A Family Affair

I don't own LOK Characters, however I own Sarah, Tobias, Derrick, and whomever else I come up with.

I want to thank my awesomely cool beta reader, shadowrayne.

Rahab

Silence was a precious gift, given to me rarely. I could always find my peace of mind in the library. There was always a chilling draft that blew through that caused the candles to flicker. The books were all placed most diligently on their selves however there were always a few scattered on the tables. The tables were all stained a deep red cherry color with four matching oversized chairs. You could always find me in the restricted area of the library caged off from the rest. The silver metal bars, cold to the touch held me in. The cage made me feel like I was on display for all to watch. I was always being watch not only by my clan, but also by my brothers.

Kain had never paid me much heed. Intelligence is rarely seen as a useful attribute until the hordes of cattle overwhelm the few against them. This obvious oversight had always suited me; I prefer to be left to my own devices. And so it had been since the start of this 'empire' Kain had fashioned for himself. Melchiah, the weakling, left for all the brutework, keeping the humans barely in line, letting them believe there was hope. Zephon, being the sneaking insect he is, was called upon for anything requiring a shadow. Dumah, muscle-bound meathead, used for anything requiring brute force. Next was usually called in when Melchiah's forces, seen as expendable, even by Kain, had failed in their objectives, or the humans got especially overzealous. The second son, that was scorned in such a way second only to myself, Turel, was sent out for 'diplomacy' reasons. This usually entailed torture that would make even Kain think twice. Turel has always possessed a certain...liking for all things sadistic. And then we come to Raziel. Kain's golden boy. Selfish, brainless, swine- all of his brood. So wrapped up in their own power and rank that the Razielim, like their father, lick Kain's talons more than the rest of us combined.

Then there's myself, Rahab. Bookworm, weakling, useless in almost any endeavor. Best left in his abbey with his moldy books and damp walls. Yet, whenever Kain or the rest of my cursed brethren need a lighter touch to a situation, it has always been me they've come for. Strategy, tactics, planning, anything of the sort. The magician, tactician, hermit. Taken for granted in every situation, all service forgotten when one of the others does something particularly grand or foolish.

I slammed the book I was holding onto the table in a fury. As foolish as it has always made me feel, it's always been a sore spot to be used and tossed aside as I have been. I took a deep breath, unnecessary, I know, as my species has no need for breathing, but soothing nonetheless. As my vision slowly let the red bleed out, a drop of sweat fell from my forehead down to the sentence in the book I had read about fifteen times, while having the silent reflection in my head. My eyes quickly scanned the old, yellowed paper and I instantly went cold with anticipation. After all this time, I had found it.

Sarah

The smell of soot filled my lungs as I awoke this morning while the sun streamed directly onto my face. I knew it was not going to be a good day. I felt no desire to get out of the warm sheet that surrounded me that smelled of soot, just like the rest of my life. My father's blacksmith shop was below my room, and smoke, being smoke, rose into my bedroom and left a god-awful smell behind right before it exited through my window. My room was small, colorless except one wall that my mother had painted a mural on. The mural was of a young tall, muscular gentleman with long black hair and a maiden with brown hair that flowed to about her waist and beautiful green eyes. They were dancing in what seemed to be the moonlight. My mother had never finished the mural so the gentleman's face and background was missing. She had told me, however that the mural was of my future prince charming and myself. I would just giggle at the thought of being with a man when I was younger. I missed being young and I missed my mother. I never really knew what happened to her since the only thing I was told was that, she was killed by vampires. I never really believed the story since my father never had said a word about it. My Father's way of not lying to me was to not talk to me. Things better left unsaid, I suppose.

Finally, I rolled out my bed and fell onto the floor with a thud. That was smart. I glanced around the room and tried to discover a set of clean clothes for the day. Typical of a teenager, my bedroom was a complete mess, and without my mother to nag me about, it just grew worse. Clothes busted from my closet, which ran in a trail to my door. I dug though the hills of clothes which were twisted around each other, which just made one big mess. I found a decently unwrinkled dress, the shade of polished oak wood and put it on, loving how the deep V of the neck showed off my curves. I tried to fix my hair, however I ended up flinging the brush at the mirror. The brush nailed the middle of the mirror and caused it to shatter into pieces, covering my floor and desk in small fragments of pointy death. I guess this means bad luck for me. My day was already bad. I slammed the door shut and I made my way down the stairs. I hoped to pass by my father without a word.

