Vivica Francesca Louis let her long flowing ruby hair down and it fell to the floor with a thunk. She never cared much for having it up. She gazed in her hand mirror and traced the outline of her blood red lips. Her pale skin shone brightly against the darkness of the fleur-de-lis pattered walls behind her and her blue eyes glistened in the moon light. She approved of the image and sat the mirror down on her dresser. The walls were stained and shabby, but it was not horrible. She just could not leave.
I long to go from this place for it is my cage. Marius will not let me leave though it is my hearts deepest desire. Marius. My keeper. My tormentor. My hatred, she thought.
She paced her room vigorously plotting against her captor. Her foot falls dainty on the wood floors that creaked with her meager weight. She found sadness in the window as her eyes landed on the bars that graced them. She grasped them with that all too familiar sound of skin scraping ever so softly on uneven metal. Her cheek found the cold iron and she, strangely, found comfort in their cold embrace. The white curtains billowed around her as the wind blew in through the bars. She sighed and then paused in her sorrow. She heard something.
Snap!
Her eyes darted wildly as she searched the yard. It was growing darker so she could not see well, but she did manage to see the phantom sprinting strait towards her window. Her heartbeat quickened and her blood pulsed through the tiny veins in her eyes causing her blue iris to widen her pupils. She moved away from the window staggering backwards towards her king-sized bed. She held her breath and waited.
Snap!
Branches cracked and the wind howled as if night itself were approaching. Something latched onto the other side of the bars and began its attempts to dislodge them from the wall. The iron creaked and fell away from the wall with a large crash. This let the wild figure light on the remnants of the window. She stared at it and held her fear inside. It moved into the lighter part of the room and it could be seen that it was a man. He had blood red locks that spilled about his body and stopped at the middle of his strong back. He wore a black leather jacket showing a large sliver of bare chest and pressed black dress pants. He was young and beautiful, just like her.
He moved to her so quickly that his feet never touched the ground, or at least that was what it seemed. He caressed her cheek with one finger. She shuttered letting out her breath and looked into his lovely amber eyes. They looked so warm and inviting. She was speechless. This animal of a man took her pale hand into his and began to lead her to the hole he had made. She made no objections for fear that he might hurt her and because she saw freedom in his grasp. He gathered her petite form into his arms and flung himself from the hole letting the air gust around him. She held tightly to his open jacket and clenched her eyes as they watered from the rush of air around her.
Marius Preto entered his home letting his feet drag on the unforgiving wooden floors. The echoes extended through the empty rooms with each step. Hatred filled him when he thought of how utterly alone he was even with his captive just upstairs. She was his most loved and hated object for he felt desire to keep her, but he also felt desire to destroy her for what she represented, his failure to be a man. He knocked on the door of his beloved reminder, candle in hand, and said in a gravely cynical voice, "Awake. I have come for thee." His booming voice flooded around the room. He was in pure ecstasy of what he thought was to come. He opened the door slowly and dropped the lit candle on the floor. The flames licked the wood and started to spread. Taking a moment as the anger welled up inside him from the scene he beheld. Her curtains blew furiously from the wind rushing through the hole where the bars had been previously and slight foot prints were tracked in and out. He bent down on his knees holding himself up with his strong arms. He put his face close to one of the foot prints and let the scent fill his nostrils. "Vampire," he whispered to himself. He dug his nails into the wood and launched himself out of the hole, wild eyed into the night as fire engulfed his home. Anyone standing in that inferno would have seen only a giant wolf sprinting through the tall grass heading straight towards the moon.
I dream I am flying. My body lighter than air. My clothing swirling around me like I am in water, I float toward the window of a bed room I had never seen before. I pressed my hands against its damp dark glass. It was cold just like the rest of the night. My hands squeak against the glass as I drag them to a lower portion. I will myself out of the window and revel at the sight of the dirty glass melting away from my vision. My body hits the cold of the night and it bites my skin. All it does is bring a smile to my face. There is a light in the thicket of trees before me and I glide towards it. My sight is fogged, but I have to see what the mysterious glow was. I am compelled to know. I fly like the wind.
