Soul

"So uncool," i sighed, staring at the hole the slip of a girl escaped through. She was obviously more trouble than she was worth. My throat burned at the thought of a missed meal, but there were always alternatives.

While hunting in the forest for game wasn't near as exciting as hunting a real human, it was safer, drew less attention. Usually screamed less. My fingers smoothed over the healing knot in my head, grimacing at the memory of being assaulted with a broken piece of wood. The offending object sat innocently on the floor as i narrowed my eyes on it. A hundred years worth of sleep must have made me sloppy if such an ordinary girl could attack me so easily.

She even managed to slip away.

"Too much of a bother," i stated aloud, trying to convince myself. There had been fire smouldering away in those green eyes. Oddly enough when I mentioned I was a vampire her fear did not increase. Instead she seemed to relax, as if having a name to her foe had made it less scary.

She had been such an odd little thing, with little more than rags for clothing and uneven pigtails unsuccessfully holding back dirty blonde hair. Odd, but slightly intimidating for a human.

Another yawn took me as the call to sleep seemed more and more appealing the longer I went without feeding.

My eyes scanned the room once more, falling on once regal and expensive furniture. I must have had rowdy guests during my sleep, as oft is the case with the odd bunch i had managed to acquire as friends. Or, close acquaintances. I shrugged at the mess before slowly making my way to the stairs, doing everything I could to pull the will to climb the damn things-

A wolf's cry pierced through the night, the message of a hunt hidden in the sound. My brows creased at the thought. Normal wolves couldn't send messages in howls, only noise. Slowly my brain warmed up as the obvious answer presented itself.

Not wolves then, werewolves.

Another howl, excitement tingeing the air even at such a distance.

And then a scream.

My eyes widened at the thought of the damned beasts finding the girl. I hadn't been in the mind to drain her, I was simply going to take my fill and deposit her high as a kite at the edge of the nearest town. I had never had the stomach to take a human life, but if i did it would be painless. Like falling into bliss.

Werewolves couldn't do that. They ravaged a body, sometimes tearing it to pieces. And if they left even a small piece of their victim's heart it would spell a curse worse than death as a new wolf would be born on the next moon, hungry and violent.

I fisted my hair as another panicked scream rent the air, followed quickly by another howl. They were chasing her, hunting her. Playing with her.

Soon i was moving without thought, following her sloppy trail as her scent seemed to be everywhere, drops of drying blood hanging from knifelike branches, pieces of thin cloth laying scattered among the bush.

I stopped at the exact spot the foolish girl had encountered the gluttonous creatures, her fear spiking to new heights and it was intoxicating. I was almost jealous I couldn't elicit such a reaction from her before my other senses picked up the frantic beat of her heart and the snarls of beasts nearby.

Imagine how strongly she would feel should I save her. A smile ticked at the side of my mouth before I followed the growls silently, my body crouching low, ready to pounce and attack.

I slipped through a thick bramble patch to come across a rather disappointing sight.

The foolish girl had climbed up a tree, as if to escape the rabid beasts with a height advantage.

"They can climb you know," I called out, I couldn't help myself. All parties froze as the girl turned fear filled emerald eyes towards me, before a frown made its way to her face.

"Oh great, the gods couldn't spare me a painless death, now i must spend my last moments being antagonized by you," her voice was filled with venom and I couldn't stop the smile that spread. She was a cheeky thing, full of fire.

"I would be careful how i address ones savior. I may leave you here to fend for yourself."

"I hardly need saving," she retorted and I couldn't stop my snort. Her face turned a delicious shade of red. My did anger look good on her.

"Very well. Far be it from me to deny a lady a dog death," i motion for the mostly mindless creatures growling at the trunk of the tree. The full moon peaked out from behind the clouds and the wolves began to grow, standing on two legs and letting out guttural growls as the shift took over.

I should have been killing them instead of antagonizing the stupid wretch. Now I would be against two full sized brutes without a weapon and strength.

"I've changed my mind," she yelped out as one of the beasts began climbing the tree. The frantic beating of her heart spurring me forward. I pulled on the scruff of the climbig wolf, tossing it to the side easily. The displacement of air cued me to the other wolf's attack and i ducked, letting it's razor sharp claws dig into the bark of the tree instead of my head, a decidedly good decision on my part as I wouldn't look nearly as dashing without it. I spun out of the way of another attack, already feeling the effects of my slumber wear me down. Another swipe and another dodge. It became a dance, and i imagined the classical music Wes would play on his violin, following the steps carefully, losing myself to the memory

One of the wolves bared its fangs at me, snapping me from the past. Large eyes darted past me and i couldn't help myself. I looked over my shoulder for the briefest of moments to find the slip of a girl sliding down the tree, eyes trained on the fight. I didn't even know her name to call her stupid.

The wolf to my side darted towards her and I twisted, reacting to save the stupid girl. Sharp claws dug into the beasts throat, pulling out its throat and effectively ending its life. But not before fangs dug into the calf of my leg, tearing into my skin and setting the area ablaze with pain. I tore the second wolf's throat out, lifting the beast above me and dripping the blood in my mouth, spilling it down my throat and onto my chest. Hoping beyond hope it would ease the pain.

Instead it seared and my fuzzy brain recalled the reaction of a wolves bite with a vampires immune system. I had to get back to the manor. I had to find the wolfsbane and pray it hadn't died in the untended garden.

I had to-

My body became heavy as I fell, the venom spreading too quickly for me to make it back. My eyes flitted to the damn girl. If she would have left me to sleep none of this ever would have happened.

She stood at the base of the tree, doe eyes and breathing heavily as if she were the one that danced with the wolves.

