W O L F M A M A's Blog on RolePlayer.me

Previous12 Next

[ This blog post is viewable to friends only ]

03/04/2019 09:46 PM

Holliday Party [Drabble]

Mile Away Motel
Fort Atkinson, WI
4:40 AM

[text] Still alive?

[text] Claire, where are you? My parent teacher conferences are this weekend and Aunt Erin wants you to come by so you can see my report cards.

[text] Claire, I need you to call me. It's about Mollie.

"Christ, give me a damn minute," the blonde muttered as she read the first three texts, three out of twenty six that she had waiting. One was from Andy, the redhead she was.. well, she wasn't really sure what they were yet but she knew she liked the redhead and liked spending time with her. The other twenty five were from her sister Erin and her daughter Mollie. Mollie, who routinely told Claire how much she hated her, how much better her life would be if Claire hadn't come into it, and basically looked at her like she was something she'd stepped in. Her left hand shook as she put the phone down.. sort of tossed it onto the table in front of her. Her right arm hung at her side, an open break in the forearm, her ulna on the pinky side of her arm. Blood ran down her arm and dripped off her fingers, also on her right side. Her flannel was torn open on that side, and a large red stain had taken the front of it.

She wasn't healing.

Her jaw set as she used her left hand to unscrew the cap off a bottle of whiskey. Fumbling with it, she dropped the cap onto the table, letting it bounce and roll away as she grabbed the neck of the bottle of swill whiskey and brought it to her lips for a long drink. Shaking, shuddering.. her nerves on fire, she let out a breath and turned her head and eyes towards her right shoulder.

At the arrow that was embedded into her arm. Carbon composite, with tri-bladed arrowhead tipped and edged with silver along the blades, it was digging into her shoulder with every move. A thin curl of smoke hissed from the wound every time she moved and the silver burned into more of her flesh. The contact from the silver buried in her arm was why she wasn't healing. And she had another one in her thigh, making her leg smoke a little and causing her movement to be compromised. She'd barely gotten away from her attackers and had driven forty miles from her target zone to this small town sh*thole motel she'd been staying in. When she was on a hunt, she never stayed near where she hunted, her target zone as she called it.

"F-f-f-f-fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck," she grunted as she grabbed the arrow in her arm with her left hand and began to push it, so the arrowhead would come out the other side. She had to bite her lip to keep from screaming.. she couldn't take the chance of waking anyone at this one star, nowhere motel in a small sleepy town that had no idea what she was or why she was here. Claire stood up, stopping for the second and dragged herself on her lame right leg to the bathroom and grabbed a washcloth and a couple of towels. Back she went to the two seater table and plopped down in the cheap wooden chair. Folding the washcloth and rolling it, she brought it to her lips and bit down on it, gritting her teeth and grabbed the arrow in her shoulder.

"Gahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" She screamed, muffled by the washcloth she bit down on as she forced it through, pushing the arrowhead out her back. She'd learned the hard way to not pull them out, but rather to push them through. The arrowheads would rip up her insides if she yanked them out. Pushing them out was painful, but not as damaging. Quicker to heal. The silver, coated in her blood and bits of muscle, smoked as it came out her back. Now that it was through, Claire bent the arrow shaft in her left hand, snapping it in two and tossed away the feathered end. Turning and reaching over her shoulder, she grabbed the arrow as it poked out of her shoulder and pulled the broken shaft through. Her hand smoked coming in contact with the silver. As soon as it was out, she tossed it to the floor and shook her hand.. an angry burn in her palm from where the blades had cut her and the silver had burned her.

"F***, f***, f***," she muttered. Taking another drink of whiskey, she wiped her hand on one of the towels, replaced the washcloth in her mouth and bit down, and grabbed the arrow shaft sticking out of her right thigh. Pushing, she screamed again as the arrowhead ripped through muscle and tissue, coming out the back of her leg. Once more she snapped the shaft in two, and pulled it out by reaching behind her leg and yanking it through. Now that both silver arrowheads were out, she could breathe a little easier. Her healing would kick in.. she could feel it already. Sighing relief, she took her right forearm in her left and with a snap, set her fractured arm. After pushing out two arrowheads, that barely elicited a groan from her. One more drink of whiskey and she was ready to deal with her text messages.

[text] Still here, Red. Got a thing with the brat this weekend.

[text] I'll be there, kid.

[text] I know. Parent teacher conferences. I'll be in town Friday to see the results.

With a sigh, she wiped a blood streaked hand across her forehead.. her hands were still shaking from tonight's encounter. These weren't vampires that had attacked her. She'd finished with the vampires she was after, when two humans had jumped her. Well armed, well trained and well prepared. They'd almost killed her. Chris, and Roland, she'd heard them call each other during the fight. Her face pinched up, a few tears running out of the corner of her eye as she drank deeply from the whiskey bottle.. she'd come very close to being killed tonight.

Chris and Roland, she knew them by reputation.

The Hollidays. Christopher and his younger brother Roland. They were very good at their jobs. And they were onto her. Normally that wouldn't bother her.. she was a loner, always on the move. But she had.. things, people, attachments. Another drink of the bitter whiskey went down her throat as she wiped hot tears off her cheeks, the close brush with death giving her an adrenaline, fight or flight response that was wearing off. The Hollidays had zeroed in on her, and they were very good at what they did.

Werewolf hunting.

0 Comments Report Post

02/02/2019 07:39 PM

To Have Loved And Lost [Drabble]

December 24, 2013
Manning Ave Apartments
Los Angeles, CA
10:08 AM PST

"You know how much I hate cities. This is payback for the desert, isn't it?" Claire asked, adjusting her sunglasses as she and Charlie exited the car. Charlie looked past the car at her and grinned.

"Your shaman was the one who told you to come here. Not me. I'm just stopping by to reassure my niece that I haven't died. She worries," Charlie said. And was probably wondering what was going on, considering Claire had destroyed his phone and he hadn't emailed her in about six days. Darby was particular about keeping in touch, especially since her parents didn't pay her much mind. Instead they just sent her money every so often. Charlie did the same, making much more than he needed to live comfortably, but he actually spoke with or emailed the girl at least twice a week. Six days out of touch and she was probably about ready to file a missing persons report.

"At least I know my money's being spent well," Charlie said with a low whistle as he looked up at the pristine building Darby lived in. Claire shrugged her shoulders. She didn't much appreciate good architecture it seemed.

"What's your niece do again?" She asked. She might not care much for the aesthetics of the building but she knew expensive when she saw it.

"She's in the middle of her sophomore year at UCLA. Computer engineering. And she has no idea what I do for a living save that I have to travel a lot because of it," Charlie said with a note of pride. Her parents, his sister and her husband were both doctors and had probably wanted Darby to follow in their footsteps. He knew they'd been sort of disappointed when she'd chosen to move across the country and take up the study of computers and hardware. Darby was whip smart, able to do whatever she put her mind to. She was a bit of a sass, though. The young woman definitely had mastered the fine art of sarcasm.

