The man by the door was Arabic in looks and had a bit of an accent as he stated in annoyance, “We should have killed those three rather than playing with them.”
“Should we, Alad?” the bigger man asked sarcastically.
“We are here to hunt the evil out of this city. The dead need to be made to sleep forever to protect the living,” Alad sounded like he recited a text or order. “Shedu, those were vampires. Vampires are what we hunt.”
The lone woman in the three carefully placed a mask on the table to the right of the doorway. Her gloves were added one at a time, the wrist guards made a thunk from metal bracers sewn into the leather.
“We hunt evil spirits and corpses,” she stated untying the cord holding her brown hair in a tail. “Did you sense evil in them like the ones we killed?”
Shedu shook his head and looked at Alad meaningfully a moment, the other man ignored him so the leader replied, “No, that is why I left them alive. We hunt evil and I didn’t sense that from these creatures.”
“These creatures? They were vampires. What else runs across rooftops in the night?” Alad questioned in disbelief.
“Vampire hunters,” the woman replied pulling out a chair to sit on beside the table and began working on her boots.
Alad looked at her stunned by her words. “Those weren’t vampires who hunt other vampires. Their evil and darkness usually surpass the common rogues, Lamassu. These were nothing like them.”
Musing on the man’s words, the leader finally shook his head, “The reapers are as evil as the ones they prey upon. They do not discriminate between killing their own and the humans; but as Lamassu said, these appear to be hunters.”
“I wonder what Barong would make of vampires that are good?” the oriental woman questioned rising with her boots in hand before gathering her other items. “If my instincts aren’t wrong, they almost felt a bit human as if they were alive yet still dead.”
“Barong knows more about hunting the undead and evil than any of the guild,” Shedu stated with a nod. “Perhaps he has run across vampires like these before.”
Sitting in a chair that didn’t look like a hunter’s taste in the pre-furnished apartment the three rented, Alad replied disgruntled, “I still say we should kill them all. They’re supposed to be dead whether they act good for now or not. You know in the end they are all evil.”
“What about that strange presence last night?” the woman asked from the entry to the hall she was about to enter.
“The human?” Shedu questioned for clarity.
Alad added, “He had their stink on him, but he was human.”
“Perhaps he was a familiar to them. They hold humans under their power to serve them during the day or maybe a dhamphir?”
The dark haired woman shook her head having halted in the doorway to the hall as the conversation turned to her questions finally. “Thralls and familiars can’t move like a vampire and a dhamphir still reeks of death. This seemed human, but couldn’t be because of what he could do.”
Silence held the room as the three mused on the unknown human with the abilities akin to a vampire or even a kasha. Finally Lamassu shrugged and stated, “I am going to shower. That stray left his stink on me when he died. Argue as much as you want while I am gone.”
The two men looked at one another only a moment before Shedu wandered off into his room debating on calling the leader of their guild about these new problems. Alad turned on the television pretending to watch even as he contemplated the new threats.
With keys in hand, Nick chose to check the knob and it turned freely. The other locks hadn’t been thrown either, though should someone dare to enter an apartment with three werewolves and a vampire it would likely to be their own funeral. Still he locked the door even as he tried to ignore two bare feet sticking up over the back of the couch. Crossed at the ankles, Nicola’s legs were bare revealing her smooth white skin.
Walking in arm’s reach of the back of the couch, Nick passed by running his fingers along the side of her calf tickling the vampire enough to make her squirm and pull her legs down in response. Quickly sitting up to watch the man place his keys on a decorative plate with a handful of other ringed keys, Nicola greeted him jokingly, “I was wondering when you would decide to show. ‘Will he wait until Charlotte is asleep or until the sun comes up and I have to sleep’, I asked myself.”
Nick returned to the couch to sit beside the vampiress and more closely noted what she now wore. Red, lace lingerie panties and matching bra were as much to entice and tease him as they were comfortable enough to wear when the sun drove her to sleep. Her bare legs were thrown over his as she laid her head back on the throw pillow placed against the couch’s armrest that the woman had been resting on when he arrived. A judgmental look on her face, Nicola awaited his response.
Ignoring the question of his timing, the voran replied with business over explanation, “I tracked the hunters to their vehicle. Today I need to call some of my police contacts to see if I can get permission to review the cameras along the route.
“They changed along the way, apparently at will, like the werewolves we know. If I am lucky I will catch them on film in both forms and maybe the license of their vehicle.”
“And you could track them to where they are staying?” the pretty blonde asked hopefully. Though the coven hadn’t been attacked as much as been driven away; Nicola feared that they could be next on the list of attacks. Nick was equally worried. These creatures were complete unknowns. Even from myths he couldn’t place them.
“If they’re not driving a stolen car or hiding somewhere illegally, that is my hope. Finding them, I can talk to them to discover their motivations. While I am glad that they didn’t attack the coven to kill, their actions are certainly strange and don’t fit in with typical vampire hunter motivation.”
“You mean like yours?” Nicola asked with a wry smile tugging at her lips.
