Chapter Text
luke and kieran, as young and average looking as they seemed, were professional fighters with heavy training under their belt. they knew what it took to be in hand-to-hand combat even without fancy powers to help them.
of course, these skills were the result of their years of training; only taught to them by the best of the best. the frontlines were not their designated position under sylus's care, but they were more than prepared for anything that came their way.
ghouls? goblins? A-tier criminals? all trained to handle them effectively. even with the latest vampire outbreak, sylus had ensured that if anything, the twins should be equipped with the basic defensive skills when dealing with a vampire.
so, what happens when the man who taught them everything they knew about strength, power, and being able to fight... doesn't do just that?
well, luke and kieran were faced with this problem head-on.
"b-boss?" luke whimpers so softly that in normal situations, his voice wouldn't be able to be heard. thankfully, the dead silence between all four persons in the room really helped emphasize the mix of fear, shock, and uncertainty in the him.
kieran was much the same. except he couldn't find his voice and his tense stance and wide eyes did all of talking.
sylus looked between the twins with an unsettling gaze. much like them and much like you, he was staggered in position—cradling you against his body. just for a moment does he glance down at you, his piercing glowing red eyes meeting your scandalized gaze.
everyone takes their moments.
sylus squeezes his eyes shut and tightens his grip on you before wetting his lips and—
"OUT!"
sylus's booming voice startles everyone in the room, especially you who is closest to him. the twins jolt back and in contrast to how long they stood there, they quickly scramble over each other out the bedroom door and down the hall.
their bedrooms weren't far down, and without thinking, both of them rushed into the closest one which happened to be kieran's. with the door slammed behind them, they take off their masks and catch their breath by the wall. time did move so slow for them, because it felt like hours before they even looked at each other.
to neither of their surprise, the other one was crying. slightly flushed cheeks and wet eyes, the twins had the same look of confusion and worry.
"k-kieran," luke chokes out.
"i don't know," kieran responds.
luke wets his lips and wipes away rouge tears with the back of his hand. "m-maybe this is all part of his plan? maybe he was u-upset because we... i don't know... sabota-"
"what kind of fucking plan is this?" kieran interjects with a much hasher tone of voice than luke carried. "you can't tell me boss had no other way of getting information from her than by... letting her bite him? god, and even if that was the case... the way he was holding her, the kisses, the..." kieran retches in his mouth. "i don't like this, i don't like this one-bit luke."
luke sniffles. "then, what are we gonna do? talk to him?
kieran raises his gaze to the ceiling and rubs his lips together. "there's nothing else to do. you know that better than me, luke."
the twins left themselves in an awkward and tense quiet, a complete contrast to what was happening down the hall.
“fuck, fuck!”
“sylus, calm down.”
“how am i… they weren’t supposed to see that!”
you were sat at the edge of the bed watching sylus pace back and forth with his hand over his mouth in stress. the moment had been embarrassing for all parties, sure, but you had no emotional connections to the twins, making this whole ordeal a little better for you to deal with. as opposed to the man in front of you, that is.
“what’s the issue? they saw us, okay, and? then what?” you huff.
sylus stops his pacing and grits his teeth at you. “you don’t understand, they’re… they’re like my sons. it’s… it’s not easy to just let them see me like that…”
“like what?”
sylus hesitates. “vulnerable.”
you shake your head in slight annoyance but let the tension go in the next exhale. “you’ve been vulnerable this whole time, why are you just now getting uncomfortable?”
“what?”
you exhale again. “since the moment i’ve stepped foot in here… no… since the bar, you’ve been nothing but a wreck, a mess. and that’s just what i’ve seen of you. i can’t imagine how long this misery of yours has lasted. if those two are ‘like your sons’ then they’ve definitely picked up on it. yet you’re upset now?”
sylus furrows his brows and stares daggers into you. his lips twitch as if there was a rebuttal or two just waiting to bite back at you. “what do you know about me?”
you look around at his bedroom condescendingly. “clearly enough to invade your home and clearly enough to make you upset. your anger is misplaced with me. just try to calm down."
you scoot off from the bed and walk over to sylus to guide him back to where he was previously sitting. he might've dragged his feet there, but he eventually sat down on the edge of the bed again, body slumped over as if he were mourning.
"sylus," you whisper.
"whatever it is you're about to say i don't want to hear it. you have no place to console me. we're not equals. you're my hostage, my prisoner here. don't... don't speak to me with such familiarity."
"i'm not trying to. honestly... i just want more blood. we were interrupted after all."
sylus lifts his head and turns to you with squinted, disbelieving eyes. your audacity never left you, it seemed. even when the man who was your lifeline was in shambles, you still had it in you to be selfish. but if sylus said that your drinking and sucking weren't pleasurable to him as well, he would be lying. it was a mix of your familiar warmth, your gripping hands, your gently sinking teeth, your soft, needy noises that was capable of finishing him. and even after every drinking session, when that fatigue creeped in from blood loss and pain, he was still okay with more.
maybe that was what he was feeling right now. fatigue. and maybe it wasn't just from your drinking, but from the weight of his life.