The staircase walls were a dull cream color but held my family painting proudly. Pink, ruffles and toothy grins are what stand out mostly that day. The dark sheet that covered the wall that we all stood in front of made us look like porcelain dolls. What a fake image this was. Disease, choices, and the overwhelming issue of finding me a husband tore my family apart.

The last step of the stairs always creaked, so I jumped over it, almost tripping over the cat, which ruined my chances of getting past my father unnoticed. Father was a fairly tall man; his beautiful black hair had turned grey. He had deep circles around his eyes like he had seen better days. Being a blacksmith took a lot out of my father his hands were worn and always covered in soot.

"You better cover up more before you leave this house," he shouted over the noise at me while he continued to work on a sword. I just left the house.

Rahab

Now that I found that spell, that would allow me to mask my appearance. What human would question a young strong lad? I had the Tavern already chosen. Quiet, hidden, not too many people, however still a good selection to choose from. There were always whores if it wasn't a good night. They tended to leave a bad taste in my mouth, not like a young virgin. Their blood tastes so sweet you can feel their life slowly leaving their bodies. Overcome with excitement even when I was about to rip their life from them.

-----

Soon I found myself in front of the tavern, the sign swinging in the wind. The building was run down, painted a dull gray color, with very few windows and even those were cover by shades. I licked my now red lips, my skin was no longer white, my eyes turned the shade of crystal blue, and my hair was much shorter now only a few inches long. I swung the clipped red wooden door and entered, glancing around at my prey. It indeed was a quiet night here and on the street, which is an important factor on where I take my prey. The tavern smelled of drunks and cheap dates. I placed myself in one of the corner booths, the table tilted to the right and the cushions ripped and torn everywhere. My job here was not to admire the scenery but to find myself some decent food. Before I could survey my surroundings past that, the waitress approached.

Her heartbeat had the most beautiful rhythm and with each breath I watched her chest move. What a beautiful young lady. Her hair was long, hanging above her waist, brown, eyes blue, face soft as if never had a hard hand taken to it. What a shame. What a waste of beauty on a being that was only made to be food.

"What can I get you sir?" She placed all her weight on her right hip. I couldn't help but stare at my new prey. How sweet and soft her skin looked, my desire for her blood grew every minute.

"Just Ale." I reached out and kissed her hand so I could slip a lick in. Her flesh tasted soft but salty, tangy but sweet. Her blood rushed to her face causing her to blush. Just keep that blood pumping, sweet girl. "What is your name, child?"

"I don't go around telling my name to strangers." I pulled her into the booth with me, wrapping my arm around her. Her muscles tensed up, so I rubbed her side gently. She tried to squirm out of my grasp, which only caused me to pull her in closer. Her smell again filled my nose, sweet like a rose but with a twist of something sour, fear. I whispered into her ear, "Child, what is your name?" I licked the outside of her ear moving down to her neck. I licked and nibbled lightly on it. I had always been a tease with my food, but never like this before. I could feel her getting frightened even more so, so I released the girl from my grasp. She was so shocked. I didn't think she would return with my drink now. She quickly shuffled to the bar to have my ale poured. She spoke nervously to the bartender. Both cast me glances of worry over her shoulder.

When my drink finally came, I watched her hesitate towards me, her movements, every muscle moving perfectly, her hips moving side to side, her body droving me wild. She took a deep breath before she approached me. She placed my ale upon the table very gingerly. The liquid spilled lightly over the rim of the glass.

"Will that be all, sir?" she said nervously. I gazed upon her one last time, watched her every breath, her soft lips that she now bite, her scent filled my nose one last time. All sorts of thoughts ran though my head, dirty and clean. Feeling her soft body against mine as I licked and tenderized her neck, feeling her heaving breasts against my chest, our skin touching as I feed upon her. The desire built up inside of me as she waited for my reply.

