I don't own Aladdin. Only Tael is mine. I've been hard at work bringing my new website up and more or less running. I've noticed that my link to chapter five of An Unlikely Pair did not appear in chapter six, so for those who wanted to read the unedited version, here's the link: . In case anyone wishes to view my page, only the airport and misc stories links are working right now.

Dark Fangs

Chapter One- Vampire Attack

The desert flew beneath her, appearing to be a yellow blur that was occasionally interrupted by the greens and blues of an oasis. The wind caressed her skin and blew through her hair. It was a beautiful setting, especially the sky. It was ablaze with yellow, orange, pink, purple, and blue in horizontal bands, one color seemingly melting into the next one. The temperature wasn't too bad either. The majority of the day's heat had died off leaving the weather rather pleasant.

A large oasis caught her eye and Jasmine coaxed Carpet into landing. As they landed, Jasmine looked around. The place was perfect. There was plenty of water and some coconuts as well. It was also miles from other people which was fine with her. The whole point of this trip was for her to have time away from the guys, except for Carpet, of course.

Sighing happily, she picked up a fallen coconut and sat under the shade of a small grove of trees. She leaned against one of the trunks and idly tossed the coconut up and down a few times before letting the peaceful atmosphere lull her to sleep.

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"Night has come. Initiate, step forward."

A boy of no more than fourteen came from a crowd and bowed to the figure who beckoned him.

"Tael, the time has come to prove yourself worthy of your fangs. You have until sunrise to kill your first victim. If you don't, you fangs will be removed and you will die by sunlight."

"Yes, leader. I won't disappoint you." Tael rose and climbed up from the underground lair of the vampire cult and emerged into the cool desert air. Palm trees and a clear pond surrounded him. Choosing to place the lair under an oasis was brilliant. It hid them from the sun and lured weary travelers into their clutches. The figure of a young woman caught Tael's eye. She was asleep under a grove a trees. She was also alone. The perfect target.

Silently, he crept up behind the sleeping woman and latched onto her. The movement jolted her awake and she struggled to get loose, but Tael's grip was too strong. Tael licked his lips in anticipation as he lowered his head toward her neck.

"Carpet, get help!" the woman cried.

Tael's head jerked up as an embroided carpet took off into the air. Shaking his head, he covered his victim's mouth and said, "No one can help you." Then, he sank his fangs into her flesh and proceeded to drink.

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Jasmine had been dreaming about a moonlit date with Aladdin when someone grabbed her from behind. She jerked awake and struggled to get free from her attacker. Her struggle was in vain for her captor was strong. She needed help.

"Carpet, get help!" she cried. Her shout woke Carpet and he flew off to get Aladdin.

A hand covered her mouth and she heard a boy's voice say, "No one can help you." Then, she felt something sharp pierce her skin. She tried to scream, but the hand covering her mouth blocked the effort. She felt herself getting sleepy as she went limp in her attacker's hold.

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Tael paused in his drinking. Her blood tasted sweet and he could hardly wait to finish it. However, there was a problem: He was getting full. The girl had more blood than he anticipated.

'I have to kill her. I'll be killed if I don't.' He knew from experience that if a victim is not completely drained of blood, the victim would also become a vampire. He couldn't leave her partially drained for she was his first victim as well as his initiation. He weighed his options before laying his victim on the ground and heading back to the lair's entrance. The smell of blood would surely attract scavengers and they would feast on her body. His life would be saved. Satisfied, he left Jasmine for dead.

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Three Nights Later

Jasmine moaned as she awoke. Her throat was sore from trying to scream and dry from lack of water. Sitting up, she rubbed her neck and then her head as her eyes attempted to adjust to the darkness.

'How long was I out?' she wondered. 'It couldn't have been long. It's still night.' She was unaware that three nights had gone by since her attack. She was, however, aware of her sore throat and stood up to get a drink as the pond. As she pushed herself up, she stared at her arms in shock. They had gone death white! But, how?

She shook her head. She was seeing things. She headed for the pond and knealt beside it before cupping her hands and dipping them into the water. She brought them to her lips and drank. The water felt cool to her hot throat, but hardly refreshing. She continued to drink, but her thirst didn't go away! That didn't make any sense! She leaned forward to dwell on this disturbing fact when another disturbing occurrence caught her eye.

Looking down, she saw the clear pond reflecting the flora and fauna surrounding it, but her own reflection wasn't there! She blinked and waved an arm over the water. Still nothing. This couldn't be! She was still imagining things. Yes, that had to be it.

The sound of crunching sand reached her ears as well as the sound of rapidly moving feet. Someone was coming! Dashing behind a tree, Jasmine peered around the trunk and saw two figures appear. She relaxed when she saw who they were: Abis Mal and Harud! From where she was, she saw Abis Mal was no longer under the effects of the potion he had swallowed when she last saw him. She, oddly enough, could also hear the heartbeats of the two men. The sounds made her thirst surge even more. Licking her lips, she slunk toward them, blending in with the surrounding darkness. She reached the far end of the pond where the men were. Her right hand swung out and knocked both unconscious, ensuring that one wouldn't escape while she dealt with the other.

Grabbing the taller man, she bit into his neck, found the main artery, and drank contently. She dropped the body when she finished and then drank from the other. When the last drop was consumed, she dropped the corpse and ran from the oasis. She ran only a few feet before stopping and turning around.

During her attack, she had been operating on instinct and had been unaware of her actions. Thus, when she saw the corpses and the bite marks, she was convinced there was a monster roaming the oasis.

'That thing might still be there. I need to get out of here.' She resumed her escape. As she did, she felt a drop of liquid fall from her teeth and onto her lower lip. Her reaction was involuntary. She licked the drop up and swallowed it, causing her tongue to brush against her teeth.

She paused in her run. She touched her teeth and pulled her hand back to see blood on her fingers. Did she accidentally bite herself? She licked the blood and found that it didn't taste like her blood. She inspected her teeth again and found her canine teeth had turned into fangs! She felt a weight on her back. She glanced back and was shocked to discover a pair of leathery bat wings protruding from her back.

She looked back at the oasis and started to put the odd pieces together. The pale skin, no reflection, thirst for blood, fangs, and wings. She recalled her being attacked and she reeled at her conclusion: A vampire had attacked her and she had become one, too! Obviously from not being fully drained.

She remained where she was, staring blankly at the vast desert. How could she go home, being what she was? She probably looked scary and hideous now. How would her friends and family ever accept her? And what about sunlight? She would need to hide from the sun.

She would also need blood to survive. She had already made her first kills. Villain thieves at that. Well, Abis Mal had given her friends and her quite a lot of grief in the past. Particularly the time he used her to seize the throne. For that, he deserved to die. In fact, all the people who had caused trouble for her or her friends should die. And she would be their executioner.

Surprise! I told you there would be character death when I wrote the summary. How far will Jasmine go in her quest to kill her enemies? Find out next time on "Dark Fangs."