16

ayda awoke to the heavy smell of the hotel room mixed with the lingering scent of pizza. Lori had grabbed herself a slice earlier but left it on the table where it continued to sit, untouched.
Rolling onto her side, Jayda saw Lori’s dark form standing beside the other bed, looking at Arden.
“What’s wrong?” Jayda whispered.
“He should have woken up by now.”
Its wasn’t concern she heard in her voice, but fear.
“It’s daytime,” Jayda pointed out. “It could be the sun.”
“That’s not it.” Lori left Arden’s side and found the pack of darts she took from The Brotherhood soldier. She learned about the different drugs used by The Brotherhood from her source. The case in her hands carried two types: CHS3 and H12. The last set sent the air from her lungs.
“H12,” she muttered. “Fuck.”
“What’s H12,” Jayda asked as she sat up.
“They prepare for everything. They use H12 as a safety net incase the vampire manages to escape.”
“You’re gonna have to explain.”
Lori plucked one of the H12 darts from the case and held it up. “H12 can be used in combination with another drug. It starts off like a normal tranquilizer. It will need another drug to neutralize it before the subject wakes up.”
“And if he wakes up?”
“The drug renders the vampire into a primal state. They have no fear. They will leave a path of bloodshed as a trail to their location. Without the second drug to neutralize it…” She looked at Arden. “I can’t help him.”
“What about the other drug?”
“CHS3 is a typical tranquilizer. Its mostly used on werewolves”
Jayda’s nervous eyes went from the vampire to half-breed. “They could have used that one. Did you see which one they used?”
She shook her head. “No. It happened too fast.” Placing the dart back in the case, she moved toward Jayda’s bed. “I think you should lock yourself in the bathroom for now.”
Jayda stood from the bed as Lori pulled off the comforter and headed into the bathroom. Grabbing a pillow, Jayda followed her and waited as Lori, acting like a caring mother, placed the comforter inside the tub, folding it to double the padding. As she finished with the makeshift bed, Jayda moved in and dropped the pillow into the tub.
Lori stood in the doorway, her shoulders slumped in an unspoken sign of defeat. “Sorry about this, but I want to keep you safe. When I know for sure that everything’s all right, I’ll—” Lori’s head snapped back in mid-sentence as something took hold of her hair, dragging her into the main room and throwing her on the bed. With no time to react, she found Arden’s powerful body pressing down on hers, hands pulling at her shirt and pushing her head to the side.
In the bathroom’s doorway, Jayda watched as Arden’s fangs ripped into Lori’s neck. Her scream, muffled by her clenched teeth, showed that even in this desperate moment, she refused to call out for help. Before Lori’s strength could be stripped away, she placed her hands between their bodies and pushed him away. The quick burst of strength sent Arden backwards and off the bed. Lori scrambled toward her only weapon in this moment—the curtains. Grabbing the thick fabric she threw them open. The bright sunlight flooded the room and blanketed Arden. The vampire let out a hiss in pain as he dove for cover, landing beside the bed and the wall.
Lori continued to hold the curtain, using this time to catch her breath and feel the damage delivered to her neck. Her eyes returned to the bed as she saw the mattress lift onto its side and move into the path of the sun.
“Jayda!” she warned. “Lock the door!”
A scream came from the bathroom. Lori released the curtain and ran toward the mattress, pulling it away to find Arden missing. She hurried into the bathroom and saw Jayda in the bathtub, under the comforter, and Arden trying to dig her free. Without thinking, Lori leapt onto his back and threw her arm around his neck, using the other to lock it in place. Arden reached behind his head to grab onto his attacker. His hand pulled her hair once more. Lori refused to let go.
Backing up, Arden threw his body into the edge of the doorframe. This violent hit was enough to weaken Lori’s hold. The vampire pulled at her hair again, and this time she released him. But as he spun around to face her, Lori threw the palm of her hand into his face, striking him on the underside of his nose. Like hitting a shark, the attack stunned the vampire long enough for Lori to retrieve the knife from underneath Arden’s coat, and without any hesitation, she rammed it into his chest. The vampire’s body grew ridged, his hands finding Lori’s throat as his strength began to leave him. The malice on his face also left him. Lori took a step back, moving out of Arden’s dying hold and allowed his body to collapse onto the bathroom floor.
