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

Fang 31: Gesamtkunstwerk Pt. 2

You felt like you had been wandering in the tall field of lavenders for hours, though you didn't mind.

It wasn't very cold compared to when you were in the fog, and your aches dulled.

Once you made it to the end of the sea of lavenders, you spotted someone across from you sitting in between the split trunk of a tree.

It was a young man who looked to be about in his 20s humming an unfamiliar lullaby as he held a lavender in his gloved hands.

His eyes were an unnatural shade of green, and his porcelain-colored skin seemed to glow from the little bit of sunlight that fell into the field.

His features looked somewhat effeminate, holding a gentler expression than the other males you came across.

His black frills and extravagant suit were telltale signs that he was a resident of that mansion, though something about him was different from the other vampires you met there.

Two large black horns poked out from either side of his elegant head, which was draped in smooth black hair that fell on his shoulders like satin curtains.

You had to admit that the man looked beautiful, like something out of a painting.

You could watch him for hours...

No. I need to get out of here.

You shouldn't get enwrapped by this–at the end of the day he was a...was he a vampire?

You weren't sure if he was or something else entirely but you didn't want to find out so you backed away to rejoin the sea of lavenders–

"And just where do you think you're going?" His calm yet stern voice startled you so badly that you accidentally stepped on a dead branch that made your nerves worse.

Your heart fell into your stomach and you could feel the goosebumps on your skin rise, but you didn't dare move from your position.

You could make out his frown, but he didn't turn to look at you, much to your relief.

After a moment his features softened.

"Human life is such a delicate thing," he began as he held the lavender a few inches away from his face, "just like a seed, it craves for nourishment. And with nourishment comes growth," as he spoke the lavender buds sprouted immediately, the flowers big and exuding a beautiful shade of purple.

"People admire that growth and flock to it. And yet, like petals in the wind," the lavender wilted as quickly as it blossomed, "it vanishes all the same."

When he turned to you, your muscles tensed and your blood ran cold.

He smiled.

"Be still, Child of Man. There is no danger to be found here," his voice made you relax and your heartbeat slowed a little.

This confused you, as it didn't seem like something you did willingly.

The back of your head was still screaming at you to get away as you didn't trust him, but your body was fighting against you.

His lips curled into a grin as he stared at you with those lime-green eyes.

"You've been taking advantage of your life since your stay at the mansion, haven't you?" He asked as he placed his hands in his lap.

You stayed silent, which he didn't seem to mind.

"After all, you've been boldly mouthing off and refusing our meals. We can't afford to have an unhealthy bridegroom, can we?"

Your brows twinned at his words, though you hesitated before you spoke for fear of provoking him.

An angry vampire would be very bad news.

"Well, I wasn't exactly invited here by choice," was all you said as you looked away.

You braced for the worst, but his sigh caught you off guard.

You blinked as you turned to face him, his eyes closed and back resting against the tree as if deep in thought.

"Indeed," he said finally, his eyes still closed, "I would not deny my attendants were less than considerate of your comfort."

"Wait...who are you?"

"Why, the owner of the very mansion you've been residing in," he said with an elegant hand gesture, his smile evident.

You had to catch your breath.

I've been talking to Malleus Draconia this whole time?

Your stare caused him to laugh.

"Were you expecting a decrepit old man wielding a cane?"

You paused.

"I wasn't expecting you to be this nice."

He laughed again, but more gently as he placed a hand over his mouth.

"You are an interesting one."

I should be saying the same thing about you.

He straightened.

"Come. Let us go back home, then."

Your face fell but you didn't bother to resist.

After all, you knew this kindness came with conditions, and once those conditions were fulfilled, you were sure he'd turn.

You were sure he'd make Lilia and Sebek look like Teletubbies once he revealed his true colors.

He gently took you in his arms and carried you princess-style as he ran through the lavender field and into the main road, the fog all but gone.

You closed your eyes to protect them from the chill, though once you opened them he was already at the mansion's entrance.

...Or what you assumed to be another of its many entrances, as the door didn't look like the same double doors you and Grim had been taken to, nor was the path that he walked on the same either.

This had to have been the back of the castle mansion.

The metal door opened on its own as Malleus walked through it, still carrying you in his arms.