Abandoned Blood

Though inspired by true events, this story is a work of fiction. It contains graphic sexual acts between two females characters (among others). There are scenes herein which depict graphic acts of violence against the body and mind. If this sort of thing offends your delicate sensibilities, or if you are not of legal age to view this content in your area, then leave now. The author accepts no responsibilities for anything that may befall upon you for any illegal activity. All characters and events herein are borne entirely from the author's imagination. Any resemblance to anyone, living or dead, real or fictitious, is entirely coincidental. No actual event, either past or present, is depicted. The author retains the copyright to this work and all of it's preceding chapters; however, if you would like to download this piece for your own (and your partner's) enjoyment, ask me first. In other words: don't steal it.

I would like to take this time to acknowledge some people who asked to see some certain things presented in this chapter. I know most, if not all, of you have been wondering where Nadia is from and what kind of physical resemblance Charlie has to Father Darien, so if you'd like to find out then read on. For those of you who would rather not know, then wait until the next chapter.

I would like to thank everyone who has been reading Abandoned Blood since day one; if you are new to the family, then welcome. As most of you know I always answer the emails and do my best to honor requests. On a personal note, I'd like to thank everyone who has written in with their support through the shit that became my life over the last couple of months. I'm proud to say that things are really looking up. My therapy is going really well, as is my book, "A Walk On The Wayside: Embrace The Fall". Hopefully that'll be ready for print by the end of the month. If you'd like more information about it, all you have to do is email me.

Now sit back, relax, and enjoy Part 17 of Abandoned Blood.

Episode 17

A great man once asked a great question: "Have you ever had a dream you were so sure was real? What if you were unable to wake up from that dream--how would you know the difference between the dream world, and the real world?" Damn you to hell, Morphious. That's what I've been feeling like for the last two-and-a-half months. This is all some sort of fucked up dream; none of this could be real. Vampires don't actually exist; my parents didn't actually get killed by one; my brother didn't actually stumble upon all of this information about our family; I don't actually have a demonoid-vampire as a father.

No, none of this is actually happening. It can't be happening. My brain has been numb for the last five days. Everything has been a blur. Hell, I don't even remember Nadia's feedings. Apparently the sex afterwards was pretty boring because she's been extra bitchy lately. The kind of bitchy where you see it in a cafe and you say to yourself, "She needs to get laid. Big time." Or maybe it hasn't happened at all--I don't remember. Shit, I don't even remember when Travis, Henry and Sven came over, but apparently they've been living in the spare bedroom upstairs for the last three days trying to help us get through all of this shit.

Nadia was standing in the kitchen preparing the humans the same thing I made for myself the night I met Adriel. I listened to the minute sounds of the clock ticking, the tomato's fibers being sliced apart, the bubbles in the water rising to the surface, the knife cutting into the cutting board, and Nadia's vocal chords flex as she hummed a tune only I could hear. I ignored the guys as they discussed their theories of what the hell was going on. I remember thinking that it would be funny as hell if she arbitrarily started chasing them down the hall with the knife in her hand.

I must've had a spaced-out look on my face, because I felt Sven's aura shift. Not a second later came the sensation from the other two. "Charlie, you okay?" came Henry's voice from nowhere.

"Yeah," I replied quietly. "That smells good, doesn't it?"

All three of them just gave me a weird look. "What? The water boiling?"

I paused. "Um, yeah, we'll go with that." I shut my eyes and put my head into my palm. Now I'm a numbed-out basket case who just looked like a dumb ass. "Well, I don't know about you three, but I'm starving."

Sven's expression hardened. "That might be because you've only drank that weird pink water for the last three days." I didn't like his sarcasm, but I stayed quiet about it. I knew he was worried about me. Besides, he just lost his parents too. "So it's good to hear that you actually want food."

I warmed at that. "Especially when it's a hot chick doing the cooking."

"Are you hitting on my girl, Travis?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," the troll said, putting his hands up. He looked between me and Nadia for a couple of seconds then said, "Since when are you two an actual couple? I thought you were just live-in fuck buddies."

Nadia snickered, I smacked him in the face. "Not cool, troll."

He rubbed his cheek and smiled. "So is that a yes, or a no?"

"About what?"

"Are... you... two... in... love?" he drawled out.

Blunt question if you ask me. I looked over to Nadia, but she pretended like she didn't hear a thing. I know how she feels about me, but I'm still on the fence about how I really feel about her. Did I love her? I mean really love her? I tossed my hands up in defeat. All three of them knew that's a touchy subject for me. I think that's why the little fucker put me on the spot like that. Sven and Henry broke eye contact with me, but Travis looked determined to know. And I didn't like it.

"Why are you asking, anyway?"

"Because I want to know where the two of you stand," he answered in that 'duh' kinda way. I stared into his eyes and read his aura. No lies there. And neither were the answers I wanted. I stretched out my own aura to touch his. I noticed his mouth twitched when I made mental contact. Without saying a word, I asked him why. "Charlie, I not going to sugarcoat this. We both know love is a powerful thing. Hell, love has a power all on it's own; it changes the way you see things, it alters your perspective of the people and world around you. It's even been proven to alter people's brain patterns. Take what you're doing right now. We've been best friends for over a decade and this is the most defensive I've ever seen you. Shit girl, you're freaking me out with this whole domination thing over being asked about it. Based on that alone, I know that you love her. Why not just say it?"

I chuckled and pulled my aura back. "You're right, Travis. We've been friends for a long time, but this is the first time you've gone all old-wise-man on me. What gives?"

He almost looked offended. "I care about you, Charlie. We all do, everyone in this room, and we're all scared shitless about they way everything's been going down. None of us like seeing you this hurt and confused. From what I hear about this Father Darien guy, if he's as bad as you say he is, just wait until he finds you like... this."

Great, thanks troll. Now I have that to worry about too, but it would explain why I haven't been outside much lately. I took a gander around the room. Each one of them wore a worried expression, and not just for me. Then I looked down at the table. "It's just a lot to take in. For Christ sakes, I watched my girlfriend kill my parents then I turned around and blamed them for the attack. That's not normal."

"None of this is normal," Travis reminded me. "But that's exactly what I was getting at a second ago. You're in love, Charlie. That's why you haven't been in your right mind since all of this started happening. I'd bet money on that. It's the real reason you're confused, not the whole vampire-Watcher thing."