"Oh good. So I don't have to start this conversation off with no, no its ok I won't eat you," Claire said with a grin. Charlie laughed despite himself. They were at the door about to buzz when a resident came out, holding it open for them with a smile. Smiling back, Claire held the door open as Charlie went in and followed him since he knew where they were going and she did not. They took the elevator to the third floor. As they got off, Claire rubbed her ears.

"Someone needs to turn the music down," she muttered. Charlie had a bad feeling he knew just who that someone was. And it was confirmed as they came to apartment 306, his nieces. Claire sniffed faintly, rubbing her hypersensitive ears as the poppy strains of Lady Gaga assaulted her sense of hearing.

"She's alone. Unless you count.. moldy food and dirty laundry," she said, wrinkling her nose. Charlie raised his hand and pounded on the door loudly to make sure he was heard over the sound of the music. The music kept going. Charlie raised his hand and knocked hard on the door again.

"Darby, it's your uncle Charlie. Open up," he called out. Claire shook her head and stifled a giggle. The music kept going for a few seconds as someone inside squealed joyfully and finally the attack on her hearing was over as the Lady Gaga was silenced. She heard footsteps cross the apartment and then someone started undoing the locks and finally the door opened. Claire blinked at the sight of a young woman that looked about 19ish standing in the door, one hand holding it open. She was pale skinned with dark brown eyes and matching hair.. almost the spitting image of Charlie. Claire looked back and forth between the two of them for a moment before realizing that Darby was also nearly naked. A pair of pink panties and a matching pink camisole shirt was all she wore.

Then she punched Charlie straight in the stomach.

"That's for not calling or emailing for a week. A week! What the hell Charlie? Do you know how worried I was?" She said, her tone a little biting. Charlie tried not to grin but failed miserably as she ranted at him. Seeing her uncle laugh at her, she scowled rather impressively. Charlie put his hands up and tried to stop laughing.

"What's so god damn funny?" Darby snapped.

"It's only been six days Darbs," Charlie said. Darby did not look amused. Instead, she lashed out and hit him in the gut again. Harder this time. Charlie grunted and wrapped his arms around his stomach.

"Don't get technical on me, Charles. Now who is this?" She said, finally turning her attention to Claire. Biting her bottom lip as she ran her dark eyes over Claire, Darby smiled almost shyly at her and waved slightly.

"Hi! I'm Darby. Darby Koehn. Charlie's niece. His sister Janet is my mother. Rude of my uncle not to introduce you wasn't it? I'm so sorry for his behavior. Would you like to come in?" She said, reaching for Claire's hand. Wrapping her small fingers around it, she pulled Claire inside before she could say anything, leaving the door open for Charlie who followed and locked the door behind them. Letting go of Claire's hand as they got to the living room, she turned to her uncle and folded her arms over her chest.

"Now what was so important that you couldn't call for a week. And don't give me any six days crap, Charlie," she said, almost lecturing him like a parent would a child. Claire bit her lip to keep from giggling.

"Uh.. well… I lost my phone. And why aren't you.. dressed?" He said, giving her attire a horrified look. Darby narrowed her eyes.

"Don't change the subject. Fine, you lost your phone. I'll accept that this time. Next time, get a replacement quicker. Who's she? Did you dump Victoria? If so, good. She was kind of stuffy. And this one's got better tits," Darby said. Claire nearly choked as Charlie put his hand on his forehead, a long standing look of strained patience on his face.

"Pardon me?" Claire said, gripping her open flannel shirt and wrapping it and her arms around her chest. She was a little self conscious at Darby's exclamation. Though, she saw out of the corner of her eye the look Charlie gave her along with a faint wink. He agreed with Darby's assessment, however tactless it was.

"I said you've got better tits than his old girlfriend. You are his girlfriend right? Not just some associate like Hilary or some random f*** buddy?" She said. Charlie and Claire's faces both turned red.

"Um… well, yes I suppose I am. My name is Claire," Claire finally said. Darby squealed joyfully and clapped.

"Good. Victoria was boring. Claire, you might dress like a slob but you don't look boring," Darby said with a grin. Claire still wasn't sure how to deal with this snappy, seemingly unfiltered teenage niece of Charlie's. As she stood there looking around the apartment and avoiding Darby's scrutinizing eyes, Charlie started to look around what apparently his money paid for.

"Ever hear of a drawer?" He said as he gingerly lifted a bra from the table using a Bic pen he picked up from the same table where it lay strewn amid several motherboards, processor chips and what looked like a video card or two and an open laptop.

"Ever hear of mind your own damn business?" Darby snapped, snatching her bra from Charlie's hand and tossing it down the hall in the general direction of her bedroom. Closing her laptop cover, she slapped her uncle across the chest once more for good measure.

"What?" Charlie said with a grimace. Claire just stood there, her hand over her mouth to stifle her soft laughter.

"Never mind. What brings you to town, finally?" Darby said, giving into the urge to hug her uncle. Wrapping her arms around his waist, she rested her head on his chest and squeezed him tight. Charlie returned the hug by putting one arm around her shoulder and brushing his hand though her dark hair. Claire watched out of the corner of her eye, not wanting to intrude on the moment but also a little confused by the mixture of emotions on Charlie's face. Pride, joy, contentment… and a little bit of sadness. Furrowing her brow, she turned away as Darby let go and stood on her tiptoes to give her uncle a kiss on his weathered, stubble filled cheek. She flopped on the couch.

"It's Christmas. Thought I'd come see my favorite niece," Charlie said as she flopped down. Sitting in an armchair next to the couch, he leaned a little forward and glanced at Claire, hoping she'd go along with his impromptu suggestion. Claire smiled faintly and nodded ever so slightly. Christmas for her since 2004 had been a sad affair, five of those years spent in captivity. When she'd gotten out, it hadn't gotten much better. Usually just her and a bottle of vodka and some poor sucker to fill her bed. Christmas with Charlie and his niece sounded…. nice.

"Pfft. Your only niece. And don't you forget it," Darby quipped as she lay her head back on the couch. Charlie rolled his eyes and shot Claire a grin. The blonde returned his grin with one of her own as Darby sat up and slapped her hands on her thighs.

"Well, that's great. You can cook me a Christmas dinner. I'll be rolling out of bed around oh… 3pm. Got tickets to the hottest Christmas event in all of Los Angeles tonight," she said with an excited smile. Charlie raised his eyebrow.

"What event?" He said in a bit of a stern parental voice. Darby turned her head, her smile getting wider.

"Toxic's 2013 annual Christmas bash. Some DJ famous guy who's name I can't remember. A list celebrities, free drinks all night! Dancing, sweating, drinking and mistletoe and if I'm lucky, Adriana will be there," Darby said as she raised her arms, snapped her fingers and couch danced to some imaginary music.

