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The Forever Knight characters belong to Barney Cohen and James Parriott and Sony/Tristar. No copyright infringement is intended. Permission granted to archive on fkfanfic. Thanks to my wonderful friend and beta reader, Lisa. If you like it let me know.
A fine bloodsweat had broken out all over him. A look toward his competition told him with satisfaction that Gerrard fared no better, possibly even worse.
They had not fed in over forty-eight hours. This final challenge was suddenly and horribly made obvious as they smelled the blood coursing through the mortal recently added to this hellish equation. Neither could see her. The heartbeat was relatively calm, LaCroix noted with amusement. True, the slew of enforcers standing by as body guards would undoubtedly see that the mortal remained from harm, but a certain amount of fear was to be expected. Unless she was simply unaware of the creatures who desired her beyond all rational thought.
So this was it. Whoever gave into the hunger first would be the loser.
The bait approached. Both men went the opposite direction. Away from the temptation as far as possible.
They managed to stay away for the next twelve hours, but as night approached in the enclosure, coming on sixty hours without sustenance, the intensity increased. The pain.
They were starving.
Gerrard remained outwardly composed, stubbornly impassive. He was determined to be the winner, and yet as the mortal approached, he did not flee. Curiosity also getting the better of him, LaCroix stayed to see, who it was that was so incredibly appetizing.
Shocked beyond belief was a mild way to describe his feeling at seeing Natalie approach. The plan suddenly evident, LaCroix shut his eyes in an effort to block the pain of betrayal.
A secret weapon, that's what he'd over heard her tell his children. He'd thought she was on his side. 'I think you should reconsider,' he had heard her tell Nicholas and Janette. 'He has a secret weapon that will allow him to win the final challenge.' That had been the day before he left, the day before all of this had begun. He thought Natalie spoke of him, not the competition.
Another betrayal. Payment for what? Revenge exacted for interfering in Nicholas life again? In hers? His thoughts grew cluttered. Only the irresistible draw of her blood remained. Enticing, compelling...
Stop it, he steeled himself again. Think of something else. Anything else. Pokemon, that singing purple dinosaur... Had it really only been six weeks that they had been here? One challenge a week and then there would be only one remaining. The last one standing....
.........Flashback- 4 months previous..........
LaCroix looked around him with satisfaction. The Raven was having an exceptionally busy night, especially considering how late the hour drew. Or maybe because of it, he realized looking around again,this time in a less exuberant mood. Vampires, and vampires only. No humans in sight. He sighed resignedly. Wednesday morning had rolled around again. It was nearing time for another viewing of that ridiculous show.
A young upstart vampire in an unholy alliance with an enforcer had started the first vampire television show, and network, for that matter. That's why the bar was closed to mortals, with one truly lovely exception, he noted as Natalie Lambert made her way through the crowd, to sit on the stool next to Nicholas.
"Oh good. I thought I would never finish at the lab. I was afraid I had missed it."
"Nope, just in time," Nicholas said, slipping an arm around her shoulder. "You've still got three minutes."
As the show came on the big screen television Janette had purchased specifically for the viewing, LaCroix excused himself to the more appealing world of radio. As he traveled he heard the intro:
This is the real adventure of six vampires, isolated from the communtiy, left to meet their fate as they battle through five challenges. Who will remain? Who will win the prize? Who will be.....The Last One Standing....The music rose to a crescendo.
A cheer rose up from the crowd as the theme music began.
So unoriginal, this concept. Borrowed from mortals, nonetheless.
The Nightcrawler may have a thing or two to say about this, he thought....
End of part 1
Onto Part Two!
