Depravity’s Daughter 2

Lucius

For a few nights, I kept her sheltered and under the care of my home. When we went out together, it was only across the acres I owned. She would play happily, barefoot and naked while I watched. And then sometimes she would turn to look at me and get a shy, wicked look in her eyes. And when she made sure she had my attention, she would lay back on the dead ground and finger herself. I learned to use and take advantage of those playful moments. I would stand up and approach her while she watched with wide, excited eyes and I would study where she fingered herself open so eagerly. Her every expression opened up to playing with the demon and I smiled, nudging her legs with my feet. “Come on. Show me more and gape yourself open for me.” Depravity would whimper with that sound like I wounded him each time. He begged for every second and craved for more.

And of course we spoke. A lot. I told her parts of my life, the lighter parts. I told her where I had wandered and showed her online pictures of varying places. I showed her theologies and books from my library with different magic forms from different parts of the world. During one of these moments, she turned and made her way over to one of my paintings, still sitting on an easel, and stroked her hand over the air in front of it. “This is yours and his work,” she said softly, in that lighter voice that she would get when trying to fight the insanity of demonism.

“It is.” I smiled. “How can you tell?”

She giggled. “That’s a trick question, Master. I’d recognize that smoke anywhere at all.”

Now, if I were a younger vampire I would assume that was useless rambling. But the joke was on younger vampires because I had seen enough insane moments to know there was often something to be read in a psyche that had no filter. The smoke she spoke of, for instance, seemed to be something that was unique to Depravity. I thought that maybe she was rather sensitive to his direct touch on anything, but also considered that she might be able to see any demon’s touch. And that was useful. “Of course you could. Do you think you would notice another demon’s smoke as well?”

She considered it, sanity warring to stay prominent in her eyes. “I don’t know that I could notice them specifically but I would notice in general, I think, if they left smoke. Yours is special though. You’re my god.”

Her calling me that with those worshipful eyes was really going to get to my psyche and make me incorrigible one day, but for the time being I nodded along to what she said. “I could see that.” And then I would guide the conversation along a gentle continuum back to something more psychologically encouraging for her. Things like history or teaching her magic both seemed to be safe havens for her mind. She was an intelligently quick learn so long as I could keep her attention. I started with small, light little types of magic, things like seasoning tarot cards and the power of different herbs on an aura. With a little focus, she seemed to be able to notice changes in these auras, which gave me great pleasure.

But eventually, I had to admit that she was partially a vampire and I was about to have company. As her Sire, I needed to show her how to feed herself if anything ever happened to me, or if we were ever separated. She would still need to feed for as long as she could hold her sanity and I needed to show her how to do so quietly. It was not quite teaching, just yet. Ideally, she wouldn’t be performing the act on her own for a while yet, but she did need to see it.

This turned out to be the worst fucking idea I’ve ever had in my life because fuck me for trying to be a good Sire, isn’t that right, D? Rat bastard.

The entire thing pissed me off all the more because the setup was beautiful. During the day, she nested in my bed and lay like a small dragon to read a book and nap as she willed, so I took the time to search the weather in different cities. I considered environments and thought for a second to take her to a large city where she would shine under the bright lights of humanity, like a timeless goddess walking their streets. But then I quickly discarded that idea, because I thought that the disorientation of the flashing lights and so many people might make it harder for her sanity. But I was a particular vampire, too, and I wanted to show her off in an exotic setting where she would look as a mistress of the night.

I settled on a beach right outside of a larger city. The lights would be near and there would be some tourists, but during the night it would be perfect and perhaps if her sanity held to the strain, we could have some fun together in the city. Perfect. I gave it all this thought and the weather was going to be a cloudless night, no rain. She would love it and she would love the outfits I had for her.

“Mira, come with me, please. I need to dress you so we can go out and I can show you how to hunt.”

Instantly, she grinned and hopped up to follow me with that adoring look. “Yes, Master.”

I chuckled and pat her head, wrapping her safely under one arm while I guided her to what had been meant to be her own room. And I had this planned out as well, that I would play a little with our mutual demon to give her sanity a boost. “Now, I want my little fledgling to be a good girl for me tonight. You’re not going to give daddy any trouble, are you, Mira?”

I said it while holding a few different light dresses up to her figure. Admittedly, her turning had changed her appearance so I worried about the fit of some of the clothing. Her breasts, for instance, were now like large, flawlessly perky, globes and would press out the top of some of the dresses. And her hips were curvier, in the most delectably sexual way. When she lifted to my touch with a whimper at the slight demonic snarl to my voice, it was in a sinuous dance. “No, Master, I won’t give you trouble.”

“Good girl.” I cooed it, choosing a few dresses and guiding her to the side. When I had her in my arms, I caressed a hand between her legs, gliding my fingers over her sex. “If you messed up our fun little outing together, I would be very displeased, little one, and I might have to give you something a little harder than light little spankings like this.” She fell against my arm when I slapped her ass, trusting me fully to hold her while she enjoyed the sensation of her flesh heating. Just for a little more fun I gave her a few extra slaps, nice strict hits against her lower thighs.

