Daughters of the Moon Pt. 04

Carla glared at him, "What is this?"

"What?"

"I know you all want to kill me. So what is it? Is the wine poisoned? You trying to get me drunk and ambush me when we leave?"

"No! No, god... look, my family loves fights and holding grudges, but I try to avoid it as much as possible. We're all working together these days and I think if we're going to do that we have to start letting shit go. I really just came over to say that I personally have no hard feelings and to say hi. But I see Gwen has already burned the bridges for me so... I'm sorry, I'll leave you alone."

"Wait... wait I'm sorry. I was just in a bad mood. I'm Carla."

The Savon held out a hand, "I'm Will. Nice to meet you."

They shook very quickly. It felt very strange to touch him and she had to suppress a little thrill of disgust. She saw his face stiffen and had the impression he felt the same way.

There was an awkward pause.

"So, what's wrong? That girl an ex or something?" asked Will.

"No, not an ex, just... someone from my past who I'd rather didn't see me like this," said Carla.

It was strange she was even telling him this but sometimes it was easier to talk to someone you had no real connection to.

"Oh, gotcha. Yeah, it can be hard to reconcile your old life with your new," said Will, "I'd recommend doing it as much as you can though. I managed to stay with my wife for years after I got turned and it was a big help for me at first. Ended eventually, but, you know, before that it helped."

Carla nodded. This wasn't really helping her, but it seemed like he was actually trying.

"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind," she said.

Will looked up, "Oh, Gwen's back. I'm going to go. She's the jealous type and I do not need Gwen angry at me right now," said Will. Then he started speaking more quickly as Gwen got closer, "It was nice to meet you and I hope I see you around."

And with that, he covered himself in the heat distortion Gwen called the Shroud and walked away.

Gwen sat down, setting a mug and a bottle of blood in front of each of them, looking very smug.

"She'll be on stage in three sets," she said.

"What did you do? Oh god, did you mind control the stage manager?" asked Carla.

"Nope. Well, maybe a little. But mostly I just said I wanted to hear her and gave him five silver. All the high end bars want to keep the houses happy and everyone likes money."

"God, I should never have agreed to come here. I can't believe I was so stupid," said Carla.

Gwen took a big gulp from her mug then chased it with blood, "What are you talking about?"

"I should have known that Elaine or Geoffrey or Connie would be here. I don't want them to see me like this. I don't want them to know what I am now."

Gwen put her elbow on the table and her head in her hand. Then she looked at Carla with a fond expression.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" asked Carla.

"Because you are hilarious."

"What are you talking about?"

Gwen took another drink with a blood chaser, "The only thing Elaine's thinking about now is how she's going to get in your skirts," she said.

"What?"

"She wants to sleep with you, Carla."

"That's crazy. No she doesn't."

"It is literally the most obvious thing I have ever seen," said Gwen. She took another drink, "But that's not the funny part. The funny part is you're sitting there being all broody, thinking about how you're a monster, and it was making her want to sleep with you even more. Some people can't resist the dark brooding types. They see a sad, tortured soul and want to kiss it all better."

"I am a monster, Gwen. And now Elaine knows it."

Gwen sighed, "I know you didn't want this and I don't expect you to ever be grateful or appreciate your new life, but you have to understand, to someone who's not dealing with all the stuff you have to deal with, vampires are extremely attractive. I mean all the Father freaks obviously think we're demons or something. But most people, especially artists, warriors and anyone the world steps on, dream of being us. There are people who have been thralls of the house for years, been revenants for decades, just for a chance to get what you were given. Elaine doesn't look at you and see a monster, she sees a powerful, immortal, beautiful Daughter of the Moon."

Carla blinked, trying to wrap her head around the idea someone would want to be what she was, that they were envious of her. She thought about how Elaine had looked at her. She hadn't seemed horrified. She had had a small smile and wide eyes the whole time. Carla suddenly realized that was how Elaine had looked at the scruffy drummer she had slept with a year ago. Carla had known it was a bad idea but when she had seen Elaine look at him with that excited smile she knew there was no talking her out of it.

"That can't be true. She's not even moon touched."

"Magic sex blood, remember? She's moon touched for you."

