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She followed me down, red smears obscenely decorating her face as she bit into her wrist and held it up to my lips. “Your turn.”
I tried to turn my face away, my gaze landing on my collar, now splattered with crimson drops of my blood.
“Eternal life, Caleb. Exactly what your god promised you.”
Everything around me went gray, the world turning cold as my life bled from me and into the old bones of the church. Then her blood slipped into my now open mouth, and all I knew was darkness.
It was stilldark outside when I came to, the candles nearly spent, their white wax pooling on the floor.
“Oh, good. You’re awake.”
My eyes snapped to the creature sitting on the altar, her legs bared but crossed, the rest of her body exposed save for the parts covered by my purple stole.
“What did you do to me, demon?”
She laughed—a high, musical sound that I once would have enjoyed. Now, all I knew was rage and hunger. Such hunger.
“I’m not a demon, you silly man. I’m a vampire.” She hopped down from the altar, her naked body on full display as she slipped the stole from her neck and ran it through her fingers. “And so are you.”
Too distracted by her nakedness to make sense of her words, I spat, “Cover yourself.”
She rolled her eyes. “Still going to play the chaste little virgin? Very well, play your games. I’ll have you on this altar eventually. It’s time for you to feed anyway.”
“Feed?” Even the word had my stomach twisting with need. I was so fecking hungry. My throat burned with thirst. Sweet merciful Jesus, I’d never known this type of starvation.
“Yes, darling. Feed.” She craned her neck, and a small figure appeared in the shadows. “Maureen, be a love and come out here, won’t you?”
Horror flickered in the back of my mind, but I was consumed with the low thump of... was that her pulse? My eyes zeroed in on her neck as if I could make out the network of veins beneath the thin skin and knew exactly which one would provide the most sustenance. Jesus, what was wrong with me?
And then her earlier words came back to me.Vampire. She’d turned me into a monster like her.Dear God, no.
Maureen gave a little gasp, causing my attention to snap back to her, to the blood trickling from her throat where Aisling had cut her.
“Now, my wee darling, get on your knees for your priest. He’s going to rid you of those pesky sins. You know how to begin your confession,” Aisling said, shoving my secretary toward me.
Maureen did as she was bade, wide eyes staring up at me before she dutifully bowed her head and began. “Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned...”
Fangs filled my mouth, and uncontrollable thirst took over. I was on her before she finished her sentence, drinking deep, sating my hunger, draining her.
Her body slumped forward with a dull thud. Somewhere in my brain, I was shouting my outrage at what I’d done, but as I licked the last of her blood from my lips, the voice faded away.
“Good boy. We’ll make a proper monster out of you yet. Now, get some sleep, love. We have a busy night ahead of us.”
“What do you mean?”
“You’ll see.”
I woke hours later to the sound of murmured voices, the darkened confessional booth serving to keep my blood-soaked existence hidden. Maureen’s shadowy corpse was just visible through the panel between priest and penitent. I had only a second to mourn her death at my hands.
“Come out, Caleb. Your flock is waiting for you.”
Once again, my throat burned. Gnawing emptiness filled my belly, but this time, I knew how to quench the thirst. I stepped out of the confessional and took in the filled pews as Aisling’s plan became clear and horror batted at me. She wanted me to sate myself on the blood of the people I was here to nurture. Even as the realization took hold, a sick pleasure rose in its place. I couldn’t stop myself. The monster took over, and tonight he would feast.
When there was nothing left but a church filled with bodies, Aisling unlocked the door. “Come, dearheart. You’re not finished yet.”
By the time we fled the island, not a single soul remained. The village that had survived a plague was razed to the ground by the one man sent to save them. And perhaps I still had. I’d sent their souls to Heaven, given them the salvation they’d been praying for. Just a little sooner than they had planned.
My gaze flicked to the evil beauty standing beside me, licking blood off her fingers. If she had her way, there’d be a lot more sent on their journey to the Almighty by the time she was done.
