My Darest Hour

Author's note: This story contains graphic depictions of violence as well as sensitive subject matters like suicide and torture. If you are squeamish, this story most likely isn't for you. Also, as always there is sex eventually in the story but it is not the focus. If you're looking to rub one out or flick your bean to a steamy erotic novel, this isn't it. Feedback is appreciated and encouraged, both positive and negative. However, hateful comments will be deleted so keep them respectful.

All characters are eighteen and over.

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"He who makes a beast of himself gets rid of the pain of being a man."

-Samuel Johnson

CHAPTER ONE

"Focus. You need to find the perfect prey. You don't have the ability to compel, so you will have to rely on your seduction ability." Maggie told Michael, trying not to make it obvious that they were there together. She was looking off in the distance, away from Michael.

Michael rolled his eyes, looking around the bar where he first met Maggie. This time it felt different because of polar opposite reasons. When he first came to the bar, he meant to end his life afterwards. Now, he meant to prolong it while potentially ending someone else's. His throat felt like it was on fire with an unquestionable thirst when he thought about feeding. He shook his head and tried to focus on something else.

Maggie sighed. "Michael, you need to feed. You have done this the past four times I have tried to take you to feed. You need to get over whatever it is that is stopping you from feeding. Your vampiric powers, what little you have are fading away. Soon, you'll be just as weak as a normal human. A human could easily overpower and very well kill you if you keep starving yourself." Maggie told Michael in a firm tone.

Michael was quickly growing annoyed with Maggie pushing him to feed. "This is not easy for me, Maggie. It is second nature for you to kill without remorse, it is much more difficult, almost impossible for me to bring myself to feed on a human. The thought alone of looking into their eyes and seeing the reflection of what I am, what I've become while I drain their life force is sickening to me." Michael replied. His eyes fixated on a woman drinking alone.

She was attractive, with blonde hair, a slim figure and breasts that accented her curves. But, she was making his mouth water for a different reason.

The monster inside Michael began clawing at the door, longing to slash her throat wide open and drink her blood while she drowned in it. He shuddered at his own thoughts, and wondered how Maggie stayed sane since he was only half vampire.

Maggie turned to look at Michael who was standing rigid, staring intently at a woman. She appeared to be alone, but even if she wasn't she could just compel her companion to leave. "You tell me that but your body language says differently. You have found a target, now you need to seduce her. Try and get her to leave with you." Maggie told Michael.

Michael snapped out of his trance and looked at Maggie. "There is no way in hell that I'm going to be able to seduce her." Michael replied.

"Yes you can. If you seduced me, a vampire that had emotions buried for decades then you can seduce her." Maggie argued.

Michael sighed then turned his attention to the woman drinking alone at a table. There were other guys who were eyeballing her but none were brave enough to approach her.

Michael walked over to the woman's table and sat down. The other guys in the bar snickered about him approaching her but what they thought about him was the last thing on his mind.

"Can I help you?" The woman asked. She looked Michael up and down, but attempted to hide it.

"Possibly. If by help you mean a one night stand, no. If by help you want to tell me what you're doing here drinking alone while all these guys are undressing you with their eyes, yes." Michael responded.

The woman looked down at her glass and set it down. She folded her hands and looked at Michael.

"What is your name?" The woman asked him.

"My name is Michael." He replied.

The woman smirked. "Well, Michael, I am here to attempt to forget something by drowning myself in alcohol. What are you doing here?" The woman responded.

Michael leaned forward. "What is your name?" He asked.

The woman crossed her arms "My name is Taylor." Taylor responded.

"Well, Taylor, I am here because one of my buddies was supposed to meet me for some drinks, but I got stood up and have been waiting for over an hour." Michael told her, lying about everything.

Taylor smiled. "That's too bad for you, huh?" She responded.

Michael shrugged. "It could be worse. I could be talking to him instead of you right now." He replied, feigning a smile.

Taylor giggled. "Okay, you have my attention. What is it that you want?" She asked.

Michael stopped smiling and swallowed hard. His throat felt like it was on fire. "Exactly what I said before. What are you doing here? I can't imagine someone not missing you right now." He replied.

