1. Caught In The Heat
"No no do not come near," Immery screamed as the two figures with glowing eyes neared her. The air around them dead and silent. It was dark. The deep glowing eyes of the approaching creatures being the only source of illumination.
Immery kept walking back until her back hit a bark of the tree, making her fall down with a thud, which made her even more vulnerable prey in front of the strong predators.
"Well, well look what we have got here brother. A scared little doe with the sweetest smell of warm blood, pretty one isn't it brother ?" The stranger grinned at Immery, his eyes darkened as he averted his eyes lower shamelessly staring at Immery's breasts. Immery wanted to scream but she knew it would be of no help. She was trapped in the woods where no one comes after dark.
"Ah yes, you have found a nice one, Santner. This one's a feast !" The other one laughed with a purr resonating from deep within as a hand sought out to brush against Immery's arms. Immery shivered in disgust, knowing exactly what these two strangers wanted from her and who they were.
"Let's take her home Han," One of the strangers suggested with excitement laced in his voice.
"Nah we have to do it here itself. That city has no-fun laws to protect these lustrous humans. We gotta take all the pleasure and blood from this one before dumping in that pool of man-eating fishes," the other stranger stated plainly while Immery backed up against the tree. Trying to make herself look smaller in an attempt to run away.
"Fine we will do that way big brother but I am going to take a taste of her first," the other one now replied before moving closer to Immery bending down to let Immery fully see the glowing eyes of the creature in front of her, terrifying her to the core. She knew this was the end, this is how she was going to die.
In the hands of the Vampires in front of her, who now with their enlarged fangs were approaching her, eyes clouded with lust.
A shriek left her mouth as she felt the enlarged pointed nails of the vampire clawing at her shoulders, pinning her down to the ground.
"P-please don't do this, let me go," Immery begged trying to fold her palms in front of them, which were immediately pinned against the bark of the tree, his hold tight, drawing blood from her wrists much to the vampire's satisfaction.
"This little one is much better than the one's which we are provided from the castle, keep a note of making our preys run like this one, the smell of fear and adrenaline is making me go fucking crazy. Shout and scream more," Santner said with a peal of laughter- a vicious, evil laugh before leaning down and closer to her neck. Immery had her eyes closed in fear and disgust, tears falling continuously from her eyes as her little frame shook with tremor.
"You are taking too much time, let's do it together," Han, the other Vampire grew impatient, kneeling down to pouch upon Immery's small frame.
Immery tried wiggling out of their hold as they kept her pinned down on the ground, smearing her with dust with low chuckles as their hands went to rip her clothes off, their sharp nails easing their work. Immery felt all the resistance flowing out of her, as she knew that she had lost when she felt one of their fangs trace the skin of her neck, tearing into them enough for her to scream and hurt but not enough to draw blood.
As she prepared herself to face the worst she suddenly felt the weights that were holding her down being pulled from her, freeing her arms and legs as she sat up on her knees to frantically search for what was happening.
She heard loud voices of growls and someone falling against the opposite tree with a thud. She looked around to find the two vampires fallen on the ground, looking pale as her eyes then shifted to the two men who were standing in between them, the one who just saved her.
Did they really save me, or do they want me for themselves now? Are they going to rape me? Immery's heartbeat quickened at the thought as she tried to stand up, Maybe I should run, as fast and away as possible she thought but immediately fell on the ground with a wince as her ankle throbbed with pain.
"Take my hand," one of the men who saved Immery walked forward towards her and offered his hand to her at which she stared, unsure of what to do. To trust or not, was the thought that was going through in her mind.
She knew she couldn't walk back on her own, and that those two men were down for now but till when they were vampires with enhanced speed and ability to smell, they would find her in a moment. So reluctantly she kept her hand in his, who wrapped around his own against her in a gentle embrace.
"Come on let's get you home," the other man standing a little away from them said in a cold, hoarse tone after surveying the bodies of the two vampires who now lay unconscious.
The one who was holding Immery sighed before rolling an eye at him, as his hand went to wrap against Immery's back to support her enough so she could walk.
"She's injured brother, be a little gentle," the man holding Immery spoke as she glanced at him, still scared of trusting them. She knew he wasn't a human, nor a vampire but something else. Unlike vampire's, he had a warm hold on her.
