Chapter fourteen

14: Caden

The fucking witch was at it again. From my other side of the room, I could hear him chant some spells and the smell of garlic filled the air.

I had never felt so uncomfortable in my entire existence and I was suddenly beginning to miss my former roommate. If he hadn’t died, none of these would be happening.

“Unghhh!” I groaned and used the pillow to cover my ears. Whatever spell he was chanting, they were for me. They were torturous and I knew that I had to do something about him if I wanted to last long in this school.

“Bastard!” I muttered under my breath as I grabbed my coat. I hadn’t had a proper meal in days and this spell was making me weak and dizzy.

He was seated in the middle of several candies which smelled like Garlic and something else I couldn’t really tell.

Sneaky bastard! I muttered before my eyes fell on something in front of her.

Normally, other vampires wouldn’t know what it was but I did, I wasn’t like other vampires, I knew exactly what this was.

Wolfsbane!

But what was she doing with wolfsbane?

Was she up to something?

I stormed out of the room as the smell of whatever was in the candle kept overwhelming my senses.

I walked to the woods, inhaling deeply as I tried to focus on the scent of prey, anything to push off the nagging hunger gnawing at me.

Animal blood wasn’t ideal and just like my brother had said, if I kept this up, I might disappear pretty soon, but it was all I allowed myself.

I would do all I could to avoid this beastly side, I hated this life. The constant thirst. The unnecessarily long life and everything.

As I crouched near a stream, waiting for the deer I had tracked to come into view, a strange scent hit me, sharp, metallic, unmistakable. Blood.

I froze, every muscle in my body tensing. This wasn’t animal blood. It was human.

But what human would be in this thick first at this time?

It was already late!

My feet moved before I could think, my instincts kicking in as I followed the scent deeper into the woods. And then I saw her.

She was lying on the ground, her body limp and pale. The moonlight illuminated her face, and for a moment, I thought she might be dead. But then I saw the puncture wounds on her neck, small, precise, and fresh.

I cursed under my breath, realizing what had happened.

Xander.

This had Xander’s name written all over it.

He always did this, feeding recklessly, leaving chaos in his wake, believing that Vampires were the kings of the earth. And now, I was left to clean up his mess. Again.

For a brief moment, I considered walking away. This wasn’t my problem. I didn’t ask to be involved in his disasters, and I certainly didn’t owe him anything, if anything, he owed me and he owed me a whole lot.

But then I looked at her again. She was young, probably in her early twenties, and there was something about the way she lay there, fragile, vulnerable, that made it impossible for me to leave her.

Her long blonde hair was scattered around her face.

I sighed as I ran a hand through my hair. If I couldn’t save her, the least I could do was give her a proper burial.

I knelt beside her, brushing her hair away from her face. Her skin was cold, but there was still a faint warmth around her chest. I hesitated.

She wasn’t dead yet.

But as I reached out to close her eyes, her body jerked violently. Her eyes flew open, glowing a deep crimson, and she let out a guttural scream that echoed through the forest, baring out what seemed to be fangs.

I stumbled back, my heart racing as she scrambled to her feet, clutching her throat. Her movements were erratic, desperate, as if she were fighting an invisible force.

"Hey," I said, holding my hands up in what I hoped was a calming gesture. "You need to stay still. You’re—"

"Stay away from me!" she screamed, her voice filled with panic and her eyes with genuine fear.

It wasn’t her fault. She didn’t know what was going on and like me, she didn’t ask for this world. Someone, my brother, had thrust this at her.

I clenched my fist tightly. I couldn’t forgive this. He had just snatched away her humanity.

She staggered backward, tripping over roots and branches, but she was moving faster than any human should.

She had turned.

Judging from the smell and her behavior, transformation was still fresh, her body writhing in pain as it adjusted to the change. She clawed at her neck, at the wounds Xander had left, as if she trying to rip them out.

"You’re going to hurt yourself," I said, stepping closer.

"Get away from me!" she cried again, but her voice cracked this time, her strength faltering.

I could see the hunger in her eyes, the same hunger I fought every day. She wouldn’t last long without feeding, and if she ran, she’d only end up hurting someone else.

"I’m not going to hurt you," I said softly, taking another cautious step forward.

She glared at me.

“I promise, I’ll explain everything to you….”

“What the hell!”

I rurned around to stare at the familiar hazel eyed boy.

Max.

He was standing just a few feet away, his face pale as he stared at the scene in front of him. His eyes met mine, and I could see the questions swirling in her mind.

“I just knew you were evil!” He stated as he walked towards me, her eyes already judging me even befure giving me the chance to speak.

I didn’t know what to say. How could I possibly explain this?

"She needs help," I said finally, turning back to the woman.

“No shit! You want to save her now after biting her?” He fired back and I clenched my fist tightly.

What the hell was wrong with him?

I didn’t turn her, I would never do that. All that was on Xander and now she didn’t believe me.

He thought I was evil which again wasn’t her fault as she’d been groomed to hate my kind.

“Look, Max, I don’t care if you believe this or not, but I didn’t do this…”

“Yeah, and who did it? Not a vampire? Or one of your other vampire friend? God! You vampires are annoying!”

There was no use, he wouldn’t even believe me anyways.

"Who is she?"

"I don’t know," I admitted. "But i didn’t do this! “

"She’s turned, isn’t she?"

"Yes," I said, my voice low. "And if we don’t do something, she’s going to lose control."

The woman let out another scream, collapsing to her knees. I moved quickly, grabbing her arms to keep her from hurting herself.

"Let me go!" she cried, thrashing against me.

"You need to stay calm," I said, my grip firm but gentle.

Max knelt beside me, his hand hovering uncertainly over the woman’s shoulder. He muttered something upon seeing her face. It was a name but I couldn’t get it.

I hesitated. "She needs blood. If she doesn’t feed soon, the pain will—"

"No," Max said sharply. "We’re not letting her feed on anyone."

"I wasn’t suggesting that," I snapped. "But we need to do something. Fast. If she doesn't feed, she'll die.”

Max’s lips thinned, skepticism clear on his face. "How convenient."

I took a step forward, meeting his gaze head-on. He was crazy.

"You think I’d do this? You think I’d turn someone and just leave them out here to die?"

His eyes locked on mine, and for a moment, I thought he might relent. But then his brow furrowed, and he crossed his arms tighter.

"I don’t know what to think. All I know is that you’ve been hiding things, and now this girl shows up bitten and turned, and you’re the one standing over her."

I exhaled sharply, shaking my head. "You’re unbelievable."

"Unbelievable?" He shot back, his voice rising. "You expect me to just trust you when you’ve been sneaking around the woods at night? What else am I supposed to think?"

I could feel my patience wearing thin. "Maybe you could think for a second that not everyone is out to harm you. I’m trying to help her. Besides, why are you also out?"

He was quiet and I realized that he was thinking about it.

I scoffed, realizing what had happened. He had followed me.

Sneaky bastard. First, my home privacy was invaded, and now he's following me around.

"Fine," he said finally. "I don’t know what you did, But I’m taking her with me."

I raised an eyebrow. "To where, exactly? The dorm room?"

"Yes," he said firmly.

I couldn’t stop the laugh that escaped me, short, humorless, and dripping with disbelief. "You realize that the dorm room is for boys, right?”

The glare she sent my way shut me up entirely. Great. As if dealing with an unfed, transitioning vampire was not enough, now I have to deal with an angry witch.

Just what my life is now.