Blood haven Chapter 7

Harbinger

New Orleans 1920

“Excuse me Madam, this comes compliments of the lady...”

Eugenie looked up to the hovering waiter, eyebrow raised, and turned in the direction he gestured. Darrin waved slightly and she smiled in acknowledgement, nodding her permission for the waiter to deposit items in his tray. It was her favorite dessert and cafe au lait, flavored with almond oil. The Priestess regarded the offering thoughtfully. It had been several days since the fateful reading and encounter with Allan; the outcome of both had been entirely unexpected, more so with the club owner. Before then, Allana Devereux was just a mysterious, yet well respected individual with many ties in the community. Now she saw that the other also had powers, and could be a formidable foe.

Eugenie had just been promoted to the left hand of the High Priestess, one of four in the hierarchy, and was now noteworthy in a very powerful cult. Devereux clearly had friends in high places, perhaps even in Eugenie's coven. She had to be cautious, as the younger of the four hands, and not create complications to already established alliances. She had to think about these things when choosing associates and enemies. 

Not to mention, there was the warning behind Darrin’s reading. The cards made it clear that whatever trouble the other woman was heading into, it was such that no one could intervene.There was no stopping the turn of Fate.

She looked back up to the other woman’s eager wink and sighed inwardly. Allana knew about Eugenie’s feelings for her paramour, and was profoundly indifferent to it. She did not see the Priestess as a threat in any way. Or perhaps she simply didn’t care that much about Darrin.

Whichever the case may be...

Eugenie picked up the steaming coffee and took a sip, and that was invitation enough for Darrin to walk over.

“I find it incomprehensible that you sit alone, Eugenie.”

She shrugged lightly and gestured to the empty seat across. “What can I say? My Micheton is ah, indisposed.”

Darrin feigned scandal at the other woman’s words and pulled an extra chair from the next table. It was then that Eugenie noticed the figure clinging to her leg like a limpet. She looked askance to the club owner, who pried him off.

“Eugenie, this is Solenbam. Say hello, Sam.”

The Priestess had to admit that he was a lovely child, even while being loyal to her twins, and would grow up to be quite a handsome fellow. He was quadroon, with a full head of honey blond curls, and impossibly blue eyes. Sam was also a shy boy, because he could barely look up to murmur hello. Eugenie smiled graciously in response and raised an eyebrow to the beaming Darrin. This raised many questions but she knew better than to be so gauche.

“Where have you been hiding this p’tit Ange?”

Darrin urged the boy into the empty chair and replied while fastidiously adjusting his tie.

“Solenbam and I have only become acquainted and we’ve been spending the past few days getting to know each other better, ain’t that right Sam?”

The boy nodded and she grinned back at Eugenie, who gave them both a closer look. There was no physical resemblance between them but she could sense that their energies were strongly attuned to one another. Darrin had never seemed the maternal type -- she strongly doubted Allana was either. So how did the child come to be?

Sam caught her scrutiny and looked up to finally meet her gaze. She was struck anew by his unsettling eyes and unconsciously touched her amulet. Something was strange about this boy; first the lover, and now this child? No wonder the cards spelled doom for this woman. Eugenie broke his gaze and looked up to his handler, who was cheerfully signaling a passing waiter. Attendant with her role in the cult came all sorts of sensitivities, but did Darrin have any such awareness?

Did the other woman have any idea of the kinds of company she kept?

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was late evening when the pair finally returned to Blood Haven. Darrin had begged her leave of Eugenie hours earlier, and then on a whim decided to take a streetcar ride through the city. There was a carnivale in town and of course she had to take Sam to that because it turned out that he’d never been to one. Now the taxi deposited them at the back door of the club, tuckered out and filled with all sorts of goodies from the fair.  He’d been remarkably good today and had made a fuss only a few times, when they’d been stuck in the hall of horrors. Sam did not like crowds or small spaces, she’d come to find. Darrin glanced sideways at the boy leaning casually against her side. She knew he’d had a lot of fun; gone was the tension in his shoulders, and a small smile played around his lips all day. 

The back doors to the club could only be opened from within, and they were obliged to wait for the next carryman’s exit. It didn’t take long before that happened; Darrin neatly sidestepped the duo hefting a large barrel out, she kept her foot on the door until Sam slid through as well. Their passage was completely unnoticed by the pair but she did not get the chance to savor this feat. Eryk cleared his throat and they both turned aside, to the manager’s bland smile.

“Evening, we need your signature on a few consignments for tomorrow’s soiree.”

Darrin raised an eyebrow, already waving the request away. “Why can’t Allana sign those?”

