Chapter 2

Morning came much too early for Nikola’s taste. The clock showed 6:13 am. He had always been an early riser, even during the weekend. He got up and made his bed and then snuck quietly over to the bathroom to take a quick shower before returning to his room and silently closing the door.

A fine smell had tickled his nose as he had moved in the corridor. Probably another one of the vampire’s breakfasts. If Nikola could delude himself even for a moment, the gesture even looked nice. But he knew better. His food as of late was delicious, true, but it smelled of different spices and herbs he hadn’t even heard of. No, the vampire was practically cooking the taste of Nikola’s blood downstairs. No wonder he was so happy in the kitchen.

Feeling daring since the vampire hadn’t noticed him, he opened his laptop and searched in his online library books about the Vampire Masquerade. As it turns out, there were plenty. From different authors but all from White Wolf Publishing.

He skimmed over their titles. Some rule books. Something about clans. He recognized the name Brujah, but what he searched for was the name Toreador. He knew from the short story in the first guide: The gathering of beasts, that even the Toreadors were not considered nice guys. No vampire was.

    Not that Dimitri had given him the illusion that he was nice or anything. He was angry, demanding, prone to getting his way and a downright psychopath. But Nikola was interested in what else to expect from him. As he searched for a clan book on the Toreador, he read an interesting title. Ghouls Fatal Addiction.

He remembered from the Book of Nod that the ghouls were something like the slaves of the vampires. Curious as to how exactly it happened, he pressed the button for a checkout of this book and begun to read it.

It started off with a short story about a janitor lady in New York. Innocently enough at first. Nikola thought the vampire was going to propose a deal to the future ghoul, for what else could she be? But instead he forced the servitude on her. Through kissing…

Now Nikola panicked. Dimitri was on him like a bloodhound every time he saw him. Granted, Nikola never opened his mouth to respond to the kissing and always washed his face afterwards in the bathroom, careful not to be noticed by the vampire and thus insult him. But still, some of the man’s saliva must have gotten past his lips!

Did that make Nikola a ghoul? He didn’t feel like one. For one, he wanted to avoid kissing the vampire back, nor did he feel stronger after the make out. He read further to figure out how it happened, and he found out that the vampire’s tongue in the story was damaged. So, there was blood involved.

He also read how the woman had become unstable like a junky because of the blood. He himself felt normal. So, he must have avoided ingesting any of Dimitri’s blood. Just to think if he had drank that weird-smelling coffee he would have been an unaging food bank and slave to Dimitri.

The more he read, the angrier and the more horrified he became. Vampires experimented on their ghouls. It wasn’t enough that their life was practically over if the vampire bailed out on them, but they had to be pocked and prodded like lab rats! And Dimitri had attempted to turn him into one of these junkies!

If even a drop of the vampire’s blood entered his digestive system, Nikola would lose everything! His job, which was his greatest passion. His friends, as he preferred not to endanger them through uncontrolled outbursts. His whole life would become fixed around Dimitri and the man’s agenda. Whatever it was.

Just as he was about to start reading on the experiment’s results, a soft knock was heard from the other side of his door.

“Come out, come out, dear morsel. It’s breakfast time and I know you’re not sleeping, Niki.”

Gulping, Nikola got up and opened the door, only to see the vampire in a surprisingly good mood for once. The blond smelled of pancakes. How long was it since Nikola had last eaten pancakes? Maybe it was when he visited his mother for Mother's Day. Now he may not get the chance to see the woman again. Instead of dwelling on his thoughts, he cleared his throat and tried to appear natural.

“Good morning, Dimitri. Thank you for the breakfast. I’ll be down in a few minutes, maybe if you just wait downstairs a little I’ll…” He didn’t get to finish his sentence as Dimitri moved past him and towards the laptop. Probably curious about what was it that got Nikola to spend so much time locked up in his room.

“Niki, why are you reading about things that don’t concern you?” Dimitri asked him in a strangely sweet tone.

“But are they true?” Nikola blurted out before he knew what he was saying. What was he even thinking? Confronting the vampire like this. Dimitri’s good mood was evaporating in front of him and Nikola was pretty sure he had his answer, but since he had risked his life already, he might as well die with some answers.

“The masquerade got ousted back at the beginning of the 90s. I suppose there is no use lying to you, Niki. Yes, these books are true. They were written by Kindred, in fact. Published by us as well. But why are you looking them up? I could have told you all you needed to know about me. Say, what have you read so far?”

