17 [Bonus chapter] Chapter 17: Escape

In the secret prison…

Killian closed his eyes, calmed his breathing, and reached out with his senses. He used his Shadow Sight to see that, for a moment, they were alone.

At least, the Interrogator and the other conspirator – whom he mentally referred to as the Warden – were momentarily away from the prison. He didn't know how long that would be, so he decided to take this opportunity to escape.

There were extra guards around the outside of the prison now, but Killian sensed they were ordinary humans for hire and likely little threat. Although he had no intentions of engaging them directly, so it didn't really matter anyway. He'd escaped from worse prisons than this.

As he made his way quietly around the room, he heard the other prisoner murmur. He was sure she hadn't seen him, as her eyes were closed. He also knew it was unlikely she had heard him. You couldn't be a successful spy or assassin if you were noisy, and he was the best there was. Most likely she was delirious from torture and hunger and her murmurs were a result of that.

"Help…Please…Just a little…" she pleaded. Her voice was weak and scratchy. The drugs made her slur her words. It was surprising she was able to form coherent phrases at all. It was obvious she was very fragile and would not last much longer without some sustenance. He did not know what kind of tortures she had suffered, but from his own experience he knew they must have been extremely difficult. And he'd heard the enthusiasm and excitement in the Interrogator's voice at the prospect of torturing her, so he knew she was in for much worse.

"I need…just a little… please." It seemed to take great effort for her to speak. She winced with each ragged breath she took.

"A little what?" he asked aloud before he could stop himself. He cursed himself inwardly for delaying his escape and for giving away his location. He had never done that before.

He shouldn't get involved. But at the same time, he just couldn't leave a helpless woman in shackles and heavily drugged. He also wondered if she was part of the larger plot he was investigating. She could prove useful, he reasoned.

Normally, he would have made the difficult decision to leave any prisoners behind. But he just couldn't do that to her.

Sentimentality had never been part of his makeup. It was strange for him to feel it now. However, his gut instincts had never guided him wrong before. As such, he saw no reason to distrust them now. And his gut was telling him to see what she needed.

"B…b…bl…bl…blood." She said.

Killian was surprised. 'What manner of creature feeds on blood?' he thought.

"Please! I…" her voice cracked, and she started choking, her entire body wracked with spasms.

Killian was unsure and hesitated again. His gut screaming at him to aid her, while his mind screamed at him to leave her to her fate.

Finally, he made decision that he hoped he wouldn't regret. He took a jagged piece of broken pottery and made a gash in his forearm. He let the blood drip into a makeshift cup he'd made from another piece of broken pottery and held it up to her lips. She opened her mesmerizing eyes and tried unsuccessfully to focus them on her would-be rescuer.

She drank the crimson liquid greedily. Then licked her lips and closed her eyes as if in ecstasy. She then opened her eyes and looked at him. This time she could focus on him clearly.

"Shall I release you?" he asked. If he had made a mistake in feeding her, he may as well continue to compound his error. He had gone too far to back out now.

"No." she said firmly her dark eyes focused on him with a mixture of curiosity and gratitude.

"…"

Seeing his puzzlement, she explained. "Now that I've fed, I can escape in my own time. There are things I must do first."

Still, Killian resisted leaving her. He didn't want to abandon her. He didn't know why he felt this way and he didn't like it. However, she did seem amazingly better. Her large eyes were now focused and she was able to speak without coughing.

"Thanks to your kindness, I've regained my strength and then some. They cannot hold me any longer." She had a terrifying grin on her face. Her dark eyes glowing now with anger and hatred. He could tell by her expression that she was already imagining her revenge. And savoring every brutal minute of it. Not that he blamed her. He'd be lying if he said that he didn't take satisfaction and pride in his own deadly handiwork.

At that moment, Killian realized just how dangerous she was. But he didn't regret helping her. 'The enemy of my enemy is my friend.' he thought. At this moment, he felt that he alone in this entire place would not be in any danger from her. Of course, that didn't mean he wouldn't be in danger from her if he met her again in the outside world. The prospect both intrigued and terrified him.

He filled the cup again with his blood and offered it to her. She took it gratefully as he fed her. When she had finished, he put the cup aside and reached inside his hidden pouch for a clotting agent. Before he could apply it, she spoke again.

"My saliva can clot your blood better than that." she offered helpfully.

He looked at her curiously. Although he did not feel fear of her, he wasn't a fool. So, he held his arm up to her mouth, close enough for her tongue to reach his wound but not her teeth or lips. She smiled at him understandingly. She sensed he did not fear her, but she admired his caution nonetheless.

Her long tongue darted out and gave a swift lick along the entirety of the gash. It not only clotted immediately but healed without any scabbing.

"Thank you" he said. Her tongue felt surprisingly good on his flesh. 'Now is definitely not the time to be thinking about such things.' He chastised himself. He'd never been distracted like this before even when a woman was actively trying to seduce him, which this woman most definitely was not.

She smiled at him showing bloody fangs. For some reason, the spectacle did not disturb him. Over the past few months, he'd seen so many strange things that he was no longer surprised by anything. Of course, there was more to his reaction to her than that.

"Goodbye, Tasty Man." She said with surprising sweetness. "I hope we meet again under better circumstances."

He was slightly disturbed by her name for him, but he had fed her his blood. That was something he'd never even heard of before, let alone done. And he had not told her his name, nor had she told hers.

"Good luck with your revenge. Take care of yourself."

"You too." She replied still smiling with a surprisingly sweet expression despite the crimson staining on her pointed teeth.

He almost hesitated again. This was becoming an extremely dangerous habit. He admitted he really wanted to see how she freed herself and took her revenge. But he knew better than to linger any longer. He'd already wasted enough time. He needed to get to the Crown Prince Daimon as soon as possible to give his report. The threat to the Empire and the Crown Prince, in particular, could not be underestimated and they were running out of time.

He gave her one last glance. She'd already closed her eyes again and was feigning sleep as she gathered her strength.

As he watched, her sensuous tongue snaked out removing the last traces of his blood from her full lips. She appeared to be savoring the last bits of sustenance.

As he turned to go, she opened her eyes and gave him a wicked grin and saucy wink. He blushed and quickly hurried out.