When the Prey of Men find the Predator Within (translucentfeathers & xanaphia)

[translucentfeathers]

It was a calm night, the evening air had a sharp bite to it that would have left Blair's skin tingling if she would have been able to succumb to simple things like temperature still. She moved swiftly through the shadows, gloved fingers tucking a stray lock of dark hair behind her ear as she scanned her surroundings. There was a stone building ahead. It looked like it used to be a library or perhaps some sort of town hall before the world shattered. The earth was reclaiming the ground though, making it impossible to tell exactly what it had been. Vines and other growth crawled across the stone as if the world was trying to mask what once had been. The walls were crumbling, torn apart from war and struggles of the human resistance when her kind rose to power.

Dark amber eyes scanned the building, calculating the risks. There were no signs of life, but then again, those of the human race who still survived were still around for a reason. Mankind had become hard, their men cruel; they had a lust for blood and death that rivaled almost any vampire she had met within the covens. Her lip curled recalling the stories she had been told of what depths of evil and basic instinct their mortal race had sunk to. The cruelty and torture they inflicted upon not only her kind, her people, but what they subjected their own women to as well. And yet? They had the audacity and gall to label her a monster.

Blair let out a slow even breath, calming herself. She was allowing her attentions to stray and it was dangerous to lose focus so far from the sanctuary and shelter her home offered. She decided to risk searching out the building and the ruins surrounding it; the knot of hunger clenching in her gut, and the risk of falling into a rage of blood lust from lack of a proper meal made it seem worthwhile. It had been days since she had fed, and if she went much longer it could cause weakness which was something she couldn't afford to succumb to when traveling alone.

Easing herself from the tree line Blair kept silent as she swiftly made her way to a lower wall, scaling the crumbling structure with ease. Falling into a crouch on the other side she quickly moved out of the soft glow of the moonlight filtering through what was left of the roof. Silence. It was a good sign. With a cautious glance of her surroundings she moved through the shadows, eyes scanning the material decay littering the floor.

At one point this place must have been quite beautiful. She sent an appreciative glance over the few stone arched doorways that still stood. With a soft hum she continued, becoming more relaxed and assured with each step. She paused, filtering through the remains of large paintings, the pictures cracked and peeling, frames chipped and rusting. All she had were stories of what the past had been like, when humans were the dominant race before the vsmpire lords called the covens to rise up. The politics of it had never interested in her, neither had the plights of men. She had encountered enough fools on both sides to find fault with all arguments feigning logic and reason. Her own survival was all she fought for now along with the sister and brotherhood of her coven.

Something glinted when she passed, a stray beam of moonlight capturing a reflective surface as she passed. Pausing, Blair crouched, brushing away a rotten wooden frame to look into the glass of the cracked mirror that lay shattered on the floor. She ran nimble fingers across the cracked surface, frowning at the lack of a reflection. It was something she was used at this point but it was still an odd notion, not knowing what her own face looked like except through the mouths of others. With a gentle sigh she recovered the mirror, straightening to continue on through the halls in search of a meal.

 

[Xanaphia]

Sierra was stirred from her rest, the sounds of someone making landing near her. She kept her breathing slow, measured. She couldn’t see anything, but that was to be expected, given the counter she had hidden herself in. She listened, focusing on the things happening outside of her, instead of her heart beating through her chest, the pounding of blood in her ears. The footsteps were soft, swift, and yet lingering. Just one, Sierra thought to herself, one is good. I can take down one. Unless it’s a scout, and there are a dozen waiting just outside. She felt herself shaking, pushing down the terror, gripping her shotgun close to her chest.

Just two days prior she wasn’t a shuddering, frightened mess. Sierra and her small group moved smoothly, surely, seeking some sanctuary among the tattered ruins of civilization that once was. Her group had been together for three months, since her and Varis rescued Ruby and Sarah from Talon’s clutches. The warlord was not happy to lose two of his broodmares, but the group had evaded his grasp, slipping into the wastelands to lose his trackers. The plan was effective in the short term, until a group of vampires came upon them.

Sierra had just avoided the fate of her three comrades, seeking a fresh water source while the trio broke their fast. She returned to find five bloodsuckers feasting on their bodies, tearing them limb from limb to devour their very essence. There was a moment of temptation, to throw herself at the fiends, loading her twelve gauge upon them. Taking as many down as she could with her until she succumbed to the same fate as her friends. She knew none of them would forgive her in the afterlife, if there was anything so cruel as an afterlife, if she got herself killed in some foolish revenge plan. So she hid, taking sanctuary in the abandoned library for the past two days.

In that time she had run out of food and water, and now she had run out of safe haven, as someone wandered just outside her hiding place. It was inevitable after all, that she would die here. What was one woman supposed to do alone, in the wastes, hiding from both the vampires that would rip her apart to feed, and the roving bands of men who would take her back to their compounds to rape her into madness. At this point her only choice was how she wanted to die: a swift, if painful, death as a meal to the bloodrinkers, or bred until her body could take no more. Or she could stay hidden, and succumb to thirst and hunger, which was bad enough. At the very least, she should check and see what manner of death awaited her on the other side of her cabinet.

Slender legs were on the other side, and immediately Sierra could tell it was a woman. A woman like her. Did she escape Talon’s clutches? Was she seeking some refuge from the wastes as well? For a brief, terrifying moment, Sierra dared to hope. She didn’t have to choose a manner of death this day. She could choose to live. She stalked out of her cubby hole, shotgun close to her chest, rust colored hair flowing loosely behind her. The woman turned towards her, catching Sierra’s breath in long forgotten desire. She was beautiful, long black hair covering half her face in a mysterious, alluring manner.

There was several moments of silence as the two women sized each other up. Trying to get a read on the other, determine who was the predator and who was the prey. The glow of her amber eyes made Sierra think that the odds were against her, as her common sense told this was not an escapee of the hands of men. No, the being staring her down, just fifteen feet away? This was a vampire. Of course it was.

Sierra unloaded two quick pumps of lead at the fiend, which would have torn through a human, but merely knocked her back. On her right shoulder were the silver filled shells, the only thing she had that could stop the blood drinker before her.

 

[translucentfeathers]

As she rounded a corner Blair froze, the sound of someone else approaching, coming towards, her had her swearing internally. It would have been too much to hope the place was truly abandoned and could have afforded her a place of rest. Tensing, her hands stayed at her sides, the fingertips of her right brushing over the small assortment of blades straped to her thigh. Perhaps she would be given the opportunity of a meal tonight, though the stale bitter blood of the men who scouted the land tended to turn her stomach and leave her unsatisfied. But it wasn't a man who rounded the corner, no. It was a woman, and Blair felt hersef falter for a moment, breath catching in her throat.

