A two fanged Seduction

It was a shock that Andre hadn't known his actions would even garner a response, perhaps a sadistic growl, another shake or some kind of pain...anger. But as he slipped his neck around and bit at her neck, he could sense something within the vampiress shift away from that rage. He couldn't pinpoint it, but he knew that something had turned dangerous, the knife edged game he was playing could turn lethal for him...and as Devianna's arms tightened around him he feared he had played the wrong card. There was the briefest flash of guilt in his mind, something that just felt alien, as if it were bleeding into his brain like two radio stations overlaping slightly. He looked back at Devianna, and before he could snarl an insult at her she had fallen away.

Andre stood there, looking down at the vampiress as she fell to the floor, crying. The words that escaped her mouth were so alien to the Vampiress that she had been the night before that he was more curious than anything else. He knelt down next to the writing form, listening to the words that slipped from her mouth as though he weren't there. It was a sickening kind of detached curiosity that he watched her, one hand reaching out and wiping a drop of the blood tear from her cheek. He held up the red stained finger and licked at it experimentally. His eyes widened at the strange flavor to it, but he spat out the bloody trace. He knew how a vampire turned another, you needed to be bitten and then drink the blood of a vampire. It took a bit of feeding, the taste wouldn't be enough to corrupt him, but it would give him some vision of what was going through the thoughts of the female.

Andre closed his eyes and felt the emotions wash over him, guilt, pain, disgust, hatred. It all mingled together in something so painful that he took a deep breath. He couldn't catch visions, but he felt the sense that she was speaking to someone else...someone closer. He blinked his eyes open and felt a tear run down his cheek, it was a wave that he was in danger of drowning in, but he slowly mastered him self, he'd dealt with such emotions and more during his time as a hunter, he'd had to feel those things coarse through him. He mastered it, feeling a thought of betrayl for his weakness...

...no, Devianna's weakness. He opened his eyes and saw her kneeling on the floor, wrapping her arms around herself with her long golden curls cascading around her face. He stood up and fixed a look of hatred on his face. He could see the sobs of the female before him, and they gave him strength as they weakened her, as if the sudden imbalance in power had shifted, him leaching away her strength for his own as she was left on the floor weak. He stepped forward, standing over her and wondering what he might do, taking her again had it's appeal, but twisting her...tormenting her. That would be delicious.

"You're weak Devianna. So very weak. I hear your cries of sorrow, of appology to your sire. But you're too weak for her to even care." Andre said cruelly. He reached out and grasped her blonde hair, yanking her head back so that he could look into her violet eyes. He could see that pain in them, and he delighted in it. Killing her and her sire would be nothing, breaking her, breaking both of the vampire whores...the very thought brought his manhood to stiff attention. Having both of these vile creatures at his command? Catering to his whims? Taking these creatures who thought themselves masters and making them the most base kind of servant...

"You'll live Devianna, you'll live." The voice had a cooing sympathy to it that was all the more menacing as he spoke it. In an eyeblink, his demeanor changed, he yanked back on her hair bending her head back so that he could bite her throat hard enough to leave the vicious red marks on her pale skin. Without waiting for a response, he stood, still holding her hair and dragged the woman across the concrete floor and through the door to the house. He didn't stop when he hit the polished hardwood, he kept pulling her along, up the stairs to the loft where his bed was. He threw her down onto the large bed and glared at her.

"You'll live, but you'll be my pet." He said wit ha snarl, the familiar bulge in his pajama bottoms leaving no doubt as to what the depraved and demented hunter was planning for next.

Allowing Nem her moment to regain her dignity, Caine stood behind her, his eyes slowly returning to their normal mismatched state, and held his wrist until the wound closed, then buttoned his cuff.

"Did I see what you saw?" he repeated her query. "Of course I did. That much works the same no matter how long you have lived or learned." He waited a moment more and when she still hadn't turned to him, he continued. "She's quite strong, your Devianna. I can see why you were so attracted to her."

He paused for a moment, eyes distant, listening dispassionately to what Devianna was going through, then turned his gaze back to Nemesis. "She loves you, Nem. And she's terrified she has hurt you, that you are ashamed of her. She fears that you'll hate her for what she did when the Thirst had control of her. She's trying even now to reestablish contact with you. I have her blocked, and told her you were safe and wanted her to survive." He stepped quietly up behind her, and gently took her shoulders in his hands, turning her to face him. "She truly is your Childe, and she needs her Sire. She needs to know that you are coming for her, that you still love her."

His fingers tightened on her shoulders, hard enough to hurt. "So, are you ready to learn what you need to be able to help her? Or are you going to run from me for fear of what I might do this time, as well? Make your choice, Nem. Do you want my help, or are you going to finish your old human destiny and become a martyr, taking your own Childe down with you, or worse, leaving her for that pig of a hunter to toy with?"

"She loves you, Nem. And she's terrified she has hurt you, that you are ashamed of her. She fears that you'll hate her for what she did when the Thirst had control of her. She's trying even now to reestablish contact with you. I have her blocked, and told her you were safe and wanted her to survive."

Her eyes shifted back to glimmering emeralds at his words, she stared down at the ground hard and refused to respond to him. She heard his footsteps and fought back tears as he spun her to face him. She looked into his eyes and then away as he spoke.

"She truly is your Childe, and she needs her Sire. She needs to know that you are coming for her, that you still love her."

“I do…” She left the rest unsaid, that she was disappointed in Devianna, that she was horrified and disgusted by her Childe’s response to the hunter.

Nemesis couldn’t even find the will to get angry, she just felt disheartened by the entire ordeal. Caine’s fingers pressed into her arms painfully and caught her attention; she ignored the pain of it and looked into his eyes.

"So, are you ready to learn what you need to be able to help her? Or are you going to run from me for fear of what I might do this time, as well? Make your choice, Nem. Do you want my help, or are you going to finish your old human destiny and become a martyr, taking your own Childe down with you, or worse, leaving her for that pig of a hunter to toy with?"

