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3. THERE IS NO REMEDY FOR BLOODLUST

03.
[THERE IS NO REMEDY FOR BLOODLUST]

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REED MONARO WAS a lot of things – a musician, an actor, a philanthropist. He was handsome, charming, and seemingly flawless. He had the whole world watching him, and he knew just what they wanted to see.

His name was decorated by petty misdemeanors like theft, vandalism, and underage drinking, but of course, the media loved a bad boy.

A heartbreaker, they called him. Unironically, of course.

Music, movies, magazines – he had it all. But did he deserve it all?

Talent only got you so far in a cruel world. One would need strategy and plans to make it as far as he did, and Reed sure knew how to strategize. Above the celebrity façade – above all – he was a plotter, a manipulator, a liar. Reed had gotten where he was by cheating the game.

Which was why he was winning the game, and yet he couldn't help but feel like something was still missing.

Money and fame could buy you cars, friends, and the biggest diamonds – but there was one thing it couldn't fulfill: bloodlust.

How could he explain it? The need to see people hurt. To see them cry. To see them bleed.

The dreadful need was there, but it was Hollywood's spotlight that provided the means. Under the flashing cameras and blinding lights, Reed was a golden boy. He happily took their vows of admiration and painted himself a perfect poster boy to feed them the beautiful lies he crafted for their own demise. Unfortunately, some spotlights were so bright, they hid the darkness too well.

Behind the scenes, in the shadows, Reed was a lurking vampire. Just like Hollywood itself. Together, they were secrets dying to be spilled. Graves begging to be dug.

People had no idea just how bad Reed Monaro was.

He preyed on the people he pretended to be. He craved a control the rest of the world just wouldn't understand.

He wanted to spill blood.

So he did. Each stab to the heart was a patch for his own. Each slit on the neck was a new breath of fresh air. Each dying plea was a whisper of encouragement.

And he always got away with it. Every single time. After all, who would suspect the heartthrob that had everything he could ever want? He could do no wrong, even if he did it right before their eyes.

But as the years passed, Reed learned there was another thing money and fame couldn't buy. All those bloodied diamonds could only fix so much of a shredded heart, never able to fill the hole happiness left.

Reed lived a lonely life. The languid spotlight ate up the innocent dreamer he wanted them to see. He glowed in their attention, giving them perfect smiles and golden promises, hiding away the macabre desires that lurked within him. But even the deadliest monsters crave companionship, and all he longed for, was to meet someone else in the looming darkness.

Perhaps there wasn't a remedy for bloodlust, but there sure was one for loneliness –

And she was as bloody as he was golden.