"why... why am i keeping you alive again? please remind me," sylus murmurs with slight dejection.
you think on it for a moment. "i can take a guess as to why, but i don't think you'd like the answer. but i can no longer be your prisoner, your hostage, if im dead."
sylus wets his lips and shakes his head slightly, almost as if to erase your illogical argument from his head. it was only illogical because he couldn't understand why he wasn't leaving you for dead, prisoner or not. maybe what luke said was right. maybe he was treating you more like a guest than the vampire that tried to turn him. or i guess, knowing what he knows now, the vampire that tried to feed off of him.
"sylus," you interrupt his foggy mind.
"shut it."
sylus shifts backward onto his bed and scoots until his back was against the pillowed headboard. he didn't say anything nor make a gesture, but his open form and slight melancholy told you that he was giving himself up to you once more. without much hesitation, you follow. climbing up on the bed and onto his lap. you move the cuffs of his collar away from his neck and admire the bloody bites you placed there earlier.
sylus's head was turned away from you slightly, like he was avoiding what was happening right before his eyes. unlike normal, where you would dive right in without thought, you stay still for a moment to look over sylus's expression. the usually hunter-like vermillion eyes had dulled into soft redwood.
what you would do to give him back the life he lived a predator. here now, he seemed like prey.
you lean into his neck and make sure to sink your teeth were where your previous bite was to avoid extra damage to his skin. that sweet, tangy blood you've come to love as dragon's blood hits your teeth right away and courses through your body.
immediately, the same sensations came back into you.
you felt your mind haze and it was accompanied by fluttering eyes. your hands found purchase on sylus's forearms where you gripped and squeezed him. your head buried itself deeper and deeper into the crevice of his neck as if there was more blood to be found there. but your worst habit were your noises.
sweet whimpers and moans escape your lips every second of your feast. it almost sounded like you were crying or... were doing other, more intimate things. but in all honestly, one could argue this was as intimate as it got. drinking blood for nothing but for the sake of your survival, given to you by a man who had everything to lose.
this was the pleasure sylus got from you.
he instinctively cupped the back of your head. and no matter how hard he tried to tell himself not to, it only felt natural to lean down and nuzzle you right back. he was a virgin to you; in all things affection and need. he was a virgin losing his scales every time you sat on his lap. he's experienced every type of pain and pride there was, but the experience of satisfaction and wholeness he got from you was brand new. this was a part of living he never truly knew, so why would he ever kill that by killing you?
your eager sounds and hefty grip made sylus groan softly. there was sweet, sweet pressure between your bodies, creating warmth that fueled both of you. it was still a mystery to him how human you seemed, even with your fangs inches deep into his neck.
"urgh... you're making a mess," sylus murmurs, noticing blood drops running down his neck.
he watches you quickly pull out from your bite and lick up the lines of blood from his neck. your eyes meet briefly, but you were too focused on drinking to truly notice how sylus stared down at you. he watched your tongue lap everything up, fast and with loud slurps.
the sight was enough to make him full body shudder, leaving him unprepared for your next bite. you were back at it, slurping and drinking as if you didn't get several pints worth in the last one.
another soft groan escapes sylus.
the pain wasn’t unbearable. it was in fact, completely bearable. barely anything to the injuries of sylus’s past. it was the overwhelming, affectionate feeling that was unbearable. leave it up to sylus to find a blood-sucking vermin like you, “affectionate.”
“‘m almost done,” you growl softly in-between sucks.
sylus doesn't respond, he just lets you continue drinking with all the desperation you could muster. when your noises finally died down and the grip on his arms loosened, he knew you were done. he watches you pull back and lick the remnants of blood from your lips before wiping your mouth all-together.
sylus glances down at his neck - all cleaned and shiny from your saliva. he couldn't see the bites, but he could definitely feel it. a prolonging, insistent ache beat from his neck and all throughout his body. he felt a little lightheaded, a little sluggish and weak. and still, despite all the bites and sucks, he felt the furthest thing from dead.
"i'm sorry," you mumble softly while glancing over sylus's slightly enfeebled body. "i... didn't mean to take so much. you just... taste really good."
"bodies reproduce blood all the time. it's not like i won't get it back."
you nod slightly, feeling a little awkward now that you've had your fill. "what are you going to do about... those boys?"
sylus hesitates. he closes his eyes almost as if to forget the memory from earlier. "it'll figure itself out. they'll have to understand one way or another."
you furrow your brows. "understand what?" you press sylus. "understand why you need to... keep me alive? what will you tell them?"
