Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Blood for Blood

Author's Note: This story is dedicated to my dear friend Ariel Pond who passed away last month. It was her birthday this weekend, so in tribute I have striven to compose a story that she would have enjoyed.

Casandra through her head back in a long moan of pleasure. Her hips worked up and down as she rode the sweating man beneath her. They had been having sex for over an hour. She was glad he could keep up the pace, though he was starting to wear down. He was only human after all.

She licked her lips at the feel of his hands playing across her naked flesh. Each time she slid back down it was another jolt of pleasure that reminded her of what it was like to be alive. It was a faint memory from more than a century ago.

“Fuck, I need to cum,” he told her as she raked her nails down his chest. She had chosen a fine specimen this time.

Leaning in she groaned in his ear, “Fill me up.”

He bucked under her, his entire body shaking. She kissed him hard as he released inside of her. It was a rush knowing that he was pressing that elixir of life inside of her. She sunk her teeth into his neck as her own orgasm washed over her. She had given him more than a few nips this evening, but this one was different. This was the final one.

Her fangs punctured his artery to let his warm blood flow. She sucked it down without restraint. She was starving. Not just for nourishment, but for the feeling of warm life inside of her and pleasure. They were both caught up in an ecstasy, more to his detriment than hers. By the time his orgasm had subsided she had drained half of his blood. He was weak and lightheaded, unable to fight.

She looked down at the new corpse under her as she licked her crimson lips. She placed a fierce kiss on his lips as she slowly dismounted. She could feel his life’s blood coursing through her veins. She stretched sensuously like cat as the feeling washed over her.

She looked over to the mirror. Her skin was less pale as the flush of life took effect. She was still of fair complexion, emphasized by her flowing dark tresses. She spied a drop of blood slipping down her neck and over her full breast just as his seed was sliding warmly down her thighs.

She was using his shirt to clean up when her phone started to ring. She would have let it ring, except she could not ignore a call from Nicodemus. With a sigh she picked up her phone, “Hello?”

“Casandra, I need you to come over,” the sibilant whisper told her, “There seems to be something amiss that I want you to look into.”

“Give me about two hours. I have a cleanup to take care of,” she told him as she checked the clock.

“You have one hour,” was the reply before the line clicked off.

Casandra scowled, but there was no arguing with her sire. She grabbed an industrial sized garbage bag. Cleanup was always such a pain in the ass, and she wasn’t even going to get to bask in afterglow. At least she did not have someone bothering her to cuddle.

***

She was fairly sure that it was Bach playing on as the elevator traveled up the floors. It was doing nothing to relax her though. The high of life was already fading and her mood was sour. Sadly she could not show that with Nicodemus.

The elevator doors slid open and she stepped into the penthouse foyer. The entry was lavishly furnished with rugs from India and paintings from around the world. The walls were paneled with black cherry. All of the opulence was lost on her though. Nicodemus’s majordomo standing there, waiting to see her in was the ultimate eyesore.

Alexander was whip thin with hair almost as pale as his skin. He was a half step away from being an albino. His thin lips were pulled back in the grin that he greeted everyone with. So far as she was concerned, he was a weasel in a fine suit.

“He is waiting for you in his drawing room,” he told her as he turned to lead her to the room, not that she needed him too. He was rather insistent on showing everyone around and reminding them of his authority and position. She could have asked him what was going on, but he rarely gave straight answers. With a knowing smirk, he held open the door for her.

Inside the well appointed room, Nicodemus was waiting in high backed, throne-like chair. His features were sharp and aristocratic. He was old, over a millennium. It showed, giving him a withered look. “I am glad you finally arrived.”

“Yes, Sire. As you know, it takes time to hide the bodies.”

“That it does. I miss the days when a corpse could just be left in the street if you were in a hurry,” he said. He laced his fingers together and rested his chin on them. His piercing glare fixed on her and she knew he was ready to get down to business. “Daryl is missing. He has made no contact in two nights now.”

“You suspect something has happened to him,” she said as she thought for a moment. “When was he last heard from?”

