Dancing with the Devil

Chapter 1

800 years ago

Pakin frowns at the vampire. He has only been with him for a year and already he has grown restless and petulant. Most vampires feel a bond with their sires and are easy to control, even ones changed unwillingly but Korn hasn’t developed any such bond. Up until this point only Pakin’s threats against his family have kept the vampire in line and even that is beginning to fade.

Pakin has known for a while that the day is coming when he will have to decide if he made a mistake and Korn Theerapanyakun should be destroyed or if he should let him go. Now it seems as if that day has come.

“Why did you do this?” Pakin indicates the two bodies at Korn’s feet, some of Pakin’s most loyal vampires. Any other vampire as young as Korn wouldn’t have been able to kill them, but Korn isn’t any other vampire.

“They were disrespectful.” Korn says.

Pakin doubts that, but Korn is a strategist at heart. He has a purpose for killing these two. Pakin, who is normally in complete control of the clan, doesn’t like that he can’t figure out what that purpose is. He looks over at his mate, Graf and his newest fledgling vampire Chai who is barely a month old. Suddenly he gets it. Korn is planning to take over the clan. These two are merely his first move, the pawns in a game of chess.

He can try to destroy Korn but that could backfire, he is sure now that Korn plans on attacking him through his mate. Pakin could lose everything, but not Graf.

If he lets him go Pakin could be perceived as weak, rather than merciful and that would weaken his position. It seems to be a no-win situation, a checkmate. However, Pakin didn’t get to where he was without a few strategy skills of his own.

“Thank you, Korn. You have proven your loyalty today. I cannot let that go unrewarded. Therefore, I have decided to grant your request. I wish you to go and form your own clan.” It is something that Korn has requested to do from the beginning. He has asked over and over again that Pakin change his human family. It is unheard of in the vampire world, vampires very seldom remember anything of their human life much less feel any connection with the family they left behind. Korn is an exception in many ways.

Korn’s eyes grow wide. “You wish my family would be subservient to your clan?”

“Not at all,” Pakin says. Secretly he thinks that would be like keeping a nest of venomous snakes as pets in hope they never bite. The Theerapanyakun clan will be a power in their own right. “I would only ask for you to align yourselves with this clan and we can ward off any enemies together. I will not interfere in how your clan is run and you will not try to impede the ruling clan. That’s it.”

Korn considers this seeming to be looking for the trap or the way to turn the agreement to his own advantage. Pakin isn’t sure which, possibly both. Finally, he nods and says, “We have an agreement.”

Modern Day

Kinn has gotten separated from the clan guards, he is slightly ashamed of himself for falling so easily into his enemies’ trap. If his pursuers had been just a small number of rogue vampires, he could have easily taken them on his own but there are at least thirty on his tail.

Kinn ducks into an alleyway and tries the doors on either side. Finally, he finds one that opens easily. He finds himself in a dimly lit storage room, from the loud music on the other side of the wall he is pretty sure this is a bar or a club.

The storeroom opens into a dark hallway. Kinn looks back to make sure he hasn’t been followed into the room; he runs full force into the human knocking the man off his feet.