"that i need to keep you alive to further investigate you, simple." sylus retorts, getting a little annoyed at your questions. "it won't be a big deal if we don't make it one."
"what?" you scoff. "you know you aren't keeping me alive to investigate me further. so you're just gonna li-"
"what do you know?!" sylus barks at you.
immediately you flinch back in surprise.
there's a moment between you two; one where you take a breath and recover from the sudden jolt of anxiety and one where sylus simmers in regret.
"i..." he trails off. his expression softens and his eyes avoid your form.
"so you're going to put me back into that cage? am i just living under your scrutiny? is my life still in danger? will my last days be in this fucking estate of yours?"
"don't," sylus growls but then eases his tone. "don't... be so fucking hypocritical. you chose to break in here for your own selfish reasons. if you die in this house, then you chose your coffin. but i've given you more than enough blood to satiate you. you don't get to be angry."
another moment.
"can you just please be honest then?" you whisper, a new despondent tone lacing your voice. it doesn't go unnoticed by sylus. "if i die i'd rather it be in here, anyway. i don't have anywhere else to go, anyone else to see. i've spent the last who knows how many years just... getting by. i was fucking selfish but... if anyone knows about surviving, it's you."
sylus brings his avoidant gaze back to you and stares into your dilated eyes. this was a new emotion. sadness. "what do you need me to be honest about?" he asks very softly.
"why are you keeping me alive?"
sylus shakes his head. "i don't know."
"you do."
"i don't," he repeats. "that's not a question i can answer for you. but you've made a great effort to get under my skin, get into my estate, terrorize me, take advantage of me, and use me. i hate you as much as i respect you and i haven't respected a nuisance like you in a while." he takes a deep breath, pausing to think about his next words. "if you want me to kill you, though, just say the word. i am also your lifeline as much as i am your murderer."
the strange poeticism of sylus's words make your chest feel a little lighter. he felt much more... human this way. i mean - he was, unlike you. but up until now you saw him much differently - like he was a ferocious thing unable to be bested.
"i don't want to die..."
sylus frowns slightly. not at your words but at your tone of voice, it was small... helpless even. "you'll stay alive then, but only here. only with me. i can't have you out in the n109 zone."
he sees your nod.
he sees himself lose more of his light.
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like a baby, you were put down to sleep.
but as a vampire, you didn't need sleep.
and you insisted that you didn't want to go to sleep.
but sylus didn't listen.
you were in some dark corner of the estate, purposefully hidden away from the cameras and any attention that may conglomerate in the house. and while your vampire biology enjoyed dark, quiet spaces, you yourself didn't like being put to the side and kept away like you were some sort of monster.
it was fine, you thought.
you could enjoy the peace in this little nook of the house without worry.
without being a part of what was happening between everyone else.
sylus was stood in front of his bedroom mirror once more, staring at the injuries imposed by you on his neck. he hesitated between covering up the bites due to shame and leaving them out for the next inevitable feeding you would have. he traced the outline of the red marks on his skin - intimately in the shape of your fangs.
each thought of his played out like tides, coming and going with the intensity dependent on the wave. everything was foggy, and the clearer thoughts almost seemed to vanish before he could become too emotional about them.
there was no reason to be standing in front of the mirror like he was.
but he was anyway.
what was just as strong at the pain aching in his neck, though, was the yearning he felt underneath his skin. this wasn't a thought that would flounder away, it was an anguish that was apart of his body now. but it had nothing to do with the pain of his bites, and he couldn't just ignore it.
time almost became lost on him. who knew how long he was stood there, and who knew how long it would've been before he left, if it wasn't for a distraction.
"boss."
sylus flinches slightly at the unexpected voice coming from behind him. he looks over in the mirror and sees the twins standing there, postures tense.
"luke? kieran? when did you get in here?"
"we've been standing here for a while, boss."
"oh... i didn't notice."
a pause. then luke steps forward.
"boss we need to talk, like seriously. we just... want to clear things up, okay?"
sylus furrows his brows and closes his eyes, a slight groan escapes him. "i... i know, but right now isn't the time."
"then when can we?" kieran suddenly responds with a gruff voice. it was obvious he was more passionate than his brother. "you always go back on your word with these things, never wanting to tell or involve us in anything. we wanna know if you're being serious here, boss."
"kieran, it's okay. let's just-"
"you know i have my reasons," luke gets interrupted by sylus, "i've always done my job of protecting you two, and this situation is nothing different. i know you're confused, but you just can't... there are things you wouldn't be able to understand."
"like what?" kieran raises his voice. "like why you're letting that vampire girl feed off of you and why you're suddenly coddling her like she's some baby? you can't torture the girl but you can let her torture you?"
"she's not," sylus bites back a retaliatory yell, "she's not torturing me. like i said kieran, there are things you wouldn't be able to understand. but i'm doing what i need to, okay? what's your issue here?"
