Blood & Carrots Ep. 16

A grin showed at your request. "Oh... how was my night with Lorelai? Oh, I really shouldn't talk about that, my pet..."

I smile at your fussed look. "Well it's in the past now and nothing to hide, so it's harmless to speak of it I suppose."

With a happy sigh, I place a hand upon my chest. "Lorelai is a sheep I am truly fond of..."

#

I sat in the backseat of the large sedan with the head of the council. I had been initially excited at the prospect of talking with her more and training with Harold, but now the reality of the situation had gripped me. I was sharing a ride and room with one of the most powerful beings in not just our family, but potentially the world.

The sheep sensed my anxiety and offered me a gentle smile. "Be at peace, Alice. This is not me putting you on trial."

With a nod, I gave her a smile and lifted my ears. "I hate to ask, but can we stop by a store? I didn't pack anything for an extended stay. I certainly cannot meet and train with sir Harold in my torn, blood-covered dress."

Lorelai gave me a nod. "The hour has grown very late, I do not think you will find much. Make a list of what you need and your sizes. I shall have my servants embark during the day to acquire them."

"Thank you." I gave her a polite nod and looked down at my fingers, they were still stained with the black foxes blood. I frowned and looked them over, thinking back on the exchange.

"What weighs upon you, Alice?" Lorelai prodded me curiously.

I gritted my teeth and shook my head. "Deep down... I suppose I had hoped it wouldn't come to it. I even tried to be civil with the mouse before this started."

The sheep tilted her head. "You become in tune with someone when you feed. Tell me, Alice... what did you feel when you pulled from her life force?"

I thought back on it. "Rage, anger to the point of madness even. I also felt an overwhelming sorrow and self-hatred. I think seeing Elias defend me, seeing him willing to stand before her in my name. I feel it tore at her."

"You would be correct..." Lorelai looked out the side window while the car drove through the city. "Those two... they were the cute ones of the council. We would constantly tease them because of how much they were in love."

I frowned, feeling jealousy well up inside me. "Ha... he hasn't even told me he loves me. I've never heard the words, no matter how hard I try for him."

The sheep cut her soft brown eyes to me and shook her head. "Do not play the fool Alice. He obviously does so, but he cannot bring himself to say it. Do not let it weigh upon you, sister."

I lower my ears and nod. "I wish I could have just talked to her..."

"She is set in her course. I have tried to council with her as have others. Only retribution or her death will satisfy the hunger of her madness." Lorelai spoke the words with a frown.

I clenched my fist and teeth. "Death is all she will have then, I will not let her take him or any of my family from me."

"You really are an arrogant one, aren't you?" The sheep cocked her brow at me curiously.

"Arrogance? Hardly... but it does me no good to believe I cannot do something. Better to be struck down a weak fool in defense of my loved ones, than to bear my throat in acceptance." I snarled the words and flexed my fingers.

"I suppose I can understand that thought process... still the thought of losing either of those two..." Lorelai nodded and looked out the window once more, signifying she was finished with this topic. I remained silent for the last few minutes of the trip.

The Marquess had the penthouse suite of course. I followed her into it and we entered at the small kitchen adjoining the large den. "There are two bedrooms, you are welcome to one or the other." She spoke the words and made her way into the kitchen.

"Thank you, lady Lorelai. I appreciate your hospitality." I gave her a smile and a bow.

She showed her teeth at me in a grin. "Please, Alice... let us do away with the formalities for now. I have enough of it in my night to night."

"As you wish... Lorelai." I gave her my own grin and we looked upon one another. It was a rare treat for me to be able to look upon someone at eye level. She wasn't what you would call elegant, but she had a simple cuteness to her now that I was looking upon her.

Lorelai turned to face me and placed her palms over her stomach, giving me a level gaze. She had already processed what I was doing before even I had. The position of her arms made her breasts push forward heavily in the white dress she had worn. They were very large, even bigger than Katrina's. Her face was round and her off white hair very curly, even more so than Gloria's. It rolled down her back all the way to the small fluff of tail.

The sheep turned, as if returning to what she was focused on in the kitchen, displaying her backside and side profile for me. Her whole form was curvy, but not a slender athletic curvy like Katrina's. This was the kind of physique you would see from a fifties pin-up model. She looked very soft and I wanted to touch her, wanted to feel if her faintly tanned skin was as warm as it looked.

