Revenge is a Dish Best Served Cold

Trap.

Everything screamed trap. Hell, he didn’t have to be suspicious, it was a trap. Dacian hadn’t fallen for it yet, though, but he was almost falling into the pit under the flimsy covering of branches and fallen leaves. He was perched on its edge, wondering if it was really worth the effort. In actuality, he was lingering at the edge of trees surrounding the shack, looking up the snow-covered hill to the foreboding structure. He’d willingly fallen for it this far, but he was hesitant to fall the rest of the way. He was simply staring – glaring – at the shack weighing his options.

The night had started off badly. Cassie had not returned, and he’d already ascertained she was not at Edward’s ramshackle pub. As a consequence, Dacian was already gnashing his teeth when the innocuous owl perched on the window sill and pecked at the glass, a note strapped to his leg. The vampire had let the blasted bird in and took a few nasty bites while trying to get the note from it. He damn near had to rip the thing’s leg off to retrieve it. He supposed that was some sort of joke, sending a vicious animal to deliver the ransom note, one that Dacian didn’t find humorous in the least. He had tried his best to kill the messenger, but it seemed the owl had anticipated that and had fled as soon as the note was in the hands of the receiver.

If it was possible, that had made Dacian even grumpier and the contents of the note had sky-rocketed his rage.

I have her. Meet at the Shrieking Shack. Now.
Cain

Dacian had grabbed his sword and hot-legged it to the Shack at impossible speed. Only when the building was in sight did he pause to think. The first indicator that something was amiss was that the note had arrived by owl and not affixed to the door with a knife and a bloody non-essential limb. Vampires were anything but subtle, and the idea that Cain of all people would send a note was beyond comprehension. Hell, Dacian didn’t even realise the hillbilly could read let alone write.

Cain Heath. He had to admit, and that was all he would admit, he had not anticipated that. But despite the other vampire’s strange tactics, Dacian couldn’t believe Cain had the patience to take Cassie and keep her alive for two nights before taunting him with notes. It was not his usual Modus operandi. Killing a teenager, for example, and inflicting knife wounds to lay the blame on him; that was his style. Kidnapping Cassie would be well within his limits too, but Dacian would have expected to find her similarly mauled and left for him to find.

He supposed it all had something to do with that incident more than two decades ago when Dacian had slept with Cain’s partner. Was it really his fault she found Cain less than satisfying after that? Cain seemed to think so. Vampires could be so petty sometimes.

Stealing Cassie would be revenge, of course, but at least Dacian was safe in the knowledge that Cassie would not prefer Cain afterward. The thing Dacian did worry about was what Cain had done to her in those two nights in his custody. The train of thought raised the hair on the back of his neck, and had him almost ready to bolt in there and defend her, if she was even still alive.

The idea that he’d let Cassie be caught and perhaps killed elicited a strong response, a response he was afraid of. He shouldn’t have let himself become so attached to her. She was mortal, her life was terminal, and he should not be put in such a position at the threat of that life ending. He should be ready for it. A low growl rumbled in his chest, catching a little. The wound in his chest was still not healed.

The growl paused suddenly and he took the rumpled note from his pocket. Cain was not acting normally, thus it was fair to assume someone was pulling his strings. The paper smelt mostly of ink, but there was a faint scent that he would not have found had he not be looking for it. Silas.

The throaty snarl that he emitted was accompanied by movement backward. He felt safer with the shadows covering him completely. The wizard would not be able to see him with the meagre moonlight, but Dacian was not taking chances so he concealed himself from the shack behind a large dead oak.

Cain was not involved in this at all. He had likely fled soon after mauling Vivian, if that had even been him. The real likelihood of events began to fold out in Dacian’s mind. Silas had returned to Scores, beaten after their fight outside the Hogs. Coming across Cassie, he had decided to take revenge and had taken her. Silas had the manipulating mind to hold her for a few days, let him become anxious before sending coy notes, assuming he would believe it was Cain and would come into the trap expecting to be fighting a younger, less experienced vampire. Silas would then use the element of surprise and use all his dirty little magic tricks to incapacitate him, even kill him.

