I kept driving the neck around. The extreme thickness of the Seventeen's muscles and skeleton kept me from easily killing him. It was a chore and a huge drain of strength as I fought to break the neck. I was tiring rapidly, but so was he. Both would be exhausted soon and there was still the matter of the other wolf with which to deal. This had to end now.
Taking advantage of being on top and at great risk of losing that upper hand if the wolf managed to get free, I let go of the wolf's other arm to use both hands to attack. My own claws dug at the wolf's exposed flesh of the neck, severing tissue and bathing me in blood. Ripping more, the neck began to give as the beast screamed under my restraints. Precious muscle stripped away the wolf's neck and finally gave way with a loud, wet pop. The wolf quit struggling and breathing.
Before my eyes, he shifted from wolf to human. Sitting astride, the man seemed unnatural and a little gross so I crawled off and sat beside him. The process only took a few seconds. I dared to look upon the face of the Seventeen I had just killed. Turning slightly, I was startled to realize that the man that had just given his life to me in battle resembled a fallen member of my new vampire family, Liam.
"What the hell?" I let slip.
Rotating the head so I could get a better look, I was right with my first identification. It was Liam. Already on the verge of passing out this pushed me closer. I didn't get time to think about the ramifications.
I heard the Three roar to life behind me. I turned and stumbled to the pavement. The wolf bared his teeth and moved in for revenge. The soldiers were yards away now, but not close enough to save me. Weak, I was ready to accept my fate after I collapsed back to the road when there was a grunt and then a whimper. Before I could look up, the wolf landed at my feet. Spent, confused and in need of fresh blood to help deal with the wounds that would not stop bleeding, I looked through half closed eyes as I was about to succumb to the wounds inflicted by the wolf. I saw enough to make out the fact that Veronica was leaning over me.
Chapter 50
My head was splitting when I awoke. Lying on my side, I was greeted with a view of the fading rays of the afternoon sun dancing through the sliding glass door of my bedroom. I rubbed my eyes as I rolled onto my back. I felt the healing wound on my side sting as it parted. Searching my body, I felt more wrappings. My touch seemed numb. Even the smallest cut given to me by the Seventeen was bandaged and causing me considerable discomfort. The coverings felt wet and the odor being emitted was much worse than the pain. Rubbing at the bandage, I became aware that I was not alone. Someone was standing behind the door to the bedroom. The vitals were hard to detect in my weakened state, but I believed the person to be human.
Painfully I called, "Come in or go away."
The door opened slowly. The form was hazy. The silhouette broken. I rubbed at my eyes again as the person drew closer to my bed. My mind had to be playing tricks on me or maybe Veronica was with her ability to disguise herself. There was a failure in me to detect a smell other than the stench emanating from the reminders of the Seventeen. The Seventeen that looked a lot like Liam. At the moment, I tried to block out the mental image as I struggled to determine if my guest was real.
The visitor lay down on the bed beside me. "Hi," She said.
The voice was hers or it could be a hallucination caused by the injuries. I thought hard as I fought through the haze that was my mind. Trying to get face to face with her was too painful and tiring.
"Be still," She said. "You will hurt yourself more if the wounds reopen and the infection doesn't go away."
Turning my head to the side to see her face as clearly as I could, I asked, "Sunnie?"
She giggled, "Yes."
"How did you...How did you get onto the base and into my house for that matter? I don't understand."
"Your friends Darby and Logan brought me here with permission from a nice gentleman named Mr. Smith. They said you had been asking for me for days. They thought maybe if I was here you would wake up finally," She answered.
I knew I had to look hideous. "I am sorry you have to see me this way. How long have I been here?"
Sunnie rubbed my head. "You were in the hospital for a week then here another couple of days." She started crying. "I have been so worried about you."
She tenderly kissed my cheek spilling some of her tears upon my skin.
"I have missed you too," I replied as the throbbing in my head worsened. I knew what I needed, but I dare not let Sunnie know I needed blood. I was going to fight through the thirst.
"I wish you had awakened sooner. Darby is about to come get me to escort me off the base. Part of the rules for my being here stipulated that I had to leave before the sun fully set," She sighed.
"I wish I had awakened sooner too. What have they told you?" I asked as I found her hand.
"Darby just said that there was an accident and that you were badly burned." Sunnie replied.
I was glad that they hadn't told her the truth, though it did surprise me that she had been allowed to come to Velma to see me almost dead.
"You need to go. It is getting late, and Darby is terrible with time, so you might want to speed her up. I would hate to lose the opportunity for you to come back."
Sunnie smiled then kissed my lips tenderly. "Now that you are awake, I am afraid that I can't come back. So, I hope to see you at school soon"
"Maybe." I said trying to be funny, though from the expression on her face she appeared to have taken it wrong. I attempted to explain myself without looking like a jackass. "What day is this?"
Sunnie sounded confused as she answered, "Thursday."
"What I meant was if I was well enough by Monday. Right now I feel awful," I hoped she understood.