“Thursday evening. I had him over to discuss some issues with the Vitalli Clan. They have been eyeing our territory,” he said as his lips curled in a scowl. Nicodemus considered the Vitallis upstarts. “I called him last night, but I have not heard from him as of yet which is highly unusual.”

“Could the Vitalli have taken him?”

“Unlikely, but not impossible. That would be too bold for them. You shall clear the haze from this situation. Punish any that have wronged us, or drag Daryl here so I can deal with his insolence.”

“Yes Sire.”

“Inform me once the issue is resolved. You are dismissed,” he told her and turned his attention to a small ledger that had been resting on stand next to his chair.

Casandra fought down her scowl. She hated being dismissed so abruptly. Even immortality had its downsides though. She was bound to Nicodemus whether she liked it or not. He did look out for her and the rest of his brood, but he was a distant and demanding patriarch to say the least.

As she exited the drawing room she considered her next course of action. If nothing else, this would at least provide some distraction from the mundanity of unlife. That was what she found to be the greatest threat. Growing complacent and sedentary. She could see the signs of it in Nicodemus. Most who reached his ancient stature would start to fall into a degenerated state. She knew that he had secluded himself at least once to sleep away half a century. He had awoken again with some new vitality and focus. Perhaps he would do that again soon. She did not mind the idea. It would open the clan to danger for sure, but it would also offer her more freedom.

Alexander was waiting for her and walked silently with her to the elevator. She did not care for being escorted around like some child. It left her wanting to slug him and put him in his place. He might be in favor now, but it was only a matter of time before he felt out of favor with Nicodemus.

“I haven’t been to Daryl’s new place. Give me his address,” she said with as much insubordination as she could muster.

His eyes flashed in anger for an instant, but he smoothed it over quickly. The weasel was too slick to show something like that. Instead he took a small note card from his pocket and jotted down what she had asked for. “Inform me if you find anything or when it becomes too daunting for you. I am curious as to what has happened wish to see it quickly resolved,” he told her as she stepped into the elevator.

She simmered at his tone, but was surprised to hear him say such a thing. He was not one to show much interest in the other members of the clan and had a known rivalry with Daryl. Still, she did not give a damn about his concerns. Just before the doors closed she flipped him off.

***

It was one in the morning when she arrived arrived at Daryl’s apartment. She picked the lock and entered with a dagger in hand. She was not sure what to expect, but she was not willing to be caught off guard.

The inside of the apartment was a mess. Chairs were knocked over and the coffee table was broken. Several vases were left in pieces from either being knocked over or thrown. A more telling sign was that the plasma TV had been shot.

As she slowly searched the living room she found the reason for Daryl’s silence. A pile of ash with a vaguely human outline was behind the couch. She leaned down to poke through it and found another bullet hole right at where his heart would have been. Flecks of silver were mixed in with the ash. There was no question to her mind that someone had slain Daryl. The question was who?

She continued to search, but found no clues that jumped out at her. She righted one of the chairs and put it back in a corner. Sitting down she looked over the whole scene and started to run scenarios through her head to piece what had happened together. Events slowly unfolded in her mind’s eye.

There was no sign of forced entry and the alarms were off, so he must have let the person in. Possibly, it was someone he knew. He had invited them in, maybe even started to talk when he suspected something was wrong. She could imagine the fight playing out. She was starting to suspect more than one assailant. Someone was distracting him while the other tried to shoot him. That was the shot through the TV. The fight had gone on hard from there until he was knocked down and shot on the floor.

“Great, I know what happened, but not who the fuck did it.” She rubbed the bridge of her nose. She needed a clue, a lead, anything. She could only think of one possibility. “I hate dealing with that mutt.”

***

It was an hour after she had checked out Daryl’s apartment. Water dripped off of the buildings that made up the alley to splatter on the pavement below. A short rain right before sundown had left things cool, but damp. Casandra waited impatiently with her back leaning against a wall. She checked her watch again in frustration.

Waiting was always torturous to her. She needed something to stimulate her, to keep her interested. Being alone in a dark alley with nothing but her thoughts was enough to bore her to tears. At least things would be a bit more interesting when he arrived. Of course, he never arrived on time, just to piss her off.

