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A Cursed Ritual

note: A Nosferatu inspired fic. I know this won't be for everyone, and please be aware that this is not the usual way I write Sihtric or fics in general. Still, I hope those who read it will enjoy it. So, uhm, see you in a few centuries?

warnings: 18+! angst/horror/suggestive. Mention of death, blood, minor self harm (for ritualistic purposes), stalking, obsessed and possessive behaviour, no standard happy ending.

pairing: Vampire!Sihtric x Reader (f) (no use of Y/N)

summary: You accidentally woke an ancient creature of the night, and you had bound yourself to him in ways you never deemed possible.

word count: 8.6k

Masterlist

Reblogs & comments are immensely appreciated.

February 1st

'Cursed,' you muttered to yourself as you got up from the table. You grabbed your coat and threw it around your shoulders, then left the warmth of the coffee shop the same way you had arrived; alone. 'All men should be cursed,' you huffed and tucked your chin into the neck of your coat, seeking shelter from the snow as it fell from the grey sky.

You had been stood up by a man you had met on a dating app. You got ghosted all the while you had been waiting at a table set for two, at the cute and cosy coffee shop downtown. For over an hour you had anxiously checked your phone for any texts or missed calls from your date, before you realised no one was coming to see you, and no notifications ever appeared. Another date gone wrong, and you were done. You deleted the app off your phone as you stomped through the narrow street, passing the crowded shops and bakeries. Your hands trembled with anger and your cheeks were flushed with embarrassment.

'They should all be damned,' you continued to curse quietly, shoved your phone in your purse, and your hands in your coat pockets. 'They should all be damned to hell. All those who toy with our hearts as if we are nothing. Useless creatures men are, all of them.'

This wasn't the first time you were stood up by a guy, but it was the last thing you needed to happen after a string of miserable dates. It was February and, with valentine's day lurking around the corner, you groaned upon seeing all the lovey dovey ads in every store window and billboard as you walked through the city centre. You wanted to get home immediately, desperately wanted a shower to wash away the shame and anger you felt after thinking maybe this date could be "the one". It was your favourite bookstore that made you stop your pace and turn, after you had stormed past the entrance already. If anything, you weren't going to let some stupid guy ruin your whole day. He had ruined a good hour of your day already, and that was enough. Some book browsing never harmed you, and you needed the comfort that came with the store. It always embraced you warmly with the scent of books and freshly brewed tea and coffee from the little bar in the back of the shop, and today was no different.

You calmed down while your eyes darted over the numerous books in front of you. The thoughts and memories of your failing love life were drowned out slowly, making room for the interesting covers and titles that caught your attention, yet none interesting enough to reach for and flip through. You sighed at the second disappointment of the day, sometimes even the book store couldn't please you. You turned to leave the store after a little while, but then you stumbled upon a table that held various books about spirituality and witchcraft. You snorted at first, not being one who indulges in those topics unless it came in the form of a spicy romantasy book. And yet there was one title that caught your eye and drew you closer.

Your feet moved to the table as if they had a will of their own, and you picked up a book called Love Spells. Your fingers traced the golden letters printed upon the black cover, before you flipped to the index page. Your eyes landed on a vast variety of rituals, which would supposedly give you everlasting love. You rolled your eyes at the nonsense, yet couldn't stop yourself from turning page after page, until you saw one ritual that was so odd you simply couldn't look away and ignore it.

Bonding ritual

What you'll need:

Rose petals (fresh or dried):

Rose petals are a symbol of love, lust and passion.

1 red candle

2 drops of blood (your own)

Blood is vital to love and life. It makes the ritual more powerful, intimate and personal.

Graveyard dirt (one tablespoon)

They say "'till death do us part" for a reason, adding some graveyard dirt will guarantee you to have a love that will last even after death!

You made a face; a mixture of amusement and disgust. No way that this could work. Or could it? That split second of hesitation caught you entirely off guard, and you closed the book as you turned on your heels. Once again it felt as if something took control over your feet as you made way to the cashier. You didn't know what came over you at that very moment, but something told you that you had to try the ritual. Your love life was a disaster already anyway. So what's the worst thing that could happen?

February 9th

Days after your book purchase you pondered about the ritual. Chances of it failing and being absolute nonsense, as you suspected, were high. But that tiny chance of success and finding the love you so desired kept gnawing at you. You had two of the main ingredients already: the dried rose petals and your own blood, naturally. You only needed to obtain the ridiculous component that was graveyard dirt. You refused to be seen scooping up dirt in the public graveyard, just outside of town, so you had to come up with a different place if you really were going to do this.

