Showering seemed the next logical step after waking up, so I took a long and lazy shower. Letting the warm water work out the last of the knots in my shoulders. The perfume of the soap seemed a lot stronger than usual. So I lingered until the water grew cool, to enjoy it. I don't think I had enjoyed a shower so much for years; it was nice to be able to take the time to linger. To take pleasure in the little things again.
I was dried and dressed in a few minutes, hair brushed and pinned up softly so it hung down my face somewhat sexily. My tightest jeans had gone on, and a very figure hugging tee shirt, not normally my style at all. I had new found confidence I hadn't expected. More confidence then I had had at any point in my life before this. Being in love must suit me, I figured. Either that or the lack of drinking, or both. Or who knew. Perhaps the meds had finally kicked in after three years of taking anti-depressants? Whatever it was, I felt impossibly good right now.
Steve was nowhere to been seen, and no notes left behind. I checked the date and I had been asleep for about four days. My answer machine had a message from work, along the lines of they were sorry that I was having family issues and take as long as I wanted to get myself right. Steve must have pretended to be me and given them an excuse for why I wasn't coming in while I rested. That was well thought out of him, he normally didn’t think so deeply about a situation unless it included him getting wasted.
I felt trapped in the house, and it was far too still and quiet for my liking, so I headed out onto the street with a few dollars in my pocket in case I needed anything. After four days I wasn't hungry, but I figured sooner or later I would be. No one can go that long without food, not even hyped up on magic.
I walked for an hour or more around the streets and found myself in my old neck of the woods so to speak, back in shady bar land. Or at least a newer shady bar land in my new town. I absently wondered how I had got from the house in the middle of nowhere the few hundred miles back to where I was now? The sun was still warm and still had a while before it set, so I got myself a beer and took up a spot in the beer garden to relax and enjoy the late sun. I drank a couple of beers and dozed in the warm fresh air. It went to my head quickly, as I hadn't drunk for a while and not having eaten for a while either. Not in a bad way though, it just heightened my calm mood. I listened half heartily to the others talking around me and carried on dozing.
An hour or more must have passed this way as when I opened my eyes again, the garden was almost empty and the sun had nearly set. An old friend from my college days came over and we talked a little and drank a few more beers. But the time the sun had set and I stumbled out of the bar, I could hardly walk. Not a bad thing either really, I hadn't felt the need to drink in months, but now I had it felt right and proper that I should do so. Although my legs walking in the same direction would be a plus! It must have been about six months or more since I had been this drunk.
I was hungry as well now, only having snacked on a few bar nuts and chips all day. My friend had taken her turning home and I carried on walking down the street, not knowing where I was or caring. I walked passed a guy hurrying home and my stomach growled, I could hear his blood pumping through his veins. The sound was hypnotic and oh so tempting.
I turned and started to follow him, in my much longer way of walking or rather staggering. My mind too muddled to realize what I was doing was wrong and not normal at all. He turned into the graveyard and I followed.
When I walked in the gate and saw how dark it was I stopped and allowed my eyes to adjust so I could look for the man. He loomed out from behind a grave stone and made a grab for me, without thinking I stepped aside easily and grabbed him by the throat. I growled at him angrily, how dare he make me follow him just so he could attack me! I had been raped and attacked more than my share in my life time and now this asshole was going to pay for what he had tried to do.
"Play nicely little boy!" I snapped with another growl. I tightened my grip on his neck feeling him struggle for air. The smell of his fear filled the air, it made me feel drunker than the beer had. An intoxicating mix of fear, blood and sweat. I was so hungry now, I wanted him. I bent my mouth close to his neck and smelt him. My body knew what to do even if my mind didn't. Fangs that I didn't know I had grew from my mouth and prepared to sink in, I laughed knowing at last what I had needed my whole life. It was blood, and as they say blood is the life and oh such life it was.
I had never known what I was or why I was different and now I understood. I pierced the skin and started to drink, it was the most wonderful thing I had ever tasted. Hot and rich and creamy, the blood filled my mouth with so little effort. My head was filled with images of pleasure and pain. I could feel his pulse weaken and stumble before I could bring myself to stop.
As I drew away, the body fell to the ground and I knew the heart had stopped. I had killed a man; the thought drilled itself through the haze in my mind from the drink and the blood.
I was a vampire and I had killed a man.
I was a vampire……..
And I had killed a man……..
How was this even possible?
The Vampire Legacies
The Scarlet Drop
Chapter Twenty
I couldn't believe the words as they entered my mind, I was a vampire and I had killed a man. How could it be true? How could I be a vampire and never know? The man's body lay at my feet, I nudged it with my foot and he rolled over showing the bite marks on his neck, the blood still oozing down his neck. I was in shock and shaking, and I did the only thing I could think of…..
I ran!
As fast as I could, and suddenly that had a whole new meaning. My feet flew across the ground and I covered miles in minutes. My lungs didn't burn and neither did my legs feel tired, the tears were crashing down my face and obscuring my view of the road. I crashed into the woods, not daring to trust myself around humans anymore. I went to the glade where I felt safe, the only place I had ever felt truly safe in my life. I sat under the tree like I had a hundred times before and wept.
