Chapter 13

Alex's body hurt. A lot. Then again, it wasn't a huge surprise given the beatings she'd had and the fact that she was sleeping on a stone floor. As she sat up she tried to get her bearings. The only way they had of knowing how much time had passed was when Yami and Yugi transitioned back and forth. Given the danger of the situation, Yami would've preferred to stay in control and keep Yugi safe, but they were both weak from hunger and fatigue and were forced to follow along with the puzzle's whims. He was still Yugi right now, like he'd been when she fell asleep, which meant unless she'd slept through the whole night it was still daytime. Saturday daytime since they'd been there for a day already.

"How are you feeling Yugi?" she asked him.

He gave her a weak smile. "I feel like I should be asking you that."

She waved him off until she saw the tray from earlier still holding one of the bread crusts, half of the water and half of the apple. "Yugi! I told you to eat that!" she said looking at him.

He shrugged. "I told you that you need it more."

"I already had half the food though," Alex protested.

"And you've been malnourished longer than I have," Yugi argued calmly.

"Ok how about this," Alex said threateningly. "Either eat it of your own free will, or I'll cram it down your throat."

Yugi's eyes narrowed and they glared at each other for moment before Yugi finally sighed and relented. Alex grinned victoriously. Yugi ate the remaining food in silence. "When do you suppose someone will realize we're gone?" he asked to fill the silence.

"I'm supposed to be having dinner with Seto and Mokuba tonight. He'll be breaking into my apartment and have the cops all over the place by midnight. Once they start the search they'll call everyone I know and when you don't answer they'll probably come looking for you too if your Gramps hasn't already got them doing that," Alex told him.

"Nah, Gramps is too used to my random disappearances by now. I try to let him know if I have to go somewhere but he knows how my life is," Yugi joked with a small smile.

Suddenly the door slammed open and before Yugi or Alex could blink two vampires were standing on either side of Yugi pinning his arms against the wall across from Alex.

"Yugi!" Alex cried reaching out to him but due to her short chain she couldn't get anywhere near him.

"Ah, if it isn't the Pharaoh's other pet," Bakura sneered. Yugi struggled but the vampires holding him didn't move an inch.

Yami!

Yugi! I'm trying to switch with you!

Yugi felt Yami strain as he tried to take Yugi's place, but try as he might he just couldn't.

"What's the matter little Yugi? Is the Pharaoh too tired to come out and play?" Bakura mocked getting up in Yugi's face.

Alex watched as she saw Yugi snarl and get angry for the first time ever. "It's not wise to taunt us Bakura," Yugi spat.

"Is that so?" Bakura mused. "You know he's already so mad at me I don't think anything I do will make any difference." He pretended to think. "Oh I know! How about instead of drinking from just one of his pets, I drink from them both!"

Yugi bared his teeth and kneed Bakura in the gut. Bakura gasped and stumbled back while Yugi smirked. "You little cretin!" Bakura snarled backhanded Yugi so hard his head snapped to the side. Distantly he heard Alex cry out.

YUGI!

I'm ok, Yugi reassured Yami as he spat blood on the floor.

"Don't worry Yugi, I have no intention of drinking from you. Yet. Both you and the Pharaoh are still too strong for that and it's too close to sunset."

As if he'd said the magic words the puzzle glowed and Yami appeared just as the sun slipped behind the horizon.

"Ah there he is, our great ruler," Bakura said his mocking tone back.

"I swear Bakura, when we get out of here I'll-"

"IF. You mean IF you get out of here," Bakura grinned evilly. Yami glowered back at him darkly. "Not going to finish that threat? Ah well," he said sauntering back over to where Alex was. She trembled but resisted the urge to back away and stood her ground. "I see you didn't have a snack last night, was the food not up to par?" he asked standing behind her. She kept her eyes fixed on Yami's and neither of them said anything. "I'd best have a taste then and make sure it's all right."

Alex yelped as an iron arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her back against Bakura's body as his hand fisted in her hair and roughly yanked her head to the side. Then there was the now familiar twin sting. But rather than numbness or pain she felt the most amazing feeling she'd ever had. She moaned in pleasure and let her head fall back against the shoulder behind her and she felt someone start to grind against her. Slowly a hand started to push her shirt up until her bra was exposed.

A small part of her was screaming at her that something was wrong though. She kept trying to ignore the annoyance and lose herself in the ecstasy she was feeling but it gradually started to get louder as one hand slid her bra strap down and the other moved from around her waist to further south. Distantly she thought she heard sounds of snarls and screaming which added fuel to her little voice.

Before she could think about it too much though the feeling suddenly disappeared and she was left feeling cold and jello-like. Only the body behind her and the hands holding onto her holding her up. A body and hands she realized, with a dawning horror, which belonged to Bakura.

"LET HER GO NOW YOU MOTHERFUCKER," Yami howled practically foaming at the mouth. His fangs were fully extended and on display as he snarled and fought desperately against his captors. He was putting up a good fight, but they kept ahold of him.

She felt Bakura shrug. "If you insist." Then she was dumped unceremoniously to the ground and crumpled in a heap. Thankfully she had enough presence of mind to make sure her arm was between the stone floor and her head when she fell.

"ALEX!" Yami yelled. She didn't have the energy to reassure him that she was fine. Which probably meant she wasn't fine, but like hell she'd ever tell him that. Then there was the sound of a door slamming closed and gentle hands pulling her onto a lap. "ALEX!"

That voice sounded so familiar… Was it the warmth of arms or the warmth of blood surrounding her? A vision of crimson red eyes full of heartbreak swam in front of her eyes. She knew those eyes… But she couldn't remember his name… "No please! Please don't leave me! I love you!" He sounded so sad… What was her name? Ann? No… Ank? Anchor? No that was ridiculous… "Alex!" That wasn't her name was it? Wait… "Alex! Alex, please I'm begging you, wake up!" Alexis Jones. That was her name. She was a twenty year old college student studying Ancient History. Alex.

She gasped as she sat up pushing Yami's bleeding wrist away from her mouth. She shivered as she touched the side of her neck where Bakura bit her. But her skin was completely smooth with no trace of his bitemark, nor the others she'd had when she woke up in this room the first time. Her eyes darted up to Yami. Then they narrowed. "We agreed you wouldn't give me any blood to heal me so you could conserve your strength," Alex said accusingly.

"It was necessary. You lost far too much blood. Besides that is what you decided, I agreed to nothing," Yami said with a weak glare.

Alex cursed as she looked at him again. He was pale, more so than usual, cold, and shaking slightly. She reached up to touch his face but he flinched and shied away from her hand. "Yami? What's wr-" And then she saw it. His fangs had fully extended and his eyes were glued to the pulse point in her wrist.

"Alex I think I should go back to the other side of the room," he said but he didn't move nor did he take his eyes on her wrist.

"Ok Yami," she said quietly her heart breaking for him. She slowly put her hand down and scooted off his lap and backwards until her back hit her wall. It was then she realized her shirt was still up around her shoulders and the buttons and fly of her jeans were undone.

Her eyes and cheeks burning with humiliation and embarrassment she quickly fixed her clothes. It was enough to finally snap Yami out of his bloodlust. "Alex…" he started uncertainly.

The dam broke. Alex started sobbing uncontrollably, thinking about what happened and what almost was. Yami retracted his fangs and breathed through his mouth instead of his nose and pulled Alex back to him rubbing her back and running his fingers through her hair. They stayed like that until Alex cried herself to sleep. Yami gently wiped her face and laid her down on her side of the room before going back to his own side. It was going to be a long night.