Trees, mountains, and rivers fly by us from the intense speed the vampires run. They are so fast that I cannot even fight, argue or speak for Lord Talon to put me down. Finally, after an hour, they stop in an open field with low grass. There are some trees and mountains in the distance. I can hear water flowing nearby. I give the darkest glare to Lord Talon as he gently puts me down. He doesn’t respond. I’m relieved our bodies are no longer in contact, stopping the sparks between us.
‘We can’t risk the girl seeing the entrance to our lair. So you’re going to have to blindfold her. We also need to feed,’ Soren tells Lord Talon.
They all stare at me silently.
‘Don’t you dare even think about it! I refuse to be your meal!’ I yell at them.
Soren and Nadia give Lord Talon a sympathetic look.
‘It’s fine,’ Lord Talon says to them. ‘I’ll find a deer. In the meantime, you two feed and watch the girl while I’m gone.’
‘It’s Lylah! Not girl!’ I huff. Lord Talon smiles, but I scowl, making him frown.
‘Lord Talon, now that you have your blood flame, drinking from wildlife won’t be enough to…, ‘
‘I know!’ Lord Talon growls, cutting Soren off. ‘But what other choice do I have? I’m not going to force her,’ he says with sadness and storms off towards the trees.
‘Make sure you don’t come back!’ I shout behind him.
He flinches but keeps moving toward the woods.
Nadia races towards me in a blink. She lifts me by my throat and slams me against a tree. I’m struggling to breathe. ‘You’re a real piece of work, wolf! If you ever speak to our master like that again, I will rip your head off and feed you to the Blood Dwellers myself!’ she growls.
My vision begins to darken from the lack of oxygen. I laugh. Soren and Nadia give each other a strange look.
‘Do you think I care if you kill me? I don’t think you realise how much I welcome death or how happy I would be to die and finally be at peace. Death is my best friend. So, hurry up and get it over with,’ I say.
Nadia releases her grip, and I fall to the ground gasping for breath.
‘She’s bloody crazy,’ Nadia says, approaching Soren.
Soren’s fangs extend longer. He strokes Nadia’s cheek and yanks her into his chest before biting into her neck and drinking her blood. In return, Nadia bites into Soren’s neck, and they drink from each other and let out the occasional moan. I feel sick to my stomach. They’re so disgusting. Repulsed, I look away and realise it’s the perfect chance to escape. I shuffle my tied wrists toward my feet. Bending my knees towards my stomach, I lift my wrists over my feet, bringing my tied hands in front of me. I grab my old warped dagger from my boot and quietly sneak away. I have no idea where I am. Once I’m out of view of Soren and Nadia, I run as fast as possible. The sound of water becomes clearer. I skid as I force myself to a stop before I fall into the wide river. It must be at least thirty metres wide. The water is flowing rapidly, and there are a few large boulders. It looks dangerous and deadly, but I need to get over to the other side to get away. I have no choice but to risk crossing it. The water is freezing, I use all my strength to wade through, but the rapids are incredibly strong. I imagine Micah on the other side of the river holding his hand out to take mine.
‘Lylah!’ I hear my name called out in a desperate tone.
‘Micah,’ I say, pushing myself through the water towards him. His smile fades to concern as he looks to my right. I turn to see what it is. A log slams into the right side of my forehead. I’m pushed under the water by force. The rapids push and swirl me around. I gasp for breath every time my head bops above the water. I grab onto a boulder, but it’s slippery and even harder to grip when your wrists are bound together.
‘Lylah! Please! You don’t understand your situation. You have to come back. You will die if you don’t stay by my side,’ I hear Lord Talon yell in desperation.
