Fiona wasn't finished. After David collapsed weakly onto the bed after she had drank her fill, she turned on the rest of the Boys. Rebellion and fury gleamed at her from their eyes, but also she saw a grudging acknowledgement. Good. They knew vampire politics. Since, as she assumed and now saw to be true, David had been the one to turn them - his blood was all they had to drink to be a vampire - if he were overpowered by one, or if he had a master - Max - they answered to that master as well. Good. Very good.
"You lied to us," growled Dwayne, his anger making his fangs come out of hiding, so the growl became a half-hiss as well. "You're a filthy lying whore."
"You planned this from the beginning," accused Paul. "You got Max to bring you here just so you could take over."
"Ah," said Fiona with a shake of her head. "Not true. I did not 'get' Max to bring me here so I could take over. I came here because I wanted to, and I saw a poorly led band that I wanted to take. Want, take, have."
"If we tell Max he'll kill you," said Dwayne simply. "He'll grab you by the back of your neck, drag you off and drain you, then bring you back here for us to feed on. He's done it before."
Fiona threw back her head and laughed, her deep red hair slithering behind her shoulders and down her back, tumbling like a river of their blood. Paul made a slight movement, an involuntary jerk forward at the sight of Fiona's bare throat, but Marko held out a hand and stopped him from moving with a tiny shake of his head.
"You're not going to tell Max that all four of you got bested by a girl," shot back Fiona with a low laugh. "You have some kind of pride."
"Scheming bitch," hissed Paul.
"No," countered Fiona. "You've forgotten what it's like to be a vampire. You're all up here, with no competition for food, you laugh, you party, you're all friends. If I were any other vampire, I would have killed David and drained him while you watched, then taken you all as my children. So don't even kid yourself that I'm all-encompassing evil, all right? I've taken this over without killing anybody, that should be good enough for you."
"No," said Marko quietly, speaking for the first time. "It probably would have been better if you'd killed David."
"What?" exclaimed Dwayne loudly, turning on Marko. "Traitor! How can you say that?"
"Because now she's going to toy with him," explained Marko without taking his eye's from Fiona's. "She's going to keep him like a pet. Bite him, make him docile, parade him around and fuck him whenever she feels like it."
Fiona shrugged and walked away from them, heading for the ornate chair in the middle of the cave that had always belonged to David. "Sounds like a good deal." She raised an eyebrow at them as she placed her hands on the arms of the throne, curling the fingers around like a cat kneading its bed. The last act of dominance: taking David's throne. She met three pairs of eyes, all daring and hating and wanting and murderous at once, then slid langorously into the seat. She wiggled her hips like she was making the chair itself fit her and smiled like a cat with a mouthful of bird. She practically purred.
"What a nice chair," she gasped with mocking pleasure. "This is just so comfortable. Now come here."
No movement. They stood as if made of stone. Fiona straightened her spine and let her eyes flutter closed. She felt the presences in the cave. Three, that rebellious trinity, two weaker than the third. Yes, he had a little more power, that one. She let her senses drift out and through the smoky curtains of the bed where David was still chained, unmoving. Fiona struggled to keep her facial expression neutral as the power of David slammed into her. Even though he was in a haze of submission, if he awoke and caught Fiona off-guard he could take her. The other three couldn't know this. They weren't nearly in a position of high power to be able to tell, but David probably knew. He also knew very well that she would never let herself be caught off her guard, nor would she let him become conscious enough to realized anything happening around him. She pressed all of her power in a thin tendril at his mind, prodding at the sensitive core. She snapped her eyes back open in time to hear a low moan from where he was bound. The remaining three Boys turned their heads to try and see David, but then realized in the same breath what she had done and turned back with fear in their eyes.
"Come here," commanded Fiona, punctuating each word with a curl of her finger. One step, then the next, and soon Dwayne was standing in front of her. "Give me your hand."
Dwayne lifted his hand, broad, bulging with veins that Fiona knew held dark vampire blood. She took it in her thin, pale hand and turned it over so the wrist was visible to her, lighter than the rest of his reddish-tan skin, blue veins pulsing just below the surface. The fingers of her hand caressed the soft flesh, her skin against his felt like a million tingling needles pricking at him, paining and raining down like some ecstatic intimate touch. He felt himself sway and a chillingly aching voice inside his very bones spoke to him, telling him to give in, she was so beautiful and strong and David was so weak. David? Who was David? His only mistress was Fiona, goddess Fiona and if he obeyed her at every movement and second of the day and blessed night he could drink from her and she would drink from him and she could give him the greatest pleasure he ever felt forever and ever and she would never leave him, ever and she would rule all and he would be thrilled and overjoyed to sit at her feet like a dog.
"She's only touching your hand, Dwayne," reminded Marko softly and Dwayne snapped to attention, looking from Marko to Fiona with a wounded, betrayed eye. Fiona sent a hiss of pure hatred at Marko and, before Dwayne came fully to his senses, sank her teeth into his wrist and drank, her tongue lapping at the skin between the two puncture wounds. Dwayne shook all over, his eyes rolling back in his head and sank to the ground with a howl of agony, then was silent. Marko knelt down by the prone figure of his dark-haired friend and examined him, while Paul stared at Fiona in horror.
