Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It was only after he dragged an unconscious Pyro out of the water onto the shore that Scott remembered the consequences of turning a new vampire. His six centuries asleep, followed by days of gnawing hunger and surrounded by humans made him hasty, forgetting why he only turned those who were like him. Which Pyro has proved he was not.

Scott stepped away from the body as they began to stir, letting Owen take over answering any questions they may have as he silently berated himself for acting without caution, still taking care to keep up a facade of indifference. His thoughts raced in a manner very unlike him, proving something had changed, and he couldn't place what. He couldn't figure it out. It was wrong. Something in him was wrong. This wasn't supposed to happen. What's going-

Wait

No

No it can't be

No

They did this to him.

He should have seen that Pyro was a spineless coward and nothing like the aristocrat their quality of clothing suggested they should be.

Pyro was motivated by nothing but fear.

And at that moment? That fear was all Scott could feel.

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Scott's sire gave him very few rules to follow after turning him. Avoid silver and garlic. Keep out of the sun. Don't let anyone holding a stake near you. Be careful who you choose to turn.

They mostly made sense. Silver hurt to touch already and even the smell of garlic made him nauseous. The sun was uncomfortably hot and bright now. And the stake was the one thing that supposedly could kill him, which would make this newfound eternal life useless.

The last one he didn't really care about. A peasant didn't deserve this gift anyway. Those with wealth and status did. Those who wanted power. And there's nothing more powerful than someone with wealth, the inability to die, and the ability to easily dispose of those against them.

So of course Scott only turned those who were like him.

For centuries he did.

Until Pyro.

-------

He's sure he answered Pyro and Owen's questions about his history and plans, but he wasn't paying attention to it. Separating from them made it easier to come up with a plan both for hiding his now red eyes, and hiding any surprise reaction these disgusting new feelings could cause. At least until he gets it under control. Perhaps Derek would be of use once more.

-------

The house contest was a mess. Well, it was always going to be since Avid was the one who planned it, but the foreign terror in his veins did not help.

It was a relief that the humans chose to just copy his use of a "mask" rather than asking repeatedly about it. Unfortunately, Avid has moved from an annoyance to a problem.

Something about the little hunter set off his newfound fear like nothing else has done. Though he supposed it could have simply been the fact that he knew so much about vampires and seemed excited to arm and prepare the rest of the town against him. Thankfully the skull managed to hide most involuntary responses to him. And no one was surprised when Scott went out of his way to scare Avid in response.

The only fear response he struggled to hide was when Ren walked too close to him with a silver ax. He was lucky to have been behind the group and that no one was looking at him when he instinctually turned into a bat to escape the silver weapon, and turned back as soon as he realized. But playing off the swarm of bats that were summoned upon his change was complicated.

The moment he can leave these humans behind, he's never coming back. All this acting is beneath him, and the sooner he can bury this fear the better.

-------

While he agreed to adventure out of town with a group, he didn't exactly plan on helping Martyn and Legundo "consecrate" one of these strange beacons with Owen. It's not like they were actually doing anything, but they also didn't seem to be preventing whatever those two were doing. And he's all for working with Owen to make Avid look worse to other humans.

He didn't know what to make of these beacons. They didn't exist here before he was put to sleep, and it seems Owen is in the dark about them as well. So either Owen is less informed about the area than he believes, or they weren't here 200 years ago either. Could go either way honestly. Based on the strange variety of humans who showed up around the time he woke, he wouldn't be surprised if other humans came here since and tried to cleanse whatever they thought cursed the land. The land wasn't cursed. It was just him thinning the herd every couple centuries. Those he turned probably just continued in his footsteps. If Owen was turned here, one of them had to have been around anyway. That insufferable cleric couldn't have gotten them all.

A pulse of pain brought him out of his thoughts, followed by an intense dread. He knew this kind of magic. He knew this magic. It wasn't theirs, but it was the same source.

That fucking cleric.

