Pray or Prey (closed)

[a_libertine]

Torsten snorted, saying, "Vampires all so arrogant? It took me less than a day to find you. I plan to be more difficult for my replacement to find."

They walked through the park and Torsten could feel her desire to ask. Occasionally, Torsten stopped and fed occasionally. For most of the evening for every one that Torsten managed to not kill, two did die. It was around 1:00 in the morning when the hunger finally abated.

Turning to Vanessa, he stepped up to her and said matter of factly, "The only reason you are alive is I wanted to see you. You are incredibly beautiful. My replacement, when they figure out I am dead, will not likely pay you the same honor."

Torsten looked down at himself and muttered "I need to change clothes." Pursing his lips, he looked at Vanessa and asked, "Where will you stay if your shed is compromised?"

 

[CharChar123]

Vanessa snorted back at her Hunter. "Do you not recognise the arrogance in your own voice? What you will soon learn, is that we are proud creatures. We do not run or hide or disguise. It is a great shame to do so."

She paused, as he fed, still making a mess all over his clothes. When he was done he returned to Vanessa, as she continued, "And don't think that human Hunters are so supreme. I could smell you, all over my land. I knew you sought to destroy me. And still, I didn't follow your scent out to kill you there and then. I wanted you to find me."

Vanessa frowned at her own words. She should have killed him straight away, or tried to avoid confrontation. But the past was the past, and she could do nothing to change it. As they walked in silence, Vanessa wanted to ask Torsten why he didn't kill her straight away either. But she held her tongue.

And then he turned to her, and though he said many words the only once she really understood were "You are incredibly beautiful." Vanessa's chest ached- almost as if if her heart was still beating it would've flipped.

They walked some more, and Torsten asked Vanessa where she would stay if her shack was not there. "I would stay with Maggie," she started, "but she is grieving because you killed Gersten, her mate for almost one thousand years. It just would not do for her to kill you."

Moving areas meant changing territories for vampires. It is a long process, involving surveying the area to check if it was already taken. She knew of some land in Stanberg, south of Munich, that had been unclaimed for years. She would have to go there.

As her mind distracted herself with claims and territory, part of her consciousness mulled over his words. He thought her incredibly beautiful, and to Vanessa beauty was an important thing. She looked to Torsten, and couldn't help blurting out.

"You are very beautiful too; I should have killed you while you slept today. I should have pushed you out into the sun but," she turned to Torsten, her hands flying to touch his face, "this face, your face, it had me mesmerized. I couldn't stop staring at you, not even to kill you."

She sighed, and leaned up and in as if to kiss him, but instead she licked around his mouth, tasting the blood that had dried there. His face was soft, she liked how it felt in her hands. She could lean in further and kiss him-- and with that thought she hurtled herself backwards, shaking her head rapidly.

This was not right.

She should not have feelings for him. She should be plotting his death, stabbing his chest, not feeling his face and admiring his beauty. What would any other vampire have done? Killed him, for sure. If another vampire had passed by at that moment, both of them would be worthy of death.

She pointed a scared finger at the Hunter. "You... What have you done to me?"

 

[a_libertine]

Vanessa leaned in and was about to kiss Torsten when she turned her head slightly and licked some of the blood off of his face. He strong cat like tongue cleaning his pores clearing some of the blood off of him.

Then she suddenly flew back from him, screeching, "You... What have you done to me?"

Torsten stood in utter shock and stared at her. "Me?!" The incredulous look on his face was mirrored in her eyes. "You are kidding right? You are the one that killed me, you know. Made me into this...this...this damnable creature in the sight of God."

Torsten turned to leave and pulled up short, his head cantered toward heaven, he screamed, voice full of despair, "What now do I do, Heavenly Father?"

 

[CharChar123]

Vanessa had been the perfect vampire: she'd been eager to feed, she had killed her share of Hunters, she made many acquaintances over the last two or three millennia, she'd helped vampires exact revenge on other vampires purely for sport. She had been perfect. But now, because of the Hunter, she was not.

She needed distance, she needed to claim territory. New territory. And she needed to leave Torsten behind. Over time, she told herself, she would forget about him.

Seeing him turn to to leave, she did the same, and was about to begin her run when she heard him call to God. She knew from experience that he would get no answer, ever, and that was a lesson he needed to learn sooner rather than later.

"He will not answer," she said softly. She knew that despite his distance he would hear her easily.

"It was two thousand years ago. I was but seven or eight centuries old, possibly older- I do not remember time exactly. But I was foolish and impulsive. I was Jewish before my turning, and through the night I had heard talk of the Messiah - he was born, he was here!" Vanessa could feel her eyes sting- the familliar pain of unshed tears.

