Dark Hunters - a closed thread

[Lady_Kit]

A woman stands on a balcony overlooking the Charles River, her attention is drawn to the crowds that walk, jog or bike through the Esplanade. Head slightly tilted; she listens to the sounds of the night and scurrying people. Her face is smooth and without expression, her eyes are dark pools surrounded by sooty black lashes. The moon casts a pearly shine on her pale skin and she seems more statue than woman although, in fact, she is neither. The sounds of the crowd drift up to her. She filters the voices, searching for one in particular; one that has spoken to her every night for weeks. The pain draws her and she finds the one she wants. There are no words, only raw emotions, and the one burning desire; to die.

Tonight, you will get your wish. Just a little longer and you will be released from your pain.

The woman smiled as she reviewed her plan, yes, it would look like a suicide. The body would be arranged just so, the there should be just so much blood…ah American television made it so simple to commit the perfect crime and programs about police and forensic scientists quickly taught her how to easily hide the nature of her kills from unwanted attention.

Natalia is not a common criminal. No, she is a special case. To her mind, she is not a criminal at all. She only wishes to survive; unfortunately survival demands an occasional feeding and therein lays the crime. The crowds that walked, jogged and biked through the Esplanade were her food. Her prey. She took this penthouse overlooking the river because they passed so close; were so convenient. Oh, she was careful, never hunting too close to her own door, but this was always good place to start.

She could track them from this point; wait until it was the perfect time, and the perfect place, then she would take them. And once hers, she would drink their life as it flowed in a warm stream from their cooling flesh. Sometimes, as it would be tonight, she granted their wish for release from the pain of this life. Other times, she simply enjoyed the hunt and kill.

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OOC: Natalia is a vampire, hundreds of years old, she no longer remembers how many, and doesn’t truly care. Like all her kind she feels an incessant thirst for human blood. Her hunting ground is the nighttime streets of present day Boston. She has been in Boston for some months, and until now, the lone predator of her kind in the city.

Her face and body seem timeless, and in a sense that is true, they were frozen in time on the day of her death; never aging, sill a woman of middle years with raven hair, ruby lips and a full curvaceous figure. Her eternal beauty is only in part due to her living appearance; death and the attributes of a predator have enhanced what nature already bestowed.

Natalia has found her way into the upper reaches of Back Bay society and amuses herself with the gossip and intrigue of the idle rich. She takes part in affairs and sexual escapades where and when the mood strikes. But the pleasures are fleeting; humans are so frail.

A closed thread to share with a new friend.

 

[SmkyMtnRain]

“Please, Let me?”

I hovered over the features of the woman, her eyes following, trying to hold me as I drifted closer and caressed her nude, trembling body and drew away again, laughing softly.

“Beg for me child, let me hear it in your voice, your soul, to convince me that I should”

“I beg of you, please, let meeeee?”

My lips cut off the plea, caressing her own full, succulent as my hands teased her body into a writhing, trembling mound of quivering flesh, her muffled whimpers increasing in volume and tone.


“Tell me your name child.”

The words came from my lips as I drew away, her hot breath coming to my flaring nostrils in short, hard pants.

“Daylene, Dayyyyyleeeeene!”

Her soft voice answered, pleaded, her eyes begging as I lowered my own excited flesh to her fragrant lower lips and entered her, my eyes meeting and holding the soft brown of the human woman calling herself Daylene.

“Please? Tell me yours?”

Brushing her soft, lilac scented hair away from the delicate features of her face I nodded, then held her chin to avert her gaze from what was to come.

“Soon, child, soon.”

I promised as her body writhed under me, trying to take more of my flesh as I moved slowly in and out of her, then felt her body change in it’s demanding rhythm.

And as her release approached I felt the temperature of her flesh rise, heard her heart rolling it’s beat over itself like a drum, felt her muscles tense as her peak grew near. Eyes averted and closed she never saw the transformation in my features, the teeth becoming carnivorous fangs, the eyes described in her own words as dark pits now burning brightly as I descended upon her.

And at the first slicing touch she came, her loud expressions of pleasure amplifying as her body found it’s multiple release, pleasure merging with pain to become an eternal bond, and her soul followed.

“Rest well Daylene”

The wished went to the now quiet corpse, her body oddly distended and posed in her final moments of joyous release, the rain now beginning to fall as I dressed and moved to the edge of the roof top.

“My name, sweet Daylene is Death”


Stepping off the rooftop I felt my own form dip in the breeze, then rise against the warm drops and moved into the darkness of the friendly night. Below the unfamiliar town spread itself out below me, it’s body trembling with vigor and youth, pulsing with the energy of fresh, red, life giving blood. A new city. My city. A place where I would make my home among the rich and infamous and feed upon them.



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OOC: Thank you Lady Kit twice-fold. Once for the invitation to join you in such a delicious tale and the second for mention of myself as your friend.

Muerte is the name of my chosen one, a nickname given to him as his mother died giving birth and his father muttered “el portador de la muerte " before turning away.

Long Black hair covers gray eyes as he looks at you, his high cheeks betraying a heritage he curses. His first night in Boston he does what comes natural for him to survive and feeds, the feel of the ancient town already appealing to him as he moves about in solitude and makes plans to join the higher society.

 

[Lady_Kit]

The side street was dark and Natalia was just another shape in the inky blackness of the entrance to her townhouse. A young man walked near the entrance, aware of the dangers, real and imagined that such a space represented. He no longer tried to avoid death. That would be pointless when death was rushing at him on the wings of a cancerous tumor that the doctors told him was fatal.

Oh, they’d sugar coated it, told him he might live as long as 6 months with chemo and some experimental therapies. When he asked about quality of life, they had admitted that most of that 6 months would be in hospitals and that it was unlikely that he would even notice his surroundings by the time 3 months had passed. He’d told them to experiment on someone else and began to make his own arrangements. Tonight he’d decided that it was time to finish it all. In his pocket was a Colt 45 pistol. By morning Peter Jones planned to be dead.

Natalia stepped forward. Her face floated out of the darkness without benefit of a body, or so it seemed to Peter.

Do not waste your life with a bullet Peter. Share it with me and I will make your passing a pleasure.

She smiled and extended her hand; when he accepted her grasp Natalia drew him into the shadows and up the stairs to her home. As the door closed behind them she let her cloak fall to the floor revealing her pale lush body.

Peter felt his body stir. It had been months since he’d felt alive enough for sex, and now, all that energy returned. He quickly removed his clothing and took the strange woman in his arms. Natalia wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her body close. Her breasts pushed against his chest, and she molded her hips to his.

Any pleasure you desire is yours, Peter.

He kissed her deeply, savoring the heat of her mouth while his hands roamed over her back and ass. He felt his dick harden, growing quickly into a solid length that ached for her touch. Peter raised his hands to her shoulders and pressed down, driving her to kneel before his rigid member.

“Suck it.” He commanded, and drew her face closer to his cock. “Suck my cock, for a start. My life, for your body, and willingness.”

Natalia bent her head and took him into her mouth.

