The Vanderbelts were one of the wealthiest vampires across the land. With this wealth came prestige, and adoration for frivolous activities, such as lavish parties filled with extravagant decorations and a tide of guests.
The ballroom had been decked out to the fullest extent of extravagance for the coming ball. The dark wooden floors were polished so well they reflected the light back onto the guests. The chandeliers were fully lit, each of the six massive chandeliers boasting hundreds of flickering candles. At the windows leading out to the four side balconies, long black drapes were hung. The color was dark and foreboding, but the material was a light silk, which danced in the wind, giving them a mysterious feeling.
The guests were all of the highest class, except for one young vampire, who huddled near the stairs. He was wearing a suit like the rest of the male vampires, but it was clear he was different. His eyes, a bright burning red where others normally had black, unnerved the guests. They all steered clear of him, leaving him centered in an open floor space of his own. He looked like danger, and he smelled of trouble.
A young vampire entered the ballroom, her waist encircled by the hands of the older Vanderbelt. Sokka Vanderbelt was a powerful-looking man, in a sharp black suit, maroon shirt, and pointed leather shoes. His entire demeanor displayed power and opulence, and a knack for making others do what he wanted.
His sister was a delicate creature. Her skin was the color of fresh paper, pale even for vampire standards. Her face did not hold a tint of color on the cheeks, and even her lips were nearly translucent, blending in almost perfectly with the rest of her milky face. Her eyes were the only spots that stood out on her face, dark black dots with rings of red around the center. Her hair was a dense wall of black, the color of night if the stars ceased to exist, and it cascaded down her back like an inky waterfall, alluring and threatening at the same time. Tonight, she matched the elaborate curtains of the mansion, dressed in a black silk gown which clung tightly to her thin frame, plunging deeply at her neck and rising high above her thighs in an effort, it seemed, to show off as much of her opaque epidermis as possible.
Zuko watched her from the bottom of the stairs, his gaze ripe with hunger and desire as the two Vanderbelts made their way down the stairs to greet their guests.
"Who is the man standing in the corner, below there?" Katara Vanderbelt inquired of her brother. "He won't stop staring at me."
Sokka turned to see where his sister was motioning, and at catching sight of Zuko, his dark eyes narrowed into slits of distaste. "That is Zuko Voltagg, the nephew of Iroph Voltagg."
"Of the lower rings?" she asked, the red rings around her eyes suddenly glowing in interest. "But how did he get an invitation?"
"I don't know," answered her brother, his voice full of loathing. "But stay away from him. Nothing but trouble comes from the Voltaggs."
"Oh?" she asked in surprise. "What stories have you heard of them?"
"They are a troublesome lot. They keep to themselves unless they want to cause chaos, and I have no doubt in my mind that Zuko would try to pull you into dangerous acts without a second thought." Katara sent another glance at the astringed vampire, she met his shocking gaze. She could feel his eyes upon her as though they were a cold weight pressed against her, and it made an unfamiliar shiver pass through her body. "Besides, everyone knows the ruffians of the lower rings are blood suckers."
"Blood suckers?" gasped Katara, slowing her descent in surprise. "They still exist?"
"Oh yes, they still exist. Although, only in the most run-down, horrid places such as the lower ring, filled with the most troublesome of our kind, such as the Voltaggs."
Katara felt another chill run across her flesh at the thought. She herself at not tasted another's blood in hundreds of years, and she had personally thought their entire race had moved past such primitive ways. The act of exchanging blood was such an intimate one, filled with risk of sickness and even death, that most of the Vampire community had given it up long ago.
Finally, the two Vanderbelts reached the bottom of the staircase, and Sokka bent to kiss his sister on the cheek.
"I must be off to greet our guests," he whispered to her. "Have fun at the party, and remember what I said about the Voltaggs."
Katara nodded that she would, and Sokka straightened, making his way off into the center of the crowd.
Katara stood for a moment, facing the sea of vampires before her uncertainly. Eyes were upon her from all directions, from greedy male vampires that were admiring her ample amounts of showing skin, to jealous glances from the female vampires, condemning her flawless complexion and slight figure. Normally, Katara basked in the attention that her legacy and body brought her, but she could still feel the eyes of the young Voltagg upon her, and for the first time in her long life, she felt uncomfortable.
Putting her long legs to use, she quickly slipped into the crowd, gaining confidence in the way she felt walking in her spiked black high-heeled shoes.
No sooner had she slipped behind the first wall in the mass of people, then she felt a cool breath upon her neck. She quickly turned to see who was following so closely, and nearly stumbled back as she caught sight of the young Voltagg, inches from her. In a movement so smooth she never saw him move, he was suddenly beside her, his hands clasped tightly around her waist to steady her.
"I saw you watching me as you made your way down the stairs," he whispered coolly into her ear. His voice had the same effect as his stare, bringing an unfamiliar shiver of feeling across her body. Her chest began to expand quickly as she took shallower breaths, trying to keep herself steady under his tight gaze.
