Such was my repose, when a fetching young lady with strawberry blonde hair caught my eye.
She spied me sitting at the back of the club just as I polished off my drink and moved to light a cigarette. A strange creature for a mortal – one of the Gothic varieties – she called my attention away from perusing the patrons for my first human victim of the night as she stood from a stool poised by the bar. A low cut, black dress hugged her body and made her modest cleavage the focal point of her attire. She wore blood red lipstick with black eye shadow, and while my gaze strayed obediently to her chest, I could not help but linger on the veins visible on her strong neck.
I watched her stop beside my seat, stealing a quick glance at the space between me and the edge of my booth. “Excuse me,” she said, “But are you waiting for somebody?”
I honored her words with a closed-mouth smile, something I had learned to do lest the points of my fangs give me away too soon. “I am currently alone, but not averse to company,” I said, intrigued by her presumption. Shifting in my seat, I provided her ample space to slide in beside me and pivoted to orient her more directly in my gaze. “I suppose I should be asking you if you are alone as well?”
“I never come here with anyone,” she said with a shrug. “I prefer to seek out people who look interesting.”
“And I suppose that means I look interesting?”
She smiled. “Dashing and deviant. Exactly my type.”
I had to chuckle at her words. “Does such a tempting creature as you have a name? Or do I have to earn the right to know that first?”
“My name is Katherine. And you?”
“Flynn.” I smirked. “The first you shall ever meet and assuredly the last. I can pretty much guarantee you that.”
“I bet you say that to all of the women.”
“I say that to a few. The ones I choose to reveal my name to.”
“The ones who make it that long,” she said as she leaned in close to me. Katherine’s eyes met mine as much as possible through my dark lenses. “I know what you are, Flynn. I’ve been looking for one of your kind and you’re the first that I’ve finally had the chance to meet.”
“My kind?”
“Vampires.” Her lips spread in a wide grin. “The pale complexion. The air of danger you exude. You’re one of them, I just know it.”
“My dear, Katherine,” I said as I extinguished my cigarette. “You have no idea what manner of being I am, for if you did, you would run directly for the exit and pray that I gave you enough of a lead to make it out the door. Your eyes reek of voyeurism and your mind is incited toward lust as a result, but you are a child in the presence of a monster. Do not presume to know my kind.”
My words were harsh, delivered to instill fear into my newfound prey. Katherine only smiled at me, though, and rested her chin in the palm of her hand as she regarded me further. “My life is boring, Flynn,” she said, her grin never wavering. “I’m caught in the endless cycle of being a mortal, spending my days working a boring job with only my nights to provide me with any excitement.” She paused. “Vampires excite me. You excite me.”
I sighed. “Am I to be your escape from mediocrity? I am not a romance novel, Pet.”
“Oh no, you’re something much better.” Katherine’s foot touched my leg as her eyes remained glued on me. “Humor a mortal before you bite her,” she said with a wink. “Tell me more about you.”
It was obvious she thought this all a game – a temptation she could satisfy in the same way mortals indulged thrill-seeking. She knew, in a dry, foolishly unimpressed manner, this creature held the capacity to do her mortal harm, but the synapses had not yet fired the warning that this one, in particular, was cruel and sadistic. There would be no charming her way out of this encounter.
Still, I decided to paw at my new toy. “What do you wish to know?”
“What do immortals such as yourself do with your time?” Katherine cocked her head to the side as if settling in for a tale. “In other words, how do you fill the time between feeding and sleep?”
“That depends on the immortal in question. Some lie about in sloth, content to waste years away as little more than connoisseurs of decadence. Others make a name for themselves and rise to power as heads of covens or distinguished members of the vampire community.” I allowed a smirk to play across my lips. “Then, there are those of us who have…” Opening my mouth wide enough to reveal the tips of my fangs, I gave Katherine a show. “… other hobbies.”
