The dark was her comfort, the shadows wrapped around her like a heavy blanket. She was a creature of night. In the dark she belonged and in the shadows she remained, draped in mystery, lingering on the edges of other's consciousness. She would stalk her pray in silence, luring them deeper into the dark where she would only take what she needed. She never needed much, preferring to spare their lives. She had become well acquainted with death long ago. She did not need more in her presence.
Her teeth sunk into her prey and the sweet taste of blood pooled into her mouth and she drank hungrily. She could taste his sins and they were oh so sweet. Perhaps it was her hunger, perhaps it was the flavor, but she look a little more this time, giving in to the warmth that flooded her.
"Lenora," Someone called to her, shaking her out of the memory. Lenora looked up at the woman standing before her. She was a sweet girl with a kind smile. The sound of the girl's heart beating echoed in Lenora's ears and the smell was sweet but not overly so.
"Yes?" Lenora asked after a few moments had passed. She watched the younger woman tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
"Would you like to join me for lunch?" She asked and looked over her shoulder. Lenora followed her gaze. It was a beautiful day, one of the few sunny days in London. "You look as though you could benefit from some fresh air."
"No, thank you." Lenora offered an apologetic smile, "I have too much work to catch up on."
"Lenora," The girl sighed and rested her hand over Lenora's stilling her pen. Lenora looked into the kind eyes of her coworker. "You are so pale and your hands are so cold." The girl lifted Lenora's hand and held it. "Are you sick, Lenora? I worry about you."
"I am fine, Molly." Lenora assured, gently pulling her hand from the girl's warm grip. Lenora smiled softly at the girl before going back to her work. "Why don't you go enjoy the sunshine?"
"Fine." Molly sighed. "Will you at least attend my birthday party this weekend?" Lenora looked back up at her, pausing before smiling.
"I wouldn't miss it for the world."
"They've been drained of their blood?" Ciel repeated in mild disbelief. He had encountered a number of oddities in his brief career, but nothing so blatant. "Let me guess, there are bite marks on their necks."
"Quite quick you are." The Undertaker giggled as he turned the corpse's head, exposing the neck. There were two puncture wound with a slight bruising around it, no doubt caused by teeth. "It seems we'd have a case of vampires on our hands. I must say, I'm quite fond of their work. Delicate and precise."
"Surely, you don't believe in such creatures." Ciel commented, not completely convinced. He looked at the bodies before him, each one drained entirely of blood, all with similar bite marks. Some only had one, others seemed bitten all over. Ciel stepped closer and looked at one of the bodies with several marks. The marks, though similar, had some variations. "It looks as though there is more than one assailant."
"Very good." Undertaker giggled as he watched the earl. "True vampires or not, it does bring some concern doesn't it?"
"The queen is upset so many of her subjects are meeting this ill fate." Ciel explained as he straightened up. "I have given my word to assuage her fears." Ciel turned on his heel and began to head for the door. "We are leaving, Sebastian." He instructed and the butler opened the door, allowing the little earl to walk through.
Ceil was helped into the carriage and the two settled in. The carriage jerked as the horses pulled it away from the shop, heading back to the townhouse. They sat in silence for a small while and Sebastian waited patiently with his ever present smile. Ciel watched him, looking for any sign that could answer his question without him having to ask. Ciel sighed when Sebastian's face was as schooled as ever.
"Do they?" Ciel asked, breaking the silence and Sebastian's red eyes opened slowly, peering at his master. "Vampires," Ciel elaborated, trying to sound bored. "Do they exist?"
"I would have thought those corpses were evidence enough." Sebastian mused.
"The marks could have been faked." Ciel pointed out. "Thought I cannot imagine multiple people trying to play the same trick." Ciel looked out the window and watched the people as they passed. Vampires were real, then. His head began to spin with thoughts on the matter. He had many questions burning to be asked but he did not want to play games with his demons.
"I would not anticipate seeing many out in broad daylight." Sebastian spoke up, pulling Ceil's attention from the window. Ceil scowled at the small smile his butler offered. Sebastian had a wealth of knowledge and he was dangling it infront of the child. Temptations, temptations. "While they won't burn from the sun's light in the way you may think, they tend to stick the comfort of darkness."
"But they can walk among us, none of us the wiser." Ciel picked up and Sebastian nodded.
"Anyone you pass on the street could be such creature of night," Sebastian continued. "Though rare, some do try to integrate themselves into society."
"How does one tell the difference?" Ciel asked, his grip on his cane tightening slightly.
"Well," Sebastian smirked and crooked a finger under his lip in thought, "I'd venture to guess you'll know when one tries to sink their teeth into you."
"Hurry, Lenora." Molly whined as she waited for her friend to lock up the office. The girl looked around nervously, her blond curls bouncing around her shoulders. "Why must you always stay so late?"
"What's wrong?" Lenora giggled as she pocketed the key and linked her arm with the blonde's. "Don't tell me you're afraid of the dark. The sun isn't even fully set." The two began walking down the street, people rushing past to get inside.
"Haven't you heard?" Molly asked her friend and Lenora just raised her eyebrows, waiting. "There's been a string of murders!" Molly whispered, lowering her voice so those passing couldn't hear. "There's rumors of vampires." Lenora laughed loudly at her blonde friend though her stomach knotted.
"Don't tell me you still believe in monsters." Lenora dismissed.
"Lenora, I'm serious." Molly whispered, pulling her friend closer to her as they walked down the dark street, their heels clicking on the cobblestone as carriages passed. "There are bite marks on the bodies, and they've been drained of blood." Lenora swallowed and tried to remain calm. There were vampires, there were more of her in London. She already knew this, it was nothing new, but a spree of murders by vampires? Something was wrong.