"Oh... right," Gwen had told her about the effect Mircallas had on women, but Carla had been way too busy with work to even think about it. She had caught some of the servants glancing at her in ways she might have thought was interest. And she thought maybe one of the still living lab assistants had smiled at her more than was strictly necessary, but she had her work and she had Gwen, and she hadn't really looked at or thought about anyone else.

But now Elaine was here. And she was different. Or rather she looked different to Carla. Carla had always known Elaine was beautiful. But before it was an objective fact. It didn't have anything to do with Carla. But now she thought about Elaine's smile, the body hinted at through her tight shirt, the way she ran a hand through her hair nervously, and the thought made pins and needles break out across her skin.

Carla grabbed her mug and took a big swallow. She almost gagged. She could tell it was a good beer but she wasn't used to alcohol anymore, "Oh my god Elaine wants to sleep with me."

Gwen nodded solemnly.

Carl took another big swallow. It wasn't making her feel any better, "And I want to sleep with her."

Gwen nodded again.

Carla drank again, she had half finished the beer, "What do I do?"

"Well, first we will listen to her play for you. And she's playing for you, Carla. She's going to play her heart out, then we're going to go to this really nice inn that Elaine knows about where rich patrons take the musicians they want to sleep with and you are going to feed on her."

Carla stared at Gwen. When she had said the word feed Carla felt her stomach tense and warm damp heat blossom.

"Oh, this is so perfect for your first time. She's someone you know, she likes you, and she approached you first. God, I can't believe you went a month without feeding. Most of the new girls only last a week before they bite someone. Unless you did and didn't tell me?"

"No!"

"Well, I'm glad you waited. This is going to be so beautiful for you both."

"I'm not feeding on Elaine," said Carla.

"She wants you to feed on her. She doesn't know it yet, but she wants you and that's how she can have you."

"But I don't want to feed on her."

"Carla, your fangs are sticking out."

Carla covered her mouth and tried to pull her fangs in. It took her a long minute.

When she got herself under control she gathered herself, "I don't want to hurt her. She's my friend."

Gwen's smile faded and she looked serious, "You won't hurt her. I won't let you. Promise. Feeding is like sex. If you're stupid and selfish about it you can do a lot of damage, but if you care about your partner it can be a wonderful experience. Do you care about Elaine?"

"Yes, very much," whispered Carla.

"Then it will be wonderful for you both. And I'll make sure nothing goes wrong."

Carla finished her beer and she could feel it getting to her, but she was still jittery through the next few acts. Trying to sort through her feelings. She knew on some level this was a bad idea. That feeding on Elaine would only be exploiting her. But when she thought about her face, the way her body felt when they hugged, the smell of her perfume mixed with her sweat, she realized she wanted it, and she wasn't ever going to stop wanting it. A quiet voice inside her told her she had earned this. She had been through so much and she deserved some sort of reward. And Gwen would watch out for her and make sure she could indulge, just this once.

Then something occurred to Carla, "You're not going to be jealous are you?

Gwen put a new beer in front of Carla. Then she sat down, looking confused, "What?"

"If I sleep with Elaine."

Gwen stared at Carla for a long moment. When she spoke her voice was very patient and matter of fact. "Carla, if vampires got jealous when their lovers fed on humans our entire society would have collapsed long ago."

"Oh. Good point."

"Now, vampires will fight over the right to feed on certain humans. We'll wager thralls and fight duels and the winner gets feeding rights, but feeding on a human doesn't have anything to do with a relationship between two vampires."

"I... I guess that makes sense."

Then there was a smattering of applause and Elaine took to the stage. She looked tall and confident, flashing her beautiful smile to the onlookers and demanding their attention. Now that she was on the stage the worry and weariness Carla had seen dropped away as Elaine wrapped herself in her love of her craft. She sat on one of the chairs left on the stage, looked up to where Carla was sitting for a minute and then looked out and began to play.

Carla had heard Elaine play the song before. It was one of her own; a simple acoustic folk song about lovers separated by time and the troubles of the world, praying to be reunited. It was a topic of a thousand songs, but Carla always felt Elaine managed to make hers stand out with clever wordplay and her great skill with her instrument. But this rendition felt different. Elaine infused the words with a mix of hope, wit, and longing. The crowd quieted, enthralled by the passion and longing in Elaine's voice. Carla got up and went to the railing, she felt the glares of the couple at the table next to her but she didn't care. She leaned down and looked over. Elaine kept playing but she looked up and met Carla's eyes, singing of heartbreak and desire, of persevering through the troubles of the world and finding happiness in the arms of another. They stared into each other's eyes and Carla felt longing, beyond hunger or lust, a desire to possess this amazing creature and know her fully.

