Shade stalked the sordid underbelly of the world with an drive honed by centuries of the hunt. Her instinct for both pain and pleasure had no match. Her peers, if one could call them that, scrambled for the husks of her victims, while she delved into levels of delight and dread they could only fantasize about. Shade was the Queen, and the world groveled at her feet in rapturous terror.
Her only limitations were the hunters. Those tasked with taking down her kind and ridding the world of their infestation. They had come close many times over the countless years of her exploitations. Always, though, she escaped, sometimes with only minutes to spare. Whatever lair she had established, abandoned to the world. She never minded. It was a reminder to her hunters of their failure to decapitate the darkness that haunted their dreams.
Lately, Shade had changed her game. Rather than pursue her victims out in a world where she had to expose herself and risk all, she had established a presence on the Web. There, she could stalk her victims virtually, and set up encounters at her discretion. Always, she lured them in with promises of ecstasy. Never revealing until it was too late that it was exactly that ecstasy which fed her eternal flame.
She had the desire for one more hunt in the flesh, though. It validated her strength, her seductive powers, her guile. Her ego. So, Shade planned on going out this night, to hunt the weak, seduce the innocent, capture one more light in the world and snuff its flame out.
So, she prepared. She could morph her look at will. Though she was centuries old, she could appear as young or old as she wished; male, female—it didn't matter. Tonight, she would go as a young woman. Tall, brunette, exquisitely beautiful, firm, full breasts, hips flared out in perfect proportion, legs long and strong. She hadn't decided yet on who she would seduce. It could be a man or a woman, she cared not. They each brought their own energies that she could drain away for her own power.
As she glanced one final time in the mirror, Shade smiled a fearsome smile. The death stare of ages of pain glared back at her, willing her into the night.
***
There were several night clubs in the downtown area that were perfect hunting grounds. The hot spots always were. They drew the young, restless, sexually prime victims in droves. She could pick whomever she wanted, whenever she wanted. After walking the streets for an hour, she chose her arena. Walking up to the line that wrapped itself around the corner, she passed through the front door without drawing any reaction, either from the security guards or the youths who had been standing there for hours already in the sultry night. Well, maybe an itch in their lizard brains. That deep, knowing place geared to protect. But the sexual tensions were already too high to warrant more than a brief, uncomfortable glance around. Then it was back to the empty banter of hoped-for mating.
As Shade entered the building, she let the sexual energy wash over her. It was almost a drug for her. All of her senses were blazing, both human and demonic. She glanced around the interior, taking in the frenetic dancing, the choreographed hunt these mere children performed instinctively. The bars were running at full capacity, alcohol flowing liberally. She had no need for alcohol, other than as a lubricant for her victims. It lowered their inhibitions, reduced their fears, made them more pliable. She grinned again, knowing her victim was somewhere within.
The heat off of the dance floor was palpable, matching her own. The frenzy pulled her in, and she wound her way through the crowds and stepped onto the floor. She spun and twirled as she made her way to the center, making herself fully present to all. Her dance was a masterful seduction, pulling all who saw her into her web. Those dancing near her started to focus on her, dancing with her, matching her move for move without consciously realizing. Soon the fevered tarantella had people writhing across the floor, inhibitions completely shattered. Men and women alike rubbing frantically against each other, any sexual reservations left to the wayside.
