Mastering the Darkness

Now that he had taken his hand away from her face, the girl's bottom lip started trembling, flashing the image of her in his mind from three years ago, that same auburn hair, that same trembling bottom lip, that same expression; commendably resolute. Did she deserve another chance? Callan narrowed his eyes and almost recoiled from the girl, in disgust with himself as the words left his mouth.

"You... have an ultimatum." She gulped, her forehead creased in bewilderment.

"An ultimatum?" Her voice softly repeated the words. He glared down at her, imposing.

"Either you can stay here and I will burn this village to the ground, leaving the villagers, apart from you, alive, but with no houses, no money, no food, and they can live with the consequences. Or" -- he felt a strange twitch of emotion flicker through him as she gasped, horrified -- "you will leave your village now and will come back with me and my brothers to Merton, and I will let the others of my kind decide what to do with you." Her jaw clenched, and her breathing, he noticed, grew shallower. The thought of her having to go to the vampire's mansion chilled her to the core. Everyone said how evil vampires were; the things they would do to humans - even to their own kind. But what choice did she have? She wasn't going to let her cousin Lizzy, just engaged and with so much to lose, actually take the blame. Aria was single, and ultimately, unfortunately, alone. It was the logical thing for her to take the responsibility for the village. Logical, perhaps; but not easy. Still. She composed herself and met his gaze, defiant. Her voice, when she spoke at last, was thick with emotion.

"If I come with you, what will become of this place? Will you promise to leave the village alone, and not to kill anyone else?" He cocked his head to one side, as ever taken aback by the girl's definite attitude. He considered her words, slowly.

"Very well."

"Then I will come with you." Her answer came immediately, and Callan couldn't help raising his eyebrows slightly in surprise. He felt some strange kind of relief wash over him; perfect. He would give her to the other vampires, and they could feed from her, suck the life out of her, ghoul her, and then technically, he wouldn't be responsible. And then maybe he could get shot of this uncomfortable feeling lurking in his chest, as he looked at her and imagined her dead at his hands. Yes. He smirked then; making her wonder with a shiver exactly what she had agreed to.

"Very well."