15 comments/ 10941 views/ 16 favorites Fading Away By: Secret_Red This is my first story so go easy one me ok! If you guys like it, I will be more than happy to continue!! -Secret_Red For the hundredth time Ashlynn looked at herself in the mirror, and wondered if tonight was a good idea. She knew there was no choice, that Kyle and Ben would be disappointed if she canceled at the last minute. She slid her hands through her shoulder-length curly auburn hair and pulled it back into a high ponytail. Her bight green eyes took in her quick handiwork and her pink lips parted as she sighed. "It will just have to do. They know I don't wear makeup. I certainly hope they don't think I am going to wear more than jeans and a shirt. I am not going to dress like a hooker just to go traipsing through a cemetery," she said to her image in the mirror. While most people would look at Ashlynn and think her an incredible beauty, Ashlynn suffered from what so many "bigger" girls do, she had a very low self esteem. She was 5'6 and very voluptuous, and all of her short twenty-one years had trained her to believe that because she was not a size 4, like her mother, that she was fat and unattractive. Slipping her dark grey sweater over her black shirt, she left her room and headed for the front door. Her mother sat in the den beside the front door. Ashlynn grimaced, knowing her mother had strategically placed herself so that she could see what Ashlynn was wearing (and criticize). "I know that you have much nicer things in your closet. But no, you have to dress like a frumpy old maid," her mother angrily stated. Turning her head she addressed the blonde man Ashlynn hadn't noticed in the room, "You have no idea how frustrated I get with my child, Glen. Look at her, she's fat, has that awful red hair from her father, and is going to be a virgin until the day she dies because no man is going to want her." Her mother's latest boyfriend took this opportunity to run his eyes over the young woman in front of him who was looking at her shoes. Glen thought the girl had a beauty that Sandra was jealous of, because no amount of make up she applied could make her look like her daughter could. His eyes dropped from her stunning face to breasts trying to break free from their confines of her tee shirt, and only when the jacket surrounding them abruptly closed did he look back into the green eyes that were shooting daggers at him. Glen chuckled because he knew that he had been caught and looked at Sandra wishing she looked like her daughter. "I am leaving Mother. I don't know when I will be back, we are doing a field assignment for class," Ashlynn said softly. Her mother smirked as a reply, finished insulting her child when she brought up school. Ashlynn sighed, wanting her mother to say "I'm sorry" or "Have fun" or even "be careful", but knew that was not going to happen and she walked out the door into the cool September evening. Ashlynn grabbed her bag of books and camera equipment from the car just as Kyle and Ben pulled up. "Hurry up, scaredy-cat," Kyle yelled out the window. Climbing in the back of the Explorer, she giggled and said, "It's not going to be me pissing in my pants later because of moving shadows ya chicken!" Inwardly she cringed however, the thought of spending the night in the cemetery was horrifying. They were doing a research project for their Mythology and Folklore class about the possibility of vampires existing. She had wanted to pick an easy topic like, trolls or fairies, but no her best friends had to pick the one thing that terrified her. For Ashlynn, they arrived at the cemetery two miles from her home way too soon. The trio got out of the SUV and hurried to the gate so that they could get set-up before darkness fell completely. Ben began to unroll sleeping bags beside the largest crypt in the hallowed field, while Kyle and Ashlynn set up the table that would hold their books and camera equipment. They had their "base camp" quickly established and the three sat at the table munching on snacks and reading. "So, how long do you think we are going to have to wait for a vampire to show," Ashlynn questioned. "From things I have read, we shouldn't have to wait too long. I have also heard that most of the vampires live out here in the suburbs, and then travel into the city to feed. It's quieter out here and they are less suspected," Kyle replied. "So what do they do Kyle? Jump on the blood mobile to and from feedings," Ben asked. The three laughed, thinking that maybe they should have went to one of the cities' many cemeteries instead of just going to the one down the road from Ashlynn's. Ben and Kyle continued to joke about vampires until the battery operated lantern on their table flickered. Ashlynn felt the hair on the back of her neck rise, and knew that they were not alone. She could feel someone or something from the shadows watching them and waiting. Ben chuckled nervously, feeling the same way Ashlynn felt. He looked at Ashlynn and saw the terror in her eyes, and knew that his eyes reflected it. Kyle, seeing that the other two were spooked, snuck away from the table behind the