Mila watched distractedly as Lisette casually browsed through her clothing. Her eyes automatically swept over the other woman’s almost nude figure, stealing a few quick glances, as if she half-expected her to turn her head and catch her at it. She had a feeling that the younger vampire knew her eyes were on her anyway, since she was taking her sweet time to examine each article, seemingly in no hurry to cover her body up again. She was exquisite, of course. Irresistible to the human eye and enticing enough even to her fellow vampires. Even if Lisette knew she was staring, Mila was still tempted to take advantage of the moment anyway, to let her eyes wander freely.. But after a moment, she looked away, twisting the scarf around her fingers in agitation and glancing towards the bathroom door. [i]“There you go, darling.”[/i] Mila caught the clothes that Lisette had picked out for her and moved past her into the bathroom to stash Charlie’s scarf someplace where the younger woman wouldn’t think to go poking around. She could tell by the tone in Lisette’s voice that the other vampire had become vaguely suspicious of her sudden departure. [i]“Not hiding anymore pets in there are you, love? My! Wouldn’t Charlie be jealous.”[/i] “Very funny,” she replied dryly, standing still for a moment and listening to see if Lisette would follow her. She heard her sit down on the bed and felt relieved. Now that she was out of Lisette’s sight, Mila allowed herself to look down at the scarf in her hands. She had taken it with her on an impulse the night she had left Charlie, thinking she wouldn’t see her again. Since then, she’d felt a little silly for stealing it but she’d kept it close anyways. Now it felt more precious than ever. She gently touched it to her lips as she went over her plan for rendering Lisette compliant and willing to confess Charlie’s whereabouts. Her thoughts were interrupted by an unpleasant remark.. [i]“Remember that pet you kept in the ‘50s? Wasn’t she a looker![/i] Yes, she did remember. An image of the girl’s face appeared in her mind as Lisette mentioned her. Mila had inserted herself into that girl’s life in a similar way she’d done to Charlie, quietly charming her and drawing her in, all for the purpose of feasting on her in secret. She had gone much farther with this other girl though, and by the time the girl had figured out Mila’s true nature, she had not only been unafraid, but had wanted to be bitten regularly. Mila had been [i]more[/i] than happy to oblige that request. It had been delightful to find the human snuggling up to her every night and eagerly pressing her neck to the vampire’s lips. After a while, the girl began to crave it more and more, asking too frequently, disregarding other aspects of her life. Mila had pretended not to notice. But when it became painfully obvious that the girl was wasting away, she began biting her less frequently and then not at all. It had been another time when she had been reminded of her own monstrousness. She hadn’t killed the girl, but she’d still stolen her life away. In an effort to revive her, Mila began finding her meals elsewhere. It hadn’t worked. When Mila refused to bite her, the girl had gone to both Booker and Lisette on several occasions, both of them happily assisting her need for a fix. [i]And so tasty, oh my! Remember her? But she was just so needy. You really shouldn’t indulge them so much, Mi. I mean if you’re going to keep pets, at least teach them the proper way to act towards their master. I bet Booker will help you out with that one.”[/i] Mila’s knuckles were white as she clenched her fists in silent rage. There were so many reasons for her to [i]despise[/i] Lisette with every fiber of her being. Her words echoed in her head, infuriating her. [i]Teach them the proper way to act towards their master.[/i] Had she been in the same room, she would have had great difficulty hiding the emotion on her face that showed now, making her eyes dangerously dark, despite having just eaten. [i]I bet Booker will help you with that one.[/i] Perhaps [i]she[/i] would teach Lisette the proper way to behave towards her elders, even if they were only a few years apart. Give her a taste of her own medicine… When she spoke, her voice was calm and even. “I do remember her. You won’t let me forget. It’s funny though… I don’t remember ever giving you permission to sample her…” A sinister edge had crept into her voice. “You enjoyed her several times didn’t you? Without consequence. Well, what’s done is done.” Mila began pulling off her clothes as Lisette spoke again, imaging a consequence or two she would like to impose on her later. [i]“Tell me, though, what’s the attraction? Wouldn’t you much rather take it all and then not have to deal with such trivial things like their needs?”