"Awaken."

Laila's eyes opened slowly, their piercing black melding into the silky darkness around her. She was lying rigid upon a stone bench, surrounded by an airless cold and a stifling mystery. Her lithe, sinuous body was covered by a long, flowing black dress.

"Sit."

Laila felt her upper body arch gracefully and pull up, letting her head roll back and her shimmering curls spill across the grey stone. Her scarlet lips glistened and pulled into a slow, steady smile as her snowy neck rose and straightened, letting her eyes fix upon the man in front of her.

"Good."

The voice was smooth and controlled, issued from a man with neatly-cropped brown hair and cold, grey eyes. Tiny spectacles sat upon the bridge of his hawk nose. His mouth was hard and thin, unsmiling even as he looked upon the lustrously beautiful woman before him. His name was Adam Courtney, and he was thirty-five years old.

"Master," came the low, rapturous murmur, sliding forth from those addictive, scarlet lips. The unfriendly grey eyes fixed upon them approvingly.

"What is your name?" Adam asked calmly.

"Laila, master," came the thick reply.

"Laila what?"

"I only have one name, master," Laila purred, changing the position of her head ever so slightly so that a luxurious curl fell across her unblemished cheek.

"Then my work is done," Adam said simply. He turned to look to his right where, surprisingly, stood a glass door. Behind the door was a group of people who were watching intently. The head of them, a fat, balding man wearing a grey suit, was gazing hungrily at Laila.

"Work, master?" Laila whispered, her long, shapely legs crossing as she tipped them over the edge by turning sideways. Adam, however, ignored her.

"Your little creature has been created, Donovan," Adam called, his eyes fixed impassively on the balding man.

The man grinned widely and shoved open the glass door, running in. His minions waited, their eyes suddenly fixing on Adam, who had broken into a tiny smile. Another pair of eyes also fixed on him, piercing and black, like night.

"What's her name? Laila, was it?" Donovan babbled excitedly, his watery, pig-like eyes gleaming.

"That's right, Donovan. Just Laila."

Donovan took a tottering step or two towards the sultry creation, who lifted her chin in scornful contempt, peeling back her lovely lips to reveal sharp, blackened fangs. The man stopped, his eyes widening while his mouth dropped open.

"A-Adam..."

"Oh? Did I forget to mention an important point?"

The tall, lean man's hand shot out and captured the fat man's wrist in a vice-like grip, his grey eyes flaring while his thin lips widened into a manic grin. Veins pulled taut all over his body as he lowered his face to Donovan, who was slowly turning red.

"Get your fucking hand off me, man!" the fat man roared, attempting to shake Adam off. "Laila - Laila, get him!"

"I am her master, Donovan! Didn't you hear her?" Adam cried, squeezing Donovan's wrist more before hissing hoarsely into his ear. "I own her...kill him, Laila!"

The vampiress slid off the stone bench, the skirts of her dress trailing behind her, similar to a bride's. She tilted her head to the side, letting more lustrous locks rub themselves against her milky skin. Her eyes flared like Adam's until they were as large as beetles, piercing through Donovan, while her lips completely leered back and her fangs were wholly exposed.

Donovan screamed in fear, yelling for help, attempting to flee towards the glass door. The group outside merely watched hungrily, small smiles playing around their stunning features, their skins pale and their eyes beady-black. Laila threw herself upon their boss, sinking her black fangs into his throat, gasping and slurping in ecstasy. Adam laughed, his eyes still wide and the mad grin still in place.

Then it ended. The fat carcass had turned into something waxy and fleshless. Rich, red blood stained and glistened upon Laila's moist lips, sometimes dribbling down her chin and then onto her neck. The group outside exchanged envious glances with each other.

"Laila, sweetheart," Adam said breathlessly, reaching out a hand to the monster he had created. The temptress slid over to her master, laying a cold, slender hand on his shoulder. However, her beauty was now marred by the artwork of blood on her jaw, the beetle-like eyes and the obsidian fangs. The grin faded from Adam's face, but his eyes remained wide as he stared down at the girl. But then she seemed to become level with him, then taller. He saw her big, red tongue slither out to brush away the blood on her chin. He saw her large, loose curls flutter across her face. Then he felt her sharp, black nails break through his skin and dip into his flesh. Then he heard a scream echo round the room.

Only the scream was coming from himself, and Laila's smile grew. Soon the noise became muffled, and one of the group outside sighed. A female, a blonde replica of the temptress inside.

"I wanted that one," she murmured wistfully.