Chapter Three

Topeka, Kansas, 1875

 

They succeeded, in breaking me. Though it took a little over seventy years, they have succeeded. And though it pains me to say it, I was glad of it. I may be mentally out of it per say, but I still believed that one day, just one fateful day, I was going to escape from under her clutches. It may take a hundred years, two hundred years, a thousand years, but I wasn’t going to give up so easily. I knew Sven and the Council believed me to be dead, but I was going to prove them wrong. When my head parts from my shoulders or my heart explodes from my chest, that’s when I’ll stop believing, and hoping. For the millionth time that night, I bashed my skull against the stone wall behind me. Pain ripped throughout my whole body. I convulsed, I screamed, as my body arched and twist.�"the magical enhanced barbs lining my collar discharging over seven hundred and fifty thousand volts into my brain. I screamed, as my world spun around me like a rollercoaster. I screamed, until I had no voice left in me. I curled up into a ball of quivering mess�"my own blood dripping and pooling around me. I had no telling of time passing, or anything for that matter. The door to my room slowly opened, and a human servant cautiously entered, a cup of what I knew to be blood in her trembling hand. I didn’t look up to acknowledge her, I didn’t even move. I was so hungry, so damn hungry, and I was a few seconds away from having another episode. “My lady,” the servant said softly, her voice shaking so badly, I was a little surprise she could even form a word. “My lady, I have brought you dinner.” With trembling hand, she held out the cup to me. The smell of her blood was so enticing that I drooled. I didn’t want the small amount of cold animal blood in the cup, I wanted… her. I slowly, slowly lifted my head, and looked at her. The cup dropped from her hand, and she recoiled back a few steps.

“Don’t go,” I said sweetly. “Stay a little longer,” I pleaded and slipped into the human’s mind as easy as slipping into water. “Please, come closer. I won’t hurt you.” Gripped in terror and unable to resist my command, she came closer and stopped before me. The pain wracking my body finally receded, and I slowly and ungracefully got to my feet. I swayed slightly, and I put out a hand to steady myself. The shackles around my wrists, ankles, and neck clang loudly in my over sensitive ears, grating on my every nerves. I snarled and lunged for the human. The buzz of my collar was my only warning. I drove my fangs into the servant’s throat, gulping down the warm, sweet blood. Pain once again took over my mind and body�"the human’s wasted blood spilling from my mouth. I hung on for dear life and ripped open her throat. Her shrieks died off with a satisfying gurgle, and with every ounce of my strength, tore off her head, letting the body hit the blood-coated floor with a thud�"a split second before a ball of red light hit me directly in the chest. My vision wavered, and I hit the floor, hard.

“You can’t seem to want to die, do you?” Eleanor sneered. I gasped, painfully taking in air, and I laughed. “What’s so funny?”

“You,” I said and wondered if I was going into hysterics. She snarled, and I screamed as a black ball of light slammed into me. “Is that all you got, witch?” I screamed and struggled against the pain. Her face grew redder in her anger. “Is the big bad vampire afraid of me? Is that why she is using you to do her deeds?” She stomped into the room and yanked on my collar. White light exploded in my head, and I writhed as I was once again, hit with the full blast of seven hundred and fifty thousand volts of magic shooting into my brain and throughout my whole body. “I’m going to have your brain for dinner!” I screamed before blissful darkness took me under.

My eyes flew open, and I smiled into the darkness of my room. I lay very still, basking in the kill of the human servant. She wasn’t my first kill, nor was she my second. And she wouldn’t be my last. In 1825, I changed from a law-abiding vampire, into a rogue. I knew, from my first kill, that I wasn’t going to be the same, sweet vampire I used to be. If I was going to stay one percent sane in this f*****g shithole of a place, I had to kill. I had to rip something apart with my bare hands and fangs. I had to feel hot blood filling my mouth. When I kill, it was bliss, it was… heaven. I gloried in it. I welcomed the beast within me, and I cherished every moment of it. I inhaled deeply, taking in the smell of blood, both old and fresh. I slowly sat up, careful not to trigger the collar around my neck�"four inches of barbs embedded into my skin. If I were human, I’d be riddled with scars, so many scars I wouldn’t even know where one began, and where one ended. But none the less, I wasn’t a simple human. The door once again opened, and the one vampire I loathed with every cell of my body, stepped inside and closed the door behind her. I didn’t give away how much I hated her, I simply smiled�"my eyes tracking her every move. “Wipe off that smile,” she said sweetly. “Or I’ll do it for you.”

