Date: Thu, 18 Nov 2010 16:43:16 -0800 (PST)
From: Nate House <extreamlucky14@yahoo.com>
Subject: Abandoned Blood 12

Greetings to everyone once again. I'd like to thank those of you who have
sent in their words of support to me during this difficult time. It really
means a lot to me. A lot of you liked how episode eleven ended. Good, that
was the idea... LOLZ!! Some of you were really wondering where I was going
to take it from there. Truth is, I can't wait to see what happens as
well. All I know is it's going to be interesting.


Now time for the legal B.S. Though inspired by true events, this story is
completely borne of my own imagination. It does not depict any actual
person, either living, dead, or any combination of the two, nor does it
depict any actual event event, either past or present. This is a story that
involves sexual relations between two female characters, as well as graphic
violence of the body and mind. If that sort of thing offends you, or if you
are not of legal age to view it in your area, please do us all a favor and
leave now. This tale is the property of the author and may not be
downloaded without my expressed written permission.


Now that all that crap is out of the way, please sit back and enjoy episode
twelve of Abandoned Blood.


********************


Episode 12

It's weird, the things that life throws at you. One day you're in college,
barely passing, but happy with your life, then without provocation or
reason, you're thrown headfirst into a situation that you think doesn't
ever happen. Never in a million years did I think I would have a bounty on
my ass. Had it not been for the "dead or alive" variety, a part of me would
have found it flattering--someone wants to to pay that much money to see me
dead is a helluva ego stroke. But it's the reason why he wants me alive is
what scared me; death would be the easy way out, and I'm not going to die
just because some rich asshole likes to fuck with my little world.

Nadia's already fought off two guys--that I know of--who tried to collect
that bounty. And every time she killed, the violence increased. The first
guy was taken out back, stripped naked, and staked to a tree. Nadia bled
him slowly with her own claws as she questioned him about Father Darien and
why he wants me so badly. I guess his answers weren't good enough. She left
him there until the sun came up, basically rendering him helpless. Once the
sun set, she asked him one more time--the man was mad from the sun and lack
of blood, not to mention his own--before she pulled the stakes out beat him
into unconsciousness. My stomach turned over as I listened to it. She put
the stakes back in, pinning him to the lawn and left him there. I'm not
sure if he's dead or alive, but I'm not about to go out there and check.

The second guy had it even worse. Similar start, but he got to see the
first guy; he knew what was going to happen to him if he didn't
fess-up. Nadia took her time with this one. Sundown to the crack of dawn
was the same pattern: silence, screams, sound of bones breaking, more
screams, Nadia's voice, silence... repeat; repeat for nearly nine hours. By
the time I worked up the courage to go out there, Nadia was both sweating
and crying. For what, or whom, she was crying I still don't know--she
refused to tell me--but whatever, or whoever, it was, it sure as hell put a
fire in her gut. And that's when I noticed his guts all over the grass. He
was still stapled to the tree, but looked like he was turned inside-out.
Yeah, I lost it; in fact, what I threw-up actually made the air smell
better.

What she did to those guys disturbed the hell out of me, but I know why she
did it. It was a message; Father Darien and his band of cronies had to know
that my life will not be taken for granted. I was glad that she was willing
to go to such lengths to protect me, but still... I guess Father Darien's
influence and "education" had a deeper effect than I thought. Or was 'that'
in the nature of vampires? Then again, they've done worse to people
mentally, so taking it to the physical body isn't out of the realm of
reason. Charming. After what Nadia did in anger and desperation, I didn't
want to think what would happen if Father Darien got to have HIS fun.

"Charlene, I'm sorry you had to see that," Nadia said to me the next
morning. I didn't sleep and neither did she, we both looked like shit. I
just gave her a somber look. It didn't have the effect I hoped. "They're
not going to stop coming after you. He won't allow for it."

"That's comforting," I said, tossing my hands up. I put my hand to my
forehead, trying to think of a way out of this. Nothing. "So what now?"

"Well, I suppose I could train you how to fight like a vampire," she said,
her voice carrying a degree of hopefulness. "I know that you already
possess an ability to move like us, so I just have to teach you some basic
fighting techniques."

I made a sarcastic sound. "Is that all? And how do we keep these cretins
out of my ass?"

There was a moment of pause as she thought. I had a feeling of what she
might say, and low-and-behold it's what she came up with. "All I can think
of is keeping you in the house." Damn it.

"And then what? I've got school, my parents would like to see me sometime
this week--"

"Got a better idea? If so I'm all ears." Her accent sounded weird saying
phrases like that.

I sighed. "No."

"Okay. We'll start at sundown."

********************

Sweat dripped off my face. I placed my hands on top of my knees just to
remain standing. My shoulder ached and my abs were on fire. There was a
mark on my left eye where Nadia landed a good hit; she moved so fast I
didn't see it coming. The lady vampire was circling me like the predator
that she is, waiting for the right moment to pounce again. My back cracked
when I tried to straighten myself out. I wound up back on the floor..

"Get up, Charlene," she commanded. That's been her favorite phrase for the
last two days. "I'm not going to take it easy on you. They won't take it
easy on you." Like I haven't heard that one before, either.

"I know that," I panted with a wince. My hand tried to clutch at my back,
but it didn't do anything. I could feel her aura touching mine, and the
emotions behind it. She wasn't happy, she wasn't hungry. Nadia was
frustrated. Her stance didn't relax when I looked at her. "But we're only
sparring, remember?"