"That is all for now." I figured it would be better to leave the tavern. There were eyes everywhere.

----

The night brought along with it a cool breeze and a beautiful array of stars. The moon cast my shadow upon the alleyway. I knew my prey would pass by shortly, so sweet and young. Her body moved through the streets turning swiftly into the alleyway. Her scent rushed ahead of her to reach my nose, hair carelessly pulled back, her footsteps began to quicken, breathing more rapidly.

"Miss me?" I removed myself from the shadows that had surrounded me and pushed her up against the wall. I covered her mouth so she couldn't scream. She squirmed against my grip, so I pushed against her with all my weight, but she still struggled to get away. I whispered into her ear, "Struggling only makes it more fun."

I showed her, my fangs, my body grew with excitement as I placed my mouth against her neck. I licked her skin softly; I teased her ever so carefully. She took deep breaths and held them for a few seconds before releasing them. I knew her fear had grown and soon it would need to be ended. My fangs broke her skin and her blood began to flow down my throat. The sweet liquid began to become part of my body. Before I could continue my enjoyment I heard footsteps. I pulled my victim into the shadows with me, so no warning would go out. Another young woman walked along the alleyway and how I wished she had come earlier. Her small frame carried well-developed breasts and a beautiful face with hazel eyes and brown hair that fell to her waist. She was in a rush to go home, or so I assumed, her steps quick as was her breath. Soon she passed from my sight, I again left the safety of the shadows. I laid my beauty's body against the wall, kissing her forehead before I left her.

-----

Three hours before the sun would rise, two till my mask would wear off. I wandered through maze of streets; my destination was hidden deep with the city. The building that I desired was a beaten up blacksmith shop. Gossip had begun to spread that they had found a girl that had been bitten on the fringes of town. I just smiled at the humans, who now suspected everyone. Funny, how humans turn against each other out of fear. My own fear came to the forefront of my mind; I needed to find a place to wait out the day. Even in the weak light of Nosgoth, the sun burned my fair skin.

The house was completely dark except for the forge, which still kept its flame. It had slipped my mind that most humans sleep at this hour. What a waste of time; sleeping, dreaming. Stupid humans. The door was unlocked, probably since the house was located in center of town, so they didn't fear vampire attack. Light creped in with me; I discovered an older man fast asleep in a chair. I approached the man, who I figured was the blacksmith by his clothes and the state of his body. Face to face with the man, I ran my tongue over my lips.

"Derrick" The man awoke with a start and almost fell out of his chair. His hazel eyes bored into my own until I spoke again. "I have missed you, old friend. How do you fare?"

"I fare well," He bowed his head, feeling heavy with respect. I reached out, lifted his head up so we met eye to eye. He was nervous, rightfully so, being in my presence.

"I need a place to wait out the sunlight."

"I have a spare bedroom, not to your standard, however."

"It will do for the day. No disturbances."

I removed myself from the room and continued, making my way to the stairs. I turned around before I ascended; the man remained in his chair and rubbed his face with both hands. What worried the man, I did not know. With each step, I felt my mask wearing off, my face returning to its true form.

Before I entered my room, I noticed another room, door slightly open, light filtering out onto the floor. My nostrils filled with the sweet smell of a young woman. I ignored the desire to rip the woman's flesh with my fangs. I had my fill of blood earlier. However, there was something there which caused my instincts to stir. Hours seem to pass, if not days as I allowed that sweet smell to consume me. Intoxicated by the smell, I struggled to gain control and then with just enough strength, I willed myself into my room.

Once inside, I released myself, allowing my senses to regain control. The room was small, well, average on a human scale. At sometime this room had belonged to boy; blue walls, twin bed covered with a patchwork bedspread. The bedspread enveloped me and I allowed it; it was made with the sweet love of a mother. Soon the light beckoned me to open the shade, to let the sun's rays fill the room, to burn the flesh from my body. I knew my mind now spoke in riddles, as it turned and twisted in thought, so I delivered myself into rest, one without sleep or dreams.

