Chapter 6
Thirst woke me.
A few times on the run with Rose, I had pushed myself to the maximum and gone nearly a week without blood. The lack of blood had left me weak, dizzy, and bedridden. The thirst I felt now was something different entirely. This was a need that beat louder with every heartbeat, that pushed out every other thought I had.
Pools of blood from within the cave sang to me. One scent stood out to me - Rose's blood. I'd know it anywhere. I'd drank it before. I crawled closer to the pool of semi-dried blood and inhaled. Just a little taste, just a sip. Anything to make the thirst stop.
"You don't have to lick the floor," someone drawled. My head snapped up to see the long-haired Strigoi from earlier. "Dinner's ready."
"Dinner" was a light-haired girl about my age. I vaguely recognized her as one of the Academy feeders. I didn't know her name and found that I didn't particularly care.
"Youngest eats last," someone ordered. Only after everyone else had drank and the girl had collapsed to her knees was I permitted to come forward. Bite marks covered her wrists and her neck, so many I could scarcely find an untouched area. Settling just above her shoulder, I bit down.
The taste exploded on my tongue, filling my veins with liquid fire. She made a weak noise of protest and I bit harder, clutching her to me. I could feel her strength, her life pouring into me. It was delicious- power in its purest form.
My pathetic former existence was nothing compared to this. I had lived so much of it in fear- afraid of what other people thought, afraid of the cost of my magic, afraid for my future. I was not afraid anymore. Not with this power thrumming through my veins like a second heartbeat.
This new life would be unmatched, unparalled. I would become something for others to fear.
A strong hand shook me roughly, banging my head into the jagged cave wall.
"Get up. We're leaving."
I stood, brushing the dirt from my dress. Noticing an unfamiliar noise with the movement, I check the pockets of my jacket. A chotki. My chotki, adorned with a little dragon, broken in several places.
"You won't need it," the man says, nodding at my jacket. "Not where we're going."
I shed the jacket, and it falls to the ground. "Where are we going?"
"Home."
A van had led us to a private airliner with blacked-out windows, which we had boarded soundlessly. The long-haired Strigoi had introduced himself as Nathan, the second in command of the coven. Petr was the unfriendly Strigoi who had woken me, and Ivan and Oleg were the two others with us, though they spoke very little. Their eyes were constantly moving, scanning for any threats. Thick watches adorned their wrists with flashy diamonds set into them. Their watchfulness reminded me of the vigilance of guardians. I thought about Dimitri, expecting to feel guilty, but then I realized I didn't particularly care.
It was easier to lose track of time now, especially because the plane's windows were closed tightly. Surprised not to find myself exhausted, I closed my eyes to rest.
"You don't need to do that anymore." Nathan, in the seat across from me, looked up from his magazine. "Sleep, I mean. You don't need to sleep anymore."
"So, what do you do at night?"
He smirked suggestively and I quickly looked down, twisting the straw in my drink in circles.
"I have time for many interests, little dragon. I'm sure you will find some to your liking." I continued twirling the straw, thinking about what I might spend my time doing. No court demands. No magic. No responsibilities. I was free. I felt my lips pull into the first smile of my new life.
"Tell me about home."
The plane landed and we exited under the moonlit sky. The city was just as breathtaking as Nathan had described–churches adorned with gold-painted domes, lavish, brightly lit skyscrapers, and streets packed with people and cars. The noise was just shy of overwhelming. The night air was cold but not bitingly so. Instead, it felt refreshing against my bare arms. I twirled, my torn black dress spinning in the wind. Freedom.
Nathan tugged my arm, leading me away from the tarmac and towards the waiting car. The plush leather felt wonderfully smooth against my legs as I slid into the backseat. I inhaled sharply–blood. Human blood. Nathan threw his arm across me as I instinctively leaned forward to smell more deeply, to bite, to drink. His arm was like hitting granite, pinning me against the seat.
"Now, now," he chided. "There's food at home." The driver's hands shook as she put the car into drive.
