First up, a warning. This is dark. Very, very dark and, in places, not very nice. Secondly, it takes over at about the point where Nikola threw the hook thingo at Afina to get her off of Helen. He doesn't do that here, he goes all fang-y instead.

And thirdly, this'll be my last post for a while. I, stupidly, signed up to do nanwrimo, something I have little doubt I'll regret soon enough and, between that and exams, I can't guarantee that anything will be updated for the rest of this month. Except 'Baby It's Cold Outside' because it's all finished and only takes a few clicks rather than hours of writing to get another chapter out.

So yes, this is goodbye for now but not forever. Who knows, maybe I'll blast it out of the water and pump out more fic while I'm at it! Don't get your hopes up though...

SEE YOU SOON LOVLIES!
xx

Nikola was angry. Not that he hadn't been earlier but this... this was something else entirely. This wasn't just seeing red, this was being red. Fire and anger and pure hatred all rolled into one tight ball that was pulsing away where Nikola knew his rational brain should be.

He watched as she launched Helen across the cavern and that was it.

She was hurting Helen, she was hurting his Helen.

With a guttural growl, Nikola launched himself forwards, eyes trained on the dead straight hair of the bitch. She snapped about as he approached, snarling in response. Peripherally, Nikola realised that she'd released her grip on Helen but he knew the threat was not gone.

He slashed at her with his talons, half falling atop her as she stumbled backwards. The fact that he'd caught her so by surprise sent a bolt of pleasure through Nikola though it was short lived. Before he could blink, she rolled them, her hand clamping around his throat.

"Mongrel," she hissed, fetid breath making him grimace.

"Power hungry bi-" he tried before she tightened her grip on his throat, nails slicing into his flesh.

Vision tunnelling, Nikola fought to take in enough breath. Afina snarled down at him, lips curling in victory but somehow, the sound of a strangled cough made it through to his oxygen deprived brain.

Helen.

If he died, she'd die too.

She couldn't die.

With a burst of strength he hadn't expected to still be in his limbs, Nikola pressed up, one set of talons sinking in between her ribs. Afina's eyes went wide with fury as he tossed her backwards, talons yanking free.

She swore at him in a language he only just understood, one hand pressed to her bleeding side.

"I shall kill your mate," she shrieked. "I shall feast on her blood!"

Gasping down air, Nikola forced himself up, refusing the urge to look back to where he knew Helen would be.

"I shall destroy you both before I reclaim the earth!"

"Bit full of yourself, aren't you?" a familiar voice said from behind Nikola. Still, he didn't turn but relief flooded through him. She was alive. Her voice was a little hoarse but she was alive.

Afina began to swear once more but Nikola smiled, charging forward once again. Power rippled through his limbs, a power he'd never before allowed to run unchecked like this. It was exhilarating, knowing he was giving it all he had yet could still let loose more power. He knew he had it in him. All of a sudden he felt free, free and right. This was what he was supposed to be doing, this was the purpose of his being, he knew that now. He shouldn't be curled up in a lab, working through problems, he should be tearing apart the world with his raw power in both mind and body.

This... queen was nothing more than a blip on his radar. If she was really a queen at all. After all, what army did she have? Those sleeping in the chamber were nothing more than a few choice slaves at best. He'd read more than enough stories of vampire armies to know that this was not one. She was queen of nothing, really. Queen of an overly large bust and a mediocre mind. Nikola knew his brilliance was only enhanced by his gifts, not because of them while Afina... well, what did she have, really?

Without a second thought, Nikola allowed his body to crash against that of his victim, sending them both to the floor but he was prepared, rolling with the impact until he could toss Afina's body towards one rocky wall. She hissed as her body crushed some of the looser stones, before falling to the ground. Of course, she was up in the blink of an eye but there was a small trickle of blood oozing down her temple which made Nikola smile again.

