Blood & Magic Ch. 20

"With practice, even a vague instruction can be enough to force one to commit whatever behavior the vampire wishes." The Hierophant grinned as she looked over Kirstin's shoulder just before she covered her backside. "If I have a night, I can search her mind to determine if this was the Brood and perhaps why they'd want her to humiliate herself at Court.'

"I'm already scanning the prisoner's mind." Dominic stood beside the Hierophant, "I am more than capable of scanning a neonate's.

"Of course Priscus Yemeni," she bowed her head, "I offered because I knew you would be busy with the prisoner. With my own mastery of Dominance, I simply wanted to offer my help to the Domain and spare you the added time. Who knows how long the prisoner's mind will take?"

"The Hierophant does have a point." Ashley pushed her way to the front, "The prisoner will have more vital information than Miss Delaney."

Dominic stared at Ashley as did Elena. Ashley shrugged not at all nervous as Kirstin felt seeing the other Invictus members glare at her. "What is your command Seneschal?" Dominic asked.

The Seneschal smiled, "Well thank you for inviting me into the conversation." They waited for Hierophant Vercci to let go of Kirstin before asking, "Miss Delaney, do you have control of your body now?"

"I think so." Kirstin whispered.

"Can you prove it?" The Seneschal grabbed her wrist and pulled, exposing her breasts. Kirstin immediately pulled her wrist free to cover up. The Seneschal chuckled, signaling everyone else in the room to laugh as well. Kirstin tried to hide her face behind her hair.

"Priceless." Seneschal Roujeau stated. "We're already losing time with the prisoner. Priscus Yemeni I want you to devote your attention to assisting Deputy Harding and Sheriff Tillman. Hierophant Vercci can meet with Miss Delaney and ensure she has some more free will."

"It will be done." Dominic bowed his head.

"What about me?" Lady Barba moved in between Dominic and the Seneschal. "I expect some action taken for her insulting me."

"You got a free striptease from a neonate who had no control over herself." Melissa pinched the bridge of her nose, "what was the harm?"

"The harm, Priscus." Lady Barba hissed, "Was my proximity she embarrassed me in Court. As if I'd ever find a tacky striptease amusing."

"What sort of action do you wish to take Lady Barba?" The Seneschal asked.

Lady Barba circled Kirstin, observing every inch of her naked body. She then observed that she had the attention of the entire room. Smirking, Lady Barba bent down and grabbed Kirstin's clothes. "First, I'll spare Miss Delaney the indignity of owning these obnoxious garments." She rested them over her shoulder.

Sakeena opened her mouth but Melissa touched her shoulder. Lady Barba grabbed Kirstin's hand and pulled. She squealed as she stumbled forward, being led across the room to the wooden riser. Three of the Interns that had been with Lady Barba stood behind it.

"Let this be your lesson Miss Delaney of how to behave properly in Court." She gave Kirstin's ass an underhanded slap, "Kneel." She pointed to the velvet rest at the base of the riser.

Kirstin saw the Interns smiling at her. She covered up again as she knelt on the riser. Elena grabbed her hands and forced them onto the velvet cushion at the top. "Keep these hands here. You can spend the rest of Court on display to remind us what happens to those who don't follow a proper dress code.

With her hands on the riser and on her knees, Kirstin's ass stuck out. She looked over her shoulder, noting the stoic look of the Court staring at her. She clenched her buttocks and tried to keep her legs together hoping no one could see her lower lips.

"Are you satisfied Lady Barba?" The Seneschal asked as they rolled their eyes.

"Quite. Thank you Seneschal." Elena joined circle of kindred staring at Kirstin.

"Well that's quite a lot of excitement for one evening." The Seneschal smiled, "Your tasks have been given. We'll keep the doors open for another hour or so."

As soon as the Seneschal clapped their hands, kindred returned to talking to each other. They all remained close to the riser, commenting on the naked centerpiece. Kirstin heard people say her "ass complements the room nicely."

"Take a look Interns." Lady Barba said as she joined the three of her thralls. "Miss Delaney's little faux pax may have sealed the fate of her reputation."

The black woman in the emerald dress approached Kirstin, "Don't feel bad." She spoke as if she were talking to a child, "That dress did you no favors in here."

"Who wears sequin to Court?" the blonde woman asked the other interns, "This isn't a casino."

"And those panties." The black-haired woman pulled Kirstin's underwear off of Elena's shoulder, "Are you sure she's not an escort?"