crypt and put on the black cloak and fake teeth he had stashed earlier. He pulled the hood of the cloak around his head and snuck slowly back toward the light around the corner. He could see Ashlynn scribbling in her notebook, and almost changed his mind about what he was about to do. He wanted Ashlynn to see him more than just as a friend and goofball, but all he could think that if he did this she might end up in his sleeping bag because of fear. He jumped out quickly behind the girl of his dreams and grabbed her roughly by the hair, yanking her head to the side, exposing the long smooth expanse of her creamy neck. Ashlynn froze with fear. All she could process through her mind was, "They are real, they are real, they are real, they are real. I am going to die!" She looked into Ben's wide-eyed face and knew that it was all over. She felt hot breath on her neck and fainted. Kyle felt her go slack in his hold and slipped his arm around her feeling her breasts against his flesh and before he could think he cupped the right one. Even through her shirt and bra it overflowed his hand. He looked up and saw a puzzled look on Ben's face and knew that he had been caught. He let go of Ashlynn's hair and threw the hood of his cloak back laughing. "What the fuck man! Are you stupid or something? We did everything we could to get Ash to come out here with us and the first damn thing you do is dress up like the one thing she fears the most, just so you can grope her when she passes out," Ben yelled. "OK, it was just a joke man! We'll just tell her it was a practical joke to liven the mood! I didn't think she would actually pass out," Kyle said regretfully. Ben grabbed the First Aid kit that was brought just in case of an emergency and looked inside for smelling salts. Seeing none, he grabbed a box of matches, struck one and blew it out. He waved the match under Ashlynn's nose, and with a moan she began to come to. Before she could start screaming again, he said, "Ashlynn, vampires are not real. It was just Kyle playing a cruel practical joke ok." Ashlynn groaned, "They are real, they are real, they are real." She slipped back unconscious and Ben knew that only sleep and waking up to see no damage was done would reassure her. Kyle and Ben carefully carried her to the middle sleeping bag. Ben slipped her tennis shoes off her feet and zipped his best friend inside. He looked into the innocent face before him and knew that they had made a mistake by bringing her here. Ever since they were little she had been terrified of vampires. "Kyle, what you did was wrong. It was really fucked up," Ben said calmly, "You knew she was scared of vampires and you did this anyway. I have nothing more to say to you. I think we should turn on the cameras and turn in for the night so we can leave at first light." Kyle felt no remorse at what he had done, thinking that the warm globe of flesh he had felt made the whole situation worth it. Before long both he and Ben dozed off thinking that even though they were in a cemetery they were safe. The two men in the shadows had been waiting for the group to let their guard down and go to sleep. They both appeared to be in their late twenties, had dark hair and dark eyes. In reality the two were over 100 years old, and in vampiric years that made them young. David and Seth looked at each other and knew the feed was on. They would each take one of the men and they would share the girl. They moved with lightning quick speed to stand over the trio, looking down upon them. The girl whose name was Ashlynn appeared to be having a bad dream and the two vampires hoped they were the cause of it. Seth grabbed Kyle and sank his teeth into his neck savagely, because he was the one that had made fun of vampires. David was a little more careful in sinking his teeth into Ben's neck. The two friends never woke as their life was slowly drained from them. David felt Ben fading and reluctantly stopped feeding, and licking the wounds upon Ben's neck, healed them. He carefully laid the young man back down and seeing the animalistic look in his brother's eyes knew that the other young man would not be so lucky. Kyle awoke with a gasp to see a head near his neck, and feeling the pangs of death upon him he almost screamed. Another vampire appeared and covered his mouth. Kyle felt his life slipping away and hoped that his friends would be spared of this torture that he was enduring. Slowly Seth lifted his head and threw the Kyle to the side, having drained the life blood from the human made him want more. He inched toward the girl with the beautiful body hoping her blood was as sweet as she looked. Ashlynn had watched the light fade from Kyle's eyes and had kept herself from screaming. She knew that she and Ben would endure the same fate, and she shivered inside of her sleeping bag. Kyle was thrown aside and she felt the larger of the two vampires' eyes on her. She waited until he was almost upon her to scream. The blood curdling scream rang throughout the cemetery and echoed in the woods around them. She jumped up and began to run towards the road hoping she could get in the Explorer