by V. Vaughn
An idea comes to me. I slam my fist into the mirror, and the glass shatters and lands in the sink. I grab a large piece with a sharp point just as Adly takes me by my shoulders. “Maggie, stop!”
I laugh as I drag the glass across my throat deep enough to sever my esophagus. Adly’s vampire hisses at me in anger for a second, but then he quickly switches over to concern. “Maggie. No. What have you done?” He scoops me up in his arms and walks over to the bed. “Please don’t leave me.”
I smile because it’s clear I’m going to die. I lay my head back on my pillow and let out a sigh. “Finally.”
Adly moves so quickly I don’t realize what’s happening until I hear the click of a handcuff as he attaches me to the bed again. “No!” I only manage to scream before he gets my other hand restrained. I coil up to slam him with my feet, but he jumps back just in time.
Now Adly’s the one smiling. “Gotcha.”
I growl with anger. “Damn you!” I kick my feet, but I’m at a disadvantage, and it doesn’t take long for him to cuff my ankles too.
When Adly’s done, he steps back and tilts his head to the side as he studies me. “Look at that. You’ve already healed. Sorry, but you can’t die from slicing your neck.”
“Great. How else can I die?”
Sebastian steps into the room as Adly chuckles. “I’ll let you know when you get back to bloodlust again.” He turns to Sebastian. “She cycled again. But I caught her.”
“I see,” says Sebastian.
It’s time for a different approach, so I make a show of sniffing the air. The sour odor of filth on me is from a week without bathing. I say, “Since you won’t let me die, do you think I could take a shower?”
“You do stink,” says Adly. “Why do you think I’m all the way across the room? But no go. I don’t trust you.”
“Me either, Margaret,” says Sebastian. “I know all too well you’d make another attempt to kill yourself.”
“Maybe I’ll die from the stench,” I spit out in anger. Metal scrapes as I struggle against my restraints. I’m attached to a heavy steel-framed bed I can’t break, but I wonder if I have enough strength to snap the chains of my restraints.
Sebastian sighs. “At least you still have a flair for the dramatic. It would be a shame if you lost that.”
I squint at him in anger and roar with my vampire. “Are you making fun of me?”
“On the contrary, Margaret. I was merely observing that you haven’t lost your spunk. It’s a trait I admire in you.”
“Something tells me she’s not in the mood for compliments,” says Adly.
“You think?” I lunge forward, and my jaw snaps as I try to bite Sebastian.
Sebastian says, “Very well. We’ll leave you for now. Do let us know when you’re hungry.”
I don’t bother to fight back with words. I think I’m going to have to use my mind to figure out a way to get free so I can end my misery once and for all. As the sound of Adly’s and Sebastian’s footsteps fade, I close my eyes and try to sort out what I might know that can help. Because I was a sick child, I’m sure I’ve read more books than anyone my age, and it occurs to me that I must have picked up a thing or two about handcuffs and hostage escapes.
I remember an article I read about a hiker who sawed off his arm with a pocketknife. But that’s not going to work for me. I look at my hand and think about a book I read where a woman managed to pull her hands through the cuffs by slicing around her wrist just below the restraints and degloving her entire hand. While I don’t have a way to slice my skin, I’m certainly strong enough to rip through my flesh.
Looking down at my feet, I see a different problem, though. Even if I broke all the bones in my foot so it could be straight, it would be extensive damage. I’m not sure how long that would take to heal. I slam my head back, and it thuds hard against the headboard, giving me little satisfaction as pain radiates through my skull. I’m not getting out of my restraints until I’m finished with this cycle. That’s it. I know what to do. A smile forms on my face, because pretending to be Kitty Kane is about to come in handy.
Chapter 9
Maggie
I knew that my cycles had taken approximately a week to get through, so I held on for two to avoid suspicion. And now I think my plan can work. I call out, “Sebastian! Adly! I’m hungry!”
When Adly comes to me, I lunge toward the drink he pushes my way, and I suck it down as if I’m ravenous. I lick my lips. “Are you sure that was a full cup? I want more.”
