100% Freshie, Chapter 16 --PG-13
Posted: Sun Feb 01, 2009 6:06 am
Disclaimer: The characters from Moonlight are copyrighted by CBS, and no infringement is intended.
Special note: This work takes place in the world of Moonlight, but your favorite vamps are not the main focus. Sorry about that; try to enjoy the story anyway. You might be surprised.
100% Freshie
Chapter 16
To human eyes, there wasn’t much light in the barren cell, but then again vampires don’t need much illumination. Standing in the corner, not bothering to put any expression into his cold, pale face, Will watched the woman crouching in the bars of brilliant moonlight that striped across the floor of what had become her physical universe. It was unpleasant enough, but probably, Will reflected, an absolute paradise compared to the world inside her head.
It might not show on his face, but there was a storm of derisive, mirthless laughter echoing inside him. And they’d told him she was improving. He wondered again if it would be better or worse for him to take Hunter—this wrecked creature who had been his beautiful Hunter—into his arms, to hold her, to soothe her and whisper to her. Then again, maybe the kindest thing he could do for her would be to enfold her gently in his embrace, se his teeth into her white throat, and drink the sweet red blood, as he listened while her heart slowed and slowed, and finally beat no more.
Finding her had not been easy. From what Danger had been able to tell him, from what little she recalled of the events, Will had realized that asshole Kostan—that very powerful and influential asshole, Kostan, he amended—and his p.i./enforcer buddy St. John, had been heavily involved in her removal. He’d hoped at the time that he’d been able to conceal his dismay from Danger, because chances were that Kostan, seeing Hunter as just another ruined piece of minor mortality, would simply have disposed of her. The feeder pens, if he was feeling particularly callous, or, since he’d seemed taken by Danger and might have been in a more benevolent mood, the brutal mercy of a quick, painless death. Will never dreamed that Hunter might still live, but he knew he had to find out. He had to find out how she died, so that he could add her death to the list of things to beat himself with. Another lash for the whip of his endless self-flagellation. Even if it meant going to Kostan for the information.
Will started at Hunter, rocking silently in the moonlight, her arms wrapped around herself, lost inside the shapeless hospital shift. His Hunter, who should be arrogantly beautiful in silk, and lace, and leather, the way he’d pictured her every night of his cowardly retreat. Once again, he’d screwed up, and once again, someone else had paid the price. Maybe almost 90 years was long enough to be a heartless prick.
Will winced inwardly, thinking about his audience with Josef Kostan. The old vampire had been blunt, not bothering with the verbal velvet rapier he was known for in business circles.
“Next time you want to change out your freshies, Spence,” Josef had said, “either pay them off or kill them, but do not leave another mess like this for someone else to clean up.”
“That was surely my business,” Will had replied, stung. “No one asked you to get involved.”
The smile he got back reminded him more of a striking rattlesnake than anything human. Of course, he told himself, it had been 400 years since Josef Kostan had been human.
“If I hadn’t gotten involved,” Josef ground out, his lips pulled back into a malicious grimace, “the likelihood is that the police would’ve found some very interesting evidence when they broke in the door after the neighbors complained about the stench. Texas would’ve been dead almost certainly, Hunter probably . Both with very visible, very hard to explain multiple fang scars.” He paused for what was really unneeded emphasis, then spat, “Of course it was my business.”
There had been more lecture, much more, with Kostan proving to everyone’s satisfaction that his bark was at least as sharp as his bite. At one point, Will had realized with some dismay, Josef had seemed nearly angry enough to release his beast from his iron self-control, his eyes flashing from brown to silver and back several times in rapid succession. Finally, however, he had reined in his evident rage and subsided back into a less murderous state.
As Josef wound down, Will sank into a leather chair. “Now that you’ve made your point—about 16 times—I’ll concede that possibly I should have waited before I acted. Maybe asked someone for advice—but tell me, Kostan, who was I supposed to go to for wise counsel? You?”
Josef considered. “Your sire, maybe?”
“Serena?” Will could not keep the note of surprise out of his voice.
