Blood & Carrots Ep. 01

Welcome, my lovely reader!

This is where my B&C serial all begins. I wrote this one early in and came back a few years later to clean it up with little opening blurbs like the one your hot little eyes are reading right now. I never expected this little tale to balloon up to an epic level it has, with a third one in the works as of this writing. (#3 is still going)

So, if you just got here, sit back and get comfy, it's going to be a long ride, but one I hope you'll ultimately enjoy. Also, let me give a little cursory note here. I'm slowly updating this and #2 until it's properly edited, so if you get ahead of me, just realize if you don't see one of these opening blurbs, you're probably reading old stuff I've not cleaned up yet. T-That's not to say I don't think it's not enjoyable, I stand by my work and think you'll like it!

Anyhoo that's enough rambling, here's the short version of what B&C is all about. Vampires(and other supernatural things), drama, love, and sex. It's cute, raunchy, dramatic, romantic, and I am very proud of it. B&C will swing wildly on sexual situations, but since the main character is female in this one, most will focus on that aspect. You will see the following pairings in this tale. F/M, F/F, F/F/M, F/M/M.

Okay! Let's jump right in!

"Did you enjoy your respite, my pet? You looked so adorable with your head in my lap, of course, I didn't have the heart to wake you," I practically purred the words as I sat there in the bed with your head resting on my lap.

"Ah, you want to hear about how we got here and how this all came about?" I could feel my small fluff of a tail flick in amusement. "Ah, the curiosity of youth." I clicked my tongue as I collected the wine glass from the nightstand. "Where to start... where to start..."

I nodded my head before deciding on a starting point. "I must have been out of my mind; I'm sure that was the lines of the thought process that must have been rolling around in my empty skull that night. It was all a blur and truth be told, still is to this day."

"I was never the type for flights of fancy, I had never even had sex before that night. I know, I know... A rabbit in her mid-twenties and still a virgin? But, all the breeding stereotypes, right? Oh, believe me, I heard my fair share of them."

I gave a shrug of my shoulder while rolling the wine glass in my hand, watching the deep crimson liquid rise up the edges as if threatening to slosh out. "I suppose, sex didn't have much appeal back then. I was too focused on life. You know, education, bills, staying in shape..."

My left ear lifted and flicked at the request, the myriad of rings in it shining in the low light of the bedroom. "Oh? You want to hear the stories of an old rabbit so desperately?" I felt a grin forming, my sharp canine-like teeth showing before I took a sip of the crimson in my glass. "Ha... very well my pet, but only because I find you so adorable when you're curious..."

'Alice, we had to put a rush on that order tonight, can you get the invoice sorted? I'm very sorry about this.'

I scanned the email with a scowl on my face, my blue eyes narrowing as I felt my heart sink. It was one of those situations where it was formed as a question, but I damn well knew it wasn't optional. The request was about as sincere as the apology attached to it. No doubt my boss was already pulling out of the parking lot as she sent this email from her phone. "Bitch..."

"The look on your face says we aren't carpooling home, Alice." One of my co-workers spoke out to me from in front of my desk, his messenger bag already in hand. I don't recall his name now, all I remember was he was one of the few rabbits in the office other than myself. I had a little crush on him, but never had the courage to pursue it.

"No, I suppose not." I grumbled the words and sighed before pushing myself from the desk and moving to the break room to get a fresh pot of coffee going. It was going to be a late Friday of work.

It was a large invoice and took another three hours to put together. The coffee got me through it but I nodded off at my desk for about an hour, so it was well after ten in the evening when I finally left the office. I gave the janitors a bleary nod as I walked out yawning and made my way to my car.

My stomach rumbled and I recalled I hadn't eaten since lunch and there would be no food waiting for me at the house since I had been broke until today. I sighed at the wheel of my car, my bangs of blonde hair flittering into my face before I brushed them aside and lifted my snow-white ears.

"Well, sleep or food, what's it gonna be?" I spoke the words aloud as I shifted my car into drive and pulled out of the parking lot, deciding my destination would be one of the twenty-four-hour grocery stores. No way in hell I was getting fast food and ruining my entire week of working out at the gym. Of course, the store was in the opposite direction of my apartment, adding twenty more minutes to my commute. I would be lucky if I were home by midnight at this rate.