She snarled at his words, finding the anger inside her at last, “I did not become a martyr Caine! I never wanted to be in that prison! They made me a saint a few centuries later as though the church could make up for what they put me through! Devianna won’t suffer him much longer but I will not let this pass! She disobeyed me and was foolish in her actions! She got herself shot Caine!”

She brought her arms up and broke away from his hold, furious with herself, Devianna and everything in general. Nemesis turned away, eyeing her shield and sword again, remembering the lessons Caine had taught her. The memories were so vivid and so painful. Finally she turned back to him and got her anger under control.

“I will learn again Caine. After all, I spent 40 years learning from you on battlefields, this one will just be in my head but never forget we have unfinished business you and I.” Her eyes flickered red for an instant, stern and direct knowing he and he alone would understand that.

Her eyes became brilliant green again and she forced herself to look away from Caine, if she had a heartbeat; it would surely be racing right about now. She couldn’t comprehend all the things she felt for her Sire, he saved her but condemned her, she loved him but hated him and she disappointed him but desired him.

She fought to keep it from her face; her expression became void of emotion as though she wanted to prove she could care less about the vampire. Her tone however was fluttery and anxious as she spoke and that did give it away unfortunately.

“What do I have to do?”

"No wonder she couldn't stay away from you,"

The voice, masculine and reeking of power, infiltrated her mind. She tensed, his presence washing through her. While he didn’t have the same complete effect on her as he did on Nem, she was part of her Sire, and his presence was noted in every fibre of her body. She’d never met him before, though she knew what Nemesis had given up to keep her. Her only other memory of him was the faint impression that he disliked her severely… perhaps to the point of wanting to harm her. What else would have her and her sire running through the ages otherwise? Devianna swallowed.

"You were hurting your Sire, Devianna. I have stopped it. She can no longer hear you. She wishes you to survive. See that you do."

And like that, she felt it. These were not shields of steel, or bricks, or stone. The shields that blanketed her mind, that swallowed the connection to Nem was like pure impenetrable darkness. She feared pressing against it too much in case she to was pulled into the void. Everything she sent out, every declaration of love, every threat to Caine about hurting her sire, every sob of mercy and beg of forgiveness just sank like stones into a deep, dark pond. Without resurfacing. So, just like that, Devianna was suddenly very, very, alone…

…Except for the pounding heart beat grating on her senses like a warning bell ringing over and over. Her head felt empty, she didn’t realise how much she relied on that welcome tie that promised her she belonged. She was disorientated, her emotions leaving her mentally weak, her physical strength sapped away with her lack of will.

"You're weak Devianna. So very weak. I hear your cries of sorrow, of apology to your sire. But you're too weak for her to even care."

The words sunk through the emptiness, ricocheting in her empty head, blinding her with their cruelty. Red bloomed in the black, her dead heart ached with more tender emotions. “No…” She finally whispered, moaned, anything else cut short as his hands fisted in her hair, the pressure yanking her head backwards. Her eyes couldn’t avoid his own. Her heaving breaths filled her mind with his scent, but for once it was easy to ignore the angry burning in her throat that demanded his life force.

"You'll live Devianna, you'll live."

The shudder traced her body, she couldn’t keep her horror from shadowing her eyes. His coo made her breath ragged with denial. The bite, his teeth blunted and forceful, yanked at her straining body. Surprised, the vampire hissed, her body contorting with the sensations. Fight, fight, fight. A voice in her head screamed, in a mockery of Nem’s voice. Her limbs felt leadened, heavy, the weight of her Sires emotions and words dragging her will power into the floorboards, swallowing it alive. She snarled brokenly as he moved away, her hands curving up around his own in a desperate attempt to free her hair from his clasp. “Nemesis Please!” She cried, just once, the plea falling on dead ears. It finally sunk through that Caine had shut her Sire off completely, and the woman began to shake.

Survive, must survive he said. She still wants me… right? I took her away from him; he’d know this would be worse then harming me. Survive… survive alone… what if he’s lying? What if she’s not coming back? He wouldn’t be lying, only said she wanted me to survive. Survive alone… but she was all that made living forever worth it.

This brought abandonment issues to a whole new level. A lump formed in her throat, the feeling so alien she couldn’t describe it, she knew it was a human reaction, but struggled to place it amid the hazy human memories she had. Her body jarred against the stairs, her sluggish muscles finally reacting to minimalise the damage to her body. She hit the softer surface woodenly, twisting instantly to keep her eyes on him, instinct taking over more then her conscious self. His pet? Her lips twisted into the beginning of a snarl, though she didn’t have the rage to back it up.

To weak… to weak for her to even care… She shook her head violently, trying to free herself from the hold of his words. Golden curls dashing around her face like waves of sunlight breaking against her skin. Her eyes flickered to the windows, measuring the distance, willing her muscles to move, to flee, to survive… if only because her Sire wished it. “You can take me, insult me, control me through my blood lust. But you’ll never have me willingly.” Her voice shook slightly, it sounded odd to herself, echoing around her empty head painfully. Just another reminder of what was lost. Her head tipped defiantly, but that was all she could manage. She tried to rouse her spirit, but it was like trying to stir dying embers with wet wood. Her eyes flickered to the door, she could make it, she was still stronger and faster, she just had to move past the emotional blackhole that was dragging her strength with it. Fight, scream, kill... Anything. But she just knelt, and watched him, her muscles tensed with inactivity. Her mind screaming at her unresponsive body. Anything.

It was strange Andre knew that there was something gone from the vampiric whore. She had been so full of fire, so full of difiance, she had been in complete control over him. But she'd lost it, something in her mind had broken, or been taken away. The revelation came to him slowly as he looked down at Devianna lying there on his matress...her Sire. The other vampiress, she'd abandoned her. An slow look of evil spread across his face, the potential for power had once more fallen into his hands. He stayed where he was, glaring down at her with that savage look.

