The music bellows from above us, the guitars screeching through the final songs. A horrid stench of damp rises through the darkened room as this woman waffles on about utter nonsense. For a headlining act the backstage area really is substandard. There is only one light working in the room, the other dead. The walls are a shocking dull green with water marks staining the walls. I wouldn't let a dog sit on the tattered and soiled lounge and on one wall there is a grimy mirror, below it a table with a chair that looks like it would collapse if a feather landed on it.
This woman, Estelle, who I have known for approximately an hour now, tries to be helpful in guiding me through my new client, Scarlett Marconi, punk singer and a total hellcat she warns me. Great. She begins to pack her things for her, everything piled into a large bag. But you already knew she was a handful, didn't you Lucas? Lester, my dearest and oldest friend, here to help me with my plans tonight. Yes, my research on this girl has already advised me that I have a wonderful adventure ahead of me. He laughs hard. Pretending to be her new manager, how devious of you. Well how else was I supposed to get near her? The security around this chick is unbelievable. Getting her out is going to be fun he groans. So long as we stick to our plan, everything will be fine.
Ten minutes later she walks in, looking very tired but still as beautiful as the pictures from the magazines. Her long black hair is soaked in sweat right down to the green tips. Those big blue eyes watch me as she walks toward us, so slow it's like time has stopped. Her frame is petite, the short skirt hugs her hips and thighs showing her gorgeous curves. And then there's the other curves, I know I'm going to be a dribbling mess by the end of the night. It's made all the worse because of the neckline sitting low over her cleavage. Damn Lucas, she is hot. I know I near on gush, realising how much I had struck the jackpot. Do you need a towel to wipe the drool? No, I'm good. He laughs in my mind.
"Scarlett, this is Lucas Cole, your new manager."
Cole? Lester chuckles darkly. A name easily forgotten Lester. I wander over to her to shake her hand, hearing her thoughts as I step into the light. Did you hear that? She thinks you're a stunner. I laugh in my mind, All the more better.
"Ok. I am off. Come here gorgeous." Estelle hugs her, her final goodbye before her retirement.
"Send me a postcard."
Ready? Yep.
"Will do."
Watching Estelle walk out of the room, the door slams shut, Lester waits on the outside of the door, making sure we are not interrupted. I can smell her blood; god damn she smells good. Lust pours through my body as I pin her to the wall, fear washes over her face. Leaning into her neck, I can smell her blood it's so much heavier the closer I am to her skin. My fangs scrape along her beautifully soft skin, so perfect, a pale pink slightly tinged with a redness from the heat, the sweat from performing. She struggles underneath my body, her heart beating harder is such a turn on.
"Get off me." she spits out.
I look up at her, anger and fear, both emotions struggling for supremacy. I put my hand over her mouth, her warm skin is like fire to me, so hot.
"Quiet or you will be dead."
The lust moves quickly through my body; her blood entices me back to her neck. How I crave her but fear her at the same time. What if it isn't her? What if Miranda got it wrong? As if Miranda got it wrong Lester says. What if she isn't sweet, how could I have an eternity with someone who isn't my soul mate? She will be Lucas, stop stressing and get it over and done with.
I sink my fangs in deep, feeling her body tense, she tries to squirm under my body. The blood pours into me, it is like heaven, so sweet. All of my fears and anxiety about tonight were gone, the weeks of planning, the stress of it all, it all washed away with the first drop. This is her, this is the girl that we have been looking for, the third vampire of the pearl river oracle, my soul mate, my future wife, the mother of my children.
The saltiness of the sweat on her skin, the blood that tasted like someone had poured a cup of sugar into her veins, it was the best feed I have ever had. I drink slowly, savouring every single drop. Her heart beats fast, she hits me with her clenched fists trying to stop me but all it does is make me want her more. I push her legs apart and find my way into them, digging myself against her, wanting to have her here. But now is not the time Lester reminds me. And if you screwed her now, she wouldn't be too agreeable, would she? No I sigh in my mind. I pull from her neck; blood slowly finds its way down towards her chest. I will enjoy licking that up.
"You are very tasty Scarlett."
"What are you?"
She looks horrified, unsure, the tears had made a path down her flushed cheeks.
"What do you think I am?"
