Disclaimer: I do not own BBC's Merlin!

But I DO own the cover image! I drew it myself!

Author's Note: There's no slash in this, mainly bromance/friendship. If you really want to you can read it as slash, I think it's quite easy to see it like that when you've got vampires wanting to drink blood straight from the neck. ;)

And please don't forget to check out the Author's Note at the end of the fic for some details on updates.

Enjoy!

"Temptation is the feeling we get when encountered by an opportunity to do what we innately know we shouldn't," –Steve Maraboli

Irresistible

Three days left….

Three days until Samhain. The day which marks the beginning of winter and the darker half of the year. A day of great magical significance to those of the Old Religion. It was also a day when vampires are most active, when their thirst for blood is at its very peak.

Vampires like Merlin.

Unlike many vampires, who are created when a human is involved in a blood ritual performed with an existing vampire, Merlin was a vampire by birth. Just like how he was born with his magic as a warlock. It was because of this that made Samhain a particularly troublesome time of the year for Merlin, as it influenced him more than any other vampire.

Every year, vampires infiltrate the citadel and attempt to attack the sleeping citizens inside, only to be confronted by Merlin.

"Let us pass, Emrys!" The leader of the coven hissed, baring his fangs at Merlin.

"Why should I?" He replied, eying them warily.

"You're a vampire too, are you not? You, Emrys, are our kin," thinking he has won the argument, a smug smile crept over the man's face.

"That may be true. It is nearly Samhain and we all know what that means for us…" Merlin trailed off, a serious gleam in his eye. He added, "More blood is needed to satisfy us."

The vampire leader raised an unimpressed eyebrow, "Yes. So?"

"If I let you pass, then you will attack many innocent people in the citadel and many would be drained until they are dry. Leave now and I won't have to harm you," Merlin's voice lowered, his tone dangerous as he spoke. "No one is passing."

"Very well, if you won't let us pass then we shall have to do this the hard way. Say your good-byes, Emrys," the leader of the coven snarled, his irises flashing crimson, glowing red orbs in the inky shadows of the passageway.

"Bite me!" Merlin taunted, cheekily. The effect was instantaneous, the air was filled with venomous hisses causing the passageway to sound like a pit of livid snakes. A second passed before the first move was made as a vampire charged forward and narrowly missed Merlin's head with their dagger.

Inside him, Merlin felt the heat of his magic rush to the surface of his skin and gather at his fingertips. He raised his hand, holding it outstretched towards the coven and his eyes flared with an almost blinding golden glow that briefly lit up the unrelenting darkness around them.

No one is going to be drinking Arthur's blood tonight.

"Rise and Shine!" Merlin chirped as he opened the Pendragon red curtains with a flourish, allowing the early morning sunlight to beam upon Arthur's slumbering face. Having been brought up hiding what he was, Merlin had long since gained a unique immunity to sunlight, allowing him to spend many hours in it with only minor side-effects such as headaches. Although Merlin was once as nocturnal as the rest of his kin, becoming Arthur's manservant had converted him into a morning person-survival instincts helping him adapt to the diurnal way of life that humans live.

"Merlin," grumbled King Arthur as his manservant yanked the covers off of him, exposing him to the sun's bright rays. Instead of getting up like he was supposed to, the sleepy King buried his face into his soft pillows to shield his eyes, his body curling defensively as though to protect himself from the sunlight as if was he was the vampire and not Merlin.

"Arthur, get up, you've got a busy day ahead. There's training with the knights, a council meeting before lunch, and audiences with the public in the afternoon as well as…preparations for Samhain to begin," Merlin listed as he dragged his friend out of the warmth of the royal bed and, once Merlin had swiftly put a shirt on Arthur, to the table where his breakfast was awaiting him. Merlin's only response was a groan.

While Arthur ate, Merlin busied himself with gathering the laundry for the day and making the bed, tripping at least twice every minute. After Merlin had accidentally knocked one of Arthur's vases over, the King spoke up, concern hidden in his voice which only Merlin could pick up on. "Merlin. Did you drink too much at the tavern yesterday? You're clumsier than usual!"

"No, I'm fine, Arthur," why wasn't he surprised that Gaius had used the tavern excuse again, even though Merlin had specifically stressed not to? Arthur looked as though he didn't believe him, his blue eyes taking in the sight of the dark circles beneath Merlin's tired eyes.

"You spent all night in the tavern again, didn't you?" Arthur's words coming out sounding more like a statement than a question. The King carried on, not giving his servant the opportunity to deny the accusation, "You know, Merlin, I'm not the only one who is going to have a busy schedule today."

"Prat," Merlin muttered, giving Arthur a glare which had no effect on him other than causing the King's smirk to widen in amusement.

"My chambers need tidying, the floors need scrubbing, my sword and armour need polishing, my dogs need walking, and…" Arthur trailed off, a gleeful twinkle in his sea blue eyes. Merlin knew Arthur too well to know what dreaded words would leave his royal lips next and he wasn't wrong. "The stables need mucking out."

"My favourite chore," Merlin drawled sarcastically and Arthur rolled his eyes, smirking.

"Then you wouldn't have a problem doing it then? Would you, Merlin?" Arthur jibed.

"The same way you wouldn't have a problem listening to the council drone on about the number of grains, Sire?" Merlin retorted.

"Merlin."

"Shut up?"

"You guessed it," said Arthur as he stood and moved behind the screen to remove his nightclothes while Merlin picked out an outfit from the wardrobe. "The red shirt today, Merlin."

"Yes, Sire."

Dressing Arthur that day turned out to be easier said than done. Merlin carefully slipped the high-quality silk shirt over Arthur's head and found himself standing very close to Arthur's neck, his breath ghosting over the exposed skin. Arthur shivered slightly but didn't back away since he wasn't completely dressed yet, instead he stood still as he waited for Merlin to finish dressing him.

"Merlin. I haven't got all day. Busy schedule, remember?" Arthur's annoyed voice snapped Merlin out of his thoughts of what it would feel like to sink his fangs into Arthur's neck.

"Sorry, Sire," Merlin replied, distractedly, as he fought to tear his eyes from where they had locked onto a rather delicious-looking section of Arthur's neck and hastily finished the task. Eager to escape before he could do something he would regret, Merlin hurriedly excused himself: "If that would be all, Sire. Gaius told me that he needed some more herbs today, can I…?"

"Go on then. Don't forget to muck out the stables!" Arthur called to Merlin's rapidly retreating figure.

Luckily for Merlin, the rest of the day passed without as much as a single problem. If mucking out all of the royal stables don't count as a problem, that is.

Author's Note:

I hope you all enjoyed chapter one of Irresistible as much as I've enjoyed writing it! :D

Feel free to let me know what you think of it!

As you may have noticed, Merlin has three days until Samhain- the same as you and I have. So here is what I'm planning on doing:

On the 28th of October (today), has this chapter with Three days left.

On the 29th of October, would have chapter two with Two days left.

On the 30th of October, would have chapter three with One day left.

On the 31st of October, Halloween (Samhain)-with the Final day.

Quick note about the vampires: No sparkles, etc. Just fangs and enhanced senses, etc. I'll explain it more next time.

See you tomorrow!

~PurpleFlyingBird