The Seelie lifted a shoulder. “She is not to be disturbed.”

Well then. She leaned lower to Solenbam, and ruffled his hair. “Okay kiddo, go get yourself cleaned up. Find Eulalia out front.”

The waitress was happy enough to watch over Sam, and Darrin made a note to repay the kindness in her salary. She watched the boy disappear into the club and turned back to the manager.

“All right, let’s deal with the paperwork.”

He nodded mutely and invited her ahead. “After you, ma’am.”

Eryk was right to seek her out on the requests; the last minute deliveries were necessary for the engagement party they were hosting the next evening. They had consented to the Senator's request that his dear daughter be feted in grand style at the most exclusive club in the city. No one could have guessed how complicated or extravagant the young woman’s demands would be, but the statesman was determined to spare no expense. Which was why they would be shipping in lobsters from Maine, even when there was perfectly good crawfish fresh off the wharf in the city… 

Darrin scrawled her name on all the orders, in duplicate, and sent the manager on his way. Normal club business had been postponed for the evening, and for once she actually had time to even think.

It was a little odd that Allana did not see to the orders. They had a quasi-system at the club: Darrin dealt with the people, while she handled the paperwork. It made sense because while she could put up a good show, the Vampire was not very people friendly. Unlike most of her kind, who made a point of maintaining cliques and coteries, Allana shunned networks. It was one more trait that set her against the mold. Darrin sighed and settled deeper into her chair. Something jabbed at her side and she dug into her jacket, pulling out the tin whistle she’d won at one of the games.

It had been five days now since she brought Solenbam home, five uneventful days. Today she’d sought to test the limits of that freedom. They had walked the streets of the quarters without any form of reprisal. Darrin knew better than to take this as a good sign; Werewolves were anything but subtle and she hadn’t gone out of her way to make Solenbam’s presence in the club a secret. They should have gotten some kind of a response by now, at least from the Markov clan. Surely, he was not the sole survivor of the attack, someone should be reaching out to claim the kid by now. Darrin expected tension, the crackling of air and lightning before the storm she’d invited to their backyard. But there was nothing, not even the murmur of wind. She considered the thought -- was it possible that her lover had intervened? No. Allana made it clear that this situation was none of their business.

Curiously enough, Darrin hadn’t seen much of the other woman in the past five days either. They did share a bedroom but both women fastidiously believed in having their personal spaces in the house. Not to mention, she'd been really preoccupied with keeping Sam settled. Still, it was odd for Allana not to have approached her all week, for one reason or another. Gosh, Darrin must have been really distracted not to notice until now.

She frowned and thought back to their last interaction. That was at the seance thing with Eugenie and before then, upstairs when she brought Solenbam home.

Allana couldn’t still be hung up on that, could she? Darrin dismissed the thought. The other woman was not petty; besides, if she really felt that sore about the kid being in the club, she would have taken decisive action.

 The Vampire was actively avoiding her, and there had to be a reason for it.

Darrin got to her feet and made for the door. It could be a host of reasons; with immortality came the ability to hold on to a grudge literally forever.

Eryk had said she demanded not to be disturbed. That could either mean she was in bed sleeping, or feeding. Allana kept a few gentlemen in house for that purpose; though they regularly worked as part of the serving staff, any one of them would gladly jump at the opportunity. Darrin got to their bedroom door and hesitated. If that was what was going on in there… she couldn’t help the hot rush of jealousy at the intimacy with which Allana regarded them in those moments.

Darrin knocked once and marched in, but the room was empty. So, not feeding and not asleep either. What the world was Allana up to then?

--------------------------------------------------------------------

“Ma’am, with our compliments.”

Allana graced the maitre’d with a smile as he deposited a half full glass on her table. She watched him move on with a critical glance. He was affable, and his youth meant that his position must be backed with real skill. She was almost tempted to invite him for an interview at Blood Haven but forebore. The restaurant had been gracious enough to accommodate her sudden presence -- and without a prior reservation -- poaching its staff wouldn’t do. She took an experimental sip of the rich red and smiled. It was very well preserved indeed. 

One glass of such vintage was a shame, but Allana wasn’t there to wine and dine. 

The restaurant was located in a row of fine establishments that dealt with an exclusive clientele of the nouveau riche and the political elite of the city. A good number of these people would eventually wend their way down to her club, much later at night of course, but Blood Haven was receiving no guests for the rest of the week.

That was why she was out there, at the first house on the row, patiently stalking her quarry several houses away. The couple were similarly engaged; well, she ate while he nursed a glass of wine. Just like Allana did. After all, they both favored a different kind of fare.

