“Who is that?”

Sunghee jumped in surprise when the low voice hit her ears and it was only then she became aware of the smell of vanilla that hung heavily in the air. “Key,” she said softly, turning around and glancing up at him through her eyelashes. It’d been a month and a half since she’d last seen him. Usually she saw him at least twice a month.

“Well?” Key’s voice was firm, and his face was stoic, the hurt in his onyx eyes the only thing betraying his unaffected façade.

“He’s my husband Key,” She looked away, wringing her hands nervously as the hungry vampire stood motionless in front of her.

“Married,” Key said, more to himself than Sunghee, as his mind ran wild with the things he could do, wanted to do. All he had to do was go up the stairs. It would only take a moment. But he knew he shouldn’t. The pain it would cause Sunghee, he couldn’t do that to her. He sighed sadly. “I guess I should go,” he whispered.

“Please don’t leave Key, you’re so hungry,” Sunghee had seen what happened if he went too long without feeding before, and the last thing she wanted was for Key to go through it again- the weakness, the loss of control, the aching pain. She stepped towards him and cupped his face in her hands, sliding her thumbs over his cheekbones and staring into his eyes, silently trying to convince him.

He grabbed her wrists and gently pushed her away from him. Her scent was overpowering to him. He had to get away. “Goodbye Sunghee, He said, turning his back on her and walking into the other room, disappearing as the darkness swallowed him. “and congratulations.”

---

Key’s steps were light and quick as he soundlessly followed behind the young man, a ball tucked under his arm.  As they came up towards an alley, Key lunged and dragged him into the darkness. The athlete only had time to let out a single yelp before Key’s fangs were ripping into his throat.

Warm blood poured into Key’s mouth, and he greedily swallowed it down, before tearing away the chunk of skin he’d captured between his teeth, and the blood out of it, before swallowing that down too.

Key knelt down next to the body, laying in a pile against a dumpster the vampire had dropped it against, and dragged his mouth over blood trails, not wanting to miss a drop, before burying his fangs into what was left of the man’s neck, aggressively the blood that remained in the body, while refusing to acknowledge that not all of the wetness on his face was blood.

---

By the time he was done with the young man, he looked as of he’d bathed in the blood instead of drinking it. He stuck to the alleys and back ways as he made his way home, the squelching of his blood soaked shoes his soundtrack.

He made it home a half hour before dawn and dropped himself onto his bed. He didn’t bother changing or bathing. He let the scent of the stranger stick with him, foolishly hoping it would help him forget Sunghee’s.

THE END