-------------------------------------

Hours later, she places his body in a furnace deep in the cellar beneath her building. Their coupling was incredible, his desires were fierce and she gave him every pleasure he wanted. Then she took his blood during his last climax and held him as his heart stopped beating.

Dawn found her beautiful body stretched nude on a bed covered in deep red velvet; lying as still as her latest victim, dead until sunset. On her dressing table lay an invitation to a party she planned to attend that night. She hoped that it would prove amusing for a change.

 

[SmkyMtnRain]

It was amusing at first. Amusing as an adult might regard the antics of young children playing together for the first time, watching them pose and position themselves and their antics to impress each other. Amusing as young adults pushed and prodded each other, testing themselves and their peers to see what they were made of, to find out if they were indeed, equal. But the amusement quickly grew to near boredom as the adult men and women that lounged about over drinks inside and out of the mansion continued to plague him with questions as to his background, his money, his standing in the international community of the elite and rich. Boredom for once again he found himself in too familiar surroundings and situations that he had seen too many times, no matter where he found himself, or at what time.

It was true, he had chosen to come here, for the women if nothing were not less beautiful, in fact their beauty was enhanced, modified upon and improved until it no longer was obvious if that beauty was natural or a product of the money they flaunted so recklessly. And with each query he was able to reach into their minds and leave the impression he was one of them, his money as aged as theirs, his background and family as dated, his power as deep reaching.

And with that amusement over their common beliefs that they were the elite of the elite, that their money made them the most influential, that they were untouchable in their rank and power, another emotion came to Muerte's mind.

Contempt.

Contempt for the frail creatures who believed real power lay in the money they so carefully hoarded and collected from the many, then flaunted it so recklessly in front of the few that they considered equals to themselves.

Contempt for their arrogance and how they reinforced the false knowledge with each other at the expense of others not as fortunate as them, of others who were simply born into the wrong family or geographical location.

For one thing Muerte had grown to understand over time was what the true definition of power was and how it played out through each and every being that inhabited the earth, how the meaning of it came to everyone regardless of position or birth, and how nearly all found it's meaning before they left their mortal existence.

It was time. Time for Muerte to become the teacher. And time for these rich and arrogant mortals to become his students, to learn the lesson he had learned so long ago, to share it with them one by one. Muerte would change the feeling of contempt to another emotion as he taught them all, choosing his pupils carefully and giving them each thorough and private lessons.

Muerte would attend to each detail carefully and see that each of his prized students learned their lesson well and it would be the administration of this lesson that changed his contempt.......................................................................to pleasure.

 

[Lady_Kit]

In an evening gown of crimson, Natalia stood out from the crowd of Boston beauties like a butterfly in a room full of moths. The halter neck left her throat, shoulders and a generous bit of cleavage bare to view, the long skirt was slit at the front and when she moved the more observant men in the room enjoyed a glimpse of pale thigh between the fabric edges. Her dark hair was pulled away from her finely sculpted face; her skin glowed with health thanks to the blood of her latest victim. More than one of the attendees to the party let their gaze linger on her as she moved through the crowded room.

Natalia felt their interest but it generated nothing but a feeling of derision, a feeling that was strongest where her host was concerned. Her disdain for the man grew as he tried to impress her with the newest addition to his collection of modern art. His new piece, a painting of a transvestite Virgin Mary, was an offense to her senses in its composition and execution, and she said so.

Michael, I hope you haven’t spent much on this trash. If so, your wife will have you committed.

He sputtered about the vision of the artist, and the de-politicized spirituality of the painting. Natalia looked at him and the painting with utter contempt. The foolish man thought that his money really could buy good taste. Of course, these people thought money could buy anything, could give them power. They didn’t understand anything, the only power in the world came from strength and blood. She patted her host on the shoulder, told him that his wife would appreciate the notoriety if not the increase in value of the “art” and promised to keep her opinion to herself.

She left the gallery and returned to the main floor where the party was in full swing, as were the participants. Natalia knew that within the many spare rooms all manner of debauchery was going on, and that tomorrow everyone would pretend that none of it had happened. The atmosphere made her want to bathe to remove the stentch of their humanity.

She descended the stairs, looking for a distraction when she saw a new face. As if her attention alerted him to her presence, he raised his eyes in her direction. The room faded away, there was no one but Natalia and the stranger, another of her kind.

“Who are you?” she asked with a look. “Why have you come to my city?”

 

[SmkyMtnRain]

Muerte

Solitude. I understood the meaning of the word and the unique benefits it brought to one of my kind. For with a single unique being among a throng of mortals it was relatively easy to blend into them, to turn the few curious minds or bend their wills, to become invisible while still choosing the evenings entertainment.

But when that solitude among our kind was broken?

It was as now. The tiny hairs on my body moved as if alive, the skin underneath tensing as I kept my composure under control and looked up.

Up and into a pair of eyes that thrilled me to my very core, the absolute lack of color and movement telling me that I had discovered something rare and beautiful, and had been discovered in turn.

She stood graceful and quiet, her long leg poised over the last step as our eyes held, the look in hers of wary curiosity as I began to close the distance between us. Step by step I moved, avoiding the men and women easily as they swayed to the music or their own internal, alcohol fueled bliss, my eyes never straying from the woman that stood motionless, cautiously, patiently, waiting.

"It is my great pleasure to meet a woman of such unique beauty" I greeted her gently and lifted my hand, to take hers gently into mine and guide it towards my lips. "Had I been aware I would have paid my respects much earlier, in the proper traditions as a guest should greet his lovely host"

To all that passed by us it might seem it was a normal scene, a man thanking the woman he presumed mistakenly to be the hostess of the party, and they would smile knowingly...

My lips pressed gently to the back of her warm flesh, the blood of her current feeding throbbing gently under the satin exterior of her flawless skin, and then broke the contact to look upward again into her fathomless eyes.

"Perhaps" I continued carefully, my nostrils flaring at the smell of her body, my body reacting to her close proximity and prompting me to suggest. "Perhaps we might retire to the quietness of the balcony to talk as two new friends might?"

It was as close as any of our kind ever stated to another that the loneliness of the forced solitude left a vast hole within, as close as we ever offered a temporary truce in order to salve that dark wound, and one as often not accepted as it was.

And yet I didn't fear her, knowing a predator rarely drew attention to themselves and never while amidst their human prey, and I smiled gently, waiting for the vision of erotic beauty to reply.

 

[Lady_Kit]

Natalia

He approached, his steps slow and controlled; a killer moving quietly among his prey taking care not to startle them with his presence. She measured him as he came toward her. He dressed like the human males; his tuxedo tailored to perfectly fit his lithe body; the dark fabric of his suit looking like an expensive skin stretched tightly over a marble statue. Natalia watched him, letting the fluidity of his movement wash away the image of a statue until he stood before her at the base of the stairs. He was dangerously handsome, with eyes as pale as hers were dark; above gray eyes surrounded by thick lashes a lock of raven hair fell across his brow; giving him a rakish appearance. Natalia felt an unfamiliar urge to push it away from his forehead and comb it back into place with the tips of her fingers. She might have done so had he not taken her hand and raised it to his cool lips. Her pulse throbbed and when he released her hand she felt strangely bereft.

