Blood on Their Fangs

Snakebites and Sacrifice

(This chapter is the embodiment of pain. You have been warned.)

The mansion was quiet in the early hours of the morning as Mei walked through the house. Trying to find the kitchen was turning out to be harder than she'd expected. All she wanted was a snack, was that so difficult? She took another turn and came to yet another dead end. Sighing, she sat down against the wall.

"My my," came a voice, "it would seem a little mouse has wandered off away from her protector. How sweet."

Mei stood quickly, "Who's there?" She looked frantically around, but it was still rather dark.

"To think you could forget such a handsome voice as mine. I'm hurt," the dark form of Grimm entered the girl's sights.

Mei relaxed a bit. It was just the creepy flirt. Maybe he could help her get out of here, "I was trying to get to the kitchen. Of course I got lost..."

"Well you're lucky I found you then, I know this place backwards and forwards," Grimm came slowly towards her, eyes boring into hers. Mei was finding it hard to break eye contact.

"Just point me in the right direction and I'll be fine," she backed up against the wall, willing him to go away.

"I don't think so," the man chuckled, running his tongue over his fangs, "I know Fausty hasn't bitten you yet. I can smell it. He is weak. Oh well," he said with a grin, "finders keepers."

"Don't touch me," Mei said, wishing she was wearing more painful shoes.

"And why not? Little Fausty can't complain if I do. The rule of first bite is in play. There would be nothing he could do," Grimm was so close now that Mei could see the points of his teeth in the limited light.

"Mei!" Came an exclamation from the hallway, and both the girl and Grimm turned towards the sound of the voice. Faustus rammed into Grimm's side, and took Mei's hand, pushing her behind him, "you stay away from her!" He glared at Grimm.

"Or what?" The vampire brushed back his hair, "You can't dispute the rule of first bite... unless of course you plan to... claim her first?"

Faustus tensed, "I won't! I'm not like you!"

"Shame. I guess I'm just going to take her from you, just like I did Jessica," his face twisted into a horrible smile as he took another step towards them.

"Don't you speak her name!" The black haired boy swung his arm, his fist colliding with Grimm's cheek.

Grimm reeled, but recovered quickly, still smirking, "so this is how you want it?" A drop of his own blood fell from his mouth where his fang had pierced his lip, "I underestimated you, Faustus. Jessica wasn't this lucky. She must be special."

"I won't let you hurt anyone else," Faustus snarled, putting both hands up in front of him, "you're a monster."

Grimm laughed coldly, "we're all monsters, brother. You would do well to accept that," he lunged towards the other boy, who stood his ground, only dodging enough to hit his brother back in the ribs.

"Poor, poor Faustus, stuck in one place, unable to flip his opponents behind him for fear of hurting his precious human. You're soft, and you can't win. Those who don't indulge in blood are doomed to fail!" a flash of silver alerted the two to the presence of a blade in the other man's hand, "I may not be able to kill you and still get the throne, brother, but mortally wounding was never forbidden."

"Father will never allow you to ascend!" Faustus exclaimed.

"He'd sooner allow me than you," Grimm smirked, "too scared to accept who you are. Too afraid to bite a human. You might as well be fed cow's blood from a bottle!" He threw the knife towards Mei, but it instead lodged in Faustus's shoulder.