before they caught her. Ben awoke to Ashlynn's scream, but could not move. He knew that he had been fed from and spared. He knew that his best friend was next and with a willpower he didn't know he had jumped up to stop her two assailants. "Don't touch her please. She is scared and won't tell anyone you exist. Please take me instead," Ben calmly stated. David and Seth who had been watching the young woman run away turned to look at the slender young man sacrificing his life. "You can't give me what I want boy, yes, I will feed off her; but first I will fuck her," Seth said. He walked in front of the human boy who was quivering and said, "My brother wanted to spare your life, but I won't be as nice as he was. David, catch my dessert." Ben had no time to stop the vampire that savagely punched him in the chest. He looked down and saw the vampire's hand had punched through his sternum into his chest cavity to squeeze his heart. Seth chuckled, "See you puny little human. Nothing can stop us from what we want. I'm going to eat your heart in front of your little friend. And while I'm fucking her she will be thinking over and over how her friend did nothing to save her!" David dragged Ashlynn back into the camp by her ponytail. Ashlynn looked up into the savage vampire's face that let Ben's lifeless body drop to the ground. She saw him clutching something in his hand. "So you want to run do you? This is your little protector's heart, he willing gave it to protect you bitch," Seth told her. "W-w-w-hy are y-y-y-ou d-d-d-oing -t-t-this," Ashlynn stammered. Seth threw his head back and laughed then looked at the tear-stained face before him and said, "Because I can bitch. SOMEONE FUCKED MY LIFE UP SO I WILL FUCK UP OTHERS' LIVES!!" He bit into Ben's heart and groaned, "I love the taste of virgin blood, even if it is from a pussy-ass little man!" Ashlynn cringed and waited for him to finish with her best friend's heart. She thought her life was over and hoped her mother knew how much she loved her despite the emotional abuse she received from her. She closed her eyes and waited for them to end her life. "Why don't you take the guys here and dispose of them David, I'm going to get our little one here primed and ready for me," said Seth. David grabbed the two humans' remains and headed for the forest. He hated how his brother had to exact revenge on any human that crossed their paths. Too many innocents had been savagely raped and murdered at their hands, he almost wished that the vampire agents on their tail would catch them. He had almost turned himself in countless times so he could go to Hell and stop the struggle within himself that his brother was causing. David dropped the bodies and looked around the woods surrounding him. He could feel that they were close to finding them. Maybe, just maybe, they would make it before that beautiful innocent was raped and murdered. Seth grabbed the shirt and sweater Ashlynn was wearing and with one yank, tore the clothes from her body. He stared at her cotton encased breasts and felt his lust flare at the sight. Ashlynn didn't bother to cover herself, she knew that this was her fate to be raped and killed by this bloodthirsty vampire. He almost wondered why she didn't fight him, he wanted to feel the adrenaline in her blood when he bit into her neck. He didn't want her defeat. With a growl, he threw her onto her back, yanking the jeans off her hips and legs, and he finally saw some fear in her green eyes. He pulled the white panties and bra off of her and looked her up and down. Her full creamy breasts had large brown nipples, she had a tiny waist that flared into large hips, the juncture between her legs was completely shaven, and her long smooth legs completed one the most beautiful bodies he had ever seen. Ashlynn squeezed her eyes tightly closed and wished herself into her bed room, wished she would wake up snug and safe in her bed. She opened her eyes slowly and saw the dark haired vampire before her elongate his teeth while he freed his cock from his pants. He leaned down and pinched both of her nipples hard. She cried out, and seeing that her cry out in pain turned the vampire on more, bit her bottom lip to keep from doing so again. Seth ran his hands down the silken flesh of her full body until he reached the sweet juncture between her thighs that would bring him pleasure and her pain. He pulled her resisting thighs apart and looked upon her dry flesh between. Licking a finger, he slid it slowly up and down her dry slit. Now that she was at least damp, he pressed his finger into her tight little hole until he hit the barrier he knew she had. Ashlynn did her best to remain calm and not buck the invading finger from her body. She closed her eyes, and felt the vampire's cool body cover her own. She felt his length of flesh pressing against her dry virgin hole and felt the tip of him just sink in. Suddenly he was thrown off of her body. Seth was enjoying the fear play across the beautiful features of his latest rape victim, and enjoying the feeling of her tight pussy around just the tip of his cock. He pulled back slightly, prepared to