Blair's eyes remained trained on the human in front of her, the warm flush of her skin and the soft steady sound of her heart hammering and pumping living blood through veins was all the confirmation Blair needed to determine the other woman's race. The eyes gave her reason to pause, the other woman had a determined expression, one that said she wouldn't be easily taken or brought down. She could admire the fierceness in the other woman's eyes, the strength behind her stance. Blair began weighing her options when suddenly the shot gun was raised and two sharp rounds were fired off, throwing her back and forcing her to gasp in pain.

Blair fell into the momentum of the shots and when her body hit the rough floor she rolled into a crouch, eyes darkening when they found where her assailant stood. The wonderful thing about firearms was they ran out of ammunition eventually, where as her knives did not lose their sharp edge nearly as quick. There was a chance she had more rounds, but Blair would not be cowed into fleeing so quickly.

With a sharp flick of her wrist a blade went flying through the air, the sharp silver catching the glow of the moonlight. She waited until the knife caused the woman to become distracted and attempt to dodge the weapon before she followed it, rushing her and catching her off guard. There was a flurry of copper hair and limbs flailing when her body collided with the other woman and she pushed what was left of her strength into the blow, shoving her hard, a foot lashing out to curl around one of hers so she might lose her balance and fall.

The lack of a proper meal left her weaker than usual, and her gloved hands reached, fighting to wrestle away the gun from the woman. Blair knew if she failed to do so, if this human had more ammunition than her body could attempt to heal from due to the hunger, she wouldn't survive. It kicked up a fear in her, causing her to fight for control over the weapon, the situation. Blair would not submit or fall without putting forth every ounce of effort she had left in her.

 

[Xanaphia]

Sierra wasn’t able to reload in time, the blooddrinker before her sending a flurry of thrown blades in her direction. She tried to dodge, but one caught her face, just off to the right of her eye, shearing a few hairs on the side of her head. Faster than her eyes could follow, the vampire was upon, wresting her gun from Sierra’s death grip. Well, this fiend would soon learn that Sierra would have to be dead to relinquish her gun, since she knew she was good as dead without it.

The fiend wrestled with her, putting forth just as much effort to get the gun away as Sierra put into holding it. The vamp should have been muich stronger than her, it realy shouldn’t have been a contest. But Sierra was too willful, too stubborn to die so easily, and looking at the pale, gaunt features of the Vampire, she was weak, hungry. It was then Sierra had an idea.

Instead of pulling the gun away, Sierra pushed, letting all the effort the vampire was putting into taking the weapon backfire on her, so the two women fell, the vampire first and Sierra on top of her. The soft form of the woman beneath her made Sierra shudder, surprised that vampires could be described by such a word as soft, and surprised that it felt so good. Sierra had long come to terms with her sexuality, knowing that she could only ever enjoy sex with a woman, but never had a vampire tempted her lust before. Besides, it’s not like a vampire could ever see her in that light. Sierra was blood to this thing, and She would feed on her if given the chance, as surely as Sierra breathed.

She loaded a silver bullet into the chamber, looking down at the soft feminine features looking back up at her. The amber eyes that glowed and even sparkled, the raven hair that spilling along the ruined floor. The high cheek bones, the soft lips, the slender neck and shoulders. Kill her, part of her mind told, the logical part, the rational part, the part that was concerned with survival. And yet, she was no longer satisfied with mere survival. She survived for so long already. She wanted to live now. And more than that, the weakness this vampire demonstrated, the ease by which Sierra had taken her down, that told her that she was not one of the ones who had feasted on her friends just days prior. This woman was too weak to have eaten recently.

Kill her, her mind pleaded, bagged. She would kill you! Sierra’s hands shook, finding it impossible to fit the shell into the chamber. Sierra wasn’t a murderer. She didn’t kill just to kill. She had taken the first shot, yes, because it was life or death then. But now, as the creature writhed beneath her? There was no threat. The vampire could see the bullets loaded into her gun, and would know she could end her, any time. If she killed this fiend, more would come after her, to hunt her down and taken vengeance on their fallen comrade. Sierra had enough foes as it was.

She got up off her, keeping the gun trained on her the while time, “Leave,” Sierra sneered, pumping the shotgun threateningly. It seems today, she had chosen death by starvation and thirst.

 

[translucentfeathers]

The shove shocked her and Blair felt herself falling backwards, back hitting the floor hard and sending the air in her lungs out in a brief grunt of pain. The warm body laying over hers, pressing her into the stone floor had her gasping slightly, staring up at the sharp features framed with red hair that seemed to catch fire in the soft glow of the night air around them. Swallowing she felt frustration grow in her at the small swirl of desire she felt flaring up in the back of her throat that had more to do with the way the contact was lighting her skin on fire than the woman's pulse should.

She ground her teeth against the desire she felt. Blair had plenty of options within her coven, both men and women of her own kind willing to tumble into bed for a night but it always left her wanting, feeling unsatisfied; the nights usually dealing with rough emotionless play that had her craving something different, something softer. As if there was such a thing as gentleness remaining in this frozen waste of a world where people only concerned themselves with sating their needs and slacking their thirsts rather than submitting to wants and desires.

The gun was soon being reloaded though, and the silver rounds flashing ominously in the moonlight left her knowing it was over, that she would not survive this night. She braced herself for the shot that would leave her eyes sightless and send her spirit on to whatever damnation awaited her kind when they passed on from this realm to the next but it never came. The warm body soon lifted off of hers leaving her colder than she had felt in an age and against all rational thought she wished to feel that warmth pressing down on her again.

The shot gun was raised, leveling with her and she stared up the barrel at the fierce woman wielding it. The one word order had her eyes narrowing as Blair used the heels of her palms to push up enough to bend her arms back and drag herself away from the other woman, easing herself out. Her eyes roamed up the firm and well defined form standing over her and felt her mouth water at the idea of tasting the woman's skin, of feeling the warmth of the woman covering hers. She could hear the woman's pounding pulse and it did nothing to curb her desire to press her lips to taste that tempting skin, allowing her teeth to graze over the warm flesh as she-

No. She realized her lips had curled back as the bloodlust had begun to take over her better judgement, causing her to flash her teeth in a way that normally was a sign of aggression. The hunger threatening to override her instincts for survival and the logic in taking the woman's offering of freedom. She pressed her lips together as she fought the hunger threatening to override her sense, slowly climbing to her feet. She took a few more steps back more for her own sanity, to put some distance between the heart beating in a tantalizing manner in front of her.

