Irina

Irina

The sound interrupted her feeding. Irina paused; her lips coated with the rich blood of youth. The young man's eyes were half lidded, vacant, lost in a dream state that she induced when feeding. When she lowered her mouth to the two small oozing wounds over his jugular vein, she heard it again. Her vampire senses warned her to ignore the plea but there it was, the unmistakable sound of a female in distress. She cocked her head in the direction of the noise; her vampire senses and her human senses were pulling her in opposite directions.

Carefully Irina licked the wounds so they would heal quickly. It was a gift that not all vampires possessed, the curative power of saliva. She rarely drained a victim to the point of death. They would wake feeling a bit weak and disoriented but remember nothing.

With lightning-fast speed, Irina rushed to the sound. A young woman was struggling with a large muscular man on a bench at the river's edge.

"Get off me, asshole! Help! Help!" she shrieked.

Except for Irina, there was no one else in the vicinity. The attacker saw her and whirled around; his eyes filled with fierce, intense sexual hunger.

"Leave her alone." Irina said with malevolence.

"When I'm finished with her, your next!"

"I'm warning you, get away from her or I'll kill you."

Under a streetlight, the well-built man's tight shirt rippled with muscle. Irina only stood five six and her sleek build was anything but intimidating. He laughed but flung himself on top of the defenseless and now unconscious girl, unzippered his fly, pulled her skirt up, and panties to one side.

"This is gonna be fun!" he snarled gleefully.

But before he could do anything else, Irina grabbed his collar, flung him to the ground and jumped on top of him. Somewhat disoriented, he looked up at a vision from hell, eyes blazing with unnatural fire, teeth bared, the long eye teeth dripping saliva. He tried to buck her off, but she pinned his wrists to the ground.

"I warned you." she said in a menacing, velvet calm voice.

The man was astonished that a wisp of a girl could exert such control over him. For the first time in his life, fear, real fear gripped his heart. Slowly her head lowered and using her chin as leverage, nudged his to one side, exposing his neck and jugular vein. In an instant, he realized that his life was in jeopardy.

Irina felt the heat from the living tissue, the throbbing pipe filled with the essence that she depended on for existence. She was going to take it all, every drop and he was powerless to stop her.

"Oh god, no! Don't hurt me, please!" he wailed.

With an evil smile, she gazed at the revolting example of a human being. Irina respected human life, depended on it for nourishment but she had no regard for gutter trash like him.

"Too late..."

In a nano second, Irina sank her razor-sharp fangs into his neck and heard him scream in agony, gasping for air. In situations like this, she held nothing back and sucked as hard as she could, swallowing mouthfuls of blood with incredible speed. Her sole intent was to drain him, take his life and it would be over quickly. Any strength he had left to free himself ebbed rapidly as she ferociously sucked.

The poor excuse for a human who preyed on the innocent, wrecking lives with not a care in the world, was going to a place reserved for monsters like him. His panting breath slowed as his heartbeat weakened

"Oh no...stop...don't do...this..." His voice grew feeble as he lay limp under her.

His demise was near, only moments away.

"Please...oh...I...feel...so...faint..." he was barely able to speak as his sad existence slipped away.

As he lost consciousness, his final thoughts were how a slim girl could so easily rob him of life. Irina drank with abandon, not stopping until only the faintest sound of a heart beating slowed to a stop, and he was a lifeless hulk.

Carefully, she licked her blood-stained lips. With very little effort, she picked up the husk of what once was a man and dumped him in the river. The swift current carried him out of sight in just seconds.

The girl on the bench was slowly coming around. Suddenly she sat up and her hand dropped to her private area, finding it dry. Then, she turned and looked at Irina in astonishment.

"What happened? Where is he?"

"He's gone..."

The young woman looked none the worse for wear.

"How?"

Irina pulled her cell phone from her purse and waved it at the girl. The poor dear probably thought she called the police.

She abruptly sat up and her head was all wonky.

"Oh, I...I'm a little dizzy..."

Irina was at the girl's side in a flash, holding her upright.

"Rest for a few minutes, I'll stay with you."

The young woman rested her head on Irina's shoulder.

"Thank you, I can't thank you enough. I was terrified he was going to rape me. The bastard followed out of the club and forced me down here. I owe you, my life."

