Give Me Envy, Give Me Malice, Give Me Your Attention

The bright bouquet arrangement fell from Lara’s fingertips to the ground with a light, dull thud, scattering a mess of rich red and creamy white petals over the grassy ground. Her eyes, just like everyone else’s, widened like saucers. There was a flurry of movement as the more aware guests tried to evacuate the confused ones, but only about ten people managed to get out before Beckett’s vampires had the clearing surrounded. The clouds clapped loudly out over the sea, and the frequency of rain drops increased.

“My, my, my, what a charming little gathering this is,” Beckett smirked, looking over his terrified audience. “Everyone’s here, aren’t they? Butcher…”

Andrew grunted, but Beckett continued carelessly.

“And his little human girlfriend… Peter and his human minions… Jonathan… the ever-so-troublesome Anna… the traitorous Ryan Ross… my beautiful Bella…”

Beckett gave a quick bow and blew a kiss in the direction of a petrified Bella. Beckett was all vampire now, and she was terrified just like everyone else.

“And look! A feast for all of us!”

The confused humans tried to huddle together, away from this madman dressed from another era addressing them like he was some sort of god. Andrew Mrotek gathered up his courage and coughed to clear his throat, looking his former friend with as much strength as he could muster.

“Let them go, William. Let the innocent ones go. They shouldn’t be a part of this.”

Beckett’s eyebrows rose in shock from who had spoken to him, but his usual smug expression caught up to him quickly enough.

“Oh but Butcher, they make this so much more interesting!”

Andy snarled, but Beckett just chuckled. He looked around until his eyes landed on Anna, whose eyes were clouded over by conflicting emotions. Smirking evilly, he began to walk towards her, almost laughing out loud at those who flinched as he passed them. Ryan stepped in front of her, but with one sharp gesture from Beckett two of the Dandies had launched at him and held him away.

“I’m sorry, Ryan,” Spencer whispered as he held his struggling friend back.

“It’s for your own good,” Brendon told him quietly on his other side.

Ryan kept struggling. He wanted to scratch out their eyes and save Anna from the evil that was sauntering towards her, capturing her in a mystical trance. But he couldn’t do that. Spencer and Brendon, his friends, were almost in tears themselves. And if they did truly believe that this was best for him, then they were wrong. The best thing for him was Anna.

“Hello Anna,” Beckett taunted, grabbing her chin and forcing her to look him in the eye. “Long time, no see.”

She didn’t answer. Her eyes darted frantically around. She saw Travis and Chiz over Beckett’s shoulder, both clearly at a loss of what to do. Adam Siska was standing near the door, clearly wanting to help, but the bulky, muscular figure of who must have been his brother was in front of him, preventing him. Before she could look around any more, Beckett forced her attention towards him with an unexpected kiss from his lips to hers, pulling away just as fuzzy electricity released itself inside her being.

“This is all your fault,” he whispered to her, just loud enough so that those close by could hear. “Some of these people are going to die here today, and you’ve only got yourself to blame. You should be gone. You should have deceased when I made Patrick give you that poison. But lucky you, your mortal saviors got there just in time. And they took my most precious possession with them.”

Everyone’s heads turned to Bella, who was still frozen in her shocked state.

“So you’ve taken my control, my pride, my love. Tell me, what else do you want to rob me of, you little whore?”

Tears streamed from the corners of Anna’s eyes as Beckett backhanded her with disgust, and Ryan tried to struggle even harder against Spencer and Brendon’s grip to get to her. He looked around to try and find help, but nobody was watching him anymore. This was Beckett’s show, and all the attention was on him. Still, Ryan frantically searched for a pair of eyes to connect with his, and eventually he found them.

His wife Lily and his young daughter Melody had thankfully managed to escape, but Jon Walker remained with tense arms and a strong jaw. As his usually soft brown eyes met Ryan’s pleading ones, Jon’s task had been clear. If there was nothing else he could do here, if he died here today, he could still help give Ryan his chance to save the girl he loved.

William Beckett was distracted from Jon Walker’s stealthy movements, however, as he turned away from Anna and a delectable scent invaded his nose, appealing to all of his senses. His being jolted with excitement and anticipation as he grinned wickedly, revealing his elongated canines to all who paid attention to detail. It took him effort to stop himself from sucking up the tantalizing blood right then, but he managed. The spotlight was on him, and he needed to perfect this horror scene.

“I want all of you here today to know…” he spoke loudly to the shuddering crowd, projecting his voice smoothly. “…that you won’t be making it out of here alive. And even if you do, you’ll know that your loved ones shall not. You’ve all been doomed to a dreaded fate, and it’s all because of this woman here.”

He gestured dramatically to Anna; the crouched beauty almost writhing in wrong. Heads turned but no whispers were loosened from usually gossip lips. Too many words were in no need of restraining, forcing themselves deeper inside their thinkers.

“It’s only fair that you are all aware of this. Now…”

William’s mouth began to water, the astounding peach, strawberry and honey scent dancing on the tip of his tongue, just out of reach. His throat scorched and burned, yet completely froze up at the same time. Descriptions aside, it was unbearable. In the blink of an eye, he had propelled himself across to the beautiful human figure that was tormenting him so. He grabbed her by her waist and pulled her body against him, breathing in the incredible aroma around her slender neck. His lustful eyes ran up and down the fair figure, fantasies of staining the white dress a deep seductive red rushing blindingly through his mind.

“Let her go!” Andy Mrotek bellowed, face now contorted in fury.

Beckett merely laughed.

“My dear,” he whispered easily into her ear, voice just a hint husky as a usual predatory technique. “Do you have any idea the gourmet meal you will be providing me with tonight?”

Waking up to her senses, Lara tried to break free but it was completely pointless. Beckett grabbed a fistful of her pretty blonde hair and pulled, causing the tiniest whimper to escape her lips. Her blood was pumping faster from the struggle and the fear, enticing the vicious vampire even more. With his hand in her hair he forced her head sideways, leaving her pale neck exposed to his leisure.

“This is an honor,” he hissed. “I don’t drink from just anyone.”

“Get your filthy hands off of her!” Andrew screamed, vehemence thickly coating every particle of fear.

William Beckett simply rolled his eyes and leaned forward, licking a stripe along the helpless woman’s neck. Before he could go any further, Andy had zoomed forward, lunging at him with a sharp wooden stake.

Beckett’s first thought was to put the human girl – Lara, was it? – in front of the stake, but her blood was too alluring to waste. Instead he shoved her roughly aside, took a hold of Andy’s projected wrist and twisted, probably snapping a bone or two but the pain was most certainly not the first thing on anyone’s mind.

Because when your wrist that is supporting a sharp pointed object is forced around to face you as you’re running full speed and it drives straight through your chest, screams echoing all around you, who would be thinking of the few broken bones in your wrist?