Violent Delights and Ends

Chapter 2 - Blood Promise

This chapter is seen through Oliver's POV where he promises Barry his blood in return for saving his life. And there's some justice for Lauriver.

Oliver's POV

After telling John to go and pick up William who had been at his best friend's place with his kids, and said good night to Felicity, I went home with a vampire attached to my arm. He was silent the whole time. Which was strange, because until now he'd been talking way too much for my liking.
  I thought bringing a vampire into the castle would give us more odd looks than it did, but the only person who raised an eyebrow was the guard outside the castle dungeon, where I planned on keeping the vampire for now.
  "I found him trespassing in the woods." I explained which wasn't actually that far from the truth and I noticed Barry's red eyes on me as I spoke to the guard.
  "I've got this, you can leave for now." I told the guard after he had unlocked the old rusty door to the dark cell and the vampire gave me a strange worried look as if I planned on killing him. Or maybe he had been kept in a cellar by Hunter too? What if I was a horrible person for rewarding someone who saved my life with a dark cell?
Once the guard had left I still opened the old rusty door and I dragged the vampire inside the tiny cell. There was nothing but a lonely bed and an empty chair in the left corner. "I'm sorry there's no coffin here for you." I joked while I watched the vampire struggle with the cuffs that I still hadn't released him from.
"I don't sleep in a coffin." Barry replied with a salty voice at me and then he was shaking his head as he looked around as if he was wondering how many vampires we'd kept down here. "Actually the room where Hunter kept me doesn't look that much different from this cell." he added and I felt sympathy for him again and almost wished that I could welcome him to a guest room but my family would freak out if I did. I quickly shook my stupid thoughts that I shouldn't have.
"I'm sorry about that. But you're gonna stay here and be a good vampire until I've figured out what to do with you." I said and Barry let out a nearly audible gulp. "And don't look so intimidated I'm not gonna kill you unless you give me a reason too." I warned him and then a chuckle left my mouth as his red eyes widened. I never thought a vampire would make me laugh. Maybe it was something in his blood that affected me after all? Whenever I looked at him the calming feeling of his blood in my veins returned to me.
"I'm gonna need to feed." Barry spoke quietly, his voice barely a whisper. He sounded afraid of uttering those words. Not like other vampires who would've just attacked me by now.
  "Of course, I hadn't even been thinking about that." I said because it was true, I had completely forgotten about his urges and I looked around in confusion as if we had blood stashed up in the prison cell.
"I suppose you don't have human blood around..." the vampire said as if he could read my thoughts and I was shaking my head. "No. You'll have to drink from me." I couldn't even believe I just said that. Did I offer my blood freely to a vampire? He must have a hold on me somehow. But I didn't feel afraid. Barry looked just as surprised, his mouth fell wide open and he seemed to be about to inject something, but before he could I stepped out of his cell and closed the door.
  "After I've checked in on my wife and son to make sure they're asleep, I'll come back so you can feed. After all you saved my life." I said and then I left the dungeon and the confused, or maybe worried, vampire. I felt a buzz at the prospect of letting a beautiful vampire drink from me.

I quietly snuck into William's bedroom next to mine and Laurel's, but I feared waking him up so I just watched him sleep for a second before I planted a quick kiss on his forehead. "Good night, my sweet boy." I whispered before I closed the door and entered mine and Laurel's room instead.
My beautiful wife was sitting up in our bed reading a book, when I entered our huge bedroom and she instantly placed it down on the nightstand when I approached her. "Hi, honey." I said lovingly and gave her a quick peck on her soft pink lips.
  "Where have you been?" Laurel asked when our lips parted and gave me that knowing look she often gave me when she knew I hadn't been where I said I'd be. "I know you haven't been with our son, because he was asleep when John came home with him a few minutes ago." she said with her usual 'I'm not buying your crap tone' and I sighed and sat down on the bedside next to her.
"You cannot mention a word of this to anyone, not even Thea. I know my sister and she'd not shut up about this and the royal council wouldn't like it." Laurel's eyes widened in worry and fear because she knew I was about to say something important. She just nodded and reached for my hand.
"I've been stopping criminals for a while now, werewolves, witches, vampires and even humans who breaks our laws and I've been sending them to your father so he can arrest them." I started to explain everything about my secret night-job and she slowly eased the hold on my hand and gained a worried, slightly upset, look in her blue eyes. Honestly I wasn't sure where my sudden need to be honest came from, but I knew I had to tell my wife the truth.
  "Wow, Ollie... I thought you were up to something, but why haven't you said anything until now?" My wife asked curiously and pulled a hand through her long chestnut colored hair.
  "I wanted to keep you out of it so you wouldn't get some crazy idea to start helping me. It's not safe." my words caused her to look more upset again which was understandable.
  "Then why is it okay for you to do it?" she wondered and her blue-green wolf eyes glowed for a moment.
"That's not important right now. What is important is the reason why I lied tonight. I was out looking for Merlyn. According to your father, he escaped prison using his magic and he was probably working with someone else because I was shot tonight." Laurel's eyes widened in fear and she grabbed my hand again as if she just forgot she was upset with me two seconds ago.
"Laurel, I'm okay... because thankfully a vampire healed me. But don't worry, I didn't let him go because I don't fully trust him. So he's in the castle dungeons now." That reminded me of my crazy promise to the bloodsucker. Why did I promise him my blood? And why did the thought of it not disgust or scare me? I was actually intrigued to know what it felt like to be bitten by the very different vampire.
"Why would a vampire save your life?" Laurel asked and distracted me from the thoughts of Barry and his compelling fangs and red eyes. "Not that I'm complaining." she quickly added and her words made me smile fondly back at her and a warm chuckle escaped my throat.
  "Honestly I'm still trying to figure that one out too. He said he's on the run from Hunter Solomon. But knowing that ancient monster, I don't know if I can trust this young and very naive vampire. He might be working for him as a spy and pretend to be so...kind." Listen to yourself, Oliver. Vampires aren't kind. "But tomorrow night I'll contact the vampire queen, Kara Zorel." I said as I was making up a plan in my own head while I spoke. I had barely even talked to the vampire queen. Only briefly on her wedding last year.
Laurel seemed to be processing everything I just said for a while, before she spoke again. "Okay, then I will try to support you in any way you need me to. But Ollie, from now on you and my father need to be honest with me so that I can do my job properly." she said and I squeezed her hand back for not hating me.
  "I will be honest with you from now on. I promise, my pretty wolf." I swore before I leaned in to kiss her gently but passionately. She returned the kiss and placed a hand against my cheek.
"Thanks for telling me." Laurel murmured against my lips when they had parted and I smiled softly at her. Then I got out of the bed and changed into more comfortable clothes, a pair of sweatpants and a black t-shirt before I crawled back into bed to pretend that I was going to sleep too. I couldn't tell her about the blood promise to Barry.
"Good night, my beautiful wife." I said and tucked her into my arms while she smiled softly and rested her head on my chest. "Good night, Ollie." she whispered back and closed her eyes.
Then I pretended to fall asleep until I was sure she was asleep. "I love you, Laurel." I whispered as I rolled out of bed very carefully to avoid waking her. Because what I was about to do now was crazy. But I was intrigued. I don't know if it was the vampire's blood who drew me to him or what the hell it was, but I knew I needed to see him again, I thought while I snuck down to the castle dungeons.

