Beauty Has Her Way

Okay, this is the first in a series I'm starting on... you can find the illustration for it on my home page at www.geocities.com/shisaiyan666/fics.html
Please read and review! I always welcome constructive critisism as well and, of course, if you feel the need, Flame Away!
~*~
Beauty Has Her Way
By
Shi-Saiyan

He loved the 80's. It was his favorite decade yet. Leather, motorcycles, rebellion, rock and roll... being wild was the norm. David watched the teenagers file past him, hair ranging from normal brown, blond and black to bleach white, neon green and bright blue, styled into spikes, a mowhawk, or hanging long and tangled. Clothing was tight, torn, slashed, or not there at all and skin was in, as much of it as one dared to show.

He closed his eyes and breathed in the scents of the Boardwalk; the cigarettes, beer, soda, food, grease and sugar, sweat, the many different perfumes and colognes and, faintly, under it all, marijuana. Somewhere nearby some kid was getting high before getting on the rides, all the better to ride the adrenaline rush. He smirked and pushed away from the wall he'd been leaning against. His Pack was spread out across the crowd, hunting, or just playing, maybe even riding the rides. He never knew just what they'd be up to next.

Walking through the crowd with no trouble, David's blue eyes flickered from face to face, not really seeing any of them, but remembering all of them. A vampire's curse, memory. It teased with things that could never be changed, taunted with 'what if's and 'if only's. Unable to shake off his brooding, David made his way to the beach, past the sandy stretch, walking with ease over the rough terrain of slippery rocks, until he reached a vantage point that gave him a view of the ocean, silvered by the moon. His eyes played over it's glittering dark surface and his mind wandered to a time that couldn't have been more different than this one.

~*~

Almost two centuries would pass before young girls would walk through the crowded Boardwalk with their breasts flashing through fishnet shirts. In the city where he lived, the only women that didn't cover themselves from neck to wrist and all the way to their toes were the whores and tavern wenches that made their livings with their bodies. David had no problem with those women. In fact they were his favorite type and he spent a lot of time with them. He was only 15 the first time his father took him to a tavern and bought him his first woman, but he quickly took to the lifestyle.

It was in his 19th year that he met Adrianna. She was sitting in an inn, near the door, watching him flirt with the serving wench. She had blond hair that she wore pulled up high on her head, with a few errant strands framing her face. Her eyes were smokey blue, surrounded by lashes that had been dramatically darkened and her lips were painted dark, dark red. She wore a black cloak the first time he saw her, pulled closed at the neck. He remembered wondering why she was alone and how it was that no-one had approached her. Abandoning the serving wench, he moved over toward the girl in the cloak, flashing her a smile and sliding onto the stool next to hers.

Before he could say anything, she leaned close and spoke in a low tone. "She's very pretty." Startled, he forgot how to speak for a moment and she laughed. "The serving girl. She's beautiful." "Yes, very," he finally managed. "A shame it's only temporary," the woman continued, her blue eyes dancing. "What-" David was confused and enthralled. "She's young now, but someday, things will begin to change. Time with ravage that body with wrinkles and sagging breasts, her face will lose it's freshness and her skin will sag on her frame. Her beauty will be only a memory. It's a shame, really," she said. David stared at her and she continued, as if their conversation were perfectly normal. "You're beautiful as well, you know. I would hate to see those eyes dull with age, that perfect body become soft and fat. I'm Adrianna," she said, her eyes meeting his boldly. "I- My name is David," he said, dazed. Never had a woman spoken to him this way, this bluntly and about such a strange subject. She laughed, very softly. "I know who you are, David. I've watched you for some time now. I wonder, would you come for a walk with me?" she asked. Still trying to regain his composure, David nodded and rose to his feet, automatically offering his arm. She took it, sliding her hand to his forearm and covering it with her other hand. They left the inn and Adrianna led the way down a path that led through the fields surrounding the building. David was silent, wondering what she would do next. He didn't have to wait long.

"Tell me, David, how old do you think I am?" He looked at her, startled. "I- I don't-" She laughed again. "Go ahead, you won't offend me. How old am I?" "20?" he said, hesitantly. Her smile was a flash of white in the darkness. "I am 276 years old," she said. He laughed. "That isn't possible," he said. She glanced at him amused. "Oh, but it is. Tell me, David, how would you like to be 19 forever? To never grow old, or die?" "If such a thing were possible I would jump at the chance," he said, still thinking she was teasing him, or maybe that she was a little bit mad. "Even if it required a little bit of pain first? If there were restrictions, such as being unable to survive in sunlight?" "I'm no stranger to pain and I rarely appear during daylight hours as it is. I much prefer the night," he said. They had stopped walking and were standing in the field, far from the inn. She was smiling at him and she turned to face him, sliding her hands to his chest and pressing close to him. "I'm so happy you feel that way, David," she nearly purred. Before he could say another word, she was kissing him and he forgot the strangeness of her words, forgot that they were outside, in a field, forgot everything except for the taste of her lips, the lushness of her body pressed against his.

