The Ritual (Brandi X Beauvoir)

[BimboBrandi]

New Chicago, The city of Night. Maddox stood on the dock with his back to it, looking out over the water. He had come to hate this place, to hate this existence, and yet he could not leave. He had nowhere else to go really, not anymore, he had given that up long ago.

Maddox was a vampire. He was by far the only one in this city, in fact the biker gang that he belonged to were all vampires. He had been chosen years ago by a woman, a woman he had fallen in love with, who he had promised to spend eternity with, but that woman was no longer here, and he was stuck with the curse of eternal life alone. The wind whipped at his skin, despite the cold he was wearing a T-shirt and his sleeveless leather cut, along with a pair of jeans. It was pretty standard fare for the children of Satan, as were the tattoos that covered his arms as well as the rest of his body. His fang flicked at his lip ring, one of his hands running through his hair. He couldn't stand here all day, he had places to be.

heading back to his bike he swung one of his legs over it, at 6'4" Maddox was a big guy, and he was muscular with it. He looked like he spent a lot of time in the gym, his strong forearms definitely popped as he gripped the handlebars, as did the way his pecks stretched his T-shirt. Starting the bike there was a roar that sounded like thunder, the tuned V-Twin and custom exhaust package definitely not subtle. Then again Subtle was not how the Children of Satan did things. They were part of the Night Nation, a group that were pretty well known as great soldiers but not the smartest leaders. To some of the more sophisticated clans they were simply animals, and some played into that stereotype quite readily.

It was a fairly short ride to the Midnight Book Store. His contact had asked him to meet his client here of all places. Parking the bike he grabbed the copy of Great Expectations that was to be his marker. Nobody who knew anything about his crew would believe he actually read such a thing, but that didn't matter. Heading inside he began to browse the shelves, hoping it wouldnt take too long until business was underway..

 

[Beauvoir]

Janie Steiner, or known to most as simply, Jane; had lived her whole life in New Chicago. At first it'd been a dream, she'd had an amazing childhood with her professor father and her florist mother, she'd never gone wanting. Everything had changed though, once she'd graduated form high-school. Her dad had passed and her mom's shop had gone under. Tough choices had to be made. That's when Jane had stumbled upon the Night Nation, a negotiation between groups, happening in a place where no one should've been at that time in the night, nobody should've stumbled upon them there, but Jane had. She'd been given a choice, die, or work for them. That was how she'd come under the employment of the Claire. A faction of vampires who dedicated themselves to researching magic, the mystic and powerful objects. It was almost like they were the secret government research facility of the Night Nation, just, not so secret. While most members knew they existed though, no one could ever really say what they were up to.

The clan were self described pacifists, but if you were smart you knew that like other 'peaceful' organizations, they did their dastardly deeds in the dark.

She'd met him at a small Chinese restaurant behind her apartment, he'd told her where to go, who to meet, and what signs she needed to see to know it was truly them.

She'd been anxious about it all day. This job had caused her much anxiety throughout the years, it did however pay the bills, so what was she to do? For months they'd had her do research with others into an ancient ritual that would gift someone with great abilities. A person as such could be a great asset to any clan, but she hadn't expected for them to pick her as their test subject. But again, what was she to do? The clan kept her and her mother, off the streets.

So just before midnight she put on a pair of form fitting, light blue jeans, slid on a simple cotton blouse, and a beige cardigan. She tied her chestnut hair up before giving her freckled face a glance over. Then she walked out her small apartment and got on the metro. She arrived at the bookstore on foot about ten minutes before they were scheduled to meet. She perused the books, the latest romances and murder mysteries, and classics like The Bell Jar, or The old man and the sea. Eventually though, she heard the bell to the shop door open, and she quietly made her way to the front of the store, hiding behind a shelf. She watched the man walk around the store for a minute before she quietly went up to him, getting about 3 feet away. She stood hesitating for a moment before she turned towards him and handed him a small bookmark with a black rose on it. "Did you know Dickens had a a cat named Tinny?" Her voice was light and lyrical, but she sounded like the type who would normally be timid, if she hadn't been doing this so long. After it was confirmed this was the man she let out a shaky breath, before speaking quietly. "Did they tell you why you're here?"

