Hunted

Chapter 7

Tuesday (crossed out) Sunday, Oct (crossed out)

Monday, November 5th, 1996 (scribbled out)

Monday, November 6th, 2017

God.

God. Oh, god.

What did I (crossed out) was I (crossed out) what did he do? What has he done?

I can't feel myself breathe.

I can't feel myself breathe.

Where is my pulse?

I've been stabbing my arm with the kitchen knife for the past five minutes. Or rather, trying to stab myself.

No wound, no mark, no blood.

What the hell is wrong with me?

I can't remember... but by god, I can remember everything! Xavier isn't Xavier, but he does exist, or existing in whichever ways he could. He is a monster, a monster that should only appear in nightmares; he somehow manipulated me into believing that I loved him, and he hypnotized me to forget everything - everything - in the morning.

He was already there when I opened my eyes again. I smiled and hugged him, but his body was cold.

Very cold.

I looked up at his face in concern and found a strange expression in place of his usual one, his eyes staring down at me darkly.

"What's wrong?" I reached for his hand, but he pulled away, leaving me hanging in the air.

"There are some things you should know, Luce," he said, his voice vibrating through the air. "Some things about me."

I frowned. "What do you mean? We're perfectly fine the way we are, aren't we? We don't need any confessions."

"Yes, yes, yes, and I wish that it was that way forever. This is why I'm asking you to listen to me right now."

Suddenly, I felt an unexplainable urge to patiently listen to whatever he had to say. I smiled again, all of an instant very happy. "Of course. Anything."

He gazed into my eyes with his mysterious, dark orbs, and kissed me longingly on the lips until I was out of breath. Only then did he open his mouth to speak.

"My real name is Dhraven Vasillescu III. I was born in the manor of my father, Count Vasillescu II in western Romania, on a moonless night in 1569. I've since spent centuries across the continents looking for someone like you, my sweet, sweet Luce."

"1569?" I frowned. "Almost five hundred years. Shouldn't you be dead by now, Xavier?"

His eyes were burning wild with a fire I had never seen before. "Don't you see? Can't you see, Luce? You are a smart one. You should know."

And then he bent down, his cold lips against the side of my neck; I could feel something sharp grazing past the top of my skin, lightly dragging two jagged lines right above my pulse. My eyes fluttered to a close because I was expecting something, I wanted that thing, I wanted it so badly it ached, but I couldn't remember what it was.

It suddenly occurred to me then that I couldn't feel his breath.

"God, you smell so sweet," he whispered against my heartbeat, so irregular it was nearly bouncing out of my chest. "Do you know how sweet you taste, too?"

And then he plunged.

For a moment there was pain, pain so sudden that you couldn't believe it was there at all; but then it was pure bliss, something too good to be true, and like warmth it spread through my body from the side of my neck until I was floating on clouds, limbs crumpling weakly under its spell. The feeling was satisfyingly familiar, the heat spreading quickly through my veins.

As quickly as it came it was gone; I stumbled back, stars dancing in front of my eyes, the room spinning madly out of control. A pair of strong arms held me up against the wall until my vision finally cleared.

"You're... you're..." I licked my lips, not believing the two small holes my fingers traced on the side of my neck. "You're..." I couldn't bring myself to say it.

"A vampire," he finished. "I'm a vampire, Luce."

And then he laughed. He laughed and laughed, and laughed such an angelic laugh that I could hardly believe it hid a vile creature underneath. He laughed until I begun to hate that laugh, hate it with every fibre of my being.

"You see, I want you to remember this, tonight, because there won't be anything forgotten once you've been through with this. You've been the source of nearly all of my energy for the past two months, and I think it's only fair for me to do what I'm about to do."

He talked some more but I didn't listen. He was excited like a child of five and it terrified me, seeing him like this and knowing what he was. What he truly was.

He took my hands in his. "Look at me in the eye, Luce."

Suddenly I knew that I had to obey him. I looked at him, looked and looked until my vision tinged with red.

"Look at me and tell me you love me."

"I love you."

"Say that you want to be with me."

"I want to be with you."

"For all eternity."

"For all..." I swallowed, the word on the tip of my tongue. "For all..."

"Say it."

"For all eternity. I want to be with you, forever."

He smiled for the first time that night.

"Good."

With a rapid swipe of his hand, he split open the flesh of his chest to the bone. Blood dripped onto the carpet. I stared at the blood, his blood, and I felt a foreign excitement rise in me.

"Drink it." He commanded.

I leaned forward until my fingers touched his bare chest, drawing lines until they sunk in his blood, melting my thoughts to slush.

"Drink it."

I raised my fingers to my lips, letting a crimson drop fall onto my tongue. It was something exotic, a brilliant taste that I wished I had discovered earlier, and I wanted more, craved more.

He crooked his finger toward his chest, still dripping with blood. It was an invitation I didn't dare to miss.

"Drink."

And drink I did.

The blood brought life to my lips like nothing ever did before. It gave me sparks of hope to go on; it drew me in, letting me relish the heavenly taste that dripped down my throat. I could feel his satisfaction too; a small laugh vibrated through his chest - or rather, what was left of it.

The blood flowed through my veins at such an astonishing speed that I felt a bit lightheaded. I lost my balance for a moment and I broke off contact, gasping when I felt two fangs against my lower lips.

They were my own.