Trigger Warning: Gore

I back away from Blade. She jumps up and brushes off the dirt from her clothes before she tries to approach me.

"Stay away from me, Blade," I whisper as my voice trembles. "I don't want to hurt you."

"Look, we can fix this... okay?" She holds out her hand. The burning thirst inside of me rises as the smell of her skin reaches my nostrils.

"Are you insane?" I hiss. My parched throat feels as if it has been lit on fire. "I'm a fucking vampire. You can't fix... this." I wave my hands around my body.

"But-"

"Don't try to follow me, Blade. Or I will kill you," I say. My voice cracks like the dry pavement on a hot summer day. "I swear to the stars, Blade."

"Rayne, I-"

Before she can finish her sentence, I spin around on my heels and dash into the woods. My footsteps fall quietly on the dry leaves that litter the forest floor. The dim moonlight streams through the thick tree branches before being swallowed up by clouds. I avoid crashing into any trees as my night vision has become so much keener than before. I can see through the fallen darkness as if it is broad daylight.

Thana's shouts faint behind me until I can no longer hear them when I stumble upon a small clearing. I stop and lift my nose in the air, inhaling the night air as warm body heat penetrates my sharpened senses. I turn my head towards the smell, and there, approximately thirty feet away, is a rabbit. Its white fur glistens under the returning moonlight, its ears perking up in attention. Its mouth twitches as it stands on its hind legs, ready to pounce away at the slightest movement.

The thirst in me multiplies, and before I know it, I lunge at the rabbit. I find myself biting into its flesh, the warm blood oozing into my mouth as I gulp it down. I have no recollection of how I arrived here so fast, but I don't have time to worry about it as my newly-formed fangs sink deeper into the meat while the rabbit's tiny body struggles in my hands. It eventually ceases to move and goes limp as I suck out each last drop.

The animal's blood does little to quench my thirst as it enters my system, yet I still feel more energized than a few minutes ago. I can sense my flesh and skin growing harder, tighter, and stronger. When the rabbit's carcass is completely drained and lies there in a mix of its blood and dirt, eyes dried backwards into their sockets, the thirst returns in a fury.

What the fuck... Why am I still so fucking thirsty...

"You stupid little girl," the sultry vampire voice reaches my mind again. I jump up, only to find myself almost collapsing from the abrupt movement.

"W-why... isn't it working?" I manage to gasp out. My legs give out underneath me. I brace myself for the impact. Instead, an arm wraps around my waist and catches me before laying me down.

"Because you must drink human blood for your first meal," she whispers into my ear. For a dead person, her breath is surprisingly hot as it tickles my skin.

"I... I will never do that," I say. My breath hitches as her lips brush against the surface of my neck.

I am aware that the Elites have the ability to use their words and touch to make mortals obey their commands. I have never been told if it works on other vampires, including newly-turned ones such as myself, but perhaps it does.

"You know, I've been in your very same position," the Elite says. She swings her leg to my left side before placing herself on top of me, her body holding me prisoner to the ground. The moonlight streams on both of us, and it illuminates her sharp cheekbones, steel gray eyes, and her luscious curly waves of gray-black hair as her full red lips curl up in a mischievous smirk.

"Oh r-really? A-aren't you like... a-a thousand years o-old?" I sound out. My breath shudders as her body moves against mine a little.

She throws her head back with a laugh; one that sends chills through my body. The pleasant, soothing kind.

"Very sassy. I like that," she smirks. She tilts her head to the side. "No. I'm actually five hundred and... hm, what was it... I lose count sometimes... oh, 526 years old. And I was once a very young girl just like you. Twenty-one, and holding such an enormous grudge against vampires, because I was raised to believe that all blood-suckers have no heart or sense of anything remotely human."

She sighs and looks off into the distance as she reflects. Then she turns back towards me, her eyes holding a glimmer of sadness. She leans forward again until her lips are brushing against my earlobe.

"And just like you, I didn't want to kill a human. In fact, I didn't think I would ever be capable of committing such a grotesque act. But then." She chuckles, the sound vibrating through my mind. "My mentor, Victor, whom you'll get to meet very soon, told me that the first kill is quite easy when it's the person you hate the most. And just like that, I was able to drink the blood of my mother's murderer with a ravishing appetite."

No-no... I will never kill-

"Yes, yes. I understand you will never kill your rival," the Elite huffs.

Wait, she can read my thoughts?

"Yes. I can read your thoughts. How do you think I was in your mind just a few minutes ago?"

Her words are becoming a little dimmer in my mind as my breathing comes out in sharp puffs. The temporary energy from the rabbit's blood is vanishing pretty fast.

"Then what-"

"I'm talking about those who left your brother behind," the Elite interrupts once again. I blink at her.

"But they didn't leave-"

"Do you really think they didn't?" She scoffs. "They had a chance to save your poor brother. Instead, they ran." Her lips touches my ear as her warm breath flows through my channels. My breath hitches at the contact. "Like cowards."

Rage fills me up from the inside. Rage and thirst. Or is it hunger? They both mean the same thing to me right now.

And what I need is the sweet, lifesaving taste of warm, live human blood.

Could she be lying? Perhaps, but I don't care at this point. And I definitely don't give a damn if she can read my thoughts, which is apparent by the way her lips are curled up in a mischievous smirk.

"You think I'm lying, don't you?" She wriggles her eyebrows.

