by Emma Mills
she watched as they darkened, until one day they resembled Sebastian’s, deep chocolatey brown with flecks of fiery lava running through them.
‘Eva, it’s time you came out and hunted with me,’ Sebastian said one evening, as they lay in bed satiated yet hungry.
‘Do I need to?’ Eva stretched out her limbs like a cat uncurling from its sleep by the fire.
‘Come here then and tell me what you wish to do,’ Sebastian said, pulling on his pants and striding over to the window. The moon’s glow shone on his smooth chest as Eva watched him, her eyes dancing.
‘Okay, but then can we go back to bed?’ she said, before taking one smooth leap and landing next to him by the window.
He grinned at her and rested his hand at the base of her neck, massaging and scratching her skin, sending shivers down her naked spine.
‘Look out there, Eva. Look at those men over there, making their way to the tavern. Listen to their hearts beating… smell them,’ he said, opening the window just enough for the cold night breeze to pour into their sanctuary, disturbing the stale air.
Her eyes became fixed upon the men as they disappeared down the lane and Eva sucked the air in sharply when he opened the window. Her nostrils burned as their scent intoxicated her and awoke the animal within.
‘Let’s go … Now!’ she yelled, leaping back across the room towards the door.’
‘Eva, you may have spent the last couple of weeks parading around this house tantalising me with your beauty, but if you want to explore the world outside you are going to have to wear some clothes,’ Sebastian said, smiling as he picked up her untouched garments and threw them at her. She caught them neatly with lightning quick reflexes.
‘Fine,’ she said, pulling on the beautifully made black satin breeches, some white silk stockings and the white ruffled blouse. ‘Hmm, it needs something more,’ she said, staring at her reflection in the mirror.
‘Huh? Eva, as it is they will try to arrest you if they find out you are a girl… wearing breeches. What more do you want?’ Sebastian asked.
‘I’m not sure… I think it needs some shape. Let me think. Where are my old clothes?’
‘In that drawer,’ Sebastian said, pointing to a mahogany dresser.
‘Do you have some scissors please?’
Frowning he fetched them and returned, watching as she proceeded to remove the lower half of her corset.
‘Here, help me fasten this,’ she said pulling it tight round her tiny waist, over her blouse.
‘Are you mad? You can’t wear this over the top. It will draw far too much attention,’ Sebastian said.
‘It looks good. The contrasting fabrics complement each other and the corset gives me feminine shape,’ she retorted, head held high.
‘Eva, we are supposed to blend in, not stand out…’Sebastian sighed.
‘What does it matter? We can out-run them; we can keep to the shadows and you can do that hypnotising trick anyway. Not a single person you have brought here to feed from has batted an eyelid at my nakedness… not one!’
‘Fine, come on then, but keep to the shadows for goodness sake. We don’t want the entire guard after us on the first night out.’
The streets were frozen and all was quiet, but Eva knew where to find her prey. She could hear the laughter coming from the tavern, even though it was several lanes away.
‘This way,’ she said.
Sebastian shook his head. ‘You can’t walk into the tavern dressed like that and the scents would overwhelm you. It is too soon. This way,’ he said, leading her in the opposite direction, down a quiet lane towards the square.
Once again memories niggled at the back of Eva’s mind once they reached the square. She could see a large, dark stain on the raised stone platform, and could still smell the old iron tang of blood. She was simultaneously drawn to it and disturbed by it.
‘Eva, this way. We can’t stay here; it’s too exposed.’
‘What happened here? There is blood,’ she asked.
‘A death, a murder… there are many on the streets. The humans are fighting each other and we must make the most of it.’
She paused and glanced back at the dark stain; she closed her eyes. It was something she should know about, something that affected her, she was sure, but she couldn’t place it. Sebastian was out of sight, round the corner, and she could hear a group of humans coming her way, so she darted out of the square and back into the shadows, scurrying down the lane after Sebastian.
She smelt the woman before she heard her voice. She pulled up sharply and listened, her instinct telling her to spring round the corner and sink her teeth into the woman’s flesh and drink till she was quenched… but knowing her lover was there waiting for her, watching out for her reaction caused her to pause, smiling at her newfound control. Instead she slid round the corner as smoothly as a cobra winding its way through the tall grasses, hunting its prey, waiting for the right time to attack.