Sarah

My eyes slowly opened, blinded by the sun that entered though my window. I rubbed the sleep from them and tried to escape from my bed, however my body was entangled in the sheet. With a thud, I fell still in the bed sheets. My eyes wandered around the room. I spotted clothes that would work for today's actives, so I crawled across the ground to reach it. However, I cut my hand on one of the splinters from my mirror. I sucked on the open wound before dressing myself, while that I fixing my hair. My hair just wasn't styling the right way so I could braid it so I just pulled it back into a ponytail. I made a mental note that I needed to go down to the stream to bathe, but that would have to wait till later. My first order of business for the day was the help my father in the shop, so I should be able to make it to the stream before sunset. The water would be cooler, but there would be few people and more chance of danger. I needed to get my blood pumping, some adventure would be good to get.

Before I made my way downstairs, I noticed there was someone in my brother's room. It wasn't my brother, since he hasn't set foot in this house for four years, so it must be one of my father's clients. Funny how this one spent the night. I knew better then try to discover who was sleeping in the room, so I quickly trotted down the stairs. Again I jumped the last step this time turning around the corner, slamming right into my father. He tipped backwards; somehow catching himself before landing on the ground. I let out a sly giggle before I moved on to clean up his desk.

"I was just about to wake you," my father said still reclaiming his footing. It was funny how old my father had become. He started to remind me of the fathers in storybooks, old, goofy, and all around soft guy. I mean I hated to see him age so fast, but I figured it was just one of those things you can't change.

"Why didn't you just call me?" My father covered his mouth, squeezing his lips between his figures. It was one of those times he chose not to speak, because it would have been a lie. I let the conversation die and continued to clean. I placed away scraps of paper, the tape measure, and books, soon growing bored. This was not a life I could live out the rest of my days in, as some housewife for a man. I wanted something more. Even if it meant being a wife of some Sarafan, cleaning was not the life for me, so I threw myself into a chair by the desk.

My father snapped his fingers a few inches from my face, drawing me back into reality.

"Happy, I see. Dreaming of prince charming? He's not going to come around if you sit around all day like that." He began to pack his sack so he could make a few deliveries as he continued to talk. "You need to get your head on properly, so you can get married, have children, and die happy."

What a great life my father has planned for me. Well, I guess it's the best he could do from his social standing, but I still wished for something better than being a housewife. No, the only thing that walks through there are dirty old Sarafan men, who care nothing for the undead lives they have taken, only themselves. Please don't get me wrong, I hate vampires, but next to these men, they look like saints. All the time they come into the shop and give father a hard time until he lowered his prices.

"Sarah, I want you to watch the shop. I need to take care of some business. You know: deliveries, pick ups, the works." He finished packing the items he needed, so he quickly left the house. He left me alone with that stranger, but before I could act upon the situation; he popped his head back inside the house. "Oh, leave the man upstairs alone. It is best for everyone. Ok?"

With that said, he again left me to my own doing. I mean, come on, there was a strange man in my house, which I knew nothing about. My fear began to get the best of me; I played out the worst situations in my head. All of those thoughts began to make me feel sick, so I rested my head against the cold table and closed my eyes.

My eyes creped open to reveal a man waiting by the door. It seemed that the sun would soon set. The last ray struggled to enter the room. The man was fairly tall but many of his features were lost in the darkness. He hid so much of the light it hadn't hit me yet. I lifted my head, he turned to meet my gaze. I tried to say something, but my tongue was frozen. Those piercing yellow eyes could only belong to a vampire, and whatever cruel trick he had played on my father wasn't going to work on me. We remained locked on each other's eyes. I felt the hair stand up on the back of my neck. I knew he could sense I was getting tense. I just prayed that I didn't lose his gaze because then I would lose everything. Finally, I began to gain the strength to force myself to speak.

"What do you want, vampire?" I allowed the last word to slowly roll off my tongue, and I tried to contain my angry towards this creature and his kind. He made no attempt to speak, but simply turned his gaze to the window. I had now lost my contact with him; I couldn't predict what he was going to do.