He'd very much like to taste her, he decided absently as they began circling each other. It would be a fitting prize for his victory over her. He would toast to her death and that of her slaves with cup after cup of her still warm blood. It would slake his thirst and strengthen him further and he would drink until she was nothing more than an emptied blood bag.

He smirked as she made the first leap, talons outstretched as she made to soar through the air but Nikola was a step ahead of her. He fell to the ground before she even reached him, kicking up just in time to connect with her stomach as she flew over him. Afina cried out as she tumbled through the air, not regaining her balance in time to stop her from landing atop the stone plinth she'd used to start reawakening her slaves.

Nikola heard the distinct sound of a rib cracking as he raced to her side. Winding one hand through her hair, he yanked back, pulling her from the plinth mercilessly. She grunted in pain at the action, scratching at him with her nails but Nikola merely smiled. She had caused him harm, she had caused his woman harm and now she would pay for it.

With a snarl, Nikola hauled her to her feet before, once more, tossing her bodily towards the ground. She landed with another grunt but turned, hissing up at him as she shuffled backwards ever so slightly.

"Oh how the mighty have fallen," he intoned, vampiric tones rumbling about the cavern. If he hadn't liked the sound of his own voice before, Nikola certainly did now. He sounded old and majestic and powerful. He sounded like his true self.

"You cannot beat me," Afina panted, pushing herself up on hands and knees. Nikola merely laughed, pausing to listen to the new sound. Again, it sent ripples of pleasure through him.

But, in the fraction of a second he was distracted by his own majesty, she drew on what little strength she still had and made a go at him. Her arms locked around his waist as she shoved him backwards until they found the nearest wall.

Nikola felt his own ribs crack at the impact but try as he might, he couldn't fight off her grip. With a grimace of pain, he slashed down her back, ignoring the pain as a talon ripped off, embedded in her flesh. Afina howled and drew back slightly, allowing Nikola to reach up and snag her hair once more. He tugged her off of him harshly, spinning them around until he had her pressed against the wall. Afina kicked out at him but Nikola stood firm, using his body weight and superior physical condition to keep her trapped against the unrelenting stone.

"You can never win," Afina hissed. "Even if you defeat me, you cannot win, mongrel. You will never be one of us."

Nikola chuckled breathily as Afina continued to pant and struggle against his hold.

"Why would I want to be one of you?" he snarled, leaning in close. "When I can be so very much more..."

Afina opened her mouth to reply but Nikola was too quick, leaning in and closing his teeth around her neck. She shrieked in pain, thrashing against Nikola's hold but somehow, he managed to stay strong as he sucked down the viscous liquid that oozed from her neck far more slowly than he had imagined. The taste was mediocre to say the best, he'd had better wine from the standard bottle shop but he refused to give up his spoils of war.

Little by little, with each passing slug of the red hot blood down his throat, Afina's body slowed. He continued to drink from her until she was little more than a rag doll, limp and moaning in his arms. Nikola smirked to think that this was actually causing her pleasure too but he sucked on past the point of enjoyment for either of them. Her body lolled forwards, her dead weight heavier than he'd expected and finally, he pulled his mouth from her neck.

The bloodied wound began to heal slowly, skin knitting itself back together but it wasn't nearly rapid enough for Nikola to worry about it. Spitting out a mouthful of her blood, he tossed her to the ground, making sure to keep a hand knotted in her hair that, somehow, was still as soft as silk.

"It could have been the start of something beautiful," Nikola said scornfully, looking down at Afina's broken and bloodied body. She moaned softly but didn't move. Slowly, and with a growing grimace, he raised a foot and placed it between her shoulders.

"Good bye, you backstabbing, blood-sucking bitch," he snarled before yanking sharply upwards at the same moment his foot crushed down against her back. With a sickening snap, her neck tore apart, blood almost bursting forth as Nikola let her body fall to the ground. The pool of blood spread from her body slowly, snaking across the dirt floor but Nikola cared not for the wasted food source. Why should he dine on such filth?

