by M. D. Bowden
He brought the symbol that Heather had taught him to his mind - visualizing it at the forefront of his thoughts. He let it go - sending it with force at Sebastian, wrapping it around him. He saw the anger coalesce in Sebastian and he transformed back into a swirling darkness, trying to escape by whatever means he could. Daniel brought the same symbol to the forefront of his mind again. This time, as he let it go he visualized the mark on the urn.
Immediately there was a friction of energy between the two marks, illuminating the garden for one moment, before the swirling darkness was propelled into the urn.
Daniel got down on his knees and rammed the cork in hard.
He would not let Sebastian go.
Daniel took a deep breath. He still had to do the binding spell. He couldn’t lose focus now. Tears welled in his eyes as he visualized the next mark in his mind. He reinforced it with all the power he had and projected it at the urn. He infused the urn with great power and the magical mark.
It was done.
He left the urn there and crawled to Sarah’s body, weak from expelling all his energy. He found her lying against the hedge. She was broken, lifeless.
Daniel held her body in his arms and screamed into the night.
He heard answering screams from inside the house, Sarah’s children crying - Megan had seen the whole thing from her window.
He cradled Sarah’s head against his chest and wept hard, wept for her, for her children. He wept for himself. He had gone through all of this to be with her and now she was dead. She would be like him. A vampire.
Daniel made himself stand. There were things he had to do.
He pulled himself together and entered Sarah’s house. He could not go upstairs to see her children. He was too weak, too hungry.
He could do something; he could phone for help.
He dialed Sarah’s parents’ house, and spoke urgently to her father when he answered.
‘You must come to Sarah’s now, she has gone berserk. I think it’s not knowing what has happened to Jo. She’s run off into the woods and I have to go after her. You must come and look after Megan and Bea.’
He couldn’t help what Megan would tell them. They may not believe her anyway. And at least they will have her parents.
Daniel staggered to the door and back to Sarah, barely managing control at all. He needed blood. Badly.
First he went to the body around the back. He didn’t want Sarah’s parents to discover that. He forced himself to pick it up and throw it over the fence. Then he repeated the same procedure on the body of the girl he had just killed, who had also suffered the terrible consequences of Sebastian’s possession. He would have to come back later and deal with their bodies.
He picked up the urn and then used all his strength to lift up Sarah.
He had never felt so weak. He moved off into the woods before Sarah’s parents arrived. He wouldn’t manage to control himself if they did. Thirst was burning in his veins. His throat was parched.
As soon as they were in the woods he put down Sarah, and the urn, at the foot of a tree. His hunting instincts kicked in and he heard the heartbeat of a bear. It was probably drawn in by the smell of blood and sounds of the fight.
He would have to approach it quietly, he was too weak to use speed to his advantage.
It was close; he could hear its breathing. Daniel crept up behind it and pounced, his teeth extending through fur, into flesh. Warm blood spurted down his throat, soothing his need. He drank greedily, not worried about ending its life. As he drained the bears’ blood its heart stopped. Daniel took the final drops, not wanting to waste any.
He could feel he was returning to himself again, his senses enhanced.
He felt strong.
He was back at Sarah’s side in an instant, throwing her over his shoulder and grabbing the urn.
He needed to get her further into the forest.
Soon she would wake up.
She would be screaming with thirst.
THE TWO VAMPIRES
Dark Love
Prologue
A tall man paced back and forth, waiting for the time to come when the full moon would cast its light on the stone circle before him. His victims were tied and gagged and ready for the sacrifice when he would slice open their necks and let their blood perform its magic. It was the first step needed to resurrect Nathaniel; an old vampire who had been entombed two hundred years before.
He thought back to the reports he had found buried in his attic, not wanting to miss a detail and perform the ritual wrong – so much depended on it. The reports had explained it all; how a coven of witches had stood against the powerful vampire who had been terrorizing their town. They had stripped him of his power, and then buried him in the earth beneath this very circle of stones. The reports detailed how to bring him back, for the blood of an old vampire was rich and magical – if he could only get hold of some. . . .
At that point the clouds shifted and the full moon shone down, casting shadows across the circle, across the four people who he had brought to slaughter. He sneered as he saw their fear. He could smell it and it made him sick.
He stepped between the stones, walking over the hummocky ground to the center of the circle. He had to be quick and perform the ritual before the moon became obscured by cloud once more – he eyed the sky warily before closing his eyes and tapping into his power, the power that was in his blood as a born sorcerer. Flames sprung up around the circle and he stepped towards his first sacrifice. He knelt by the side of the young man and took out a small knife, cutting the cord that bound him to the stone. He left his hands bound. Under duress the sorcerer led him to the center and pushed him down. The man was too fearful to even struggle, and the sorcerer caught a whiff of urine. He brought the knife to the man’s throat and pierced it gently, before swiping across and letting his blood spill.
‘Fire, Moor, Blood and Death – Feed and Awaken,’ he chanted beneath his breath.
He watched as the body before him stilled and blood soaked into the earth.
