The moonlight embraced her like a warm, comforting hug. The darkness had gone away and been replaced with a brimming light. The sound of liquid dripping down onto stone echoed throughout the space where she stood. The scent of crimson gold filled her nostrils, bringing with it a feeling of euphoria. Laura opened up her eyes and saw herself staring back, blood dripping down from smiling lips. She blinked and it was all gone, replaced with a moon staring down at her. It’s light shining down filling her with a primal yearning for–.

“If she turns here, you have to put her down,” a young woman said through gritted teeth.

“I know but she won’t turn, have some faith,” Steve replied back, also gritting his teeth.

“It’s funny hearing you of all people talk about faith, –” she retorted back as she struggled to hold down Laura with one hand and inject her with a syringe using the other, –”Bloody hells, she is a strong one,”.

“Don’t worry, she won’t tur–,” Steve was cut off as Laura ripped her arm loose from his grip, sending him flying in the process. As he hit the wall, the woman let go of Laura and jumped back, narrowly avoiding the same fate.

She looked down at Steve who was now laying on the concrete floor, “You were saying?”.

Laura’s body began to crack and bend as her bone structure rearranged itself within her skin, growing as it shifted. Her hair fell to the ground as her nose and mouth grew outwards into a muzzle, her skin turning rough and dark. Nails grew into claws as it cracked and ripped her finger tips, leaving small wounds down her fingers. She rolled down onto the floor as she curved and twisted her body in pain. Steve had come up to his feet and stood staring at her, gesturing towards the woman to stay back. Once the transformation was complete, Laura laid hunched down on all fours, heaving for air.

“Laura, it’s going to be alright,” Steve said in a calm voice.

She looked up at him from the floor where she was practically laying. Her eyes are still hazel, that’s a good sign, Steve thought to himself. He slowly lifted his hand, reaching it out towards her.

“It’s okey, try to stay calm Laura,” his voice coming out smooth to Laura’s now pointing ears.

She looked at him, her new senses taking the man in front of her in. His scent hanging in the air, the smell from the cabin still lingering on his clothes, a small hint of something metallic that she instantly recognised as blood. Her mouth salivating as it entered her nostrils. She then snarled in displeasure as she further inspected his scent as the smell of dead flesh came to her, having hid under his cheap men’s perfume. She closed her eyes as she tried to focus, trying to regain control over her own senses when a new scent came to her. The smell of a woman’s perfume mixed with fear and sweat. She could feel her heart beginning to race as her new senses started to overpower her.

Hunt, kill, feed. Hunt, kill, feed. Feed, feed, rang in her head over and over again.

As she kept eye contact with Steve’s worried look, her eyes slowly turned yellow as a small black slit opened up inside of them.

“Fuck,” Steve sighed out as he prepared himself.

Surprising Steve, Laura turned from him and faced the woman, letting out a growl that rumbled throughout the room. Steve wasted no time, he raised his arm and focused on his right hand, a small ember formed in the palm of his hand, growing quickly in size. He hurled the baseball sized fire at Laura right as she took her first step towards the woman. She snarled in anger, her jaw snapping in Steve’s direction. Laura moved quickly in her new form, leaping at him. Steve dove to the side, going into a combat roll. Claws found his coat as he dodged, missing him by a few short centimetres. Taking advantage of the distraction, the woman bolted out of the room. Laura, who was still fixated on Steve, gave chase as he tried to keep his distance from sharp claws swiping at him.

“Rosa, how long?!” He yelled out, dodging another claw wielding log of an arm that passed over his head.

“It should have kicked in already,” the woman’s voice echoed worriedly from a pair of speakers.

“For fuck sake, “ he murmured through gritted teeth.

Steve dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding the swipe aiming for his abdomen and swung his fist in a right hook. It connected, knuckles met the side of Laura’s now large head as she yelped out in pain. She jerked her head back in an attempt to bite him, but Steve was ready. He swung again, this time enhancing his muscles using a spell. The impact of his hand meeting Laura’s enlarged chin, pushed her into the wall with a thud. She quickly regained herself and lept at him, this time connecting. The two fell onto the floor with Laura’s hulking form on top of Steve.

A silent moment passed as neither of them moved before the woman’s voice came over the speakers, “You okey?”.

“Yeah,” he groaned back. “I think it kicked in,” he continued as he wormed his way out from underneath the now sleeping Laura.

“No shit, Sherlock,” the woman’s voice said from behind him, as she walked back into the room.

