16. Montana

It felt so good to get into new clothes, but my relief was short-lived as the persistent pounding grew in my skull and the ache in my throat grew unbearable.

I headed out of the clothes store and lowered myself onto a bench at the heart of the mall, having parted with Erik when I’d headed into the women’s store. I groaned, digging my fangs into my tongue as the thirst clawed and raked at my insides. The thought of blood made me so desperate I wanted to scream.

“Hey.” Erik appeared, speeding forward and dropping to his knees in front of me. He pushed the hair away from my face and gave me an anxious look. He’d changed into a black sweater and jeans, his hair still damp from the rain.

“I’m fine,” I said, but my voice was croaky and dry.

He shook his head, guiding me to my feet. I staggered forward, nearly hitting the floor, but he lifted me into his arms and shot through the mall in a blur.

I was so dizzy when he planted me down that I sank to the floor and clutched my knees to my chest. I kept hold of his hand, needing him so badly in that moment.

We were in what I presumed was a food hall with counters ringing the space. A white stone fountain sat at the heart of it which had long since stopped running. Julius was sitting at a table with Clarice, spooning beans into his mouth from a tin.

“It’s alright,” Erik promised, squeezing my fingers before stepping away toward Julius.

Fabian and Chickoa were investigating the store fronts around the edge of the circular space, but as they spotted us, they headed over.

“She needs blood,” Erik said to Julius.

“We all do,” Fabian rasped, his skin looking near transparent up close. His hunger was clear and worry pooled in my gut at the sight.

“It’s a miracle none of us have lost our minds yet,” Clarice agreed, looking to Julius hesitantly. The small drink she’d taken from him clearly hadn’t been enough to sate her thirst.

Julius eyed us all, swallowing the beans in his mouth. The scent of his blood invaded my nostrils and I found myself unable to voice my arguments against this idea. I was snared in the clutches of the curse so profoundly, I’d lost the will to do anything but drown in the pain inside me.

“Back the fuck up.” Julius pointed around at the vampires, but reached out and caught my arm, tugging me closer.

Tears prickled my eyes and I shook my head, but I still couldn’t get the words out.

No, I won’t hurt you. I don’t want to drink from my friend.

Julius yanked me into his lap and I pressed my hands to his chest, releasing a pained whimper as the smell of his blood took me hostage. My fangs ached, my throat burned. It took everything I had not to rip into his flesh and sate this need.

“Chill, damsel,” he said gently, lifting his wrist beneath my nose. “I’m not gonna sit here seeing you suffer.”

“But you’re happy for all of us to?” Fabian growled. “We’re dying here. And if you and Callie don’t start offering out blood freely, you’re not going to get a choice in it.”

“Stop it,” Clarice begged of Fabian. “We can last a little longer. We’re Belvederes.”

My throat swelled and my tongue thickened in my mouth. I brushed my shaking fingers over Julius’s raised wrist with a moan of longing.

“Feed,” Erik commanded me, but I wouldn’t do it.

“Oh for fuck’s sake,” Julius muttered then grabbed Nightmare from my hip and slashed his wrist open.

I lost it. The scent was too much. The deep red of his blood filled my eyes and I couldn’t see anything else. I fell on him with a primal need, hating myself but too desperate to do anything else but drink. The rich taste of his life force rolled along my tongue and down my throat, his heart pumping more and more into my mouth. It was the best thing I’d ever tasted. More so than any blood I’d ever drunk. It was pure ecstasy, flowing through me and making my mouth water with how intensely sweet it was. Julius placed his free hand on my back as I fed and electricity coursed along my spine as I desired more of him.

I clutched his shirt in my fist and felt the chair falling backwards so we crashed to the ground. I straddled him, drinking deeply, my mind in a haze. I couldn’t stop. I wouldn’t. It was too good. And I couldn’t remember why I’d ever refused it.

A deep groan rolled from my throat and I shut my eyes, taking more, more, more.

Hands seized me and I kicked wildly like a caged beast as Erik folded his arms around me and held me to his chest, pulling me off of Julius. The urge built in me to fight, to get back to that blood and finish every last drop.

Erik ran his hands through my hair in soothing strokes. “Shh, take a breath.”

I did as he said and the clouds in my mind fizzled away. Shame took their place and I pressed my forehead to his chest as the weight of what I’d done settled over me.

I pulled out of his arms, but he kept close as I turned to face Julius on the ground. He was frowning as he pushed himself to his knees and pulled his sleeve over his bloody wrist.

Chickoa and Fabian were circling closer and Clarice shook her head at them, begging them to back off.

