The pounding beat of the club was so loud that Elsa was no longer certain it qualified as music. She sat in a booth in a darker corner of the crowded club. Her drink sat relatively untouched. She sighed and stirred it absently. Mortals are so boring, she mused. Over the centuries, the dances may have changed, but their purpose had not. It was a mating display. There were some people out there who where good dancers, but mostly it was a sea of people gyrating in a mock sex act. Normally the sense of the pumping blood, the excitement in the air, and flirtatious stares were enough to satisfy her, but tonight Elsa found the usual routine lacking.
Somewhere close to midnight, as the club seemed to reach a boiling point, Elsa's eyes were drawn to a young woman entering the room. She was vibrant. Her mass of curly red hair was haphazardly pulled into a messy ponytail to keep it out of beautiful blue eyes. Her body seemed to hum with energy that would barely be contained. Elsa let her gaze travel downward to the woman's black shirt. It sported the Scottish flag. She lingered on the subtle curve of breasts before dipping down further, noting the hourglass lines of her body. She looked up again, blue eyes meeting her own. Elsa smiled slowly, not ashamed she'd been caught staring. The woman raised a brow. Elsa tilted her head back, motioning for her to come over to her table. The woman seemed amused by the invitation, if the smirk was any indication, and made her way through the throng of people. When she reached the table, she slid into the seat across from Elsa.
"I've barely walked into the bar and already attracted the attention of a beautiful woman, usually people only flirt with me for my accent." It was true that the lilting Scottish accent was intoxicating, but that was not the most interesting thing about this woman, not by a long shot. "I'm Merida," she said.
"Elsa."
"Can I ask you a personal question?" Merida asked. Elsa raised a brow, but nodded. "How long have you been a vampire?"
"About four hundred years, I don't really keep track anymore. How long have you been a were?" Elsa asked.
"Born with it, I'm afraid. It's a family trait. I do appreciate you not assuming I'm a wolf."
"I've seen too many different kinds to make that assumption. Would you like a drink?" Elsa asked. Merida nodded. Elsa caught the attention of one of the bartenders and raised a finger.
"Come here a lot, do you?" Merida asked.
"Most of the workers here are members of my community." Elsa enjoyed the easy banter between them, something she found extremely rare to come by most nights.
"Are they your servants?"
"Something like that, I'm in charge of this area. I watch over the young bloods, and try to keep us out of the news."
Merida rested a hand on her chin as she studied Elsa. "You must be powerful."
"Relatively." A waitress brought over a beer for Merida. Merida tipped the woman and took a swig.
"Can I ask you something personal?" Elsa asked.
Merida smiled. "Of course."
"What kind of were are you?"
"Bear." Merida pulled up the sleeve of her t-shirt to reveal an intricate Celtic knot-work bear.
Elsa raised a brow and allowed her gaze to trace the lines of the tattoo. They contrasted well against Merida's muscular bicep. "Very nice. Is that your only tattoo?"
"I have a few others. Maybe I'll show them to you later." Merida toyed with the now empty bottle of beer, twisting the neck between her fingers.
Elsa grinned. "I look forward to it."
"Where are you from?" Merida asked.
"Norway originally, before I was turned I mean."
"Huh, I wouldn't have guessed, no accent at all."
"I've been in America for some time now. What about you? Scotland?"
"Aye."
"I didn't think there were still bears in Scotland."
"A long time ago, my clan was discovered for what it was. When people found out we were hunted, and forced to flee." Merida's eyes darkened.
"My apologies. I didn't mean to bring up unpleasant memories." Elsa reached across the table and lay her hand on Merida's arm. Merida looked down at the touch and smiled faintly.
"It's alright, it was a long time ago."
"Let's talk about something more pleasant," Elsa suggested.
"Hmm, there is something I've always wondered about vampires," Merida smiled. If it weren't for the flirtatious tone in Merida's voice, Elsa would have been worried. Absently she brushed her fingers up and down Merida's forearm.
"What would that be?" She smiled when Merida shuddered from her touch.
"In all the books, and movies, you see people who are addicted to being fed on by vampires. Is that true?" Elsa noted Merida's eyes were focused on her lips.
