The Vampire's Moon

I woke up in an elegantly furnished room, laying in a blood red canopy bed. A full length mirror hung on the far wall, an oak vanity with cushioned stool next to it. Woodland scened paintings hung on the walls, and the floors looked cushy and soft with red carpeting to match the bed and walls. I got up and looked around the room. There were bars on the windows, which had dark red drapes hanging over them. This was a prison, disguised as a deluxe bedroom. A wolf in sheep's clothing.
I walked to the windows. These people were idiots if they thought bars were going to keep me from getting out. When I looked between the bars I discovered it was evening. It had been night when I was taken, so I had been asleep for one day. All the more reason to get out, I had already overstayed my welcome. I reached up and grabbed the bars. When I pulled, the bars didn't give way. I growned and pulled again. Nothing. I sat on the bed, frustrated.
I turned when the door opened, and Michael and another man walked in. I froze at the sight of him, knowing instantly who it was.
The Emperor.
The man who had murdered my mother.
His eyes were that same blood red I remembered, the Devil's eyes. His black hair brushed his shoulders as he walked forward, wearing all black like he had back then, but this time with a trench coat sweeping the floor. He looked like a biker until you got a look at his eyes. Then you saw that he wasn't some wannabe bad ass, he was a cold blooded killer. And he didn't care who it was, if they were in his way, he took them out. Permanently. The scariest thing was, though, was that his eyes said he would feel no remorse while doing it. He might even enjoy it.
And once again, that served to scare me more than Hell itself.
The Emperor looked at me, a spark of recognition lighting his bloody eyes. He lips moved in a smile that was casual, but scared the shit out of me, regardless. As I watched, his fangs slowly extended themselves to their full lengths, and he was careful to keep them from cutting him. I stared, wide eyed as they finally stopped-a full inch longer than mine. Two and a half inches. Hundreds of years of practice and honing his skills had given him this much power, and I wouldn't be surprised if he'd deliberately let everyone think his fangs were an inch smaller than they really were, just so he'd have an advantage. I wouldn't put it past him. Nonetheless, with fangs one inch longer than expected, I had no chance of beating him. Unless...
I gathered my strength, and sent every bit I could flying at him using the Force along with the silent command to let me go.
Nothing happened.
I tried again, pulling on all my strength, but nothing happened. I reached inside me to where I knew the power would be, but found with a shock that it was so weak, I could barely detect it's presence at all, let alone use it.
"Powers not working?" asked the Emperor, a strangely cheerful note in his voice. "Yes, it's my own special brew. They'll be gone for another hour or so." He sighed as he stepped closer, looking me up and down. "My, Michelle. How you've grown since we last met. Not just in size, either, but in power, as well." He gaze grew appreciative, but still scary enough that I tried not to look at his face too long.
"You'll be a wonderful leader for my army when we attack that puny little encampment they've set up. We'll wipe it out in minutes."
I felt a dawning horror as I realized what he was saying. He'd known about the encampment all along, he'd known everything. It shouldn't have been surprising, what with Michael and Sylvia being traitors and all, but it was the way he'd said it, the complete and utter confidence in his voice, that alerted me to one thing. Even without them he would have known about it. Even without them to spy for him, he'd still have been able to wipe them out. Even without them, they hadn't stood a chance.
"You sick, twisted....." I stopped. There was no word dreadful enough to describe the anger I felt. A growl trickled in my throat.
He smiled. "You won't think so in time. You'll come to appreciate me. Otherwise we'll have to put your boyfriend in danger."
My eyes widened. "Benjamin!"
"That's right. Michael spotted Benjamin and Ricky following you while on the way here. If you don't cooperate, we'll have to kill them." He seemed to like the idea.
I glared at him, horrified that he'd kill just to keep me from not cooperating. Of course, I shouldn't be that surprised since he's the person who's killed people just for having kids. He didn't show mercy, it wasn't in his nature. Except for that one time, when he'd killed my mother; when he'd spared my life.
He smiled. "There we go, you see? We all win in the end. I get 'the Key', and you get your boyfriend."
"What is 'the Key' exactly?" I crossed my arms over my chest, trying to control myself so I wouldn't jump him. I wouldn't win, that much was obvious. All it would do was piss him off, or amuse him. Either one would inevitably lead to me getting harmed or worse.
"Why, it's you."
"Me?" I raised an eyebrow.
"Yes, the daughter of a werewolf and vampire. The only one whose power I could taste in their blood. The only one ever to fight back. The only one ever to leave a mark on me. The only one more powerful than me." He smiled, cocking his head to the side. "At least, you will be once that last power of yours is activated. You'll be faithful to me by then, though."
I didn't say anything, just stared at him in disgust. My fear had dissipated to be replaced with anger, and I knew exactly who I wanted to take it out on.
