Bloodlust Ch. 01

Eve and Luke hurried down the empty street, neither wearing anything that protected them from the pouring rain. In the dark, the pools of water in the asphalt potholes shone with only moonlight. All the streetlights had long since gone out.

As they approached the Mad Hatter, the rain slowly changed from a downpour to a thick, sticky fog. Eve's heart thudded in her chest. The ground felt like it was rumbling beneath her feet from the distant music.

"It'll be fine, Eve. We've done this a million times."

"Not like this."

"Like what?"

"Ari. He's not like the guys we usually go after. And to just walk into his coven like this... we're gonna get absolutely destroyed, Luke. I can't believe they would even send us here-"

They stopped and Luke touched her arm, "We're damn good hunters. It's just an extraction mission, even if the target is a bit higher level than usual, so what? This is what we've trained for our entire lives."

They stopped several paces from the door. Through the cracked door, Eve could see strobe lights painting a strange mirage on the ground. The deep bass of the music thrummed and shook the entire building.

She smoothed the skirt of her dress down and adjusted her bust. It was nothing like she'd usually be comfortable with wearing, leaving little to the imagination. But she knew how to use her assets to her advantage when she needed to. With deft hands, she reached under her dress to find the garter tucked up on her right leg and pulled out her ID and a wad of cash.

When she looked back up she caught Luke staring appreciatively at her breasts. He quickly raised his gaze with a guilty smile. "Ready?"

Together, they entered the Mad Hatter. She handed her card and cash to the tall lanky man just through the door. He scanned it briefly, but his eye seemed to catch on something. He looked at her curiously, then back down at her license. He handed it back with the hint of a smile and stepped aside.

They entered the dance floor and it was like she was plunged underwater. She nearly stumbled trying to take everything in. Beneath her shirt, her tattoos burned, indicating the presence of dark magic. She and Luke separated; her heading right and him to the left, just like they'd planned.

There was a vast room full of bodies dancing, twisting, grinding. The room was dark except for spotlights that shone down, blinking on and off and changing through every color rapidly. The music was hardly music, it was like someone sawing through stone with a backbeat. A bar ran the length of the room, twisting out of sight around a corner. Thick neon lights ran along the floor, guiding visitors to a space away from the dance floor with dark intimate alcoves and few lights.

Most of the walls were mirrors, giving the space an impression of endlessness, one could hardly tell where the dancers ended and the drinks began. Behind the bar was a lit-up wall of drinks so high the servers couldn't reach the top four or five shelves.

In one of the hidden away alcoves, a couple was getting busy. No, maybe not, maybe something more sinister. It was hard to tell from so far away.

No. Don't get distracted. This isn't what you came here for.

She watched Luke weave his way through the crowd, canvassing the area and looking for vampires. As she watched him, a tipsy girl stumbled into her and spilled some of her drink on her dress. "It's ok," Eve yelled over the music, waving her away.

She placed a hand over the wet fabric and concentrated. She felt the fabric warm briefly, a faint glow appearing beneath her palm. It was dry within a second. By the time she looked up, Luke had disappeared.

It was time to start her hunt. She adjusted the bust of her dress so her breasts peeked suggestively out the top and swept her hair over her shoulder. After a quick breath, she stepped to the very edge of the dancefloor and scanned the crowd for a target. One came faster than she could expect, and from behind.

She felt a hand gently take her waist. She spun around and took in the man behind her.

He was handsome, with blond hair and light gray eyes. His suit was a light dusty gray, and perfectly tailored to his tall figure. He took her in appreciatively and led her into the crowd. They began to dance, him moving closer and closer to her. His hands brushed up her arms, pushing up the flowing sleeves of her dress. His fingertips landed an inch, maybe less, below her tattoos.

The marks on her arms burned from his touch.

She ignored the feeling and smiled at him with half lidded eyes. She let her head fall back as she danced, hair flowing over her shoulder and revealing her porcelain neck. She saw his eyes flick down and he could hardly tear them away. Yep, a vampire, and a young one at that. She swayed her hips, pressing them lightly against him as she turned.