I grinned as I lapped up the line of blood that had found its way to her cleavage. When I looked at her again she had passed out. Well that makes it a little easier. Are we done? Yep, out cold. The door opens and he grabs the bag, both of us disappear as we make our way out of the building, Lester with her things, me with Scarlett. I put her on the back seat of the Range Rover, covering her with a blanket. My father sitting on the back seat waiting for us.
"All went well?"
I nod as I reappear. "Callaway Valley, ten minutes?"
He nods at me as Lester gets into the front seat. I took one last look at her as she laid on the seat beside my father, Lester starts the car up.
"Don't be too long." he mutters. "And take care, son. I don't want you hurt."
"Vamp dad, remember that, it will be fine."
I close the door and disappear again, watching the car as it leaves, I then return to the auditorium car park. The security paces around the back stage door, the cameras watch the door and the car park. I fumble in my pocket and find her keys, the keys to that awesome car she owns. God damn she has great taste in cars. I walk closer to the guards, enter their minds and suggest they should go inside, a ruckus has been caused by one of the fans getting onto the stage. All of them rush in through the door, leaving no one behind. Idiots. The cameras go up with a puff of smoke and I click the button on the fob, the car is mine and no one saw a thing.
It was easy to find the police, a random check set up by the roadside, trying to catch the drunk drivers. One of them stood in the centre of the road, gesturing for me to bring the car to the side. The car idled, stopped as I waited for the man to move. I didn't really want to hit him, but he wasn't going to budge. He looked annoyed as the cars behind me started to bank up, again he gestured to me to move to the side. Stalking over to the car, his anger pretty evident, he finally moved enough for me to pass with relative safety. I pressed my foot down and sped past the police check. In the rear vision mirror I could see them scrambling to their cars, the lights flashing as they pursued me. Perfect.
The car roared through the twisting road of the Callaway Valley, the cops were chasing me, everything was going according to plan. As I raced past a side street I could see the range rover waiting for me. The windows went down and as I found the tree that had been picked, I disappeared and dived out of the open window. The car slammed into the tree that sat at the corner of a hairpin turn, a large pine tree, its trunk wide and strong. The impact did nothing to the tree which made it an excellent selection for the fake accident. I stepped aside, flicking my fringe out of my face as the cop cars pulled up, looking at the mess in front of them. The dust settled around my feet as I quietly slipped away, several cops moving around the vehicle, trying to find the occupant as the flames engulfed the car. In the distance I can see headlights moving towards us, Lester and my father. The police were taping off the corner on both sides of the road as the car slowed. One of them approached the stopped vehicle. I moved to the other side, climbing in the opened window. My father has moved to the front seat, Scarlett still under the blanket.
"What seems to be the problem officer?"
"There has been an accident, if you could turn the vehicle around and take Westbank Road."
I put my hand on Scarlett, making her disappear with me.
"Turn right onto Station Road that should bring you a little further up the road."
"Of course, thank you officer."
The man nods at him as he steps away from the vehicle, allowing Lester to turn the vehicle around. The wind whips through the vehicle as Lester carefully drives down the road, hoping to avoid any unwanted attention.
"Was it necessary to get them involved, could we not have just wrapped it around the tree and left it?"
"It was fun; don't you agree?"
"Yes, I'm sure Scarlett will be so impressed at what you did to her car."
I shrug as I reappear, Scarlett still passed out, her head propped on my lap. She looks so serene like this, no fear, no tears, just her. My fingers caress her skin, it's like putting my hand on a hot stove but she is worth it, so soft and perfect.
"It was worth it if they think she is dead rather than searching for her. It is better this way."
Lester turns down Westbank Road, the moonlight flickers through the tall trees, rows upon rows of pine trees. The wind gently caresses my face as I close my eyes remembering so long ago when I first laid eyes on Scarlett.
We had been descended upon, Miranda and Terrance first, apparently either myself or one of my two brothers was bound to this girl, a human that had to be taken and turned by force to become a vampire and would one day be queen of this kingdom. Miranda pulled out a set of cards and did a reading for all three of us. I had heard of these cards, if she pulled them out, then you were the person that she was looking for. So there it was, one little card said it was me, not Oliver, not Zach, little old me. Then more dark beings started to arrive, four kings of other kingdoms that surrounded ours, Terrance's father Edmund, Raulf the king of Trelikivant, Philippe the king of Corosontri, Alexandru Senior, king of Santrina. Then there was Alina, queen of the realm, her husband Alex, Lilly and her husband Patrick. Alina and Lilly were already confirmed as the first two vampires of the oracle, all that was left was to find this girl.
