In Love With a Vampire

Donna  I could feel it. I could smell it. I could taste it. My eyes flitted towards the horizon. Panic began brewing in the pit of my stomach. Orange and yellow streaks were beginning to materialize. Soon the sun will emerge from the shadows, soon my skin will begin to burn. I felt a tingle in the nape of my neck. Effects of the sun or my wild imagination? “Focus Donna!” A hiss escaped my throat as I quickened my pace. It was always a delight; feeling the wind in my face, feeling my body defy the normal laws of nature. When I ran I felt like a god. When I hunted I became a god. My lips tugged upwards into a smirk when I spotted a deer sipping water from a pond. They were beautiful creatures. Large, onyx eyes, brown and soft coats, luscious necks…I came to a sudden halt. The deer was no longer enjoying a morning drink. It was staring right at me, fluttering its long, gorgeous eyelashes. I forgot how to breathe and when I spoke, my voice came out as a quiet whisper. “Extraordinary…” Out of the corner of my eye, I saw two fawns. They were puny and frail. I felt my knees buckle when the deer stole a glance at her babies. My skin was tingling but I ignored the burning sensation. I had to focus on the deer family. The deer family that needed my help. I had to save them from Sorokin. I crouched into combat position and shifted my body around, my eyes scouting for my trainer. He was nowhere in sight. Where was he? He had been right behind me. I had felt his presence, heard his voice…Could he have returned to the castle without me? Satisfied with my assessment, I averted my eyes to the deer. A scream emanated from my lungs. Sorokin was feeding on the deer. Blinded by rage, I ran towards him at full speed and shoved him off the deer. His body flew across the sky and landed against an oak tree several feet away from me. Slowly, I dragged my eyes to the beautiful creature. The light from her large, onyx eyes had vanished. Her brown and soft coat was draped with the wetness of her blood. Her head was loosely hanging from her head. My heartbeat accelerated as my eyes took in the stream of blood oozing from her neck. I licked my lips, consumed with greed. A tear escaped my eye as my teeth extended into fangs. Suddenly nothing else mattered. Not the deer, or her fawns, or even the daunting sun. Nothing else mattered but the blood before me. * * * “Mistress, is this warm enough?” I weakly bobbed my head at Maria, my Hand. I watched as she clumsily moved around the bathing area, knocking against multiple items within the vicinity. Each time she caused something to fall or planted her leg against an object, she would lowly cuss and then immediately blush. Each time she blushed, a smile crept on my face. My eyes followed Maria as she diligently searched for a washcloth. I knew where it was of course. It was where it was meant to always be. But for some reason, Maria always forgot where it was kept. “I am sorry Mistress. I will only be a moment…I do not know why this always happens…” “Do not worry Maria, take your time.” I heard the floor leading to my bathing room creak. The footsteps were domineering and quailing. A sigh escaped my throat. “Maria, leave us.” A confused expression flashed across Mara’s face but it swiftly vanished when she too heard the approaching footsteps. She let out a small shriek and left; Sorokin had always scared her. Sorokin scared everyone. I lowered my body into the bathwater, enjoying the warm feeling of the liquid. An image of a deer appeared in my mind. It was beautiful; with large, onyx eyes and a brown smooth coat…I suddenly felt my weight being pulled from beneath the water by a firm hand. “What was that stunt you pulled in the morning?” I remained quiet and gestured for Sorokin to hand me my robe. He held my gaze for a moment before tossing the robe. He then averted his gaze as I stood up in the tub. “It had children Sorokin…” “So what? So f*****g what Donna?” I sighed. I did not have an answer. I could not justify my actions. I had almost let prey get away. What sort of a vampire was I? “The council already thinks you are weak Donna. They do not think you are a fit leader and with the uprising in the corner-" “Father would never allow an uprising. His deal with the humans-" “Will soon become void because guess what? Our people are starving! The human blood supply is thinning and the animals? Tell me Donna how many animals did we come across last night and this morning?” I gulped. “Three.” “And how long did we hunt?” “Twelve hours…” “And it’s one Donna. Not three. Fawns do not count.” “I am sorry Sorokin it’s just that when I looked into her eyes-" My hand flew to my mouth. What had I just said? Sorokin slowly turned, his face etched with quiet rage. “Her? Her Donna! We are vampires, which means that everything else is prey! Humans, animals, beasts…they are all it…Not her or him, it! You hear me?” I rapidly bobbed my head before stepping out of the bathtub. The floor felt cold beneath my feet. I suddenly craved warmth. I felt Sorokin behind me, his large figure a dominating presence. I shifted my body to look at him. Breathe caught in my throat as our eyes interlocked. For a moment we simply stood there, communicating without words. I watched as the anger in Sorokin’s eyes flitted. He let out a hefty sigh and pressed his forehead against mine. My heartbeat accelerated, a warm sensation swirled in the base of my stomach. Every fiber of my being became alert and alive. “I do not want to leave Sorokin…I want to stay here with the people, with Father...with you.” Sorokin lifted his head, putting an end to our intimate moment. I suddenly felt cold. “Donna, you are the next leader of the tribe. You know our traditions…you know you have to infiltrate the human realm-" “And learn as much as I can about them in order to keep the tribe alive.” “Yes Donna…and in case you haven’t noticed…the tribe is dying. We are weak from feeding off animals that have now become scarce and the humans…the humans have not sent a new batch of blood in weeks…” “Do you think…do you think my father made the right choice? Striking that deal?” Sorokin held my gaze and remained quiet. A humorless chuckle escaped my throat. Sorokin was a loyal soldier handpicked by my father. I scarcely wondered if he would ever pick me over him. Probably not. “I have to go Donna…In case I do not see you before you leave…” I opened and closed my mouth successively as tears began stinging in my eyes. I do not want to leave. Tears cascaded down my cheeks as I watched Sorokin retreat to the door. His taut body moved with grace and potency. He suddenly paused midway and turned to face me. His brown eyes intently took me in, as if memorizing my features. “f**k it.” Before I could react, before I could think, Sorokin had taken me into his arms and hungrily kissed me. There was no way I was leaving now.