The numbness in my hands is getting incredibly annoying. Not impossible to handle yet, but a pain in the butt regardless.
My goddamn fingers don't move the way I want, grating on my nerves as it makes it harder to manipulate the small dagger and cut my wrist. I almost dropped the blade twice already, and it's not like the handle is slippery or anything.
Ah shit, I cut too lightly again.
"I'm telling you: I'm fine."
I lift my eyes to glare at the pale-faced James. Fine my ass.
"You don't need to feed me right now. It can wait for a bit longer."
Yeah, sure. Two can play that game; let's see who wins.
"You're fine, and I'm also fine. You know what? I'm in good enough health to spare you some blood! So, how about you stop whining and eat while I'm still offering kindly, hm?"
James opens his mouth only to close it. No words come out.
What? Surprised I'd throw your lie right back at you? Dude, anyone can spout out white lies, including me.
In the end, neither of us is fine, but he's definitely in a worse state than I am. I'm just cold, hungry, and tired. And maybe a little moody, too.
Alright, definitely moody.
As for him? He's frigging pinned to a wall, and the blood of the dead coating the nails has seeped into his body, circulating in his veins and weakening him by the second.
The more the poison spreads, the more his heart slows down. At some point, it'll stop beating. He needs fresh blood to resist it, whatever the hell he says. Lies won't work on me.
Fortunately or unfortunately, I'm not a clueless human who knows nothing about his kin. One of the tutors tasked with my hunter upbringing even had a sweet spot for vampires.
So, I just know.
His internal organs have most likely started to rot by now, and the pain he's in must be agonizing, something a mere human like me cannot even begin to imagine.
"Alright, open your mouth."
The dunce pinches his lips. He frigging pinches his lips! Come on! The wrist is already cut, and the blood is going to be wasted if he doesn't drink it. What's the point of being stubborn?! Put the pride aside!
"Oh come on, you're awake, so help me a little here, will you? Or what? Do I really have to stuff my fist in your mouth?"
"…I hadn't taken you to be the forceful kind."
"Disappointed?"
"No, of course not."
The laugh is weak, too weak to my taste.
A few more seconds pass before James finally consents to part his lips, and I press my wrist against his mouth—with maybe a bit too much strength, I admit. Whatever. As long as he feeds himself, I don't care about the method.
His saliva is numbing the pain, yet I can feel the pressure of his tongue against my skin, and I can tell he's sucking on the wound. It's a weird feeling.
Time ticks by slowly until the vampire turns his head away.
"That's enough for now…"
I squint my eyes.
"Scott, I'm not lying this time!"
"So, you admit you were lying before?"
My question earns me a deadpan stare, and I smile in response. No, I'm not going to let the white lie die down, sorry, not sorry.
Now that James has regained a bit of color, I go back to pacing around. Our deluxe room isn't very big, so I pass back and forth before him again and again.
Still, I have to keep moving, even if I'm dead tired and night has fallen. Cuddling in a corner won't keep me warm.
To make matters worse, the temperature seems to have dropped a few degrees more than yesterday, and getting through the night won't be as easy this time around.
Sigh. I'm missing my bed.
Even if it gets invaded by two kids and a husband, I'd rather sleep in it tonight. Too bad that won't happen.
***
My legs feel sore, and my whole body has grown cold. Walking around is getting harder and harder, and I'd love nothing more than to sit.
Maybe I should do just that.
I'm about to give in to the temptation when a loud noise echoes far and wide across the dungeon, almost giving me a heart attack. The fuck? It's been eerily quiet since I woke up, but I guess that's not supposed to last.
Figure. Oliver has to show up at some point.
The sound of rushed footsteps travels to my ears, alongside indistinct chatter. People are coming. Has the bastard finally decided to grace us with his presence?
I wonder how that meeting with the elders of his clan went. Hopefully, to shit.
My mouth turns dry as the footsteps grow closer, and I instinctively search for something to hide behind. But the room is bare, just as it was a few minutes ago, dumbass.
So, all I can do is scurry over to James and shake his shoulders to wake him up. He has fallen asleep some time ago, and even if I would have loved to let him rest, I kinda don't want to face his asshole of a cousin alone. Like, he's—
"SCOTT!"
My body freezes.
Wait, that voice…?
"ANSWER ME!"
No way, it can't be. Are my ears playing tricks on me now?
"He's not in this cell."
"Let's go further down. He should be here somewhere."
Jordan? Eve? What are they doing here? Am I going crazy?
Has the hypothermia finally gotten to me, and I've started hallucinating voices? Damn, I'm in a worse state than I thought. Neither Jordan nor Eve can be here.
And yet, somehow, both of them appear before my eyes a moment later.
"Scott!"
Relief. That's all I can see on Jordan's face, minus the third eye in the middle of his forehead that's bleeding. The golden shine of the iris seems to be glowing, drawing all of my attention. Has that guy taken his half-true form?
Seriously?
I'm snapped out of my daze by a screeching sound. Jordan is prying the bars open, enough to allow an adult man to pass through.
The next thing I know, I'm in his arms, my face nestled in the crook of his neck. Oh, he feels warm.
"Are you alright?!"
"…Yeah."
Hungry, tired, disoriented, but not cold anymore. Not with my body pressed against his and his coat wrapped around my shoulders, at least.
From the corner of my eye, I catch Eve running to James. She easily pulls out the nails, cursing as she does.
"These goddamn bastards!"
The growl that leaves her throat sends a shiver down my spine. The ever-happy woman is now angry beyond belief, and the next instant, a limp James falls into her arms. She gently lifts him in a bridal carry. It could have been a funny sight, hadn't it been for the situation.
"He's just a kid, for fuck's sake! And they—"
"Eve, calm down."
Jordan warns her in a stern but gentle voice, enveloping my body with his in a protective embrace. Eve's aura has started to seep out, and breathing has become difficult on my part. Right. She is a matriarch at the end of the day, even if she doesn't behave as such.
"Sorry. I'll be careful."
Even though she has calmed down, Jordan isn't letting me go. No, he's tightening his embrace. He's the one making it hard to breathe now.