I'll Justify My Reasons With Your Blood

You know how everything just seems to stop when you hear horrible news? Your heart feels like its not even beating anymore…time seems still…you feel numb. Of course I could just call bullshit on everything that he just said, but how could I after seeing my own past? Although, things may not be as bad as they sounded. To be honest, I don’t know what all these stupid terms mean, so hey, maybe it’s bearable. Besides, the silence was becoming suffocating.

“And what exactly does that mean?”

He grinned with a touch of malice as he brought his hands down onto my shoulders, squeezing tightly. “In some cases, it could mean you’re lovers, but since most vampires in this clan aren’t known to love, it’s a different story…” I groaned after hearing that, and after feeling his grip get impossibly stronger by the minute. “We do things differently in Shadows’ clan. When the male vampire finds his blood mate, it’s pretty much like he gets his own personal slave. We share a connection that makes it easy for the male to control the female, even though that supposed to be a power that’s only used on humans, typically.”

There it was again – that sinking, freezing feeling. “Y-you’re lying! I’m not going to be your slave and I’m not going to be a member of this clan either!” I screamed defiantly.

He laughed and shook his head. “I really wish you weren’t such a big part of Shadows’ plan. You always have to do things the hard way.”

His fingers crawled up my neck toward my face, where they stopped. His eyes stared deeply into mine, and I found that I couldn’t look away – believe me, I tried. “Nicole, you will take this knife,” he said, pulling a knife out of his pants, “and slit your wrists letting all the blood go into my mouth.”

I felt my lip twitch as I suppressed some sign of disgust and/or struggle. My brain was completely spazzing out. It wanted to be left alone, but Syn was too strong. I could tell that his control had something to do with eye contact. I bet if I can just get myself to blink, then I can break his hold! I drew in a couple deep breaths as my arm reached for the knife. That was the only body part that was moving at this point. I felt the cold metal tip come in contact with my fingertips. I need something to take my mind off of this.

I thought back to a couple months ago, during one of the first days at the school I worked for. My assistant teacher was out sick, so I was going to need a few helping hands. So, I made Jared and Shannon come in and act as the substitute teachers. All of the kids took an immediate liking to them and even made finger-paintings for them the next morning. The funniest part had to of been when Shannon was playing jump rope with the girls outside, or when Jared joined a game of house. It’s almost hard to believe that any of that even happened – that there ever used to be a time when things were normal…safe…happy.

I blinked a couple of times and found myself staring down at the knife in my hands. It worked! I kept a straight face before gripping the knife tightly and shoving it into his lower abdomen, completely catching him off guard. “Nice try, asshole,” I grinned, wasting no time running off, dragging Lillian along with me.

“Where are we going?!” she shouted.

“We have to warn Jared,” I explained, hoping that I’d be able to find his room before the ceremony started.

Once we got enough distance between Synyster and ourselves, we took a short break. “Do you even know where you’re going?” Lillian asked, sounding borderline annoyed. I didn’t want to admit it, but I had no idea. She took my silence as a confirmation and sighed loudly.

“Look, Nikki…I already told you I’m going to try and help you and your brother out as much as I can, but you know my loyalty is to my brother and my clan. Once you’re in one, you can’t get out of one. And what you did just now with Syn was just a lucky shot.”

“That’s not true,” I protested, “if all of this shit is true, then in my previous life I was a member of the Leto clan but was turned into a member of Shadows Clan. All it takes is a blood majority. I’ll prove it to all of you!”

Without waiting to hear whatever else she had to say, I took of running in the opposite direction. I could hear loud organ music, which suggested that the ceremony was just about to begin. I’ve had enough of this shit. I’m gonna make it right.

*Lillian’s POV*

I watched as Nikki foolishly ran off in her own direction. Doesn’t she realize that Shadows’ men have completely swarmed this place? Knowing that it was about time for my appearance, I returned to the dressing room, put on the veil, and joined the “bridesmaids,” none of which I had ever met before, and entered the cathedral.

As I walked down the aisle with the fakest smile on my face, I subtly scanned the crowd. There was no sign of anyone from the clan in here, which means I can explain things to Jared to quickly.

Speaking of him, I glanced up and saw his excited face. How could it be that he truly loved me so quickly? How could he trust me so easily? How is it that his brother discovered my identity, but he has no idea? The altar was approaching sooner than I preferred, and for one of the first times in my eternal life, I felt what humans call “being nervous.”

Jared turned toward me, standing next to Shannon, who was sporting a slowly healing black eye and a couple of rips in his suit. I wonder if he tried to tell Jared the truth…or if one of the Sevenfold got to him first. I reached out to meet Jared’s outstretched hand and stepped up onto the altar for everyone in the cathedral to see. The priest began reading off vows, rights, rules, etc., but to be perfectly honest all of that was going right through my ears. I have something to do, and it needs to be done within the next couple of seconds.

