Innocent Devil’s Harem Taboo Ch. 13

He still had a grin on his face as I stabbed him through the throat, with me lifting up even as it caused excruciating pain to radiate through my entire body from the strain. But I was irrational at this point, my mind feeling feral as my body grew colder.

I lifted him by his neck right up to my face, his hands grasping wildly at my wing, with me coughing as I spoke to him before the light died from his eyes, realizing I could barely draw enough breath for words.

"No," I hissed, a growing thirst clouding my thoughts. "There is no greater predator than me."

My mouth began feeling extra wet as I started pulling him a little closer, only for my strength to unexpectedly leave me, my fatigued wing dropping as it cramped, causing him to slip off into a heap on the floor. I could hear his blood gushing out below me, frantically trying to reach down with my wing to grab him again, not even fully understanding why I wanted to so desperately.

Instead, I ended up stabbing him aimlessly with the end of my longest bony finger, hearing him gurgle in pain, probably thinking I was intentionally torturing him when in reality I was trying for something else entirely.

When I realized I wasn't going to be able to grab him, I finally gave up, and just hung there limply, attempting to focus on my breathing again, feeling like the lack of oxygen in my system was the problem.

Slowly, my clouded thoughts began to clear a little, prompting me to refocus on my sister, still lying there, having silently watched with wide eyes everything unfold before her.

Fuck.

Seeing her nakedness. Seeing her vulnerability. Suddenly the only thing on my mind was wishing I could cover her up. To shield her from all this.

To shield her from the monster I was.

Without thinking, I reached out my wing again, attempting for her clothing on the floor now, but of course it was too far out of my reach. Still, I tried aimlessly for a few seconds, my mind unable to focus on anything else, until a thought hit me.

She was safe now.

Assuming this guy didn't have an accomplice, she was safe now. The drug would wear off, and she'd be able to get dressed and walk out of here. She'd be okay.

She'd survive.

Relief swept over me then, still wishing I could cover her up, but knowing she'd be able to do it herself soon. Which meant I really just needed to focus on getting myself free, if at all possible, or else I was the one who was going to end up dying.

Normally, I knew that pulling the harpoons out would make a normal person just bleed out, but I was pretty sure my body would at least try to seal up the wounds if I could just get them free.

Coughing weakly, I attempted to pull on the shaft coming out of my shoulder again, crying out as I tugged as hard as I could manage, fighting against the pain. But it was no use.

I might be able to chew through the cable if I could reach it, but I couldn't even do that, since giving it a tug did little to bring it closer, instead just increasing the pressure against my ribs.

Finally giving up, I refocused on my sister, feeling completely helpless and defeated now. And realizing that if she rejected me, then this was my only chance to apologize before she decided to never speak to me again.

"I'm sorry," I whispered. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you." My vision began blurring. "I was afraid you wouldn't love me anymore if you found out. I've always been like this, since I was born. And I've always tried to hide it from you. Afraid I would scare you." I coughed again, realizing my tears were brimming over now. "Gabriella knows," I admitted quietly. "I'm the one who saved her last night." Was it really only last night? How could so much happen in a day? "So she knows," I continued with another cough, my thoughts feeling cloudy again. "That's not why she loves me though. At least, that's what she said. And I believe her. She liked me before she found out. And she liked me even after finding out." I tried to focus on my sister again, attempting to meet her gaze, wishing I knew what was going through her mind. "I'm so sorry, sis. I'm sorry if I frighten you. I'm sorry this happened. I'm sorry I wasn't there for you when he kidnapped you." I tried to suck in a deep breath. "I'm just sorry."

Attempting to take another breath, I ended up coughing up blood instead, feeling like I was drowning for a moment before I finally managed to suck in a shallow gasp.

I had to do something.

I was really trapped, and I had to get free soon, suddenly realizing I was making assumptions about Serenity's recovery. What if she needed medical attention? For all I knew, maybe the drug wouldn't wear off like I thought. Maybe she'd be paralyzed forever, unless she got to the hospital soon.

I wasn't even sure if that made sense, but at this point I was beginning to panic and felt like I couldn't fully think straight.

And then it hit me, instantly making me feel like an idiot for having forgotten.

My phone was in my car, but I still had another one!

