Why do I keep attracting Villainesses?

Chapter 24.

"...."

Once more, I looked down at the sea cow.

Because of how hard I had grabbed it initially, small bubbles were escaping from its mouth.

Its face looked full of pain and confusion.

It was suffering because of me. I tried to force myself to finish it, to just get it over with, but after only a few moments, I couldn’t stand the sight anymore.

" ARRGH!" I let out a frustrated breath and loosened my grip entirely.

"I-I’m sorry... but I can’t—"

I didn’t even get to finish my sentence. The moment I hurriedly let go of the sea cow, I reached up to hold my left cheek right after.

A loud crack echoed through the water.

She had landed a slap on me so hard it spun my head around.

My eyes were wide, frozen in disbelief. She actually slapped me? For a second, I just stood there, stunned.

I removed my hand from my cheek and stared at my palm. It was clouded in bright red bits of blood.

She hadn’t just slapped me with her palm; but ended up using her claws in the process.

There was a deep, stinging wound on my cheek that was bleeding out into the water.

Usually, with this new body, small scratches healed almost instantly, but this wound stayed open. It refused to close.

"Do you think I was asking politely?!" she hissed. Her face was full of rage now.

"I gave you an order, yet you dare to refuse me? You are my servant! You do what I say!"

She didn’t wait for me to answer. She reached out and snatched the sea cow out of the water.

She used only one hand, wrapping her fingers around the beast’s throat and squeezing with terrifying strength.

I could hear the creature’s neck bones groaning under the pressure.

"S-Stop it—!" I screamed.

I reached out to stop her, but the words got stuck in my throat.

The water around us was becoming cloudy with red.

My own blood was floating right in front of my face, drifting into my nose and mouth. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

The scent was becoming too much for me to handle.

"Crap! Arrrgh!" I suddenly doubled over, hugging my own body.

I felt a sharp, familiar heat rip through my veins.

That same terrifying bloodlust was rising up again, faster and stronger than before.

My vision started to get blurry at the edges, turning a dark shade of red.

’But how is this possible?!’ I screamed in my head, trying to fight back the darkness.

’I’m right next to her, aren’t I?!’

’ She said her presence keeps me sane, so how come it’s happening again?!’ I thought to myself, feeling fear at the moment.

I looked at her through the red fog in my eyes, trying to find safety in her gaze, but then I realized something.

The only way this could be happening...the only reason I was losing control while she was standing right there, was if she was doing this on purpose.

She was deliberately letting the monster out.

"I’ll tell you one more time... Kill it!"

She said coldly, before shoving the sea cow toward me. The poor animal was a mess now.

Because she had squeezed its neck so hard with her claws, it was bleeding heavily from jagged wounds.

Even though she wasn’t holding it anymore, the creature was so paralyzed by her terrifying aura that it didn’t even try to swim away.

It just drifted there, trembling in pain, its big, sad eyes looking at nothing as the red cloud grew around its head.

"I said I’m not doing it!" I yelled back.

I was shaking, my hands balled into fists at my sides. I was desperately grabbing at the tiny bit of logic and reason I had left in my mind.

The smell of the blood was like a loud screaming in my brain, telling me to bite, to tear, to eat.

But I refused.

I couldn’t do it. How was I supposed to kill something that looked so pitiful? If I gave in now, if I murdered this helpless thing just because she told me to, what would be the difference between me and her?

I’d be just another cold-hearted killer. I’d be the very monster I was trying so hard to hide from.

I pressed my hand firmly against my bleeding cheek, trying to stop the flow of my own blood, but it was no use.

The sea cow’s blood was spreading through the water, mixing with mine in a thick, sweet-smelling fog.

My heart dropped. I knew I was reaching my limit. If I stayed here another second, the shark would take over, and I’d lose myself.

Without another word, I turned around and swam away as fast as my tail could push me.

"GUAH!!"

Unfortunately, I didn’t even get ten feet away before the water behind me exploded.

She tackled me from behind with incredible force.

The impact knocked every bit of air out of my lungs.

She then slammed me face-first into the coral bed below, the sharp edges of the reef cutting into my skin.

"How dare you run away from me?!" she screamed. Her voice was distorted by her rage, sounding more like a beast than a woman. "You useless thing! Just do as you’re told!"

She pinned me down, her elbow digging into my back, her hands shoving my face further into the sand and broken coral.

"Don’t you dare make me angry, human! I told you to kill it, so kill it! What is so hard about this?! It’s just meat! You need to kill if you’re to survive"

" Why are you fighting me?!"

"I said I won’t do it! Now get off me!" I yelled.

There was no way I could do it. Call me soft or a hypocrite, but I just couldn’t.

What was the difference between killing that and a child?! They both looked pitiful and defenceless, not to mention innocent.

My survival instinct kicked in, and I used all the new strength in my arms to shove her off my back.