I flung myself from the chair, hoping this would in some way show I didn't fear him. His eyes shifted quickly over to me before returning to window. What was so important about the window? The sun. He needed the sun to set before he could leave, however unlucky it was for me, it just became worse for him.

" You think you are one big, bad vampire, huh?" I asked him in a mocking tone, along with that I made hand gestures. Slowly, I approached him; still he gazed out the window. Now I could make him out better, his yellow eyes only clashed with his irony skin, and that ever so common black hair. The whole thing made me sick. "You kill millions of victims without a care in the world. Do you ever question what happens to families of those you kill?"

"You know nothing of the hand I have been dealt since the day of my creation!" He never once gazed back at me, but continued to talk. I feared soon he would strike me because of what I had said. "You are nothing compared to me, child. Your life can be swept way without a care, nothing hangs upon your actions."

When he finished, he glanced one more time, over his shoulder before leaving me alone. I was worried that he would soon return to either kill me or even something worse, however before my mind could wander anymore, my father returned with that ever so cheerful face.

"Did everything go alright while I was gone?" My father laid his bag against the wall near the door before he fully entered the room. I could see the worn look on his face. Whoever he delivered to didn't take it well. There was nothing more I wanted then for people just to leave my father alone, because he was a darn good blacksmith. I knew what my father really wanted to hear.

"He left." I figured it was better to let my father rest then to argue over his choice of night borders. The sun had already set, so my plans of a bath were ruined. I would feel safer after this night's upset at home, so I figured I would rest. Before I left my father alone, I gave him one last glance; he would die soon if he wasn't careful. Life seemed so fragile at that moment. Maybe the vampire was right about my life, it didn't matter. Before I could dwell on it anymore, I headed upstairs.

Rahab

Against my better judgment, I went out again the night after I returned home. The child's words still stuck in my mind; I needed to feed to clear it. I returned to the city where I had hunted not so long ago, however this time I lacked a mask. That night I waited for my meal to walk by, I didn't want to play another game like last time. The cold air surrounded me as I waited in the shadows; the sound of Sarafan footsteps in the distance filled the air. No one seemed to be out tonight, maybe since it was the first cold night of the season. I could care less whether cold or warm, I needed to feed.

Soon a young Sarafan soldier had wandered off of his beat, his amour still shining in the moonlight. He'd never seen a battle, he was too young, so this would be easy. I waited for him to stop to get a grip on where he had wandered off to, before I ripped the life from his unworthy body. If you could sneak up behind them, grip them so you could pull their heads aside you could feed with little trouble. One would think the Sarafan would fix this problem on their armor, being as their one true enemy likes to go for the neck.

I quickly moved in behind the young man, I gripping him against my chest, and pulled his head away and feed. What little strength this boy had, he wasted on the struggle. Worthless; I don't let my victims go. He became dead weight very quickly, so I carelessly tossed him to the side. I removed his helmet to discover that the boy must have been only about fourteen, and they just get younger every time. Since Lord Kain began to control most of Nosgoth, the number of men willing to throw away their lives in the Sarafan knighthood had dwindled. They saw a not so bright future, so the ever so noble Sarafan decided they would lower the age needed to join, causing adventure-seeking boys of little knowledge to join. When a war would break out, these young men, inexperienced in the world, would die quickly to the sheer ferocity of our experienced and able warriors. Before I continued hunting the rest of my meal, a scream ripped through the thick, cold night air. I wondered if there was another vampire out for a feed, so I figured I would check it out.

I made my way through many of the back streets and alleyways before I reached the source of the sound. There stood before me the child of Derrick, who seemed to be cornered by two thugs. I was careful to hide in the darkness. I hoped the child would get what she deserved for mocking me.

