I've Got a Nice Big Vampire Problem

Conan tensed, gripping the counter. I narrowed my eyes.

"Where's Falvor?" I asked again, this time quieter.

Mackenzie averted her eyes and Gavin just stared at me, obviously refusing to answer. I looked back at Conan, my breathing kicking up a notch.

"Conan-"

He interrupted me with a swift snarl. "That thing is never coming within one hundred feet of you ever, and I mean ever, again."

"What do you mean?!" I shrieked, horrified. "Falvor is not a thing!"

"Yes he is!" His immediate response rang through the kitchen. "That vampire is sick in the head and is lucky to still be alive!"

Completely offended that Conan would insult and threaten Falvor like this, I snarled as I yelled. "How DARE you?"

"How dare I? Me?"

"YES YOU! Who else would I be speaking about?"

Conan's temper flared higher. He took a step forward. "WELL MAYBE IF YOU'D OPEN YOUR EYES YOU'D REALIZE WHAT HE DID!"

"HE SAVED ME!"

"NO!" His voice echoed off of every surface in the house. "NO! HE TOOK YOU UNDER THE PRETENSE THAT HE WAS SAVING YOU!"

My voice lowered, but became harsh and sarcastic instead. "Oh yeah? Then what was he really doing, Conan? Playing mind games with the guy who was going to bite me?"

Conan was shaking, as I was not minutes before. "THAT SICK SADISTIC BASTARD TOOK YOU FROM ME! HE TOOK YOU AWAY FROM ME!"

He ripped a part of the counter off. It crumbled in his fist. His voice lowered, but it was still filled with the horrible emotion he had been screaming with not seconds before.

"Falvor saved you so that he could have you for himself. He figured since he loves you, that he can take you away from the people you should be with without warning or hesitation. He stole you, Abigail, and I will never, ever forgive him for that. I will never forgive myself for letting that happen." He took a deep breath and tilted his head back, so he was looking at the ceiling. I barely noticed Mackenzie and Gavin leave. I was too busy being stunned.

Conan looked back to me, his piercing gaze searing straight through me. "What if Lysias' vampires had come one day earlier, Abigail? Falvor would not have been able to take them all. You would have died, or worse." He started to pace across the kitchen. "The torture I went through when I couldn't find you almost destroyed me, and I will never let that happen again. That is why Falvor is no longer here. Because I would have killed him had he even looked at you again."

Then it started to click in my head. Slowly at first, but then must faster. All the fury I had felt towards Conan left. Falvor had lied to me. He hadn't told Conan where we were going. He had not gotten permission from Conan to take me anywhere. Falvor had taken me without any warning to anyone.

I stepped up to Conan, suddenly feeling horrible. At least I had gotten comfort from the lie, thinking Conan was coming for me. Conan had gone through full blown horror, not knowing what had happened to me, where I was or what condition I was in. For a moment I thought of how it would feel for me, not knowing anything. Having Conan just disappear on me, with no warning and no indication of how or where he was. I felt sick immediately and had to push the thought from my head.

I stared at him, and he stared back, his unreadable eyes flashing.

"He told me you knew where we were," I told him. "I was waiting for you to come get me."

"So you didn't stay with him because you wanted him?"

I blinked, completely and utterly shocked. This was the first and only self conscious thing I had ever heard Conan say. And it was so absurd! Absolutely ridiculous.

I placed my hands on Conan's face, feeling a very strong urge to be affectionate with him. I thought it would help me get my point across. "No, Conan, I was waiting for you."

I didn't need to ask my questions, like 'did you take your time getting here?' No, I thought that our little moment cleared everything up.

So, with no hesitation whatsoever, I crashed my lips against his, revelling in the kiss that he had refused to give me before.

________________________________________

Lysias picked up the table with the map on it, leaned to the side and then whipped it, as hard as he could, into the wall opposite him. The table flew fifty feet to the wall and then blew into smithereens. He then leant and roared for as long as loud as he could.

