Chapter 86 Hunger

Chapter 86 Hunger
\[Tabitha’s POV\]

I sit back and watch as Atticus continues to kneel in front of August. His excitement over getting to torture the trickster fae man is clear from the aura that is radiating from him.

“Now, are you going to cooperate?” Atticus asks.

“I’ve said it before; I don’t fear death,” August counters. “You can do what you want; I won’t interfere with fate's plan.”

Fates plan. This was the second time he said something like that. Did that mean that he knew what the future held? If he did, then he would be a big help in taking down Titus and his clan, but from the way he was acting, it was clear that he had no interest in helping.

“Then let’s start here.”

As Atticus speaks, he grabs August’s thumb, and in a flash, it turns to ice. Smirking, Atticus pulls, shattering the thumb, so bloody chunks crash to the floor.

A hiss of shock and pain escapes August, but he continues to remain silent, spurring Atticus to repeat the process with two more fingers. However, when he finishes, August is still silent, and I quickly realize that if we want to learn more, we need another tactic.

“Can’t you see that it isn’t working?” Vance huffs, voicing my thoughts. “He’s clearly a stubborn bastard and will need better persuading.”

“And what do you have in mind?” Atticus demands, his eyes flashing with anger. “You heard him say he would rather die than speak.”

“Destroy the thing he loves the most,” Vance responds easily.

The thing he loves the most? And what exactly was that supposed to be? Was there something Vance knew that we didn’t?

As these thoughts begin to race around in my head, a loud laugh escapes August, drawing all of our attention to him.

“Do you truly think I love anything?” He asks, mocking Vance’s idea. “The only thing I care about is keeping the path of fate clear of any and all obstacles.”

The path of fate. Again and again, he was saying this. What was his connection to such a thing? Could he be fate himself?

“So if I refuse to go down your path, what would happen?” I ask, getting an idea. “You’ve gone through all of this trouble to try to make sure that I continue going in the direction that fate wants, but what if I decide to say fuck that?”

I had already awakened; there was no denying that, but from the way August was speaking, if I didn’t involve myself with the vampires, would that shift my fate? But since I was already awakened, didn’t that mean that everything was in motion?

“Just kill him,” Atticus huffs. “We can find another to stop whatever the hell it is that he is planning.”

“But what is he planning?” I ask, getting up from my spot and moving forward so that I can kneel in front of August. “You’ve gone through all this trouble to make sure things go as planned; tell me what will happen if they don't."

“What makes you think I will tell you?” August asks, but stops as a strange energy begins to radiate around us. “What?” He hisses, his eyes growing wide. “What is…”

“You won’t speak willingly,” Vance huffs, keeping his gaze fixed on August. “So we have no choice but to force it out of you.”

“Force,” August repeats, anger flashing in his eyes. “How?”

Frowning, I look at Vance, who seems to be in deep concentration. What was he up to, and what was he doing to make August act like this? There was still so much that I didn’t know about him.

“I don’t have the time or the patience for your bullshit,” Vance says. “So I’m just going to make you speak.” Moving forward, Vance reaches out and grabs August’s chin, then squeezes until I hear the sound of cracking. “What the fuck are you up to?”

“I…” August huffs, clearly fighting to not speak. “Must… keep…”

“Stop spewing your bullshit about fate!” Vance snarls, leaning in close. “What is your purpose?”

“The end,” August rasps, rage filling his expression. “The end of all vampires.”

“What end?” Vance demands. “What the fuck do you have planned?”

“Not me. The goddess of light will take her revenge for your goddess taking her one true love, but in order for that to happen, he,” August continues, nodding toward Atticus. “Can’t be involved.”

“Me?” Atticus repeats, anger flashing in his gaze. “What the fuck do you mean I can’t be involved? What did you do to me?”

“I made things right! If you remain involved with the woman, then she won’t be able to bring an end to the vampires. She can’t have any attachments, but you muddled everything up!”

August’s words come out like verbal diarrhea, but nothing about what he is saying makes me feel any better or any less confused.

“How do we stop the end from coming?” Vance pushes. “There has to be a way to stop it.”

“There is no way,” August counters. “Once it is in play, there is no stopping it, and since she has awakened, it has already begun.”

A large bark of manic laughter escapes August as his gaze comes to rest on me.

“You will fix that which you have ruined, woman,” he cackles. “And my mistress will be Evang…”

The rest of his words don’t manage to come as Atticus wraps a hand around his throat and lets his ice magic begin to spread until all that is left of August is an icy replica. Once he is fully consumed by magic, Atticus strikes out, shattering him into a million pieces.

“You,” Vance says.

“He was getting on my nerves,” Atticus shrugs. “Anyway, we already know what we need to know, and now we need to figure out how to end it.”

“Right,” Vance agrees.

As they speak, both their gazes come to rest on me, but before I can feel much of anything in regards to what we just discovered, a burning sensation begins to travel up my throat, and I quickly realize that I need to feed.

Hissing, I wrap a hand around my throat as the burning intensifies.

“Shit,” I hiss, trying to ignore the thrum of need that is beginning to race through me. “I need…”

“Blood,” Vance offers, quickly making his way to me. “Here, why don’t you feed from me?”

“No,” I gasp, snapping my gaze at Atticus, who is watching us curiously. “If I do that, then..."

“What?” Atticus asks, not missing my unease. “Is feeding something that should be done in private?”

“Vampire endorphins cause the one being fed from to feel mind-blowing pleasure,” Vance explains. "Usually, when we feed, we also..."

“Fuck,” Atticus finishes for him. “Then please, go ahead; don’t mind me. I need to go and find someone anyway.”

“No,” I pant, rushing forward and grabbing Atticus. “Don’t leave.”

Despite myself, I can’t stop the sudden fear that flares in me, trying to convince me that if I let Atticus leave now, I’ll never see him again. Now that I knew his forgetting me wasn’t his own doing, I didn’t want him to leave me.

“Please, don’t leave me,” I whisper.

Behind me, I can feel Vance’s gaze burning holes into my back, but I don’t care. Atticus was important to me, and after losing Anthony, I couldn’t bear to lose another.

“And what exactly do you wish for me to do?” Atticus asks, his expression turning gentle.

“Feed me,” I whisper, running a hand along his throat until I can feel his pulse. “Remind me that you’re here with me.”

“And me?”

Vance’s voice is filled with anger and hurt as he speaks, and I already know what will happen next in this situation.

“You stay too,” I respond. “Both of you stay with me.”