My Little Ventrue Pt. 05 Ch. 09

"She'll be there for a couple hours," he said, sitting down on the couch as well and reaching out to pet her behind the ear.

"A couple hours? Analyzing her new view?"

"I doubt she's analyzed a thought in her life, cat or not." He shrugged and motioned for Jessy to join him on the absurdly expensive couch. "You know if you hadn't shown up in the tunnels with Kat, tonight would have gone much differently."

"I can imagine, seeing that we found you with Mark. We're not on good terms with the Begotten, Invictus especially. How'd you wind up with them?"

"I was... on the run, I guess. Hard to remember the details, blurry and fading, like a dream. I remember running into the sewers, because I knew... the territory, the land, had a network of tunnels. Something in my brain kicked into... a mode. I had to go to safe ground until I could take my home back. My... den." Den was as good a word as any, and it was how his mind was framing things. But now he had a new den, in the same territory. That was normal enough, he supposed, for his new instincts to adapt. A new, better den.

"The Begotten do hang out in the tunnels a lot," she said.

"I ran into Athalia, and I... tried to kill her. Didn't go so well."

"Ha! Beat up by a girl." She sat down with him, gave him a soft punch, and winked at him. "I've never seen Athalia fight. What was that like?"

"Like trying to fight a monster. Bones, claws, and spikes... and she could fight in total darkness. It was startling, to say the least." He made a couple of quiet kissing sounds in Kat's direction, coaxing the dumb cat to come his way. Meow meow and a hop later, she was on his lap, smiling up at him. Far as he knew, cats didn't smile the way humans did, but Kat might as well have been, with the big grin on her face as she got comfortable on his lap. Purring like a motor, she looked between the two of them, before burying her face against his stomach. "She knocked some sense into me at least."

"Still can't believe you're a fucking werewolf. That complicates so many things, but at the same time, it's really fucking awesome." She got in closer, and licked one of her fangs with blatant boasting. "Vamps could really use a Uratha in our corner."

In their corner. Was he in their corner? He didn't think he was, at least, not by choice. Far as he was concerned, they had a gun to his head and he had to play by their rules, or they'd shoot. That included Jessy, much as he was enjoying her company, and she him, evidently.

"The Begotten were sure you'd be a problem, that you'd kill me if I'd made too big a mess." And he agreed with the monsters.

"We wouldn't do that unless it was warranted."

"What qualifies as warranted."

"If you weren't willing to reconcile." She sighed, and looked down. Didn't take a genius to read the body language; she'd been avoiding saying things directly, and he was calling her out on it. "You're already working for us, so that's fine. But, sometimes, a vamp can go frenzy, and they don't come back. I imagine it's an even bigger issue for werewolves."

"Frenzy?" Asking about it was pointless; he could tell what she meant when she said it. He felt like he was in a constant state of frenzy the moment the transformation had hit him. Didn't surprise him that vampires could do that, and it scared the shit out of him that they could succumb to it. Like she said, a bigger issue for werewolves.

"The beast inside craves blood, above all else. The hunger can overwhelm, and you give into it, ride it like a wave, and sometimes vamps don't come back from that." She shrugged, got up, and started to walk around the inordinately expensive apartment. "The mess you made is what a frenzied vamp might do, if they were pissed enough, and ravenous enough. If you weren't able to come to your senses, we'd have put you down."

"Or try to."

That got her. She flinched, looked his way, looked at Kat, then started to drift again.

"Yeah. You're Uratha now, which means you're dangerous. Julias is going to make sure everyone knows that, and now... now I don't know. It's a weird situation to be in."

"You're telling me," setting his hand on Kat's head, and scratching her cheek and ear, as he considered, "... what am I supposed to do now?"

"Boss said talk to Avery, get a leash... but, well, fuck him."

"... I'm sorry, what?" He raised a brow, and tilted his head to the side. Kat didn't care, and pushed her head into his hand with the sudden cease of his scratching, demanding more.

"I'm saying, you're a fucking werewolf now." As if lightning had struck her, she paused, and looked up with a snap of her fingers. "A fucking werewolf, Eric. You have any fucking idea how dangerous that makes you? You know how few vamps can pose a threat to you? Ancilla and elders, that's it, and the city isn't exactly swimming in them. The overwhelming majority of vamps are neonates, no threat to a werewolf. That makes you," she pointed a finger at him, grin included, "a major player."

