Daniel rolled up his right sleeve. He clenched his palm in a fist, making the veins on his forearm pop up.

"Go on," he said, glancing up at Ana. "Bring the needle and stuff. I'm ready."

Ana remained seated on the coffee table, she just shifted her position, so that she could face Daniel. She didn't get up, nor showed any intention on doing so.

Daniel stopped examining his arm and fixated his dark eyes on the long-haired vampire. "There won't be a needle," he stated when the peculiarity of Ana's behavior sank in.

Ana shook her head left to right a couple of times. "Do you remember what I said about the blood that could be healing for a wounded vampire?"

Daniel gave it some thought. "You mean the part about blood that runs through the veins thanks to the beating heart?"

This time, Ana nodded. Her blue eyes rested on Daniel, making him uncomfortable. He agreed to help Teresa, but the reality of what he was expected to do hit him.

"I'm gonna have to let her bite me."

Ana nodded once more. A lock of her dark hair caressed her cheek. Gracefully, she pushed it back.

"Will it hurt?" Daniel's forehead creased.

Ana's eyes seeked Teresa before she answered him. "I do not know. When we feed off the living, they usually scream, but I can't tell if it's because of pain or terror."

Daniel gulped. His mind took him back to the abandoned factory where his friends met their death. They screamed all right. He would have screamed too had he not felt paralyzed. Ana's statement was a reminder that he was facing women that weren't a part of the 'normal' world. For lord knows which time, he found himself questioning the mysterious paths of fate that brought him to this moment.

Teresa's weak voice broke his train of thought. "I won't feed on him."

"It won't be feeding," Ana responded. "You'll only take as much as you need to trigger the healing process."

Teresa struggled to lift her head off the headrest and asked, "And who will stop me once I sink my teeth into him?"

Two women stared at each other, eye to eye, so a shiver that passed through Daniel's body remained unnoticed. Am I a hero in this story, or an idiot, he wondered?

"I will stop you," Ana answered Teresa, looking at her without blinking.

"And what if you... fail?" Speaking became a tiring effort for Teresa. "I don't want... to carry... on my soul..."

"Teresa, knock it off!" Ana cut in. "I will stop you. You're in no condition to fight me at this point."

Teresa's eyes closed, and her head fell back to the headrest. Ana shifted her gaze to Daniel, and all he was hoping for is that she wouldn't consider him a coward for shaking. Hero or an idiot, the words sailed back to his mind.

As if she sensed doubts within him, Ana said, "Thank you for doing this for Teresa. If you're ready, come closer."

Run! Somewhere deep inside, a voice that might have been his own, issued a final warning. And indeed, his legs moved, but they didn't do what the voice asked. Instead, they carried him towards Ana and injured Teresa.

"Now what?" Daniel asked, his voice barely audible. The right sleeve was still rolled up, fast paced heartbeats made the blood vessels under the skin even more noticeable. Rather than Ana, he stared at his own veins, his gaze almost piercing through to the red liquid that ran inside of them. He extended his trembling arm towards the vampire who seemed unusually frail, laying there in the armchair, with eyes closed. Therefore, he looked up at Ana anyway. She smiled compassionately before subtly shaking her head left to right.

Daniel turned his dark eyes to his own outstretched hand, then back to Ana. She didn't look him in the eyes, her gaze was slightly lower. He gulped, unaware that his own hand moved up to his neck.

"It will be all right," Ana said, and Daniel's face lost every trace of color.

He took a deep breath through his mouth, as if he were afraid that the nose won't allow enough air to enter his body. Completely aware of his every move, he dropped down to his knees. Ana moved closer as well, leaning in to gently stroke him on the cheek. "Ready?" she asked.

At that moment, an image of his brother surfaced in his mind. Robert was standing on the hill above the creek that flowed just few kilometers outside the town. A large willow towered above him, and on one of the firmer branches, tied to a rope, hung an old, shabby automobile tire.

Daniel, a ten-year-old at the time, mounted the tire and firmly gripped the rope. Robert then pulled the tire backwards and asked his little brother, "Ready?"

"Yes!" Daniel replied with determination, after which Robert let go of the tire, causing it to swing and carry Daniel towards the creek.

Once above the water, Daniel released the rope, but one of his feet caught the inner edge of the tire. So, instead of falling in the water, his back slammed against the muddy shore. He never showed his mother the bruise that blossomed under his shoulder blade the following day.

"Daniel," Ana's voice broke his pensiveness. "Have you changed your mind?"

"No," he managed to utter.

He looked at Teresa; she appeared to be sleeping. He moved a bit closer to the armchair, and as he did so, his mind played a trick on him one more time, evoking an image of a person sentenced to death lowering his neck to the guillotine.

Enough! he ordered his hyperactive mind.

He rubbed his eyes. Behind them, that well-known dull pulsating was announcing the onset of another headache. When he moved his hand away from his eyes, Teresa was no longer dormant maiden. The eyes that observed him shone like amber, with a hint of red flame somewhere within.

Daniel's heart beat faster, he closed his eyes shut and stated, "I'm ready."

A cold breath on his neck sent icy shivers down his body. Still, he didn't back away.

A touch followed. Lips lowered down on the delicate skin. He still didn't back away. He tried to imagine it was a kiss, a love bite from a lovely girl, but every, even remotely romantic thought was chased away by pain that surged through him when sharp teeth pierced the skin. The discomfort increased when two hands gripped his shoulders.

Whole that time, Daniel did not let his eyes to open. The rest of the senses were more than enough to terrify him.

He expected to feel a stream of blood exiting the wound, soaking the collar of his T-shirt, but there was none.

He expected to hear slurping when the vampire fed off him, but he heard none.

He expected to be surrounded by the metallic smell of his own blood, but he wasn't.

All he heard was whispering of the wind in the branches, completely unaware of passing of time. It could have been a minute, but it also could have been an hour before somewhere by his side Ana decided to speak.

"That's enough," she said.

Nothing changed. He was still immobile in the arms of a vampire who drank his blood.

"Teresa," Ana repeated louder. "That's enough!"

Daniel's whole body jerked when Teresa's teeth reluctantly separated from his skin. It wasn't until he no longer felt her touch that he allowed his eyes to open.

The scene in front of him struck another dose of terror into him. Teresa's eyes beamed red, as if the inferno settled behind them. Her teeth were bared, her fingers like claws reaching towards Daniel.

He fell backwards, crawling like a crab to increase the distance between himself and the vampire who fed on him just moments ago.

However, she was unable to reach him. Ana enclasped her from behind. While her right arm was wrapped around Teresa's chest, her left hand rested on her forehead, pulling her head to Ana's shoulder. She whispered something in her ear, the language unfamiliar to Daniel. Slowly, the flames in Teresa's eyes died down, turning into ember before assuming a familiar golden hue. Once her upper lip covered her fangs, Daniel's heart finally began to slow down.

"You can let go now," Teresa whispered as her whole body relaxed in Ana's arms.

Gradually, Ana loosened her grip on Teresa. Daniel's whole body was still on high alert, ready to flee at the first sign of danger. The words that Teresa spoke next did nothing to soothe him.

"Something is not right," she said, all the while keeping eye contact with the terrified young man.

Dear reader, thank you for reading on.

Teresa fed on Daniel, but she said something was wrong. What could it be? Do share your thoughts with me.

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Until next chapter...