"Why?" She asked quietly. Perhaps this was some sort of trap. There could be more of her kind lurking nearby and baiting, waiting to see if Blair was alone or had company. It was a foolish notion though and she shook it from her head. The men of the clans would no more risk the life of one of their breeding stock than her brothers and sisters would risk the life of their favorite pets. Granted, the others of her kind she chose to associate with kept their slaves better than the stories she had heard revolving around the treatment of men towards their women. None of this explained why the woman was risking letting her go though and it had her brow furrowing. "Why risk letting me live," she asked again, knowing it was foolish but holding the other woman's eyes defiantly all the same.

 

[Xanaphia]

Because you are beautiful, and if this hellish world of death and damnation needs anything, it needs more beauty.

“Because you aren’t worth the bullet,” Sierra snarled, finger trembling over the trigger. “Seek your death elsewhere. This is my burial ground!”

Maybe she was tempting the vampire into feeding on her. Maybe she wanted this, quick, exquisite death at the service of greater beauty. Maybe she wanted the pain, to pay for her failure to save her friends, her failure to die at their side. Her failure to save more women from the clutches of Talon.

“LEAVE!” She screamed at the fiend, unable to squeeze the trigger, unable to find it, unable to find it in herself to dish out anymore death. She couldn’t see her before her anymore, tears blinding her vision, body visibly quaking, fear and lust and loathing eating away at whatever it was the passed for a soul. She would die now. She would die at the hands of this divine monster, and she would love it. She would deserve it. Her life would be pointless and meaningless in the great scheme of things, and another vampire would continue to hunt.

Just outside, the raucous sound of vehicles could be heard. It sent terrible dread through Sierra, because it meant men. How many vehicles was it? She couldn’t even count. It could be three just outside, or ten, a mile away. She couldn’t focus on the terror while the vampire before her continued to pose a threat. Or refuse to pose a threat, as it were. She needed to hide, to still her heartbeat and breathing and pray they hadn’t brought hounds that would sniff out her location.

Why won’t she move? Why won’t she leave? Does she want death as much as I do? What could be so terrible for her, that she won’t run for her fucking life?

“Leave or kill me, but don’t stand there like an idiot!”

 

[translucentfeathers]

The hard metallic sound of vehicles approaching had Blair ripping her gaze from the woman in front of her to glance back at the entrance of the library. Men, and they were close. Her lip curled and she felt disgust at the idea of their sullying this beautiful place with their stink and filth and...cruelty. She turned back to the other woman, shocked to see the tears in her eyes and it had Blair faltering, unsure. This human had spared her, was offering her the chance of escape.

She didn't have the luxury of debating with herself or allowing herself to explore the pangs of empathy she felt towards the other woman and what had to have been a horrible experience before with her own kind. Gritting her teeth she turned on her heel, ducking into the shadows before using what strength she had to climb on top of a desk, scale the wall and pull her body through the hole in the ceiling. She glanced back down, dark hair spilling around her face as she stared at the flame haired woman below her. A part of her wanted to offer to take her with her, extend her hand and give the woman a chance to escape as well.

She wouldn't be any safer with her than she was here though, Blair realized. At least here the woman could hide, possibly slip away, where as if she left with Blair? The bloodlust, she knew, wouldn't be able to deny her thirst for long and it would be painful to force such a fierce woman to be reduced so cruelly to nothing more than a meal.

With a pained frown Blair stood, withdrawing from the opening to hurry to a window in the second floor that lead to a large half dead tree behind the building. Easing out the window she could hear the vehicles pulling up, the grating sound of machines grinding to a halt had her hurrying her descent and landing quickly on the ground before taking off at a run for the treeline. She slipped into the forest of foliage she came from easily, disappearing as her kind did into the night.

Blair didn't make it far, not before guilt began to wrack her mind. She couldn't shake the way the other woman had spared her life, it went against everything the covens preached about the supposed rabid and moral lacking humans scavanging the wastelands out side of their safe havens and cities. Meant for nothing more than bloodsport and hunting, the men too mentally stunted to be saved, women often too broken to even used as a proper victim of thrall. Sometimes the children were only deemed salvagable, if caught young enough they would be brought back and raised by other thralls to a proper age before being chosen as a bloodslave. The Lordes of the Brotherhood overseeing the covens of this land warned her kind against trying to reason with their madness. The madness of their men she had seen the after effects of, experienced in their violence and savagery. The women? She was yet to come across one that had been outside of a clan that wasn't a corpse. Seeing one in the flesh, living and breathing, still with shreds of her own person and being so vibrant and full of life...it had her teeth set on edge and a hiss welling up in her throat at the idea of what the men approaching the building would put her through if they found her.

Blair grit her teeth before stopping, feet no longer putting distance between her and the woman she left behind. She balled her hands into tight fists, nails cutting through the leather of her gloves as she grimaced, debating what she should do. It didn't take long for her to decide. A beautiful, strong and powerful creature like the woman she had left in that building didn't deserve the fate that would be awaiting her should those men find her. She wouldn't deserve to be broken and shackled to slack their needs to breed.

Blair turned back towards the direction of the building and ran, pushing her starved body to the limit as she pressed on, rushing back to the abandoned library. As she got closer she slowed, sinking low to the ground and ducking through bushes. There were three vehicles, mangled and barbaric looking with their mottled twisted metal and engineered to keep going when the world fell to ruin. She was uncertain how many men would be inside, no more than fifteen, possibly less. She would need a meal before she attempted to reenter the library and she found him. A large man, obviously standing guard over the vehicles had his back turned to her, weapon resting over his shoulder as he stalked around the front of the building looking bored.

It was only a matter of seconds before she had him on the ground, teeth sinking into his jugular with one hand over his mouth to silence any death rattles, his body having fallen hard behind one of the cars. The blood was bitter, his skin leaving a filth and grime on her lips that nearly had her nearly gagging as she drank. The precious essence of life though still left her mind soaring as she flew on the adrenaline rush she experienced whenever she fed after having been denied for too long. When she finished she rose, spitting the residual taste of sweat and dirt from her mouth before kicking his corpse under the car easily.

Her vision was clearer, her body felt stronger and she could practically hear the fresh source of blood singing through her in a delicious way that had her mouth watering for more. She smiled darkly before hurrying back to the tree she had originally used when she escaped, scaling it so much easier and slipping back through the window. Easing across the broken beams that made up the ceiling for the main floor below, she silently approached the hole in the floor she had last seen the woman through, easing herself into a crouch over it to peer down, assessing the situation below.

