let you guys know that my classes started on Monday. I'm finally taking the courses I need for my major, which means that I'm taking literature and creative writing classes. So I will be doing lots of reading and writing, just probably not too often for you guys. If you've been reading this since the beginning, you know how it goes when classes start. My updates are slower. I'm just announcing it for the ones who have started reading more recently. I don't want you guys to think I'll just forget about the story or any of you. If you don't hear from me for a while then it means my classes are keeping me busy. I'll try not to disappear for too long, and if I think it'll happen, I'll update a short chapter to let you know I'm still alive haha. Anyways, I'm really liking the classes at the new University. I hope your classes are good too. Good luck with your new semesters :)

Stay Awesome, 

Liz.x