Song of the Forbidden

He sat in the audience as the show began, curious to watch the woman once more. Just like the first time he saw her, she dazzled him with her movements, twirling to the beat and moving her hips in a way that obviously showed this came naturally to her. Carmen's flowing curls worked like a shawl as she spun, adding to her glorious movements. Adrenaline billowed off of the woman, of which Phoenix could clearly scent.

The more Phoenix observed this woman dancing in the most magical way he'd ever seen, the more he realized he wanted to be with her for much longer than just some one-night stand. Everything about her intrigued him.

He was here, after all.

Carmen could have gone off running and screaming when she found out that he was a vampire, yet she took it in stride and even used it to her advantage. She certainly got off very well on his bites. No doubt it was some sort of fetish that she embraced. Not that he minded in the slightest, since he shared that for damn sure.

After a few hours of getting lost in the show, Phoenix observed the woman climb off of the stage and wipe some sweat from her forehead. She gave him a wide smile and took a seat at the table, yawning slightly. "Damn good thing you did your mumbo jumbo," Carmen commented regarding the magic he used to restore her.

Phoenix winked and gently pushed over a drink he'd bought for her just a few minutes before. Carmen took a few sips and nodded in approval, her chest heaving from the huge amount of effort she spent on stage. The vampire smiled brightly and commented, "As usual, you were lovely, Carmen. I only hope I'll be able to 'compete', per se, when we dance together again."

Carmen let out that wonderful laugh of hers and patted him on the shoulder, her grey eyes glimmering. "You'll be able to do that just fine, trust me," the woman reassured him with a wink. She let out a happy sigh and leaned back in her chair, enjoying the music for a few moments before peering at him. "Really, though. Thanks for not just running off after, well, you know," she told him, putting her hand over his and giving a very wide smile.

Phoenix dipped his head respectfully, running his nails through his hair and giving a tiny chuckle. "I am not that kind of person, Carmen. I've enjoyed my time with you. Would you want to join me in a club of different... sorts? Those like me bring their ah, 'lovers'. It might not be your scene. I figured I could suggest it anyway," the vampire muttered, giving a wink. He kept his voice decidedly low. Carmen considered his words and slowly nodded, a light grin playing on her lips.

"I'm guessing it's some extremely kinky stuff? Hell, why not? Though we should draw some lines. It's obvious what our relationship dynamic is. I'm a submissive, one that has the tongue of a snake if you cross me wrong. I'm fully aware I'd be the one with all the power if you intend on making this a true romantic relationship," Carmen replied, not even bothering to censor herself by any means. It was about time to define boundaries since clearly neither planned on going anywhere.

Delighted, Phoenix nodded, grinning to flash her some perfect teeth. Obviously, his fangs were retracted right now, something he could control very well in public. Despite his desire to emerge from the shadows, at the moment he needed to keep his 'condition' on the down low. "Perhaps I want to show you off to others like me, yes. I very much would love to claim you as mine. Er, romantically, not a 'you do everything I say with no discretion'," he chuckled sheepishly, causing Carmen to snort.

"Honey, I've looked into this stuff before. I'm a big girl and can handle it. Though if someone crosses me wrong, I'm not keeping my mouth shut. Got that?" she growled, her tone meaning business. Phoenix nodded, getting to his feet and holding out a hand to her.

"I expect nothing less, darling Carmen. I'm delighted you would like to join me. Show them the fire that I see in you," he commented, walking out of the exit of the club when she accepted her hand. "The others of my coven would be delighted to see our dance. I really do want to show them."

Carmen chuckled, leaning against Phoenix as they walked. "That so? We'll give them a show they won't forget. Coven, eh? Fancy. You all don't need to bite me like some ritual cult or something, right? I draw the line at you biting, anything more, I don't swing that way," she commented, glancing toward him with a joking tone.

Phoenix sneered and shook his head. "No, nothing like that. Though after we complete our dance number, I might be tempted to bite you. I haven't eaten today and you seem to not mind my feeding one bit."

Blush tinged Carmen's cheeks, and she shrugged. She practically glowed, what with the bright colors she always wore, radiant as a butterfly in the middle of the summer. Such a huge but wonderful contrast to the shadowy vibe that Phoenix gave off. How very ironic, considering his name.

"Perhaps I don't. Don't make promises you won't keep, though. I'd better feel those fangs on my neck at some point during the night," Carmen replied, flipping some of her curls and giving a flirtatious wink.

