But first, you and I must come to an agreement. When I told my employer I would never be his slave again, he told me that if I did return to him he would destroy my soul. Do you understand?" "No." She didn't. "But it would not matter. The destruction of the soul of a vampire is impossible. They were born soulless, my beloved. They were born with the blackness of hell upon their souls. They must be made human again, and they will fight for the souls of those they kill. "You will no longer be able to keep this information to yourself. If you were to tell others, you would become one of them. There will be no hiding from the evil that walks the Earth. You are now, and always will be, a vampire." "You have me, Lucan. You have won." His laugh was cold and harsh. "Oh, no, _my_ lady, I do not have you. You are my hostage. I will have what I want." She felt the first sting of fear. It was growing. Lucan moved forward, the cold black eyes staring into hers. She stepped back to the far wall and held onto it for support. She could feel her heartbeat, racing in panic. "I believe I just might be able to persuade your mistress to do as I say." His voice came from the hallway behind her. The blood froze in her veins and crawled up her body. "My mistress is a woman of passion, of a passion unlike any other. A woman who loves the hunt. She can still taste the blood of her prey. She has been hungry for centuries, and can now no longer control herself. There will be no mercy for you and the other young ones. The time of your destruction will be complete." An icy gust of wind ran down the hall. It came to Vicky and filled her with dread, as if a terrible beast was ready to leap upon her. Lucan seemed unaware of the wind, standing there in the hall. "You see, my lady, I will not harm you. My purpose in coming here is to allow you to choose your fate. You are young, and that means you have the possibility of having a long life ahead of you. I would not want to be the one to destroy such a life. "You would have the opportunity to live and see another day, as long as you did exactly as I ordered. Otherwise you will be forever bound to your vampire master. Do not look so afraid, _my lady._ You are going to enjoy the night. It will be a night to remember. Do you know what I am referring to? I will tell you. It is the time when the blood of a new victim is brought into the castle. "But you will be able to stop this from happening. My lady, you will be the one to choose, just before you leave this castle, if you wish it. Are you ready to decide?" Her legs were weak, as if they no longer belonged to her. She swayed on her feet, barely able to stand, still clinging to the wall. Lucan moved forward, so close to her that he reached out with his hand. His fingernails scratched at her arm as he reached for her, his gaze still locked with hers. Vicky could feel the breath coming from his lungs. "Are you ready to choose?" he asked again, this time as he leaned close to her, his hot breath smelling like stale liquor. Vicky turned away, unable to bear his closeness. "Do you have the courage?" "No." She was shaking. Her lips were dry and hot. "You do not have the courage to let your vampire master destroy you?" "I told you I will never be a slave to a vampire." "If you do not save your mistress, she will kill you, whether you are a vampire or not. She will kill you just as she killed the young ones before you. She will do it when you are old, and unable to fight back, and she will do it with her teeth, or with her hand." "No. I will never give in. I will never be a slave. That is who I am." He laughed coldly. "How sweet. How brave." Vicky shook her head. She wanted to run, but she knew she wouldn't make it far. His scent was strong and overpowering. She could see his face, hear the anger in his voice. She wanted to run, but her feet were stuck to the floor. "Do you see, _my lady,_ you are not only a vampire, you are a coward, and your mistress will punish you for this," he said. He came even closer, his lips brushing against her cheek, so close that she could feel his breath. His hand brushed her hair and caressed it, then ran down her neck. He reached out to the neckline of her dress. She started to shake as she felt his fingers touch her bare flesh. "My dear, the blood of your mistress is like sweet wine." His fingers glided up the side of her breast. Vicky's eyes shut as she stood there, the terror so strong she could feel it like a punch to the chest. "Do you wish to know the secret of the vampires, _my lady_?" His voice filled the room. His hand found her other breast and his finger slipped inside her blouse, over the taut peaks of her breast. "Yes, I know the secret, and I know what I want." His fingers slid down over her rib cage, and he traced his way down her stomach. Vicky couldn't move, as if she was paralyzed. She couldn't make herself turn away. "Yes, I know the secret, _my lady,_ and I know what I want. I want your blood." His fingers caressed the back of her knee as they slipped between her legs. He touched her between her legs, his cold fingers sliding over her clit. Her whole body felt warm as he moved his hand down between her legs. She closed her eyes, waiting for what was to come. It seemed an eternity until his tongue slipped past the fabric of her panties and into the moistness of her pussy. His fingers found her clit and rubbed it, then dipped deep into her womanhood. "Do you know what you are, _my lady?