A/N: Written for a friend over on LJ.
***Warnings: Typical vampire stuff including blood play and mind control (mind control is of the making someone forget type, no non-con is involved), small undertones of dub-con, angst, dark!Merlin
The Prince should already be dead.
He was supposed to kill Arthur Pendragon the instant there was opportunity, but he'd saved the man's life instead. The dagger had been flying straight for his heart and Merlin had pulled him away from it at the last moment.
The elders were not going to be happy about this.
The war between humans and vampires had been going on for century's. Both sides had lost countless numbers, but kept battling for the role of superior species. When Merlin was born there was relative peace, but three hundred years later and the land was in turmoil once again. The reign of the Pendragons brought a renewed fervor to the fight. Uther and his son were teaming with blood lust, ruthlessly seeking out vampire nests at night and murdering thousands of them while they slept.
Vampires were faster, stronger, smarter and nearly invulnerable. They would have won the war long ago if it wasn't for their weakness to the sun. That one vulnerability was tipping the scale in favor of the humans. Vampires were beginning to lose hope, but then Merlin's secret was discovered. He's different. Special so he was told. He is the first vampire that can walk in the sun.
He'd lived for two hundred and ninety-five years before his secret was discovered. Merlin and two of his friends were running from a group of hunters and couldn't find shelter before daybreak. He watched as they burned to a final death, but nothing happened to him. For the first time in hundreds of years, he felt the sunlight on his skin and it was beautiful.
When he told the Elders what happened they didn't believe him at first; they didn't believe until they smelled the sun on his skin. After that he ceased to exist as a member of the clan and became a weapon for them to use. Not five years later and he was sent to infiltrate the court and kill the members of the royal family, starting with Arthur Pendragon.
It didn't take Merlin long to find him, the prat had been bullying fellow humans beneath his station.
"You need to stop." Merlin said pointedly. The amount of total disrespect humans had for one another disgusted him. Within a vampire clan every member was essential,and treated as if they mattered. Petty indifference's had no room among them.
"Excuse me, do you know who you're talking to?" Arthur stopped his childish bullying and turned towards him. "I could take you apart with one blow."
Merlin smirked and raised an eyebrow at him. "I could take you apart with less than that." Considering they were truly weaker in every way, Merlin didn't understand how humans had such large superiority complexes.
Arthur laughed and moved to tackle him. Merlin's vampire visage took it all in quickly and he easily stepped out of the way. The prince growled at him in frustration and tried to assault him many more times without success.
Merlin considered going forward with his mission right there and murdering the man, but it was unlikely he could get to the rest of the royal family before the guards put a wooden arrow through his heart.
Eventually Merlin tired of the prince and started to walk away.
"You can't do that!" Arthur shouted after him.
"I just did!" Merlin yelled back.
The elders had sent Merlin to the castle under the guise of becoming the court physicians apprentice. This spot within the castle would put him in close proximity to royalty and give him a reason to visit their quarters.
Upon introducing himself to Gauis, the current court physician, he spent the rest of the evening in his room, making plans on how to assassinate the Pendragons.
The following evening Merlin attended a feast alongside Gauis. The smells of the human food nearly overwhelmed him, but he remained in control. Always in control. The evening's entertainment consisted of dancers and a singer from far away lands. As the beautiful woman began to sing a melodic tune, Merlin watched as she pulled a dagger from between the folds of her dress and flung it at Arthur.
This was a simple human assassin, perhaps seeking money or power from a warring nation. The whole ordeal would make his own job much easier, but rather than letting the dagger sink into the humans heart, he quickly pulled Arthur out of the way. He had acted on instinct. He couldn't even remember the last time it had been wrong like that.
Even more of a surprise was Uther appointing Merlin to be Arthur's manservant. He told himself it was a good thing, that he could spy on them more, but he had a feeling he had gotten himself into much more than he had initially agreed to.
"Thank you." Arthur said stiffly later that night when Merlin helped him change into his evening clothes.
"You're still a prat." Merlin huffed under his breath.
"You still can't talk to me like that Merilin." Arthur retorted.
His voice may have been reprimanding, but Merlin's vampire visage picked up on the minuscule twitch of his lips, that indicated amusement. Something deep inside of Merlin stirred, and he reeled back in shock.
Human emotions.
All vampires shut them off, Merlin included. To survive, a vampire had to be cunning and ruthless. When you were going to deccitate if you didn't have blood, then you ate or faced the consequences. That's all humans were to vampires. A meal. They were the next line on the food chain and that's how it had to be. A vampires life had no room for guilt or regret.