If he didn't believe that the beacons were real before, he did now. That magic was unfortunately not a joke, and his new instincts want him as far out of range of it as possible, as quickly as possible. Which would not be possible with current company without looking suspicious.

He has no idea what Owen and Martyn seem to be planning at this point, but he's grateful they don't seen to need much of his input. He currently couldn't breathe even if he needed to.

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Scott didn't like doing this to Shelby. At least in this way. They're someone he wouldn't mind turning even under normal circumstances. But he needs food. And her curiosity will do wonders to temper Pyro's fear.

Though he was genuinely interested in testing if fish could be a useable food source, considering all of them are getting desperate for an easy food source to keep their strength up. It was truly unfortunate to discover that fish blood was completely useless. Which left Shelby to be their only option.

Waiting out Martyn and his newfound paranoia was tedious. Had he known the boy was going to follow him when he stepped away from the group, Scott may have considered turning him while they were out of sight of everyone. Martyn wasn't the worst choice. His impulsiveness could be an issue, but it would certainly combat fear well. If only they had encountered each other. At least he could appreciate Martyn's panicked reaction when Scott returned to their fishing spot and informed him that his friends followed him out and were looking for him.

Shelby was a gem for not fully questioning when they moved farther away from the main path, with Owen falling back to keep watch. He walked beside her and slipped his hand into theirs, having seen them do so with Drift when they left to search for crypts with Cleo and Pearl. Her grin as they continued their conversation proved that she liked the gesture. Leaving them more vulnerable to what comes next.

She turned towards Pyro for a moment, just to see his response, and Scott brought their wrist to his mouth, taking the opportunity as soon as they weren't paying attention. She froze in place and slowly turned to look at him once more. It took them a moment to process that they could see his fangs in her wrist, small drops of blood escaping to roll down her arm. Pyro leaned in and latched on to her neck, hands gently holding their arms in place.

"You're joking."

He couldn't help but smile, pulling away to reply.

"It just helps with the hunger." His fangs were on full display, shining crimson with her blood in the moonlight.

Her arm pulled as they began to struggle, doing nothing against his hold. Pyro seemed to bite down harder, and his grip tightened.

"You're not going to make it a problem, right Shelby?" His eyes were as much on Pyro as they were on her. They were drinking quickly, mind lost to predatorial instinct as he consumed his first true meal. If Scott wasn't careful...

The struggling continued, one of Pyro's arms wrapping around her to hold them more securely. They started begging in half formed sentences.

"Come on now, Shelby," Owen's voice groaned in from the background. "There's no getting out of this now."

Scott leaned in again, fangs close to the blood on her wrist. "It'll hurt less if you stop struggling. You're still my roommate after all. I detest making you feel pain."

Gasping, they froze once more, staring at him as he began to bite them again. Their arm twitched away from him, enough for him to need to reposition. Just as his fangs broke skin once more, she went slack. No new blood met his lips. Scott released her. Pyro loosened his grip on her, fangs sliding free, mouth covered in blood.

Blood that should have been his.

He had miscalculated.

In an attempt to save face and maintain the passion that entertained him so, he miscalculated.

And a newly turned stole his prize.

Shelby's voice filtered through his rage-induced haze, and he took a moment to comfort her and answer her immediate questions before letting Owen take over explanations once more. With their focus now elsewhere, Scott turned to the source of his problems. Pyro's eyes had shifted, now similar to his own. More proof of what had occurred.

Faster than this child could react, Scott's hand was crushing around his throat, pulling them close, unfiltered rage causing claws to form and puncture the skin beneath them.

"If you ever steal from me again, it will be the last thing you take."

Pyro's terror was obvious, and Scott tightened his grip just enough to feel cartilage creak before releasing him, point driven home.

If nothing else, rage was a fantastic way to obscure fear. And while he may not have experience with fear, rage comes naturally to him.

Chapter Text

Scott finally removed the mask from his face and slid it into his pocket. There was no point in hiding for the time being. He learned how to disguise his rage and annoyance before he even turned, so it was the most natural thing in the world to smile at Shelby and return to helping Owen explain her new situation.

