Eternal Night - 2. Luya
-Luya-
Good thing we're fast, otherwise I'd be dead by now. Still, I can't be distracted yet. They're still after me.
Six of them, howling and snarling and coming to get me. These were the things that annoyed me with being a vampire. But also the things that made it all worth it.
I was surrounded, but they were the ones in danger. Enough of this. I stopped running and they began to close in around me. See, I knew this would happen if I trusted her. I could feel the connection to her in each of them, not that I needed to try. It was obvious that she'd sent them.
I raised my paws over my head, then pointed sharply at two of them. The comforting sound of the blades sliding out of the scabbards on my back filled my ears just before the pained yelps of my pursuers. The other four lunged at me, but I was already up a tree. I crossed my legs on the branch I was sitting on and continued commanding the two katana with my thoughts.
My ability to fight was mediocre at best, but I still had the basic enhanced strength and speed of a vampire. Instead of combat prowess, I was given mental abilities. Telekinesis and the ability to read connections between people were my talents.
The first was my favorite right now. I sat in the tree and watched as my swords cut them to ribbons, dancing around as if there was someone down there swinging them. One leapt up to the branch were I was sitting. Poor thing. I raised my paw and called for my recurve. It came with an arrow on the string. I pulled and released and it was dead. My katana returned to their scabbards. They were all dead.
They'd been chasing me for the better part of fifty years now. I can barely sleep with them on my tail. Another good thing about being one of us; sleep wasn't necessary.
I needed help. There was no avoiding it. If I wanted to enjoy my eternal life, I needed to kill them and their leader, but I couldn't do it alone. I'd been aided in my struggled against them before, but I've seen that our kind alone is not enough.
"Fuck." I said to no one. "I'll be branded as a traitor for sure." It hit me like a truck then. "Doesn't matter. I'm an outcast no matter what, thanks to her."
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I missed being a Tracker, but not enough to turn from my true leader again.
Not many vampires held on to the ancient ways, I didn't until I had reason to. That reason lead to my being banished from my coven. Our Mother and goddess, Nyx, didn't just speak to me, she came to me. She told me I was wrong, that we all were. Our undead brothers and sisters were still her children and she was not pleased with the war between us. I wondered why she came to me only for a second. It was obvious. I'd been Alextra's favorite and Nyx needed someone close to the top. I was as close as anyone could be without being the leader.
Nyx told me what I needed to do in two sentences. 'Look at Alextra. Really look at her.' That was the night I discovered my ability to see the names of a person's strongest connections floating around them. Alextra was connected to several people that no vampire should be close to.
I saw everything I didn't see before then. I saw that Alextra only left headquarters once a month. I saw that she did not rest during the daylight hours. One night I followed her and saw why Nyx had come to me. Alextra only left on full moons because she was a werewolf, our most hated enemy. Everything hit me then. She had deceived us all. Alextra had worked her way into a position of leadership among us and stirred the boiling war between living Moroii and the undead Strigoii.
Unfortunately, I failed Nyx that night and every night since. Alextra saw me and we spent half the night trying to kill each other. I understood completely why our Mother picked me. I was the only one who could survive a fight with her because of my telekinesis. I could have killed Alextra that night. I should have, but I let my emotions get the better of me. Before I began following Nyx, Alextra had been my mother-figure. I allowed myself to make a deal with her so that I wouldn't have to kill her.
The deal was that if I left quietly, she would not come after me in any way. I left and let a werewolf live to corrupt the minds of vampires for another few centuries. I'd stopped killing Strigoii, but because I didn't stop Alextra from returning to headquarters that night, the blood of all those that died after that was on my paws.
I turned over on my side and pounded my bed with my fist. I'd believed in Nyx all of perhaps a week before I let her down and I still hadn't made it right. To make matters worse, I've been running from it. One could interpret the wolves chasing me as her telling me to go back and put a stop to it. I interpret it that way, but I still haven't done it.
No more. I spent ten years ignoring my crime and fifty running from the message to make it right. I would make it right. I looked to the fur wrap I'd made of the six white wolves I'd killed. Alextra's fur was black. She'd make a beautiful one, but I needed help to do it. I knew just who I needed.
I'd heard that her flock of sheep had been decimated by the undead ones they held captive. She was only one, so I wouldn't even need a fraction of what it must have taken to bring her down. The best fraction I could have would be the ones that led the destruction.
All I knew was that there had to have been Strigoii leading it, but they weren't exactly easy to track down. Trackers here in Italy were a lot more lenient, but that still didn't encourage many to come out of hiding. There was one, but there was no way it was that pretty-boy.
I sat up in my bed and held out my paw for the magazine sitting on the dresser across from me. Once had come to me, I flipped through it, looking for the page where I'd seen the fox. It couldn't be him, but he was the only Strigoii in the media, meaning the only one I could find easily. I found the page. Andric Sinclair was his name. He really was beautiful, even with that streak of white in his shoulder-length hair and those little black markings on his face. I suppose if one looks that good, being so conceited as to be a model could be forgiven.