“I’m sorry,” I breathed to Julius as he righted himself.

“Don’t be,” he said. “Though I don’t think I can call you damsel anymore. You’re more of a wolverine.”

I shook my head, not having the words to express how grateful I was to him. I settled on a thank you and he nodded stiffly, backing up again as Fabian hounded closer.

“We need blood,” Fabian snarled and the tension in his voice set the hairs rising on the back of my neck.

“You can’t have mine. Back off,” Julius growled, reaching for Menace at his hip.

“Everyone just relax.” Clarice got between them, raising her hands.

“Relax? How can we relax?” Chickoa said, holding her throat. “I’m going to lose it.” She backed away, moving to the fountain and clinging to the edge of it as she kept herself away. After a beat, she turned and sped from the area in a blur of motion.

“Why are you so calm, Clarice?” Fabian asked her coolly. “Has the slayer been feeding you on the sly?”

Clarice’s mouth parted in horror. “Of course not!”

“Yeah? Then why are you not baying for his blood like I am,” Fabian growled.

“Enough,” Erik snarled, stepping forward to intercept them. He eyed Julius with a deep frown creasing his face. “Julius, go. Get out of here.”

Julius’s eyes swept over us and he took a step back as if considering doing just that. Then his gaze fell on Clarice and his expression changed to a dark acceptance. “I’ll fill a bottle. Find something to siphon the blood. No more biting.”

“You’re sure?” I gasped, my heart aching with what he was offering.

“Yeah...” Julius straightened. “The way you’re all looking at me is giving me the creeps. And I’d rather you were fed than have three Belvederes get too hungry to stop resisting their urges.”

“I’ll get a funnel,” Fabian said, sprinting from the room with obvious excitement.

Clarice hung her head, moving toward Julius and he didn’t retreat like he had from the others.

“Are you sure about this?” she asked.

He nodded, reaching out as if to take her hand, then thinking better of it as he dropped it to his side. “It’s fine. What other choice do we have?” he said bleakly.

No one had an answer, because there wasn’t one.

Fabian returned to the room with a plastic funnel and Clarice took an empty bottle from her backpack, placing it on the table. Julius snatched the funnel from Fabian, planting it in the bottle before rolling back his sleeve and squeezing more blood from the wound.

Clarice licked her lips and Fabian kept inching closer. Erik held back, his posture rigid as Julius picked up Nightmare again and cut into his other arm. The blood spilled into the bottle and he soon had it full enough. He plucked the funnel out and pushed the bottle toward Clarice.

Fabian shot forward but Julius lifted Nightmare to point at him. “Ladies first,” he snarled and Clarice tentatively took the bottle, then moaned as she placed it to her lips and started drinking.

When she’d had a few mouthfuls, she held it out to Fabian with a sigh of longing as if it pained her to hand it over.

Julius plucked it from her grip, passing it to Erik instead.

“You asshole,” Fabian growled, his hands curling into fists.

Erik took the bottle, drinking a few gulps then held it out to Fabian. His brother finished it in one go, then he launched the bottle across the room.

“That’s not nearly enough!” Fabian roared and Erik caught his arms, yanking him away from Julius. My gut clenched in fear as I watched, moving forward in case I needed to help him.

“It will have to be,” Erik snarled in his ear. “Calm down, Brother.”

Fabian went slack in his arms, bowing his head. “I’m sorry,” he breathed, looking to Julius. “I’m used to drinking more. I don’t handle the thirst well.”

Julius nodded stiffly but didn’t reply.

“There’s none for Chickoa,” Fabian sighed.

“This blood store is closed,” Julius muttered. “For now anyway.”

Clarice moved toward him with a faint smile. “Thank you. Come on...let’s find some bandages.”

“It’s fine,” Julius muttered, but followed her anyway. As she guided him away from us, he passed Nightmare back to me and I held onto it with a weight in my soul at what he’d offered us.

“One slayer isn’t enough for us,” Fabian said as Erik released him at last. “Callie has to give blood too. Magnar is keeping every drop for himself.”

“It’s not like that and you know it,” I said, folding my arms. “And she doesn’t have to do anything. It’s her choice.”

“Well it’s time she made that choice.” Fabian headed away and I gazed after him anxiously, moving to follow.

There was no way I was going to see my sister forced into this. Fabian had no right to demand it of her even if he was desperate.

I turned to Erik as we jogged after him. “We can’t let him force her.”

“She’s got a guard dog with the strength of a dinosaur,” he said with a smirk. “I’m more concerned about my brother.”