It was almost cute how well they were taking it all in. She still shook like a leaf, and her words seemed confident, but it was clear they were trying to hide how shaken up this left them. He allowed her to come close and study his eyes when they noticed them with his mask gone, letting them study what begins to happen to them physically when a vampire is no longer at their weakest.

Owen was explaining the basics of their abilities when all four of them felt pain coursing through them, ripping their vitality from their chests.

The holy magic of the beacons radiated through the entire area, stronger than it had been when he was sealed away.

This wasn’t made to trap or contain.

It was violent.

Painful.

Whatever aura those beacons created, it was meant to make them killable.

He’d never been this close to a true death before.

Panic was sinking in.

He needed-

“I have one at my house that I’m going to fix and take back.”

Whatever response he got was lost to the wind as he took off running, internally cursing that he hadn’t regained the strength to fly there yet. His senses were on high alert for any hint there may be a human nearby. He couldn’t let them see him like this. Just when he got this new fear under control, it was running wild once more, and in these circumstances there was no way he could disguise it. There was no guarantee he would survive the encounter either.

The castle was silent as he arrived, the golden beacon shining brightly in the red moonlight. When he woke up, it had been so much darker. Hopefully, he could return it to that.

He crouched behind the beacon, focusing on what strength he had to chip away at the magic that filled it. If he had regained more of his strength, if he had gotten Shelby like he planned, would this process be faster?

Scott had never truly considered himself weak. Between his money, his abilities, and his silver tongue, he had achieved anything he set his mind to. But in this moment, with this foreign fear rushing through him? Weak was all he could be.

It took too long to neutralize the beacon, and while the holy aura over the region was gone, his vitality had not returned. The beacon had to be desecrated. And the humans would be on their way.

Now it was a race against time.

But he wouldn’t sit here helpless.

Clearing a hole in ruins behind him so he could run, he bided his time.

The moment he heard voices entering the ruins, he was out and gone.

-------

His luck held out as he reached the obelisk beacon where his troubles began. It was exhausting staying on high alert while focusing his energy in such a way, and this beacon had no cover to use to his advantage. He was a sitting duck like this.

The humans would have to pay for making him feel like prey. When he found out what group interrupted him at the castle, he would make sure they died by his hand, slowly and painfully.

As a deep crimson coated the beacon, the tension and pain he’d been feeling dissipated. He finally felt normal again, after hours on the run. All he wanted was the familiarity of his castle walls around him now, whether the beacon there was holy again or not.

It wasn’t like he could return to town anyway. There was no way he escaped the castle without being spotted. His hair was painfully distinctive after all.

So, returning to the castle it was. The other vampires could worry about the beacons for the time being. All of them would need the fortifications of castle walls soon enough, and though he despised manual labor, he refused to live like an animal or the other undead down in the crypts. They better be grateful for his work when it’s done.

-------

He didn’t encounter anyone else until the next morning, when Shelby arrived to check on him. They seemed to be doing better than the last time he saw her, and he made sure to inform her that she was welcome to join him. Being roommates seemed to be a big deal to them after all. Plus, he genuinely enjoyed their company. Like one might a kitten. Something small, cute, and relatively helpless. Clearing the air between them was simple, and they left with more clear information about being a vampire, and renewed trust in him.

-------

Owen secretly arriving to discuss with him plans against the town was an interesting turn of events, though he didn’t stay long. It was strange that he was surprised Scott was working on making the bridge crumble more and reestablish his castle, but considering how he dressed, it was clear Owen was not the type of vampire to have a base of operations. He doesn’t even look like he has a change of clothes. But, if he was determined to cause infighting among the humans, more power to him. Whatever his obsession with Oakhurst may be, Owen had so far been a useful pawn, and infighting may be useful to Scott’s survival in the long run. Considering he seemed to have let people escape his massacre 200 years ago however, it would probably be worth it to not put too much stock in his skills until he proves to not be so sloppy this time around.

