These Streaks of Blood

10

Ryffin watches Emily for a few more minutes, trying to deduce what makes her so special to Natalee. He hasn't always been cut off from others; he remembers what it felt like when someone cared for him. Perhaps if he could just figure out what Emily has, what she does, that causes Natalee to love her so strongly, he could replicate it. He has grown too accustomed to his cold, cruel heart; he has been a vampire for long enough that any human qualities and emotions that may still linger inside of him seem unattainable.

When he realizes that he's having poisonous thoughts, that he's almost wishing to feel more human, he spins on his heel and heads downstairs.

Nelye is no longer in the armchair - or anywhere else that he can see - but Olivia is curled up on the sofa. She is gazing at the fire, transfixed, an apprehensive expression on her face.

"Olivia," Ryffin calls. The girl jumps to her feet instantly, casting an admiring glance his way. He tries to restrain his irritation and waves her over.

"Yes, Master?" she asks, her tone sweet as honey. She's been learning from Nelye already.

"I need to take you hunting. This is longer than newborns normally have to wait; it'll get ugly soon if I don't take you now."

Olivia nearly bounces with excitement. "Right now?" she asks, clearly eager to prove to Ryffin how loyal of a vampire she is, how well she sticks to her nature.

Ryffin just gives her a short, affirmative grunt before grabbing her forearm roughly. He teleports them to the outskirts of a town; not Leewood, but only thirty miles west of there, simply because it's the first area that came to his mind.

"What do you smell?" Ryffin asks Olivia softly. The girl sniffs the open air and, without speaking, begins running towards the nearest house. Normally, Ryffin would scope out the place first, gauge the situation before launching into it, but Olivia is a newborn, and he wants to see how well she does on her own first.

As Ryffin follows, Olivia scales a tree and perches in one of its highest branches. Her eyes dark, she leaps from the top of the tree onto the roof of the neighboring house. Then she drops to a lower floor, grasps a shingle that's jutting out from above her, and swings, feet-first, right through a window.

There's a distant male yell, but it's quickly silenced. Then come sounds of clashing, like things being knocked over, and a woman's shrill scream. That doesn't end as abruptly as the male's had, and, curious, Ryffin climbs and jumps through the window as well to get a better view.

Apparently Olivia hadn't been able to hold herself back once she knocked the man out. She's on the ground, cross-legged, holding fistfuls of the man's jacket to keep him close to her. She's obviously drinking, dazed and content.

A terrified woman stands in a corner, watching the spectacle, her hands covering her mouth. She is the one who had screamed, Ryffin's sure. The clashing must have come from the things the woman appears to have thrown at Olivia; a lamp, a few books, even a wine bottle. They're all on the floor around Olivia and her victim, useless.

The woman's eyes widen when she sees Ryffin slip into the room as well.

"Help me... she's a monster, she's killing my husband... please, help me..." she murmurs, sweating, taking a tentative step towards Ryffin. He merely smiles at her ruefully.

"I wish I could, I really do," he drawls, in a tone that makes it quite obvious that he's lying. "Unfortunately, she needs to feed, or I'll have to deal with her temper. What do you think is more important to me: your husband's life, or dealing with this girl's attitude?" he asks, and gestures toward Olivia. The woman's eyes widen even more, full of dread, and she takes a step back, trapping herself against the wall. Ryffin steps closer, and her eyes dart around, searching for some means of escape. Ryffin notices that she's avoiding looking in Olivia's direction.