"It was you who was watching me," she countered, her voice slightly breathy from her slight pant. Up close, she could see his eyes were completely red, starting deep crimson in the center and growing in vibrancy to a bold scarlet around the edges. She had never seen a vampire with such bright eyes before. She wondered how she could have missed their color from the stairs, as now they seemed to her the most obvious thing in the room.
"Was I?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. His face was sharp and firm, with skin as pale as any other vampire. His hair was black, and he was dressed in a dark suit. There was nothing extraordinary about him besides his eyes. And his deep, cold voice, unlike any she had ever heard before. And the way he made her chest feel tight in her dress.
"Yes, you were," she defended herself hotly, because she could think of nothing else to say.
"Most would take a captive gaze as a compliment. It was obviously what you wanted, dressed as you are." He seemed to feel she was steady on her feet now, and retracted his hands. Katara suddenly felt a bout of shame that she had not asked him to remove them sooner. She was a vampire known for her scandalous looks, but she generally did not allow any male vampire to touch her for longer then a passing brush without her immediate consent.
"I usually do," she responded, nervously pulling wrinkles from her dress. "It's just that your gaze made me nervous somehow."
"Did it now? How strange, I offer you my deepest apologies." Zuko ducked into a low bow before her, but something about his tone of voice and the look in his eyes told her he wasn't very sorry at all. "I will leave you to your party, then."
And he was gone, suddenly and silently slipped away in the crowd.
Katara took a deep breath to steady herself, and drew herself up to her full height. The exchange between herself and the Voltagg vampire had seemed an eternity to her, but she noticed only a few seconds seemed to have passed. No one around her had paid much heed to the encounter, for which she was grateful.
Katara continued her journey across the hall, trying to regain her confidence and style and she milled about in the mass of bodies. She did not see the young vampire with the bright red eyes again, although sometimes she felt as though he was still watching her. Whenever she turned and tried to see him, however, she could find no sign of him.
By the time the night was halfway over, Katara's sense of paranoia had reached a climax, and she felt she needed to get some air. Katara excused herself from her guests and began to make her way slowly to one of the grand balconies surrounding the hall. However, as she approached the balcony, she caught a flash of black and red from the corner of her eye.
Spinning around, she glanced a mysterious shape making its way out of the hall. She was certain it was the young vampire from the lower ring.
Katara hesitated. She recalled her brother's words of warning, and her own crawling skin, the shivers that warned her away from his presence whenever she drew near Zuko.
But something was drawing her to him, a mysterious allure she had never felt before, and one she was loath to resist. She felt as thought a connection between the two of them was stretching as he made his way out of the hall, and she wanted to follow it. She wanted to follow him, to see where he was going, to discover, perhaps, what it was that drew her to him in such a chilling way.
As the vampire disappeared out the main entrance of the hall, Katara made up her mind, and followed him. She slipped past the guests as quickly and discreetly as she could, watching carefully to see that her brother did not catch her sneaking out. He would stop her and question her on her destination for sure, and she was certain she could not stop for any reason. Zuko moved very quickly on his own, and she could not lose him.
She reached the edge of the hall and ducked out of the doors, and peered both ways down the main hallway. A sliver of a black coat was just disappearing down her left.
Katara made to follow, but in the open hallway, moving quickly in her heels seemed a lot more difficult, and the clacking echoed loudly across the stonewalls. She quickly removed her shoes and left them behind the statue of an old fortuneteller, vowing to return for them later before returning to the party.
Unhampered by her footwear, Katara was able to move quickly down the hall, her bare feet making no noise at all against the cold stone.
She followed Zuko down the twisting hallways of the mansion, ducking behind pillars and slinking through shadows to avoid being seen.
Zuko passed through the monstrous doors at the front of the mansion, which were open tonight to let in the refreshing breezes.
Katara bit her lip nervously, glancing back down the hall to the ballroom. She did not know how her family would feel about her leaving the house this time at night. No, that wasn't true. She knew how they would feel; they wouldn't like it. But she did not seem to have a choice in the decision. It was as if her body had already made the decision while her mind was still urging her to turn back, and her legs led her of their own will out of the house.
Katara did not know what was causing her to be so rash, but some feeling was pulling her towards the young bloodsucker. A burning feeling in her stomach that she could not distinguish. Her mind was cold and heavy with guilt, but her body was on fire. In an attempt to avoid her guilty feelings, she made a dash after Zuko, hoping to somehow escape her inhibitions.
Outside the door, she saw him ducking into the trees. She hurried to follow him, hoping to keep him in sight. As she reached the line of dense greenery that surrounded the east side of the gardens, she paused. She could not see very far into the trees due to the night, so she entered the forest with caution, peering around each tree hopefully, expecting to see her vampire target at the next turn.