Allana had first caught sight of him at dusk; she’d succumbed to the building restlessness that had dogged her for days, forcing her out the club and into the streets. His presence in the continent was interesting but none of her concern. If there was a reason for their paths to cross, she was sure it eventually would. It wasn’t until the second time around, and much closer to home, that she began paying attention to his movements. One of the first things they had done when establishing the club was to purchase a lot of the property around it, through all sorts of lawyers. This way they effectively controlled their neighbors and competition. They had torn down several homes to build two tenements that secretly leased at favorable rates to their employees, keeping them in a sense, close to home.

Vampires are territorial creatures, and Allana was no less protective of hers than others. Every power and advantage in her means was invariably used to that end.

He had arranged for a taxicab; the moment she emerged, it whisked them off to the Quarter. First it was a musical show, then dinner, and she already imagined what would be next. Some Vampires liked the swift snatch, while others preferred to draw out the hunt. What he did was none of her business but who he had chosen made it a different matter...

Vampires are territorial creatures, after all. 

Allana added the waste of good wine to her list of grievances against him and tipped the waiter, exiting with as little preamble as she’d arrived. It was a clear night, and so she decided to watch from above.

Even with his relative youth, he should have sensed her persistent interest by now, she mused, as they stepped into the taxi yet again and drove uptown. His caprice must have had him thoroughly distracted, or his mind was entirely focused on self restraint. Now the latter was all the reason for Allana to step in; her grim expectation came true when the vehicle stopped short and they reemerged.

He laughingly pulled her into a dark alley, and Allana raised an eyebrow. That was brazen, even by the city’s standards. She faded off the roof and materialized in the alley, just as he sank his fangs into the befuddled girl.

“This has gone on for long enough.”

He released his hold with a frustrated sigh and turned aside. “Allana.”

“Ydris.”

“So it was you, I had hoped not.”

She gestured to the girl, now completely caught in his daze. “Well, I do take offense when agreements are not honored. You know our policy on fraternizing with our employees, especially without their consent.”

Ydris rolled his eyes almost petulantly. “Oh we all know your policy, don’t touch your precious humans outside your club. I wonder what makes them so special.”

Allana shrugged and pushed him aside, reaching for the girl. “They are mine, and it is a big city. Find your prey elsewhere.” The wound was already closing, leaving only red streaks on her pale skin. She stared deep into the human’s eyes and pushed past his layered mesmer. “Listen to me, you will forget everything you have seen or heard tonight. This man does not exist to you, and never will. You will take a taxicab home and go to bed.”

“Yes…”

Ydris watched with not a little envy and awe, as she easily dismantled his mental hold and sent the human on her way. There was nothing he could do about it. In fact, there was nothing stopping Allana from turning that same power on him if she chose.

Still, none of this did anything to quell his barely restrained bloodthirst. His eyes bled red as he glared at the Master.

“Come now Allana, I had no intention to kill her. It was only a nibble.”

Allana casually grasped his face and forced his gaze. “Nibble again and I remove your jaw.”

Ydris grit his teeth against the power in her eyes but had to look down. “I wonder, what will you do when someone calls your bluff, Master?”

“I will rip such a fool out of his skin. But as they say, prevention is better than cure.”

He chuckled and shook his head. “Point well taken. It won’t happen again.”

“Make it so.” She eased her grip but continued to take in his state. “You have not fed in quite some time.”

Ydris made a sound of assent. “I just arrived in the city; the journey was unexpectedly long.”

She considered this, and then inclined her head to the street beyond. “You are coming with me.”

She took him home. They walked through the front doors, into an eerily quiet hallway. By this time, only a few staff were about and even they were rounding up. Allana acknowledged a departing group, keeping one eye trained on Ydris as they passed by. He swept an arm around the empty space.

“Are you closing shop?”

She shrugged lightly and walked him across the main hall.

“Good, because that would be heartbreaking news.”

Allana raised an eyebrow. “Would it really?”

Ydris nodded emphatically. “I like this place, your bartenders are rather good. Not to mention, the radical idea of a truly neutral ground… It would be a shame if you did.”

Their destination was one of the private saloons in the establishment, this one aptly named the Silk Road. The faint ether of opium lingered in the air and on the furniture, long outlasting its dabblers. She turned on the light, revealing the dark green interior.

“Well I have no intention of closing shop just yet.”

There was an impressive oak wall panel dominating the left portion of the room, which turned out to be a secret chamber when she pushed at the right place. Ydris watched her disappear and reemerge with a dark bottle, along with a rubber syringe. She approached with a purposeful expression and he made an incredulous sound.

“Marrow, that’s why you brought me here.”

