by Nadia Heaton
“This is really beautiful,” Marianne said, looking around the dimly lit pathway that crossed through two large fields.
“That’s why I thought it would be the perfect place to sit, look on at the stars and get to know one another,” he replied, cutting left and walking onto one of the open fields.
The sweet aroma of the springtime flowers filled the air as they walked onward. Marianne half felt like a princess, walking further with him at her side. It was mystical here, with the moon’s light reflecting the dew drops on the plants and glass-like diamonds all at her feet. The pair broke away from the treeline into a clearing, where there was nothing but grass, moonlight and the ever longing stars in their view. The busy city behind and before them just washed away in that moment.
It was just them, lost in nature and lost in each other.
“How about here?” Cedric asked, slipping his arm out from hers.
“This is perfect,” she replied, looking around to make sure that they were alone and that this is where they could just lie down and look at the skyline.
“Great,” he replied, pulling his jacket off, exposing his muscular body in a tight shirt. Marianne couldn’t help but bite her lip and take him in. He was stunning.
He placed his jacket on the floor for her to sit. Marianne flopped down onto it, and he dropped beside her.
“Are you enjoying your evening, Marianne?” he asked.
“You know, all things considered, this is probably the best date I’ve ever been on.”
“All things considered?”
“Yeah, you know… The vampire thing. Me wanting to meet one and be with one. I heard stories from friends that heard the strange idea I had and they weren’t all that happy with it. Maybe they just thought I was crazy though.” Marianne laughed.
“Maybe…” Cedric scooted in closer, sliding his arm around Marianne again.
“What about you?”
“What about me?”
“Are you having a good time, silly.” Marianne laughed at his feigned ignorance.
“I don’t think I would have done anything else with my night. Hell, if I could have this forever I’d probably take it,” he replied.
“You would?”
“Yes,” he looked at her, and she back at him only being able to make out his basic features in the moonlight.
“With…” she paused a moment, she didn’t want to sound desperate but she also wanted to know that she wasn’t replaceable with any woman. Everything about the evening was perfect. Nothing that went on here gave her the impression that he wanted anyone else at his side through this, but at the same time, nothing gave her the impression that she was the only one for him.
Hell, they only knew each other a couple of hours now, so how could she be so arrogant to think that he wanted to spend all his time with her?
“With me?” she finally built up the courage to ask.
“Yes, with you,” Cedric’s eyes were almost completely visible, even under the darkness of their surroundings. Like two orbs that burned out behind the black. “I don’t think there’s anyone else on the planet I’d rather have at my side.”
The same butterflies before bubbled inside Marianne. A little yip of nervous excitement escaped her, and even though she knew he couldn’t see her in the darkness, she still turned away to hide her blushing cheeks.
Cedric didn’t allow her to escape so easily, however, sliding the hand that was draped around her back and gently pulling her face back towards him by the chin. He looked at her a moment, and her heart raced as she thought about what was coming next.
She knew what it was but she couldn’t prepare herself for the impact. It wasn’t like the dirty, quick one night stands she’d had before and it wasn’t going to be anything that she felt with a lover either.
Cedric leaned in closer. Marianne’s entire body went somewhat limp at the thought of it but still, she managed to pull herself into him and accept his embrace. Their lips met and the electricity of their kiss sent shivers down her spine. It was this moment that the whole night was building up to.
Their first kiss.
Anything that came before and anything that came afterwards would have nowhere near the same impact. She knew that even had they gone further, gone back to her place and embraced one another in their entirety, it would be beautiful but it would share nothing to that electrifyingly special moment that they shared beneath the stars.
Thoughts filled her mind about this man again. She wanted to be with him, she wanted this feeling to forever stay in her heart and somehow she knew that if she chose to stay it could. He was the man that would be able to give her the life she wanted and give her that feeling again and again until her death.
Cedric pulled away, his hand wrapping around Marianne again. She was dazed and somewhat starstruck at what just happened. She could barely think, let alone open her eyes and meet his again. But when she did, she knew that she wanted that feeling one more time, just before they went back to whatever was going to happen for the rest of the night.
Marianne flung her arms around Cedric, pulling herself onto his lap and taking another kiss from him. He gave no resistance, letting his hand slide down her back and rest on the small of her back.
This feeling is addictive, she thought. He was like a drug, and maybe it was because of his charming demeanour, maybe it was because he was unlike men that she knew in this age. He was old, regal and had an understanding of how to treat a woman.
But somewhere she knew that this wasn’t it either. She had already lost herself to him, even without wanting to admit it so early on. He was perfect in every way, and everything he did it proved only pure.
She broke the kiss again, pulling herself off of Michael and falling back onto his jacket.
“Sorry about that,” she said, gasping for air.
“Sorry about what?” Cedric laughed.