"So we might start with a general reading, whilst you discuss tactics." Miranda says to Terrance.
He nods at her as he wanders back and forth, talking to the kings, to Alina. I would have preferred to be listening to what Terrance was saying but Miranda had other ideas, sadly I was getting another reading done, this one was different, this one would tell me about the girl.
Lilly sat beside me, watching on with complete interest. Her newborn daughter Ivy, fast asleep on her chest. Miranda splayed the cards out across the corner of the table, face down.
"Pick them out, put it in front of you face down, stop when you think you should."
I huffed lowly, knowing my future was in these cards, being forced to marry someone I knew nothing about.
The first of the cards is a gold star with little lines underneath it. Apparently this meant that she was a rising star. The next card was a large love heart with what would seem a thousand little hearts around it. Loved by many she said. Miranda suggested that maybe she was a movie star or a musician. The one that followed was a little strange, a road leading to a building, the next was even more strange, a man wearing a suit, below him a few coloured circles ranging from flesh colour to brown. The next was a very cute skull and cross bones. I looked at Miranda with hesitation, she reassured me that there were not any death cards in a general reading, this would mean it is something about her. The next was long lines black at the top green at the bottom. Miranda just shrugged at him, not knowing its meaning. She flicked the next card over and darkly chuckled. It was a little demon, very cartoonish, very cute. Hell raiser she whispered as she continued in her dark laughter. The last card she turned over was all red, no picture, just red.
"Ok, so let's have a proper look at them in their entirety, shall we?"
She points to the first card.
"The rising star, then the love hearts, as I said I would think that she is a musician or a film star. We then move to the road and the building." she sighs. "I am leaning towards she is a musician, on the road. By the looks of the next card, you must have something to do with her employment. This is a boss type figure." she points to the fourth card and then moves to the fifth.
"This one..." she shrugs a little. "I don't know maybe she has a tattoo or something. The black and green lines, again, I don't know."
I look at the picture of the skull and cross bones, wondering what on earth they mean.
"And this one." she laughs "I see a very hard path for you Lucas, I think this girl is going to give you hell."
"Well that's just great." I mutter.
"The last card... red, I don't know maybe it's blood, maybe it's about her turning."
I look at the card, it's red but it's not the colour of blood, it's too pink for it to be blood, it's almost... scarlet.
"Shit." Lilly mutters.
Miranda looks up at her as I turn and look at her.
"I know who it is."
Miranda gapes at her as she dumps the baby in my arms, rushing out of the room. I look at this tiny creature in my hands as she yawns and falls back asleep. She could barely be a week old, if that. Her hair is thick and black like her father.
"Gorgeous, isn't she?"
I look up at Miranda who has a huge smile on her face.
"Your time will come soon enough."
"What do you know phoenix?"
"Always too much for my own good."
A magazine gets tossed onto the table, on its cover is the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. Her shirt exactly the same picture as the cute skull and cross bones, her hair black with green tips.
"Scarlett Marconi, punk singer."
She puts the rest of the magazines onto the table as I pass Ivy back to her, very enthralled by the woman. She is beautiful.
"Wow." I whisper so quietly.
"So we should maybe collect some information on her, try and get you into her camp maybe."
"How do you propose that? Could you imagine the security around her?"
"Her manager is retiring soon." Patrick interrupts.
"How do you know that?" I say a little too snarky.
"Uh, follow her on twitter."
"Oh."
"So, that's it then, get a job with her management, become her manager, convince her to join us."
"Taken by force Miranda." Terrance interjects, clearly he has been listening for a while.
"So I have to kidnap her?"
"Maybe. Do we know where she is?" Miranda asks.
"She is on the road at the moment, on tour. We have tickets, so if you are planning on kidnapping her can you wait until after the show?"
"Uh yeah sure."
I was enthralled by her, all of Lilly's words became a haze as I read the interview she gave in this magazine. She is bright, cheeky and loves the world that she inhabits. And here I am, about to take it all away from her. She is going to hate me.
A bump in the road brought me out of the day dream as Scarlett moved on my lap. The moon light lingered around her soft pink skin, the ruby red lips, so plump and fine. I brush my fingers across her warm cheeks, still flushed from the heat of performing. Her skin is the softest that I have ever felt on any woman. She has, without a doubt, a stunning body. I watch my fingers in their path down her neck, over the lumps where I fed. So sweet. The dried blood crumbled under my touch as she murmured something. As she settled back down, I closed my eyes again, remembering the long path I had taken to her, finding out as much about her as I could.