"They won't be 'sparring', Charlene. They would like nothing more than to
kill you." Funny, that's been her second favorite phrase. And quite
frankly, I was through hearing it. "Father Darien put out a five million
dollar price on your head, dead or alive, and we all know that a bounty is
much easier to claim when the target isn't kicking."

I scoffed. "Like I don't know that! We've been at it for hours, Nadia."
Great, now my head was hurting. Putting my hand to it, I mumbled, "Do you
think we can call it a night? I have virtually no energy left and you still
have yet to eat."

"I'm fine," she said a little too quickly. "It's you I'm worried about." I
couldn't help but notice that she hasn't stopped circling me. "That's why
I'm trying to train you, in case I'm not around when one of those lowlives
attacks you." Yeah, "when" and not "if", which means that its going to
happen again. "At least then you'd have a chance."

"And if he starts pumping out the pheromones? You know how susceptible I am
to that." I picked myself up and stood to follow her path, much to the
dismay of my sore legs. In that sultry, predator-like way, Nadia
chuckled. "What?"

"I've been sending out pheromones since before we began," she said,
shocking me. "You haven't succumb yet." Guess that explains the change of
smell down here. Then her expression changed, and I knew what was going to
happen next. "Ready?"

I just answered that, didn't I? "No," I said, bracing myself for impact. I
saw her silhouette shift, then felt an elbow into my ribs. As I fell
forward, Nadia grabbed my neck and flipped me over her shoulder. I let out
what little oxygen I had left when my back thudded against the floor. I
wheezed and coughed as the vampire continued to circle. "Get up,
Charlene. I barely hit you."

"My ass!" I breathed pushing myself into a more respectable position. I
don't know where I found the strength to stand, but I'm glad I did. She
would have kicked me if I stayed down too long--she's done that
before. "Why aren't I feeling the pheromones?"

Nadia shrugged. "Maybe you're going a resiliency to them. I don't know--"
My fist in her gut cut her off. She caught the knee strike I tried to put
into her face and threw me back. "Good, you're learning," she said with a
smile. I didn't accept the compliment, even if was the first one since she
put me on lockdown.

I almost felt my brain do a one-eighty, my senses were suddenly on high
alert and my breathing relaxed. The pain running through my middle
dissipated, my vision rolled over into that hazy blue. Though Nadia moved
in her vamp-given speed, I could trace the path of her movements. I moved
away from her grapple and grabbed her arm. Using her own momentum, I
twisted it and flipped her over her shoulder. She landed on her feet and,
with her vampire strength, threw me against the wall. My body made an
indentation in the wall.

"How did you do that?" she asked in all seriousness, just as weirded out as
I was.

"I don't know," I muttered from my sitting position. "Something in my head
just clicked. I saw you the whole time."

With her eyes black, Nadia looked like the little lost child I saw at
Father Darien's. "I think we're done for tonight."

"Whoa, whoa, chica!" I sprang up and grabbed her shoulder. "I just
discovered something and now you want to stop? I don't think so."

"Charlene," Nadia started, but changed her mind. "We're both sweaty and
reek of each other's scents. If you do what you just did again, I just
might lose it. I might just attack you and feed simply because of that. You
know how we vampires are."

I scoffed. "Yeah," I uttered, putting my hands on my hips. "I know. You,
Father Darien, Adriel, you all remind me just how weird this whole
'community' is. What is it with you tonight, anyway?"

I saw the pain and confusion in her eyes. There's something about what I
discovered that she didn't like. "Charlene, what you did just now could be
a clue to what you're becoming. I don't know what that is, nor do I know
how you would react if we kept going. I think it's best if we take this
slowly."

"And I think it's best if we keep going," I almost shouted. "Come on,
Nadia, just five minutes ago you were gung-ho about training me. So let's
keep it up."

"And if this new-found power of yours pushes me too far, what then?" She
was in my face and her aura about knocked me over. I could see the
emotional shift in it, and it wasn't looking good. Shit. Just talking about
it almost makes her vamp out on me. "You haven't seen what happens to
people when I lose control over myself. Harold, Davis... that was mild." I
thought back to the mess she made of the intruder we had a couple weeks
ago, then to the more recent victims. I don't think there were any
identifying marks left on the guy's body; hell, I wouldn't even call it a
body. "I couldn't live myself if I ever did something like that to you."

Sweat, but horrifying. "Like what happened with Marianna?" That was bitchy,
but I needed to know.

Another pulse in her aura. I hit on something, but I had to know if she was
over her regardless of what they said. "Marianna chose that for herself." I
couldn't help but notice the tear in her eye. I knew they were once more
than just vampire and Watcher, but like I said, I needed to know just how
deep that wound went. "She got hooked on the sexual high of my feeding. I
tried to warn her off of it, but she left me. After seeing her a few days
ago, I think throttling her would have been better."

"Better for who?"

"Both of us." Nadia said that without any hesitation or regret. I like that
she still worried about her, it meant that she really did worry about
things and not just saying that she does.

I pulled her into me. "Alright. I believe you." Her aura coated mine in the
usual way when she's getting hungry. I think that's a trait inherent of all
vampires, relax your dinner before you feed. In that moment, I really
didn't care. Since I was holding her against me, I thought of it as a nice
addition to a nice moment. "Now, I know you're hungry, so let's get this
over with."

