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Chapter 23: Agony

"Here."

"I'm not thirsty."

"You should be." Cecilia thrust a porcelain teacup into Beaux's hands. He let the warmth of the surface insulate his cold skin. The dark murky substance quivering like gelatin, he could only guess, was blood. Beaux shuddered; he did not want to be reminded of his dietary habits right then. The door remained closed behind him, and without warning, he let a stifled gasp of irritation. There was no sound on the other side.

"How long does she plan on shutting herself in?" Beaux wondered aloud. Cecilia sighed disconcertedly and ran her hands along the hem of her ruffled sleeves. Beaux turned to face her. "What time is it?"

"The sun set a few minutes ago."

Beaux wanted to cry out in agony. He had been waiting for six hours – motionless and silent, waiting for Meliah to surrender. Yes, she had her reasons to be upset – to be enraged and infuriated – by what he had done. He did not challenge that. But had she not a portion of her broken heart to give him? Could she not spare a moment to think of how he had felt? Did she not love him enough to grant him that?

Cecilia tilted her head inconspicuously toward the door. Beaux watched her inertly and then fretfully as her curious expression became alarmed.

"She's gone!" she breathed.

Within a second, Beaux had rammed open the door and devastated the furniture. Meliah was indeed no where to be found.

"Beaux," Cecilia whispered cautiously, "Look!" She was nearly dangling out of the open window as she pored over the landscape.

Beaux walked uneasily toward her and looked to where she pointed her finger. The vantage from his room was incredible, but Beaux had little time to appreciate the view. His eyes were fixated on the infinitesimal white speck darting behind the walls of the graying edifices.

And before he could realize what he was attempting to do, he was already beyond the window frame and in the cold night air. Beaux heard Cecilia as her celerity propelled her in front of him. With a subtle movement that could have been too quick for any human eye to discern, she motioned him to stay behind. Yet it was futile. Beaux's hunter instincts were unbridled, and today, Meliah was his target.

Even with the wind whistling past his ears, Beaux could hear Cecilia's hallmark sigh as clearly as shattering glass. She jumped easily over the rooftops in her layered skirts and heels. He could sense her satisfied smirk with every landing.

Before he could find enough sarcasm to retort, Beaux skidded to a stop behind Cecilia. After emitting a small gasp, she pressed her body flat against the roof and took a clandestine peek over the eaves.

A familiar high giggle pierced the silence from beneath them. "Come here," a coy, female voice commanded.

There was no time to hesitate. Beaux joined Cecilia and peered into a dimly lit room filled with dolls, plush animals, trains, and wooden horses.

"A toy store?" he wondered aloud. Cecilia glared at him, allowing the dark rings of her irises glow in a malevolent red. She pressed a finger to her lips and signaled him to silence.

Beaux continued searching through the room. And there she was: the repulsively awe-striking figure clothed in white. Beaux bit down on his lip to prevent a scream. Meliah was approaching a cowering man in the corner with an inhuman smile.

"Please stop!" the man begged. His deep voice shook with fear, and he raised his head a fraction of an inch, Beaux could see his eyes – clear and emerald, like his own. The man was in his late twenties or early thirties; through the darkness, Beaux could recognize a hint of maturity in his features – the rugged brow and the sharp jaw. As Meliah bent down in front of the man, he shuddered as though he had been struck.

"There there," Meliah crooned as she touched the man's sunken cheeks. "Don't cry."

The man seemed surprised by her last words and his hands instinctively jumped. He felt the wetness over his skin and gaped in terror.

Beaux grinded his teeth together as Meliah drew closer to the huddled form. "Shhh," Meliah whispered in the man's ear.

Cecilia glanced nervously at Beaux and pressed a forefinger on his wrist. "What's going on?" she hissed. "Why is she-?"

Beaux shook his head. They did not have time to discuss. "Cecilia," he began softly, "Take the man-"

"NO!" a sharp whimper interrupted. Beaux nearly fell off the edge of the roof as a heavy thud agitated the walls. Cecilia bent forward and her eyes doubled in size.

When Beaux had managed to reposition himself, he, too, was immobilized for the briefest moment. A wooden prop had fallen of its shelf above the man's head, leaving a gruesome gash under his left eye. As the blood trickled down his face, Meliah's eyes sparkled.

"I can make that better," she murmured, and she smiled again. The man had not prepared himself this time, and sure enough he was enraptured by her beauty. The light shadows above her scarlet eyes danced with the joy that she felt, and he watched her – incapable of doing anything else.