Taylor sighed, then took another sip of her drink. "The truth? I'm here because my divorce papers were finalized today. You want to know the ugly story behind it?" She asked.

Michael nodded, leaning in again to show she had his attention.

Taylor stared at her drink with distant eyes. "Six months ago I came home from work early. It was a slow day at the office, they gave me voluntary time off because of it. I decided I was going to surprise my husband and take him out to lunch. When I came home he was already whetting his appetite with the next door neighbor. I freaked out and left immediately." She told him.

Michael shook his head. "I'm sorry to hear that." He responded. If he wasn't bloodthirsty he would probably be telling the truth.

Taylor continued, and drew circles in the condensation on her drink. "Unfortunately that wasn't it. He was my first love. We had been married for four years and I wasn't ready to let that go. I tried to reconcile and told him to break it off and I would stay with him. He laughed at me and mailed my parents the divorce papers the next day." Taylor told him.

Rage cut through Michael as the memories of his ex-girlfriend came flooding back."He made a mistake." Michael responded.

Taylor took another drink. "Maybe, or maybe I did. Either way, I am here drinking my sorrows away while talking to a guy I don't even know. It's quite pathetic really." Taylor responded and sighed.

Michael stood up, hoping that she was rejecting him. "If you don't want me to be here I can leave." he told her.

Taylor shook her head. "No, you can stay. I was talking about myself." She replied.

Michael sat back down, his sympathy cutting through the bloodthirst. "You are not pathetic. You really loved him. I wouldn't have been able to reconcile. Almost the same situation happened to me less than six months ago. Except I wasn't married to her." Michael responded truthfully this time.

Taylor laughed. "Isn't that ironic. What should two recently rejected people do?" She asked.

Michael pursed his lips. "Prove to their exes how wrong they were?" Michael asked.

"I thought you weren't looking for a one night stand?" Taylor retorted.

Michael shook his head. "I'm not looking for a one night stand." Michael replied.

Taylor raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Well I suppose we can try. What did you have in mind?" She responded.

Michael looked at his phone to check the time. "Well, how about we start with a meal. Are you comfortable with coming to my place?" Michael asked.

Taylor smiled, a spark in her eyes forming. "I think I can bear that." She replied. She started to get up and get out her wallet.

Michael nodded. "I'll pay for your drink. It's the least I can do." He told her. The monster inside regained control and roared in triumph.

Taylor suddenly looked shy. "Excuse me, I need to go use the restroom." She informed him, then headed for the ladies' room.

Michael nodded, a knot forming in his stomach. He was nervous. Not because of the woman, but because he was afraid of killing her. Maggie had told him in the past that for maximum strength he needed to consume all their blood- killing them. He did not want to kill her, or anyone for that matter.

Suddenly, Maggie appeared beside him. "You've done it. Now, get out of here and take her to our place. I compelled a guy to give me a ride to our place. Here are my keys. I've compelled the bartender to waive her tab and forget we were here." She told him, holding his hand and slipping the key in it. Then, she flitted away.

The ladies' room door opened and Taylor reappeared, heading for Michael.

Michael stood up. "Are you ready?" He asked.

Taylor nodded, smiling.

Michael offered her his arm which she accepted, then walked out of the bar and drove towards Taylor's doom.

CHAPTER TWO

"So this is your place? What's going on with the windows?" Taylor asked in a voice with a hint of nervousness.

Michael looked at the windows, forgetting that they were boarded because he had become used to them. "My sister has a very rare skin allergy. She has extreme sensitivity to UV rays, which means that direct sunlight burns her really bad. Even exposure through windows is a hospital trip. She lives with me." He responded.

Taylor inhaled sharply, relaxing. "Yikes, I'm sorry to hear that. I was going to make a vampire joke but now I feel bad." Taylor replied.

Michael chuckled nervously. "Unfortunately not, that would be so much more interesting." Michael retorted. He was shocked at how close to the truth she had come.

Michael got out of the car and opened Taylor's door. As he walked up to the house, she followed behind him.

Michael swallowed hard, trying in vain to quench the thirst that only still living blood could quench. He opened the door and beckoned Taylor to come inside. As the door shut, so did any chance of her surviving the night.

