Blood Bound

Chapter 26: Hunted

I don't sleep well. I toss and turn, dreaming unpleasant things about a motel in the woods, hanging bodies and a ferocious animal that leaps into the air to take a chunk off my neck. My eyes snap open just as the beast bit me in my dream. I'm soaked in cold sweat and I'm panting like I've been running a 5k. It takes a while for me to get back to my senses and assure myself that everything is alright. I look blearily at my watch and notice that it's almost 6 PM.

Sudden rustling sound to my right makes me yelp in fright. A hand sticks out of the sleeping bag to unzip it and Sophie emerges from it, looking tired and grumpy. Her raven hair is all ruffled and there are dark circles beneath her eyes. A complete opposite from her doll-like, sleeping self.

She spots me sitting next to her. „Hey," she yawns and stretches. „Where are we now?"

„Dawson Creek," I reply and hastily add when she turns to glare at me. „We had to stop here. The car is almost out of gas and we probably wouldn't have made it to Edmonton."

„And have you refueled it?" she asks, squinting her eyes at me.

I look away. „Not yet," I say apologetically. „I needed to get something to eat first so I stopped at a diner and then I also needed some rest, so I took us here for the night."

Sophie's jaw clenches. I can see she's fighting internally whether she should reprimand me or not. After a while, she exhales and she seems to relax just a little bit.

„Motel?" she grunts.

I nod. „It's just for a couple of hours and then we can continue."

„Doesn't matter," Sophie says indifferently as she flings herself off the bed and slouches towards the bathroom. „I need a drink anyway,"

My stomach drops and I can feel the hairs on the back of my neck tingle uncomfortably. Don't tell me. . .

„I've got water here if you're thirsty," I try to keep my voice casual but it still sounds squeaky and alarmed.

„Not that kind of drink," she replies from the bathroom.

„Please don't," I gasp, horrified.

„Don't have a choice now, do I?" Sophie steps out with an irritated expression. „Unless you want me to go all feral again and rip you to shreds."

I squint at her face to get a closer look and see to my horror that dark flecks have appeared in the whites of her eyes.

„The deer blood wasn't enough to sustain me," she explains irritably. „I need human blood tonight,"

„You don't have to do that," I tell her imploringly as I scramble out of bed. „I don't want you to go kill an innocent person,"

„I have to!" Sophie snaps at me, causing me to flinch. „I need that blood, Leia, otherwise I'll go ballistic and we don't want that, now do we?"

I shake my head, shuddering. „Can't we think of something else?" I ask, my mind racing. „You can have some of my blood," I suggest and I even go as far as pulling down my T-shirt and reveal my neck. „Just try not to take too much, alright?" I should be feeling brave but I'm petrified at the thought of Sophie biting me. But I think I'm a far better choice than some random bystander.

Sophie stares incredulously at me. She's definitely interested; her fangs stretch down from her mouth as her eyes hone in on my neck greedily. But whatever temptation she has, she quickly destroys it. She shakes it off like she had thought of something ridiculous. Her expression hardens and I can almost feel the stubborness through the air.