Her grip on me tightened. To relax my mind, I tightened mine on her. The
warmth of her aura was turning into a sauna. Something was wrong here. "I
like you all sweaty like this." Her accent made that sound way sexier than
I felt. "It makes me think of you once I'm done with you." Shit, she's
vamping out and not in a good way. "Resisting my pheromones. Wanting to
push me back onto my instincts. You know how to make my pussy wet, don't
you?" Shit, shit, shit. Her claws started digging into my sports bra. She
was avoiding my skin on purpose. "I like teasing you, Charlene, because you
like teasing me."

I tried to push her away. "Nadia, you need to calm down." It wasn't
working. "Nadia let me go." The odor in the air thickened. Damn it, she's
pumping out more pheromones, adding the scent of her arousal. This is
targeted specifically for me. I grabbed her hair and pulled her away from
my neck and shoulder. "Nadia, let go of me. I'll satisfy you better if you
do."

"You'll satisfy me just fine," she hissed. "I can smell your pussy from
here; you want me to bite you. You want me to force my fingers into your
dripping cunt." True, but that doesn't mean I have to let her. "You get off
on what I do to you. Feeling my tongue go all over your body. I know every
one of your buttons." Nadia slipped the straps of my bra off my shoulders.
Now I'm in trouble. If I let her keep going, we'd be on the floor and she'd
be out of control, but if I let go of her hair, she would bite me
now. Fuck!

"Oh yes," she purred. My eyes closed, her pheromones winning the fight.
"Just let it happen. Let me into you. Let me all over you. I'll make you
come like a fountain. Oh my, your nipples are so hard!" I hadn't noticed
that she now had ahold of my breasts, through the spandex, one in each
hand, and kneading them like she knows how. "So soft. So sweaty. You want
me to take you right here and now, don't you?" I nodded my head and she
giggled. "Tell me that you want it. Tell me that you need my teeth and
fingers inside of you." My mouth moved, but nothing came out. My budding
orgasm from just this little bit of manipulation was driving me wild. If
she didn't shut up and just take me, I was going to jump her. "Jumpy are
we? That's not like you; I know you better than that, my little morsel."

"What did you call me?" I said, sobering up, my grip on her hair slackened.
There's only one person in the world who calls me that. "You in there,
Father Darien?" I asked, staring directly into her eyes. A soft glimmer in
those pits of blackness told me my answer. "You son of a bitch. Leave Nadia
alone!" I grabbed my vampire's arms and shook her. "Nadia! Snap out of it!"

"You see now, little Charlene, what happens if you don't keep a balance
with your vampire?" Nadia said in his voice. "When the thirst gets too much
for me, I call out to him."

I didn't know what to do. He's done this before, back when I was ignorant
of this world. I had to do something to drive him out; making her speak
like that is just plain rude. "Shut up, you bastard! Get out of my
vampire!"

"Your vampire? I don't think so, Charlene. I belong to him. I love him like
he loves me." He gave Nadia her voice back. It turned my blood cold, it
made my heart ache to listen to it. "You won't give me what I want; what I
need to stay alive and sane is in his hands. You won't give me that."

"God damn it, shut up!" I shoved her up against the wall. She... he...
whatever, smiled at me, showing me those beautifully perfect teeth and the
drool dripping from them. I grabbed her head and slammed it back against
the wall. If that was all I knew to do to get him the hell out, then I was
going to do it. "You don't own her, you little fucker! Get! Out!" By the
time I was done beating her head, she was unconscious and slipped to the
floor.

Crouching next to her body, I rubbed her arm. "Nadia, you okay?" Dumb
question, but a required one.

I saw her eyes flash back to their normal dark brown. Relief washed over
me. I let out a breath and sat beside her. "He did it again didn't he?"

"Yeah. Sorry about your head. It was all I could think to do."

"I'm fine. Thank you. I'm just glad he's gone."

"He can do that at any time can't he?" I asked hoping for a yes. My pulse
hammered when she shook her head. "Only if you let him in?"

"Only if I'm hungry and feeling weak," Nadia said.

"Weak? Nadia, you threw me all over the place down here. You were not
weak."

She propped herself up and leaned back against the damaged wall. "Our
hunger is our weakness, Charlene. To normal humans, we seem to be all
powerful and strong, but if we miss a meal or if it's been too long between
feedings, vampires begin to lose their mental focus that renders us so.
And, in our inherent desperation, we reach out to our master vampire for
assistance."

I let out a huff. "And he just shows up and possesses you like the demon he
is, huh? Seeing tat you're weaker than normal, it can't be too hard."

Nadia's features saddened. "It's not like that, Charlene. Yes we are
weaker, so we're more open to their influence--especially if we voluntarily
let him or her in before--but Father Darien is unlike most other of his
brothers at the Order." I just gave her an unresponsive look. "As you
pointed out before, he's a sadist, a rapist. Evil incarnate, even."

"That's an understatement."

"Yeah," she mumbled softly.

I know their history, so I know how that translated, but I also know that
she has to escape from that. "Could you listen in our little conversation?"

"Yes and no. I could only hear what he wanted me to hear."

"And what distorted version of the truth did he allow you to hear?"

