SURVIVE (THRIVE: Book Two)

Chapter 80- The Sweetest Taste

Trigger warning: Physical Assault, Blood, Knives

My head is spinning as I begin to wake up, and I can barely make anything out as I try to look back and forth. I try to sit up, but I suddenly glance above my head and realize that my hands have been shackled to the bedframe. I try to jostle them free, but the restraints are too solid, there's no way that I can break the chains on my own. Trying to focus my vision through the candlelight, I look around the room, suddenly starting to panic as I realize where I am in the stronghold. I shouldn't be surprised that this is where he brought me, but returning to this place fills me with trepidation.

I try to take deep breaths as I remember what happened; Kai and Desire disappearing, Lucius talking about 'Shade' and then poisoning me. All I know now is that I'm trapped and alone in his room and that Desire and Kai may have been taken somewhere else in the bunker by someone other than Lucius. Marissa had said that Gaia was trying to build a following, I just never expected them to have minions of any sort that would try to take us on. Considering they disappeared quietly, I'm guessing they were poisoned too.

"Good morning, lovely." I'm suddenly startled by Lucius as he stands in the doorway, grinning as he gazes at me.

"How long was I knocked out?" I ask nervously as he begins to approach me.

"All night, my dear. It's just past sunrise." he explains, sounding guilty "I wasn't expecting to see you, so that was a stronger dose than I would have intended." he sighs.

"Is that supposed to be an apology?" I ask mockingly, and he seems displeased.

"You really won't accept that I don't want you to suffer, do you?" he asks exhaustedly, sitting on the edge of the bed "It's why I'm glad you came here, after all. At least now I know you're safe from the massacre happening out there," he explains calmly, reaching out and caressing my face as I shutter, trying to move away.

"I don't see a difference," I grunt, looking up at my hands "Let me out," I command, trying to sound self-assured. He glances up at the cuffs, then back at my face longingly.

"No," he states bluntly, "I'm not going to lose you again."

"You just want a doll you can bleed," I scoff, pulling on the chains "Do me a favor and don't start pretending to care about me again."

"Sweetheart," he says softly, standing up and making his way across the room, lifting a knife from the shelf "If I wanted a doll, things between us would be far different. Don't test me, we both know how that will end," he explains, twirling the blade between his fingers as he makes his way back to me. I start shaking with anticipation as he looms above me, and everything in my body is screaming for me to escape. All I can do is rattle the chains and wince in pain as he grabs my arm, taking the knife to my wrist and slicing into it. I can feel my blood begin to run down my skin, but soon, his tongue catches it, licking away the excess before latching onto the cut with his mouth. I start to shriek as I feel his teeth bite into me, he's being rougher and more bloodthirsty than before, and I'm getting dizzy fast.

"Please," I moan, trying to pull free as I become weaker "Lucius, stop," I cry, feeling faint. In a last-ditch effort, I focus inward, quickly erupting a blast of black smoke that rips him off, knocking him to the ground beside the bed.

"Damnit," he shouts irritatedly, clutching the back of his head. Desperately, I try to pull my bloody hand through the cuff, and manage to get it halfway through before he gets up and pins it to the bed, climbing on top of me and holding me down.

"I," I try to speak, but my lips are quivering,

"I didn't want to do this," he sighs, taking the knife and slitting his own palm "But you've left me no choice, this is for your own good" he states, watching the blood start to drip onto my face. Suddenly, he holds his hand over my mouth, the taste washing over my tongue as it starts to run down the back of my throat. I start to choke, but he doesn't let go, staring into my eyes as I'm forced to drink from him. Everything starts to swirl and my vision turns red as his essence fills my senses, and I feel terrified as it burns throughout my entire body. After a moment, I open my eyes again, and everything seems to appear as normal, but my heart has stopped pounding.

"That's better, isn't it?" he asks curiously as he begins to climb off of me. I tilt my head for a moment, stretching my neck and arching my sore back after that ordeal. When I glance up at my wrist, I see that it's slowly healing itself.

"Yes," I say softly, relaxing as I watch him lick the blood from the knife "Are you planning to leave me like this?" I ask curiously. Glancing at me curiously, he sets the knife down and leans over, gazing into my eyes.

"Are you going to behave yourself, Shade?" he asks hopefully.

"I promise." I agree respectfully, lying comfortably as he takes out the key and unlocks the shackles. Once I'm unbound, I sit up and stretch, massaging my wrists where the metal had been wearing into them. Quietly, Lucius sits beside me and takes my arm, wrapping a damp cloth around my wrist.

"Good girl," he says as he cleans my arm "You're going to need some fresh clothes, too. As well as your own blood looks on you, I think you may want something a little cleaner," he explains, standing up and taking my hand. I follow him out and we walk down the well-lit hall, passing empty rooms until we come to another corridor and an area that appears to be full.

"There should be something here," he explains as we go into a room full of storage crates and large pots. Glancing around, everything here seemed unimportant, and dusty. As he opens crate after crate, he eventually finds the one he was looking for "This should suffice." he smiles, holding out a short dark red dress with a thick dark-brown leather belt. As we make our way back to his room, we find that three maids have cleaned the mess he made and are laying out fresh blankets.

"Thank you," he says politely, and they all curtsey as they make their way out. "Go ahead and change, I'll be back soon," he explains, heading for the door. I nod, and as the door shuts behind him, I realize that I'm completely alone again. I strip out of my outfit, the leather one I had chosen yesterday morning, and lay it carefully on the shelf. Standing naked in the room, I look at what he had given me, running my fingers over the material. It was silky, different from anything I had worn before. I slip into it and adjust myself, undoing the braid in my hair and letting the waves fall over my shoulders. Dressed and comfortable again, I look around and spot a bottle of something on one of the higher shelves. Standing on my toes, I reach up and take it, uncorking it and carefully smelling its contents. It seems like a sweet berry wine. Curious, I grab a cup from the shelf and pour myself a glass, setting the bottle down and making my way to the couch. As I sit down, I cross my legs, wine in hand, my other arm across the back of the sofa. As I take a sip of the sweet, yet burning liquid, I take a deep breath; perfection.