I was growling, regaining consciousness in the fervor of a ravenous thirst. I blinked at the light from the north facing windows. The veil of slumber was thrown back and I was fully alert and eyeing my surroundings. I found myself in one of the lounges on the ground floor, the one that opened up to the garden terraces of the expansive greenhouse. I remember wandering into the room and being overwhelmed by fatigue. I rose from the plush chair and glanced at the large French doors that were ajar, and the floral perfume flowing into the room. Exotic lilies, rare flowering fruits, and one of a kind roses were selected and groomed in order to create a completely harmonious blend of breathtaking fragrances.  

Standing at the doors I pushed them wider and peered into the oasis when my fingers brushed against something sticky. I saw a dark smudge on the edge of the door just above the lock mechanism. I brought the residue to my lips and tasted it lightly. A primal snarl rose up in my throat.  

“Young Richard fancied a walk in the garden." Terrence informed me. The manservant hadn't startled me; I had just detected traces of his delicate and mellow odour before he spoke. I turned to see him enter the room with serious face.

“Regrettably, the boy pricked himself on one of the rose bushes. He's been tended to.”  

“That boy! Where is he now?” My thirst was affecting my temper.  

“I left him with a hot bath and fresh clothes. He had expressed great interest in his personal hygiene. I facilitated, as best I could, such a remedy.”  

“The main bath then?” The man nodded and stepped aside as I dashed forward into the hallway behind him.  

In moments I had travelled through a mile of carpeted corridors and hallways and rounded the corner at the entrance of the small indoor pool. It was dimly lit by a few candled wall sconces. I quickly spotted movement in the corner. 

Richard's slender back was towards me and his hands were working along his shoulders with a bar of almond butter soap. The fragrant lather sluiced over and down his bony spine and dotted the surface of the water around his waist. The boy then moved his focus to the back of his neck, scrubbing his hairline and behind his ears. I watched him as he proceeded to his under arms and his abdomen. He was nearly covered in soap suds when I had shed my clothing and deftly slid into the water without a sound.  

I watched from beneath the surface as he lowered his body and rinsed off the soap. After he resurfaced he was now facing me. The light retracting from the disturbances of the water's surface created shimmering ribbons and lace across his submerged skin. I noted how the light hairs dusting his body swayed with the motion of the liquid, shifting as he moved. He waded over to a set of steps and proceeded halfway up before he began to wash his legs. I slowly drifted closer and I rose up just enough to see along the surface of the pool to where he bathed. He was pensive and focused on the activity. I was nearly within reach of him when he began to thoroughly attend to his groin and buttocks.  

When he froze, I sensed his alarm. So, I pounced like a crocodile attacking an unsuspecting prey at the watering hole. To the boy's credit he didn't flee as I had expected. Instead he turned to defend and ward off my attack; fortunately I was swiftly inside of his reach before he could retaliate. I grappled him securely and pulled him into the pool as he cried out. He thrashed about so vehemently that when I let him go it took him half a minute just to right himself and regain his footing. I watched him innocently from the other side of the pool. Once he wiped the excess water from his face and eyes he blinked at me, panting and eyeing me with such shock. I could tell he was thinking a multitude of profanities, yet he gave voice to none of them. He simply glared at me with his dark eyes and pressed himself against the wall of the pool. He slowly caught his breath.  

Then the most astounding thing happened. His frown slipped just a fraction and a lone chuckle rose from his chest. It sounded like a cough, but I knew better. It was soon followed by another, and then the chuckling blossomed into abundant giggling and near hysteria of laughter soon burst forth. The near musical sound of Richard's mirth resounded within the bath and its echoes multiplied upon itself. He doubled over with the weight of it and hugged his stomach as it continued wrack his body. He finally stopped when tears filled his eyes and he looked over at me and we both realized that I had been laughing too. He and I both marvelled at this new sound. My laughter quickly faded like a dream you wanted to relive but had begun to forget already. All that was left for us to do was to stare at each other.  

My thirst called to me. My eyes locked onto the boy's neck and I inched forward. I was amazed that I was still in such control. On most occasions I would be pacing and behaving very predatorily. Some part of me questioned the power and the lure of Richard's blood, perhaps the desire for it was strong enough to steady me as the frenzy neared. 

Lucky for Richard. 

“Viktor. I didn't think you'd up so quickly. I… I was hoping to wash up and see you when you—” He gulped before he could speak another word.  

“I awoke early and with such immense thirst.” I caught the flicker of nervousness from Richard. I reassured him. “It's nothing I can't handle.”  

“How do you know?” When I stopped to consider his question I realized that I had been slowly closing in. There were only a few inches of water separating the two of us now. “How can you tell when it's too much to handle?”  

“I just know.” My eyes released his and my gaze lowered focusing on the shifting image of his lower extremities. The water was calming so the movement was more languid.  

“Viktor?” Richard's tone was serious yet tentative.  

“Ask.” I prompted simply.  

“Well, I…” His voice quivered, and standing there half submerged he shivered for a moment.

Author’s note: Above is 1100+ words of a total so 3900 of the complete chapter. The balance of the chapter, and subsequent chapters will be exclusively available on my Patreon. As I continue to write and work on this project I’ll explore more features of this platform, but for the moment I’d like to that each one of you for reading this far!