by M. D. Bowden
***
It didn’t take long for Sebastian to find Daniel. He’d taken the form of a cat, slinking around corners unnoticed. He’d sensed Daniel feeding. Indulging in his own blood bath. Preparing for a fight, no doubt to win back his woman.
He watched as a drunken couple emerged from behind the building, then came Daniel, looking all dark and intimidating. He radiated power, probably not thinking to hide it. Sebastian wondered how many victims he’d taken. Daniel went back inside the bar.
Sebastian sat there waiting, deciding that this was it, next time Daniel emerged he would confront him. End it.
Daniel was out in minutes, far quicker than Sebastian had imagined. He had a pretty blond in toe, she looked giddy and happy to be with him. He followed them around the corner and watched as Daniel bit into her, no prelude at all. No fun - boring Daniel.
He considered just staking him in the back while he was feeding, like Daniel had done to Jo. But that wasn’t really his style. Plus, he hadn’t actually brought any stakes with him, killing vampires wasn’t exactly his style either. It would be decapitation for Daniel. Or ripping out his heart; that would work too.
He resumed his form and approached from behind - Daniel didn’t even notice, so consumed was he in his feed. ‘Daniel,’ he taunted.
Daniel quickly pulled back, influencing the girl to forget and run, both in one simple breath. She lurched away, but she could never be faster than Sebastian. Sebastian moved at high speed, blocking her way.
She was a pretty one, all those blond waves and rounded features. He smiled at her seductively. As she started to return his smile, blood flowing to her face in a blush, he snapped her neck. She fell to the ground in a useless heap. Daniel scowled. Moving almost as fast, Daniel was before Sebastian, and rammed him hard in the chest.
‘What have you done with Sarah?’ Daniel asked.
‘She’s safe, but you are not having her back.’ Sebastian went for him, he pushed Daniel hard. He fell back, hitting his head on the stone. Sebastian contracted his leg muscles, and in one smooth motion, he sprang, landing on top of Daniel, pinning him down.
Daniel wasn’t putting up much of a fight. How dull. He lay there, still scowling. I might as well end this now, and he reached for Daniel’s cool neck. But as he touched his skin he felt an odd sensation, first a light tingling, then his power started flowing down his arms, out of his fingers. Into Daniel. He tried to pull away, but his fingers wouldn’t move, they were stuck. He looked into Daniel’s face, he was concentrating hard, focused within.
Rising panic filled him, his power was now rushing out of him, he could sense Daniel growing stronger. This was not going as he had planned. What was happening? How had Daniel learnt this?
He felt himself weaken, it spread from his fingers, and ran through his veins to his heart, he felt it still, and opened his eyes wide. This was not how he had expected his life to end.
As the weakness rose, his last power left his body. At that moment his fingers were released from Daniel, and everything went black.
***
Daniel gasped as the last vestiges of Sebastian’s power entered him. Sebastian fell back and Daniel rose, pushing Sebastian’s weight from his body with ease.
He couldn’t believe it, he had held A LOT of power. He felt strength coursing through him, everything was heightened.
And Sebastian . . . he lay before him, mummified. His skin had gone all wrinkly and dry, his hair had lost its shine and had faded in color. His body was slumped, his eyes were dim. Daniel reached over and closed them, so he didn’t feel them watching what he had to do next.
He pulled out a wooden stake, previously hidden in his jacket, and braced himself. This would end it for good, all he’d have to do was find Sarah and they could be together. He wouldn’t be bothered by Sebastian any more, wouldn’t have to fight. He could be at peace.
He rammed the stake into Sebastian’s chest.
Daniel moved back, watching from a distance as flames sprang from within Sebastian, feeling the heat as they consumed him.
He waited, wanting to be sure that he was really gone. He wasn’t going to take any risks. The flames lit up the alley one final time, then dispersed. In their place were fine ashes, all that remained of Sebastian.
Daniel was prepared for this too, he pulled a plastic bag from his pocket and scooped up the ashes until he had as much as he could get. He wanted to disperse the ashes in far-away places, to make sure beyond all doubt - that Sebastian could never be resurrected.