-------

Running into Pyro while hunting was not in his plans. Given the choice, he’d prefer to not deal with him again, but given how few allies he had and the unfortunate fact that the beacons had trapped him within their radius, there was no choice but to work with them. They at least appeared to have learned their place and were so desperate to be of use to him that it made up for the displeasure of their company. It was also just safer to claim a beacon if there were other people to defend him, and claiming beacons was high on the list of priorities for now. So they may as well work together.

He allowed Pyro to ramble as they desecrated the beacon within this crypt, letting them kill time since the beacons took so long to turn. Their mere presence was an annoyance, but at least he had information and hadn’t been idle since the night before. Maybe now their fear was actually helping provide results, rather than making him dead weight. A good threat can go a long way to provide someone with the proper motivation.

-------

Maybe Owen was more unhinged than Scott gave him credit for. The deal with Apo was interesting, though he wouldn’t have gone through with it if it weren’t for the other two vampires both agreeing to it. She was a loose end because of it and would have to be dealt with one way or another. Managing to convince people to run Avid out of town on the other hand? That was well done. He was insane though if he truly thought he could manage to turn the town beacon, regardless of if he and Pyro were providing a distraction by turning another beacon of their own. It's true that even neutralizing it would send a message to the townsfolk and cause them panic, but it was wild risk to decide to take. Impressive if he pulls it off though.

-------

They were on their way back to the castle, having turned another beacon when Pyro brought up the last thing he wanted to talk about. He had been doing so well complimenting Scott’s work and agreeing with him that they had become vaguely tolerable.

"Ever since I turned Shelby, I've been compelled to study werewolves and cryptids. Is that something normal?"

At least he was right about her curiosity and desire for knowledge.

"Nope. That's a you problem,” Scott was quick to deny.

He refused to let anyone know about it, and so far Owen was keeping his mouth shut as well. If he knew about it at least.

Let Pyro think they’re strange and wrong. That whatever is compelling him is just him.

If he knew, it wouldn’t be long before those in town knew. Which could not be allowed under any circumstances.

-------

Being on edge already, it wasn’t great running into a group of people near his castle as he was trying to get home. Good did come from it though. He had confirmation of who saw him.

Martyn.

Sausage.

And Apo.

This would be fun.

-------

When the deal with Apo was made, they decided it was best she met them at the castle beacon just after nightfall. It was unlikely any of the other humans would find it suspicious, since many of them disregarded the signs Scott had put up anyway. They could just say it was to check up on the beacon. In the meantime, he could work on building up their reserves and gather resources for rebuilding the castle itself.

He was unsurprised when neither she nor Pyro arrived on time. There was no way he would let her leave alive before, so it didn’t truly change anything, but he could still be disappointed in the lack of punctuality from the human. Pyro he never truly expected to make it, with how flighty they seemed to be.

What was surprising was feeling the aura of the town beacon lose its divinity. Sure, it was likely to set Apo even further back, if they planned to show at all, but it was impressive that Owen managed to neutralize the town beacon even for a small amount of time.

It wasn’t too long after the town beacon regained its light that they finally showed.

“Welcome. You certainly took your time to get here.”  Let it not be said that he wasn’t a gracious host, even when presented with a slight such as tardiness. “And you seem to be rather alone.”

“Yeah.” She sounded determined.

“So. What happened?” Considering her earlier fear, it was unlikely that they would sacrifice themselves here.

“I’m not turning anyone.”

“Okay?” He checked around for a moment, making sure they were the only ones here still, not wanting to be ambushed.

“And it’s my duty to protect the town.” They moved closer to him, righteous anger in her eyes. “You’re dying.”

“I’m dying? You’re sure about that?” Scanning her, he saw only their silver sword on their hip and her axe in her hand.

“Yes. You’re dying. Right here, right now.” Their grip on their axe tightened.

“Ah. Interesting. Fun.” He relaxed his pristine posture some, noting she planned to swing with the weapon they had in hand. No surprises then. It might burn a bit, but no lasting damage would happen. “You sure you know how to?”