"And, I'm doing... what, with that?"

"You're going to play the game! The Danse Macabre."

"I'm sorry, I'm really not following."

"You're going to lie. To Avery. To Julias. To the Prince."

"... you want me to lie, to these people I'm pretty sure are more than capable of tearing me in half with their pinky finger?"

She jumped onto the couch, her weight causing the leather to tremble, and bounce Eric an inch. "Well, before, you were agreeing to do what we told you, because you didn't have options. Now you're strong enough to give us pause. You're strong enough that, you can just play along, knowing you could break out of your golden chains whenever you want to."

Golden chains. Guess she was onto the gilded cage metaphor he'd been subconsciously framing this whole situation as.

"So in either circumstance, I—"

"In either circumstance, you get to have a sweet new place to live, lots of money, and get to slip your foot in the door with a lot of factions. The Begotten desperately want a werewolf on their side, cause they really are the underdog in this shitstorm. The Kindred will want to keep you even more controlled now; expect another meeting with the Prince, and maybe one with the other covenants, too. And most of all, the Uratha are going to want you in their corner."

"What makes you think I won't join the monsters or werewolves? It's the vamps who tried to put me in a cage." He brought Kat up to his shoulder, so her front paws could press on him, giving her easy access to rub her head into his neck.

"Because the monsters only know how to chase their hunger, and the werewolves are... I don't know, honestly. You'd be better off asking them, I guess. They seem obsessed with doing some sort of ancient duty, hunting spirits and shit." She shrugged, scooted in closer, and set her fingers to Kat's neck. Immediate purrs. Slut. "Something to do with the moon, and some Father Wolf or some shit."

Try as he might to hide it, her words struck something in his mind. Glass broke, and the splintering cracks wore away at the wall until it fell apart, shards dancing along the remains of his mind. Father Wolf. The moon... Luna. Memories bubbled, new memories, images of things, of teeth and claw. They weren't his, he didn't own them, but they came up, anyway. Old claws, covered in ancient dirt and older blood broke free of prehistoric graves in his brain matter, each holding up signs written in crimson earth.

You're not the same anymore.

You can't run from what you've become.

You have a duty now, Uratha.

They'll come for you now, Uratha.

With web, with claws, with tail and fang, feather and tongue, they'll come for you.

They can see you now, Uratha, sense you. They'll come for you, find you, possess you.

Nothing will ever be the same for you.

Breathe.

"Yo, breathe Eric. Looks like you've seen a ghost."

He gulped down the rising panic in his throat, and hugged Kat tight. Didn't care if Jessy got to see his vulnerable side. At the moment, he needed to hold his only damn friend in the world.

Jessy tilted her head, and watched him. No laughter or grins, despite his expectations. Nothing like that, only a small smile as she watched him.

"... I have to get back, sun will be up soon. This place is pretty secure, Eric, so rest easy. I'll see you tomorrow night to follow up."

"... thanks, for everything." Especially with Kat. Above all else, especially with Kat.

She winked at him, and left.

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~~Natasha~~

"It'll be d-dawn, soon," she said, "so, I have t-to go."

Both boys pouted, and transformed. She squeaked and jumped back as the two men began to shrink in size, clothes vanishing and fur popping in, instead. For a moment, she thought they were transforming into their larger forms, that she'd driven them to some sort of anger. But instead, a couple of wolves now sat upon her living room floor, giving her puppy eyes. Art with a darker shade, almost black, and Matt was a soft gray; both were too damn adorable.

"B-Boys! What are you doing?" she said. The two canines made whining sounds, sad puppy whining sounds, and walked over to her. They pressed up against her skirt, and pushed gently, nudging her away from the door. They were full-sized wolves, and she had no chance of pushing them out of the way with only her bodyweight. "Come on, boys! I... I need t-to go, the Prince will be upset, if I'm late. She's getting very... p-p-protective of things lately." Understandable given the circumstances, but now that Tash worked for her, it meant Tash had to appease her. If she showed up late, she'd get a firm scolding, or at least, a firm glare.

But the boys either didn't get the hint, or chose to ignore it, likely the latter. They pushed against her some more, until she was giggling. A signal of their triumph, as they each let out a quiet bark, before pushing her hard enough she started to fall. With a squeak, she went down, and hands reached out to grab their soft fur, as the floor greeted her.

