Hey, everyone! I've made some revisions on my original story titled "The Lost Vampire". I've retitled it with the name, "Blood Curse". I hope you enjoy it and please post your thoughts, good or bad. I would love to hear from everyone! I'm working on my first novel and I greatly value any imput from other writers and readers. I want to improve my writing skills, so the only way to do that is by hearing from you, the reader. Thanks again! This is rated M, especially for the later chapters.

Chapter 1

Ah, hell! I need blood! NOW! Vladimir Malikov thought as his heart leaped to a violent jerk in his cold undead chest. Awoken from a deep sleep, his body immediately ached for nourishment. He slept for several risings due to the horrific injuries he accrued during a standoff with Damiano. Damn Italians! They can never be trusted.

I heard that, Old One! The taunting laughter was a mere whisper in Vladimir's mind. He hated that Damiano could hear his unguarded thoughts, especially when he was vulnerable, and right now he was definitely not at peak condition.

Damiano, I'm delighted to hear from you. Vladimir hissed in distaste.

Oh, I bet you are! Teased Damiano. Why so grumpy, Old One? Did you not get enough rest for your weary body? Damiano chuckled with his wit.

Vladimir growled as he burst from the ground. He was not in the mood for Damiano's shit. He never was. The thirst for blood burned his insides and he needed to hunt immediately. He didn't have time for Damiano; definitely not now. He quickly scanned his surroundings to locate a quick "fix". The sooner he hunted, the better off he was and anyone around him.

I do not have time for your childish games tonight, Damiano.

Come, brother, you know your want to play. Damiano insisted.

I'm NOT your brother! Vladimir roared. Do not refer to me as any relation to you.

Very well, I'll be in touch. His voice slowly drifted out of Vladimir's head.

Finally, quiet at last. Vladimir sighed as he continued surveying the area for prey. He was cold, the night was cold, and everything was cold, especially for Seattle and for him. Since the beginning of his immortal existence all he wanted was to feel warm. Unfortunately, he did not have that luxury. Why should tonight be any different from the thousands prior?

Vladimir pushed the negative emotions out of his thoughts. He knew that line of thinking caused dangerous repercussions on others around him, especially when he was hunting. He normally lived for the hunt, but tonight it was just too damn cold. Oh, the blood would warm him immensely, yet he wanted more and he wanted the warmth to last longer than fresh blood from the average person. Yet, he knew he could not have more. Not him. He did not deserve more. He was "blessed" to have the hunt and the fresh blood from it. Damn curse!

All of a sudden, he heard a faint, yet audible female cry above the Seattle skyline and the noisy street traffic. His sensitive vampire hearing enabled him to zero in on the delicate feminine voice. To Vladimir, it was obvious the distressed female was a long distance away because the human pedestrians below him didn't react to her screams. He shook his head to ignore the female. He needed to feed and he didn't need the distraction; any distraction. He quickly noticed a person in a dark alley.

Perfect. This makes it so much easier for me. Vladimir smoothly glided down to stop in front of a young prostitute. He smelled the blood pumping in her veins. Relief washed through him when he realized she wasn't a drug user or diseased. He didn't want to waste time finding another donor. He wasn't in peak condition because of the battle with Damiano and the more energy used for hunting, the quicker his strength diminished. He wasn't in the best of moods either. Being in dire need of blood and in a pissy mood definitely made him more dangerous towards anyone he would encounter. He knew he had to be careful with controlling his blood thirst and anger. He didn't want to frighten the young lady.

"Come, child." He gently held out his hand to her. "Come; let me give you some warmth from the cold." He smiled but it didn't reach his eyes.

The young streetwalker stood fixated staring at Vladimir's face. She smiled demurely at him while he continued entrancing her with his hypnotic voice. His voice alone could warm the inside of an iceberg. Her long fingers reached out and held his hand as he continued talking in a soothing tone. Immediately, the hair on Vladimir's neck rose to attention. His vampire senses went on full alert, yet he didn't recognize any danger to himself or the young prostitute. He dismissed the inkling doom sensation he felt in his gut, due to his continuous blood hunger. He waved his hand as if to wipe away any problems. He needed to settle on the task at hand. I'll feed and then I won't be of any danger to anyone innocent tonight. He focused on his "dinner" and easily eased into her mind.

As he lowered his head to her neck, he implanted images of her enthralled in the throws of passion with her lover. When he fed off of a human female, he liked to place a lovely memory in her mind. It usually consisted of having a very considerate and a much endowed male pleasing her all night long. All vampires had the ability to lock into someone's mind and control the person's thoughts. Being in existence as long as he had been, Vladimir was able to perform this task with little effort. He did it with finesse where humans didn't feel any intrusions into their thoughts. Although, he was not a big "people person", he respected the fact humans found it offensive when someone or something tried to get inside their heads.

