Into the Darkness

"I honestly am not sure. The last thing I remember is leaving work. So maybe I was just on my way home?" She shrugged.

"You lived only about two hours from here, real travel time. We can get there much quicker. We don't need to drink from a million people to be satisfied; usually one person will feed ten of us. We aren't quite as blood-thirsty as legend proclaims."

"That's good to know."

They made their way down a small wooden staircase, and ended up in the back of the house.

"That was the servant's stairs. I figured the less people we encountered for your first outing would be best. You still smell human, and the new ones are always a bit thirsty." Draven flashed her a grin.

"Why don't you have fangs?"

"We don't, until we feed. Even then there is just barely a lengthening of the teeth, nowhere near as dramatic as movies like to show."

"Well this is all a bit of a letdown." Lei laughed. It was music to Draven's ears.

They walked out the back door and down the steps, then through the flower garden and onto the grounds. He showed her the different guest houses, and explained that the vampires that forged a bond and 'married' lived in those houses for privacy. The single vampires lived in the main house in the individual rooms.

"We do eat some real food. When you first turn the thought of real food makes you sick to your stomach. But after a few months it settles down and you do need to eat real food for nutritional purposes. Therefore we all take turns cooking. There is a sign-up sheet on the fridge."

"You guys are all set up. What about sunlight?"

"That's a tough one. The older you are in vampire years, the better you can withstand the light. It basically just hurts your eyes, so sunglasses are a common thing to see, even in the house. If you're out too long, you will get a form of sunburn basically, but it lasts much longer, and blisters much worse. It can lay you up for weeks at a time."

"I am going to have to write a book." She laughed again, and gasped at Draven's sharp glare.

"You will not. The less people know about us, the safer we are."

"I was kidding. Ha- ha, joke? Ever heard of one of those?"

"Sorry. I'm just edgy. That's exactly the thing some of us are afraid of with you. Remember Fredrick? He'd be the first to slit your throat."

"Yikes. I'm not going to have nightmares tonight or anything." Lei stared at him with wide eyes.

"I'll be right outside your door, as always. Nothing will happen to you."

They finished the tour of the grounds, and headed back to the house. Draven opted to take her in the front door to show her the main part of the house. While they were out walking and exploring, Lei had seen several people, either outside their houses or heading to and from places. No one approached them.

"Why didn't anyone speak to us?"

"Partially because they're afraid of you and what you know, and partially because I told them to take it easy on you."

"Nice." Lei took a deep breath while the door swung open.

The entryway was graced by a grand staircase, marble floors, and a chandelier. Lei's mouth dropped open as she took in the elegance, and Draven herded her around the corner into the kitchen.

"Hey June. This is Lorelei."

"Just Lei, please. Hi June." Lei extended her hand.

"Hey! It's nice to meet you. You're gorgeous! Glad to see you put my make up to good use!" June bypassed her hand and grabbed Lei in a hug.

"So you're going to be teaching me the ins and outs, isn't that right?"

"Yep. Wanna help with dishes?" June's cheeks dimpled as she smiled.

"Sure."

"All right ladies, I'm off to grab a nap. Keep your eye on her June."

She rolled her eyes. "Yes master."

With a pointed glare to both the women, Draven left the room.

"Ohh, he's got the hots for you." June giggled.

"How old are you?" Lei laughed, feeling a blush creep up her face.

"I was sixteen when I was turned, so sixteen I stay. Really I should be thirty-six though." June smiled again.

Lei looked at the girl closely. Her blonde hair and ice blue eyes looked just like summer, which made her name fit perfectly. She was pretty in an all-American kind of way, and the only thing that betrayed the fact she was a vampire was that she was far paler than she should have been at the beginning of fall. She should be sun-bronzed and glowing. Instead, she looked slightly sickly.

"Yeah, I know. It comes with the territory." June sunk her hands into the water to grab a plate.

"Sorry. I didn't know you would know..."

"Not all of us can read minds. Most can read emotions, if that makes sense. Faces, expressions, eyes, all that jazz. Some of us can just get snippets of what someone is thinking, others can get the whole thing. I'm one that can get it all, except...you're blocking some of what you think."

"Blocking? What does that mean?"

"Once you learn how, you can shut your mind to outside influences, so no one can read your thoughts. You don't know that trick yet, but still you're doing it. You'll have to work on it. It comes in handy, trust me."

