Ashandil

I felt so much better. The first girl had barely sated my appetite, but her sister had been much nicer. I didn't feel bitchy anymore, weak. I hadn't slept with anyone since the night before Kenali had showed up two weeks ago, and I'd been starting to feel starved.
Now I felt like my old self.
I kept to the sidewalk, but there was no traffic in this dead town at two in the morning.
I stretched with a grin. Damn, I hadn't known her name, but the sister had been so good.
Kenali really had no idea what she was missing. Well, I guess she did now, after my stupid as fuck stunt on the bus that night. I sighed, feeling the cold country air on my skin. I hadn't meant to take it that far, but I'd got caught up in the moment, and she had too.
She was weakening quickly, and her body was craving what it knew would keep it from deteriorating, it was the only reason she had responded as she had, the little prude.
Otherwise she probably would've gutted me. She could be vicious when she wanted too, her fight with Seraphine telling me that.
I glanced at the hotel as I neared it, seeing a light still on in our room. On one hand I knew why they had paired us together, but I wish they hadn't.
I was feeling even worse now about attacking her on the bus in front of the guys, but I was so pissed at her for denying herself. She couldn't be an angel anymore, not in this world. It would kill her.
And she was so damned stubborn! But red heads usually were.
I sighed, my key scraping the lock as I stepped into the hotel room quietly. Kenali was asleep on the bed, magazines scattered in every direction.
I frowned at the mess as I shut the door.
The lamp at her bedside was on, but the rest of the room was dark except for a few spiders in the corners.
I started around the bed, glancing at her face. She had tear stains running down her skin, amd she didn't look like she was sleeping peacefully either.
She needed to eat.
I shirked my shirt over my head, smelling the cheap perfume and booze. The easy ones always wore it.
Kenali shifted as I raffled through my bag for some sleep clothes, and I glanced back, not wanting to wake her.
Fuck!
"Kenali!"
I bolted across the room to her, grabbing her as black tears started from her eyes. I shook her, trying to wake her up, but she didn't respond, the blackness sizzling as it slipped down her face.
What had happened? What had brought this on? I wondered, pulling her into my arms and propping her head against my shoulder, her hair like blood as it fell over my arms.
"Kenali!" I smacked her face, but it made no difference. Every fucking time I left her alone!
I growled in frustration, and jerked my wrist to my lips. My fangs pierced my skin, and then I was pressing it against her chapped lips, forcing them open.
"Come on," I muttered, tilting her limp head. "Drink, Kenali!" She felt like a ragdoll in my arms.
The blood started to roll from her pale mouth, and I felt my chest tighten in panic.
And then she started choking.
She gasped, her violet eyes bursting open as her teeth latched onto my skin, her cold fingers wrapping around my arm to hold it there as she drank my blood greedily, my arm spasming in pain. I gritted my teeth as the pain spread up my veins, and my muscles began to tremble weakly.
"Enough," I growled, forcing my wrist away from her. She was breathing hard, but there was more vitality in her eyes then I'd seen since I'd first met her.
"A-Ashlandil," she gasped, confused. "W-Why ---?"
"You were bleeding again," I muttered, watching the bite marks heal on my wrist; I would need to feed again quickly now. "And you wouldn't wake up."
She pressed her lips together, trying to calm her breathing. I had her pulled across my lap, and I felt even more pissed at her now as I felt her body tremble.
"What did you do?" I demanded of her. "What this time?"
She turned her head away from me sharply, as if my words stung, and clumsily climbed away from me and onto the bed. "I have to get out of here," she muttered, letting her legs drop off the edge of the creaky bed.
"You can't go anywhere in your condition! What the hell, Kenali?"
"Leave me alone!" she dropped her head into her hands. "Please. Please."
She started to cry, and I hesitated.
"Hey, it's okay," I said quickly, not wanting to see her tears. I crawled over to her and slipped my arm over her shoulder. "It's okay. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell!"
I'd never heard her cry like this.
"It's not that," she wept. "I did something awful."
Yeah, I seriously doubted that. Her view of awful and mine were severely different.
"What happened?" I asked, gently rubbing her shoulders. Her wet gaze flicked to mine, then down shamefully as she explained what had happened, how Andy had grabbed her hand and then how everything had escalated. She sounded so ashamed of herself.
"You shouldve slept with him," I muttered, and the look she gave me could have ignitied Hell.
"Your body needs it!" I said quickly. "You can't constrain yourself because you're dying, babe. If you had slept with him, you wouldn't believe how much stronger you would be! And you could've just wiped the memory away. I know that's not why you came here, but your plan isn't going to work if you're dead."
"I don't want to sleep with him," she muttered, staring at her hands. "I want to save him. I can't accomplish that if I'm increasing his sins."
Good god this girl and her fucking nunnery.
I ran my hand over my face. "You can't keep this up much longer. I can't keep feeding you my blood every time you weaken."
"I never asked you to," she snapped defensively, and I narrowed my eyes at her. She didn't need to start with me or I would make her regret it tonight.
She abruptly got to her feet, and she stalked over to where her black duffel bag sat with all her clothes. She began shoving everything inside.
"And where are you going?" I demanded, getting to my feet. "I'm leaving!"
"And where are you gonna go, huh?" I stalked over to her. "Anywhere! I'm more of a danger here then ---."
I grabbed her bag and threw it across the room, it smashing into the wall above the beds with a loud clack.
"No you're not!" I shouted at her, and she winced. "I'm not letting you go off anywhere in the middle of the night, not when you're sick! Until you learn to actually take care of yourseld, I'm not letting you out of my sight, do you understand?"
"No!"
"No?"
"No!" Her eyes flared up at me. "I am so sick of you taking care of me and yelling at me in front of everyone and treating me like I'm incapable!"
"I wouldn't have to if you took care of yourself!" Why did our conversations always lead into a big argument? I wondered, watching as she snatched her bag from the floor and began grabbing all the escaped clothing.
"I don't want you too!" she told me furiously. "I'm leaving, got it? I'm getting out of here before I make everything worse," she choked out, and I couldn't take it.
I grabbed her arm and spun her around, forcing her to look at me.
"If you leave now, all of this has been for nothing, you understand?" I shook her slightly. "All of it! Don't waste your Fall like I did!"
Her eyes shot to mine, amd I gritted my teeth. I hadn't meant to say that.
"Stay," I ordered her, my grip tight. "Don't you dare leave him now."
Her eyes searched mine, a stray tear escaping down her cheek.
"I'm supposed to kill him, Ashlandil." she whispered.

Notes