Chapter 2:

'No!!!' thought Nathalan, becoming frantic. Trying to help? The hell! He was going to be eaten! Now he just knew why he had been brought to this realm he was to serve as food! Maybe this man was a lesser vampire and was stealing him and that's why he feared being seen! His heart was racing and he was feeling dizzy once again, he couldn't afford to faint! Geez…
Nathalan stopped fighting, he hadn't the strength to, even if he had been healthy, he had a feeling he had no chance against a vampire… maybe he would have the opportunity to run for it later. Tears of pain and anguish gathering in his eyes he bit his lips and hung his head, discreetly looking everywhere to memorize the place for later use.

Lance felt the mans body relaxes in his arms and he looked around for the best way to his chambers. Luckily the servants stated down the corridors to continue their cleaning no doubt. Lance passed behind them quickly so they could not turn and note him. Lance started to pick up his pace. Although the man was not much smaller than him he was still very light to carry, ’Perhaps it is because of being down in that room for so long.’ Lance came to his stone chamber doors and barged the open with his shoulder. Hurrying to put the man down onto the futon at the end of his bed, Lance rushed to the doors once more and closed them. Lance breathed deeply and started walking slowly over to the man. Before he had eye contact with him he turned and headed into another room and turned the water on.

They were in a chamber now… the doors were not so far and… damn he had closed them. Nathalan huddled up as he saw the vampire coming toward him to finally move to another room. It was his chance!
Moaning in suffering, he raised and dashed to the door, shaking them. They were locked! Damn damn damn! Looking around madly for an exit or a weapon he saw a window and opened it… oops that was a bit too high for him…
‘Ok… breath… stay calm… how do you kill a vampire?’
He wasn't even armed! He then noticed a knife and took it in his shivering hands, going back to the futon, eyes glued to the door where the vampire had gone

Lance hurried with the water in the bathroom. ‘I have to wash those wounds before they get more infected. I don’t know any thing about how to mend wounds, but I know if he isn’t washed now he will die for sure.’ Lance looked for bandages and any ointments or herbs to help with healing. Lance came out of the room and headed over to the futon where the man sat. “I have got the water ready. I don’t know much on how to get you better, but I think I know how to clean those wounds.” Lance moved forward to help the man up.

Nathalan flattened on the wall, feeling cornered, his grip tightened on the knife. But… the vampire didn't seem to mean harms… he was talking of healing him. A trap? Or was he paranoiac?
"You're not going to eat me? Anyway I'm sure my blood must taste awful," he remarked, looking tiredly at the dark haired man.

Lances gave the man a surprised look. “Why on earth would I eat you, and frankly that is just weird.” Lance put out his hand for the man to take. Obviously he had the wrong idea about him. “Look I don’t know how long you have been down there, but please just let me help you. I know you will soon die from those wounds for sure.”

That was true; he would die if they didn't treat him as soon as possible.
"Well… you're a vampire right? Aren't you supposed to eat humans?"
Letting go of his knife he hesitantly took the offered hand. He had no choice but to trust the man. Leaning heavily on him, he waited for him to act.
"Do you have any idea of what is going on?" inquired Nathalan; he didn't want the silence around him.

Taking the man firmly so he wouldn’t fall Lance slowly walked to the bathroom with him. “A Vampire? I am no such thing, at lest I don’t think so. What is a vampire?” Setting the man down on the side of the tub and starting to remove what clothing he still had on.

Nathalan stared, dumbfound. How the hell could he not know he was a vampire? Blushing madly Nathalan brushed off the hand undressing him.
"I-I can do that myself," he stammered, huddling up to hide his body.
"A vampire is creature that drinks human blood to live," he started, this reassured him, gave him the impression of control, "they are immortals. Their physical characteristics are pointy canines, pale skin, usually very cold and no heartbeat, because they are dead humans. Doesn't that sound familiar?"

Lance looked interested in what the man said. “Well I sure have a heart beat and I don’t really have that pale skin do I?” Lance was puzzled at this. “Please let me help wash your back it is horrible and I don’t think you will be able to reach back that far.”