“Oh, yes, Master.” Depravity was whimpering like a wounded animal inside me again and I knew these little taunts were helping her. And they were light enough to keep me from feeling sick due to my own past. So long as I could keep to caretaker styles of play, to types that came from a place of love, I could handle it and even work up to giving her more and harder of what she craved.

“Good girl.” I stood her up while she shivered in pleasure and started to show her the dresses, slipping them over her perfect hair. “Now, as a little demon, there are tricks you’ll want to use while dressing. You see, your lovely body has been altered to entice the male eye and you want to show that off. You want to please them and let them lust after you like so many flies to sugar.” I settled on a white dress that was knee length and had these cute, simple little sleeves. It was a sweetheart’s dress for a siren’s body and I stood back with a smile at the contrast. “Like that.” She spun and I laughed at how much fun she was having already.

She was animated when she took my hand to travel, her eyes wide and excited for the chance, and we materialized together on the beach. “Oh, Master! It’s so beautiful.” She pranced, the dress fluttering around her in a light wind. “There’s none of the fairies from home that protect us here though. Someone should make some.” She turned and smoke was rising in her eyes with insanity.

I smiled and held out my hand for her to take, so that we could walk together. “Oh? And how would you propose we do that, little one?”

“With the demon you have, Master. If he makes humans play enough and then if they draw the right sigils in the sand, it attracts the fairies.”

That was probably harder than she thought it to be. It would take a lot of Depravity’s influence and I thought he might have to actually be let loose in the world fully for it to work well. But with enough influence… Well, it was a useful bit of knowledge. “I see.” My eyes fell on two females walking ahead of us, nearing a pier. I smiled at the sight. As a mostly heterosexual male, I preferred the feeling of a female body when I fed and the two in front of me were perfect. Younger, healthy.

I beckoned to Mira and darted forward with my kind’s speed while she followed. She giggled softly and I pressed a finger to her lips to quiet her, winking in the dark. “Watch,” I mouthed and she nodded.

It was such an easy thing. Human lives were beautiful because they were defined by how finite they were. Any brush with that ending of death was welcome for them and any brush with the eternal was forbidden Romance. I opened my mind while I approached the two girls who were lovers and clouded their focus over so that their eyes went wide. They looked at me with the blank stare of a supernatural hypnosis and I hummed under my breath, cooing. “You first,” I whispered to the one on the left, beckoning. “Come to the snake, little dove. It’s alright.” Her partner watched with glassy eyes and both kept their eyes on mine, unable to look away from the predator who waited.

And she obeyed while her heart beat harder, pumping that life giving fluid. My fangs sharpened, lengthened, and I purred when I took her to my embrace, covering her lips with my palm and listening to the drum sound of her pulse as it taunted my thirsts. I stroked her hair back once, gently, and then bowed my head, penetrating that soft hollow to tap the vein beneath.

A soft sound escaped her that could have been pain or pleasure and blood filled my mouth. I swallowed at my own leisure, drinking almost lazily until I felt the girl weaken slightly. And then I pulled away, stroking my prey one last time as thanks for her offering. “You next.” I smiled at her lover. “Greedy of me, I know, but we’re almost done.” There was no acknowledgement, no awareness, and I drank again in the same way. There were no bodies and I licked their wounds closed, leaving no marks.

I left no mess at all and no witnesses, either. It was the perfect display. I waved them on their way and waited until they were dazedly a safe distance from us before I went back to Mira and took her hands, smiling down at her. I felt glutted really. It was so much blood for a vampire as old as I to take, but it would keep her fed for a time and that was my real concern. “You see? There’s nothing to it. You’ll stay at my vein for a while, but you’ll need to feed on your own eventually. We’ll train you to do it.”

She looked behind me to watch the girls walk away and then looked back at me. “I don’t want to. I don’t like it.”

I blinked, caught unawares. Feeding was an erotic experience, a delight. It was freedom from the vein of a Sire. “It’s not so bad, little one. We’ll do it together on a few dates and you’ll see. You’ll start to love it, baby.”

“No.” She shook her head and her eyes were wide. She was almost tearful, even. “I don’t want to drink from them. I don’t want to do that.” Stop it. You’re upsetting her. Depravity lifted in my mind and his voice was protective. “I want to drink from you for forever. I want to drink from your thigh so you feed me your cum afterwards and I want to drink from your throat while you hold me and pet me and I don’t want to hold them.”

I smiled gently. “I’m not complaining, little one, but don’t you want some freedom eventually? And what if something happens to me? You’ll still need a blood supply.”

Her eyes went wider. “Happens to you? What would happen to you? Nothing can hurt you, right? You’re a god.”

Stop it, Lucius! But I needed her to see reason. “Baby, nothing to my knowledge would, but if it did, the only other option would be to find a surrogate to feed you and that’s not something that’s done-“

“No!” She jerked away from me and the sanity faded fast from her eyes. “You’re mine! And you’re my god, so no one can take you from me and I want you and him to feed me. I don’t want to. I don’t want to practice. The fairies protect you because I say they do and you can summon more if you have to!” Tears overflowed from her eyes.

And that’s when everything went straight to shit. Depravity had never had influence over me since we integrated. He could rise to the surface with my permission and he could show himself in varying degrees, but so far his possession could not be forced save for that one initial time and the night I had turned Mira. But suddenly he showed off a strength I did not expect.

