Page 122 of This Blood That Binds Us
“You are wanted by one of the only six Queens left in existence. We will require your help to bring Her down. You and your family will be allowed to continue on with your normal lives on campus with...supervision. I must stress the importance of your involvement with The Family. In all of my years hunting them, I have never seen their Queen show such interest in Her disciples. They want you for something. We can use this to draw them out of hiding.”
“You want to use us as bait?” I chuckled, my body wobbly.
“You will be protected. You will not be allowed to go anywhere that members of The Legion cannot. The Family will hunt you whether we are involved or not. We can use this opportunity to bring down the last Queen in the western hemisphere. It will not be easy, but I believe you all have great potential to be productive and valuable members of society once more.”
We had babysitters. It was better than waiting around for The Family to find us and do god knows what with us. This was a major upgrade. The tightness in my chest loosened when Kilian spoke again.
“With that conclusion, we must start with the removal of your tattoo. We cannot risk you being identified in public.”
At the sound of his words, the two members closest to Zach and Luke unchained their hands. Without another word, they pulled small silver blades from their robes and took it to their skin. Carving out the little black lines tattooed on their wrists. My brothers didn’t fight it, but their cries of pain echoed up into the walls of the stone church.
The shock of what was happening hit me like a train. My brothers’ screams of pain echoed in my ears. Dizziness hit me, and it took me a moment to realize what was happening. Theringing was back in my ears, and the room faded. I brought my hands up to my head, trying to get it to stop.
“Stop. Please. Stop,” I said.
My own words felt far away. The room spun, and I no longer felt any evidence of reality. Pain was my only reality and an unreal feeling of terror taking over my entire body. I couldn’t find my way back. That thing in my head was clawing its way out of my head and taking over.
“Aaron, you need to drink blood.”
William’s voice was my only companion in that dark place.
He pulled me back into the world, and he placed something in my hand. “Drink this.”
“I-I can’t. I don’t need it.”
“Oh, you don’t? The look on your face is telling me otherwise.” He raised a blood bag in front of my face. The red liquid made my mouth water. “You’re spiralin’. You need to drink if you want to live.”
His face was blurry and hard to see. I could feel other eyes on me, but I couldn’t focus on anything but William.
“Drink. It.”
I moved the plastic around in my hand and watched as the wave of blood crashed inside. A deep longing surfaced within. My eyes trained on the red color, and it took over my vision. I brought the bag to my lips and bit down. The first drop on my tongue sent my mind racing. I squeezed the bag harder and tried to get more. Blood was the only thing I could think about. It was everywhere all at once. It was everything. Time passed quickly, and I snatched the other bag from his hand without a second thought. Blood. Blood. Blood. I needed more.
A carnal thirst ripped open my chest, and every drop filled an infinite void. I opened my eyes, but all I could see was deep red. My hands shook as I squeezed the bag harder each second until the bag went limp in my hands. It dropped and stared atthe smearing of red covering my hands. More. More. MORE. I needed more.
The fog lifted, and I could finally see where I was. I had been brought back to the empty room Kimberly and I were in.
William and another robed man watched me with worried expressions.
The longing I had for blood wasn’t fading. My muscles moved on their own, and I flew out of the chair. The men grabbed my arms and held me down.
“I need more.” The words escaped my lips, and I shut my eyes and glued my back to the chair. I wouldn’t dare let my body move another inch.
“No, you don’t. You don’t need more. Listen to my voice.”
William’s voice was calm, and I tried to focus on that despite the strange numbness traveling up my body.
“Don’t think about the blood. You have to focus on something else.”
That was easier said than done. Panic was setting in, and I couldn’t think of anything other than the fear in my head. I was losing control.
“Here.” William grabbed my hands and dug his fingers into my skin.
The pain sent a shock wave through my body. The sudden jolt was enough to stop the numbness from traveling further and for my mind to prioritize.
“There. It should be stopping. You’re okay. This is your body. You’re in control of it.”
“This is my body. I’m in control.” I repeated the phrases until I believed it.
