Why had he ever thought somebody had ever cared for him? When was the last time that had happened? Mort perhaps cared for him, but maybe it was only because he was his brother and his parents had wanted him to watch over Kaz. Maybe he hated his guts and maybe that was why he hadn’t listened to Kaz when he told him to just let him die. After all this time in this hellhole, which apparently only had been three days, everything was possible.

Kaz let his head rest against the back of the chair, breathing heavily, trying to ignore the pain and hoping to stop the tears flowing from his eyes. “I want you to turn this every time he seems to lose consciousness,” Kaz screamed out again when she twisted the stake again. He felt how parts of it didn’t want to move, digging into his flesh and muscles. The tears he so desperately tried to hold back started flowing again. The vampire tried to say something, trying to form words, but he only inflicted more pain on himself whenever more air got caught in his throat. As he watched the woman go away, the desperate thought of wanting to beg seemed to be too late.

The girl in front of him softly started to weep. Two broken messes in one room, what a catch. Though her cries were not soothing by the slightest, it somewhat calmed the vampire down that the woman was no longer present. He closed his eyes for a moment, but as soon as he did that, he could feel the stake twisting in his leg. Again he screamed, trying to get loose from the shackles. ‘’I’m sorry!’’ The girl cried out as she backed away, afraid of his outburst. Just like him, she feared for her life and just like him, she would do anything that woman asked from them now.

So, every time he seemed to fade away, he could feel the stake twisting, he could hear himself scream and he could feel his throat burn as the blisters inside it opened again and again. He tasted his own blood, spat it back out and tried to retain himself. All to no avail. The girl did not know how to handle the dagger, poking it slowly into his skin, only making things worse. And the girl continued to do what she was told, twisting the stake, stabbing the dagger into his skin. Again and again until he could hear a soft thump and he saw her on the floor. Passed out. It wasn’t long after that that gave into the darkness as well.

Everything hurt. But what was to be expected after four days of torture? The moment the door swung open was the moment Kaz jolted awake. His leg pounded, almsot screaming out to get the stake removed, his leg felt numb and overall, he felt like he was nothing more than a pile of broken pieces of glass. He was too shattered to be put back together again and the shards were everywhere. Kaz squinted with his eyes as some of the outdoor light flooded the basement. The shackles rambled softly, but the vampire didn't move.

She had done it. There was no way back from here. Her poison had reached his head, killing all that had come in its path. Helplessly and desperately he stared at her. He wasn't sure he expected more from her and what he had to expect. But he knew that he was done for. His voice was hoarse from not being used for so long, his throat was dry and every word was a pain to say. ''...Please.'' It was but a soft whisper, a plead. He would get on his knees if he had the chance. Kaz closed his eyes for a split second, swallowing his pride. Or what was left of it.

''I beg of you.''

Maybe it were still the blisters, maybe the words truly burned as he spoke them. He begged, she got what she wanted. She had managed to break him. His confidence, his arrogance, his pride, there was nothing left. He was a Grand Duke, noa shattered to pieces by someone who he didn't even know the name of and someone who didn't even seem to care. He wasn't worth his title, he wasn't worth anything. He would be a pennyless thief all over again.

The moment he looked into the woman's eyes there still seemed to be a little fire in him left. But it soon died out as he adverted his eyes, afraid to even look at her. He flinched as she pulled out the stake and the dagger and almost fell on his knees when she released the shackles.Somehow, this didn't feel like a relief. It more felt like defeat. His eyes shifted towards the girl. In a normal situation Kaz would have refused, but now there was nothing of him left, so there was nothing to fight for. The vampire crawled towards the girl, looking at her for a moment when he took her in his arms. Somewhere he felt sorry, but the monster quickly enough took over and he basically went in to kill as his fangs bore into her neck. The girl woke up, screaming as he drank. And kept drinking.

Slowly, the cries and pleads for mercy died out as the girl slowly lost her life to him. The blood tasted godlike, as if he hadn't had any food in days, which was true. He had planned to stop before she would be drained completely, but the monster didn't let him, only encouraging him more as he sucked more of her blood. He didn't care how much venom he spread through her body. He wanted her blood. All his fights, all the resistance against what was inside of him, had been for nothing.

Eventually, the girl had nothing left to give and he could feel her body go limp in his arms. He let go, her body falling onto the ground, dead as it could be. The vampire closed his eyes for a moment, feeling the new sucked up blood rush through him, somewhat giving him energy. He wasn't done yet, but there was no reason to fight. Not anymore.

Kaz tried to get up. Despite drinking the blood he was still weak and sitting in the same position for days hadn't helped. He slumped against the wall, trying to keep his balance but it was obvious that his left leg couldn't cary him. He flinched every time he tried to put some weight on it, eventually looking at the woman as if he was asking for help. How deep could he sink?