Blood Land by J.R. Lawson (top ten ebook reader TXT) 📖

“My clothes,” the vampire demanded as he held a hand out toward Aaron.  Nora could only see the back of the one who spoke, but she could see he was only slightly taller than the rest of him and yet, his physique was much more advanced.  He was just as pale as they were and he had blond hair that was slicked back on top of his head.  He only wore black pants and shiny black shoes, however, that is until Aaron tossed him the shirt he was holding in his right hand.

“Thank you, Aaron,” he politely recognized as he caught it, “Oh, I almost forgot!” he then exclaimed as Nora watched him reach into his pocket and pull out a small cylinder type object.  He then proceeded to press something on the side of it and it lit up with an extremely bright ultraviolet light.  He threw it to the ground and it lit up the clearing in the forest, immediately causing Aaron, Jay, and Rogan to transform back into their human-like forms.

“Sorry I had to do that,” Dagon now spoke, assumingly at Rogan, “But I had to make some precautions so you don’t try anything stupid.”  He then began putting his black dress shirt on.  “I do sometimes hate the hellion form,” He said casually as he began buttoning up, “You can never look stylish.  That is, unless you want to ruin a shirt!”  He made a slight polite chuckle at his own joke and Aaron laughed with him.  Jay, however, remained silent as he kept his grip on Rogan’s arms.  Nora just stared at Rogan.  He had his face to the ground and looked as if he was breathing heavily.  He looked exhausted.  She wanted so much to go and help, but she wasn’t sure what she could do.  Dagon seemed to be emitting this power that was making it almost hard for her to stand let alone even think about walking.

“Alright, so,” Dagon started as he finished buttoning the cuffs on his shirt, “Let’s get this over with shall we?”  He then proceeded to walk up and stood, arms clasped behind his back, right in front of Rogan.  He looked down at him and continued, “Rogan, Rogan, Rogan, I’m so disappointed in you.”

“What gives you the right to bring me here like this?” Rogan then muttered quietly, his head still lowered.

Dagon then chuckled heartily, “What gives me the right?  Well, I seem to recall you refusing to come see me on your own free will.  I did give you a chance.  And as far as rights go, I make the rights.  Or have you forgotten that?”

Rogan was silent and Dagon, noticing this, spoke again, “So, why don’t you just admit to me what you’ve done, I’ll deal with you, and we can all get on with our night.  I’d really like this to take as little time as possible.”

Rogan now looked up at Dagon with an angry expression, “I don’t have to admit to shit!  You have no proof I even did anything!”

“Oh really?” Dagon then brought one of his hands from behind his back to grab Rogan’s right arm and pull it from Jay’s grip so it was now outstretched in front of them.  “Then what do you call this scar?”

Rogan didn’t answer but looked away in a slightly shameful manner.

“Hm?” Dagon repeated as he moved his head to look Rogan in the eye, “You can’t lie to me.  I’ve known you since you were sixteen and I know you never had this before!  Or do you think I’m stupid?”  Dagon then let go of his arm and Jay grabbed it again. “So this is what you’re going to do.  You’re going to tell me where this little blister of a human is that you healed and maybe I’ll be lenient on you.”

Rogan now turned his head to look directly at Dagon. “Why?  Why do you want to know where she is?  What do you want with her anyway?”

“What?” Dagon answered with a slight bit of shock on his face.

“I know you want her.  You want her for something don’t you?  To turn her into a vampire or something else?  What is it?”  When Dagon didn’t respond, Rogan continued, “Or do you think I’m stupid too?  I know most of the vampires that have been after her have been working for you.  That’s no coincidence and you know it!”

Dagon now gave another hearty chuckle and shook his head, “Oh, Rogan, you’ve really lost it, haven’t you?  Most vampires in this Blood Land report to me now.  In fact, there aren’t many who don’t anymore.  And what on earth would I want with some scrawny little human girl anyway?”

“I don’t know.  Maybe you just want her in order ruin my life like you’ve tried to do so many times!  Just because I wouldn’t continue to take orders from you or be controlled by you!”

“What an ego you must have to think that I would pay that much attention to you, Rogan!”  It was quiet between the two of them for a minute before Dagon spoke up again, “You’ve created this delusion in your mind, that’s all.  Sure, I tried to hurt you a long time ago after you quit.  Only because I knew you were throwing your life away.  All because some beautiful eyes batted at you.  You needed to see that you were making a mistake!  I mean, for fuck’s sake, Rogan, you could have been so great!  You could have been me!”

“Yeah, that’s what you wanted, wasn’t it?  For me to be your fucking clone!”

