PbN Act One Chapter Three - Iris

The car pulled to a mostly-gentle stop, but not so gentle that Michael was not jostled about in his hiding place. He was awake, which told him that the sun was already down, and the stopping car told him that they were probably at their destination.

Michael unzipped the light-proof body bag he’d allowed himself to be transported within. It was undignified, but necessary. The trunk of the car came open and Michael looked up to see Corwin and Keiko both standing there.

“We are here.” announced Keiko.

Michael sat up and stepped out of the trunk. He looked around to a sight he had not laid eyes on in over seven years: Danner Meadow Park in Charleston, West Virginia. Better known to the local neighborhood as “The Landfill.”

As a vampire, Michael had no need to breathe, but he sucked in a breath nonetheless, savoring and tasting the remembered familiarity in the air. “I’m home.” he mused quietly.

“What are your instructions, master?” asked Keiko.

Almost a week had passed since Michael’s fateful conversations with Virgil, Donna, and Keiko herself. When Michael had made his request of his newest thrall, she made the arrangements to come home that next weekend. They’d left before dark, making all the necessary precautions to keep Michael out of sunlight. They’d made other precautions and plans as well. Corwin was traveling as Keiko’s new boyfriend, a good cover that explained his presence here. They were also going to use the park as a temporary haven for Michael. It was used somewhat infrequently and Michael could find a nook or cranny somewhere out of sight to bed down in the body bag during the day.

“I should probably meet go meet my parents.” Keiko continued. “They should be at the restaurant now.”

Michael nodded. “Do that. I’m going to make for my parent’s home. I’ll meet you two back here later tonight. If I have need of you, I will summon you to me.”

“Be careful, Michael.” said Corwin. “We do not who or what rules the night here.”

“It is demons of memory and emotion that I fear this night, not flesh and blood.” Michael admitted. “But there is no sense waiting any longer. I will see you both later.”

---

Michael went on foot. Again his vampire abilities aided him in this endeavor. When out of sight of mortal eyes, he could move with a swiftness no human could match, but regardless he also never tired, even while climbing the hilly yards and streets of his old South Hills neighborhood.

He reached his destination fairly quickly and he was unprepared for the emotions of seeing his old home again for the first time in years. The house was dark; his parents were clearly out for the evening. To its left was the home of Keiko’s parents, well-lit with the car parked out front. They emerged a moment later, heading off to their rendezvous with their daughter and her new “beau.” Michael kept out of sight.

To the right of Michael’s old home was another darkened residence. This was where Rebecca had once lived. He decided that would be his first destination.

Michael glanced up to the attic window on the Phillips residence. That had been her room. What would he find there? The questions began in his mind and so without any further hesitation Michael made to find his answers.

Again, using his vampire powers, he scaled the side of the house like a spider. He reached the window and gave it a gentle shove. It gave way under his hand; the family clearly saw no need to lock a window so far up. Michael stepped inside and looked around.

He saw her bed, her desk, her dresser. Posters on the wall. Again, he sucked in a breath and savored the smell of the place: somewhat musty, but still familiar. Then he realized. It was exactly as he had remembered it. Exactly! Not one thing was changed.

Everything was precisely where it was the last time he’d been in this room. All perfectly preserved, as if Rebecca’s family expected her to show up anytime and reclaim what was hers. Michael walked over to her desk. There were applications there, unfinished, for community colleges. Each one dated 1992.

The whole room was as if frozen in time. Michael went to the dresser next. He opened a drawer or two and immediately recognized outfits that she had worn in times past, still neatly folded in their place.

“It’s a shrine.” Michael said aloud, interpreting what he was seeing. “A shrine to her memory.” He walked to her bed, savoring a memory of his desire for her. He remembered fantasies, dreams, hopes, of sharing that bed with her. Michael had, of course, been sexually intimate with Rebecca after her embrace as a vampire, but the remembered fantasy was tempered little by that reality. There was something innocent in it, something genuine.

“Was it really?” Michael interrupted his own reverie. “Or was it a ‘high school crush blown way out of proportion?’” He spat out with great anger Sarah’s assessment of his relationship with Rebecca. Those words had burned in his memory for years now, largely because they were true.

“Life was simpler then.” he admitted. “Easier and more honest. I thought I had it all figured out, only to discover since that I didn’t know shit…about anything.”