At that, Dimitri moved away from the laptop and closer to a scared witless Nikola. It was one thing to read these books and take them at face value and play a game with them. It was another to be caught using them to research your home invader. Before Nikola begun to speak, Dimitri took him in his arms and laid them both in bed. He gently stroked the man’s hair with one hand and turned his head to face him. After which, he placed his nose close to Nikola’s and stared straight into his eyes.

“Well? I’m waiting.”

“Nothing much, just one book and a short story and this book about the ghouls.”

“Hm, “just one book” which one was it? I know for a fact that the prints for the first game guide were made almost unreadable purposefully, so it can’t be that. Tell me what you read, so I know what to do with you, morsel.”

The dangerous whispered words tickled Nikola’s lips, and he gulped. He had read about the origins of all vampires! And he had a bad filling about the last statement Dimitri made. Would his knowledge anger the vampire? He stared into the red orbs of his captor for a while, and when the man’s brows furrowed further and his nose began to twitch against his in agitation, Nikola begun to speak.

“The Book of Nod and the first short story in the first game guide. Please don’t hurt me, I didn’t know these books were the real deal. Nor did I read them to search for a way to hurt you. I was just curious.”

Nikola felt that his pleads were falling on deaf ears, but he still said them in a shaky voice. Dimitri repeated “The Book of Nod” a couple of times, and his hand gripped Nikola’s hair. His lips opened up in a snarl and Nikola could easily see his fangs.

“What do you think of me now, then? I’m the progeny of a brother-killer and kinslayers. A true monster, right?”

So, this was it, wasn’t it? End of the road. Deciding to face his end with some dignity he distanced their faces as much as he could, given that Dimitri was still gripping his hair and with the calmest voice possible, he uttered.

“You are what you are, Dimitri.”

And after that, he closed his eyes. He didn’t want the last thing he saw was to be the vampire. He wanted to think about happier times, not how he was going to get his throat ripped off after all he did to try and not get on the man’s bad side.

He waited with eyes closed like that for what felt like eternity, and then he heard it. A chuckle, then another. Then his insane captor broke in an outright laugh.

“Clever, clever Niki. You’re not judging me. I like that. I guess there is no harm in you doing some research. Just remember not to blab to anyone that might believe you about me or the masquerade. That will get you torn to shreds, do you hear?”

Nikola couldn’t believe his luck. He was still alive. In the hands of a deranged vampire, true, but still alive. Maybe, if he just avoided being given any blood from the vampire and just continued to be boring and plain, the man will move away from him soon enough. As the man himself had said, the masquerade had already been ousted back in the 90s. People didn’t believe it was real anyway, so what was the harm in Nikola knowing about it when he already knew that vampires were real.

Slowly, he opened his eyes and saw that Dimitri was eyeing him in contemplation. Then Nikola remembered he was asked a question and was quick to answer.

“I won’t tell anyone. It’s not like anyone will believe me anyway. People make up their own stories based on the vampire lore in these books. I’ll end up locked in a mad house.”

“Good morsel.” Dimitri said as he nuzzled his nose affectionately. He let go of his hair and loosened his grip on Nikola just enough for it to not be uncomfortable anymore, but not enough for the Bulgarian to feel released.

“As I said before, its breakfast time. Since you went behind my back, I’ll take more from you than normal. You’ll be dizzy the whole day, but since what you’ll do is read, you don’t really need to be able to stand on your feet all that much, do you? From now on, don’t go behind my back like this. I want honesty from you. And before you say I was dishonest with you, I’ll have you know I would have gladly told you all you needed to know about me. Now you are going to learn much more. Congratulation.”

With that, Dimitri moved his head and rested it on Nikola’s shoulders. Nikola tensed as the man tore into his throat in a more painful manner than he had the previous day. Nikola gasped as his blood was being gulped faster than normally, too, which brought him even more pain. But this wasn’t so bad. Pain was better than death. He would endure it for as long as the vampire was angry at him.

Once Dimitri was finished with him, he let go of him as if Nikola was just a sack of potatoes and got up and left him alone in his bed, shutting the door behind him with a bang.

Remembering that water was vital for replenishing blood, Nikola tried to stand up and get to the pitcher on his bedside table, but he ended up falling back into the bed. He was somewhat grateful then that the vampire had chosen the bed to potentially kill him now. If he was dropped to the floor, he would have had bruising in addition to the burning pain that was coming from his abused neck.

The only thing he could do as he waited to regain his bearing enough to get up was stare at the clock helplessly. It wasn’t until 9:54 that he managed to finally feel well enough to pour some water from the pitcher into a glass and pour it down his sour throat. He took another after it, and then another.

