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Reign in Darkness: Mari and Nera

Ian ignored the drowning imp at that point. The creature had no more significance to him. He was going to die and get a return trip to hell, do not pass go, do not collect two hundred dollars.

In that moment he watched Nathan though. Even though he did not feel compelled by blood to interfere, he liked his master, and that was the reason for his compliance with things. But his compliance might end up haivng limits. It was hard to really say.

Nathan looked intently at Ciaran. "I realize you are being generous even talking to me about this. According to the Prince's law, I invaded your home, you have the right to destroy me." He paused and said. "The sword is secondary to that. I will take the Blood Oath. And any material compensation you wish, although I do not have much. We are a deformed cursed bloodline after all, what I do have is yours, since I do not have to be alive to have it at all."

"I heard the Vincent family might have the sword. They collect old things after all." Nathan added.
 
Ciaran was pleased that Nathan seemed to realise the situation, seemed to recognise that he was at a strong disadvantage. Ciaran could have easily chosen to simply end him but instead, and maybe he was too soft for this, he chose to speak with the other vampire and see if they could make an arrangement.

"Blood Oath?" Ciaran repeated, a little surprised that Nathan would offer so much. Nathan appeared strong though and he couldn't say that stronger allies weren't needed. "Very well, you will take the Oath and be beholden to me. Kneel and drink" He wanted this done with. Once the oath was taken, he had work to do.

He had all but forgotten Ian's presence, too focused on the other vampire and his plans. There was much to prepare for.
 
While Ian sat twiddling his thumbs, Nathan knelt before Ciaran, and took the offered drink. It had to be humiliating for a strong family such as him to be caught in this predicament, but Ian had wounded him so it was a situation. He was at a great disadvantage and would not be able to fight Ciaran off even if he wanted to.

Henry looked to Ciaran and said. "I'll go flush this imp down the toilet."

Ian started cackling. "The toilet, are you serious? Well not my god damn toilet. If he comes back...." Ian did not want to think about it.
 
Ciaran winced as Nathan drank, feeling the Oath take shape. It was worth it. The benefits of taking Nathan on far outweighed the benefits of simply killing him. Given that he was in a tough spot, anyone obedient was welcome.

"Do what you must" Ciaran said with a sigh, not caring exactly how Henry dealt with the imp. As long as it was gone. Stupid thing. Chose the wrong vampire to name when he was bored. Other's may have taken him up on his offer of servitude.
 
"Isn't the dinner tomorrow? Or is it the day after? I lost track of how many days it was until that idiot Sangrey comes to dinner. I am not looking forward to that. Not by a long shot."

"I heard that he was going to bring the entire Vampire Council here. That ought to be fun. All the big wigs in the same place. We get to entertain, I get to know everyone. I can make my famous steak tartare. We can have rice pudding. I get to watch your fledgling bend the knee, this will be great."

"If you don't shut the fuck up about me, I am going to slap you." Ian said in reply. He did not need a reminder that he was probably going to be paraded around and be made to look like an idiot.
 
Ciaran closed his eyes as Henry spoke and prayed for patience. He didn't need a reminder of the dinner that was upcoming, he was very aware of what was going to happen. He was very aware that he had to show his progress with Ian which was actually....zero. Zero progress.

"Henry, find Nathan a room of his own. Deal with the imp, create a menu for the dinner in two days" He ordered, moving to sit down in one of the chairs. "Ian, come and sit with me. We must start your training"

Obedience was going to be the first thing they looked for, and then strength.
 
Henry led Nathan to a room of his own, and once he had done that, Ian sighed with relief.

"I thought that over eager little shit was never going to fuck off." Ian said as he took a seat next to his maker.

"Ok, I expect about half a dozen chastisements for the way I handled all of that. Have at it. I'm ready to listen." Ian said. He took in another deep breath. This was going to be a long next couple of days. He was ready for it to be over already.
 