"Come on, I... I have to. I can't stay here. I know y-you'd p-p-protect me, b-but it's safer at the tower. And, it's the P-Prince's orders. And—" Knock knock.

"Madam Vola. It's me, Madam Turio."

Natasha jumped straight up, and spun around. What? Why? Why was she here? And why now? Gulping, Tash started pacing back and forth, and looked down at the two enormous dogs sitting by her. They didn't transform back, content to sit there, eyes wide and looking at the closed door of her apartment.

Her boyfriends were here. That made a discussion with her old superior a strange conversation to have. But maybe it was good Art and Matt were here. She'd be able to rely on them, trust them to back her up if things got hairy, if things got violent. They wouldn't get violent though, no way. Maria wouldn't resort to violence against another covenant unless absolutely necessary, and if she wanted to be violent, she wouldn't have knocked.

Tash looked at the two wolves, nodded, took a deep, useless breath, and walked to the apartment door. Slowly, she opened the barrier to an old wound she'd hoped to forget about.

"H-Hello... Madam Turio."

"... hello Vola. May I come in?"

"Y-Yes, please." Tash nodded, and backed away while gesturing with her arm into the apartment. Maria was an elder after all, and respect was due, no matter their past or affiliations. "I, um, I'm v-very surprised, that you'd... come here... in p-person."

"These are strange times," she said, as she nodded toward the two wolves. "I am glad you've found company you enjoy. For all the years I've known you, the only one you could stomach were your fellow right hands."

Julias and Jessy were her only friends, that was true. Not so true anymore, but the memory was a powerful one.

"Stomach... is a strong w-word. It's not... l-like I... didn't..."

Maria turned to face her, raised a brow and chuckled, before moving into the living room. Without a glance or care for the wolves, Art and Matt were forced to step aside to make room for her. They stayed in wolf form, maybe to remind Maria that they were indeed werewolves, and were dangerous. Or because, dogs were loyal, and Natasha could use a couple of loyal companions right about now.

"I do not lie. I am... glad, that things are going well for you." The ghost lady sniffed the air, and chuckled again. No hiding the smell of sex, not with what the werewolves did.

It was hard to read Maria's expression. She was wearing a white dress, something in fashion a hundred years ago, at least. If she was seen out in the open, anyone would have assumed she was a ghost, a pale lady, a woman in white, a specter, something that would have sent anyone nearby into a panicked run. But the elder was a master at the cloak of night and its derivations. If she didn't want to be seen, she wasn't going to be seen.

It meant that a ghost woman was walking around in Natasha's apartment, white mist falling from her cracked and rotted skin. It was enough to keep both wolves away from her, backing up and staying out of range of the fog she leaked, wherever she walked. One of the more blatant examples of how vampires were, genuinely, supernatural and paranormal creatures. Natasha had dealt with it for years, but after not being near the woman for some months now, it was a shock to be so close to a walking, torn up corpse leaking cold mist around her.

"... th-thank you."

"This must be Matthew Wilson, Rahu Uratha. And this is Arturo Ibarra, Irakka Uratha." The ghost lady leaned forward, hands to her knees against the dress skirt, and a half grin on her lips as her wavy black hair fell over her shoulders. "Don't feel like showing your faces to me?"

The two canines shook their heads, and growled. A quiet growl, enough for Tash to tense, while Maria didn't react. Stone cold, as always.

"If it's any consolation, little doggies, I never agreed with Viktor's rather harsh treatment of your kind, upon Avery's last visit."

It wasn't. Art and Matt both growled again, and showed their teeth a little.

"B-Be nice, boys. Mar... Madam T-Turio is only... only... I am not sure what she's doing, actually." Truth. Maria's visit was unexpected, and more so was what she was saying.

"... may we speak in private, Vola, before the sun rises?" The ghost lady turned to face her, but backed away at the same time, before turning to look out the window. She nudged aside the drapes with a hand, bits of her peeling skin falling off and vanishing into ash, as some of the street light came into the apartment.

The two wolves came up to Tash's side, and growling louder. They didn't want to leave. Tash didn't want them to leave either, but this conversation was important, and it was one they'd both been avoiding.

And maybe, Maria would drop clues about the secret the strange spirit was talking about.

