The flash of anger in Lisette’s eyes gave Mila a callous, triumphant thrill. The younger vampire wasn’t the only one capable of getting under people’s skin. Unfortunately, Lisette was quick to counteract. Her lips pulled back into a wicked smile to reveal her sharp teeth and Mila’s confidence slipped just a bit. [i]“Do your worse, if you really think you could of had me.”[/i] She stared at her with wide eyes as Lisette let her head tilt back to expose her throat. The motion made Mila suddenly overwhelmed with bloodlust and instinctively she parted her lips and exhaled. It was a daring move on Lisette’s part. Mila could feel her own eyes dilating and her head tilting forward impulsively. Her hunger made the sight of Lisette’s vulnerable neck [i]irresistible[/i], even though she knew it couldn’t satisfy her. She felt confused…and mesmerized. [i]Steady..[/i] Mila’s gaze shifted uneasily from her neck up to her teasing expression and back down again. It was a cruel trick – leaning forward would mean giving in to the other vampire’s allure. But turning away would mean submitting to her will. Either way Mila couldn’t win. After a few more agonizing seconds, she finally let this sink in and managed to tear her gaze away, grinding her teeth furiously. [i]“I see.”[/i] The amusement in Lisette’s soft voice as she lowered her head made Mila bristle. She meant to turn to look at her again so she could give her a withering glare, but instead she froze as Lisette pulled her closer and pressed her own lips to her neck. [i]She really can control herself…[/i] She had more control than Mila had at the moment,and she was [i]flaunting[/i] it. The soft touch in such a vulnerable place sent an unwanted shiver down Mila’s spine. She wanted to feel human again…but not like this. [i]“By the way, you’d do well to remember not to call me pathetic, love.”[/i] She shuddered at the sensation of her mouth moving against her throat and tried to turn away. She had to take consolation in telling herself that Lisette was just digging her own grave now. [i]Just wait, just you wait. I’ll make you regret this ten times over...[/i] Finally Lisette released her with a shove and sauntered down the street as if she had no doubts about Mila obediently following her. [i]“Only because you asked so nicely, love.”[/i] [i]I’ll kill her. I swear I’m going to-..[/i] [i]”Hurry up, now, we don’t have forever.”[/i] Still feeling violent, Mila grudgingly followed her. What choice did she have. She desperately needed to find out where Charlie was and playing Lisette’s game, at least for a little while, was the only way at the moment. [i]Let her think I’m being compliant. Let her tie her own noose.[/i] [i]“We need a place to stay!”[/i] Lisette chattered, slipping her arm around Mila’s as she waited to walk side by side with her. Mila stiffened immediately and resisted the urge to pull away. They might have looked like a couple, arm in arm, except that the older vampire’s expression was positively venomous. [i]”My, my.... I’d take you back to the house but you’d probably just cause Book and I problems, wouldn’t you? Besides, I’m sure that he is enjoying himself.”[/i] [i]Bite your tongue,[/i] Mila told herself, knowing that Lisette wanted nothing more than to agitate her. [i]”Oh and Charlie as well! I’m sure she isn’t too opposed.”[/i] Her words conjured another painful image of the girl in ecstasy under Booker’s ministrations and this time, she couldn’t hold back an angry growl. “If you make [i]another[/i] comment about her, I really will rip out your throat.” Her voice was a snarl, but she knew it was an empty threat and immediately regretted taking the bait. [i]“Oh! I know! Her apartment must be close by? We’ll go there.”[/i] “Like hell I’m going to show you were she lives,” Mila spat. “How stupid do you think I am.” She didn’t want to [i]bunk[/i] anywhere with Lisette, least of all in Charlie’s apartment surrounded by all her things and her scent… She couldn’t imagine a more torturous scenario. But she wondered suddenly if agreeing to go there would help her chances at weaseling information out of Lisette. Maybe she shouldn’t have been refusing her anything. Still, she couldn’t bear the thought of bringing this monster into Charlie’s home. “I have a hotel room. It’s closer. We’ll go there,” she offered, making it sound like a command, hoping Lisette would go along with the idea. [i]“Now, that’s settled, let’s find you-.. Aha! Here that? The early bird catches the worm.”