 

[BimboBrandi]

Maddox shook his head

"Not exactly, no"

He glanced around the shop for a moment before making a decision

"Let's talk in the back"

He knew the store owners were part of the hidden world, that they knew when to turn a blind eye to things that were going on. Leading her towards a staff door and into the room beyond. There were no windows here, just a light that automatically turned on, as well as a couple of sofas and a coffee table. Taking a seat with his feet up he glanced over at her

"Wanna fill me in"

 

[Beauvoir]

"You're a brave man, agreeing to meet someone when you haven't even been told why." As he beckoned her to the back she nodded slightly and followed him. This wasn't unusual either, most of the time she met someone they wanted to talk business in a more, quiet area. This was her favorite place for this type of scenario, she picked it whenever she was given the option. It also wasn't a surprise when they were met with a pot of tea sitting on the table. She leaned down and poured herself a cup as he sat down and got comfortable. She offered him his own before she added sugar to her own and sat down.

"You're being hired for protection I guess. The Claire have been in the midst of researching an ancient ritual for quite some time, and they finally think we have what it takes to pull it off... I guess they've hired you because some other clans have caught on to what we're up to and would rather they be the ones performing it? I'm not really sure about any of this. " the girl wasn't the type who normally dealt with those who hid in the dark. She looked at him with her soft powder blue eyes searching his face for a moment. He looked more rough than the people she was used to meeting, but he hadn't given her any reason to be scared... Yet." the girl cleared her throat." "They didn't talk to me about compensation, so I'm hoping that was discussed with you"

 

[BimboBrandi]

Maddox nodded

"It was. You need not worry on that front. "

Maddox wasn't in this for the money, he was here because he had been told by his leaders to be here. With eternal life came a different perspective on wealth, not that it had ever really been necessary for him anyway, but the clans had humans taking care of that, making sure that assets were able to remain secure and that those who were of the kindred didn't need to worry about survival among the humans.

He declined the pot of tea, though he could eat and drink he had no need to and the pleasure of doing so had long ago faded. His only sustainance came from that which all vampires were sustained on.. blood. Maddox could smell hers, warm within her veins, she was a mortal.

"You under protection of the Claire's?"

He asked before leaning back

"What's so dangerous about this ritual they need an animal like me tagging along?"

 

[Beauvoir]

Jane was glad that the Claire hadn't forgotten to discuss payment with this man. Though she never had any idea what people ended up getting paid with. It wasn't any of her concern anyway. As long as the job got done and her bosses were happy, that was all Janie cared about. She was definitely curious as to why they'd picked such a rogue looking man for her to work with, but she supposed that didn't matter either.

She sipped her cup of tea, setting the pot aside once it was clear that he didn't want any. Once he asked whose protection she was under she let out a short breath. "That obvious?" It didn't seem that hard to tell someone was human verses a vampire, if you were on the latter team. "Yeah, when I was a teenagers, some things went down, and now here I am." That was all she offered with a nervous voice. You never wanted to feed vampires too much, in her experience it was best to tell these guys as little as possible, or else they might take any bit of information and run with it. It always felt like the vampires were eyeing her with a bit of hunger, but maybe she was just paranoid.

At the subject of the ritual she spoke, hesitantly. "Well, I suppose you could say that I'm the, conduit, for this Ritual. So some of the other clans might try to, grab me and run... The Claire would prefer that this didn't happen, for obvious reasons..." She looked him up and down. "So. Why did your clan choose you for the job?"

 

[BimboBrandi]

Why did they choose him? That was a dangerous question to answer without giving too much away. Even to those on the edge of their circle Vampires tended to keep their dealings under wraps, it came from millennia of being hunted, it had made them prone to secrecy.