Nathalan had to admit he wouldn't be able to clean his back, he was a little too sore. As red as a tomato he turned his back to the man, hiding his face under the curtain of his hair.
"Thank you. I'm rather pale myself and you're paler than me" tentatively reaching behind him, he brushed the man's hand, "and you are rather cool… let's not forget your teeth" he exclaimed, remembering how they had gave him the creeps. "You sure you have a heartbeat?" he asked, startled.

Lance was puzzled. “well if I didn’t have a heart beat how could I be alive? And there isn’t a lot of sun here so that might explain the lack of color in my skin. And well for cool skin? Not to sure why that might be but it could be just because I have a lower body temperature then you so I seems cooler then it really am.” Lance continued to wash the mans back and removing the dirt within his wounds. “I will get you a towel to dry off with and then I will help bandage you.” Lance moved toward the large cabinet and opened it, grabbing large black towel and red robe.

"Well vampires are alive, technically and they don't have one. Whatever, thank you," replied Nathalan, taking the towel, nuzzling inside, his nose poking out. It was soft and smelled nice.
Finally he had nothing to fear it seemed, but what was he going to do from now on? He stared at his host and sighed. He was a little lost.

Lance looked up at the clock and realized what time it was. “AH! Sorry but can we hurry up just a little. If we don’t then the maid will know you are here and that would be a problem. She comes in about 15 minutes and that means she will see you if you are not bandaged and hidden.” Lance helped the man to the futon at the end on his bed and ran and got the bandages.

Nathalan grabbed the bandages and set to work, he was so used to it he could do it with his eyes closed. Once he had finished, he fumbled with his old clothes: he always hid needles to defend himself and treat his injuries. He hid them carefully in his bandages; make sure he couldn't sting himself.
"Where should I hid… er… how should I call you?"

Lance helped the man up with his shoulder and walked him to another door and pulled out a key from hi pocket. “You may call me Lance. And this is were not even the maids will go.” Lance unlocked the door to a dark gloomy room that smelled of burned lavender and chi. Lance lit a candle that had been on a stool at the side of the door way and continued in the room. There was a bed and a chair and a washing table next to a wardrobe. “I have no idea when it was last used but I am the only one with the key to this room so no one will bother you while you are in here. I will have to figure out some things and then I will come back tonight and tell you what I have found out. I don’t know how you got here or were you are from, but if I can I will find a way to get you back.” Lance gave him a little smile and nodded at the man. “Oh! By the way. What is your name?”

Lance? He loved the name. Entering the room he couldn't help but smile a little, he was glad it wasn't a cupboard it would have felt as if he was a lover hiding. Sitting on the bed, Nathalan listened to what Lance was saying. Seems like he had troubles too.
"It‘s Nathalan, Thank you for your kindness," he introduced, bowing slightly. "Sorry for all the trouble," he added.

“I have to lock the door just so no one enters other wise the maid will come in here and she will find you.” Lance stood at the door way and gave a wave before shutting the door behind him and locking it, leaving Nathalan behind. Lance rushed to his study room and called for the cook and the cooks wife; something had to been done about this horrible mistake.

Nathalan sighed heavily, opening the wardrobe he took a hanger and put it on the door handle so he would be warned if someone entered. Then he unfolded the bed and took the sheet, cover and pillow to put them under the bed, before pulling back the bedspread very carefully, making sure it look undisturbed and making sure it hid the underneath. There, if someone entered they wouldn't guess he was here. Maybe he was a little too paranoiac but you were never sure…
Finally settling in his cocoon, a needle in his grip, Nathalan closed his eyes, drifting to sleep, wondering if everything would be ok for his saviour.