"You're alone Devianna. Alone. Your sire left you to me, she didn't try to find you, she didn't come for you. She abandoned you to me." Andre said, looking down at her, the sharp gaze of his eyes boring in on her. He knelt down on the bed, one hand shoving her back onto the matress.

"She dosen't care, and I can feel your heartache because you know it's true. How very human of you to feel such sorrow. You seemed so strong, but I guess it was all her." He hissed vicously as his hand grasped her throat and held her down to the matress. He stared into her eyes, the violet seemed to linger somewhere between rage and pain, but she still had defiance inside her and he relished the thoguht of it. She would make an excellent slave, when properly broken and most especially properly conditioned. It would be a long process, but since her Sire had abandoned her, he had all the time he would need.

"Accept me as your new master and things will be easier for you." He stared down at her, then leaned forward and licked her face. The laugh that escaped his lips was cruel.

"You're alone Devianna. Alone. Your sire left you to me, she didn't try to find you, she didn't come for you. She abandoned you to me."

Devi’s body started to tremble, his glare weakening her already unresponsive muscles. She started to shake her head. It wasn’t true. It couldn’t be. Violet eyes flared with desperation. He came closer, the mattress dipping under his weight. She should move now, don’t let him touch her! Run, escape! A comparatively hot hand shoved against her skin, then wrapped around her throat. His pulse thudded through her body, blood, pain, heat, thirst! She snarled lightly at his vicious words, her own cooler hands coming up to wrap around his wrist. Just one tweak… she could snap it.

Her muscles didn’t respond. What was happening to her?!

"Accept me as your new master and things will be easier for you."

The words curled towards her mind, with a seductive cruelty. They brushed against her senses, his hot tongue trailing possessively against her face. She shut her eyes, in disgust she thought, or shame or… anticipation? Her eyes snapped open in shock, mentally shaking herself. NEVER! Her snarl turned more vivid, she forced response, her hands left his wrist, moving to his body. Her legs curled, it took nothing to tip him over, swapping their positions. She yanked herself backwards, taring his hand from her throat, her eyes almost black with her fury. Her own pressed into his neck, her nails biting slightly into his flesh. But not hard enough to draw blood, she didn’t need that distraction.

“I’d rather die.” Devianna snarled at him, trying to ignore the dark and echoing element her mind had taken on. She was by herself now, one way or another, it was hard to accept. Harder still to know what to do. Well that wasn’t true, she knew she should have escaped by now, but something kept her here. A weakness in her limbs every time she thought of it, desperation when she thought of facing the world outside – alone. Her hand pressed down harshly on him, enough to bruise lightly, as she forced herself back and away from the draw of his blood… the hold of his flesh. She moved once more with grace of hundreds of years, her speed inhuman as one moment she straddled him, and the next her back pressed to the far wall.

Her mind kept focusing on his words though; her life it seemed was ruled by dominating forces. Vlad in her mortal years, Nemesis in her vampiric. She’d grown accustomed to it, to being her own dominating presence to her prey, but always having the higher force there, ready to punish or direct. The thrill of being taken out of her precise art of control, the seconds it took for that one being to possess her. Granted Vlad had been damaging with what he inspired… but Nemesis… her Nemesis. She shivered lightly at the memories of what her Sire could induce.

“You’re going to die, Mortal.”

The vampires hissed threateningly, her dark eyes flashing gold for a pure, ferocious moment. But she remained where she was, either hand with their fingertips pressed lightly to the wall, as though it held her there… or as though she clung to it. Her resolve had floundered again, but her body bristled with her inner battle, to kill or to run. Fight or flight. The darker voice in her head couldn’t help but think there was something else keeping her in that room. Something she couldn’t fathom… or didn’t wish to – at any cost.

The response to his words was just what he wanted. The vampiress still had her strength, but the motion of her grabbing at his wrist was little concern to him...the fact that she didn't snap it in a heartbeat was a perfect reaction. She was stronger, she had fed, she could take him, but she hadn't killed him. Either out of ego or out of sadism, she didn't want him dead yet. She didn't want to flee yet. His lips skinned back from his teeth in a wicked grin right before she pulled herself forcefully from his grip and shoved him back. His air was pressed from his lungs and he was dazed as her hand grabbed at him, as her cold grip against his skin excited him. He took a sharp breath and struggled against her grip.

“I’d rather die.”

Andre felt the grip on his throat and wondered if she was going to crush his throat and end this. He didn't feel fear at the thought, instead...it was welcoming. The end of all this, his only regret would be that their kind were still abundant, still hunting humans and treating them like prey. No, he didn't regret the things he'd done, they weren't human, they didn't have souls, they didn't count...none of them. But even as he felt the squeeze, Deviana leapt clear across the room, as fast as he could blink she was pressed against the wall on the far side of the room. He took a deep breath, there would be no release, not yet. He rose from the floor and looked at her.

"Coward, if you wanted me dead I would be dead. You don't want to kill me. But why I wonder?" Andre said and walked across the room, his eyes locked on the golden ones glaring at him with nothing but hate. He reveled in it. Grinning at the hatred and walking close to her. Something was making her hold back from killing him something was making her linger here.

"Fear?" He asked, the word coming out loud in the room.

"Coward, if you wanted me dead I would be dead. You don't want to kill me. But why I wonder?"

Her snarl ripped through the air, but she couldn’t move. Her fingers were leaving indents in the wall behind her, the wood groaning beneath her strength. Devi wondered as well, the need to kill was there, the dark, desperate burn for revenge. But something stayed her hand. Every time she raised it, every time she willed death on him like an impenetrable curse, nothing happened. Her muscles didn’t respond.

Sire, I need you.

The words were swallowed by the darkness once more; each step he took closer shuddered through her body. She bristled at his next word, how mocking and condemning it seemed to feel, sliding against her eardrums, drawing an involuntary flinch. She growled, a bang of her fist against the wall trembled the room. “I am not scared of you.” She hissed, and couldn’t decide whether that rang true or not. It was laughable that she could fear a mortal physically – but feared what he represented… surely not?

