Here's chapter 3 for Raziel everyone. Hope to have 4 and five out by the end of the month. Love ya'll! Reviews are appreciated. :)
Anani set aside Raziel's bracer slowly and eased forward an inch, though not enough to crowd the pair kneeling on the floor. Nor did he reach for the woman. No, he was content to wait. To watch. The moment the female showed signs of not doing as she'd been ordered, he would assist in removing her fangs from his Lord's arm.
A small whine escaped Kay's throat when Raziel started to pull her back from the wound. While there was a brief hesitation, enough to gather up and swallow down one more sweet-nectar-need more-potent-rich mouthful of his blood, she allowed him to pull her away. She tried to wipe at her chin to gather up the line of blood that had trailed down her skin during her initial haste, as she didn't want to waste even a single drop of that rich blood, but her attempts to move failed. Her hands were still trapped, and that was a knowledge that she was... oddly okay with her at that moment.
How perplexing.
Normally she'd be upset at being manhandled so. Hunger still pinged at the edges of her thoughts, and yet... she felt content. Drugged even. Kay leaned forward into that larger form and let out a soft, purring growl of a sigh.
The scent and, more importantly, the Magical essence of the one that held her was so very similar to another that... why, for the first time in a long while, she could almost say that she felt safe. It was as if she could take a moment to relax, just for a shutter-snap moment. Maybe even catch her breath. It was... it was like once more being with the one person, the only person, that she had ever learned to trust. The one person to stand at her side when she was both at her best and worst...
"Raphael..." she murmured in a voice almost too soft for even a Vampire to hear. The ghost of a whisper was carried away so swiftly that one might think that they imagined things.
What with the purring emanating from the woman's throat, both males simply mistook what she said for Raziel's own name, only badly slurred. The Elder of the two let out a huff of amusement and smoothed tangled strands of hair from Kay's face. He frowned at the sight of a faint sheen of shock-sweat on her forehead and took a moment to look over her slow to heal wounds. Then, with a shake of his head, he carefully passed the woman over to Anani's waiting arms. Ideally, the weight of an Elder's blood would settle heavily on her stomach and keep her docile long enough for him to gather supplies.
"Tend to her as you would me, were I injured," he ordered his first in a low voice. "I will return shortly."
Raziel paused just long enough to search for and find the small ring of keys that the woman usually kept on her person. Thankfully, they were easy enough to find, tucked away inside the same pouch that housed her clothing. He stood, grabbing his bracer and slipping it back on in a single practiced movement. He then quickly searched the keys for the one she'd shown him before. A key with the symbol of a 'caduceus,' a rod with a pair of wings atop it, and two snakes twinned about it. A healer's symbol if the woman's explanation was to be believed.
The key unlocked one of the 'fridges' in the back of the woman's bar. One that was specially designed to hold a nigh-on limitless supply of blood-packs. Raziel spared one last glance towards the downed Kay to ensure she remained docile before swiftly exiting the building and taking wing.
As Raziel left, Anani pulled the woman carefully to her feet, mindful of the swirling pattern of slow-bleeding wounds that yet graced her backside. He eyed said wounds critically and then frowned. While they were indeed showing signs of healing over, they still bled freely enough that he was concerned. If his Sire was not swift, then the woman might fall prey once more to the siren-song of the Hunger. So perhaps it would be best to bind the wounds for the time being. It might mitigate things.
"My Lady?" Anani shifted her warily as he spoke. "Are you capable of walking?"
"Hn...?" Kay hummed and blinked dazedly as she was pulled to her feet.
She shook her head with a huff as his words finally registered, and she stubbornly tried to take several steps forward on her own. However, her legs failed her in a rather spectacular fashion, and her body collapsed like a puppet whose strings had been cut. Agony shot down the line of her spine like molten lava, and she almost screamed, wishing again for the bliss found in the dark oblivion that was unconsciousness.
By the Balance Eternal... why can I not simply sleep through this? She thought to herself with a small whine. Fuck.
Anani caught the Fledgling easily enough as she fell and then let out a small sigh. Stubborn creature. He eyed the swirling pattern of fissures in her skin and then shook his head.
"I will need to carry you over my shoulder," he said matter-of-factly. "To do anything else would only further aggravate your injuries. Mind that you do not lash out at me as I move you."
With that having been said, he shifted her up and over his shoulder. Her abdomen would be left pressed rather awkwardly against his pauldron. It would by no means be a comfortable position, but it would be a sight better than him attempting to carry her in any other fashion. Another sigh almost escaped his lips as he started towards where his Sire's rooms should be, getting lost in memory.
Kay squirmed and hissed weakly as she was slung over the male's shoulder. Truthfully, only the threat of additional pain if she continued to move about kept her from striking him in retaliation. She hated being carried like this. She wasn't a bloody sack of potatoes...
Anani eyed the woman warily as she settled. He'd been in a similar position before, having had to care for one of Raziel's Brothers when they had been injured while the Elder went out to capture fresh prey. Back then, he'd been left to deal with a foul and short-tempered, injured Elder that could not properly tend to their own needs. This time, he was dealing with a fledgling of the Master that was younger than himself. Of course, respect was owed regardless, but...
He wouldn't lie and say he wasn't pleased to be dealing with her rather than Dumah or Turel. She was reacting far better than most would in her situation. Almost absurdly better. He wondered why he was finding out about the woman only now when she had the control of one at least five if not a full decade Turned. She'd obviously been taught already that lashing out blindly at an Elder trying to help her was a bad idea and led to severe punishment at the hands of one's Sire. Surely his Lord would have warned him had he the chance. Anani would have brought some of the more level-headed members of the Razielim with him to this strange place had he but known to do so.
How shocked would the Elder Vampire carrying her be when he learned that she had been Turned just within the past month alone? Kay would have burst into pained, hysterical laughter if she'd known the path the male's thoughts had taken...
