Shadow Blood
Page 16
“I do indeed, but there’s no time—not at the moment.” She decided upon her next step quickly before she could change her mind. “I’ll take you with me, and maybe one day I’ll tell you what you desire to know.” She pulled the girl to her chest and ran a finger over her neck. “We need to get away from here but first there’s something you’ll have to do for me.” Marianna’s pulse sped up. “Don’t worry,” Rebecca whispered. “It won’t hurt.”
She gently lowered her fangs and buried them into the girl’s neck, drawing just a tiny bit of blood, enough to invigorate her and keep her hunger at bay until she found her next meal. It’d be Marianna’s purpose from now on, just like it had once been Aidan McAllister’s, Blake Tremayne’s and many others before and after them.
“You’re a good girl,” she said, eventually pushing Marianna’s pliant body aside. The girl wasn’t dead, just a bit tired. Nothing a little meal couldn’t fix. “Now, let’s find you something to eat so we can finally leave for the nearest town.”
“Why? What are we looking for?” Marianna asked quietly.
Rebecca brushed the girl’s cheek gently, marveling at how easily the girl had accepted her mother and brother’s death. She liked children because they were adaptable, gullible, trusting. “We need to help a friend—Flavius—find his way back into this world.” The girl opened her mouth to speak. Rebecca held up a finger to stop her. “No more questions for now. We have a long way to go.”
The girl seemed disappointed but didn’t argue. They walked out of the shed, crossed the meadow and reached the road. The houses were brightly illuminated with thick curtains that were meant to keep out curious glances. The second car driving past stopped to pick up the red-haired woman and little girl with chubby cheeks and angelic locks, not knowing it’d be the driver’s last day on earth.
The End