What the hell just happened? Man, my fuckin' head . . . throbbing . . . darkness, I can't open my eyes . . . blood . . . oh yeah, that's the good shit. No, my blood . . . fuck, should have healed by now . . . I think . . . shit, how long have I been here? Christ, where is here? . . . On the ground . . . cold, hard . . . rock? Dripping sounds, running water. . . What the fuck is that smell? Incense . . . flesh and blood . . . humans!Jack's eyes snapped open, quickly adjusting to the dim light of the cave. Damn it, the underground portion of the Society of Leopold's "monastery." Jack had been here once before, but not for long; after killing the two rat-bastards that caught him, he had found an opening in the Cliffside and slipped out un-noticed. This time, however, he had no such luck. Now here he was, in a dimly lit, crate filled cave, trapped behind iron bars with three hunters blocking his way out.

Closing his eyes again, Jack waited and listened. Something was wrong, very wrong. First off, hunters rarely stuck around or guarded their prisoners after locking them up. They would normally grab some new equipment that needed to be tested the next night; but these three hadn't fucked off yet. The second problem was the fourth heartbeat, softer and yet slightly stronger than the others . . . youth.More darkness . . . I hate when this fucking happens . . . I need some God damned blood . . . dozing . . . crap-fuck. My last sunrise, waiting for darkness so we can dock this piece of crap and get our asses to a tavern. Biggest problem is whether to spend the swag on rum or a woman . . . or both, first one then the other. The hell? Why are these peckers poking my sides?

"Go to hell."

. . . poke . . .

"Piss off!"

. . . poke . . .

"What the fuck do you want?!" Jolting into an upright position, the former pirate searched the shadows for the source of his annoyance. The three hunters lurking outside of the cage had gone; recently, their scent was still lingering in the air. Now the only thing in the cave worth noting was the small girl holding a candle . . . and the stick she had just been poking him with. You've got to be fucking kidding me . . .. . . poke . . .

"Give me that!" Jack snatched the stick away from the child and fixed her with a piercing, supernatural glare that would have shaken any grown man. Yet the child just sat and stared, tilted her head and grinned. She couldn't be more than 6 years old, but something about her seemed older at a second glance. It could have been the long orange bangs, marking her fire red Irish hair like lightning; maybe it was the eyes of a lover, the astonishing, pale green eyes that held a deep sense of sensuality despite her age. Or it could just be that damned candle light and lack of blood screwing with my judgment. "Do I look like a fucking source of amusement to you?"

"Yes." The child laughed in a soft, silvery voice and said "Especially now that you have my toy."

Jack raised an eyebrow, and tossed the stick to the other end of the cage. "Tough shit, kid. What the hell are you doin' here anyways? I thought the hunters didn't let kids near their monastery." He casually leaned back against the stone wall the cage was built around, and watched the girl out of the corner of his eye, as she too made herself comfortable in her rocky surroundings.

"I was born here. They found my mother on a beach when I was in her tummy. I don't know what happened to my father, though. No one has ever found him. I had a twin, but she died when we were born. The Brothers of Leopold have raised me and taught me their ways. They have taught me all they know of vampires, werewolves and all that stuff."

"Uh huh, so why are you here? Why are you down here where they keep prisoners? And why were you poking me with cock sucking stick?"

A look of puzzlement crossed the girls features, and her lips formed a bit of a pout, "What about roosters?" Jack chuckled to himself and shook his head, but didn't answer so the girl shrugged and continued, "Well, there's no one else here that's my age, and the Brothers are too busy to play with me, so I was lonely. I heard they brought in a new 'test subject' so I thought I would come and take a look. And I was poking you with a stick to wake you up; you were talking in your sleep. What's a whore?"

This time Jack just had to laugh out loud, "Kiddo, you can ask the 'Brothers of Leopold' that one, and ask 'em about that 'rooster' while you're at it." A feeling of dizziness quickly and effectively dulled Jack's laughter as the throbbing in his head returned from before, with a vengeance; only this time, it took on the rhythm of the girl's heartbeat. Damn, gotta feed. Kid looks like a decent sized juice bag, and she's close enough to the cage for me to grab her.As if reading his mind, the girl sat up and put her arm through the bars. "You need blood, don't you? You can have some of mine; just don't kill me, okay?"

