Mascarade

Hunger

So first of all and slightly tipsy - because there was not enough ice to my gin and tonic (the most iconic single-lady coctail) - I want to thank all of you who picked this story up, it seems to already be well-appreciated. Thanks for the cheering, I do realize vampire themes is like the biggest trash, but damn we all know its the number 1 trash we love.

I swear, I intended this one originally to be a one-shot with some hot ending. But how to write a one-shot? I have no idea how others manage that... So I will at least, try to end it sooner than Serum and not make it infinite like Teach Me Magic. XD

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"It's a serious matter! Are you even listening to me?!" The angry mayhem sat in the red satin-padded armchair in front of the fireplace, that brought Zhao Yunlan into this mess in the first place was getting impatient with the vampire hunter not even once meeting his eyes, even though he'd been explaining a very important matter to him.

However, Zhao Yunlan's eyes were transfixed on the person standing behind Ye Zun. It was somehow overwhelming. Never in his life, could he have imagined, he might encounter a situation like this. Never had he thought, he might feel sorry for a bloodthirsty monster. For his natural enemy, for someone who only lusted afer drinking his life.

"As I said. When you're a child, vampires drink blood of animals but Shen Wei..."

"Yeah... Your human nanny kidnapped him and brought him up herself, so he's never tasted human blood before. He thinks like a human and doesn't want to kill anyone, I heard you loud and clear."

Ye Zun cringed his nose. "Huh, superior senses, huh?"

Zhao Yunlan ignored the jab, instead wondered, why wouldn't Shen Wei turn around and meet his eyes. He could already pretty much guess where Ye Zun is going with this long explanation. As a vampire hunter, his body had been genetically modified since he was a child. He was sturdier, stronger, had more endurance, his senses were enhaced, all to be able to at least slightly match the horrifying creatures they were trained to kill without mercy with the help of holly and silver weapons, herbs and ancient rune magic.

And as a vampire, Shen Wei's adult body wasn't made to survive on animal blood only. Yet, he refused to drink human blood because he was afraid of killing or severely hurting anyone. He survived like this for about 150 years but now his body was reaching its limits and in fact, he might have had weeks or days to live or hours to go mad and slaughter an entire village of innocent people out of an unrestrained hunger.

Zhao Yunlan had seen vampires go mad with hunger. It was always awful. They acted worse than rabid animals, than plague... He couldn't believe, such a gentle and sorrowful looking person could become a violent killer massacring houndreds of people any time soon. Truth, he's only seen such vampires after their transformation, pathetic creatures that couldn't talk even, only howl and throw themselves on anything living they were able to find and drink 'till the last drop.

Is such a monster standing in front of him, slightly embarrassed staring into the fire because he's unused to other talking about himself and the whole situation seems rather uncomfortable to him?

"So? Will you help us?" The annoying one brought Zhao Yunlan back to the fact, they were negotiating a deal.

"Do I really have a choice?" Zhao Yunlan sighed, leaning back against the bed.

"You don't," Ye Zun stated dryly.

"Of course, you have," Shen Wei looked at his brother with warning in his abyssally dark eyes.

Ye Zun only rolled his eyes.

"How did you two even meet? Since Shen Wei got kidnapped so long ago?" Zhao Yunlan wondered out loud.

"We live a long life, so we have to move around before anybody notices we do not age as fast as humans do," Shen Wei explained, "maybe two years back, Ye Zun heard someone mention, he looks just like someone else they've seen and he came to find me finally. He told me about my biological family and the way I went missing around 100 years before."

"Thanks to that crazy lady, he refuses to accept his natural insticts and it will soon kill him, so I want you to help him," Ye Zun finished his request.

"How do I know he won't suck me dry?" Zhao Yunlan raised an eyebrow.

"You can put me under the vampire hunter's mark, I will have to listen to you if you command me then," Shen Wei suggested. "And my brother will wait in the room next door."

"Yeah, I don't have to see THAT!" Ye Zun sticked out his tongue between the two pointy canines.

"You guys, sound pretty desperate," Zhao Yunlan laughed. "So all the other monsters can go to hell, only if these two brothers live? Listen, even if I give you my blood and service, whose blood will you take next?"

Shen Wei looked to the side.

"None of your concern!" Ye Zun exclaimed. "You SID can come after us as you wish but THIS time, you help us. And we aren't asking."

"Heh..." Zhao Yunlan started to undo the first buttons of his shirt. "Selfish pricks. Come at me. I only exist to kill the likes of you, you think you will make me all sympathetic with your little sappy story?"

"It's fine..." Shen Wei started walking towards the angered yet intrigued vampire hunter. "If you deem it neccessary, you may kill me. Afterall, I don't wish to hurt your people. They were always kind to me. You might find it laughable but I believe I do have more in common with humans than vampires. Where is your mark? I will let you control me."

A touch of a mark against vampire's skin. A downfall to any vampire. Not only are vampire hunters modified to not be affected under vampires hypnosis and charm, they can even reverse these horrifying powers on any vampire who comes in contact with the mark.

"Brother!" Ye Zun protested watching his silly gege getting closer to his doom.

"Ye Zun. Go." Shen Wei commanded with an unrestricted hunger in his voice, and even his vampire brother was forced to follow the ultimate command.

Finally alone, Zhao Yunlan watched the man in front of himself move closer step by step. He could see he was hungry and barely holding himself back. The vampire hunter readied a small aspen stake in his left hand while sitting and waiting to be feasted on. "My mark... you sure you want to do this?"

Forcing himself to nod, in a closer proximity, now only a meter away from those life-pumping arteries, Shen Wei prayed the vampire hunter would quickly seize the opportunity.

Then Zhao Yunlan sticked out his tongue covered in rune tattoes.

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Hmm, short update... but what part of Shen Wei will touch the mark, hmm? 🔥🔥🔥🍆🍆🍆