[/i] “They are quite capable of taking care of themselves, if you let them recover a little afterward. It’s purely for selfish reasons that I indulge them in that way, don’t you see.” She kept her tone light, but it was somewhat condescending, as if she were speaking to a child. “It’s all about control, Lisette. I suspect you’ll learn someday.” She stood in her underwear now, looking around the bathroom for a suitable place to stash Charlie’s scarf. “Actually, I would love to teach you a few things about control myself.” The edge was back in her voice. “If you ask me, humans are fast learners. It’s other vampires who need occasional lessons in [i]discipline[/i]. Proper ways to behave toward their superiors. The younger ones are getting lazy and informal. They need a firm hand to remind them of their place, don’t you think?” She was silent for a moment as she pulled back the shower curtain and hung the scarf over the shower head. She did it slowly and softly so she wouldn’t make any noise. She could sense Lisette becoming restless in he other room. [i]“Would you hurry it up in there! My, you’re acting ever so mysterious. I would think that you were hiding something, if I didn’t know you.”[/i] “Hiding something?” Mila emerged from the bathroom just then, sauntering over to Lisette with a new, domineering swing in her hips. She had pulled on her jeans, still unzipped and unbuttoned, and she had yet to slip on the low-cut shirt over her dark, lacy bra. Her eyes were locked onto Lisette. “I have nothing to hide from you,” she said coyly. She had come to stand very close in front of the other woman’s seated figure on the edge of the bed, close enough that the younger vampire would need to tilt her head up if she wanted to make direct eye contact. Her legs brushed up against the younger woman’s knees. She ran her fingers along the collar of the shirt Lisette that chosen for herself and gave a sort of shrug at it, before smirking down at the cuffed legs of her jeans. There was a look of bored amusement on her face, but her eyes were too intense to match. They were bright and venomous and vengeful. “You’re only too eager to help yourself to what is mine, aren’t you.” The fingers at her collar twisted around the material until Mila had a firm grip of her shirt. She stared down at her with dark eyes. “Don’t you think it’s my turn to help myself to something of [i]yours[/i] for a change? Lift up your arms.” Without waiting for her to comply, Mila gave an upwards tug of her shirt, working it up and over her head and letting it drop to the floor. “You don’t really hate me. This is what you want,” she cooed, eyes raking over her possessively, teeth sharp. She placed her hands on either side of Lisette’s face, fingers caressing her skin for a moment before suddenly gripping her firmly and tilting her head back. “My full attention.” Mila gave her a rough shove, hard enough to make her back hit the mattress. She was instantly on top of her, straddling her waist and leaning over her with smirk that had more malice than mirth behind it. “It’s adorable, this little crush you have on me. The way you were watching me with that shopkeeper earlier…” She was close to her, the ends of her dark hair tickling the sides of Lisette’s face as she peered down at her, hands gripping the sheets on either side of her head, hips rolled forward and pinning her down. “I wonder..” she began, gaze trailing slowly down to the other woman’s neck. “What it really feels like to be bitten by one of us.” The idea seemed so taboo. She had never done it, knowing it couldn’t offer anything on her end. And of course she had never wanted to be on the receiving end. Accepting a bite from another vampire was too submissive to tolerate. “I’m suddenly curious if it has the same effect.” She flashed her teeth at her teasingly and began running her tongue back and forth along her sharp canines. “Want to try it?” ------------------ Booker felt Charlie’s body relax against his while he drank, even as he continued to grip her bruised side with his large hand. Her pained whimpers had turned into soft, delectable moans that made it difficult for him to stop. When he finally did, he was pleased to see that she had enjoyed it, despite herself. He watched with lazy amusement as she sat up a little and stared at him, looking like she was struggling to find the right words. [i]“I-I... That... it can’t happen again.”