"I guess I was just available"

He answered with a shrug

"I mean, I don't really ask why, if I'm told to do a job I do it, but I do it well. I'll protect you with my life as long as the contract is active, and after it isn't then you won't need the protection anymore."

He looked across at her again, studying her, she had said something happened when she was a teenager but she barely looked older than that now. Sure he only looked to be about 30, but she was mortal, she aged faster.. he didn't ask though, instead he simply got on with the job

"So a safe house has been arranged, you are to stay there with me while I am protecting you. If you need anything I suggest we move quickly, once the sun is up you are stuck inside.."

 

[Beauvoir]

She listened with a bit of interest, hoping to get any little shred of insight into this man who had been hired to protect her. She was slightly disappointed that she didn't get anything. Instead a run around, base explanation.

"I suppose, that's all that really matters." She noted. As he quickly moved on, talking about the arrangements that had been made she nodded. Sounded like the safest option, and it wasn't anything out of the ordinary. She'd quickly become a night owl after become employed under The Claire.

"Everything I need is in my car. Including personal necessities. I expect, and hope, that aside from the time slot the ritual will take, this will be a rather boring stay... Shall we?" She quickly gulped down the last of the tea, setting the small cup down before reaching her arms up high in a stretch. The cut of her soft blouse sinking down barely past her collar bones, as well as exposing a small silver locket.

Jane got up and began to head out of the book shop walking around to the side of the building where her car was parked in the shadows. Popping the trunk before pulling out a large duffle bag. "Shall I follow you, we take my car, or your- motorcycle?" Jane was not very familiar with motorcycles.

On the way to the safehouse, she began to grow more and more nervous. Now that they were headed to their destination it was hitting her, she was some pawn in an experiment for vampires, who knew what would happen?

 

[BimboBrandi]

We took separate vehicles, it was safer that way in case they were attacked. He could hold them off while she got in her car and they could meet up later. Maddox hoped it wouldn't come to that, he hoped this would be a quiet stay and a job well done.

The safehouse itself was a small apartment, the living room contained a stereo system, a television and two sofas, the kitchen was fully stocked complete with two fridges, one that contained food and the other containing Maddox's meals, and the bathroom was of a useable size with a shower that covered one wall. The only questionable part of it was that there was only one bed..

Dropping his bag in the corner Maddox turned back to Jane, raising a brow

"Welcome to home I guess. You mind sharing the bed?"

He suddenly realized how that sounded and then added

"Purely for sleeping I mean.. that way you can still do your research during the day without me cluttering up the place.."

As soon as the sun came up it was lights out for him no matter where he was. It was OK during the winter when the days were shorter, but in the summer you couldn't afford to be picky with your meals. Luckily for 6 months of the year it was fairly consistent..

 

[Beauvoir]

Once they arrived, she was glad to see more of an apartment, and less of an actual warehouse type building like she'd been imagining. If she were to spend an extended amount of time with a complete stranger she didn't want it to be in a cold, stiff, doomsday shelter place. As they walked in she carried her duffle bag and looked around. "Well, this is- better than I expected-" She admitted. "I was half expecting a military bunker or something." She let out a nervous chuckle.

When the vampire turned to look at her, she also set her bag down. Glad to get the weight off of her shoulder. At his question she realized their predicament, and felt a bit, flustered. But it was just business, she supposed it couldn't hurt. "Uhm- yeah, no that's fine. I uh, just hope there's more than one blanket, I'm a bit of a cocoon sleeper." She chuckled nervously. She lifted her bag up onto the bed, as she began unpacking, setting various books, study tools, and strange objects on a little desk like table.

