Nathaniel may have been her second cousin, and adopted at that, but he'd been gone a long time and was everything her former boyfriend was not: dangerous, impetuous, and ready to take mad, exhilarating risks that sent her heart racing.
When he said he'd been bitten by a vampire, her teenage ideals of everlasting romance led her to accept his bite from her. Although the first couple of weeks proved surreal, the novelty of the new sensations faded rapidly.
She could remember the first moment after, lying in his arms, staring up at her bedroom ceiling. The painted flowers pulsated a vibrant scarlet, the leaves turned from pale green to verdant life in her vision. Every object she stared at filled with its own vitality, its own breath. The smells of kitchens down several streets, the sound of dogs baying across the miles—these were nothing to what she knew now. But at sixteen, they became all the proof she needed, at first. When doubt soured her view, she blamed Nathaniel for sweeping her up in his delusions.
Even the pain she felt in the sun those first days, and the thirst that came to her, these too ebbed away, and she could clearly recall their last day together before the final break up. He had sat in her mother's rocking chair watching her as she watched her own reflection. Seeing in the mirror the subtle changes in her eyes and teeth. "You're not supposed to be able to do that."
"Do what?" she had asked.
"Control your appearance, stay looking human. You're not supposed to be able to resist the call of the blood." At the time, she looked at him, wondering why he trembled when near her. The fear lay evident in his eyes, when she glanced at him in her memory. "Someday," he said, a slight laugh at the edge of his words, "you'll come for me and drain me dry."
"What?" Daisy was incredulous. "I'd do no such thing, I love you," she said. "Why would anyone do that, anyway?"
"To gain the rest of my power. You already hold sway over me, and you'd become stronger if you fed off of me. Or any of our kind." They had quarreled, and he left, convinced it was the safest thing for him to do. It hurt her at first, she cried off and on for a couple of days, but after a week of camping with friends, she found it easy to move on.
As she sat on the couch thinking back over these memories, she wondered how much of what he told her then was fancy and how much true. He feared her then, and she thought, he might fear me still.
The idea she could ever harm him, or be willing to kill anyone, even another vampire, repulsed her. He didn't know her, and she was convinced that he would never understand. Daisy recalled Valerie's words. Were their shared peculiarities what drew him to her? She didn't feel bound to him as he did to her, and she had no answers as to why.
When the sun set behind the horizon, Nathaniel reemerged, and Daisy, brimming with questions, wanted answers. Unfortunately, he rebuffed her, remaining silent, and gestured for the door.
Daisy took the key off the hook, and placed it in her skirt pocket. They locked the door of the cottage behind him, and he said, "First, hunting."
Daisy said, "I already know how to catch birds and squirrels."
"You must learn to hunt your natural prey," he said, as he stalked in the shadows.
Daisy ran after him, took him by the shoulder, and turned him around to face her. The shocked look on his face gave her some sense of satisfaction. "I won't kill a human," she said.
"I said 'hunt,' Daisy. There's more to this than the kill." With a shrug he shook his jacket back into place, attempting to regain his cool composure. He turned from her and walked into the trees.
Nathaniel led her back toward the city proper, and found a night club with its heavy bass pouring out into the evening. He stopped a block away and pulled a cocktail hat with a veil from his jacket, along with a pair of white ladies’ gloves. "Put these on." Daisy complied.
The early arrivers stood in line, ready for the chance to mingle with the rich and powerful of the South. Nathaniel ignored the line, took Daisy's hand, and put on a smooth smirk for the bouncer at the end. The stout woman at the door sucked at the lip ring at the corner of her mouth and grinned when Nathaniel came around. "You again? Always got some new thing on your arm, I see." The bouncer took a hard look at Daisy from toe to head. "Sure she's of age?" The woman's black eyebrows went up quite sure he would lie to her.
Daisy twitched beneath the veil, taken aback for being confused with a teenager. Between the veil and gloves, though, her apparent age wasn’t easy to discern in the near darkness and harsh contrast of light and shadow from the marquis. White hair, she reminded herself, had been in fashion in recent beauty magazines at the checkout aisle of the Piggly Wiggly.