"I hope so too. Don't forget we still have a date for the Back to School Bash. It is next weekend. I would hate to have to find another date, so you had better get well and soon." A small smirk framed her face.
I hated to tell her the truth that I wasn't allowed to attend school functions, so I didn't. "If it kills me we will be there. I promise." She had no clue to how close that statement was to being actual fact.
She rose from the bed. "Do you need anything before I go?"
Jokingly I said, "Another kiss."
Sunnie knelt across the bed and gave me a warm kiss to the forehead. "Just in case that will have to do until next weekend then."
Sunnie bounced from the bed. "Bye. I hope to see you soon."
With that, she was gone from my house. I heard her shutting the front door. Her footsteps quickly disappeared.
"Hello Veronica. She is gone," I said scornfully.
The sliding glass door opened and closed as I wiped at my eyes.
"Better I see," Veronica said.
I stared at the ceiling. "Somewhat I suppose. The wounds are seeping and are aching in the worst way possible."
"The Seventeen can transmit the virus through either a bite or through glands located behind each claw. A single scratch and you become infected," She replied.
I sarcastically responded, "I haven't even got the vampire thing down yet."
She took my flippant comment and brushed it aside, "Don't worry the virus affects us differently than humans. The virus is toxic to us with a high enough dosage, but the pressing condition that you have is due to how it attacks the virus within us. The scratches you received are examples of that. The virus breaks down our natural ability to heal and defend ourselves. The wounds you received have been infected for days. When coupled with the loss of blood, you went into a deep catatonic state as your body fought the wolf virus. The doctors on base poured through one hundred units of blood trying to keep you with us. After four days of your body soaking up the blood you returned to normal, except for staying within a sleep state. The doctors and scientists on base said studying the effects on you was worth years of research."
"I am glad I could help, but being near death is something I don't want to experience again for a while. Now two things. Thank you for savin
g me from the Three, and where the hell were Logan and you?" I asked.
Her hair changed to a darker shade of black then to a chestnut color as she thought through her answer. "The attack in the field on Logan's group was a lure. It was meant to pull him away and in turn ensure our pursuit. Then when the Three attacked you in the woods, and we were separated, I continued tracking the other two. I knew that one wasn't a match for you, or least I hoped not. Pushing deeper into the woods, the scent went in all directions. Finally, I ran into Logan three miles away who was also as engaged in the futile search. It wasn't until we found blood rubbed along the trees that we realized that it was an attempt to lure us away from you, so we doubled back."
I had more questions. I thought I would press Veronica to determine if she knew more. "Did you see the body? I killed Liam in the Pit. What was he doing being turned loose to wreak havoc on the people we were created to protect?"
Veronica sat down on the edge of my bed putting her head in her hands. "Ethan, I don't know what he was doing there, and I was never told where the body originated. I was only informed that we had a rogue wolf and that forces within the Farm had freed the three wolves. My father is doing an in-depth investigation to determine the culprit."
I knew that I couldn't trust her even though she swore to me that she loved me. Veronica had a family and family interests to protect. I was only weeks old and she was centuries old. She had much more practice at the art of deception.
I studied her as she looked away. Veronica was perfect. She was far more perfect than the other vampires that I knew. The weeks that I had known her, I had looked upon her with fondness and resentment. Two feelings that I realized would always be there for her.
She said I had been created for her. An imperfect boy created for a goddess. I could not imagine being allowed to touch her flesh, yet I had. Though we had known each other for weeks I had never studied her in any detail. It was as if I was seeing her for the first time. There was an attractiveness past beauty with her that lay in the purity of her genetic bloodline. The same bloodline that had been given to me artificially. How I could not want her more tore me up inside.
"Ethan about what I told you and did the other night. You know why I did that don't you, and that the secrets I share with you must stay secret, right?" She quietly asked.
"I know what you said and I forgive you for what happened. I was weak. You are beautiful and amazing, and I was weak. Damn weak. I guess in my heart I know that I should have been stronger no matter what power you used over me, but it can never happen again. I belong to someone else and that won't change. You and I have a bond that means the world to me and always will, but no one can be created for another. We are individuals whether human, wolf or vampire."
Veronica bent and kissed me on the cheek. There was a stabbing pain in my side. Looking down I saw her withdraw a large needle from my wound. "What have you done?" I asked as the room began to shutter and spin.
"You haven't figured out a tenth of how powerful you and I are. It is a pity that everyone tried so hard to cover up the fact that you were chosen, but from the first night in the woods, I knew that you were the one. The one made for me. Veronica was for making you into the ultimate warrior for both human and vampire kind. The other vampires all knew the truth and wanted to ignore it. You were the God amongst them. The new technology had finally created a new race of vampire capable of siring a legion of others, but you have made this difficult by choosing to rebel against those that have made you. We are so close to a new dawn of evolution. A new day is so close. A day when our race can reproduce once again without a need for a virus. It has been centuries since we have had real blood born vampires walking with us. The original rulers of the night will once again return to the earth."
The room was fading in and out. I thought I witnessed a zombie medical staff entering the room with a gurney.