"All this is enough to make my head spin. I might need to lie down. So unreal."

June passed her a plate. "It gets easier, you know, after a while."

"What does?"

"Missing your family and friends. Maybe one day you can see them again. I got to see my parents again before..."

"Did they die?"

June just gave a small shake of her head. "We took a chance. At the time there were a couple new ones with us, and Draven never really liked them. Wanted to get them out of here as soon as they were able to control themselves. Well, they weren't invited to my homecoming party, but they crashed it."

"Oh, June, I'm so sorry." Lei laid her hand on June's arm.

"Before we could comprehend what was happening, they each had one of my parents, and, well, that was that. I killed one of them, you know. The only thing I've ever killed. Draven did the other."

"That speaks highly of him. From what he has told me, he doesn't like to kill anyone. Or thing, as the case may be."

"He doesn't. Draven is like my big brother. I laugh, he laughs. I hurt, he hurts. Anyway, that night kind of bonded us together, you know?"

"I can only imagine. I hope...well, if I get to stay here, I hope we can be friends. I like you." Lei gave her a smile.

June flung her arms around Lei's shoulders, soapy hands and all. "Yes! We'll be the best of friends!"

The women finished the dishes then made some tea, taking it to the living room to talk. People came and went, and finally they started speaking to her, although it was usually just a quick hello. Lei was feeling more at ease in the house, now that people were being a little friendlier. She found her mind wandering, wondering where Draven was.

"He's just about to wake up. He'll come find you."

"Wow, that is going to take some serious getting used to." Lei laughed.

"It does. Can you tap our thoughts yet?"

"I'm not sure... I seemed to acquire super-sonic hearing earlier though." She shuddered at the memory.

"Fredrick is an ass. Watch yourself around him, but he's mostly just an ass."

"It's pretty intimidating and scary when someone wants to slit your throat. That's not really something I'm used to."

"No doubt. Well, Draven will be walking through that doorway in about fifteen seconds. You go take that nap you've been dreaming about, and I'll catch up with you later. See ya!" June bopped back into the kitchen.

On cue, Draven came around the corner. Lei rolled her eyes.

"She told you I was coming, didn't she?"

"Nope. Nothing strange going on here. June promised I could take a nap. Care to escort me?" Lei stood and headed towards him.

"I'd love nothing more." Draven bowed and offered his arm.

"I'm going to ask you something weird. Do you mind?"

"I'm sure anything you ask can't be any weirder than what goes on around here." Draven led the way to the staircase.

"When I was a little girl, I was afraid of the dark. I still am. Would you mind sitting with me?"

Draven gaped at her. "You're scared of the dark?"

"Yeah." Lei swallowed hard, feeling heat rise to her cheeks.

"But...you're going to be a vampire, and the dark time is...oh hell." He shoved a hand through his hair.

"I've thought of that, thank you. Please don't make a big deal about this. Never mind. I shouldn't have told you." Lei tried to pull her hand from the crook of his arm, but Draven laid his free hand over her fingers.

"No, I'm glad you told me. It's something I need to know. Don't be embarrassed. I'll stay with you." He smiled.

"Thank you." Lei couldn't meet his gaze. She was a grown woman, half vampire or so, and she was afraid of the dark. What a wimp.

They finally arrived outside of her room. Draven followed her in and sat in his usual chair. Lei rummaged through the drawers and came up with some suitable pajamas. When she returned from the bathroom, Draven had his feet on the edge of the bed, kicked back in the chair with a book in his lap.

"What are you reading?"

"How to turn a half vampire chick into a real one."

"Really? You found a book about it?" Lei rushed to his side, and eagerly looked over his shoulder.

"No, oh, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have teased."

Lei slugged him in the shoulder. They gasped at the same time, both shocked at her strength.

"Wow. Supersonic hearing, check. Super human strength, check. What's next?"

"I have no idea, but for some reason, I bet I'm the one that gets to be the guinea pig." Draven dropped his feet to the floor and looked at her.

She'd changed into a pair of soft, faded gray yoga pants, and a black tank top. She had also pulled her dark, curly hair up into a sloppy ponytail high upon her head. Even in those comfortable clothes, she still sent off vibes of sex appeal, and Draven was entranced. He'd never gotten this...curious about a woman before. Sexual urges, yes. Desire, yes. Thirst, yes. But for some reason, he wanted to get to know Lei. Really know what was deep inside her heart and soul. And it scared the hell out of him.