“Speak of the devil and he shall appear,” she said to herself as she turned to the sound of paws splashing in a puddle.

Materializing out of the darkness was a gray wolf. A stripe of black fur ran along his spine. His yellow eyes glowed in the flicker. There was an intelligence behind them, far too cunning for any animal. What grated at her at the moment though, was that truly wolfish grin that said he was pleased with himself for showing up late.

“You took your damn time getting here.”

He just tilted his head in a kind of shrug. Then his mouth started to twist ever so slightly and he seemed to wince in pain. Then he spoke, his voice eerie in the way it came out of a mouth not meant for human words, “It takes time to cross town paws. I think it is rather discriminatory how they won’t let me on the subway. Oh, sure, they’ll let “service” dogs down-”

“Cut it Parker,” she said sharply. “If you wanted to chit chat you should have arrived early. This is a business call, and I need to get things done sooner rather than later.”

“Oh? Well, you know the standard price on information.”

“Not information this time. I need some more direct help from you,” she told him, fighting down the urge to bite on her lip. It was both embarrassing and unorthodox to ask a lycanthrope for help like this. “I need you to see if you can pick up some scents for me.”

“Hey now, I’m not your damn bloodhound!”

“Look, I’ll pay you double your normal price.”

“Tempting, but I will need to know more if I am going to do this,” he said in a half a growl as he opened the option at least. Of course, that was part of the real price, having to let him know of what was going on inside of her world. She had no doubt that he had other customers and that one of them would be quite happy to learn of her clan’s inner workings.

“Someone killed a member of my clan. I need help figuring out who.”

He was silent for a minute than spoke, “Fine, I’ll do it. I’ll need a ride to wherever it happened though.”

“I figured as much. My car is around the corner. I don’t want my car smelling like wet dog though.”

He gave a barking laugh, “Stand back for the show.” His body started to grow and twist in violent bursts. The sounds of bones cracking echoed through the alley. Painful growls escaped a mouth that shrunk from a canine muzzle to human lips. Fur receded except for a short hair on his head and a trim beard. Under the wolf skin he was a tan, muscular man with a tribal tattoo crawling up his right bicep. He was also quite naked.

Casandra eyed him up and down. It was the first time she had actually seen him in his human form. The corners of her lip curled in a thin smirk as she took him all in. He was well built, and well equipped. “So that is what you keep under the fur.”

“Glad you like,” he said utterly unabashed, “Care to show the way. It’s a bit chilly without my coat.”

She turned and led the way. It was a risky thing to turn her back on him, but then again, it was risky talking to him to begin with. The vampire clans and werewolf packs were old enemies. They were both alpha predators fighting over the same territory. Nicodemus would have her skinned for talking with a mut. She imagined that his pack, if he had one, would probably kick him out or kill him for the indiscretion.

That was one of the things she was never sure about with him. She had tried to pin down his pack, but had no luck. No werewolf would betray their pack though. It would be like her trying to attack Nicodemus. She came to him for information on the movements of the packs. On a rare occasion he had a lead on some of the vampire clans. She paid him good cash, and occasionally information.

They got into her car and she put it into high gear heading to Daryl’s place. This was the real dangerous part for her. She was trapped with him in the car. She might take him in a fight in an alley, but not trapped in a confined place. A vampire was fast, strong, and durable, but a werewolf was a rage powered engine of destruction with fangs and claws. The idea that she was that close to death gave her a thrill.

***

The trench coat that Cassandra had loaned Parker was a poor fit, but it would keep anyone from noticing a naked man wandering through the building. Once they were inside the apartment, he hung the coat on the coat rack. The formality seemed almost surreal given they were at a murder scene.

She watched as he transformed again, but this time it was not the full metamorphosis. Instead he stayed human, but became more bestial. He hunched forward as fur grew over his body and his features twisted up into a feral countenance. He might have passed for human at a distance, if he was clothed. That, she reflected, was the real difference between the werewolves and the vampires. His power came from being a human in a monster’s body, while hers came from being a monster in a human body.