He let her drop to the ground, triumphant grin spreading across his features as he turned away from the still spreading pool of blood. This heart was thumping in his chest, something akin to sheer pleasure spreading through his body with each beat of his heart.

He was... powerful. Not that he hadn't always been but now it was more. He had defeated her, defeated what had been their ruler and now he was all that was truly left. Despite the loneliness that thought had once brought him, Nikola now cherished the idea.

He smirked, looking out over the vast array of purple coffins that held the last of his race. He'd have to dispose of them, naturally. They were not intelligent enough, not refined enough to ever find a way to meld with this society properly. Afina had proved that rather pointedly.

Breathing deeply, he took in the scent of Afina's cooling blood, nothing the way it mixed with that of the soil, lending a musky tone to it. But there was something else, something sweet and all together out of place.

That's when he heard her laboured pants of breath.

"Helen," he half snarled, turning on his foot to where she sat on the ground, back firmly pressed to the stone wall. Her blue eyes were wide, filled with fear. A small trickle of her blood leaked from a wound on her forehead, mixing with the grit and dust on her face. She swiped at it shakily, sending another bolt of the delicious fragrance towards Nikola.

Helen.

His Helen.

He had saved her. He was the one who had protected her. He was the reason she was alive.

"Helen," he said again.

Stalking towards her, he felt a different kind of pleasure race through his veins.

This was his Helen.

"Nikola," she huffed out, body still shaking against the rocks. Her knees were drawn up to her chest, one arm loosely wrapped around them while the other rested listlessly against the dirt floor. She looked small, wild dark hair framing her tiny pale face. There was a crack in her bottom lip too that bled slightly as it wobbled with each inhalation.

She was beautiful.

He was on her in half a second, hauling her up until he could press her against the wall. She gasped softly, eyes widening even further but he barely noticed it. Her body was so soft against his but he could feel the muscles of her body too. Snarling, he forced a leg between hers, spreading her knees.

"Nik-" she began, voice shrill but still hoarse.

"Mine," he hissed, leaning in close until he could feel the heat radiating from her cheeks. "You're mine."

"Nikola! Get off of m-."

"I won you," he continued, pressing harder against her body. He felt her blood pressure rise a notch but while he could tell it was partially from fear, there was something else now rushing through her veins. He was sure of it.

"Let me be!" she cried, shoving at his shoulders.

Nikola inhaled deeply, running his nose up the length of her neck as she struggled.

"You smell... delightful," he continued darkly. His talons dug into her side as she pulled her as close as he could. Letting loose his fangs, he traced them up the side of Helen's throat, the sharp points forcing her to stop struggling.

"We can get you some food," she said, tension clear. "Nikola, it's me, Helen. You don't have to do this, we'll get you a food source I promise."

"I need no food," he snarled, letting his cheek brush against her neck, her hair tickling his nose. "Drinking that disgusting woman's blood more than sated my thirst."

She whined softly, struggling against his hold.

"Well, one thirst," Nikola continued before pulling back just enough so that he could reach between them and rip apart the front of her shirt. Helen yelped but Nikola gave her no room to move from his grasp, taking her by the hips and hauling her higher up the wall before pressing in once more.

"Nikola," Helen began again, her tone getting slightly frantic. "I-"

"No!" he growled against the flesh of her breast. Scraping his still sharp teeth across to the edge of her nude, utilitarian bra, he listened to her heart jump about erratically.

Smiling, he shifted her legs a little further apart with his knee to press his crotch against her hip. This time, when Helen gasped, it wasn't in fear.

"I need you," he growled. "You're mine, I need you."

"I-"

Nikola thrust against her hip as he nipped at her neck, successfully shutting her up.

"Mine," he snarled. Pressing his growing erection against her once more, he looked up at her, smiling at the high colour in her cheeks. "You are mine, Helen."

He watched as she bit her bottom lip, looking down at him with venom in her eye but lust in her veins. He could smell it, it practically oozed from her pores, serving to inflate his own arousal even further.

