by M. D. Bowden
‘Sarah, what shall we do with you?’ he said, and he smirked at her. She felt nausea threaten to engulf her.
‘Why did you take me? Why am I still alive?’
‘I wouldn’t kill you Sarah. I may turn you. I haven’t decided yet. You are too beautiful to get rid of. I might have you for myself.’ Sarah looked away as he looked her over appreciatively, her face heating. He was obviously rejoicing in making her feel uneasy.
She vowed not to say another word to Sebastian, she didn’t want to make things worse and she had no idea how to make things better.
She wondered where she was, smelling strong scents of pine. She supposed Sebastian had brought her here, therefore there may be a trail for Daniel to follow. To rescue her. But what could he do? Sebastian had taken her away and Daniel hadn’t been able to do anything. What made her think he would be able to do anything now?
***
Daniel walked towards the men; they were about forty, a bit ruff round the edges. Their clothing looked like tough work wear, they were probably employed in forestry.
They had definitely had too much to drink, and were having difficulty walking in a straight line. Daniel approached them, sending out calming tendrils of power. They both looked up, surprised to see anyone else out in the cold, not used to seeing anyone as good looking and well dressed as Daniel.
Before they uttered a word Daniel looked into their eyes in turn and said, ‘No need to be scared. Please can you help me, I’ve lost my wallet. I think I dropped it over there.’ He pointed towards the same alley he had killed Jo in.
‘Yeah sure, what were you doing, lurking in the dark?’ one joked.
Daniel didn’t reply, his need was urgent. What if Sebastian killed her? Turned her? As soon as they were in the shadows, looking separately for a wallet, he touched one man on the arm. When he looked in his eyes he whispered, ‘Don’t move, stay quiet.’
He rose and approached the other man who stood when he saw Daniel coming. ‘I don’t think we’ll find it out here, can we buy you a drink?’
‘Thank-you, but that won’t be necessary. Don’t fight, don’t be scared. You will not remember this, or that you met me.’ And Daniel bit into his neck. Warm luscious liquid spilled down his throat, bringing him life energy. He soaked it up drinking deeply. It had been a long time since he had drunk human blood, he usually relied on animals for sustenance. It would have been heaven if it wasn’t that his heart was breaking.
He made himself stop drinking before the man would suffer too much from blood loss. He pulled back and wiped up any visible blood, pulling the man’s lumber jacket high around his neck. ‘Stay still, this will not take long,’ he uttered, before returning to the other man.
Again he drank deeply, feeling giddy from the blood rush, before influencing them both to forget and return home.
He felt strength coursing through him, but he knew it wouldn’t be enough to defeat Sebastian. He straightened himself up and entered the bar, looking for more blood.
This one was very crowded, he had to push through. Long years of vampirism had trained him not to concentrate on the pulsing of blood around him. If he noticed it all the time it would drive him insane. He worked his way through the crowd to the bar, eyeing up potential victims as he waited to be served.
He ordered himself a large whisky, trying to keep himself in control with the new blood speeding around his body, his senses coming alive.
He needed to take as much blood as possible - the more heightened his senses, the greater chance he’d have of tracking Sebastian and Sarah. He needed a plan though. He’d never defeat Sebastian without one as he wasn’t going to kill humans. However much he drank he would never be as strong as him.
Figuring he might as well increase his strength while he was thinking, he chose a tall girl ordering a single drink at the bar. She smiled confidently as he approached her, looking into his eyes. It didn’t take much influence to get her to leave with him. She followed him out, slipping her arm under his jacket, making him feel uncomfortable.
He took her straight into the shadows and drank as much of her blood as he could risk, before covering her neck and making sure she would forget.
When she’d returned to the bar he stayed out thinking. The girl had reminded him of someone, her dark curly hair and slanting, heavily lined eyes. A witch called Heather. Someone he had known when he lived in New Orleans. It was too far away to go there now, there wasn’t enough time. Plus, it was a long time ago, possibly ten years. It would be tricky to track her down. But she did teach him a few tricks. If he could find the right spell, he might be able to use it against Sebastian, incapacitate him. It could give him the chance to finish him off for good. And rescue Sarah. His heart warmed thinking of seeing her again.
