Page 78 of Love Bleeds
Chapter Twenty-Six
Aldrich didn't even ask any questions. Maybe he didn't have to, because he was a vampire too. Maybe he knew what it was like, or he could imagine. He took Crimson to his car, told him to buckle up, or not, and then drove them over to his place. That same dingy apartment he'd taken Crimson to after Luke had been attacked by Nicolai.
It was almost funny how badly Crimson had wanted to get away from here the first time Aldrich had introduced him to the place, and now he was kind of glad to see it again.
He wouldn't cause anyone any harm while he was here.
"We kind of figured it might come to this," Aldrich said while he directed Crimson to a chair in his living room. "Talon and I, we've talked about this. I've talked to Puck too."
Puck? What did he have to do with this? Did he have more potion? Crimson tried to consider that option, but it was hard to think. At the very least, it was hard to consider anything in depth. Anything other than his need for blood, that was.
He didn't even notice that the chair he was sitting in wasn't just a regular chair until Aldrich maneuvered his wrists into the shackles on its sides.
"If you had your full power, these chains couldn't hold you," Aldrich said. "It's lucky vampires get weak when they don't feed. And you're still a freshling too. You need blood more than I do." He stepped back to consider Crimson. "Don't get me wrong, man. I'm not telling you this to taunt you. Just thought you might want to know that struggling is pointless. You'd only hurt yourself."
"I'm..." Crimson licked his lips because his mouth felt impossibly dry. "I'm going to die, aren't I?" If he didn't feed,couldn'tfeed...
"Would you rather go back to Nicolai?" Aldrich asked. "Because I promise you, the moment Puck's potion stops working, he's going to hunt your ass down. Hell, he might kill you for insubordination anyway. Though I don't know if he's the type. He might torture you for a bit first."
"He would." Crimson had no doubt about that. Just thinking of all the things his sire had done to shape Silas into what he wanted made him shudder in the worst way. No, if he went back to Nicolai, he would end up like Silas. Nicolai would make him kill Luke.
Everything in Crimson rebelled against that idea. Even the part that wanted blood.
"You don't have to die," Aldrich said. "Didn't I mention that I've talked to Puck?"
"Does he... does he have more of that potion?"
Aldrich shook his head. "Sadly, no, but we've come up with a work-around. You're not going to like it, but it's the only option we have, okay?"
"What is it?"
"Animal blood."
Crimson's insides drew tight.Sotight he couldn't even utter a response.
"It's close enough to human blood to keep you going," Aldrich explained. "Different enough to keep you undetectable. I don't know if you've ever had it before, but--"
"I have."
Aldrich paused. For a second, there was something almost like sympathy in his gaze. "Then I don't have to explain. I won't give you much. Just enough to make sure you don't die."
Crimson nodded.
"It might be kinder to kill you," Aldrich said.
Crimson shook his head. If there was any option that he could stay alive, he would have to take it, even if it meant surviving on animal blood. If there was any way that he could go back to Luke after this...
"Animal blood is fine," he made himself said.
He'd promised, after all.
He'd never leave Luke if there was any other way.