Natalia listened as he said all the proper things. She appreciated good manners, and it went a long way to soothing her initial displeasure at finding another of her kind so suddenly arrived in Boston. “Here and feeding,” she thought. She could smell the blood of his recent victim on his breath and the scent awakened the predator in her. It would not be wise to linger in the crowd of partygoers and discuss the boundaries of territory and the rules of the kill. He seemed to feel the same.

"Perhaps we might retire to the quietness of the balcony to talk as two new friends might?"

Yes, I think that would be most…pleasant.

They moved from the stairs; her hand resting lightly on his arm. Men and women flowed around them, parting easily to allow them an unobstructed passage to the tall French doors that opened onto the vacant balcony. Natalia was aware of a tingling in her fingertips where they touched his coat, could feel power rising from his skin to meet hers. It was as if her body recognized him and responded without her consent.

The view from the balcony was expensive, a trophy of sorts, and another example of the social position of the owners of the home. Natalia doubted if anyone but illicit lovers seeking seclusion ever came out here. She thought it a pity for tonight Boston lay beneath them, sparkling in the darkness, the pollution from its many lights drowning out the stars in the night sky. She lifted her face, seeing beyond the glow of the city to the stars that had been her only constant for centuries; in the lonely existence of a hunter, one took comfort where it was available and the stars, unlike so many humans and those of her own kind, had always been there for her. Her need for comfort had not softened her; harsh lessons had taught her that comfort should not come at the price of safety.

You ask that we speak as friends?

She placed a slight emphasis on the word “friends” and smiled darkly.

A difficult thing for our kind, is it not? Before friendship I think an introduction is in order, and a declaration of your intent. After all, you have entered my domain without my leave. And you have hunted. Successfully.

Small steps placed distance between them; giving her room to defend herself if necessary. His behavior while inside meant nothing in the grand scheme of things; until he spoke, his motives were unclear. He could mean to settle here and that would necessitate the removal of a rival. There was also a chance that like her, he longed for the company of his own kind, but that possibility was more remote. Loneliness was a familiar companion.

Deciding that offering a token of good will would lose nothing Natalia relaxed slightly, smiled at the stranger and spoke.

I am Natalia. Welcome to Boston.

 

[SmkyMtnRain]

Muerte

Movement outside ceased to have meaning as I concentrated on the deadly beauty in front of me, each of her words, her lithe motions containing a greter meaning then the tone or action.

"Freinds?" She intoned and raised an eyebrow the total heighth of a single dark hair that crowned her beautiful eye.

Doubt was spoken in that tiny, singular word and in the minute dance of her eyebrow, the eye below remaining cool, studying and trying to decide.

"A difficult thing for our kind, is it not? Before friendship I think an introduction is in order, and a declaration of your intent. After all, you have entered my domain without my leave. And you have hunted. Successfully"

The doubt vanished and underneath it rose the Mistress of power, the ruler of this city as her words claimed...and demanded an explanation as well. Steel rang in the words, finely tempered and honed to razor edge, yet flexible enough to bend if a situation demanded...and not break under the stress.

The sheer power of the words spoke droves, the confidence and the presence as she spoke them told me...I had found who I was looking for.

I looked to the city below us and the throngs of live, warm blooded humans that moved on the sidewalks and streets within it, how vibrant and alive everything looked and how fresh...

"My name is Muerte" I began carefully as it was her turn to study and learn, lifting my eyes from the scene below and to once again the face of the Mistress of the City in front of me. "And I come to find the ones that have been killing our kind and the humans that serve them. To find them and destroy them before they destroy us all."

Natalia had warned me earlier of whose city it was, then welcomed me within the next few seconds, a demonstration of her strength and a gesture of cordiality as well.

It was time to see if I had already worn out my welcome.

 

[Lady_Kit]

Natalia

The silence stretched out, but with immortality comes patience, and Muerte seemed content to wait; allowing her to consider his statements. Natalia had no doubt that he spoke the truth. He had nothing to gain with lies and he had to know that she was too old to be shocked into making mistakes or admissions. Even the existence of a vampire could be shortened if one were careless. She had never been careless.

He was interesting. Like a new book, with a story and secrets still withheld. He had given her precisely what she asked for: a name and his intentions. Based on that and knowledge that he presumed she already had, he offered her a choice. Allow him to proceed with his hunt, which would keep him in her city, and require that she allow him to kill as was necessary; or order him from Boston; thereby fouling his hunt and condoning the killing of their kind. “Yes, think if it!” a dark voice whispered within her mind, “You could remove your rivals without sullying your hands. Think of the power you would gain. Blood and power, all yoursss…” The voice of her demon, tempting her with promises of domination and great power, but she knew that he could not give her these things, would not. She ignored him as she had done from the moment of her death.

Natalia observed the dark prince who stood just a few steps away. She was sure that he had been master of a city once, been a prince among their kind. It showed in his bearing, and his demeanor. He offered her his profile as he watched the city move beneath them. The positioning of his body was telling, he protected himself, and yet demonstrated his willingness to trust her. She allowed herself a slight smile. It had been a very long time since she last began such a delicate dance. As she recalled her last partner had not been so handsome. Such a strong face, the brows chiseled and only a bit drawn down at the moment; so he was not eternally patient after all. It was good to know he had limits.

You have come alone to a strange city where you plan to hunt the human servants of a vampire, or vampires, powerful enough to kill their own kind? I assume since you have come this far, you have knowledge of their identity? Of course you do, or some idea, otherwise you would not have come. I am certain that you have equal measures of intelligence and arrogance, either one might have guided you here.

She saw the corner of his mouth twitch. He was pleased that she understood, but not surprised. Natalia decided she must guard herself better; it would not to for him to learn too much too soon.

Yet you have no allies here, no knowledge of the city. Perhaps I am one of those you seek. You may have just sealed your fate, Muerte.

Natalia was prepared to wait for his response, just as he had hers. She turned mimicking his body language, her face in profile, long-fingered hands resting quietly on the balcony rail. The gown she wore left her side bare from hip to throat, had she been human, she would have felt first chill of autumn in the night air, but in comparison to the coolness of her skin the air almost seemed warm. Natalia smiled as she stood at the rail, it was pleasant to watch the lights, listen to the faint sounds of laughter, and begin a new dance.

 

[SmkyMtnRain]

Muerte

“If you are one I’m looking for you’ll be aware of my every move and have the advantage in that knowledge, if you’re not then your position as leader will only be strengthened as I eliminate those that would try to weaken you.” I acknowledged and turned to smile at the beauty next to me.

“Then you have nothing to lose by allowing me to be your guest within the city and I benefit from being able to further my own goals.”

Slowly I raised my hand towards her, her eyes watching me carefully lest I attempted to harm her, her body held still by her iron will as I caressed her cheek. I could feel her pulse, hear the blood pumping from her heart and thru her veins beneath silky skin, and barely quell my own response to it as I lowered my hand reluctantly.

“Tonight fresh blood runs in our veins, life flows thru us and gives us strength and the ability to appreciate everything around us, let us not waste this time while dreading what fate will bring us tomorrow.”

