Forever, Damien

      My dearest Anne,

      If you ever find this, I hope you'll forgive me for the hell I have made you live for an eternity.

      Every single head that trned, every single voice that entered the room had a distant heartbeat that followed with it. I could smell all of them, each and every one of them as they entered into the ballroom. Even so, there was no need for me to prowl and decide on a victim. These parties always ended the same way every night with the men being too drunk to know left from right and the women being too desperate to say no.

      I stood in the corners, admiring the elegant gowns that passed by me. Nearly all of the women were accompanied by a partner, and thus when I saw a young lady who was alone I was immediately drawn toward her. Her heartbeat was steady and calm, though as she stepped out onto the dance floor it quickened. I could feel her fear as if it were my own, and before I realized it I was approaching her.

      "The dance is about to begin any minute now," I said right on cue as the musicians raised up their instruments and started to play the first song. As couples flooded onto the dance floor I heard voices in the distant background.

      "Tonight the royal family dies along with anyone who stands in our way," a deep man's voice said.

      "I dare say this could be a blood bath, sir. If anything goes wrong you lose your position as the King's advisor," another man's voice replied.

      I gulped, and looking back at the young woman by my side I pitied how little she knew. How could it be that the King's advisor planned to kill his entire family? He sounded determined to go to whatever lengths to prove his power, and I knew what that meant for the people in the castle.

      "Is there something you desire, sir?" the young lady asked, titling her head.

      "What is your name?"

      "Azeneth," she responded.

      I listened to her heartbeat once more, allowing it to drone out the other loud noises in the room. Though I tried again to listen in on the advisor's conversation, it appeared he had moved on. I could not care less about what he planned to do to the royal family. In their eyes and everyone else's I was nothing more but a wealthy man seeking an entertaining night. However, as I glanced back over at Azeneth, I wondered how a lady like her belonged her. Her hair was long and black, and her skin was tanned a beautiful shade of light brown. Around her neck was a thin pendant made of silver, and I could see the outline of her veins. If anyone was to be mine tonight, I wanted it to be her.

      Suddenly there was a screeching sound and the music stopped. The couples on the dance floor looked around in confusion, and then one by one they started dropping to the floor. Their bodies hit the wooden floor hard, sounding off like canons, and each time one dropped another heartbeat stopped. I listened carefully and gazed around the room, though by now I suspected the advisor had numerous people involved in carrying out his plan. People screamed and several tried to escape while at the same time the royal family's guards entered in the room and pushed them aside.

      Having no other plan, I grabbed Azeneth's hand and started toward the exit.

      "Come with me," I yelled over the screams.

      "Who are you? What's happening?" she asked, trying to wiggle her arm free.

      "Come on!" I insisted, knowing there was no time for conversation. We ran out the front door as numerous people followed behind us, but the curdling screams from inside the castle had not stopped. Swords cut into the bodies, and it sounded like the advisor's plan had turned into a blood bath.

      "Let me go!" Azeneth cried, tugging at my hand.

      I released her, though we both stood without any idea of where to go. We were hardly a safe distance from the castle, but judging from the sounds inside the castle was slowly being overrun. I doubted we would ever be allowed to escape alive, and thus I took Azeneth aside.

      "My name is Damien, and I'm going to protect you," I said calmly, gazing down at her neck. Her skin looked pure and soft, and a part of me wanted to rip the white dress off of her and drink her until she was dry.

      She frowned. "Protect me from what?"

      Footsteps were approaching, and those who had ran further than us were being shot down by arrows. Smoke raised into the air, and when I glanced back I saw that a fire had started in the castle. This was the end for the royal family, the end of these people's pathetic lives, and if I allowed it... it would be the end of Azeneth.

      "Tell me, do you want to live? There's only one way I can save you from this nightmare," I explained.

      She bit down on her lip and then whispered, "I certaintly do not wish to die at the hands of murderers."

      Perhaps it was the lack of blood I had that night or simply because her beautiful body was begging me to do it, but without any hesitation I stepped closer to her and caressed her neck with my hand.

      Looking into her eyes, I commanded, "You will allow this."

      "I will," she agreed.

      I sunk my teeth into her neck, biting into her skin and sucking up as much blood as I could. All the while I listened to her heartbeat quickening, and just before it stopped altogether I dragged my lips away from her neck. Biting down on my wrist, I watched as blood slowly poured out. Carefully I lifted it up to her and forced it into her mouth, but now the footsteps were closer than ever and arrows lit with fire were being thrown close to us. I backed up to admire her, to admire my work, and then without any warning I snapped her neck.