As I was yet again, forced to walk in a wooded area on a non-existent trail with a hooded vampire whose face I'd only seen once since I met him. I hate to admit it but it was the most awake I'd ever been in a while, and perhaps my life being in danger was a part of the buzz equal to five hits of fermented red-eye coffee in my head.

I agree, I was being a fucking idiot about all of this. It's one thing to be ballsy then stop after one brush with death putting you in your place, but it's another to act like you're goddamn invincible when it's become obvious over and over that you're not.

On the other hand, I vowed to myself that I would be a pain in our demonic Bela Legusi's ass from the get-go of this shitshow. I wanted him to know that he should've killed me right then and there.

Both me and Vlad had reached a silent understanding after the fun car ride this morning, that I did not want to talk, and he would respect that. Hard to admit, but perhaps the silence made reality hit harder than an asphalt truck.

It was one thing to tough it out behind rose-tinted glasses for a while, but it's only a matter of time before one starts to see how low they've truly succumbed. I had resigned to following a random man in the forest

If didn't he would probably hurt me.

That, I was quite prepared for, and I wouldn't wish that state of mind upon anyone. I made a mental note to ask my captor, who also happened to be a therapist, more about this phenomenon. Coin off the chance his professionalism wouldn't let him be biased due to our strange circumstances.

I've always considered myself a lone wolf, one who just can't and doesn't care to stick with the crowd. Not that there's anything wrong with crowds nor do I feel above them, I just roll better on my own, just as they do without me.

But then again, who truly cared what I wanted? I felt like a wild animal caught in a net. The thought burned me from within.

"Drac- Hey," I called out to Vlad, who stopped in front of me. It felt weird to say his name, and his former title made him seem important. He didn't turn around, but I knew he was all ears. "Exactly how much do you know about me?"

He looked over his shoulder, but didn't meet my gaze.

"It is a fact that initiating a conversation is an exchange of direct questions and answers from both parties. You forgot this earlier. Will you honor it now?"

"Fine." I rolled my eyes. I suppose it wouldn't hurt to share to the one got shanghaied to.

"Este bună. As for knowing you, I frankly did not know that your brother had a sister before a fortnight. Otherwise he would be the one walking with me right now."

"How do you know Alex?" I asked.

An image of a tall and burly, dark-haired and bronze-skinned man with striking dark hooded eyes came to mind. My half-brother, Sikandar.

"Who?" He asked, confused as to who I was referring to.

"Well, his real name's Sikandar, a variant of Alexander. It annoys him." I explained.

"The joys of a younger sibling." He sighed in wonder.

"So, does he know you?" I asked. While it had been years since I last saw him, part of me hoped that he had nothing to do with this. Not that I thought my father did either, but my hopes were that at least I hadn't fallen so low in my brother's view as well that I deserved being given away to a vampire.

"I am not quite sure, drăga. I have not met him personally, I only know of him. He has a wife and children, no?" He answered.

I was confused whether he was blackmailing me or genuinely asking me that. However, I decided to keep the cordial tone.

"So, do you have any brothers or sisters?" I asked.

"When I was a mortal, I had a sister, and an elder brother." He said softly. I decided not to poke at the subject, not because I was scared but because I felt he didn't want to talk about it. I mean, I was entitled to such assholery, but that just crossed a line for me.

"Well, anything else you know about me?" I asked, hoping to pry a bit more as much as his patience allowed him to.

"I am still learning much." He mused.

After a while, I spoke up again when I noticed the trail beginning to fade more and more. We were just as good as walking through raw wood at this point.

"Hey, if you're going to murder me and drink my blood anytime now, can you bury me on the spot if it's not too much trouble?" I asked, only half joking.

"In your faith, only warriors are laid to rest where they die, no?"

"Not necessarily, martyrs are." I corrected.

"But you are neither. Thus, had I the intention to kill you, and abide by your final wish, I would be wrongfully performing your funerary rites."

"Why do you care? You probably will tear me to pieces, for all I know. Where are you taking me?" I asked.

"Your grave, for all that you know." He said, now irritated.

Finally. An angry man's a raging bull, and you just need to be the matador. 

"But you know, so tell me where the FUCK do you intend on killing me!" I shouted.

"You try my patience." He warned, but his tone gave away his merriness. Shit!

"You've been trying mine this entire morning, and I seem to be taking it better than you."

"Oh, it has been ages since I've spoken so freely with a mortal!" He laughed, relishing the air as if he'd never felt it before.

"Do you breathe?"

"No. I do when I want to."

My train of thought must've slipped off it's tracks trying to comprehend what he meant. Vlad smirked at my reaction.

At least someone was having a good time. It only stung that that someone wasn't me.

"You really don't get mad, do you?" I asked.

"And you don't get scared, do you?" He retorted. I'll give him that, because he did have a point.

I probably should have been shitting myself knowing that this dude was six hundred years old and a murderer. He could stand in my way before I even think of running, lift me up with one hand and not break a sweat, then rip me to shreds to satisfy his hunger. I shuddered, thinking of this man biting into my throat and sucking on my blood until I was a shriveled corpse and tossing me away as if I was nothing.

I could deal with lust or hatred, but bloodlust was a completely different story. It wasn't cursing every breath I drew and neither was it some predatory carnal desire, he craved my very life force. He wanted to perform the ultimate primal act of consuming another human being for strength.

My resolve was a miracle itself, but it was primarily because I saw things a little differently than what most people did, and I always had.

Satan exists. This is nothing. Do not consider this realm, or any, to be as trivial as your mind.