Vivica had fallen asleep in the arms of her savior and she awoke to an empty room. She sat up slowly and let herself take in her situation. She felt around for a weapon as she tried to remember what had happened, but all she found were satin sheets pooling around her waist. Sleep still fogged her mind so she had not realized all that had occurred that night. She was still in her night gown that Marius gave her. She hated that night gown.
The room she resided in was a massive bed chamber with a huge four poster bed and red walls. Vivica felt fatigue hit her and she slumped on the many pillows she had just rested on before. Her head felt cold and her breath was short as it escaped her lips. She rubbed her neck which had sharp, stiff pains coming from it. She felt a wet mess and looked at her hand. It was covered in her own blood. Her eyes widened as she realized something. She had been captured again.
Before she could get the terror strait in her head the man who took her rushed into the room. He spoke quickly and soothingly making Vivica forget the blood for a moment. The thoughts had not subsided, but merely suppressed for now.
"Do not be afraid. No one will harm you here," he said as he made a universal gesture of peace, clear open palms. "My name is Razeal and I have admired you from your jail for a very long time now, Vivica. I brought you here to make you more than a cadged canary. I am a vampire in this coven and I have partaken of your sweet nectar so that you may sleep deeply. Our saliva heals the wounds so you will have no scar upon your perfect neck, only some blood will remain."
She held her bloody hand up and spoke with an enchanted air, "That is apparent."
He smirked and approached her. He pulled her from the bed and grabbed her hand in his firm grasp. She took in her breath sharply as she felt anticipation wash over her. He held her hand open and began to lick off the fluids. She wrenched her hand away and returned to the bed where she fell into the pillows. He pulled her again from her hiding place and brought her close to him. He brushed her curls away from her ears and whispered with a clicking of his sharpened canines, "Would you like to stay here? Would you like to be safe?'
She shivered and put her hands on his chest to create some distance between them. "I'll consider staying here, if I knew where 'here' was," she said with want and apprehension in her voice. She began to think over the proposition as Razeal looked into her eyes.
Would it be so bad to stay? Would it be so bad to stay here with him? I just don't know. I just met him. she thought.
She didn't have long to think because the door came crashing down with a ploom of dust hanging in the air. Marius's form appeared in the doorway as the dust settled and he looked anything but happy. His rounded features distorted with anger. He bared his teeth like an animal and a low growl followed his words. His fists clinched and the veins of his arms popped out and announced themselves in his toned arms. He was rage incarnate.
Razeal turned towards the intruder with Vivica still in his arms. He looked over his opponent and passed judgment on him. Razeal took one step and that's all anyone saw. There was a blur forming around Marius's raging form. Marius had black fur blossoming, almost erupting, over his dark black skin. His bulging arms rose in anger, he let out a loud bellowing yell that shook the room and Vivica's heart. The blur thickened, filling the air and the lungs of it's victim. He whimpered in pain as small gashes appeared all over his body leaving strawberry colored streams running down his body. He threw punches at his attacker and failed with every blow. It seemed like only a slight fog was around him, but it was so much more and Vivica knew that. Marius fell to his knees and screamed, half choked, while tearing at the flesh of his face as if it too hurt him. He slumped over as the blood began to flow from his bulging eye sockets and he ceased to move anymore. Vivica noticed that she was once again being held by Razeal who licked the bloody mess off his lips and grinned wide as the spatter rolled down his gorgeous face. He was in ecstasy.
"You know, I've thought it over. I think I will stay." she said seeing her tormentor laying dead on the floor. She smiled sickly at Razeal who took her joy into himself. She showed her pretty, delicate teeth in that smile and it would be noticed by only a few that her canines had begun to sharpen.
Vivica learned over the next few hours just how long Razeal had been in the shadows of her life. He discovered her months ago when he witnessed her capture by Marius. He knew of all Marius's atrocities. She had been abused, which was apparent from the crisscrossed X's she bore on her back. Marius was always cruel when he did not get his way. Razeal planned to rescue her after overhearing Marius's plan to rape her and make her bare his disgusting half-breed children. Razeal would never let this happen to his new ward. He wanted to protect her from everything that would harm her. He was always held back until then though. He would not elaborate any further about what tied his hands.
