by Tanja Neise
The pain was so realistic that I involuntarily sucked the air in between my teeth. The laughter passed and fear spread through my body. Since when did injuries hurt so much in dreams?
When Dark put my bleeding wound to Robert's mouth, I tried to pull my arm from him, but I might as well have tried to pull a poby. My arm didn’t move a single inch. Nothing happened at first; my skin was on the lips of the man who’d taken my heart by storm, and I slowly awoke from the shock the pain had caused me. But instead of realising that it was just a dream, something came to me. A memory deep inside me. Deep inside, I knew that none of what I was experiencing here came from my imagination. I suspected that what I was doing was right. I wasn’t dreaming, I wasn’t fantasising. No, all my life I’d been heading towards this precise point.
Robert's lips began to tremble after my blood wetted them and seeped into his palate. Suddenly, his mouth opened. Fangs came out of his jaw. With a growl, he bit into my flesh, but it wasn't the pain I felt. It was something much more powerful that threatened to tear me apart and yet, at the same time, was pulling me into swirling darkness.
Robert Tensington
I was dreaming, dreaming of past times. Dreaming of when I was bound to a partner and was nourished by her. Nothing like the miserable food I had been eating for decades. No, it wasn't that. I felt the taste of vanilla, honey and a hint of marzipan on my tongue. It was so sweet, so pure. Even in the many centuries of my existence as a fully-fledged vampire, I had never felt anything so delicious on my palate. A moan left my throat, blissful, satisfied – this was what it felt like to be perfect. This dream should never end, the woman should never be separated from me, for I was sure that it was a woman who was nourishing me. From now on she would belong to me. Never again could I renounce this gift that the God of human beings was giving me. Or had I died and was now in the place that was called heaven? No, I probably would have ended up in hell much sooner.
But suddenly, through the fog of ecstasy, pain came into my consciousness; something tore my chest. I moaned again, but not out of lust this time.
“He’s coming to his senses.” I could recognise Dark's voice very clearly; it betrayed wild determination. I appreciated that so much about this guy. Dark always knew what he or I wanted and implemented it immediately. We were similar in that respect. Very similar. I hoped that we would never have a conflict of interest, because then I’d have a real problem. Especially in this weakened body.
“Take her away from him.” That was Spencer's voice. He was a good man, even though he was slowly getting older.
The wonderful flow of life and power dried up. In the next moment, I couldn’t help but show my fangs and growl. I felt robbed, and an urge grew within me that I could hardly suppress.
Not even with Fria had I shown this animalistic feeling of greed. Fria, my companion, my support. And yet it had never been the same as in this very moment. What was going on inside me? Something was wrong. My spirit awoke and rebelled against this foreign rule. I, Robert Tensington, was not a person who believed in fate or predestination. So, what was causing me to behave like an animal that wanted to bind itself to a partner, when I didn't even know who she was?
I opened my eyes resolutely, ready to rebel against any interference with me. But when my gaze fell on Dark, who at that moment was licking the wound on Liv's wrist as she hung numb in his arms, something in me calmed down. In one second, I had jumped out of bed. I ignored the pain caused by my wounds – no, I didn't even notice them at that moment. How could this guy dare touch her, taste her blood? She was mine – only mine! The lust for murder rose in me – pure lust for murder – and I would achieve my goal as soon as my hands touched the skin of this madman. A preview of what I intended to do with him was already happening in my brain when the man turned around and looked into my eyes, laughing.
“Well, look how quickly the boss has recovered.” I didn't think a few words would stop me acting on the urge to kill, but my body was weak and just bounced off the outstretched arm of my security chief. The woman whom I desired more than any other before awoke from her trance and looked at me anxiously. “Stay calm, Tensington,” Dark hissed. “You’re scaring Olivia.”
I realised that I was still behaving like an animal in attack mode, my fangs were fully extended and my face enraged. Slowly, I breathed in and tried to control myself a little, which I didn’t manage to achieve particularly well. Spencer hurried to help me relax by leading Liv out of the room.