"Toxic?" Claire blurted out. Her mind was on the folded up flyer in her back pocket. Redbear had put a piece of paper into the fire, waited until it was burned and almost ready to crumble before he'd pulled it out, crumbled it in his hand and pulled the flyer fresh from almost thin air. He'd told Claire that’s where she'd find her prey, the elusive Vampire Queen. Charlie had been there when it happened, still didn't believe it but when he heard the name Toxic he too perked up.

"You've heard of Toxic?" Darby said, giving her uncle and Claire a look of disbelief. Claire hesitated a moment before nodding. Darby turned to Charlie and gave him the same look, utter disbelief that her adult, over 40 uncle and his girlfriend knew of anything remotely cool.

"We were… thinking of going to that same party," Charlie said, giving Claire a quick look as he worked something out on the fly. Claire pulled the flyer from her pocket and unfolded it and showed it to Darby.

"How many tickets do you have?" Charlie said as Claire let the flyer drop to the coffee table in front of Darby's couch. The little brunette looked back and forth at Charlie and Claire a few times before holding up a finger.

"Oh no. No, no, no. I have three tickets. One is all mine and I'm scalping the other two. Nope, not taking my uncle and his girlfriend out in public. Not dressed like that…. what the hell Charlie? You look like a Captain America reject. Have you heard of Armani? Prada? Gucci? Christian Dior? For the love of Pete you look like you got your outfit at Target. Does your underwear still have a tag? And I'll bet you have white socks on under those sh*t kickers. Suit, silk tie, silk underwear… tailored, no tags. Dress socks, Italian leather shoes. Get with it man," Darby said, her nose scrunching like someone thrust rotten fish under her nose as she critiqued Charlie's choice of black cargo pants, boots and a dark blue t-shirt.

"And you," she said, turning her attention to Claire. The blonde quickly sat up straight and forced herself to stop laughing as Charlie's sharp tongued little niece turned her fashion sense on her. Darby actually stood up and grabbed Claire by the hand, pulling her up off the arm of the couch she'd sat on and walked in a circle around the tall blonde as she looked her up and down.

"Flannel. Jeans. Flat heeled boots. Oh, look an AC/DC t-shirt. Let me guess, white cotton panties and matching bra," she said. Claire scowled faintly.

"Blue and lacy, actually. Not that it's your business," she replied. Darby waved a hand at her to indicate she wasn't really listening and continued her examination. Standing in front of Claire, she rested her elbow in the crook of her arm and tapped her finger on her cheek.

"Claire, honey…. Hippies have been extinct around here for like.. centuries. Again.. Gucci? Chanel? Prada? Dolce and Gabanna? Versace? Oh honey, how have you survived so long being so impaired?" Darby said as she took in the blank look on Claire's face as she listed off several high tier designers.

"So…. if we get the designer stuff you'll give us the tickets?" Charlie said carefully. Darby, still studying Claire with one finger resting on her cheek, glanced over her shoulder at Charlie.

"Huh? Wha? Oh.. oh hell no. My tickets… Wait. Yeah, you can have them," she said as Charlie pulled out a wad of cash, probably close to fifteen hundred dollars and lay it on her coffee table. Claire rolled her eyes as Darby picked up the cash, folded it in half and stuck it in the top of her shirt. Padding across the living room on bare feet, she disappeared down the hall.

"How are we going to get rid of her? If we're going there on a vampire hunt she can't be in the middle of that," Charlie said quietly. Claire shot a glance down the end of the hall.

"Tie her up," she said, still smarting from Darby's assessment of her lack of fashion. Charlie raised one eyebrow until the werewolf raised her hands and shrugged.

"I don't know. Can't tell her the truth. So we'll just have to devise a way to get her and all the other innocents out of there," she said as Darby came back down the hallway with two white envelopes. She handed one to Charlie and one to Claire.

"Darbs, I don't suppose we could buy that third ticket too, could we?" Charlie ventured. Darby didn't even need to reply. She just turned her head half heartedly in her uncle's direction and gave him a look that blatantly said are you stupid. Charlie smiled tightly in frustration and let it drop.

"Ok. Let's go shop. If you're going to the best Hollywood has to offer, you need to look like you belong. I just need five to get ready," Darby said. Charlie snorted with laughter.

********

Four hours later they were at one of the many shops on Rodeo Drive as Charlie watched Darby spend like money it was water. She'd gotten him a new suit costing almost five thousand dollars with shoes to match and a package of silken boxers for nearly two hundred themselves. The suit, black in color with a dark purple shirt and matching tie was at least to his color preference. The shoes were ridiculously uncomfortable, he thought.

And now it was Claire's turn. Sitting in a chair with her legs over one arm, Darby chewed on a piece of red licorice as she waited for the tall blonde to come out with Darby's latest suggestion on her body. The blonde looked none to happy as she came out with a glittery silver top that was completely backless and sleeveless. And held up only by a thin chain around her neck. Black dress pants, no socks and she held the high heeled, open toed shoes in one hand with a look that Charlie knew well and good meant she'd never put those on.

"Put the shoes on!" Darby said. Claire shook her head emphatically.

"Shoes! On!" Darby said again. Again, Claire shook her head. Darby huffed in frustration. This was perhaps the fifteenth outfit Claire had said no to. She stood up and pulled another one off the rack and handed it to her. Browsing through the shoes the attendant had brought over, she was in the process of lifting a pair of black, strappy heels when Charlie spoke up.

"No heels, Darby. Something closer to the ground," he said. For practical reasons, Claire wanted all of her feet touching the floor. Darby huffed a little and selected a pair of ankle boots with a zipper on the side and very short, three quarter inch heels. Claire took the garments and the shoes and disappeared inside the changing room.

"She's impossible," Darby muttered. Charlie just rubbed at the bridge of his nose, all the shopping was giving him a headache. It was about five minutes before Claire came out in dark pants, the boots and a dark, form fitting shirt with strips of sheer, almost see through black lace wrapped around her body. Starting at her shoulder, it wound over her chest, around her back and then over her stomach and ended at her hip. Leaving her breasts mostly covered, he could tell she was satisfied by the smile she gave him. Darby clapped.

"Finally," she said with a smile. Claire gave her a scowl and retreated to the changing room to put her regular clothes back on.

Toxic
West Hollywood, CA
December 24, 2013
7:30 PM PST

"You're wearing boots with a 3 inch spiked heels to a werewolf fight?" Mollie said, watching as Bethany lifted one leg and slid the calf high leather boot up her leg and zipped the side. Putting her foot down, the redheaded vampire pushed her black leather pants over the boot and repeated the process with the other foot. Once finished she looked up at her latest progeny. Mollie Sommers was barely out of her thirties, as far as vampire years went. Twenty two years old when she'd been turned right here in Los Angeles in 1971, the tall raven haired vampire was still in most ways a snarky young woman.

