She knew very well that Booker would most probably make the feeble human into one of his little toys. She was exactly his type, and Lisette could see in Mila’s eyes that she knew this too. Something inside of her should have felt badly, the girl had her entire life ahead of her. A bright future filled with endless possibilities that had been taken away from her just because she had mingled with the wrong people. It was sad really, and so very unfortunate. Well, unfortunate for Charlie, yet quite amusing for Lisette. 

[i]“If he does anything to her at all, I’ll kill both of you. I think I’ll kill him anyway.”[/i]

The threat made her grin widen even more, despite the fact that she couldn’t understand what Mila’s infatuation with this human was. Lisette had a feeling that it was nothing at all like Booker’s sick enjoyment with the creatures, which would have been at least a little acceptable. The girl was human, she was weak and powerless. She was food, and Lisette couldn’t understand what about this inept child would tempt Mila so very much. Not when she could easily have someone who was just as potent, dangerous and immortal as she was. “I don’t think you’ll do that, hun.” Lisette murmured. “I don’t think you’re stupid enough to.” Although, she had been wrong before. 

Lisette shoved Mila domineeringly then, as if trying to reinforce her preeminence in the situation, and kept her dark eyes levelled on her acquaintance. For the entire time she had known Mila, Lisette had felt this oddly compelling appeal towards her. She herself had never been able to control her impulses, she had to feed, the desire she had for it was just as bad as one of Booker’s bite junkie’s addictions. So, she’d admired Mila’s self control, there may have once been a point where she had idolized it in some way. Now, however, she realized that it just made Mila weak... and that appealed to Lisette in an entirely whole new way. The hungry eyes and the way Mila glared at her was strikingly lustful. And just so human. 

[i]“Don’t you wish,”[/i] the sardonic voice paired with curious eyes made Lisette’s grin falter just a little bit. She felt Mila’s hands along her sides, over her chest, gripping the thin straps of her dress, and laughed aloud. “Oh, my! Mila! You could at least buy me dinner first.. Although, really, what is it that we’ve been doing all night.” Her voice was a borderline ramble as her hand reached up to grip one of Mila’s that held tight to her strap. The pair could have looked like lovers, but the tight squeeze she gave Mila’s fingers wasn’t completely romantic. [i]“You’d have me right now if I were human, is that it?”[/i] Lisette laughed. A small, almost breathy sound that was so different from her usual caustic manner. She raised one eyebrow trying to remain composed. [i]I probably still would,[/i] she thought sarcastically, licking her bottom lip slowly and tasting the leftovers of the pathetic man’s blood. 

[i]“Does my weakness make you hungry?”[/i]

“Oh yes, it really does.” She wasn’t about to deny the fact as she tilted her head closer to Mila. “Maybe you should do something about that...” 

[i]“How about I do this..?”[/i]

Her eyes widened at the light brush of Mila’s lips against her own, not exactly pulling back from the kiss. Lisette played dirty. She lied, seduced and manipulated, and wasn’t usually the one on the receiving end of these activities. So, she didn’t expect the forceful exchange of positions, and a small gasp of surprise escaped her parted lips. How was it that Mila still had so much strength even when she was so obviously hungry? A low growl rumbled in Lisette’s chest as she glared grimly at Mila, letting a small bit of humour leak into her mean gaze. “You really know how to treat a girl, don’t you, lovie. Tell me, is this the type of charm you used on Charlie?” 

[i]“How about I make you tell me where Booker took Charlie,”[/i] Lisette could hear the savage disparity in the woman’s voice and shook her head slightly. An action that was mockingly pitiful towards her chaotic opponent. [i]“So I can devour him, and then maybe I’ll be too satisfied to come looking for you.”[/i] Lisette giggled loudly, resuming her former maniacal self. “But baby! I thought we had something good here... you don’t need to throw him into the mix.” 

[i]“Tell me where he took her this instant.”[/i]

It was a harsh whisper in her ear that made Lisette want to laugh aloud, even though the situation wasn’t really a laughing matter. The hands around her throat made it quite uncomfortable for her as she stayed pinned to the wall. Her nose pinched as her eyes looked up, appearing thoughtful for a moment before she started. “And miss this lovely chance with you? I don’t think so.” Lisette’s voice came out rasping but for some reason that didn’t make the words any less playful or sinister. “Besides, you’re too weak to do anything to me.” As if to prove her point, Lisette reached up to pry the stony fingers from her neck. It took more effort than it should have to free herself from the suffocating grasp but when she finally did she let out a relieved sigh, staying pressed up against the brick wall. “That’s better..” 

