CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

ELLIE

The cold, damp air clung to me, a constant reminder of my reality. Weeks. It had been weeks since that tall, bald vampire, Griffin, had ripped me from everything. From Kaelen and Lucian, from even the faintest hope of a normal life. That night with them felt like a dream, shimmering and distant. Now, my reality was this cage, this stink, this… Griffin.

Each new location was as bleak as the last, the only constant being the bars that held me. The porcelain toilet had been replaced with a bucket weeks ago. My body screamed in protest, a symphony of aches and exhaustion. I hadn't seen my own reflection since before Griffin. I wondered if I'd even recognize myself.

He told me I belonged to him every time he fed, every time he forced himself on me. At first, I fought, screaming and clawing. But Griffin… he enjoyed it. My resistance fueled him, made him more violent.

He'd take me every way he could, until I was raw and bleeding. He seemed to revel in my pain, especially from behind. So, I stopped. I learned to lay still, to become a shell. He hated it. He wanted the fight. He would hit me if I didn't struggle. The bruises were preferable though.

I was dumping the foul contents of the bucket down a grated drain when the screech of the cage door opening sliced through the silence. Griffin. Of course. I numbly walked back to the disgusting, thin mattress and sat, bracing myself. But there was something different in his eyes tonight, something that triggered a cold knot of fear in my stomach.

"Your 'boyfriends' decided to kill off all my children," he spat, the words laced with venom.

A spark of defiance flickered within me. "Good!" I spat back, the hatred burning in my throat. I hated him. Maybe, just maybe, he would finally end this and kill me.

"Good? You think that's… good?" He stared at me, disbelief warring with rage.

"You don't deserve family of any kind!" I yelled, finding a sliver of satisfaction in his reaction.

"Is that so, little one?" His voice dripped with menace. "You know, I've been wondering what to do with you. At first, you were leverage. I took you to get back Brent."

"Fuck Brent! What was he to you anyway?" More venom spewed out, fueled by weeks of pent-up rage.

"Brent…" He savored the name, a slow, deliberate pronunciation. "…was my grandson."

The realization hit me like a physical blow. A sick, twisted logic settled in. It made sense.

Griffin sat down on his usual metal chair, the metal scraping against the floor. "Now all of my family is gone. Your friends took them from me so they could get to you. So..."

I couldn't decipher where this was heading, the air thick with dread. Then, he was on me. One moment he's sitting, the next he's on top of me. He was so fast it knocked to air out of my lungs. His face loomed above mine, his hands pinning my arms above my head with brutal strength.

He leaned down, his breath hot and rancid against my ear. "Tonight, my family will grow again."

Then, the pain. His teeth, sharp and brutal, plunged into my neck. He sucked, harder and faster than ever before, draining me. I struggled, but I was so weak. My vision swam, black spots dancing at the edges.

He released me for a brief moment, his eyes burning into mine. "Tonight, I make you mine."

His teeth plunged into a fresh spot of flesh, tearing and ripping. The pain was unbearable. My vision blurred. I knew, with a horrifying certainty, that I was dying.

His grip on my neck loosened, and I gasped, trying to pull air into my burning lungs. But relief was a fleeting luxury. Before I could even think, he seized his own wrist, teeth sinking into flesh. Blood welled, a horrifying crimson tide cascading down, splattering onto my chest.

"You look beautiful with my blood on you," he rasped, licking his lips like a predator savoring the kill. "Just imagine how stunning you will be with it IN you."

Terror solidified into a cold, unyielding knot in my stomach. I thrashed, but his strength was monstrous. He shoved his bleeding wrist toward my mouth. I clamped my lips shut, refusing. He snarled, a guttural sound ripped from the depths of his throat, and bit down hard on my jaw. Pain exploded, a searing white-hot agony that forced my mouth open.

He didn't hesitate. He jammed his wrist into my mouth, the metallic tang of blood instantly flooding my senses. I gagged, fighting against the involuntary reflex, but he held it there, unyielding. The blood poured, thick and warm, an unwanted sacrament forced down my throat. Swallowing was the only option, a desperate, futile attempt to reclaim some semblance of control.

He didn't stop, didn't relent until he was satisfied I'd consumed enough. All the while, he breathed heavily, staring at me intently. My vision swam, the edges blurring, colors leaching out until everything was a hazy, indistinct gray.