I expected her to flea, as was her right, when she did something odd. She looked over her shoulder, towards her path to freedom, took a deep breath and then sighed.

"I owe you a debt," her voice was soft as she approached me, her footsteps like thunder in the eerily quiet forest. She looked scared, so scared she may cry, but she took brave steps forward until she crouched before me. I lost myself in her doe eyes for a moment until i could myself reflected in them. I was drenched in the blood of my kill. Not fit to touch something as pure as this brave girl before me.

Brave and foolhardy, but brave.

She slipped her arm beneath mine, using her knees she pulled me into standing and Death did it hurt. My whole body was thrumming with venom, and yet her touch seemed to soothe as she began limping me home.

It was fortunate she had not made it far after her mad dash to escape.

She kicked my door in, not bothering with the knob at all and I was impressed. Or i would have been if the shakes hadn't started. She seemed to notice as she moved me quickly to one of the few unbroken lounges in the grand entrance. With great care she laid me down, furrowing her brows as she examined me from head to toe.

"Vampires are suppose to heal, and yet you are not."

"Astute observation," i gritted out as a rather nasty shiver ran through my body,lanced with pain.

"The werewolf bite must be venomous," her eyes immediately darted to my leg before flitting back to my face. She looked decidedly uncomfortable, her cheeks taking on a rosy tint as her mind began trying to find some solution.

"You are not wrong."

"How can i help." I scoffed at her sincere look. She puffed her cheeks out at me before kicking my good shin. I couldn't contain the yelp of pain. "I owe you a debt and I intend to pay. How may I help?"

"Even if it means being bonded to me for the rest of your short short life," I murmured, my vision beginning to blur. It was as if there was a halo of light surrounding the girl's tangled hair. She looked soft, delicait. Like something that should be cherished. I waited for her to leave. To choose herself over me as everyone else had when she did something odd.

She nodded, as if resolved.

"I owe a life debt, and should it be required I will pay it with a bonding." her cheeks were pink, as if she knew what it would entail. As if she had somehow learned what the bonding ritual was like.

"There is a silver plant with purple lining the edges of the leaves through those doors, bring three leaves and something to crush them with," my voice was weak, darkness taking my vision as i motioned in the vague direction on the central garden. The venom was swimming in my blood, affecting my senses. She squeezed my hand once before flitting away to do as instructed.

There was a slim chance this would even work now that the venom was sufficiently drowning me. It felt like I was floating, almost weightless.

"Now what?" The girl's voice was soft as she stomped her way back into the room.

"Once it's crushed… mix it with your blood… then feed it to me."

"There aren't any utensils," the girl furrowed her brow.

"With your mouth," I couldn't stop the upturn of my lips, even as my vision swam and distorted everything in sight. I expected the girl to give up. To let me die. After all what sane person wants to kiss a vampire on their deathbed? I studied her as best I could as she seemed to fidget.

The smell of blood bloomed in the air, causing my eyes to widen. She looked uncertain for a moment, just a fraction of a second as my blurred vision caused bursts of light to backlight her, the halo intensifying.

And then she brought her palm up to her lips, the smell of blood mixing with the metallic scent of the wolfsbane.

I opened my mouth to warn her against it, to tell her it might not even work with the venom so advanced but she took that as invitation. Her lips were soft, the hint of blood calling to me. My tongue ran over the seam of her lips, greedily seeking the prize hidden within. The wolfsbane made her blood tart, tainted, but i was still drunk on it.

Flashes of memories that did not belong to me began flitting across my eyelids as she moaned into the kiss. She was inexperienced but pliable, her lips following my lead as the dizzying images began to form the story of her life.

I pulled her against me, feeling stronger as the wolfbanes flushed out the toxins in my body. I was so drunk off the small amount of blood in the kiss, so high off the images and memories bombarding me, I hadn't noticed i was simply kissing her to kiss her. There was no longer any medicinal blood she was offering me via her soft lips, just light moans and soft whimpers.

I pulled away slowly, studying the girl now laying in my lap. Hazy emerald eyes looked back at me before they grew lidded. She bonelessly fell into me and I cradled her head to my chest, reveling in the feel of her body against mine, her soft breathing fanning over the open tears in my flimsy shirt.

After a few moments her memories seemed to settle within me.

Maka Albarn, age 19. First in her class at a school she scrimped and saved in order to attend. A hard working girl that strived for excellence in all things. She had a womanizing father and an absent mother whose face she cannot recall. A best friend that was essentially adopted due to unforeseen circumstance and a well trained horse that usually comes on command. She was a smart little spitfire and suddenly i felt so very sad. And disappointed.

I held within my arms such an extraordinary girl, and yet I had allowed her to bind herself to the most useless Vampire in the entire existence of Vampires.

"Maybe Kidd will know a way to undo this," I murmured against flaxen hair. The girl appeared to be drained of all energy, sleeping peacefully away on the chest of her most hated enemy as of a few moments ago. It was difficult to separate the screaming little creature that had ruined my sleep from the strong image I had of her in my head.

Knowing what I now know I carefully scooped her up and moved silently to my room, ignoring the signs around home of possible past intruders or one of Blackstar's destructive house parties ,to deposit her in my bed. I couldn't stop myself from lingering, from watching as the slip of a girl simply breathed. It was hard to pull away, her soft face and luscious lips seeming to pull me in. But I hesitated. Maka Albarn did not like men. She loathed the whole gender. Saw the lot as nothing more than animalistic barbarians to be shunned and ignored.

A wicked smile graced my lips as her brows drew together while in the throws of a bad dream.

She had given her first kiss away to the worst of them all.