I cried for myself, for the poor man I had killed, for the pain of never knowing what or who I truly was, and now for the pain of actually knowing. After some time I realized someone else was there with me. Standing near the edge of the cliff.
"Why didn't you tell me?" I demanded.
"You weren't ready!" Steve answered softly, "I hoped you would realize yourself, but after the battle you had lost so much blood I had to give you some of mine. That must have been what triggered your other self to come through. I hoped that I would have more time to show you, to teach you what you were."
I looked up at him, "I killed a man tonight" I confessed.
"I was there with you, I saw" he answered.
"Why didn't you stop me?" I demanded.
"Because you needed the blood to live, next time I can teach you to stop before you kill anyone, but it is a difficult affair, as your every instinct will be too kill."
"Have I always been this way?" I asked, "I never drank blood before."
Steve came and sat next to me and took my hand to try and stop my trembling. "You are a damphir, a half human and half vampire. Your magic comes from your vampire half; your sire was an old one, far older than me. The oldest ones have the power to control the elements, which you have gained as well as other powers. You didn't need blood as you had your human side dominant, but whenever you would come into danger your vampire self would come forward. Sooner or later you would have to face your personal demons; personally I hoped it would be later for your own sake!"
I laid my head on his chest and felt old and tired. This was too much, knowing I was a witch was bad enough, but some crazy vampire half breed was too much. "I hope this is all a dream!" I murmured.
Steve kissed my hair, "I wish it was too for you. Didn't you feel different today?" he asked, "Stronger and faster? I know you have had a hunger all your life you couldn't stop. A yearning you couldn't explain."
I stood, "You know nothing about m
e!" I snapped. Turned on one heel and walked away from him, I couldn't take this right now. I kept to the tree line and away from people most of the way home, and scuttled quickly through the last couple of streets to my parents’ home.
Once inside I locked all the doors and sat in silence on my old bed. It felt too crazy to be real, but was it any more crazy then being the soul mate of a vampire, or a real living witch? Could I have always been more and not known?
What Steven had said about the hunger was true, I had always felt I needed something I couldn't find and I had always been weak. Sickened easily, and took longer to heal than others. My hunger had never abated even when I had eaten as much as I could without being ill. The alcohol had helped when I started to drown out my powers when I had gotten to college. Still I could feel the ache deep inside, just like I could right now. I needed more blood already. What I had drunk hadn't been enough to finish my healing, and I was so hungry again.
I tried to sleep for a few hours to drown out the voices in my head from the street of people I lived in, and their heart beats. By midnight I was up and pacing the room, the hunger all consuming. I saw a neighbour taking out the trash and the sight was enough to drive me from the house after them.
By the time I had reached the street they had returned to the house, and I was left alone again. The blood beating through their veins filled my head and thoughts with food. I returned to the house and cooked a few burgers and tried to eat them, but I threw it back up almost straight away. That wasn't the kind of food I needed. I tried again, with raw burgers hoping to be able to extract the blood from the meat, but that didn't settle on my stomach any better. Within half an hour I was throwing up again, and the hunger was getting worse with every passing second.
The streets were my only place to go, I was hunting and I knew it, but I couldn't stop myself. Some teenagers were in the park I walked passed. They had been drinking and two were already passed out. The remaining two people were in the bushes busy with their own idea of drunken fun. I crept up to the first one who was asleep and dug my fangs into his arm; he stirred slightly and didn't wake. The blood again took control of me and I struggled with my cravings.
How could something that felt so right be so wrong? I needed this so badly, he wouldn't miss it surely. This time I was able to control myself a little better and stop well before his heart stopped, but it didn't stop me from reaching for the second body and starting to drink from her as well.
I looked over at the bushes as I drank; they were too busy to notice me. So I continued with my feast, the blood gushing into my mouth with ease. The heart beat fluttered slightly and I tore myself away as quickly as I could. The hunger still wasn't sated. I screamed in pain and confusion not knowing what to do. The two rushed from the bushes, but by then I was gone and they saw nothing but their drunken friends.
I left the park hurriedly, my hunger still burning strong in my body. My mind clouding for anything but the hunt, I needed help and fast otherwise I didn't know what my new vampire body would do. I wished heartily that Steve was here to guide me.
My world had been blown apart, I didn't know what or who I was anymore. I didn't know where to go or what to do. The idea started to sink into my mind, I was a vampire. I had always known that I as different, but not this different…..
The hunger and longing Steve had spoken of was true. I had always been searching for a something I couldn't find. A piece of me that was missing, I felt the loss, but never knew what I could do. And the hunger, oh my god the hunger! Something I could never quite satisfy, a longing, a need for other than normal food.
My dreams I had had over the years? I must have tapped into my true self, the part of me who had always known who I really was, my true self and it tried to show me. Still how I had known how he and I would look like at such a young age was still a complete mystery to me.
