Predators

Chapter 2

I slip into the streets at an hour well past midnight, not even bothering to learn the vampire’s name before I leave him. It’s unlikely that I will ever see him again, even though I can’t deny that I quite enjoyed our encounter. What is it with my fascination with men that could, if they wanted to, over power me? Do I thirst for a challenge that much?

Shaking the thought out of my head, I head further down the empty streets wearing one of the vampire’s shirts. I despise having to wear clothes, but I would draw too much attention otherwise. And Miriam does like being so strict on not drawing unnecessary attention. Frankly, I don’t understand her concern. We are mermaids- sirens for heaven’s sake. What harm can a little attention do?

My mostly white hair flaps behind me in the wind and I suddenly pause in the middle of the street when I hear a scream. A familiar scream. I pick up my pace once more, and round the corner, searching for the voice. I freeze, my eyes widened when I see Ariaana pressed against a wall, no dress on, and a man thrusting into her. It had been a scream of pleasure. I cross my arms over my chest, tapping my foot impatiently as I wait for her to notice me. But the man notices my presence before my sister does and he quickly pulls out of her, jumping to the opposite side of the ally, exposing me to the sight of his manhood.

“Who the fuck are you?” the man demands in a startled tone.

“None of your concern,” I reply. I keep my expression impassive as he hurriedly zips up his pants and then I go back to glaring at Ariaana. She pulls her dress down with an eye roll.

“I am allowed to fornicate, sister,” she comments when my eyes narrow.

“Not if you still insist on using the term ‘fornicate’. We no longer live in the 15th century, and I believe Miriam did command you to start using the modern lingo.”

“I find the modern language to be distasteful, and boring. Everything has to be shortened, and it is not my taste.” The man stares at her with wide eyes, as if he can’t believe that she has gone from moaning with him inside her, to blatantly ignoring him in mere seconds.

“You risk Miriam’s wrath if you continue pushing the sides of the box with your ally way hook up. She will not be pleased by the risk of drawing attention.”

“Do I seem like I give a fuck what will please Miriam? It is about time that wench is replaced.”

“Careful, sister. You never know whose ears are listening.”

“You cannot tell me that you still respect her choices. It’s been a thousand years. New leadership is not a want, but a need. I know you agree with me, so drop the act shall we?”

I nod toward the man, who would be considered handsome by human standards. Ariaana glances at him briefly with a wicked smile. “No worries, sister. He is human.”

My own smile widens at that. “Then perhaps before we continue this conversation we might have a snack?”

Ariaana smiles ruefully. “I guess we could, though it would be a shame to see such talents wasted.” She pouts for good measure and the poor human looks at us dumbfounded. He has no idea that we’re planning on eating him.  I almost feel sorry for him.

I move closer to him first, trailing my hand over the exposed part of his chest. His breath hitches and he allows me to push him to the wall. I tsk my tongue. “You are right, Ariaana, it would be a shame.” He sucks in a deep breath when he notices my lack of clothing and a smirk dances across my features.

Ariaana moves in next to me, placing a seductive hand on his cheek He flushes, not used to the attention of two women with otherworldly beauty. Pitiful. Ari leans in and kisses his neck, gently nipping at him and I bring his hand to my mouth. As I suck one of his fingers, I notice he is getting visibly turned on. He thinks he’s getting a threesome. With a wicked smile, I bite down. He cries out in pain, just in time for Ari to take a bite out of his neck, and we begin to feed.

***

I pull my fingers through my hair, the rest of the strands swimming thought the wind as Ari, who is still licking the blood from her hands, and I head back to the ocean. I shoot her a look and she shrugs innocently. “What? He tasted better than I expected.

“One of these days you are going to get yourself into trouble, Ari. I can’t keep saving your ass.”

“No one asked you too, Leita.”

I growl and stop her with my hands on her shoulders and turn her so she is forced to face me. “You are not merely my mersister, Ariaana, but my blood one as well.  It is my job to keep you out of trouble.”

She pushes my hand off her shoulder. “I relieve you of your self-assigned duty. Have you even considered that perhaps I want to be exiled from our sisterhood? Haven’t you gotten sick of doing the same thing, seeing the same faces for thousands of years? Leita, I need an adventure. I need something different.”

I shake my head at her. “Adventure is not all it cracks up to be. Or have you forgotten the time I broke away only to crawl back like an injured guppy?”

“I have not forgotten. Your pride was wounded and has never fully restored itself since then. But I have not gone off on my own. You got an adventure, saw this world for yourself without a care, but I have not been awarded that privilege yet. What is the good in being immortal just to do the same things every day?”

I don’t know how to answer her, so I don’t. I’ve never had to think about her life and what she did in those years I went off on my own. Ari is three decades younger than me, and she was merely a guppy when I decided to take off on my own. The only reason I returned to the sisterhood was because our mother had died and I couldn’t leave her by herself.

I can’t exactly blame her for the urge to run off by herself, to explore. This trait is the only trait the two of us share. In everything else, even appearance, we are almost completely opposite. Where my hair is ivory, hers is ebony. Where I have blue eyes, she has green. Where my tails is turquoise, hers is violet. I’m colder and harder, while she still has hope and a thirst for life. Sometimes I envy that in her. But I’ve been alive far too long, seen too much… killed too much.

“Leita, I know you do not want me to make the same mistakes you did, and I appreciate the concern, but I need to swim my own way through life. I cannot keep relying on you, sister.”

I pause. “When will you leave?” I ask after a moment’s consideration, perhaps a little too harshly.

Ari surprises me by pulling me into a hug. Our kind do no hug. She notices my stiffened posture and pulls away with a sheepish smile. “Not right away, if that is what you are asking, but soon.”

I nod. “Stay clear of sorcerers, they are nothing but trouble,” I advise with a slight curve of my lips. Ari looks at me with furrowed brows and my smile widens at my little inside joke. I never told her anything about what happened in my time away.

“Are you ever going to tell me that story?”

“When you return, we can exchange stories.”

She grins, her eyes sparkling in the moonlight. I long for that kind of excitement again, and slowly, against my will, my mind drifts back to the vampire I had spent the first part of the evening with. He had made me feel alive for the first time in years and I didn’t even stick around to explore that further, and now… I’m already starting to regret it.