Survivor (17 page)

When I locked up, my attention was only half on what
I was doing, my mind spinning with possibilities.  I heard a soft step behind
me, but I didn’t react right away, thinking it must be Peter, come to see me
home.  A big hand landed on my shoulder and jerked me around, making me drop my
keys.  I looked up into the eyes of the brown-haired monster, Viktor.  He smiled. 
It wasn’t a comforting sight.

“What do you want?”  My voice sounded scared, even
to my own ears.  Peter had said they were simply pulling pranks on him, giving
him a hard time because he wouldn’t conform to their ways.  I thought he might
be right about Cynthia and the others.  But not this guy.  Something about Vicktor
was a little too intense.  I thought he might be willing to go beyond pranks
for the sake of his loyalty to Leah.

He arched an eyebrow and shook his head.  “Sorry
about this, peach.”  He sounded genuine, though not greatly regretful.  “You’ll
thank me someday, if your boyfriend has the balls to make it worth your pain.”  Then
he pulled me out of my wheelchair.  Thankfully, I wasn’t wearing my lap belt.  I’m
pretty sure it would have broken both my legs.

He held me up by the front of my sweatshirt.  I
struggled and kicked awkwardly with my clumsy legs, but it was pointless.  I’d
been here before, and I knew how it would end.  He was stronger than any human,
and I was quite a bit weaker than most.

He sank his teeth into my throat.  I gasped, but
didn’t scream.  It all happened so fast I barely had time to register what was
going on.  He wasn’t gentle about it, but he didn’t let me feel too much pain. 
I struggled weakly, but his aura was strong and I could already feel my
traitorous body relaxing, lulled by the hormones he was exuding as he killed
me.  My vision started to go black around the edges and he lifted his head.  His
mouth was red with my blood.  It almost looked black in the dim streetlight.  He
dropped me in a heap on the sidewalk and I barely avoided hitting my head,
catching myself roughly with my hands.  The vampire picked up my chair with one
hand.  Stooping, he hauled me up by an arm and strode toward the riverside
park, dragging me along.

I was sobbing by this time, cursing and screaming,
but there was no one around to hear.  This area of town was mostly businesses,
and they had all closed down hours ago.  I tore at his hand where it grasped my
wrist.  I gouged at his skin with my nails, and angled around to bite him.  I
might as well be attacking a statue.  I doubt I did any damage, and although he
swore softly a couple of times, it seemed that my attempts were more annoying
than painful.  He continued to drag me down toward the river, off the sidewalk
and across the soft grass.

Finally, we reached the water’s edge and he let go
of me.  Turning, he flung my chair out into the middle of the river.  It made a
surprisingly small splash for such a large, expensive piece of equipment.  The
moment he turned his back, I began pulling myself across the grass away from
him.  It was a useless gesture, but I wasn’t going to just sit here obediently
and let him kill me.  I stopped short when a pair of pink converse came into my
field of view.  Frantically searching for the face of my rescuer, I looked up
and found Cynthia.  She ignored me, crossing her arms, and tapping her toe in
irritation.

“Viktor, what the hell are you doing?”  She didn’t
sound angry so much as exasperated.  Small matter, his killing me.  Since she
was ignoring me, I kept crawling, angling myself around her.

Viktor didn’t sound the least bit repentant.  “Pete
is behaving like a child.  He needs to take responsibility for our race, just
like the rest of us.  Leah babies him because he’s her favorite, but he’s
undermining her power.”  His voice was petulant.  “They tried to use his
girlfriend to get to Leah.  It’s an embarrassment.”  He walked around Cynthia
and grabbed me by the scruff of the neck, hauling me up to dangle from his
extended arm.  I was having a hard time staying alert.  I think the blood loss
was making me woozy.

Cynthia sighed.  “You always overdo it Viktor.”  She
said softly.  “You know he refuses to turn anyone against their will.  You’ll
just be a murderer.”

I didn’t bother to chime in on their argument, too
busy trying to get free.  Viktor wasn’t convinced by Cynthia’s logic.  He shook
me for emphasis.  “He likes this one.  He’s fucking her.  He’ll be happy to
keep her.”  Cynthia sighed in exasperation and Viktor continued.  “And if he
doesn’t, then at least he’ll be punished.”  His voice took on a strange note. 
“I’m willing to murder for Leah.  She’s the only reason we can be together.”

