Author's Note: This chapter contains trigger warnings for disturbing nonconsensual subject matter.

Chapter Theme Song: "Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)" by Eurythmics


David's piercing gaze never strayed from the wet asphalt. The thick mist that swept in off the ocean was a driving hazard as were the sharp turns and rain slicked pavement that wound up into the forested hills of Santa Carla. He was on a deadline that did not allow for errors or excuses.

The Triumph Bonneville growled in annoyance when David was forced to cut his speed and lean into a sharp right turn that made Sarah tighten the grip she had on him least she accidentally tumble off the back of the motorcycle. Despite the slick road conditions the Triumph roared into the night as David gunned the engine at twenty over the regulated speed limit.

Navigating the steep winding road that led to Max's place required a steady hand but tonight David was having a hard time keeping a firm hold on his simmering anger. After having all day to brood over Lincoln's unexpected arrival and his deliberate attempt to butcher Paul for the sole purpose of annoying the heck out of him, David was not in the best of moods.

The Triumph seemed to channel all of David's frustration as he opened the throttle a bit more.

Sarah squeezed her eyes shut and buried her face into the back of David's heavy trench coat as the Triumph snarled in her ears. The two vampires rode in silence but every so often a growl would escape David. Sarah could feel the vibrations through the multiple layers of his jackets and it scared her.

"David," Sarah turned her face away from his shoulder so that her words weren't muffled by fabric, "is it my fault that you're in trouble with Max? If it is then I'm - I'm sorry."

Those pale blue eyes grew a little harder and his grip on the handlebars became a little firmer but other than that the vampire leader gave no indication that he had heard her. Sarah swallowed before she closed her eyes once again. Usually the rare ride with David and the others was an enjoyable experience. But there was something about this night that made her feel sick inside. It was almost as if she could feel that something bad was going to happen and she wasn't the only one.

Sarah did not open her eyes until the bike slowed to a crawl and halted alongside a pristine white painted fence that encompassed the entirety of Max's vast property. Blinking hard in an attempt to get rid of the dry eye feeling she had Sarah dismounted first and hugged herself tightly as a chill ran up her spine.

There was something different about Max's estate.

"David, who's car is that?" She asked quietly as she eyed the hulking black and white American muscle car that sat in the spot where Max usually parked his red high-end convertible.

David eyed the flawless 70's Chevelle SS for a moment before he twisted the keys out of the ignition and stepped away from his bike. Next to the muscle car the Triumph looked practically pathetic.

"Let's go." He said gruffly and grabbed Sarah by the arm before he stalked across the wooden walkway that led straight to Max's front door.

"David you're hurting me."

Sarah tried to match David's long strides as her words fell on deaf ears once again. The scowl on David's face darkened considerably when he caught sight of Thorn, a white shepherd that was Max's personal hound of hell. The large dog sat vigilantly by the front door without moving. The only tell was that it pinned its ears back in response to David and Sarah's approached. The brute did not like them and the feeling was mutual.

Thorn let out a loud booming bark that made Sarah jump and miss a step.

"Something bad is going to happen isn't it?" Sarah asked in a small voice that irked David

"Whatever you do, do not speak unless he tells you to." David muttered out of the corner of his mouth as he steeled himself for what was to come. He wasn't sure of what Max had planned for that evening but judging from what he had witnessed with the last six girls that had crossed the threshold David was prepared for what he thought was going to be another long night.

He had no idea just how long it would to be.

"Ten o'clock on the dot. It's good to see that you are still capable of being punctual."

Max said in that oh-so-practical tone of his that set David's teeth on edge. The front door swung open and Max filled the doorway. David resisted the urge to glare at Max as he stepped over the threshold but Sarah hesitated for a moment. She looked fearfully up at the Head Vampire but a sharp snap from Thorn sent her leaping into the extravagant hallway.

"Still not much of a dog person are you?" Max asked Sarah who kept her eyes downcast not daring to look at either the vampire or his devil dog. Max patted the shepherd fondly on the head when the dog entered last.

"Well, why don't we all go into the parlour and get settled? There is someone that I'd like for you both to meet."

