Part 2

I woke up, dizzy and sick, on the stone floor of a cell. I felt heavy; evidently draining a full body of blood was like over eating (I might be a vampire, but I vaguely knew about indigestion). My limbs refused to move very far across the ground, so I looked at my arms to see what was going on. Strong iron chains fixed me down hard, a lot better than the ones Viola used in her cottage. My head began to clear gradually as I got my bearings. Vampires are very difficult to harm for long, and they- we, I should say- heal very quickly. Soon I felt wide-awake and angry. There didn't seem to be much in the cell apart from a formidable wooden door. Chinks of watery daylight filtered in from it. Remembering the figure that caught hold of me as I fainted, I strained on my bindings, eager to find and question him. I was surprised at how well the chains held out. Usually I could bust through anything put before me but this was amazing- I had to yank as hard as possible to even sit up.

Then I thought over the choices of what I could do now. I could sit and wait for someone to come in, try and dislocate my wrists to escape from the chains or I could yell for attention. As for the first option, it seemed highly probable that I would be waiting hours, so I mentally crossed it off the list. Next, I had no idea how to dislocate my wrists and didn't particularly want to. So that left the last choice. I took a huge breath and roared at the top of my voice.

"LET ME OUT OF HERE NOW YOU FREAK!" I hollered, noticing how loudly the order echoed around the cell. However, there was no response so I tried again.

"HEY, YOU BIG DUMB IDIOT!" I bawled. "ARE YOU DEAF, OR SIMPLY BRAINLESS?"

That did it. I heard bolts slide back, and the door swung open with a creak. Immediately I fell silent. A handsome guy with black hair and eyes was standing in the doorway, scrutinizing me. I felt his eyes gaze at every aspect of my body, from my head to my black gothic boots, causing my cheeks to color. He stepped into the stone cell smiling in satisfaction.

"Well, what a beautiful vampire you are," he remarked, coming towards me. Hastily I crawled backwards.

"Don't take another step," I warned him. "You kidnapped me when I fainted and I want to know why. So what, I killed Viola and that gives you an excuse?"

The man crouched low and cupped my chin in his right hand. He tipped my head back and looked straight into my eyes. His tongue licked his lower lip, and as he did so two perfectly pointed canines were revealed. He was a vampire too. "My name is Damon," he announced coolly. "And you're Pandora."

"That's Miss Black to you," I snarled. "Don't think you can charm me with names. I asked you a question. Answer it."

"I heard a certain commotion going on at the witch's house, involving a famous young vampire we all know and a recently deceased Viola. You, my pretty friend, were trying to find out about some unpleasant men who had desecrated your abode, if I remember correctly. Then when you were refused blood, you turned on the witch and killed her."
My heart began to thud in my chest.

"That isn't why I killed her, and you know it," I argued. "She was going to kill an innocent kid. She'd already murdered her brother. She was eating him as we spoke!"

Damon put a finger across my lips in a shushing gesture. I jerked my head away huffily, spitting at him, but then he grabbed both my shoulders and made me look at him.

"Don't underestimate me, Miss Black," he said quietly. His eyes glowed eerily in the dark.

"You know that neither your mother nor your father would tolerate such crimes from any one, let alone their own daughter. They would throw you in a dungeon to rot for the rest of your life. I am far harsher on killers. Especially the pretty ones."

I felt sick anticipation rise up as Damon stroked my hair. I knew that vampire males were dangerous and unpredictable, stronger and even slyer than the females such as myself, so I felt sure of the punishment in store for me. I lowered my eyes again to look at the unforgiving grey floor.

"Look at me," Damon ordered in a hard voice, however, when I did I saw lust fill his eyes. "I have decided to be merciful. Strike a deal with me and I will tell no one you killed Viola."
I knew this was my only chance to get out of here alive.

"Ok," I stammered. "What do you want me to do?"

Damon leaned forward and kissed me on the mouth, drawing out the suspense.
"Keep still," he whispered. And I screamed…