DRAGOS.
A vampire's instincts were what kept him alive, an acute sixth sense that alerted him whenever danger was close. It was that very instinct that roused me from my slumber as I slept with Dawn in my arms.
My eyes flew open and my hands went up just in the nick of time to stop her from wedging a stake aimed at my heart.
"Dawn?!" I gruffed out, half shocked, half confused.
She released an angry grunt, and struggled, turning till she was straddled on me, and attempted to strike again.
"Dawn, what are you...???"
There was something different about her—a stronger, more ominous aura, present.
I realized the shift had happened again, just as it briefly had with Azrael, during her training, and Variel during the first battle.
Something like an entity in her had taken over. A very strong, angry, vampire-killing entity, and its influence on her was getting stronger.
I managed to knock the wood out of her hands, while still holding her at bay. Infuriated, she hit me hard across the face with a force so great and unexpected, that I felt my skin split open and a trickle of blood flow from the wound.
I bled.
Grabbing her by the shoulders, I rolled us both sideways so that she was now below me.
"Fight it, Dawn. Fight it!!!" I yelled, shaking her vigorously but she continued to struggle violently, letting out a shrill in protest.
Suddenly, she pushed against my torso and I flew back, crashing into a wall.
The cement crumbled, the wall cracking and leaving a gaping hole behind me.
Within a minute, Azrael, Mother, and Rafael breezed in, but before they could interfere, I held out a hand to stop them.
"No," I said, "Leave us"
As I straightened and wiped the blood from my forehead, Dawn rolled off the bed, bending on one knee and ripping off the leg of the bed frame with enhanced strength.
My family looked on in astonishment.
I sighed, "Baby, I don't want to hurt you... whoever you are"
So many thoughts ran through my head.
Had the shift happened before she came to sleep with me, and she was pretending the entire time? Had she done it to make me let my guard down? Or was it something that happened after the sex?
"Your kind is despicable" She replied in a different, more powerful voice.
"Dawn, this is not you speaking, okay? I know you're in there" I said, my voice growing soft "Come back to me"
She gritted her teeth angrily and charged at me, but I dodged her attack easily and grabbed her by the back of her neck.
Knocking the stick from her hand once more and holding both hands to her back, I walked her to the bed and forcibly threw her to it, holding her there with her wrists pinned to her back firmly.
She was unbelievably strong and had been able to make me bleed. That mere fact was a grievous cause for concern.
When she had struggled herself to exhaustion, she went still.
"I am on your side," I said quietly. "We are on your side. Just stop fighting and..."
Dawn threw back her head suddenly, ramming into my face. It wasn't enough to hurt me, but it was enough to shake my concentration for a bit, allowing her to free herself.
Frustrated by the entire thing, I bared my fangs. "Enough, Dawn, behave. You cannot overpower me" I growled in frustration.
I grabbed her by the neck, bringing my face closer to hers. Then, baring my fangs I hissed, the sound instantly silencing the room.
It was more than just any sound, it was an expression of my dominance... a hiss that demanded submission.
Among vampires, our hiss was a flexible weapon. It could be used in battle to intimidate, in anger to warn, and in moments like this, to declare supremacy.
But this hiss was no ordinary hiss. I poured my power into it, releasing an aura that ultimately changed the atmosphere.
Dawn froze.
I saw her try to resist but fail, her eyes closing as she lost consciousness.
Then, I took her in my arms, while the rest of the family approached us.
"Are you okay? What happened?" My mother asked worriedly.
"We were together and then, this… shift happened"
Azrael peered at me, staring at the spot where I'd been wounded. "She struck you" he stated in surprise, then glanced at Dawn with a concerned expression.
"Yes, she did"
Rafael dropped to the bed beside us, watching Dawn with worry. "This is starting to happen more frequently. We must do something"
Just then, she stirred and her eyes slowly opened. "D-Dragos?" She called in a weak whisper, reaching for my face.
Hey," I said, stroking her hair softly. "I got you."
