Rot & Romance (Rewriting)

Chapter 22

Sienna Falls, Montana

Vigorous knocks came at his door. Much to Ulysses' annoyance, he stopped feeding on the woman laying next to him in his four-poster bed to answer it.

"This better be important," he snarled as he made his way to his bedroom door. He opened it to stare into the furious blue eyes of his only daughter.

"Isabella . . ."

"Hello, Father," she seethed as she entered the large bedroom.

"What are you doing here?" Ulysses asked, tightening his bloody robe.

Isabella eyed her father up and down and then the woman slowly dying in his bed and sighed in disgust.

"I see you're still the same vile creature I left behind sixty years ago," she said.

"Isabella. . . . It's so good to see you," he said, ignoring the contempt in his daughter's voice.

He reached for a hug but Isabella quickly withdrew.

"This is hardly a reunion." She made her way over to the dying woman. She was wearing a blood-drenched white silk dress, white linen veil and expensive jewelry. Her hair was tightly wrapped over her ears with white ribbons. Bite wounds littered the woman's arms and legs. Lit candles adorned the bedroom and rose pedals were scattered across the large bloodstained bed. The woman helplessly stared at Isabella, barely breathing as she made her way over. She was afraid, but even more so, desperate for help.

Desperate to be freed from her pain and torment.

She was suffering as she died a slow and painful death. Isabella leaned down, lifted the veil and caressed the woman, whispering words of comfort in her ear all the while. And then Isabella snapped the woman's neck. Killing her instantly. Painlessly. And decapitated her.

"Your barbarity knows no limits, does it?" Isabella said.

"Come now, Isabella. You know it's in our nature to feed."

"You know as well as I, that isn't true!" Isabella snapped. "You know we don't have to feed. Primitive Ones can live without feeding. I should know, I discovered that fact. You just enjoy being a monster. Admit it."

Ulysses smiled.

"I also enjoy feeding on prey with beating hearts." He looked at the decapitated corpse on his bed. "You just sealed another poor woman's fate tonight, love."

Isabella grimaced.

"You usually dress your victims up to resemble Mother?"

"Oh, how I wish it was your mother I was draining the life from instead of some random street whore with a pretty face?"

Isabella's smooth pale skin instantly shriveled and her deep blue eyes were clouded by the evils consuming her. It had been a long time since Ulysses seen his daughter in her awakened state.

"How dare you!" she hissed. "Don't you ever speak of Mother like that in front of me again! I swear, I'll kill you!"

Ulysses cackled.

"You mean the same woman who abandoned her family and wanted nothing to do with us? The same wretched woman who thought we'd be better off dead?" Ulysses gritted his teeth. "The filthy witch can continue burning in the afterlife."

Isabella lunged for Ulysses but he quickly grabbed her by the neck and slammed her into the wall.

"Ah, ah," he said. "I wouldn't."