First Hunger

First Hunger Chapter 5: Absorption

Vlad’s blood cursed so powerful through my veins, that my body still suffered from pure exhaustion the following night I awoke. The images and sensations from last night’s lustful blood sharing came crashing back into my sleepy mind with full force.

Although the rational remains of my brain screamed in agony at the memories, I licked my lips on the image of Dracula, sucking at my nipple and draining me dry. I shook my head as to wipe away the recalls of a night with the most feared and hated Bloodsucker who walks the earth.
Without success.

My body still burned from his touches and marks. Moaning from slight pain, I left my bed and tried to recollect my thoughts. There was something gnawing at my mind…something important I had forgotten or still had to do…

“Carl!“ I shouted into the empty room.

I hadn’t cared about him at all the previous night! I had been too lost in bliss and too drained afterwards.
Guilt and shame started to well up in my chest. What had Dracula possibly done to the former Friar in my absence?!
I had failed again by simply not caring…

Paralysing fear crept up my spine, as I started to search the cold halls of the castle for any traces of Carl or Dracula. Half an hour I searched for a presence and my only company were the hollow echoes of my own footsteps hitting the stony ground of Castle Dracula. Then I had to stop for a minute, heaved a sigh and felt pure panic arise.

I had been left alone.

At this realization I asked myself since when an empty place would frighten me, but suspected that my vampiric body already had gotten used to my maker’s presence.
The last thought did nothing to ease the panic. I gave up the search to seek some minute’s rest at the cold stone floor of the castle.

“Mmh, poor child…” a purr breathed into my left ear from behind.

I spun around in utter shock at the sudden sound of a voice, echoing in these damned deserted halls.

My master stood before me, staring into my face with dark eyes that held an amused twinkle.
My mind was relieved to have found my master, and my body felt strangely drawn to the dark man in front of me. Where had I left my rational thinking?
I had to be careful…

“Too scared to listen what the night has to tell you?“ Vlad grinned and circled me predatorily, never leaving his eyes off my face.

He was right: In my blind panic and haste through Castle Dracula, I never had really listened to any mortal or immortal sounds surrounding me.

As he gave me this hint, my ears got crowded with outer influences.
I heard the forest, swaying with the wind, full of life.
I listened to dangerous creatures killing small animals…killing a mortal woman, her screams and prayers shrill in my ear…Her still beating heart pumping the blood through her body with mad speed, ready for the taking…

Mad from rising hunger now, I imagined hearing a heartbeat, coming closer every second. I stared at my master for confirmation and he nodded.

“You are right, there is still a mortal living here.“ he replied, took my arm and directed me out the hall and towards one of the smaller private chambers.

While we walked, he gently rubbed the inner side of my wrist.
When I was mortal, I never cared about this spot. For a vampire, the inner thin layer of skin around the wrist is such a sensitive zone that he feels the desperate impulse to rip open his own skin and drink, should no other do it.

Of course, Dracula had the greatest pleasure in tormenting me to no end, and so he continued to touch my wrist with feather-light touches, observing me while my inner struggle clearly must have been evident on my face.

We reached a chamber’s wooden door and Dracula opened it for me to go first, smiling with false politeness.

Carl lay in bed, his steady heartbeat and breathing told me about his deep slumber.
While being in an utter state of unconsciousness, Carl’s face didn’t show any trail of insanity or an empty mind. He looked just like “my” old Carl, creative head, secret genius and humorous friar.
But I knew that this Carl was long gone, only leaving a walking corpse wearing flesh and bones.

My eyes wet with blood tears, I turned from the sleeping form, ready to leave the room and seek some solitude, but Dracula grasped my arm with a rough movement.

“Have you forgotten our little ‘plan’ from last night?“ he addressed me in a teasingly childish voice.

“Let me leave!“ I raised my voice, which was not a good idea.

Vlad viciously pulled my arm and bent it on my back, so that I came to lean against him. His angry hiss made an escape impossible.

“You WILL take this…poor excuse of a man, tonight. Now! I will not accept any delay.”

My maker’s commanding voice let the panic in me rise again. I knew that I had no other choice as to bend to Dracula’s will. He and my nature would not accept it.

Still, I needed to know about what had happened to Carl.

“How and why?“ I simply addressed Vlad, who raised a brow and then – with an agreeing nod – began to explain

“You remember the night I sent for you?”

I shook my head. This night had been too full of nightmares.

