CHAPTER FIFTEEN

I had always taken great care to control my urges and protect humans from the truth of what I was. I had built a life for myself here, surrounded by the pulsating energy of the club and the hedonistic pleasures it offered. It was a place where I could indulge my senses while maintaining the delicate balance between my two worlds.

But in my desperation to be close to Ellie, I had let my guard down. In a moment of unbridled passion, I had lost control and revealed my true nature to her. I had bitten her, something I had vowed never to do to a human who was pure of heart.

Dimitri approached me with concern etched on his face. "Kaelen, what's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost."

I ran a hand through my hair, still reeling from the night's events. "I made a mistake, Dimitri. I lost control with Ellie. I bit her."

Dimitri's eyes widened in shock. "You what? But how? You've never lost control like that before."

I shook my head, unable to find the words to explain the overwhelming desire that had consumed me. "I couldn't help myself. I needed to be close to her, to touch her. And then it just...happened. I don't know what came over me."

Dimitri put a hand on my shoulder, his expression filled with concern. "It's okay, my friend. We'll figure this out. We'll make sure Ellie is taken care of and that she doesn't remember what happened."

"Taken care of?" I spat, my rage boiling over. "I don't want her taken care of. I want to make this right."

Dimitri looked at me, his eyes filled with what looked like pity. "I didn't mean it like that, Kaelen," he said, his voice apologetic. "I meant, we can wipe her memory of it."

"No," I said, letting out my breath. "I'll figure something out."

I left Dimitri at the bar, his concerned gaze following me as I walked away. I didn't want his pity. I didn't want anyone's pity. What I wanted was to turn back time and erase the mistake I had made.

I needed to speak with Lucian. I knew he would have answers, even if I didn't want to hear them. I made my way up to the VIP section, ready to let out every emotion that was tearing me apart.

But when I arrived, the room was empty. I stood there, scanning the space, my senses on high alert. I heard Seraphine walk up behind me.

"He's occupied downstairs," she said, her voice low and seductive.

"Well, then let's find us a meal and join him," I said, my voice cold and detached.

Seraphine grinned at me, her eyes gleaming with anticipation. I stood there, my mind made up. I needed to feed, to lose myself in the dark embrace of my vampire nature.

I wanted... no, I needed... the darkest soul in Crimson.

I stormed out of the VIP section, my mind made up. I needed to feed, to lose myself in the dark embrace of my vampire nature. The hedonistic pleasures of the club no longer satisfied me; I craved something more primal, more intense.

I opened up my senses, scanning the entire club for the perfect prey. I could hear the rapid heartbeats of the humans, smell the sweat and lust that permeated the air. I searched for the scent of fear, the taste of guilt, the sound of a heart that beat with the rhythm of darkness.

At last, I found it. Two men, one middle-aged and the other younger, sat at the bar. The older man had a smug look on his face as he slipped a drug into the younger man's drink. In a nearby booth, I could hear the sound of a woman's muffled cries as a man beat her. These were the souls I sought.

I turned to Seraphine, who had followed me downstairs. "Round them up," I said, my voice low and menacing. "Bring them to the playroom."

I couldn't wait. I had to head there now or else I would break my own club rules and shred the men apart right there in the VIP room in front of hundreds of witnesses. I ran down the concrete steps and yanked the iron door open.

Inside, I saw Lucian, his face deep in a young red-headed woman's breast, blood pooling up at their feet. He finished his drink and looked up at me, a sly smile on his face.

"Kaelen, my friend," he said, licking the blood from his lips. "Join us."

I shook my head. "Not now," I said. "I have some business to attend to."

Lucian raised an eyebrow, but he didn't press the issue. He knew better than to question me when I was in this state.

I turned my attention to the men Seraphine had brought in. The older man looked at me with a mixture of fear and defiance in his eyes. The other man was unconscious, his head lolling to one side.

I approached the older man, my fangs bared. "You like to drug innocent men and take advantage of them," I said, my voice a hiss.

The man tried to deny it, but I cut him off by pressing my hand over his mouth. He tried to pull away, but Seraphine had her grip on him.

"You get off by drugging and raping young men?" I repeat. The man tried shaking his head no, but his eyes betrayed him with tears.

"Lucian, what do you say we show this... man... what it feels like?" I said, my voice dripping with malice. Lucian's eyes lit up with glee.

Seraphine threw the man down on the marble floor. He tried to scramble for the door, but it was locked. He dug his nails at the crease, but to no avail.