Laura woke up with one of the worst headaches she had ever experienced, not only was her head pounding but she felt a sharp pain in her stomach. She groaned out as she slowly woke up, her eyes adjusting to the light around her. Laura slowly sat up and looked around, not recognising her surroundings. The room around her looked like a storage unit, filled with metal shelvings and a workbench cluttered with what looked like medical tools. She gently guided herself to the floor, taking an uneasy step and got onto her feet. She kept her hand, on what she noticed was some sort of operating table, to keep herself steady. Still looking around she saw no windows and only one door leading out from the room and with unsteady steps, she made her way towards it. As she got closer, she noticed that the door was slightly open. Laura was about to push it open as she heard two voices arguing.

“Why did you not put her down, you have done it before,” a woman’s voice accused.

“Because I didn’t have too,” a familiar voice retorted annoyingly.

“You know Ryan will lose his shit when he hears about this,” she continued.

“I don’t care, he is a temp and has no say,” the man she remembered to be Steve said.

“Just help me understand why this time–,” he cut her off.

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“She’s awake,”.

“How do you know?” She asked in surprise as she looked at him.

“Because I know everything,” he answered cheekily through a grin.

“I hate you,” she whispered behind him as they both made their way towards the door Laura was now hiding behind.

She stumbled backwards as the door opened and Steve stepped into the room, followed by a woman Laura hadn’t seen before but somehow looked familiar. She took them both in, Steve seeming a bit taller than she remembered, having at least a head on her. The woman who came in behind him was a little bit shorter than Laura. She had long dark hair that went past her waist, the woman was not overweight but looked stout and strong. Her frame was covered by a white coat, complete with a stethoscope around her neck.

The woman pushed past Steve and approached Laura as she spoke, “I’m glad you’re back to normal. Please, sit down so I can examine you,” she said as she guided Laura to sit down on the operating table she had woken up from.

Laura, still feeling woozy from waking up and still feeling like she had a power drill splitting her skull, accepted the guiding hand. “Are you a doctor?” She asked faintly once seated.

“Of sorts, I’m more of a general healer than a typical doctor,” she said, taking her stethoscope off her neck to begin the examination. As she listened to her heart and lungs, she continued. “I’m Rosa Fawbraids but you can just call me Rosa,”.

Laura noticed her accent but couldn’t make out if it was english or australian. “Nice to meet you, Rosa. I’m Laura,” she faintly got out.

“I know,”– she answered as she pulled out a folder from the side of the table Laura was sitting on, –”Laura McDougall, 26 years old, no husband or offspring. No known illnesses or allergies. Recently moved to Scotland from America after the tragic passing of your parents, who both passed away in a car accident,” she continued, reading from the file.

“How do you know this,” Laura said sharply, her eyes piercing as she looked at the woman.

“It’s in your medical file,” she answered flatly back, not looking up to meet her gaze.

“W-why do you have my medical file,” Laura asked bewildered.

“So I could treat you,” Rosa said questionaly back.

“Thank you but I want no part in his craziness, we are in what I can only assume to be a storage unit,”– she said as she got up in an attempt to make her way out the door, –”Steve, thank you for saving me or whatever, but I’d like to go home now,” she continued.

Steve stepped in front of her, “It’s okey. Rosa, here,”– he gestured towards the woman sitting –”Is just trying to help. Try to remember what happened last night, what Scott did to you. You were bit Laura, and it has changed you in ways you can’t grasp yet,”.

She looked at him, her mind trying to unearth the memories of last night. The cold wind brushing against her, the cabin and the talking skeleton. Scott, turning into some kind of monster rat and biting her. The dark figure swooping down and saving her and Steve carrying her down the mountain, his red eyes shimmering as he had looked at her.

“Your eyes,”– she finally said as she looked from the door and onto him –”Your eyes aren’t glowing anymore,”.

“I still got the glow, don’t worry,”– he said smugly, –“Besides, you can’t leave without any clothes on,” he continued, eyeing her up and down.

Laura looked down and realised she was only wearing a hospital gown, her clothes nowhere to be seen, except ripped fabric on the floor just underneath the operating table where she had been sleeping.

Rosa rolled her eyes before she stood up and spoke, “Laura, can you tell me how you are feeling? Any aches, pains or–,” Laura cut her off.

“My head is aching like crazy and I have this sharp pain in my stomach that is only getting worse,” her hand reached to clutch at her stomach as she answered.

“Ah, damn it. Dun, get the box, please,” she said, looking at Steve.

Steve stepped out and moments later came back with a box in his hands, he put it down on the workbench and opened it up. Rosa reached down and picked up a blood bag and held it out towards Laura.

“You have to drink, it will make you feel better,” she said, gesturing for her to take it.

Laura looked at the bag filled with crimson liquid. Her thoughts first went in the direction of disgust but quickly turned, she felt how she began to salivate over the thought of drinking it. The thought of it dripping down her gullet as she poured it into her mouth, savouring it. She reluctantly took the bag from Rosa’s hand and sat back down on the operating table again. She stared at the bag in her hands, not quite understanding why she felt so yearnful towards it.

“Go on, you have to drink,” Rosa repeated.

