"Captain Wallace, welcome back!"

Wallace tipped his hat to the dockhand boy who always took care of his vessel when at the port of Gil Cres. He was a young lad, likely in his early twenties, but he was the best of the best when it came to getting things clean and settled.

"Morning, Creito, please see to it that my ship is ready to sail once more within the week."

The young blond man nodded as Wallace dropped two gold shillings into his hand. He quickly shoved the pieces into his back pocket before running past with a loud "aye, Captain! We'll have her ready in no time!"

Wallace smiled and headed off toward the courthouse now that his ship was in good hands. The building was tall, three stories to be exact, and was the best in the region. The judges were fair, but they still cared least for vampires and pirates. After holding the door open for a young lass, he quirked a smile at her blush and ducked inside the large building. He might spend most of his time on the ocean, but it felt great to be back on dry land once in awhile. Not to mention that the reward for the captain and his son will likely pay any expense he may acquire while there for the next month or so... plus some.

Come to think of it, there was also a reward on any of the survivors from Jenkin's crew, with the most money going for the captain. Granted, he was a vampire now and will likely be executed appropriately, but he will be held for information before being dispatched. 

Walking into his favorite judge's office, the man looked up from a paper and quickly set it aside with a smile.

"Good morning, Captain Wallace. What can I do for you?"

Wallace slid into the large black armchair across from his desk and crossed one leg over the other.

"I have three vampires aboard my ship, two are blood pirates, while the third is the lost captain, Alexandre Jenkins."

The grey-haired judge whistled a long breath before shaking his head.

"You always bring me the most interesting cases. I assume both blood pirates will stand trial, but what of the former captain, how is it that he is now a vampire?"

"From what I've heard from the blood captain, he said that he had changed him by mistake. I don't doubt that he fed on and tortured him like the rest of his crew we had found below deck, but he probably went overboard and caused him to become a Damir, then changed him completely when he saw what was happening."

They were both quiet for a moment before Wallace smirked, running his thumb along his lower lip.

"I think we can use him against the blood captain. He begged for us to spare the former human's life... and the other blood pirate still alive is his biological son."

"My word, he changed his son?"

"Yes, the bastard ruined his boy's life. I will enjoy watching his head roll, and considering how long they have been known to sail the seas, I do not doubt that his son is a lost cause... not that your court lets vampires walk free in any case."

The judge sighed and nodded as he pulled out three pieces of paper. Two were requests for fair trials, while the third was a momentary stay of execution order. He wrote on the first two, then pushed them towards him. Wallace retrieved them as the judge worked on the last piece of paper, writing a bit more for the former human captain. He signed it after a moment, then slid it, too, over to him.

Wallace stood up as soon as he had the documents together. After folding them and tucking them into his coat pocket, he reached over and shook the man's hand.

"Thank you, Judge Mezric."

The older man nodded and then got busy with the work he had distracted him from. Taking that as his cue to leave, Wallace quickly headed back outside. His first mate met him right beyond the entrance with all three vampires chained together. People were staring, but he didn't have time to wave his catch around right then. The sun was beating down on them, burning the two younger ones. 

"Bring them."

Walking next door, Wallace held the door open as three of his crew lead the group inside. The jail was generally dark, but there were plenty of candles and torches hanging about, making it easy to navigate the large facility.

They passed several rooms used for torturing prisoners, one specifically made to hold vampires in the direct path of the rising sun. He had no need for torture right then, though, considering everyone knew the vampire blood pirates. The judge would hardly need any evidence to sentence them to death. 

When they came to the end of the hall he took a key down from the hook by a door and unlocked it, then swung the heavy iron open. He then turned to the group and unlocked Alexandre from the other two, then pointed at the captain and his son.

"Both of you, inside. Now."

Of course the captain looked at Alexandre, making him roll his eyes.

"I am trying to give him the benefit of being a former loyal sailor, if you want me to put him in there with you, I will just treat him as any other blood pirate."

The vampire pursed his lips but quickly nodded before walking inside the room with his son. Good. With a cocky grin, Wallace slammed the door shut and locked it before hanging the key back up and pulling Alexandre with him down a different hall. He was odd for a vampire, not even bothering to fight him as he lead him to an obviously-likely death.

"Why didn't you fight on the ship?"

He glanced sideways at him before they stopped in front of another room. As he got busy unlocking it, the man replied in a quiet, dry voice.

"I will never commit treason."

"Well, that is very good to know."

Wallace gestured into the room with his hand.

"If you would not mind."

He watched him give a faint nod, then step past the door. When all he did was go over to the far wall and slide down against it, Wallace quirked a brow. Against his better judgment, he stepped inside after a moment, drawing his attention once more.

"Are you thirsty?"

He pursed his lips, swallowed, then nodded slightly.

Wallace watched him for a long minute, taking in the former captain. He was incredibly pale and looked as though he hadn't slept in several days.

I wouldn't doubt it with that bastard of a captain claiming him.

Kneeling down in front of him, Wallace gently reached forward and slid his fingers along Alexandre's cheek, then back into his hair. The whole time his eyes remained strictly on his face.

"You are trying to control it."

"C-Captain..." the vampire rasped. 

