T W E N T Y-F O U R

Kai flinched away from the vampire with wide eyes.

"Why?" His voice was a low mumble that made the man laugh.

"It is you! Ha ha! You're really Kai!"

The guard bit his tongue. His words and laughter were like hyenas taunting him.

"Okay, okay, here's the deal, Kai. I have orders and one of them is to willingly die to share information with you."

"Me?"

"Yes. She wants you to have knowledge about us, saying with it you'll make the right decision. Anyways, ask away."

Kai stared petrified at the slumping vampire. He shook his head and clenched his hands into fists of denial.

"You can't just be willing to die to tell me this. That's demented."

"Maybe, but I can see now why she wants you so bad."

"How did you who I was?"

"Technically all she said was the boy was a good fighter and had blue eyes. I kind of went off my gut instincts and it appears I was correct. How fascinating," The man looked Kai up and down, "She has plans for you."

Kai shook his head and slammed his foot on the pole.

"Ow! Hey!"

"You will only answer to the questions I ask. What do you guys want?"

The vampire growled, "We want our dominance back! Those humans think they own us now! We're just here to fix what they're breaking."

"That's..." Kai shook his head again, "how do we kill you?"

With a sigh, the man let his head hit the ground. "As impossible as it sounds, we won't die by just cutting our heads off or throwing us in the sun. Not right away at least; we can last almost all day unlike you."

"So what? You grow your heads back?"

"Don't be ridiculous. We just reattach them."

Kai took a deep breath."That doesn't answer my question."

"Oh, right. You drain our blood first then burn us."

"That's it?"

"Well, yeah. Shouldn't you be relieved it's not complex?"

Kai narrowed his eyes before looking away. He gestured to the destructed barn with his head.

"What was the point of that light?"

"Light?"

"That blinking light."

The vampire glance over at the barn. "Oh. Oh, I was just throwing scraps of metal around to find a decent weapon. So you found me..that's discouraging."

"If you're all this pestering I can't wait to slit your throats."

The vampire cried out when Kai ripped the pole out of the ground then him. He wheezed and hugged his stomach.

"Tell me who your leader is." Kai pressed the sharp end of the pole against the man's neck. The vampire stared at Kai with an unreadable sternness.

"No." He spat.

Kai shrugged away his answer, knowing well he wouldn't get the one he wanted out of him. He steadied the weapon in his hand, pulling it up, and foolishly letting his guard down once more.

The vampire shot up as soon as Kai aimed to finish him off, and with Kai frozen at the suddenness he was vulnerable. The vampire smacked a rock directly against the other's neck, and with that blow they both got a bolt of electricity run through them. Except the pain was only a few seconds to the new generation because the instant Kai's collar ticked he slashed at the man-hearing skin tear before he dropped the pole.

Kai gasped shakily, dropping to his knees as he clawed at his collar. Blue and yellow sparks emitted from the metal, dolling up his pain that made him want to scream away the hurt.

The bolts surged through him like a wild fire. Ruthless charges weakening his bones and turning him into a twitching, groaning, mess that fell onto his back. Tears pooled in his eyes but only from the pain.

Trying to sit up felt like he was moving with the weight of an ocean on him. He only struggled to his knees until something hard hit the back of his neck and he fell forward.

The shock came to a calm and the punishment left a gasping, spasming vampire clutching at the dead grass.

Sage let the shovel she hit Kai with drop before she rushed to his side.

"Kai? Kai, are you okay? Hey, breath." She rolled him over and gently picked his head up and held him to her chest, cradling him like he was still the child she met all those years ago. Even in his weakest mind, Kai groaned more at her motherly instincts than the aching of the aftermath.

After the event with the Queen, Sage had distant herself from Kai, because knowing him he'd ask a million questions about the cut that refused to heal, and she didn't feel like explaining what she couldn't even understand. But deciding to talk to him tonight was one of the best decisions she's ever made.

When she realized he wasn't in his room, with Iris, in the gardens, or anywhere she was starting to worry. Then she caught the news of one of the guards getting assaulted outside and her gut feeling sunk with the idea that he possibly went on the run; but she searched anyway.

While Kai caught his breath slowly but surely, Sage looked around with helpless eyes. Blood blotched everywhere her eyes wandered, whether they were drops the size of a coin or a trail leading to body. Her breathing went dull as she stared at an unmoving corps just feet away from them, arms and legs sprawled out. Head rolled away.

She whipped her own back at Kai when he started leaning off her.

"What the hell happened here Kai?" She grabbed his face and stared into his navy eyes with a determination for answers. He coughed and tried to pull away from here.

