thing for me to do and that was to scream for help and
only one word left my lips.
“Roman!”
The vampire hissed in my face, her breath
warm and stale. She tightened her arms around me cutting off my air
supply and the scream. “I really wish you hadn’t done that.” Her
fangs were less than an inch from my face, her eyes a blazing blue.
I couldn’t help but look into them. Our noses almost touched, and
there was nowhere else to look.
“Perdita mia.” Roman’s voice came like a
soothing wind.
“Stay out of this, Centurion.”
“Perdita, my dear, you know I cannot let you
have her. She is mine.”
“She is no such thing and you know it.”
“I have claimed her as my own, given her my
protection.”
“Like you gave to Vivian?”
“Yes, indeed.”
“Fine. I will take one of these, then.”
For the second time in less than half an
hour, my body was lobbed toward Roman at such a speed that I knew I
would be dead when I hit, but Roman knew better than that. He
caught me and spun with my momentum. I slumped in his arms, all of
the courage gone out of me, and he pulled me in against his chest,
his arms wrapped around me, holding me close so I wouldn’t
fall.
On the other side of the room, Perdita had
Adelina in her arms, rubbing her nose against the vein in the
woman’s neck, smelling her flesh and blood and the beat of her
heart. Adelina didn’t look afraid, but I didn’t know if I could
stand there and watch her be fed from like some animal. Perdita
opened her mouth, fangs bared, poised just over the large vein.
I tried, I really did. I knew this was no
business of mine to be getting involved, but I couldn’t live with
the fact that Adelina as taking my place.
“No.” The protest squeaked out before I
could stop it. Perdita’s fangs stopped in mid-strike and she turned
her fiery blue eyes on me.
“You would take her place?” she hissed.
“Yes.”
“No. I won’t allow it.” Roman’s voice
rumbled in his chest against my back. The look in Adelina’s eyes at
his betrayal was too much. I looked away.
“ It is considered impolite to turn away,
LeKrista,” Roman whispered in my head and I turned back as
Perdita’s fangs sank into Adelina’s flesh. I forced my eyes to stay
open as Perdita fed. Perdita stared into my eyes, driving home the
reality of the situation. I was helpless to protect myself or
anyone else against her.
“She won’t kill her?” I asked. My voice had
gone pitifully soft with fear and despair.
“No, my dear. She will not kill her.
Calliope, come here to me.”
Calliope didn’t need to be told twice. She
climbed to her feet and scrambled across the floor of the closet
toward us, her feet getting tangled in her long skirt. As she
passed, Calliope brushed my arm with her fingers. I think it was a
touch of acceptance or trust. Either way, I knew she no longer
disliked me.
The floor to my left exploded and a body
flew through the hole to cling to the ceiling.
“Hello, father.” It was Lucretious. “What
have we here? Three for the price of one? Do you mind if I join the
party?”
Perdita looked up with lust in her eyes.
“Never, my love,” she answered and I was relieved to see that her
mouth wasn’t coated in blood as I expected it to be. Instead, her
brilliant white fangs shone in the light. “Please, join me for
dinner.”
“My pleasure.” Lucretious dropped behind
Adelina and Perdita and helped prop her up by slipping an arm
around her waist almost lovingly. He stroked the other side of
Adelina’s neck before plunging his fangs in to feed.
For a moment, watching the two of them watch
me as they fed, I was both terrified and disgusted. Not disgusted
in the “I think ima be sick” way, but disgusted with Roman. How
could he let this happen? Then, I felt that connection to
Lucretious pinch at the back of my mind and the taste of blood
filled my mouth and I liked it. My anger toward Roman turned inward
then pushed out to Lucretious, and I felt it
only one word left my lips.
“Roman!”
The vampire hissed in my face, her breath
warm and stale. She tightened her arms around me cutting off my air
supply and the scream. “I really wish you hadn’t done that.” Her
fangs were less than an inch from my face, her eyes a blazing blue.
I couldn’t help but look into them. Our noses almost touched, and
there was nowhere else to look.
“Perdita mia.” Roman’s voice came like a
soothing wind.
“Stay out of this, Centurion.”
“Perdita, my dear, you know I cannot let you
have her. She is mine.”
“She is no such thing and you know it.”
“I have claimed her as my own, given her my
protection.”
“Like you gave to Vivian?”
“Yes, indeed.”
“Fine. I will take one of these, then.”
For the second time in less than half an
hour, my body was lobbed toward Roman at such a speed that I knew I
would be dead when I hit, but Roman knew better than that. He
caught me and spun with my momentum. I slumped in his arms, all of
the courage gone out of me, and he pulled me in against his chest,
his arms wrapped around me, holding me close so I wouldn’t
fall.
On the other side of the room, Perdita had
Adelina in her arms, rubbing her nose against the vein in the
woman’s neck, smelling her flesh and blood and the beat of her
heart. Adelina didn’t look afraid, but I didn’t know if I could
stand there and watch her be fed from like some animal. Perdita
opened her mouth, fangs bared, poised just over the large vein.
I tried, I really did. I knew this was no
business of mine to be getting involved, but I couldn’t live with
the fact that Adelina as taking my place.
“No.” The protest squeaked out before I
could stop it. Perdita’s fangs stopped in mid-strike and she turned
her fiery blue eyes on me.
“You would take her place?” she hissed.
“Yes.”
“No. I won’t allow it.” Roman’s voice
rumbled in his chest against my back. The look in Adelina’s eyes at
his betrayal was too much. I looked away.
“ It is considered impolite to turn away,
LeKrista,” Roman whispered in my head and I turned back as
Perdita’s fangs sank into Adelina’s flesh. I forced my eyes to stay
open as Perdita fed. Perdita stared into my eyes, driving home the
reality of the situation. I was helpless to protect myself or
anyone else against her.
“She won’t kill her?” I asked. My voice had
gone pitifully soft with fear and despair.
“No, my dear. She will not kill her.
Calliope, come here to me.”
Calliope didn’t need to be told twice. She
climbed to her feet and scrambled across the floor of the closet
toward us, her feet getting tangled in her long skirt. As she
passed, Calliope brushed my arm with her fingers. I think it was a
touch of acceptance or trust. Either way, I knew she no longer
disliked me.
The floor to my left exploded and a body
flew through the hole to cling to the ceiling.
“Hello, father.” It was Lucretious. “What
have we here? Three for the price of one? Do you mind if I join the
party?”
Perdita looked up with lust in her eyes.
“Never, my love,” she answered and I was relieved to see that her
mouth wasn’t coated in blood as I expected it to be. Instead, her
brilliant white fangs shone in the light. “Please, join me for
dinner.”
“My pleasure.” Lucretious dropped behind
Adelina and Perdita and helped prop her up by slipping an arm
around her waist almost lovingly. He stroked the other side of
Adelina’s neck before plunging his fangs in to feed.
For a moment, watching the two of them watch
me as they fed, I was both terrified and disgusted. Not disgusted
in the “I think ima be sick” way, but disgusted with Roman. How
could he let this happen? Then, I felt that connection to
Lucretious pinch at the back of my mind and the taste of blood
filled my mouth and I liked it. My anger toward Roman turned inward
then pushed out to Lucretious, and I felt it
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