章節 10: Unwelcome reunion
The streets of New York city were dark and damp, the stench of urine, horse filth and mud wafting through the docks and only those with a strong stomach could easily march through these soiled planks. Barely a soul to be seen, save for the various troublemakers and outliers conducting nightly affairs as the urban sprawl slumbered. Two women, however, made their way silently and not so quickly down the length of the wooden pier, concentrating only on their path ahead.
Their beauty was unmatched and despite their uninterest in speaking to or even looking at anyone who may be lurking about, they caught the attention of half a dozen men loudly playing a card game besides a large wooden ship, creaking on the water's surface. The women passed them, provoking at least a few of the men to stand with a polite greeting.
A simple glance in acknowledgment, however, wasn't good enough for the rest of these men and, despite the protest by those who stayed behind, they pressed their desire, following the women down the pier and into an alley leading to a line of buildings still under construction.
"Oye, ladies..." A thick, dark red-haired man hollered from the start of the alley. The women halted. "What're a couple a lovelies like you doin' in the dark of night by yerselves?"
The woman in the lead, her pale skin glowing in the light of lamps and the glimmering moon, her dark hair lifting the golden hues of the flames, her eyes glinting of orange and black. She had the unmistakable demeanor of an Italian woman in all her girth and manner, a regal and capable style, perfectly accented in an ivory dress and dark lips. She lifted a laced fan to her face and gave a sultry chuckle.
"Ah...well..." she leaned forward, hand on a hip and shoulder jutted as if preparing for a performance, "enjoying the moon and all its splendor, of course."
"The moon?" Another man inquired, this one inching ever closer to the other woman. Her back was still turned towards the men. She was taller, her long, black hair well below the small of her back and held with a delicate clasp. Her manner of dress was foreign to these men, but not unknown.
"Where you from, pretty thing?" A third man, behind the second, looking over his shoulder to get a better look at her.
The first man chuckled. "Well, who better to see the moon with than us? We're sailors, ya' know. We can tell ya of the moon and stars and all manner of beautiful thing."
"Oh?" The first woman lowered her gaze. "We come at a price. A price not all men are willing to pay."
"We have money. Just got paid!" The third man continued to push into the second, causing him to elbow him in the ribs impatiently. The fanned woman laughed, angering the first man. Without another word, he quickly stepped closer to take hold of her.
"Why pay for what we can take for free?" He said as he approached her, his once soft words turning into ferocious desire. The woman only hid her smile behind her fan, a glow in her eyes growing more prominent. The man looked a little confused but before he could properly react, he was suddenly overcome with an intense fear that locked him to where he stood.
She closed the fan with a snap and with a violent thrust of her arm, plummeted it through his chest, his heart in her hand. The organ pulsed in shock, his face full of panic and confusion. She lifted her eyes to his, the lanterns bringing into focus the ring of red around her black eyes, the orange glow at the center now in full show and her scarlet lips widening into a victorious smile. She used a foot to kick him down to his knees while yanking his heart through the front of the gaping hole in his chest.
The man managed to look up at her, the last of his life flashing in his quickly darkening eyes. He could see the fangs in her mouth as she lifted his now disconnected heart and squeezed the blood into her mouth.
"Then I shall freely take your heart." she sang as the scarlet liquid trickled down her delicate chin.
The other two men, panic-stricken stared, mouths agape at the sudden bloody mess of their friend who landed face first on the ground. They failed to notice the other woman who rounded on them very slowly, her eyes alight with far more malice and lust. The woman with the fan chuckled again, looking at the second man who managed to bring his eyes to hers.
"Think fast!" She delighted, tossing his friend's heart at him. He caught it instinctively and, after a moment to process what he was holding, began to falter under his own panic. He dropped it and began to scream in terror, the third man finally following suit. They turned to run.
"Octavia?" The long-haired woman gritted her teeth, her own fangs protruding from her mouth.
"Feed, Surea. Please. But, do try not to ruin your pretty new dress." Octavia laughed and continued on her march down the alley. The other woman sneered wildly and as the men stumbled on their feet as they ran, she screamed a deafening sound that shattered the wood around them and knocked them to their knees, clinging to their heads in pain.
Octavia turned a corner as Surea tore through the men, their limbs and gore thrown about the alley. She was cackling madly, drinking down as much of the blood as she could, squeezing and licking torn flesh and the drippings from her fingers.
