AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I did. It was mesmerizing, just as you promised,” Sol lied.
“I know it was everything I promised it would be and more, but what did you think of it?” Vincent persisted.
Sol looked from Vincent to Avery and gazed at her angelic face as he softly answered, “She is perfection like nothing I’ve ever known before now.”
“Her blood used to be better, if you can believe that,” Vincent explained.
Sol had a puzzled look upon his face, but turned back to look at Vincent curiously. What kind of game was this fiend playing and why had he chosen Sol as his puppet?
“I can’t imagine it being better,” Sol complimented.
“You see, my sweet Avery has become somewhat desensitized to us. We no longer frighten her and she doesn’t produce the adrenalin high she once did. As you can imagine, I want that sensational high again. As hard as I have tried, I can’t seem to achieve it anymore,” he admitted.
He was baiting Solomon and I didn’t know why. “I’m sorry, Vincent. I don’t understand what you mean.”
“Phillip, I noticed the way you looked at my Avery.” He placed two fingers under her chin and lifted her face upward and stroked her carotid with his free hand “You noticed too, didn’t you my sweet angel?”
Avery made no response and Vincent continued, “Don’t you smell her fear and hear her fluttering heart, Phillip? It’s been months since this has happened. She might as well been dead to the world until she saw you in the crowd and then her pathetic little human heart began to race. Now, adrenalin is coursing in her blood and seeping from her skin. Isn’t it magnificent?”
Solomon responded by saying, “She is a splendid creature and you are very lucky to have such a rare commodity.”
“Come closer to her, Phillip,” Vincent ordered Sol. Sol’s expression didn’t hide his astonishment of Vincent’s request, but he did what was asked of him and stepped closer to Avery. Vincent motioned with his hand as he said, “Closer, I want you to touch her, Phillip.”
“Okay, this is getting a little too weird,” Sol replied as he began to back away and I prayed he wasn’t about to blow our plan by not playing along with Vincent.
Vincent rose from the armrest and said, “I said for you to touch her, and you are a guest in my home, so please show some respect for your generous host that shared her blood with you tonight.”
Sol moved closer to Avery and pressed the back of his hand to her cheek and slowly stroked down her cheek.
“It is glorious what your touch does to her,” Vincent said and broke the spellbound appearance upon Solomon’s face. I had to give it to him, he was quite the actor. He almost had me fooled.
“I’m glad you are pleased,” Sol replied as he turned to walk away.
Vincent raised his voice as he added, “Stop, we’re not done here. You’ve accomplished what no one else could and I need to reward you for your achievement.”
Sol stopped and turned back to Vincent as he said, “I need no reward.”
Vincent motioned with his hand and laughed as he stretched out in a threatening tone, “Phillip...come...back.”
Sol hesitated for a moment and then turned to walk back to Vincent and Avery.
“I have just one more request,” Vincent whispered to Sol.
“What do you want?” Sol questioned.
“Bite her,” he ordered and then studied Sol’s face for a reaction. “I see you are questioning my seriousness, but I am quite serious.” Vincent reached for Avery’s carotid and caressed it with his thumb. “Bite her, now!”
Vincent’s face turned more devious as he challenged Sol to try to defy him. I saw the struggle within him as he wrestled with the command of our lunatic host. He was sickened by the thought of harming this young girl we were here to rescue, but also feared the certain addiction of her blood, as promised by Jenn.
I waited for his response for an eternity before he silently walked toward her, as only a predator like us could, and slowly lifted her wrist toward his mouth. I knew in this moment that he was freely sacrificing himself to save this girl and I couldn’t say that I would do the same. Not only was he was giving up years of sobriety for her; he was exposing himself to the powerful addiction of her blood.
Just before Solomon was about to take her wrist to his mouth, Vincent stopped him and I breathed a sigh of relief until he added, “No, not like that. Stand up, Avery.” Vincent took her hand when she stood and led her to a huge gothic mirror on the wall. “Come join us, Phillip.”
