My eyes slowly opened to reveal Derek, smiling from ear to ear leaning on the bat that was now covered with my blood. I dry heaved. If I had eaten anything it would have come back out. He was the world's biggest sociopath, he had to be. Our eyes were locked onto each other. I denied myself the ability to blink, I was too scared to look away for that long of a second. "Damn. I didn't expect to see bone. That looks like it hurts."

"P-please, I'm sor—"

In the blink of an eye I was back on my back with Derek's boot pressing down on my throat. "Shhhh. I know you're sorry. I just don't care, love." He stared down at me with a sinister smirk on his face. Everything felt so heavy. How much blood was I losing? I looked at him, defeated. There was nothing that I could do. Once again, I was at a vampire's complete mercy.

Footsteps on the stairs turned our attention away from each other. "Oh good. Perfect timing. Set that down anywhere. I want you to help me by holding her down. You could use the experience," Derek ordered our visitor.

I closed my eyes trying to focus on something other than the never-ending pain that was my leg and the pressure against my throat. How am I going to make it out of this alive? Maybe I shouldn't. No. I can't think like that. Finnigan needs me...for my blood. Be he cares about me, right? Maybe. But was all this suffering worth a maybe? It didn't feel worth it right now. Nothing did.

"Mr. Darrow, I don't really feel comfortable aiding you in this action. This girl has done nothing to me," a female voice answered.

Derek pursed his lips together. "Hm, okay. Then maybe you'd rather take her place then." He lifted his foot off of me and stalked toward the girl. It took everything I had not to scream when I moved my legs. I pushed myself up into a sitting position again.

The girl was about my height and age, maybe a few years older. Her black hair had been pulled back in a ponytail and she was wearing the same uniform all of Derek's staff sported: a black t-shirt and dark blue jeans. She was obviously new and was not yet numb to the hideous tasks vampires tend to ask their staff. Derek stood behind her. He pulled her head back by her hair and exposed her neck to him. "I know this is your first day here, love, but you should know better than to tell a superior no." His voice made her whole body shake. It pained me to watch him toy with someone so innocent. I needed to stop this.

I swallowed hard, "no wonder why you and Jared are such good friends. You're nothing but a pussy." The girl's eye widened with shock.

Derek's attention flickered away from the girl and landed on me. "You're trying to be the hero. That's so cute. Do you see yourself in her? A scared little meal who's life is going nowhere. Is that what it is? There's one major difference between you two though, I can put Tori here out of her misery." He snickered and bit down on her neck. Tori let out a terrified shriek that overpowered mine.

"No! Stop!" I yelled but Derek continued to drain the life out of her. Tears welled in my eyes as he dropped her lifeless body to the floor.

"What's wrong, love? Has the reality of your situation finally hit you?" He wiped the blood off his lips and lifted me up. I was laid down in front of the leather chair. He was right. I wasn't special enough to escape the torment of the superior race but I was but I was important enough that no one will ever end my life. I'm going to be stuck in this martyring position forever. I can't do this for the rest of my life. I don't think any sane person could. The familiar embrace of cuffs wrapped around my wrists. I glanced up to see Derek sitting in the chair above me. He had positioned his feet on either side of my head. "I have to ask, what's on your mind?"

"Death." I answered back.