He shoved at my mind, so hard that it was painful, and it was an action that very obviously did not give him any more power or control, but it was one to punish me. And my God, it hurt like hell, so bad that it blinded me and I fell to my knees, gasping in shock. What the actual fuck, D?

You were hurting her! You hurt her!

I didn’t hurt her, you imbecile! She has to fucking take care of herself, D. Even Vika does and she’s batshit insane, thanks to you and your nonsense. Do you want her reliant on a surrogate instead, if something happens? How the hell can I choose one that I can trust for eternity?

You made her cry! She had tears!

I growled in frustration and opened my eyes to do everything in my power to take care of her tears because holy fuck, apparently that was not allowed. Apparently I was going to raise a brat fledgling who wouldn’t be denied anything as soon as moisture appeared in her eyes, making me the worst kind of Sire ever.

She was gone. Are you fucking happy, D?

I’m sorry, Lucius! I’m really sorry, I mean it! She was crying and you hurt her and please find her, please!

Like I would ever let anything happen to her. Shut up and let me hunt her. He whimpered sadly, wounded and upset, and I sighed, inhaling the wind, letting the scents fill me. I flicked my tongue between my teeth to taste it, frowning slightly and focusing my attention on that delicious scent I knew as hers. And then I tracked, hunting and feeling my fledgling. It was easy for a vampire, so easy, to find their children. If I focused enough, it was almost like a spider’s web being pulled by her, one that directed me.

But then I felt a magical burst that was like a shock wave of energy screaming from the direction I knew her to be, something that had to be felt by any immortal in the vicinity, and I groaned.

I ran faster, wondering what the hell I was going to do with the weird polyamorous relationship I found myself in the middle of. These two were something else. I couldn’t be angry, though, not truly. It had been so long since I could even have sex and now Depravity had given me companionship and sex and I was truly grateful. I kept my calm and hunted, deciding I would take her back and play with the both of them until they were nice and submissive, and then we would all have a long chat about how life worked.

I thought that way right up until I found her anyway and then I was pissed all over again.

Her scent led me to a tourist bar on the beach and I heard that giggle that made me groan. Of course her sanity would be snapped and of course she would be in the thickest of people. The sound of screams came to me next and I rubbed my forehead, looking down at a blood trail in the dance club that led to the bathroom. The screaming intensified around me as someone ran out past me and I heard her giggle again.

I wish I could kill you, D. Or at least fucking slap you or something.

He whimpered. You hurt her and you can’t hurt her and I’m sorry, I’m really sorry.

I turned the corner of the bathroom and walked in under the soft glowing lights, staring down at the scene before me. My little abomination was living up to whatever atrocity she was. There were three humans with her and she had them all in a thrall I had never seen before. She giggled above them, dancing between the two females and the male. All three were still alive but oh, they certainly wouldn’t be living through the night.

Blood dripped onto the floor and was splashed on her white dress. The two females had suffered the most so far, cuts and claw scratches all over their bodies. Their clothes were shredded and hanging from them. The male, on the other hand, was naked entirely and he was apparently Mira’s little stud dog. “That’s it. Coat your cock in her blood so you can use her asshole better. You want it to feel good, don’t you?”

His answering laugh was mad and, as you might expect, depraved. Blood was dripping from a lethal wound in his throat and the other female was crawling weakly to lap at what dripped on the floor, but she was in a bad way as well. Mira had cut them in perfect ways to make them bleed out slowly so that she could make them perform in their last moments. “Here, let me help you,” she said with a grin when the male fell over. She lifted him up and held his blood covered cock, guiding him inside the first female’s asshole while she fell forward and moaned with her ass in the air.

I had to shake my head to clear it of the dark fascination I felt. I hate you so fucking much right now, D.

He moaned miserably in my head and I grabbed Mira and jerked her away, snarling in her face while she gasped in shock. “Bad girl. I fall for one second and you do this in that time? That’s a very bad girl, Mira. You promised to not give me trouble tonight and this is the first thing you do?” Her insanity was at its peak so I tried another scold for good measure, one that I hoped would take effect and work. “Your god is displeased with you. I asked you for one simple thing tonight and I’m very disappointed.”

It worked. Her eyes went wide and she whimpered tearfully. “But I just wanted to play like we do sometimes. And I want to show you that the dark fairies will come and protect you, don’t you see?”

“And you thought to do this in direct disobedience of the commands I asked you to obey? I see now what your promises are worth and that you’ll forget them as soon as something goes even somewhat wrong. Look at you! You’re covered in blood like a filthy little orphan of a vampire, with no Sire to keep you healthy or teach you manners.” It was the only way I could think of to punish her, was to scold her like this. Her eyes were filled with tears, but Depravity was whimpering with that twisted desire that plagued him. He was upset by her tears but when I treated her like this, every word was like a lash beating him to submission.

“I’m sorry! No, I can keep my promises to you, Master! I don’t know why I forgot but I can be a good girl, I promise! I love you and I can obey you.”

“I don’t believe you.” I said it forcefully, but not angrily, and she broke with a soft pathetic sob. “You’ll have to rebuild my trust if you want it back. It’s time to go home now.” I lifted my head and glanced around us as I took her hand to materialize us home.