“Ah—I’d forgotten. Miss Cold-hearted Vampire Bitch of 1900-1999 inclusive. Although she does have some competition for the title, believe me. And how is the lovely Serena these days?”
Will snorted. “I haven’t heard from her in—what day is it?—twenty-three years now.”
“Yes, well, even so, I can see where she might not be the best one for advice in this area.” Josef looked his guest over with a calmer eye, and decided to change tactics. His point had been taken. He strode to the wet bar and poured two drinks. Handing one to Will, he said, “You’ve have to take your whisky neat. No offense, but I don’t think I’m bringing one of my girls out here to put blood in your scotch.”
Will downed his drink in one smooth swallow. “As instructive as this has been, I actually did have a reason for coming here besides the very great pleasure of being verbally spanked by you.”
Josef smirked. “Really? I had no idea. So what did you come here for, Spence?” he took several deceptively delicate sips, waiting for the other vampire to speak.
When Will did speak, after a long pause, his voice was low and careful. “What happened to Hunter, Kostan? What did you do with Hunter?”
“Hunter, Hunter--oh yes--the freshie you abandoned. One of them, anyway,” Josef was, despite his best efforts, still offended by the implication of the query, and he let the venom into his tone. “What—you think I had her killed?” He laughed, injecting a note of incredulity into the sound. “I try not to kill freshies, Spence. Take one out and the rest tend to get spooked, for some reason.” He thought about the matter for a few seconds, then came to a decision. “I’ll probably regret this, but I’ll have my assistant text you the address where you can find her.”
Will had been taken aback by that. “How do you know my cell number?”
“Because it’s my business to know everything I can about every vamp in L.A.” Josef snapped his fingers. “As the humans say, it’s not paranoia when they really are out to get you, Spence. Pay attention.” Josef looked straight into Will’s eyes one last time. “Fix this mess,” he said, the soft intonation far more menacing than his earlier harangue. “And don’t think you won’t be getting the bill.”
He was dismissed, even as he heard Josef calling for one of his freshies. He passed the girl coming in just as he was on his way out. Faction, he believed her name was, and he doubted she’d even seen him; her shining eyes and the eager trust on her face were all for her vampire. Will could hear the happy lift of her heartbeat, smell the sweet anticipation in her blood. Kostan’s freshies were known for their devotion, and Will could only shake his head and wonder why.
So here he was, surveying the damage he had done, and trying to think of a way, any way, to set things right. He hadn’t thought much about religion in decades, but if there was any truth to what he remembered from the hellfire and brimstone sermons he’d heard during his childhood in the Bible Belt, he was probably past all hope of redemption himself. That didn’t mean his girls were past hope, though. He found himself surprised at the sudden constriction of his dead heart at the thought of “his girls.”
As territorial as vamps tended to be with their women, their personal freshies, he’d always sworn never to get so involved. This new attitude was unexpected, and he realized he’d fallen into the very trap he had gone to such lengths to avoid. He’d allowed himself the bitter luxury of the farmer who had let his livestock become pets. For that thought he let a strained parody of a smile twist his lips. It was too harsh, too dismissive of those loving hearts whose essence he had taken into himself, whose blood had sustained him. Emma, who had been his willing companion, bravely trying to hide the pain she was suffering after he had casually crushed her in his clumsy attempt to put more space between them. Yeah, he’d messed that up royally. What he’d told her--it might have been the truth, in its way, but it was only part of the truth. Not to mention the results of his abandonment of Hunter and Danger. Danger, who apparently wasn’t even speaking to him now.
Standing here in this awful place, watching Hunter, was punishment. Will bowed his head, unable to look at her any more. This was exquisite torture. It wasn’t enough, he knew that, he acknowledged it to himself, but it was almost more than he could bear.
The time had come to step out of the shadows. His hands slapped flat against the wall as he pushed away from it, a hollow sound within the empty space. Sinking down beside Hunter, he gathered her unnoticing, unresisting form into his arms, and began to rock gently with her, murmuring into her ear as the rest of the hours of the long night slowly bled away into the unwelcome dawn.