Thorn padded lazily past with a soft click of nails on the hardwood flooring as Max led them into a large open concept room that was tastefully decorated in the finest that the decade had to offer. Neon lights among priceless pop culture pieces that belonged in an art museum there was nothing subtle or modest about Max's tastes. He enjoyed extravagance and expense and it clearly showed in how he had decorated the oceanfront mansion.

None of this registered with David upon entering the room but when he caught sight of who was waiting he stopped cold in his tracks. Lounging on one of Max's large white calf leather sofas was Lincoln, alive and whole. The prodigal vampire turned his head and gave David a lazy smile while he rolled a wooden toothpick around with his tongue.

Sarah let out a fearful hiss and hid behind David. Lincoln laughed as he glanced over his shoulder to eye the cause of the young vampire's distress.

Oh it wasn't Lincoln made Sarah cower behind David like a scared rabbit. He knew he was good, but his Boss was better. It was pretty obvious.

"David, Sarah, I would like to introduce you to an old acquaintance of mine. This is Freiherr Gereon Von Fauster, a Drachenmeister from Germany and more recently the East Coast. In the North American circles we refer to him as Baron Lucard, a Master Vampire from an era that people hardly read about in the history books anymore. Oh don't worry, he is not the Dracula. Hardly. That was just a bit of PR that took off in the 1800s and hasn't stopped since. No, the Baron is one of the few remaining members of the Order of the Dragon who still walk among us. And The Baron has come a long way to meet you Sarah. Quite the honour wouldn't you say?" Max said matter-of-factly as he stood off to the side to watch how this little scene would play out.

A tall, imposing figure towered over the room from where he stood with his back to the modern marble fireplace. Impeccably tailored in a hand-stitched pinstriped Italian suit complete with silk tie and polished leather shoes the silver-haired Baron looked like he had come straight from a CEO meeting with the top executive traders on Wall Street. Everything from the hard lines on his face to the immaculate cut of his beard emulated power. It wasn't just his physical build that filled the room, for in height he was a good half a head taller than Max, but it was also his very presence that seemed to dwarf his surroundings.

David found himself instinctively taking on a more submissive stance, head down and eyes lowered, which was something that he never did in front of anyone unless he was physically forced to. In his eyes the baron was huge, huge in power and huge in being. A lion among men with the face of an old king. The man, this master vampire, was a dark-eyed force of nature onto himself that one no one in their right mind would ever want to reckon with.

Never before had David felt the weightless sense of dread that chilled him to the very core. He could not suppress the shudder that ran through him. He did not want to be here, in this room, with that man. He had to get away.

"The pleasure is mine." Lucard spoke softly, hardly above a deep-timbered whisper and in perfect English as he nodded his head in Sarah's direction. "Please do not be frightened. There is no reason to fear."

Both David and Sarah found that hard to believe.

Max waited a moment before he cleared his throat and gave Sarah a stern look. The Baron might be the Master in the room but Max was still her maker and she answered to him. He did not abide rudeness under his roof.

Sarah swallowed hard, not once but twice, before she found her voice.

"H-hello."

She slowly edged out from behind David.

Lucard's dark brown eyes seemed somewhat warm compared to his polished and chiseled exterior and when he smiled, Sarah instantly looked down at her feet.

"I see that my unexpected visit seems to have startled you. For that I do apologize."

"I-it's...it's alright." Sarah whispered, surprised that she even had the nerve to say anything.

Max took that moment as his cue and stepped towards Sarah. As he did so he blocked David out completely before he placed his hand on her shoulder. The moment his hand touched her Sarah blanched. This reaction did not go unnoticed by Lucard and when his eyes flickered to Max, the head vampire of Santa Carla shook his head.

"Since Max has so kindly introduced you to me, allow me to introduce one of my own. Sarah this is Lincoln." Lucard gestured to the seated vampire whose coy smile broadened when he winked at her.

"Hey there." He said as he took the toothpick out of his mouth. "Wouldja look at those pretty terrified hazel eyes. If I didn't know better Boss I'd say that that was real fear in them. Wonder why?"

Lincoln quietly chuckled to himself as he started to pick his eyeteeth with the toothpick.

"How observant of you." Lucard's tone was dry.