‘And wha da we ave ere then?’ the woman said, her face lined with age and caked in cheap rouge. ‘A girl dressed like a boy or a boy tha looks like a girl?’ she cackled.
‘She’s mine,’ Sebastian said, stepping in front of Eva and partially blocking the woman from view.
‘As yer wish, but I’ll take it off yer ‘ands when ye get bored of it,’ the woman said. ‘She’ll make me a pretty penny in my ‘ouse o’ girls.’
‘It’s one of your girls I’ve come for actually. Could we have an hour upstairs?’ he asked.
‘Er too?’ the woman asked, nodding towards Eva.
‘Yes, she needs training; you know how it is,’ he said to the woman with a slow cold smile.
‘They all do, little sluts,’ she laughed. ‘But you’ll ave to pay extra for ‘er.’
‘Of course. This should cover it,’ he added, placing several coins into the woman’s hand. ‘Eva, follow me,’ he commanded, turning and giving Eva a quick wink and soft smile, but Eva didn’t budge. There was something about the woman’s dress that seemed familiar. The curls of the golden brocade danced in her memory.
‘Eva? Come on,’ he urged.
Finding it impossible to disobey, Eva followed Sebastian into the dirty house and up some stairs. The doors were all shut and the scent of human blood and sweat became overwhelming.
‘Seba…’
‘Shhh! Calm, be calm,’ he whispered, looking at her and cooling the burning inside her.
‘Yer can ave Marie tonight,’ the woman said opening a door into a stuffy bedroom, with a girl similar in age to Eva.
‘Thank you,’ Sebastian nodded, stepping into the room. ‘Eva, come,’ he added as Eva stared once more at the woman in the doorway.
As the door closed on the proprietor, Eva’s thoughts were disturbed and she suddenly became hyper-aware of the girl on the bed; of the blood pumping through her veins, her warmth, her life-force. With one easy jump Eva was on top of the startled girl, holding her hand across her mouth to stifle the sudden scream as she forced her back, her fangs erupting from her salivating mouth.
‘Eva, go easy,’ Sebastian said, joining her by the bed and whispering something soothing in the girl’s ear, quieting her whimpers as Eva’s teeth sank into her neck, until the girl’s eyes glazed over and she stopped struggling.
‘Eva, what did I say about drawing attention? You can’t terrify them like that. They will remember you!’
Eva looked up from the girl. Sebastian looked cross, but with the girl’s fresh blood pooling on her tongue, cooling the fiery desert in her throat, she was unconcerned. She closed her eyes in ecstasy and shut out his disappointed face; and it was as she closed her eyes that the memory flitted across her eyelids. A soft face with tears flowing down her cheeks; a mother’s face full of love urging her to run away… her mother’s face. It was her mother! Her mother who wore that golden dress, her mother surrounded by peasants pulling at her clothes… That woman would pay!
‘No!’ Sebastian’s voice rang out, quick on her heels as she pulled
away from the sleeping girl and darted to the door. ‘Eva, I know what you saw. Eva, stop!’ But it had happened too fast and he was too late. Eva was already out of the door and gone.
The woman’s scream ripped through the building seconds before Sebastian caught them. The woman’s eyes were already lifeless, her head hanging unnaturally, Eva’s hands squeezing her neck, the woman’s toes scraping against the floor as Eva slammed her repeatedly against the stone wall.
‘Eva, stop!’ Sebastian shouted, and with his words Eva dropped the woman’s body and she fell to the floor.
Sebastian darted to the salon door, locking them in and turned back to Eva who was kneeling by the woman pulling at the dress, snapping the woman’s arms in her hurry to free them from the dress.
‘Eva, what are you doing?’ Sebastian said quietly.
‘This was my mother’s dress,’ she said, finally pulling it free from the woman’s broken body.
‘We must go Eva, now!’ he said as someone pounded on the other side of the door.
Opening the sash window he beckoned to Eva, who leapt through and landed two floors down with a soft thud.
They were already in the lane opposite his house when the alarm rang out and the police began their search.