Parking the car I made my way into the store and quickly as I could, I gathered up enough food to last the weekend and was at the register in record time. Unfortunately, something must have went wrong with my paycheck deposit, the card was declined. I apologized to the cashier and left feeling embarrassed as well as keenly feeling the pains of hunger now, knowing it was going to be a long night.

My feet felt heavy as I made my way back to my car, ears sagged as I let out a defeated sigh, my stomach aching, and my brain feeling fuzzy. My heart was also slightly jittery from all the caffeine on an empty stomach, seeing as I had put away multiple cups of coffee at the office. Had I known this would happen I would've stolen someone's old lunch out of the fridge before I left.

"You look like you're having a bad night, cute little coneja." The words came to my ears halfway to my car. I vaguely remember my Spanish classes from high school and quickly gathered the words were for me, not that anyone else was in the parking lot right now.

I said I hadn't had sex, not that I hadn't had my fair share of awkward pickup attempts. There were no fucks to give on this night and I clenched my teeth before jerking my head around towards the person speaking.

"Look, you ass! Why don't you go and-" The words choked in my throat as I made eye contact with the man. My heart lurched to a halt, then ramped up and pounded in my ears as they lifted sharply.

"Why don't I go and what?" He spoke out with a knowing grin, his words dripping with confidence, seeing he had already hooked my attention. He looked like he belonged on the cover of a fashion magazine. He wore a leather jacket that was open, with a tight black shirt that hugged every crease and ridge in his manicured chest down to the well-defined abs that ended at the base of his tight black pants. The pants looked of some shiny material like leather. Regardless it hugged his legs and crotch equally tight. I half wanted to look around to see if there was a motorcycle around.

"Um... I-I..." He reeked of desire and even a clueless virgin like me could smell it on him. He stunk of a desperate rut and I could feel it tearing my willpower down just looking upon him. My eyes couldn't seem to control themselves as they scanned the rest of him. Everything on him was appealing for some reason, from the heavy black boots to the large pointed ears that jutted out of his messy dark hair. He had large leathery black wings that folded over his shoulders and his skin was of a deep tan that looked more natural than forced.

I know what you're thinking, a bat? Really, a fucking vampire that's a bat? I can't make this stuff up though, that's just the way it played out I suppose. Of course, the irony was lost on me at that particular moment.

Something on a primal level screamed into my brain. It told me to tuck my tongue back, shut my mouth and look away from him before it was too late. Being a clueless bunny, I ignored it.

"What's your name little rabbit?" He spoke the words in a fluid accent, the r's rolling off his tongue making a shiver seem to move up my spine in the process.

His maroon eyes met mine and I snapped the response out as if following a command. "A-Alice! M-my name is... Alice." It felt like a struggle to form the words, I remember that quite clearly. My subconscious was screaming at me to step away and get in my car, but my feet wouldn't move.

"That's a lovely name, Alice. My name is Luciano..." He practically purred the words as he moved to within arms reach of me. I let out a weak gasp as his hand touched my cheek and blinked wide into his eyes. They seemed to grow brighter, more red than maroon, like I had perceived them before.

My memory is nothing but a haze from there. I couldn't tell you why he was there of all places. You would read about how someone like him would be at a bar or club, not the grocery store.

I didn't make it home that night. I found myself in bed with a bat that randomly plucked me up out of a parking lot. I don't remember a lot, but I remember the sex was mind-breaking. He had me drooling and panting like a dog in heat. Ultimately, I lost a lot more than my virginity that night.

My ears flick upwards and I bring myself back from my little story. "What's that? You wanted the intimate details?" I give you a smile and shake my head. "Alas, I can't give you the details I do not have, my pet... as I said, that night was a haze to me."

"What happened to Luciano?" I purse my lips and felt my tongue brush over the sharp fangs within my mouth in thought, a habit I picked up years ago. "Well, he's dead, or I suppose more accurate to say... more finally dead?"