I had a chain of reasoning for my meditative state, and here's how it goes: To get away from this guy, I had to be strategic, because ain't no way was I fighting this superhuman demon and living to forget about it someday. To stay smart, I had to stay calm. To stay calm, I had to stay focused. Finally, I needed a reason to stay focused. If I lost an ounce of certainty about anything, all would be lost.

"Well, does it matter if I'm scared or not?" I answered after a long time.

"It matters when you and I wake up next to one another every morning." He grunted.

I could practically hear the sound of a hummer truck hitting the brakes and its wheels screeching. Perhaps Frank's driving had made a mark on my soul as well as the road in front of my office. That's what would ring in my ears whenever the ground would slip under my feet.

Abey saale, brake maar! I stopped walking, and so did he, finally turning around to look at me. (Hit the brakes, fucker!)

We stood silently just looking at each other, until my tongue managed to move again. Something about his eyes locking with mine and oozing undivided attention sent chills down my spine, no wonder it was easier to shoot my mouth off all I wanted when his back was turned.

He gave a half smirk, probably by seeing my jaw hit the floor.

I cleared my throat while trying to find the right words to say, so I spoke my mind. I mean, besides hurting me was the worst he could do. When you're me, you kinda get the hang of it.

"Dude, I- well, firstly I just met you. And, I- I don't live alone with strangers." I said, my eyes darting everywhere but him.

He seemed very patient and understanding about it, actually.

"I have different quarters than you. Besides, I have a staff as well. You will not be alone."

"But-" I started. He was a namehram. Scratch that, he wasn't even a human! Did the laws even apply in this case?

I shut my mouth when he reached into his coat pocket, leather gloves coming out clasped around a paper. He unfolded it with one hand and flicked it open for me to see. My cool went flying out the window.

Pure horror brewed in my heart, and punched me in the gut. The Arabic scripture was all too familiar to me. The golden filigree designs indicating exactly which official document this was. My signature, forged with exactly the cryptic and wiry curves I would make with a pen, except I didn't. Another signature I didn't recognize, right under it, but the 'V' in it indicating that it probably belonged to his Majesty the Asshole's. It was a nikkah-nama, a marriage contract binding Mehwish Ansari with Vlad the fucking Impaler.

How was my signature on there? Hell if I know!

However, out of all the stupid shit I've done lately, I definitely would remember this.

"A contract. Your father signed it."

Fuck! I sunk to my knees, not knowing what to do, my eyes fixed on the ground before looking up at the one who I'd been chained to.

"What?! I- I've just met you and-" I started babbling unintelligibly, my hands flying around, and my thoughts spiraling all over the place. All I could think of was that piece of paper sealing my fate and those bright blue eyes relishing down in the sight before him: a defeated villain.

You're just a conquest, only a savage alien to everyone around you. You are too reserved, too loud, too wild, too pious, just too much. You are the problem, and you could've just fit in. Just bowed down back then so you wouldn't have to kneel before your fate today.

I wanted everything to burn the way I was burning from within. To be treated as an animal, or an object to be traded off.

The sickest part about all this, my father would only have had to command me, and I would've put my life on the line to help him out, hell I would've agreed if it meant saving my his life.

A spiky-nailed finger pushed under my chin to make me look up. I hadn't even noticed him walk up to me. His fingers trailed up to the side of my cheek, making me flinch away with a shudder. Apparently, it only motivated him to grab my collar and pull me up a little and my feet to suspend in the air again. He kneeled until we were at eye level, and rested his hand on my shoulder with a sigh.

"Drăga, it is-"

"Get, away from me." I said through ragged breaths, my eyes blurring out of focus.

"I just wish to tell you that there is absolutely no reason to be afraid of me. I will not harm you."

I can't take this anymore.

I grabbed both sides of his neck and smashed my head into his forehead and pulled off the hood behind his head. Pushing him away helped me scramble on all fours before standing up, but unfortunately he grabbed me just in time before I could get away and threw me onto the ground onto my back, knocking the wind out of me.

Paralyzed, I watched as he quickly hooded himself again and screamed in agony holding his face.

"I told you to get away from me." I said softly.

I don't know what possessed me to yell at him and not start running then and there.

"By divine law, that paper's invalid! You gotta be under the Testimony and have my consent to that contract!"

I looked around through the trees and the forest green, then back at the vampire I'd just tried to barbecue alive.

To my surprise, there was nobody there. It was as if there was never anybody there. Or anywhere. Just silence. Complete silence.

It was probably the worst time for my body to feel any hunger, thirst, and morning fatigue. I was way too spoiled for being in situations like this, as if what just happened was just because of an extra shift I was working, or I decided to add another plate to my lifting reps in the gym. Perhaps my own physical and mental defense mechanisms had screwed me over now.

Get the fuck out of here, and find a Planet Fitness for a smoothie. Strawberry sounds amazing right about now.

Ew, strawberries.

I turned around, and tried to run, but instead started jogging. I just didn't have it in me to run anymore.

As the rhythm of twigs snapping and the wind whistling in my ears became routine, I closed my eyes and kept going, not having the energy to keep them open. The trail we were walking on was pretty clear as far as I knew, so all I had to do was walk back to the main road where the car dropped us off.

Will there be any cars around there?

Would it be safe to hitchhike, or will a werewolf who also happened have some beef with my father meet me?

Worth a fat shot, right? It's just that I preferred dying trying to run instead of slowly in captivity.

A pang of pain shot through my stomach and sent me tripping over my feet. I started writhing and moving, only making it worse. Cramps.

I started crawling on my hands and knees, still determined to keep moving. The dryness of my mouth and throat became more and more apparent. Soon enough, the world went dark and my face went into the dirt.