A shiver ran up her spine as I confirmed her suspicion, and the danger seemed to entice her that much more. “What hobbies would that be?”
“Some of us are masterful killers – ones who take pleasure in the hunt and feed from terror long before we taste our first drops of blood. We stalk the streets in search of our victims and more often than not, they are never seen or heard from again.” A wicked grin tugged at the corners of my mouth as I decided to up the ante. “And sometimes, fate smiles down on us and gives us more of a challenge for our trouble.”
“A challenge?”
“An immortal or two to hunt.”
She furrowed her brow. “You kill other vampires?”
My grin broadened. “I am an assassin, my dear. I kill whomever my mistress tells me to kill.”
Katherine laughed. “Oh wow. I didn’t know vampires even had assassins.”
I shrugged, feigning indifference. “I am probably something of an anomaly. I have a mistress with enemies who would seek her downfall, so I slay them to ensure her leadership over the coven remains intact.”
“You have a mistress?” Her eyes lit with wonder. “Is she exotic like you?”
Fighting the urge to roll my eyes, I nearly gagged on the groan I choked back and wondered how much more of this I was apt to endure. Boredom had already set in, but I could hardly end our banter the way I had intended while still in the midst of a crowd of humans. “I am certain you fancy us all to being the same way,” I said while gently kicking her foot away from my leg and leaning forward even further in my seat. My hand touched her arm and slid toward her fingertips. “Dressed as you are in Gothic attire. Victorian in our manners and our demeanors. The women scantily-clad sirens with pale skin and crimson lips. The men deep and mysterious with stamina most mortals could only fancy in their wildest dreams. And you would not be far off in your depiction.” My fingertips touched her cheek and ghosted down to her lips. “But, with everything there is another layer and there are varying degrees of how exotic we come. Personally, I prefer the macabre to the pompous bullshit that seems endemic in our kind.”
“The macabre,” Katherine said as she basked in the way I touched her. “How about the sensual?”
I smirked. “Oh, I am well-versed in the sensual, Pet.”
She grabbed my hand in such a sudden manner, I almost growled and bore fangs at her. Holding back my malice, I allowed myself to be coaxed toward her, sliding to the edge of my seat. “I have some place to show you, Flynn,” she said. “It’s only a few blocks from here.” Her eyes met mine and smoldered with lust. “I promise I will make it worth your while, assassin.”
Finally, we were getting to the good part. “How could I say no?” Standing, I freed my hand from her grip. It settled on her shoulder and brushed idly at the locks of her hair. “Lead the way, Lady Katherine. An adventure sounds delicious to me right now.”
“As you wish, milord.” Katherine strolled for the door and I followed, leading into the bustling Philadelphia thoroughfare outside. Several people eyed us as we exited the building, regarding the Gothic couple before them with intrigue while Katherine and I continued the verbal foreplay that had been initiated inside the club. At times the stroll was sedate and at other points, the capricious girl would demand our steps become more hurried. Within a short time, however, we turned from the main road and down a much more sparsely-populated street.
Tempted though I was to make my move, I allowed curiosity to get the better of me. We passed several shops
and entered a much quainter neighborhood, the façades increasingly hinting of Center City the further along we got. Katherine shot me a timid smile and a blush rose to her cheeks as a brief spell of silence settled between us, pregnant with expectation. My would-be conquest stole an appraising glance of the surrounding area before looking up at me again. “Why are you called Flynn anyway?” she asked, in an effort to continue the discussion. “I doubt that’s the name your parents gave you.”
“You are correct.” I could not control the smug grin which manifested on the heels of recollection. “I bested my immortal brother in a sword fight and won the right to name him Robin. He, in turn, named me Flynn. I have used it in place of my mortal name ever since. It is a vestige of his homeland, apparently. An allusion toward the color red.”
“I like it.” She smirked as her pace slowed somewhat. “Flynn, the vampire assassin. It suits you.”
“I would like to think so as well.”
