New Orleans. I still don’t see what the fascination is with this place. Yeah, so they have some of the most interesting parties. No, that’s not necessarily true. I should say that they have the most infamous parties. Hell, most of them end up on television one way or another, either the damned Girls Gone Wild crap or through the underground. I really am not one to talk though, as I have been in more than my fair share of fetish videos. Hell, if there is someone interested in it, and it involves pain, chances are I’ve had something to do with it in one form or fashion. They come to me to either be a part of the video itself, or they want to use my place to shoot the damn thing.

Raven’s Tattoo Parlor and House of Pain. If there is a way to cause a person pain, we know how to do it. If there is a person who enjoys giving or receiving pain in New Orleans, then at one time or another they have been through my place. Yeah, I’m Raven. Actually, my name is Valerica. Valerica Tepes. Once upon a time I was also known as Sam Mowery. But tonight, well, you can call me Raven, as most of my clientele do.

You want a story, huh? Well, let me tell you about this one night. It was the night I met a man who would change my unlife forever. One of my clients asked me to do him a favor, said he had this friend that was interested in our world, meaning the world of pain seeing as he didn’t know about my world, but that’s something else entirely. Anyways, he asked me to meet with him and this friend. I agreed. Hell, I remember what it was like when I was just learning about it all, being afraid to turn to anyone for fear that they might think I’m sick or deranged for enjoying pain so much. I swear, society these days, sheesh. Though why I let this jerk-off convince me to meet him anywhere close to a damned church I have no clue. Maybe it was the thousand dollars the Joe handed me, I don’t know.

I parked my car in the cathedral’s parking lot and headed to the front. Damned strange place to meet someone in my line of work, but hey, I’ve met stranger. They knew I wouldn’t go inside, though I told them it was because of my religion. Imagine the look on their faces if I told them that I would burst into a ball of fire if I were to step inside a holy place. I can see explaining that one! Anyways, I barely make it around to the front of the building when there’s this guy standing in the shadows trying to get my attention. I’m a little early, so I figure what the hell, I can afford to talk to this guy for a few minutes. So I walk up to this guy and all around us all hell breaks loose! Something streaks past us in the night too quick for even me to see what it is. It wasn’t natural, that’s for damned sure. Probably some damned fodder who got in over his head and was running for his life. Who knows.

So anyways, as there’s this thing streaking by, the guy in the shadows suddenly grabs me around the waist and pulls me close to him. Part of me is telling me to break this ignorant fool’s neck for daring to touch me without permission, but man! The vibe I’m getting off this guy is so intense that I can’t resist his charms. Now, most of you would think that means he put out this vibe of being this really nice guys, right? Not me, honey. Those kinds of vibes, honestly, would only make me sick. Pansy assed mofo’s really nauseate me. The vibe I was getting off this guy was that he could work in my parlor and make sure that even some of my meaner customers would be afraid of him. And that excited me. So, on comes the charm.

I smiled at him as I tried to get a look at him. Couldn’t really see anything in this light, not even with my exceptional sight. Ah, well, it ain’t always about looks, is it? Somewhere beside us, further down on the steps, these two guys start making a commotion. I ignore them as Mr. Mysterious pulls me closer to him. “Oh, baby! Harder!” I keep my voice really low, just for him to hear as I grin at him, enjoying the roughness. Hell, a guy could try to beat the hell out of me and I would laugh at him and call him a wus. “You wouldn’t happen to be a client, would you?” Damn but that sounded so lame. Yeah, I can play the coy lil priss when I want to, but I didn’t want to now! His arm goes tighter around my waist, almost like he’s trying to keep me from breathing. Obviously he didn’t realize as he was holding me so close that I don’t have any breath.

I chucked softly as we both turn our heads to watch the two fools down on the steps. One was playing his guitar until the other tossed a bill at him to shut him up. Then they foolishly got into an argument because they wanted to show off how badass they think they are. Give either of them an hour in one of the rooms of my establishment and I’ll lay odds that they are screaming for mercy. As the two wander off, Mr. Mysterious here eases up on his grip, asking if I wanted to go somewhere so that he could show me the work he’s had done. I’m still wondering if he’s been through my place, but I guess we’ll know soon enough, huh? I squirm out of his grasp easily enough, and tell him that if he will follow me, I can take us to a place we can talk freely.