You paced around and wanted to fling the book into the trash bin next to your desk. But just when you wanted to give up on the ridiculous idea of doing the ritual, you suddenly remembered the old and abandoned castle which stood on the hill and overlooked your small town. Surely that place had a graveyard. You had a vague memory from when you were a child, of the rusty gates and half broken tombstones that sat at the back of the old castle, and you figured that the dirt had to be considered graveyard dirt too. It seemed ridiculous and it was a half hour drive, but if you were going to do something as grotesque as this ritual, you might as well go all in.

The castle had been forsaken for centuries. At least that's how the tale went. For once a powerful and important nobleman lived there and ruled over what was then a small village. The previously small village was a small town now, your town, and the castle was merely kept as a reminder of the history in which a lot of blood had been shed. But another story which had been spread over time said the castle was still there because it was haunted. Some believed that the spirit of the man who once lived and ruled there was still roaming the corridors, and tearing the building down would unleash a curse so great it was said to destroy the whole town. And nobody was ever brave enough to fact check that.

The old grey building was a haunting image from every angle, with its turrets and overall gothic architecture. It was eerily quiet when you stepped through the rusty old gate that was left ajar. Up ahead was a massive wooden door, but you followed the small trail that led around the gigantic castle, to the private graveyard you remembered from your childhood memories. You kneeled down at one of the half shattered headstones. The nobleman's last name was only half visible due to the cracks and crumbled stone, but you knew the man who was supposedly buried beneath your dirty sneakers went by the name of Sihtric Kjartansson.

You were not one to be scared easily, but the absence of any sound made you hurry. There was no distant noise coming from traffic or birds, not even the wind was heard and the high tops of the massive trees stood completely still.

'Sorry if this is considered desecration of a grave,' you mumbled and scooped a tablespoon of dirt in a plastic cup, sealed it with its lid, and then made haste back to your car without looking back.

February 13th, the night before Valentine's day.

You chuckled to yourself as you sat on the floor, in the middle of your darkened bedroom. You held the black book of love spells in one hand and lit the red candle in front of you with a match.

'What am I doing?' you mumbled and shook your head, then sighed. 'Well, here goes nothing.'

You grabbed the dried rose petals and crushed them in your hand as you read the words on the page out loud.

'With these petals I open up my heart and mind for unconditional love,' you said, a little uncertain, and you dropped the petals in the candle's flame, 'come to me.'

'With this dirt,' you continued and held the cup of graveyard dirt, 'I invite my yet unknown lover to love me in life and after death. Come to me.'

You sprinkled the sand carefully around the flame, to avoid extinguishing it by accident. You then took the small knife that was on the floor next to you and put the book down.

'And with my blood,' you said and hissed softly as you made a small cut in your ring finger, 'I bound myself to my yet unknown lover, forever and in eternity. Come to me.'

After your blood had mixed with the petals and dirt in the wax, you were quick to put a bandaid on the small wound and picked the book back up again.

'And now,' you continued to read out loud, 'I demand my love to come to me, to find me, to own me. This is my will, so it shall be.'

You took a deep breath and felt oddly powerful. You sat in silence for a few long seconds and then made a disappointed face. Your room remained quiet, and even though you had just done your first ever ritual, it seemed as if nothing had changed. And it was underwhelming.

'That's it?' you furrowed your brow, 'really?'

You felt a little disappointed as you looked at the burning candle. No great flames shot out from the candle, no howling wind rattled your doors, and no demonic creature took over your body. Nothing happened, absolutely nothing. Only your white curtains danced very faintly in front of your open window, the pale moonlight shining through the fabric as you just sat there.

You then shrugged and got up to close the window, and carefully placed the burning candle in the window sill so it could burn out safely, just like the book had instructed, and after that you simply went to bed.

'Another failed way of finding love,' you sighed and turned under the sheets, 'but at least no one witnessed this embarrassment, unlike being stood up in public.'

You tossed and turned for a few hours, and it was only right before you fell asleep that the hairs on your body stood up. It suddenly felt as if a colossal shadow was watching you, from the dark corner of your bedroom, but a heavy sleep pulled you under before you could blink again.

A restless night followed. Dreams that transformed into nightmares pestered you in your sleep, and it felt all too real. Images of the castle's graveyard, clouded with thick fog, made you toss and turn in bed. You wandered barefoot through the fogged up and muddy graveyard, towards the grand entrance of the ominous looking castle, and the way your feet touched the cold wet cobblestone floor as you explored the dark building made you shiver.

An open and empty casket stood in a dark stone hall, which made you whimper softly as you slept. It felt so real. The sight of the large, dark and open coffin, its lid thrown on the floor, made you stop and stare, as if you were completely frozen for what felt like hours. It was only the sudden howling of wolves and the sight of the great black predators emerging from the shadows behind the casket that made you turn and run. You ran out of the darkened hall and into a large room, which was lit by flames dancing in the hearth, and there you were abruptly stopped as you ran into a large dark figure.

