The night was dark, the moon a bare sliver in a seemingly empty sky. The girl knew better than to walk the streets alone at night, but she was anyway. Her overconfidence in her abilities had outweighed her caution.

Suddenly, she stopped. Her ears perked up and her tail straightened in response to the unfamiliar noise. There was a shriek, and some shouting. She strained her ears, but all she could make out was, “...lost control! He’s...don’t let...he might...capture him...no injuries! Watch...might be…no...sorry...civilians!”

Her eyes widened in confusion. What was happening? She had just begun to move quickly and quietly toward the main road when she was pinned abruptly to the wall. The figure smelled like a vampire; based on his glowing-red eyes, he had lost control. She had heard of this before, young vampires going too long without feeding and going berserk. The girl gasped for breath as she considered the situation. She had no way out of it.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

His hand moved quickly, tilting her head to the side almost gently. She started to struggle but quickly stopped. It was no use; when an out-of-control vampire had chosen his prey, there would be no escape. He leaned forward and all she could think was, I hope he doesn’t turn me.

Vampires could drink without turning their victims, but it usually took some control. Right now, he had none, and she knew it was unlikely that she would still be unturned at dawn. She felt his breath for only a second before his lips touched her neck. He seemed to hesitate, as if even in his unhinged state he was restraining himself, before his fangs sank deep into her neck.

She held herself still by sheer force of will. Thrashing around would only aggravate her new wounds, especially with his (very sharp) teeth still piercing her neck. She could feel the blood leaving her body as her consciousness faded. The last thing she saw was his face, no longer buried in the curve of her shoulder, bloodstained teeth on a pale face with horrified eyes. I forgive you, she thought hazily. It’s not your fault.