She saw the rest of the family staring at her worriedly and managed to sit up, her face squeezing in confusion.
"Why is everyone..." Her eyes took in the state of the room, drawing a gasp from her lips. "What? Oh my god, I..."
The memories suddenly came barreling in, and her head snapped up to look at me.
"Are you alright?" She touched my face affectionately. "Did I… did I hurt you?"
I smirked and kissed the back of her palm, replying humorously, "Relax honey, you're strong. But not strong enough for me"
She punched my arm playfully. "Pompous brat"
Then her face turned serious again.
"I… I was aware of my actions but I… I had no control. I…"
Dawn ran a hand through her hair. "Dragos… what do I do? I don't want to hurt people"
"You need to relax. Alright, Dawn?" My mother said. "Remember what I told you about emotional triggers"
She nodded, but continued to sob, wiping her nose. "I know, but I can't help it. I almost killed Dragos"
She looked at Rafael helplessly. "How do I make it stop, how do I lock away this... thing inside me? This... alter ego?"
Rafael stared at her piteously. "I don't think it can be locked away, Dawn," he said.
"What it needs is to be placated. It's angry" Azrael voiced out. "You were born to stop vampires from harming humanity, and since you haven't been acting on that purpose, it's ready to take over and do it. That's what I think."
He examined the wall where I had landed, his expression thoughtful. "My guess? It's going to happen again. And soon."
I took Dawn's hands in mine, kissing them. "We'll figure this out somehow okay?"
"But it's so powerful," she responded. "I…I'm nothing compared to it—the darkness. It's... it's overshadowing me"
Her face fell into her hands and I pulled her to my chest.
"I could feel everything, Dragos" she continued, "I could feel the intense hatred. The desire, the longing to kill you. I could feel it all"
Dawn ran a hand over her arm, a shiver coursing through her. "It was like I was just this tiny, powerless person lost in a maze of darkness. I don't ever want to experience it again"
She sighed, her breath shaky. "I thought I was a Divine being. But why? Why do I feel like this... thing is something more?"
Dawn's green eyes stared into mine "It feels out of place"
"Don't worry, we'll get to the bottom of it" I replied, assuring her.
We were all silent for a moment before I leaned closer to whisper into her ear, trying to lighten her mood. "If it makes you feel any better, you were hot taking me on earlier"
The rest of the family heard and rolled their eyes, each of them making a sound of disgust.
"Seriously, Dragos?" Rafael shot me a glare.
"What? I shrugged "It's not like I said it out loud"
"Vamp hearing, idiot," Azrael drawled.
My mother shook her head. "It's late. We should all get some sleep"
"Thank you all for being here for me" Dawn started to say "I..."
Suddenly, she grew very still.
"Dawn? Are you okay?" Rafael asked worriedly.
"Something is wrong," she muttered, clutching her chest. "Something is very wrong"
Her temperature skyrocketed, tremors racking her hands and legs.
I held onto her tighter, confused about what to do. "Dawn, talk to me. What's wrong? Does it hurt? Where does it hurt???" I asked frantically.
The ground started to vibrate and she responded in pain, "I... I don't know! I think I'm about to ... I think I'm about to...argh!"
She shut her eyes against the pain, her chest starting to emit a light.
"We all need to leave. NOW!" Azrael warned. "Everyone, out now! Mother! Rafael! Whatever that thing is, it is fatal to our kind!" He barked out.
I remained where I was, holding Dawn to my chest.
"I'm not leaving you" I whispered to her stubbornly, scared out of my mind.
"Dragos, please" She begged, trying to suppress what was coming.
My mother and Rafael had left to take cover, but Azrael stayed, beckoning to me.
"Come on, Dragos!" His voice was filled with desperation. "We have to leave now!"
"Dragos please, I have a feeling whatever this is will kill you, and I can't hold it much longer. GO!"
"Dawn..."
She gritted her teeth, her hair starting to glow, along with her eyes "GO!!!"
Reluctantly, I let go of her, leaving the house with Azrael, in a haste.