Chapter VII: Lord Giovanni de Colenzo.

20:21 4th day

Rayne awoke the next day chained to a chair, her forearms held in place by steel bracers, in front of her a long table with a few empty plates. She noticed that she wasn't dressed in her normal attire, but in one of the ugliest dresses she had ever seen, it was made of dark red velour but it looked old and dirty, almost worn out, the thing was strapped on her pretty tightly and it had a very low décolletage and her feet had some kind of shoes with a low heel. She also noticed that her blades, her guns, her necklace all were gone.

"You're up. Are you okay? I hope I didn't hurt you." She recognized his voice and lifted her sight to see him at the end of the table.

"You suddenly care about what happens to me?" Rayne noticed that all his wounds were gone.

"I just didn't want to damage you before I even got a chance to talk to you"

'Damage me?' yeah, this guy thinks I'm a thing, not a person.

"Where are my clothes? My equipment?"

"I took them to the dungeon, they will be given back when you choose to side with me. And don't worry about the dress, Mirina here was the one who clothed you."

"Oh, I'm so relieved." Rayne said sarcastically. 'At least it would explain why the laces are so tight.' The blonde girl she had seen at the cub appeared behind him "All right, I'm done playing games. Who are you?"

"You still don't know? I would have thought you were resourceful and could learn by yourself. Oh, well, I don't need you for your brain, anyway, I need you for your muscle." He said moving from his spot, he leaned on the side of the table when he got close to her and looked at her with a smile. She bared her fangs. "I will tell you, because I want you to know I'm not a psycho, I don't want to kill anyone that doesn't want to kill me first. And that I need you." He smiled. "Mirina, will you please leave us?"

"But you said I could live with you…"

"Yes, but right now I want to be alone with my guest…I will call for you if I need you." He said not taking his eyes off Rayne. He then spoke slowly:

"My darling, my name is Lord Giovanni De Colenzo, and this is my city, it has been my city since 1453. I have woken and I have come to claim my right as the true ruler. When I was awake I guarded the city and helped it prosper and it grew under my guidance for over 300 years. But in 1797 when Napoleon came, I fell trying to defend it, and had to flee and recover from my injuries. I was asleep for 200 years, only to wake up and find these pathetic wretches at the seat that should be mine! Their blood is weak, they do no deserve to rule, they are ignorants to the true needs of the city."

"You wouldn't the city's needs if they came from behind and fucked you in the ass."

He smiled, his eyes narrowing, showing Rayne his fangs.

"And why wouldn't I know what's good for my people?"

"Because you are a relic, an anachronistic piece of shit that has no idea how the modern world works. Let me guess, if you wanted 'your people' to be happy, you would give them land, right?"

"No, my best guess is that money would work better. But anyway, why do you think I sided with 'The Knights'?"

"What does this have to do with them?"

"A lot. You see, my dear BloodRayne, I plan on getting my city back from bottom to top; It was hard staying with them, learning from them, but I did anyway, because they are the people closest to the city, they know what's in, what's out, they know the dirty face of the city, and like almost all the time, the ugly side of things is their true side. They know the sins of the new age."

Rayne just glared at him. "Lemme ask you something then. Why the kidnappings? You couldn't find punks tasty enough?"

He chuckled: "Actually, no, I couldn't. I don't eat trash and 'The Knights' are, well, to pun it in their language, stoned. They were tainted with chemicals, and besides, I believe they taste quite awful."

"I did have other reasons for my actions, though. First of all I wanted to taunt the Arpino, the mongrels that stole my domain, but most importantly …I needed fear on my side. To create tension that no one is safe, that people are going to be attacked in their own homes, and that the officials can't do anything to stop it. Afterward, when things got out of control, I would put my own people in places of power and show the city that they are competent and that they can protect, that I can protect them."

"Oh, I get it, you don't want to kill, you want to enslave."

"Well…." He said smiling.

"All right, that does it!" She started struggling but the chains wouldn't budge. "Let me go!"

"Why are so upset? I'm bringing order to the city."

"You're bringing chaos to the city! You said it yourself: you've got fear on your side and only chaos can come from fear! Look in the streets, people are panicking, that's not order!"

"My dear, you have to see the bigger picture."

"I do see it! You're bringing your order to the city; don't dare insult me by saying you're doing this for the 'greater good', kay? You're whole 'I know best' act is bullshit and you know it!"

"What am I doing that is so wrong?"

"You're trying to impose your will on free people, you're …subduing them for your own needs!"

"And what makes you so good? You seduce men all the time to get what you want."

"I don't try to enslave them, you don't even give them a choice."

"Some of them are asking for it, like sheep! They need to be guided."

"You're not guiding! You're dominating them! I've seen what you do to your minions, you take their will away, that's why they have that zombie-like look in their eyes! Stop making excuses for yourself, be a man and just admit you're an asshole!"

He started laughing. Rayne glared at him, her eyes casting a feral shine, her fangs bared.

"Even if you aren't resourceful, you make up for it in other ways. Yes, your observations are correct, I am taking their free will… Sanguis imperium est. You see, I have discovered this when I was made a vampire, my blood is extremely potent and even one sip from it is enough to ensure loyalty. My subjects have drank it and they are happy—"

"More like brain dead."

"And you will drink it as well if I don't have you siding with me by your own accord."

"I would sooner kill myself with my own blades."

"That won't be necessary. But I think you of all things would understand that Blood is power." Rayne raised an eyebrow. "You see, I know you are a dhampir, and you should know that your power comes from the fact that you are half vampire and you have all the strengths, and from the fact that you are half human you don't have the fatal weaknesses. And, my dear, I can make your blood even more powerful, all you have to do is drink from me."

"And to spend the rest of my life shackled to you? Why don't you take your offer and shove it up your ass?" He just chuckled:

"My BloodRayne, my blood reign, we will bring together the reign of powerful blood." He reached to touch her cheek but she turned her head out of the way of his greedy fingers. "You are just like her."

"Like who?"

"Like Aliza, my last guardian. She was strong willed too, in the end she gave her life for me." He said with a smirk. "Let me show you something." He walked away from Rayne, only to return a few seconds later carrying a wooden case in his arms. The box had a window through which you could see what was inside it: two swords that had blades dark as pitch and when the light hit them they shone a strange red light, like there were flames inside. The handles were beautifully made out of some type of metal and had a ruby placed in the center of each.

"She was the only one who could wield them, not because they were heavy, but because if any one would touch them they would get their hands burnt. I can only hold them if I coat them first in my blood, and not just the handles, but the blades as well."

"So?"

"So nothing, I just showed you her weapons because I wanted you to see that she fought just like you and that maybe if she joined me, you will also consider my offer."

"Sure, just let me go, and I'll show you my decision."

To Rayne's surprise he placed the wooden case on the table and proceeded to free her from the chains. But he was prepared: as soon as Rayne jumped at him he caught one of her arms and twisted it behind her back, bringing her neck close to his mouth. He then whispered in her ear:

"Keep struggling my dear, your breasts move so beautifully in this dress."

Rayne realized that no matter how many of her actions were controlled by her lust, her wrath had the most power over her. Her blood boiling with rage she found a knife on the table and shoved it in his eye. She knew that wouldn't kill him, but it was enough to let her go and to give her enough time to punch him in the stomach. He removed the knife and started calling his guards. 15 punks quickly entered the room and Rayne knew she couldn't fight them all especially because she hadn't fed in a long time and because she didn't have any weapons.

"Take her to the dungeon. I will keep you there until you are so hungry you will not have other options but to drink my blood!"