Eventually, once the pain faded to more tolerable levels, she reached out and grabbed hold of his armor to try and push herself up to straighten out the line of her back. Mind, this Elder moved with a leonine gait similar enough to Kain's that it might have been fine... were it any other situation but the one that they found themselves in, that is.
"Who..." she coughed and hissed again in pain before continuing. "Who are you anyway?"
"I am Anani, the First of the Razielim," Anani said, pride writ clear in his tone.
He glanced over his shoulder when he felt her shift about and paused only long enough for her to find a stable bracing point before he continued onward towards his destination.
"Lord Raziel has told me that you are the Master's Seventh," he continued carefully. Respectfully. "Might I ask for your own name, my Lady?"
"Hn... that..." she appreciated the pause and claimed a death grip on his pauldron as well as the straps near the middle of his shoulder blades. "You... hah... you may call me Kay. It'll... save time and prevent any... hn... confusion amongst the ranks, so to speak."
"Confusion, Lady Kay?" he raised a brow and glanced at her once more. "How so?"
He could think of no immediate reason for her name to result in 'confusion amongst the ranks' as she'd put it. While she was not the only female Vampire that graced the current numbers of Nosgoth's Vampiric species, not one of them could have gone by the name that she'd offered up to him.
"Mm..." she leaned toward his neck slightly before freezing with a wince.
Ow. Blood was close, just a bite away, but avoiding further pain was the more immediate concern. It was another moment before she could speak. Honestly, was it the blood-loss that had loosened her tongue regarding something she had kept secret for so long, or the simple fact that the secret was now known to her Mirror? Regardless, she answered him honestly.
"Ngh... My first name is 'Kayne.' K, a, y, n, e," she clarified. "Not k, a, i, n. I think you could... ngh... understand why there might be... some confusion... yeah?"
Even talking hurt. Dammit. Kay had to take small, shallow breaths that inflated her lungs just enough to form words but not enough to actually fill them in full. By the Balance Eternal... again, why couldn't she just pass the fuck out?
"Ah. I... see," Anani tensed when he felt her leaning close to his throat and remained tense even after she stilled herself without him having to warn her.
Was it a coincidence that her name was the same as the Master's, or was the Elder just that vain? Anani shook his head. It was none of his concern. He paused at the doors to one of the upper rooms, doors that looked so very like his Lord's, and then opened them. He glanced around, feeling a bitter sense of nostalgia as he looked the room over. Even this was the same, even if it lacked his Sire's scent. Whoever had built the massive structure had done well in scouting out the original. Were it not for the strange scents in the air, he'd have thought himself back on Nosgoth during the height of the Empire. He moved over to the large, fur-covered bed and leaned forward to place the woman upon it, ensuring that she was sitting up and not aggravating the wounds by laying backward upon them.
"Haaannggh," a growling hiss escaped her at the movements, claws scrambling against armored and un-armored skin alike.
When her face passed close to his neck, she turned and bit at him reflexively. It was both an attempt to punish him for moving her when she was quite obviously hurt and an attempt to obtain the rich blood just under his skin. Blood that she needed to heal. To live.
The claws scrambling over his back and shoulder were ignored, as the wounds caused by such flailing healed swiftly. The attempt to bite, however, was not. Instead, using his superior strength and speed, he grabbed her shoulder and forced her back far enough that her fangs just missed his throat. A low, warning growl escaped him. Fledglings! He took a calming breath and restrained the instinctive urge to cuff her upside the head and simply be done with it.
"My Lady, please be kind enough to calm yourself if you can manage to do so," he said in a low, soothing voice that revealed not an ounce of his current annoyance. "My Sire will return shortly with sustenance aplenty for you, I am sure."
Kay was about to snap at him when Raziel's earlier words flitted through her mind. She hadn't understood the ramifications of his words then, but now that she'd gotten some blood into her system, she could recognize what the older male had meant. Tilting her head, not enough to bare her throat, she looked over the male before her and then smirked as she leaned forward to where their lips were almost touching, hand raising to brush against his throat.
"If I am not mistaken, my… Brother... told you to treat me as you would himself, did he not?" her tone was soft but in no way gentle.
She was hungry, dammit all, and that Hunger was writ plain in her face and in her thoughts. He could feed her. She knew that he could. She just had to convince him to share that siren song that was an Elder's blood flowed through his veins. A subtle, mental call started to thread through the newly opened neural pathways that powered the Whisper ability.
~Share with me,~ she Whispered at him unthinkingly. ~Let me taste you...~
Anani bristled. The obvious Hunger in her eyes, voice, and even leaking out across the Whisper in a near-silent, pleading, demanding call were enough to set anyone's teeth on edge. More so was the fact that she was presuming that his Sire's instructions included him acting as a source of food for her. As if he, Raziel's First, was mere Human cattle put before her for her enjoyment!
"I am to tend to you and your wounds as I would my Sire, not act as your doxy," he said through gritted teeth, his tone going cold.
He shifted her about to remove the rest of her rent and strange-looking tunic. Setting aside the ruined cloth, he then pulled out a roll of bandages from a pouch at his waist and then began to bind her wounds. Though he did tighten them perhaps a little more firmly than he ought to have as he worked.
A hissing huff escaped her at the forceful handling. Want for blood sang through her, and she squirmed about weakly. A need for something else began to bloom in her mind alongside the Hunger, and it did not help matters one bit. That blood and sex seemed to walk hand-in-hand for Vampires was not necessarily unexpected to her. Kay'd known about that fact on an academic level, but it was still strange and would take some time for her to get used to now that she had to experience it for herself.
"Be still," Anani ordered firmly as he worked to keep her still enough to wrap the cloth 'round her chest. "Your wounds need to be bound, and the bleeding halted as much as possible while Lord Raziel obtains your meal. Otherwise, you risk falling into a blood-loss-induced Torpor. Something which can be dangerous for one as young as yourself."
She tried, but the new instincts were difficult to fight on a fundamental level. As the impulse climbed higher still, she found that it wasn't certain which she wanted more; the male's blood or to jump his bones if, or when, she got the chance.
