Blood & Carrots Ep. 14

A little hunting trip sounds like just the thing to ease the nerves before an important meeting. Still, our bunny has never hunted alone and there are plenty of dangers for a new vampire out there.

Will she find herself a fun mundane to spend the evening with like she did, Sam? Perhaps, or perhaps not... Mayhaps, she finds something she wasn't expecting. Something that will change the course of her life forever.

Let's jump right in!

The wiper blades chopped through the water on the windshield as I drove in the darkness of the night. We drove through the dark country roads, you next to me as you had been for the last several days. I kept my focus on the road while speaking out, "My first hunt alone didn't go nearly how I expected it to..."

I grinned and showed my teeth while thinking back on things. "Yes... it ended up being an interesting hunt indeed..."

I hummed to myself as I got ready for my hunting trip with a quick shower. The autumn season began a few weeks ago and though the cold meant little to me, I figured it safer to not dress in a skimpy skirt.

Finally, I decided on a tight set of skinny black pants that shined against the light, I looked at my hips in the mirror and wiggled my fluff of a tail. The style gave me fond memories of the kind that Val wore. A snug blue top that hugged my chest and long-sleeved black jacket finished the top portion of the outfit off.

A set of boots with a modest heel completed the outfit, bringing my height up a few extra inches. I grinned at myself in the mirror, satisfied with the look of shiny leather hugging my short but curvy frame. I lamented for a moment I didn't know how to ride a bike or I would consider a motorcycle as my ride.

I opted to keep my long blonde hair down for tonight, letting it cascade to the small of my back where it curled at the ends slightly. There was a sparse amount of makeup on me, some simple blush, and a thin layer of crimson lipstick, the final touch was some ruby hooped rings in my ears.

Giving myself a grin in the mirror I snatched the credit card and pocketed it in the back of my pants. I moved out of the room and quickly made my way to the garage. When I say garage I mean like the kind you would see at a showroom. The family had a few dozen cars to choose from, but I decided on a little red sporty number that looked like it had several years on it.

I hadn't driven in months and the little sports car certainly had more oomph in it than the compact I used to drive. It was a reliable little thing though and I frowned at the thought of it burning in an explosion. I knew it had been used by Katrina and Alex to fake my death as well as deal with Luciano's remains.

I reined my thoughts in and focused on the driving, it was a clear autumn night and the moon was bright in the sky. I flashed my teeth in the rearview mirror and shifted into a faster gear while my eyes did their own shift to red. I knew I was easily doing over one hundred on some of the small stretches of dark road, but my senses were in full tune and it felt like I had to give the car time to catch up to my reactions.

Elias said it was an hour to the city, I decided I would make it in half that time. Once I entered the more populated areas I reined control back in and let my eyes return to blue. The car also slowed to a more manageable and legal speed.

After a satisfied sigh, I felt the adrenaline taper off from the chaotic driving and found myself feeling nostalgic, as I drove through the streets of my former home. I passed by my old job site and looked upon the large office building for a moment. I wondered how my co-workers took my "death". Probably the little carpool buddy of mine would have been the only one to really care.

I clenched my teeth and pulled from the curb, driving for several more minutes. I found myself at a small dive bar I had visited once before, in my mundane life. I decided this would be a good start and parked the car, stepping out into the brisk autumn air. I took in a deep breath and focused my senses. I willed myself to breathe and pump blood, making my heartbeat strong as my cheeks flushed, as if the cold was affecting them.

My first obstacle was a bored-looking doorman checking ID's, it was a Tuesday night, it stood to reason he wouldn't have seen much action. He gave me an expectant look and I showed him a cute smile and lifted my ears. "Silly... you just checked my ID, I just had to step back to the car for a moment." I pushed my will forward as I spoke the words and he gave me a nod and let me pass.

I grinned and slipped into the small bar, the scent of alcohol filling my nose. The place wasn't too terribly crowded which stood to reason given the day. Still, there were easily a few dozen people here. I felt multiple sets of eyes on me as I hummed to myself and swayed my hips while walking to the bar.

