Animals

Lana walked back, holding a small pair of cosmetic scissors. "No, please don't," Claire begged, terrified.

Lana shook her head, "I just want to help you. It will all be fine."

She opened the scissors and gently nicked her neck. The moment the blade pierced her skin, Claire was on top of her, wild-eyed and panting. "It's okay!" Lana encouraged pushing her neck towards Claire's open mouth, which was pooling with saliva.

A single bead of blood poked its way through the small nick, and Claire leaned into Lana's neck, feeling the woman relax under her. As the blood touched her lips, any sense of control Claire thought she may have disappeared.

Claire dug her nails in and took a bite; the surge of hot blood coated her throat, and she moaned with pleasure. She twisted her head, feeling something tear between her teeth, releasing more blood. Somewhere beyond the euphoria surrounding Claire, she heard screaming. Was it the person giving her the blood? Who was that? She tried to remember the name of the kind woman.

But all she could think about was what she could taste. The warm, thick liquid filling her body with pure bliss. It was all she could think about. The thing between her hands was thrashing, trying to leave. What is it? Claire didn't know what she was holding anymore, but she knew that she couldn't lose it. She squeezed and pulled until it stopped moving with a distant crack.

Suddenly, a sharp pain shot up her spine, causing Claire to jump up and howl wildly in pain. The trance of the blood was gone, and she looked down at Lana's body. Her neck was snapped almost behind her shoulder, and a large piece of her neck was ripped away, hanging haphazardly as blood poured down it onto the ground. Claire screamed again, now out of fear. Elias pulled her to face him, eyes wide with concern. "Are you okay?" he asked, looking her over.

Claire stared back at Lana's body. "She's dead. I killed her," she whispered as she began to cry.

Elias smiled pitifully at her, "Yes, you did. She is not the first, and likely will not be the last."

Claire whipped her head towards him, "What are you talking about?"

Elias shrugged and shook his head, "You are not well yet. Do not think of it."

Horrified, she yelled at him, "Why did you do this to me?!"

Instead of answering, he pulled Lana's body towards them. Claire turned away, hating herself for wanting to continue defiling the dead woman. "She is already dead, ma chérie. If you do not finish, she has died for nothing," he said as he licked the blood off his fingers.

As he moved, the intoxicating scent hit her anew. But she refused to move. Elias grabbed the back of Claire's neck, shoving her face into the corpse as he whispered in frustration, "You will drink her until she is finished."

Claire could not resist his demand and did as she was told. Again, her mind clouded as she swallowed the blood with a newfound frenzy, spurred by Elias' order. The pain she felt disappeared. The world around her melted away as she knew nothing but this moment. No thoughts, just pure instinct. And once she could no longer pull more blood from the body, she began to lick it off the floor in earnest, a guttural moan pouring out her throat. Elias growled and pulled her away with a hiss, "You are not an animal; do not act like one."

He broke her daze, and she once again realized what she had done. Elias grabbed ahold of Claire as she collapsed into herself, wailing. "Hush, my child," he soothed, rocking as he rubbed her back.

At his command, her cries softened into silent sobs. He lifted her up, away from the mess that had been Lana's body, and into her room. He sat her on the chaise beneath the window, raising her chin to meet her watery eyes. "Are you still hurting?" he asked.

Claire thought for a moment. When she was drinking Lana's blood, her aches had disappeared. She had felt nothing but pure ecstasy. But yes, she was still in pain. Though instead of answering, she asked again, this time calmly, "Why did you do this to me?"

"I did this for you, ma chérie," he replied, wiping the tears from her face with a brown handkerchief.

She shook her head, "Why me?"

Something new flashed in his eyes. It was so fast, she assumed she had imagined it. He held her cheek, and she grabbed ahold of it, trying to absorb the comfort it radiated. He smiled softly, "When you are well, we can talk about it, ma chérie."

Claire pushed him away in anger, "Why won't you call me my own name?"

He chuckled, shaking his head at her as if she were a rambunctious puppy, "You are tired, and it makes you angry. You should rest; your body has healing to do."

Claire stood up as he turned to walk away. "I want answers!" she moved to grab his shoulder.

Elias whipped around, catching her forearm, squeezing it for a moment. He looked at the fear painting her face and let go. He sighed and rubbed his beard, recomposing himself. He placed his hands on her shoulders, "Claire, you are tired. You will shower and ready yourself for bed. Then you will go to sleep, yes? I will come when you wake up."

She nodded, yawning suddenly. Her body began to slump, craving the warmth of a hot shower and the comfort of a freshly-made bed. "You're right, I am tired."

She turned and began to undress as she walked towards the bathroom. Elias left the room, locking the door behind him. She did not notice, nor did she try to leave.