Sire, I’m sorry.

Her fingers itched with the need to wipe that dark grin from his face, her fangs elongated, fury took control. She forced herself to move again as he got close enough. “You want me to kill you? Fine, I can accommodate.” She snarled darkly, her hand leaving the wall to snatch his throat again. She spun them, slamming him against the wall. There was barely time for him to take a breath before her hand had shifted, and she sunk her fangs into his throat.

Blood. Red. Oblivion.

A feral rumble vibrated in her chest; his taste flooded her mouth, soothing her burning throat. The blood bond of feeding ignited quickly though, and his presence washed through her. His memories, thoughts, emotions flooded her senses. Her golden eyes fell closed, though they twitched under her lids restlessly. The swell of his hatred, his fury, his pain battled past all of the walls supposed to keep the two minds separate.

For one horrific moment, their minds joined.

Her body trembled, frozen with shock. Such a thing had never occurred to her before, she didn’t even know if it was possible. She had access to everything, just as he did.

Sire, forgive me. I can’t kill him.

There was a torn cry, as somewhere she found the strength to pull away from him, her canines dripping with his blood. Her saliva healed his wound quickly, but she pushed back from him with such force her balance and grace abandoned her and she fell. The gold had disappeared quickly in her horror, violet eyes wide with confusion, and now, finally, with fear.

Because, she could still feel him.

Somehow, his mind had wrapped around her own, in her desperation for her bond with her sire she’d left an unimaginable opening. A new bond had formed, like nothing that could form, like nothing that was possible. It wasn’t a sires bond… but it was there, it was alien, and it gave him an element of control over her.

“What are you?”

She hissed, pushing herself away from him until her back hit the other wall. The taste of blood forgotten.

"What do you have to do? Nothing, which is why you've never managed to accomplish it," he answered. "You always build a barrier in your mind when you try to block something, Nem. It's as though you think that you need to build yourself a fortress." He shook his head as he looked into her eyes. "What did your life and training teach you about a fortress? There's always a way to breach it, to batter it down."

He waited a moment for her to absorb the idea. "And even worse, it attracts attention. It's like a landmark or a beacon. Perhaps a better thought would be a taste or a scent. And once you know that taste or scent, you will always be able to find it again."

"And that is your problem, you have to mask yourself, to become nothing and hide yourself from the link. Or, in the case of now, to hide the link itself. You are still linked to her, Nem, but I am hiding your link from both of you."

He stopped, his eyes going distant as he felt tension through the link he was hiding. His lip raised in a sneer as he watched the reactions of Devianna. He very nearly inserted himself back into the link to chastise Devianna, but decided against it. She wasn't his Childe after all, and if she went so far as to completely disgust Nemesis, then so much the better. He quickly withdrew with a slight shake of his head. What she was doing with the human disgusted him.

"Learn to be nothing," he told her, his voice hard. "And learn quickly, I have no desire to continue masking your Childe and feeling her... experiences."

"What did your life and training teach you about a fortress? There's always a way to breach it, to batter it down."

Nemesis listened as he spoke, he always had a way of making her feel stupid as though what he was saying should be obvious but really it was just his disappointment when she failed to grasp something that got under her skin. She tossed her raven locks and considered his statement carefully, she nodded and understood this one in particular and recalled a few battles in her mind in quick succession. She’d once told him in answer to a question about a castle that there was no foreseeable breach of entry, no weakness within its walls and when he showed her the crumbling foundation of the east wall, a small easily unnoticed section; she had chastised herself for weeks.

"And even worse, it attracts attention. It's like a landmark or a beacon. Perhaps a better thought would be a taste or a scent. And once you know that taste or scent, you will always be able to find it again."

“Like a flower…” She murmured half lost in thought over this statement, her expression screwing up in slight confusion as she struggled to comprehend his words.

"And that is your problem, you have to mask yourself, to become nothing and hide yourself from the link. Or, in the case of now, to hide the link itself. You are still linked to her, Nem, but I am hiding your link from both of you."

Mask myself and become nothing? Like the opposite…fade from view, Nemesis considered it and took a deep breath; this would take some time to get control of.

"Learn to be nothing. And learn quickly, I have no desire to continue masking your Childe and feeling her... experiences."

That made Nemesis pay attention, she looked into his eyes and suddenly wondered what Devianna was going through that would make Caine so appalled that he wished to have no more to do with it. Nemesis closed her eyes with a nod and attempted it, she thought of a long forgotten time where an altar room inside a church had introduced her to the sweet scent of Lavender. She focused on the smell and nothing else; it seemed to fill the room around her as she struggled to disappear with the fragrance. The irony was not lost on her, her ability to become invisible physically had been an easier task to grasp and now she had to vanish from view inside her own mind? She near laughed at the idea that this was more difficult than that but remained quiet, she took this quite seriously and knew that Caine would want her to clutch this charge as fast as possible.

She set herself inside the scent and used Elizabeth as a guide, while her connection wasn't nearly as strong as Devianna's; it suited her purpose perfectly. Nem could see her leaving the Manor and the Lavender filled her nostrils, she breathed in calmly and felt slightly like Houdini in that moment. She pushed the absurd thoughts from her mind, the smell...focus! Nemesis vanished into it, willed herself of nothing else, willed herself not to exist outside of the Lavender that engulfed her until finally her mind was clear of everything including her own existance but still she sought Caine's approval, he would know if she had succeeded...

Her eyes fluttered open with a breath as she looked up at Caine, “How was that?”

Andre could see the snap take place in her eyes. She was enraged, she was incensed, she was going to kill him at last. It was strangely freeing, knowing the end was upon him to a life that had no regrets. He felt her grab him and shove him into the wall, the paneling cracing with the force and dazing him as her fingers dug into his throat. He tried to speak, but the pressure made him choke slightly as he looked into her eyes. It was death, death looking back at him, and he let himself relax. The time had come...and as her fangs sunk into his neck, he closed his eyes and felt...

