Chapter 10: welcome to the coven
Rainwater dripped steadily from Pietro's drenched hair and the knees of his jeans were soaked through with mud. Little clouds formed from his breath, but the cold had no effect on him. His eyes were red from crying and his throat ached from sobs that had choked him and left him unable to breathe. But now he had run out of tears. All he had left was a hollow, empty feeling inside him, a hole in his heart where Clint belonged. Poor Clint, he didn't deserve this. He had done nothing wrong, nothing. He had simply tried to help and gotten lost in the effort.
I'm the one to blame for all this, Pietro thought miserably. I'm the monster.
That was why he had to leave, no matter how much he wanted to go back. Every second he knelt there in the mud, he felt the pull of home trying to lure him back into the city, to Avengers Tower, to Wanda, to Clint. But he couldn't. He had to resist, he had to leave. He had to keep Clint safe, and he never would be as long as Pietro was there.
Another dry sob escaped him and he slowly hauled himself to his feet. If he was truly going to leave, he had to do it now. He couldn't risk getting stuck outside when the sun rose. He had to make his choice. Go back and find a way to fix things with Clint, or keep running until he found someplace to lay low. He looked over his shoulder, back at the city lights.
"I'm so sorry, Clint," he whispered.
He turned his back on New York City and ran off into the darkness.
Pietro finally stopped in a small city many miles away. He didn't know the city's name or even what state he was in, but it was far from Manhattan and that was all that mattered. The streets were quiet and deserted except for the occasional car and a few drunks. It wasn't raining here, but it clearly had rained earlier; puddles stood in clogged gutters and the pavement glistened in the orange light of the street lamps.
Pietro walked along with his hands in his pockets, looking for a motel sign or maybe a light in an apartment where someone might let him stay until the next sunset. All of a sudden he stopped. There was a smell on the air, a familiar scent... the smell of blood. Then somebody screamed. Pietro ran in the direction of the sound and found himself in an alley behind a bar. A young woman was lying on the ground, twitching and whimpering, pinned down by someone else, another woman. At the sound of Pietro's approach, the woman looked up. She was pale as death with red eyes. A sinister smile lit up her face at the sight of him and a trickle of blood ran down her chin.
"You're a vampire," Pietro said.
"Yes, I am," the woman said. "So are you."
Pietro just stared at her, his gaze wandering down to the bloody wound on the girl's neck.
"I can share if you're hungry," the woman said.
"I couldn't," said Pietro.
"Oh god, you're not one of those 'vegetarian' pansies, are you?" the woman groaned.
"No," said Pietro defensively. "I just... I..."
"You're not from around here. I'd know you if you were. Where'd you wander in from, then?"
"New York."
"Oho, big city boy, then," said the woman, getting to her feet and walking over to him. "What are you doing in a dump like this then?"
"Running away," said Pietro quietly.
"Homeless then. Looking for a place to stay. Why don't you come live with us?"
"Us?" Pietro echoed.
"Yeah. There's a whole coven of us here in town," the woman said. "You can join us."
"I don't know..." said Pietro. "I don't even know who you are."
"Lesandra. And you are?"
"Pietro."
"Well, Pietro. What say you?" said Lesandra. "Would you like to join your brothers and sisters? Or would you rather wander up and down the east coast by yourself?"
Pietro hesitated, glancing behind Lesandra at the barely alive girl lying on the pavement. He knew what going with her and joining this coven meant. It meant he'd be fully embracing his life as a vampire, as a monster. He'd be killing people for food, innocent people. But he'd be with other vampires. People who would understand him. His own kind. And the thought of being alone after all this time with the Avengers, with a family...
"Okay," he said. "I'll join you."
Lesandra smiled.
"I hoped you would," she said. "What d'you say I get this to-go, and I can introduce you to your new family?"
She turned and picked up the girl, slinging her over her shoulder like a sack of flower, then beckoned to Pietro.
He followed Lesandra through the city, through all the dark alleys, until they reached a big old house in a neighborhood on the edge of town. Lesandra fished a key out of her pocket and unlocked the door.
"Come on in," she said, leading the way inside.
Pietro followed her over the threshold into a surprisingly well lit house. The windows were all covered with thick, dark curtains, but every room was full of decorative lamps, each more elaborate than the next. The furniture and decor was comfortable and modern with a hint of the ornate, just enough to suggest that yes, a family of vampires lived here. Just off the entrance hall was the living room, where several vampires were lounging around. Lesandra led Pietro into the room and they looked up. One of them, a man who had probably been in his forties when he was changed, stood and walked over to them. He was taller than Pietro and had broad shoulders and a stern face. Between that and the leather trenchcoat, he cut a very intimidating figure.
"Who's this?" the man asked.
"This is Pietro. He's new in town. Thought I'd give him a home," said Lesandra.
"How long have you been a vampire, boy?" the man said, turning to Pietro.
"Um... a couple months," Pietro replied.
"Young, then," said the man. "Good. It'll be easier for you to learn our ways with so little history behind you. My name is Jackson. Welcome to the coven."