Her whole body was trembling. I realised that it was my fault. I, the vampire. And then I realised the consequences of what had just happened here. Finally, my mind cleared completely and I understood. My tongue slid around my mouth – the delicious taste of Liv's blood was still omnipresent.
To my astonishment, I observed that Liv had never been contaminated with the vaccine. Dark had known. He must have known. But even that did not explain why I’d been able to drink from her.
With a deep snort, I let myself sink powerlessly onto the mattress. First, I had to digest this, in the truest sense of the word.
Anne Rumsfield
I had to stay calm, I couldn’t start panicking, but it was becoming more and more difficult for me. How long had I been unconscious? I had lost all sense of time. It could still be the middle of the night, or already the following afternoon. The worst thing would be if I slowly ran out of oxygen. So, breathe calmly and shallowly! Just don't hyperventilate. Fainting would be the worst thing to happen right at this moment.
The dark vampire had taken my little wrist computer from me. Smart, but not smart enough. I knew it wouldn't do any good to kick against the back seats, because they were steel clad. After all, the interior of such a luxury car was extremely well secured, even against a possible attacker from the luggage compartment. Or against a gunman trying to shoot the owner.
Somehow I had to manage to get out of here; but how? I was still wearing my steel-cap boots! Why didn't I think of that earlier? Like a savage, I kicked again and again against the metal of the body and hoped that nobody would hear me. At least nobody who wasn’t on the right side. I knew I couldn't do much with the kicks, but I only needed a few dents for what I had planned. After a few more kicks, I rolled up and slipped through the compartment like an eel until I reached the spot where my boots had damaged the metal.
Relieved, I breathed a sigh of relief. It was working, but I wasn't finished yet. I crawled back into my starting position and repeated the whole thing. When I was sure I had used enough strength, I slipped back to the spot again. As I had hoped, the metal was dented in such a way that a sharp edge had formed. With clenched teeth I now rubbed the cable tie over it. Over and over again. I ignored the blood leaking from my wrists because I was constantly slipping, as well as the pain caused by the cuts. I had to get out of here before one of these animals came and picked me up. By now I was sure there was more than one of them. There were probably still some of those bloodsuckers left and they must be working together in some way. Maybe Robert Tensington was something of a mediator – a person who held the strings in his hands and took on some of the jobs vampires weren't capable of. Anyway, they were in cahoots and I would find out what the two men’s uneven friendship was all about.
A relieved sigh left my lips when the tension of the plastic gave way and my hands were finally free. I hastily grabbed the steel cap of my boot and opened the secret flap. This was built into our combat boots as a standard procedure. I pulled a sharp blade from the boot, which I then used to cut the rope that was tied around my legs.
Whilst lying in the luggage compartment, I’d gone through all the escape plans I’d learned at the Academy. Not many of them had specialised in escaping from the boot of a vehicle; after all, there were hardly any private cars left. However, sombrely, I could remember a lecture which had dealt with just this kind of case. At that time, some people had laughed at the superior, thinking he was using outdated teaching material. But now I was glad that he hadn’t let himself be di
ssuaded from teaching us that. Even the model of the car had been similar to the one I was trapped in. I thanked that man in the silence of the darkness that surrounded me, because, in my head I had the plans of the car like a picture laid out in front of me.
My eyes darted around. The instructor had said something about a light near the locking mechanism, but nothing here was lit up. Maybe the bulb was broken? My fingers felt all the bumps, but there was no button or toggle switch. Damn! It could have been so easy.
I forced myself to rest; a lack of oxygen was still the most pressing problem. I couldn’t be tempted into panicking. Keep calm, my dear.
What other option was there? There was another way to open that damned flap. My mind was working at full speed and my body now remained very calm, because I remembered and knew very well that there was a way out.
