The Death Instinct

This is a trigger warning: this book deals with dark themes and mental health.

....

The gothic castle sat nestled on a hill. Marv wiped the sweat that settled on her brow, and pressed her head against the cold black bars. Warm lamps surrounded the gate, casting their light into her inky black eyes. The gate had swirling details and curls of metal, with an ancient crest planted in the middle, but someone had scratched off the crest.

Marv let her fingers caress the scratching. She fixed her short curls before grabbing the bag that lay at her feet and walking off.

She turned the corner of the black fence and began to strip her clothes. Layers of necklaces, waist beads, and clothing and replacing them with black cargo pants and combat boots. Her short taupe finger tied her curls into a small ponytail. She threw her bag over before stepping a few feet back, running, reaching for the highest bar, and pulling herself onto the fence. She climbed to the top, twisted her hands back, and grabbed the bar, flipping herself over and onto her feet.

Marv threw her bag onto her back and began her long walk towards the castle. The glowing, warm light shone through the dormer windows. While flames flickered at the stained-glass black door, Marv crouched down, watching the shadows against the light. She turned toward the back and walked up to the pond that swirled around the castle. She chewed on her full lips and squinted her round doe eyes, cringing at her freckled-covered nose.

She strapped the bag tighter to her back, took a few steps back, and jumped onto the balcony, lifting herself onto it. She dusted off her curves before moving to her glass door, sliding the door open, and stepping into the silent house. Marv's reflection mirrored off the marble checkerboard floor, aged paintings hung on velvet walls, and gothic sculptures sat between tall black pillars.

The entrance opened to the grand staircase that curled, and a black chandelier with red diamonds dripping down on the arching roof. Marv moved through the entrance towards a couple of vintage couches. She let her fingers caress over the black wood and red velvet cushions. A mirror sat on top of a blazing fire, and candles stood burning and melting black wax on the mantel.

Her eyes scanned the different ornaments on shelves and frames: "Valuable, valuable, vintage." She spotted a suitcase lying across an old coffee table, and she flipped it open. "Ooo, ancient gimmick." She picked up a wooden dagger from the vampire hunting kit, and when something caught her eye, she said, "There we go." A snow globe looked out of place in this dark mansion.

She grabbed the snow globe and held it above her head, ready to slam it down, but a gush of wind came running through the lounge. Catching the snow globe and pushing Marv into the wall, she grabbed his arm, which wrapped around her neck.

"Took you long enough," she choked out with a smile. A vampire stood before her, his arch eyebrows growling down at her, and his deep, dark-red eyes were burning her skin. "Hi," she said, lifting her eyebrows, but he just growled at her.

"Get out." He let her down and stomped away in a huff, placing the snow globe back where she found it.

"Actually," she pointed her finger, "I have a proposition for you."

"Go away," he growled, heading for the stairs.

"Yeah, no." Marv followed the grumpy vampire while he turned around right in front of her, glaring. "OK," she said, raising her eyebrows. "Here's the deal." She was cut off.

"Get out of my house," he growled in her face while she just stared up at him.

"Not until you hear MY proposition," she explained, but he just stared down at her. "Now," she said, crossing her arms, "here's the deal." Before she could speak, he slammed her into the wall again, not hard enough to hurt but to scare her, and she noticed that.

He lifted his gloved hand while the other wrapped around her neck and squinted his mascara-lined eyes. "You are on private property; get off my land and never come back," he whispered in a horse voice.

"How about no?" She smiled, and his hand began to squeeze her neck. "Oh my god, yes, this is what I was talking about." She began to choke when he suddenly let her go with a look of disgust on her face.

She pouted as he walked away again. "Get off my property or I will call the cops," he dismissed over his shoulder.

"Call them; I could be out of here in five minutes, and they won't even know I was here," she expressed with her arms. "But you won't because you are a vampire."

"I am not a vampire," he sneered, moving to the staircase.

Marv stared at him. "Come on," she said, gesturing to the gothic castle and all its trinkets. "You live in a goth mansion, and you are freakishly strong and fast, so vampire," she said as the vampire turned and crossed his arms.

"Are you into teratophilia? Because of the whole choking thing," he sneered while staring her down.

"No," she said, twisting the fabric between her fingers in thought. "Maybe." She shook her head, and he rolled his eyes. "Doesn't matter, my deal; I want you to fuck me, suck me dry, and my corpse, whatever you want."

"No"

"Why not?" She whined, flailing her arms around. "It is because I am mortal; ugh, you immortal, always sitting on your high horse." He just gave her a death glare. "OK, okay, what about this? So you don't want my body or blood? How about my savings? I am not going to use it, anyway. I have fifty thousand saved up." The grumpy vampire just stared at her for the longest time. And for "one day only, if you kill me today, then you can have my three-month rent, huh?" she offered with her hands wide open

"Get out," he said over his shoulder, which made Marv stomp her feet.

A phone ring echoed through the mansion, and Marv exhaled and took the call. "Hey, what's up?" she said into the phone. It was work; they wanted her to come in for an earlier shift. "Hold on for a quick second," she said into the phone. " Hey, vampire man, are we doing this or what?" Arioch just stared at her before walking off. "Yea, yea, I am available." She said into the phone before hung up and turning to him. "Well, I have got to go, but I will be back," she shouted as she headed for the door.