slam in when he felt arms encircle his waist and throw him against the side of the crypt. With a cry of outrage he leapt up and saw his brother in handcuffs. He looked into the eyes of their vampire king and thought, "What the hell, I am going to Hell tonight anyway." He flew at the vampire king claws raised, teeth elongated, and prepared to do battle. Eric, the vampire king, grabbed the gun from his hip and fired. Seth dropped to the ground, the bullet had found its mark deep in his heart killing him instantly. David lowered his head, knowing his brother was going to Hell like he deserved, and knowing he was going to jail.. He was lead away, as their leader shot his brother once more in the head. "Someone please call the clean up crew in here to take care of everything. Make it look like the friends fought over the girl and she ran away. We are going to take her in for questioning and we need to clear her head of these events," said Eric. Eric hated this part of his job. He hated when vampires killed innocents just because they could. He looked at the girl named Ashlynn Michaels being loaded into his SUV and knew that he had to explain a lot to her. Her father was the one strapping her into the vehicle trying to keep his now hysterical child calm. He ran his fingers through his short dark brown hair and sighed. Ashlynn stared at the man that she thought had been dead for 10 years. "Daddy, what is going on? I thought you died. Where are they taking me? Daddy, are you one of them," she asked. Robert Michaels wrapped his arms around the daughter he had been taken from eleven years ago and said, "You will learn everything soon." Eric climbed into the back of the SUV and faced the girl as they sped away towards the compound. Ashlynn looked at the vampire before her and felt something she had never felt before, his sapphire blue eyes penetrated her very soul, and feeling uncomfortable she looked down. "Ashlynn, my name is Eric and we need to talk about what you saw tonight. Those were two very cruel vampires and what they did to you and your friends was wrong. Your dad is going to be with you at the compound, there are other humans there so you don't have to worry about us doing the same thing to you," Eric explained. Before he could go on Ashlynn said, "It's ok, I wanted to die. I was ok with fading away." To be continued... Fading Away Ch. 02 **Due to so much positive feedback, I had to continue!! I hope to all the people who criticized my rushed opening, that things are a little cleared up in this chapter. There's no sex in this one, but I am slowly but surely getting there! It will be worth it! Happy reading! ~Secret_Red** * Eric stared at the young woman before him. He had heard so much about her strong will, her intelligence, her love of all things, her beauty, and most of all about her fear of vampires. He glanced over at Robert, her father, and saw the fatherly concern etched into his face. Reading his friend's thoughts, he realized they echoed his own, "When the trance wears off, will she be able to handle the truth?" "When we arrive at the compound, please place Miss Michaels in the Violet Suite. And please have Stephen go to her and speak with her about everything that happened tonight," Eric said to one of the guards. "Robert, I know you were just reunited with Ashlynn; but I would like to speak with you privately in my office," he said to the grim faced Robert. Arriving before a wrought iron gate, Ashlynn finally looked up and at her surroundings. She watched as the SUV climbed a long and winding driveway to stop before one of the largest homes she had ever seen. A young man, named John, grasped her arm upon exiting the SUV and escorted her through the huge wooden front doors. Without stopping to allow Ashlynn to look around she was taken up the winding staircase and into a very purple room. "I will have someone bring you up some clean clothing, and something warm to eat and drink. Perhaps there is something in particular you would like, Miss Michaels," John asked. "I don't want to be any trouble, but that does sound nice. I would like a cup of hot tea if possible. When can I see my father again so that I can talk to him? I have so many things to find out," said Ashlynn. "Let me go speak with the housekeeper and I will ask Lord Eric about the other," John said upon exiting her room. Ashlynn walked to the window and surveyed all that was going on below. She saw people running around everywhere, doing their various jobs. She wondered what she would have to do here, or if they would allow her to go home. "Do I really want to go home? Daddy is here," she wondered aloud. "If my father was here, I wouldn't want to go home," a feminine voice said. Ashlynn whirled away from the window to see a young woman dressed in a black skirt and top with a white apron. She was tall and willowy, blonde and blue eyed. The type of woman that Ashlynn had always wished she could be. "I-I-I didn't r-r-r-ealize anyone c-c-came in m-m-my r-r-room," Ashlynn stammered. "I knocked, I think you were a little lost in your thoughts. My name's Kelly. I'm one of the maids here, and I am assigned