"Let me go," she ground out.

Nikola merely chuckled. Careful to keep her pinned, he brought one hand from her waist up to cup her breast softly. He waited until he could practically feel her heart about to leap from her chest before he brushed a thumb over her nipple, smirking at the shiver that ran through her body.

"You are mine," he whispered once more, his voice low and dark. "And you delight in it."

"I do no-"

"I can smell it on you Helen," he said, cutting her off sharply. "Do not lie to me. You want me, you desire me, you are begging for me to take you."

She didn't speak this time, instead shivering in his arms and Nikola felt the last of her resistance melt away. Seizing his chance, he proceeded to litter her chest and neck with teasing nips followed by chaste pecks.

When Helen's hips started crudely thrusting back against him, Nikola was unsurprised, taking it as permission to let his own arousal flow unchecked.

"Ni-nikola," she half whimpered. "I..."

The primal side of Nikola was out in full force, teeth and nails lethal as his hips snapped back and forth against Helen's. He brought his leg further towards her, snarling as she began to rock her heat against it. She was so hot, even through the thick layers of their clothes, he could feel it.

And it was all for him.

A thousand ideas flew through his head, not one of them savoury in the least but he didn't care. In fact, he revelled in them. She was his woman, his and his alone and he would take her as he pleased.

By the time the first moans slipped from her lips, Nikola was lost in her. Somehow he'd stopped himself from drinking from her but he knew it would taste much sweeter if he could catch her in the heat of passion.

But then there was a noise, an ominous cracking from somewhere behind them and he had to stop. Pulling away, Helen fell to the ground in a heap as he turned to watch as the purple resin coffins began to disintegrate.

And then it all came back to him.

A wave of nausea hit him like a brick wall, forcing Nikola to stagger back, tripping in the pool of Afina's blood. Whipping around to face Helen once more, Nikola felt his heart shatter.

How could he have been so... so... so animalistic? So wrong? So dangerous.

And he was dangerous. He'd lost control, there was no denying it. Even now, he couldn't quite manage to hide his vampiric visage, try as he might. His senses were still so very heightened, he could smell, hear, feel everything in the room. He could see her pulse hammering away in her neck, the blood beneath her skin so close to the surface. Her neck was red too, from his teeth and her arousal and the sight, despite the shame spreading through him, made his heart beat so much faster.

"Helen," he whispered, voice hoarse. Tears began to fill his eyes and Nikola looked down, blinking away the moisture as he willed his talons to disappear.

He'd... forced himself on her. She'd said stop, she'd told him to let her go but he'd ignored her. He'd ignored her and given in to the beast inside. This was the woman he loved. Or, the woman he supposedly loved.

He'd have to disappear now, he'd have no other choice. And he could do it, he was fairly sure of it. After all, he could barely look at her now. Running away would be easy and, more than that, it would be the right thing to do. He couldn't stay around her now, not after this. He was unfit for polite society. He was unfit for any society.

He was dangerous.

"Nikola."

Perhaps he could find a cave like this, somewhere he'd be unreachable...

"Nikola!"

He'd have to come up with a stronger medication too. It was such a pity that Nigel hadn't left him with more than the formula for his old medications.

"NIKOLA!" Helen yelled, finally catching his attention. "Stop moping. We have to act quickly."

Nikola blinked at Helen, not understanding. He stumbled back from her as she tried to pull herself up. It seemed her legs weren't quite working.

"Help me up," she huffed, holding out a hand.

Nikola didn't move.

"Now!" she ordered. "Stop this, stop acting like a child, Nikola."

"I..."

"Don't. Just... just help me up."

Nikola took a bumbling step forward, his eyes roving over her body without any consent from his brain. He couldn't not take in everything about her. He was drinking her in.

"Stop feeling guilty," she tried. He wasn't really surprised that she knew exactly what was going through his head but he couldn't find his words to properly respond. "I... You didn't... We weren't..."