Lei scooted to the head of the bed and lifted the blankets, sliding her legs in then laid down. She laid her head on the pillow and looked at him. She focused on opening her mind...she wanted him to read her thoughts so she didn't have to voice her request. Draven stared at her inquiringly, wondering if she knew what she was doing. She was projecting her thoughts to him. And they surprised him.

"Do you realize what you're doing?"

"Yes." Her eyes fluttered shut.

Draven took a deep breath, and against everything in his being telling him not to get involved, he climbed into bed next to her. He lay on top of the blankets, however, and rolled onto his side so he was facing her. Lei turned her head to look at him, and he saw the confusion and pain still lying behind those green eyes. He lifted his hand and began stroking her hair away from her face at her temple. His fingertips brushed her skin at the hairline, and she sighed.

His hand moved downwards in slow, even strokes, and he caressed her neck and jaw with the backs of his fingers. Lei turned her face into his hand, and his fingers stroked her cheek. She turned her head a bit father and pressed a quick kiss to his palm. Draven wanted to jerk back but he held steady. Suddenly it hit him- he was the one she bonded with, and he was the one she was going to love. This was a terrible idea. But she was so soft, so warm next to his hard lines and coldness, he couldn't move.

Finally she sent him another thought, and his hand ceased its caressing, and he scooted down and wrapped his arm around her middle. Lei brought one hand up and grasped his fingers, giving them a squeeze of thanks.

Bit by bit she relaxed, and finally her breathing evened out. She was asleep. But for some reason, Draven didn't move. In fact he fell asleep next to her.

"NO!" Draven jerked upright, blinking at his surroundings.

"What's wrong?"

A quick glance at the clock showed him that three hours had passed. Three hours? That was unheard of. He never took- damn it all. He had bigger fish to fry than worrying about how long he'd slept for.

"Nothing," Draven untangled himself from Lei's arms and blankets and lurched across the room.

"Liar." Lei stood and followed him out.

Even though she was about ten seconds behind him, she discovered that she had perhaps half the speed of a real vampire. It was coming in handy, and she was able to keep Draven in her sights as he wound his way through the house.

She lost him around a corner, and wasn't sure which way he'd gone. Lei stopped and closed her eyes, and listened.

".....kidding me? Absolutely not."

"You know the rules Draven. She is mine! I am her maker, and she belongs to me!"

"Listen Ken, you threw the rules out the window on this one. And I have a feeling she will never 'belong' to anyone. So back off."

"I'll have her, you watch."

"Listen, you son of a bitch, you will not treat her like a piece of meat. You will not treat her like your project, do you hear me? You aren't experienced enough to have her! What don't you get? You'll hurt her and break her! She isn't strong enough."

"I picked her for a reason, and I'll have her for that reason. Back off, Draven."

The door slammed open and Lei jumped. Before she had a chance to make it back around the corner, a man appeared. He was most certainly not Draven. But he looked familiar.

"Hello Lei, remember me?"

"No. Should I?"

"How precious. I think you're playing coy with me." He advanced on her, and Lei back away two steps for every one he took.

"Ken! Goddamit, get back here!" Draven rounded the corner and screeched to a halt.

"Shut up. Lei, you know me. Think darling, think." Ken's smile was sickly at best.

Lei had never been so confused in her life. She felt like she should know him, but couldn't put her finger on it. She worried her bottom lip with her teeth and tried to bring the picture into focus, but couldn't.

"Oh, that's right, they probably erased you. Let me remedy that..."

"Don't do it, Ken. What are you even talking about?" Draven's face was set in murderous lines.

"Lei and I were like this, weren't we doll face?" Ken held up two crossed fingers.

"No, I'm sorry. I don't have any idea who you are."

"You will." His eyes glinted with malice.

"Ken, I'm warning you..."

Lei gasped and doubled over, clutching her stomach and gasping for breath. The rush of memories literally took her breath away. They flew through her mind like someone throwing an envelope of pictures at her, one by one.

Draven stiffened as he saw what Lei did. She was weak, and her mind was completely open. She and Ken had been together. They grew up together, and then dated a couple years out of high school. She dumped him for another guy. Ken wanted revenge.

The whole process took only seconds, but it felt like a lifetime. Ken stalked forward and grabbed Lei by her hair, jerking her head up so she had to look at him. Her eyes grew wide as she still struggled to catch her breath, and Draven took that first step forward.