She slowly, almost mockingly, placed her hands on Mila’s shoulders and gave the other woman a small shove backwards, keeping her hands where they were, even after she had effectively moved her just a few short paces back. Lisette’s thumbs gently caressed her luminescent skin. “I really don’t think you want to know where he took her anyways.” Her voice was casual, as if their talk was just normal banter and not about some pathetic human girl who had been taken hostage to a savage vampire. “You know how Bookie is, he likes his toys. I bet your precious Charlie would be a perfect fit in his collection.” She had reached up to idly play with a piece of Mila’s dark hair, sending the woman a wink. “I doubt he’ll kill her, really I do, but I don’t know if I can say the same for his savage dogs... oh my they must be so jealous of his pretty new plaything.” 

She thought of the pathetically weak humans that draped themselves over Booker, addicted to him just as much as he was to them. Lisette had never really seen the appeal of it, they got so sickly and lost all of their glowing allure. They ended up looking diseased, they ended up addicts. And like all addicts, they would do anything to get their next fix. “Yes, those pathetic things could be quite dangerous, if they aren’t too weak to stand up.” She’d seen some who were very close to death, with the life nearly drained completely from their frail bodies, still willing to do anything for the bite. “But enough of that talk, it’s just so dismal! Let’s go get you something real to eat and then we can... chat.”

---

Charlie fell to the ground with a loud ‘Ouf’. Looking up at Booker her mouth was open to sneer something rude, but she was cut off when his nimble hands grabbed a fistful of the back of her shirt and hoisted her upwards. [i]“Come on, let’s go say hi,”[/i] His voice was casual as he started to push her forwards. “Say Hi..? To who- Ow! Would you stop...” She hissed angrily. Her eyebrows had furrowed as she tried to turn around and look him in the face, rage burned deep in her cheeks as she gritted her teeth tightly and resulted to standing firmly in her spot when she wasn’t able to twist out of his grasp. 

[i]“Go on,”[/i]

She really had no choice as he firmly shoved her forwards and into the small, beat down house that looked as if it had seen better years. She resisted the urge to shut her eyes as if she were entering a haunted house. “I-I want to go...” She couldn’t finish the thought as they stepped into the expanse living room. From the exterior this place looked like a complete dump, and she had expected the same inside. But the expensive sofas and large table in the center of the room took her by surprise. With a little tidying up and maybe some paintings this place really wouldn’t be so bad... She cringed at herself for thinking that, this wasn’t the time to be pondering decorating ideas. 

[i]“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?”[/i]

Charlie’s head whipped around as it dawned on her suddenly that they weren’t alone in the room. Draped over furniture and meandering feebly were several very sick looking people. Their hair was matted and their faces glowing an ill colour that made Charlie want to look away. In each of their eyes she could see a lust that wasn’t quite normal as their attentive gazes snapped towards the vampire. “What are they...” Her throat become thick, and her voice came out a mangled whisper. She didn’t really need the question answered, she had already put two and two together. “You did this to them..?” The question was accusing at the same time bewildered and scared. 

She felt his hands on her shoulders shoving her down onto a nearby couch with a false hospitality as he invited her to take a seat. “I don’t... what the...” She fumbled for words but came up empty handed with just several garbled murmurs. This couldn’t be real. 

[i]“How come you keep bringing more,”[/i]

With her mouth slightly agape, Charlie looked to the other end of the sofa where a woman, older than she was, sat. She hadn’t noticed the ailing lady until just then. Her stern eyes on Char were disquieting and the young musician pressed herself deeper into the couch as she tried to avoid them. [i]“The more you bring, the less I get. Six of us showed up tonight, are you gonna get to all six? And now seven?”[/i] Charlie was shaking her head furiously as she listened to the woman’s words which only validated what she had already known about this place. “I don’t want.. You’re sick!” Her voice was sharp and she wasn’t sure whether it was directed towards Booker or his little toy who was nearly melting into his touch as he caressed her face. It didn’t matter who she had been talking to anyways because neither of them seemed to notice her. 