"Yes Mollie. Despite your opinion on what's fashionable and not for a quote werewolf fight, these are good for the occasion," she said. Shifting her chair so she was seated at her desk properly once more, she glanced down at her feet as she crossed her legs and leaned back in her chair. The last half inch of the heel was pure silver as well, sharpened to a point.

"How do you even know she's coming? The FBI is after this girl something fierce," the younger vampire asked. Bethany smiled faintly and tilted her head, giving her dark haired vampire daughter a look that told Mollie she needed to think this through. After a moment it came to her.

"Your guy inside the FBI. The one that comes here and spends all night on the third floor," she said. Bethany nodded approvingly at the dark haired woman. Mollie beamed faintly. She was fairly intelligent, having been a nursing student before being turned. Sometimes though she missed things right in front of her. It was something Bethany was trying to break her of.

"Why here though? I mean, there's bound to be collateral damage," she said, wondering why her vampire mother was allowing this werewolf to track her to Toxic. Bethany smiled faintly.

"I can control the circumstances. How many vampires come here on a nightly basis? How many answer to me personally? Sure, being stuck inside nullifies our speed. But it works against her too. The full moon was almost a week ago. Toe to toe, she's not stronger than me. Even with a Vampire Knight," Bethany said. Mollie nodded in understanding. She didn't know what a Vampire Knight was, but it sounded… sort of impressive. But she also knew her maker and knew that there was little on this earth that the almost five thousand year old vampire couldn't handle.

"What's a Vampire Knight?" Mollie asked as her curiosity finally got the better of her. Bethany looked up from her desk, and for the first time Mollie thought she could see the weight of Bethany's many centuries in her eyes. Normally her maker was focused and business like though she did have a carefree, almost whimsical side to her. This was the first time Mollie could ever remember her looking…. old. The ancient immortal thought carefully for a moment before she answered.

"In the early 1100's the Catholic Church formed and funded a secret society called the Vision. An underground society, one the Church denied existed... but one with a mission they considered incredibly important. The destruction of all vampires. They trained warriors called Vampire Knights. Elite vampire hunters," she said softly as if a thousand memories were racing through her mind.

"It was a different world. One where werewolves weren't on the edge of extinction, one were vampires had a more difficult time hiding among humans and one where humans acknowledged the existence of the supernatural. They had werewolf allies, werewolves that could turn at will and kill a vampire with just one bite. And it was wholesale slaughter. Until the werewolves lost the ability to change at will in the 1300's. Then the Vision abandoned them and betrayed them, having their Vampire Knights round them up so they could experiment on them, use their venom for weapons. But over time the werewolves became less and less easy to find. The Vampire Knights had to change. So instead of hunting individually, one Knight and one werewolf, they adjusted. These days, they hunt in teams of five to six, with automatic weapons, UV lights and all kinds of ways to kill us," she said. Mollie nodded as Bethany finished up her reminiscing.

"So what do I do when the werewolf and her um.. Vampire Knight show up?" She said. The dangerously cruel smirk on Bethany's face transformed her into the cold blooded, ruthless killer Mollie knew her maker could be. Her hazel eyes glittered mischievously in the dim light of her office.

"You'll smell the werewolf before she gets to the front entrance. Then you just… let her in. Her and her Knight," Bethany said. Tilting her head from side to side, she felt the satisfying pop of her vertebrae as she prepared for the night… the annual Christmas Eve party that was sure to be a memorable event this year.

********

Toxic
10:45 PM PST

Nervously, Mollie glanced at her watch. Bethany had told her the wolf wasn't a true danger without the full moon but she was still apprehensive about letting a werewolf vampire hunter and a Vampire Knight into the building. It was almost 11:00. Almost four hundred people had come in since they opened the doors at a few minutes past 8. So far, no werewolf.

"Christ, get it over with already," Mollie muttered to herself. The suspense was killing her. Forcing herself to smile, she took another pair of tickets from humans coming to mingle at the hottest club currently in Hollywood. She stamped their hands and turned to the next pair when one of the bouncers that was keeping an eye on the line outside stuck his head in the open doors and motioned with his fingers.

"Miss Sommers, you need to see this," the vampire bouncer said. Mollie handed off her duties to a human girl who was standing near the coat check and stepped out into the night air. The bouncer leaned down and whispered to her and pointed discreetly to a group of three crossing the street. A gorgeous blonde woman, athletic looking and tall with a tall, dark haired man in a dark suit, and a short pretty dark haired young woman. She sniffed the air faintly.

"Front of the line. Miss Cross wants them in immediately," she said. The vampire bouncer gave her a skeptical look but nodded his compliance. Mollie stepped back inside and waited.

"The bouncers are vampires. So is the hostess," Claire whispered to Charlie as she hooked her arm through his. Distinctly uncomfortable in this get up, she tried to ignore Darby's exuberant smile and clutched Charlie's arm. The bouncer waved them through without so much as a glance. Charlie frowned faintly as they stepped inside and got in line behind two couples waiting to hand over their tickets.

"I have a bad feeling," he muttered just loud enough for Claire to hear. Darby bounced happily to the hostess's stand as it opened up and handed their tickets over. A tall, absolutely beautiful woman with raven black hair and stunning blue eyes took them and lifted up a hand stamp.

"Welcome to Toxic's annual Christmas Eve spectacular. The stamp will allow you to leave and come back in as you choose, since you know under California law smoking is not allowed indoors. Please enjoy your complimentary drinks responsibly. You can notify me, or any staff if you feel you need a safe ride home," she said as she stamped Darby's hand. Darby didn't wait for her to do Charlie's or Claire's. She was already inside as Charlie was getting his hand stamped.

Mollie brushed her fingers over Claire's skin as she stamped it. Claire felt a chill run up her spine as the vampire touched her… she had to force herself to stay restrained. Charlie took her other hand and gripped it tight as the hostess smiled faintly and looked Claire dead in the eyes.

"I do hope you enjoy your evening," she said sweetly. Charlie smiled, Claire forced a feeble smile.. trying to restrain all her instincts that said destroy the vampire. She let out a breath as they crossed the threshold into the club proper. Under cover of blaring music and the voices of a few hundred people, she pulled Charlie's face closer to hers and kissed him soundly. As their lips parted, she whispered to him carefully.

"I have that same bad feeling. I think we're walking into a trap," she said. Charlie pulled back an inch and slid them out of the main walkway, a little closer to the dance floor. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he kissed her again, savoring the feel of his lips on hers, their shared passion almost overtaking the fact they had a mission. Pulling his lips from hers, he whispered softly.

"So, how do we proceed?" He said. Claire looked at him with a small bit of trepidation in her look. He was clearly deferring to her, trusting not only her judgment but her abilities as well. The thing is, he was trusting her with not only his life.. but Darby's life as well. And every innocent person here. Biting her bottom lip, she stood on her toes and kissed him again, a breathy sigh escaping her lips as she just let herself enjoy this kiss like it may be her last.