Still... his earlier words amused her more than they ought.
"My 'doxy'?" Kay repeated with a pained snicker. She rubbed at her face, hands shaking visibly with the need to do something. Anything. "You lot have such an old-fashioned way of talking..."
"To you perhaps," he allowed. Some of the Placeholders had spoken in a way that was strange to his own ears. He tied and tucked the ends of the bandage into place. He started to turn her about and push carefully at her shoulder. The whelp would need to rest on her stomach until his Sire returned. "I take it from your own speech patterns and rousing opinion that you are not from Nosgoth?"
"No. I'm not," Kay responded before growling low in her throat.
His, admittedly gentle, urging for her to move to lay down on her belly did nothing but piss her off. Why should she yield to his direction? Why should she submit to any of his silent demands...? He was not her Sire. Frayed temper flaring wildly, she tried to pull away, and new-sharp claws swiped outwards at the offending hand.
Catching the flailing limb was a simple enough matter. Anani growled in turn and bared his fangs in warning even as he leaned in closer to... He abruptly stilled and almost let out a frustrated hiss of breath. Despite who she was, she was a whelp, and he still an Elder. Instinct demanded that he force an open submission from the woman, wild little Fledge that she was. Yet, he reigned the urge in through sheer force of will.
"I am trying to help you, my Lady," he said slowly, firmly. As if talking to a child in truth rather than a full-grown woman. "You are a Fledgling and must needs rest. Now, would you kindly lay down on your stomach?"
Kay's eyebrow twitched, almost violently so, at his words, and she had to take a calming breath. Sadly, it didn't help. The Vampiric instincts were too new to her, and combining those with her natural combative nature was a recipe for disaster. A sudden flash of something, some intangible emotion that she could not name even if she'd been inclined to, shot through her, and she moved. Kicking out at the ankle furthest from the bed, she grabbed his arm and tugged him towards her.
Elder though he was, when he'd leaned forward, he'd had to allow for just the slightest of change to his stance, to his center-balance. So she felt strangely confident at the thought of attempting to force him onto his back. Succeeding in doing so would be well worth the brief pain that it would cause as long as it brought her closer to what she needed...
Anani assumed that her visible ire was due to him pointing out, yet again, that she was a mere Fledgling vampire. He relaxed by a hair's breadth when she took in that slow breath to seemingly calm her fraying temper. But, unfortunately, he'd just started to lean back when she pounced. Not expecting the move, not with the extent of her injuries, he was taken by surprise long enough to be pulled sideways against the bed. Snarling in response, he rolled, grabbed her wrists in his hands.
Kay rolled with him, twisting around with a snarl of pain to, well... She'd meant to pin him against the bed, but the injury and his hold on her wrists left her precariously perched on his lap instead. Still, that worked out both better and worse than she'd expected in truth. Overall, Kay was... actually quite pleased with their new position.
Anani sat up with her held firmly in place on his lap with her legs spread akimbo to either side of his own. He shifted his grip around the daft female so that he held her in a way that would keep her spine straight and the wound stable.
"Are you trying to cause yourself further harm?!" he growled, clearly frustrated with the situation.
Kay ignored him. Coiling her legs around his waist was a simple enough matter, though she did have to shift her left leg a bit more than she would have liked to, given the odd angle. Still, he'd have a hard time removing her from her new perch. At least not without causing her additional harm in the process. Which was supposed to be something he wanted to avoid.
Right?
Kay was not wrong to think that he was attempting to avoid harming her. In some ways, it would be far easier to tend to a Fledgling Lady than an Elder Lord as he had needed to do centuries ago. Anani had no need to worry about her losing control and causing him severe harm for his efforts as he had Turel. The blow that he'd taken to the head during that incident had left him more than dazed. But, on the other hand, manhandling her like he might any other Fledgling in her position would again risk further harm to the woman's back and... He blinked and raised a brow as her legs coiled around him so.
Forward little thing... he thought bemusedly.
Oblivious to his expression, she looked down at her wrists. Now, how should she go about getting her hands free? She leaned forward and eyed those too-sharp talons wrapped around her wrists. It was almost like being bound by a pair of cuffs. Cuffs that could cut her wrists open, yes, but still cuffs. Really, how did such powerful creatures manage to be gentle with such blatant, natural weapons anyway? She wondered; would her hands end up evolving into daintier versions of his? Hopefully not. Talons would be a challenging thing to explain back on Gaia.
Kay, and any she might Turn, would need to conceal themselves amongst the Human populace for Gaia's 'Grand Plan' to work properly. Although worst-case scenarios aside, perhaps Kain would teach her that... that Human-Noble transformation spell? She shook her head, trying to focus her thoughts, and turned her attention back to her wrists where Anani's talons held her. Kay leaned closer still and abruptly nipped at one of said talons, abruptly feeling as curious as a kitten. She wondered if she could draw blood or if the entire talon was made of some sort of bone or rough chitin?
"Lady Kay," he bit out, shifting his hand enough to avoid those nipping, exploring fangs. "Kindly control yourself!"
Anani shifted his grip so that he had hold of her wrists in one hand and then reached up to carefully thread his talons through the woman's hair to control and limit her forward movements. Best that she not re-open the portion of her wounds that had already started to heal over by lunging a second time for his throat.
"Mm," a soft, growling moan escaped her lips at the sudden-tight grip.
Kay's eyes flickered white briefly. Not bad. Not bad at all. But that was not the only thing that she wanted. Those roiling instincts for more pushed closer to the forefront of her mind and, since she could not open a vein, she ground her groin against his own forcefully. The firm contact forced another growling moan from her lips.
Truly, she should have better control than this despite her injuries. Lord Raziel shared enough blood to allow her to remain docile. Why is she losing control now? Anani thought with a frown.
The whelp was acting in part as if she were still a mindless Fledge freshly Turned. A creature ruled by instinct rather than reason. The Master should have trained her past this point. Was something else going on? Was she wounded far greater than what was visible?
