In Love With a Vampire

Chapter Seven

Donna



I came to a sudden halt and bent down to place my hands on my knees as a way to steady myself. I forced air into my chest through my nostrils and released warm air through mouth in strained gasps. I heard the crackle of a dry leaf and went incredibly still.

Had Sorokin spotted me?

I lifted my head and swiftly swept my surroundings. All I saw were trees, tall trees shedding brown leaves. A smile played on my lips. Sorokin loved to push my boundaries, he loved to see me conquer his challenges. I could almost hear him now, in the tavern, clanking his metallic cup against a stranger’s and yelling, “That little ratchet is something!” I felt my facial features contort at the image, was that truly what he called me? Little ratchet? Did that not distort the image I was painting for my people? I wanted them to see me as a potent leader, the leader who would restore their health, a leader who will make them forget they were ever hungry…

Something was moving towards me. I shoved away my crippling thoughts of failure and averted my focus to the sounds within my vicinity. I crouched into combat position and c****d my ears. The still night air was filled with numerous sounds. I carefully sifted through them in search of what I wanted.

I heard my accelerated heartbeat.

I heard a bird chirp.

I heard a mole burrow the earth.

I heard a boot land on a dry leaf aloof of me.

I quickly opened my eyes and prepared my body to run at full speed but before I could map out an appropriate direction, my body was thrust across the air. I landed on a nearby tree, the impact cracking one of the bones in my back. A quiet groan escaped my throat as I twisted my body to return the bone to its original position.

“You have lasted a while out here, I am almost proud.”

A war cry escaped my throat as I dashed towards Sorokin at full speed. I spearheaded him to the ground and sat on his abdomen. I smiled when he mumbled a cuss. I pulled my arm back, closed my hand to form a fist, and brought it down to Sorokin’s face. He moaned at the impact, my smile grew wider.

“Are you proud of me now?”

In one fluid moment, Sorokin grabbed my arms, pulled me down into a pseudo embrace, and flipped us over so that I was on my back and he was hovering over me. I felt a flutter in my stomach as I spotted a flicker of desire in his eyes. He brought his face towards mine; a delicious shiver ran down my spine as his warm breath fanned my neck. A soft moan emerged from my half-opened mouth as Sorokin ran his finger gingerly on my bare arm. I closed my eyes when his lips made contact with my neck.

I had never wanted something so much.

“You are so beautiful Donna.”

My body went still, my eyes flew open. That was not Sorokin’s voice. I opened my mouth to scream but no sound came out.

“I know your secret and I am going to tell every human…”

I sat up in my bed and darted my eyes around the room. No Sorokin. No very angry human boy. I placed my hand on my chest and close my eyes. Soon after my body stopped trembling and my breathing evened. Was that an omen or a projection of my fears? Did the human boy truly know anything?

You could ask him, Donna.

No, asking him was also risky. If I was wrong then he would become suspicious and start digging. There were other schools in the human realm. Surely my father would not be peeved by me changing schools? I sighed. Every vampire leader who has infiltrated the human realm had gone to Scanton High. If I left, I would be breaking tradition. But if I did not leave and the human boy did know something, I was jeopardizing the entire mission, risking the lives of my whole tribe.

I slipped out of bed and made my way to the kitchen. The humans we were living with, Lory and Trevor, were sound asleep, their snores reverberated throughout the house. I suddenly stopped, my heightened senses capturing sound waves of a presence in the kitchen. I stealthily retraced my steps and entered the living room. My eyes quickly swept the area and landed on a robust strangely shaped log of wood. When I grabbed it, I furrowed my eyebrows, why was this weapon so light? I shook away the thought and focused on the problem at hand. There was an intruder in the house. As I entered the kitchen, I halted and c****d my ears.

I heard Lory mumble in her sleep.

I heard Trevor’s throaty snore.

I heard a…wait was that a fart?

I gagged as the pungent smell infiltrated my nose. Sometimes a vampire’s heightened senses were a curse.

“Mistress?”

“Maria?”

My Hand emerged from the shadows. Her mouth was draped in wet, fresh blood. My eyes flitted to her hands; she was cradling a half-eaten rat.

“Maria, we talked about this. While you are here you will share the supply in my room. You will feed on human blood from the blood bags. It is how you stay sharp in this realm.”

Maria lowered her gaze and clasped the puny animal in her palm. When she raised her head, there was anguish in her eyes.

“Forgive me Mistress but how can I eat like a king while my family suffers at home? Before we left, I attended my baby brother’s funeral. His little body had dried up from hunger…My mother had tried to divide feed among my siblings but with the forests drying up…there is only so much my father can bring home. So tell me Mistress, how can I drink human blood while my family starves to death?”

A tear escaped my eye as shame infringed my being. I suddenly felt the urgent desire to take a bath, as if I could physically wash away my selfishness. Human blood supply was thinning and only nobles had access to them. The rest of the tribe were forced to hunt for feed and with the large wall at the border, they could not enter the human realm. An image of thousands of vampires attempting to climb the wall flashed in my mind.

“Mistress I did not mean to make you feel-"

“I told you not to call me Mistress while we were here Maria. Now go to bed.”

Maria stood still for a few seconds before whizzing past me at sonic speed. I heard her door swing open and the shut. After I was certain she was sound asleep, I walked to the island and placed the log of wood carefully on the table. I then proceeded to silently weep for my tribe.

There was no question about it now, Maria and I would leave Scanton High.