"Glad you think so." Lincoln mused as he continued to pick his teeth. He was not at all concerned with his master's reaction. After all this was all just a game. A vampire chess match where two masters pitted their own against each other in order to gain that ever coveted upper-hand.

"Do not mind Lincoln. Sometimes his mouth is smarter than his mind." Lucard reassured Sarah as he beckoned her to come closer with a wave of his hand. "Do not worry my dear; I can assure you that I do not bite."

The genuine smile on his face warmed his eyes by degrees and though Max held her in place Sarah slowly began to relax. She made no move as she studied the powerful figure with a cautious expression. The mistrust was right there on the surface as was the fear but when Sarah finally gathered the nerve to look him in the eye she paused. Those eyes. They just seemed so friendly and for a moment she could not remember why she had been so frightened to begin with.

Oh sure Max was right there beside her. Could that have been it? It must be. She did not like Max. She hated Max. Loathed Max. But Lucard didn't seem to be anything like Max so why should she not move a little closer?

"I can't believe you just said that." Lincoln snorted at the overused cliché.

"Lincoln." Lucard's voice remained even but the smart-mouthed vampire got the message.

"Alright, alright." Lincoln spat out the toothpick as he heaved himself off the couch and sauntered over to where David stood. Lincoln made sure that he went around the couch so that he would not cut in front of Sarah or Max.

"Now we wait for the fun to begin." Lincoln murmured to David as he stood right beside him and crossed his arms over his chest. His eyes locked on Sarah as she took the first step away from Max.

David glared at Lincoln out of the corner of his eye but did not make any move to step away from his old rival. Lincoln caught the look and a slow knowing smile crept over his scarred face.

"You have no idea of what's goin' on do you? Shoo boy, you're in for one helluva surprise."

With that Lincoln quickly cracked the kink out of his neck and settled down to wait for what was coming.

A lick of fear flashed across David's mind as he focused his attention on Lucard and when he did a wave of realization slowly came to him. With Max standing on one side of the room and Lucard on the other, Sarah looked like a naive little songbird caught between two hungry predators and did not even know it.

"Is she a runner or a fighter? My money's on runner." Lincoln barely moved his lips as Sarah faltered halfway and looked back at David.

"Go on." Max said with a nod of his head. While everyone watched in an anticipation that only Sarah seemed completely unaware of she took a willing chance.

Lucard smiled.

"I'm glad to see that you have some trust in me. Trust is a very important part of my world. Tell me Sarah, do you trust me?" He asked as she stared up at him, their eye contact never breaking.

Sarah did not say anything for a moment as she thought about the question and when she answered her voice did not quiver like it had moments ago. "Should I?"

"Should you? Well that is entirely up for you to decide." Lucard chuckled as did Max, as if it was some private inside joke that they both shared.

"Then I haven't decided yet." Sarah clasped her hands together and tilted her head to the side.

Lincoln snorted back a laugh and cleared his throat as Max slowly turned and gave him a look of warning. Instead of looking away Lincoln flashed Max his most patronizing smile and gave him the finger.

"Is that so? Well I can respect that. I enjoy a woman who speaks her mind." He said in a way that slyly coaxed a shy smile from Sarah. "You are very pretty when you smile, do you know that? Not many people can light up a room with a simple smile."

Lucard carefully looked her over, appraising what he was saw with a critical eye in a way that did not make it the least bit obvious. "So innocent and so full of life. So untouched."

He raised his hand and gently caressed Sarah's cheek with a finger. Sarah did not flinch or shy away from the gesture. She blushed and looked away shyly.

"Nnnn..." David burst into a fit of coughing. No one paid him any attention as he cleared his throat and swallowed. What the hell? David looked sharply at Max, but the head vampire had his back turned to him and seemed to be focused entirely on Lucard and Sarah. Lincoln grinned that jackal grin of his as he looked straight ahead.

When David tried to step forward, Lincoln's smile tightened into wicked sneer.

"Told you he was one mean mother-fucker."

David's anxiety level shot up instantly. He couldn't move. He could not move from where he was standing. Something had him frozen to the spot.

"What the hell is going on!"

David's voice snarled in his minds eye. David tried once more to move forward but his legs would not obey. Nor would his arms or any part of his body.

