They stood in the road in front of the house, the first pale light of dawn still creeping it’s way over the city rooftops. The air was crisp and still, as if it too were holding its breath. There was something eerie in the silence around them, as if they were the only too souls left in the world. “You had better go quick,” the boy whispered, as if he was afraid to make ripple in the stillness. He watched Charlie with wide eyes as she paused to look at him, his bony arms still raised toward the direction he’d indicated. [i]“I don’t even know your name.”[/i] He blinked at her slowly in surprise, as if he were confused. But then his lip quirked up in a gentle smile and he gave a half shrug. “I don’t think [i]he[/i] knows it either.” He stiffened when she approached him to pull him into a tight hug and looked embarrassed when she thanked him again. He didn’t return her embrace, though he did give her a few hesitant pats on the shoulder. “I don’t know why you want to leave,” he said, looking wistfully back at the house. “I never want to leave. Not ever.” [i]“Take care of yourself.”[/i] He gave a curious look at that and then gave a hasty nod, but only as if he thought it would please her if he did so. With silent wave he turned back to the house and crept quietly through the door, shutting it noiselessly behind him. It would take several hours for Booker to finish his feast and be in the mood for torturing his newest toy. When he discovered that privilege [i]denied[/i] to him, he made do with the scrawny whelp sitting on the stairs, who seemed only too happy to have his vicious attention… “You just let her walk right out the door, is that it.” “No, I-I…I helped her…” the boy wheezed, finding it difficult to speak with Booker’s large hands squeezing his windpipe. He stared up at him with large, admiring eyes as he gasped for breath. “So you and I could… so we could be…a-ahh!” He made pitiful choking sound and his eyes fluttered in ecstasy. He had a knowing half-smile on his face, as if he’d predicted the glorious attention he was receiving. He didn’t seem to register the cold fury in Booker’s eyes as the vampire continued to press the life out of him with methodical increases in pressure. “You will tell me,” he said in a soft, cruel voice, “which direction she went.” He didn’t release him until the boy’s face began turning an ugly shade of purple. “Right. Now.” ------------- “We could try it right now. A quick bite, while Booker’s not around to tease us..” Mila’s ultimate goal might have been to lull Lisette into a state of compliance, to get her to confess Charlie’s whereabouts, but she couldn’t completely deny the fascination she had with the younger, crueler vampire. She knew Lisette was monstrous and embodied every vice she herself struggled with…and yet, a small part of her felt envious of Lisette’s total freedom from guilt and moral dilemma and although those other decidedly human emotions. How much simpler things could be if she hadn’t let herself succumb to that distant ache to be human again. Charlie had been the one to stir the ache. When Mila pictured her under Booker’s vile ministrations and when she thought about how it was entirely her fault for getting the girl into this mess and not being able to protect her, she nearly trembled with angry frustration. She pushed more roughly against Lisette’s body and gripped the bed sheets with terrifying force. Her sharp teeth were barred and her eyes had focused intensely on the other vampire’s neck, as if she just wanted to rip the information she needed directly from her throat. [i]“You... you want to bite me?”[/i] Mila’s gaze snapped up to meet Lisette’s eyes, just in time to seem them widen with astonishment and curiosity. The way the younger vampire’s lips had parted in surprise made her seem delightfully vulnerable, for just a split second. It startled Mila, though it was exactly what she was aiming for. She felt the sudden urge to bite her, overwhelmingly and entirely for selfish reasons. [i]“You want to bite me.”[/i] Her stomach knotted uneasily as Lisette’s expression went from honest wonder to sinful amusement in the blink of an eye. Mila gave her a wicked smirk of her own, although it wasn’t entirely convincing since her eyes were too busy flickering down to her throat and back again. She reminded herself that she was only pretending to want to take a bite, but already she could feel her control of the situation slipping as the frenzy crept over her senses. She was acutely aware at that moment of the hands on her hips gripping her tightly. By the time she realized why, Lisette was already flipping her over. In an instant, she found herself on her back, her protest muffled by Lisette’s lips pressing heatedly to hers. But when she was free to speak again, the only sound she made was a breathless exhale as the other woman left teasing kisses along her neck. [i]“I think I might just let you try it.”[/i] “Oh really?” came her reply through gritted teeth, as she felt her reach that particularly sensitive spot where her pulse had stopped throbbing so long ago. “Careful, you might just like it too much.” Her lips parted instinctively as Lisette exposed her neck. [i]“Let’s see what you’ve got.”[/i] It felt so strange to have to crane herself up to reach it, when she was so used to having it somehow pinned beneath her. [i]‘Leave it to Lisette to make such a domineering act feel somehow subservient,’[/i] Mila thought, as she lifted her head to scrap her teeth against the skin. No gentle kisses or soft nibbling. Her canines left jagged lines that might have beaded with blood had there been any for the taking. After several more deliberately painful gouges, Mila finally sunk her fangs deep into the skin, marveling at the unfamiliar lack of warmth. There was only the cool taste of her skin. Despite being unable to feed, it wasn’t entirely unsatisfying and she continued to bite harder and more viciously than she ever would a frail human. She released her for a moment and did it again with more enthusiasm, snarling her enjoyment. On the third time, she flipped the both of them back to their original positions, rocking the bed as she did so and causing the headboard to hit loudly against the wall that they shared with the neighboring room. “I could tear your throat wide open,” she gasped, poised to bite her again. She could see the scars on Lisette’s skin from her teeth healing just as quickly as she could inflict them. It was a bluff of course; she might never see Charlie again if she tore apart her only key to finding her. But she sunk her teeth in again as if to emphasize her point. She was starting to get hungrier every time her bite was unrewarded with a lack of substance. She would want to feed soon, even though she’d eaten only a few hours ago [i]and[/i] it was too risky to hunt down strangers in the daylight. “This whet’s my appetite,” she mumbled, licking at her last bite instinctively just as it healed back into flawlessness. Her eyes were dark. Just as she was about to bite yet again, there was a sharp knock that made her head snap towards the door. “Housekeeping,” came a tired voice. “Can you come back later?” Mila called, watching the door intently. She listened as the footsteps moved away again and suddenly had a thought. A hotel was probably one of the best places to score a quick snack. The employees would probably be missed if they disappeared for a few ours, but the other patrons were sitting ducks and even had private rooms where they could be stashed for a while, out of sight. “I’ve got to eat again soon,” she informed her, running her tongue along the point of her tooth.