He looked about the room one more time. “No. I can’t go back to this and I don’t want to.” he said aloud. “This shrine represents something that will never be again. There is no truth here. Only denial of the truth.” He went to the window and jumped to the ground below.

Getting into his parents’ home would be trickier. There would be no unlocked windows here. His father was ever cautious about security. “Too many embarrassing secrets,” Michael half-joked in his mind. Michael knew a trick or two however. He jumped up onto the back patio and slid his hand under the deck table. Sure enough, the old key to the patio door was still there.

He made his way into the dining room from the back porch and then turned to his left to go down the small hallway to his old bedroom. In contrast to what he saw at the Phillips household, here the room had been totally remodeled and refurbished. Nothing at all remained of his sanctuary for so many years of his life.

Across the hall was his sister’s room and he found it likewise radically altered. Nothing of hers remained either.

There was a part of Michael that wasn’t surprised by this, yet it was still a shock to see. His running commentary that he began in the Phillips household was now silent before the evidence he now witnessed: His parents had erased him and Miranda from their lives entirely.

That suspicion was only confirmed further when he stepped out into the living room. Not a single picture of either sibling was present. The walls that lined the staircase to the upper floor were covered with old family photos, but it was of grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins. None of his sister or of Michael himself.

Michael’s internal voice slowly began to speak again. “Of all the things I thought I’d find…”

Sounds outside shook Michael from his reverie. A car had pulled into the driveway outside. Michael stepped into the stairwell and willed the shadows to mask his presence. As he faded from sight, he could hear two voices he’d not heard in years: his mother and father were outside.

They came inside, chatting away and oblivious to Michael’s presence. Michael, for his part, was thankful for the obfuscating power he’d stolen from The Djinn, but he was not thankful to find himself now face-to-face with these people. As painful as seeing the house was, seeing them in the flesh was worse.

They were talking about the meal; Michael presumed they had just come from dinner. “You know,” his mother began,” that tenderloin was just the way Michael used to like it.”

Hearing his Mom utter his name had soothing effect on Michael’s soul, but his reaction brought back almost immediate all the turmoil he’d felt since walking inside that place.

“What did I tell you about mentioning him?” growled his Dad. His dad turned and shoved closer to his mom, using his body to intimidate her. “Do we have to have this argument again? We have no children.”

“You know…” His father’s hand slapped his mother into silence.

Michael exploded into rage in that moment. It took every once of his will to not leap out and tear his father limb from limb. It would have been so easy, with his powers, his strength. But, by some miracle, he reigned in that impulse and acted upon another.

He jumped from his perch and tackled his father, knocking him off his feet. Such an aggressive move instantly broke Michael’s invisibility, which he turned to his advantage, channeling his will and the power of his blood into another stolen power, his vampiric sovereignty.

Fangs and claws, he stood before them like a nightmarish demon from hell itself. His father and mother both screamed in abject terror, before Michael cloaked himself once more and vanished from their sight.

Michael used his celerity to exit with great haste. He made his way back to the Landfill to await the return of his servants.

---

It was a few hours before Keiko and Corwin returned. Michael used the time to process all that he had seen. He’d learned a thing or two that he’d never known before. His mother was as much a victim of his father as anyone else, but she had chosen to stay behind in spite of what appeared to be an accelerating cycle of abuse. His disappearance and (he presumed) his sister’s still unknown sins had broken their marriage irrevocably. And yet his mother stayed.

Cowardice, he called it. Walking away was the braver course and the right one. Michael no longer doubted about that. For his part, he had done the right thing. He knew that now. Taking what Deborah offered him, becoming kindred, was clearly one of the best decisions of his life.

There was a moment of regret that he hadn’t taken a few precious seconds to drain his father of his life blood, an act of pure vicious spite. Michael remembered writing in one of his novels about a son killing his father and wondered briefly what it would be like to actually do it. Of course, that story also included chapter after chapter of that son’s guilt and regrets over what he had done. No, Michael decided, there was enough blood on his hands. Leaving his parents to their miseries was also the better path. And in many ways, the crueler.

Corwin’s car pulled in a few minutes after those thoughts and Michael stood up to greet his friends. Corwin walked over. “So, what did you find?” he asked casually.

Michael’s glare must have been one to melt glass because Corwin immediately shrank from him. “Alright. Wrong question. Your business.” Corwin responded submissively.

