Take Courage, My Heart

Chapter Thirty-Nine

"Come here, Sydney," he gruffly said and pulled her by the bicep. I opened my mouth to protest his rough handling, but she didn't fight him, coming to sit on my lap facing me. There was evident fear in her eyes.

Vincent pulled her hair back and out of the way, clearing her neck for me. It was mostly red–enflamed and definitely aching. I looked at Vincent from over her shoulder. The times I had bitten a human were few and I hadn't turned one before. I knew what I had to do, but there were so many things that could go wrong. And all of them would lead to Sydney's actual death.

"Bite," Vincent said, "and don't pull your fangs out."

My eyes met Sydney's and despite her racing heart and the tremble of her lips, she nodded at me reassuringly. I bit my lower lip, bringing my shoulders to my body and not taking my eyes off hers. I didn't want to kill her.

Vincent clicked his tongue, frustrated, and he leaned forward biting into Sydney's neck himself/ He quickly unfastened his lips, not licking the wound and letting her blood run down the front and the back of her body.

It was too much; too pulling. I leaned forward and bit into the already made bite, my arms moving on their own accord to wrap around her waist and pull her further up my lap. With each mouthful of blood, I felt the ache in my arms subside. With each mouthful of blood, my anger in Vincent grew. And with each mouthful of blood, I felt Sydney's heart rate slow down.

My arms around her tightened and I was sure that if she was able to react at this point she would be fighting against my hold. I didn't pull my fangs out, leaving them far enough in her neck to push my venom inside but out enough to leave room for blood to come out. Her pulse got lower. And lower. And the last beat of her heart was deafening.

I didn't pull my fangs out. Even when there was no more blood left to hit my tongue. I didn't let go of her. Not until Vincent grabbed me by the back of my head and pulled me off her. I scowled at him when he tossed Sydney's body on the bed and my own body made a decision in the split moment when his eyes flitted to her. I started to run.

Vincent's hand was still in my hair, and I tugged away from him so harshly, that pain bloomed where my hair got ripped out. I stumbled on the floor with a half-groan and scurried all the way to the door, opening it and running out with Vincent just barely one step behind me.

Even though I hadn't seen the upper floor before, I ran down the short hallway, took a turn, and then ran once more until I reached the staircase. There was a commotion coming from downstairs, everyone would have been alerted, so I braced myself for impact, and for Jonathan and I pushed myself through the dwellers that had gathered at the bottom of the staircase, ready to please their elders. I slipped between hands and grips, punching Jonathan just once in order to disorient him enough to run. I couldn't stop to do more harm. Not if I wanted to make it out.

I didn't turn for the front door. It felt too obvious, so instead I went straight forward, heading for the kitchen and the back door that I had noticed there. As I passed in front of the front door though, a body slammed into me, throwing me to the side and into the living room. I fell onto one of the plush couches, my back hitting the arm of the couch, and despite the weight of the person that was on top of me I tried to wiggle myself free.

My knee came up to their stomach and I angled my face in order to look up at them, immediately feeling my fangs come down as I came face-to-face with Eric. His hands clasped onto my wrists, and he put weight back on his legs, hauling me upward and then throwing me to the ground. I put my hands up to break my fall, but I still made it to the floor, huffing with the impact. I crawled, in an effort to continue moving, setting my eyes onto the window that was closest to me. Breaking through the glass would be dangerous and could lead to bleeding but I didn't have another choice.