Chapter 123

Tessa’s POV

SNAP!

With one quick motion, Bernard snapped Fae’s neck right in front of everybody and her entire body went limp against him just before falling back to the bed.

I couldn’t help the scream that escaped my lips as I watched the events unfold in front of me. I thought I was going to pass out.

He just killed her.

Fae is dead….

“Probably shouldn’t have done that in front of Tessa,” Connor muttered. “Joseph is going to be furious.”

“Joseph will get over it,” Bernard said, taking a step away from Fae’s bed.

“Yeah, but she’s not looking so good.”

I couldn’t even form the words to speak. I was paralyzed in my place and completely shocked.

What the hell just happened?

“Tessa, sweetheart. How about you sit down,” Anna said, taking a gentle hold of my arm. I pulled out of her hold and stumbled away from her.

“Y…you killed her,” I managed to sputter.

“It’s just the process of turning someone into a vampire,” Anna said calmly. “Please, sit down.”

“She’s dead! What if it doesn’t work? What if she doesn’t wake up?” I asked, tears spilling from my eyes.

“She would have died regardless,” Bernard said without even looking at me.

“Look at her! There’s no way she’s going to wake up from that,” I said, shaking my head as I stepped closer to the door.

“He did what he could, Tessa,” Anna said, stepping toward me with her arms outstretched. “We just have to wait and—”

“No… this isn’t right,” I said, shaking my head violently, making my brain rattle. “She’s dead…”

“If she dies, I’m not the one to blame,” Bernard said, his tone darkening and his aura intensifying. “You can blame Ryan for that. He’s the one who broke the bond. He did this to her in the first place.”

“Ryan…” I breathed. I remembered seeing Ryan walking toward the forest with Fae trailing behind him. It was the same part of the forest we found her in, my heart squeezed painfully in my chest at the very thought of it.

He was going there to break the bond. That stupid smug look on his face when he looked at me. He knew exactly what he was going to do.

This was planned.

Anger fueled me. I clenched my fists together.

Ryan was to blame for Fae’s death.

Before they could say anything, I turned away and began toward the door.

“Tessa, where are you going?” Anna asked, following after me.

“I need air,” I muttered, unable to look at her.

“Tessa—”

“Just let her go,” Bernard snapped. “This was one of the reasons why I didn’t want a human guest. They are squeamish and weak when it comes to things like this. She’ll never make it here.”

Once upon a time, Bernard's words would have hurt. But I was too angry to think straight or feel anything other than fury. I brushed his words out of my mind and stormed out of the infirmary.

I had no idea where Ryan was, but I knew what part of the village he lived in, so I was going there to give him a piece of my mind. He couldn’t hurt me as long as Joseph was an Elder. The other Elders might not be happy with me, but I doubt they’d let anything happen to me as well. Besides, I never really shied away from a fight before. I’ve always spoken my mind to anyone who wasn’t Brian.

I adopted that assertive side from Ruby, and I was thankful to her for that, especially at this moment. I just wanted to know why Ryan broke the bond with Fae. Was it because he found a new blood slave? What was wrong with Fae’s blood? She was beautiful, young, and healthy.

There’s no way he found anyone better than her.

I knew it wasn’t wise to wander around this village alone, but I was too angry to stop now. I needed to get to Ryan and demand answers. Poor Fae was dead, and he was the one to blame for this.

As I walked through the forest, I began to get an eerie feeling, the air around me grew thick and I found it difficult to breathe. I paused for only a moment. It was a feeling I never had before. Soon, the pit of my stomach began to knot, and a chill went down my spine.

I shivered at the feeling of a cold presence behind me, keeping me locked in place.

“I was wondering when I’d be able to get you alone,” I heard a deep and husky voice from behind me. I felt his breath on the back of my neck, and it left me feeling unsettled.

I couldn’t move.

“You are quite a hard one to catch, Miss Tessa,” he said, his tone lowering. “But now I have you all to myself.”

His body pressed against my back and his hands traced my arms, causing goosebumps to form on my flesh.

I didn’t have to turn around and face him to know who it was.

“What do you want from me, Ryan?” I asked, glad that my voice didn’t come out shaky.

“Were you not the one looking for me?” Ryan asked a little amusement in his tone. “I think the question is what do you want from me.”

How did he know I was looking for him?

I took a shaky breath.

“You broke the bond with Fae. She’s dead because of you,” I told him, pressing my lips together till they formed a thin line.

“She was weak,” he whispered against my ear, making me visibly shutter. “Her blood did nothing for me anymore. Her blood is nothing like your blood…”

His words made me feel gross, especially when he ran his fingers up the bare of my stomach.

I swallowed the large lump that formed in my throat.

“What do you mean?” I dared to ask.

“I think you know exactly what I mean,” he whispered.

Without thinking, I elbowed him in the stomach. He didn’t make a sound like it hurt, but he did release me, allowing me to run from his embrace, and towards the clearing back toward the plaza.

I couldn’t tell if he was following me or not, but I wasn’t going to turn around to find out.

I needed to get back to the Elders. I needed to get to Joseph, wherever he might be. But just as I continued to run, suddenly, Ryan was in front of me, and I ran right into him.

His arms closed in around me tightly and he held me in a way that I could hardly move.

“I like a little cat and mouse game,” he said with a tight smile. “I didn’t expect you to go easily, and I hope you don’t think I’m going to let you go that easily.”

I struggled against him, but he was too strong.

“Let me go,” I growled, feeling that fury rise through me again.

“I just want a little taste of your sweet blood,” he said in a low tone, making me shiver violently. Fear consumed me as he smiled, revealing his sharp fangs that were already stained with someone else’s blood.

“Please…” I begged, tears threatening to spill from my eyes. “You don’t want to do this…”

“Oh, I definitely want to do this,” he said as he bent toward my hairline and took a steady sniff of me.

“No, you don’t. Joseph and the others will never let you get away with this,” I argued, trying my best to get away from him, but failing miserably.

This only made Ryan laugh.

“Those fools aren’t my Elders,” he muttered. “They don’t have much control over me anymore.”

“What?” I gasped, unsure what he meant.

“I don’t follow their orders anymore. I follow my own,” he explained. “I do whatever the fuck I want and right now… I want you.”

“Please…” I begged, trying once again to wiggle out of his embrace, but it only made him embrace his hold around me.

“You see… I broke the bond with that weak human because I found someone much better. Someone with abnormally attractive blood. So, if there’s anyone to blame for her death… it’s you.”

His words were like a slap in the face and for a moment, it made me stop struggling against him.

I was to blame for her death.

Me.

It only took that moment of weakness to get me exactly where Ryan wanted me. I felt his finger tracing the nape of my neck and soon, I felt a sharp pain and then the warm pooling of blood dripping down my neck where his nail had sliced me.

I winced, bringing me back to reality as I once again attempted to get away. This time, I used my voice and screamed, but just as the first scream escaped my lips, his free hand clamped my mouth, making it impossible for me to say anything.

“It’ll be a lot easier if you don’t fight it,” he whispered against my ear. “It’ll be over soon.”

His tongue licked the blood that continued to ooze from my neck, and tears finally caved and spilled from my eyes. I felt the mesmerizing effect kick in, and I became unable to fight him any longer. Then, I felt his sharp teeth digging into my neck, and the slurping sounds he made caused me to feel sick to my stomach.

It wasn’t anything like when Joseph had drunk my blood our first night together. This felt wrong. It didn’t take long for me to grow dizzy as he continued to drink from me.

He was going to drink until there was nothing left.

The very last thought I had before my world went dark was, “He’s going to kill me.”