‘We shall have to lie low for a while now, Eva. What were you thinking?’ Sebastian demanded, his face furious.
Confusion clouded Eva’s face.
‘I’m not sure… I can’t remember… but this dress... it means something. All I knew was that woman shouldn’t have been wearing it.’
Sebastian sighed.
‘It’s my fault. I thought your past was behind you. Eva, that dress belonged to your mother. The peasants ripped it from her body and fought over it,’ he said.
‘Yes I remember now. That’s what I saw. I saw my mother, but I can’t remember what happened,’ she added.
‘You don’t want to. Just forget it now. Give me the dress and I’ll pack it in my trunk. We must be ready to leave quickly if the gendarmes come looking.’
Eva handed the dress over and lay back on the bed. Rage continued to course through her body, but she had no real idea why. It was unsettling and eventually she left the bed and wandered over to the window, to watch the night. There were lamps being lit far across town, but so far the news had not reached the outskirts and their lane remained undisturbed.
After an hour of packing and pacing the room irritably, Sebastian came to stand by the window and watch the lamp lights flickering in the centre of the village.
‘Eva, I need to feed and I also wish to find out what is occurring in the town. Look at me and listen. You will stay here and not leave this house until I return, do you understand? You will be safe here. Do not open the door to anyone.’
Eva nodded and smiled. She had no reason to leave now anyway. Her hunger was satisfied… for the time being and she felt a strange peacefulness, as if she’d succeeded in some unknown ambition. She watched as Sebastian left the house and rushed across the lane, once again disappearing into the shadows of the night.
Lying back and waiting for Sebastian was becoming increasingly tedious and Eva’s eyes roamed the room, looking for an occupation. Sebastian had packed most of his belongings into an old trunk, but the wardrobe had not been fully emptied and this was what gave Eva her idea. She knew she would need more clothes, and there was no way she was going back to the uncomfortable dresses of old when she had felt the soft breeches against her skin, and been able to jump and run with no restriction to her movement. She picked up a pair of Sebastian’s black velvet breeches and eyed them speculatively. They were slim fitting as was the fashion, and holding them against her she realised they would only need a small amount of alteration around the waistband and down both thigh seams. Sewing was one skill she had been taught and she grinned as she formulated her plan. She began to scour the rooms for sewing needles and thread, but of course found nothing useful, and that was when the banging on the door below surprised her.
‘Gendarmerie, open the door,’ a voice boomed from outside.
Eva darted to the window and looked out onto the street below. There were four policemen and unfortunately one of them was already watching the windows. Eva looked out and wondered what to do. She was forbidden from leaving the house and she very much doubted that she would even make it to the door, and if she did… what then? Having spotted her in the window the voice shouted up again.
‘It is the police. Open this door or we will be forced to break it open,’ the voice came again.
Adrenaline began to spike in her chest, and standing by the window she could already hear their heartbeats thumping steadily away, blissfully unaware of quite how much they would be risking by entering the house. The banging continued and Eva frowned, the noise irritating her and triggering the recently quietened rage to grow once more. Why was everyone intent on chasing her? Why couldn’t they just leave her alone? Leave her family alone… her family… something had happened to her family, something unthinkable, something connecting them to the men outside in the blue coats. Eva shook her head, dispelling the memories, but the banging continued. She looked out of the window once more, her beautiful face, a perfect picture of nobility, shining in the moonlight. She caught the soldier’s eye and smiled slowly.
‘There’s a girl hiding in there…’
‘Never seen her before…’
‘She doesn’t belong to this town…’
The words drifted up to Eva just before she heard the wooden door split and break open. She walked over to the dresser and readied herself, enjoying the delicious chocolatey notes of human blood as they poured through the house and were hungrily breathed in.
‘Why didn’t you open the door?’ the first man demanded as he entered the room and stared at her.
‘And why are you dressed like a boy?’ the other asked, as the last two banged about on the ground floor.
Eva stared at them, her previous meal instantly forgotten and she found she was once again parched. She licked her lips and got ready to pounce.
‘Speak, girl!’
‘Do you think she might be simple?’ the other man laughed. ‘We could have some fun with her, before we hand her in,’ he added, a cruel smile sliding across his face.
