The Craving

by Jenika Snow

  He chuckled. “Maybe, but the end result is the same. You know you can’t win. I have killed beings far stronger than you.” He held his hand out toward Kristofer. “Look at my dear brother, a lifeless heap on the floor. He was the most powerful one out of the four of us, but see how I have defeated him?” He took a step forward. “Just come to me and I promise everything will be okay.”

  Nothing would be okay, but honestly, how was I supposed to fight one such as him? An idea surfaced in my mind. It wasn’t the most elaborate plan, but it would get right down to the point. I dropped my arms, my grip on the poker loosening. I let out a breath I hadn’t known I had been holding and slowly walked toward him. My heart was pounding so hard and fast I prayed he didn’t notice, prayed he didn’t realize what I was doing.

  His smile was almost blinding in its intensity and it made me sick. When I was close enough for him to touch me, he gripped my shoulders and pulled me close to him. I could feel his claws dig into my skin. I flinched in pain, despite trying to appear unaffected.

  His gaze roamed over my face and I felt the rising need to pull away from him. The stench of death clung to him like a darkened cape and the need to show my disgust was paramount but I knew I needed to keep my composure. “I am glad you have come to your senses, my love, although I must admit I did enjoy the chase.” His breath was rancid and warm, coasting over my senses and causing me to shutter in disgust. “Now, your first kill will be to drain my brother.”

  My eyes snapped up to his and I cringed away. I flicked my eyes to Kristofer, saw the pool of blood, and wanted to cry in relief that he wasn’t dead. I kept hope alive that he was just severely injured, but he was still weak and I knew he couldn’t afford the blood loss.

  “He will die by my hand or yours.” His eyes took on a dark cast and I imagined he was what evil personified looked like. “I promise you, Payton, my kill will be slow and painful.” He gripped the back of my neck and turned me around so that I was staring at Kristofer’s broken body. Ellon pushed me forward and I stumbled. I was relieved to know Kristofer was alive, but even knowing that, the sight of all that blood sent nausea through me. Knowing what I had to do, I turned around and smiled, trying my hardest to make it look believable.

  I steadied my voice before I spoke. “I have never fed from a living person before. I’ve always just thawed out animal blood.” I tried to appear innocent, completely the opposite from the emotions waging war inside of me. “Will you show me?” I saw surprise and pleasure flash across his face. He was either stupid, or I was that good of an actress. Either way, things were falling into place.

  “I knew you would see things my way.” He stepped forward and ran his hand down my arm. I kept my expression neutral. I prayed he knelt by Kristofer, if not, this wasn’t going to work. I waited, his movements excruciatingly slow, but finally he dropped to the floor. I tightened my grip on the poker I still held, but didn’t move. He looked behind me and smiled, his fangs lengthening further before he turned back around and went for Kristofer’s jugular. Without wasting another moment, I raised my arm and brought down the tip of the poker.

  I used all my strength to bring the weapon down and through his back. I prayed I hit my mark, prayed the iron had went through his heart. He might have been immortal, but no creature could survive a wound like that.

  Just when the poker would have went through muscle, tissue and bone, Ellon turned around and grabbed the poker. He tore it from my hand as if it weighed nothing and tossed it toward the fireplace. He stood so fast that I teetered backward on my heels. I could see the rage burning in his eyes, knew he was pissed and feared what he might do to me. His big hand was wrapped around my throat in a matter of seconds, squeezing, tightening, and suffocating me until I clawed at his fingers, pleading with my eyes for air. I wouldn’t die without oxygen, but it was painful as hell.

  “You see what you have made me resort to?” Spittle dripped down his chin. “If you would just be an obedient little bitch I would give you nothing but pleasure, but because you want to be traitorous, you have pissed me the fuck off and you’ll get punished.” He threw me across the room and I bounced off the mantle. I cried out in pain, pictures falling all around me, the sound of my ribs cracking from the impact loud in my ears.

  Glancing down, I looked at my broken wrist, the bone protruding from my flesh at a sickening angle. Right before my eyes, my skin pulled together at the same time the bone popped back into place and mended itself. It always disgusted me to watch myself heal so inhumanly, but at this moment I couldn’t be more thankful for the ability.

  I braced my hands on the ground and went to push myself up. That was when I felt the cold metal of the poker graze my fingers. I didn’t look down to verify the fact, didn’t want Ellon to realize I had my weapon back. He stood a few feet from me, his face reflecting murderous rage. I stood, kept the poker behind my leg the whole time, and took a step toward him. He launched toward me again, hands outstretched, claws bared. I lunged at him at the same time and brought the poker up at the very last minute.