Well what Silas had not expected was that Dacian would figure the little ploy out. Silas had severely underestimated him, and it would be the last thing he ever did. Did he really think he could outwit a supernatural being six-hundred years his elder, with six-hundred more years experience? Pah! The idea was laughable. The only reason Silas had ever got the better of him was when he has some sort of hostage. This first encounter, there was Vivian. The second was when he had been injured at the Graveyard and Silas had armed himself with a Crucifix. Dacian should have killed him then. The third time Silas had Cassie to control him at the ball-game pitch, and the last time Dacian was protecting Vivian. The only way Silas was besting him was with someone who Dacian was willing to defend. By taking Cassie, he had ensured Dacian’s compliance.

Well Dacian was not going to play these games any longer. Silas could rot in that run down building waiting for him to fall into his little trap; he was not taking the bait. Cassie was an unfortunate loss, but there was little he could do to save her. Silas was waiting, and Dacian was not confronting Silas on Silas’s terms. The wizard might be a mortal, but he had dangerous weapons at his disposal and no scruples when it came to using them. What Dacian needed was some leverage over the wizard, something or someone like Cassie that would ensure Silas’s compliance.

Dacian caught himself. No. No he was not sinking to that level. He knew when to get out and this was it. He’d go to the Hog’s, get Vivian and use whatever means necessary to cart her out of here along with him. She would get over the separation, especially when he explained it was Hogsmeade or death. Silas would use her, no doubt when he realised Cassie was not enough. Vivian was the only one here who he might take that risk for. She was of his blood, after all, she was practically his daughter whether she liked it or not. And if she wouldn’t listen? Well, he had eternity to apologise for boxing her up and shipping her abroad while he rode in comfort in his own cabin.

So if Cassie meant so little, she was an easy sacrifice to make, why was he still staring at the Shack? Why couldn’t he move?

Fine, he’d admit one more thing: Cassie meant something. Enough that he was even debating whether or not to face Silas to save her. And facing Silas was almost as lethal as walking out into sunlight for her. The vampire groaned and shook his head. This was not happening. It was some queer dream. In what bizarre world did Cassandra Vimes, blond bimbo extraordinaire, inspire a six-hundred-year-old survival instinct to directly contradict every warning and even consider something so dangerous? It was infuriating.

Cassie had been a little game, something to amuse him. Then Edward had come into the picture and the game had expended to have the objective of annoying Edward as well as sating his hunger. And then somehow, the little flapper had got in under his defences and attached herself to him. Somehow by ignoring his every command, betraying him to Edward and having the survival instinct of a lemming, she had turned his game into obsession. In what world did this even make sense?

This was all Edward’s fault. If the promiscuous little bastard had not formed an attachment to the blond, Dacian wouldn’t have needed to prove his prowess over the upstart and Cassie would have just been another meal. Cassie wouldn’t have had a chance to dumbfound him into this fixation he had on her. It was Cassie’s fault for doing this to him. Hell, if Adrian hadn’t of made Hogsmeade that little bit more interesting, he might have just continued on his way and none of this would have ever happened. It was all Adrian’s fault.

No, it was definitely Cassie’s fault. She should have been frightened by him; that was the usual response. By not running, by being kind, by trusting him, she’d made it impossible for him to resist. He couldn’t run from her. He couldn’t leave her. It was the first step toward something he always denied himself, something he no longer believed in, something he didn’t believe he could do. He couldn’t yet be kind to her, as he had demonstrated by his foul temper and habit of shouting out every disagreement with her. He had even tried to hurt her purposefully but she seemed impossible to get rid of.

