Page 16 of Blood Bond

“Oh, God.”

In a panic, I jump back, pulling Tasha with me and slamming the balcony door shut. My breaths come in rapid bursts, my heart racing, eyes wide with fear.

I feel her shake off my hold. “Get off me,” she snaps, pushing my hand away.

But my focus isn't on her. It's glued to the locked balcony doors and the ominous silhouette now on the other side. The shadow moves with an unnatural swiftness, a grace that should have vanished with death. Then, dropping from the railing, it lands on the balcony before rising to its full height.

“Run,” I scream, terror lacing my voice. Whirling around, I dart towards the door, my hand gripping the handle, yanking at it desperately.

But Seth has locked us in.

ChapterTen

Trapt, with nowhere to run, the thirsty at our door is relentless and unyielding. It hasn’t figured out how to open the door yet, but it’s only a matter of time. My heart races, breaths coming in frantic gasps, each pulse a relentless drumbeat as the door rattles with increasing urgency. Panic claws at the edges of my mind, the world seeming to constrict around us.

Tasha stands beside me, her earlier contempt now overshadowed by the suffocating fear that grips us both. “What do we do?” she whispers, her voice thick with desperation.

“I don’t know,” I admit, as the ominous figure beyond the glass moves. Seth’s warnings about their lack of intelligence feel like a distant memory. This one is different; it's learning, adapting, inching closer to breaking into our sanctuary.

Desperation gnaws at my core as I search frantically for another way out. We're trapt, defenceless, and the creature’s crude attempts to unlock the door become increasingly frenzied.

“No,” I gasp as the lock gives in and the door starts to open. A shiver of dread courses through me as the creature, born of starvation and decay, slithers into the room, its features twisted into a nightmarish snarl.

Its eyes meet mine, and I refuse to look away. The rules of survival dictate never to be the first to avert your gaze. That’s what my father used to say in business too. Looking away shows cowardice.

My trembling hand fumbles around for a makeshift weapon, anything. The room is a chaotic battleground of broken chairs and splintered wood, remnants of Donovan’s rampage. My fingers curl around a jagged piece of wood, and I pull it in front of me, using it as a shield.

I thrust it out. “Stay back,” I warn, even though I know the words won’t stop this thing. It moves unhurriedly, circling us with predatory deliberation, biding its time for the right moment to strike. Seth is wrong. Intelligence gleams in its eyes, a primitive understanding of its desire and the calculated means to get what it wants.

“Stay right there.”

The thirsty twitches, flaring its nostrils as if it can smell my racing heart.

“Keep it there,” Tasha says.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see her moving. “Tasha …” But she’s stepping away from me, taking small, cautious steps. It’s going to attack her ...

But no, it makes no move towards her. Its dull eyes are locked on me, and I maintain my unwavering stare, silently pleading with it to stay put. I do not want to be the damsel in distress, but right then, I wish Seth and Killian would come back.

It makes guttural noises, hissing and growling, but its words are devoid of any meaning.

A crash below,followed by shouting, shatters our silent standoff. Seth, Killian, and Naneve must have arrived on the lower floor, inciting a vicious response from the thirsty. Their screeching and hissing reach a fever pitch.

The creature takes a step closer, lips curling back to expose its fangs. I grip my makeshift weapon tighter, bracing for a desperate defence.

Tasha, standing in front of the glass box, her face a mask of determination and fear, suddenly lunges at the creature with a wooden leg in hand, bringing it down onto its back. The creature hisses in response, its fury evident as it turns to confront her. She leaps back just in time to evade its clawed swipe. Seizing the opportunity, I strike its head with my stick. The blow is solid, but it only dazes the creature.

The door to the room bursts open. Tasha has opened it – she must have had the key all along. Our eyes meet briefly, but before I can react, she's gone, slipping out and closing the door behind her, leaving me alone with the thirsty .

As the creature lunges at me, I push a table toward it, sending it crashing backward. It's dazed, its brief moment of cognitive clarity dulled.

I scramble for the door, bursting into the corridor and jerking it closed behind me. Tasha is gone. The corridor is shrouded in darkness, with only the faint green glow of an exit sign for guidance.

The thirsty smashes against the door, trying to break through. As I reach the door leading to the stairs, it opens, and not just one, but three of them emerge, snarling and clawing. In panic, I run, desperately seeking an escape. I manage to open the door to another corridor, but a gnarled fist slams into my back, sending me sprawling. With a desperate swing of my weapon, I connect with the creature's head again, a wet crack sounding as blood splatters the wall. I scramble away and into a new room flooded with light.

Seth must have reached the office because the lights fully come on. It's not sunlight, but it still hurts their sensitive eyes. Yet, the woman accompanying them shields her eyes, a behaviour that shouldn't be possible.

They're thinking.

---