...everything...

His body sapasamed as their minds lingered, the invasion of such alien things into his brain, the feelings that he had long since killed. He fought back nausea...and he felt Devianna release him, dropping him to the floor as she backed away. He reached a hand to his throat and stroked his neck massaging the tender skin. After a moment, he rose up...feelling...

...her. He looked across the room at her as she pressed her back against the far wall, his eyes narrowed at her question, he scowled at her.

"I am something you have never met. Devianna." Andre growled walking towards her, stalking slowly. His fingers reached up and touched the side of his head, tapping his temple gently. There were things inside there that he hadn't felt in a long time, passions, emotions and feelings that were tearing at him.

"You're inside here Devianna...you're making me feel things...you're tainting me..." He growled the words as he closed with her, his eyes boring into her...it was the violation of him he hated most. The asault upon him that he loathed the most, not the feeding, not the strength...she was changing his mind.

“How was that?”

Caine stood silent for a moment, considering. As always, Nemesis had done things in her own way. It was one of the things that had always made him proud of her, the way she took a lesson he showed her, and made it her own, adding a subtle refinement or twist to it. He should have expected it really.

When she had started thinking of nothing but the scent of lavender he had despaired that she had taken his metaphor a bit too literally. But then the lavender began to mask her, to obscure his sense of her. As she concentrated more and more, the lavender grew, and Nemesis faded. Finally, the only thing left was the scent of flowers, the image of wild growing lavender in a field. Then she released it, and asked her question.

"How was it? Odd," he said, considering the effect. "Very odd. I told you to be nothing, and you became a lovely smelling flower." His brows rose, and a moment later so did the corners of his mouth in an approving smile.

"You never could just do what I told you, Nem. You always had to add a bit of your own touch to it." He laughed softly. "So long as you don't run out of scents to mask yourself, it will work fine. I suppose it is a personal choice. I become nothing, you become a flower. I hide, you camouflage yourself. the effect is close enough to the same." He regarded her thoughtfully. "Can you maintain it? Can you ignore your Childe's calls for aid? the sensations that will seep through? For make no mistake, Nem, she is strong. I can feel her through the masking. I guarantee you will as well."

His fingers tightened on her shoulders. "Are you strong enough to save her? To save both of you? I'll help you as you wish, but this is something you should do. A Childe must never see their Sire as weak. Cold, distant, unreasonable, all the things you have thought me, but never ever weak." He paused, sighing. "And hopefully they will always know that you love them too."

"How was it? Odd. Very odd. I told you to be nothing, and you became a lovely smelling flower."

Nemesis might have been worried he disapproved or that she hadn’t quite mastered it were it not for the smile spreading over his face. She smirked a little as it grew wider and her pale cheeks were lit with slightest crimson blush as she realized how very silly it sounded when he said it.

"You never could just do what I told you, Nem. You always had to add a bit of your own touch to it. So long as you don't run out of scents to mask yourself, it will work fine. I suppose it is a personal choice. I become nothing, you become a flower. I hide, you camouflage yourself. the effect is close enough to the same."

She felt a growing pride within her at his approval that she’d not yet realized was growing inside, she had never finished learning things from Caine and centuries later when she and Devianna were desperate and close to death; Nemesis finally realized her own Sire had never tried to harm her. He had been trying to save her from a grave mistake but then; Nemesis could never completely listen to him however clever the advice was. Her own pride wouldn’t allow that.

"Can you maintain it? Can you ignore your Childe's calls for aid? The sensations that will seep through? For make no mistake, Nem, she is strong. I can feel her through the masking. I guarantee you will as well."

Nemesis stared up at him, considering his every word and wondering if she truly could ignore Devi’s cries when Caine brought the barrier down between them. Nem was a fast learner but grasping it and perfecting it was very different to merely understanding a concept. The increased pressure to her shoulders had her eyes tightening with concern for her own Sire; was he trying to impress a point?

"Are you strong enough to save her? To save both of you? I'll help you as you wish, but this is something you should do. A Childe must never see their Sire as weak. Cold, distant, unreasonable, all the things you have thought me, but never ever weak. And hopefully they will always know that you love them too."

Nemesis was nearly shocked but her face remained impassive as she processed his words carefully and spoke with precision.

“I’m only as weak when she is connected to me Caine, otherwise you know very well how strong I can be. Isn’t that why you came looking for me? Why you had to know how France could be flourishing? Why you sought to capture me? So did you learn much Caine? Did I ever surprise you?” She paused a moment and considered his other words.

“Devianna amazed me and I didn’t shy away from that, I made no secret of how much I wanted her. You and I are very different, we have a very different kind of bond, relationship or whatever you choose to call it Caine. You challenged me time and again, I relished that from you. Perhaps you hold some affection for me Sire but I have never deluded myself into thinking you loved me…not once.” Her voice dropped to a whisper at the end of her statement.

Nemesis cleared her throat, “We are far too formal for that Caine and however you see me now, I know you see me in chain mail and armour as you always have. I love Devianna and I will be strong for her…you need not stay, I’m certain your corporation needs you to sign something, stamp something or spend a mass amount of money on something.”

Nemesis pulled away from him and looked over her shoulder at him, “I’m awaiting a scout report and Elizabeth’s return…once I get both I will find the hunter and you will no doubt hear of the results. You can lower the barrier, I will manage…and then…you can go Caine. We can both forget you ever found me, I know you want that, you always seek to leave…”

Nem glowered at him a moment before the impassive façade of a mask slid over her face again. She wouldn’t have him see her weak or emotional after all her spouting. She could do nothing now, it pained her to say all she had said and deep down she knew she wanted her Sire by her side. Nemesis couldn’t forgive him for the past though…however much she wanted to.