Chapter 9
Sarah watched as the sky lightened. It had been a long night and she felt awful. Her fingers were in agony from the cold and restriction by the ropes.
She could see puffs of steam with every exhaled breath. She felt delirious, like she had been strapped high in the tree for days - her sense of time had completely abandoned her. Weakness pervaded her limbs. She was beyond shivering, beyond hoping. She fell in and out of sleep, seeing images of her children, playing happily at their grandparents’ house. She saw Megan teaching Bea to sing. Bea pushing her little doll around in a toy pushchair.
Tears descended her cheeks. She wanted so much to be with them, tucked up in the warm and surrounded by love.
Daniel hadn’t come to rescue her.
Sebastian had abandoned her.
She was dying.
Sarah closed her eyes and let in the fitful dreams.
***
Daniel tucked the bag inside his jacket, where it made an unsightly bulge.
He couldn’t believe it, he had done it. Sebastian was dead.
He let himself enjoy the moment, just for a second, before concentrating on his next problem: How was he going to find Sarah?
Unfortunately killing Sebastian hadn’t shed any light on Sarah’s location. He had known this was a danger, but didn’t see how he could have done things differently. Had he kept Sebastian alive, he never would have told him anyway, and he would probably have lost his chance to kill him at all. In fact, he himself would probably be dead instead. He’d seen it in Sebastian’s eyes, he had definitely meant business when confronting him this evening.
There was only one thing for it, he smoothly and effortlessly transformed back into his buzzard form. It enabled him fast access to the woods, and didn’t diminish his senses. If Sarah was there, as seemed likely, he would find her. He would sense her heart beating, smell blood from her earlier injuries.
He just hoped, against hope, that she would be OK.
As he reached the forest, soaring through the air - past early morning mists, he saw the sun crest over the tree lined horizon. He ignored it and focused his efforts on life on the ground and in the trees. The forest was thrumming with life. His new power enabled him to sense everything, the trees, water trickling, animals breathing. He soared broadly, covering as much ground as he could, not stopping to rest. He didn’t need to rest, he felt vibrant with fresh energy, the energy of Sebastian’s victims.
The sun had fully risen and the sky was blue by the time he smelt the first trace of human blood. He flew forwards, fear rising at what he would find. He was picking up a weak heartbeat, high in a tree. He soared down and spotted her, unconscious and bloody, tied there alone.
He transformed back into himself and ripped off the ropes, freeing her arms, and did the only thing he could think to do. He bit into the veins in his wrist, and pushed his wrist into her mouth.
Her mouth was already coated in dried blood, he suspected he wasn’t the first to try this technique on her since she’d been taken from him.
As his blood dripped into her mouth she didn’t awaken, and Daniel felt panic, he pulled his wrist away and slit at his neck with a spare stake. Blood flowed fast and he pushed her head against it, desperate for her to start drinking. He felt a little movement and pulled her to him as she started to drink, then gulp the energy filled elixir his blood had become.
Relief swelled inside him, she was going to be OK.
She pulled back,
gasping for air, then lay back her head and fell into slumber.
Daniel picked her up and held her tightly in his arms, watching her wounds heal. His heart ached as he thought of what she must have been through.
Holding her secure, he climbed down the tree and sat at its base, tears rolling down his cheeks as he held her sleeping form.
THE TWO VAMPIRES
Dark Blood
Chapter 1
Sarah woke up. She felt odd sensations rippling through her body - not exactly painful, although not pleasurable either. It felt like little waves of energy were traveling down her arms and into her fingers, rejuvenating her cells and tissues. Tentatively she moved her thumb, just to see how it would feel. Immediately she felt arms tighten around her.
‘Sarah?’
She felt cool fingers trace her jaw, touch her lips.
‘Sarah - can you hear me?’
The voice sounded familiar - an attractive southern drawl. She wanted to open her eyes and see the face that accompanied the sound, but they felt so heavy.
