Dawn 1

Preface

I groaned in pain. This feeding had been an angry more draining one the yesterday. I could feel my blood dripping onto the floor. I wished I could move. I struggled weakly against my chins and sighed. I was going to die here, just like my family and the other countless humans.
I just wished Seth didn’t have to suffer with me.

Chapter 1
Dawn

I was walking home. I had just watched a movie with my friends. I didn’t live that far away, so I decided to walk when it was over. There were still some people out. I took a left down my street when all of a sudden I bumped into someone.
“Oops… Sorry.” I said as I looked up. I gasped.
“No problem Dawn. I’m actually glad to have bumped into you. I’m kind of hungry you see.” It was Seth.
I side stepped him as he tried to lean in and said, “Not this time buddy. Go eat some animal out in the woods.” I was really sick of him. He always appeared when I wasn’t expecting it.
“Come on Dawn… You know animals just tasted like watered down grape juice to me.” He looked at me pleadingly. “Please?” He begged on his knees.
I ignored him, but he was back at my side in a moment. “Dawn...”
“Don’t Dawn me! Remember last time? Go eat a squirrel.” I glared at him angrily.
“Come on! You know that was an accident.” He looked pleadingly at me again. “Please Dawn?!”
“No, that accident almost got me killed.” I said.
“Hey, it wasn’t my fault that those people knocked me out as you were recovering. And I did save you afterwards, didn’t I?”
“It was too close of a call. I don’t want to go through that again.”
“It won’t I promise. I’ll be more careful this time. We’ll do it somewhere safe.”
I stopped and put my hands on my hip, “We’re not doing this in my house if that’s what you’re implying.”
He looked guiltily to the side and said, “I was thinking more like at my place. I know what you’re thinking,” I had just opened my mouth angrily but he cut me off, “and I redid the place. It’s got more security then your house now. Come on please???”
He stared at me and I punched him in the shoulder, “Don’t you dare try that stupid mojo on me. I’ll go if that’s what you really want. I’m early anyways.”
He hugged me and said, “Thanks Dawn!” Then he frowned and said as we stated to walk back down the street, “There’s not a catch is there?”
“No…” I said.
“Yes there is!” He stopped and said, “What do you want?”
“You have to mix my blood with an animal’s. You have to get used to the taste. I can’t be your blood supply forever. You know that one day I’m not going to be there and you also know the promise you gave me.”
“You may not always be here, but I’ll always find you.” He smiled but then was serious again, “Fine, I’ll try it just this once.”
“Sure… But that’s not what I meant when I said I wasn’t always going to be there. You know that someday I’m going to die.”
“Don’t say that to me Dawn. You have now idea how much that hurts.” Then he smiled, “Come on. I’ll race you.”
“No way! You have an unfair advantage!” But I smiled.
“So… Onetwothreego!” And he ran off.
“Hey! You could have at least given me a head start you cheater!” I shouted after him as I ran.
He laughed, “Slow poke!”
I ran faster, but I was still a lot slower than he was. We were nearing his place when he started to slow down. Then in like a half second, he was carrying me away in the opposite direction at top speed.”
“What happened?” I said.
He looked down at me and said, “You know who is searching my place and unfortunately they’re trying to break though my new enchantments. Its not going to work though. Trust me on that. But I think one of them saw me. That’s why I ran.”
I groaned, “Dammit, I am really starting to hate the stupid Kithil.” The Kithil was an elite vampire force from the under realm. They’ve been wanting to capture me for years after I killed their last leader, Lucas.
“Me too, hold tight for a sec.” He took a very sharp left and went into a river. He plunged out again and I said, “What was that for? Now I’m freezing!”
“Tying to loose the scent, they’re after us now.” He growled.
“Wait, are they gaining on us?” I asked hurriedly.
“Slowly.”
“Do you want to…?”
“No way… too close. They’ll smell you and come running faster than a herd of cheetahs.”
“Dang it. Where are we going to go?”
“I’m circling back to my place. As soon as we are inside we’ll be safe.”
“Okay.” I hoped this was going to work. If it didn’t, I’d be dying very slowly and painfully and I wanted to live at least thirty or forty more years.
We neared his place again, and he ran was running straight into the front door. I thought we were going to smash through it but when we didn’t, I looked up. We were inside.
“The door?” I asked with confusion.
He smiled proudly, “Only you and I could’ve done that. I had it magically enhanced so that no one else could come in. Even if they broke through that barrier, they would have died going through the countless attacks that would have been thrown at them.”
I smiled, “Wow… I guess I’ve under estimated you. Well done.”
He laughed, “Thanks. Hopefully I threw them off the trail though, “He frowned suddenly. “I really hate those guys,” He said.
“Yah me too.” He knew what I meant and gave me a hug.
“Don’t worry, we’re safe here.” He said.
“Or are you?” Some one said from the shadows.
We spun around and a very tall Vampire came towards us.
Seth was shocked, “How did you get in here?”
The man laughed and said, “You think a few measly magic bonds are going to stop me? Surrender Dawn and we’ll let you be.”
“We’ll?” I asked, “I only see one of you.”
He laughed again and said, “I’m the only one in here now, and I could easily take you both on. My henchmen are outside waiting to see if I take very healthy you out or two very badly beaten up bodies. I was being rhetorical.”
“Oh.”
He smiled and Seth said, “Who are you?”
“Why I’m the new leader of the Kithil people. My name is Rowan.”
“Well, Rowan, I’m not giving Dawn up, so I see we’ve reached a snag.”
Rowan laughed, “Fine then.”
Then both of them ran at each other, loud snarls ripping from each of their throats. I ran to the corner f the room and looked for someway I could help. I saw a nice wooden chair on its side. I ran to it and broke off one of its legs. Makeshift stake. I ran and lunged at Rowan, aiming for the heart.
But he gabbed my arm and threw me against the wall, shattering the stake. I fell to the floor and cut my arm on a broken plate. I couple of seconds later, Seth was slumped next to me. He was really weak.
“Seth! Are you okay?” I asked urgently.
He groaned. I knew what I had to do. I pressed my cut against his mouth. He sighed as he fed. I could see him growing stronger. I really hoped that this would work.
Suddenly his eyes snapped open and he smiled, “Thanks… Be right back, I’ve got an unwanted guest to throw out.”
I was weak now. I slumped against the wall and watched the fight wearily. I would heal up in like ten minutes, but it would take a good hour before I regained all my blood back.
Seth started getting the upper hand. He was blocking less and less and was scoring more and more hits. Soon enough he was leading him back to the door. He was muttering some things. Then he smiled and said, “Good bye Rowan!” And he pushed him into the door which burst into flames as soon as Rowan touched it.
A couple of seconds later he was a pile of ash on the floor. I smiled and said, “Yes you did it!” Whoo!”
Seth then remembered I was there and was at my side, “Are you okay? Sorry about that. I took a little more than usual. Here…” He picked me up and put me on his bed. “See, if I used animal blood, we would have been in deep trouble.”
“Yah ha-ha, you were right I was wrong. Whatever. Just wake me up before eleven so I can get home.” I said sleepily.
“Oh no… Sorry Dawn, but you’ll be staying the night. We can’t risk running into the goons outside my door.”
“Dang it, well let at least I live by myself. I don’t have to report to anyone.”
He patted my arm and said, “You just go to sleep, I’ll be by your side the whole time.”
“Thanks,” and I fell asleep.