Lincoln ran his tongue over his teeth and cracked his knuckles.

"Watch and learn Davey-boy. You just sit tight and watch how the big guns do business. Nothin' else you can do is there?"

Lincoln purred viciously as David growled. His narrowed eyes were the only sign that gave away his internal struggle as he strained with all his might to move even an inch in any direction but whatever it was that had him stuck, it had him good.

"Where did you find this one?" Lucard asked Max as he casually tucked a wayward strand of Sarah's hair behind her ear. A faint frown appeared on her face but she just brushed the comment off as nothing. After all, she did not have anything to be afraid of. Standing so close to the Master Vampire made her feel safe and wanted. Max's influence could not touch her now. It was a feeling that she had not felt in a long time and she really did not want it to go away.

"San Francisco. When I saw her I knew I could not let the opportunity pass. You do not find them with such innocence anymore, not at that age." Max replied as he adjusted his glasses and smiled slightly.

"Indeed. The youth today are too far gone to be of any use." Lucard glanced down at Sarah for a moment. "Is she marked?"

"Ah, no. I used the other method because I knew that you preferred them without the marks."

"That was quite thoughtful of you to consider after everything that has happened occurred between us in the past. I am very appreciative." Lucard said with a slow nod of his head, one that Max instantly mirrored. Vampire politics. When in the negation of terms it was always better to be polite and unreadable whilst always keep the cards close to the chest.

"Well that is all water under the bridge as they say." Max chuckled. The smile on his face did not reach his eyes. "So, does she suit your interest?"

Formalities aside it was time to get down to business.

"Indeed she does. She is a very rare find and I would call myself a fool to not accept your offer."

Sarah tried to make sense of what the baron had just said. The severe tone of his voice jarred her slowly back to reality. With it came the return of the crippling fear that had overcome her when she first entered the house.

"Then you agree to give me the whole of California in exchange?" Max put forth wording his question carefully so that he did not accidentally tip the balance in the barons favour. Lucard nodded slowly once more and the deal was done. "Well then, that is great news. And the other elders, when will they be made aware of the terms of the agreement?"

"In a few days I will be attending a meeting with the Heads of the Americas and that is when I shall let them know. Do not worry Von Ruben, my word is my bond as you well know. I will not go back on it. I can assure you."

"Then our business here is finished." Max said as he squared his shoulders and looked Lucard in the eye. "She is now yours to do with what you will. I hope this one satisfies your expectations, unlike the others. It was quite unfortunate to hear how they turned out. I never would have imagined it."

Others.

Max had said something about others. The other girls? Sarah's eyes widened. Max could only mean the girls whose names were written on the cave wall. Who else could they be?

Sarah tried to catch David's eye but with Max standing in the way there was no way for her to verify if her suspicions were true. Had she been able to see the expression on David's face she would have screamed.

"Why Dave, you're lookin' a little green around the gills there. What's wrong? Get the wind knocked outta ya?" Lincoln inquired when the pallor of David's skin became the colour of bleached bone. "Sure is a kicker ain't it? I'm surprised you did figure this all out sooner."

Lincoln positioned himself so that he was standing in the middle of the parlour entrance. He rolled his shoulders before he slouched into a fighter's crouch.

"Now comes the fun part."

Only Lincoln would find sadistic enjoyment in such an abhorred custom, despite the fact that what was about to happen to Sarah had happened to him decades ago.

"It happens more often than not. Fledglings in this day and age cannot seem to cope with the concept of ownership. I blame the Civil War for that. Well Von Ruben, I have taken up enough of your time and hospitality. I do hope we can continue to have dealings in the future."

"As do I. But before you go..." Max trailed off deliberately as he looked at Sarah.

"Ah yes. It is never a pleasant experience but it must be done. Do you mind?"

Even though Sarah did not have the faintest idea as to what Lucard and Max were going on about she did figure that if she did not get herself out of that house right then something very bad was going to happen and it was going to happen to her.

It was high time that Sarah got her butt in motion and that is exactly what she did.

"Screw you!" Sarah spat as she slammed the heel of her combat boot down on Lucard's foot has hard as she could. Her sudden action seemed to have startled Lucard and that was all Sarah needed. David felt a sudden rush of air brush against him as Sarah passed him at full-speed but despite Sarah's lightning dash for freedom she could not get past Lincoln.

