Affinity

Chapter 2 - Nathan

In a forest on the outskirts of Paris at the mouth of a waterfall cave Nathaniel Madison was watching the last rays of evening light flicker on the rippling surface of the small pool of water. He closed his eyes and cast his awareness out like a net over the area, scanning for any immediate threats. Sensing nothing unfamiliar, he walked along the narrow strip of rock behind the waterfall and emerged into the open. The setting sun tingled on his skin, and the evening air tasted bitter, of musty moss and moist earth. As he gazed at the fiery remnants of the sunset, he rested a hand on his burning chest. He licked his dry lips and forced his parched throat to swallow. He was thirsty and needed to hunt.

After a long night of travel he had stopped just before sunrise and sequestered himself in the confines of a small cave nestled in the bosom of a lush forest. Tired and unwilling to subject himself to the discomforts of traveling by day, he had spent the daylight hours cooped up in this temporary shelter behind a curtain of falling water. It was safe enough, but the fact that the cave was located just outside a human's property line had made it a risk.

Property under human ownership was off limits to vampires hunting for food. But Nathan had never been much for the rules, and being a rogue and an outsider afforded him the freedom to bend them from time to time. After more than a few close calls, he had finally learned how to get around the restrictions. As long as he remained close to the edge of the boundary, he could easily skip over into the forbidden zones long enough to hunt, then skip back over to safety while the ignorant humans and authoritative witches remained unaware.

The treaty mandated that vampires consume only animal blood. Drinking from a human in any amount was strictly forbidden and punishable at the fortress, assuming the offending vampire ever made it to the fortress. The way the witches were taking it upon themselves to hand out justice made it highly unlikely that an accused vampire would make it before the council for fair trial. As for drinking from a witch, one suspected of such a crime could immediately kiss the slightest possibility of a trial and his own ass goodbye.

Human blood was favored for its richness and subtle variations in flavor. But witch's blood was tempting for many reasons. It increased a vampire's senses, speed, strength, and stamina. But what made it especially appealing was the limited protection it offered from the painful effects of direct sunlight. The downfall was that witch's blood was intoxicating and highly addictive. It gave one a false feeling of immense power and invincibility, leading the consumer to act irrationally.

Upon his turning, Nathan had awoken to find himself alone and suffering from an insatiable thirst. His sire had abandoned him to fend for himself with no guidance to help him avoid the first taste of human blood. So, Nathan had run through more than his share of humans at a time when doing so had just been forbidden. The war between witches and vampires had just come to an end and the treaty put in place, events he had had no prior knowledge of. It had been a dark time he had narrowly survived, one that he had vowed to never return to along with his vow to kill his sire if he ever came upon him.

It was during those early years that he had also overindulged in his first taste of witch's blood while boarding with a nest in the Greek islands. In the midst of a riveting discussion about the mythology of Greek deities, the blood's influence had seized him. He convinced himself that he could persuade Helios, the sun god, to grant him protection from the sun's rays. So he swam into the sunrise across the Aegean Sea just to find himself too far from shore and shade when the blood wore off. By the time he made it back to safety, he had severe burns on his bare back and arms.

The experience as a whole had been exhilarating, but the swim back to reality taught him a valuable lesson. He had mostly abstained ever since. However, the smell of a witch always brought the taste fresh to his tongue, and he craved the intoxication.