[/i] Mila spotted the woman across the street just as Lisette raised her arm. An attractive, middle-aged woman who was juggling papers and coffee as she tried to unlock a shop door. The flare of hunger made it difficult for Mila to feel pity for her. The guilt could wait. Her only thought was that [i]finally[/i] she could sink her teeth into someone, uninterrupted. The feel of Lisette’s possessive hands on her hips as she moved to press up behind her only seemed to stroke the flames. All of a sudden, bloodlust, desire, and thirst all mingled together and made her feel savage. [i]“Why don’t you go help her?”[/i] Lisette knew just how to tug the right strings. Her voice against her ear no longer made Mila furious. It was delicious and tempting. [i]“And remember what I said before: Don’t hold back.”[/i] A caress and push was more than Mila needed to start off across the street, fangs sharp and hidden behind her lips. It was like flipping a switch. The scowl on her face was gone. She was beautiful, charming, desirable as she sauntered over to the woman like the hero from a fairytale. “Can I help you with that, miss?” she asked pleasantly, oozing self-assurance. The woman gave a start, having not heard the vampire approach. As soon as she turned to look at her though, the tension in her expression melted and she gave her an appreciative smile. “Oh! Uh, yes, please. Aren’t you sweet.” “I saw you struggling,” Mila returned, coming close to her and sliding her hand over the woman’s arm to take the folder from her. “I…thank you, that’s really kind.” The woman blinked and looked flustered suddenly at Mila’s close proximity. She blushed at the skin contact. “Anything I can do to help.” The folder ‘slipped’ from Mila’s hand and fell at the woman’s feet. “Oh, I’m so sorry,” she apologized sweetly, kneeling to pick it up. “It’s alri-.. ah..” The woman gasped softly as Mila touched her ankle and then dragged her fingers up along the woman’s bare leg and thigh as she stood up again. “Do you own this store?” Mila asked casually, hooking her fingers around the hem of her skirt and tugging her forward. “Y-Yes,” the distracted woman murmured, looking confusedly at Mila’s lips. Mila ran her tongue over them and the woman’s eyelids fluttered. The vampire smirked and touched her cheek then, relishing the way the skin turned red under her fingers. “Can I… come inside then?” “Mm, yeah, sure…I mean, no, wait-..” Mila had her up against the glass door now, the coffee spilt on the pavement. “What are you doing to me,” the woman whispered, eyes heavy with desire. She twisted half-heartedly away but only succeeded in pushing her body closer. She made a distressed sound but became still as the vampire tilted her head to the side and began slowly kissing her neck. Now that she was free to take as much as she wanted, the frantic need was replaced with a desire to make it count. Mila could feel Lisette’s eyes on her the entire time and she wanted to demonstrate just how controlled she could be under the circumstances. She suddenly imagined that it was Lisette’s neck she was about to pierce. She turned with the woman in her arms and looked at the other vampire, making eye contact just as she bit down. The relief it brought was long overdue and made her quiver. Mila forgot about her rival and let herself go for a moment, unconscious even to the soft sounds of pleasure from her victim. She didn’t notice then when they stopped and the woman went limp in her arms. She hadn’t exactly held back, but she didn’t take everything. And when she did finally pull away, she knew it would take time for the woman to recover. The woman looked paler and more sickly than when she’d taken too much from Charlie. Mila let her slump gently down to the ground and stepped back, her lips and chin covered in a scarlet film. She could stand to eat more, but she felt strong again now, back to normal. She licked slowly at her lips and the back of her hand, like some sort of predatory cat. Her gaze settled lazily on Lisette. [i]The little welp.