Lorelai brushed a lock of her curled hair from one of her small horns and reached for a large bottle in a bucket of ice. "Have you sufficiently profiled me, or would you like another position?"

I blinked and felt my cheeks darken, jerking my gaze away. "M-my apol-... I'm sorry, I wasn't trying to stare..."

She gave me an indiscernible look and pulled the bottle from the ice before gathering two large wine glasses from the cupboard. "It is an unpopular opinion, but I prefer it chilled." Lorelai spoke casually as she poured a large glass of crimson for herself, a second presumably for me. "I can heat it up if it is to your distaste?"

I smiled at her and shook my head. "No... I feel the same, I find it to be very-"

"Refreshing?" She finished my words with a smile.

"Yeah! The others in my house give me hell for it." I giggled and then lifted my ears when she presented me with the glass.

We took a seat on the small sofa in the lounge, the fireplace already roaring and soft swing music playing from the radio on the table. Lorelai took a small sip of her drink before looking upon me. "Alice do y-"

The sheep blinked as she saw me happily drinking the blood down from the glass by the mouthful, gulping it down quickly. I shuddered and gave a pleased sigh, happy to get it in me after the intense fighting I had done earlier. I felt her eyes upon me and blushed heavily. "Ah... s-sorry?"

"Would you like another glass?" The sheep gave me an amused smile as she spoke. I nodded my head eagerly and she poured me another. I tried to make it a point to actually sip this one and not chug it like a sports drink.

I looked upon the fire then back at her. "Ah... is it true you rode horseback with the Mongols?" I asked her curiously.

Lorelai gave me a curious glance and smiled. "Elias been telling stories of me again?"

"M-maybe..." I blushed and looked away awkwardly.

"It's true. The formal attire Sarnai and her second wore today, that is formal wear for clan leaders in the tribe. Well if you went back to the twelve hundreds anyway." Lorelai hummed the words.

"Does that mean all of you are of that descent?" I asked curiously.

Lorelai shook her head. "Sarnai was a member of one of the failing khanates when she was born. She is of that descent, but I am not. I just heard about things and joined up."

"They would just let a woman join up with them?" I asked curiously.

Lorelai shrugged her shoulder and took a long sip of her blood. "Women were lesser than men in their society, but they had more freedoms and privileges than most other women did at the time."

"So how did you join?" I asked excitedly.

Lorelai gave me a long look before clicking her tongue. "A group razed my village. I didn't care, I was simply a temporary resident. I willingly presented myself to their commander and asked to join them."

"And they let you just like that?" I asked curiously.

Lorelai gave a soft laugh, her voice sounded cute and childish in the moment. "Oh heavens no... They laughed, told me if I were lucky they would rape me instead of killing me."

I flinched at the words and Lorelai gave me a hard look. "The world is hell, Alice. They call us monsters, but I've seen mundanes do things that would make the most vile demons blush."

"So what happened?" I was facing her now on the couch, my full intent upon her and eager for the rest of the story.

The sheep smiled at me. "One of them came for me, I broke his arm, took his sword and challenged their commander to formal combat." The sheep hummed to herself as she continued. "I bested him handily, outshot their best marksman in the following challenge and was welcomed into their ranks. I eventually rose to the position of Tumetu-iin Noyan. Which was a fancy way of saying I commanded a whole lot of troops."

"That's so cool! Why didn't I hear about any of this in history books?" I tilted my head curiously.

"Because the men wrote those books, dear." Lorelai gave a shrug. "I'm not bashing on the boys of the world, but you would be surprised how many powerful female leaders and warriors were lost to the sands of time."

"How old are you, Lorelai?" I asked her point-blank, my curiosity getting the better of me.

She fixed me with a long look. "Would you believe me if I told you I wasn't sure?"

I gave her a shocked look. "Really?"

She nodded. "I retain nothing of my former mundane life, the ravages of time wore it away long ago. Even the first few centuries are a muddied blur in my memory. Maybe I was just a mindless killer for that time, an animal just feeding and wandering. It could very well be I simply don't recall, because there was nothing there but instinct and survival. Hunt, kill, eat, hide and repeat. Replay that for a few centuries and it all bleeds together."