Words that all solitary creatures lived by, never knowing when each moment would be our last, for all our strength and powers we still couldn’t see…our future.

“You are the Mistress of this City” I conceded and promised. “It would be beneath me to not admit that or abide by your wishes and yet I would make a solitary request… Allow me to hunt with you on the next eve. I believe in that rite of living the doubts we squander against each other will be eliminated.”
Still she faced the river and its magnificent grace as it flowed beneath our lofty perch, as if to remind us that we were indeed only a temporary stage on this planet and it would be here long after we were forgotten.

“Natalia, there can be no harm in sharing yourself with a being such as myself, not if you carry my word no harm will come to you while I am your guest and will abide by your reasonable wish, can there?”

Indeed the dance had begun…and it promised to be a slow, tantalizing one…to the unknown finish.

 

[Lady_Kit]

Natalia

Yes, he had been a Master, if he had not, he should have been; he thought like one. She had to agree. Natalia had nothing to loose by allowing him to stay in Boston.

He was temptation, dark, mysterious temptation. She held herself in tight control; years of caution were not easily thrown aside, but the desire to do so, to lean toward him, to reach out was strong. Natalia watched as he lifted a slender hand toward her. Gently he caressed her cheek. Ah…the feel of her own kind, the rich electric sensation of one who might match her passion! She trembled like a virgin, unused to such stimulation. His touch quickened her pulse, made her body tighten beneath her thin gown. She saw reluctance in his eyes as he withdrew his hand and was pleased to know he felt the same desires.

“Tonight fresh blood runs in our veins, life flows thru us and gives us strength and the ability to appreciate everything around us, let us not waste this time while dreading what fate will bring us tomorrow.”

How long since she had felt this? Years? Decades? There would be a cost, there always was, but she was sure he would be worth the price of momentary surrender.

The moon was beginning to rise; Natalia gauged its climb into the night sky. There would be time until the dawn came bringing daylight and temporary death. She would make no commitment about tomorrow, but tonight; yes, she would take tonight.

She extended her hand until it hovered above the one that Muerte rested on the railing. With surprising delicacy she ran her nails from the tips of his fingers to the back of his hand, stopping at the pale cuff of his shirt where it lay beneath the dark fabric of his jacket. Natalia was pleased to see a slight tremble in response to her touch. Her lips curled in a smile. Desire was a two edged sword, and she meant it to cut as deeply for Muerte as it did for her.

I find that I have grown tired of our host and his other guests. Shall we seek entertainment elsewhere?

“It would be my pleasure to accompany you, dear lady. You have only to lead, and I will follow.”

Muerte caught her hand and lifted it slowly, bringing it once again to his lips. This time he lingered, the touch no longer just a courtesy. She felt the warmth of his breath against her flesh and the hidden places of her body longed to feel that same heat.

Then follow, if you can.

Natalia fell, laughing, from the balcony, her form blending with the night and the darkness. She knew that he followed and it became a game, leading him through the darkened streets, above the scurrying humans who never suspected that death rode the air that night. His mirth echoed in her mind as they moved, and she knew that he heard hers in response.

All too soon they arrived on the roof of her building. Natalia led him down hidden stairs to the rooms below. They entered a living room where plush sofas welcomed guests to rest and admire the contents, to enjoy the priceless art or to relax on pillows scattered over the thickly carpeted floor. Fat candles gave the room an old-world glow that she preferred to the glare of electric lighting. These were her private rooms, where no human now living had ever entered.

Now, rest and be welcome in my home Muerte; tonight, lay your hunt aside and let us pursue other pleasures.

 

[SmkyMtnRain]

Sheer exhilaration. Her agility and knowledge of the path we moved thru making the distance between us a challenge to close and as I drew near to her slim body moving thru the cooling night air I laughed…suddenly alive as I took in her form and heard her own response, her eyes flashing and telling me she was enjoying being chased as much as I enjoyed chasing. My heart pounding, my breast throbbing I knew I had found someone special and as my fingertips brushed her ankle in triumph she again changed direction and pulled away, her laugh coming to me in gay testament of her pleasure and ours to come.

And now I stood in her private chambers…my senses expanded and telling me we were truly alone…together, my eyes enjoying the sight of her amidst the surroundings she had created, her exquisite touch obvious in each detail of the plush and warm piece of furniture, the rugs on the floor beneath us, the flickering of the candles and its shadows created as the flames moved in unison and wrapped their magic around us.

” lay your hunt aside and let us pursue other pleasures.”

Words that tore at my heart and opened the dark wounds, blood and incredible pain flowing within me at the opening of the dark doors of memory…

“Natalia…Come to me.”

The words escaped my lips before I knew I were to speak them, the tone not of command…but a lovers plea of insatiable and unquenchable…need.

Again I was amazed as she turned, her eyes telling me what her lips wouldn’t speak, her body full of heady promises moving towards me to stop scant centimeters from my own.

“Yes?” Her gently smiling lips barely moved as the whispered words escaped, her eyes on mine as she attempted to mouth my name “Muerrrrr-tay?”

And then the spell left us as she did smile, the unfinished name hanging in the air as she looked to me and apologized…and questioned.

“I’m sorry but is there no other name I might call you by? In the midst of our pleasure must I call out for Death?”
And as the last wisps of magic fell away from us I looked into her eyes, not knowing how my hands had found their way to her trim waist, only knowing I still felt the growing urge to join my lips to hers.

“That my little flower is another story and from that tale might come an understanding of the kind of monster is amidst us, not the thing to be spoken of before we…”

“Before we what, dear Muerte?” Natalia’s soft voice came to my ears, the gentle smile still on her face but fading from her eyes, her body still held carefully from mine.

Had I thought wrong? Had I misheard the promise? Took the gentle invitation in her words wrongly? Misinterpreted the reason for her bringing me here? Or had I violated some secret sanctity in a way I was naïve of?

It was my turn to apologize as I held her, refusing to let her escape from my grasp, my hands gentle upon her hips and yet refusing to be moved.

She had asked for a name, instead I offered a story, thinking she needed an explanation of what I was and missing her acceptance of who I was…

“My name was…” I began and then stopped, correcting… “My name is Jean. A name I thrilled to hear on the lips of my lover or on the last breath of an enemy…One I claimed until a mere century ago and gave up as I began my quest.”

I offered no more, only looked into her eyes and at the red, full lips I wanted so badly, trying to will the look back into the dark orbs that stared so intently at me.

Offered no more as my hands pulled her body to mine, my flesh thrilling at the feel of hers pressed to it as I bent my head downward and felt the full lips of this thrilling, vibrant woman meet mine...and kissed her.

 

[Lady_Kit]

He offered his name but as he pronounced it, the sound was like the squeal of a rusty gate, long unused and nearly forgotten. “John” he said to her Americanized ear, but in the echo of a long ago Parisian street she heard the French accent and knew that he had been “Jean.”

She wanted to whisper his name but his mouth covering hers prevented the escape of sound. Jean kissed her with restrained passion, though she could feel the need in his body; in the arms that held her close and in the lips that roamed over hers as if they were some great plain to be slowly and carefully explored.

