Blood & Magic Ch. 18

Author: Y'all I am so sorry for the long delay. I had this written a while ago and forgot to post it. I've been finishing up my degree and so that, as usual, has kept be busy. For those who have been patient you have my gratitude. I'm posting the next chapter now so hopefully it makes up for the delay :(.

Sakeena finished sending an email when she heard her front door open. She was already in her purple silk pajamas. Melissa led Kirstin inside, revealing a shuriken jutting out from her arm. "Kirstin! What happened?!" Sakeena almost knocked her chair over as she approached Kirstin.

"Remember the Hunter who beat-er fought Melissa?" Kirstin shrugged at Melissa once she stared at her. Sakeena nodded, "She paid us a visit again."

"Sit down." Sakeena guided Kirstin to the couch.

"Don't pull it out." Melissa held her hand up, "We need bandages first and I want to guide Kirstin through it.'

"What happened to the Hunter?" Sakeena called out from the bathroom. When she returned both Kirstin and Melissa snickered to each other.

"Just a little projection identification." Melissa held up the choker, "It appears our 'buxom' Hunter relied on magic for her curvy appearance."

"So what happened when she took it from her?" Sakeena sat next to Kirstin and began cleaning the wound.

"Let's just say she and Melissa are a lot more alike than she would want to be." Kirstin closed one eye while Sakeena dabbed at her arm. "Can we pull this out now?"

Melissa leaned forward from the chair she sat on and waited for Kirstin to make eye contact. "I want you to listen to my voice Kirstin. I'm worried you might lose control with how hungry you are.'

"I thought she was going to feed?"

"One thing at a time Sakeena." Melissa kept her eyes on Kirstin, "Whenever you're ready, pull that out and prepare to help me restrain Kirstin if we need to."

"What if-" Kirstin was shushed by Sakeena's finger on her lips.

"Just listen to Melissa, we'll take care of you."

Close your eyes. Melissa's whisper filled Kirstin's head. Once she obeyed Melissa continued. Focus on where you are, who is with you. Don't worry about the shuriken or the pain, focus on your surroundings. The sinking into the couch. The dim brightness of the lamp. The scent of Sakeena's hair conditioner.

"Fuck!" Kirstin pulled from Sakeena once she felt her arm burn as Sakeena pulled the shuriken free. She applied pressure to the wound and soaked up blood. Kirstin growled. Melissa's voice exploded

Focus Kirstin! You're in Sakeena's home, sitting next to her. You're listening to me. Don't give into your Beast.

The more Melissa described Kirstin's surroundings, the more relaxed her body felt. She unclenched her fist and leaned back into the couch. Feeling Sakeena's hand on her shoulder made Kirstin open her eyes. Her arm stung but Sakeena's smile brought Kirstin back from her rage.

"You did it." Sakeena whispered, leaning forward to kiss Kirstin on the forehead.

"Yes, well done." Melissa, "Now close your eyes and concentrate. Close the wound."

Kirstin followed Melissa's orders, tensing her arm using her mind to will itself to close the damage done in combat. She thought it seemed ridiculous, like a snake oil salesman insisting on a miracle cure. She kept her first clenched until the burning sensation faded. It was when Sakeena touched her hand that Kirstin opened her eyes. She examined her arm and marveled at her exposed arm under the torn opening of her jacket.

"Wow..."

"Vitae is a powerful substance." Melissa rose from her chair, "You should get rest Kirstin, you're likely hungry again and I don't want to tempt your beast anymore than it already has.

"Okay." Kirstin squeezed Sakeena's hand and rested her head on her shoulder, "I missed you."

"I missed you." Sakeena traced Kirstin's thigh, "How was feeding?"

"Good." Kirsin remembered the taste of blood and the pressure she felt building within her. " I...it felt real good." She turned her head to kiss Sakeena, and said "But not as good as you."

Sakeena tried to respond but Kirstin's tongue slipped into her lips, sliding around her own. Sakeena moaned, reminded how starved she ws for Kirstin after nights of being away. She leaned close and let Kirstin run her hand against her neck.

"Okay you two calm down." Melissa rolled her eyes.

Kirstin couldn't make out what Melissa said, but her tone angered her. She gripped the top of Sakeena's pajamas and pulled, tearing buttons off.

"Babe! Calm down! We can go upstairs," Sakeena's face turned warm as she saw Melissa stare at her breasts. Sakeena stood up and tried to lead kirstin away. Instead, she grabbed Sakeena's pajama bottoms and pulled. Squealing, Sakeena folded her hands over her pussy, turning sideways as she looked to Melissa, "Is this..what happened to her?"