Strangled, panicked breaths emanated from the remaining three sacrifices.
The sorcerer stood and approached the second, then the third, then the fourth – and repeated the ritual on each.
As he muttered the incantation for the final time he sat down in the center of the circle and leant against the pile of bodies behind him. Their hearts were still, their blood seeping through the ground to the entombed body below.
Now all he had to do was wait until their bodies were empty, until they had no more blood to give. Then he would dispose of them, and choose four more victims, for he would need to perform the same ritual at the next full moon to complete the awakening ceremony.
Nathaniel would rise and he would demand his price; his blood.
He would find immortality.
Chapter 1
Sarah felt a spasm race over her body. Her eyes jerked open as she took a big gulp of fresh air. She looked around and saw conifers in every direction. The light was fading.
What the hell was she doing; sleeping in the forest? Who was looking after Megan and Bea? And why the hell was her throat burning like mad?
Ugh, she was so thirsty. She needed to drink badly, her throat hurt - it was parched.
She focused her attention on her ears and listened out for water.
Nothing.
Then she heard a pounding heart. It was rhythmic and alluring.
She felt like she was slipping into a trance.
Sarah jumped to her feet. She started to move towards the sound - without even realizing what she was doing: Stalking her prey.
She spotted a young deer ahead. Its nose was rummaging through the leaves, looking for food. She was beautiful; her fur was a rich coppery red. Sarah watched the deer and located its pulse at its neck. She watched it entranced; beating steadily.
Sarah’s thirst drew her out from behind a tree. The deer raised its head and looked directly at her with wide startled eyes. Sarah looked ba
ck, one second of connection, before it turned and ran.
Sarah acted on instinct; she bolted forward. She did not know why, but she could not let the deer escape.
She knew one thing: If she could only reach that deer, have it for herself - it would sooth her thirst. It would make her feel better.
She needed the deer.
Sarah sprang, landing on its back. It crippled beneath her, unable to support her weight.
Her eyes were again drawn to the pulse at the neck. She admired the smooth expanse of silky fur before her, while she held on tight to stop herself falling away, to stop the deer breaking free. Her teeth felt strange. They ached. They longed to pierce the neck before her.
Her mouth opened as her head moved slowly forwards, entranced. She held the struggling deer very still and tentatively grazed the neck with her teeth. A faint line of blood appeared. She furrowed her forehead in confusion; were her teeth that sharp?
Then she smelt the blood. It was divine, intoxicating.
Her head shot forward, teeth piercing through the fur and skin, entering an artery. Blood shot down her throat. Ahh - soothing, heavenly, intoxicating liquid. It was quenching her thirst, fuelling her body with power, with energy.
Sarah drank for her life, gulping the coppery formula, draining the vessel she held.
It ceased its struggle as its heart stopped its beautiful, speedy rhythm.
Sarah withdrew her teeth, and felt them change in her mouth. It felt like they were shrinking.
Strange - what was she doing on top of a deer? A lifeless deer at that.
She stroked her fingers down the back of its neck, feeling its soft, young fur. It still felt warm; it couldn’t have been dead for long.
Her mouth felt wet. She brought a hand up and wiped her face. As she pulled her hand away she saw red glinting on her skin. Blood. What the hell? Why was there blood on her face?
She staggered to her feet, moving away from the deer, looking urgently about. Looking for some clue to her state of mind, to her actions.
She saw a tall man approaching. He was very attractive. And he looked familiar.
Daniel.
Panic shot through her. What would he think? What had she done?
She turned away from him, tears running down her cheeks. She took a deep breath and sprinted away - her speed increasing as she moved with accuracy, avoiding trunks and branches in her way.
She could hear Daniel in pursuit.
***
Daniel had had to leave Sarah on her own. He didn’t know how long it would be before she would awaken. Until she would be a vampire, like him.
It was his fault too, if he hadn’t bitten her; if they hadn’t shared blood - this couldn’t have happened.
But then she’d be dead, he thought bitterly. At least this way she would live. Forever. They could always be together.
It wasn’t like it hadn’t crossed his mind before, right?
Then why was he so bothered now - he should be rejoicing at her becoming a vampire.
It wasn’t hard to work out why he wasn’t though. This wasn’t her choice. She didn’t tell him she wanted to be with him forever. She didn’t ask to be turned into a vampire.
In fact, she had specifically said she didn’t want to be.
She has children, for God’s sake. There’s no way she’ll be able to go home. She won’t be able to look after them now. It would be a long time until she’d develop strong enough control. Years.
Daniel hadn’t succeeded in saving her. He felt awful. He should have managed to save her. She was his to save. He loved her. Would she be the same now? Would he feel the same way? And what would she think of him? Would she still love him? Or would she blame him, hate him for not protecting her? Resent him for the change in her life. For her death.
Daniel focused back on the job at hand. He pushed a metal spade deep into the earth; he removed a large chunk, shoveling it into a pile next to the hole.