"On one night, I was in the Gardens. I saw about a dozen men, sleeping in praying positions, as if they had dosed off. I was not aware of the other man who was not too far away until the scent of his blood hit me. I ran to it, to the man, and saw he was sweating blood. I had enough restraint and did not make to kill him, and then he looked up at me."

Vanessa could see this scene vividly in her mind's eye. She had never spoken about this, about when she met Jesus, until now.

"I could see it in his eyes, his power, his faith, and yet still I could not move from the spot where I stood. I could only croak out: "Messiah," He gave me a curt nod, and then he saw me. Really saw me. And his face hardened to stone. He glared at me, a look so cold that although it didn't kill, I wished it could. It made me feel so dirty and impure, I wished I had never been born, never been Turned, never come to these Gardens."

Vanessa paused, regaining her calm. "And then he said to me, "It is you and your kind that force me to bear this awful cup. Depart from me," and so I did. I fled, ran and ran and ran, and swam, until I found myself in France. And I cursed the centuries I spent believing that God would hear me, or even love me."

And with that, Vanessa ran.


The land Vanessa wanted to claim in Stanberg was claimed. It was taken by a newborn, a boy who looked only thirteen and had only been a vampire for a day or two. It was easy for Vanessa to convince Rodrik that she would be a good mentor for him, and in her mind Vanessa knew that if keeping the boy became too tedious, she could easily kill him.

She asked where he stayed at day, and he eagerly showed her his hideout. It was a house, an empty one, boarded up apart from one window on the ground floor. She and Rodrik could easily slip through the glass-less pane and inside was quite warm. There were beds in a far room, and they were comfortable.

As the sun rose, Vanessa rested in comfort, but not before wondering how Torsten would have fared with the owner of the land he had fed from.

 

[a_libertine]

Torsten turned to Vanessa only to see her retreating tail end. With a groan of frustration headed in the opposite direction. He got no more than a handful of steps when he stopped and looked at a woman staring at him.

"Who do you think you are?" She said.

Torsten glanced at her and muttered, "Does it matter?"

Fine blonde hair framed what would have been an angelic face in another time and place, but here it was round and thin, blood trailing from the corners of her plush lips. "Why yes it does, I don't remember giving you permission to feed off of my herd, much less kill any of them."

A look of confusion belied the calm that Torsten was trying to demonstrate as he said, "My apologies, I was unaware that anyone controlled this area."

With a sultry gait, she walked up and stood before Torsten looking up into his eyes. "You owe me, what is your name?"

Her faint blue eyes fairly glowed as he looked down at her, "Torsten, and you are?"

With a predatory smile she replied, "Gabby."

Gabby ran her hand across Torsten's arm lightly and cooed "You are fresh aren't you?"

"Fresh?"

"How long have you been a vampire? A week? Maybe two?"

A sardonic laugh escaped Torsten as he replied, "Something like that."

"You poor thing, do you even have a place of your own?" Gabby asked, her face for all appearances innocent.

Torsten looked at her and replied, "No, not on a permanent basis at least."

"Well, you are certainly a mess." Gabby turned to leave and looked back, "I'll collect on what you owe me later, be prepared." Like a dart, Gabby took off, leaving Torsten watching after her.

Torsten wandered around Munich for the rest of the night. With the approaching dawn, he began looking in earnest for someplace to stay the day. Flipping out his phone, he thought of all the people he could call, and realized most of them would now want to kill him. Taking the battery out he through it in a trash can, and the phone itself into a storm drain.

Forcing his way into an apartment building Torsten looked at the mailboxes and found an empty apartment. Going up to it he let himself in, found a closet and hid from the sun.

 

[CharChar123]

Vanessa arose, having just felt the sun disappear from the sky. She felt revived, but felt somehow as if something was not right. She couldn't shake the feeling, and while other people or vampires would ignore it Vanessa couldn't.

She also felt thirst. It was a deep and beckoning thirst.

"Rodrik? I'm leaving." she called, and as she thought the child sprang up and flocked to her. He was all but drooling at her feet.

"When did you last feed?" she asked him.

"A couple days ago." he replied, muttering. Vanessa was intuitive. She knew that he hadn't fed since that first night when he had turned. Because he was afraid.

"You're coming with me, to hunt." she stated, watching his eyes glow up and his mouth break into a radiant smile. Vanessa's mothering instinct made her want to care for the boy.

After climbing out of the window and walking around for a few minutes, Vanessa smelt a human female coming her way. Thinking of Rodrik, she overpowered the human and quickly snapped her neck. She then handed the body to her little accomplice.