"Your highness, the detective you hired is here to see you."
"Thank you Charles, I will see him with my father in his study."
"Of course your highness."
He bowed and disappeared into the depths of the castle. As I reach my father's study, Charles and the man approach.
"Your highness, this is Detective Farley."
"Your highness." he bows with respect; a fang emerges from the faint smile.
Charles opens the door as my father looks up from the mountain of paperwork engulfing him.
"Father, this is Detective Farley."
He bows again.
"This is my father, Henry."
"Your highness."
"Please sit, tell us of your findings."
He rustles through his brief case as we sit on the lounge.
"For someone in the public eye, this girl was a hard one, but I got there."
The man passes the papers to me, a rather thick document full of information about her.
"Personal information, her career, the tour itinerary." he pauses for a second. "I have put them in the vampire kingdoms, I hope that is what you prefer."
"Yes, much better." my father says rather dry.
I flick over the first page, the personal information as the detective and my father continue in their conversation.
SCARLETT MARLEANA MARCONI
DOB: 06/03/1988
ADDRESS: Trelikivant Kingdom (154 Wilson Parade)
OCCUPATION: Singer, managed by Crime Inc. Estelle Foley – see notes below.
EDUCATION: East River College until career started; Private tutor – Heather Connor
POLITICAL: Activist, non-voter
RELIGIOUS: Agnostic
SEXUALITY: Primarily heterosexual
RELATIONSHIP: None
CRIMINAL RECORD:
05.02.2011 – Arrested drunken & disorderly behaviour; Charges laid, bail posted, fine paid.
15.09.2009 – Arrested assault; Charges dismissed due to lack of evidence.
PARENTS:
Father: George Marconi
Mother: Francis Marlene Marconi (nee: Thomason)
SIBLINGS:
Brother: Samuel James Marconi
FRIENDS/BAND:
Candice "Candy" Hunter – Lead guitar
Asher Leighton – Bass
Edward "Eddie" Fryer – Drummer
_____________________
"Primarily heterosexual?" I look at the detective.
"Uh yeah." he hesitates.
"So is she straight or is she gay?"
"Straight, she had a couple of flings, nothing serious or noteworthy. The straight ones outnumber the gay ones."
"Right." I mutter not really sure what he means.
"I think she spoke of it in one of her interviews." my father says with a sly grin.
"Her words, and I quote, 'I am a heterosexual woman who likes to dip her toes into the glorious sea of homosexuality.' Take from that whatever you will son."
"Your highness," I swear if the detective could blush, he would be. "I only found two encounters with women out of all of the dalliances she has had."
I raise my eyebrows at him.
"How many boyfriends has she had?"
"Not boyfriends, your highness, encounters."
"One night stands?"
"Yes your highness."
"I see."
"But were there any boyfriends?"
"No your highness, none that I could find."
"Excellent. I can live with one night stands."
The tour itinerary was next, I needed to know where she would be for us to successfully remove her.
01/02-05/02 Farnlow – Eastbridge Entertainment Centre, Eastbridge Road.
07/02-10/02 Pharuthin – F.W. Mathers Memorial Centre, York Street.
11/02-15/02 Thebulna Isra – Palm Cove Stadium, Queen Street.
20/02-25/02 Arque – Heathrington Music Bowl, Octave Circuit.
01/03-05/03 Histarchi'vinta – Carlington Monument, Ryde Road.
06/03-10/03 Corosontri – Flinton Sports Arena, Weston Boulevard.
12/03-18/03 Trelikivant – Archer Building One, Tank Street.
18/03- 11:00pm Trelikivant – Regency Hotel, Oak room (tour end party), Bell Road.
_____________________
"She'll be here, soon." I whisper as I look up from the paper.
"Yes, that is why I requested to see you urgently, I thought you would want to know."
"Of course, thank you."
I flick the next page over to her career, the further details about her management. True to Patrick's words, her manager was retiring soon and the job was still being advertised. I pull out my phone and make an appointment for an interview, this will be a breeze. My father's secretaries will do a dummy resume and with a few suggestions in the minds of the interviewers, this job will be mine.