Golden rays of the afternoon sun pressed their warmth through the small window and on Brian’s cheeks, taking him from the heavy sleep he’d been in. -That feels great.- Reflectively touching the heated part of his cheek, the geomancer was once more reminded of love lost. “Casey.” Brian whispered and turned to face the brightness of the sun. He closed his eyes and rubbed his unlit rune, where he started whispering. “…It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads..”

“Revelations; Thirteen-sixteen.” Denise calmly responded from the other side of the small bedroom. “Powerful verse.” She went on to add, “…But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars – they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death…”

Brian sat up and realized that he was completely nude and under a warm cotton sheet. “Um, where are my clothes?” He looked around frantically.

Pointing to an old rocking chair, Denise laughed. “You didn’t bring a change of clothes.” She pointed to Brian’s dark rune. “Bible verses and rubbing your rune, I guess you are thinking about if what you are doing is right or wrong.”

“No!” Brian blurted, “Right now I am wondering how I got from the quarry to this room and naked.” He felt his rune flair to life and emit its soothing evergreen light.

First adjusting her dusky-blonde ponytail, Denise walked over where Brian’s clothes were and placed them neatly on the bed he occupied. “They are clean.” Denise walked to the door and stepped out of the small bedroom. “Get dressed and I will have some peach tea and something to eat waiting for you.” She turned to face the big man, her ferronnière ominously glowing shale. “It is late afternoon. It was a very long night and a busy morning for the others.”

With one final moment in the sunlight, Brian got dressed and found his way through Denise’s farmhouse and into her kitchen. Along the way he stopped to look at the pictures hanging on the wall and admired the captured moments in time. “Did you take all of these pictures, Loved One?” Brian asked as he caught the glimpse of a larger picture of a stormfront hovering over the farm. “This picture of the storm is epic.”

Opening the small refrigerator and pouring the peach tea over a large glass of ice, Denise lightly snickered. “That was my picture era. I was obsessed with my camera.” She put the pitcher on the table and strode into her small living room. “I was very young when I took those. Probably ten or eleven.”

Turning from the stormy picture, Brian spun on his heels just to come face to face with Denise. Drawn instinctively to her almond colored eyes and charming smile, he slipped his hands over his mentor’s cheeks and kissed her. When the kiss scattered his mind of all his concerns, Brian pressed himself harder into the kiss. It was after hearing a light gasp and a tap to his chest that Brian’s worry all came flooding back. He pulled away, “Lo..D..Loved..” Brian stammered.

Holding her hand to the big man’s chest, Denise blinked and smiled. “Don’t worry about it, Brian. Nothing to apologize for.” She took a step back, and hooked her arm through Brian’s before almost dragging him with her. “Emotions are running high after last night, It will be our little secret.” Denise lowly whispered. “Besides, I am not the one you want to kiss.” She walked over to her stove and turned on the burner. “Have a seat, there is peach tea to clear your head.”

“Am I charmed again?” Brian cleverly asked and sat down. “You really do like cooking and waiting on us, don’t you?”

Denise poured a bit of olive oil in her cast iron skillet and walked to the fridge, pulling out a bulky brown paper package. “Like we talked about before, call it a trade. You are working with me and I am keeping you healthy.” She unwrapped the package to reveal two very large strips of steak. “You asked about last night?”

Sipping lightly at his peach tea, Brian immediately felt better. “I..um, yes.” Brian took a bigger gulp of tea, enjoying how it coated his dry throat. “What happened after the ritual?”

Chuckling lightly, Denise looked back at Brian. “A very large party.” She pointed a tiny half crooked finger at the geomancer, “One where you had a very good time I might add.”

“Why can’t I recall any of this?” He looked down at his lightly glowing rune, “The only thing I remember is being very tired and excited after the ritual.” He sipped more tea, “Did we make holy water?”

Tossing the steaks in the pan, Denise waited for the sizzling hiss of blood to settle before answering. “Yes, we did. Everyone performed wonderfully.” She pulled a piece of kyanite from her apron. “Why didn’t you toss yours in the quarry?”

“What?” Brian coughed when some tea went down wrong. “I didn’t think I had too. I just held on to it and kept thinking about the salt you wanted.”

Wiping her hands on her apron, Denise turned and leaned against her sink facing Brian. “You are going to be a key element this evening.” She smiled and shook her head. “Truly amazing. You don’t burn material components for earth, just like I suspected.”

“Key element to something I have no idea about? Why is me having that blue rock important?” Brian felt his stomach grumble after smelling the steaks cooking. “Loved One, You were right earlier.” He lifted his runed hand. “How do I know that this is right? I can’t help but think there is a reason why that bible verse came to me.”

Leaning to open the stove, Denise pulled a couple large potatoes covered in aluminum foil out and set them on a wood block to cool down. “Interesting.” Denise flipped the steaks and added a pinch of salt and pepper to the meat, “You are calling to the most disastrous part of the bible to quote, while leaving the other sins behind.” Denise walked over and took his hand into hers. “Funny that you pick magic as the corruption while you had a girlfriend you weren’t married to, had sex with and even more or less lived with.” Denise walked behind Brian and ran her hands through his short black hair, tenderly. “Belief is a powerful weapon, my novitiate.” The Darla carefully whispered gently. “What do you b..believe…is happening right now?” The Darla crooned and kissed Brian’s ear.

Reliving the kiss that they shared a few minutes before, Brian forgot all of his worries. “I…I don’t…know.” He confessed while Denise kept moving fluidly around him, bathing his senses in desire. All he could seem to think about was the look from her hazel eyes and the syrupy words slowly flowing in his kissed ears.

“Intoxicating isn’t it?” The Darla brushed her lips along one of his cheeks. “Yes…Brian. Think about it all, if you can.” The Darla kept up the pressure. “You’ve learned that human urges are sinful, and can cast you out from heaven, yet here you are.” She reached down and felt his stiffening manhood, “Yes, Magic by those very verses are sinful as well.” She purred more of her honeyed voice into his mind, “Different sin, different reaction.” Denise pulled back and kissed his black hair, before walking to the steaks and flipping them once more. “Magic is no more wrong than you being excited or having sex.” She pointed her tongs at the big man. “Natural and normal.”

Panting desperately, Brian picked up the large jar and downed the peach tea in a few gulps. It took a few seconds before the cold brew to hit his stomach and start clearing his head. “What…what…was that?” He inquired, confused. “Was th…that magic?”

