Read Online A Shade of Vampire 22: A Fork of Paths by Bella Forrest - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Bella Forrest
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brownish liquid burst forth from the werewolf’s mouth and doused me. Although I was trying to keep quiet, I couldn’t help but shriek. The corpse’s smell was overpowering as it was, and now to be soaked in its putrid body juice…
Footsteps sounded outside in the corridor. I hurtled to the other side of the room and jammed a shelf against the door. That would do nothing to prevent them from entering, but at least it would act as a slight deterrent. The door handle rattled and fists pounded against the door. My blood throbbed in my ears as I turned away from the door to face the corpse of the werewolf again. If my adrenaline had not been raging so much, I probably would’ve passed out by now just from the smell alone, never mind the crowd of Bloodless about to break in.
My eyes fell on the white box. The “Elder box”, as Benjamin had called it.
I’ve found the box. But now what? I hadn’t thought further ahead than this. Aisha hadn’t given me the time to. Wood splintered. The pounding was growing heavier and more violent against the door.
Think! I ordered myself, although all I wanted to do was scream.
And then it was too late.
The weight I’d barricaded the door with gave way and the Bloodless began spilling into the storage room.
This was the end. I was a rabbit cornered by a pack of wolves. There was no point in even fighting. What could I do in this tiny room? There weren’t even any windows here.
I closed my eyes tight, praying that at least the pain wouldn’t be too unbearable. And whatever I emerged as after this, my brain wouldn’t have turned into a vegetable.…
My whole body tensed as I steeled myself for the monsters’ claws to slice my flesh and fangs to sink deep into my neck.
But neither happened.
Daring to open my eyes, I was shocked to see that the Bloodless had stopped still, about three feet away from me. Braithe was near the front of the crowd that had burst into the room. They stared at me, their small eyes fixed on me intently. I didn’t know what they were waiting for. And I was even more clueless when the Bloodless began to back away out of the door. As though I’d somehow just become… Uninteresting to them. Unpalatable.
I gazed down at my own form. I was covered in rotten corpse fluid. The smell—obnoxious as it was—could that really have put them off me?
Emboldened by this sudden, unexpected turn of events, I left the room too and cautiously followed them. Braithe had been among the last to leave the room, and now he was the closest to me in the corridor. I didn’t know what madness possessed me, or rather what desperation, but I found myself quickening my pace and extending my hand. I reached up and closed it around Braithe’s rawboned shoulder.
He let out a hiss and whirled around to face me, his fangs bared, his nose wrinkled in a snarl. My pulse raced, but I did not flinch. I remained rooted to my spot, staring at the abomination who’d once been my lover’s brother. Though he appeared agitated, Braithe was still making no move to launch at me.
The other Bloodless who’d been loping down the corridor also turned around to look me over, but they soon got bored of me and turned around. Braithe, on the other hand, stayed watching me longer. I wanted to believe that a small part of him remembered me, but more likely, it was because I had reached out and touched him. After several moments, he also appeared to get bored of me and turned around to follow after the others.
The moment his back was turned to me, I reached out and clutched his shoulder again. Only this time, I didn’t let go. I was sure that I had lost all sanity at this point, but all I could do was act on my raw instinct. He hissed more loudly this time, but on turning around, he still did not attempt to lash out at me. If anything, he looked like he just wanted to squirm away, the way one would shrug away from a hairy spider.
He tried to shake off my grasp again, but I held on tight. My hand
Footsteps sounded outside in the corridor. I hurtled to the other side of the room and jammed a shelf against the door. That would do nothing to prevent them from entering, but at least it would act as a slight deterrent. The door handle rattled and fists pounded against the door. My blood throbbed in my ears as I turned away from the door to face the corpse of the werewolf again. If my adrenaline had not been raging so much, I probably would’ve passed out by now just from the smell alone, never mind the crowd of Bloodless about to break in.
My eyes fell on the white box. The “Elder box”, as Benjamin had called it.
I’ve found the box. But now what? I hadn’t thought further ahead than this. Aisha hadn’t given me the time to. Wood splintered. The pounding was growing heavier and more violent against the door.
Think! I ordered myself, although all I wanted to do was scream.
And then it was too late.
The weight I’d barricaded the door with gave way and the Bloodless began spilling into the storage room.
This was the end. I was a rabbit cornered by a pack of wolves. There was no point in even fighting. What could I do in this tiny room? There weren’t even any windows here.
I closed my eyes tight, praying that at least the pain wouldn’t be too unbearable. And whatever I emerged as after this, my brain wouldn’t have turned into a vegetable.…
My whole body tensed as I steeled myself for the monsters’ claws to slice my flesh and fangs to sink deep into my neck.
But neither happened.
Daring to open my eyes, I was shocked to see that the Bloodless had stopped still, about three feet away from me. Braithe was near the front of the crowd that had burst into the room. They stared at me, their small eyes fixed on me intently. I didn’t know what they were waiting for. And I was even more clueless when the Bloodless began to back away out of the door. As though I’d somehow just become… Uninteresting to them. Unpalatable.
I gazed down at my own form. I was covered in rotten corpse fluid. The smell—obnoxious as it was—could that really have put them off me?
Emboldened by this sudden, unexpected turn of events, I left the room too and cautiously followed them. Braithe had been among the last to leave the room, and now he was the closest to me in the corridor. I didn’t know what madness possessed me, or rather what desperation, but I found myself quickening my pace and extending my hand. I reached up and closed it around Braithe’s rawboned shoulder.
He let out a hiss and whirled around to face me, his fangs bared, his nose wrinkled in a snarl. My pulse raced, but I did not flinch. I remained rooted to my spot, staring at the abomination who’d once been my lover’s brother. Though he appeared agitated, Braithe was still making no move to launch at me.
The other Bloodless who’d been loping down the corridor also turned around to look me over, but they soon got bored of me and turned around. Braithe, on the other hand, stayed watching me longer. I wanted to believe that a small part of him remembered me, but more likely, it was because I had reached out and touched him. After several moments, he also appeared to get bored of me and turned around to follow after the others.
The moment his back was turned to me, I reached out and clutched his shoulder again. Only this time, I didn’t let go. I was sure that I had lost all sanity at this point, but all I could do was act on my raw instinct. He hissed more loudly this time, but on turning around, he still did not attempt to lash out at me. If anything, he looked like he just wanted to squirm away, the way one would shrug away from a hairy spider.
He tried to shake off my grasp again, but I held on tight. My hand
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