βρυκόλακας

There was a burning in the pit of my stomach and it was nothing like the burning I experience with Landon. It boiled my blood, turned my skin on fire and in moments I was screaming, my body jerking every which way in agony. My back arched as the blaze ran through my veins, my screams becoming desperate for it to stop.

"Oh, Master, look at the poor soul...," a voice purred sympathetically.

There was a sadistic chuckle. "He won't have a soul for long."

"No!" A voice cried, anguish stitched deep within his heart. Landon. "Leave him alone, you bastards!"

The sound of a hand slapping a cheek rang through the room, a room I couldn't see.

"Shut up and suck me," a voice snarled menacingly, a whimper following suite. Moments later, moans pierced my ears.

The voice with the sadistic chuckle started murmuring obscenities that blended with the sobs from Landon. His pain enraged me, but I couldn't do anything about it. Not yet.

"Gus, check on him. His body is relaxing. He must be close."

I knew he was talking about me, because he was right. My body was relaxing, the pain was subsiding. At any other given time I would have been relieved. But not this time... this time it was the beginning of the creation of a new me... a me even I would hate.

Hands palmed my face and neck, then lifted me up into a sitting position while another pair of hands clasped shackles onto my wrists. The chains were connected to the ground in a way that I had to sit on my knees or I would be in some serious pain.

My consciousness began to dwindle into life, eyes struggling to open... until finally the room came into sight, but it was blurred. I blinked multiple times, trying to make the figures of people become clear, the escape routes memorized.

But there weren't any escape routes nor were there people. They looked like people, that's for sure. They had two legs, two arms, a face, and a body, but they were no where near human. They were vampires... hungry vampires.

That burning sensation started again, this time in my throat. Tears gathered in my eyes the pain was so immense. God, why does it hurt so much?

A male vampire with black hair and black eyes knelt before me, a sadistic smile curving his lips. "It makes me so happy that you can join us, Markus!" He cheered, his voice plagued with genuine joy. It sickened me. "Hah, my boy here wasn't lying, you do have wonderful eyes!"

I furrowed my brows at his insane comment.

"And your hair! Do you die it that color? Truly, it can't be natural."

"It is, you son of a bitch."

The vampire simply smiled. "Is that all you can say, Markus? After all the hospitality and cheerfulness I've given you?" His eyes hardened menacingly.

"I don't know about you, but I hardly call this hospitality." I yanked against my restraints.

He smiled again. "Simply precaution."

I narrowed my eyes, searching the room. "Where's Landon?"

"He's in another room, accompanying a good friend of mine." I gritted my teeth. "Don't worry, he's in good care. Vladimir doesn't bite... hard." He dissolved into a fit of howling laughter.

I closed my eyes, seeing red from my anger. Have I ever mentioned how much I hate vampires? Well, take that and times it by a million. My rage now couldn't compare to the past or the future.

"If Landon is hurt in any way I swear on my grave that I will kill you."

"Really?" The vampire snickered. "It's funny you say that since you're sitting on it."

I looked down, brows furrowed. There was no grave. There was nothing but metal. "What do you mean?"

He laughed sardonically. "Why, you're already dead."

My eyes widened and then some more when his fangs elongated.

"Do you feel it, Markus? That burning pain in your throat? It's there, you know it is. Don't deny it."

I closed my eyes tightly, shaking my head. "No... No, this isn't happening!"

"Oh, but it is, Markus. You're hungry... you need to drink."

In the distance a door slammed and I opened my eyes in surprise. A female vampire pulled a struggling and restrained Landon into the room, her fangs descended and hovering threateningly over his throat.

"Oh, good, he's here!"

The vampire girl handed Landon over to the male and left. The male looked at Landon like he was freshly cooked steak. Then he looked at me.

"Markus, your dinner has arrived."

My eyes went wide again and I struggled against the chains. "No, get him away from me!" I cried, continuing to pull against the chains with all of my strength.

"Don't fight it, Markus. Let yourself satisfy the hunger."

The burning in my throat rose when I caught the scent of Landon's blood. My struggling lessened for a moment, and then I started back up again.

"No. Not him. Please, not him. Please."

"You want... someone else?"

"Yes. Yes, anyone. Anyone, please. Just not him. Please."

The male vampire rocked back on his heels in thought, his fingers running through Landon's dark hair. I met his eyes, pleading with him to forgive me for letting this happen. He blinked once as if to nod and I sighed in relief quietly.

"Alright... GUS! Get this poor hungry man a drink!" The vampire turned back to us. "I'll just use what I've got."

His fangs shot out and he adjusted Landon in his arms.

"NO!"

He stopped, looking at me with narrowed eyes.

"What?"

"Okay, I'll do it. I'll drink from him... just, don't hurt him."