“What do you believe, Brian?” Denise cut open the aluminum and put the potato on a plate with a medium rare steak beside it.

Brian quickly opened the fridge and poured more peach tea into his glass, “I believe it was. I…I..a very potent version of it, L-Loved One.”

Denise put the plate in front of Brian with a fork and knife, then grabbed a large bowl of salad. “The very same magic that you can expect tonight with the mission.” Denise spooned out a few handfuls of ice cold salad, “Vampires live from sin. It is their primary weapon. Their kiss can disarm you, their breath can send you into a mindless fog. Their bite will make you want them to feed.” She snaps her fingers. “About twenty seconds later, you are no more. Dust in the wind.” The Darla sits down across from her student. “Is it a sin to defend yourself with what Gaia has offered you naturally?”

Overcome by hunger and the feeling of half-burning desire, Brian drove his utensils into his meal. Chewing frantically as his stomach rumbled and his head cleared, He took down the first bites and backed it with more peach tea. “No, I don’t think of things in terms of sins, Loved One.” He shrugged, “I am a psychology major. I am interested in how the mind works, but I don’t necessarily believe in heavenly bodies.” He pointed the steak knife at Denise, “I didn’t believe in vampires until a few days ago either.” The knife screeched on his plate as he basically tore off another hunk of thick meat, “I didn’t believe in magic either.”

The Darla raised one of her devilishly curved eyebrows watching Brian eat heartily. “Your ability to maintain that calm demeanor that you possess will be of the utmost importance this evening.” The Darla leaned forward on the table. “I have witnessed your..” Her voice darkened, “Desperation.” Moving a few errant strands of her curly hair from her hazel eyes, The Darla casually flicked her wrist and pulled up the image of Casey with two nondescript women licking and kissing her neck. The sound of the young swimmer breathing deeply between her teeth echoed in the kitchen. “Leave the marks…Soo good mmmm..”

Brian started shaking and balled the knife in his hand when the sinewy black and green lines pulled up the image of Casey nearly in orgasmic bliss with the twin vampires feeding from her neck. Unable to look away, his anger grew as the two undead women ran their hands through Casey’s hair and gently caressed her cheeks. -If I can’t have her…- Brian thought of burning the two vampires to dust and his rune flared to life sending blobs of molten rock, lava, throughout the kitchen attempting to set the entire room on fire.

Shifting her spell flawlessly, The Darla expertly wrapped tiny balls of water around the lava pulsing from Brian’s hand and the molten masses fell to the floor as harmless rocks. “Yes, Brian. You are getting faster.” She pointed to the steaks. “Calm now.” Her magic spun and gathered up the fist sized rocks and organized them in a pyramid on the floor. “I know there is a rational and calm man in there. Where is the skeptic and man that wanted to save her?” The Darla produced the image of Casey sitting down in a chair, smiling and her eyes warm and gooey like chocolate. “You were ready to kill yourself and her just then. You don’t want her dead, now do you?” The Darla started shaking her head and watched Brian do the same. “Power can corrupt, Brian. The goal.. tell me the goal.”

“To save Casey, My Loved One.” Brian nearly chanted and kept eating. “In death, Casey and I will be together.”

The Darla closed her runic hand and leaned back in her chair, “Yes, Brian. Sometimes our love has to be tough love doesn’t it?” She paused for a moment, “I would have you do me a favor as you calmly plan the way you and Casey will be together.”

-Tough love, that’s it. Calm now.- Brian reassured himself and polished off another bite of steak. “My Loved One, what is the favor?”

“First, plan a sequence of defenses for yourself. No less than three ways to stop a vampire from charming, biting or controlling you.” The Darla watched the big man shake his head, “You will see Casey this evening while the mission progresses, but you need a plan to deal with her that doesn’t compromise the mission.”

-Casey.- Brian’s heart beat heavily in his chest and felt the loss of love like an ever growing hole of inky night that caused him to start crying. “Tough love..My Loved One…I…”

“There, there, Brian. Drink your peach tea.” The Darla hid her wiry smile behind a small vase of flowers on the table and she cleared her throat, “Brian, if you can keep your head clear you are going to be our linchpin this evening.”

The melancholy feeling erased as Brian drank his tea, closing the emotionally damaged hole in his chest. “Linchpin, My Loved One?”

Denise scooted back in her chair and picked up the vase of flowers and went to her faucet. “You know the colors of the lotus signify different things, Brian. Denise pointed to the gray and lifeless flowers. “Every culture has the belief that the lotus is the flower of life.” She turned and smiled and watched Brian take a hunk of baked potato down. “Use your magic and give them color.” Holding up one finger, Denise added, “We will see if anything I said registered.” She folded her arms over her chest. “Calmly and clearly, summon your magic to color the flowers, but don’t pick a color.”

Swallowing his food quickly, Brian took a final sip of his tea and outstretched his hand. Calm. Flower of life.- His eyes happened to see a rune from blown snow on the window Blue- he told himself and dismissed the thought. “Gaia is telling me blue, loved one.” He dropped his hand and peered to Denise for instruction. “Do I listen to the rune, or follow your instructions?”

Denise turned to see the rune on the window just as it blew away, “Thank you for being honest with me, My novitiate.” Once more she pointed to the gray flower, “Gaia sometimes tells the future in a simple rune. It might not have anything to do with the color of the flower.” Feeling the power pulsing in her own rune, Denise closed her hand so Brian couldn’t see the swampy looking colors emanating from her palm. “This is an exercise of your own control. We need to be able to rely on you this evening. The lotus is life.”

“Then why does it suddenly smell like mildew in here?” Brian sniffed the air and grimaced just as he caught the light slithering up Denise’s arm, twisting its way to her hair. “What the…” He questioned as the streams turned to snakes and settled in her hair like a medusa, hissing and snapping. He blinked and shook his head. “My Loved One, I…I…” He hesitated and the hair rose on his neck in warning. “I will clear my head and focus on the flower now.”

“Gaia guides, she doesn’t make our decisions.” Denise filled a small cup with water and poured it in the vase, “Whenever you are ready. Calmly, focused.”

Brian once more outstretched his hand, summoning his magic. The soft evergreen gripped the light petals in a small rock like grip and began pulsing with a swirl of colors. Brian saw movement from the corner of his eye and without losing focus on the flowers, pulled a rock from the handmade fireplace and crushed the asp that was just about to deliver its lethal bite. Satisfied that there were no other threats nearby, he finished his initial spell and saw the flower had turned blue. Dropping his hand and taking a deep breath, Brian picked up his utensils and once more started eating. “My Loved One?” He asked with a smile growing on his face. “How was that?”

