Black Blood

After Edward's confession, I found myself silently agreeing with him as we walked down the halls. I hated vampires as well, especially after everything I had been through because of them. That didn't mean I wanted to sacrifice myself to help Edward's cause. I wanted to do something else instead.

I didn't know what just yet, but I could feel it brewing within my core with each moment of silence that allowed me to think. I knew I couldn't go back to my old life, no matter how much I had originally wanted to. I had come to realize that at the very least.

Edward glanced back at me the moment I felt some kind of new energy stirring within me. It was intense, and sharp, far different to the one I had felt before. If I could properly describe it, I would probably compare it to doors that had been locked for god knows how long finally creaking open for the first time. I had to steady my breathing.

A thirst, much deeper and stronger than the itch I had felt before, began to build up within me. My heartbeat picked up speed again. Edward glanced back at me again. If I didn't know better I would say that I could see fear in those dark eyes.

I shook my head. Of course it wasn't fear. Perhaps uncertainty, but definitely not fear.

"Your silence and complacency is oddly unnerving," he finally said. I returned my attention to his back instead of being lost in my thoughts. "I liked the feisty you better. Not that you stand a chance trying to fight against me."

"She's still here," I told him. I bit back the urge to blurt what I was capable of doing to him. I was also fighting with a strange new urge that I didn't quite understand. Was this how vampires felt?

"Well, that's a relief," Edward chuckled. He seemed so out of character. Was this due to our heart to heart? I shook my head, feeling disgusted. And I recalled him attempting to- molest me, not too long ago.

What was it with vampires and trying to do unspeakable things with me? Was it the appeal of being with someone, whom every fiber of your being was telling you was dangerous? I'd never understood it really. Attraction; I'd read about it in novels. The heavy aura, power that Edward Blackblood held was like a drug, but there was no real attraction there.

I sighed and shook myself from my thoughts again. Now I was the one acting out of character, even wasting my time thinking about things I had never needed to think about before.

"Don't be kind to me, not after everything you just did," I said finally. "It's- disgusting." I clasped my hands over my mouth when I realized what kind of reaction my words could inspire, but dropped my hands when I decided I no longer cared.

Edward Blackblood gave no verbal response, but I felt the shift in the air around hm. It should have frightened me, like it had in the beginning. But I had my own change in energy. And I had already decided that I was done caring. Even if the dark aura around him felt like it was alive, trying to crush me under the weight of it.

After what felt like ages of being lost in my thoughts, ages of walking through crumbling halls and down crumbling steps, we finally came to a stop. We were just at the edge of the largest room I had seen in this decrepit palace. It was definitely a throne room, though an altar in the center of the room threw the look off.

The alter was dirtied, stained with dried and fresh blood. There was dried and fresh blood splattered all over the room actually. The heavy iron smell of it made my stomach turn, and I bent over, almost vomiting.

After the dry heaving ended I straightened back up. Edward Blackblood was standing over by the alter, eyeing me with an unreadable expression. He didn't have to beckon me over, I knew he wanted me to go over there with him.

I walked over to stand on the opposite side of the alter. I knew full well that he would have dragged me over regardless, and I didn't want his hands on me again so soon. I shuddered at the thought of his icy touch.

That strange thirst grew in the pit of my stomach, burning my throat. An impulse intensified- impulse to do what? It wasn't to drain his life force, like I had done with the other vampires. I placed my hands roughly down on the alter, ignoring how disgusted I was with all the blood.

When Edward's gaze caught mine, he froze. The big, scary vampire froze, instead of me. It was strange, but very welcomed. The fear that I stirred within vampires now. Even back in the beginning, before I had been forced to use my powers, Ethan Blackblood- and Claude as well- knew there was something different about me.

I was beginning to wonder just how different I was. What else could I do? I wanted more power. There was a way to have that power within my grasp, and somehow Edward Blackblood was the key.

"You- what are you?" he whispered. I dropped my gaze back to the alter. In my peripheral vision I watched him flinch and take several steps back.

"Your eyes-" his breathing hitched and he cut himself off. The next words came out a whisper. "You're not even human. But- but what are you, then?"

I felt saliva rapidly building in my mouth, as my stomach rumbled. I could feel it- I wasn't human anymore. But I wasn't completely what I was supposed to be just yet either. I lifted my gaze back up to him again.

"I don't know what I am," I said. "But you're the key to unlocking my full potential, I know that now. I don't know how, or- maybe I do know..."

I could clearly see the pulse of his dead blood moving through his veins. I craved it. It called to me. Had vampire blood always called out to me like that? I felt my face twist at the thought- vampires. I wouldn't be this way if they didn't exist. I wouldn't exist without them, but I still thought that would have been a better fate. I wanted to end them, just as Edward Blackblood wanted to kill humans.

Something in the corner of my eye caught my attention; a green glow coming from my hands. I stared down at my hands for a moment.

"No," Edward whispered.

The shine of an object, a ceremonial blade laid out on the alter, caught my eye. I looked up at him again as my fingers curled around the handle of the knife. He continued to step backward as I lifted the blade in my hand.