 

[Xanaphia]

Sierra was quick to duck back into the cabinet, closing it quickly, before the vampire was completely out of sight. A single malnourished vampire wasn’t going to do well against a group of scouts, especially not since Sierra had been able to take her down on her own. Sierra got control of herself, clutching her legs up against her chest holding herself in a ball with one hand and her shotgun with the other. She listened as the cars pull to a stop, able to count them by the sound of their brakes applying pressure to stop the car. Three. That meant nine to twelve men. She could hear several competing footsteps, impossible to pick apart from each other, just enough to know what she badly outnumbered.

“Someone was here. This shell is still warm. Didn’t hit whatever they shot at, looks like.” A voice called out. Several other murmered in agreement. Then, the sound that made the blood rush form her face. A quick yelp, a canine whine into the night, and the clink of chains to leash the dog.

“Alright boy, see if you can sniff out a bitch,” Another voice joked, and laughter sounded out around her. She held her gun in both hand, aimed at the opening of the cabinet, ready to blast whoever dared to open it. Escape was unlikely, but she could possibly force them to kill her. Take two or three down with her. She could hear the snuffling of the dog, as it grew closer to her position, hard barks as it found her location.

Gripping the barreling tightly, she squeezed the trigger as the cabinet doors flung open, exploding into a flash of light that nearly blinded Sierra. Her hunter thudded onto the floor, blood and flesh spraying everywhere. Rolling onto her feet, she unleashed another discharge before her, the sound ringing in her ears, her eyes still blinded form the first shot.

The men’s cruel laughter turned into angry shouts, as they tried to subdue her. She recovered from her disorientation quickly, just quick enough to see an electric prod come at her from the left. She spun to avoid the paralyzing blow, hitting a man behind her with the butt of her gun, knocking him back a few feet. From the right, a slender man dove as her, tackling her down as his shoulder caught her gut. He pinned her to the ground, leering down at her with a predatory grin.

“This bitch is a fighter. I like breaking in the fighters,” He taunted, holding her wrists over her head. The other eight men surrounded them now, as Sierra squirmed under her captors grasp. She managed to slam her knee into his crotch, ensuring that he would be unable to rape her for at least a little while, while she tried to break away. Boots came from every direction, connecting with her thighs, stomach and arms, until a hand forced her head into the dirt, keeping her in place.

 

[translucentfeathers]

Blair arrived in time to hear the shot gun go off, the sounds of shouting and sheer chaos broke out beneath her feet and she hovered near the edge of the hole in the second floor, observing. She watched as the woman with bright copper hair was wrestled to the ground, her lips curled in disgust when she heard the words a smaller leaner man was taunting the woman with. The beautiful woman under him didn't take the threat without lashing out, and Blair felt a little admiration and pleasure when the man cried out in pain. She lost sight of her then, the other men rushing forward. It took all of them to subdue her, and with their attentions drawn in one direction Blair let herself drop from the opening in a fluid motion.

With relative ease she slipped up silently behind the remaining tracking hound and snapped its neck before throwing herself onto his owner. She didn't bother to try and quiet him, any cries he would have made were silenced with the flash of a longer deadly knife the length of her forearm that she had drawn after dealing with the mutt. His body hit the floor with a heavy crash, capturing the attention of the others surrounding the fallen woman. Blair's eyes flashed, she could practically hear their heart rates picking up and smell the bitter fear rolling off of them when they saw the sharp teeth she flashed in their direction. With the sound of their pulses in her ears and the blood lust swelling in her she let her tongue slip across the edge of her bloody blade with a dark smile, an inhuman snarl rippling out of her throat.

She didn't give them time to recover from the display. With blinding speed, aided by her recent feeding, Blair's free hand slung her small blades at the men before she followed suit snd rushed them. She was lucky, their defenses were down and they scrambled for weapons that would work against her. Using her foot she kicked the shotgun that she recognized belonging to the woman they had been intent on 'breaking' her way, unsure if she would actually use it or not. She used her knives to shred anyone she fell upon, resorting to her bare hands when a particularly large brute shot a round off into her shoulder.

The utter killing of these cruel men had her senses heightened and adrenaline rushing through her. She let the one currently in her hands crumple, his skull having been crushed between her fingers, before she turned to the last one. The slender man who had been intent on breaking in the fighter. With a hiss she lunged, dragging him to the floor before ripping his throat out with her teeth and allowing herself a moments rest as she fed on the filth's blood.

When she finished she leaned back on her heels, sucking in a few heavy deep breaths, her thirst for blood and violence having been sated. With a rough motion she shredded what material was left of the corpses shirt, using the cloth to wipe the blood from her face and mouth before it had time to cool and stain her skin. When she finished Blair rose to her feet, glancing behind her to wear the woman had last been before her vision had tunneled from the heat of the slaughter

 

[Xanaphia]

Everything seemed to happen so quickly. One moment Sierra was pinned to the ground, either to be violated, or carried off to be violated, and the next moment an unseen force was attacking and destroying the men who would have hurt her. She only heard screams, and saw the flashes of silver, until her gun was kicked to her. Easy to reload while her captors were distracted with the death being delivered all around them.

Sierra was at her feet once more, pumping lead into the men who were happy to have found her, just before. There was something cathartic about dealing death to those who would have hurt her. But who was it that saved her from her terrible fate? Sierra could hardly tell, between the blasts of her gun, and the faint moonlight coming in through the hole in the roof. In this very moment, it didn’t matter, even though in the back of her mind, Sierra knew it could only be a vampire.

Of course her suspicions were confirmed, as she saw the woman she had spared straddling the man who had tackled her down. She was looking much more lively now, with her check flush from feeding and fighting no doubt. She watched in awe as she feed on the man, drinking down his life in great gulps. It was like seeing a predator in the wild, feasting on her prey, savoring her victory. All Sierra could thing in the moment was how lovely she looked, her guardian angel, with slick crimson sticking to her lips.

“You…you saved me,” Sierra whispered, in awe. “Why? I nearly killed you…” She listened to the woman’s response, finding a new found respect for the beautiful blood drinker before her.

“Thank you…thank you,” Sierra thought she could cry in relief, slinging her shotgun behind her back. She offered a hand to the vampire, shuddering and feeling alive, for the first time in many years. “I’m Sierra.”

 

[translucentfeathers]

Blair eyed the red headed woman curiously for a moment, with the thirst sated and the rush and thrill of a good kill behind her, she was able to take in more about the human currently standing across from her.

The beautiful hair looked like fire and had the same intensity as flames, fanning out around her in a wild fashion. Her eyes had a strength behind them, like twice tempered steel. She wasn't weak and between the curve of muscle, the well worn travel gear and the way she expertly used that shot gun it was obvious the other woman had been through too much, seen too much. It made a part of Blair's chest ache to think of what kinds of hell this other woman must have been subjected to.

