The Rightful Heir

My thanks to Murkedly for not only editing but helping me to breathe new life into this story. Thank you Sir.

I always knew there was something different about me. I'd grown up under the watchful eyes of my grandmother and grandfather, never knowing my real parents. When you have lived with two people all your life you never really give it much thought. I never did: at least until now. I called them Grams and Pops. They taught me to be caring, kind, sharing and patient. Pops was fond of telling to me to play when I can and work when I should. Most important, they taught me love. To me, they were my world. I grew up in their loving home, enduring the same trials as any child, finally blossoming into a balanced, confident, energetic young woman.

I moved out of my grandparent's home when I started attending college to live on campus. My major was in education. My desire was to be a teacher, to help develop young minds. I knew it was what I wanted to do ever since my freshman year in high school when I started tutoring other students in Math and English. I had worked hard to get where I was and even with the scholarship I earned because of my grades, I still had to work at a part time job. Of course Grams and Pops were more than willing to help, but I only wanted them to be my 'last resort'.

Classes were over for the day and when I got back to my dorm room it was late afternoon. I tossed my keys on the table and hung my coat on the hall tree then wandered into the kitchen for a glass of OJ. I heard the soft beep of the answering machine and, juice in hand, walked over and pressed 'play'. There was only one message, but it was an urgent one from Grams: she wanted me to call home as soon as I could. I had never heard Grams voice sound like that before, even when Uncle Stephen died, her brother. She was almost pleading, frantic. When I tried to call her back, all I got was a busy signal. I knew they had call-waiting, so it didn't make sense that the line remained busy. I tried several more times but got the same frustrating signal. Something is wrong. I guess I knew it all along, but just didn't want to admit it. I scooped my keys off the table and snagged my coat on the way out the door.

Normally it's almost a three hour drive but I made it in two. Day had filtered into night as I skidded to a stop in the driveway. Running up the steps I sensed something was horribly wrong. The front door was askew, it looked as if it had been ripped off the hinges, hanging precariously. I walked into the house, screaming their names. No answer. As I turned the corner into the living room, every horror I could ever imagine was realized. "No! Grams! Pops!" They were lying on the floor covered in blood, clothes torn, flesh torn, a large stain spreading around them like a crimson halo. I knelt beside them, wanting to touch but repulsed by the obscene condition they were in. Their lifeless eyes were staring back at me as I started to weep, trying to make sense of this madness.

I looked around me, cautious, terrified, scanning the room and the threatening shadows. The overhead lights were on and a lamp glowed weakly on the small table where the phone usually rested. The phone was now on the floor, in pieces. I was in shock.

"Lilith?"

I screamed. I screamed like I have never screamed before. I tried to jump to my feet, intending to run for the door, but I only managed to get tangled in the hem of my coat and fell unceremoniously on my side. I scrambled to my feet again looking to my right at the entry leading to the front door, then to my left at the entry leading to the kitchen and the rest of the house. I was backing up, my head jerking from right to left to right again. Where had the voice come from? Where was he? I backed into the wall and screamed before I realized what I had done. I pressed against it, gaining some small sense of security knowing no one could sneak up behind me. The voice spoke again:

"Lilith, I am speaking to you in your mind. You must listen to me carefully, M'lady. You are in grave danger."

"I've already called the police, they're on their way," I lied. I couldn't tell where he was. Should I just run for the door?

"Lilith," I heard a soft sigh, "I am not responsible for this, child, but the one who is remains watchful and has waited for your return. I have blocked his thoughts from sensing you with a spell but I can not hold him off long. You must listen to me and you must do as I say or your grandparents deaths will have been in vain. I will have failed them and my friends, your parents."

My parents?

I heard another sigh, "Two things: first, if you think it, I can hear it, Lilith. Second, you have to leave now! I need you to listen to me. I can not protect you when I am so far away. I will come for you and grant you safe passage, but for now, you have to go."

