So... my darling friend reckless-wildfire on tumblr sent me the prompt 'Lived long enough to become the villain'; of course that can mean only one thing... let me introduce you... to Strigoi Rose. ;o)
It pulled her from the dark, peaceful grasp of death, clawing at her insides. A burning fire singing through her veins—stronger and more painful than anything imaginable. It tore at her throat, making it parched and arid; she coughed, then took a shuddering breath… then another when the gesture pulled an enticing scent in with the air—so strong she could almost taste it.
Her nostrils flared, the thirst roaring through her. Her eyes shot open—their dark depths broken by the thinnest circle of red around her pupil, signifying the massive change her body had undergone. No longer a dhampir, she had been Awakened—by the one who was watching her carefully from across the room. She could smell him—the musky scent of her mate made her body thrum with need… but first she had to slake the thirst before it drove her insane.
There was movement in the doorway—the human… Nathan's little plaything, Inna. The urge to attack was strong, but instinctively she knew that she couldn't move… not just yet. Her eyes flicked from the girl to the Strigoi against the wall—waiting for some small gesture to indicate she could take what she needed. It angered her—having to wait; a low growl rattled deep inside her chest—her mate chuckled, amused by her impatience. His head moved—the smallest of nods—finally giving her permission to feed.
She launched herself off the bed—closing the distance between herself and the girl in a single beat of her heart; her movement was so fast it was a blur, taking Inna by surprise. Fragile human bones broke under her grasp—her new strength was still an alien thing that she would have to adjust to. The girl cried out in pain, but she ignored the sound; newly elongated incisors ripped into tender flesh, hot blood gushing out to coat her tongue—soothing the raging hunger that was burning her to cinders.
The meal was over remarkably fast… too fast for her to properly enjoy it. The steady, rhythmic beat of the human's heart slowed, then faltered once before shuddering to a stop. Pulling her mouth away from the corpse, Rose licked the blood off her face, narrowing her eyes; if Nathan had given the little bitch enough blood… then she might Awaken too.
There was a loud crack as she jerked the girl's head, twisting the neck almost all the way around—but still… she wasn't satisfied. Angling her hand like the stake she'd been trained to wield, she shoved it up under the sternum; the body fell to the floor as she withdrew her closed fist—head tilting as she studied the lifeless heart for a moment before dropping it to the ground. She stared at the mess she'd made, wondering what else she could do, but the sound of Dimitri's cold laughter distracted her from her game—reminding her of something far more important that she'd momentarily forgotten.
Her mentor was caught by surprise as his back slammed into the wall; a growl escaped the tall man… but he didn't fight back. In fact… he seemed rather… excited by her attack—which was exactly what she wanted. Balling her hands in the fabric of his shirt, she tore the material free—trailing her fingertips across his chest as she gazed up at him with a ravenous look in her eyes. "I'm still hungry Comrade… it's burning me up inside. But it's not blood I want this time. I want what you promised me I'd get if I let you Awaken me. I want you to fuck me. Right now."
As a dhampir she'd had to wait, always yearning for what she wanted, only to be refused. That wouldn't happen this time. Rose Hathaway the Strigoi would take what she wanted... and she'd damn sure never wait for it again.