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He could smell her.
It was familiar and metallic and mouthwatering. Because of that innate prey drive, Knives had to isolate himself in his castle purely because of the lack of control. If he had settled any closer to the village, the inhabitants would have been decimated within the hour.
Instead, he built a fortress to mask the scent, along with constructing his home some number of miles from the outskirts of town. It provided him the solace he desired, and it allowed for regular games of capture and deliverance. He would wait patiently until Vash dropped his victim at the front door and the smell wafted through his stone corridors.
Swallowing his excess saliva, Knives ran his tongue around his fangs as if checking to see if they had dulled since his last meal.
They hadn’t.
A sweet voice echoed in the distance, “Hello? Anyone home?”
Knives stood from his desk, abandoning his work to attend to something much more important. He heard his stomach growl from within.
“Hello?” that same voice cried again, this time closer.
The hairs on Knives arms stood at attention as his keen senses heightened at the prospect of a nearby meal. Gliding into the hallway, Knives moved in the exact same direction he always did: along his red carpeted hall and down a secluded staircase to appear just behind where most of his captured visitors often wandered. This time proved no different.
Stood in the middle of the corridor in a pale green dress, highlighted by the golden glow of his sconces, was a woman. Light brown hair curled down her back and he noted the bow of white tied at the back of her waist, but his mind was quickly being consumed by her scent.
She smelled savory, as most humans did to him, but there was an added layer he couldn't quite make out. It was unfamiliar and downright seductive. He wanted a taste. He needed to feed.
Unable to wait any longer, Knives rushed the woman, wrapping an arm securely around her waist. He heard a light gasp just before he swept her mane of hair to the side, then traced her face to grip and control her jaw, forcefully stretching the skin of her neck before him. Another inhale of her delectable aroma entered his nose before he plunged his fangs into her.
But they didn't sink in. He always enjoyed the satisfying feeling of piercing a neck, but he almost slipped, his fangs clumsily hooking over the front of her neck and his lower teeth pressing in unintentionally.
The girl giggled in his grasp, “My brother bites harder than you, and he hasn't bit me since we were children.”
Knives heard his ego crack.
Barreling ahead, he squeezed his victim tighter to him and she released a little squeak as he went to bite again. This time, he found purchase. His teeth didn't bury nearly as deep as he wished, but it was enough to nick the surface and he began to suck.
“Woah!” The girl exclaimed, then forced her way out of his arms far too easily, “I might be rudely barging into your home, but I'd prefer to bring a different housewarming gift, if that's okay with you.”
Knives felt like a fool as he stared at her with his jaw dropped. She had spun to face him, that skirt of green flying around her as she did. A small bead of blood formed at the spot he had managed to nick, but it wasn't anything like the huge puncture wounds and fountains of blood he was accustomed to. This bite would likely scab over within minutes. He was also in awe of the way he had completely overpowered his strength, bending his arms out of their comfortable hold in order to escape.
The girl reached over to pat his shoulder as if they were lifelong friends, “It was nice to meet you, Mister… I actually don't know your name! Mr. Vash never told me. And anyway, I have places to be and bread to bake! This was quite an experience and I hope we can meet again in more cordial circumstances.”
Curtsying with a politeness he hadn't seen in centuries, the girl slid past him and likely exited the way she came. Knives just stood like an idiot, defeated in his own ambient hallway.
When he finally came to, his fists clenched and anger rose in his chest. Knives very nearly stalked out into the woods to hunt the woman down and flay her open. He would drain her dry and leave the slim pickings for any beast that dared near his territory.
As he turned around, he finally closed his awed mouth and felt that familiar consistency of blood on his tongue.
His pulse sped up as he tasted. Pausing to savor, Knives ran a hand around his mouth in hopes that he had accidentally swept up another drop, but his skin was clean.
She tasted immaculate. The most perfect of flavors to match his particular palette. He felt his stomach gurgle once again, this time with a specific hunger. This woman was the perfect taste he had been searching for.
And she had escaped his grasp with a supernatural ease.
Knives sped up the stairs to grab his cloak. He would need to find Vash and consult him about this latest capture, fully set on capturing her for a much longer period of time.