Page 37 of Plug and Drain

Desperate.

Unyielding.

And out of control.

The realisation jolted him to his senses, and he hurtled towards the stairs.

He had to leave. Now.

He’d lost control, and that never happened. Not even when he was drinking. He had a high tolerance for alcohol—a life soured by the favours Henrikk had bestowed upon him required a little something every now and then to numb the soul.

Clearly, he was not accustomed to being on the brink of starvation. He’d been playing with fire, only to lose control as the hunger burning in him took over.

It was fortunate he’d come to, although he’d have been in a far better state now if he’d fed for at least a few seconds longer. Still, it could not be helped.

As Henrikk would have said: he’d scared his food away.

Arken reached the stairwell. He hadn’t quite decided where he was going, down or up, but he’d hardly taken a step when he swayed dangerously as a fresh bout of dizziness hit him. If he didn’t find something to eat soon…

Suddenly, his energy fizzled out.

It was no longer clear which way was down or up as he fell.

The corner of the steps knocked his shins painfully as he collapsed on the stairs, his face smacking to hit the sharp steps.

As his world went black, he was overcome with a strong desire to return to Susie’s room.

Not to feed, but…

Just because.

Chapter 11

Found

Susie

The corridor was deserted when Susie left the bathroom, padding across the faded carpet wearing a bathrobe. There was still an hour before anyone else would be up, and she needed that time to process everything that had just happened with Arken. She couldn’t believe he’d bitten her like that without warning. It was surprising, and it had broken the tentative trust she’d extended him. Now, she was left to pick up the pieces.

Dawn had arrived, and she had to use the precious hours she had before the school day began to dig deep and find a way to compose herself.

I have to be strong, and not just for my sake.

As a pack leader and second-year student, she couldn’t afford to be weak, not when she had people to protect.

She paused outside her room’s closed door and took a deep breath.

Please let him be gone.

Bracing herself, she entered. The bedroom was empty. Arken was gone. She sighed in relief.

Good.

Susie shut the door behind her and began to towel dry her hair. She felt a thousand times better after her shower. The hot water beating over her back had helped calm the anxiety that had racked her body. It had soothed her muscles until the shock of Arken’s sudden attack was a distant echo in her mind. Now, all she wanted to do was curl up in her warm bed and sleep.

There was no point going back to bed, however. School would be starting soon. Thankfully, it was a Monday, and her mornings were always easy. She had a double period of her favourite subject, Literature, and she had an essay dissecting her favourite play’s themes she needed to write.

It was just what she needed to put the events with Arken out of her mind.