Panic and anxiety tear through me at the same time as i scramble out of the bed, searching for my shoes, i quickly find them under one of the chairs and pull them on, ignoring the sharp pain in my back. The vampires had found the hospital, and they were coming to finish what they had started. They were coming to kill everyone.
I had to warn them, even if it slows me down, I couldn't just leave everyone here to die.
Maybe it was stupid, but I had to take the risk.
I quickly stumble towards the door, my hand inches from the handle when I hear several screams from just outside, I was already too late. I couldn’t save them, not now, not without dying myself.
I had none of my weapons on me, not even the dagger I normally keep in my sock, they take everything from you the minute you arrive. No weapons are allowed in the hospital.
That rule just killed everyone here, maybe even me.
I quietly walk backwards away from the door, my eyes wide as i make my way towards the window, making as little noise as possible as I pull back the curtains. I peak out into the darkness, sighing with relief when i notice that i am only on the second floor. I can jump from this height. Even with my injuries.
I look back at the door as I pull open the window, wincing as the frame creaks loudly, so much for staying silent. I climb onto the ledge and jump seconds before I hear the door to the hospital room open, shouts of angry vampires following me as i plummet to the ground.
I land with my knees bent, the jolt of hitting the ground making the pain in my back several times worse, but I couldn’t stop, not now. If I stop for even a moment, I am dead.
I look back up at the window out of curiosity, but I see no one there, and I am not sure if that is a good or a bad thing. I take off running, my heart aching as I hear the screams of other hunters as they are murdered in their hospital beds. It's one thing to kill someone in a fight, but it is another to attack someone who is unarmed and hurt. Maybe they truly are monsters.
But aren’t we monsters to them also? We come into their homes and destroy anyone that we find, no matter their age, once a vampire always a vampire, even a Nati child.
I shake my head, pushing those thoughts away, I can't afford to feel any sympathy for them, not when I am running for my life.
I look around not recognising anything of my surroundings, I haven’t been to this part of town before. I have no idea where I am. I search my pockets for my phone, swearing in my head when I realise that I have left it behind. Fuck. Fuck.
How stupid can I be?
I decide to pick a random direction and run that way, deciding that it would be better to get off the streets and run through the woods. I know that they eventually lead to the back of my street, but I don’t know how far away that is. I don’t even know if I am going in the right direction.
I am so screwed. What the fuck was I thinking letting that Nati feed from me? It has left me weak and vulnerable at the worst time.
I look up at the moon as I run, hoping that it will lead me home, though knowing that it probably won’t. I could be lucky; the vampires may be too distracted by those that they have attacked in the hospital. They may not even notice that I am gone.
I hope that they don’t notice that I am gone.
I push my legs harder, trying to ignore the pain in my back, and the loud chatter of my mind that is telling me to kiss my ass goodbye.
It's hard to see anything, let alone the small path that i have been following, there are no lights from the town out here. None at all.
I have to rely on the light from the moon, and that isn't much.
I run into something hard and get knocked onto my arse, a stream of curses leaving my lips as I try to get back to my feet, struggling to anything in the blackness.
“There you are.” comes a familiar voice, a loud chuckle echoing through the trees.
It wasn't a tree I had run into after all, it was the Nati i had let feed on me the night before. He had found me, and by the look in his eyes, he wasn’t going to leave me alive this time.
Fuck, I am definitely screwed.
I stumble to my feet, trying to appear strong even as my body protests against me, every muscle in my leg screaming to be left to rest. But I cannot rest, not whilst the Nati is here.
“What do you want?” I ask coldly, my voice stronger than my body, “I was kind enough to let you go yesterday and now you come after me? Kinda rude.”
The Nati laughs, “It is cute that you think that you are the one who spared me.” He takes a step closer, his red eyes glowing in the darkness. “I could have drained you dry in seconds.”
I cross my arms, trying to mask my fear with anger, “Then why didn’t you?”
He smiles, his fangs pressing into his bottom lip, “It isn’t every day that you meet the heiress of the Williams family.”
My blood runs cold, if he knows who I am then I am in more danger than I originally realised.
He backs me into a tree, placing his arms at either side of my head, I didn’t realise how tall he was, or how muscular. I am going to die, that much was crystal clear. But I won’t go down without a fight.