[/i] Feeling full changed everything for her now. Lisette thought she was a puppet master, but Mila knew she was an amateur. She would play the younger vampire like an instrument and get the information she wanted in no time. “Admit that you missed seeing performances like that one,” she drawled, meandering over to Lisette with a curious expression on her face. She came close and draped her arms over her shoulders like it was nothing. “I know how to bring out the flavor.” She winked and then slowly pressed her lips to Lisette’s, pressing her tongue into her mouth as she kissed her to let her taste the woman’s blood. “See?” She pulled away and her eyes seem to laugh at her. She reached to take a handful of the front of Lisette’s dress and tug her forward. “Come on, let’s go before the streets get too crowded.” ------------------------------ “You poor thing,” Booker murmured, as Charlie’s attempt at a cheeky reply sent her into a fit of coughing. He moved to sit closer to her and gently pushed a few strands of hair from her face. “What was it that you whispered to me while I carried you just now? Take me home? You know, I think I could do that, if that’s what you really want. But first, you should rest for a bit. They really did a number on you, didn’t they..” The look of concern on his face seemed so genuine. He studied her face for a moment longer and then glanced at her stomach. “May I?” He touched the hem of her shirt, not waiting for a reply. Very carefully he pulled it upward to expose her stomach, letting the fabric drop at the edge of her chest. His face was expressionless as he looked at the flowering bruises on her midsection, yellow and purple, getting darker by the minute. He tilted his head and lightly placed his fingertips on her stomach, barely grazing the surface of her skin. Slowly, sensuously, he began tracing her bruises up and down her torso with his icy fingers. “Does that feel good?” [i]“You know, she’ll come for you.”[/i] The corner of his lip tugged up in a smile but he didn’t stop softly tickling her skin. There was one spot just above her hip, to the left of her bellybutton that seemed especially sensitive. A bundle of nerve endings that would send her stomach quivering reflexively. “Are you sure about that?” He glanced over at her, then back down at the blotchy pattern. He could tell she wasn’t entirely convinced. “You don’t know her like I do. You don’t know her very well at all, actually. Well, you know that she almost killed you.” He didn’t know this for a fact but he could make a guess, after watching her unpleasant reaction to seeing Mila again. “She gets obsessive about certain people, certain [i]pets[/i], but it’s always short lived. Trust me. The [i]stories[/i] I could tell you about some of her exploits. She’s very good.” [i]“If you hurt me, you’re done for. So I wouldn’t if I were you.”[/i] Booker shook his head and stared at the sneer on her face, a look of pity on his own. “You [i]really[/i] think she’s coming for you don’t you?” He lay his hand flat on her stomach and began pushing down, gently at first, then a little harder. “Maybe this will speed things up then,” he whispered. “Am I hurting you?” He pressed a little more firmly. “How about now? [i]This[/i] will make her come running.” He pinched the skin between her ribs. Finally he let up and went back to light, playful strokes. “The best thing you could do right now is relax. And forget about her because she’s already forgotten about you.” He leaned forward and lowered his voice to a secretive whisper, his eyes lighting up. “In fact, she has a thing for Lisette. It’s so obvious!” He raised his eyebrows at her. “A little presumptuous of you to think she would throw herself at the feet of a mortal, don’t you think? Not when she has [i]everything[/i].” His hand stopped and he bent close to her again. “What can you offer her?” He touched her neck. “Besides this? And for how long?” He straightened when there was a timid knock on the door. A scrawny young man with a pitcher of water in his hand leaned hesitantly into the room, his eyes scanning the room and before latching on Booker. The vampire winked and crooked his finger at him. The boy scrambled over to him and handed him the pitcher looking down and away. He glanced at Charlie and seemed to be fascinated by her. He left quickly though, when Booker cleared his throat. “Would you like something to drink?” Booker asked, all politeness. He brought the pitcher to her parched lips. “Now, now, don’t be reserved. I promise there are no strings attached to this. Just my way of apologizing on behalf of my guests. If I had known they would do this to you…” He set the water aside. “You know, if you really are in pain…” he parted his lips to reveal his sharp canines. “I could make you feel a lot better. And fast.” He bent over her and whispered in her ear. “You know how good it feels. Imagine it.” He blew a stream of cool air against her neck. “All you have to do is ask me.”