The figure stepped into the moonlight, revealing to be a bare and breathtaking man, with his dark curls half shaved and his pale muscular torso gravely scarred. The stranger stepped towards you, but you felt no fear. You were only mesmerized and enchanted by his looks. You believed that if you could shape the man of your dreams, he would look exactly like the man in front of you. You looked at him in awe for a moment. But the handsome man suddenly grew ugly as you stepped closer, his face began to fall apart and bugs crawled out of his rotten flesh and cracked skull. Bats and rats emerged from the shadows as the man seemed to dissolve of sorts, and you ran again as fast as you could.

But you never made it out of the castle, not that you could remember at least. You jolted awake and sat up in your own bed, trying to catch your breath from the night terror you had just awoken from.

'It was just a dream,' you whispered to yourself, while the sun started to appear outside your window. 'It was just a stupid dream,' you scoffed, 'that's what you get for doing a stupid ritual before bed.'

It had just been a nightmare, that was all. Except when you got out of bed, you found your feet were covered with dried mud. You looked at your window sill and found the candle had burnt out overnight, just as intended. You figured that the dirt on your feet was merely some accidentally spilled graveyard dirt from your ritual, which you had stepped into before going to bed. And you took a shower to rinse yourself of the haunting feeling that lingered.

But your confusion didn't end there. It continued when you heard a knock on your door, hours later, and were surprised with a delivery. Two dozens of red roses were left on your doorstep, with no messenger in sight. Snow drizzled down as you picked up the flowers and closed the door. You inspected the flowers as you stood in your kitchen, and found an envelope tucked away which was sealed with red wax. Inside was a letter, handwritten in black ink:

Centuries I have waited to be awoken from my slumber.

You, my darling, have called upon me and given me life again.

We are bound to one another. I will love and cherish you in ways you can not foresee.

I am yours and you are mine. I will act accordingly to preserve what belongs to me.

I shall be eagerly awaiting our next meeting.

Yours for eternity,

Sihtric Kjartansson

'What the fuck?' you mumbled, then snorted as you looked for any clue that would reveal this was a joke. But when you found nothing, you looked at the letter again. 'Wait, next meeting?' you frowned as you read the letter over and over again, but nothing made any sense.

You placed the enormous bouquet of fresh flowers in a vase and sat back, staring at the roses on your kitchen table while you tried to piece together what was happening. It was ridiculous, but the timing of delivery made you wonder if the ritual had actually worked. You laughed dryly at the thought, and then felt a mild panic take over as your fingers traced the letter you still held in your hands. Either your ritual had worked, or someone was somehow aware of the ritual you had done and played a sick joke on you. You weren't sure which was worse. The idea that someone you had seemingly summoned was here to love you forever, or that someone was probably spying on you. Because how else would anyone know what you had done? For a brief moment you wanted to believe that the guy who had stood you up the other day felt bad about it and apologised. But that didn't make sense either, since his name was Aethelred, and not Sihtric. And although both names sounded ancient, you quickly discarded the idea, because you were pretty sure Aethelred didn't know where you lived.

You went over the night before and your haunting dream multiple times, and you couldn't forget the handsome man you had seen in your nightmare. Against better judgement you allowed a fantasy to settle in your mind. Could the man from your disturbing dream be the sender of the roses? Was he really the Sihtric Kjartansson whose graveyard dirt you had used?

You had a hard time believing the flowers were really a gift from an ancient corpse, because that was not possible. Right? No, it surely wasn't possible. And yet you felt strangely excited for the first time in a while, despite not understanding where these flowers truly came from, or why the letter was signed by the man who had died so long ago. But regardless, the smile on your face was set for the rest of the day, as it seemed you finally had found yourself an admirer on valentine's day.

A somewhat secret and mysterious admirer nonetheless.

Your curiosity had gotten the best of you, and only a few hours after the strange delivery you decided to grab your coat and jump in your car. You wanted to curse yourself for going back to the castle, but something inside you simply called to you. You had to go there.

The snow had started to fall heavier with thick flakes while on your way, almost making it seem like the city which the castle overlooked had completely vanished from the world behind a curtain of white and grey. The old building looked isolated from the world, and the wind howled loudly. You zipped up your coat and got out of your car, arms wrapped around yourself to keep warm while you walked to the massive wooden door.

You raised a fist to knock but found the door slightly ajar, as if it had never been locked. You hesitated for a moment, then gave the heavy door a shove and slipped inside the castle. The place was dark and quiet, but not cold like you had expected. It seemed the thick walls made for great isolation against the harsh winters. You remained silent as you carefully shuffled through the dark hallway, using your hands to guide you along the cool wall and into a grand hall. A huge stone stairway spiraled up along the walls, faintly lit by a handful of glassless windows which followed alongside the stairs, through which snow twirled in. The stairs were blanketed with a thin layer of the white powder the wind had carried inside. A massive old and rusty chandelier swung lightly, mounted on the ceiling high above you.