Blair heard her question and she thought it was an odd, their roles being reversed so quickly when less than an hour before she had been asking this human woman the same thing. "Because," she said quietly with a slow lift of a shoulder, "You spared me. No one deserves the cruelty these men deal out...except maybe themselves." She used a boot to kick a severed foot away from her.

The woman offered her a hand and her name which had the vampire raising an eyebrow. She eyed the offered palm for a moment before her own hand reached out and accepted the gesture. "Pleasure to meet you, Sierra. Well, this time around at least," she hummed, casting a her a small dark smile. "Much more pleasant when your gun is aimed at someone else's chest."

Blair's hand slipped away from the woman's then to slip around the room, collecting what knives she could salvage and searching the bodies for anything of use. She tucked her hair behind her ears as she crouched, shredding another dead man's shirt to use the cloth to clean her blades with. The woman hadn't asked for her name, and while she appreciated the kinder tone things had taken, a small piece of her was apprehensive to offer personal information until she knew a little bit more about the woman she was currently sharing a space with.

Blair went over to a small ledge made of stone against one of the walls near a pillar. Her right foot came up to rest with her hips as she sat, her hands restng on her bended knee, thigh tucked closely to her chest, as she used the moonlight to clean the blood from her smaller knives before slipping them back into the leather binding that straped them to her thigh.

"So, Sierra, did you know these men or are they new to you?" She asked idly as she worked, glancing up for a moment. It would help to know if she knew where their base camp was and hoe long it would be, if there were more, before others came looking.

 

[Xanaphia]

Sierra watched the vampire going about the room, moving with fluid grace. She noticed that the vampire didn’t give her name, and she supposed that was fair. Just because she saved Sierra didn’t mean she cared about her. Sierra was still just a meal to her, as all these men were. Hell, it’s not the blood drinker saved her to her sake. She was just hungry, and knew the Sierra alone wouldn’t slake her thirst. There weren’t friends, just temporary allies, while their wants converged.

“These men? Not in particular. I imagined that worked for Talon though. He is the largest warlord in the area, and I crossed him not too long ago. Freed a couple women his compound, with my partner, Varis. I knew he sent some trackers to find us, so we fled into the wastes. It was fine for a while, until a group of” She hesitated, watching her companion, “…vampires caught up to them. They were…they were no more, when I found them.” Sierra sighed, leaning up against a half broken pillar. She watched the woman resting, unable to take her eyes off her, both out of longing, and fear.

“It’s why I attacked you, when I first saw you,” Sierra admitted, pulling supplies off the dead men. One had a half full canteen, and she guzzled it down, letting a small bit dribble down her chin, enjoying the way the cool water quenched her parched throat. She drank too much in her thirst, and coughed for a moment, before continuing. “I thought you were one of the ones who attacked us, and had come to finish me off. But, once we fought, and I saw how you looked…” Sierra stopped again, remembering the sight of the lovely vampire beneath her thighs, her supple flesh yielding to hers. “You obviously hadn’t fed, in a while. You couldn’t have been one of the ones who attacked us. I had no beef with you. No need to kill you for just existing, as you have to…”

She found some jerky on one of the men, and some crackers on another. She sat and ate for a while, until the rumble in her gut stilled. “I guess it was a good thing, huh? What with you repaying the favor and whatnot.” Sierra laughed softly, trying to find some excuse to stay near the woman who had saved her, knowing that this creature would only be the death of her. It didn’t matter. Sierra was dead otherwise, without anyone to watch her back. She collected whatever else she could form the rest of the corpses, refilling her shells. She had some food and water, for the next couple days. If the Vampire had no use of her, she could take one of the vehicles and head for safety. Maybe to the south…

“Thank you, again. I was going to take one of those runners with me, I could give you a lift, if it’s faster for you…”

 

[translucentfeathers]

She listened with a simple nod of her head and hum of agreement when required. When Blair finished polishing the red stains from the last of her weapons as she studied their edges with gloved fingers, she glsnced up at the other woman. "It sounds like a rogue hunting or scout party," she said in reference to the fallen women she had traveled with. "Any group from the coven would have been required to bring them back to our holdings, especially women." It was moreso for breeding of the blood slaves and food supply rather than a show of mercy.

"Some parties of scouts meant to keep an eye on the clans get crazed and lose themselves a little the longer tbey stay out of contact...I am sorry such a group fell upon your friends." It was something she truly did feel remorse for, though the way the woman had wrapped her lips around the canteen and drank down its contents, a cool stream of water escaping her plump lips to trail down her chin, over her jaw before sliding down the column of her throat had her mildly distracted. She swallowed a bit, eyes not leaving the small droplet if water as a hunger that had very little to do with blood lust started to sink into her. The sudden shaking and cough pulled her back from tempting thoughts.

She glanced at the red haired woman suspiciously when she offered her a ride. "You would offer me a place in the vehicle...knowing what I am?" It wasn't that Blair could not control herself or was in danger of being hungry again any time soon, but the idea of a human being willing to share space with one of her kind with no ulterior motives? She narrowed her gaze on the woman, as if attempting to find the reasons she would be willing to risk the chance of traveling with something she looked at as an enemy.

"Why would you risk it."

 

[Xanaphia]

"You would offer me a place in the vehicle...knowing what I am?"

“You aren’t as bad as most of the things I have encountered out here. And better looking, to be certain,” Sierra flashed smirk, and cocked an eyebrow, before chuckling a bit. It was a long while since she last felt comfortable enough to flirt, and she was quite sure she was rusty at it. And no doubt barking up the wrong tree...

"Why would you risk it?"

“Because I am not going to last much longer on my own. Because I spent two or three days hiding in that cabinet, alone with my thoughts, and I think I might go crazy if don’t interact with someone. Hells, I might already be crazy, seeing as I haven’t killed you yet,” Once she finished stripping her fallen adversaries of their gear, she turned to the vampire, whose name she still didn’t know.

“You could have killed me, along with my attackers, if you had a mind to. You could have left me to my fate. Maybe I thought you were fond of me,” Sierra teased, hiding her interest in jests.

She made her way out to the cars. She picked the one that was already the fullest on gas, and siphoned the remaining gas from the other two. She packed as much as she could from the other two cars, and slashed the tires when she finished, not needing anyone on her tail, at least not so easily.

She hesitated for a moment, with yearning that the lovely blood drinker would take her up on her offer. Even the danger she presented was balanced with the excitement she inspired in Sierra. Not to mention, the hope, perhaps the most dangerous of it all. The hope that her life could be something more than stumbling from one place to another, barely surviving. After a few moments, Sierra sighed, and started the runner.