Caine stood still as his Childe, and deep down he always thought of her as that, his marvelous, wonderful rebellious Childe, rattled off her answers to his questions. He kept his features impassive, concealing what he thought and felt behind a visage of vague interest as he always did. It was a lesson he had learned millennia ago, never ever show what you truly care for, else it could be used as an advantage over you.

"I have no doubt that you are strong enough if you say you are, Nem. Just remember, it is not going to be pleasant." He started to say more, then stopped as she continued on. It saddened him to know that she had so misinterpreted him. But before he could answer she uttered her dismissal of him. Do it and begone, as though he were a servant, and not even a hint of thanks for his aid. The carefully schooled indifference slipped from his face as his rage burned hot.

His eyes flared red, and his right hand flashed from her shoulder to her throat, squeezing tightly, talons manifesting and threatening to tear into her. "Just like that is it, Nemesis? Have you forgotten the most basic manners you were taught while you were alive?" He pulled her close, glaring into her eyes, daring her to manifest her powers, to fight back against him. His left hand dropped from her shoulder to grip her hip. "Am I servant to be dismissed so? No, not a servant. You were always polite to even the lowliest of servants."

His rage burned hotter, the nearness of her sparking an interest, and arousal that he had long denied. "Do not ever presume to know my mind, Nemesis. Or what I feel. And certainly do not ever think to dismiss like that again. I go or stay by my own choice, just as you did all those years ago when you ran from me. It was you who did the leaving, my sweet little general. You left me, never forget that." He pulled her close, his lips crushing hers in a heated kiss before he pushed her away roughly.

As she staggered back, he dropped the mask blocking her link with Devi. Letting her feel the full measure of what he had been shielding her from. "She is yours again, as she always was. And I will do as you wish and depart. But it is your wish, Nemesis. You are the one choosing this. Should you wish otherwise..."

He left the words hanging in the air, flashing away before the echo had stopped. Where he had stood a small paper card slowly fluttered in the empty air, falling gently to the floor. It landed face up, displaying nothing but an address.

Caine’s power flared bright and fast, in a flash her eyes were drawn to the glowing pools of them and his hand moved in a blur of speed only a few inches to grip her throat. She felt the needle points pressing her throat and threatening to rip her apart, she knew his talons had grown out and Nem was aware of his anger long before he said anything. Her hand covered his as she attempted to prise his hooked claws from her vulnerable throat.

"Just like that is it, Nemesis? Have you forgotten the most basic manners you were taught while you were alive?"

She felt him draw her closer, her feet scraping uselessly on the ground as his power started to crawl through her veins and it took everything within her not to attempt to fight back. She knew the end result of that before it started and it wasn’t pleasant. His fingers curled around her hip but she was barely aware of the movement as his anger inflicted on her senses dangerously.

"Am I a servant to be dismissed so? No, not a servant. You were always polite to even the lowliest of servants."

Nemesis winced at that, she choked in her attempt to answer him and cover her own reaction to his body and power being only a few inches from her own. Had he not had a tight grip on and not just the hand around her throat; she wasn’t sure of what she would do.

"Do not ever presume to know my mind, Nemesis. Or what I feel. And certainly do not ever think to dismiss like that again. I go or stay by my own choice, just as you did all those years ago when you ran from me. It was you who did the leaving, my sweet little general. You left me, never forget that."

Nemesis had many reasons not to retort to that but she was left speechless by his words; he’d not called her ‘his general’ in centuries. When he’d arrived it had been ‘Childe’ or ‘Nemesis’ - both of which were formalities between them. Before she could think of any kind of reaction; his lips pressed to hers and Nem got the very shock of her life then. She became the embodiment of a blank slate; her mouth reacting as if disconnected from her brain and she didn’t know what to think or how to feel.

He pushed her back and she stumbled, gasping in surprise but then the walls between her and Devianna were brought crashing down by Caine. She couldn’t retort for the memories that came storming through her mind and the horrid gut wrenching pain of her fledgling which made her skin crawl. Nemesis sunk to her knees and cradled her head in her hands, her fingers clawing at her ebony tresses as she fought to control the pain; forgetting all Caine had taught her for that moment.

"She is yours again, as she always was. And I will do as you wish and depart. But it is your wish, Nemesis. You are the one choosing this. Should you wish otherwise..."

Nemesis barely noticed that Caine had vanished but for his power receding in her veins, she focused her thoughts as some of the cloudiness dissipated, “Lavender…lavender…” She murmured as she recalled that sweet scent again, it seemed to flood the air around her as though she were inside that same space in time when she had first discovered that scent.

The crushing lifted from her chest as the smell curled around her in a loving embrace; protecting her from Devianna’s tormenting experience. Finally she felt as though she could breathe again; the irony of that was not lost on her and it made her feel a little human though she wasn’t sure exactly how that made her feel.

She saw the white card on the stone floor for the first time and picked it up with a soft sigh; she had been harsh to Caine. She stood in a fluid movement; she felt…guilt. She swore silently and grimaced; she’d not felt so human since he turned her. She was supposed to be this unfeeling, noble, sinful, murderous vampire! Not this simpering human she had felt like a moment ago. Nemesis turned the card between her fingers and thought carefully about what she would do with this human and how she would approach him.

The chances of discovering a hunter’s nest were slim at the best of times but she’d not come across a hunter who had been able to make a hostage of a vampire. That was disconcerting at the very least. Nemesis needed the information from…Elizabeth, she sought out her link with the vampire, travelling along it until she could see Elizabeth in her mind’s eye. She was here, walking right up to the door…

Nemesis snapped from her connection and turned around to see a smirk on Elizabeth’s lips, she held a piece of paper aloft, “Got it.” Elizabeth said triumphantly.