The hunger bit into me again, deeper this time, bending me over in agony. I let out a muffled moan, and begged mentally for someone to come and find me, and save me from myself, and this desire for blood. How he controlled himself and this agony, I wondered wildly. Why wasn't he here!
Help me! I screamed mentally, with all my remaining strength. I cried in the middle of the street, in pain and despair all alone. The blood inside me boiled, and I felt like I was burning up from the inside. I couldn't hold on to my sanity much longer, I needed to feed and I needed to feed well. Well enough I would drown in the taste of the coppery drug as it entered my veins.
A hooker walked the streets not far away; I could hear her footsteps, smell the sex on her skin and the drugs in her blood. I was lost completely, I knew I would follow her and drain her dry, but I couldn't have stopped myself even if I had wanted to. The hunger was so strong now; I had lost the sense of myself. I had no thoughts or feelings anymore, no senses but of the hunt. They were the prey and I the hunter, that's all I needed to know.
I snuck across the road and through back alleyways until she was in view. My fangs so sharp they cut my lips, my desire pounding in my head. I fought it as best I could with the tiny part of my mind free from the hunger. The hooker looked at me and opened up her coat to show very little but black lace and a prayer under it "Like what you see darling?" she asked.
I snarled at the girl, and got ready to pounce; suddenly Tony appeared at my side and pulled me away from this place. The whore shouting after us. He was talking to me, but I didn't hear the words. My only thought was to quench this burning thirst. I struggled in his arms, but he wouldn't let me go. The steel hand on my wrist wasn't going anywhere. "Stay still!" he hissed, it had to be a command, not just words as it got through the haze my mind was in.
I soon realized by the change in the light level that we were moving inside now. Tony and I stood outside a large shuttered doorway. The door made of hard old oak and studded, like you would see in a castle. The door opened a crack and the mage showed his ring to the person behind the door, the ring had a silver and black rose on the front. I had seen it a thousand times without really looking at it.
The door opened and I panicked. I didn't know what was behind there or what was going to happen to us. Using the new vampire strength I had I finally pulled free of his grip and I ran. I hadn't gone more than a few steps before I saw a woman appear in front of me from the darkness. "Stop my child, don't be scared!" she insisted.
I backed away, but knew Tony was at my back, they were fencing me in. I growled and snarled at both of them, my eyes wandering around looking for a way out. I dodged right, but they stayed with me. A third vampire wasn't far away either, I had to get away, my blood sang with the want to fight, to hurt these creatures trying to trap me. I wouldn't be caught, not to be locked up for my crimes. I was a murderer now, and I would always have to live with that, but not here. Not now. I would fight and I would live, and later I would grieve for what I had done.
The pain struck again, I fell to my knees not sure if I was going to be sick or pass out. Both seemed a very good idea at the time. Someone held my head back as I crumpled, and opened my mouth... They held a bottle to my lips and poured the contents down my throat so fast it was dribbling all down my chin. I took a lick and then a second before I realized what it was, then I grabbed the bottle draining it. Blood rich and creamy, sweet as honey, but warm as a summers day.
Dizziness hit me, and I couldn't keep myself upright. I dropped the bottle and felt my head hit the concrete of the street. I saw stars and tried to hold on to consciousness. The woman looked at Steve with hate in her eyes as he came closer, "How did you let her get this weak!" she demanded.
Steve shook his head, "She didn't know. She wasn't ready to know!" he replied.
“When would she have been ready? When she was dead?” Tony snapped, “Be grateful I could find her when you couldn’t or we would be covering up a mass murderer right now.”
The woman glared at him and slit her own wrist with one of her elongated fingernails. As my head swam, I saw her kneel next to me, "Drink little on
e, please." she said, holding her arm over my mouth and allowing the blood to drip in. "This is not acceptable Steven Nicholson!" she complained, "To allow this child on the streets with the lust upon her, to not prepare her for the fate of her destiny. She could die because YOU wouldn't swallow your pride and tell her the truth. Playing your silly games with the mortal, letting her live a mortal life. You should know better! And you Antonio, I am grateful you found her before we had an embarrassment to the coven."
Steve looked embarrassed and looked away from us, "I'm sorry my lady!" he muttered softly.
I locked my mouth around it and drank deeply, a vampire’s blood was far more heady than a humans. It was like a shot of whisky to my body. I drank and drank, nothing seemed to sate me, but still she didn't move and allowed me to carry on. Time meant nothing, only the hunger. I leaned forward to get a better grip and she pulled away. "You can have more later, rest first." she promised.
The woman helped me to stand, but my legs wouldn't hold me. The potency of the blooded mixed with the liquor and with how weak I felt as well did little to help me control myself. I laughed at myself bitterly, what I had come to: a drunk again, despite myself and all my clean living.
Tony took my other side and between them, they carried me inside. I was in no fit state to argue anymore. I passed out before we reached the other side of the door, my head lolling against the older mage’s chest. He looked at the woman, "Will she live?" he asked.
She looked at him gravely, "She should, I gave her enough blood to finish her conversion. Let her sleep and recover and we will see."
The Scarlet Drop: The Vampire Legacies Book One Page 10
