"Ah, my dear mesmerized thrall. I am never far from you. I will never go away."
A cold, undead finger scraped the side of Vanessa. Vanessa, a short, busty redhead, stood very still. Her eyes opened in full, with fear and submission in her pupils. A single tear ran down her cheek as the shape swirled around her, brushing the side of her neck.
Vanessa's foggy mind attempted to remember how she walked into this expansive, gothic mansion. On what side of the city she stood. If she still was in the same city.
Nothing made sense. Except for his voice. His will.
The shape stopped in front of her. Easily a foot taller than her, and wider, the body in front of her could envelop her and never return her to the daylight. The slicked black hair. The soft but cold lips.
And, the eyes. Mesmerizing. Black and red that defied genetics and held terrible power. The eyes that broke her mind and will. That compelled her to obey his voice and walk for what seemed like hours to this spot.
Her neck tingled. She felt his piercing eyes on her neck and she tried to shudder. Instead, his voice made her blood warm. That warmth settled between her legs. The vulnerability and the helplessness of the situation only fueled the forbidden desires in her mind.
"Soon, you will be with me. To dance with the damned for eternity," the man said with a smile. Vanessa caught a glimpse of sharp teeth on either side. Her body imagined the sensation when those teeth sank into her neck. Vanessa tried to deny the intense arousal she felt when she imagined it.
The thing in front of her smiled again. She caught a good glimpse of his fangs.
"I see you are scared. But, you are aroused. I can smell it, my fragile little thing. I can feel the heat in your blood. And between your legs. Do not be afraid, child. I, Count Andre, do not do what I am about to do with haste. I have sought you out. Called to you. And, you have answered. Surely, you know this."
Vanessa's mind, blank and subservient to his words, could not think up a defense to his statement. He moved closer. She could hear her own sharp breathing through her teeth.
He brushed the hair away from her neck. "Fear not. Soon, you will be like me. And we will be together for eternit--"
Vanessa heard a door crack open with force. Count Andre glanced upward and growled.
"You."
Vanessa could not move, could not turn.
"Your days of terrorizing young women are over, Count."
She knew that voice. The man in the library who seemed to understand the past few weeks of hers and what happened to her. The man she foolishly brushed off, too embarrassed to agree.
"We shall see, worm," Count Andre said, baring his fangs. He leaped over Vanessa with amazing grace.
Vanessa could not see anything. She heard a terrible crash, followed by sounds of struggle. Things tossed. Things broken. Flesh ripped into. Screams of pain from both sides. Vanessa stood there, shaking in fear. She felt her own wetness against her inner thigh, so aroused at her helplessness. Realizing she had to help the man save her from the fate of the Count. But, unable to.
She wanted to. She thought she did.
Suddenly, a piercing stab jolted her brain. She cried out in pain, the first sound she made since he enthralled her back in her apartment to come to him. She fell forward, crashing into the marble floor on her knees and hands. She squeezed her eyes closed, trying to get the pain out of her head.
She turned to see the conclusion of the battle. The man who came to save her lay on the ground, coughing. The count lay a few feet away. Blood seeped from him, running down the steps separating the sunken middle of the room. A large wooden stake jutted out from his chest. Vanessa watched the Count's hand go limp.
Never away from you.
She heard his voice whisper and swirl in her head. She gasped and panted. The man raised his head.
"I'm Terry."
"Vanessa," Vanessa said before her eyes rolled and she collapsed.
***
ONE YEAR LATER
Vanessa looked out of the window to the first frost-covered day before her. The morning light cut through the darkness of the city street, creating a sense of warmth.
Vanessa huddled in her large turtleneck, blowing on her coffee. She stared out blankly.
"You're away."
She blinked and turned to the source of the sound. She smiled. "Sorry."
"You've been doing that a lot lately, Vanessa. Is everything all right?"
The petite blonde woman walked into the room and sat down on the couch. Vanessa felt the spotlight shine on her once more.
"I'm fine, Jeri."
Jeri did not look impressed. "Are you coming over for dinner tonight? Terry and I would love to have you."
"I don't know. I didn't really want to go out."
You want to be with me.
Vanessa shuddered at the slight breeze in her mind, the soft whisper that entered with little resistance.
"What is it?" Jeri asked, her voice growing stern and serious. "Are you hearing him again?"
Vanessa's lip shook as she smiled. "Of course not."
"It's been a year."
"Has it?"
Jeri sighed. "Vanessa. You were stalked, manipulated, and assaulted by a vampire. He enslaved you and was about to take your life when--"
"He wasn't about to take my life! He wanted me!" Vanessa said, pounding her chest. Realizing her outburst, she sat down on the chair. She rubbed her forehead. "I've been having the dream again."
"Oh, Vanessa. I'm not just your therapist, I hope I'm your friend. You should have--"
"I'm embarrassed. I've been having these...dreams, about a man who wanted to drain my blood. And yet, I felt like I wanted it. I wanted him to--"
Jeri reached across and touched her hand. "That was his power. That's not you talking, that's him."
"I know."
"You sound unsure."
Vanessa rubbed her head. "I--I--I thought I was okay, I really did, but lately I've been hearing it more and more and--"
