Summary: All my stripper friends, and all my ex-boyfriends… we all want the same thing. We all want the same thing. One-Shot.
I tilted my head back and took a sip from the beer bottle. I tossed the bottle back to its owner, gently caressing his cheek with my palm. The cutie tossed a wink my way. He was a regular, used to my behavior.
I clapped my hands to the beat of the song, enjoying the freedom that would be wasted tonight. Humming along with the music, I gave a coy smile to the bartender.
I hung out at the bar most of my free time, which was growing these days. The bartender knew all my favorite drinks, and I was certain I gave the best tip around here.
I turned around in the chair I usually occupied and leaned my elbows against the bar. I felt a few eyes turn my way, but I ignored them. With closed eyes, I waited for Key to get here.
I've been living on my own for who knows how long. The money that the booze-lover gave me ran out a long time ago. I just did what I needed to get through the day.
If you came up to me while I was still at the Academy, and told me that one day I would become a whore, I would have laughed at you. Or you would have walked away with a nasty black-eye. Depends on the mood I was in.
Now, I found my prostitute life style totally natural. We all wanted the same thing. Information.
Anger seeped into me, and I found myself ordering another drink. I was used to absorbing Lissa's emotions. Our bond was still going strong, no matter how far away we were. I couldn't care less who she was angry at this time, and I drowned it all out with alcohol.
Key arrived just as I slammed my glass on the counter. I slipped some bills under the glass and turned to face him.
Key was, well, a key. We all used him for grabbing what we wanted. He didn't mind, though. He used us, too.
"Hey, baby," Key sat down next to me, resting a hand on my upper thigh.
"Hey yourself. Having any tonight?" I asked him, pretending to be talking about liquor. We all talked about the information we needed everyday, all the time. We were just good at disguising our topics.
Key nodded, and I ordered a drink for him. I put my hand over his hand and got the note he placed on my thigh. I licked my lips and looked at him suggestively.
"Thanks, honey," Key said, once he made sure that I had the note in my hand. He took his drink and finished it in a flash. I was impressed.
"Let's get out of here, sexy," I told him. Amusement flashed in his eyes for a second, but he quickly covered it up with lust. Key nodded, and I tossed a twenty on the counter.
I sighed gratefully and inhaled once we were outside. Key let me enjoy the air before we were on the move. I came to cherish the fresh air, after being locked up for a year. A year much too long.
We started walking down the beach near the bar. Key had his arm around my shoulder for look's sake. I motioned my head towards a long dock and we headed that way.
"Alright, Key," I paused when we reached the end of the dock. He took his arm off of me, and we leaned against the railing of the dock.
It was kept well. I was happy that the wooden plank didn't make a creak when we were walking on it. The ocean breeze ruffled my hair, bringing a nice salt scent with it. I looked over at the man standing next to me. Key was watching the sunset. The sun was bleeding onto the darkening sky. He looked like he appreciated it. Key had always liked blood.
I opened the note he handed me at the bar. It had an address on it. Alright… I guess I could work with it. "Do the girls know?" I asked Key.
He shook his head, his dark curls bouncing around his face.
"Then I will inform them tonight." I ripped up the note and took out my lighter. I held the shredded papers above the ocean, and lit them up. Before I could burn my fingers, I dropped the remains in the water.
The blood whore community was just a disguise. Sure, we have some great sex and even better feedings, but we were more than that shit. I was damn proud of us.
My attention turned to Key when he nodded and walked away, leaving me alone at the dock. "Be careful, my beauty," He called over his shoulder. I rolled my eyes.
I arrived at the gate near one AM. The guards let me in. I was a bit arrogant of where I lived, and thus kept my head high when I walked up the long driveway. I was a treasured, spoilt whore on the outside. I was a broken teenage girl on the inside.
There was one big community house waiting for me. A lush, green forest stood tall, surrounding my home. Everybody had their privacy. The Moroi treated us like queens, giving us no reason to complain.
Light rain started to fall from the cloud above me, so I quickly hurried up the front porch steps. I entered the warmth of the house, wanting to stay outside longer. I have grown a strange liking to rain since… that day.
"Hey, bitch," Crystal greeted me. I stuck my tongue out at her playfully and then licked my lips. It was our signal for a night out. Oh, yeah, baby… we were killing tonight.
Crystal smiled at me smugly. She enjoyed going out. Most of us blood whores were Dhampir drop-outs from Academies all around the world. Crystal and Monique were the exceptions. They grew up here.
I met Crystal in my lock-up year. I hated her from the beginning, and the feeling was obviously mutual. Key made us see what bitches we were, and showed us that Crystal and I both had the same goals. Killing Strigoi.
I whistled loudly, using my forefinger and thumb. Monique came trudging down the stairs, pulling her thick red hair into a ponytail. She tossed Crystal a hairclip. Crystal tossed it back, using her own band to pull her hair into a messy bun.
I envied them for being able to get their hair out of the way. I had cut mine chin-length. It was one of the many changes I made to get away from his haunting memories. He had seemed surprised to find my hair shorter. I hadn't cared. I wish I had, though.
Brittany and Zoe showed up and we were set to go. Both of the girls were best friends, having gone to the same Academy and all.
"Ugh," Brittany looked disgusted as she stepped outside. I closed the front door behind us, not bothering to lock it. Moroi men came as they wished. Having a door locked just slowed them down, made them upset.
"Double ugh," Zoe added. "It's not only raining, the humidity is starting to build up, too." She gently patted her straight hair down. Brittany handed her a mirror, and helped Zoe check her hair for any signs of a curling strand.