Nikola swallowed heavily as he watched her bottom lip tremble.

"I don't hate you," she said solemnly. "Just... Can we deal with this first?"

Nikola, somehow, nodded mutely at her. His mind still wasn't comprehending what she was telling him but he could take a step towards her. Or, at least, he hoped he could.

"Keep focused," she said softly, holding out one shaking hand to him. He watched her fingertips trembling for a second before he moved forwards, pulling her to her feet. Helen fell against him with a huff, her entire body shaking in his arms but, in the same way that Nikola had previously been able to sense her arousal, he knew now that her trembling limbs had nothing to do with fear.

"How are we going to stop them from waking?" Helen asked as they slowly walked towards the stone plinth.

"I... I don't know," Nikola said, voice still layered. He was trying but nothing he did managed to reverse his transformation.

"We have to destroy them," she said, brow furrowing and Nikola watched as she scanned the almost endless chamber before them.

"The map," Nikola said, voice tight. "We could blow them up."

"But the map!" she cried, turning in his arms. "We can't, Nikola. Think of all the knowledge we'll lose."

"We don't have time for anything fancy. I can get us out of here in time but we have to do it soon. They're waking."

Helen looked torn, her hands still gripping Nikola's arms tightly as she bit her bottom lip. She was so... NO! He couldn't let his mind wander down that path, not again. He'd end up hurting her, hurting their relationship, whatever their relationship was nowadays.

"We have no other choice," Helen whispered, voice thick with sadness.

Setting Helen down next to the plinth, Nikola moved towards the abandoned pack, pulling out the map and crystal with shaking hands. He set them on the floor quickly, unfolding the map and adjusting the crystal.

He watched as the magnificent city built itself around them, gleaming spires reaching up to the roof of the cavern.

"We'll have to be quick," he said, looking over to Helen. She nodded, moving to stand by his side.

"Afina's body should be enough to set it off," she said softly, voice shaky and laced with something Nikola didn't have the time to analyse. He simply nodded in agreement.

"Ka Harag," he said slowly, the words cutting at his heart. He pushed aside what they were losing though, he had more important things to worry about now.

In half a second, Nikola had Helen in his arms and was sprinting from the cavern. With the knowledge that there was a very large explosion chasing, Nikola followed his instincts as he dashed towards clean air. Not even Helen clinging to his chest was enough to distract him from this mission. And she really was, her hands curled in his jacket and face buried in the crook of his neck. She felt so light in his arms but still, he could only just acknowledge the fact that she was so close to him after everything that had happened.

He simply needed to keep her alive.

They'd barely made it to the surface when the first waves of explosion caught up to them, half knocking Nikola from his feet but he was too determined. Picking up the speed, he raced towards a boulder with everything he had. They jumped over it easily and Nikola didn't quite release Helen even when they were safely protected from the fireball he could feel coming at them.

And Helen wasn't pulling away. In fact, she was holding tightly to him, breathing rapidly as they waited out the explosion. They were much closer than he'd have liked so he curled around Helen protectively, pulling her even closer. It was pushing his luck and his self control but the way she fitted in his arms was surprisingly comforting to the man who hated to be touched.

For a few moments, they just stayed there, curled around one another as the ground continued to shake beneath them. And then, when the ground stilled once more and the sound of crumbling rock could be heard in the distance, they stayed wrapped around each other. Nikola couldn't bring himself to pull away, more than certain that when he did, it would be for the last time. No matter what she said, he had to run. Get her back to Old City in one piece and then run.

He refused to acknowledge the way his body was begging for her touch, refused to acknowledge the arousal he could still smell on her. None of it was to have any bearing on where they'd go from here.

Slowly, Helen began to pull back and Nikola, despite his desperate desire not to, let her go. She didn't go far though, shuffling back just enough so that she could take his head between her hands.

"Don't let it eat you up," she said softly. "You did nothing wrong. I don't hold anything against you. I promise."

