Amelia changed into her pajamas and flopped down angrily on her bed. AJ really needed to be more careful.
Taking her phone out of her pocket, she called one of the only people who she knew would answer the phone after midnight.
"Hello?" asked a male voice after a few rings.
"Hey Seb, it's Mimi. How's it going?"
"Hey Mimi! It's going great. Happy New Year!"
"Thanks, you too," she replied.
"Are you sure you're okay, Mimi? You sound upset," Seb noted.
"Eh, it's just AJ. She met someone tonight and I just worry about her, you know? She's got a good head, but sometimes, she just does stuff without thinking and I just worry."
The Lycan on the other end laughed. "She's young, Mimi. Can you really blame her? Besides, what's this? Am I detecting a little bit of jealousy in your voice? Why don't you try meeting someone sometime?"
"You know why I can't do that. I don't know if anyone would be willing to deal with me AND the demon."
"Well, I know that you care about her, but you have to let her make her own decisions. You can't protect her forever."
"I know, but I can try."
"Well, don't worry about it too much. Just enjoy the evening because it's New Years! Besides, if things get rough, you can always call me and introduce me to the poor guy and I'll set him straight."
"Thanks, Seb. I'll talk to you later."
"Good night, Amelia."
As Amelia tried to fall asleep, she couldn't help but wonder just who the guy was that AJ had met.
(AJ's POV)
By the time Amelia had gotten off the phone was Seb, AJ had headed to her own room.
She was used to not sleeping, late nights like these always made some old habit come alive again. So, as soon as she was sure Amelia had gone to bed, AJ walked over to her closet, opening it and then grabbing a shoebox from the floor.
From anyone else's perspective, it would have just appeared as a simple shoebox. But no, to AJ this was much more than a shoebox.
It was a keepsake box, filled with the sorts of items that would remind her of the ones she'd gone after.
Carrying the box back to her bed and sitting down, she took off the lid and immediately grabbed her favorite thing out of the box.
It was a small mirrored jewellery box, with enough space to hold maybe a few rings and a necklace. But the thing she liked most about it was that it also functioned as a music box.
Turning the spinet on the bottom of the box and then lifting the lid, AJ smiled when the familiar Ballad of Swan Lake began to play. It was one of the few items in the box that actually seemed to help her sleep better, aside from the fact that she had killed its previous owner.
She didn't know how many ghosts haunted her of those she'd killed, not that she had meant to in the first place.
She'd learned control the hard way, and she probably would have reverted to her old ways if Amelia hadn't found her.
That was the other thing AJ had learned, there were people that could care less about you, and there were those that would act like you were their flesh and blood.
AJ had known Amelia longer than she could remember, had it been ten years? Fifteen? It seemed the longer their friendship lasted, the more Amelia had tried to calm AJ's wild side, case in point being how worried she'd been about her coming home late.
It wasn't that AJ minded, it was nice knowing someone cared - but when someone cares about you and in turn you care for them back, you're opening a door to connections that can change quickly.
There were things AJ could never tell Amelia, things that she was sure would change how the older girl saw her. This box was one of those things, for every time AJ managed to meet a guy she liked, she always took something of his.
A few of the items, she'd killed the men that owned them, her bloodlust not fully under her control at the time. Now it was to the point where she knew to recognize the fading heartbeat and the slowed breathing, but the real fun came when she found those of her own kind.
One that takes things from another vampire automatically realizes they've started a game, and depending of the intent, either leads to one of the vampire's deaths, or an imprint that's near impossible to break.
That had been tonight's object, because thanks to that stupid horoscope, AJ knew what she was getting herself into. She knew this year was the year she'd finally find a guy that she wouldn't be able to kill, one that wouldn't leave after he found out what she was.
Because this year, she'd stolen a hat from a Dandie.
And everyone knows if you get involved with them, you've either got a serious deathwish, or... well, not many of those that meddled in those type of affairs with those vampires were ever seen again, so there really wasn't a precedent for AJ to base her decision of off.
But no matter the outcome, she knew she was ready for something a little more exciting than bar crawling and late nights walking the alleyways alone, counting the stars above for some indication that fate was going to change.
She'd have to call Charlotte in the morning and time her about the game she'd started, she was certain the younger vampire would want to know what had changed since the last time that the two had gone hunting together.