Reaching down while trying to pull my legs up by twisting sideways, straining my abs, I began fumbling in my pocket to grip the phone, hoping desperately that I didn't drop it as I finally managed to get it up in both hands. Unsurprisingly, it was locked, but I recalled Nick saying something about the emergency contacts. I tapped on the screen, and then started a call to the single number listed.

I was sincerely shocked when Gabriella answered it.

"Kai!" she exclaimed. "Are you alright?"

I coughed again, trying to speak. "The guy is dead, but I need help. I'm hurt really bad."

It sounded like she was about to cry. "We're coming, Kai. We are already almost there. Nick had us leave soon after you did -- he used his phone's GPS to track you. He didn't want to risk it. And it's the same for me too. I didn't want to risk it either. She's my best friend."

"It's okay," I tried to reassure her, my voice sounding hoarse. "I was wrong to think I could do everything myself. I guess you were right to tell me I'm not a god." I coughed up more blood. "The fact that I'm superior to regular people must have gone to my head."

"Oh Kai! I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed. "Don't talk anymore, we're almost there." She then spoke to Nick. "Hurry! He sounds like he's dying!"

I shook my head weakly in response, suddenly smiling at the fact that I'd just done what I teased her of doing -- giving nonverbal responses over the phone. "No," I managed after a second. "I don't think I'm dying..." I paused. "Well, I'm not sure, actually. I can barely breathe."

In the distance, in the direction I'd come, I heard a vehicle pulling up outside.

"Kai!" Gabriella said urgently on the phone. "We're here! Where do we go?"

"There's a door. It's the only one. Just go through it," I instructed, knowing they might not be able to see it as easily since there were no lights outside, aside from the headlights of the car they were in.

"Oh! Over there," she said to Nick, seeming to have spotted it.

I continued, my thoughts feeling foggy again. "The hallway leads straight to us. I think I'll be fine though, so check on Serenity first. She's been drugged. Make sure she's still breathing alright." I paused. "And please cover her up. That..." I coughed. "That bastard took all her clothes off."

I could hear them running down the hallway now, so I finally let the phone slip away from my ear, still clutching it in my hand, but not having the strength to keep it up. I realized they had a flashlight with them when I saw a shift in the darkness to my side from the light shining behind me. And then I knew when they caught sight of me, because I heard Nick curse and Gabriella gasp in shock.

They both ran up to me, with Nick rapping his arms around my lower legs, as if he was trying to lift me up to support some of my weight, but it didn't do much since I was so high. Gabriella was looking up at me the most panicked and helpless I'd ever seen, completely ignoring the dead body at her feet, her eyes full of tears.

"Kai! Oh Kai!" she exclaimed. "What can we do? How can we help?"

"My sister," I replied weakly. "I'm okay. Check on her. Make sure she's okay."

I could see the torn look in her eyes, but Nick spoke up then.

"Go ahead. I'll look for a way to get him down."

She gave him a quick nod, only to look up at me with an apologetic expression. "I love you. I'm sorry. I'll be right back." She then turned to run over to my sister.

I focused on Nick, seeing him looking around with the flashlight for any sign of where to begin searching, his light unable to reach far enough to see whatever contraption had shot these harpoons.

"That man," I whispered, catching his attention. "He came out that way," I said, pointing in the appropriate direction. However, when he nodded, shining his flashlight over there, I recalled a random detail about what I'd just learned. "And Nick. This guy is the one responsible for your mother's death. He hired the man who killed her."

That got his attention.

He looked up at me in complete shock, before shining the light down at the man, looking at him more closely.

"Holy fuck," he hissed in disbelief, taking a step back. "Fuck," he said again. "Fuck, fuck, fuck. This can't be..." His voice trailed off.

Gabriella looked over, having gotten Serenity's clothes laid on top of her. "What's wrong?" she asked seriously.

Nick didn't respond, just staring at the man for another long few seconds, before shaking his head. His expression was pained as he abruptly turned around and began jogging toward the other doorway on the far side of the room.

Once he disappeared, I started listening to Gabriella again, hearing her speak to my sister. "Can you move your fingers?" she wondered.

I could see that Serenity managed it, just barely.