"I mean... t-t-to be fair... I don't even know your name... so why should I belie-"

"You're right. You don't know my name. Well, that's change that, shall we? I..." She pauses for a dramatic effect. " Is Morana Delacour. And I was a simple vampire before my mentor turned me into an Elite. But that's a story for another day. As of now, this should be enough to appease your curiosity."

Questions arise in my mind. So many questions, but they disappear as the hunger overtakes me again.

"If you don't make your first human kill right now, your body will deteriorate very soon. And you will turn into one of the rotting dead instead of an Elite. I could offer you my blood, but you're too weak to handle its power."

I open my mouth to say something when a certain smell reaches my nostrils. I sniff as the familiar yet strange scent fills my senses. It's definitely that of a mortal. I can hear the blood rushing through their veins like the peaceful trickle of a bubbling creek. Their thoughts creep into my mind.

Fuck. I'd rather be in my pajamas than out here supervising two idiotic bitches. And I gotta kill 'em too, judging by those fucking screams.

Clive. One of my brother's best friends who so happened to have been part of the group on his last mission. The one that Clive never returned from.

"Go get him," Morana says as she disappears with a blur. I take a deep breath before I stand up. I sway a little but manage to stay upright as I sniff the air again. I start heading towards the north, making sure I remain behind covers. I can't move very fast as I need to preserve my waning energy.

I finally spot Clive between the trees, his dark skin contrasting with the shadows around him. It is his biggest advantage, and the reason why he's one of the most prized vampire hunters in the country.

I step out under the moonlight which shines upon me like a spotlight. Clive immediately cocks his gun, then lowers it a little when he recognizes me.

"Naomi! You're alive!" he exclaims. His lit up face turns into a frown when I don't answer him. "Naomi, are you okay?" He takes two steps forward, then curses under his breath as he points the gun back at me. "Fuck, Naomi! You can't be-"

"Dead?" I ask. I tilt my head at him. "Maybe. I definitely don't feel like it though."

He jumps back as I step closer to him. I can hear his heart pounding against his ribs, so loud and clear. I don't know why it's so vivid until the realization reaches my mind.

I no longer have a heartbeat. That's why. I should be terrified, but I don't. Instead, something else entirely consumes my thoughts.

I am the predator. And he is the prey.

The quick, rhythmic pumping of his blood is driving me crazy with the need to devour it, to feel it sliding down my throat and quenching the dryness. And my newly-developed hate for him only increases the desire.

But I need answers first.

"Naomi... how could you let them do this to you?" Clive asks. Fuck, this can't be happening. Not Damien's little sister.

"I didn't really have a choice." I shrug. Which is half the truth.

"What is that supposed to m-"

"What really happened to my brother?" I interrupt. His face turns pale.

"What?" he asks, keeping his voice firm. "We told you what happened."

"I want the truth." I take another step forward.

"You have the truth. We were attacked by vampires and Damien sacrificed himself to save the rest of us. Your brother gave us his life, and you're questioning if we told you the truth?" He scoffs in disbelief. That's right. Act like you can't believe she would ask you this. She can never find out what really happened.

"You know he will continue to deny it," Morana's voice appears in my mind.

"Then what-"

"You can not only read mortal's minds, but also access their memories," she says. "Even without touching them, although the quality will be quite blurry. Just remember. Your time is running out. And this may take the remainder of your energy."

I know that Clive is lying, but I cannot kill him without knowing the truth, despite the agonizing thirst that has turned my throat into the Sahara desert.

Clive is staring at me, his face tensed as his teeth grind painfully in my ears thanks to my heightened hearing. Yet his eyes hold the wild look of a terrified animal as his finger tightens around the trigger.

And his eyes grant me access deep within his mind. Blurry images flash in front of me until they stop at one scene. The one that Clive is currently thinking about.

"Clive! Don't fucking leave me!" My brother's voice reaches my ears.

"I'm... I'm sorry Damien," Clive says. I can barely make out their figures, but I manage to recognize my brother's long hair and bigger build. He's surrounded by Mortuuses while Clive and the rest of the group stand a good distance away.

"No you're not fucking sorry! You planned this, didn't you? You fucking backstabber!" Damien yells.

"I only follow orders, Damien. You and I both know that. I'm sorry." My brother's screams tear through my mind.

Red appears in my vision. I don't think about what I'm doing, or how I ended sinking my fangs into Clive's neck. He shrieks as we both go down. He struggles in my grasp as I drink in his blood. The liquid rejuvenates me as it flows through my body. I can feel myself growing stronger, each cell hardening. Power surges through me.

As well as his memories. Including the scene with my brother in clear quality, which fuels my feeding. Clive ceases to struggle underneath me as he takes his last breath. I drain him until not even a drop is left. I lean back and look at him, his eyes dried back into his sockets and the skin around his face taut and stretched out.

His blood surges through my veins like bolts of electricity charging my body. My skin and flesh grow even tougher and harder each second. I can feel the cells in my body changing. I exhale and tilt my head to the stars as I close my eyes, the rush of power filling each molecule inside of me. The feeling is exhilarating as Clive's remaining blood flows from down my chin and drips onto the ground.

"What the fuck, Rayne?" Blade's distinctive voice rings out through the deadly silence.

I whip my head around to find her standing under the same spotlight where I had previously been. Her eyes are wide open, and her mouth is slightly ajar as she grips her silver dagger.

"Blade..." I wipe Clive's blood from my mouth with the back of my hand.

Thana's next words are exactly what I expect. And have feared the most to hear.

"You're a fucking monster."

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