Her cloak fell to the grass and revealed creamy white shoulders, bared by a dress that was barely more than a lacy corset with a long skirt. It was black with thin straps over her shoulders, tight in the bodice and dipping low to reveal her cleavage. Around her neck was a black choker with a black cross dangling from her throat. He took in her appearance quickly and then was searching for a way to remove the strange clothing. She helped him, deftly untying her laces and allowing him to slip the dress from her body. It pooled around her legs and she stepped out of it. He dimly realized she was barefoot, but lost the thought as her fingers unbuttoned his shirt, his trousers, until he was a bare and exposed as she. Adrianna pulled David down in the grass and rolled until she straddled him, slowly sliding over him until he was enveloped in her heat. David grasped her hips to guide her movements, but it was unneccesary. He saw her above him, the night sky behind her, saw her face change, but none of it registered. As she brought him to his release, he cried out and she leaned down, pulling his head back by his hair and then there was a searing pain in his throat. David tried to scream but her hand was there, over his mouth.

Those few moments were an eternity. He could feel the heat of his blood running over his skin, dripping into the grass. Her mouth was there, her tongue lapping at the wound, her hands strangely gentle as she held him down. She drank from him until he could hear his heartbeat slow, thundering in his ears. When she pulled back, he looked at the moon, sure that the silver orb would be the last thing he saw before he died. His eyes began to close and he dimly felt a pressure on his mouth, something warm flowing down his throat, before he lost himself to the shadows.

~*~

He didn't know how long he slept, but he woke in a bed with his stomach clenching so hard he screamed. Soft hands were there, soothing him as he clutched his middle and fought against the pain. When it ended, he lay gasping and slowly opened his eyes to see Adrianna above him. She smiled down at him. "Hello, David," she said. He sat up, staring at her with wide eyes. "You- you bit me," he said, trying to make sense of it all. She smiled. "Yes. Now my blood flows in your viens." "What have you done?" he asked, in barely more than a whisper. "I've given you immortality, David. Eternal youth. Ten years from now, fifty, a hundred, it doesn't matter how much time passes, you will remain just as beautiful as you are today." He shook his head in disbelief. She gave him a gentle smile. "Give it time. Soon, you'll begin to feel the hunger and then I will teach you all you need to know to survive."

It didn't take long for the first burning pangs of hunger to hit him and, true to her word, Adrianna took him out and taught him to hunt, taught him their ways and showed him all the secrets of the shadows. She told him that he could be harmed in a few select ways, by sunlight, holy water, by decapitation or by a stake through his heart. Crosses could hurt him, for now, she told him, but in time, as his power grew, he would be able to hold one against his flesh and it would not burn. David took to his new life as a vampire quickly and his thirst for power grew along with his thirst for blood. Along with the secrets of their kind, Adrianna taught him the secrets of her body. She took him places and did things with him, to him, that he never imagined possible. She was his teacher, his lover, his killer and his creator and, in the end his betrayer.

~*~

The girl was barely 17 and her name was Katrina. Her dark hair fell in waves, just past her shoulders and her skin was like honey, kissed by the sun. Her eyes were wide, dark and innocent and her mouth was made for smiles and laughter. He found her in a stable one night, sitting in a stall, with her bare feet curled up under her. She was reading a book, a rare thing for a female in their time. Intrigued, he watched for for a few moments, until she sensed his gaze and looked up. Her eyes widened and she stood up, quickly. "Who are you, sir and why are you in my father's stables at this time of night?" she asked, trying to sound brave. He smiled, disarmingly. "I could ask the same of you, little one, for I know the man that owns this stable and he has no daughter," he countered. She paled a little. "Please, don't tell him. I just needed a place to sleep. It's always better to stay away when my mother's husband has been drinking." He entered the stall and gestured for her to sit. She did, pulling her legs to her chest and wrapping her arms tightly around her knees. "What are you going to do?" she ventured. "I'm going to sit down and talk with you," he said, lowering himself to the straw and stretching out.