That was when Eva leapt. She leapt straight across the room in one graceful movement, her arms extended, her fangs protracted. She landed on the second man, knocking him back against the wall where she sank her teeth into him, ripping the skin across his throat and sighing with pleasure as his blood pumped into her mouth.
‘What the hell…’ the other man shouted and rushed at her, swinging his musket towards her. She pulled her head back from her victim and swiftly knocked the musket out of her way, ripping the unfortunate man’s arm off at the same time. His scream died, gurgling in his mouth as he fell backwards, his head slamming against the wall. He slumped to the ground, blood pouring from his shoulder and sending Eva into a feeding frenzy, where she dropped her initial victim and began lapping the blood from the floor.
Without a thought for their lives the two remaining soldiers burst into the room and skidded to a halt upon seeing the horrific scene before them.
‘Out… out… run!’ the third soldier commanded as they both turned tail and fled, but neither made it past the door frame. Eva leapt from her position on the floor and with her hunger somewhat satisfied, Sebastian’s words ringing in her ears. She shot past them, made it down the stairs to the kitchen and back up again before either of them had made it to the top step. There she drove the carving knife deep into the first soldier’s stomach, retracting it and using it to kill the second just as swiftly.
‘Eva… what in the lord’s name has happened?’ Sebastian exclaimed, as he surveyed the carnage.
‘You weren’t here. I didn’t go out and they broke the door open…’ Eva began.
‘I can see that,’ he said. ‘Hurry! I’ve secured the door as much as I can, but we won’t have long,’ he said clearing t
he staircase in one leap and following her into the salon where he stood speechless.
‘Sorry!’ Eva said quietly as she watched him.
‘I don’t know how we are going to explain this to The Council if they find out. Eva, human’s aren’t capable of ripping people’s arms off…’
‘I know but…’
‘It’s fine. I wasn’t here, it’s to be expected. It will be me that gets into trouble. Eva, we’re going to have to leave immediately. It was only a matter of time anyway, but they’ll hunt us down for this. We might escape the knowledge of the Supernatural Council finding out about your killings, but the humans here in the town… they know something isn’t right. Since the night your mother was killed this village has had more violent murders than the centre of Paris, and now you’ve killed four gendarmes, all of whom were armed.’
‘Well, you were the one that killed the first four peasants in the cottage,’ Eva said with a quick shrug. ‘I just finished the job.’
‘You can’t just kill people that get in your way Eva, or the council will find out and we will both be tried. I don’t want that.’
‘But I don’t see why we have to stay hidden. We are so much stronger than them, and I’m guessing the angels and witches are all pretty fiercesome too. It’s the humans that should be hiding, not us!’
‘Eva, it’s hard to explain to a newborn, which is why you are bonded to me, but if we didn’t have rules and vampires were allowed to kill as they wished, feed as they liked, the human race would swiftly become extinct and then where would we be?’ he asked.
‘What about angels? Couldn’t we feed from them? Or witches?’ Eva said with a grin.
‘I’d like to see you try,’ he said with a laugh. ‘No, that’s definitely not an option. You wait until you come across one. The point is Eva, we need to leave. Those soldiers will be expected to report in soon and it won’t be long before they come to find them.’
‘Shhh,’ Eva said as she leapt to the window and flung it open. She could hear them, just as he said. There was a chanting, shouting noise coming from the square and focusing her eyes through the darkness she could make out the flickering shadows from lanterns and torches. They were coming, he was right, and it wasn’t just the gendarmerie, it sounded like the entire town. Her instinct told her to stay, to fight them, to kill them all, but she knew that for now he was her master. She had to listen to him when her body was ruled only by passion.
‘Let’s go to England then. I’m bored with France,’ she said, a grin sweeping across her face as she watched his dark brooding eyes.
‘England?’ Sebastian said. ‘I’m not taking you to London. You’d cause just as much trouble there… but you may have stumbled on an idea. We need to lie low for a while. You need to learn our ways and calm down a little. We could head into the North Country. There are a few vampires I know there.’
‘They’re coming. I can hear them,’ Eva said, nerves pricking her for the