"Okay, I'll probably have to flip you over to get you dressed, but first we need to be able to communicate. I want you to blink once for yes, and twice for no. If you aren't sure, then blink three times, okay? Blink once if you understand."

My sister blinked once, being very intentional, a low groan escaping her throat as well.

"Okay, good," Gabriella replied. "Were you able to move your fingers just a few minutes ago?"

My sister blinked twice.

"Okay, so then the drug must be wearing off. Do you feel like it's wearing off?" she asked, sounding uncertain.

Serenity blinked once.

"Good," she repeated, sighing heavily. "We haven't called the police yet, since they'll see Kai. But we might have to call an ambulance if you need to go to the hospital."

Serenity immediately blinked twice.

"No to the ambulance? Or you don't think we should call the police?"

She blinked once.

"No to both?" Gabriella tried clarifying.

Blinked once again.

Gabriella hesitated. "Is it because you're worried about them finding out about him?" she wondered.

One blink.

Her voice was even quieter. "Did you already know?" she whispered.

My sister didn't blink right away, clearly hesitating, before blinking three times. I figured that meant the answer was more complicated than a simple yes or no.

Gabriella took a deep breath, her voice still a whisper. "I'm sorry we didn't tell you. Kai was just afraid of what you'd think. But he's still your little brother. He didn't even want to tell me either, but I sort of found out." She paused. "He's the reason I wasn't killed last night. He saved me. As soon as he found out, he came to my rescue. He's been doing that for the last couple of years. He told me that whenever there was a serial killer case that made you really upset, he would stop them for you. He did it for you, because he didn't want to see you so upset. Because he loves you. Probably more than you even realize," she added quietly.

Suddenly, the cables loosened, causing me to abruptly sink down to the floor, creating enough slack for me to fall to my knees.

Gabriella immediately looked over at me in alarm, startled by my abrupt descent.

Without hesitation, I grabbed the cable in front of me and pulled it into my mouth, beginning to gnaw on it.

She hesitated again, before returning her attention to Serenity, since it was obvious there was nothing she could do to help me. "Here, I'm going to try to carefully flip you over so I can get you dressed." She then grabbed the tray of knives, set them on the ground, and then carefully began to roll my sister over.

In the meantime, I was beginning to make progress, though it was painful, the metal frays I was creating cutting into my gums. Still, it was nothing compared to the pain of trying to pull the barbed spikes out, and at least this way Nick should be able to pull them all the way through once I got the wires cut.

Finally, after what felt like ages of feral chewing, I cut through the first cable, immediately turning around to start working on the second, not wanting to use up all my remaining strength trying to pull the harpoon out. Plus, the one in my shoulder wasn't the one affecting my breathing.

However, just as I was starting to get the metal to fray, I heard Nick come running in our direction, only for him to tell me to stop.

"I found some wire cutters," he explained. "Let me try with them first."

I'd obviously already gotten through one, but I needed the break, my gums raw and bloody at this point. However, rather than be relieved, I was almost dismayed when Nick began easily snipping through the individual wires that made up the cable, feeling like I'd just put myself through an extra hell for nothing.

Oh well. There was no way for me to know he'd have a solution.

And no way I was going to wait around for one.

However, once Nick finished cutting through it, he stopped as if he was waiting. I looked up at him, assuming he knew what I was going to say, but was hesitant to do it. "You'll have to pull them out," I explained simply.

"Are you sure?" he wondered, seeming worried. "Right now, they are probably the only reason you aren't bleeding to death. If I pull them out, you might be dead before we can get help."

I shook my head. "I can't go to the hospital. I'm not sure if I can stop looking like this while I'm hurt," I admitted. "And if I can just..." My voice trailed off when I heard Gabriella run over to me, turning just in time to see her fall to her knees next to me, holding out her arm.

"Kai, you need to drink my blood," she said firmly.

I pulled away from her in shock. "Absolutely not!" I exclaimed, coughing again. I could suddenly feel the spike in anxiety and tension coming from Nick, knowing he was probably shocked by her statement.

Unfortunately, Gabriella wouldn't let up, moving her arm up to my face. "It's not going to kill me! But you heard him, you might bleed to death otherwise. And even if you could look normal, do you really think you could go to the hospital in this condition? Imagine the questions they'd have! You'd have the police all over your case."

