Back to the Vampire's (Me) POV:

I sat in my cell and sighed. The goat's body was removed and I was relieved. I felt much better. Calmer. I wasn't as tired. I felt energetic actually.

I could hear the meeting that they were having two floors up. They weren't going to kill me yet and that made Peri (Mr. Angry) upset.

My kind killed his kind? What in the hell happened to me? I was startled when someone was at my cell. The commander had a wooden board and a black bag that he shook.

"Wanna play Chess? Have you ever played?" He watched me.

I shook my head. "I have no idea what that is!"

"Perfect!" The Commander smiled. "Call me Citron and I'll teach you. The Doc never lets me win so I will take some pride in beating you! Sit."

Citron pulled a chair and a table from somewhere and sat outside the cell. I only reached through the bars to move my pieces once he explained the game to me. I lost the first game but Citron said that didn't count.

Citron glared at me after I won the next time. "We are playing one more. That was a lucky game... beginners luck or some shit!"

I chuckled and we started another game. By the third game that I won, Citron was almost screaming. "Fuck!" He was outraged as his yell echoed in the hall. I laughed until...

There was a gun pressed into my head, the barrel was on my scalp. "Sir, are you okay?" He was talking to Citron. "Did he hurt you?"

"Peri! Are you crazy! I'm fine except he's beating me at Chess and I just taught him!" Citron sighed. "Put the gun away. He's not hurting anyone, Idiot!"

Peri hesitated and put his gun back in his hip holster. I hated thinking it was sexy right there. I had a problem. I looked up at him. "Sorry, Sir..." I was going to continue but Peri glared a look full of hatred.

"Don't call me sir. I don't need your respect." He spat at my feet. "Viper." He was full of hate for me.

Citron ignored this whole thing and sidetracked me. I was about to cry. His look hurt me. "Viper! That is a great name! What do you think... Viper?"

I stared at him. "Me? I'm... Viper?"

Citron nodded as Peri protested. "Now we're naming it?" He was disgusted.

Citron remained cool though. "Yep, he needs a name that I can curse when he's beating me at this blasted game!" He winked at me and made me feel so much better. He made me feel like a person and not an outcast.

Peri made a noise that meant he hated it and stormed off.

Citron was nonplussed. "Ignore him. He's working through things. Another game?"

I just smiled and nodded. I had a name. I was Viper. It felt so good to have a name.

So, after the fourth loss on Citron's part, he called Peri to walk me to the lab. Dr Comet wanted to work with me. I had more tests to run. I felt calm as I walked with Citron and Peri even though I was in handcuffs but this was so they could trust me. I always cooperated.

The lab was bright as I walked in and the cuffs were removed. I couldn't see.

Dr Comet inhaled. "Turn the lights to half." They dimmed and I was relieved. I could look up. "Better?"

I nodded but my reflection in a window caught my attention. I slowly walked to it and stared at myself. This was so surreal. I didn't know what I thought I looked like but this wasn't it.

My eyes looked snake-like with yellow eyes with long vertical dark blue slits for pupils and my hair was dark and long and shaggy. It was just at my shoulders but it looked nice and I liked it. I looked a little untamed.

I pulled my lips back to see two sharp teeth lined up with my flat normal teeth. Vampire. I heard them call me that. Okay. Seems right. I looked like a snake, a viper. Sure. I get the name now.

Angry or Peri was at the door watching me. He was armed and glaring and sexy as ever. I couldn't help that though. He was beautiful. I tried to focus on Dr Comet.

Dr Comet was kind. He even had the lights turned down just for me. "Thanks for turning the lights down." I sighed as I sat down. I hated being hated by Peri.

"No problem. How are you feeling?" Dr. Comet asked. I was pretty sure he was asking about my hunger.

"Good... So far. Now that I know what that feeling is, I'll try to give you notice before I attack you!" I smiled at Dr. Comet as he chuckled. I was relieved that he understood me and my humor.

"Good." He smiled at me as he got instruments ready. I could tell that he loved experimenting on me and I got the feeling that he loved my company also. I enjoyed our time together and got a thrill that Peri was there too. Peri completed my day.

Dr Comet explained everything he was doing and I was finally with it enough to look at everything.

The infirmary was normal. It was nothing different from a doctor's office or hospital. I had no idea how I would know that.

There were beds in black sheets, I knew that was different from humans. Human hospitals use white sheets. How would I know this? Anyway, cabinets, containers with things in them, like berries and twigs. I didn't ask. I also didn't know what half of that stuff was. None of the items in the jars looked familiar so I couldn't even explain them. It was probably herbs.

Some things looked human and others didn't. I had questions picked out for later. It seemed like a mix of human medicine and pixie medicine. I watched Dr. Comet. He was quite handsome and he looked more human. His eyes were a little too big and his ears were pointed... so I knew he wasn't human. He had an otherworldly look about him.

Dr. Comet had dark hair that was spiked up and pretty blue eyes. His smile was friendly. He was a kind person with a gentle spirit. His skin was pretty and tan but almost sparkled. I had no idea how to explain it but it was shiny... sort of. He was a very gentle soul.