“I mean, I don’t know. I feel like I raped you,” they both burst out laughing at the comment. Marianne dropped to the ground, eyes locked on the sky where she picked out Orion’s belt and then his form from the sky.
“That didn’t seem to bad. Maybe you should do it again to see if I don’t like it,” Cedric teased. Marianne turned her eyes to him, while he looked down at her from the ground. They stayed like this a moment, just taking one another in there in the darkness.
“Hey, Cedric,” a voice shouted from behind, and though it seemed so far away, after Cedric’s name left the man’s lips, three were upon him. Fists and kicks broke out from the three, and the beating seemed relentless.
“No, stop,” Marianne shouted, jumping to her feet, trying to latch onto one of them, but with one forceful push, she flew back nearly ten feet striking the ground head first. She looked on, through hazy eyes, at the men beating her new man.
Marianne watched as the three vampires beat Cedric to what she felt must have been close to death. Each second that he pulled himself up from the ground, he was met with another strong boot that broke him back down and sent him to the floor.
All his promises were proving false. He could barely keep himself up here, let alone save her from the three vampires that would no doubt set their intentions on her once they were finished with him.
“Stop, you’re killing him,” Marianne shouted.
“Shut up, bitch,” one of the three shouted back. Marianne couldn’t make out which one in the darkness. They were all the same, after all. A similar build, black hooded jackets, shaven heads and ferocity that circled the now downed Cedric.
Now, more than ever… She realized that maybe her friends were right.
5
Cedric
Cedric felt the flurry of fists striking him anywhere they could. Between stomping boots and the hunched over monsters that beat him to a pulp, Cedric felt the blood pour freely from his nose, his mouth and cuts across his face that were no doubt opened through Jericho’s steel-toed boots.
“I thought you’d put up more of a fight than that, Cedri
c,” Jericho said, laughing as he looked down at the vampire that just took the beating from the three men.
Cedric’s initial thoughts fell on Marianne, knowing that if she was to get back to where he wanted this night to go, he had to play everything perfectly. She already jumped in to try and save him and was met with the force of a vampires might. If he didn’t play this right, he would have to kill the three here, and Cedric was certain that murdering three men would not leave a good taste in her mouth.
“Get off of him,” Marianne shouted again, but to no avail. She knew that if she ran in again she would just be pushed away without much effort.
Even now you try and defend me, Cedric thought, allowing the message to carry through the airwaves to Marianne, who would no doubt hear them in her mind without words being spoken.
Don’t worry, Marianne. I’ve got this under control, Cedric added.
Telepathy was one of his favourite powers after the turn. Though he enjoyed the strength that came with being a vampire, the speed, the ability to travel through shadows and more, having the mental control to read minds and send messages always came in handy. Though the link was established from the moment they made eye contact, Cedric had no interests in reading Marianne’s mind. He wanted her to give into him on her own or he didn’t want her at all.
He closed the channel immediately, knowing that she would want to reply but he had to think about everything that was going to happen now. This was already difficult with three men who beat him senseless and having Marianne’s panicked thoughts trickling through would only make things harder. She was scared, but he already knew that. His reassurance probably meant nothing at all but he had to give it to her, he needed her to feel comfortable around him and give him the trust he deserved to sort these minor inconveniences out.
Cedric went limp.
“You’re killing him,” Marianne shouted again, jumping to her feet at the sight of Cedric going down. He watched as she made a move to come closer through squint eyes, only half keeping his attentions on what was going on here.
Good, he thought, knowing that if she distracted them, he would have time to make his move.
“He deserves it,” Jericho said, planting a final stomp on Cedric’s temple. The boot rattled his brain and made him dizzy. That one he was not expecting, but he fought not to show it because they already thought he was down and out.
“We were really doing you a service here,” Jericho added, straightening up his jacket and pulling down his sleeves.
“What?” Marianne shouted a reply.
“We showed you how weak Cedric was and now you can come back with a real vampire,” Jericho replied.
“You’re a monster, why would I want to do that?” Fear filled Marianne’s voice. She was scared and for good reason. She heard a simple message presented through Cedric and then as soon as his body fell limp, there was no more communication between them. She must have thought him dead, or maybe not, but she couldn’t have thought anything good coming from this.
“A monster? We’re all monsters.” Jericho turned to his two friends, who now made their way step by step closer to Marianne. “Even Cedric himself.”
“He’s different than you,” Marianne huffed.
“Different how? Different because he’s a sweet talker? He still drinks blood and has probably killed more people than you could care to count. What makes him any better than the rest of us?”
He had a good point there, Cedric thought. He knew that he was better than these rats because he was raised better, he was given real values and morals, not some street smarts and too much power to do any good with. He fought in wars that saved the world and gave himself up to be a Paladin of the world. A monster with a purpose, not just a brute trying to take whatever came his way.
That’s where the difference was, he believed. He was for the people, and they were for themselves.
