To Kiss a Killer | boyxman | (OLD VERSION)

Chapter XIV - The Slayer

The room I remembered was Dom's was pitch black when I woke up. I was lying nude beside him under the covers. There was no way I could see what time it was, but seeing that he was sleeping, it was obvious it was daytime. Without bothering to wake him, I searched for the edge of the bed and recalled where I'd left my clothes. At the foot of the bed on the floor.

I slid off, furrowing my brow in confusion when something unusual caught my ear. I stood in the darkness for a moment, listening hard to depict any other sounds. When nothing came I fixed my clothing on as accurately as I could, and slid on my shoes, but there it was again, that sound... harsh low toned breathing.

Dom, breathing? The thought was abnormal, but when I listened closer to the bed, it was in fact him. It almost came off like he was panting from exhaustion. "Dom?" I said in the blackness of the room, not sure where anything was. I felt around for what I could use for light and came upon the lamp at his bedside. I flicked it on and cocked my head to look over at him.

Dom lay tangled in the covers, his lower body covered with the blanket, but from the bends of his legs, and the way he gripped the sheet... clenching his teeth in some sort of pain... it was easy to see that something was wrong. Was he dreaming, having a nightmare possibly?

I stood in wonder as to if it was a good idea to wake him up. Vampires needed sleep during the day, but still... he looked terrified. My Dom... terrified of something. Yet again, the thought was bizarre.

His mouth opened in a low wince, and his left shoulder lifted from the bed. With his eyes still closed he glanced over to his shoulder and let out an agonizing groan that made it seem like he was being burned in some way. I moved closer to the bedside and touched his face, turning him to me. "Dom...?" I said first, trying to soothe him with my touch. "Can you hear me?"

But he was resisting, not me, but something else. In a quick motion he gripped his shoulder, the one that came off as in pain. He tossed on the bed and began to shudder with mounds of fear enveloping his being. The harsh panting started up again, "Dom," I tried not to shout, "Dom, wake up."

He released his shoulder and took a long raw inhale, his chest filling with air I was almost sure he didn't need. The movement of his eyes beneath his lids was rapid. "Dom, wake up," I shook him, but he didn't respond, "Dom, it's me Raeden; what's wrong? Wake up, please."

Suddenly from where he was holding on to his shoulder I could see something forming... a burn, he was being burned... tortured. It was a dark quarter-sized circle with some sort of symbol on it. I couldn't really see what it was because he healed so fast, but I was sure I wasn't seeing things, Dom was burning... he'd been burned. But by what I didn't know.

"Demiesius..." Dom's voice sounded in weakness, "Help me."

I gasped, uncertain of what to do. "Dom, wake up," I shook him once more, slapping him softly every now-and-again to see if it'd do anything. Trying to think of anything that'd work on my behalf, I wondered to myself if vampires were anything like sharks, attracted to the scent of blood, even the smallest drop would do. But before I resorted to cutting myself, I tried one last strike, bringing my hand back and smacked him across the face.

His eyes shot open, blazing with hate but soon softened when meeting my gaze. He stared at me in a way that told me everything...like what I'd witnessed was something I wasn't supposed to see, his night terrors. Was he keeping something from me that I needed to know about? "I'm sorry," I pleaded first. "I had to unless you wouldn't have woken up."

Sighing, Dom paid little attention to my apology and sat up; the sheets draping around his waist, his knees up with elbows perched on them, his face in his hands... deep in thought. He was silent for a while, the only sounds coming in from the morning life passed the iron guards over the window; horns honking and everyday people yelling.