He could never trust her, he was sure. Ultimately he could not trust anyone. His existence continued purely on the fact that he looked after himself, on the fact he needed no one to trust. If he ever had to depend on someone else, there was a level of insecurity there. If they failed, he could be in danger. He could have friends, he could have lovers, but he could never trust. Was that his downfall here? He had no allies to speak of, nobody to help him on this challenge. There was no one to catch him if he fell. If he failed, it would be on his head, no others’. He was the only one to blame here.

Dacian snarled aloud and turned away from the shack. Self doubt? No. Silas was a worthy opponent, someone too powerful for him to challenge. Dacian had survived this long by knowing his limits. He would not fight Silas and he could not save Cassie because of this. It was a lesson learned. One he should have leaned centuries ago, yet still he’d made the same mistake. Humans were fragile, they were just food, and they should only ever be food. Cassie was doomed; he would have to leave, just like he left Elizabeth to the flames.

He would get over the loss, he had before. Cassie was just another human, one of the many in his long life. He had enjoyed her company while it lasted; she had just been sustenance of another kind. It was a momentary lapse in his focus, brought on by the stress of raising another changeling. Once he and Vivian were free of this place, he would be able to concentrate his efforts on teaching her how to really adapt to her new life, teach her everything that would stop her making the mistakes he had. Cassie was a regrettable loss, but his mind was set, she would be sacrificed for his life to continue.

Her scream of agony was loud to his ears before he could force himself to take one step. He was at the Shack door before its first echoes had died.

His sword drew with the distinctive sound of a metal blade from its sheath. He opened the door slowly, keeping behind it for as long as possible in case a spell was directed his way. He paused there, senses raw for any sound. There was just one heartbeat in the house. That was wrong; he should be able to hear Silas’s too. Cassie was still screaming, muffled as if trying to hold it in. He followed the sounds to a doorway, noting the covering of dust on the floor was disturbed by footprints. Someone had lit the braziers, Silas and his need for light. That was his main weakness. The wizard could not see in the dark without his wand. He couldn’t do anything without his wand. All Dacian had to do was get the wand away and Silas was a sitting duck.

He caught the whiff of Silas’s scent – as he’d expected – but also another’s. A vampire’s. Cain’s.

Dacian bit back a hiss. Both of them? His wariness increased tenfold and he was looking around into every shadow and doorway. This was not right. This was too dangerous. Cain alone he could deal with, perhaps he could even best Silas with the element of surprise, but he could not win against both of them. He stood deathly still at the doorway where one set of footprints and some scuff marks led. Silas’s prints did not approach the doorway, so either Cain had overpowered him and dragged him down there – unlikely – or those scuff marks were Cassie’s.

The sound of her heartbeat made it obvious she was through the door, still alive. He felt hope at that, but quickly banished it. He had to leave. No, he had to stay, had to save her. It was ridiculous and dangerous, perhaps even deadly, but he could not stop himself. Her second scream compelled him to open the door with its trademark creak and he found some old stone steps leading down into a basement. They were crumbled in places, and he had to step carefully to make barely a sound. If Cain was as attentive as he would be, he would know he was here by now. Cain’s scent filled his nose though it was quickly overpowered by the scent of Cassie and more notably, her blood.

Cassie was still whimpering, but there were no sharper screams that indicated fresh pain. Dacian made it to the bottom of the stairs and carefully peered round. His acute vision picked up Cassie sat against the wall, clutching her hand. There was blood on her fingers, and he thought for a moment Cain might have cut the tips off. Anger boiled in his stomach, and he managed to make sure Silas was not in the room before he stepped in.

Sword at the ready, he scanned the room but half of it was obscured by shelving and old broken bits of furniture. There was even a door leading off to another room. There was any number of places Cain could be hiding. Dacian’s lip curled and he kept his eye on the rest of the room as he strafed slowly to Cassie.

She was still dressed in her work closed and knowing her penchant for warmth, she must be freezing here. The now familiar longing to be warm enough to help her rose to the surface, and every little thing about her brought all those irritating things up that made her so irresistible even in this state.

