Of Fangs & Fins

Chapter Nineteen

SR: bvg - I've given up on you

nineteen.

Marina.

A lot of people say that you won't understand their pain unless you go through it. I'm pretty sure this is precisely what they meant.

I don't think I fully understood the risk of being around vampires. Scratch that. I know I didn't fully understand the risk, The very people I trusted were the ones who hurt me. I tried to push all these nasty feelings down, make myself completely numb, but the feeling of Ally biting wasn't something I could not push down. It hurt, a lot.

My hands were trembling, but nothing registered in my mind. I was in a guest room, sitting on a very soft bed. The girl with all the crescent moon scars sat next to me, pressing a wet towel to my neck. Her odd gaze was fixated on me as if I was some sort of museum piece. I turned my head, trying to not let her gaze unnerve me.

Lance stood on the other side of the room, pacing. "Anika, would you hurry it up, please? There are too many vampires in this household. They're going smell her, and I would hate to tranq the whole family."

Anika nodded wordlessly, standing up and heading to a drawer. She opened it and pulled out a vial. I recognized it as blood. "What's that?"

"Vampire blood, it'll heal you quicker," Lance explained, motioning for Anika to give it to me. She sat next to me and handed it to me, urging me to drink it. 

I stared at the vial and closed my eyes, tipping it back. The blood tasted disgusting, the metallic taste making me want to throw it up. "Vampires were the ones who hurt me and yet their blood is the thing that heals me. What a paradox."

"Terrible isn't it?" Lance smiled tightly, "I'm so sorry this had to happen, especially after our conversation."

I didn't tell Lance that Eryn bit me, I couldn't bring myself to. Instead, we spent the day scoping out where the quaestor would have her party. Lance wanted to see what we were dealing with before we went in. Afterward, we went out to eat. It was nice to talk to someone as if everything was normal. It felt like a regular day. Until the second I came back. 

Oh, God. Ally.

"What's going to happen to both of them?" I asked, worried about Ally. 

"We have a detox room downstairs. They'll be there for however long they need to. We need to expel all the blood from their systems," Lance explained. 

Anika stood up abruptly, leaving the room. I raised a brow and wondered why she left. "Is she okay?"

"Yes, ignore her. Anika is a bit... sensitive. She's been mistreated by vampires and sometimes she feels uncomfortable in this situation," Lance sat on the bed next to me. "Again, I apologize--"

"You didn't do anything," I sat there, realizing that the people who I cared about was the very thing I was taught to hate and fear, "when do I get to see them?"

He shook his head. "That won't be for a bit, my dear."

"How long?"

"Since it was the first time for both of them, a few days, maybe a week," Lance opened a drawer, the same one that the vial was in, and rummaged through it.

I closed my eyes, my chest constricting what I was about to say. "It was the second time."

Lance stiffened. "When?"

My cheeks grew hot. "Uh, last night."

He sighed, turning around with a black harness in his hands. "This is for you, it can protect you from slips up that Eryn has. At least until we get your friends back."

I accepted the harness and opened the Velco compartment. Four syringes toppled out. "So whenever I feel threatened, I just stab the people I care about with these?" 

"With all due respect, my dear, but I don't think you should be near Eryn. You'll burn each other in the ends. Relationships such as yours are too difficult."

I nodded, painfully aware that being with Eryn was risky. I knew I was in over my head, but I wanted to experience life. I wanted to experience her. Eryn made me feel alive, she made me feel like I wasn't just a dainty little mer princess. Back at home, no one let me simply be. They made me feel dependent on them. With Eryn, I felt equal.

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Eryn

Sweet blood burst into my mouth as I punctured her succulent neck. I threw my head back, relishing in the waves of pleasure and lightheadedness her blood gave me. I bit down harder, the blood pouring from her neck. The sound of her heartbeat was fading, but I didn't care about that. I cared about how much blood she could provide me. This woman was an athlete, her health impeccable. The athletes were my favorite, the sweetest blood of them all.

"Enjoying yourself, darling?" Lucinda asked, cradling the back of the girl's neck. She was standing over a younger woman who was passed out on a chair. Her wrists were tied down to the chair, bite marks all over them.

I gave her a sultry gaze, rising from the couch I was laying on. "I only enjoy myself with you."

Sagan chuckled, causing me to shift my gaze over to her. She was in my bed, completely naked. A woman laid next to her, asleep and looking worse for wear. I hope we didn't drain her completely, I thought. It would be a shame if she couldn't be a part of the fun.

Luce's blonde ringlets bounced along with her breasts as she approached me. I loomed over her, waiting for what she was going to do next. She pulled her long hair to one side of her shoulder and exposed her olive-toned neck. "I love it when you do it."

I pulled her close to me, cupping her cheek and sinking my fangs into her delicate neck slowly. She cried out in pleasure as I fed on her, loving the mix of vampire blood and mermaid blood. I tightened my grip on her, taking long gulps. 

Sagan approached us, her gaze locked on mine. She stood behind Luce, moving her hair to her back. "I hate missing out on all the fun." She tilted her head and bit down on the other side of Luce's neck. Luce's grasped my arm tightly, sinking into my hold.

After a few minutes, I pulled away, watching as Luce crumpled onto Sagan. She lifted Luce up and dragged her over to the bed. "Ryn, why don't you join us?"

I looked around the room, taking in all the women that were passed out because of us. Guilt wriggled its way into my gut and I turned my head away, trying to focus on something else. I tried to keep myself into the haze of the bloodlust, but I knew this was wrong. 

Sybil wouldn't approve of this. She would hate that I was doing this. I knew better out of these two vampires. 

Eryn.

Eryn.

"Eryn!"