"Quickly, while she's still warm." Once the boy began to feed she realised that he was glad she killed the human before handing her over. The thought of seeing a child do a pleasure-feed was quite repulsive. "You owe me."

"No, I owe you," came a familliar voice from behind her. Coupled with her scent, recognition was easy. Vanessa turned around to face the sourcethe sound.

Maggie.

 

[a_libertine]

The sun set and Torsten slowly roused himself from his 'sleep.' His body stiff, a stiffness that he never felt before and dissipated quickly, leaving him to wonder if he entered a state of rigor mortis during the day. Going to the restroom more of habit than need, Torsten saw himself in the mirror and was repulsed by what he saw, a man covered in blood stained clothing.

"No not a man" Torsten reminded himself quietly.

Taking stock of his situation, Torsten realized that he was in less than an ideal situation but it could be worse. The fees paid to him for slaying vampires went from one numbered account in Switzerland to more than a dozen accounts world wide.

Now it was a matter of time of accepting what he was today, or tonight, and moving on. The will of God was to be obeyed, regardless the wishes of His servants. If He wanted a vampire servant, then He shall have one.

A hunger began to arise in Torsten, nothing like last night's but one all the same. He stood in the empty apartment and listened to the sounds of the building. Most of the other apartments had occupants and Torsten focused on listening trying to figure out which apartment to go to. Eventually he settled on one upstairs from where he was, a couple, no kids.

Leaving the apartment he went upstairs and knocked on the door. In response to the male's voice asking who was there Torsten said, "Excuse me, I live down stairs and ran out of milk, would you have some I could borrow?"

The door opened and the man's smile evaporated as he saw Torsten's face and the blood covering it. Torsten reached in and grabbed the man's throat before the door could close and lifted him off the ground. The woman opened her mouth about to left fly with a mighty scream; Torsten said, "Don't."

Her mouth clamped shut immediately sound bitten off.

They were a young couple in their early twenties at the oldest, she was short, around five feet tall and the man closer to six feet. Their faces were guarded her eyes on Torsten's hand wrapped around her husband's throat. The man's eyes were roaming the room, desperately looking for a weapon to use, or a means to escape.

Torsten looked at the woman, pointed to a chair, and said, "Sit there and don't move."

Dropping the man onto the couch, Torsten said, "I am not here to harm either of you, I need a change of clothes and a shower. If you help me, no one gets hurt. Understood?"

Seeing both of them nodd their understanding Torsten went to the phone and ripped it from the wall. "Cell phones? Where are they?" he asked.

The woman pointed and Torsten followed her finger to a spot in the kitchen where two phone lay on the counter chargers plugged in. Taking the phones he ran water in the sink and was about to drop them in when he heard the man moving fast, and toward Torsten.

Torsten almost laughed as he saw the man was carrying a walking stick and held it over his head like an axe to chop Torsten. The man swung and Torsten stepped easily to the side and thrust his hands out lifting the man off his feet and slamming him down onto the floor. Dropping to his knees Torsten was lowering his head to drink from his victim when a knife sliced into his arm.

Turning he saw the petite little woman standing their holding a butcher's cleaver, her hands trembling. Back handing her, Torsten sent her flying and landing in a crumbled heap.

Torsten turned his attention back to the man, and sank his teeth deep into him, drinking his life's blood, until he could feel his heart fluttering, straining at the lack of blood in his vessels. Torsten stopped at that point his thirst slackened and turned to the woman.

 

[CharChar123]

Vanessa looked from the feeding child to Maggie. "Why Turn the child, Maggie? Surely your grief has not evoked insanity?" Vanessa frowned at her friend; this was not an unimportant matter.

"You underestimate me so quickly, friend." Maggie laughed. "All will come together soon. I have my reasons." Maggie leaned down to pet Rodrik's hair. "I will exact my perfect revenge,"

Vanessa narrowed her eyes. She hated to feel out of the loop of things. "I don't quite follow. Care to explain?"

"Vanessa, Vanessa, Vanessa," Maggie tutted. "The scent of that pathetic Hunter was all over the boy."

"Torsten?" Vanessa whispered.

"You know his name?" Maggie regarded Vanessa.

"No, no, I... I heard around," Vanessa stuttered. Luckily, Maggie was too engrossed in her supposed master plan to notice her slip-up.

"Well, this darling young boy here," Maggie smiled a predatory smile at Vanessa, "is somehow related to Torsten. Most probably an apprentice."

Vanessa frowned again. Why would Maggie Turn the boy? Unless she wanted to lure him here... "A trap?" Vanessa guessed.

