Dead Before Dawn: The Vampire Curse

Chapter 8 - Power of Suggestion

Being sneaky was not something Max usually chose to do, but that didn't mean he did not have the right instincts. He wanted out and so he formed what passed as a plan, although barely. He waited, he listened and made himself as unthreatening as he knew how.

"You are looking brighter," Zhanna said as she walked into the room and Max gave her a smile.

"I'm feeling better," he said, sitting cross legged on his bed, "your cooking is helping."

That earned him a big grin which made him feel more than a little guilty about what he was about to do. Of course he had no choice; he had a chance and he had to take it.

"I can get you some more if you like," Zhanna offered and went to turn around.

"Maybe in a minute," he said and made her pause, "I was wondering if you could help me first."

That earned him a raised eyebrow.

"I'd like to learn about myself," he said quickly, hoping that she would believe him, "and that includes the vampire part. Can I borrow the mirror again, so I can see what I look like?"

He gave her a nervous smile that he hoped made it look as if he was worried about what he might see, but needed to see it anyway. Since it wasn't far from the truth, he didn't have to act too much. It must have worked as well, because Zhanna gave him a fond smile and nodded.

"I'll get it," she told him and then slipped back out of the room again.

He really wasn't good at lying in real life, so he fell back on his acting and pretended he was playing a role.

Zhanna was back in only a few seconds and handed him the mirror, which he took and immediately looked into. He appeared completely human again now, if a little paler, but it wasn't his human face that was going to be useful in this. Touching the vampire part of himself scared the hell out of him, but he needed it. Taking a deep breath, he found the instincts and wants inside of himself and let them rise to the surface.

What he saw was kind of compelling and he almost forgot why he was doing what he was doing. His skin was so pale it almost glowed and his eyes literally did glow an unearthly green, with just a hint of red at the edges. His lips were also very red, as if he was wearing lipstick and when he opened his mouth his fangs looked vicious and dangerous. He knew without a doubt he was a very beautiful killing machine in this form, but he had made up his mind and he was not turning away from it now.

He had spoken to Yulia about vampire powers several times and he knew that most vampires were capable of mesmerising their victims. When he had given Yulia a detailed description of how he had been lured away from the main streets, Yulia had explained that usually victims never really knew what hit them with old vampires. Max just hoped he had the right instincts and the weird mind that had prevented Peter ensnaring him had enough power to do what he was planning.

Looking up, he fixed Zhanna with his eyes and snared her almost instantly; he could feel it. She had not been ready for him and he felt her mind in a vague, abstract way as her stare turned glassy.

"Zhanna," he said, voice strangely deep and resonant, "let me out of the chains."

He was not going for anything clever, since he had neither the experience nor the skill; he just wanted the chains off. From there he planned to deal with everything else himself. At the instruction he felt Zhanna's mind try and fight back, so he increased his concentration.

He really had no idea what he was doing, but his instincts seemed to know how it was done. Zhanna didn't even blink, she just turned and walked to the lab bench. She pulled open a drawer and withdrew a set of keys.