Just before dawn

4:45 AM

He was running. Wind blew around his body as he raced across a non-descript landscape. Then images of fantastical machines and objects fluttered passed him as he kept racing.

He was in his wolf form and his paws padded silently against the strange ground material. It was rough-hewn and scratched at his paws, and then something large and white shaped as a fiddle floated before him, yet it did not look hollow, and the strings were made of a strange material.

He stared at it hard trying to figure it out, but then the whole scene began to spin and he felt something...someone shaking him violently...and then a voice...

“Johnny...wake up...”

Jonathan moaned as a strong hand shook his shoulder lightly.

“Huh...”

His eyes slid open peering out at the room groggily.

“What...?”

The hand was removed and then a different voice, deeper, huskier, “Get up, pup.”

The Were’s eyes snapped open upon hearing the master vampire’s command. He lifted his head and saw Zachary and Matthew standing over him.

The younger vampire was wearing a long white coat over long black trousers. It hung open exposing the slightly pudgy stomach with two faces inked on either side of the navel.

The master vampire was clothed in black, black trousers, black dress shirt, black shades. The sleeves of Matthew’s shirt were rolled up, exposing the ink that covered his right arm.

Jonathan noted the beginnings of new designs on the master vampire’s left arm as well. Shaking his head, he blinked sleep from his eyes and looked up at them.

“What’s going on?”

Matthew glared at him.

“Don’t ask questions, just get up.”

Jonathan got to his feet slowly; his legs were a little stiff from misuse. He stretched then looked at the two vampires. Zachary rubbed his hands together.

Shadows moved to stand next to the Were and placed a heavy hand on his shoulder. He gave it an imperceptible squeeze then with a nod to the younger vampire, vanished from the chambers holding firmly to Jonathan.

Moments later they appeared in the small glade; the ground was bare and dry, a soft breeze made the tiny tufts of grass at the edges wave from side to side. Jonathan glanced around, biting at his bottom lip nervously.

He noticed the tall vampire slouching against a tree. He was clutching a long bladed knife in his right hand and was sucking slowly at his left fang.

Shadows cast his gaze over the glade, Jonathan staying close to his side.

“Where’s Brian?”

There was a low hiss.

The Rev pointed up into the tree he was leaning against. The master vampire and the Were looked up into the massive branches. Synyster was lying casually along a thick beam, one arm dangling, the other tucked beneath his chin.

Jonathan blinked slowly. The vampire looked like a panther languidly lounging after a feed; which wouldn’t be too far off the mark since vampires belonged to the feline family.

The Were laughed inwardly: All the vampire needed was fur and a long tail and he would completely fit the bill. Of course, Jonathan had heard that some vampires were capable of shape-shifting. Those that did were always a source of confusion, because humans and Were’s tended to confuse them with the Wereleopards of Asia.

Shadows scowled up at Synyster.

“You going to stay there?”

The other vampire smirked and saluted sharply.

“Yes sir.”

“Good.”

The master glanced back over his shoulder just as Zachary materialised at the edge of the glade carrying a small wooden chest. Matthew’s features took on a grim cast.

“Right.”

He looked at the young Werewolf.

“I want you in the centre of the glade, on your knees.”

Jonathan swallowed hard, sweat oozing from his pores, fear rising from his body.

“Master...?”

“I will not repeat myself, wolf. Kneel.”

Bowing his head, Jonathan hurried to obey, padding across the dry ground and sinking to his knees. Matthew turned to the green-eyed vampire.

“Zachary, you are ready to perform the Marking?”

Zachary inclined his head gracefully to the master vampire. Matthew stood aside for him and he moved to kneel over the young Werewolf.

“Tilt your head, but keep your eyes down,” he instructed softly as he took a long slender needle from the small chest that he had set down on the ground between them.

Jonathan whimpered but did as he was told, gritting his teeth. Zachary then grasped the Were’s left nostril between his thumb and forefinger, holding it firmly as he pressed the point of the needle against the delicate flesh.

“Hold still,” he warned.

Jonathan held as still as he possibly could. For a heartbeat, nothing happened and then he let out a sharp yelp of pain as Zachary thrust the needle through the skin, piercing the left nostril. His eyes watered and he whined, roughly.

The vampire worked quickly, dropping the needle back into the chest and taking out a small hook that had a bead attached to it. Gripping the Were’s face he pressed the hook into the hole in his nostril then using sheer force he bent the hook into a ring and pressed the end of it against the bead. As a final touch, he leaned in closer and breathed onto the Mark sealing it permanently into place.

Letting go of the Were’s face, Zachary stood and looked down at him; he had bowed his head once more and a soft snuffling sound was issuing from his mouth. He gingerly fingered the Mark; it was tender to the touch.

“Jonathan Seward, look up at me.”

The young vampire’s voice took on an unusually authoritative tone. Jonathan lifted his head, his deep brown eyes shimmering with myriad emotions. Green eyes stared down at him, a hint of compassion in their depths.

“From this dawning until the eve of your life, your soul, your body and your mind belong to the Master. In front of these witnesses you are now Marked.”

Zachary then swivelled to face Matthew, holding the opened chest out to him.

“Matthew Charles Sanders, I give this to you as a sign that this Werewolf is now your property, and that you must care for him as you would do any other possession.”

Matthew inclined his head slightly, taking the offered chest and shutting the lid. He glanced at the other two.

“James, Brian?”

The Rev lifted his knife slightly.

“I bear witness to this, Master.”

“And I too,” Synyster murmured reluctantly.

Matthew nodded then looked down upon Jonathan who was now cowering on the ground, unshed tears shimmering in his eyes.

