THIRST

Chapter Twelve: Scarred Memories (Setekh)

The musical rhythm of Bane's beating heart pounded in my ears as he slept peacefully beneath me. But as I lay there, sleeping soundly next to my mate, a bad dream washed over me. Memories of the past that had long been since forgotten came rushing to the surface as I shuddered at the memory of the night I was bound and turned into a sex slave by a vampire doppelgänger whose name was Paine. The year was 1492. New Orleans, Louisiana.

Covered in darkness as flames flickered and danced in the oil lamps that covered both sides of the street. A heavy fog rolled in from the north blanketing the entire French Quarter. My body was bruised, broken and bloody. But that's not the worst part. My stomach felt empty, aching like I had eaten in weeks. I rolled lazily onto my back as I stared up at the night sky and watched the stars dance around the moon.

My hearing, which had always been my greatest ally picked up the sound of horses galloping far in the distance. Their hooves striked against the cobblestone street as they raced directly towards me! I craned my neck to watch them move through the fog as they appeared out of the cloud in slow motion. Then the driver pulled back on the reins as he stepped down and opened the door of the carriage. My muscles were too weak to get me to stand up and run away.

A figure stepped down from the carriage wearing black leather boots and Victorian era clothing. I cursed underneath my breath and prayed to the Wolf Mother to come and take me away, allowing me to die right here and now. Paine crouched down and lightly stroked the side of my face as he whispered in my ear.

"At last, I have finally found you my little pet. You had me worried there for a second."

"Please," I grunted. "Just kill me and get it over with!"

"You want me to kill you? How can you even ask that? I could never do such a thing to one so beautiful as you."

"Because it's what you do best. It should be simple for one such as yourself, to reach into my chest and rip out my fucking heart."

"Enough!" He snapped. "Come now. I'm taking you back home with me and that's finale."

Arms strong as steel and skin as soft as a baby's picked me up and carried me into the carriage as I was forced to lay across his lap like a dog. He ran his fingers through my hair as he hummed a song from a tale as old as time until we arrived at his castle on the hill that overlooked the Mississippi River. The wrought iron gate dropped into place as the guards stood at attention. Soon the carriage came to a halt outside the castle doors as I was dragged up the front stairs, through the main foyer and down a secret passageway behind a painting as the temperature in the air dropped significantly.

The torches on the walls came to life one by one lighting the way down the long hall of the dungeon that now lay barren and empty with only the haunting whispers of the dead to fill them now. I heard the click of a lock followed by the twist of a key as the Warden pushed open the door to my cell that was to be my home until the end of my days. Paine laid me down on a cold stone slab that was to be my bed as he gently brushed aside my hair and whispered in my ear again.

"I know how hungry you must be right now. So I've brought you something to eat. Enjoy him and drink your fill."

His laugh reverberated throughout the walls of my prison as he turned on his heel and left the room before locking the door behind him. With only a single torch to help me, I struggled to sit up as I looked around until I saw a small figure huddled in the far corner of the room. It was a young boy. He couldn't had been more than sixteen years old. His hair was brown and wavy. And his eyes were green. My hunger rose to new heights as it returned full force. I listened to the fierce pounding of his heart and smelled the blood that coursed through his veins. I squeezed my eyes shut and fought with all my strength not to attack him. But my hunger was too painful for me to ignore any longer.