William Beckett hurried back to the mansion, not caring if the night wasn't over. After that run in he needed clarity.
The minute he walked in, the youngest of his men, a blonde skinny vampire, named Adam, noticed something was off.
"William... you look shaken up. Are you alright? And your hat-"
"Was taken, and believe me, I intend to get it back. Ran into someone I'm sure will be quite easy to find again. If you'd be so kind, Adam, could you grab me a glas of blood and a washcloth?" William asked, pulling up his suit jacket sleeve to reveal the bite marks the girl had left.
The younger vampire stood wide eyed at the marks, nobody was ever that stupid to go after the leader of the Dandies without having an ulterior motive in the first place.
"How'd you get that?" One of William's second-in-commands, Mike Carden, walked into the room, running a hand through thick black hair.
"It seems we are not the only vampires civilians have to look out for," William started, already walking towards the kitchen,the other two following, "Because the female vampire that got to me tonight seems to be equal with me in terms of ability and tactics of the hunt."
"Female vampire? This is going to get interesting..." The other second in command entered the room, found a spot beside the refrigerator and leaned against the counter, "Do tell more."
William shook his head.
"There's not much to tell. I only know her name and appearance, but what worries me is that she's not a pureblood vampire like we are. There was something off about her, something I couldn't quite figure out lingering in her scent. It's going to bother me to no end."
"Not a pureblood vampire? That's ridiculous!" Adam almost shouted in disbelief.
"Adam, you must remember, not all vampires can be sired by the same person. Although there is a certain lineage that is followed, abilities and loyalties can change due to who has bit whom."
"Like how I can walk in the sun and the rest of your mates can't, because I'm the only one here who wasn't sired by William," a blonde Australian vampire explained to Adam, who nodded in understanding.
"Right, like Michael said. And we all know this city crawls with creatures worse than those of our own kind, so if anyone wants to help figure out what the girl is, it would be appreciated."
"Well, could you at least figure out the origin of the scent you couldn't figure out? Like, whether it was from the city or-" the short brown haired vampire named Brendon asked, moving away from the refrigerator.
"It was... hm..." William paused, thinking.
It hadn't been a city scent, there had been a wild side to her that he couldn't name. Underneath the alcohol and perfume he had picked up a faint trace of something he hadn't been near in the longest time.
She had smelled faintly of ferns and wildflowers, of pines and the little creeks that ran deep where no living thing but deer knew its location. The type of place where one couldn't hide from the rays of the moon, no matter how high the trees reached. The place where a full moon could bring a certain sound out of those woods, a sound Bram Stoker's dark demon had cherished with the line, "Ah, the children of the night. What music they make."
Brendon, Mike, and Michael all looked at one another before looking at William, and poor confused Adam's gaze flickered around the room, unsure what was going on.
"Lycan." The four said at the same time, lips curling in snarls with fangs bared.
"So what's her name?" Adam asked, trying to diffuse some of the obvious tension that suddenly hung in the air.
"It was Adeline. Winters. Had a middle name, but by now that's slipped my mind."
"So what now? Do what we always do, track her down, kill her?" Brendon offered, forgetting it had been mentioned she was a vampire, well, hybrid from the sound of it.
"Can't. She's started a game. Never thought I'd have to play because I never expected anyone to be stupid enough to get me involved in the first place. Long story short, we're not going after her to kill her. The game forbids it. We'll have to find another way to deal with this until it's over."
"And when do we know it's over?" Mike this time.
"Well, I'll know if I'm able to kill her. If not, you all are just going to have to learn to live with her."
"Live with her? What kind of game is this, some sick 'vampire blind date game show'?"
"Not exactly. But when one vampire steals something from another, they willingly enter a game. By the end of it, one is dead, or if the result is more favorable, the thief and victim create an imprint that is near impossible to break. From the looks of tonight, Adeline knew exactly what she was getting herself into, and knew this conversation would be happening. My guess is she's already one step ahead of us. Best we can do to catch up is find out as much as we can about her before actually going after her," William explained, the others nodded in agreement.
"But for now, I think I'm going to retire for the night. Mike, Brendon, if you two could start looking up the girl, it'd be much appreciated."
The two second in commands looked at each other, smiling.
"Three mortals she's some sort of famous musician, actress, athlete."
"Four if it's none of the above."
"Deal."