In Blood

by C M Thorne

  Rainer flashed forward, but Livia easily defended herself against him, hardly using her own speed to send him skittering across the dance floor. Rainer stopped himself, flipping back onto his feet and quickly glancing at Caleb before rushing forward. Livia flashed forward, grabbing both of Rainer’s arms and forcing them down. His arms crashed into his body and Livia backhanded him with her left hand in a blur. The strength of the ancient vampire was clearly great, because Rainer flew up into the railing of the VIP area and fell back onto the floor.

  Before he could move, Livia flashed next to him, bending down, grabbing his thick hair, and tossing him back into a lounge area. Rainer crashed through the chairs and tables, cracking but not breaking the glass of one of the large panels of windowed wall. He flashed up to his feet, tossing a heavy black modern chair in the process.

  Livia swatted the chair out of the chair, sending it flying to a set of doors, which shattered easily. The night air rushed into the club through the broken doors. Rainer had flashed forward a half second after Livia had swatted the chair. The pair flipped backwards and rolled towards the broken doors. Livia kicked Rainer with one golden heel, sending him flying onto the patio. She flashed on top of him, heel digging into his shoulder blade as she kneeled over him, fangs bared and almost hissing.

  Rainer flipped over, scrapping Livia’s heel through his dark shirt, tearing it open. He spun on his knees, scooping up a large shard of glass and stabbing it into Livia’s left upper arm as he stood up.

  Livia gritted her teeth as her right arm shot forward and broke Rainer’s arm that was still clutching at the shard. She let go, turning on her heel before using the momentum to kick out with her right foot. She connected with Rainer’s chest, sending him soaring back into the club. She blurred forward, removing the glass from her arm and lifting Rainer off the ground with the other hand before stabbing him in the chest with the shard.

  Rainer let out a pained scream as she dug the glass in and twisted it. Blood poured out of the wound, soaking his shirt, and pooling on the ground. Caleb staggered to his feet to try to do something, anything. He wobbled, not actually feeling his own feet beneath him. Two sets of hands clamped down on either arm before he could focus enough to move further, forcing Caleb back down to his knees. He glanced up at the dark skinned and golden skinned vampire men holding him down. Besides being super powerful vampires just by nature, Caleb blearily noticed that they both looked like they were going to compete in some kind of a bodybuilding contest. The dark skinned male’s chest and arms strained against the tight red shirt he wore and the golden skinned vampire wore no shirt, displaying his rippling, pale gold muscles. Caleb looked back to Livia and Rainer as his vision swam.

  “Did you really think you could avoid me, darling Philippe,” Livia dug her fingers into Rainer’s shoulder, breaking his flesh. “I created you.” Livia bared her fangs.

  “You belong to me, whether you fight it or not, precious Philippe,” Livia’s voice sibilated, face screwed up into an angry looking scowl. She leaned over and sank her teeth into his neck slowly, making eye contact with Caleb as she did. Her burning eyes seemed to fill with red, like the crimson blood she gorged herself on was rising up into her eyes.

  Rainer groaned and Caleb could see his whole body tense, before going slack. Caleb tried to move, but he could only move his lower half, fighting to even strain against the vampire’s grip on his shoulders and arms. Livia finally pulled off, raising her head while still looking at Caleb and pushing Rainer over. He slumped to the ground and his warm eyes looked over to Caleb slowly, desperately. His face looked broken and anguished, a look Caleb was not accustomed to seeing on the usually refined, practically emotionless vampire.

  “This will be fun.” Livia walked around, running her hand along some of the people being held by her coven. “I have been sleeping for far too long.”

  “Not long enough,” Rainer grumbled.

  “Long enough that vampires went and enslaved themselves to human laws and fears,” Livia spat, lifting her chin slightly as her nostrils flared.

  “What would you rather have us do?” Rainer glowered at her as she walked around, the back of her deep purple dress floating out and skimming the dance floor. He tried to push himself off the ground, managing to pull himself into a weakened looking sitting position with his hands planted on the ground in front of him for support.

  “We can be so much more,” Livia stopped next to Caleb, turning to him and running a delicate, long pale hand through his hair. “We used to be so much more.” She grabbed his ear harshly and looked into his eyes, “We will be once more. And you, darling Caleb, are going to help me.”

  “No, he will not,” Rainer spat. He tried to shift his weight to his hands so he could lift himself up, but his arms gave out on him. Livia had sapped too much of his strength. He looked at Caleb defeated, eyes faded and sad. He had been reduced so quickly to such a weak being by the ancient vampire. It was such a difference to how he had always appeared, especially to Caleb and especially in the club. Caleb had exerted his strength, his age and power, over Henri weeks before as if he was unstoppable. Livia had swatted him around like a cat does to a fly. He was toy to her.

  Livia cackled, “It’s much too late for whatever you think you can do to stop me.” She turned towards Rainer with a wide grin, “Your precious human is already in transition.”

  Rainer’s eyes widened and Caleb felt his insides hollow out in fear. “What?” Caleb breathed out long and slow in disbelief.

  Livia turned back to him, “Oh, yes.” Her fangs lengthened as she grinned. “You are one of us now, my lovely.” She flashed over to the hostages and grabbed a middle aged looking woman. She pulled the woman forward out of the group as her and several others screamed. Livia bit her neck, clamping a hand over the woman’s mouth to silence her. She pulled back and dragged the now silent woman over to Caleb. “Time to drink.” Her hazel eyes gleamed victoriously.

