Reincarnation

Thirst

Lana

I wasted no time restraining Ruth in a bear hug from behind. Her legs flailed as she struggled to nip at Mrs. Leonida, who scrambled backwards on the ground. Her chest heaved as she struggled to catch her breath. She looked like she was about to have a heart attack as she clutched at her chest.

Ruth gave off an animalistic high-pitched scream as she fought my tight embrace.

‘LET ME GO!” She screeched, hitting my arms. I grunted, trying to keep a tight hold.

“I’ll clean up the mess, just go.” I commanded Mrs. Leonida, whose eyes fluttered at me before she crawled out of the room, shutting the door behind her.

“Calm down.” I told Ruth. “The thirst is hard to control, I understand…”

She wrestled me to the ground, but I pinned her down, pressing my weight on her back. Thoughts racing, I did the only thing I could think of, and sliced my forearm with a free hand. Blood began to weep from my wound and Ruth paused for a moment.

“Drink from me. Don’t kill the human in my service.” I said breathlessly, allowing her to twist and cradle herself against my arm. She hesitated before she began to drink from the open wound, gripping my arm. Tears began to pour freely from her eyes.

“What’s wrong with me?” She cried against my arm, still unable to stop herself from lapping up the blood. Her eyes were pitch black as she darted them up at my face. “Who are you?”

“Just drink until you get full.” I said, feeling a little woozy. She had taken a lot of blood but, it wouldn’t be the end of me. “Calm yourself.”

“It burns so much.” She whimpered against my arm.

“I know it does, it’s okay. You’re safe here.” I stroked her hair like a mother comforting her child. “There, I think you’ve taken enough.”

She shuddered when I withdrew my arm. “It still burns.”

“It’s going to stay that way for a while until you get used to it.” I said, carefully watching her. I released her and sat next to her as she stared in horror at her blood-coated hands.

“What is this?” She whispered, unable to switch her gaze.

“You were close to death, Libby begged me to… Change you.” I started to explain awkwardly. I really didn’t know how to word this.

“Libby?” She furrowed her brows. “Wait, I remember now… I met her at the club with Brooke… Those guys…”

“ They were vampires, and they were planning to kill you and your friend.” She looked up at me in disbelief.

She shuddered. “So you are also a vampire.”

“Half by birth.” I said sheepishly. The wound on my arm was already sealed, thankfully. I stood up and grabbed a water bottle that sat on Mrs. Leonida’s bedside table. Picking up a rag that was laid next to it, I poured the bottle a little bit on the fabric and cleaned my arm. I knelt down next to her and took her hands and cleaned them off. Afterwards, I wiped the blood from her mouth. “There we go, all cleaned up.”

“I don’t understand…” She muttered, allowing me to clean her.

“It’s a lot to take in, I know, but we will get to it all when you’re less overwhelmed.”

“Am I…” She started hesitantly. I sat silent for a second. Better not to sugar coat it.

“Yes… I had no choice but to change you into a vampire to save you.”

She appeared dismayed. “Save me? Is this really saving me? What’s going to happen? Can I even go out in public anymore?”

Guilty, I chewed on my bottom lip trying to figure out how to explain the situation to her. I organized my train of thought and told her the best I could what it would mean for her now. Fresh tears fell from her swollen eyes.

“Is this really saving me, or did you condemn me to hell?” She whispered, her hands clasped into trembling fists. “I feel bonded to you, I know this much…”

“I think it’s because I sired you…” I explained. “I’m sorry, it was a split-second decision, all I know is Libby was desperate to save you.”

“I miss Brooke.”

“It’s not safe for you to be around humans right now.”

“So, I’m really no longer human…” Her tone sounded so sad. Sympathetic, I took her hands in mine.

“I will help you adjust the best I can…”

“I’m dead. I might as well have stayed dead.” She touched her chest. “My heart… It doesn’t beat anymore…”

I didn’t know how to respond to that. I felt bad. Maybe I should have said no.

“Where are we?”

“This is my home.”

“You said you were half a vampire. What does that mean?”

“I’m half wolf. I’ve never once been human, this is just my human form. I’m the Alpha of Silver Moon territory.”

She shook her head in disbelief.

“Straight out of a fairy tale. Wolves, vampires, what next?”

“Well, I’m sure you already know that Libby is a witch… I was told you are too.”

“That’s right… We were drawn to her… She has a powerful energy inside of her.” She contemplated for a bit.

“I’ve gotten a room ready for you to stay in. I hope you don’t mind… I figured it would be best for you to adjust away from the mass of humans. Wolf blood won’t be as tempting for you, so being around my kind shouldn’t have too much of an effect on you.”

“None of this feels real.” She mumbled.

“It’s going to feel that way for a while. However, we need to figure out how we are going to get you to feed safely, without harming others. I’ll brainstorm for a while… Will you follow me?” I stood up, holding my hand out.

