FicWad

“You sure about this?” Ryan appeared behind me, though I’d heard him long ago. He wasn’t trying to be sneaky. With me, he would never bother. I knew all of his tricks, all of his noises, his scent.

I was the perfect predator, even when it came to hunting and tracking allies.

“I think we’ve wasted enough time.” I replied, as I gazed out the window. Jon and Spencer would arrive soon enough. Madeline was in the shower. My sweet Madeline.

Mine. Forever.

“Tonight I’ll do what I should have done long ago.” I turned my attention to Ryan. He looked unsure. “Are you letting your affection for Madeline cloud your judgment?” I was surprised. Ryan was rarely swayed, though rarely did he entertain the company of humans… other than Jon and Spencer. Madeline may have penetrated his personal shield simply because she’d been forced in to his personal atmosphere.

“Are you?” Ryan shot back.

I regarded him with disdain. “My affection for Madeline has no part in what is planned tonight.”

“Do you not plan to change her, as well as Jon and Spencer?” Ryan inquired.

“It will be most convenient.”

“Convenient?” Ryan didn’t sound so sure. “To have three new vampires in one house, and just the two of us watching them?”

“It would be more dangerous to have two new vampires in this house, with one vulnerable human.” I snapped.

“Does she even want to be a vampire Brendon?” Ryan asked, softly. “Did you even think to ask her?”

I turned away from him, “Should I have asked you all those years ago Ryan?”

Ryan was absolutely still for several seconds, and the only sounds either of us heard was the water from Madeline’s shower, and the wind blowing against the house from outside.

“No.” And with that Ryan left me to my own thoughts.

My own dangerous, poisonous thoughts.





**



Madeline’s breath fogged the mirror, making her unable to see me behind her. Instead of having my fun with scaring her, I knocked on the wall beside me.

Madeline still jumped, “Brendon.” She gazed at me, so innocently. “Hi.” She clutched the towel tightly to her body.

“Hi.” I smiled. “They won’t be here for another hour… I was thinking… you, and me-” My lips found hers and I cut myself off.

Madeline breathed against me, warming me to my core. It was a feeling that could never last. I nipped at her bottom lip, causing a small dot of blood to appear. I sucked it tenderly, tasting her.

With a whimper Madeline dropped her towel, as she became nothing more than a mess of emotion. It was something sexy, and entirely human. What kind of vampire would she make? Would she like torture, and what would she decide to target for hunting? The elderly? Children? Middle aged couples? How much would she want it to /hurt/?

Would she be haunted by the screams of those she killed, or would she be spared that? I knew as her sire I would have some control… but how much control that I’d actually take I was unsure of.

“You’re distracted.” Madeline’s eyes burned in to my own eyes. She pouted. It was irresistible. “Is something wrong?”

“Just stressed.” I murmured, as I pressed my face against her wet hair. She smelled like oranges. “I haven’t been as focused as I should be on work.”

“I can’t wait to hear you play with the band.” Madeline admitted. “You were incredible with the piano-” I caught her lips with my own once again, effectively cutting her off.

She was breathing heavily by the time I pulled away, and I could feel the lust edging its way through my body. I wanted her, badly. “Ryan is gone.”

“Oh?” Madeline breathed out the word, as she gazed at me questioningly. It was so innocent. She was so innocent. What was I doing? She was mine. I was doing what I would do with someone who was mine…

“Just a taste?” I begged, softly.

Madeline gazed in to my eyes, and I was too far gone to read what was written all across her face.

She didn’t object.

I wasn’t going to stop.

The line was crossed as I leaned down, allowing my teeth to sink in to her tender flesh. She gasped loudly, holding on to my shoulders. Her fingernails dug in. Her blood poured out, sweet and musky.

Her fear was overwhelming, and it reminded me of exactly what I was, which is what I’d needed.

I was a vampire, and Ryan was right.

It was about damn time I started acting like it.



**

(Madeline’s POV)



The knocking at the door continued, even though I was trying desperately to ignore it. “What? Just go away.” I muttered, knowing very well that he could hear me.

Instead of Brendon it was Ryan though. “Madeline, are you okay?”