"Lady Kay," he rumbled in a low voice, endeavoring to keep his temper in check. "Cease and desist in this foolishness, or I will corral you as necessary! As I said earlier, I am not a toy for you to amuse yourself with!"
But it was no use. Kay was well past the time for thought and focused solely on chasing sensation. She shifted her head and nipped at the arm of the hand holding her hair. Blood or sex. Kay no longer cared which of the two she received. The Hunger had grown, turning her into a creature of pure need. A being of Blood-lust and just plain, good ol' fashioned Lust. Even her thoughts over the Whisper had become a mindless demand for a nebulous More.
"Damnation!" Anani swore and shifted his hold enough to prevent the bite from landing. "Woman! You should be years past this kind of behavior, especially with the Master lessoning your hide! Control yourself!"
His frustration grew more and more prominent, and the last shreds of forced respect for this wild Fledgling fell away. Anani forced her head back, making her spine curve just enough to cause sparks of agony to dance down her spine in punishment for her foolish audacity. It no longer mattered that she was Kain's Seventh Childe. He was the Elder here, and she would damn well heed his commands when he gave them!
The pain snapped her partially out of that haze of Lust and Hunger. Sire was angry...! No... wait, not Sire. Who? Ah, right. Through the want and the need for blood, she again could recognize Anani for who he was. A shudder ran through her that had nothing to do with desire and everything to do with pain caused by his aggravating her wounds so. A high keen of sound escaped her. An instinctual noise of frustration and apology both.
"Years...?" Kay gasped out abruptly. It was difficult to understand his words through the haze, but understand him, she did. It amused her enough that she almost laughed. "Ha... ngh... not years. Weeks...!"
"Good fledge... easy now-" Anani's words froze in his throat for a moment, and his grasp eased somewhat. "What, wait a moment... did you just say 'weeks'? How?!"
If the female was telling the truth, then... well, that would explain much regarding her inability to control herself in all actuality. Still, what she was suggesting, even addled as she was, should have been impossible! She'd shown the control of an older Fledge earlier during her flight from the other Razielim and even while feeding from Raziel himself. No Fledgling, only weeks Turned, could control themselves that well!
She had no way to reach a vein like this, sooo... Kay used that brief moment of startled confusion to again grind herself against the male's lap. Hnnnn... Oh, but that felt good. Even if he wasn't moving with her, the pressure was just right at this angle.
"Ah, here you are," Raziel pushed into the mockery of 'his' rooms and paused at the position he found his First and Sister in. The woman's eager scent filled the room. A brow rose, and his expression looked bemused rather than annoyed. "Are you trying to pilfer my First, Sister?"
"My Lord!" Anani looked to his Sire in mild consternation. "I have been attempting to handle her with care as you requested, but..."
Raziel waved a hand dismissively at Anani's words and moved toward the fur-covered bed.
"I heard mine own, I heard. Her need over the Whisper is also loud and clear," Raziel said with a faint, huffing chuckle. He had caught the last part of their conversation while walking down the hall. "She was indeed only just recently Turned. Here, Sister, come to me, and I will see you fed at the least."
The last was said even as he sat down next to Anani. Raziel then set the container in his hand to the side and opened it before reaching inside to grab one of the packs within. The small box only had two dozen packs within it, but as each was filled with a full pint of blood, it was equivalent to two, two-and-a-half, humans. He slit said pack opened near one corner and allowed the blood-scent to fill the air close to her mouth.
And that scent was all that was needed to pull Kay's attention from her efforts to accost Anani's person. Twisting her head out of the other male's loosened hold, she instinctively lunged for that opened pack. Her mouth closed around the opening that Raziel had made, and she moaned loudly. She attempted to reach out to take the pack and growled in frustration as she fought against Anani's hold.
~I can feed myself, dammit! Let go!~ she Whispered in frustration.
Both males chuckled at the burst of mental irritation, yet Anani only released the woman's hands when Raziel gave an assenting nod. Anani then took the time afforded to him to move the woman partially off of his lap so that he could shift his leathers about. They had become a bit tight around the crotch thanks to the Fledgling woman's sensual movements and increasingly excited scent. He then studiously ignored his Sire's raised brow and examined the woman's backside. While there was fresh blood staining the bandages, it was difficult to tell if the bleeding had actually slowed down. He moved the bandages aside enough to properly check.
Kay ended up sprawled halfway across both Anani's and Raziel's laps as she grabbed onto the pack of blood. Though cooled, the fluid was sweet-copper-honey-goodness. The contents were drained in moments. Blinking and licking her lips, the only thing that came to mind just then was more, and as such, she barely noticed the faint tug at the cloth covering her wounds. Thankfully, said wounds were indeed starting to close over at a faster rate. Why the smallest had already healed thanks to Raziel's earlier donation of blood. Only the larger 'cuts' were still seeping fresh blood.
Anani winced faintly at the sight and shook his head as he let go of the cloth. His younger Siblings, the two that had been foolish indeed to attack the female Fledgling merely for the crime of existing, were likely doomed to a pitiful end for having attacked her so. Perhaps some clemency might be granted as the wounds on her body were caused by the woman's own Magic, but... that was doubtful. He frowned at his Sire.
"The wounds are finally closing over, my Lord, but they are scarring. They will likely remain for some time," he said softly. "Lord Kain will not be pleased."
"No, he will not," Raziel sighed, well aware of the likely results of his progeny's choices.
He passed another pouch into his Sister's eager hands and watched her feed with a critical eye. Would she be this eager to feed directly from a Human's throat later on, or would she freeze at the thought of doing so?
"I will speak to Kain regarding the situation," Raziel said after a moment. "We will have to ensure that none of the others commit such a grievous error. If they have an issue with Kain, then they will need to take their complaints to the Elder."
"And not target the Younger," Anani finished with an amused huff.
Raziel raised a brow at him questioningly.