Irina held the pretty mortal tenderly.

"I'll be ok now."

"What's your name?" Irina asked.

"Raylene...Raylene Styles, yours?"

"Irina."

Raylene gazed longingly at her savior as she felt a connection with dark haired beauty. There was something about Irina's appearance that puzzled her but for the moment escaped her.

"Will you come to my apartment?"

Irina's heightened senses intuited that the girl was sexually attracted to her. It always amazed her how modern woman were so in touch with their sexuality.

"I want to show you my appreciation..." Raylene stated.

As Raylene drove, she kept glancing sideways at the gorgeous young woman, unawares as to her identity. Her accented English was clearly an indicator as it sounded Eastern European. The glittering eyes, pale white skin, jet black hair and those teeth; pointy, especially the incisors or eye teeth. A dark realization was forming in her mind.

Once they were inside her apartment, Raylene poured two glasses of wine and offered one to Irina.

"Oh ah...no thank you...I ah...had a lot to drink earlier..."

When the word vampire streaked across her mind, she recoiled in fear and started shaking. Irina picked up on it right away and drew the fearful girl to her bosom.

"Don't be alarmed...I won't hurt you. I only want to protect you."

Irina spoke the absolute truth.

"You...you...killed him...didn't you? You're a...vam..."

Irina nodded.

"Why? Why did you help me?"

Irina paused but she knew the answer.

"I despise seeing innocent people needlessly hurt or killed for someone else's pleasure. He was on top of you and if I hadn't reacted, he would have raped you and probably taken your life."

Raylene was eternally grateful because it could have been her floating in the Delaware River.

"We are not all bloodthirsty killers. Yes, we need blood to survive but I refuse to take a life. I extract just enough to satisfy me and no more."

Raylene wanted the sexy vampire but was it possible? She'd been celibate for several months and her need for a female, vampire or not, was overpowering.

"Irina... can you?"

"Yes...I can..."

Raylene flung herself into Irina's arms and mashed her mouth on Irina's. Kissing her with hunger. When she pushed her tongue past the blood red lips, she ran it over the pointy, sharp porcelain.

Irina pulled back gently.

"You are curious?" She said with her charming accent.

Raylene shyly nodded.

Irina widened her mouth exposing her teeth but what fascinated Raylene the most were the elongated incisors or eye teeth.

"They look very sharp..."

Irina brought the girls fingers to the pointy dental surfaces. Raylene gingerly touched the tips of the needle-tipped points.

"Ooh!" the girl exclaimed.

"Yes, my dear. That's what I use to bite."

Suddenly Raylene was fearful and started quaking.

"Raylene, I won't hurt you...please believe me."

As Irina held the frightened mortal, she used her powers to exert a calming influence. Gradually, it eased Raylene's anxiety.

"I'm sorry...I believe you."

Raylene flung herself into Irina's arms.

"I pride myself on my sexual prowess. I can take you to a place of intense sexual pleasure. All you must do is relax and let me take control. I will possess your body and mind. Remember, I won't hurt or harm you. Sometimes when I get excited, I nip with my teeth, and it may draw a bit of blood. But your life is safe with me."

The earnest looks in Irina's eyes reassured Raylene and now she wanted to have sex with the beautiful vampire.

The experience was incredible, like nothing she could have imagined in her wildest sexual dreams. Irina possessed her mind; body and she gave herself completely.

Raylene lay exhausted from the most intense sexual pleasure of her young life. Her orgasms so powerful, flowing like the mighty waves on the ocean from crest to crest, seemingly endless. Irina held her effortlessly as she bucked and shook her hips with incredible intensity. The vampire's mouth was glued to her sex, licking her sensitive folds with furious need. The feverish sounds of sucking and lapping filled her ears as an incredible pulsing sensation throbbed in her vagina.

While Raylene was lost in carnal nirvana, Irina gorged on the young beauty's juices, using her powers to produce a flood of the tart nectar. She gulped the milky dew with a hunger approaching blood lust, a veritable feast for her vampire and human senses.

But Irina knew that Raylene could not continue indefinitely and gradually eased her down. It took a few minutes for Raylene to regain her senses.

"Oh god! Irina...I...it was...unbelievable!" she gushed.

Irina held her close and tenderly kissed her cheeks.

