After downing as much as I could, I stood up slowly, trying not to unsettle my stomach.
“I’m going to return to my apartment now,” I said.
A smile spread across the jinni’s face. “Splendid,” she said, a trace of relief in her voice.
We parted ways. I returned to my quarters and locked myself inside. I walked the length of the corridor and entered the living room. I wasn’t sure how many liters of blood I’d just downed, but I couldn’t deny that my stomach was full. I didn’t feel even the least twinge of hunger—I felt… satiated.
For the first time, I let go of my resistance to hope and couldn’t help but begin to believe something might’ve changed. It’d been about an hour since snake blood had first touched my lips, and my body wasn’t displaying even the slightest sign of expelling it.
* * *
I spent the rest of the day locked up in my apartment. I found myself instinctively avoiding the bedroom—the last place I’d spent time here with River—and stayed mostly in the living room. The fear that I was going to upchuck any second began to subside, and a feeling of confidence built within me.
Once evening arrived, I stepped outside my apartment. I moved toward the direction of the kitchen, and as it came within view, I was glad to see that the door was open. From where I was standing, it was dark, and there was apparently nobody inside. It was late enough for them to have already finished cooking dinner and, from the sounds coming from the dining hall further along, the Nasiri family were all feasting merrily.
I made my way along the veranda and slipped into the kitchen. The blood I’d consumed earlier had settled down now, making room for some more. I was bent on consuming as much as possible, today and over the next few days, until every shadow of doubt that remained in my mind was cleared.
I looked around the kitchen for the container of blood. Previously, it had sat on one of the counters, but it had been moved. I cast my eyes about and spotted the entrance to a pantry. I moved toward the door and pushed it open. I was at the top of a small flight of stairs leading down to a cold storage area. Descending into it, I passed by huge sacks of white powder—which I soon realized was ground human bone—along with an assortment of whole human bones, stripped of all flesh and hanging from the ceiling by ropes. I was worried that the sight would disturb my stomach, so I averted my eyes and continued looking around for the snake blood. I found the container eventually—it had been stored right at the back of the pantry. I picked it up and carried it back up into the kitchen. I sat down, poured myself a glass, and began to drink.
As I listened in to the cheerful conversation going on next door, a sense of excitement rose within me. Even though I was still bound to the jinn, the thought of finally being rid of the Elder left me feeling high. Although I couldn’t live back in The Shade, I could at least request to visit River, my family and friends. And while I was there, if this problem was truly solved, I could mix freely with everyone and roam the island that was my home for the first time in many months.
I drank the blood much quicker this time, downing it confidently, until once again I felt satiated and could drink no more. Although the blood tasted revolting, the sheer relief that I was able to ingest it made me almost forget about the taste.
I’d never thought in my life that I would relish such a vile substance the way I did that snake blood. Every gulp felt miraculous.
Once I finished drinking, I picked up the container again and carried it back toward the pantry. Passing a sink along the way, I dropped my dirty glass into it. I placed the blood right at the back of the storage room where I’d found it and re-entered the kitchen.
Now I planned to return to my apartment, rest for a few hours, and then come back down yet again after the break to drink some more—as much as my stomach could hold.
But as I moved toward the exit of the kitchen, I realized just what a fool I’d been.
The very moment I passed by the narrow staircase that led to the atrium above, it started as a slight irritation at the back of my throat. Then it developed into a cough, until before I knew it, I was doubled over and retching. It happened so fast, so violently, and I was expelling so much, the floor was soon a pool of undigested blood.
My vision blurred and became shrouded.
A familiar heaviness settled in my chest.
I barely registered what happened next. All I could feel was the rage of hunger ripping through my stomach, making my entire body shake. A hunger so powerful, there was no room for any thought in my mind other than how to satisfy it.
My legs jolted forward up the staircase leading to the human prison. Reaching the top, I barged through the gap between the wall and the cupboard that concealed the entrance to the jinn’s abode. I staggered out into the storage room, tore open the door, and appeared in a dark narrow corridor. I lunged for the nearest cell, smashing through the door with uncontrollable strength, and all that followed was a blur of red, punctuated by screaming and pervaded by smooth, rich liquid coursing down my throat. The nectar I could never live without.
CHAPTER 9: BEN
T he euphoria that pulsed through my body was indescribable. My senses felt heightened, every nerve electrified, satisfaction filling every fiber of my being. It was as though my very bones groaned with relief.
After my fangs withdrew from a particularly tender body, I stood up, my chest heaving. I didn’t know how many throats I had ripped open. All I knew was that I’d drunk as much as I wanted.
My legs jolted again, not back down to the kitchen, but deeper into the prison. I ran with such speed, I would be nothing but a blur to any onlooker. I didn’t know how I found my way so easily through the complex network of cells considering I’d only traveled through the basement in its entirety once, while following the leopard. But somehow, I didn’t take a single wrong turn and it wasn’t long before I found myself stepping out into the gardens of Jeramiah’s atrium.