History of Violence11

Meeting David **

I land in a dark alley behind Hansen's and walk around the corner to the front door. B.L.O.O.D. looks like your usual vintage old west bar except the neon beer signs in the windows backed by black paper so that the outside light doesn't shine in. Hansen's is one of the oldest bars in the city, actually dating back to the old west. He keeps it looking pretty much like it did back in the mid eighteen hundreds. He should know, he's owned the bar that long. It still has a long wooden bar with brown leather stools and wooden railing. Brass spittoons are still scattered in corners on the floor and the mirror behind the wooden bar is so rippled that it must be original. Against the other wall are tables and chairs. Across from the bar Jack has a two-headed calf mounted on the knotty pine paneling. I've seen him time and again use that calf as sobriety test. If they reply one, he calls them a taxicab. Since most of his customers are vampires, he has done away with the sawdust on the floor and only on rare occasions does he see tourists walk through the doors. He couldn't have half of his patrons going up in a blaze.

I take a deep sniff as I step in the door and smell mostly the regular customers, Dona and a new vampire or should I say a very old vampire. I really didn't sniff him as much as I felt his power. A shiver works its way up my spine and I almost turn around and go back out the door when I hear Dona laughing.

I look and see that she is near some unknown vamp. Is it the old one" I can't pinpoint where he is. I try to relax as I walk to her table. A couple of male werewolves sitting at the bar spot me and one slaps my ass as I walk past. I think of them as 'menage a' trois'. I've often wondered if they haven't had anything better to do than sit here and drinking half the night away checking out hot chics and slapping asses. Someday I'll ask them.

I smile at them. Perhaps tonight is the night; one of them smells tasty. I turn to the one in the middle, spin him around on the brown leather barstool and run my finger down his chest and belly to grab the top of his black denim jeans and I pull him off his ass. He has the body of a roman gladiator in the wrong millennia. He's all of maybe 5 feet 8 inches and thickly muscled. He has dark wavy brown hair with natural blonde highlights, early signs of laugh lines and generous blue-green eyes. He looks a little shocked but more excited than anything. His friends cheer him on.

For a while wolves wouldn't have been so relaxed in public as they are now. After the vampires 'came out of the closet', werewolf paranoia spread across the country. Here in Denver the freaks tried to make a spectacle out of the full moon for a while but the wolves would have none of it. How the freaks found out where they spent the three nights surrounding the full moon, we may never know. The wolves got smart after the first three months and they started moving around until the freaks gave up. Now they have sanctuaries hundreds of acres in size with state of the art security systems and have vamps and witches to guard the place when they are unable to. In return, we have a very strong and abundant ally. I'm not sure how other packs have arranged things but this works for us. Unfortunately, the freaks moved on to the witches, which didn't last long. The wolves granted them five acres in their sanctuary to use for their full and new moon rituals. You can fit quite a few covens in five acres.

I turn around and swagger toward the back. He stands there like a rock. I spin around and wiggle my index finger. If he'd started doing the 'schwing' from Wayne's World like Garth did in the donut shop I'd have fallen down laughing. Instead, a werewolf begins sliding under his skin in anticipation, his eyes flash to yellow and my hunger doubles. I'm sure my eyes resemble a true albino's; red. I slip through the door and into the back room.

Jack has a matching ultra-suede tan recliner and sofas set on the polished hardwood floor and mock oriental rugs. The walls are sponge painted with the same color as the furniture with a lighter shade of the same color. He once told me sponge painting was like wallpaper without the hassle. To the right is a water closet; an old name for our modern restroom but in this old building, water closet seems more appropriate. Jack's offered me the use of his backroom before but I'd never taken him up on it.

I hear the door squeak and I turn to see thick, dark and horny standing behind me. He leans against the door and it closes with a squeak and a click. I wonder if Jack has any oil in here. A big horny grin flashes a double pair of sporty werewolf fangs. I may have to give him a pound of flesh for a cup of his blood. I don't care. Only a cup you ask. That's all we need. One cup just lasts a bit longer for some, less for others. I once heard that vampires don't live to kill but kill to live. Given time and learned control, a vampire doesn't have to kill. A little bit here and there will sustain us better than frequent killings.

I look in his eyes and calm him and his face goes slack, his shoulders relaxed and his hands fall to his side. The wolf struggles to fight my hold but I grip tighter.