"Somewhat, there are people who enjoy the thrill of a vampire feeding on them, or enjoy the pain. The answer is no in the sense that we don't have hormones or anything we inject with our fangs. But it can be quite pleasurable, especially if the vampire is skilled."
Merida took Elsa's hand in her own and lightly traced each digit. "And would you be a skilled vampire?"
Elsa slid out of the booth and held out her hand in an invitation. "Would you like to find out?"
Merida smiled and took Elsa's outstretched hand. She led them through the club and up a set of stairs in the back to the V.I.P. lounge. The pounding music lessened considerably once Elsa closed and locked the door behind them. The room had burgundy plush carpet, a bar and even a few couches lining one of the sides of the room. Merida looked around at the lush furnishings of the lounge and whistled.
"You certainly know how to treat a girl right."
"I try." Elsa moved closer to Merida. "Before we begin, I just wanted to be clear on whether I was allowed to feed on you or not."
"Will it hurt?"
"Not any worse than your tattoo." Elsa said. "Just a small puncture with my teeth." She opened her mouth, her fangs showing.
"Well, show me how good you are with these hands." Merida brought Elsa's palms to rest on her collarbone. "And how good you are with those lips…then we'll see about the bite." Her gaze deliberately lowered. She placed her hands on Elsa's hips.
Elsa leaned forward and kissed along her neck. She ran her hands down Merida's side. "I find you strangely exhilarating," she admitted.
"Exhilarating, am I?" Even as Merida asked, Elsa could feel her pulse racing under her lips, could sense her heart thudding harder. The sheer life that filled this woman thrilled her in a way that she had not expected it to. She closed her lips over Merida's pulse point and shuddered. It was tempting to just bite her now, but knew she would have to wait for the were's permission.
"You have no idea," she said, drawing her lips away. She met Merida's gaze, her blue eyes intense.
"I will admit that I'm curious. I've never bedded a vampire before." Merida's gaze dropped to her lips again.
"And you would make my first were," Elsa confessed. She grinned, showing off her fangs again.
"Are you a patient person?" Merida asked.
"No."
Elsa felt Merida's hand move to her chin, gripping hard and pulling up to make their lips meet. She groaned and allowed her arms to wrap around Merida, drawing her close. Her lips were full and rich, better than Elsa had imagined. Merida's hands moved down to her hips, grabbing roughly and backing them into the nearest wall. Elsa gasped, surprised that for once she was not the one in complete control of the situation. Carefully, she pushed against Merida's chest, attempting to take her down to the carpeted floor. Merida did not budge and continued to kiss Elsa deeply, letting her hands roam over her body.
She's a were, she's not going to break like a human, she thought. Elsa shoved harder, knocking Merida back into the bar. Elsa picked her up by the waist and set her on the bar, chuckling softly when Merida's eyes widened.
"I forgot you're a vampire for a moment."
Elsa gripped Merida's legs and wrenched them apart. "It's nice to not have to worry about hurting you." She kissed along her neck again, taking the time to nip gently at her earlobe. Her fingers trailed up Merida's thighs.
"Aye, don't hold back." Merida gasped as Elsa undid the button to her jeans. They both worked to quickly tug her pants and undergarments away, giving Elsa better access. She pressed two fingers against Merida's wet center and groaned.
"So aroused for me already?" Elsa asked. She brushed her fingertips over Merida's swollen clit.
"Doesn't take much with someone so lovely." Even as she spoke, her body twitched with pleasure and she leaned into Elsa's fleeting touch. "And so talented."
"Oh, we've barely started."
A/N: Happy Halloween! Yes, this is short, but there will be more coming later. We're going away for the weekend and will be busy non-stop for a couple days, so we wanted to give you all something to read.
Also, you can join Sy this Halloween (Friday, October 31) at 3 pm Pacific time on her twitch channel Luraline. I won't be there, but Rae D Magdon will be making a guest appearance to talk about her latest and upcoming book. Have a wonderful weekend, everyone, and let us know what you want to see from this story. What do you like/hate about modern paranormal romances? What would you like to see us explore with this? Let us know!