She fell asleep in Rhulle’s nest, awaking with a start only hours later while the night still loomed. The thrumming feeling washed over her, budding and building as she came to her senses.
The woman sat up, clutching at the waves inside her head, growing stronger with each pulse. Looking over to see Rhulle stir where he lay beside her, he awoke, seeing her sitting and staring back down at him. Nervous, she was not entirely sure what was going to happen next. She felt it even before he did—the hunger to be fed.
The chestnut truxen simply smiled, “It woke you up, did it?”
She sighed in relief, happy to hear that he was, indeed, in control as he had said, “Yes, is it still alright if you see it?”
He sat up as well, those eyes so blood red, essentially symbolizing the need, “It will be okay, you can show me whenever you are comfortable.”
She nodded. “It’s probably better to show you as soon as possible, I mean before someone wanders in,” she laughed awkwardly. Grabbing a penknife from her bag nearby, she hesitated upon sitting back down. “Should there be better light?”
“I am still able to see it no problem.”
With a prick, the droplets rose from her skin, rising into the air between them and floating idly. Rhulle looked at them in fascination. “Incredible. I have never seen this before.”
“It—uh—didn’t do this last time; it flew so fast I almost couldn’t track it. Any idea on what it means?”
He started to move around, finding that it followed him wherever he tread, even as new blood steadily dripped out to join the others, “Your blood is drawn to me, but others must also have the same attraction if it brings them here, yet I have never seen this happen with them. Perhaps yours is just a stronger case?”
“It explains why it’s more intense for me, I wish I knew why no one else had it this bad. Why just me?”
Rhulle played with the stream of droplets in and around the talons, thinking it over, “May I?”
“What, taste it?” His expression was still soft, reassuring her, “I-I… Yes, that’s fine.”
Avie watched Rhulle gather the blood on his fingertips, smearing some of the liquid on the pads before leading the puddle to his mouth, licking and tasting her blood. His face scrunched up, before eyes snapped open, a small gasp leaving him.
“What is it? What’s wrong?” She was concerned, his eyes connected with hers still in surprise. Then she felt it.
“I no longer need to feed.”
His eyes receded the dark shade, revealing his natural tawnier colour, Avie looked on just as in shock as he was.
“Just from that? That was a spoonful at most!”
“Whatever is in your blood, it has given me everything that I need in that small dose. I have needed liters just to get by every other time.”
The words he stated beforehand raked through her.
“A stronger case...” She started to laugh, Avie laughed before it transitioned into a cry, “We can make it stop almost as suddenly as it comes… Rhulle, I’m so happy! People will live—you will live! Now, we only have to figure out what’s in my blood.”
She tucked into his arms. “You have a result on the way, yes?”
“It’s been taking a very long time, but it should be soon. I hope they found something. It feels amazing to at least have an answer after so long.”
The pair retreated back to the nest, Rhulle more or less pulling her half slumbering body with him, ready to sleep soundly for the rest of the evening.
Sweat dripped from his body in a cold flash.
That thing’s eyes were filled with pure evil—red as the fires of Hell. Owen stumbled back, unable to break away from its vision, finding the strength thanks to adrenaline to leave the confined space. He ran home, a difficult feat with how much the snow had piled up onto the ground; the cold embrace helping itself to the inside of his boots.
Finally falling into his own doorstep, the librarian thought of Avie. She rejected him. Her face blanketed with repulsion once his own emotions flew off the deep end—kissing her in the heat of the moment rather than passion.
He only went out there to find her as she was not home, panicked at the thought of her becoming another one of the thing’s meals, Owen set off trying to stop the feeding. Finding her perfectly fine and even stating that Rhulle would feed soon sent him into a frenzy of worry, yet Avie took the monster’s side.
Owen shed his outerwear, heaving heavy breaths as he began to sob. The love of his life had feelings for that demon! The thing in the woods that lured people to kill them, and Avie kissed it? He should have gotten to her first, she was supposed to be his.
Nobody else in town was able to look past his odd energy and obsessive personality, Owen had no friends besides her, yet here he was alone again! He was lost. The entire time he had been swept up in solving what could have been the biggest discovery of humankind to really stop and think of the effect it truly had on her.
He made a mistake. But that creature… He would continue killing the people it brought into Blacken, it was only a matter of time before it got to Avie. Something was wrong with her; she was normally very thoughtful in scenarios. The blond thought for sure she was under its influence of some sort.
This problem had
