Chapter 50

Cirilla's Point Of View

I woke up to a strange smell and faint sounds of objects clacking, and some giggling. I was on a sofa in a small confined room. An Attic.

"She's awake!" A small voice chirped, and as I looked around, I found myself surrounded by a bunch of children, circling me, giggling, and watching me like I was the most interesting thing they'd seen.

I attempted to straighten up but it was next to impossible with the pain killing me. I watched an older girl, Ria, maybe thirteen or so, lead the others out of the room, before I checked my stomach searching for my sore injuries. But there was nothing. No bleeding. No open flesh, only slight stinging and weakness in my bones.

“Nina?” I called desperately but I was greeted yet again by penetrating, appalling silence bouncing up and down the space of my mind.

“Come on children, give her some space,” I recognized that voice. It had begged me frantically to stay awake. To remain conscious and not to give into apparent weakness that brought in the darkness which promised peace and freedom from pain. “Ria, please take them downstairs.” The voice came again, moving closer and from my peripheral vision, a woman approached me. And soon, a young girl led the children out, leaving just me and the woman.

“Here, drink this. It will help more with your healing and will give you some strength.” She dropped a cup fast into my hand before I could as much protest.

My nostrils scrunched instantly at the smell of the cup and dropped it on the table before my eyes found her perfectly round ones on me. She was a beauty. As I took her in, she did the same.

“You are a witch?” My pulse quickened as the words came out fast but I hid my emotions well. It was almost impossible at this time that out of a million persons that had to save me was a witch. A fucking witch.

Maybe Mason had sent her? I couldn’t be so sure.

“It’s been a long time since I heard someone address as such. But yes, you could call me that but I would prefer my name instead, Kaliva.” She picked the cup up from the table, taking a sip from it. “It’s nasty.” She gulped, admitting. “But my potions work wonders, I promise, and it’s exactly what you need.”

“You healed me,” It wasn’t a question but she shook her head nonetheless getting more comfortable on the chair opposite mine.

“Unfortunately, I might have witch blood running in my veins but I can’t practice. I lost that right a long time ago. You have the potions to thank for that.”

As I tried to haul my body up from the sofa, a jolt of pain hustled down my spine and a muffled gasp left my lips before I could stop it.

“Drink it. I swear it’ll do you good,”

I took the cup from her, chugging down the liquid. The distasteful taste burned the back of my tongue down to my stomach.

"So what's the name?"

“Cirilla," I glanced around. "What is this place?” I asked.

“Lily’s home.” She leaned back into her chair. Her auburn hair dangling at both sides of her face.

“I meant where?”

“Redmond,” Her one word caused me to jerk on my feet and then the biting pain followed.

“As in Seattle?” I asked and she nodded. And all I could think about was Asher and how far away I was from Oregon. I didn’t know that stupid bastard had transported us this far. And he could still be searching for me at the moment.

Hell, I was fucking sure he was.

I swerved my attention back on Kali. “I need to make a call, please,”

She sent me an unsure look before nodding her head and handing over a phone to me. “I’ll be downstairs in case you need anything.”

I nodded at her words, watching her leave the room.

Immediately, I was up from the sofa, pacing as I dialed Asher’s number but my heart quickly plummeted as it was instantly directed to voicemail.

I tried again but still no luck. I tried Lyra’s but nothing as well.

With a frustrated exhale, I resolved to leave a message, informing him of my situation and importantly, my location, before dropping the phone on the table.

I just couldn’t sit still. All I felt was a cold, dreading feeling bathing alongside my pain as I wandered in the little space of the small attic and my eyes kept flickering to the phone, desperately awaiting Asher's call.

It’s been more than four hours now and neither he nor Lyra had called yet. I had even sent strings of texts but nothing. And I wasn’t doing that good at the moment. The last I had seen Kali she had brought in something for me to eat and insisted I took the medicine she had brewed again right in front of me, insisting it’ll do me good after I had some sleep.

But I couldn’t. And it’s just not because it was paramount I stayed awake in case Asher called back, or the fact that as much as I was grateful to Kali for helping me and saving me from Mason, I still didn’t trust her.

I couldn’t afford to, not when Mason was still after me or when every fucking thing he told me kept ringing loud volumes in my head attempting to drive me further insane.

That witch was right. I shouldn’t trust anyone. And if everything that stupid bastard told me was true, that somehow I had awakened that darkness—him, then I had to head back to Oregon first. I had to figure out what was going on first.

Shit! I was losing it and Nina’s absence was making it worse.

I wiped the beads of sweat that had gathered on my forehead, and my neck, running a blind race down my skin and into my neckline.

My body was burning dangerously, and this wasn’t from my restlessness or from the apparent pain I was almost dying from. It was from something else. The heat started in my soul, thrumming in my chest and mixing with the blood rushing in my veins.