Fueled by his increased intake of blood he transformed into a buzzard, and soared into the sky, back to his hotel, The Woodman.
***
‘You know Sarah, I really can see why Daniel likes you, why he’s taking advantage of you.’ Sebastian said. He reached out and down the side of her face, pulling her collar down, exposing her neck. ‘Has he tried your blood?’
Sarah refused to look at him and stayed silent, still feeling sick. She had a bad feeling about where this was going.
‘Do you mind if I try it?’ he asked, but didn’t wait for an answer. His teeth sank into her throat, and again, searing pain ripped through her. He retracted his teeth, and forced her head around so he could look her in the eye. ‘This will not do, you need to relax. Relax. This will let you enjoy it too.’ Sarah’s heart pounded as he leant back in and she felt his teeth pierce her afresh. She focused on her breathing, trying to relax. But he hadn’t influenced her, he was just playing with her, having fun. She knew this, yet she couldn’t take it lightly. She couldn’t let herself enjoy the experience. If she was to let anyone drink her blood willingly it would be Daniel.
As she thought this, he pushed her away, causing her throat to tear. It hadn’t occurred to her that he had been able to read her thoughts, like Daniel had. She hadn’t been trying to project. She sensed that he was hurt and frustrated. He seemed to actually want her to like him.
She grasped at her neck, trying to stop the blood flow, trying not to cry at the pain. Thoughts of Megan and Bea popped into her head, and she pushed them away, not wanting Sebastian to sense them, what if he hurt them to get at her?
***
Sebastian looked at Sarah, frustration burning in his veins. She sat on the branch, thinking about other men, about her children. And how did she feel about him? Revulsion. That much he’d gained from the thought fragments he picked up.
She did look beautiful though, sitting there, tormented, blood flowing down her neck. He reached out and wiped at a trickle before it ran into her top, bringing it up to his mouth with his fingers and sucking at it. She didn’t even look at him. This really wasn’t as much fun as he’d hoped.
Maybe he should just change her. Then at least she’d be wilder, and she’d be sired to him. Maybe he’d stand a chance.
But for now, he couldn’t just let her bleed to death. That would be no fun at all. He let his desire for blood filter in and extended his teeth. Then he bit into his own wrist, feeling a sharp tang, and pushed it against her mouth. She didn’t object to this at least, he thought, as he watched her gulp hungrily, resolutely avoiding looking into his face. Feeding her like this wouldn’t turn her, he needed to kill her for that. But it would heal her, rejuvenating her supply of blood for later.
***
Daniel landed at the foot of a tree near the hotel, first checking there was no-one looking out the window, he transformed back into his human shape. The hotel was a large wooden-fronted building, set back in the woods. He was guessing it had seen better days, but it served his purpose as he wasn’t bothered while staying there. He also had all the resources he needed, including wireless internet.
He opened the door to the hotel with his own key and walked upstairs to his room. It w
as very tidy - room service had obviously visited in his absence. He pulled out his laptop and hastily turned it on, trying to think where to start.
The witch, Heather, had shown him various web-sites only readable by those with supernatural abilities. You had to have better vision than any human to read them. There were sites with spells, designed for witches to communicate worldwide, allowing new spells to be developed and shared.
He could remember a few sites, but would there be any spells against vampires? It wouldn’t surprise him. Heather had also taught him some simple spells, for example how to light a fire with his mind.
It took a certain focus to learn spells. Heather, a witch by blood, had the ability to communicate by mind. A bit like he’d taught Sarah earlier that evening. Heather had shown him the exact way to focus, making his learning of magic substantially faster. The fire lighting was a good trick and he’d used it a few times, even to kill Sebastian’s vampires. He’d need to use something stronger than that on Sebastian himself though.