My smile turned cruel, and I chuckled. “Make me,” I rasped. “B***h. Do it, if you got the guts. I. Dare you,” I hissed and threw back my head, and cackled with glee as pain shot from my neck to the top of my head and downward. “You can’t control me without your magical shackles,” I snarled and writhed on the floor. Shilen Devoreau shrieked, and tears spilled from my eyes as she reached out with her mind and mentally whipped me raw. All the while, I screamed, I laughed, I cursed her to the deepest parts of hell. I cursed her very existence. Hell, I cursed the whole god damn f*****g world. Black spots danced before my eyes, and I took in a deep, raspy breath, and shrieked her ears off. Only when blood poured from her ears did she stop with the whipping. My contorted body slammed back to the floor, and I was once again, out like a light.

When I next regain consciousness, Shilen was still in the room, looking down at me with pure hatred. This time, there were two witches and a necromancer with her. I smiled at Eleanor. She hissed and took a step toward me. Shilen reached out a hand to stop her. “Don’t get close.” My lips curled in disgust.

“One day, Eleanor,” I said conversationally. “I’ll have your head as a trophy. You’ll be my first witch I kill since 1801,” I hissed. “And I’ll take great pleasure in doing so.” I smiled and sighed, going back to that fateful night. “Do you remember? Because I do. I remember it as clear as day,” I said with a wistful sigh. Eleanor screamed and jerked out of Shilen’s hold. I laughed. “Temper, temper,” I said sweetly. “Did poor little me hit a nerve? You should feel honored.” I said and laughed hysterically as short burst of pain penetrated my skull.

“Let me kill her!” the witch shrieked.

“No, no, no,” I sang. “I have a much better idea.” I suddenly stopped laughing and smiled creepily. “Release me! You f*****g! C***s! Release me! Release me! Release me!” I shouted, so loud I was surprise that the whole building didn’t collapse in on itself. What a f*****g shame. I curled into myself, gasping in air as pain coursed through me like wild fire.

“No, Eleanor,” Shilen said sweetly, not taking her eyes off me. “I have a better idea.” The witch smiled and followed her from the room. The other two took one last look at me before closing the door and locking it. Once again left alone in the dark, I went over many ways to kill every single human, witch, and necromancer. Pain slowly, oh so slowly dissipated as I imagined tearing limbs from body, hot blood sliding down my throat, digging my fingers into soft flesh and breaking bones, and so, so much more. I smiled, as I once again, slipped into unconsciousness.

I came awake with a jolt. I gently sniffed the air, and my stomach clenched in pain. The sound of a baby’s cry finally penetrated my fried brain, and my mouth watered at the tantalizing scent of blood. My head whirled, and I found myself panting and growling at the infant girl just out of my reach. My world went black, and I remembered nothing else but that sweet, sweet blood of the baby. When I came back to myself, I was holding the broken, lifeless small body of the girl. I dropped it and stared emotionless at the locked door. They were going to torture me with babies, I silently hissed. How typical of them. I looked down at the body. God help me, I wanted more. I slowly licked my lips and sighed. Whoever stuck the poor infant in the same room with me was going to die, right after I killed the witch. I tore my gaze from the body and glared at the door, wishing I could shoot fire out of my eyes. I kicked the body across the room and hissed as pain shot up my leg. “You brought a f*****g baby to me?” I screamed. “A f*****g baby?” I strained against my shackles and didn’t care that pain took me over. I doubled over, as blood poured from my neck. “You brought me a f*****g baby?” I repeated. “If you’re so desperate, bring me another one,” I snarled. “One after another, until I’m addicted,” I hissed and mentally hit the door. It shuddered against my assault a split second before it lit up with white light and shot toward me. I screamed as the light engulfed me, burned me, and propelled me backward until I slammed into the unyielding stone wall. I crumpled to the floor as darkness closed around me.