The waves of energy continued around her body. She felt them moving down her torso, into her organs and all over her skin. They moved down her legs, making her muscles feel strong again, stronger than they had ever been.
‘Sarah?’
That voice. Lips kissing her eyelids.
The waves of energy started to move upwards, from her heart, up her neck - soothing, enlivening. She felt them in her throat, healing all her tissues, calming her aches and nerves. They traveled over her lips and up over her nose and eyes. Sarah concentrated on the sensations, wondering what was going on. She breathed in deeply and smelt a delicious masculine scent and a fresh forest smell. She scrunched up her face, stretching it in preparation for opening her eyes, as she felt tingles enter her mind, clearing the fog from her thoughts.
Kisses swept over her cheeks, gentle fingers stroked her hair, her neck, her heart.
‘Sarah, open your eyes. Everything is OK.’
Sarah concentrated on her eyes. They felt different, but she couldn’t quite work out why. She could see light filtering through her eyelids, focusing on them she slowly let them open. Green light streamed in. She blinked and focused on the face in front of hers.
‘Daniel,’ she whispered.
He smiled. It was the most beautiful smile she had ever seen. He leant over and kissed her on the lips, sending warm tingles over her skin. They replaced the waves of energy as they finally stopped their pursuit of every cell in her body. As he straightened up and looked into her eyes she smiled back, and basked in his beauty. She appreciated anew his silky dark hair, his rugged jaw and red appealing lips. She relaxed back against his supporting arm, and let herself gaze into his eyes. Those warm dark eyes, looking at her in wonder - stretching into her soul.
‘I didn’t know if you’d be OK,’ Daniel said.
Sarah could hear the angst in his voice. She could see tears in his eyes, and wondered how many he had shed.
‘I feel good. I feel different.’ Sarah whispered again. She didn’t want to disturb her connection with Daniel, the peace she felt in his arms.
‘How do you mean? What’s different?’
Sarah looked at his face, the little crease between his eyebrows.
‘You don’t need to worry, I will be OK.’
Relaxing more deeply she let her eyelids close again. They didn’t feel as heavy any more, but it felt natural that she should rest, let the changes happening inside her complete, take effect and rejuvenate her. She felt soft lips against her forehead as she drifted back to sleep.
***
She dreamt she was in a meadow with her children - Megan and Bea. They were playing together with a tea set, on a tartan rug. A breeze blew against her cheeks, cooling her from the hot sun. The grass was dotted with buttercups and daisies, all gently moving in the breeze. Bea let out a loud laugh that echoed through the valley, and Sarah lay back on her elbows, feeling the soft grass cushioning her body. She felt content, happy.
A wind started to pick up, blowing the blanket away, scattering the tea set. Megan ran after the blanket - giggling. Dark clouds appeared on the horizon, moving in at an unnaturally fast pace, towards their meadow. Megan caught the rug and ran back to Sarah as Bea pushed in closer looking anxious. Sarah wrapped her children in the rug, protecting them from the intensity of the wind. Her light shirt provided no warmth and she held Megan and Bea tight. As the clouds moved overhead the meadow became dark and rain hammered down. Sarah pulled the rug over their heads, trying to keep them dry. Fear and foreboding engulfed her. Her heart pounded and she saw dark shapes on the horizon, shadows moving, coming together in a patch of penetrating darkness. Sarah watched with wide eyes as leaves started to rise, sucked towards the darkness. She felt the pull begin, and hugged her children tight - she wasn’t going to let them be taken away.
She wasn’t going to lose them.
She felt herself moving, something shaking her, and the dream faded away.
More images formed in her mind. Jo, her husband, who had only days before been turned into a vampire. Horror and pain flooded over her as she relived how he had tried to attack her in the alley, to bite her, to drain her blood. She watched as his life was ripped from him by a stake penetrating his heart, rammed into him from behind. She saw him lying dead in the dark - his face bloody, his clothes torn. He had been taken from her, from their children. He was moving in and out of her grasp, of her consciousness. She saw her previous life fade away, moving further and further from her reach.
More shakes rattled her body and she drifted into dreamless sleep.