Then the idea came to me; I crawled to the side a little, and began to tear the carpet until I could lift it a bit. Carefully, I felt the floor of the trunk underneath, and after what felt like an eternity, my fingers finally detected a kind of cable protruding from under the cover on the driver's side. I pulled it hard, but nothing happened. “Don't give up,” I said to myself, and pulled again in the other direction. The next moment I heard a crack, which was the best sound I’d heard in years.
Olivia Morgan
Hesitant, I stood in the hallway, my back against the hard wall and my eyes turned to the door through which I had just stepped. What had happened there in the room was literally pulling the rug out from under my feet. It was so unbelievable and was causing me tremendous confusion. Meanwhile, I no longer believed this was a dream. No, all my feelings were too intense for that. Nevertheless, my mind refused to understand what had happened here. This couldn’t be real. But it couldn't be a dream, either. My heart was still beating violently, and the air was so tight I was almost hyperventilating. The world as I knew it was crumbling into pieces.
When Robert had started sucking on my wrist, I had plunged into ecstasy. I could feel exactly how my blood flowed out of me and seeped into his mouth. The feeling of power had taken possession of me and a wild throbbing between my thighs had made me groan without restraint.
Now, with a little distance from what was going on, I felt my face turning red with shame. That couldn’t have just happened! Neither my behaviour, nor that the fact Robert was a vampire and had drunk from me was comprehensible. Vampires had been extinct for decades – at least I thought so until ten minutes ago. Wait a minute, hadn't there been a report in the newspaper a few days ago? A vampire was supposed to have been caught in Seattle. I’d dismissed it as sensational journalism that hadn’t contained a single drop of truth. Articles like that consistently appeared in the press. So far, not one of them had been proven to be true. But what if it corresponded to reality? What if some of them had survived? Here in Seattle...
If what Spencer had said was true, then why hadn’t I been vaccinated with the serum? And why did Sally know who or what Robert was? My confusion was increasing by the second.
In order to avoid going back into the bedroom that was attracting me like magic, I went to my friend. I wanted to ask her some urgent questions, which I hoped she would answer willingly. Otherwise I was going to have to find another form of defence, but at this point I didn't know what that was supposed to be.
* * *
Sally was asleep. Sweat droplets had formed on her forehead and her head was swaying restlessly back and forth. To occupy myself, and to not have to think too much, I went to the bathroom and got a washcloth, which I soaked in lukewarm water before hurrying back to Sally. I carefully cleaned the face of the woman I’d thought I knew very well. What role did Sally play in this scenario? What was her connection to Dark? Was he her lover?
Someone touched me on the shoulder. Dark! It was always him. He was always sneaking up on me, and suddenly standing behind or beside me. His firm gaze was hypnotic when I turned to face him. A shiver ran down my spine, but I wouldn't give him the pleasure of playing the little mouse that was afraid of his species.
“Thank you.” His deep voice blew through the room and made my diaphragm vibrate with relief. His gaze wasn't exactly warm, but he was sincere and that was what mattered.
“You’re welcome.” What else was I supposed to say? I couldn't tell him that at the time he was biting my wrist I thought it was all just a dream.
“You must have many questions.”
What a statement; you didn't have to be a clairvoyant for that. Who wouldn't have a few questions? Still, I didn't answer, and turned back to Sally instead, who was murmuring a few words in her sleep. Her lips were a little chapped. I absolutely had to get some fluids into her as soon as she was conscious.
“If you like, I'll answer them all for you. I'll wait for you in the study if you need to speak.” The next moment he was gone. Silently, like before. Like a shadow that no one noticed.
Of course I had a thousand questions on my mind, but did I really want answers? Did I want to be involved? In this vampire thing?
I was covering Sally up with the blanket once again, when she suddenly opened her eyes. “Go and have him tell you everything. He won't hurt you. Dark is a sweet guy.” Um, yeah, I could have expected all kinds of names and attributes to describe Dark, but ‘sweet’ was a word that did not seem to fit.
