Chapter Three

Nikolai

Disclaimer: Standard Disclaimer applies. (In other words I have no rights to SM or the SS in any way, shape, or form.) However this story line is mine. For those who have noticed a base-line of Laurell K. Hamilton's work, I have borrowed Laurell's understanding of what a werewolf, and a vampire were, also barrowing her thoughts on a Vampire of the City, and the Vampiric Council. But everything else in here is mine.

Warning: Profane language, violence, sexual content and blood, gore, vampires, werewolves and all the good stuff. M-rated.

Double Warning: Bad writing involved

The next night, Serena, Lita, Raye and Darien stood outside the Limbo Dance hall. Darien stared up at the neon red sign as it blinked furiously at the night sky. Glancing at the line of people, who had formed to try to get into the dance hall, he was privately thankful that Serena had made it clear that Renee couldn't come. People were dressed in various contraptions that he guessed were considered clothing, but the clothes barely hid anything, leaving very little to the imagination in the cases that did cover a variety of body parts. The most abundant type of clothing there was shiny black leather.

Some of the people in the line danced and swayed to the few strains of music that managed to drift out the entrance. Other people made out in the line, either completely unaware of the fact that they were surrounded by other people, or didn't care. Darien was betting on the fact that they didn't care.

He felt uncomfortable and his face grew hot as he watched two women locked together in an extremely passionate kiss. Their hands swept over each other, lingering in various areas that he would have been nervous to touch on Serena.

Thinking about Serena made him turn toward her. She had told them that to get into the club without attracting attention, they had to dress accordingly. He believed her at that moment, but he had been the lucky one. He had simply been able to transform into Tuxedo Mask, but Raye, Lita, and Serena looked… different.

Serena looked the most comfortable. She had tied her hair atop her head in a mass of knots. The only things she wore were a leather bra, a very short leather skirt, and thigh high leather boots. She walked on the boots as if she had worn them on several occasions, and had beaten off the embarrassment of wearing them. Darien had to admit that she looked amazing, but he had never thought she would wear something that revealing in the palace, none-the-less in public.

She had even put on make-up. Ice blue eye shadow, black mascara, and black eyeliner seemed to make her blue eyes stand out even more. A soft pink shade of lipstick made her lips appear fuller and more generous. A light powdering of blush highlighted the high cheekbones and helped to accent her eyes and mouth.

Raye looked the most uncomfortable. Her outfit covered much more of her body, which left Darien to wonder if she was uncomfortable for herself or Serena. Raye had a pair of skin tight black leather pants that looked almost painted on. A series of straps went over her flat stomach to meet with a small red leather sports bra that covered her chest. Black knee high boots finished her outfit. Raye's makeup was styled the same way as Serena's but the eye shadow was a coppery color, and the lipstick was cherry red.

Lita stood smiling broadly. Next to Serena, she was the most comfortable. She wore a tight green dress, which ended about mid-thigh. The neck of the dress formed a V that stopped just below the line of her breasts. The dress framed the generous expanse of skin she was allowing to be revealed. Velvet-like green boots clung up her legs to the edge of the dress. Lita's make-up was green, even the mascara and lipstick. Darien, remembering one of Serena's mangas, had seen a woman on the cover who looked very similar to Lita. The woman had been called Poison Ivy.

Strangely, though he had never really thought of Lita or Raye in a sexual way, he felt like he was in any normal guys' version of a wet dream. His eyes traveled over each of the girls, but kept wandering back to Serena. He had never thought she could look so hot. He always though she was beautiful, but he had never seen her look hot.

Serena walked up the steps to greet a large black man who was guarding the entrance. They spoke quickly to each other for a moment, and then he held the door open and let Serena pass. Lita, Amy, and Darien followed. Darien noticing that several people in the crowd were less than happy.

Darien's senses were assaulted the moment he stepped into the Dance Hall. A strobe light flashed glaringly above their heads, making everything look chopped up like some of the old black and white movies. There was a smell of sweat and sex in the air, but underneath it was the scent of blood, an acrylic odor that seemed to stick to his nose and mouth as he tried to breathe.

Serena strode through the crowd, not looking at anything in particular. Darien wondered whether she would have blushed if she had looked at the people around her, but somehow he doubted she would. She acted as if she had been there on several occasions, as she shoved her way past a couple that stood making out, instead of dancing. He followed her, sensing Raye and Lita move close behind him. People bumped into him on either side, making him feel like he was walking neck deep in water.

A woman appeared at his elbow. Her glossy brown hair was artistically arranged over her breasts, so it looked like she was wearing a very intriguing shirt. She wore a shiny leather mini skirt that was so small, Darien wondered if she could move without flashing the room. Her boots were laced up to her thighs, and made her appear to be about two inches taller than she really was. She smiled up at him, grabbing his arm.

"Wanna dance, sweetheart?" She shouted over the crashing noise, which sounded more like thunder than music.

"Uh, no. Sorry. I'm here with my fiancé." He stated, trying to pull his arm out of the woman's grip. For a moment he was surprised at his words, but he guessed that the woman wouldn't know that he and Serena weren't exactly considered a couple at the moment.

"Ah, come on, sweetie. She can't be that good. My sister and I can give you better than anything your little woman can." The woman said glancing speculatively at the Lita and Raye over Darien's shoulder. Serena had vanished into the stifling crowd. Darien felt his jaw fall open as he stared at the girl. He probably should have expected that, but it was still shocking. He jerked his arm out of her hands without worrying about being polite. She stumbled into a man dancing next to her, gave Darien a dark look and stormed away.

