Chapter 1
Eric’s POV
Why the fuck am I doing this again?
Oh yes, nearly every night for the last hundred years I have fetched his fucking dinner.
Fucking Appuis and his orders.
The hate I have for him burns with the heat of a thousand suns. If only one of those suns would burn his evil ass to a crisp. The sick fuck always wants young skinny boys. He sends me out to glamour these innocent children and bring them back to him so he can have a fuck and feed. Very rarely does he leave them alive. Which means I have to do clean up, get rid of the body and then glamour the family to forget their own child, or make them believe they left to make their own way in the world.
Either way, I am sick of it.
I should be free, but that bastard killed my maker, Godric, and then nearly drained me dry before filling me up with his own blood. Now he commands me instead of my rightful maker.
I was dying on the battlefield when Godric found me. When he offered me eternal life, I did not hesitate, and we walked the earth together for three hundred years before Appius took us.
We were tortured for months on end just because Appius was bored and enjoyed our pain. As Maker and Child we endured our own pain as well as each other’s.
I try to keep those days locked away in the deep recesses of my mind.
The pain I felt when Godric finally met his true death was more than any creature should have to bear. I vowed never to love anything again after losing him.
I am a cold, calculated killer, nothing more, nothing less.
At least that is what I tell myself.
It helps me deal with the fact that I gave into Appius and his abhorrent ways. I tired to fight him those first few decades, it caused me nothing but tremendous pain and suffering.
Godric taught me to be clever, strong, and controlled, but never more lethal than I needed to be. We never killed unless we had no other choice. He was a kind maker, guiding me with skillful precision. He taught me more than my human father ever did, or could have. I was young and cocky when he turned me, making arrogant, stupid mistakes was the reason I was laying on that battlefield soaking in my own blood. Godric saw the potential in me though, he had been watching me for weeks. He knew I could be much more with the right training and guidance.
Appius is as atrocious as Godric was honorable. He has tried his best to undo everything Godric taught me.
The number of times he has almost broke me are too many to count, but somehow, deep down inside I have held on to the man, the vampire, Godric made me.
I keep him buried so Appius never sees, but I am able to let a little of him creep to the surface when I am out on my hunts. Hence this rant that is running through my head.
I need to get the job done and get back, I have already been gone too long.
Appius refuses to roam very far from the safety of his nest, which has helped him survive these last two thousand years, but means he needs me to venture far past our borders for food. I am only allowed to bring one close to home meal every six months so that we are less likely to be found. I learned very quickly that a three nights journey was the most I would be given, the punishment for longer was worth more than I was willing to pay.
It took fifty years for him to even let me out of his sight, so even though I am mindful of my limited freedom, I do my best to enjoy it when I can. Catching my own meal is always the high point of these journeys.
The moon is brilliant tonight, shining out over the rolling green hills. If I did not know better I would almost think it was daylight. Combined with my vision I can see for miles from the rocky outcrop I am lounging on.
There is a large lake to the north of me, shining like a field of diamonds in the full moon. The hills spread out to the left and a substantial forest is to my right.
It is in the edge of this forest that a shadow catches my eye.
It is moving in and out of the trees in a well planned out path, avoiding being followed it seems. Which might work if you were trying to evade humans, but not if I am the one hunting you.
I fly a bit closer to see if this meal is worth having, landing in a tree further up the path.
My prey is very quiet, even with my enhanced hearing I can barely hear his footsteps on the forest floor.
I am impressed.
He is dressed all in black with a large cloak covering his body from head to toe and smallish in stature. Should be an easy target. He is too small to waste my time fighting, it would be over before he knew I was even there, so I will go with the surprise and glamour route. I am not in the mood for killing tonight.
Just before he reaches my tree, I drop down from my perch landing softly in front of him.
“Good evening,” I greet him, keeping my voice low and deep.
The slight gasp that escapes my meal sounds very feminine. My mind registers a slight surprise.
The large bow and arrow that is suddenly aiming at my heart is a bigger surprise.
Where she was hiding it and how quickly she had me in her sights is the biggest surprise. Being faster than a vampire is unheard of, at least to my knowledge.
She cannot be human.
I sniff the air very quietly, she smells like…….nothing?
Why can I not smell her?
My mind races digging for an answer. The fleeting thought of letting her end me crosses my mind, I could be forever free of Appius.
My intense desire to see him be a pile of goo quickly erases it, that and I want to know what she is.
I raise my hands and take a step back, letting her have her space.
“I mean no harm,” I try to reassure her.
I need her to believe me, to feel safe so I can try to glamour my answers out of her. I have yet to meet a creature, other than vampire, that I cannot glamour. If she will lift her hood enough for me to catch her eyes with mine, this will all be over.
It may take some of the cleverness Godric bestowed on me to accomplish this though, with a bit of charm too.
She takes two steps closer, intending to threaten me I assume. “Who are you and what do you want?” she growls.
“My name is Eric, Eric the Northman. Pleasure to meet you, milady.”
