((A/N: Thank you all for taking an interest in my story. I really hope you enjoy it. Please remember that this story takes place in the Night Huntress World which was created by Jeaniene Frost, however all the characters you see here will be of my own original creation. So if you are looking for extensions on her wonderful characters then this is not the story for you. I just fell in love with the world she created and this story came to mind. Also please note that none of these characters are based on any one from past to present. Any and all likeness is purely coincidence. Once again, thank you so much for your time!))
Prolog:
I am a junkie. There. Easy and vague enough that most people come up with their own ideas and judgements. I have been called just about every name in the book. After a while you either quit or grow thick skin and I was raised to never be a quitter. At least I am dedicated which says more about me than the normal twenty something year olds I know. Most kids "my age" have quit just about everything they do. College-quit; job-quit, smoking-quit; living-quit; too many quitters. So I don't mind the judgements. No, the only things I mind are where I can get my next fix and where I can indulge in my depravity. Dionysus would be proud.
Problems do arise when you are an addict though. Little ones (remembering to eat, sleep, bathe (on bad days), and limit- to big ones. The biggest one is acquiring my drug of choice. It is so hard to come by that the legal system isn't even aware of it so I never have to worry about being arrested, but it is so hard to come by that it is considered mythological. I am addicted to blood. No, no, I am not a vampire so to speak, but I am a sucker for the movies and books associated to them. Pun intended. I actually hunt vampires to trap and drink from them. Normally it is safer to kill them once I drain them, but if I can manage a sneak attack then I don't kill them. Live and let live… If they won't kill you, that is.
The trick to a successful hunt though is to get the hell out of dodge once you get the blood and I don't mean just leaving the neighborhood. Once you have drained and/or killed a vampire you get the hell out of the state. Good thing I like to travel. If you are dumb enough to stick around or not leave far enough you risked getting eaten not by one or two vampires but by a whole coven of them. They don't take kindly to blood thieves especially good ones. Not to blow my own horn or anything but I am one of the best.
"How?" You may find yourself thinking. Well not only am I a junkie but I am also a spellcaster. As far as I know I am even more a rarity than the dead. I have seen scores of vampires but I have never come across another witch. Although… Come to think of it I wouldn't know another spellcaster if they bit me in the keester. But I digress. In order to make my hunts more successful I have tattoos all over my body. Symbols of strength, power, healing, disguise, etc. Everything one would need to survive as a blood junkie. The hard part about getting these tattoos was the fact that I had to do them myself. Not only did I need to find the ingredients which took me weeks of trial and error to figure out, turn those ingredients into a usable ink, find the right symbols, but on top of all that enchant them while I put needle to skin my self. Every five years they have to be redone just to be safe. I am nothing if not thorough and cautious. I have a symbol of protection on my back between my shoulder blades and above my navel. Hearing behind my earlobes. Wisdom on each temple. Sight done minutely on my left cheek bone. Disguise on my forehead hidden behind thick bangs. Life on the center of my chest. Enchantments of strength from elbow to shoulder looking like ribbons of foregn words. Two more ribbons from foot to knee on each leg for speed. To seal my power I had symbols of power on the palm of my hands and feet. Can you imagine doing all of those to yourself? All the while keeping up focus of the spell? Good thing I'm not a quitter.
Now why am I a blood addict? Why would I put myself through all that magick and work when I could just as easily get high from other more known substances? Vampire blood gives you a taste of eternity. Not only does it increase all your senses but it heals while extends your lifespan. I have been doing this since being a nurse in world war two. Nothing shows you how fragile life is quite like the middle of the war. That is where I met a young vampire who smelled my sickness. Oh. Yeah, I'm dying by the way. Cancer, not something you ever expect at twenty. Anyway, he took pity on me and gave me my first hit. The first one is always free. Neither of us would figure I would grow a taste for it. We had a wonderful affair until an older vampire killed him as punishment for not following orders. Well I showed him by unleashing a previously unknown wave of power through his ass. The biggest piece of his I found was a kneecap. If my lover would have been alive still, I doubt I would be hunting for my next fix. But all that was 69 years ago, it would be rude to hold a grudge.
As you can see I have had some time to perfect my collection skills, all the while looking fantastic. Another benefit to consuming vampire blood is my red hair, blood red as it were. No more hair killing dye. My skin also was a nice bone white without a single wrinkle. I look damn good for a 95 year old. My eyes were also affected. Once they use to be brown with a ring of dark violet. Now they were a deep green with a purple ring. Yes there is a difference between purple and violet. Sadly vampire blood didn't let me get any taller. I am about 5 foot 3. I looked tiny. During the depression we didn't get that much money for eating so it stunted my growth. I've been called cute or a pixie more times than I can count.