Page 88 of Missing Piece
Much to his surprise, Richard released him with a sigh,stepping back to once again wipe the spit from his face. The rage was gone, replaced by an unsettling calm.
“Interesting,” Richard murmured, more to himself than to Adam. “A quick death would be far too easy. Too…mundane. I have somethin’ far more fun in mind now. Thank you for the suggestion.”
Keep him talking. We’ve seen this kind of guy before. Full of himself, wanting people to sympathize with a nonexistent struggle. I need to buy more time and get Vincent away from him.
“Does your more interesting thing involve killing old folks and finger painting with their blood? Because I think he’s had his fill of that while you were off eating rats in a bayou somewhere,” Adam taunted, grinding his heels into the thin layer of debris and decay.
“My, my, aren’t we bold tonight? The last time I saw you, you were a cowering little mess covered in bites and bruises.” Richard’s lips curled into a smile. “Let’s remedy that.”
Richard’s fist connected with Adam’s jaw, sending a burst of pain through his skull. Before he could recover, another blow landed on his cheekbone, followed swiftly by a punch to his gut that knocked the wind out of him. Adam doubled over, gasping for air.
He swayed, fighting for balance, but he didn’t want to give Richard a reason to view him from another angle and discover the weapon in his back pocket. He decided to play it up, exaggerating a stumble and collapsing onto his ass with a groan.
Richard knelt down in front of him, studying his face for a moment before he swiped a finger through the blood trickling down Adam’s face and brought it to his lips. “Mmm,” he purred. “You do taste sweet. I can almost see why Vincentwanted to keep you around.”
Adam glared up at Richard, fighting to keep his voice steady despite the dizziness creeping in. “I’m not afraid of you,” he spat, even as dread coiled in his gut. “Your stupid woo-woo powers might work on vampires, but they don’t impress me.”
Richard’s eyebrows rose, amusement dancing in his stare. He reached out, fingers stretching towards Adam’s face.
“Wait!” Adam blurted out, desperate to stall. “How can you do that? Use your powers on other vampires, I mean. I’ve been told it shouldn’t be possible.”
Richard paused, his hand hovering inches from Adam’s face. A slow smile spread across his lips. “Curious little thing, aren’t you?” he mused. “It’s really simple. Vampires have a lot of rules they’re just supposed to know, but when you don’t have someone around to tell you what you’re doin’ wrong, you break all the biggest rules.”
Adam heard the distinct crunch of Vincent’s footsteps behind him, a sudden, deliberate step forward that betrayed Richard’s hold. “H-have you been feeding on other vampires?” Vincent asked, his voice a strained stutter.
Richard threw his head back and laughed, the sound echoing through the dark room. “The old man probably told you it would kill you, right?” He shook his head. “Lies. Probably half of it was lies to keep control over you, though it was terribly painful for the first few feedings. But you do what you must when you are desperate.”
“But…that’s—” Vincent began.
“So you’re chowing down on your own kind, even now? That’s fucked up, but I’m bored,” Adam interrupted, trying to pull Richard’s attention back to himself. Richard glared at him like he had just interrupted a Shakespearean soliloquy.Focus on me, you pompous fuck.
“I think I’ve had enough of your mouth, at least in this form,” Richard said, his jaw tight. He stroked Adam’s cheek, his eyes lighting up as it appeared an idea came to him, and said in that same hushed tone from back in the club’s bathroom, “A lot of pain is gonna come to you, and I’m goin’ to make sure that you’re awake and conscious for all of it. I’m so excited to see all the ways I can make Vincent ruin you.”
The familiar false dread crashed over him, wrapping around him and making Adam want to fold in on himself. But he had figured this out once before. Even as Richard traced a finger across his trembling lower lip and down to his collar, he bit down on the inside of his cheek, refusing to blink as involuntary tears dripped down his cheeks, focusing on his anger.
I’m going to kill you. I’m going to kill you. I’m going to fucking kill you.He repeated it over and over like a mantra as he tasted his own blood on his tongue, still unblinking as Richard ripped open the front of his shirt and traced his faded bruises with a sharp fingernail.
He heard Vincent’s feet grind into the concrete again, another small betrayal of Richard’s control. His hands tensed and he took a deep breath through his nose as Richard leaned towards his exposed collar, his fangs descending. Adam moved his fingers slowly, fingerspelling the word “don’t” behind his back.
I don’t want to get bit by Richard again, but I’m not in a position to do anything to help Vincent, and from where Richard is, he could easily attack either of us. The only option is to take whatever’s about to happen.
“Just so you know, thiswon’t end even when you beg to be one of us. You ran off at the mouth too much, and someone needs to teach you some goddamn manners,” Richard whispered.
Adam tried not to move or make a sound during the first bite into his collar, still focused on his rage. But the second bite to his shoulder made him grunt, and he flinched on the third wide-mouthed bite that punctured his bicep. Each bite was somehow worse than the last, his muscles burning with pain as Richard bit into him over and over. It was nothing like when Vincent bit him. Richard’s fangs went deep, down to his blunt human teeth, and he seemed to bite in a way that always tore the skin as he pulled away.
Despite the cold, he was on fire, sweat mixing with blood as he lost count of how many times Richard bit into his arms, his neck, his chest. The room spun slightly, his vision going soft around the edges.
Any semblance of stoicism was gone. Adam cried out with every bite, then clamped his own teeth down on his lip, his cheeks, his tongue, to keep the waves of terror at bay, each one growing stronger whenever Richard bit down on a new part of him, never taking more than a lap from each wound.
Richard’s smug grin widened as he crouched at Adam’s feet, his face smeared with blood. Even as Adam tried to catch his breath, his throat raw, he tried to prepare a retort.Something stupid or crass to keep Richard’s focus on me.
But it was the sight of Richard’s hands on his shoes that sent him over the edge. The thought of losing his prosthetic again, of being left vulnerable and immobile, was too much to bear. His hold on his anger slipped away, replaced by a rising tide of panic.
“No, stop!” Adam cried out, his voice cracking. “Don’tfucking touch me! Leave it alone!”
He began to kick wildly, his movements frantic and uncoordinated. As the panic took hold, doubt crept in.What if I’ve been wrong about Vincent? What if there’s no control, no plan? What if I’ve deluded myself into thinking Vincent is on my side?
Richard’s voice cut through the panic. “Vincent, hold him still.”
