Twisted Fate Chapter 7

Lavinia’s teeth sink into my wrist. She backs away, revealing an ellipse shaped wound. Lavinia smiles as she laps up the blood just before it drips down my palm. The mark vanishes instantly. She offers her wrist to me and I take the opportunity. Her blood tastes sweet, far more appetizing than a human’s.

I indulge again, sucking furiously. Lavinia stops me. Her tongue glides across the mark until it vanishes.

“Easy. This is not a feeding,” she says coolly. “Just a little midnight snack.”

In the blink of an eye, I am pinned to the bed. Her nails rip through my shirt effortlessly, cutting my skin in the process. Her tongue grazes along the blood trail, up one, down the other, over and over until the scratches fade away.

Before I know it, I am totally engrossed in a massive power struggle. I bite; she flips me over. She scratches; I bury my teeth into her chest. My hatred toward Lavinia is put on the back burner. The pleasure is too intense. It is pointless to resist. Our bodies intertwine in a bloody wrestling match of sorts. The once pristine white sheets are stained crimson. Our bodies slip and slide as we fight for dominance.

The delight turns to agony in an instant. I cry out in pain as Lavinia rams an iron rod into my abdomen. I struggle to remove it, but she holds it tightly, impaling me further the more I fight. I should have seen this coming! She must know about my betrayal, but how? Can she read minds? Did she follow me? As the scenarios race through my mind, she leans forward and smiles.

“This is what happens when you let your guard down.” Lavinia slowly retracts the rod. My teeth clamp together in an attempt to mask the pain. “Now, you know what it feels like. Now, I know you will never let your guard down again.”

I suppress my anger, knowing that retaliation is not an option. If she wanted to kill me, she could have easily done so. She is teaching me a lesson and though it is harsh, it is necessary.

“We are not invincible. You’d do well to remember that.” She holds up the weapon, letting the blood drip onto my bare chest. “If this was aimed at your heart, you would be done for. Never lose focus. Your instincts are heightened for this reason. Trust them and you will always have the upper hand.”

I look down at the gaping hole. It has begun to close, but barely. “Will it heal on its own?” I ask.

“In time. The deeper the wound, the longer it takes to repair itself.”

Lavinia slides off of me and allows me to sit up. The pain remains, though significantly duller. “If we are capable of self-healing, why do we need Chiron’s healing power?”

“The heart is what sustains us. Without a heart, we wouldn’t heal, wouldn’t circulate venom, wouldn’t survive. His healing power will allow us to heal our hearts, making us truly immortal.”

“And if we can do that, then sunlight…”

“would not affect our circulatory system.” Lavinia says solemnly. “So you understand why this is so important.”

“I do, now.” Her explanation gives me renewed hope. As crazy as she is, the idea seems plausible.

“Now, go rest,” she says boldly.

I leave the room and head toward the tunnel entrance. Xavier is standing in the vestibule, arms crossed, with a blank expression on his face. I glance at myself for a moment. My chest is stained red; our smeared blood resembles a child’s attempt at finger painting. My pants are also splattered red, with rips all over them. If Xavier didn’t hate me before, he definitely does now.

I nod, acknowledging him, but I do not speak. Xavier continues to stare, maintaining his stoic demeanor. Well, there’s no point in dwelling on it. I don’t think there’s anything I can do to earn his respect. It’s best to let sleeping dogs lie. I enter the tunnel and decide to take a detour. Home can wait. Right now, I feel the need to visit the communal burial ground.

The cave is full of skeletal remains and decaying bodies. Wild animals scurry around, feasting on the dead flesh, completing the disposal process. The smell, though unmistakably putrid, doesn’t bother me. Caleb said that the scent of death was adapted to suit our lifestyle, similar to the way a vulture can tolerate burying its head into dead animals.

As I reach the center of the cave, an overwhelming feeling of guilt sets in. The mound of carnage that lies before my feet grows more disturbing each time I return. Most of them died in order for me to live. I am responsible for everything they had to endure.

I leap over the pile of bones and walk to the back of the cave. I run my finger along the ground, marking the lone shallow grave with a cross. “I will find a way to make this up to you,” I quietly avow. I envision carrying my mother into the cave, then quickly snap out of the dreadful memory.

Caleb flies through the door and finds me sitting against the wall of the cave, eyes fixed on my most recent victim.

“What the hell are you doing?” Caleb bellows.

I don’t answer. I can’t take my eyes off of him. Only now do I realize the extent of the man’s injuries. His neck is snapped, dangling against his torso. The ribcage is crushed. I’m not capable of such malice!

“You shouldn’t be here,” Caleb says solemnly.

“I had to come,” I say as I glance toward my mother’s resting place. Caleb nods and marks the dirt with a cross, just as I had. I know Caleb tried to prevent it, but this is the first sign of respect he has shown regarding her death.

“Why do I black out?” I ask.

“I wish that I had an answer for you. No one else has experienced it. The only thing I can come up with is you are too resistant to the change. Your mind can’t cope. Three months isn’t long at all. Maybe, you need a little more time.”

I jump up, infuriated. “If you think I’m going to go back to being sequestered, to being fed like a frickin’ baby, you are sorely mistaken!”

“Take it easy. I meant that maybe I shouldn’t let you go out on your own for a while.”

No way! Not happening! “I don’t need a chaperone. I can take care of myself.”

“In time, you will be desensitized, as all the rest of us have.”

That’s what I fear the most. I know that the day will come when I won’t give my evil deeds a second thought, the day when I will lose my humanity completely.

“Here,” Caleb says, tossing a set of keys.

I grab them and say, “These are for the other house.”

“Just make sure you leave the tunnel door unlocked. Lavinia insists that she be able to come and go as she pleases.” The thought makes me cringe. “What? I thought you be happy to get some alone time. I doubt Lavinia will be bothering you tonight. Looks like she’s had her fill of you already.”

For the last two months, all I’ve had was alone time. When I was sequestered in the chamber, I craved social interaction. Nonetheless, the chaotic day has me yearning for silence. I feel like a victim of ‘the grass is always greener’ syndrome.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Caleb says as he exits the cave.

I arrive at the house, which is a cookie cutter replica of Caleb’s place. I lie on the sofa and close my eyes. I don’t have the desire to do anything right now except lay here. Even a much needed shower can wait. My phone vibrates. Damn it! Can’t Caleb leave me alone for five seconds! I pull out my phone. It’s a text from an unknown number. I sit up in shock. No! I must be hallucinating! I shake my head and proceed to read the unexpected message.

Reviews

[Mizzycupcakes]

T.T I feel like its been forever since I've been on here. I'm sooo glad I did these last few chapters you did were amazing! I love Damiens need to cling on to his humanity I have a feeling that itll tie in perfectly to somehow sustaining a relationship with Rachel. I'm hoping this ritual will somehow allow them to be together so she either doesnt have to change to a vamp too or so that shes able to change and doesnt have to become a 'creature of the night' sorta thing. Im wondering where you got the term 'three sheets to the wind' phrase from. I literally had to google it to know what it meant -.- either a lack of drinking or just being young I guess? Either way. I need to know what she said!!!!!!! Gaaahhh! I like the fact that you can leave me on the edge of my seat waiting to see what happens next. ^.^ Great job once again.

[easybreezy]

You are so sweet! Thank you! I'm still working on the Damien/Rachel interaction. So far I have them meeting at an upscale French restaurant(which makes her uncomfortable) so I'm trying to make it flow with a bit of light humor and tension. Not sure how long it will take, but I'm still plugging away.

[Kate Whitaker]

nice way to work in some rules for your world. Nothing better than using action and exposition to explain something to a reader