My Wild Beast
Chapter 58: Vampiras

Chapter 58: Vampiras

Inside the caves, the air was cool and damp. Every sound echoed—the soft drip of water, the distant flutter of wind, the hushed whispers now haunting this place. Yoa moved carefully, and quietly, using the shadows like he usually would, but the vampiras were made from the dark. There was no hiding in this place.

Hide he shall not. The vampiras weren’t predators to be underestimated, no matter how powerful he was. He passed old feeding chambers, now empty. Crumbling altars left untouched for years. Bones piled in careful stacks along the walls — trophies or warnings, it was hard to say. He followed the winding tunnels deeper, where the smell of fresh blood caught his nose.

Not a trail. A scent cloud, like someone had fed recently. Too recently. Someone had fallen victim to their kind. His chest constricted at the thought.

The more powerful vampiras could manipulate minds from great distances, but only when their victims were at their most vulnerable: in their sleep. The act of manipulation still drained significant energy, and the blood they fed on sustained them only briefly before hunger returned. Then, the cycle started all over again.

The lesser vampiras, lowest in rank, were left with whatever dregs remained. It was the only reason Yoa had for there to still be such great numbers of the vile leeches. Yet their kind endured, as did all on the island, where nature bowed only to strength, and the weak were left to fade or be devoured.

A low hiss slithered from the shadows ahead.

"You tread bold, jaguar."

The voice came from above — a sultry, mocking whisper.

Yoa didn’t flinch. "And you tread sloppy. A few of yours were taken by the sea. By the Akhlut."

A pause. Then, a dry laugh echoed from the rocks.

"You expect me to weep for those fools? They were young. Stupid. Weak."

"I expect answers," Yoa said flatly, eyes tracking movement between the stalactites. "The Akhlut has only risen now. Why? What stirred it? Why go after your kind?"

The accusation in his tone rustled a few wings ahead. Yoa couldn’t help it though. It didn’t make sense for the beast to come all this way and take a few vampiras. One of them had somehow managed to transform and fight for its life before ultimately being dragged into the depths of the ocean.

Were the vampiras trying to stir the dark magics? Were they trying to break the magic that bound them to these caves?

A shape dropped from the ceiling, landing silently behind him. He didn’t turn.

"Quorai," he muttered, recognising his scent.

"You shouldn’t be here," he said, circling. "Not without offering. Or threat."

"I came with a warning. Some of your kind have died today. Not by my hand. Something’s changed."

Quorai was older than most in the coven — lean and elegant with hollow eyes and dark braids that shimmered like oil. His fangs gleamed as he smiled, the emotionless void behind those eyes unquestionable. "If the island didn’t restrict us, then we wouldn’t be easy prey."

Was he really playing the victim right now? After what he almost cost this island?

"You? Easy prey?" Yoa arched an eyebrow. "The last time you were loose on the island, you almost made every creature, including yourselves, extinct." He took a step closer to the lean vampira whose cheeks were full of colour. He’d recently fed. With a low growl, Yoa added. "All to satiate your cravings."

Quorai bared his fangs to him with a hiss that echoed in the cave, alerting the other bats napping to the jaguar’s presence that was annoying their leader. "So we must remain in here because of What. We. Are?"

Yoa held Quorai’s gaze, unflinching, his voice low and deadly. "If you stuck to the agreed-upon truce, you wouldn’t be in this predicament."

"How benevolent of you," he scoffed. "I won’t kneel to you. I used to rule this land long before you were born-"

"And you almost wiped your own kind out from your lack of control. Should I finish the job, or do you think the Akhlut chose you specifically?" Yoa snarled, still trying to figure out if they’d managed to dabble in dark magic with the little source they gained.

"Watch your tongue, boy," Quorai spat, zipping dangerously close to Yoa’s neck, fangs bared, glinting in the dull lighting. He was suddenly much taller, his leather wings growing broader, casting out the light, showing his raw power to Yoa and how cautious he should be treading.

"Did you conveniently arrive too late for my people.. Yisssska...?" He inhaled deeply. "Mmm, I can smell the sunshine on your skin... Mmmm, and I can smell a pretty little flower all over you. I’m almost salivating at the smell." He inhaled again, licking his lips. "You tasted her-"

Yoa’s hand shot to his neck and held him in place. Quorai snarled more, lips curling back more as he glared up from Yoa’s throat. His hand clenched tighter, claws pinching into his skin. "Watch how you talk, old man."

Then he tossed the vampira leader to the side like he was a bothersome branch that had been in his way on a walk. He wasn’t going to get any more answers here. He turned to walk away, but Quorai’s deranged laugh pinged after him along the stalactites.

Yoa’s growl still reverberated through the tunnels long after Quorai’s laugh faded into the depths. His patience was thinning, and he was done playing verbal games with things that fed on others and arrogance. The stench of old blood and mildew clung to his skin, a reminder of how much of the island festered beneath the surface.

Wrinkling his nose, Yoa couldn’t wait to get back to higher ground and into the rainforest. Quorai didn’t attack him even though his vampiric speed could catch up to the shifter and cause him some trouble. But perhaps he didn’t want to waste what little energy he had.

"I do hope to meet again. Maybe bring your snack next time!" Quorai called after him.

The muscle in Yoa’s jaw feathered as he fought to control his temper and his beast, wanting to surface and rip the vampira apart. But that’s exactly what he wanted—an excuse to attack Yoa and feast on him. He was powerful, the blood of Yiska lived through him, and would probably keep Quorai’s energy levels thriving long enough to actually figure out how to escape the caves they’d been confined to.

There would be no help from Quorai. What were a few lives to them when hunger was constant?