The Heart of a Vampyre
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Chapter 1
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Chichi's mind raced as she tried to fight the Creature off, she was so terrified that she was unable to think a single clear thought.
"I am quite sure, in fact, that you will love your new... UN-life." he said in her ear before she felt a sharp pain in her neck, she once again she tried to struggle against him but she was so worn out that it was as if she had sat still. Suddenly she felt a shot of pain and then a slow cold started to spread out from her neck, she started to shiver.
"You see, as long as blood is transferred, it does not matter whether it is consensual or not," she heard him say, "Strictly speaking I should have killed you, drained you of blood, but then it is much more difficult to deliver enough blood through your system before you die." he continued but she no longer heard him, a strange lethargy started to creep into her mind and she was only vaguely aware of being lifted over the stabbing painful cold that had her body trembling like an autumn leaf in a gale.
Tears started to roll down her face as, over the lethargy, she realised that if she gave in to the cold, the crawling blackness, she would not live to see another dawn. This on its own was not what made her silent tears flow but that she knew that it would not end there, she knew that she would wake up but not as who she was but something else a creature like the one who was leaving now, and she also knew she was not strong enough to fight it forever.
She then had a hopeful thought, If I can just hold on till morning I might make it. She had read somewhere that if an infected person can be stopped from turning until the next day, they might be ok. She held onto that thought with all her mind, willing herself not to loose, not to give in. The cold had spread now; she could barely feel her own body and what she could feel was pain, cold stabbing pain in every part of her. But she resolved to get through it, to take the pain, anything was better than giving to the comforting, soft, dark fog and waking up with an unquenchable thirst, an insatiable hunger for blood.
She lay where she was and thought about how that creature, Drake was what he called himself, had done to the poor people in her hunter squad, a pang of guilt hit her then as she realised that he was right, she had practically gift wrapped them for him, she had been so focused on hunting down all of his kind for the things they had done to her family that she had neglected to consider training her hunter team. She had trained herself for years but had just assumed that if they joined her they would know what they were doing. She had been so wrong, so self-centred, not that it would have done them any good, her training hadn't gotten her anywhere but her end, No! she thought, It's not the end, I’ll fight this, I will survive, I'll get revenge for all of those who have suffered or died at these creatures hands.
Oddly enough as she brought her mind back to the now, struggling to focus, she found that the cold was leaving, slowly but surely. The pain however was worse than it had ever been and she moaned in pain. Opening her eyes, not having noticed they were closed before, she could see that somehow she was in a king size bed and wearing a lacy silk nightgown. Strange, someone must have dressed her. As she tried to move her head to look about the pain doubled and she gasped. It was worth it though she could see the slight lightening beneath the curtains that were drawn at on side of the room. She had almost made it; it would be dawn soon. Finding the pain bearable she turned again to see a young man staring at her with a half worried, half confused expression on his face. This must be the one who had dressed her and placed her here.
Suddenly he heard something and his face paled and he ran from the room with a shout, "Master!"
Slightly confused at what was going on Chichi only sat up and looked around, she was in a large hall with what looked like French windows facing east. The curtains were thick and velvety, and only the slight lightening beneath them showed the approach of dawn. The great bed she was in was styled like an old English, four-poster bed with a canopy and the wood was carved with lots of flowers and stems. There was a dresser and a wardrobe and a full-length mirror all carved in the same style, What's the point Chichi thought as she saw it, It's not like they can admire themselves in it.
She then realised that she had heard someone say something, she tried to concentrate on the words, "...sorry master, I didn't know what to do, it's never happened before..." she recognised with a bit of effort that it was the man who had rushed off, she somehow felt that she was very tired and it wasn't easy to concentrate.
"Do not apologise, there was nothing you could have done Michael, be calm." This time the voice, although pleasant, sent shivers through her spine. Drake, the vampyre. A moment later he entered the room with a still worried Michael behind him. "I thought this might happen; I was testing her will. I did not do this one just to keep the population up, she is... special." he said to his servant with a reassuring smile, he then turned to Chichi and smiled some more.
Chichi felt as if she had just climbed a mountain and then been kicked in the stomach, "Why did I bother?" she muttered to herself and slumped back. The vampyre frowned a little, "Now, now. We cannot have this. You have achieved something great this night, just because it was futile does not make it any less great. It does not matter that you fought the turn, if I were to leave you now you would die. Your body is dying as I speak, and I do not want you to die, not forever anyway." he said to her.
"So how are you going to stop me?" she replied, "If you try again I'll just fight it off again." she continued, some of her confidence returning.
"I think not, my dear," he began, "you see, you are weak now and I did not give you a full dose. Oh do not be confused, you would have turned if you had not fought with all your might but I could have given you so much more, and then you would not have had the choice." Chichi's mouth opened at the words, he had just been testing her, she hadn't won anything, he had given her a nice little advantage, just like when he gave her a minute’s head start before he chased her, she never had any real chance he had just been playing with her just like now.
"You really are a monster aren't you?" she said softly as she curled up and pulled the covers up. At that he frowned again, thought for a second and then said, "I know it must seem so to you now, but you will eventually understand why I feel this excited about your mental and physical resistance, it is rare you know? You will understand..." he said again with a sigh.
"Well you must be tired now, so I will get this over with quickly and let you rest." he moved over and took her arm.
"I'll kill that pervert of yours as soon as I wake up you know." she said unenthusiastically and he paused, she also noticed that there was a whimper from a shadowy corner of the room; apparently Michael had discreetly hidden there. "Michael did not dress you, I do have female servants too you know? I would not dishonour you so, and nor would I allow it of another." Drake said and reached into a pocket, "Now lie still I would rather do this the clean way." and withdrew a needle which he then injected her with. It must have been his blood because suddenly the lethargy in her body and the fog in her mind consumed her and she sank into the inky blackness with tears in her closing eyes.
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As he watched her slip into the last sleep of her normal life, Drake sighed again and wiped the tears from her face, she hated him so much! Him and all his kind, she did not understand yet, she would soon but not yet. As he saw her body shiver and shake again he felt like covering her, to make her warm, but he knew that nothing could save her now she would die and then she would awaken tomorrow night. He did not know why he felt she was special but he did, it was not just her strength and will, that was a bonus but there was something else too. As he walked out of the room he pondered what it might be.
"That will be all for today Michael," he said without looking at his servant, "She will not need further attention and I must go out and collect something for her first meal, I would rather that you were not It." Michael nodded with a worried look on his face and waited. Drake stopped, and then turned with another sigh, 'I must stop doing that so often' he thought, "Look," he began, "there was nothing you could have done, she was either going to turn or she was not, I do not blame you. Now, if she had died I may have had reason to blame you but you know that I would forgive you that... eventually anyway. So relax, go out see a girl or whatever it is you do when you are not in my service. Just have... fun, yes that is the word, go have fun." and with that he watched as Michael smiled slightly, bowed and walked briskly down the hall. Smiling slightly the ancient vampyre walked down the hall after him.
