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The vampire kept wailing, ignoring my threats and sobbing so hard that blood trailed from his eyes.

I gave him no mercy, dragging my nail quickly across his throat and severing his head from his body. The corpse dropped to the floor, landing in a jittering heap. The parasite within me rumbled with satisfaction, egging me to take more, to feed.

I glanced backward, noticing the paler shade of white Cecelia had become in the moonlight. I wiped at my mouth, suddenly self conscious.

“Baby, are you okay?” I asked gently, reaching out towards her, cringing as she shifted backward. I stood up and walked towards her, away from my home. I took each step gently, cautiously, afraid she would run from me and I would have to catch her yet again.

She was still my prisoner, and I couldn’t let her leave.

“Cecelia, it’s me,” I cooed, my voice light and airy. As if I hadn’t just torn a vampire apart right in front of her.

“A-a-are you sure?”

“Of course I’m sure,” I was more me in this form than I ever had been. This was what festered underneath my skin, this was what I was like on the inside. I was rage, I was malice, I was merciless. It shouldn’t have surprised me that she’d been terrified of me. “I promise I won’t hurt you.”

The parasite took me and turned me into a monster, but I was sure I was of no danger to her now. I was seeing clearly, my eyes not quite dilated any longer. The blood staining my clothing was the most fearsome part about me now that the predator was kept at bay.

She must have seen the switch as well because instead of the weak, feeble nod of concern I was worried would come from her, Cecelia’s eyes turned steely in return.

“I know you won’t,” she said confidently. Her solidity surprised me, and it was my turn instead to step back in shock. We were mere feet from one another again, and there was a pull to her that kept me rooted to the spot, not allowing me to move any further away. That step backward felt like absolute torture.

“Oh. Okay.” I stammered, fully enamored by this girl and the way she was making me feel.

Cece looked at me and despite it all, she smirked. It was as if she knew what she was doing to me. I thought that vampires were the most dangerous creatures to walk this earth, but I felt I’d been mistaken my entire immortal life. She cocked her head, the jewels in her dress rattling as she moved. The grin spread wider still, until I saw her perfectly flat, white teeth. It was probably the sexiest thing I’d ever seen her do. I shook my head and let out a single cry of laughter.

“You surprise me, Cecelia.”

“I live to serve.”

Ignoring the heat that was now forming at my center, I shook my head and held out my hand. Cece walked towards me and took it, and together we turned back to the estate. The eeriness felt less stiff, now that I was sure the imminent danger had passed.

The vampire was still convulsing on the floor, blood caking the entryway. If it bothered Cecelia at all she refused to show it, instead stepping through the sticky substance and grabbing for the handle with her empty hand. I hesitated, glancing at the ornate door, and then back to her.

“I don’t know what’s behind those doors, Cecelia.” Her hand wobbled but stayed where it was. She didn’t look at me, her eyes focused on the crown molding instead. “There are people on my property without my permission. What if you walk in to find Warren dead, or there are twenty vampires in there ready to kill me, waiting until we open that door?”

“I am not weak,” I heard her say quietly. My face softened, the pain in my heart growing with each passing second her hand stayed steady on the door handle, ready to turn it.

“Weak? Where have you gotten that idea?”

“Your kind. They think I’m weak. They think I make you weak.”

I bristled, hissing through clenched teeth. “They don’t know who they are messing with, Cecelia. They do not know the extent of who I am, and what lengths I would go to, to keep my coven safe. You think I keep you here because you are weak?”

Tears formed at the corners of her eyes as I let go of her hand, lifting to wipe a single tear from her cheek. She watched as I sucked my fingertip, savoring every last salted drop.

“You run with vampires. You are not weak. The fact that you have a coven protecting you means that you are something special. You are strong. I know one day you will prove to yourself that your power is more than strength, speed, or ability. Your power is one that will outlive all of us.”

Cece slowly let go of the handle, allowing me to take its place and turn the knob. I shifted her behind me, fully expecting us to meet several unwanted visitors.

I pushed the door open to its full width.

There was nothing but white marble greeting us. Inside was pristine, a welcome change from the red coated undergrowth that spread out on my front lawn. I entered my own home, senses on high alert as Cece followed behind me.

“No one?” I whispered to myself, turning my head from side to side and surveying our immediate surroundings. Everything was in its place. The house echoed with deafening silence.

I heard Cecelia squeak and turned to see her hand pointed to a small, tightly wrapped present that sat on top of a small side table close to the entrance. My lip curled in curiosity, the parasite within me gleefully eager to play.

“Stay back,” I warned. To my relief, she seemed to understand the command in my voice, paralyzed by a wariness I didn’t let most witness.