Special note: This work takes place in the world of Moonlight, but your favorite vamps are not the main focus. Sorry about that; try to enjoy the story anyway. You might be surprised.
100% Freshie
Chapter 16
To human eyes, there wasn’t much light in the barren cell, but then again vampires don’t need much illumination. Standing in the corner, not bothering to put any expression into his cold, pale face, Will watched the woman crouching in the bars of brilliant moonlight that striped across the floor of what had become her physical universe. It was unpleasant enough, but probably, Will reflected, an absolute paradise compared to the world inside her head.
It might not show on his face, but there was a storm of derisive, mirthless laughter echoing inside him. And they’d told him she was improving. He wondered again if it would be better or worse for him to take Hunter—this wrecked creature who had been his beautiful Hunter—into his arms, to hold her, to soothe her and whisper to her. Then again, maybe the kindest thing he could do for her would be to enfold her gently in his embrace, se his teeth into her white throat, and drink the sweet red blood, as he listened while her heart slowed and slowed, and finally beat no more.
Finding her had not been easy. From what Danger had been able to tell him, from what little she recalled of the events, Will had realized that asshole Kostan—that very powerful and influential asshole, Kostan, he amended—and his p.i./enforcer buddy St. John, had been heavily involved in her removal. He’d hoped at the time that he’d been able to conceal his dismay from Danger, because chances were that Kostan, seeing Hunter as just another ruined piece of minor mortality, would simply have disposed of her. The feeder pens, if he was feeling particularly callous, or, since he’d seemed taken by Danger and might have been in a more benevolent mood, the brutal mercy of a quick, painless death. Will never dreamed that Hunter might still live, but he knew he had to find out. He had to find out how she died, so that he could add her death to the list of things to beat himself with. Another lash for the whip of his endless self-flagellation. Even if it meant going to Kostan for the information.
Will started at Hunter, rocking silently in the moonlight, her arms wrapped around herself, lost inside the shapeless hospital shift. His Hunter, who should be arrogantly beautiful in silk, and lace, and leather, the way he’d pictured her every night of his cowardly retreat. Once again, he’d screwed up, and once again, someone else had paid the price. Maybe almost 90 years was long enough to be a heartless prick.
Will winced inwardly, thinking about his audience with Josef Kostan. The old vampire had been blunt, not bothering with the verbal velvet rapier he was known for in business circles.
“Next time you want to change out your freshies, Spence,” Josef had said, “either pay them off or kill them, but do not leave another mess like this for someone else to clean up.”
“That was surely my business,” Will had replied, stung. “No one asked you to get involved.”
The smile he got back reminded him more of a striking rattlesnake than anything human. Of course, he told himself, it had been 400 years since Josef Kostan had been human.
“If I hadn’t gotten involved,” Josef ground out, his lips pulled back into a malicious grimace, “the likelihood is that the police would’ve found some very interesting evidence when they broke in the door after the neighbors complained about the stench. Texas would’ve been dead almost certainly, Hunter probably . Both with very visible, very hard to explain multiple fang scars.” He paused for what was really unneeded emphasis, then spat, “Of course it was my business.”
There had been more lecture, much more, with Kostan proving to everyone’s satisfaction that his bark was at least as sharp as his bite. At one point, Will had realized with some dismay, Josef had seemed nearly angry enough to release his beast from his iron self-control, his eyes flashing from brown to silver and back several times in rapid succession. Finally, however, he had reined in his evident rage and subsided back into a less murderous state.
As Josef wound down, Will sank into a leather chair. “Now that you’ve made your point—about 16 times—I’ll concede that possibly I should have waited before I acted. Maybe asked someone for advice—but tell me, Kostan, who was I supposed to go to for wise counsel? You?”
Josef considered. “Your sire, maybe?”
“Serena?” Will could not keep the note of surprise out of his voice.