"Katy, really!" Nathaniel sidled up to her, his fingers running along her back, and Daisy noticed the slight flutter of the woman's dark lashes. "I may be a pervert, but I'm not that bad. See?" Nathaniel pulled a business card out of his pocket. "She forgot her purse, so I'm holding onto her ID."
Katy appeared to examine it, glanced up at Daisy and back at the card. "All right, Nathaniel, it checks out. Go on inside." She grabbed his shoulder before he went past her. "After you pay the cover?"
Nathaniel laughed, "Of course, how silly of me to forget." Katy muttered something like "yeah right, you forgot," but waved them in after he slipped her a few bills. As she passed by Katy, she picked up the scent of peach cobbler and cigarettes.
Daisy stayed silent until they got inside the club, its tables still mostly empty. The few people inside chatted with one another over drinks or danced in the center floor, waving their arms and bouncing to the unfamiliar beats. "What was that? What did you do?"
His grin spread so wide, she knew he had been waiting to show her that trick all night. "Noticed that, did you?"
"Yes, I noticed. Why didn't she? Jedi mind trick or something?"
Nathaniel ordered them drinks, and found them a table in a corner. "I'm surprised at you Daisy, you know about Star Wars?"
She scowled at him. "I liked science fiction even in my youth, if you'll recall."
His laugh only went as far as their table, the music drowning them out. "Ok, Daize, I suppose I should tell you ... I'm one of the lucky ones with a special gift. I reckon we've all got talents, but some of them are more noteworthy than others. Or stronger." On the last word his smile faded a moment as he glanced at her and away.
"What is this gift of yours? Wooing women?"
Nathaniel laughed, "Making people believe what I want them to—some people, anyway. Katy wouldn't give me the time of day if I didn't have that." At Daisy's confusion, he explained, "She likes girls, Daize."
"Ah," she said, "and these powers of persuasion, do they affect our own kind?"
Nathaniel studied her face, assessing what her question really meant. "Only the weak ones, and most of them in the area known to stay out of my way."
Daisy sat watching the humans rolling in, and the increasing temptation of their mingled scents caused her frustration. She squirmed in her chair. "Nathaniel," she whispered. "I don't think I fed enough."
He gave her a crooked smile. "You had a whole pint; it should last you long enough until we can get back out into the country." Despite his reassurance, Daisy was not sure of her control. They sat there, and the more people who came in, the greater the fire burning in her throat and nose. The call was so strong, and yet she remained sitting statue still.
Half an hour passed, the thrumming of the speakers a good substitute for Daisy's heartbeat, racing as it was in anticipation of a long draught from each of the dancers. Nathaniel kept her in the corner of his eye as he scanned the room. "It's time," he subvocalized, and explained the scenario for her, "you will move out into the crowd, circle them once or twice, and find someone who catches your eye."
"Nathaniel, I’m too old for this nonsense," she said.
"You'll be fine, Daize, I've seen you resist before. Unnerving, really." Daisy ignored the last comment and stood. He held her forearm. "There are plenty here who would jump at the chance to dance with you. Find one willing, and dance. See how close you
can get to them, secret them away, whatever it takes. I’ll be close. Make certain if you do bite them, they don’t make a fuss. Oh, and unless you intend on making them into our own kind, you kill them. Valerie doesn't want any more peculiarities running around like us. Maybe not even us."
Daisy's face turned back to him, the concern etched into her face. The sooner I learn this, the sooner I can be free of this city forever. She took a deep breath—bad idea, she thought as the fragrance of human sweat filled her senses—and summoned the courage to move forward.
At first, each step took a significant amount of will on her part, but as she regained control of her hunger, she found it rather easy to circle the dancers. She glanced surreptitiously at each face, listening for every unique heartbeat, and letting the sweeter scents reveal their owners. Once she had made a full circle around the club, she stopped, and marked again the three most compelling people, and those most likely to be interested in her.
A man in a business suit in his forties looking out of place and sweating with fear and desire had taken a keen interest in her on her first circuit, a man in his twenties had winked at her, and surprisingly, the bouncer came inside watch her.