Her heartbeat was so familiar, and her scent might have been calming in a different situation. The mould permeating the stale air could not even taint her smell as if his senses refused to receive it less than its full bodied self. The fact she was bleeding kept him on edge, mostly because he was furious at Cain but partly because he was hungry. Cassie’s blood had always been an invitation, one her found hard to ignore.

He’d moved so slowly and quietly that she had not even noticed his being here. For once he couldn’t blame her. The stress she must be under would be enough to make a room like this daunting to any human. Even his night vision was troubled with the lack of light. Just coming in from upstairs where the candles burned brightly had ruined his senses. If Cain was still in here, he would have the upper hand. Unless he had gotten lucky and Cain did not know he was here, Dacian might be able to get Cassie out before he returned.

Now almost close enough to touch her, he risked glancing from the room to the poor woman on the floor. The woman he had almost left to die. He felt a horrific stab of guilt at that. He was the monster he had made himself out to be. Cassie didn’t deserve this. She had been innocent, dragged into this mess by him. Put in danger by him. But that scream; it had such power over him. He had come running, not even thinking about it at the sound of her. His resolve to leave had been so easily broken. Was he getting weak in his old age, or was Cassie really worth putting his eternity on the line? Apparently so.

Now was not the time to think about this. Once he’d rescued Cassie, he could mull over his senility. He longed to tell her it would be alright, smooth a hand over those curls in their disarray. She was practically helpless, a child in this old world of pain and suffering. How could he have expected her to survive on just his direction alone? He should have gone with his first instinct: tie her up until she listened about the danger that affiliating with him would pose. Forcibly stop her from working at Silas’s whore house. He should have looked after her better. None of this would have happened if he was paying attention, if he had been thinking rationally, objectively from the start.

There was nothing he could do about the past now except learn from it. His first task was to get Cassie out of here then he could deal with Cain and Silas. “Cassie.” He spoke low, though Cain would still hear it. “Keep quiet. I’ll get you out of here.” He brushed her shoulder with his left non-sword hand, fully expecting her to flinch away at the sudden touch. “Where did he go?” He asked in a voice unnaturally soft, almost described as caring, as he crouched beside her. It was a bad position to defend from, but he would need to carry Cassie out of here if it was going to be as speed.

Dacian had been expecting a less trusting response, but he supposed he shouldn’t have expected anything else from Cassie. Any other time he might have berated her about it but for once it was efficient. He wrapped an arm around her, more of a constraint than a hug. He had to get her out of here; there would be time for affection later. He turned his back to the room despite his better judgement, keeping Cassie between him and the wall.

He kept his gaze on the room, taking a step toward the door. He was not surprised Cain was still nearby, though it was a wonder he had not made his move yet. The clicking sound gave him barely enough time to make sure Cassie was sheltered before something struck his leg. Cursing, the knee buckled and he had to catch himself with his other leg. His sword clattered to the floor as he let go to catch himself. A cursory glance found a crossbow bolt lodged in his knee, and he bent to rip it out with a snarl.

Cain detached himself from the shadows, and Dacian stayed semi-crouched in front of Cassie, the bloody bolt still in his hand. Cain was aiming the crossbow at Cassie this time, and he bared his teeth in warning. “Cain, is it?” He snapped, knowing full well who the vampire was. “Yes. Still cradling that wounded pride? She wouldn’t have stayed with you much longer, you know. You should be glad it was me and not some unworthy youth who wooed her away.” He sneered, making his best efforts to direct Cain’s attention to him rather than Cassie. He cold take a few crossbow bolts, she could not.

“She was a nice young thing. Very… flexible.” He flashed his fangs, standing slowly to block Cassie from view. It looked like sneaking away with Cassie was off the agenda. He would have to go with the next plan; taking out Cain. It shouldn’t be too difficult. The vampire was obviously easy to bait, and would likely make a hasty and foolish opponent.