"She admitted that they share the same name, though she used a different spelling," he responded to that questioning brow and shrugged. "Those who find out that she is named 'Kayne' might well target her if we are not careful with our words. Best that they know immediately so that we do not have targeted attacks. There will already be some who will do as was done today and think to target her to hurt the Master's standing and pride. In an indirect fashion."
"Hmm, the Sins of the Father..." Raziel acknowledged with a nod of his head.
"That and if he cannot, or simply does not, protect his newest Progeny from them..." Anani shook his head. "It will not bode well for future interactions."
"A fair enough assessment, mine own," Raziel responded with a frustrated growl. "If they perceive any kind of weakness or indifference from him regarding the woman's existence as his Seventh, they may think to continue to issue such challenges against her unabated. I have not risked as much as I have to simply lose my Clan to their own foolish incompetence."
Neither male noticed the sudden, bright-white-flashing eyes of a small bat tucking itself neatly into the dark corner of the ceiling behind them... A tiny form that had snuck in unnoticed through the yet-open door while they were distracted with their conversation and the woman.
Kay regained enough of herself to reach into the container that Raziel had brought with him on her own and found herself content to slowly feed on pack after pack of blood without much of a pause. Part of her mind was... disappointed, if you will, by the lack of a fresh kill, but the rest of her was happy enough with what was provided.
Eventually, she finally started to feel full. Overfull really. She actually had to force herself to stop. To not reach for the next blood pack and gorge herself further still. Huffing in annoyance and contentment both, she let the empty pack in her hands fall to the ground by the bed and sprawled out across both male's laps. A purring, high-pitched yawn escaped her.
Now that is indeed the trill of a well-fed Fledgling, Raziel thought with a shake of his head as he looked her over.
She'd taken more time than most to feed, true, but she was also more in control of her faculties than most. Raziel waved a hand toward her back, glancing over at his First as he did so.
"Remove the bindings," he ordered softly. "Let us see how her wounds fair now that she has all but bloated herself like a tick."
Anani chuckled and cut the cloth bandages off as instructed before bundling up said used cloth and setting it aside with the pile of empty packs. He then looked over her injuries with a critical eye. While the wounds had healed over, for the most part, the sight of the woman's back still made him wince in sympathy. Had he not witnessed how the scars were formed, he would have thought them a purposeful design. A tattoo made of scars rather than ink. It was, in truth, a lovely, swirling pattern that brought to mind sea-shells collected and used to make jewelry by the Humans who made their cities by the ocean.
Raziel, however, saw only the roiling pattern of the whirlpool that was the Abyss. His own wince at the sight of her back had nothing to do with sympathy and everything to do with pain-filled memories. He reached out and trailed the back of one talon over the thickest of the scars near the center of that whorling design. It was a pity to see such soft skin marred so. It was also possible that Kayne might carry the deepest of these scars with her into her Elder years. Perhaps they would become as iconic for her as the scar upon Kain's chest, the blow that had ended his human life, was for him.
"Foolish pup..." Raziel murmured softly.
Uncaring of the words being spoken above her, Kay's mind once more seesawed back toward more libidinous desires at that light caress across her back. She squirmed and let out a happy-sounding purr of noise. Kain had 'taught' her not even a few days ago that a Vampire's newly healed skin was doubly, if not trebly, sensitive to touch. Even amongst Humans, Demons, and other creatures, fresh scars had the potential to be sensitive to the touch for a long while after healing. The nerve endings could either have been destroyed outright by the injury or else rendered entirely too delicate to touch, making reactions to painful or even pleasurable stimuli all the more intense.
As Vampires could heal just about anything, over time, that is, those who were hurt enough to have left scaring usually found said injuries falling into the latter category.
The open change in her scent was obvious to the Elder's sensitive nose, and Raziel let out another huffing laugh. He continued to trail the back of his talon over the new scars even as he reached out with his other hand to ensure that she didn't mindlessly writhe off of their laps. He waited a moment, huffed again, and pulled her more firmly onto his own lap instead of his First's. Perhaps, if she continued to remain blissfully pliant, he would be able to leave her in Anani's care while he sought out Kain.
Though he was uncertain at this point if he could leave without worrying about her attempting to mindlessly accost the other male. Raziel had no doubts that Anani could handle the woman on his own, but he also knew that an unruly Fledge who was aware of themselves after what she'd been through could be a handful indeed.
He'd had more than one scuffle with the Younger Kain while on Haven that had lasted longer than such bouts had any right to, especially given the disparity of Raziel being the Elder and Kain the Fledge. Scuffles that left him wary enough when it came to the woman's own capabilities. It might prove best to send Anani elsewhere and simply wait for Kain to return to Haven while watching over her himself.
Amusingly, there was no need for the dark-haired male to worry about her attempting to seduce Anani in her mindless state. It was Raziel's scent, suffused as it was with both Kain's aura and that subtle quintessence that called so intently to her. While the haze caused by Hunger and injury alike had started to fade into the background and allowed her to think again, at least somewhat, she found herself longing the one whose lap she lay across.
Now, the usually idle thought of laying with Raziel was unpleasant for her because of the loss of her chosen husband. Their temperaments, habits, and physical features were so close that if you put them in the same room, one would think you were speaking with Raziel's younger, human-self instead of his otherworldly Mirror. Well, more like a younger, human version of Raziel as a Vampire and not Raziel, the religious zealot Human. Rather distinctive difference in personalities between the two.
Regardless, she'd made it a habit of avoiding Raziel or at least had remained stiffly cordial with him if forced to interact with him. Even spending near to thirty years either on Haven or traveling the dimensions had not lessened that pain of seeing that too-familiar visage. And, like her Mirror, she could be somewhat obsessive, not to mention openly stubborn, when seeking to obtain something or someone that she considered important to her. Distracting herself with Raphael's Mirror in an attempt to lessen her longing had seemed... improper and duplicitous on more than on level.
