This chapter was a real bitch. It came out in bits and pieces, and at some point I wasn't even sure if I wanted to finish the chapter or just abandon the story since no one seems to care. So, big thanks to Karma Dragonia for a very motivating review! Also, MadaSasu, thank you for your support as well; I hope you will find the length of this chapter satisfactory.

Happy new year, everyone!

We will find you
Acting on your best behavior
Turn your back on Mother Nature
Everybody wants to rule the world

Lorde - Everybody Wants To Rule The World

Thor's heart was racing. He had to find a way out of there. He had never had a doubt that the Vampire King was a dangerous creature, but now he had truly seen the monster inside him. Up until that moment, Thor had foolishly believed that vampires looked a lot like humans, except for the paleness of their skin and their fangs (which the older ones could easily conceal when they spoke or smiled, if they wanted to).

There was a window in his room, but it was too small. Thor was a big, muscular man, but he would fit through a normal window. This one, however, was more of a hole than a window, being there merely to inform Thor whether it was night or day.

He supposed that he could just kill the Vampire King the next time he came for him. If he failed, the creature would probably be so angry that it would be Thor ending up dead instead. Of course, there was the possibility of the Vampire King choosing to torture him instead of killing him. Surely he could come up with many ways to cause excruciating pain.

Thor reached the conclusion that he could not flee. The only way out was to attempt to kill the Vampire King, damning the consequences, the possible (painful) outcomes if he did not succeed. However, there was a major flaw in that plan: he had no means to do it. He carried no weapon on his person, and there was nothing sharp in the room. The bed was made of wood, but how could Thor get a stake out of it?

Besides, Thor wasn't even certain whether the legend about the stake through the heart was even true. What if it was merely something that humans had come up with in order to have a sense of control, believing that they could actually put an end to those creatures? Thor could see clearly in his head the image of the Vampire King laughing with a piece of wood protruding from his chest.

The door, then. Thor had nothing to use so as to pick the lock. Trying to break it down might not be futile, given his strength; but the noise would alert the creature. Could he distract the creature somehow, make it forget to lock the door?

Thor's first thought was to enrage the Vampire King. Blinded by his anger, he might forget to lock his human inside. However, he had been infuriated just now and had not forgotten.

Thor raked his brain, desperately trying to find a way to outwit the creature. And then realisation dawned on him: he shouldn't look at the Vampire King as a creature, as a monster. He had been human once; human parents had given him the name Loki. Thor knew - he had seen - that the Vampire King still had memories of his mortal life. Maybe there was still something human inside him. Maybe Thor could use that to his advantage.

A bond. Thor had to create a bond between himself and the Vampire King. But how can you achieve something like that when the other person has been technically dead for several centuries and has been drinking people's blood ever since?

Thor supposed that he could be obedient. He could pretend to surrender completely to the Vampire King.

But what if the Vampire King wasn't fooled? What if he saw right through the act? Would he find the change from resistance to obedience too quick, unconvincing?

What if he lost interest in Thor and decided to kill him? The mortal man's courage and refusal to give in seemed to amuse the creature. What if that change made Thor just another - disposable - human?

Somehow, Thor had to bring the human side of Loki (if it still existed) on the surface without letting the vampire detect what he was trying to do and without becoming uninteresting for the vampire. It didn't sound very easy.

The Vampire King did not grace him with his presence throughout the rest of the day. That ought to please Thor, but instead he felt no relief because his thoughts could not be stopped.

He wondered about the extent of the Vampire King's powers, about his abilities. Was there any way to kill him once and for all? What did he do when he was not in Thor's room? Did he have other mortals locked up in rooms throughout the castle?

The door opened. Thor prepared himself for the encounter, but it was a total stranger that entered. He was carrying a plate and was walking towards Thor without saying a word. He left the plate in front of Thor and made to leave.

"Wait," Thor's voice stopped him. "Who are you?"

The man looked at him, but it appeared that he could barely see Thor. He seemed to be present only in body and not in spirit. Thor couldn't help but wonder what his story was as he observed him.

The man had short brown hair and a fit but not overly muscular body. However, it was his eyes that drew Thor's attention. They were blue. Too blue. Too bright. Inhuman.

Thor blinked and managed to show no fear. What sort of creature had eyes like that? Certainly not vampires. Shapeshifters looked like completely normal people. What was that man? And why wasn't he answering?

"Who are you?" Thor asked again, making it sound like a demand. What are you?