But I froze for a second. Someone was watching us and I met the gaze of another vampire, internally snarling at the demon who had caused all of this as I did. I had hoped to keep her existence secret and to give her peace and quiet for a decent time, but her blast of magic had attracted another.

I hissed at the male vampire who stared at my fledgling with startled, covetous eyes and he flinched for a second. Glaring, I tugged her gently to my arms and held her secured, with a look of hatred to the one watching us. I breathed a little easier when he backed away.

And then I got us the hell away from the shit show that was supposed to be a fun little instructional date between Sire and newborn.

————

“Bad girl!” I tore Mira’s dress from her while she both moaned and shivered in sadness and Depravity gave a soft cry. “Very bad.” I sat on the edge of her bed, with a switch I had gotten outside of my gates, before I pulled her over my lap.

“Oh, please!” She squealed when I brought the switch against her and I made sure to make my strike not nearly as hard as she would like. “Oh, I’m sorry! I am, I really am.”

I didn’t bother to answer. Instead I snapped the switch against her ass again and again, making each strike a tease of punishment. It was just depraved enough to bring her to need and not enough to satisfy. And I was cruelly quick about it too, stopping after only ten strikes that were far too soft. Depravity sobbed when I went so fast and quit so easily and she did too, her body quaking at my feet as I stood. “I want you to shower and clean yourself of this mess. After you’re done, I want you to stay in here and I don’t want to see your face until tomorrow evening. You sleep separately from me tonight.”

“No! No, please!” Her tears flowed freely and Depravity was whimpering, trying to beg with me.

“Quiet and stop those tears right now. You’ve earned this. And I’m not going to give you the satisfaction of seeing me command you either.”

She sniffled when I turned away and then whispered, “W-wait. Please, I have to tell you something. Y-you commanded me to, please.” I turned back without saying anything and lifted my eyebrow, waiting. Mira swallowed nervously and then finally said, “My mouth is dry. May I drink, please?”

I had to work to keep the anger from my expression because she didn’t deserve the brunt force of it. No, the demon inside me was far more deserving and I cursed at him in six different languages while he apologized pitifully. All that blood, you fucking spawn, and she didn’t even nourish herself, thanks to your goddamned breakdown. Out loud, I spoke gently. “Come here.” I bit into my wrist, held it to her lips, and sighed when she latched onto it, pleasure filling me. “Drink as you need.” I kissed her hair, irritably acknowledging the thought that she was probably going to be taking her food in that way for as long as I lived.

And I wasn’t really upset about that fact. Not truly. Okay, actually I was jealously gleeful that I would be able to keep this sexual experience all to myself and enjoy it again and again, but I wouldn’t admit it out loud. When I bade her goodnight, she was a little more subdued, even if she did shoot me a baleful little stare while curling up on her bed. But she obeyed, despite the fact that I hadn’t actually given her a command. I didn’t see her for the day or even the next night. For a moment, that made me frown in concern because I felt her leave and go outside for a bit, though she didn’t leave the property. Was she sulking or upset or angry at me? Eventually I got curious enough that I left my own room to find her… and stopped as soon as I pulled the door open.

She hadn’t been any of those things. She had gone hunting, perhaps in an effort to show me she had watched and listened. A dead wolf was in my doorway, in much the same manner a cat would bring mice to its owner. I couldn’t help myself, couldn’t help but throw back my head and laugh with warmth. It was so simple and basic, so cutely animal like. “Mira.”

She appeared beneath the balcony, looking up at me from the first floor. “Y-yes, Master?”

I inclined my head, feeling playful despite the bad events and their consequences. “Thank you for the gift.” I’d have to dispose of that somewhere, but it was kind of adorable anyway and my pleasure made her grin. “Come on. I have a feeling we’ll see some company tonight. Let me show you how to dress in a way that fits your status in the Dark Court.”

————

Mira

I loved the way he treated me with things like dressing me. It was like a steady fuel of mental strength that helped me think enough to stay myself and not lose myself like I had the night before. I shivered just to think of the way there had been nothing left of me. Every thought had been scattered and broken, every idea fractured like so many crushed snowflakes. There had been nothing but the sight of blood and the need for more, the need to spread corruption in the form of that black smoke. Concentrating that smoke had been hard, too, something that I thankfully wouldn’t be able to do very often. It had taken a lot of magic from the well inside of me and when Master took me to dress for guests, I tried to hide how much emptiness I felt, but his nostrils twitched as he lightly took in the scent and he took me to the bed first. “My little succubus exhausted herself with that foray, I think. Let’s get you fed before our company gets here.” His hand was patient and gentle when he pressed me forward over my bed and commanded me to open up for him. He stroked my back and pressed inside of me, humming that hypnotic song he had. “Good girl.”

He didn’t play or spank me that time, but he made up for it by standing me in front of the mirror and pulling different dresses over my head, flitting from closet to closet with an air of irritation. “It has to be perfect. You’re a kind of royalty in our world. Most of these guests are friends but we were seen last night as well, so if someone unexpected shows up, then we want to be ready for it. You’ll find that vampires are all about presentation.” He would stroke his hands over my breasts as if studying the sight of them and he would toy with my hair as if I were an object. And I knew this treatment was on purpose, to fuel me with a little bit of wicked behavior. “Pretty girl.” He cooed it when he settled on a black dress and fixed my hair with a tiara, obsessing over the most minuscule details. I grinned though because I liked it.

