One of the teenage boys was on his feet, his whole body tensed like he was about to sprint for the door.

“Stop.” Darian commanded as the boy edged forward.

But it was as if Darian wasn’t there. The boy just kept looking at the door, his nose twitching. And behind him, Fria’s mother was stirring, her body writhing atop the bed as her eyes flickered open.

The boy made for the door, his speed incredible. But Darian was faster, and he caught him by the shoulders and forced him to the floor. He twisted, but his strength was no match for Darian.

“Calm down!” But the boy continued to struggle, his mouth snapping at Darian’s arm.

He’s like a rabid animal. Even Darian had not been this feral the first time he smelled blood, but the child was acting like a beast despite there being no crimson scent in the air. With little choice, Darian pressed his left elbow into the boy’s chest as he raised his right fist. The child thrashed, his nails digging into Darian’s arm. But a hard fist to the jaw stunned him, and a second blow sent him back to oblivion.

Darian knew something like this was a possibility, but this did not stop a pit from forming in his gut. If the boy woke and continued to rampage, Darian would possibly have to put an end to him. But I will only do so as an absolute last resort. With some blood, the child might come to his senses.

Fria’s mother sat up from the bed, her red eyes blinking slowly as she observed the room. But she did not seem overtaken by her thirst. To the contrary, she appeared to be in full control of her senses.

“How long was I unconscious?” she asked, staring at those still lying on the floor.

“Several hours.” Darian glanced at the cloth covered windows. “But the sun will rise before too much longer. If you are anything like me, staying awake after that will prove a pointless struggle.”

She nodded, then looked down at her pale fingers. Balling them into fists, she smiled. “My body has not felt this strong in many years.”

“A benefit of the beast’s blood,” Jorg mumbled, his body still rigid as he fought against his instincts.

Still pressing him to the floor, the boy woke with a start. But, while he did still struggle, his rabid ferocity was lessened.

“Isaac,” Aelen said. “You must calm yourself.”

Darian didn’t think the woman’s soft voice would be of any use, but the boy stopped resisting.

“It burns,” he said, touching his stomach. “I’ve never felt so hungry.”

If he’d known they would wake so soon, Darian would have prepared ahead of time. The plan always was for Fria to find something for them to drain, but he should have sent her away sooner. All of this was on him.

A knock came at the door, followed by an animal snort.

“It’s me,” Fria said. “And I’ve got you lot something to eat.”

Aelen smiled at the sound of her daughter’s voice, but Darian spoke before she had a chance to.

“How are you back so soon?” The weather outside was frigid and dim. Even with Zan’s help, she should not have returned quite so quickly.

“I stole a farmer’s cow.”

Darian’s mouth hung open for a moment, but he quickly collected himself. “Probably a good call.”

Isaac grunted, the sound of a human’s voice stirring his bestial instincts.

“I will leave the cow tethered out here,” Fria said, a hint of worry in her voice.

“A good idea,” Darian replied, his forearm pressed hard against Isaac’s chest. “But there is someone who wants to say hello.”

“Fria,” Aelen said.

“Mother?” The door creaked as Fria pressed against it. “Are you…alright?”

Aelen’s eyes glistened. “I am.”

“And the infection,” Fria said. “Is it gone?”

Aelen rubbed her eyes, then touched her chest. “I believe so, but only time can be the true test.”

No blood leaked from Aelen’s eyes or ears, but she had to be nearly empty after Darian was through with her. It was possible some of the symptoms would return after she fed. Worse would be if the vampires ended up being carriers, but Darian just had to hope that wouldn’t happen.

“Make sure she gets her share,” Fria said as she pulled away from the door.

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“She’ll get plenty” Darian assured. “Now go find somewhere to warm up. I can handle things from here.”

Fria’s soft steps crunched against the fresh snow. “I’ll make sure to keep watch over you when the sun rises. Be careful, both of you.” And then she was gone.

“Let me go!” Isacc’s fist slammed into Darian’s cheek, but the blow held no heat in it.

“If I let you go right now, you’re only going to get yourself killed.” He stared into Isaac’s eyes. “You became a vampire because you wanted to live, right? Then you’d better get ahold of yourself.”

Darian felt like the world’s biggest hypocrite as he spoke. Luck had saved him from losing himself to the thirst more than anything else. But while Jorg had a soldier’s resolve and Aelen an adventurer’s will, the village boy had nothing to stem the tide of his consuming hunger. The fear of death was probably the only instincts that could halt the thirst from consuming him.

“Jorg,” Darian said through gritted teeth. “Bring the cow inside.”

“Inside?” he said, glancing at the door.

“It should fit.” The door was wide, but Darian could hear the sound of the cow’s steps—it wasn’t very big.

