Page 15 of Loved to Death

That seemed impossible in the moment, but he believed her. Polly was honest to a fault even when he didn’t like what she had to say.

She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him into an embrace. He tensed but didn’t struggle.

“We’ll go into town tonight. Portland is less than a mile away.”

“I don’t want to kill anyone,” he whined.

She kissed his head and stroked his hair. “I understand. We’ll try to find someone old. A drunk old man outside a bar.”

Hating himself, he nodded and nestled into her, needing the comfort in this moment more than he wanted to argue.

“You’re sweet and compliant this morning. It suits you.”

“It suitsyou,” he corrected.

She pulled away to make eye contact and raised an eyebrow. “Maybe we should look for another farm with cows.”

Shuddering, Thomas shook his head. “I’m sorry.”

“You do understand that we could go another full week without human blood, right?”

“Yes,” he answered softly before offering a meek, “Sorry.” He prayed she wouldn’t slip into a rage. For the past couple of days, he’d been wondering exactly how often and how long Polly’s husband had starved her. She certainly wasn’t a rabid animal, but that kind of repeated torture had obviously caused her some emotional instability.

She scrutinized him for a few seconds until he looked away and then she patted his back. “Okay then, let’s go.”

They both stood and dusted off their clothes. They brushed their hair and rinsed their faces in a nearby stream to make themselves look presentable for human interaction.

As they rode the horse toward town, Thomas tried to think of the best way to escape her once he’d fed. But his constant hunger made it difficult to think logically. Over the past two weeks, he’d tried to escape three times. His attempts had all failed miserably, and once Polly caught him…well, he tried not to think about how easily she’d gotten apologies, screaming, and eventually begging out of him because it was humiliating. But the insidious part of their relationship was how sweet and loving she was when he followed her instructions. The gentle touches and kind words were breaking him down and turning him into a docile companion who went against his own nature to please her. He was terrified that if he didn’t leave her soon, the urge to escape would peter out altogether.

On the outskirts of town, they came across a little farmhouse with smoke rising out of the chimney. Polly stopped the horse. “Stay here.” Then she threw one leg over and jumped off the saddle.

He watched her sneak up to the house and then he looked down at the horse reins in his hand. This was the moment. He could gallop away faster than Polly could run. He could push the horse until she collapsed and then get another. Keep it up for weeks, only stopping at daybreak to sleep. He would put so much distance between them that she couldn’t find him. But he couldn’t do that without feeding first, and he seriously doubted she’d leave him alone with the horse once he’d fed.

Then she was beside his leg again. He’d been so lost in his thoughts of escape that he hadn’t been paying attention.

“This is perfect,” she whispered. “It’s an older couple. No kids, no farmhands, and no other homes close enough to hear them if they scream. Get down and come with me. You take the man. I’ll take the woman.”

He shook his head. “I can’t kill an old couple in their golden years. What happened to finding a drunkard in town?”

“We’re not going into town if we don’t have to. It’s too risky. This could very well be your survival verses theirs.” She pointed at the little farmhouse. “Now get down before I pull you down. Then I’ll eat them both and leave you their chickens.”

While he was debating his options, she reached for his leg.

“Okay.” He quickly pulled his leg away and slid off the other side of the horse.

“Come here.”

Her sharp words made him wince, but he dutifully went around the horse to stand by Polly. Instead of the expected punch, she put both her hands on his shoulders and said gently, “I know this is difficult. You’ll have to change your way of thinking to make it easier. Does the coyote feel remorse when he eats the rabbit? Does the human feel remorse when he eats the cow? You are no longer human, Thomas. Those people in there are your food.”

The persistent and growing pain in his gut helped him nod in agreement.

“Good boy. You go in first and get the man. I’ll be right behind you.”

Chapter Six

The door to the little farmhouse wasn’t locked. Thomas strode in and focused on the old man sitting beside the fireplace next to his wife.

The man jumped to his feet, stood in front of his wife, and held up his hands in surrender. “We don’t want any trouble. Just take what you want and—”

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