Nos Faux Ratu Ch. 06

Caitlin fought the blush that was trying to burn its way through her under-armor. She followed Nessa over to the lift, looking back at Nigel. He just gave her a nod, then sat down to wait. The lift went up, but stopped between floors.

"Here?" Caitlin said, suddenly as nervous as she had been for her first kiss.

"Here works," Nessa said, sliding up, turning on her charm to the nth degree. "Last chance to back out," she said, not sure she could resist that beautiful, tanned skin for long.

"God, I can see how you could get her to open up," Caitlin muttered. "I can barely think." Then her eyes cleared for a moment. "But you didn't, did you? You would never do that to her."

Nessa smiled. "No. How did you guess?"

"Because she wouldn't trust you. There's a difference between blind worship and trusting. I'd imagine earning that trust wasn't easy."

"Like pulling teeth. But she's worth the effort," Nessa said knowingly, then sank her fangs into Caitlin's neck.

"Ohfuckohfuckohfuckohfuck," Caitlin began to chant as those needle-sharp fangs penetrated her in a way so intimate she had no concept of. Her body went from stone-cold controlled to smoldering to burning alive. She felt she was wearing far too many clothes, as was the beautiful woman attached to her neck. Nessa's lust was contagious, vast, and deep.

Nessa had not had such a good feed in a long time. She had never really fed on Jenna, as their encounters had been more of a trust-building exercise. Caitlin had lived a rich life, and her blood reflected that. The vampire saw into the Nightwalker's soul plain, and was encouraged by what she saw. The plain reached out in every direction further than Nessa could discern. There were patches of memories, and many trails leading between them. Caitlin had been lucky to have a great deal of friends, and she was still close with her family, though they lived a thousand miles away. She had been to every continent, she had basked in the enlightening glow of higher education, and Nessa could see a trail of hearts, some broken and some full, that had been part of the woman's history.

But there was also a small area that was surrounded by a wooden fence, where the latticework was covered in green, leafy vines. Nessa was drawn to it, stepping around the memories that floated by, reminding one another of their shared history. The vampiric guest floated above the fence, and saw something that made her smile.

Sitting at a table in what looked like a stereotypical, sterile mess hall was Jenna. She was calmly dissecting her military rations, eating them in a particular order that was only understood by Jenna herself.

'This is the first time that she ever saw you,' Nessa thought as she stared at the phantom memory of her friend. Jenna looked up and met a rookie Caitlin's eyes, and Nessa could sense that the newcomer's heart caught in her throat. Even sitting there, impassive as ice in her body armor, Jenna was simply beautiful. Nessa watched as the images changed and flitted by, as Caitlin tried, from time to time, to flirt with the mysterious Empress. Jenna was always polite, though distant. She was always quick to provide instruction, but she was completely oblivious to the interest of her would-be suitor, or anyone else for that matter.

Now, the ghost memory would glance up and smile. Caitlin had developed hope, because Jenna was finally able to see her. To truly see her. And dammit, the High Priestess was not willing to let go of that chance.

When Nessa had finally sated herself, she felt a million times better. As her fangs withdrew, she could smell the excitement on her dinner's body. "You climaxed then?" she asked smugly.

Caitlin nodded, her dark hair plastered to her head. "Three . . . three times."

"I appreciate what you did, and why," Nessa said, kissing the area where she had bitten and making sure the wounds healed. "And I believe such sentiment should be rewarded."

"Next time, just send a card," Caitlin suggested, fanning herself with one hand.

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Somewhere across town . . .

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The Fool checked on his reflection. The bleeding had stopped a while ago, but his jaw still looked mangled. He was so angry that he had run out of furniture to break, though he had luckily been reminded by the Hanged Man to sent out the "distress" signal to the DoD before smashing the communicator. He was down to just under twenty, with a few of the remaining loyal Nightwalkers dying of their wounds back at base.

"In a few days, we'll be back at full strength," the Hanged Man said from his perch on a nearby desk. The Nightwalkers' chief assassin seemed more at home as an animal than a man now, and his aggressiveness had grown.

"No, we won't. The new recruits will be effectively Minor Arcana. We need more dominants," the Fool said.

"The Empress?" the Hanged Man asked.

"Yessss. I can still smell her on that vampire's body, and it's driving me insane." He looked at his second in command. "Once everyone is healed up, send two people after the bait." He looked out a broken window into the night sky. "The Empress WILL come home."

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Back at Devil's Night . . .

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"Are you sure?" Nessa asked. She, Nigel, Caitlin, Avery, Ghede, Lawrence, and Anabella were gathered around the fallen Nightwalker's bedside. Lawrence had spent a moment inside Jenna's soul plain, and had privately expressed concern to Nessa that he was worried about her emotional state. But when Jenna had made her decision, Nessa actually lit up a little, so he had not pressed the issue.

Jenna nodded. "I figure if I'm going to be under anyone's influence, even for a while, I'd kinda rather it be someone I trust. And who doesn't want to kill, eat, or otherwise harm me."

"Well," Nessa started, "I wouldn't say that I didn't want --"

"Don't say 'to eat you.' It cheapens you," Jenna said, trying to smile.

"Sweet cheeks, nothing cheapens me anymore."

Anabella nodded. "She's not lyin' on that one."