Peridot wasn't. He was tall, muscled with a thin, willowy frame. His brown hair was curly or wavy and pulled back into a bun today. Sometimes it was loosely tied or braided. I really liked it when it was down in a loose braid.

His ears were pierced all the way down on both ears. The lowest earrings were dangly half moons. One was yellow and the other was red and they seemed to glow just a little.

He had a crown of... antlers, I guess, like deer or antelope antlers but shorter. There were eight antlers sticking up through his hair, maybe five or six inches tall.

They were white and had some kind of pretty hieroglyphs written on them in gold. It was very pretty writing and I had no idea what it said. They created a circle on his head, making a crown.

His eyes were yellow and pretty. It was tough to describe but they were pretty. He had a freckle just under his eye that was so...Sexy.

His tattoos made him look meaner and..uh...I wasn't sure what the word was but...sexy. He was sexy. He looked like desire, if it was a person.

"What!" Peri glared. His gun turned to me.

I had been staring at him for way too long. Oops. "Oh! No! Nothing. Sorry!" I looked at the floor. Don't stare at him. Got it.

Dr. Comet chuckled. "Sexy, isn't he!"

I looked up, shocked. "What?"

He winked and looked back at Peri. "Sexy. He's single."

"Uh.." I looked back down. No way I was going to even think about dating him. I didn't like being in the same room with him.

"Are you embarrassed?" Dr. Comet was psychic, I swear.

I laughed and shook my head. "What's next?"

Dr. Comet chuckled. He explained the next tests and that we had to wait for the results of the first ones. It felt so nice to laugh with someone.

It was late when I went back to my cell. I sat and read my books all night. There was no sign of anyone but I knew they were there. I wasn't alone. As the sun rose, I fell asleep again. I was so tired.

I woke to an animal in my cell. Didn't know what this was. "Dinner or lunch." Citron was there. "Bon appetit." He smiled.

"Oh..I.." I smelled blood. It was pig-like. I didn't know what this animal was but it charged me. I defended myself and drank its blood. I liked the fight. I didn't feel much remorse for this one. I still felt bad for taking a life but...not like the goat.

"Better?" Citron seemed to understand me. Somehow. I felt as though we were brothers in this short time.

"Yes, thanks." I sat up. I had blood on me. This one was tough. "What was this?"

"It's a boar, like a wild pig. Its called a Travor here." Citron smiled at me. "I figured a reason to kill it was better. They're territorial."

"Thanks." I sighed and felt so much better. I needed a good reason to kill something and this thing had threatened me. "I believe that Dr. Comet's working on some kind of synthetic food for me."

"I believe so too. We let you sleep a little later today. It's three in the afternoon." Citron watched me. "And we are having that as pulled pork tomorrow."

"Thanks." I sighed.

"How about a shower?" Citron watched me.

I smiled and nodded. A shower sounds so luxurious "I would love one! Can I?"

"Come on." He unlocked my cell and we walked down the hall without cuffs on. There was a room with four showers. There was soap, shampoo and a towel on a stool.

"You don't get much privacy just yet. Just be quick." Citron motioned to the shower.

I didn't care about privacy. I stripped my bloody clothes off and turned on the shower. Hot and cold didn't matter to me. I used every soap I could find rinsed off and dried off. I wrapped the towel around my waist and turned. "Thanks!"

"Now we're letting it shower!" Peri was there. In a towel and I was speechless. He was beautiful. I was drooling at the sight of him.

His body was prime for touching, licking and biting, a little. His muscles moved as he walked and my mouth watered at the sight. He was perfection if there was such a thing. The perfect person.

"Viper needed a shower, Peri. We're leaving. Come on, Viper." Citron smiled at me and motioned to the door. I followed him but turned to look at Peri. He had turned to glare at me. Our eyes met and...I melted. What was wrong with me?

It was like slow motion as Peri turned and looked at me. I looked at him as time stopped. I studied his body one more time.

My eyes roamed over his face, every angle, down his neck to his shoulders and muscular chest.

Those tattoos on his arms, his abdomen with that towel wrapped tightly around his waist was so sexy. Every inch of him was sexy and I couldn't help it. He hated me but I loved him.

So perfect. He had sweat on his skin that I would lick off if he let me, and I know that's gross but I would. I loved everything about Peri but I had no idea why.

I rushed to catch up to Citron as I tore myself from Peri's presence. "I forgot my clothes."

"Just now realized that, huh?" Citron chuckled. "Have a little crush, do you?"

What was he implying? "On you?" I did not!

Citron smirked at me. "No, Viper, not me. Peridot. You like Peridot. You sure like a challenge. Good luck with that one."

I looked down and wanted to disappear. "No..."

"Don't lie." Citron looked at me. "I know better. Come on." He winked at me too.

I was embarrassed as I settled into my cell again. Citron had given me fresh clothes and I was grateful. I felt better today than even yesterday and I got to see Peri in a towel. Mmm.

I tried to read but those visions of Peri really stuck with me and consumed my thoughts. I wasn't trying to be a pervert but his skin was amazing to look at, he was amazing to look at and I wanted to remember that for the rest of my life.