Chapter 34

I woke a little before James. I was starving, so I ordered some food from DoorDash. I picked up the book on the nightstand and turned on the lamp; it would be 40 minutes before my food arrived. I thumbed through the pages until I found the header again. Diablerie could be effective if James were willing to kill his sire by draining him. I still wanted to see if I could find more on the topic, perhaps in other texts, to ensure we weren't risking James' life in the process. 

Only 20 minutes had passed when I heard the door to our wing opening, so I went to see if my food was being delivered early. I carefully left the bed, not wanting to disturb James, and placed the book back on the nightstand. I quickly got dressed, closed the bedroom door behind me, and walked down the corridor to the sitting room, where I saw a figure in the distance. 

As I got closer, I realized it was Sylas, and my face twisted in disgust. I hated him for everything he had done to torment James. I turned my back on Sylas to get James when suddenly I was ripped toward him. It felt like vines had wrapped around my throat and legs. I struggled desperately to remove them with my free hands, but despite my attempts, I couldn't grasp at them, and they continued to tighten as they drug me. 

I couldn't breathe, and panic was setting in quickly when I realized that the vines were crimson blood flowing from Sylas' wrist. He was manipulating them just as easily as James had done, but the passion I felt when James touched me with his imbued blood was replaced with a burning rage. 

I tried to cry out to no avail; the blood threaded around my throat prevented my voice from escaping and air from coming in. Was this how I was going to die? My face turned a deep purple, and my body started to give up; my arms no longer reacted to my pleas for aid in removing the noose formed around my neck. 

Once I was within Sylas's grasp, he withdrew his imbued blood and lifted me by my throat, squeezing so forcefully I thought my windpipe would be crushed. His face expressed joy in his torture of me, and he relished the fear upon my face. He hissed, "You fucking Bitch, you think you can turn my progeny against me. I could drain you now without hesitation. Your spawn means nothing to me when I can go after your reincarnation in a mere 18 years." Black specks invaded my vision, and I knew I was going to die any minute.

He laughed maniacally, "I have all the time in the world." A blur rushed past me, and I fell to the ground hard, my body writhing, and I coughed as I gasped for the air to return to my lungs. My vision started to return as the oxygen dispersed throughout my body, and I saw James fighting with Sylas. I lay there horrified and unable to help; my already fragile body was struggling to breathe. 

James had Sylas pinned up against a wall using all his strength and his newly acquired skill. His eyes were almost black, but Sylas didn't seem worried. Instead, he taunted James, "Go ahead and kill me; you'll only be signing your own death warrant." I wanted him dead, but we couldn't test that theory now like this. I stood up shakily and gently held my throat, "James, please, I'm okay."

When James heard my gravelly voice, he seemed to calm down slightly. He released Sylas and immediately rushed to my side in the blink of an eye. Sylas adjusted his collar and walked toward the entrance of our wing. Sylas hissed before leaving us, "Next time I tell you to show up for training, you will be there. I am your sire; don't think for a second that you have any control." 

After he left us, I began sobbing uncontrollably; James scooped me up into a ball and pulled me into his chest. He comforted me with a rocking motion as he sat by the fireplace. My head was tucked into my knees, and I heard him say, "Kara, I'm so sorry, Love." He held me for a long time, holding me close and shielding me from the world while I sobbed in between gasps for air.

A knock at the door silenced me, and James eased me off his lap to investigate. I peered over my kneecaps and held my breath. It was just a servant coming to deliver my food; only 20 minutes had passed, but it felt like hours since Sylas had tried to kill me. James thanked the servant at the door before closing and locking it. 

He returned and sat the bag down on the end table. "I'm not hungry anymore," I mumbled, my voice still gravelly. He picked me up, and I wrapped my arms and legs around him. He supported me with one hand and grabbed the food with his other. He put the food in the refrigerator and then headed to the bathroom, where he started a bath. I clung to him tightly like a toddler clinging to their mom, refusing to let go. 

Once the water was ready, James set me down and gently removed my clothes before he placed me into the tub. He sat on the side of the tub and delicately used a sponge to wash away the lingering defilement that Sylas had left on my skin. He was thorough, not missing a single inch of me, and I began to feel better as he cleaned me. 

I could see the bruising around my ankles from where Sylas had grabbed me forcefully with his imbued blood. Sadly, the water would be unable to wash that away. If my ankles were already that bruised, I could only imagine what my neck looked like. I grabbed James' hand as he placed the sponge against my skin again. I looked deeply into his eyes and spoke through the pain in my throat, "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to anger him."

My statement caused James' eyes to darken, "Sylas is mad at me, not you, Kara. He knew to hurt me, he had to go through you." He sighed profoundly, regretting his actions during his last training session, "I promise he will never touch you again."

He gently tilted my chin, inspecting my neck thoroughly, and I watched as blood welled in his eyes. I grabbed the tub's edge and lifted myself up to kiss him on his forehead. He buried his face into my bosom and wrapped his arms around me tightly, "I'm so sorry I wasn't there to protect you sooner." In reality, James was there to defend me quickly; he was still in his boxers, meaning he immediately sprung from our bed. My interaction with Sylas lasted 30 seconds or less despite feeling much longer. 

I gently stroked his hair, "You saved me, James." I breathed as it still hurt to speak, "If you had been a few..." James interrupted me, "I don't want to think about what would have happened if I had been a few seconds later." I pulled him closer to my bosom and continued stroking his hair as he listened to my heartbeat. 

A few moments later, I pulled the drain plug and stood as James handed me a towel; I stepped onto the mat and watched the water trickle down my legs. I glanced in the mirror as I walked past it; the bruising around my neck only brought back the painful memory of Sylas' temper. You could clearly see four fingers and a thumbprint wrapped around the trachea portion of my neck and a darker band of bruising that wrapped around the entirety of my neck from his blood manipulation. 

I put on a pair of James' gray sweatpants and a plain white shirt. The sweatpants were baggy, and I had to roll up the waist several times before tying the drawstrings to secure them to my petite frame. The shirt hung loosely on my body, but I didn't want anything too tight on right now; it only reminded me of what Sylas had done. James returned fully dressed and brought me some Motrin and a glass of water to help with the pain.

He smiled warily, "You really should try to eat something after taking that." James was so caring, and even though I didn't feel like eating, I would to appease his concern. I took the Motrin with some water; I didn't anticipate it to hurt while swallowing the small pills. I coughed afterward, my eyes widened, and I could taste the familiar metallic flavor of blood in my mouth. I quickly ran to the bathroom and spit into the sink. I was right, as the white porcelain was now colored vibrant red from my blood-soaked spit. 

Sylas had definitely tried to kill me if I was bleeding internally after swallowing a pill. James rushed in behind me; upon seeing the blood, his eyes darkened, "You need medical attention now." With that, he swooped me up in his arms and carried me outside.