I shivered and shook my head. "Ah... I'm sorry... I wasn't trying to dig up bad memories."

Lorelai smiled at me. "Lack of memories isn't a bad thing, Alice. It means I'm free to be my own person with no clandestine nonsense."

"I can see that." I nodded in thought.

"What I can tell you... is that I am Persian in my heritage. I went to visit the Hagia Sophia a few years after it was completed in five thirty-seven. I'm sure it's even more lovely in the daylight." She spoke the words nostalgically.

"Five thirty-seven... by the gods... you must have seen so much." I flicked my tail and looked at her in awe.

Lorelai offered me a grin. "I would like to tell you I had helped shape history and slept with famous members of the elite throughout time. In reality, I just kept my head down and enjoyed the ride."

"I would love to hear all your stories eventually..." I grinned and looked into her deep brown eyes. She met my own for a long gaze and I could see the cold steel resolve in them, a glimpse of the horrors and wrongs she had seen in her existence. I awkwardly pulled from her gaze, feeling her will naturally overbear me.

Lorelai said nothing and took a long drink, finishing the last of her glass. She moved to pour herself another round and settled back once more.

An awkward silence hung in the air for several moments before I cleared my throat and spoke out. "Ah... I've never heard you talk about your house."

"I can't talk about something I do not possess, Alice." Lorelai responded to me pointedly.

I blinked at her and lifted my ears. "You have no house to speak of?"

"I do not. I am the head of the council and that is my full-time job. I would make a poor mistress indeed, as I would never have the proper time to run such a thing." She spoke the words in a calculated tone, taking another sip of her blood.

"Don't you get lonely?" I asked her directly, my eyes moving to hers once more.

I saw the curiosity in her look as she met my gaze once more. "How do you figure I would be lonely? I have my servants and I am constantly meeting with various council members on nearly a daily basis. If anything I have too much interaction."

I frowned and lifted my ears. "Sure but... that's not the same. It's not the same as a bustling house full of friends and loved ones. Waking up in your bed and spending time with your family..."

She gazed into my eyes for a long moment before responding. "It's not something I've considered in some time."

"Why not?" I tilted my head, my tail flicking about. I watched her profile while she drank another sip, watched her eyes shift and stare into mine, reading me like a book.

"Do you attempt to play a game with me, Alice?" She spoke at me point-blank.

I frowned and blinked several times before shaking my head. "N-no... why would you say such a thing? Are we not simply talking and getting to know one another?"

I saw a brief flash of her teeth before she took another drink and set her half-filled cup down. The sheep shifted to face me on the sofa, fixing me with a stern and intent look. "You've asked a lot of me, but now you presume to judge if I am happy with myself?"

"I... I do not!" I huffed out and shook my head.

"Rabbit, I have known love and loss more times than you probably have months behind you. Do you assume because I am not surrounded by friends and family I am at a loss?" Her words came out sharp but calculated and precise.

"L-lady Lorelai, I was not trying to show disrespect, I simply was-"

"Listen to me, Alice. Not all the pieces fit together so neatly. Different creatures will have different needs. If the time comes I wish to start a family again, I shall do so. I do not need the embrace of another or the hearth fires of home to feel complete." She set her eyes upon mine in a long-practiced gaze of control and willpower. Her resolve was absolute and I shivered before averting my eyes.

I clenched my teeth and folded my ears. "I apologize, my Lady... I intended no disrespect." I spoke the words in a polite whisper.

Lorelai pursed her lips at my change in demeanor and rested her palms on her lap. "Why... why did you ask such a thing?"

"No reason, I simply was making conversation... I was not playing any games with you..." I kept my gaze from hers, afraid to look into her cold eyes and risk her ire any further.

"Look upon me when I speak to you, it is common courtesy." Lorelai spoke the words sharply and my eyes darted back to her own obediently. She knew what she was doing when she gave the command and saw the obvious start of tears in my blue eyes.

She frowned and cocked a brow at me. "I have not wronged you, nor have I said anything unkind to you. Why are you on the verge of tears?"

"I do not want to say... You will take ire with me..." I spoke the words softly and pulled from her gaze once more.

I heard the annoyed snort of breath come from her nose, then gasped as I felt her hand sharply grab my chin and jerk my gaze to hers. I blinked several times and clenched my teeth as the impossibly powerful vampire stared down into my eyes. 'Say why, I command it."