Chapter 9: Monster Mash

The couple wandered down the street for a while, chatting lightly with each other about various topics like the latest movie with excellent music embedded in its story. Eventually, they came upon an old red door with chipping paint on the side of an odd brick building. Carmen looked the place up and down, commenting, "Dang, you monsters sure know how to be spooky."

Phoenix, as usual, just had to laugh at the commentary. He led her through the door, wandering down a winding staircase. She didn't seem put off, and the vampire had to wonder if she'd been through this sort of thing before. He doubted it, honestly, based on her initial reaction to him. More than likely, she was putting a brave face on. His nostrils flared and sure enough, he could scent her fear rising through the air. He placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed it reassuringly.

As they descended the stairway, the steps shifted from rundown basement slabs to carpeted with velvet. Carmen took notice of this change and furrowed her brow.

The scent of alcohol and flowers pierced the air as they came upon a much fancier door. This one was wooden and painted black, carved with various symbols, the most prominent being a rose design with several vines and thorns entwined around what looked like sharp pikes.

Phoenix placed his hand in the center, causing it to glow for a few moments before he pushed it open. The couple entered the club, and the atmosphere was definitely different from the wonderfully flashy colors of the one where they'd originally met. First, this one had black walls and carpeting. The lights were much dimmer, and red mist billowed through the place, likely for effect. It reminded Carmen of some sort of Halloween setup, but she had a feeling it always looked like this. These were vampires, after all.

Indeed, the people here wore clothing like Phoenix, and Carmen stuck out like a sore thumb. Not that she cared. Despite her fear, she strolled on in confidently while holding onto Phoenix's arm, even as all eyes turned toward them. Most people here had glowing red eyes and were holding glasses full of red liquid in some clawed hands.

Carmen took notice of a female vampire, obvious by how she smirked to reveal fangs, as she ran her hand down the bare chest of a man in her lap. He had on a spiked collar and his eyes were closed. Bite marks dotted his flesh from his neck to his abs, and he appeared to be in a state of ecstasy. The woman stroking his chest, however, looked up and gave Carmen a wink.

Carmen glanced back toward Phoenix curiously, who seemed unphased by this. Similar scenes and couples filled the place, and in fact, it looked almost as if some were going to start fucking right out in the open with no care for onlookers. This was made clear by how one vampire was sharing a deep kiss with a human, running a hand all over her body and teasing the idea of taking off her clothing here and now.

Carmen didn't mind any of this, though was intrigued. Phoenix passed by some groups and greeted them. She noticed how some of them tensed up and spoke to him as if he had more power than he let on. Hm, was he the leader of this place or something? When that business concluded, the vampire guided her to the stage. He turned to his comrades and grabbed a microphone.

"Rosethorn Coven, I am pleased to introduce you to Carmen. She is an amazing dancer. This is how we met. I'd been hunting in a humans' club. I stopped to observe, and got lost in her movements. Now, you will experience such wonder with me," he purred into it, placing it down and stepping back. Carmen raised an eyebrow, not knowing he'd been hunting at the time. Well, she felt a bit honored that he'd put off eating to dance with her. He must have really been attracted to her.

The vampires in the area cheered. Well, all but one. Carmen had the eyes of a hawk and right now was no exception. She caught the sight of a male vampire with long black hair glaring from Phoenix to her. His red eyes were hungry, and when he met her gaze, he bared his fangs in a dangerous grin. Carmen, being, well, Carmen, sneered back, tilting her head in a challenging manner as if to say, 'The hell are you looking at?!' He was taken aback and turned his glare to Phoenix, no doubt with a slight bit of malice.

At the moment, however, Phoenix wasn't paying attention. Behind them some electro swing played, this time Empire. Carmen couldn't resist, of course; she stepped forward and moved her body to the flow of the music.

Step right, step left, spin, leap, land, repeat!

She grinned, feeling as free as a bird flying through the air. All eyes were on her as she danced expertly, alone at first. Phoenix stepped back to marvel at her performance. He'd join eventually as well.

Carmen soared across the stage, enchanting the entire underground club with her movements in perfect sync with the music. Just like Phoenix, they were entranced by the beauty of the way her body moved.

Chapter 10: Put Him in his Place

It was at that point that Phoenix joined Carmen in the dance, spinning along with her in harmony and connecting oh so well. Both of them displayed an amazing performance, what with their amazing flexibility.

Through the night they danced in time to the music, and by the time they finished, they were tired but happy. The coven clapped as if it was the best performance they'd ever seen, because perhaps it was.