 

[translucentfeathers]

The subtle flirting the other woman was implying left Blair thrown, eyebrow arched as Sierra left then after not so subtle teasing. Had the she cracked her head on the stone floor at some point during the battle? Surely she had to have in order to think someone outside of her own kind was making slight advances. And a human of the wilds, no less, not a mere blood source or slave from within the coven's protection.

Blair followed, pushing off from where she sat. The vampire watched as the human woman gathered supplies, packing the car she wished to share and filling the tank with gas. Without another word Blair walked over and leaned against the passenger door, gaze studying the woman with flaming red hair and strong features, ignoring the bits of glass from the shattered window catching on her armors forearms that snagged and tugged at the leather.

Blair couldn't ignore the attraction and admiration she felt for the woman at her competence and ability to defend herself. Not to mention the way it had felt to be pinned and writhing under that warm strong body. Her amber gaze studied Sierra before she gave in and pulled on the car door handle, freeing the latch so it swung open. She was tired the monotony of the options the coven offered and of traveling alone. Blair's body slipped into the passenger side of the vehicle, body settling against the seat quietly.

Which way are you headed?" She asked after a moment.

 

[Xanaphia]

Sierra couldn’t help the smile forming on her lips as the vampire joined her in the car. Oh, she knew it wasn’t a great idea, but at least it was interesting. Sierra couldn’t remember the last time she felt so alive. “I was headed south. No reason in particular, other than I’ve never been far that way. I go somewhere else if you have a better idea.”

“So do Vampires have names, or do you just go ‘Hey you, over there. Yes you.’” Sierra teased, pulling the car into the open wasteland. It was a while since Sierra last tried to drive, as the car wasn’t in the greatest condition, so she had to turn the wheel pretty hard to get the car in the direction she wanted. So the ride started off pretty bumpy, which made Sierra rubbed her neck sheepishly.

“If you aren’t going to give me your name, I am going to have to pick an embarrassing nick name.” She threatened, getting a feel for the over-modified runner. All she could think about was the vampires soft body, pressed against hers, casually imagining how her breasts would feel in the palms of her hands.

“How about Knives? You look like a Knives.” Sierra continued, vaguely aware she was talking too much. She found that she missed it, missed her voice, while she sat so quietly an still in that cabinet. She missed having someone to listen, if the vampire was even listening. If she were even real and not some imaginary fantasy she created. Something to lose herself in while a group of desperate and cruel men violated her. Had she even made it out? Did she die?

 

[translucentfeathers]

Blair snorted slightly at the idle threat of an embarrassing nickname. "Trust me, you would have to compete with the names I am saddled by my brothers and sister 'neck-biters' and they can be quite creative when the mood strikes them. Need to do better than Knives to embarrass me," she hummed with a slightly playful smile as she gazed out the window as the vehicle lurched forward and they left the old buildings and ruins behind. "And it's Blair." She glanced over at the other woman, taking the opportunity to study her for a bit.

"If you have been on the run for a while would you be in the need of supplies?" She hadn't missed the way Sierra had been scavenging for water and food on the bodies after Blair's rather violent and bloody entrance. "If we are heading South, in about a days drive we would be coming across my home," she said, eyes remaining trained on the human.

She knew some vampires lived on the outskirts of the city, but they were always open for attack from raiders and human clans as well as any rogue vampires who had spent too long between meals and lost their sanity to the blood lust. Blair preferred the safety of the city walls her large coven had built once it joined the Brotherhoods council along with several other sister covens. It could be dangerous for a human, impossible for one without a vampire escort or 'master'. She wrinkled her nose at the thought definitely not something she ever wanted to get herself ensnared in-the idea of domineering a pet was...unappealing. The way the blood slaves would just stare blankly with those soulless eyes gave her reason to shudder.

"It could be dangerous but, if you would be willing to make the stop I could provide us both with means of continuing on a journey much further and longer than if we went without."

 

[Xanaphia]

“Blair…” Sierra sighed, finding she was quite fond of how that name tasted upon her tongue. She almost breathed a sigh of relief that Blair the vampire was real, or that at the very least, her pleasant fantasy was continuing for a few moments longer. The sun was rising now, painting the sky purple and pink and orange, illuminating the wastes, and highlight how desolate it was. Sierra was pleased not to find anyone else out here with them, enjoying the feel of the wind in her hair and the lovely company beside her.

“Your home huh?” Sierra repeated, stealing a sidelong glance at her companion. She had heard tales of the great vampire city, but she hadn’t ever seen it with her own eyes. She had hid in the outskirts of the human settlements, slipping through the fingers of one warlord or another. She supposed it wasn’t surprising that things weren’t any safer for her to the south. Things weren’t safe for her anywhere, unless she and likeminded women set up their own settlement, free from the men and neck biters. Well, maybe not all the neck biters…

“Everything Is dangerous,” Sierra said with a sigh, as Blair tried to warn her about visiting the city. But even with everything she pulled off the men who attacked her, she had about a week of supplies, possibly less. “I don’t see much of a choice, and if you could help me get in and out with trouble, I certainly would appreciate it. Still not sure how I am going to repay these favors you are doing me,” Sierra noted with a weak laugh, appreciating the way her dark hair billowed with the momentum of the car lurching forward.

“So, what were you doing out here in the wilds? Just looking for food?” Sierra asked, making conversation as the dull landscaped passed them by. Aside from the beauty of sunrise, there wasn’t much to see out here, and it left Sierra with just one direction to look at.

 

[translucentfeathers]

"Well, I can get you in and out," she nodded with a slight smirk twisting up her lips in the corners. "As to whether or not there will be trouble? That is not all within my controk," Blair added with a slight shrug. "If we enter the city with you as my potential new captive or slave," the word left bitterness on her tongue, "Then you should be left alone as long as you appear to be under my ownership. We should hide the vehicle a few miles outside of the walls though and approach on foot."

Blair glsnced over, unsure as to how this free wild hearted woman would feel about the concept of even pretending to be owned by one of her kind. "Once we leave we can retrieve it and continue on if you would like, or part ways if you prefer.

When Sierra asked why Blair had been wandering she paused, glancing down at the hole filled floor boards under her feet. "Got tired of it," she said with a slight shrug. "All of the push and claim for old glory. The demands for us to ascribe to a certain way of life. They sit on their gilded thrones behind this high wall acting superior for being able to dominate a slave, for being able to abuse and break the will of someone who has nothing left and already has given up." She shook her head, her amber eyes becoming a little hard. "They act so hard but half of them can't remember what it is like when they were younger or first turned and required to leave the city and find or capture their first human to bring back," she said with a shake of her head.