Kirstin buried her face into the velvet cushion to hide her tears. The laughter of Elena and her interns got louder. "Enjoy this ladies, this is one of the view nights ghouls have more dignity than kindred.

"If it's all right with you Lady Barba." Hierophant Vercci approached the riser with Melissa, Sakeena, and Ashley following her from behind, 'I'd like to speak with Miss Delaney about setting up a time to meet."

Elena's smile faded as she noted the glare from Melissa and Sakeena. Hierophant Vercci leaned and blocked her view, her height commanding Elena to look up to make eye contact.

"Of course Hierophant Vercci, enjoy!" she held her hand out and gestured to her Interns, "Let's go ladies." She passed Ashley and widened her eyes. The three interns passed Kirstin, each of them taking a moment to look at her ass sticking out.

Sakeena watched the blonde raise her hand and stepped forward, "Don't even think about it."

"Oh I see." The blonde said as she held her hands up, "It's taken."

Sakeena kept her eyes on the Interns until they followed Elena out of the room. She then asked, "Melissa, can I borrow your jacket?"

"That would not be wise." Melissa said, "Lady Barba was quite clear this was a consequence for insulting her. If she heard you covered her up she might make you stand next to her."

"Sorry about that Miss Delaney." Ashley knelt down to make eye contact with Kirstin. She reached out to wipe the tears off Kirstin's face, "The Invictus takes pride in playing humiliation games like this."

Hierophant Vercci knelt down next to Ashley, "I believe I'm the one who should take responsibility." She bowed her head, "Good evening Miss. Delaney. I am Alessandra Vercci of the Ventrue clan and Hierophant to the Circle of the Crone. Do you remember me?"

Kirstin nodded. Although in the company of people she was familiar with, she did not feel any better being bent over while people stood over her.

"Do you remember what I said to you the last time we spoke?" Alessandra whispered.

"I..." Kirstin stared into Alessandra's eyes, remembering being tied up and naked when she made her threat. "If I made an effort to tell anyone what I saw, I'd....do what I just did. But I wasn't going to say anything."

Alessandra smiled and stood up, "Of course not. I also had no way of knowing you would be embraced, nor would I know that Lady Barba would ask you a question that would have risked telling her what you saw in the woods."

"Why didn't you say something?" Kirstin asked through gritted teeth. She remembered the power this woman seemed to have but it didn't make her less angry.

"I like to keep business in the woods private. The Dark Mother works in mysterious ways, Priscus Watkins tells me you have a history of these public embarrassments."

Kirstin looked up at Melissa who nodded. She could feel her cheeks turn pink again, "It's not like I want them to happen."

"Indeed, and yet, here you are suffering another embarrassing fate that I condemned you to. This is a sign."

"What kind of a fucking sign is that?"

"Kirstin." Sakeena cringed as she looked at Alessandra.

"Why don't we discuss that another time? I'm inviting you to join us in the woods. No ropes this time." She didn't wait for an answer. She walked past Melissa and said, "Take some time to think about it, you certainly have some time to reflect."

Kirstin waited a minute before speaking again, "What was that about?"

"Exactly as the Hierophant said," Melissa stood behind Sakeena, who knelt in front of Kirstin.

She sees your humiliation as a sign, a meaningful event that requires further exploration. It's likely she also wanted to keep the news about the hunter between you and the Circle of the Crone.

It had been a while since Melissa spoke through telepathy. Hearing the whisper sent what Kirstin believed to be a chill down her spine. "Should I go?"

"You don't exactly have many advocates for you Kirstin, it certainly wouldn't hurt."

"But none of this was my fault!"

"It wasn't any of ours." Ashley said, "But kindred society doesn't care. The best thing to do is try to survive."

"Will you all be there?"

Melissa nodded, "We can, I'm curious as to what meaning Hierophant Vercci sees with your 'luck.'"

"Or our luck." Sakeena said, "Ever since we meet Kirstin we've also suffered...um embarrassing-"

"-Which we will not talk about here." Melissa cut her off. She heard Ashley giggle and she raised an eyebrow "Watch it dear, hang around with us long enough and it might happen to you next."

"I'm sure you'd like that." Ashley stuck her tongue out.

"But, didn't you say you were part of the Invictus?" Kirstin asked. She shifted her legs on the rest. As uncomfortable as she felt, socializing made her embarrassment less uncomfortable.

"I am." Ashley looked at Melissa, "Much to her disappointment. They can be stuffy, but again, this unlife is about survival and the Invictus was an organization that helped ensure mine."

