My eyes snapped open as the stake blurred towards my chest.
Instinct whipped my hand up to seize my attacker by his wrist. My fingers dug into his tendons like a claw, forcing his grip to fail. The stake skittered away, bouncing across the cracked concrete floor.
I gave a sharp twist and felt bone splinter.
He screamed.
I didn't let go.
Thirst left my throat raw and my body feeling slack despite the speed at which I'd grabbed him. There was nothing in my mind in that moment than a blind insatiable need to feed.
Yanking him close, I ignored his squeals and buried my fangs deep into his throat. Blood gushed as I tore at his flesh like a hungry shark, desperate to drain each drop.
He wouldn't have been my first choice. His blood tasted heavy and metallic.
But survival comes first.
Choking, he flailed with his free arm to swing a mallet which smacked into my temple with a dull crack. With a roll of my eyes, I grabbed his arm before he could swing again and snapped the bones above his wrist with another violent jerk.
His heart didn't last much longer.
It wasn't a clean kill. But it was a kill.
Fresh blood rushed from my stomach into my Meridians, warming parts of me which felt like they'd been dormant too long and had grown cold. Dimly, I wondered how long I had been in torpor.
Shoving the corpse aside, I lurched out of the brittle old coffin he'd torn open to get to me and found myself in a dank little room which had seen better days.
Plaster had crumbled from the walls to litter the floor. A puddle of rancid water pooled in a corner as it dripped down from a crack in the ceiling.
The thick air inside the room stank of piss, rot, and mould. This definitely wasn't my lair.
Disoriented, I kicked the splintered lid aside as I staggered awkwardly towards the open door.
My legs felt stiff.
Too stiff.
Each step was like a drunken reel which left my head spinning wildly. As I made it closer to the door, the vertigo was overwhelming and I doubled over with a groan.
Panting, I tried to force my body to adjust. But it felt too light. And, glancing down, I saw why.
I was mostly skin and bones. Little more than a skeletal husk dressed in strange clothes.
A loose short-sleeved black shirt. It felt like cotton, only softer than anything I had ever worn before. The pants were made of no material I could identify. And my shoes looked like leather but felt more supple and had plush cushioned soles.
I blinked down at myself, thoroughly confused.
A memory teased the edge of my awareness. But it seemed too unbelievable, so I pushed it aside.
Just in time to snatch the stake thrusting at my chest.
"Ugh," a feminine voice hissed. "I knew there was a horrible vampire stink in here!"
I gripped the stake firm in my fist as she gave it another push to try and sink it into me. She was a small thing. Petite. Blonde hair and blue eyes.
Also, I thought as her foot smashed into my ribs, she was quick for a mortal.
Grunting, I accepted the pain and backhanded her across the cheek.
Weak as I was, a vampire's strength is still more than a mortal's. The blow sent her flying into the wall with a violent crunch that blew plaster out across the floor.
Tossing the stake over my shoulder, I took a half-step towards her crumpled form when I felt something familiar.
A sour taste filled my mouth, and I bared my teeth as a bolt of electricity speared towards me. Not thinking, I lifted my hand and caught it on my forearm where it wrapped around my arm like a bright sparking snake.
Sneering, I clenched my fist and the snake exploded into fragments of dusty glass at my feet.
The shadows beyond the doorway froze.
"Come out, witch," I rasped, my gaze fixed where I knew she was preparing her next spell. "Kneel and I may spare you. Cast that curse, and I'll send it back tenfold."
The witch hesitated but triggered the spell anyway.
The curse ripped through the world, tearing space and time as it flew at me. I sighed, snatching it out of the air and slinging it back at her with a careless flick.
"Such a waste," I muttered as the witch started shrieking.
The shrieks caused the crumpled girl to lift herself off the ground and throw herself at me again. She came in low, kicking and punching before pulling out a small axe from somewhere.
Forced to dodge, I was more surprised by her speed than anything else. She was like a frenzied little alley cat hissing and spitting as its little claws raked at my ankles.
"What do you hope to achieve with this toy?" I asked, my hand wrapping around her wrist as she swung at my head.
"Distraction," she snarled, and her other hand came up. Fast.
The stake should have plunged through my ribs to impale my heart. Perhaps many vampires had fallen for this little trick.
But not many had spent decades fighting sneaky little Turks.
Her eyes widened as I stopped the stake only a hair away from pricking my skin. The look on her face was adorable. Like a kitten caught in the act of pushing a vase of a shelf.