“I want to find my sister.” Michael said. He looked at Keiko. “Where might we start to do that?”

Keiko shrugged, but tried to answer. “Hard to say. She could be anywhere in the city or not even here at all anymore. But I do know one thing. There’s usually a wild bonfire most every Friday night after the football games at John Adams. Most everyone who’s into that scene from this part of town goes to it. While she may or may not be there too, you can probably guess someone is there who will know how to find her.”

Something about Keiko’s story struck Michael as odd. John Adams was Michael’s old junior high school. A wild raucous party on school property, sanctioned apparently by someone in authority, stunk of supernatural influence. That wasn’t the sort of scene for a mage or werewolf, but a changeling feeding off the emotions of revelry or a vampire seeking prey would find that right up their alley.

There was another issue, although Michael had to admit to himself if he wasn’t exaggerating the danger somewhat. What if someone there recognized him?

Still, it was their only lead.

“Let’s head over to JA and see what’s what.”

---

The Friday night football game was just wrapping up as they pulled in. That gave the three of them a perfect chance to check out whoever was setting things up. Michael scanned about, looking for whatever shadowy influence might be behind this party, but he saw nothing out of the ordinary. No kindred. No fae. No nothing other than a bunch of high school and college age kids getting ready for a kegger.

The three of them joined in to help set up, allowing them to ask questions about Miranda. No one had seen anyone that matched his sister’s description. In return, they received some queries about themselves. Who were they? A few recognized Keiko, so they were able to spin that into a story about how she was home for the weekend and had brought a couple of friends up with her from college. (Not far from the truth.)

It was not long before the crowd began to thicken. If anything, Keiko had underestimated the significance of this party. There must have been over a hundred people there and it was still growing larger. And the make-up of the crowd was quite varied. It was young, but not all that young. There were more than a few of Corwin’s age amidst the college aged and the high schoolers.

A huge bonfire marked the center of the festivities. Michael kept his distance and the Beast within him was grateful for that. He poured himself a beer and began to mingle, couching his queries about his sister as a “lost connection,” someone he claimed to have met there another time and wanted to find again.

Time and again, he got the same answer. If anyone would know about a girl at the party, “they” would. No one said anything further about who “they” were, but Michael now knew without any doubt that the party’s mysterious master would put in an appearance at some point.

Michael made his way over to Keiko and Corwin. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you two really were a couple.” He admitted to them.

“Well, her folks think we’re out for the late movie.” Said Corwin.

“They wanted to put a curfew on me, but then I reminded them that I’m 18 with a full ride scholarship. Then they just asked us to not wake them when we came home.”

Michael laughed at that. “Any luck?” he asked, changing the subject.

“Some.” Said Keiko. “A couple folks said the organizers of this affair keep pretty good tabs on who comes to it. They might know something.”

“With such a vast crowd, I’m curious as to how they do that.” Wondered Corwin aloud.

“Thralls.” Said Michael coldly. “This is a vampire’s hunting ground and his or her servants are in the mix of this crowd, cataloging anyone they think doesn’t belong.”

“No doubt, we’ve all been marked as strangers.” Said Corwin.

“And the vampire will be here soon.”

“Maybe that’s him now.” Said Keiko, looking beyond the crowd towards the baseball diamond where many of the guests had parked their cars. Michael followed her gaze to see an Acura NSX pull in. Even for the affluent neighborhood of South Hills, that car stood out. Two people stepped out, a man and a woman, and made their way towards the party.

With his vampire senses, Michael could tell neither of them was a vampire. But these were as good a candidate for “them” as they were going to find. The man was big and muscular and had all the hallmarks of a bodyguard. The woman was also tall, beautiful, and dressed to show off her assets. Her hair was platinum blonde, but it didn’t look quite right with the rest of her; bottle job, Michael concluded.

“Keep sharp.” Said Michael. “I think the advance guard just arrived.” He then wandered off to another part of the field to mingle there.

Not ten minutes later, Michael found himself face-to-face with the blonde woman. Now that he was up close to her, he could take her in much more fully. Blue eyes, full lips, and a cool sexiness to her. But there was something about her that said she was here for business, not pleasure.

“You don’t look like you’re having fun.” Michael teased, turning on his vampire charm.

She softened somewhat. “I might in a minute. First, you and I need to talk.”

