Do Mine Eyes Deceive Me...A Gorgeous Sadistic Vampire?

Fire. The only way to get rid of any immortal creature was by burning them. What ever happened to garlic, wooden stakes, sunlight, and crosses? Nope. They were all myths. You had to burn them. If the creature wasn't burned, all of their disembodies pieces would reassemble themselves and come back twice as strong.

How did I know this exactly? Well, I'll start from when I opened my eyes after I smelled the burning stone and rubber.

I felt cold, hard hands heave me to my feet and then faintly hit my cheeks to 'wake me up'.

"Stop hitting me, dammit. I'm awake," I growled. I already knew who the hands belong to and I was still sore at him. I had long since forgotten any attraction to him and blamed him for everything that had happened to me since he had taken me from my home.

"Joanalie Noelle Rivers. What in the world were you thinking? First, you follow Malachai Bakker into a closet and, in his words have some fun with him," he began shaking me, much like he had when he'd first brought me back to his quarters.

"Let go of me," I demanded, struggling out of his grip. He let go, but not, I'm sure, because I was too strong. I think he was in shock. "After you deserted me in a room full of bloodthirsty beings, Malachai kidnapped me and locked me in that small little room, with rape on his mind. If I hadn't paralyzed him, then where the hell do you think I would be right now? And how do you know my middle name?"

"I didn't desert you. It wasn't my choice! Gregorovich would have burned me if I'd refused to go with him. I already talked to Malachai, obviously. He told me you paralyzed him. As for why I know you're middle name," he then pointed to himself. "Vampire."

"Burn you? Is that the only way to kill you guys?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact, it is," Harrison said.

"Well, none of it makes a difference. I don't want to go anywhere with you. I'm done with you. I hate you for taking my life away from me. You don't even care about it, either. The only thing that matters to you is my potential power and how it will benefit you. You're the most selfish thing I've ever had the misfortune to meet and all of this is your fault. If you hadn't killed four of my friends - one of them right in front of me - then I would never have come after you. You're a sick, twisted, disgusting monster, you know that? You killed those girls from my school because of a lie you told to the International Council of Immortals! Why don't you just leave me alone," I raged on, finally letting my fury unleash on the man whose fault it really was.

I was tired of blaming myself. It felt so good to release my emotions. It was something I never did. I bottled things up, and didn't let people in. That was how I was before, and being with Harrison was changing me. It was making me a different person. One more thing to hate him for.

"You're right, Joanalie. I can't help what I am, though. I've done what I had to do, even if it meant sacrificing innocent lives, to keep myself in existence. I'm selfish, but you're wrong about one thing. I truly am infinitely sorry that I've done all of this to you. You don't deserve it, but it's too late now. I couldn't let you go back even if I wanted to. You know too much, and as much as I trust you, the Council would never let you go back," he said.

I sat down on the ground. How in the world was I supposed to remain angry at the most beautiful being I'd ever seen while he was apologizing?

"You know, I really don't get you, Harrison. If you're not such a horrible guy, then why do you choose to take so many human lives? I mean, I know you have to drink blood and everything, but can't you drink animal blood, or kill the bad humans out there. You know, take the murderers' lives and stuff? Why do you choose to be a monster?" I asked, crinkling my nose.

I couldn't believe this. Harrison had softened me. I couldn't let you go back, even if I wanted to. What was that supposed to mean?

"It's who I am, Joanalie. Animal blood doesn't satiate the thirst as well. I never thought to take a criminal's life, because I always figured, I'm just as bad as they are," he answered.

"Wouldn't drinking animal blood and not having you're thirst fully satisfied be worth it if you're not taking an innocent person's life out of pure selfishness. Why are you so different than the vampire I first met. The one who wouldn't think twice about taking a life. What's changing you?"

"Isn't it obvious," he laughed. It was really such a glorious sound. "I've been spending a lot of time with you this past week. You're a genuinely good person. I suppose some of it was bound to reignite my former human self."

"Can I see your battle form?" I asked randomly.

"No!" he growled. "I mean, that would be a very bad idea."

I cocked my head to the side.

"In battle form is the only time I let my defenses completely down. Having you around while that happened would not be . . . beneficial to your health in any way," he clarified.

"A day ago, you hated me. What's with the change of heart. Okay, I heard what you said about me - Er, rubbing off on you, but things like that don't happen over night," I said, trying to catch him off guard.

He seemed to think about it for a few seconds. "Do you care about me?" he asked, giving me the 'there's-no-point-in-lying' look,

I sighed. "Well, yeah. It matters to me what happens to you, I suppose."

"Well, that's why," he said. " - here, get on my back, we're going home - See, you're the first person to care about what happened to me in a long time. It's kind of ironic, really. Defenseless human watching out for sadistic vampire. Anyway, I thought I'd at least try and return the favor. Friends?"'

An ache somewhere on the left side of my chest bothered me as he said the last word, but I ignored it the best I could.

I shook his outstretched hand and climbed up on his back.

"So, your quarters is what I'll be calling home, now?" I asked, as he flew off into the air.

"No. We'll be going to my manor this time. Oh, and I just realized something," he said, I could see him grinning as he glided from tree-top to tree-top.

"What's that?" I asked.

"What the hell were you thinking, going to get front row seats to a wild demon vs. wild werewolf, both in battle form, fight? You're just lucky I got there when I did!" he exclaimed.

"Well, I heard the howling and the grunting, and I thought it might be some hospitable vampires who would be able to train me once I turned into one of them,"

"You really weren't planning on coming back to me, ever, were you?" he asked, grin disappearing.

"No, I wasn't. But, I suppose, if anything, I'm glad we've established a . . . friendship."

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