Just Blood by authorof fantasy (suggested reading txt) 📖

“Ashes blood is the most delicious because she’s been alive more than the rest of us have. Think of a vampire’s blood like grape juice, the longer you store it, the better wine is made.”

I nodded and Ashes was padding the remaining blood as the wound healed right before our eyes and her smile came back to her lips as she turned to me.

“You didn’t feel any pain.”

“At first, yes, but then I just paid no attention to it and it went away.”

“This has never been done before, I must find the reason. Is it alright if I drink from you?”

“I’d rather you not.”

“Fine, Lora and Hannibal are going to be with you today to help you train. I’ll be watching so nothing apprehensive happens. Now you are a good little girl, ok?”

“Yeah right, like I abide by your rules.”

“You will. Your thirst is already coming back, and now that you have my blood in you, all you’ll be able to think about is “how will I please her” or some other shit.”

“Right now all I’m thinking about is “how will I kill her”.”

Ashes slapped me across the face as her dress switched sides, containing to she was now leaning on her right side, and I could see she was admiring my defiance. My mind was set on one thing, though, which was how can I get out of this god-forsaken place…alive.

“Well I trust Lora and Hannibal will give you a good time today and that when I check on you at dinner, you’ll be a little more respectful and a little tougher.”

She left and I turned to Lora who now looked be straight into the eyes, almost as if to send a message but I couldn’t receive anything. With Hannibal here, we won’t be able to speak to each other like we did in the meeting room last night. And that was the only time I felt somewhat close to security. Hearing Hannibal’s laugh that day was unbearable, as I would fight other vampires and try my hardest, sometimes I was bound to fail. He would come up behind me during this one fight with one of the humans working for them, although I could beat him on a regular basis I lost, because Hannibal kicked me so hard in my gut that I thought my bones were broken. Lora would just look pass my horrible mistakes and help me to know what I could do otherwise, she truly was trying to be a great aunt…in her own kind of silent way. After the day had passed and we were able to go outside because it was night, I breathed in some fresh air and took hold of my surroundings the next forty battles. I had won all of them when suddenly Ashes came out of nowhere and challenged me.

“Come on, this is like a free pass for revenge. If you win, you can kill me, if you lose, you’ll be mine…forever.”

“You’re going to make me kill you aren’t ya?”

“Just make your move.”

As we rounded about, fighting to the extreme, punching and kicking. Anything that would get the other one to fall, I found a weak spot and hit as hard as I could between the ribcage with a swift side kick and she fell down. Everyone, including Hannibal, gasped as their leader was lying before the rookie. My smile came to place as I bent down over Ashes who was prepared to die if this was it.

“Kill me, isn’t it what you want?”

It took me a few seconds to decipher everything then as slowly as possible I shook my head and held out my hand.

“I’m not a killer.”

Ashes took one more glance in my eyes then she reached out and took my hand. But as I was about to pull her up, I was being thrown over her. She had tricked me, even I was amazed, and so I just lied there looking at the stars wondering if maybe one of them would come down to earth and bare its glory. If maybe I could one day be as light as a feather, like Ashes movements. Right when I was about to close my eyes, Ashes walked over and now she held out her hand.

“Let’s go inside, it’s dinnertime.”

“I’m not hungry, I just want to stay out here for awhile…please understand.”

She looked confused then nodded as she sent the others inside, while lying down beside me. I could hear her small intakes of breath but I didn’t look to see what startled her and just frowned, for the thing she had noticed was that I wished to be home…with my family. To be around those who love you because they don’t have to but want to. I was depressed; I was a sad hybrid in need of a hug from my mother or thumbs up from my best friend.

“You know when my mother gave birth to me, she said one thing…just one thing. I remember her saying “you are vampire, you will thirst, you will go through pain but live because it’s nearly impossible to die…you’ll never know what the warmth of the sun will feel like, never know what love will feel like because you’re just a vampire.”

I heard desperation in her voice and turned sideways so that I was facing her. Ashes was about to sit up because “duty called” but I held her down as I placed my hand on hers. Then as I pulled myself closer, I whispered in her ear.

“I chose you.”