And while I looked at myself in the mirror, he suddenly turned. “Levi, Sadra, and Vika are here. Come on, little one, and let’s introduce you to them. I could use some help in figuring out if there are others like you.” He touched my nose and was gone in a flash, but I didn’t immediately follow, even though the Compulsion would make me do so eventually. I stared into the mirror worriedly and looked myself over, feeling a kind of nervousness I didn’t fully understand. It had been just the two of us for the start of what I could remember of my life and now that was about to change. What if his friends didn’t like me? “Mira,” I heard him call from the foyer. “Come here, baby.” And I could hear two other voices, one a sing-song female voice that reminded me of the moments when my thoughts were so fractured and unfocused. But there were two other seemingly sane male voices and I flinched while I was forced to obey.

I was slow about it, walking down the circular stairs at a human pace, and then I froze entirely when I met the eyes of one of the male vampires. His widened in Horror and fear and I flinched back, fighting to keep my thoughts in a coherent string. “Ah, Lucius. What- what exactly happened?” His voice was thick with many accents and their influences.

Master was studying him with interest. “I’ll be honest, my money was on Sadra having knowledge of her before you would. What happened was I made a newborn and you three are the only three who I’ve told my secret to, so that’s why I asked you for help. Come here, little one.” He gestured to me and I went to the safety of his side, quiet and nervous. “This is Vika.” He pointed to the female, who giggled and waved happily. And I smiled back because she scared me the least of the three. Her eyes were unfocused and she had little black dancing lights around her. Not many, but they were there and they let me know she was a friend. He pointed to the next one, the one who merely looked at me with curiosity. “This is Sadra.” Like the female, he had bronzed skin and dark hair and I could get used to him. “And this is Levi.” And Levi was different. His skin was darkened as well, but not quite in the same way as the other two, and his features had a different nationality behind them.

“Hello.” I said it politely, evenly, and was glad when it came out sane. “My name is Mira.”

Levi’s expression turned all the more wary. “She seems more coherent than I’ve ever seen.”

Master smiled politely, soothing my shoulders. “Why don’t we go to the sitting room together? I’d like to hear what you know if you’re willing to give or trade the information.”

Levi followed, with Sadra by his side, and he shook his head with a laugh, seeming to grow a little more relaxed with my Master’s suggestion. “Always so proper, Lucius. You know better. Whatever information I have, it’s yours. Anything at all you need is always yours after you raised me as your own like you did.”

Master grimaced. “Arguably, it was my fault you were orphaned for killing our Sire.”

Levi grinned and sat down in one of the chairs, while my Master curled me under his arm in the love seat. “Arguably back, that Sire needed to be killed and you had Sadra waiting for me as a companion.” He winked at the other vampire. “Even if he is a bloody Egyptian, he’s still a scholar who wanted the Gift and had a wealth of magical knowledge.”

Sadra laughed. “You left me with a sporadic Sire.”

My Master was happy seeing them, I realized. I could tell by his scent, by the way the demon inside him seemed to settle in his blood instead of boiling to the surface of his flesh. He pet my hair with affection and then turned to Levi. “I would hear what you know, then.”

Levi nodded, playful expression fading for something a little more serious. When his gaze turned to me, his eyes were still wary. “Is she safe? I mean…” He swallowed. “I’ve seen what they can do, how they can get people to behave.”

Master considered him for a moment and when he spoke next, his voice made me cringe, made me curl closer to him so that he wouldn’t speak to me with such coldness. “I can keep my newborn under control, regardless of what special manner she came to be, Levi. Do you suppose I would allow harm to come to you when I’ve invited you into my home?”

The other vampire shuddered and it was Sadra who answered, with a soft, peacekeeper’s voice. “I think he only worried, Lucius. She doesn’t seem to be a creature he’s used to, unlike Vika. Speaking of which, where is she?”

My Master waved his hand. “In the garden. Let her wander as she likes. She’ll find it peaceful there.” I wished I was there with her in the garden, so I could tell her about the fairies. She seemed like she would like them so very much…

No. Focus. You want to know what you are. I had to work to keep the train of thought. Master considered Levi and nodded. “Perhaps you’re right, Sadra. The answer is that you’re safe and she can listen. Tell what you know.”

He nodded and began to speak. “After you found me and brought me to Sadra, we wandered together for a while. Well, we somewhat wandered together. We would visit different countries, but go our separate ways with a plan to reconvene at a later time, so we could have the experiences. We found it was easier to handle the immortality that way at the time. This was when Sadra was still somewhat new and I was still recovering from the potential of more of Astarte’s…” Here, he shuddered. “Well, you know. Anyway, our travels took us to the area around Jerusalem and this was shortly after Pompey conquered it and added it to the Roman Empire.