“WHAT! You did what! How dare you in my house!” Lance was more angered than he had ever been.
“My Lord is was necessary to hold prisoners down there that have done wrong.” the cock explained.
“WHAT is this the ages of my father? What on earth had he done to be beaten to death and then left to rot. He couldn’t have even been from this world. THERE IS NO ONE LEFT BUT US!” Lance slammed his fists on the desk making it clear to his lower subordinates that he was the one in charge and was in total disgust at what had been taken place without his knowledge. “GET OUT! Out of my site!” Lance yelled at the cook and his wife. Before the cooks wife left out of the study room she went over to a shelf and lifted a book off the case and an invisible hole in the wall opened. Lance stared intently at what this woman had done. Before Lance could ask she said, “My Lord perhaps this will clear up why we have done what we did.” The woman walked back over and handed a single book to Lance. “Read this and you will see.” The woman walked to the door and left shutting the door behind her. Lance looked at the book. It was old and dusty yet in good condition. He opened the book and began to read. Most of it didn’t make much sense but some of it made perfect sense. What had his family been involved in and why did it seem like they were where the ones that made this world the way it was. Lance read the book until the air had become cool and dark. Lance closed the book. He had finished it and he was in utter shock. A Vampire? Is that what Nathalan had called him. Every thing Nathalan explained a vampire was, was he one of those blood thirsty creatures? Lance walked out of the study and met one of the servants that he very much liked because of her small uniqueness. Lance could have cried looking at her right at that moment but she began to say something. “It is ok Lord Lance, it was not your fault and you are not like them. You are kind and sweet my Lord.” So even she new. This small girlish ghost had even know all along. “What do you mean, am I really not one of them? Tell me I am not one of them!”
“Hush your self my Lord.” The cooks wife walked down the hall carrying a Knife. “The truth is, you are not like them, but in a way you are. You are the masters half bred son. Your father was one of them and your mother was my aunt. And that is why we have lived here all our lives taking care of you. You are the ear to something larger then you could image. Those humans in the dungeon were what kept you from turning into a creature like your father.” The woman put her arms around Lance and hugged him. Letting go of him she asked, “So Lance now that you now the truth were is that boy from the dungeon. You need his blood before the full moon comes out tonight.” Lance looked up at the woman and she handed the dagger to him. “I…I let him go.”
“What?” The woman’s face turned into anger and she marched away yelling down the hall, “Every one search the grounds and beyond…find that human before he gets to far and dies on us. NOW GO!!!”
Lance shock his head and started back for his room. ‘He is still in that room, what am I going to do?’ Lance entered his room and headed for the door. Unlocking it he entered. The least he could do for now was see how he was and maybe he could talk to him about what was going on.

Nahtlan had stuck needles in his body to help it regenerate faster and put himself in a well deserved rest. For the moment it was all he could do.
Nathalan's eyes snapped open as he heard footstep approaching, he caught his breath and peered a little under the bedspread. His heart was thundering in his chest when he heard and saw the hanger fall to the floor as someone entered the room. He was ready to throw needles at them but sighed in relief when he saw it was only Lance.
Crawling from under the bed, already far better than before, he smiled at the man but soon frowned.
"Are you ok? You look awfully pale," he asked worriedly, coming to rest a hand on the man's forehead

Lance wanted to tell Nathalan, but held it back and inside. “What do you call a vampire that has never died in your world?” Lance didn’t know how different their worlds were, but in his there was a big difference between a living vampire and a dead one. And whether or not Lance wanted to be one or not Lance was one of the living.

Nathalan blinked at this question. What the hell?
"er… you mean a vampire that didn't die to become one? Er… I've never heard about it… but I supposed it makes him a half-vampire? Something like that, why? Don't tell me you're one," teased Nathalan before gulping at the face Lance made. Ok… stay calm.

It seemed that their worlds were very different. Lance thought about how to come arose to him about this hole thing. Lance smiled all of a sudden. “I don’t know what I am but right now all I know is I have to get you back some how. And that might be trouble because now the whole castle is looking for you.”

To say he was dumbfounded was an understatement. Here was the freaking man smiling when telling him he didn't know what he was and that a whole freaking castle was at his pursuit. Nathalan hated his life, really. "Ok," began Nathalan, trying to put all his thoughts in order and go back to old and nice and reassuring rationality, "Then you are a not-dead-vampire," he nodded to himself, pacing up and down the room, "and you've just learned it… I didn't do anything wrong and ended up locked here… and the whole castle wouldn't be after me if I was only a small criminal… then it means it's more important…" Nathalan turned to Lance, eyes widening a little. "Er… I'm food?" he asked, puzzled