He began to sniff around the room. He got leaned down so that he was on the tips of his toes and fingers as he moved across the floor. He took a whiff at the couch, then moved on to where the dust formerly known as Daryl lay. He continued on around the room for several minutes before standing up again. With a growl he transformed back into his human form.

“So? What’s the verdict?”

“There was a fight here and someone was dusted,” he deadpanned.

“That joke is coming out of your pay, which may be non-existent if you can’t offer me more than that.”

“Fine, fine. I could tell a few things,” he told her as he went over to the kitchenette and started to raid the cabinets. He was coming up quite disappointed. Vampires do not keep a lot of snack foods laying around. “There have been at least three vamps in here in the last two days, including you and dusty there.” Finally giving up the search for food, Parker turned back to her and said, “There has also been a male human here in that time frame as well. He was injured, bled a bit. I don’t think he was food though, and fairly sure he didn’t die, at least here.”

Casandra closed her eyes and tried to put the pieces of the puzzle together. Another vampire might have been someone that Daryl knew. That would explain how they got in without setting off an alarm. Who would Daryl just let in his apartment though? Did the vampire bring the human? The human could have been presented as a meal. That would have gotten them both in. A ruse to get Daryl to let down his guard. It was a workable theory, but it still gave her no clue as to who did it.

“Can you tell me anything else?” she asked in frustration.

“Not really. I mean, if I smelled them again I could point them out,” he said with a shrug, “Pretty distinct smell, especially the vamp. Guy needs to lay back on the cologne and try something a bit less spicy.”

Cassandra's eyes narrowed and she fished around in her pocket for the address card that Alexander had given her. She held it out to Parker and asked, “Does it smell anything like this?”

He took the card and sniffed at it before telling her, “Right on the mark for the cologne. Hard to tell about the other scents though.”

“Doesn’t matter. You’ve told me more than enough,” she told him as she pulled a stack of cash from her coat pocket and tossed it to him.

He flipped through the bills quickly. Then with a smirk he said, “You know I accept payment in trade as well.” She could see that he had grown a bit turgid. The offer was not without appeal. She needed a shot of life in her. She had also heard that lycanthrope blood was like a mix of hard liquor and an energy drink.

“Don’t hold your breath mut,” she told him with a snort. Fun was fun, but she had business to deal with. Besides, dealing with him was enough of a risk without sleeping with him.

He shrugged then morphed back to his wolf form. In his eerie voice he told her, “Well, be careful then. I do you one more favor and I can finally buy a new car.” He took the money in his mouth and waited for her to let him out.

Cassandra went back to her car and popped the trunk. She was going to need a few items for what was coming. A concealable bulletproof vest was a good start if people were going to be throwing around silver jacketed bullets. Two concealed daggers would do for offense. The final trick she concealed was a specialty of hers: razorwire garrotes.

***

She would have preferred to just kick in the door, but she needed to speak with him first. Casandra knocked on the door and put on an impassive face. After a moment the door opened and Alexander was looking at her sternly.

“What are you doing here unannounced?”

“I have a possible lead on the case. You said you wanted to know if I did,” she said, “Now invite me in so we don’t have to discuss business in the hallway.

He sighed then said, “Fine, come in. This had better be good.”

This was her first time in Alexander’s apartment. It was spacious and finely appointed. The walls were white and the furniture black. Expensive appliances including a remote controlled system of blinds (a luxury to any vampire). Everything about it was sleek, modern, and cold.

“Daryl has been slain, in his own apartment,” she informed him.

“That does constitute important news,” he said with a frown.

“He let another vampire into his apartment. This other then had the aid of a human in slaying Daryl,” she explained as she circled around Alexander, “I think I have an idea of who this other vampire is.”

“Hmmm, and what of this human?” he asked calmly.

She locked her eyes on him and answered, “I have not determined that yet.”

“Allow me to enlighten you then,” he said, “Robert.”

Cassandra half turned to see a man stepping out of the bathroom with a revolver pointed at her. He was an older man with close cropped, salt and pepper hair. Most telling was the metal gorget protecting his neck. That meant only one thing, he was a slayer.

“Really, working with a slayer? Not the best choice of company don’t you think Alexander?” she asked as she slowly adjusted her center of gravity.