He was digging a grave for the bodies Sebastian had possessed. The body of the girl who had just died, who Daniel had had to kill to destroy Sebastian. The body of the young man Sarah had killed - he was also only a teenager. Now he was a corpse - stiff and lifeless. His neck was skewed from the break and his chest was caked with dried blood.
Daniel had taken the bodies from Sarah’s home before her parents had a chance to discover them. They would be there by now, looking after Sarah’s children. They had no idea they would be looking after them for good.
His heart ached for Sarah. She was going to miss her kids a phenomenal amount. The problem was; she was also going to lust after their blood. That was why he was going to have to keep her away from them. He hoped so much that she would understand. That he wouldn’t have to fight her.
He pushed the spade further in with his foot, as it was stuck on some small stones. He forced it through and scooped up more earth, his black trousers now thick with mud. One more scoop and he decided the hole was deep enough. He picked up the boy’s feet and dragged him in, pushing him over so he was face down. He lay the girl down next to him, also face down. That would mean he wouldn’t have to look at their faces as he pushed the earth back in, covering their bodies, burying them so they wouldn’t be found, so the bodies would never be traced to Sarah.
That way there would be a chance she could come back. If she could muster control, maybe she could return to her children - while they still remembered her.
It would be difficult, as people would be wary of her, but she would be able to project influence. She could change people’s memories with her power. It would take time to learn, but in a few years she would be proficient at it.
As Daniel finished pushing the earth into the grave, and was flattening the ground with his feet, the sky began to darken. He had brought Sarah deep into the forest, so if she was to awaken without him there, he would be able to find her before she hurt anybody.
She was a few hundred meters away, and he would soon return to check on her.
It was hard not to worry about how she would be, how deeply the transformation would affect her. What if she was like Jo; bloodthirsty and unable to reason?
Well, if she was, he would fight for her. He couldn’t let her go. He certainly could not kill her. He would need to take her away, far from anyone she knows, far from anyone she may hurt. He would persevere. He would teach her control, teach her to reason.
Daniel used his finger tips to remove his boot prints, and scattered leaves and twigs over the burial site. He stood back - surveying the scene. He was relatively pleased; he didn’t think anyone who happened to be passing would notice anything unusual.
It would probably be best if he didn’t return the spade. He had taken it from a shed in Sarah’s yard, but in case the bodies were found, he didn’t want the spade to be associated with the burial. He would need to leave it in the forest, but far from his present location. Anyone finding a spade in the forest would be suspicious.
Daniel picked it up and started walking back to Sarah; he wanted to be with her before it was fully dark. If she woke up alone in the dark, she was bound to be even more confused.
As he walked through the forest he became aware of sounds ahead. His heart accelerated in anticipation: Sarah was awake.
He sped up, then seeing her ahead, he stopped. She was feeding on a young deer. This was good. She was a natural hunter - one less thing he would need to teach her.
Daniel hung back, not wanting to disturb her feed. He watched as she drained the deer. She looked savage - yet this wasn’t a shock. It was inevitable. No new vampire was immune to the desire for blood.
There were other desires that would be stronger too. Daniel smiled to himself - there would be some good points to her turning. At least, there would be if she still wanted him.
He stood straighter, ready for action, as Sarah staggered up and moved away from the deer. She looked confused, disorientated.
Daniel stepped forward - ready to confront her, to comfort her. At that
moment he saw her look up, and her eyes met his. For a second she looked confused, and then he saw recognition on her face. And panic.
She turned, and sped from him. Racing away. Daniel’s heart leapt, he couldn’t let her escape - she might hurt someone. He dropped the spade and sprinted after her, adamant he would have her back in his arms. Fast.
Chapter 2
Sarah raced on. She was moving fast and it was exhilarating. What was going on? She felt completely different than before. She had had power, but she couldn’t move this fast. And what was wrong with her memory? Why was she so confused?
Sarah saw the trees clearly; their dark trunks and sparse leaves, evergreen even in the cold. She whipped past them, easily avoiding obstacles. A joy rose in her chest - this was so much fun! Feelings of guilt and confusion paled as she leapt up, her legs feeling strong, and swung off branches. A big grin spread across her face.
She turned as Daniel skidded to a halt, stopping an inch from her body. Electricity erupted between them, and she pushed him down to the forest floor. She jumped onto him - playfully pinning him down. God, he was hot. What had she been thinking running from him?
He was eyeing her warily from beneath her, but that just made him sexier. His dark hair was tangled with leaf litter, and his jaw was firm.
Ha! He was trying to resist her.
Sarah ran her finger playfully across his lower lip. Mmmmm. She leant down and kissed him. He wasn’t sure to start with; she had a feeling he wanted to talk. But his lips gave at her pressure and she pushed her tongue into his mouth. He returned her kiss fervently, pushing her aside and lying on top. Sarah nipped at his lip. She instantly tasted sweet blood, and sucked hard. Daniel moaned, holding her tighter. She wanted him badly.
He pushed her away - trying to detach her from his lip. She resisted, holding on tight, running her finger tips down his spine.
‘Sarah. There are things we’ve got to do,’ he said, from between gritted teeth.