They were not the same person. Kay and Kain were Mirrors of each other, yes, and had their own similarities of personality and habit, but they were not the same person. Obvious gender differences aside, they had experienced far different lives. So why should she distract herself with Raziel's presence and cause herself pain by pretending otherwise?
Raziel eyed the woman's quiet seeming form warily. As an Elder, Raziel was fully aware of the many tricks that young Fledglings might try to pull. For the most part, ill-advised actions like attempting to steal blood that was not offered, attacks made to rise above their immediate station, outbursts of temper when made to perform tasks that they felt were below them. Still, the woman's efforts to take in his scent, to press closer to him above Anani, were both charming and harmless enough that he did not feel a need to correct her.
Kay remained blissfully unaware of his wary gaze. Something about this new nature of hers pushed that grief-born hesitance aside. The connection caused by that shard of Elder Kain's soul now inside her, so similar to the shard inside of Raziel? Perhaps that strange sense of... of pack perhaps? All she knew for certain was that she wanted… and badly so. Thus, she nuzzled closer to the dark-haired male and took a deep breath, taking in his scent as if breathing in a glass of fine wine.
"She is surprisingly docile," Anani commented, amusement tinging his tone as he eyed the quiet woman as she breathed in Raziel's scent.
"For the nonce," Raziel agreed with a laugh. "However, if she is truly like Kain, then she is likely to have quite the temper when pressed. I find myself wondering what she might have done had she more time to deal with the one Razielim she'd frogged."
"'Frogged'?" Anani asked with a raised brow. "What do you mean by that, Sir?"
"It is a spell that, upon hitting a person, transforms said individual into a helpless amphibian for a limited amount of time," Raziel said in explanation, continuing to trail one hand soothingly over the woman's backside. "She managed to hit one of her pursuers with the spell, disabling him. I rendered him unconscious, bound him, and then proceeded to detain his Brother."
Face hidden by both hair and the angle of her own body, she smiled faintly at their ongoing banter. Now that she was well-fed and healed up, in as much as she could be, she had some control of her thoughts again. Training sessions with Kain had given her a moderate understanding of her new instincts, true, but to lose her self-restraint was galling. To be fair, the extent of her wounds could have killed her had she still been Human, but it was the principal of the matter, dammit all! Kay shook her head, letting out a soft huff. There was no need to sulk. Not when she had such a lovely opportunity.
"I see. Clever," Anani said with a nod of his head. The explanation made sense, and he found himself wondering at the tactical uses of such a spell against their own enemies, past and present. "I wonder, would we be able to utilize such a spell ourselves?"
"Not this one, or at least, not in the manner that she casts it," Raziel said as he looked the woman over. The others using such items usually had some kind of... ah, there it was. He unfastened the clasp of the delicate seeming armlet with two Materia embedded in it and held the jewelry out to his First. "These are called 'Materia.' While I have found them useful in some of my endeavors, we are supposedly unable to take them with us once Nosgoth is saved. That and, while I believe we might be able to mimic the creation of such gems, we would not be able to do so without badly damaging our world in the process as it involves tapping into a world's 'Life-stream' to forge each stone. Nosgoth's survival is already tenuous enough as it is."
"From what you have told me," Anani began with a thoughtful hum, "as all of your efforts, as well as the Master's, have been meant to save our world. Such attempts would thus be... inadvisable... to say the least."
"You are correct mine own," Raziel said as he went back to examining the woman's form.
Pretending to yet be 'drunk' from feeding, she stretched out one foot and rubbed it against the other male's, thigh letting out another trill-like noise as she did so. Then, turning her head, she nuzzled her nose against Raziel's toned, bared stomach. Using the cover of such antics as a distraction, she reached out with one hand as if about to brace herself to push upwards. At the last second, she 'accidentally' slipped and sliced her new claws through the ties that held the placket of Raziel's leathers in place.
His good humor caused by the woman's writhing, the soft trills, and Anani's own mildly annoyed expression at the woman's probing foot evaporated instantly when her razor-sharp claws almost nicked sensitive flesh. A snarl escaped his lips. Raziel stood and twisted the woman about to grab her wrists up in his left hand. He pinned on her back with his right hand pressed against her stomach. The new position would strain her healing muscles and pull the scarring tissue taunt to the point of pain, but it would not harm her permanently. His wings flared with the movement, arching above their heads in what could have only been called a 'threat display.
Anani had to twist to the side himself to avoid being struck upside the head by his Sire's wings. He eyed the fledgling woman warily, curious as to what she'd done to upset his Lord so. Perhaps she had tried for Raziel's femoral vein? He had heard the ripping sound readily enough yet could not smell his Sire's blood. As he shifted to try to see the reason for his Lord's upset, he noticed the now loosened placket and let out a perturbed sigh. That explained it. Even he would have reacted so to having fledgling claws so close to such a sensitive area.
That was... not what Kay was going for... honestly, he needn't have overreacted so. The only thing she'd damaged was the laces of his pants. Trousers. Whatever. Bloody, moody ass male. Still… how to proceed from here? She felt... strangely eager, despite the along her backside. Felt.. far warmer than normal now that she had fed. Keeping her eyes lidded as if yet out of it, she lifted one leg and wrapped it about his waist.
Another purring trill escaped her lips, and she arched against him to press her groin against his own to entice. To tantalize. To tease. Given she was not yet skilled with the Whisper ability, she did not dare brush her mind against his own lest she reveal her hand, her desires, too soon.
Perhaps he'd relax a bit and not be so damned hostile...
The clever little act might have worked on any other male, but Raziel recognized the gleam of voracious lust in those hooded eyes. Eyes that had already started to gain a hint of gold and blue amongst the dark chocolate brown. Ultimately though, the lack of a mental call for 'more' proved that not all was as it appeared with his new Sister. No, the woman was fully aware of what she'd done, and that more than anything else was what angered him. He reached up and grabbed a handful of silver-flecked dark hair and yanked her head back at a harsh angle.
