Blood on Fire

Chapter14

She froze, eyes wide, fangs just inches from my face.

“Please,” she whispered, her voice breaking. “I didn’t want this.”

Tears mixed with blood rolled down her pale cheek. Her hands trembled against mine. She looked scared. Helpless.

My hand shook. I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t finish her.

A loud bang hit the restroom door.

Another thud. Then—snap!

The lock broke.

Stephen burst in, his golden eyes blazing with fury. Veronica followed right behind him, her calm face unreadable as always.

“Selene, drop!” Stephen shouted.

Everything happened fast.

Veronica rushed forward, her movements faster than I could track. She grabbed me by the shoulders and yanked me back, ripping the stake knife from my hand with one swift motion.

“Relax, human,” she whispered in my ear, her grip firm but not hurting me. Her eyes met mine, sharp, beautiful, like siren eyes made to trap souls. I blinked and looked away, trying to calm my racing heart.

Stephen knelt beside Wendy, who was growling, her body still twisting as if something inside her was trying to break free. He pressed two fingers towards her neck, gently but firmly. She jerked once, then collapsed into his arms, unconscious.

“She’s not dead,” he said, looking at me with concern. “I just put her to sleep.”

“Whatever’s controlling her… It’s near,” Veronica added, her voice low and serious. “Too close.”

Stephen gave her a silent nod and carefully lifted Wendy into his arms. Her head rested against his shoulder like a broken doll.

Veronica turned back to me. “Let’s go.”

She didn’t wait for me to answer, just grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the door. I stumbled after her, heart pounding, eyes still wide from what had just happened. In the hallway, the world felt quieter. Too quiet. Like something was watching. Like something dangerous still lingered in the shadows.

Stephen walked ahead with Wendy, while Veronica stayed close to my side, her grip tight around my wrist.

“Why are you helping her?” I asked, my voice barely a whisper.

“She’s one of us now,” Veronica replied coldly. “But she didn’t ask for this. Just like we didn’t.”

Anger pressed against my throat, thick and hot. I wanted to scream at every vampire who ever decided that using an innocent person was the only way to survive. No matter what pain they carried, dragging other people into the darkness felt wrong. Some part of me understood their grief, but another part, the part still bleeding for my family, wanted to shove back, hard.

Yet there wasn’t time to shout. Something worse was hunting us, and none of us were ready to face it. Not yet.

We reached their house in silence. They led me down a narrow set of stairs to a hidden level: an underground hall carved from smooth stone. It was bigger than any basement I’d ever seen. Soft lights glowed from iron sconces, throwing long shadows across the floor.

I patted my jacket for my phone, but remembered I’d left everything in my locker at school. Great. No lifeline, no weapons, nothing but a racing heart.

At the far end of the hall, a heavy steel door stood open. Inside was a single room that felt like a cell. The walls were bare stone. Thick chains hung from iron rings bolted onto the floor. Stephen carried Wendy in and set her on a narrow cot, then secured her wrist with a padded cuff attached to one of the chains. He did it gently, whispering something I couldn’t hear. She stayed limp, still under whatever hold Stephen had used to put her to sleep.

Outside the cell, five tall refrigerators lined one wall, industrial grade, the kind you see in restaurant kitchens. Iris was already there, kneeling by a duffel bag. She looked up as we entered, her brow creased in surprise when she saw me. Stephen gave her a quick nod, murmured a brief summary. Iris’s worry melted into a small, wry smile in my direction. I tried to return it but only managed an awkward twitch of my lips. She unzipped the duffel. Inside lay dozens of sealed blood packs, fresh, dark, labeled like they came straight from a hospital bank. One by one, Iris loaded them into the fridges, stacking them in neat rows. When she finished, she turned, held up a pack, and offered it to me with a teasing grin.

I shook my head so hard my glasses nearly slipped off. Iris chuckled, snapped the fridge door shut, and tossed the pack back inside.

Behind us, Veronica re-appeared, wiping her hands on a cloth. I didn’t ask where she’d gone; the look in her hard eyes told me she’d been setting extra defenses on the doors, maybe even traps for whatever creature had driven Wendy wild.

Stephen motioned me toward a threadbare sofa pushed against the wall. “Sit. Rest a moment,” he said. I dropped onto the cushions, still clutching the ache in my chest. Stephen crossed to the cell, double-checked Wendy’s binding, and added a second chain—loose enough for comfort, tight enough to hold.

The quiet in that underground space felt wrong, like the air itself held its breath. Each small sound stood out: the click of metal as Stephen tested the lock, Iris’s fridge humming, Veronica’s boots tapping on the stone as she paced.

I couldn’t stay silent. “You said whatever’s controlling her is close,” I reminded them. “What can do that? Another vampire?”

Veronica leaned against the wall, arms folded. “Not a normal one. A thrall-master. They drink a victim’s blood over many nights, mix it with their own, then plant a command. One thought, one word, and the victim obeys.”

Stephen rubbed a hand over his face. “We think someone did it to Wendy. And if that master is near the school, it explains the tremors we’ve been feeling all week.”

“Tremors?”

“We sense it in the blood,” Iris said softly from across the room. “A pull like a puppet string. Only strong when the master is close.” I shivered. No wonder Wendy had looked terrified. She wasn’t just hungry; someone was driving her like a puppet.

“What’s our plan?” I asked. “You lock her up forever? Or use her as bait?”

“Neither,” Stephen said. “We break the bond. Find the master. End it.”

“And you expect me to trust you now?” The words slipped out sharper than I meant, but I didn’t take them back.

Stephen’s shoulders slumped. “I know I don’t deserve your trust,” he said quietly. “But I’ll earn it, if you’ll let me.” He nodded at the cell where Wendy lay. “She’s already a victim. I’m not letting that vampire take anyone else from our school.”

Veronica broke the silence with a sigh. “Okay, that’s enough drama for one night.” Her voice was calm, too calm. “I went to the school earlier, but whoever is pulling the strings, the thrall-master, weren’t there. Maybe tomorrow.” She glanced at me, tossed something in my direction. “Here, your bag. You’re welcome.”