Page 3 of Paying The Vampire

He then got a slick, strange look on his face. I recognized it as the same look he had when he went on his first hunt and killed his first prey. I certainly wasn’t the hunter in this scenario.

“No, in fact I’ve just found it. I know that I’ve made your life hard here Willow, and perhaps that wasn’t right of me. There should still be a place for you in this pack even though you are not like the rest of us. It’s not fair that you should be punished for a failing of your biology, and I don’t want you to feel like an outcast. This way you can still be a part of things, you can still feel involved, and if you mate with me then at least you’ll know what it’s like to have a wolf inside you.” He laughed at his crude joke while my stomach churned. I shook my head and looked disgusted. Even though she had been mean to me as well, I pitied Naomi.

“I can’t believe there was a time when I thought being with you would make me happy,” I muttered, shaking my head. The smile disappeared from his face and twisted into a scowl.

“What do you mean by that?”

“Listen to yourself Brandon. Do you even hear how arrogant you sound? Do you really think I would be happy being your concubine? What if we had children? Would they become the Alpha?”

“Of course not. Any children we had would be inferior to those of Naomi’s?”

“So I’m just going to be there for you to sleep with whenever you like. That’s basically it, isn’t it?” I said, folding my arms across my chest. “You really have no idea how to treat people Brandon. I really feel sorry for the pack when you take control because you have no idea how to handle things.”

“How dare you speak to me like that! You don’t just get to walk away from me!” he cried out. But that was exactly what I intended to do. I pushed past him, shaking my head in disbelief at the way he was acting, but my retreat was halted by him sticking out a hand and grabbing my upper arm. His strength was such that he made me wince. I gasped and glared at him, seeing an intensity in his eyes that made me shudder. For all that he had been mean with me before I had never felt in danger with him until this moment.

Before I could say anything else though there was a strange sensation in the air. There was a smell of ash and brimstone as something darted down from a tree, and then suddenly Brandon and I were not alone. A pale man stood there, draped in a cloak. His skin was the color of the moon, his eyes as dark and deep as the night. His voice was heavy and mellifluous. There was something about it that reached deep into my soul. But there was something else about him as well, something that didn’t seem quite right. I hadn’t been able to detect him, and this shouldn’t have been possible. I sniffed the air, but his scent wasn’t upon it. I knew that Brandon could feel the same thing.

“Get your hands off her,” this mysterious man said. His words were intense.

“I don’t know where you came from, but you’re not welcome here. What are you?” Brandon asked. He was trying to sound brave, but I could sense the fear running underneath his words.

“I’m your worst nightmare,” the man hissed, and then I realized that he wasn’t a man at all, but a vampire, for he opened his mouth and hissed loudly, displaying his long, sharp fangs. As soon as he revealed himself Brandon’s grip on me loosened. He staggered back, as though all the strength had left his body and was replaced by ice cold fear. I knew how he felt. We had been told stories of vampires when we were pups, always warned of the dangers of empty hearted, savage beings who cared for nothing other than their own survival, and had been deadly enemies of wolves since the birth of time itself. They had always sounded like myths to me, creatures that scared children into behaving, but here myth had melted into reality and this vampire stood before us, his cloak billowing in the gentle breeze of the night.

But fear wasn’t the only thing I felt. I was also curious, and I wasn’t so eager to run away.

Chapter Three

Cassius

I watched her from my perch, utterly enraptured and entranced by the beauty of her naked skin as she climbed out of the water. All the drops cascaded down her slender back, running along her spine. Oh, to be such a simple thing as a drop of water, resting on her warm skin, enjoying the blossoming haze of delight that burned amid this nightly air. She had her back to me, so I could not see the full outline of her female profile, but my imagination hungered and still it felt as though she knew I was watching, showing me enough to tantalize me while keeping plenty back, hidden in mystery, waiting for me to earn the glory of her beauty.

Her hair fell down her back, reaching all the way to the middle of her spine. It was dark because of the water, lank and straggling, but soon I knew it would dry to its golden shine.

