Chapter 8

I was in my mistress's room again. It was colder than I had remembered, or it could be just my own instinctive fear that made me shiver all over. Alexandra pulled me inside after she locked the huge heavy door.

I glanced around in panic, but as usual, all the windows were tightly shut. No escape route anywhere. I felt like a trapped rat waiting for the cat to gut me alive. Alexandra turned her perfect figure to look at me again. She smiled with a glint of wickedness in her eyes.

"Don't even think about —"

I ran to the small library as fast as my feet could take me then slammed the door shut and locked it.

"Wow, you must have been a marathon runner," Alexandra mocked from the other side of the room. I saw her slender figure through the stained glass of the door. I waited with a pounding heart. Then her hand burst right through the glass like it was made of paper. Shards of crystals flew all over the floor. I stepped back with a scream. My mistress turned the doorknob and opened it.

Her tall figure walked in like a graceful leopard. I tried to gulp down the lump in my throat and turned to run again, but Alex was already in my face as fast as the wind. Her strong hands grabbed me by my shoulders and shoved me against the bookshelf so hard; I saw black stars dancing in my vision. My hands gripped onto the shelf so that I wouldn't fall.

"Run all you want, but you can't hide from me," she said. "Geez, how I enjoy the game of hide-and-seek with you, Avery."

"Kill me!" I hissed. "I can't stand this anymore. Just get it over with!"

"It's not that easy, my lovely doll," Alex said, stepping closer until her body pressed against mine. She leaned her face towards mine. Her breath brushed faintly against my flushed cheeks.

"Why me?" I whispered in despair.

"Why you? I don't know." Alex raised her hand to brush a strand of hair from my face. "Besides, I like to see the effect you have on my little sister. She seems so smitten by your human charms, doesn't she?"

"At least, she's not horrible and cold-hearted like you!"

Once the words flew out of my mouth, I realized I had hit her nerves. My mistress's glowing eyes flared up like molten gold. I had to flinch away from their intensity.

"Indeed, I am far more evil and violent," she snapped in my face, "and like it or not, you're going to receive all of it!"

I thought she was about to bite me again, but then she crashed her perfect crimson lips to mine. And less than a heartbeat, her tongue was inside my mouth, slithering around like a sleek serpent.

My eyes went wide in confusion. Her hands started feeling all over my trembling body. My breath turned into whimpers. I tried to push her away, but she was too strong. My mistress slid her hand down and forcefully lifted my thigh up to her waist. Her other hand tore open the collar of my shirt, baring my shoulder and neck. The shredding sound of fine linen snapped me out of my fear.

I just can't let her do that to me.

With all my human strength, I shoved her hard enough to slip myself out of her hands and ran out of the library.

I ran past the black piano by the balcony. Before I could go any farther, I felt two strong arms wrapped around my waist and lifted me off the carpeted floor. I kicked and thrust around only to find myself landed on the grand bed. My head twirled from the impact.

"So you want to play it rough, huh?" Alex said. "Fine! I can do that."

She got on top of me, pinning my hands to my sides.

"Remember when I asked you if you liked my bed?"

"I hate your bed!"

Alexandra let out a shrilling laugh. "With the pleasure, I'm about to give you, you will wish to sleep on it every night."

Then her lips and frenzy tongue found their ways into my mouth again. I struggled but then began to feel helpless. It didn't matter how hard I fought, she would always get what she wanted. Tears streamed down the corner of my eyes as my body started to go limp with exhaustion. Alex released my lips and proceeded to nuzzle my throat and went down to my breasts. I lay panting while her hands slithered over my legs and slipped inside my skirt. I could feel her razor-edged teeth brushed lightly over my skin. Then I heard myself sobbing louder.

"Shhh!" Alex hushed. She turned my face to hers and looked into my eyes. "Don't cry. It's going to be fine. It will be the most wonderful thing you've ever experienced, I promise."