"Not much, and because of that I know that you did a good job talking to
him." A proud pseudo-smile appeared on her lips. "You're learning fast on
how to deal with people like him."

I took that at face value, I could use the compliment right now. "Could you
read his mind or his aura?"

Nadia shrugged. "A little, but it was enough to know that he has no clue as
to what you are." Her smile broadened, "He's afraid of you, Charlene."

Okay. That's funny." Scared? Are you freaking kidding me?"

Her smile remained. "Fear has a way of making us do things we wouldn't
ordinarily do. Mind possession isn't easy to do, even with someone as
skilled as Father Darien; they don't make it a hobby or habit of doing it
too often because it weakens them until their mental strength recovers."

That makes sense, but I still don't believe that he's scared of me. "Why
would he be afraid of me? Even in a fair fight he could kick my ass, and
that fight would be far from fair."

"You need to understand the psyche of a vampire, Charlene." Nadia slid up
the wall, using it like a crutch. I followed her up, my head still spinning
from the fact that I had to practically bash her skull in to get him to
leave. "Part of being a vampire is being in control," Nadia lifted an
eyebrow, "And he has virtually no control over you. That's why he put the
word out to bring you in. That's why he likes seeing you cower at the sight
of him."

Again, that made sense, but I was still confused. "So-o-o," I drawled out,
"Why doesn't he have any control over me?"

"Because you're not human." Old news there Nadia, the look on my face told
her as much. "I have no idea what you are, but human you are not." I
motioned for her to continue. "Another one of my research contacts was
found, this one with his head in a bag next to him along with his fingers
and feet. His eyes were still in place though."

I gulped. The last guy who died was found in a similar state, except they
still have yet to find his eyes. "This is the third one. Sounds like Father
Darien's getting lazy," I quipped, trying to find something about that to
not want to puke.

"I'm not so sure it was Father Darien this time," Nadia said, looking me
square in the eye. "The second body was disemboweled along with being
beheaded having his fingers and eyes cut out." Does she really need to
speak in that gruesome of detail so easily? "But the fact that the eyes
weren't cut out leads me to think that it wasn't him. One of his favorite
sayings was: 'All the power in the world resides in the eyes'."

My stomach was churning. "Why is he killing off your informants?"

"They're my friends," she corrected, "And I have no idea why he'd want them
dead. Maybe it's because he doesn't want to know what you are. Maybe he
doesn't want YOU to know what you are."

"Do you have a guess as to what I am?" I'm sure she heard the plea in my
voice. If her friends were being killed because of me, I don't know if I
could live with myself. It's not right for that bastard to be killing
people in the first place, even if they are the bottom-feeders.

"Well, I know what you're not," Nadia said, walking into the den. I
followed her as she spoke. "You're not a vampire. You're not an asuwang."
I'll take that as a good thing, I think. She smiled. "Asuwangs are very
rare. They're vampires that were bitten by another during their biological
transformation. Since that usually happens in less than twenty-four hours,
there aren't than many of them."

I pulled my chair next to hers and sat down. "What are they exactly?"

"Disgusting creatures," Nadia answered point blank. "Think of it like a
vampiric abortion. Their teeth are like daggers, their eyes are twin pearls
of nothingness. Their brains don't function like normal; the need to hunt
and feed, even in the daylight, is priority one. They kill without cause,
gutting even their own mothers, or so I've heard."

"Is Adriel one of these things?" Then again, do I really want to know?

"He's another enigma in our little community. We're not sure what he is
either. He's a vampire, but we have reason to believe that he's something
more."

"You don't say."

"Let's see... I know that you're not an obayifo or asiman."

"What, is there like an entire classification system for vampires now?"

"Yes, actually." I sat back with a huff. "In case you didn't notice, but
the different vampires that you've encountered have all treated you with a
different disregard. The different names are from different brain patterns,
taken from centuries of research. If every vampire was as animalistic as
we're made out to be, then there would be no humans left on the planet by
now." I'm not sure if that made me feel better or worse.

"An obayifo and asiman are the same thing essentially, the only difference
being that an asiman is the mature version. The myth says that they travel
as balls of light, but the truth is that their eyes glow brighter than a
typical vampire's and when they move in their 'natural' speed it seems like
a ball of light."

"Father Darien teach you all of this?"

"Him and several others. I've been alive for a long time, Charlene. I've
actually killed one of these things."

"Bet that made Father Darien proud." Nadia was in my face before the last
syllable left it. And with the look in her eye, maybe I should keep my
sarcasm to myself, especially about him.

"Yes it did. And I did it to protect you, in case you've forgotten." I
thought back to the night of our home invader. Guess that explains the
bright eyes. Nadia slowly backed away and sat down.

"Sorry."

"Don't be, you didn't know."

The phone rang at the other end of the room, drawing our collective
attention. "I'll get it," I said, already getting up. Nadia didn't so much
as acknowledge the phone besides staring at it. It was like the sound put
her in a trance. Well, after the last few phone calls she's received I
don't blame her. Hell, I wasn't comfortable answering it after those calls
either. "Hello," I said after letting it ring a couple more times.

"Charlene," a vaguely familiar voice said. I knew I've heard it somewhere,
but I couldn't put a face to it. "I'm glad it's you. Listen, I like I might
have figured out what you are."

My heart leapt into my throat. "How?"