Once he was finished roaring, he took exactly two seconds to stand in his spot and see if he would calm down. When he realized he was nowhere near being finished, he turned around and faced Yenta.

He knew he was a scary sight when he was angry, and knew Yenta knew it as well, so her blank face meant nothing to him. He knew that somewhere in her, fear was raging.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, SHE'S DEAD?!"

Yenta responded in a calm, unwavering voice. "I mean what I said. Abigail's mother is dead. Ivan got her and her husband right after they fed."

Lysias roared again and whipped around. His eyes landed on a chair that lay not two feet away from him. In seconds it was across the room as well, on top of the table.

"Then WHY do I still FEEL LIKE THIS?!" His roar was so loud he heard every single vampire in the hall below them pause.

He looked at Yenta.

"Are you sure that was her mother?" She asked.

A feral snarl ripped out of Lysias' mouth. "I was not there to witness it, CLEARLY!"

Yenta stood there and stared at him, clearly having no comment to give him.

"This needs to be DESTROYED!"

"Then kill the girl."

Lysias leant down to look Yenta dead in the eye, and said in a low, terrifying voice, "I can't." He pulled back and began to pace in front of the woman, while she watched him, thinking.

It had begun exactly thirteen hours ago. His obsession with the girl multiplied. Increased to infinite levels. Now it was if she were almost calling for him. He could feel exactly which direction she was in and he could tell how far she was. And yet, they had reported that they had killed Abigail's mother thirteen hours ago.

"What if it's-?" Yenta began. Lysias interrupted her swiftly, knowing what she was going to say.

"We aren't even related."

"That's a lie and you know it," Yenta said harshly. "You're related by blood, and that's all that matters. He's your son."

Lysias growled. "It can't be him."

"And why is that?"

"They have shared nothing that would link them."

Yenta raised her eyebrow at him, surprised he wouldn't think of it as well. "It could be-"

"NO!" He roared, suddenly furious at the thought of someone else touching her. Immediately he calmed himself and said, "No, she's still a virgin."

"How do you know?"

"I can just tell," Lysias snapped.

"Alright."

Silence for a few more minutes, and then Yenta spoke.

"What if it's love?"

"What?"

"Love, Lysias," Yenta said. "What if their link is love? He is your son, he might have received a fraction of the obsession you have with her, and she might return his affections."

Lysias shook his head, thinking that this girl and Conan had no idea what anything was until they felt what he was going through now. If what he was feeling really was love, love was sick. Twisted and unfair and horribly consuming.

No, Lysias had had enough of this woman's guessing. "I am done with you. Leave," he told her.

He felt her move closer to him. When she next spoke, her voice was quavering, whether from fury or some other emotion he didn't know.

"Do not go to her. It shall be the end of you."

He did not respond. As he listened to her leave, he thought of what she said. Yenta clearly had no idea that ignoring Abigail's unintentional call felt like he was ripping his chest to shreds, and he had been going through this for thirteen hours. It was almost like his body was punishing him for being away from her. This insignificant human girl.

At the moment he had a good amount of vampires hidden around the cottage that Abigail was staying at. For a good five hours she had been reported missing. He had nearly gone mad and had almost slaughtered his whole team in that small time frame. A brief report of her reappearance had calmed him down immediately.

"Sir?"

Lysias turned to face the vampire who called him. "What?"

"Salvador's gained knowledge of where Abigail is. He's moving his troops towards Abigail's house now."

Lysias swept towards the door, waving for the vampire to follow. "I want your men to move silently to block the side from which he approaches. And I mean silently. Give the cottage a berth of at least half a kilometre. I don't want anybody in that house to have any idea you or anyone else is there. Hold the line until I arrive with more fighters. Is this understood?"

"Yes Sir."

"Go."

The vampire took off.

"I'm done with this," he told himself as he moved towards a tall tunnel, which led to the surface. "I will go see her. This horrid feeling couldn't get any worse, anyway."