"Thanks Doctor Katz," I mumbled. I knew Nadia was liking they way Travis kept picking at me like he was my wise uncle. She's been dying to know herself since her outburst at the chinese place. "But I'm not going to answer that, and you know it. I was in love once before. I told her, then look what happened."

"You were seventeen, Charlie," my half-brother intoned. "Everyone is in love at that age. Things get fucked up all the time, we both know that. But you know what? It's okay to be afraid of it."

I sat back, affronted. "Afraid?" I nearly shouted. I put an finger in his face, holding back the urge to smack him. "You have no idea what fear is. You weren't there when dad smashed Stacy's head into the wall, or when he threatened Nadia with the knife that killed mom. You haven't been raped by the scum that walks the streets at night. You haven't seen what happens to people when all of their family and friends abandon them. I've been living in fear for so long I've forgotten everything else, so don't sit there and pretend to be the brother you never were."

I fell back into my chair, my heart racing. I knew without looking that Nadia's eyes were almost black from all the emotions flowing in the room. It took a lot out of me to say that to him. I wanted to cry. The tears welled in my eyes, but I swallowed them back. Years of pent-up frustration was boiling through my veins. Mom and dad were dead, I had no reason to be afraid anymore. Nadia and I would find a way to get her freed from that monster--we've made it this far. I chanced a glance at her practiced elegance in the kitchen and beamed. They were right: I was in love. I was in love with a one of the hottest chicks I've ever met in my life. I was in love with my rapist. I was in love with a vampire.

"Feel better?" Henry asked, touching my arm. I fought off the instinct to recoil it. The man may have worn his emotions on his sleeve, but rarely showed them. For him to reach out like that would be like Nadia holding me in bed at night.

"Not really," I answered, patting this hand. "But thank you." I still didn't want to say the words out loud, though. I wanted that to be something special for Nadia and I, when we weren't in a room filled with perverted guys.

Nadia dumped the pasta into the boiling water and continued humming. I didn't feel as numb, but my mood didn't increase much either. This wasn't fair. Why did all this shit have to happen to me? I mean seriously, what was so goddamn special about me? That I was Father Darien's daughter, or the fact that he was hell-bent on wanting to see me suffer and die? What kind of fucking monster was this guy? His entire existence was nothing but misery and pain personified, and he spent his life bringing it upon others. He played with their lives because he saw himself as having no equal--any idiot could tell that.

"Alright," Travis said after another moment of silence. "What do we have?"

"Not much," Henry answered. "We know we're dealing with a deranged psychopath. The man is fucking nuts, I saw his handiwork for myself just yesterday."

Sven perked up. "Where? Who?"

Henry shrugged. "I don't know who, but this person was completely wasted. I knew he was a vampire, but he was also one of those--whatcha call it?--bleeders. His neck, shoulders and wrists were all ate up, literally. His entire body was one huge bite mark. But as I watched him, he took another bleeder and fed on her. She screamed like she was getting off on it. Then hen he was done feeding, she fell to her knees and started blowing him... it was the most sickening thing I've ever seen." The poor guy's face was turning white by the time he was done.

"I've seen it myself," I mumbled. "Only that one was being raped in the process."

Nadia's aura shifted at the memory of something similar. "Where did you see this, Henry?" Sven asked, though we could tell he didn't want to.

The blonde troll made a hook-motion with his hand. "Just around the corner where North Lawn Street intersects with West Needmore." Sven and Travis blanched. They could throw a rock and hit that spot from the porch.

"Any news on Tiffany?" Sven asked Nadia, who was busying herself with mincing the basil that she finished five minutes ago.

She shook her head. "No." The girl refused to take her eyes off the cutting board. I knew she was close to losing it, from both our emotions and her own. Hell, I could smell the change in the air.

Travis looked at me for confirmation. "You either?"

"I don't even remember you guys coming over here. I've had my own problems to deal with."

"What else do we know about this asshole?" Sven asked in a dire attempt to get back on topic.

"We know he is very rich and very powerful, both politically and physically." Henry kept his voice upbeat in a vain attempt to keep everyone calm. "He owns most of the underground clubs and controls most of the vampire community with his status as the coven's Master. In those circles, his word is the command of God."

"That's not entirely true," I said. "It is true that he holds power over the vampires and most of the humans hang-arounds, but there are a select few that he either doesn't care about or thinks are below his notice. They live outside of the coven's rules, but are not renegades."

The three guys looked at me like I was speaking a foreign language. "What the hell are you talking about, Charlie?" Sven asked first. "We're talking about guy that not only kills for boredom, but for pride. We're talking about a sadist who kills in the worst ways imaginable for something as small as not liking his food. He has his nose so far up his own ass that he doesn't care about anyone else. You said yourself that you've seen his work firsthand. Hell, you ARE his handiwork."

I looked at him askance. "Very funny, but that's exactly my point."

"I'm lost."

"Travis, remember your Freshman year?" He thought about it, then shrugged. I rolled my eyes. "Sixteenth Century World History. We were going over the French and British's struggles for control of the Atlantic trade routes. Because those two got so involved with each other, with their own pride blinding them to everything else happening that both of them ended up losing. The Spanish were the ones that came out on top."

"What does that have to do with this?" Travis asked, clearly confused.

"Pride is the biggest weakness of all." It didn't have the response I was hoping. "Father Darien is so proud of everything he's built and owns that he can't see anyone taking him down, especially the little morsels that he thinks of as playthings."

Nadia stiffened at that. The guys gave a much needed sigh of relief. "Okay, but that still leaves us with one huge problem: How you gonna do it?" asked Sven, leaning back in his seat. "The man can read peoples' minds, he can see their entire lives in the blink of an eye, and know the worst way to torment them."

I smiled for the first time in a while. "He can't read everyone's."

Nadia stopped dead in her tracks. In a near panic her gaze bounced around the table, her confidence waning with each tick of the clock. She fell back against the counter, something clearly bothering her. "No," she nearly shouted. "You have no idea what you're asking." She braced herself against the granite countertop, her fingers dug in so hard I could hear the stone moaning from the pressure. "I can't do it."

The room suddenly turned into a pheromone-filled madhouse. The guys scrambled to get out of the kitchen and into a place where they could easily escape. Their bedroom does have a good sized window. Somehow, either through a strong will of her own or some borrowed from me, she didn't fall back on her instincts to chase and bite them. Or she was too terrified by whatever was bothering her to care. And I had a good idea what that would be.