"Indeed! You are quite a mess tonight." Maggie answered. "You're usually quicker than this. I intend to draw that foolish human here, so that I can kill him." But not before letting him watch his young apprentice die, she mouthed silently, so that Rodrik would not hear.

"Why must you do this, Maggie?" Vanessa asked.

"A life for a life! You know the law!" Maggie snarled. "And this boy is that human's life!"

He's not human! Vanessa wanted to scream. I Turned him! But she held her tongue. Maggie would turn on her if she told her that she let him live. That she let many oppurtunities to kill him pass.

Hopefully Torsten would not be drawn to his kin. He wouldn't be drawn to the boy's scent because Maggie had Turned him. There would be no reason for Torsten to come here. All would be well.

"Be calm, Maggie. I am not against you," Vanessa murmured.

 

[a_libertine]

Torsten stood and walked to the petite woman. Stooping down he took her wrist up in his hand and felt her pulse. It was strong and stable.

Picking her up easily Torsten carried her into the bathroom and laid her on the floor. Turning on the water to the shower, Torsten stripped and stepped into the tub.

The hot water pelted his skin sluicing away blood and muck. Watching the brownish red sluice swirl around the drain before disappearing from sight, Torsten thought of all the things he had to accomplish that night. One of which was finding a secure place to spend the day.

Hearing the woman moan, Torsten said, "Stay put. No, instead come here and clean me."

"I-I-I am afraid," the woman stammered.

"If you obey me there is nothing to be afraid of." Torsten replied tersely.

The woman nodded, stripped down to bra and panties, then stepped into the shower with Torsten. Taking up a loofah spounge she poured soap over it, then started scrubbing Torsten gently. Starting at his face she scoured away the deeply embedded blood and grime from the last couple days. As the soap cleared away from his face Torsten could hear the change in her heart's beat. Before it was frantic and beating like a runaway trail car's wheels would. Now it was fast but more orderly.

Not sure what to make of it Torsten closed his eyes and leaned against the wall of the shower area, whispering, "Continue." His mind turned to the BITCH of the first order.

Vanessa.

How he longed for it to be her hands, scrubbing the blood from his chest; how he longed for her hand to be wrapped around his waist, seeking support and comfort from him.

Torsten's mind roamed, he could hear the feeble, semi-regular heart beat of the man in the other room. The short pants of breath of the woman cleaning him rolling across his hypersensitive skin. Some distance away he could hear the frantic coupling of a young couple and was startled to realize they both were men.

Farther and farther Torsten's mind roamed, and he could almost hear Vanessa's voice. The woman was now cleaning his cock, stroking firmly, both hands wrapped around him; in his mind, Vanessa was cooing at him, or at his cock.

As the head of his cock entered the woman's mouth, Torsten moaned, "Vanessa."

 

[CharChar123]

Vanessa was never the optimist. She always saw the glass half empty, always saw the bad in people. At this precise moment, she was thinking of how irrational Maggie could be, how bipolar she acted, how bloodthirsty she was and always had been. But with the situation as it was now, Vanessa had to force herself to think positively. She couldn't let the thought that Torsten would follow Rodrik here, to his death.

Why did the thought of Torsten's death worry her? She didn't want any harm coming to him. She wanted to cradle him in her arms like she had the night before. She wanted to feel his skin against hers again, like she had when she had fed from him.

With distance and time, their blood bond was weakening. Perhaps they shared no connection already. He could be dead for all she knew. The vampire that owned that area he fed from could've killed him. Easily in fact.

A small moan of anguish escaped from her lips.

"Vanessa? What's up?" Rodrik. The boy. She groaned. The only affection she wanted was from Torsten.

"I'm just thirsty, that's all." It was partially true, too. She stood up straight and rolled her neck round. A human would pass by soon. She would feed. And hopefully get her mind off of Torsten.

Sure enough, perhaps a few minutes later, a human male came their way. Maggie made to approach him, but Vanessa snarled at her. "Mine," she hissed.

She ran to him, making sure she slowed down before he saw her. She walked slowly toward him. He was young, twenty perhaps. She embraced him, letting herself indulge in his groan of surprise.

"I've been waiting for you," she smiled, leaning in to kiss him. He kissed back without protest. She found herself comparing it to the soft kiss Torsten had given her. It couldn't compare. This kiss was nice, but it wasn't as satisfying as Torsten's.

She soon grew bored of him, and so she tilted his head to the side and bit. When his blood hit her tongue, she moaned; he was delicious. She had forgotten how thirsty she really was. She let his hand hold her- she craved physical attention. His hands tightened as he came, shuddering and gabbling like the pathetic human he was.