He shoved the emotions back down, furious with himself for letting even a trace amount of them through. His gums ached, fangs wanting to descend and rip into the man's throat for making him feel anything.
"Good night Merlin. You're dismissed." Arthur said firmly.
The amount of disrespect and arrogance had Merlin flying over to Arthur at vampire speed, making him gasp and reach for his sword.
"That won't do you any good." Merlin said and his fangs clicked into place.
Arthur frantically looked over at the window and back to him. "How is this possible?"
"Wouldn't you like to know? I told you I could take you apart with less than one blow." Merlin grabbed his head and yanked it to the side and dug his fangs into the soft creamy flesh. That first moment when the blood hits your tongue is like nothing else in the world. It's like taking in the very essence of life. Nothing could have prepared him for how exquisite Arthur tasted. It was the most pure, delectable blood he'd ever drank in his whole immortal life.
He drank, and drank, and drank until he heard Arthur's heartbeat slow to a near stop. He never wanted it to end. That thought made him stop abruptly. Why did it have to? Pulling back, he took in Arthur's heavily lidded eyes and made a split decision. He wanted to keep this human. His blood was too special to waste. Having made up his mind, he bit into his own wrist and forced it onto Arthur's lips. Next he pulled his eyes open with his thumbs and leaned in close; pulling Arthur's mind into his own.
"I helped you get ready for bed tonight and then I left. You won't remember anything else that happened." Merlin spoke firmly, willing it to take root in the man's mind.
Arthur nodded absentmindedly before collapsing into Merlin's arms. He couldn't help but notice that the prince smelled like sunshine, musk, and underneath all that the unique scent of his sweet blood. It made Merlin want to throw him down on the bed and fuck him raw. Instead, Merlin set him down on the bed; making sure to lick over and close his puncture wounds first.
After ensuring Arthur was asleep and well, Merlin made his way back to his chambers and idly chatted with Gauis, who seemed to have taken him under his wing. He enjoyed the company of the old man. Young people generally bored him. After living for so long, the mundane and wistful thoughts of the young became tiresome. Not only was Gauis older, but he was well educated and they were able to debate on a wide berth of subjects.
The next morning, Merlin took Arthur his breakfast and was happy to see him looking fully rested. He put the tray on the table and roused Arthur from his sleep.
"Ugh. It's too early." the prince grumbled at him from underneath his enormous comforter.
"Come on, let's have you lazy daisy." Merlin said with a large amount of sarcastic cheer.
Arthur eventually sat up and opened one eye. "How can you even see in here? There's hardly any light. Open the curtains."
Humans and their terrible vision. He had no idea how they managed to get through a single day with such poor sight. Obliging Arthur, he went and pulled open the curtains. He flinched out of habit as the sun touched his skin. His instincts still yelled danger at him, and he'd lived in the darkness much longer than in the light. He wasn't sure he would ever get used to being in the sun, as much as he enjoyed it.
"Today I need you to polish my swords, polish my armor, do my laundry, clean my room, and scrub my floors." Arthur said in between huge mouthfuls of food. The smell of the bacon, sausage and breads had been making Merlin want to throw up all morning. He hated the smell of human food, and even more so hated that it covered up Arthur's natural scent.
"Anything else?" Merlin said through gritted teeth. He hated playing errand boy to this insignificant little brat. He should really have just killed the boy, but he couldn't help remembering the intoxicating taste of his blood. His fangs ached to come out just from the thought of it and his cock hardened between his legs.
"Oh yes, you can muck out the stables as well." Arthur said haughtily.
Merlin smiled and left the room, afraid he would rip the man's throat out and ruin everything if he stayed a moment longer. With his vampire speed and agility he was able to complete the requested chores in just under an hours time. He spent the rest of the day conversing with Gauis and helping the old man with deliveries. It was a terrible thing to have made a human friend, but he justified it with the fact that Gauis would have made a superb vampire. If the man was a little bit younger Merlin would have turned him himself.
As dusk drew near Merlin felt agitated with the desire to feed. He desperately needed more of the thick nectar flowing through Arthur's veins. Being impatient was new to him. When you had all the time in the world there wasn't ever the need for immediate satisfaction like with the humans. He could usually wait for anything; but not for this. For the first time in his very long life, minutes felt like hours.
When it was finally the appropriate time, Merlin sped down to the kitchens and then walked at a briskly human pace to the prince's chambers.
"You completed your chores adequately today, but I expect more from you in the future." Arthur immediately started complaining.
Merlin wasted no time that evening and immediately sped over to Arthur, thrilled with the look of shock and fear that once again spread over his face. The adrenaline and fear only made the experience better, the blood even sweeter.