"Again." Melissa slid her arm around Ashley's waist, "you hang around with the wrong crowd, and you might end up like Kirstin."

"Yes thank you Dr. Watkins." Ashley rolled her eyes, and then touched Kirstin's hand, "Just so you know. The Interns? The only reason they act like they're the crème da le crème is because they're hoping to become one of us."

"If they only knew." Sakeena said, "Didn't they also go through a hazing process?"

Ashley nodded, "Mhmm. You aren't the only one who had to take off her clothes in front of Elena, Miss Delaney. Remind me to tell you that story."

"Another time." Melissa pulled Ashley away from the riser, "Let's leave these two a moment alone. They haven't had a chance to talk in a while and I want some time with you before Court is over."

"If you say so Priscus." Ashley leaned in and kissed Melissa. "Have a good evening Miss Delaney." She said as she waved to Kirstin. Sakeena waited for them to leave before resting her arms on the riser.

"Hey." She smiled, "I thought about you all day at work."

"I thought about you too." Kirstin smiled, being alone with Sakeena lightened her mood. She shook her hips, "Did you enjoy the show?"

"I was pissed actually." Sakeena checked to make sure Elena was out of the room, "But I have to admit, I never get tired of seeing you naked."

***

A man in his early 20s waved goodbye to the woman at the box office inside the Ann Arbor Comedy Showcase. Black thick rimmed glasses covered his face. His grey hoodie gave his skeleton frame some added size, although his tight-fitted jeans only added to his overall slender appearance.

Pete's set at the open mic did not turn out as well as he'd hoped. He stared at the ground as he walked back to his car, trying to block the memories of dead silence to his joke about why women chose douche bag men over nice guys. He viewed himself as one.

Parking in downtown Ann Arbor became more expensive over the years. Among comedians, there was a secret spot. The bank off of Washington street closed at 5pm. After hours, any spot was up for grabs, which included the drive-through lanes. The only respite for Pete was finding free parking that evening. As he crossed off jokes that bombed on his set list, he jay-walked across the street to cut through the alleyway.

He passed by a dumpster behind a pub and stopped when he heard the tapping sound of footsteps. "Hey." a woman shouted from behind him.

Pete almost jumped as he spun around. He squinted at the small woman standing at the end of the alley that he enetered from. She wore a short black pleated skirt over matching leggings. A red flannel shirt covered her Misfits t-shirt. Her blonde and pink dyed hair was tucked under a red knitted cap. The sound that Pete heard were her Doc Martens stepping behind him.

Pete looked past her, confused as to how she seemed to she come from out of nowhere. 'I liked your set." She said.

"Uh thanks?" he rubbed his neck, "The rest of the crowd didn't think so."

"I thought you had a good point, about women looking past nice guys." She walked toward Pete, her smile widening the closer she got. "I think it's a shame."

"Heh, I wish other women agreed with you." Pete had to look down to keep eye contact with her. She walked to his left, sandeiching him between her and the brick wall behind him. She was so close he could smell what seemed like pot. "You a college student?"

"Yeah, Washtenaw Community College. I'm studying acting." She leaned forward and touched his arm, "I want to be funny like you."

"Oh yeah?" Pete's voice cracked, the touch sent a light burst of energy. "You want to be a comedian?"

She bit her lower lip, "I do, I'd also like to fuck one." Her chin dipped low and he got a look at her green eyes, "Comedians are sexy, with how witty they are."

The way she whispered vulgarities made Pete swallow hard. "Oh well, I'm about to head home, we could-"

"How bout now?" she pushed him against the wall, reaching down to cup his groin. Pete moaned, the foreign touch of another person making him semi-hard. "Oooh....you like that?"

Pete's heart raced, the head of his punishment ached, "How about we go to my car and-"

She pressed her body against his and said, "No. Let's do it here....I'm fucked up like that. Are you fucked up?"

"Oh yeah, I'm fucked up. I'm....fuuuuck." Pete felt something wet and soft on his neck, he dropped his journal so he could pull her closer to him. His hands were just above her hips. She grabbed both and forced them over her backside.

"Touch whatever you want baby." She spoke in a high pitched voice close to his ear. She waited for him to pull her skirt above her thigh before kissing his ear lobe and then down to his neck. With his hands exploring her ass, she knew he wouldn't notice the points of her fangs into his neck.

With his eyes closed and cock pushing hard against the inseam of his jeans, Pete heard what he thought to be a hiss before something sharp broke his skin. "Ah! Shit take it easy!"

