The blood of a Dhampir: Vampire Acdamey

The hunger. Chapter 12.

Rose POV

To anyone on the outside I looked calm and collected, sitting on the edge of the ballroom observing the feeding Strigoi before me.

But inside my head there was a raging battle. My instincts were hell bent on racing over to Elana to feed from her dead body. While my presence of mind and sheer stubbornness held me back with the fear that acting upon my instincts would lead the Strigoi to discover that I was different. In fact, I am pretty sure that if I hadn't spent years hiding Lissa's spirit and my shadowed kissed abilities until it became second nature, I would of succumbed to my instinctual impulses. 

For I was different. I looked like a Strigoi, I had the strength of a Strigoi, I has the speed of the Strigoi and for Vlad sake I had red ringed eyes like a Strigoi. However, I didn't think like one. I could of easily helped Eddie kill those Guardian at the resort but it felt wrong. I could of let Dimitri fall over the mountains edge, but I couldn't bare to let anything happen to him.

Trust me to not be awakened correctly. A Strigoi with a conscience  has never been heard of. Strigoi are meant to be emotionaless and soulless. But for now I have to push these thoughts to the side. I need to focus on surviving.

Again my mind falls back to feeding on Elena's body. Why is Strigoi blood calling me so much? I never read any reports of Strigoi feeding off one another.

I was starting to feel like a monster amongst monsters when two figures I knew entered the room.

One face was once one I had known for over thirteen years. Eddie. His usually happy-go-lucky grin and bright eyes had been replaced with a cold calculating frown.

I recognized the other Strigoi immediately too. It was hard not to. His eyes met mine and I knew his face will always haunt my memories. Blonde hair, about the length of Dimitri's, hung over the side of a face that looked like he'd been in his early twenties when he turned. He had apparently seen Lissa and me when we were younger, but I had only seen him once before. When I fought him in the cabin at the resort.

He was the one who had awakened me.

"Awww Nathan!" Keir bellowed across the hall, dropping the now dead Moroi he had been feeding from. "I see your little raid at the resort went well."

"It did. How was the Moroi residence?" He replied smugly turning to face Keir.

"Satisfying. Nor did we lose any of our ranks." Keir challenged, determined to win their little pissing contest.

"We lost nothing that couldn't be replaced." Nathan grinned darkly, gesturing between Eddie and I. "Everyone had their fill and a few royal families have become smaller tonight."

"Well then." Isaiah chuckled deeply that sent a shiver down my spine. "Your children won't need any of our scraps from our pathetic hall then would they?"  

Eddie who had been fixated on the Moroi bodies from the second he walked in, snapped his head up to suddenly look at Isaiah in undisguised  anger and desperation.

The second Isaiah had left the pile of the Moroi bodies, the remaining lower Strigoi pounced on them fighting and bickering over the last few drops of blood.

A small growl began to rumbled from the base of Eddie's chest but was quickly stopped when Nathan snapped his fingers in front of his face with a sharp hiss much to Isaiah's amusement.

"Put them to work Nathan. I want this room spotless." Isaiah ordered.

Nathan's fury grew. "I don't answer to you."

"No. You don't." Isaiah's voice was ice. Earlier, I'd thought he conveyed no emotion in his words. Now I realized it was just more difficult to detect. There was a clear challenge in his voice now, a warning for Nathan to back off. "Galina sent you here to form an alliance, which means for you; my word is her word. You need to learn your place."