"Tomorrow, I'll get started-" She pulled out a couple articles of clothing. "Be right back." With that Jane went into the restroom, accidentally leaving the door open a crack; and stripped off her clothes slowly, but left on her black bra and underwear. Janie observed herself in the mirror, her slim form and delicate face. The girl put on a simple tan camisole and a pair of women's jogging shorts. Once she was done Jane came out and put her clothes in the side pocket of her bag. "I should probably get some rest, feel free to watch TV or whatever, I'm a pretty heavy sleeper." She quietly got in the bed, swallowing a nervous lump in her throat. "Goodnight-" With that Janie put her head down and tried to sleep.

 

[BimboBrandi]

Maddox on the other hand was restless, situations like this always made him so. Here h was, alone in an apartment with a beautiful woman, and he knew next to nothing about her, and she about him. He didn't even know how long this was going to take, not that he was desperate for it to end, that would mean going back to being alone.

He had been alone ever since his sire died. He'd often hung out with Cassandra before his change, she'd been at every show he'd played, and then the two had start seeing each other outside of that he'd had no idea what she was, she'd never attempted to feed off of him or anything during their earlier encounters. They'd been together for just 2 years, a small drop in eternity, when she had been killed by vampire hunters. He'd tried to find out who at first, he'd wanted to kill them, or to have them kill him, either way would have worked. Over time though that too had seemed like a waste of time, now most things did.

He cut away from all that, his mind forced to focus on the task at hand. Standing he began to check that everything was as it should be, not that anything had really changed since they arrived here

 

[Beauvoir]

It took forever for Jane to fall asleep, and whens he finally did, it was a troubled slumber. Her mind was haunted by images of her father, her mother, and flashing images of vampires. Thankfully, keeping her head low and her mouth shut had awarded her as little interaction with vampires as possible. She'd never really been mistreated, they'd never fed off of her. Though some of them had clearly been tempted. Though it still stressed her out, knowing that at any point they could change their minds and leave her in a ditch somewhere.

Her father's death had been sudden and tragic, a car accident late at night, and it had completely broken her mother. About two weeks later she'd been walking home, passed the long condemned playground, after pulling an all night shift. Jane had noticed people there, but had ignored them until a hand covered her mouth. They'd debated on just drinking her blood and tossing her in a ditch somewhere, something about her particularly rare blood type, eventually though they'd had the sense to just take her and let their uppers decide what to do with Jane. Nothing had been the same since.

She woke with a start, quietly sitting up before leaning forward and massaging her temples with a shaky breath. It seemed like that was all the sleep she was going to get. The girl stood and stretched before grabbing some fresh clothes and going into the bathroom, stripping down to bare skin before getting into the shower and trying to calm her nerves.

Once she was done, she came out in a tank top and a pair of white shorts before setting herself up a little study space. Jane pulled out the laptop they'd given her and booted it up, getting ready to work. She was to write a report up of any new or useful information or inquiries she'd found, and the research she'd done that day, before emailing it to her bosses.

 

[BimboBrandi]

There was still about a half hour before the sun was really up, a half hour before Maddox would just pass out regardless. Even so he could feel the call of slumber, but seeing his new housemate in her shorts and tank top, she looked so innocent, so fragile. He was curious to know more about her, about how she got into this kind of thing.

Even in his heavy boots he made very little sound as he crossed to stand behind her, he could smell her soap from her shower, her shampoo in her hair, she smelt pretty, so soft and feminine and it only added to her seemed innocence.

"Would you like a coffee?"

His voice cracked through the quiet as he glanced at her screen, curiousity overcoming him temporarily.

 

[Beauvoir]

Jane was busy typing away on her laptop while flipping through a very old and worn looking book, just one of about five texts, bound in leather that was falling apart. She seemed zoned out into her own little world, which explained why she jumped a little as he spoke from behind her, letting out a small giggle as she took a deep breath. "S-sorry, I get so focused on this stuff." She fiddled with her locket for a moment, chewing her lip as she though. "Uhm, sure that'd be great- thank you." She didn't know why she felt so anxious around this man. She'd seen plenty of scarier looking vampires over the last couple of years. To be fair, however she'd never spent very long around any of them. Mostly it was, get an assignment, run an errand, and/or drop off a package.

