Summary: Sophia Black was a normal girl leading a normal life in London, England. That was until she fell in love with the wrong man, Raphael Moretti, a 189 year-old vampire. Things get rough for the two as Raphael's clan find out about his forbidden love. Also with a war between the werewolves and vampires thrown into the mix, what will become of the two? Will Raphael be able to protect his beautiful Sophia, or will the lust for her blood become too much?
Author's note: I am really proud of this chapter, and that's a lot coming from me because I have self esteem issues. This is my first attempt trying to write anything with vampires or werewolves. It might be a little bad, but I have been told repeatedly by the people I forced to read this that it's not. Any who, I hope you like it! The first two chapters are in italics because it happened in the past.
Prologue: Raphael's Change (part one)
The sun was setting just over the bustling city of London, England in the year 1836. The sky was cast in various hues of red, orange, and dark blue with thin layers of clouds covering parts of the vast openness. Since night was setting in, the people on the streets hurried along to their homes and more importantly, to safety. For when night fell throughout the ancient city the vampires came out to feed. If you were out passed dark, you could become their next midnight snack.
Once you had been sniffed out by a vampire, you were likely to die. With incredible speed and strength, they would converge on their victims and make sure there was no escape. Just a little bit of pain, depending on the hunter, all would be over for the 'prey' for even the smallest drop of blood would cause the blood lust to become too great to ignore. There was only a select few of vampires that roamed the haunted city of London who could control the lust for the crimson liquid, but even they slipped up occasionally.
"Hurry up Bartholomew! We'll never make it," a young man of about seventeen with boyish good looks said urgently in a rich English accent. His blue eyes were trained on the road ahead as he ran on towards their safe-haven, his medium-length brown hair swaying out behind him.
"What's the hurry Raphael? The sun hasn't even set yet," Bartholomew, a fifteen year-old boy, stated as he followed after his older brother towards home. The two had been set out on an errand by their mother, Mrs. Rosetta Moretti, to buy some bread and other necessities an hour or two earlier in the evening. They would've made it home on time if they hadn't stopped to window shop along the way.
"We shouldn't have even been out this late. If only you hadn'tstopped to look at that dress."
"You know mother's birthday is approaching fast and I thought that dress would be a perfect gift," Bartholomew retorted, rolling his moss green eyes. Raphael shook his head. His younger brother had always been the innocent one, always thinking of others before himself and what not. He truly didn't understand the dangers of being out this late. Even though Bartholomew had been taught to fear the blood-sucking freaks of natures, he still didn't understand how dangerous they truly were.
The two ran along, rarely passing any other pedestrians on the way. The other inhabitants of London were smart enough to head in doors when the sun began to set. They were still a little ways away from their home when darkness fell across the land. Street lights lit up to provide little to no light for a night such as this.
"Damn it all. Damn it all to hell," Raphael cursed under his breath as he came to a halt to catch his breath. He looked around the area, trying to spot anything that might lurk in the thickening darkness. But his eyes couldn't possibly see the danger that lurked up above.
"I don't like this Raphael," Bartholomew muttered as he came to a standstill next to his brother. "Maybe we should knock on someone's door and ask if we can stay in for the night."
"No, we're going to make it home," Raphael promised before continuing on.The two passed a few shops and the old town house before rounding a corner. An overwhelming sense of foreboding threatened to overcome Raphael as he turned into a dark alleyway, which was a well known shortcut to the Moretti mansion. It clenched his heart, sweat dewing on his brow and the back of his neck. Something bad was going to happen, something life altering, he just knew it.
Atop of the old townhouse sat an elderly vampire, his silver hair swaying in the light breeze. Even though he was ancient, he appeared to be in his late twenties or early thirties. His eyes, which once were a light honeysuckle color were now deep black, followed the two young men as they scampered down the alley way. A dark scar ran from the tip of his hairline, down through his left eye, until it stopped at his left cheekbone. He had seen many battles pass in his years, more like he'd been in many battles. Most of them being with the neighboring clan of werewolves who swore to protect the humans from the vampires 'abnormal' feeding habits. Even though that's what they have claimed for many years, they still killed the humans in their senseless wars about as much as the vampires did when they fed. The ancient vampire let out a soft sigh as he thought of what he must do to gain sustenance. Even though he was a monster he didn't like ending the lives of others. It was odd for a vampire such as himself to care about his prey, but over the course of two hundred years or so he had somehow acquired a soul. But even with a soul, he could not overcome the blood lust that called to him.
The breeze picked up around him, his black trench coat flapped in the wind behind him revealing his red vest and white button-up undershirt. But in that instance the scent of the two boys' blood hit him and hit him hard, his instincts to kill taking over. Two large wings sprouted from his back as he took a running leap over the side of the roof and hovered in midair. The wind fought against his wings, pushing him higher into the night sky. A low hiss escaped his mouth as he fought against the resistance, revealing sharp fangs which glinted in the moonlight.