You took a deep breath and walked past the stairs, towards another heavy door which was also left open, as if it was a trail you were to follow. Anyone else would think this was a bad idea. And it's not that you believed it was a great idea, there was just something inside you that kept… calling you. You followed the magnetic pull until you found yourself in a large room, where a fire was burning brightly in the hearth. The room was empty, apart from a huge dining table with only two chairs, and one other grand chair which stood alone and faced the fireplace at the opposite side of the room. The chair's back was turned to you, and suddenly you saw a dark clothed arm resting on the armrest, fingers decorated with rings that glistened in the dancing flames. You cautiously walked over, just like you felt you were called to do, but froze when you heard a heavy exhale come from whoever sat in the chair.

'You came,' a low voice almost whispered, 'I called, and you came, my darling.'

You stood nailed to the ground as the man in the chair slowly turned his head to you, revealing his devastatingly beautiful face. The perfect face you had dreamt of. The hauntingly pale skin you had seen while you had slept. The mismatched eyes you had seen roll out of his skull. The curly dark, half shaved haircut you had seen turned into a dusty grey, before his skin rotted from his bones and everything death and decay took over. His scent of amber was pleasant, but it reminded you how the stench of rotten flesh had taken over abruptly in your dream.

The man smiled at you, warm and lazily, as if he had been expecting you all along. He then stood up and came closer, his dark fur cloak draped over his large and broad frame. He towered over you and looked into your eyes, while his tattooed fingers reached to briefly toy with a strand of your hair. He was breathtakingly handsome, a man that could bedazzle anyone with a mere glimpse of him.

He inhaled you deeply as his eyes darted over your face, and a low hum sounded from his chest. He then said, slowly, 'I… take… that you liked… my flowers?'

'Y-you?' you stammered, and a deep feeling of terror took over.

'See it as… a small gift… a thank you,' he breathed, 'for waking me… from my slumber.'

You swallowed hard, but your mouth and throat were dry. Everything suddenly clicked, and you then knew for sure that what you earlier thought was the unthinkable, was actually your new reality. Your ritual had worked. And somehow… you had called upon and woken a dead man in the process.

You triple-checked your doors and windows before you jumped in bed and buried yourself under the covers. Your encounter that afternoon had spooked you beyond words.

You had run as fast as you were able to in order to leave the castle, then literally jumped in your car and almost drove off the icy road as you speeded away without looking back. You tried to tell yourself none of it was real. But you knew there was no denying the warmth and electricity you had felt when Sihtric, who was supposed to be dead, had loomed over you in his castle. Still, you tried to convince yourself it was a dream, but you knew damn well you had been very awake and it had been very real. You had the scrapes on your body to prove it. You had earned the bruises on your hands after you ran from Sihtric, into the dark hallway, where you had used your hands to guide you back to the main entrance in panic. And your slightly bruised knees were the result of slipping on ice before you reached the door of your car.

But it had been hours since the encounter, so a part of you believed that this Sihtric guy wasn't out to hurt you, because surely he would've done so already if he wanted to. He even knew where you lived. Yet, he still scared the hell out of you though, because it wasn't natural for someone to be that perfect. Nor was the fact that he had returned from the actual freaking dead.

The vase of roses stood untouched in your kitchen. You were too afraid to touch them, let alone throw them out, so you had just closed the kitchen door instead before you had run to your bedroom. Maybe if you pretended the flowers weren't there, they'd disappear eventually.

You felt tired and hungry, but you were too exhausted and spooked to eat after everything, and it was already late in the evening by the time you heard your stomach growl louder than the racing thoughts you had all day. Instead of going to the kitchen and facing the roses, you turned in bed and hid deeper under the sheets. This was all a nightmare, tomorrow you'd wake up and laugh about it. Or so you hoped. But before you dozed off, it once again felt as if a dark presence lurked from the dark corner of your room, and then sleep pulled you under within seconds.

You floated through the dark night sky, high above your sleeping city, like a white feather being carried upon a cloud of darkness. You silky nightgown danced in the cool breeze. Snow had finally stopped falling as you drifted towards Sihtric's castle.

Unlike last time you had faced him, you now felt calm and safe in his presence. His strong arms were secured tightly around your waist as he held you from behind, his amber scent was comforting while his warm lips grazed your ear each time he spoke with his low and soothing voice. You sat in his lap, upon the grey furs that covered the old cobble stone floor, in front of the burning hearth.

'I don't understand any of this,' you murmured, sleepily. 'And I… I am scared.'