I moaned and slowly peeled my eyes open. How on earth did I not slip into torpor? I lay there, all my strength gone. I couldn’t even move my head even an inch. “Well well,” Shilen said from the doorway. “You shouldn’t exert yourself like that, my dear.”

“Oh,” I whispered. “Call me that again, and I’ll cut out your tongue and eat it.”

She laughed. “Is that a way to talk to your sire?”

“Sire, my a*s,” I said weakly. “You were never my sire.”

“Oh, but I am. It’s my blood that’s running through your veins. Or have you forgotten?”

“I rather bleed,” I growled. “I rather stake myself than recognize you as my b***h of a sire.” I sucked in a pained breath as she jabbed me in the side with her foot.

“How was that baby?” she asked sweetly.

“Baby?” I asked blankly. “Baby,” I said slowly. “What baby? I don’t know of any baby.” She hauled me to my feet and slapped me. I smiled. The slapped was nothing compared to my brain getting fried. I suddenly had the urge to giggle, but I forced it back. “I honestly have no idea of what baby you are talking about.” She smirked and ripped open her wrist, pressing the bleeding wound to my parted mouth. I sank my fangs in deep, taking a long pull of her blood. I withdrew and tilted my head back. I glared and spat the blood in her face. She screeched and jerked away from me. She wiped the blood off and slapped me, so hard that something in my neck snap. Before consciousness could take me over, she once again ripped open her wrist and pressed it to my mouth.

“Drink,” she snarled, and I silently curse up a storm as I was forced to obey her command. At that moment, I cursed the existence of a sire bond. I wanted to claw her eyes out as I pulled the warm blood into my mouth and swallowed. “Very good,” she said sweetly, running her fingers through my hair. “Just a couple more pulls.” After my third swallow, I withdrew my fangs, and uncaring about the pain I was going to once again be in�"my hand flashed, grabbing a hold of her wrist and snapping it. Shilen screamed, and I smiled.

“Don’t you ever,” I gritted out. “Show me affection again. You,” I hissed. “Don’t deserve my respect.” I laughed as she raised a hand to slap me. “Is that all you can do? Slap me senseless?” I stroked a finger over my magical, custom-made collar. “This one has more of a punch to it,” I said. “Want to see for yourself?”

“Stop,” she screeched before I could slam against my restraints. I automatically froze, and I glared at her. “I’m going to release you,” she hissed. I stared at her in shock.

“I’m sorry?” I said and giggled. “What did you say?” My giggles turned into a full-blown laugh as I just stared at her.

“You heard me,” she snarled.

“Did I?” She ignored me, and I fell forward, hitting the floor as my shackles and collar opened and fell off of me. The chains scraped along the floor as it was pulled from under me. Blood trickled from multiple wounds in my neck, and I just laid there, confused to why in the f**k she released me. Because she sure didn’t release me, just to free me out of the goodness of her withering heart. I stifled a giggle and pushed myself into a sitting position. I shoved my blood-matted hair from my face and stared questioningly up at her. I fingered one of my wounds, inclining my head and trying very hard not to giggle out loud.

“You need a bath,” she snapped.

“Oh,” I said in surprised. “How very… thoughtful of you,” I hissed and got to my feet. “A blood bath… Perhaps?”

“No! You stupid girl,” she hissed.

“Awww,” I said and smiled. “Too bad.” I pointed a finger at her. “Because it would surely make up for the many years you’ve deprived me of my need for blood,” I hissed, throwing back my head and screamed my enraged mind to the ceiling. I punched the stone wall beside me, and I welcomed the pain as my knuckles split. Shilen stood silently, watching me as I took out my rage out on the walls, minus the door and her. Snapping her wrist was one thing, but making her bleed was another thing all together. F**k! I silently shouted in my head. Magic! I don’t know how long I punched and kicked the wall, but all thoughts of precautions flew out the window. I whirled around, and punched a smug Shilen in her pretty face. She staggered back several steps, blood spurting from her nose as I doubled over in pain. “F**k!” I gasped. “You! B***h!” I hissed, and fell into the blissful darkness, of the void.