“Excellent, Brian.” Denise smiled, “Blue anyway.” She left the vase on the counter and resumed her seat. “That color is one of emotion, wisdom and world aspirations.” Denise lightly clapped. “The blue petals also cause hallucinations, if eaten.”

Emptying his plate, Brian sat back. “Did I pass your test, My Loved One?” His stomach growled once more.

“I gave you a few hints that something was coming, but overall you did well.” She picked up the plate and refilled it. “So well that you have earned the second helping.” Denise handed him the plate. “Excuse me for a couple seconds, while I get something from downstairs. I will be right back.”

Every footstep down the old farmhouse steps creaked and cracked as The Darla made her way into the pitch black of her basement. She waved her hand once and the door leading to the kitchen closed tightly with an eerie click, reinforcing the lock. Slowly, Denise’s vision forced the blessed darkness back and outlined the cellar in a Halloween ochre. Striding confidently to the piles of bones in a circle, The Darla looked up and summoned her magic, a thin blue and green crablike shape clattered through a small hole and into her kitchen then returned seconds later with a pulsing brown aura from Brian weaved within. “Into the pot with you.” The creature howled once and clipped its way up and over the small cauldron in the middle of the bone piles. Screeching in terror as the gooey orange water boiled the magical beast, The Darla walked around the pot, studying the skulls that surrounded the base. “You will do fine.” The dark woman scratched a chunk of dirt from one of the eye sockets and tossed the skull into the foggy water. “Arise and do my bidding, Derek.”

The orange water churned and the skull started to make its way out of the grim soup, forming a dank and red claylike form. The Darla watched as the clay took on the consistency of thick oatmeal and the skull began to howl in pain. Calling her magic, the black tendrils encircled the former infiltrator. “You will speak, Derek, or you will not have the peace of death.”

Focusing its lidless black eyes and writhing in obvious pain, a hollowed and desperate voice came from the dead man. “The pain!” It screeched and tried to twist from the dark magic that held it prisoner. “Anything, Just ask the question…Ahhhh….” it screamed as the black strands pierced the small cracks in his skull.

“Was it her?” The Darla twisted her hand and watched her vile vines twist into the putty.

“You KNOW it was!” He screeched as the boiling water washed once more over his dead skull. “Let me sleep in peace….”

Laughing and closing her fist to squeeze the goopy body, “You swore yourself to me, Derek. I command you even in death. You sleep when I allow you to. Show me. The. Eyes.”

Unable to resist the command of the necromancer that held him in a spirit prison, the being called Derek opened his melty hand and the murky water parted for a few seconds to reveal a set of crystalline sapphire eyes of wondrous beauty. Forcing the watery echoed words to form, “This was..” Derek grimaced as the fist around him tightened. “..purely for sport. Your goal is within reach, you mons…”

The Darla dropped the grip on the floating corpse. “Yes, it is close. Heather misses you.” She tossed a white lotus into the water where it went black instantly. “A token of my love for you and your…sacrifice, Derek.”

“We all die sometime, Crow.” He screeched once more and slowly fell back into the pot, lifeless.

The Darla reached into the depths of the water and pulled the skull out, wiping it down with her apron. “No need to be bitter, Derek.” Denise placed the skull back on its position around the pot and headed back upstairs to Brian.

When the revelation came blurting from Casey’s memory, the room went as quiet as the grave. It seemed as though the living-dead were locked in unmoving thought and the halfwinter air grew colder by the second. Breaking the graveyard silence, Vivienne first started tapping her fingernails on the arms of her chair. “Indeed.” She looked at Casey, “Brian is an issue that we will address in a few.” Turning to face her progeny and lover, Vivienne winked at Faye. “Mon amour. Let’s organize the multitudinous topics that are present at the table currently.”

Faye nodded and smiled, “Gotcha. I think the best place to start is the Spanish Inquisition and human magic, since that is the heart of the situation.”

Vivienne watched the others in the room slowly awaken and start bobbing their heads half confused. “As you wish.” She pointed to Casey, “I have a question for you, my ward.” Vivienne watched Casey nod, “Very well. This is going to require quite a bit of history, you can either stay for it or go and get Miss Hasselberry.”

“Laura? What do you want with her?” Casey inquired softly.

“I need her here is all.” Vivienne looked across the table at the others, “I did promise to speak with her when I arrived.” Vivienne saw the blood bunny Veronica stand up and bowed to the ancient vampiresss. “I..I know what Miss Hasselberry looks like. She has attended the bazaar many times, mistress.”

Vivienne looked over at her partner. “Please place the bazaar on the list, if you don’t mind.”

Blowing her lover a kiss and tapping on her temple, “Got it all up here, Vivienne.”

Franco nodded to Veronica, “Yes, my dear. Please bring Laura into the room.” He pointed to one of his other attendants, “Jessica, could you furnish Laura a seat for when she enters?” Franco smiled as the eager woman fetched the chair and placed it beside Faye’s chair. The girl bolted between Franco and Sylvieand pulled her hair away from her neck and visibly shook with anticipation. Franco gazed into Sylvie’s eyes as they turned into solid black spheres of a new moon. “Miss Mikoda, you seem to be hungry and my little Jessica is asking for a service reward.”

“Always a golden way to paint this, Franco.” Sylvie curled her finger and the blood bunny hopped to her feet, closing the gap between her and Sylvie. “You did well, Jessica.” Sylvie blew lightly across the woman’s long neck and placed a kiss over the pulsing artery just seconds before she drank the woman’s blood liberally.

Faye watched the near erotic scene and couldn’t look away. She watched as the bunny cooed and moaned in a deeper pleasure that almost matched her fevered heat with Vivienne earlier.  Faye counted to ten in her head and watched Sylvie pull away, licking four holes closed.  “Impressive. I can’t stop really. I do with Casey, but for anyone else I have a little command in my head that keeps me from going past seven.”

Sylvie licked her lips and pulled the weakened woman into her arms, gently running her hand through Jessica’s hair. “It takes time, Miss Faye. You will get the hang of it.” She looked down to her blood bunny, “I would kiss you Jessica, but you know what would happen.” Sylvie kissed her finger and then pressed it to the lady’s lips, a little blood on the tip that was quickly licked away. Sylvie looked up at Faye once more, her eyes now shining like full blood moon. “I find it difficult at times myself. I am only about two-hundred and seventy years old. Blood still has that..” She paused in thought.

