#I was blonde for maybe 24 hours before it faded to reddish brown

[thirtyrocked]

Who wore it best: my face edition 2010 | 2014 | 2017

[g1ngan1nja]

Dangerous Stakes Part 3

Hey Humans! It's time for part 3! This one is a little bit longer for "plot reasons," but I don't? think you will mind?

**contains violence** (and a vampire hunter)

I would love any advice or constructive criticism you have for me! I hope y'all enjoy!

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Annie woke up a few hours later, and for a second she didn't remember where she was, but then she relaxed. Absently, she traced her fingers over her throat and collarbone. Those scars would probably never truly fade.

Looking around, she saw that she was wrapped in a thick blanket on the chair. The curtains were drawn but it looked like it was still quite dark out, Markus was standing at the stove in a black t-shirt and jeans. Her nose was cold. She realized what he was making a moment later: hash browns, toast, and fried eggs.

"Lucky for you there's a 24-hour grocery store nearby." He didn't turn around.

She sometimes forgot how sharp his senses were, especially after feeding. She leaned back, and stretched with her eyes shut.

A second later he was at her side with a plate and a fork.

He watched her eat quietly, and when she was done he asked: "Why the chair? Not the bed?"

"It was closer to where you were collapsing.” She smiled at him. “And I imagine the bed has had plenty of incidents with disgusting fluids and creatures on it."

He raised both eyebrows.

"Would you consider last night 'disgusting?'"

"You know I enjoyed it." Annie rolled her eyes, "And you needed the blood."

He smiled at her, "Thanks for the reminder.”

"C’mere. Someone’s gotta take care of you.”

She pulled him back onto the chair and hugged him.

They spent the next hour curled up together on the chair saying nothing, Markus swirling his fingers over the skin on her arms and neck, tangling his hands in her hair. Annie, arms around his body, face buried in his shoulder.

They could afford the time.

The girl with the vampire was tall and blond and legitimately beautiful. He wondered idly where she was from.

Jonathon sat in the cab of his pickup truck, staring through the binoculars at the motel. It was 10:45 am, he reflected, so he had just over 10 hours to get in and out. Anything longer and the leech would be able to slip out into the night, making the kill much more dangerous. He put down his binoculars, looked over his kit, and tried to decide the best way to engage the creature. If any police happened by, he had his gun license and paperwork, although his array of knives and the stake would be a little harder to explain.

He was confident that he could take the vampire by himself, though the girl made matters slightly more complicated, but that was why they'd called him.

He had seen this kind of parasitic relationship before: vampire meets an attractive young human somewhere, and wraps them in enchantments of infatuation and control. The human follows them anywhere, and presto, docile toy and snack for the leech.

He thought that he could break the enchantments, but it could be... disorienting for the human.

He looked at his printed notes on his target: know as Markus, age: unknown, sire: unknown, associates: unknown. Not a lot to go on.

He’d stopped at the gas station, and had tried to convince the cashier to hand over the videotapes, which had turned out to be an enormous waste of time.The police had grabbed them first. He had gotten a decent description of both the girl and the vampire from the owner though, who had watched the tapes, as well as confirmation of the make of the car.

Not a lot to go on, but he'd done it all before.

Quick google search to find the motels along the route they were travelling, then figure out the ones least likely to ask for ID. Then he’d driven through as many of the towns as he could. He had found their car the third place he’d looked. Oh yes, he was good.

He hadn't paid for a room for the night, but had spent it sleeping in his truck at the nearby Walmart. He'd gotten up early and had driven back to the motel, confirming that the leech hadn't left, and then had purchased a room asking which rooms were in use. Only two, as it turned out.

A thought occurred to him and he chuckled: "Stakeout."

Annie opened her laptop to check the news, then closed it. So much of it had seemed boring recently. Markus was curled up asleep beside her on the bed, his hand resting close to her knee. She hadn’t realized it had slid off. His deep reddish hair was cut short and spiky, and she ran her hand through it, denting it slightly. His face was peaceful and young-looking, slim and slightly angular. He shifted in his sleep, legs straightening, and his black t-shirt rode up his hip slightly, showing a glimpse of pale skin. She stifled giggles. It was around lunch time, but she'd already eaten. It was pretty strange, she reflected, how she had adapted to a mostly nocturnal lifestyle with him. She flopped down beside him, staring up at the ceiling. It had been a long time ago that they'd met, and she was far older than she looked. Following her stream of consciousness, she counted the date, and realized her birthday was in a few weeks. She remembered a birthday from a few years ago and laughed. It had been... lively, to say the least.

Markus had taken her to a bar after an evening walking along the beach, a guy had tried to flirt with her, and Markus had scared the crap out of the man by showing his fangs an inch from the dude's face. The guy had literally turned white and passed out. She'd laughed, but after that, they had mostly avoided public bars. Or maybe it’d been a pub. She shook her head, and stood, returning the laptop to its case.

She tossed it down and wandered over to Markus’ bed.

"Hey, Love..."

"Aw shit." Jonathon dropped his phone, and shoved the door open. Scrabbling at the dashboard, he grabbed his revolver, the rest of his tools on his belt.

"Damnit." The ‘toys’ weren't usually so mobile. Normally they waited for the vampire to tell them to do anything.

He sprinted along the front of the motel, then kicked in the door.

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Decided to split it up a bit ;) I hope it was fun!

(No stealing my OCs or story, but please let me know what you think!)