His eyes were slowly dilating and Wallace could easily see two small bumps behind his upper lip.

"Show me, Alexandre. I want to see your fangs."

He hesitated, then turned his head away.

"Alex... show me."

Alexandre's eyes narrowed, then squeezed shut as he rasped out, "I don't want to bite you." 

Wallace's right hand moved to rest atop his left shoulder, easily allowing him to feel the man begin to shake, trying to restrain himself. He was honestly surprised such a young vampire could control themselves so well. At least the captain had chosen a very strong person to change.

"You won't bite me without my consent."

Alexandre's eyes snapped open, glowing a faint gold while his breathing began to turn into sharp pants.

"I-I am so hungry. Please do not make me behave like a monster on my last few days." 

For some reason, he just didn't like the words he heard. 

"I have a proposition for you, Alex."

That got his attention enough for him to focus for another moment.

"What?"

"You will testify against the captain and his son, and in return, I will take command of you and be responsible for anything you do."

"No!"

His brows rose slightly at his abrupt answer. Surely he knew he was going to die soon, he had even said so himself.

"Why? You know being what you are is often punishable by death, even if you haven't harmed anyone yet."

"I-I know that."

"Then why did you decline my deal so readily?"

"...because you are human."

Alexandre's shoulder muscles flexed beneath his hand, warning him that he was losing control.

"Y-you can't control me... the captain couldn't e-even control me."

Wallace's lips stretched into a wide smirk as he gently used the hold he had on Alexandre's shoulder to turn him to face him.

"Good, I don't want to have a weak vampire under my command."

Alexandre's wide eyes jerked up to meet his for a split second, then he attacked! 

Hungry... so hungry!

He couldn't stop himself from lunging at him. He had warned him that he couldn't control himself, but he had just kept pushing him. 

Wallace was no novice when it came to handling vampires, though, and it showed when he suddenly pinned him to the floor on his belly, both hands tightly held behind his back. The cold stone floor sent chills through his naked body, but nothing mattered to his mind right then besides getting a hot pint of blood to his suffocating heart.

"Kill me!" he shouted against the floor, feeling his body fight against the man even as he asked for his own death!

A sudden lick against the back of his neck had him growling in warning, but he didn't seem to care about the threat. In fact, Wallace shifted himself to sit on his lower back, straddling him without an ounce of fear.

"Alexandre, I know you despise what you are, but you could use your new talents to aid the country you had once so proudly served. And I... I hunt vampires for a living, and I known damned well I can control one."

"I-I will hurt people! You don't understand. If I can't control myself, how can you?"

"Very easily."

The purr in his voice made Alexandre turn his head to the side so that he could look over his shoulder at him. The man looked just like the captain he had once been, proud, eager, cocky...

I had thought I was invincible, and my entire crew had paid the price for it.

Wallace switched his hold on his wrists to one hand and leaned over so that their faces were mere inches apart.

"Testify against the blood pirates. Do your duty to the crown and I will take care of you..."

His free hand gently touched Alexandre's lower thigh and slowly worked its way up along his hips, waist, then curved along his back. It finally came to a stop just within reach of his fully-extended fangs.

"Bite me, Alex."

Alexandre growled and shook his head, pressing his forehead against the cold floor to try and ignore the meal so generously being offered to him.

"No."

Wallace's body shifted on his waist, telling him that he was reaching back for something, but when he suddenly yanked a hard leather strap around his neck and tightened it, Alexandre immediately began gasping for air.

"I told you that I could control the pathetic creature you've become. You are mine, now do as I say or I will kill a human just to get you fed."

He let the strap drop from his hand after a few tense moments before bringing his palm back down and nudging it against Alexandre's lips. He really didn't want to feed, but he knew that he was close to dying if he didn't. He was so close to peace, yet he couldn't allow himself to be responsible for Wallace killing a human.

So, after licking his palm hesitantly, Alexandre opened his mouth and let the man nick his own skin on his fangs.

The effect was immediate, instincts making his jaws clamp down with a ferocious snarl. He was embarrassed to have made such an animalistic sound, but the hot blood now flowing into his mouth blurred his normally-calm thoughts. He wanted more, needed it.

"Stop."

Being told what to do just made him tighten his grip and growl.

"Alexandre Jenkin's, release me right now."

He gave a slight shake of his head in response, but it wasn't exactly to say no, but to try and clear his thoughts. Realizing that he had been feeding on a human made him finally able to open his mouth and let Wallace remove his bleeding hand.

"Good boy, here." 

He returned his hand to his mouth, and after a poorly fought battle against himself, Alexandre clamped back down on it again. This time he drank for a few seconds before he was ordered to release him. He did as told, though it took some effort. By the sixth try he was easily able to release him when ordered. It was a shock that he had as much control as he did, but Wallace was just strong enough to back up his words... and he wasn't afraid to, even with him being a vampire.

When he had finally gotten his thirst sated Alexandre released his hand for the final time and rested his right cheek on the cold stone floor with a content sigh. The captain's bloody hand ran through his hair for a moment before he released Alexandre's arms and leaned over.

"Testify, then hunt what you hate by my side."

After having so much blood he felt quite tired, but he did manage to respond to him before letting himself drift off to sleep.

"I will..."