  The sickening sensation of the poker going through raw meat, that resistance, was almost enough to cause me to falter. I heard bone crunching and held the bile down. We stared at each other for a long moment. I still gripped the poker, not knowing if it had pierced his heart, but praying it did. The myths about vampires being able to be killed by holy water and crucifixes were just that, myths. The sunlight and stakes through the heart were true, though. Who wouldn’t die if someone stabbed a stake through their heart?

  Stumbling back, I let go of the poker and saw that it had indeed went through his chest. The question was, did it puncture his heart? This would either kill him or the poker had completely missed its mark and he would kill me instead. He stumbled back. Shock reverberated in his expression when he glanced down at the poker that stuck through his chest. I still didn’t know if I had gone through his heart, but he was still standing which was not a good sign. He gripped the poker, and as I watched in horror, pulled it through his chest. He grunted and gasped, but tossed it to the ground, the iron clattering so loud, my ears rang.

  “You stupid little bitch.” He took a step forward, but I had nowhere to run. I was cornered.

  Ellon stopped after moving another step, a strange expression crossing his face. He cleared his throat and looked down at the hole in his chest. Blood started to pool around the material of his shirt and he flicked his glance up at me. He opened his mouth to speak but no words came out. He staggered forward and I moved back. Wet gasping sounds came out of him a second before he fell to his knees.

  Reaching a hand out to me, I moved farther back until the wall greeted me. Blood started to come out of every orifice. His ears, mouth, nose, even his eyes poured out the ruby red liquid. I sobered and covered my mouth with my hand. It was like nothing I had ever seen before. Blood pooled on the ground, making a wide circle around his body and coming closer and closer to me. The stench of the liquid was like flesh decaying.

  He feel forward, his arm still outstretched, as if he thought I would help him. As the minutes passed, I watched his body deteriorate, his skin seeming to shrivel and turn an ashen grey. His bones became prominent, his body decomposing right before my eyes. I had done it, I had actually killed the creature that had been haunting me for years, the vampire that had locked up his own brothers and tortured them. I hesitantly moved around him and rushed toward Kristofer.

  “Oh God, Kristofer.” I ran my hands gingerly over him, mindful of his numerous cuts and gashes. “Please wake up. Please be okay” I finally let my tears flow. I willed my vampire half to leave, for my body to go back to “normal.” I felt my fangs recede and my claws turn into blunt nails. The power my vampire half gave me left so quickly I felt dizzy. I felt empty, something that astounded me and was also unsettling. Feeling for Kristofer’s pulse, I wept harder when I heard and felt the faint beat. He was unconscious, but it didn’t matter, he was still alive.

  Curling myself around hi
s body, I didn’t care that blood seeped into my clothes, didn’t care that I wept like an infant. I was happy Kristofer was okay, glad I hadn’t lost yet another important person in my life. I cried for everything, everyone I had lost by the hands of a monster. My outlook on vampires had changed considerably. Not because I finally accepted that I was one too, but because I realized it doesn’t matter what you are. Humans were no different from vampires, not in the morality of it all. Kristofer had been my hero, the person who had opened up my eyes and showed me that there is still good in this world, despite what you are on the outside. He had fought for me, risked his life to defend me.

  I cried harder, knowing I had gained something monumental. It was then, as I cried, that I felt a light touch on my shoulder. I jerked my head up, fearful for a heartbeat that I hadn’t killed Ellon and he was about to rip my throat out. I looked at the hand resting on my shoulder and then looked into Kristofer’s eyes. I buried my face against his neck, letting myself feel the rise and fall of his chest, the soft, yet audible beat of his heart.

  “I thought I was going to lose you.” My words were muffled against his shirt but I knew he heard me. The feeling of his hand caressing the back of my head sent warmth through me.

  “I would never leave you.” I lifted my face and cupped his cheek. His voice was so soft and he was so pale, so battered that I wanted to weep harder. I lifted up and he moved down until our lips were an inch apart. “You’re my hero.”

  I chuckled at his statement, not caring how the ending had come to be, just glad he was still alive. I knew, from that moment on, that I would never take my life for granted, no matter how much it frightened me.

  “We’re a team, Payton, you and I.”

  I liked the way that sounded and smiled. “Yes we are, Kristofer.” I hugged him tighter and then stood, holding my hand out to him. “Let's go find your brothers.” He stood, wincing and gripping his abdomen. I hated to see my strong warrior hurt, but the important thing was that we were both alive and that we could start our lives over, together. We both looked at Ellon’s body, only bones and pieces of black and grey flesh hanging from them. I glanced down when I felt Kristofer twine his fingers through mine. He squeezed gently and I smiled. The wind blew snow inside, snowflakes twirling around us in a soft, yet powerful dance. We stood at the entrance, just staring at the landscape, at how the moon shined down upon the snow and made it appear like there was millions of tiny diamonds embedded in it.

  “We’re a team.” I murmured to myself, my focus still on the snow in front of me.

  “Yes, we are, Payton. Always.”

  The End

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