a Goddess among Men

Late night taboo and early morning fires

Beautiful green eyes, that soft red hair. Skin like fresh cream and those perfect rose petal lips. My love, my goddess, my Natashia. I look up at her portrait a smile on my lips. One day she will belong to me. One day, my sweet rose, I will pluck you and put you on my mantle forever. My sweet little dove, I can't wait to lock you in your cage where you belong. You will sing, Natashia, you will sing and it will only be for my ears.

Natashia, why do you have to refuse my company? Why must you be so very defiant? I remember when you used to adore me, you used to worship the ground that i walked on with held breath. You used to be such a good little girl.

With a sigh I let my mind slip into the past, sinking in a pool of nostalgia. The memories come flooding back to me and I give in to them without complaint.

I look around the open parlor with a smile. I was in a different castle, an old castle that has been lost for almost three centuries. Roses sat in vase on top of every end table in the room around me. Ah, the old Baerston castle, Natashia's old home before she lost everything. I look around with a smile. I remember this, this was the day that Lord Baerston asked me to marry his daughter when she came of age. The door drifts open slowly and a small little girl walks in with startling red hair and shocking green eyes set into her freckled face. Noticing me the little rose rushes to me and hugs my leg with a soft giggle.

"Lord Verin! I missed your company!" Her voice sounds like a little silver bell that sweet tone making my heart long to keep her in this form.

I bend down and scoop the little seven year old into my arms, hugging her as she giggles. A large man with black hair follows her in smiling. Lord Baerston, Natashia's father. He notices us and gives a heartwarming smile before coming across the lavish parlor to pat me on the back.

"Ah, old friend, I am so glad that you came I have news that I think you will thoroughly enjoy." His deep voice rumbles in my chest, his words catching me off guard. News? "So I have decided that when Natashia comes of age I will have her marry you, pending your approval of course. You are a great friend of mine and I know that you of all people will be able to take care of her like she deserves." He finishes with a smile.

I feel a wicked smile start to rise inside of me and I quickly suppress it. I would own Natashia? I would be the one that gets to take the little rose and make her my own. As small and fragile as the little girl in my arms looked I knew better, she was the keeper of a very strange and powerful gift. I look down to her and give her a gentle smile which she readily returns, such an obedient little pet she will make.

"-and as you know her ability is very unpredictable. The Siren's Song is a very hard ability to keep under control and without proper control and patience it can get very out of hand. She needs to be able to have stability for it to be suppressed." I zone back into the conversation and realize that I had just missed a large portion of what he had been saying.

"Oh of course, my friend, you know that I am always going to be very patient with my little rose." I smile down at the small child and set her back down on her feet. Her father gives me a smile and kisses his daughter on the head as he turns towards the door.

"Thank you, old friend" He glances down at his pocket watch and lets out a small sigh, "I have business to attend to now, you are welcome to stay as long as you would like Verin." He waves goodbye and leaves the room making his way into his study.

My mind refocuses for a moment and I let out a soft melancholy sigh. I knew what would be coming next. A smile ghosts across my lips as I let my mind slip back into the past.

I slip into the study silently looking around, I had been in this room many times but this would be the last time I ever entered this comforting place. Lord Baerston sits in his desk chair sleeping lightly, his black hair slightly disheveled seeming almost peaceful. Sliding in behind his chair as quietly as I can I slip a small dagger out in front of his throat. Applying as much pressure as I can i cut through his pearly flesh and make crimson spill across his cravat. His emerald green eyes open in surprise, looking so much like his daughter's, and he starts to squirm away from my wicked blade. Sighing in exasperation I pull my dagger from his throat and lodge it deep within his chest cavity, sinking to the hilt in his heart. Still looking up at me in shock as he was, I was able to watch as his bright green eyes faded from that lovely green into a dead tree green. The feeling that washed over me was so perverse and almost sickening, I almost vomited right on the spot. I had committed a cardinal sin in our species, an unspoken taboo that no one ever seemed to cross. A pureblood vampire is never to kill another pureblood vampire unless in gentlemanly sport such as a duel or self defence.

