Desire

PROLOGUE

Anality awoke with a gasp of terror which stole her breath. "Alayza!" she managed to choke out. Immediately the red haired girl was by her side.

"Lity, what—?"

"A vision," Anality gasped.

"A second one?"

"Yes. The prophesized, my half-sister, will not only save the clan. But all others of our kind. All others."

Alayza gasped in surprise. "All—? But how?"

"I cannot say," Anality rasped. "Bring me parchment and ink. There is something I must do."

"But Anality—"

"Go!" Anality insisted. Alayza nodded reluctantly and left the room. Anality drew a shuddering breath and broke into a coughing fit. I made my choice so that I would not have to worry about time, she thought. But it looks as if time has finally caught up with me.

Alayza returned then with what Anality had requested. Anality wrote for several minutes before handing the paper back to Alayza. "Put it on meus capulus," she said softly. "Do you see who it is meant for? Yes? Good. Be sure that only her eyes ever see what is said. I told her to trust you, Alayza. I know she can." And with that Anality drew her final rattling breath... and died.

SIXTEEN YEARS LATER

Amanda shivered slightly in the chilly October air. Of course, it didn't help that she wore a halter top and her skimpiest skirt. Hey, she needed the money, and she wanted to look good for the customer. I'm studying, she told them. I have friends to see. Her parents would kill her if they knew what she was really doing, but hell; they didn't care enough to check.

As the wind picked up, Amanda began pacing. Her three-inch heels of her knee-length boots clacked sharply on the cold cement of the sidewalk. Why wasn't he here yet? He was over thirty minutes late. She just stood there on the New York City sidewalk for another ten minutes, freezing her ass off, before she finally decided it wasn't worth it. Just as she was about to hail a cab, she heard a voice.

"Mel?" Amanda turned to see a man in his thirties standing beside her. Mel was the name she used on the streets. With her tall shoes, done up hair, and heavy make up, it was unlikely anyone would recognize her anyway. The alias was just a precaution.

"That's me. I'm assuming you're Mr. Preston?"

"I am." He smiled, and she saw every last one of his gleaming white teeth. Eager one, this man was. She shuddered mentally. Mr. Preston looked around nervously and twisted something nonexistent around his left ring finger. A married man.

"Ah, Mel, is this, ah, legal?" Amanda assumed he was referring to her age.

No fucking way, Goddammit! I'm fucking sixteen. And you're a cheating, horny little bastard!

"Yep," she said, showing him her driver's license. Melissa Jones, Age 18. Any kid with a computer could have made one, yet a look of pure relief crossed Mr. Preston's face. It's funny, Amanda thought. What people will believe when they want something bad enough. "So where are we doing this, Mr. Preston?" she asked cheerily. He was nervously looking around still.

"Oh, my hotel room, I suppose," he said, snapping back to reality. He led her over to a black sedan car, shiny and new. A rental from the hotel, no doubt. There was a driver, so Amanda sat beside Preston in the back seats. The upholstery was all black leather, and it was all Amanda could do not to slide around every time they turned. Her fishnet tights were getting twisted. She rolled her eyes. How far away was this place, anyway?

Suddenly his hand was on her leg, moving slowly upwards. She braced herself mentally. Time to block out her world. She felt his fingers as they worked their way up her thigh and under her skirt. Time to play, she thought. Amanda set herself on auto pilot. She knew exactly what to do. She scooted herself onto Mr. Preston's lap, feeling his arousal. Inside, she was sick, but outside she wore her sexiest smile and most flirtatious laugh.

When they finally arrived at the hotel, Amada was all but in dreamland.

- - -

Several hours later she was walking back down the city streets. Her hair was a mess, her makeup smeared, and a piece of the heel on her left boot was missing. BDSM. He should have warned her. But she had made $300, so she was happy. Or as close to happy as she'd ever get. As always, there was a glimmer of hope residing in the back of Amanda's mind. Maybe the kids at school will like me more if I have enough money, she thought. But she knew it wasn't true, and she never had money for long anyway.

Amanda always came home proud of her new found wealth until she saw the stack of overdue bills on the kitchen counter. She always ended up stuffing her cash into various envelopes and mailing them. It wasn't fair. Why should she be responsible for her meth-addict mother's debts anyway? After what seemed like forever, Amanda arrived at the apartment she shared with her mother. Without even bothering to take off her broken boots, she climbed into bed and fell asleep.

