He stared at me, those lush red orbs looming over me carefully as he tilted his head to the side ever so slightly. I watched him, the way his pupils traced the lines on my face in silence, the dark marks that dragged down from underneath my eyes to the bottom of my chin. I let out a hefty sigh, pressing my palms into the ground behind me as I tried to sit myself up.
"It's rude to stare." I grumbled, feeling a burning at my side.
"In all my years of living..." Astarion began, wiping the blood from his mouth, "I have never met an Oathbreaker." The white haired elf scoffed slightly, "So that's why you've never taken off that tin can of a helmet." My lip twitched in annoyance as I glared at him, "And here I thought you were just ugly." I ignored his comment, leaning forward, grasping for my chest piece. Pain shot through me, making me hiss under my breath before falling back in defeat, my back slamming into the tree behind me. Astarion raised an eyebrow, his gaze flickering to my armor, and the back to me. A faint smirk spread across his thin pink lips before he plopped himself down beside me, his elbows resting on his knees as he watched me struggle in vain. I sighed, shutting my eyes as I rested my head backwards.
"What?"
"Well, now I'm curious." Astarion spoke, placing his head in his hands, "How many other dashingly handsome vampires have you met to not be afraid of me?" I opened my eyes, looking back at the pale elf. His white curls glowed under the light of the moon, his flawless porcelain skin had not a blemish or scar in sight even though we had just endured a grueling battle, a tint of red on his lips. "I thought you'd be screaming the blade of frontier's name by now." I gave a half-lidded expression in return, not at all amused by his cheeky prods or snarky remarks.
"If you wanted to, you would've drained me when I was out." I muttered, extending a foot and kicking my chest piece closer to me, "Besides," I grunted, "we both know who the bigger monster really is." Astarion's eyes glimmered slightly at my words, and maybe it was the stars accidentally catching in those deep pools of red, or maybe my brush with death had caused vivid hallucinations, because for a moment he almost seemed sympathetic. But it was a very short lived moment.
"While I find your confidence astounding," He commented, "the night is still young. Who's to say I still won't have a taste?" I reached forward, finally grabbing ahold of my armor, and laying back with a sigh. I looked at the elf, that sickening smirk still smugly painted on his lips. I was in no shape to fight back or call for help, not that I would in any sense, just a minute ago I was ready to accept my end so would this be any different? Astarion flashed me a toothy grin.
Ugh, but to die by this insufferable bastard's hand?
Pass.
Astarion seemed to grow antsy with my silence, his lips pursing into a tight line till he finally blew out some air in frustration.
"Relax, I've never killed..." He paused, "well, for food." I raised an eyebrow, watching as threw his hands up in annoyance, "I feed on animals. Boars, deers, kobolds - whatever I can get." He paused, his eyes glistening with mischievous as he smiled slightly, "But it's not enough. Not if I have to fight. I feel so weak." His gaze slowly drifted down to the dried blood that coated my fingers, "If I just had a little blood, I could think clearer. Fight better."
"What are you suggesting?"
"Well, seeing as we both have secrets we'd rather keep buried from our beloved group." Astarion began, "I believe a deal can be struck up between the two of us..." He trailed off, "Mutually assured destruction."
"You want to drink my blood in exchange for not telling them...what I am." I deadpanned. Astarion smiled, leaning into his hands a bit more.
"See? We are already on the same page." He grinned, "With my charm and well...your lack-there-of, we will make the perfect team."
"You must think I'm an idiot."
"Please." He begged, reaching forward and grabbing onto my arm, "It'll only be a taste, I swear." His long and slender fingers wrapped around my wrist, his touch was cold, or maybe my skin was just a bit too warm after almost ending up on death's doorstep. "I will be well, you'll be fine, and everything can go back to normal." He pleaded. I scoffed, trying to tear my arm away from his grasp only for him to latch onto me tighter. "Or I can just tell the warlock you're soft on what you really are." My eyes narrowed over the bastard, a faint panic underneath my hardened gaze.
An Oathbreaker was a crime to most, I can only imagine the looks of disgust from the likes of Shadowheart and Lazael as they see the darkened marks seared onto my face. And while their opinion does not bother me in the slightest, their cooperation is what matters to me, because according to the fossil back at camp, I need them to find him. Aside from that, having Wyll find out about my...condition... I scrunched up my nose slightly at the idea. I glared at Astarion, ripping my arm from his clutches with a sigh.
"How do I know you won't drain me dry?" I asked. His ruby eyes flashed happily at my question, a smug smile on his lips.
"You don't." He admitted, "That's the beauty of a partnership." He extended a hand, "Do we have a deal, Oathbreaker?" I hesitated, my (e/c) eyes carefully inspecting his outsuck fingers, as they shifted slightly. I sighed, my brows furrowing together as I frowned. I've done worse for my quest. Being in liege with a smart mouth bastard like Astarion couldn't be too bad, right? I have to...to protect Wyll. I rolled my eyes, grabbing a hold of the Vampire's hand.
"The last person to betray me died a very painful death." I said, squeezing his hand in mine tightly, only causing the pale elf to chuckle softly.
"I'm shaking in my boots." He teased, leaning forward. "Now, try and relax darling." He said softly, moving calculated and carefully as he straddled me. He smiled, taking his finger and lifting my chin up so that our eyes would meet, "I won't take too much tonight since you've already lost so much." His lips parted slowly, as he drew in an easy breath, basking in the anticipation of tasting me. I turned my head to the right, tearing away from his grasp as I offered him my neck. I felt his fingers gently trace over my skin as he slowly moved the ends of my hair aside. My eyes focused on a flower a distance aways from the both of us. It was a simple flower, one with thin white petals and bright yellow center. It was like a shard of ice into my neck - a quick, sharp pain that faded from throbbing to numbness. My body tensed under Astarion's bite, my breath catching, my pulse quickening. I felt his hand cradle the back of my head, pulling my body to press against his. I could feel my blood race as it coursed through each of our bodies, while a gentle numb feeling began to spread and the flower I had been staring at started to blur.
"That's enough." I said, my firm voice softening at the end of my words. I was becoming weak. "Stop..." I whispered, reaching up to try and pry his mouth away from my neck. Am I really going to die to this fool anyway? "Astarion-..." My vision was going dark, too dark to see the flower anymore. My limbs became heavy, too heavy to move, and my mouth was too dry to speak.
"A-Ah-..." I could vaguely hear Astarion groan, "I was just too swept away in the moment." I could barely keep my eyes open, only being able to see flashes of Astarion's face as he held mine in his hands. "I'm looking forward to our long-last partnership, Oathbreaker."