“Freshness.” Faye quipped.

Sylvie held up one finger, “Yes, freshness. That is a lovely word for it.” She pointed to Vivienne. “I believe that Doctor Moreau would like to continue.

Faye turned and saw her lover smiling at her, “Sorry, Viv. Spanish Inquisition?”

“Thank you my love.” Vivienne watched as Laura Hasselberry came into the room and sat down quietly beside Faye. “Tribunal del Santo Oficio de la Inquisición was the official title.” Vivienne saw the confused look on the faces of those that didn’t understand Spanish. “Tribunal of the Holy Office of the Inquisition.” Vivienne laughed for a second and saw the look on Faye’s face. “Mon amour, I am three thousand five hundred years old. Did you think French is the only language I know?”

Franco coughed from the other side of the triangle table, “Three thousand five hundred years old?” He frantically looked at Sylvie, “No wonder we couldn’t find you.”

Sylvie patted the Crimson Muse leader on his leg the best she could with Jessica still curled up in her lap. “I don’t think her age is important right now, Franco.” She looked back at Vivienne, “Please continue, Doctor Moreau.”

“Outwardly, the inquisition was exactly as Queen Isabella ordered.” She held up one of her thin fingers, “That was only part of it.” Vivienne gazed at Laura with her sparkling blue eyes, “Glad you could join us, Miss Hasselberry.” She paused and took a deep breath and tucked a strand of her long black hair behind her ear. “I brought you in, because I suspect you will like this little history lesson.”

Laura looked around the table and the blood seemed to drain from her cheeks, “Okay?”

Vivienne nodded and continued, “What the King and Queen of Spain didn’t know, or didn’t want to admit to, was that their combined country had a vampire problem.” Vivienne flashed her fangs once for the crowd, “I know because I was there hunting.”

Laura jumped up and Faye grabbed the girl and pulled the lady back to her seat. “Where are you going?”

Laura felt her wrist almost snap and knew she wasn’t getting out of the iron grip of the young vampire. “I..I…”

Faye reached over and forced Laura’s palm open to reveal a dark imprinted rune that matched the image on the paper. “How did you know Vivienne?”

“Careful darling, She can use the magic if she chooses to.” Vivienne explained then looked at Laura. “I suspected something when I got close to you earlier this evening.” She walked over to the young woman, and grabbed her by the chin. “I finally pieced together enough to spot your kind.” She looked over at Faye, “The coffee smell.”

Sylvie and Franco jumped up from their seats, astonished. “You knew this whole time there was one here, Vivienne?” Franco blurted out.

“I suspected.” Vivienne quickly snapped Laura’s neck and tossed the body to the floor. “A spy no more.” She looked over to Casey. “Kindly dispose of this.”

Casey stood frozen, “W…” Casey tried to speak.

Faye walked over to the ward and gave her a hug, “Vivienne, that was brutal. I have to match the sentiment. Why did you do that?”

Vivienne outstretched her hands indicating for everyone to sit down except her two companions. “Please, retain your seats. I assure you that no one else is in any danger.” She looked over to Faye and Casey. “If they are anything like the inquisitors, drinking their blood wouldn’t do any good.”

Faye’s eyes lit up, “True belief.” She hefted Laura’s body over her shoulder. “Where should I take her?”

“Downstairs there is an old incinerator.” She pointed to Casey. “Outside there are piles of hickory that should be used to disguise the burning.”

“Won’t someone come looking for her?” Casey started to follow Faye out of the room. “This is getting crazy. Everywhere we go, people die.” She muttered and looked back at Vivienne, “You only mentioned other vampires as the target, when I signed up for this.”

Vivienne returned to her seat, “Casey, my ward. That was a spy that was reporting on everything you did yesterday. Spies are expendable to those employing them.” Vivienne calmly looked at the others and kept talking, “It is my duty and honor to protect the both of you. Her blood is useless so we cannot drain her. She was a danger to us.”

“I guess.” Casey muttered from the hallway. “I am not a fan of all this.”

Vivienne sat quietly for a few moments. “I apologize for that, my new friends.”

Franco waved his hand and sighed, “Doctor Moreau. I would have done the same, if I had even realized it was a member of The Ripped.” He combed his hair back with his fingers.

“Issac is much better at spotting them than the rest of us. He claims he is in tune with them.”

Sylvie laughed, “It is more like Kody gave him contacts to see them.”

“Very true, sister.” Franco looked at the blood bunny in Sylvie’s arms, “Is she alright?”

“Sleeping happily, Franco.” Sylvie plucked a feather from her small headdress and weaved it in Jessica’s hair. “Her heart is beating strong. Nothing to worry about.”

“We have a few minutes before they return.” Vivienne leaned forward in her chair. “Tell me about these others you are referring to.”

Franco beamed, “With pleasure!” The elder Israeli vampire sat back and became animated with his hands as he spoke, “Issac Vogels, I mentioned him before. He has our version of a police force. They have been instrumental in identifying the Ripped, even if they can’t stop them all the time.”

“Police force?” Vivienne questioned and raised one of her long eyebrows. “Why do you need a police force? You should be more than capable of handling humans all on your own.”

Sylvie started giggling, “Franco is soft.” She poked his arm playfully, “I don’t know the last time he honestly hunted.” She pointed to the blood bunny in her arms. “He survives solely off his volunteers and thralls.”

Rolling his eyes lightly, Franco shook his head. “It is true, Doctor Moreau. I have invested most of my time in running The Crimson Muse and have not been keeping my hunting skills up.” He shrugged, “I am old enough that only yourself can honestly do any damage to me.” Franco paused and petted one of the girls near him. “I guess I am too civilized for random blood frenzies in the street.”

“How many of the others are like yourself, Mister Tarsey?” Vivienne leaned forward with a concerned look on her face.

Franco and Sylvie looked at each other for a few seconds, “Most of us, Lady Vivienne.” Franco flatly stated. “Issac and his crew are the ones that protect us. Until recently that was against other vampires that came wandering through the city.”

“Us?” Vivienne tilted her head. “How many brethren are here in Petersburg?”

Sylvie spoke up, “There are five main troupes within the walls of the bazaar. I run Ventricular

Venus, Franco there runs The Crimson Muse, Issac runs Midnight’s Bite, Kody runs DEDSEC and Livia runs Velvet Underground.”