"Evening sweetie... Can you make me a gin and carrot juice?" I cooed the words to the bartender, a grumpy-looking older cat who looked like she hated her life. She took my card without a word, passing it back to me after processing the payment. A moment later I had my drink in hand and hummed to myself as I spun around on the barstool I had perched upon.

I sipped the drink and frowned, not feeling anything from it. There was a faint trace of burn from the alcohol, but it was negligible and left no effects from ingesting it. "Well, I suppose everything has its price..." I sighed dryly while scanning the bar, looking over the various patrons.

Like when I was with Val, it was as if I could feel their energy. The young exuberant energy of youth, the more dull and placid energy of the aged. I could feel the mundanes that were there for enjoyment, to drown sorrow, or just to hunt like me. Then I felt something unexpected, something not of the mundane variety.

A chill went down my back when I scanned over a young woman sitting alone at a table in the corner of the area. She had blonde hair like me, but whereas mine was more on the dirty blonde side of things, hers was a golden yellow. It seemed appropriate given she was obviously a dog and her ears and tail resembled that of a retriever breed.

Her eyes cut right to my own the instant I looked at her as if acknowledging she felt my presence. I clenched my teeth and sipped my drink while thinking. This wasn't good, was she a member of the family I hadn't met, or another member of the court visiting? Regardless of what she was, I had waltzed into her territory it seemed and the last thing I wanted was to turn this into something.

I nodded to myself in a decision, before I stood from the barstool and made my way over to the retriever. Her folded golden ears lifted slightly at my approach and she looked up fully from the beer she had been working on, giving me her full attention.

"Hi, my name is Alice. May I take a seat?" I spoke the words politely, keeping all my will in check to show respect.

The dog shifted her blue eyes away in thought, then looked back to mine. "This is not my home, I cannot reject your request to sit. If you wish to sit I will simply move." Her words came out sharp but in a soothing gentle voice.

I lifted my ears and shook my head. "No no... I mean to say, may I sit and speak with you?"

The dog gave me a hard look and I felt her push her will forward in a warning. "I am not what you seek, vampire."

She spoke the words low enough that only I would hear them, but the challenge was clearly made. I set my jaw and pushed my own will forward, just enough to show I would not be pushed around so lightly. I huffed and pulled the seat out, sitting before the dog stubbornly. "How do you know what I'm looking for?"

"Because your kind always wants the same thing, blood, and death." The dog clicked her tongue and pushed away from the table to stand.

"Hang on. I'm not here to run you off, I'm just here to talk." I raised a hand submissively.

The retriever set her jaw and fixed me with a hard calculated look before setting her chair back. She took a sip of her beer then spoke out pointedly, "Then say what you have to say, then be away from my sight."

"Yeah, aren't you a ball of fucking sunshine?" I growled the words, my patience wearing thin.

She set me with another hard glare. "Were I as such, you would be ash right now, would you not?"

"Oh, really clever doggy." I huffed the words and ran a finger along the rim of my drink glass. "Seriously, I'm not here to mark up your territory, so don't worry about pissing all over everything after I leave."

That got a reaction. She slammed her hand to the table and set me with a glare, her teeth showing. "Do not talk down to me, abomination!"

Several patrons all turned to look at us and I whistled at the display. I gave the dog a grin and forced my will out over the area before speaking. "Oh honey, please keep those pet names to private, people will stare!" I laughed the words cheerfully as the patrons awkwardly averted their eyes and returned to their drinks.

The dog showed her teeth but settled back into her chair. "Abomination is it?" I spoke out quietly, rolling the mostly drank gin around in my glass.

"What else would you call a creature that kills to sustain itself?" The dog spoke out dryly.

"Several creatures do that, but more to the point. I will have you know, I have never taken a mundane life." I fixed the dog with a hard glare. "Celestial."

She gave me a scornful look and frowned. "I have no reason to believe that nonsense, all of your kind are murderous monsters."

"Ha! So I was right... you ARE one!" I showed my teeth, letting the dog see the large sharp fangs in my mouth. "You know, I was kind of just taking a shot in the dark with that one!" I laughed the words cheerfully.

The retriever looked taken aback and confused by my mannerisms before composing herself. "Do you mock me, monster?"

I snorted and offered her a grin. "Of course not, but seriously... what's your name?"