Sighing, the man replied as his fingers began tracing the lines of her legs making her eyes tighten as she fought the tickling sensation, “Marek and I basically grew into what we have become together. I don’t know what drives other vorans. Whether they fight without getting to know a vampire or have similar relationships to ours, I can’t know. Vivian is the only other one I know, though I believe that she has known others.”
“Speaking of relationships...,” Nicola began as he fell into the verbal trap, “what do we do about this one?”
“Yours and mine or Charlotte?” her eyed narrowed as she realized that he was already trying to stall. “You know I am committed to you.”
Nodding, the vampire pulled her legs under her as she sat facing him. “You haven’t been with me in that way,” she stated, not truly accusing as much as stating fact. After a little over two months since they had truly begun to date, little more than kissing or heavy petting had happened. It wasn’t just his old fashioned upbringing that made him hold back and Nick was pretty sure that she knew that. “Can we ever be close emotionally if you’re afraid to touch me sexually?”
“It wouldn’t be the first relationship like that I am sure,” he responded looking away from her face. Nicola was beautiful and, if she weren’t a vampire, he would feel safe to move forward; but he was fearful.
Taking a deep breath before releasing it as a sigh, the woman asked, “Why can’t you touch me that way?”
A moment passed as the voran tried to put his fears into words in such a way that didn’t hurt her or become dismissive of the situation. “If a voran is a reaction to vampires and we’re driven to kill them, then what happens if we ever try to make love? My aura blades can kill driven by passion, so can my hands if I try.”
“Your blood gives us life and keeps us from being driven by the need for human deaths and blood,” Nicola countered and she smiled as she added, “There is also safe sex, though I doubt that a vampire can become pregnant. My father isn’t around to pull out a shotgun to force a wedding on you anymore either,” she added trying t
o laugh at the thought of a ninety-nine year old vampire being considered virgin territory to be forcing a man into marriage.
When he didn’t laugh, Nicola frowned and changed the subject, “You could sleep with her and put her out of her misery. From what you and Charlotte have said, the only way she will stop having these allergic reactions to being away from you is to have sex with you.”
“And you would be alright with that?” he asked in shock. While the man wasn’t even touching on how he felt about it, he was surprised by the vampire’s frank admission. The fact that she hadn’t used the more modern term for such an act was also not lost on him. Using the more clinical version rather than the romantic, gave away her feelings about what the act would be for her.
Looking angry, the woman who only looked like a twenty year old girl admitted through grinding teeth, “Well, I don’t want her to suffer, Nicholas. It is only sex, isn’t it?”
The crucial question, he supposed. While he liked Charlotte and could say he was physically attracted to her as well, that didn’t mean he felt right betraying Nicola. To say it was only sex, cheapened the act and deadened any emotions involved; but saying that it had no meaning other than as medicine for the werewolf was rather hard to believe.
Finally, he countered with what was in his head, “Is it? If you’re saying to be with her because we can’t, is she supposed to be a surrogate for you?”
Sighing as she spread her hands helplessly, the woman replied, “I don’t know, Nicholas. What would you have me say? Do I want you to ignore me for her and be with her? Have I become a cold hearted vampire that can just shove you aside to bed another woman? I...” She stopped in frustration, and asked, “Do we share you? I am your nightly love and she gets you during the day?”
Nick was sick at such questions. He wished that Charlotte could control her feelings and body. Thinking back over the last couple months of harboring the werewolves, he couldn’t think of a time that he had encouraged such feelings; but then again sometimes things just happened. He was a voran in love with a vampire after all. That hardly made sense with what his race was supposed to be either.
Surprising him as the vampire knelt to cross over and straddle his legs, Nicola had a sad look on her face despite a smile. “Well, there is always another way. Make love to me. If your worries are founded, I die. Then there will be nothing holding you back from being able to help Charlotte.”
“Are you crazy?” he asked finding himself being charmed physically by the beautiful blond even as his mind warned him that her words might come true. He wasn’t ready to lose her over such a stupid thing as sex.
Her arm snaked behind her back releasing the catch on her bra, knowing that he would never dare. “This isn’t crazy. If I can’t have you, then I’d rather die trying. Humans say they’d rather die with a smile on their faces, right?
“I want you and I can feel you want me too. This is as private as we’re likely to get, so please take me now.”
Her lips moved to kiss his and he easily responded. It was madness; but as he felt her tears dripping from her eyes onto his cheeks, the man couldn’t help wanting her. They had put their love in stasis out of fear. Now fear was put in stasis as he shifted to place her on her back on the couch.
She reached to pull off his shirt and a single last protest was raised by Nick though it was half hearted, “You know they’re werewolves and can probably hear us.”
“Then they’ll know better than to walk in on us,” she replied slipping out of the last of her lace with his help.
Looking on the glorious, blonde beauty, caution was thrown to the wind. There was no turning back.
Multiple things were discovered over the next two hours. First, the worry of killing or even harming the woman because of what they were was unfounded. Despite their ages, they had each been with very few partners; the physical compatibility was also as good as either had ever found.