“You ask too much of me.”

“I don’t want to hear it,” Darian replied. “Get the cow in here now.”

Darian hated relying on Jorg, but there was no one else around to assist. And if Isaac didn’t get blood soon, Darian would have to resort to drastic measures to handle the situation.

Jorg cursed, but he did as he was commanded. And despite his instincts telling him to rip the cow to pieces, he managed to get it indoors without incident. That at least made Darian respect the Justicar.

The cow was brown furred, with small white patches across its ribs. But despite its relatively small size, Darian could tell the creature was well fed. He felt a bit guilty for stealing someone’s farm animal, but Fria’s decision was a good one. The beast was big enough to feed them all and then some.

“Jorg,” Darian said, nodding toward a cupboard on the far end of the room. “Grab a cup and knife from in there.”

The Justicar stared at the cow’s neck, the beast regarding him with a mixture of confusion and fear.

“Do as he asks, Justicar.” Aelen said, the air between them shimmering.

It was then that Darian realized she didn’t calm Isaac with her authority alone, but she was using some sort of skill.

Jorg huffed, but he retrieved a small goblet and knife, holding them in his big hands like he was afraid of breaking them.

“I want you to cut the cow and fill the goblet with its blood, but don’t kill it.” While drinking its blood once was useful, Darian had an idea.

He used [Dominate Animal] on the cow, calming it as Jorg pressed the knife to its shoulder.

“I’m going to use a skill to pull the blood out,” Darian said. “Feel free to grab the first drink, but then I need you to give the second cup to Isaac.”

There was a small delay before blood hardened from [Blood Shield]. If Darian activated the skill on the cow’s open wound, he could draw extra blood from it without further damaging the cow. Then after they’d each had some to drink, Jorg could use his [Greater Healing] on the animal. It was possible that by healing the cow, they could have a further supply of blood.

Jorg cut the cow open, his hand shaking as the blood began to ooze. The wound was ragged and deep, but it was the best Jorg could do given his condition. And to Darian’s surprise, the Justicar waited until the blood pooled in the cup before he began to drink. He did it slowly at first, some part of him still clinging to human manners. But then he tilted the cup fully, groaning with pleasure as the blood ran down his throat and dripped from his chin.

The smell of it sweetened the chill air, and both Isaac and Aelen began to grow restless.

“I fear I will not be able to control myself for much longer,” Aelen said, her eyes closed, her hands tightly clenched. “Please be swift.”

Jorg wiped his mouth, some of his old self restored. “Tastes better than you’d think.” He placed the goblet below the wound and Darian activated [Blood Shield].

He directed the blood toward the cup, stopping the skill before it could fully activate. It wasn’t a particularly effective method, but it kept them from continually having to cut the cow.

Isaac’s eyes latched onto the cup as Jorg approached.

“I will let you rise,” Darian said. “But you must only drink from the cup.”

Darian thought about letting Isaac sink his fangs directly into the animal, but there was always the chance he could damage it too badly to be healed. And so he slowly let some of the presser off, giving Isaac enough room to sit up.

He snatched the cup out of Jorg’s hand with surprising speed, and he wasted no time dumping the contents into his mouth.

“Better?” Darian asked, smiling at seeing someone else’s thirst sated.

“A little,” the boy said, passing the cup back to Jorg. “But my stomach still hurts.”

“You will always thirst,” Daria said, rising to his feet. “But it will get better, I promise.”

They had Aelen drink next, followed by Jorg and Isaac getting a second helping. Now with more blood inside them, they appeared more like humans than bloodthirsty vampires. Looking at them warmed Darian’s chest, but he knew their struggles were far from over.

He approached the cow and laid his palm on its head. The creature shuddered, weakened from its lost blood.

“Jorg,” Darian called. “Please use a healing spell on the cow. I need to see something.”

He pressed his ear to the animal’s chest and listened to the slow beat of its heart. Since the “injury” it faced was mostly just a lack of blood, he wanted to see if using a healing spell would make its body pump blood faster. He’d been told healing spells only enhanced a body’s natural healing abilities. Wounds that would take days or weeks could be healed in moments with the right spell. And he wondered if it might work the same for restoring lost blood.

As Jorg’s spell activated, Darian could hear the beast’s blood rushing. Its heart thudded as the cut on its shoulder healed. Then it snorted, its veins pulsing as they filled with warmth.

He backed away. “It worked.” He said, realizing they now had an easy source of fresh blood. “It worked.” He turned toward the others, each regarding him with their shared crimson eyes. Darian smiled as he observed them, knowing he was truly no longer alone.

For good or ill, and for the first time in his life, Darian was in a room full of vampires.