CHAPTER I - 29

Cassie sprung out of bed and hurried to Lord Romeo's kitchen. She went inside and stood by the kitchen counter. She caressed the counter and smiled brightly after a thought struck her. She will be making breakfast for her beloved Romeo that morning. She tried to move but she was restricted by a burning sensation. She held her neck with her both hands and squeeze her face in discomfort. Her throat was dry and her eyes were beginning to turn red. She staggered to the sink and placed both hands inside the wet sink while bending slightly. She groaned and turned on the tap. She placed her mouth to drink directly from the tap but quickly spill the water out. It tasted bitter. Since when does water taste this horrible? she pondered and made her way to the fridge. "This tastes better," she said after sipping the red wine she had poured into a glass. Even though Cassie was no longer in transition, she was having problems becoming a vampire. She managed to stand still for a while and she turned on the gas cooker. She opened the cupboard above and the emptiness glared at her. There was nothing to cook in the kitchen so she made coffee instead. She placed both cups in a saucer and when she turned around, Romeo was standing there. She kept the saucer on the counter. Lord Romeo hurried towards her in a second and kissed her left cheek. She smiled and grabbed him. She was feeling the desire to devour him. She tried pushing him to the wall but he stood his ground. "I am five thousand years old." Lord Romeo hinted with a smile. Cassie smiled and kissed him on the lips. She grabbed the saucer and handed a cup of coffee to him. He sipped the coffee and shook his head. He wanted to spit it out but he was concerned about Cassie's countenance. She noticed the displeasing look on his face. "You don't like it do you?" she said and attempted to snatch the cup of coffee from him. He smiled and denied her the liberty of taking the cup away by turning around. "You are used to drinking blood. Aren't you?." she pointed out and began walking out of the kitchen. After taking a few steps forward, Cassie stopped. She placed her right hand on her chest and was breathing heavily but regularly. "Are you okay?" inquired Lord Romeo while placing a hand on her shoulder. She violently shook his hand off and displayed her fangs. She moved away from him. She was trying to suppress her hunger. She ended up falling to her knees. "Too much coffee huh?" joked Lord Romeo while moving to help her regain her balance. "I'm hungry. Very hungry." she declared and groaned in frustration. She was infuriated not only because she couldn't control her urges but what she hated more was the fact that she wanted to feed on someone. Then, one of Romeo's men walked into the kitchen and in a flash, Cassie grabbed him. "Control yourself," advised Lord Romeo while slowly pulling the man from her grip. "Look at me Cassie!" he directed staring lovingly into her eyes. "You'll feed soon but you must let Earl go." Cassie could sense the fear all over the poor man whose collar she was a hijacking. "I'm sorry." she apologized to Earl and loosened her grip on him. Earl took to his heels while Lord Romeo led Cassie to a room. He opened the door and Cassie followed behind. He turned on the lights and the floor were two men staring at nothing in particular. "What have you done to them?" demanded Cassie after noticing how dumb the men were looking. Lord Romeo didn't utter a word. He smiled and picked the sharp blade resting on the only table in the room. He pulled out the hand of one of his captives and gave him a deep cut. He placed a chalice underneath the man's bleeding hand to prevent the blood from dripping on the floor. From a distance, Cassie felt nauseous and while Lord Romeo was still collecting the blood, she ran to a corner of the room and threw up. "Come closer." implored Lord Romeo while carrying out the same act on the other man. Cassie moved closer and the smell of fresh blood increased the intensity of her hunger. She rushed towards Lord Romeo, snatched the chalice from him, and drank the whole blood in it. Lord Romeo chuckled. "That's more than coffee," he commented. It then dawn on Cassie that she had willingly consumed blood. "I hate being a vampire." she lamented and fumed. Lord Romeo walked up to her and brought forth his left palm to clean the bloodstains in the corner of her mouth. Cassie turned away and cleaned the blood herself. Lord Romeo went to the men and continued draining more blood from them. "You will kill them." Cassie beckoned. She was now feeling alive and her hunger was subdued. Lord Romeo laughed. "I won't kill them. I will need them for breakfast in a couple of days or since it's the two of us here, we might use all their blood instead," he replied and winked. Lord Romeo drank the blood he drained from their body to his fill. "Get up!" he instructed them and both men stood up like morons and began walking out of the room. Cassie was marveling. "What did you do to them?" she asked as the men made their way out. "I'll teach you how to harness your powers." offered Lord Romeo. "They will be out of here and be back where they were taken from with no memory of all that happened. " This is strange," replied Cassie. She stretched forth her hands and was feeling a wave of reinvigoration enveloping her. "I just hope I don't do anything stupid with these powers," she muttered to herself. Lord Romeo moved closer to her and whispered into her left ear. "I will always be by your side and I promise you'll not be doing anything you will regret." Meanwhile, Eric had offered to take Ryan on a date to the human world. She objected but he insisted promising that she will love the food. Seeing