Embrace
Damn, these Europeans are good. But this is still my field. My scope is aligned perfectly. I've done this shot dozens of times. Breathe in. Feel the wind. Watch the trees sway. Breathe out. Feel the rhythm of my heart. Calm, focused. Breathe in. Trees move. Wind shifted. Someone speaks, I don't follow it. Just a noise. Nothing matters but the target and the wind. Breathe out. The gun's weight is comforting. Breathe in. Tighten finger around the trigger. Wind stills, but a mile away the trees tell a different tale. Hold it, wait.. wait... now! BANG.
Ting.
Noise. Voices and applause as everything comes back. Remember to take that breath and the noises make sense.
"Bravo." Tim clapped in that appreciative waythe golf fan. The way that seems to make you feel it was an honor that he moved at all. I always felt that was why I can never get into golf. "That was an amazing shot. Dead center."
"Well," I replied, "this is my range. I can hardly claim to be a champion if I can't master my home field." My quick smile faded with the confidence in his voice. I turn back to my scope. The target is the usual steel plate, illuminated by my floodlights. But it's a mile and a quarter away. How the hell did he see the half inch hole?
"You have a sniper's instincts, Juliette, but I have a sniper's eye." He pointed at his right eye and winked. German accents. Always sound slightly angry.
"Of course, dear Timothy, your fifty thousand dollar binoculars had nothing to do with it." Anna jibed in her sultry Russian voice. Anna was everything Tim was not. She moved with a natural grace and exuded the calm confidence of a martial artist. The confidence to not need to strut. The way she wore her dress made me feel underdressed in my camo, despite the fact we were on a firing range. Anna's warm smile seemed hypnotizing, until I realized with a start I was staring. I turned away and tried not to blush.
"Come on, Anna. I had her going there," Tim laughed. "Sorry about having a bit of fun at your expense, Juliette. I'll make it up to you. I know a great place that sells real beer."
Humph. Europeans.
Got cleaned up, and dressed up. Enough not to feel out of place if Anna's there. How the hell is she having that sort of an effect on me? I feel like a teenager. And besides, I'm supposedly on a date with Timmy. Damn, Jake, why do you always have to play matchmaker? I should probably come out and tell him I'm gay. I dismiss the thought as soon as I have it. The last thing I need is him trying to 'convert' me. At least he was taking me to a local microbrewery. I've heard enough of the 'all american beer is garbage' crap from Eurotrash tourists. I couldn't quite place why Anna was here. Was she a wingman? She didn't seem to be playing the part well; I'm far more interested in her than him. Is she bi? Is Timmy trying to score a three-way? Did Jake tell him that? Mental note: Shoot Jake tomorrow. Somewhere painful, where they'll likely leave the bullet in.
Tim turned out to be every bit the jerk I thought he was. He acted nice and all. Tried to make a conversation. He quoted Jefferson, spoke of self determination and liberty. I knew Jake told him I'm libertarian, but come on. He barely touched his drink, and bought me three. This might have worked at 17 but not 27. There's one liberty you're not getting tonight, Fritz.
After he put his hand on my knee, I excuse myself to the ladies' room. The way he smiled as I left, he's thinking the beer went right through me. That earned you an extra 10 minutes sitting alone. As I enter the washroom I hear a flush and almost misstep as Anna comes out of the stall. I thought she was still off talking to that friend of hers she saw earlier. She's washing her hands. I pretend to need to touch up my makeup, but mostly just watch her in the mirror. After blowdrying her hands (while I admired her behind) she slowly turned to me. "That's a beautiful color."
"Would you like to try it?" I held out my lipstick.
She stared into my eyes with a hungry desire for a fraction of a second. She quickly stepped inside my outstreached hand and said, "yes, I would."
Anna's a half foot shorter than me, but I felt like she was lifting me up to her. Her kiss was beyond words. It felt like she bit my tongue, but rather than pain it was like an orgasm in my mouth. The kiss seemed to go on forever, yet when she pulled away I felt like only a second had passed. She was blushing, as if embarrassed by her own boldness. I was weak at the knees, and felt about to collapse. Yes, her kiss was that good!