  Caleb scrunched up his nose and turned his head away. The woman’s bleeding neck looked good to him and strangely, he could not handle it. It both turned his stomach and made it grumble emptily, calling out for blood.

  “Ha!” Livia forced the bleeding woman at Caleb’s face. “Drink!” Her voice echoed out throughout the club with a surprisingly loud and forceful tone. The sounds of the other peoples’ whimpers faded as Caleb turned towards the woman and her frantic, low breathing which filled his ears, overwhelming his hearing completely.

  The woman’s bleeding neck hovered inches in front of his face and he couldn’t resist looking at it. His throat did not necessarily just burn now as it had, with blood so close to him. It was worse. It felt like it had completely dried out and collapsed on itself. Every breath and movement caused his throat to rub against itself painfully. He went to lick his lips but there was no moisture left in his mouth, causing his dry tongue to pull at his lips painfully. Caleb felt like his lips were going to crack, only no blood would well up. He doubted he had enough left in his transitioning body and collapsed veins to bleed.

  He felt his teeth throb with a deep pain as his new fangs lengthened, growing out as if to undeniably prove to him that he was no longer a human. They moved slowly, pulling at the muscles in his face, making his head pound with pain and hunger. If his mouth was possible of watering in that moment, Caleb would be drooling uncontrollably at the sweetly intoxicating smell of the woman’s blood, which was running down her neck and soaking her top. He could smell nothing else. See nothing else. Think of nothing else. It called to him and made him ache in ways he had never thought possible.

  His eyes flicked over to Rainer, who looked pained. Caleb wanted to keep looking at him, to use him as a thread to his humanity. Desperately, he tried to resist, but he snapped his head downward, burying his face in the woman’s neck. His fangs slid into her neck easier than he would’ve thought physically possible, her skin moving out of the way of his razor-sharp fangs. Caleb had always thought skin would tear or break when bitten, but
vampire fangs cut through flesh the way a knife would pass through the minimal tension of the surface of water. So smooth. So easy and seductive.

  The hot liquid filled his mouth and his instinctually gulped against his will. It was hotter than he imagined and sweeter than anything he had tasted before. Better than any steak and more complex than any wine. He sucked deeply as he let the blood wash throughout his body, erasing all the aching of his injuries. The burning pain of vampiric hunger slowly ebbed away, but did not quite disappear. Caleb felt the woman’s pulse slow down steadily as he gulped and he finally released her, letting her crumple to the ground. She seemed to still be alive however, sucking in swallow, ragged breaths of fear and pain.

  Caleb took a deep breath, tilting his head back and resting his hands on his knees. He realized he was no longer being held by Livia’s minions. He felt his muscles flex with a newfound strength as he rose to his feet in a slight blur.

  Caleb still felt hungry, though it only made his throat ache now, not burn. He turned slowly towards the other humans being held by the coven, slightly behind and to the right of Rainer.

  Rainer staggered up to his feet finally, looking like he could fall apart at any minute. His amber eyes reached out and made eye contact with Caleb. His voice was weak and soft as he spoke, “Caleb, you need to control yourself. You do not want to hurt anyone.”

  Caleb bared his fangs as he shook his head, trying to look up and away from the humans. “I don’t think I can,” he groaned painfully.

  Livia laughed, “Give in!” She grabbed the person closest to her by the arm, but Rainer flashed forward and ripped the person from her hands. Even weakened as he was, Rainer was still strong enough to lift a full-grown man apparently.

  Rainer turned his attention to Caleb, face grey it was so pale and drained of blood. He staggered towards Caleb, but Livia moved forward and twisted his neck, cracking it into an unnatural angle. She threw Rainer’s now lifeless body into the middle of the dance floor.

  Without thinking, Caleb let out an anguished scream and went to run to Rainer’s body on the ground, hunger forgotten in that moment. He flashed forward in a blink of an eye, overshooting a little and forcing Rainer’s body to flip over.

  Livia cackled as Caleb lifted Rainer’s head up into his arms. She turned her head away from the scene on the dance floor, glancing over the humans slowly as Caleb fought back the urge to cry and scream.

  “I will call for you when I am ready for my next move,” Livia started walking towards the elevator, her coven parting for her to walk through them.

  “You killed him!” Caleb yelled after his new sire.

  Livia turned around on her golden heels, rolling her eyes, “It’s just a mortal death. He will revive soon.”

  “What?” Caleb breathed out, looking down and cradling Rainer’s head tenderly.

  Livia turned around in the elevator with several of her lackeys quickly moving in around her. She smiled wickedly, “You have a lot to learn about being a vampire.”

  The doors slid closed on her mischievous expression and Caleb looked down at Rainer. He didn’t know how long he had to wait for him to revive, but he hoped it wouldn’t be too long. His throat ached and he now knew that Rainer was alright. Concern clenched at his gut and Caleb couldn’t help but look up at the people on the other side of the club, closer to the elevators. They were quietly whispering in hushed, fearful tones, nursing wounds inflicted upon them by Livia and her coven. He stood up, feeling his fangs lengthen once again as an intoxicating scent wafted toward him on the cool night air drifting in through the shattered patio doors. Fresh blood.