_ What you really are?" "I am a vampire. A female vampire," she said, her voice soft. "No, you are not. Do you want to be?" Vicky nodded, as if it was the truth. "You are a female vampire with a taste for blood. Do you want more?" "Yes," she whispered. "What do you think would happen if I gave you my blood? Would you live?" "Yes." "You would live until the night you die, then you would become a vampire and then would need to feed again." He pushed a finger inside her, rubbed it back and forth over her g-spot. Vicky felt the sensation surge through her, rising to a fiery peak. "No!" she moaned. He withdrew his fingers from her pussy and bent over her. His tongue licked the inside of her mouth, then he lapped at the corner of her eyes. Vicky felt her thighs close around him, trying to hold on to him. Lucan chuckled as he pulled away and straightened up. "No, _my lady,_ you will not have what you want. My blood is not for the taste of a woman who wants to be a vampire. You know the difference." He turned to her, his hand sliding up over her breast. His fingers massaged her nipple. "Do you understand that your vampire master will never be happy with what you have done? He will not be happy. He will want you to be punished for what you have done. "My lady, this is what happens. A vampire turns a woman, and he will have to use his penis, and blood will flow from him. You will see. You will watch him become a vampire. His eyes will change color and he will be covered with hair. His body will turn. He will grow fangs, just like your vampire master." Vicky heard the pain in his voice. Her heart broke for him. He would never be able to give up his need for blood, even if he were to live for a hundred years. She had done him a terrible wrong, and he had made her pay for it. She felt his fingers move over her body, and he held her up by her shoulders, drawing her to him. He pushed her against the wall and bent over her, his lips trailing a path up her throat. Her body moved in and out of his as he pressed his mouth against the pulse point at the base of her neck. She felt his teeth, then heard him as he pushed them in. She tasted the saltiness of blood as he drew a ribbon of it from the side of her neck. He took a long mouthful and then pulled his teeth from her throat. He licked the blood from his lips as he straightened up. "Do you feel my blood flowing through your body?" Vicky nodded. She was trembling. Her thighs were hot and slippery. He put his hand down between her legs. She gasped as he slid two fingers inside her, sliding up to her g-spot. He rubbed it hard, back and forth. "You want more, _my lady_? More of my blood?" "Yes, please," she whispered, her lips still moving against his. She could feel her arousal through the fabric of her clothes. He moved his fingers faster, circling around her clit. She bucked her hips, wanting to feel more of him inside her. He held her up, pushing his fingers in and out of her body. She could feel her orgasm coming on. Her muscles tightened, pulsing with the need. She could feel him moving in her. He held her still as his mouth pressed against her neck and she felt the rivulets of blood flowing down her back. He had his teeth again. Her whole body was moving in time with the feel of his teeth in her skin. Vicky could feel her blood rushing through her body. She began to tremble as his teeth pulled at her skin, pulling tiny pieces of her flesh. She could feel his blood on her skin. She was shaking. Her whole body was shaking. She cried out. She couldn't bear to watch any more. She turned her head and closed her eyes, trying to shut out everything. She heard him moaning as he fed. It was too much to watch him feed on her. Vicky fell into a deep sleep. She didn't dream. Vicky woke up at dawn. She looked around, trying to remember how she'd gotten there. Her head was foggy. She rubbed the back of her neck. It was damp with blood. She sat up and felt her neck. The wound was smaller than she remembered. She ran her hand down over her shoulder, down her breasts and across her belly. She could feel her pussy through her clothes. The sheets were still damp. She could smell the scent of blood, which meant someone had lain beside her. Was it . . . him? Had he . . . ? She could still feel him inside her, and the memory of his teeth tearing into her. His mouth on her neck. Blood seeping out of her. Vicky jumped to her feet, then began to shake. She ran to the bathroom and stared at herself in the mirror. Her face was pale and she had lines around her eyes. Her hair was matted around her head. She combed it as she walked back to the bedroom, her stomach in knots. Her mind was still on him. His breath on her neck. His touch. She sat down on the