The other one stopped walking and turned back to glance at his brother and then Immery, his eyes running against the length of her frame as his eyes stopped at the wound on her neck. It was bleeding. Though Santner and Han couldn't drink from her, Santner's fangs were almost buried into her neck when he pulled him away from her, resulting in the gash and wound.
"Pass her to me, Chris," the man said calmly to which Immery jolted away in fear. Her worst thoughts were probably coming true. They have the same intention as them, she thought as she prepared herself to run. There was no way she could win against a vampire and the unknown creature but she wouldn't submit to them. Not like this.
"Uh," Christian answered before gently pushing her from his hold, still letting his hands hang by her side.
"Please leave me, don't do this to me," Immery cried out as she felt him lean down to her neck. They are going to kill me for sure, it's all a facade just a facade.
"I am not trying to hurt you little one. I am just tending to your wounds, you are bleeding from your neck and if you haven't guessed already I am a vampire and I am going to lick my thumb and press it to your wound to stop the bleeding. It will go back to normal if you let me do it," he explained while Immery contemplated on the options before reluctantly nodding her head.
He gave her face a long look before leaning down to press his licked thumb over the gash, which made Immery wince out a little as she subconsciously gripped Christian's hand while her other hand gripped his brother's dress coat making them glance at her hold and then on each other, a smile playing in Christian's lips.
"Nick is not the most gentle but it's a one time sting, after it the wound will only itch a little but fine," Christian answered, letting his thumb encircle little circles to her intertwined palm, while Nicholas glared at him which he shrugged off.
Immery drew back her palms from them, her eyes widened in horror for pulling out something like this. What was I even thinking? She wondered in her mind before looking around to figure out a way to go back to safety.
"So where is your home? We could drop you and then leave," Nicholas asked moving himself away from her. She has a strange aura, he thought in his mind.
The reality of the question hit Immery hard as she looked at both the brothers simultaneously, they already having their eyes on her.
"I-I don't have a home," she stammered as her eyes settled to the ground, she was thrown out from her's when she refused to get married to the guy they had selected for her, a fifty-year-old married man with two kids nearly of her age.
"So a stray human" Nicholas remarked making Immery flinch at his words, it was almost equivalent to being a prostitute in this world, available to be taken by anyone.
"Cool down brother, she seems troubled," Christian answered, his voice gentle as he bent down a little to avoid looking as towering to Immery as he was. Both the brothers were tall, well way taller than Immery for humans weren't as tall as other creatures around them.
Immery looked at him, trying to get a look at him more clearly. It was pitch dark around, an eerie silence surrounding the woods. The glow from the brother's eyes working as the only source of light.
"We are getting late Chris, we need to return back," Nicholas replied after a glance at the moon's position, the night was dissolving.
Immery did not want them to leave, she did not know why but she just did not want to be left here, alone in the woods.
"We can't just leave her here Nick," Christian's eyes stayed on her, his heart pained at the thought of leaving her here, alone. He could smell the fear on her and did not have the heart of leaving her.
"Then we take her with us, but only if she wants," Nicholas replied giving a look at her, his eyes running through her frame, stopping to look at the little cuts that had formed and how she was finding it hard to keep the now torn piece of cloth on herself, to hide her from more shame.
He did not want to leave her here as well. She is going to be a problem but I cannot leave her, he thought.
"Come with us human, you will like it at our place," Christian said with a newfound enthusiasm which made Nicholas cringe but Immery's mind ran wild.
They are complete strangers and one of them was a vampire and the other she did not know yet, how could she go with them? But her heart had already made a decision. She nodded at them to which Christian gave a broad smile while Nicholas nodded.
"Take this," Nicholas opened his dress jacket while eyeing at her torn clothes, it was going to be a day soon and he wouldn't want her to walk like that for sure.
Immery took it from him with a confusion laced face, Why are they being this nice to me? was the only thing going on in her mind but she did not question their motive, she will probably get a place to live and that seemed better than to be here.
"We have enhanced speed abilities, plus you look injured. Let me carry you ?" Christian asked Immery, to which she glanced at her feet for a while. He was correct she couldn't possibly match up with them and she felt fatigued from all the run her captors had made her do.
She nodded.
Christian picked her up in his arms effortlessly, as if she was a piece of flower.
They started walking through the woods. Nicholas walking ahead, to keep an eye and ear for any danger while Christian carried Immery, his hold on her gentle.
As for Immery, her heartfelt full. She might have found the safety and care she ever needed. She did not know what this feeling was, right now but she felt connected, to them. And their world.