Daylight, Verbayne +Demonata-Freak [book recommendations .txt] 📗

letting a handful of precious crimson drip over the ends. Dustin jerks, a scream erupting from his throat. I force the sound of his agony into the background, eye focused on the little drops of blood that were being sucked into his body though the cuts on his legs. A ghostly image of the woman whose arm had been severed at the shoulder imprinted itself over Dustin.

It was like seeing double, the past and present converging into one multilayered image. A whispered voice filtered through my head, passed the sound of Dustin's howling. The voice pulsed with power, with an ancient magic that flowed through my own veins. So filled with rawvpower, so frightening, the voice muttered one word. That word slipped from my own lips, power flaring for only a second as it was uttered.

"Grow"

Muscles and tendons that hand long since been lost to Dustin tore their way through his body. I felt them gather inside him and uncoil like they had been lying dormant all this time, waiting for someone to call them forth from his flesh. Sleek white bones slide out of his leg, growing from what little bits were left floating below his knees and into their full form. The muscle and other tissue I had called forth knit themselves around the bone, nerves rising from the bubbling flesh seconds before a thin pinkish film flowed over the muscle. A second layer rolled over the first, his skin turning a pale white color to match the rest of his body.

Dustin's howls suddenly stop, emptiness filling my ears in a thunderous silence. I blink stepping away from Dustin I felt myself stumble seconds before my ass hits the floor, my legs having given out. Saoirse rushes to my side, I wave her off, eyes going to a confused Dustin laying on the table.

"I told you I would save him." I laugh, the sound harsh and breathy. Saoirse looks at Dustin, concern making her face crumple. "He just needs to feed." I tell her as reassuringly as possible.

Shaking my head I force my limbs to straighten, to make them take the burden of my own body weight as I try to stand. Rolling up onto all fours I push away from the ground, spine straightening just as my knees start to quiver, buckling for the second time under my own weight. I crash to the floor, cursing under my breath. Saoirse's fingers wrap around my arm, lifting me up off the ground. I groan, entire body aching as I lean on her.

"You need to feed too." She whispers, eyes giving me a once over.

I wanted to laugh, to tell her that rather than feeding I needed to kill a couple vampires, but I kept my mouth shut. I doubted she would understand the need for more powerful blood, that to me the taste of an old vampire was better than drinking from the youth of humankind.

"I'll take care of her"

I half jumped as Janus's deeply accented voice filled the darkness of the hole. I had forgotten he was even here with us. Once he stepped out of the circle of my power it was like he stopped existing to me. Only Dustin and Saoirse were there as far as I was concerned. I glanced in Janus's direction, surprised to find him within touching distance.

Reaching out to me he swept my legs out from under me, pulling me from around Saoirse's neck and into his chest. My body went still, the sudden change from struggling to stand even with Saoirse's help to being carried as if I were a newlywed bride was too much for me.

“You just look after that man; use the human’s blood over there.” Janus says, head pointing in Red's direction.

My lips part. "Why-"

And he went airborne, the deafening roar of wind cutting off what I was trying to say. My stomach lurched making me feel dizzy enough that I had to close my eyes and bury my face in Janus's shoulder to keep from throwing up. Head spinning I swallowed back the bile rising in my throat, nails digging into his shirt I clung to Janus like a scared child. Arms tightening around me Janus's body vibrated, a quiet thud the only thing letting me know we had landed in the closet above. Pushing away from him I tried to swing my legs around, feet touching the wooden floor of the closet.

Janus let me crawl out of his arms, lips parting to give me aw warning. "I don't think you should-"

My head did back flips, world blurring in streaks of dark colors as I collapsed, mind going blank.

Chapter 28 - Saoirse

Slowly and rather reluctantly, I peel myself out of Dustin’s arms and take a small step back, examining him. His legs are sitting still and bloody, his nerves must not have connected to his brain completely yet, so he I don’t think he’s noticed them yet. The dead Red’s blood is smeared over his mouth and chin, a few glistening drops sliding down his neck. Again, I don’t think he’s noticed the red liquid staining his skin, despite the fact he was just jugging Red’s blood like… well, like a Vampire.