"Wow." What more could I say. Noticing her blush, I added "that color does look good on you." She smirked, and I noticed the long canines. No wonder she felt like she was biting me. I never would have taken her for a goth. One more mystery just made her that much more enticing. I started to pull her back up to my lips.
She placed a finger on my lips. "Surely we can do better than a dirty ladies' room." I suddenly realized where I was and giggled. My laugh quickly faded when I thought of what was waiting out in the bar for me. "Why don't you come back to my place?" she added.
We walked out of the bathroom, with me wondering how to drop Timmy without making a scene. Tim caught sight of us, nodded with a smile, winked at Anna and turned back to a friend at the bar. It suddenly dawned on me. She wasn't his wing, he was hers. I made a note to not underestimate this woman as I smiled down to her. She smiled back and her vamp teeth were gone! I stumbled, but she caught me, stronger than she looks.
"Yes, they're real." She whispered, "as am I. As Timothy is. As you can be. It'll hardly be fair for me to force this upon you. I'll give you a choice. You can get in my car and join us. Or you can get in your car, and go home."
"And you'll let me leave knowing this?" my whisper back was more of a hiss. My mind was racing fear and excitement and confusion. I can barely remember to keep my voice down.
She led me to a quiet booth. "What do you expect, me to hunt you down? I doubt I know anyone who can out-shoot you. Besides, who are you going to tell? Who do you think would believe you? Turn me down and you'll go your entire life knowing you missed the opportunity to be immortal."
"Immortal?" She smiled at my question, winked, and left. I rushed to follow her into the parking lot and realized she was in a corvette, rather than the Suburban Timmy drove us here in. I quickly climbed in with her as she drove off.
"Well, mostly immortal. Sunlight will burn you to ash. Fire's no better. Remember to stop drop and roll, as they say. I'll laugh off a bullet to the gut, but one through the heart will hurt. Blow my head off with that thirteen millimeter cannon of yours and I'll be quite surely dead. And there's the blood."
"How is that? I mean it's a rough town, but I haven't heard about a munch of dried out corpses being found anywhere-"
"Nothing so vulgar. Go around drinking people dry and I'll stake you myself, childe. I drank enough in the bathroom to last me a couple of nights. I wouldn't operate heavy machinery if I was you, but you're no more worse for wear than if you made a donation at the red cross. And I'm sure it felt a lot better than a needle, too."
"That it did." I reach over and grab her hand. If someone ever asked me what I'd do if I faced a vampire, I'm sure my answer would have been closer to blow its brains out than hold its hand, but here I was. I checked my tongue in the vanity mirror.
"You're fine. A little lick afterward and you don't leave a scratch. Just a lightheaded mortal who thinks you're an amazing kisser. And here we are." We went into an underground parking at a large condo. She parked in the lowest lot, next to a service door marked 'authorized personnel only' with pipes heading into the wall above it. Through this door, around an 'L' in the hallway, through another door, and down some stairs. Just when I start to get lost, thinking she's taking me to some sort of crypt, we arrive at a party. A dozen or so people are there. Some nod as Anna quickly ushers me through to her room.
I look at her quizically. She answered my unspoken question; "a welcoming party. For you, of course. I never doubted you would turn down my offer." She gave me the same predator's smile as before, only this time with her fangs dropped. I sat on the bed, suddenly stiff and nervous. She retracted her teeth. It was amazing to watch. I wanted to go through with this. I knew how good it felt but I was scared. She held my hand. Her touch was warmer than before, comforting. We kissed again, only this time she didn't bite. She seemed to be enjoying it even more than me. She worked her way down my neck, then sank in her teeth. I felt myself falling into the pleasure of her kiss. The room faded, nothing seemed to exist but her lips.
I awoke latched onto her wrist, suckling like a starving babe. I notice movement and noise. A small crowd, cheering. Nothing compaired to the ecstacy flowing down my throat. I feel hands firmly but gent;y pulling me off Anna's arm. I look up at her. Anna's dripping blood as if it was sweat. It takes all my willpower just to keep from lapping it off her like a puppy. She looks completely drained, physically and mentally.