Brendon had walked away, and left me here, leaning against the bathroom counter, bleeding out. He just left. Not so much as a ‘thank you, see you in a few‘.

I had a warm rag pressed against my neck, unsure of what else to do. I didn’t bleed profusely from my neck very often.

Okay, it wasn’t that bad. He’d sucked most of the wayward blood out…

Again, unfair.

I hadn’t exactly objected.

The look in his eyes. I was still trembling from it. The look had been cold. So cold. It was like he was out to prove something, but to me or himself?

Either could get very dangerous, and already kind of had.

“Jon and Spencer are downstairs.” Ryan spoke after a brief pause. “Brendon will be upstairs in twenty minutes.”

I turned quickly, feeling lightheaded. I opened the door, finding myself face to face with Ryan. I could tell from the look of concern that he had smelled my blood.

His eyes scanned my body before landing on my neck, and it seemed as if he wanted to look anywhere but there.

“Brendon?”

“Any other semi-friendly vampires in this house that I need to know about?” I asked.

It was a serious question. If there were then I really did want to know.

I really wasn’t a walking blood bank, despite whatever Brendon believed.

Ryan looked away.

“Does Brendon have to come up here?” I didn’t want to see him, ever again.

“Are you mad at him?” Ryan asked.

This time I looked away from him.

Was I mad at Brendon, or was this just our relationship now? Open veins and all. Feed yourself girlfriend, just go for it.

“I want to curl up in a ball and die.” I admitted. It was the truth. The ugly, overemotional truth. The way Brendon had looked at me… it wasn’t right.

“I still have the needle.” Brendon spoke from the doorway, and I nearly jumped out of my skin. “Though Jon and Spencer would be disappointed. They are both looking forward to meeting you. How are you feeling?”

“Why did you bite her?” Ryan snapped.

“Get out.” Brendon snapped back.

I was surprised by how cold he sounded. He never talked to Ryan like that. What was going on? “Ryan?” I looked to him for an explanation.

“Do you want me to forcibly remove you?” Brendon asked, without even looking at Ryan.

“I’ll be right downstairs.” Ryan informed me, in a completely flat tone.

What was happening? Something was wrong tonight, but what?

Why was he acting like this? Why were they both acting like this?

“Now, how about I bandage that?” Brendon asked. “I even have a nice scarf you can wear over it.”

“I didn’t want you to bite me.” I felt guilty, since this was technically my first objection. “Not this time, not like that. I didn’t want to just be left like that… like I meant nothing.” The words even hurt to force out.

Brendon stared at me, but his expression was unreadable. “What exactly do you think you mean?”

My mouth went dry.

“You love me.” The words sounded weak. I sounded weak.

Brendon continued to stare. “I do love you. Now, why are you being so difficult? I had a taste, and then I had to go downstairs to prepare for Jon and Spencer’s arrival. You knew that.”

I did, but this felt wrong. “Why are you acting like this?”

“Acting like…?” Brendon gazed at me, as if I were crazy.

My eyes filled with tears. “This isn’t you. Something is wrong. This isn’t who I kissed earlier, and this isn’t who I spilled my guts to. Who are you?”

Brendon blinked, but remained unnervingly silent for several seconds. “I’m a vampire, baby.”

And I felt cold all over at that statement, as I slammed the bathroom door in his face.



**



I braced myself, waiting for the door to break open. Brendon wouldn’t leave it alone, not when he was being like this… so monstrous.

I wasn’t really sure what to expect, but I knew I wasn’t safe.

The door knob turned, stopped by the lock.

It wasn’t stopped for long.

The door knob turned once again, and there was a snapping sound. This time when the door knob turned, it turned all of the way. The door opened, and Brendon stepped over the threshold, with a murderous look upon his face.

Tension weighed the air between us, making it hard to breath. Brendon appeared unaffected, but I knew better than that. I hoped… I hoped I knew better than that.

He moved quickly, too quickly for my mind to process. I wasn’t thinking, just acting. That part of my brain which had kept me alive through all of my jobs flicked on, and as Brendon advanced towards me I brought a knee up, hitting him in the stomach.

I knew he meant me harm. I could feel it.