“It was fascinating at the time, slightly before Christ was born, and the religion was all out of order. Judaism still hadn’t quite been recognized as a legal religion, but Caesar was at war with Pompey and it was about to be. More to the point, it was an old place, a place that attracted demons and vampires as much as it would start to attract the angels. It was there that I parted ways with Sadra and followed the trail of another Roman vampire.

“I found him. As you might expect, he had prospered for himself and his home was lavish. I was invited in readily, an open invitation, and as soon as I walked through the door, it was immediately obvious that something was off. Something in the air, a scent and a sensation, made me both afraid and excited. The way it made me eager was something that made me all the more concerned for what I was to be shown. The servant who greeted and guided me inside was normal enough, dressed well, and very polite. And yet she silently guided me past the standard greeting rooms and through the back doors into a different area, a very different area.

“The vampire in question was not alone, but I had already known that. He was part of a well known Dark Court name, so I had expected more company and was curious. But what I saw was so strange that it made me afraid. Lord Titus sat on a dais lounge, the picture of decadent leisure, and even his form was lazy. But what I had not expected was the girl at his side, for she stood out instantly. She was small of stature and slight, as if she would be easy to take and overpower, but it was immediately clear that this wasn’t the case. In much the same way any clever predator tries to entice its prey with qualities easily underestimated, her stature was a lie. And she dominated the vision of the room with a slight tilt to her head and an insane little smile. I had to force my eyes from her, had to hold my breath so I wouldn’t be taken in by that exquisite scent she had, but I managed, thanks to Astarte.

“Even so, the sight of my surroundings made me afraid. Besides the two of them, there were two other vampires in the room and six human slaves, and it was immediately clear that these had not been able to withstand that creature’s charm, but instead had succumbed to the desire she secreted with every breath. The humans played a role as furniture for the vampires and both parties seemed to take an intense sexual pleasure from the degradation. While I watched, one of the vampires leaned down and stroked her hand between the thighs of a human woman who was on her hands and knees, cooing over her that she made a good chair to sit on, that it was where she belonged, and the human moaned in pure pleasure at the degradation. And then she was commanded to silence, with a slap to her ass.

“Again, I had to focus to turn my attention away, to hold my breath against that scent that called me to partake, to enjoy, to lose myself in the sex and to feed as I wished. For it was also apparent that the human slaves served as blood slaves for these four. I swallowed against it, managing, and nodded to Titus. ‘Good evening.’ And I felt ridiculous saying it, too.

“I must have looked as awkward as I felt because he chuckled. ‘Well, good evening, young vampire. I have to confess to being surprised. Not many can resist the charms of Valentina here.’ To which the insane little vampire giggled and waved.

“‘I would imagine not. It’s not an easy thing. May I ask what kind of creature she is? I mean no disrespect with the question but she is something that I have not run into yet.’

“Titus was not at all offended. He laughed in delight instead, his smile twisted, and I realized that he too was not immune to her charms. No, he was just as much her thrall as all the rest, but he was permitted to act as a figurehead at her own pleasure. And he was permitted enough thought to speak and to tell the tale. ‘Have you ever heard of Lilith’s children, little vampire?’

“I bristled, as you can imagine. ‘Yes, it’s either a fairy tale or they’re all dead, as per the original story.’

“He chuckled, undeterred by my disdain. ‘I tend to believe they did exist and they’re all dead, but that’s just to set the tone. It takes us back to the correct time, at any rate. It was an interesting demon that persuaded Eve to eat of the forbidden fruit, isn’t it? And then the poor thing ended the story cursed. But nobody ever asks about what happens to him in the end. Well, most just still assume he’s the devil, if they’re not open minded enough to consider that the serpent wasn’t named. In actuality, the devil was a bit busy failing and falling at the time, so he sent Sammael.

“‘The fall of man and the original sin birthed all kinds of different problems, but you can already guess this because one of those problems is the curse we know so well. All fall short and yet, if you repeat enough of one deadly sin, you’re sure to attract a hell on earth before your time is up. It’s a beacon to demons and vampires are not so very far from their kind in spirit. We’re attracted to Embracing those who have earned it in the same way that any species is attracted to procreation. It pleases us. But then there’s little atrocities like Valentina here.’ And at this the girl giggled, a maddened, dangerous sound that sent chills down the spine. What was more, the toys around her reacted to it with more lust that I had to breathe through. The scent was intense, enticing. ‘You see, when a vampire finds a virgin, we cannot drink their blood without suffering. Valentina’s Sire died in the creation of her, poisoned by the blood he had to consume to change her. Our vampire king, Sebastian, forced him to turn her and it was a warlock who helped him, from what I can gather, one who managed to keep the vampire alive just long enough for him to give his blood to her and turn her. Most cannot make it so far without some kind of aid and he was no different.

“‘Vampire bloodlust set in before she could even discover the human pleasure of sex. The desires become confused, twisted, in that instance. They warp and change around each other until something truly interesting is left, something even more demonic than the usual vampire behavior. They’re affectionately called the grandchildren of Lilith, although she and hers have nothing directly to do with it. They are merely closely related and legend has it that Lilith is the one spinning the whirlwind of the Lustful in hell, but the virgin vampires are something spectacular, something stronger than the rest of us, as it were. Perhaps it’s their innocence that gives them strength, as if they are thought to be trustworthy of that kind of power before the insanity can take hold and make them into aberrations. Even their blood strengthens us, once they’re awakened sexually and vampirically.’