The man looked at him as if he weren't even there. He turned around, as silent and empty of emotion as before, and exited the room.

And then Thor heard something that he had not noticed earlier due to his consuming thoughts: the lock. The man locked his door. Thor's eyes widened in surprise. Who and what was this man, and why did he have the key to his room? Surely the Vampire King would not trust anyone with his new human.

After Thor was done with the meat served to him by the stranger who refused to get out of his thoughts, he heard the door open yet again. This time, however, it was the Vampire King himself who stepped inside. Thor almost felt relieved at seeing a familiar face instead of yet another stranger, but then he inwardly scolded himself for that.

The Vampire King approached his bed slowly, walking confidently as though he were the king of the world. Thor couldn't help but wonder just how far the creature's power extended and how much control he had over things. He certainly looked regal, tall and elegant, with an imposing silhouette and a determined stride. He looked like a man before whom people should kneel. Except that he wasn't a man at all. He was a blood-sucking monster.

He smiled at Thor as he got closer. It didn't look mocking or full of dark promises. It looked innocent. He appeared so different from the nightmare Thor had faced the last time. The mortal man could almost forget the frightening images, but when he realised what was going on he forced himself to remember everything in full detail. He could not allow himself to erase the memory of what the handsome raven-haired being really looked. He could not allow himself to fall for his tricks.

"I see you've eaten," the Vampire King said. He sounded pleased. "I wouldn't want you to starve out of stubbornness."

Why do you care? Thor almost asked. Nevertheless, right before the words tumbled out of his mouth, he reminded himself that he should try to create a bond between them. So, he posed the question in a different way, "Do you care about my well-being?"

The Vampire King narrowed his eyes slightly and looked at him. He was trying to decide whether he had just been mocked or not. Reaching the conclusion that the words held no sarcasm, he reassumed the look of innocence on his face. "Of course I do," he replied. "If I wanted you dead, I would have killed you already."

Thor nodded, seeming to appreciate Loki's concern but still being a little suspicious. In all truth, he was very suspicious. And he couldn't care less whether his captor took such interest in him. No, he did not.

"Who was the man that brought the food to me?" he asked.

Loki grinned devilishly. "Jealous, my pet?"

It was hard to stay in character as the creature's words enraged him so. Yet, he somehow managed to do that. "If you came here just to mock me, forget I ever asked and just leave." He managed to sound very tired, as if he was slowly resigning.

The Vampire King sighed, but the mortal man did not fail to see the momentary glimmer of satisfaction in his emerald green eyes. The creature believed that he had broken him already. "His name is Clint," he explained. "He is my servant."

"Your servant?"

"Yes. I bought him many, many years ago. I fed on him and now he is under my complete control."

Thor suddenly remembered that the Vampire King could feed on him any time he so wished. And he could drain him, killing him slowly as even the last drop of blood left his body. That was why he wanted Thor to eat well: so that he would be healthy when the time of the feeding came. Thor suppressed the urge to stick a finger down his throat and vomit right then and there.

Thor decided to keep asking questions instead. "Why...why were his eyes like that?"

That devilish grin broke the Vampire King's smooth, pale face again. "Because I control him," he said. "I call him with my powers. The repeated feedings make it so much easier."

Thor tried not to shiver as he comprehended that this could very easily become him. "Why didn't he talk to me?"

"Because I forbade him to. He does only what I order him to. He has no will of his own anymore."

Thor found himself pitying Clint. Death would have been a much kinder fate that this - having no conscious, being totally controlled by a vampire.

And then, something that the vampire had said finally caught his attention. "How young did you take him?" he asked, his voice barely audible.

"Pardon me?"

"You said you'd bought him many, many years ago. But he looks young. Did you..." Thor paused at the thought. Did he really want to know the answer to this? "Did you take him when he was a child?"

The Vampire King's eyes widened for a moment, then he broke into laughter. It was a rich, melodic sound, simultaneously sweet and seductive. "Oh no, I've never bought kids. Not that any kids have ever been sold to me. You see, Clint is older than he looks; he's a little over twice your age."

Thor's jaw dropped. If anything, the man looked younger than him, not that much older. "How is that possible?"

"It's my power over him, my control of him. It slows the process of aging."

Thor found Clint's story even sadder. The man was nothing but a puppet in the talented hands of a master vampire who gave him more years of this hell. Had Clint lost his will completely from the beginning? Or had he fought? Had he tried to take the vampire down or take his own life, only to find that his master would not let him? Would Thor become the new Clint?

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