Legacy of Blood

by J. L. McCoy

  Chapter Twelve

  Ruarc turned back to me and addressed me once again. “Are you ready to begin the third test?” I silently nodded my head and he returned the gesture. “Brothers of the Army of The Faithful, the third test shall be The Test of Intake.” He raised his hand to the side, palm up, and I watched as one of his men placed a bag of blood upon it. Ruarc then held the bag of blood out to me. “This test will happen in three stages. Welcome to the first stage,” he said as I picked up the bag of blood, confused.

  “Drink,” Ruarc said plainly as his eyes studied mine.

  I knew from experience that bagged blood and Skye Morrison did not mix. Aside from the horrid taste, which made swallowing difficult, there was the little fact that I couldn’t keep it down and I knew that would be troublesome. I squared my shoulders and prepared for unpleasantness.

  I bit the corner off the bag, my eyes never leaving Ruarc’s, and tried not to cringe as the cold liquid hit my tongue. Everything in me wanted to spit the blood out, but I made myself swallow; I painstakingly swallowed that whole bag and couldn’t suppress the shudder that traveled down my body immediately afterward.

  Oh hell, did I feel sick. I looked over at Hagan with desperate eyes; silently begging him for a trash can. I was about to lose this bag and it wasn’t going to be pretty. One of Ruarc’s men brought me the mop bucket that Archer kept down in the basement, and it wasn’t a second too soon. I managed a quick grateful look at him before my stomach contents came violently gushing out. Hushed whispers floated across the room as I cleared the vile liquid from my body.

  When I was done I looked back up at Ruarc and wiped my mouth with the back of one shaky hand. “I’m sorry,” I whispered as I took in Ruarc and his men with slightly fearful eyes. “I don’t know why but my body just doesn’t like bagged blood. It makes me so sick…”

  Ruarc looked back at me with his usual blank face. “We will begin the second stage.”

  I saw the man that had brought me the bucket flash up the stairs. He was gone for only a few seconds before I heard his footsteps return. Descending with him was a human teenage girl, approximately 17 years of age. My eyes grew wide as I heard her heart beat rapidly; her smell permeating the room. I swallowed hard as I glanced questioningly at Ruarc.

  “What the hell is this?” I whispered, beginning to feel uneasy. I hadn’t had a meal since yesterday morning and I was positively starving; crappy bagged blood not counted. “She can’t be in here, Ruarc,” I clenched as I fought my new nature.

  “Welcome to the second stage,” he said as his eyes carefully deliberated me. The girl came to stand in front of Ruarc and she awaited her instructions. “Meet Angelica. In this test, Angelica will help us kill a few birds with one stone. She is a child of pure nature, and she is human. The test will focus on how you control intake.”

  She’s a fucking virgin? Nonononono. “Please don’t make me do this,” I shook my head quickly. “I-I don’t fully understand it yet, but I think the chemicals, or whatever the hell it’s called, in my bite is too strong. It-it causes some… very unique side effects when I feed.”

  “I am well aware of the issue, Miss Morrison,” Ruarc said, pulling out a small dagger from his pocket.

  “Then you know that asking me to do this is messed up and incredibly wrong,” I pleaded. “She is an innocent child. I will make her… feel things… that aren’t right for someone her age or limited life experience, Ruarc. You cannot ask me to do this. It isn’t right dammit. She’s too young.”

  “Tests are never easy,” Ruarc said simply as he reached out and cut the side of her neck with the dagger. The cut was shallow and superficial, but the intended effect was achieved.

  The smell of her hot, fresh blood slammed into me like a ton of bricks and my fangs instantly descended with a snick. I whimpered involuntarily and couldn’t stop my forward momentum; my feet seeming to have a mind of their own. God, I’m so hungry. I looked down at her helplessly as I came to a stop in front of her. I was ravenous and I desperately needed to eat. My stomach cramped with intense need and I bit back the growl that threatened to escape. I had to have her hot, fresh, delicious blood inside me and there was no way I could stop what I was about to do.

