Emmaline Black woke with a fever and a memory. A memory of Sophie, licking her, loving her, and then biting her ; leaving from an open window on the third-story of the Black family estate.
Emma could not shake the image of Sophie's shocked face as she pulled away. The window was still open and there was frigid air blowing inside. She felt her forehead and knew she was coming down with something serious.
Having missed the last day of classes for pretending to be sick in order to avoid Sophie seemed silly now in the light of a new day. Yet it made staying home a second day, when she really needed the rest all the more simple to ensure.
When her mother came round to wake her she hadn't even asked if Emmaline was feeling any better -- the cold sweat was proof enough to keep her home for another day. The day seemed to drag as Emmaline drifted in and out of fitful sleep.
When she eventually took a shower sometime around noon she was struck by the marks on her body as she stood naked in the mirror. There were red spots on her neck and shoulder -- the bite Sophie had attempted hadn't broken the skin fully but the contact was unmistakable.
Her sex was also sore, but she figured that was normal considering all that had transpired. The ache there was dull and felt a little warm, but not the fevered kind of warm more of a pleasant fuzziness.
The more she looked at the mark on her shoulder the more it seemed to irritate her, it was beginning to itch and she wondered silently if Sophie were sick with something crazy and had now infected her with the same bug.
With all this on her mind Emma couldn't sleep despite her exhaustion. She half hoped she had dreamed the whole thing and had really gotten sick the day before and only forgotten in hazed confusion. But in her heart she knew there was something more, something much more dark and sinister at work.
****
In the lair of the Lady Christine light wasn't allowed except for the natural light of fire. And so it was that Sophie sat at the feet of her maker, head bowed low in a show of absolute servitude.
The color had begun to return to her skin as she was now well fed on the milk from Christine's ample bosom. What was even better was that her strength had seemed to grow to at least five times it's previous level and the mistress said that it would only continue to increase with time and training.
If Sophie had her way she would never have stopped sucking those glorious tits and being filled with milk. Alas, the Lady explained that serious matters required their attention.
" Yes my sweet, there shall be plenty of time for playing in the future, an eternity in fact -- but for now we have work to do. You see biting your little friend last night, that was ill-advised."
She elaborated further when Sophie looked a little scared, to put her fears to rest. "Being the understanding maker I am, I know that the first experience with the hunger can lead to far worse things. What you need to know now is that time is of the essence, as underdeveloped vampires cannot become full-fledged makers. Your fangs haven't come in fully quite yet, and feeding progeny takes many things you still do not posses. "
"mmm like milk?" said Sophie remember it's flavor in her mouth, now watering.
"Yes, like milk. Though as I've said there are also other methods which you may learn of at another time. What you inflicted is what we call a soft bite. This doesn't make the vampires quite the same way -- and even more important it leaves them susceptible to a number of other afflictions ; the worst of these, for us, is the sisterhood of the softbites. A coven of witches who have been similarly victimized only to have the process of creation so rudely disturbed."
She now appeared to be breaking into a full fledged speech " The wretched sisters as they call themselves are our sworn enemies from times long past and still to come. They too have attained immortality, albeit through different ritualistic means, and they see it as their duty to oppose all vampires and their activities in this world, and others. For the afterlife of me I can't figure why they hate us so. After all it is the vampires bite which makes their existence possible in the first place but here we are, years into bloody conflict with no end in sight."
"You should know that they, unlike any other beings, even any other witches, can resist Vampiric charms, and once turned there is no going back"
Sophie's head was now swimming with a myriad of questions about other worlds, vampires, witches and life, but her biggest concern somehow was still Emmaline.
" So, what can we do to make sure these witches don't get to her, and if we do retrieve her, can you make her, the same way you made me?"
"Well my dear, things are never so simple. As the Softbites are daywalkers and can get to their prey anytime and we, are still confined to shadows. Even more troubling is that over the past few months it seems as though the bitches have developed quite a knack at finding the victims to turn. To answer you though, if we do get her, I would be more than happy to help bring her into the fold but I must be honest when I say that chances are slim now but we shall make the best of the situation."
Christine spoke with such an easy command that Sophie never even questioned her, it seemed the easiest thing in the world to follow her, and do exactly as she bid. Sophie looked at the clock and saw it was still the afternoon -- with no windows it was difficult to tell time but having fed so vigorously for the hours of the early morning she had no want at all for rest.