"They are in some ways no better than your human men," she said easily. "I hate it and travel outside the city limits to see things. I only kill to defend myself and feed," she said, casting a side glance to the woman, "As needed. Normally a feeding doesn't end in such violence and loss of control...it had been almost a week though and I was losing my grip." That and the thought of those men attempting to debase the woman next to her had left her feeling gutted.

Blair shrugged though and crossed a long slender leg over the other as she winced at the horizon. The sun wasn't quite as lethal as it had been for her kind centuries ago, and she was covered enough to keep her pale skin from too much exposure as it would sometimes leave a red burn on the flesh, the weaker a vampire was or the longer it had been for them between meals, higher chance it could do dangerous damage. If she hadn't fed back at the ruins, she had little doubt there would be a chance this sunrise could have been her last with no shelter or food.

 

[Xanaphia]

“You Slave?” Sierra repeated, with a raised eyebrow. Then she let out a chuckle. “As long as it’s just pretend…” She continued with a smirk. She couldn’t help but imagine what it would be like, to really be her slave. Sierra had always fought so hard for her independence, the thought of being a slave was repulsive to her and yet, she might not mind so much if Blair were the one in control? Oh she doubted very much she would enjoy it in the long term, but every now and again?

She cleared her throat, trying to clear the dirty thought from her mind, focus on what the vampire was saying to her. Bearing her feelings, her heart to Sierra. “Hey, you can’t help the way you need to live. And I can’t complain about the way you killed the men who would have…” Sierra stopped herself, gripping the steering wheel tightly, as she thought about it. The things they would have done to her…her own impotence made her angry.

She found herself jealous of Blair, jealous of her power, jealous that she did not fear the men the way Sierra did. The way Sierra had to. Sierra may have killed two of them, but there were plenty more to hold her down and hurt her. But Blair? She ripped them apart. They stood hardly a chance against her. In was awe inspiring and maddening at the same time. “You were incredible…” Sierra admit, voice low almost reverent. “I…I honestly don’t know what I would have done without you. Probably try to kill myself, before they could take me back to the settlements. “

Sierra was shocked by the words escaping her lip, pouring out like a torrent, unable to hold back the flood of emotions. “You don’t owe me anything but… you saved me. Not just from the men, though you definitely saved my ass there. But…I was dying there. Not sure how or why but… I was dying. I needed something, something more, in this dead world. I don’t even know what I am saying now. I know this is a lot to put on someone. Someone I just met and was pointing a gun at not too long ago. But… I would travel anywhere with you, Blair. I haven’t felt so alive in my entire life.”

 

[translucentfeathers]

Blair shook her head quickly with a small smile despite the unease she felt at the very thoight of forcing this woman to be subservient to her. It seemed to her as if Sierra had spent enough time submitting to others and had fought hard for her freedom. "Trust me, owning a slave has never been appealing for me," she said with tight nod. "I don't find any pleasure in forcing another to bend to my wills and needs, but it will require some form of acting as my lesser rather than an equal once we enter the city. If you were to catch another's eye," which there was no doubt in Blair's mind that the beauty and strength Sierra exuded would, "And they sense even the slightest hint that I do not have utter control over you as my property? It would open me up for challenges on your ownership." There were indeed risks and they would both be needing to play roles they most likely despised, despite what their world seemed to call them to.

Blair heard the raw bitter edge the other woman's next words held, the confession of not knowing what she would have done had Blair not returned. Amber eyes studied the red haired human's beautiful profile for a quiet moment. It was a statement she hadn't thought the other woman would ever have uttered let alone admitted willingly, and it merely attested to how truly hard of a life this Sierra must have led because she was not weak, no, no where near it.

Blair pondered her next words carefully, listening to the emotion in the woman's voice next to her, a slight smirk cracking over her features at the reminder of how their initial encounter had gone and their first instinctual reactions to one another had been. "There must be some irony in that, never having felt so alive before while in the presence of one of the undead?" She asked, tilting her head a bit, tone teasing before she returned her gaze out at the world that sped past them for a moment before continuing. "I must say though...you are not alone in your sentiments. I have never been one for companionship or partnerships within the realms of my travels but I find myself looking forward to the idea of your company, as long as you don't pull a gun on me again of course."

 

[Xanaphia]

Sierra laughed as Blair advised her against pulling a gun on her again. “Of course, Mistress,” she teased, putting an emphasis on the word, watching for Blair’s reaction. She had to admit, it didn’t taste terrible upon her tongue, though not as sweet as her name. Blair. She would hear herself calling it out in a moment of passion, Blair drinking the sound from her lips as they writhed together. Did vampires even have sex? She wasn’t sure, she had made sure to keep from away from blood drinkers before now. She wondered for a moment what purpose their slaves served. Was it just blood or…?

She laughed again, distracting herself from fantasy, “I am probably going to have to practice that before we get there, aren’t I?” She sighed, brushing away some loose strands of hair from her face. Of course that brought up ideas of practicing with Blair, which feed into more pleasant daydreams. And the thought that Blair wanted to travel with her left her feeling warm, excited. The pleased smile she wore upon her face did not falter as they rode along.

They traveled for a few more hours before the walls of the vampire city came into view. It towered over the wastes, high black walls imposing their will upon the landscape. Sierra had never seen it before, but its gothic elegance stood out compared the barbed wire sensibility of the human settlements. It inspired both awe and terror from her, evident in her wide eye gaze. They found some large rocks to hide the vehicle behind. It wouldn’t fool anyone who came with twenty feet of it, but it sufficed if you didn’t know where to look. It would be about half hour walk to the city, and the sun would have set by then.

She pulled up the things she could trade in the city. Half the weapons she pulled off the men, the loose bits of gold and jewelry. The extra sets of tool she pulled from the other two cars, a handful of lighters. Several feet of chains and a grosse of zip ties. She kept everything else tied down in the car and then held her gun.

She knew she couldn’t take it with her to the city, given the façade they were trying to play off. A slave wouldn’t be armed. But it was hard, hard to give up her gun, even for a few hours. It was the first symbol of her defiance, a hard won trophy from the first man who thought he could hurt her, bend her to his will. It was a reminder that she would never go through that again, and a promise that she would save as many women as possible form that fate. It was a part of her, and it felt like an animal chewing off a leg caught in a trap. With a heavy sigh, she hid it under the driver’s seat, reminding herself she would retrieve it soon. No matter what.

With everything settled, Sierra and Blair made their way to the Vampire City.