"the issue is that we... we worry for you, boss," luke chimes in softly, his voice a lot more timid than the two men around him. "we care for you and... well we've noticed you've been a little off lately. and then this whole vampire thing happened and... we... we just want our boss back..."
luke's smaller voice eases the welling upset in sylus's chest, but still - there was lingering frustration about the situation he's ended up in. he didn't want to answer to anyone about anything. not to you about his intentions, not to the twins about his feelings.
suddenly the vulnerable, unaccepted dragon he once was reincarnated into his bones.
judge-y, judge-y, judge-y.
that's all everyone did, that's all everyone was.
judgmental.
can't lead a sovereignty without scrutiny and demands, can't find companionship without dismay and disapproval, couldn't be a dragon without ridicule and cut horns. everyone was always so against him, one way or another. no wonder he couldn't recognize himself, who was he if not the opinions of other people.
"i... i am your boss," sylus whispers, tightening his grip on the counter. "i am your boss and i've always been your boss. whether or not you think i've changed doesn't matter. i'm hundreds of years old, dammit! i have the right to change if i want to."
sylus looks up to the mirror at the twins again. they were a bit farther back, kieran in front of luke in an almost defensive position. it was a regretful sight.
"boss..." kieran mumbles, "what have we done here to... even warrant this from you?"
sylus sighs. he pushes himself off the counter and turns to face the twins. they both avoidant eye contact but sylus didn't.
"nothing," he says, "you've done nothing. and that's how i want to keep it. you two are just boys, you've done nothing wrong except be led by a man like me... i didn't want to have this conversation now for this reason. i knew i'd say something i'd regret." sylus weakly points to the door. "im sorry... you two need to leave."
the twins glance at one another before looking up at sylus. the dejection and resolution in his voice was unnerving as much as it was upsetting. they both could feel their throats become itchy and burn up with emotion as sylus's rejection hits them.
it wasn't worth it anymore, not now and not like this.
luke was the first to turn and tug his brother out with him. the bedroom door closed softly behind them, leaving a both a literal and figurative wall between sylus and them.
they stood out in the hall for a moment to process the conversation just had.
"he's not well. he is not well, luke."
"fuck... i know."
"it's that bastard vampire girl. i want to find her and just kill her. she's turned boss into a zombie."
luke shakes his head gently then continues guiding his brother down the hall to their bedrooms. "no... i don't think it's that simple, kieran. boss has been like this for a while now, even before she arrived. all the days we wouldn't see him because he'd be cooped up at base or in his office. all the negotiations that ended up in killing sprees like he needed to let something out. he stopped spending as much time with us, he stopped... being himself a while ago." they reach their bedrooms, the crow masks come off immediately. "that vampire made things worse, sure, but... it always felt like he was headed down this path."
kieran furrows his brows and wipes away a few rogue tears that spilled earlier. he licks his lips and hesitates on his words. "are you saying it's always been hopeless?"
luke frowns at his brother's emotional voice. "no," he whispers, "i just don't think we're strong enough to deal with him. i don't think anyone is. this is... his life. his choices. what can we do?"
kieran bites his lip gently and groans softly in frustration. he makes intense eye contact with luke and wipes the last of his tears. "we keep trying, we keep talking. we'll regret it if we don't do anything, so we have to... we have to try. for him. o-okay?"
luke hesitates for a few moments before giving his brother a single firm nod.
"okay."
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the n109 zone was never in anything but darkness, which made it perfect for a vampire to inhabit in - but still, without some sort of window or even artificial light, it was hard for you to tell what time of day it was.
it had been long, that's all you knew. long since sylus dragged you in here and asserted to you to not leave and to not make noises. you didn't really like being docile, but here you were, unmoving and silent.
at least there was a bed, you thought. a bed, a blanket, the darkness, and some silence. it reminded you of the crevices you hid in when you first arrived into the estate, and how stupidly you made the mistake of trying to get fresh air, leading you to get caught by those two with the crow masks.
you haven't heard many noises in your time in this room, only the faint creaking noises of the house. the estate was big enough that a party on the other side could barely be heard from where you were at - so when you finally did hear a noise, it startled you.
it was heavy footsteps from down the hall that became louder and louder with each passing second. it was a bit unnerving to say the least, but you were scared of few things in your life.
you stilled until the footsteps stopped right outside the bedroom door. it was tense for a few moments before the door swung open, letting in faint light from down the hall. your keen night vision scanned the area and could immediately recognize the form that was now entering the room.
"sylus?" you whisper. he doesn't answer.
the door closes on his way in and you instinctively sit up warily. as powerful as this man may be, he wasn't a threat to you - but his behavior was odd. you furrow your brows and repeat his name.
"sylus."
and finally, a response.
