Brendan Brady could feel his temper flaring as he stood on top of the walkway looking down at the club below. DOA felt almost alive tonight, pulsating with beating hearts that pumped warm blood around the bodies of everyone who was alive and in attendance. Brendan had almost forgotten what it felt like to feel his heart beat in his chest. Sometimes he missed having a soul so much that the pain felt as though it was about to burn through his chest. Before he'd met Steven the desire to walk out into the sun had gotten bigger and bigger. It was after what had happened to Vinnie that caused him to act, made him make the decision to die.
It wasn't that Brendan Brady hated being a vampire; he quite enjoyed it in some ways. It was the fact he was now eternally damned, destined to go to hell. The very thought made him tired in a way in which he couldn't explain. Mitzeee and Cheryl seemed to enjoy their un-dead lives and followed Brendan wherever he decided to go. But sometimes he craved peace and a place where nobody knew who he was.
Cheryl's crossing over to the vampire life had been unavoidable, something he still wished he could have protected her from until this very day. The memory of that night still haunted him; he could still hear the screams ringing in his ears during the daylight hours. Mitzeee, however, had been on the brink of death when he'd turned her. He'd found her in an alley with several stab wounds, she'd apparently been victim to a jealous wife of a married man she'd been sleeping with. The smell of the blood had drawn Brendan to her and he couldn't help but oblige when she'd begged him for help. Mitzeee was almost born to be a vampire, unlike Cheryl who struggled with every aspect of it.
Brendan had been ready to leave it all behind until that morning when he'd met Steven. It was like something had changed in him ever since then, like something had suddenly switched itself on. A world that had seemed black and white was now alive with colour. It was all because of Steven. Steven the infuriating boy who wouldn't obey him, argued each time he tried to help him and tested the very limits of Brendan's patience. Normally if it was any other man Brendan would have been bored by now, considered them not worth the effort. But there was something about Steven that made him feel different, made him feel that he could perhaps be saved from the vampire within.
But all of that was ruined now; Steven thought he was a monster, just like everyone else. What chance did he have when his salvation believed he was a lost cause? Everything he'd done tonight had been for the boy, why couldn't he just see that?
"Cheryl said you'd be up here." said a soft female voice.
Brendan heard her heart beat before he saw her. Lynsey Nolan was stood near him on the balcony, looking concerned.
"She also said you'd had a bad night. Although Mitzeee put it slightly differently, she told me some young boy's running circles around you." she said softly.
"Mitzeee doesn't know when to keep her mouth shut." said Brendan darkly. Lynsey was one of the few humans he liked and trusted. He'd saved her a few years ago from being murdered by a serial killer and in return she'd promised to keep his secret. For some reason Brendan could not understand, she seemed to see good inside of him.
"Is it that boy I saw you with the other night? The young one?"
Brendan decided not to answer her and hungrily continued to look down into the crowd. Maybe all he needed to get Steven out of his system was a willing donor, a feed and a good fuck.
Lynsey seemed to suddenly be able to read his mind. "It's not a weakness to have feelings for someone, you know? You deserve happiness more than some humans do."
"I'm a monster Lynsey, monsters don't have feelings. I don't even have a working heart any more, which means I can't love either." His attention was caught by a young man dancing provocatively by the DJ.
Lynsey looked troubled for a moment. "I don't believe that and I don't think you do really. I wouldn't be alive today if that was true."
Brendan stepped forward, trying to look as menacing as possible. "No, you'd be one of us instead." How could Lynsey possibly understand? She was only a human. He swept past Lynsey without a word, making his way back down to the bar where Cheryl and Mitzeee were arguing loudly again.
"Get that mangy thing out of here!" said Mitzeee darkly. "It's putting off customers and I bet it has fleas."
"I own part of this bar, which means I get to decide who stays and who goes. If it wasn't for Brendan I would have slung you out into the gutter years ago, exactly where you belong."
Mitzeee scowled darkly at Cheryl. "That's rich, coming from the woman who would have her knickers round her ankles at every opportunity if her powers weren't useless. You couldn't make it as a human and you certainly can't make it as a vampire now either."
Brendan could feel heaviness in his head where the headache would have been if he were human. You'd think after decades working together Mitzeee and Cheryl would have run out of ways to insult each other.
"What's that thing doing in here?" asked Brendan, noticing the dog that was causing so much trouble.
Cheryl stuck out her bottom lip like a chastised child. "You and Mitzeee are allowed pets, why can't I have one?"
Mitzeee let out a snort. "Our pets are human and toilet trained, mostly. Yours is just a stray dog looking for scraps,' she paused with glee for a second. 'You're well suited if you think about it."
Brendan somehow thought that Steven wouldn't appreciate being referred to as a pet. He looked down at the same Collie dog from yesterday; there was just something about it that bothered him. There was an intelligence in its eyes that was almost human. There was something otherworldly about the dog and Brendan didn't exactly want it near his sister.
"Look." said Cheryl, her voice sickly sweet. She bent down and the dog enthusiastically licked her face. "Nate loves me already."