“I wanted you to be my successor.  I wanted you to be the best, like I am!  I mean, I practically raised you!  I taught you all you knew!  It was the least you could have done for me!  To take over all this I had created!”  Dagon angrily shouted.  There was silence for a few beats again and then he continued, “But you didn’t do that for me, did you?  You were selfish.  And now you’ve really fucked up.  You did something absolutely unspeakable and now I have to do something I never wanted to do!  I have to make an example out of you.  And out of her; that human.  That’s all I want from her.  There’s no secret hidden agenda.  I just have to make an example out of the two of you so that everyone else will know what happens when you break the law around here!”

Dagon now turned to look away for a second as he let out a huge sigh.  “Come on, Rogan, just tell me where that little human is and I’ll try to make your punishment a little more bearable.”

“I’ll never tell you where she is.  You can just go to fucking hell!” Rogan shouted as he then spit in Dagon’s direction.

Dagon then shook his head and rubbed the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger.  “Alright then, Aaron…” he then waved his hand at Aaron as if to signal him to do something.  Aaron then cracked his knuckles and with a smile walked up to Rogan.  Then, standing right in front of him, immediately stomp kicked his right leg with so much force that it broke, a cracking sound now echoing throughout the forest clearing.

“AAAAHHHH!!” Rogan shouted in agony as he started to fall to the ground, but Jay tightened his grip on him, causing him to continue to stand.

Nora let out a slight gasp as she still watched helplessly from behind the big tree nearby.  She also grabbed the tree to steady herself because the scars on her back began to burn with a serious amount of pain just as soon as Rogan’s leg had been broken.

Dagon now turned around, he was now facing Nora’s direction and she finally got a glimpse of his face.  She noticed his features were exceptionally chiseled and she would think he was quite handsome was she not also extremely fearful of him at this moment in time.

Dagon began to speak again, still to Rogan, but remained turned around, “I get the sense that since you haven’t healed that injury yet that you haven’t fed in a while, am I right in that assumption?”  Nora then noticed Dagon remove from his sleeve a small dagger and hide it in his palm as he started to turn around to face Rogan again. “What’s wrong, Rogan?  That little human girl make you soft?  You can’t hunt humans anymore because you’re friends with one?  Is that it?  Have you become actual friends with her?”

Rogan didn’t speak but stared up at Dagon with the utmost hatred in his eyes.  He also continued to pant heavily and sweat dripped down his face as it was obvious he was trying to fight back the pain caused by his broken leg.   Nora couldn’t help but think, as she stared at him, how unnatural it seemed to see him this way.  She’d never seen Rogan in a more vulnerable position, at least except for the first night she had met him, and that, in itself, frightened her more than anything.  Rogan was usually the one so put together and in control.  He was the one always saving her, not the other way around.

“I’m going to give you one more chance.  Tell me where she is,” Dagon now spoke sternly.

“Fuck….you…” Rogan said between heavy breathes.

‘Have it your way,” Dagon then sighed, waving at Aaron again; who then proceeded to break Rogan’s other leg in the same manner as before.

Rogan let out another loud tormenting shriek and this time Jay let go of him and allowed him to crumple to the ground, lying on his back.

Dagon now casually walked up to Rogan and looked down at him. “Why, oh why, oh why would you do this?  I’m so disappointed in you.  I really thought you would go amazing places.  But now you’re forcing me to do something I really don’t want to.”  Dagon then brought out the dagger he had been hiding and showed it to Rogan so the gleam of the ultraviolet light that was around them glowed from it.  Rogan saw it and worry now covered his face.

“You see,” Dagon continued, “It would be so much easier and less messy to just bite you and let you die instantly.  But…” Dagon twirled the dagger in his hands as he spoke, “But you betrayed me, Rogan.  You really did.  And for that especially, I feel you deserve to die slowly.  And because it’s obvious you haven’t hunted in a while, the stab wound I’m about to give you probably won’t heal very quickly.  And you’ll get the privilege of lying there, bleeding to death, feeling like a human, like the human you healed, and think about what you did!  What you did to me and what you did to your vampire brothers!” Dagon angrily yelled the last part of his speech.  He then proceeded to crouch next to Rogan, holding up the dagger, and looked him in the eye.  “Any last words?”

Rogan just stared at him with anger and pain but didn’t say a word.

“Alright, have it your way.  You know, once I kill you, I’ll be able to sniff out that little human of yours quite easily,” Dagon now spoke in a very sinister and snake like voice, “I’ll even probably find her before she actually dies.  It’ll most likely take her a while to bleed out as well.  In fact, I might even have a little taste or two before I let her die.  I heard her blood smells absolutely delicious!”

“FUCK Y—” Rogan began to shout, but didn’t get to finish, for Dagon forcefully plunged the dagger into his stomach.  Rogan then groaned in agony as Dagon then pulled it out and proceeded to stand up.

“I really hate that it came to this, Rogan.  I really am.” Dagon then tossed the dagger away from him coldly and then walked a few steps away from Rogan who was now writhing