She looked at my hand before nodding silently. She grabbed it and allowed me to help her stand up. She paused before following me out of the room and through the kitchen. Thankfully, Mrs. Leonida was nowhere in sight. I figured putting her in a guest suite close to my room would be best so I could keep an eye on her.

“You live in a castle.” Ruth observed out loud, taking in her surroundings.

“A legacy left to me by my late family,” I said, opening the door to the guest chambers. “My room is down the hall, but you should be comfortable here.”

She walked into the room staring at the lavish decorations and furnishings. “I’m still thirsty.”

“I will solve this as soon as I can, I promise.”

She caught sight of a mirror on the wall and went over to observe her appearance. Her hair was matted in blood.

“You can shower if you want to.” I offered, gesturing to the bathroom connected to her bedroom.

She didn’t respond, but only leaned in to study her features.

“I don’t look different… But I feel different.” She sighed and looked down at her hands again. “I feel… Powerful… I smell… Everything… Including you. I can hear your heart and your pulse.”

“It’s all part of it. Do I smell bad to you?”

“Not really…” She said hesitantly. “I smell the forest off of you. It doesn’t smell terrible, but not necessarily… Not appetizing. I feel a weird connection to you.”

She turned to face me. “I think I will shower… And take a nap… I feel very tired.”

“Keep the curtains closed, because the sun is starting to rise.” I said, heading towards the door. “Make yourself comfortable, and don’t hesitate to call for me if you need anything.”

I felt her hand on my back and turned my head towards her.

“I still need to absorb everything… But… Thank you…” She murmured awkwardly.

“It’s going to be hard at first, but everything will be okay. Please rest up, okay?”

“Alright,” Ruth said. I closed the door behind me, rubbing my eyes. All of this was exhausting. I need to figure out how to get her blood without her having to hunt. For now, I have decided to shower and settle down for a nap. I will have to cancel any plans for today…

All of this makes me nervous. Neoma whispered at me.

“It is what it is, I made my decision and now I have a responsibility to her and to Libby.” I mumbled, turning on my shower. I stared at myself in the mirror, taking in my own appearance. While Ruth had been unconscious, I had already changed my clothes, but I never showered and the scent of what was left of her human blood was all over me. My tired eyes had dark circles decorating them. A deep purple bruising from the lack of sleep.

Shaking the thoughts from my brain, I stripped and stepped into the shower, letting the hot water rinse everything away. I refused to even let Eli take up space in my brain and every time I felt him threatening to take over my mind, I silently chided myself, forcing him away again.

After I was finished and dried off, I walked back into my room and rifled through my drawers, finding an oversized ratty t-shirt. I slipped on a pair of cozy shorts and sat on the foot of my bed. A glimmer caught my eye in the corner of my room and I realized it was the dress that I wore to Club Onyx. The silver of the dress was completely diluted in ruby from her blood. Aghast, I stood up and picked it up. I almost threw it in the trash but decided to put it in the laundry basket in my closet instead.

“Deal with it later.” I told myself firmly, fighting back the guilt that threatened to take hold of me. I crawled into bed, pulling the thick duvet over my head. Instead of getting the sleep I craved so badly, my head raced. I tossed and turned, frustrated. It had been a long night, my body was exhausted as my blood was trying to replenish itself, but my brain was hot wired into a long winded race I couldn’t escape from. The images of Libby, Ruth, and Eli kept flashing on repeat in my thoughts.

Punching my pillow, I shoved my face into it, screaming into it. The sound was muffled, but it helped a little bit. Eventually, I drifted off into a restless sleep.

I was wandering through an expansive forested area. The sunlight breached through the foliage of the trees surrounding me as I made my way through.

Elios…

I paused, the words a caress of the breeze that filtered through, grazed my skin and gave me goosebumps. I paused, looking around.

Elios… Please…

A figure appeared in the distance, his face shrouded in shadow from the trees. He turned his head to the side as if listening to the songs of the woods as birds twitter and soared from branch to branch.

“Elios.” I whispered, raising my hand towards him.

Come back to me…

A blanket of sadness threatened to crush my chest. I wanted nothing more than to run through the trees and take him in my arms, but I stood frozen in place. I couldn’t bring my legs to move.

If allowed in my next life, please grant me the chance to change things… So that we are not forced to live through this cursed fate endlessly through the tides of time…

I’ve failed you, haven’t I? Forgive me.

Elios…

The dam broke, and the heartbreaking sadness that felt like mine, but also didn’t feel like mine, flooded through me. I woke up in a pool of my own tears. The sun was already high in the sky and I knew I had slept too long.

“Elios…” I whispered out loud, the word causing a pang of pain to twist in my chest. Neoma stirred sleepily in my chest, reacting to the name being spoken out loud.

Who is Elios and why did the name sound so familiar?