The most pressing concern in her mind was what she might do if she did manage to secret any one of them away. Could she control herself? Which one would I feel least guilty about sacrificing?
As her nerve faltered, Nathaniel came to her side and whispered in her ear. "Take the older man, he has lived longer, and he's unencumbered." He nodded to the man's left hand, and Daisy could see the fading band where a wedding ring had once been.
"Fine," she said through gritted teeth.
Nathaniel passed the middle aged man and whispered something in his ear, giving him a pat.
Daisy walked toward his table, but kept her path undefined. She weaved in and out and managed, despite her preternatural grace, to trip on the leg of the man's table.
"Oh!" she yelped and stumbled, but held fast to her hat. The man bent down to help her up, and offered her a seat next to his.
"That was quite a spill," he said, pleased with this turn of events. "Can I get you something to drink?"
"No thank you. I had hoped to find a dance partner before I tripped." She feigned embarrassment and rubbed the ankle.
"Would you still care to?" He looked at her ankle and then back at her veiled face, clearly trying to make her out beneath it.
"I can manage, with a little help. Thank you kindly." This is insane, Daisy thought. Dear Lord, forgive me for this pretense.
He took her by the hand and led her to the dance floor. Daisy's discomfort grew with proximity, not only because of the rich scent of his musky sweat or her deceit, but the way he looked at her. The man licked nervously at his lips. "Name's Rick, by the way," he said as they found an open spot. Though the song was up tempo and the other dancers jumped and twirled about them, he held her close and stared at her. "Aren’t you a little young to be here?"
"Young?" Daisy wondered what Nathaniel had said to the man. "I’m here with my cousin." It wasn’t a lie, at least.
The hunger in his eyes made her stomach turn from his leering manner, yet her control began to slip. Hold on Daisy, hold on. Don't bite him.
As they moved in slow circles around the dance floor out of time with the music, she nearly lost control over herself when he pressed into her thigh. He was hard and wet through his pants. She pushed him back harder than she intended, and he stumbled, rather surprised at her strength. Daisy balled up her fists, and headed toward Nathaniel's table, but she didn’t see him sitting there. "Lucky I didn't crush him," she mumbled to herself, and then smelled the man behind her, his sweaty palm encircled her upper arm as he attempted to jerk her back toward him.
Daisy obliged the pull and turned to face him, but not as neatly or as swiftly as he thought she should. "You and I need to go somewhere and talk," he said, the rage building behind his blue eyes.
She dared a glance toward the damp spot darkening in a circle on the crotch of his gray pants. "I don't think that would be a wise choice, young man," she said, and caught herself.
He sneered as he laughed. "Young man? I'm old enough to—"
But he didn’t finish that sentence, for a thick hand had him by the shoulder and pulled him backwards. "Out with you," Katy's voice rang out over the music enough for him to hear. Rick tried to shrug her off, but she held him rooted to the spot. "You come with me quietly, or I toss you out on your ass, honey," she said.
Suddenly, Nathaniel was with the three of them. "No worries, Katy, I'll see him to the door," he said, and he took Rick firmly by the arm and led him toward the back door rather than the front.
Katy shuffled awkwardly when she saw she was standing alone with Daisy, but then remembered herself. "You should be more careful. I've seen that guy before, and he likes them young. Too young, if you catch me."
Daisy smiled a little, amused that the girl was so concerned with her safety, when she ought to be worried about Rick. I wonder what Nathaniel's doing with him. "Thank you," she said to Katy, "I appreciate it."
"I'm on a break," Katy said, "want to go to the back and have a bite to eat?"
Daisy's head swam with longing to do exactly that, but she held her smile, showing her gratitude. She dared a glance toward the exit where Nathaniel had gone, and nodded. "Yes, thank you." Really, Daisy, don't bite this one, she urged herself. She followed the broad-shouldered woman who wore black pants held up by a metal spike-covered leather belt.