"She's like a hormonal teenager." Melissa raised her eyebrow.

"What does that m-ooohhhh." Sakeena was interrupted from kirstin's lips kissing her pelvis, traveling closer in between her legs. "mmm baby, can we go upstairs, I don't feel comfortable in front of my-" she gasped, touching the sides of Kirstin's head. Sakeena's senses were so overwhelmed, tingling surges bursting from her nerves. She didn't hear the hiss Kirstin made as she extended her fangs.

"No!" Melissa dashed towards kirstin in a blur, knocking over the coffee table that blocked them. She pushed Sakeena, sending her landing on her rump, leaving her legs spread wide as she watched her master grab Kirstin by the throat. "She's mine!" Melissa growled, fangs bared, brow furrowed.

Kirstin's fangs retracted, eyes widened with fear as Melissa's eyes burned through hers. She looked down at Sakeena, watching her try to cover her excited womanhood while her eyes welled up with tears. "I-I'm sorry...I didn't know."

"Now you do. Sakeena is my thrall, she has always been mine and the only reason you to date is because I let you."

Sakeena held her hand to her mouth, holding back her cry as she pulled her pants up. Her body felt chilled, the warmth her lust had generated moments ago frozen in terror.

"I know you're...used to a certain way of being Kirstin. But that way is no more. You have more primal urges. It might seem like lust, but underlying that lust is hunger." she leaned closer, inches away from touching KIrstin's face. "You two can fuck all you want, but if I find out that you fed off of her I will bring you to your Final Death."

Final Kirstin repeated in her mind. SHe felt too afraid to speak, all she could do was nod. Melissa's head tilted as she kept her gaze on Kirstin. "Good, you're scared. Hold onto that feeling Kirstin, emotions for the undead are sometimes difficult, but that one will help you survive."

"I'm sorry too Melissa. " Sakeena's head hung low. Her hands shook too much to button her pajamas up, she clutched both sides tight to cover herself.

"The Dark Mother has brought change to us, it will take time to adapt." Melissa touched Sakeena's chin and pushed it up so she made eye contact, "Kirstin will need time to develop control. Until then...no touching."

Sakeena's legs squeezed together, feeling her whole body ache at the unplanned celibacy. A cool sensation ran between her legs, soaked up into the fabric of her PJs. "Yes of course." she couldn't keep her head lifted, but Melissa's soft caress around her back drew her attention.

"I didn't say no touching at all." she winked, "Let's go upstairs."

Kirstin saw Sakeena wrap her arm around Melissa's and thought to rise, but Melissa's warning repeated in her head. It kept her on the couch. SHe felt like she wanted to cry, but felt a dull, numbness that kept her from doing so.

"Go to sleep Kirstin. Tomorrow, you meet someone from your family." Melissa turned off the light to the living room and waited until Kirstin had left the living room and descended the basement.

Thoughts of Final Death kept Kirstin up. She thought regular death was the worst, and here she was lying on a mattress. A sharp stomach pain reminded her of how famished she felt. Her unsatisfied hunger for touch also ached. She gripped her left wrist, curling into a fetal position as she tried to sleep. The faint sounds of moaning from two floors above kept her from relaxing. Perhaps it was another power she had, to hear every subtle sound in Sakeena's home. The banging of a headboard, the smacking of flesh, a growl from Melissa, and Sakeena's cries of pleasure.

*****

Kirstin managed to sleep for several hours before waking up just as she sun was coming down. Melissa descended the steps to the basement, wearing a leather jacket over black jeans and a matching button up shirt.

"Good evening, did you sleep well?"

"Not really." Kirstin rubbed her eyes as she held her blanket over her chest, "I could hear-well everything."

"That can happen." Melissa nodded, "it takes practice learning to control when to heighten our senses-oh." Melissa watched Kirstin lower her gaze and then she smiled, "Well...I hope we weren't too loud."

"It's fine. I'm going to need to get changed if we're going out. Any chance someone got my clothes from home?"

Melissa shook her head, "THere are police outside your home. It will be a while until it's safe, we can't do anything that would make them suspicious. Sakeena can get you some more clothes, I'll see what she has. For now, get up, we're heading to Detroit."

"Detroit? Why?"

"I'll explain on the way," Melissa knelt down to grab the bedsheet, "Why do you have this on you can't feel cold now."