Vivienne smiled when Faye and Casey returned a few minutes later. She looked over at Casey, “I have noted your displeasure, Casey.” She got up and walked over to her ward and gave her a light hug. “You and Faye both have issues with killing. I am working with her to avoid the need to do so.” A rush of relief pulsed though her dead body when Casey tightly hugged her back. “My ward, You know I am a vampire.” She lifted Casey’s chin to look at her. “You keep right on voicing your concerns, Casey, but I cannot run from what I am.”

Casey closed her milk chocolate eyes when Vivienne embraced her. Casey felt her blood start to churn and her heart race with the attention that her mistress conveyed in the hug they were currently in. “S..I…Some, um…” Casey closed her mouth for a second to gather her thoughts. “Somehow, somewhere…I knew I was deluding myself.” She felt her chin get lifted and reopened her eyes, staring into Vivienne’s heavenly blue orbs, “You said we would figure it out as we went along?”

“Indeed, I did.” Vivienne softly added before pulling slowly away from Casey. “This will be something we work on.”

Casey kissed Vivienne’s hand, “Deal.”

Faye chimed in, “Hey now, none of that attention to one.” She winked and closed her eyes, with a playful pucker on her lips.

“Mon amour, we have guests.” Vivienne walked over and pressed her lips to Faye’s. Vivienne pulled back once she heard her girlfriend moan into the liplock. “Satisfied, mon amour?”

“It will do for now.” She winked at Casey who was still riding her high. “I still owe you more testing.”

Casey giggled, “Please do.”

Franco leaned forward in his chair after witnessing the sensual events unfold. “So, Doctor. You treat them both equally?” He glanced over to Sylvie who just shrugged.

“How else do you treat family, Mister Tarsey?” Vivienne pointed out quietly. “It was your letter about family that made Faye want to attend, as I mentioned earlier.” She looked at her ward and lover once more. “They are my family.” Vivienne paused, “If the Ripped are the puzzle that we face, let me continue with the inquisitors and perhaps we can find a solution in the past.”

“I cannot wait to hear this.” Franco patted his lap and a blood bunny hopped in his lap. “Until now, I never knew about human magic.” He moved the girl's long hair away from her neck. “I should rather amend that to say, I didn’t care about knowing. So I probably just ignored it.” He bit into the woman’s neck, and drank from her as she giggled softly.

“Very well I will continue.” Vivienne crossed her legs and sat back, “There was a group of Inquisitors that took on a Greek title that was part of the church, called Klerikos.” Vivienne held up her right hand. “Officially, these klerikos didn’t exist. The Catholic church had to denounce any idea that our brethren existed. Their palms always glowed with a soft silver light.”

Sylvie pointed to the runed diagram, “Issac tells us to look for lime green glows, almost like they are holding a neon sign.”

Vivienne frowned and her blue eyes sparkled with concern, “How did you not gather this was magic of some sort?”

Franco shrugged, “This day and age? Everyone holds something that glows.” He pointed at his phone resting on the table. “The building is well lit in the night, we aren’t outside in the sunlight, and at night the area is covered in traffic of all sorts.” He held up both of his hands, “All cities are glowing balls these days. I suppose it is easy to overlook.”

Faye cleared her throat, “Viv, it took you smelling coffee in the house to realize someone was in there.”

A sting of prideful pain shot through the ancient vampiress, “Astute observation, my love.” Vivienne reluctantly admitted to her own lack of foresight, “I have no excuse either.” She pointed to Franco, “Complacency.” Taking a deep breath, Vivienne kept with her history lesson. “I had managed to observe the silver tendrils that came from their hands. Some of the spells would compel a vampire to hold in place, it could protect them from attack as if a shield were around them.” She held up one finger. “Above all, they could simply hold up their hand and could see our brethren. Our eyes glowed yellow or red for them.”

“How did you avoid them, Vivienne?” Sylvie asked quickly.

“I have a theory, but nothing concrete.” Vivienne rubbed her hands together, “I have outlived many different ideologies. I have found that there is a neutrality between myself and a true believer.” She looked over to Faye, “This is where I was telling you about the concept, mon amour.”

“True believer?” Franco said quietly and questioningly. “I have only seen a handful in my tenure. Are you telling me there was a critical mass of them within Spain?”

Vivienne slowly shook her head. “Religion is a powerful source for humanity. There have always been gods and goddesses that they have looked to. It is a recent evolution that there is one rather than many.” Vivienne waited for the group at the table to digest what she’d been saying before she restarted. “I witnessed the magic blessing gunshot so it would pierce our flesh and do untold amounts of damage that couldn’t be regenerated by blood.” Vivienne heard gasps around the table, “That was only the quick spells. I have watched the white strands engulf a vampire and burn it much like they were being held in sunlight.”

“Did you try to stop them?” Franco inquired while rubbing the bridge of his nose.

“Why would I? Their goal mirrored my own.” Vivienne rubbed her chin lightly, “If the magic of these Ripped match what I saw before, my best advice is to leave the area.”

“I see.” Franco opened his eyes again and called another woman over to feed from. “That isn’t ever going to happen, Vivienne.” He looked over at Sylvie, “The others aren’t going to leave Phantasmagoria willingly.”

Sylvie started nodding in agreement, “He’s right. We have built a very lucrative place over the last twenty years or so.”

“Phantasmagoria?” Casey asked meekly from her side of the table.

Franco nodded and pointed to Sylvie while he finished drinking. Taking the cue from her friend, Sylvie spoke up, smiling at the young ward. “That is the name of the bazaar. Where all the troupes live. We live like a big commune.”

“How many are there?” Vivienne leaned on the table, her fingers entwined.

Looking confused Sylvie turned her full moon irises to Vivienne, “You mean total vampires?”

“Yes.”

Sylvie saw the concerned look in the entrancing blue eyes, “I…um…Issac is the biggest with about fifteen vampires and twice that many as thralls.” She started counting in her head. “I would estimate close to sixty?”

“This city is too small to support that many vampires.” Vivienne shook her head in disbelief.

Sylvie felt the girl in her arms start to awaken, “Phantasmagoria brings in people from as far north as Washington DC. We’ve advertised it well.” Sylvie eased the blood bunny back to the floor, “Let’s see, I know people that have come from the west as far as Roanoke and of course from Virginia Beach to the east.”

Faye excitedly turned to Vivienne and tapped her temples again, “I remember…I have heard of that place.” She got up and grabbed Vivienne’s phone and punched up Phantasmagoria. “See? You have to have seen the billboards all over.”

