Moonlight Dance: A Vampire's Tale

Chapter 8

Sir Thrinn was thoroughly dead. Tom quickly picked up the dagger that had fallen to the ground and hurried towards Llsa. The vampire's eyes were wide open as she struggled to move back.
 "Hey, don't be afraid!" Tom came up to her, speaking through the wooden cage. "This was necessary. You saw how cruel the baron's men were! You said you could outsmart them, but I couldn't take that risk!" His face was tense but concerned. "Once they found the cave, both of us would have been done for-especially you, Llsa. I can't even imagine what horrors they'd inflict on a girl like you! So, I made my own decision to gain their trust, then take them out. It was a bit dangerous," he glanced at the knight's corpse, "but we pulled it off!"

Llsa's fear began to fade. She relaxed, and her lovely eyes showed a hint of relief. "But I still need to apologize, Llsa. I'm sorry." He lowered his gaze, his lashes trembling with guilt. "I didn't expect that scoundrel to shoot an arrow at you... That arrow was like a stab to my own heart-it hurt like hell. But I had to keep calm, play the part, not give anything away... Can you forgive me?"

Despite the torment of this betrayal, Llsa struggled to nod slightly.
 "I knew you'd understand!" The boy smiled with relief. "Now, let me get you out of here!" He rushed to Sir Thrinn's body, bending down to search. "Got it!" Tom returned to Llsa, holding up a ring of keys. "The knight used this to lock the cage." He pulled out the largest one. "Let me unlock this for you!"

Llsa's eyes glimmered with hope as she watched Tom's hand move towards the large iron lock. But just before the key touched the keyhole, Tom stopped.

Llsa's hopeful gaze turned to confusion.

Tom let go of the lock, dropping it, and then casually attached the keys to his belt. He gave Llsa a mocking smile.

Llsa's confusion turned to fear.

"Haha!" Tom burst into laughter. "I love that look on your face!" The boy clasped his hands behind his back and leaned forward, bringing his face close to the cage. "You look so much better afraid than you did when you were all high and mighty." Llsa realized that the boy's voice had changed entirely, nothing like the way he spoke when they first met. "Let you out? Don't be ridiculous, vampire. You're my prize-a gift that fell from the heavens. I can use you to clear my name and win the baron's favor. A vampire is enough to make the people of his domain flock to him for protection and support. That idiot," he tilted his head towards Sir Thrinn, "probably thought of that too. Only, he didn't expect to die at my hands."

Llsa's breathing quickened; betrayed twice, her anger was boiling.
 "Oh, don't get worked up, I'll tell you everything." Tom lifted his head, staring down at the vampire with an arrogant, smug expression. "The old fox spiked the wine, planning to drug me and kill me. I smelled it, so I didn't drink much. When I came back, I knew Bun was already dead, because that wine was obviously meant for the fat fool. The old fox wanted to keep all the reward for himself-we were perfectly aligned in that regard!" He chuckled. "Even if he hadn't drugged me, I would have killed both of them anyway, returned alone, and taken the credit. Good thing he killed Bun for me-though that fool was kind of endearing. I might've wasted a lot of time enjoying his struggle..."

Their roles had completely reversed. In front of Llsa was no longer the boy she had known, but a monster. It seemed she had never truly known Tom at all.
 "Relax, I'm not going to touch you. Only a lunatic like the knight would want to mess around with a vampire. Men like him die between a woman's thighs, and maybe finishing him off was an act of mercy."

Llsa's nostrils flared in fury, her throat producing low, guttural growls.
 "Oh, come on, don't pretend anymore. No one's coming to save you. The queen of the forest? Please!" Tom spat. "If they cared, those beasts would've rescued you by now. Instead, here you are." Suddenly, he reached out, grabbing Llsa's hair, yanking her head up. "Maybe they just don't want to get near you anymore. After all, you're even uglier and more disgusting now that you're a vampire." He smirked as he gazed at her face, savoring the humiliation and despair mingling there. "You'll die, my dear Llsa. A stake and flames are what await you. But I don't hate you, honestly. We have no quarrel. In fact, you're even kind of my benefactor. The ones I hate are my parents, my foster brother, and that bastard Sir Thrinn. You can't imagine how good it felt to kill those people!"