Each step he made towards her sent a silent bolt of panic through her body. Her mind swam with images...pictures of his memories flashing vividly in her mind’s eye as his blood pumped feverishly through her veins. Devianna frantically searched the darkness, desperate to hear her sire’s voice, desperate for any sort of guidance, a sign that she was still with her, a command of what to do. Yet the silence that remained was deafening. She vaguely heard the creak of the wooden floor as Andre moved tauntingly closer, his eyes burning into hers, his hatred swimming in his warm blood that now pumped through her own body. She could feel the nauseating hatred he had for her and her kind and his animalistic vengeance he endeavoured to claim. She could feel everything that was Andre; hatred, anger, pleasures of sadistic violence, betrayal, violation and vengeful.

A small cautionary growl vibrated within her chest as Dev returned his gaze, her eyes glistening gold, her fingers breaking through the wall behind her as her body tensed. She wanted to kill, needed to kill...but who? The desire to kill him was more than apparent, but to her surprise, deep within the now barren part of her psyche she found the need to kill herself; to make herself suffer for the sadistic creature that she was. The more she focused on the barren darkness that once housed her connection to her sire, the more she felt him...his thoughts, his emotions, his desires, his needs all tauntingly swirled around the dark pit and buried themselves deep within. She closed her eyes and willed him to be gone but the more she challenged the more his psychic claws ripped into her mind and rendered her powerless.

Powerless...the word rang within her ears, his hatred for her dizzying as she fought within her own mind to keep him out. But the word remained...powerless.

That is why she left you Dev, that is why she left you to him. You are weak Devianna, too weak for your sire to even care.

"You're inside here Devianna...you're making me feel things...you're tainting me..."

“You will pay for your insolence...” Her golden eyes shot open, a snarl ripping through the silence of the room as she lunged at Andre. They both hit the floor, the solid thud vibrating the wooden floor below as her knee solidly thudded against his chest, pinning him to the ground. He squirmed under her weight as she pressed her knee harder against his sternum, her hand moving to wrap tightly around his neck. Her blood-lust was quickly growing out of control, but she didn’t care.

She wanted to kill him, needed to kill him, slowly and painfully. Her mind continued to flash images of his memories; the brutal and violent torture he pushed upon her own kind. Her anger grew; her blood lust rising as each image emerged then faded into something more sadistic. He couldn’t be human; he was completely detached of any sense of guilt or remorse. Even she, at some point in her mortal life, felt the slightest inclining of remorse as she watched her victims die before her. It was a flighting feeling, but a feeling none the less. But he felt no such thing.

She needed to make him suffer...suffer until his body shuddered in agony as he exhaled his last breath. Dev leaned down, her cold breath washing over the nape of his neck as she watched the blood frantically rush through his veins. With her spare hand she traced the delicate vessel, the heat sweeping through her fingertip causing her to tremble.

“You have no idea of the delights I would have prolonging your torture. It would be so easy just to finish you now, finish you and be done with this fiasco.” Her voice slipped seductively from her lips despite her inner battle, her sultry facade was flawless after the many years of training from her sire. She flinched slightly at the thought of her sire’s abandonment, but quickly pushed it away. This moment was for her and no one else. Her fangs elongated, softly tracing the soft nape of Andre’s neck. She could feel him tense below her, a small sense of satisfaction passed through her mind. She closed her eyes, her hand tightening around his neck, his breath struggling to reach his lungs.

“You are weak Andre. I have almost sucked you dry...one quick sip and you’ll die.” Her voice cooed around his ear, her tongue tauntingly licking his earlobe as another small shudder washed through his body. She breathed deeply, satisfied of the fear that radiated from him. But there was something else...something that was much stronger than fear...satisfaction and contentment.

Devianna pulled back, her head tilting curiously to the side as she scorned him with her golden gaze. She watched him struggle for air, her knee subconsciously crushing against his sternum from each small movement he made. She searched his hate-filled eyes and found the answer she was looking for.

“You wish to die, hmmm?” A small smile crept to her lips as his eyes narrowed onto hers, his silent gaze radiating the truth of her words. “Yes, death...to be free of this world and the monsters that lurk in the shadows. Free from the wounds that you tried to bury in your weak soul, but continue to carry. Your love for her grows steadily as your hatred does for our kind. Her death didn’t free you, did it? But your death would...that is what you want...to be free from her...isn’t that right?”

Andre struggled once again under her grip, her knee crushing his chest once more causing a small wince to wash over his angry face. She leaned down, her fangs brushing against his ear as the words flowed softly from her lips...”But you see, dear Andre, death is a luxury that you do not deserve. For you are no better than I. Perhaps I should drink you, then turn you...morph your sickening soul into the very thing you so greatly despise...forcing you to spend an eternity obeying, worshiping and submitting to the monsters you so violently loath.”

Instinctively she searched her darkness for her sire’s approval only to find him. Would she never be free? Her blood-lust was peaked, her desire to torture him pulsed in her every breath, yet he remained in her mind, pushing his desires onto her so discretely that it caused her stomach to turn. She growled frustratingly before her fangs sunk deeply into his neck. She felt the coppery warmth wash over her tongue, sliding heavenly down her throat, her strength growing with each deep pull at his neck. She felt him stiffen below her, his pulse fading slowly as she drained him. But as she prepared to drink the last life-fluid from his now unconscious form, the bond that he so discretely created pulled on her conscious.

Devianna violently pulled away, a cry of frustration and anger ripping from her blood-stained lips. He was still alive; she could smell his life, though faint, radiate from the body below her. Slowly she moved off him, stalking back into the shadows of his room, her eyes intent on his form. She could run, but run to what? To a sire who abandoned her, who no longer wanted her? Her heart lurched painfully, but what was the alternative? To run and be alone...for the briefest of moments her mind ran through her mortal and immortal lives, but no memory of being alone was to be found. Both lives were served to protect and obey another which in turn gave her a reason to continue, to breathe, to live. And now? Dev slowly fell to the floor, her head buried in her hands as tears streamed down her cheeks as her heartache and grief overpowered her state. What was left for her with no master, no sire, no Nemesis?

