'And so the hunt begins.' Cassius whispered to himself, watching Vesper's expression turn more and more vampiric.
And Cassius was proud.
Vesper wasted no time, 'don't charm the girl.' He commanded as he leapt through the window, shattering the glass as he landed in his prey's apartment.
The man didn't recognise Vesper himself but the energy that haunted him for the past weeks was unmistakable. Vesper had covered his entire body in his aura creating a dark armour, against the light there was a shimmer of a reptilian patter to this aura.
The sight that would scare most humans off however, to Cassius' this was a sign showing Vesper's growth, his power, his talent.
Cassius swung from the tree branch he was hanging from to a crouching position in excitement to observe more closely. The smile on his face grew wild. 'This is no ordinary heir we have on our hands here Estefan.'
'The young lord, could he be a candidate for Ophis?' Estefan was also mesmerised at Vesper's display of power. The dense aura is not an easy feat to achieve, even Cassius was incapable of doing so as he lacked the control needed.
Vesper stood over his prey who had cowered by the exit shaking.
'One day.' Vesper took a step closer. 'I leave you one day; you just can't help yourself.' His burning red eyes stood out against the dark armour covering the sides of his face.
'It's you, the demon!' The man pointed as tears ran down his face, 'you were the one that kept…'
Vesper didn't let him finish his words. He chocked his prey's neck as he stood on top of him. 'IF YOU KNEW THEN WHY!' Vespers roared, his fangs making him look like a beast in his prey's eyes.
Vesper turned to look at Eris, he noticed her underwear was pulled down and the raged sizzled within him louder.
'I didn't touch her yet! I swear!' The man screamed seeing.
'YET!' Vesper roared once more, his grip on his neck tighting enough to draw blood. 'You are sick.' He loosened his grip and used his aura to push open the aprtement door behind the man.
'Run.' Vesper said.
Not needing another warning, the man ran trying to traverse the never-ending spiral staircase. Vesper followed behind leisurely, he jumped down catching the man at every floor leaving him with a new wound each time.
Fourth floor, a cut to the right arm.
Third floor, a stab to the left leg.
Second floor, a slash on his right torso.
The man limped down the first floor, this time Vesper watch him struggled past him as he crouched on the stair railing. The young lord's eyes felt nothing for his prey, void of any life all he saw was a moving piece of flesh.
The man finally made it to the ground floor, only to be intercepted by Vesper at the apartment entrance. 'I've grown tired of this.' Vesper sighed, as he dug his claws in his prey's neck, deep this time. He pulled the man with him as he leaped up the stair railings back to the 5th floor.
Vesper made sure with each jump that the man would hit against the stair barriers, by the time he reached the 5th floor banister, his prey was barely alive.
'Let's finish this.' Vesper said to himself as he dug his fangs in the man's neck, ripping a chunk of his flesh. Vesper spat the flesh out in disgust as he swallowed his prey's blood.
The blood tasted bitter, displeasing, yet despite that fresh warm blood was on a different level entirely to the blood bags he was used to.
He retracted his claws and watched as the body fell to the ground.
Vesper felt nothing seeing the man struggle to breath as his disformed limbs lay beside him. He was still alive but slowly dying, Vesper waited. And waited.
He watched till the man took his last breath.
'So much for not killing.' Vesper said to himself as he walked back to the apartment where Eris still sat, she hadn't moved an inch.
Before Vesper could approach her, Cassius met him in the middle of the room and Estefan behind. Cassius elongated his nails and slit his wrist vein swiftly without a single reaction, as though it was a simple needle prick.
Estefan held an aged chalice under Cassius' hand catching the blood the poured out. 'I know, as gaudy as it looks, it is tradition.' Cassius pressed on his wrist speeding the flow of blood before his wound healed completely.
He took the chalice from Estefan's hands, 'wash down that foul blood with that of your ancestors and become what you were meant to be.' Cassius handed the chalice full of blood to Vesper.
Vesper took hold of the goblet and stared down in the pool of red as it swirled. If one drop made him unconscious, what was a whole cup full going to do?
Silencing his thoughts he drank the blood in one go.
He didn't even have time to savour the taste as his body went into the shock, his aura retreated as he fell to the ground shaking involuntarily. Vesper screamed in pain until he could no longer take a breath, the pain continued to show on his face but silently. He had no control over his sense, not that it mattered as vesper couldn't feel anything apart from the pain. His eyes watered in response.
Estefan and Cassius stood still as they watched the process, Eris was still in shock and although she was also watching her eyes were hollow, lost elsewhere.
Vesper's limbs began to stretch, his body was slowly growing and morphing into a more adult version of himself. His hair, fangs and claws all grew longer and stronger. His clothes had all torn apart during the process leaving only his slit coat to barely cover him.
The pain began to fade, and Vesper stood up once he regained his senses. He focused on every part of his body that still felt foreign. The blood inside him was different, it felt thicker, fuller, the power of Cassius had merged within him. Not just Cassius, it felt like Vesper's entire family was with him.
He finally understood.
Blood wasn't just something for his species to feed on. It was their lifeline, how they held each other together, how they connected.
With this knowledge he felt power.
'Vesper.' Cassius said- it was the first time he had used the young lord's name rather than boy. Vesper turned startled but pleased, Cassius had recognised him. 'Now you can finally call yourself a crimson-blooded vampire.' Cassius smiled as he approached Vesper, he placed a hand on his shoulder to praise the lord.
Cassius' faces twitched. 'Although I don't appreciate the height, you are ruining my eye line.' Vesper was now slightly taller than Cassius which for him would take some getting used to.
'Congratulations my lord.' Estefan handed Vesper a change of clothes, 'perhaps another test is due now sir?' Estefan directed his question to Cassius.
'Yes, indeed I believe you are correct.' Cassius said.
'Wait!' Vesper halted the pair from leaving as he walked up to Eris. 'Are you able to stand?' He asked.
'I don't know.' She replied.
'Do you want to go home?' He asked.
'I don't know.' She replied.
Vesper paused thinking what he should do with her, he didn't want to abandon her like everyone else in her life. Over the past weeks that he had been keeping track of his prey, he had gotten used to having her in his sight and began to care about her.
'Would you like to come with me?' He asked, both Estefan and Cassius looked to each other confused. To them Vesper had just met her and although he was more human in his interactions than them, they couldn't imagine he cared for someone he had recently met enough to bring home.
Eris paused, finally she looked at Vesper properly rather than staring into the distance. 'My guardian Angel? Mhm.' She nodded.
The phrase confused Vesper but he assumed she was in too much shock. He picked her up in a princely manner, they girl who was taller than him a few moments ago was now being held in his arms easily.
'Let's go home now.' Vesper ordered. He was already beginning to sound like a family head.