Raphael looked up as a shadow blocked the moonlight, which at this point was their only source of light. With a startled gasp he realized that it wasn't a shadow at all, but a vampire on the hunt.
"Bartholomew run!" Raphael screamed pointing at a nearby home. Bartholomew looked up wide-eyed at the oncoming shadow all fear showing in his too-innocent eyes before running for the house with Raphael on his tail. Little did they know, that was the wrong thing to do. Vampires were good to kill their 'prey' somewhat painlessly. Just a minor pain would be felt when they bit into the flesh, then nothing else as the 'prey' slipped into darkness. When you ran though, it was a whole different situation. The vampires seemed to take that as a challenge. They then toyed with their 'prey', torturing them until they begged for death.
A high-pitched screech escaped the vampire's mouth as it dove after the two boys. In one swoop, his claw-like fingers hooked onto the back of the youngest one's shirt. Pulling the boy up with him, he spiraled through the night air, just listening to the boy's useless screams for his dearest brother Raphael.
"Scream all you want boy. I promise you still won't see the light of day," he whispered in the boy's ear as he touched down on the roof of the town house once again, his leathery bat-like wings tucking behind his back. He could hear Bartholomew's pulse beating in his neck, calling to him. With a cold hand he smoothed back the boy's auburn hair to expose the pale flesh. He could not only hear the blood coursing through the youth's veins, but he could now feel it. Just as he was about to sink his teeth into the exposed flesh something struck him in the center of hisback.
"You leave him alone, you-you monster!" Raphael screamed, picking up another stick he'd found lying on the dirty alley floor. He threw it with all his might at the back of the blood thirsty creature. He knew that it was futile, but he had to do something to save his brother from being the thing's next meal. The vampire turned his head, narrowing his eyes at him and for the moment immobilizing him completely. He felt a distant tugging on his mind as he stared into the ancient vampire's cold, dark eyes.
"No!" Raphael shrieked clapping his hands to his ears as a voice flooded through his mind. 'You're next my friend. Be a good lad and stand still. Watch your brother's life fade away into nothing and know that your death won't be as painful,' it said, almost soothingly. He couldn't move his body, everything around him going cold.
"Get out of my head," Raphael muttered through clenched teeth. The voice seemed to grow louder for a moment before fading away. Feeling returned to his body, enabling Raphael to remove his hands from his ears and take a shaky step back. Slowly, he raised his gaze to the roof of the town house to find the monster's mouth at his brother's throat. In a desperate attempt to save Bartholomew, he picked up another stick and threw it at the vampire. He cursed under his breath when the flying projectile was deflected by large wings as they curled around the feeding vampire and his meal.
A piercing scream echoed through the night air as Bartholomew felt something tear into his throat. The sound was choked off as his life force was drained away from him through two small holes in his neck. Everything in his body began to grow numb and cold, starting with his fingertips and toes until he couldn't feel his arms and legs anymore. Sounds became less distinct as consciousness began to fade away. The last thing he could remember before darkness settled in and consumed him was his older brother screaming his name. All pain ceased as he left his body behind in the arms of a bloodthirsty vampire.
The ancient vampire detached himself from the boy's neck, lying his body down on the roof gently. He wiped his mouth free of any blood that might have dribbled down his chin with the back of his hand. He inhaled the night air, catching the scent of the other boy down below. His gaze shifted to the eldest of the two, taking a step towards the edge of the roof. He could see all the fear and hurt in the boy's steel blue eyes.
"You're next boy," he cooed as his canine teeth once again grew into fangs. He smiled down at the poor soul before launching himself off the roof. Within seconds, the boy was ensnared in his arms to be carried to his death. He touched down further down the alleyway, Raphael cowering in his arms as he waited for the cold numbness to set in.
Brushing away Raphael's brown hair from his neck, the vampire bit into the soft skin; a piercing scream echoing down the alleyways. Before he could enjoy his second meal, a sound caught his attention. How could he have not sensed the strong scent of a dog? It was the most potent scent to his kind, but he still hadn't realized it until now. Pulling away from his meal he glanced to the dark alley to find a large black wolf, its teeth barred.
"Ah hell," he whispered as the wolf began to morph into that of a man standing at about six foot five. A dangerous smirk played on the newcomer's lips as he took a step forward, his shaggy black hair hanging in his golden eyes.
"How long has it been Augustine? Two, three years?" The man asked, but received no answer. He began circling Augustine, looking at him with a disgusted look as his eyes caught sight of the thin line of blood on the vampire's lips.
