"It was a dark and stormy night..." Mel'Aknomir just couldn't help himself as the cliche line came of his mouth. In his defense the lady, to use the term loosely, at his side was eating it up with an extra large spoon. After having spent the majority of the hour regaling the woman with his endless charm and wit, Mel'Aknomir could have mimed the rest of the conversation and she would have still been fascinated by his extensive knowledge of Shakespeare Quotes, American History, and the impossibly huge collection of dirty limericks. Her particular favorite ended up being about this Man from Nantucket who...

A shrill giggle made the vampire wince as the sound all but ripped through his head. She was a vein, just a vein, he told himself as the lady, Vicky..Kicky? Dicky? Whothehellcaresicky, thought herself funny and made a joke. Laughing at her own punchline. The joke sucked, and Mel was amazed he still had the capacity to smile despite the strong urge to reach into her throat and rip her vocal cords out if it meant the end of that annoying noise.  He did his part, he got her comfortable enough to agree to just about anything. Mind rolling was illegal, which made finding dinner all the harder. Yes, sure there were those who were more than willing to donate a pint or two of their blood to the pointy toothed members of the population but where the hell was the fun in that?

Same thing about deer stands in the forest. Where was the challenge of sitting in a comfortable man built nest and just wait for your prey to come to you? Like the pathetic church members of the Church of Eternal Life. They fed in groups from willing donors, and even said grace before each meal. The very essence of being a vampire was being perverted into something tame where the hunters were being turned into sheep. Blood sucking sheep who spent their unlife on their knees in prayer. The very thought of it made the former Sidhe cringe, and the woman at his side frowned up in him in confusion. Forcing his face into a smile once again, Mel'Aknomir reached out and brushed the tip of his fingers against her chin as he guided them neatly into a dark alley. Gee, a dark alley with a tall, bald and handsome man she just met an hour ago and the woman didn't even bat an eyelash. Nice.

Mel'Aknomir didn't mind being a vampire. Strange as it sounded he didn't notice that much of a difference. At first it was a shocking change. Who knew he could even BE turned? Yet somewhere among his mother's people there was a human, and clearly it was Mel'Aknomir who was chosen by fate to be the bearer of its mortal legacy. And now that he was what he was, it was a rather moot point to wonder about the ye old days and where he would be now if it wasn't for the whole silly dying and coming back as a vampire bit. He had his brother and that was enough. They were both free of the Sithen and the politics that went with it. Not that they were ever a part. They had a role, a purpose, and after being throughly betrayed by their sovereign, they had to seek out a new role, a new purpose.

And in the here and now, Kalika had given him that. After their encounter, for the first time in a long time the vampire knew that he could be more than what he was. He no longer needed to slink through the shadows. Keeping to the old ideals and using his brother as a crutch. His twin was the other part of his soul, but unlike his twin, his soul fled at dawn each day. And that made Mel'Aknomir different. His bond with his twin was unique. They shared everything but this, this was something Mel could have for him self. It would be his amethyst ring.

The girl by his side stumbled as she the heel of her "come fuck me pump" found a crack in the asphalt.  With a giggle she brassed herself against Mel'Aknomir, using his solid presence to steady herself. The vampire was only too happy to oblige. "There, there m'dear, and here we are."

Confused, and faking that emotion rather badly, the woman blinked, fluttering those fake eyelashes at him before looking around and realizing that they were no longer on a well lit street. "Here? Why, what's here?" With a tilt of her head, the woman downright invited Mel'Aknomir to close what little distance was left between them. Mel was more than happy to comply.  With a hand on either side of the woman's head, he pressed his body against her, forcing her smaller frame against a nearby wall. So easy it was almost disappointing. Like waiting for a good steak and expecting to be allowed to pick out a cow from which you wanted that steak to be carved, and instead, having one pre-selected for you. No fun in that, so Mel'Aknomir made his own fun.  In the dim light of the alley the vampire smiled, flashing neat white fangs for all to admire.  The sight had the woman gasping in mock shock. He didn't buy it. She knew what he was the minute she poured herself onto a bar stool between him and his twin. Ricky? Becky? Was a bite whore. One of those people who liked to play dangerous games, and boy did she hit jackpot with this one. Mel studied her face for a long moment. His pale eyes hidden by the shades of his sunglasses. He took a moment to close his eyes, slip the sunglasses off and tuck the things neatly into the breast jacket of his pocket. Only then did he replace his hand where it was, keeping all possible exits cut off as he leaned in close and opened his eyes. Letting her see for the fist time, the white eyes that stared back. They weren't the pretty gray shade his twin could glamor up. No that pair watched from the mouth of the alley as Mel grinned down at the woman who for some reason no longer looked as sure as she did a moment ago. "Um...maybe I should go?"

"Um...maybe you should go?" Mel'Aknomir mimicked right back as his grin grew. A pair of fangs flashed, and then there were more than two. His glamor slipped away like a silk scarf on a stiff breeze. The ripples of the illusion falling away revealed the monster beneath. The waxy skin, the prominent brow ridge, the mouth lined with fangs, but the intent in his eyes was truly the thing that made the woman shrink back and smack the back of her head against the brick wall. The tinge of metal on the air told him she drew blood. Excellent, she was now on the same page of the plan as he was.  Leaning down, he took a deep breath, drawing her essence into his body, her fear like honey on his tongue. "Ahh..1979 a fine vintage...wouldn't you agree brother."  The link between the twins blossomed in an instant. What one felt the other shared in the experience, and right now Mel'Aknomir's hunger, his pleasure, his anticipation  flowed into his twin. He heard the sharp intake of his twin and it made him growl in return.  Feeding was a shared experience between them. It was the least Mel could do for his twin after what his twin had done for him.

His skin began to melt. Acceleration of decay spreading through his face faster than should have been possible for the creature that still walked and talked. Molecules began to break down, the power that kept himself together began to ebb. Rot set in and the smell of death and decay wafted through the air like perfume.  The woman couldn't even scream, her face contorted into a mask of fear as her body froze. Shock, Mel would have liked at least a peep or a scream, or a wiggle. Not a lot to ask for was it?  All he got was a whimper, a scared, strangled noise that made him shiver in his stained clothes.  Moving as quickly as a cobra he struck, singing his fangs into the throbbing pulse of the woman's neck and letting the hot wash of her life blood spill into his mouth.

Just as quickly it was over. The vampire felt the female's heart slow and then stop. Her body sagged between him and the wall. Her arms limp, her bowels voiding. With a grunt of disgust he pushed away, letting the pale thing that was Jessie? Jackie? fall to the ground.  With her blood fueling him, he felt the wrap around him like a cloak and without checking a mirror Mel knew he looked as human and as handsome as his twin. Save for the eyes, but that's where the sunglasses came into play. Once they were back on his face, Mel grinned and looked towards his twin. He didn't need to ask to know his brother had enjoyed the process. Beckoning his twin closer, Mel spared the woman on the ground one last glance. They'd need to dispose of the body quickly. The fear of being discovered never even entered into the equation. Magic and power guaranteed they weren't noticed, and if they were? Easily remedied.  

It wasn't till an hour before dawn when Mel'Aknomir blinked at the sudden memory. "Lucy! Her name was Lucy." Which caused Vel'Aknomir to frown at his twin. "Who?"  Indeed.