He connected to wifi and typed in the first web address he remembered. It took him to a general witch craft site - he just had to find the link to the hidden material. He spotted it in the bottom left hand corner - he clicked - and up popped a box. It contained links to spells - that even he could only just read. There were lots of subheadings, spells for séances, rituals, even housework.
Then he spotted one to try - defense. He clicked on it and it took him to another list. This list had various options too; general, humans, vampires, werewolves, ghosts, amongst others. He clicked on vampires and was presented by a list of spell types, he read down the list carefully, trying to work out which one would be most useful.
There were quite a variety, it looked like he wouldn’t need to bother with the other sites at all. There was the one he knew, fire, along with others like decapitation, forcing a stake in with greater power, a spell to weaken with sunlight. There were also spells for mummification. The one for decapitation could be handy on a lesser vampire, but Sebastian would be too quick - he would dodge the spell, as he would a stake. The idea of mummifying him was interesting. He could mummify him, then kill him.
He clicked on the mummification link. It took him to one page, one spell. He read through it closely. At its heart the spell looked simple. He would have to make skin to skin contact with Sebastian, visualize the spell in his head, then pull his energy out of him. Once the flow of energy started Sebastian would be so weakened he wouldn’t be able to fight back. If he drew out all his energy Sebastian would become mummified, but could be brought back to life with fresh blood.
He wasn’t sure whether Sebastian would have heard of this magic, whether he’d be prepared for it. Even if he has, he thought, I’m sure he wouldn’t imagine I would have learnt it. There was one problem; the spell would take the energy of a powerful witch to perform. As he didn’t have natural magical power he would need to increase his power by other means, by consuming more blood.
He sighed, feeling the burden of his predicament. He hated feeding on humans. He loved the taste of blood, the life energy it infused him with. But even if he stopped himself killing he still felt guilty. He hated manipulating people, weakening them, risking killing them. He pushed this thought aside, burying it deep within, and prepared to go back into the night.
Chapter 8
Sarah was alone. It was still dark, and right before her eyes Sebastian had sighed, looking at her in frustration. Then transformed into a bat. She was awestruck. It had been such a smooth transition. He’d swooped off into the darkness.
Unfortunately he hadn’t left her free, able to escape. He had bound her to the tree, her arms firmly held by her sides. And the rope was uncomfortable. Sarah wriggled, trying to stretch her fingers. She didn’t stand a hope of moving much though. To top it off Sebastian had influenced her to stay silent, so even if a source of help wandered nearby, they wouldn’t find her. She was still high up in the tree, engulfed in darkness. At least, with Sebastian gone she was free to think as she pleased. No worries about him eves-dropping on her mind.
She longed to see her children, it was only this morning that she’d dropped them at their grandparents house - but it felt so long ago. She wanted to give them each big hugs and kiss their soft cheeks.
They would now have a life with no father. She had stayed with Jo, even after he had betrayed her, to stop this from happening. What would happen to them if she died out here? If Sebastian killed her, or turned her. God, what if he turned her, then she hurt her kids. Her heart tore at the thought.
She struggled again, hoping against hopes to find a weakness in the ropes that chafed at her wrists. She rested her head back, closing her eyes. It had been such a long day. She was tired, so tired.
She listened to the night sounds, hearing a distant owl, then a howl from a wolf. She shivered. It was freezing. She still had her thick coat on, and was very thankful that she’d decided to wear jeans, not a dress. Yet, inside her coat was wet with blood. Even though her neck had healed and the blood flow had stopped, the blood was still there, drying and cracking against her skin.
It would be heaven to have a bath. A gloriously hot bath with bubbles and candle light. Her head lolled to the side as she fell asleep, but she jerked it back up again, heart pounding. It wasn’t that she was worried about falling, she was just so hyped, her mind full of thoughts. Fear. Sleep would be blissful though. She could forget about her situation. Lull herself into relaxation. Make time pass more quickly.