Sometimes when a Vampire is first created they black out slightly from the overwhelming change their body is forced through. They drink blood, because it’s our instinct, but other than that, it probably all feels like a dream. Clearly Dustin doesn’t know what’s happened to him. I’m going to have to tell him… Smiling sadly, I push stray strands off his midnight black hair out his electric blue eyes.

“Where are we?” Dustin croaks, sitting up slowly with great effort and pain visible in his features. His eyes stay fixed on me, not even noticing his brand new limbs even though he’s sitting up. “And why are you wearing my funeral shirt?” Barking a laugh, my gaze sweeps over the large man’s shirt covering me, stained crimson in places with Dustin’s blood.

“You’re safe, that’s all that matters,” I whisper, gently laying my hand on top of his.

Dustin’s eyes fall to my hand, his own fingers looping round mine. “What am I safe from? I remember us…” he falls silent and a smirk plays in the corners off his lips. “*Y’know*,” he chuckles and shakes his head. “But after that, no idea…” His eyes flicker back up to me.

Biting my lip I try to look away but his eyes remained focus on mine. Avoiding telling him that I tried to drain him off his blood would be the most selfish thing to do right now but… I can’t tell him, I just can’t. Sighing, my hand runs up his arm, Dustin’s eyes following it.

“You’ve not noticed, have you?” I mutter.

“Noticed what?” Dustin frowns, eyes tearing away from my hand and up to my face, curiosity and something else… suspicion?

My chest tightens lightly but I smile at him anyway, my gaze sweeping down his body to rest on his legs. Gasping, Dustin body’s starts shaking violently. Trembling hands reach out and touch the top of his legs, making sure they are real and not a cruel dream in his head. His fingers dig into the tender flesh and he yelps, snatching his hands back.

“Saoirse, what is this?” His voice brakes half way through his breathing so uneven you’d think he was drowning.

 Wrapping my arms around his face I pull his head into my chest, petting his hair. “It’s a favour from a friend,” I say quietly petting his hair.

“Do you want to stand up?”Dustin nods his head quickly like a child.

Letting go of him, I place a hand on his shoulder as he stares at his legs for a few more moments. Breathing deeply, he slowly swings one leg over the side off the metal table, the other one shortly after. Worried eyes lock onto mine, his body still trembling; Dustin takes one off my hands in his. Gulping and giving him a reassuring smile, I squeeze his hand back and pull gently. Whimpering lightly, he slides off the table, his feet hitting the hard floor and wobbling.He almost crashes to the ground but I grab his arm and put it around mine, my other hand pressed against his chest keeping him steady.

“You alright? Do you want to sit back down?”

Dustin shakes his head again, panting like a thirsty dog that’s been deprived off water for months. Gradually, he puts one leg out in front of the other in a slow motion version of walking, moving a small step forward. A genuinely joy filled laugh brakes free of his chest as he moves another step forward, still clinging to me and I him.

“This is…” Dustin gasps continuing to walk on his new legs. “There aren’t words…”I grin as I walk beside him for a few more minutes.

He hovers for a few more minutes in one spot before taking a deep and shaky breath, then moves his legs forward some more as he gets used to their muscles. Something he has been deprived off for many years, I cannot even imagine how he must be feeling right now. I will try to be as positive about this as I can but I still fear having to tell him that he is a Vampire. How will he possibly react to something like that?

“How’re you feelin’? Are you still hungry?” I ask quietly.

Dustin looks at me strangely, smacking his lips lightly, tasting the oh-so addictive blood on his tongue. The sharp retractable fangs in his gums and the way his heart rate is slowing down at an impossible rate. His eyes go wide and his breath comes out unevenly. “Saoirse? What have you done?”

Imprint

Text: Ideas by Niamhmolloy and Verbayne
Images: cover picture from Google, title layout by verbayne
Publication Date: 01-26-2013

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