He wanted to take her somewhere quiet, she could tell. She nodded towards the alcoves with her head and he took her by the hand, leading her somewhere they could be alone. She felt like the loud rumbling of the bass was squeezing her head, the man's touch burning her from the inside out, and yet it made her feel alive.

They slid onto a loveseat hidden away from the action by a dark curtain, which he didn't bother to pull shut before lifting her onto his lap. Her heart gave a leap and for a moment she forgot to paste a seductive smile on her face. She hoped he didn't notice.

She straddled his hips, dress riding up to her upper thighs. Through the thin lace of her panties and the material of his suit, she could feel him growing more and more excited. His eager hands pulled at her, trying to get closer.

Almost there, she thought. If she pushed him a little further, he would do anything she wanted. Say anything.

She touched his face gently, feeling his rough stubble. As she slowly pulled her hand away, she brushed her wrist right by his lips. She let her dress slip off one shoulder teasingly as she did so, revealing still more skin. She saw it in his eyes: the hunger. He couldn't help his irises slowly changing color. They shifted from light gray to blood red.

She leaned down into his ear and felt his hot breath on her neck. Getting too close for comfort, she had to work fast.

"Is Ari here tonight?"

"Ari..." he mumbled, too far gone to answer her. Damn it.

"It would be a shame if he saw us," she whispered, trying again.

"He won't," the man grumbled, clearly starting to get vampire blue balls, "he never comes down here, he stays in the red room."

"How do I get there?"

He growled and in the blink of an eye they had changed positions so she was pressed up against the wall, him on top of her. "Why would you want to talk about Ari right now, love? When we could do something much... more... fun..."

With one hand, he pulled aside her lacy black panties and brushed his hand across her pussy lips. She jolted but he held her in place, beginning to dip a finger deeper.

She laughed nervously, quickly trying to bring back some of her seductiveness. He had too much bloodlust left in him to notice her smile disappear and then reappear. She ran her hands down his chest. "Darling..." she began with a nervous giggle.

She heard him unzip the fly on his pants. The head of his warm cock brushed against her, teasing... She knew he was moments away from shoving himself inside her and having his way with her. The look in his eyes was not a kind one.

"I have an idea," she said quickly. He cocked his head curiously. His patience with her was dwindling and she knew she'd have to act fast. "I'm too shy to do anything with all these people watching. Maybe we could go somewhere a little more quiet? More private?"

He looked about ready to growl in frustration, but some part of him was a gentleman. He nodded and before she could completely register what was happening, they were hurrying across the dancefloor. His hand in hers guided her through the crowd until suddenly she felt him stop cold in his tracks. She stumbled into him and the knife fell from her hand. The sound of it hitting the floor was strangely loud.

She looked up to see what had stopped them and her breath caught in her throat. Ari. She knew it was him even though she'd never seen him.

He emanated power, her every nerve teemed with it. Her heart felt like it was beating slower than ever before, its contraction like a drumbeat. The crowd made way for the three of them as if they knew something important was happening without knowing what.

He was tall, lean yet muscular. Dark in every way. His hair and eyes were black as eery corners, his clothes the same shade. His hair was pulled back, strands framing his angular face in loose curls. Although he looked no older than his twenties, she could sense his age from the sinister hollows of his cheeks, the way he made her skin tingle, the way his eyes bored into hers.

His eyes flashed down to the dagger lying on the ground and he looked up to meet Eve's eyes with a dark smile.

"Interesting," he said, taking a step towards her, "that you would come into my home, sidle up to my coven, with a dagger steeped in elm oil." He continued to walk towards her and she stumbled back, tripped over someone's foot and fell to the ground. She continued to crawl backwards on the ground, knowing it did no good. Surreptitiously, she slipped the knife off the floor back into its holster and hoped no one had noticed.

He stood over her, examining her with cold dark eyes. Never before had her marks felt the way they did then, not a burning, not even a pain. Icy cold, like she'd been doused in a lake. Goosebumps appeared all up and down her arms.

"Stand up," Ari commanded.