Her words tore through any willpower I had like a sword through wet tissue paper. My brain shut off and I simply obeyed and spoke out at her command. "I feel bad for you! You're so cold and detached, but are you happy? There is a difference between happiness and fulfillment, Lorelai! I... question if you know them at all now! I have so much respect for you, but I pity how detached you appear to be! My words were of concern and nothing more, I play no game with you!" I spat the words out rapidly and then clenched my eyes tightly shut, tears falling down my cheeks.

I heard her take a controlled breath, remembering in my mind that she didn't need to breathe any more than I did. Her words came out in command once more. "Open your eyes."

My eyes blinked open at her words, tears filling them and rolling down my cheeks. Lorelai spoke to me, her brown eyes locked on my own, making sure I saw her sharp teeth. "You... pity me? Do you shed tears because you fear my anger?"

I clenched my jaw and blinked the tears away, shaking my head against her hand that gripped my chin. "You seem like you're devoid of love, your eyes show no emotion. Even the fun things you've spoken of, your eyes were cold... To a creature like me, that thrives on pleasing others. It seems too sad and that is why... my tears are for you, not out of fear."

The elder vampire pulled her hand from my chin and blinked at my words a few times. I saw a brief moment of clarity in her eyes, as if she were processing the dialog. Her composure returned a moment later and she fixed me with a hard look. "You truly think that?"

I frowned and nodded in response, trying to keep my eyes with hers. "I- I do."

The sheep gave me a calculated look before speaking again. "Very well, let's say I humor you and consider your concern. What will you do, rabbit? What can you do that sixteen hun-"

I shoved my mouth to her own and dumped my will forth as hard as I could. Lorelai grunted against my lips at the interruption and her brown eyes blinked wide at the attack. My hands moved over her cheeks, feeling her soft skin, it was like silk to the touch and I could feel her energy just pouring from it.

Gently cupping her face I made the kiss more intense, parting my lips to force my tongue into her small mouth. There was hesitation but then her small tongue met mine and I felt her returning the gesture. My eyes snapped wide open as I felt the energy I had given her rush back into me like a freight train, followed by her own essence.

The force was overwhelming and I felt myself growing dizzy. I pulled from her lips with a soft gasp, my body shuddering, our tongues still touching slightly, our mingling saliva hanging from them.

Lorelai tucked her tongue back into her mouth and pursed her lips, giving me a long stare. I drifted my fingertips from her cheeks and rested them upon her shoulders, a soft pant on my lips as I hesitantly spoke. "S-sorry...it just seemed... the best thing to do..."

The sheep showed her teeth in a look I couldn't discern and I felt her hand reach into my hair, jerking the sticks from it and letting my blonde locks tumble down my back. She cast the sticks across the room and then grabbed a fistful of my hair, jerking my face to her own once more. I gave a sharp gasp and blinked into her eyes, feeling my heart pound in my ears.

The sheep pushed her forehead to my own and stared into my eyes for a long series of heartbeats. Her sheer will had my tongue lolled and I was panting faintly just from her touch. "It has been..."

Lorelai pulled her hand from my hair and folded her arms, leaning back from me slightly in thought. I huffed and tucked my tongue in, blinking upon her curiously. "I have not allowed someone to kiss me like that, in over two centuries, Alice..."

"I am honored beyond words, my Lady." I cooed the words and leaned closer, my ears wobbling drunkenly.

"You didn't ask, it was not freely given!" Lorelai showed me a glare, snapping the words at me with heat in her voice. I shivered and shrunk back slightly, feeling the pressure of her will and anger keenly upon me. It was so overwhelming I felt it would be hard to even breathe if I needed to.

Lorelai folded her arms over her heavy breasts and gave me a scowl. The look wasn't one of fury though. No, the more I looked upon her, it was more of a pout than anger. I cleared my throat and gently spoke. "My lady... may I ask one thing?"

"Speak." She barked the word out at me in a commanding tone.

I built up my courage and gave her the cockiest look I could muster, my ears drooping and my eyes half lidding. "Had I not... would you have kissed me first?"

Her eyes widened at the display and I saw a faint trace of color come into her cheeks. The sheep then showed her sharp canines and huffed out at me. "Do not be absurd, of course I would not have!"