"Research, dumbass," he snapped. "After what happened to the last few guys,
I'm going to need to speak to you as soon as possible."

"What's wrong with right now?"

"You think I'm going to divulge this kind of information over an open open
phone line? Hell no! Where can you meet me in just a few minutes?"

Okay, Charlie, think... no pressure at all. "Um... I guess Manny's Grocery
store." I turned around and about had a heart attack. Nadia was standing in
her defiantly pissed off stance with a stare that could kill. "I'm going to
have to bring Nadia with me, though."

"Don't be stupid! Father Darien has a trace on her better than the fucking
C.I.A. could ever hope for. I'll only talk to you. Twenty minutes. Be
there."

"Fine, but who is this?" Naturally, the line went dead the second before. I
looked up to Nadia and said, "What?"

"I don't like this, Charlene. You're not going."

"I beg your pardon," I said, affronted.

"You know it's a trap. Father Darien is using whoever the hell that was to
lure you away from me. You're not going. We'll figure it out another
way. If he could do it, so can I."

"I'm sick of waiting!" Now I sound like a two year old. Well, good. "People
are dying because of me, Nadia. I think I owe them to go and investigate
this out, even if it turns out he was lying."

"What then? What if he's lying and attacks you?"

"You said that you put the word out on that. If what you said was true,
then I should be safe. Right?"

Nadia's gaze fell. She wasn't so sure that I would be safe. She didn't know
just how strong her word is out on the streets. The vampire walked back to
her chair, settling herself into the cushion without looking at me. "I
don't like this..." she mumbled, no doubt trying to think of a way to talk
me out of it. "What will you do if he ignores my warning?"

"I know it's only been a few days, but we've been practicing that haven't
we?" I kept my tone light to keep her from becoming even more
protective. Hell, she's been one step short of locking me in a cage for the
last four days, she just might do that after this. "I managed to drive
Father Darien away, didn't I?"

"Because he let you. You know what he does to people who get in his way."

"But I'm not in his way, the guy on the phone is. I'm what he's seeking."

"And he just might kill you as a means to an end. I can't protect you from
that if not there." Funny, she added those last three words like an
afterthought.

"It's worth the risk," I said, heading for the hallway. "I'm tired of being
held over the feeding pit like I'm just another meal. You said yourself
that I'm more than that. Father Darien's all but said as much. If this guy
has the information he claims, and if he's as scared as he sounded on the
phone, and if your warnings hold up, then I'll be fine." That was a lot of
"ifs", but I couldn't wait any longer. I looked at my watch. Time to go.

********************



















"Charlene, I don't like this," Nadia said for the umpteenth time, and to be
quite honest it was beginning to piss me off.

"What don't you like about it? Sounds like standard vampire protocol to
me." I tried to push past her, but her arm flew out against the wall. "You
know? Lure the unsuspecting meal out to the feeding grounds, then lay in
wait for them to arrive." Her face hardened, the truth punching her in the
gut. "Then, when the moment is right..." I slapped the wall next to her
hand, "BAM! You jump'em, and you get to stay sane for another day."

Her face got even more pale as her hand slipped down the wall. "Why did you
say that?" She took a few steps back. I knew I hurt her, but I wasn't
feeling much better, either. "Charlene?"

I didn't follow after her. "You're smothering me, Nadia. I haven't left
this house in nearly five days. You won't even let me go to school. I'm
fucking going stir crazy." The vampire wouldn't meet my eye. "All of this
'training' we've been doing isn't going to help that. I need to get out of
here. For some fresh air, if nothing else."

She nodded her head. "Alright, but I'm going with you." Nadia picked her
head up. Her eyes were almost fully black. I felt her aura touch
mine. She's going emotional on me? How sweet.

"No you're not."

"Yes I am. I've been through hell to keep you safe, I'm not letting you out
of my sight."

I threw my hands up. I walked upstairs with my vampire following close
behind. I put my hands on the sink and looked out at the moon rising. Nadia
wrapped her arms around my waist. Her aura blended with my mine, warming my
body inside and out. "I'm going to meet this guy, Nadia, and you will wait
right here until I get back. And I don't want any lip about it."

She kissed my wounded shoulder. Shivers covered my skin, running through my
veins and exploding between my legs. Her grip around my middle
tightened. My head lolled back as her tongue traveled up my neck. "God you
smell so good."

"Nadia... wait until I get back," I mumbled. "I need... my strength."

I sucked my breath in at her sharp teeth touching my skin. They stopped at
my scars. "I want this Charlene," she said. "I need you to give me this."

I found it hard to breathe with her doing that. My pussy was dripping wet
and my nipples were as hard as bricks. I grabbed the back of her head,
tempting her to bite down. I needed my energy to go and meet my contact,
but this... this was just too good. "Is it just you this time?"

"I need to have this, Charlene," Nadia whispered into my ear. "I need to
have you."

"Why...?"

"I'm hungry." Short answers, Nadia's style. One of her hands grabbed my
crotch. Her palm slapped my oversensitive clit, which was naked under my
workout spandex. Before I finished my jump her hand was pumping against
me. I turned my face into her neck and sealed my lips to it. This just made
her pull against me even more. I felt her fabric-covered fingers tease my
opening, my juices soaking through. The vampire slip her other hand under
my bra and roughly squeezed my tit. She pinch my nipple between two fingers
and pulled. I came right there.

