Ready or not(caleb)

[dante]

He spun the small knife around in his hand, sitting in a chair, watching his child carefully. Caleb now chained up, his feet barely touching the cold hard ground of the warehouse. His stunt on Halloween could have gotten the entire family killed. It was acting out at it's finest and Dante wasn't going to stand for it anymore. As he waited for his child to awaken his thoughts went back to his past punishments, and though harsh, they were few and in-between. Nowadays though, it seemed Caleb got a kick of acting out and trying to prove himself to the humans.

Finally, Dante saw Caleb's eyes start to open. He stood up smoothly, walking around him slowly. Then he started to speak, his voice soft and calm, but the undertone was one of Caleb could expect some pain to soon come his way. "Your determined to make me stake you..aren't you boy?" He asked, Dante extremely frustrated with the vampire hanging up in front of him. "How many times..must we do this?"

Dante slowly moved the knife down the pale skin of his captive, the cold metal having no effect on the vampire in front of him. He took the knife away from his skin and spoke again. "Sometimes, I think you just have fun pissing me off." Dante's voice got louder at the end of his sentence. Standing directly in front of Caleb now, he smirked. "So...Ready or not, Here I come."

[caleb]

He had been dreaming of her again. It wasn’t surprising. He always dreamt of her. Whether she was infuriated with him one day or slightly angry at him the next, she always crept into his mind. He had actually become accustomed to the visions of her in his mind doing God knows what. Most of the time it was killing with him. Slaughtering large amounts of humans in a bloody massacre caused by just the two of them. But others, other times it was something just as pleasurable. This time, he really couldn’t remember. All he could see was her face before the swishing sound of a knife in someone’s hand broke him out of his dazed slumber and then he remembered everything. Fighting with that kid, Ayden. Having quite a lot of fun with him. Getting even. Coming back to the area where she and Dante were staying. And then BAM! A large thrust right into the nose causing his bone to jolt upwards knocking him out cold by the hands of Dante. He could already feel his nose healing, but his head was throbbing, and he was in a very uncomfortable position dangling from the ceiling of what looked like a rather deserted warehouse.

Caleb groaned and lifted his head letting it fall back completely as he listened to the authoritative words of his very pissed off sire. ”You know the drill, Dante. I get bored. You tie me up. Do a little bit of your own torturing. And then we move on. I’m slightly pissed for a bit, but things are all good for a while. And then it starts up all over again.” He lifted his head again slowly, wincing at the sharp pain in his shoulder from dangling there for God knew how long. ”It’s what you made me. Figured you’d be used to it by now.” Caleb didn’t make eye contact with him. He did enjoy the games that he would play with his sire and his sire’s sire, but he did not at all enjoy this part. One would think he did just because he himself enjoyed the tormenting of victims and fairly often was masochistic enough to feel pleasure in it all if he was the victim. But not when his sire was angry with him. It changed the perspective completely. It wasn’t fun when he was getting punished for doing something that vampires were supposed to do. And it wasn’t fun doing it by himself….without his sire.

Caleb sighed as he at least warned him before doing whatever Dante was going to do to him tonight. ”You know, every time you do this, I don’t understand it. We are vampires Dante! You enjoy it as much as I do. So, why don’t you enjoy it with me instead of being all uppity about it. We are new to this town. Quit being a party pooper and play with me like old times yeah?” He doubted he could convince his sire, but at least he may be able to get Dante to understand his reasoning.

[dante]

Dante took two steps away from Caleb and dropped the knife onto the small table he had with various other instruments of torture. The fireplace behind him was burning, the wood in it crackling, he spoke softly as he took a metal iron poker out of it. "Do you remember when I turned you?" Dante blew on the poker slightly, allowing it to cool just enough. "I wasn't expecting to find anyone that night..and then you came along." Dante walked forward holding the poker in front of Caleb's eyes.

Dante carefully leaned the hot poker against his chest, watching as it puckered and burned. Enjoying himself greatly, though his Caleb refused to admit it. Dante was an extremely powerful and cruel vampire, the watchers diaries called him one of the worst ever created. But, this always bugged his son, now under the pain of his hot poker. He always wanted to be better. Dante moved the poker down, before smiling cruelly and sticking the rod about halfway through his body. "I choose you for many reasons that night, Caleb." He pulled the rod out quickly, watching as the hole slowly healed and caleb tried not to scream. "One of which, your so tough...but that means I just have to try harder to break you."

[caleb]

Caleb watched as Dante stepped back and dropped the knife onto the small table. Had he decided to inflict pain with something else? Caleb wouldn’t be surprised. There were all sorts of things Dante could use, and Caleb was never sure what type of new instrument he would use next. Dante had leaned closer to the fireplace taking out a metal fire poker. Caleb rolled his eyes. Of course he’d choose something that burned inside and out. It had been said that if you stuck something into a vampire’s chest that was hot enough no matter what it was, it could dust them in an instant. Who knew, chances are it was just a tale, but Caleb really didn’t want to find out.

Caleb stared at Dante as he asked him a question he couldn’t remember the last time he’d heard. The answer was yes, but he didn’t respond. Every vampire remembered his day of birth. Being reborn as a bloodthirsty killer. Being a killer didn’t phase him at all nor did the bloodthirsty part. It was something else. Something that he didn’t like to talk about. Most of the people who wanted to become vampires didn’t have a life at all. If they disappeared no one would care because they had nothing going for them and had little in life. Caleb was different. He had it all. The looks, the hobbies, the love of a family. And he made a mistake. The mistake of trusting someone that he had never met. He didn’t think that memory would ever leave him. But it somewhat pained him to think about it, even though he wouldn’t trade the life he had now for the world.