Adly frowns. “I’ll be right back.”
The moment he leaves, I begin to yell for him and Sebastian as if I’m too crazed to wait for more blood. I’m prepared to drink so much I vomit in order for the guys to think I’ve cycled back to bloodlust again. Once they believe it and set me free, I’ll be able to sneak out of this place. If I’m lucky, it will be a sunny day, but since I have no concept of time or what the weather is, I’m going to escape the mansion with the intention of running as fast as I can to get away. I’ll find a place to hole up until it finally is daytime, and then I can kill myself with sun exposure. The beautiful part of the plan is that my body will turn to ash and leave nothing for humans to stumble on or for anybody to have to clean up.
I smile when I hear Adly jogging up the stairs. He’s been so good to me, and I’d feel bad that I’m tricking him if dying weren’t such a strong need. I scream his name once more for good measure before he gets through the door.
“Here.” He shoves the drink at me, and I slurp it up, making sure I dribble some on my chin so I can make a show of trying to reach it with my tongue.
Adly says, “Wow. I think you’ve cycled again. That was fast this time.”
I shrug. “I could tell you I’m no longer suicidal, but you don’t trust me these days.”
“Maggie.” Adly sighs. “You have to know I was doing it for your own safety.”
I smile. “I do.” I look at the empty cup in his hand and let my vampire come to the surface. “Now get me more blood.”
I nearly chuckle as he leaves, but the joke’s on me when he comes back with a huge pitcher. I’m full, but I have to devour the entire container anyway. I tilt my head back and concentrate on swallowing as fast as I can instead of the growing pressure in my belly.
“Okay,” says Adly when I finish. “I’m going to stop you before you explode, so don’t ask for more.”
I glare at him as I shake my chains. “Now can I finally shower?”
He pulls a key out of his pocket. “God yes, you’re beyond foul.”
“Tell me about it,” I mutter as the key scrapes into the lock. Not that I need to be clean to kill myself, but taking a shower will help me appear as if I’m not still obsessed with the desire to die. I rub my wrists. “Thank you. Please tell me this is almost over.”
“It is.” Adly frowns but quickly replaces it with a smile. “All we have to do now is train you to control your bloodlust.”
“Yeah.” I know Bertha hasn’t been here in the last few weeks, and since I’ve been chained for the last two, I wonder how Sebastian has been getting along without help. I shake my head at myself because it’s not my problem.
It takes everything I’ve got not to jump out of the bed, and I manage to hobble a bit as I take my time on my way to the bathroom, working out the stiffness in my muscles. The bleach smell from when Sebastian cleaned up my bloody mess last week is faint, and it disappears when I lift my shirt over my head. I almost gag at the odor that wafts up my nostrils. But it’s not enough to make me want to shower. All I want is to cease to exist, but to make that happen, I have to follow my plan.
I stare at the metal handle that turns on the water, and using sheer will, I force my hand to reach out and flip it up. The on-demand hot water system in this house makes the water heat up quickly, and steam rises. I watch as it floats to the ceiling, creating a cloud, and I know the warmth will feel good on my skin, but it takes every ounce of my willpower to step under it. I’d rath
er make a break for it. As water sprays on me, I wonder if a vampire can drown, but when I tilt my head back and open my mouth to take a breath full of liquid, I realize all it does is make me cough. My lungs don’t work any longer, so filling them with water doesn’t affect a thing.
My best shot at extinction is to make a break for it. I finish up my shower and come out of the bathroom in clean clothes. The linens have been stripped from the bed, and Adly is putting a fresh set on. He tosses me a pillowcase. “I find the best way for you to deal with this next phase is to keep busy. Once we’re done here, we’re going to play pool with Sebastian.”
My vampire simmers beneath the surface of my skin, because we want out. Now. “Great.” I slap a pillow on the bed to fluff it up. “But I’m kind of tired. I didn’t sleep much when I was obsessed with killing myself.”
“I bet. But you’ll wake up again once we get you more blood.”