"Molly," Lenora sighed and patted her friend's arm as they neared her home. "Molly, listen to me." She explained gently. "As long as we keep our wits about us, we'll be fine." She studied the sweet girl's face and smiled softly, reaching up and squeezing her cheeks gently. "Don't go off with strangers, stick to the main roads, don't go out at night," Lenora began listing off the general safety practices of women and Molly rolled her eyes and giggled, shaking her friend off of her.
"Lenora," Molly sighed, making Lenora chuckle. "You're like a mother with all of your worrying."
"I'm not the one believing in fairy tales." Lenora pointed out and the two women stood there, smiling at each other as the sun set. Molly and Lenora were like night and day. Molly had blonde hair and bright green eyes, full of youth and laughter. Her rosy cheeks and full pink lips gave her an innocent look and Lenora envied her some days. Molly was tall and lovely, always the life of a party. Lenora tend to keep to the fringes of social gatherings, an air of mystery surrounding her.
Lenora's dark curls were pinned back under a small hat. Her dark eyes were almost black and stood out against her pale skin. Where Molly had a flush of youth and excitement, Lenora looked pale as snow. The two women were beautiful, but where one had the beauty of youth, the other had the elegance of a woman in control, always poised and patient.
Lenora smiled brightly at her friend but when she saw Molly's look of confusion, Lenora's smile fell.
"Molly?" She asked, reaching out to her friend but Molly stepped back. "Molly, what's wrong?" The blonde girl didn't look away from Lenora's face and she could see the wheels turning in her head.
"I uhm," Molly hesitated, staring at Lenora still, "I am going to go. Goodnight, Lenora." Molly bid goodnight and began to head up the steps to her townhome.
"Goodnight, Molly." Lenora called after. Lenora had smiled at her many, many times and while Lenora's canines were sharp, they typically weren't too noticeable. She brought her fingers up to her lips in thought. Surely, she didn't notice.
Lenora shook her head at the thought and continued on down the street. Every night she walked Molly home, for the girl's own safety. She started this when Molly would wait for her as she closed up the offices. It was only fair.
Her heels clicked on the cobblestone and once the sun was fully set, most decent folk were inside, locked away for the night. Lenora preferred it this way, less stares, less attention. She reveled in the freedom of the night. Smiling to herself she gave a little spin as she walked, letting a girlish giggle erupt from her throat as she did so. The moon was shining, making the cobblestones glow.
The street was empty now, with only a few drunks moaning from the alleys as she passed. Street by street she walked, losing herself in the town. Sleep wasn't something she needed often and it was such a lovely evening. How could she spend it inside?
A scream ripped through the night, echoing through the now empty streets as the moon hung over head as though watching. The scream of terror bounced off of the town homes and echoed through the alleys.
"Sebastian!" Ciel called as he turned on his heels and took off down the street. "That was only a few blocks away! How did we miss it?" The two dashed down the street, Sebastian following close behind his master as they turned a corner. The screaming had faded to tired sobs as the life was drained from the victim. Ceil skid around the corner and froze at the sight.
A woman was wrapped in a man's embrace, his teeth sunk into the flesh of her neck as blood poured from his mouth, down her neck and dripped off her arms. Her head had fallen back and her unfocused eyes found Ciel and his butler. With what little strength she had left she lifted her hand and reached for him, silently pleading for help, for him to save her.
"Sebastian," Ciel spoke, ready to give his order to intervene, but he didn't have to, someone had already stepped in. Before Ciel could give his order, claws gripped the man's hair and yanked him away from the woman. The man swore, his eyes shining red with hunger as he was tossed against the opposite wall, a hand flying through the air and striking him, the claws leaving scratches along his cheek. The man stared at the attacker and bared his fangs, hissing.
The woman who stood before him, her own eyes glowing, bared her own fangs and hissed out her own warning, stepping between the man and the woman who lay crumpled on the ground.
"We need to get to her." Ciel said quietly to his butler, but Sebastian gripped his arm, stopping him. Sebastian didn't often stop Ciel and the boy looked up in mild surprise. Sebastian's eyes were narrowed and fixed on the two hissing creatures before them.
"It's best we stay out of the way for now." Sebastian advised. "It is not advisable to interfere in a territory dispute between two vampires."
"They are both vampires?" Ciel asked as he watched them. The two were hunched a bit, arms extended to their sides, ready to strike.
The two shifted, the woman standing firmly infront of the victim, her teeth barred still in warning as she watched man, blood dripping from his mouth. He looked at the woman on the ground, her pulse so faint he could no longer hear it. Slowly, the assailant righted himself and smirked at the feral woman. He straightened his suit and continued to stare. He had what he wanted. She had arrived too late. Lenora narrowed her eyes at him and hissed, daring him to step closer. Instead, the man before her shifted into a bat, his wings lifting him into the air. Lenora waited only a moment before spinning on her heal and rushing to the woman's side.
"Who are you?" A boy called as she pressed her hand against the woman's bleeding neck.
"She needs help." Lenora ignored the question as she pulled out a handkerchief, pressing that to the wound instead. She looked up to the boy and his butler, her eyes still red with thirst. "Where is your carriage?" She asked.
"What do you need with my carriage?" Ceil asked, growing frustrated with her ignoring his questions.
"She needs a doctor." Lenora explained. "She's dying." She turned her attention back to the dying woman, beginning to lift her.
"And why does a vampire care for the wellbeing of a human?" Ciel asked. Lenora was visibly startled and she almost dropped the woman. She stared at Ciel, her red eyes meeting his singular blue. For a brief moment, she flicked her gaze to the man looming behind him and she smirked.
"Why is a demon bound to a child?"