Surea had in her hand one of the men's liver when she noticed Octavia no longer in sight and with unnatural and animalistic guttural noises, she growled and ran after her, throwing the organ to the ground. Surea ran around the same corner, but found Octavia stock still, staring silently at an unfinished door of a nearby building. Surea took a step forward, but felt the same foreboding as her mistress and spun around to face the building.
"I thought -he- sent for you." Surea hissed just below a whisper.
"It was him," Octavia simply glared at the door. "Or I thought…"
"You don't think that he is dead?"
"I hope not..." Octavia's lips turned to a perfect upside down 'U' to mark her growing displeasure.
"Octavia? Is that you?" A man's voice ran out of the door. Both women stood up a little straighter. Octavia sighed with frustration and attempted to leave, but before she could properly turn around a very large and powerful presence appeared behind her. Surea had her shoulders hunched and fangs bared at the one who could provoke such a feeling. Octavia lowered her eyes and smiled angrily.
"Hello, Tirdael." She muttered, her eyes turning slowly towards her back.
A tower of a man stood silently behind her, staring down through dark lensed, gold lined spectacles, his long silver hair braided along his back. He cocked an eyebrow at the other vampire who was gathering strength to defend her and her mistress and sighed in a rather annoyed fashion.
"Now, now, my dear Surea." The other voice said, coming closer with the sound of footsteps. "There's no need for conflict!"
Another man emerged in the threshold of the door, his hands clapped and face filled with delight. He beamed at Octavia who regained her regal composure, staring down her nose at him as he came fumbling out to greet her.
"Well, if it isn't my darling baby brother Arrelius." Octavia huffed. Arrelius formed an 'Oh' with his mouth and squeezed his chin to his neck. He knew she didn't mean a word of it but he would capitalize on the rarity of the moment.
"Aren't you happy to see me?" Arrelius stood with his arms held out as if waiting for an embrace, though the glint in his eyes knew full well he would receive no such gesture. Octavia huffed her disapproval.
"This is a trap." Surea hissed.
"A trap? That's funny," he said. "When I heard the vanquished cries of those poor souls in the alley, thought for sure it was you who laid some trap. And, now, Surea, you underestimate my beautiful sister. She would never stumble blindly into a situation like this."
Surea blood-soaked face lowered into another growl knowing full well his respect was outright disingenuous but this clearly didn't strike Octavia. Her thoughts fell on something else.
"You're here under pretense?" She asked. Arrelius locked eyes with her, studying her. The two stood motionless for several moments, the tension building.
"Still can't break through that wall of yours. You hide your thoughts so well." He smirked.
"Subterfuge and subtlety are my specialties and I've always been better at shielding my thoughts," she said. "And the only reason I don't break you here and now with that power is because of this fine creature."
Octavia motioned with her head towards Tirdael.
"We've made for ourselves very powerful enemies. Not just each other, mind you and, as a result, we need powerful protection. " He laughed and turned to Surea. "Like you, my dear. Surea...you mad dog."
"Enough with your jest, Arrelius," Octavia yelled. He went silent and stared at her, fury building in his eyes. "I'm here under the impression Lucious called for me."
Arrelius tilted his head as if he was saddened.
"Why can't we have a family reunion without fighting with each other all the time? I often wonder how well Laini and her family get along with each other. They are Egyptian, after all..." Arrelius asked, clearly uninterested.
"Arrelius!" Octavia snapped. He stared at her again and shrugged his shoulders.
"We were brought here to negotiate the trade of a djinn." Tirdael interrupted. Octavia turned halfway to look at him. "Perhaps it is safe to assume someone has a trap in mind for the pair of you."
Tirdael's soft but deep voice sounded almost hopeful with this suggestion which made Octavia smirk. She had always delighted in the fact this companion to her brother hated him, too. But she thought on his suggestion, Arrelius humming a tune to himself and staring at Surea who tapped Octavia on the shoulder.
"I can think of about a dozen people who would want us both dead." He said.
"Oh. Are you finally engaging in this conversation?" She asked.
"Don't push your luck." He chortled.
"Baldwin is the most likely of these." Tirdael continued. Octavia decided to continue with Tirdael and turned more towards him.
"Descendants?"
"What? Stieger doesn't want you dead." Arrelius glared.
"Laini is more opportunistic than she lets on and you would do well not to underestimate her." Tirdael sighed angrily and walked slowly next to Arrelius.
"Mistress..." Surea whispered. "I felt nothing and no one else on our way here. Perhaps the targets are not us, but our homes?"
Octavia cocked her head in consideration.
Their list of enemies was long but this was daring, even for those that would do them harm.
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