.Real Life Stakes.
By Tremax

Introduction: Hearts Fall Apart

1

I felt broken.

I guess that's as good a way as any to start a story like this. Or, to restart a story.

Everything was lost. I was undone.

I mean: It hurts. To find out that your father-who you think for years and years was dead-was actually alive.

And then you find out he's been plotting to kill you?

Not exactly a textbook happy ending...

The air here is different. It's colder. Frigid. And I'm not even susceptible to the cold.

Why are we even here? That's the question. Why after everything am I being put on trial for crimes I didn't commit?

Treason. Against a king? A king that I never served nonetheless?

Bull.

It was ridiculous. And ludicrous.

"Are you okay Vladimir?"

Snow looks beautiful in this light, well, she looks beautiful in any light to be completely honest.

I take her by the neck with my right hand and I pull her in for a kiss.

My progeny. My beautiful, perfect progeny.

Her fangs pop out.

She's enticed.

I smile, and then we both turn to the sound of the door to the roof opening.

"I got it! I found a store near the gas station!"

I speed towards Henry and take the TruBlood from him and bust it open, I drain the blood in my mouth and smile, satisfied.

I hear my progeny doing the same, and Henry walks up to me.

"Will it be enough?"

I stare at Henry with a heavy heart. He's aching to let me feed on him.

He wants me to bite him.

It's obvious by the way his neck is positioned.

And I won't lie, I want to.

But I have to leave a good example for Snow. I don't want her to feed on humans, it's not humane.

It's not the life I want her to lead.

Suddenly I hear Henry inside of my head speaking to me privately, in the way that only he can.

'I want you to do it...'

I simply shake my head. His eyes plead. I've never seen him like this before.

Is it because I'm so weak? Can he tell?

I pop open another TruBlood and chug it down.

He stops looking at me and he walks over to Snow.

He grabs her unfinished TruBlood and puts it back in the carrier. He then collects my two and does the same.

"It's four in the morning. The sun will be coming up soon."

Henry says as he places the TruBlood on a trash bin next the the door.

I look off of the roof and into the New Orleans skyline.

The city is going to sleep as the sun begins to crawl up the eastern seaboard.

"We need to go to ground Vlad... Well, at least I do."

That's the one affect of drinking the synthetic blood, Snow can't survive in the sun anymore.

Yet I can still. Pravus power perks I guess.

Snow walks up to me and kisses me, and then smiles.

I look into her eyes.

"I might hang out with Henry for awhile, you okay sleeping alone today?"

She nods and smiles, and then kisses me again. I can feel her clinging to my taste and basking in my ambience.

I love it.

Snow makes her way to our small two bedroom apartment. It's light-tight; so we don't have to worry about the sun burning her up.

As soon as the door shuts Henry is on me.

He's pressing me against the wall and sniffing my neck and my cheek like a dog. And he's whispering something.

Die faster?

No. Feel better.

This is his human side I guess. Trying to protect me.

The synthetic blood doesn't work for me like it does Snow.

And that's a sad fact for all of us I guess.

Keeping my feeding a secret is hard. Henry craves it now, and I crave him.

I press my lips to his neck and he moans and presses himself against me.

"Please feed."

He whispers, and I push him back.

I can't.

Not with everything going on.

"I'm not up for it right now. I'm sorry."

He looks at me with hurt eyes as they begin to get moist.

"No. No. Vlad you have to."

I shake my head. "Please don't tell me what I have to do Henry."

The tears begin to leak from Henry.

This is the hardest part.

When he cries, I can't think straight.

And he knows that.

"Fucking bite me Vladimir."

My fangs pop out from the enticing vein pulsing in his neck.

He presses his lips against mine. This is his last resort when I won't bite him.

Trying to turn me on.

But I'm not sexually attracted to Henry, I'm only attracted to his blood.

He continues kissing me and as I slightly open my mouth he prods my cheek with his tongue.

I can't. I can't resist it anymore.

I release him from the kiss and he smiles. I grab his hair and pull his head back, which makes him grin widely.

He looks in my eyes, and I bite his neck roughly. I suck and I suck, the blood gushing into my mouth and leaving his body. He doesn't push me off, he only leans into me and moans.

I want to get used to it.

I want to feed on him.

But Snow...

Henry wraps his arm around my neck. He does it so I don't feel bad and let him go.

This shit was getting out of hand.

The constant hassling over me needing to drink, manipulating me into doing it, and then forcing me to drink until my stomach is going to burst and then go three days watching Henry-completely drained.

"Stop pitying me."

He moans next to my ear and then he presses his face into my hair and let's out another.

I grab him tighter. He does the same, except his grip is starting to weaken.

He's reaching the precipice.

Of death.

I use my strength and tear away from him and step back.

It happens instantly; he looks shocked as he presses his hand to the two tiny holes in his neck.

"When are you going to realize this is what I want Vlad?"

I don't answer.