"You boys, you can head on back. I'll b-b... I'll be fine. She's not the enemy." Mostly, mostly not the enemy. It was hard to forget about the betrayal, but at the same time, Tash kept trying to put herself into Maria's shoes. Give up your subordinate, who had a fifty-fifty chance of surviving, so the love of your life could pursue their wildest dreams? It was hard to think about the question objectively, and she had to accept that. Emotions got the best of everyone, given time, even Tash.

Art and Matt transformed, human skin and clothes emerging from the depths of animal muscle and fur. A smooth transformation, nothing like what it'd been when the two wolves were getting ready for war. Each giant of a man gave Maria long, harsh glares, before they stepped toward the door. When they left, they each gave Tash a kiss, Art winking, and Matt smiling, as they moved into the hall.

"See ya later," they said together, before starting down the corridor.

Tash smiled at them, gave each a small wave, and closed the door.

"No longer being in the Invictus has agreed with your sex life, at least," Maria said, still looking out the window.

"It, it um... it's been good." No use trying to hide the grin. "B-But, um I don't think that has anything to do with the Invictus, or m-me being in the Ordo Dracul now."

"... we haven't spoken, since that happened."

"... n-no, we haven't."

The two of them sighed. Maria's sigh was far more bold, obvious and direct. That was Maria, never one to shy from direct words; it made the whole conversation very unusual, given how Maria was tiptoeing around the issue.

"Understand, my... Natasha, that I... I did what I did, because I assumed you would not be harmed. Lucas promised your safety, and that, if push came to shove, he would not kill you."

Not kill her. That didn't necessarily mean not hurt her, torture her maybe, in hopes of breaking Daniel. But, still, that was better than nothing.

"... th-thank you... Maria." First naming an elder, let alone an Invictus superior, was dangerous business, but Maria seemed intent on making this personal. That was a huge step for the woman, even if it sounded like nothing. "That... that w-wasn't the only reason I left the Invictus."

"Oh?"

"Yes. Um, p-people knowing that D-Daniel is my sire, that... that proved to me, that maybe I... I had what it took to follow in his footsteps. That I have what it takes."

"I'm not following."

Tash nodded. Not following because Natasha was doing a horrible job explaining it.

"P-People, they weren't... too surprised to learn about it. Many, they just nodded like... l-like it was to b-be expected." So either everyone already knew, or she'd made enough of a name for herself that people were expecting someone like the sheriff to be her sire.

Maria nodded, confirming Tash's suspicions. "You worked your way up our ranks quickly, Natasha. I'm surprised you were ever concerned you weren't regarded with respect, and fear, by your younger Kindred. You were my right hand for a reason." Maria shrugged, stepped away from the window, and into Natasha's kitchen. "May I?"

"Um... oh! Y-Yes, make yourself at home."

The elder nodded, and fetched a bottle of blood from the fridge. "I will not ask for your forgiveness, Natasha, over the incident; I do not expect it. Such is the way of things as old as I, to let transgressions marinate our souls." She chuckled, a coughing hoarse sound from the ghost lady, before she took a sip of the red drink. "Something Lucas used to say. I think now, perhaps, it was merely his way of avoiding asking for forgiveness, from ever having to say, he was sorry."

Talking of Lucas, with her. This was brand new territory, and Tash found herself tripping on her tongue. What to say, what to say?

"W... What was he like?"

"You know damn well what he was like, Natasha. You saw his brutality and one-mindedness, firsthand."

"I... I know, b-but, what was he like... behind closed doors?" Very new ground, very new, and Tash held her unneeded breath as she waited for Maria to respond. Times like this, it would have been great if she hadn't asked Matt and Art to leave.

"... different." Sighing, Maria walked over to Tash's couch, and sat down. The apartment wasn't exactly high class, not the sort of class an elder vampire would want, but Maria didn't seem to care at the moment. Or it was all a ploy to get Tash to let her guard down, reveal secrets about the Uratha, or the Ordo Dracul. "As you can imagine, this body cares little for sexual stimulus, anymore."

"I... I d-didn't know." Guessed, she'd guessed, but never let her mind get that far, to the point of picturing it. But now she couldn't stop. Corpse, trying to fuck. Ew.

"We indulged ourselves in blood, drinking kine by the dozens. He was not disturbed by this body, and was more than eager to hold me and kiss me, when we feasted." Ghost lady smoothed out her dress skirt, took another sip, and motioned for Natasha to join her. Still the boss, even though Tash hadn't worked for her for months.