Through her messy hair, Lori saw Jayda peaking out from underneath the comforter. “It’s alright,” she said, her breathing returning to normal. “I just gotta… think of something.” Glancing at the paralyzed vampire, Lori left the room.
Jayda’s eyes left the empty doorway to land on the motionless vampire. His eyes remained open and mouth agape, fangs still visible. Holding her breath she slowly slid out from under the comforter and tub, careful to watch where she stepped. As she moved along side the vampire she imagined him taking hold of her leg. The thought sent her running into the main room and toward the curtains.
“Good idea,” said Lori. “Stay there.”
Jayda wanted to do more than stay by the window. She wanted to run out into the sun and forget this mess altogether. But the window had to do for now.
Lifting the mattress back onto the bed, Lori returned to the bathroom, emerging moments later carrying Arden with one arm over her shoulders. She dropped him onto the bed and sat beside him.
Jayda gasped when she saw her going for the knife. “No! Don’t!”
“I have no other choice. I have to help him.” Her voice sounded indifferent and displaced, almost as though she blamed herself for his current state.
“Then let’s get some help.”
“Trust me. I have an idea.” Lori’s hands went for the knife once more and yanked it free. Setting it to the side she sat back and waited. The muscle’s in Arden’s arms and legs began to twitch as his body slowly recovered from the injury to his heart. Leaning forward, Lori lifted his shirt to check the wound left by the knife. The skin was already healed. As her brain registered what she saw, Arden’s hands flew up and around her, pulling her close.
By the window, Jayda grabbed the curtain but stopped before dousing the room with sunlight. She knew Lori wouldn’t want her to act unless ordered. Instead, she remained poised to act, her eyes refusing to leave the struggle taking place on the bed.
Lori tore herself from Arden’s hold as she fought to keep him from pinning her. The small battle ended with Lori pressed against the headboard and Arden returning to her neck as he latched onto his previous bite. She made no effort to push him away this time.
“Jayda,” she calmly said, “go into the bathroom and get the wastebasket. Empty it out and bring it here.”
Jayda abandoned the window and hurried into the bathroom, then reentered the main room with the empty basket.
Lori gave another order. “Set it by the bed and get the knife.” She used her eyes to point toward the blood-covered knife. Jayda quickly grabbed it, handing it to her, handle first. Lori pushed it away. “I need you to use it. Take his wrist and cut deep.” Searching blindly for his hand, she forced his arm to the side, her hand cupping the back of his to keep him from pulling away. “Then I need you to remove his blood—spit it in the wastebasket.”
Jayda’s eyes widened at the order. “What? No. I’m not going to do that!”
“You have to remove the infected blood. This might not work if you don’t. I can’t let him drink much longer. Please, hurry.”
Taking in a shuddering breath, Jayda felt her hand tighten around the knife’s handle and her jaw mimicking the same pressure. She stared at Arden’s wrist as she used her other hand to push back the sleeve of his coat. Placing the blade’s edge to his skin she closed her eyes and pressed down. In a burst of bravery she pulled the knife to the side, slicing almost to the bone. Arden’s arm tightened at the acknowledgment of pain, but Lori kept him from moving away. Dropping the knife, Jayda sat the basket closer to her and stared once more at Arden’s wrist. The blood leaving him looked thick and black in the low light. She swallowed at the lump in her throat as she imagined what the demon’s blood tasted like. Her body responded by closing off the air flow in her nose. With her timid mouth resting on the gaping wound, she saw herself switching to autopilot as she sucked away mouthful after mouthful of blood, each one she spat out in the basket. She felt like some poor sap asked to suck the poison from a snake bite victim. But this was the twisted, hellish version.
Jayda saw Lori’s hand leave Arden’s as she tried to push him away. Panic appeared to set in when she realized how weak his feeding left her.
“Get…” she struggled to say. “Get him off of me.”
Jayda jumped to her feet and pulled at Arden as Lori pushed. He released her and fell back onto the bed, his body settling into a lifeless state.
“Don’t stop,” said Lori, slouching against the headboard.
Going for Arden’s wrist, Jayda continued to remove his blood.