I moaned as I sucked on her neck. Nadia ripped a hole in my pants and
inserted a finger. My juices were leaking down my leg. I ran my tongue up
and down the length of her neck. She added a second finger, her palm
grinding against my vulva. I clawed at the back of her neck, holding her in
place. My other hand covered hers, urging her to keep massaging my sex. As
her hands worked their magic, I bit down on her neck. I wanted a taste of
her blood.

Nadia pulled away from me and bent me over the sink. I gasped at the force,
but liked it all the more. She pulled her fingers out of me and ripped my
pants off. I heard the tearing of the seam, making my pussy leak even
more. Before I knew to breathe again, Nadia's tongue delve right into my
opening. I screamed at the intrusion, at the hot wetness penetrating
me. Her claws dug into the soft flesh of my ass. I felt her breathe across
my asshole. I don't think I've ever felt something so hot in my life.

I came against her face. I heard it splash on the floor; Nadia kept lapping
her tongue against my cunt like the hungry bitch that she is. My vision
faded in and out of both azure and passion. Nadia grazed her sharp teeth
against my skin, sending even more goosebumps up my spine. Her tongue
danced against my inner walls, teasing everyone of my nerves. My eyes
opened and I saw my reflection. I never knew watching yourself getting
fucked would look this hot--we are so fucking in front of a mirror from
know on. I think I came twice just from the thought of it.

Nadia spun me around. Her arms reached under my thighs and held my legs
open. Our eyes met as her tongue plunged back into my pussy. She kept her
eyes on mine as that marvelous wet organ of hers worked its magic. I knew
she was up to something, but I really didn't care. As long as she made me
cum one more time she could do anything she wanted. Her hands slid under my
ass in a very slow motion. Along with her tongue licking, her fingers
pulled my cheeks apart. My head lurched forward and my cum squirted out of
me when a finger entered my ass. I grabbed my tits and pulled as she moved
it around inside of me, drunk for my pussy liquor. My hips started grinding
against her face in time with her movements. When I came again, my body
decided to collapse. I fell forward and right into Nadia's waiting arms. I

 didn't even

 notice she

 moved.

"I'm going to take care of you when I get back," I mumbled into her
shoulder.

"I'll be waiting. I hungry and very horny." I let out a little laugh. It's
nice to hear a joke from her for once. "And only you will satisfy me."

I peeled away from her. "Don't I always?" I slipped my out of what remained
of my workout pants. "I need to get some clothes on. It's cold out
tonight."

"Way ahead of you."

********************

I will never get tired of Nadia picking out my clothes. I love her sense of
style; yeah, I'm bias, but so what? She watched me the whole time I was
getting dressed like the perverted predator I knew her to be. I think it's
hot the way she looks at me, knowing she has to wait only adds to the
anticipation. It got me wet just thinking about it.

Nadia was good and didn't say anything about me meeting this guy, but she
didn't give me the car keys either. It annoyed me, but at least she wasn't
chaining me to the wall. I just sighed and made my way out of the
house. She waited at the door as I strode tot the sidewalk. I waved one
last time and turned the corner.

North Lawn Street. Not exactly the place for a girl to be walking alone at
night. People disappear around here. Even so, the stench of dead bodies is
heavy in the midnight air; it's so thick I could practically taste it. I
suppose that's one reason why vampires hate themselves after they kill
someone: the taste is awful. I tried not to look at the corpses as I pass
them--even though my enhanced senses could make out the difference in
bullet hole sizes, and hear the street thugs whispering from within their
crack houses--but I can't help it. Most of them are decomposed beyond
recognition, some are just more than skeletal remains. Most look, and
smell, like they were killed by multiple gunshot wounds, but as I took a
more discerning sniff, I know for a few that's not the case. Those poor
bastards met

 their fate at the

 business

 end of a hungry vampire who had a bad day. I told myself that Tiffany
would not end up like this.

The farther I walked, the more I notice something amiss. It's quiet. This
stretch of road is never quiet. The street-side silence is unnerving and
the ominous glows from the random streetlight isn't helping. I would take
the light display of a firefight over this. At least then I would know what
to expect. There wasn't so much as a car engine starting up, or loud music
playing. There's only one conclusion I could draw from that: something out
here has them spooked, and I'm out here with it. Just my luck.

The building were getting bigger and bigger. I was getting close to the
grocery store. The dead body count was dwindling, though I couldn't be
certain if that's a good thing or not. At least none of these reek of
vampire-induced death, just a typical shooting or stabbing victim. Nothing
out of the normal there, at least for this side of town. How bad is it if
that doesn't scare me?

But the thumping sound from above me did. Shit. I caught the stench of
fresh blood. The air above me stirred, the sound of a soft breeze pulled my
eyes all around me. Manny's place was just a few hundred yards away. I ran
for it. With any luck I would reach the store with enough time for this guy
to give me what I want. What I need.

A drop of wetness hit my hand. Weird, it wasn't supposed to rain
tonight. Then another. The harder I sniffed, the more I realized that it
was blood. Fuck! Don't tell me this is "his" blood. Not fair. I'm only five
minutes late! I ran a lap around the store but he was nowhere to be
found. Not fucking fair! When I got back to the lit side of the building, I
heard another thud, complete with an accompanying familiar scent.