- - -

Amanda awoke to the ringing of the telephone the next morning. Groaning, she pulled her pillow over her head. "Shuddup," she muttered, but the ringing was insistent. Cursing modern technology, she groped for the phone, keeping the pillow over her eyes. "Hello," she said sleepily.

"Hello, is this Ms. Lisa Cooper?"

Like hell I am, you son of a bitch. Do I sound like my meth-addicted, drunken excuse of a mother to you?

"Yeah, yeah. What's up?"

"This is the Pearson-Saint Andrews Bank. According to your landlord, your rent is three months overdue."

"Fuck!" Amanda yelled, sitting up "How much did she -- I -- miss this time?" The man on the other end looked up the amount, and when he told her, Amanda let loose every curse she knew at her mother. It would take her two months to make that much, if she worked every night. But she didn't have two months. The banker told her she had until Friday to make up the payments or she would be evicted.

Deciding not to worry about the current money issue yet, she took a shower and got dressed, spending most of her time on her hair and makeup. She tried so hard to look "normal," or someone who tried too hard to look slutty. Half-laughing at the irony, she got downstairs just in time to catch the bus. She was lucky; ten seconds later and it would have been gone, and principal Croix said that another unexcused absence earned her a week's suspension. She couldn't afford to miss that much school. If she ever wanted to graduate high school and maybe go to college, she needed to pass her junior year first.

On the bus Amanda could feel several pairs of eyes on her. Maybe she'd taken the fake whore look too far. Slightly self-conscious, Amanda slumped down in her seat. Only seven hours of school and she could get to work to pay off the missing rent. But it sometimes took her three days to line up a job. She just didn't have time.

The bus arrived to school on time and Amanda's mind wandered all through homeroom and math. She had more important things to worry about than algebra and theorems. In study hall she was doodling on her notebook when she caught a piece of an interesting conversation.

"Seriously, none of the chicks in this whole school will fuck anymore."

"No kidding, man, I'm almost desperate. I'd do almost anything."

There were murmurs of agreement among the rest of the boys. Suddenly Amanda had an idea. She grabbed her stuff and jumped up from her seat. She muttered something to the teacher about going to the nurse and almost sprinted down the hall to the boys' bathroom. She pulled out a permanent marker and began to write.

- - -

For the second time in two days, Amanda strolled the Big Apple's night streets. She couldn't believe someone had actually called her, and he had promised her big bucks. She was nervous about someone possibly recognizing her, but she needed the money more than she needed a good reputation. When she was almost to her destination, she thought she heard footsteps behind her.

"Hello? She called, turning around. No answer, no movement. You're spooking yourself, Amanda thought. Calm down. You've been out here at night before. Punctuating her thoughts with a nod, she started again towards Central Park. She only got half a block before she heard more footsteps. "Leave me alone?" She had meant to sound forceful, but her words came out sounding more like a question. In the small patch of trees near her she was sure she saw movement.

"Well hello!" said a voice behind her. She turned around and found herself face to face with a tall, dark haired boy who looked about nineteen. "You're Amanda Cooper?" he inquired. Amanda noticed then hardness in his grey eyes. They were the strangest eyes she'd ever seen. It was as if they'd been taken from an old black and white photograph. Flat, cold, and void of color, without anything behind them. She shivered slightly before remembering why she was there in the first place.

"I am. And you are..." Amanda wrinkled her nose, realizing that she hadn't asked him for his name.

"Blayne Coulter," he said, extending a pale, long-fingered hand. Amanda took it, expecting a handshake, but Blayne bent to kiss it. She giggled and his thin-lipped smile widened. "Honored to meet you, Miss Cooper," he said.

"Oh, don't be." Amanda nervously tucked a strand of her dirty blonde hair behind her ear. She looked around curiously. "Where's everyone else?" For so much money she had expected several people.

"No one else," Blayne said. "Just me."

"Really?"

"Mhmm. Not too disappointed, I hope."

"Oh no, I just thought..."