"are you hungry?"
you shift uncomfortably at the question. you weren't, but the thought of drinking from him again was enough to stir you. you swallow and close your eyes to refrain from just pouncing on him.
"no... not really."
"are you sure? you've been in here for two days, you're really not hungry?"
two days? what?
"i had a lot to drink last time, i've been quite satiated," you respond softly, the idea of being stuck in here for two days being unfathomable to you. "your blood is thick and course. i'm no longer hungry like i was when i arrived. i feel... normal."
it was quite strange to you how honest you were being here, but that look in sylus's eye made it hard for you not to be. the look of deep pitted exhaustion. you pitied him too much to lie right now.
"sylus," you say his name again after a short silence, "why have i been in here for two days?"
sylus shifts slightly to where he could hear your voice. he's been staring at darkness this whole time, just taking in your presence by listening to you. without your face, the familiarity sylus felt from your voice was stronger.
a voice he knew. a voice for him.
"i didn't plan on it being this long, but i've been... distracted. my sense of time isn't great right now. im sorry it's been this long."
you shake your head, sylus couldn't see it. "uh... no, it's fine... i suppose. is... is everything alright?"
sylus doesn't answer your question and steps forward to where the sound of your voice was coming from. he stops when he bumps into the bedside table where the small lamp was. slowly, he reaches for it and turns it on to its dimmest setting.
finally, you two make eye contact.
he sees you in the middle of the bed, sat rather politely and squinting from the light. and you see him, towering over the bed and face a bit sunken and eyes scrutinizing you. he's lost weight.
once your eyes adjust properly to the light, you look over him better. the scars on his neck were healing, but his healing process that would usually take a day was now taking longer - given that the last time you drank from him was over two days ago. he wore something fairly normal. low V-cut shirt and black pants. you can't help but think the shirt was intentional.
"were you ridiculed by them?" sylus suddenly asks, crouching down to your level by the bed.
"by whom?" you respond. seeing him at this level was flustering you a bit.
"philosians. you're from there, yes? did they ever... hurt you? physically, mentally, emotionally, anything?"
you shake your head and wet your lips. "no, they were... family, friends, neighbors, acquaintances. i never felt... ridiculed. why do you ask?"
sylus furrows his brows together and looks down at his lap. this was a hard talk. "because they still do it," he murmurs. "you said it yourself, they still tell stories about me all these fucking years later. i can't escape them, one of them even broke into my house."
you tense up at his words. "i'm... not like them. i'm part of the n109 zone now, it's been eons since i've been in philos. plus, i told you i never believed those stories anyway. i'm different in every way possible from the girl i was back in philos."
sylus raises his head and meets your eyes with his dilated, angry ones. "but, you know. you said you never believed those stories, but you also said you somehow knew they were about me. how could you have known they were about me if you didn't think of me as the monster they say i am? the horrible things they've lied about, you had to believe them and figure it they were about me."
you bite back your small whimper. it was bad enough he'd forgotten you, it was worse that he was accusing you.
"sylus that's not-"
"there's more you're not telling me but i... i don't know if i want to find out anymore."
the anger plaguing sylus suddenly dissipates and becomes replaced with despair. his hands clench until his knuckles turned white, and once again, that tension just disappears. like he didn't have the energy to continue the emotion.
"i don't want to know anymore, i don't care enough, i can't think straight." sylus admits with his head going back down again in a resigned, hung position. "i've built my life ground up and i just... i have nothing to feel for it. it's just here, i'm just here. and i feel nothing, nothing at all."
frustration lines sylus’s voice before it too dissipates once more. being this vulnerable and honest was unnatural for him, it made him uncomfortable to wallow at the knees of someone like you. but just like his anger, just like his frustration, it was hard to have energy to care or regret anymore. one minute the emotion was there, the next it was gone. and what it left was nothing. a devoid of anything.
sylus feels your hand rests atop his head and flinches slightly. he brings his head up to look at you and sees your slightly awkward, tense, and pitiful eyes. your touch was anything but, though. in fact it was warmer than what he would expect from a vampire.
“i… feel that way too, sometimes,” you mumble. you avert your gaze to avoid sylus’s aching eyes. “i had to.. rebuild my life after i became a vampire. everything i knew and loved was no more, and i was no more. and decades later, here i am, with what to show for it except for desperation?”
sylus’s expression clenches in understanding and in pity as well.
“i’ve mourned for what i’ve lost, who i’ve lost. i’ve mourned for those who’ve forgotten me. and even when hope is staring me right in the eyes,” you glance at sylus then quickly look away again, “i can’t feel anything either. i’m also a monster people try to stay away from. even if i’ve never hurt anyone and even if i blend in, i’m… still a monster.”
a fleeting feeling of embarrassment washes over you, realizing that you were reciprocating sylus’s honesty with your own. you swallow tentatively and shake the thoughts of regret from your mind. it came naturally to you. to look at that face and to be the most honest version of yourself, it was who you are.