"Find a way to clear the place out. Fire alarm, something. I'll find her," she said finally as she pulled her lips away. Charlie nodded, looking down into her nervous eyes as his fingers brushed over her cheeks softly. He pushed a strand of her hair that had come loose from the tight bun she had it in off her forehead.

"Go get her Nemesis," Charlie said. This.. this was the fight Claire had been made for. A fully trained Vampire Knight who was also a werewolf with the speed, power and ability to go toe to toe with any vampire. She was nervous, he could tell. She needed his support and she would have it. Charlie glanced behind him where he saw Darby at the bar holding hands with and talking to a pretty brunette a few inches taller than she was, dressed in a form fitting red dress. Tilting his head as he watched the woman lean over and kiss his niece on the lips just like he'd done with Claire, he shook off his almost parental concern about teenage heartbreak and started to move around the club, looking for some way he could get the place empty.

Claire started to mingle as the club's speakers positioned strategically for the best sound started to blare out a haunting guitar riff, a Rob Zombie song she knew but couldn't quite think of the name. She skirted the edge of the dance floor and looked at the stairs on either side of the DJ's booth, curving up to the second level and walked past them.

"Where are you?" She said to herself. She didn't have a lot to go on, admittedly. Red hair. She'd passed half a dozen redheads already. She had a bad feeling this was going to be like looking for a needle in a haystack. Smell wouldn't help, the smell of vampire was everywhere here.

"I see you, little wolf. Can you see me?" a voice said, soft spoken dulcet tones that sent a shiver up her spine. Claire stopped, her eyes scanning the massive club as she tried to determine the source of the voice to absolutely no avail. Frowning, she spoke, knowing the vampire could hear her.

"No. But I'm sure you knew that. I can smell you, though. And I will find you," she said. Her eyes darted all over the club, trying to pinpoint anyone who could be this Vampire Queen. Throaty, amused laughter touched her ears.

"Oh I know you can, pretty. And you are a pretty thing aren't you? The beast is a beauty. And I can tell it is so hard for you to hold back. Here amid all the bodies swaying, indulging in their every craving and all you want to do is rip this place apart, let that monster caged inside of you tear into me," Bethany said as she watched the werewolf from her vantage point. As Claire's eyes turned in her direction, Bethany slid into the crowd, behind a taller man and into the dance floor where she started to writhe and sway among the crowd.

"So why don't you come over and I'll get started?" Claire asked, thinking she caught a glimpse of red hair. As she moved over towards the woman she thought was her prey, once she put her hand on her shoulder she realized it wasn't. Apologizing, she turned back to the crowd on the dance floor as the Vampire Queen's voice touched her ear again.

"Oh so close, pretty. We'll dance… and we'll sway. And I'll see you lose your f***ing mind and tear this place apart. But first I just have to see how good you really are. After all, Claire… it's not every day I get a visit from the Vision's prize pet," Bethany said. Claire stopped, her heart freezing in her chest for a moment. She knows my name, she thought to herself. The vampire's laughter tickled her ear.

"Yes, pretty. I know oh so much about you. Come dance with me lover and I'll tell you just how much I know," Bethany teased. She was less than five feet from Claire now, just to her right. The werewolf turned in the opposite direction and growled faintly under her breath.

"Show yourself. Where are you?" Claire said. Bethany smiled slyly as she slid through the crowd and took Claire's hand, pulling the taller woman close and wrapping her arms around the werewolf's waist. With her heels, she was almost as tall as the gorgeous blonde werewolf.

"Here, lover….," she said as she lifted up on her toes and brushed her lips over Claire's with a faint moan, her legs straddling over Claire's thigh as she started to grind against the other woman. Her hands ran up the side of Claire's body as the werewolf stiffened, not sure how to react. Her lip tingled, her body shivering lightly as Bethany pressed against her and ground their bodies together.

She was, in a word.. breathtaking. Claire couldn't help but let her eyes wander over the most intoxicatingly beautiful woman she'd ever seen, her body slowly starting to move in rhythm with the vampire's. Against her better judgment Claire let herself start to enjoy it as Bethany's hand wound into her blonde hair and undid her bun, letting her blonde tresses fall down her back. Claire leaned back a little, the vampire's hand on the back of her neck holding her fast as she swayed back and forth, her head and body moving with the music, the feel of the vampire's body on hers sending an electricity through her body.

"You're her. Inetkaes," Claire breathed as Bethany pulled her head forward, their foreheads touching as Claire found herself staring into an enchanting set of hazel eyes. They lit up mischievously as the vampire smirked teasingly, one hand on Claire's hip and the other working fingertips across her cheek.

"Inetkaes sounds so.. formal. Call me Bethany," she said, her tongue flicking out over Claire's lips with a delightful moan. Claire breathed out a moan of her own, shivering lightly at the promise in that simple gesture.

"I came here to kill you," Claire whispered as Bethany's hand wound back into her hair. She let her head roll back, swaying with the music and finally wrapped her arms around Bethany's shoulders, spreading her fingers and sliding them over the bare skin the vampire's backless shirt left exposed.

"I know you did, my pretty little wolf. Many have tried. And every single one of them has failed," Bethany replied, tilting her head and letting a smirk creep across her face as she felt Claire's fingers slide along her shoulders and over her upper back. Gripping tight on Claire's hip, she ground her hips in a circle and slid her other hand down her side. Slipping it under Claire's shirt, she drug her fingernails across the werewolf's lower back.

"But why fight? I can give you everything. Anything. Name it. I know how the Vision tortured you, tried to break you… mold you and change you. Say the word and I can make your revenge total. I can give you the means to wipe them out of existence," she said softly as her hand left Claire's hip and moved up, back into her hair and pulled her head up so they were forehead to forehead again… eyes locked on one another. The ancient vampire and the werewolf created to destroy her kind. Bethany's lips closed and pressed softly against Claire's, eliciting a soft moan from the werewolf as their tongues mingled with one another's. Bethany pulled her head back a few centimeters and stared into Claire's intoxicating green eyes, a breathy whisper on her lips.

"Give me one reason why we can't be together. Together with common purpose, together as one flesh. I can see the beauty in you, my lovely beast. You my capable right hand, and I your loving Queen," she whispered. Claire was close, oh so close to forgetting everything she was and sealing her allegiance to the Vampire Queen with a torrid kiss when the fire alarm went off. The crowd started to panic and stream for the doors as Bethany's hands stopped moving their tortuous path over her body. The vampire looked around as the place started to empty. Claire looked around in a daze.

"Charlie," she whispered. A slow smile crept over her lips as she put her hands over Bethany's and lifted them off her body. She took a deep breath and grinned as she saw Charlie out of the corner of her eye coming towards them, the Glock in his two handed grip aimed at Bethany.

