Just a Taste

by Charlie Tran

  Lago whined, trotting over and placing his head on my knees, looking up at me with sorrowful eyes.

  "Was that a stupid thing for me to do?" I asked him, his head tilted to the other side, his ears still perked up.

  "Maybe. But no one will dare come up here. Even if they decided to, there are others like us. We would go to them for help."

  I took another sip, staring into the flames and waiting.

  Five minutes, ten. Half an hour. My nerves were starting to crack. I dug the sharp points of my nails into the fabric of my armchair, starting to break through the fabric and into the down itself. He really did leave. Didn't he?

  I smiled, tilting my head back with my eyes shut, thinking about how foolish I was. Of course he would leave. Why would he want to stay with a monstrosity like me? Especially after I had threatened to rip his throat open should he choose to leave on his own volition.

  After several deep breaths to calm my anger, I stared back into the fireplace. But something was blocking my view. I waved Lago away from my lap. How could he not have alerted me?

  "Are you surprised?" Duke asked, wringing his hands in front of his waist nervously.

  "Truth be told, I am. It takes a lot to surprise me, so well done." I made sure to enunciate every word; I nearly stuttered several times due to that surprise. Why would he come back here?

  "I am, too. But I always stick to my word. You spared me, and I'll spare you any disappointment."

  "How rare for someone in these modern times to have some truth to their tongue-wagging."

  Duke shrugged, "I guess that's just how I am."

  He kicked at the chain that still stretched across the floor. "I suppose you want me back on my leash now, huh?"

  "I should show my… appreciation. We'll just keep it on at night, in case you change your mind and decide to leave."

  My words were enough to elicit a positive response, and he smiled for the first time since he'd been here.

  "Thank you. For trusting me."

  "So who was it creeping around my home?" I leaned forward, resting my elbows on my knees as I stared up at him. He must've noticed the irritation in my face at having to do so, and quickly sat on the floor in front of the fireplace.

  "Police."

  "The town guard? Interesting. I have no doubt that your friend sent them here."

  "Or maybe my mother," he retorted.

  "Perhaps, do you not think it was your lover?"

  He made a face, turning his eyes away from me to the ornate rug, "No. It's not like I have one."

  "No? For one so handsome, I find that very surprising. I would think all the girls in your village would fall for you." His face flushed a beautiful red hue, but he shook his head.

  "I had a boyfriend once, but that was in elementary. It didn't count." He sighed, staring back up into my eyes. "And you? I thought you had a wife."

  I was taken aback at his statement. "And what led you to this belief?"

  "I read about it in a pamphlet. It said that this place was haunted by the de Beauregard family."

  This piqued my interest. Did they really keep such an uninteresting topic in their records? I thought they’d tried to wipe every bit of information about my family from the history books.

  "Tell me what more you read."

  "Well…" he began nervously. He straightened his back, appearing as if he was trying to summon the confidence to tell me. "I think it was about you. Said that something happened, and the people that lived here years ago chased you into your castle. That you died here, and that they killed your kids…"

  He was sweating now, and I couldn't tell if it was coming from the heat of the fireplace or from his own nerves.

  "There is no need to be fearful, I came to terms with this a long time ago. Don't be afraid of me just yet."

  Duke gulped, but still held my gaze. "Is it true?"

  "Yes. It is true," I said bitterly.

  "But why? Did you do something bad?"

  "Do you not see me? Do you not see what I am? Yes, I did very bad things. There was a monarch of the region who was pressing my family every single day. Pressing for more tithes, for more land, for more crops. And in turn I pressed my townsfolk. When the city and this land… When I couldn't take it anymore, I did what I thought was best. I sold my soul to become what I am now. To gain power and strength to fight back."

  "But wouldn't the townspeople be thankful for you? For saving them?"

  "No, because it is not only power that comes from being like this. It is also accompanied by a curse. Slowly, I am was unable to eat the food of humans anymore. I had to feast on them to sustain myself. And after I turned my wife and children, there were only more mouths to feed. At that time, I cared little for my townspeople's needs. I needed to take care of us."

  "Your hands!" Duke exclaimed suddenly, interrupting my story as he crawled over towards me. He took up my hands and opened them towards him. He stared at the claw marks I’d just pressed into them, though barely any blood trickled out from them. Only deep wounds that I hadn't even realized I was causing.

  I watched Duke as he examined my cuts, and I smiled to notice him so worried.

  "It's nothing. Nothing compared to what I did to the people that lived here, and what they did to me in revenge. They captured my children and drove my wife and I back here. The doors were barred to keep us locked away, and they burned my children at the stake."

  Duke never released my hands, instead staring up at me. His face was close to my knees, just like Lago’s.

  "What did you do to them?"

  "What could I do? They kept a fire going all day, then all night, high enough to reach the top of the house, but it was unable to burn through the stone. We were locked away in here for a very long time. Only after the rains did the fire subside, and only then did I plan to extract my revenge on them as well. I wanted to kill every last one of them."

  "D-did you?"