Razeal also told her of his sister, Nadia, he warned her that this woman was a trouble making queen type. She had tried to decapitate Razeal two years ago when they traveled to his homeland, Germany. They had business to take care of with his master, Dyre Isolde. Again he would not elaborate further, but she was satisfied for now. She was safe, for once.
Razeal gave Vivica a grand tour of her new home. This palace of his held a handful of halls and rooms of varying sizes. It was rather big, but there was an always occurring theme in the rooms, the blood red color of the walls. This didn't seem to bother Vivica anymore; in fact, it made her stomach churn with hunger. She didn't seem to notice though as her mind was clogged with the thought of her new found family. She was curious and while it has been quenched earlier it was now coming back with a vengeance. Why had he taken so long to take her? What exactly was this place? Why her?
Vivica's thoughts were quickly redirected when she felt a shadow fall over her and Razeal. It was following their every move. It was watching them and it made her so uncomfortable. Vivica turned abruptly while they were walking down one of the various hallways because the sensation of someone's eyes piercing her skin became too much. She started when her nostrils met the scent of a woman's bust. This new woman was only an inch from Vivica who craned her neck upward to inspect her. She was tall and blonde in a high collared vinyl trench coat that allowed her pale skin to shine against it. This woman towered over Vivica who was only 5'2.Vivica strained her ears as she listened to the rushing sound she now heard. She thought it was her own blood rushing in her ears, but it sounded away from her. She forgot about it when the woman started speaking.
"My name is Nadia," she said with a thick Russian accent. "I am Razeal's sister and who might you be?" The words rolled off her plump lips, the word "sister" with a particular bite to it. Vivica, a little taken aback by her closeness to the new woman, stepped back a little to view her face. She had gorgeous yet vicious sea blue eyes and high European cheek bones. Her hair was bound in three tight buns and her lips had a ruby texture unlike anything she had ever seen. She was a Nordic goddess.
"My name is Vivica, though it should not concern you. Why do you come to me like this? Also explain how a Valkyrie and a red haired demon are related." said Vivica almost with a tinge of venom in her sweet voice.
"Please excuse my rudeness. You are a stranger in my home and I was suspicious of you. As for Razeal," she slipped her eyes on her brother and shot up her chin. "We are only brother and sister because his sire is my sire, just as Razeal is yours."
Vivica drew her breath and considered what the Valkyrie just said. She had not realized what Razeal had done to her. He had made her one of them. He had made her a vampire. She understood what was so strange about Nadia's lips. That was blood.
Nadia stared at Vivica in an almost bemused way. She perched her sculpted nose in the air and held her hip letting her elbow come to a nasty point on her side. Vivica paused for a moment longer then said, "Well, you have met me, so why do you stay?"
Nadia perked her chiseled eyebrow in a manner of a twitch. "I do what I please, and what I please is to stay with the two of you," she said like she was annoyed at being questioned. In fact, she was annoyed. No one talked to her like that. No one.
Razeal, who had remained silent through this tension, spoke up then, "Then join us for a while. We go to the dining hall. We will speak alone later, Nadia."
A voice plowed through Vivica's mind. It filled the creases of her thoughts and clouded her sight.
Watch, my dear. Watch for her. Do not turn your back. Do not shut your eyes. Do not drop your guard for any reason or she will steal you from me. She will steal your life and I cannot save you. I can only protect you so much. I know this might scare you, but be strong for me, precious. Be strong for your future.
Vivica felt fear grow in her as the voice ceased. She could see clearly now and was vigilant of her new "sister-in-law." This woman looked strong as she strolled with them. Her legs protruded from the coat as she walked. Her muscles budged with each step in her pointed black stilettos that covered up to the middle of her calf. It scared Vivica. It scared her a lot.
Nadia fell silent for the remainder of the time. She was too busy thinking to speak. She had to get Vivica out of the way or she would not be able to take over. Vivica was now Razeal's heir and with his death she would gain all his powers. This would make it impossible for Nadia to kill her. Razeal was strong now and she smelled something hidden growing inside Vivica that frightened even her. It smelled of power and primal elements.