Veronica's voice still carried in my ears, but it was somehow different and strange. "Others have warned you not to stray. My poor dear Veronica has practically thrown herself at you to keep you from betraying us. Initially, I thought it was okay, but there are too many secrets. I realize my dreams have been answered and we are too close to risk our future because of the useless emotion of love. All of my plan must stay hidden until the time is right. Therefore, I cannot and will not stand by as you jeopardize this gift that has been given to you so you can chase after a human whore. The cocktail inserted into your wound must be burning throughout your body by now. By injecting it directly into your wound the pain should be intensified a hundred fold."
She was right. The pain was unbearable. The worst I had experience as a vampire, but there was something much worse happening. My mind was a jumble, but through it all I had the strange sensation this was not Veronica. The words, meaning and context was all wrong. My body was rigid as the zombies strapped me to a gurney. As the world began to blacken, I had a nightmare where Veronica morphed into a grinning devilish Mathias.
Chapter 51
The warehouse style setting seemed vaguely familiar. The cavernous room was black except for a single spotlight over head the shone brightly into my eyes. Using my senses, I realized that I was not alone. There was a single form at the foot of the bed to which I was restrained. The figure remained in the shadows, lurking just outside the extent of my vision as the drugs that I had been administered wore off.
Looking around the room, I noticed the room was fairly stark. There were a series of large machines nearby, but other than those, it was empty. Against the far wall there was a large window and door. Through the window, I could see glowing multicolor lights shining dimly through reinforced glass. Through the walls could be heard the sounds of other creations communicating a message of desired freedom while more hungered to feast upon their weaker cohabitants. It was all part of the plan to manufacture the new generation of super soldier or was it. There was something gnawing at me that tried to remind me what Veronica, or had it truly been Mathias, said to me. Could it all have been a dream brought on by the injuries sustained in the fight?
If Mathias was an original, then he too might have the ability to manipulate sounds, smells or appearance. There have been hints that Veronica on some level had those same abilities. She had altered her hair and her scent. If Mathias is an elder vampire, his powers could be unimaginable.
"Had it been all a dream?" I asked Veronica.
"How did you know it was me because Mathias is blocking your abilities at the moment with precious technology?" She stepped into the light looking radiant in a black mini dress with a single black flower adorning the band in her hair.
I answered honestly, "I knew there could be only one of two people who would be with me in the middle of the night while I was chained to a bed, and since one of them is Sunnie, and there was no way she could get past security, I knew it must be you."
"No. Mathias has taken you into his possession to ensure that he helps you make the right decisions."
"You mean his decisions," I replied.
She nodded in agreement.
"How much of them had been real? Were you ever there?" I asked.
She moved to the head of the bed. "I was there the whole time. Ethan, I didn't know he would do this. I didn't. I tried to stop him, but he is too strong even for me."
I said as I stared into her eyes. "He is also your dad."
"Yes," Veronica said.
"Biological or sire?" I asked.
She replied, "Both, but that is a complicated story for another time. We don't have much time before the plan I have set in place falls apart."
Veronica ripped away the bonds that held me and helped me to sit up. "You have been here a week and it has taken me this long to put everything into place. Darby and Logan are waiting outside with Chloe to carry you to the Bash tonight. There is a change of clothes in the trunk of the Camaro. We need to hurry."
Helping me from the hospital bed, Veronica wrapped an arm around my waist and the other around my shoulde
rs as we inched toward the door. I wanted to ask so many things, but the determined look in her eye dissuaded me from speaking.
The more I moved the less the drugs maintained control over me. We crept through the already ajar door at the end of what had been my cell and down the hall toward the main entrance. The journey would carry us slowly at first, then steadily increased with each of the right turns we would have to make to escape. My body was racked by bouts of nausea and immense, almost debilitating pain. My limbs were making moving a complicated task, but we progressed as the rest of the trip was filled with grunts and groans as we stumbled closer to freedom.
Finally, as we were within feet of the front door, I finally mustered up enough strength to move on my own and enough courage to ask the nagging question in my mind. "Veronica, why are you doing this? Because, once I leave and go to her tonight, there will be no undoing this?"
Taking my face into her hands, she kissed me on the lips as Logan grabbed my elbow to help me to the car. "Because at least one girl deserves not to have her heart broken tonight."
Chapter 52
Veronica's words had torn out my heart. How could I do this to her I wondered? Darby must have seen the stress in my face as I sat in the back seat. In record time, I had downed the bag of fresh plasma that Chloe had tossed me upon flopping down in the front seat of the Camaro.
Darby leaned through the small gap in the seat and patted my leg to get me to remain at ease. "I know you are worried about her, but she will be alright. She is a big girl, and I am sure that she has done worse and survived. You need to worry about having fun tonight. She will meet us at the dance she said." It hit me that my crew was also dressed to go to the Bash. The girls were dressed stylishly in dresses, and Logan was wearing a slim fitted black tux and red tie. Knowing I wasn't going to be alone eased my mind, but I was concerned for Veronica. I rested my head against the passenger side window as Logan ushered us closer to my promised date with Sunnie.
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