"How long have you been flowing me, Adriel?" I asked out without looking
behind me. I'd recognize that stench anywhere, even without my enhanced
sense of smell. I heard his light chuckle. That same raspy, crackling tone
I remembered from the last time he showed up. I knew he was watching me
from a nearby rooftop. I could hear his footsteps. "Adriel. I'm not going
to hurt you, you know."

He stood in front of me before I finished that sentence. "Greetings, little
one. What do you seek on this night of fun?"

I shook my head. "Nothing that concerns you." My vision changed over. When
I saw him cast in that azure haze, I think I just hurt his feelings. "I
heard that someone in this neighborhood has some answers for me."

He stepped into the glow of a street lamp. His frown flipped over into a
genuine smile. I gasped at all the blood pouring out of his mouth. Just
like the last time. "I heard that too, so I came to find you."

"How did you hear that? It was a private phone call." He titled his head to
his left, his eyes black as sin. He nodded his eyebrows twice before
tapping the side of his head. "Yeah, yeah, I know," I huffed, covering my
nose. "Let me guess, you ate my informant. Didn't you?"

He motioned his finger. "That is not a nice word to say as we all just go
about our day. It's all part of the life we live; there's only so much can
we give."

"Was is you who called me?"

"Maybe, maybe not. Curious though is it not, that life lessons can't be
taught. Funny how the things we learn are harkened for those we yearn."

"Whatever." I put my hands under my arms, my breath hung in the cold autumn
air. I couldn't believe it was already October, some places were already
setting up Halloween decorations. Trying to say nonchalant, I said, "So, do
you have some answers for me or what?"

"Yes, yes, my sad little dear. You must lend an ear, for this you must
hear." The enthusiasm in his voice was unusual, but I'll take it. "You are
a dhampir, my sweet little dear."

I've gotta say that I never have liked talking to Adriel that much, at
least this time he wasn't chasing me down a hallway with a knife. "What the
fuck are you talking about? What's a dhampir?"

Adriel's smile curled even higher. "It's half of you and half of me, but
all in fun." His smile dropped and his head titled to the other side. His
gaze changed to one of discrimination, as if he was inspecting me for the
first time. "But the change is not done."

My palms were hurting from how tight my grip had become. "Adriel please,
just this once, can you give it to me straight? What exactly am I
becoming?"

"Not good for a word are you? No, no, no that simply will not do." I swear
every time I see this guy he just gets weirder and weirder. And he always
finds a way to piss me off.

Adriel took one step towards me, I instinctively stepped back. "Stay away
from me." He grinned again. "I mean it, Adriel. Stay back."

"Or what, morsel sweet? Do you think you'll hurt me?" I hate that arrogance
that is inherent to every vampire I've ever come across. Nadia included. He
could see the ire building up in me because his pupils began to
swell. Strange, that didn't happen last time. "Do you think you could hurt
me? You don't even have the will to be."

"The 'will to be' what?" I nearly shouted. I felt his aura graze against
mine. Shit. It was a warning, kinda like a rattle snake. I better calm
myself down before I push him over the edge. I took a slow, deep breath
before asking, "Why would Father Darien be scared of me?"

"Scared of you? Funny, he's scared of me, too!"

"And why is that so amusing?"

"How is it not amusing?" He made a grand gesture, spinning around in to
follow the cold air that just blew past us. "You who are so unassuming." He
continued to make a show of his amusement even as the air began to take on
a form. A booming laugh echoed out from behind him, a laugh that sent
chills down my spine. Fuck me.

"Adriel," I said cautiously. "Look behind you."

"Why?" That damned joyous tone was starting to get on my nerves. "I can't
die."

What? "No, you dumbass, Father Darien is standing two feet behind you."

"I always have liked an introduction by a lady." He stepped into the
light. He was as gorgeous, beautiful and disgusting as I remember him
being. That charmingly evil smile, that fair hair framing his delicate
face. Unfortunately for him, I never bought that act for one minute.

"What do you want, asshole?" I asked in my most threatening voice. He
laughed even harder.

He pointed at me. "You, my dear. It's all I've ever wanted."

"You can't be serious," I scoffed. "You've been trying to kill me."

"No, my dear, I've been testing you." He stepped around Adriel, who didn't
even give him a sideways glance. I'm sure he could hear my pulse thumping
against my chest. I stepped back when I felt his aura expand. "Only I
didn't expect you to pass. Bravo." He started clapping his hands in a slow,
mocking cadence. "Bra-fucking-vo." It didn't seem to matter how many steps
back I took, he was getting closer. "I thought you would just roll over and
give up like you did on ever other test you've ever taken. But just like
always, you disappointment me."

"Well, I aim to please," I said, shaking like a fucking earthquake. He
chuckled, and I don't think it was the sarcasm. "So then the price for my
head has been lifted, I assume."

"Oh no, my dear," the Father's eyes were a full black, "I've grown to like
this feeling of disappointment. Amusing, is it not, just how much power
over your life that I really have." I scoffed. Before I could blink again,
he was right in my face. "Does it disturb you, Charlene, to know what true
fear feels like? Or do you get off on it like I do?"

I shook my head, trying to keep my emotions reigned in. "No. I'm not
twisted like you, you little fuck."

"Oh, is that what you like? A little fuck?" His lips were a mere inch from
my ear. He kept his aura off of mine, but his breath was the sweetest thing
I could imagine. "That's what she tells me anyway."