Eric's enthusiasm towards the date, Ryan agreed to go into the human world with him. She wanted to dress in a skimpy denim gown but she felt she might look sultry thereby giving Eric a different notion so she decided to wear a blue sweater on black jean trousers. She felt makeup wasn't necessary so she rolled her hair into a dough form and joined Eric who was waiting for her in the car. They drove to the human world and Ryan was amazed by the colorful environment. The humans seem to be in a hurry and the screeching of cars and the angry screams of drivers were pissing Ryan off. "Don't worry about the people." hinted Eric trying to cheer her mood. He smiled. "You'll love Wakils," he promised. Eric leads Ryan into Wakils, a restaurant. He took her to the VIP lounge and the cheerful waitress hurried toward them with a bright smile. "The menu, please." The waitress handed the menu card to Ryan and quickly moved toward Eric to give him a copy. The waitress took a few steps backward and brought out a little notebook from her apron. She was ready to down their orders. "Why don't you place the order for us?" suggested Ryan. Eric was stunned. "What?" "Sure. Why not?" replied Ryan. "I'll eat whatever you pick," she added with a smile. "Are you sure about this?" he demanded lowering the menu card from his face to his chest. Ryan nodded in agreement. "As sure as death," she answered. The waitress moved closer to Eric and soon, she was taking his orders. She read out what she had scribbled to him and he acknowledged the list with a repeated nod. The waitress left to get their orders. "This place looks beautiful." commended Ryan while looking all over the place. Eric smiled. "I'm glad you like it." Ryan reciprocated the smile. "I hope we don't get drunk." she blurted. They both laughed. The waitress returned. "Thank you." appreciated Eric while the waitress was arranging their meals on the large round table. Ryan immediately began uncovering the plates. "Wow!" she exclaimed with glittering eyes. Eric was glad that Ryan was adoring the Saffron risotto with forest mushrooms placed on their table. A bottle of wine resting on a small bowl of ice cubes was on the table. "Dig in." offered Eric while pointing to the meal. Ryan excitedly pulled her plate towards her. She turned around and saw the waitress walking toward them with a large bowl. She giggled at Eric who nodded with a smile hinting to her that it was another meal. The waitress placed the bowl on the table beside Eric. He pushed it to Ryan and when she uncovered it, a well garnished fried turkey was in the bowl. "I don't know which to start with," Ryan said. "Start with anyone or you can eat both simultaneously," stated Eric. They both laughed and began eating. Eric and Ryan were eating and having a nice time when a shootout immediately broke out. Chapter 29 Cassie sprung out of bed and hurried to Lord Romeo's kitchen. She went inside and stood by the kitchen counter. She caressed the counter and smiled brightly after a thought struck her. She will be making breakfast for her beloved Romeo that morning. She tried to move but she was restricted by a burning sensation. She held her neck with both hands and squeezed her face in discomfort. Her throat was dry and her eyes were beginning to turn red. She staggered to the sink and placed both hands inside the wet sink while bending slightly. She groaned and turned on the tap. She placed her mouth to drink directly from the tap but quickly spill the water out. It tasted bitter. Since when does water taste this horrible? she pondered and made her way to the fridge. "This tastes better," she said after sipping the red wine she had poured into a glass. Even though Cassie was no longer in transition, she was having problems becoming a vampire. She managed to stand still for a while and she turned on the gas cooker. She opened the cupboard above and the emptiness glared at her. There was nothing to cook in the kitchen so she made coffee instead. She placed both cups in a saucer and when she turned around, Romeo was standing there. She kept the saucer on the counter. Lord Romeo hurried towards her in a second and kissed her left cheek. She smiled and grabbed him. She was feeling the desire to devour him. She tried pushing him to the wall but he stood his ground. "I am five thousand years old." Lord Romeo hinted with a smile. Cassie smiled and kissed him on the lips. She grabbed the saucer and handed a cup of coffee to him. He sipped the coffee and shook his head. He wanted to spit it out but he was concerned about Cassie's countenance. She noticed the displeasing look on his face. "You don't like it do you?" she said and attempted to snatch the cup of coffee from him. He smiled and denied her the liberty of taking the cup away by turning around. "You are used to drinking blood. Aren't you?." she pointed out and began walking out of the kitchen. After taking a few steps forward, Cassie stopped. She placed her right hand on her chest and was breathing heavily but regularly. "Are you okay?" inquired Lord Romeo while placing a hand on her shoulder. She violently shook his hand off and displayed her fangs. She moved away from him. She was trying to suppress her hunger. She ended up falling to her knees. "Too much coffee huh?" joked Lord Romeo while moving to help her regain her balance. "I'm hungry. Very hungry." she declared and groaned in frustration. She was infuriated not only because she couldn't control her urges but what she hated more was the fact that she wanted to feed on someone. Then, one of Romeo's men walked into the kitchen and in a flash, Cassie grabbed him. "Control yourself," advised Lord Romeo while slowly pulling the man from her grip. "Look at me Cassie!" he