[/i] He laughed and licked his lips as he stood up to leave. “We’ll see. You might change your mind,” he replied, pausing at the door. “Just give it a little time.” He closed the door behind him and went downstairs, alarming the inhabitants of the living room with his sudden appearance. They knew he’d been angry earlier and scattered away from him fearfully. He looked around at them, feeling bored and hungrier than ever after he’d whet his appetite with Charlie. His gaze fell on the boy who’d brought him the water. “Go upstairs and sit by her door,” he commanded dryly. “Make sure she doesn’t leave that room.” The boy nodded frantically and moved past him to comply. Booker took a seat in an armchair, propping his feet up on one of the arm rests and looking around him again. “I’m starving,” he said coldly. “Who’s first?” ------------ “You’re… not supposed to be out here.” The boy stared up at the top of the stairs, looking at Charlie with wide eyes. His head was tilted to one side and he looked confused to see her standing there. For a moment, it looked like he didn’t know what to do. Then he blinked and began slowly moving towards her, one stair step at a time. “…Booker told me you have to stay in that room.” His voice was very quiet and he sounded distracted, though his gaze was fixed on her with an eerie curiosity. The sounds of his steps on the stair were almost drowned out by the string of moans coming from the living room. Evidently one of the wasted souls had been courageous enough to approach the vampire after all. The boy paused halfway up the stairs to turn his head toward the sound, a wistful look on his face. He glanced at Charlie again and began moving toward her again. “He doesn’t want you to leave. You’re his new favorite.” He sounded bitter. “Why does he like you so much? You don’t even like him at all. I can tell.” He had reached the top of the steps now and stood in front of her, blocking her way. He was skinny and only taller than her by an inch or so. His eyes flickered to her neck where Booker’s bite marks had not quite healed. “Don’t you like it?” he whispered, as if the two of them were sharing a secret together. “Feels really good, right?” He reached out and delicately touched the bite marks on her neck, his slender fingers almost as cold as a vampire’s. “You’re so lucky.” He sniffed sadly and fiddled with his hands, glancing away from her suddenly. “I’ve never been his favorite.” And then, as if an idea was slowly coming to mind, the boy paused and looked up at her with different sort of expression. “You don’t…want to stay here, do you. That’s why you ran away…” He pressed the palm of his hand to his forehead and squeezed his eyes shut, trying to think. The poor circulation in his body made his mind feel muddled and slow. “If you leave…he has to get a new favorite.” He grinned at her, and his voice dropped even lower. “You should leave. I’ll help you leave! Ok? Shhh! He can hear everything!” He froze fearfully for a moment, listening. The only sounds they cold hear were the moans of a different person and the sound of bickering and chair legs scrapping across the floor. “He gets a rush too,” the boy explained with an air of expertise, nodding his head sagely. “He gets lost in it too. This is the best time to do it. Come on! You can follow me. Shhh.” Slowly he moved down the stairs and paused at the bottom to peer around the corner. He could see Booker with a human sitting on either side of him, one nuzzling at his chest, the other’s head tilted back to allow the vampire access. Booker was completely absorbed in his meal, much rougher with his playthings than he had been with Charlie. He growled as the human on his lips fell limply forward and immediately turned to the second one to plunge his teeth in again. The boy watched him hungrily for a moment before blinking a few times and looking back at Charlie with his wide eyes. He jerked his head silently towards the front door, just a few feet down the hall, and mouthed the word, “Go!” He quietly crept down the hall and waited for a moment before turning the lock of the heavy would door. The click sounded deafeningly loud and he froze immediately, fearful that the noise had given them away. But the sounds from the living room continued, uninterrupted and the boy gave a silent exhale of relief. He took a painstakingly long time to pull the door open, little by little until there was just enough space for he and Charlie to slip through. “Come, come on!” he dared to whisper as he stepped into the street in front of the house. It was still early morning but the sun was a little higher in the sky and there was plenty of light to illuminate the abandoned city street. “You better go fast,” he breathed, rubbing at his eyes as if the light were stinging them. “Do you know where to go?” He pointed down the street. “The closest bus stop is way down that way. Like way, way down. Ok?”