Maggie had told him that sex was not out of the question if it meant lowering the victim's guard. She did not need to seduce her victims because she had the power of compulsion but he only had increased strength, a healing factor and agelessness. He would need to use his charm before he could feed on her.

Michael's nervousness grew. He did not want to kill her, and feared that it was inevitable. He felt a knot form in his stomach again. "What do you want to eat?" Michael asked, deliberately trying to appear relaxed to put her at ease.

Taylor shrugged. "I don't particularly care. I'm just glad to be out of that god forsaken bar and instead with someone that understands me." She replied. She sat down on the couch, and waited for Michael.

Michael's heart was pounding. He didn't want to kill this woman, because he saw a lot of himself in her. The things that she had been through, her poison of choice to cope and ultimately the pain that she had felt. Even though he had been freed from his suicidal past, the pain was still there. Maggie was just helping him heal.

Taylor was innocent, and should not be there. She didn't deserve his lies, and she definitely didn't deserve to die. The problem was that Michael had no way of stopping the bleeding once it started when he either bit into her or cut a vein open. If he fed on her, it would surely be a death sentence.

Maggie had grown quite frustrated with Michael. He hadn't yet drank blood, and was weakened to the point of regular human strength. Anybody that was stronger than him could kill him. Maggie admonished him every time he hesitated, telling him that he needed blood. Michael on the other hand didn't want to kill someone who didn't deserve it. So far, no one that he had tried to feed on deserved it. Especially Taylor.

Taylor looked over at Michael. "Is everything alright?" Taylor asked.

Michael snapped out of his trance. "Yeah, sorry about that, I was just thinking of what to order. Do you like Chinese food?" Michael asked.

Taylor nodded enthusiastically. "Oh yes, you are speaking my language. My hus-he-who-shall-not-be-named hated Chinese food." She replied cheerfully.

Michael sat down beside Taylor on the couch. "Anything you want specifically?" Michael asked.

Taylor shook her head. "I will literally eat any kind of Chinese food. Just get what you like." Taylor responded.

Michael nodded. "Sounds good." Michael told her. He searched the internet, and dialed the number for a local Chinese restaurant. He felt sadness, because he felt that he really connected with this woman, and if he hadn't met Maggie then they would have been a perfect match. He hesitated when the cashier answered, and looked at Taylor.

Michael ended the call and put his phone down, cancelling the order. The conflict in him was too great. He decided he couldn't drink her blood. Taylor was still in danger, because Maggie would never let her leave the house without killing her or compelling her to forget. He knew that there logically wasn't any reason to do that this time, as she hadn't seen anything nor knew what they were.

He decided that he was going to feign illness, and take her home. Vampires couldn't get sick, but she didn't know that he was one.

Taylor's smile vanished. "Is everything alright?" Taylor asked. She had a concerned look on her face.

Michael shook his head and walked to the kitchen, using the counter to support himself. "To be honest, no. I think I ate some bad food earlier today, and I may have food poisoning. I didn't tell you because I really like you and didn't want to ruin the night but I am not feeling well." Michael replied, lying his ass off.

Taylor walked over to him and put her hand on top of his. "I'm sorry to hear that, there's nothing to be ashamed about." She told him.

Michael nodded. "Thanks. Sorry for ruining your night." He responded.

Taylor looked down at their intertwined hands. "You didn't ruin my night, you made it infinitely better. You couldn't help what happened to you, and I would have preferred meeting you over anyone else there. We can always try a different night." Taylor replied.

Michael nodded. "I'd like that." He responded, smiling. "I doubt you want to be here when I am sick, so I should probably take you home." He added.

Taylor laughed. "As much as I'd like to see you puke your guts out, that would probably be best." She joked.

Michael nodded, and stood up, gathering the car keys and his cell phone.

Taylor got the hint, and gathered her coat. "Well, thanks for showing me your place. I'd like to see more of it next time." She responded in a suggestive tone, and winked.

Michael laughed nervously. "We'll see, my sister can be quite inquisitive and may not leave us alone." He told her.

Michael held the door open for Taylor, and shut the door behind him. They got in the car, and Michael drove her back to the bar to get her car.

"Are you okay to drive?" Michael asked.