She longed for Torsten.

Those were her thoughts as she let the human's body fall to the ground. She longed for Torsten's body, his voice, his beautiful face. Part of her wished he would come to Stanberg. Not for Rodrik, but for her.

"Torsten," she whispered into the nighttime air.

 

[a_libertine]

"Andrea" the woman whispered, her mouth filled with Torsten's hard cock. Opening his eyes he looked down and saw the petite blonde sucking on him.

Torsten's hands reached down, twining into the woman's hair, his hips firing forward. Visions of Vanessa filled Torsten's mind as he fucked Andrea's throat. "Wider, open wider" Torsten groaned out.

Andrea opened her mouth wider, her tongue lashing the underside of his cock. Moving one hand under his scrotum, Andrea pulled on it.

"Yes" Torsten moaned.

Power flowed from Torsten, power he did not fully understand, but power that shaped and changed Andrea's will, slowly her thoughts became concerned only for Torsten's pelasure.

Torsten's body tensed, a pale reflection of the pleasures derived from Vanessa, whose name was on his lips as he came, filling Andrea's mouth with his blood tainted seed. "Drink, swallow" Torsten commanded, unsure where the knowledge came from to make her do so.

Andrea swallowed, drinking Torsten in, sealing her subservience in blood. As the last of his seed trickled from him, Andrea laid down at Torsten's feet, whimpering "Thank you."

"Find me an outfit that will fit me, I have to go." Torsten said.

Leaping to her feet, a gleeful look in her eyes, Andrea left the bathroom to comply.

 

[CharChar123]

For a minute, Vanessa just stood there. Torsten's name hung in the air, a mist swirling around her. She frowned at herself, at the fact that she was allowing herself to wallow around like a love-sick puppy.

Vanessa was above that.

She walked back to Maggie and Rodrik, feeling in a better mood having just fed. Maggie was pacing up and down, frustrated at something. Perhaps the fact that Torsten hadn't arrived yet. And he never would.

"Maybe you shouldn't have Turned the boy. You might have taken things a step too far--" Vanessa said.

"Quiet! I did what was necessary. You would have done the same, Vanessa. You would want him dead, even if he didn't kill your mate." Maggie retorted.

"Must be that time of the month," Vanessa muttered. Rodrik laughed, his voice sounding more childish and vulnerable through his joy.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Maggie hissed, clearly not in the mood to appreciate comedy.

"Relax. I made a joke." Vanessa said, her quiet laughter trailing off into silence.

"Well I certainly do not find you amusing." Maggie watched Vanessa intently for a few long moments. "There is something off about you tonight. You are hiding something from me."

Vanessa's face betrayed her for a split second before she smoothed out her features. "Surely you jest. Why would I hide anything from you?"

Maggie was not fooled in the least. "What is it, Vanessa?"

Vanessa stammered. "I, I said nothing."

"What is it, Vanessa?"

"Nothing." Vanessa snarled, baring her teeth. A threat. Her body language screamed, do not ask again.

"I will find out soon enough,Jude," Maggie spat.

Vanessa seethed. Though, she held her tongue again. Maggie was not the best person to have as an enemy. Once she regained her calm, she spoke.

"We shall see, witwe."

 

[a_libertine]

Torsten took the running outfit that Andrea brought to him and put it on. The unabashed look of love and willingness in her eyes took him by surprise. He watched her face as he moved about. There was an almost childlike wonder in her eyes as she drank in his every move.

After dressing in the too small outfit, Torsten went over to the cell phones he was going to destroy and took the phone that appeared to belong to Rudolf, who had not moved from where had been left on the floor. Turning back to Andrea, he said, "Take care of Rudolf," and then left the apartment.

Years ago when Torsten had set up the safe house on the outskirts of Munich he felt ashamed that he had done so with out the order's knowledge or permission. As he ran there now, Torsten was ecstatic that he had. Letting himself in, Torsten stripped off the running suit and donned black pants and a grey turtle neck. Putting his shoes on Vanessa appeared in his mind again.

A longing that he could not explain over came Torsten. He stood and tried to get in tune with himself, trying to figure out these new emotions, especially the lustiness that was completely alien to him.

Grabbing some essentials, wallet, money, etc, Torsten left and began to wander and soon discovered when he headed south east he felt better. Running faster and faster, Torsten ran along the line that was bringing him relief and in moments he saw her, Vanessa.

So focused on her, he did not see the two others that were standing with her. His voice carried a longing, a hunger, a happiness no other could possibly have felt as he said the one word that brought him joy, "Vanessa."