Another guard outside the cell who had the night-shift had fallen asleep, which was good. I picked up the key I had kept before and unlocked the door before I stepped into the dark dungeon.
  Barry stood up and looked at me when I approached him. "Oliver... I've been thinking and it's not a very good idea for me to drink your blood." he said but I didn't listen. I removed his hand-cuffs and he nearly gasped as the burn-marks of the vervain slowly faded.
  "Please, listen to me. It's my blood luring you in, you should leave now, before I hurt you." I noticed the panic in his voice when he backed away from me and his red eyes were wide in panic too.
  "When was the last time you fed?" I asked, still ignoring his warnings because the cold beautiful creature was fascinating. His dark hair, those red eyes, the red lips. I need his bite. I need to feel his poison pulse through my veins.
  The vampire's eyes drifted away from me when he finally responded. "The night before I ran away, but I really can't drink from you, Oliver. I used to be addicted to werewolf blood when Hunter first turned me and forced me to feed on not just humans. But your people too. And I... lost control once and I killed a young werewolf girl." Barry said and took a few more steps away from me with a look of fear in his eyes until he had backed into the bed. All I felt for him in that moment was compassion.
  "It's not your fault. Hunter made you do it and the wolf girl wasn't willing, Barry. But I am." I said. If the other werewolves could hear my crazy words right now and the thoughts about how eager I was they would lock me up until the vampire blood was out of my system. But I couldn't help it. "And besides I'm gonna contact the vampire queen tomorrow, because she can probably offer you some sort of protection." I started and placed a hand against the vampire's cold pale cheek while I gazed into his red eyes. His skin felt so cold against my warm hand. "But I can't make a deal with her... if you're all dried out because I weakened you... by drinking from you." My voice became more lowered with every word, when I was standing that close to the vampire and noticed the effect my close presence had on him, it was quite exhilarating actually. I could hear my own heartbeats increase in my chest and the racing pulse as the anticipation built up inside me.
  Suddenly the vampire rushed away from me to hide in the dark corner but I stared to approach him again.
"No. Don't. Sorry, I- I just can't. I don't know if I'll be able to stop. You have a wife and a kid and a whole pack you're the alpha off and heck you're the future king of the werewolves. And I'd be more damned than I already am, if I hurt you." Barry rambled out all his fears and he sighed deeply, while he covered his face in his hands.
  Still I found myself approaching him again and then I reached for his cold hand, it really was cold, just like his cheek earlier and maybe more so because my skin was the complete opposite. Always warm. But strangely enough I didn't feel repelled by his cold touch, because just like his blood, his cold skin had a calming effect on me. Maybe that should be another alarm bell? That's why vampires are so dangerous because they lure you in with their beauty and sensuality and they're experts on mind control. Maybe Barry is controlling me at this very moment?
"Barry, I've been fighting vampires far older and more powerful than you. And besides I thought we agreed that I'm calling the shots so when I tell you to stop, you will." I said and I couldn't keep my lips from twitching into a smile. The vampire still didn't seem convinced, but then his eyes darted to my neck and I could read on his face that my blood was tempting. "Barry, it's okay." I assured him and closed my eyes.