“Where are the others?” She looked around, seeming to just realize that the two of them were alone there. “Weren’t they supposed to be here?”

“Oh don’t worry, you’ll see them soon enough.”

With that, she swung. It was an unexpectedly clean hit. Head off in one blow. They likely spent time sharpening it, preparing for this.

His head hit the ground, and his body fell to his knees.

She probably expected blood.

Instead, they saw the clean bisection of his neck.

Bone.

Cartilage.

The spinal column.

His trachea and esophagus.

All in perfect condition and exposed to the world in a way that was innately wrong.

He could see her frozen in place, turning green at the sight.

Then he picked up his head and placed it back on his neck, holding it in place for a moment so it could reattach.

Somehow, Apo was still on her feet, though her knees looked quite weak.

He stood.

“You know it’s rude to do that to a man in his own home.”

Chapter Text

Their gaze was focused on his throat, trying to process what just happened, not understanding.

Perfect.

“For most, you probably would have succeeded.” He couldn’t help but grin, exposing his fangs. “However, vampires have quite the resilience to death.”

With her still not moving, Scott took this opportunity to take stock of the damage to his clothes.

“You’re lucky my wardrobe is still tucked away down below, or I’d have your head for ruining my collar. It’s one of a kind after all.”

His collar was definitely torn from the axe, though if he found a sufficiently skilled tailor, they may be able to save it. Outside of that, the dirt on his knees would be easy to clean.

“I put my axe through your throat. Your head- I saw- On the ground-” Oh, she appears to have recovered enough to speak, even if it was still a bit weak. “I- that should have killed you. How are you alive?”

“Come now soldier,” he sighed, brushing the dirt from his hair and face, “keep up. We just went over this. Decapitation doesn’t work on everything. I’m not an animal.”

She must have recovered more than he thought while he wasn’t looking, because her axe swung again, cutting through his chest this time.

He could feel his ribs exposed to the outside air for a moment before it began to heal over.

Swinging again, he felt it lodge in his chest, not quite enough strength behind it this time to cut through. Cutting his spine had likely dulled the edge as well.

Regardless, he grabbed the handle and held it in place, preventing them from pulling it out.

“So,” he looks her in the eyes, closer than before as she still held onto her axe, “did we get our anger out? Are you going to listen this time?”

They let go of the axe and backed away.

“This shouldn’t be possible…” Apo sounded almost broken, the resolve they had cracked.

“And yet here I am.” He inspected the damage again, keeping the axe there for the moment. “This could be you, you know. You could even spend all of eternity with the one you’re so desperate to return to. Wouldn’t you prefer to ensure you made it home to her after you finish your time as a soldier?”

There was no saving the coat this time. It was likely damaged beyond repair. As was his vest and shirt.

“I- I don’t-” She seemed to be having a bit of a crisis over there.

“You don’t want that guarantee?” He interrupted, watching her, intrigued by what would happen next. “You don’t want to spend forever with-”

“This is creepy. You’re creepy. Where is everybody else?” Ah, they were deflecting. He wouldn’t let them.

“I don’t see what the issue is,” he complained, finally pulling the axe from his chest as the burning from it was becoming more uncomfortable. “I don’t understand why I’m such a bother. It’s not like I’ve not hurt anyone. I’ve not killed anyone.”

Apo pulled her sword and started swinging, frantically chanting at him to die, and cutting his shirt and coat up more in the process. Their final attack stabbed directly into his stomach, putting them face to face.

“So far the only one killing people around here has been you.” He leaned in closer to her, practically whispering in her ear. “Maybe I’m not the real monster here. Maybe it’s you.”

They pushed him away, pulling the sword from his stomach in the process. If he had eaten recently, there might have actually been blood on it.

“You guys can kill people.” She was defensive now.

“Yes. And so can you, as the damage to my clothing can attest to.” He gestured to his tattered clothes. “You’ve tried to kill me, unprompted, three times now.”

