Page 28 of Blood Caged

I drift in and out of awareness, my thoughts hazy and disjointed. One moment, I’m floating in a peaceful void, and the next, I’m jolted back to a harsh reality of pain and confusion. Something’s pressing down on my chest rhythmically, each compression sending a dull ache through my body.

Patty’s face is back. Her lips are moving, but I can’t make out the words. It takes me a moment to realize she’s performing CPR.

Get off me, I try to say, but my lips won’t move. My body feels impossibly heavy, disconnected from my will. I want to push her away, to tell her to stop touching me, but I’m trapped within myself, unable to act.

The pressure on my chest continues, each push sending a jolt through me. I try to focus, to summon my magic, but there’s nothing there, just the empty void that’s become so familiar lately.

Darkness creeps in at the edges of my vision, and for a moment, I let it take me. The pain fades, replaced by a comforting numbness. But then I’m back, Patty’s frantic face hovering over mine. Her hands are on my face now, tilting my head back.

No!I think desperately as she leans in toward my mouth.Don’t you dare!

I try to turn away, to resist, but my body won’t respond. I’m a prisoner in my own skin, helpless as Patty’s mouth covers mine.The feel of her breath forcing its way into my lungs makes me want to gag, but even that reflex is beyond me now.

Time loses all meaning. I drift between moments of clarity and stretches of blissful unawareness. Patty’s face, the cold tiles beneath me, the ache in my chest – they all blur together in a confusing jumble of sensations as she begins pounding on my chest yet again.

Maybe I’m dying. Maybe it will be my way out of this place. Death doesn’t seem so bad right now.

I feel Patty’s weight suddenly lift off me, and in her place, a new presence looms. It’s strong, powerful, and imposing, but strangely, I don’t feel threatened. Instead, a sense of safety washes over me, easing some of the tension in my battered body.

A male voice cuts through the haze of my semi-consciousness, calling my name. “Mia… Mia, can you hear me?”

The voice is deep and smooth. I want to respond, to open my eyes and see who’s speaking, but my body still refuses to cooperate. Yet somehow, I feel calmer just hearing it.

“Mia, if you can hear me, try to squeeze my hand.”

I feel a warm, strong hand envelop mine. It’s a stark contrast to the cold tiles beneath me and Patty’s rough handling. I focus all my energy on that simple task – squeezing his hand. It takes an enormous effort, but I manage a feeble twitch of my fingers.

“Good, that’s good,” the voice encourages. “You’re going to be alright.”

A hand brushes wet hair from my face. I flinch as firm fingers explore my skull, tracing the source of the screaming pain in my head. There’s a muttered, “Fuck,” and then I’m being lifted.

“Mia. Look at me. You need to stay awake.”

I open my eyes.

And it’s him.

10

Chapter 10

Soren

Iwalk into thecontrol room, my eyes immediately drawn to the array of monitors before me. For days, I’ve been watching Mia Blackwood through these screens, telling myself it’s just surveillance, just part of the job. But I can’t shake the growing unease in my gut.

“I don’t know how long I can stomach this,” I mutter under my breath.

The screens flicker with different angles of the facility, but I keep finding myself coming back to her cell. She’s not there right now. My fists clench because I know what that means. She’s probably in the medical bay.

Get over it, Daire. They draw blood. Humans do it all the time.

Fuck, there are entire blood donation drives that take place, and people volunteer for them. Not to mention the number of blood groupies who willingly expose their veins for vampires to feed from. A jab of a needle and an hour on a bed, that’s all they’re doing to her.

“Humans give blood all the time,” I tell myself. But the words ring hollow.

She doesn’t want to.

I saw how she fought that day. As if her life depended on it. The fire in her eyes, the defiance… It hasn’t left her. She’s a live wire. A force of nature, even without her magic. It’s not surprising that I would find that admirable. I’m a vampire. We respect power. Thrive on it.

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