 After that, he slowly got up from the bed and on shaky legs he went to the bathroom and rinsed the wound with some hot water. He then took out some cotton and dipped it into saline solution, and then proceeded to clean the space with the puncture marks. Infection was something he didn’t need right now. After that, he thought about bandaging his throat, but after he took a better look at the two tears, it seemed that they were slowly closing up.

Then he checked his shirt for any blood but found out that the vampire hadn’t let any spill. Satisfied and feeling slightly better, he went downstairs to have breakfast. His coffee once more smelled metallic and so Nikola threw it in the sink, cleaned anything about it that could be contaminated with blood and made a fresh batch.

He then turned to his pancakes. They looked soft and fluffy. They were covered in a strange syrup. Probably something made from fresh fruit and herbs. It was dark purple in color, and he reasoned with himself that fresh blood would have made it too watery, and its smell was indeed dominated by blue barriers and didn’t have any metallic undertones.

Considering it safe to eat, he took the knife and fork set out for him and dug in. Sure, the pancakes were cold by now. And so was the syrup. But his breakfast was still delicious. If only it wasn’t done in an evil witch from Hansel and Gretel style.

After he was done eating he snuck a look at the vampire, who was watching TV and had pulled down all the curtains as it was very sunny today, Nikola slowly got up the stairs and brought his laptop back to the bed to continue reading.

After he was done reading the “case studies” he felt like he was about to barf, and he closed the PDF, disgusted with how human beings were being treated. Did Dimitri ever do something like that? Enslave someone and use them as brood mares? He must have had ghouls in the past, if the constant traces of blood in Nikola’s morning coffee were any indication.

Feeling better physically, if not mentally, he got up and stretched. He needed some fresh air to clear his head. A look outside revealed a lovely sunny day. Maybe he would get to the park, hire a boat, and then just take a turn around in the lake. Yes, that sounded great. Better than reading about doomed people and considering how close he was to becoming one of them.

He took his coat and went downstairs, but just as he was headed towards the door, Dimitri sat up in the couch and called to him.

“Niki, are you done reading? Come, and we can have a chat about ghouls and why you keep on throwing your coffee in the sink,” all that was said with a smile, but Nikola couldn’t help but feel anything but dread.

With still unsteady legs from the blood loss, he slowly approached Dimitri as one does a wild animal, and sat next to him. Just as he expected, arms wrapped themselves around him and a nose nuzzled his abused neck.

“I don’t want to become one. You want honesty, well, I’m being honest now,” Nikola gulped when he heard a growl slightly muffled in his neck but continued speaking. “Why do you want me as a ghoul, anyway? Don’t I feed you just like you want me to? I haven’t started any trouble for you and try to accommodate you in my home. Why can’t it be enough? Why do you want me to become a drug addict?”

Dimitri quieted and then let out another growl. “Of course you play to my tune, what choice do you have? But I can give you power! Don’t you want aging to stop for you? For diseases to become a nuisance that my blood would let you easily overcome? What I offer you is almost immortality, and you will throw my gift literary down the drain time and time again? You’re getting me angry again, morsel.”

Well, the bastard thought that Nikola would just roll over and let him ruin his life for as long as it amused him? No longer. He acted before he had time to regret his actions and whirled around to face the vampire.

“What you’re offering me,” He began as he poked the creature’s chest with his finger. “Is the worst type of slavery! You are offering to take away my sanity! To force me to become dependent on you, just like you are dependent on others. Well, I’ll tell you what I will do: I will not drink your blood even if you kill me. I’ve read how ghouls become nothing but beasts, and I refuse to become one just because you are bored! I’ve said my piece. Now either go ahead and kill me or let me go to the park for some fresh air.”

Nikola’s chest still raised and few urgently, adrenaline pumping in his veins. Then an expression of utter amazement passed over Dimitri’s face, and it made him halt. Was this the first time it had happened? To be refused and even accept death rather than just take what the vampire was giving him?

“I have to admit, Niki, I’ve never been encountered with someone who believed in the masquerade from the beginning. Normally, people hold to their false legends until their system is so pumped with my blood that they have no other choice as to believe in it. I have to say, it's interesting clashing with prey that can really see me for what I am. It’s almost as if you have a fighting chance. It’s cute, in a way. Tell me, what most repulses you about being a ghoul. If I like your answer, I won’t offer or try to trick you with my blood ever again. If I don't, I’ll ghoul you right now and here.”

Nikola gave his answer without missing a beat, his voice full of indignation.

“That after three times of drinking your blood, I’ll be forced to love you on top of being your slave. And here I thought you didn’t want anything fake.”

