Dreams that felt more like memories as images flashed in my head. Faint smells, feelings, tastes, sounds and blurred images made me overloaded with every emotion as I tried and failed to decipher what I experienced. It felt like a thick fog obscured everything as I wandered around lost, occasionally bumping into something. Walking further I saw a figure its form was completely black like a shadow. A pair of blue cat-like eyes became visible as it turned around. As it stared at me my heart began to race feeling the need to flee. The shadow creature started its approach and I was unable to move. Its eyes widened now looking more like blue flames that danced outside of its form. Grabbing my face, its jaw unhinged, and just as I was about to be consumed…

Get up.

My eyes opened and I stared at the canopied fabric above me. I felt like I was freezing despite being underneath a heap of bedding. Weakly, I lifted myself from the bed wrapping a sheet around myself. Everywhere felt sore as I shuffled to a mirror. My reflection still peered back at me and I concluded that I still had time before the full effects of sanguivory set in. I examined the bite wound wincing in pain as I touched it. Looking at my face I looked gaunt and pale, the white of my eyes was black accentuating the natural blue of the center. Veins made themselves visible across my body, discoloration of lividity around my mouth and eyes furthered the point I was dead. 

“Fuck…”

A deep hunger that made my stomach feel cavernous echoed throughout my body. I smelled the air and I no longer felt in control. 

Come to me.

As if in a trance I knew exactly where to go. Navigating the maze-like hallways I stood in front of a masterfully carved door. Opening it slowly I stepped inside.

“Wonderful! You’ve finally decided to join us!” Amadeo grinned from the end of a long dining table. 

“Decided? There wasn’t much of a choice to be made.” I glared at him.

“I can imagine you’re starving?” He continued getting up from his chair and walked toward me. 

Vampires lined each side staring unbothered by our conversation, as they sat quietly.

“Here…” He handed me a cup and finally, I knew what it was I was smelling, what I had been craving since waking up.

Everything in me wanted to take the cup but choked down the urge.

“You’re very weak, you should drink.” Forcing the cup to my mouth, there was an irritated look in his eyes.

“No! Mmmpfh!” I felt it slide into my mouth.

Pushing it away from my face I turned away trying to escape, but he grabbed me pulling me back. I wretched in disgust, now piquing the interest of a select few who sat at the table. Unable to stop from vomiting as the taste of blood coated my tongue. Amadeo laughed, extending his hand to me, I swiped at him scratching his face. I heard the chairs scratch across the floor as vampires came to Amadeo’s aid.

“I’m alright.” He smiled, touching the cut, examining the blood he rubbed it between his fingers.

The handmaids quickly rushed to his aid handing him a handkerchief, that he used to dab at his wound. They hissed at me in anger and I felt compelled to do the same. Suddenly I was hoisted into the air.

“Huh??”

“I think we shall retire back to my chambers for the rest of the night.” 

Within an instant, we were back in the bedroom where I had woken up. Setting me down, he held me from behind.

“You’re always in the mood to make a scene aren’t you?” He kissed my neck.

I tried to pull his arms away to free myself, but the more I struggled the more it seemed to entertain him. 

“Let go!” The more I struggled the weaker I became.

Out of breath, I couldn’t fight against him anymore. Every movement felt arduous. He laid me on my back climbing over top of me as I continued to breathe heavily. 

“It pains me to see you in such a state,” kissing my forehead, he played with my hair, “I wish you wouldn’t be so stubborn.”

He climbed off of me, going to a nearby cabinet he rifled through it. My eyes were fixed on his movements as I was unable to move. Pulling out a large crystal decanter filled with what I assumed was blood.

“Fortunately, I planned for your rebellious attitude,” proudly he held the bottle up, “cow’s blood!”

Cradling me upright moved the decanter towards me. Refusing it, I turned my head away again.

“You won’t die from starvation, but you will needlessly torture yourself for eternity.”

My stomach felt as though something was trying to tear out of me from inside. Even the smell of animal blood made my cravings worse. Giving in I pressed my lips to the glass, letting the contents quench my thirst and hunger.

“Very good~” Stroking my hair in encouragement.