He continued as though I weren't trying to test that little theory about, 'if looks could kill'. "You can only imagine my surprise when I discovered you. There I was, about to kill the woman who had left me. Left power, wealth, and everything I offered her." I listened, rapt at the story he was telling. Mother had never talked of her past when she'd been alive, and Daddy and I had never brought it up. It was interesting learning all this now, even if I wished it were her telling me instead. "I was jealous that she had a child and a husband. That she was so happy without me. Once I'd had your blood, I knew what you were. I could taste it. The only other of my kind."
I froze as his eyes found mine, and he let me feel the full force of his power. That of vampire and werewolf. Something that shouldn't be possible, yet was. Just like me. He'd loved my mother, but she hadn't felt the same. He'd experienced happiness, anger, fear. His eyes, for just a fraction of a second, looked vulnerable as he let me see everything of what he'd once been, but just as quickly as it had shown up, it was gone, to be replaced with eyes that showed him for what he'd become after she left. A cold-blooded killer, bent on revenge and using tyranny to relieve the anger that was constantly filling his mind. He smiled at my shock.
"That's right. I, too, am the child of a werewolf and vampire. You however, have more powers than I ever could hope to have. You have the same abilities as I do, but there is one more. I have it in me just as you do." His expression grew thoughtful. "Yet, neither of us has unlocked it. If you were to unleash it before I, however, you'd be stronger than I'd ever hope to be. As I said, though, that will not happen before I've broken you."
"What is the power?" I asked, curious to see if he knew.
He shook his head. "That I don't know. But it is strong. Very strong." He didn't look like he was going to say anymore, and we merely stood in silence.
"What exactly do you want me for?" I was growing impatient.
"I need you to be loyal to me, that way I'll have a powerful ally. Then we can enslave all of humanity." He gave me a grim smile. "You can have anything you want. Benjamin, and any other man you may have a fancy for. Anything. It can all be yours."
Fury rang through me at his words. Did he really think I'd give in to greed? "You're wrong in the head." I spat on the floor at his feet.
He laughed. "You'll find I'm not. If I were as twisted as you think I am, you'd be dead right now."
He turned to the door, a silent Michael that I'd completely forgotten about following him. Just before shutting the door, he called back over his shoulder, "Oh, and Michelle? Try not to tire yourself out too much escaping." His laughter was cruel and cold as he finally left.
I stared after him for a moment, than checked the door. It was locked. I spent the next half hour checking every nook and cranny in the room, hoping beyond hope to find a way out. It proved pointless.
I lay on the bed, a sigh escaping my lips, before letting myself relax in an attempt to come up with a plan. Even though he'd warned me not to, I had to try and escape. If I could, I'd be able to warn Ricky and get the hell out of Dodge. I closed my eyes, I always was able to think better when I did that. Slowly, a plan formed in my head. He probably wouldn't have tested the stuff he used on me on himself, would he? So who's to say it didn't last as long as usual? I sat in silence waiting for a while, watching over the power within me, and sure enough I could feel my strength coming back. They would probably be back before the hour was up to give me more of the stuff, to prevent my escape, but how long did that give me to gather my strength?
Not long, just ten minutes later the door opened and a guard came in. He had a shot with purple liquid in his hand, and walked toward me. Good thing it was only a wead-minded guard, or I wouldn't have been able to pull it off with the little energy I had. I focused all the energy I had at him, using the Force to make him stop.
His eyes glazed over as he obeyed my command, and I silently thanked the gods it worked. I ordered him to shoot himself with the liquid, and after making sure he was powerless and tying him to the bed with the sheet, left the room and locked the door behind me.
I ran down hall after hall, and would have made it out of the castle if the guard in my room hadn't been found and the alarm set off. I got caught at the gate, but was able to get past them and made it outside. I ran faster, hoping beyond hope that I would make it.
I almost made it to the woods.
I sensed his presence behind me, but couldn't run away fast enough before I was grabbed from behind by the Emperor, unable to struggle free. My strength hadn't come back fully yet. He spun me around and yanked my head back by the hair, so I was looking up at him.
"Not even two hours and you've already tried to escape. You should have known better, now you'll have to pay the consequences," he said, looking frighteningly excited about that. He turned me around so I was facing the woods again. "Michael's heading into the woods to kill your little friends even as we speak. If you look into those trees to our right you can see them watching, and there's Michael, sneaking up behind them." His voice was pure happiness, and pure menace at the same time. It was amazing how when he made his voice happy, it was scarier than it would have been if it were cold and clipped.
I looked where he directed, and I could see them. I could see Michael. He was going for Ricky, the most vulnerable of the two in his human form.
I tried to scream, but the Emperor covered my mouth with his hand.
"Just watch," he said.