Chapter 3

Pegasus finally came to accept that he would never be human again. With much misgiving, he learned to cope with his new form. However, he made a foolish mistake: he believed himself to be the only vampire on the premises. Time came to show him how wrong he was.

Pegasus had vowed only to drink as much human blood as he needed to survive, no more. He had read in one of the books Caleb had lent him that vampires had to be careful what kind of blood they drank, so he came up with a clever way to find out if a person's blood was safe to drink. He secretly made a small cut on the person and tasted the blood. Often, the blood was safe. Other times, it was safe, but tasted foul (especially when the person had been drinking; when that happened, Pegasus often ended up with a splitting headache for days after).

In one fateful instance, Pegasus didn't have to cut the man, for his fingers had slipped and he had cut himself with a steak knife. When the man left the room to get a bandage, Pegasus picked up the knife and (making sure no one was looking first) ran his tongue against the flat side of the blade where the blood had collected. The blood had an unusual bitterness to it.

No sooner than he had put the blade down, a wave of dizziness swept over him. He quickly grabbed onto the counter for support. What's happening to me? Croquet, the man who had cut himself, came back into the room. "Sir? Are you alright?" he asked in a concerned tone, but his voice seemed to come from the end of a very long tunnel. Pegasus tried to answer, but his throat seemed paralyzed. His knees buckled, and his world went black.

"Hey! He's coming around!"

Pegasus felt someone's hand pressed against his forehead. He moaned softly. A hand was holding his. Pegasus gave it a reassuring squeeze and opened his eyes. He saw Croquet gazing at him with apprehension. He tried to sit up but was forced back down.

"Not yet, sir. Wait until you're feeling better." Croquet murmured.

"I am feeling better, Croquet!" Pegasus said with annoyance. He absolutely despised people worrying about him, and now was no exception.

Croquet glanced around nervously, making sure no one else was in the room. "Sir, why didn't you tell me?" he asked in an undertone.

Pegasus didn't quite understand. "Tell you about what?"

Croquet gestured to a spot over the jugular vein on his neck exactly in the same position as Pegasus's mark. Uh oh. This could be bad. He decided to continue playing dumb. "I don't get it"

Croquet sighed. "Sir, I already know. You can tell me the truth. Don't you trust me?" He gave Pegasus a rather hurt glance, gazing into his eyes. Pegasus suddenly felt lightheaded and compelled to trust Croquet with the truth.

"How did you figure out?" Pegasus muttered.

Croquet glanced toward the door again. The he slowly pulled back his own collar, revealing a faded mark on his neck identical to Pegasus's own. He smiled. "We're exactly the same. We always have been. Will you trust me now?" he asked, his voice becoming oddly soothing.

Pegasus nodded. He then noticed a strange brand on Croquet's wrist. Before he could get a better look at it, Croquet yanked his sleeve over it. He placed his hand on Pegasus's forehead. "You should try to get some rest." He murmured. "We don't want to risk a relapse, do we?" Pegasus shook his head, his eyes growing very heavy. He laid his head against one of the pillows, closed his eyes, and immediately fell asleep.

Pegasus heard a strange patter of footsteps on the balcony outside his widow. He opened his eyes slowly, noticing that night had fallen. Someone knocked quietly on the pane; a hooded and cloaked someone.

"Max?" the figure called softly.

The voice stirred a memory. "Caleb?" Pegasus got out of bed and went outside. It felt like that first night all over again, only this time Pegasus was already a full vampire.

"How are you getting on? I heard you fell ill today."

"Heard from whom?" Pegasus asked, slightly annoyed. He closed the window behind him, wanting to keep their conversation private.

"No one in particular." Caleb said indifferently. He frowned. "You didn't drink vampire blood by accident, did you?"

"I think I might have. But don't worry!" he said quickly, seeing Caleb's distress. "I feel fine. Really!"

"What vampire did you drink from?" Caleb asked. "I wasn't aware of any other vampire here other than you."

"Croquet. One of the servants." Pegasus replied.

"And how do you know he is a vampire?" Caleb asked arrogantly, clearly testing him.

"He has the same mark I have. I also passed out when I tasted his blood." Pegasus countered. He frowned. "I've been meaning to talk to you about this. He had some kind of brand on his left wrist. Is there some kind of vampiric significance?"

"His…left wrist?" Caleb muttered, confused. His eyes suddenly widened in horror. He grappled Pegasus by the shoulders. "What did it look like?" he whispered hoarsely. "Tell me!"