"Perfectly understandable," he said, waving his hand dismissively. He blinked and seemed to hesitate before opening his eyes. When he did, he turned to look at Amanda again. His silver eyes looked into her blue ones, and she wondered how she had ever thought them depthless. They were wonderful. She wanted him to see her and only her. He smiled again, and said, "Come with me." His voice seemed darker, more exciting. Seductive. Blayne led her into the trees; farther than they should have stretched. Fallen leaves muffled their footsteps as they ran. Finally they emerged at a clearing, carpeted with still-green grass. The trees were denser around it, as if keeping it a secret.

Amanda turned to face Blayne, wonder and desire visible on her young face. She wanted him. No, she needed him. This was something she could not live without. Wordlessly, Blayne embraced her, pulling her towards him. Their lips met in a passionate kiss, and Amanda knew they were no longer separate people. She pushed her tongue against his mouth, and he allowed her entry. Their tongues danced together as her desire grew stronger. Before she knew what she was doing, her hands were entwined in his dark hair.

Blayne spun her around and pushed her gently back, pinning her against the rough bark of one of the trees. His hands moved to her shoulders, keeping her in his control. Her breathing quickened as his hands began roaming over her body, from her shoulders to her arms and her waist. Amanda moved her hands and clasped them behind his neck, pulling herself towards him again. Wasn't this every girl's dream? To have a handsome, sexy stranger sweep them off of their feet?

Stepping back, Blayne grabbed the neck of her shirt and wrenched it downwards, tearing it halfway to the bottom. Amanda tried to move closer, but he pushed her back. He began to kiss her shoulders and along her collar bone. She shivered in satisfaction as she felt the bra straps slide slowly from her shoulders. But soon his kisses were rough, moving up the side of her neck. She cried out in pain as he bit at her throat. Stepping sideways, she felt the heel of her shoddily repaired boot collide with a stone on the clearing's grassy floor. The heel snapped away entirely from the force of the impact.

This was enough to block out Blayne's seductions. His cold eyes glittered hungrily and there was a menace in his smile that she hadn't noticed before. As he moved towards her again she noticed the one thing she was now expecting: two sharp white fangs over his lip. She turned and ran, her strides awkward in her twice-broken boots and her torn shirt exposed her now only half-on bra. It was cold, and she was sure she felt rain, but she kept running. Suddenly Blayne was in front of her. Amanda opened her mouth to scream but no noise came. She was trapped in the trees with a vampire.

"Don't be afraid, Amanda," he said. His voice beckoned to her and desire flowed through her veins.

"Oh God, Blayne," she moaned, afraid and desperate. "I want you."

"Yes, I know." He was still grinning. "Come back to me, Amanda." She stepped forward hesitantly. She drew a shaky breath and took a second step. Blayne disappeared and reappeared behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist, the tip of his tongue trailing lightly across her collar bone again. Amanda whimpered softly, torn between wanting to run and wanting him. He moved his mouth to her ear and whispered, "I could let you leave, you know. But a sexy little thing like you... Soon you will be begging me to possess you."

"Oh Blayne, please! Please let me go!"

"Are you sure?" he asked, appearing in front of her again. His bewitching grey eyes bored into hers, and Amanda was filled with pleasure and longing. She stepped into his embrace and kissed him again. Why was she running?

"Do you really want to leave me, Amanda?"

"No! Blayne..."

"Come back with me, Amanda."

"God, yes ..."

"Will you make love to me?"

"Yes! Oh God, just please take me back," she pleaded. Wordlessly, he took her hand and led her back to the clearing, where he pulled her into the grass with him. They finished undressing. Hearts beat in rhythm and blood pulsed to a beat. Skin against skin, breath on breath, Blayne slowly brought Amanda into bliss. Even then, in the back of her mind, Amanda realized she had to get out before he blooded her, but passion clouded every thought. He nipped at her neck again, drawing blood, and used a silver blade to make a small cut on his own throat. Pressing her against him, Blayne made sure the two wounds touched.

Amanda felt as if electricity was being passed into her veins. She knew she should break the connection before the process was complete, but she couldn't move. As soon as his vampiric blood touched hers, she was Blayne's possession, one to do with as he wished. She felt his hands glide across her naked form as she struggled for breath. Her vision blurred and she felt herself slipping away as his blood fought for control. Go! Run! Get away! She thought, but it was too late. Instead she welcomed the darkness and silence her unconsciousness brought.

