AN: This is shorter than the last chapter, simply because it seemed like a good place to stop. Kai comes into the picture, and I hope you like him because I love him.

Oh, and by the way: I can see those hits. Really, I can. If you read it, comment it! When I don't get reviews my self-esteem goes down. And when my self-esteem goes down, I can't write. Reviews are love people! Seriously.

Chapter 2: Magical World

When I began to awaken, my first thought was, Am I dead yet? I could feel a bed underneath me, with a spring sticking into my back painfully. Unfortunately, that didn't bring me to any positive conclusions.

I tried to open my eyes to survey my surroundings , but it felt like lead weights were holding them shut. I thought I could hear sounds, but they were faint and far away. No matter how much I strained, I just couldn't make out anything clearly.

With great delight, I found I could wiggle my fingers well enough. My arm would also most somewhat, but was stopped from going too far by some kind restraint. Cold fear washed over me anew. Just where was I? And who had restrained me?

I tried my voice, and it worked, but dizziness overcame me before I could say anything and all that came out was a particularly load groan.

"Oh, you're awake; I was beginning to think that bump on your head had knocked you into a coma." I jumped at the voice, which sounded merely feet away from me. It was deep and honeyed; definitely male.

"Who are you?" I moaned, fighting the urge to vomit.

"Don't worry about that now," the voice said soothingly, laying a cool, wet cloth on my forehead. It made me feel a little better and I sighed contentedly, relaxing back into the uncomfortable bed.

"Would you like to open your eyes?" The voice asked sweetly. I frowned inwardly.

"Yeah," I mumbled. "I tried before. I couldn't do it."

"Try again," the voice whispered in my ear. I shivered. For some reason, the voice made me feel like I could do anything it asked. I forced my eyes to slits, wincing at the bright light that attacked my pupils.

"Oh, sorry." A shadowy figure rushed in front of my vision. There was a whooshing sound and thankfully the light disappeared. I blinked blearily, trying to focus my vision. A face at the end of the bed slowly became clearer.

Chocolate brown eyes set under raven locks stared at me excitedly. Pale ivory skin with no hint of facial hair stretched across a smooth face. He was pretty young, nineteen at the oldest it seemed. His clothes were a little big for him; they looked homemade. I had certainly never seen their like before All of this I noted in a second before he hopped onto the bed next to me, grinning.

"I'm glad you're finally awake," he said brightly. "It'll be nice to have someone to talk to now." I frowned, my sluggish brain trying to process everything.

"You live alone?" I asked, as that was the only bit of information I seemed to be able to process. I found it hard to believe that he had nobody to live with. He seemed much too beautiful and fragile to be able to take care of himself properly.

"Yeah," he said, shrugging his shoulders. "I guess I asked for it by staying in the woods. But now I have you. I won't be alone anymore." I struggled to sit up, noticing that the bindings I had felt before were gone.

"Where…where am I anyway?" I asked breathlessly, looking around. It looked like some sort of one-room cabin; I could even see the newly budding trees outside a crack in the curtains over the window. So I had never left the woods…I gasped.

"Maria! Is she okay?" My outburst brought on a massive headache. I gripped my head helplessly as I felt gentle hands lay me back down on the bed. "Is she okay?" I repeated pleadingly. I needed to know she had made it out of the wood alive. The boy cocked his head to the side in confusion.

"Maria? You mean the girl who was with you before?" I nodded slightly, careful not to upset my head. In amazement, I watched as a glower formed on the boy's face.

"She's fine," he growled. "She left you to die. What did you expect?" I felt a flash of anger.

"She did what she had to do and I'm glad she did it. Maria would never abandon me. She probably went to get help…"

"No!" he screeched. My arms and legs snapped to the bed. I was pinned by some unknown force that held me with unwavering strength. The boy, who had only a few moments previous been sweet and childish, stood beside the bed with the darkest glares I had ever seen.

"If that bitch had needed you, she would have made an attempted to save you, too," he hissed. "You belong to me now. And I'm never going to let you escape." My eyes widened as I stared at the unwavering gaze of the man beside me. A slow realization dawned on me.

"How did you know there was a woman with me?" I asked. He shook his head.

"Come on, you can figure this out. All the clues are there; just use your pea-sized brain to put it all together." I knew I couldn't deny it.

"You…you were the monster in the woods, weren't you?" He grinned wickedly.

"Well, well, the human's not quite as stupid as he looks. Yes, dumbass, I was the 'Monster in the woods', as you so eloquently put it." Fear clutched at my heart, and I desperately tried to move, only to find myself still bound.

"What the hell are you?" I gasped, fighting off a panic attack. The boy's face became serious once more.

"You humans are all alike, aren't you?" He said softly. "Well, I suppose I can't blame you…" He bent down his head and I shivered again, this time from fear. His lips brushed gently against the shell of my ear as he whispered:

"I am the thing that haunts your nightmares and lurks in the dark waiting for unsuspecting victims; I am that which owns the night; I strike fear into the bravest of men.

"I am a vampire."

I'm a rational person most of the time, and under normal circumstances I might not have believed him. But I've never been one to deny facts, and even if this guy was lying, there was no way he was human.

"Oh," he whispered, his voice suddenly sweet again. "And my name is Kai." I could almost hear the evil smirk in his voice as he said those words, and I wished I could move just so that I could punch his lights out. He sat up.