I didn’t pause, as I twisted, grabbing on to the nearest object. I had a hair dryer, which I promptly brought down upon his head. I felt it make contact as I let go, knowing even that would do very little.

I didn’t have a lot of options, and I wasn’t prepared for a physical fight with Brendon. I found that under the stress of impending doom my emotions flicked off, and Brendon’s curse slipped away.

I was me again.

When you’re an assassin everything around you becomes a weapon, every situation could easily become one of danger.

Brendon slowly rose to his feet, though he was unhurt. We gazed at each other, sizing each other up. I remembered the first night, the night I’d thought so little of him. He was such an easy target, or so I’d thought.

Now he was the most dangerous opponent I’d ever faced.

I took a careful step back, and Brendon’s eyes narrowed. “You’re afraid of me.” It wasn’t a question, but a statement.

“I’m not afraid.” I wasn’t, not really. I wasn’t feeling anything at the moment. I was thinking, processing the room, and considering my odds against this opponent. I was thinking, but I was not feeling.

Brendon’s lips curled up in to a malicious smile. “You found out how to turn it off.”

I didn’t answer, as I took one last step backwards towards the shower.

Brendon quickly moved forward, as I reached out behind me, grabbing for the shower head. I pulled it from it’s place, and swung it, hitting him across the face. The cord wrapped around his neck, and I pulled it, and him, back towards me.

Brendon fell forward, momentarily losing his footing. I let go, knowing that choking him would do no good, and he went forward in to the shower, tripping against the edge. It was uncommon to see a vampire be so clumsy, that much was obvious.

I ran out of moves as soon as Brendon fell, and with that known I ran for the door. Unfortunately, in all of my work I had never encountered a vampire before Brendon. I didn’t know the first thing about them, even though I’d been living with one.

I didn’t hear Brendon crash, and so I should have known.

He caught me before I made it out of the room, caught me by the hair. I fell back towards him, trying to alleviate the pressure of his hold on my hair.

“Turn it back on.” Brendon roughly demanded, and I knew what he was asking. He wanted me to feel this. He wanted me to feel afraid of him.

“No.” I spit out.

He yanked on my hair, forcing me back in to the bathroom. The door shut, closing us in together. “Turn it on, now.”

“Or what?” I spit out, instigating him.

“You don’t want to know.” Brendon darkly muttered.

“I’m not afraid.” I informed him, once again.

“You’re not anything when you’re like this.” Brendon responded coldly. “You’re empty, dead, lifeless.” As he spoke I started to understand his reasoning behind giving me what he had called a ‘gift’. I finally understood why he’d done it, and what he had seen inside of me. “You’re worse than-” He stopped.

I looked right at him, seeing him for the first time ever. No, I didn’t see /him/. I saw what he was. “Worse than a vampire.” I completed the sentence. “I’m everything that you hate about yourself.”

Everything that had transpired between us suddenly made sense.

“Let go of me.” I snapped, and suddenly the emotions were back. The threat of danger was gone, and everything Brendon had forced upon me was back. The gift… the curse. The understanding hurt more when my emotions forced the pain.

Brendon let go.

“You saw me for what I was.” I was weak in the knees, but still standing. Brendon stepped back, keeping his distance. “You saw the void inside of me, and so you filled it because you couldn’t stand it. You couldn’t stand me, because I was so much like you… but then you saw the change, you saw me change under the influence of your ‘gift’.” My mouth was dry. “And you fell in love with that, not with me.”

Brendon looked stung.

“Because I turned in to exactly what you want to be.” I finished.

It all made sense. The sudden love. The way he reacted to me. The gift he had given. He should have just killed me. He probably would’ve had it not been for the darkness he’d recognized.

“Madeline-” The emotion returned to Brendon’s face. The pain. He was only reflecting what was on my face. The betrayal I felt. The entire lie of his emotions towards me.

“Don’t.” I held out my hand, in an effort to keep him from talking. I felt bare in front of him, naked. “What you’ve done to me is unforgivable.” How he made me feel…

There was a knock at the door.

Brendon paused, as his face once again became blank.

I lost him again, to whatever plans he had in mind.