“Ah—I’d forgotten. Miss Cold-hearted Vampire Bitch of 1900-1999 inclusive. Although she does have some competition for the title, believe me. And how is the lovely Serena these days?”
Will snorted. “I haven’t heard from her in—what day is it?—twenty-three years now.”
“Yes, well, even so, I can see where she might not be the best one for advice in this area.” Josef looked his guest over with a calmer eye, and decided to change tactics. His point had been taken. He strode to the wet bar and poured two drinks. Handing one to Will, he said, “You’ve have to take your whisky neat. No offense, but I don’t think I’m bringing one of my girls out here to put blood in your scotch.”
Will downed his drink in one smooth swallow. “As instructive as this has been, I actually did have a reason for coming here besides the very great pleasure of being verbally spanked by you.”
Josef smirked. “Really? I had no idea. So what did you come here for, Spence?” he took several deceptively delicate sips, waiting for the other vampire to speak.
When Will did speak, after a long pause, his voice was low and careful. “What happened to Hunter, Kostan? What did you do with Hunter?”
“Hunter, Hunter--oh yes--the freshie you abandoned. One of them, anyway,” Josef was, despite his best efforts, still offended by the implication of the query, and he let the venom into his tone. “What—you think I had her killed?” He laughed, injecting a note of incredulity into the sound. “I try not to kill freshies, Spence. Take one out and the rest tend to get spooked, for some reason.” He thought about the matter for a few seconds, then came to a decision. “I’ll probably regret this, but I’ll have my assistant text you the address where you can find her.”
Will had been taken aback by that. “How do you know my cell number?”
“Because it’s my business to know everything I can about every vamp in L.A.” Josef snapped his fingers. “As the humans say, it’s not paranoia when they really are out to get you, Spence. Pay attention.” Josef looked straight into Will’s eyes one last time. “Fix this mess,” he said, the soft intonation far more menacing than his earlier harangue. “And don’t think you won’t be getting the bill.”
He was dismissed, even as he heard Josef calling for one of his freshies. He passed the girl coming in just as he was on his way out. Faction, he believed her name was, and he doubted she’d even seen him; her shining eyes and the eager trust on her face were all for her vampire. Will could hear the happy lift of her heartbeat, smell the sweet anticipation in her blood. Kostan’s freshies were known for their devotion, and Will could only shake his head and wonder why.
So here he was, surveying the damage he had done, and trying to think of a way, any way, to set things right. He hadn’t thought much about religion in decades, but if there was any truth to what he remembered from the hellfire and brimstone sermons he’d heard during his childhood in the Bible Belt, he was probably past all hope of redemption himself. That didn’t mean his girls were past hope, though. He found himself surprised at the sudden constriction of his dead heart at the thought of “his girls.”
As territorial as vamps tended to be with their women, their personal freshies, he’d always sworn never to get so involved. This new attitude was unexpected, and he realized he’d fallen into the very trap he had gone to such lengths to avoid. He’d allowed himself the bitter luxury of the farmer who had let his livestock become pets. For that thought he let a strained parody of a smile twist his lips. It was too harsh, too dismissive of those loving hearts whose essence he had taken into himself, whose blood had sustained him. Emma, who had been his willing companion, bravely trying to hide the pain she was suffering after he had casually crushed her in his clumsy attempt to put more space between them. Yeah, he’d messed that up royally. What he’d told her--it might have been the truth, in its way, but it was only part of the truth. Not to mention the results of his abandonment of Hunter and Danger. Danger, who apparently wasn’t even speaking to him now.
Standing here in this awful place, watching Hunter, was punishment. Will bowed his head, unable to look at her any more. This was exquisite torture. It wasn’t enough, he knew that, he acknowledged it to himself, but it was almost more than he could bear.
The time had come to step out of the shadows. His hands slapped flat against the wall as he pushed away from it, a hollow sound within the empty space. Sinking down beside Hunter, he gathered her unnoticing, unresisting form into his arms, and began to rock gently with her, murmuring into her ear as the rest of the hours of the long night slowly bled away into the unwelcome dawn.