The forms of the Jayda and Arden blurred within Lori’s vision. She felt her eyes wanting to stay closed with each sluggish blink. This was a stupid idea. She always entertained the possibility that she had the same abilities as the Six, and that her blood was as potent as theirs. But as she felt her weakness cave in around her and the hunger threatening to deafen her rational mind, she realized the danger she placed Jayda within. Lori chose sleep over the hunger. Sleep would protect her.
Jayda looked up to see Lori slumped to the side, eyes closed and body just as lifeless as Arden’s. She wiped the blood away from her mouth and went to Lori’s side trying to shake her awake.
“Lori! Wake up! You can’t sleep now!” Jayda stopped as she went for the knife and held it against her uninjured arm. Like before, she closed her eyes and sliced the blade, this time across the underside of her lower arm. She then sat beside Lori, holding the bleeding skin near her face. The scent of her blood awoken Lori. Her eyes silted open, but instead of taking her arm, she pushed her away.
“Don’t,” she whispered. “Go away. Leave the room.”
“No!” Jayda moved her arm closer. “What if he wakes up before you do?” She saw Lori’s body give in to the pull of sleep as her eyes closed and body relaxed. Jayda shook her again.
Lori felt the irritating action from the human. Her own pleas were going unanswered. Why wouldn’t this human listen to her? A snap within her mind sent a shockwave throughout her body. If sleep was unattainable in this moment, then the only option left was to feed. The human should have listened to her. This would be her fault.
Jayda jumped back as Lori’s hand took hold of her wrist. The strength behind her hold was a mere shadow of what she was truly capable of. Her other hand grabbed the collar of Jayda’s shirt and pulled her down, throwing her off balance. A tiny cry entered Lori’s ears as her teeth broke through the human’s flesh. The blood filled her mouth and brought with it a surge of piercing light and pain. Lori had witnessed a similar ability before but within the abilities of a vampire. And even then, she knew how to deal with such defense mechanisms. Similar to shielding one’s thoughts from any prying minds, Lori closed her mind from Jayda’s. The act was built on instinct.
Within Jayda’s own mind she saw the same comforting light from when Arden first bit her that night in the den. But this time, as soon as it began, the light abandoned her, leaving her to feel the pain from Lori’s bite. The half-breed pulled her close, wrapping her arms and legs around Jayda’s body. The more Jayda fought, the tighter Lori held on, eventually rolling over and pinning her beside Arden’s motionless body.
Jayda began fighting underneath Lori, hands striking anywhere she could and legs searching for the edge of the bed for any leverage. Lori’s feverish hunger carried some sense of reality as she noticed Jayda’s struggles. Her hand left its hold of her to slid in between them, digging through the folds of her shirt to find the skin underneath. Her mind told her to place the human at ease, and the only method she knew of came from the most basic of pleasures; the act of skin against skin.
The wandering hand moved over Jayda’s bare stomach and up the side of her body. Her attempts to fight off Lori shifted as she tried to stop her hand from going further. Lori’s fingers lead the way, the movements feeling more like a those of a skilled and eager man searching for the perfect spot to rest. Her hand final reached Jayda’s breast and held her tight with fingers still moving. Jayda grabbed onto her wrist and tried to pull the invading hand away, but it remained.
Jayda’s quiet voice found Lori’s ears. “Stop,” she pleaded, the sound of tears just below the surface. The single, minuscule word broke through Lori’s survival mindset. She stopped drinking to realize where she was. Withdrawing from Jayda, she knew exactly what had happened and what almost happened.
Rolling from the bed and collapsing to the floor, Jayda saw the look of shock on Lori’s face. “I’m sorry,” she heard her whisper. Her golden eyes settled on her as she spoke again with more energy. “I’m really sorry.”
“Wha-what were you trying to do?”
“You wouldn’t understand.” Her eyes landed on Arden. She completely forgot about him. Crawling over his body she lay on top of him, her head on his chest. She could feel her blood within him through the subtle bond they shared. His mind, still dormant by the drug, continued to rest under the sway of her command.
Lori’s own primal mind cared more about the creature underneath her than the frightened human on the floor. Her ancient side wanted to finish the kill, but the part that considered itself human held a strong compassion for the young woman. Night would bring a change in this thought, and it was this fact that kept Lori from leaving the bed.