My stomach lurched when I realized he was not finished with Sol and there was more to this evil game of his.
Solomon followed the two and then said, “I don’t know what it is you want from me.”
“Stand here, behind her,” he directed and Solomon took his place behind Avery and looked to Vincent for further directions. “I want her to watch you in the mirror as you drink from her neck.”
My heart went out to Sol as I watched his eyes move to Avery’s. Given no choice, he placed his hand on the blonde curls cascading over her neck and pushed them away. He watched her eyes in the reflection of the mirror and I almost thought I heard him whisper, “I’m sorry,” for what he was about to do to her.
Sol’s incisors lengthened as he lowered his eyes and found the spot he once found so familiar. He quickly pierced Avery’s flesh and a low groan escaped her mouth as her lips pulled away from her teeth as she grimaced with pain. He sucked lightly, trying to be gentle with her, while he waited for Vincent’s permission to stop.
A full minute must have passed and then I heard Vincent say, “Enough,” granting Sol permission to release Avery. He began to clap his hands and said, “That was marvelous. Let the party continue. We have many hours yet, until dawn. Please, enjoy yourselves.”
Solomon released Avery and turned her around to inspect his bite on her neck. He leaned forward and ran his tongue along the site where blood oozed and covered her bite with his coagulant to stop the bleeding. He took her face with his palms and looked deeply into her eyes. I hadn’t known Solomon to use his persuasion in years, but I knew his intentions as he said, “Avery, when you wake in the morning, you will not remember this incident. Your neck will be sore and you will believe it is from sleeping in an uncomfortable position. Do you understand?”
She stared back into his eyes and whispered, “I do.”
Sol took one last look at her and turned, leaving her standing with her guards staring after him. When he returned to my side, I didn’t say a word about what had just happened, but I knew he and I had the same thing on our minds. What was Avery’s blood going to do to him?
18 Someone Say They Need A Hero?
Avery returned to sit on her throne and it was painful for Sol to look at her, so he tried to avoid her, but occasionally his eyes betrayed hi
m and he looked in her direction to verify that his actions had not harmed the girl. Avery seemed to be fighting the same inner battle because I would catch her searching the room and her eyes always seemed to focus in on Sol.
As the next hour ticked by slowly and we watched the guards escort Avery toward the back of the house. As she rounded the corner, she turned for one last look at Sol before a guard gave her an unnecessary shove, causing her to stumble. Sol leapt to break her fall, but she was able to recover on her own and he stepped back, thinking better of his move to approach a Blood Jewel with armed guards.
We didn’t discuss the incident between Sol and Avery, but we began to notice the peculiar behavior displayed by our hosts and other guests. Their strange drunkenness seemed to increase as the minutes stretched into an hour and we waited for the dreaded effects of Avery’s blood to attack Sol.
Sol was anxious and ready to jump out of his own skin by the time the second hour came after consuming Avery’s blood. “Ugh! These drunken fools are driving me crazy. I feel fine for the time being, but I know it’s only a matter of time before I space out, so it’s probably time I left. I can’t be positive I’ll be able to control myself once this thing hits and I can’t bear the thought of hurting that girl again. Everything is up to you from this point.”
I nodded in agreement and then watched Sol leave through the front door without looking back to meet Gia, his getaway driver. The guests began to thin as they sought dark resting places for the day and for passing out. Gloriana appeared at my side, still in a drunken stupor and said, “I knew you wouldn’t find a resting place without me.”
I played my part well, pretending to be under the influence of the Blood Jewel, and seductively said, “Who says we have to find a resting place?” As the words left my mouth, I fought the bile threatening to spew behind them.
She peered at me through her squinted, intoxicated eyes and smiled. “My thoughts exactly. Dawn approaches soon, so why don’t you join me in my bedroom?” Her hand grazed my arm and I consciously forced myself to not recoil because this was my chance to explore the house in search of the girl.