"Do you have a name?" he asked, voice still sickly sweet. "If you plan on keeping all of your natural limbs, I suggest you answer me." I weighed my options.

On the one hand, I could vex my vampire captor greatly, and possibly distract him enough to escape. However, I severely doubted that I could outrun him. Not to mention that if he really did break my legs-or rip them off, which I wouldn't doubt-then I would be stuck here for who knew how many months. Providing, of course, I didn't die.

My other option was cooperating, keeping my life and sanity, and forming an escape plan. It was a difficult decision.

"I'm waiting, cutie," he cooed. I wanted to vomit from his words.

"Lucas," I grumbled reluctantly. "My name is Lucas." The expression of childish glee on Kai's face made my inside clench. That he could just change personalities like that was scary beyond measure.

"It's so great to formally meet you, Lucas," he said excitedly. He swayed a little and I felt a flash of fear go through my brain. Now that he wasn't looking to kill me, I couldn't help but think of him as an innocent young boy again. He laughed.

"Whoops, I almost forgot. I couldn't drink earlier because you were injured. I didn't know what it would do to you." He grinned. "But I'm just so thirsty. I can't wait. I hope you don't mind."

"What are you…?" But I didn't get a chance to ask. Kai hopped up onto the bed, throwing one leg over my stomach so that he was straddling me. He was really small, smaller than I'd first thought.

"Hold still, Lucas," he instructed with an air of fake sternness. "This won't hurt a bit…probably." He leaned down, almost as if he were about to kiss me, but dipped lower. I felt the slightest of pricks on my neck, but it might have been the stab of a butcher knife for how loud I yelled.

I began to panic as I realized just what was happening; Kai was drinking blood from me! I could feel the life liquid sliding through my veins, straight into that fucker's mouth. I tried to struggle, but he braced my head with his hands so that I was completely immobile. He was much stronger than he looked.

As the seconds ticked by in silence save for a soft suckling noise, I began to feel very strange. My head became light and fuzzy, and my breathing began to quicken. I was no longer panicked, but there was a vague fear now related to what was happening. The body on top of mine didn't make me feel uncomfortable anymore; rather, I now wanted my hands free not to escape, but simply to touch him. The lips on my neck began to feel incredibly erotic. I was panting loudly as the heat of the room raised to an almost unbearable height.

Whether it was by accident or not, I couldn't really say, but Kai shifted ever-so-slightly on top of me and brushed against what I realized was a very prominent hard-on in my shorts. A gasping moan was ripped from my lips and I tried to arch upwards, desperate for more friction.

The lips detached from my neck, much to my displeasure. My head was swimming still, my vision going fuzzy and flickering. Kai's face appeared in front of me, a smug smirk set on it.

"So, you're one of those people," he said. His voice sounded echo-y, like hearing it through a tunnel. I barely heard him say, "Nighty-night, Lucas," before I slipped into unconsciousness.

I awoke to someone singing softly in a language I didn't understand. I opened my eyes to fin myself in a small cabin in a bed that was extremely uncomfortable.

My memory came back slowly. I sighed in resignation at my predicament. A vampire had captured me and was keeping me prisoner. He had drunk from me, and…and I couldn't remember anything past that; it was a blur.

I covered my face with my hands in agony. With a jolt, I realized I could move and sat up straight. The singing stopped, and hands pulled me back down.

"Shhh, don't be scared," a soft voice said calmingly when I tried to struggle. "I just need to make sure you didn't have a bad reaction to the venom."

Kai's dark head was in my vision as he checked my pupils, tongue, and pulse. Apparently, the latter was faster than usual, but Kai said it would probably wear off. In a few hours.

"You're in tip-top shape, Lucas. Good thing, too. Not everyone reacts so well to the venom." He smirked seductively. "You were certainly happy enough about it," he said lustfully, glancing downward.

I flushed and looked away.

"It was your voodoo magic that made me do it," I grumbled sulkily. Kai laughed. I was caught off-guard by that. He had the most beautiful laugh I'd ever heard, including Maria's. I wasn't a poet, but if I were I would spend hours just describing it.

"You should count yourself lucky," he said, nodding sagely. "Some people experience horrible pain from the venom. Actually," he conceded, "I thought that's what it was when you screamed." He grinned. "I'm glad. There are very few people to whom it becomes an aphrodisiac."

"Lucky?" I said incredulously. "How should I count myself lucky? Every time you drink blood from me, I'm going to…to…" I cut myself off. Something dawned on me.

"Hey, I'm not gonna become a…you know…a…vampire, am I?" Kai laughed again and my breath caught in my throat.

"No, of course not. I can't make vampires, silly." I had to fight the urge to ask how they were made. The less I knew about Kai, the better. I leaned back on the headboard and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Good. The less I'm associated with you, the better."

"So mean, Lucas." Kai scooted over by me and laid his head on my chest. I tried to push him away, but found my hands bound again.

"What are you doing?" I asked, annoyed.

"Listening to your heart," Kai said serenely, his eyes closing.

"Listen to your own heart," I said trying in vain to push him off again. The smile disappeared from his face as he sighed.

"Mine doesn't beat," he said sadly.

And somehow, after that, I just couldn't make myself hate him.