Dear Tempting

Alley Cat

Soon her legs returned, and she began to stand. Her legs wobbled slightly, not entirely turned from cartilage to bone, as she walked naked back into the house.

Once inside she pulled her crimson hair into a messy bun onto the top of her head. Salt crusted strands framed her face as she picked a pair of lacy black underwear on and a pair of light wash denim short shorts. She threw on a matching bra and a black hoodie over the top.

During school hours, the sky had cleared into a bright sunny day that was now setting on the horizon. The orange glow was calming and knowing that it would be dark soon only made her smile. Reid drove her bike into town and parked it in a steakhouse's back alley. It was getting darker by the second and Reid was entirely ready for what the darkness brought to her. Stealth.

She roamed the streets until the sun was entirely set and there was nothing but a dim glow of streetlights around her. She heard a man stumble out of the bar she was walking by and paused to see his drunken self-attempt to make it down the stairs of the building. He failed miserably and face planted into the pavement below. Blood drizzled from his nose. Two bodyguards from the bar were coming down the stairs to help the man up, and that's when she took her chance.

"I am so sorry," she explained to the two hulking figures. "I'm his daughter, I will take him home now," she said using her best acting she could. Over the years, her lying abilities had gotten to a whole new level.

"Oh, we can't let you do that miss," the first man stated giving her a sad smile. His eyes scanned her body up and down quite obviously.

"Yeah," the second one explained, "a pretty girl like yourself can't handle getting him home all alone."

She glowered internally but kept her face the same. Her beauty always caused this kind of problem, but they were usually an easy fix.

"Men," she sang slowly, "you will let me take this man home now. You will leave me, and my father be; you will let me do it alone." She sang every word to them, and she watched as the words cooed in their skulls. Soon they nodded and turned away as nothing had happened. Reid smirked deviously up at their turned backs and began to carry the man down further into the alley.

"Whaatz yur name?" he slurred looking up at her through glazed eyes.

"It doesn't matter, you won't remember anyway," she said heaving him over her shoulder with one swift movement.

"Weeeee," he said, "Tis is fun!" he yelled obviously noticing the change in position.

"Could you shut it," Reid explained getting impatient.

"Why? what you gonna do bout it?" he questioned. Without another word, she dropped him onto the pavement. "Owwwy," he complained attempting to rub his sore tailbone.

"Oh, did that hurt?" Reid said holding an innocent finger to her lips, "My bad." She rolled her eyes at him.

"Naaa, it's alright," he mumbled waving it off with his hand.

"What is your name?" Reid said plainly, glancing down the alley to make sure no one was coming.

"Maaaark!" he chirped smiling up at her with brown eyes.

"Well Mark, can I do you a favor?" she asked. She slightly enjoyed toying with her food. The predator side of her wouldn't let her forget the sick joy it brought her.

"Suuure!" he quipped beginning to slide down the wall.

"I am going to sing you a song," she mused kneeling before him resting her elbows on her knees. Mark smiled and clapped before her excited. She was a vision to her prey, a vision of beauty in their last moments that was absolutely breath-taking.

"Oh Sailor," she sang bringing a hand up to his cheek. As soon as the words left her soft lips his face straightened and pure bliss took over. "Come with me now, down to the deep, and together we shall set you free."

Mark nodded eagerly, ready to do anything to please the voice that so heavenly rolled through the cockles of his brain. Reid's voice was unlike anything anyone would ever experience. Mark was at her bidding. No one could resist a siren's song.

"I need you to close your eyes," she sang again, "and stay very still," she almost whispered.

Reid's gums began to throb under white teeth that started to sharpen at the song. She ran her tongue over the points of her upper and lower canines and smiled deviously. Marks mouth hung open like a gaping fish, and she twisted her hand that lay on his cheek to push his head sharply to the side. This exposed the beating vein in his neck, and she moved in closer falling to her knees before him.

"Very still," she half sang again, and Mark nodded harshly, agreeing. His tongue had lolled out of his mouth.

Reid's tongue ran along the man's neck, and her pupils slit at the scent. She grazed a pointed canine along the pulsing line testing it to find the best spot.

She bit down, piercing into the flesh of his neck moaning at the taste. She wasn't fond of the alcoholic flavor, but she had grown used to drinking from drunks or addicts. It helped ease her guilt. She couldn't remember the last time a healthy clean swallow entered her body. The warm liquid flowed down her throat in the way a rushing river dove off a cliff. She watched Mark's eyes flutter closed from blood loss, and she reluctantly pulled her mouth off his neck. She licked her teeth clean.

She looked at him for a moment. He wasn't dead, just exhausted from missing so much of a vital necessity. Reid needed to consume something human to stay alive. That was part of her life, and although she didn't do what most of her sisters did, it didn't lessen her guilt. Eating the heart of a human just wasn't something she wanted for herself anymore. So, she settled for the second-best aspect. Blood. At least then they could see another miserable day.

Licking the crimson from her fingers, she reached into the man's pockets. Pulling out a wallet and phone she stood and leaned against the opposite wall of the alley. The wallet held pictures of a family, his family - two daughters and a wife. She was disgusted by his previous actions. Not bothering to look any further she walked back over to him putting everything back and then she shook him. She needed him awake.

"Wake up," she called to him in his groggy state. He moaned in protest. "Stop acting this way," she sang to him, "Stop drinking and take care of your family."

He nodded sleepily at her. "They are your main priority, forget everything about tonight and go be a father for once," she spat still in her heavenly singing voice.

A scrape of a shoe startled her, and she ran hiding behind a dumpster. She watched cautiously.

He was a tall man, with dark hair and eyes of green that seemed to glow like iridescent lights. She couldn't see much of him, but she knew he wasn't some meek human. He studied the alley before walking up to Mark who was still sitting against the alley wall. Rolling the man's head to the side, he examined Mark's neck, and Reid knew her bite would still be fresh on his skin.

The green eyes squinted into the darkness, and she narrowed her eyes scooting back further against the dumpster. She would have to kill him if he found her.

"Hey!" a honey sweet voice called, "Where are you?"

The man paused mid-step and glanced over his shoulder once before peering back down the ally.

"A," it called again, and he cursed turning to walk back the way he came. "What were you doing?" the voice said again.

"I thought I heard... Something," he said shaking his head attempting to get Reid's voice from his skull.