  "No," I whispered. "My wife refused to hold on. We drank from the servants that were loyal to us still, but when they had no more blood to offer, she refused to drink from the animals. She did not want to be like this any longer; she did not want to live without her children. She begged me not to seek revenge, because we deserved it all."

  "I'm sorry that happened to you."

  "There is no need to be," I said, pulling my hands away. "As I said, I've come to terms with this. I continued to live as a way to punish myself. This is my hell, and I deserve to rot here for the rest of eternity."

  Despite having pulled my palms free from him, the human dared to reach for them once more, pulling them to his lips. I sat wide-eyed as I watched him place a trail of kisses across the cuts I'd made. Not in a romantic fashion, but a painful caring way.

  "You've been punished enough."

  Chapter 5

  Duke

  I awoke to the sound of chains clattering around me. The heavy feeling of them around my neck also came undone. My eyes fluttered open and I wiped them with my forearm to stare up at Sebastian.

  He smiled down at me.

  "Good morning, my pet."

  "Morning, Master," I teased, trying not to look too obvious as I stared at the palms of his hands. The wounds had healed in the span of days; I could barely even tell there was anything there. The scars were faded to the point that they blended in with the rest of his pale grey skin.

  "Stoke the fire, would you? I need to go down and bleed a new rabbit today. Then you may skin and cook the remainder."

  Lago came over immediately, licking at my face with his sticky tongue. I pushed him away for a moment, leaning out of the bedroom doorway to see Sebastian already about to leave.

  "Master, wait!" I called out to him, standing up and hurrying over towards the main door. I held onto the door frame to peek down the steps, which he was already halfway down.

  He stopped to look back up at me with a questioning glance.

  "Yes?"

  "I was wondering…" I chewed on the inside of my chee
k. "Do you think we could do something different today? Like go to the gardens?"

  I didn't want to step out of his boundaries, but staying in this room for so long was starting to irk me. I needed to go outside. I needed to see something more than the stone in this chamber.

  "A surprising request. But one I could fulfill."

  "Do you mean it?"

  "Yes. We will stoke the fireplace later. For now, come with me as I bleed my food and then we'll go take a walk through the gardens."

  I was ecstatic! He didn't wait any longer, turning back to go ahead down to wherever it was that he kept his animals. I'd never been down to his small slaughter room, as he only brought me the remains back up in his chambers. He had a few cooking pots there and I cooked over the fire. Something I'd never done in my life before, but it wasn't too different than cooking on a stove. I just pretend that it was the Middle Ages.

  Lago and I bounded after our Master, quick to catch up with him as he passed through the secret entryway.

  "Lago!" Sebastian shouted ahead of us. I didn't even see where he was at this point. He was so quick. "Take him to the gardens."

  "You said for us to come with you!" I responded, attempting to follow the direction of his voice.

  "I thought about it, you shouldn't see this. Follow Lago."

  That was all that he said before he spoke no more. Lago nuzzled me with his muzzle, attempting to drag me down the steps that I had traversed the first time I came here. I allowed him to lead me, and once we reached the partially broken stairs, he jumped down without any hesitation. I, on the other hand, scrambled down like a total novice. It was harder going down than it was getting up here in the first place. Maybe it was just in my head, but it looked even higher up than before.

  I would dare to say that Lago seemed even more excited than I was to go to the gardens. He would follow Sebastian around when he wasn't spending time with me. I rarely saw him go outside, only following after our Master when it was time for them both to eat.

  On the very bottom floor of the castle, there was a pathway straight ahead from the entrance, the one that Jake had decided to explore. That was where Lago was sprinting away, and I had to run to keep up with him.

  "Hey! S-slow down!" I panted, doing my best to keep up with the beast of a dog. We made it past what I assumed to be the dining hall, and I slowed my gait as I took in the sights around this part of the castle.

  Thick heavy cobwebs, dust piled up on everything that was here. Like the massive table, the many shelves filled with vases and other expensive looking knickknacks. Things that had been long forgotten.

  Just outside of the dining area, the room broke into another area past a wooden door that was partially hanging off the hinges. Through that doorway looked to be the very center of the castle itself, the gardens.

  So this home was built in a circular fashion, and in the very middle was a small oasis. When I heard the word gardens, I thought of something more than just general plant life. I thought of an apple orchard, a place where vegetables grew, anything like that. But this place seemed to be created purely for the aesthetics.

  There was a small pond that looked as though it might have once held a beautiful array of fish. But now it was more like a swamp, with several patches of cattails sprouting out of it. The grass was high, and obviously hadn't been maintained in quite a while. But the blossoms and white-pink flowers over the massive willow was beautiful. Even in the twilight, there was enough of the breeze from the outside to make the looming tree sway and cause the flowers to drift over the garden. The petals got caught in the grass or fluttered over that little pond.

  "This is beautiful," I found myself saying. Lago was already rolling around in the grass, happily kicking his feet up in the air.

  I guessed this was where we were meant to wait, so I took a seat next to the dog, next to bushes of blue roses that outlined the perimeter of the area.

  I flopped onto my back, just like Lago did, my hands placed behind my head as I stared up into the night sky.

  How could such a peaceful place exist in this cold castle?

