Kingdoms of Ohm: The Lonely Dragon #1 ✓

Dealing With A Dragon

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"You wouldn't... dare!"

    My teeth closed in reflex to the hanging vampire's pitiful words, crushing his poor underbelly with reckless abandon. The creature screamed, black blood drooling down the bitten area, and flowing freely onto my tongue. That once fluster of kindness and nobility was starting to leak out of my soul, for the moment of their warning had invoked yet another dark curse within me. And, now, seeing my prey writhe and cry only made me sink further into his flesh, my eyes glowing with primal hate and desire.

    "S-Ssstop! Agh!"

The vampire shrieked, baring two massive fangs at the scaly beast who trapped it in turn. Its tail lashed, both wings swaying and flapping with erratic intention. But my pressure never ceased, it only magnified, turning his screams a pitch higher. Even my growls shifted into a booming rumble, sending tremors straight into the quivering limbs of the secondary vampire. Not even he had the courage to speak over the ancient creature holding his friend captive, especially not while cowering in his sapphire shadow.

"If you hurt a hair-"

"N-No!" the pained vampire cried out, still swaying under my chin. "W-We didn't tassste the feline'sss blood! Ssshe's in good health! We jussst asssk that you consssider our-"

A single vicious squeeze cut him off quickly, turning his whimpers into yet another round of anguished cries. From below, the disgusting black ooze of his inners began to paint over my forked tongue, mortifying my taste buds with a salty, sour tang. I didn't know how much longer I could bear this. But this act served as a spectacle to Lykaios, the black werewolf still watching idly from my left side. All that fear, all that anguish, it fueled the alpha's heart more than it should. And he loved it.

He wanted to understand.

He wanted more.

The thrashing of the first vampire soon grew worse, forcing me to bow my hand and lock my neck muscles together to hold myself (and my prisoner) steady. But my intentions never left, not for a second.

"Maybe I should kill you," I hissed.

"Be... my guessst..." panted the vampire, going lax with his movements. "W-We are disssposable! Our alpha knowsss it, too. We'd jussst ssserve as another plate for a hungry little dragon. It would be worth it, wouldn't it?"

"That is still no deal!" Lykaios quickly snarled aloud, shoving past me toward the upside down vampire. "No deal I will make."

"Hrrrr..." it's three eyes locked on the black werewolf. "Why do you care, Lykaiosss?"

"Because you are afraid of what I might say?"

The vampire in my jaws began to laugh. Despite the pain still stabbing in his under region, he couldn't help himself to see humor in the former alpha's tone. I knew a reaction as such would make the werewolf's blood boil. "Ssscared?" the bat then rasped. "I am amusssed! How quaint of you to ssspeak ssso sssuddenly to the very thing you've feared?"

"I never feared your race," responded Lykaios, lashing his fuzzy tail from behind. "Not a bunch of mosquitoes who think blood is your only option of life-"

"Thisss isss not your decisssion to make," the second vampire suddenly rasped from the floor. "And why bother? You are no longer alpha."

Lykaios's fangs suddenly snapped open. Off the left of my peripheral, I could see his yellow eyes suddenly bulge open, longing to ruin another life for a resourceful reward. But, that speckled glow that I fell victim to for so long never showed. Nor was that look of pride that would often flow over his pointed face. Lykaios opened his jaws to speak, to try and contradict the belief that he was holding back. But he and I knew otherwise -- the sudden horror written on his face told the perfect truth.