A disapproving look crossed over Vivienne’s features, “Spain all over again.” She muttered and took a deep breath. “It would appear that you have, on a smaller scale, recreated the situation in Spain.”

Franco waved his hand in dismissal, “We’ve run it for over twenty years now. The city had been gutted by the drug epidemic of the seventies and eighties. People and businesses moved away. The only thing that the city council managed to keep was the army base and the focus on its history.” Leaning on one elbow, Franco smiled. “The city council was very happy that we took the old rail station and surrounding area of the riverfront and turned it into

Phantasmagoria.” Wiggling his eyebrows, “A select few know what the place honestly is and turn a blind eye.”

Casey bit on her lip and glanced over to Vivienne and then back to Franco. “Phantasmagoria is a little over twenty years old?” She paused, “Human magic…I…what if, um…he was born with that mark because of that place?”

Sylvie watched as Casey started nibbling on her lip nervously and walked over to the young ward and pulled up a chair to sit with her. “Perhaps he isn’t one of them, Miss Casey.” Sylvie offered with a gentle smile on her face. “You said you never saw the mark do anything.” Watching as Casey nodded her head, Sylvie looked at Vivienne. “I hate to ask you to backtrack a little bit, but I don’t quite get the human magic and what vampires have to do with it.” Sylvie’s eyes deepened into a pair of dark irises, once more matching a new moon. “You even mentioned that the Ripped…or inquisitors knew what our eyes looked like, how did you find that out?”

“I asked.” Vivienne confidently answered. “I can deduce from the blank stares on your faces that there needs to be an explanation.” Vivienne smiled as the crowd all shook their heads.

“I have a feeling a story is coming.” Faye beamed, “She’s so articulate about these things.”

“Mon amour, you flatter me.” Vivienne blew a gentle kiss to her girlfriend and looked at the group once more. “I had no interest in the Inquisition, I was hunting the last ancient like myself. Her name was Evangeline.” Vivienne stood up and began gliding like a shadow around the table speaking softly. “The hunt was all that mattered to me then. I had also been experimenting with chemical compounds to mix with my blood.”

Sylvie raised her hand like a student in school, “Kody does that now!” She exclaimed and clapped. “They are the leader of DEDSEC. The troupe makes all sorts of gadgets to work with our blood, Vivienne.” Sylvie glanced at Casey for a split second and then to Faye, who’s green eyes were as bright as stars. “Vivienne, looks like Faye is under a spell.”

“Indeed. My Tigerlily loves technology.” She cleared her throat and took on a Spanish accent. “I went by the name Catalina…It was ten years before Columbus would journey to America…”

–

Spain 1482.

Hot and humid nights of summer had passed into the breezy and golden evenings of autumn as the Raven pursued her quarry from Greece to Spain. -Six weeks.- The little black-blue bird thought as she circled the tiny town of Cádiz. Landing outside of the city walls on a darkened pier, the little bird careened its head for onlookers before seamlessly changing into the vampiress she truly was. “Hiding among the others isn’t going to stop me, Evangeline.” The huntress quietly cleared her throat and took on a more Spanish accent. “Catalina…” She said once and still noted her French accent. “Catalina of Salamanca.” She tried again. “Humm.” The Raven took an unnecessary breath, “Catalina of Salamanca.” Satisfied that her voice sounded perfect, the raven haired beauty inspected her gear.

Dark leather armor expertly crafted to hug her perfect form scaled from her neck to her soft booted feet. A myriad of long and short black feathers were woven into the shoulder pads, in an effort to break the outline of her form and cause confusion if spotted. “Mask or not to mask, Catalina?” She looked up and noted the moon slightly above the horizon and knew the evening was early. “Mask.” Digging from the small pack that she kept tightly against her, Catalina fitted the supple leather over her face, allowing her malevolent blue eyes to shine as the only warning to her prey.

Patting down the locations of her weapons The Raven took a quick inventory. “Twin iron tipped hand spears, crossbow, long spear.” Catalina reached into the fold of her boot and pulled out a curved ruby encrusted dagger. “There you are my old friend.” Catalina spun the fancy weapon on her fingertip testing the balance and once more adjusted her voice, “Catalina…almost time to get going.” Tucking the knife back in her boot, her fingers grazed over her latest invention. Flipping the button to her small belt pouch open, Catalina retrieved five slender iron tubes no longer than her slender fingers. Reaching into a second pouch she pulled five matching darts and plugged them into the metal tubing. “Mandrake and blood in a paste. This should be fun, Evangeline. Let’s see your vampire bodyguards deal with this.”

Bolting off towards the wall, Catalina knew she could have simply vaulted over the tall structure but it would have caught the attention of the guards. -Come on..Catal…inaaaa.- Her inner voice coaxed. -You know you want their blood, so cool…so intoxicating.- The Raven smiled to herself and extended claws from her fingers. “You do entertain me. Blood is appealing, I admit it.” The Raven whispered to her the silent voice calling to her. A small hop and her claws latched into the stone wall, allowing the vampiress to quickly scale and flip over the top and down to a dark alley without a sound. “..However my dark friend, vampire blood is on the menu this evening. Let’s let the poor humans survive another night.” Catalina lept to the closest rooftop and began scanning the small city. -Friend? I am winning then.The Raven heard the dark voice start cackling and she pushed it effortlessly to the far reaches of her mind. “Fun while it lasted.” Sensing the dense pack of vampires, The Raven knew that her target was close. Dancing from roof to roof, The Raven kept to the shadows and conserved her blood levels for what she was going to need in the next few minutes. “City center, clever.”

The Raven looked and found a small squad of guards standing outside drinking beer. Next she did a quick count of the people in the area. “Ten hearts.” The Raven pulled out a wooden needle and with a quick flick of her curled claw, opened her wrist, coating the tiny stinger with her blood. Once she’d licked her tiny wound closed, The Raven lightly tossed the dart into a well lit door. “Marked.” Drawing out the five tubes, the ancient vampire blew the darts in quick succession into the guards. All of them swatted at their necks one at a time as if swatting away flies. Counting silently, Catalina reached ten and the guards started stumblestepping like zombies over to the blood marked door. “Draw and break, my new friends.” The guards drew their swords nearly at the same time and crashed in the door, causing the people that were milling about to run in panic. A quick and silent tumble between the flicker flames of the olive scented torches, Catalina grabbed one fleeing human by the neck and quickly turned her to dust. Moaning and grunting came from the guards as they worked their way past the vampires that started to feed on them. “Yes…” The Raven giggled to herself and slinked her way to the front door. “Evangeli-i–n-n-e..” Her new Spanish accent whispered teasingly through the door. The Raven clicked her claws on the frame itself. -Tap-tap-Clickclick-.