In a show of support, our eyes locked on each others. All of my personal problems were summed up in that one look on my vampire's face. She was scared to death about actually going against the man who tormented her since she came to this country nearly a hundred years ago. One hundred years of isolation, rapes--physical, emotional, and mental; beatings, murders. Visual reminders of who and what she was back then, and who she was now were all around her. Even in this very house. In the moments ago she must have relived all of the pain from the last century.

I slowly made my way to her. She was cowered in the corner, clawing at the cabinets as if they were a cell wall. She closed her eyes, but I knew they were as black as her master's soul. Nadia was completely vamped out. Vamped out and scared for her life.

"Nadia," I whispered with my mind, reaching out with my hand. "I'm here."

"GO AWAY!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, her hands over her ears. "I DON'T WANT TO! NO! I SAID NO!"

"I know you did, Nadia." I used my actual voice. "I'm not Father Darien, Nadia. I'm Charlene. I'm your Watcher, remember." I knelt beside her, but refused to touch any part of her. "Tell me what's wrong."

My girl was balling her eyes out. After a moment of allowing herself to feel my presence next to her, my vampire sobered up enough to say, "Charlene?" She looked at me only once, then refused to meet my eye again. "I told him I didn't want to. I told him I didn't want to be a part of his coven anymore. I told him that I wouldn't let him take you from me like he did Marianna." I fought back the urge to say something. "I told him that I wouldn't let him kill you. I told him that I wanted you for myself, forever." That put a smile on my face. "I told him that I'm in love with you; that you're my Watcher, and I'm you're vampire--me and no one else. No one else can have you. No one else can touch your mind, or your blood."

"That's very sweet of you, Nadia," I said as sincerely as I could, "But when did all of this happen? Just now?" She nodded her head, still refusing to look at me. "You told me a while ago that you were able to fight him out of your head."

"I can, but he can still tell me things while he's in there." She sniffled, then added, "He's still stronger than me. It takes me minute to get him out." Finally, she looked at me and put her hand on mine. I smiled as warmly as I could, not paying attention to the voices in the other room. I hated seeing her like this as much as she hated being being seen, but it was reassuring to know that she still feels things like that. If nothing else it proves that she's her own person and hates what that asshole tried to turn her into.

"Nadia, I know you're scared, but this is the only way we can free you from him. And me, and Tiffany, and Marianna, and all of those others who live in fear of what he might do." I tried to sound more confident than I felt. She didn't buy it.

"That's not what I'm afraid of entirely," she answered in a somewhat thicker accent. "You don't fuck with these people, Charlene. They fuck with you. After this much time, you still don't understand what you're asking of me, do you?"

"Meaning?"

"Meaning these people--my people--are vindictive and very violent. When they see something they want, they stop at nothing until they have it. Same goes for protecting that which they have. You've seen me when I've protected you." I swallowed that image back. "Can you imagine what they're gonna be like when you try to upset the entire social order? I know I can't."

I sat down beside her. I leaned my head back against the cabinets and tried to think. "Alright, explain to me what'll happen. And spare me the usual you-don't-want-to-know crap."

Nadia huffed, blowing a lock of her beautiful black hair away from her delicate face. "The coven is a very tight-knit group of vampires. Each one of them has in them the promise to be just as deranged as Father Darien. They will capture you, Henry, Travis, and Sven, and put them in a room to be used as bleeders; they will use you to test new interrogation methods to find out who else has risen up against their master. They will take me and leave me in a windowless room with no blood, food, or water, and wait until I've lost my mind before they let me out." A tear escaped her eye before she spelled out that last sentence. "I've seen those dungeons, Charlene. They make this neighborhood look like paradise. I'm not going to let them do that to you. Or me. The screaming, the voices, the stench... no, I won't let you suffer like that."

I've tried to picture what the vampire underground would look like more than once. My imagination is pretty nasty, but I don't think I was coming close to the actual thing. "I heard some time ago that the other coven masters would like to see Father Darien ousted, or killed. But they haven't dared touch him. Why not?"

"Where did you hear this?" Nadia snapped.

"From the man himself. I know Adriel's hinted at it, in his own way. Plus the things I've read in my history books..." I let my voice trail off. Something about everything I've been told clicked in my head. "Oh shit."

"What?"

"Get Amber and Sylvia over here," I commanded, getting up. "Guys, get in here! You all need to hear this."

The seven of us gathered in the living room, seated in a semicircle in front of the big screen TV. Weird that we've never turned it on, but in a large group we instinctively gravitated towards it. Amber sat next to Nadia, while Sylvia practically sat in Sven's lap. The other two boys tried to keep that masculine veneer of confidence and false bravado on their faces. I didn't have the heart to tell them that all of us women could see right through it.

It took me a moment to get this started. We each looked down at the dinner that Nadia was gracious enough to cook for all of us, but I don't think any of us were really hungry. "I bet you're all wondering why I call the other two girls over." Sven tried a bite and nodded. He made his icky-face and stopped eating. So did everyone else. "Okay, here it goes. Nadia, remember that note that you found underneath your pillow?" It sounded like a good icebreaker.

"Yes," she answered nodding. She turned to Amber then back to me. "Why?"

"It was signed by a woman named 'Ambrosia', right?" Again she nodded. "Well, I gave it to Sylvia to have it translated, but I can spare us all of that. After what happened at my parent's house I've been thinking a lot. Or at least trying to. But when I was thinking back through everything I've seen about my family, one name kept coming up. Betsy. Yes, Sven, our great-aunt. The handwriting matches exactly to a birthday card I received last year."

"But mom said she was dead," he countered. "We haven't heard from her in nearly two decades."

"You haven't, but I have. Remember, I'm this generation's family lesbian, just like she was. I've kept my contact with her a secret from everyone by having our letters sent through Tiffany's mailbox."

Travis chuckled. "That explains a lot."

Ignoring that, I turned my attention to Amber. "Amber, that means that you're my cousin."

"What?" she asked, startled by the sound of her voice. Even Nadia gave a small gasp, quickly covered up by a graceful hand motion. The same hard realization washed over her face as I'm sure I wore those few days ago. "No. There is absolutely no freaking way I'm related to that son of a bitch."

I nodded in sympathy. "Funny. That's exactly what I said. But it gets even weirder."