"Do you need my blood? You saved my life."

When blood was offered willingly, it was too powerful of an allure for a vampire to ignore. Even though Irina had drained Raylene's attacker dry, and her thirst was

slaked, she would only extract a small amount, less than a pint. Laying the fragile mortal on the sofa, she let her lips glide over the warm flesh until they rested on her throat. The insistent pulsing of her essence inflamed Irina's desire. Her new friend shivered with fear and excitement.

"I will be gentle, and you may experience a euphoric high as I feed."

Irina's tongue bathed the warm tissue over the vein she'd puncture. Her saliva possessed both healing and anesthetic qualities. Moving her needle-sharp incisors into position, she used her powers to calm the excited girl. As the points invaded the skin, Raylene arched her back.

"Oh...oh...oh."

When Irina's fangs sank into the vein, her lips sealed over wound and applying the gentlest suction, extracted a thin stream of Raylene's essence. The plush taste ignited her senses as she slowly swallowed, savoring every drop.

Raylene moaned continuously as the 'high' was like nothing she'd ever felt before. Irina slowed her feeding, then licked the wounds with her healing saliva. She held the fragile mortal for a long time.

Irina had been looking for a companion. She was lonely and while most vampires were solitary creatures, she desired a mate or companion to share her undead existence with. Could Raylene be the one?

It was nearing sunrise when she excused herself.

"Will I see you again?" the sad human asked.

"Yes. When do dance again?"

"Tomorrow night at the Riverside."

Without another word Irina vanished.

****

Captain Lewis Grunberg of the Philadelphia Police Department, looked at the report, shaking his head in disbelief. Nothing made sense in the meticulous analysis of events. The body of a wanted and known serial rapist had been found floating in the Delaware River by a commercial vessel. The cause of death was listed as loss of blood by the coroner, but with no visible wounds or trauma, how was that possible? The lungs were dry which meant he was already dead when he hit the water. Captain Grunberg quickly made the call.

"Giachetti, can you come in here, I'm reading your report and I have a lot of questions."

"Yeah Cap, what's the problem?"

"Let's go through this line by line, ok?"

"They found...umm...Clinton Jennings, floating in the Delaware River. Served time for rape, attempted rape and second-degree murder, the guy was filth. But cause of death was umm...loss of blood but no visible trauma to the body." How is that possible? There would be something..."

"Coroner said it was though he was drained dry. He did note that there were two little marks, pin pricks on his throat but that wouldn't have led to, how did he say, exsanguination or loss of blood. I saw the body Cap and even though he'd been in the river for they estimate about a week, he was all shrunken, skin white as snow."

Captain Grunberg scratched his head in disbelief. As a thirty-year veteran of the force, he'd seen many strange situations but this...

"I'm gonna hold onto this and delay the final filing for two weeks. Somebody killed that low life but how? Start down near the waterfront. He frequented the nightclubs there, maybe someone saw him."

"Ok Cap. Can I have Samuelson as back up?"

"Yeah, sure but I want some results. Somebody did this guy in; I want to know who and how."

Ed Giachetti looked at his superior with respect and admiration. The man was dogged in his determination to find every plausible truth in a report. He expected the best from his officers, and they usually gave it to him. But there were so many loose ends, and he had a dark fantastic idea that had little basis in the real world. He closed the office door and Captain Grunberg looked up.

"Yes?"

"Cap...I ah...don't know how to say this...but..."

"Just say it!"

Grunberg was exasperated. He'd already spent more time analyzing this case than it called for. A low life scum was off the streets, and everyone should be grateful.

"Cap...this is gonna sound...unbelievable but..."

Grunberg's face softened because he had a lot of respect for Ed Giachetti, a damn good detective.

"The marks on the neck, coroner said they were equidistant, the same gap as the eye teeth on a female or adult woman. The wounds though small he said were made by, now these are his words, hollow needle-sharp points, like the points on very sharp eye teeth and penetrated to the jugular vein, no further. There were absolutely no other visible wounds on the body."

"Ed, do you know what you're describing? Do you want me laughed off the force?"

"No sir but I'm just stating facts from the coroner that I left out."

Grunberg sat pondering the situation, he should file the report without that added information and just call it a day.

"Do you believe in vampires Cap? Because that's what this sounds like to me.