Blood from where the log hit me trickles down and drips onto the boulder. I feel dizzy, and my fingers are slipping. Suddenly I see Lord Talon, Nadia, and Soren run to the river's edge. Their eyes have turned black. They close their eyes and breathe as if taking in the most alluring mouth-watering scent. Their fangs elongate, staring at me like they are about to devour me alive. I panic and lose my grip on the boulder. I notice Lord Talon blink a few times and shake his head out of his blood lust trance. His eyes are dark blue again. His panic matches mine as he sees I’m being washed away by the rapids. He leaps with ease from one boulder to the next toward me. I’m pushed underwater but can’t fight the rapids to swim back up for air. A hand swiftly plunges into the water and grabs my bound wrists. Tingles dance down my arms as I’m pulled out of the water and cradled close against Lord Talon’s chest. I cling onto his shirt breathing heavily into his chest from almost drowning. He smells amazing, like mint and lavender. I hate that I like how he smells. He’s a vampire, for wand’s sake. He should smell like rotting flesh and sewerage.
Lord Talon continues to leap high into the air until he lands, crashing onto the ground by the river. He is sitting and holding me tight against his chest. I feel his hot breath against my neck. It makes my heart race and stomach flutter. I look up, and our eyes connect. Just like mine are flashing from light blue to dark blue, fighting these mixed feelings of hate and desire. His are flashing from dark blue to black, fighting his desire and blood lust for me. I realise Lord Talon has been feeling the sparks every time we touch. I don’t understand. Micah is my mate, so why am I feeling the same sparks I felt with Micah? His handsomely structured face comes closer as we stare into each other’s eyes. His eyes dart from the bleeding wound on my forehead to my lips.
Warm liquid runs down my cheek. I use my hands to wipe the blood away. I flinch as Lord Talon swiftly grabs my bound wrists and slides his tongue along the trail of blood as his other hand grips my thigh. His tongue and his touch send my insides soaring. I moan and quickly steel myself in the realisation of what is happening. No, no, no! Only Micah is allowed to make me feel this way. Only Micah is allowed to touch me this way. I yank my hand away from his grip and smack Lord Talon as hard as I can across his face.
His eyes change from black to dark blue. He stares at me in shock. ‘Y-Your blood…’ he says, licking the remnants from his lips. ‘In the two hundred and sixty-four years I’ve been alive, never have I tasted blood so powerful. Who... what are you?’ he asks.
I’m furious at Lord Talon for tasting my blood. I’m furious I feel things that I have only ever felt with Micah. I’m furious he kidnapped me, and I’m furious he killed my mate. I place my hand on his abdomen his eyes go black with lust.
‘I’m Lylah, and I’m your worst bloody nightmare!’ I yell as I grab my dagger tucked into his waist. I slash it across his chest and jump out of his lap. He looks down at his shirt, which is beginning to soak with his blood and touches it. Then he looks at me with intense sadness. I refuse to let it affect me this time. I imagine Micah’s last moments drowning out Lord Talon’s pleading eyes.
‘This is for everyone you killed! This is for Micah!’ I yell, leaping into the air. I hold my dagger with both hands, ready to plunge it through Lord Talon’s heart. I suddenly become frozen in the air before the dagger could pierce Lord Talon’s chest. What in the wands! I look down at the ground. I can’t move my arms or legs. Lord Talon stands and steps toward me. His hand makes a gesture, and I rise even higher from the ground until I am at eye level with him. Our faces are only inches apart.
‘You cut me again! I just saved you from drowning, and you still see me as a threat?’ he says in an angry but hurt tone.
‘No, I see you as a murdering monster! Now, put me down so I can finish killing you,’ I say, glaring at him.
‘Who’s Micah?’ he asks angrily.
‘You should know. You are the one who killed Micah after all.’
I hear hissing sounds behind me. Soren and Nadia have finally crossed the river. Their eyes remain black, and they run towards me with their fangs protruding, ready to devour me.
‘Great, just great!’ Lord Talon says, throwing his hands up in the air, ‘You cut my arm. I save your life. You cut me again, and now I have to save your life again, but this time from Nadia and Soren draining you of your blood because, for some strange reason, your blood tastes and wreaks of immense power. So which part of me are you going to try and cut off after I save you this time?’ he asks, crossing his arms.
I smile and look down at his crotch. The look on his face when he sees me eyeing off his balls is priceless.