"He's not dead," pronounced Marko and stood up again, looking at Fiona once more.
"You lied to us," growled Dwayne, his anger making his fangs come out of hiding, so the growl became a half-hiss as well. "You're a filthy lying whore."
"You planned this from the beginning," accused Paul. "You got Max to bring you here just so you could take over."
"Ah," said Fiona with a shake of her head. "Not true. I did not 'get' Max to bring me here so I could take over. I came here because I wanted to, and I saw a poorly led band that I wanted to take. Want, take, have."
"If we tell Max he'll kill you," said Dwayne simply. "He'll grab you by the back of your neck, drag you off and drain you, then bring you back here for us to feed on. He's done it before."
Fiona threw back her head and laughed, her deep red hair slithering behind her shoulders and down her back, tumbling like a river of their blood. Paul made a slight movement, an involuntary jerk forward at the sight of Fiona's bare throat, but Marko held out a hand and stopped him from moving with a tiny shake of his head.
"You're not going to tell Max that all four of you got bested by a girl," shot back Fiona with a low laugh. "You have some kind of pride."
"Scheming bitch," hissed Paul.
"No," countered Fiona. "You've forgotten what it's like to be a vampire. You're all up here, with no competition for food, you laugh, you party, you're all friends. If I were any other vampire, I would have killed David and drained him while you watched, then taken you all as my children. So don't even kid yourself that I'm all-encompassing evil, all right? I've taken this over without killing anybody, that should be good enough for you."
"No," said Marko quietly, speaking for the first time. "It probably would have been better if you'd killed David."
"What?" exclaimed Dwayne loudly, turning on Marko. "Traitor! How can you say that?"
"Because now she's going to toy with him," explained Marko without taking his eye's from Fiona's. "She's going to keep him like a pet. Bite him, make him docile, parade him around and fuck him whenever she feels like it."
Fiona shrugged and walked away from them, heading for the ornate chair in the middle of the cave that had always belonged to David. "Sounds like a good deal." She raised an eyebrow at them as she placed her hands on the arms of the throne, curling the fingers around like a cat kneading its bed. The last act of dominance: taking David's throne. She met three pairs of eyes, all daring and hating and wanting and murderous at once, then slid langorously into the seat. She wiggled her hips like she was making the chair itself fit her and smiled like a cat with a mouthful of bird. She practically purred.
"What a nice chair," she gasped with mocking pleasure. "This is just so comfortable. Now come here."
No movement. They stood as if made of stone. Fiona straightened her spine and let her eyes flutter closed. She felt the presences in the cave. Three, that rebellious trinity, two weaker than the third. Yes, he had a little more power, that one. She let her senses drift out and through the smoky curtains of the bed where David was still chained, unmoving. Fiona struggled to keep her facial expression neutral as the power of David slammed into her. Even though he was in a haze of submission, if he awoke and caught Fiona off-guard he could take her. The other three couldn't know this. They weren't nearly in a position of high power to be able to tell, but David probably knew. He also knew very well that she would never let herself be caught off her guard, nor would she let him become conscious enough to realized anything happening around him. She pressed all of her power in a thin tendril at his mind, prodding at the sensitive core. She snapped her eyes back open in time to hear a low moan from where he was bound. The remaining three Boys turned their heads to try and see David, but then realized in the same breath what she had done and turned back with fear in their eyes.
"Come here," commanded Fiona, punctuating each word with a curl of her finger. One step, then the next, and soon Dwayne was standing in front of her. "Give me your hand."
Dwayne lifted his hand, broad, bulging with veins that Fiona knew held dark vampire blood. She took it in her thin, pale hand and turned it over so the wrist was visible to her, lighter than the rest of his reddish-tan skin, blue veins pulsing just below the surface. The fingers of her hand caressed the soft flesh, her skin against his felt like a million tingling needles pricking at him, paining and raining down like some ecstatic intimate touch. He felt himself sway and a chillingly aching voice inside his very bones spoke to him, telling him to give in, she was so beautiful and strong and David was so weak. David? Who was David? His only mistress was Fiona, goddess Fiona and if he obeyed her at every movement and second of the day and blessed night he could drink from her and she would drink from him and she could give him the greatest pleasure he ever felt forever and ever and she would never leave him, ever and she would rule all and he would be thrilled and overjoyed to sit at her feet like a dog.
"She's only touching your hand, Dwayne," reminded Marko softly and Dwayne snapped to attention, looking from Marko to Fiona with a wounded, betrayed eye. Fiona sent a hiss of pure hatred at Marko and, before Dwayne came fully to his senses, sank her teeth into his wrist and drank, her tongue lapping at the skin between the two puncture wounds. Dwayne shook all over, his eyes rolling back in his head and sank to the ground with a howl of agony, then was silent. Marko knelt down by the prone figure of his dark-haired friend and examined him, while Paul stared at Fiona in horror.
"He's not dead," pronounced Marko and stood up again, looking at Fiona once more.