Caleb had been too busy reminiscing that he hadn’t noticed that Dante had moved the poker forward. He was jerked back to reality when the searing metal poker touch the skin of his chest. Caleb winced but held his ground until the poker was jabbed through him when he couldn’t take it any longer. The sheer agony he was feeling was voiced through his scream. He breathed heavily with soft painful grunts escaping his lips as the poker was stationary now inside of his abdomen. Caleb was just waiting for Dante to make another move. To cause him more pain. He barely heard Dante because of the ringing in his ear from the sting he was feeling . Caleb knew it was coming and he tightened on instinct which he shouldn’t have done at all. The poker didn’t come out so easily when the muscle was gripping it. Even so, he tried not to yell out this time using that skill of his to be “tough”.

Caleb closed his eyes and let his head drop for a few seconds. He wondered if Dante was going to use the poker again. It was a possibility that was for sure. After a few seconds, he was able to speak. ”Lucretia’s not here to see your torture? I’m surprised. I thought she hated me just enough to want to see my agony.” He tried to laugh but his chest hurt too bad, so only a smile was present. If he could change the subject enough, Dante might not make him go through hours of this like he had last time. He could tell by how angry Dante was that this could take a while.

[dante]

It wasn't just physical torture, Dante was good at. He was also very good at mental, finding that one place in somebodies brain they never wanted to go and after living with Caleb for a hundred, plus years. Dante knew everything that made him tick, and when he mention Lucretia, he was left with the perfect opening. "No, Lucretia will not be joining us, she's getting ready for me upstairs." He said calmly, picking up a lighter from his metal table and flicking it on and off, allowing the fire to glow in the darken room.

Dante smirked cruelly, as he turned the hot flame to his childe's skin, burning small patterns into it. "I find it fascinating after all these years you go after Lucretia, Especially since, that you have the worth of a small rat to her." Dante smirked a little, keeping the flame on one spot a little two long, allowing it to burn deep into the flesh. "Lucretia is my Maker, not yours, and no how much you try, she is never going to be yours. I thought perhaps after all this time you had learned that." Dante turned the flame off, leaving his child hanging there, panting in pain. "Your my Child Caleb, and I do have some sort of...affection, for you, but do not think for a second, that you will get away with anything, while I'm around." Dante dropped the lighter to the metal table and turned to head up the stairs. "No more idiotic plans, if we are taking down the slayers, we are doing it as a family." Dante turned his neck, facing Caleb, still hanging grinning. "Don't go anywhere my boy."

[caleb]

Caleb winced looking away from Dante as he mentioned that Lucretia was waiting for him upstairs. Maybe changing the subject wasn’t the best idea. It had opened Caleb right up for more torment. Dante knew him to well. As much as Caleb tried so hard to hide his constant infatuation with Lucretia, Dante had been with him for too long to be oblivious to Caleb’s growing interest in his sire. If Dante wanted to really irritate Caleb and hurt him in the worst way possible, discussing his relationship with Luc was it. It was difficult for Caleb. Seeing his sire and the woman he had feelings for be together in the way that he so often wished he could be with her. But that was Caleb. He might have been one of the most vicious killers in the world, but when it came to certain women, he was captive to their thrall no matter how much he concealed it. What he needed to do was find someone that could take his mind off of Lucretia enough to actually enjoy the life he had with his sire. Either that or he had to kill her to make things much easier for him, but he knew that was a long shot. Dante would never let that happen, and of course Caleb would never be able to destroy her.

Caleb could hear the flicking on and off of the lighter and see the flash of light come towards him. He flinched as the flame burned into his abdomen. As the flame scorched his skin, Dante’s words did the same to the feelings Caleb tried to keep hidden from everyone. Caleb knew Lucretia would never love him like she had loved Dante at one point, and he knew he would never be anything of worth to her, but Caleb’s interest in her grew strong, and unless he could find someone else to obsess over or Lucretia did something he could never get over, he was stuck feeling this way for all eternity in hopes that she would eventually come around to seeing things his way.

Caleb finally lifted his head to stare at Dante as he told him how things were going to be from now on especially if Caleb pulled something like he had in the club. Every muscle in his upper body tensed as the flame continued to turn that one spot on his abdomen black. Once the lighter was closed and dropped onto the metal table, Caleb’s body relaxed as he panted softly trying to collect himself. Caleb listened as Dante commanded that he stay put. He could still feel the blood from the fire poker slipping down his chest. He could still smell the putrid scent of burnt flesh. He breathed heavily slowly lifting his head to watch as Dante headed up the stairs. ”H…how long,” Caleb began with a weak crackle in his voice, ”….how long do you think she is going to stay with you until she gets bored, Dante? Until you aren’t….” Caleb winced as the pain from the fire poker wound coursed through his chest. ”…. aren’t good enough for her?” He knew he should have stopped there. Dante had said his peace. Had told him what needed to be done. But Caleb was stubborn much like his own sire. And when he had something to say, he said it no matter what sort of trouble it would get him in. And whatever came of asking a serious question?