“Right.” I place my hand on my bloated stomach and wonder how I’m going to consume more. Adly leads me out of the room, and when we get to the main floor, I gaze longingly at the front door. I may be too strong for Adly on his own, but I’m not willing to bet I’m faster, and I’m going to need as much lead time as I can get. I follow him to the ballroom, where we find Sebastian waiting for us.
Sebastian hands me a glass of blood. “I hear we’re going to play a little pool to keep your mind occupied.”
I guzzle my drink before I reply with a smile that lets him see my bloody fangs. “Guess so.”
Pool balls thud on the table as Adly arranges them to break, and Sebastian says to me, “I’ve missed having your help.”
It hits me that this is my opening. I ask, “Have you been keeping up with social media?” With Alexander away dealing with my mom, Sebastian took on most of the work associated with the Kitty Kane books, and I know his least favorite part is dealing with the fans.
Chalk squeaks on a cue as Sebastian prepares it. “Not as much as I should. Perhaps you can take care of that for me tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow?” I scoff. “You know to be effective, posts need to happen often. You two play a game, and I’ll go take care of it,” I say as if I’m annoyed at Sebastian’s laxness.
“Margaret—”
“Don’t Margaret me. You know I’m right.” I begin to walk toward the door. “It won’t take more than five minutes. I’ll be right back.”
The moment I’m in the hall, I’m tempted to break into a run, but I’d have two vampires on my tail in a flash, so I walk calmly. When I get to the front door, I ease it open as slowly as I can and then painstakingly close it behind me just as slowly as I gaze out at the night sky. I tiptoe off the porch as I wonder how long I have until daylight, and as soon as I’m on the grass, I take off running.
Panic sets in, and I let it fuel me as I move faster. I’m in awe of how easily my legs move and by the fact that my lungs are pain free with the exertion. It must be what people who like to run experience. Wind blows my hair and chills my cheeks as I race down the sidewalk to town. I know once I get through the center of Port Porpoise, I’ll be headed toward a large nature preserve, and it’ll be easy to veer off a trail to a place where people won’t go.
As I breeze through town, I notice the sky is lightening up, but I should have plenty of time to get through the preserve and to a stretch of beach nobody is allowed to walk on. I grin as I think about the fact I’m going to nude sunbathe myself to extinction.
When I get to the woods, I slow to a walk. Cicadas humming and the sound of waves lapping at the shore fill my ears as I listen carefully for Sebastian or Adly. I don’t hear anyone coming and imagine they might still be playing pool. I take my time getting to the beach because I don’t want to be out in the open any longer than I have to be.
The sky is a grayish shade of dawn when I step out onto sand, and I begin to take my clothes off. I look around to make sure I’m alone. It would be just my luck to have some human see me and come to chastise me for being on protected land. Damp sand is cool on my skin as I lie down on my back and stare up at the sky. I picture Alexander’s face, and regret fills me. I think he and I could have had great love, and I wonder if he believes it too. Will he grieve me the way Sebastian grieves for Elizabeth? I decide to assume he will, and I find it sad to think that both the Hart brothers have lost their soulmates.
I think about my mother, and I salivate as I imagine the rush of her warm blood flowing through her veins. I’m hungry.
Damn it. I’ve cycled into bloodlust again.
Chapter 10
Maggie
I sit up and inhale deeply, but I don’t detect the odor of human. I look up at the sky when a seagull calls out, and I watch him as he lands nearby. I hear the rush of blood in his veins, and my vampire appears. Before I know it, I’m lunging toward the bird. In a flash, I’ve bitten into his neck, but the moment I taste his blood, my stomach turns. I sputter as I spit out feathers and the bitterness of the bird’s blood. “Ugh!” I scrape at my tongue, and that’s when I hear laughter.
It’s familiar, but I can’t place where I’ve heard it before. I turn toward the sound. A man I don’t recognize smiles at me to show me his fangs as his gaze travels over my nude body. I should want to cover up, but the scent of human blood is on the guy, and it’s making me crazy with desire. I leap to my feet.
