Chapter Text
By the time Galo approached the castle gates, the sun had already set. He strode up with confidence, the antique case in his hand contained all the tools he needed for the job. He felt for the vial of holy water in his pocket; his boss had told him to have an insurance policy, after all.
The jagged black bars before him spread out for as far as the eye could see, enclosing a sprawling complex of rooms and staircases. He looked around in search of a knocker, a bell... some way to announce his arrival, but the gates creaked open without prompt. He took a breath and swallowed, composing himself and getting his story straight before stepping through.
The grounds of the manor were characteristically unkempt. It was usual of his clientele to not enjoy gardening. He followed along a chaotically arranged stone path, dodging harsh thistles that jutted out between many of the steps. It led him to the heavy black doors of the manor.
Two young men greeted Galo at the doors, they appeared to be of a similar age to him. He first assumed them to be the sons of the house, but the way they spoke made him realise otherwise. They must have been servants, though they were dressed very casually for such a role. None the less, Galo summarised his cover story and they hurried off to give word of his arrival to the man of the house.
"Master will see you now."
The earl was younger than he'd expected. His face was narrow, ivory; his hair an unusual shade of blond that seemed permanently tinted by moonlight. He was all done up all in black and white, his sleeves and collar adorned by bunches of white ruffles.
He was standing when Galo entered the room, but promptly sat down at one end of a large dining table, and gestured for Galo to sit opposite.
Despite his youthful size and attire, his under-eyes were dark, his cheeks slightly hollow. He fixed Galo with narrow, catlike pupils. Classic sign of a vampire.
---
"From the next kingdom over, you say?" His voice was much lower than one would have guessed.
Galo feverishly nodded, poking the food around on his plate. The seemingly young man sitting opposite brought his purple fingertips to rest under his sharp jaw, he looked thoughtful for a moment. He wasn't eating the... Galo wasn't quite sure what it was.
"We don't get a lot of visitors here. We do hope you'll find everything... perfectly hospitable." His tone suddenly sharpened as he glared at Galo's empty glass. One of his servants, a long haired man, hurried over to refill it.
The earl took a sip from his own glass, the deep red liquid colouring his delicate lips. He swept his tongue across them as he addressed Galo again.
"This important business of yours. I believe discussions can wait until morning, yes?"
"I suppose they can..."
"Good. I find that the evening is not the time to discuss politics. Rather," He clapped his hands briskly. "Gueira, bring the dessert."
"Oh, really, that won't be necessary-"
Galo was cut off by a loud crash. He peeked over the edge of the table with nervous curiosity. The servant with reddish hair had tripped and smashed the final course all over the floor. Galo breathed in quiet relief as he had only been pretending to eat the first two plates.
"You've wasted Sir Thymos's dessert." The earl's delicate features were twisted into a stern expression as he looked downward.
"It won't go to waste... I'll lick it up for you, master."
"That won't be necessary. Just clean it up." His voice came as a hiss.
The servant named Gueira scurried off into one of the adjacent rooms, which Galo could only assume to be the kitchen.
After the brief incident, the silence felt dense. Uncomfortable. Galo worried that he was breathing too loudly. He could feel eyes on him as he looked down at his plate. He dared himself to speak up.
"Earl Fotia..."
The earl rose to his feet sharply. "You must be getting tired. Gueira! Meis! Prepare a room for our guest."
"Are you sure you don't want us to clean-"
"Off with you! And take our guest's luggage for him."
The two servants scuttled off to attend to their busywork. Galo was left alone with Earl Fotia, who slowly stepped toward him as he sat, intent indiscernible. His gaze was unrelenting, eyeing Galo up and down with what seemed like immense displeasure. It was just the two of them, Galo thought, he could get the job done now...
He reached for his pocket. In a blink, the young earl was behind him.
"That really won't be necessary."
Long, sharp-nailed fingers grabbed his collar, pulling Galo to stand. Caught off-balance, he stumbled into the nearest wall, flinching as his head made impact with the baroque wallpaper. Before he could make a move, he felt his opponent pinning him with one arm. His sharp elbow dug into his back. Galo tried to struggle, but the strength the earl exuded from his slender body was unlike anything he'd experienced.
A hand slowly traced the muscles of his back, he shuddered as cold fingers found his backside. He failed to stifle a gasp as cold breath caressed his neck. The words uttered by his ear fixed him like an incantation.
"I'll be taking that."
Galo snapped out of his daze and whipped his head around. He patted frantically at his trousers. Indeed, the vial was gone from his pocket, and the young earl had vanished without a trace.