  “I’m so sorry,” I whispered as I leaned into her. “I have no control over what you’re about to feel. I hope you can one day forgive me.” I fisted her long brown hair as I pulled her neck to the side, exposing the cut. I briefly glanced up at Ruarc with hateful eyes before I sank my fangs deep within her.

  Angelica’s blood was amazing. If Bethany’s blood had been a rock concert, Angelica’s was a sweet symphony in comparison; so pure and light, a submission to pure decadence. She moaned slightly and I was quickly brought back to the here and now. I focused and prayed hard that she wouldn’t be affected the way the other humans had when they first experienced my bite. I didn’t want her to be scarred for life.

  About fifteen seconds had passed and, with great difficulty, I pulled my fangs out of her neck and flashed across the room and away from her. I tried to make it seem like I was unaffected by the meal but the truth was, I was anything but. I wanted to go back over there and gorge myself on her thick, delectable life force. I swallowed again, ridding my tongue of her distracting taste, as I focused solely on Ruarc.

  “How was it?” Ruarc asked with a small smirk.

  “Amazing,” I answered angrily. “It was sweet and satisfying… and completely delicious. How could you do that to me? That was so wrong on so many levels. I’m completely disgusted with myself right now.”

  “Angelica, how was it for you?” Ruarc raised his eyebrows as he turned to her.

  “It wasn’t as expected,” she answered in a whisper, a far-off look in her eyes. I knew that look well. It was frequently worn by the feeders I had seen Archer with but definitely not the ones I’d fed from yesterday; their looks had been far more intense and sensual in nature.

  “It felt more relaxing and mellow than your bite did. Your bite was definitely more powerful in comparison. It was enjoyable but the resulting high was not excessive… not like the one I got from you.”

  Ruarc’s eyebrow furrowed deeply; confusion played in his eyes as he studied me intently. He turned to the side and immediately sought Oleif. “Tell our brothers what you witnessed during her first feeding yesterday.”

  I listened to Oleif speak to the men in Gaelic as the man who escorted the girl down led her back upstairs to the first floor. Several of the soldier’s eyes widened as they looked at me in surprise. A few of them chuckled as Oleif’s recount came to an end.

  Once again, I was utterly mortified and embarrassed to have my business thrown out for all to hear. I didn’t want them to negatively judge me for something I had no control over.

  “So which is it?” a man I had never seen before today asked. “Is the venom stronger with this newborn or is it not?”

  Several men started talking amongst themselves when one man interrupted. “Is it possible that she can somehow control how much she delivers to her prey when biting them?”

  All eyes swung to me again and I frowned and shrugged my shoulders. “Don’t ask me. This is all new for me. I don’t even know what I’m doing 99% of the time.”

  Ruarc turned to his men and addressed them. “I propose we do the test again. We know she can control how much she blood drinks from a child and we know how rare denying one’s self is for a newborn. I think we should use an adult feeder this time and see how she reacts.”

  Oleif addressed his leader in their native language so I didn’t understand what was being said, but one word did stick out. The word was Jason. Jason has been my last feeder yesterday and the experience had been sexually charged and heavenly. My mouth watered just thinking about it.

  “Contact the service Archer uses and get Jason down here,” Ruarc said, turning back to me but still speaking to Oleif. “I have a feeling she won’t be holding back when she feeds from him. I believe we will soon have our answer.”
>
  The men murmured their agreement and Ruarc took a few steps toward me. “We will have to wait for his arrival so we will put the second stage of the test on hold until he gets here. Are you ready for the third stage?”

  I swallowed thickly and looked over at Hagan uncertainly. He nodded his head slightly and I took a deep breath and did the same. “I’m as ready as I’ll ever be, Ruarc.”

  “The third stage of the Test of Intake will focus on consumption of vampire blood,” Ruarc said and Hagan made a strange noise in the back of his throat next to me.

  “Vampire blood?” I asked, confused. “I was told that vampires do not drink the blood of other vampires and that it’s only done for mating purposes.”

  “That is mostly true,” Ruarc bowed his head slightly. “Dark ones have been known to drink from their brethren on occasion and we all know Amun regularly consumes the blood of both the Day and Dark races to survive. This test will determine how well you enjoy it and show us if you have similar qualities as the unclean one.”