Lance’s smile turned into a sad sigh and a frown. “Food is a bad way of putting it. Simply because I have never had human blood before or ever eaten a human. So I don’t believe that makes me a vampire at all but…the truth is my father was one of them and my mother…she was different. She was like you.” Lance lowered his head in confusion. Lance left the room and entered again with a tray of food. There was meat and fruit and other items that were questionable. Lance set them down on the bed. Lance pulled out a bottle from his pocket and showed it to Nathalan. The content was red and it was almost empty. “I have to take this every time I am sick or weak. It is not blood, I know because I watched the cooks wife make it, but there is one thing I take every month at the beginning of the new moon.” Lance opened the curtains and showed Nathalan that there was no moon. “There may be no moon right now which means this is the new moon. But in only a few hours the will be the full moon and at that time I have to take a different one.” Lance pulled out an empty bottle from one of the drawers of the washing table. “I have never seen the cook or the cook’s wife make it but they have always told me I have had to take it. I don’t know what will happen if I don’t and I am not even sure of what it is. But…I am not going to take it to night because I know some how you are involved and that means they will have to hurt you. Other wise they wouldn’t have put you down there.” Lance sighed and sat at the end of the bed. “I only ask you one thing; if any thing bad happens you will run as fast as you can down these stairs to the end of the castles depths and onto the land.” Lance pointed to a rug that lay bulky over the floor.

Nathalan obediently looked at what Lance was showing him. Strange he hadn't dash for the door already, seemed he already trusted the man. Well, had Lance wanted to kill him, he would have done it a long time ago… and he looked too lost to be fake. He smiled gently at the words aimed for his safety. "So you are a half-vampire… I thought they couldn't reproduce normally. Normally to turn into a vampire you have to drink the vampire's blood after he drunk yours," stated Nathalan, standing in front of the grief-stricken Lance. "Since you're not really a vampire… maybe you don't need to kill to feed, I mean… you obviously need blood once in a while… but maybe you just need a bit," clearing his throat Nathalan opened the red robe Lance had given him, letting his neck show. Gulping down a little nervously he reached with a trembling hand for Lance, not meeting his gaze. "Maybe you can try drinking… just enough to be well and leave me alive?" he wondered tentatively.
This was the least he could do, right? Lance had helped him, was still trying to, and Nathalan was a doctor, it was his duty to help people.

Lance stepped back surprised at what Nathalan was offering. “Are you crazy? I don’t even know what will happen to you or to me. What if I can’t even drink you blood straight? What if it has to be mixed with something? I don’t want to do this to you. You have done nothing to deserve this. I…I won’t do this. Not you.” Lance’s heart started to race seeing Nathalan like that in front of him, why would he be like this? Was it because he was still a vampire or was this feeling from something else? All Lance wanted to do right then was wrap his arms around him and tell him he didn’t deserve it and not for him of all people.

Nathalan scratched his head. Was he crazy? Maybe… but that didn't matter.
"Listen, you can't turn me into a vampire, you're not even one yourself, so it should be safe… and well if it has to be mixed with something you can still ask the cook later, after drinking… or you take a sample of my blood. And it's not about deserving it or not, it's I'm the only available here and you saved me, and you're both in trouble anyway, and I don't know if you're going to turn into a vampire if you don't drink, and if you did, it would be very very bad and, it says vampire saliva has healing property so it's better than drawing blood with a knife and," Nathalan shut up, he was getting frantic. Taking a deep breath he shakily leaned on Lance and grabbed his shoulders, as much to keep him here as for him to keep himself standing.
"If you lose control, I will stick a needle in your spine to immobilize you," he stated, pressing a needle at the right spot. "Just drink," he whispered, eyes tightly closed.

Lance could feel his heart race as Nathalans body leaned on his. Lance could take his blood and risk his own life and Nathalan’s life. Lance felt his blood boil. Lance put his head to Nathalans neck and could smell the sweet lavender from the sheets on his skin. Before Lance sunk his teeth into him he could hear more then one voice calling for him in worried voices but even as he watched the cooks wife and his two servants enter the room, he grabbed Nathalan close and their bodies rubbed against each other as Lance dug his long fangs into Nathalans soft flesh. Out of the corner of Lance’s eye he could see the full moon. Lance swallowed the sweet blood and continued to suck on his neck. Lance couldn’t help now but take his fangs out and kiss the tempting lips in front of him. Was he going crazy or was this the effect his blood had on him?

Nathalan's heart was beating erratically as he felt Lance smell him, it skipped a beat when fangs broke his skin and pulled his blood out. He didn't even register the people entering the room, he felt dizzy, as those strong hands pressed their body close. His hold had slightly slackened on the needle and he vaguely wondered if he would be able to do anything if Lance went too far… he caught himself thinking he wouldn't mind dying while feeling this wonderful. At that moment Lance stopped drinking and captured his lips. Nathalan's eyes widened and he gasped, surprised.