With her golden eyes bore deeply into mine, I felt my heartbeat slow down. Her cold musky breath calmed my raging nerves for some reasons. It seemed like something about her soothing tone had softened me. My mistress smiled a dazzling smile as she noticed my body's reaction. She kissed my forehead, my lips, and trailing to my throat. She lingered there. I knew deep in my heart that she would feed on me again. Her canines slide out longer and sharper like the claws of a cat. They traced over my neck for the right vein.

A shiver shot through my spine. Then there was a sting like the jab of two needles. But the pain was over quickly and replaced by indescribable bliss. The vampire's venom could heighten a victim if chose to. And I felt a strange sensual feeling rushed into my system. My back arched with an unidentified pleasure.

I felt a hot stirring between my legs. My body began to melt like lava as she started grinding herself against me. A moan issued from my trembling lips. I felt confused and embarrassed to like the sensation. I wished I could have let myself go and given in to this newfound lust. I wished I could have forgotten everything, yet a soft gentle voice in the back of my head broke out like a burst of bubbles, 'Don't let her control you.'

Then I remembered Ana's caring face. Her soft moistened lips and deep sad eyes. The thought of her brought me a new surge of strength. My drowsy eyelids flew open again, and I pushed Alex's heavy form off of me. With a quick glance, I could see her face marred with a surprise. I desperately rolled myself out of bed and dropped to the floor.

"Avery!" my mistress cried.

My mind was still heavily intoxicated, but I forced my body to move.

Staggering to my feet again, I stumbled and rushed towards the door. The chance of me escaping from her was as slim as the chance to stay alive in a world full of new bloodthirsty species, but I didn't care anymore.

My legs dragged me as far as the main room until I felt a hand pulled me back by the hair. Another hand gripped me by my jaw hard.

"What is wrong with you?!" Alexandra hissed furiously. "Nobody has ever rejected me!"

"Because I'm a human!" I spat back. "And I hate everything about you!"

With a surge of anger, I grabbed her hand that held my face and bit into it as hard as I could. My mistress cried out in pain. She drew her hand back and then slapped me across the face.

I fell to the floor and tasted blood in my mouth.

Suddenly, I heard a loud bang on the door, making the hinges rattled by the force. Another bang and the door flung open. Anastasia marched into the room.

One glance at me on the floor with blood dripping from the corner of my mouth, she darted out like a lightning towards her sister. They both rammed into each other and flew across the room, smashing into the walls and glass windows.

Alexandra pushed back and they went deadlock, hurling themselves onto the piano. There were chaotic noises echoed up the ceiling. But it seemed my mistress was a lot stronger than her sister.

After a few minutes of struggling, she managed to throw Anastasia through the air. Her sister's back smashed into the far wall, and she collapsed onto the floor again. White plasters fell like snowflakes all around her lying form.

"Anastasia!" I cried and staggered back to my feet.

"You're not the golden child in the family anymore, Anastasia," Alex said. She raised her hand, her fingernails flashed into claws, aiming at her sister. "I'll teach you a few lessons about respect."

I reached Anastasia at the same time Alex did.

Before she could lash out at her sister, I threw myself and shielded her body from the deadly hand. Alex's nails slashed through the thin layer of my cotton shirt like a lioness's. They sliced the skin on my back open like knives.

I let out a painful cry.

"No! Avery, oh no, no!" I heard Ana's voice scream. She crawled to my side as I fell to the floor. Alex's eyes widened as if she couldn't comprehend what she just did. My mistress stood staring at us with my blood dripping from her fingers.

Ana lifted my limp body off the floor and rested my head on her chest.

"Alex, how could you do this? You're a monster!" she yelled. For a moment, I saw my mistress flinched. I couldn't speak due to the pain and shock. Then as if it was natural, Anastasia bit her own wrist and brought it to my lips.

"Please, please, drink it, Avery, it'll help you," she insisted when I turned my head away with a wince. "I'm so sorry."

She pressed the bleeding gash to my mouth. I expected to taste the metallic taste again, but her vampire blood was rich and different from the human blood. Its distinct taste was unbelievably addictive.

I drank and drank until my vision went black.