The alleyway was cold, and wet. Water pooled into every crevice, tinged a curious pink by blood.
My blood.

I had been shot, once in the shoulder, and once in the abdomen, and I think they hit something vital.
My parents… brother… dead, shot and killed for the few dollars in their wallet. Only I was left, almost made an entertainment if not for the cold and the wet.
Salvation…. I could feel it, sense it, coming right this way.
Or so I thought.

He came down the alleyway, a rather small man dressed all in black. A giant followed close behind him. Stopping right beside me, he crouched, his dark blond hair and pale skin picked out by the alleyway light. Clarity returned, a survival instinct, a relic of a life long past, but only for a few moments. Piercing, pale blue eyes scrutinized me from underneath thick eyebrows. Full, dark lips smiled at me within the shadows created by high cheek bones. His short cut hair was swept back from his face, except for a single lock that seemed bent on not quite joining the rest of his tresses. All in all, he was the image of the trustworthy stranger. His face would be engraved into my mind till the end of my days. He pulled me up into a sitting position against the wall, almost causing me to black out from the pain.
Behind him stood another, a pale girl wearing white face makeup and her hair back in a pony tail. Her clothes, which were a short, pulled down skirt and a small revealing shirt, made her look like an undead cheerleader.

Now why did I just say undead?

Before I could wonder anything else, the man in front of me pulled back his sleeve, revealing an ivory wrist. Slowly he drew his black nail across his wrist, where stark red liquid immediately welled up. Oh God, I thought, please, make it stop!

I could not explain my sudden panic, because I was in no way grossed out by what he was about to do. And I knew exactly what he was going to do: he was about to have me drink his blood. This knowledge came from nowhere and somewhere, as it usually does, popping into existence from God knows where. From this knowledge I also knew that this act would save me, but I felt no comfort.
I struggled, moving my head from side to side, mewling pitifully. Tears slid down my face, completely unbidden. He reached up with his hand, wiping my tears away, and running the back of his hand down the side of my face, all the while making soft hushing sounds. After a while though, he seemed to lose his patience, and gripped my jaw gently yet firmly so he could move his wrist into position. At this I shut my lips tight together, but he just prised them open with his thumb. Blood spilled into my mouth as his wrist pressed against my lips, and suddenly I was in ecstasy.

To say it felt like there was a party in my mouth and everybody was invited would be the understatement of the year: the blood seemed to explode with flavour, yet it was flavourless. Electrifying yet soothing, like bolts of lightning running pleasantly throughout my body. Despite myself I was sucking greedily at his wrist. Repulsive, I thought, but my body begged to differ. I wasn't the only one enjoying this, I saw out on the edges of my vision. The man had his mouth partially open, as if gasping, and his eyes were rolled back into his head. I could hear, ever so faintly, soft moaning sounds coming from his throat.
Eventually it ended, and as his wrist drew back, I could see his cut already starting to heal. I felt so tired… I just… just needed to rest…
The last thing that I remembered was the man flashing me a triumphant smile, revealing two very sharp fangs.

Sebastian LaCroix straightened up, carrying the girl in his arms. He could have easily had one of his lackeys bring her back to his penthouse in Ventrue Tower and save his $20,000 suit from bloodstains, but in order for this to work, he needed her unconscious self to only be aware of his aura, to imprint itself permanently into her psyche. The Blood Bond he was cultivating was going to be difficult as is, considering how much she struggled against him tonight. Yes, he thought, this Old Soul would be an asset to his court, provided he could teach her obedience, and possibly love. But that was a long shot, as he could already feel the girl's rebellious soul stirring to fight off the influence of his powerful aura.

As he thought this, the girl beside him, the Malkavian, spoke. "She is SO going to hate you when she wakes up." Sebastian sighed and nodded with some frustration. Normal people were so much easier to cultivate into to ghouls, as they usually have no knowledge of the Blood Bond and its influences. But Old Souls were different. Their memories of past lives and startling insight provided them with the tools necessary to fight the emotional attachment the Bond created, but Sebastian knew that it was at least impossible to fully sever any link created by vampire blood, and that it would eventually win her over to his side. All it would take was time. In the meantime, she would reside with him.

An hour later, they arrived at the base of his most prized accomplishment, Venture Tower. Rising over 150 stories, it dwarfed all other buildings, and was the symbol of his power. Passing through the dark granite lobby, Chunk, the virtually obese security guard, looked up with wide eyes at the girl in Sebastian's arms. "Is everything all right, sir?" he called, reaching for the phone. Without stopping, Sebastian looked him in the eyes and spoke, his voice dripping with authority. "Yes, it is, but you've already forgotten about us." Chunk's hand dropped and he went back to staring at the computer monitor as if in a trance. Damn self-important prick, the Prince of L.A. thought as the group headed towards the elevators. How the hell do people like him end up as security for his tower? The man probably couldn't even run across the lobby, let alone protect him from attack. Not that he needed to be protected, but still. He resolved to bring it up during his next board meeting.

Finally, they reached his penthouse, and as they walked through the door he turned and dismissed the Sherriff and the Malkavian for the night. A Ventrue vampire sat on the couch reading a book, and only looked up once to surreptitiously sneer at the girl in Sebastian's arms. No matter, he thought, I'll deal with her later. He walked down the hallway and into a specially made bedroom with its own bathroom. Large windows would let in plenty of sun during the day, and provided an excellent view over downtown Los Angeles. And at the touch a button, thick slabs of metal would slide into slots over the windows, effectively cutting off all sunlight so that Sebastian could come in here any time he pleased. No one but him had really been in here since the Tremere Primogen Strauss cleansed it of all other imprints left by other aura's the night before. The beds covers had been folded down, so it would be easier to tuck the girl into it. He set her down as gently as possible, and pulled the covers up to her chin. After a moment of thought, he went away and came back with a pitcher of cold water and a glass, setting it down quietly on the bedside table. The girl stirred quietly for a moment, and lay still. Sebastian paused, the leaned down and gave her a quick kiss on the forehead. Anything to make this soul want him more when she woke up. He left the room and the girl to her dreams.