"Feeding again are we? And in my neck of the woods," he said, clicking his tongue in disgust. He smiled when he received a snort from his enemy.
"This is hardly your neck of the woods, Lucas," Augustine said rising to his feet, leaving what was left of his meal on the dirty floor. He wiped his mouth free of blood and focused all of his attention on the man in front of him as best he could. He could still hear Raphael's shallow breathing, along with the pulse that seemed to taunt him.
"I'll have your head for ruining my meal," Augustine hissed, barring his fangs as a warning. His eyes narrowed dangerously when the werewolf in front of him laughed, baring his sharp canine teeth as well.
"It looks like you still have that nasty scar from the last time we met. Its time I make a new one," Lucas said, a snarl escaping his mouth as it grew into the muzzle of a dog, black fur spreading across his skin. His body began to distort and turn in on itself as the painful change began to take place. In a matter of seconds, a wolf stood in his place, foam dripping from its teeth.
Augustine stared down the black wolf, taking a hesitant step back. He couldn't risk getting in a fight again since the last one ended badly, well at least for him. He had the scars to prove it. It had taken a little over four months for his wings to finally heal from the tares created by the werewolf and for the bite marks that had once ravaged his skin to disappear. Sadly, the long scar that ran from his hairline to his cheek seemed to be permanently etched on his face. Augustine hissed as Lucas took another step forward, his head low and teeth barred. As the wolf took a running leap, Augustine slashed its face with sharp, talon-like claws before taking flight. Lucas snarled before jumping and grabbing onto the bloodsucker's foot with his sharp teeth, his paw running down the side of his leg; claws tearing away the pant leg and into the cold, hard flesh. The elderly vampire screeched as he tried to free his leg.
Raphael lay on the ground, gasping for much needed air. The pain was unbearable. It felt like his insides were being ripped apart, ravaged beyond recognition with every single beat of his aching heart. He wondered why the vampire had pulled away and left him alive. It had promised to kill him quickly and not let him suffer, yet what happened? The bloodsucker pulled away to leave him in agony. He heard the creature mutter something under its breath before moving away. A new voice intruded the quietness of the once still alley. Raphael struggled his hardest to make out the words as the vampire and newcomer bantered back and forth, but it sounded like he was underwater causing the voices to be muffled. The friendly banter soon turned into snarls and screeches in a matter of seconds. He wished he could've seen what was going on, but his body would not obey his commands to sit up. Instead, he just lay there, waiting for death with open arms. Anything would be better than the excruciating pain he was going through. His eyelids grew heavier with every passing second until he could no longer keep his blue eyes open. Slowly he closed his eyes and hoped that this was the end of his cursed life.
The scent of blood called to her, drawing her closer to the alley not too far from her own mansion. That wasn't the only smell that drew her to that particular spot. Mingling with the strong scent of human's blood was the scent of her beloved Augustine and that wretched Lucas. If that horrid wolf ever hurt her master again, she swore she'd take revenge any way she could. But that mongrel didn't matter at the moment. What mattered was that a poor human was suffering and should be taken out of its misery. As she stepped into the alley, her chocolate brown eyes rested on the still form of a young boy. She slowly stepped over towards the young man before kneeling down beside him, sullying her pink evening gown on the dirty ground. Never in all her long years of existence had she felt such a strong pull to any other living creature besides Augustine, if you count him as living. She couldn't let this poor boy die and she knew just the thing to do to keep him alive. Slowly, she lifted his head onto her lap before reaching gently for his hand. It was taboo to feed from the same human another vampire had already bitten, but she ignored that; after all it was her Augustine who had bitten the poor soul. She gently touched her lips to his wrist, just over the veins. She could feel his pulse beat sluggishly against her soft lips, the feeling of the blood coursing through his veins coaxing her fangs to protrude out. Her teeth grazed the soft skin before sinking into the veins. A steady flow of blood streamed into her mouth, slowly pooling in the back of her throat before she swallowed the delicious liquid. She began to feed off the boy, forgetting the reasons behind her biting him in the first place.
Raphael felt a searing pain shoot through his arm and the whole right side of his body, the familiar pain pulling him abruptly back to consciousness. His blue eyes snapped open, a scream building up in his throat and escaping from his mouth. Why was this happening to him again? Hadn't he been through enough in one night? His screaming seemed to have jarred the vampire from its thoughts and feeding. It pulled away from his wrist to glance apologetically down at him. The sound of his screams choked off as he laid eyes on the most beautiful creature he'd ever seen. She had beautiful chocolate brown eyes that seemed to be able to penetrate the deep recesses of his soul. Brown locks of hair framed her pale, heart-shaped face, cascading over her shoulders and curling a little bit at the ends. His eyes seemed to focus a bit longer on her full lips, which were still stained with his blood. The creature in front of him seemed to have no visible flaws what-so-ever. A cold hand touched his forehead, drawing him out of his trance as it brushed back his hair. He watched, slightly perplexed, as she hooked her finger and dragged her talon-like nail along her own arm from a little just below her shoulder to the crease of her arm, drawing a thin line of blood. The crimson liquid seemed different then the blood of a human. It was darker and somewhat more coagulated than normal blood was when it was first spilt.