"I will not give my name to such as yo-"

"Will you lighten up? I'm not here to end the lives of your flock, or whatever." I grinned at her and shook my head. "Look... from one paranormal weirdo to the next, let's try this again... My name is Alice, nice to meet you."

I saw her blue eyes shift over my form, calculating and trying to decide my motives. The dog finally gave a defeated sigh and sipped her beer. "Gloria." She muttered the name as she set the tankard down.

"Gloria the celestial golden retriever, It's got a sort of romantic flare to it, doesn't it?" I hummed the words playfully and wobbled my ears about.

The dog gave a faint bark of disapproval at the use of her name. "So you do plan to mock me!"

"There's a difference between mocking and being playful." I offered her a smile and gave a shrug. "So what's an angel like you doing in a dive like this?"

She gave an amused laugh and fixed me with another hard glance. "As if I would tell my business to the likes of your ilk."

I rolled my eyes and cleared my throat. "I was warned about Celestials, you know what I was told?"

"What?" The dog asked me sharply.

"I was told they would sooner smite our kind than talk to us, yet here we are talking. I wonder what that says about our prejudices?" I hummed the words cheerfully as I sipped down the last of my drink.

"It would be difficult to smite you in a bar full of people." The dog showed her teeth and growled the words.

"Truly." I grinned and showed my sharp teeth. "Yet here I am... trying to talk to you, trying to reason and not just flee or strike out with hostilities."

"A ruse I'm sure." Gloria huffed the words and folded her hands on the table.

"Let me tell you something Gloria, I'm new to this game, but I don't buy it... I don't buy this whole, we gotta kill to survive. I've been at this for over a season now. I've drunk a lot of out of date blood from hospitals but I've not killed a thing, even left some of my 'victims' better off than they were." I drummed my fingertips on the table while staring into her blue eyes.

"Why should I believe such lies?" The dog growled at me in response.

"Why should I fabricate such lies?" I spat back in a retort. "I came here to hunt, but I didn't come here to kill. Times have changed and most of my kind get by without ending lives."

She showed her teeth and stared hard into my eyes. "I do not like it..."

I lifted one of my ears curiously. "Like what?"

"Your eyes show you speak the truth, It does not settle well with me." The dog grumbled the words and sipped her beer once more.

"Wow! Is that some cool celestial power? Like a detect lies spell?" I spoke out excitedly, my tail flicking about and leaning closer to the dog.

Gloria flinched at my excited tone and leaned back slightly from me. "What? N-no... I'm just a good judge of character when I stare at someone's eyes, it's nothing like that."

I settled down and nodded. "Well, thank you for believing me. I'm not here to hurt anyone, Gloria." I gave her a playful grin while I spoke.

"How could you feed upon someone and it not cause them harm?" The dog cocked her brow at me in question.

"Mm? Well, being fed upon actually feels really good. It does leave them a little weak, but... well, it's like a really good round of sex, ya know? You're winded and fatigued, but so worth it!" I huffed the words and flicked my tail, my hips squirming a little while I grinned.

"S-sex? What does that have to do with any of this?" She snapped the words out sharply, her voice taking on an uncomfortable edge.

I felt the momentum shift and capitalized upon it. "Ha... Gloria... are you celestial's afraid of sex? It's quite fun you know..."

Her soft cheeks flushed and I saw the look in her eyes, that I had struck upon something she was not guarded against. "D-don't be absurd, such sinful things are beneath us."

"Yeah... sinful..." I cooed the words and pushed my will forth faintly, testing the waters. "You know it wasn't blood that sent me out here tonight, it was sex."

The dog frowned and set me with a look of surprise. "You aren't hunting for blood, vampire?"

"C'mon... I've used your name several times, can't you use mine?" I gave her a playful pout and folded my ears.

The retriever looked away awkwardly then cut her blue eyes back to mine. "Why are you not hunting for blood, A-Alice?"

"I'm not hungry for it." I gave a shrug. "I told you, It's easier to get it without hunting for it. No one gets hurt and we don't have guys like you trying to smite us."

"But you're out looking for sex?" She asked questioningly.

"Sure, but... I mean look at some of these losers in here... there are half a dozen guys in here doing the same thing." I grinned as I spoke the words.