“i… im sorry,” sylus whispers. he lays his head in your lap and closes his eyes. “im sorry.”
immediately you tense up. you weren’t sure what to make of sylus’s sudden earnestness but it was worlds better than being at the receiving end of his ferocity.
gently, you move your hand back and forth on his head of hair and exhale with emotion. there was simmering uncertainty between you two.
“i don’t want to be kept away again,” you break the silence. “makes me feel like an animal. like the monster you keep talking about.”
sylus nods just slightly in your lap acknowledging your request. he felt a responsibility to keep you away from all the prejudice he once felt. even if you were the “enemy”.
after a few minutes of unusual but mending silence, sylus raises his head off of you and starts climbing the bed. immediately you lean back and look between his eyes. it was moments like these you remember just how much bigger he was than you.
“are you sure you don’t need any blood?” sylus rumbles out. his palms were pressed into the mattress on either side of your hips. a single knee of his hoisted him up on the bed and helped him tower over you. he was looking down at you and eyeing every mix of emotion that passed through your eyes.
you sputter. “u…um, i’m not that hungry but… do you want me to feed?”
to your surprise sylus nods, but just barely so. “yeah,” he mumbles, “i want you to feed.”
“w-why?”
sylus squints his eyes at you. “because… you need to eat, and i promised to keep you alive.”
“but… i just said i wasn’t hungry.”
sylus clenches the bedsheets beneath his hands. he stares you down but it wasn’t to intimidate you, but to figure out what to say next based on your reaction. safe to say you were confused.
“let me feed you,” he whispers, “i want to give you myself.”
the sequence of expressions on your face would be amusing to him if it wasn’t for such a gray atmosphere in the air. he leaned in closer, your noses almost touching, and repeats himself. “let me feed you, i know you want it.”
and oh boy you did.
from the way your hands gripped in your lap, to the way you swallowed mouthfuls of spit imagining it was his blood, you wanted it. and he was dangling it in front of you like candy.
“but if i keep taking blood when i don’t need—“
you yelp as sylus suddenly pushes himself forward and pins you against the bed with his own body. and just as quickly, he turns your bodies over so that you were the one laying on him. cups the back of your head with his palm and angles it to his neck.
“it’s okay, drink,” he whispers gruffly, “just drink.”
and that insistence—even after you denied needing it, even knowing hunger wasn’t plaguing you right now—that insistence makes you break.
you can barely register it but within seconds you wrapped your arms around sylus’s neck and pulled yourself closer to his skin for a bite. like second nature at this point, your fangs meet his skin and breaks it’s healing barrier. immediately, you start drinking.
a groan leaves both of you as pain and pleasure circles between your bodies. it didn’t even matter if you were hungry or not anymore. physical hunger played no part in how much you needed this lifeline of yours.
“yes,” sylus moans breathless, “yes, just like that. take what you need.”
you snarl in response. obviously, you were happy to comply.
when your fangs sink in deeper sylus can’t help but throw his head back from the overwhelming sensation. it was so unpleasant but your eagerness, your need for him gave him an unending satisfaction. he knew pain well enough to know when it was searing, and your infliction upon him was anything but.
“you,” sylus chokes out softly, “make me feel something i never have. like this…” you growl in between his words, “like this i’m perfect. i’m wanted. i’m not a monster.”
he pushes your head imperceptibly further in. you were already so close but the need to fuse with you in the moment was so strong. this was your kindness, he needed to be one with your kindness. he was your virgin, after all.
just as usual, sylus’s blood was thick and sweet with a nice course feel to it on your tongue. all you could think about was how different dragon’s blood was to rat’s blood or bird’s blood. it was pure, healthy, and potent. everything you needed.
his muffled, pitiful words were distant to your hazed mind. all you selfishly cared about was getting in another fill of his blood. there was a time where hurting sylus like this was unthinkable—but now, as a vampire, with needs far more important than sylus, you couldn’t care less.
sylus smiles to himself and closes his eyes for a moment. he could feel that familiar lightheaded sensation come back to his body. but instead of frustration or fatigue, he only felt empowered.
when he opens his eyes again, he was greeted with the top of your head so close to his face. like second nature, he leans closer and kisses the crown of your head. and what was one peck turned into several. silent but sweet thank yous from him but barely appreciated by you.
even when the groaning and slurping finally stopped and you finally pull back from his neck. sylus couldn’t help himself but continue his affections.
your flushed expression and red-stained lips was addictive. he leans into closer and licks away a few rogue drops of blood from the corner of your lips and then pulls back with a smile.