 

[CharChar123]

Maggie glared at Vanessa, but Vanessa refused to back down. Shifting gaze was a sign of defeat, a weakness. They held each other's gaze for several minutes, neither of them faltering.

Of course, calling Maggie a widow was a below the belt blow, but so was bringing up Vanessa's old faith was too. Nothing could make Vanessa look away, even when a familliar scent loomed closer to her...

"Vanessa."

Maggie broke gaze before Vanessa did. She recognised the voice, his voice. "Torsten," she whispered, her delight showing through. Then the realization: he fell for the trap. "Torsten, no,"

His eyes widened at the scene before him, and Maggie turned back to Vanessa, furious.

"You. You Turned him?" she asked, shocked.

"Yes. I did." Vanessa said, mentally and physically preparing herself for a fight. Maggie twitched, trying to contain herself.

"You let him live?" she asked through gritted teeth.

"Is that not obvious?" Vanessa retorted, pride making her mouth spout forth the wrong words. Maggie snarled, lunging herself at Vanessa.

Vanessa cried out in pain as she hit the ground on her back. She had been prepared for the assault and it didn't hurt as much as it should've. Vanessa snarled back, throwing Maggie off of her. Before Vanessa could get up fully, she was knocked on the ground again. This time, Maggie had the upper hand- she clawed at Vanessa's skin, drawing blood. Vanessa leaned up, biting Maggie's arm, though she was still at a disadvantage.

"Torst--" she called, silenced by a hard blow to her jaw.

 

[a_libertine]

His mind screamed NO as he saw the other female vampire jump Vanessa. Moving quickly Torsten moved up beside the mass of vampire flesh battling on the ground. Rearing his right foot back, up near his ass cheek, Torsten slammed it into Maggie's ribs, the sickening sound of bone cracking evident to any that chose to listen.

Maggie's scream filled the air as she turned off of Vanessa and clutched at his feet. Dancing around out of her grasp, Torsten backed up and assumed a defensive posture.

Maggie bounded to her feet and charged Torsten, her claws clutching at him. In a maneuver similar to what he had done to Vanessa, Torsten grabbed her dress as she arrived and then rolled back, planting his feet into her stomach. With a mighty shove, Torsten straightened his legs, launching Maggie into the air. Rolling to his feet, Torsten followed and kicked Maggie in the ribs again as she landed.

Maggie rolled away from Torsten and was upon him almost before he could move. Her fangs bared, Maggie thrust her mouth at Torsten's neck, clear in her intent to drain him of blood again.

A panic overcame Torsten, a primal fear that he didn't understand, or have time to concentrate on and try to work through. Grabbing her hair, Torsten yanked back hard, pulling her back from his neck.

Baring his own fangs, Torsten moved in on Maggie's neck, only to feel her hand grasp his hair and yank him back. In a blurring circle they danced the first to falter, the first to die. Maggie was pulling his head so far back that Torsten was surprised that his neck didn't snap.

From the corner of his eye as his fledgling strength began to fail him, Torsten saw a blur of movement and could only hope it was Vanessa.

 

[CharChar123]

Vanessa wiped the blood from her arm onto her clothing once the weight was off of her. She forgot for a moment about Torsten- it was he who took Maggie off of her body. She jumped to her feet, only to see them rolling together on the ground.

For a second she felt a stab of another foreign emotion: jealousy. She envied Maggie, for the skin contact she shared with Torsten. The very contact she had longed for, Maggie was getting.

That second passed.

She saw the true danger of their rolling around. Their hands were the other's hair, pulling the other away from their exposed necks. Vanessa saw the quiver in Torsten's arms, he would soon falter.

She ran over to them, waiting for the right moment to jump in. Too early and she would ensure Torsten's death. Too late and well, Torsten would die. Waiting until Maggie was on top of Torsten, she lunged.

Vanessa aimed for her neck. Her teeth sank in, drawing blood into her mouth. Maggie thrashed- only consensual feeding was pleasurable between two vampires.

Vanessa used her elbow to batter Maggie's ribs further, rendering her weaker. She could sense the air shift around her. Rodrik was moving, she didn't know where to.

Soon Maggie was getting weak, and so Vanessa pulled her head away. It pained her to do this to a friend, but she was a threat to Torsten. She lifted Maggie's head, and with a quick movement, snapped her neck. She then continued to drink, draining her fully of blood.

Vanessa stood, wiping her mouth of Maggie's blood.

