Laying on the decrepit bunk bed, Jason touched the sensitive skin around his neck. A magical seal taking the form of a tribal tattoo wrapped around his neck. They did it. They fucking collared him as if he was their bitch. He wanted to kick Alaric's pasty ass. But it was just a fantasy that kept repeating in his head. He didn't have the power to take on the bloodsucker.

Alaric and his whorish witch did the ritual a week ago and until now they haven't made their appearance. Jason still didn't know what they wanted. He asked the big oaf the question repeatedly when he did his rounds. However, the ass ignored him and continued handing out stale bread and coffee that tasted like drain water. Now Jason had to wait in a filthy cell for the overlord to grace him with their presence.

One thing baffled Jason, though. Why did Alaric save his soul, only to bleed him dry at a later date?

After the ritual, when Jason woke up, he was back in his cell with a fresh addition etched onto his neck. He was livid, but then he sensed a change in his body. He wasn't cold anymore: he could feel the warmth wrap around him for the first time in months. His skin wasn't as pale as before and had picked up a bit of color.

Alaric had stopped his soul from crumbling apart. But for what purpose?

Jason was so lost in his thoughts until a face appeared over him. He yelped and flinched away from the intrusion, hitting his head against the wall.

"Fuck! What's your problem?" I said, gritting my teeth while I rubbed the bump on my head.

An icy hand clamped over his jaw and lifted him off the bed. Jason dangled helplessly in the air.

Goddess, I hate tall people.

Alaric's scowl torched his face. "Is that the way you talk to your master?" he said.

Jason nearly snickered. Thank the heavens he didn't. One jaw-snapping slap was enough, and he didn't want any more of the vampire's blood. It was just as horrible as the cold coffee he had to choke down. They didn't even throw in a couple of teaspoons of sugar.

"You're nothing to me. Let me go," Jason hissed, trying to free Alaric's hand from his numbing jaw. If the idiot pressed any harder, Alaric would snap his jaw again.

Alaric threw him against the wall. Yet again, his head hit the wall. The fucker! Jason slumped down onto the ground and glared up at his captor.

The dead fuck kneeled down in his fancy black suit. "I expect you to show me a modicum of gratitude for saving your pitiful ass."

Jason scoffed and said, "If I'm so pitiful, then why are you doing all of this to save me?" He really wanted to know, and Alaric's evasiveness was pissing him off. "Just kill me already before the suspense does."

Before Jason could evade Alaric's grip, the vampire flung him out of the cell with a single yank on his tattered shirt. He collided with a wall of muscle. Jason stared up at Ludwick, who still had a grin on his stupid face. It was freaking Jason out. He wanted to pull out of the oaf's embrace, but the hulk of a man tightened his grip around Jason's waist.

"Let me go!" Jason punched Ludwick in the chest, earning a chuckle that rumbled through the giant.

Ludwick leaned down and took a whiff. "So delicious." An unearthly growl escaped his lips.

Ew! What was the freak's problem? Jason didn't bathe for more than a week. Even he had to admit that he stunk up the place, but the oaf found his scent irresistible or should he quote, ′delicious.′ An icy shiver ran down his spine. Jason was about to scramble two eggs with his knee when Alaric interrupted them.

"Enough, Ludwick. I know he smells heavenly, but resist the temptation until he's more durable." Alaric walked out of the cell.

Seriously? I smell like a cat that dragged in a dead bird! What's wrong with these psychos?

Ludwick groaned and said, "Fine. But I call dips on the first bite."

Alaric chuckled while walking down the corridor. "As long as you take care of him. Prepare him and tell Trix to load up all the other prisoners. The time has arrived."

***

Ludwick dragged me down several corridors until we came to a stop near a loading bay. The other vampires were busy loading the other prisoners into the back of a yellow truck. There were thirteen prisoners, excluding Jason. They all looked defeated, following their captors' every instruction. Several of them were even children. It made Jason's blood boil. The fuckers had no respect for the innocent.

"You really are fucking monsters," I muttered through my clenched teeth. Ludwick laughed. He must have heard my statement.

He let go of my arm and walked over to a side door. "Come."

A single word made Jason's legs move on their own.

What the fuck?

Jason tried to fight against his body's movement, stumbling about. The tattoo around his neck gradually heated until it burned him. The smell of burned flesh filled his nostrils.

"Ahh!" Jason cried out as he clamped his hands around his neck, burning them in the process. Skin-cracking welts covered the palm of his hands while a searing pain flashed around his neck.

Every vampire stopped what they were doing and watched on as Jason stumbled to his knees in a crying mess. Some laughed, while others ignored his suffering.

Ludwick stomped over toward him. "Stop resisting. The collar around your neck will hurt even more if you do."

"You sick fuck!" Jason staggered to his feet. "You want to burn my head off my body if I don't do as you want?"

"It won't happen if you just comply." A smile crossed his face.

Ludwick slammed Jason against the wall and began licking the burn scar around his neck. A wet tongue tickled his Adam's apple. If the one licking him wasn't Ludwick, it might have been hot, but no he just wanted to spill his meager lunch out onto the floor. Jason tried to push off the brute, but the jerk didn't budge. Instead, the vamp growled, causing Jason to freeze.

"Good boy," Ludwick said, continuing to lick his neck.

Jason had to suffer through the lick fest until Ludwick finished. Suddenly, the burning around his neck eased and the welts on his slobbered hands were no more.

Ludwick grinned, "See... not bad, now was it?"