“About what?” asked Michael casually.

“You’re a stranger here.”

“Not really. I used to go to school year…a long time ago.”

“Oh?” That seemed to intrigue her. “Folks tell me you’ve been asking questions. Looking for someone.”

“Yeah, well,” Michael played the part of a nonchalant partygoer to the hilt. “I met this girl at this thing one another time. I was just checking about to see if she was still around.”

“Her name?”

Michael decided not to tip his hand too early. “Well, that’s the thing. I don’t know. We had a nice little tryst over there,” he pointed to the nearby woods, “but after it was over she walked away without telling me that. People were saying that there’d be folks here later that might be able to help me. Maybe that’s you. She’d be about mid-20s, tall like you, brown hair, blue eyes, almost grey.” He paused to gauge the woman’s reaction, and then hastily added. “Got a couple of my friends asking about her too. Helping me out.”

The woman took it all in without a change of expression. Then a sly smile crossed her lips. Michael had the momentary feeling that he was a fly in a spider’s web, but when the spider was as pretty and sexy as the woman before him, he didn’t mind so much.

“I don’t think that girl is still around.” She said. “Forget about her.” The woman closed in on Michael and put her arms around his neck. “You could do better.”

Michael realized immediately that he was being baited. The woman had found a hole in his story somewhere and was now trying to keep him occupied until her master showed up. This could be fun, Michael reasoned, so he played along. “I suppose I could.”

“Why don’t we go somewhere a bit more private?”

“This night is looking up.” Said Michael with a chipper tone. He finished his beer and followed the woman out of the crowd towards the woods. They got about halfway there when she gave him a hard shove from behind.

Michael hit the ground and rolled over, ready to fend off an attack. But the woman sat down on top of him and pulled her shirt off. She immediately leaned over and began to smother his face in kisses. Michael responded by running his hands up and down the sides of her belly, taking in the feel of her skin.

She pulled back and reached behind her to undo her bra. “You startled me there.” Michael said. “I thought someone had jumped me.”

“I did,” The bra came away and the woman reached behind her to grab Michael’s hardening manhood through his pants. “but only to get this.” Michael took in her breasts; they were not too large, nor too small. Nicely average.

Michael reached up to massage her breasts. “You know, I’m starting to think this is going to turn out like last time. A wondrous moment with a stranger whose name I never learn.”

“Miranda,” the woman admitted. “My name is Miranda.”

A vampire is typically pale of skin due to their undead nature, but upon hearing his sister’s name come out of the woman’s mouth, Michael undoubtedly turned even more so. He looked hard at her face. He hadn’t seen her in seven years. Could it be?

It was. It had to be.

“Eat me.” She purred, sliding forward on his chest so that her crotch was now inches from his face. Her black panties did nothing to mask the scent of her arousal and Michael suddenly found himself in a quandary he’d never imagined he’d ever be in. He’d broken many sexual taboos in his time as a vampire, but incest was definitely not one of them.

And yet, Michael didn’t want to stop. He reached up to do as she asked when fate intervened.

“Boss,” she said, “you’ve arrived.”

“And I see you’re enjoying yourself.” Said another voice, a man’s voice.

Miranda stood up. Michael was somewhat thankful that she’d just robbed him of his prize, disturbed at what he was very much so willing to do. “This is one asking questions.”

“Yes, so I’ve heard.”

Michael came to his feet and stared down the new arrival. There was no doubting it; he was face to face with another vampire.

“You are an intruder in my domain.” Growled the vampire.

“And who do I have the pleasure of addressing?”

“I am Bryce Erickson, Prince of Charleston and you are not welcome here.”

“No, I suppose I’m not.” Replied Michael, “but I’m looking for answers and once I have them you can have your city all to yourself again.”

Bryce backhanded Michael. The blow was powerful, clearly the Charleston Prince had used the power of his blood to enhance his strength well beyond human limits. Michael went sprawling.

“You do not get to dictate terms to me, intruder.”

Now Michael was angry. “Oh, bad move on your part, whelp.” He snarled.

“Whelp? You dare insult me?”

“Yes, and more besides.” Michael came to his feet. “You’re nothing. A piss-ant Prince in a backwater hermitage. You don’t have a single clue who I am or what you’ve just unleashed. I am slayer of the Mad Bishop of Lynchburg, of the samurai Hiroshi Takagi. I who drank the heartsblood of the dreaded Djinn of Roanoke. I was Primogen of Hampton.” Michael drew out his tanto dagger. “Who am I? I am Michael Allens of Roanoke.”