So, yeah, anyways... Okay, so I lead him to my place. It’s just outside of town, has its own long driveway, and a neon sign at the main road that reads “Raven’s Tattoos”. I checked the mirror to make sure he was still behind me. Good, haven’t lost him. The main house looks like one of those old southern plantation houses and in fact this one I found was over a hundred years old. Took a while to find just the right place with the look the girls wanted, but in the end it has been worth it. Anyways, so I pull into my usual parking spot and set the alarm after stepping out. We meet up at the doors and he follows me inside.

Now, when the girls and I found this place it had been abandoned for so long that it took them almost a month to get to the place cleaned up. We had made some minor remodeling adjustments to the inside, and spent two months slowly getting our equipment moved from the little house we had in town to the manse, along with all the new equipment for the much bigger place. So, as we walked into the house, we were greeted by one of the girls. The room was huge, used to be the foyer, the ceiling open to the second floor. The first story walls are now covered with pictures and drawings done by the artists that work for me of tats they can and have done. Off to the left, in the front corner, is a bookshelf with photo albums and notebooks with more that would not fit on the walls. To the right is a waiting room of sorts; there are a few chairs and a couple couches for people to use as they wait for their tats, or for one of the other rooms.

In the back of the foyer is a set of curved staircases, meeting in the middle, above the entry to the hallway leading to the rest of the house. Down the hall were several smaller rooms, ones the girls use for piercings or if someone wants a tat where they don’t want someone seeing. Each room kindof looks more like a doctors exam room, with the same kind of table and cabinet set with the sink, along with a small set of bookshelves. The walls in there are also covered with drawings. At the end of the hall is another hall crossing it, forming a T. To the right, the rest of the house; to the left are stairs leading downstairs to the more private portion of the house. It’s down here that I lead him, to my private office.

Now, I like having space to myself... Can’t stand being in small places, so my office is another huge room. Across from the door is my desk, a huge oak one, with a custom made soft suede executive chair behind it and a pair of chairs in front of it in which clients usually sit when talking to me. In one corner behind the desk I have put in a cabinet for supplies, in the other corner I have a fully stocked mini bar, including a few bottles of fresh blood. To one side of the room is a set of recliners with a small table between them, a lamp behind that. Across the room from them is a living room set – you know, couch, loveseat, chair, and coffee table – and two more lamps. Along the walls I decided to hang some of my more favorite whips, knives, swords, and other various implements designed for giving pain without killing the victim.

Yeah, so, anyways... I no more than get the door closed behind us and he’s taking off his clothes! Within minutes, he is bare from the waist up and I can’t help but admire the work he’s already got. The man has a damn fine body that makes my blood yearn to take him into one of the rooms upstairs. Or better yet, take him to my private room down here and see what he knows about dispensing pain. He asks me where I want him to sit, and I tell him that depends on what he wants done. I mean, I can’t exactly put artwork on his back if he is relaxing in the recliner, now can I? He wants a piece along his left side. A black cathedral with Death standing in the entryway. I lift an eyebrow. Interesting. Only slightly difficult, but entirely within my capabilities to do. I warn him it will take me most of the night, possibly a second to get all the detail he wishes. He shrugs and tells me time doesn’t matter, quality does. Alright, well then sit here in the chair in front of the desk, which will probably be best and he sits as I step over to the cabinet to retrieve my equipment.

So, out comes my box with my best tat gun and inks from its place in the desk. I also retrieve a small plate warmer from one of the drawers, setting it in the middle of the desk and turning it on. From the mini fridge I retrieve a bottle of the freshest blood and set it on the warmer, then retrieve two glasses, offering him some. I move the other chair to where I can work, placing the box on the desktop next to me where I can reach it, and start working on him. As I’m inking, we talk and I drink. He wants to know more about me. What man doesn’t? As I start to work, the needle breaks. Sonofabitch! Now, there’s only one type of body that I have ever known my needles to break on. With much suspicion, I step in front of him, facing him, and look dead into his eyes. Well, that would explain the vibes I got from him earlier. He’s a fucking vampire, like me. Only, not like me.

He asks me if there is something wrong and I have to laugh. Only a small thing called no pulse, hard as stone skin, and not being able to give him a tattoo in the traditional way. Oh this guy is good... What do I mean by “the traditional way”? I know he knows, and I tell him so. It’s his turn to laugh. Damn but his voice is so fucking sexy. If I still had a pulse, he would have me creaming my pants. And that laugh, so deep and rich. Fuck me! I shake my head slightly and smile, knowing that we understand each other completely as I let the fingernail of my left index finger extend about an inch, then turn to dip it into a different, more special, bottle of ink blended specially for our kind. I warn him that it might hurt a little as I begin to cut into his flesh with my claw, making sure to get the ink in evenly.