Katherine paused by the door to a flower shop and placed a hand on the concrete façade as she turned to face me. “This is where I work. I like flowers almost as much as Gothic things. It’s a weird combination, I know.” Her free hand lifted to touch the lapel of my jacket. “Have you considered wearing a flower?”
I stared at her through my sunglasses. “An odd question.”
“Not really. I was thinking it would be distinctive. Something to stand out from all the black you wear.” Her eyes sparkled as a small, suggestive smile played across her lips. “You could even leave them with your victims.”
I hummed, my thoughts harkening back to my earlier dilemma. “I had not considered that.” Smirking, I reached forward and touched her chin. “You are a clever mortal, I will give you that.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.” Katherine leaned closer, her eyes shutting and her mouth parting expectantly. The rhythm of her pulse increased as I wrapped an arm around her waist and drew her close to me, forcing our bodies to make contact just as our lips did. The taste of her tongue dancing with mine brought out the craving for something more. Her scent overwhelmed me, as did the urge to cease the charade in favor of sating my hunger.
She pulled away after one lingering embrace, though, and lowered the hand still touching the building’s exterior. “Let’s go inside,” she said. Katherine dug into her pocket for a set of keys and unlocked the door in a manner which hinted at the dozens of times she had done so prior to that night. Her other hand slid down to steal mine from its place on her hip, and tugged me toward the store’s entrance. “I can take you to where I keep my roses.”
I acquiesced, albeit reluctantly, and walked inside while knowing I would have to feign interest in her exhibition for a short time. We walked past refrigerated cases on the way to a doorless threshold, crossing it to enter a small greenhouse attached to the shop. Katherine stopped when we approached several potted plants and a few buckets of roses positioned near what looked to be a work table.
Bending, she lifted a red rose from one of the buckets and showed it to me. “See?” she asked. I fought the urge to state it was hardly the first time I had ever laid eyes upon a rose. She sniffed it and closed her eyes, then opened them slowly, gazing at me with a grin once our gaze met again. “Imagine this draped across a corpse with fresh blood running into the streets.”
I smirked. “You presume humans to be the most fitting of a calling card?”
“Or the vampires you kill.” Katherine shrugged.
With a huff, I brushed the backs of my fingers across her cheek. “Pet, vampires turn to dust. When I am finished with my targets, they are little more than ash and personal effects.”
My condescending tone did nothing to deter her. She squared her shoulders, meeting my stare measure for measure as though she could presume to be my equal. The glint in her eyes destroyed any possibility of that, though, and as she said, “Then on a pile of dust,” I heard, “I don’t care about any of this. I’m just looking for a good screw,” instead. I chuckled softly; my hands fell to her sides to thrust her body harshly against mine again. Her breath caught and her lids fluttered as if deciding whether or not they should shut.
I spared no chance at further commentary. My lips crashed into hers, meeting them in a lustful embrace which only service to excite Katherine beyond her already-aroused state. The rose dropped from her hand and hit the floor with a finality bordering on poetic. If she noticed its absence, she gave no indication. She simply wrapped her arms around me and tumbled as I pulled us both down beside where the discarded flower lay.
Rolling her onto her back, my hand swept across her contours, easing her into my preferred position. I permitted myself one lingering journey along her plunging neckline with a few added kisses. A soft, needy moan escaped her lips, her back arching under my ministrations. She did not see when I reached inside my jacket for something I doubted my little florist was expecting.
I ripped away from a heated, passionate embrace, evil playing off my facial expression as I pulled a knife from its sheath and pressed it against her throat. My fangs descended as she yelped and all at once, her body tensed from the pain brought about by the shallow cut I inflicted. A grin, cunning and sinister, curled the corners of my mouth in a sadistic expression of mirth. “Now that we have explored the sensual, how about we move forward into the sadistic?” I asked.
Katherine’s eyes widened. “What are…?” she asked, stuttering to a stop before she could force the remainder of the question out. She swallowed hard and made another attempt. “Are you… I meant the biting thing as a joke. You’re not really going to…?”