Ashes looked over at me and just stared as she wrapped an arm around me, to comfort me, to keep me from crying. I had given up Laurin for a vampire only because, I knew I would never see her again and that I would never fit in with the human world. I had to be here, it was now my home and that thought kept me whole. Not to mention the fact that Ashes was beautiful, she was simply stunning, almost as if she were a queen. Laurin was more like a snobby princess who at rare, would care for others than herself. She might’ve been my best friend but I could have never accepted her as a lover, not like I have accepted Ashes.

“I chose you too, Blood. Maybe, to make it permanent, I shall feed on you and you feed from me? That was how the ancients became tied together in bonding.”

"No, not yet.."

“Then when, Blood? You have already told me no two times now and if there is a third I might be not be so considerate.”

“You’ll just have to wait, please.”

“Fine, let’s go to dinner.”

Ashes stood quickly before I could disagree to her statement and she took off to dinner. She was, no doubt, angry at me but I couldn’t understand. Why was she so determined to get a taste of my blood? It seemed as if she was begging for it with authority. Well it didn’t matter for now, I was to get to the dinner and meet the other vampires of this nation. They were going to be quite surprised after seeing me, a new recruit. Queasy, from seeing the site of bodies lying across tables for the feast, I sat down next to Ashes who was on the far end of the table, and next to Lora who was on my right. That’s when Hannibal walked in, supposedly from being “asleep”, and sat down while combing his hair back. Another vampire woman entered after him, about a minute’s difference. Yeah, he was definitely not sleeping, that pervert.

“Well now Hannibal has joined us, let us begin the feast.”

Her voice was quick and harsh, as she turned to each and every person at the table, and then rested her eyes upon me. Ashes was pissed but I tried not to let her attitude affect me as I chatted with the others who had taken interest in my history. Asking questions from who was my mother to was I the only half breed in my family.

“Yes, I am the only one in my family line…I believe.”

A guy, Lenoir, had taken a firm interest and I found him cute and adorable. He was a small man, little muscles but certainly able to fight a good fight, and he stood about a foot over me with the gentlest smile you would find comforting in any weather or any location. I laughed as Lenoir would tell another joke, completely unaware that Ashes was watching him with burning hatred, and would smile as he would put his hand on my shoulder or my right hand in an effort to show he liked me. After about a few minutes Ashes couldn’t handle it no more and got up while leaving the room in a fury, but of course I was the only one to see it, to any other person it would seem she was just fine.

“What did the chicken do?”

“I don’t know what?”

“He didn’t do anything, he chickened out!”

My laughter broke the silence as I recognized everyone was now staring at me with wondering eyes. This was the time they would unleash all questions and I readied myself. While talking to Lenoir, a woman came up behind me and pushed my chair just faintly to where I spilled a few drops of soda on me. It was the exact woman who was with Hannibal before he joined dinner, and she seemed just like him, mean and cruel to me…the rookie.

“Hey!”

“Oh, I’m sorry, did I make you spill your SODA. Maybe you should be drinking blood then.”

“No thank you.”

“Well it’s just that everyone else here is drinking blood and you’re just like an outcast. You shouldn’t even be here you half blood.”

“What’s your problem? What the hell I do to you?”

“I have no problem, you do, and you’re disgusting. Ashes think she can keep you like a pet but we don’t like it, and she’ll start hating you once we prove you’re not worthy.”

“I don’t even know you, leave me alone.”

“Well let me inform you, I’m Shade. I’m the toughest girl in this whole place and no one has ever beaten me.”

“I’ll be sure glad when someone does and you get a blow to that perfect little face of yours.”

Shade snarled, really snarled, like some kind of animal and Lenoir tried to intervene, but she leaped on me. All of the vampires in the room watched as I flew out of my chair before she could get her hands on me, then as quick as I could I set up a position where I was most comfortable in if there was a needed fight. While they were all keeping an eye out for the both of us, I eyed Hannibal call one of the human servants which they called households, and told him…as I best as I could hear while I was blocking Shade’s attacks…to get Ashes because she needed to see this. She needed to see my death. But I wouldn’t allow it; I wouldn’t die here and now and not prove that I was worthy enough to live. Worthy enough to fit in somewhere because each and every person in this world deserves a chance at having a real home, one where they could be themselves.

“Why don’t you just die, Blood, you don’t belong!”

“Everyone belongs somewhere, you imbecile.”

Shade went