So we talk—a lot. You know, for some reason I seem to work faster and better when I’m talking. We talk about my travels, my tats and piercings, and my shop, and our conversation turns to other, more interesting things. We talk a little about the night I was made, the bastard who made me, and how I got my... other skills. It’s an equal exchange of information as he tells me about himself some also. He’s curious about my maker and what he did to me. By now I’ve got most of the tat done and need a break for a moment. I stand and slowly take off my shirt as I turn my back to him, explaining my master’s handy work. He’s impressed.

It’s about an hour before sun-up and time to call it a night. I need to get ready to rest for the day, and he needs to get to his place. I tell him I will finish the piece that evening, if he will meet me back here. He grimaces, but says that he will make it somehow. Now, what in the name of Caine could make him squeamish to come back? He doesn’t like “my family”, he tells me. My family? Hell, my family is the girls and myself and no one else. He tells me to give it a few nights and that will change. I shrug and tell him “whatever” as he walks out the door.

Oh man, this guy is mind blowing! So, he calls me the next night, late, close to sun-up. He asks me to meet him tomorrow night at the damned cemetery. Damn that’s fucking hot. Got my juices flowing. I can’t wait. So sun-down comes along and I’m up and getting ready for the night. By the time I get to the doors to leave, he’s sitting in the parking lot. Fuck! This is an intriguing change, to say the least... I had expected to meet him at the cemetery.

The drive to the cemetery was remarkable, to say the least. Actually, it was the conversation that was interesting. He asked if I knew much about religion. I told him I didn’t, but that was a lie. I knew a great deal. My father never let my mother talk about it much. She was really heavy into the God thing, but father wasn’t. After father died when I was about five, though, she started taking me to church. I wanted nothing to do with it all. After my father’s murder, I grew to hate my mother. I was so angry that he was killed, I didn’t want to believe in the god that my mother preached about after his death because I didn’t understand how he could let my father die if he loved us so much.

“Odd way to view things, isn’t it?” He asked me as he pulled into the cemetery. The place had to be at least a century and a half old. It stank of death, but oddly was in pristine condition. The headstones were, for the most part, still in fairly good condition, even though they were slightly chipped and weather stained. The mausoleums were of an older time, large and expanse, but the doors were still intact. Around the mausoleums the ground was cobbled and the driveway through the place appeared to be rarely used. He drove the Hummer to the farthest reaches of the cemetery from the gates to a cathedral at the bottom of a hill blackened from the passage of time, and in disrepair. A large wrought iron fence surrounded it, and a much smaller, evenly kept graveyard surrounded it.

I shrugged slightly. “I suppose, if you say so. I never really thought about it much, especially not after...” My voice trailed off as I stopped myself, but not before I had already said too much. Damn. There was something about this man that made me lose my caution with him. He led me past gravestones with dates ranging all through the 19th century. The ground was deadened, despite the flourish of weather of late.

The doors, although heavy, were easy for him to open as he led me into the cathedral, his heavy footfalls sounded against the hardwood plank floor. “A god that is benevolent, yet lets his people suffer in pain, humiliation and death...” He ran his hand along the pews as he passed them.

I followed a few paces behind him, looking all around the place as I walked. “I grew to hate my mother, still do, though she’s been dead for well over three centuries. I couldn’t understand how she could believe in a god that, as you say, let his people suffer.” My voice lowered as we walked. “We got into an argument one night, shortly after I was...” He turned and watched me calmly as I took a moment, lost in the past, in that night. “She called me a monster for what I had become and said that God would forgive me, even still, if only I would ask Him. I asked her how her precious God could let me become a monster to begin with if he was all she said he was... She begged me not to blaspheme, to beg his forgiveness. I don’t remember much more about that night. I woke up the next evening in her bed, laying next to her. Her throat had been ripped to shreds and her heart was... I remember it was delicious...”

“Vile, evil temptress you are... Exciting.” As we grew closer to the altar area, there were numerous chains that were suspended from the ceiling. He turned and spread his arms wide as he looked to me. “This... is my home. And none save those I allow shall enter. You are my guest this evening.” His hands fell to his sides again as he looked at me with a deliciously evil grin. “Make yourself at home.”