  Lago and I both sat up at the sound of footsteps approaching us. Sebastian came, swirling a small glass of whatever remained of the blood he had drained. He tilted his head back, dumping the remnants into his mouth with his tongue extended as he stepped into the garden.

  "Doing better?" I asked with a smile as he approached, only steps away from me now.

  "Much. I'll allow you to cook after our little exploration here."

  "Not much to explore. I didn't expect it to be so small. But it's beautiful!" I quickly reworded my phrasing, not wanting to sound rude. He chuckled, heading over towards one of the flower bushes. He stared long and hard at one of the blue roses there before ripping it out, forcefully plucking the flower with little care. It snapped and freed itself into his grasp, and he finally came over to take a seat between Lago and me.

  "Never seen blue roses before." I admitted. I'd seen pictures of them, but I'd never seen one in real life.

  "My wife grew these. After all this time, they still flourish. Magnificent things, aren't they?" He passed the flower over towards me, and I grabbed it haphazardly.

  "Ouch!" I cried as I withdrew my hands, allowing the flower to drop between my legs. I examined my hand carefully, and the new cut that was on my forefinger and thumb from the thorns of the rose. "I should've been more careful."

  This time I was delicate as I picked the flower back up, turning towards Sebastian with a smile. He didn't return it for once, instead eyeing my hand as his eyes widened ever so slightly.

  "Yes. Be careful." I could see his jaw flexing as he gritted his teeth, shaking his head as he turned away for me to stare at the swampy pond.

  "So your wife grew these. Do you keep them here is a reminder? Who takes care of them?"

  "I never did. I waited for them to die, just as her presence disappeared from this place. They blossom every season despite everything." He sighed, taking the flower from my hands. "They are her memory. No matter how long you ignore them, they are always there."

  "I like to think the sentiment’s true in all regards." I leaned closer towards him to stare at the petals of the flower, the slight supernatural glow that they seemed to hold. "Like my mom, while I don't think about her every second of the day. I still miss her, and I still remember her… And I wonder how much she misses me."

  Shoulder to shoulder, even in the already cooled air of twilight, I could feel the coldness of his flesh. Through the cotton and silk and velvet of his clothing, it radiated from him.

  "Are you trying to make my heart hurt for you?" he said softly, still rolling the flower in his hands as he turned to me. It was then that I noticed how close our faces were.

  "N-no. I was just reminiscing." Was I blushing?

  He blew the rose, and it carried across the winds, gently drifting over towards the pond where it landed perfectly in the center and floated across the surface. His hands free, he grabbed my wrist and examined the cuts as I had done to him.

  He became much more pervasive, caring little for my own personal space as he brought my fingers towards his mouth. His tongue lapped from across his full lips, slowly licking the cuts at the same time. The blood smeared, but he cleaned them with precision, sucking slightly until there was no more blood.

  I wasn't sure what to do. I wanted to pull away, but at the same time I did not. It felt oddly good.

  His breath turned ragged as he dropped my hands from his, licking the corners of his mouth where blood had smeared.

  "I'm sorry," he said as he wiped his mouth clean with the back of his billowing sleeves. He seemed to be having some type of internal struggle. His bright eyes were darting across the pond, towards me, and across the sky. Fighting with himself.

  "Did you… want more?" I asked him.

  His head snapped towards me, a feral look on his face as he snarled which betrayed the typical regal demeanor that was there.

  "Are you pla
ying with me?"

  "Of course not!" I grabbed the collar of my shirt, giving it a hard tug. Threads of fabric broke slightly as I pulled even harder and turned my head to the side, offering my neck.

  "What are you…" he said, his panting growing louder.

  "Just a taste," I warned him.

  I suppose he didn't need any further blessing for me because just as I finished uttering those words he grabbed hold of my shoulders, pushing me down onto the grass as he climbed atop me. I blushed even deeper; this was not what I was expecting. But I didn't push him away.

  His breath was ragged and felt hot against my throat as his lips moved across my collarbones up to my Adam's apple. He wasn't outright biting me, instead planting small kisses until he reached the small crook between my shoulder and my throat.

  "What are you doing?" I said, but I could barely hear my own words. I found myself panting as well, my chest heaving as I fought to catch my breath.

  "You said just a taste. But maybe… Maybe I could have more than…" He trailed off, pressing my shoulders to the ground and then slowly sliding his hands down the frame of my body. They trailed over my torso to my hips, where they tugged gently at the corners of my sweatpants.

  I didn’t know why, but I didn't stop him. In fact, I found myself placing my hands on top of his, assisting him to pull my pants down. He seemed just as stunned as I was, but I still lifted my hips to make it easier for him to disrobe me.

  He flipped me in an instant, with incredible strength. I landed on my stomach. I was winded, and I could hear him start to fumble with his own clothing.

  Was I doing this?

  Was I really doing this with a vampire? Before I knew it, I was lifted again as his hands tucked underneath my chest to lift me back against him. It was his fingers in my mouth now, the force of which I thought would choke me as each digit slid inside and over my lips, his talons scraping against my tongue.