He was promptly swept towards the guest bedroom by the servants, who all but tugged him by his clothes. His head felt cloudy after the encounter but one thought remained clear in his mind as he was pulled deeper into the castle's dark halls. He was, without a shadow of a doubt, dealing with a vampire; a strong one at that.
---
Smothered by darkness too complete to parse, he was whisked through corridor upon corridor, and struggled up a few flights of stairs. Eventually they came to a stop, and he heard the striking of a match. A room coloured by warm lamp light spread out before him.
The king sized bed was quite impressive, especially given the fact there must have been many more rooms like this in the expanse of the castle. Its embroidered quilt boasted rich shades of red and gold. A number of ornate picture frames were hung about, filled with various illustrations of plants and animals. There was an empty dresser in the corner, covered with a thin layer of dust, and a large oak wardrobe stood just beyond the foot of the bed.
The two servants made themselves busy with the finishing touches to the room: plumping up the pillows and smoothing out creases in the bedsheets. The pair had to have been vampires too, given their complexions. What struck him as odd was that they seemed to be fully subservient to the earl. All the vampires Galo had dealt with thus far treated each other as equals, though he'd heard of so-called alpha vampires, rumoured to possess spiritual powers capable of forcing others into subordination. Gossip he didn't believe at the time, and yet... Was that what he was dealing with here?
"Master really seems to like you." Teased Gueira.
"We do hope you enjoy your stay here." The taller one, Meis, followed with a tone that was hard to read.
Galo nodded vacantly before they left him alone.
Some time passed as Galo sat on the edge of the bed, trying to figure out his next move. His target already knew he was there to capture him, so this was going to be a more difficult mission. Galo pondered for a minute. But whether he knew or not... he'd be vulnerable in his sleep, Galo thought. He just had to find his chambers.
His briefcase had been laid beside his bed, he pulled it up to check the contents. They were untouched. The earl must have known he'd come prepared. So, an oversight? That wasn't it... a challenge?
He rummaged through the tools of the trade. Leather handcuffs, a variety of ornate crosses, stakes, holy water... he slipped another vial into his back pocket and threw a cross necklace around his neck, seeing no need to button his shirt higher than half way to properly conceal it.
Finally, his revolver. He'd never had to kill outright, that went against his principles, but he kept it in his case as an insurance policy. For a moment, he almost considered bringing it, but remained steadfast.
The vampire hunter stepped out into the dark corridor. Since vampires could see much better in the dark than humans, they had no need for candlelight, but Galo was prepared. He pulled a match from the box on his tool belt, unhooked the small lantern and lit it.
In the immense silence of the castle, even the minute sound of the wick igniting seemed to echo out. Galo stepped as lightly as he could, attempting to trace back the path through which he was pulled. Once he reached the main staircase, he assumed it would only be traditional for the master bedroom to be close by.
He didn't find it on his first try, or the second, or the fifth.
Every corridor he moved through seemed to open into two more. When he did find stairs, they were narrow, winding ones that seemed to always take him to the place he'd least expect. He soon lost track of how high he'd climbed, or descended. He didn't know which corridors simply resembled ones through which he'd already tread, or if he was walking in circles. The compass on his belt seemed equally confused. Just as soon as fear started to take hold, Galo stopped dead in front of a door.
This door was grandiose, immaculately carved to a level beyond all others he'd seen. He knew without doubt, it had to be the master bedroom.
Galo could feel how fast his heart was beating. He was more exhausted than he'd accounted for, but he was here. He had to do it now, or he might never have another chance. He reached for the handle, and...
Lit only by a few candles, a colourful scene greeted his eyes. The earl's long haired servant was slumped against the wall in a daze, scratch and bite marks riddled his neck and torso. He was definitely alive, but his breaths were visibly shaky, his expression almost blissful. On the four poster bed in the centre of the room was the young earl. His sharp-nailed, slender hands wrapping the neck of the other servant as he fucked him hard into the satin sheets.
Galo felt his heart beat out of his chest. He struggled to process what he was seeing, but couldn't seem to take his eyes off the earl's pale body. The way he moved, the power of his grip, the... Galo swallowed and tried to regain his composure. The pair were turned away from him, and clearly preoccupied by their activity. Surely they wouldn't notice his intrusion!
The earl turned his head slightly, without breaking the rhythm of his thrusts. Through narrowed eyes, he glared deeply into Galo. The magenta hue of his irises almost seemed to glow in the dim light. The corners of his mouth turned up into the slightest of smiles. Galo turned and slammed the door behind him, making a bee-line for the stairs.