"How much weirder can this get?" Sylvia asked, instantly regretting it. "I mean, I haven't even gotten the damn note translated yet."

"You don't have to. I may not have been able to read the language, but I'm not an idiot. I recognized some of the words from my old high school foreign language classes." Henry let out a little laugh. If it wasn't for him I wouldn't have passed those classes. "The translation is a little, shall I say, soggy, but the words 'kinship', 'family', and 'demon' appeared several times. I'm no expert, but after hearing what little I learned from mom's last words, what Sven told me last week, on top of what I learned in my history texts from the library, it wasn't hard to add it all up."

Everyone gave me a curious look. "What history text?" Travis asked, looking around as if speaking for everyone.

"The one I checked out for our research project for Economics, remember? It was the one I refused to let out of my sight." I turned around and picked it up for everyone to see. I opened it up to the earmark I made in the chapter that talks about early sixteenth century aristocracy. "Nadia, I found this after you told me the story of Count Gregor de Rais and his wife." I held open the page and asked, "What names are beneath these pictures?"

Her expression went crestfallen. "Count and Countess de Rais," she mumbled.

"Exactly, and who does he bare a striking resemblance to?"

She let out an annoyed noise and looked back at the pictures. Her face hardened the longer she stared. "He looks a lot like Father Darien."

"Yes," I said as I turned to Sven. "And who does she look a lot like?"

"Oh shit," he mumbled, rubbing a hand over his face. "Aunt Betsy."

"Whoa, wait a minute," Sylvia nearly shouted. "The countess was killed by the count." I nodded in agreement. "If that's the case then how--"

"They had several children," Amber interrupted. "Any one of them could have a line that lead to Charlie's aunt."

"Exactly." I don't know why, but knowing all of this was out in the open was making me feel a whole lot better. "I'm guessing that Aunt Betsy, assuming that's even her real name, found out about my newly found abilities and decided to write to the one person who would be able to help me out."

"How would she know you and Nadia had hooked up?" Henry asked.

I paused for a second. Good question. "Henry, actually both of you boys, need to understand that our brains don't work like yours do. She could have found me in any number of ways. Granted that all of the letters I got from her were postmarked from different towns, but all of them have been around this area and some county near the Ukraine/Romanian border."

"Where exactly?" Nadia asked softly.

"I can't pronounce it. I looked it up one time on the internet; it's about a day's drive from Bucharest."

"No shit." The uniquely American phrase sounded so weird in her accent. "She could have been near my hometown."

I shrugged. "Yeah, maybe. And if that's the case then she's been snooping around my life since before I was even born into the vampire world."

"Do you think she's one of the seers that the Brotherhood sent after Father Darien?" Sylvia asked, suddenly back to her perky self.

"Again, maybe, but the real question would be why my very old aunt would be sent in to take down Father Darien's coven in the first place. Maybe she was close to finding something juicy because before my last birthday card, the last I heard from her was three years ago. Which brings us back to my lineage." I looked at the pictures of the royals again, but with a discerning eye. "I think we can agree that my skin tone, eye color and shape, nose and cheek bones come from either one of these two."

"Yeah, but what about only having half of the virus?" Sylvia asked, standing up to start pacing. "It's such a rare occurrence that most people don't believe a real dhampir could possibly exist."

I smiled and made a gesture. "In yet here I am. Dark hair and all." Travis snickered at that. He often joked that Tiffany and I could be sisters with how closely our hair matched. That would explain my childhood fascination with hers. "All physical resemblance aside, I'm still at a loss as to how he pretends to not know anything about this."

"I was thinking that too," Nadia said suddenly. "He's never made even a hint about you being a daughter of his after all this time." She turned back to Sylvia, who was pacing and biting her thumbnail. "I would think he would take that into consideration and rethink his reasoning for hunting you."

I made a face. "Did you have to phrase it that way?" Then put my hand up. "Don't answer that." The room fell silent. We all just started looking at each other, hoping someone else would be the first to speak up.

"Okay," Henry said after a few more ticks of the clock. "Now that we know to whom you're related, what difference does that make in taking him down? I mean, like you said, he gets off on seeing people suffer, so do you honesty think knowing that you're being tortured to death by your own father is going to help any?"

That sent a chill up my spine. Damn Henry for always being the thinker. "I don't think he knows that I'm his daughter," I said in the most positive voice I could muster. "If I told him who and what I am, then maybe he would back off and find something else to do."

Both Nadia and Amber shook their heads. "Wishful thinking," they uttered in unison.

"Okay," I exhaled, putting my hands on my hips. "You two have a better idea?" After a quick glance, they shook their heads again.

"The one thing I can't put my finger on is how any of this has to do with Adriel," Sylvia said to no one in particular. "He's been here for every turn, watching everything that happens between you and Father Darien, but neither one of them has really acted on anything."

I scoffed. "He put a price on my ass."

"Then he lifted it after several of his best hunters were killed." I thought about the two bodies outside, then the one that attacked me in the basement. "You've told me yourself that the two of you have had a face-to-face after that, so why didn't he do anything to you then?"

I lifted a shoulder. "He smack me a good one the last time I was alone with him."

She raised an eyebrow. "That was it?" I was about to protest when she nodded towards the two vampires. "Look what he did to them." I don't think THAT could have come out any less tactful. "You're telling me that the guy who holds dominion over this entire area, the guy who would love nothing more than to torture you to death in the cruelest ways possible, had you in his hands and all he did was smack you in the face?"

I thought back to that night. "Well, Adriel was standing right there... sort of. Maybe he thought he was protecting me so he did what he could get away with." The other six in the room either laughed, shook their heads, or both. Good, I wasn't the only one who thought that was a stupid thing to say. "Any other theories?" Sylvia, Amber, Travis, and Henry each let out an exaggerated sigh. No one spoke up. Sven looked back at his girlfriend and let out a breath. Nadia and I exchanged a glance before breaking off to look at the rest of the group. I rubbed the sides of my head, then said, "Alright, if there's nothing else, then why don't we pick up this conversation tomorrow?"

"Sounds good," Amber said getting up. She went over to the big chair and retrieved her coat. Every one that didn't live here followed suit. We gave a series of hugs before anyone was allowed to leave. The cold October air had us all feeling a chill that wasn't borne of the weather. This was the season of weird shit to happen after all. And it doesn't get much weirder than this.

