Roman (The Clutch 1)

The euphoric feeling sets in quickly. It's only been a few hours since I’d had any, and it was far more than I needed. As a human, I don't believe I used any illicit drugs, and they didn’t exist as they do now, but I would imagine this overwhelming sensation is what keeps addicts coming back for more. I continue to drink, binging on him until he grabs my legs so tightly, I stop to see what’s wrong.

I made a terrible miscalculation. The life force is leaving Nicolai's eyes. I rise up in a panic. “Fuck,” I mutter as he slumps onto the floor in a heap.

Quickly, I run to get Selene. I drank too much, and he’s close to being drained; she will know what to do. When she arrives in the doorway, she takes one look at Nicolai and pulls me back into the room, slamming the door behind us.

“What have you done, Roman?”

“I don’t know. It was a mistake! We have to do something!” I exclaim. I knew this was a bad idea. Fuck my life. Fiona won’t have to forgive me for killing a human because the Sisters are going to kill me anyway.

Selene drops to her knees and starts performing CPR on him. “He’s not responding, Roman. This is so fucked up. So. Fucked. Up.” She is angry, and I’m freaking out when suddenly she freezes. Her actions halt, and she stands up, ramming herself against the wall of the room as if someone shoved her there. Her gaze is blank, staring off into space.

The next thing I know, the door flies open, and the Sisters are in the room. All three of them, standing before me, with blood dripping down my chin and a dead or dying human at my feet. I am so fucked.

Atropos grabs me by the neck, shoving me into the wall next to Selene, her nails burning into my skin. “What have you done, Roman?!” she demands.

“I... It was an accident. He is still alive!” I choke out, her strength far more significant than mine.

All three Sisters look at Nicolai, who's flat on his back and clinging to life. Atropos still holds me to the wall, where Selene is seemingly suspended in place as if to be kept out of the way. Lachesis lets out a cackle of a laugh, startling me; the noise apparently causes her sisters to smile. Their evil grins all turn back to me.

“We will make him reborn,” she says, her wicked laugh following her statement.

“Yes!” Atropos agrees.

“Oh! A new child! How very exciting!” Clothos clasps her hands together enthusiastically. “I want him to keep his human name. I adore the name Nicolai.” Her childlike nature is disturbing.

“Humans receive new names, that is our rule,” Lachesis replies.

“But I like his name. It’s perfect for him. Look at that sweet face of his.” Clothos leans down to touch his face, stroking it gently. I’m choking less now, but I dare not move, for I don’t know what my fate is.

“Keep his name. I don’t care. We make the rules. Now, what do we do with this one? Death seems like such an easy way out for him.” Atropos turns her attention back to me.

“I agree,” Lachesis says.

“He will become Nicolai’s watcher.” Atropos lets me down, and Selene falls to the floor, waking from her trance and looking utterly confused at the same time.

“Oh yes, this is wonderful!” Clotho kneels beside Nicolai and begins to wave her hands over him as if she’s putting a spell on him. “He is just barely still human, we must do this quickly.”

Atropos moves beside Nicolai, grabbing his wrist violently, as it begins to let off smoke. The smell of burning flesh fills the room. His skin pales further, and any life that appeared to be left in him fades with her grip. “He is ready.” She looks to Lachesis, who is standing by, watching.

The mark of the Fates is left where Atropos held Nicolai’s wrist, embedded into his skin for eternity. I’ve never seen a vampire made, and it’s not lost on me that I was once in Nicolai’s place. I turn my attention to Selene, who is watching in horror as Lachesis takes Atropos’s spot, kneeling next to Nicolai. Lachesis extends her arm out over him, and with the other, slices her own wrist, causing a steady stream of blood to flow. As it drips off her arm, she positions it over Nicolai, letting it stream directly into his mouth.

Within moments, his eyes fly open, and he sits upright, his gray eyes as huge as can be. Selene and I both step back, as Clothos begins to clap in delight.

“Oh, my baby! So precious, my Nicolai!” she exclaims. She’s crazier than I imagined even possible, her childlike behavior bordering on psychotic now. The Sisters all stand across from Selene and me, while Nicolai pushes himself up off the floor, holding his throat with one hand. “He’s thirsty! We must get him something to drink. Keeper!” she yells at Selene. “Go fetch a human for him to feed. Now!”

Selene runs from the room, and the Sisters all turn to me. “You are responsible for his well being. For teaching him our ways. If anything happens to him, you will die a thousand deaths, do you understand?” Atropos says to me.

Fuck. Me. Did I just become a dad to a fucking vampire coed? “Yes, I understand,” is my reply.

“That is not your only punishment. Your human will suffer for your actions as well. The bond you share will be broken, and she will receive a visit… from us.” Atropos and Lachesis cackle together, while Clotho is obsessively watching Nicolai, who is now cowering on the bed in the tiny room, likely wondering what the fuck is going on.

“Please leave Fi—”

“Enough! You do not get a say in what happens here. You’ve done enough. Now tend to your apprentice!” Atropos yells at me. I stand subservient and nod, but I am not going to let them do anything to Fiona.

“Goodbye, my child. Enjoy yourself here on Earth. The spoils of our wars are yours in which to take delight in,” Clothos addresses Nicolai as she prepares to leave.

“We will be watching, Roman. Do not defy us,” Atropos threatens, as the door opens on its own, and the Sisters float out of the room.