The Vampire's Requiem [malexmale]

Chapter Two

I frowned, then stepped away from the door and let Xed open it. As soon as the door opened, the old woman's corpse tumbled out onto the floor. The thick scent of blood made me dizzy, my mouth watering for a taste of it. The old woman's throat had been slit, her eyes still open and staring into nothingness.

"Either that oni's friend caught up with us or someone wasn't fond of this woman... Either way, her death is very convenient. I was wondering if I'd even be able to make it out of New York on just that rat." I took the back pack off, letting it slump to the floor. Xed lifted the woman against the desk in a sitting position before I approached her, licking my fangs to wetten them before I lifted her wrist, burying my mouth against it, biting hard. I drank for a few moments, savoring the rich taste of her blood.

Xed was watching me intently. I could see the gears working in his head, but for what, I wasn't sure. I would need to find a source of water to throw him into in order to find out what he knew. While we were pretty good with communicating silently, it wasn't the same as verbal communication.

"See if there's a pool here." I told Xed before I returned to sucking the woman dry. Xed nodded and opened up one of the books on the desk, searching through it. I licked the last of the blood off my lips, sighing contentedly. I stood up, grabbing my bag as Xed held the book toward me and pointed to the index that indicated that there was a pool, but it was empty. I frowned, then waved the book off. Xed put it aside and followed me as I walked around toward the entrance.

"Then we find a different way. I'm not going to waste my time trying to fill a pool that's probably contaminated. Let's head as far west as possible. I would much rather be in California than New York. At least California has bearable temperatures." I muttered, walking out the door. Xed just followed in silence.

We walked along the sidewalk, easily blending in with the afternoon crowds. No one stopped to question us. A few people stared in awe at Xed's height, but otherwise, we were left alone. Thankfully, we managed to leave the bad side of town and traveled toward the better side where mostly business folk ran from place to place. University students and couples bustled by, giggling and chattering excitedly on cell phones or with each other. Speaking of cell phones, several people walked with their eyes down at their phones, smashing into people and not even bothering to apologize.

I loathed technology, I noted in disgust as Xed and I stopped at a light while the traffic whirred by in a flurry of colors and shiny windows. I lifted my head to stare up at the skyscrapers that towered high into the air. I literally had to tilt my head back as far as I could to be able to look up at the ridiculously tall office buildings. The sunlight glinted off them, hurting my eyes, so I looked away just as the light changed, giving us the go ahead.

We walked in silence, Xed and I, amongst thousands of people that spoke and laughed. Humans that had so many things to do. A job, a family, friends, children, pets, co-workers. Humans with lives so simplistic it paled in comparison to many others I'd known.

We turned onto another street when a billboard caught my eye, my eyes narrowing in disgust as I paused, Xed at my side. The billboard was quite large and extravagent, advertising a company called Gothica Incorporated. A company I knew all too well, especially the leader.

It was more than just a simple finance company. It was the base of my species, the clan that was run by the tyrant named Vladimir Van Gothica. A powerful pureblood that had slowly become the dictator of the Court of Seven. The Court of Seven had once been a powerful group that ran our society, our species. A representative from each clan came forward and made the votes for their people.

Unfortunately, the Court was growing weary as the human population esculated. They were becoming more and more, building more homes and becoming more aware of the world around them. The Court had wanted to take our species and hide them away, but Vladimir protested. Vladimir and his wife, Elizabeth, that is.