Nadia and I stood in the door and watched as all of the cars disappeared into the night. Her arms snaked around my middle. The slight tightening of her grip had me feeling both safe and worried. This was a long night for everyone. Not only did I not have a plan, but now every single person I cared for was wrapped up in all of this shit. Just thinking about it made me want to cry. I didn't want to bring it up to anyone, but not a single word was spoken of Tiffany. Or rather, the lack of Tiffany. Or Marianna, for that matter. The last time I saw her she wasn't looking so good. But at least she had someone who knew people with her. It's like finding solace that your crack-addicted friend has a safe place to shoot up. It scared me how close that analogy really was.

Nadia's nose nuzzled against my scar. I let out a soft moan, allowing her to have her way with it. Her left hand slid up from my midsection to lightly travel over the curve of my breast. I barely felt it through the lace of my bra. My head lolled back against her--I was hers and she knew it. Her mouth soon met mine. With the pressure of a feather, our lips slid over each others. That wonderful tingling travels through my body, and hers. "Take me downstairs," I whispered just before her mouth covered my shoulder.

My vampire pulled me away from the door and spun me around. I felt her claws dig into the fabric of my shirt as she kissed me with the force of a long-lost lover. Her nails pressed against my skin, her soft tongue licked around my lips then down my neck. Just as I closed my eyes again, Nadia lifted me up and took me into the dining room. It happened so fast I didn't even have time to squeal. She set me down near the top of the stairwell. "I missed you, Charlene."

The softness of her eyes pierced right through me. She was hurt by my mental absence these last few days. And it hurt me to know that. "I missed you too, Nadia," I said stroking her cheek. I pulled her mouth back against mine. My vampire forced me back against the wall. Her hands continued that beautiful molestation of my body; she was vamped out, and for all the right reasons. If my girl wanted blood, she was going to get and so much more. One of her claws touched my scar, sending a tidal wave of juices through my pussy. "Please, Nadia... Take me to bed." I have no idea how I got that out, but I did.

Before I knew what happened, Nadia had me sprawled out on the bed. I sat up to watch her undress. My vision changed over so I could she her in all of her curvaceous glory. The long tresses of her ebony hair, the ample swells of her tits that weren't too big or too small, the flat of her stomach, and well defined hips. This girl got me wet just thinking about her body. I squeezed me thighs together just to get through the show she was putting on. I love it when she looks me dead in the eye and takes it off like a pro. My nipples hardened, I cooed when she licked her lips.

Ever so slowly, she slid her bra down her arms and off her chest. She put a finger in her mouth then slid the digit between her breasts. I put my legs over the side of the bed to get closer. She took it as a sign that I wanted a lap dance. Fine by me. Her nearly-naked form straddled my thigh. I must have had the brightest smile on my face when she pulled my head down to one of her nipples. She loves it when I pinch it between my teeth while running my tongue over it. I felt her goosebumps rising. I dug my nails into her soft skin as I continued suckling on her offering. I barely even noticed her starting to rub her pelvis against my leg in time with my motions.

Nadia pulled my head back and kissed me. She slid off my leg--adding pressure between hers--and proceeded to remove what was left. I starting rubbing my own tits when her pants slid down her well defined legs. She hooked her thumb into the waistband of her thong and looked me square in the eye. "If you want me, take it off."

I love it when she takes charge. I fell to my knees, running my hands up her calves. My thumbs pressed into the soft flesh of her inner thighs as my fingers grabbed her panties. I slowly lowered the garment, allowing my nose to be filled with the heavenly aroma of her moist sex. In what looked like one motion, she stepped out of her thong, threw me back on the bed and straddled my shoulders. I would have giggled if I wasn't so hungry. I wrapped my hands around her hips, pulling back the outer fold of her vagina making her clit that much easier to tease.

"Just fuck me, Charlene," she commanded. I lifted my head towards her. She gasped immediately as my wet tongue ran up her open slit. I felt a hand hold my head against her, grabbing my hair. My tongue dove deep into her velvety folds, fucking her with every inch I had. I've always loved how easily her pussy opened for me to fuck her like that. I lifted and lowered my mouth muscle against her walls, pulling it out then shoving it back in. It wasn't long before I felt her grinding against my face. My mouth started sucking against her sensitive clit. I groaned against her, sending vibrations through her love-hole. I sucked with my mouth, then fucked with my tongue. My nails scratched her skin. Her grip on my hair tightened.

Somehow, I pulled my mouth off of her, my chin dripping with her juices. She opened her eyes and looked down at me. I put one of my fingers into my mouth to get it damp--I think my nails might have drawn blood. Her yes, black as sin, smiled back at me. Nadia grabbed my wrist and directed me to where she wanted it. The vampire lowered herself down on my hand, moaning as I slipped inside of her. She continued to stare down at me, fucking herself on my raised finger.

"More," she breathed, refusing to look away. Oh my god, it was so hot to watch her fuck herself on me. A second finger slipped into her. Her bouncing quickened. Her tits were shaking from the impact. "More," she repeated a few moments later. I smiled and gave her what she wanted. My third finger entered her. Trying to be sneaky, I slid my thumb out just enough for it to hit her clit when she came back down. Her walls tightened around my digits.

"I'm so close..." she moaned. I bent my fingers ever so slightly, teasing her G-spot. Nadia got so lost in her building climax that she stopped bouncing. Instead, I decided to give her a good finger fuck. My tongue attacked her lit from above as the speed of my hand increased. "Don't stop!" Almost there, I thought. I moaned in anticipation. "Don't stop, don't stop, don't stop..." I wouldn't think of it.

I groaned against her opening. "Give it to me," I mumbled. "Just cum all over me." That did it. She grabbed my wrist and her glorious spray splashed against my face. It's been too long since I've had this. I couldn't stop. And neither could she. I kept fucking her, she kept cumming. Nadia screamed so loud that my new ears went deaf for a second. But I didn't care. I missed this too much.

"Stop... No, no more." Nadia fell over to her side of the bed, covered in sweat. Her whole body shook from the countless orgasms running through her. I swear she was about to cry from relief. The whole upper half of my body was saturated in her juices. After another minute, she opened her eyes. "That was amazing," she breathed out.

I propped myself up on my elbow. "I know; I was there." When she smiled I saw her fangs at full extension. For some reason they seemed to be getting longer.