"When are you going to start utilizing me? I am your drudge, it is your nature to feed on me. There's no reason for us to fight it."

His tone is rising-I don't know what to say.

"Stop making me look like the bad guy dude."

He starts to walk past me an I grab his wrist in an instantaneous motion.

He stops and looks at me. His eyes are cold and defiant.

I put my left wrist up to my mouth and I bite it. I release his wrist and with my right index finger I press into the blood oozing out.

I then touch the blood to his neck and the two holes heal.

He hugs me.

His warmth is something I'm not accustomed to yet.

His emotion.

For the past year I had gotten cold, even to Snow, my progeny.

But he continues to push me. Care about me. Hug me.

I don't have an attraction to him, like I said before.

But I care about him. He's still my best friend.

But lately he seemed to think this was something else.

He pulls back from the hug and looks into my eyes.

"They're purple. Right now."

He wraps his arms around my neck and presses his nose to mine.

"Does that mean you're nervous?... Or turned on? Because I can-"

I push him off. I don't know why I did it. But this conversation wasn't for me.

The hurt is there again. But not the coldness. Just pain.

It must be hard being a drudge that's unloved, and even unappreciated, I'm not afraid to admit it.

He turns and walks off of the roof through the exit, taking the TruBlood he searched three hours for.

I regret my decision immediately.

I want him. I can feel the pain I caused. I can hear the curses he's throwing towards me.

And worst of all, it's just another mistake.

And like all my mistakes, judgment was going to be a bitch; a bitch that came for him soon.

2

Snow feels so good against me in the morning when I rest.

But so does Henry.

He doesn't fight me when I get in bed with him, but he does turn his back.

I kiss his back, and the freckle on his shoulder blade. He lets out a sigh and shivers.

I can hear him of course, so his playing coy doesn't affect me.

'Love me... Love me...'

It's almost like begging, not that I blame him.

I don't treat him well.

I don't do this enough.

And after thirty minutes, back massage, and sixty kisses he falls asleep.

By then it's nine in the morning.

I crawl out of his bed and into Snow's.

Snow wakes up.

She's been jumpy since Vegas. But when she sees it's me she smiles.

She crawls up to me and hugs me, pressing her head to my chest. I smile and pull her close.

Should I feel guilty? Letting two people love me?

Do I tell Snow?

That's the question of the day. Do I tell Snow about my drinking?

I sound like a drunk. Not a teenage vampire.

She kisses me then and I present myself to her. I open my mouth and she sucks on my tongue.

Then her hand roams down my stomach and over my crotch.

Lately Snow was pushing sex. But I didn't want it yet. Not until I knew for sure she was the one I wanted to lose my virginity to.

I smile and look her in the eyes, and then I kiss her forehead.

"Let's go to bed before you get the bleeds."

That's when I turn over.

I hear her moan with disdain but I don't give in to my decision. And eventually she's asleep again.

Two nights before I go in front of The Vampire Authority for my crimes against Elysia.

If I die... Who will take care of these two?...

And what if the Authority is as cruel as everyone says? What if they take Snow as punishment?

Before I can What If anymore, I fall asleep.

Tomorrow's another day, or at least for me, another night.

This shit bites.

3

The nightlife in New Orleans is a lot of fun. Henry is radiant in it. He's a real people person, so any place with a lot of them lights him up like a firework.

He's walking around talking to people while Snow and I sit in the booth and drink our synthetic blood. Snow grimaces with every taste; I on the other hand am far from hungry.

Henry walks over to us with two more TruBloods. He's carrying on the conversation with the bartender and laughing with all of the sports fans in the bar.

This is where a large portion of our profit came from, Henry working in this little bar five times a week. And I think the bartender is sweet on him.

The bartender and owner is a forty-something year old woman, with dark brown hair and green eyes. She was a nice woman who allowed us to live in one of the apartments above her bar. Without her I don't really know where we'd be.

About four months ago we were called to New Orleans by the Authority. They were supposed to see me months ago, about the "crimes" or whatever. But here we are. Still waiting.

But tomorrow's the night.

Henry walks back to the bar and Snow looks over at me.

She smiles and I kiss her cheek.

"Vlad?"

She whispers and I connect eye contact with her.

"Yes my love?"

She doesn't waver. She just continues looking into my eyes.

"I want you to release me as your progeny."

My stomach sinks.
What was Snow saying?

"What do you mean?"

I ask, and she looks away from me.
"I… think we should see other people. And I can't do that without your blessing, and I know you'll never give it to me, so… I want you to release me. It'll hurt less."

I look at her, my eyes darting all over her face as I try to figure out where this is coming from.

"Why?... But why? Everything has been great!"

"But it hasn't. There's no sex."

My face drops in embarrassment and she groans.
"I have impulses Vlad. Impulses that I'm ready to act on. And I don't think you're ready for that, but it's the truth. I need you to be strong and just-"

"As your maker, I release you."

End of Chapter.