The following days passed in a haze for Aries. Nights were spent hunting vampires, and while the red-haired vampire always gave them the option to run each time it was refused, and each time he was drenched in a mix of his own blood and theirs by the time the sun rose. Unlike his time with Luca he was expected to sleep out in the alleys at night while Alex slept in hotels, food wasn't given to the vampire, and the days were often spent sleeping or being used as a test dummy for any manner of weapon or toxin that Alex wished to try on him. Aries accepted it though, drugged by the cruel assurances the man gave, that he<i>deserved</i>it, that he was<i>repenting</i>, that he was doing something<i>good.</i>Aries desired someone to hate him as much as he hated himself, he desired confirmation that what he was doing was the right thing... He wanted someone to hate him, he wanted to be miserable... He didn't want to be attached to anyone or to this very life of his. it was too painful.<br/><br/>And Alex had known all this from the start, from the very moment he saw Aries in the hunter's quarters and recognized the little vampire that he had kept as his pet for several months. He remembered just how desperate the kid was, what words he craved hearing, and also having learned that a small bit of praise given here and there made him completely pliable to his whims. He was all the more amused as he found the vampire's phone, taking it and explaining to Aries that he was adding his number to it... While he deleted Luca's and ensured that so long as the device was on he would be able to track Aries where ever he went. It was perfect honestly, as now he merely needed to wait until the vampire went through one of his "resets" and forgot Luca all together. Then Alex need only track him down again and start this farse once more... Then there would be no threat of the vampire turning against him even if he ever saw Luca again. It was perfect.<br/><br/>But... Of course, it was. Alex had planned this all, after all. He had made sure to have eyes on the pair since they left town, and following them to the library was hardly an issue. It only went smoother as Aries had separated them himself, saving them the effort of hiring vampires to do the job for them. It also helped that Alex had overheard them... It wasn't hard to piece together just the right words to ensure that Aries believed Luca never wished to see him again, convincing him that the human wouldn't want to see a vampire who killed the one who turned him... It was all so perfect.<br/><br/>That night had been spent hunting vampires again, and this time Aries was left gasping on the ground as a hole in his chest seeped blood. It hurt, it was scary... But he knew it still wouldn't kill him, it still wasn't enough. Alex entered the old building and gave an amused grin at the sight of the other vampire corpses that littered the room before approaching Aries. "Come on, time to go to the next one." He said flatly, and Aries pushed himself up shakily. But... But the small vampire realized that his body felt too heavy, his vision hazy... He needed sleep. "I said get up." Alex commanded again, and while the wound had ceased bleeding the vampire couldn't ignore the burning in his throat. He was hungry, the meal he'd taken from Luca having worked through his system, and his injuries night after night taking their toll. For one brief moment he remembered Luca's willingness to be fed from and his body shivered with want for that sweet taste again, his lips baring the tips of his fangs as he glanced up to Alex.<br/><br/>The human stared down at him in disgust, and while Aries had no intention of acting on the urge it didn't seem to matter to the human who deftly dragged a knife across the vampire's throat. Aries hit the ground again coughing and sputtering, fingers instinctively going to the wound as the holy water mixed with his blood... Alex always used a silver knife with the pure liquid, and while it couldn't kill him it always burned and took longer to heal than the wounds caused by other vampires. It was agonizing. "Don't ever look at me like i'm your food." Alex growled before clicking his tongue. "Useless. What's the point of being immortal when you can't even handle this much?" He asked, but the vampire didn't answer and instead merely curled up on the floor. He needed sleep, to rest... He was so hungry, but he hated himself for desiring Luca's blood again. He really was just vile, right? That's all he was.