My smile matched his as I looked around once more. I’m sure my eyes were sparkling with the lust that I felt as my eyes became drawn to the chains. Memories once again flooded my mind as I remembered other times involving chains such as those. His soft chuckle quickly brought me back to the present. No, I was not going to be rude and space out in his home. Not when he has been so thoughtful.

“You may come closer if you wish. I would be honored.” His voice held his amusement as he watched me. After a moment he turned his back to me, took one of the lower chains into his grasp, and worked something onto it. I watched him, fascinated. “You love torture, don’t you?” It wasn’t so much a question as it was a statement. Before I could react, he reached out a grabbed me, bringing me closer again as he had in the alleyway. His strength was intense, rigid.

I couldn’t help but to smile. “Yes. Both the giving and the receiving of it. There is nothing quite so exquisite as the feel of a man’s passions matching hers. As he wrapped his arm around my waist tighter, his teeth gently sank into my neck. Oh damn, but that felt so fucking good! And he’s doing it willingly! He’s bonding himself to me without invitation, without discussion. His hands came up to my shoulders for a moment, lightly caressing them before reaching for the neck of my shirt and ripping it from my body. Damn! Oh yeah, this guy was definitely going to be a keeper. I know what is expected of me at this point, and in an instant I assume the role that is expected of me.

He broke free of my neck and pushed me toward the altar, yanking down one of the chains as I fell against it. “Good. Do you truly not remember the rest of what happened that evening, or is it... forget the past, leave it behind?”

I resist only slightly, just what was expected of a submissive, as I slowly answered him. “Most of it I have chosen to forget... Or, at least, try to forget. The past no longer matters. I hold onto the pain and anger of those nights, but not the actual events.”

“Tell me of them then,” he demanded of me as he balled up my skirt and licked my blood from his fangs. He took a three foot length of chain and brought it down across my bare ass hard, the sting of it exciting me even more as the barbs bit into my flesh painfully.

I let out a soft moan of pleasure and took a moment to heal the cuts. “About which night, Sir? The night I became what I am? Or the night I slaughtered my mother?”

“Your mother...” His hand reared back and another lashing came down, this time striking my side, my ribs, and my lower back. Something inside of him turned, twisted... I could sense it. His stomach tightened, growing hot as the anger welled up within him. His form flexed, testing the bounds of the leather that sheathed his massive proportions. His fangs, bone white and tinged with my blood, appeared in a devilish sneer as he whipped me repeatedly. He stepped forward, removing the leather from his chest with one hand, exposing his dark, perfect flesh. Yeah, it’s been too long since I’ve had someone this good, my body went limp. He stood behind me, set the chain aside, then moved to take the straps on the far side of the altar up and about my wrists and tied them tightly. “You’ll be fine, my dear. Stay with me and I’ll show you such pain that you’ve never imagined.”

The blood rushed to the injuries, healing them quickly. Such pain that I have never imagined? He just doesn’t know what my maker put me through. I chuckled softly. He’ll soon learn that there is very little that I have not experienced when it comes to pain. I pulled on the strength of the blood, trying to remain alert, the pain coursing thru my body excited me to levels I hadn’t felt in ages. Images of that night so long forgotten began to flood my mind like a damn broken loose. I wasn’t sure if it was the questions he asked or the exquisite pain, or more probably a combination of both, that brought it all back to me. The sight of my mother screaming in fear before me as I showed her what I had become, the terror in my mother’s eyes as I ripped her throat out and drank deeply... All of it slammed me with such intensity that the pain he was giving me felt like a tickle in comparison. His voice drifted to my consciousness, “What are you thinking, my love? Your eyes have grown distant. Shall I bring you back to the present?”

He tied a thinner rope around my neck, then threw the length of it down my back where he could hold it like a reign from behind me. We both knew I didn’t need to breathe, but the feeling of asphyxiation was reflexive, even to our kind. He came behind me again, leaned over my back and whispered softly in my ear as the rest of his clothing was worked free. “I know what things you are capable of... Do not try to hide them from me.” He kicked my legs aside, then crouched down to strap me in place by my ankles. Oh yeah... This was definitely a good night. More fun than I’ve had in a very long time. When he rose, his hand came up along my inner thigh, teasing my flesh in between.