"Wait, Melissa don't!" Kirstin tried to pull the blanket tight against her but Melissa pulled it from her grasp. under the sheet, Kirstin had her dress pulled up over her hips, revealing a black laced thong she wore the night she went hunting. straddled between her legs was a pillow she'd been grinding against all through the night. it was the only way she could sate her unquenched thirst for Sakeena. Kirstin rolled on her back and held the pillow over her panties.

"I'm sorry." she wrapped one leg around he other, "I-couldn't help myself."

Pinching the bridge of her nose, Melissa turned away, "Throw that pillow in the wash, clean yourself up and lets go.

Kirstin found a pair of Sakeena's jeans and purple longsleeve button up. Melissa found a grey jacket to replace the damaged one. Melissa kept silent until they passed the railroad tracks leading out of Ann Arbor. "The other night I told you about family. That is a subtle word we use to refer to clans. There are five, Daeva, Gangrel, Mekhet, Nosferatu, and Ventrue. I am of the clan Mekhet. We're known for our wisdom and ability to hide in the shadows."

"What clan am I?" Kirstin asked as she thought about powers she'd witnessed Melissa use. Recalling how she could hide in plain sight.

Melissa tapped the steering wheel, "I did not know. But after last night when you said you were...'horny' that gave me the impression that you might be of the Daeva clan."

Kirstin sank back in her seat as she remembered admitting that to Melissa and looked out the window as they got on the highway. "What are they known for?"

"For being hedonists. Sensual predators who explore their desires. If you've ever read or seen a vampire story with softcore porn elements of vampires fucking, you have them to think. Supposedly they are of the oldest clan, their origins traced back to Persia. They are driven by passion, clinging to echoes of their past of what made them feel alive."

Kirstin listened, remembering how hot she felt squeezing the mortal's body at the club, pressing her body against hers as she fed off of her. She also thought how soon it was when that hunger to touch and be touched came as soon as she saw Sakeena. "It's strange, I don't remember being very..um, active with people."

"I know." Melissa said and then shrugged her shoulders, "Sorry, the first time we met, one of your thoughts shared how few intimate counters you had." she waved her hand as Kirstin glared at her, "That's not the point. The other factor could've been who embraced you. The Belial's brood do not identify their clans, but given that they had a damn sex orgy hidden within an abandoned hospital, it's likely your sire was a Succubus."

"Succubus?"

"A nickname for the Daeva."

"If Daeva is my clan, then who are we meeting?"

"Your priscus, Elizabeth De Le Croix."

"That's quite a name."

"She's originally from Europe. She's been in Michigan for about five years now. Each clan has a representative, called a Priscus. I am the Priscus for clan Mekhet."

"What does a Priscus do?"

"Handle all clan related matters so that they don't become an issue for Prince Hall to intervene."

"What type of clan matters?"

Melissa rolled her eyes, "It can be something as simple as a disagreement between clan members to something severe like teaching someone the clan's powers." she saw Kirstin look at her and didn't wait to be asked, "Vampires are territorial, not just in terms of land but also with who knows about their abilities. Some powers we have are common, others are unique to our clan and that they remain unique are why we survive."

Kirstin examined her hands, "I guess strength is mine."

"It is, that's something that is common for some. If what I saw at the club was real, you may also possess the power of seduction that the Daeva have. It makes them capable of luring mortals to them."

"Like mind control?"

"Not quite...that's more dominant and coercive. Dominic-er. Lord Yemeni does that. Daeva's powers deal more with attraction and playing with people's emotions. Almost like making someone fall in love."

"Do you have that power?" Kirstin hugged herself.

"No why would I?"

"I just thought-" Kirstin crossed her legs, recalling the night she chased Melissa. She had Melissa held at gunpoint and then she was backed against a table, pants and underwear pulled down with her tongue driving her wild. "You seemed to have that power over me."

Smiling, Melisa winked, " Let's just say seduction of Lesbian women is a knack i had before i was a vampire. Plus, I think getting stripped was the only action you'd had in a while."

Kirstin was glad she was dead because she would have blushed. "So who is this Elizabeth La Croix?"

"De La Croix." Melissa held up her finger, "She's not the drink. I've heard she used to be a pirate hundreds of years ago. She started in Europe, traveled around the Caribbean and then came here.

"How did she end up in Michigan?"

"I don't know, but there can be many reasons. She's several hundred years old, so she may have been bored. She's also a skilled thief so there might be something here that she wants."

"It's taken her five years to get it?"

"When you're undead, you have all the time in the world. It also might not be any one thing, it's just a guess."

"Does she know I'm a cop?"

