"Alexandre..."

There was a quiet growl in response, but he did not bother to move his lips away from James' neck. The sound at least let him know that he had heard him. 

"Let me go, Alexandre."

He could have easily removed him, but aggression was always met with aggression when it came to damur, so it was best to get him to come back to his senses and pull away on his own. Unfortunately, he was rather strong. Not quite to James' ability yet, but he could easily subdue a weaker vampire and cause some serious damage if one would try to remove him by force.

The suction from his lips broke after a few more moments, then he leaned back so that his head could fall upon the blankets. He looked terrible. Not just because of his pale skin and exhausted eyes, but because of how he felt. His emotions were flowing through James' mind, but all he could sense was sorrow and hunger. 

His hand gently reached out to rub along Alexandre's cold cheek, feeling all the blood vessels suffocating beneath his skin.

"Your body is slowly dying..."

He didn't respond with words, but James could easily read his eyes.

"You want to die now, don't you, love?"

His voice was so quiet when he finally managed a response that it wasn't even audible, but after all of of his years on the planet, lips were now quite easy to read. With a fake smile James allowed his thumb to run along Alexandre's bloody lower lip.

"Would you leave him in my hands?"

Alexandre seemed confused for a long moment before realizing who he was talking about.

"Ria..." 

There was a long pause as James felt him try to form another sentence. 

"You... are a... monster." 

That was a phrase that used to make him laugh, but now he couldn't find the humor to the words.

"As are you now, Alexandre." 

His eyes closed slowly as he sighed out another near-mute reply.

"It hurts." 

"I know, love. I'll fix it soon."

Capt'n, the storm has cleared for the most part. It is just raining now and repairs are being made to any damages. Shall we return to port, or...?

Yes. I have something I need to ask Merik while you tend to the ship's repairs.

Aye, Capt'n. Would you like someone to accompany you?

No, I shall be fine.

Aye, Sir.

It took about three hours to return to the port town since they had been blown so far off course by the wind. During that time he had taken Helket's slave, since it seemed to be the healthiest, and steadily fed from him while feeding Alexandre. Even though he was taking half a pint each hour, he could still feel his mind slipping away as they spoke.

The second the ship landed he took Alexandre into his arms and jumped from the railing on deck. Several humans stared at his bloody mouth and likewise, James' stained neck when they landed, but he was not in the mood to deal with the annoying creature's curiosity right then. Their bodies blurred as his walk turned into a run, their destination one he wished he'd never needed to return to.

Why have you come back, James? I am in no mood to humor you. Be gone.

I need your help.

What...?

He really didn't want to beg him, but leaving Alexandre to become a mindless zombie, or to kill him, just didn't feel right. He carried his human right into Merik's home, immediately causing several of his guests from the previous nights' festivities to stop what they were doing and eye them in surprise. He had more important things to do than stare, though, and promptly stomped right through the crowded room and into Merik's private study.

"Merik."

He was sitting in a comfortable wing chair by the far corner, a book open in his lap. His eyes rose to James', but then went to Alexandre.

"Well well, a damur. Who would have thought."

The laughter in his voice made James' skin crawl.

"You want to know how to reverse it, don't you?"

Pursing his lips, James took a quiet breath, then nodded. Turning Alexandre was a mistake. Possibly one of the biggest ones of his long life. 

"I tortured him and took too much blood... I want him changed back."

His laughter grew, making James bite his tongue to keep from baring his fangs.

"What is so funny?"

Merik's lips stretched into a grin until James could see one fang sneaking free from beneath his upper lip.

"You do understand that the change is irreversible, do you not?"

I know that, but...

"There has to be a way to change him."

His brow rose and another chuckle came from that disgusting excuse for a mouth as he replied.

"Have you tried killing him yet? I'm sure that would change him..."

"I will not kill him!"

He leaned back in his chair and retrieved the book from his lap...

"Then what is it that you want, Captain James?"

"You've fixed it before! I know one of your slaves was freed from being a damur, how did you do it?"

Merik's head tilted to the side, then back. He was thinking. 

"I do know a way to change him, but the chances of it working are practically impossible for you."

"What does it matter if its me?"

"It matters, because, a damur isn't just made. It takes several different emotions and actions. You damned him. Everything that you did brought him to the condition he now suffers."

"Why are you telling me what I already know?"

He was seriously losing his patience. Obviously he had made him! What he wanted to know was how to unmake him!

"Such little patience, indeed. Alright, James. I shall tell you how to free him of that curse... under one condition."

His eyes narrowed, but he slowly nodded for him to continue speaking.

"He will be mine. Whether he wishes it or not. Once he is no longer a damur, he will belong to me and me alone... and you, my not-so-friendly friend, you will leave and not return here unless summoned."

 It took a lot of effort not to snarl and attack him for trying to take what was his again, but if it would save Alexandre... At least he knew that Merik's mind control wouldn't work very well on him so that he could live at least a somewhat normal life. 