However, Katara could not seem to find him. It seemed as though he had slipped away and melted into the shadowy trees themselves. Just as she was about to flail her arms in disgust, she heard a sound behind her. Before she could even turn her head an inch, someone was by her side. A voice spoke gruffly into her ear.
"You were following me."
It wasn't a question.
"I was just…looking for the young Voltagg," she said, her heart rate increasing with each word.
"You found him, then."
Katara gasped and spun around quickly. She found herself face-to-face with a pair of frightening red eyes. She yelped quickly, and tried to back away. Zuko grabbed her arm tightly, however, and prevented her from moving backwards at all.
"Why were you looking for me?"
Instead of answering the question, Katara cried out. "Let go of me you vicious bloodsucker!" She was feeling rather frightened. She wished she had never left the ball to begin with. What had made her? "Do not harm me!"
Zuko dropped her hand, letting out a sound that seemed like disgust. Katara wanted to run, but something kept her rooted to the spot, panting. Zuko looked her over with his menacing, fiery eyes.
"Do you really think I could hurt you?"
"I don't know, but I've heard tales about your type."
"My type?"
"Blood-suckers, from the lower rings. Dangerous, troublesome, vicious lots."
Zuko let out a cold laugh. "Do you really believe all those rumors about the lower rings? Do you really think all the vampires that live there are the same?"
Katara did not answer. She couldn't really answer, even if she had wanted too. She knew nothing about the lower rings, save that they were far east of her mansion and that they were filled with dangerous, terrifying people.
"I don't know," she said at last.
"You should learn a bit more about people before making such judgments," snapped Zuko.
"I suppose I should," answered Katara slowly. The two stood silently then, each observing the other, trying to peer into each other's thoughts and see their minds at work.
A soft breeze rustled the leaves, bringing with them the scent of dawn. Katara broke out of her trance, and realized the sky was lightening. A faint pink glow was settling at the tops of the hills behind the Vanderbelt property.
"I should go," she said. "Dawn is coming."
"No, stay." said Zuko. He reached out and grabbed her hand as she turned to leave. "Watch it with me."
"I can't. Vampires can't be out in the sun, it will ruin us."
"Is that more you have learned from your family?"
"This isn't about prejudice," snapped Katara defensibly. "It's about truth. The sunlight would do harm to my skin."
"Not if you don't lay out about in it all day." said Zuko, frustrated. "One dawn won't kill you. Besides, we're mostly shaded in these trees."
Katara looked nervously back at the mansion. "I have never been awake for a dawn before."
Zuko moved again, she could hear him walking. Then he was right behind her. "Then see it with me."
The two stood in silence again, watching the pink turn to red and then orange, watching the sun rise slowly in the sky. The woods were mostly shaded, but a small slice of sunlight permeated the leaves beside them. Slowly, Katara reached her hand out to feel the soft rays.
It tingled a bit, not enough to really hurt, but in a sensual, uneasy manner, that made her quickly pull her hand back.
"See? It's not as dangerous as you thought," said Zuko from behind her.
Katara nodded. She could not find words to answer him, not with him so close. With every breath he took, she could feel his chest rising beside her, and she felt the lightness of his exhale on her bare shoulder.
He leaned closer to her, so that his face was right above her neck. She tensed suddenly. He had not admitted to being a bloodsucker, but he had not denied it either…she suddenly felt that she should move, but she could not. She was frozen with anticipation and fear, but also with something else. Something that made her want to see what happened next. Something that was even…enjoying the idea of sharing such an intimate moment as an Exchange with this mysterious youth.
Zuko was moving closer to her neck, she could feel his lips were inches from her skin; she could tell by his breath. Any minute he was sure to bite her. She shut her eyes tightly, trying not to imagine the feeling of his sharp fangs slipping effortlessly through her soft skin, tearing round holes in her flesh. The draining feeling as he sucked her blood, the hormonal rush as they were connected.
Zuko was coming closer, now his lips were there; he was connected to her neck. His surprisingly soft lips pressed to her skin, and the bite would come any minute now….but then they were gone.
Confused, Katara turned her head slightly to face him. He had only kissed her. He was now making his way back through the forest; she could tell he had not even had his fangs out at all.
"Don't believe everything you hear from your Vanderbelt friends, Katara," called Zuko as he made his way back through the woods, leaving her on her own.
Katara stood for a second, and then collapsed against a tree. Her entire body was shaking, filled with relief and emotion. She could still feel a pull to Zuko; she wanted to go after him deeper into the forest.
But this time, she had the sense not to. Whatever this feeling was burning through her, she felt it best not to rush after it too fast. She needed time to sleep and recover.
That had been by far the most terrifying, intimate, and incredible kiss she had ever shared.
Team: Fire Nation
Round: 5
Category: Themed (Temptation)
Prompt: 10. (AU) Vampires
Word count: 3,147