Twisted Tales: Vampire Bites By Midnight (Malleus x Reader)

Fang 15: Incompetence Pt. 1

Jack's POV:

(A few weeks earlier)

I knew that my words to her may have come off a little strong, if not outright rude, but I was desperate.

After seeing all the innocent lives lost, all the families broken apart because of it.

Because of them.

I couldn't just not do anything.

I figured she'd be up in arms about receiving my help anyways but I at least got one thing- her scent.

That proved exceptional since her scent was pretty unique; even among a crowd, I could track her down easily.

I told my assistant to close the shop early before tailing her towards the stop, making sure to be a foot or so away so she wouldn't notice me.

Once she got to the bus stop, I hid behind some bushes across from her to gauge her movements.

Knowing how persistent they were, they were gonna come at her one way or another, talisman or not.

Hell, they liked when their catches were harder to get to; it was like a game to them.

I guess you could say they're not too much different from most beastmen.

My ears raised as a sharp chill ran down my back as if someone poured water on me.

I went into a stance and attuned my senses to whatever was coming as the temperature dropped drastically, though when the fog came in it made me wish I hadn't.

The rotten odor from the green mist invaded every orifice in my body; all I could see, taste, and smell was green.

My muscles tensed as I lurched backward, my body fighting itself to find something, anything at all that could get this torturously awful stench out of my lungs.

The odor was powerful, like a mixture of week-old eggs, spoiled milk, and any other foul odor you could think of.

And it was intensifying by the second.

I willed myself to move but my body wouldn't listen, nothing but the cold sweat and the feeling of nausea culminating in my stomach.

All I could do was take it as the sound of hysterical laughter erupted around me with Gwendolyn's coughing coming soon after.

I was on the verge of passing out before I saw a bright light, the glow intensifying and causing the fog to roll away almost as quickly as it came.

As soon as it did I ran as fast as I could to a nearby trashcan and heaved all of the built-up nausea my body held from before.

Even after finally puking, I still felt awful and most of my senses had been depleted, leaving me with my sense of hearing.

From what I gathered, Gwendolyn was fairing about as well as I was, and I was especially thankful she was wearing her talisman properly.

I wasn't sure how much longer I'd be able to take that.

Through her hacking and wheezing, I could hear a motor purring-the motor of the bus.

Just my luck.

I knew I needed to tail after her, but there was no way I could after that.

My throat and eyes were on fire, and my nose was dripping with mucus; very bad signs when you're trying to tail someone who's a target for vampirism.

This must've been their angle from the start!

They must've known I was near her and used their magic to conjure that stench to ruin my ability to smell since a beastman's nose is one of his aces.

Once I regained control of myself, I sniffed out what I could and headed in the direction I saw the bus go.

~~~~~~

Her house, a red-bricked, two-story home on a fairly lackluster, middle-class block wasn't as far away as I thought it would be.

Made me a little embarrassed at my worrying about not tracking her.

Something about the lack of a porchlight being on struck odd to me, and the unfamiliar scent coming off the door didn't help.

I charged inside up the stairs, my wand in my hand and mind prepared for anything.

But when I got there, she was gone.

I couldn't have been mistaken- this place had her scent all over it.

Mostly, at least.

Pictures of her dotted the furniture and I could see her sunhat set on the couch beside the door's entrance.

"You're wasting time, wolf," a voice growled behind me.

Before I could act, I felt a fist go into my ribs, the force strong enough to knock me into a table full of her and her cousin's family photos with both of them toppling over me as I fell into the wall.

Not planning on letting this asshole get away with that, I wiped the blood from my mouth before changing into my wolf form and charging at him.

I managed to send him into a wall of photos in the same way he did me prior before grabbing his arm with my teeth.

I thrashed him around a bit, his screaming sounding like music to my ears as his body shook like a ragdoll through the furniture before I finally let him go.

By the time I was done with him, he and the living room looked like a tornado came through them.

Though I, unfortunately, couldn't fully discern the state of his body due to the darkness, I could smell his blood.

And the fear that came with it.

I licked my teeth as I towered over him for good measure; I couldn't speak, but I was sure he knew what I wanted from him.

I could kill him, but I needed information first.

He nervously raised his good arm towards me, the red in his eyes fading into a deep green.

"D-don't kill me! I can lead you to the girl!" His words were practically spilling out of him. "I was ordered to take her to an old cabin just outside of the Queendom!"