“Jared,” I whispered lowly, with a hint of urgency. Of course, he didn’t hear me.

By this point, the priest had finished his rehearsed lines and the rings were brought forward. Jared grinned proudly as he took the heavy diamond ring out of its case and slid it onto my left ring finger. I did the same for him, only his ring wasn’t a diamond but a simple silver band.

“You may now kiss the bride.” Those very words gave me a brilliant idea. I grinned seductively as I wrapped my arms around Jared’s neck and swung him to the right so that his back was up against the altar. I couldn’t resist not actually kissing him, so once that business was done, I gave him a serious look.

“Jared, I need you to listen to me. Shadows and his men are infiltrating the cathedral as we speak and they have your sister,” I muttered quickly and quietly, making it seem from behind as if the two of us were passionately making out, earning tons of audible reactions.

Jared’s eyes widened as several different emotions made their way across his face. “They’re here with Nikki…but why?” he replied.

“What do you think?! They’re going to try and take over your throne.”

A heavy silence suddenly fell upon the crowd after something hit one of the stained glass windows. Colorful shards spilled onto the vampires gathered below as several bodies were catapulted onto the stone floor. Humans were technically the ones who owned the cathedral and scheduled special events aside from average masses. A good ten to fifteen bodies were hurled through the windows – each of them more grotesquely murdered than the next.

Some bodies had eyes or noses completely chewed off, leaving nothing but bloody holes behind. Others had multiple bite marks along their necks, with blood seeping out, despite the fact that the body was dead. Blood spilled down the walls and through the cracks in the stone floor. Even though the room was filled with vampires, shrieks of shock and disapproval could be heard throughout. After all, ever since the Leto’s came into rule, vampires weren’t allowed to murder humans.

One of the bodies that landed near my feet was still breathing, and lucky for me…it was a man. Everyone was busy in the sudden commotion, so chances are I could go unnoticed. I quickly bent down and got on my knees so that I was just above this man’s body. “Allow me to help you out,” I grinned, feeling my own fangs drop down from my gums. I opened my mouth and took a large inhaling breath, seeing his soul rise out of his body slowly and into my mouth.

And since I could never let all that blood go to waste, I decided to take a quick bite and suck his body dry, leaving his remains looking something like a sack of soggy, deflated skin and pointy bones. I wiped the blood from my mouth and stood back up with a fixed look of panic on my face…even though I knew all too well…Shadows is ready to make his move.

*Normal POV*

Why does everything in this place have to look the same? I’ve been running for at least twenty minutes now and still feel like all I’ve done is run up and down the same damn corridor. I felt my feet come to a stumbling stop the moment I saw Shadows and Zacky walking at the opposite end of this particular hall. I tried to bite back a gasp, but the sneaky bastard managed to escape.

Shadows and Zacky instantly found me and within a mere half-second, they were standing on either side of me. “You know you shouldn’t be wandering these halls alone, especially so close to show time,” Zacky pointed out as Shadows wrapped one of his bulky arms around my entire frame and dragged me down the hall.

“Your stupid little plan isn’t going to work. And you sure as hell don’t have my support anymore,” I informed them, all while pointlessly struggling in his grasp.

“What, you don’t want to get back at your parents for killing you?” Shadows asked, still trying to play his stupid mind game.

I kicked my leg out in any direction possible, grinning after successfully making contact with one of his limbs. “Go fuck yourself. I know the truth now. Nice try manipulating my memories,” I said triumphantly.

“You’re just bluffing,” Zacky laughed.

“Right, just like how your buddy Synyster didn’t screw me over in my past life and isn’t still trying to screw me over now with his ‘blood mate’ bull shit,” I mocked.

They both stopped walking and Shadows shoved me up against a nearby wall. “How do you know all that?” he demanded.

“I’m a genius, didn’t you know?” I replied.

He growled in animalistic fashion as his eyes turned dark black. “If you fuck this up,” he said, stepping away from me, “I’ll kill all your family and make you dine on their blood.”

I decided not to take any more chances for now and learn to keep silent. Zacky’s phone vibrated loudly, and shortly after reading his text message, he announced that apparently the Rev and some of Shadows’ other men gave the people in the cathedral a surprise and that they were ready to begin.

“Well I guess we better head over there then. I bet your parents and brothers will be so relieved to see you again…well until they find out that you don’t belong to them anymore,” Shadows laughed as he resumed his grasp and led us to the cathedral entrance.

People say that the events that would occur that day caused the sky to turn red. And no one was near prepared for what was to take place, that’s for damn sure.