I smiled down at her. If I'd had a free hand, I might have patted her head.
"Shit," she said.
"Ah. Not a Lady, then." I winced at her language as the witch's shrieks dropped to gurgling sobs. "So far, tonight has been one disappointment after another."
She aimed a kick between my legs.
But I had control of both her arms and spun her around before she could connect, driving her down to her knees and lunging at her throat.
She squawked as I bit into her neck.
Her fingers clawed at my face and she kicked and struggled to the end.
She tasted sweet. Much sweeter than I'd expected.
Her blood pouring into my mouth and filling my stomach. My Meridians throbbed as they filled with her lifeforce.
I pushed at them to direct her blood into my Core.
This was more habit than a conscious thought.
Nothing happened.
Her blood continued to pump into my Meridians, but nothing else. It was as if there was no connection between them and my Core.
Which was impossible.
"Please…" The girl whimpered, tugging my confused thoughts away. She'd dropped her weapons and her fingers twitched weakly. "Don't…"
Grunting, I clamped my jaws tighter, feeling the last of her blood slide over my lips. As her pulse ceased, I pushed her corpse aside and lifted myself as best as I could. Blood dribbled off my chin.
A waste.
But, as I turned towards the agonised sobs from beyond the doorway, I let my lips curl into a smile. There was still more to be had.
"No," the witch moaned as I approached. "No no no… This… can't… no…"
"Shh," I told her, kneeling beside her crumpled body. "It is much too late for that."
Her long red hair covered her face, and I gently pushed it aside to get a look at her. She was pretty. In another time, I might have considered Turning her.
But not tonight.
My shrivelled body needed her blood more than I needed a companion.
"Please…" She choked on her words. "I'll… Anything… Serve… Anything…"
"Of course you would," I said, moving her hair further back to expose her pale neck. I tugged a pendant off it and tossed it away. "And I give you this chance now. Serve me."
The blood of witches is always potent, and I moaned as it swept into my mouth with a fizz of magic. She wasn't a strong witch, so the sweetness wasn't completely washed away by the thick herbal taste of her magic.
The curse kept her still in my arms, but she continued to plead. To beg.
I ignored it, trying again to push her blood into my Core. And frowned as my Meridians refused to respond. I closed my eyes to envision the veins roping outwards from my stomach.
The blood was flowing within, carried by my stomach to deliver its lifeforce to my Meridians. But as I reached my mind to touch them, they felt knotted. Hard.
I shuddered at the feeling of my blood splashing into them only for the lifeforce to be wasted as it dissipated into the ether beyond.
I was broken.
But how?
The witch gave one last mew and died beneath me. I let her go and stood unsteadily, looking down at my hands.
They were still skeletal. After draining the blood of the first mortal, I should have recovered completely. After three, I should have been overflowing with lifeforce.
Instead, it was trickling away like water down a drain.
"Impossible," I breathed.
What… What had happened to me?
A sudden clatter sounded from a door at the end of the hallway to my right.
I spun towards it, barely able to keep myself upright. A light shone from under the door. And the sound of whispering voices teased my ears.
Blood, I thought. More blood.
That's what I needed. Perhaps I'd been in Torpor longer than I thought. Maybe… Maybe my Meridians weren't broken. Maybe they were just starved. That had to be it. Had to be.
The memory floated just behind my conscious thoughts.
My Brides.
Laughing.
I shook my head, taking my first step towards the door.
As I drew closer, I heard a low giggle.
The door itself was braced with steel. Heavy and bolted from the other side.
No handle.
I peered at it, impatience bubbling in my belly as I considered whether it was a trap. I had, after all, woken in a strange little room surrounded by vampire hunters.
Were more of them waiting on the other side to overwhelm me with their numbers? I should be cautious. I should make a plan.
I should-
I kicked the door with a roar, sending it flying with a metallic crash. Striding into the room, I hissed with my fangs bared and my hands lifted to defend myself from whatever forces sought to contain me.
Because none can contain me.
Three faces looked up at me. Smiling. Hands clapped in front of them in delight as they let out a cheerful well-practiced cry; "Welcome back, Master!"
Behind them, a small table was set up with a naked woman tied down on top of it. An unlit candle was stuck to her forehead. A pink candle. A bright red ribbon was neatly knotted around her neck.
Her eyes were wide as she screamed into her gag.
A banner of gold and bright pink with white lettering was hung along a wall.
Happy Resurrection Day!
I blinked. "Eh?"