  I unconsciously wrung my hands with worry as I chewed at my bottom lip. I was completely terrified of this stage of the test. What if I am a monster just like Amun? What if I like their blood and turn into some vampire draining mass murderer? “I don’t want to do this, Ruarc,” I whispered with fearful eyes.

  “You must,” Hagan whispered from his place beside me. “Your refusal to partake in a test is an automatic death sentence.”

  “The choice is yours, Miss Morrison,” Ruarc stated sternly. “You can take the test or accept the final death. Choose now.”

  A small squeak slipped out of me as he said the words ‘final death’. I had no doubt he would end my life right here on the spot. I nervously glanced around the room and saw every eye on me. As much as I didn’t want to participate in this stage, I knew I had to face my worst fear. I needed to find out if Amun’s influence on me was that strong. If I needed to consume immortal blood regularly in order to live, I didn’t want to live. I would be a monster just like him and there was no way I could live with myself.

  I folded my arms protectively over my stomach and slowly conceded. “Okay. I’ll do it. Can… can I choose the vampire?”

  Ruarc pursed his lips and thought my request over. “You may,” he said after a few silent seconds and I sighed in relief.

  “I would prefer Trey, sir,” I said without hesitation, “if he’ll agree to it. I don’t want him to be forced to though.”

  Ruarc nodded to one of his men and they flashed upstairs to retrieve Trey. I immediately turned to Hagan and spoke to him in a whisper.

  “If something happens… if I can’t control myself or stop feeding from him, you make me stop Hagan. You kill me if you have to but don’t let me hurt Trey.”

  “You are not Amun, Morrison,” he growled lowly as he put both hands on my shoulders and leaned down to my eye level. “You can do this. Remember who you are. I know you won’t hurt Trey but if it makes you feel better, I promise I’ll stop you if you can’t.”

  I nodded my head and thanked him as I heard footsteps on the basement stairs. Trey came down wearing tight skinny jeans and a cerulean blue deep V-neck t-shirt. He had a small smile on his full lips but his blue eyes betrayed the worry he felt.

  Ruarc quickly spoke to Trey in Gaelic and Trey nodded his head a few times as he listened. He kept peeking glances over at me and I was afraid that he would decline to partake in the test with me. After a final nod of his head, Trey started walking over and he gave me a big smile when he stopped.

  “This is quite the gauntlet these boys are making you run.”

  “Yeah,” I whispered, shame filling me for what I was about to have to do. “You don’t have to do this if you are unsure, Trey. I would never ask you to do something like this under normal conditions, but you are the only person I feel this comfortable with.”

  “Honey, I’d go to hell and back for you,” he said pulling me into a tight hug. “You’re my girl.”

  “Trey,” I swallowed hard, “I have to get something off my chest before I allow you to do this. I-I owe you a massive apology for the way I treated you in the days before my rebirth.” He opened his mouth to argue, but I shushed him quickly. “Please, honey, just let me say this. I had so much anger in my heart, so much anger… and I took it out on the wrong people, you included. I’m sorry for the things I said to you and for the way I acted. It was selfish and stupid and not something I would have ever done if I had been in my right mind. You’re my best friend Trey and I never, ever want to hurt you.”

  Trey sighed and put one hand on my cheek as he looked deeply into my eyes. “Are you finished?” I nodded my head and he continued. “It’s me that owes YOU an apology, sugar. I kept feeling how upset and angry and miserable you were and, while I sympathized with what you had been put through when Archer thought Amun may have been controlling you, I thought you were just being a bit overdramatic. I feel so horrible; I feel like I failed you. The signs of your suffering were there all along and I dismissed them as you just being a cranky human drama queen. I’m ashamed that I didn’t pay more attention to what you were going through. Instead, I focused on Jameson’s pain and criticized you. God, I’m so sorry, honey. I feel like the worst best friend in the world.”

  “No,” I shook my head, “you’re the BEST, best friend in the world. So we forgive each other?”

  “Like it never happened,” he managed a small smile and hugged me again.