A smile plays on my lips, of course, that would be the next question. I was quite enjoying this romp down memory lane so I was happy to oblige. "Alright my pet, but if you keep me talking like this, I may become parched and ask you for another drink..."

My first clear recollection of the night was after the fact. My body was worn out and weak for a variety of reasons. I still hadn't come to grips with what had happened, the haze of it all still clouding my mind. I laid there clinging to Luciano in bed, dozing in and out of consciousness.

You can imagine my surprise when a heavy booted kick busted the door of the bedroom open and two more people arrived on the scene. A large hulking wolf of a male easily reaching seven feet in height and a much smaller female cat. She looked more around my height at a much more modest four and a half or so. I'm taking my ears into account there, she probably had almost half a foot more on me without that.

Luciano was quick to act and I don't mean athlete reflexes quick, I mean he seemed to be on the other side of the room in a blink of an eye, kind of speed. He was bare ass naked but had somehow gotten a large caliber handgun in his grip and had it trained on the wolf.

The black cat hissed out towards the bat, "Luciano! The council warned you about this sort of behavior! Under orders of the Marquis, you are to come with us. You will explain yourself before him and the council!" She stretched her fingers out towards the bat as she spoke. I distinctly recalled her thumb and forefinger were dripping with blood, I wasn't sure why I so heavily focused upon the blood until after the fact.

"I told you lot before, I'm my own man, I don't follow your rules. I found the rabbit fetching and wanted to keep her as a pet," Luciano sneered the words, shifting the aim of the gun between the cat and the wolf. "Also this is loaded with silver rounds, don't get cute, Fido!"

The cat gave the large wolf a simple nod. "Then you should have scavenged the wilderness for homeless and campers. This is our city and you follow our laws. Since you refuse to do so or answer to our lord for your crimes, we will carry out your sentence here and now."

The wolf changed before my eyes in a matter of a heartbeat. He already looked huge and powerful before, but now he was near ten feet in height. He added several dozen pounds of muscle as well as a thick coat of brown fur that covered his body, matching his tail and ears. I did the only sensible thing my mundane brain could think to do at that point. I clung to the sheets around me, before proceeding to have a panicking fit and begin crying.

Everything was a blur, but what I do know is Luciano fired off three rounds from the time the wolf was changing, to the time he was on top of him. The cat did something because each round seemed to ricochet off some sort of invisible force in the air. I recall seeing one of the smashed bullets land on the bed sheets before me, spattered in blood. It was only after the fact I learned she was using blood thaumaturgy to deflect the rounds in mid-flight.

It was pretty much over before it started. Have you ever heard someone being torn limb from limb? I won't go over the gory details with you, but suffice to say it's a sound you never forget. There was blood everywhere, so much blood and a majority of it may have been mine originally.

A few moments later the wolf was looming over me and the cat was standing to the side of the bed. I looked between the two of them in panic, sobbing with tears rolling down my face, my brain unable to process all of what had just transpired.

"This one... we kill her too?" The wolf snarled the broken words through his blood-soaked muzzle, his razor hooked paws flexing eagerly.

"Down boy... he may have not wanted to answer for his crimes, but she may yet be a productive member of our court. We will let the Marquis and council decide what to do with her." The smaller woman spoke the words in a calming voice to the wolf.

The dog growled his disapproval, his eagerness to kill obvious but stepped back and in a blink of an eye was back to his original form. His gore-covered clothes were torn into shreds and hung loosely on his form.

I felt her bloody fingertips brush my cheek and guide my face to her own. The sensation was eerily familiar to when Luciano had done it in the parking lot. Her blood-red eyes met mine and I heard her words come to me almost as if delayed, "You poor thing... sleep now, when you wake it will be clearer to you." Then darkness overwhelmed me and I found myself in a deep dreamless slumber.

"Oh, you expected my story to be one of romance and elegance? The two of us having a long dreamy romance before tragedy struck, leaving me alone and crushed?" I find the amusement creeping into my voice. "Ah, not to worry my pet. My story has plenty of romance and sex to be had, but not with Luciano. He was the catalyst, nothing more, and nothing less."