Then, his lips were at my ear, his breath hot and fetid against my skin. "You are mine now!" he hissed, the words a brand seared onto my soul.

Darkness crept in, tendrils reaching out, pulling me under. I fought it, clung to the fragments of myself that remained. I desperately grasped for the memory of Kaelen's gentle touch, the warmth of his hand in mine. I remembered Lucian's quiet strength, the unwavering resolve in his eyes. I even clung to the fleeting spark of hope I'd dared to feel in their presence, the possibility of escape, of salvation.

But even those precious memories were fading, smudged and distorted by Griffin's touch, by his violation. His blood was a poison, corrupting everything it touched, erasing the Ellie I knew, the Ellie I wanted to be. The darkness was winning. It was swallowing me whole.

Just as the blackness threatened to consume me, a jarring clang echoed from somewhere beyond my blurring vision. It was followed by a furious roar, unlike anything I'd ever heard. Light, impossibly bright, sliced through the gloom, momentarily blinding me.

Griffin stumbled back, a look of bewildered rage contorting his features. His grip on me loosened completely. I collapsed to the mattress, a boneless heap, coughing and choking on the metallic taste that permeated everything.

Through the haze, I saw them. Kaelen, his face a mask of barely controlled fury, wielding a length of torn metal like a weapon. And Lucian, a shadow of grim determination etched onto his face, moving with a speed I hadn't known he possessed. He tackled Griffin, sending them both crashing against the far wall.

"Ellie!" Kaelen's voice, thick with desperation, cut through the chaos. He dropped the metal and knelt beside me, his hands hovering, afraid to touch, afraid to hurt.

It was too late. I closed my eyes, the black consuming me whole.

The brightness behind my eyelids was almost unbearable, a stark contrast to the endless darkness I'd just escaped. Every nerve ending felt…awake. Not in a painful way, but alert, humming with a strange energy. I registered the lack of pain, the absence of the constant, gnawing ache that had been my unwelcome companion for weeks. This wasn't death. Death, surely, wouldn't feel like this.

Then came the sensation of softness, a luxurious comfort against my skin. It was leagues away from the thin, stained mattress I'd grown accustomed to. And the smell… clean. Intoxicatingly clean, with a hint of… cinnamon?

My eyes snapped open. Pure white ceiling. But there was more. I could see. Really see. Minute particles of dust danced in the light from the bedside table, each one distinct and sharp. It was an impossible level of detail, a clarity I hadn't known existed.

Panic surged through me, a cold wave washing over the newfound sensations. I sat up, too fast, a dizzying rush clouding my vision for a fraction of a second. Fear tightened its icy grip.

The room was Kaelen's. I knew the stark, minimalist décor, the strategically placed artwork. But the room was empty.

I forced myself out of bed, each movement fluid and effortless in a way I didn't understand. Someone had washed me. The thought was intrusive, uncomfortable. I looked down at my hands, turning them over, inspecting them with unsettling intensity. My arms, my legs… my skin was flawless. No bite marks, no cuts, no bruises. The evidence of Griffin's brutality, the scars that had seemed permanent, were gone.

With hesitant steps, I left the room, venturing into the familiar space of the apartment. I found Seraphine alone on the gray couch, her head buried in her hands. She looked up as I approached, her expression a mixture of relief and concern.

Seraphine practically leaped off the couch, rushing toward me. Her arms wrapped around me in a tight, almost desperate hug, squeezing the breath from my lungs. I was engulfed in the warm, comforting scent of vanilla. Seraphine always smelled of vanilla. How had I never noticed it before?

"OMG! Ellie! Kaelen and Lucian will be so excited!" She babbled, her voice choked with emotion. She reached for her phone on the coffee table.

"Wait!" The word burst from my mouth, surprising me with its force. My hand shot out, stopping her. How had I moved so fast? So instinctively? The question echoed in my mind, adding another layer of confusion to the already overwhelming situation.

"What… what happened?" I asked, my voice a bare whisper.

Seraphine's eyes searched mine, a longing, almost pitying look in their depths. "Let me call them. Just sit down, love."

I didn't argue. I sank onto the soft cushions of the couch, my body feeling strangely foreign, unfamiliar. I listened, numbly, as Seraphine dialed Kaelen's number, her voice trembling slightly as she told him I was awake.