Meliah moved slowly, and Beaux could feel his stomach reacting violently with the madness in her visible bloodlust. She relished the languid trail that the blood was leaving on the man's tan skin. Cecilia let out a small squeak when Meliah suddenly swooped down on the man. Meliah could have been kissing him if it had not been for the uninhibited sound of consumption as she pressed her lips against his blood.

Beaux was horrified as Meliah's efforts double in fervor. When the man struggled away from her, she looked deeply into his eyes and pressed her tainted lips to the base of his jaw repeatedly. Involuntarily, the man's arms wrapped tightly around her, allowing her to feast with ease.

Jealousy inundated Beaux. How could she? He was in the room within a second, tearing Meliah's body from the man.

"Let go!" Meliah screamed ferociously as Beaux pinned her against his chest. She reached for the man's arm, but her spell was broken and he was eagerly scrambling for the door.

Unfortunately, the man did not realize that Cecilia was waiting for him. With one swift, blurry movement, she had broken his neck, and he lay – dead – at her feet. Another ear-splitting wail burst from Meliah's throat.

"NO!" she bellowed at Cecilia. "YOU KILLED HIM! HE WAS MINE!"

Beaux let Meliah go and she rushed to the man's side, checking his pulse in vain. Her eyes were first furious, but as she looked around her, her smile returned.

"I can have more," she whispered.

And with that Meliah swept out of the room and into the dark streets. Cecilia and Beaux chased after her, but by the time they had located her, she was entwined in the arms of another mortal. This man appeared to be older than the last; his mustache certainly added a few years to his face. Yet unlike the man from the toy store, he was much more compliant as Meliah pulled his face to hers. His lips parted in anticipation…

Beaux's ire took a hold of him again. A monster erupted in his chest and he could not bear to see Meliah, seducing…beguiling…

He attacked the man with unnecessary vehemence and pulled a very ruffled Meliah into his arms.

"Stop this!" Beaux begged.

"You stop this!" she retorted.

"Beaux!" Cecilia called from the entrance of the alleyway. "What happened? Why is she like this all of a sudden?"

"I don't know," Beaux admitted.

Cecilia's shut her eyes and her brow scrunched together as she tried to remember. "This must be her other form. Maybe she's activated by nightfall?" She spoke as though Meliah was a device.

"I thought she would be satisfied with my blood from yesterday!" Beaux exclaimed. "Even we don't feed this often!"

"She must have different needs," Cecilia began. She seemed lost in thought as she scrutinized Meliah's confounded face. As the atmosphere intensified, Meliah positioned herself so that Beaux could not look away from her.

"Beaux," Meliah's voice was sweet as honey. "Beaux, let me feed." Her eyes melted to the darkest of chocolate-brown. "Let me find someone? Do you want me to starve?"

Cecilia raised her eyebrows in skepticism. She was shaking her head furiously, but Beaux was already thawing. "I don't want you with…with other men," he finally spat.

Meliah laughed her tinkling laugh. "You see them as men?" she asked. "They're food! One could be a carrot, another could be a tomato!"

"I don't care!" Beaux snapped. Cecilia glowered at him and then Meliah.

Meliah studied the inflection of his voice before continuing. "Then, you would let me drink your blood?" She peeked at him through her lashes. "Always?" she added cautiously. "Such a precious compensation…"

"Silence!" Cecilia cried. "How could even think-?"

"Yes," Beaux answered before Cecilia could finish. His cousin's jaw dropped with his betrayal.

"Beaux, be realistic!" Cecilia roared. "You can't support her every day! You saw what's she's capable of! She will suck you dry!"

"Beaux's a man of his word," Meliah interjected lightly. "And I respect that."

Meliah grasped him aggressively by the shoulders and bit his neck. But Cecilia reacted quickly.

"Don't touch him!" she warned, placing the edge of her sharp claws on Meliah's back.

"I'm fine," Beaux assured Cecilia. "Please."

His eyes looked so helpless and his posture was so resigned. Cecilia could not bring herself to work against him. She let her arm drop and swung around to leave.

"We're leaving tomorrow, you hear?" she muttered. Cecilia turned to look at him, but he was already unconscious and Meliah was wiping her lips on her shift.

"Delicious," Meliah breathed. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. "So delicious."

Cecilia could not believe what she was seeing. Beaux was left on the ground like a soiled rag and Meliah did not even bat an eyelid.

"You terrible thing!" Cecilia screeched. She brought her hand across Meliah's halcyon face, leaving a bright red streak under her eye.

Meliah looked at her bewildered and stupefied; she looked at Beaux as if to seek protection. Cecilia smirked with satisfaction. "I doubt he could hear you now," Cecilia spat.