One by one the guard zombies hacked and slashed into the vampires, doing absolutely nothing to the undead they faced. When the small pack of vampires latched onto the five guards and started drinking, The Raven stepped from her shadowed position, holding her twin iron barbed spears. Only the clattering of armor remained of Catalina’s guards as the vampires turned the zombies into dust. Grabbing their throats, the newborn vampires screeched the best they could and fell to the ground, paralyzed. “Worked like a charm.” Turning quickly into black smoke and back to her vampire form, The Raven deftly dodged a flurry of wooden stakes that came from Evangeline. Hurling one of her hand spears, The Raven growled as the spear missed its mark because the other vampire had jumped through the house and into the roof, sending splintered wood and dust into the air.

Sighing, Catalina made her way outside and once more used the shadows to disguise herself.

Calmly taking in her surroundings, she heard the screams for help sounding from behind her. Breathing deeply through her nose, she pushed the foul scents of the city and noted the direction that Evangeline was headed. “North.” Scaling a wood beam effortlessly, Catalina shifted into her bird form and once more took flight chasing down her elusive prey. Flapping her feathered wings, she quickly closed the gap and plunged down in a spiral switching in mid air into her vampiric form, talons exposed.

Plowing into Evangeline, The Raven latched onto her fellow vampire's head and bit into her neck. Inertia and the force of gravity ground the two vampires through another house where they created a small crater on impact. Gaining a few drops of blood, Catalina felt Evangeline disappear from her grasp, followed by a set of claws that ripped her back open. “Arrgh!” The Raven howled and rolled away. Feeling her thick blood oozing from her back, The Raven quickly devoted part of her reserve to close the wounds and spun to face Evangeline.

“The great Raven can be hurt.” Evangeline crouched and started circling Catalina, licking the blood from her own claws. “I never did like French blood.” She spat on the ground. “Too weak to be of any use.”

The Raven flicked a couple of her mandrake darts to distract her quarry. Timing the motions of her enemy as the darts were either dodged or slapped away, Catalina swiftly slid her crossbow to her hands and fired. -Twang!- The cold iron tipped bolt flew straight and true, piercing the chest through Evangeline’s heart. Catalina slung the crossbow back to its position and walked over to the other motionless vampire. “You are the last of the elders, Evangeline. I expected more.” Catalina knelt down and plunged her fangs into her enemy’s neck, drawing the thick and rich blood from her until the dust outline blew away into the night air.

“DEMON!!!!” A woman screamed from Catalina’s left.

Facing the woman, Catalina flashed her soft blue eyes at the woman and smiled. “It’s just a dre..” She looked at the damage the two warring vampire’s had created and pounced on the helpless woman before she could screech again, turning her into dust as well.

“Blood Deeemmmooonnnn!!” Another voice above Catalina rang out.

-This is getting out of hand- Catalina said to herself and left the house as the teenage boy yelped again. Slipping back into the shadows, The Raven watched as a string of torches marched slowly down the street checking alleys. Carefully sniffing the air once more, The Raven knew what she was smelling right away. -Frankincense and Myrrh.- Catalina rubbed her chin slightly confused. “Clergy? Why are they..” She scooted from the chimney top that she was using for cover and crawled down a wall behind the small group. Scaling sideways to follow the precession, Catalina made a clicking sound close to that of a rat chittering. A nun turned to look behind her, waving her torch to try and find where the noise had come from. Seconds later, Catalina joined the slow marching group dressed in the clothes she’d stolen from the nun she’d just terminated.

“Who are..” Another nun turned and froze, looking helpless into a set of gleaming blue eyes.

Blowing a light and delightful breath of iron over the nun’s face, the vampire answered. “Catalina of Salamanca, surely you remember me.”

Blinking for a second, her fellow nun nodded and started walking again. “Catalina. Stay close, screams of demons are in abundance this evening.”

“Keep me safe? Um…” Catalina paused, “Yes, demons. I heard the screams too..”

“Maria.” The nun patted Catalina on the arm, “Worry no more, the Klerikos are cleansing the way. We are making our way to the center now.”

Stopping at the scene of the first battle, Catalina watched the Klerikos stride confidently into the room with the paralyzed vampires. One of the tall white and red clad men strode forward, outstretched his right hand and tendrils of bright white-yellow erupted as if the sun were shining in the house. Speaking loudly for all of the onlookers, the Klerikos announced, “The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and the sun was allowed to scorch people with fire. They were seared by the intense heat and they cursed the name of God, who had control over these plagues, but they refused to repent and glorify him.” Tendrils turned to beams and seared the vampires from the room within seconds, leaving nothing but radiating silver glow where the others had been.

“Cleansed by the finger of God!” proclaimed the Klerikos and he turned to face the others. “Can you feel his power?” He walked to each of the followers and pressed his palm to the other men. “Behold the power of God brother. Awaken to his divine grace.”

Catalina watched as the light seemed to jump man to man. Making her way forward she fell to her knees and pulled on the first Klerikos hand. “Teach me, my lord.”

“Inquisitors are for brothers only.” He slowly pulled his hand away from Catalina. “Stand sister..”

Carefully standing and looking longingly at the priest with her crystal blue eyes, the nun meekly offered, “Catalina of Salamanca.”

Reciting another passage of Revelations, the inquisitor softly spoke. “And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.”

“Is there nothing I can do to defend myself from the demons, lord?” Catalina clasped her hands in prayer to the bearded man before her and looked up at the stars.

“While I cannot teach you, Sister Catalina…” He paused and cupped her chin then pulled her close. “I can explain..the…ways…so pretty…” He purred and subtly grazed her breast with his glowing palm. “To be prepared.”

–

USA, Virginia 2022.

Vivienne watched the stunned people across her triangle table, “Alas, even with his pompous proselytizing of faith, he was never able to detect me.” She shrugged. “I left them after about a month and let them clear out the rest of Spain.”

“Catalina huh?” Faye giggled.

Sylvie leaned back in her chair, “I do love a good story now and then, thank you Doctor Moreau.” She turned to Casey, “What Vivienne described and what we’ve seen seem to be parts of the same shadow.” Her eyes passed into twin full moons, “Your boyfriend…” “Ex…boyfriend.” Casey corrected and sighed, then reached over to squeeze Luna’s hand. “I am not going to think about it anymore. Thank you though.”