“I sat and spoke with him for as long as I was able, having to work to focus every thought, having to ignore the acts happening around me so casually. And it was only after I left that I wondered at a Roman so casually and fully believing in Jewish lore. It seemed that he was more like a puppet for the girl, Valentina, and that she somehow knew the truth even in her deranged mind. I’m not sure though, because she didn’t seem capable of coherent speech either, for she hadn’t said a word. She had merely casually let her influence filter through the room like a perfume that infected those around her. She kept up a steady stream of it, as far as I could tell.”

Levi finished speaking while I stared at him excitedly, but he wouldn’t meet my gaze. Whatever he had seen of my kind, it was obvious he feared me. “That’s all I have, my friend. Have you tried taking her blood to see how it would affect you? She seems to be different, from what I know, and I would say that the demon in you has something to do with it. It would be good knowledge to see what other differences she displays.”

“Take her blood as her sire?” My Master scoffed at the very idea of it. “You might as well ask me to give up a cruel amount of dignity.” His hand stroked my shoulders. “I can’t take from her when she’s just newly born. It’s not proper.”

Levi stared at him and then his face broke into a grin while Sadra coughed with amusement. “Lucius, I always forget how much of a reclusive bastard you are until you spout off old convictions like that. It’s a little refreshing.”

My Master seemed to blush and I giggled, which drew his gaze, which made me giggle all the harder. At last he smiled warmly. “Sadra, do you know anything that goes along with it?”

The quieter vampire considered the question thoughtfully, seeming to search his memories. And when he spoke, his voice seemed to be rusty in a way that suggested lack of use. “I only know rumors and all of those seem to corroborate much of what Levi has said.”

Master answered, “I’d like you to go through those with me anyway, please,” and I shifted, barely stifling a groan. God, how was it possible for the conversation of creatures with such history to get so boring? It had this diminishing return factor where it had been really cool to listen to my Master tell his stories, but that was my Master and he wasn’t giving me attention now. I did like hearing possibilities about myself though. The magic had held something when I influenced those tourists and I knew that because if I remembered through the insane fog, I could logic out the fact that I had depleted my magic by overloading three people with so much of it.

Wouldn’t it be easier and more expedient to steadily influence with just a small amount, like the girl from the story? My logic sent me down the path and I tuned out the vampires talking around me, searching inside of myself for that pool that was refilled when Master fucked me. That was my version of feeding and it seemed that pool of magic could be controlled, if what the story implied was true.

I tapped the magic, holding it inside of me and carefully letting it trickle out curiously. Was that… how it worked? Surely there had to be more to-

“Bad Mira!” Master’s voice cut through my focus and I gasped, glancing up at him. The sight of him made my eyes go wide because the demon inside of him had burned to the surface in evident response to that flow. His eyes swirled black and the demonic presence beneath his flesh was an intense storm. Besides him, the other two vampires stared at me with fear, even while a kind of hunger appeared in their eyes.

“Well, that answers a question or two,” Sadra choked out, as if he was trying to keep from breathing.

I shrank back. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to, I really didn’t!” At the same time I thrilled to the look in my Master’s eyes, the delicious deviance that the demon gave him when it rose to play. I loved it when he treated me like this, when he scolded me and punished me. It satisfied me in a way very similar to food.

“It doesn’t matter. Guests aren’t food for you to entice and they’re not toys, either. Don’t do it again.” He leaned closer to me and whispered, “You don’t want punishment in front of guests, do you? That would be humiliating.” I shivered because yes, I kind of did want that and he smiled and stroked my nose, holding me close. “Behave and I’ll give you a treat later, one that you’ll like more than punishment.”

His head lifted from me and he looked towards the direction of his front door. This time I could feel what had gotten his attention and I shot to my feet, hissing and thinking only to guard my Master. But he and his friends stayed seated and he patiently caught my wrist while he stood far more calmly than I. “Thinking to guard me from an intruder, little one?”

“The fairies,” I answered softly. “It’s like shouts. It’s so loud. They didn’t do this with the other three. I don’t think it’s a friend, Master.” I said it matter-of-factly, but he only smiled patiently.

“Now, this one, I can explain to you. It’s merely an uninvited and unannounced guest, Mira. They’re stupid though. It’s not like vampires are known for their fondness of uninvited guests and there’s two of them, unless I’m mistaken. This has to be friends of the person who saw you last night. And, as a guess, I think the alarms you hear are the desecration’s wards being set off. For me it is very much like feeling an electrical shock but that’s because these wards are tethered to me, now that I live here.”

I followed beside him, my thoughts clearing now that the initial panic was over. I stood back nervously though when I saw two figures waiting for his permission to enter at the front gates. Their eyes shot to me almost instantly and I was discovering that I disliked attention. To my relief, my master sent them away, but he turned to me with a frown. “They’ll send someone else, someone I won’t be able to turn away.”

“Why not?” My voice came out petulant. I wanted it to be just him and I again and having visitors was boring.