At that, Dimitri stared at Nikola, and then he lowered his head to place feather-light kisses on Nikola’s lips.

“Do you know what you just offered me, candy man? You teased me with what was promised to be the sweetest nectar. Something that is almost nonexistent for someone of my kind, even to those of my own clan. I suppose I can make you fall head over heels for me, but the question is, can you do the same for me?”

Now it was Nikola’s turn to look on in disbelief as his lips were peppered with kisses. Love? That bastard who wanted to kill him and worse? Why doesn’t he just slit his own throat to make it easier for the man to get his kicks instead? Safe him the trouble. Deciding to remain honest to the bitter end, he said.

“No. You are incapable of love, and so no one can love you. You are what you are, as I said before. You might seduce me if you stop threatening me and molesting me for a time, but you’ll get bored with me, and you will drop the act, and then I’ll probably end up trying to stake you like this Gilbert that you must have turned into a ghoul and forced to be in love with you. Take what you will and get out of my life.”

At that Dimitri laughed and moved to pin Nikola underneath him and no matter how much Nikola struggled the blonde held him still.

“So,” Dimitri began as he started to unbutton Nikola’s shirt. “Big bad monster me doesn’t deserve your love, but I can take everything else? Why thank you, you are very generous!”

“That wasn’t what I meant! I meant blood, not this. Stop it! I’ll scream…” His mouth was covered with a hand, and he was just about to bite it when he remembered that he would damn himself to a very measly existence if even a drop of the blood got in his mouth.

Instead, not knowing what to do, his body took over for him, and soon he was shaking uncontrollably and tears were falling down his face. With sudden clarity, he realized he was going to get raped. Maybe the vampire was going to force his blood in him at the end too, just to be spiteful. Why had he run his mouth and provoked him? He should have lied and said he could make the thing fall for him.

He couldn’t take it anymore. This vampire had no place in his life! Why was he being punished with this creature’s presence? Hadn’t he been a good law-abiding citizen? He didn’t have so much as a speeding ticket to his name!

Suddenly, the hand was removed from his mouth and the vampire went from pining him to lying next to him. He was still holding him, but there was something gentle about it.

“I overstepped with my joke, Niki. It was in poor taste. Don’t cry now. If it makes you feel any better, know that we Toreadors are seducers and not rapists. I just wanted to get some blood into you, but you didn’t bite my hand. Hush now, no more tears.”

Sobs rocked his body as a gentle hand was whipping away his tears. As he had no intention to say anything, Dimitri continued talking.

“It really hurt when you said I can’t be loved, and I got angry. Still, what I did was…uncalled-for. I just thought you’d fight back some more, you are very lively and lovely when you fight me back. You look so dead inside when you do everything I tell you to and my blood wasn’t even in you, so I thought that if you already behaved like a ghoul, you might as well get all the perks. But I was mistaken. You are better the way you are. But you see, Niki, I can’t change. I’m not a good person. I was once, but the killing numbed my humanity far too much. And you are such a good man. On your best behavior. It just makes me want to push your limits.”

And just like that, Dimitri lowered his lips to Nikola’s hair, as the Bulgarian was hiding his face in Dimitri’s chest and refused to show it to the vampire as he gently tried to pry it towards himself.

“Niki, we can’t be friends. It seems I’m too much of a monster to have a friend in you. But I refuse to let you go so easily, as much as it horrifies you to hear it. I don’t know why myself. You’re nothing special. Sure, you are good-looking, but then again, so are others. Your job is boring, to me, at least. But I like you regardless! I desire you, even though you don’t want me back. And especially I like your blood and how calm and trusting you are that it’s the only thing I want when you give it to me without resistance.”

Another kiss was placed, and the vampire moved them, so he was now underneath the man and Nikola was practically laying on top of him. He still hid his face into Dimitri’s chest as the vampire played with his hair.

“But I’ll tell you something to cheer you up! If you remain honest with me, no matter how much I rage at you, I promise I’ll leave you alive after this.”

The vampire hummed as a sharp sob raked Nikola’s body, now more than ever the man must have come to the realization that he really wanted to outlive this nightmare. Without prompting, Nikola’s arms snaked around Dimitri’s waist, and he held him. Comfort in times of emotional distress was precious, and it didn’t matter to the man who he was getting it from right now.

“Niki, are you faking taking comfort from me? Because if you are, I’ll get mad again.”

“I’m not.” Came the quiet reply as Nikola got himself comfortable in the arms of his captor, and he exhaled shakily.

“Then I am good enough to comfort you?”

“You are.”

