The three inch heels of her six-hundred dollar pair of beaded Manolo Blanak's crunched on the white pellets of salt that graced one of the many sidewalks of New York's Upper East Side. She was already over an hour late for the party of all parties and needed to put a pep in her step because her attendance at this particular party was required.
The cold late December air drifted through her flowing red chiffon dress as it swayed from side to side with each urgent step she took. Although she was practically freezing to death even under the warmth of her knee length black wool coat, the fashionista in her fawned with delight over her newly purchased couture attire.
The sleeveless dress curved to her flawless figure, thin strips of gold crisscrossed under her breasts giving the impression of a more voluptuous rack. She looked amazing and had every intention of being seen tonight even if it meant that she had to trot through ten more blocks of freshly fallen snow to reach her destination
Hailing a cab in New York City was a sport. It required a certain kind of finesse and Elizabeth was an expert, however tonight it seemed to be a lost cause. It was New Year's Eve for god sakes, what did she expect?
She had been slipping and sliding in those ridiculous shoes for the past six blocks and the never-ending bombardment of snow didn't help. When she arrived at the corner of 84th and 3rd she decided to take a short cut through the alley between Starbucks and Victoria's Secret saving her the aggravation of haling her shivering tight bottom the full ten blocks. Besides, she had a much better chance of finding a cab on the other side.
She hated alleys, honestly who didn't. The ones in New York were especially seedy. They were dark, dingy and crawling with all kinds of vermin of the human species among other types. She bit down the urge to not take the short cut but figured the sooner she made it through the better. She could not miss the annual New Year's Eve Ball because it was a legendary event hosted by the infamous Lorenzo Alcazar. She had to be there come hell or high water because he asked her to attend, to stand by his side as not only his date but lover as well.
Elizabeth smiled at the thought of their new found relationship. It had been a world wind romance that mostly no one knew about. She met him at one of the many boring charity events she was forced to attend. From the moment their beaming blue eyes locked an invisible bond drew them toward one another. Shortly thereafter, he whisked her away to several exotic locals where they spent endless days making love and just being with one another.
Tonight, after only three weeks since their courtship he wanted to go public with their relationship. The excitement stirring inside of her caused tiny waves to flutter in her belly. What a wonderful way to start the New Year.
Dodging puddles of slush she hurried her steps. Midway through her excursion muffled sounds captured her attention. She slowed her steps attempting to peer through the chunks of large flakes descending from the heavens. She pawed her way through the precipitation and edged closer. Her right foot splashed into a puddle causing her to wince when the ice cold water drenched her foot.
The voices grew louder, more urgent. She forged on until she reached an oversized dumpster wherein she aligned herself along the side closest to the wall. Extending her snow covered head forward she identified two men arguing back and forth while as many as three more were hidden by the cumbersome trash container.
In the blink of an eye a harsh echo invaded her ears. She launched herself forward to see what was happening. Three men rushed towards her while three others pumped rounds into their retreating forms. Each man running towards her at full speed held a gun and returned fire. Bullets screamed by her head and there was nothing she could do.
She was frozen, unable to move any part of her body except her eyes. They followed the movements of the three strangers heading straight for her. A flash exploded in front of her forcing her body to react. She tilted backwards in slow motion, snow slamming into her porcelain face as warm thick liquid engulfed her forehead and slowly flowed marking a trail down her skin. Paid riddled her small frame when a searing ache punched through her abdomen, assisting her descension towards the ground. She didn't even realize she was falling until her body thumped against the powdered snow beneath her.
A calming darkness surrounded her. Staring up into the storm-filled sky, she wondered why she was lying down in the snow and ruining her new dress. Her fading blue eyes shifted and connected with the most brilliant shade of arctic blue she had ever seen. Without knowing what was happening, she felt hands all over her and then movement. What was happening? Was someone moving her? What about the party and Lorenzo? Finally the pain became unbearable and she lost the battle to stay awake.
