A Shade Of Blood(55)

“But he was with you for many weeks… He was brought to The Shade not long after Sofia was…” Her name left a bitter taste on my mouth.
“He reminded me of someone. Someone from the past.” Something dark and wicked marred Claudia’s countenance. “As I said, he was special… I wanted to keep him for as long as I was able.” She shrugged. “Perhaps rage toward a human gives us some form of control.”
I shook my head, slowly comprehending. “Not rage… emotion…”
“Perhaps. Is that all you came to ask?” She stretched her back and winced at the wounds she forgot she had. She cast me a fleeting glance – unintentional and full of rage.
I did this to her.
“Pretty little Sofia…” Claudia’s gaze was now blank, her words full of venom. It was as if the girl I was speaking to only moments ago was gone and she was now possessed by a whole different person. “Ben spoke of her in his sleep. What is it with her that has got him and even you so wrapped up in her?”
She revisited the memory of their reunion    , and forced me to relive it right along with her.
“Do you remember the look on their eyes when they saw each other? The way they embraced each other… so young… so in love… How does that not bother you?”
I swallowed hard. Unwelcome imaginations of Ben and Sofia in each other’s arms, happy and in love, rushed through my mind. I wondered if Claudia was taunting me, but the anger blazing in her eyes told me that she too was living out the jealousy she felt upon seeing them together. Her rage was directed not at me, but at him, at her.
I remembered that day all too well. Claudia came to pay me tribute and Sofia arrived from a walk outside. It was clear to see that she and Ben held affection for each other, so I asked Claudia to give Ben to me – for Sofia’s sake. I remembered how I held Claudia and pulled her body against mine as I gave her my request. I used Claudia just to see how Sofia would react to me placing my hands on the sultry, blonde vampire.
I did not imagine it. I knew I saw jealousy in Sofia’s green gaze.
I didn’t know what spirit possessed me to do it, but all I could think of was exacting revenge on Sofia for leaving me. I wanted to make her jealous again. Before I could make sense of what was happening, I had Claudia on the cot, her body writhing beneath mine.
For a short span of time, my mind was too consumed by Claudia, Ben and Sofia for it to have room for my craving for Ashley, but I was fully aware that by sleeping with Claudia, I’d just hit a new low. As I got off her and began putting my clothes back on, I realized that she was softly sobbing. I looked her way. Her back was turned to me. The fresh, matted wounds that criss-crossed her back made my stomach turn.
Gone was the raging vampire seeking to mete out her revenge on Ben and Sofia. In its place was a broken little girl.
The guilt I felt reminded me of the humanity I still allowed myself to have. In my longing to ease my guilt, I unintentionally did the worst thing I could do to one such as Claudia. I told her that I would lessen her sentence for “the service” she afforded me.
The glare she gave me was meant to inflict horrible pain before going for a kill. I realized my mistake immediately, reminded of what she once was and the broken creature it made her out to be. It was not what I meant to do, but I just offered her payment for sex and I knew that she would never be able to forgive me for it.

Chapter 29: Ben
 
The moment the team made the final touchdown that won us the game, my eyes immediately flew to the bleachers in search of Sofia. It was a championship game and she knew how much it meant to me to win it. I was looking forward to having my girlfriend run into my arms, congratulate me, having her lips press against mine. But I was only met with utter disappointment when I searched the field for her and realized that she was nowhere to be found. Instead, my mother was the one approaching me, carrying Abby in her arms.
“Ben! I’m so proud of you!” she cooed as she pecked me on the cheek.
Abby squealed out a string of cheers and yells that didn’t really make much sense to me. I figured she was trying to imitate the cheerleaders, but couldn’t remember the words, so she made up her own.
“Thanks, mom, and thank you for that very unique cheer, Abby.” I looked around, wanting to see Sofia. “Where’s dad and Sofia?”
My mother rolled her eyes. “Sofia left the stadium with a friend of hers not long after the game began. When she didn’t return, your dad went looking for her. I haven’t heard from him yet. I’ll call him while you go take a shower?”