"Iris… I sent all the emails you requested. Let's stop the transfusion for now." Rachel rushed to her sister, only to meet the shock of her life.
"Iris… Iris… I'm sorry about everything I said. Please, just open your eyes. Please!" Rachel checked her sister's pulse and realized there was nothing much she could do.
Iris looked as pale as a ghost. Not only that, but she had no pulse, either.
Meanwhile, the stranger looked just fine. This outcome irked Rachel to no end, and she knew she could never forgive herself if her sister really died.
Rachel was gone for less than ten minutes, but in that short time, Iris was already gone. It was mind-boggling.
"Iris. Iris. Please, don't do this. I'll take you to the hospital. The stranger can't go to the hospital, but I can take you there, okay? Please. Don't do this to me. How am I supposed to live without you?"
Rachel Bowman broke down beside her sister, as she kept shaking her body severally, but there was no response.
As a doctor, she knew there was nothing else left for her to do. It finally dawned on her that she failed her sister.
As Rachel bawled her eyes out, Tyler suddenly started trembling. After a few seconds, it was so violent that anyone would be terrified of the situation, but not Rachel.
She gave up on everything, and couldn't see herself doing more to save Tyler. She rather rushed to get her phone to ring the ambulance.
Meanwhile, as soon as she stepped out, Tyler opened his eyes with a start.
He checked Iris' body and realized she wasn't breathing. She was even losing her warmth. This wasn't the welcome he expected.
Without thinking twice, Tyler lay Iris on the bed and cut his wrist. He didn't hesitate in the slightest, as his bloodshot eyes focussed on the lifeless body of Iris Bowman.
"You can't die on me, woman. I owe no one."
Drop by drop, he watched as the blood flowed down her throat. He had never tried this trick before, but he just had an instinct that it was the only way to save her. However, he soon noticed that Iris needed help with swallowing.
"Don't make me regret this." Tyler bent over and joined his lips with hers, so he could push everything down her throat.
After a few seconds, he withdrew his hand and fell limply on the bed.
It's worthy to note that, despite slashing his wrist, there were no bloodstains anywhere. As soon as he withdrew his wrist, the wound sealed at once, and it was as flawless as before.
Tyler just restored a tiny portion of his vitality and used the same to rescue Iris. They both needed time to recuperate.
Meanwhile, Iris was in a different world after she died a second time…
"Oh, Minerva, my darling, why would you ever think I'd love you till the end? Your kind can never coexist peacefully with mine. Tsk!" The man sat carelessly on his throne, a creepy smile lacing his lips. His blood-red eyes suddenly had a scary twinkle in them that scared the lady.
"Alaric… What are you saying? You play too much, you know." She gave a wry laugh and took a long sip of her glass of water, emptying the content in no time.
"You don't say. Minerva, dear, care to explain why you are feeling breathless?" Alaric asked carelessly, chewing the meat on his plate with a vengeance.
"You forgave me, Alaric. You promised." She begged, on the verge of tears. Minerva knew she wouldn't get the chance to escape the grasp of the strongest vampire that ever walked the earth. To top it all off, she came to offer her purity as a truce.
A grand witch was supposed to remain a virgin, and could never marry or indulge in any carnal desires. Offering herself to Alaric meant she would be at his mercy, till he let her go. Not only her, but she and her kind.
The witches believed it was better to submit to the immortal rather than face extinction, even if it meant falling on their knees.
"Please, Alaric… You can't do this. You…" She couldn't find the words, as she felt a tremendous pain in her chest whenever she spoke. Minerva couldn't explain how Alaric even managed to control her. She spied the cup of water suspiciously, only to earn a lazy chuckle from him.
"I would never pollute the sanctity of water. Drink away, sweet Minerva. You need all that to feed the creatures of the night. How does a decade sound?" He asked in an eerie tone that made her face go pale.
The grand witch knew she was no match for the vampire who just attained immortality. The most stressing issue was that she sinned against him a long time ago. She thought he forgave her, but it turned out Alaric never did. He only bid his time until he became immortal. Now, all beings would need to bow to him.
"Alaric… Please… Don't destroy what we shared. I'll do anything you want, so please spare us," Minerva begged further, noting that she was at her wit's end. She felt sorry for herself as she let her guard down around him. She thought he loved her, but it turned out everything was just her imagination.
"Say your last prayers, my darling. It's getting boring to watch you beg like this," Alaric spat in disinterest.
"Who was it? Who among the sisters betrayed the coven? How did you get hold of the secret?" Minerva asked in desperation. She needed to know. She must find out.
"I do not need any other pathetic weakling around me, Mina. You are enough." He used the endearment that always made her melt in his presence, but right now, she cringed at how casual he was with everything.
It finally dawned that never proposed and never promised a thing. However, she still wanted to know who told him the secret.
Minerva heard the approaching sound of many footsteps, and she knew the damn vampires were coming to get her. They would drain her blood slowly and painfully, only to leave her at death's door. Then they would revive her and start the process again. It was worse than death, and she swore never to be their supplement.
"I would rather die than serve you lots of vile creatures. You haven't seen the last of me, Alaric. You will pay for this betrayal. I promise. You will pay." The last words of "with your blood" got stuck in her throat as Minerva let out a low whimper.
She was shocked that he, knowing very well that she could feel her blood flow like ants clawing all over her body, was feeding on her.
She watched in horror as he buried his teeth into her neck and sucked on her blood. It was too painful to be punished by an entity like Alaric.
Her breath suddenly got hitched, and Minerva closed her eyes, mumbling her last words with a contented sigh, as she finally gave up the ghost…
"Aaahhhhhh!!!"
Iris screamed in horror, her whole body soaked with sweat. When she stared at the sleeping Tyler beside her, she couldn't help but hold her head in pain, while mumbling the words,
"Alaric"