Chapter One: Return to Ambrosia

The full moon is rising as I make my way to the club Ambrosia in the heart of New York City. I can sense it, a sort of change in the atmosphere. The pulse hums in rhythm to it, feeling the wild call that cannot be expressed in words, and only just barely in music.

I shake my head at that thought as I push open the door. What would others say about that? I wonder. Fala, I knew, would sneer. Jessica cares only for her books and Aubrey. And as for the devil himself, Aubrey, he would laugh at my weak sentiment. Perhaps the only one who might understand would be Jager.

I snicker at the thought, and walk to the bar. As in Las Noches, there is no barkeeper, so we serve ourselves. I bend down and pick a dusty bottle with a dull red sheen, barely visible in the dim light. Rejecting a glass, I open the bottle and toss the cap over my shoulder. Someone will pick it up.

Someone always does.

I sit on the counter and survey the crowd. Ambrosia is one of the quieter nightclubs, the kind where people sit and talk. Unlike Las Noches, where there is loud music and red strobe lights, here there is only the soft candlelight, the whisper of conversations, and the hum of late night traffic in the distance.

There are not that many customers tonight, though more than usually are here. Ambrosia is the place to get news on the world, vampiric, mortal, and otherwise. However, its quiet atmosphere tends to intimidate the younger vampires. There are several older ones here tonight. I recognize a few, but others I do not know.

There is a whisper of air, and I turn to see Jager walk in. I relax slightly. For a moment, I had feared it had been Aubrey, and the work of centuries might have come undone. I still cannot quite overcome my fear of him.

He is not a threat. I should not fear him. I will not fear him.

Jager sees me, and comes over. I take a sip from my bottle, and wait for him to speak.

"Risika," he says with a nod. I nod back, and swallow my drink.

"How are you, Jager?" I ask, politely in return.

"I am fine," he says as he walks behind the bar. He disappears momentarily from view, and then returns with a bottle clutched in his hand. He takes out the cork, then pours himself a glass of what looks like red wine. He recorks the bottle, and then sets it aside.

"So," I ask, in an attempt at light conversation, "how goes everything?" Jager responds with a shrug.

"As well as anything ever goes, really. Jeshickah has left Midnight, though I hear rumors that she is planning on moving here. The trade has really picked up since she left. Jaguar will have his hands full, I can tell you that."

I nod. Jeshickah had always lusted after power, especially that which she held at Midnight. It had once been hers, though it had burned down in the 1800's. Just as well, for there were stories of what Midnight had been like under Jeshickah, before Jaguar rebuilt it. If I had been the way I was a century ago, I would have been shocked at the atrocities committed inside Midnight. Now, I barely give them a thought.

"How are things in New Mayhem?" I ask. Jagar shrugged.

"I believe everything is fine, as usual. Some have talked of opening a chapter of SingleEarth in the town, but they are in a very small minority."

I nod, barely hearing him. Suddenly, the club seems too close, confining. I need to breathe, to feel the cool air against my skin, to see the moon. I suddenly get down off the counter, leaving the bottle and Jager behind. Neither would mind, I was sure.

I disappear, taking myself to another corner of the city. It is just as dark as the area near Ambrosia, but there are no vampires here. It is my territory. Dare to stray, and the vampire who does will learn why no other stalks these streets.

I am in an alley, filled with trashcans and heaps of unknown items. There are doors nearby, but no one behind them. Further up, the buildings are poorly kept apartments, where those who cannot afford more are forced to live in squalor, oppressed by the rich. I do not sense anyone nearby, and so go up to the roof.

The view is amazing. The moon is now over the rooftops, and its silvery light shines down on the city. The city itself is a whirlwind of activity near the center, and the dark hulking shapes of the buildings rise against the sky, as if to obscure it. Countless lights shine through windows, and the effect makes one think that a piece of the sky had been cut out and placed on the earth. Countless lights, countless people, all living their lives.

All of them my prey.

I hear drunken laughter a few streets over. I leave my rooftop to investigate.

Three men, just now coming home. Their minds are unshielded, and I can see that they have once again spent all of their paycheck, trying to drown their sorrows. As if that will make them go away. Two of them turn and walk away, leaving the third at his door. When the other two are gone around the corner, I go down.

The man is not very surprised to see me. When someone is that inebriated, you could make them pope, and they'd ask where the crown is. I walk towards him.

He is young, not barely past twenty-five, and foolhardy. I smile, and he foolishly smiles back. Then he slumps forward as he meets my eyes, and falls into a deep sleep. I catch him, bend my head, and feed.

The familiar shock runs through my system as I drink hungrily. The heat and the energy are nearly overwhelming, and I close my eyes, savoring the taste. When I have drained him, I transport myself and the body to Aubrey's territory. Why not let him worry about the authorities? It is of no concern to me. He cannot hurt me now.

I go to my home in Concord, appearing in my front yard. Before, I would have gone to see Tora before going home, but there is no reason for that now. She can't see or hear me. I turn the handle and go inside.

As I climb the stairs, I fight to keep the thoughts away. The thoughts I had when I was prey, when I mourned Alexander, when I fancied myself human.

I am not human. I can never be human. It is a fact that not only I have acknowledged, but Alexander has voiced as well. I have not seen him since the fight with Aubrey in Las Noches. It still hurts to think of him.

I open the door to my room and climb into bed. I look around to make sure the blackout curtains are closed before falling into a dreamless sleep.