Blood Secrets

The Truth Beneath The Venom

The sunlight found its way to the crevices of the large covered windows, signifying that it was already morning. Nadia wasn't able to sleep for the rest of the hours after they got attacked. Nakaupo lang siya sa gilid ng kama kung saan natutulog nang mahimbing si Kai.

Nanginginig pa rin siya kapag naaalala niya ang nangyari kaninang madaling araw. She saw too much blood. She saw how Kaiden's pulse almost fading. Naisip niya kung wala si Lorcan, kung wala ang dugo nito, Kaiden would have been as good as dead. Thinking about it only sparked some unwelcome feeling so she shook it off.

"I assure you, love, that Kaiden is going to wake up. You need to sleep."

She didn't need to turn to see who was speaking in the doorway of the room. Lorcan's footsteps were quiet as he walked inside the room. Napatingin siya rito.

Kanina ay puro talsik ng dugo ang damit nito ngunit ngayon ay wala nang bakas ng kahit ano doon. He was clean now, as though what happened earlier did not happen at all. Nakita naman niyang napatingin din ang lalaki sa kanyang suot at napasimangot ito.

Unlike him, she didn't have the courage to change and leave Kaiden alone. What happened with those two vampires scared the hell out of her.

"Get dressed and burn the clothes," he said. Hindi na siya sumagot dahil alam niyang iyon din ang dapat niyang gawin. She stood bt then hesitated and her eyes went back to the sleeping Kaiden. Ngunit tila nabasa naman ni Lorcan ang ekspresyon niya.

"I'll watch for him, Nadia," he said dahilan para mapatingin siya sa lalaki. He was still looking at her and she couldn't help but place a certain look of worry on his face. But she knew better. The last kind of emotion Lorcan would feel would be to feel worried or anything similar or close to it.

She slightly nodded in his direction and went to another door that leads to another room. Doon na rin siya nagbihis. Her mind was still very clouded with what happened. Pakiramdam niya ay makakkita siya ng dugo kung saan siya tumingin and her stomach churned at the thought. Kaiden had almost died twice today. She doesn't know if she's going to take the third. She doesn't know if he's going to survive a third.

As much as she wanted to run away, she couldn't. The witches have involved her life to become a foundation for this prison world they're planning to take. At kung lalayo man sila, malaki ang tsansa na susundan sila ng mga ito. What do they have against witches? They are trained to kill vampires and not witches. The wisest decision they could do is to stick with the Sylvaines at tanggapin ang mga kaakibat na panganib na dala nito.

She emerged from the room and found Lorcan standing by the window, drinking from his glass.

"Who were they?" she asked. Hindi niya naitanong iyon kaninang madaling araw dahil abala na siya sa kalagayan ni Kai. Lorcan looked at her briefly before his eyes went back to the window.

"My brothers," he said.

SHe suspected as much. The two vampires earlier looked exactly alike. They may not look nothing like Lorcan but she could tell as much that they are brothers.

"Why?" tanong niya. Alam niyang alam ng lalaki kung anong ibig niyang sabihin. She left the question like that and did not say anything more.

"They have the animalistic instincts of a vampire. Only that they have it ten times worse."

She bristled at that.

"Blood is something that could help them survive. It could also wreck them. If they drink too much, it sends them to the edge and they couldn't control of what they might do. The same thing happens when they're deprived."

"They almost killed Kai."

"I know. And they would have almost killed you too."

Nadia thought Lorcan looked uncharacteristically solemn as he looked at he but she doesn't want to think more of it.

She decided to sit on the chair where she sat earlier. "Why are they like that?"

Saglit ba natahimik si Lorcan at hindi niya alam kung tama bang tinanong pa niya ito. Ngunit narinig niyang nagsalita ang lalaki.

"They're vampires, Nadia. The worst kind. They have no control over themselves. All they see is bloodshed and violence."

"Is there...is there any cure for them to not become like that? And where have they been all this time?"

Hindi niya maisip kung saan nagtatago ang mga nito. If they are indeed blood hungry animals, the blood slayers would have heard of them. But she hasn't.

"It's who they are. The only way for them to control themselves is to do force themselves to control their urges. But my brothers doesn't seem too keen about that." Lorcan walkedn towards the table and filles his glass again before he looked at her. "And as for your second question, they have been desiccating somewhere safe."

"Desiccating?"

"Blood slayers dont really know everything about vampires, huh."

Tumigas naman ang ekspresyon niya sa sinabi ng lalaki.

"Normal vampires desiccate by starving themselves of blood. They won't die but just turn cold and gray. However, me and my family, being one of thr original vampires, we desiccate by a stab through the heart. Now a normal vampire would have died with that."

Naningkit naman ang mga mata niya sa sinabi ng lalaki. "You don't desiccate when you starve?"

Lorcan chugged the whole contents of his glass before he set it down the table. "We don't. We are too old for that and lack of blood don't bother us as much."

Saglit siyang natahimik ngunit may sinabi ang lalaki sa kanya kanina na hindi mawala sa isipan niya.

"You said one of the original vampire families. You sounded like you were implying there is another old vampire family like you."

Nakita niyang napangisi si Lorcan sa tanong niya.

Magsasalita na sana ito para sagutin ang tanong niya nang bigla nalang bumukas ang pinto at pumasok doon si Sebastian. She hasn't seem him all night. Hindi niya alam kung saan ito nagpunta. Nakita niyang napatingin ito sa natutulog na si Kaiden at sa kanya. Napatingin din ito sa gawi ni Lorcan. Nagulat nalang siya nang bigla nalang may lumabas na babae sa likuran nito.

"What the hell is she doing here, brother?" tanong ni Lorcan. His voice was laced with enough venom that she recoiled. She could have sworn Isabella recoiled too but she was good at concealing it.

"Do you trust me?" tanong ni Sebastian. She doesn't know if she was talking to her or to Lorcan but she felt like it was for the both of them.

Hindi siya nakasagot and Sebastian took a step forward. Mabilis namang nakarating si Lorcan sa tabi niya. Sebastian looked at his brother.

"Lorcan, trust me on this one—"

"Oh, I have no doubt in you brother. I just don't trust that little friend you decided to bring home."

Nakita niyang umigting ang panga ni Sebastian. Then she saw him nodded slightly at Isabela's direction and the next thing she saw was Lorcan on his knees, holding his head.

"Sebastian, what are you doing—"

Hindi na niya natapos ang nais sabihin nang sa isang iglap ay nasa harapan na niya si Sebastian. She heard Lorcan fall to the wooden floor because of whatever Isabela was doing to her. Agad naman siyang napatingin sa lalaki.

Then before she could even run, Sebastian took her hand and with a small knife, she felt the knife dig through her palm, drawing blood.

To her horror, she saw how Sebastian took a small vial and placed drops of her blood there.

"Sebastian, anong plano mong gawin?" tamong niya ngunit tila walang plano ang lalaki na sabihin sa kanya ang gusto niyang malaman.

Nang mapuno ang maliit na bote ay saka binitiwan ng lalaki and kanyang kamay.

"I don't think she's dishonest," sabi nito habang hindi pa rin inaalis ang tingin sa kanya.

"I think she just doesn't have any idea to what she really is."