He awoke to the sensation of two tongues simultaneously licking his face. He groaned and swatted his hand vaguely.

[Wake up. It's 8:00 pm. It's time to wake up]

The mechanical voice rang in his head. Eight in the evening… He jolted awake, sitting bolt upright in sheer panic.

He'd overslept!

He'd be punished for sure! Such a thing wasn't tolerated…!

"G-gomen…! Gomen!" he stammered his apology to Barry, anticipating the pain.

"Well well, he's awake everybody! Let's celebrate!" said his master. His smiling, cheery, laughing master. He heard a loud meow at his side.

"Master? Wh-" he was cut off when a large tongue shot to his face. He sputtered in surprise and it slipped in his mouth. He yelped and shoved the dog away. It yipped happily and pounced on him again, returning to his licking.

[It's time to wake up! Wake up!]

"Oh, now that's not fair! Why does the dog get to French you and not me?!" pouted his master. Charley just hugged the dog with his one good arm, his mind finally registering who it was.

"Sacra it's you! Oh, I haven't seen you in months!" Sacra yipped in response, his tail cutting through the air with it's ecstatic wagging. Even the pompous feline seemed happy by his presence. Charley was elated as he took in the whole scene, remembering he was safe. He noticed his master cock his head to the side with a strange grin on his face.

"What?"

"Your smile. I just realized that I rarely ever see it."

"I'm sorry.." Charley started. Johnny shook his head.

"Geez, don't apologize. I kinda like it. You make them treasures, something to work for. A worthy goal." he stated simply. Charley blushed slightly. Since when had he been so…

"Corny." he accidentally blurted. Johnny gave the teensiest of snorts, then cleared his throat. Then he blushed. It was Charley's turn to cock his head.

"Since when does Johnny Rayflo blush?"

"Shut up."

"Why should I?" Charley challenged, feeling a wave of uncharacteristic boldness.

"Because I said." Johnny faltered at the look Charley was giving him. It was…dare he think it…sultry. Which meant his body was finally betraying it's own state of hunger. With only a moment of hesitation, he smirked, turning on his charm. The animals, tired of being ignored, left the bed with a sigh and started their own game.

"Because you're hungry and I am your willing fount." he said, his voice lowering an octave.

Charley froze. His face fell. For months he had grown accustomed to ignoring his hunger. He had to, to save his sanity. But such a blatant invitation…His mouth went dry, and his breath hitched in his chest. He could suddenly hear his master's pulse.

It was a trick. Didn't Barry pull the same one on him from time to time?

No, he wouldn't fall for it…he wouldn't survive it.

Johnny frowned at Charley's sudden deflation. His fearful hesitance. He had stumbled on a frayed nerve. Immediately he straightened himself from his lazy slouch.

"Charley, I mean it. Come here. You need to feed."

"No, no, no. You won't trick me again. I won't have it!" he hissed.

Shit. No wonder Charley was left in one piece. Barry had focused on fucking up his mind. He had made him starve, yet at the same time terrified to feed.

What else had been done to him?

"Charley, it's me, remember? I'm not Barry. I'm not tricking you."

"No, no, no, no…" Charley chanted, shaking his head wildly. His master rolled his eyes in impatience and pulled up his sleeve.

"Goddammit, fuckin asshole." he muttered before biting his own palm and holding it out to him.

"Feed. Now."

"No. I'm not hungry." Charley muttered into a pillow, trying not to look at it. The smell alone was battering at his will.

"The fuck you aren't. Now do as I say before I fist your goddamn throat."

"I'll bite it off."

"If that'll make you feed, then so be it."

"No. It's a trick."

"Oh, for FUCK'S SAKE!" Johnny finally yelled. Faster than the human eye his hand darted out and grabbed his ankle and pulled Charley down the bed on his back below him. He immediately swung a leg over and straddled him.

"Hey! What are you-"

"Shut up. You've lost the choice." Johnny growled, his voice bordering feral. With one hand he held Charley's mouth open while he re-opened the freshly closed wound and shoved the bloodied fingers into his beloved's mouth.

"Feed."

When the blood hit his tongue he immediately caved, his defenses dust. With a whine he drew the fingers in, sucking down the sweet redness. The fingers quickly ran dry. He pulled the digits from his mouth and ran his tongue over the cut in his master's palm. He suckled it, drawing in what he could from the small wound.

"Good boy, Charley, good.." his voiced hitched as Charley started nuzzling up his arm. He made an obvious pit stop at his wrist, but it was cut short when Johnny had to pry him off it.

"Owowowow, that hurts, not so har-" he was cut off when he was suddenly flipped, Charley suddenly kneeling over him, growling at the interruption. Charley caught his eye and Johnny paused. The look he was giving him…so intense, so hungry…

Oh to hell with it.

"Come here." He managed to gasp before pulling his beloved down and crushing their lips together. He bit his own tongue and shot it into Charley's mouth. This he took eagerly, greedily drawing it into his own mouth and sucking it down. He paused long enough to lick whatever spilled from his master's mouth before returning to his feast. He barely noticed the hand that feverishly massaged the back of his neck, or the groin that ground into his own. He didn't hear the desperate whimpers that were escaping from his lips, or the muffled groan of his master. He brought a hand up to his master's throat to angle the kiss better before he realized…

The throat. Perfect.

He wasted no time at all before he savagely sank his teeth into the thickness of the artery. His master squirmed and cried out beneath him.

"Ow, Charley…"

The sound of his master's voice encouraged him. He sucked harder.

