Page 30 of Greer's Change

Seiran doesn’t hesitate to pull down his lip, showing the two angry marks.

If he did cease to exist here in the human realm, he would simply be reborn in Hell, but it would wipe free all his memories of this existence. That thought alone sends an uncomfortable pang to my stomach.

“You fucking fool,” I mutter, shaking my head.

“I guess we’ll see if that friendship ever really meant anything to you. Huh, Novak?” Seiran taunts.

He would never be stupid enough to claim someone solely to test my resolve.

My fury only grows, because that means she’s important to him in some way. No, there is, in fact, no way I will allow him to forget the good times we shared, even if he currently views them through a sheen of hatred.

“Collect everything you can find that will hold blood,” I hiss, undoing the button on the sleeve of my shirt. “None of us can ingest what she’s about to spill, meaning this is going to get messy.”

“I’m not sure it’s sanitary to pour tainted blood down the toilet,” Reign says with an oddly jovial lilt to his tone.

“Oh, go fuck yourself,” I snap, swiping my hand over my face. The long hair on top of my head falls against my forehead, and I shove it back.

I’m sure the mimic does view this situation as quite humorous, especially considering I spent the last hour ranting and raving that I would never go through with it.

Seiran jogs closer with a bucket dangling from each hand. “Newton keeps a collection of tools and necessities in that giantbuilding behind the garage. You may wish to consider giving him a raise.”

The look I give Seiran should succeed in melting his skin right off his bones. It’s unsuccessful, but I’m distracted by the wail that comes from inside the bedroom.

The door was never latched closed, and my forearm lands against it, shoving it open.

Seiran’s black blood spills from her eyes. It takes me several long seconds of blinking to comprehend that she’s been crying.

“Just kill me,” she whispers. “Make it quick, please. I can’t do this. It hurts too much.”

Reign hisses from behind me, and I use my speed to reach her before he or Seiran can. I’ve never witnessed this process, only heard about it through second and third hand accounts.

The stench of Seiran’s blood makes my nose wrinkle, but I do my best to keep my face placid.

“You’ll be dying today, but when you awaken, you’ll be reborn as you should have been the first time.” If this works, that is, but being truthful has a time and a place. Now is not it. I have no idea if the vampire blood that turned her initially will be enough to keep her alive in her current state, so I slice my wrist and bring it to her mouth. “Drink,” I instruct, lining my voice with my compulsion.

She struggles against the command, but my power quickly overpowers her free will. Her teeth slide into my skin, and my head tilts.

Cheeky.

My command wasn’t to bite, only to drink. Her venom is extremely potent, considering her half-dead state, and I glance at Reign. There was a fair amount of heckling when I realized he came simply from her bite that first night outside the club.

“I’m beginning to understand your state the other night a bit better,” I admit.

“I’ll bet,” he murmurs, watching Greer closely.

“What do we do?” Seiran shoves past Reign with the buckets still held in his clawed hands.

“Once she’s had a bit more…” It might be best if I don’t warn him about what’s coming. Now that they’ve bonded, he could do something stupid, like attempt to stop me.

Greer’s first transformation was likely much less traumatic than this one. The air in the room permeates with the sulfury scent of Seiran’s undigested blood. I’ve done my best to mindfuck Greer into a state of rest, but it’s a fitful sleep, and her pain is evident in the way she writhes.

Reign sits behind me on the other side of the bed. He said he was going to attempt to keep her company in her nightmares. I’m sure he will also try to make whatever she’s dreaming about more tolerable.

The little not-quite-a-siren and I are getting quite comfortable. She lies on her side with her arms over the edge. It’s a gruesome process of slicing her wrists again each time they heal, but I handle it like a dutiful maker.

Seiran is going to owe mecenturiesof work after this debacle.

I huff against her pink hair as I lie curled around her from behind. It’s the easiest position to massage her arms to improve circulation and also to offer her my wrist. I’ve been giving her my blood off and on to help fortify her system, but ultimately, that will be drained too. I have to get out all the tainted blood, and just before her heart stops completely, I’ll need to dose her with my venom.

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