By the eighteenth century, vampires had taken their niche in human society. Fitting in like a seam, yet there were many who kept to the old ways, acting as roving nomads raiding human villages for food wherever they passed . The mated pair weaving through the French countryside were one of them, many centuries old and for the most part, traditionalists.
They had remained in France for some time, exploiting the Revolution to keep their bellies full. Preying on prisoners and raiding villages, leaving a mess of blood behind. Machecoul would have been just another town in the countryside, another spot in the road full of smelly humans to feed on if it weren't for that sweet yet reviling scent, and the static of holy magic thrumming below the ground.
"Fuck." The shorter vampire bared her teeth. "Can we step anywhere in this country without an angel keeping watch?"
"Peace Morana." Her bonded mate placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "As long as we do not bother them, they do not bother us."
"Being in their proximity is a bother to them." Morana hissed. "The moment we step foot in its territory, it will detect us. We must move on."
"If those holy rats with wings troubles us, I shall drink their blood and release their spirits from their putrid bodies." Striga growled. She had killed thousands of humans in her immortal life, why would human formed angels be any different? They could still be cut down in mortal flesh.
"This scent is stronger." Morana warned. "A higher ranking angel than the usual errand birds we avoid." Striga unleashed a ragged snarl, bearing her fangs and clutching her claws at her heart.
"What's wrong!?" Morana whirled around startled by her mate's sudden reaction.
Striga dug her claws into her chest. She hadn't felt it in centuries......
"He is here Morana." Striga's voice wavered. "Our child."
"What!? It cannot be! Here!?" Morana snapped, glaring at the town on the hill.
"I sense he is close." Striga nodded, unashamed by her own tears. "It has been centuries since we parted ways. Why is he here, in a powerful angel's range?"
"Something we should investigate ." Morana growled. "Come my love, the moon is new. It will be easier to sneak into the livestock pen when the night is darker."
" If that heavenly vulture has done anything to harm him." Striga hissed. "I'll rip her fucking wings off!"
"Angels can't be subdued easily." Morana warned. "Nor can they be destroyed if their bodies are killed." She chuckled, giving Striga an endearing look. "But there are two of us. We have faced armies before, what more is an angel trapped in human flesh?
.....
Vance snarled, spooking the herd of deer he stalked.He hadn't felt that pull on him in over 500 years. Like a spindly hand reaching into his ribs and clutching hard his heart. He knew what it meant. Every vampire who was born a human knew what it meant.
His sire, the vampire that turned him, was in the vicinity.
And she was not a vampire to be messed with. Neither of them were.
"Satan's teeth!" He hissed, immediately rushing to Amalie's house, slamming the door open and hurrying inside the kitchen where its divine occupants were finishing dinner.
"Vance? I thought you were hunting." Emma caught the stress in his eyes she'd rarely seen. "What's wrong?" She stood up.
" You are in danger." Vance growled, his claws digging into the wall, "My sires are here."
Shock flickered in their eyes as mother and daughter quickly glanced at each other. "Here? In Machecoul?" Amalie asked urgently.
"Yes." Vance bared his fangs.. "Of all the places in the damn world they show up."
Amalie picked up her staff ready to confront them or warn Juste depending how close they were to town. "I'll get Richter." Emma reluctantly picked up her sword. "He's been itching for a good hunt."
"No!!" Vance snapped at Emma. "If you confront them, you'll die! These aren't the roving vagrants you're used to. My sires, the ones that turned and taught me, are some of the most ancient and powerful vampires you'll meet on this mortal plane. They have killed millions of humans in their career."
"All the more reason to kick them out of town and make sure they don't bother anybody ." Amalie glared.
"Zaharial. You can't." Vance snarled. "They are too dangerous, even for you. They have killed angels in the past."
Amalie's staff glowed dimly under her pressed knuckles. Angels could be physically killed in their human forms, she knew from personal experience, but they didn't go down easy. No human in history had ever succeeded in ridding an angel of its mortal flesh, but only a handful of vampires were.
Amalie wouldn't risk that, she was lucky the last time to regain her human form shortly after she lost it.
"If we faced them together, we could beat them. Us, Tera, Maria, and Richter. Six against two, I doubt they'll bring down an angel with the strength of our family." Emma suggested confidently.
"Emmaline.." Vance growled. "You'll only guarantee the demise of your family if you attempt such a thing. You don't understand the severity of this threat, they are more than just angel killers."
"You're right, I don't." Emma gritted her teeth. " Help me understand. Who are your sires?"
Vance growled, lowering his hackles. "Their names are Striga and Morana. Striga was the vampire that turned me, but her and her mate, Morana, raised me in my new life and taught me how to be a vampire. They are thousands of years old, old enough to become woven into legends in the lands they hail from. We parted ways five hundred years ago, but they became terrors in the Bavarian lands; as members of the Council of Sisters"
"The Council of Sisters."Amalie's eyes widened, she understood the history. " The vampire queens of Styria....not the same members of Carmilla's court?"
Vance looked her dead in the eyes. "The very same. Striga was the commander of Carmilla's army, and Morana, their strategist. After Carmilla's death they disbanded, but their reputation precedes them wherever they go."
"And now they've come here." Emma gripped. "We can't let them enter Machecoul, if they're as dangerous as you say , they could decimate the entire town by sunrise."
"To confront them would mean your own death." Vance warned. " I've seen Striga slaughter humans by the dozens, cutting them down like a breadknife through soft cheese, and Morana is a notorious torturer, her victims used to beg me for death after she's messed with them. She knows an angel's scent the way a hound knows a rabbit's . It wouldn't surprise me if she detected your mother already."
"How do we stop them?" Amalie demanded.
"You don't." Vance's eyes flickered. " You must remain with your daughter within the safety of your home and wards. I'll talk to my sires and see if I can lead them away from you and Machecoul. There's an inherent bond between a vampiric sire and their progeny; they can detect one another when they're in the same vicinity, and they can use that bond like a connecting cord to find each other. Let her find me, away from you."
"Vance!" Emma protested. "You can't face them alone!"
"I don't intend on fighting them. I intend to speak with them."
"But if things turn ugly?" Amalie questioned. "What if they smell us on you?"
"All the reason for you and Emma to stay away, so I can explain without worrying they'll bite out your throats." The vampire smiled reassuringly. "Striga and Morana will not harm me, I am their child as much as Emma is yours. And there is no strife between us, we parted ways on amiable terms."His eyes glistened in deep clarity. "Let me uphold my oath."
"Fuck your oath! I won't let you risk your life for me!" Emma refused, staring desperately at Vance.
"Emma!" Amalie snapped tense.
"I'm not." Vance replied softly. "They will not hurt me, and I can't worry about them hurting you. Let me talk to them alone and settle things so no blood is shed." He took Emma's hand gently in his. Her soft hands unflinching from his knifelike claws. "Emma, I need you to trust me."
Her golden eyes glistened at him, remembering her childhood long ago. "I do." She embraced him tightly, touching foreheads with him. "Please be careful." Vance wrapped his arms around her and thrummed. "I promise."