4 WATCH IT, VAMP!

I woke up with a splitting headache. Groaning, I held my head. Why was I aching all over? Right! Yesterday, Kiera had suggested that she charm me before giving me the mark since it would be extremely painful. But Ryne forbade it.

"It's a punishment. She is supposed to feel the pain," he had said.

That heartless bastard! Like he hadn't made things hard enough for me. All I remembered after, was Kiera branding the skin above my right wrist. I had been through much in just twenty-four hours. Not only had I gotten my energy sealed for the first time, but I had also battered my body by scalding my skin over and over again. It must have taken a toll on me for I was knocked out cold.

I glanced at my right hand. It bore a similar mark with a circle and a horizontal line within. I didn't know what all of the symbols meant but at this point I was beyond caring. I wondered how I ended up in my bed. Did Ryne bring me back? No, he was the type of person who would gladly leave me out in the cold all night. Besides, he wouldn't have been allowed in here. Well that didn't matter. What mattered was that I had to recover as soon as possible. I needed to collect the remaining marks in just two days.

"Meredith, my champion,'" I heard a voice inside my head. Startled, I looked around at my still sleeping roommates. None of them budged. This voice... I had heard it before, just once. It was the voice that sent me on my quest.

"My Lord," I responded in my head.

Lord Dragomitus commanded in a raspy voice, "You are close, my child. Find me."

"Can you tell me where you are?"

"Find me," he repeated.

"My Lord,'"I tried to sound less annoyed, "Do you enjoy playing hide and seek? What are you going to lose if you guide me?"

"Impatient as always. I have watched you grow up, Meredith. Maybe someday you will make a great queen. But you have much to do first. You need to learn patience, destroy impulse, control your tongue and plan ahead."

"Okay, mom," I whispered.

"I heard that, Meredith," his voice had a hint of amusement.

"I meant for you to hear it," I said as I rolled my eyes. I stretched my body. I was so sore.

"I am still here, Meredith," he said.

"Well, you told me you have always been watching me. So I guess it's not new to you," I said.

"You forget yourself, child. I am still your Lord," he said in a baffled tone.

"My Lord," I said, clearly exasperated, "you sent me to this wretched place on a quest to find you. Now you won't tell me where you are. I have no clue and not even a phone-a-friend option right now. If I don't find you, I am as good as dead, no, I am dead. So, I'm sorry if I forget myself. Okay?" I rambled on in my head as I moved towards the washroom.

"I... apologize," he said.

Shocked, I stood in my spot. Did the great god, Dragomitus, who's worshipped by all dragon-kind just apologize to me? I felt a little guilty for throwing a tantrum.

"Look, I'm sorry too. I'm just under a lot of stress right now. Apart from finding you, I also need to earn the marks of all the heads. Ugh! I now understand why warlocks and dragons have been mortal enemies. Right now, I just want to strangle Ryne Novak," I said.

"Child! Watch your tongue! Hecate destroyed my children back then due to the murder of her champion. No matter how much you hate that boy, you cannot even think about touching him," he said gravely.

"Why? What's so special about him? Apart from being the ti-eglor, I mean," I asked.

"That boy is not ordinary. He has mastered magic better than the elder witch. He is the current champion of Hecate and if anything were to happen to him, you will have to face her wrath!" I could detect the panic in his voice.

"She has already destroyed my life, my Lord. My mother died because of her when I was only nine years old. I grew up in a cold house listening to the elders and doing my best to be a queen to my people. I carry the burden of my clan and the knowledge of my death all because of her. How much more can she ruin me?"

He didn't respond. He probably didn't have an answer. After a moment, I realized that he was gone. I sighed and picked up my uniform to get dressed. I guess I really did need to control my tongue.

The clock struck seven. I was relieved I didn't have any classes this morning. I looked at the mark and decided to do something productive. I was going to find a vampire.

***

Vampires were known to be sensitive to sunlight. During their years at Adelmiro Circle, they constantly trained themselves to fit in better. Yet, if vampires were not obligated to it, they seldom mingled with others, preferring to remain in dark, dank and miserable places. The location that best fit that description here was the dungeon under the main edifice of stone.

Without my energy, I was just a human which meant that vampires were a threat to me, just as the sirens were. But I didn't exactly have a choice. I left a brief note to my roommates whom I hadn't officially met yet, and strode towards my destination. There were no guards for the dungeons as it was not used for the same purpose it was built for. It was just a common space for all vampires, male and female.

I pushed open the heavy iron gate and descended down the stairs. The sound of water dripping at regular intervals echoed through the dark unknown. I didn't have nocturnal sight so I fumbled around trying my best to not topple down. As my foot stepped on the floor, I saw light somewhere ahead of me, I could also hear faint noises. I moved in that direction.

On my left, was a chain of empty prison cells with iron bars. On my right, torches hung low from the ceiling. Shadows danced around as I walked forward and my heart finally realized that I was in potential danger.

I couldn't help but curse Ryne. If only my energy wasn't sealed, I would have killed that bastard. Because of him, I had to kiss up to pathetic creatures and act subservient to them.

"I don't care what you think, get it done."

Was that Ryne? It sure sounded like him. I swerved left and walked towards the dead end and the voices grew louder. At the very end was a mahogany door. Unlike the others, this wasn't a cell but a chamber. The door seemed heavy and had a thick iron belt running across it attached with bolts. Just as I neared the door, the voices completely stopped and gave rise to an eerie calm. My heart drummed against my chest as I knocked.

