★Bite Me★

XIII

Connor
I crouch in the bedroom with my hands over my ears, my eyes squeezed closed just like in the forest when Akuma fed. After what seems like an eternity the house quiets and stills eerily, my curiosity getting the better of me. I uncover my ears and listen carefully, raising my eyes to peer at the cracked door. I wait through a few moments of silence and shakily push myself to my feet, making my way to the door like a fawn learning to walk. I pull the door open and must fight a wave of nausea at the sight before me.
Adrien lays on his back, his legs crumpled under him at odd angles and his arms splayed out haphazardly. There is a bloody, gaping hole straight through his throat that blood continues to bubble from, rolling to the floor and staining the carpet. I cover my mouth as tears well in my eyes and step carefully over the body, trying to keep my eyes trained forward. A knock at the doors echoes eerily through the house and I freeze, one foot on each side of the body. I am not close enough to see into the living room but I hear the front door open with a creak and silence follows. After a long few moments Akuma groans painfully and manages to release an irritated sigh.
"Help me, please."
She whispers, sending waves of panic rolling over me.
"Of course, Mistress."
Purrs a familiar voice and I tense, recognizing the tone.
It's the man from the woods.
I step delicately over the body and hurry to the banister, peering below into the living room.
Akuma kneels on the floor with her blood-covered hand clenching her side. Her shirt is soaked with blood and her face is twisted into a grimace, her eyes trained intently in the man. The man, Damien, moves towards her silently and sinks to his knees before her, taking in her gaze with his void expression.
"It must really hurt."
He mutters as he lowers his eyes to her side, earning an irritated growl from her. He nods to himself and to my surprise grabs her small waist and picks her up, standing so her legs hang loosely over his waist. She clenches his shoulder with one hand, the other remaining on her side.
"Don't dirty my furniture."
She snarls and he rolls his eyes, picking the blanket off the couch and settles it over the chair with one hand, holding Akuma to him with the other. He sets her atop the blanket and returns to his knees in front of her, removing her hand from the wound. I gasp softly at the bloody wound, drawing both vampire's attention. Damien smirks at me, seeming amused whereas Akuma frowns softly, moving to hide the wound from my vision.
"Connor go back to the room."
She calls softly through gritted teeth. I shake my head, feeling as though words would be incapable of escaping my mouth, feeling as though it is full of concrete. Damien returns his attention to her and reaches out, swiping her finger through her blood and lifts it to his nose. As I watch, his eyes become a bit wider.
"It's the new oil they are using. You won't be able to heal as long as it is there. "
He says and she nods, keeping her eyes trained on me.
"Connor."
She whispers harshly but I ignore her and bound down the stairs, watching as the man mutters something to Akuma, causing her eyes to snap down to him.
"Wait-"
She gasps out but he has already leaned forward and run his tongue over the wound. I freeze at the bottom of the stairs, watching as Akuma lets out a sharp cry of pain and Damien leans back, spitting the blood he had collected in his mouth onto the floor. He leans in again and Akuma grabs his shoulders, digging her nails into his shoulder blades. She groans painfully as he repeats his process and I stand horrified, unable to do anything but watch and gape at the scene. Damien continues until  he seems satisfied with his work and takes one of her hands from his shoulder, moving it to her wound.
"Apply pressure."
He orders and she nods, panting painfully. She has gone pale, her cheeks flushed red. Damien picks her up carefully, ignoring her groaning, and makes his way towards me with her. He walks right past me and up the stairs, Akuma who has her head on his shoulder gazes at me tiredly. She sighs and lets her eyes flutter shut, bringing me back to reality. I follow after him as he takes her into her room and back into the bathroom, setting her gently on the counter.
"What can I do?"
I gasp out, prompting Akuma to open her eyes again.
"Take her shirt off."
Damien snaps and I jump, watching him rustle through the cabinets. I nod and step towards Akuma, receiving a dull look.
"Sorry."
I mutter to her and she shakes her head, lifting her arms up compliantly.
"Don't worry about it. Get used to it."
She whispers and I nod, reaching for the hem of the shirt and pull the sticky material carefully over her head. Once I have finished she returns her hand to her side that continues to bleed, using the other arm to cover herself a bit.
"Throw the shirt away."
Damien says swiftly as he slides past me with a first aid kit and a roll of bandages. I do as I am told and return to his side, watching as he pulls out gauze and wets a rag.
"Feed her."
Comes his next order swiftly, catching me off guard.
"What?"
I ask quickly and he shoots me a death glare, quickly returning his attention to Akuma who has removed her hand for him.
"She needs blood, now. She has lost a lot and won't heal without it. On top of that, if she is distracted it will hurt less and she won't squirm so much. I need to get it bandaged."
I stare at him bewildered for a moment until he growls in frustration and makes an exasperated motion.
"Cmon, dog, isn't this what your here for? To feed her and roll over whenever she tells you to? Why else would a noble keep a useless being like you?"