Ken pulled her hair with enough force to send her to her knees. Her scalp burned and her eyes watered, even as her chest felt like it was on fire. She still gasped for air. Draven didn't know exactly what Ken had in mind, but it was like his whole word turned red.

One second he was heading towards Ken, and the next he was pulling the knife out of his boot. Ken released Lei's hair and she collapsed onto the floor covering her face. She knew it was coming. She saw it coming.

Draven's knife barely had time to glint in the light before he slit Ken's throat, sending him sprawling. Draven knelt over top of him and severed his head in an instant, barely getting winded. Two men appeared from around the corner, and the body was removed from the floor and taken into a nearby room. Another man appeared and took the head.

Lei made no effort to move her hands from her face. She just wanted out of that hallway and back into her bed. Strong arms slid behind her back and beneath her knees, and she was lifted high into the air.

Draven carried her silently back to her room, leaving his 'family' behind him, frozen with shocked awe.

"Draven, you know we need to talk about this." Fredrick appeared out of nowhere the instant he closed Lei's door.

"Quiet. She can hear." Draven stalked down the hallway and the stairs, heading out the front door.

Fredrick was right on his heels. As much of a pain as Fredrick was, he was an older vampire, and he did have good suggestions every once in a while. Draven just didn't particularly care for his ideas about Lei.

"I think it's why she can't turn all the way. Has anyone that's been erased ever become a vampire?"

A group had followed them out the door, June included. They all muttered. No one had any idea. If they'd been erased, they wouldn't know they had. Lei was a mystery. They kept discovering things that were vampire traits, but obviously she still needed to breathe. They knew that thanks to Ken.

June piped up. "What was Ken going to do to her?"

"He was going to make her pay. It all happened so fast I couldn't get a read on him, but I saw their memories through Lei. He was never very nice to her when they were together, and that's why she broke it off for another man. As far as what Ken had in mind, I just don't know." Draven shoved his hand through his hair.

"Was it enough to kill him?" Fredrick raised an eyebrow.

"He picked her deliberately the other night. He knew who she was. He maliciously chose her. That is something we cannot abide. We thought it was because he's new, but it's not. He wanted to make her suffer. What if he did that again? What then? So I...took care of it." Draven groaned inwardly. Fredrick was such a trouble maker. He was going to drag this out forever.

"I still say you were a bit hasty. But, it is one less mouth to feed." Fredrick removed his glasses and cleaned them with a cloth from his breast pocket. "Never much liked him anyway."

The group disbanded, and not another word was spoken. They all pretty much had the same feelings about Ken, and it was no big loss. Draven stood in silence, shocked that Fredrick let it go. Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, he turned to head in to check on Lei. He'd left her sleeping. June blocked his path.

"What does it mean, 'Ven?

"What do ya mean, what does it mean?" He avoided her eyes.

"Either you're her big brother now, or you're her lover. Which is it?" June looked deadly serious.

"It doesn't have to be either." He glanced away.

"It does and you know it. That's just our nature. You're just lucky I was still in love with a human when you saved me." Her dimples popped as she smiled at him.

"You're a handful, June. I don't know what to do with you some days."

"For what it's worth, she's attracted to you. She'd be madly in love with you already, if not for the fact she's only a halfsie." Again, those dimples. Draven just shook his head.

"All right, you little vixen. I have to go check on our guest." He made his way past her, but June's hand flew out and she caught his arm.

"Be good to her. And watch your back around her. You're getting distracted." June released him and disappeared.

Draven rolled his eyes. What a day this had turned into.

Lei came awake slowly. She was a bit disoriented, but after a few moments she remembered the events of the day. She shuddered. She hadn't even watched Draven kill Ken, but she saw it happen in her mind's eye. The fact that Draven killed him said a lot...but she just wasn't quite sure what it was. Did he like her? Love her? Or was he just protecting her, and would have done it for anyone?

She rolled to her stomach and closed her eyes again. She saw him, standing there proud and tall, ready to take on anything for her. His hair was brown, and almost had a reddish glint to it. His eyes were a peculiar shade of brown, but she'd noticed everyone's eyes were pretty light, no matter what the color. Maybe that was part of the vampire gene. She would guess he was about six foot four, and he was covered in muscle. Aside from the fact he had vampire strength, he would have been strong on his own.