VAMPIRE REWARDS

It happened 10 years ago on a trip to Italy.

Dante was so excited about showing me where he grew up as a child that each night he took me somewhere different. At first it was only places he used to play with friends or hung out as a kid. Later on he took me to the place where he had his first kiss. He smiled and kissed me while we were there, telling me. "Your kiss is the sweetest of all, Marina."

The next night he showed me where he had lived and though the home has long since disappeared from where it once stood, to Dante it was like it still existed. He walked over the land showing me how big the home was and where this room or that room was located inside. He told me of his room upon the second floor and how he would sneak out late at night to climb up onto the roof and look at the stars.

The smile on my beloved's face was so sweet with memories I felt tears of blood fill my eyes. I could see the sparkle of that boy inside the man as he talked of his mother and father and of his grandmother who he loved so much.

Though he was lost to God because of what he had become it did not stop him from walking to the outside gates of his old church that through some miracle still existed. For a very long time he did not speak as I watched the emotions roll across his face.

When he kneeled in front of his parent's graves it broke my heart when I heard him whisper, "I'm so sorry that I put you through so much pain and despair. My only regret after all these years of existing is that of hurting you."

"Don't worry, Dante, it won't be much longer before you join them in the cold hard ground." The words came from a voice from behind a large shade tree near his parents grave.

Before I could blink Dante stood up and moved in front of me, blocking me from the owner of the voice. Dante's voice was so cold that I shivered. "What are you doing here Quinton?"

"I heard that my old enemy, I mean old friend, was in town. I'm hurt that you didn't come and visit me, Dante. After all we've been through it was the least you could have done." The sarcasm dripped from his voice.

"If things had of worked out right old friend, you would have been dead a long time ago and I could have enjoyed my last night in town."

"Such bitterness, Dante. I thought for sure you would have been over that little spat by now. Why not let bygones be bygones and introduce me to the lovely lady behind you?"

"You better watch out for this lady, Quinton, she's not as innocent as she looks."

Two underlings came from out of nowhere to stand beside Quinton. "I think I can handle her, Dante. Who knows, I might even let you watch while I show her what a real vampire can do."

My anger rose fast at what his words implied causing my canines to lengthen and my nails to turn into claws. I could tell Dante was already in attack mode by the way that his muscles were contracting underneath his shirt and from the low growl that came from his throat.

Without one word spoken a signal was given and the first underling rushed from Quinton's side. Dante moved in an instant, clashing with the young vampire in an explosion of power between the rows of graves. In one swift move Dante had him by the throat and tossed him through the air to land against the old headstones, causing them to tip over and break against the ground.

I turned my head back in time to see Quinton's other underling start toward Dante. Without thinking I rushed forward, surprising him as I lowered my shoulder into his stomach and drove him off his feet, sending us both crashing into the next row of graves.

I may have been older in vampire years than this underling but I was a bit weaker. We wrestled on the ground with each other, claws scraping and teeth biting. The vicious underling came close to killing me when he pulled back and rammed his fist toward my chest, aiming for my heart. But I was to fast for him and capitalized on his mistake by rolling away from him and coming to my feet, back handing him across the face and hitting him so hard that he flipped over backwards onto his stomach. Only thinking of my survival I pulled him to his knees and dropped down behind him, jerking his head to the side and sinking my teeth in to his neck. His blood spurted out from under my mouth as I tore his jugular. Blood coated my chin and throat as it dripped down to soak into my blouse. Once I drained the underling's body of blood I quickly snapped his neck and broke it, letting his limp and lifeless form drop against the ground.

I turned to see Dante about to finish off the other young vampire when Quinton howled the most frightening sound I had ever heard in my life. Before I knew it I was flat on my back and Quinton was over top of me, his large clawed hand around my throat squeezing so hard that if I had been a mortal it would have killed me. He snarled, dripping saliva onto my face. "Bitch, you will pay for killing my son."