The last chord drifted away in the air and the crowd burst into wild applause. It wasn't the first time Elaine had played that song but the response had never been this enthusiastic before. Carla couldn't clap, she could only stare at Elaine as she waved to the crowd, Elaine paused one last time to glance up at her before leaving the stage.

Gwen walked up beside her, "Why don't we go downstairs and congratulate her."

Carla nodded, finished her beer in one long pull, and, without saying a word, followed Gwen downstairs.

They found Elaine to the side of the stage, still receiving compliments from the patrons. When she saw Carla she broke into a wide grin, her eyes were triumphant, all of her former nervousness gone. Carla walked toward her quickly, pushing past other patrons who started giving her dirty looks before they realized what she was.

"Did you like it?" asked Elaine, "I was a little out of practice, but I..."

Carla tangled her fingers in Elaine's hair and brought her in for a kiss. It was a fierce kiss. A little too hard, and she felt Elaine gasp into her mouth, but then Elaine relaxed and put hand on Carla's lower back. She leaned into her opening her mouth and returned Carla's hunger, her desperate need.

They broke the kiss. Carla was vaguely aware the people around her were either staring in shock or turning away in fear. But it didn't matter. The only thing that mattered was the woman in front of her.

Elaine licked her lips nervously, "So I guess you liked the song?"

Carla didn't trust herself to respond, was still too caught up in her need to think of anything clever, so she just gave a small smile and nodded.

"You're amazing," said Carla, finally finding words.

Elaine broke into a wider grin and blushed.

Gwen leaned in between them, "I'm going to go find us a cab," she said.

...

The inn Elaine directed the cab to wasn't one Carla had ever heard of. It was far too fine for her to ever have set foot in before. It was one of the ones that guildsmen and successful merchants frequented to escape from their wives and their townhouses. The bottom floor was an open sitting and game room with smaller rooms radiating off for more private meetings, with the bedrooms upstairs for when the meetings became even more intimate. The sitting room was made up in high style that Carla now recognized as too gaudy to really be tasteful, but that gave the place its own charm.

Vampires were now mixed in with the traditional patrons. Carla thought most of them were revenants but she recognized a few full-blooded Draculs and at least one of her fellow Mircallas that Carla had seen strumming a harp in one of the palace's sitting rooms. She gave them a nod and a smile before returning to her conversation with a pretty brunette, reaching out to touch her hand.

Being in this place made Carla jittery. It was certainly never somewhere she had gone when she was human. Sebastian and her always made do with her apartment or his when his dad was out. But Gwen took care of everything. She went to the proprietor and they had a quick conversation before she was handed a key.

"We're all set," said Gwen, "let's go."

Gwen led them upstairs and halfway down a hall lined with doors. Carla couldn't hear anything coming through the doors; they were probably spelled to muffle sound. Then Gwen stopped and opened one of the doors. The room inside was appointed in the same style as the sitting room. With a very large bed. Carla swallowed when she saw the bed, nervous all over again.

They walked in and Gwen closed the door behind them. Carla looked at the bed, then at Elaine, who was smiling at her nervously. There was a long awkward silence. Gwen looked back and forth between the two of them expectantly.

Elaine suddenly laughed, "This is ridiculous."

Carla blinked "What?"

"We're acting like a couple of virgins on their wedding night."

Carla snorted, "God, you're right."

"We've compared blow job techniques."

"I still can't believe you use your teeth," said Carla.

"That's pretty rich coming from you," said Elaine.

"Do you mind if I offer a helping hand?" asked Gwen.

"I don't know if that will make things any less weird," said Carla.

"Trust me. I have a light touch."

Gwen went behind Elaine and ran her tongue over her ear, Elaine gasped and straightened, and Carla saw Elaine's nipples poking through her blouse. As if sensing it, Gwen's hands went to Elaine's breasts, squeezing them through her shirt and Elaine made a small sound of satisfaction. Seeing the arousal on Elaine's face stirred the tension in Carla's gut, dried her mouth and made her jaw heavy with her fangs. As Carla watched, Gwen's hands roamed under Elaine's shirt, rubbing her belly and working her way back up to her breasts. Elaine raised her arms over her head to help Gwen get her shirt off, and Gwen's hands quickly went behind Elaine to untie her bra. It drifted to the floor lazily as Elaine's body was revealed. She was definitely too skinny, with her ribs showing more than they should, and Carla vowed to get her fed. Her breasts were the perfect size to fit in a hand but they looked big on her thin frame. She had tiny, pokey little nipples that Carla couldn't wait to run her tongue over.