* * * * *
I woke up the next morning in a daze. I groaned and sat up, clutching my head, “Where am I?”
Seth walked over to me and said, “You okay? You hit your head pretty hard last night and had to recover a bit of blood.”
“Oh yah last night… I need to use the bathroom, be right back.” I said as I got up, but Seth stopped me. “What?” I asked.
“You broke your leg, so I fixed it up. It should be healed in a couple of days, but you should take it easy. I also have no crutches so I’m going to have to carry you.” Then he smiled sheepishly.
I glared, “Oh, you’re going to enjoy this. Me needing you every moment. Great… Never mind, I don’t need to go anymore.”
Seth smiled and said, “Oky doky. Just call if you need me.” He got up and headed to the door.
“Hey!” I said surprised, “Where are you going?”
“Well, I was going to go out since you don’t seem to need me anymore.”
“And leave me here by myself, defenseless? No way buddy, you’re staying here.” I said matter of fact-ly.
“I love you too.” He sat down next to me and asked, “You wanna play a game?”

The next couple of days passed similar to this. By the third day, I was back in tiptop shape. We were heading to my house. Seth was still with me in case I relapsed. Yah, like that would happen. He just didn’t want to lose his blood source. It was nice to have him around though, in cases like last night.
We were walking past the park when we ran into one of my friends. It was Clara.
“Hey Clara!” I said.
She smiled and said, “Is this your boyfriend? Oh wait, you don’t have a boy friend.” She joked. “So who is this?”
I smiled and said, “This is an old family friend. Clara, Seth, Seth, Clara.”
Seth smiled and said, “Hi Clara.”
Clara looked t me and said, “If you’re not dating him, can I? He’s cute.”
“Sure?” I looked at Seth.
He smiled apologetically and said, “Sorry, I’m taken.”
Clara smiled and said, “That’s too bad. I’ll see you around Dawn.” She winked as she left.
As we walked on I said, “So… Who’s the girl?”
He laughed, “Jealous?”
“Yah right.” I said.
“Okay…” He laughed.
I turned and said, “Are you going to tell me?”
He laughed again, “It’s you silly.”
“Oh yah, right.”
He laughed, “You sound as if you’re disappointed.”
I smiled, “I am, you should move on.”
“To who? Another person with amazing healing abilities? I don’t think there are any. Not to mention you’re nice tasting.”
“Is that supposed to be a compliment?”
“Maybe.”
We laughed as we headed to my house. But it was short lived. As soon as we came onto view of my house, I gasped. It was in complete disarray.
“What happened to my house?” I asked shocked.
Seth frowned, “The Kithil.”