Chapter 27

Annika

I threw the box to the floor as panic washed over me. I sprang up from the bed and walked quickly into the bathroom. As soon as I got to the sink, I opened the faucet and began rinsing my mouth.

Dipping my finger into my throat to vomit the poison I just drank wasn't worth it. I kept on groaning for minutes, hoping it'll come out but still, it didn't.

What have I done? I asked myself.

"You need to stop hurting yourself?" Andro pulled my hand before I could push my finger down my throat again.

"Stop," I yanked my hand away from his loose grip.

He didn't hesitate before he grabbed my hand again in a tight grip this time and angrily pulled me towards the room and made me sit on the bed.

The shirt I was putting on was drenched with water. I could care less about that. My fingers were shaking, my legs won't stop tapping against the marble floor and I couldn't stop thinking about what I did.

"Whose blood was it?" I asked.

"Does it matter?"

"Yes, I can't just drink someone's blood without knowing its source" I cried out. I felt nauseous from just talking about it but I knew it was long digested into my system, there was no way it'd come out.

"Just know it's not from a dead Man" he simply replied.

"Why?"

"A dead man's blood is poisonous to a vampire, that's why you should stay away from the morgue or cemetery in a bid to feed" he explained and I felt disgusted.

Not just with his words but with the fact that I might turn to a scavenger, a scavenger for blood.

"Will I have to take it every day?"

"Every hour because you're a newborn vampire. You need it to stay in control and there are days when I'll have to starve you just to boost your endurance system" he explained as he walked away from me, back to the chair he was sitting on before.

"I won't," I stubbornly replied

"You shouldn't punish yourself like that, Annika,"

The way he called my name made my toes curl. My heartbeat increased as my name left his lips and I loved how easy he could pronounce it as if it was made for just him.

"I don't want to," I cried out. Instantly, Andro was right in front of me, he used a finger to raise my chin and when our eyes met, it was breath captivating. The way he looked at me was so intense and intimate.

"You don't have a choice, Lyubov" He placed his lips on my forehead and my eyes closed voluntarily. I don't know what came over me but I wrapped my hands around his neck and placed my head at the crook of his neck.

He smelled really good.

We stayed like that for more than a minute before I came back to my senses and removed my hand.

"I'm sorry," I apologized.

"You shouldn't," he simply replied and walked out of the room without saying another word to me.

Two hours went by quickly and all I did with that time was stare at the TV in the room as a rerun of Drake and Josh was being played on Nickelodeon. I don't know who tuned it to that channel but I didn't care because I wasn't really concentrating on the movie.

I need my phone!

The words came to my mind abruptly and then I remembered that I had gotten rid of it the other day.

I need clothes as well.

How could I possibly ask Andro for one? He has already left and I don't know if the door was unlocked so I could look for him.

I need to talk to Galina

She'll be worried sick about me. I need to let her know that I'm fine, hale and hearty.

Quickly, I stood up from the bed and walked towards the door. I sent a quick prayer to God that the door should be unlocked. As I turned the knob, the door opened and I smiled.

I walked down the first stairs that I saw, leading to a gigantic living room. The room was huge and majestic but it didn't smell like home.

Pushing the thoughts of home to the back of my mind, I reminded myself that I was in search of Andro.

The huge door leading outside of the house was a few meters away from me and lucky enough it was opened.

Why can't I just leave instead of trying to look for Andro?

Hurriedly, I looked around me to see if anyone was behind or watching me and as soon as I realized no one was, I began walking towards the door at a fast pace.

As my legs touched the concreted floor outside, I heaved a deep sigh of relief. I was free, I'd escaped. The path leading to the Iron Gate was free as well, no one was there, and not even one soul was at the gate.

The gate latch was right in front of me, just a few more steps and I could touch it. I held it firmly to open it up when a hand suddenly touched mine, stopping me.

I screamed in fear and quickly turned to see it was Andro and three other guys who were behind him, smirking.

"Where are you going?" He asked. His eyes were red and his jaw tight. He was angry.

"I was looking for the garden,"

"Outside the house, Lyubov"

"I don't know"

I was scared myself especially with the way his eyes were turning red. I wanted to reach out and touch his face but I knew he could kill me if I tried it.

"I want to go home," I confessed, knowing lying won't help me in any way.

"I already told you that it isn't possible yet," he replied, gritting his teeth.

"Please," he ran his hands through his hair and grabbed my hand.

He began pulling me towards the house and I also began fighting off his tight grip on my hand. At some point, I was successful until my butt landed on the floor and I realized he had released me intentionally.

"Get her in," He didn't turn to face me as he yelled out the instruction, and quickly the men behind us, two of them, grabbed my hand and began walking towards the house.

They got to the room, opened the door, gently pushed me in, and locked it tightly from behind me.

Tired, I dropped to the floor. I could have cried but I was too weak to cry, too weak to say a word or do anything else.I laid down on the floor, looking up to the ceiling. All I could hear in the room was the sound of the audience’s laughter in the film being played. I couldn't even hear my own heavy breathing.

Translations

Lyubov - love