Bloodlines

One

Elair Rosario smiled and rubbed Aiden's head as the dog licked her face affectionately. She'd just gotten home from her lessons and, as always, Aiden had met her at the door. The two had a very close relationship and a strong bond since Elair didn't have many other friends. It wasn't that she didn't want them, it was that she was too timid to put herself out there. She preferred to stay hidden in the background.

Aiden started barking, signaling someone was coming. Elair spun around to face the newcomer. She was surprised to see Jonas Banis striding toward her in all his dark and mysterious glory. He was wearing what he usually did; black trousers, a black shirt, black boots, and a black trench coat. The repetitive ensemble suited him, as it matched his reddish-black hair, bright violet eyes, and long lashes that cast shadows over his cheeks. Not that she paid that much attention to him....did she? Elair glanced behind him at his large brown mustang and then back at him, though she didn't meet his eyes. He came to a stop before her, his trademark smirk gracing his godly features.

"Um....hi, Jonas. Did you need something?" Elair asked nervously.

"Hello, Elair. I come on invitation from your father. He said you all were having a family supper and that he had something he wanted to speak to me about," Jonas replied.

Elair opened her mouth and then closed it in surprise. Her father had invited Jonas to supper at their home? What in the world? Father never invited anyone outside the family to anything! What had changed? Elair looked up at Jonas.

"Alright, well, you may come in, Jonas," she said, turning on her heel and walking to her front door. Aiden trotted dutifully at her side.

"Thanks," Jonas said, following her into the house.

Elair's home wasn't impressive, or extravagant, or even unique. It was bland, and boring, and painfully average. The floors were all wood and the walls were stone, which was normal for most Romanian homes. The architecture was gorgeous here, much like the rest of the Middle East. The arches and stone castles graced the land with an aura of majesty. Elair positively loved it. She loved the feeling of comfort that she was constantly shrouded in. Romania was ruled by a strong monarchy, and a strict one at that. King Matthias and Queen Loretta weren't rulers who wasted time on pleasantries. Jonas followed her down the hall silently as she led him to the kitchen.

"Nice place you've got here. I can tell y or family is very close just by the homey vibe I getting," Jonas said.

Elair smiled at his words. He was right. Her family was very close-knit, which was a memory she would soon hold dear to her heart.

"We're a small family, which makes it easy for us to be close," she explained.
Jonas chuckled as he took a seat at the kitchen island. "Lucky. My family is so big that I don't even know half their names."

"Well, my parents aren't home yet so just make yourself at home until they return. I'm sure they won't be long," she said, turning towards the sink. She pulled her long, thick, dark hair off her shoulders, ran some of the water into the basin, and grabbed a dish rag from the edge of it.

"Let me help. It would be rude of me to sit around while you labor away alone when I could've helped you," Jonas said, appearing right beside her. She jumped. Then she registered what he'd said and she was about to refuse when something in his mesmerizing violet eyes made her say "Alright".

Jonas smiled and picked up a dish towel. They worked in silence for a while. She washed and he dried. Surprisingly, the silence was comfortable instead of awkward in tense. When he placed the last dish in the correct cupboard, they sat down next to each other at the kitchen island. They chatted about things for another hour before Elair began to worry. It was nearly two hours past the time her parents usually come home and they hadn't contacted her. Had something happened? She felt a warm, soft hand cover her own, stopping it from shaking. Her troubled gaze found Jonas's calm and collected one.

"Calm down, Elair. I'm sure they're fine," he said.

Elair let out a shaky breath and nodded.

Then hell broke loose.

The front and back doors slammed open, cracking against the walls with a sound as loud and sickening as a clap of thunder. A man stormed in from each door, stalking towards Elair and Jonas like a predator does its prey. The two sprang from their chairs and Jonas pushed Elair behind him in an effort to protect her. The men stepped into the dim light of the kitchen and Elair gasped in shock. Their eyes glowed a filthy blood-red and their lips were pulled back to reveal canine-like fangs. Their hisses were menacing and raspy enough to terrify Elair into fear-induced paralysis.

"Elair, run! Run!" Jonas yelled as one of the men--creatures--lunged at him.

Elair turned and ran down the hall, trying desperately to escape. Jonas screamed in agony and made a sickening gurgling sound before she heard the thump of a body hitting the now-bloodstained hardwood floors. Elair ran into her bedroom and slammed the door. She sunk down on the floor in front of it. Tears poured from her eyes and down her face as she begged for someone to save her.

"Please," she whispered.

But no one answered her prayers, as less than ten seconds later, she was thrown forward into the floor when the door burst open. One of the fanged, red-eyed men came into the room, grabbing her by her hair and dragging her off the floor. Now on her feet, the creature used her hair to force her to meet his gaze. Wide, terrified eyes met blood-thirsty, maniacal ones. He pulled her against his cold body as he yanked her head to the side to expose her neck. She shut her eyes tightly and silently cried as he leaned toward her with his fangs bared.

"Viero! Let her go!" snapped a chilling voice from the door.

The man holding Elair immediately let go of her and she dropped, weightless, towards the floor. But she never hit it. Arms wrapped around her to stop her fall. Whoever had caught her had sunk to the floor on their knees because Elair could feel her feet and one of her arms touching the cold, wooden floor. The rest of her body rested on the lap of the person who'd caught her. He was cradling her and she could hear him whispering to her as he ran gentle fingers through her hair.

"It's okay. It's okay. You're alright, Elair. You're going to be fine," he whispered soothingly.

Elair let him hold her for a few minutes before she opened her eyes and tried to move away from him. Only, he wouldn't let go. In fact, his grip tightened.

"Let me go, please," Elair whimpered.

"I'm sorry, Elair..." he said, letting his voice trail off, "...but I have to do this."

Before she could stop him, he pulled her hair away from her neck, bent his head, and sunk his teeth into her soft flesh. Elair brought her hands up to push him away, but her weakened strength was no match for his vice-like grip. His arms were like steel bands around her fragile body, his mouth latched onto her throat, keeping her head in place. She could feel him drawing the life from her. When she was too weak to fight him, he stopped. But his teeth didn't leave her neck. Now, instead of the feeling of having the life drawn from her, she felt him giving something to her. What it was, she didn't know. But when he pulled back and the pain began, she wished he would've kept it to himself.

Fire raced through her veins, setting her ablaze in an unimaginable agony that had her arching her back off the floor and screaming until her throat was raw. Her vocal cords scraped together like sand paper, but it held no merit to the pain coming from his bite. She could feel her body changing as a new, darker conscience took root in her mind. And all the while, the man just watched. Her chest ached as her lungs struggled to breathe through the fire and her heartbeat sped up as the venom attacked it. She put the last of her strength into keeping her heart beating, but she felt when it slowed dramatically before coming to a stop.

With the last beat of her human heart, the fight in Elair Rosario died and she lay on the bloodied floor of her room as her consciousness left her. Just before she closed her eyes, she locked gazes with the man and swore she saw a tear in his eyes. But she never got the chance to confirm it before he turned and walked away and her average human life came to an abrupt halt.