Natalia met his passion with her own; opening her mouth slightly so that her tongue could dart between the gap in his lips. His tongue met hers and they touched, twined, and tempted each other. Painfully slow was their first kiss; each wanting all that the other could give, but patient enough to know that the journey was of far greater value than the destination. Too soon their mouths parted, and she looked at him through eyes that smoldered with her desires.

It is fortunate that we have both so recently fed. I think that we will need all our strength this night.

He laughed, and she saw some of the tension leave his striking face.

“Dear Lady, I think that you would tax the stamina of the strongest man alive or dead.”

She playfully tugged at the neat bow tie that rested on the snowy white of his shirt while he let the jacket of his tuxedo fall from his shoulders. With jacket and tie gone, and the top buttons of his shirt undone Jean looked rakishly handsome. Natalia felt an unfamiliar eagerness to see what his body looked like beneath the civilized clothing.

And you, Sir, would make the strongest woman feel weak.

Dark locks curled around her fingers as the impulse she fought at the party returned and she pushed the random strands off his forehead and ran her fingers through his night black hair to smooth the heavy mane into place.

They stood stroking each other gently, about the face and neck. A second kiss followed the first, this one more passionate, and Natalia felt breathless when they parted. Jean looked just a bit dazed, and she knew that she must look the same. Their kind was passionate, but what she felt in these kisses was beyond the norm, and on some level she was frightened. She felt him at the edges of her mind, touching her intellect and on some level her very soul.

“I had thought to move slowly, to act as a gentleman, but you test my control Natalia.”

The dark haired beauty twined her pale arms around his neck and pressed her body close; molding herself to him, pushing her breasts into his chest and her pelvis hard against his hips and the growing length of his manhood.

Control is for those uninitiated to desire. I have never been good at playing the coy virgin, Jean, and I have no wish to learn now.

“Good!”

He swept her off her feet and held her against his body.

“Which way to your bed?”

With a full-throated laugh Natalia loosed one arm from around his neck and pointed him in the direction of her bedchamber. They would move slowly later she decided, now was not the time to hold back their mutual passion. It seemed they had waited far too long already.

 

[SmkyMtnRain]

She laid on the bed and gazed upwards at me as I stepped back to admire her figure, her smoky eyes and the passion that filled her every look...her every move...her very being and fiber. And yet she didn't beg, nor demand that our pleasuring began.

"We vampires are a paradox unto ourselves, Natalia" I smiled and let the sensation of my fingers sliding along her cheek and then down her lean, long neck spread thru me, suddenly content to look...to put this moment in my memory and to burn it deeply so that it stayed with me for all eternity.

"We can break a single second into a thousands parts and then recall with clarity what occurs in each part...and yet we live forever?"

My fingers had slid to the full swell beneath the fabric of her dress and to the rapidly hardening nub of the nipple that crested...

"We have the strength of a hundred mortals when fully fed and yet can feel an insect as it walks upon our skin."

And like that insect I teased the swelling nub with the lightest touch, my eyes watching her face as she responding to the teasing with anticipation and pleasure.

“We are capable of movements that even our own kind cannot track and in the next moment can hold ourselves immobile as if made of stone.”

A flick of my wrist and the fabric was pulled off the mounds that promised so much pleasure, the dress bunched at her trim waist as it swelled to the womanhood and I pulled my eyes from the pale flesh to return to her eyes.

“We can withstand the pain of near death each morning as we return to the earth and then being reborn each eve, yet we crave for the touch of our own, solitary kind.”

Craved for it over the centuries and dared not confess it lest we become victims to that very desire.

“But tonight is not a contest of surviving my erotic beauty, rather it will be a contest to see who can give the other the greatest pleasure.”

And with the words I bowed my head, kissing her warm, fragrant, blood filled lips and then her cheek, trailing the hot kisses of passion to her neck, shoulder and finally to the swell of her breasts and points of teased flesh. My hands moved to pin hers over her head and she didn’t refuse, only gasped as my lips searched lower, over the gentle swell of her quivering stomach and below, to find her sex and claim it, to conquer her as I began to kiss and tease that flesh as well.. to drive her to the peaks of defeat…and passion.

 

[Lady_Kit]

He touched her everywhere, his mouth and hands creating hot spots of desire wherever they made contact with her skin. His words touched her soul in the same way, leaving heated ideas fluttering through her mind and awakening the craving she had felt for so long; the yearning for one of her own kind was strong. Even if only for a night, it would be a night to remember, to treasure and recall when the days and years became too much to bear.

She listened to him speak; enjoying the sound of his voice and the vibration that the sound created against her flesh. He stroked her with his words, reminding her of the need she felt, the passion, the desire. And the way it could be with one of her own kind.

Natalia moved her hips as his mouth teased the sensitive flesh near her mons. She felt as if a thousand insects danced over her skin, but the dance was expertly choreographed by Jean. He released her hands, she was sure only so that he could use more than just his mouth to torment her body, and she grasped the soft coverlet on the bed.

Ahhhh…..you have the hands of a master, Jean….and your mouth, your mouth…Ohhhhhh your Mouth!

His mouth that was tasting her body, tenderly ravaging the inflamed lips of her sex. She could feel the tips of his fangs brush against the highly stimulated skin, then his tongue scraped over the same spot. The feeling was incredible!

The sound of ragged breathing could be heard in the room; after a moment Natalia realized it was coming from her. She was loosing control! She never lost control! The tables would have to be turned, and soon.

Jean raised his head from the lower half of her body. His eyes smoldered, and then flashed like thunderheads backlit with lightening. He smiled as he observed her flushed skin, and the pert hard nipples that jutted from the center of each full breast. With the opportunity for escape at hand Natalia seized her chance and slipped from beneath him but went no further than the side of the bed. Her eyes met his as she slid her evening gown from her body; every movement a promise of pleasures yet to come.

You, Sir, are no gentleman! First you wrinkle my gown and second, you fail to allow me to go first in this contest.

A seductive smile lit her face as the gown dropped to the floor, revealing her body to his gaze. Her skin beneath the gown was smooth, pale, and completely without hair, as his hands and mouth had already discovered. As lithe as a cat she moved back onto the bed, and with the strength of their kind rolled Jean over and pushed him back against the pillows.

I, however, am a Lady, and a passable valet. Allow me to demonstrate.

Warm red lips pressed against his mouth while nimble fingers began the slow process of unbuttoning his shirt, then moved to his belt and trousers. As each button opened her mouth moved lower, laying hot kisses on each new bit of skin that the parted fabric revealed. Her body slid against his, applying pressure against the hard length of him that she felt through his clothing and reveling in the taste, scent and texture of his skin. At the base of his zipper she stopped, nuzzling the space between the metal teeth of the fastener, blowing hot air against him and eliciting a moan of pleasure from him before rising on her knees between his spread legs.

“You’re right, you are a passable, valet, Natalia, but slow. As delightful as your technique is, I’m afraid that dawn will come before you finish, and honestly, I believe your true talents lay elsewhere. Allow me to assist you.”

