A Fate Worse Than Death by DannyV

Miriam stood weakly up. "I am drained and you will need more strength." Quickly, without warning, she grabbed Arabella and sank her fangs in to the woman's neck. She drank deeply, but not enough to kill. She nodded toward Karen. "Your turn, but don't kill her."

Gavin felt the new formed fangs in his mouth with his tongue. He pulled Karen to him, the girl's eyes wide in horror and disbelief, and sank his fangs in. The flood of blood into his mouth and throat was like a drug. He felt as though his body was filling with new life, new power. The girl beneath his fangs wept, she pushed at his now marble smooth skin, but he was too strong. Perhaps Gavin would have killed her, but the axes battering into the door snapped his attention back to the room.

He looked from the door to Ruth. He slipped to the floor beside the dying older lady. He cradled her in his arms, a tear forming in his unaccustomed eye. "Forgive me." He whispered, and pulled the arrow from her body. She screamed in pain, only stifled by the Count's fangs sinking into the wrinkled flesh of her neck. Her blood tasted different to Karen's, sweeter, more delicate. He near drained her body, then, as Miriam had, he opened his own vein and held it to Ruth's mouth.

The axes pounded at the door. The oak was splintering on the inside.

Ruth's eyes snapped open and she gasped. Gavin smiled down on her wrinkled face, then raised his eyebrows in surprise. The wrinkles and folds of skin seemed to stretch out, Ruth's hair changed from muddy grey to deep black. Her breasts swelled in the thin fabric of the dress. She was transformed into the woman she had been in her twenties. Beautiful, wise and strong.

The door burst open, and two large, armoured guards stood, axes in hand. Edwin, behind them, smiled "Still standing!" he exclaimed, raising an eyebrow at the naked state of the people within the room.

"A little more than that." Said Gavin, and he moved forward, so fast that he appeared to transport from one part of the room to another. He punched his hand at one of the guard's chest, and it split through armour muscle and bone leaving the guard gurgling in his own blood.

Gavin pulled out his hand, gripping the still beating heart of the dying soldier. The other dropped his axe, dropped to one knee and sobbed "Forgive me my lord!"

Gavin smiled a wicked, white fanged smile. "You are just doing as you lord commanded you," and he looked at Edwin, "It is my trusted advisor that should be worried."

The chase was short, the ending bloody.

As Gavin dropped the lifeless, broken corpse of Edwin to the floor he said, "I wonder what DID happen to the Duke."