"Sit up and turn around, Charlene," she said in that phone sex voice. I obeyed. I felt her presence behind me stir. Her strong but delicate fingers ran up the sides of my neck. There was a moment of coldness before her teeth sank into me.

I squealed from the force of the bite. I knew from experience to just relax and let the saliva and pheromones do their job. A soothing sensation took over my aura. Nadia's coated mine with the love and affection she felt for me. In an instant, it turned from love to lust. And I wanted it. The walls of my pussy convulsed, my juices leaked out of me. My hands roughly grabbed my breasts, rubbing them through the fabrics of my clothes. No, they were in the way. I pulled and ripped my shirt clean off of me. I unhooked the front clasp of my bra just so I could play with my bare tits. Lost in the throes of passion, I rolled my fingers over my nipples to the point of pain. But it felt so good.

Nadia sucked at the nape of my neck. I reached back and held her in place. My pussy begged for attention. My other hand reached between my legs and tried to get me off. But again, there were too many clothes in the way. I fought with the button and zipper of my jeans, but nothing happened. This was so no fair. My orgasm was building up with no chance for release. I screamed out, my hand trying in vain to rub it out of me. The sucking continued. My head was in the clouds, but my anger was building. I had to cum, I needed to cum.

I felt my body fall. I landed on something soft and wet. My eyes creaked open, Nadia let out an animalistic sound of desire and wanton lust. The crimson smile she gave me told all I needed to hear: she was about to feed on more than my blood. Her extended claws traveled down my cleavage and over my stomach. With her ass up in the air, she undid the button and zipper. The cold air hit my pussy-soaked legs, but for some reason that just made the visage that much hotter.

I felt her tongue travel up my slit through my satin panties. Oh my god, that was incredible. Using the cloth as a barrier, she bit down on my sex and lightly gnawed at my sensitive skin. Her fingers slipped underneath the underwear and pulled my hole open. I don't know how, but she managed to slide a finger in me while holding me open. She pressed against my walls with just enough force to piss me off. I grabbed her hair and squeezed her head between my thighs. "Fuck me, Nadia." Her teasing continued. "I need to cum so bad, please fuck me!"

She pulled my panties aside, then her face diapered. Her nice long, eel-like tongue slipped into me. I love feeling that muscle bounce around inside my pussy, hitting everyone of my spots like only she knows how; feeling that hotness from her mouth against my labia while her tongue licks from the inside out is the most amazing thing ever! I bucked my pelvis against her face, demanding she go faster. Her hands pried me open even more. Her perfect teeth pressed against my exposed clit. I had to bite down on a pillow to keep from losing my voice. I felt her tongue turn upwards, licking directly on my G-spot in time with her mouth and fingers playing outside. When our eyes locked, I couldn't take anymore. Watching this hot chick eat me out, her eyes staring up at me as I get off...

I almost cried when Nadia pulled her tongue out of me. "NO! Put it back in! Please, I'm so close!" She just smile and ran a finger though my dripping wet slit. I reached up, grabbed her hair and forced back between my legs. "Please, I need to cum! Put it back in."

"You want to cum all over your vampire?" she asked in that innocent schoolgirl tone.

"I'm not playing," I whined. "I need to see my cum drip off your face. Please, Nadia, I'm begging you!"

She didn't give me time to beg further. Before that last word left my mouth, hers was back at doing what she does best. She pressed her hot tongue against my favorite spot and held it there as the pressure built back up. Her hand vigorously rubbed my swollen clit harder and harder. I went back to the pillow, but I'm sure I was loud through it.

Then it happened. My pussy erupted in a tidal wave of girl juice. I didn't even feel Nadia's tongue leave me, but her hand never slowed. It just kept pouring out me like a never-ending cascade. When I tried to grab her wrist, Nadia grabbed mine in turn and held me down. With her face an inch from mine, she purred, "I want it all."

Before I knew what was happening, Nadia started grinding her pussy against mine. Our clits brushed against each others, her hands squeezed my bouncing tits. Before long I felt her pussy leak more girl sauce against mine. As if on cue, that caused another eruption from my depths. Nadia pulled away and began fingering me to get it all out. As she did that, she fingered herself for one last orgasm before we both collapsed in a heap of spent sexiness. If it wasn't for the overpowering smell of girl-sex, we probable would have fallen asleep in the lake of our cum.

"We need to take a bath." I couldn't agree more. We needed a bath, then a good night's sleep. We had a long day tomorrow.

Nadia woke me up with the smell of freshly cook pancakes. With blueberries. I cooed a little as I stirred on the upstairs bed. I don't know when she got on this whole cooking fix, but I liked it. "Good morning," she said to my mind. "Sleep well?"

It's creepy that she knows when I'm awake. All I could do was smile and get out of bed. The aroma of breakfast cooking helped. Nadia must have changed my clothes, because I got up wearing a wife-beater and sleeper shorts. And yes, it was cold in here this morning. By the time I got to the dining room, Nadia threw a few pieces of bacon down on the skillet. Seriously, when did she go to the store?

"Smells good," I complimented taking a seat.

My vampire looked over her shoulder and grinned from ear to ear. "Thank you. I wanted this to be special after the night we had."

It would have been amazing if it hadn't been for the earlier conversation. Thinking back on it I couldn't see any other way around it--my father was a monster and I had to kill him. I had to kill him to free Nadia and myself from his hold. The Order wanted him dead, but didn't dare send anyone in to do the job. Which raised another good question: Why not?

"What's bothering you?" came Nadia's voice from nowhere. "You seem a bit down."

"Just thinking." I leaned back and let the aroma of her cooking overtake my senses. "That smells good."

She plated up a few cakes and plopped a few pieces of bacon beside them. Her hips sashayed over to the table, the belt of her robe bouncing off her legs. "Enjoy," she said with a knowing grin, sliding the plate in front of me. The syrup was already on the table. And a glass of O.J. appeared out of nowhere. "That's really creepy, Nadia," I mumbled when I felt her presence shift behind me.

I felt her beaming from the compliment. "You like my cooking?"

"You know I do," I said, cutting a blueberry-filled piece off. Wow, now I know what Meg Ryan meant in that scene. She just beat out daddy-dearest. "This is wonderful. Are you going to eat anything?"

"Working on it," she said from the stove. Now she was just showing off. She wasn't vamped out, stressing out about today, or anything. "As soon as you're done we need to go for a little walk."