“Don’t worry, Mae Williams, I am not going to kill you, not yet.” he says, stroking a hand down the side of my face. “I am going to make you mine.”
I shove his hand away, though I know I only managed it because he allowed me to do it, this vampire isn’t as weak as he made himself out to be. He has clearly been around for a long time.
I look up at him, knowing that fear is in my eyes, but trying not to care, “I am not going anywhere with you, so you might as well kill me.”
“You don’t have to hide your fear from me, Little hunter, I can smell it in your blood.” He sniffs the air dramatically, making me roll my eyes, “and it smells delicious.”
He leans closer, his nose in my hair as I tremble a little, I need to do something, and I have to do it NOW, I can’t just let him take me. I’m not some prize that he can own.
I shove my knee into his groin, hoping that it’ll make him move just enough for me to slip away, but he doesn’t, instead, he growls and wraps his hand around my throat, slamming my head back against the tree.
My vision blurs as pain shoots through the back of my head, “leave me alone!” I try to shout, though my words barely even make sense to my own ears.
“Shush now.” He says softly, his hand tightening around my throat, “I won’t take too much this time, just enough to make you sleep for a while.”
My eyes widen as he dips his head into the space between my shoulder and my neck, his fangs sinking into my flesh, though it didn’t hurt as much this time. It was like he was trying to be gentle with me. But that isn’t possible. He’s just a heartless monster, right?
Darkness swims across my vision as he hungrily drinks from me, my body collapsing against his chest, maybe it won’t be so bad to sleep, I just need to close my eyes for a second. I’ll feel better once I do.
Whatever god or creator there is out there, please protect me, I think I am going to need it.
I yawn, trying not to stretch out my body as the pain in my back worsens, I’ll definitely need some painkillers to help me. For some reason I am just not healing quick enough, and that is a problem. A very dangerous problem. But there is nothing I can do about it right now, so there is no point in worrying, the doctors will know what to do.The doctors, where are the doctors? I haven’t seen one in a while.I open my eyes, looking around the strange room that I haven’t seen before, my heart rate increasing rapidly. I’m no longer in the hospital, I realise, it was attacked and I … I was captured by the Nati vampire I spared.Fuck. Where has he taken me?I look around the room, dark maroon wallpaper lining the walls, a tv and a small sofa in the corner to my left and a bookshelf littered with books and a chair to my right. I was laid on a four poster bed, white curtains tied at the edge, and as comfortable as it was, I needed to get out of here before he comes back and decides to finish
I flinch back a little when he lifts his hand and strokes it down my cheek, every nerve in my face on fire, it’s like his touch awakens something in me that I never knew was there. And I don’t want it to be there, I don’t want to feel this way, I can’t feel this way. It’s too dangerous.What the fuck is wrong with me?“Open your legs.” He commands, removing his hand from my face and kneeling down in front of me.I clench my legs together instead, my heart racing inside of my chest, fighting to break through my breastbone. What is he going to do to me?“Open your legs, hunter.” He says again, more forceful this time, “I won’t tell you again.”Reluctantly, I do as he says, slowly opening my legs so that my underwear is exposed, and what’s underneath it.My body is tensed in apprehension, and I’m fighting to catch my breath, how can something be so terrifying and yet so exciting at the same time?“I’ve been wanting to taste you since the moment I laid eyes on you.” He says, slowly tracin
The Nati vampire watches me in silence as I eat the toast and drink the coffee that he brought, they were both cold, but I didn’t mind. It isn’t like I had an abundance of food and drink choices lying around. Nor did I have the courage to ask for something else. I’d much rather deal with scraps than ask him for anything.The way that he looks at me is different from anything I have experienced before, and it fills me with feelings that I don’t want to think about, feelings that will do nothing except get me killed.I have to tread very carefully around this creature if I ever want to make it out of here alive, and I intent to. I will not allow myself to be destroyed by him, in more ways than one.I place the empty coffee cup onto the window sill beside me and glance out of the window, I’d like nothing more than to go for an evening run to stretch my muscles and help my body heal, but I know that it wouldn’t be possible. He isn’t exactly going to let me run around his estate, and besid