Pressing the blade deeper against her skin, I drew the first rivulets of blood and provoked a shrill scream past her lips. I laughed, the sound a maniacal contrast against the dissonant noise she produced. The more she yelled, the more it amused me. I held her in place as I bathed my tongue in the sweet taste of stolen life.
Oh, but Katherine was a fighter and how I loved when they fought. She wriggled and kicked enough, forcing me off and scrambled to her feet once she was freed of my weight. Stumbling backward, Katherine nearly tripped over a bucket of flowers, sending it spilling as she both placed distance between us and yet, feared turning her back on me. I rose to my feet and stalked forward with calm, calculating steps while clutching onto my knife. “What is it, Pet? Do you not enjoy our game?”
“Please don’t do this.” Tears welled in her eyes, spilling down her cheeks once they brimmed to full and smearing the black of her mascara. Blood continued to stain her neck crimson and added to the horrific image of a woman splintering apart. “Please. I… I just wanted to have fun. I didn’t… I hoped you wouldn’t…”
“You fucking humans and your pleading. Did you think my interest in you merely sexual?” I scoffed, gesturing with the knife as I spoke. “I could have any woman and do whatever I wished to them. If you think those pouty lips and those firm breasts are the objects of my desire, then you do not understand vampires half as well as you give yourself credit.” My tongue swept across my fangs. “You wished a dance with the devil. This devil wants your blood. And screaming shall only serve to excite me further.”
Without warning, I advanced, finally inspiring her to turn away from me and attempt to run. Her feet could carry her no more than a few feet away, though, before I closed the distance between us and grabbed her by the arm. She yelled again as I pulled her against me, my arm wrapped around her throat, her back pressing against my chest. I imbibed deep breaths filled with her scent while closing in with my fangs.
She had to have a final word, however. “Please, Flynn,” she said through her tears. “Don’t you remember what it’s like to be a human?”
“Fuck humanity,” I said with a sneer. “I am no longer one of you pitiful creatures. For that, I am thankful.”
My teeth plunged into the cut I had already placed on her neck, accelerating the flow of blood so that my lips could bathe in it wantonly. She struggled and begged and wept, but before too long, her b
ody fell limp, life ebbing out faster than her heart could compensate. I drew away when I had my fill, and threw her onto the ground so she could finish bleeding out at my feet.
The gait which took me away from her possessed no sympathy for what I had just destroyed. I remained completely apathetic to it, in fact, until I came upon her abandoned rose, still lying where she had dropped it mere minutes ago. Bending, I wrapped my fingers around its stem and lifted it up so I could study it.
“You could even leave them with your victims.”
“Not red, though,” I murmured pensively. “Black. Dark as the shadows in which I stalk.” I tossed the rose onto the floor again and straightened to a stand, dusting my hands off before adjusting my jacket in a proper fashion. As I strolled for the coven house, my thoughts were immersed in death, delighted at what I would have to tell my mistress. Beginning with the next vampire who perished, a dark harbinger found itself atop their pile of ashes. Within a few weeks, the brethren in the surrounding covens were well-acquainted with the sight. I had become the Black Rose Assassin.
Murder, all of it. Attired in wickedness and drenched in sadism. I relished being this hitman and seduced whomever I needed to for the sake of feeding my lusts. The same stride which led me away from Katherine marked the tenor of my steps until a wily sorceress came into my life. Try as I might, though, I could not forget that evening as a prime example of the monster I had become.
Fuck humanity, I had said. And I meant it with every fiber of my being.
Chapter Eight
Dualism might merely be a word, but it is one used to describe a very specific condition. What we are on the outside does not always reflect who we are deep within, but often enough we are two different beings on the inside as well. While most men could honestly, and perhaps even earnestly, confess to their own list of sins, none could claim to carry the one I maintained in my pocket.
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