She hit the vampire’s back as hard as she could with her fists, but it was like hitting a rock. It didn’t even faze him.
Abruptly, she was flying through the air. She hit the ground with a grunt and looked around wildly. . She had been thrown off! The vampire who carried her was standing over her, smiling sweetly.
“Don’t fall behind,” he told her. “I don’t intend to carry you the entire way, but if you run, I will catch you. And this time, I will hurt you. So don’t tempt me.” And as if that were all the instructions she needed, he turned away, and started making his way deeper into the woods.
Laura looked back at the mill. She contemplated running back, trying to help Logan. The vampire continued walking away, further from her. She could make a run for it… but then she remembered how fast he had been after she crashed out of the cubby. She remembered how strong his grip was. He would be on her in seconds. And this time, he would not be so gentle.
A strangled cry came from her throat, and she tore her eyes away from the mill. And followed her captor.
Chapter Fifteen
~An Unknown Strength~
Laura followed the man in front of her for what seemed like hours. The vampire in front of her. She still wasn’t used to thinking about him like that.
She looked up to the sky, and surprised herself when she realized the sun was in almost the same position as it was when she was dumped on the ground and told to follow. She thought they had been walking for hours, but it must only barely been one, if that.
She rubbed her arm where the vampire had grabbed her. A bruise was already developing, and the spot was tender to the touch. Her feet hurt from traversing the uneven forest ground. She had been forced to climb over logs, over fallen trees, push through thick bushes – all while following the vampire. He had no trouble with any of it, obviously, and slowed his pace so she could keep up.
“Where are you taking me?” she tried for what must have been the thousandth time. But, as usual, there was no reply. It was an uneasy feeling, being so helpless and so trapped. She was a prisoner with no chains.
Suddenly a blur of motion caught her eye. And the next thing she knew, the vampire in front of her was down on the ground. Somebody was standing over him, looking away. Logan?
She rushed over. It was him! With a cry of joy, she jumped up to embrace him. But he didn’t reciprocate. He just stood there, arms at his sides. He was breathing heavily.
“Logan?” She looked at his face. He was unnaturally calm. “Logan, what happened? How did you get here?”
“I took his blood,” he said simply.
“Took who’s blood?” Laura was too overjoyed to think straight. “What are you talking about?”
“The vampire I fought in the mill. He looked away, and I jumped him. And I sunk my teeth deep into his flesh. He cried out, Laura. A cry I would have never thought a Vassiz could make. It was a sound of pure agony, of anguish and torture. It was my only chance, and I… I took it.
“It is prohibited, Laura. Cannibalism. It goes against all the rules of our race. It goes against our very being. None have done it for thousands of years. Maybe never. But I did… and it gave me strength, Laura. Strength like I have never imagined. My senses increased tenfold, my agility even more. A rage overtook me, and I felt an animal, more so than ever before. Taking a vampire’s blood…” he shuddered, “…it is nothing like taking human blood. Human blood is but a pale impression of it.”
Laura gaped. She had not known it was even possible for a vampire to feed on another’s blood. “Is it… safe?” she asked. “Safe for you?”
“I don’t know. I have heard legends, but those are rooting in myth as much as truth. I have never heard of anyone doing it once our race became organized. I don’t think any of my kind have even thought of doing it. It is a heinous crime.”
Laura abruptly realized that Logan had not moved once since she hugged him. Instead, he was staring at the body at his feet. Laura looked up at his eyes, and saw they were ablaze with intensity. An intensity that he struggled to