“I can see the fear in my mother’s eyes; can still hear her pleading with me to beg God for forgiveness as I ripped her throat out. I can remember the sweet taste of her blood as I drank every drop as the sun came up. I remember dragging her from the living room; she was a tiny little thing, like a rag doll in my hands. I had to scramble to get the heavy curtains drawn in her room so that the sun did not touch me. I vaguely remember collapsing on the bed next to where I threw her, which was why I woke up next to her. And not once have I felt even an ounce of remorse.”

“Do you beg of me to stop now, in this hour?” The chain came down again, scoring into my right buttock with a vicious lash. I almost screamed with the pleasure of it.

“No! I beg of you to do with me as you wish! Punish me for the terror I have inflicted on others in my lust for more blood!” I tried to squirm under the restraints, only making them tighter, causing them to dig into my flesh. The pain of it was so wonderful.

“Good. Perhaps one day you shall have my mercy. I want to know...” With no warning he was inside of me, full shod. The chain fell away as his hands gripped my hips with an intensity like that of iron hooks. Slowly they worked up, seizing hold of a pair of the rings infused to my back, used them as supports as he pulled harder in this carnal act of sodomy. “I want to know everything about you, my love.” I arched my back as much as the restraints would allow, refusing to scream as he penetrated me, instead laughing with insane glee as he pulled on the rings. It took me a few minutes to calm myself, only struggling slightly as I smiled with the pleasure. He paused, his stroke slow as he leaned in to whisper, “Tell me of yourself... of your line, your blood.” His hands seized my neck, grasping firmly and squeezing hard. He bounced my much smaller form with his powerful thrusts, watched me move beneath him. The beast within threatened to come forth, both in me and in him. Eyes glazed over a dark red, his matching mine as I turned my head to look at him, a primal growl rumbling deep in my chest. He squeezed harder, causing more damage which I was forced to heal.

I knew better than to reveal too much of my line, of my blood, for anyone with too much knowledge of them would be a dangerous foe. Besides, I didn’t know him quite that well as of yet. I had to chose my words very carefully. First, I had to get him to loosen his hold on my throat. I arched my back even further, my shoulders threatening to dislocate as I did, trying to get at least some release from the pressure he had on me. It worked. He eased up enough for me to speak. “My line? What can I say about them? They are sadistic fucks who left me for dead in an abandoned tavern in Houston.” I tried to stretch my neck, an attempt to get him to ease up at least enough that I could speak clearly. “It took me over ten years to hunt the fucker down, another six to get close to him, and another twelve before I... convinced him... to teach me what he knew. He survived for over fifty as he taught me.” I couldn’t hold back the truly sadistic grin as I thought about what I had done to the one who made me in return for all that he had done to me and taught me.

“The story of many of us.” He snatched my hair at the nape and pulled back hard. His other hand came down forcefully across my backside again. Taking one of the chains that dangled, he pulled down, hooked the curved hook through one of my loops, then another a second later. “Your blood is weakening. I can feel its lesser course through you. And I’ve never tasted blood of this type before.” He pulled back as my blood was giving. Yeah. I had to use so much of it to heal just to stay awake that I was getting weak. His aggressive hammering continued, potent, forceful thrusts as he used the chains, tugged them for support. His climax erupted deep within me, replacing blood that I had used to heal. Shit. Just what I needed. To be fucking bonded to someone. I should have known he wouldn’t pull out. Typical fucking – no pun intended – man. I moaned softly, going limp as I drew upon the blood to heal. It didn’t take me very long to regain my strength.

I could see his pleasure on his face as he closed his dark eyes for a moment, then he looked back down at me as he continued. “My sire died in my arms... his throat torn free of its fleshy spot, his final death consumed by me.” He let the chains go, his hands roamed my petite form, and his lips curved into a smile of pleasure.

“The one who made me was the true definition of fiend. I learned what I could from him before using what he taught me to kill him. Have you ever seen what happens to our kind when their heart is pierced from the inside with their own ribs? It’s a truly fascination sight to behold. It really is amazing how much pain one can survive.”

He leaned over me, adrenaline and fury tinged his voice, “I can imagine,” he whispered. His lips sought out my neck once again, kissing my flesh gently, almost lovingly, his nose nudged aside my hair, his hands still moved across my back and sides, touching every bit of my flesh that he could reach. “These things we should seek together. I am curious.”

I arched my back to press back against him, felt him against me. I couldn’t help but smile at the thought. “Oh? And what is it you are curious about?” Not surprisingly, my voice was full of the lust that I felt, and of hunger. “Would you like me to show you what I can do? Other than the display on my back, that is...”

