Talon's slender frame stood at the foot of the blood-stained bed, his crimson hues staring blankly at the lifeless body before him. A manicured hand slid over his shoulder, the other across his chest, smearing the blood dripping from his chin onto his porcelain chest. "Very good, my darling." The woman's silky voice mused as her fingers traced lines in the crimson fluid on his torso. His head turned slowly to look at her, her blood-red eyes matching his own. Then, not understanding the power blood held over her, his brow furrowed, and his head tilted to the side.
"I... don't get the obsession." He stated quietly, his gaze shifting from the brunette to the lifeless redhead. Her body sprawled across the king-sized bed, and the scent of her blood filled the room. The brunette trailed her index finger along his jaw; her gaze fixated on him. Right then, she knew something was different about him.
"Mmm, perhaps you need something more." Stepping back to the dresser, she pulled out a jar half-filled with a white powdery substance, scooped a thick, long line out onto the redhead's abdomen, and slid a rolled hundred-dollar bill into his slender digits. Then, leading him over to the ivory line, she sat on the bed and tapped the woman's skin. "Come on, darling. It'll change how you feel, trust me."
Sitting on the opposite side of the redhead, he raised the rolled bill to his nose and leaned down. Then, closing the other nostril, he inhaled, sliding the end of the paper along the powder trail. Finally, he squeezed his eyes shut and rubbed his nose with the back of his hand. "Sh!t." He mumbled, eyes blinking rapidly as he sat up straight and took a deep breath through his mouth. The amount he snorted was three times that a human could handle without going into cardiac arrest.
His eyes widened as a smile spread across his lips. "I feel great!" His body felt electric; the slightest breeze sent a shiver down his spine, and Danielle's quiet breath echoed in his ears. He hadn't felt this alive and energized since he first turned, and even then, his senses weren't this heightened. This was the start of Talon's drug addiction.
--------------------
Talon and Danielle remained together for over a decade - they drank, snorted, injected, and inhaled anything they could. Danielle provided the drugs - she had connections in nearly every town they went to. He provided the food - whether by force or by charming them; Danielle's preferred entrée was redheads. Then, as she got her fix by sinking her fangs into the woman Talon lured in, he got his by doing any drug she could procure.
Officers discovered the bodies hours after rigor mortise had set in. By then, Talon and Danielle were cities away, onto their next party destination. A few years into their adventure was when the torture began. Having become bored with merely enticing the women to drain them, Talon began with shallow cuts along their skin, nothing too deep. Watching the blood drip while he was high was fascinating. The scent of blood began to make his mouth water due to the drugs that coursed through Talon's veins - though it took a lot. A mix of copious amounts of cocaine, heroin, codeine, and weed dulled Talon's gift, causing his vampiric nature to take over.
Once the high took effect, Talon's bloodlust became yet another addiction. As Danielle and he drained body after body, Talon's torture grew worse. He went from shallow, superficial cuts to binding, biting, stabbing, and scratching them. Instead of ending their lives quickly, he did it slowly, enjoying how they begged and pleaded for him to stop.
It wasn't until many years later that a young girl walked in on Talon slicing her father's throat as he hung upside down from the rafters in their barn. Under him was a Danielle, jaw open, catching his crimson blood. Seeing the look on the little girl's face and how terrified she was made him freeze - his mind sobered up. She reminded him of his little sister Cynthia. Her blonde locks a mess on her head after waking from a nap. Her big blue eyes wide with fear. He dropped the knife and looked down at his bloodied hands.
Can you believe the outcome? Now I'm asking you God how come?
Danielle knew she was beginning to lose Talon at that moment, but she wouldn't go down without a fight. Her red hues locked onto the little girl, and the look on her face was rage-filled. She would end the child for interrupting her and Talon's fun, and that's precisely what she did. Danielle knelt behind the girl and snapped her neck. As her small body fell to the ground, Talon fell to his knees. Cupping his face, Danielle tilted his head back so their eyes could meet. "My darling, don't let that child distract you from our fun." Her words were soft, seductive.
Talon shook his head, his dark, messy locks falling to frame his slender face. "No... This is wrong." He whispered, his gaze falling back down to his hands.
Danielle rolled her eyes and shook her head. "It's what we are made to do, Talon. You know this." Helping him to his feet, Danielle turned him to face the man. Blood dripped slowly from his neck to his hair, soaking it and puddling beneath him on the wooden floor. Her finger trailed along the gash on his neck that Talon had caused just moments ago. "You love this, and you know it." She mused, touching her finger to his lips. His eyelids fluttered at the taste, and the venom flooded his mouth, wanting more of the crimson drug. Clenching his jaw, he turned from her, though he did not move. Danielle smirked, knowing he was still addicted. "Come, my darling."