“We can do this the easy way, or the hard way, little hunter.” he says, snarling in my face as my visions blurrs. “The choice is entirely yours but hear me when I say I can make your time here, much, much worse. Do you understand me?”I struggle to nod my head, my voice barely above a whisper, “Crystal clear.” I gasp.Mihai drops me, my back landing on the edge of the window sill as I crash into the ground, coughing as my lungs fill with as much air as they can.Why was he so impossibly strong? He was stronger than any other Nati I had ever met, and I have met my fair share of them over the years.Maybe I truly was lost to my family.I whimper as I try to stand, my back screaming at me in protest to the movement, landing on my back must have done more damage than I thought. I manage to move onto my hands and knees, crying out as another fit of coughing overtakes my lungs.Who knew that being choked could hurt so much. They never mentioned that in the books I read.Mihai takes a step t
I’m forced awake when the door slams open, the Nati vampire entering with a big smile on his face and a box in his hands. I slowly sit up, the pain in my back is slightly better, but I decide to be cautious anyway.“I’ve brought something for you.” Mihai says, placing the box onto the bed beside me.I stare at the box like touching it would give me leprosy, “No, thanks, I’m good.” i say, trying to politely decline.The Nati vampire frowns, “Open it.”I shake my head, “I don’t want to.”I'm not opening that god damn box, knowing my luck it’ll be the decapitated heads of my father and brothers.“I suggest you open it, little hunter, i only have so much patience.” He warns, his eyes flashing a deep crimson red.Fuck, then i guess i have no choice.Anxiety spirals through my mind like a tidal wave, I am really hoping that it isn’t anything gruesome. It's not that i can’t handle it, it’s more that if it is someone i care about, I can’t kick his ass for it. Not in the state I am in.My body
Tears stream down my cheeks as he slowly stands, making his way around the bed, “We are going to have to bandage it and put some cream on it, we don’t want it to get infected.” His voice is so soft, so gentle that if it weren’t for the burning in my hand anyone would think he was ok, for a vampire.He was so hot and cold, angry and then calm. He is a sociopath.He's trying to break me down, get me to submit to him, but i will not, even with this brand i will find a way to get out of here, even if i die trying.Death would be much better than this.“Come here.” He says, stopping a few feet from me.He's testing me, he wants to see if I'll obey him, i won’t.I stay where i am, staring at him with as much hatred as i can muster, though i am certain i am close to passing out.He heaves a heavy sigh, “There are much worse places i could have branded you, Mae.” he says, “The cream will help with the pain.”I want to believe him, I'd do almost anything to stop the intense throbbing in my han
I feel myself waking up, but i don’t want to, i don’t want to open my eyes and spend one more moment with that fucking Nati vampire just so he can abuse me in some way or another. I roll over and then grunt, my eyes shoot open, i laid on the hand he branded, and fuck, it hurt like hell. If only i healed as fast as one of them, that way i would have the energy to get the fuck out of here.I still healer faster than an average joe human woman, the hunter blood makes me stronger like that, but it still isn’t fast enough to compete with a Nati, and it never will be. No matter how much i wish for it.This is the real world, wishes don’t come true here, it isn’t a Disney movie, no one is going to save me, i have to save myself.I jump when the door opens, contemplating pretending to be asleep, but there is no way i want to piss Mihai off again, I've had enough of his punishments to last an entire year. I do not want anymore.I turn over, watching as he steps inside the room and close the do
He clears his throat and walks towards me, indicating that i should turn around, “The other lords are going to become very jealous when they see you.”I scoff, rolling my eyes, “I highly doubt that, I am sure that you things are perfectly capable of getting a hot date.”Mihai hums in response, “We are, but female hunters are something of a delicacy, and very rare.”I think I'm going to be sick.I turn around when he has finished zipping the dress, nervously smoothing down the material, “So what am i exactly supposed to do at this dinner?”The Nati vampire smirks, his eyes bright, “You will sit beside me and behave, i have been very lenient with you, the other won’t be.” He steps closer, backing me against a wall, “you may belong to me, but if you disrespect them in any way, they can punish you, just as i can.”My blood runs cold, how would i even know if i have disrespected them? It isn’t like there is a rulebook on having dinner with vampire lords back at home.I always thought I'd s