On her screen was what looked to be like an elaborate report that she was constantly updating or adding too. It was on a private shared drive, so every time she updated it, her overseers could read it on their end. "You must be getting pretty tired? I'm not very familiar with how vampires live their everyday lives aside from the obvious. Any sleep biting I should worry about?" She joked. When the coffee was ready, she'd accept it gratefully, and if he had a keen eye, he might notice a small jagged scare on the side of her index finger, not the kind someone did to themselves on accident. "Well this is awkward, we've never told each other our names, though I bet they told you mine... Either way, I'm Jane."

 

[BimboBrandi]

Jane, that was a pretty name, simple and classy. His eyes did find that scar of hers, it was different for sure, he wasn't really sure how she had gotten it but it had definitely been given to her..

"I'm Maddox"

He replied before stretching a little

"And I am probably gonna go to sleep soon, actually there is no probably about it, once that sun is up properly I'll be out cold until it sets, but you will be secure here, the security systems have everything locked down"

 

[Beauvoir]

"Maddox- you all have very interesting names, but I definitely think that's in the top three at least. She watched him stretch, flushing a little bit when she caught herself staring. She listened to him talk as she sat back down at her computer. It was funny to see a biker so- casual, she thought.

"Sounds good- well sleep well, and thanks for the coffee-" She gave a small smile before diving back into her work as he got ready to sleep.

Most of the day was spent delving into her research, though she did allow herself breaks. Late in the morning she switched on the TV, knowing it wouldn't wake him. Jane liked to watch old, old, murder mystery shows. Murder she wrote, Charlie Chan, things like that. Jane also made sure to take breaks as to not overwork her brain.

At noon she went to the fridges, accidentally opening the wrong one and shivering slightly before getting into the other. She wondered exactly how vampires ate like that, did they heat it up like tea or something? She made herself a simple pasta salad and a sandwich for lunch, then enjoyed some oreos for dessert. Eventually as the day went on and the afternoon passed she got tired again, eventually deciding that she should nap and would probably wake up with Maddox. If she was going to have a roommate, Jane didn't want to only be awake when he was asleep and vice versa.

Gently she put her things away before she moved to the bed, and gently got under the covers and turned her back towards the vampire. She was a little nervous, but tried to think of other things, until eventually she once again fell asleep.

 

[BimboBrandi]

It was dark when Maddox awoke, his eyes quicky adjusting to the darkness as if there was perfect light. His tongue played over his fangs as he became aware of someone else beside him. He could feel her warmth, hear her heart beat. He wanted her..

Tearing himself away he climbed out of the bed, his body still reacting to her presence. He was thirsty, he needed to feed. Dressing quickly he made his way to the kitchen and the fridge, selecting himself a nice pack of AB and tearing it open before he started to drink.

The blood hit his stomach and he soon started to feel better, more in control of his urges, the animal locked back in its cage for now. He just hoped be could keep it under control

 

[Beauvoir]

If Janie did dream she didn't really remember it, all she knew was that when she woke up she was a bit heated for some reason. The girl stirred a bit as she felt the bed move when Maddox got up. It wasn't until she heard the fridge open that she actually started to wake up though. She sat up with a slight blush on her face rubbing her eyes gently and letting out a small yawn. When she saw him standing there she shivered a bit as she realized what he was doing. "Uh- sorry-" Jane looked away quickly. "So you don't warm it up-" She let out a light chuckle. "You'd think I'd know more about vampires after working for them the last few years."

She stood and went to the other fridge, pulling out a juice carton before pouring herself a glass, before she moved to sit on the couch. "Did you sleep well-?" She asked, swishing her drink before sipping a bit more. "Can I ask- Is it much different drinking it like that, then from someone- I'm sorry, that was probably crossing a line-"

 

[BimboBrandi]

"it tastes better from the tap.."