directed, staring lovingly into her eyes. "You'll feed soon but you must let Earl go." Cassie could sense the fear all over the poor man whose collar she was hijacking. "I'm sorry." she apologized to Earl and loosened her grip on him. Earl took to his heels while Lord Romeo led Cassie to a room. He opened the door and Cassie followed behind. He turned on the lights and the floor were two men staring at nothing in particular. "What have you done to them?" demanded Cassie after noticing how dumb the men were looking. Lord Romeo didn't utter a word. He smiled and picked the sharp blade resting on the only table in the room. He pulled out the hand of one of his captives and gave him a deep cut. He placed a chalice underneath the man's bleeding hand to prevent the blood from dripping on the floor. From a distance, Cassie felt nauseous and while Lord Romeo was still collecting the blood, she ran to a corner of the room and threw up. "Come closer." implored Lord Romeo while carrying out the same act on the other man. Cassie moved closer and the smell of fresh blood increased the intensity of her hunger. She rushed towards Lord Romeo, snatched the chalice from him, and drank the whole blood in it. Lord Romeo chuckled. "That's more than coffee," he commented. It then dawn on Cassie that she had willingly consumed blood. "I hate being a vampire." she lamented and fumed. Lord Romeo walked up to her and brought forth his left palm to clean the bloodstains in the corner of her mouth. Cassie turned away and cleaned the blood herself. Lord Romeo went to the men and continued draining more blood from them. "You will kill them." Cassie beckoned. She was now feeling alive and her hunger was subdued. Lord Romeo laughed. "I won't kill them. I will need them for breakfast in a couple of days or since it's the two of us here, we might use all their blood instead," he replied and winked. Lord Romeo drank the blood he drained from their body to his fill. "Get up!" he instructed them and both men stood up like morons and began walking out of the room. Cassie was marveling. "What did you do to them?" she asked as the men made their way out. "I'll teach you how to harness your powers." offered Lord Romeo. "They will be out of here and be back where they were taken from with no memory of all that happened. " This is strange," replied Cassie. She stretched forth her hands and was feeling a wave of reinvigoration enveloping her. "I just hope I don't do anything stupid with these powers," she muttered to herself. Lord Romeo moved closer to her and whispered into her left ear. "I will always be by your side and I promise you'll not be doing anything you will regret." Meanwhile, Eric had offered to take Ryan on a date to the human world. She objected but he insisted, promising that she would love the food. Seeing Eric's enthusiasm towards the date, Ryan agreed to go into the human world with him. She wanted to dress in a skimpy denim gown but she felt she might look sultry thereby giving Eric a different notion so she decided to wear a blue sweater on black jean trousers. She felt makeup wasn't necessary so she rolled her hair into a dough form and joined Eric who was waiting for her in the car. They drove to the human world and Ryan was amazed by the colorful environment. The humans seem to be in a hurry and the screeching of cars and the angry screams of drivers were pissing Ryan off. It wasn't her first time in the human world but everything about the noise pissed her off. "Don't worry about the people." hinted Eric trying to cheer her mood. He smiled. "You'll love Wakils," he promised. Eric leads Ryan into Wakils, a restaurant. He took her to the VIP lounge and the cheerful waitress hurried toward them with a bright smile. "The menu, please." The waitress handed the menu card to Ryan and quickly moved toward Eric to give him a copy. The waitress took a few steps backward and brought out a little notebook from her apron. She was ready to down their orders. "Why don't you place the order for us?" suggested Ryan. Eric was stunned. "What?" "Sure. Why not?" replied Ryan. "I'll eat whatever you pick," she added with a smile. "Are you sure about this?" he demanded, lowering the menu card from his face to his chest. Ryan nodded in agreement. "As sure as death," she answered. The waitress moved closer to Eric and soon, she was taking his orders. She read out what she had scribbled to him and he acknowledged the list with a repeated nod. The waitress left to get their orders. "This place looks beautiful." commended Ryan while looking all over the place. Eric smiled. "I'm glad you like it." Ryan reciprocated the smile. "I hope we don't get drunk." she blurted. They both laughed. The waitress returned. "Thank you." appreciated Eric while the waitress was arranging their meals on the large round table. Ryan immediately began uncovering the plates. "Wow!" she exclaimed with glittering eyes. Eric was glad that Ryan was adoring the Saffron risotto with forest mushrooms placed on their table. A bottle of wine resting on a small bowl of ice cubes was on the table. "Dig in." offered Eric while pointing to the meal. Ryan excitedly pulled her plate towards her. She turned around and saw the waitress walking toward them with a large bowl. She giggled at Eric who nodded with a smile hinting to her that it was another meal. The waitress placed the bowl on the table beside Eric. He pushed it to Ryan and when she uncovered it, a well garnished fried turkey was in the bowl. "I don't know which to start with," Ryan said. "Start with anyone or you can eat both simultaneously," stated Eric. They both laughed and began eating. Eric and Ryan were eating and having a nice time when a shootout immediately broke out.