I paused. "Why?"

"Before you woke up, I got a call from one of the neighbors down the street." I almost laughed. "I'm being serious, Charlene. He says he's keeping Tiffany and Marianna safe in his basement." The fork stopped halfway inside my mouth. "No need to worry, he's the only neighbor that I would trust for anything."

"That doesn't make me feel much better." I leaned back in my chair. It's been weeks since I last heard from her. I was thrilled to hear she was still alive and still attached to Marianna's waist, but at the same time, her life was so fucked up that she'd rather be dead. "Is that all he told you?"

The vampire shrugged. "I don't hear from him often, and he doesn't say much about anything. However, the tone of his voice told me they were doing okay. Well, as good as two bleeders can be."

That last bit killed my appetite. Suddenly the bacon took on a whole new perspective. Nadia's face gave me a silent apology. Using that word is normal to her, but I used to love Tiffany; we've been best friends since before either of us could remember, so hearing Nadia talk about her so easily like that made me uneasy. It reinforced the notion that true nature of vampires isn't the Hollywood glamour, but ugliness and violence. That's why they go through such great lengths to hide it.

"I'll get the dishes later, Nadia." Nodding to the back to the bedroom, I said, "Let's get dressed."

I'll never get tired of Nadia making/picking out my clothes. Everything from the lingerie to the jeans to the coats and jewelry to the shoes all matched and fit me perfectly. I don't think I want to knowhow she got my sizes and measurements. I decided to wear the necklace with the twin rubies on the side--a nice joke of the vampire community. Along with the tight-fitting, long sleeve black shirt and black jeans, I wore the boots that Nadia had made especially for me.

She decided on a similar outfit to mine, but she decided to wear a little eyeliner and her black leather trench coat. She looked like pure sex in a gothic getup. Just as she walk past me towards the garage door, I wanted to get one last kiss in before the day really went downhill--it always does whenever I see another one of Nadia's friends.

"That was nice," she purred with her eyes still closed. I smiled in agreement and opened the door for her.

"Why are we driving?" I asked.

"Just in case," she answered without looking at me.

I followed her into the garage. "Just in case of what?"

She opened her door and looked over the roof at me. "We're not human, Charlene. They are." And that was the end of that.

We both had to throw on our sunglasses to keep the morning sun from blinding us. The drive down the street was so quiet that I didn't even realize that the radio was turned off--the exact opposite of my first ride in this car. All I remember about it was all the noise.

Nadia made a few turns around the block. She kept looking in the rearview mirror, and that made me nervous. I pushed my aura out to try to get a read on hers, but I couldn't. "Nadia, you're freaking me out. What's going on."

"I'm making sure your father isn't having us tailed." Did she have to phrase it that way? After one last turned, she braked in front of a house. "We're here," she declared. I didn't appreciate the ominous tone lilt in her voice. She gave one last look over her shoulder and got out of the vehicle.

"Peachy," I mumbled, following suit. She came around the front and took my hand. Now she was really scaring me. Her hand was trembling. The quietness of the street was the most unsettling part of all this. Not to mention the darkened windows, or the plethora of bolt locks on he front door. This looked like the creepy neighbor's house from all of these old horror movies. And this is supposed to be one of the "good neighbors" on this street. Nadia tugged on my hand. Alright, it's go time.

Nadia knocked some sort of secret code. We both listened intently to the footsteps coming towards the door. I thought I recognized the cadence, but I couldn't be sure. Odors weren't all that forthcoming through this particular door. Come to think of it, this house's door was identical to Nadia's. I'll have to ask her about that later. The steps halted. A voice that I didn't recognize called through, "It's open. Everyone's waiting downstairs."

Weird to have that many deadbolts and chains on a door and not have them locked. I guess he's one of those friends. Swell. Nadia just shrugged and pushed it open. As soon as the air seal was broken, about a dozen different scents hit me all at once. When he said everyone, he meant everyone. Tiffany, Marianna, Sylvia, Amber, Travis, Henry, Sven, the guy himself, and... Marcus?

"You must be the famous Charlie," the not-so-attractive thirty year old said with a smile. For all of the muscles on his body, his face looked like it was beaten with an ugly stick. His house looks like a time capsule from fifties. Charming, but definitely once belonged to his grandma.

"So it would seem," I retorted looking around. "I guess I'm famous to everyone except me."

"Just as witty as I remember," he replied, ushering us in so he could close the door. He grinned at my curious glance. "I hope you would remember me from the phone a few days ago. I'm Ben." I thought back through the week I've had. His smile fell with each passing moment. "Amber's research assistant?"

"Oh yeah, I remember you." I feigned a knowing, friendly smile. The last time I met one of these guys, the man was ripped to shreds and eat from dinner. Literally. Poor guy has no idea what he's in for should Father Darien find out about this.

He turned to Nadia. "It's good to see you again." My vampire nodded and headed for the basement stairs. I was curious myself as to why all of my old friends were gathered at his house. Plus I wanted to know what Marcus had to say about his involvement.

Ben followed us down the rickety wooden steps. My knuckles went white as I descended into the makeshift meeting room. The basement looked like something out of the Godfather. A few lightbulbs gave off enough light to illuminate the space, a few mattresses spotted the floor along side some fold-up tables. I hoped he didn't live down here too. If that were the case, then I really felt sorry for him in more than one way.

"Charlie!" Tiffany shouted when I reached the bottom. She peeled away from her brother and lunged at me. I fell back against the wall, but returned the hug. It felt really good to see her alive and not whacked out. She actually looked pretty good, for a bleeder. All up and down her neck, across her shoulders, and covering her wrists were scars from the many vampires that took a piece of her. "I'm so glad to see you," she said in her little lost girl voice.

"So am I," I said against her shoulder, holding back a tear. It took a lot of guts on her part to see me in her condition. I know I would want to disappear. Seeing her like that, then thinking of the luxury that Nadia afforded me wasn't fair. She wasn't even supposed to be a part of all this. "How have you been?"

Without letting go, she answered with, "Getting better."

"I've been so worried about you," I uttered quietly. "I'm so sorry about all of this. For everything. It isn't fair."

I heard Travis sniffle. He's been having a rough time himself with all of this too, he's just better at hiding it than I am. Even Nadia's aura shifted to that of shame and guilt, most likely due to Marianna being in the room. "I want to make it better." I looked over to where everyone was seated. "For everyone here. It's all my fault that we've ended up like this."