"Perhaps you should let her keep it." said Mitzeee, surprisingly coming to Cheryl's aid. "It's the first bit of action she's had in years. If she gets bored with it she can always eat it."
Cheryl put her hands over the dog's ears, as if she was worried about hurting its feelings. "Mitzeee!" she continued to kiss and make a fuss of the dog.
"She's finally lost it," muttered Mitzeee a disgusted look on her face as the dog's long tongue slid over Cheryl's lips. She said it so low that only Brendan could hear. "If she ever had 'it' in the first place."
Ste opened his eyes almost in disappointment that it was a new day and he had to go to work. He'd had a dream about Brendan again last night, but he'd been so mad at the man that he'd physically forced him from it with a baseball bat. A part of him still felt extremely uneasy about agreeing to spy for Walker too. When he got to the kitchen he noticed that Amy was sat at the table smiling to herself.
"You look happy." said Ste, popping some bread into the toaster.
"I had a really good dream." she said. "That boss of yours was in it. He brought loads of stuff for the kids."
Ste let out a snort. "Well that was nice of him."
"He is rather nice." said Amy, blushing a little. "Not many bosses get the people who work for them out of jail. I think you're in with a chance with him."
Ste dropped the cup he was holding, suddenly aware of his heart pounding in his ears. "What?" he asked almost defensively.
Amy rolled her eyes, as if the answer was obvious. "Well it's obvious he fancies you Ste, why else would he have been so concerned last night? And judging by how defensive you're being I reckon you fancy him too."
"No I don't!" protested Ste, the lie tasting almost bitter on his lips.
Amy gave him a smirk. "You so do!"
Ste threw a towel at Amy's head, hoping it would shut her up. "You don't know what he's like. There's something not right about him, last night he used some freaky mind control or something to get me out. People just do things for him, like they can't fight it."
Amy rolled her eyes. "I'm not surprised; if you hadn't noticed, he is gorgeous. I wouldn't say no to him in a hurry"
"You don't understand." said Ste, almost sulkily.
"I do Ste; you're doing what you always do when you're onto something good. You over think things and talk yourself out of it, but this time I don't think you should. Just give him a chance."
"I'll try." lied Ste, knowing there was no way in the world a man as God-like as Brendan Brady would look at him in a romantic way in a million years. Besides if Walker was right, then Brendan was a monster and Ste was determined not to be one of his victims.
"Daddy!" cried Leah's happy voice; she ran into the room and ploughed straight into him. She was wearing a cloak and long plastic teeth. 'I'm a vampire today!'
"Are you?" asked Ste, his voice weak. "Are you sure you don't want to be something else?"
Leah's faced twisted with a child like confusion. "Why would I want to be Daddy? Vampires are great."
"I thought they were bad." Ste said more to himself than Leah.
"No Daddy." said Leah, in a way an adult would talk to a child. "That's only in the stories. None of the monsters are bad; they're just lonely and need friends."
"Would you be their friend?" Ste asked his daughter.
"Of course Daddy." said Leah softly. "It's having a friend that makes the monsters good. I want my monsters to be good."
"Me too." answered Ste.
Ste placed another bottle of Special Brew in front of another customer who looked as if he was carved out of marble. There was no doubt in Ste's mind now that this club was full of vampires. He couldn't figure out how he hadn't worked it out before. The rooms upstairs were obviously where the creatures fed. He'd started to notice no end of people with puncture marks on their necks after he'd started looking.
"What's up kid?" asked Mitzeee from beside him. "You've had a face on you like a smacked arse ever since you walked in. Had a row with the boss?"
"Something like that." said Ste, eyeing up one of the crimson bottles of Special Brew.
"I think you should give him a break." said Mitzeee. "Brendan's a good man and he's been trying so hard with you. He's used to getting things too easily, you know, without any effort, but it's obviously different with you. He keeps getting it wrong because he doesn't know what he's doing."
"That ain' my fault." said Ste defensively. He thought of Walker's words. Mitzeee would say those things about Brendan. She was the same creature.
"No, but you could at least cut him some slack. The poor guy doesn't know whether he's coming or going with you. It doesn't help you jump down his throat every time he tries to help you."
"I don't." argued Ste, even though he partly knew she was right.
Mitzeee glanced up towards the platform where Brendan was staring down intently at the two of them. "I can't tell you how to think or feel. But if you want answers I suggest you go up there and get them."
Ste glanced up at the dark figure above the bar, both attractive and appalling. He didn't even know if deep down he was here on Walker's orders. "How do I know he won't hurt me?" he asked Mitzeee.
Mitzeee gave him a knowing smile. "If you believed he was capable of that then you wouldn't still be working here." she answered.
She wondered off to serve or flirt with a customer, leaving Ste to ponder her words. He considered Leah's words, which somehow felt wiser than everything else he'd heard since he started here. He had to know.
He secured his till and took off towards the steps that lead to the platform. As he climbed up towards the mysterious man he worked for he couldn't shift the sense of dread sitting in his stomach. A part of him wanted to turn around and run, never come back to this club. Brendan barely acknowledged him as he leaned in beside him looking at the crowds below.
