Stranded With a Vampire - 7. Chapter 7

"What in God's name is he doing?" Ludwig mumbled to himself, watching from the thicket how the red-haired human attempted to light a fire with a strange looking metal object. Apparently he had spent all day tying sticks together, so they would form crosses and creating very badly improvised spears.

Does he really think some pointy sticks and crooked crosses would be able to harm me? He thought and shook his head in amusement. It was maybe true that he was nowhere near his full strength and abilities, courtesy of having to survive off of animal blood for a very long time, but that didn't mean he would let himself be murdered by this foolish young man.

"Maybe I should just drain him. It would be quite merciful, considering how inept he seems at survival and also would save me a lot of trouble." The vampire mused while continuing to watch the human struggle with lighting a fire. But then he reminded himself that if he did so he would have no more proper food, at least until another human got washed up on his island, and who knew how long that would take. The blood of the animal on the island was maybe good enough to keep him alive but it paled in comparison to that of humans.

He carefully weighed the pros and cons of killing him when, suddenly, the redhead screamed in pain and the scent of fresh blood filled the air. Without even thinking, Ludwig walked closer, lured by the sweet smell that he had been missing for such a long time.

"Do you require help with this?" The dark-haired man asked, almost giving Caden a heart attack. His eyes darted back and forth between the makeshift crosses he had put all around his camp and the vampire that was standing just a few feet from him.

"So crosses don't work, huh?" The redhead questioned and slowly reached for the spear that was laying next to him, while not leaving Ludwig out of his sight for even a second.
He had just picked up his weapon from the sand when the blue eyed man chuckled and said, "No, they don't. And that toothpick won't do anything either."

Caden angrily clenched his fist around the stick he had worked so hard on to sharpen into a spear with his small pocket knife that he’d luckily found in his pants pocket when he fell off his yacht. He wasn't entirely sure if the bloodsucker was lying to him or not, but considering the vampire's nonchalant behavior and the fact he didn’t seem worried at all that he might get impaled, Caden leaned more towards him telling the truth. Frustrated, he sighed and put down his weapon.

"Great, so I'm basically out of options to kill you." He grumbled and sat down on the white sand, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration. "Well, besides sunlight. After all, you don't seem to sparkle in it."

"Sparkle?" Ludwig questioned, not understanding how anybody could even get the idea that one of his kind would sparkle. To his disbelief, the human actually nodded and explained that it was a pop cultural thing. The dark-haired man didn't know what pop meant but he was quite certain that he didn't like it, considering it apparently turned his people into some sort of sparkly nonsense.

"That sounds ridiculous."

"I know, right?! I mean a certain immunity to some degree or, hell, even a magical stone that protects vampires from burning in the sun would make sense, but sparkling like a drag queen at a pride parade?! That takes away everything that makes vampire's actually interesting, sexy, and… uhm…" Caden rambled, only realizing that he was kinda still in life danger when the vampire sat down next to him and smiled at him in a way that showed his fangs slightly.

Caden scooted away from the vampire, who could rip out his throat at any second, feeling terribly embarrassed that he had basically just called him sexy. Well he is pretty hot, but… The redhead thought, glancing at the ridiculously handsome man beside him.

"Are you going to kill me?" He asked, while trying not to shiver in fear of what that guy could actually do to him.

Ludwig shook his head. "In all honesty, I did think about it." He casually admitted and then quickly added, "But, long-term, it makes more sense to keep you alive and healthy. So, if you require something, I'm willing to assist you."

Caden repeated the words over and over again in his head when he finally realized what the bloodsucker was implying. "What the fuck, dude?! I'm not your goddamn livestock! You aren't getting a single drop of blood from me!" He screamed and jumped to his feet. The redhead was about to let out a very colorful lecture onto the asshole when he reminded him of a quite simple fact.

"I don't need your permission to drink from you. I'm merely offering this out of politeness."

He hated to admit it, but the guy was right. He’d only been lucky the last time they fought, and if even the slightest bit of vampire lore was true, then he definitely was at a huge disadvantage against the blue-eyed bastard. "Okay, fine… BUT, if you get my blood, I want something in return!"

"Is helping you survive this island and not killing you myself, not already enough?"

"Hell no. That shit benefits us both. I want something that's only for ME!"

"Fine, and what would that be?"