"Drink from me, my child," the creature cooed, holding out her hand which was coated in some of her blood. She touched a finger to his lips and as soon as he tasted her blood, all thoughts of protest disappeared. Raphael's lips closed over her fingers as he began to clean them of any blood that might be left. He couldn't describe the taste, but whatever it was tasted wonderful. It tasted somewhat of chocolate, but more rich and it had a sweeter taste. He pouted once her fingers had been cleaned from the delectable substance. The vampire seemed to find this mildly amusing, a soft chuckle greeting his ears.
Slowly, with the gentleness of a mother who was caring for her hurt child, she sat him up and directed his mouth to the line of blood that was still oozing from her arm. She gasped once his lips pressed against the underside of her arm, drawing out more of the crimson liquid.
"That's it my child," she cooed, smoothing back his hair as he continued to drink from her blood. A smile slowly crept up on her lips as she watched him. Before long she was sure he'd had enough to allow the change from human to vampire to take place. She gently pried him away from her arm, laying his head back on her lap. Smiling softly, she wiped the corners of his mouth free of any of her blood.
"W-who are you and why did you make me do that?" the boy asked as he looked up at her with content, but confused eyes.
"My child, I am Genevieve and I did not make you do a thing. It was on your own will that you continued to drink from me," she pointed out with a smug smile.
"What was the point of that?" he asked sharply, his brow furrowing in confusion.
"So you would live as my child, as a creature of the night. As we speak, your body is undergoing the change from mortal to immortal; human to vampire," Genevieve said fondly as she pulled her cold fingers gently through his brown hair.
Raphael stared at her morbidly, his nose scrunching up in disgust. Was what this beautiful creature saying true? Was he going to join the legion of the dead and live forevermore as a being constructed out of cold, hard marble? He opened his mouth to protest, but she shushed him by delicately pressing a finger to his lips to silence his attempts.
"I only have a few moments to get you home, my child. The conversion is quite painful and I cannot have you screaming," she whispered urgently, slipping her arm underneath his legs and cradling his upper body with the other. Raphael was astounded when she was able to stand on her feet and carry his weight at the same time. He watched with amazed eyes as giant, leathery wings sprouted from her back, tearing through the material of her evening gown. From close up he could see the veins running through the thin cartilage that stretched from the center of her back to each wing tip. Genevieve spread her wings wide, flapping them slightly to get used to the feeling of using them once again. She took off down the alley way at a great speed before finally being able to lift off the ground with the extra weight. In a matter of seconds they were flying through the night air, the only sound that penetrated Raphael's muddled thoughts was the sound of Genevieve's wings flapping in the night air.
It didn't take as long as Raphael thought it would for them to reach her home for Genevieve flew exceptionally fast. The house was beautiful in its own right he guessed. It was an old two story building, composed of stone and blue siding. On the right side corner there was a single turret, topped with a domed roof. Large windows framed the walls of the elegant building; the one which looked to be coming from the main bedroom on the second floor had a balcony. That is where she landed. Her feet gracefully touched the cool ground before she hurried to the window. She propped Raphael's limp body against the side wall before sliding open the glass and picking him up in her loving arms once again. Genevieve carried the young man to a four-poster bed with white, lacey curtains hanging from either side. As carefully as possible she set him down on the soft mattress, pulling the blankets over his body. Smoothing back his hair to reveal his forehead, she bent down and pressed her lips to the soft skin.
"I'll be back my child," she muttered soothingly before heading out of the room and down the stairs. She flew into the kitchen and over to the cupboards, searching for any sort of dish cloth. Upon finding a dish cloth she ran it under cold water, knowing it would be needed when the poor boy's temperature spiked. From what she remembered, the change was exceptionally painful. Something in vampire's blood spread throughout the body quickly, attacking each vital organ until they shut down. The last to quit working was of course the heart. Once that shut down the change would be complete. Until then, the person undergoing the change would be in excruciating pain for hours on end. Genevieve headed for the stairs, making a solemn vow that she would not leave the boy's side until the change was complete for she was alone when it had happened to her. With that, she made her way up the staircase and into her room to watch over the young boy until he was made her child of the night.
I really hope you enjoyed it! Please review. Constructive criticism is allowed, and flames will be completely ingnored. Thank you for reading it and I'm sorry for the extreme length. I tend to go overboard.