There was blood on the snow.
He followed it, bare feet sinking into the icy white as he walked. Every fiber of his being was on edge, a potent feeling of danger coursing through his frame. He peered at the snow–bloody paw prints turned into even bloodier foot prints, punctuated by red hand prints occasionally, like someone had fallen and pushed themselves back up.
And then he saw it, a huddled figure. "Kier?" He stepped closer. The figure stilled and lifted their head, turning to look at him. "Richard? Richard, what–"
Richard snarled at him, baring glistening white fangs, blood smeared and splattered across his face and body. It dripped from his hands and Edward realized that he'd been hunched over a body. He moved closer.
It was Kier, or rather what was left of Kier, his body torn apart, his face deathly white, eyes open and staring at nothing. A few feet away lay another body, a blonde woman in a similar state.
"What did you do? Richard, what did you do?" He moved forward, only to have a force slam into him, sending him flying into a tree, his body breaking against the wood. He landed hard in the snow and coughed, blood splattering the sparkling white. Richard was on top of him a moment later and he screamed as fangs tore into his throat. Blood gurgled in his mouth and he struggled under the other vampire; suddenly he could feel everything– the iciness of the snow, the sudden heat of blood, blood that shouldn't have been warm, and pain, so much pain–
Edward screamed and woke up with a start, pain blossoming in his mouth, the iron taste of blood on his tongue. His hand went to his throat only to find it intact. It had only been a nightmare. He pushed his hair out of his face and touched his mouth- his fangs had lowered in his sleep and he'd punctured his bottom lip; he licked the blood and grimaced. Getting up with a soft groan, he wrapped the sheet around his waist and padded into his bathroom. The tile was cold under his bare feet as he turned on the bath water.
He glanced back at his bed as he waited for the tub to fill; there was dark blood staining his pillow and he groaned, knowing he'd have to wash it soon or he'd have to throw the whole thing away.
He dropped the sheet and climbed into the tub, sinking under the water.
The water wasn't warm enough.
It made him mad.
He didn't know how long he stayed in the tub for but when he climbed out and walked back into his room to dress, there were two red eyes watching him from the corner. A match was thrown into the fireplace a moment later and the shadows faded away, revealing his cousin slouched in a chair, one leg dangling carelessly over the arm. "Long time, no see," Richard said. He grinned, a little too wide, and it was a sharp, toothy gash in his handsome, too perfect face.
Edward stalled slightly. Everything in his body screamed at him danger but it was just Richard. He felt his fangs push through his gums and his nails lengthened. He hid his hands. "How long have you been here?"
"Aren't you glad to see me?" He rose from the chair and walked toward Edward. Something was wrong but Edward couldn't place it. All he knew was that this wasn't the same Richard from before. He was too smooth, too confident, too perfect. A predator. He leaned toward his cousin and sniffed. "You're dyyyyyyying," he muttered, his voice lilting. He pulled a flask from his pocket and waved it in front of him. "Want some? It's fresh."
Edward took the flask from his cousin and sipped it slowly, Richard watching him carefully. "What happened to your wolf boyfriend?" He questioned. "I thought he was taking care of you."
"He wasn't my boyfriend."
The blonde gave him an incredulous look. "So where is he?"
"Not here."
The other vampire sniffed. "Judging from the distinct lack of his scent, he hasn't been here for quite some time."
Edward glared at him as he sipped from the flask.
Richard arched an eyebrow at his apparent indifference. "Did you bite him?"
"What? No!"
Richard laughed. "Lying, lying," he said. He clicked his tongue on the roof of his mouth. "Did you kill him?"
"No!"
Richard made a noise like he was disgusted. "You're so boring." He flopped onto Edward's bed. "So you bit him and what? Freaked out about it?"
"I told him to get out or I'd kill him," Edward said.
"I noticed our maid is missing."
"Why did you come home?" Edward demanded.
"I missed you."
"No, you didn't. Why did you really come back?"
Richard got up. "You've gotten really irritating, cousin. How you can be boring in life and even more so in death is beyond me." He snatched the flask out of Edward's hand and screwed the lid back on. Edward noticed he had avoided answering his last question. "Why don't you come out with me tonight? I want to take you somewhere, and you really should get out of this...stuffy old house." He glanced around disdainfully.
Edward watched him for a moment. "Okay. Okay, I'll come out with you."
Richard's eyes flashed dangerously. "Wear something nice," he said, baring too many teeth as he grinned. He breezed out of the room, leaving nothing behind but the lingering feeling that something wasn't right.