“Indeed.” He withdrew from me finally and began to free me from the bonds.

I turned to face him, fully exposed, nipples hard, juices flowing down my thigh. My appreciation of his fully naked form was very evident, both in my grin and in my body’s reaction to him. Yeah, he was pretty damned good looking. I could really change that. Such evil thoughts ran through my mind as I stood there looking at him. “Hmm... Do you dare to trust me? Or shall I show you on another first?”

“I believe I can trust you.” I shook my head slightly, grinned at him, and chuckled. That was his mistake, and I shall be spending the next decade or so showing him just that... At least, until I get bored with him.

Well, just found out what Delaqua meant when we first met by my family. Who the fuck do these people think they are to come into MY house, MY business, and tell me what the fuck to do like they own me? Excuse me? I earned my freedom, damnit! Some fucking heads are going to roll, starting with the punk assed bitch that thinks he’s Caine, Javier.

This guy, Little Hurt as his friends call him, comes into my place wanting a tat. Okay, no problem. The trouble didn’t start until yet another needle fucking broke. My reaction? Hah! All I could do was sigh heavily and shake my head. It seems I am attracting a lot of kindred lately. Well, time to extend a claw and get the other ink. Just as I’m about to start on this fuck’s tattoo, which is identical to a brand my maker gave me on my ass cheek, some woman starts shouting and causing problems in the front room. I shake my head again and head out there, only to find this woman, another man—Javier—and Hurt’s supposed bodyguards in a heated discussion. Once they saw me, all hell broke loose.

Man, what is it with this guy? What? Does he think I’m thrilled with what his friends did to me when I met him? People come into MY business, my HOME, kidnap me, keep me somewhere against my will, and expect me to be happy with them? I a fucking “ritual” to bond me to them? Well, the last person that did that learned the hard way. *smirks* His time came... I made him teach me everything he knew and then made sure he would never do to another what he did to me. Yes, I taught him well. Only, apparently he didn’t teach me everything. He forgot to tell me about the family I come from. Well now. That will soon change. I will know it all and will soon be able to do as I please. I have been through much worse than what these fuckers could ever imagine, including being buried and having to claw my way out of my grave. And Hurt’s and Javier’s time will come as well... All will come in due time. My phone rings and I answer it. It’s one of the girls. There’s some guy at the shop, saying that they are to come with him, as the shop is to be moved, the house sold. Fucking shit. What next? I’m going to have to have a very long talk with these motherfuckers that are trying to fuck with my unlife. I told her to make sure to get EVERYTHING from the cellars.

Begin Journal Entries:

It’s been a while since I’ve even been able to think. I’ve met one among the pack that is willing to teach me of what my... sire... never taught me. He is a priest amongst the pack, and unlike the rest, he does not believe in using the bond of blood to control those under him. My respect for him doubles as I find out that he is also a scientist, so to speak, interested in the many ways that a mortal can die. Though his specialty is robotics and... Cybernetics? Perhaps one day we will get the chance to work together? Yes, Padre Explosivo, as he is known, is an interesting man. He has been teaching me of the Code of Milan... the code by which my new family, the Sabbat, live by. New members of the Sabbat, like myself, are considered recruits, and have no rights whatsoever. I have come to his haven several times to talk with him, to learn. But as of late he has been unavailable. And Javier, the leader of the pack that has claimed me, is still an asshole that I would prefer not to encounter. I have been saved from that particular... problem... by another of my pack and Fiona. But before I can tell of that, I find I must tell more of what has transpired and has made me decide to keep this journal.

Shortly after my arrival in New Orleans, a plague broke out in the city that affects only the Sabbat. I will include all notes here that I can of the disease and hope to one day find a cure to the infection. Once one is infected, on the first day they will start lusting Cainite blood. The second day, they will start to go mad and will frenzy at the drop of a dime. By the third day they become a mindless zombie. So far the only known cure for the disease is the burial mound, though in recent days that power has been failing. If a Cainite goes into New Orleans, they have a 50% chance to contract the disease. If they remain in New Orleans, each day they are there, their chance of contracting the disease increases by 10%. However, if they leave the city and go to the mound to heal and cleanse themselves, they may return to New Orleans with the same 50% chance of getting the disease. The proclaimed origin of the disease is a man named Melvin Crowe, though at the time of writing this, I am unsure as to if he is Cainite or what. Other than that, the origin of the disease is still a mystery. Now, I am on a mission with Fox and Fiona in the eastern European mountains to find a man named Vlad Rustovitch and his brood who seem to know more about the disease. They are of the same clan I am: Tzimisce. So I am handed an opportunity that I could only previously dream of. Our mission goal is to find and stake one of theirs by the name of Ivanna, and to bring back any notes that we can regarding the disease.

