Incipient Darkness

The scent of fresh blood gave the air itself a coppery tang, and breathed want into William as he sat attempting to get a bloodstain out of his Sire's lace cuffs. No doubt the scent emanated from the bedroom where Angelus was "preparing" a new child; preparation, as far as William was concerned, seemed to involve intense pain. He lagged from his work and cast his mind back to when he'd first known Angelus.

The night had been dirty with sooted London snow as William crouched in a doorway, looking for his next victim; a thief by trade and a good one at that, he had a talent for picking the wealthiest victims and relieving them of their coins, and sometimes their life. Although that night there were many possible avenues he could pursue - the rich were careless and tonight were gathered for some kind of gala - he was drawn to a couple who moved with more grace than any he'd ever seen. The woman was startlingly beautiful, skin like monumental alabaster and laughing blue eyes, all framed by a cascade of blonde ringlets which blazed against her gold and cream taffeta gown. The man whose arm she hung on tenderly was much taller, with dark, heavy hair pulled into an immaculate black satin bow, and intensely dark eyes. Where the woman shone, the man drew all the light away from his surroundings, breathing and living pure darkness, dressed head to foot in elegant black and sparkling with silver and garnet jewellery. Unable to resist such rich pickings, William had taken his chance, barely brushing his hand against the man's pocket before his wrist was seized in a freezing, vicelike grip and he was yanked violently to eye level.

"So, 'tis true that London is full of rats?" the tall figure had asked, effortlessly dangling William by one arm as he looked him over appraisingly. The woman had given a short, startled scream and harshly whispered back;

"Angelus! Put him down, you'll attract attention!"

"One of me favourite pastimes, aside from disposing of pretty little things such as this" he snarled, making it clear that he'd no intention of putting the boy down, instead dragging him back to the carriage they'd arrived in and flinging him roughly to the floor, pinning him down with the full weight of his body, only to gasp a little and draw back as William regained his composure and smacked the man hard across one cheek. To William's horror, he'd simply drawn himself up to his knees, still straddling the boy, and flashed him a dazzling smile which made his eyes gleam with bad intentions;

"Yee've got spirit, I'll admit, t'would be a shame merely to kill ye. Why don't ye run along now lad, and find a wiser choice of quarry" he massaged his cheek where William's fist had connected, fingering the poppy bruise blooming there delicately, before getting to his feet and dragging William back to standing outside the carriage, dusting his coat off and making to leave. He got two paces before turning back and flashing another malicious smile, reaching inside his coat and pulling out a solid silver cigarette case;

"Ye should never leave a victim without leaving yee're mark. Learn that" he grinned, handing the case to William, "think of that as a prize for supreme brainless courage"

With that he'd left, and it had taken William a full hour to realise the case had the man's name and address engraved on the inside, couldn't be sold, but could be useful. It had also taken a while to realise how aroused the feeling of that body against him had made him. Within the week, he'd sought the address out, and within a month he was a vampire.

That month had been his own "preparation" time, and standing now at the door of the now silent bedroom, the memories came flooding back of how Angelus had beaten him until his will was broken, rewarding him with a taste of his lips or perhaps more when his lessons were learned well, making sure the Child he'd make would be a servant as well as a lover. Only William knew that he could still defy his Sire; Angelus was too egotistical to realise that a will so strong as his Childe's could survive almost anything.

Even though so much pain had been inflicted on him, William had the unbeatable urge to go in and catch a few glimpses of his Sire, and get a good look at the human he was preparing.

Laying in the inky darkness enforced by the blacked-out windows, the only sound in the room was the heartbeat and breathing of the mortal who lay curled in Angelus' arms, both were sleeping, and William approached cautiously curling one hand around the bedpost, as always mesmerised by the man who'd taken him to his immortal embrace. When he was sleeping, it was almost impossible to visualise how cruel and hateful Angelus could be, his face relaxed into a death mask and the grasping claws became merely the broad-knuckled hands William had felt so often over his body. Laying peacefully exhausted after an entire night of rampant sexual torture his skin had taken on the hue of moonstone against the dark blue sheets, and his full brown locks fell heavily to his shoulders, slightly wavy and draped partially over his mortal toy's neck as he held the creature tightly to his chest.

The mortal himself was breathtakingly handsome in William's eyes; a tiny fragile thing compared to Angelus, he was small of frame and obviously young. He looked like what William would have visualised Angelus to be like as a mortal man before drinking and whoring had ruined him and taken all the innocence out of him, and before Darla had taken away his soul.

The mortal shifted a little, only to be pulled back into the broad chest with a basso profundo growl which sent violent shivers through William, making him back away involuntarily towards the door. The possessive gesture had made the words he dreaded hearing echo through his head again..

"Yee're mine, boy. Ye always will be.. who does ye belong to now?....... Say it for me"

Blinded by anger at his own weakness, William fled the room and sought the shelter of his own, praying to a God who'd turned his back that he'd find the strength not to let Angelus break him again.