Whilst Ciaran wouldn't say it, he was also glad that Henry had now left. His...enthusiasm grated on him, especially when it was so obvious that he was insincere. That was probably the bit that annoyed him most about the servant.

"And what exactly do you think you've done wrong? Tell me each thing you think you could have done differently" There was no point in Ciaran just scolding Ian. Who knew if he'd even bother to listen? He wanted to know what Ian thought Ciaran would pick out.

Of course, there wasn't much. Attacking Nathan was expected given that they weren't sure of his next steps and, had he not thought that his charge was attacking him, he probably would have praised him for his quick thinking.
 
"Well let's see...." Ian said, trying not to sound like a smart ass but his voice was slightly tinged with irritation. He swallowed. "Sorry. I should have alerted you some how that I saw Nathan. A watch out or something like that."

"I shouldn't have been a smart ass about fifteen times today, and I shouldn't have called Sangrey an idiot in front of Henry. Oh and yes, I should not have threatened slapping him. You don't need infighting of your, servants or whatever we are."

"I really do not want to make this hard on you. I have to admit I am not sure why. But part of it is my nature and this is hard for me." Ian explained.
 
Ciaran watched Ian speak with a small smile. He didn't need any apologies, but they were welcomed anyway. He was surprised to hear that Ian didn't want this to be difficult to him, but he appreciated it all the same.

"I don't believe I need to scold you. You've done a good enough job yourself" He said, crossing his legs and leaning back in his chair, making himself comfortable. "Thank you for your assistance with Nathan. I hadn't noticed his presence. I will admit, I thought you were aiming at me. That...annoyed me"

Annoyed was a soft word for his feelings.

"You must be thirsty. Here, drink" He said, holding his wrist out for Ian. "We only have a couple of days to strengthen you before you are paraded around and scrutinized"
 
Ian complied, taking Ciaran's wrist in his hands. He noticed that the man had not slashed himself, so he hesitated momentarily before sinking his fangs into his wrist. It was his first time with fangs in flesh, and it felt good, and natural. He drank greedily for a moment but had to keep his eyes on Ciaran. He wanted an indicaton of when he needed to stop.

He tried to not make it obvious how damned much he was enjoying this. Once again his thoughts would not remain where he wanted them to be. He hoped that his sire could not read his mind, even though the look on his face made it obvious enough exactly what he was thinking.
 
Ciaran had purposefully not bit into his own wrist, leaving Ian to do it himself. He would have to learn how to do this, would have to learn how good it could feel to bite into flesh. He looked down at Ian, watching as he drunk.

He couldn't read his mind, and he didn't know why he couldn't, but he didn't have to read his mind now. His expression told him everything he needed to know. Even his own expression had darkened, nonexistent breath knocked out of him. Eventually, he had to close his eyes and his head leant back against the seat, his neck bared as he let out a soft sigh.
 
The two and a half days that still needed to pass before the dinner finally passed. Ian was trained about as well as he possibly could be in that amount of time. He was not gagged, Ciaran had decided that this would look bad, and would seem like the easy way out to Lucas Sangrey, and this was the last thing that they wanted, because it would look like Ian was not under control.

He was paraded around in something embarrassing, and to make it worse, it wasn't chosen out by Ciaran, it was actually chosen out and sent the night before by Lucas Sangrey. It was a fetish outfit with a zipper in the front and back ends, and he assumed that before the night was over he was going to be shown off completely. He knew he could get both Ciaran and himself killed if he did not wear it though, and so he complied and put the humiliating piece of clothing on.

He was shocked to find he was not expected to kneel on the ground next to Ciaran and was actually allowed to sit beside him. He had it explained to him that it was a classy event after all, and Lucas probably wouldn't expect that much.

Lucas ended up totally mortified though when he saw who was on the menu for dinner. It was a fellow hunter and someone that he knew.

He glanced in Ciaran's direction as he saw the man laying naked on the table in front of them.
He found himself wishing he had the gag because he had no idea how the hell he was expected not to say anything.
 
