Path of the Vampire forum

Cool rain left beads of moisture sliding down the black thigh length jacket that caressed the back of each pale lethal leg that moved beneath as it entered the interior of Honeymead Market. The stride that would require two human steps to keep up with a single one of the statuesque blonde remained unbroken as it carried her into the doors of the one shop she had watched grow from four bare fresh walls to the considerable success it currently was. The rhythm of the allurist in eternal denial flowed smooth and calm without the slightest hesitation of leaving another click behind. The black on black ensemble was predictably anchored by the signature Gaultier boots that held secrets that would never be told. The very same ones that carried a threat in each of the six inches of custom needle sharp heel that set the woman that much over her natural six feet plus of eternal sin. The shine of butter soft silk moved lightly with the sway of hips on the move. A sway that caught the eyes that couldn’t help but take notice and were rewarded with the chill of concern.

Dulce Periculum was proof winter was coming before August had a chance to fade into history. The frost surrounding her chilling blue orbs were accentuated by the constant charcoal smudge that never left the frames of her cold blooded eyes. Interest in her passing by was not the typical effects of an allurist at work- one that had served some considerable time building to the power she had acquired. It was more along the lines of a wave of impending doom filling the air and all spectators eyes fix on the train wreck about to happen.

“Hang on!” The mother in pursuit was not fast enough and the child tumbled over lost in a silk cloud of nearly white curls and layers of sunshine yellow eyelet. “Wonderful.” Items cradled in the woman’s arms spilled onto the nearest table as an effort was made to tend to the toddler. Petal pink innocent hands lined with the layers of healthy flesh patted the floor and soon the tiny ruffles at each tiny ankle appeared to correct the situation. Off the tiny being took aimlessly only to lose balance once again and be caught by the fluid sweep of a hand. “Abigail!”

Dulce had the child dangling by the hook of her fingertip in the back of the pint size dress. Only a feet of distance was traveled before the child started wailing, kicking in protest. The catch and release method was not left to the numerous lakes and water sources in greater Canada. Thick hard to miss lips formed an amused lift at each corner that the little one had the right idea and a name that would hopefully serve her well in the decades to come. Cool fingers straightened just at the moment the double wide chaise was reached. A bounce followed by a roll and a surprising fit of giggles left the scene much calmer than it truly could have been.

“Ready or not…” A low purr of her voice left the first clue she was coming through. Each particle in the air brought back a plethora of memories of time well spent and not forgotten.“Betty…” Her eyes set on the doorway to the behind the scenes space of the shop in search of the resident mystic gypsy. “Here I come.”

“What’s up pussycat?” A sound of warning followed the question.

The low hiss was serving a purpose while she entered the office the redhead escorted her to. It was directed at the black ball of magical mousehunter that was never far from it’s mistress’ side. The arch of the back and challenge it presented was met with a cold stare that the creature would know all too well. The cat absolutely hated her. History proved it. There was no way to think any different. From the first encounter it was nails out and blood between them. It never got beyond that. Years passing obviously had not improved their relations whatsoever.

“I see Ms. Mousecheeks is still as bitter and hostile as ever.” Icy blue eyes kept track of the couple pound wonder that was known to disappear in the blink of an eye and destroy her legs before she had a chance to take a seat. “Is it safe to say hello or is she going to cash in one of those nine lives to chase my *** out of here?”

Not that Dulce was going to allow that to hold her back. She continued in her casual steps and went around the chair opposite the desk from where the woman, computer and grumpy cat were holding down furniture and general space. While her eyes assessed the visual currently offered of Zodiac she gave the room a mental sweep for any signs that perhaps she was interrupting something.

“You seem to be holding up nicely.” Not that she expected anything but that. The gypsy in her sights had defied and survived more than most. The human population discovering vampires didn’t sparkle and were in fact walking the streets among them likely wouldn’t have surprised her when it happened. Zodiac had always believed it was only a matter of time.“It is good to see you.” A frosty glance was cast towards Ginny then back to the one who called the shots.

Zodiac was right. A subtle roll inward then a release of her hard to miss lips was done with agreement. All of it was water under some unseen bridge for the lethal allurist but clearly not the same for the festering feline. Dismissing the cranky cat for the one who greeted her warmly and took a seat became a wiser option all around. Once Zodiac’s questions settled she figured it was as good as time as any to get comfortable. Obviously the mystic had time to spare for catching up and that was the reason one of her legs folded over the other and dipped at the knee.

“Betty…” She looked at the woman with an expression that said to keep it real. “People hardly get chatty with me. I make kids cry and supposedly am one of those that is to be a magnet for humans?” She shook her head. “Figuring me out is impossible and hassling me is an invitation I am always waiting for but never seems to arrive.” That was an understatement. “Survival? We are entitled to give ourselves a little credit. That isn’t a fight someone wants on their hands. I am ready for the torches if they light up and come my way. I don’t seek them out or wave my fangs but I haven’t changed sides or my views.” Her fingers tapped in slow succession on the arm of the chair beneath her hand. “I don’t believe it is going to be hugs and singing kumbaya in the park.

The whole thing about holy water inspired her brow to lift when her words briefly fell in favor of a silent pause. Some idiot being disrespectful to Zodiac in such a manner would have ended much differently had she witnessed it. Some tried the tolerance route. To be the stronger species and yet give allowance to the ignorance that went with the human mindset fresh off the news flash that vampires were not limited to the big screen any longer.