Her eyes were wide open devoid of any indication of life as they stared up at him in the back seat of the car. Blood continued to gush out of the hole in her head and the other in her stomach. She lurched upward gasping for air while her beautiful ocean blue orbs remained transfixed, blankly glaring at nothing. She was dying and the end was near.
"I can't let her die."
"What has happened is unfortunate, but there is nothing that can be done. You know the rules."
He swept his fingers across the soft skin of her face and watched as the light in her dimmed. Her body jerked, twitched in a last ditch effort to stay alive and fight.
They moved, but he wasn't sure if it was real. Her eyes stirred and she looked directly at him. He hovered over her like a protector. They locked eyes; she pulled him into the depths of her weakening soul, begging him to do something without uttering a word.
"I won't let you die," he whispered.
"Don't do it Jason," the voice of his companion boomed in warning. "We'll dump her body in the river on our way back. There is nothing…"
"NO! She doesn't deserve this. For god sakes look at her, she's…she's…"
He made the decision without a second thought. He would save her, he had to. None of this was her fault.
She managed to flush out the last bit of air that lingered in her lungs as the darkness returned. This time it was different, it was comforting, quiet, loving. She wasn't afraid to let go and let it consume her.
Guilt tormented and overwhelmed him. He felt completely responsible for the ending of this woman's life, the woman that lay dying on the buttery black leather in his limo. He couldn't stand by and do nothing. He had the power to save her.
He leaned over and smelled the rancid stench of death form around her. His fingers absently touched her cool skin. There was no denying that her life would end in a matter of seconds so he did what needed to be done.
Turning her head to the side, Jason sunk his protruding teeth into the base of her neck without further hesitation. The taste of her blood ignited a primal hunger in him and he devoured her flesh. She tasted like nothing he had ever experienced before. Mingled in the acrid taste was a sweetness that coursed through his veins awakening a desire he had relinquished hundreds of years ago.
She shifted under him and cried out when his sharpened canines dug deeper piercing the thick vein that resided along the column of her neck. Her heart thumped against her chest wall, she gulped in air filling her lungs until she felt the restricted confines of suffocation. Her body felt both dead and alive at the same time.
The grumblings of discontent filled the small compartment of the vehicle. The other two men shook their heads in disbelief as they witnessed one of the most feared vampires in the world sire a dying woman. It had been over one hundred years since he had done something like this, however the rules had drastically changed and he would answer to the clans for his indiscretion.
Her cobalt blue eyes turned a viscous black when her body finally gave into the darkness and died. He crept upward intently watching the transformation. Her now ebony eyes were lifeless. Elizabeth's skin was tainted an eerie shade of blue while every tissue and organ inside her body decayed into nothing. The entire process lasted less than a minute.
The shimmer of a life reborn took form. The woman's flesh glistened as his blood traveled through her. Each drop clung to her cells and drenched her veins. The rebirth of Elizabeth Webber would allow her to live as he lived, a quiet nocturnal existence among the unsuspecting and unknowing human race.
She awakened before their eyes with a new definition of life. Rising into a sitting position she licked her dry lips tasting the remaining mixture of their blood. She spoke no words as they were not needed.
The wicked craving violently burning through her made her anxious. She fidgeted in the seat awkwardly until he loomed closer to her. He recognized the ensuing hunger.
"You need to feed."
She watched them closely. She was afraid. So many emotions flooded her mind and body and her ability to control them, let alone understand them seemed out of reach. An unknown force lived inside of her. It spoke to her, begged her to feed it so it could live.
He moved closer to her until his thigh rubbed against hers. Electricity soured through the both of them with that innocent touch.
"Do you understand what I said?" Jason always hated the initial process of an embrace.
The urge to rip his throat out and drain his body captivated her. She focused on the movement of his mouth when he spoke, but then her attention switched to the throbbing pulse of blood roaming just under his soft bronze skin.