to make sure your every whim is granted. Right now, I am going to run you a bath so you can meet with Stephen afterwards," Kelly said on her way into the bathroom, "Oh yeah, there's a pot of tea and a light meal on the table over there." Ashlynn heard the water start and walked over to the table bearing a silver tray. It held a pot of tea, an eggshell thin tea cup, and a plate of food. Ashlynn ignored the food and poured herself a cup of tea, adding a teaspoon of sugar, and a squeeze of lemon. She slowly sipped the fragrant brew, while Kelly readied her bath. "It's ready when you are! I brought you some clothing. Everything should fit. I was unsure as to your bra size, but I think I guessed good enough," Kelly said, "If you need anything else, just pick up the phone and dial 0, ask for Kelly, and I will come running!" She exited the room, leaving Ashlynn alone with her thoughts. Ashlynn walked over to the steaming bathroom, and inhaled. "Roses! Daddy remembered I love roses," she breathed. The bath looked so warm and inviting, Ashlynn quickly began taking off her remaining clothing, including the leather jacket that someone had placed on her shoulders. She ignored the mirrors that surrounded the tub, and almost jumped into the steaming water. If she had bothered to look at her voluptuous reflection, she would have seen bruises shaped like handprints on both hips, thighs, and red scratches all over her breasts and stomach. Ashlynn sighed as she sank down in the large porcelain bath tub. She inhaled deeply, and let the fragrance of roses take her back to her childhood at her grandmothers. She saw clearly the day when she was only seven years old and in her Grandmama's garden... "Child, you must watch out for things at night. I don't wish to scare you, but I can sense that they are close to us. They have always been here and the rate it is going, they will discover you before long. They will always be walking in the shadows," Grandmama whispered to the freckle-faced little girl before her. "Who Grandmama? Are you talking about that book of grandpapa's? You know he told me that they weren't real when he found out I read his book," Ashlynn stated. "My dear sweet Ashlynn, your grandpapa didn't want you to be scared. They are real my dear," Grandmama said, "They have walked this earth for centuries. They were here before Christ walked the Earth. Your Grandpapa has studied them, and in some instances wished to be one of them. He married me, because they were attracted to me. Before you ask, I have no idea why. Since you and I look a lot alike, I want you to just be careful at night Ashlynn. Promise me that you will always be careful, Ashlynn!" "I promise Grandmama! I promise," the little girl cried as she ran into her grandmother's arms. "Your daddy should be here soon, little one," she said, "Don't tell him that I spoke to you of these things." Ashlynn did however, for that night she couldn't sleep for fear of vampires stealing into her room to get her. Robert, upon finding out the reason that Ashlynn was so scared, called his mother to ask her why she had to keep up with the nonsense about vampires. He had feared them since he was seven years old too. He had not wanted his child to go through the same thing he did because of his mother's dreams. Ashlynn closed her eyes and let her mind drift forward three years. Once again she was at her grand mama's, only this time for much different reasons. The little girl's long auburn hair was braided in a long braid down her back; wisps of curls escaping the confines of the braid curled around her face. The little girl's skin looked so pale against her black dress, as she stood beside her mother's chair. Her mother looked beautiful in black. Her makeup done perfectly, and her hair neat and in place, her black dress hugging her body in a way that was almost indecent for someone that had just been widowed. "Ashlynn, please stop slouching! I thought I told you to spray hair spray on your hair! My goodness don't you do anything right? Your father just died and you look like something the cat drug in, but then you are the reason he's dead," Sandra exclaimed. "Sorry, Mommy. I will try and do better," Ashlynn said. "I'm sure you will," Sandra snapped at her daughter as she got up and walked in the house. Ashlynn wandered into her Grandmama's garden and inhaled the scent of late roses. Roses would always be her favorite scent. They would forever bring her back to this innocence of her childhood before cruel life dealt its hand. She found her way back to the spot where the memorial pictures of her father stood and didn't feel the tears that began to slip down her cheeks as she looked at her handsome father. "Daddy, I'm so sorry I got mad at you. I didn't know that you would die that day. I didn't know the shed would catch on fire and that you would think I was hiding inside. I'm so sorry Daddy. I-I-I l-l-love you D-d-daddy. I should have told you Daddy, I should have told you Daddy," Ashlynn sobbed. Ashlynn's grandmother comforted her the best she could. It was hard to comfort someone who felt they were the cause of their father's death. She