 

[a_libertine]

Torsten was pinned under Maggie as Vanessa clamped her teeth into the vampire trying so hard to kill him. Vanessa's teeth sank into Maggie, blood coursing through Maggie's veins, and into Vanessa. Their shifting weight freed Torsten and he slid out from under the two women, and saw Rodrick charging Vanessa, screaming "NOoooo!" at the top of his lungs.

Torsten shouted, "NO! STOP!" with a force and power he never imagined. The young vampire stood there, glaring at Torsten, fangs exposed. Torsten moved up and grabbed the young boy beast and lifted him high over his head.

Driving the boy downward, Torsten thrust his knee up, impacting the boys spine, the sound reverberating in the courtyard that they were in. Rodrick's scream of pain filled the air, and Torsten took the boys arm and thrust it across the boys face, cutting back the volume of the scream.

Working quickly Torsten pulled a branch off of a tree and knelt over the boy. "I remember you boy. You are Rodrick, right?"

Rodrick moved his arm from his face and nodded at Torsten. "I am sorry this has come to pass, child. I will kill you now, you should not spend eternity like this."

Before Rodrick could react, Torsten thrust the wood of the branch through the child's heart and turned to Vanessa.

In two great strides he closed the distance to Vanessa. Hands and eyes flew over her body, checking for wounds. Blood seeped slightly from claw marks on her shoulder, and Torsten leaned over and tenderly kissed the bloody scrapes. He licked across the wounds, clearing the blood out, his body tensing and reacting to the inadvertent sexuality of what he was doing.

His eyes widened in surprise as the wounds that he licked closed over, leaving no trace of the claw marks.

Turning his eyes to hers, Torsten saw the same unfamiliar tenderness that he felt for her, in Vanessa's eyes. She apparently was no more accustomed to what she was feeling than he was. In retrospect, Torsten thought that it had to be harder for her than he, she was after all more than two millennium old.

His hand snaked along her neck toward the back, a light feathery touch. Reaching the nape of her neck he twirled two strands of hair around his fingers and pulled gently, easy enough to resist if she chose to.

"Are you done running from that which you made?" He asked, voice carrying more emotion and pain than he expected.

 

[CharChar123]

Vanessa watched as Torsten walked towards him. In his eyes she could see many things, predominantly worry as his hands wandered over her body. His touch was light, inspecting. Surveying her body for damage.

He looked at her wounds and did not hesitate before kissing them, running his tongue over the open flesh. She shivered, her body was readying itself for procreation.

His hands snaked around her neck, slowly and softly. Giving her time to protest. She kept her eyes on his, trying to understand what feelings she was feeling at the moment.

There was lust, no doubt about that. Vanessa knew lust; they were allies. She felt possessive, like he was hers. She did not want to share him with anybody. She was familliar with territorial feelings too. She had claimed many a place and guarded them with her life. Those feelings were easy to deal with.

What was more difficult were the new feelings she had only encountered recently. Sympathy. Jealousy. Adoration. Those emotions felt alien running through her veins. But the more she had tried to shun them, or contain them, the more she felt them.

She felt a few locks of her hair get pulled. She stepped closer to him, their bodies close.

"Are you done running from that which you made?" he choked out. His eyes, pale and bright in their blueness, held pain, and sorrow.

"I didn't run. I never run," Vanessa whispered back, though she knew in her blackened soul that she was lying. She could only see Torsten now. There was no courtyard, there was no garden, there were no bodies on the ground. There wasn't even air. Nothing and nobody but Torsten existed.

"How can I run from what is a part of me? There is no place to go, no way of hiding." she said, pressing their bodies even closer.

She groaned in confusion, burying her face in Torsten's chest. She felt right with him, he was the only anchor in the raggedy storm that her life had become.

"I don't know what this is," she murmured.

 

[a_libertine]

Torsten was about to call Vanessa a liar when the rest of her explanation held his tongue. Her head buried in his chest, a shudder running through her body, and Torsten wrapped his arms around her, crushing her body to his. His hardness pressed against her stomach, and his.

Somehow this felt more right than it should. Lifting her chin forcing her face up Torsten kissed Vanessa gently, his tongue probing her mouth tentatively, growing more forceful as she began kissing him back.

The bodies around them forgotten, Torsten picked Vanessa up and began carrying her. Always looking down into her eyes he walked, not saying anything. Nothing need be said by him, ignoring her inquiry as to where they were going, Torsten maintained his easy gait until he arrived at the one secret he ever kept from his order.

Setting Vanessa down in a living room that could only be described as spartan, Torsten said, "This is my house, we don't have much time to prepare for the coming sun."

