“Don’t you like the scent of blossoming roses, human? Most humans find it alluring and adore it. It is a flower of romance and passion, after all,” a soft feminine voice sings.
I scrunch my nose.
“It makes me sick. Why do you care, bloodsucker?”
I already know what dares to speak to me without seeing it clearly, hidden in the shrouding darkness. It’s the magic that keeps her from jumping on top of me and ripping me to shreds; they can feel it deep in their bones. Vile beasts.
A beautiful, pale-looking woman appears in the shadows, avoiding the light. Clearly, not a day walker. She cocks her head as she takes me in with her blood-red irises. Her silver bob-length hair moves with her as she makes the motion.
“You possess a distinct difference,” she says as she keeps her distance from me.
She licks her plump, red lips as she looks at me, her fangs gleaming. Her eyelashes are unnaturally thick and black.
“Don’t bother,” I tell her as I step toward her. She hisses in return, baring her complete row of pointed teeth, her canines dangerously sharp. I smile back at her, baring my own teeth. Stupid cunt.
“What are you, human? The scent should have dazed you, yet you’re still standing,” she taunts as she slowly moves from left to right as if we are in a dance.
I take another step toward her, and she backs away from me with each step until she stands firm against the stone wall. Her eyes dart around, looking for an exit in case she needs it.
“Your worst nightmare if you keep bothering me, bitch. I’ll kill you, break your fucking neck if you even dare to look in my direction again. Clear, you vile piece of shit?”
Her dark red eyes latch onto me, narrowing, confusion ridden, all over her face. Without saying a word, she disappears into thin air. I scoff. That was almost too easy, but threatening her felt pretty good, taking some of the edge off my outrage.
A loud cry, followed by a snarl, awakens me from my deep slumber. I rub my eyes and see the silver-haired, female vampire, just as I did this afternoon, with the once-pale skin on her hands and arms burned away. Pieces of charcoal—what used to be her skin—fall to the floor. The injuries won’t heal—or at least it will take a while for them to heal because of the magic that was inflicted on them. Blood oozes from her open wounds. With a furious gaze, she fixes her eyes on me, her face twisted in agony.
I smile at her viciously, then tsk as I wave my finger at her.
“Naughty little vampire, didn’t I tell you to stay away from me? Why is it so hard for your kind to just leave us humans alone?”
She glares at me as she spits the word I’ve heard so often in disbelief. The answer to her internal question of what could have scorched her so badly dawns upon her.
“Aurum… You carry Aurum on you, young human! How is that possible?!” she hollers.
“That’s right, you bitch, you never stood a chance!” I yell as I crack my knuckles, jump forward, and reach for her.
The injury makes her slow, my frontal assault taking her by surprise. My hand latches onto her neck, and her skin instantlymelts, flesh bubbling under my touch. As she instinctively grabs my arm to pry me off her, her hands start to burn, making it impossible for her to stop me. In a desperate attempt to save herself, she tries to bite me, but a layer of protection around me breaks her razor-sharp teeth on impact, and I hear the enamel crack as her mouth becomes a bloody mess. She bellows as I listen to the haunting sounds of her canines breaking in two. I can’t help but maniacally laugh as I burn my hand through her skin and muscles until I reach her windpipe and crush it. My hand functions as a knife, slicing through her skin, and as a torch when it comes to her bones. A loud pop, followed by a thud, arrives as my hands burn through it all. Her head falls on the floor. Blood is spraying everywhere; ashes are flailing through the air like a snowstorm. Blood splatters onto the wall, the floor, and my face.
I hope her screams terrify every vampire living in this human-bait-like town. My mother will not be happy with my little stunt, but I don’t care; this is something I will not regret. Slaying the vampire eases some of the tension within me; it feels good. Feeling and hearing the snap of her neck bones is a hauntingly beautiful symphony. The searing and blistering of her skin is a sight to behold. I don’t know how it all works, the magic, but I’m indifferent. All I know is that it is highly effective against these creatures, and for some reason, they have difficulty staying away from us when they sense and smell us. It’s probably the Aurum mixed with our blood that drives them to some sort of crazed state.
Mother never really explains much about it, always hesitant to tell us more about our heritage. It’s one of the few things Harlot and I have in common: Mother leaving us in the dark. There is a thirst for knowledge to understand the magic, our past, and what happened to our father—because despite having a father, we never had a dad—who died just a few days before ourthird birthday. But Mother submerges everything into a cloud of mystery. It’s irritating.
It’s not the first time one of them has tried to attack me; the magic functions as a shield each time, ensuring my safety. Yet, this is the first time I have taken matters into my own hands, a way to test my strength against a supernatural being. She never stood a chance, not with the wounds I inflicted on her with my mere touch and the magic blocking her healing capabilities. She couldn’t disappear into thin air like she had before because of that; all her energy was focused on healing herself. It was almost an unfair match.Almost.
I let the vampire corpse rot on the floor as I drag my body back to bed and instantly fall into a deep slumber. I dream of scorching Harlot to pieces, just as I did the vampire, hearing her cries, instead of the vampire's, fill my brain.
“FYNN! FYNNIGAN! OPEN THAT DAMN DOOR!”
Mother shouts on the other side of the perfectly painted door. Her knocks are rapid, and her voice grows louder and more panicky with each bang. I roll my eyes before I open the door, and she falls into my arms, not expecting the door to open so swiftly. She pushes herself off of me and slams her small fists angrily onto my chest.
“You stupid, stupid boy!” she snaps. “Because of your little act last night, we must leave this town immediately. Every dark creature will be waiting for us if we don’t move soon. Why did you have to do that, Fynn? Why?”
“Why bother, Mother? We have the magic, don’t we? Let them fucking come. The thing they call Aurum will protect us. Why should we leave? I’ll kill whichever one gives it a shot.” I smile at her as I crack my neck and roll my shoulders.
The thought of killing more of them makes the corners of my mouth curl upward to the extent that it almost hurts. Mother slaps me hard across my cheek, and I wince. I look at her in shock, and I restrain myself from hitting her back, my muscles tensing. I did not expect that. Her actions feed the demon inside of me, the one that got awoken after I killed that vampire. I blink at her, still in disbelief, and feel my cheek burn slightly. This is my mother, not some lunatic vampire; I breathe in and breathe out. My mother remains unfazed by the fury building inside me, too consumed by her own anger.
“Don’t be an idiot, Fynnigan,” she sneers, “You know better than to defy destiny. If we taunt it, fate will find its way; it always does. Besides, don’t ever take a liking to killing, not even vampires; all that murder does is blacken your soul. Grab your stuff; we’re leaving immediately.”
She holds up her finger as I open my mouth.