'Please, do not be frightened of me. I am not here to hurt you, my darling,' Sihtric whispered calmly. 'But… you called upon me. Woke me from centuries of lonely sleep. My mere purpose is to serve you, to give you everything your heart desires. To love you with everything I am, with everything I own. You asked for unconditional love, you asked to be bound to someone who would love you unlike you have ever been loved before. So here I am, my love. I am all for you. But,' he paused and took a slow, deep breath as he squeezed his arms tighter around you, 'forget not, my angel, you are mine as much as I am yours.'

'Are you real?' you asked, still drunk on sleep.

'I am as real as you are,' Sihtric chuckled softly, then brushed his lips over your cheek and kissed your neck softly. His tongue stroked slowly across your pulse point, then he said, 'I am as real as the blood in your veins, my love.'

You gasped softly and leaned into his touch. The feeling of his lips on your skin was like fire, a roaring heat spread through your body while you surrendered to him. He was, afterall, the man of your dreams. Irresistible. Your head spun as he kissed down to your shoulders, hooked his fingers under the thin straps of your gown and slid them down your arms. You turned in his lap, locked eyes, and kissed him as if something had taken over you. You got lost in his touch, his kiss and his scent. You allowed him to undress you, and in return you unclasped his heavy cloak and let it pool around him. You broke the kiss and took off his dark tunic, then admired his scarred and muscular body for a moment before your mouth was back on his again. He truly was perfect, and you couldn't seem to get enough. You wanted him. Needed him. Every part of him.

As if he could read your mind, Sihtric flipped you on your back and straddled your body with his. He kissed you hard and passionately, drawing blood from your lips and tongue as he bit you in between wet, open mouthed kisses. You moaned into his mouth as you felt your own heat pool between your thighs, while his rough hands trailed over your naked body as he kissed you greedily. You welcomed his hard length with ease as he took you roughly on the furs, in front of the fire, making love to and fucking you for hours until you came and screamed his name.

It was after your climax that you jolted awake in bed, blinded by sunlight as it shone through your open bedroom window. You swore you had everything closed before you had dozed off the night before, but relief quickly took over when you remembered the dream you had woken up from. Yet, a mild feeling of disappointment settled in too. Because the dream had felt so real, and a part of you wished it had been real. As a part of you longed to be with him again.

'It was just a dream,' you murmured, 'just a damn dream.'

Your curtains danced in the cool morning breeze, and you got out of bed to close the window. But when you looked down at your body, you found yourself naked and covered in scratch marks.

Before you could panic, you heard a knock on your door that made you jump. You quickly grabbed your robe and ran to the door, confused and frightened, while also feeling strangely complete and… happy. You opened the door forcefully and were greeted with snow and a cold wind. Again, not a messenger in sight, but there was another envelope delivered on your doorstep. You grabbed it with trembling hands and made your way to the kitchen, where you eyed the roses which had clearly not disappeared overnight. You sat down and opened the red wax seal on the envelope. Immediately a necklace fell out and onto the table as you pulled out another handwritten letter.

My blood is as real as the blood in your veins.

Hold me close, my love, the way I hold you close when we are not near.

Yours, forever,

Sihtric.

Your eyes nearly bulged out of your head, and you looked at the necklace. It was a thin metal chain, from which a small bottle with red liquid dangled as you held it up. You squinted to try and figure out what exactly you were looking at, and your breathing stopped for a few long seconds once you realised what it was.

My blood is as real as the blood in your veins.

Blood.

The necklace was a vial of blood.

Sihtric's blood.

You spent your free hours researching the ritual you had done and every possible outcome known. You learned you hadn't been the only desperate soul to perform a stupid ritual to find true love, only to end up more or less accidentally binding yourself to some kind of spirit. The stories you read were terrifying, the only consolation being that whatever you had bound yourself to didn't seem malicious or violent. Sure, your arms and legs were covered in scratches, but you weren't in pain or had ever felt unsafe in Sihtric's presence. Strangely enough, despite not really knowing what was a dream and what was reality anymore, you never felt threatened. You were frightened in a way, but not scared of the man who claimed he had been waiting for you for centuries. If anything, it was kind of comforting that someone finally longed for you.

You researched all kinds of demons and spirits, and at the end of the day you were fairly certain that Sihtric wasn't a demon. Because all you read about demons was how awfully violent and disgusting they were. And that sounded nothing like Sihtric. So, eventually you accepted the fact that he was most likely a spirit of sorts. A spirit you had summoned during your ritual, all thanks to the specific graveyard dirt you had used. You cursed yourself, but deep inside your heart you felt happiness. Because you had finally found your own undying love, who came in the form of a perfectly beautiful man and seemed to be obsessed with you in ways you only ever read about in your romantasy books.

You knew you should be scared, but you couldn't help thinking of him fondly throughout the day. You wore the vial necklace around your neck and absentmindedly stroked it with your fingers. Whether everything had been a dream or not, you longed for him. And every hour away from him only made your need for him stronger, made the pull to go to him more powerful.