"Now i-isn't the time. I need-"

"No, that can wait. Tell me what happened now."

"Sage," Kai contracted suddenly and grabbed his stomach. He gasped again and started hyperventilating lightly. "I need-" He doubled over in pain. "I-"

Sage scooted away to give him room but she kept her hands on his shoulders for reassurance. "Okay, there's some at the mansion we can-"

"No." Kai reached up, gripping Sage's shoulder with a weak clutch. "Human blood. I need it."

Sage bit her lip. Her cursed at her uselessness the utter thought she couldn't help him.

Human blood.

It was rich and pooling with energy, as it should since it was once the only food source for the vampires. But many were forced to adapt and live off of animal blood. Some just couldn't and were unprogressive.

Kai was one of them. He struggled living off of the blood he had to drink when he started working for the Dions. He dealed, mainly because it was a rule-a law-that drinking human blood was forbidden when one was legally owned by the royal family. Of course rogues never followed that rule.

But depending on the vampire, if energy low, one could become rabid and feast off of any source in their path. They were blinded by hunger while others would become weak and frail and depend on the source be given to them.

As much as Kai hated to admit it he had little control over himself when he was craving.

"I can get you some but you have to calm down a little okay? For goodness sakes, Kai, you almost died two minutes ago." Sage held him down when he tried to stand up.

"I just-I need to walk it off."

"No. You sit and you wait."

"I-I can't!"

"Yes you can. Kai you-"

"Hey!"

The two turn their heads like deer to see a villager creeping up on them with a lantern. Sage bit her lip again while Kai squinted and ducked. The lantern made his pupils shrink, the light burned like it was the sun. His senses were becoming exposed and highly fragile. The human's words were nothing but muffled authority.

He started breathing heavy and he slowly started shaking his head the second he started hearing the man's heartbeat. Its blood rushing was like a loud alarm in his ears, he couldn't focus on anything else.

Sage glanced at him with wide eyes. "Kai, relax. Hey, you have to leave, sir!"

"Me? This is private property! My property!"

Kai covered his ears, a taunting voice echoed in his head and almost didn't feel Sage squeeze his shoulders.

"I'm serious. You have to go now!"

"Look at the mess you caused!" The man started moving forward and Kai jerked in Sage's arms. She growled and flared her fangs at the man.

"I said leave!"

The villager paused and Sage glanced back at Kai.

But it was too late.

All she saw was a blur rush out of her vision and a corrupted yell of pain filled the silence. She stumbled up, eyes wide in terror.

"No! Kai stop!" Sage wrapped her arms around the vampire's shoulders and used all her strength to pry Kai off of the lifeless civilian. Not a minute later passed before more humans started emerging around corners with their lanterns and murmurs of curiosity.

Sage grabbed onto Kai and dashed away before any live witnesses could spot them. They didn't make it to the mansion but far enough from the commotion before they had to stop.

Kai bent down retching at the familiar but dull tasting blood in his mouth. It was a strange feeling to let in-tasting something he wanted for so long but the thought of human blood rushing down his throat made him panic enough to spit it out. He groaned.

The urge was still as advancing as before.

Sage threw one of his arms around her shoulder again and ran this time nonstop. Not until they were in the clear. As soon as it appeared so Sage dropped Kai and slumped to her knees. She leaned on the bed they fell by and watched as a door opened and a curious head poked out.

Whatever drop of energy she had left she used to block Iris from rushing up to Kai.

"What-he's bleeding!" Iris protested after Sage warned him it wasn't a good idea. She looked down with a shake of her head.

"It's not his. Listen, you'll know everything in, oh, give or take ten to fifteen minutes, but right now you have to help me-help him." Sage grabbed his shoulders and looked him straight in the eyes. Iris was still confused and hesitant but the seriousness in the vampire's eyes made his thoughts temperate.

He nodded and Sage patted his shoulders.

"Stay. Here."

As soon as it was clear Iris obeyed, Sage walked behind Kai, slipped her arms under his, and lifted him up enough to start dragging him to his room. Iris broke his stance and Sage gave him a warning look.

From what he could see, Iris watched Sage haul Kai on his bed and quickly shut the door. To shock him more she moved a piece of furniture in front of it like it weighed nothing and that it wouldn't provoke him.

"I need you to listen to be carefully, prince. I have to go get blood for him but under no circumstances will you let Kai out or enter that room. Please, I know this sounds berserk a-and sudden but you have to trust me. Okay?"

Iris blinked at her like her words threw sand in his eyes. He nodded, yet not necessarily understanding, and with his confirmation Sage bolted away.

Leaving him alone with temptation on his fingertips.