Seduction in the Shadows

An Uneasy Alliance

The moon was full, illuminating the whole city. He hated going out when it was this bright, he preferred to hunt when the night was darkest. But he was hungry. So hungry. His last attempt to feed had been thwarted by some ne'er-do-well with an insane amount of luck and a death wish. He had gone to bed famished that morning and tonight he was positively ravenous.

To make matters worse, he had been hit with a scent almost immediately after emerging from his home. A sweet smell of youth and purity and a note of lavender. In this city of filth and smoke, it provided a heady, welcome change.

He stalked her through the cobblestone streets, studying her. Who was this woman wandering alone so late at night? Her perfume was nothing compared to her beauty. Skin soft and the color of alabaster. Curly red hair tucked neatly under a hat, a few spiral tendrils framing her face. He detected her nervousness, could hear her heart beat in his ears. She walked one of the crooked, narrow streets in the West Village and he knew it was time to close in on his prey. He quickened his steps, his normally cold flesh growing warm with the chase.

Suddenly, a strong arm wrapped around his neck and before he could face his attacker he was thrown down a crumbling set of stairs leading to a derelict basement apartment. In an instant, someone was on top of him. No, not someone. Something. He brushed his dark hair away from his eyes and looked up.

It was a man, roughly the same height as him. He was beautiful. Strong. Searing blue eyes. Lips that were full and flush with newly claimed life. Features that would have seemed natural on a Greek statue and hair that could be described as sun-kissed except there was no way that hair had seen the sun in a very long time. No. The smooth, white marble of his skin gave him away. He was a monster just like him. And he was very, very upset.

His attacker's hands closed around his neck and there was a fury in his eyes that seemed to be ignited by the flames of Hades. The other man tried to fight back but he was no match for this creature. He clawed at his hands, tried pulling at his arms, all to no avail until he finally freed himself by kicking his assailant in the stomach.

"What the devil is all this? What do you want from me?" He managed to say, rubbing his bruised throat.

"This town is mine. You can leave or you can die."

"You know there are over two million humans in this city. Surely we can coexist."

"Surely." The other man agreed. "But I just don't want to."

"Listen, I don't know who you think you are but I have been terrorizing this city for close to a century."

The other man laughed, his sharp teeth glistening in the moonlight. "Is that how old you are?"

The dark haired man nodded. "Yes, 127 years old to be exact."

The blonde man sauntered back over to him with a maddening smirk. He leaned in close and nudged him under his ear with his nose. He inhaled the brunette's scent before pressing his lips lightly against his neck. "My dear sweet child. You are as naïve as you are beautiful. Assuming you know everything is a dangerous trait to possess. What is your name?"

"Sebastian."

"Well, Sebastian, I am Christophe and at over 600 years old I could eradicate you before you had time to draw your next breath. So you listen to me. Leave my city or prepare to be sent to your judgement." He turned to walk away but was stopped by a hand on his shoulder.

"Wait."  Sebastian swallowed hard and looked at the other man beseechingly.  "Please don't go."

"I do not wish to engage in any more conversation, my child. I honestly prefer my solitary existence. I only chose to show myself to you so I could warn you. Good luck wherever you choose to go."

"Please. I've never met anyone else like me before."

"I am nothing like you."

"Please." He implored, desperate now.  "Just for a moment."

The elder one sighed. Damn this fledgling's tenacity and earnestness. "What do you mean you've never met another one like yourself. What about the one who made you?"

"She offered me no knowledge."

"She?"

"Yes." Sebastian nodded. "I never even learned her name." Christophe looked at him quizzically. Sebastian looked at the ground and continued. "She attacked me down by Battery Park. Mind you, this was before they made it pretty 50 years ago. I was used to wandering alone there at night when I couldn't sleep. The fact that there was anyone else there, let alone a woman, had already made me cautious. I had planned to cut my walk short and was about to head home on Broadway when she set upon me. In an instant, I was pinned to the ground. She said nothing, just sank her teeth deep into my neck. The world blurred and darkened around me and the only thing I could hear was her drinking my life from me. I must have passed out because the next thing I remember was her holding me up and taking me down into a basement somewhere. She sat me on a couch and stared at me. I wanted to ask her so many things but when I opened my mouth to speak, no words came to me. After a while she smiled, and I saw her pointed canines. She came close to me and I was sure she would finish me off but instead she placed a soft kiss on my lips. I can't describe it fully, only that I have never experienced a kiss quite like it. I felt her in every cell of my body. When she pulled away, it was like the onset of winter. Bleak and cold. I watched her cut her a thin gash at the bottom of her throat with a sharpened fingernail and saw her crimson blood spill down her décolletage. She took my head in her hands and pressed my face to the open wound, encouraging me to drink. I did, and the fire that engulfed me was like experiencing heaven and hell simultaneously. I saw all my memories flash before me and some that I think were hers. It was as if our pasts were merging; our histories belonging to each other. It was more intoxicating than any drink or drug I have ever tried. She lifted my mouth from her skin gently, her face illuminated with affection. She wiped at the blood that spilled on my chin and cleaned the blood from my lips with her tongue. She looked out the small window near the ceiling then back at me. 'The sun is coming up, you must rest.' those were the only words she ever spoke to me. She showed me to a coffin that was laying in the corner and made me get inside. I wanted to protest, but her countenance was so reassuring and I felt too tired to object. She lowered the lid and everything went black. When I awoke, it was night again and there was no sign of her. I haven't seen her since."

Christophe seemed neither surprised nor enthralled with Sebastian's story. "What did she look like?"

"Like no other woman in the world. Skin like ours. Eyes like a summer sky, pale blue and distant. Her hair tumbled down her back in golden waves." He looked at Christophe. The other man had a curious look on his face. "You know her."

Christophe took a deep breath. "Perhaps." He looked down the street. "Will you walk with me?" Sebastian got to his feet and took his place by the other man's side. Christophe gestured behind them. "That girl you were stalking tonight. If you feed from her, will she die?"

"Of course. They all die."

"They don't have to. You don't have to gorge yourself you know. You're not hibernating for the winter. Drink until you are satiated. Then let them go. Less conspicuous that way."

"But if we leave them alive, then they will know about us."

"And so what then? Are they going to tell someone? No one would believe them. They would be wise to forget it or risk going mad with the memory."

"But that's awful."

"We are awful creatures, my friend." Sebastian knew this to be true and so he stayed silent. He noticed after a short amount of time that they seemed to be headed back to his place.

"Where are we going?"

"To that dank hovel you call a home. I suppose you have some trinkets there you would like to retrieve before we continue to my townhouse."

"But... I thought you said-"

"Yes, well, I suppose I could use a companion. And you could certainly use some guidance."

Sebastian kept his smile to himself. "But how do you know where I live?"

Christophe chuckled softly. "Oh sweet Sebastian. You haven't already deduced that our meeting tonight wasn't by chance?" He placed a hand gently on the younger one's face. "No. I have been watching you for quite some time."