You left for the castle again just before midnight, after you had paced for nearly an hour in your living room. Your need to be with Sihtric was stronger than your rational mind, which was begging you to stay away from him. But you refused to listen and decided to only follow your heart.

You leaped into his arms once you met him again. He had waited for you in the dead of night, standing in the door of his castle like a statue. He wrapped his arms and cloak around you, sheltered you from the cold winter night as he kissed you, and then led you inside the warmth of his gothic home. It didn't take long before you kissed him as desperately as you had done in your dream the night before, if it had been a dream at all. You completely surrendered to him without hesitation. You relished in the feeling of him inside you, and you kissed passionately while you made love like feral beasts, on the furs in front of the burning hearth. Only afterwards did you engage in conversation, as Sihtric held you tightly in his arms, both still naked and half covered with his cloak.

'Why did you give me this vial?' you asked as your fingers trailed over the bottle of blood around your neck again.

'You gave me your blood when you did the ritual,' Sihtric murmured in your ear, 'so I gave you mine in return.'

You smiled at that and closed your eyes, sinking deeper into his arms.

'Are you… alive?' you asked.

'Yes and no,' he answered, 'yes, I am living in the sense that I am capable of everything the living can do. I bleed when hurt, I grieve in case of death, and I love without boundaries. But I am dead in other ways. I can breathe, but I don't have to. And unlike you, my love, I have no beating heart inside my chest.'

'How is that possible?' you whispered your thoughts out loud.

'I am a vampire,' Sihtric revealed, 'and your ritual woke me. I can take on many shapes, and this is the shape you wished for me to have, even if you were unaware. You see me exactly the way you want to see me, my love.'

You chuckled and turned in his arms.

'And you are perfect,' you whispered and kissed his lips. 'You really look like a vampire, you know?' you smiled, 'those sharp fangs, your pale skin,' your eyes wandered over his face, 'too perfect to not be a vampire.'

'Because I am a vampire,' Sihtric smiled, 'does that not scare you?'

'No,' you said after a few seconds, 'you do not scare me.'

'Good.'

'So… you really are a vampire?' you asked as he remained serious.

'Of sorts,' he said and kissed the tip of your nose.

'How… how old are you?' you swallowed hard.

'Are you asking how old this human form you gave me is? Or how old my soul is?'

'Both.'

'My human form is somewhere in his thirties,' Sihtric said softly, 'my soul, well, I'm not sure you really want to know, darling.'

'I do. Tell me.' You pressed your forehead against his, your hand resting on the nape of his neck while his arms were still wrapped around you.

'Three-hundredth and eighty six years old.'

You gasped, and Sihtric closed his eyes with a soft sigh.

'Please, do not run,' he whispered as he held you a little tighter.

'I won't,' you reassured him, 'but… you don't age, do you?'

'Not really, no.'

'But I will,' you said, sadly, 'over time, I will grow old…'

'My love,' Sihtric smiled and softly nudged your nose with his before he kissed your lips, 'you know nothing of growing old. That is nothing you ever have to worry about, I promise.'

And after those words, you fell asleep in his arms. Only to wake up in your own bed again the next morning, after a loud knocking on your door had pulled you from your dreams.

Another gift was left on your doorstep. This time you found a beautiful red dress inside the massive box, and another handwritten note.

Tonight we will become one.

Yours, forever.

Sihtric.

You smiled at the cryptic message and didn't hesitate to try on the dress. It looked as if it was made for you, the way the velvet fabric fitted your body perfectly. Butterflies fluttered in your stomach when you met Sihtric again at his castle that night. He was dressed in a dark suit with red accents that matched your dress, and he kissed the back of your hand before he led you inside. You wondered about the effort to dress up, as you expected this night to be the same as any other, and thought you'd end up naked in a matter of minutes. But this night was different. This night you danced to the sounds of an invisible orchestra, in the middle of his grand room where the fire burned brightly in the hearth again.

Sihtric kissed you gently, patiently, as he held you tenderly in his arms. The violins slowed their tune, the melody becoming hauntingly sorrowful as Sihtric slowed his steps. You came to a halt, and he leaned in carefully, with one hand on your lower back as the other cradled the back of your head.

'Do not fear me, my love,' Sihtric whispered. A sharp fang grazed your ear before his grip on you tightened. 'The ritual is almost complete. But in order for us to be together, as you intended,' he paused to place a gentle kiss on your neck, 'you will need to die first.'

You gasped at his words, and it dawned on you what was about to happen before he could sink his teeth into your flesh. You shoved him away, your sudden move startled him and made him release you as he stumbled backwards.

'No!' you said with a cry, 'you… you can't kill me! That is not,' you gasped for air, 'that is not what I wanted! I asked for love, not to die and become some kind of creature!'

