"We'll go to the shop and get your cat food, okay?"
Claude actually sighed into her thoughts. "I guess so. Once we get there, you can feed me, then return to your mating dance. Right now, I'm starved."
Raife watched the furry animal pad out of the tomb. "I can't believe I have to reason with that hair ball. Royal blood, my ass."
"He really is a noble cat, and very devoted. He's been there for me in all my forms." She pushed back the covers and slowly stood on shaky legs.
"Here." Raife tossed her a clean T-shirt and a pair of boxers. "These are clean. I'm sorry, but your clothes were ruined. You can get better ones at your shop."
She nodded.
"There is something else, though. We...we have something to do tonight."
"Like what?" She pulled the large T-shirt over her head and marveled at how her nipples perked at his heated glare. He intently watched her movements, even when their discussion turned away from sex.
"Eva. I met another one of her past creations last night, but he isn't as ancient as I. He asked for my help in tracking her down."
The T-shirt ended at Yvette's hips, and the boxers hung on her. Yet Raife still looked at her with desire.
"I'm not sure I like this idea, Raife."
"She has to be stopped." His voice became husky as he stepped closer. "You really do know how to get me all hot and bothered. Just seeing you in my clothes...I can't get enough of you."
He wrapped his arms about her waist. Yvette shivered as he leaned into her, his warm breath tickling her ear.
"I want to fuck you again."
"Already? You just had me?"
"Feels like days since I was inside you, love."
"Hey, you two, feed me first, then do your kissy-face stuff!"
"That cat is starting to get on my nerves," Raife said.
They both laughed as they walked out of the tomb.
A chill ran down Yvette's spine as she took in the cemetery. She had slept in a tomb. She had been turned into a vampire. She was a vampire's lover. She had died to become an immortal to be with him. It was a bit much to comprehend. How could she accept everything that had happened in so short a time?
"You'll get through everything with me by your side," Raife whispered into her mind. "Always know I'll be here for you for the rest of eternity." He picked her up and cradled her in his arms.
In a flash of ethereal speed, they traveled through the dark New Orleans streets to the Bell, Book and Candle.
* * * *
Once at the shop, Yvette went to her bedroom above the storefront. Slipping into a pair of jeans and a black turtleneck sweater, she listened to Raife recount more of his history with the twisted Eva.
"She left me in the street, hungry for something unknown, and completely unprepared for the sunrise. Leonardo, an Italian vampire, found me and took me to his resting place before the sun destroyed me. Sometimes, I wished he had left me there, especially when my hunger grew so strong, and controlling the blood frenzy became difficult."
She stepped into a pair of dark brown boots and proceeded to lace them. What made him think turning her would be any better? Would she become insane with the need to feed?
"Never worry, love. I'll take care of your needs. The thought of you drinking from another...I couldn't bear it. I shall feed, then, you will drink from me.'
"I like that idea, Raife. I'm not sure I could do it otherwise."
A foreign scent drifted through the air. She could actually smell another vampire--or rather, two--approaching. Her sense of smell had heightened along with her other senses. Her vision had gained clarity, and she had no use for glasses to read. She even heard the beat of Raife's heart, along with the sound of Claude's, and the two mice in the nearby wall.
She knew it would take practice to filter all these new sensations so they didn't overwhelm. Raife had already explained it was a skill honed through the years. One would learn to ignore certain senses, then focus on one. The tracking of a heartbeat always proved useful in hunting, but since Raife would provide her nourishment, she wouldn't have to worry too much about that.
"My friend is here with the other vampire Eva created."
They left her bedroom and reentered the store. There, a dark vampire, Spanish--judging from his looks--stood with another, a blond vampire with eyes that struck Yvette to the core. Such pain and loneliness reflected in those blue depths, she unconsciously extended her magic to him in comfort.
"Amigo, I heard of Eva's latest sin, creating another to feed her appetites. I wish to help." The Spaniard stepped to Yvette and took her hand with an Old World gallant charm. "Call me Vincente, señorita. I am at your service."
"Don't let this pirate fool you, love," Raife said. "He really is a wolf. In fact, the Spanish called him El Lobo de Mar, or the Sea Wolf."
The blond vampire fought her magic to be comforted, as if wanting to feel the agony. What had happened to him, making him want to drown in pain?
"I'm Yvette," she introduced herself to him as Vincente and Raife began talking of the possibilities of Eva's location.
"Damon." He looked at her strangely and cocked his brow. "You're a fledgling."
"Yes, I was attacked and Raife made me..." She still hadn't fully accepted her change. It would likely take her a while before she came to grips about becoming a vampire. She couldn't help but wish the choice had been hers. She couldn't resent her lover for taking that choice from her, but as a modern woman, she would've liked to have had input in the decision.
"I loved once, but it wasn't meant to be." The man's pain was so palpable, Yvette could almost feel it in her heart. "She died and left me behind to mourn."
"I'm sorry, Damon." She increased the magical caress across his soul.
"Your magic won't help me. I'm beyond anyone's help now." He turned from her, dismissing her sympathy. "Vince, Raife, we need to get going and search. Every moment of darkness Eva has, the stronger she will become."