At the edge of the crowd, many of which were now watching the exchange intently, she saw Luke appear. His eyes were wide with concern and an emotion she couldn't place. She glanced between him and Ari. Luke nodded.

So stand she did. Her trembling legs barely allowed her enough strength to get up, but she did. She stood before him, at least two heads shorter, and looked up at him defiantly.

She stayed standing in place, arms pressed tightly to her sides and fists clenched. She felt absolutely powerless, and more cold than ever before. Each step he took closer to her was like being washed anew in the ocean.

He pulled her sleeve down her arm until her marks were revealed.

"A vampire hunter..." he said in his deep voice, spitting it out like a filthy word.

Shaking, she said nothing. He pulled her dress further down until her breast peeked out the side. She felt humiliated, certain there were fifty if not a hundred eyes on her.

With one hand, he braided his long fingers into her hair, pulling them taught against her scalp. He gave a sharp tug, then pulled her head to the side, revealing her neck. She felt her fingertips grow cold and bloodless, her body struggling to find enough oxygen. She didn't know what it was about him, but she was terrified.

He leaned down until his lips were a hair's breadth from her skin. She knew he could hear every drop of blood moving through her body, every nerve twitching. Goosebumps erupted across her chest and up her neck. She felt so violated. He pulled back and released her. She quickly pulled her dress back up and backed away.

"Hmm," was all he said. Luke was gesturing to her now. She tried not to draw attention to him, but she knew what he was trying to say. They had to run. This wasn't how it was supposed to go. She watched his fingers tapping against his leg.

3... 2... 1...

She bolted for the exit, but only made it about five feet before she was on the ground again. Two vampires lifted her by her armpits back to her feet. One was the doorman from earlier. He must have tipped Ari off, she thought.

"I'll enjoy her upstairs," Ari told them, "prepare her for me."

"No," she whimpered, throwing a pleading glance at Luke. He shifted side to side for a moment, hand clenching and unclenching, until he made his decision. He rushed forward, tackling one of the vampires that had her in their grip. She didn't miss a beat even though her body felt like lead from Ari's mere presence. She hit the second vampire with her elbow, and before he could even react she had her dagger out and it was against his neck.

She thought about letting him go. Really, she did. But then she looked at Ari, saw the smile still tugging at the corner of his mouth, and slit the vampire's throat.

He fell to the ground before her, body still trembling and blood gurgling from his carotid.

Luke had finished his off, too. They looked at each other as they approached Ari slowly, circling him methodically. Ari didn't seem the least bit concerned by this, and it worried her. The crowd pressed in, curious and hungry for action. Many had completely forgotten their euphoric dancing haze from only minutes before.

Ari surveyed them serenely, "That is... quite unfortunate. It's charming that you think you can do anything to me. But you brought a knife to a gunfight, I'm afraid." He walked towards Eve and she held out her dagger threateningly, shifting back and forth on her heels without knowing what to expect.

"You won't stab me with that."

"Wanna bet?" she snarled.

"You won't," he repeated, meeting her gaze. She felt her body grow heavy, so heavy, all of a sudden. It was as though all of her limbs had lead weights attached to them. She couldn't move. She looked over to see Luke was in a similar predicament; he was looking at his own hand with sheer disbelief. They could only watch as Ari closed the distance to Eve and gently pulled the dagger from her hand. Her hand hung uselessly in the air between them.

He stepped closer still and pressed the knife to her cheek, making a thin precise cut. She felt warm blood seeping from the cut. He leaned down and licked the length of the cut, sending a chill down her spine. The feeling of cold was back, everpresent, but it was nothing compared to the horror she felt. Ari ran his lips down her cheek, along her jaw, nuzzling beneath it and breathing against her neck.

Before she could react, Ari bit her.

It all happened so fast. She gasped as his fangs broke through her skin easily, feeding directly into her carotid. There was a flash of pain and she cried out and nearly fell over, but his arms held her in place. Pain flooded through her veins, blossoming out from where he was draining her.

Through blurry eyes, smudged with tears and dizziness, she saw Luke's horrified face wavering in and out of the crowd.