His voice was husky with the same desire she felt, and his clothing disappeared just as quickly as her own had done. Clothed, he was sexy as hell; nude, he was devastating! Natalia felt a rush of wet heat in her pussy, and knew that the teasing was done. The look that he gave her as he took her by the shoulders and brought his face close to hers told her that he knew the same.

 

[SmkyMtnRain]

It’s said that when a mortal is turned into the undead at the time of their creation each facet, each quality is magnified a hundred times. Evil becomes greater and the sourness of it manifests itself on the skin of the owner, greed, ambition, the willingness to lie or destroy as well is magnified and each carries a tainted taste that identifies the being underneath to another immortal.

There existed no such taint on the flawless skin of the lady I now held to me, her pale skin gleamed and as I bent to kiss the swell of her breast and then taste it, allowing the tip of my tongue to drag across the already swollen nipple and tease it, using my own magnified sense of taste to tell me what kind of woman I was about to make love to…and possess. My hands roamed her body in earnest now, finding the tender hollows and curves that made this woman react and guiding my tongue and lips to them, to suckle at her flesh and tease it, to taste the fragrance that weeped from the flawless flesh and feast on it with heady approval and need.

“Natalia” I growled in husky, passionate demand…”Offer yourself to me, give your body…your essence to me, Now.” Eyes that had nearly closed with passion now flared open and met mine, wonder, passion and wariness mixing together as her mind digested what I offered…and demanded from her…To GIVE herself to another immortal she had only became aware of but a few hours ago…to open her entire being to him so that he could feast upon her body… and soul?

Indecision flitted across her face and as the muscles of her beautiful face moved I could see it was an emotion that she rarely had to deal with and never before in this situation. Still her body remained close to mine and a tremor ran thru it, her perfect shoulders quivering and her full breasts following the motion in an erotic sway of fear and passion… “Give yourself to me, My Lady” I demanded again and then, unfairly lowered my lips to her skin, letting the glistening tips of my fangs scratch across the flushness of her breast and hard nipple…and being rewarded with a low moan of infinite, eternal need, before she answered.

 

[Lady_Kit]

“Give yourself to me, My Lady.”

The first time he made the demand she thought that she must have been mistaken. The second time, she knew it was not the case. Her body sought to betray her, to submit to his demand, but something held her back. Perhaps it was her demon, loathe to allow her to give to another the control that had eluded Him since her death. Perhaps it was something else, it hardly mattered at this moment.

Natalia fought her way through the fog of desire that Jean had created in her mind. Oh, she knew that he had not bewitched her in any way; he was simply a very skilled lover. Exceptionally skilled, she thought, as a low moan escaped her parted lips. That she knew from the way his mouth now teased and tormented her heated skin.

He laid her back against the pillows of the bed. Their nude bodies touched from shoulder to hip and she felt his hard staff press against the skin of her hip, its throbbing heat tempting her to submit and take him inside her; to sheath him in the wet deep center of her passion filled body. They rolled languidly, exploring each other with hands and mouths, his leg pressed between hers so that he could rub this thigh against the parted lips of her cunt. She pressed against him, shifting her hips to and fro, wetting his skin and the wiry hair of his leg.

Is your staff so mighty, My Lord? Will you pierce me with your great sword and make me surrender to you?

She laughed and the sound was rich with sarcasm and a warning. Boston belonged to her! She would not surrender it to Jean or anyone else without a fight. But was that what he really wanted?

Let me examine this weapon with which you think to conquer me. Then we can discuss terms of surrender.

She slid down his body, settling between his legs as she had before. This time no fabric hid his manhood, no zipper prevented her from seeing the beauty of his cock, and she took full advantage of his exposure. Her tongue snaked out, licking him from balls to tip, catching the first drop of his juice as she reached the top of his shaft. Her mouth engulfed him, and she sucked gently, carefully protecting him from the sharp tips of her teeth. Deeper she took him, until her nose touched the hair that surrounded the thick mass of his sex. He moaned and breathed her name into the silence of the room. After a moment of sliding her mouth up and down, making him slick and even harder than before she stopped. Their eyes met across the length of his body and she smiled, allowing her long fangs to shine white against her ruby lips.

Give me your blood Jean, and I will give you my surrender.

Would he allow her to bind him in such a way? They both knew that if she took his blood a part of him would belong to her. It would be a small amount of control for him to give, but a fair exchange for the piece of her soul that he asked of her.

 

[SmkyMtnRain]

Give me your blood Jean, and I will give you my surrender.

The words were chilling, even to a member of the immortal family, and in the wrong circumstances could be used as an excuse for a war...

I drew slowly away from the exquisite woman who had invited me into her private quarters, slowly but steadily until the distance of her arm reach seperated us and her earlier words came to me.

Now, rest and be welcome in my home Muerte;

An invitation to enter her home, the right to make myself the guest...and as custom decreed?

"I will give freely all that you wish to take from me Natalia" The words rolled off my tongue heavy with an accent I hadn't allowed the use of in many centuries, and with the words I drew myself to full heigth, my eyes reaching for hers. "And with my giving you will receive as well my knowledge, my memories...my joy and my pain."

Ancient words formed into an even older phrase, used once as a chant among the eldest of vampires when sharing the elixir of life..and each others lives.

Natalia raised herself from the surface of the bed, no...she floated from it, my eyes taking in the grace and beauty she radiated with each motion and silently worshipping it, my hearting beating with renewed lust and vigor that I refused to give into.

She stood. Her pose like a goddess as she tilted her head slightly back to meet my eyes, the motion pulling her shoulders back slightly and drawing her full, already perfect breasts to a higher tilt, her face showing no shame, no rage...only passion, life at it's fullest and the energy she drew from it.

"Take ALL that you need or desire, my gracious host, my lifes blood is yours."

In the height of fashion my smallest finger had a nail grown long for the use of sniffing from the powders thought to extend lives, sanded sharp to break the crust of the waxed vials before drawing the potions from the tiny containers. A foppish fashion I had laughed at then, yet in vanity kept the fashion, and when I was reborn now possessed for the rest of my eternal life...It no longer served to draw powders to sustain life...rather release the elixer that gave life...and now opened my own breast to release that fluid..the warmth of it rapidly moving downward across my chest and towards my lower torso...and offer it to my host.

"It is yours, Natalia, All that you wish"

 

[Lady_Kit]

His lifeblood flowed down his torso; red and thick, the scent filling her nostrils and her mind. Natalia felt the change wash over her features, the fine bone structure, haunting eyes and tempting lips disappeared. Her true nature revealed itself, her eyes became twin orbs of onyx, her cheeks sharpened and her face seeming to lengthen. Her tongue darted out; licking her lips in anticipation. The blood of another immortal was a rare treat, a precious vintage to be savored and that it was given in passion. In her youth, she would have fallen upon him like a rabid dog, drinking of his essence until he was spent. Now, she would treat his gift with due courtesy and appreciation.

"It is yours, Natalia, All that you wish."