“And I thought you were asleep,” I said seriously, but I couldn't help smiling. Relieved, I noticed that Sally was slowly getting better.
“Up to a certain point I did, too, but then my subconscious became too curious and I listened.” She giggled, but her voice was hoarse, making her sound scratchy.
That Sally was clearly on the road to recovery was a load off my mind, even though I couldn't really explain how this could happen so quickly. “Well, then I'll listen to what this sweet guy, Dark, has to tell me.” I couldn’t avoid the sarcasm resonating in my voice. “And drink a lot, you. Here,” I said, and handed her a large glass of water that was already on her bedside table. Presumably, Spencer or Dark had made themselves useful.
Sally smiled at me with relief and nodded in confirmation as I got up.
* * *
Dark wasn't sitting at the huge desk, which is what I had initially expected; instead he’d chosen a leather sofa. His gaze flitted to his side, invitingly – he obviously wanted me to sit next to him. He was clearly not a man of many words, I thought, as amused as I could be in the situation. I obliged him, but chose the outermost corner of the piece of furniture, so that I could then turn my upper body towards him. He looked at me with a grim expression on his face. He certainly didn’t look sympathetic – but why did he want to talk to me? Had Sally asked him to? He didn't give me the impression that he was willingly having this conversation, even though he had offered it to me himself.
“Go ahead.” The words came growling from his mouth. He was a strange guy. Sweet? No, that certainly wasn't it, even though Sally had used that word for him. Little children or cute pets were sweet.
“So, which of you is completely a vampire?” I watched him with my arms crossed. The cold shine in his eyes made me shiver. The guy was dangerous. And this danger radiated from every single pore.
“Tensington and myself.”
“What about Spencer?”
He hesitated briefly, but then he said: “He’s a lackey, which is not meant to be derogatory. That's what we call the inaugurated employees.” Lackeys – yes, that's what I’d read about in vampire novels. Involuntarily, I wondered how many books had originated from reality. How many of the stories I had devoured in the course of my life had really happened? And I’d read a lot of vampire novels.
A thought came to me. Admittedly, a very absurd one, but I had to have certainty. “Sally?”
“Is my sister.” Now he watched me closely. And most definitely, he recognised how much this news shocked me. “Strictly speaking, I’m the older one.”
My head turned around to him all by itself. “But...”
“I was chang
ed when I was in my mid-twenties; my parents and I had not yet been vaccinated. We had the appointment with the vaccination authority for a few days later. It was a time of upheaval.” Dark took a deep breath before continuing, as if he had to steel himself for what would leave his mouth next. Unintentionally, I held my breath instead. “One of the vampires had caught me. He was completely starved and when he realised that my blood hadn’t been contaminated, he almost completely sucked all the blood out of me. I was dying, lying on a wet asphalt road in the middle of Seattle. I thought my time had come, but suddenly the vampire came back.” Tensely, I listened to the words. My stomach contracted convulsively as I imagined the fears the young man must have experienced. “He apologised and explained to me that he’d been terribly hungry, and asked me if I wanted to live. I was only able to affirm with my eyelids by shutting them hard twice. For goodness’ sake, who would have said no?” Dark looked at me questioningly, but I wasn't able to say anything, so he continued almost soundlessly. “Meanwhile, my arms and legs were numb, I felt detached from my body. The vampire bit into his own wrist and then held it to my mouth. I felt something warm on my lips, then everything around me turned black.”
There was apparently also humanity in these bloodsuckers, I noted, astonished. Compassion and helpfulness were not foreign words to them. But my mind refused to see too much good in this story. All my life I’d been told that vampires were bloodthirsty creatures and that you had to be afraid of them. That was why they’d been exterminated. Or at least, people thought they’d been exterminated. Which the two men in this apartment clearly refuted. But even the hypothesis that they were brutal parasites was untenable in view of the friendship and kindness I’d experienced here. “What happened next?” I asked breathlessly, because I positively needed to know how the story continued.