Before he even extended his predator fangs to penetrate the prostitute's skin, she moaned in ecstasy. Already, the sensual thoughts he projected into her mind sent her over the edge. A tight pursed smile formed across his lips. Although, he wasn't sexually aroused by the female's response, her false sense of satisfaction placated him for the time being.

When his teeth punctured his prey's neck, the warm blood instantly oozed down his blood thirst chard throat. He needed the nourishment desperately. The extended time he rested in the earth healed his battle wounds, yet blood was what his body needed to survive and flourish.

NO! Stop it!

Vladimir's body went ramrod stiff at the sound of a feminine voice. His initial thoughts were of the young lady whom he fed from and that somehow managed to release herself from his mind control. Instantly, he realized she was still under his compulsion, due to the fact her legs were wrapped around his waist and she moaned excessively. The voice he heard could not have been from the prostitute. He quickly scanned the alley and the extending streets. He noticed nothing out of the norm, just the average person walked among the Seattle night life. Sensed nothing wrong, he slowly lowered his head again towards her neck. He wasn't concerned about being seen by humans because he "camouflaged" his actions. He knew that no human would be able to see him or the prostitute in the alley. Once again his teeth sunk into the skin, and he drunk the rich blood with enthusiasm.

What are you doing? Stop it! The feminine voice screamed into his head.

Vladimir winced at the shock of hearing the voice inside his mind. Originally, he thought the reprimand was from the prostitute or a pedestrian on the street, but now he definitely knew it was inside his head.

I don't understand. What is this? He questioned more himself than anyone in particular. Not once during his long existence had he experienced such a phenomenon. Sure other vampires spoke telepathically to one another, but it only occurred when they knew each other intimately by means of sex, war, or blood exchange. He didn't recognize this female's voice. Her pitch sounded sensual, yet there was an underline tone of hurt in her voice.

He thought the lack of nourishment must have altered his brain pattern, so he dismissed the unseen essence.

Now, where was I? Ah yeah, blood! He again penetrated the neck of the young prostitute.

Damn it, stop it! The unseen female screamed unrelenting in Vladimir's head.

AAWWWWHHH! He quickly released his mind control on the girl and withdrew his fangs from her neck. He grabbed his head with both hands and roared a tormented cry of anguish. His brain throbbed violently against his skull, and his blood pumped loudly as if it were a thunder clap in a storm. Never had he known such excruciating pain. His breathing ragged and worn, he slowly gathered his composure and grasped his bearings. His thoughts went instantly to Damiano. He was the only one who constantly brought grief and mischief to Vladimir.

Damiano! What have you done?

You called, Old One? Came the cool reply.

Damn you, Damiano! What poor female have you subjected to your sick games? Isn't it bad enough that you're constantly a thorn in my ass and now you have to bring an innocent into the mix as well? Vladimir growled through their telepathic link.

Damiano laughed wickedly, Oh, sweet Vlad, my sweetness; you bring such entertainment into my long existence.

Fuck you, Dam! I'm loosing my patience with you!

Oh my, such language from one so proper! My ears do protest! Damiano implored.

I mean it, Damiano, stop your twisted games! I won't have it! Vladimir's mood grew more dangerously impatient with each exchange.

I know nothing of a female who I supposedly included into my fun and don't think for one moment that I am one or your subjects to rule over! Snapped an equally pissed Damiano.

Vladimir seethed at the mere mention of his forsaken title. Damiano knew damn well what power Vladimir held but chose not to exude it. Before he lashed out, he exhaled slowly and reigned in his temper.

Very well, Damiano, but be warned, if you so much have brought an innocent into our battle, you will suffer tremendously for it!

Keep telling yourself that, Old One, and remember that suffering goes both ways!

Before Vladimir returned a retort, Damiano had abruptly cut off the telepathic link between them.

Vladimir's eyes returned to the young prostitute. She stood groggily against the brick wall. He knew he needed to assess her thoughts to assure she was mentally stable before he left her. His abruptness when he released his control over her mind could cause serious side effects if not tended and repaired immediately. He didn't want her to suffer unnecessarily due to his carelessness. Although, he was a dangerous predator, he believed any hunter beholds a certain responsibility of mercy towards the prey.