As this enchantress pulled on her clothes I took a moment to look up at the stars. I enjoyed doing this in any new world, seeing the different constellations that ruled above me. Here the moon was gibbous, swelling as though it was going to burst and cast silver rain upon the world. Such a moon was beautiful, and if there was ever a creature to embody the beauty of such an ethereal thing then it was this woman in front of me.

Questions flooded my mind. Was she aware of how glorious she was? Why was she so lonely? I could taste the lingering despair in the air as her scent floated towards me. It was spicy and sweet, and made something flare within me that I thought had died a long time ago. Centuries of time had passed for me since I had been with another, but she was vibrant with youth and life, and I knew she would offer me so much promise. I just had to take her back with me.

There were two ways I could go about doing this. I could try to charm her, but this was not a foolproof plan. A woman as wise as her must surely have suitors, if not a mate already, although from what I sensed it did not seem as though she had been tainted by the touch of another, unworthy man. It was almost as though she had been waiting for me. But to charm her was to risk her saying no, and if she refused then what did that leave me? I would have to take her by force, but to capture a heart like hers was a challenge. I did not wish to cage her spirit or have her be with me as an unwilling companion. I was not so desperate for company that I would want anyone around who resented me. No, I wanted her to come and enjoy her time with me, to appreciate all that I could offer.

But how could I leave without her? If I took her by force then it may take longer, but at least she would be given the chance to know me. I had to tread carefully. One wrong move and I could scare her, although I thought if this was ordained by the heavens then surely she would come to me and yield to my desire. Then again, I knew that life was not always easy. I should expect the worst.

Just as I was preparing to descend from my perch and approach her I snarled as I saw the wolf approach. What an ugly creature, so savage and feral. They were our natural enemies and I almost swooped down there and then to take away its life. Many of my kind had been killed in a war between our people in my land. Ultimately we had emerged victorious. I had not smelled a wolf for a long time and had forgotten how bitter they were. I would like to pin him down and taste the rich blood again, squeezing the life out of it, watching it struggle. Did I need to save her? Perhaps here I could see what she was capable of and then…

…oh…

The wolf shifted and greeted her. Could it be? Was she a wolf too? No, there must have been some mistake. Surely the fates were not so cruel as to mock me like this? I was a proud vampire, was it seriously going to be the case that my perfect mate was one of them? The thought shocked me and I almost returned to my castle there and then, ready to flee and give up on this search because by now it was clear that I was being ridiculed.

However, it quickly became clear that there was animosity between her and this wolf. Perhaps I had been too quick in wanting to abandon my desire for her. Instead, I watched patiently as they verbally sparred. I liked how fearless she was and how she showed him no respect at all. It was clear there was history between them, although such history was not something that I could tell from one conversation. I also learned her name; Willow. It was an elegant, beautiful name, one that I found quite apt.

She was indignant while he was insistent, assuming that everything was written how he wanted it. What a fool. What a severe, arrogant fool this boy was. Did he truly think he was deserving of her as a mate? It showed the folly of youth, and then, ah, I understood why we were kindred spirits. She was unable to shift, an outcast among her own people. I was an outcast too. I knew what it was to be alone, shunned by the universe, although in my case it was because I was the last of my kind. In her case it was because wolves were cruel, close minded beings who could not see glory when it was staring them right in the face.

This boy wanted to keep her as some decoration for his bed, treating her as one would treat a slave or prey. It made my blood curdle as I listened to the horrid words. She should have been celebrated for what she was. Unlike the others of her pack she was pure, unburdened by this curse that had turned them into monsters.

And then he touched her. I could smell the intensity of his emotion and knew that he was not going to allow her to leave, not without testing his limits first. Such young men were all the same. There was no subtlety to what they did, no nuance. It was clear that the time for subtlety was over. I could not remain hidden any longer. It was time to reveal myself to her and prove to her that she would benefit from coming with me.

I darted down and shifted back into a vampire. I hissed at the wolf, warning him away. He staggered back, coward that he was, fear mixing with anger.

“You… you can’t be real,” this Brandon said.