Soulless (Book #2 of Hunted)

Demon

I cleared my throat noisily.

"Not that this small talk isn't fascinating but we should get down to business," I said a bit too formally. He raised an eyebrow at me.

"Business?" he queried. I bobbed my head up and down in confirmation.

"I didn't bring you here to torture you, Anton. Well, really I didn't bring you here at all. I brought Zane here to make sure you never got out again," I said sounding a bit like a school guidance counselor. He grimaced at me and muttered, "Oh and I thought I was making friends." I laughed sardonically.

"You're hilarious," I said flatly. I was done wasting my time. I wanted to get Zane back and if that meant becoming a hard-ass bitch that didn't take any of Anton's shit then that was what I would do. I looked at him severely.

"This is what I need to know first," I said. He gestured for me to go on. "How exactly was this blood debt thing accumulated in the first place?" I inquired. His expression blatantly called me an idiot. I sighed and glanced down at my hands lying limp on my knees.

"I don't care if you think I'm stupid, but as I've come to realize, I don't know as much about vampires as I thought I did so please just tell me," I declared. He rubbed his head and exhaled loudly. I waited for an answer and when he didn't give one I relented and asked, "Are you okay?" He glared at me fiercely and his hand dropped away from his head.

"My head hurts, I'm starving and I'm chained to a fucking wall. Would you be okay?" he said harshly.

"I get your point, it was a dumb question. All the more reason for you to tell me what I need to know." My words were utterly monotonous. I heard him sigh.

"Fine. It's a pretty simple question and I'm surprised you haven't riddled it out yourself." I looked at him attentively. He seemed a little put off by my interest in this particular event though I didn't really know why. Anton seemed like the kind of person who loved all the attention he could get good or bad.

"Over eighteen years, Lor, with one maybe two quarts of human blood from the first couple of times he screwed up. Then it was pigs' blood and cattle's blood, cold and lifeless and repulsive." I saw his fists clench at his sides and again I saw the terror enter his black eyes. He didn't want to go back to that. He was scared of being smothered into remission again. He shook his head and I could hear his breathing become panicked.

"Vampires aren't meant to live like that. It wasn't even surviving; it was just putting off the inevitable." He sounded so scared it almost hurt to listen to him. I took a moment to think about what he had said. I knew Zane had been off human blood for eighteen years and I knew he had drunk animal blood, but hearing all of this from Anton's perspective turned everything upside down. When the words came from Zane it made me proud of him, proud that he was able to overcome his murderous nature. When the words came from Anton it almost sickened me; it was like putting a Great White in a cage and feeding it seaweed. I couldn't feel sorry for Anton though.

"So what you're saying is that since Zane didn't drink humans for all those years he has to make up for it now?" I asked trying to keep the emotion out of my voice. I saw something glittering on Anton's cheek but before I could determine if it was a tear he had wiped it away. He nodded slowly.

"Well who made up that stupid ass rule?" I asked my voice rising in volume. He put his head down and his hair shadowed his face.

"No one made it up. It's just nature's cruel way of making sure the demon gets fed," he murmured so quietly I had to strain my ears to hear him.