"Don't take this the wrong way, but how are you alive? You gave your ring to Fabian, and I know father only gave us two" Chase asked with a small chuckle, although it sounded forced.

I shrugged in response. To be honest, I thought I was a goner too. I'm still not completely sure how I'm alive right now, but I'm grateful that I am.

As we headed upstairs, I filled Chase in on what really happened the day I 'disappeared'.

Acting purely on instinct, I lunged for Fabian with only one thought running through my mind: Save him.

His small fingers, seeming to be reaching out for me despite his unconscious state, only spurred me on. Like hell I'm going to let him become lost! I refuse to lose him, not when I realise how much he means to me!

Fabian is my salvation, my light. Unknowingly, he's helped me through a dark time when all I wanted was to do was lose myself by overindulging in material pleasures such as sex and drinking blood.

I craved those pleasures, pleasures that would help me lose sight of myself and forgot my pain. But Fabian, so small, slender and innocent- helped me. I wanted to use him like I used many others before, but despite my crude comments, I couldn't do it, not to him. His childlike form and shy nature made me take a reality check, made me realise how badly I was treating others so thoughtlessly.

I had no regard for my own safety as I slipped the ring onto his finger, but the reaction was instant. The malicious souls hissed and scurried away, but not before latching onto me and dragging my body with them.

"How noble of you, to take his place" one of the spirits drawled, sarcasm dripping from their voice as they forced my head to snap to the left, so I was staring into their hollow, black eyes.

Oh god, those eyes! I'll never forgot those eyes!

Like two pitch black pools, void of emotion. They drew me in against my will, paralysing my form.

"Is he pure?" One of the other spirits hissed. The one staring into my eyes turned away from me and snarled at the other who had interrupted.

"Silence! I'm trying to read him, and he's all yours if he's pure enough!" He snapped, turning back to face me. At least, I think it's a he.

I let out a gasp as memories flashed across my mind, too fast to keep up at first, before slowing down and playing one by one, as if certain times of my life were being analysed. I couldn't help but let out a small whimper as I was forced to relive some particularly painful ones, as well as some small snapshots.

~

"Shut up! Can't you see you're only good for my personal enjoyment?" I yelled at the crying woman beneath me.

~

"Zion stop! You're going to kill him!" I vaguely made out Chase's voice warning me urgently, shaking my shoulder. I growled and shoved him back, blood spilling over my lips as I continued to drink without a care.

~

"Mother! Please wake up!"

~

"Please, Lukah! You've made me feel whole again, you can't leave me, not like this! Did our relationship mean nothing to you?"

"You're trash. Worthless parasitic garbage. I never, ever liked you, let alone loved you, and ever intimate moment we shared made me sick. A leech is the only thing you'll ever be"

~

And then I was staring into the spirit's eyes again, although they quickly recoiled in horror.

"The other soul, the one you stole from us, was innocent and good, the best I've ever seen. But Yours is vile and broken, damaged goods. You're not fit to be consumed, you'll make us all sick, even though we're already dead" the thing spat, looking at me as though I was the spawn of Satan himself. "Also, we have no interest in your kind. You are like us- leeching the life from the living and making it your own. Count yourself lucky, nobody has ever looked into my eyes and lived to tell the tale before"

I blinked stupidly, unsure if I was hearing correct. Was this malevolent spirit seriously about to let me leave alive? Although his words stung, I was grateful to be shown mercy, if that's what you could call it.

"Go now, before I decide to let the other spirits to consume you anyway, despite your vile taste. But if you ever come back here or steal from us again, you won't be so lucky, and I'll personally ensure that you suffer for all eternity" he hissed as I got up on shaky legs and fled.