His head tilts back and off to the side as if he knows what to expect. Honestly, I've never tasted wolf blood before. I'm almost giddy at the prospect of trying something new. I lean forward and my fangs enter his jugular. At once a rush of energy gushes passed my lips. A quarter of his total volume holds twice as much power as the entire blood volume in a human. Trust me, you don't want to know how I know this.

I pull away after a couple of swallows and his hand comes up and comes to cup my breast; his thumb grazes my nipple. I inhale deeply, he growls softly. His hand reaches between my legs. I moan.

"You are a horny bunch aren't you?" He chuckles.

"It's all that neck nuzzling we do." I reach down and unzip his pants. He growls again as he reaches around and pulls me closer. I feel his cock rubbing against me.

Many minutes later our shared feeding has resolved into a pair of sated beasts lying on the floor, glistening in sweat and panting to the rhythm of our heartbeats. He recovers quicker than I do. He gets up and goes back out to be with his friends.

Minutes pass by before I can walk again. I hear raucous amounts of laughter and can only assume some of it is about how easy vampire chicks are. After making myself somewhat presentable I pushed open the door to see Jason talking with my three big fans. Donna is still chatting to the guy in the tan suede jacket.

Jason turna around and notices me. A big grin crosses his face and he wiggles his eyebrows.

"Lara, where have you been" I haven't seen you in what, a week?" I turn around to see Jason walking through the front door.

"Hi honey. How's it going?" He gives me a big hug and a peck on the neck. I grab his ass just for fun. He jumps and yelps at the same time.

"The usual. How's Kat." He holds his breath.

"Hey, she's mine!" Cries one of the guys at the bar. He looks at me with sad puppy eyes. "What's the matter sweetie" Why ya so cruel?"

"Because, if you knew me better, you wouldn't be so shocked. Get over it." He sits and downs the last of his beer in one enormous gulp.

"She seems to be moving on." A deep sigh escapes his lips, as if he'd been holding his breath.

"Good. I don't think I could handle another reunion and breakup this week. Go out with me?" He grins broadly.

"And disappoint my fans?" I point to the three wolves at the bar.

"Unwanted attention. Be my girlfriend?"

"Sure, why not." I said flippantly.

"Seriously?"

"Na, ask me again in five minutes."

"Lara, your hell on a guys hormones." I giggle as I turn around to see my wolf with a satisfied look on his face. You know, the look that guys get when he succeeds in getting a woman all hot and sweaty without the use of gym equipment. Jason goes back outside; I'm presuming it's to cool down. I look over at Dona and see her still smiling as she chats with Mr. Leather Jacket.

Jack peaks over the bar and speaks to me. "Hey Lara. Can I get ya something?" Jack and I have been known to talk for hours about this and that. One might say, with the exception of the sisters that he is my best friend. I"d trust him with anything. If I ask him for a favor, he"d do it; no questions asked. I"d do the same for him.

"No, I'm good. Thanks Jack."

"Lara, no more biting wolves while your in my bar."

"Sorry Jack." I flash him a big 'I'm guilty and I don't care' grin.

"Lara." His face holds concern. Is there something I should be worried about"

"Yeah Jack?"

"Be careful of that one." He points to the person sitting with Dona

"Whatever Jack."

"No Lara, I"m serious. That one is big trouble."

Dona looks up as I get close. Mr. Leather Jacket stands and bows. "Hey Lara, meet my new friend." She introduces us and I stick my hand out to shake his. He reaches his hand to mine, grabs it, and kisses the top gently. He tells me his name is David Stahley. He certainly acts like a gentleman but I still can't feel his power because the entire room is full of power. It"s like a vortex has suddenly developed under Hansen"s. I"ve never experienced a vortex but my witch friends say it"s quite a rush.

"Nice to meet you Lara." His hair is chestnut colored and falls to the middle of his back. He wears Goth like clothes but are honey tan suede and he seems to have taken etiquette lessons, all perfect posture and manners. It must be the lack of black and chains that bothers me the most or it may be that there is a master in here and I can't figure out who it is.

"Likewise."

"Please, join us." I shrug my shoulders and sit down. He waits until I'm seated before sitting himself. I'm almost surprised he didn't help me sit. Perhaps women are less tolerant of chivalry than a couple hundred years ago when it was expected. My dad always helped my mom.