"Bastard!" Sarah yelled as Lincoln lunged to the side and caught her in a full-body bear-hug. They fell backward from the force of the collision and landed in a flailing heap in the hallway. It took Lincoln half a second to pin Sarah's arms to her sides and lock her legs together as he wrapped himself around her like a boa constrictor. Sarah's chances of making it out of the house were gone the second Lincoln had hit the ground.

"Let me go! Get your hands off me! David! Help!" Sarah hissed and spat as she tried to free herself but being rendered completely immobile by Lincoln's expert body hold she could do little more that wriggle about like a worm on a hook.

"Easy now there little miss fussy. No need to lose that pretty head of yours." Lincoln growled as he fought to keep his ankles locked together around her legs. Sarah screamed something awful before Lincoln rolled off his back so that he could pin her face down on the hardwood floor.

"Sonofa...let go...David...help!" Various curses and cries for help filled the house as Lincoln held on and rode out the storm with professional ease as Sarah gave her all into fighting Lincoln's impossible grip. Max and Lucard just watched everything from the parlour having seen and experienced the drama again and again for as long as either of them could remember.

This was nothing new to them, merely a necessary nuisance. To David however it was a solid punch in the gut.

"Let her go."

David's voice snarled in Lincoln's head but it did little more than piss off the busy vampire.

"Oh go fuck yourself David." Lincoln snarled back loudly as Sarah tried a reverse head butt on him.

"David let Lincoln do his job." Max said.

David was dumbfounded by the insincerity that his leader had for what was going on. Sarah was one of them for Christ sake! There was no love between him and Sarah to begin with but what David was witnessing made his skin crawl. It was the reality of it all that scared David to the core. If this could happen to Max's little pet then Sarah's fate could easily be his if Max ever felt like bartering him off for his own personal gain. The bile rose in the back of his throat and David felt the sudden urge to vomit.

"C'mon kid don't make me hurt you now!" Lincoln growled in warning when Sarah refused to give up and submit.

"Let me go and I'll return the favour asshole." Sarah hissed angrily as she tried to bite Lincoln.

"We're gonna have to teach this one a few manners. Quite the little fighter even if she don't look it. Guess I was wrong." Lincoln laughed out-loud as he rolled them both across the floor and wedged Sarah between himself and the wall in order to force her up against it so that she had no room to turn her head.

"Stop fooling around." Lucard commanded as he stepped into he hallway. He was followed closely by Max just in case an extra pair of hands were needed.

David could do little more than follow them all with his eyes and when the two elder vampires moved out of his line of vision he had little choice but to listen to what was going on a mere few feet away from him.

"Trust me boss, I ain't foolin'." Lincoln growled as Sarah tried once more to break Lincoln's hold, an act born out of complete desperation at the approach of the baron.

"Hold her still."

Lucard grabbed Lincoln and easily pulled him away from the wall before he stepped over him.

"What the hell do ya think I'm tryin' to do? Quit movin' you little..." Lincoln snapped before he nipped her nice and hard on the ear. Sarah let out a screech that made the hairs on the back of David's neck stand on end.

"Please, please don't do this. Max don't let him do this. Please, please Max." Sarah begged when Max crouched down and placed his large hands on either side of her face in order to immobilize her head. When that happened Sarah locked up once more as tears began to stream from the corners of her eyes.

"Ya got her head?" Lincoln asked as he shifted his body so that he was on his back and Sarah was left exposed on top of him.

"Oh god. Please don't do this. Please...please don't do this." Sarah whimpered as Lucard stood over her. She instinctively tried to shy away from his presence but Max forced her head to the side in order to expose the base of her neck from beneath the collar of her jacket. Lucard ignored her tear-filled cries as he reached over and pulled away her jacket and shirt in order to bare the base of her neck and shoulder.

"Ready Boss?" Lincoln muttered to Lucard as he tensed in anticipation.

"David help me! Oh god, don't let them do this. Don't do this! David! DAVID!"

David closed his eyes and ground his teeth in an attempt to block out the sound of Sarah's hysterical sobs but it was no use. He could hear it all and he could do absolutely nothing.