Taylor nodded. "I only had that one glass of wine. You interrupted my binge drinking." She replied in a sarcastic tone.

Michael laughed. He may not have feelings for her, but he had a feeling that they could get along as friends just fine. How that would work with his bloodlust was to be determined though. "Well, still. Make sure you're driving safely." Michael told her.

Taylor nodded. "I will. We'll see you later." She responded. She wrote down her number on a napkin and set it in the center console. She then waved goodbye and exited the car.

Michael breathed a sigh of relief. Not only because his thirst died down, but because he hadn't had a genuine conversation with another person in a long time. He loved Maggie and would never cheat, but only talking to her, shut out from the rest of the world was exhausting at times. He had shut off contact with anyone he ever knew before, and his own parents didn't give enough of a shit to call and ask if he was still alive. As a result, he felt lonely at times, even though he loved Maggie.

Michael took a deep breath then picked up Taylor's number. She had seemed so eager to give him her number, but he knew that nothing would ever come of it. He decided to just put it in his pocket, and flush it down the toilet when he got home. He then started the engine, and headed back to the house. He hoped to beat Maggie back, because he could just make an excuse for not having Taylor there. Unfortunately, luck wasn't on his side. "Shit!" He shouted in frustration.

Maggie was already back, and waiting on the doorstep with an annoyed expression on her face.

CHAPTER THREE

Michael got out of the car, and walked up to the doorstep.

Maggie approached the driver side door. "Where have you been? Where is your prey?" She asked in an agitated tone.

Michael looked around, and saw people outside. "Perhaps this isn't the best place to argue." He replied through gritted teeth.

Maggie looked around, sighed and nodded. "Let's go inside." She told him, opened the door and ushered Michael inside.

Maggie closed the door, and went over to the couch and stood in front of it. "Do you want to tell me what happened? I know she was in this house, I can smell her scent." She asked.

Michael sat down and shook his head, looking at the floor. "I couldn't do it." He responded.

Maggie quickly became angry with him. "What do you mean you couldn't do it?" She asked in an agitated tone.

Michael was silent for a while, thinking about how he would tell her. "I couldn't take her blood, or kill her." He replied.

Maggie groaned in frustration and sat down. "Are you telling me she's still alive? After coming into our home and potentially seeing things that she shouldn't be allowed to see and live?" Maggie asked.

Michael nodded. "I thought that was implied without saying it. She didn't see anything, and was only in the house for five minutes and only sat on the couch." He replied.

Maggie sighed. "Why would you do that? Why would you risk our safety on the possibility that she didn't see anything?" She asked.

Michael looked down at the floor. "Because I can't kill an innocent person. She was having the worst night of her life, and had done nothing wrong. I couldn't harm her, and I am sorry I went as far as to bring her here." He replied.

Maggie was mad at him, but took a deep breath to calm herself. Michael wasn't nearly as strong as her, and she could easily hurt him if she wasn't careful. "Why would you let her go? You could have waited until I got here and I could have compelled her to forget everything." Maggie asked.

Michael looked up at her. "Because I was scared that you wouldn't let her go. You have been so adamant in the past about not letting anyone go who came here, and you have grown frustrated with my hesitation to kill. I was scared that you would kill her, or make me kill her." Michael replied.

Maggie was shocked that he would say that, but he wasn't wrong. She probably would have killed the girl without a second thought. Stil what he told her struck a chord in her. Not so long ago she had encountered Michael on his worst night. Perhaps he had a point.

Michael raised an eyebrow. "Please, tell me what I have said is wrong. I would love nothing more than to be wrong." He asked.

Maggie shook her head. "You are right." She replied.

Michael pursed his lips. "How can you be okay with that? How can you kill innocent people without a second thought?" Michael asked.

This time, Maggie was silent. She had never thought about it, or if she had it had been forgotten decades ago in the bloodlust. Only recently were the emotions of love reawakened in her. "I don't know. I guess I have been focused on survival for so long at any cost that I have lost any sympathy for my prey." She replied.

Michael looked disappointed by her response. "Maggie, I can't kill innocent people. I won't ever do that. I would rather choose death than to kill someone who didn't deserve it to prolong my life. I am not sure I am okay with you killing without conscience either." Michael told her.