With a resigned look on his face, Dracula continued. “I sent Heinrich for you, a new member of the staff. In the process of getting to you, he must have knocked Carl unconscious. A bit too hard, I must admit. Carl’s brain got ‘a bit’ damaged and Heinrich, being such a ‘genius’”, he snorted at his own sarcastic remark, “didn’t take notice of this. So he brought Carl with him, proudly presenting me a former bright mind with a split head.”

I growled with fury. I couldn’t accept the fact that Carl’s fate had been so dramatically changed by a dumb, disgusting creature of Dracula.

“I agree, of course I killed Heinrich instantly. I cannot allow such stupidity living under my roof.“ Vlad continued his narration with a bumptious undertone in his voice.

“Unfortunately, I was not able to safe your little friar’s brain. Obviously, his skull was split. His brain lay open and he had already lost a lot of cerebrospinal fluid.”

Dracula waited for a reaction from me, but when none came, heuggeugged and went on to explain about Carl’s state he was in.

“I closed his wound and decided to keep him. For you. I know that you care a great deal for your young friend here and you probably would have gone mad, too, without knowing about the friar’s fate.”

I questioningly raised my brows. Dracula, caring about my sanity? Surely this has been an ironic strike by Dracula again. But when I searched his face for the famous smirk, I was not able to find the slightest hint of it.

Vlad obviously felt my stunned gaze on him and raised his voice again to bring the story to an end.

“I thought it best to leave him for you. I know that you would never speak a single word to me again, if it would be me who’d end this poor man’s existence. I would miss your insults.” There was the devilish grin again and I couldn’t help but heave a sigh and slightly smile along.

I took a few steps towards the bed, where Carl still was fast asleep, uninterrupted by our small dialogue.
I studied his face as to memorize every part of it. These short moment evoked many memories. Funny, strange and dangerous situations, where frightened little Carl had stood by my side so loyal.
What was there left for him? He had lost everything. He reminded me of myself, not knowing anything about my past. Except he also had lost his sanity and all of his talents.

I would end his life before he would lose his dignity as well.

With that last self-convincing thought in my hungry mind, I sat down on the warm sheets of Carl’s bed and reached for his leftek tek to stroke it lightly. Drawn to the warmth and almost invisible movement of a large artery in his soft throat, my fingers trailed up his neck and gently cupped the chin.
Fascinated by the powerful pulse that throbbed against my fingers, I bent down towards his neck and extended my tongue to take a first taste.

Just like Dracula had done it to me the last night, I started to lick a special spot on the skin and broke it by using a single fang. My master’s observant eyes gleamed with pride and hunger, as he witnessed my feeding on Carl.

Slow feeding makes the anticipation for the ‘large sip’ so much more pleasurable.
The first few drops of Carl’s essence seared my tongue and I desperately tried to circle them in my mouth, not wanting to miss a moment of the rich taste.

Soon I got impatient and bit into the neck with full force to break the artery. The hot liquid stained my white lips and rushed into my mouth so quickly, that I had to take big swallows as not to waste drops of the precious blood.

Carl’s essence caused only faint images in my mind. The memory of his parents, the sun shining down on him (I inaudibly mourned at that particular memory, for I will never feel the sun’s warm rays on my body again), and the taste of fresh beer.
It was another aspect that let me savour the blood with pure bliss. The sheer taste of it.
It was virginal blood.

Until now I always had thought of vampires preferring the blood of a virgin as a stupid rumour. A sick legend and nothing more…
But the velvety liquid on my tongue told me other stories…stories of purity, innocence, goodness and forgiveness. All what a vampire had lost and seeks with every senseless kill in his eternal existence.

Understanding formed in my mind. Dracula had made me a gift by giving Carl to me. He had taught his fledgling a lesson without using any words I would not have listened to, anyway.

Blood cannot be ignored. Generosity, either.

And so I rose from Carl’s bed that held his now still, cooling form, to approach my master.
Vlad had no time left to express his surprise, when I took his face into my hands and shared the last precious drops of this unique liquid with him. I kissed him deeply and passionately and let him lick my bloodstained lips dry.

Together we absorbed the last remains of purity. I looked at my master contentedly and saw that he wore the same expression on his face. I felt that this moment had brought us closer together.
I felt that I wanted to trust him, to learn more from him.

Dracula received my signals with a satisfied smile on his lips, took me by the waist and led me out of the castle, towards the forest.

“Let me show you the real pleasures oe nie night…”

To be continued...