I take another sip from my glass, while the next questions came, a small giggle erupting from my throat. "So full of questions tonight! You finally got me talking, so you're going to ride me for all I'm worth, eh? How long have you been bottling these up?"

"Well you are cute, so I suppose I can indulge you a bit further. I apologize if I get long-winded, it happens when you get along in years." I give a small grin as I collect my thoughts to continue.

I woke up hungry, no, I woke up ravenous and starving. My eyes fluttered open to the dim light of the room I was in. I had gone from satin sheets on a king-size bed, to a flat pillow on a hardwood floor. I sat up and blinked my eyes a few times to get my bearings but it just made me feel dizzy. I had to shut them again, whimpering as I held a hand to my head.

"You're going to have to focus on looking around slowly at first. If you try to do it normally, you will just make yourself sick," The voice came to me calmly and gently, but vaguely familiar.

I weakly cracked my left eye open, blinking slowly and trying to stare straight ahead. I could see the cat from earlier, she was kneeling down before me. Her eyes were no longer red, looking more of a green with flecks of copper in them. Her face was round and in this calm moment, I could see she had a natural curviness to her figure.

"I'm... hungry..." I spoke the words weakly, my own voice sounding foreign in my ears. I didn't feel I had spoken loudly but it made them ache, as if I had been screaming at the top of my lungs.

"I know you are sweetie, we will get you something soon enough," Her words came out in a whisper, sounding doting and motherly.

I racked my brain trying to sort out all the details. Sex, blood, murder, and werewolves? Was I losing my mind? I couldn't focus on any of it though, I only had one thing on my mind. I was hungry, really, really hungry.

A ragged huff escaped my throat and I felt my nails digging into the wood of the floor beneath me. "I- I'm starving..."

"I know you are sweetie, soon. I promise..." The cat again whispered the words gently, as if comforting a child that had fallen and injured itself.

I had never been quick to anger in my life. I had always been the kind of rabbit that took everything in stride, it took an extreme amount of effort to rile me up. However, in this case, I felt fury and rage well up inside me almost instantly. A level of anger and frustration I had never felt before in my entire life. All the slights of a lifetime, paled in comparison to this moment and my hunger.

"Soon isn't good enough!" I snarled the words and snapped my eyes open, my vision filled with red. I only saw her as I lunged forward and crashed into a set of steel bars. I gazed around my surroundings while snarling, seeing I was in a large sturdy cage of some sort.

The cat didn't so much as flinch, she seemed fully expectant of my reaction and sat there on her knees, looking me over like a concerned parent would. It just pissed me off all the more. I grabbed the bars of the cage and pulled at them. I heard the metal whine and groan under the strain, but it wouldn't give.

"I said, I'm hungry! Stop saying fucking soon and get me some food, now!" I spat the words out at the cat before me. My spittle hitting her small black ears, spattering across her short cut red hair and over her cheek.

Again she didn't seem surprised and showed no signs of annoyance or anger. She took a moment and composed herself before opening her eyes once more. The green of her eyes was replaced with a deep crimson as she spoke out authoritatively towards me, "Soon."

The look in her eyes rattled my fury, it brought the roaring inferno down to a smolder. I was still pissed off, but it was doused slightly by a different sensation, fear. I bit my lip and jerked my head away in frustration, then flinched from the pain in my lip.

"You will get used to it, expect to cut your tongue and lip a lot at first," The cat purred the words and gave me a wide grin, showing off her own large set of sharp-fanged canines. "Though being a rabbit, I suppose you would be at a disadvantage, mine were a little pointy, to begin with."

"What... is going on? And..." my eyes refocused as I glared at her, feeling the rage building once more. "When can I fucking eat?!"

"Soon." The cat snapped the words back pointedly.

"I want to eat, now!" I spat the words out, sneering at the cat and clenching my teeth. I didn't care about the situation, I didn't care about the details. I just wanted food, it was all-consuming in my mind.

The cat scowled at me, the first look of irritation she had shown me since this exchange took place. Her right ear flicked as the door opened and the large hulking wolf from earlier came stomping in. "How is your new pet rabbit, Kat?"