Blood of the Past
three

The sickly smell of iron hung in the hair as a metallic taste sat on my tongue. I spit on the concrete floor. Hair clung to my face but that wasn't the most humiliating part.

That scent of iron was combined with the stench of piss. My piss. With a baby on my bladder, I couldn't hold it like I used to. And I found out quickly that being beaten made it really hard to control my bladder.

The wound on my thigh had gotten somewhat better, but it still ached. Every inch of me ached and begged for a hot bath. I'd kill to get one. In fact, I had already tried to kill this asshole but I was outnumbered by everyone else. It was me against them, and they won every time.

Swallowing the lump in my throat, I scooted back towards the wall. I wished so badly that Noah was here. It would make everything worth fighting for. When I got out of here, who would I go home to? I had nobody to kiss away the pain.

I leaned my head back and cried a bit. That hadn't been such a good idea. I looked down at my stomach and dropped my legs flat against the ground. "You did this. It has to be you. They can hear your heartbeat and they know that a pregnant werewolf is their best bait. I never even wanted you." I let another sob slip out, but I caught them after that.

My lips had started to crack without any water. My throat was dry. I needed to replace a way out of here.

The door opened but hardly any light came through. The dead sure loved to live in the dark. Evil thrived in such a setting.

He stepped inside and closed the door, taking his time to approach me. "There's a lot of talk, you know." He stopped, bending down and grabbing my chin. "Talk about torturing you to no end." He released a sigh, his eyes moving up towards the ceiling. "But we can't do that or you may die and that would defeat the whole purpose of keeping you hostage." He stood, walking the other direction.

Jump, Brianne. Attack from behind.

We already tried that.

Try it again.

And fail again? That's insanity.

He glanced my way. "But I have other ideas in mind." If those ideas included water, I was all for them. I'd prefer drowning over sitting in this room. He walked back this way and grabbed my ankles, pulling me away from the wall. I groaned as my head hit the floor and my vision got thrown off.

A heaviness weighed on me and when my vision returned, I begged to go back to seeing blurs. Anything but his hideous face above mine. Anything but that breath of his right by my nose.

As he sat up, standing on his knees, he unbuckled his belt. That sound rang in my ears, reminding me of what was once pure. That was the sound I sometimes heard with Noah and I knew it always led to something wonderful. Now it was terrifying. Tainted. I had no control over my own body.

Just as I closed my eyes, a knock echoed and the weight lifted. "Damnit." He hurried towards the door with anger in his eyes. "What the fuck?"

"She got out. Again."

"Again? Can you do anything right? No you fucking can't." The door slammed.

Immediately, I sat up and rushed over to the door. I yanked on it, but it was locked. I rested my head against the cold metal. "We have to get out of here. We must," I whispered to myself.

The question was, how? How did I gain the strength?

What was he about to take?

I didn't understand the question.

What was he about to steal from you? The one thing you willingly gave to Noah. The one thing that led to this child inside of you.

My grip on the know loosened as I straightened my posture. He'd almost had the chance to rip away my dignity. I had almost let him. What kind of fighter was I?

This was never your fault. You're never at fault.

The know turned beneath my fingers and I stumbled back, falling on my ass. The door swung open and a different vampire walked in. I didn't recognize this one. He closed the door behind him, but he didnt say a word.

He came closer, and I scooted away. I wasn't at fault. I wasn't at fault... I repeated those words to myself. I had to fight. I couldn't go down without a fight.

The vampire stopped. "I'm not going to hurt you," he said. "I would certainly never...do that." He gestured to my body.

I glanced down at my hands and hugged myself. They were all the same. They played games with your mind until they destroyed you. I couldn't bear the thought that I trusted one of them and got myself killed. Noah would be disappointed in me, too.

"Brianne, look at me." How could he demand such a thing? I was humiliated and alone. They killed my husband and he was telling me to look at him. He was a pitiful vessel.

I shook my head, keeping my eyes on the floor. "No. I'm a fighter and I don't give in. I can't give up." I spit out a little bit more blood.

Green eyes came into my view. "I'm well aware. Everyone has heard your story." Heard my story?

They'd all been passing it around like it was a joke or a pity party. Disgusting. They were all vile creatures and nothing more. That was why this war continued. We were determined to save the future of mankind and keep these leeches off the streets. I was part of this war now. I was the heart of it. My story was that of a fighter. I was a fighter and I'd keep repeating those words until my heart could no longer beat.