had been there the night her son had died, she had seen Ashlynn get mad at her father over some small trivial thing and watched as the little girl had ran into the shed to hide. She had seen the fear cross her son's face at the sight of his daughter running into the shadows. Minutes later everyone smelled smoke and Robert had run into the shed not knowing the little girl had went inside the house to her bedroom. The shed had collapsed and the remains of her son's body had been so badly charred that he had been completely unrecognizable; so unrecognizable that the police took for granted that it was her son's body. "My dear, sweet Ashlynn. Your daddy knows you love him and he knows you are sorry. You didn't kill your Daddy. It was an accident, baby, an accident," Grandmama said. Ashlynn felt eyes upon her and looked up to see the smiling face of the maid, Kelly. "Sweetie, you've been in the tub for about an hour. I know that water has got to be cold," Kelly said, "Why don't I get you out and let's dry those tears off your pretty face." Ashlynn slowly stood, the water glistening on her body, embarrassed to have someone else see her naked. Kelly thought to herself, "Now that's a body! Look at those breasts, those hips, and those legs! If I looked like that, I could have Lord Eric himself!" Kelly wrapped a lavender bath sheet around Ashlynn and motioned for her to sit down at the vanity so that she could brush her hair. Kelly ran a comb through the damp locks of hair and watched in silence as tears continued to streak down Ashlynn's face. Before she could stop herself, she wrapped her arms around the younger woman. "It's ok, sweetie. It's going to be ok," she said as the dam within Ashlynn broke. Ashlynn awoke a few hours later and stretched upon the large bed. She groaned at the stiffness that seemed to be in every muscle in her body. She rose from the bed to look at herself in the vanity mirror. Her green eyes took in the shadows beneath and the rumpled curly hair that framed her pale face. She took in the too big blue shirt and gym shorts that Kelly had helped her put on so that she could sleep. She never noticed the man sitting in the chair watching her every move. Eric watched as Ashlynn surveyed herself in the mirror and took in her red rimmed eyes. Her hair was in beautiful disarray, and he wondered if the glossy auburn curls felt as silky as they looked. His hands twitched as he watched her run a hand down from her hair to her chest. He could almost feel the supple flesh beneath the thin cotton shirt she was wearing as if his hands had become hers. He slowly moved his eyes down and winced at the sight of a massive purple bruise on her left thigh. "I've brought you some medicine for the stiffness and bruising," a masculine voice behind her said. Ashlynn whirled around, heart pounding, and said, "When did you come in here? How long have you been watching me?" "Only a few minutes little one. I came in just as you began to wake up," Eric replied, "Are you ready to speak with Stephen? The sooner you do so, the sooner you can relax." "I guess so, who is Stephen? And why do you call me little one," she asked. "He is a psychologist, I guess you could say. He will look into your mind to see what happened at the cemetery, and he will feel what you were feeling at the time," Eric said, "He will bring you peace about the loss of your friends. As to why I call you little one, it's because you are so much smaller than I." "When do I get to see my daddy," Ashlynn asked, "I need to find out why he's here." Eric could feel her unease and nervousness. He knew she was full of questions. "As soon as you and Stephen are done talking, you father will be sent to you to answer all your questions, Ashlynn," said Eric. He rose to leave the room and felt her eyes upon him, he chuckled while leaving for he had heard her thoughts clearly. "So she thinks my attitude is as hard as the abs she is sure I have. My, my she is a spitfire like her grandmamma," he thought. Stephen, standing outside the door, looked at Eric questioningly. "Go on in, I will explain later," Eric said, "Call me as soon as you're done." Stephen walked into the room and studied the young woman from a distance. She was trembling and looked so lost. He had looked in on her while she had slept and knew that this was not going to be easy. "My name is Stephen, and yours is Ashlynn correct? I want to talk to you if that's ok," he said. Ashlynn nodded and sat down in the chair that Eric had been in. She expected to find the cloth cool to the touch and was surprised to find it very warm. "We are not as cold blooded as people think Ashlynn," Stephen said. Seeing the look of surprise on her face at his answer to her thoughts, he chuckled, "Yes, I can read your thoughts Ashlynn. And only because I am linked to your father. I was the one who turned him. We will speak of that later though." Ashlynn watched as Stephen sat down in front of her and crossed his legs. "He's very handsome, his golden blonde hair and grey eyes must turn a lot of heads. He's very muscular and must be just over six feet, but he comes no where near Eric's