Allana slowly swirled the bottle from side to side. “By your confession, it has been a long time since you fed. We both know that your next few friends won’t survive running into you. Now, it has been mercifully quiet about the city of late, and I would rather it stay that way.”

Marrow was exactly that; concentrated, distilled and highly potent. It was the result of years of alchemy and study by an enclave of ‘progressive’ vampires who had been looking for a way to break the parasitic nature of vampire to human relations. It was proof positive because an injection of Marrow was enough to significantly abate a Vampire’s bloodthirst. Not only that, the fact that Marrow could only be effectively harvested from the dead also removed human casualties from the equation. Unfortunately, Marrow never gained much traction within the general community. The harvest and purification process was quite exhaustive, needing several sources to produce even a small sample. The contents of Allana’s bottle would have required no less than 100 sources to create.

Predators are hardwired to seek living prey. There was no doubt that Marrow provided sustenance, but it was no substitute for the feeling of satiation that came with feeding.

She sat in one of the chaise lounges and beckoned him. He obeyed, rolling up a sleeve.

“I see, you don’t want a foreigner like myself disturbing the peace. This must be an election year.”

One end of the syringe went into the bottle’s soft cork, and the other into his arm. They watched in silence as the pinkish, oily liquid traveled up the tube. The effect was almost instant and dramatic; within seconds his sallow complexion glowed with energy and the gleam of hunger in his eyes faded. Ydris chuckled and shook his head.

“Allana, do you really police the streets like this or am I a special case?”

Her lips quirked in a smile. “What do you think?”

She withdrew the needle and placed the cache to its hiding place. Ydris watched her from between hooded eyes until she returned to the couch. Despite his protestations, the Marrow indeed worked wonders for his system. Now he could feed without leaving a kill. As Allana had quietly reminded him, his Old world sensibilities wouldn’t fly here. Having learned their lessons the hard way, Vampires were a lot more circumspect about their activities in this part of the world.

He closed his eyes and relaxed, sliding down to a supine position, his head bare inches away from her thigh.

“I don’t understand, you are beyond such cares.”

Allana gave no reply and he opened his eyes. “Oh? Is it because of your -- ”

They both turned to the door, and the approaching footsteps beyond. It swung open to reveal Darrin and the werewolf boy.

“Evening,” Ydris cheerfully called with a small wave.

She looked from his prone form, to Allana. “We saw the light, he just finally got sleepy.”

Werewolf pups were diurnal, which made them difficult children to foster.

Ydris stared at the boy, who in turn flinched from his gaze, and then looked up to Allana. “What is that?”

Darrin raised an eyebrow and sent Solembam off to bed. Then she walked in and parked herself on the armchair next to them. “Excuse you, he, not what.”

He ignored her interjection, still focused on the other Vampire, who shrugged.

“Her pet, I suppose.”

Ydris laughed and shook his head. “ It’s a bad habit, collecting strays.”

“I suppose that’s why you’ll end alone and unmourned,” Darrin retorted cuttingly and he paused to give her a long look. He moved, and was suddenly standing behind her.

“I see you still turn up where you’re not wanted. Just like the pesky mouse in a pantry.”

Darrin bared her teeth, eyes flashing fire. “Careful Ydris, this mouse has really sharp teeth. Wanna find out just how sharp?”

“Well I wouldn’t expect any less from Allana’s pet,” he replied and she chuckled mirthlessly.

“Call me pet one more time.”

Allana got to her feet with a growl. “This is tiresome. Ydris, get out.”

He raised an eyebrow and she nodded. “We are finished here, and you are overstaying your welcome.”

“So, am I free to continue my prowl?”

She shrugged and gestured to the door. “I believe we are in understanding. What you do with your evening is your business.”

Ydris made a sound of assent. “Well put. In that case, I shall intrude no further.” He moved away from Darrin without sparing her another glance and went up to Allana to take her hand. He kissed her hands one by one. “It is always a pleasure, Allana. I promise that our next meeting will be more auspicious.”

Allana watched the front doors close before turning aside to her lover. “You shouldn’t spoil for a fight you cannot finish.”

Darrin’s smile was all teeth. “Oh I can finish, trust on that.”

The Vampire regarded her for a moment, and then walked out. Darrin watched her leave with a frustrated growl for forgetting why she'd sought out Allana in the first place.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Paris: 1915

Allana:

I walked in a seemingly aimless fashion, but my steps had a definite direction. Valla was gone, vanished from the face of the earth, and gone too was the sweet smell of Vodka and roses that lingered at the edge of my senses.

