THIRST

Chapter Thirteen: Sleepwalking (Bane)

I awoke the next morning with a powerful tightness in my chest. My eyes slowly opened before the haziness faded away and the ceiling above me became clear. Setekh was still asleep on top of me, his face buried deep within the crook of my neck. But it was his arms that were wrapped around me like two constricting python's slowly choking the life out of me. I gasped for air carefully as I called out his name but he didn't answer. I tried again only louder this time and still got no reply.

I started to get worried as his arms came around full circle and nearly crushed my ribcage. With what little movement I had left in my hands, I tried pinching his skin to see if that would cause any kind of reaction out of him, but the man was in a dead sleep and he was obviously dreaming about something awful, almost like he was having some sort of nightmare.

"Setekh!" I cried. "Wake up."

Rocking our bodies from side to side. I had just enough momentum to force himself on his back with me still stuck to his chest. I forced my hands down on the mattress and pushed with all my strength but it was no use. When that didn't work, I wrestled getting my right arm free and flexed my fingers as the blood rushed to my fingertips and joints. Sorry for this, I muttered as I punched him in the face which caused him to open his eyes with rage. He let out a fierce growl before striking me across the face as I tried quickly to dismount and move away.

I fell to the floor in an instant as my cheek surged with the pain. Setekh jumped to his feet as he settled on the floor in front of me in a crouching position. His yellow eyes burned like sunbeams as they locked onto mine and he growled again. I stumbled backwards across the floor as my back came in contact with the couch. Stalking like the werewolf he was, Setekh reached out slowly and wrapped his fingers around my throat as he lifted me up off the floor. He curled his lips back and showed his fangs.

"Setekh. Please wake up. You're hurting me!"

"Paine!" he snarled, squeezing my neck tighter. "Any last words before I kill you?"

"Wake up! Setekh! None of this is real. It's me, Bane."

Craning my head to the side, Setekh leaned in close and inhaled slowly as he licked up the side of my neck with the tip of his tongue. His massive body rumbled as he growled and unsheathed his fangs that were long and sharp as a pair of daggers. I swallowed hard as I looked over and saw the letter opener sitting on the small end table next to the couch that contained a stack of books. Reaching out with my arm, I managed to grab the tip of the handle and pull it into my grasp as I gripped it tightly and muttered "I'm sorry", before jamming the thin metal blade into his stomach as he roared and let me go before dropping to his knees.

That's when I made a break for it and burst through my bedroom door as I ran down the long corridor and made it to the second story balcony that overlooked the great hall. The sounds of growling and hammering footsteps made me take off again at a dead run as I headed for the grand staircase when a strong arm struck me in the back as I tumbled down the stairs. My vision blurred as a ringing started in my ears as I looked up and stared at Setekh. Just then a sliver of sunlight pierced through the stain glass window as it caught Setekh in the eye and caused him to yelp as he dived back into the shadows.

Of course, I thought to myself. When in their pre-transition state, their eyes are hypersensitive to blinding lights such as the rising sun. I got to my feet as Setekh glared at me from the shadows. I needed to find a way to snap him out of his semi-conscious state before he killed me for real. But my energy was failing fast and the urge to fight back was a losing battle. A headache shot through my brain as I winced slightly and feared that I may have a concussion. I moved cautiously to the side as my hand touch the railing leading down the stairs as our eyes remained locked together in a staring contest.