"Nice try, vamp boy. You don't think I know that she tells you shit?"

He let out an amused noise. "I like the power that you two share, it's what
gets me off." I turned my head and gave him a sour look. "Oh yes,
Charlene. The two of you have something and I like that. Nadia deserves a
little compassion."

"It's not like you give her any."

I hit the ground before I knew Father Darien had slapped me. "Now that's
neither kind or true. I gave that little girl the world. I taught her
everything she needed to know to survive this disgusting world in which we
live. I gave her the love of not only a father, but a guardian, a brother,
and a lover. And she ate it up, like the sad puppy I found wandering the
streets."

I spit out a drop of blood. Damn, he smacked me a good one this time. "I
know that too, retard, you wanna get to the fuckin' point."

"My sweet, sweet little morsel," he said, crouching next to me. "Nadia has
taught you a lot of things, but patience is not one of them. And it's a
lesson you had better learn before it's too late. After all, time is
something the three of us have plenty of."

"Huh?"

"I just so happen to overhear that little discussion with my fellow
Master." He beamed at the confusion on my face. "A dhampir. Never seen one
up close that was still alive. What's it feel like? The thirst getting to
you? Do you feel more powerful than your brother, or that abusive father of
yours?"

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about you, my little morsel. I've gotta say, of all the pets
I've had over the years, you just became my favorite. I'm the luckiest
living Master Vampire alive... well sort of. I have a stable of powerful
vampires, one that's showing the early stages of mastering her abilities,
and now I find myself in possession of a dhampir. Oh, my brothers at the
Order will so green with envy."

"Envy of what?" If he was in a giving mood, I might as well milk
it. "What's so fucking special about me?"

"Or perhaps maybe not."

I threw my hands up. "I swear, vampires suck at answering even the simplest
of questions."

"And I swear that even faux-humans suck with manners." He inched closer,
sniffing the air between us. "You don't even know what a dhampir is do
you?" I shook my head, nervousness kicking in once again. Father Darien
stood up. He looked down at me like he always has. "Take it up with
Nadia. I'm sure she'll be happy to hear the news."

The master vampire walked over to my spat blood and dipped his finger into
it. His eyes shut in pure bliss as he sniffed his digits. His tongue snaked
out of his mouth, savoring every second of my flavor. I sat up with my
hands behind me. Father Darien made a grand parting gesture. He was gone
before I blinked again. "God, what an asshole," I murmured, running my
finger over my spit lip.

"The Father is many things, so beware of this. Be careful before whom you
blink and take the time to stop and think. A new life for you begins before
the former one ends."

"Shut up, Adriel," I said as I stood up. "Unless the next words out of your
mouth are the definition of a dhampir, I don't want to hear your shit."

 I walked past him and his snickering mouth. "The old life doesn't end, but
the new life begins, blissfully unaware of her new-found cousins."

I stopped. Looking over my shoulder I asked, "What did you say?"

"We are related now, Charlene, you see. It's funny to be related to me."

"How the fuck are we related?"

"It's not polite for the lady to cuss, especially now that you're one of
us."

"Adriel, please, just... shut up for once." I put my hand to my head,
trying to figure everything out.

"The powers that be say you have the powers that may," he said, irritating
me further. "Pity if you should live to see the day."

My mouth hung open. He smiled to show me those daggers he calls
teeth. "I've gotta get out of here," I said as calmly as I could, the
memory from our last encounter suddenly fresh in my mind. "Adriel. Will you
let me go?" Hopefully showing him some respect would at least get me back
to Nadia's house. I took my cue when he bowed to me with his arms stretched
before him. I don't know what's going to upset her more. That Father Darien
knows what I am, or that he's happy about it. That man is never happy
unless someone is suffering, me and Nadia in particular. And now Adriel
knows too, and he just called us related. Is he also a dhampir? After my
vampire biology lesson Nadia gave me tonight, I'm sure he's something of
the sort.

"Figure it out if you must, but it's my word that you can trust," I heard
him say as if he was whispering in my ear. "You won't be able to save for
friends lest you be the means to their ends. Don't try and don't suffer,
but a word of this you must not utter."

"Shut up, Adriel," I thought, hoping he could hear me. "You're not
helping."

"Help does not exist, even for the one you live with. You can't help them,
you can't help her, but you're determined that's for sure."

I took that as a compliment. I sure could use as many as I could get--they
won't be coming anytime soon. I'm not sure what to make of all of this, but
I'm not taking Adriel at his word that I can't help my friends. Shit, my
friends. What are they going to think of all of this? Oh fuck. What are my
parents going to think? What will I tell them? As I made my way to Nadia's,
I decided to think of that one later.

********************

I'd like to thank everyone for sticking with for all of this time. Let's
just say it hasn't been the best time in my life, but we do what we
can. And I'd like to take this time to thank everyone who has written in to
me with their comments, compliments, questions, and suggestions. I still
can't believe that this story has gotten as popular as it has. Just... wow.

Preview for Episode 13:

After nearly a week on lockdown, Charlie goes back to school. While she's
in the library, going over her assigned reading, she makes a discovery that
could turn the course of her fate.

Meanwhile Nadia is on the hunt after she finds a peculiar letter stashed
underneath her pillow. And she won't come back empty-handed.