"Do not think to play games with me, Sister," he hissed viciously, baring his fangs.
"Ngh!" A grunt of pain escaped her at the sudden movement.
Kay's legs reflexively wrapped around his waist in what would have been a lethally constricting force had Raziel been Human. But the pressure would do nothing at all to harm nor deter him. Kay knew that she was outmatched physically. That much was obvious. Still... games? What games? Her mind was still Human enough, and her knowledge of Vampire social norms lacking enough that she did not realize that she might be overstepping in some way.
"I'm not quite certain what you mean by 'games,' Brother," she managed to hiss back, her own fangs bared reflexively at the pain. The current discomfort pulsing in her neck had forced almost all hint of placidity from her tone. "I am... dammit. I am simply feeling somewhat… ngh… lustful, I suppose? Which is strange... I usually like to get to know a person before bedding them..."
Perhaps the blunt honesty would help to both calm his ire as well as distract from her subtle tug of magical energy. Besides, Kay's words were in no way a lie. She only really knew of Raziel. Their limited interactions with each other meant that she didn't actually know him. Nor had she wanted to get to know him as anything more than an acquaintance. Simply being around the dark-haired male usually brought bitter-sweet memories to mind and shortened the control of her temper to naught but an oil-drenched wick.
The tight grip about his waist was ignored. The sheer brazenness of Kay's words and the slight confusion in her eyes, however... was not. A bark of humorless laughter escaped him. Did she really not realize...? Ah well, perhaps not. She was not that long changed after all. As to her supposed reasoning for her actions? Raziel did not immediately trust her words.
Kain had taken an innumerable number of lovers to his bed over the years, after all. All had been lovely, handsome, or at least winsome in some manner, and each had to be skilled in their own ways as well. It had not mattered to the Elder Vampire if he 'knew' his lovers past that or not. Still... she was not his Sire, despite the occasional similarities in their respective attitudes. It would be best not to assume that she had the same standards as her male counterpart.
"Truly?" he rumbled, his tone disbelieving and bemused. "You do not collect lovers like a magpie does baubles? I find that I cannot readily believe your words."
"Baubles may be pretty, but they are... they are generally useless," she huffed and then arched against him reflexively, chest to chest.
It was strange. She needed skin-to-skin contact. That oddly instinctual need to touch and be touched had made a strange amount of sense whenever she was around Kain, but...
Raziel bared his fangs and leaned forward to bite roughly, punishingly, at the female's chin when she ground her body against his own so demandingly. Such impertinence was not to be rewarded.
Kay shook her head both to clear it and get away from his fangs. She had to forcibly lower herself back down before continuing with what she was saying.
"I prefer to see some common sense as well as a showing of aptitude in those that I decide to take to my bed," she said slowly, carefully enunciating her words to help herself focus. "Few tend to meet my high standards. I'm not like Vic-Vorador to take any lovely bit of ass to bed on a whim, especially given the fact that I have had to worry about spies or assassins over the years."
Vorador. Now that one was the walking definition of a self-centered 'ladies man.' Her own version of the Vampire, a Human female named Victoria, was just as much of a promiscuous and self-indulgent ass of a 'friend.' It didn't help matters any that Vorador had a very similar sense of humor to his female Mirror. As well as the damned, stubbornly intent desire to get into Kay's pants. She'd shot the Elder Vampire down nearly as many times as she had her old 'friend.' Her eyes glazed as she found herself getting lost in thought, memories of youthful antics and arguments filling her mind.
He leaned back as she relaxed against the bed. The woman's words made sense. If she meant them. While curious about what name she intended to use instead of 'Vorador,' the 'Vic' having been quite noticeable, he did not press her. Not now. No, he had other things in mind to discuss with the half-wild Fledge beneath him.
"Regardless of your supposed 'high standards,' you are somehow still quite the presumptuous little thing, aren't you?" he asked with a low growl, noticing the distracted glaze enter her eyes. Again, he bit her chin, harder this time. "Anani. Leave us and tend to the other two."
"As you wish, my Lord," Anani said, standing.
He bowed his head and then left the room. 'Tend to' in this instance meant 'ready them for later punishment.' Despite it not being a task that he was looking forward to, given the centuries of shared service with his brethren and the harrowing journey that had been made to get even this far, he would carry out his Sire's will regardless. The fools had brought whatever punishment that awaited them upon themselves.
"Son-of-a-ow!" the sharp bite immediately drew blood, and she winced at the brief pain. The sharp bite also drew her back into the now. Which was probably the point behind the bite. Thoughts of the past needed to remain in the past.
At least wounds like that heal swiftly now, she thought, still feeling more than a little out of it.
It was strange, but she found that her memories occasionally came roaring back full force ever since her transformation. A kind of vampiric eidetic memory? No matter. And thankfully, she had not lost the thread of Magic she'd been gathering. Nor had Raziel noticed the slow draw of Magic as they talked. Kay focused, not on Raziel as he would surely notice that, but rather on the ground just beneath his feet. She quickly tightened her grip around his waist. A swift enough burst of telekinesis in the right direction could propel a person upwards as if they'd just stepped on a springboard. If she managed it just right, she'd end up on top of him with them resting either on the other end of the bed…
...or on the floor itself.
Ah well, fortune favors the brave and all. So Kay cast her spell to send them flying.
"What in the-ngh!"
Raziel's startled shout cut off with a pained grunt as their forms were flipped 'ass over tea-kettle' over the other side of the bed. His wings and then head clipped the edge of the bed before impacting against the unyielding stone with the woman remaining firmly perched on his lap. A low growl born of pure frustration filled the air. Was he truly doomed to deal with yet another, younger, foolishly head-strong 'version' of his Sire? This time potentially for several centuries? He'd had his hands full enough keeping the younger, Fledgling version of Kain out of trouble while he'd been on Haven. Now, this?!
"Dammit all, woman!" he snarled up at her, his hand tightening painfully about her wrists.