"I..." Carla cleared her throat, "...I don't know if that counts as a light touch."

Gwen just laughed in response.

Elaine smiled and raised her eyebrows, Gwen was peeking out from behind her, eyes full of mischief.

"Like my tits?" asked Elaine.

Carla started walking forward, "I love your tits."

"Lets see yours, fair is fair."

Carla stopped and, without breaking eye contact with Elaine, she dropped her dress.

Elaine's eyes dipped to her chest, "My god Carla, where were you hiding those things?"

"I know they always ambush me," said Gwen.

Carla laughed.

"Oh, they look great when you laugh too."

Carla started laughing harder. As her laughter died down, she walked forward quickly and threw herself into a kiss. She shoved her tongue in Elaine's mouth, driven by a hunger to taste the wild creature in front of her. Elaine's arms went around Carla and crushed her close. Carla felt Elaine's hard nipples sliding across her chest and sank into the feel of her smooth skin rubbing against her. Carla loved the wet, warm embrace of Elaine's mouth, the slide of Elaine's tongue. Carla pushed her back and Elaine gave a little cry of surprise as she fell backwards onto the bed. Carla followed her and straddled her, not breaking the kiss, not giving up her hold on her fantastic prize for one moment. Elaine's hands roamed over her back, squeezed her ass and Carla flexed, unconsciously moving her hips like she was riding her.

Then Elaine made a muffle cry of pain into Carla's mouth. She had cut her tongue on one of Carla's fangs. Blood filled the space between their lips. It was warm and rich and its touch sent electricity shooting through Carla's tongue and down her throat. She got just the tiniest taste of Elaine's blood, and its richness, the hints of spice and life made her hunger rage in her chest.

Carla threw herself backward, arching above Elaine and staring at the wood paneled ceiling with wide eyes. She gave a huge gasp and kept gasping as her mouth opened wide and her fangs extended to their full length. The arousal in her belly was a roiling cauldron, as if it knew satisfaction was mere moments away. Carla looked down at Elaine, still gasping. The hunger in her gut raging and her belly a twisting inferno of lust and need. Elaine was staring at her with eyes that were wide with awe. Then she closed them and tilted her head back and to the side, offering herself.

Carla threw her head downward and sank her fangs into Elaine's neck.

The blood filled Carla's mouth and it was perfect. Gwen was right, it was different from the bottled blood. The bottle was satisfying but it was the quick meal grabbed on the job, the only thing that mattered was that it was fuel. Gwen's blood had been an indulgence, the extra glass of wine after dinner, the impulse piece of chocolate on the way home from work. The blood flooding her mouth right now was the first cool drink of water after a run, the first steak after a season of grains, the first slice of fresh warm bread from the bakery on a cold winter day. It filled a need in her that she barely knew she had, that she couldn't really understand until it was being attended to.

Beneath her, she felt Elaine shudder as her fangs sank in, then she cried out. A long, low wail as Carla's fangs made her orgasm suddenly and fiercely. Carla could taste the orgasm in Elaine's blood, little wisps of it filled her mouth, tickling her gums as she began sucking on Elaine's neck with pulls of her lips.

Then that line appeared in her chest. The one she remembered from Gwen's blood. This was milder too. It was like the gentle kisses of a first time lover, teasing her as he explored her body. She was being kissed all the way down her throat, between her breasts, down the midline of her belly. When the line reached her gut it obliterated the hunger that had been raging there. The blood drowned it and replaced it instantly with the mellow waves of her own climax. The gentle kind she'd feel when she had some time alone in bed with herself on a rainy spring day. The blood traveled through her body, massaging her and suffusing her with the warm glow of its perfection. She was vaguely aware of Elaine moaning, her smooth, warm body convulsing as they pleasured each other. Elaine threw an arm over Carla's shoulder and held her close. Carla was happy to oblige. She wasn't going anywhere.