He staggered through the corridors as fast as he could, but soon, his lantern failed him. The darkness was absolute, and he didn't feel alone in the corridors any more. He stumbled more than a few times, finally hitting his head and letting unconsciousness take hold.
---
That night, he dreamt of those magenta eyes.
Galo woke with a jolt in the bedroom. Sunlight filtered through the cracks between the heavy curtains. He looked around, before the memories of yesterday, and a sense of dread came flooding back.
His body felt weaker than usual, and he felt a dull stinging in the back of his neck.
---
"You slept well, I take it?"
At breakfast, the earl was acting as though nothing was amiss. Galo wondered what he stood to gain from this charade, but decided to play along.
"Very well, thank you, sir."
He had his head tilted back slightly, looking down his nose at Galo, who squirmed slightly in his seat. A servant appeared beside him to fill up his glass again. Galo picked it up and swirled it around quietly, looking at the curious liquid inside. He couldn't bring himself to drink any more.
"So, this business of yours,"
"My king sent me to discuss...uh..." Words failed him as he met that piercing gaze.
An unwavering stare that felt darker than even the crevices beneath his eyes.
"Ah! For the coming winter banquet, the king wants to make a trade deal with you for your... your wine, and..."
"Wine. I see. And what will you be offering in return?"
"Vegetables...?" He hadn't meant to turn up the end of the word like a question, but the earl made him second guess every fact of his pre-planned ruse.
"Vegetables. And what good would I have with those?"
"For eating, sir..."
"Ah yes. Eating. Quite right. Your kind enjoys that ever so much."
"Why- ...yes, my kingdom enjoys a good feast!"
Through narrowed eyes, the earl eyed him up and down again, as though he could see all of him through the ornate mahogany table. Galo felt uncomfortably warm. Once the silence had carried on too long to bear, he continued,
"We also love dancing after the feast, I'm sure your wine will help greatly with that!"
"Dancing... All those warm, sticky, human bodies together... With their sweat and their tears and their wretched, pumping blood." He covered his mouth and nose with his hand, as though the thought was making him feel unwell.
"We sure are known for having all that... blood! We humans... haha..."
Galo prayed that putting on a clueless face would prevent him from being promptly devoured. He had managed to down a few more mouthfuls from his glass, but the servant that lingered by his shoulder incessantly refilled it each time, and desperation was beginning to reach its peak.
"Excuse me, sir, if you don't mind... Could you please show me to the lavatory?"
The vampire stood, and made his way rapidly around the dining table to beside Galo, his pace quickening with each step. As he neared, Galo frantically bursted out,
"I'm sorry, sir, I didn't know when was right to ask, and-"
The vampire kicked his chair over, knocking him to the floor, stepping closer in his heeled boots. Galo quickly tried to scramble backwards but reached the wall.
"You bring this filthy sack of human meat you call a body into my castle and have the gall to ask me such a thing...?"
"I'm sorry sir. I'll tell the king the deal's off... I'll leave right away."
"And this... stupid thing."
The heel of his boot prodded Galo's crotch. He felt a twinge of pleasure at the contact, which quickly turned to fear for how he'd contain himself.
"Taunting me with this... pumping away beneath your clothes."
He pressed down harder and Galo writhed in discomfort.
"Please sir, please stop... I really must relieve myself..."
"Do it."
The vampire's porcelain face was in shadow but his eyes were bright. Galo squirmed but was pinned down by the force of his boot.
"I'll go, just let me-"
"Do it here."
"H- Here?"
"Of course. We have no such facilities for your kind. Piss on the floor like the filthy human you are."
"Please, sir... I don't want to..."
Galo bit his quivering lip as the pressure on his bladder reached its absolute peak. The earl lifted his boot suddenly, and the immense relief flooded over him...
Surrounded by wet warmth, Galo felt disgusting. The immaculately dressed earl looked down at him, his mouth a scowl, but his eyes alight.
He brought down a hand to slap Galo's face, who accepted it and remained on the ground. The puddle around him grew cold.
"Gueira, Meis. Take him away."
"Should we let him go?"
"No. Take him to the dungeon."
The domineering earl turned and walked away, each footstep clicking loudly in the large hall. As Galo watched him disappear into the darkened corridor, he felt a burning sensation building in his stomach. Before he snapped out of it, two pairs of cold arms wrapped around his own, and he was pulled away.
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