I wasn't looking at him to judge. I needed to really look at him - as only I could. The edges of the page got blurry and eventually faded, leaving only his smiling face. I could see names swirling around him now. This fox had some pretty powerful - and infamous - connections. The first and brightest red name I saw was Bacchus. Even I wouldn't dare go after him when it was my job. The next was a bright blue name. I gasped when I realized who it was.
Carmina.
Carmina Wilde had been my rival back then. Eventually, she pushed me out of Alextra's spotlight, thought not intentionally. That didn't stop me from hating her guts for it. I was her favorite and Carmina had come out of nowhere and taken my place. I slapped myself. None of that mattered now. Alextra was bad and if her coven was destroyed and Carmina was still alive, then she must have come to her senses as well.
I didn't understand the name that floated near hers. It clearly read Maxwell, but it glowed both red and blue. There was also red line that went from his name to fade away at the image of Andric. He must have been Sired by the fox. I'd never heard of a new vampire being turned by a Strigoii.
I'd figure it out later. The next name I noted was Vasile. A line like the one between Maxwell and Andric tethered Vasile's name to Bacchus's. They were both Strigoii, so I could not tell who had Sired who. That would be another mystery for later. I looked on through the names and dropped the magazine when I saw the one I was looking for.
Andric was connected to Alextra. That had to mean he was one of them; that the ones surrounding him were the ones that led the assault. I'd been wrong about the pretty-boy. Now I was anxious to meet him. I'd have to track him down somehow when the sun set. It couldn't be that hard. We were both in Florence. I looked to the blackout curtains. Judging by the light, the sun would set in about - exactly - four hours and seventeen minutes. I turned over and went to sleep.
I liked being in the city. I couldn't carry around my katana, but I didn't exactly need them. It seemed werewolves had the same tenet about discretion as we did when it came to moving amongst mortals, so I did not need to fear being attacked here. I still had my gun strapped to my thigh though. Even though I didn't have to fear werewolves here, there were still perverts and let's face it, I'm hot. If someone touched me, I couldn't exactly snatch out his beating heart without drawing attention, so a girl needs protection.
My plan was to follow any limousine I saw. Not many passed through this area, so it shouldn't be hard to find him. Besides, it was once my job to seek them out. I could still do it with my eyes closed. They had a very different feel to them, somewhat dangerous. Theoretically, all I needed to do was be near the passing vehicle to feel him, so I had to walk on the sidewalks
I passed several Strigoii as I searched. They were all wearing sunglasses to hide their eyes. Too bad, I actually think their red eyes are pretty. Well, we didn't make it very easy for them to feel safe showing them. Feeling their auras confirmed the danger that they exuded.
Continuing my search, I remembered that I had not fed in weeks. If I didn't find him within the hour, I'd take a break to handle my thirst. The smell of all the warm blood around me was turning the tickle in my throat into a light burn. As I balanced on the lengthwise lain bricks on the edge of the sidewalk, I also sniffed for a suitable meal.
The allotted hour ticked by. I stepped into the sidewalk from the edge surreptitiously smelled the mortals as they walked by. There were several that smelled okay, but I've never been one to settle. The night was young, so I had plenty of time to find the best one. I tried to only kill one person each time I fed, so the nine pints I drank would be worth it. After thirty-six minutes and twelve seconds, I saw him.
He was a handsome tabby with bright green eyes and shiny, blue-streaked black hair. The next instant, I was across the street behind him. I tapped him on the shoulder. When the feline turned around, he found me standing before him.
"Oh, hello there." He said. I loved his accent. "Is it you playing hide and seek with me?"
"Mm, perhaps. Do you like it?" I asked, stepping closer to him. It was so easy to flirt with mortals. All it took was a little play and the right tones.
"Yes, I do, bellisima. May I ask your name?"
"Luya Martel." I said, tugging at my skirt in an informal curtsey. "And yours, signore?"
The tabby puffed up his chest some and I couldn't help but giggle. "Giovanni. Giovanni Costa." he said, almost exaggerating each syllable.
"Excuse me, but are you trying to seduce me with your name?" I asked.
"Mm, perhaps. Do you like it?"
He was flirting right back with me. "Well, Giovanni Costa, why don't you take a walk with me this evening and find out?"
"With a beautiful kitty like you? Of course." He said, holding out his arm. I tilted my head a little. "Traditionally, ladies put their paw about here." He chuckled, patting his arm.
I laughed and shook my head. "It's not that I don't know what it's for. I just haven't met a gentleman in a while." I said, taking his arm.
"Well, I'm happy to be the first in a while." The tabby said. He took my paw and kissed the back of it before offering his arm again.
Damn, a gentleman. Those were so rare I didn't think I could kill him. As we began to walk, I felt sudden chill. A black car with dark tinted windows was passing me. I looked back at the passing vehicle, but I couldn't bring myself to let go of the other feline's arm.
If that was Andric, he could wait for now. I was hungry and I'd found a rather pleasant meal.