As the young lady lolled her head to one side of her shoulder, Vladimir noticed the pierced markings on her neck. His mouth tightened at the sight. His mind reached out to her thoughts and relief flowed through him when her memories entailed his implanted thoughts of love making. He licked his finger and brushed it across the two pinpricks in her skin. His saliva held powerful healing ointments which could heal the worst injuries or even the smallest, such as the bite marks on a neck. When he completed the task, he sent the female on her way. Even though his blood wasn't replenished, he decided he would be better off not feeding from her; therefore, he started on the prowl once again.

He quickly exited the alley and commenced his journey down the cold and wet city streets. Most nights, he actually preferred walking through the busy streets and sidewalks. In the past, it seemed to help ease his irritable spirit, but tonight's odd occurrences definitely didn't help his dark mood and restlessness. He knew he needed to finish his task quickly before he endangered others.

While he smoothly glided down the sidewalk, he became distracted by another faint female's cry. Instantly, he picked up on the voice's essence and realized it was the same feminine voice he heard previously while he hunted and fed. I so don't need this right now! Damn females! Can't live with them and can't sleep with their friends! He did not need to get distracted by a female's cry of distress, yet he was intrigued. It was more than being intrigued, he was a little aroused by the cry; call him weird, freak or just sadistic, but hearing a woman cry definitely had a way of sending him over the edge. The predator in him went into full alert more than ever before because he wanted to find her; hunt her. There was something interesting about this particular female's cry; eerie yet sensual. She called to him. He had to find her, no he needed to find her. Her cry was beckoning him.

His mind began to wander about things in which he had not thought about in centuries. One was the touch of a woman's hand on his skin. Oh, how he longed to have the delicate fingers of a warm female to caress his hair, neck, then sliding further down to his broad, chiseled chest. He imagined beautiful sculpted nails gently scrapping his chest hairs and trailing seductively down to his…

"Dude? Do you need some help? Hey man, is something wrong?"

Vladimir faintly heard a voice in his thoughts and he actually felt a hand on his own forearm. I feel a hand on my forearm huh, what the? He must be really out of it, because this voice was of a young male adolescent, and not the seductive voice of a siren. This hand also had dirty fingernails, not beautiful sculpted nails. Vladimir blinked his eyes once, then twice and focused on the face of a very bewildered and confused teenage boy. What the hell happened to my sexy siren with the beautiful fingernails?

"Yo, dude?" the gawky teenager asked again. "Are you okay?"

"What?" answered an equally confused Vladimir.

"ARE YOU OKAY?" Asked the boy again in a louder and drawn out voice while doing hand gestures to mimic a signer for the hearing impaired. Vladimir arched a black eyebrow at the young man as if he had lost his mind. The teenager returned a similar expression.

"Look, man, I don't mean to sound like a pain in the ass, but didn't you see the big Mac truck?" The dark headed youth shook his head in dismay while muttering something along the lines as "obviously not, stupid son of bitch". He then raised his head and looked Vladimir in the eyes. "Snap out of it! 'Kay?!" he yelled while giving Vladimir's arm a tight squeeze before letting it go.

Vladimir blinked a few more times to regain his focus. He absorbed the young boy's words as the rumbling truck sped away. He nodded while looking around at his surroundings. How did I manage to get here without even realizing it? His kind was always very keen and observant to all of their surroundings. It was crucial to their survival because one could never tell when there may be danger lurking nearby. He, especially, was always prepared since he was one of the oldest and most powerful vampires of his species. When one lived as long as Vladimir, it was only inevitable to make some enemies along the way. He was never known for his friendly behavior or winning personality towards others, whether they were humans or vampires. In general, he just didn't like to associate with others, unless it was to accommodate his appetite, for either blood or sex. Ah, sex! He had not thought about sex for a couple of centuries. Has it been that long?! Why am I thinking about it now? Oh, yes, it was the sound of a female's cry that set it off, not literally thank goodness, especially on a busy Seattle street.

"HEY, MAN!" yelled the young teenager again.

Oh, hell, he's still here! I suppose I should address him. "Yes, I heard you so now you can go on your way." Vladimir stated condescendingly.

"Whatever, man! I am SO glad that I could help one idiot from meeting his early demise this evening! Merry Freakin' Christmas!" the angry boy mumbled as he left Vladimir at the busy intersection.