Now that had been more than a little bit dizzying. And her hands were still trapped. Darn. Still, she now sat atop Raziel as she had intended, and a small burst of... she could almost call it giddiness... filled her. She couldn't quite call it the usual sense of satisfaction with a plan well carried out. It felt different. Her instincts were running a bit wild and...
Oh my, Raziel seems quite perturbed, didn't he? she thought with a dazed blink. Hn. Now that won't do.
An angry Raziel was not what she desired. Flashing him a wild smirk, she twisted Telekinetic energies once more to her mental hand and rubbed at the base of his wings with what should have been a firm, massaging pressure. To her hide at any rate. Having learned the hard way that Magic had its' uses in the bedroom, she'd taken to practicing such things on herself when her new Sire wasn't around. She'd yet to figure out Kain's trick with lightning magic, usually shocking herself badly whenever she tried on her own, but the Telekinetic tricks were almost too easy to figure out. She'd figured out how to use the spell in such a way that she'd never had to worry about problems when, hnn, 'performing acts of self-service' if you will.
Above the scuffling pair, that small set of eyes flashed white once more. This time with amusement rather than the prior subdued, yet still very deadly, rage. The person behind those eyes had not been pleased to find out about what had been going on...
Raziel… startled in surprise at the woman's clever use of Magic. The touch along his wings was, perhaps, not as firm as what had been intended. It felt more like the teasing touch of a feather rather than that of a massage. Regardless, he arched beneath that light touch with a hiss. He snarled a moment later, a noise born of pure frustration. While he had gotten somewhat comfortable with a handful of lovers touching his wings, she was not counted amongst that number. The temerity of her actions was nothing less than infuriating. Enraging. She had no right to take such liberties with him!
He lunged upwards, wings spreading wide now that they were no longer pinned beneath his own weight. Then, forcing the woman's arms behind her back, he sank his fangs harshly into her exposed throat. He'd meant for it to be a brief feeding. A slight draw on her reserves to weaken and push her back into that prior state of lethargic pliancy. But the taste of her… feminine yes, undeniably so, but it was so very similar to his Sire's power-rich, lightening-laced blood that the flavor of it alone managed to soothe his temper. If only moderately.
Kay met that arching movement, then yelped as he lunged and bit her. Brief pain-sparks burned through her, and nary a second later, she felt overwhelmed by the suckling draw of her blood. Burning. Singing. Pain and pleasure both teased at the senses as her blood was Called from vein and capillary alike to fill his mouth. It was a unique sensation that most Humans couldn't understand or even sense properly, yet it was something that Vampires were achingly aware of when their Kin fed upon them. She shifted her legs to a more comfortable position and writhed against him unthinkingly, tugging at his hold on her wrists.
She wanted, needed, to touch him.
Raziel kept his feeding slow and measured. Given the extent of her wounds, he had no desire to send her right back into a near-feral state. His grip tightened upon her wrists as her struggles grew increasingly fervent. A truly clever Fledge could manage to slip free of an inattentive Elder's grip, and he had no desire to re-capture the woman's hands. Given her earlier showing of aptitude, such an endeavor had the potential to take the time he was not willing to waste. Allowing her blood to gather on his tongue, he paused long enough to savor the unique flavor of her upon his tongue.
~Superb,~ he purred into her mind, wrenching her closer to his form and tightening his hold on her further still.
It didn't take long for her to suddenly want his blood or at least more of the blood from the case he'd brought in. Most of what she'd had before had gone immediately toward healing her wounds. As such, Hunger began to eat at the edges of her mind the longer he fed. The memory of his vitae was a powerful one, and that need echoed wordlessly over the Whisper when his mind touched hers. An equally wordless cry escaped her lips, and she squirmed, trying to angle herself so she could sink fang into his throat.
Raziel swallowed that mouthful of blood with an almost regretful hum the moment he felt her tense to lunge. He pulled his fangs free and his head back, easily using his grip on her wrists as a leash to halting the forward movement. A small snort of amusement escaped him. The woman was as needful as any other Fledgling lost to instinct. Willful. Persistent. Demanding when she should have been submissive to an Elder's desire. A chuckle escaped him, and he shifted to hold her wrists in one hand and used his other to grab her hair. He leaned forward and let his lips brush lightly against her ear in a feathered kiss.
"You said earlier that you were curious, perhaps even confused as to the 'why' behind your current mood. Can you not guess the answer, Sister?" he murmured softly. It was not unusual for the newly Turned to be frustrated by their new instincts. "Your newly-made instincts recognize me as Kin and your Elder. Given the severity of your recent injuries and recovery, you both want and need to submit. To be with your immediate Kin during times of weakness. To seek out your Sire when you Hunger or need to call out for aid and comfort. Or, perhaps you could call it a desire for one's pack. Something that can be found either under Kain's hand or even my own given that a shard of his soul resides in me, marking me as your Vampiric Sibling."
With the Hunger fogging up her thoughts, it was difficult to understand his words. The light touch along the ear was also pleasantly distracting to her senses and forced a shiver out of her. Still, once his words had enough time to percolate, Kay tensed and let out a frustrated, guttural growl.
"Submit, submit, submit," she hissed out in irritation, wincing at the increasingly painful hold. She shook her head and groaned. "These damnable instincts are becoming a bloody nuisance. Can Vampires not simply enjoy another without all these bloody games of dominance? Or do these impulses control every aspect of Vampiric existence?"
An incredulous bark of laughter escaped Raziel's at her blunt line of questioning, and he raised a brow. He leaned back a moment later. Truly? This was her reaction to his explanation? He knew that Kain had been putting the woman through her paces, but... perhaps their Sire had not yet found a need to explain how their instincts were intrinsically tied to Vampiric habits. Their social norms and the way they shaped their very culture were tied to those instincts. He let go of her hair and brushed unruly strands away from her face. Ah well, with their Sire off somewhere else, it was up to him to fill in the blanks in her education, wasn't it?