Cut by Danielle Llanes Page A

felt a brick in my stomach as I replied,
    “It wouldn’t be fair to put a number to it.” I was lying and she was breaking before me. I watched as the large hands from his people settled on her. She let out a scream as she slipped from the chair. I stepped forward as Klaus gripped my arm,
    “Let her go to the Box for a time. It will rid her of this ridiculous obsession with the women you keep. She has to learn that you are her master.” I settled as I watched them drag her from the room and out the door. I had never known anyone to be banished from our clan. It ached to even call them my own. Octavius and I had roamed for so long that we had never considered ourselves apart of any family. It had been Klaus’ idea to form one for safety.
    “We’re not being too hard on her, are we?” Klaus laughed as he shook his head once more,
    “No, have you forgotten how things went with Samara?” I covered my face as I looked away,
    “I was hoping everyone would forget.” He shifted his weight on his cane as he frowned,
    “You know I could take care of this for you. I mean you have been asleep a long time. You really were not in your right frame of mind.”
    “Klaus, I think I’ve lied enough tonight. I need to sleep, you’re more than welcome…” I watched as he had already started down the hallway to the guest room. He stopped as he entered the room and looked back,
    “Goodnight, Rent.”
    I went to bed but could not sleep. I could feel her pain in the night as she was bound and shoved into a casket. The lid nailed down shut as she was lowered into the ground. Her cries had grown silent as they dropped the weight of another casket onto hers then began to shovel dirt into the plot. She was not in any cemetery I knew. In New Orleans everyone was buried above ground. I had a family crypt in one of the St. Louis cemeteries. I had forgotten since I rarely slept there. It seemed a little too grim to sleep amongst the dead when I didn’t know anyone that still slept there. It was unusually quiet even in the city.
    “Rent, I don’t know where I am,” her voice pounded in my head. She was somewhere cold, I could feel ice all around her. The air floated from her mouth as she tried to move within the casket. Her bindings were tight against her skin.
    “I didn’t think it was important to tell you about my father. He was never close to us. Please save me…I don’t want to be here…” I lay in bed staring into the darkness as I heard her cries. I placed a pillow over my face and pressed down. Damn her. I regretted making the call to Klaus. I regretted spending more time with everyone but her.
    “Go to sleep, Aerin. They will let you out soon.” Her cries seem to fade and I was beginning to fall asleep when I heard her voice,
    “If you think I will forgive you for this, you’re wrong.”
    I didn’t sleep that night.
    I had given up my favorite place to now stand at the old levee near Yasmine’s old dorm. It was hard to believe everything we had loved had washed away. There was still a large part of me that regretted now bringing her over even now. I shielded my eyes from the sun as I placed my sunglasses on. I could see a couple running along the lakefront and chatting. I turned away from them and headed back to my car. It was late in the morning and I had not rested. I had been consumed through the night with Aerin’s voice that I lost sleep. I feared that it would come to a point when I would have to ask Klaus to sever her thoughts from my own. He would gladly do anything I asked at this point. I knew no love was lost with Samara or anyone I had brought over.
    “Why do you bother with them?”
    “I wear my heart on my sleeve.” He had smiled his toothy grin as he refused my offer of bottled blood,
    “I’m sorry but I’m a little old fashioned when it comes to the hunt.” I could see a flutter of life and knew that deep in his heart there was still a thrill in taking a victim. I would have to tell the