His canines were long and so thick. Even as I struggled underneath him, I had no doubts that I was about to die. He opened his mouth completely and aimed down toward my throat. I closed my eyes waiting for the pain to come when suddenly I felt the weight of his body disappear.

When I got to my feet Dante and Quinton were fighting hard and more headstones were broken as they smashed into them. Tree bark shattered into splinters and leaves fell everywhere when Dante's body was thrown against it.

I looked over to find the first underling that Dante had been fighting struggle to his feet and stagger toward the fighting vampires. I could see that he was a bloody mess from the battle but I didn't show any mercy as I sent a swirling kick to his head, dropping him to the ground.

When I turned back around I saw Quinton had stunned Dante by dropping him belly first across one of his family's headstones. I started over to him when Quinton ran toward me and left his feet, his sharp claws extended and aimed for my chest.

Dante screamed out, "Marina!"

Then everything seemed to go into slow motion. I watched the sharp claws get closer and knew I didn't have time to move, but to my horror Dante stepped in front of me and took the vicious hit.

I heard the sickening sound of Quinton's clawed hand puncture Dante's chest, delivering what I knew would be a deadly blow. The scream of pain that ripped from Dante's mouth echoed in my head as he dropped to the ground before me.

"No!" I screamed as my eyes looked at Quinton's hand dripping my beloved's blood onto the ground.

I howled like an angry animal as my vision turned everything in my sight red. I leaped at Quinton who seemed to be stunned at what had happen and knocked him to the ground. My claws scratched and cut the skin on his face and tore through his shirt to dig into his chest. I curled my hands into fists and punched him over and over as my fury unleashed upon him. I couldn't feel a thing as he tried to defend himself. No matter how hard he hit back, I hit harder. No matter how deep his claws sank, mine sank deeper. With one last move of my hands I broke both of his arms at the elbows. The sound of them cracking fed my rage.

Finally with his arms limp at his sides and unable to defend himself, I reached down and grabbed his neck, ready to break it when a black evilness slid over me. I looked down at him. "There shall be no mercy upon you and your underlings till Dante's death is avenged by my hands. This shall be my quest till my death."

As the final words of my pledge rang out I plunged my claws into Quinton's chest. His screams echoed through the night air as I wrapped my fist around his heart and jerked it from his body. I raised my arm into the air, his heart still in my hand, and turned my head up to the night sky screaming out in rage.

I heard a noise from over my shoulder and seen the other underling scamper away, leaving his master's body behind as he made his escape. I threw Quinton's bloody heart to the ground and rushed over to my beloved's body.

Dante was barely alive as I dropped to my knees beside him. I tore his shirt from his body and gasped at the gapping hole in his chest from Quinton's fist. I jerked my blouse over my head and pushed it into the hole, wanting to stop the bleeding, but I knew he was dying and there was nothing I could do to stop him from bleeding to death.

I lifted him gently into my arms and carried him over to the tree that shaded his parent's grave. I sat behind him and lay his back to my chest, wrapping my arms around him. I heard him gasp in pain and the sound shredded my heart into pieces.

"Marina." He struggled to say.

"Quiet, my love. Don't waste your strength trying to talk," I somehow told him without choking on my words, as his body began to shake in my arms and I held him tighter, pressing my lips to the top of his head.

"I love you, Marina." His broken voice so weak that I could barely make out his words.

"I love you, Dante, with all my heart," I mumbled, unable to stop the sob that burst from my throat.

"If you should ever die Marina, I'll be waiting for you." He choked on his words and began to cough, groaning with pain.

Finally the coughing stopped and he turned his head to where he could look up at me. "Kiss me, Marina."

With red tears on my cheeks I bent my head and placed my lips upon his. His mouth quivered against mine for only a moment before it went slack. My lips were still on his and my arms still held him tight when I felt him slip away into the waiting arms of his final death.

I don't remember how long I held him or how long I rocked with him in my arms before I picked him up and carried him to the empty plot of land where his family's home use to stand. I would have buried him in his family's cemetery but knew the risk was to high of someone spotting a fresh grave there and investigating it.