A claw ran up his exposed back. One trailing finger, all the way to his neck, that left his skin searing so hot that he feared it might burn right off the bone.
And then hands gripped around his ankles, forcing his legs apart. Every fibre of Kit’s being told him to fight, but he couldn’t so much as let loose a sob as more hands caressed his inner thighs, trailing ever upwards.
Kit’s face was wet with silent tears.
He couldn’t let this happen.
Not again.
Pain had him opening his eyes in shock. He gasped as the pressure faded, the phantom touches dissipating.
Apart from the two hands that still clutched his ankles.
Kit whipped around as the hold disappeared. A shape loomed at the bottom of the bed, only its outline visible in the pitch-black.
Before Kit could act, the shape vanished. He shot up in bed onto his knees, his gaze darting around the room. There was nothing. No one.
There never was.
Kit dared to blink, tensing as he expected the shape to manifest again. When it didn’t, he turned a light on with a sigh. Another day, another nightmare, this one worse than the last.
Kit didn’t notice the marks until putting on his socks after showering. As he sat on his bed and bent over, the sight of a perfect purple handprint around each ankle made him drop the sock in shock.
He reached out and pressed a tentative finger to the bruise on his right ankle, unsure what it would feel like. Perhaps for it to burn like it did in his dream. But there was only a slight throb when his finger connected with the bruise.
A familiar pain, of course. At one point in his life, he’d not gone a day without a new bruise. He’d still never learned not to press them; the lure of that satisfying feeling was too enticing.
Greens and yellows had once painted his skin. But the bruises always started out just like the ones that now wrapped themselves like chains around his ankles.
Purple.
Kit hated purple.
Perhaps it was because of his eyes. He’d been told a million times throughout his existence that his eyes were more purple than true blue.
Lawrence had complimented his eyes. He’d told him they were what made him take him. One look in those violet eyes, and he’d been unable to resist. Lawrence demanded that Kit keep his eyes open through everything.
But Lawrence was gone, and Kit remained. Not that he did anything other than exist, floating through the nights like a spectre.
Nausea flooded his body as he gripped the bed, nails digging into the sheets. Closing his eyes, he fought his instinct to run.
Food. He should feed. The sooner he fed, the sooner the bruises would disappear. Kit needed them gone from his body.
He didn’t recall getting dressed or leaving his flat. He worked on autopilot, desperate for sustenance. Kit only came back toreality when he looked up to find his fangs deep in the wrist of a boy who barely looked out of his teenage years.
“Oh, god,” Kit said, pulling away from him.
The boy’s eyes were shut, and his pulse was slower than was safe. Kit’s stomach roiled, threatening to expel the pints upon pints of blood he must have taken. The boy’s lashes fluttered, and he opened his eyes, tears brimming in them.
“I’m sorry,” Kit gasped, not understanding how he’d ended up there but desperate to make it right. “Tell me your address. I’ll take you there now. I promise.”
The teenager responded slowly, as if he couldn’t quite recall the information. Kit had to look the street up on his phone, relieved that it wasn’t far he’d have to transport the boy. He took him there as fast as he could without running, concerned that he’d damage him further if he sped. The whole way, Kit’s mind raced as he tried to remember the moments before feeding, but it was a black hole in his memory.
All he could focus on was one prevailing thought: what if he had gone too far?
The nightmares were seeping into reality. Kit’s grasp on his sanity was failing. He didn’t know how much longer he could keep it up.
When he got to the boy’s address, he helped him right to the door. “Forget my face, and what happened to you. Go inside. Get some food and water. Sleep.” Kit paused before adding, “And be safe.”
