Blood Life by Gianna Perada

wife had packed for him, just in case he fainted somewhere, as Robin often did.
    Leaves cracked, but before Peter could look up to find the source, his sight was lifted up by his throat, hanging him by the iron clasp of a pale white arm. Strong fingers with horned talons wrapped around his neck, pinning him against a tree.
    “Let me go!” Peter insisted to the stranger that now stood in front of him, easily restraining him.
    Following the defined ridges along the chiseled arm, Peter locked eyes with the force that had seized him. The youth of the man’s face, cold and translucent, appeared serene in comparison to the mass of shiny black mane that outlined his face. His glossy, reflective hair hung perfectly settled in the commotion.
    The man’s eyes, his beautiful, magical eyes, held a soothing mastery that lured his victim into a realm of vulnerability. The definition of the shadows that hid in the pale silk of his skin removed the fear of death from Peter. The carefully painted complexion displayed a face of such innocence that the peasant stopped his struggle, weakly turning his eyes into the small clearing, forgetting where he was or what Fate held for him.
    “Pay attention,” Roman said in a deeply seductive voice. “You don’t want to miss this.”
    Peter struggled to pull his focus back to the moment. He looked directly into the man’s eyes, getting a little lost in the haunting abyss of their grayish pools.
    “Are you going to kill me?” He gulped loudly.
    Roman produced a low chuckle, tightening his grip around Peter’s throat slightly. Peter coughed, lifting his hands to claw at his throat. He tried desperately to loosen the vice grip, but was not strong enough to challenge it.
    In his peripheral vision, Peter caught the glimpse of a silver horse coming out of the forest. Each step was taken more gracefully as the man blinked in confusion.
    Devendra trotted across the clearing, stopping to lower her head to the grass. The air around her form shifted, warping with heat ripples as she bucked. Peter widened his eyes, trying to focus.
    With a swift explosion of strength, Devendra reared high, striking her forelegs out in front of her one at a time. She held herself there, bringing her frame into an erect, gracious stand.
    Roman held his position, remaining fixed on Devendra’s vulgar display of power.
    With no warning, the weight of her body tumbled down over itself, rolling into an indistinguishable orb of twisting silver and black. The taunt muscles and limbs tore from one another, all condensing into a twirling membrane.
    Peter remained pressed against a massive tree, urinating on himself, trying to squirm out of Roman’s hold. As the membrane shifted inside itself, sculpting its contents into a wretched newborn form, the horrid transformation left Peter utterly slack and defenseless.
    A second claw sealed Peter’s head against the tree, forcing him to watch the hideous formation in the clearing. Devendra had altered into a human embryo that was aging rapidly. The fetus splintered through the clear sack of the membrane, now standing as a stripped child for only a moment before continuing to grow.
    Within a few seconds, a youthful and strong Devendra approached them. Roman forcefully yanked Peter’s thin hair back to reveal his throat, as she bore her fangs and plunged them into his Adam’s apple, violently tearing it from his body. Shreds hung from Devendra’s lips as she savored the flavor, allowing the warm, fresh blood to slide down her throat. She brought the dangling cartilage into her mouth and chewed on it hungrily, then used her tongue to funnel the swimming blood from the gaping hole at the victim’s throat.
    Roman hunched down and pierced at the man’s left nipple, patiently waiting for the flow to stop swimming in his mouth before releasing the lifeless frame to the ground.
    They ravaged Peter’s life and stole his last breath before abandoning the wretched carcass. This was the way