I shook my head again, even though I knew she was right, unable to accept drinking her blood as an option. Because blood wasn't just some random thing. It was her life. It was the reason she lived. It was the thing that allowed everyone to live.

And what if I drank too much? What if I lost control again and bit her somewhere else? What if I went for her throat?

The idea was unforgivable.

And I certainly didn't want to hurt her and cause her pain for my own benefit.

Glancing over at the dead body, I wished that was an option instead, but the blood had already coagulated quite a bit, not to mention no heartbeat meant no blood pressure to push the blood out of the body, even if it was still drinkable.

Gabriella looked over too. "Can you drink his blood?" she wondered. "Will that work?"

I shook my head, coughing. "No, he's been dead too long." I then glanced over at Nick. "Just pull them out. I can try to go track down a deer or something afterward."

Gabriella was skeptical. "But will animal blood even do it? Kai, look at me." She waited until I did. "Do you know for a fact that animal blood will help you heal?"

When I didn't have an answer, she held her forearm up to my mouth again, pressing her skin against my lips. Except, this time she wrapped her other arm around my head to try to keep my mouth against it.

"Kai, it's not going to kill me. Just do it already. If you don't, then I'm going to grab one of those knives and do it myself." She paused, her tone a little mocking. "I wonder which will be worse, me slicing my arm open with a knife? Or having you bite me? Either way, I'm going to bleed."

I grimaced, wanting to pull away, but desperately needing her touch right now. If nothing else, I really needed her touch. I felt so cold and miserable as it was, and she was warm, her physical presence comforting, as if she was literally seeping away all the pain.

"I don't want to hurt you," I finally whispered, feeling defeated.

She held onto me more tightly. "You aren't hurting me. I'm giving myself to you. I already have." She then paused, only to shift gears entirely. "Kai, if I was possibly going to die, and you could save me by giving me some of your blood, then would you do it?"

I didn't respond, since the answer was pretty obvious, even if it did nothing to reduce my reluctance.

"Please, Kai," she whispered, pressing her forearm more firmly against my mouth. "Please, just do it. I don't want to lose you. And I'll tell you if it's too much."

Slowly, hesitantly, hating myself for it, I opened my mouth, allowing her to shove the meaty part of her forearm in between my teeth, though her arms were so thin that meaty felt like an exaggeration.

Convinced I was going to bite her, Gabriella spoke to Nick. "Okay, go ahead and start pulling them out."

Nick had clearly been frozen in place, still seeming stunned by the revelation that I drank blood. He grunted after a second, seeming to reanimate. "Oh, err..." His voice trailed off for a second. "Right," he finally said, taking a step toward me.

"Wait," I interrupted, pulling away from Gabriella as I reached up to the one sticking out of my shoulder. "Let me get this going first," I said, grabbing the shaft and gritting my teeth as I shoved it through more. It was a lot easier now that I was pushing it in the right direction. I then continued after moving it a few inches through. "And then, if you can just push on the other one, I can probably pull that out myself."

"Oh, umm..." His voice trailed off again as he moved into position behind me, prompting Gabriella to hold onto my good shoulder as he started pushing on the lower one.

There was an audible popping sound, like the sound of a suction breaking, as he got the barbs to shove away from my body a little, enough that I could get my fingers underneath it and start tugging the spike through my chest.

"Here, let me help," Nick commented, moving around to grab it himself.

"Wait!" Gabriella exclaimed, moving closer to my side again, holding up her forearm. "Bite first!"

I grimaced as I let her stick her forearm in my mouth a second time, finally sinking my teeth into her flesh.

She screamed, only to wrap her other arm around my head again even as she reflexively tried to jerk away. "I'm okay, I'm okay, don't stop. I'm okay," she repeated.

Her blood was so inviting, that I wasn't sure if I would stop anyway, her discomfort suddenly not as much of a priority. My mind felt almost ravenous, like that brief moment I lost control before when killing the second guy earlier that day, but I tried to keep it under control as I slowly gulped from the bite I'd made.

She spoke to Nick. "Okay, hurry up and get it out."

Nick seemed to be able to get the front one out without too much of a problem, but when he moved to my shoulder again, he struggled with it. Finally, he apologized, before placing his foot on my back to give him more leverage.