“What?” They scoffed. “You just wanna talk or something?”

“I see Avid has poisoned your mind with what you think is possible with vampires,” He lets out a put upon sigh. “We’re not uncivilized. We’re not monsters. We’re people. Just like you and the rest of the town. I had hoped to give you the ability to return to your loved one without fear. I planned to offer you a gift. But so far my hospitality has been spat on.”

According to their conversation when the original deal was made, her person was incredibly important to her. Enough to initially offer up someone else to be turned in their place. Whoever this person was would be her greatest weakness. Even more so than the town they claimed to need to protect.

He turned his back on her and walked towards the building materials he’d gathered so far, pretending to dismiss her.

“Maybe I won’t offer it now. You don’t seem to want the safety of knowing you’d be able to see them again. Perhaps I’d prefer to keep the gift to myself and not share eternity with people who scoff at its benefits.”

“What makes you think I want to spend eternity with you?” So she did still have a backbone. Just as he assumed when they first killed him, that type of courage would do wonders to counter Pyro’s fear. “Why would I stick around you that whole time?”

He sighs once more, turning back to her. “Why do you think I would want to keep you here? This is my territory. I never said you had to spend eternity with me. In fact, I would prefer if you didn’t. You’re welcome to spend it however you like. With whoever you like.”

“If I can’t kill you,” they were unfortunately thinking again, “what if I just tell the whole town about you? They’d listen to me. I know they would.”

“And how did that work out for Avid?” At least that bit of knowledge from Owen was useful. “Wasn’t he recently run out of town for the same thing?”

“I’m not Avid.” She was determined. This stubbornness was proving to be a pain to tear down. “They trust me. I have Martyn and Sausage to back me up. And Cleo will believe me.”

“I mean, they believe you now.” He had to keep pushing, though he kept his mask of indifference in place. “They believe you because they agree with you. But who’s to say how long that will last? Especially if you run into town saying you tried to kill me and it didn’t work? Would you start screaming about vampires too, without any proof of it? And what if I ran into town as well, looking like I do now and announcing that you attacked me, three times, totally unprompted? What then? I have more proof than you, do at this point. And it’s not as though any of us have known each other long enough to blindly trust one person’s words over another’s.”

He turned back and watched them fight with themselves.

“What about your red eyes?” They were grasping at straws now. “Wouldn’t everyone notice they’re different?”

“What is with people and eye colors today?” he groaned. “Look at me and tell me with complete confidence you can name the eye colors of 4 people in town. Quickly.”

She was silent.

“See what I mean? Also, you have red in your eyes. And Avid’s are purple. Unusual eye colors seem to be relatively normal around here. Do you even know what my eye color originally was?” It wasn’t as though he remembered what his eye color was, but it was the principle of the matter. “I spent the last few days I was in town wearing a mask anyway. I proved this with Sausage earlier today. No one can actually prove anything by the color of my eyes right now.”

“Why are you here then?” They asked. “What are you trying to do?”

He’d allow the pivot in conversation this time. It was about him after all.

“What am I doing here? I live here. I was woken up from an eternal slumber. I didn’t ask for this. I was thrust into it. Is it so wrong of me to make the best of my situation and try to survive? I need to eat. But I’ve not killed anyone yet.”

“You eat other people,” they stated.

“And animals. Hence why I have sheep and chicken around the corner over there. Or did you think those were for decoration?” The mere thought of taking care of those things without reason was vile.

“What about earlier?! You and Pyro both sucked my blood then!”

“How were we to know you hadn’t agreed to it with Owen?” This whole conversation was exasperating. “We assumed that a conversation had already happened. And all of us are starving as is.”

“And we’re food for you.” At least she seemed to sort of get it now.

“Yes, you’re a source of food. But as you might have noticed before, we don’t have to kill you to feed from you. It won’t even kill you if we don’t want it to.” He turned away once more, muttering just loud enough for her to hear, “Some people are just so weird about letting other people drink their blood.”