Her eyes slowly rose to focus on the lifeless form in front of her. She took several steps towards him, her hand instinctively wiping away the trail of tears upon her cheek. Gingerly she lifted Andre’s head and placed it on her lap. Dev swiftly trailed her fang over her wrist, hesitantly piercing her own flesh and watched the blood swell in the wound and trickle down her slender wrist. Her breath trembled from her lips as she placed her wound softly against Andre’s lips. She wouldn’t turn him; she had no desire to be permanently attached to the monster before her. But she couldn’t let him die, not until she had the answers only he could give. She let a small amount flow into his open mouth before pulling her wrist away, bringing it up to her own lips as she healed her wound. She placed his head back down upon the floor then moved back into the darkened corner. He would heal quickly, his blood rejuvenating swiftly with the aid of her own...and then she would have her answers.

Nemesis and Elizabeth poured over a map of the city, Nemesis felt heady from Caine’s power and blood coursing through her. The vampire was strong but he was that much stronger and a little under four times her age, it was little wonder that his blood drugged her like a poisonous virus. Without his presence to control it; it became something like being stoned and she was forced to sit down to stop the light headed sensation.

“Who was he anyway?” Elizabeth asked her quietly as she placed a sticker on the map; noting the hunter’s last known residential address.

“Who was who?” Nem asked her in feigned confusion, hoping Elizabeth wouldn’t force open the can of worms that was Caine.

“The man who blurred past me into the limousine.” Elizabeth looked up and levelled her eyes with Nemesis, “The one that has you sitting in that chair unable to focus, the one that has caused waves of fear from you, the one who intimidates you and the one you…” Elizabeth trailed off but Nem had a feeling she knew where her Childe had been about to go.

“He was my Sire Elizabeth, he came to offer his help to me.” Nemesis said shortly as she tried to ignore the surprised look on Elizabeth’s face.

“Your…your Sire? You have a Sire?! I mean…of course you have a Sire but I just thought…” Elizabeth trailed off in embarrassment.

“I know what you thought, just as Devianna thinks the same. I have never mentioned my Sire to either of you. You thought he was dead and he was as good as that to me…” Nemesis waved her hand dismissively, suggesting the subject be dropped which Elizabeth was all too happy to comply with.

“So the police say he vacated his farm house but apparently his uncle owns this apartment, the police have no idea about that though because his uncle isn’t blood related.” Elizabeth informed her.

“Another hunter?” Nemesis asked.

Batty nodded, “Exactly. I found out that he used to belong to what the police called a gang but my guess is this older man they all called ‘uncle’ trained them.”

“How did you find out about this?” Nemesis leant over the map to inspect the positions of the stickers.

“Easy, there was a cop there who was clearly hiding something in his head. You know how conflicted humans become when they don’t share with others. Well this one slammed into my mind like a semi trailer the second I walked in and I charmed the information from him.” Elizabeth told her simply.

“How did he know this and why didn’t he share it?” Nemesis asked in surprise.

“He knew because he was a blood relative of the man and I guess he must have seen this ‘kid’ as he called him, around. He was embarrassed to be related to the ‘uncle’ because he’d always seen his brother as a bit of a nut job. He didn’t want his buddies to know. He’s feeling guilt for your cellar victims Nem.” Elizabeth grinned with a shrug.

“Excellent Batty.” Nemesis smirked and sat back, taking up a glass of blood, “I knew you’d not fail me…”

“Thank you Sire.” Elizabeth said proudly, “There’s just one problem…”

“The others? Do we know if he still contacts them?” Nemesis asked in concern, sipping from her glass while Batty shook her head.

“No idea but I’ll bet anything the others get called in if he needs them and coming up against you Nem? He’s going to need them and he knows it. He knows you’re not driven by bloodlust, you’re not some silly childe, you’re beyond that and so am I. Devianna merely got overexcited…” Elizabeth said thoughtfully.

“I won’t risk it Elizabeth. You and I can take one hunter easily but who knows how many of these others there are?” Nemesis sighed and put her glass down, covering her face with her hands, “I turned Caine’s assistance down…”

Elizabeth arched both brows, “Why Nem? I can feel it in you, you lo-”

Nemesis held up her hand and lifted her face up, “Don’t. Say. It. Don’t you ever fucking say it.” Nem said dangerously, spitting her words like fire.

“Caine can’t be loved. Caine can’t be kept or held or adore another. He can’t feel anything and the most he feels for me remains in my mind. He loves picking my brain on war tactics.” Nemesis said matter-of-factly, “He is an excellent strategist and a stronger and older vampire than I. I need him for this but nothing else.”

Elizabeth trembled as she felt Nemesis’ anger surge like white hot lava through her veins, “Why do you hate him?” She almost whispered.

Nemesis stood up, her chair sliding back against the wall with the sudden movement, “It’s a fine line Elizabeth. A very fine line.” She swept her lengthy skirt from the table and moved to the armoury door, her hand pausing on the handle as she looked back at Elizabeth.

“It’s not why I hate him that matters. What matters is that he doesn’t care if I do or not Elizabeth.” She pushed the door open and slammed it behind her, leaving Batty to jump in surprise while Nem made her way back to her room.

Once she was safely in her bedroom, she pulled the little white card from the inner cup of her lengthy black dress - it trailed in ruffles over the floor, hiding the waist high slit until she moved. She picked her cell phone up from the bedside table and dialled.

“Operator? Get me the number for the Crown Hotel Penthouse please…” She said nervously, tapping her black stiletto beneath her dress as she was asked if she wanted to be connected, “Yes…please.” She added with a sigh as she recalled Caine’s comments on her manners and how she had changed.

The phone began to ring and Nemesis held her breath…

OOC: I'd like to welcome Shy who is taking over for Fae as Devianna and soon we will be welcoming another to take over as Andre, please have patience and enjoy the story as it progresses! Thanks for reading!