 

[translucentfeathers]

The term Mistress had her wrinkling her nose, her normally collected pale face twisting into a grimace. The very thought of Sierra being pushed into a role where it was demanded of her to service another, after all she had been through had her shaking her head minutely. The very idea of a slave cowering before Blair, eyes glassed over and lifeless left her feeling nauseated, knowing that is the type of supposed respect her kind expected of others. "You won't be the only one in need of practicing," she said with a slight shake of her head. "I don't make it a habit to keep 'pets' for blood or for sport," she said quietly with a shake of her head before casting a pained smile at the woman next to her.

Not that she would mind the idea of the strong powerful woman next to her being brought to the point that Sierra was nothing more than a quivering mess beneath her ministrations or even the reverse, where Blair herself was at the beautiful red head's mercy. Blair ignored the tendril of heat that curled through her at that taboo thought, allowing a human to have control over her, even for a few moments was something she would be shunned for. Slaves and pets were meant to service their vampire masters in whatever way necessary regardless of their own needs, the roles were never meant to be reversed. Blair hated it, felt confined to it. She had moments where she wanted to give into her instincts and be serviced, to dominate and take what she wanted from her partners, but then there were times she wanted to just give up that control and strength she had and just submit herself to someone elses wants and forget the roles she was expected to play.

The city was on the horizon though, and she dragged herself from her thoughts, shifting in her seat slightly before climbing out once Sierra parked the vehicle. Blair watched silently as Sierra packed herself with essentials and items to trade, and her amber eyes noticed the pained expression that crossed the humans features she she placed her gun into the car. Without a moment to think on it Blair reopened her passenger door and leaned over to collect up the woman's weapon, strapping it to her back easily. "You can't carry it, but I can and I would not see you go without a means of protection. The rest you will be carrying so 'I don't have to'," she said with a shake of her head. She had seen slaves be used as pack mules before.

Blair did some more digging and found a light green rag and brought it over to the other woman. "Slice your palm and rub the blood over the cloth, then wrap it around your neck to hide the fact I haven't fed from you. Others would take it as a lack of my marking my claim over you." Blair took one of the chains from Sierra, rigging it with a set of zipties to make a makeshift pair of cuffs and lead. "Then slip these over your wrists and tighten them. I will attach the chain to my waist. If something happens and you need to be freed I can break them," she added with a quick nod.

Blair waited for Sierra to do what needed before she headed to the city gates. It was no small feat entering the city, a check on Blair's lineage and the coven she belongrd to along with her claim of ownership over Sierra and the human woman being registered to her. Once inside she was reminded of every reason why she hated this place, why it made her skin crawl. Large buildings made of stone gave off a dead cold impression, there was no plant life or vegetation, everying made of hard grey rock and marble. Blair pressed through the city, making her way to her home as she blatantly ignored the cold lifeless eyes of the collared slaves who were running errands for their masters in the dying twilight hours.

Blair took a moment, a chance glance back at Sierra, disguising it to nod for the other woman to pick up her pace when in reality she was checking on how the human was managing.

 

[Xanaphia]

Sierra watched Blair pull open the passenger door and grab her shotgun with great interest. She half thought she would shed a grateful tear then Blair strapped it to herself, explaining her reasoning. She had to resist the overwhelming urge to hug the woman, impressed by the Blair seemed to understand her, without even needing to speak. “Thank you,” She managed to choke out, not hiding her appreciation. She followed all of Blair’s instructions, binding herself and cutting her hand, applying the gory bandana to her neck, the blood sticking to her skin as it dried.

Sierra was mindful of her eyes as they approached the city. It was a wonder, to be certain, but she was hardly given a chance to truly gaze upon it, given the role she was supposed to play. So she focused on being the dead eyed little slave she was supposed to be. She know how she was supposed to look, she had seen the look many times herself. Women too far gone within their own mind, numbed to the terror inflicted upon them over and over again.

She knew a couple warlords liked to keep their harem drugged up, so the withdrawal would prevent them from ever trying to escape. Talon was a monster set apart form even them. He loved the pain and fear in his women’s eyes. He would keep them as long as he could garner that reaction, as long as they screamed in agony as he took them. When the fight left their eyes, he passed them off to his men, broken shells of their former vibrancy. Sierra thought of them as she entered the city, though about the horror they had seen in their lives and the resignation to end it all. The introspection, and the guilty and being spared their fate made it easy to put on the mask of a slave.

She wore the mask while the vampires did their paperwork. She wouldn’t have expected the neck biters to be so meticulous, but she hadn’t really any experience with them before Blair. Always seen from a distance, in the throes of bloodlust and madness. Vampires within the city seemed to have a fine grasp of their faculties. More than that, Sierra couldn’t ignore the other human slaves making their way through the city. Part of it was keeping in character, watching their expressions and body language for cues on how to act, how to perform her part. Most of it was the sorrow, the sorrow that things weren’t really different here. So their slaves performed menial tasks instead of living on their backs. Seems things were bad wherever she went.

Sierra nodded subtly as Blair checked on her, only slipping out of character for a second. The vampire’s concern for her well-being was comforting, even as she came face to face with a new, different potential future. But no, not as long as she was with Blair. Blair was different, and Blair represented so much more to Sierra. A chance to find something more in this life. If only they could make it out the city without incident.

 

[translucentfeathers]

Blair felt reassured by Sierra's subtle nod and she jerked on the chain, tugging her restrained wrists as she continued, passing a few masters and their slaves, as her eyes remained subtly trained on the vampires they passed to ensure none took an interest in Sierra as they walked. They made it through the city streets, the large polished stone of the buildings gleamed in the fading light of the say as more and more of her kind began slipping out from their homes, slaves walking alone becoming less and less common, escorted now by their masters if they were out.

Blaire reached the dark black door of her home, nestled in the south side of the city in a much quieter district. It was large, her time spent scavanging and bringing back resources and information on the human clan movements earning her hefty monetary rewards and a large home that she rarely frequented. Unlocking the door she yanked Sierra inside, the rough display for anyone who may have followed, or any curious eyes who may have lingered.

Once inside she walked over, catching Sierra's wrists to bring to her mouth, using her teeth to snap the tight plastic zip ties that bound her before tossing the restraints aside. Reaching back she loosened the gun off of her back, returning it to Sierra with a small smile before she turned nodding for the red haired woman to follow. "Are you hungry, Sierra?" She asked as she made her way into the kitchen. Blair paused as she glanced over at the human with a somewhat apologetic look. "I may be a bit short on human food," she said briefly as she opened a pantry tugging out a few canned goods.

Canned chicken, a can of meatless chili and a jar of spiced peaches was all her search produced. "We can get you more once morning comes, for now it would be too dangerous with all of the vampires coming out during the night. Daylight hours will be a bit safer for you-the other slaves would be less likely to notice you aren't truly claimed," she said with a slight shrug, leaning back against a counter as an ankle crossed the other, watching the other woman.