I knew exactly where and when she last walked the streets, how and why wasn’t hard for me to establish either. She must have been surprised and overpowered; there must have been several of them. She wasn’t left out to the mercy of the sun, no my Valla was staked clean, which was why she barely had time to call on me. That was enough evidence for me to follow..

Stakes didn’t come cheap, especially the ones made for killing vampires. No ordinary piece of wood can finish us off. It had to be dipped in the blood of a Triste, which is poisonous to us and not easily obtained. Whoever murdered Valla had the means and knowledge. It was no accident, I could clearly see the hand wielding the blade.

A bubble of humor surfaced in me and I chuckled. Adrian thought that he could get to me through her. I did feel sad for Valla, she had been my companion for more than a century, but I felt more anger than I did grief. 

Besides, I had a little hunting to do. There was the matter of the blade, after all.

Le Belvedere was one of the most popular clubs in Paris, and the clientèle was almost completely made up of werewolves. It was conveniently located just at the outskirts of the city where their comings and goings would not be easily recorded by the rest of the populace.

It was also my final destination for the night, and I had been hard at work.

Such was their surprise when a vampire master walked into the club, drenched from head to toe in blood. But anyone who even wanted to protest only need to look at the dangerous expression on my face to hold their peace. He was seated amongst his friends in a secluded corner of the club when I appeared. They barely had time to react before he was picked up by an invisible force and slammed into the wall.

A collective gasp rang through the club and all went still. I had just challenged an Alpha, and there was little they could do to intervene. This was his fight to finish.

He snarled and struggled to extricate himself from my psychic grip, claws extending to do serious damage but I was too far. Werewolves may have an upper hand in close range combat with a vampire, but he would not get that chance.

“Wh-wha?”

My face became even darker and I tightened my hold. “ You took from me, and I have repaid the favor many times over. What promises could he have made you, to make such a foolish mistake?”

He finally realized that I was talking about the contract he had executed earlier in the day. “No wait, he told me she was one of his sired who had gotten too cocky. He never told me she-”

The rest of his words were choked as I squeezed tighter and tighter. We all watched until he jerked his last, a fittingly humiliating death. I released my hold on his body and he slid onto the leather couch he formerly sat, and turned toward the exit.

A few of them stirred as I walked past, varying degrees of indignation and outrage on their faces, but no one stepped forward in challenge. I kept my back to them just to show how little I cared.

“If anyone of you feels the urge to avenge, you are welcome to take it up with me.”

It would take them time to make the connection, when word of the many deaths tonight reach them. Then they would realize the full extent of my vendetta.

But no matter, I am true to my word.

------------------------------------------

Darrin:

My heart sank lower into my boots as the sun rose over the city, spilling into the dungeon from a tiny shaft in a corner. One more day wasted, one less day to save Lilith. 

The anger and desolation I had been struggling to keep at bay in the face of groundless hope began to flood my whole body. My sister needed me now more than ever and I failed her.

Suddenly the doors slammed open and she walked in. Her power surged all over the dungeon, sending my senses into overdrive and burning against my mental wall. She approached and I cringed, fear and terror coming over me as I read the barely suppressed anger in her step. She bent down to my level and I closed my eyes, trembling in spite of myself at the face of her dark aura. The sound of snapping chain and crunching wood made me open my eyes and I realized she just released me. I looked up to almost her eyes and whispered.

“Why are you helping me?”

Her voice was icy cold and as brittle as glass. “I am not.”

Before I could register what was happening, I was slammed against the wall, my head pulled back and her fangs sank painfully into my skin. I couldn't think, couldn't see, all I could feel was cold all over as my blood drained away. I went slack against her, immersed in a haze, when a jarring thought brought me back to earth. She was draining me of what little strength I had to fight Bacardi. I realized this with horror and gripped her arms with my hands in a bid to wrench her off me. But the more I struggled, the stronger her hold on me became, and the weaker I got until I could fight no more and my hands lay uselessly at my sides.

I closed my eyes as darkness gathered all around me in a thick mist. It was the end, this was how far as I would get. A sharp pain rang through my head and I blinked, it took me a moment to register the stinging sensation across my face where she slapped me. She was holding me up, an irate expression on her face as she raised a bleeding wrist to me. 

“Drink.”

The coppery odor of her blood was overpowering but I turned my face away. I heard her growl and then she gripped my face and forced my jaws apart. Blood sloshed into my mouth, rivulets of salty bitterness dripped on my tongue and razed down my throat, until I was drowning in it. Suddenly, she pulled me away and dumped me rather unceremoniously on the hard floor. I rose weakly, protest on my lips, but a bone deep weariness overcame me and I sank back to the floor.