Yvette grabbed her knapsack from behind the counter. "Yeah, let's get going."
Vince turned to Raife. "It'll be dangerous out there for a fledgling. I don't think she should go."
The comment angered Yvette. "You are not my master. I'll go along to help my mate."
"She'll come and be able to help." Then Raife added in a low voice, "You can help, right?"
"I have a few surprises in my bag of tricks. I might be able to cast a spell to slow her down so you gentlemen can do your duty. With her being ancient, she probably has her own magic and is much more powerful than I can handle." Judging from their discussions of Eva, Yvette knew they would need to kill the vampire. The idea, however, didn't thrill her, and she didn't know how to react. But having come face-to-face with many strange and bizarre things in her lifetimes, she knew that if a group of vampires said they had to destroy an evil vampire, she shouldn't question it.
"I'll just stay here and watch the home front," piped in Claude when he jumped onto the counter next to the cash register.
"You do that, cat." Raife laughed as he strapped his scabbard to his hips. Sliding his sword into the sheath, he answered Vince's curious look, "Long story."
* * * *
She traveled through the dark streets, wary of her surroundings. She could smell the dark creatures all around her. Nothing unusual. They were always around her, but tonight, they were hunting her.
Fools. Did those vampires that fought and killed Michael really think they could find and defeat her? The young ones had no clue what they were pitting themselves against.
But still, she needed to be careful.
Eva had sensed one of her disloyal creations tracking her last night through the bayou. She would've stayed in the murky area, but her fledgling virgin had shivered too much from fright. Eva had been afraid to leave the girl in the swamp, especially when Damon searched so ruthlessly. So, Eva took the weakened fledgling and locked her in an abandoned building off a dark alleyway, making sure her creation would remain waiting and hungry
for her return. A newly turned vampire needed sustenance, and Eva would grant it only when she wanted to give it. She planned on using this fledgling for quite a while. It had been a long time since she'd tasted a woman's gifts. Men had been her primary staple of sexual pleasure, but from time to time, she liked variation in her menu. The female virgin's blood would continue to be a sweet treat indeed.
"You'll never get the chance to destroy the spirit of another," said a voice from her past.
"Damon, darling." Eva saw him approach in the dim alley, only steps away from the building sheltering her newest creation. "You never really complained when I drank from you. I seem to remember your kisses heating me like flaming coals on a winter's night."
"That was before you left me for your next conquest."
"I've always loved my creations. You're no different."
"All your creations? The hundreds of poor, helpless humans you transformed to satisfy your bloodthirsty needs?"
From the darkness, Eva felt the approach of more vampires set to destroy her. She laughed. "Think you can stop me, little Damon? Oh, and I see you finally met Raife. Now there is a lover I can never forget."
Raife, with a new lover at his side, never looked more tantalizing. Being in love suited him. Eva's eyes slid over the form of his witch-vampire. "I see you brought her along. You know, she is a part of me, too."
"Threaten my mate and you'll suffer long before death grants you release." Raife's eyes glowed with anger.
Eva wanted him. She really had felt something for the English pirate all those centuries ago. "You are a bunch of fools to try and take down your maker. Do you honestly think I'd let it happen?"
"I'd like to see you try and stop us from destroying you." Raife's mate appeared spunky and courageous, but not all that intelligent.
"Oh, I don't have to stop you," Eva said with a smile.
She called to her loyal servants. Eva wasn't as unprepared as they had likely expected.
* * * *
The sound of flapping wings filled the dark alleyway as a flock of crows descended. They soared through the air, landed on the cobblestone street, perched along the iron fire escapes that clung to the sides of the brick buildings. Even more glared down from the top of the rooftops. The black birds shifted shape. Soon, vampires of every race and background lined the alley behind the gloating Eva. An army of faithful vampires to do her battles.
Yvette's courage wavered.
Eva obviously enjoyed the moment. "Feeling so sure of yourselves now, my pets?"
Facing this army of servants, Yvette knew they would be lucky if they got out of this with their heads.
"I think we can even the score a bit," quipped a voice.
An Italian vampire, along with more vampires Yvette had never met, came up behind her and Raife. A red-haired woman dressed in a trench coat brandished a large, deadly looking machete. Another Italian smirked as he stood with his attractive mate, who had dressed like a gypsy with velvet scarves. But the large blond vampire with the air of sophistication and dominance, the one who had spoken, made Yvette shiver. He stepped through the street like he owned the town, closely followed by a large gray wolf.
"Lucius, you just don't know when you are beat, do you? Can't you see the odds are against you and your friends?"
"I never play the odds." The wolf at the vampire's side growled when he lifted his silver-tipped walking stick to polish the end. He seemed completely unconcerned of the vampires closing in around them. "If you don't call off your little batboys, I can guarantee they'll never see the moon rise again."
"My pets protect their mistress, just as your pet stands by you."
Yvette reached into her bag, formulating a plan.
"What are you doing?" Raife asked her in a whisper.
"Just stay inside the circle." She pulled out a large container of salt and flicked up the spout. "I can't stop them all, but I can make things a bit more in our favor."
Stepping around the group of friendly vampires, she enclosed them in a circle of salt.