I closed my eyes, falling to my knees, wondering if this was madness, if this could be a terrible dream. There was blood on my hands, on my jeans, blood from the two people I loved most in the world. I was in the middle of a gruesome crime scene, probably destroying evidence, and to top it all off, was hearing a very real sounding voice in my head. This was too much to process, beyond my ability to grasp. Oh Grams," I sobbed, burying my head in my blood-smeared hands, "Pops." Why!

"I can tell you why, dear girl, but to do so will take valuable time which neither you nor I have. If you do not hasten, do not listen to me, then their blood on your hands is yours and yours alone. You will have failed them, failed your parents and more importantly, failed your kind. Now, either get up and flee or stay where you are, die and know you could have avenged the deaths of many who would have called you, granddaughter, daughter or even...Queen."

I don't know what came over me, didn't know I had the courage. I snarled, my voice unlike any I had heard before spoken out loud. "If you are attempting to fool me, I swear on their lives I will have yours, do you hear me? DO YOU HEAR ME?"

His voice was tinged with concern, the words echoing in my mind, "You have broken the spell with your anger and words, M'lady. I can cloak you no more, but if you leave right now, I believe you can remain free. If you do so, I will find you and you can claim my life as the prize you desire. I will give it freely in service as long as I know I have saved you. Now, run Lilith, you must flee, now."

I stood slowly, looking over at Grams and Pops somehow knowing this would be the last time I would see them or the house I had grown up in. I heard the voice pleading inside my head but I simply didn't listen. I was overwhelmed by grief, and the strange discussion going on in my mind.

Turning, I saw a man filling the doorway, his body massive, blocking the way outside. In the dim light he only appeared as a silhouette as a scream stuck in my throat, the grip of absolute terror seemed to physically strangle me. The voice again filled my head but this time, it was not alone:

"Well, well...how touching, a family reunion, of sorts."

"Tomas, she has harmed no one, she is innocent in this matter. Let her go, I will take her place. You have my word, my pledge to you Milord."

Laughter filled my mind along with a searing pain as I fell to my knees, holding my head in my hands. I was right, this was madness. The man in the doorway had a twisted, rictus smile. When he spoke his lips didn't move. His huge, luminous eyes never blinked, never wavered as they bored into mine.

"Michael, you fool. Do you not think I know of this ones true potential? It took me years to find the girl but finally her beloved mother told me all, right before I took her life. And now, I have taken the same of these two." He swung an oaken arm, indicating the bodies of my Grandparents. "The bloodline nears an end and now, there remains only one First her father, then the others, now I will claim my prize which is hidden inside her."

I jumped up, gaining my feet much better this time, and aimed straight for the door into the kitchen. I could grab a knife, defend myself, maybe break through a window. I made it three strides before the huge man was next to me, a single slap of his hand sending me skidding across the room. I crashed into the curio cabinet, the glass shattered, covering me in sparkling diamonds and razor sharp knives. It was too much. I had seen and heard too much. I fainted.

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"I swear to you Sir, you have no idea what you are doing, the death and destruction that will rain down upon our people. We have lived in peace for generations and you are willing to throw it all away for a single life? She has never known, she was to never know. She is no threat to you, do not do this, I beseech you."

The man known as Tomas walked across the room and picked up my unconscious body, throwing it over his shoulder. "She possesses the power I require, Michael and I will have it. Whether she grants it to me willingly or by whatever means necessary, I will be what I have been destined to be from the beginning. I will rule and you will serve me. After all, it's your proper place boy, is it not?"

With that his laughter again rang out as he turned, carrying the unconscious figure out into the dark of night. If she would have been awaken, she would have seen his smile, the promise of the fangs which glistened in the moonlight as he carried her to his destination...hell on earth.

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When I awoke it was like finding myself in Dante's worst nightmare. I hung naked from a pair of ancient shackles on the ends of rusty chains that disappeared in the dark above me. My clothing had been torn from my body. I could see the tattered remains lying on the ground around me. My skin shone with sweat, the heat oppressive. Across the chamber from me were dozens of men and women, naked, dirty, all their eyes trained on me. It was hardly a time to be self-conscious- It was a time for terror. I tested the shackles, yanked on them. They held firm.

