Arthur Renfield struggled to suppress a yawn, covering his mouth with his hand so as to seem genuinely interested in what his colleague was saying. The annual Minister's Ball was meant to be a celebration in honour of the men in charge of keeping the country in order, yet Arthur found the company tedious and their idea of 'celebrating' equally lacking. Casting his glance around the large auditorium, Arthur hoped to find a distraction in the form of someone more interesting. The other guests were milling about in small groups, softly chatting away about the current economical state of the country, upcoming political changes, and the latest gossip regarding cheating spouses and personal scandals. Waiters dressed in crisp white shirts and pressed black slacks carefully made their way through the crowd of ministers and their jewel-addled wives, distributing alcohol freely which did little to liven up the party, at least in Arthur's opinion. He grabbed another glass of wine from a passing waiter, taking a large gulp before turning back to his companions.
"So tell us, Art. How do you keep busy these days, what with there being no reason to call upon the military?"
Arthur ground his teeth in frustration. He found it irksome when fellow ministers looked down on him, as they not-so-subtly tended to do from time to time. As the Minister of Defence, it was his job to ensure England's armed forces were always prepared; yet there hadn't been any real trouble since the brutal attack on London by unknown forces about thirty years ago. However, this did not mean that he sat around all day doing nothing. His work with the Hellsing organisation kept him plenty busy, though of course he could never tell his fellow ministers what that entailed. They would never believe that monsters existed, even though they lived right beneath their very noses.
Taking a sip of his wine, Arthur wondered what it would be like to rub their faces in the fact that he was the one who kept them safe at night.
Well, Integra Hellsing really, but he played a big role too.
Arthur's ever roaming eyes came to a sudden halt when they alighted on a sight he had not expected. On the other side of the hall stood a woman, but such a vision was she, that Arthur found himself unable to draw his eyes away. She stood with her profile to him, her luxurious brown hair cascading down the curve of her bare back. Her tight-fitting red dress drew attention to her full chest, firm bottom and shapely, long legs. As if sensing his stare, the woman turned, her gaze meeting his. One perfectly arched eyebrow rose along with the corners of her mouth, and she inclined her head in invitation.
"Oh one can never be too prepared," Arthur replied, his eyes never leaving the woman. "Excuse me, gentlemen."
As if in a trance, Arthur followed the radiant beauty as she strode through one of the open side doors onto the balcony. She stood waiting, her arms against the railing, but turned when he was directly behind her. Up close she was even more dazzling. Her skin was very pale, but smooth; her red lips did not part when she smiled, and her eyes seemed an unusual colour, though Arthur quickly brushed the matter aside as merely a result of bad lighting.
"Good evening," she said. Her voice was soft and sweet, like music to his soul. Arthur felt himself grow hot beneath his stiff, white collar, but managed to find his voice long enough to offer her the same greeting.
"You must forgive me, Madam, for I have not yet had the pleasure of making your acquaintance. I hope my being here with you is not keeping your from your fortunate partner?"
At this her eyes seemed to twinkle in amusement, and she stepped closer to him, her hand coming up to touch his breast.
"I am an old friend of Sir Hellsing, and it is on account of her recommendation that I am here, though I am very much alone. And don't you worry, Mr. Renfield, there will be plenty time for you to make my most intimate acquaintance," she whispered seductively, to which Arthur's body did not fail to respond. The moment, however, was sadly cut short when the woman took a step back again, her hand coming up to her hip and drawing his focus away from her mouth to her body.
"You know me?" he asked, his eyes snapping back up to her lovely face.
"Indeed. I have heard much about you from Sir Hellsing," she answered, her fingers toying with the buttons on his jacket. Arthur found his mouth suddenly very dry, but she spoke again before his imagination could carry him away.
"But what's this? As a gentleman, I would have expected you to at least bring me a drink, unless. . ." Her voice trailed off, and the tip of her tongue darted out to lick her cherry red lips, nearly sending Arthur over the edge. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he wondered if her behaviour was not a little odd, but his desire quickly pushed those thoughts aside, convincing him that young people these days were not bothered with modesty, or introductions it seemed; and she was young, she looked to be in her mid-twenties, while he was already in his mid-fifties. He still could not believe his luck.
"Unless what?" The woman moved forward, her lower body pressed against his and her leg skilfully rubbing up the inside of his.
"Unless you plan to take me somewhere else for a drink," she whispered, her warm breath tickling his ear until all he could think about was taking her home and ravishing her.
"Let's go," he answered, tossing all caution to the wind and taking hold of her slender wrist. He noted how her skin was cool to the touch, but since they were standing outside, he paid no attention to it.
No one noticed as they left, and when Arthur's chauffer finally brought the car around, he ordered him to drive to his apartment in the city by the quickest route possible, unwilling to wait the full thirty minute drive into the country where the old Renfield family estate was located. His apartment was only meant for prolonged stays in the city, but while he had not planned to stay in London that night, he knew the apartment would be adequately stocked for one or two nights stay. The entire way home, Arthur fought to keep his hands from straying inappropriately, yet the woman's advances did not make it easy for him.