He raised his left wrist to his mouth and clenched his sharp teeth into the flesh. Bright red plasma trickled out and she couldn't hinder the temptation to feed any longer.
She surged forward and clamped her lips around the wound and sucked feverishly hoping to drink until her starving body was satisfied.
Jason closed his eyes indulging himself with the sensuality of her taking him into her body. He hardened immediately with each flick of her tongue lapping in his blood. The prick of her teeth widening the cut so she could devour all of him sent him into a whirlwind of desire.
She would be his.
"Enough," he whispered as she continued to feed. She opened her eyes to watch him squirm uncomfortably. She tightened her grip around his arm and clawed through his flesh digging deeper.
"I said ENOUGH!" He tugged his arm away securing it close to his chest.
She leaned back into the seat and wiped the blood clinging to the corners of her full, blood soaked lips with her tongue.
"More," she muttered with a smirk.
She was now a vampire.
Lorenzo ran his index finger down the flute glass in his hand. He barely touched the champagne because his mind was occupied by something else, someone else.
He remembered their last encounter. She was naked, sprawled on top of him after yet another round of heated passion. His member hardened at the thought of her sweaty body thrashing under him as he rammed himself frantically into her until she could do nothing but scream his name.
The room thickened quickly with more bodies dressed in expensive clothes, sipping potions flown in from Europe, cleansing their palettes with caviar and other imported delicacies. This is what he did best; flaunt his wealth and notoriety with those that mingled in the same circles as he.
Affluence had granted him a very fulfilling life. He practically ruled over the city with his kinship to the 'old money' blue bloods of New York City. Lorenzo Alcazar was a businessman first and foremost, but an aristocrat nonetheless. He hailed from South America, the only son born to a wealthy plantation owner with lineage to the Spanish royal family.
He missed her. Elizabeth had been somewhat of a surprise, a dichotomy actually. Although they were connected by their mutual love for the finer things in life, she had an innocence to her that broke through the concrete surrounding his heart.
She was flamboyant, passionate, funny, creative and incredibly beautiful; he was sophisticated, soft-spoken, driven and lethal. They made an interesting combination to say the least. Strangely, what drew him to her was her love of art and history. They talked for hours and hours upon their first meeting about her paintings, his extensive library of history books and their favorite modern artists.
Elizabeth Webber was known as a spoiled little rich girl who easily squandered her family's immense fortune without batting an eye. To Lorenzo, she was Elizabeth, the other half of his heart.
In the three short weeks they had been together, he grew attached. Was it love? He didn't quite know since it had been many, many years since he felt his heart beat, especially for another person. What he did know was that he loved to wake up and see her shimmering blue eyes dancing just before she ravished him with wild wet kisses. He loved to hear her moan his name when he loved her body with his tongue.
The clanking of glasses brought him out of his haze. He breezed through the sea of unknown faces and ventured out onto the balcony. He welcomed the cold. It reminded him just how much he missed her warm skin wrapped around him.
The sliding glass door opened alerting him that his solace had ended.
"What?" he questioned without turning to see who joined him.
The tall gravely looking man stood next to Lorenzo and said, "There's been an incident."
What would New Year's Eve be without incidents? With a tenuous smile he asked, "What kind of incident?"
The man floated closer and muttered, "It's Ms. Webber sir."
Hearing her name, Lorenzo turned and grabbed the lapels of his visitor's tux pulling him forward. "What happened to Elizabeth?"
The cold air suddenly changed into a bitter, eerie darkness.
"She…uh…she…" the poor man stammered.
Lorenzo gripped the man's neck and squeezed. "Where is Elizabeth," he seethed, an orange glow tinting his eyes.
"She's been embraced sir."
Unequivocal rage penetrated him. Fury ignited his blood. Not his Elizabeth, god no. She was supposed to be his.
He opened his mouth allowing his canines to extend and then plunged them into the neck of the messenger, draining the elixir from his dying body before throwing the corpse over the railing and into the icy river.
No one crossed Lorenzo Alcazar, no one.