Sylvie froze in place for a few seconds, staring into Casey’s chocolate eyes. “Y..your welcome.” Sylvie offered and looked at the rest of the table. “Where were we?”

Franco chimed in, “Phantasmagoria. Miss Vivienne was about to explain why this is a bad idea.”

Walking though she was on a hidden cloud, Vivienne floated back to her chair and sat down. “Astute, Franco.” She cleared her voice and resumed speaking in her light French accent. “I think we have been here long enough and much to my surprise, I am having quite a bit of entertainment.” She crossed her regal legs, “Please. All of you call me Vivienne.” Watching as Franco seemed to have a huge weight lift from him, Vivienne blinked her gorgeous and sparking blue eyes. “I consider you friends now.” She winked at the four blood bunnies. “You four are welcome here as well.” She held up her finger. “Only you four.” She laughed, “We can’t have a parade of volunteers in Ravenstead manor.”

All four of the blood bunnies smiled and made a peace sign, Veronica the only one speaking. “Franco takes great care of us, Vivienne.” She paused and looked at her other companions who nodded, “Yes, we will take you and the lovely Faye on the offer.” Veronica looked at Franco, “Consider us the bond of friendship between you both, master.”

Franco nodded and scratched his salt and pepper hair. “A very good plan, my dear.” He looked at Vivienne, “What do you think? A bond of blood?”

“We accept!” Faye giggled and quickly gave Vivienne a kiss on the cheek before the ancient vampire could confirm. “You have my word, Franco.”

Vivienne nodded slowly with a grin on her face as Faye bolted back to her chair after the sweet kiss, “Apparently we have accord, Franco Tarsey.” Vivienne winked at Faye, “Mon amour, I love you.” Quickly changing the topic back to the bazaar, Vivienne tapped lightly on the black wooden table. “Phantasmagoria.” She paused. “I suspect that the magic has returned because there are too many of us in one region.” She looked over to Sylvie then back to Franco, “It is why I move around about every twenty to thirty years.” She shrugged, “Virginia Beach was my longest tenure for centuries. Roughly seventy years.” Vivienne added, “I cannot confess to knowing the inner workings of how human magic manifests, but I do know that the inquisitors employed things far worse than that sunbeam I explained.”

Sucking in a deep and hesitant breath, Franco clicked his teeth in thought. “Worse.” He gulped, “I have witnessed one of their captains escape an embrace, just to kill one of Issac’s best with, chopsticks.”

Rubbing her chin and blinking softly, Vivienne gave a concerned look to Faye then back to Franco. “I have never witnessed a broken embrace unless it was from a true believer.”

“It would seem that these Ripped have the innate ability.” Sylvie solemnly stated, “Issac is desperate and making new vampires almost daily to keep up with the Ripped.”

Faye shook her head, having pieced everything together. “That is just making things worse, if Vivienne is right.” Her green eyes moved to Vivienne. “It is a circle without end.”

“Agreed, mon amour.” Vivienne watched Sylvie pat Casey on the arm once more, “We should see this Phantasmagoria.” She bore her blue eyes into Franco, “Question is, will the council accept my presence there, or will they do the idiot thing and attack me?”

Franco pet one of his blood bunnies and heard the girl purring softly, “I have informed them that should Drake be successful, that you might appear.” He paused, “You are under Crimson Muse’s protection, Vivienne.”

Sylvie laughed before Vivienne, “Franco, you arrogant ass.” She pointed to Vivienne, “You can’t even hunt, how would you protect Vivienne?”

Vivienne laughed and shook her head, “Alas, The concern wasn’t for me, but the council.”

She stood up and walked beside Faye and kissed her hand, “Because of Faye and Casey..” She pointed to her ward, “...I am getting a new perspective and do not want to destroy anything.” She leaned down and kissed Faye, “Mmm, I will always love those lips.” Vivienne stood up with a harder look in her blue eyes, “I will do what I can to keep the peace. I will not tolerate any attacks on Faye or Casey.”

“Reasonable.” Franco agreed with his new friend. “I am older than the others, so they honestly can’t hurt me either.” He stood up and bowed, “So, the meeting is over?” He watched as Vivienne nodded and resumed kissing Faye. “I will take that as a sign.” He giggled, “What shall we do the rest of the day?”

Sylvie turned and began staring at Casey, “We could tell more stories or..” She curled her eyebrows, “Or figure out puzzles.”

“What is the plan once the sun goes down, Franco?” Vivienne picked Faye up and carried her back to the chair at the head of the table. “I would enjoy seeing Phantasmagoria before the council meeting if that is possible.”

Faye giggled and swung her feet playfully before Vivienne resumed her seat, “Oh, goody! I get to meet..um.. the tech person.”

“Kody.” Casey mentioned softly still locked on Sylvie’s moon shifting eyes. “Sylvie… here…” Casey giggled as her heart skipped a beat, “...said Kody ran the nerd group.”

“They are mindlessly boring..” Franco sighed and walked around to stretch his legs and looked over at Vivienne and Faye, “I am sure you are vaguely aware of the social situation beyond this palace, Vivienne?” He watched Vivienne’s inquisitive eyebrow perk. “Or not.” He cleared his voice, “There have been changes in language and greeting by a great many people. They and them are used in place of gender. Kody prefers not to be seen as either, but known for their technical savvy.”

Faye nibbled lightly on Vivienne’s ashen lips, “Don’t worry, Viv. I can explain it on the way to Phantasmagoria.”

Purring lightly with the gentle teasing Faye was doing, Vivienne shook her head. “I was familiar with the concept, mon amour.” Vivienne trailed one of her nails down the smooth contour of Faye’s cheek. “I have a few employees that have politely asked for that very thing. I will not insult Kody, mon amour.” She chuckled. “I know what meeting a fellow electronic enthusiast will mean to you.”

Casey stood up, “I think I am going to stretch my legs and get something to eat Vivienne.” Casey waited for Vivienne to nod before grabbing her phone and striding to the rear entrance of the room. Casey felt a cold arm wrap around her own and saw Sylvie was now walking with her. “Yes?”

Sylvie smiled, “So..” She blinked her quarter moon irises, “...Tell me more about yourself, if you please.”

Casey giggled, “Viv says that all the time.” Casey patted the cool tanned hand, “What would you like to know?”

Sylvie smiled, “I know she does, that is why I said it.” She laughed as the two left the room.