Trials of Love

Why did she tell him?

You vazey!

Trisha slammed open the door to her room at the inn. She had been staying there since she met Malik. She knew she had overstayed her welcome and people were starting to get curious about her. But she kept convincing herself that it wouldn’t hurt to stay, just one more day.

You should have left when the mission was complete. Staying for him was -

What?

Was it really fair to expect her to spend the rest of eternity alone? Was it fair to expect her to stay true to her mission and never stray? She was young, and she had a right to -

What?

She ran her hand through her hair, yanking through the tangles from her split ends.

I’ve let him distract me. And now he will probably be the cause of my demise.

She actually thought he loved her.

Stupid.

Who could love her enough to accept the truth? The truth about who she was? About what she was? She had decided to trust him anyway and tell him.

Stupid, stupid, stupid!

The look of horror on his face had been all the answer she needed before she ran out, ashamed with herself and her lapse of judgment.

I should have known better.

Trisha smoothed out her clothes as she considered what to do next. She allowed Malik to distract her and she hadn’t fed in a while. She could feel her bones sticking out of her body. Suddenly, hunger gnawed at every fiber of her being.

I need to feed soon.

She struggled to remember what it was like to be human sometimes, but she knew that she experienced hunger differently then. When she was human, hunger was a rolling ache in her stomach, an emptiness that rumbled around like a monster needing to be fed.

This hunger was different. It consumed her. It hurt her eyeballs and made her want to rip her fingernails out. If she let herself go too far, it turned her into something else. Something that wasn’t her, that she didn’t control.

I don’t want to become like my father.

Her father let his hunger control him and it ultimately led to his death. Since then, she swore to rid the world of any vampire who allowed their hunger to control them. That mission was what brought her to this sleepy little hamlet. What brought her to Malik in the first place.

But he doesn’t love me enough to accept me for what I truly am. It was stupid to think he would.

Trisha took a deep breath, fighting off tears. She pushed the hunger pains to the side. She could eat later. Right now she had to go.

She pulled a satchel out from under her bed and started to stuff the essentials into it. Usually, that was all she had. Essentials. She traveled light. But she let so many things lapse while staying with Malik.

Once her bag was packed, she stopped to look around the room. The lantern on the dresser cast a green, flickering light over everything. It gave the room an eerie feel, which comforted Trisha some. She gently touched the rose on the dresser that was just starting to wilt in its vase.

So many things.

She had to stop this. She had to go.

He knows where I’m staying.

She picked up her bag and threw it over her shoulder.

He knows the truth.

Her heart wrenched as she once again saw his face.

It’s only a matter of time before -

She froze as somebody rapped sharply at her door.

_________

Thanks for reading my story! If you enjoyed it, hearts and tips are always welcomed with great appreciation. I also have a Patreon where I offer exclusive content, early access to new stories that aren't submitted to contests, and more! Check it out here.

You can also follow me on Twitter and Facebook to get notifications when my work is released to the general public.

P.S. I also write about marketing for authors and small businesses on Medium.

P.P.S. Trisha and Malik are characters in my upcoming novel, Undead Uprising. You can read a story from the past of another character in the book or read more about the history of the pair at the following links.