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"No," he said weakly. "Leave me. You need to go."
"Do you think I can run faster than a vampire?" I asked with annoyance. "I need your help, and I'm not leaving you behind."
I unlatched the silver straps, the silver having burned through the top layer of Isaac's skin, so when I removed them, it tore his skin. He only closed his eyes, he didn't make a sound or even wince, and I wondered what pain he must have endured in the past to not even wince at something like this.
When the straps were off, that left the nails.
"Feet first," he instructed, and I pulled the nails out of his feet.
They were so embedded it took a few minutes. He started coughing again, blood splashing me, and I wiped it from my face. I was going to have nightmares about this, but for right now, this nightmare was real.
I couldn't afford to be queasy, but I was struck with another dilemma. While I'd reached up and pulled the straps on his arms, I couldn't reach the nails.
“Do you have enough strength to pull your hands free, Isaac? I can’t reach the nails.”
He started coughing. “No. He hasn’t fed me in days. That’s why I’m getting sick.”
"Feed on me," I held my arm to his mouth. "If it's blood, you need to regain your strength and feed on me. Come on! We don't have much time."
"I can't," Isaac objected, and he looked terrified. "I haven't fed on human blood in centuries, Marian. Ian wasn't lying. I was a monster, one of the worst. They—I was called Shredder. I slaughtered everything with blood in its veins and at any age. Do you understand me?"
I stepped back, blocking out the images trying to enter my mind.
Tears finally started streaming from his eyes, thick and red. "I was a monster, and Marissa loved me anyways. She died because of me, and I can't let you die either. You need to leave.”
I folded my lips and looked between him and the door. Ian was going to walk in at any second.
"No," I grumbled. "I don't care what you did in the past, and I don't need to know how vile you were. You're no longer a monster. The difference between you and Ian and even some humans that do bad things, Isaac, is that you're sorry. You feel remorse. Now, it's either you feed on me and save us, or I die, and you watch me die."
I held my arm up. “Do it.”
"I might hurt you," he shook his head. "I haven't tasted human blood in so long, and it's… you, your blood. I don't want to hurt you."
"Then Ian will!" My voice was a panicky squeal, but I didn't care. "Please, Isaac. I don't want to die."
He stared at me, watching my tears fall.
“I’m sorry for dragging you into this,” he said and bit into my arm.
I covered my mouth, the pain like nothing I'd ever felt. It was quick, like a stab and sharp, and then he started sucking. I could feel my blood being pulled from my body, but the pain was short-lived.
I'd never done drugs, but I assumed this was what it felt like. Euphoric, like I was floating, and Isaac groaned. He yanked his arms from the wall, fell, and grabbed my arm.
“Isaac,” I whimpered through the hazy delight. “Stop, I’m getting weak.”
He didn't stop. He grabbed my shoulder and sank his fangs further. His hand fell over my mouth just as I was about to scream, and I slapped him. The sound echoed through the empty room, and he released me.
He staggered back, his eyes red as my blood dripped down his chin.
Clutching my arm to my chest, I stepped back, his growls growing more animalistic, and he held his head.
“Run,” he hissed. “Run, now.”
The door flew open, and Ian rushed in, his mouth, nose, chin, and even parts of his cheek covered in blood. There was a severed arm in his hand, and he looked from Isaac to me, my arm, and then back at Isaac.
It all happened so fast. One second they were both looking at each other, and the next, they were fighting.
I pressed myself to the wall, sliding around the room to the door.