bed. She took off her clothes and pulled her nightdress over her head. She opened the drawer in her bedside table and took out a box of tissues. She began to cry, and the tears ran down her face as she clutched her belly. Why was she so upset? Why was she thinking of him all the time? She had seen it. She had been there, on that bed. She wiped her eyes and looked at her stomach. She couldn't believe it. It was covered in blood. He had fed on her. She knew he had. She could still taste him on her tongue. What was she going to tell Lucan? She didn't know what he would do. Would he turn on her? He seemed to have all the power. She wanted to die, but she couldn't live with herself knowing that she had given a woman the chance to live, only to turn her into a vampire. She sat down on the bed and put her face in her hands. Her whole life, she had tried to do the right thing, but this was the one thing she could never forgive herself for. She would have to die, and never be able to face Lucan again. # 5 BROOKE STOOD AND watched as Lian pulled the knife from his chest. She stared at his wound, taking in the red blood that was seeping through the bandage. "What did you think you were doing?" she said. "Did you think I wouldn't figure it out?" Lian wiped the blood off the knife and placed it on the desk. "I needed to make her pay," he said. "I had to stop what she had done to me. I had to kill her." Brooke was shaking. She could feel the tension in her body as she waited for his next words. "She was never going to be what I wanted. I knew that. But she was what I needed. She was an easy way for me to satisfy the part of me that just wanted to kill. "I just wanted to be with her, and to kill her. I saw her looking at me and I thought she would help me get what I needed, and then I would kill her. "I don't understand why it got out of control," he said. "You shouldn't have been so quick to let me do it. I could have finished her off." Brooke shook her head. "She was going to let you have your way. She told me. If I hadn't have intervened, she would have killed you." "But she had saved me, for a few more minutes. I could have been happy. I could have been with her." "You should never have been that close to her, Lian. She is a vampire." Lian stood. "She was a woman, just like me. A beautiful, willing woman. She loved me, and I loved her. No matter what, I had to have her, and then I would kill her." Brooke thought of Vicky, her heart filled with horror at Lian's words. "She had to die, Lian. She would have made it all the easier for him, and you know it." "You shouldn't be protecting her, Brooke. You shouldn't. Not from him." "Lucan is the reason why we are in this room. He wanted to feed off her and now he is going to kill you, and probably me as well. You know that." Lian was silent for a few seconds. "I thought she had it all wrong. I was a vampire, she was a woman. I could feel the life in me going to her. She was just like me." "You were never meant to be vampires, Lian. You and Vicky were made from people who would never even contemplate becoming vampires." Lian walked over to the desk and picked up a glass. He sniffed the contents. "Where is she?" he asked. Brooke took a step back. "I don't know. She disappeared after you drank her blood. She left with a man, wearing a black shirt and jeans." "What was she doing with him?" "She was trying to persuade him to help her. She told me." Lian smiled. "I am going to kill them both," he said. "I am going to kill them both. You can't protect her from me. She's a vampire now, and I know she's mine. I've loved her for a long time." Brooke held her hands up. "Stop, Lian. You can't go down that road again. I know you. I've been in your head. I've seen the darkness there. I have tried to put you out of my mind and I will continue to do so. But I have seen what you did and I will not let it go on. I can't be with you again if it gets to that point again. It's a slippery slope and you have no idea where it will end. It will end with you being sent to prison or killing yourself. You need to understand that." Lian didn't say anything. His eyes had lost the hardness she'd seen before, and Brooke was afraid he was going to start crying again. "What do you want me to do?" she asked. "Do you want me to turn you into a vampire and then find her for you? Do you want to be someone else's?" He took a step towards her. She recoiled. "I can't," he said. "I can't be anyone's." She stepped backwards and then moved towards the door. Lian walked over and pulled the door open. "Go," he said. "Go and tell him I want her. I want you. I can smell you on her. I have been waiting a long time to be with you again." Brooke turned to look at him. His face was red and contorted with anger. "Just leave him alone, Lian," she said. "Why? Why can't I be with you? Why can't I have you all to myself again?" "Because you can't. I won't let you. Please just go. If you want to be with me, then you have to let me go, now. You can't have both of us." Lian turned and walked back to his desk. Brooke stepped backwards, then turned and