"Help me," I begged, keeping my voice low.

None of them moved or even seemed to hear me or understand my plea. Maybe they didn't care. A strange sound filled the air, almost animal like: a hissing which echoed throughout the large chamber. I couldn't tell where the sound issued from. Was it coming from the people? I looked around frantically to see instruments of torture hanging on the cold, stone walls and the promise of pain they might bring. A set of keys seemingly from another time, another place or century on a hook beside them. Suddenly, the room fell instantly silent as he- the man who killed my Grandparents- strode into view and I got my first true look.

He was a dashing figure, almost beautiful with his pale features, his long black hair falling well past his shoulders, eyes gray, translucent, his smile humorless, colder than a winter's night. He dressed like he had come from one of the finer haberdasheries, his clothing the finest silks and linens. He stopped directly in front of me taking in the sight of my naked body.

"I have waited many lifetimes for this moment and my patience is about to be rewarded. You hold the key to my kingdom girl and I will have it, no matter what it takes. You can tell me and I will make your death quick, painless, or you can force me to use other measures. Either way, I will have what I desire and I will fulfill the prophecy that says our people require someone to lead them. Your father was weak. Our people require a Master and it will be me."

I hung there, having no idea what he was talking about when his hand shot out and gripped my throat. I flailed, kicking my legs helplessly. His eyes turned to the color of blood. His humorless smile grew exposing fangs, like a wolf. "What will it be wench?" he asked, "Which do you choose?"

My breathing was now labored, my chest heaving with no air passing through my lungs but with the last bit I had I managed to almost whisper, "Go to hell," as I spat, directly into his face. To my surprise, he released his hold, his hands going to his face as I saw smoke rise up. The left side of his face literally began to melt as his eyes burned like fire. His handsome face growing disfigured and with an animal like scream, he grabbed my hair, pulling my head back. His anger overwhelming his ambition as his teeth found their purchase.

I had no agony to really compare it to but the bite was savage, sharp, my flesh rendered open as he drank from me. My body twisted in my bonds, eyes rolling back in my head. He sucked at the wound, my screams filling the chamber, the bloodlust within stirring many of those who were watching to find a mate, an orgy of decadent pleasure which mixed with the pain I was feeling.

It was only when I finally ceased to move, my screams now only a memory, that he released me. He had drunk his fill. He granted me his 'gift', but it was not to be to his liking. Perhaps he had felt that if he drank from me, he would have his answers. Instead, the taste had been bitter as he fell to his knees, his body rejecting it, as it spewed forth from his mouth.

He staggered to his feet, the time for his slumber had drawn near. He steadied himself, his face disfigured, his plan gone awry. He slapped me, my head twisting savagely, the fang marks on my neck starting to bruise, contrasting against my pale skin. He screamed his rage. All those who had massed into their vile orgy scattered like leaves on an autumn wind as he turned and stormed through their midst's.

I'm not sure if it was a dream or perhaps a nightmare but as my body began to change, to become more than a mere mortal, I heard a familiar sound. Softly, almost tenderly, "I have not forsaken you M'lady, this I swear. I will find you and I will free you though I fear your life will never be the same. Be strong and know...you are not alone." I hung there, my mind having surrendered control, the flesh devoid of thought.

That night Tomas returned, his face showing the damage I had unwittingly inflicted, his once proud visage viciously marred. He was more determined than ever to have the secret hidden inside, no matter the cost. It was like watching everything in slow motion as my eyes swam with blood, my body constantly evolving and he wanted to add yet another ingredient to the concoction.

"I want what I require. You will tell me the secret, what it is that possesses you, that makes you who you are. You are insignificant in the grand scheme of things, a mere mortal. Who are you to deny me what is rightfully mine, bitch? If I do not hear your words, I will hear your screams and until I do, this is now your sanctuary and all it offers is pain."