Not only did Nicola survive their joining and all that entailed, but the two found that their stamina made the act easy enough to maintain for hours. She could experience both pleasure and pain like a human girl, while keeping their voices from being too raised; Nicola still let out little sounds encouraging him to try harder. They had a feeling the werewolves would hear them even so, but they tried to keep the noise low.
While Nicola’s skin felt cool to the touch reminding him that she was a vampire, his body heated enough for both of them by the time they stopped. It was less that they couldn’t go on longer, than the need to stop before the werewolves began to awake; if they were even still sleeping.
She bit her favorite place on his hand, the flesh between his thumb and forefinger as if she needed to refresh herself with a drink. The vampiress picked up her two pieces of lingerie before standing in her glory before him. She was still teasing him, since they knew that they had to stop.
“I think that I’ll take a shower and get your sweat off of me. You are such a human that way,” she giggled before leaning in to kiss him on the lips. Never bothering to replace the clothing, the vampiress sauntered to the main bathroom and the shower there. She didn’t want to flaunt what they had done at Charlotte. Despite the joy Nicola had in finally making love to Nick, she truly cared for the werewolf as well and didn’t want to hurt her.
As the water ran, Nick replaced his clothes. He needed to change from the long night’s activities so sweat and the lingering scent of her perfume wouldn’t change that need. Finding a smile on his lips, the voran wondered why he had ever hesitated. After the fear left in the wake of her remaining safe, he felt a fool for ever waiting.
They had known each other for decades and he had always had a bit of a weakness for the vampire. Vivian had controlled him for much of that time, even though he knew that he wasn’t in love with his mentor. Still he hadn’t spent as much time with the vampires of Marek’s coven, though they had known each other to a point.
First he had met her as the first woman Marek had turned that he thought he loved. Nicola was only twenty-one and she had met the vampire ready to escape a looming marriage with a man that her parents had arranged for her. Taking a ship to the new world, the girl had applied to a ballet company in New York, the city the vampire and two voran had disappeared into like so many cities and towns before it.
When he had first been introduced to the girl, it had been in a night club by Marek, who was already courting her. New to the country and still speaking broken English, she had latched onto the vampire who could both speak her original language and help her learn the new one. She was pretty and full of life.
Marek had learned of how to sire a vampire from Jake by then. While he hadn’t turned his second in command, the other man had separated from his master after learning more than Marek, who had run after being bitten with little understanding of what he had become. The two met a few years after Jake’s change and had begged Nick to extend the gift on Marek’s new friend.
More than a decade later, Nicola walked into their lives unexpectedly sparking something inside the already old vampire. With the offer of immortality and swept up by the man’s powerful presence, the young woman let herself be turned. She even remained with the ballet for a few years, before she had to give it up or be discovered to be something that she wasn’t aging.
Unfortunately before her ballet career was over, so was their romance. Audrey came into the picture to replace her, but over the decades the two women alternated being loved by their sire, until finally Nicola moved on turning first Derek and then Mike. Still the vampiress couldn’t stay in love with any of them.
The fact brought a slight frown to the man’s face as he wondered how permanent the relationship would be. As fickle as a vampire’s heart could be, Nicola’s in particular, she was loving and passionate for him now.
Then there was Charlotte. Nick wasn’t sure that he was in love with her, though it had taken decades with Nicola, so what was to say that he couldn’t; but should he try? While the vampiress had pushed for hi
m to help her, even should they try would a voran ease a werewolf’s physical conditions as Eric had for his mates?
By the time the sun was beginning to peak at the city from the east over the lake, Nicola had come to him for a last kiss and gone to sleep beside Charlotte in his bed. They could share that, but could they live with sharing him if they had to?
Questions like that made him frown.
Chapter 9- Caught on Camera
He had done his best to be quiet as he hunted for new clothing and took his shower in his bathroom. Still he could guess that Charlotte was already awake, if trying to fight that fact. The werewolf preferred sleeping in to eight or later most days, but sleeping next to a vampire who was likely to be just as awake until the morning sun made her groggy enough to rest, was likely to keep her restless.
Despite trying his best, the dark haired woman was already in the kitchen making coffee by the time he had finished dressing. He had a dress pants and shirt with a suit coat slung over his shoulder by the time the man left his bedroom readying for his day. She wore one of his button up shirts, and hadn’t bothered to use every button. As if to try and entice him once more, Charlotte revealed skin down to her upper stomach.
One thing he noticed immediately after was that the woman was drinking ice water even as her coffee brewed. She looked warm and her forehead had perspiration lightly gathering there while a trickle of moisture rolled down from her collarbone between her breasts virtually unnoticed by the brunette.
“Are you alright, Charlotte?” the man asked with worry.
Giving him a shrug and slight smile, she replied, “Apparently hot flashes are next, even with your clothes and lying in your bed. Being in heat is great.”
Nick chuckled at her sarcasm as he could tell that she wasn’t suffering so much as being slightly annoyed. “Well, as long as you aren’t in pain or worse, then I hope you can suffer through for a bit longer.”
Standing Before Monsters (Vorans and Vampires) Page 11