Mila barely had time to process the horror of what was happening as Booker disappeared down the street with Charlie in his grasp. [i]Taking, he’s taking her, he’s-…[/i] “Charlie!” The anguished cry was caught up in her throat and came out almost as a sob. Immediately though, her features became like stone again as she threw herself after them with more energy than she should have had without a proper meal, ready to tear Booker apart, limb from limb with her hands and teeth and burn his body into crumbling, white ashes until-.. She let a vicious snarl as something caught her by the arm and yanked her backward, slamming her into the wall of the alley with enough force to crumble the brick. The wind was knocked out of her and her vision spun, and for a moment she felt completely dazed. A groan forced its way from her lips as the air came rushing back and when the bright spots finally faded, she found her eyes focusing on Lisette’s malicious grin. It was much too close. [i]“That isn’t a good idea, love.”[/i] Mila hissed and made to push herself forward off the wall but the shock of the impact and the weariness of needing to feed made her first attempt fall short. She remained pinned against the brick. [i]“Let them have their alone time,”[/i] came the sickly sweet voice again. [i]“Don’t worry... he’ll play gently.”[/i] “If he does anything to her at all, I’ll kill both of you. I think I’ll kill him anyway.” Inwardly, she was shuddering at the thought of Charlie at Booker’s mercy. He wouldn’t just kill her. He’d make sure he’d squeezed everything out of her first. He would make her into one of his bite junkies, make her want to beg to be bitten by him, by any vampire. Mila grit her teeth and pushed forward again, ignoring the discomforting way Lisette was studying her features. She let out a furious growl when she was unsuccessful again and slumped back against the wall in frustration, panting and looking at the other vampire with venomous eyes. Her lip curled threateningly as Lisette touched her hair to stroke it behind her ear. [i]“You do look so starved, darling, and so weak. It’s... tantalizing.”[/i] Tantalizing. Mila’s hostile gaze faltered just a little. She unconsciously let her eyes flutter down to Lisette’s mouth, to the tongue running along her teeth that probably still tasted like Mitch’s blood. Her eyes snapped back up almost immediately, even darker now with hunger, and she looked at her with a cool, detached glare. [i]”Almost human.”[/i] “Don’t you [i]wish[/i],” she sneered softly. Her chin raised a fraction of an inch and her expression changed from cold fury to malevolent curiosity. She appraised Lisette’s features with a look of superiority, her hands snaking up the other vampire’s sides in one long, slow caress, groping up over her ample chest to grip the shoulder straps of her dress. “You’d have me right now if I were human, is that it?” She wet her lips and stared openly at Lisette’s now, eyelids heavy, voice soft and sensual. “Does my [i]weakness[/i] make you hungry?” [i]”Maybe you should do something about that...”[/i] Mila parted her lips and leaned forward just enough to let them brush once against the other vampire’s, a smirk on her face and she murmured her reply. “How about I do this..?” Her grip on Lisette’s dress tightened suddenly as she gave a violent tug to the side, reversing their positions so that the younger vampire was the one shoved up roughly against the wall. “How about I [i]make[/i] you tell me where Booker took Charlie,” she whispered, her voice a savage hiss, “So I can devour him, and then [i]maybe[/i] I’ll be too satisfied to come looking for [i]you.[/i]” Both hands had slipped around her throat and squeezed painfully with each emphasized word. Her mouth was close to Lisette’s ear, and she was all too aware of the provocative smell of blood on the other vampire’s breath. “Tell me where he took her [i]this instant.[/i]” ----------------------- [i]“Where the hell are we...”[/i] “Home sweet home, love.” Booker had stopped abruptly in front of a line of old, abandoned city houses, all of which had seen better days. The house he was referring to specifically was slightly less decrepit than the others, though its roof still sagged and the paint was blotchy and peeling. The street was quiet; there wasn’t anyone wandering this part of town at this time of night. But it wasn’t exactly silent. Booker could hear voices from the inhabitants inside the house, even over the sound of the girl’s panting which was obnoxiously loud in his ear. [i]“P-please... put me down. I want to go home. Let me go home...”[/i] Booker dropped her before she could finish. “Come on, let’s go say hi,” he said nonchalantly, bending to grab the back of her collar and hoist her to her feet. He did carelessly, like gabbing a dog by the scruff of it neck. “Go on.” He kept a fistful of the material and steered her up the steps and through the decaying doorway. “Bookie! Is that you, darling? I’ve been waiting so long..” “Come to me first Books, I barely got anything last time.” “Who’s that you got with you?” They had entered the main floor of the house, which had been completely gutted and was comprised of one very large room. Despite the bare, dirty floor and crumbling plaster walls, the space was filled with expensive looking leather furniture and a large mahogany table. Five or six people occupied the room, lounging on various chairs and sofas. A man lay dozing on a bed in the corner. A woman was draped haphazardly over the back of a couch, staring at them with lazy, unblinking eyes. All of them were unusually thin and pale, and they had a pinched look, as if they were unhealthy. The ones that noticed Booker come in gazed at him with hungry, craving eyes, and yet they seemed too meek to get up from their seats. One or two of them seemed to shrink away, even as they stared longingly. “Have a seat,” Booker said with feigned hospitality, shoving Charlie into an empty spot on a couch. The woman on the other end of it looked at her disdainfully. “How come you keep bringing more,” she whined, narrowing her eyes at the girl. She was somewhere in her early thirties and she looked like she had once been very beautiful. Her blonde hair had lost some of its luster and she looked uncomfortably thin. She pouted at Booker. “The more you bring, the less I get. Six of us showed up tonight, are you gonna get to all six? And now seven?” Booker smirked and took her chin his hand to lift her face up to his. “When did you get so greedy?” he replied, sneering at the way her eyes batted lustfully at him. He began to lift her chin up higher to expose her neck and she moaned quietly, her eyes rolling back and closing. “Please do it,” she whimpered. “Please, I need to feel it again.” “Should I?” Booker asked with a wicked smile, turning and addressing his question to Charlie. “Or would you like the honor of going first?” He let go of the woman’s chin and she made a pitiful noise of frustration. His eyes were locked on Charlie now as if he were marveling at how much more appetizing she looked to him. “I-I don’t like it at all,” he quoted in a mocking tone, repeating the girl’s earlier words. He stood in front of her now looking down at her. The other woman on the couch stared at her too, glaring as if it were Charlie’s fault she hadn’t gotten her fix. Booker reached down and stroked Char’s cheek with his thumb, up and down a few times before dragging it over her lip. “You were lying. You enjoy it so much. You’d like me to bite you right now, wouldn’t you.” He slipped his fingers into her hair roughly and tugged her face upward. “Wouldn’t you?” he repeated.