'My love,' Sihtric said, his voice unsettingly calm, 'do you not understand what you have done? Hm? Do you not understand what you have asked for?'

'What do you mean?' you asked, heart pounding out of your chest.

'You bound yourself to me with your blood,' the hungry vampire growled, 'and your blood I shall have. You will never know true love, the love you so desire, if you do not complete the ritual with me.'

'Meaning I have to die to complete it?! I never agreed to that!' you shouted, 'I never agreed to become a monster! Or to be with a monster!'

'A monster?' Sihtric chuckled without a trace of humour, 'you demanded me to come to you!' he barked and stepped closer. His tall and threatening figure towered over you as he continued, 'you demanded a love for eternity! You opened up and gave your heart and mind to me!'

'No,' you cried, 'no, not like this.' You hiked up your skirt and ran for the door. 'I do not want to be with someone like you! And I will not die for love!'

'No!' Sihtric's deep voice echoed louder than humanly possible, and he chased after you with ease.

'Stay away from me!' you screamed.

Sihtric grabbed your arm before you could run out the door, and he hissed, 'I warned you before that you are mine as much as I am yours! You can run, little thing,' he grinned devilishly, 'but remember that you. Are. Mine. Wherever you may run to, I will find you. And I will have you.'

'You promised you would never hurt me!' you spat and tore yourself out of his grip, 'and you will never have me, you demon!'

'You! Are! Mine!' Sihtric shouted after you, and his dark voice followed you in the night as you ran, while thunder rolled over the city. 'You can never hide from me!' he snarled, lightning flashed as he spoke. 'We are already bound! And you… you will come back to me willingly, my love! But until then, I shall tear out the hearts of any man who dares to look upon you with lustful gaze! I will rip out every tongue of those who dare to speak to you! And I will feast on the hearts of those who think they could win yours! You belong to me, my enchantress!'

July 13th

Your life had turned back to normal long after the disastrous ritual you had done the night before valentine's day. At least, somewhat back to normal. It had taken you months to understand, accept, and get over what had happened between you and Sihtric. You mourned the loss of your dark love as if you had been together for years. You felt hollow ever since you last saw him, and you had thrown away everything he had gifted you the same night you last ran from him. The roses, the dress, all the handwritten notes and their envelopes ended up in the trash. Everything… except the vial of Sihtric's blood. Because somewhere, deep inside your cursed little heart, you still loved him and couldn't pretend he never existed or never meant anything to you. You still longed for him in ways you knew you would never long for anyone else. But you couldn't allow yourself to die for him, no matter how much you loved him.

It hadn't been easy to pick up your life again, for it always felt as if Sihtric lurked from the shadows in the night, no matter where you went, no matter how much time passed. For months on end you woke in the night and swore you heard him call for you. His voice most nights was a mere whisper in the wind, but some nights it was as violent as a clap of thunder. But you never acted on it, no matter how hard it was to ignore him. No matter how sweet he sounded or how scary, you never gave in. It was painful, physically and mentally. Your whole body ached to be with him, as if you had a constant fever for months. But you also learned that the more you ignored his invisible presence, the more he slowly seemed to vanish from your life over time.

And when summer arrived, you finally felt free and alive again.

You picked up a new job and even decided to start dating again. You truly believed all was well for a little while. But you found out in gruesome ways, after your first date, that nothing would ever be well in your world again.

Each and every man you went on a date with was brutally slaughtered by the end of the night, as he walked you home, by the vampire who you had bound yourself to months ago. Each and every man would scream in terror upon seeing Sihtric emerge from the shadows of a dark and empty alley. And no matter what you did or said, nothing could stop Sihtric from killing those who thought they could take you away from him. He feasted on their blood while they prayed to their gods or called for their mothers. Some men called you a "witch" before they died, as if you had lured them to the creature of night. And all men called Sihtric a "hideous creature", "a beast from hell", "a rotting corpse", and "Satan incarnated".

You never understood why those men used their dying breaths to try and insult their killer. Because to you, despite his bloodlust and extreme possessiveness of you, Sihtric was still the most beautiful man you had ever seen.

Yet each time you witnessed his brutal nature, you ran and hid from him. You knew you could never fully escape him, but you couldn't be near him either. He was a relentless killer, and you continued to try and push him away, dating even more men who were strong and powerful, and you hoped they would be able to perhaps fight Sihtric. But it was all to no avail, as so much blood was shed in the span of a few weeks. And the amount of innocent men who lost their lives because they came in touch with you was something you didn't know you could really live with. Every lost soul was one too many, a fate none of them deserved. All had been kind and respectful to you, yet they all died after that one date.

You had witnessed most deaths, and at one point you hoped that maybe you could deceive Sihtric. Maybe if he never saw a man walk you home, he would never figure out you had gone on a date. Or maybe if you didn't go out on a public date, he would never find who you had met up with.

