Fatal Fascinations

Chapter 2: Vampire

Total darkness encompassed me.

Immediately, I grabbed Luca's arm, pulling him farther down the aisle. My reflexes kicked in. Something is wrong and we need to leave now. Fight or flight instinct. I easily chose flight.

There were dangerous people in the library. How Luca was connected to them, I didn't care. When he said he had been hiding, I assumed it was from friends or his mom or a scorned lover. Thinking back to his badboy act, I realized he may have been in trouble with the wrong sort of people. Bikers. Drug dealers. Murderers.

I didn't care. We were both going to get out of the library and get help. The emergency exit was three rows over.

"Princess, I would advise you to run," Luca whispered in my ear. He sounded calm. His voice took on a more commanding tone.

"You're coming too," I hushed back, "the emergency exit is only a few rows away. Once we get out and get to safety you can fill me in." Again, I tugged him farther down the aisle.

Luca flicked my chin.

"I can handle them. Get out of here before they eat you," Luca told me, sounding as if he didn't care.

Eat me? I almost asked him.

A sound of falling books resonated to the left of us.

I opened my mouth to question Luca but gulped it shut after a second's thought. My brain worked in overtime, thinking about all the books I had ever read. Pale skin, dark and sexy, Luca saying "they" would "eat me."

Well fuck, there are vampires in here. The conclusion was so incredibly simple I almost laughed. And then I just....accepted it. As if I lost all sense of reason and sanity. There are vampires in my library.

My next question was obviously about what to do next, but a figure came crashing through the shelves of books next to us. He tackled Luca to the ground as books cascaded down. In the pale glow from the windows I could see the attacker's skin was also as pale a snow. A line of crimson smeared across his face. Blood.

I felt sick to my stomach, queasy at both the sight and the metallic scent of blood. The vampire on top of Luca snarled and tore at his handsome face, grappling with him. White teeth flashed.

Then another man tore through the bookshelf opposite them, thrashing and screaming brutally. Books and peices of wood rained everywhere and I ducked under part of a broken shelf. Another assumed vampire was close behind. All of them gnashed their teeth at Luca.

With inhuman strength, the four of them fought. Luca was against the three vampires on top of him. Blood spattered everywhere, including across my face and onto the wall next to me. Luca snarled back and slashed with his nails, now lengthened to the point of claws. He threw books and pieces of wood at the vampires. Wood. Wood, that's it.

My heartbeat widly. I could tell the vampires could hear it. They probably have superhuman hearing. Do something, Kat.

Amongst the fighting, they would snarl or glance in my direction, as if contemplating to rip my throat out now or later. Adrenaline leeched through my veins, clouding my judgement.

Quickly, I picked up two jagged peices of wood. Without thinking, I charged at two vampires on top of Luca. Mid-charge, Luca cried out in pain. His pain only made my next move easier.

Dashing quickly to the left, I plunged the stake through the unsuspecting man's back. He let out a staggered cry of pain, but I didn't even have time to register it. The next man was more prepared for me. Within a second, he was standing over me, looking down with golden glowing eyes. Blood dripped from his mouth.

His talon-like claws slashed for my throat in a move too fast for my eyes to see.

Luca's book, however, caught the brunt of his attack.

I didn't look over to see what had happened. Instead, I lunged, driving my stake through the center of the man in front of me. He isn't a man. He isn't a man. He isn't a man.

I chanted over and over, pushing the jagged bookshelf farther into his body, using as much force as I could muster. The vampire's mouth opened in surprise. His glowing gold eyes rolled back and he slumped forward. His back hit the ground, making the makeshift stake protrude farther out of his chest.

Turning to Luca, I could see he had handled the final vampire. That's so weird to think. Vampire. That's what they are. Vampires.

"Stake through the heart, right?" I asked him sheepishly. His expression remained neutral and unbothered. Well damn, considering I just saved his life one would think he would be more appreciative.

Instead, Luca stood up and dusted himself off, removing bits of wood and dust from his bloodied clothes. He looked for the most part, unharmed. A small tear in his leather jacket revealed a slash across his arm, but other than that he was perfectly normal. But he isn't normal I reminded myself.

Luca turned away from me and began walking towards the exit.

"Uh, where do you think you're going?" I asked him. He was supposed to come back and tell me what the hell this all was. He was supposed to instruct me. He was supposed to teach me and take me under his wing and immerse me into his underground world. That always how it happened in books.

But Luca didn't answer. In fact, it seemed as if he didn't hear me; like he forgot I existed, or he didn't care.

I looked back at the scene before me. The three vampires's bodies had gone ashy and gray. Their eyes lost all form of life and color. The only color came from the blood pooling around their bodies and dripping off their faces.

"Hey, aren't we supposed to burn them or something?" I called to Luca.

But Luca had disappeared through the emergency exit.

Taking a final look back, a swell of pride surged through me. Adrenaline still coursed through my veins, making me skittish and jumpy. I just killed two people. A sickening sensation brought my adrenaline rush down before I remembered, they weren't people. They were vampires. Vampires. Vampires. Vampires.

I said the word over and over in my head, accepting the reality. Spinning on my heel, I raced after Luca. Now this. This is a guy I could fall for.