Natalia pressed her mouth to his skin, thinking herself prepared for the shock of contact. She was wrong and a moan escaped her lips, as the rush of memories flowed from his blood into her own. She was confused at her response, the sweet hot taste should have strengthened her; instead she felt her knees become weak and she would have collapsed had Jean not wrapped her in his arms. She lapped at the flowing nectar, tasting him across her tongue, feeling him enter her body on the river of his blood.

Images overwhelmed her! Faster and faster, too many to count, one running into another...... faces, places lives and deaths. So many deaths! So much pain, loss and pain…Pain..then…life, passion…dreams…dark deep dreams…

Jean, mon cher Coeur. I have no words, no words…

As she raised her eyes to his she was unaware of the tears that ran down her face. Gone was the monster called by his blood; in its place, a woman ready to offer the comfort and shelter of her tender embrace.

Natalia drew him to the large bed; pulling him atop her warm body and guiding his rigid sex to the moist tender opening between her thighs. The fat head of his cock pressed between her lips, he held himself poised on the brink of conquest. Waiting for her to seal their bargain.

I surrender, to you my Dark Lord. I am yours.

 

[SmkyMtnRain]

Jean

I surrender, to you my Dark Lord. I am yours.

Victory on the verge of absolute surrender...I hovered over her feeling the heat from her pulse thru my own sex, her words, her actions even her demeanor proved to me that she had given me my demands...not from having felt she had to...but because she wanted to. And yet a part of me still doubted, let the worry nag at me after too many betrayals and the losses that resulted...

And strangely it didn't matter. Need overrode the survival instinct, passion forcing reason from my own mind, and with my heart pounding I lowered myself to her, my own want sliding into hers.

A hiss filled the air and it startled me, not the sound or the passion in it but the fact it was torn from my own throat...and then with the sensations of pleasure that flooded over me I realized how desperately I wanted...needed to feel this woman’s touch...to give love and pleasure as much as to receive it..

Weakened by the gift of my life’s liquid I never the less felt suddenly invigorated, my hips plunging forward...pressing my full length into her velvet heat, a second hiss of pleasure coming in response and making me smile in feral like pleasure.

Natalia's eyes lit with pleasure she bucked her own hips upwards, wrapping herself even further around me than I knew possible, a movement attesting to her own want...and her abilities to take what she needed.

A movement that made me laugh with pleasure...and my body begin to move, pressing my chest against the fullness of her breasts, her body thrilling me as I buried my swollen cock deep into her with each lunge and then drew slowly from it until almost completely free...only to thrust forward again. Over and over....we repeated the cycle, the blood pounding faster and faster in my veins as we drove against each other, moving each other closer and closer to a common need.

“Natalia” I moaned, my hands cupping her muscled buttocks to draw her tighter to me, to press my lips to hers and feel them tighten, then the fullness of her lips soften and return the kiss…

She had given herself to me…her own testament of the relationship we had begun…a statement of an honest beginning between two creatures who stayed alive by not trusting anyone or anything.

My own crest approached, the blood thundering in my ears as I felt the heart within her own full bosoms pound in response, and I lowered my lips to her throat and the swollen veins under…

A final lunge…my length burying itself in her as I sensed her own peak near reached, my fangs drawn and seeking out her throat…and penetrate her a second time…

Her body writhed beneath me as I tasted the saltiness of her blood…her cry of pleasure and pain echoing within the walls of the room, and as I finished the “small drink” my own body writhe in ecstasy in unison.

 

[Lady_Kit]

His voice called her name, and the sound was husky with desire; his body called her lust, her passion; she tightened her legs around his hips and the heat of her sex around his pounding cock; when his teeth pierced her skin…took her blood…let it mingle with his own…the circle was complete and their souls touched, caressed and flew to another place. Higher and higher they climbed until they reached the stars and in an explosion of pleasure and satisfaction they fell back to their bodies and the now quite room.

Natalia felt a deep sense of well being as she lay in the aftermath of their coupling. She thought it strange that she had shared so much with this being, had left herself so unprotected and vulnerable. In all her long years she had never allowed another vampire to take her blood. The idea that Jean was her “first” brought an unexpected laugh that bubbled up too quickly to quell.

Jean had been laying quietly, his body still resting lightly atop hers; at the sound of her mirth he raised his head to look into her face. His face was closed. Natalia felt his withdrawal of spirit even before his body moved away from hers.

“Do you find my feeble effort to please you amusing, Natalia?”

His movement left her feeling oddly cold and then it occurred to her that perhaps on some level she felt his emotion and the effects of the blood connection they now shared. He was hurt and thought that she laughed at him. Who would have expected that an immortal male would feel such a thing.

No, Jean, you misunderstand. I find you fascinating, dangerous and very attractive, but I am not the least bit amused by your efforts to please. On the contrary, I am quite befuddled and enormously satisfied.

Natalia stretched languorously, arching her back and sliding one foot up Jeans leg to maintain contact with his body as she spoke. He seemed reassured, but his eyes still flashed and one brow raised as he looked at her.

“Then what is it that you find so funny at a moment like this?”

She touched the wound at her throat, in truth the spot where the wound was rapidly healing, and lifted her eyes to his. Her face was still flushed with pleasure, her eyes sparkled mischievously and a grin stretched her lips.

Forgive me, Jean, but I find it terribly amusing that after a long full life as a mortal, and several hundred years as a vampire I have once again been deflowered. Since the moment I was sired, no other immortal has pierced my flesh. You, Sir, have just taken a virgin!

The shock on his face was too much and Natalia burst out laughing. The sound filled the room and she would later realize that this was the happiest moment she had ever spent.

 

[SmkyMtnRain]

Jean

The look on my face must have echoed how I felt and I stared at the even more erotic figure of Natalia as she stretched her body languidly against the silk sheets and continued to laugh unabashedly. She was truly amazing, her acceptance of another immortal caught hunting without her leave inside her domain, her belief in the story offered to her to the point of allowing that same immortal to accompany her to her own private quarters, and the passion she brought to the surface and the miracle of giving herself completely to that same being.

It was near overwhelming and the usual cold calm I forced upon myself was broken, her laughter like music to my ears, thrilling my heart...and for the moments...chasing away the emptiness.

I broke the stare...and pulled her once again to me to join her in laughter, to revel in the sheer sensation of being alive...truly alive and to be able to share it with another that understood the magnitude of such a thing.

Laughter...hers carrying the higher notes of pleasure and happiness, mine the lower melody of gratitude and exhilaration joined together in melodic healing harmony...echoing off the walls and chasing away the gloom and near despair I had felt upon coming to this town.

"Forgive me my Lady" I near choked out as the tears came to my eyes. "It has indeed been too long since I've had the pleasure of holding a woman such as you...the seriousness of death and life seems to have left it's mark upon my soul and made me take myself too serious as well."

And for once my own past was abated, it's memory able to be tasted and not leave it's souring effects on my mind, the losses in my life now just that...in the past.

I pulled her to me and kissed her, letting the pain leave and passion return and channeling that passion to the immortal responsible for bringing it to me without the burden of guilt.

Guilt for letting the memory of my own past life temporarily fade, guilt for not feeling that the righteous cause I had set myself towards was not being served, the guilt in not telling Natalia there was another minor reason in my piercing her immortal skin...