height or build," she thought. "Ashlynn? Are you ready," he questioned. "Yes, sorry. What do you want to know," Ashlynn replied. "Well first, can you tell me what you were doing in a cemetery with cameras? That's what is confusing us the most," he said. Ashlynn replied, "We were doing a project for our Mythology and Folklore class. Ben and Kyle had chosen to do our report on vampires, so I guess you could say we were there to capture a vampire on film." "I see, can you tell me why you were so quiet as you watched your friends die? I know it might hurt, but Ashlynn, I would really like to know," Stephen asked. He knew the answer, but he had to know if the trance was wearing off. "I was trying to wake up from a bad dream. I kept wishing it would all be over so I would wake up! I've dreamt so many times about it happening, that I thought it was my dream," Ashlynn said, "I didn't want my friends to die, I just wanted to wake up!" "When did you realize it was not a dream," Stephen asked. He would have to figure out why she had been having this dream before, but he would do that later. "When Eric threw Seth off of me, I realized this time it was different. I looked at my friends' dead bodies and I wanted to scream, I wanted to cry, but for some reason I couldn't. Why couldn't I cry for my best friends," she cried. "Ashlynn, it's because you are in shock. It is very hard to believe that someone you love was killed right in front of you. It's why you didn't go into hysterics when you saw that your father was alive," Stephen said. Then he thought the truth might be easier to understand, "When your father sensed that you were in trouble, I made your body go into a dreamlike state. I made you feel as though you couldn't wake up, and for that I am sorry. It was the only way we could protect you though," Stephen said, "The reason you are feeling so much right now is because the magic is wearing off. I am truly sorry about the loss of your friends. The clean up crew made it appear that they were in a bad car accident." Ashlynn jumped up from her seat and slapped the vampire in front of her. "How dare you! How dare you protect me and leave my friends to die! I loved them and now they are dead, they suffered because of me," Ashlynn screamed. She drew back her hand to slap Stephen again when her hand was grabbed from behind. She was yanked around into a hard muscular body and forced to look up into a pair of blue eyes turning stormy with rage. "Your friends died because they were foolish enough to enter a cemetery at night. They were killed by ruthless killers and you would have been too, if the man you just slapped had not protected you," Eric spat. Ashlynn stared into Eric's eyes and screamed, "Yeah, thanks! Thanks so much for saving me. I have so much to live for, now that my friends are gone, I find out the man I thought was my dad is now a cold blooded freak, and I am trapped in a coven of vampires!" She raised her other hand to slap Eric's face. Her hand had barely made contact when his mouth crashed down on hers. He felt her resistance and it excited him. He molded her soft body into his and deepened the kiss. Only when he felt the sweet taste of her blood in his mouth and the saltiness of her tears did he think to raise his head. He saw the defeat in her eyes and cradled her to him, gently. He felt horrible for forcing her. She had almost been raped 24 hours ago, and here he was about to do it again. He looked up at his friend Stephen and nodded. Stephen waved his hand over the tear stained face and Ashlynn fell into a deep and dreamless slumber. "Heck of a fighter isn't she," Stephen asked. Eric nodded as he carried the sleeping beauty to her bed. He gently put her down, and brushed the hair off of her face. His hand slid from her face, down the curve of her neck, and to her full left breast. He felt its peak of desire under his palm and mentally shook himself so that he would pull away. "I want this room guarded. No one is to allow her to leave. Her father needs to talk to her, and he will make his decision about her staying or going," Eric told Stephen. "Are you sure about that old friend? I think you are the one who will be making that decision," Stephen replied. Eric growled as he walked out the room. He stalked down the hall to his room and slammed the door shut. "How is a human doing this to me? Why do I feel so strongly about this one girl," he asked himself. He yanked open his shirt, and undoing his pants freed his more than rock hard cock. He groaned as he slid his hand over his cock and nearly came undone. "I haven't felt like this since my first woman," he said, "Damn." His cell phone rang. "Hello?" he barked into the receiver. He listened to the other end and smiled. "So the prisoner is ready to talk. I will be right down," he said clicking his phone shut. He pulled his clothes back into order and hurried to the holding cell. David looked up expectantly and said, "My brother chose her for a reason, Lord Eric. He said that she was the one that would make him powerful. I don't know why though. He knew her grandmother, and said the same about her." To be continued??