 

[CharChar123]

Vanessa had craved Torsten's kiss. Anticipation made it impossibly greater, earth-shatteringly monumental. In that kiss, she gave herself to him, to the feelings and emotions that overwhelmed her.

When he carried her and began to walk, she felt oddly vulnerable. She always had been strong, a warrior of sorts. But, in Torsten's arms, she felt young again, like a lady, a woman. Despite her questions as to their destination, he remained silent.

When they arrived at a house Vanessa stared. It was a beautiful little place, neat and almost bare. Torsten sat her down on a chair as she looked up to him.

"Sunrise is in half an hour," she added to his statement. She didn't know why he had this place, or indeed how he had this place.

"You own this place?" she asked quietly.

 

[a_libertine]

Torsten nodded at Vanessa's question. "It was one of two secrets I had from the Order I served. The other was the account to which my fees eventually flowed."

Torsten reached down and caressed Vanessa's face tenderly. A tenderness that he never knew he could possess as a man, much less as a vampire. "Fortunately, the neighbors are use to me keeping odd hours and irregular visits home. So we should not provoke any secondary issues with them for the next couple of days.

The moment shattered when the cell phone Torsten had taken rang. Looking at the display he saw Andrea's face and answered it with, "Hello?"

"I took care of Rudolph like you asked me to." Andrea said, her voice nearly giddy. "You can come back any time now."

A moderately confused look crossed Torsten's face as he asked, "What do you mean you took care of him?"

"Well, sir, after you left I thought about what you meant by take care of him. Then I thought you meant to kill him so I could be yours alone."

Incredulously, Torsten asked, "You what?"

"I killed him," Andrea said flatly.

"How?"

Patiently, Andrea explained, "I drug him to the bathroom and ran a bath for him. He had this knot on his head from where you slammed him into the floor so I laid him in the bath and let him drown."

Torsten stifled a groan and asked, "Have you called the police yet?"

"Oh yes sir, they just left. They seemed completely satisfied with my answers to their questions."

"Did they ask about his cell phone?" Torsten asked.

"Oh, of course, I told them that we had lent it to a friend and then gave them the number." Andrea said. With a child like voice she asked, "I did good, didn't I?"

Torsten groaned and said, "Of course, I'll call you late tonight."

Hanging up the phone, Torsten took the battery out of it and looked at Vanessa, "Well, it seems we can enjoy the comforts of home only one day."

 

[CharChar123]

Vanessa smiled at Torsten. If they were able to stay in one place for a few days then maybe she could make sense of everything before they left. She was startled at the sound of a cell ringing. "You have a cell?" she whispered after he answered the call, but she was answered by a 'one minute' finger.

She listened to the conversation with growing disdain. When this 'Andrea' character said she was to be Torsten's alone, she growled.

When the call finally dropped, Vanessa was annoyed. "At what point did you let a human drink you?" she asked, through gritted teeth. "Did anyone ever tell you not to play with your food?"

She groaned. Intoxicated humans were… they were exactly that. Intoxicated by their love for their master. Or mistress. Vanessa had much experience with them, but in the end they were too volatile and dependent to keep alive anymore.

"You do realize you must kill her, right?" Vanessa narrowed her eyes at Torsten. After she said it she knew what she was feeling. Envy. She laughed once. Jealous of a human? Because of Torsten? What a strange night this was.

 

[a_libertine]

Torsten looked at Vanessa and cringed at the single bark of bitter laughter. Sitting down next to Vanessa, he arched his fingers together. He stared off into space some distance and then looked at Vanessa, asking "Obviously I don't know what I don't know, but I need you to help me to learn."

Popping up, Torsten walked across the room to stand at the window over looking the street and said, "She shouldn't have to die for what I have done."

 

[CharChar123]

Vanessa frowned at Torsten. "She will die. I swear it." she promised, feeling better once those words had been spoken. A sort of rush came from protecting Torsten. Or rather, protecting her relationship with Torsten.

"Keeping a human pet is tedious at best. She will want to occupy more and more of your time. She will put her life aside and devote it to you. She will intrude."

She stood, drawing the thick curtains over the windows. The sun would rise soon. She didn't want to be caught out by its burning rays.

"Torsten, you will soon learn these things about our life. Instinct is not always the best teacher," she said, sitting back down again.

 

[a_libertine]

It was Torsten's turn to snort out a single laugh. "Instinct is all I had when you left me." Torsten said, his voice heavy.

Torsten walked across the room and opened the door to the master bedroom and stepped inside. Grabbing a blanket from the closet he hung it over the window.

He then took a sheet and hung it between the posts closest to the window and said, "Bed's ready, I'll take the sun side."