"David, tell her how old you are. You won"t believe this Lara." David"s face could have flushed if he"d been mortal. Then he grew a spine and his expression changed from embarrassed to disgust. I"ve been a watcher of people since the change. I learned to read expressions and gestures and I must say I"ve gotten pretty good at it.

"I"m sorry, Dona"s a bit like a teenager yet." A shocked look crosses her face and then just as quickly switched to an indignant expression. She crosses her arms and turns away from the table. I thought she liked this guy.

"Here you go Lara." Jack sits a glass of O-neg on the table in front of me. "Thanks Jack."

"I've noticed. I'm sorry my dear but you are a bit naive. It will pass with time and experience." He takes a sip from his glass.

Dona glares at him then smiles at me and asks. "So are you going to join us?"

"For a little while, I drove." I mention the car because he gives me the creeps so I could leave in a hurry with a feasible excuse. "I don't want to wait too long, I prefer not to leave my car anywhere."

"Worry not my dear."

"I'd rather not."

"Cautious. I like that."

"Glad you approve. You should meet Fiona. She"s the queen of caution and the authority of revenge."

"She sounds a bit reckless."

"You"d think so but she never starts a fight she can"t win."

"What about the fights that choose her?" She always seems to know just the right thing to say no matter the situation she is in. Once I swear that a big ugly truck driver was taunting her enough to start something. She taunted him right back; he turned around and walked away. His wife giving him grief about backing down from a fight. In my estimation, she's been fighting with him and winning their entire marriage. Some women are that way. They walk all over their husbands.

"She's lucky, they almost never choose her. Unfortunately, they usually choose me instead. I can't tell you why." I went to Autumn's Twilight to ask Fiona something a couple a months back, some big bodybuilder type on steroids asks me to drink from him. I declined on account of the drugs and he threw me across the room. Fiona put a knife through the palm of his hand for the trouble before booting him out the door. We can smell drugs from across the room and steroids taste like shit. If I'm to bite somebody who's been taking drugs, I prefer ectasy although I'd rather chew on burnt dog shit. Drinking from a drugee is a last minute, I'm hungry, there's nobody else around, so I'll gag it down and find somebody better later. I later caught up with him and had a little revenge of my own. I chained him up and let him feel the real pain of being bitten by a vampire somewhere below the belt. I didn't even drink. Then I let him in on what his problem was. Don't expect a vampire to bite you if you do drugs. And they think Fiona's twisted.

"I'm actually glad you"re here because we have something to discuss. If you"ll excuse us Dona we have business."

"I"m not leaving."

"Yes you are." A blank look rearranges her face and she walks away.

"What did you do to her?"

"That is what I"m here to discuss. Do you remember the vampire that changed you?"

"That jerk. He"ll not be changing anybody anytime soon."

"He is a servant of mine." Crap! He's the master and he wants to talk to me. I knew I should have just walked out the door.

"I"m sorry. He got what he deserved." What does he mean by servant" Rade never mentioned anything about a master.

"I made him, he follows my orders or I kill him. I haven"t been able to locate him since you"ve taken care of him. And since he changed you and your friends, you also belong to me."

"We belong to no one." He grabs my wrist and I suddenly feel helpless. No! No! Masters are just show. Younger vamps don't belong to anyone. Let me go. Jack looks over at us. David holds his hand up in a stop sign.

"I have no quarrell with you Mr. Hanson. I'm just taking what belongs to me." Jack looks down and away. A lot of help he is. I help him, he helps me. Bull shit If I wasn't held onto by Mr. David Pain in the Ass Stahley I'd be bitching his ass off like some killer bee.

"You saw what I did to Dona. I hold power over her just like I hold power over you. I am your Master."

"Come on Dona, we're leaving now." I stood up to leave and couldn"t go further. Not a muscle in my body would move.

"No, you"re not." I can see the door from where I stand and I deeply wish I could walk, better yet, fly out of it just now. Jack looks at me with sad eyes and a look that if given words, would say "I tried to warn you, why didn"t you listen?"

"Lara?" I see Jason at the front door and I tried to put a help me look on my face but I still couldn't move. "Hey, what's going on?" Maybe my stillness is a better clue than anything. I'm not sure I could have avoided this. He'd have found us one way or another.