“Then I suppose I have to stay like this until you calm down. I want you to stay downstairs with me today. I’ve lost some of my past friends once they gave up on live. I don’t want to lose you too, darling. Now, is there anything you would like to ask me about me, or are you going to link me with the abuses and perversions of others because of the books? Not that I’m telling you to not read them.”

“I’d like to just catch up on some sleep for now.”

“In my arms?” At that, Dimitri stopped playing with Nikola’s hair, and his voice almost sounded surprised.

“It’s not like you are going to let me go upstairs to my bed, and you are strangely comfortable, murderous almost rapist that you are. So, why not.”

All was said in a quiet tone, but the vampire could feel that his prey had already calmed down enough for him to try another joke.

“How about this: We cuddle now, and you invite me later to your room for more snuggling every night from now on, and for as long as you do I won’t try to ghoul you.”

At that, Nikola raised his head to look the vampire in the eyes. His eyes felt puffy from all the crying, and he knew he looked hopeless right now, but he still dared to squeeze some hope into his voice.  

“Do you promise?”

Dimitri took his chin in his fingers and with his other hand slowly moved Nikola closer to his face.

“How about we seal it with a kiss? I promise my mouth won’t ghoul you, I’m not a Samedi.”

“Fine.”

Without being forced, Nikola lowered his face on top of the vampire and kissed him. Not knowing why it wasn’t a chaste kiss as he had originally planned but a deep and soft one. As Nikola’s tongue explored Dimitri’s mouth, he felt the other man’s hands lowering themselves to hold him and rub gentle circles into his back. Once he pulled away, he just laid his head on the vampire’s chest again and hugged him tighter.

“Mmm, Niki. You are as sweet as the candy you make, you know that? Maybe I can pry more out of you if I remain gentle with you as I am now? Would you like that?”

“Yes,” came the now calm voice from Dimitri’s chest. “Gentle suits you better than cruelty.”

“You think so?” Dimitri’s hand was moving lower, and he gently squeezed Nikola’s foot. “You don’t think I’m faking how I act right now?”

“It doesn’t matter, I’ll be honest enough for us both.”

“I can’t be what you want from me, Niki. But alright. As long as I live under your roof, I’ll fake gentleness if I have to. Just be careful not to forget I am also a big bad wolf underneath the ruse. It will get your fragile heart broken in the end.”

He wasn’t answered, but Nikola did nuzzle into him, so his act must have borne some fruit. As his hand went back to Nikola’s waist, Dimitri just stared at his prey.

His Niki was a kindhearted sweetheart. It was obvious he was choosing the path of the least resistance and that the possibility of Nikola trying to stake him were nonexistent. He played with the fabric of Nikola’s shirt and begun to hum a lullaby from his childhood.

If he didn’t stress the little morsel, he was going to receive everything he wanted from him in the end. He had forgotten how Toreadors hunted in his anger at Gilbert’s betrayal. And his hunt was now over. It had been ever since he had scared his prey senseless that first night, actually. There was no point in turning his Niki into a suicidal mess.

Without wanting it, he was lulled into a nap by the warmth and the heartbeat of Nikola. When he came back to reality, it was already nighttime and Nikola was still fast asleep in his arms.

Gently, so as not to wake him, he got up and carried his prize to the man’s bedroom. He laid down on the soft bed and held Nikola, who instinctively moved closer and tightened his hold on him in return.

Dimitri spends the night just playing with Nikola’s hair and murmuring sweet nothing's in his ear, even though the man was asleep and couldn’t hear him it still felt like a nice touch. It wasn’t until the clock showed it was morning that Dimitri realized he hadn’t taken any dinner from Nikola the previous night.

Taking it as a simple forgetfulness, instead of as an act of mercy towards the man, he untangled himself and went downstairs to make breakfast. As he was making the coffee he was just about to cut his hand on habit now when he remembered that he had promised, and was rewarded for said promise, not to do it again.

Instead of his blood, he put some cream in the coffee and began to make a picture in the cup. Of a heart with an arrow piercing it. He wondered why he himself did it. Maybe it was because he no longer got to just bully and take from Nikola, and would have to seduce him for the kisses he would usually steal.

Well, since he still made the breakfast, lunch and dinner for the brunette he supposed he was entitled to some small stolen kisses. But no undressing. Or maybe he could talk Nikola into undressing himself for him? The possibilities were delicious. Just as Nikola’s blood was going to be after he ate his yogurt with pineapple, melon and special herbal syrup that would make Nikola’s blood just the appropriate amount of salty. Now that he was done with everything, all he had to do was wait.