Melissa's brow furrowed, "You were a cop. She also knows of the circumstances that led to your embrace. Word travels around. What you should know, is that what I am asking is for her to sire you. This is a significant request that will put me in a debt to her, who is someone who has centuries of experience striking deals." the low tone in her voice had Kirstin in silence as she wondered how powerful a vampire could get over hundreds of years.

"I thought the Prince asked you to sire me."

"He did, but there is only so much I can help you with. I can teach you how to hunt, how to keep your beast in check, but bloodlines are different. There are emotions, behaviors, capabilities related to the Daeva clan that I am not aware of and cannot train you. I certainly don't know how to quell lust in someone who is undead."

Even saying the word had Kirstin sliding in her seat, she remembered Melissa on her knees looking up at her before sinking her fangs in. "I'm sorry you have to do this. Is there something I can pay to make up for it?"

Melissa shook her head and laughed, "Oh we'll talk about that another time. But you can rest assured you'll be owing me for quite some time. Prior to meeting you Kirstin, I had other plans to focus on before I was dragged deep into the Matthew Varnes case.' she cut Kirstin off before she could retort, "It worked out in my favor, I needed a way to prove I could be useful to Prince Hall and finding Belial's Brood certainly helped. For now, Priscus De Le Croix will want something specifically from me, which I'll have to worry about for another time."

****

Priscus Elizabeth De La Croix resided near the Port of Detroit right off of the Detroit river. Kirstin learned that vampires didn't have homes, they had havens and Elizabeth's was located on a freight ship somewhere. As a now former police officer, Kirstin thought it would be risky for a vampire to be in a location overseen by Wayne County, but Melissa indicated that somehow Elizabeth found a way. They were not to meet at her haven, vampires did not openly send invitations to strangers. Instead, Melissa arranged for them to meet along the riverwalk.

The surface of the river was lit by the lights of Detroit, as well as the lamp posts placed along the riverwalk. Melissa spotted a wood bench under two trees and pointed. "We'll wait there." She sat down on one end and waited for Kirstin to sit on the other side.

"What does she look like?" Kirstin looked down the east side of the riverwalk.

"You'll know." Melissa said, staring out at the river, watching patrons walking along the path. It was not crowded with activity, mainly couples or families enjoying the clear evening. "We are territorial creatures. Whenever we sense one of our kind we don't know, we feel a rush of emotions, like a fight or flight response. You may experience rage as you want to destroy the intruder nearby, or you may wish to flee to avoid the monster that could kill you." she spoke in a monotone voice and turned to Kirstin, "You have to learn to fight this response, you will get used to it over time."

"How come I've never felt that from you?"

Melissa smirked, "Some of us have ways to hide our...scent."

Before Kirstin could ask, she felt her hands drop, fingers spread, as if each one was being pulled in an opposite direction. She didn't know what was happening, but she felt what she had heard people describe as an oncoming panic attack. She stood up, looking left and right. Her jaw clenched, teeth grit tight as her eyes rolled in the back of her head. Everything sounded as if she were underwater.

"Kirstin! Kirstin listen to me! Fight it,"

she tried to run, but Melissa grabbed her wrist. As soon as she felt the touch around her wrist, the foggy sound of the outside remained clear. Kirstin blinked and released the tension in her body. "What the hell was that?" She asked as soon as her jaw released.

"Probably me."

Kirstin followed the sound of the smooth, deep voice of the person behind her. She looked tall, just under six foot. Her fiery red hair almost glowed in the darkness, long red-orange tresses flowing behind her shoulders. Under her leather jacket she had on a dark blue low neck shirt, tucked under tight, long black jeans. To Kirstin, she looked like she was ready to go on a date, that was until she saw the steel-toed Doc marten boots.

"Priscus Del La Croix." Melissa bowed her head, "Thank you for meeting us this evening.

"Priscus Watkins" Elizabeth De La Croix bowed her head in return, flashing a smile of pearly white teeth. Kirstin caught a slight accent in Elizabeth's voice, she understood where the European origin came from, but she couldn't tell if it was British, Irish, French, or an amalgam of all three. "And who might you be deary?"

Kirstin looked to Melissa, who nodded. She turned back to Elizabeth and said, "I-I'm Kirstin Delaney."

"And what be yer clan Ms. Delaney?"

"That's what brings us here Priscus." Melissa stood next to Kirstin, "As you know, Kirstin's embrace was unique in that Sheriff Tillman had to destroy her sire." she spoke in a low, soft voice, almost a whisper.