Lance could feel the warmth returning to Nathalan’s body as it had started to leave when he drank his blood. Nathalan’s whole body had been cut or bruised except for his lips. How soft they were, and his body was obviously not much smaller then his, but Lance was obviously a little taller. Lance could feel something; like he was almost loosing control of what ever it was that was trying to come out within him. Lance picked Nathalan up and put him on the bed still not releasing Nathalan’s lips from his own. Till Lance pulled him self away and stepped back. The cook’s wife still standing in the doorway shocked and terrified at what had happened. As soon as she saw Lance move from the man she grabbed at Lance as he began to fall back. “Hurry!” she called to one of the servants. One girl left and the other came to help the cook’s wife with hanging on to Lance. “What an idiot. You think you can just take a humans blood and drink it like your forefathers? What a stupid child you have turned out to be!” Lance had already become unconscious and the cooks wife and the servant helped him into his room and onto his bed leaving Nathalan in the other room.

Nathalan didn't react, couldn't react as he let Lance lean him on the bed, still kissing him. He felt so dazed! As the man pulled away, Nathalan's hands reach for him but to no avail, he was too weak to lift them for the moment, but he missed this warmness.
He watched Lance fall and the woman catch him. Maybe it had been a mistake. He saw them drag him to his room, leaving him there.
Taking a deep breath and pulling himself back together, he pulled out more needles and crept into the room. Catching the woman off guard and stuck a needle in her wrist, feeling it go lax, he put another against her neck but didn't push it in.
"Maybe you could explain what's going on?" he asked, looking at the unconscious Lance, remembering only now he was supposed to have run down the stairs. Ooops.

The woman glared at the man in front of her threatening her at the throat. “My name is Ann. I am the cook’s wife of this castle and I am the one that makes the poison to keep My Lords’ Son as human as possible. Now that Lance has taken your blood all he will ever crave is blood. You have made him into a monster!” The woman looked down at Lance with a sympathetic face as if she was going to cry. “Your purpose here was to supply blood for these nights in the poison but only a small amount of blood drained from your inner assents that is why you were beaten from the moment you came here but not killed. But now that is all to late. He will soon become something that he is not and it will kill not only the man he is now but you as well.”

Nathalan shook his head and sighed. "Nice to meet you Ann," he said sarcastically, "So he turned into a vampire. You didn't need much blood yet you killed people?" Nathalan remembered the dead man in the cell, "You beat them up? You didn't even explain it to him! In what right did you choose for him! If you had taken the time to fucking explain to him what was going on and treat other being as human he might not be in this shit now! You are the monster here, he's more human than you!" retorted Nathalan feeling angry beyond belief. Damn. He felt guilty too; he had been the one to think blood would be the solution. "You can't give him this poison of yours? Why is it going to kill him and me at the same time?" he finally asked, wondering if they could actually do something else than stand and watch.

“You have no idea what it will do to him now. Either the beast will awaken with in him now or later but it will happen I have already sent a servant to get the rest of the poison for him but this will do very little. When he awakens if he is still himself then it will be hard to keep him conscious for long with out eating. That means human blood, boy.” A servant entered the room with a bottle and towels. She saw that the man had needles to hers mistresses neck and she didn’t move. “Let me go so I can give him the poison. Or do you desire death so quickly?”

"Are you sure the poison isn't dangerous for him?" wondered Nathalan, pulling out the needle at the wrist and stepping away a little. "About blood it's not necessarily a problem, I gave him once, I can give him more, he doesn't have to kill to feed," stated Nathalan. They had never thought of giving their own blood obviously, they had prefer taking innocent people, beating them up and killing them. They hadn't even bothered to explain Lance what was happening, it was disgusting, to have kept him in the dark, they had stole his liberty of choosing. He remembered how sad and troubled Lance had looked in front of the dead body. He doubted Lance would have choose such a way of dealing with the problem… he would surely feel guilty about all those lives taken because of him… that is if he survived the transformation.

-To be continued

I was really disappointed by the lack of comments or any kind of reaction to the first chapter… so, I won't update this story anymore if I don’t have at least a reaction.

Sorry about that.