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“You put up a hell of a fight, I’ll give you that.”
Dick bent down in front of Slade, blood still on his lips. He licked it off, making sure his fangs were visible as he did. And then he grabbed Slade to lift him up into a sitting position from where he’d previously been laying. Slade grunted but barely managed to struggle.
“Funny, I thought you’d take longer to weaken,” Dick grinned. “Guess those experiments didn’t account for blood drinking huh?”
“I’m going to kill you,” Slade spat.
Dick laughed, unnatural and cruel in tone.
Weeks ago when the world plunged into darkness and the vampires began to take over, he’d never have imagined who their king turned out to be. People dropped like flies, either turning themselves or food. Powerful heroes became vampires, even more had been killed making the likelihood of containing the threat slim. But they’d tried anyway, fighting through them to get to their king.
The King had downed the Bat. When he heard that he assumed it had been someone powerful, but someone with access. Someone Bruce trusted. Maybe the Cain girl, or Todd. It might have been Catwoman but that didn’t seem as likely. The last person he’d expected was Grayson. Even at his worst, Dick rarely defied the Bat, and he wasn’t a killer. Not in nature. Maybe in anger. Damian’s retelling of how Dick had killed Batman, then took out most of his family with relative ease and no remorse… he wouldn’t have believed it from any other source.
But Damian had the look of someone who’d watched a betrayal you don’t recover from. His family was slaughtered by someone he trusted, that wasn’t something you forgave. When Damian set his mind to destroying the Vampire King. He hadn’t hesitated in naming him to the hunters.
“Aw, damn. If he wasn’t the enemy, a vampire Grayson would be so hot,” Midnighter had lamented at the news.
“You’ll try,” Dick taunted. “You’ll fail.”
Slade briefly wondered if any of the others were still alive. Damian was also a vampire now, but determined to take the rest of them out. Batwoman had joined him. Batgirl and Quinn had tried to take Grayson down, but Barbara had briefly been turned, then killed as an example. He wasn’t sure what had happened to Quinn. He didn’t know if the rest of his team was dead or alive. Was Grayson just enjoying his victory?
“Most of them are dead.” Dick replied to the question he hadn’t asked. “Some turned, some died. The way of the new world, I guess.”
“And so you’re gonna kill me?” Slade replied evenly.
The grin that twisted onto Dick’s face managed to unnerve him. It was sinister, ruthless and hungry. He wasn’t going to like the answer. He definitely wasn’t going to like his fate here.
“Death isn’t in the cards for you, Slade.” Dick said. “One, you’ve said yourself you’re impossible to kill. And well, you’re too delicious to waste on a quick death. The bonus of a basically immortal captive is that you’re also a reliable and sustainable food source.”
“So I’m a glorified feed bag?” Slade growled.
“Don’t feel so bad,” Dick sneered. “You aren’t the only one.”
With a swift movement Dick pinned Slade onto the wall and tilted his head to the side, exposing the untouched side of his neck. He grinned, exposing his fangs again as he watched the pulsing veins before licking his lips.
“You might want to relax, Slade…” Dick cooed. “It’s so much harder to control appetite when your heart is racing like that.”
Slade thought back to the times he’d fought Dick, and his own senses picked up the racing pace of the young man’s heart giving away the steely resolve he faked in his face and posture. His heart always gave him away. He’d enjoyed that more than he should of back when they were just two adversaries.
Now Dick had no heartbeat. And Slade was just food.
“I hope you choke on it,” Slade replied.
Dick rolled his eyes, unmoved and sunk his teeth into Slade’s neck. It was painful but only at first. As he drank, it became exhausting. Blood loss was weakening even for someone enhanced as he was. Even if his heart stopped in Dick’s feasting, he’d likely survive. A couple minutes til it started again. They could truly do this forever.
They probably would. Unless he managed an escape.
His mind was foggy and it was getting harder to stay conscious. Dick was almost done draining him. Last time he’d done it til Slade passed out, which would likely be the case this time. Just enough to leave him on the edge of death, he’d heal in a matter of hours and then he’d be food again. He figured he’d be the Vampire King’s personal meal.
Dick released his bite with a pleased moan and licked the blood remaining on his lips. He dropped Slade on the ground, now limp and heavy from blacking out. He turned around and left the cell, making sure it locked behind him.
“Diana, no one is allowed in this cell but me.” He ordered. “Do you understand? Inform the others, this one… he’s all mine.”