I stumbled against the wooden shelf, gripping it for support as my vision became nothing more than a blurry sight, and the dryness in my throat started to itch badly, and the deep hunger in my belly burned furiously.

It was almost maddening.

I didn’t know when I rushed down the water in the jug Kali left for me, hoping to quench the sickening thirst growing inside of me. But I couldn’t quench it. It only grew worse. Irritatingly worse, grating on me, driving me insane along with everything I was feeling.

I was against the floor with my eyes closed, when Kali bursts in, her fear and concern swirling in the air around as she raced to me. Her footfalls were quick and painstakingly loud in my ears. The organ in her chest blasted hard in her throat, the fast and delightful rush of blood in her veins louder than everything, causing a stir within me, resurrecting the dark whispers in my head as my thirst deepened. The hunger inside was so deep as I ground the sharpness of my aching tooth together, but they desired something else. Someone else.

My eyes snapped open as soon as I smelled her before me, and all I could see was red, and soon I felt the shock, and maybe, fear escaping her. I didn’t care.

I wasn’t in control anymore. My hand gripped her neck firmly, and without thinking or the slightest hesitation or abhorrence of what I was about to do, I plunged my elongated fangs into her soft neck, and the next thing I felt was total bliss.

I couldn’t stop. I didn’t want to. I kept sucking the sweet blood of hers that rushed effortlessly, with speed and precision in my mouth.

Her cries and pleas didn’t matter. I didn’t stop. I couldn’t even if I wanted to. It took me completely off guard when her voice filtered into the dark chaos of my mind, sounding sharp and clear begging me to stop.

I froze instantly. My heart squeezed. That squeeze became a burn, incinerating me from the inside out. I jostled, releasing her from my hold.

The look of pure shock was still in her eyes as she covered her wounded neck with a hand, staring at me. Only the sounds of her short breaths and my ragged breathing sliced through the air as panic, confusion, and disbelief took a full second to fill me up completely.

Questions rang loudly in my ears. Fear attempted to sprout from the panic that I fell into with my eyes on the reflection of my bloody state on the glass before me.

“No. Oh god! I’m sorry --- I didn’t …. I don’t …” I couldn’t believe I had just bitten Kali and even worse, enjoyed the taste of her blood in my tongue. This couldn’t be possible. There was no way I should have done this. It wasn’t possible. I couldn’t possibly be---

“Kali?” The door pushed open and Ria strode in before stopping dead in her tracks. Fear and horror plastered on her face as her eyes moved from me to Kali. Then I heard it. The dark whispers in my head. It was starting again. The thirst and hunger came back stronger and more furious.

I groaned, taking a step back, and as dark lines began to pop in my veins, spreading like vines on my skin, the thirst deepened and my vision went red. And the only thing on my mind was blood.

Kali hauled herself from the floor, rushing to me but with heightened speed I rushed to the window, lunging myself out into the blinding darkness.

The biting cold had nothing on me as I blended perfectly in the darkness with no idea where I was running to but I knew what I wanted. Blood.

I wanted more.

The voice in my head was slipping through the cracks, my thirst was getting worse, and as I slammed myself hard into one of the alleyways, my perfect and trimmed nails had elongated again and I could still see traces of Kali's blood.

The banging of whisper was getting worse, every fucking thing I was hearing, and feeling was on an overdrive.

"Hey, are you alright?" The fear and streak of concern in that male voice gutted me and the shuffling footfalls grew closer.

No. Stay away.

I growled against the wall I was crouching against, hands balled, my blood flowing with ease regardless.

The footfalls coming closer. Faster.

"Don't!" I snarled without warning, groaning. Growling. Not any closer. I could hear the fast rush of his blood in that body. I wanted to taste it.

Fuck. No.

It got closer.

No. Please. Stop.

"Don't come—" My futile attempt of a plea was useless as I felt a warm hand on me. A mistake. A big mistake.

Before I could dish out a last attempt of warning to him, I lost it. Lost control. Lost every sense of my humanity.

And in speed, he was pinned against the wall with strength of mine that flowed effortlessly and my pointedly sharp canines feasted on the soft area of his neck.

His blood flowed out into the safe, eager haven of my mouth. It tasted amazing.

I moaned, sucking, drinking more. Ignoring everything I heard from him. I wanted more. Even when his heartbeat dulled under my hold, or when his resistance against me lessened, I couldn't stop. I never wanted to until I drank him dry. Like the monster I was. The fucking monster I was.

I jerked away from him as sanity and control returned. My hands and half of my face were covered with the blood of the man whose body slammed on the floor. Pale. Lifeless.

I did this. I killed him.