Laura looked at her and then back at the bag. She ripped up one of the corners and as the metallic smell hit her, she almost threw the bag into her face as she sank her lips onto the corner. She squeezed the bag hard, pouring the crimson liquid into her mouth as she gulped it down. Rosa and Steve stood looking at Laura who was more or less devouring the contents of the bag. When the bag was empty, Rosa reluctantly handed her another bag. This time Laura felt more in control, she could pace herself as she drank.

“Why does this taste so good?” She asked between gulps.

Rosa looked at Steve, “Dun, think it’s better you take this one,”.

Laura looked puzzled as she called him Dun.

He looked from Rosa to Laura before he spoke, “Do you remember what I said last night, how your life is going to change?”.

Laura tried to remember the events of last night, but nothing really came to her. Her mind blank, except for the lust for the liquid in her hands. “No?”, she said questionably, ”I don’t think I remember anything,”.

“Don’t worry, it will come back to you,” Rosa chimed in, “Some mind affecting spells can sometimes linger but it should wear off before tonight,” she finished.

Laura looked from Steve to Rosa as she spoke, then back at Steve, “Spells?”.

“Well, the world isn’t quite as it seems, which you have no doubt realised by now,”– he said, looking down at the bag in her hands and then back up to meet her eyes, –”There exists another layer to this world, well, kind of. Magic exists and there is a whole society of magical people who are hidden from the average joe, from normal people,” he continued in a lecturing tone. “Rosa and I, we both work for the council that governs this society. See them as a group of very old people with sticks up their–,” Rosa cut him off.

“Dun,” she grunted annoyingly.

“Sorry,” he said apologetically, looking at Rosa before turning back to Laura. “We work essentially as a type of magical police who travel the world and fight evil things,” he ended with a jovial tone.

“For fuck sake, Dun,” Rosa exasperated.

“Well, that is the simple version,”– he paused for a second, –”The very-very simple version,” he continued.

“If you can even call it that,” Rosa murmured as she rolled her eyes at him.

Laura lowered the bag from her lips and looked back at Steve. “Magical police and a secret society of mages, really?” She asked curiously.

“Yup,” he answered, as he put his hands into his pockets and began to rock back and forth on his heels.

“Also, why did she call you Dun?” Laura finally asked.

Rosa answered before Steve could, “Because that is his real name, as much as he likes to play the fool, his name isn’t actually Steve Mac’Npour–,” before she could continue Laura burst out a chuckle.

“Did you name yourself after a mac and cheese cooking mix?” She asked Steve through her laugh.

“I rather like mac and cheese,” he answered sheepishly as Rosa glowered at him.

“Yes, when travelling it’s easier for some of us to use less attention seeking names, –” Rosa said, giving Steve a last look before turning to look at Laura again, –”But the real name of this dolt here is Dunstan Bloodoak, but we call him Dun since sometimes he can be dumber than a rock,” she finished.

“Dunstan, meaning dark stone?” Laura asked, looking up at Dun.

“Yup, I got a very old name,” he answered back.

“You can say that again,” Rosa said, looking at Dun, “You are literally named after a rock,”.

“I like it,” Laura chimed up.

“Thank you,” a pleased looking Dun said, grinning at Rosa. She responded by just rolling her eyes at him.

Their conversation was cut short as a man stepped into the room. He was dressed in a dark blue suit, complete with a tie, making him look like he just stepped out of a business meeting. His dirty blond hair, pulled back with the help of products. He looked short as he stepped up to Dunstan, the man having to tilt his head up to look at him.

“What in all hells, do you think you’re doing?” He accused as he waved a finger in Dunstan’s direction.

Dunstan didn’t bother answering the man, knowing a verbal tirade was about to unfold.

“Are you out of your mind? Not only did you fail to follow simple procedures but you let an innocent woman get bit by a freaking vampire in the process,”– his finger poking into Dunstan’s chest as the man continued to work himself up, –”I know you hate procedures but they are in place to protect everyone involved, including you,” the man practically shouted before taking a step back as his hand fell to his side.

Dunstan looked him in the eyes, the man calming down before he spoke again. “You know, you screwed up right?”– He gestured towards Laura before he continued, –”What do you expect us to do with her?” He asked, his tone finally calm.

“You could help her, like you helped Rosa,” Dunstan suggested softly.

The man scoffed, “Do you really expect us to take care of every little stray you create whenever you muck things up?” He retorted sharply.

“No, Ryan, but I do expect you–,” Dunstan said as he emphasised the last part, “–To do the right thing,” he finished as he placed his hand on the man’s shoulder.

The man didn’t say anything, as Dunstan let go of his shoulder and left the room. The man, visibly upset, looked at Rosa and said in a whisper, “I hate him,”.

“I know, Ryan. I know,”.