"I can't protect your blond friend and the wolf from my spell," she said in a hushed voice to Raife as she reached into her bag for two glass vials.
"I don't think any spell will affect Lucius. What are you going to do?"
"As I said, just stay inside the circle."
Eva paid no attention to Yvette, obviously dismissing her powers. But after Yvette's recent and powerful sexual gratification, her magic had grown strong. She murmured her plea to the goddesses, especially her patroness Bast, for the strength to overcome her foes.
Feeling the answer to her prayers as her body began to glow, she raised her arm holding the vials and tossed them outside the circle.
They hit the pavement, the blue glass shattering upon contact, and the contents bursting into the air in a smoky cloud.
"Do you really think you ca--"
The cloud cut Eva's words short. It built into a storming presence, becoming larger and larger over the alley, rising into the air above the gathered vampires.
"Just don't move out of the circle," Yvette said to Raife and his friends as they watched in awe.
Then, the storm broke. But it did not rain water droplets. Eva's vampire army began to transform. They screamed and doubled over in pain as their bodies morphed and shifted.
"Damn you, witch!" Eva yelled. She retreated into the hoard of her vampires, now mewling, shrinking, and taking on the characteristics of cats.
They shifted even smaller, becoming a disorganized giant litter of kittens.
Eva ran. Lucius transformed into a great golden owl and flew in pursuit. His mate, however, affected by the spell, transformed into a kitten as well.
Raife turned to Yvette with a questioning look.
"The blond and Eva must be very powerful to avoid the spell. But the others weren't so fortunate."
"How long will the spell last?" asked the redhead holding the machete.
"A few hours." Yvette gazed out at the alley, moving with cute little fur balls. "But the vampires who are older won't be affected so long."
"Can we move now?" asked the Italian.
"Yes, we can go out of the circle now."
The male vampires shifted into various forms--a wolf, an owl, an eagle--and headed after Eva. The women, obviously fledglings in their own right and unable to shift as of yet, followed closely. The gypsy picked up the wolf-turned-kitten and ran after her mate.
Raife did not follow. "There are enough after Eva. I need to protect you on your first night as a vampire. I'd much rather be in bed, plunging into your body, than scoping the streets for her."
"You know, my powers do need to be recharged."
"Oh, torture."
As they turned from the kittens scraping along the alley and trying to find a hiding place, she asked, "Do you think they'll kill her?"
"Not sure. She is too slick to get caught easily. Though, I sense she won't be back in New Orleans for a long time."
"What about the new vampire she made?"
He stopped and gazed at the buildings lining the alley. "Damn it."
"Fear not, mon amigo. I found where Eva was keeping the señorita," Vince announced inside their minds. "But, it looks as if she is an escape artist. She must have gotten away during the day. I sense she hasn't been here for hours."
"What are we going to do?" Yvette replied through her thoughts.
"I'll try to track her, but I think she probably left New Orleans."
"Where do you think she went?" Yvette asked aloud.
"Don't know. Where would a weak fledgling go?"
"Good question." Raife sounded annoyed at this twist in events.
"What makes you think she is weak?" Yvette asked.
"Because Eva starves her victims."
"She may not be starving now, though."
Vince sighed. "Best follow the bloodless corpses, then..."
They broke contact with Vincente as he proceeded to track the missing fledgling.
"Now, about recharging your powers," Raife said in a teasing tone. "Just how much do you think you need to recharge?"
"Oh, a lot. May take hours, days. We'll have to try and have multiple orgasms for me to get back to normal."
"Yep, this is just going to be torture, love."
"Raife?"
"Yes?"
"I'm glad it was you who answered the call. I think I fell in love with you the moment you stepped into my store." She wrapped her arms about his waist and peered up into his handsome face. His blue eyes sparkled with mischief and a deeper, tender emotion. "And, I love you for keeping me by your side, even if you had to make me a vampire. I didn't want to lose you so soon after finding you."
"It was quick for me, too, Yvette. I knew you were my mate. I can't help but love you."
They sealed their eternal destiny together with a gentle kiss.
* * * *
Damon had shifted into a great black wolf when he took off after Eva. He followed her stench of death and evil into the bayou. The other vampires hunting her went off in various directions, hoping at least one could capture the evasive vampiress.
In the swamps of Louisiana, the trail proved difficult, due to the moist air. Scents dissipated and scattered. This was why Damon had gone for help in the first place. With the other vampires searching, however, one would have to find her. Wouldn't they?
He sniffed the misty air and took in the different scents of the swamp.
Humans. What were they doing there at this time of night?
He trotted closer to the scents, toward the watery depths. Cypress trees, hundreds of years old, stood among the marshy edges as he drew closer. In the water, a group of four humans sat in the dark. Sniffing the air again, Damon sensed three men and one woman in the small metal rowboat.
He listened to them whispering to each other, but they spoke too low to hear.
Then a snap echoed through the night. Pain shot through Damon's side. He turned to run, but found his legs could hardly move.
Damn it, I've been shot! he thought before his world went black...
* * *
Marianne LaCroix
Descendants of Darkness 04 Raife Page 4