Raye and Lita looked at Darien with wide eyes and red faces, probably wondering, as he was, what kind of woman would offer to sleep with a man and invite her own family. He shook his head and started for the bar. Serena appeared at his side just before he reached it.

"Where are you going?" She shouted.

"Looking for you."

"Well, come on." She grabbed his hand and pulled him after her. After a split second, he grabbed Raye's hand, and hoped that she would do the same with Lita. Serena pulled Darien through and around dancing couples and finally stopped at a door, long enough to pull it open and drag him in behind her. Lita and Raye followed him through the door quickly. Serena sighed, closing the door.

She let go of Darien's hand and looked up at him. They stared at each other for a moment before, blushing slightly, Serena looked away. "This way, guys."

A flare of jealousy snapped through Darien as he watched her lead the girls down the hall and into one of the rooms. He knew she had been there before, to get Nikolai's aid, but actually seeing how familiar she was with the place rankled him. He clenched his fists and followed silently.

The room he entered was painted black and some paintings adorned the walls. The carpet was white and felt like a sponge underneath the soles of Darien's shoes. Two couches sat on either side of the room; one black, the other white, and both were made of leather. A large dark wood desk sat at the far end, it's highly polished surface gleaming in the dim light from the small chandelier in the center of the room. A large potted tree sat in one of the corners of the room, but that was it for the décor. It almost looked like the room was only half finished.

Behind the desk sat Nikolai. He surveyed them all with a superior look that seemed to demand attention. The look made Darien cringe. But as Nikolai's gaze went over Serena, a surprised look appeared on his face and he looked her up and down as if studying her outfit.

If Darien had had a twin, Nikolai was it. The only differences between himself and the vampire behind the desk were the eyes and hair. Nikolai's eyes were a violet that was more red than blue. His hair was the same black as Darien's except it hung to Nikolai's waist. Tonight the hair was curled softly, like Nikolai had just gotten out of a shower and had let it dry naturally.

Nikolai's wardrobe looked like it had come out of a bad historical romance novel. His shirt was a rich velvety red, which made his eyes look even redder. The shirts' neck was cut cleverly into a V, like Lita's dress, and revealed an expanse of the vampire's chest. The cuffs and throat were covered in folds of a black silky material, contrasting with the Nikolai's pale skin and the red of the shirt itself. The shirt was tucked into tight black slacks that highlighted the shape of his legs and thighs. Shiny black boots ending at mid-calf completed the outfit.

Darien felt Lita and Raye shift awkwardly and turned toward them. They were both staring at Nikolai as if he had sprouted a second head. Lita's face had picked up a slight blush as she stared at the man behind the desk, and Darien, knowing what the look meant, touched Lita's shoulder. She shook her head, looked at him and gave him a shaky smile. Raye's face had turned from surprise to annoyance and she finally settled for surveying Nikolai with distaste.

Serena stood stalk still, her face impassive as she stared at Nikolai, and Darien felt jealousy curl in his stomach like a snake ready to strike. He bit his tongue to keep from saying something that would cause problems. Serena's eyes turned toward him as if she had sensed his anger, and Darien saw something in her eyes that made him relax slightly. Fear. She was afraid of Nikolai. That thought was like a warm blanket wrapping around Darien. He tried to give her a comforting smile, and she seemed to gain strength from it. She straightened herself a little before turning back to Nikolai, her face hard.

"Hello, Nikolai. It's not nice to see you again." She stated, her voice like ice.

AN: Feel free to read and review. Leave comments, questions, thoughts, ideas, etc if you wish. Also leave your emails so that if you do have a question, I can respond to it. I will not respond to flamers. All I ask, if you do have something to say against my writing, is that you word it politely.

AN: Thanks to Kamalchemy88, Serenityzkiss, Princess Consuela Bananahammock, Rasmus, ffgirlmoonie, Betrayed Innocence, and Megan Consoer for reading my works. And liking it despite the bad writing.


AN: To Jadedpsyche and Empress Author:

I love Laurell's works. However, I am doing my best not to take after her works because of the warnings I have seen. I have, though, taken her thoughts on what werewolves, vampires, the vampiric council, and the master of the city to heart.

Though in alot of books I have read about vampires there is always a total master, or master of the city equivelant in each. But I have found that master of the city works well for this story, as well as a consciousness like that of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Laurell's understanding. (To bring this out more, watch Blade, Interview with a vampire, John Carpenter's Vampires, Van Hellsing, and the Forsaken. In each of those movies, there is a top vamp, which in some way or another has control of the others. And blah blah blah Grin)

As far as werewolves, I have found that a mindless beast has little to do with anything fun, just massacring. though I do have the equivalent of a mindless wolf, which laurell does not, and that is the omega.

My style of writing may mimic Laurell's writing, but I started writing that way long before I read any of laurell's work. I find it easier to bring out a chars personality in writing that way.

AN: Empress Author: I do however wish to point out the "double" warning at the top of each chapter "Bad writing involved." That should include the grammatical errors, as well as typos. Thank you for your worries about my stories mimicing Laurell's in various ways, I will include that warning in each of my disclaimers. Waves

Hope you all keep reading my stories and keep enjoying them. Thank you.

To Blue bull dog:

Have no clue whats gonna happen in my stories any more than you do. I write from the heart, besides I find it extremely intertaining to see what my freehand comes up with. So just so you know there might be a connection between Nik and Sere, and Sere might end up kicking Raye's tush, but have no clue yet. Cross your fingers.