Blood Line

Evolution

The celestial music and wonderful voice of Bocelli had ignited the passion of the people of Portofino. The outdoor theatre was packed.
Allasandra's new acolyte, Amanda scanned the crowd, her eyes coming to rest on the youthful Prince of Darkness sitting next to his daughter. She watched them listening to the classical tenor as he finished his finale. Sitting side by side, they looked like a beautiful honeymooning couple, not a father and daughter reacquainting themselves.  Satisfied, with what she saw, Amanda withdrew into the dusk.

Una Bella gently addressed her father, concerned he hadn't exhibited the normal blood lust of an awakened vampire. If he had so little appetite, perhaps the rejuvenation process had been flawed.

"Father, you're so different than I remember you."

"How is that Una Bella?"

"You're form is so young. This isn't what I expected."

Vlad chuckled to himself looking appraisingly at his hands, as slender and artistic as a concert pianists.

"I'm surprised too, little one. My new found youth is wonderful isn't it? I'm enjoying it tremendously."

"I think your new form is wonderful also father, but my point is.."

"But what, Una Bella?"

"What about your legacy?"

He turned to face her, his face serious, but patient. "It's no longer my legacy Una Bella." He smiled. "It's yours now."

Looking unconcerned by her shocked expression, he ran a hand through his thick, dark hair. For the first time ever, he experienced frustration trying to convey his feelings to his beloved offspring.

"I just want to enjoy my time here. You know I've never experienced the world as a tourist." Undeterred, Una appealed to her father's dark sense of duty.

"Father, you're not yourself. You're castle has been purloined by Lucius Deville. It needs to be retaken. I awakened you to lead and rejoice in the coup." 

She gestured at her father's suave posture, his legs elegantly stretched out like those of a French sex symbol. "This isn't who you are." Minute by minute, she was becoming more confused by this person who felt like The Great Imposter more than The Great Impaler.

"How would you know who I am, Una?" She heard a remnant of the old steel underlying his cultured voice. "I'm tired of the crusades, the political intrigue, the wars."  Unconcerned by his daughter's disbelief, Vlad's gaze tracked two lovely women standing up, making their way up the aisles of the emptying amphitheater.

"Maybe once you feed, you'll feel differently."

"Perhaps that's true, but please consider this. We all evolve. Why wouldn't I become more than a mere predator?"

Before Una Bella could respond, Vlad's cell phone started ringing. Ignoring Una's speechless reaction, he checked the number of the incoming call.

"Ah, I find it amusing he's calling so soon." He smiled, the tips of his white teeth showing like a large, playful feline. The two dark haired women leaving the theater stared fearfully at him before they hastened to the exit in a final flurry of skirts.

"Where did you get that cell phone?"

"The alluring vixen at the cellular store loaned it to me. This modern technology is wonderful."

Elegantly rising, he placed his phone in his breast pocket before bowing to his daughter. Now, if you excuse me, I have to meet an old friend.

Muttering to herself with frustration,
Una rose, putting on her sunglasses. "I cannot believe my father, the Prince of Darkness, has become a Gigolo. I will find this evil phone temptress before she leads him to the thresholds of hell!"