Dawn was approaching, its inevitable effects being felt by both Natalia and I, the small death it brought giving it's tell tale hints to our bodies...and our minds.

"I must beg my leave, my love...to find my own quarters to retire to before the earth once again claims my body... but it would please me greatly if I were allowed to return to you on the morrow and we might continue our...discussions?"

 

[Lady_Kit]

Their passion was spent, though she thought it might rise again if there had been sufficient time, but there was not. She felt the pressure of the impending dawn and knew that he felt the same need for seclusion and safety for his daytime rest.

His passion for her was clear, but as she gazed into Jeans eyes she saw the sheen of tears and was momentarily confused at such deep emotion. There was something going on that she didn’t understand. She needed to think, to clear her head of his presence. Natalia thought that she’d missed some important point during the evening, but every time she closed in upon the elusive item gray eyes and passionate kisses distracted her.

"I must beg my leave, my love...to find my own quarters to retire to before the earth once again claims my body... but it would please me greatly if I were allowed to return to you on the morrow and we might continue our...discussions?"

Her first impulse was to ask him to stay, but something in his eyes stopped her. She would be at her most vulnerable just after waking, and it would not do to expose herself to any more danger from this being.

Of course, it is time we both retired for the night. Would it please you to hunt with me before our discussions?

At his nod, she named a place, the Pedestrian Bridge of the Public Garden, and said that she would meet him there after the sun had fully set. Within moments he was gone from her chambers.

Their parting was sweetened by kisses shared at the door, but Natalia was left with a lingering sense of danger and some doom that she didn’t yet understand. Before she fell into the daytime death, she replayed their conversations in her mind, but found nothing that explained the sense of unease she now felt. Had she made a mistake to trust him? Her hand found the spot on her throat where his teeth had pierced her flesh; absently she rubbed the spot as she closed her eyes to death. Caution for tomorrows meeting was her last thought. Her hand lay protectively over the tender skin while she lay abed; the demon that never slept chuckled in the deep reaches of her mind, he knew that it was already too late for Natalia to protect herself.

 

[SmkyMtnRain]

Jean

They came at me before I was a mile away from Natalia’s haven, their eyes glowing the yellow of anger, fangs and fingers distended into the sharpest of points.

Traitor, Betrayer of your own kind They hissed and as one lunged for my throat and I stopped him, giving him the treatment he had so desired to give me, removing his throat and back of his neck with one swipe of my own hand, then tearing out his heart and dropping it to the ground below. Another came…her anger announcing her behind me and allowing me to drop below the maddened, desperate rush and pin her to the ground and tearing her head from her shoulders.

No time to savor the blood of my enemies, no time to gain the power they held if only a slight amount, this was survival…and there was to be only one winner. No need to look at the horde as they came at me, I had placed myself against a natural wall of trees and had one side protected, and reaching out for them with my mind I could feel them coming…sense the move they were to use against me…and turn it against themselves..

Minutes passed and their numbers thinned, the ashes of each failed attack the only proof to be seen, until only one remained and I held him pinned…

“Tell your Master I am coming for him, Tell him how easy it was to defeat all of you, and tell him before long I will drink his blood and rape his beloved”

Dawn was already at my shoulder as I released him, a tiny ray burning it’s way across his face and left eye, marking him for the rest of his life…The terror in his face not for me but for the thought of himself when he brought my message to his Master. And then it was time for me as well to flee, feeling the suns angry heat tear at my back as I moved into the ancient granite building behind me, knowing it would suffice for my resting place this morning.

Minutes later as I let the cool earth wrap it’s arms around me my last thought was of another pair of eyes, the passion in them when we were together…and the tiny shred of doubt as well when we parted…


An eternity later I rose, my thoughts still centered on one woman…one magnificent moment we had spent together…and the slight chance of it ever happening again. We had found an impasse, declared a truce, and like the creatures we were used that time to it’s wisest and fullest.

I moved quickly, rising into the mixed colors of the early evening and to the quarters I had found on the lower river, dressing with care and then moving again to make sure I wouldn’t be found in my own lair. Normally I would begin my own lone hunt, creating a huge circle and then another slightly smaller, over and over each time to narrow the circles size and the choice of prey within…

But tonight? I would be a guest and follow my hostesses lead, enjoying the pleasure of her company and the honor of hunting together, a privilege rarely granted and at great risk to the ones allowing it, of which I was acutely aware of…And there was now a second reason I would hunt with her, the lone weakling I had discarded alive the night before, for if he were able to return to his own Master it would now be known I was in the City…and where I had been. Natalia would no longer be safe, her normal power over even the unfriendly clans of vampire weakened, and for that loss I must compensate her.

And compensate her I would…a promise I made silently as I stood in the comforting darkness beneath the great arches of the Bridge…and waited patiently for the Mistress of the City.

 

[Lady_Kit]

In the first chill of death Natalia had often let herself believe that she still slept and dreamed during the daylight hours. In the middle years of her existence she had fancied that she maintained some awareness of self and location while she waited for the hated sun to pass from the sky. In her maturity she no longer cared. However, in the absence of dreams and awareness came other things; upon waking each night she felt a preternatural alertness to her surroundings and a powerful mental connection to others of her kind. Tonight all her senses screamed in alarm as soon as her eyes opened.

The images were jumbled, and made little or no sense, but a few facts were clear. Her new lover, Jean, was involved and his involvement brought the danger to her door. She felt the connection to him; like a rope made of spider silk the tether drifted on the night breeze and tied them together. Natalia closed her eyes and let her essence travel along the thread, following it to Jean until she could brush against his mind with the gentlest touch.

He knew there was danger; he’d expected it! She probed his thoughts, tasting the surface of his mind as she looked for answers, then tasted the bitterness of his betrayal. Jean had known it would come to this…whatever “this” was he hid in the deeper reaches of his mind. Her anger was immediate and mostly directed at herself for foolishly trusting him.

All this took only moments, and when she rose from her bed she was resolved about the actions she must take. She had given oaths that she could not break, he was under her protection and she would honor those ancient courtesies. The need to be civil to him was like drops of poison on her tongue, and the pain of his betrayal was worse than any she had ever felt; she vowed to herself that someday he would feel such anguish himself. Until then, she would act as propriety dictated.

Moments later she stood beneath the structure where Jean waited. Her body clothed for the hunt and though she tried to prevent it, some of the passion from last night intruded and lent a sensual quality to her appearance. She struggled to clear her mind of her all but her hunger and the anger she felt toward the being she had come to meet.

By the prickling of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes.

She spoke into the darkness on the opposite side of the water running beneath the bridge. Her voice was husky with the effort to control her raging emotions. Natalia knew that he had heard her arrive, though he was silent. He waited there, leaning casually against the supporting structure. Mortal eyes would have missed his presence entirely. Natalia suffered no such weakness.

Are you familiar with the quote Jean? Its one I should remember, especially where my male companions are concerned. You’ve been busy since we last met. Don’t you think its time you told me the real reason you’re in Boston? And more importantly, how much danger you’ve placed me in with your actions.