“Politics,” he sighed, and then chuckled at the look on my face. “You may actually like the politics, little one. Vampire Court intrigue will be something you can wrap around your fingers. You’ll make the strings dance like a spider spinning a web and you’ll be able to influence and break the rules as you will.” He ruffled my hair and guided me to the door. “Chin up, little one. You’ll grow used to our world and you’ll love it, especially as powerful as you are. You just don’t realize it yet.” He caught my chin with a smile. “In the meantime, why don’t we make this a game?”

My eyes lit up because his demon was rising to the surface with his words. “What kind of game?”

“I’ll quiz you every now and again on proper etiquette. For every correct answer you give me, I’ll spank you with the wooden spoon in the kitchens. You know the one I mean?”

I grinned, wickedly mischievous. “Oh, yes!”

He chuckled. “Now I can expect you to pay attention and not torment my guests with lust.”

————

Lucius

Bloody hell. I had known she was strange, but this was more than I had expected. She was powerful as well and, if rumor was true, her blood was a potent thing. Dangerous, that, in the world of vampires. Potent blood was what had eventually driven the fae into hiding. It was hard for a creature so steeped in thirst to resist something that gave it more Violence and more power to go with that violence. We had learned long ago that if we fed on a fae we gained some of their magic for a short time, like leeches. We could feed on a woodland sprite and then lift flowers and gardens at a touch and a word. But it was only for a few short hours and then we were left wanting more of that power. It was like any drug for a human. Fortunately, Mira had more protection at her disposal than did a small fae. By nature alone, she was a more devious type of creature.

Still, though, I was getting concerned and my concern only deepened the next day when I felt the thing I had already predicted to Mira. It was a vampire guest whom I couldn’t ignore. As soon as she tripped my warnings, I knew who it was. That scent was one I would recognize anywhere. “Please stay here for a moment, Mira. We have a new guest.” I glanced at Levi, who wouldn’t meet my gaze, and sighed.

I met her at the gateway, inclining my head to her. She was ancient, even older than I, though she was not as powerful as me anymore, thanks to my demon. I don’t know what her human name originally was, but she went by Ishtar now. “Hello, grandmother,” I said softly.

“Lucius, you shouldn’t be so proper around family.” Her eyes sparkled and I smiled politely. I couldn’t like Ishtar because of the vampire nightmare she had created, but I had to be polite to her. After killing Astarte, I had divorced her family line to be my own clan in the eyes of the Court. On the one hand, it meant being a clan of one and only having myself for protection. On the other, I was just fucking fine with that after I’d seen what other vampires were capable of. I didn’t want anything to do with them for a long while and only Levi had managed to earn my friendship initially. Well, Levi and Sadra, but that was because I had Levi turn the scholar myself, since I couldn’t do it. So I wasn’t sure that counted.

“We’re not technically family now, Ishtar. Come in. Levi is already here.” Damn it, I really did not want to do this. My family. Once the vampire had seen my offspring, of course the word would have traveled up the chain and this was the cleverest person the Court could have sent. The ancients had left me alone because I was a loner vampire, not a threat to anyone. But of course, now I had an offspring and I had already had friends like Levi, who had also divorced Ishtar’s line. What were the odds they hadn’t heard that my offspring was something strange? I had managed to keep my own demon a secret after all.

“Of course he is. But I’m more interested in another little creature I’ve heard about, Lucius. Something a little more than a vampire.”

Damn it. “You lot are the bloody worst. None of you can mind your own damn business, you know that?”

Ishtar laughed openly. “Oh, I have missed how rude you are. All the others bow and scrape as soon as they feel my age near them. You have only ever shown as little courtesies as you had to in order to keep the Court away from you. It’s a breath of fresh air to be around someone with whatever power you managed to find, Lucius. Sebastian has been asking for you often lately. He told me to send you his regards and greeting when I saw you.” She stopped in the foyer and I swallowed. Mira had followed my request and stayed inside, but she had waited right by the door where she could hear everything, smell my emotions and safety, where she would be back by my side as soon as possible. What was more, the stress of company seemed to be getting to her. I had to find private moments multiple times a day to give her a bit of wicked playtimes. The wooden spoon from the kitchen had become something for me to use regularly, not just a reward. I had to spank Mira in increasingly degrading ways. Just before Ishtar had arrived, I had had to go so far as to having her say “thank you, daddy” with each and every strike. She was fraying, but she needed to get used to the presence of other creatures as well. This was a trial by fire for her in a way, one with steady pressure being applied to her sanity.

But so far she had bent to the strain and not broken. I was proud of her. “Mira,” I said softly. “Say hello to Ishtar. She is one of the Court’s elders and my grandsire. You remember how I taught you to behave with the hierarchy, yes?”

She nodded at me, fighting to keep shreds of sanity, but she looked every bit the princess I had dressed her as now that she had company. I had considered briefly letting her play with Vika, but I didn’t dare leave them alone together. She didn’t need the extra temptation to let go of her clarity.

As it was, her smile was only slightly wicked with Depravity’s genetics, and she curtsied exactly as I had taught her. “Hello, Your Grace.” She even intoned it with respect.

Ishtar did not answer for a moment, but then she inclined her head. “Good evening, Lilith’s granddaughter.” Goddammit.