He admitted before adding

"Well, most of the time anyway."

Maddox gave her a smile, a tiny bit of blood on his fangs and the inside of his lips. She'd said she had been working for them for a few years? So she wasn't quite as young as her appearance led him to think. He'd imagined she was only 17 or 18, the minimum age to become a squire. 17 if you were a legacy, if your family worked with one of the 4 clans, 18 otherwise.

"So how old are you Jane? And yes I slept well.."

 

[Beauvoir]

As he talked about his preference for feeding from the source she flushed a bit. "it just seems like it would be painful, but I guess I wouldn't know." it was honestly a surprise to Jane that no vampire had fed from her yet or at least tried to. Especially with her AB- blood. She'd been eyed up hungrily plenty of times. Maybe the Claire had an unspoken rule she didn't know about?

When Maddox smiled and she saw his fangs, slightly stained with red, her flush deepened. When he asked about her age she was a bit glad for the change of subject.

"well, I suppose I may have exaggerated. I'm 19 almost 20. I started working for the Claire just before seventeen- i- was a special case. Wrong place wrong time you know? Errr, I guess this was the most, agreeable option between both parties-" She finished her juice and stood up to wash the glass, reading the label on his meal as she turned the sink on.

" Hmm that's almost my blood type-"

 

[BimboBrandi]

"Are you volunteering?"

he joked, though he wouldn't have done it. Feeding from Squires was a big no, and though Maddox was quite up for breaking the rules at times, he accepted that sometimes rules really weren't there to be broken. Especially when you were on a job like this one, one where you were being trusted by your clan to ensure something comes to fruition.


He was curious though about her special case, about what exactly she had meant by that, wrong place and wrong time? he actually didn't know what she meant.

"was this special case to do with how you got that scar?"

he asked, ignoring her comments about his meal being close to her blood type, that was just temptation that he didn't need, and he wasn't going to go down that road.

"It must have been a really special case for the Claire to go against the council's rulings, they aren't normally known for making exceptions.."

The council were a crusty old bunch and Maddox didn't particularly like them, then again the feeling was kinda mutual, not that they knew him personally of course. The high council were all elders, the youngest among them was 850 and she tended to just go with that the others said, not wanting to make waves. They looked down on Vampires like Maddox, who at 50 was often treated like a child. Something that he very much resented.

 

[Beauvoir]

He caught her off guard with the joke, causing Jane to pause a moment before she gave a slight smile and shook her head. "Not likely, I'm assuming it hurts pretty bad."

She listened to him having her attention on the television but froze for a moment when he mentioned her scar. "y-yeah" As he talked about the council and how strict they were she nodded. Knowing all too well and remembering how she'd sat in a warehouse for hours to see if they'd decide to kill her or let her live.

"I suppose it wouldn't hurt to explain what happened-" she let out a shaky breath. "When I was sixteen my dad died in a car accident-" She began to tell Maddox the story of how after her father passed her mom gave up on her shop and she'd picked up a late night job at some shady convenience store to make ends meet. Then how she'd been walking home one night and decided to cut through the old rusty condemned Park and playground that worked as a shortcut home. "I noticed some guys standing on the old dark, and cracked basketball court. I heard them mumbling something, but I guess I just assumed they were homeless, crazy or both and picked up my pace while trying to ignore them. I turned the corner and next thing I know I was being slammed against the wall of the building with the bathroom. He had his hand over my mouth and honestly I just thought I was going to be mugged, raped or both, but then I saw his fangs and he pressed my finger against a piece of broken glass jutting out from the wall and drug it down- thankfully his buddy persuaded him to take me back to their warehouse instead of just killing me- and now here I am. It was either die or work for The Claire, I didn't have much choice." She touched her locket self consciously, the heart pendant brushing against a blue vein right above her left breast.