“Okay turn me.” What? That was a sudden turn.

He whipped around to study her as she slid her sword back into its sheath, listening to make sure they were still alone.

“You sure?” It was a struggle not to grin, knowing he won this fight. He shifted closer to her, closing the distance she had put between them.

“I mean if it’s not me it’s someone else.” A bit self-sacrificial of them, but he won’t look a gift horse in the mouth.

“That’s true.” It wasn’t. Not even a little bit. He’ll turn whoever he needs if it serves his purpose. “It’ll only hurt a little.”

He wasn’t careful as he dug into her throat, dropping her axe in favor of holding her in place, one arm pinning her arms in place, the other covering her mouth to prevent any loud noise she might make

They were remarkably stoic at first, even with their heart pounding. When he felt her weakening, she started to panic, beginning to fight back. His grip tightened, refusing to let them go until he got what he wanted.

As she lost consciousness, he held their weight up, finishing what blood they had left before pulling his face away and lowering her to the ground. He wasn’t sure how long she’d be out, and he didn’t want to hold them for however long that would be.

The fear he’d felt since turning Pyro had softened, though he couldn’t fully identify what by. It didn’t really matter, so long as he wasn’t as weak to the actions of the humans as he had been.

Apo was lucky he had a change of clothes and a clean cloth on hand. While he hadn’t expected things to go like they had, he’d been prepared in case a mess was made. It was easier to explain away an unconscious person than it was the state of his outfit or the blood on his face.

He returned to Apo’s side once suitably attired and blood free. It wouldn’t do to leave them to wake up alone. Not within the bounds of his castle.

Sitting down, he leaned over and wiped the blood from her as well. The black clothing she wore hid the blood well, and while he wasn’t careful, he hadn’t done any permanent damage to her besides the two pricks in her neck, which could be easily hidden by the collar of her capelet and her hair. The minor bruising she had would be gone by the time she woke, and while the fang marks would be healed, they would scar. Any turning bite would.

The shifting of the aura of the beacons around them hadn’t gone unnoticed during their confrontation. To the northeast, a beacon had been neutralized and taken by the other vampires, and to the west, the obelisk had been neutralized by the humans. As he cleaned the blood off Apo, he felt the holy aura form from the obelisk. People were on the move. Hopefully they woke up soon. They could lie their way out of this more easily, should any humans come upon them, if she’s conscious.

A long minute passed before they began to stir. With a gasp, she burst upright, breathing hard though she didn’t need to.

“I see you’re awake.” Scott stood and brushed off his coat. “Don’t worry about blacking out, it’s natural for those being turned.”

He offered a hand down to help her up, and they looked at him confused for a moment before slowly moving to stand on their own.

With a huff at the slight, his hand dropped. Seems the military didn’t teach chivalry anymore.

“So, how does it feel?” he asks condescendingly once she’s on her feet. “Better? Stronger?”

“I feel… different?” She reached a hand up to cover his bite. “It’s all so-”

“Wait,” he stopped her, noticing footsteps. Moving around her, he could see his unwanted guests. “It’s Avid.”

Stepping forward to draw their attention, he greeted Avid (and apparently Drift), to ensure Apo had time to pull herself together. They couldn’t be caught so soon.

-------

It was strange for Avid and Drift to expect to find others here, but while some of what Avid said was possibly concerning, it wasn’t as though he had any physical proof to act with. He claimed to be welcome in town again though, which was disappointing if true.

Apo was quick to leave with Drift, and Avid trailed not too far behind them. Eventually, she’d have to come back, so she could at least get enough of a handle on their new abilities to not accidentally give themselves away. But that would come in time.

Scott gathered up the blood-covered cloth and his destroyed clothing and brought them down into the crypt just far enough for them to be out of sight should any other humans appear tonight.