Incomprehensibly, I could hear Kaelen's voice, clear as a bell, as if he were standing right beside me. "We're on our way," he said, his words tight with emotion.

Within minutes, the apartment door crashed open and Kaelen, Lucian, and Dimitri were there, filling the space with their overwhelming presence. They were all… beyond beautiful. Had they always been this beautiful? Every line of their faces seemed sharper, more defined, radiating an almost unbearable intensity.

Kaelen sat down beside me, his eyes never leaving mine. He reached up, his hand hovering for a moment before his fingers gently traced the curve of my cheek. The simple touch sent a jolt of sensation through me, an electric shock that made my breath catch in my throat. It was unlike anything I had ever felt, a wave of pure, raw energy.

He looked at Lucian, a silent communication passing between them. Then, he turned back to me, his expression grave.

"Ellie…" His voice was low, hesitant. "Griffin turned you. You're one of us now."

"Griffin...." Panic now in my voice.

"Shhh," Kaelen said," Don't worry. He's dead."

"His whole line is dead." Dimitri chimed in with a grin.

"Dead?" The word felt hollow, devoid of meaning. Griffin, gone? My tormentor, the reason for the weeks of pain and terror, simply… erased. And his entire line? What did that even mean? It felt too easy, too clean. A knot of anxiety tightened in my stomach, a feeling that this newfound peace was merely a cruel trick.

"I… I don't understand." My voice trembled, barely audible above the rush of blood in my ears. I glanced around at their faces, desperate for some explanation, some anchor in this swirling vortex of impossible realities. "I don't want this. I don't want to be… this."

Panic clawed at my throat, stealing my air. I was a monster now, a creature of the night, forever bound to this terrifying existence. The thought was suffocating, crushing. My hands flew to my face, hot tears pricking my eyes. I was trapped, more so than before.

Kaelen's hand found mine, his touch sending another wave of unfamiliar sensations through me. He squeezed gently, his eyes filled with a depth of understanding I didn't deserve. "We know this is a lot to take in, Ellie," he said softly. "But we're here for you. We'll help you."

Dimitri stepped forward, his expression surprisingly gentle. "There are ways to manage the… the hunger. We can find blood sources that won't require you to hurt anyone. Animal blood, synthetic alternatives… there are options."

Hunger. The word resonated within me, a dark echo in the emptiness of my stomach. It wasn't the normal, rumbling hunger I'd known before. This was something primal, something instinctive, a gnawing emptiness that threatened to consume me.

My mouth watered, a strange metallic tang filling my senses. My veins, usually hidden beneath my skin, felt like they were collapsing inwards, screaming for sustenance. It was an uncontrollable urge, a desperate need that threatened to overwhelm me.

And then, they happened. My fangs.

A sharp, unfamiliar sensation erupted in my gums, and two points, sharp and deadly, descended. My hand flew to my mouth, covering it in horror. I was a monster. A real, living, breathing monster.

Tears streamed down my face, hot and heavy. Seraphine slid beside me, wrapping her arms around me in a tight embrace. "Kaelen," she said urgently, her voice laced with concern. "Ellie must be starving."

Starving wasn't the word. I was ravenous, consumed by a need so intense it threatened to shatter my sanity. And in that moment, the primal instinct took over. My head turned, my body moving on its own accord, drawn by an irresistible force. The closest thing, the nearest source of life, was Seraphine.

Before I could even register the thought, my teeth sank into her neck. A jolt of pure, electric pleasure coursed through me, silencing the fear and the disgust. The taste of her blood was intoxicating, addictive.

Kaelen reacted instantly, pulling me back with surprising strength. But I was feral, driven by an instinct I couldn't control. I snarled, a low, guttural sound that I didn't recognize as my own.

Seraphine, already healing with unnatural speed, stood, her face pale but determined. "She needs to eat. Now! Before she hurts someone."

"How? We can't take her down to the club like this," Dimitri stated, his voice sharp with concern. "She's not in control."

Lucian, who had been silent until now, spoke with a quiet authority that commanded attention. "Dimitri, Seraphine, stay here with her. Don't let her out of your sight. Kaelen, let's get our little angel her first meal."

He said it with a strange tenderness, a possessive edge that sent a shiver down my spine. He still saw me as an angel? It was a cruel joke. I was a monster now, and they were going to feed me. The thought was both terrifying and strangely comforting. They were going to protect me, even from myself.