- - -

"Amanda," he said. The sound of his voice brought her back. She tried to open her eyes, but she felt like she was underwater. "Amanda," Blayne said again, his voice more insistent. Amanda just shook her head, wanting only to go back to sleep. "Get up," she snarled, his eyes showing the venom from the night before. She didn't move. She couldn't move. Exhaustion held her fast. Blayne's slap echoed across the silent clearing like the crack of a whip, and Amanda stood up, wincing, sure there was a hand-shaped bruise across her cheek. She took the clothes Blayne offered her without question. A thousand thoughts ran through her mind as she recalled her encounter the night before. How could she ever leave him? He loved her, he had said so. Who else had ever told her that? No one. So who was she to object?

"Where are we going?" she asked him.

"Somewhere safe. The Council will want to meet with us. Never mind that, you'll see when we get there. Hold on to me, we'll Flicker there."

Deciding not to ask what Flickering was, Amanda wrapped her arms around Blayne. She felt as if there was static surrounding her and she closed her eyes tightly. She was sure she didn't want to see what was going on. The static feeling spread around her, crackling in her ears and frizzing her hair. She felt as if she was not all there, like it was possible she was transparent, but decided not to open her eyes and check. She really didn't want to know. Suddenly a piercing shriek lanced through her ears and, as weird as it seemed, she felt herself cease to exist. Just for a moment, Amanda had disappeared off of the face of the earth.

As quickly as the feeling came, it left. No more static, no more screams, nothing unusual. When Amanda decided to open her eyes, she saw that they were on top of a hill, in the middle of a road. At the bottom of the hill the road became a parking lot that spread out in front of a tall, light blue building as well as a long, square, brick one. The few streetlights gave off a very feeble amount of light, but it was still brighter than it would have been if they had been depending on the overcast sky. Amanda's eyes followed the height of the blue building to the steeple upon the top. A church and a school maybe? Where had he taken her?

"Don't worry," Blayne said as if he had read their thoughts. "We're still in New York. Someplace in the Catskills actually. The Hudson isn't far off in that direction." One of his long fingers pointed behind them up the road. "We traveled about a hundred miles just now."

"Really? Wow, how did you—?"

"The Council's expecting us. They'll explain everything. Now, follow me." Blayne started down the hill towards the side of the church, where a small white statue of Jesus and his Sacred Heart stood on top of a stone platform. Blayne stepped up beside the statue.

"Wait, what are we doing?" Amanda asked. "Won't someone notice us?"

"They never have," Blayne pointed out with a shrug, before motioning for Amanda to join him. She stepped up on the statue's other side He pressed his thumb to one of his fangs and then pressed his bleeding thumb to the statue's heart. When he drew away there was no mark upon the white stone, as if the statue had simply absorbed the blood itself. The platform began to descend into the darkness, and Amanda was too stunned to react as her eyes quickly became level with the grass. After the platform was completely underground, Amanda felt its speed increase, but by how much she couldn't tell. The blackness around her was absolute as they made their swift decent.

After what seemed like forever, the platform stopped moving, and Blayne took her hand. He led her off the statue and down what might have been a hallway. Still, Amanda couldn't see anything.

"You'll be able to see well after the Council finishes your blooding," Blayne assured her, again as if he had read her mind. I can't imagine ever seeing anything again, Amanda thought, but she said nothing. The echo of his slap still stung her cheek. As Blayne led her further into darkness, she was sure that she had done the right thing. What the vampires had to offer would almost definitely be better than anything she could have in the city, she was sure of it. Blayne loved her. She was surprised when she found herself slowly becoming used to the darkness around her. Wasn't that where I always was anyway? In the darkness?

Further and further the vampire led her, through the tunnels twisting beneath the old church. When she began to wonder if they would ever stop, Blayne halted abruptly and hissed something indecipherable at her. Slowly she saw a faint but steady light ahead, and she heard something almost like a rumbling. She strained her ears, knowing that there was something more. Slowly and surely words became clear to her. "Nos es unus, nose es totus. Obscurum sceptrum quod cruor videlicet totus debitum." A thousand voices chanted in a foreign tongue, and the sound of a hundred mournful voices flowed around her. The rhythm was enchanting, and soon she could think of nothing else. But far too soon, the chant stopped. Amanda looked at the people before her, and saw countless pale faces peering at Blayne hopefully. Tall and gaunt, children stood among men and women, looking just as hopeful. The vampire clan stood before her, as if they were expecting her.