Daniel and I stood in the shadows, leaning against the cool stone of one of the shop buildings. I surveyed the residents that strolled up and down the lamp lit main drag, but no one caught my attention. That was, until I heard Virgil's familiar voice ring out.
"Billy Wilkerson, you get your troublemaking keister outta my shop and stay out!" Virgil fumed. "And that goes double for your friend, too!"
"It's as if the gods have heard our prayers." Daniel smirked, almost too wickedly, as his tongue glided over his fangs. "Shall we, darling?"
Before I could answer, Daniel disappeared from my side in a blur of motion. He found a hiding spot in the shadows next to a quaint little house as our quarry walked by. They were speaking some piggish nonsense about a particular woman in town and all the things they wanted to do to her. It turned my stomach, so I knew I would have no problem with feeling guilty about feeding on them. No, I was much more concerned with Daniel. Something seemed off about him. He was crouched in the shadows, watching the two men stumble by, his eyes wild and ravenous. That same wicked smirk danced on his lips as he slunk behind them, making no sound. I almost didn't recognize him as I followed suit.
Steady, baby. I cautioned. Getting a little too excited, don't you think?
Oh, Doll, stop worrying. Nothing wrong with enjoying the hunt, is there?
Daniel's voice sounded so foreign to me. Like someone fresh off the plane from New York. And since when did he call me "Doll"? I wasn't a fan of it. That wasn't my Daniel. Whoever that was, I didn't like him. I was getting too many vibes of...did I even dare speak his name? I shook off the thought as we followed our prey to a heavily wooded area. The two stopped as Billy leaned against a tree.
"One of these days, Virgil's gonna catch me on the wrong day." He huffed. "I'm gonna knock his damn head off. Him and that bitch wife of his."
"Tsk, tsk, tsk." Daniel shook his head as he stepped into view. "So rude, speaking about your elders like that. If you're not careful, Billy boy, I might have to rip that tongue of yours out your mouth and slap you with it."
"You hear this asshole?" Billy slurred, stepping to Daniel, their noses almost touching. "Thinking I'm scared of some bitch with a ponytail."
Daniel smiled, a low growl rumbling in his chest and his eyes shifting to that telltale honey color. "Bad answer, kid. Real bad answer."
He was viper quick as he pounced on Billy. I could hear his fangs tearing into the man's throat even as Daniel covered his mouth to silence his screams. His friend tried to make a break for it, but I caught him with ease, pinning him to the forest floor. He tried to scream for help, but my finger placed gently over his lips silenced him almost instantly. I wasn't as rough as Daniel was as my fangs sank into his skin. His blood tasted of fear and adrenaline. It was dizzying and intoxicating, but I held myself together.
In my ears, I could hear a heartbeat quickly slowing in my ears. I pulled my fangs from the man's throat as I turned to Daniel. Billy's lips were turning blue and his eyes were rolling into the back of his head. I could hear his breath coming out in shallow gasps.
"Daniel." I growled, standing to my feet. "Baby, you have to stop! You'll kill him!"
Daniel ignored me, continuing to drink ravenously. I grabbed him by the shoulders, pulling him away from Billy's throat. He then let out the most monstrous roar I'd ever heard escape from him. I steadied myself, ready to fight. Daniel and I circled one another, his fangs bared at me. After a few tense moments, he...actually lunged at me. His nails caught my arm, but I was able to shove him away and knock him into a nearby tree. He quickly recovered, an agitated roar greeting me as he charged forward. I thought I was quick enough to jump out of the way, but he caught my arm and secured it behind my back.
"You interrupted my dinner, brat." He whispered in my ear. "I'll make you regret that."
"Not likely, dear." I grunted.
After a try or two, I freed my hand, whirling around to him. His hand reached out to strike me, but I caught his hand and used his own momentum against him. I flipped him over my shoulder, listening to him hit the ground with a sickening thud. I pinned him down, putting as much of my weight as I could on top of him. He bucked and struggled, almost knocking me off a few times, but I held on.
"Daniel!" I shrieked. "You have to stop this! Come back to me!"
His teeth gnashed and snapped at me as he fought to free himself, but I refused to let go. Something in me stirred, willing me to let go of his hands and cradle his face. After only a second of following my instincts, he started to calm, his eyes returning to the stormy gray I came to know and love. His breath came out in ragged gasps, but he was returning to normal.
"Sylvie?" He gasped, looking up to me in confusion. "What are you doing?"
"Stopping you from becoming a murderer." I huffed, pushing myself from on top of him to check on Billy. He was alive, thankfully, but his blood loss would have him out of commission for at least a few days.
"Oh, God." He breathed, kneeling beside me. "I almost...what happened?"
"I don't know." I sighed, making sure both men's bite wounds were closed. "We can't let this happen again, though. You...I didn't even recognize you. You scared the hell out of me, Daniel."
"I don't know what got into me." He groaned. "All I remember was being so hungry and then we saw Billy harassing Virgil and his wife and I just--" He shut his eyes tightly.
"Well whatever came over you," I hesitated for a moment, "it gave you the balls to actually attack me."
I had never seen Daniel's eyes go so wide. He grabbed me, this time gently, but out of worry all the same. He checked my body frantically for any sign of wounds.
"Metuka sheli, I'm so sorry!" He breathed. I watched tears of regret spring to his eyes. "Did I hurt you? You know I would never--Not on purpose! Never! Oh, God, I'm so--" He finally broke down, pulling me tightly into his arms, whispering over and over again how sorry he was.
"Shh, baby." I cooed, stroking his hair. "It's okay. You didn't hurt me. You just worried me, is all."
"I don't know what happened." He said, his voice becoming almost frantic. "If you hadn't...wait. What did you do?"
I thought for a moment then shrugged. "I don't really know. Something told me to just--" My hands cupped his face once more. "Once I did, I had you back again. I can't explain how or why, but maybe it's another gift?"
"Whatever it was, you were able to pull me back." He sighed thankfully. "I don't even want to think what would've happened if you didn't."
"Then, let's not." I kissed his cheek before looking over at our victims. "They'll be okay. They'll probably just wake up thinking they had horrible hangovers or something. Let's just go home, yeah?"
"Yeah." He nodded. "Yeah, let's just go. I need to get my head back on straight."