The next couple of days passed quickly to Ciaran. There wasn't much he could teach his fledgling in this time but he tried impart all knowledge that he may be asked about. Primarily, it was about what to say, do, and who not to piss off. It was the easy tasks.

He watched the former hunter in his outfit, begrudgingly deciding that it actually looked good. In another circumstance, maybe it would even be enticing. For now though, it was just a symbol and something to show that he could make him do what he wanted already. He was just pleased that Ian was willing to go along with all of this. He had half expected him to throw a fit already.

Seeing Ian's expression when he saw the hunter, he just raised an eyebrow and hoped that he would understand that he needed to keep quiet. He needed to seem as if he had given that life up. He was no longer a hunter, these were no longer his comrades. He would feed on this hunter with the rest of them.
 
Ian paused for a moment, and glanced around the table, forcing himself to be silent. There was an eerie silence among everyone at the table, the entire council although there were a few smirks.
The hunter was unconscious, and Ian was thankful that he was because this would have been ten times harder on him if he had not been.

Prince Sangrey was the one who broke the silence. "I take it you know him?" He paused for a moment, the look on Ian's face telling all.

"He is tonight's feast. You are going to drain him of all of his blood and use it to feed each one of us. All of it. Do you understand?" Sangrey said.

Ian was struggling to reply, and not to say the wrong thing as he stood there before the other vampires.
 
"He understands" Ciaran said, answering for Ian. He understood this was a tough situation and not one he would have chosen to put him in so soon. He would have rather they had more time together to build actual loyalty before something like this happened.

He looked between the unconscious body and Ian, sighing and gesturing for Ian to begin. "Drain him. I'm thirsty" He ordered, taking the choice out of Ian's hands.
 
Ian looked from Ciaran to Sangrey. He had been instructed that while in Sangrey's presence calling him Sir wasn't enough, specifically not yet, when he was having to demonstrate being totally broken. So Ian swallowed and said. "Yes, Master."

He moved to the blade at his seat, finally understanding what it was for, and took Ciaran's goblet. He hesitated only for a moment, before making the cut on his former comrades wrist. At least he would feel nothing. Ian let the blood flow, trying to figure about how much was necessary so that there was enough for Ciaran, himself Prince Sangrey, and the other four vampires sitting around the table. He figured that a full goblet a piece was about right.

Once he was finished he moved to present the blood to Ciaran. Then he hesitated again. Taking blood from the hunter to feed Ciaran was easier, than having to feed that bastard Sangrey, but he figured he should be next.
 
It felt odd to hear Ian call him Master but he supposed it was needed now. He needed to look like he had complete control. Perhaps later that could settle but now he had to be completely obedient to a point where he was almost a mindless slave.

He took the goblet presented to him without a word, holding the cup as he waited for everyone else to get theirs. They'd toast and feast. "Hurry up. I'm sure our guests are just as thirsty" He ordered, not liking the hesitation. Any hesitation could be seen as weakness or disobedience. He needed to act. He could mourn his fallen comrade later.
 
Ian realized after he got chastised by Ciaran that he made a mistake. Hesitation in feeding Sangrey. The look on his face too, it was one of pure disgust.

"Will you hurry the fuck up?" Sangrey said to Ian as he tapped his fingers on the table. "I'm famished. And its not like I am making you rip out his heart and eat it. I think I'm being fairly, lenient with my test of you."

"Yes, my Prince." Ian said in reply. "Forgive me." He took the goblet from Sangrey and filled it, then moved to present it to Sangrey. He was tempted to pour it on his head, but he was not that stupid. Ian then completed his task, filling everyone's goblets before finishing the hunter off and filling his own.
 
Ciaran could have winced in sympathy when the Prince snapped. He had hoped that he would have saved them both of that but it seemed like they were not that lucky.