“Not really. You see, Robert and I have formed a mutually beneficial partnership,” Alexander said, “He is very good at killing out kind, but really only wants to kill one. It turns out that our dear Sire slaughtered his entire family about thirty years back. I’ve offered to help him with that. In exchange I am freed from Nicodemus and in position to take control of the clan.”

So that is why he killed Daryl, she thought to herself. Then she looked at the slayer and asked, “And you think you can trust someone that slays his own clan to honor your bargain?”

“I don’t trust him to awful much, but he made me an offer that was hard to refuse,” he said with a wry smile, “Not a lot of people in this line of work get to retire, and he proposed a very good retirement package on top of getting to kill that leach that spawned you.”

“Yes, so congratulations on solving Nicodemus’s final task to you Cassandra,” Alexander told her.

“No, my final task is to kill you two,” she hissed and spun into a blur of motion. Robert fired too late. She drew out one of the daggers and through it at him, striking his gun arm.

Cassandra never thought of Alexander as one to get his hands dirty. However, as the weasel struck her from behind, she was reminded that he was as much a vampire as her. She smashed through the black glass of the coffee table. She kept rolling to avoid him stomping on her abdomen.

They snarled like beasts as he pressed the attack. She blocked his punches and kicks from her knees. She grabbed his wrist as she sprung up and twisted it hard. She would have liked to torn it off, but had to dodge a stab from the slayer with her own knife. She kicked Alexander away as she drew out a garrote.

When the slayer lunged at her again she leapt over him, twisting in the air. With her arms crossed, she let the razor wire catch under his chin, biting into his skin above the gorget. She landed in a crouch and threw her arms apart. The wire cut clean through his neck, severing his head from his body. The decapitated corpse collapsed in a spray of arterial blood as his heart gave it’s last few pumps.

She turned to face Alexander just in time to see him raising the slayer’s dropped gun. She sprung to the side, but still felt a bullet tear through her leg. She landed bad next to the broken coffee table. Things were not looking good. A knife at a gun fight was something she was use to dealing with. Not being able to move freely, however, would make it a lot tougher.

She looked at Alexander and his weasley smirk. He was not foolish enough to move in closer. He was using his advantage, and there was little she could do to nullify it. She needed a plan, and for that she needed time. So she asked him, “Do you really think the others will accept you as Clan Patriarch?”

“Of course. Who else would they choose?” he responded with a chuckle. “Edgar is a halfwit. Jonathan is a coward. Matilda is half mad. Daryl was the only real competition, and only because he would have had support from some of the younger kin.”

“Oh, and what about me?” she asked as she saw what she needed on the floor among the remains of the smashed table.

“Don’t make me laugh. I’m faster, stronger, and more experienced than you Casandra. You are a good assassin, until now, but no leader. Do you really think you are smart enough to run the clan?”

“No, but I am smart enough to know when sunrise is!” she growled as she slapped down the button on the controller for the blinds. She felt the bullet strike her back, but the vest stopped it from penetrating. Gritting her teeth against the pain she made a clumsy leap over a chair to roll into the hallway. It was not graceful, but it got her out of the way.

From her shadowed cover she could hear Alexander scream as the morning light burned his undead flesh. The smell of charred skin filled the air. She heard sound of the gun clacking against the floor as it dropped from his grasp. She could imagine him flailing about trying to get to the remote and close the blinds. After several moments, the sounds of Alexander’s destruction had stopped.

Casandra had to crawl to reach the kitchenette without getting fried. She opened the fridge and grabbed several blood packs. She limped to the second bedroom, thankful she would not have to lay down on the weasel's bed. She flopped down on the bed and drunk down the two packs. By the time the sunset and she could leave, her leg would be fine.

She was going to have a lot of explaining to do to Nicodemus. For one, she was going to have to make sure her story was good enough that he did not find out about Parker’s involvement. All in all though, she was happy with the way things turned out. The weasel was no longer an issue, and she was enjoying the rush from the fight. She closed her eyes and thought about it as she settled into her daytime repose, a bit of blood sliding down her lips.

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