"Thank you." said Ste, the words leaving his lips before he could stop them. "For last night."
Brendan didn't reply and continued to stare down at the crowds.
"Ain't you going to say owt?" asked Ste.
Brendan finally turned round to look at him. "Is there any point Steven? You've already made up your mind about me." his blue eyes were practically burning a hole through the younger man.
"Are you a vampire?" asked Ste, the question hung in the air between them.
"Yes." said Brendan softly. He looked at Ste, as though challenging him to reject him.
"Do you drink from people's necks?" asked Ste, refusing to think too deeply about what Brendan had just told him. He felt a strange jealousy at the thought of Brendan drinking from beautiful people.
"Only if they're willing." answered Brendan. "Most of the people in here are more than willing, you will find. I understand that the experience can be quite pleasurable."
Ste was quiet for a moment, absorbing the new information. "Was that Macca who was murdered willing?"
"Yes. He was a little too willing. Sometimes people get addicted to the buzz of being fed from. They become obsessed with the vampire and the thrill of being hunted. I tried to make Macca forget about vampires for his own protection, but he somehow broke through." Brendan looked at Ste's wide-eyed expression. "I didn't kill him if that's what you're thinking."
"I wasn't thinking that!" said Ste, wondering why he didn't. Brendan had every reason to kill Macca if he was ending a clingy relationship and Macca wouldn't let go. Yet Ste instinctively knew Brendan was speaking the truth. "What is the weird mind control thing you do? It proper freaked me out yesterday."
Brendan observed him curiously, obviously accepting the fact he wasn't going to run away any time soon like last night. "Most vampires can bend others to their will, bar the few exceptions. It helps us to stay undercover and live alongside humans without too much suspicion."
"Am I an exception?" asked Ste.
"Yes." said Brendan, breathlessly, almost admiringly. "I can't bend you to my will."
"Probably because my head is empty, innit?" Ste let out a nervous laugh.
Brendan frowned, "No," he stated, without hesitation, "it's because you're special, Steven."
Ste blushed under Brendan's intense gaze, he felt almost naked underneath it. "So... Mitzeee and Cheryl are vampires too?" he asked, quickly wanting to change the subject.
"Yes, they're my... children, in a way. I turned them both." answered Brendan.
"You didn't think that through, did you?" the words were out of Ste's mouth before he could stop them.
Brendan answered him with a ghost of a smile.
"Are you a good or a bad vampire?" Ste finally asked.
Brendan let out a chuckle. "Is there such a thing as a good vampire Steven?"
"You tell me." said Ste. He oddly felt better now the truth was out in the open. It didn't bother him as much as he thought it would. After finding three bodies it seemed he was getting to a point where he was hard to shock. "Our Leah reckons monsters can be good."
"Smart kid." said Brendan, but his voice was sad. "But I don't think I'm capable of being good any more."
Ste chewed his lip thoughtfully. "You were good the other night after I found that body. You're not the one killing those people are you?"
"No Steven. I don't kill innocents."
"Well then maybe you are a good vampire then." argued Ste.
"I don't have a soul; I'm not capable of good.'" Brendan reached out and grabbed Ste's hand, placing it on his chest. "Do you feel that? There isn't a heartbeat."
Ste bit his lip, his skin felt on fire at Brendan's touch. His hand rested where Brendan's heart should be, settled on his hard muscled chest. Brendan was right; the chest was completely still and silent. Ste felt and listened for a long moment. "I don't care." he said suddenly.
The two looked into each others eyes, drawn together like two magnets. A kind of gravity was tugging them closer and closer to one another. Ste let out a gasp as Brendan's cold lips met his own; the coolness was immediately replaced by fire. Brendan's arms slipped around him, in a gentle but steel like grip. The kiss was even better than anything Ste could have imagined, even better than the dreams he'd been having. Ste was being lightly pushed into the railings as Brendan continued to attack his mouth and push their bodies even closer together. They drew apart gasping a moment later, even though Ste wondered unconsciously why Brendan needed to gasp. Ste could almost have sworn he'd felt Brendan's heart beat twice, before becoming silent once more. But he knew he must be imagining things, right?
For the first time in days, as he looked into those deep blue eyes, Ste felt content. He knew what Brendan was and strangely he was okay with it. Although it might have helped that Ste had just received the best kiss of his life. He wondered if Brendan was naturally gifted in that department or was it him being a vampire that made it so good. He wondered how old Brendan was. It might be a hundred years of practice. It didn't matter really; all that mattered was that Ste really wanted the man in front of him.
A movement to the right suddenly caught Ste's eye and made him turn his head away from Brendan. Standing near the entrance to the platform was Simon Walker. His blue eyes were flashing dangerously with anger and insanity. He shot Ste a look before turning and disappearing back down the stairs. The look had said everything Ste needed to know, Simon Walker was going to kill Brendan, and now he would kill Ste, too.