She felt like she was going to die. The pain, so intense, felt like it touched every part of her. She whimpered and cried out without consciously choosing to. Her voice sounded alien, like someone else making those sounds.

Then suddenly, the pain stopped.

It was replaced with a hot feeling and she felt a flush spreading across her cheeks, her arms, her chest. It was like falling asleep in the bath, hot and humid and so so tired. She could hardly hold herself up. She heard other gasps than her own and with a funny feeling she remembered she was surrounded by people. Humans. They had no idea what was happening.

She slumped into Ari's surprisingly warm embrace, her face pressed against his chest. His arms held her up effortlessly. Though his skin was warm, she heard no heartbeat.

She had never felt more helpless. Years of training were completely useless to her, as she couldn't pull away from his spell. She tried to tug at the heaviness in her mind, to pull it away like it was a blanket, but it was too tight. As she stood feeling the blood drain from her body, she could do absolutely nothing.

Ari lifted his head. From somewhere, she found the strength to push him away. She faltered for a moment, nearly falling, before reaching up to touch her neck. Blood was still gushing from the wound. She felt it coursing down her collarbone, hot and sticky. Her brain wracked for answers, trying to remember her classes on vampires through the fog.

Bite wounds from vampires... but, it didn't make any sense. Usually they closed on their own. Unless-

"Oh yes," said Ari with a smile as if he could hear her thoughts, "only a higher vampire can close that kind of wound."

She pressed against the tender skin, trying to staunch the bleeding. Blood poured from between her fingers relentlessly. Luke ran to her side and tried to help her. She must have looked terrible because his hands were shaking. For a moment, everything went blurry and she fell onto her knees. He dropped down to the floor with her.

"Luke..."

"I know, Eve, I know."

Ari held out a hand. She knew what would happen if she took it, but did she really have a choice? She was agreeing to be his plaything. Who knew what terrible things he might have in mind. Through hazy vision and slippery skin, Eve reached out and took it. Her heart dropped as a smile spread across his face. Victory.

He knelt down beside her and pulled her into his lap. His fingers pried her hands away from her neck. He was surprisingly gentle, running his hand through her hair as he knelt down beside her neck again. She felt his hot breath against the bitemark.

When he bit her again, in the same place, she hardly felt anything. It felt like sweet relief, a flood of calm overtook her. With a kiss he sealed the wound. In an instant, sharpness returned to her vision. She felt her fingers warm again. Though she had regained her faculties, she still felt weak. She tried to get up and her legs gave way beneath her.

The crowd pressed in around them and she felt like she couldn't breathe. What was wrong with these people? Humans, no less. What did they think was happening? The music pounding in their ears made them think this was a dream, something surreal. They rushed in - eager, hungry for more.

And Ari obliged them. He fixed his eyes on her and again, she felt her heart drop to her toes. No, not again. She wasn't a playtoy to be bitten and thrown around until he'd had his fun. He crouched beside her and reached for her, letting his hand hover in the air for a moment. She looked from his hand to his face, trying to decipher what he was going to do.

He tugged her to her feet. Letting go of her hand, he moved behind her and she stumbled, nearly falling. His arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her back into his chest. With one arm around her waist, pinning her arms against her body, he used the other to push her head to the side.

In a fluid movement, he ripped her dress from her chest, revealing her breasts. She gasped and covered herself up with her arms. Her surprise made it easy for him to drop her onto all fours. Her breasts bounced below her lewdly and she felt like crying as a hundred eyes took in her naked form.

She struggled onto her knees and tried to crawl forward but Ari grasped her hips firmly, his fingers bunching up her dress. She saw Luke trying to come to her rescue, fighting back against Ari's expressionless guards to no avail.

"Hmmm," Ari muttered, pulling her dress up her legs until her legs and ass were exposed to him. Her legs shook beneath her. She cried out in disgust at his touch and tried to pull away.

"Shhh-sh," he whispered, placing a threatening hand around her throat. She froze, panting.

She stayed still, hardly daring to move at all, as his hands trailed along the backs of her thighs and along the insides of her legs.

"Let's begin, darling."