"Sit down Lara." I did sit down but not of my own free will.

"I didn"t want it to be this way but you left me no choice. From now on you will dress respectable, no more t-shirts or jeans. You will wear dresses or business suits in public. If you do not dress accordingly you will be punished. You will refer to me as Master or Sir." No wonder Rade left him; he"s a dictator.

"Lara?" Jason again. "Excuse me, but what are you doing to my girlfriend?" Since when did he and I become an item" If I truly loved him, would be swooning over my would be hero" I fight the unexplainable urge to swoon and begin to worry that Jason is definately outclassed by this monster.

"She is not your girlfriend, she is my servant and I am here to claim her." If I could only move I"d tell him he"s fucking out of his mind if he thinks I"d do anything for him. This rage I"m feeling, I wish I could call it indignanty but it"s probably more like fear.

"She has no Master. She is one of the lucky ones." Fear shakes his voice. Jason has a Master?

"Her luck has run out."

"Diana will be pissed to find out one of her friends is held against her will" Jason still tries to keep up the fight despite the fact that he is drastically out gunned. It"s like having a pistol and trying to blow away a Sherman Tank. A snowball would have a better chance of freezing hell over.

"Diana who?"

"Diana Rice. Head of the Sisterhood of the Night."

"What is the Sisterhood of the Night?"

"That"s what they call themselves; all five of them." The night brought us together and we have become sisters though in truth we are not.

"Oh, good grief! Then I shall have to talk to Diana and show her the truth of my claim." He stands up.
"Come Lara. Dona. We are leaving. I would advise you not to follow young man. She"s mine."
Jason steps back and holds his hands out in an all yours gesture. Some fighter. I"ll have get Raven to teach him how to hold his ground. Maybe Fiona's gotten to him already and taught him when to fight and when to let it go. I have trouble letting go until I have had the last word.

I stand up without meaning to and follow David out the door. Dona steps in beside me.

"Lara, where are you going" I told you not to go anywhere with him." Jack talks to me from across the bar.

"She hasn"t any choice Mr. Hansen. She and her friend are my property. If there is any other Master Vampire in town that has a claim on them let them challenge me. Good day Mr. Hansen." Why hasn"t Diana told us about Master Vampires and all the shit about masters and servants that he's force feeding us" Was she protecting us from him" And who's her master for that matter"

I step out the door and almost slam into Alec. He is just like I remember him; a blond surfer from California. He"s dressed as he usually is, dreadlocks on top, tank top, Bermuda shorts and leather sandals. The skin underneath is just as tan as a mortal surfer and just as long and lean; very hot. Being a vampire never held him back from surfing either the California waves or the Colorado slopes. But what is he doing here in August?

"Hey Lara!" He reaches out to embrace me in a big bear hug; obviously I can't hug back. We"ve been good friends for a few years. He found me a few months after my change wandering the streets unable to control myself. He took me under his wing until I was ready then he took me to Diana. Diana started out as a half way house but then we all got so close that we never moved out.

"Lara, what"s the matter?" He looks past me to see Dona in the same state and then he sees David.

"Excuse us." David pretends that Alec hasn't even said my name.

"Dude, what are ya doing with my friends?" Alec crosses his arm and flexes his chiseled biceps. Had this been another place and time I'd have teased him and accused him of being oh so macho.

"They are my property, please leave."

"No. If they were your property, you wouldn"t have let them wander the streets." David did not reply. A toothpick appeared at the corner of his mouth then flew into Alec"s neck and vanished under his almond tan. The skin quickly healed over the hole. Oh goddess no! That much wood and no way to dig it out. I cannot move but a single tear slips from my right eye. David grabs him and holds him as we watch. His skin gets flushed and steam pours off of him until it turns into smoke. Alec falls apart into a pile of ash on the concrete. I struggle to reach out to that pile of ash, I struggle to cry, I struggle to do anything but feel the awful tearing of my heart in my chest. I hope David feels this pain and it feels like a broomstick from his rectum to his brain.

"Come." David pushes me out of his way and we continue walking behind him down the street to his car. I struggle internally with Alec's death and to escape the hold he has on us with no luck. I feel though that he speaks the truth. We do belong to him and I hate him. I don't want Alec to be dead, I don't want to be anyone's slave. He will pay for what he's done to me and my friends.