There was a squeak of shock and surprise from Miranda as Michael rushed in on Bryce. The Prince made to defend himself, but he was no match for a vampire of Michael’s skill and experience. Michael slipped under Bryce’s defense and drove the dagger up through the Prince’s chin and yanked him a full foot off the ground. He tossed the Prince down field. Bryce’s body turned to ash before he even hit the ground.

“Asshole.” Snarled Michael. He then looked down at the dagger in his hand and realized something. In all the times he’d killed an enemy vampire in combat, he’d never struck a blow like the one he’d just delivered; never once slew another kindred with a single strike quite like that. Momentarily impressed with himself, he slid the dagger back under his jacket and then turned towards Miranda.

She was beside herself with emotion. Michael suspected that most of it was the shock that came when a thrall is suddenly and violently released from a blood bond. All the emotions and thoughts that the bond normally suppressed were said to come rushing out all at once. Still, even with all that, Michael was also quite certain that at least some of his sister’s emotional chaos was due to the fact that she’d just now nearly fucked her own brother without knowing it.

Michael walked over and then knelt down next to her. She was so overwhelmed with her feelings of rage, sorrow, humiliation, and whatever else that it seemed she didn’t even notice him approach. He took her chin in hand and turned her head so she had no choice but to look him in the eye.

“Miranda.” He said her name to force her attention upon him. The emotions behind her eyes calmed somewhat as she took him in. She said nothing.

“So this is where you ended up.” Michael commented. “Some kindred’s…” Michael paused to find the right word. Several of the options that popped through his mind sounded exceedingly harsh and judgmental: plaything, fucktoy, slut, and a few others equally uncomplimentary. Michael could hear his father’s hypocrisy in his own mind and that, more than anything else, disgusted him. “…servant.” He settled on that.

“And this is what happened to you. You became one of them.” She said.

“You didn’t recognize me.” Said Michael.

“You didn’t me either.” That admission seemed to settle the matter of their incestuous near-miss.

“But you did know I was a vampire. You did lure me over here for a reason. You did make yourself bait for a trap. All so your master could come along and kill me. Am I right?” Michael squeezed on her chin with a little extra force for emphasis.  “So what am I to do with you for that, dear sister?”

“You will not touch her.” Said a voice from behind him. A voice he recognized, another he’d not heard in many years.

“Todd Sexton,” said Michael, his eyes never leaving his sister. “Seems I’m in for all sorts of fun reunions tonight.” Michael turned away from Miranda to lock eyes with a Todd different than he remembered. Older, wiser, more grizzled. “You seem not to have learned much from our last encounter, have you?”

“Oh, I have. I know what you are. You’re like that one over there.” Todd motioned towards the pile of dust that had been the Prince of Charleston. “You’re like her. You haven’t aged a day since high school. You’re a monster. No longer human and I will not let you hurt Miranda.”

Michael smiled, admitting to himself that he was actually impressed with his old nemesis. The Todd he remembered was a bully and a coward. That bully was the same Michael had once beat within an inch of his life near Lane Stadium back in Blacksburg many years ago. But the man he saw now was not like that. No, this Todd, fully aware of what Michael was capable of, showed no sign of fear, no evidence of cowardice or bravado. He meant every word he said. Michael stood up.

“You killed my brother.” Todd growled. “You nearly killed me once. But I will not let you touch her again.”

“Then stop me.” Taunted Michael.

Todd rushed forward and threw a punch at Michael. It was clumsy and poorly aimed, evidence of a simple brawler rather than a trained fighter. Michael dodged aside. He deftly dodged the follow-up swing as well. And the one after that.

“Stand still, you son-of-a-bitch.” Snarled Todd. Okay, clearly that hadn’t changed. Todd’s infamous temper was coming out at his frustration at not being able to land a blow.

Michael decided to humor him. “Fine.” He said and he stopped dodging. Todd rained blow after blow down on Michael, none having much effect against Michael’s undead flesh. After a few moments, Michael decided to stop humoring him. He shot a low uppercut into Todd’s belly, knocking the wind out of him and doubling him over. Todd pitched into the dirt.