Nessa's face fell a bit. She looked worried. "Jenna, this is serious. This is forever. It's drinking blood, staying indoors . . . no more afternoon coffee dates with Nigel," she added knowingly.

"I . . . I know. I won't get to see him anymore," she said.

"See who?" Caitlin asked, but Nigel put a finger to his lips, requesting a silence that she begrudgingly gave.

"You will. Just not during the day. And you have to think about yourself here. You barely know our world," she said, stroking Jenna's hand. "There's things off the edges of the map that you can't even imagine."

"Are you warning me about monsters?" Jenna whispered. "Because I know about those. And I'm tired of being afraid of them. I've been afraid my whole life, to the point . . . you've seen what I've become."

"You're so much better," Nessa reminded her.

"And I have you to thank for that. And as much as these last few weeks have meant, I don't want those and the hell my life turned into when I was fifteen be ALL that I have."

"They won't be," Nessa said. After drinking from Caitlin and a few bottles of vintage stuff she had on hand, the vampire was feeling pretty buzzed. She looked at Anabella. "Are Kobal and Cresil going to be okay?"

The banshee nodded. "They'll hold off on seekin' revenge until yer done."

"Good. Because we'll both need a strong feed tonight." Nessa began pushing Jenna's gurney towards the lift. She stopped long enough for Jenna's small circle of friends to wish her luck. It was easy to see that she was terrified, but she was stern in her resolve.

The lift descended down, down, down into the depths of the earth. When they got to a certain point, Nessa had to enter a twenty digit code and undergo fingerprint and eye scans.

"Paranoid?" Jenna asked, hoping a joke might alleviate her fear. It didn't.

"You say that after YOUR security system?" Nessa kissed her forehead, then wheeled Jenna down a long hallway to another door that required another code and set of scans. "I was serious when I told you that this is my most vulnerable time. When we wake up, I'll actually likely be weaker than you. If you wanted to, you could easily kill me."

"Then let's be glad I don't want to."

The final chamber was not at all what Jenna had been expecting. The walls were lined with wood that actually looked authentic, which was surprising since the Earth's few remaining forests were strictly protected. Iron braziers sat in all four corners of the small room, and in the center was . . . well, a large metal coffin.

"The coffin isn't technically necessary," Nessa explained with a wry grin, "but I've always been a sucker for the classics. We just need an enclosed space." She lifted Jenna off the gurney and placed her into the coffin, which was probably more comfortable than any bed Jenna had ever been in. Including Nessa's upstairs. Nessa slowly stripped the gown off of her friend, then began to disrobe.

"I really don' think I'm up for any . . . you know," Jenna muttered, though her eyes were glued to Nessa as the vampire slowly peeled off her fighting clothes. The Nightwalker was happy to see that Nessa's wounds were completely healed.

"I know. I just like being close to my new child when I bring her over. Are you ready?"

Jenna nodded. "How does it work?"

"I bite you, take your blood, mix it with my own, give it back. This will be going on until sunset, a constant exchange of your blood and mine. When you are reborn, you'll need to feed. Don't worry about being squeamish. Trust me, I've never seen a new vampire turn down blood, and that's what the demons will be for. Normally I wouldn't let you feed from them, since demon blood can kind of give you a power trip, but we both will need the extra boost, and quickly." Nessa's grin became evil. "I'd let you sample Caitlin, but she probably won't be able to donate for a bit."

Jenna blushed, but just a little. "Did you make it . . . good for her?"

"Yeah, I did." Was Jenna actually looking a little jealous? The thought made Nessa happy. It meant Jenna was becoming aware of things that she wanted. "And I saw her memories. She really has had a crush on you for years."

"Really? I mean, Nigel said something --"

"Really. And the first thing I'm going to ask you to do when this is all over is to let her take you out, assuming that you're interested in her. Which, from your expression, I can see you are. And I do NOT want you worrying about me being jealous. I am A), not into monogamy and, B), want you to be happy. So can you do that for me?"

Jenna nodded. "I think I can manage."

"Excellent." Nessa climbed into the coffin, then pushed a pillow aside to reveal a control panel. She punched in a command, then the roof, or a coffin-shaped section of it, began to descend towards them. "Once it's down, it won't open again until the sun rises. A new vampire can only be reborn in total darkness. There's plenty of air to do what needs to be done."

"Which is?"

Nessa smiled and wrapped her naked form around Jenna, pulling the woman close. Jenna was too cold and pale, and Nessa found herself praying to gods and goddesses long since forgotten by mortals to help her friend make it through the day. Finally, the lid of the coffin sank into place, and all was dark and still.

"Are you ready?" she asked.

"I'm ready," came the choked response.

Nessa let her lips work their way across Jenna's face, pausing at her friend's mouth, kissing sweetly. All of this was done by touch and memory, since even Nessa's vampiric sight did not work in total darkness. This did not stop her from finding the sweet spot on the neck. Her fangs extended, penetrating the skin and seeking the blood buried below.

Jenna gasped. Nessa could feel and taste her new dark child's desires. Safety. Friendship. Peace. Love. The Nightwalker's breathing became more rapid, then Jenna climaxed. Her breathing eased. Her breathing stopped. Her heart beat a few more times, then it too went silent, and Jenna's mind succumbed to a darkness so deep and soft that it had no likeness in the mortal world. As the first light of day hit the building above them, Jenna Owens died.

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To be continued . . .