“You make a lovely vampire, Maggie.” The man swipes his thumb over his lower lip as I tremble with my hunger. He steps closer, and when he reaches his hand out toward me, I grab it to suck his thumb. I let out a moan as the tiniest bit of blood hits my tongue. The guy chuckles again as he pulls his hand from my grasp. “Yes. A lovely vampire indeed.” He grabs me around the waist and pulls me against his body, and when his lips land on mine, I don’t object. I dart my tongue into his mouth in an effort to lap up any remnants of blood that I can.
The vampire peels me off him, and I gaze into eyes so black I feel as if I’m falling into a void. He says, “As much as I’d like to take advantage of this, we should find you a proper dinner.” He stoops to pick up my clothing and hands it to me as I stare as if in a trance. “Shall we?”
My entire body aches with my desire, and I can only nod my agreement, because right now I’d sell my soul for a taste of what I need. I get dressed quickly because the man is already walking away. As soon as I get into the woods, the sun peeks up over the horizon, and I realize how close I came to ceasing to exist forever.
“Have you fed on a human yet?” the man asks.
“No.”
“Hmm. As I suspected. Let’s hope I can keep you under control.”
I think he means keep me from killing the person I feed on. I know I should tell him he won’t be able to do it on his own, but the need for blood is too great for me to throw up any roadblocks.
The man walks quickly. Fog is rolling in, and I hear the sound of a foghorn in the distance. It makes me wonder if I’d have gotten enough sunlight to die after all. I watch the vampire walk in front of me, and I get the feeling I know who this stranger is, but for the life of me I can’t figure out how. I ask, “Who are you?”
“The vampire who’s going to teach you how to feed for sustainability. It’s truly a shame your creator hasn’t yet.”
“I haven’t been a vampire for very long.” I stop in my tracks when the whiff of human blood hits me.
The man stops too, and he turns to smile at me. “Ready for breakfast?”
Branches scratch at my arms and face as I thrash my way through the brush to get to the person. When I get to the road, I see a woman jogging. I pause for a second as human compassion flickers in me. It’s enough time for the vampire I’m with to snatch the girl from the street and into the woods.
I chase after him with the fear he’s going to feed on her first and leave me nothing. But when I get to him, he’s got her in front of his body, facing me while he holds her hands behind her back. Her head is tilted back, exposing her neck to me, and I don’t bother to ask permission before I r
ush over and sink my teeth into her neck. Warm, sweet liquid fills my mouth as I suck with force to devour it quickly.
“Whoa,” says the man, and he grabs my shoulders. His voice is a soft whisper as he says, “Slow and gentle.”
Nothing about that is what I want, but even though my urge is to suck harder, I find myself following his commands. I cradle the woman’s head in my hands and suckle. I moan with the tingling pleasure of the blood as it floods my veins with warmth and energy. I don’t ever want to stop, but the vampire forces me to when he says, “Stop, Maggie.”
I lift my mouth from the woman’s neck and notice she’s limp in his arms. “Oh my god. Did I kill her?”
“No.” He lowers her to the ground, where she looks as if she’s sleeping. “I stopped you in time.”
“Thank you.” I gaze into the vampire’s dark eyes and wonder how he got me under control. “Thank you for keeping me from killing her. She won’t remember any of this. Right?”
“Right. She’ll wake up in an hour or so and wonder why she’s sitting on the ground.”
“Why are you—” The scent of another person makes me lose the ability to speak, and this time I don’t hesitate. I reach the road in an instant and grab the male jogger I see.
Before I can get to his neck, the vampire yanks us both into the woods. “Patience. You will wait your turn,” he says as he slaps a hand over the struggling man’s mouth to keep him from screaming. “We must be discreet, so no attacks where someone might see.”
I nod in agreement, and he leans down to sink his teeth into the man’s neck. The jogger falls limp immediately. Every inch of me is quivering with the need for blood, but I can’t move to take what I want. The stranger looks up, and I see blood dripping from his fangs as he smiles at me. “Your turn. Nice and slow.”