"No it isn't," Ben said, taking his seat. "Nadia, Marcus, Sylvia, and myself chose this. You on the other hand had no say in the matter. Don't you dare start beating yourself up like that." Nadia, Tiffany and I made our way over to the round table. Nadia was practically in my lap, completely avoiding Marianna's woeful gaze. "Everything that's happened to us here today was not of our making."

"In yet, here we are," I answered. I adjusted my chair, then asked, "Why are we all here, anyway? I thought most of us went over all of this just last night."

Ben nodded. "You did, but I thought it best to make sure everyone that knows about you was here to discuss your plan."

My eyes widened. "You think I have plan? I thought you told Nadia we were coming here to make sure Tiffany and Marianna were safe."

"And we are. Now that that's settled, let's move on to what we're going to do about Father Darien and his coven." It wasn't a suggestion. I expanded my aura and thoughts to read his. In a wave of memories, his manly yet grotesque appearance made sense. He was a freaking Navy SEAL back in the day. And based on the instantaneous movie I just watched, he was a damn good a t his job. No wonder Nadia liked having him on her side.

"The simple version? I want to kill him." There I said it.

"No you don't," Marcus said firmly.

I shot him a nasty look. "And what part in all of this do you play? Another one of my unsung protectors?"

"Yes, actually. Do you honestly think that of this shit that's gone down has been my accident?" I paused and sat back. "Good, because it's no accident. That's how much power and control Father Darien has over this city. Do you have any idea what'll happen if he gets taken out? All of the renegades that he scares out of this city will invade like locusts. Every little peon that thinks he commands the respect of every vampire will fight for the position. The Order will come down so hard on us to keep the humans from being exterminated--or interfering--that even more chaos will ensue." He paused and tried to stare me down. "I was here the last time that happened. Chaos isn't fun."

"But it's fair," Travis said quickly. The ire in his voice frightened me a little. "My sister got dragged into this shit because she's Charlie's friend. I say if my sister has to suffer like this, then let's all suffer." Henry and I stared at him with our mouths open. "These fucking savages prey on people like her and me for the shear joy of it, just to get a night's fun."

Amber look about ready to cry. "You think I enjoy feeding on people? I hate drinking peoples' blood. I hate myself overtime I look in the mirror. I hate that it's the only way I can stay sane. If I could stop right now I would. It's disguising."

"Right, and I suppose you hate the orgasms that come with it, too." Even I felt that sting.

"Yes I do! It makes me feel like a soulless monster." A couple of tears traveled down her cheeks. "The way we survive defies the natural order of nature. That's why we look for voluntary donors."

Travis scoffed. "Voluntary? Like Tiffany, or Marianna?" We all felt the hurt of that comment. "You call begging on the cold streets like a used-up whore voluntary? Last night I watched a woman allow herself to get raped just so that animal would bite her. Is that what you call voluntary?"

"No," Nadia said quietly.

"Or raping someone in a bathroom?" He turned his anger at both of us. "Look at her, would you? You fucked her in the middle of a bathroom just so you would satisfy some demon's sick game."

"You don't understand, Travis," Sylvia said in her defense.

"You're goddamn right. I don't understand." The vein in the middle of his forehead swelled.

"Anyone else share his opinion?" Ben asked the group. Sven raised his hand, but not his temper.

I let out a breath. If this was how this meeting was going to go, then we were going to get nowhere. "Travis, Sven," I said calmly, "None of us here expect you to understand what this is like. Nadia, Amber, and I are infected with a virus that causes our brains and bodies to act differently than yours. You understanding us is like understanding what the voices tell a schizo--unless you've been there, you really can't."

Travis fell back in his chair, his anger spent. He hated that I was right, as did my brother, but when you're right, you're right. "I hate myself too, Travis," Tiffany said after a long moment of silence. She too started to cry. "I don't enjoy sucking some guy's dick for a bite. And your whole rant just made me feel even more worthless. I fucking hate going through the day knowing that I'm eventually going to be overpowered by these creatures and give in to my addiction. And when he's done, the only thoughts that keep me from killing myself are you and Charlie."

We go from discussing strategy to an intervention. "So," I said after giving TIffany a few minutes to cry out her frustration. "What are we going to do about Father Darien? We can't let him keep on going, but we can't kill him either. So watt other options are there?"

"Put Nadia in his place," Marcus said casually. That got everyone's attention. "I've heard him say that Nadia is only a couple of steps away from being a master herself. Why not dethrone him and put her in his place?"

"Because I don't want to be over the coven," Nadia retorted angrily. "I just want to live my life with the one I love." She gave my hand a symbolic squeeze. Marianna chocked back a tear.

"And wouldn't living that life be so much easier without him there to interfere with it?" Good question Ben. "Isn't your personal freedom worth anything to you?"

"Not if it causes that many people that much pain and suffering." Both Amber and I smiled at that. We knew of the lengths she's gone through to keep people from being hurt. "I won't do it."

"Who else in the vampire community commands as much respect and fear as Father Darien?" Henry asked, leaning forward.

I answered with the only name I could think of. "Adriel." Everyone in the know gave that one a good laugh. "You think I'm joking? Yes, he's insane, but no one else compares to what he can do. I watched him tear another vampire to shreds without a second thought."

"And that's who you would like to see over the coven?" Marcus asked me, almost affronted.

"Is he any worse than what we've got now?" I countered. The big black bouncer dropped his gaze. "Got a better person in mind?" He shook his head.

"Alright, if that's you're decision, how are you planning on getting him to do it?" asked Ben.

Another good question. I started thinking back through all of the times I've been with him. All insanity aside, the man was more than capable of handling the renegades and aggressive peons that lived on the streets. Plus the two of us had a certain rapport and mutual respect. In his own way, he always appeared gracious whenever I was around. I have yet to hear of anyone else say that. But as far as contacting him, I was at a loss. The man always found me. Never the other way around. I looked up. Everyone was eagerly awaiting what I had to say. "I have my own way of dealing with him."

Stay tuned for Part 18.

Things between Charlie and Father Darien hit fever pitch when he finds out the dhampir's plan to get him off his throne. Charlie thought that her friends have been suffering for the last two months, but she hasn't seen anything yet.