As I finished I felt intense sharp pain. I convulsed on the bed, writhing in excruciating pain. In shock Amadeo panicked to remedy my situation, holding my arms. The clawing feeling from before resumed and I felt it crawl up to my chest making its way to my skull. I closed my eyes and I was face to face with the shadow figure. My body stopped its violent thrashing a cool sweat all over me, my eyes opened and I grabbed Amadeo’s throat abruptly. He was unable to claw away my grasp as I pinned him to the floor. Reaching to touch my face out his voice strained under the pressure:

“Cor- me-um…” His eyes glazing over from lack of oxygen.

It shrunk back inside and I regained control, my hands caught myself slamming against the floor. As I recovered I looked up, I was still straddling Amadeo who looked exhilarated. Drooling with desire, he awaited for me to do more to him. Disoriented and filled with bloodlust I burst through a window to the outside.

“Wait!” He yelled after me.

Landing on my feet with a thud, I took off in a fast sprint. I didn’t know where I was going I just ran, letting branches and briars tear at my flesh as pushed through the thick of the woods. Coming to a clearing I saw the night sky turning to dawn. I fell to my hands and knees knowing what awaited me. Sitting back on my knees I tilted my head back closing my eyes and put my hand over the bite wound. 

“Cass?” 

Surprised I looked to see who called out. Walking towards me was Diana, a fellow vampire hunter whom I trained and worked with frequently. Before she could come any closer I yelled back:

“Diana, don’t come any closer!” I held out my hand cautioning her.

“What happened to you? You look like shit…where are your clothes?”

“I’m-” the reality hit me, “I’ve been turned, Dee.” 

I pulled my hand away from my next letting her see.

“Oh shit!” She pushed past my hand, picking me up off the ground I leaned against her.

Rushing back to her van before the sun came up, she flung open the back helping me inside. Diana hopped in the front starting it.

“Here,” she threw a blanket at me, “we won’t make it back before sunrise so hide under that.”

I pulled it over myself and laid down. The floor was cool against my bare skin.

“So…wanna tell me how this happened?”

“Apparently, vampire’s are willing to pay a lot to get a piece of me.” I joked.

“Very funny, Cass, be real with me.” Unamused she pressed again.

The memory of the past twenty-four hours replayed in my head. The blood and the pain made me break out in a cold sweat. I let out a sigh, choosing my words carefully: 

“For some reason Duke Bonafacia paid to have me kidnapped.”

“Just to turn you?”

“Perhaps, but why me specifically?”

My mind hadn’t been clear enough to think about this myself and I fell silent trying to find the answer. To my knowledge, I’d never met Duke Bonafacia, Jace, or anyone related to either of them. No doubt vampires would hate a vampire hunter, but I wasn’t particularly well known. Nothing about me had been notable, past or present, at least not more so than any other hunter.

“We’re here,” she pressed a button pulling into the garage of the hunter precinct, “just keep your head down for now.”

My body was tense as we went through the security checkpoints, which was a strange feeling since I had been through them over a thousand times. I now found myself in the opposite situation, a vampire inside a nest of vampire hunters. Some of the most ruthless hunters made the precinct a regular hang-out and were of the unshakable mindset of once turned the honorable thing to do was to die either by your own hands or another hunter’s. Which I intend to do as soon as I find that asshole Jace.

We stopped in what I assumed to be the garage and Diana turned off the van, getting out and shutting the door behind. She was gone for a long while, making me more and more nervous as I thought of every horrible possibility. I heard a knock on the back door and I peeked out from the blanket.

“It’s me,” Diana whispered opening the door slightly, “I brought you some clothes.”

She threw them in and I got dressed before exiting the van. Looking at me up and down in contemplation, before saying anything:

“You still look pretty rough…”

“Great.” I adjusted the rearview to get a look at myself.

My skin was still deathly pale and my eyes still looked monstrous. I opened the front door of the van, grabbing a pair of sunglasses.

“What about now?” I held out my hands, smiling.

“Well it was good until I saw the fangs,” she grabbed my arm, “no more goofing off let’s go.”