Vladimir stared back at the youngster as if the boy had grown two heads. It was amusing that the boy thought he was saving Vladimir from an eminent death. If he only knew! He didn't understand the boy's aggravation in the least. What is it with people who want to be so helpful and friendly to others? Vladimir didn't get it. Why bother? People seemed to have their own agendas when they helped others. They never seemed to want to do things out of the kindness of their hearts. He lived many centuries and humans proved time and time again that they could be morally corrupt and cruel towards one another. It was just a matter of time. As much as he wanted to see the "humanity" in humans, he just failed to see it. Humans tended to let him down and, therefore, each other. Although, this particular young man's kindness had saved Vladimir some bodily pain. The Mac truck which Vladimir was about to step out in front of would not have killed him, but it sure would have hurt like hell. Not to mention, it would have been difficult to block and cloud the minds of everyone walking on the sidewalk and driving down the street. Vladimir was powerful, but that much of a mind control over a hundred plus people would be very draining to him especially considering his previous misfortunes. He would then have to feed several times during the night just to make up for his energy loss, blood loss, and repair his wounds. He really did not want to have to do that on a blistering cold night in Seattle.

It had rained earlier that evening so the sidewalks and streets were still wet. The streetlights and business lights reflected off the puddles in the asphalt. It was still early, about 9:30, and the night life in this bustling city was about to explode. People from this area were use to the raining weather and going out in the cold windy nights, so the slick sidewalks and potholes full of water were never a deterrent.

Vladimir should be use to the wet Seattle weather, especially since it was not as extreme as the winter blizzards in his homeland of Russia. He may not be a warm blooded male but he longed to be warm. Vladimir sighed out loud. Oh to be warm again. Was it too much to want to be truly warm? He stopped himself from having those types of thoughts again. He could not afford to go there. Not now. He needed to feed and get off the streets. And besides, why should Vladimir be reminded of what he's been missing as a human? But still his mind lingered to thoughts of his old life, many centuries ago. Lying in the warm sun and enjoying the rays while smelling the floral scents from a beautiful orchid garden. Now, that's just plain torture. Ha, that's just too rich! Torture for a vampire! Can you imagine?! Torturing a vampire with thoughts of what he's been missing, such as the sun! Shit, lying in the sun was not even on a vampire's to do list! Actually, shackling a vampire to ground spikes while waiting for the sun to rise and roast him, literally, was torture. A vampire didn't get any of the warm fuzzy, tingling feelings from sunbathing and the sight of beautiful flowers or butterflies fluttering around him! That was just a human's thoughts of desire. Those thoughts produce only nightmares in a vampire's mind.

Vladimir quickly pushed the disturbing thoughts from his mind as he waited for the crosswalk light to change. Shortly, the green walk light flashed, indicating that it was safe for pedestrians and Vladimir stepped off of the curb, gliding as if his feet never touched the asphalt. He exhibited a graceful, yet predatory stride in his walk. It was full of purpose and sheer determination that seemed to know exactly where he wanted to go, even though he didn't actually know the exact location. Vladimir's strong and muscular legs served as the perfect mechanics to aide him in reaching his goal. Although Vladimir got off track earlier with his feeding schedule, he did not forget about his hunger. He could never forget that. Never! He knew what his body and thirst craved and he would fulfill it.

He vaguely recalled there was something…something calling…someone calling…No, someone crying out to him! No, not necessarily crying out to him, but a cry from a female none of the less. That's what distracted Vladimir to begin with. Man, it must have been one hell of a cry to distract me from an unbearable thirst! Vladimir concentrated to get his thoughts back on his need for blood. He could not wait much longer, or he would become a danger to others and to himself. He could not and would not allow that to happen. He didn't even know where this female was any way. He hadn't heard the female's cry during the last few blocks of his hunt. Right now, he focused his senses on his need for food instead of the faint cry from a woman. Vladimir decided he must quickly entrance a pedestrian on the street in order to accommodate his needs. He usually didn't like to take someone directly off a busy street but Vladimir couldn't wait any longer to feed; his throat continuously burned and yearned for the taste of blood. His thirst wasn't satisfied from his short interlude with the prostitute.

He was just about to hone in on his "dinner", when he noticed the young adolescent male who saved him from a night of unwelcoming suffering and pain. The thought of using the boy was tempting, but Vladimir thought it would be quite rude of him. Words such as "manners, etiquette, and civilized" actually bounced through his head. What am I thinking? I've definitely been watching too much late night "Martha Stewart" episodes. He was a predator of the worst kind since he preyed on humans at any time. He didn't care, after all, he was the most vile and dangerous creature that had ever roamed the face of the earth.

At one time Vladimir was a civilized gentleman and an aristocrat in the Russian political society. But that was a lifetime ago; an extremely long lifetime ago. Vladimir shook his head trying to erase the memory. He settled his eyes upon his intended dinner, the boy. He was in the process of locking into the mortal's mind, when he noticed the adolescent was already approaching him.