For the first time in his unlife, Jack hesitated. He didn't know how much blood the kid could hold, it was very possible he would kill her, and he could only imagine what that would do to his staggering amount of humanity. "What's your name, kid?"

"My mother named me Raziya Rodriguez, but I sometimes take on her maiden name, de la Vega." The ex-pirate nodded as he gently bit into her small, tender arm and felt an explosion of ecstasy as the blood flowed into his mouth. The flavor was unlike any blood he had ever had, very rich and very sweet. It kept on coming, her heart did not falter for a second, and Jack was able to drink more than his fill. He did not stop until he heard the gentle gasp and soft moan escape her delicate lips, only then did he realize how much he had taken. It wasn't enough to kill her, yet it was enough to exhaust her and send her into an early sleep.

Three months had passed since Jack had first arrived at the monastery. He had to escape, and he could do it, now that his strength had finally returned. His body began to glow an eerie blue as he manipulated his Potence discipline, enhanced his strength, and bent the iron bars just enough for him to be able to slip through. Now he only had to find his way through the underground tunnels and find a way out without getting caught.

"Where are you going?" Raziya's shimmering whisper sounded from Jack's side, catching him a good deal off guard. Fuck! How the hell did the kid sneak up on me like that? "You know, since I live here, I could help you get out. Follow me!" And in the blink of an eye, she was off, bolting down the stone tunnels, occasionally coming to a stop long enough to check for danger. After about 20 minutes of running in what seemed like endless circles, Raziya came to a halt in front of a large boulder behind some wooden stairs. The boulder was too big to lift, but there was just enough room for the girl to squeeze in. "I guess you can move it since you're real strong, but put it back like this when you're done. It's my hiding spot. It leads to a really deep cave above the surface, the sun can't get in, and only I know about it so you'll be safe. From there you can follow the beach . . . north, I think . . . and you will come to a road."

"Righteous. Thanks Raz, I'll remember this, and I'll try not to kill you when you are a full grown hunter trackin' my ass down. Won't tell you my name, cause that will only make it easier for ya."

Raziya watched as Jack moved the boulder and got behind it. Just as he was moving it back into place, he heard a silvery voice drift in to him. "Demon. wait...I-I love you...but if my love fades before I find you, I will see you turn to dust."

Jack took off down the tunnel and listened as the sound of the girls footsteps died away. Damn, cute AND sinister.Even after all these years, I can still feel it. I can feel my skin reaching that satisfying heat, the lightheaded swoon as my life slowly drained from my wrist with the sweet crimson current. There was both a pleasure and a danger within these moments that my childish mind could not comprehend. As the loss of blood continued, so did my ability to form a conscious thought. It did not occur to me that I was trapped, deep below the ground, beneath the so called "monastery" and home to the Society of Leopold, with a demon. The warmth of the flesh countered by the cold, stone floor should have given me a shock and sent a shiver through my small body. Perhaps the only reason this never happened was because I had not overcome the shock of the vampire's fangs piercing my skin.

Even after all these years, I can still feel it. I can feel my skin reaching that satisfying heat, the lightheaded swoon as my life slowly drained from my wrist with the sweet crimson current. There was both a pleasure and a danger within these moments that my childish mind could not comprehend. As the loss of blood continued, so did my ability to form a conscious thought. It did not occur to me that I was trapped, deep below the ground, beneath the so called "monastery" and home to the Society of Leopold, with a demon. The warmth of the flesh countered by the cold, stone floor should have given me a shock and sent a shiver through my small body. Perhaps the only reason this never happened was because I had not overcome the shock of the vampire's fangs piercing my skin.

The darkness can not recreate. I yearn for his sin with a woman's demanding, and have become a sinner myself. I often lay awake on my straw mattress, trying to remember his roguish charm and gruff voice. "Smiling" Jack, the physical embodiment of pure chaos, has become my merciless dream lover. I am now 18 years old, my time with the Society of Leopold is coming to an end, and my training is complete. Soon I will be able to leave this wretched place and find him, just as I had once said that I would.