“If I wanted to kill either of you there is very little you could do to stop me.” Emphasized Michael. He leaned over the stunned Todd. “But there is something that I want from you. Two things, in fact.” Michael grabbed Todd by the collar and pulled him back onto his feet.

“The first.” He said coldly. He willed his vampire charisma to its sovereign level. “You mentioned ‘her.’ Unless I miss my guess, there’s only one other vampire you could be talking about. One other you’d know hasn’t aged since her high school days. Where is she?”

“Kill me and get it over with.” Todd said defiantly. That also impressed Michael. Few could resist the power of vampiric charisma cranked up to 11 like Michael was doing, not even other kindred.

“You’ve seen Rebecca. Tell me where!” Michael demanded.

“I was driving truck.” Said Todd, his will collapsing from the onslaught of Michael’s power. “Had a day to myself in Philadelphia, so I went down to South Street where all the action happens. Saw her in a club called Gothic something or other. That’s where she is. That’s where you’ll find her.”

Michael let him go. “Thank you.” He said sincerely. “And now for the second thing I want of you. You want to protect my sister? Then protect her. The monster who made a slave of her is ash just a few feet from us. Our parents have thrown her out and show no sign of ever retracting that cruelty. And I, as you’ve keenly noted, am a monster out of human nightmare. So she has no one else. If you mean anything of what you’ve said tonight, then you’re all she has.”

Michael turned to Miranda briefly and looked her in the eyes. Then he nodded farewell and headed back to the bonfire crowd to collect his friends.

---

Jason Hayes, sophomore at the University of Pennsylvania, wandered the hallways looking for a suitable room. As a student, he’d heard rumors of the Raven Society, a “secret society” of alumni and other VIPs around the city. He never knew this Society was responsible for “Hell Hotel” and a whole slew of other Halloween festivities around the city. He also never expected to be invited to one of their galas.

But here he was; he and a half dozen others from universities around the city. Here at the invitation of the Society’s secretive master, known only as “Lord Caligula.” The best and the brightest, he was told, is the reason he had been chosen.

It didn’t take Jason long to realize he was in an alien world. The combined incomes of the small handful of society members that he spoke to in the main ballroom could have purchased a third world country, perhaps several. Likewise, his peers seemed to be from moneyed families; they hailed from the wealthiest of neighborhoods throughout the northeast and New England. He felt rather out of place.

But then, “Queen Mary” had gone above and beyond to make him feel welcome. Like all the formal members of the society, she wore a mask to hide her face and like all the supposed Inner Circle, she used a pseudonym instead of her real name. But for all the obfuscation, Jason could tell a few things. Mid-40s, but in excellent shape. C-cup. A head of curly red hair. A black and red dress that fit her curves like a glove. She was the perfect MILF and now it seemed almost a foregone conclusion he would experience all that acronym implied before the night was over.

“Here.” she said. She was right behind him, following him eagerly to find a secluded spot for a quick passionate tryst. Jason turned and looked within. It was a simple, but well furnished, salon. Bookcases, Victorian era furniture that Jason suspected cost as much as his parent’s home. He glanced up and down the hall to see if any had followed them from the grand ballroom. There was no one, so they slipped inside.

Jason glanced at one of the bookcases. The books within were a mix of old and new. Many of the authors he recognized: Burrows, Crowley, LaVey, along with many others he did not know. All, he realized, were connected in some way to the occult, to witchcraft, and to other not-very-mainstream philosophies.

“Interesting set of...” he began to say, turning back to his companion. But he stopped mid-sentence, because Queen Mary had taken advantage of his distraction with the books to slip out of her dress. She now stood before him naked as the day she was born. All exposed, save for the mask.

Jason took her in. She was everything his fantasies imagined and his arousal manifested with an uncomfortable tightness in his pants. Noticing his demeanor, Queen Mary stepped closer.

“You could have lost the mask too.” Jason managed to stutter out as she began to undress him in turn.

“Our rules are there for a reason.” she emphasized. “You don’t know who I really am. But you can guess who I could be. A business owner. A member of city council. A trustee of the university. Or the wife of any of the above. We come here to the Raven Society to discard who we are to the wider world and to do the things society would scandalize us for. Imagine the headline: Prominent citizen accused of affair with college student.” She pulled off Jason’s pants and shoved him gently, now fully nude himself, onto a divan.