“are you full? was it good for you?” he whispers while stroking your cheek tenderly.
you could barely register sylus’s softening demeanor but respond with a slight nod anyway. “yeah… mm.. good.”
sylus’s eyes become rounded with emotion. he pitches your cheek affectionately. “do you need more?”
you shake your head, “no…” you whisper. your senses start to slowly come back to you. you’re suddenly hyper aware of how close you are to sylus’s face and how kind he’s being to you. “was… was it good for you?”
sylus’s smile drops slightly but twitches back up again. “yeah, it was.”
“why?”
“it feels good.”
“how?”
“it just does.”
you flit your eyes down to the bites on his neck and the other bruisings that were healing. “it doesn’t look like it feels good. it looks painful.”
“it is.”
“then why does it feel good?”
sylus takes a moment, thinking about how to respond. “because… i think you give me something i need. i haven’t done anything like this before. with someone who… i guess needs me, likes me.”
you straighten at his words and fumble back into a sitting position from where you were laid. on his lap now, you don’t know where to look or how to feel about this words. “wh-why do you say it like that?” you almost laugh. “i’m just… drinking blood…”
your reaction makes sylus flushed as well. he sits up awkwardly and clears his throat, wondering how to move forward after saying something so embarrassing.
“i know,” he mumbles, “but it’s different for me than it is for you. but… we both benefit from it, so doesn’t really matter how or why.” he pulls you in closer just slightly. “just matters that we both get what we need.”
you nod with an incredulous look on your face. this was amazing news for you, it seemed. not only a source of blood, but of the finest blood out there. yet still, the sudden shift in sylus didn’t go unnoticed by you.
“yeah,” you smile just slightly, “doesn’t matter.”
the next few moments of silence consisted of you and sylus simply staring at each other, awkward but understanding smiles on your close faces. it only takes a few more moments for sylus to decide to move on. he picks you up effortlessly and attaches you to the front of his body. your legs instinctively go around his hips and your arms around his neck.
with you hoisted up against him, he clicks off the dim light of the room and walks out. he turns his head slightly to catch a glimpse of your side profile.
“no more hiding out. let’s go to my room.”
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“are you sure this is a good idea, kieran?” luke whisper shouts to his brother. he hid behind his back like something was going to come out of nowhere and snatch him away.
“i thought we agreed,” kieran scoffs. “boss isn’t going to talk to us if she’s around. did you see the way he carried her into his room? all… lovey-dovey and shit? fuck, it’s disgusting. she has him hypnotized or something. so we can’t get answers out of boss, we have to get answers out of her.”
“i know, i know,” luke sighs, “but… can’t this wait until she’s awake?”
luke stares at sylus’s bedroom door with unease. just by chance did he and kieran see sylus and you walk into his bedroom. or rather, sylus walking in and you attached to him like a vest from the front. with the lights off and no noises coming from the bedroom, it was somewhat safe to assume that the two of you were asleep. even if… vampires didn’t really need asleep. the twins would take their chances anyway.
“no, it can’t,” kieran insists with his arms crossed. “if she’s wide awake then that means boss would be too. and you know we can’t do this if he’s awake. we just gotta do this efficiently, yknow? efficiently… quickly… intimidatingly…”
“kieran,” luke murmurs while eyeing his brother’s antsy form up and down, “stop moving around so much it’s making me nervous. let’s just… do this and get it over with. do you have the weapons?”
kieran nods. “and more in the bedroom if we need them. i wish i could just kill her instantly but… we need information out of her.”
luke smiles to himself. “you sound just like a boss… y’know when he still gave a shit about a vampire being in the house.”
kieran smiles back. it was a moment of humor in an otherwise daunting environment. “yeah… i learned from the best.”
the twins face the door head on and with one final shared breath, reach for the knob and click it open. the hallway light spills in just a sliver, illuminating the bed that was in the middle of the room.
two forms there, one noticeably bigger than the other. you and sylus.
the twins felt their heart rates pick up at the intimate sight. it was just you two sleeping next to each other, but it was wrong. you weren’t supposed to be there, you were supposed to be dead by now.
they swiftly walk in, not bothering to be too slow with their pace. they needed to get in and then get out.
at the side of the bed where you were laid at, they gaze down at you. hair mussed up and expression peaceful in sleep. thank god you actually were asleep.
the twins glance at each other before giving the other a firm nod and going in immediately. luke covers your mouth with his palm and hoists you up harshly while kieran moves back and holds a silver-plated knife to your neck—courtesy of all the weapon crates still in security.
immediately, you wake up from the yank of your body. any noise you made was pushed back by luke’s palm and soon you realize from the knife on your skin to not make any noise at all. the two boys you keep seeing around the estate were now here with you.
you glance at sylus beside you who was still unmoving and fast asleep. you curse the fatigue that was causing him such deep sleep. it was evident from the first bite you took how long he slept afterward, and while that was good for you then, it was life or death now.
the twins nervously drag you off the bed and out the bedroom, closing the door behind them. there was complete silence between the three of you because everyone was on extreme high alert.
you’re lead to another bedroom across the hall—kieran’s bedroom—and forcibly sat in a chair. your arms are tugged back by luke and then locked at the wrists with silver handcuffs, then same done to your ankles. you notice how many weapons were on the floor and tables of the room. they were all the n109 zone’s high tech vampire equipment.
it was only once you were completely bound and helpless that the twins even acknowledged you.