Jason wanted to hit back with a witty comment, but he was right. He forgot that vampire's saliva had healing properties in it.

Once again, Ludwick's calloused hand found the underside of Jason's upper arm. Ludwick dragged him into a small room with a row of lockers and benches. He released Jason and then walked into the adjoining room. The sound of running water filled the room. Jason's eyes found the exit. He wanted to run and get the fuck out of the place before the evil shits did anything more than collar him.

"I wouldn't do it if I were—what the hell go for it," Ludwick said as he reentered the room. "I'd love to see what the collar will do to you if you run." A malicious glint flashed across his eyes. "Maybe I will get to do more than just lick you."

Jason shivered at the thought.

Jason continued eyeing the exit, but didn't move. He didn't want to play into the vamp's hands. Most likely, Alaric included a failsafe in the enchantments of his collar in case he made a run for it. But Jason also had a feeling that he already played into Ludwick's hands by staying and obeying his orders.

Jason shook his head. "What do you want from me?" He grew tired of their games. "Just kill me and get it over with. I have no intention of playing a part in your or your master's sick games."

"You have no choice in this." Ludwick pushed Jason into the adjoining room. "The faster you accept it, the better off you'll be."

Was he crazy? Who in their right mind would have accepted such a fate? He didn't want to be a slave to some vampire dick.

"Don't insult my intelligence. Slaves are the ones who usually get fucked over," Jason said.

Ludwick continued, pushing Jason toward a bath filled with hot water. "As I said earlier... If you play along and keep quiet, it won't end badly for you. Now get in and take a bath. I'll be back in a few minutes." He walked over to the door. "And don't get any ideas. Don't leave this bathroom."

His order slithered into Jason's mind. The tattoo warmed up for a second, locking in his command.

Ludwick walked out of the room. Jason followed, but the nearer he came to the door, the hotter the collar became. Jason turned around with a huff and stomped back to the bath. The clean water called out to him, begging him to enter. With a grumble, Jason slipped out of his ratty clothes and climbed into the bath. The hot water embraced him, warming his tired bones. Goddess, it felt good.

After scrubbing off all the grime from his body, Jason quickly climbed out of the bath before the vampire returned. The last thing he wanted was to have Ludwick see him naked. Jason then grabbed a soft towel and dried him off.

"Nice ass," Ludwick said, causing Jason to squeak.

Jason quickly covered his crotch and ass with the towel. He glared at the vampire, who stood there, leaning against the door. His creepy red eyes crept over Jason's naked torso.

Attention all shoppers, creep alert in aisle one.

"Don't you have better things to do than creeping people out?" Jason asked, snatching up a second towel from a rack and covering his upper body.

Ludwick stood up straight and sauntered over toward Jason with a bundle of clothes in his hands. "You know I can do anything to you and you can't fight me." He licked his lips.

Oh fuck! The creep just turned rapist. Jason backed away, keeping out of Ludwick's reach. But the room wasn't infinite. Soon his back hit the tiled wall. Ludwick came to a halt until they were nearly chest-to-chest.

He leaned forward and whispered into Jason's ear. "I can have you sucking my cock by a simple command if I wanted to." He caressed Jason's cheek. Jason flinched and slapped away his hand. "But luckily I'm not that type of person." He backed off, holding out the clothes to Jason. "Get dressed. It's time to leave."

***

Jason sat between Alaric and Ludwick in the back seat of the SUV. The car barreled out of the front gates of the estate. He couldn't breathe. It was a nightmare, trapped between two vampires. His suffering wasn't going to end anytime soon. Where were they going? It was nearly midnight. But what bothered Jason even more were the three vehicles that followed them. One of them being the truck that had a dozen innocent victims in it.

"Breathe," Alaric said with a monotone voice.

It was harder than it was. Whatever they had planned for him wasn't going to end well. The hole of despair in his stomach grew wider with every second.

Alaric glanced at him and then continued. "Let me tell you a story."

Now?

"It all began several thousand years ago when the supernatural ruled the world and the mortals were mere playthings for the gods. However, with all these stories, hell broke loose. Literally. Hades, as it happened, wasn't content with his fate as the god of the underworld and wanted to reign over a new domain, earth. But the other gods forbade it and so a war broke out."

Jason scoffed, "What a cliché."

"True," Alaric chuckled. "As the war between the gods raged, the world fell to the hordes of the underworld, led by four underlords, elemental demons with limitless power. Samael, Azazel, Azael and Mahazael. Together, they nearly destroyed the entire world.

"However, their reign of destruction ended when Zeus defeated his brother. He banished Hades and his foul demons back to the underworld and sealed them away. Then, the gods retreated to the heavens, allowing humanity to claim back the world as their own."

Jason didn't see the point of Alaric telling him a bedtime story. What the hell did the gods have to do with them sitting in a car heading to gods-know-where?

"Do you have a point with your story?"

"I do. Zeus wasn't able to banish all the demons. Even he couldn't defeat the four, only trap them in one place for all eternity. You see, my dear pet. The four underlords are still trapped on earth."

Jason chewed on his laugh, not wanting to piss off the vampire. But, come on! Demons? Never seen or heard of them, and yet the nutcase believed in them. That just proved to Jason that the guy's brain had already left the building. He was nuts with a capital N.

"And?" Jason said, trying to pull another round of crazy ramblings out of Alaric's head.

"I have found the location of one of these demons and we're to pay them a visit," Alaric said with a grin on his face.

As I said, cray cray.