He had let his arm sag a little while he argued with
Cynthia.  I used his distraction to snake out an arm and make a grab for him,
my hand curled into a claw.  I managed to grab something soft, and I twisted
viciously.  He yelped in surprise and dropped me.  I hit the ground with a
moan.  I couldn’t even try to crawl away this time; I was too weak.  Everything
was going dark around the edges, even the fuzzy glow of the streetlights.

Cynthia laughed dryly.  “Well if you’re doing this,
you need to hurry up and let him in on it.  You have no ability to plan.  She’s
going to die before he gets here.”  She tossed a glance my way.  “Blood loss
alone is too easy to fix.  Make sure he doesn’t have a choice.”  She pulled out
a cell phone as Viktor scooped me up once more.  “Sorry sweetheart,” he said
seriously.  “I won’t break anything until you pass out.”  I flailed weakly. 
Oh
good
.

“We’re at the park,” Cynthia said flatly.  “You’d
better hurry.  Viktor is getting a little carried away.”  She flipped the phone
shut and eyed me with interest.  “I like your spirit,” she said, matter of
fact.  “Most humans would be screaming and crying right now.”  I did scream
then, which made black spots dance across my vision.

Viktor let me slump, but kept a hold on my right
arm.  He stretched it painfully, almost pulling me upright again as he sank his
teeth into the vulnerable spot at the inside of my elbow.  I struggled weakly, fighting
not to let the numbness overtake my fury.  They were using me to punish Peter. 
And there was nothing I could do about it.  I thought of how he would feel,
finding my lifeless body in the park where we had eaten lunch together.  I
couldn’t spare him that.  I was too weak, too useless.

No matter how hard I fought to stay conscious, I slowly
lost the ability to struggle.  Things were sliding out of focus.  Each time he
pulled at my arm, my heart pulsed painfully.  
God damn it
.  Futile tears
slid like ice down my cheeks.  All of the shit I had been through, only to die
like this.  I wanted to be filled with rage, but instead I was starting to feel
all peaceful.  There was a light scuffing of shoes on the sidewalk to our left.
 Peter probably.  It was right about then that I passed out.

I don’t know how long I was out, but I woke up when
Viktor broke my back.  I came to a screaming alertness.  Somewhere in the fog
of pain, I realized there were worse things than terrible motor control.  Like,
say, complete paralysis for example.  I couldn’t feel my legs.  I couldn’t feel
much of anything with any certainty, but I had absolutely no sense of even
having legs.  I heard Peter nearby, his voice low and deadly.  It was his
vampire voice.  I was in and out of consciousness for I don’t know how long.  Events
around me came and went like flashes, as I missed out on big chunks of time.  At
one point there was shouting and fighting.  At another, there was fervent
pleading.  And then it was quiet and I was lying with my head in Peter’s lap.

“I’m so sorry Melody,” he whispered into the
darkness.  I wanted to see his face, but my eyes didn’t seem to be working
right.  He cradled my limp body in his arms as he bit me.  I was dimly
confused.  Viktor was killing me.  Why was Peter killing me?  Then I was gone.

*****

I woke up in a panic, threw off the clinging
blankets, and flung myself out of bed without thought.  I was being attacked!  Where
was Viktor?  I squinted in the bright light, and my eyes watered and burned.  I
took a deep breath, smelling dryer sheets and linen, and a hint of masculine
cologne.  The room was empty, and I relaxed a bit.  Then I froze in sudden
shock as I realized that I was standing six feet from where I’d been sleeping…and
I’d gotten here under my own power.  My legs felt week, and I was already
feeling tired, but I had flung myself out of bed and across the room without
hesitation.  I lifted my hands and studied them in the bright light that suffused
the room.  Not a scratch.  My palms had been shredded when I fell on the sidewalk,
as I was fighting Viktor.  I’m pretty sure he had broken my body like dry twigs.
 Had I dreamed that?