Ian sped up then and they were all eventually served, the hunter completely drained. Ciaran stood as Ian took his seat by him again, smiling in the way only a gracious host could. "Many thanks, my Prince, for your presence, and honoured council members. I appreciate your time and the meal you have graciously provided. Let us drink, to our health and the continuing training of our newest charge" He toasted, waiting for the Prince to take the first sip before he was allowed.
 
Prince Sangrey looked from Ciaran to Ian, and then around the table at the others before taking a drink of the offered blood. Soon everyone started feasting. Well everyone except Ian. He knew to wait for permission and to control his thirst.

"So, tell me was that painful for you, Ian?" Sangrey inquired of the fledgling vampire.

It was a question that Ian was not expecting, and therefore a question that he did not have an answer for. He swallowed hard and looked to Lucas. He was trying to decide how to answer. He looked over at Ciaran, as if apologizing in advance if he answered this wrong. "You know that it was."

"I ought to have your sire give you a nice spanking right here right now in front of everyone for daring to speak to me in that tone. Continue pissing me off and I will find other ways of making you regret it. So far, you did mostly all right. But don't forget your place, even in your grief." Sangrey warned.
 
Ciaran drank as soon as he was able, not wanting to offend their guests and actually enjoying the meal after the past few days he'd had. It had been stressful and it was nice for a moment to just enjoy a meal.

Of course it couldn't last.

The Prince would interrogate his fledgling and Ciaran could do nothing about it. He just had to watch the car crash that was in front of him. He had to hold himself from sighing when he heard Ian's answer. That wouldn't go over well, and it certainly didn't.

He kept his own mouth shut, not wanting to offend the Prince any further, although he shot a warning look at Ian. He needed to be careful here, although he couldn't blame him for his response.
 
Sangrey looked from Ian to Ciaran, and then back to Ian again. "You may think I am cruel. You may think I am a total and complete prick, and from your perspective, I can understand this. Remember though, I could have had you executed. What I chose for you was actually merciful, I gave you a gift, and you should be grateful."

I am doing you a favor, even if you do not see it. You are a vampire now. You are no longer a hunter. He was your enemy. They all are. They would kill you without a second thought. The sooner you understand that the easier it will be for you to survive. You will survive. Your sire will see to this. Learn to live with what you are. Use that anger that you have for me to fuel your nights if you must, but keep your place. I am a patient man but not infinitely so. Do you understand?"

Ian was about to snap. He did not know how much more of his prince's mouth he could take. He was barely holding his tongue at this point. He chose the safest answer he could, in a tone that was as safe as he could manage. "I understand, my Prince."
 
Well, the Prince wasn't wrong. Everything he said rang true and Ciaran couldn't find a way that any of them could argue.

"I apologise, my Prince. I had though I explained the situation well enough to him. Anything he says as a slight is a testament to how much more work I have to do" Ciaran apologised, bowing his head. "I can assure you I will work harder. He will understand the gift he has been given soon"

He was talking nonsense. He doubted Ian would ever see this as the gift it was, but he knew that he could at least pretend. He would just have to teach him how to pretend. This did show him how much more he had to do...and how little of it he actually wanted to.
 
"See that you do," The Prince said in reply. He seemed pacified for the moment. He was not angry enough with either of them to punish them, which was a relief to Ian.

He tried to stop imagining sinking his fangs into his Princes' throat and feasting on his blood, and hoped to all that was holy that noone could read his mind.

He did not know that noone could. At least noone with fangs that was seated in that room.

Someone else seemed to read his mind, or answer his prayers or something however. Perhaps it was the culimination of his nightmares. A large demonic creature with skin the color of obsidian was perched on the wall above on a loft that was in the dining room. He had wondered more than once what the hell that loft was doing in this room. His tendency to stare off into space led to him discovering this creature before anyone else.

"Look out!" Ian screamed as the demon swooped down from the sky and literally ripped the Prince's head off with his hands. Blood sprayed everywhere, and Ian was stunned. This could not be happening.
 
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