"Come in," I heard a booming voice.

I pushed the door open. The chamber was spacious and a dozen torches created a warm glow inside. The shelves had various showpieces. The walls were covered with portraits of random vampires biting girls who looked away seductively. There were only a few pieces of furniture here.

Ryne was sitting cross-legged across another boy with shoulder length auburn hair. The boy was a vampire no doubt. Sharp fangs jutted out of his mouth and rested on his ruby lips. However, aside from that anomaly, he looked much like a regular teenager. He was pale, had green eyes and a charming face, well if you ignored the teeth.

"Meredith, what are you doing here?" Ryne asked me.

"His sleeves are folded today," I noted, "His forearms are unnecessarily thick. And, are those vei-"

"Meredith?"

"I... came in search of the head of the vampire echelon," I replied, glad that my voice wasn't shaking. He almost caught me checking him out. What was wrong with me?

I continued looking at Ryne when I heard the other boy say, "Well you found him. State your purpose, pretty thing."

I scowled, "I am not a 'thing', thank you very much."

"My apologies. But you seem to have focused on the wrong detail," he said as he got up. In a flash he was in front of me, his hand extended and a charming smile on his face.

"You need the mark so just suck it up!" I repeated in my head.

I forced a smile and caught his hand, "I'm Meredith Doe, a freshman in the human echelon."

"Oh, I know you are human," he said as he focused on my throat. I pulled my hand away and took an unconscious step back. Without turning behind, he said, "Ryne, if that is all, I'd like you to leave now."

"Don't forget your place, Julien, lest you should find yourself snapped in half," Ryne said calmly.

"Fine, stay if you want. I don't care," the tall boy in front of me grunted. He then looked at me and said, "So, why are you here?"

"I came to receive the vampire mark from you," I said unsure of his reaction.

His face began positively glowing, "Oh! That's great! What will you do for me in return?" he asked.

"Of course, he wants something from me. What did I expect?"

"Um... what do you want?"

"Let me taste you," he said, the smile never leaving his face.

My eyes widened and my face grew warm, "What?"

"Oh, sorry. I'll rephrase that. Let me taste your blood."

"Julien, you know that it's banned," Ryne gritted out.

"Drinking a human's blood without their consent is banned. But, Meredith, you want the mark, right?"

This vampire was surely crafty. If I said no, I wouldn't get the mark. I really had no choice. I peered at Ryne and he shook his head, warning me not to agree.

Ha! Why pretend to care? I knew that he hated my guts and I hated his existence. Especially after my conversation with Lord Dragomitus today, I was more than convinced that my troubles arose because of that wretched goddess and her children. Moreover, he was her champion. I would rather die than follow his orders like an obedient puppy!

"I have conditions," I said.

"Meredith are you fucking crazy?" Ryne uncrossed his legs and leaned forward. He looked baffled. He always seemed so much in control of his emotions. So, I couldn't believe that he was capable of swearing.

Julien completely ignored him and said with glee, "State them!"

"You need to swear on Tysiar that you'll stop after taking just a little and that you'll give me the vampire mark if I let you drink my blood," I said with conviction. Tysiar was the first vampire who eventually created the others. For all vampires, Tysiar was equal to god.

He chuckled, "You sure know the right words. Fine, I swear on Tysiar to your conditions."

"Are you actually doing this, Meredith? Have you lost your mind?" Ryne scoffed in disbelief, "Fine, do whatever the hell you want. This is supposed to be your punishment anyway."

"Thank you for your inputs, Ryne. Now shut the hell up so I can enjoy this," Julien said with a wide grin.

"Watch it, vamp!" Ryne grumbled and leaned back in his seat. He looked away, then relaxed his expression, appearing aloof.

"It's not like I expected you to care," I rolled my eyes at him.

"Are you ready?" Julien asked.

I nodded with a gulp.

Before I could grasp my mind around his actions, Julien grabbed me and turned me around. My back hit his chest and his arms held me in place. My heart beat rapidly and I looked up at Ryne whom I was now facing. He didn't even glance at me.

Julien pushed my chestnut brown hair away from my neck and leaned in to breathe in my scent. I felt his sharp fangs pierce my skin and almost let out a loud scream. But his palm covered my mouth and I pressed my lips together. Tears swam in my eyes at the unbearable pain and when I shut them tightly, they ran down my cheeks.

Within seconds however, the pain completely subsided. I knew that the vampire venom had entered my bloodstream. It wasn't exactly dangerous but it was something like an anaesthetic. It allowed the vampire to drink in peace while the human didn't fight back due to a false sense of security. I, however knew that I had about ten minutes before he would completely drain me. He began sucking my blood and a haze I hadn't anticipated shrouded my consciousness. Just as my knees were about to give out, his arms snaked around me. One of his hands gripped my waist as the other one caressed my side.

"Rem... remove your hands," I stuttered out. The act felt strangely sexual and I wasn't prepared to feel this way.

Julien continued to drink. I wasn't sure how many minutes had passed. I couldn't think.

"She asked you to remove your hands," Ryne said, finally facing us. I looked straight at him, but my vision was clouded. I couldn't discern his expression.

When Julien didn't budge, Ryne stood up and glared at him, or I think he did. In a flash, Julien was thrown against the wall. My legs gave out and with no one to support me, I collapsed onto the stone floor.

"Give her the fucking mark. I have things to do," Ryne said coldly and walked past me.