I made my way across the room with the shaky steps
of a newborn fawn, and plopped down onto the edge of the bed.  The room was too
bright, though there was no light on and the curtains were pulled against the
sun.  I had no idea where I was.  The place was filled with expensive,
masculine furniture in deep, soothing tones.  Not my bedroom.  Not a room I had
ever seen before.  A tear leaked from my eye and I wiped it away, wondering absently
why I was crying.  There was a creaking sound and the shush of sliding fabric
that I distantly identified as the sound of someone shifting in their chair.  It
was unbelievably loud.  I shook my head in denial.  No.  I couldn’t be.

I called up the vague memories of Viktor and Cynthia’s
argument.  Viktor had said I would thank him for hurting me because he knew
Peter wouldn’t let me die.  I pushed up off the bed, heading for an open door
that led into a bathroom.  I walked there.  It was slow, and I still felt weak. 
But I could walk.

I flipped on the light without thinking, gasping in
pain as it flared to life like a floodlight, temporarily blinding me.  Swearing,
I turned it off.  The person in the other room must have heard me, because
hurried footsteps were headed this way.  I made my way to the mirror over the
sink.  Taking a deep breath, I lifted my head and studied my reflection.  I
could see myself just fine without the light.

I was wearing an unfamiliar t-shirt that hung to
mid-thigh.  I lifted the hem to find a pair of lacy underwear I had never seen
before.  Someone had obviously cleaned me up and dressed me.  My hair hung over
one shoulder in a thick braid.  I certainly couldn’t braid my own hair, so
someone else must have done that too.  
Well
, I thought, giddy,
I
could probably braid my own hair now.
 I clutched the edge of the sink and
fought a wave of dizziness.

Someone had entered the room and was standing in the
threshold watching me.  I didn’t look to see who it was.  I couldn’t look away
from the mirror.  I stared at myself with wide, liquid silver eyes.  The face
that stared back was thinner.  I obviously hadn’t eaten in a while.  My skin
had always been rather pale, but now it had a luminosity to it.  It almost
glowed.  It all sank in, and a pulse of adrenaline shook me.  The sudden
emotion made my fangs thrust out from my gums.

The man in the doorway came to stand behind me as I
reached up and hesitantly touched my shiny new teeth.  They were sharper than I
realized, and I jumped as I pricked my finger.  I stared at the injured digit
as it slowly healed, leaving a dark drop of blood on the tip.  I met Peter’s
eyes in the mirror.  They had gone all silvery.  He was probably a little
stressed out too.

He slowly stepped forward and slipped an arm around
my waist, pulling me back against him.  He grasped my wrist with the other
hand, brining my once injured finger to his mouth.  He gently licked the drop
of blood off and I shivered.  I was thirsty.  Like I hadn’t had water in years
thirsty.  I could see the tiny blue veins tracing just beneath the surface of
the skin on Peter’s hand and it made my teeth ache.  I closed my eyes to shut
it out.  The need to drink was painful, but exciting- achingly so.

Peter stooped and lifted me up in one fluid motion.  He
carried me to the bed just as he had so many times before.  He sat against the
headboard and arranged me in his lap.  Then, still not speaking, he pulled my
head to his neck.  I hesitated, breathing him in.  It was what I needed, but I
had never done this before.  I didn’t know where to bite, or how to feed.  He
slipped his hand up to cradle the back of my neck and tilted his head to the
side in invitation.  “It’s okay,” he breathed.  “You won’t hurt me.”

I took a deep breath and bit him.  It was easy.  My
teeth were so sharp I barely had to put any pressure behind it.  His blood
filled my mouth and I swallowed reflexively, relaxing as I found that this new
body knew what to do.  With his blood, I lost the clinging-to-the-edge sort of
tension I had been feeling since I woke up.  I felt like I could almost see his
aura.  A warm rush of pleasure rippled over my body and Peter sighed.  I shifted,
pressing closer to him as he ran his hands over my body, caressing and
comforting.  Finally, I lifted my head with a little gasp, severing myself from
that sense of
him
that was humming over my skin.

My t-shirt had rucked up and I was half straddling
him.  I felt like I should be blushing- only, I didn’t think I could do that
anymore.  Peter pressed his forehead to mine and closed his eyes.  His grip on
my hips was strong and possessive.

“Melody,” his voice was that rippling woodwind sound
that told me he was struggling with his own hunger.  “Oh God Melody you must
hate me…but I want you so badly.”