The voice that responded was not the woman who had him up against the wall. Instead, it belonged to Vicki, who shouted, "Back off!"

"Shit!" Pete lifted his hands and saw a red-headed woman in a skintight leather suit. Behind her stood another woman in jeans and a zipped up leather jacket. "Hey we're fucking busy!"

"Yeah mind your business." The woman shouted, her face remained hidden over Pete's shoulder.

"Going after predators like you is my business." Vicki said, "Now back off the nerd so I can send you back to hell."

Hillier winced at Vicki's attempt at making a snappy one-liner. What she was not prepared for, was when the woman turned around. The noise that burst out of her was inhuman, something Hillier had never heard. It reminded her of a rabid pit bull. She also looked inhuman. Her eyes were white, her nose seemed to have completely retracted, making her face skull-like. Two long dagger-like canines were bared, blood dripping down each of them.

"Jesus Christ!" Hillier drew her pistol. The sight of blood on the woman's fangs and off of the pedestrian's neck was all she needed to determine the level of threat. The first shot hit the woman center mass, the second struck her shoulder. Neither bullet slowed her down. Hillier tried to back away, only to be pinned against the building behind her.

"Fuckin pigs." The woman said, opening her hand as five long, black nails lengthened from her fingers. They curled in a shape that reminded Hillier of hooks before they swung downward.

Dropping her pistol, Hillier screamed as she shielded her face. She expected pain, and felt her legs quiver. Instead of flesh torn open, a draft blew against her chest and her belly. Then, she felt something slide down her legs.

"Oooo I'm gonna eat well tonight."

Hillier opened her eyes. She followed the woman's eyes that were aimed downward as he was staring at her jacket torn open, revealing her torn tank top, and a black laced brassier. Her pants had also been ripped from the top, revealing white thong panties with the Jockey logo on the waistband. Hillier squealed. Before she could cover up, she heard the woman hiss and looked up just as she lunged forward.

Hillier screamed again, the last image the site of the monster's teeth. Her lower belly quivered. She felt something warm soak between her legs before spilling down her thigh. Light taps of water hit the ground. "Oh no, oh my god please not that!"

"You nasty bitch." the vampire said, watching as a puddle of Hillier's urine grew at her feet. "Not so tough now are-" her sentence was interrupted when she felt something pull against her waist.

"You don't look so tough yourself Hello Kitty.'" Vicki said as she held the woman's ripped skirt over her head, smiling at her pink panty briefs with Hello Kitty printed all over it.

The woman looked down and shrieked, legs turning inward as she pulled her shirt over her underwear. "Give that back!"

"Oooh you're a real scary goth girl in your cutesy hello kitty undies." Vicki stuck her tongue out and waved the skirt in front of the woman.

"I'm going to rip your heart out!" the woman shouted, her voice trembling as she tried to repress the urge to cry. With one hand over the front of her underwear, she tried using the other to swipe at Vicki.

The hunter dodged the attack, leaping over the woman's head to land behind her. Before she could turn around, Vicki pulled a wooden stake from her suit and drove it through the woman's heart.

Blood spurted out from the woman, she let out a scream so loud that Pete and Hillier covered their ears. The woman's eyes rolled into the back of her head and she fell to the ground. Vicki smiled and kicked her defeated foe onto her back. "Tough on the outside, girly underneath."

The sound of Pete wretching as he unleashed his dinner on the ground drew Vicki's attention.

"What the fuck was that?" he asked. He felt something trickle down his neck and his touched it. When he recognized his own blood, he gasped, "What the fuck!? I'm bleeding!"

"Chill dude, you're okay now." Vicki approached Pete and pushed his head to the side to examine the puncture wounds. "You're lucky she didn't actually feed on you."

"Feed?!?" Pete whimpered, "Like a vampire?"

"Yes. Like a Vampire." Vicki sighed, "Look just keep pressure on it and get the hell out of here. Don't say anything to anyone because they won't believe you alright?"

Pete nodded as he walked backwards. He couldn't stop looking at the seemingly dead woman who touched his privates a moment ago. As soon as he took one step, he felt his shorts under his pants shift. "Fuck!" he touched the front of his jeans and noted that they were wet underneath. He looked up at Vicki, who snorted at him.

"Get a little excited?" she asked. Pete didn't respond, instead he turned and ran down the alleyway, hands over his crotch in embarrassment of his lack of control.

As soon as Pete had turned around the corner, Vicki checked on Hillier, who remained backed against the wall, her legs shaking so hard her ass jiggled.