***
Daniel held on tightly to Sarah. He sat at the bottom of the same tree he had rescued her from two days earlier. He thought back to the state he had found her in. She was weak - bloody, at the edge of death.
He had thought he had lost her.
He winced as he remembered slicing open his neck, his blood flowing into Sarah’s mouth.
His blood had saved her.
She was alive.
He hadn’t stopped holding her since. He hadn’t moved from his position. Night and day had come and gone, and he had held her. Watching, waiting for her to awaken.
He hadn’t expected her to sleep for so long, but he had never experienced this kind of situation before. She had been through too much, lost so much blood. She’d been cold, very cold. He leant down again and kissed her lips. She twitched slightly in his arms, and he thought he saw the trace of a smile.
He hugged her tighter.
Color had returned to her cheeks and she was looking healthy again. She was still dirty, covered in dried blood. He had thought about taking her back to The Woodman, the hotel he’d been staying in, and giving her a bath. But in the end he had decided not to disturb her, to let her rest - let her heal.
It was strange though; while he’d been watching, holding her, he’d felt vague ripples of energy moving over her body. When he looked really closely, focusing his power on her skin, it looked like it was shining lightly.
He didn’t know if this was normal or not, under the circumstances. He hadn’t actually healed anyone with his blood before. He had watched as Sebastian had - although this was not done altruistically. Sebastian had used his blood for his own gain - to create more vampires. If someone died with vampire blood running through their veins, they would reawaken as a vampire, forever craving blood. Sebastian was the vampire who had turned Daniel, he had tormented him and killed hundreds, possibly thousands, of people. When Sebastian had used his blood to heal, Daniel hadn’t paid very close attention to the victims; instead he had removed himself from the situation, preferring to be as uninvolved as he could.
Sebastian’s victims hadn’t been through as much as Sarah had though, they had been healthy, apart from the sudden loss of blood from the feed, and they hadn’t slept after they were healed.
Daniel reached out and stroked Sarah’s face. She wriggled a little, snuggling into him, getting comfy.
Her eyelids fluttered in a dream. He wanted to kiss her again, for them to melt into one another, to make love.
She looked beautiful as she slept, and he held her as if she were his own. He hoped that she would be his - but how would she feel after everything that had occurred? She may want to be as far away from him as she could be, as far removed from anything supernatural as possible. Her husband was recently dead and she had two young children to look after.
Daniel thought of his life up until this point. He had been a vampire for as long as he remembered. His human life paled into insignificance after so long, snatched away by Sebastian when he had turned him. For as long as he’d been a vampire, he had wanted to destroy Sebastian. Now he had done it. He was free to do something else - what would he do now? Could he stay with Sarah? He would need to live in this small town, to watch her grow old. Could he be a father to her children? How would that work - a vampire as a father - what would it mean for their future?
Could he live in this world? Or should he drift off into the shadows, find other evil to fight - destroy more vampires?
It would all depend on Sarah, of course. He had known her for such a short time, yet he was unfathomably drawn to her. He couldn’t explain it. Yes, she was beautiful, but that wasn’t it. There was a connection he’d never experienced with anyone else. He loved her. If she wanted him to stay, he would - he would not be able to help himself.
But what would happen as she aged - would their connection remain? Would she ever want to become like him, a vampire? She had said that she didn’t, that she wanted to be there for her children. But if she turned into a vampire they could be together forever. He wanted this so badly, what if he lost control of himself someday and turned her against her will, or hurt her?
He could still feel the power coursing through him from all the people he had taken blood from to save Sarah, to gain enough power to kill Sebastian. But this power paled in significance to the centuries of power Sebastian had accumulated, which had all flowed into Daniel before Sebastian’s death. Daniel had not killed anyone himself, yet he felt the burden of responsibility for its origin. He had taken blood from people without their permission. He had weakened them. Yes, they would heal by themselves - but he still felt the guilt. Sebastian had killed numerous people - so many he felt sickened to think of them. Each life he had taken had increased his power. Now that power flowed in Daniel’s veins, in his cells - in his very being.