Nikola said nothing, simply trying to pull from her grip.

"Listen to me, Nikola. Don't do this, not again."

"I tried to..." Nikola swallowed. "It was unacceptable, Helen. I shouldn't have tried to do what I did."

"You didn't do anything," she insisted. "Nikola, if I wanted you to let me go, I'd have said something, don't you think?"

"But you did!"

"Do you remember that night in Paris?" she asked softly, eyes imploring him to understand. "We..." She started to blush. "We had a word..."

Nikola's breath left him in a huff as he remembered the night, and the word she'd never had to use.

"You... youaren'tangry?" he asked hurriedly. "I mean, you... you..."

"I didn't not like it," Helen said, making a face. "But regardless, I need you to... to..."

"I'm sorry," he breathed, leaning in closer to her. "I shouldn't have..."

"No," she agreed. "No you shouldn't have but what happened... Nikola, you must promise me you won't let the guilt eat at you."

Nikola chuckled half-heartedly and shook his head. The fact that he couldn't change back to his human features told him he had a hell of a lot to feel guilty for. He was a monster, on every level and even if Helen admitted to enjoying his caresses somewhat, it didn't lessen the fact that he was dangerous.

Slowly, so slowly he didn't quite understand what she was doing, Helen leaned in and kissed him softly. It felt like an age passed before his brain kicked in and Nikola was kissing her back, taking her head in his hands to prevent her escape. Not that she showed any signs of trying to escape. In fact, given the way she started to wrap her body around his, Nikola started to believe that maybe she wasn't going to make a getaway.

Little bit by little bit, Nikola's hold on his self control faded until his hands were eagerly roaming across Helen's body with little regard for where they were.

But when his hand found her breast everything went to shit.

"No!" Helen suddenly cried, flinging herself backwards and as far away from Nikola as their previously tight grip on one another would allow.

It took Nikola a moment to process what happened but, the second he realised that she was struggling in his arms, he let her go, shrinking back against the rock.

"You took your time there," he breathed, trying to make light of the situation. Helen gave him a tight smile, her body shaking still.

"I'm sorry," she tried. "I just... We shouldn't."

"Why not?"

"Because remember what happened last time we did?"

"But it was fun," he tried with a small smile.

"And we didn't speak for weeks," she reminded him. "Us, this, it's a bad idea. I need to take you back to the Sanctuary for a few weeks, just in case Afina's blood had some adverse effect and I don't need this hanging over us."

"Does that mean we can use your bed?" Nikola asked with a chuckle. Helen reached out and slapped his shoulder.

"Be serious."

"Oh, I am. I'd never joke about something like this, my darling."

Helen huffed before pushing herself up.

"You are such a child," she grumbled.

"Am not."

"Are too," Helen teased, shaking her head at his games. Smiling, Nikola stood beside her and brushed some dirt from his pants.

"So, where to now, my brave and fearless leader?" he asked. Helen turned and pursed her lips at him.

"Something tells me a commercial flight is out of the question."

"Yes, I don't know how the flight attendants would feel about these," he agreed, waving his talons at her.

"Do you think having something to eat would help?"

"Full to bursting," he said, patting his stomach. "Turns out Queen Bitch was rather filling."

Helen turned up her nose and Nikola smiled inwardly. Banter was good. Banter meant that he was pretending properly. Banter meant that the crushing disappointment he felt at knowing she wouldn't sleep with him wasn't showing. Not that he was so shallow to only need a physical relationship with her but... well... she was hot. There was no way to deny that and the lust that had clouded his judgement before was still racing through his veins and honestly, there was only one thing that could quench this thirst.

"I think I ought to sedate you," Helen said absently.

"Please don't?"

"Well then do try and... you know..."

"Do my teeth frighten you?" he asked casually, offering her his arm. She brushed him aside, taking off on her own.

"If we don't use the sedatives, then I'll have to drag out the vampire proof restraints."

"Oooh, kinky."