Ch 184: Punishment [R-18]

[Viewer Discretion Is Advised.]

My lips divided to plead and I fought back my tears but from the nearby distance, I heard this child crying. I looked out into the woods and saw this little girl. No, a toddler that was no more than two or three years old. Her tiny face was red and tears streamed down her rosy cheeks. She waddles in her pink capris and matching top that had a cute cartoon bunny on it.

Right away, I knew something was wrong by the way she was toddling to us. It's like she has no control over her actions. Yet somehow she seemed aware of it by how frightened and confused she expressed her face. Just as quickly, I realized what Kai was doing.

"No, you can't! She's a baby!" I yell, desperately.

"Of course, I can, my love. The younger they are, the fresher their blood tastes," Kai replied without having a sense of heart.

My fists pounded on his chest. "You can't do this!"

Till he snatched my wrists and grinned evilly with this thirst growing in his dark bloodred eyes.

"I can, it's the same thing as a human eating veal or baby lambs," he divulged when he fixed his sight back on the toddler as she screamed her lungs out.

I fought free from his grasp and turned to see she was getting closer.

"I'm sorry! I promise I won't disobey you again!" I cried with the toddler as she kept closing into her terrible fate.

"You should have taken my warning more seriously from the start, my love. Now it's too late because I am very hungry." Kai said ominously with his eyes fixated on the child like this leopard eyeing up his prey.

"Please, don't do this!" I implored again. "Please, she's only a baby!"

"It will be quick and painless that much I can promise you," Kai said heartlessly and he licked his ravenous chops while the toddler was nearly at his reach.

There was nothing left to do but to run toward the little girl. I picked her up and backed away from him reaching her.

She continued to cry as I tried to hush and soothe her by patting her back.

"Please, don't do this, Kai! I can't handle it!" I cried in my last attempt to save her from him.

As I stared into his baleful red gaze while I rocked the child being held in my arms. I made sure her face was looking at the wood and not him while she cried in my left ear.

Kai's pernicious grin widened and then he dispersed into this black sand and perished within the wind. I looked around to spot him and yet I couldn't find him anywhere in sight.

Gradually, the child's cry lessened and she looked around like he expelled her from whatever mental hold he had over her. She then sat up in my arms and bought her fingers up into her mouth and started fussing again.

Straight in front of me to my right, this black cloudy smog came in. Before this figure was shaped into a being. I stepped away in case Kai was playing a twisted game. Until a female body took form in a black dress around a baby belly. Emerald eyes stared at me holding the child.

Rose stepped forward until I warned backing away. "Don't come any closer, Rose!"

Instantly, she stopped and looked at me sincerely. She knew I didn't trust her for good reason.

"I promise I won't hurt the child. I only wanna return her home," Rose vowed with these gentlest eyes.

"Like I honestly trust you, Rose!" I said as the toddler still cried.

"Will take her to the Sheriff and he'll reunite her with her parents," Rose said, gently. "But she isn't safe yet because Kai hasn't left. If he changes his mind he'll feed on her and neither of us can stop him."

"Where is he?" I looked everywhere asking her but I still couldn't spot him. Then I noticed Rose smelled the air. "He's nearby unseen," she shared and walked closer. "Now this way, Rome is coming to pick us up."

I cautiously followed her and asked. "How can I trust Rome not to harm her?"

As the child still cried we reached the edge of the road.

"Out of Kai's advisors, Rome and Glenn are the only ones you can trust with a human child. Rome's a kid at heart and loves children, including humans. And Glenn never had an appetite to feed off of human offspring. But my husband Ace, Jack, and Ivan would have drained her life already." Rose shared with me being honest and truthful.

Down the road, Rome pulled up in his blue skyline. He parked it by us and then got out. I stepped away when he was coming towards me, still holding the crying toddler.

"Relax Princess, I'm only going to calm her," Rome told me with a pleasant expression.

I calmed myself and watched Rome place his hands on her temples. For a second his eyes blinked red and I was about to step away but then the toddler stopped crying.

"Mama." She looked around confused and Rome pulled out a pink lollipop from his pocket.

He crooned and gave her the lollipop, "we're going to take you to mama."

She took it and brought it to her mouth and sucked on it some. Rome opened the doors for me to sit in the back with the child and Rose sat up front.

~~~

Without Rome even speeding, we were at the police department in no time.

"Ok, we can take it from here," the Sheriff proclaimed and held out his arms to take her from me.

But I knew better and could tell he was a vampire. I knew it in my gut.

"No, I'm not going anywhere until I know she is safe with her family," I sternly said and backed up from letting him take her off me. I didn't trust any of them and I will never trust Kai.

The sheriff gently told me with a slight frown because he knew I didn't trust him. "Alright, there is a playroom. Why don't you take her there and I'll make a few calls and see if any reports have been called about a missing toddler."

"Let's take her back," Rose said softly. I cautiously follow her into this playroom filled with tons of toys and an indoor plastic playground. She wiggles free from my hold and takes off to play inside a tunnel.