Chapter 95

Arthur

The dim light flickered, casting long, eerie shadows on the cold, stone walls. The air was heavy with the scent of dampness and decay. Arthur writhed against the unforgiving chains that bound him.

His skin felt like molten lava, every nerve ending tingling with an insatiable hunger. He was consumed by an unrelenting need, a primal desire coursing through his veins.

He couldn't remember his name, couldn't recall the faces of loved ones, if there were any. All that existed in his consciousness was an overwhelming need for sustenance. His stomach gnawed at him, aching with a hunger so profound it felt like it was consuming him from the inside out. He needed to feed, to satiate the burning void within.

In the corner of his blurred vision, he saw her. She was young, her eyes wide with terror, her breaths ragged and shallow. He could smell her fear, the intoxicating scent dancing on the edges of his senses. She was his prey, his only focus in this barren world of shadows.

He strained against the unyielding chains, the metal biting into his wrists. He could feel his muscles protesting, the pain barely registering against the inferno that raged within him. His vision tunneled, all that remained was her, and the pulsing life force that called to him

She tried to back away, her heels scabbling to find purchase among the sheets, but there was nowhere to go. She was trapped, just as he was. The chains that bound him held him in place, a cruel reminder of his captivity.

He could see the fear in her eyes, the absolute despair at what was before her. There was another emotion there, a softer emotion, but he had no idea what it was. There was no need for soft emotions when you were built to kill.

Arthur couldn't speak, couldn't form coherent words. All that came from his parched throat were guttural growls, a primal sound that echoed off the damp walls. He snapped his teeth, the sharp points glinting in the feeble light. He wanted to taste her, to feel the warmth of her life coursing through him.

She had tried to talk to him and called him an unfamiliar name. She wasn’t his sire. She couldn’t give him a name. He had no memory of her, if she had meant something to him from before he was turned.

Time seemed to stretch, the minutes feeling like hours. The need, the hunger, was relentless. It clawed at him, threatening to consume him entirely. He had studied his manacles, but he knew he was too weak to break them. He would need blood for that.

He could taste the metallic tang of her fear, the anticipation of the inevitable. His body surged forward, straining against the chains, desperate to reach her. The world seemed to blur, the edges of his vision darkening. He was losing himself, succumbing to the primal urge that threatened to consume him whole.

Then his sire had entered the room and his sire was beautiful. He wanted, no, he needed to make him happy. He would do anything for him. But his sire had told him he wasn’t allowed to feed off the woman in the bed.

That was going to be a hard order to follow. He was so hungry. It was almost like the compulsion and his hunger were at war. The battle raging inside his body was taking its toll on the rest of him. He was already exhausted.

To try and distract himself, he closed his eyes, taking away the temptation in front of him. However, his other senses became heightened. He could smell her blood, hear her heart beating frantically in her chest.

Each pulse called to him. Each inhalation of her breath threatened to overpower what his sire had told him. The primal part of him didn’t care what his sire had said. The pain from his hunger was too much to bear.

“Arthur,” she whispered, using that name that wasn’t his again. Still, her sweet, delectable voice made him open his eyes and what he saw confused him. She was crying, but he knew it wasn’t from fear. It was that softer emotion he couldn’t identify.

“I know you don’t who I am,” she continued and he bared his fangs at her. “But I want you to know that I love you. I will always love you. No matter what happens.”

Love? He must have heard her wrong. His sire had said she was going to be his wife so she couldn’t mean that. She couldn’t love him. Perhaps she was trying to trick him into letting his guard down.

Arthur growled at her, warning her to be quiet. He didn’t want to hear any of her lies. His sire would not be pleased with him if he let his emotions get the better of him. But would it make his sire happy to punish her for lying?

He contemplated that for a moment, but tossed away the idea as fast as he had it. No. He could tell his sire cared for the woman. He couldn’t do anything to her unless his sire explicitly told him to.

“I know you’re probably hungry and I know Noah said not to feed off of me, but he didn’t say anything about me giving you my blood. The nurse left her supplies here. I could at least give you a vial,” she whispered and Arthur’s eyebrows shot up. She was going to willingly feed him?

He watched in fascination as she sifted through the medical cart next to her. She pulled out a scalpel and empty glass vial. She grit her teeth together as she slid the scalpel across her arm. Blood welled up immediately and the hunger gnawed at his stomach.

She pressed the vial against her skin, the dark red liquid quickly filling it up. He strained against his restraints. The metallic tang in the air raised goosebumps on his skin. His eyes were laser focused on what she was offering.

Arthur was practically drooling as she capped the vial. “Do you think you could catch it if I tossed it to you? I can’t move very well.”

He nodded. He had every faith in his reflexes. She tossed the vial to him and he caught it easily. He hastily uncapped it and let the blood run into his mouth. He had never tasted anything sweeter.

The all-consuming hunger receded just a bit. He felt like he could think just a little bit more clearly. It didn’t last for very long. The hunger came back with a vengeance so voracious that he blacked out.