I walked over to the back of the room through the bathroom door. Within five minutes, I was back. In my hand swung a 12-inch dildo with sharp spikes running the length of it. Lucian and Seraphine's eyes lit up.

I walked over to Lucian and handed him the weapon. "Show him what it feels like to be violated," I said, my voice barely above a whisper.

Lucian grinned and grabbed the man's legs, ripping his clothes off, and pulling them apart. The man struggled, but he was no match for Lucian's strength. Seraphine held his arms down as Lucian inserted the spiked dildo inside of him.

The man screamed, but his cries fell on deaf ears. I watched with a mixture of disgust and satisfaction as Lucian violated him, over and over again. The man's screams turned to sobs, and still, Lucian continued. The smell of iron kissing my tongue sending chills down my body.

Blood was flowing freely from the mans gapping ass. Now a crater of shredded flesh. The middle aged man had passed out from the pain. Seraphine was now behind him lapping at the hole trying to save any bit of nutrients she could.

I turned to the other man, the one who had been unconscious. I could hear his heartbeat, rapid and afraid. I walked over to him and picked him up, holding him in my arms.

As I led the man to the left side of the room, I could feel a sense of satisfaction rising within me. The leather restraints attached to the wall were sturdy and ready to hold him in place. I could hear his muffled cries as Lucian attached the restraints to his limbs. The abuser's fear was palpable, and I couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction at the sight of him restrained and helpless.

"Seraphine!" I called out. She had been standing in the corner, observing the scene with a cold, detached look in her eyes. At the sound of her name, she looked up and met my eyes. "Would you be so kind to fetch Dimitri?"

Seraphine's smile took over her face. "He will be ecstatic!" she exclaimed as she left the room.

I turned my attention back to the abuser, who was now struggling against his restraints in a futile attempt to escape. I could see the terror in his eyes as he looked at me, and I knew that he knew that there was no escape for him.

Lucian and I stood there, waiting. We could hear the sound of the abuser's heartbeat, rapid and afraid. We could hear the sound of his muffled cries. We could hear the sound of Seraphine's heels as she walked down the hall.

"Ah, I see you have caught yourself a fine specimen," Dimitri's voice echoed through the room as he entered. I turned to see him standing in the doorway, his eyes alight with excitement. "I can't wait to get started."

I nodded, and Dimitri approached the abuser. I could see the abuser's eyes widen in fear as Dimitri began to speak of pain and pleasure. I could see the fear in his eyes as Dimitri began to lay out his plans for his punishment. Dimitri was rather at home when it came to this kind of punishment for humans. He was like a Pitbull with a piece of raw meat.

I could see the abuser's eyes widen in fear as Dimitri towered over him. "Now, now, no need to be scared," Dimitri purred, his voice a sickeningly sweet contrast to the predatory gleam in his eyes.

"This is all for your own good, you see. A little...re-education." He punctuated his words with a swift, brutal punch to the abuser's face. I heard the sickening crack of bone, saw teeth fly, and watched as blood welled up around a newly split eye.

The abuser screamed. I walked towards him, a dark hunger rising in my chest. I reached out and traced a finger through the blood now streaming down his face. Bringing it to my lips, I licked it off. A foul, metallic tang, yet beneath it, a sweetness that ignited a fire within me.

I leaned closer, my fangs extending. "You deserve this," I whispered, before sinking my teeth into his face, sucking briefly before tearing away a chunk of flesh around his eye. The abuser's screams turned into a high-pitched, agonizing wail that resonated in the black room. Blood spurted, painting the wall behind him a gruesome red. He convulsed, gagging and vomiting.

Lucian, Seraphine, and Dimitri stood there, their eyes wide, eerie smiles plastered on their faces, a look of ravenous hunger in their eyes.

"Dimitri," I commanded, wiping the blood from my mouth. "Heal him."

Without a word, Dimitri bit into his own wrist, the crimson liquid welling up and dripping onto the floor. He held his bleeding wrist to the abuser's mouth, forcing it open. The abuser choked, trying to turn his head away, but Dimitri held him firm, forcing him to swallow. Within minutes, the gaping wound where his eye had been was closing, the torn flesh knitting back together, leaving only a gruesome scar.

For hours, the four of us took turns. Drinking, tearing, savoring. The abuser's screams became a horrifying symphony, a testament to his suffering and our dark pleasure. The black room became a charnel house, the air thick with the coppery scent of blood and the echoes of unending agony. It was a masterpiece of our own creation.