As he returned to the beacon area, he picked up the axe Apo left behind and began planning his next move. Turning her had done much to satisfy his hunger for the time being, but given the power required to heal the damage he sustained during the encounter, he wasn’t quite able to reach the same strength he did after changing Pyro. It was frustrating, but well worth it to make them suffer. And given the paranoia around town, should her good friends Martyn and Sausage discover their change, it wouldn’t be surprising if they tried to take her out themselves. Those three were potentially the biggest threats to him as things stood. It was only a matter of time before they tore themselves apart.

Interrupting his thoughts, Pyro finally made their appearance, quickly followed by both Owen and Shelby in bat form. He made his displeasure at Pyro’s tardiness known, though he was mollified to hear Apo had shoved him off the bridge in passing.

It was interesting to learn that having some of the beacons allowed the others to be aware of when a new vampire was turned and in what direction for a short period of time, though they wouldn’t know who. Given their circumstances, it would prove useful.

Apparently, the others weren’t as aware of how hard it was to be killed as a vampire. Shelby and Pyro he expected, but he was surprised that in his 200 years since being turned, Owen had never dealt with that sort of issue before. At least that meant they all appreciated the work that went into turning Apo. He’ll take whatever flattery he can get.

-------

The castle beacon had to be more cursed than the others. As though summoned by their attempt at changing it, Martyn burst in, already on the attack. Shelby and Owen escaped through the hole in the wall Scott made before, while he and Pyro did damage control. Literally in fact. Martyn managed to set the centuries old wood the beacon was built on alight, making it burn at an unnatural speed.

Even as he worked to put out the flames the humans didn’t hesitate to threaten him with their swords, insistent that the two vampires stay away from the beacon. At the cost of his mahogany flooring.

Well, it was better to act ignorant of whatever they ask about than to provide them with any concrete information. At least as long as they could. Which unfortunately wasn’t very long as Pyro clearly had no practice lying on the spot like this.

He wouldn’t allow them to force him out of his own home, however.

While they may choose to defend things they don’t understand, now that he’s awake and returned to his castle, he won’t leave it that easily.

They don’t understand the forces they’re dealing with.

This is a fight they can’t win.

But he’ll do them the courtesy of warning them of that.

Grabbing Apo’s axe, he swung at Martyn, nicking his cheek and forcing him to back away towards the bridge.

“I think you’ll find this is my home.” He stood by the beacon, watching Martyn and dropping the act. “Beacon or no, I think it’s probably time you leave.”

“No, not happening. Not while you have that there. Not when you can convert it.” Martyn was determined, but more cautious with Scott armed as well.

“Scott’s demanded that you both leave now.” At least he wasn’t alone here, even if it was just Pyro.

“So, what’s your great plan then?” He rolled his eyes, knowing the human didn’t have one.

“We saw you here before,” Martyn stated like it was new information.

“Yeah. Because I live here.” How many times would he have to say it to get it through this kid’s thick skull? “I’m not sure what we’re not understanding here.”

While Martyn stuttered out a response, Scott turned and threw the axe at Cleo, startling them into falling from the wall they’d been perched on.

“You both might want to run.” He drew his own axe, disappointed by his lack of claws for this fight.

Martyn charged him, swinging.

He redirected the hit with the back of his axe and kicked Martyn in the side, making him stumble, and certainly bruising his ribs.

“I don’t think this ends well for you.”

A lantern brushed past him, fire bursting from it and spreading around them. Scott backed away, grateful his clothes resisted the flame, even if they felt hotter than they should. Must be another magic ability.

Flashing through the fire as it died down, Martyn’s sword cut through his arm, and Scott swung back in retaliation without thinking, his axe catching Martyn’s shoulder.

Something in Scott forced him freeze, allowing Martyn to back away and inspect the injury.

Cleo stepped forward to take his place, and Scott could move again, focused on his new opponent.

Redirecting her swing like he did Martyn's, he retaliated with a swipe of his own. He’d intended to maybe nick their arm, but a swipe from Pyro forced them to dodge forward. Instead of missing like he expected, his axe buried itself into her.

Red stained their chest, a bloodied mirror of the injury Apo had given him before.

She was sure to bleed out.