"Charlie?" Bethany repeated as she too glanced and saw the Vampire Knight stalking towards her. The club was almost completely empty now, just a few stragglers running to the door not paying attention. Charlie was perhaps 30 feet from her and closing.

"I'm sorry, your Highness.. but I belong to someone else," Claire said as she lowered her head, eyes locked on Bethany. The vampire smirked faintly, glancing once at Charlie before she turned her attention to Claire. Her smile widened a little as the whites of her eyes turned red, fangs sliding from her upper and lower cuspids. Claire moved, lunging for the vampire. In the time it took her to close in, Bethany spun around and kicked. Her kick connected with a barstool that had spilled into the dance floor in the mad rush to get out after the fire alarm went off. It went careening towards Charlie. She was back around as Claire's arm was driving towards her. Bethany caught Claire's fist in her hand and reached out with her other hand and closed it around Claire's throat. Pulling her close, the vampire snarled faintly.

"Well then, werewolf.. we could have done this the easy way, but you chose pain. Now.. shall we begin?" Bethany said, a malicious tone in her voice as she squeezed until Claire was turning red from lack of oxygen. Seeing Charlie out of the corner of her eye getting up after the barstool had sent him sprawling, she brought her head back and launched it forward, head butting Claire. Her nose crushed under the impact of Bethany's skull. The werewolf staggered slightly and blood poured from her nose. Bethany grabbed Claire and lifted her bodily off the ground. With a slight exertion she sent the werewolf flying through the air to crash into one of the decorative columns scattered about the room. Solid marble, Claire hit it with enough impact to break her spine.. had she been human.

Bethany spun around, closing the distance between her and Charlie in an instant. Hand on the top of his handgun, she tripped the slide and pulled it off, tossing it aside as he stood there with the grip in his hand. Tossing it aside, he swung at her, only to have her duck under it and hit him with an open palm to the chest. Charlie flew through the air and landed on his back, sliding across the floor as Claire was up again, grabbing Bethany's hair and pulling. With a mighty swing, she lifted the Vampire Queen off her feet and sent her flying. Bethany crashed into a table, breaking it and rolling to the floor. Picking herself up, she rubbed at her lip and looked at the blood on her fingers as Claire stood there staring at her from about twenty feet away.

"Impressive. What else do you have?" Bethany said, extending her arm and beckoning her forward with two fingers. Claire moved her head from side to side and popped the vertebrae in her neck as her nose healed just as the minor bruising Bethany had received from crashing into the table did the same. She didn't bother with an answer, just rushed the redhead as Charlie was back on his feet and pulling out a second weapon. He didn't waste any time trying to get closer and just opened fire on the vampire. Bethany spun around, ducking and sweeping her leg around as Claire closed to send the werewolf tumbling. She was a blur of motion as the werewolf got up… Charlie's rounds passing without hitting a single thing.

Claire turned to try and defend herself from a blow to her head only to blink and have Bethany behind her, driving the sharpened toe of her boot into the back of her knee. Dropping to a knee Claire rolled to her right as Bethany brought her fist down. The floor cracked under the impact as the vampire missed her mark when Claire moved. She scrambled to her feet as Charlie tossed a wooden stake. Snatching it out of the air, she drove it up and into Bethany's heart as the vampire closed to take her on again. Bethany stopped in her tracks, her hands closing around the end of the stake sticking out of her chest. Staggering back a step or two, she grimaced as blood ran out of her mouth and from the wound.

Then she pulled the stake from her chest.

"That was a bitch move. Do you have any idea how expensive this top was?" The vampire said as Claire stared on in horror while the wound in her chest, the puncture in her heart healed almost instantly once the stake was removed. Bethany took advantage of the distraction to bring her arm back and throw the stake like a knife. It stuck in Claire's abdomen and poked out her back as Bethany closed the distance and drove the sole of her boot into Claire's ankle. Charlie emptied his clip at the redhead ineffectually. Wooden bullets pierced her back only to fall out as she healed. Backhanding Claire and sending her sprawling, Bethany turned to Charlie and spread her arms slowly as her smile got wider.

"Charlie, Charlie, Charlie… You have no idea what I truly am, do you? I am the Daughter of Darkness… the Original Vampire. I was created by a force more powerful than you can possibly imagine. I am the oldest living vampire in the world, forged out of the first of man's sins. But the pride of mankind is no match for the power of the dead, Vampire Knight," she said. Charlie was taking the opportunity to reload his weapon, for all the good it had done him. Claire was getting to her feet again.

Bethany turned as the werewolf loosed a flurry of blows at her. Ducking and blocking them with a variety of movement, Bethany caught a gap in the werewolf's defenses and smashed her in the chin with a mighty uppercut. Claire landed on her back a dozen feet away bleeding from the mouth. Bethany turned to Charlie as the Vampire Knight opened fire again. Closing the distance, she grabbed his gun hand by the wrist and smiled maliciously.

"Time to die," she hissed as she squeezed until she felt his bones break. The gun in his hand clattered to the floor as he screamed in pain. Bethany forced him to his knees and put her hands on his cheeks. Tilting his head, she was seconds from biting him when Claire tackled her from her right side and bowled them all over. Charlie scrambled away in the tangle as the vampire and the werewolf got up. Only this time Bethany wasn't the only one with fangs. Claire's eyes were glowing a faint orange as she growled at the vampire, her eight sharp and deadly werewolf fangs primed and ready.

"Oh my god," Bethany breathed as she took in the sight of a werewolf that could draw fangs.. change at will like the werewolves of old. Words almost eight hundred years old rattled through her head.

Nature will not tolerate your interference forever, Vampire Queen… One day a werewolf will journey through the fires of hell and reclaim what is rightfully theirs.

The gypsy witch Rosemary had spoken those words to her the very night she'd forced her to perform a curse to bind the werewolves to the moon. Her blood, a rare crystal with silver mixed in its veins, the sacrifice of a young werewolf named Elizabeth Dalton and the witches blood magic had created a powerful spell that had bound the werewolves to the moon, allowing them to only change one day a month. The witch had predicted that one would eventually break that bond.

And here she was, in all her glory. This beautiful monster, predicted eight hundred years ago… was standing right in front of her.

In the distraction, Claire was on her and biting at her neck. Bethany's knees buckled as the werewolf poison seeped into her veins, stinging and burning. Unlike other vampires, it wouldn't kill her. But it would hurt like hell for a while until it worked its way out of her system. Grabbing a handful of Claire's hair Bethany forced her back and with a twist snapped her neck. Lowering her to the ground gently, she turned to contend with a screaming Charlie who'd bellowed a rage filled battle cry and charged her.

