First Hunger

Chapter 10: Blindness

The sun had not yet left the horizon completely when I woke from my heavy slumber. I still felt unusually dizzy from the drugs I had been given. Normally, a vampire´s senses are always sharp and alert. Prepared for the hunt.
What I felt was not energy, but exhaustion and listlessness. I tried to animate my weary mind and body by thinking of the plan that had formed in me last night. I had to leave this damned house before Dracula and the others would rise.

After all what had happened, I felt deeply humiliated and hurt. Everyone knew now about Dracula´s “insatiable, stubborn child”. The whole crowd of vampires had watched me, drinking the poor girl dry without being able to control myself.
Lucien had known about Dracula and me having sex in his apartment. Hell, he had it all planned with his master and afterwards, as a reward, he…

I forced my mind to block out further memories but Dracula´s throaty moans and pleased purrs invaded my brain once again. Lucien and Vlad had chosen the master bedroom to enjoy each other´s company.
While Lucien seemed to serve his master well, I wondered, if Vlad even cared about me, being in the same building, having to endure the noise of their sexual encounter.

I felt a tugging sensation in my stomach, also called jealousy. During this moment, I detested myself.
I would never surrender to a being that would continue to torture and humiliate me forever.
So I decided to rise a bit earlier to leave the building and this coven, when no one would notice or dare to follow me.

I hastily put on my clothes and wrapped two heavy blankets around my body. The sunlight was getting weaker, I could feel it. Still, I would be in need of some protection against the deadly rays, since I was not an elder yet and very weak during the daytime.
Tiptoeing, I reached the door to leave my room and crossed the foyer. It seemed that everyone was still sleeping, so I hurried to the main front door to expose myself to the retreating sun.

Blinding light and searing pain awaited me as I stood there, having one foot in the house and one outside. I could feel the sun´s rays destroying my eyesight. I had forgotten to protect my eyes with sunglasses.
Now I was paying for this little error in reasoning with blindness.
The shock had petrified me. I don´t know how long I stood there, enduring the pain in my head, smelling my own burning flesh…until I was violently jerked back into the house.

Inside, it felt cold and chilly in comparison to what I had just experienced. But I wasn´t given any time to think further about minor matters like my surroundings. The person who had pulled me back into the Coven´s house was bombarding me with insults.

“Why in Luzifer´s name didn´t I finish with you in the first place?” Dracula´s angry voice washed over me like an electrical storm.

I was whirled around and lost my sense of orientation. The sun had blinded me completely.
Obviously, Dracula requested a closer look at my burned face. My head was bent back and I felt my master´s breath on my cheeks. His hands wandered over my scarred face and explored every crater-like injury the sun had inflicted upon me.
I was released and was swaying lightly, without anything to hold on to.

“No child of mine dares to annoy me like this”, he emphasized the last word by slapping me hard in the face.

From the slap´s force, I stumbled backwards and fell over the blankets I still was wrapped in.
I landed on the hard marble floor and had no energy left to get up again.
Not that I would have been able to. I felt a heavy weight, pinning me down to the floor and forcing my head to touch the cold marble.

“What was your plan, hmm? A relaxing afternoon in the sun?! Forgot your sunglasses, huh?!” he spat and strengthened his grip on me.

I groaned. I hated to be trapped, especially in this position. I felt like a stupid child. Again, I had utterly failed to act on my own.

“We were in a hurry, weren´t we?” Dracula continued to mock me.

I detested his teasing tone and tried to get free from this iron grip. I struggled against him with my legs and chest but didn´t manage to regain my freedom.

“Let me leave!” I desperately choked out.

“I know you wanted to…” I heard my maker´s voice in a pseudo-soothing tune. I expected another strike from him but his grip on me loosened a little.

He asked me: “Why?”

My mind wanted to bomb him with the pain I felt last night when I had heard him “paying” Lucien for our spent time in this apartment. But I already felt deeply humiliated. I didn´t ask for more by letting him see my obvious jealousy.

“I cannot bear this community. I don´t feel comfortable here.” I lied and nervously waited for the Count to buy this excuse.

At first there was silence. Then he heartily began to laugh.

“Gabriel and a lie…what a bizarre mixture.” He chuckled. “You did not only forget your sunglasses today, but also the fact that I made you…”

With this said, I felt him invading my mind. He was gentle, though. He probed around the edges of my sanity, then dove deeply into my net of emotions and thoughts.
Here and there it felt like a caress when he passed painful memories and sensitive spots.
I couldn´t resist his powerful intrusion any longer and gave in by relaxing.
He made his way confidently through my head, and dipped deeper, into the area where all my hidden secrets and denied emotions lay.

Dracula passed memories from my human and immortal time alike. His pace became slower to watch one particular memory we both shared: Our first meeting as young men in the 15th century.
Back then we had been young and innocent fools and hadn’t known the dark future that awaited us.

Dracula lingered a while longer to let the long gone images play before both our inner eyes. Back then we had been more than just friends. We had each other´s complete trust. The feelings had gone deeper than just simple friendship…we had truly cared about the other´s life and safety.

I didn´t realize my eyes having healed until I opened my lids and directly stared at Dracula.

“I still do care.” His words floated to me like they weren´t real.

I couldn´t believe his spoken words.

“Impossible. Then why had you used this Lucien for your purposes?”

“It´s exactly what you just said. I used him…and nothing more. He had become jaunty lately…and so it was my duty to teach him where his true place is…and always was.”

With these words, Dracula freed me from his iron grip and helped me to up from the cold floor. He lead me into the master bedroom, where he had spent the night with Lucien.
Entering the room, I knew what he meant by “teaching” Lucien. The other vampire looked like a humiliated child that was beaten up badly by his father. He was sobbing quietly and didn´t dare to make a move when he spotted Dracula.

“Lucien here became a bit pertly and already saw himself as the new head of the London Society. So I had to remind him of his real position.” The Count commented the scene with a smirk.

Somehow I had to join him and grinned, as Dracula took a step forward and caused Lucien to wince in respect and fear. This was the Dracula I knew. I just didn´t want to be in Lucien´s position right now.

“You are banned from this city. Get out of my sight now.” Vlad´s raised voice echoed through the high rooms of the apartment.

Lucien practically flew out of the apartment and into the now dark night. I never have had the chance before to watch another vampire cower in front of my master. Once again, Vlad had assured who the master was and who the servant.

Although the scene had been rather cruel, Dracula had the nerve to turn me over and press me down on the bed. He impatiently unwrapped me of the blankets I had still held tightly on. He replaced them by covering my body with his own as to ensure that I couldn´t flee like Lucien.

“I will prove you now, just how much I still care…” I heard him purr, just before he opened the sensitive skin on my neck to taste the growing desire that was quickly evolving in me…

To be continued…