“listen,” kieran murmurs very lowly. “i won’t waste my time on idle talk. you know why you’re here right now. what have you done to boss?”
luke steps forward, backing up his brother. “you’ve been feeding off of him, right? you’re making that man sick for fuck’s sake. listen… we don’t know what your end goal is here, but the last thing boss needs right now is to deal with you anymore.”
your eyes, blown wide from sheer astonishment at the situation, look between the twins. you laugh incredulously. “what?”
kieran brings the knife back up to your neck. “this isn’t fucking funny.”
you glance down at the knife. “you two are just like him. empty threats and desperation. i’ve had this song and dance with your boss. he put me in a cage and threatened to starve me but he needed me for information, so he kept me alive.”
kieran’s face scrunches up in disapproval. “have you not spoken? is this little… charade of his to get you to speak?”
you shake you head. “i’ve already told him what he wanted to know.”
the twins visibly look taken aback. this whole time they lived on the hope that maybe, just maybe, this was all a tactic for sylus to find the answers he needed. even if it sounded a little crazy to them, they didn’t know any better. boss never shared his plans anyway.
“what?” luke whispers. “how can we trust you?”
“how am i supposed to prove that you can? you two already seem to hate me.”
“of course we fucking hate you!” kieran suddenly yells. the force of his emotions causes the knife in his hand to accidentally knick your skin. “you’ve… you’ve turned boss into a zombie! he won’t even speak to us anymore! he’s always with you! or… or just not there…he’s so hollow… it’s like… it’s like you’ve done something to him!”
“i didn’t do anything!” you yell back, equally as angry now. “he wanted this!”
“bullshit he wanted this!” kieran retorts. his eyes start watering behind his mask but the tears couldn’t be wiped away right now. “why… why would he want this? why would he want to be your stupid fucking… blood bag?! he’s the fucking sovereignty of the n109 zone. he’s not going to let some weak vermin like you… use him!”
“kieran,” luke interjects whilst putting a hand on his brother’s shoulder. “kieran, calm down. you’re only going to make yourself more upset. you don’t need to fight with your voice, we have weapons.”
you start struggling against your confinements and thrash around in the chair. you were so sick of being the main villain in this story. so what, you did sneak in. but it was the house full of impulsive men who got you to this point. it was so clear to you that these boys knew nothing about their boss despite being “like his sons”.
“i can’t fucking take her anymore, luke,” kieran cries softly with the knife slowly pushing more into your skin. “i can’t fucking take looking at her face and i can’t fucking take looking at boss and wondering what happened. we can fix it. whatever boss is going through, we can fix it. but we just need her gone.”
luke nods in agreement, his own tears threatening to spill. “i… know. i know. i can’t imagine boss wanting this either. it’s not right… it’s not like him. but we can’t kill her, not yet.”
you watch the emotional exchange between the brothers with a bit of regret in your heart. if you hadn’t manipulated, lied, and taken advantage of sylus in his vulnerable states, this wouldn’t be happening. but at the same time… you missed him and needed blood.
you missed him, you needed blood.
you missed him, you needed blood.
you missed him, you needed blood.
the two emotions of love and greed overwhelmed your judgement and here you were, however much time later, suffering the consequences of your desperation.
every single one of you was desperate for something it seemed. you, sylus, the twins. it seems like everyone was working off trying protect something and fulfill themselves.
you weren’t lying when you said you related to sylus in his emptiness. at some point you started feeling nothing but… well, nothing. you were in a cycle of trying to survive and trying to keep your identity a secret. and still then, the thought of dying and being reborn was worse to you. you kept on living for the sake of it, and only when you met sylus at that bar, did you feel your two new emotions.
love and greed playing out over and over again in an endless cycle until you ended up here, tied up to a chair, facing the consequences of your own actions. but even here, you didn’t regret a single thing.
“please,” kieran almost whimpers. he drops the knife to the floor and drops to his knees along with it. “please, just tell us what you did… please just tell us why boss—“
the door opens to the bedroom.
the familiar creaking sound catches the attention of all three of you. it plays out like déja vu.
the twins look back, slightly horrified.
you look up, slightly hopeful.
sylus stands there with a menacing look to his face. his hands are clenched into fists by his sides but he makes no other show of his anger. the only sound breaking the barrier now was his voice, and it was as smooth and low as ever.
“what are you two doing?”