 

[BimboBrandi]

His eye caught the vein and he pulled back, not out of anything really except for his own sense of desire. All this talk about feeding had him wondering just how sweet the young girl would taste, and that curiosity was conflicting with his own sense of justice. Maddox swore to himself that job or not he would not allow another to harm one hair on her head. He thought about offering to help her get out if she wanted, but the truth was he didn't actually know how to do that, not without her being hunted for the rest of her life, and what good was freedom when you couldn't enjoy it, at least this quasi slave deal had her able to do some things on her own terms he was sure.

"I'm sorry that that happened to you..:"

he offered

"not all of us are like that you know, some of us actually have some respect."

He sighed, trying to stop the anger from boiling over, the only way he could think to do that though was to change the subject

"and no, it doesn't hurt. Being fed on I mean. Sure there is the pain of the bite but after, after it is actually quite pleasurable. I should know.."

he turned, showing her two small scars against his neck, scars that were quite visible even against his tattoos.

"I wasn't always a vampire, my change happened quite recently actually.. I mean it was 20 years ago, so before you were born, but whats 20 years against forever. The woman that changed me, she was my girlfriend. She never fed from me though, in fact I didn't even know she was a vampire until we had been together for a while, I just thought she was a night owl, which I didn't mind because I was a drummer and often playing shows and partying all night. Even after I found out she didn't change me right away, she loved me and I, I loved her.. that was why I let her do this, so that we could be together forever.."

he had a lump in his throat now, just talking about Isobelle still hurt, it was as if it had happened yesterday, even though it wasn't.

"she.. she was killed. Vampire hunters.. she was one of the good ones but they didn't care. To those fascists all vampires are the same.."

 

[Beauvoir]

Janie wiped the beginning on tears from her eyes and shrugged lightly. "Life sucks, and bad things happen. Unfortunately there's not much to be done about it." She gave him a weak and fragile smile. "At least I kept my virtue I guess. Could be worse."

When he talked about how not all vampires were like those she'd encountered she nodded. "I believe that- the problem is, that the niche of the vampire community I've been forced into doesn't give a person many chanced to see the good faces of the night nation. Secrets are their biggest industry-"

When he changed the subject she lightened up a little regaining the pink on her cheeks. " Really? Is there like a component in vampire saliva or something fancy?" She looked at the marks on her neck with a curious gaze. When he began to talk about the woman he'd been with previously and how they'd been in love when he decided to turn she thought it was romantic, but knew that this story had to have a sad ending.

Jane found out she was right and her face gently fell, especially as he seemed to gain his own fragile aura. "I'm so sorry- As an outsider, more or less, even i know the hunters are bad news. It seems a lot harder to be happy in the night nation, it's so lonely-"

Gently she stood up and moved closer to him looking at the scars on his neck. "I bet she was beautiful-" In what almost seemed like a trance, she reached out and gently brushed the marks with her thumb.

 

[BimboBrandi]

Her touch on his scars seemed to send a shiver through him, a shiver that he had not felt before. It was almost like being zapped with a taser, except not painful in any way. In fact it was almost pleasurable instead. For a moment He didn't move, and then when he did it was to pull away from her. Leaning against the counter he tried to get himself together, but all he had in his head now was the image of his once love. Clenching his fists he dug his nails into his palms, returning him to the here and now.

"Sorry.. what were you saying?"

he asked, still trying to focus before it started to come back to him.

"Yeah, she was very beautiful. Different to anyone else that I have seen.."

He sighed and shook his head again

"and its not just the Night Nation, it doesn't matter which clan you are in, being a vampire is just a pretty solitary existence anyway. It doesn't help with all the politics, and in some ways those are worse in a clan like the Royals, but they still exist in the others too.."

The Royals were the oldest clan, they were said to be descended from a curse placed on Judas after his betrayal of Jesus Christ, and to count Dracula among their number, but Maddox didn't really know if that was true, particularly the part about Dracula, it just seemed a bit to convenient to him..