  “As touching as this is, this is an official gathering and we are wasting time,” said a bored voice from the group.

  Trey stepped back and offered up one delicate wrist. “You know this means that you owe me a drink later, right?”

  I smiled despite my somber mood. “If I somehow make it through this alive, we’ll be drinking a whole bottle, Trey.” I picked up his wrist and started to bring it up to my mouth, but stopped at the last second. “Uh, there is a possibility that you might experience a… uh… well a…”

  “Sugar, just drink,” he smiled sweetly as he whispered patiently. “We all know about your little gift, honey; you can’t hide anything in this house. And you don’t have to feel ashamed about it. Hell, this’ll be a first for me… you know, with a woman and all. It might be a little fun.”

  “I love you, Trey,” I whispered, tears welling in my eyes. I was so grateful to have a friend like him in my life. “Thank you for saying that even if you didn’t fully mean it. You can’t hide anything from me either, remember? I can tell when you lie. You get that little twitch in your nose.”

  I didn’t wait for his reply as I called forth my fangs and bit gently into his wrist. Trey’s blood was different from the blood I had tasted previously. It packed less of a punch than human blood did, but the appeal and satisfaction was still there. His blood tasted really good and I was enjoying it.

  As I was swallowing my second mouthful, Trey made a high pitched moaning noise and started to wiggle around, stepping from foot to foot. He was doing what I refer to as ‘The Pee-Pee Dance’. I could tell my venom was having an effect on him and I didn’t want Trey to feel uncomfortable, so I gently pulled my fangs out and licked the rest of him off my lips.

  “Whew,” Trey said, closing his eyes momentarily as he swayed. “Girl, you pack some serious feelings in those fangs of yours.” I saw him reach down and adjust himself in his jeans and I immediately looked away. That wasn’t something I wanted to take notice of on my gay best friend.

  “So, did I pass your test?” I asked, turning to Ruarc and his Army. “Trey tasted good, but I didn’t have any trouble stopping. Frankly, I prefer human…” I was unable to finish my sentence because at that exact moment, the strangest thing I had ever felt started happening to me.

  It started out as a tingle in my finger tips and quickly spread to my entire body. Within seconds I was on the ground and alternatingly clutching my head and heart.

  Chapter Thirteen

  “Skye?” Trey called worriedly as Hagan pulled him away f
rom me.

  As quick as a bullet from a gun, I was waylaid by a debilitating bombardment of emotions. I was experiencing overwhelming feelings of disgust, anger, hatred, worry, concern, fear, and confusion.

  Trey called out something in Gaelic and then he was on the floor comforting me. “It’s okay, sugar. Breathe… just breathe. Don’t fight it. Let the emotions wash over you,” he cooed as he stroked my hair and held on to me. “I know it’s overwhelming at first but just keep breathing, honey.”

  “What’s happening to her?” Ruarc asked.

  “From what I can feel coming off her, she is somehow picking up the emotions of everyone in this room,” Trey said gently as he slowly sat me up and wrapped his delicate arms around me. “She’s feeling exactly what I’m feeling as an Empath and it’s not an easy thing to handle if you aren’t used to it.”

  All the negative feelings of disgust, hate, and anger were becoming less pronounced as feelings of love started to take the forefront in my heart.

  “You’ve got to be kidding me,” someone whispered, sounding about as shocked as I was feeling myself.

  “Impossible.”

  “Can it be true?”

  “Silence,” Ruarc barked as he kneeled down in front of me. “Speak. Tell me what you are experiencing.”

  I was beginning to be able to handle everyone’s emotions now that Trey’s love was the strongest since he was wrapped protectively around me. I tried to explain what I felt to Ruarc as best as I could but it was hard to put into words since it was like nothing I had ever experienced before.

  “So, you are telling me you started picking up the emotions of those in this room after you fed from Trey?” Ruarc asked as he stood up and stared down at me.

  “Y-Yes, sir,” I whispered as I clutched Trey’s arms tighter and closed my eyes, trying hard to focus on his feelings of calm and love. I would forever be grateful to him for sticking by me and shoving his emotions to the forefront of all the others.