Euphoria

Chapter Fourteen

Vampires were monsters. Cruel. Unforgiving. Merciless. 

Shinoa knew this well.  

Her eyes burned, swelled shut by the tears that had long since dried. The hairs on her body stood up and she shivered, finally noticing the chilling cold that wrapped around her like a thin blanket. Despite the chilly air, it soothed the burning of her skin and she finally summoned enough strength to pry open her eyes. 

Darkness was the first thing that greeted her, the thick scent of old oakwood tickling her nose next. She sat up slowly, the aching of her bones making every move feel like a hundred needles were pricking her skin at once. It was then that she realized she was naked, a fact that would have made her embarrassed under any other normal circumstances. 

She clutched the thin blanket to her chest, wincing as she felt the gashes embedded into her skin. The lashes were everywhere, painting her pale skin in deep welts and swelling purple. Her fingernails still had blood underneath them from when she had buried her fingers into her palms to stop from screaming. 

Sitting alone in an unfamiliar room she tried to pull herself together. She knew that there was a chance that she would be tortured, her captors were vampires after all! Yet she couldn't help but pull her legs to her chest. It was foolish, but a part of her had hoped that she would be different. 

She squeezed her eyes shut. A foolish wish. Shinoa wiped away the budding tears, hating how utterly selfish she was. How could she wish for something so selfish when her own squad was being tortured as well? She had seen Yuichiro, his tattered form. And she knew what would inevitably happen to those who the vampires deemed unworthy. And yet she had expected to be any different. If she did as she was told, remained docile, if she smiled and pretended to be content maybe, just maybe, she would be spared...

Shinoa sniffed, her eyes staring hard at the floor. Slowly, her fingers reached up to touch her neck, brushing against the many puncture wounds on her skin. She counted fifteen before she let her hand fall in her lap. 

The door to the room slammed open and she felt the shudder vibrate against the floor as the door hit the wall, and Ayato stepped in. The urge to stand flowed through her, but she didn't trust her legs to support her fully. Instead she scooted back, trying desperately to cover herself from his sight.

Ayato was bloody, a string of blood trickling down his chin and covering the cuff of his sleeves. He looked as though he had been tussling with bears, and the expression he wore was fierce enough to make even the devil cry.

"Pipsqueak," He said suddenly. 

The words made her blink quickly, only able to utter a soft, "Yes?" before she flinched as he stepped closer to her. It was sudden when his hand grabbed her chin. He lifted her head upwards and stared directly in her eyes, his green eyes staring into hers with such intensity that she forgot to breathe.

"Next time you offer yourself to any of my brothers I will kill you," He said. 

His voice was cold and dripping with venom. She could feel the intensity cut through her like a knife. In that moment it felt as though he had slapped her, and the burning that creeped up her chest ached unforgivingly. She could not speak and he let go of her without another word. 

"Do you not understand what position you are in?" He finally questioned. 

She said nothing, her head bowed low as she huddled herself into a ball. Suddenly she tensed as she fell back, her body pressed against his chest. His arms wrapped around her shoulders, pressing her bare skin against the fabric of his shirt. 

She gasped, the rough sensation sending spasms through her nerves, but the warmth of his body was what took her by surprise. She blinked, unable to say a single word as her heart thumped rapidly. 

"Don't look at anyone else. You belong to me"  Ayato said firmly. His grip tightened, pressing firmly into her skin. "I take all that I want and all that I see. Whenever I wish it, you will give me your blood. Whenever I wish it...you will embrace me. Understand this, you belong to me forever." 

There was nothing Shinoa could say to him. As she listened to his words, she could do nothing to fight against him. Sitting within that cold room with only the warmth of his body and a thin towel to comfort her, she was at a loss for words. 

Vampires are monsters.  Cruel. Unforgiving. Merciless.

So why was it that this one held her so tightly in his arms, as if she would disappear if he ever let her go? 

She didn't have an answer for that. She could only sit in the dark and listen to the silence that lingered on as he gripped her tightly.