"Please...stop...please don't do this...please..."

Sarah was crying hard now. She couldn't move. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't fight. All she could do was wait in fear. When she saw the demonic visage that hovered over her the scream she unleashed was a gut-wrenching shriek of despair and pure terror. The face of the Master Vampire that now had his hands on her was the most horrifying thing she had ever seen.

"Easy now, easy. It'll be over soon, c'mon, easy."" Lincoln quietly murmured into Sarah's ear right before Lucard grabbed her by the throat and bared his massive fangs. The savage snarls and growls of a vampire on the feed echoed through the long hallway as Lucard tore into her delicate neck with enough strength to wrench her out of Lincoln's body hold. Max had been fast enough to let go before her neck snapped but Lincoln received a powerful kick to the ribs for his troubles. Sarah uttered a single gasp in protest before the shock set in.

It did not take the Master Vampire long to drain her limp and lifeless. She almost reached the point past saving before Lucard eased his teeth out of what remained of her trapezius without severing the main artery. He acted fast with skilled ease as he checked her unseeing eyes to make sure that he had not damaged her beyond repair.

Despite her lifeless appearance Lucard could sense that a faint spark of life still remained and he worked swiftly to rekindle it. Slashing his wrist open with his teeth Lucard forced a steady stream of his blood down Sarah's throat from the deep wound. Minutes later Max intervened in order to apply a steady source of pressure on Lucard's wrist as Lucard bit into Sarah once more.

Lincoln rose to his feet and turned away from the scene. He left Max and Lucard alone to finish what had to be done. The bloodletting would have to be repeated a few times before the ritual was successfully completed. Whether or not Sarah would survive the ordeal remained to be seen.

He ran a hand nervously through his hair and completely messed up his already ruffled hairdo as he stepped into the parlour. David was still standing there, unmoving.

David opened his eyes and the two stared at each other for a long moment.

"He owns you." Lincoln muttered quietly so that only David could hear. "Don't you forget it. He owns your ass and there's nothing you can do about it. Don't you ever forget that."

David blinked but didn't make any sort of reply as Lincoln reaffirmed this newly learned truth. David was not his own master and he never would be while Max lived and lorded over him.

"Watch your back Dave."

With that Lincoln stepped away and went back into the hallway where Lucard and Max were waiting for him.

"Take her to the house and make sure she wakes before sunrise." Lucard instructed as Lincoln nodded and took Sarah up in his arms.

"And you?" Lincoln asked as he looked down at the corpselike figure that he held. Sarah was a bloodied mangled mess and her clothes were ruined but Lucard was as immaculate as ever. There wasn't even a hair out of place despite what had just happened.

"I will join you before sunrise."

That was all Lucard said before he turned and strode out of the house and into the night, leaving Lincoln to care for Sarah until she awoke.

Once Lucard had left Max swallowed the distance between them in a single stride.

"You have three days." Max warned before he walked off down the hallway just as Thorn appeared. The dog gave Lincoln a low growl of warning before he turned and padded after his master.

"Course I do."

Lincoln spat as he carefully adjusted his hold before carried Sarah out to the car. He walked right past David without even bothering with a goodbye.

It was only when Lucard's presence was no longer felt on the premise that David was able to move again. He waited to make sure that he was alone before he went over to the couch and sunk down onto it. Taking a steadying breath David lowered his hands and stared at them. They were shaking.

The sudden roar of the Chevelle coming to life made David jump and that was enough to prod him into action. David was off the couch and out of the house in a flash just in time to see the headlights of Lincoln's car sweep past him as he pulled out of the driveway and drove off with a screech of tires. Having no stomach to stay anywhere near Max for another minute David yanked out his keys and mounted the Triumph as quickly as he could. He keyed the ignition and kick started the bike to life before he swung the motorcycle in a wide arch and peeled away from Max's house in a shower of gravel, heading straight for the safety of the cave and the others.

However kneeling stock still in the underbrush where they had been able to witness this strange turn of events, Tory and Ian stared off in the direction that David had gone. Both of them did not dare to so much as breathe until they were sure that the coast was finally clear.

"What the actual fuck?" Tory whispered as she and Ian looked at each other in horror.