--------------------
You always change right behind my back.
Once the drugs were out of his system and he was thinking clearly, Talon left Danielle. Knowing she likely wouldn't follow him to New Orleans, being she had several enemies there, he found himself struggling to keep in control. His body craved the drugs - withdrawal for vampires was just as bad as it was for humans. The headaches, the tremors, the sweats, Talon went through it all. Once he began to feel like himself again, he went out for a night on the town. It was a test to see how he would do. New Orleans had become ripe with criminal activity. On nearly every street, someone was offering drugs or sex.
The night had been successful, so he returned to his apartment. Stopping at the scent of blood, his eyes widened. The door to his apartment was ajar, the scent beckoning him to investigate. His hand slowly pushed the door open further as his crimson hues scanned the small area, soon landing on a redhead on the couch, her wrists slit and a pile of various narcotics in her lap. His jaw clenched, and his slender frame froze in the foyer.
When we're face to face, I'm always the one who cracks.
Sauntering toward him from the hallway, Danielle wore crimson lingerie and black heels, and her hair fell in dark waves to her shoulders. She had a devious grin on her ruby lips as she slowly moved toward Talon. His glare said a million words, but his jaw was clenched shut. Placing her palm on his chest, she chuckled, her head turning to look at the female on the couch. "Not breathing won't help. You see it, you want it. Take it. It's all ready for you." Her voice was low, teasing. Her hand slid down his arm, digits wrapped around his wrist as she led him over to the couch.
He followed slowly, his gaze flicking between the drugs and Danielle. Once they reached the couch, she pushed him down next to the redhead and placed a joint between his lips. His eyes were pleading, begging her not to do this, yet he didn't say a word. He didn't fight back. Striking a match and lighting the end the joint, she chuckled and leaned in. "You have to breathe to smoke it, my dear." After a few moments, Talon did just that. Taking a long hit of the weed, Talon's eyes closed, and his head tilted back, resting on the top of the couch. As the smoke filled his lungs, Danielle held the plate up - on it contained a mix of cocaine and ecstasy - and a small straw angled towards him. "Time for your favorite part." He eyed the white powder and plucked the joint from his lips as he leaned down, inhaling the drug through the straw.
"Fvck." He mumbled, the familiar feeling igniting his nerves once more. Glancing over to the redhead, Talon's tongue slowly trailed along his lower lip. He was about to sink his teeth into her neck when his ears caught the faint sound of her heartbeat. Danielle had brought him a meal that was practically dead. His brow furrowed as he turned to eye the brunette. "You get me high and don't even have a proper amount of food?"
She chuckled and playfully shrugged her shoulders. "I couldn't resist her! She just looks so tasty." Her tone was laced with venom, this wasn't a means to get him back; it was simply to fvck with his mind.
If misery loves company, get the hell out of my house.
Talon's expression went dark, causing Danielle to back up a few steps. Rolling her eyes, she crossed her arms over her chest. "Oh, don't pout! You can feed from me like you used to." Her hand flipped her dark locks over her shoulder as she tilted her head, fingers running along her neck, teasing him.
Talon rose to his feet, grabbed a fistful of her locks in his hand, and pulled her head back. His lips brushed her ear as he spoke in a growl. "Get the fvck out." His hand released her as he turned his back to her. "If I see you again, I will kill you." Slowly, he began gathering up the drugs and paraphernalia to dispose of them along with the now-deceased woman on his couch.
Won't you please just look at me!?
Danielle's brow furrowed as her lips pouted. "Oh, come on, my darling! You know you miss this..." She mused, moving to catch his attention with her exposed figure. He turned away again, refusing to give her the attention she so clearly desired. After several more attempts and him blatantly denying her, she finally left.
Talon expected her to throw more of a tantrum than she did, but he was also relieved she didn't. He was going to have to start his sobriety journey all over again. He refused to go back to being the monster he was with her.
Why'd I let you under my blouse?
Once his apartment was cleaned of the drugs and body, he sat on the couch, glancing down at the blood stain. Hanging his head in his hands, he sighed heavily and cursed himself. You fvcking idiot. Why did you cave? You were doing so well. You should've killed her! All of his wrongdoings and regretful decisions were linked to Danielle. In another life, he could've been happy - in love. Things he now feared he would never experience.