David always knew that in the beginning he'd intended to take the girl, possibly to bed her, but definitely to feed from her. Things did not go as planned, however, as she shyly told him her name and pushed a lock of dark hair behind her ear. He surprised himself by telling her his name and the two of them sat together in the stall for a long time, until David realized that dawn was only a few hours away and he hadn't fed yet. He said a hasty goodbye and left the stable, taking his meal from a man who was on his way to tend the horses in the early predawn hours.

Adrianna was waiting for him at the inn, asking where he'd disappeared to. He told her only that he'd gotten tied up with a girl and she left it at that, assuming that he'd bedded and bled her. David never told her different.

He saw Katrina many times after that and each time she grew more and more at ease with him, until the time came that he found himself drawing her near and kissing her when they met in the stable. She didn't pull away, but gave herself completely to the embrace. Her arms slid around his neck and she lifted her face to his easily. The first kiss was gentle, but they quickly grew more bold, hungry and David's hands found her waist, pressing her body against his. Slowly, he lowered her to the straw, lying beside her with one knee sliding between hers. When his hand moved to untie the laces at the front of her dress, he felt her tension, but soothed it away, feathering kisses over her face and whispering her name.

Katrina was young, innocent and so very sweet and she gave herself to him that night, body and soul. Her reactions were guileless and untutored, her gasps soft and surprised at each new feeling. It was hours later that they finally lay still, David's arms wrapped around her, one hand stroking her hair, softly. She layed her head on his chest, one hand over his heart and slept.

That was how Adrianna found them. David looked up and saw her standing in the doorway of the stall. She was staring down at them and he met her gaze, steadily. "Are you going to feed now, or shall we stay here all night?" she asked, her eyes throwing sparks that said she knew that this girl was more than just a meal to him. Carefully sliding out from under Katrina, David rose to his feet and pulled a blanket over her naked form. "Leave her be," he said, quickly pulling his clothes on. "But you haven't fed yet, David and she's right here," Adrianna said. "I'll find my meal elsewhere. Let's just go," he said, feeling a strong need to get Adrianna away from Katrina. Adrianna's eyes raked over him and she took a step back to let him out of the stall. "Go, find your meal, David, but hurry, I'll be waiting back at the inn." Then she was gone. Still feeling apprehensive, David left the stable and quickly found a victim behind a nearby tavern, drinking his fill and then making his way back to the inn that he and Adrianna were staying in.

She was waiting for him, as she'd promised and slid into the bed almost as soon as he arrived. "Come, lay with me and wait for the sun to rise," she said, invitingly. He layed next to her and she slid her arms around him, moving closer and lying her head on his chest, mirroring the way he'd been holding Katrina. "She's quite lovely, David," Adrianna said. He tensed. "Tell me, why haven't you taken her yet, turned her?" He was silent. "Ah, so she doesn't know what you are. Are you afraid she'll think you're a monster? That she'll turn away from you?" "You know nothing about it," he said, harshly. "Oh, but I do. If you turn her she'll stay the way she is now forever, young and perfect." David said nothing. Turning Katrina into a vampire was a thought that had crossed his mind a thousand times, but each time, he rejected it, knowing that if he did, she would never forgive him. The sun rose without another word being spoken and David and Adrianna slept.


Adrianna was gone before David rose the next evening and he quickly dressed and left the inn, making his way to the stables. Katrina wasn't there, but she had been recently. He could smell her scent in the stall where she usually slept. A strange sense of foreboding filled him and he left the stable, moving quickly, through the streets, back to the inn. He rushed up the stairs and slammed the door to their room open. What he found there was enough to freeze him in his tracks.

Adrianna stroked Katrina's long dark hair off of her face. Blood was smeared across Katrina's lips, Adrianna's blood and the wound on the young girl's throat was healing all too quickly. Adrianna looked up. "David, I'm so happy you could join us. She'll wake soon, when the cramping begins. I just know she'll appreciate you being here to help her." Shaking his head, David backed out of the room, nearly falling down the stairs and ran out into the night. He never went back.

~*~

The ocean was changing from a shining black surface to a dark blue and the sky was beginning to lighten. Dawn was near. David rose to his feet, shaking his head as if to clear away the memories he'd stirred to life. For a split second, he allowed himself to wonder what had become of Katrina, but then dismissed it. Such thoughts only caused more pain. Rising quickly into the sky and flying back to where he'd left his motorcycle, he quickly rode back to the cave, stepping into its welcoming shadows just as the first fingers of sunlight stretched over the horizon. Making his way to the back cavern, noting that Star and Laddie were in their beds and that Marko, Dwayne and Paul were already alseep, hanging upside down, David leapt, and joined them. He could feel the sunrise like a great pressure. He crossed his arms over his chest and closed his eyes, banishing his memories to the farthest corners of his mind.

~*~
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