He walked behind me, raising his hand, fingernails like talons. I felt the cold, sharp tips touch my neck just above my shoulders and dig in. My cries filled the empty chamber as he ripped his hand down my back all the way to my butt, the pain searing, excruciating. I could hear those awful claws clicking against my ribs and spine as they gouged through my flesh. As quickly as the agony had begun it began to dissipate, as I could feel my body healing itself. Within a minute, my flesh appearing as it had been before.

His growl was long, loud as he turned, pulling down an object from the wall, a whip which he cracked, though my body did not react, lost in the feelings which were coursing through it. The first blow exploded across my back and I arched, my cries through the pain coming forth but as before, the long, red angry line disappearing almost as quickly as it had appeared and that only fueled his anger.

For hours he abused my body, lash after lash until finally he dropped the whip, his body literally shaking from the exertion. Eventually, my mind had shut down, my body having taken control. If he had not been exhausted, he would have noticed that though there was no blood to be seen pooled beneath my feet, there was something else. My body, in accepting the pain, had brought forth pleasure. He had added in my changing, simply not in the manner he had expected.

And so the nights would go: so would my agony. I had screamed before, now I would only moan as his rage, like a fire being stoked, grew in its intensity and his actions. Instrument after instrument was used to inflict more and more pain upon me but where I at one time had voiced my displeasure, now I spoke of my acceptance. Pain and pleasure, the two forever linked for eternity.

It was on the fifth night that after our time together had finished did I feel his hands again take purchase in my hair. For those nights where I had felt the touches of pain which now were as much a part of me as my new unknown abilities, there was one final step to insure my transition was permanent. The turning had been even more painful than the objects he had used on me but in the end, pain had become my lover, embracing me and I him.

Tomas held a bowl to my lips as I took my first nourishment, food no longer my requirement, but the drink now the bane of my existence. It was thick, cloying, yet I drank greedily from it, the stranger I would never know who had granted me the final piece to my puzzle, insuring that I was now one of them. A vampire.

It was nearing the break of dawn when I heard the voice again and I welcomed it, embraced it though my body was trying to drag me down to my rest. In the past I had sensed compassion, caring, but now it sounded weary, tinged with the sound of another's pain. "I -- I am near M'lady, we haven't much time." It was only a few minutes later that the door to the chamber opened, a man coming through, the darkness only allowing me a silhouette, a glimpse.

He took the keys from where they hung on the wall, moving behind me, undoing one shackle as I hung from the other, my feet still dangling just off the floor before doing the other, a hiss of pain as I literally fell into his arms. His touch was tender, caring as he carried me from the room, his steps faltering at times but never releasing me as we climbed a flight of stairs, the figure at the door, his neck at an angle, broken. One of Tomas's human followers who had stood guard, did so no more.

"We must hurry," the words spoken between gritted teeth as he closed his eyes and within the time it took for a single thought, we were gone from this place. I blinked, our new surroundings quite different from where we had just been. A bedroom, a large four poster bed filling it, sheets of silk, the comforter of velvet, a dark rich purple as he gently lay my body down upon it, the feeling almost sensual as I sighed softly.

I saw a shadow in the darkness, his one arm now hanging at his side, the look in his eyes filled with pain as he spoke. "It is dawn and I must rest, you should do the same." He took his other arm, a simple motion, his hand moving fluidly over my face as my eyes closed and I obeyed the simple command. My dreams were vivid, the mixture between a nightmare and the light which beckoned to me. Unaware, that I was different, I was more than a denizen of the night, a fact I was soon to find out.

When I awoke, I was unaware that day had turned into night and that the dawn was on the horizon. I looked over to see the man slumped in a chair, my eyes opening wide to see the bloodstained shirt as I went to his side. His eyes were unfocused as I touched his face gently, a weary smile coming to his face as he spoke, "You are safe here girl, no harm shall befall you, I swear."

He tried to stand but simply crumbled to the floor as I pulled the shirt off his shoulder, seeing the wound, a gasp escaping my throat. A blade had been used, broken off as it seeped blood, a slow and what it seemed painful death unless it was removed. I tried to pull it but the blood only caused my trembling fingers to slip, the object of his pain refusing to budge.