Upon reaching his apartment, Arthur had enough sense to remember his manners, and opened the door for the lady to enter first. The woman walked in, her high heels clacking against the wooden floors, the sound echoing throughout the empty apartment. Arthur's eyes lingered on her gently swaying hips as she strode over to the staircase, leaving her purse behind on one of the small tables in the front hall. He closed the door behind him, but did not bother with the lights. The woman turned to him and beckoned with her fingers, her lips stretching into a small smile. As he followed her up the stairs, Arthur loosened his tie and carelessly tossed his tailored jacket across the back of the railing. He entered his bedroom, expecting to find her on the bed, but she was suddenly behind him, shutting the door before closing the distance between them. Her skin was still cool beneath his hands, but her kisses were wild and hot. Before he knew what was happening, she had him on his back on the bed, straddling his hips while she continued to nip at his lips. Arthur's hands caressed her waist and back, his fingers slowly memorizing the feel of her soft skin. She moved her attention to his neck, her lips leaving soft kisses along his skin. He heard her breathe in deeply before releasing her breath in a sigh of pleasure.
"Do you know why I chose you?" she suddenly asked while nuzzling his neck.
"Because I was the only handsome, single male there?" he ventured. He could feel her lips drawing into a smile as she laughed.
"No, it's because you know Sir Integra Hellsing."
"Plenty people know Sir Hellsing," he pointed out, anxious to get this conversation out of the way so he could prove he still had some spring left in him.
"Yes," she replied in a somewhat indulging tone. "But you're the only one who knows about the things that go bump in the night," she continued, her voice gradually lowering to a whisper.
Arthur's body froze as the implication of her words sank in. The woman sensed his tension and laughed, snapping Arthur out of his daze. He pushed back on her shoulders, but only succeeded in placing a small distance between them, enough so he could look at her face. She was smiling widely for the first time, and even in the dark he could see the sharp incisors resting on her lower lip.
"Y-you're a monster!"
"Oh come now, that's not very nice. Does this body feel like it could belong to a monster?" she asked in a taunting tone, pressing herself down on him to emphasize her point. Arthur pushed back, rolling her over enough so that he could escape from beneath her. Running away would not do much good, but Integra had given him a weapon for emergencies. He had never expected to ever use it, but now he was grateful for Integra's insistence he keep one in each of his homes. Rummaging around in the drawer of his desk now, Arthur prayed the gun was still loaded with the specialized bullets. Upon discovering the weapon, he whipped around to aim at her. Surprisingly, she was sitting on the edge of the bed, her legs casually crossed and a placid smile tugging at the corners of her mouth, completely unperturbed by the weapon in his hands.
"Claridge Hi-Tech, semi-automatic, 9mm pistol. Let me guess, blessed steel Macedonian mercury filled bullets?"
Arthur's jaw dropped in surprise, and he struggled to still his trembling hands.
"Well I'm pleased to see all my hard work is still being put to use, but that just means you've lost your advantage. You can't catch me by surprise; I designed those bullets."
"What do you want with me?" Arthur demanded, pleased by how firm and unwavering his voice sounded. The woman lifted her hand in front of her face and began casually examining her nails.
"Relax, I'm not going to eat you." She paused to chuckle at her little joke before continuing. "I just want you to pass along a little message to Integra Hellsing."
Her request was so odd that Arthur stumbled over his words.
"Wait. . .you want. . .that's it?"
"That's it," she replied, shrugging her shoulders. He did not lower his weapon, but he did edge along the wall to the light switch, flipping it and flooding the room with light. It took a second or two for his eyes to adjust, but the woman did not even flinch. In the halo of white light he could see her eyes were a fiery red that almost matched the colour of her lips.
"Why me?"
"As I've said, you know all about vampires, which means you'll go straight to Integra with this information."
"Alright then, what is this message you want me to deliver?" The woman paused, a shadow flickering across her eyes. Her expression lost some of its humour, and Arthur's brain responded to the change by going into a mild panic.
"Tell Integra Hellsing that her organization is about to enter its final stage of existence."
The enormity of what she was suggesting baffled Arthur, enough to cause him to lower his weapon somewhat.
"You can't be serious. No one has ever been able to completely destroy the Hellsing organization. If you had tried to take them down in the past thirty or so years you might have succeeded, but your attempt is ill-timed. Alucard has returned, and you'll never make it past him."
At this the woman rose from the bed, and Arthur swiftly raised his weapon again, aiming it at her chest. Again, she did not even bat an eyelid.
"You misunderstand Arthur dear. It is exactly Alucard that I want." She moved over to the door, ignoring the trailing barrel of Arthur's weapon.
"I'll see myself out then."
"Wait!"
The woman paused with her hand on the doorknob, waiting for him to speak.
"Who are you?"
She smiled again, flashing her sharp teeth, the intensity of her crimson eyes burning right through him.
"Kit is the name I go by. Be sure to mention that to Sir Hellsing when you tell her. Good evening, Mr. Renfield."
And with that she was gone, leaving Arthur alone with nothing but the silence of his empty apartment. Sliding to the ground, Arthur allowed the weapon to slip from his numb fingers, offering up a quick but heartfelt prayer that he escaped with his life.