“But isn’t that what you wanted, Marianne? A monster at your side to give you the life you couldn’t find with the normal man?”
“N… No,” she grew more terrified with every step they took towards her, and for good reason. They were giants in comparison, bulky and strong. If they tried to overpower her there was nothing Marianne would have been able to do to stop it.
Just a few more steps, Cedric considered.
“Then what were you after? Looking for some kind of paranormal romance story so that you can feel like the girls in the movies?” Jericho asked, and his band of misfits laughed.
Marianne stayed quiet, stepping further and further backwards as they came closer.
“Let’s show her what monsters can do,” Jericho said, a light hiss coming from his mouth as he already no doubt exposed his fangs and moved in for whatever intimidation that he could.
Now was the time to strike.
Cedric jumped to his feet and lunged himself forward. Using speed that was incomprehensible to the human eye, he was upon the three men in a split second. He started with the one to the left of Jericho, taking him by the right arm and bending it behind his back as far as it could go. The sickening snap of a breaking bone rung out through the quiet night sky, followed by a thudding as his shoulder popped out of the socket.
“Not today, Buttercup,” Cedric said, turning his attention to Jericho for a moment. Jericho leaped back, looking on at Cedric who held his screeching friends destroyed arm in his hands, before raising him – with what felt like minimal effort – over his head and throwing him across the field.
“How are you still standing?” Jericho said, fumbling backwards into his third.
“I told you already, you cannot and will not win a fight against me,” Cedric replied, fixing his shirt, which was now stained with blood.
Jericho sidestepped the third man, pushing him towards Cedric before turning tail and running away. The third looked on at him, and after his already grand display of speed and power against the first he struck, didn’t want a part of it. The vampire turned on his heels, running in the same direction as Jericho.
“One moment, my dear,” Cedric whispered.
“No, please don’t go,” Marianne muttered.
“I promise you, this is for the best. I’d rather avoid a repeat of tonight’s events,” Cedric replied, gently stroking her cheek with his thumb, looking over his shoulder at his first victim who already disappeared into the night, and giving chase.
Though Cedric knew that Jericho and his band wouldn’t come back for a long time, he couldn’t let this disrespect lie. If he did, they would think that he was soft and make another move somewhere down the line and if this happened again, he wouldn’t treat them with equal kindness.
It was easy to follow them now. When they jumped him, his guard was down because he was in the comfort of Marianne, but as he entered fight mode, his senses came alive. The darkness around him blended into a hazed light as his night eyes set in, he could feel the power of the vampires that ran off and he could track them through it and of course, he could smell their fear.
Cedric caught up to the third quickly. He must have been the youngest, still learning his powers and corrupted by the power of a slightly older vampire. Perhaps he was even turned by Jericho himself.
How sad, he thought, chasing him down and catching him somewhere between the treeline.
“No, please don’t hurt me,” the vampire squealed while Cedric tackled him to the ground.
“Are you a reformed man?” Cedric asked.
“What?” This vampire was on the verge of tears.
“Are you a reformed man? Will you stand beside Jericho in his conquests again or will you move into the light?” Cedric returned.
“I’ll drop him, man, I’ll drop him. Just don’t hurt me.” He was a child. Cedric could see it. No older than his late teens or early twenties with the same frat boy mentality that someone his age would have had. He was a baby in the world of the vampires and if Cedric gave him the beating he intended, he was sure that the new blood vampire wouldn’t withstand it.
And his intentions were definitely not to kill a man here tonight.
“I better not see you with him again, young man, for I will not be so lenient on you next time,” Cedric said suddenly.
Violence and cruelty only begot violence and cruelty, Cedric realized. If he was to kill this young man, or even maim him at this point, ripples would be sent through channels regarding the young vampire. His life was affected more now in that moment than any other he would ever face. Continue down a path of wickedness or instead turn back to the better side, where he could go and thrive.
“Get out of here, but if I see this again, I will end your short time, new blood.”
“Ye… yes, sir,” the new blood sputtered, before turning on his heels and running off into the night.
But there was still Jericho now, who had still been tainted by corruption and hatred for whatever reason. Cedric considered that he was never one for this life. A hard knock life would fill a man with loathing and hatred for those who gave it to him, and that fuelled by exceptional power would never end well.
The chase began again.
Cedric followed Jericho’s trail throughout the park until it came to a dead end in another clearing a short distance away from where he caught the new blood.
“Jericho, I know you’re here. If you try and jump me again, this time I won’t just take it,” Cedric said calmly.
“What makes you so special?” Jericho asked in return.
“Whatever do you mean?”
“We’re no different you and I, so why should any of us bow down to you and ask your permission to do anything?”
“Where’s this line of questioning even coming from?” Cedric asked, turning in the direction of the voice, though Jericho remained within the treeline a short way out of the clearing.