"Enough," she said, grabbing his throat as he closed on her, red faced and full of anger over what he thought was a death blow to his beloved werewolf. Holding him fast, even as he struggled against her, she glanced at Claire in peaceful unconsciousness on the floor. A smirk touched her lips, and she turned to the dark haired Vampire Knight. Ever since their formation in 1109 AD, they'd been a pain in the ass. Any opportunity she had to kill one was a blessing in her mind. Yes, it would complicate her plans for the werewolf, but some opportunities were just too good to pass up. Bringing her wrist to her lips, she bit into it and opened the vein under skin. Forcing Charlie to his knees, she squeezed his throat and forced his mouth open, holding her wrist over it. As he tried to hack and spit, she kept his head back until he'd swallowed a fair amount of her blood.

"See you on the other side, Charlie," she said with a wink as she released his throat and put her hands on either side of his face. Twisting, she snapped his neck, killing him instantly. A playful grin touched her lips, knowing that death wouldn't be that long since he'd rise again, in the transition phase of becoming a vampire.

********

Unknown Location
December 25, 2013
2:40 AM

"Claire, c'mon I really need you to wake up," Charlie shook at her in the dim light of what he thought was a warehouse. He could smell salt water, so perhaps down by the piers? Somewhere near the ocean. It didn't really matter. He'd been awake for half an hour waiting for the werewolf to heal from a broken neck, and time wasn't on his side. Already he could feel it.. the hunger. He was insanely hungry, the thought of blood disgusting but appealing to him. His head ached, his throat was dry. His vision was blurry and tinted, everything was too bright and the entire world was loud. Too loud, it hurt his ears.

As if she heard him, Claire sat up with a gasp of air and immediately put on hand on the back of her neck. Relief flooded through him as she moved her head from side to side, testing out her range of motion. Taking her other hand, he gave it a squeeze as she finally turned her gaze on him with a look of fierce anger in her eyes.

"That ginger whore," she muttered, rubbing at the back of her neck. The last thing she remembered was biting her, then feeling the snap of her neck. Standing, she pulled Charlie to his feet with her and let go of his hand in favor of giving him an embrace.

"I'm glad you're safe," she said softly as her head rested on his shoulder. Charlie didn't say anything, just stood there in her arms, shaking lightly. He could hear her heart beat, the blood flowing through her veins and it was taking all his self control to not tear at the flesh of her neck to get at her blood. Finally, he put his hands on her shoulders and pushed her away from him. Claire frowned, when she saw the look in his eyes. His pupils were dilated, his hands were shaking and he looked like he was on edge.

"Charlie, what's wrong?" She said. Drugs? Had the vampire fed him something or shot him up with some kind of narcotic? He looked away from her, stepping back and his jaw clenched up. She reached out for him and he retreated even further. Claire canted her head, giving him another examination with her eyes. His skin was pale, and a little sallow. She sniffed the air.

"Oh.. oh Charlie no.. No, what did she do?" Claire was starting to realize what had been done to Charlie at the night club after she'd had her neck broken. He wouldn't say it, he hadn't said anything to her yet but the look on his face was one of fear.. and she could feel her own fear growing the more she contemplated what she suspected. After a moment, with a nervously shaking hand, Charlie took a key from his pocket and reached for his wallet, pulling out a business card. He handed both to her.

"That's a locker at LAX. There's a red duffel in there, make sure that Darby gets it. The rest is for you," Charlie said. Claire took it tentatively, looking at the card and flipping it over and seeing a number and terminal scrawled on the back. Charlie trusted she would do what he asked. The red duffel was filled with cash and a letter for Darby, telling her the truth.. he wasn't her uncle. He was her father, the letter would explain the circumstances of how she came to be with his sister instead of him and her mother. The money totaled out to about three and a half million, enough for her to live comfortably or pay for her college or whatever she chose to do with it.

"No. You can tell her yourself," she said, holding the card back out to her. They weren't having this conversation, she was not going to let him not feed to complete the transition. Charlie shook his head and took a step back, retreating from her. Scowling, she stuffed the card in her pocket and tilted her head as her eyes narrowed a little bit at the stubborn man, sure she loved him but Charlie Shaw was almost as stubborn as she was.

"We are not having this conversation. I am not going to lock you up somewhere until you die because you didn't feed in time to complete the transition," she said, probably a little more forcefully than she intended. The process of making a new vampire was relatively simple. A person had to die with vampire blood in their system. Once they woke up after the initial death, they had approximately twenty four hours to feed or they would die, this time permanently. Of course, the down side was that twenty four hours or so was usually a chaotic, painful experience where their sensory perception was all over the map and they were uncontrollably thirsting for blood. Most didn't make it more than a few hours before they gave in.

"I'm not asking you to do that," Charlie said. His brown eyes fixed on her green ones as he raised an eyebrow and waited for her to realize just what he was saying. She stared back at him for a few moments, her brain knowing what he was suggesting, but not wanting to say it out loud. If she said it out loud, it became real. It became so very real. She shook her head vigorously, a few hot tears streaming from her eyes as she started to get both very angry and very heartbroken.

"No. Absolutely not," she said in a very cold voice. So she knew, he was asking her to kill him. If he died before consuming blood, he was dead. He couldn't be a vampire. He'd spent the last almost twenty years hunting them. He couldn't become one. He wouldn't. His eyes took on a pleading quality as he lowered his head and started to speak.

"I can't be a vampire. Not after what I've done and fought for the last eighteen years. And I won't be able to resist feeding. No one ever does, there's a reason they call it the thirst. Please. Let me die as I choose," he said. Her eyes swimming with tears, her vision glassy and blurry , Claire shook her head emphatically. For a moment, she contemplated cutting herself and making him feed.. but his words hit her very deep on a level she couldn't ignore. She hadn't had a choice in what she was. She was born with the werewolf gene and her choices in life had led her to trigger that gene the night she'd killed her father in a car accident. She couldn't take his choice away from him. But she wasn't going to kill him.

"No," she said again, her voice cracking and wavering. Charlie took a few steps forward, Claire thought he was going to reach for her, comfort her and try to convince her. So when he hit her across the face with a right cross, she was caught so off guard, she stumbled and fell backwards and landed on her bottom. Getting to her feet, she gave in a questioning look, the words what the hell might describe the look best. Instead of answering, Charlie hit her again, this time with a left cross. Her head snapped to one side, then quickly back to face him. It hit her, exactly what he was trying to do. He was trying to provoke her, to provoke the animal inside her, the werewolf he'd trained to kill.

"No!" She said a little louder as he punched her again, this time a right hook. Her head spun to the left, before she brought it forward facing again.. her bruises from his harsh punches to her face faded and healed already. She stood there, as he punched her once, twice and a third time, left right left.. and finally he bellowed at her.

"Come on! Do it!" he said, bringing up his leg to kick her. She put her arms down in an X in front of her, fending off his kick, fending off his next two punches and pushed him back, giving him a hard palms out shove to the chest that sent him staggering back two or three feet. Charlie glared daggers at her, wiping some spittle off the corner of his mouth.