They were going to a large dining room with a high ceiling with two chandeliers hanging from the center. The same blood red color littered the walls, yet it was different here. The color was not even. It was splattered. Razeal had gone to the center of the room and was making preparation at the long mahogany table. Six new women filed into the room and gathered next to him. Razeal beckoned both Nadia and Vivica over to the table.
A voluptuous woman lay on the table. Rivers of black hair spilled around her perfect face cradling her existence in its silky ploom. Rhythmically her breath escaped and returned as if fearing the atmosphere it entered. Her skin was wonderfully snowy and pure, as if no man or creature had ever touched it. She was bound at the ankles and wrists by worn leather straps with two metal clips on each cuff. They were connected to the table by beautiful strips of red silk. She looked like a Greek nymph bound by her satyr captors so that they may not lose her in her flight. White silk graced her body. It was fashioned into a dress that was bound at the middle to extenuate her womanly curves. Her body was accompanied by a tin of the finest snail caviar from Soissons, France. She was certainly a delicious creature.
Razeal, Nadia and the other women approached the sleeping lady. Their faces contorted to that of monsters and their canines extended past their lips. Vivica watched in horror as her new lover's face turned from beautiful to horrible, yet something deep inside her stirred and found him magnificent. She felt that something grow stronger and begin to spill over onto her flesh. It felt wonderful. She felt her teeth prick her lips and a fire under her skin that blossomed and changed her. Her eyes fogged again and the last thing she remembered was an empty stomach and her being above the woman's body.
The trees creak and the grass waves as I slowly float by. My speed is that of swimming through muck or mud. The air is so thick. I feel I can move faster, but the air will not permit it. The grass, dark and green, looks wet and dirty beneath me as it ruffles in the slow active motion of this world. The light ahead was soft, foggy, and blue and it was growing closer. It spoke to me in a language that only a person who values beautiful things can understand. It whispers sweet nothings to me in that silent way. It called me closer.
She awoke in the arms of Razeal. They were in the bed chamber again, but this time another woman accompanied them. She was of small stature and had mousey features that made her slightly childlike. Her hair was a beautiful amber color and she had the loveliest eye lashes. They quivered as her eyes darted back and forth during her dream. Vivica was a little uncomfortable but she welcomed the company. She had been alone for a long time now and all she had to look forward to was the mangy wolf man. This was a nice change.
Her hands danced on the soft satin that now graced the bed. They had been changed recently to the new black sheets. She held the middle position in the bed and it seemed they were circled around her. She was the center and this excited her. She let a grin play across her face as she mused about her superiority or, rather her supposed superiority. The door knob made a metallic sound like someone grabbed it.
That must be Nadia. Who else would sneak about like that? I'll pretend to sleep...
Vivica lay down quickly trying to keep quiet and still. Her eyes were slightly open so she could see the face of the intruder. She made sure to scoot closer to Razeal first though. Her fear often overpowered her. The door knob turned slowly and the door pushed open slowly letting a small sliver of light fall in the room and onto the mystery woman's face. A dark figure entered the room and approached the woman at her side and slipped its hands around her neck.
Vivica's heart throbbed as her mind screamed with things she must do to save the woman. She was desperate to do something, but something was nagging her to wait. So she did.
The figure released one of its hands and reached into a pocket. It pulled out a tube with a needle attached that shined in the minuscule light and started towards the sleeping woman's neck. Vivica sprang and grasped the figures wrist or what she thought was a wrist. It moved into the light causing Vivica to start in horror. The beast had faces and bodies all over its being. They were all constantly pushing and silently screaming to break free of the brownish skin they were held in. Vivica let a scream rip through the room, but held on. Her terror turned to rage as she fought for herself and the woman. She did everything she could, but it was to no avail. The horrible beast swiftly took the tube with the thick needle and dug it into Vivica's neck. Blood spewed and screams tore through the room. Horror flowed over her as the cold metal stung her flesh. Her muscles tensed and it caused the weapon to slip and rip part of her. The liquid inside the vial was pushed roughly into her veins, burning her. It was like fire underneath her flesh and her eyes were watering as if they were trying to put out the blaze. As the pain increased, she slowly slipped into slumber. The last thing she heard in the most horrible voice she had ever witnessed was, "You are so gullible."