Eternal Loss (Book #2)

Chapter Twenty-Eight

 I followed behind Henry, as we made our way through the woods, both of us waiting to pick up on the scent of a human.

"I do believe that this is the very first time that we have been alone together" he said, continuing to walk in front of me.

"Seems so" I commented, still feeling uneasy around him.

He looked back at me "And perhaps the only conversation carried just between us"

"It is not my way of being rude, but I have always found you intimidating. You have never been quite as approachable as Lionel or Montgomery" I said, trying to keep up with him.

"Well, I can agree that I am a rather brow-beat vampire at times, but that is only because, unlike the others, I am well focused and tend to keep my attention on serious matters" he replied. "However, I am sure that is why I am Gabriel's second"

I gave a small nod "How long have you known each other?" I asked, wondering if he knew everything there was about Gabriel.

Henry chuckled "I was the third vampire to join the coalition. Right behind Josephine and Tobias"

I continued moving, now beside him, rather than behind him.

"You see, Montgomery arrived right after Annabeth. He was originally going to be Gabriel's second, however, he was very concerned about his ability to lead, given anything happen to Gabriel" he said, looking over at me "Because of this, he recommended me. He stated that out of the other vampires in this coaltion, I was possessed with the most control and remained calm during stressful situations"

I was surprised to hear that Montgomery would question his ability to lead.

"Montgomery seems like he would make an excellent leader" I commented.

Henry nodded "Now he does. He did seem to lack a good sense of leadership, which is something that does not come natural to everyone. Because of this, he needed to learn how to lead and to trust his judgement"

I nodded.

"His control over his powers though is another thing. That is where is natural talent really shines, since Biokinesis and Incineration are not easy gifts to have full control over, but he manages to pull off having both of them and excels at it" he continued.

I looked around, hearing noises "Incineration seems like such a dangerous gift for someone that cannot learn control"

Henry quickly nodded "Unlike most people with the gift, Montgomery can turn it off and on. Most people that have it can only start and if they change their mind, it is far too late"

I stopped moving "I think I hear people"

Henry looked at me "We are now close"

We continued moving, slower than before, because we did not want to catch anyone's attention.

"I do not believe I have learned what your gift is" I said, wanting to keep the conversation going.

He smiled "I have the gift of disintegration. It means that any object that I want, I can turn it to dust" his smiled turned more sinister "My favorite is to grab a heart, from a great distance and make it collapse, leaving nothing" he looked over at me "It makes me a great ally, but a terrible threat"

Hearing him speak with such passion about his gift was quite scary to listen to, but as he said, having him as an ally was a good thing.

I had to remind myself never to upset him in the future.

We approached the outside of a small tavern, were men were heard laughing and shouting.

Several men were outside of the building, very intoxicated.

"Most of the men that come here have done terrible things. I was hunting with Archibald one night and he was appalled by all of the things these men had done" Henry glanced at me "I mostly come here for food, because I do not feel a thing when I am feeding on someone from here"

I was confused, because I did not think he would feel anything in general when he was needing to feed.

He stood tall "I do not like to kill innocent humans, only those that deserve pain and agonizing death" he looked forward "If you want to kill someone without fear of regret, this is where you do it"

Two men were making their way towards us, laughing obnoxiously and stumbling all over the place.

As they got closer, Henry grabbed both of them by the necks, before throwing the shorter man to me.

He looked up at me in fear, trying to run away, but I stepped on his hand to stop him.

He began to scream, but I quickly knelt down and covered his mouth.

I looked over at Henry, as though I were asking for approval.

"Go ahead, I will wait until you are done" he said, squeezing the other man's throat.

I leaned forward and sunk my fangs into his neck, immediately feeling pleasure from the fresh blood pouring out of his neck.

It was as though I were trying to drown myself in this man's blood, as I continued to tear open his neck and dive in more.

Although my previous experience with feeding always had the blood tasting sweet, like syrup. However, this man's blood was partially bitter, probably from the more than needed alcohol filling his blood.

How could I deny myself this intense treat, when I had been keeping myself only to the old blood that was never like this.

"Cordelia" Henry called.

I was too engrossed in the blood, continuing to let it fill my growing hunger.

"Cordelia, that is enough!" Henry shouted, pulling me off of the man and throwing me to the side.

He gave me a look, before staring down a the feeble man, who was now slowly clawing at his chest and screaming out in pain.

The man twisted under Henry's gaze, before going limp and left with eyes that were now lacking existence.

Henry looked over at me "He did not have a heart to begin with"

As I sat on the ground, well aware of the blood staining my skin, I watched as Henry aggressively fed into the other man's neck, pushing him against the tree, devouring his soul in the process.

As Henry stepped away, wiping his mouth, the man dropped to the ground, dead.

Henry turned to me and walked over, kneeling down as he used his sleeve to wipe away the blood on my mouth "You certainly need to learn how to not make a mess"

I took his hand, as he helped me stand "Thank you"

"I can help you with your lack of control regarding feeding, whenever you like" he said, grinning down at me.

I nodded "I would appreciate that"

We began walking away, but I stopped, behind him, seeing Killian starting at Henry with disgust.

Henry stopped and looked at me "What are you staring at?"

I shook my head "Nothing, just got distracted for a moment"

"Well come along, the sun is beginning to set" he said, continuing to leave.

I quickly began moving, wanting to keep up with him.

I could see now that Henry was not nearly as bad as I once thought. Sure he was sadistic in a way, but I suppose every vampire is capable of showing that side.