"You bitch. You selfish f***ing bitch. You put me in that club with that vampire. This is your fault, and you won't f***ing fix it? You selfish f***ing whore!" Charlie bellowed angrily. He didn't mean it, it cut into his soul to even say it, but he had to provoke her, he had to.. he couldn't and wouldn't be a vampire. This was the only way, he thought. Her lips trembled, her eyes shedding angry tears and he could tell by the way that her fingers were flexing that she wanted to hit him back. But she didn't.

"No," she said, her voice firm in its resolve but soft in its volume. Charlie stalked towards her and threw several punches at her. She took them all, her head moving, right left, right left, right left, always snapping back to face him after every blow.

"I kidnapped you! Took you from your family and brought you to Steele for her to torture you!" He said, another flurry of punches to her face. She took them all again, rolling with them and always coming back front and center as he hit her hard enough to make her head snap to whatever direction the punch sent it.

"I killed your friend in Montana. I stood by as Steele let those men rape you, beat you and torment you," he yelled, brining up her worst memories, still trying to provoke her into a response. Her gaze was angry, she was still shedding tears but she didn't respond, just stoically took everything he threw at her. Driving the sole of his shoe into her knee, watching her stagger, he dropped her to her knees with a blow to her left cheek. Charlie kicked her across the face as she was pushing herself up with her hands, sending her tumbling again. As she drew herself up, he thought maybe finally she'd react, but she didn't.

"No. I won't," was all she said to him. His arms were starting to tire from throwing punches but he went back to it, once, twice, a half a dozen more times to get something, anything, some kind of reaction out of her, to try and provoke the werewolf inside her to do what he wanted. It was finally on the last punch he threw that he finally felt success. When her head snapped back, her green eyes burned orange.. flame hued and dangerous as she snarled at him. Now they were getting somewhere. He threw a punch.. she caught his fist in her hand and with a rush at him, grabbed his throat. He found himself against the wall as she lifted him off his feet and started to squeeze his windpipe.

"Do it," he croaked, his hands around her wrist as she held him a few inches off the floor. For a moment, he thought she was actually going to, as her hand twitched. Then she turned and tossed him like a rag doll onto the floor. Groaning as he hit the floor, he sat up as her eyes faded from that burning orange to her normal green. His face set in stone, jaw clenched as she stood there looking at him with that soul crushing heart break in her eyes. Her makeup that Darby had so lovingly applied to her face for their excursion to the club was streaked under her eyes and cheeks, her hands were curled into fists and were trembling. Rubbing at his throat, Charlie stood up and looked around at this building they'd been left in. Likely a warehouse or something. Seeing nothing of interest, he turned his eyes towards her again.

"Please," he said. Already the urge to imbibe blood was taking over his thoughts, his body was reacting like a drug addicts, needing a score. She stood fast and refused to move, just flexed her fists. Fine.. drawing up his fists, he rushed her and started swinging at her. Bringing her hands up, Claire took the blows, turning with them but never fighting back. After a few wild swings, the werewolf pushed Charlie away again, taking a step back and holding her hands out, eyes imploring him to stop this. He reached back behind his jacket, to see if the knife he'd put there was still there. It was, and he pulled out a silver blade and brandished it in her direction.

"Charlie...," she said.. her eyes filled with hurt and betrayal at the sight of the man she'd come to love, had given her heart to, carrying a silver knife. That to her, meant he didn't trust her. That he feared her. Claire's heart tore a little bit, as more angry tears ran down her face.

"Kill me. Or I'll kill you," Charlie said. He hated to have to try and provoke her this way but he needed her to do this. He was too much of a coward to end his own life. Again he came at her, brandishing the silver knife and trying to slash her. They went round and round, each time he missed and she wouldn't strike back. Finally, he brought his arm up and drove the knife towards her.. caught her off guard, she managed to turn at the last second, and the silver blade pierced her in the right side of her chest, missing her heart. Silver to a werewolf was toxic, painful and burning when it touched their flesh. Claire screamed in pain as the knife burned into her chest, piercing her lung.

Charlie pulled it out and drove it for her heart. Instinct, the urge to survive kicked in and Claire grabbed his wrist.. with the muscle memory of a trained fighter, she twisted, redirected and with the supernatural strength of her species drove the knife up through his ribs and into his heart. Claire pulled her hands back as if scalded and brought her hands to her mouth straight in shock as Charlie dropped to his knees.

"NO!" She screamed out. Grabbing the knife, she pulled it from the wound and got down on her knees, bringing her arms up to wrap them around the dark haired Vampire Knight as he coughed, a skein of blood hanging from his mouth.

"Charlie no. No god dammit, don't you leave me! DON'T YOU LEAVE ME!" She shrieked. But it was too late. She couldn't hear his heart beat. His chest wasn't moving. She'd been trained to kill and trained well. That knife would have entered through the ribs and cleaved his heart nearly in two. Already he was starting to cool in death. Squeezing at him, she cried and begged and whimpered for him to come back until she was hoarse and could barely speak.

Almost two hours had passed and she was still cradling him in her arms, crying and whispering in a hoarse voice for him to come back.. a phone rang, she recognized the ring tone as an Apple iPhone. Looking up, looking around, trying to find the phone, it stopped. Then a moment later, it started to ring again. Standing, after laying Charlie gently on the floor, she followed the ringing to its source and picked up the phone, swiping across the screen to answer.

"Hello," she croaked into the phone. A chilling laugh, familiar enough, greeted her.

"I told you, you chose pain werewolf. Did you think I meant just a simple beating?" Bethany Cross, aka Inetkaes aka the Original Vampire said into the phone. Claire was silent.. but she knew if the vampire knew about what happened here, she could see it. Claire looked around for a camera or something, anything that might be recording them and streaming it to the redheaded blood sucker. Inetkaes laughed heartily.

"Do you think I'm sloppy enough to let you find the camera? The phone was out in the open for a reason. Now, I believe that an anonymous tip about a wanted Federal fugitive just got called in to the FBI. They're on the way. You've got about eight minutes before they arrive. I expect you'll escape and plot some absurd revenge against me. So.. see you soon, darling," the vampire said. Sitting at her desk in her office at Toxic, Bethany watched the live stream from a planted webcam hooked into wi-fi as the werewolf crushed the phone in her hand and dropped the remains. She glanced at Charlie, and then the door.. tilting her head at a sound only she could hear. Bethany checked her texts, her friend in the FBI Los Angeles Field office had just texted her, they were almost there, within five minutes he said.

She turned her eyes back to the screen as the werewolf grimaced and turned towards one of the windows. Kicking it out, she disappeared into the night, leaving behind a dead body.. and a knife with her fingerprints on it. Smiling widely, Inetkaes turned off the live stream and smiled as she leaned back in her office chair.

"This is going to be fun," she said to herself, her lips splitting into an amused smile.

0 Comments Report Post

Previous12 Next

Back to Posts