"See," she says, "easy. Well, not easy, but simple." She turns to Timothy. "So, childe. Do you think you're up to it now?"
"Yes, I believe I am. Thank you."
History
Those early nights were sheer chaos. Learning to feed was clumsy. I'm sure I put at least a dozen mortals into therapy for years, and one in the hospital. Luckily he recovered. The boiling emotions, that I never expected. Something that would annoy me in life would make my blood burn. I would wake every night with a hunger worse than the time I got lost in the bush for two days with nothing to eat. Trying to maintain a conversation while distracted by my prey's heartbeat was difficult. Luckily, the Carthians were there to help. Liberty is harder won when the aristocracy is immortal. Apparently my embrace was a big faux pas. A little stunt to teach the fledgelings how to embrace their own childer, hoping to bolster their numbers. Anna was like a god to us, but it soon became apparent that her reputation ourside our enclave took a huge nosedive.
Those were fun times. I went to rallies. Heard stirring speaches. Gave a few myself. Went to a few amazing Fourth of July parties. Got my own hunting grounds. Things were going great. Until I met Lucius.
I met other powerful kindred. It was easy to tell, if my first urge when I meet someone is to flee in terror, that's a good sign I'm outclassed. But he was different. He showed me how being a vampire is so much more than a blood drinking human. He could change into a bat. He can move so fast I'd swear he teleported. I once saw him pick up the side of a bus. But he told me these were nothing but parlor tricks. Even the eldest vampires can fly into a blind rage, lose control at the taste of blood or run screaming from a sunbeam. True power is the mastery of self. It was then I realized I would neve rreach my full potential with the Carthians. Lucius went to Chicago. And I followed.
Ten years passed. Lucius taught me to slow my blood. From there I learned to thicken it. In Chicago an uneasy truce existed between the major factions. The Carthians mistrusted me because I left. The Invictus mistrusted me for being a former Carthian. But both thought the Dragons were a lesser evil, and I found myself a little niche again. Lucius surrendered to a long sleep. Without him Chicago wasn't worth the headaches, as my position became more tenuous, I returned to Flint.
Most of the Carthians were still bitter about my becoming a Dragon. But they didn't know what to expect from me, as a member of the Ordo. Timothy realized I thickened my blood. He was always good with details. The rumors flew. I was a diablarist. I was mage-blooded, wolf-blooded, fae-blooded, etc. I told them I was a Dragon, as if it explained everything. I was hoping it might get one to come learn with me, but they were all afraid, and I couldn't help but see them as weak. Except her.
Anna took me back like a lost child. She wasn't angry, wasn't upset, merely curious. We spent many nights talking almost until dawn. She wasn't interested in the coils, only in why I followed them. I was disappointed that she wouldn't join me, but also buoyed by her interest. She wanted me, not my power, and all my boasting fell away when I was with her. I could truely be myself with her, even more so than I could alone.
Then the hunters came. It wa a fluke I found them, really. I was going to visit Anna after one of her young Cartian rallies (I wasn't welcome to those anymore). When I arrived there was a stranged armoured van in the lot and the service door was kicked open. I strained my ears with all the power of my blood, and heard bootsteps coming up the stairs from Anna's place. I took up my .50 and waited. There was six of them. Dressed in some weird heavy armour, carrying crossbows. One was being carried by a companion. Another had Anna.
They were good. She was punctured by several bolts. She was a fighter, a veteran of World War Two, and she only got one of them. I was two hundred yards away. My first shot ripped the leg off the one carrying Anna. Second and third dropped the one closest to the door. fourth went through Anna's car to get the one using it for cover. Fifth took out the engine on their truck. Did I mention my favourite target shooter is an anti-tank gun? I rolled behind a pillar as a couple of crossbow bolts were fired on where I was. Out of ammo, I switched weapons. Their armour was formidible, but the visors were only plexiglass.
I rushed to Anna's side. She was hurt bad. I took the bolt out of her chest, but she didn't rise. She was beat up bad, but a dead vampire is dust. These guys were good enough to know that. Someone wanted Anna alive. Very badly. Who it was can wait. I had to get her out of town.
I had to get her to wake up.