When I first came to this community, I was shocked out of my shell for a moment. The girls were so… girly. I mean, Guardians didn't have time for looks. Seeing a few women pamper with their make-up in front of the bathroom mirror was just unusual to me.
"Let's go," I said, turning away from the girls. The five of us split up once we were outside of our protected community. The less attention grabbed, the better it was to go unnoticed.
Brittany went with Crystal, and Zoe went with Monique. The two best friends would easily distract each other. I could just imagine Zoe stopping Brittany to stare at their reflection in a shop's window.
I, as usual, went alone. The girls hated hiding out in the shadows, and preferred walking on the streets over rooftops any day. I casually disagreed with them on that. When you're walking on the top of a building, you can see what's below you. That mattered to me.
I kept an eye on Zoe and Monique while jumping from building to building. They were taking the course I was. Crystal and Brittany were going on a longer route.
The direction us girls took never counted, though. We were always there at the same time. It was an unspoken race between us. Nobody ever won, which drove our desire to rush further.
The address brought me to an abandoned building. I jumped onto its rooftop, checking out the perimeter. Everything looked safe from the outside. The inside, on the other hand, was a whole different matter. Key wouldn't have sent us somewhere useless. We expected a good night out, and that's what we were getting.
I jumped down onto the pavement, breaking a nail when I reached the ground. Zoe noticed immediately.
"Don't worry, darling. I have already scheduled a manicure appointment," Zoe checked her own nails. I didn't worry about my nails a bit. I didn't even care if my hair resembled Einstein's.
After coming to the community, I deeply regretted it. Yes, I have grown to like the life style, but the beauty crap and all that could get… unnatural.
"Thank you," I said without looking at her. I was too busy looking at one of the boarded up windows. The wood was broken off in a corner, and what I saw set me off. "Ladies, be on your guard."
They all nodded, all serious now. It was a surprise, really. To see these Barbie dolls acting serious and kicking some major ass was not an everyday thing. But they could do it, and that was the point. We had these night outs for our sanity.
Dhampirs never give up what they were born for – to protect our Moroi. I spent a year locked up inside the blood whore mansion. The older girls taught me how to protect myself from abusive Moroi. They also showed me what they do every free night. Going out to kill Strigoi.
Monique went ahead inside. She loved to be bait. She said there was nothing better than a Strigoi grabbing you by surprise. I heard her fake scream of surprise. Her shouts for mercy were the last straw, and Crystal snorted while I rolled my eyes.
"Oh, me next!" Brittany announced. She bounced happily inside, the silver stake in hand. We heard a deep grunt and a giggle.
"Let's go, girls, before they realize we're actually gonna win this one," I ordered them.
I felt nausea hit me lightly when I entered the building. I grew to control my feelings around Strigoi - so whenever one came around the corner, I didn't feel like throwing up.
I almost groaned when I realized the bad guys were hiding. Only the weak ones did this, and it made me slightly upset that I won't get a good workout tonight.
We split up when we all got inside. I headed upstairs, while Zoe and Crystal stuck together and stayed downstairs. I think Crystal headed to look for the basement.
I saw a figure standing in the doorway at one of the upstairs' room. I couldn't make out his features, but his large smile annoyed me.
"Well… I see I'm getting some tonight," He said to himself. "These are blood whores!" He raised his voice. Laughter could be heard from all over the old building. I narrowed my eyes at him.
"I vant to suck ya blood," I said, mocking a vampire. I hissed to add a special affect.
The Strigoi laughed and craned his neck. "Come and get it, bitch."
I laughed along with him, going closer to him. "I'm actually going to kill you this time, Damien."
Damien laughed again, not caring. This Strigoi was close to me. Last time I had to make up some excuse for letting him get away. I had cut a line along my arm, pretended to be hurt by him. The truth was, I could have never hurt the Strigoi that helped Dimitri.
Though, this time, it was different. Dimitri was dead, killed by my own hands. There was no reason for me to keep his mentor alive. And Damien knew that. He knew what was coming, and didn't care.
Glass shattered behind me. It was a window I missed when I came upstairs. I silently cursed myself for not checking the perimeter better. I registered Damien move, but my focus was on what broke the glass.
I was about to face the nuisance, when somebody slammed me into their chest and turned me away from the attacker. I tried to get out of their grip, but it was too strong.
We were being shot at. That much was clear. The window was broken by a bullet, not somebody crashing through. I wanted to shout to the girls to get the hell out of here.
I felt the person holding me being shot multiple times, but he only tightened his grip. "Damn it, Damien!" I managed to curse at him. He moved us down the hall, still holding me tight, away from the bullets.
Damien turned down the hallway with me, and then hung his head back to bare his teeth at the shooter. I pulled his head away in time so a bullet wouldn't graze his throat.
"You are the stupidest, dead man I ever met…" I muttered under my breath. Damien put both of his hands next to my head on the wall, trapping me there. He leaned close to me. His breathing was raged, probably due to the fact he just got shot about five times.
"I wouldn't want Dimka's precious girlfriend hurt," Damien snapped at me before pulling away.
I huffed in annoyance. While Dimitri was a Strigoi, he spread the word to everyone that I was off limits. Some respected that, while some hated his Guardian roots so much, it just made my trip to find him harder.
I turned to look down the hall, Damien forgotten in my mind. I heard high heels clinking up the steps and Crystal appeared. I motioned with my hand, signaling for her to be quiet.
Of course, our attacker heard her, and pointed the gun her way. The moonlight lit the shooter's face at this position, and I could see his features better.
One thing was for sure. I was going to kill Key for forwarding the address to anybody else.
And what did I do next? I did what one of my ex-boyfriends taught me. I ran up and jumped on the shooter's back.