"You don't belong around here," one of the thugs said while crossing his arms. The young girl glanced around for an escape. I pitied the child. However, before I could react. One of the thugs swung the club, which ripped her flesh open and left gaping holes in both her arms and back. Action needed to be taken, so I landed quietly behind the group and approached one of them. I slit his throat and allowed the blood to gush out onto the pavement. Without any time to think, the other thug was upon me. He tried to inflict the same damage to me, but I guess that it hadn't occurred to his muddled brain that I was a vampire. I reached out and grabbed the club before he could to swing it again. The fear grew inside him once he finally noticed I wasn't human. He released the club and scampered off into the night. Normally I would follow him, but I had other matters to care for.

Derrick's child now laid across the pavement, and she had lost a lot of blood. The red liquid flowed into the cracks on the street, a waste of a perfectly good meal, should I have chosen to take her. I still felt her heart beat, so I knew she hadn't gone to the dark realm yet. The alleyway soon echoed with the hurried footsteps of the Sarafan knights and I wasn't going to explain the situation to them. Since it wouldn't be long before they were upon us, I needed an escape, which wasn't hard to find. I glanced down at the bloody mess and figured I couldn't just leave her there. I did however toy with the idea; she had been rather nasty to me. I allowed my thoughts to wander, if I left her bleeding corpse, it would be tossed into some open grave with others victims of vampires or traitors to the greater cause. She would go missing and my friend Derrick would have a breakdown in no time. Well, that left me with the option of taking the girl with me. I knew I needed to act quickly, since most of my time was spent on trying to decide if the girl was worth the work. There was no other way than to carry her, so I scooped her up into my arms, and immediately made my way through the twisting alleyways.

Dead weight was all that ran through my mind at the moment, so it took me longer to make my way to my clan's walls. She had only stirred once, mumbling something about not going to school and then continued to spit up blood, which promptly landed on my chest and dried. I had begun to question my choice when I finally reached the gated entrance to my clan lands. My first captain, Tobias, greeted me, but seemed more concerned about what the young lady was doing in my arms.

"My Lord, did you feed well?" He continued to try to catch a glimpse of my young companion as he spoke. I knew better then to release very much information to my son, so as soon as the gate was lifted, I went inside. I quickened my pace and Tobias followed; most of my children had already gone to rest for the day. The servants hadn't begun their morning chores, so much of the city was quite. My footsteps echoed as I retreated to my room, even my own eyes grew tired with each moment that passed. My son continued to follow me, which had begun to get on my last nerve. I stopped in front of my chambers and Tobias almost ran right into me.

"Where were you planning on going?" I didn't need him to question my actions.

"Well, my lord" He was stuck, without words. Had he thought before spoke, maybe he would have known what to say. "I wanted to help you." He stumbled on the words as he spoke them, made nervous by the cross look on my face. "Please, let me take her off your hands, so you may rest."

I could see the fear in his eyes as I bared my fangs. What made me so irritable, I don't know. Maybe it was what had happened to me or it was this child who bore so heavily on me? It couldn't have just been the literal weight of the child that bothered me, so what was it? Well, whatever it was, I didn't have the time to worry about it. Before any more words or jests could be shared, I entered my room. I had kicked the door open with my foot. I stalked mindlessly over to my bed. Tobias still remained at the open door, and so I motioned for him to leave and close the door. With what little light from the door gone, my room was dark. It took little time for my eyes to adjust.

My brick walls had remained the same dull color since I first set foot in the room. Metal bars twisting around each other to form my bed were also a dull grey. The only thing that truly had color in my room was my clan banner, but the two colors did nothing to brighten the room. My room was a reflection of myself, lacking of color and dull. The only items that could be of any interest were the many books that adorned my floor and nightstand. Even they lacked color. This train of thought had almost made me forget about the young woman in my arms that now stirred.

Her wounds had stopped bleeding for now, but they would still need to be cleaned and wrapped. What was left of her clothing was covered in blood. Her face now lacked its natural rosy color, replaced with dry blood. I hadn't a clue how long this child would live since she had lost so much blood, but I laid her down upon my bed. A silent moan escaped her lips as she tried to wiggle under the covers. Finally, she achieved her goal; she snuggled and hid her face in my pillow. I pulled a chair from my desk to the side of bed and watched her breathing. She didn't seem to have a care in the world, but her life was about to change completely.