Page 7 of Dark Cravings

His eyes widened in disbelief. “October? But it was June just…"

He trailed off again. I could tell from the vacant look in his eyes that he was dissociating.

I snapped my fingers in front of the bars and he jolted. "Stay with me. You were gathering firewood in the woods, and…?"

"Right," he said softly. "That's where it gets fuzzy. I just remember hearing something, and before I could turn around, this huge…thingwith jet black fur and horrible yellow eyes was on top of me. At first, I thought it was a bear. No way it was a normal wolf.”

“It wasn’t. It was an alpha. They’re bigger, stronger, and for the most part, fiercer,” I said, pausing to look him up and down. “You were saying?”

He paused before continuing, “I didn't even have time to scream when it all went black. When I woke up, I was back at the campsite, and I looked down at my body to see I'd become a monster, too. My fur was covered in blood, and my family…"

His voice broke, and I could smell the salt of tears in the air. I had taken enough infusions of vampire blood over the years that my sense of smell was heightened above that of a normal human's, though not nearly as sensitive as an actual vampire’s. Certainly not as much as a wolf’s.

"You killed your family," I said, earning a pained grimace as he gripped the bars tighter. "And you've killed many, many people since then. Being in denial of these facts won't change anything."

"You should have killed me," he said, his voice growing hoarse. "I deserve to die. Before I become that thing again, and I can't stop it."

I had been with the Church since I was a boy of fifteen, and I had to admit, this was the first time a beast had ever asked me for death. My first thought was that it was an attempt at garnering sympathy, but whether it was the infusions or simply the effect of the life I led, I had become something of a human lie detector. It extended to human-adjacent creatures like him. He was telling the truth. I didn't know how I knew exactly, but I did.

That made the reality of what he had done all the more grotesque.

"Those people are already dead, and killing you won't change that fact, either," I informed him. "As long as you're here, where you will remain for the rest of your life, you won't be killing anyone else. You will, however, be able to lend your blood to the cause of the Church, and if you truly wish to atone, that’s how you can do it.”

He looked up at me, his eyes still shining with unshed tears. For a few moments, he said nothing, and I had no idea what was going on in his mind. "That's why you saved me?"

"For your utility to the Church," I said. "Nothing less and nothing more."

"Oh…" He paused to consider it. "Well, you saved me all the same. That means I owe you my life."

I stared at him in disbelief.

"What is it?" he asked.

I shook my head. "Nothing. In any case, if you wish to repay your debt, you can refrain from attacking my men when they come to collect your blood."

"I will," he said earnestly. "My name is Edmond, by the way. But everyone just calls me Eddie. Sometimes Ed, but I'd really rather they didn't."

I raised an eyebrow. "Your name doesn't matter anymore. Not in any permutation. Not in here."

"Um. Yeah, okay, Father. Thank you."

I scoffed, turning to walk back toward the stairs. I paused by the guard stationed at the end of the corridor. "Have someone bring him food and water."

"Yes, Father," she said, nodding to me.

I went back upstairs, still puzzling over the encounter I’d just had. The wolf—Edmond—certainly wasn't what I had expected. Only time would tell whether the innocent routine was just an act, or whether his behavior actually changed.

I was curious, either way.

ChapterFour

EDDIE

It had been a little over three weeks since Castor had visited the dungeon, and my fortune hadn't changed much. I was still imprisoned by the hunters, and each day, they came downstairs to take my blood with needles as thick as knives and vials that seemed to have no bottom.

I had kept my word to the young priest. Since we had spoken, I hadn't so much as growled at one of his men when they came to collect. The full moon would be coming soon, and I didn't know if I would be able to keep that promise when I had no choice but to shift back into my wolf form. At least, that was what Claudia, the only minister who would actually speak to me, claimed was going to happen.

She had been guarded enough at first, but gradually, we had grown used to each other. She talked with me to pass the time while my blood drained into the dark amber vials through the coiled tubes connected to the needle in the crook of my arm. Sometimes they put it in the back of my hand if they couldn't find a vein, and the minister who was particularly impatient did both at once.