"It-it looked like a capital V. Why?" Pegasus stammered. He had never seen Caleb so frightened.

"Does he know you're a vampire?" Caleb whispered frantically, squeezing tighter.

"Yes! I told him earlier! What's wrong?" Caleb's grip became intolerable. "Caleb, you're hurting me!"

"You must leave here at once! You are in terrible danger!" Caleb whispered.

"I'm in danger of losing my arms, Caleb. You're crushing them!"

Caleb's grip lessened. Pegasus rubbed at one shoulder gingerly. "I am deathly serious, Max. Croquet is one of the Vampanese!"

"The what?" Pegasus asked, incredulous.

"The Vampanese. They are vampires that have gone completely insane. They hunt for sport. They feed to kill, and they are fiercely territorial. They will kill any vampire on the land they've claimed. They are branded for the safety of others."

"That's insane! Croquet would never hurt me!" Pegasus snapped. While he said this, his eyes became strangely clouded.

Caleb noticed the change. "Max, what's wrong?" The concern in his voice was overpowering.

"Nothing's wrong. I'm fine!" He seemed distant, disconnected.

"Max, look at me!" Caleb snarled, turning Pegasus's face toward his. Pegasus barely blinked. "Max, when he spoke to you, did he sound calming?"

"Yes." He seemed even more disconnected.

"Max! Max, I think he hypnotized you! Look at me!" Caleb cried frantically. In his hysteria, he struck Pegasus across the face. Pegasus blinked. His fingertips went to the red marks on his face.

His eyes cleared. "Was that honestly necessary?" he asked sourly.

A rustling came from the rooftop above them. Caleb looked up. "Go back inside. Get back in bed. Pretend you've been sleeping." He glanced over. "Quickly!"

Pegasus scampered back through the window and scrambled into bed. He heard footsteps in the hallway. He quickly closed his eyes and tried to slow his breathing. The door opened. He heard the footsteps come close to him. He felt someone's fingers press against his pulse point on his neck. He would feel Pegasus's heart hammering. He heard a sigh.

"Sleep well, Mr. Pegasus." Croquet murmured. He heard the sound of Croquet breathing into his hands, as if the room were very cold. Without warning, his hand was pressed against Pegasus's nose and mouth. He tried to hold his breath, but Croquet was too quick. An unnatural sleepiness fell over him and he sank into oblivion.

Pegasus's eyes drifted open. For barely a moment, he forgot that he had been in any danger. Then the memories of the night before came flooding back. I'm in danger. Croquet could kill me at any time. Caleb's right. I've got to get out of here! However, that proved easier said than done. Croquet never let Pegasus out of his sight. For three days, he was constantly under Croquet's shadow.

Finally, he got his chance. Croquet had left the house for the evening (Hunting for human blood, no doubt. Pegasus thought bitterly). With Croquet gone, he could escape. Pegasus waited twenty minutes before slipping upstairs, packing a bag of clothes, and sneaking out the front door.

Sadly, Croquet wasn't the only one who was watching Pegasus. Not ten minutes after he had slipped out, Kemo went to the phone and dialed. When he heard someone pick up, he whispered, "James, it's Kemo. He just left on foot. You'll catch him in less than five minutes if you go now." He heard the click on the other end signify that the message had been received.

Meanwhile, Pegasus was walking on the side of the road, hoping for a car to pass by. He would rather take his chances hitchhiking than with the possibility of Croquet coming back and seeing him walking. His fingers went to the rosary on his neck. Judica me Deus – wait…scratch that one, Father. I'd rather not be judged right now. He prayed. Quia tues Deus fortitudo mea…quia tues Deus fortitudo mea. The prayers eased his fears.

Suddenly a set of headlights came over the hill. Pegasus waved his arm out in the road to get the driver's attention. A rustling in the trees caught his ear. He waved a little harder towards the van. The driver slowed, but in that same moment, a voice whispered into Pegasus's ear.

"You're going to have to get up earlier than that to get the better of me, Pegasus."

Pegasus felt a sudden, sharp pain in the side of his neck and he slumped into Croquet's arms like a rag doll.

Hope you enjoyed that. Oh, in case you're wondering, Pegasus's prayers are in Latin.

Judica me Deus- Judge me, O God

Quia tues Deus fortitudo mea- For thou, O Lord, art my strength

P.S: The Vampanese (slight spelling change) are from the Cirque du Freak series and are the property of Darren Shan. Their attributes are altered to fit this story.