[i]“When did you get so greedy?”[/i] Charlie watched with morbid fascination as he forcefully tilted the girls head upwards, the look on her face made Char feel ill. It was one of pure rapture as she begged with him to bite her. [i]“Please do it. Please, I need to feel it again.”[/i]

[i]“Should I?”[/i]

Charlie had been too preoccupied with watching the expression on the woman’s face that she hadn’t noticed that Booker was now staring at her. She glanced up at him dazedly, not quite sure what to say or how to react. So much had happened to her in such a short amount of time and it seemed like all of it was just now crashing down on her. It made her feel light-headed and whimsical, as if her body had detached itself from her mind in some kind of primal attempt to save her. [i]“Or would you like the honour of going first?”[/i] Char slowly shook her head, the action was lethargic as she stared into his dark, hungry eyes.. “Please don’t...” It wasn’t very convincing, she knew, but maybe there was a part of her that didn’t want to be convincing, a part that knew just how good it would feel and that would understand these peoples complete lust for it. “Please...” She blinked her eyes forcefully, letting her mind clear for a second and swallowing the lump that had formed in her throat. 

[i]“I-I don’t like it at all,”[/i]

She shuddered at how the words sounded when he mockingly said them. Weak and pathetic. Charlie clenched her jaw tightly and watched with steady eyes as he came towards her, gazing down like she was a piece of his favourite candy. His hand caught her face, and despite the temptation to pull away she didn’t, she sat there and endured the icy caress as he stroked her cheek and ran his thumb over her lips. She narrowed her gaze. 

[i]“You were lying. You enjoy it so much. You’d like me to bite you right now, wouldn’t you.”[/i]

His voice was lurid and even a little angry as he grabbed a handful of her hair and forced her face within inches of his own. A surprised gasp escaped Charlie’s lips as her hands reached up to grab his shoulders in an attempt to push him away. She didn’t immediately answer him, her mind spun in a million different directions as she tried to find some solid emotion to cling to. His voice pulled her out of her confusion, however, when it barked again. 

[i]“Wouldn't you?”[/i]

“There’s a lot of things I’d like right now... but that isn’t one of them.” Her voice was strained as she spoke through her clenched teeth. Her frozen eyes glared at Booker contemptuously. “I’m not anyone’s pet... you can’t have me.” Despite the fact that she knew tough words wouldn’t stop him from getting what he wanted, Charlie continued to sneer at him. “You’re sick, this is sick, I want to go back home.” She pulled herself off the sofa, using his shoulders as a mean of support as she stood within kissing, or perhaps biting, distance from him. “Let me go, now.” The words sounded meek even to her, like she was a child trying to get out of nap time. Whiny, pathetic, angry. She shuddered when she realized that really, she was all of those things. 

She tried to hold his gaze and not look over towards the subdued people who watched Booker with eager eyes. There was no way out of this, she knew that all too well, but her mind still searched for some kind of exit strategy. That all too familiar fight or flight reaction twisted in her gut as her gaze flicked quickly towards the door on the other side of the room and back towards her captor. There was no way she could do it, no way that she could outrun him or hide from him. There was nothing left for her to do but sit still and be a good, compliant little girl. 

But she had done that her entire life, with her parents, her siblings, her lovers and her own self. She’d always done the right thing, the sane thing. From wearing pretty dresses, to sitting cross legged in the Sunday school classroom and listening to the teacher preach things that she didn’t even believe. From watching her teenage years slip away, to being the meek, perfect child who played her guitar and did her homework and never spoke out of turn. She wasn’t that meek, perfect child anymore. She’d burst free of that, become her own person. She’d already outrun most of her demons, so why should this one be any different?

[i]Because he isn’t in your mind, this time it’s real and this time it could mean your life.[/i] 

Yet, there was no point if she didn’t try. Taking in a deep breath, Charlie used all her strength to shove Booker away from her, the element of surprise must have been on her side and she managed to move him back just a couple paces. Enough so that she was able to slip past him and bolt for the door. She wouldn’t let herself succumb to his whim just because she didn’t think she would ever get away. Either way, he was going to kill her (or worse) and she wasn’t going down without a fight.