"Fine."

 Merik smirked and jumped to his feet, though if you weren't a vampire it would have looked like he was getting up slowly. He was excited to take his human from him. He quickly turned and grabbed a piece of folded paper off of one of his immaculately kept bookshelves, then handed it to James. 

"...Galayen?" 

"Yes. I know you can read it, even though it is from a tribe of lost vampires thousands of years old. I know you used to be interested in their history and taught yourself the language."

He nodded toward Alexandre, who was still in James' arms, suckling lightly at his bleeding neck. 

"You need to set him down and then recite what is on that paper, exactly, word for word, as you stare into his eyes. You must not miss a word, syllable, nothing. It must be perfect the first time, so memorize it now." 

"What are the repercussions of saying these words? The ancient vampires were powerful but their words sometimes held unfair trade-offs when used."

"This has no trade, I have used it before, a long time ago. If you want to think of it as one, saying it correctly the first and only time is the trade. If you mess up, then he is doomed."

No pressure...

With a slight shake of his head he dislodged Alexandre's teeth from his neck and gently lifted him down. It took him a moment to stand on his own feet, then another few until he finally looked up to meet his gaze.
His eyes were so... dead. He had been feeding continuously since he had changed him, but it wasn't making enough of a difference. He needed to get it reversed fast or he was going to become just a crazed zombie. 

Alright, one try.

"Fyar de'salra jande t' mias ver qwe'tsi. Gs'tsha byay ksa."

At first nothing happened, and he thought that he had done it wrong, but when Alexandre dropped to the floor and began to shake he felt himself panic.

"What is happening to him?"

"Calm down, the spell is just doing its job. I'm honestly surprised it worked."

James' eyes went back to his human as he spoke to Merik.

"Why?"

"Do you have any idea what you just said?"

"Something about being sorry. I do not remember much of what that language means, only how to read it."

As Alexandre finally drifted off into unconsciousness, James had to fight himself to keep from picking him up. It didn't help his control in the least when Merik stepped forward and lifted his human into his arms to deposit him a few seconds later onto his couch. When he turned back around to address him, James felt his stomach drop.

"You said, in general translative terms; I, a demon, have loved you, and for that I have cursed you with my aggressions and my hate. I hereby withdraw my affections so that you may walk as yourself once more."

What?

"Did you not understand? I thought it was pretty clear. You fell in love with him and as you know, we are cursed to never fall in love. The strongest of us the are most affected become extremely aggressive toward the one we favor, and your love, my dear captain, is what damned him in the end."

Merik rolled his shoulders as he sat beside Alexandre on his sofa, the general movement and proximity of him, to what should still be his, made James' blood boil in his veins.

"He is now a vampire, and you are free to leave... now."

A...

...vampire?

"He can not be a vampire!"

"Why can't he? Did you think he would just magically become human again? He died, James. I have done as you asked and removed the curse's hold, now leave!"

Seeing Merik's outright anger was surprising, but he wasn't ready to back down yet.

"Alexandre would hate to live this way. He valued his humanity. You must kill him!"

"Oh? So now that I have saved him and own him, I must end his life? You can not have it both ways, James."

Merik slowly rose from the couch and began stalking toward him. The look in his eyes forced James' feet to step back once, then twice...

"Being a vampire would be worse than losing his mind. I would not have said those things if I had known!"

"I think he'll get used to it. Now then. Get out now."

Merik's claws began to glow at their tips as he heated them with his magic. James knew better than to try and fight him where they were, but he couldn't make himself leave, either. Both of them tensed when he realized that he wasn't going to just let Alexandre remain as he was.

"Fine then. On-guard, Captain James!"

In a blur Merik's claws were hissing toward his face. At the same time, James was unsheathing his sword. Claws clashed with his blade and they quickly became locked in a struggle for dominance. Being nearly pressed against a wall, though, had him at a disadvantage. 

Merik's claws began to force back his sword, the edge seemingly useless against Merik's glowing black magic... but in the blink of an eye his claw's color faded and he gasped.

James was completely confused for a moment before realizing what had happened. There was a clawed hand protruding from where Merik's dark heart would be... 

As his body dropped to the floor, his heart shredded in Alexandre's hands, James quickly ran to the right, but not quickly enough. He was there in a blur, his former human slave slashing at him like the feral monster he so hated... but had become. He needed to tame him quickly and get his mind back from his vampiric side, but considering that he had just killed a noble, they needed to leave first. 

James added some magic to his speed and managed to knee Alexandre right beneath his ribs, effectively knocking him unconscious for the moment. Hearing several people outside the double doors, he quickly tossed the man over his shoulder and jumped out of the open window in the back of the study.

Alexandre's mind was already humming within his own as they landed in the grass below, telling him that he would wake shortly after they returned to the ship.

This is not going to be fun...