“One last thing.”

The master vampire paused, then growled low, “You will be known as Johnny Christ from now on. Jonathan Seward is dead and gone.”

Jonathan swallowed hard and then unexpectedly began to laugh. The Rev shifted against his tree, eyes narrowing. Synyster snarled low from the branches. Zachary tilted his head to the side. Matthew just watched him in silence knowing exactly the reason for the Werewolf’s laughter.

Eventually his laughter subsided and Johnny Christ peered up at the master vampire.

“As you wish, master...”

Matthew smirked and turned away, pausing slightly to look down at his slave.

“Call me...Shadows.”

Then he vanished from the glade, using only his mind to draw the youngling back with him to his chambers.

* * * * *

“Shadows...”

Johnny peered up at the master vampire as he was stripping out of his formal wear. Matthew glanced at the Were with a frown.

“Yes, pup?”

Johnny hesitated.

“Why, Shadows?”

“Why?”

“Yes, master...what’s...what’s the significance of that name?”

The Werewolf had heard the name so many times in his eighteen years of life, as had so many other younglings; however, the why of it had always eluded their race. Matthew rubbed at his jaw, holding his shirt in his other hand.

“I have done things that no other vampire would ever do.”

He frowned at himself wondering why he was telling the Were this, then remembered what he had learned, and continued.

“There is...I have darkness within me that I will never be rid of...”

He pressed a closed fist to his heart and stared coldly at Johnny.

“Shadows is who I am. It is what I am.”

The Werewolf lowered his eyes sensing a wave of displeasure coming from Matthew. Obviously, the master vampire did not like speaking of the things he had done to earn that moniker. And who could blame him?

If the rumours Johnny had heard were true then Matthew was worse than any serial killer alive or dead, perhaps even worse than Jack the Ripper. Unless he was the one who gave life to that legend. It was entirely possible.

Nobody knew the identity of the killer who had gone on a rampage in the mid 19th century, it could so easily have been a vampire. And the vampires of Southern California had not always lived in the Americas, many of them had come from Europe and the Mother land. Still all that speculation was trivial and had nothing to do with Johnny’s current predicament.

Slave to a vampire, and not just any vampire, but the Master Vampire himself. Not an enviable position for one to find themselves in. Still the fact that he was still alive was a blessing of some kind.

At least he wouldn’t have to contend with any of his overbearing family members. He paused at that thought, thinking of his parents. His father would not even care if he didn’t return, and his mother was too much into the social circles to bother with him.

Frankly, he had been a little bit of an embarrassment to his kin. Even though on the one hand they had been pushing him to take on responsibility it was probably only really due to them not wanting to be responsible for someone like him any longer.

Still the knowledge that he now belonged to the master vampire until he died was not pleasant to have running around in his mind. Especially considering that, vampires were practically immortal, and Werewolves could live for many hundreds of years. He was going to be with Matthew for a very long time.

He sighed heavily and sat on the cashmere rug propping his chin on his bent knees. Matthew looked down at him as he stood now in just a pair of loose black pants.

“Ah...pup...we will have to find somewhere else for you to sleep. You cannot stay in this room with me.”

Johnny blinked slowly, biting at his bottom lip. Hearing the master’s words sent a stab of apprehension through him. For some inexplicable reason he did not want to leave the vampire’s side.

He gazed up at him, noting the tattoos on his muscled torso. The words ‘Thicker than water’ were inked just below his collarbone across his chest. Beneath that were images of a woman’s face across his pectorals, and then across his hard stomach was a skull, and crossbones, with skeletal wings.

Johnny lifted his eyes a little higher to stare up into the vampire’s hard face. Matthew caught his look and smirked slightly before turning to the bed and sitting on the edge.

“We’ll worry about that later...”

He rubbed a hand through his hair.

“I need to make a few things clear about your role here.”

Johnny nodded resolving to listen as carefully as he could. He did not want to miss anything. If he could help it, he would not give Matthew a reason to regret his decision to let him live. The master vampire propped thick arms against his thighs.

“You will answer to me above any of the others. But, if they tell you to do something you will do it.”

He paused, grimacing.

“Just keep away from Brian.”

He flopped back on the bed and breathed out harshly.

“You will not have to do anything like cleaning or such...the servants are here for that. But, you will run messages from me to the others, or from them to me. You will keep my chambers in order.”

He bit his lip and sat up again.

“As the world changes...what we do...what you will have to do may change. Just understand, as you belong to me, I can and will get you to do anything that I may think of. No questions asked. If you disobey me or any of the others, you will be punished.”

The master’s jaw set in a grim line.

“If you try to escape there will be no chances. I will kill you, is that understood?”

Johnny swallowed hard, nodding.

“Yes, sir.”

Matthew smiled faintly, slapping his hands against his knees.

“Well, I do not think I’ve missed anything...if I think of anything else...”

He yawned wide, his fangs showing. Saliva glistened at the tips.

“Hell, I need to feed.”

Matthew clenched his jaw.

“Oh, yes...before I forget, you will feed yourself. After that little display yesterday, I do not think I need to worry about finding food for you.”

Johnny shook his head flushing slightly.

“No, master...”

The vampire stood, then rolled his eyes.

“Oh, and one more thing, you are free to roam the manor, just don’t freak the servants out by changing.”

“I will try not to, Shadows.”

“Good. Well, I need to feed. Zachary says you need to wash the Mark once every hour for the next two days, so you had best do that now, pup.”

The young Werewolf nodded then stood and moved over to the basin against the wall. Matthew nodded almost to himself then vanished from the chambers leaving Johnny alone.

Notes