Vlad

36

Melanie....

Melanie..wake up...

My eyes open, I find myself laying on the ground. I blink a few times, not remembering that I had fallen asleep.

I place my hand on my neck which was sore as I sit up.

"Welcome back."

I turn, seeing Vlad leaning against the desk, holding two glasses of wine.

Suddenly, I feel the urge to be near Vlad. Closer.

I want to be close to Vlad.

I slowly stand up, looking down at my hands as my nails had become long and beautiful.

I try to take a step but I stumble, falling against the couch.

"Easy. Take a few moments to adjust."Vlad says.

I use the couch to help me stand, and then I look up at Vlad, who had become so much more handsome since the last I saw him.

When was the last I saw him?

I stumble over to him, and he opens his arms.

I fall into his arms and he catches me, embracing me in a soft and comforting hug.

".. something is wrong."I say softly, his touch sending shivers down my spine.

"Nothing is wrong, Mel. You're perfect. Drink."he says, holding the wine glass towards me.

I sit up, a bit dizzy, and I take the wine glass.

I bring it to my lips, the smell of it making my mouth water.

The thick, red substance touches my lips, and my eyes widen as I immediately gulp the whole glass down.

Vlad chuckles, taking the glass from my lips as I attempted to get every last drop.

"More.."I say, reaching for the glass again.

"There will be more, my love. Much more."he says, wiping the corner of my mouth gently.

.....

Vlad smiles down at Melanie, her newly red eyes glistening with admiration.

"You are perfect."he says softly, cupping her cheek.

She smiles, leaning against his hand as he thumbs her cheek.

"Come with me."he says softly, gripping her hand and pulling her along with him.

.....

We walk slowly down the hall, I notice how much clearer I hear everything. How I could see fine without my glasses.

Although my neck was still sore, I had no pain anywhere else.

Shocking.

Vlad walks me to the cellar door, and I'm hesitant to follow.

"Come along my love."he says, softly pulling me along.

I follow without question, also strange.

He leads me down the stairs, where I could hear the sound of people talking.

It smelt heavenly to me for some reason. I couldn't place what exactly it was I was smelling.

We walk down and enter the cellar and I see dozens of vampires. Fresh, new vampires. I could tell.

And scattered along the floor around them were dozens of human corpses.

My eyes widen and I look up at Vlad.

"Isn't it beautiful?"Vlad questions.

"There are so many.."I say, looking around.

"An army. We're going to take this town, Melanie. And then move on to the next."he says.

I look up at him in shock.

"...a-am I dead?"I ask, my lips quivering.

"No. You're very much alive. More than ever."he says, signaling me to look back.

Now, all the vampires were looking at us. I immediately become nervous and anxious.

"They recognize you as their queen, Melanie."he says softly next to my ear.

"..queen?"I say, bringing a shaking hand to my chest.

"Queen of the vampires."he says before gently gripping my chin, pulling me up to look at him.

Our eyes meet, and instantly I feel all my worries melting away. I truly felt safe in his arms. And his captivating eyes only fueled my list for him.

"My queen."

He leans down, pressing his lips against mine.

I feel a wave of joy rush through my body as he kisses me.

And immediately after, a strong wave of lust as I wrap my arms around his neck, kissing him.

The crowd of vampires cheers and I feel my gums begin to throb as I kiss Vlad.

He chuckles as he pulls away, his lips slowly dripping blood as he does.

...

"You're mine, aren't you?"he says as she cups his cheek with a smile.

"I'm yours."

Vlad smiles, turning towards the hive of vampires.

"I want a hundred more."he demands before turning towards the exit with Melanie.

....

Evan sits on a log, waiting.

He looks at Jord's corpse, the arrow still sticking out of his chest.

He looks down at his watch and then up to the sky, checking for bats.

"...come on, Jordan."he sighs, stressed as he runs his fingers through his hair.

....