This time, he decided to make it a pleasurable experience for Arthur as well. He knew it was possible, but vampires usually didn't have the need to make their prey feel good about dying. But this was different.
"Don't scream." Merlin said as he captured Arthur's gaze into his own.
He tipped his head to the side and gently sunk his fangs into the tender crevice of Arthur's neck and started sucking deeply. Surprisingly it didn't take Arthur long to stop squirming in his arms and start moaning in his ear.
Merlin stopped for a minute to gain control over himself and started licking at the small puncture wounds, making Arthur tremble in his arms. Merlin found deep satisfaction knowing his reactions were all his own. The only thing Merlin had compelled him to do was not scream.
"I hate you, you vampire scum." Arthur spat.
"That's not what your body is saying." Merlin said as he started sucking on his wound again. Reaching down and grabbing Arthur's erection through his pants to prove his point. Euphoria washed over him as Arthur's thick blood streamed down his throat. If there was an afterlife for his kind, this is what he would want for eternity after his final death.
When he heard the humans heart beat slowing he stopped immediately this time, not wanting to risk his death. Just as the night before he pricked his own wrist and held it up to Arthur's lips. He was hazy, but conscious this time and looked as if he was about to resist.
"I can easily force you. It will be better if you just take it." Merlin stated plainly.
"I don't want to be a vampire." Arthur said between clenched teeth.
Merlin threw back his head and laughed. "That's not how you turn someone. You wish you would be so lucky as to join us." Merlin re-pierced his wrist and shoved it over Arthur's lips. "Drink."
Arthur eyed him wearily, but closed his mouth around the already closing wound. He sucked hard, causing sharp spikes of pleasure to shoot up Merlin's arm and ricochet throughout his entire body. He continued to drink from him until the wound closed, testing the limits of Merlin's self control.
When they were done, Merlin compelled him to forget once again and ordered him to eat his food before going to sleep. The walk back to his quarters with Gauis was an uncomfortable one. His cock was achingly hard, demanding attention.
After a quick goodnight to the old human he closed the door to his room and laid out on his bed. Feeling too wound up from the evening, he didn't try to take his time and slicked himself with ointment before pumping himself furiously at vampire speed. It didn't take long before he was coming in long hot spurts over his belly, whispering Arthur's name.
Afterwards he cursed himself for the strange attachment he'd developed for the young prince. He hadn't felt so unwound since his years as a newborn. If anything he should have taken all of Arthur's body for himself like he wanted, but he had held back in that regard as well. Since when did he practice self control in such a way? Since when did he care?
Furious with himself and the entire situation, Merlin forced himself into rest. He wasn't used to sleeping during the night; the darkness was where he naturally belonged; but he tried to regenerate anyways.
The following few weeks were filled with much of the same. Every day he would do the ridiculous amount of chores Arthur requested of him, and every night he would take as much of Arthur's blood as possible. He told the elders he was collecting as much valuable information as possible before killing the Pendragons, and so far they believed him.
Things probably would have stayed the same for as long as possible, until one morning the prince asked him to wake him before sunrise. He did as asked and followed Arthur as they went to the courtyard, accompanied by the majority of the castle.
"What's going on?" Merlin asked quietly.
"Did they not have burnings where you're from?" Arthur responded shortly.
"Burnings?" he questioned.
"Just watch." Arthur said.
Just as he noticed the stake in the middle of the courtyard, the sun started rising. As the deadly rays lit up the castle, he watched in horror as one of his vampire comrades screamed in agony while his skin flaked away. Merlin's stomach lurched and his fangs descended without his consent, puncturing the inside of his lip and drawing blood.
When the body was fully disintegrated Arthur turned and looked at him with triumph, as if he knew what he'd just done. Merlin wanted to rip off every person's head in frustration. He felt out of control and he despised Arthur for it. Contrary to what most people believed, vampires could feel. In fact, everything was intensified as a vampire to the point it was nearly unbearable if you didn't shut it out.
That night he drank from Arthur with aggression, holding nothing back. Wrenching his neck to the side he tore into his skin and then yanked back, tearing a hole in his neck. Arthur whimpered, but didn't scream as Merlin took huge gulps of spurting blood. Not wanting to actually kill him in his fit of rage, he tore open his own wrist and shoved it in Arthur's face. He took it immediately and began to take long, hard pulls of blood. Feeding and being drank from at the same time was something Merlin had never experienced and it was more intense than anything he'd done before; so much so that he came untouched in his pants.
When he finally pulled back, he flung Arthur onto the bed and stalked over to him. To the humans credit, he didn't flinch or even try to run away. Merlin roughly pulled down his trousers and stared in appreciation at the man's erection.