She closed her eyes again, feeling them get heavier, but as she was about to drop off she heard an animal scurrying near the tree. Her eyes snapped open, searching through the night for the source of the sound. Breathe, she thought, try to focus on breathing. She rolled her eyes, she’d been to a few yoga classes but never really got to grips with the breath work. Her mind always got distracted. Like now. Thoughts of Jo swam into her mind, his smile, his scruffy hair, years of love broken with human weakness, infidelity. She thought of their early years together, how much she had loved him, and he her. How they’d met when they were very young. Thinking back on it, she’d been so innocent. As had he.
His body lying on the floor, catching fire, disintegrating before her eyes. That was right before Sebastian had attacked and whisked her away from Daniel.
Daniel. Tears rolled down her cheeks. She wanted him here, now. Sarah visualized him untying her, taking her in his arms, caressing her, kissing her, taking her away from this place. Somewhere safe from the night, safe from Sebastian and the threat of death. But, she thought, even if he rescued me now, then what? We wouldn’t be safe at all - Sebastian would still be at large, killing people, destroying families and towns. How could they possibly kill him?
***
Sebastian had had enough of sitting around, hoping for something to happen. He decided he’d try and track down Daniel, see what he was up to, wondering what plan he was concocting to rescue Sarah. He raised his eyebrows and smirked. He wouldn’t stand a chance. Sebastian would keep her. In fact he would turn her, he’d do it soon. But before that he would indulge in her blood a few more times. Her delicious warm blood. He felt hungry just thinking of it.
He swooped in and out of trees and into town. It was so dark he kept his form. Each swoop sent adrenaline flooding through his body, making him feel alive.
His vision was acute in this form, any sign of Daniel and he’d be sure to spot him first. Why had he bothered all this time with Daniel? He had really wanted him to change. Daniel was strong, and resourceful. They could have made quite a team. Now there was a women involved, he’d never win Daniel’s loyalty. That was over. It had never really begun, he hadn’t even had control over him when he was freshly turned. It was obviously time to give up on Daniel, to kill him, make sure he didn’t get in the way of any more schemes.
***
Daniel flew at high speed towards the grotty end of town. He dived down and used his wings to create resistance as he came to a halt, his claws
against the freezing pavement. No-one was out so he quickly transformed back into himself, straightened his clothes and approached a bar.
He chose a different one from earlier, hoping to reduce his chance of discovery. This place was a little cleaner, and the smell wasn’t quite as assaulting as he opened the door and entered the crowded, noisy atmosphere. A rock band played on a small stage and people crowded around, jumping in a sweaty mosh pit. Other people hung back, drinking in the shadows, trying to talk but needing to shout to be heard.
Daniel bought a drink from the bar, downed it, and started looking for an appropriate victim. He spotted a pretty tall girl with dark skin, dancing at the edge of the crowd. She was modestly dressed, with a high necked jumper that would hide his bite marks. He moved in, making himself dance to the music to blend in. He wouldn’t prolong this though, he wasn’t Sebastian, he didn’t approve of actually seducing his victims. He danced next to her and touched her arm, leaning in to comment on the music. As she looked back to respond he quickly caught her eye and said, ‘Leave with me.’ She smiled and nodded, following him into the cold.
As soon as they were outside he pulled her round the side of the building into the dark, and influenced her not to be scared. He pulled down her top, exposing her smooth enticing neck. He bit gently, not wanting to hurt her, and sweet warm blood flowed into him.
He’d never indulged so much, but being a vampire he could always take more. He would never feel entirely full, never completely satisfied. The need for blood was always with him. He drank as much as he felt was safe, then withdrew and pulled up her collar. ‘Forget me and return to the bar.’ And she complied. It was as simple as that.
Next he was lucky, a couple left together, laughing and embracing. He quickly influenced them and pulled them into the shadows, feeding like his nature demanded.
He was enjoying the rush, feeling alive with all this energy. He wouldn’t need many more victims, two or three maybe, before he’d be strong enough to use that spell. Then all he’d have to do was find Sebastian.