Dulce would not be one of those. She stood by what she had spent years trying to keep from happening. Despite the fact it eventually happened as Zodiac predicted more than once she was not about to open her mind to the point she would be trusting a warm blooded neighbor to housesit for her or trust them while she was sleeping with her doors wide open. Certainly not one that she had not bewitched or held some form of control over. They were the ones responsible for sending their kind to the dark side after setting home base on fire. History repeats itself if given half a chance.

“I would have had her riding that broom.” Zodiac was far more patient and tolerant than Dulce could ever be. A swift and hard line response was more her style. Clean and neat, lights out. “But that is why people are drawn to you and trust you. You have a heart that still connects to the living world around you.” It was hardly a bad thing. Dulce was fond of very few to begin with. Sharing a bond with another was even more rare. The gypsy just so happened to be one she felt a strong connection to. If there was a bet going on who would survive a second rise of human outrage the alluring killer would bet on the mystic on the opposite side of the desk. “It will hopefully continue to serve you well.”

“I think the ones that ride the line concern me the most. So many of the super humans have grown stronger than we ever anticipated. They grow faster than we do, their abilities raise flags in areas we aren’t prepared for. Power influences all given enough time and circumstances as you have pointed out. Some self serving and others to benefit the whole. But what happens when the best of both worlds becomes not only the majority but the superior of the two? We are vulnerable already for the sentence of our permanent conditions. We have limitations that they do not, many of us lack the blending skills and options that they do.”

Her eyes fixed on Zodiac searching for some reaction, if any at all, to the length of her rare verbal expression. She was known for being silent for long periods simply because something said had to have some value or purpose. Chatting was never her thing, never would be.

“They can produce. Yes, we can too and faster but we know the full cost of what we get. There is only enhancement for their current human condition. Most of those obtain the same existence expectancies that we do so they aren’t susceptible to the effects of time. In that extension they have gained more leverage by our lax positions while we have handed over our powers, our blood. We become even less in number than our fragile species already is. The future and the risks that come with that easily can welcome another catastrophic event that captures us all. We have opened the doors in the rise of awareness and the call for unity and peace to appease their fears and resistance. So many are so ready to give benefit of doubt because centuries have passed. Things should have changed given enough time. That is a human expectation that can be a double edge knife thrust at us and even worse if we are forced to swallow it down.”

If it had not been Zodiac then the thoughts likely would have stayed where they came from. In the end Dulce was prepared to go through her routines as she had, saying little and watching her back as well as the ones she considered worth protecting at any cost to her. It would still prove to be effective, functional with her existence as it was. She did not long to return to being human or hang on the warmth they brought like small windows that gave the cursed glimpses into what she would never be again. Maybe that was part of it. She got to that point and she was not going to be comfortable with the idea that she could have it, what she was now, taken from her and in it’s place all of that time possible spent in the place she had been a handful of times. More than enough to know it wasn’t where she wanted to invest a unlimited future in it.

“And I stopped by to see you because there is a future in question that involves those I care about. Who better to discuss it with such as you, a friend who was there when I first arrived?” She would have fingers left on her single hand if she were to count who was considered a friend.

“I don’t think that will ever happen.” Being human. Her fingers took the focus of her eyes as she felt the gypsy’s hand join hers. A barely there smile surfaced at her lips for the time it took to look across the space between them. “Yes, we will.”

Thelma and Louise, Butch and Sundance. Toss in a little Fred and Barney, Lucy and Ethel, Cheech and Chong...well it was even closer to what they had the potential of pulling off when they set their minds to it. Their antics were history but never short of serious when it came down to it. All one needed to do was ask the opinion of the one on the bounty list stupid enough to stand out in the open. Right there in Zodiac’s hallway of the apartment building they came face to face with a fuzzy slipper and bathrobe wearing mystic who took things just as seriously back then. The cigar perched between the woman’s lips didn’t experience neglect as she left the junk mail and started to take up issue with the offender instead.

So many good times. All equally hard to ignore as they flooded back as she released the woman’s hand. The random drive by of White Castle one night in the southern outskirts of town had the two acting like delinquents who had all the freedom in the world to be unaccountable. The private residence windows were rattled seeking out those sliders that could either make or break a sleepless night. The catsuit in a box and tapes held for ransom that brought them together. The Canadian party that the allurist’s guild put on. The card reading and revelation that she was born Abigail Sutton, a property and legal broker, but had a past that needed to be resolved. Jeremy, the lion of an underestimated man, surfaced and had been with the tall allurist ever since. The hot seat that Zodiac was responsible for getting her into. She held the honor of being the first one in it. Tytonidae. The only home she knew. It was then that the ice found it’s way back into the next inhale that filled her dead lungs. Her crisp movements of complete control returned and even the random blinking ceased.

“Want to get out of here and do something?” It was unavoidable. She stood because waiting for an answer suddenly required time than she was interested in investing in one place surrounded by four walls. “I brought her if you want to go for a ride.”

The 2012 Harley Davidson Night Rod Special VRSCDX 280er Air Ride had been through just as much hell as the two of them put together. CC even had it beneath her hell bent *** when it was a ticking timebomb. An assessing glance over her shoulder to the gypsy had her narrowing her eyes in silent question as she recalled Cinnamon Cherrywhip. Silence was golden and so was the time Dulce still had left to share with the woman in the office. There was no need to open what wasn’t left wide open with invitation.

“C’mon. I promise to bring you back in one piece, Betty.” She walked out of the office.