"Fuck..! Godammit, sto-" he couldn't finish his sentence. He tried to pry the lamprey off his neck. Unfortunately, every movement and sound only made him increase his fervor. Charley was gone, lost in his frenzy. He was feeding too roughly…it hurt. It was as if he was afraid to stop, afraid he'd never get it again if he stopped. Johnny increased his pressure, but of course it only made him bite harder.

"Stop! Stop it!"

"Hungry…starving…dying.."

"Charley…!Please!" his head was spinning. His body grew heavy and weak. Too quick, too fast. Too much. How..? He'd fasted for longer periods than this before…never was he this harsh…

"Charley…!" with a grunt he gripped his hair and threw the man off of him, taking off a nice chunk off his neck as well. He cried out in pain, unable to move.

Charley hit the wall and crumpled into a heap. The chunk of flesh fell out of his mouth. He licked the blood off his face. He was lightheaded, giddy. A sort of high, he guessed. He looked up and saw his master sit up, wincing in great pain as he clamped a hand to his shredded throat. Charley's face fell.

"I did that?" he asked meekly. His master looked up at him, but not in the eye. He was quiet.

"Your scars are gone. How do you feel? Did you get your fill?" he finally asked. Charley hesitated before nodding. His master winced and looked away as he plopped off the bed.

"Good." was all he said before heading for the door.

"Master, where are you going..?"

"Just…just leave me alone for a minute, alright? I need to think. And feed. You've just about drained me."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't. I told you to feed, didn't I? You fed, you're well. I'm happy. Now please, just give me a moment." he said as he stood there trembling, bleeding all over the carpet, his hand barely covering the arterial spray. Charley nodded from the corner, guilty and miserable. As soon as the door to the bedroom clicked, Sacra padded to his side and nudged his nose under his master's useless arm. He gave his chin a quick lick and whined. Charley's hand scratched behind his ears reassuringly.

Down the hall, Johnny stumbled through the parlor, calling one of his blood maids. She of course appeared immediately.

"Sir." she curtsied.

"I..I need you." he slurred, dropping heavily onto an ottoman. He had lost the ability to hold his own weight.

"How, sir?"

"Blood. Now."

The dark haired damphir nodded as she obediently shrugged out of her maid's uniform. Johnny hated wasting them (he had actually scarred Cherry once by parading around the house in one). Her naked skin was pale, but lively looking, animated entirely out of the master's host blood. Wasting no time, she settled into his lap and pressed her lips to the Master. Her tongue pried into his already open and waiting mouth. He bit and began the blood flow.

There was no sexuality in the kiss. In fact, to any bystander, the kiss could be viewed as downright repulsive (even traumatizing). As the Master fed, the damphir began to gradually dissolve, her body visibly melting like a candle. Her essence, his blood, returned to him. It revitalized him and gave him strength. Unfortunately, it did nothing for his battered heart. It didn't chase away the fear eating at him.

The last of the damphir's body slithered up his chest, Johnny having to slurp it up like spaghetti. He sighed and hunched forward, staring at the ground.

In the bedroom, Charley still hadn't moved from his spot on the floor. His head was nervously twitching, contemplating the preceded events.

He'd ruined everything.

His Master would never let him feed again…

Did he hate him?

He heard the sinister sound of laughter in his head. The sound was like a thousand knives wrapped in silk. It sounded smug.

'Cherry darling, I can see you. My precious little priestling. Gave Addy a little kiss, did we?'

Charley shook his head, trying to shake away the voice.

"Shut up…leave me alone, asshole…!" he snarled to himself. The presence in his head darkened like clouds before a storm. Charley immediately saw his mistake.

"G-omen…!" he said hurriedly.

'Don't you dare speak to me like that…all this time, and you haven't learned a thing, have you? Pity.."

"N-no…gomen…please…" Barry ending the sentence with the word 'pity' meant punishment was coming.

"Please Father…gomen…"

'Far too spoiled, Cherry, far too spoiled.'

"No, please…" Charley begged, but it was too late. Silver needles that had been implanted in his heart, spine and testicles were activated, burning his flesh from the inside. White-hot pain raced through his body, causing his joints to buckle and sending him sprawling on the floor, his mouth stretched wide in a soundless scream. The burning intensified and he writhed and convulsed on the carpet, unable to speak or scream, unable to even breathe.

'Apologize.'

Charley barely managed the feeble gibberish as his insides were seared by the punishing needles made for that very purpose.

'Tell me how much you love it, you disgusting little bitch of a priest. Beg for more. You little concubine, spreading for your master like the bitch in heat you are. Now apologize and beg for me, Cherry.'

"M-mor-ore…F-Fath-father…please…" he finally managed.

'And?'

"I..I l-lo-love y-you..now and…f-forever…I-I will al-ways be…your d-dog toy." he gasped. He heard the satisfied 'hmph' in his head.

'That's right. My little Cherry dog toy. Ta.' said the voice before going silent. The pain ebbed away, leaving him quietly gasping for air like a beached fish. He lay on the floor trembling, a line of drool pooling on the floor. He heard footsteps coming towards the door. Quickly he pushed himself back up to a sitting position and swept up his composure as the door opened and his Master stepped in, looking healthy and whole again.

Johnny was surprised to say the least when he walked in to the room again to find that Charley hadn't moved an inch. Well, that part not so much, but he saw that Charley was severely shaken and trying to hide it. On top of that, before he could even say a world, Charley all but threw himself across the room and wrapped his arms around him in a bone-crushing hug. Charley buried his head onto his shoulder, rubbing back and forth with his face. He was trembling slightly.

"Charley..? You alright?"

"I'm sorry, Master…I'm so sorry. Please…just...please forgive me..!"