Page 9 of The Coven’s Sacrifice

Chapter Six

Colin

Walking back to my room right behind Alexander felt like walking towards my death. He was the one monster I actually feared. The others were scary, yes, but I’d seen kindness in them yesterday and today. Alexander had smiled and seemed to care for the others, but I was certain he hated me. Was it because feeding was such an intimate act? I knew by now they were all romantically linked, and if they only felt attraction to other men, then perhaps Alexander hated having them close to me? I understood him, because whatever had happened yesterday with Jacob had been extremely intimate.

I was so dead.

Alexander waited for me to open my door, and like Jacob, he waited until I’d walked in first. Slowing my steps, I halted in the hallway, thinking he would pounce on me like Jacob had done. Instead, Alexander tilted his head at me. “Why are we stopping?”

“Um,” I began, suddenly feeling silly. “Jacob fed from me here. I just figured that was how it was done?”

Alexander blinked, then scoffed. “Come on.” He marched past me, finding my bedroom with ease. If he noticed the changed décor, he didn’t show it. He just walked in with purpose and sat on the edge of the bed. “Sit.”

I did as told, sitting right next to him. I wished he’d just attacked me like Jacob and left me be. This felt worse, the slow build up, the tension.

He grabbed my wrist, making me gasp. His fangs pierced the skin making me scream.

I woke up alone in bed.

A scream threatened to escape me when I remembered what had happened. Alexander had bit me, then immense pain had followed. I must have fainted right then and there from the onslaught of pain. Why had it hurt? It hadn’t been this bad with Jacob. Was it up to them if it hurt or not? And if so, then why would Alexander wish such pain upon me?

A sob tore out of me. He likely couldn’t kill me, not without hurting his lovers in the process. They needed my blood. Instead, he would punish me. For twenty-nine years.

I lay there, sobbing into my covers as my reality truly sank in, and the worst part? There wasn’t a single thing I could do about it.

“You look horrible,” Sienna stated. She’d picked me up for breakfast, this time not even asking where I wanted to eat. According to her, the weather was amazing this morning and shouldn’t be wasted. This morning, however, I’d really wished to stay in bed. My wrist was throbbing in pain, my head hurt, and I I’d cried for most of the night, grieving my existence.

I was not good company.

She made a hmm sound. “So, you read the part about feedings.”

“What part?” I asked. Was there something I’d yet to figure out?

She opened the door to the garden, then looked at me quizzically. “The one where it states they need to feed once a week until they’re back to full strength. Most sacrifices crumble at that news. It cannot be easy going through that amount of pain each week, but in a few years, they can go longer between feedings. Just be glad you are not one of the first sacrifices. They had to feed a lot more vampires than you do.”

There was so much information I needed to work through in that one sentence. One, they needed to feed each week?! Two, it was normal that it hurt? And third, there had been more vampires?!

“I better get going,” Sienna sighed, looking at her wrist. There wasn’t any clock. I had the sudden suspicion that she’d overshared. No matter, I would remember to ask her to elaborate later.

She left in a hurry, leaving me to eat alone in the pavilion. Jetty was nowhere to be seen, or heard. I appreciated the silence, though. This morning, Nicco had made me porridge with fresh berries and honey I could pour over it. My coffee was nice and hot with a hint of roasted hazelnut. After eating and drinking everything, I felt much better. Yeah, I couldn’t do anything about my uncertain future here. However, it was up to me if I wanted to be depressed for twenty-nine years, or if I wanted to enjoy these moments of peace instead, letting them power me through the bad shit. My wrist was still throbbing, the area where Alexander had pierced my skin was swollen with two tiny red circles, a clear mark of where he’d fed from me.

Even with a clear reminder on my skin, I decided to remain positive. I’d just eaten a delicious meal. I’d had a nice hot cup of coffee, and my view was outstanding. The scents of flowers filled my nostrils and I took in a deep breath, centering myself. I had to find something to do with my time. I didn’t want to be like my ancestors, wasting years trying to find a way out. I wanted to enjoy my time here, as much as I could, for as long as I was allowed.

I loved gardening, but I doubted I would be allowed by Jetty, so that was out of the question for now. I knew I wanted to do something outside, though, simply because during the day hours, the monsters couldn’t reach me out here. This was my safe space. Safer than my rooms.

My mood was improving by the minute, that all changed within seconds, sadly, as Sienna came running, a wild look to her. “Colin! Inside! Now!”

I didn’t think, just acted. Her face was panicked, so I just ran back inside, following her extremely fast pace. We ran up the stairs and it was only when she ran in the direction of the monsters, that I stopped. I wasn’t allowed in there.

“Colin!” she snapped. “Come on!”

“I can’t,” I shrugged. I knew by now it was about the monsters. I didn’t want to risk being punished by them. If they needed me this badly they could damn well come out and tell me so themselves. We were inside now, no need for Sienna to bring me the rest of the way.

She sighed and dashed further down their hall. Jacob came with her when she returned, his face, the once joyous and flirting one, held fear. Like the face of my mother when she learned of Anastasia’s fate. It was that look that had me meeting them halfway.

“We need your help, Colin,” he said, grabbing my wrist. I hissed from the pain, making him look down at my swollen wrist. His eyes widened. Then he ground his teeth, taking my hand instead. There was no time to relish the feel of his cool hand in mine, not when Jacob sprinted the rest of the way, dragging me along with him.

We entered a bedroom, walls a dark blue shade. That was all I got to take in before I was pushed down on the bed, landing right next to a pale Harland.