He caught Arthur's eye before going any further. "I will grant you your own will in this matter, but I promise you I can make it very pleasurable." He should just take what he wants, use Arthur's body like he had others in the past, but he couldn't go through with it. No matter what he wanted.
Arthur narrowed his eyes and an infuriated blush covered his cheeks, but he still nodded and laid back. Merlin crawled between his legs and slowly brushed his tongue over the tip of Arthur's cock, relishing the taste of his precome. It had the same distinct sweet flavor that tinged his blood.
Gently, Merlin bit into his thigh, taking a long pull of blood before returning to his cock and swallowing it whole. As he moved his mouth up and down, he used his fingers to trace over the puncture wounds he had just made on his leg; knowing they would be sensitive. It didn't take long before Arthur was coming down his throat. Merlin whined in pleasure, savoring every drop.
He took a few breaths to come down from his bloodlust and moved to compel Arthur to forget.
"There's no point." Arthur said sadly. "I've remembered everything from the first night you were here. You are a terrible vampire."
"That's not possible." Merlin said in shock.
"Just like it's not possible for you to walk in the sun." Arthur snorted.
"Why haven't you killed me then?" Merlin asked, confused.
"Why haven't you killed me?" Arthur countered.
"Your blood is like nothing I've ever tasted." he answered honestly. Why he was being honest with a lowly human, he didn't know.
"I still hate you." Arthur said firmly. "I hate your kind, and what you do. That's why I made sure you were there this morning, that you saw humans aren't weak. I'm not weak."
Merlin cut him off with a deep kiss. He sighed in contentment when Arthur purposely ran his tongue over his fangs, letting a small amount of his blood drip into his mouth.
"You make me feel again and I hate you for it." Merlin said after they parted. There was no use denying it now. The barrier between himself and his emotions had been torn down for weeks. He had just been to scared to admit it. Arthur answered him with another kiss, and ground his hips groaned and thrust down to meet him, already hard again.
"Since we hate each other so much, let's do it properly." Arthur said as he rolled them over and helped Merlin pull off the rest of his clothes. He watched as Arthur pulled out a jar of lavender smelling salve and coated his fingers with it before bending over him and kissing him thoroughly. Merlin placed a hand on each of his arse cheeks and spread him wide, allowing him to prepare himself better. His vampiric hearing allowed him to pick up on the erotic sound of Arthur's fingers slipping in and and out of his hole.
Arthur moaned above him, eventually pulling back and placing himself over Merlin's cock. They locked eyes and held each other's gaze as Arthur slowly slipped down on him.
Merlin had had sex before, it went hand in hand with feeding for vampires, but once again Arthur was special. Everything with the man was new and different, something he was always desperate to find. He became lost in pleasure as Arthur started slowly grinding on top him, enjoying the tight heat surrounding his cock. Generally he was in control of any and all sexual encounters, taking someone with vampire speed. The slow human pace Arthur was setting was enough to drive him mad with desire.
Much to his shame, Merlin actually whimpered when Arthur leaned forward and lathed his tongue over both his fangs. They were extremely sensitive and Merlin knew he could come just from that if Arthur stayed long enough. To his chagrin, Arthur quickly moved on and had him throwing his head back in pleasure as Arthur kissed down his neck to his shoulder. Pleasure exploded through him and he came hard as Arthur bit him on the shoulder, tearing through his skin and sucking in as much blood as he could before the wound closed.
Arthur collapsed on top of him, breathing heavily into his neck and tracing patterns on his chest. "What do we do now?" he whispered.
"I was sent here to kill you and your family." Merlin said. He felt Arthur tense above him and quickly continued. "I would have already done it by now if I was going to. You're different and I want to spare you, but the war has to stop. You're the Crowned Prince of Camelot and I'm respected enough among my kind. Maybe we can make a difference."
"My father will never let that happen." Arthur replied.
"Then we compel him." Merlin reached his arms around the other man and squeezed him tightly.
"What if it doesn't work? What if he's like me?" Arthur asked.
"I don't think anyone is like you, but if that happens I'll leave and we can wait until you're on the throne." Merlin smiled into his shoulder.
After a long stretch of silence Arthur pulled back slightly. "I don't ever want you to make me into a vampire."
"I promise I won't ever do it without your permission." Merlin compromised.
Arthur eyed him speculatively, but then nodded his head.
"Tell me about yourself." Arthur asked.
Merlin stroked his cheek and gave him a chaste kiss. "Alright."
They spent the rest of the evening talking together. Merlin would have never believed that an arrogant, prattish human prince would make him feel again, but he had. Maybe together they could even save the world.
END
A/N: Would love a bit of feedback :)