We are in a small town here in the mountains, close to my home. One of Vlad’s brood that we are after, Ivanna, we got to meet a few nights ago, along with two that could be her brothers, Lev and Yuri. She is the priest for the pack here, and will soon be my teacher. I will be leaving this journal with my pack mates to hold and will be starting in another while with Ivanna, so that these notes cannot be found. From what I can tell, I will be spending my days, resting, here with Fiona and Fox and will have a chance to copy the other journal to here, and make my own other notes, but I am not sure.

The modifications to one’s self are coming along nicely. The bone encasing around my heart went well, as has the armoring I have done. The talons and body spikes turned out better than I had planned: the talons are permanent and strong, and the spikes will lie down against my body completely and will be difficult for any others to detect just by looking at me. Due to these, however, I have changed my clothing. I find that the thrill I once got from shocking the mortals by my tattoos and piercings is not there anymore. My next modification I have started is my tail, and it is going well.

I’ve ended up not leaving any journals with my pack mates... Things deteriorated fast after my last entry, and the others are planning on leaving. The trail has gone cold. I have no clue what is happening with everyone, but they are going back stateside tonight. Me, well, I have decided that I’m going to stay here and find out more about my family. VC has decided to stay with me. I like that I will have company, someone to help me when I get myself into shit because of not knowing things that the one who made me should have taught me. VC has said that he will pick up where the good Padre left off with my lessons.

My tail ended up coming out awesome. It is 6 feet long ending with a sharpened bone knife, and prehensile. I’m getting really good at this stuff. I will be working on wings as soon as I rest some from the latest.

I am attempting to trace my family, though that is proving a little difficult as no one in the town my birth father is from is willing to talk to me once I mention his name. I’m going to the library tonight to see what I can find out... Perhaps VC will join me?

This is going to take longer than I had hoped it would. I’ve been researching in the library for over a week now, to no avail. One thing I have learned over the years, however, is patience. VC and I are talking a lot in the early morning hours before sleep. The Sabbat are not as bad as all that. Granted, there are a few that I could do without, and am glad they are not here with us, and I’m not looking forward to seeing them when VC and I go back stateside.

Fuck me!! I found some very interesting information tonight and I still can’t believe it. I’m going to see if I can confirm it first though, before I believe it for definite. I have finally discovered a book deep in the vaults of the library – I have to say that I am now very impressed with this library, quite extensive for such a small town – that has much information that I have been looking for. VC is helping me with a lot, and it was actually him who found the records that I needed. Records of births and deaths in general were not difficult to find, but it’s almost as if someone was trying to hide these particular ones. Looking at them now, I can understand why.

My wings have been completed, as have quite a few other modifications. As with anything else, the more one practices the easier it is to do. However, so that I do not freak out the local populace and to be able to move around the town easier, I have had to start wearing a cape that I have had one of the locals custom tailor for me. It was not easy convincing the juice bag to do it, but she made a delicious breakfast afterwards. I really need to get out of here soon though.

We have spent the last month wandering thru the Carpathians looking for what has been rumored to be Dracula’s castle. My research has lead me to the conclusion that there will be answers there that I will not find anywhere else. VC is still willing to stay with me, he says there is nothing back stateside for him right now. He and I have started to become closer. I had thought passion and compassion were lost to our kind, but I am finding that the more I am with him, the less I want to be away from him.

I’ve received word from Magid that much has changed, including the disappearance of my teacher, Padre Explosivo. I’m sure there is someone there, perhaps Fox or Fiona, will know what happened to him. Of all the people I knew there, the Padre and Delaqua are the only once I miss. Hhmmm... Perhaps I should send word back and have someone... take care of... Delaqua for me?

VC and I have been up here for almost a year now, and not only have I discovered a lot of interesting information, which I will detail in a moment, but he and I have become quite close. We share a lot of the same interests, in the medical field and in other things...

We found the castle about six months ago. Yeah, it’s been quite a while since I’ve written. I’ve had my nose buried in research and exploring. I’ve traced my family line back, and I’m not talking about my kindred family.

(To be continued)