Ellis trembled, squeezing her closer against him, as though he could protect her from the blade piercing her stomach.
"Besides, vampire, you're running low on blood as well…doesn't hers look so tempting?"
What the man said was true, Ellis bitterly accepted. He tried not to look down, where he knew her crimson blood was mixing with his own darker, more burgundy blood. The more he lost the more he needed, and the more he needed the more his instincts would take control.
He knew it was part of the General's plan, to torture them both as they died. It was horrible and disgusting, and so very like Corsentil.
"Nia?" He whispered pleadingly when he felt her body begin to go limp, "Kid…" He swallowed, sucked in his pride, and made his voice almost sweet and tender, "Sweetie, can you hear me?"
If these were the last words she heard she deserved to hear him being nice, at least. It was his fault that she was like this after all.
She shuddered and slowly tilted her head back, staring glazedly up at him through slitted eyes. The once burning emerald of her eyes was flat and muted. There was no life in them, she had mere minutes.
"Princess, talk to me." He cooed, ignoring as best as possible the blood trickling down her neck.
He could feel it though, swelling inside of him urgently, his instincts calling for him to taste it. He knew she'd taste wonderful. She had so much soul and fire and just…life inside of her, all the ingredients for tasty blood.
'Just a tiny bit…' His instincts whispered, begging in desperation at each new, tiny rivulet of blood crossed her lips, 'It's being wasted…'
The General was approaching again, his hand slowly grasping the hilt of the sword.
The tiny movements of his touch on the blade made Nia flinch, grasping the vampire tighter. The General abruptly twisted the blade just a few degrees, smirking as Nia involuntarily gave a shrill, ragged cry that shocked birds out of their nests.
More blood, if possible, spilled down the sides of her mouth. Ellis, whose mouth had opened to cry in pain as well, clamped it shut tightly to keep from breathing in the scent, glaring over her head at the man. He grabbed Nia, a bit rougher than he had intended, practically shoving her face into his chest, anything he could do to keep from looking at the blood – which he so wanted to taste.
"Stop!" Ellis snapped, but the sickening scent of blood filled his nose and mouth, and it took all of his power not to attack the helpless girl.
"It’s cold…" Nia whispered painfully into his chest, face planted over his heart where it would normally be so warm. But now it was almost icy and his heart beat so slowly.
He was descending, losing it. All he could see, taste, smell, think about was her blood. The crimson liquid life which was so dear to her and which he knew he would eventually steal. His body was kicking into survival mode without consent
Then, before he knew it, he had Nia's hair in his hands, ignoring her pleading whimper, and yanked her head further back while his lips attacked the girl's jaw, holding her face still so he could get better at the sweet blood.
Ellis been correct about the taste. He clutched her harder, trying on one hand to lap as much as possible from her skin, and on the other not to lose total control.
She whimpered again, and he trembled, nearly pulling back when he felt it reverberate against his mouth through her throat, but continuing in the end, half groaning against the warm liquid.
"I knew you were nothing but a monster." The man said snidely, watching with a crinkled nose as the vampire blindly gulped at the blood on her neck and the corners of her mouth and her jaw, squeezing the girl's shoulders so tight he bruised her tanned skin.
"Nia," He whispered raspily in her ear, so quiet he could hardly hear himself, "I know you can hear me, you know what to do.”
He trembled visibly in his attempt to keep from lapping up her free flowing blood like some perverted animal, and he knew he was going to bite her soon if they didn't find a way out of this mess.
At first, the girl didn't respond, but eventually she gave a weak tremor, and off between the trees something crashed loudly, followed by a few young men's cries.
Both Ellis and the man jerked back to attention in surprise, staring towards the noise.
"Sir!" Ellis heard someone far off shout urgently, "Remmy....Remmy just ...a big g-green thing...came out of the ground?!"
The man gave a short, suspicious glare at the two, but after a moment's hesitation and deciding they were safely bound to the tree, he ran off to help his comrades.
"Good girl." Ellis whispered in praise, successfully distracted.
He gently supported her with one arm while the other went around her to grasp the hilt of the sword, "This is going to hurt a little, ok? Just stay with me a bit longer."