Gloria shifted awkwardly in her seat while looking around the room. "I suppose that's a good point."

"So, let's hear it. I've told you so much... why are you here, Gloria?" I hummed the words curiously.

She sighed and looked down at her empty tankard. "I suppose it can't hurt to tell you. I was recently assigned to this city to watch it. To protect it from any evils preying upon the populace."

I put my finger to my cheek in thought. "Interesting... you're going to be bored though, none of my family kills..." Of course, that wasn't true, but I planned to inform Elias upon returning home so he could warn the few members that did occasionally do so.

"Are you serious?" Gloria met my eyes skeptically.

I knew I couldn't roll with the whole family spin but I could cement it with a solid topic shift. "Gloria..." I met her eyes directly. "Even the head of our family doesn't kill."

Her eyes widened at the words and I caught myself looking into them during her moment of shock. They were deep blue like the ocean, compared to my own eyes which were more sky blue. I found myself getting lost in them for a time, my heart rate picking up slightly.

"I want to believe you, but it's so hard to comprehend..." She whispered the words and noticed she was staring back into my own eyes. She gritted her teeth and quickly darted her view away from mine.

"Well, that's how it is. If you're waiting on vampire attacks in this town, you're going to be very bored, Gloria. Unless you get random weirdo ones that aren't in my family doing it, but we kill those as soon as we find out." I gave another casual shrug.

"Wait... you kill your own for preying upon mundanes?" The dog looked at me skeptically.

"We have laws, Gloria... Even the families that do hunt to kill, it's within boundaries." I fixed her with my own hard look. "You celestial's can think what you want, but we are not mindless monsters slaughtering the masses."

She was unsettled by the look I gave her as if I had shattered all the truth she had been fed. She stared into my eyes once more and then averted her own. "I don't-"

"You're new to this, aren't you?" I spoke out gently.

She hesitated before nodding. "This is my first assignment. I came here thinking I would strike down the evils of mankind... you're the first 'evil' I've run across in the last three months."

"You've only been a celestial for three months?" I asked curiously.

She nodded slowly. "Yes... Well, a Cadet. A little longer if you count basic training."

I flicked my tail excitedly and leaned over the table. "Ha... that's exciting!"

"W-what?" Gloria blinked at me in surprise, her posture shifting awkwardly at my proximity.

"I've only been like this for three months or so as well, we're both having to learn all these new things. Isn't that exciting?" I spoke the words and gripped her hands, grinning at her.

Her eyes widened at my touch as if she was shocked that it was happening. "How... how are you t-touching me?"

"With my hands?" I spoke the question with a playful smile and tilted my head, squeezing my grip against her hands.

"Y-you can't! That makes no sense!" She barked the words in shock but didn't pull from my grip, just stared at my hands holding hers.

"Why not? Should I let go?" I hummed the words gently keeping my will in check.

"I was told... I was told our touch would burn the undead." The dog set me with a look. "Have you enthralled me?"

I gave a grin and shook my head. "Silly... I've done no such thing... though if you wish me to let go..."

Gloria looked down at my hands once more, her cheeks growing dark but I didn't feel her pull from my grasp. "Ah... I've not felt the touch of another in some time... it's comforting... you're warmer than I expected for an undead creature."

I showed my sharp teeth in a smile at her. "I apologize, Gloria... I did not mean to, but it seems I have misled you to a degree..."

The dog cut her eyes towards me in surprise and I saw them take an edge, as if she were ready to guard herself. "What do you mean?"

My eyes flashed red as I grinned and the world went black for the both of us.

"Ngh... wha?" Gloria yelped out in shock, finding herself sitting on a simple plain bed in an undecorated room.

I stood before her, my arms behind my back glancing around. "Huh... your bedroom is very boring, Gloria... not even a TV or radio?"

The dog barked and quickly jumped from her bed, moving into a martial stance I didn't recognize. "What have you done!"

"Relax, we're still in the bar holding hands, we're staring at one another as if we were in love right now," I spoke the words with a smile and flicked my ears.

Gloria ran the numbers in her head, I could see her going through the knowledge she had no doubt gathered from her education. A few moments later she thrust a finger at me and snarled. "Succubus!"