Carmen found herself in Phoenix's arms, dipped down with her neck arched in a finale. Phoenix leaned down and licked along the vein, sending shivers through her spine before finally extending his fangs and gently sinking them into her flesh.

The crowd grew louder as he fed upon her, holding her there and gorging on her blood. While he held her with one arm, he had a hand free, which he used to slip under her shirt and stroke at her body. The act was quite luxurious, and Carmen couldn't help but moan.

The show now over, the couple made their way offstage and to a table. A few coven members flocked on over, congratulating them for such a wonderful display. All but one, of course--the male vampire who had given both Carmen and Phoenix a withering look stopped by after the others, looming over the two. Phoenix didn't seem disturbed in the slightest, and in fact, just gave him a coy grin.

"Greetings Theseus. To what do I owe the pleasure?" he purred, pulling Carmen closer to him. The woman wasn't shy at all. In fact, she just climbed upon his lap, resting an arm over his shoulder and leaning into his chest. She peered at the rather aggressive vampire and rolled her eyes as if to dismiss him. Theseus let out a low growl at her disrespectful gesture and stared back at the coven leader.

"I understand those lesser vampires having human pets. But you, Phoenix? I thought you were better," Theseus hissed, leaning into his face. "You'd better ensure her pretty little neck doesn't fall into the fangs of another."

For a moment, Phoenix's eyes flashed darkly, but his smile didn't fade. He turned to Carmen and gave her a kiss on the cheek, gently lifting her away from him, turning to place her on the chair. He leaned to whisper into her ear, "Give me one moment."

Then, without warning, he turned to Theseus and lunged at him, lashing out with his claws and slicing him across the cheek. Blood poured from the male vampire's face as he stepped back, hissing in shock. Phoenix grinned but didn't stop there. He tackled Theseus to the ground and slammed him against it again and again, lunging for his neck and sinking his fangs in. Without warning, he ripped out a chunk of his throat, stopping before he did too much damage. Then he rolled off of him, standing up and brushing himself off.

The rest of the coven looked on as though they were a pack of wolves ready to tear someone apart. They trained their hungered stares on Theseus as if wanting the orders to end him. Seeing this, Phoenix shook his head. "No, no. I am all for lessons being learned."

He held out his hand to Theseus, who only stared at it. Phoenix narrowed his now glowing red eyes and lunged down to grab the other vampire by the throat, hoisting him up and getting him to his feet. "Now then. Let me make it clear. I do not accept a threat to someone I hold dear. This is merely a warning. Cross me again, and it will result in death," Phoenix said smoothly.

With that, he returned to Carmen, watching as she stood up without a word and offered him his seat. When he sat, she returned to his lap, unable to hide the biggest smirk on her face. Theseus, meanwhile, shuffled back and away from Phoenix, retreating to the shadows with a theoretical tail between his legs.

Good.

"That was pretty fucking violent," Carmen commented, giving the slightest of shivers. "You vampires don't mess around with shit, eh? Well, I guess I shouldn't be surprised, what with how rough you were during sex." She winked, causing blush to tinge Phoenix's cheek. Terrifying beast of the night or not, he could fully be flustered, just like everyone else.

"I hope I didn't disturb you too much. But humans love romanticizing my kind. While you got the better end of the stick, not all are so lucky. Battles between our own kind are frequent, after all. Many see humans as just livestock, something I laugh at. The high-and-mighty attitude doesn't sit well with me," Phoenix told her, pinching her cheek gently.

Carmen chuckled and gave a shrug. "Like I said, I expected some violence. What was that guy's deal, anyway?" she asked curiously.

"Theseus has always been a thorn in my side. He feels I am too merciful to rule, and that the humans 'owned' by our coven are far too free," Phoenix explained, leaving out the fact that he also wanted Phoenix's top seat on the council.

"Why don't you just, well, kill him? Clearly, your laws are different. Unless you'd be tossed in jail for murder. But I feel like that doesn't matter much to your lot," Carmen muttered.

"Mmm, complexities, dear. I follow protocol when I can, and simply executing him is not ideal. I would have to go through a trial, and a threat to a human, in the eyes of most, isn't worth one. While I very well could dispose of him with little immediate consequence, some vampires would question my cruelty. I could put them down too, but I would rather like to avoid too much bloodshed in my coven if I could. Some favor Theseus, gods know why," Phoenix replied. "Let's not worry about that now, however. The night is young."

Carmen accepted that answer. For now, of course. She found herself lost in a deep kiss with the vampire, exploring his mouth as he indulged in feeling up her body. They had no care in the world that there were onlookers. At the moment, they were just content in being lost in each other.

End