But the newspaper headlines told you Sihtric was always watching, and no man you came in contact with would ever be safe. They all died by the hands of a monster you had unleashed upon the city. And after every single murder, you would find a handwritten note left on your doorstep.

"Mine."

"My forever."

"My eternity."

"You belong to me."

"You are mine."

"Come to me."

And after a while it didn't even matter if you had gone on a date, or simply had smiled at a random guy in the grocery store, or even thanked a lady who held open a door for you. They all wound up dead in the night one way or another, and then realization dawned on you; Sihtric would kill everyone around you until there would be no one left. He would slaughter a whole town if it meant you would come back to him and hold up your end of the deal.

You belonged to him. You were bound to him.

And no man or woman would ever be safe from Sihtric, unless you surrendered and allowed him to take your life. And he was right all along, you realised, because you eventually returned to him willingly. Because you needed to put an end to this horror.

July 30th

'You found your way back, my love,' Sihtric murmured as he held you in his arms, 'you returned to me, like I always knew you would.'

You silenced a whimper when you felt his lips kiss your shoulder, his arms wrapped tightly around you from behind, caging you against his strong body. You wanted nothing more than to run, because you knew how vile this perfect looking man could be. You had seen the horrors he had committed without remorse, and you knew he would never let you go. He couldn't. Because of your ritual, nothing would ever stop Sihtric from having you. The only way to keep him from murdering every single person in your small town, was to leave behind everything you ever had and give your life to him. Only the sacrifice of your heart and blood would put an end to the accidental curse you had bestowed upon yourself and your town.

So, yes, you had returned willingly, but only because there was no other way. Only because your life was not worth more than the dozens of innocent people who had already died at your lover's hands. But you couldn't tell Sihtric that. Not when you turned and looked up into his beautiful mismatched eyes. Not when you inhaled his pleasant scent. Not when you traced the scars on his perfect face. And not when you raked your fingers through his soft curls. Your heart was still beating for him only, and you hadn't felt this alive anymore ever since that last night you had escaped his castle.

'I had to learn for myself I couldn't live without you,' you half lied, lips brushing against his, 'I had to see for myself how devoted you were to me.'

You knew that you loved him so deeply, you truly wouldn't be able to live without him. But your rational mind also knew you wouldn't be happy after being turned into a vampire.

'I killed all those people for you, my love,' Sihtric murmured as he rested his forehead against yours, 'I knew you would eventually understand how much I love you. That I would do anything for you, because you are mine.'

'And you are mine,' you whispered, then softly kissed his lips.

The kiss deepened gradually, and Sihtric lowered you onto the rugs in front of the burning hearth. His cloak draped over you both while you devoured each other, and you allowed yourself to enjoy the feeling of someone truly wanting and loving you unconditionally, before it would all be over.

'Sihtric,' you whispered, 'I want to be with you, forever.'

You carefully took the vial of blood from your neck and held it up.

'Turn me.'

'Are you sure, my love?' Sihtric asked in awe.

'Yes,' you smiled. Because you will not stop until you have my life.

You tipped your head to the side, staring into the flames as you exposed your neck to him. A deep growl sounded from his chest, and he kissed your neck lovingly before his teeth pierced your skin. Sihtric gulped your blood like a starved animal, and he only withdrew his fangs when you became weak in his arms.

'My darling,' he breathed, your blood dripping down his chin, 'now drink me.'

Sihtric unscrewed the vial and held you up as his blood dripped on your tongue. And it was then that you finally understood what those dying men had been so afraid of. Because it was then that you saw the hideous, rotting corpse Sihtric actually was. Not the perfect man you imagined him to be, no, that was just another one of his demonic tricks to draw you in. You had summoned and unleashed an actual demon, and you were going to kill him.

A single tear slid down your face while you smiled up at him, no longer seeing the beautiful face he wore for you, but seeing the disturbing figure from the very first night you had dreamt of him. His flesh was torn and rotten, and bugs crawled out from his cloudy eyes.

'You,' you whispered, fighting to get any air in your lungs while your heart was seconds away from taking its last beat, 'You…'

'Tell me, my love,' Sihtric whispered as he held you close.

'You… will… never… have me.'

Sihtric froze at your words, and you then used your last strength and final breath to slide your bare feet under his cloak and kick it into the roaring flames beside you. The fire spread within seconds, setting the room and everything in it ablaze. Including you and your demon. The fire burned you both to ashes, and you were freed of the curse you had called upon yourself. Free from the demon who had claimed you. Free from the man of your dreams you had woken from the afterlife. Free from a love that was never true, but had only been a diabolical force of a dark ritual you had performed.

And the castle would crumble down in the flames, and become one with the ancient burial ground. And the ashes of you and Sihtric would be scattered in the howling wind, carried far away from the town you had saved from its lurking evil.

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