Chapter 13
I woke up in the dead of night to the high pitch screams.
They richocheted off the walls and pounded into my ears. My head ached and I struggled to form coherent thought – it was that loud. Once I was able to maintain my composure, my arms searched for Sapphire. In vain. She wasn't there and my throat constricted in panic.
The screams were so agony filled and horrific that they weren't noises one could do on purpose. There was no way to identify who they belonged to. Those screams shook me to the core and I will remember them for the rest of my life.
I bolted out of the room, only half dressed, and into the lounge where there was a gathering of our group of... people? My eyes scanned the room for the only person I needed to see and until Sapphire was locked in my sight, I couldn't breathe.
I rushed over and dropped to my knees beside the screaming figure. It wasn't her and I didn't know who it was. Blood streamed from a gash in the side of his neck and head, his eyes were large and white and terrified. The figure raised a hand and I followed his finger to Sapphire, who was crouched over with blood running out the corner of her mouth and an animalistic look upon her face. Her eyes were bright green and tainted silver. As I watched, she arched her back ever so slightly and braced her hands on the floor. The screaming man screamed again and – despite his pain – tried to stumble away from her.
That was when it happened.
If I had blinked, I would have missed it.
In a flash, Sapphire was kneeling by the man's head, who I later discovered to be a human servant to Maximus, wrapped her hands around his head almost like a caress. It slowed down then; the man's breath became so forced and clear that I could see the carbon dioxide particles blowing in the air. His blue eyes turned up to look Sapphire in the eye and a sort of calm washed over him.
He was going to die and he was alright with that.
Sapphire didn't flinch at the noise or close her eyes against the sight of the man's neck snapping in pieces.
Blaze and Thea had retreated to the corner, the cousins holding each other as they cowered in fear of Sapphire. Ash was standing by Adrian. They held their lips in a thin line. I stayed by the body of the man, who – before meeting Sapphire – I would have happily have let die in front of my eyes half a year ago.
But love.
Love gives us humanity.
So where was Sapphire's?
Sapphire gently set the man's head down, stood up and with a final glare in my direction, flitted out of the room.
I couldn't think about how that was a bad idea. Right then, it was good. I wasn't sure if I could look at her the same anymore. If I knew this girl at all, that person wasn't her. I was scared of that person who had taken a life with pleasure, ravishing ever moment of his fear and lapping up his pain like a kitten to milk. This wasn't Sapphire. But I didn't care at that point, we were all frozen in the room and it was as if we were playing a game of statues, only the first to move wouldn't just lose the game. They'd lose their life. I stared down at the body – that was all it was after all, there was nobody there. "Who was he?"
Ash cleared his throat and looked at the man – he was barely a man, only a boy of about 19 – with a perplexed expression on his face. "A voluntary slave of Maximus'. He was a blood bag of sorts." he cleared his throat again and I frowned. "From what we gathered before... well... you know... he was sent to look for Sapphire. Maximus hadn't bet on her killing him, perhaps drinking from him, yes. But not killing him."
"I hadn't betted on her doing it." Thea, sweet Thea, croaked from the corner. Thea was not made for this life and I pitied her. In fact, I envied her. "Why?"
Adrian shrugged and looked at the human with distaste. A bitter part of my mind sneered that he and Sapphire would be perfect for each other. "He had to die eventually. He was never getting out of this house. One way or another, he was doomed."
It ran through my mind that perhaps Sapphire had been doing him a favour then. Why prolong the inevitable after all?
No,
She could have compelled him to forget her face.
She could have compelled him to leave this island and forget everything he ever knew. A new start.
He didn't have to die.
"Nobody else dies." I stated, looking each of them in the eye. Taking an extra moment or so to stare down Adrian. He wasn't putting up a fight with me, for once, not today. I was in no mood to be reckoned with. I said it again, more stern. "Nobody. Else. Dies."
I didn't know what I was talking about.
I was naive.
I didn't know what I was up against.
"Nobody else dies." Thea, Blaize, Daniel - who had remained silent throughout the whole ordeal - Adrian and Ash all repeated, nodding along to the words. As if it would change anything. Nobody else would die, but someone had.
I looked down at the man and drew my fingers over his eyes.
I did a double take.
The man looked as peaceful as if he was sleeping when I turned his neck straight.
He was smiling.
Maybe she did have some humanity after all.