Crave - Teresa Mummert Page 0,46

asked, propping myself on my side to face him.

“I’ll need more blood to sustain me. I am no match for the others if they find us. I won’t be able to protect you,” He explained, rubbing my arm.

“Is there a blood bank that you can go to around here?” I asked, scanning our hidden fortress. Elijah shook his head.

“Not if I want our location to stay secret. I will have to find a donor,” He explained and a pang of jealousy hit me.

“Drink from me,” I offered without thinking. He stroked my face with his fingertips, letting them drop to the ground.

“I can’t risk hurting you, Eva,” he said sadly. “I could never risk that now.”

“You won’t. I trust you. I jumped off a stupid wall with you. I trust you,” I pleaded. I didn’t want to spend a second away from him. The only time he’d taken my blood had been very intimate, and I couldn’t fathom the thought of him sharing that moment with anyone else.

“I don’t trust myself, Eva.”

“Please… try.”

Elijah’s eyes were sad and lost in another time.

“I never finished my story, about Viviana,” He said with no emotion in his voice.

***

February 19, 1833

“Viviana,” Elijah called through the crowd. He caught a glimpse of her ahead, turning down a forgotten alleyway. He pushed his way through the partygoers and made his way to the narrow road. He crept down slowly by several woman of the night earning their keep. A door at the end slammed shut, and Elijah pushed his way to the end and quietly slipped inside the entrance. The room was dark and smelled of incense. “Viviana?” he asked again quietly.

“I have what you seek,” A sinister voice called from a shadowy corner of the room. Viviana let out a small whimper.

“Please! Please do not harm her,” Elijah begged. “Whatever it is you want I will give to you.”

“You can’t give me anything. My life, everything I had was taken from me. Do you know what it is like to have an insatiable hunger?” The man asked Elijah.

“If it is money you need for a meal, I can help you,” Elijah replied, pleading with the deranged man.

“You’re not listening. Money is what human’s hunger for. My need is much simpler than that. Let me show you.” In a flash, he was at Viviana’s side, pulling her head backward by her mound of messy curls. His fangs shot out and he lingered at her jugular.

“Stop, I beg of you! Let her go. Take me,” Elijah pleaded, pushing to his knees. The man pondered over his proposition for a moment. He released Viviana’s hair and lurched for Elijah.

Viviana hit the wall and crumpled into a heap in the corner, sobbing. With inhuman speed, the man was face to face with Elijah. He threw him to the ground and ripped at his throat like a wild animal. Viviana huddled in the corner in shock, unable to speak or scream for help as he devoured his prey.

The bloodied criminal released Elijah and watched him for a moment. Elijah’s fingers fluttered.

“Perfect.” The sadistic man whispered as he ripped into his own flesh of his arm and let the blood ooze into Elijah’s mouth, bringing him back from the precipice of death. He sputtered and gasp for air. His body gave in and slowly began to swallow the thick, crimson liquid that threatened to choke him until instead of satisfying him, he grew hungrier.

“Enough.”

Elijah’s eyes fluttered open and he looked as if he was lost in another place or time.

“Go to her,” he whispered as he pointed to Viviana. Elijah pushed himself from the ground weakly. He focused his eyes on Viviana, who held out her arms for him as tears streamed down her beautiful face. He slid to her side and cupped her face with his hands and searched her eyes.

“Are you okay?” Elijah asked, worry filling his voice.

“I’m scared,” she sobbed as a stream of tears raced down her flawless face.

“Hush… hush...” he replied, trying to soothe her as he stroked her hair. Elijah doubled over in excruciating pain feeling as those the contents of his stomach might revolt against him.

“You must feed. If you do not feed now, you will die here.”

“What are you? What right have you to perform voodoo on me,” Elijah groaned through clenched teeth as he twisted in agony.

“I am much more than a priest now. I am a vampire, and so are you, dear Elijah, unless you choose to rot like a corpse.