Looking down at my friend's lifeless body I sigh and move to pick up the lantern that sat burning low on his desk. With what little anger I had left in my slowly numbing state I throw the lantern at the wall of books behind him and watch as it erupts into a ball of fire. The room is filled with the sights and smells of fire as I watch it engulf the books my friend had poured his energy into. As the fire starts to get out of hand I make my way from the room and out into the front courtyard, watching the flames play against the curtains. The morning had started to come to see my sin, to watch the fall of House Baerston with its funeral veil of gray. Tired of waiting I rush back into the house to find that most of the first floor had started to burn like I had hoped it would. I charge up the stairs and into the west wing hall in search of sweet Natashia, hoping to 'save her from the fire'. Knocking the door down with ease and looking around the room I start to panic. Where was she? She had to be here, it was too early for her to still awake. Growling in annoyance I make my way through the upstairs in search of my little rose, occasionally calling out to her. I pass by a small linen closet door and hear sobbing, thank God. I pull open the door and she screams, kicking me in a very intimate place and runs away the force of her kick making me double over. What the hell? I call after her but she is already gone. Her small feet beating hard against the staircase leading up to the next level. Following her after I manage to control my pain and temper, I make my way to the third floor and hear a door slamming shut. That had to be the music room, it is the only room that she would hide in. I make my way to the door and pull it open, the small child is standing by an open window looking down. Her red hair was tosseled and thrown around making her seem wild, her small white nightgown was dirty and covered in soot.

"Natashia, why did you-"

"You killed my father! He trusted you and you killed him!" She screams and turns to look at me. Her usually lovely green eyes are full of hatred and pain, tears streaking down her dirty face.

Then it hit me. Those weren't the flames I had noticed dancing in the window of the study, the fire wouldn't have spread that fast. It was Natashia's hair, she had been hiding behind the curtain. She was probably reading in the study with her father when I slit his throat. Instead of screaming like most children would do she kept quiet and hid. I look down to the small girl in shock, she was much smarter than I had ever even considered. Before I even have a chance to retaliate she climbs out the window and disappears.

I rush over to the window thinking that she had fallen and I see her climbing down the rose bush lattice to the ground. She hits the ground and glares up at me before running away, her red hair swaying in the early morning sun.

"L-lord Ver-verin, um, Master the girl has refused to entertain yet another of your invitations." I turn my head from her beauty to look upon one of my servants.

A small growl sounds in the back of my throat before I am able to compose myself and look back at the portrait of my beloved. You will belong to me Natashia. Even if I have to take everything from you and keep you locked away for the rest of your days.
Smiling one of my most wicked smiles I turn to look at the small girl in front of me and motioned for her to come closer. Timidly she does as told, stepping just within my grasp. As fast as I can think the girl is wrapped up tight in my arms, her back to my chest. I bring my face down to nuzzle at her neck and I feel her heart beat quicken. Smiling against her velvet soft skin I lick along her pulse and start to nibble playfully. She lets out a small squeak of surprise and I growl, I could feel her arousal in my mind and it pissed me off. Did she really think she was worth my affection? She wasn't my little rose. I feel my eyes flare to their usual dark brown, I'm tired of playing with my food. Holding her in a bone crushing grip I sink my teeth into her neck and start to feed, her blood hits my mouth and I almost vomit. Such a boring taste, almost no flavor to her at all. I feel a few bones give under my vice like hold and the soft whimpering noises that she had managed to let out slowly get weaker until they altogether die. I drop the lifeless corpse at my feet and wipe her blood from my lips. Unsatisfied and yet not hungry I make my way to my bedchamber to dream of my little rose. You will belong to me Natashia, not even your pet human can save you from what will come.