The backroom appeared blaringly white under fluorescent lights, and magazines and newspapers lay on the break table in disarray. "Aw, damnit," Katy cursed, "does no one clean up back here but me?" She turned to Daisy and said, "Sorry about this," as she went about tidying. The pulsing beat of the music echoed against concrete walls.
Daisy stood close enough in this semi-private room to have easily taken Katy out and been done in time to waltz out as if nothing had happened. The scent of peach cobbler and cigarettes held her attention, as did the undercurrent of menstrual blood she hadn't noticed before. She did a mental calculation about who in the club had noticed her go in, tallied it up to less than three, and realized with horror, for a brief moment, those three people plus Katy seemed small enough losses to risk. Dear Lord, what am I becoming?
Katy straightened and gazed at Daisy, her face close enough to bite. The young woman reached out for her, but grasped at air. Daisy stood several feet away, holding her mouth in a hard line. "Sorry, but this isn’t a good idea. You're a sweet girl, and I don't want to hurt you."
Before Katy finished blinking away her confusion, Daisy was out of the room and in the back alley, the steel door of the back exit slamming shut behind her. Nathaniel stood against the wall, ankles crossed in his Marlon Brando pose.
"Poor Katy," he said, mocking her. Daisy stormed away from the alley and onto the sidewalk beyond. Nathaniel leapt after her and kept pace. The humans passed paid them cursory glances. "Daisy!" he pleaded.
"No. I could have hurt her. I could have hurt him for that matter, although an unforgiving part of me says he might have deserved it. I thought you said you would be there to watch out for me." She continued abusing the pavement with her feet as she walked aimlessly forward, seeking distance from the night club.
"I was there. I took care of him," he said, and she stopped up short, reeling on him.
"What does that mean, you 'took care' of him?"
He held his hands up in a disarming gesture. "I didn’t kill him, although you're right, he deserved it."
"How do you know what I was thinking? You're a mind reader, too?"
Nathaniel shook his head. "No. When you get that guilty look on your face, you're blaming yourself for your thoughts."
"No harm in thoughts and deeds, remember?" She spat, but she shook her head, staring at the ground. "Do you know what else I was thinking tonight, Nathaniel? Do you know the cold calculation that went through me as I considered murdering that young woman?"
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Nathaniel shrugged. "It's part of who we are now. Don't beat yourself up over it."
"Beat myself up! You turn me into a murderer, a soulless murder at that, and you think I shouldn't feel bothered by it?" Her note of severity cut through him, and he turned his gaze away.
"Daisy, look. You didn't bite her, you stayed in control." He touched her lightly. "You did great back there, and that's a good start."
"A good start? I say we're finished with this nonsense. I'm sticking to animals."
Nathaniel spoke softly. "Fine, fine, eat whatever you like, but there's more to hunting, as I said before, than getting food. Tracking’s an important skill, and you can't go hunting in a club every night anyway. You'd draw too much attention to yourself; no matter what reason you're among humans, don’t follow the same pattern each time."
She attempted to walk around him, but he blocked her. "No more humans, but you still have another lesson tonight." Her curiosity gave her pause. "I gotta show you where to bury the bodies." His grin did nothing to soothe her, and Nathaniel had to chase after her once she broke away from his hold and started to run.
He caught up to her at the edge of the city. "Daisy! Come on, you said you wanted animals, right?" Daisy slowed, but didn’t turn. "Can you smell it? There're deer nearby, you can have any one of your pick." He did his best to hide his disgust from his words.
For the first time in several minutes, Daisy stopped and dared to look back at him.
"Let's see how you do against bigger game than those rodents you've been catching." Daisy grudgingly agreed, and stilled her body to pick up the animal's scent.
As soon as she was sure of the direction, she took off—a shadowed blur with a streak of silver hair in the moonlight. Although he didn’t like the prey she chose, it fascinated him to watch her hunt. He told her later, her instincts were sharp, and she picked up the subtle use of her gifts with ease he’d never seen in any other of their kind. She crouched low behind a tree. He noted she stayed downwind of the animal, in case it didn’t have a taste for strawberries.
Daisy After Life (Book 1): Perdition Page 8