Jennings went after the wrong victim and paid the ultimate price."

Captain Grunberg chuckled quietly. It was too fantastical to be true, but somebody offed Clinton Jennings and he wanted to know who and how.

"All right, you said your piece. I don't want to hear any more about possible vampires, werewolves, extra-terrestrials, or anything supernatural, ok? Get busy, corral Samuelson, bring him up to speed on the investigation but keep the bizarre theories to yourself. Good solid police work, that's what I want, got that?"

"Yes sir."

Edward Giachetti walked out to his desk with the sinking feeling that nothing about the investigation would make sense. As crazy as it seemed, he had the screwy idea they were looking for a vampire.

****

Irina was born in the year 1835, the youngest of six and the only girl. Her family was from the Ukraine which was part of then, Russia. Her father was an officer in the czar's army and her upbring could best be described in modern terms as wealthy. They lived in what was then called Kiev, a bustling metropolis and largest city in the Ukraine.

With her father gone most of the time for military service, Irina's mother, Catherine, was a powerful influence in her young life. She was the take charge type; nothing escaped her watchful eye. Three of her brothers entered military service when they reached the appropriate age but the other two died from Cholera during an epidemic.

Catherine was ahead of her time and believed that education was just as important for boys and girls. Irina was encouraged to embrace her studies, which she did wholeheartedly. As she grew into a young beauty with porcelain skin tone, jet black hair and dark sparkling eyes, she realized that she wanted to be a doctor. Not impossible, since her father was from a family of wealth, and as soon she turned eighteen was granted the honor of attending a medical college. No doubt her father's family exerted some influence, but an historical event would arise and change her life and the lives of her entire family irrevocably.

The Crimean War started in 1853 and lasted until February of 1856. The Crimea is a peninsula just below the Ukraine and anyone in the military was pressed into service there. The bloody conflict would last three years, deplete and weaken the Russian Imperial Army and nearly bankrupt the treasury.

England's Florence Nightingale would champion the cause for modern nursing because proper medical care, especially on the battlefield was woefully inadequate. The injured died at staggering rates from disease, horrific sanitation, and poorly trained doctors.

In late 1854, Irina's mother was notified that two of her sons were missing in action, and a third died in a field hospital. Not long after that tragic news she learned her husband Nicholas was extremely ill in a field hospital from wounds sustained in battle.

When Catherine shared the news with Irina, she was hell bent on finding her father and the two brothers that were MIA. After almost two years of training to be a doctor, she realized that while not qualified, she had enough education to be of some assistance.

However, Irina was not prepared for the horrible conditions that awaited her. The long journey in a military convoy with lack of clean water and food was the beginning. At the first field hospital she encountered, the sounds and smells of the wounded, sick and dying were an assault to her senses. Nothing at medical college had prepared her for this. Everywhere she went, she asked about her father and brothers, but no one had any information. Whenever she could, she looked after the wounded but one minute she'd be dressing a wound and the next they lay dead.

After several months and with winter not far off, Irina decided to return home. Then as she was attending to a handsome young officer, he happened to mention his regiment and she knew it was her fathers. She told him that she was desperately trying to find her missing family. He gave her as much information that he could recall but he knew her father only in passing and had nothing to share concerning her brothers.

"I fought at Sevastopol and then Alma, but we were hopelessly out gunned, out manned and it was just a very bloody retreat. I beg you not to go there, the conditions are beyond horrific. The dead and dying are everywhere and it's no place for a young woman. I would go and look for you, but they tell me I might lose my right leg."

But there was never a more determined young woman then Irina and she was going regardless.

"Here, take this it's all I've got."

The lieutenant handed her some rubles, a military pass, blankets, extra clothes, and a pair of newish boots that miraculously fit.

Irina attached herself to a small unit that was returning to the front lines. Two weeks later, the sights, sounds and smell of the front lines assaulted her senses. In the makeshift field hospital, she cared for the injured but always on the lookout for any information about her family.

There were so many dead and dying on the battlefields that she decided to go under the cover of darkness. With a lantern, she looked at as many faces as possible but to no avail. However, early one morning close to dawn, she saw a shadowy figure bend over several bodies for a few minutes then leave. This went on until the first band of pink was observable in the eastern sky. The shadow disappeared.