The vampire "hmmed" then smacked his lips. "Alright." He shoved Landon to his knees before me, replacing my wrists to my ankles in the shackles.

I took a hold of Landon's shoulders, my hands shaking violently. He met my eyes, his fear squeezing my heart. "I'm sorry," I whispered. I brought my lips to his ear, the burning in my throat becoming unbearable when I was so close to his throat. "Forgive me, my love."
There was a dull pain in my upper jaw and then my fangs descended. I bit as gently as I could into his throat.

Landon gasped, gripping my shoulders tightly. If I were human it would have hurt, but it didn't. It was like he was simply grazing my skin. And then, to my horror and shock, he started moaning.

Everything suddenly disappeared, it was just me and him again. The taste of his blood overwhelmed me. I sucked harder, gripping his shoulders roughly. His hands slid down my back, fingers digging into my hips. Somebody cheered and clapped loudly, but to me it sounded like it was miles away.

Landon gently pulled my face from the base of his neck, met my eyes and crushed our lips together hungrily. I eagerly responded, ripping open the buttoned shirt he was wearing and leaning down to bite into his shoulder.

He groaned, running his fingers down my bare abs. He traced the scars that covered the skin, slowly making his way to the torn linen pants that had been put on me. He ripped those off and climbed onto my lap, sinking himself on top of my already erected form.

"Isn't it wonderful?" A voice cheered in the distance, even though its lips were right by my ear. "The blood simply consumes you, all the emotions of you and that person overwhelm you. Past memories and feelings... you never feel so beautifully powerful at any other time, but when your feeding."

Landon and I ignored the voice, even though I could feel my subconsciousness perk up at the intriguing words, how they memorized me in the simplest ways. We made love, right there on the prison floor, in front of dozens of vampires. My knees should have been scraped and bloody, but they weren't.

Landon's fingers tugged at my hair roughly, his breath hitching in his throat as he rested his head on my shoulder. "I-I...," he choked on his words, leaning back to look me in the face. When he saw the fangs lathered in blood, the eyes gray and dead, his expression told me everything his undeveloped words couldn't.

I turned my face away, fighting against the sobs that wanted to break free. There was no stinging in the eyes for tears, that was simply impossible now. But that doesn't mean I couldn't cry, because I sure as hell wanted to right then.

"Landon - "

He put his fingers on my lips, slowly backing away. His blue eyes pleaded with me to understand, that it wasn't easy on him. But I could only glare back for his selfishness. Did he not think it wasn't hard for me? I was a vampire, the very creature we had vowed to destroy.

"Landon, don't do this," I pleaded with him, the sobs already building up.

"I can't do this, Markus... I - I can't...."

"What? Be in love with a vampire?"

He flinched.

"I'm still me, Landon. If I wasn't I would have let him kill you or done it myself. You have no idea how hard it was to pull away or how easy it is to just let go. Don't you understand, Landon? I need you to help me."

Tears started to trickle down his beautiful face. "Don't ask me to do this, Markus. You know the consequences of this."

My anger suddenly flared up. "This wasn't a choice, you bastard! I don't want to be this. I hate them just as much as you do...," a sob escaped. "Damn it, Landon, what are we to you?"

"Everything," he whispered. "We're everything to me."

"Then don't abandon me."

He looked away from me, meeting the eyes of the vampire that had brought us here. His head lowered slightly and the female vampire from before came up behind him, taking him away.

My fear for his life overwhelmed me and I frantically yanked against the chains. "No! No, Landon! Landon! LANDON!"

The male vampire took a hold of my head from behind and yanked it back so I was forced to look into his dead eyes.

"Forget him. He's human. You're a vampire. You do not belong together."

"We belong together no matter what we are."

He smiled. "I'll admit, this last argument was entertaining, but it wasn't enough to keep him around."

My eyes widened in fear.

"My daughter has taken him to the Dungeons where he'll be used as a blood donor... and other things."

My nostrils flared with rage and I made a move to attack him, but the chains held me back. I looked up at him menacingly. "I will kill so slowly you will wish you never existed."

He laughed. "Aren't you original."

I snarled at him, baring my fangs. This only caused him to laugh even more.

"See? You are becoming more like your nature every moment that passes. In a matter of days you'll be just like me."

"I'll never be like you. You disgust me."

"Yes, I suspect that you hate me as well?"

"That doesn't even begin to describe it."

The vampire simply smiled and turned his back to me. "I'll see you when the sun goes down. Then we will do real hunting."

I stayed quiet, sitting there as they closed and locked the only door, most likely guarded it too. The torches surrounding the room went out and then there was nothing, but complete darkness.

I pulled against the chains restraining my wrists and ankles when suddenly, one snapped. I grinned... yes. We would do some real hunting.