Jason figured she’d start slow, perhaps with her mouth, but she crawled on top of him and impaled herself upon him. His head arched back in ecstasy as she took him. “Woah!” he exclaimed. “This is unreal. I can’t believe you’re real.”

“Enjoy it.” she advised as she bobbed up and down upon him. “I know I am, you beautiful boy.”

They went on with their lovemaking for a number of minutes before the door to the salon came open. “Woah!” yelped Jason with surprise.

“Ah, Queen Mary,” said the man who’d barged in. It was Lord Caligula and with him was a young lady, another of the gathered college students. Jason expected an apology next, but instead the masked man said “May we join you?”

“Of course.” agreed Mary before Jason could object. The two newcomers came inside and closed the door behind them.

Jason tried to look past Mary to get a better look at the interlopers. Caligula was as he was when he’d welcomed them all to the party. Tall, dark, with a bass voice, a scraggly beard dangling below his mask. The girl he recognized from the party: a Haverford student who’d introduced herself as Mariah. She was pretty, dark hair, blue eyes.

“Mariah!” Jason called out.

“Jason?” she replied, surprised to see him underneath the nude form of Queen Mary.

“Ah, you’ve met?” said Caligula. “That’s good. Perhaps you’d rather someone your own age got you warmed up for me.” He waved his hand across her face and her eyes changed, gaining a laser focus on Jason and Jason alone.

“Yes, I think I’d like that.” Said Mariah.

Taking that as a cue, Queen Mary slid off of Jason and walked over to Lord Caligula. Mariah pulled off her own dress, knelt down, and took Jason in her mouth.

If Jason thought his luck before was astounding, he could barely imagine the sight before him now. First Mary and now Mariah, both having wild unbridled passionate sex with him. With him! Who was he to have this luck? He was nobody. Just a kid out of Bryn Mawr who landed at UPenn on a scholarship. His family was well-off, but not like these people. He was smart, but not like some of his classmates. He was decently good looking, but no Adonis; he’d had a few girlfriends here and there, but none as willing and eager as these two strangers were tonight.

Behind Mariah, Mary began to undress Caligula. As it was with her, she did not remove his mask. Caligula then went to his knees behind Mariah, lining up to enter her from behind.

Mariah paused but for a moment when Caligula did so. She then returned to Jason.

“Oh, you don’t get all the fun, sweetie.” said Mary, moving back over to Jason and giving Mariah a shove aside. “I want his seed.”

Mary mounted Jason again, facing him. He felt his climax building. Mary looked back at Caligula and gave him a brief nod.

Jason exploded inside her. “Ah, what a wonderful gift.” she said. Jason thought that odd. “And now another gift. A life for our Dark Master.”

Jason had only the briefest moment to wonder what she meant when Mary grabbed him by the hair and yanked his head hard to one side. Mary lunged in and bit down hard. Where there had been ordinary teeth just a moment before, now there were fangs, fangs that pierced into his flesh. Fangs that tore that flesh away. Blood sprayed from the wound.

Mariah screamed, but Caligula wrapped his arms around her tightly and began thrusting all the more vigorously, as if the scene of carnage before them aroused him all the more. Mary drank Jason’s blood in massive gulps. The UPenn student convulsed and then slid lifelessly to the floor.

Mary stood up. “Your turn.” she said to Caligula. Mariah continued screaming.

“One...moment...more...” he grunted as he grew closer to his own climax. He waved his hand again and brought it across Mariah’s throat. The narrowest of cuts appeared, as if he’d drawn a razor across. It blossomed red for the briefest moment and then the blood began to flow freely.

Caligula erupted in sexual climax. “A life for our Dark Master.” he said aloud. He pulled out and let go. Mariah dropped to the floor, her hands grasping at her slit throat, desperately trying to both gasp for air and stop the bleeding. But to no avail. Her body convulsed a few times and then lay still.

The lights in the room dimmed and low grumble could be heard throughout. “He is pleased.” said Caligula.

“You’re so wasteful.” complained Mary, leaning down to lap up some of Mariah’s blood from the floor.

“Our Master demands only the life. The rest he leaves to us.” reminded Caligula. He turned back to the door and opened it. A servant stood outside, as if expecting the very summons he was now receiving. “Ah, good, Demetrius, tell the cooks we have some fresh meat for them. Tomorrow’s banquet should be exquisite.”

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