Giovanni took me to the Boboli Gardens. They were quite beautiful at night, bathed in the light of the full moon. I thought just for a moment about how nice it was to be out under a full moon and not having to kill werewolves.
During the walk here, I learned that Giovanni was twenty-seven (he learned that I was twenty-five), a DJ at a local night club, a bartender at another, and a tech student. I could not understand how he managed to do so much as a mortal. He had to sleep sometime, the question was when.
"So you're a DJ. You must hear a lot of music." I said. "What's your favorite kind?"
"I do hear a lot of music, but I don't like most of it." He looked at me and grinned. "Don't laugh, I prefer classical."
"Actually, I like classical too." I said, holding his arm closer to me. "Bach is my favorite, what about you?"
"Tartini composed my favorite song, but I think I like Mozart the most." He looked down to me smiled.
"What?" I asked, grinning back at him.
"Nothing, your eyes are just, very blue." Giovanni said, moving a stray strand of my hair behind my ear.
My grin turned into a smirk. "Why don't you come closer and get a better look?"
He took my invitation and leaned in and kissed me.
The night progressed so fast that it was almost a blur, even for me. I still didn't understand why he wasn't dead yet. Instead, we were rolling around in my bed with no clothes on. Yes, I knew it was unladylike to play with my food, but I couldn't help it. My food was handsome, intellectual, ambitious, and moving his paws up my thighs, closer and closer to...
He stopped.
"Luya, you just met me this evening, are you certain you want to do this?" he asked, looking ashamed. My guess was that he was ashamed of going this far on the first... was this a date?
I giggled at him and licked his cheek. "You're such a gentleman, Giovanni Costa." I said, running my paws through the fur on his back and drawing him closer. "If I weren't certain, I wouldn't have brought you here." I moved one of my paws to his front and slowly brought it down his chest, across his torso, and finally to the rock hard length that had to have been torturing him. To further assure him, I put him in position and grinned up at him. "This is the part where you kiss me and-"
Giovanni kissed me and moved in. I wrapped my legs around his waist and held him there for a moment before letting him pull out and thrust deep into me again. I'd forgotten how warm mortals were. Being tangled with him was like lying almost too close to a campfire. Too bad he'd be dead by morning. The least I could do was make his last night one to tell Saint Peter about.
He sat back on his heels and lifted me up in his arms. I put my arms around his neck and held on as he held me by the waist, bringing me up and down on his shaft. I held on tighter, soaking in his warmth. It was a good thing we didn't have to think to induce mild hypnosis. If he were completely lucid, he would question my lack of body heat to share. Truthfully, that was all I cared about right now. It wasn't that he was a bad fuck - he was actually the best I'd had in decades - but what I enjoyed most was how warm he was.
So lost in the tabby's warmth, I'd nearly forgotten that there was eight inches of thick cat cock in me that I was supposed to be enjoying as well. I squeezed him once more, taking in more of his heat, before pushing him down on his back to ride him. He grabbed my hips and started to buck into me. His claws were digging into the flesh beneath my fur, but I didn't mind. Actually, I liked it. I laid against his chest and he wrapped his arms around him, holding me tightly as a mortal could while he went on, doing all the work now.
Admittedly, he really was good. The only reason I hadn't screamed yet - and thankfully, he hadn't questioned it - was because I had no breath to waste on it. The feeling of him inside me and all his warmth was so much that if I needed to breathe, I'd likely be dead by now. I felt his heart beat faster than it already was now. Giovanni was close. He sank his claws deeper into my side.
I bit into the soft spot between his neck and shoulder and let out a loud moan, half from the feeling of him thrusting harder into me and the taste of his blood. When I sank my fangs into him, he inhaled sharply and arched his back. He liked it. Good thing, too. I'd hate his last memory be unpleasant.
I licked at the blood now flowing from the wound I'd inflicted. My nose was never wrong. His blood was as sweet as it smelled. I enjoyed the soft moans coming from him as I drank. It was unfortunate that I was hungry. Had I met Giovanni Costa any other night, I think I would have saved him for a few more dates. He would have been my personal blood bank. Too bad I had to-
Do not kill him...
The voice had come from nowhere and was so soft I almost didn't hear it. Soft as it was, her voice was so commanding that I immediately let go of his throat and ran my tongue over the wounds, sealing them almost instantly. Before I could think about what had happened, I felt a beat in Giovanni's chest that resonated in the both of us. He slammed himself into me one last time roared as best as a cat could as his hot cum filled me, somehow warmer than he already was.
When his eyes could focus on me again, Giovanni leaned up and kissed me before falling back on the pillows and passing out. I chuckled and rested my head on his chest. I couldn't exactly blame him. I'd drain about five pints of blood from him in the short time I fed.
I would question why Nyx stopped me from killing him later. It was almost dawn again. It never ceased to amaze me how long a mortal could last under mild hypnosis. We'd gotten to my apartment at ten and hadn't rested until now, seven-forty a.m. Maybe Giovanni Costa would be my blood bank after all.
Who was I kidding? In the one night we'd none each other, he was already more than that.