Midnight Snack (Open)

[darius]

The warm blood rushing into the vampire’s mouth was a bit of an adrenaline rush. Who needed human food, or drinks when you could just pick off a poor schmuck from the street and take them there? Although, Darius had grown to kill in a more sophisticated sense, he was terribly hungry that night, and thought that the outside world would serve him better cuisine than what was brought to him. As the body dropped to the ground dead, he kicked the body hard enough for the head to reach the curb. The driver that would run the head over would think the poor girl that Darius had killed was merely an unfortunate drunk that passed out at the wrong place at the wrong time. At least until autopsies find out otherwise, but by then, all known conclusions will mean nothing. Such as humans like to think to themselves when ungodly things such as this happen to them.

Rather than walk out of the alleyway, Darius scaled the dead end wall and jumped across and landed on an empty street beside him. There was a sweet smell of plant life in the area. Something that was one of the very few joys Darius had. He seldom walked from the nightclub, but when he did, he always stopped to witness the moss-covered trees, or stop to witness the swamps and all of the putrid life that New Orleans had to offer. He had been there for decades and he still enjoyed the life that this part of the world had to offer: which was blood, superstition, and all of the tastiest Cajun blood that the South had to offer. Over time, he even managed to work up a Southern accent, but it was to make his commanding tone all the more serious. Living as long as he had been living, one managed to easily pick up on the norms of new languages and such.

The walk back to the Night Owl, Darius’s night club, was easy enough. It was on the other side of the city, and linking Darius back to the crime would have been impossible anyways. Entering the bar, he looked around to see many new and old faces. Some that have come to this place from the moment it opened. Rather than walk around and meet the new flock of people there for the evening, Darius sat at a nearby chair and watched as the crowds went by and mingled with one another. It was the same every night, but every night was also different and more interesting. A sigh came from his lips as he watched on from the distance and waited for the first sorry human to try and talk to him, only to be scared off by one of his security employee’s.

[Nicka Commen]

Nicka walked into the club she ha heard about. She found it by following a few drunk kids that had come into the grill where she worked at. Well, used to work at. Her boss decided to corner her in his ofice for a free feel. She broke his nose, and possibly his whole face, and quit. So, she needed a job. She was looking for a job that she was good at. She hated waiting tables now, but, she loved bartending. Nicka tended all her life basically, since her mother was a raving drunk before she was turned. Nicka owned her own club back in New York actually and had inherited millions from her maker. She doesn't really need the job, but she hated not doing anything.

Nicka got inside the club and looked around. It was alot smaller than her own club back home, but she liked it when they were small. They made her feel constricted and confined to one place, and she liked that for some reason. Nicka walked inside. She felt her stomach tighten as she could smell vampire blood. So there was one here... She shrugged it off and went to the bar. She leaned her back against it and looked arond, tossing her long dark locks off her shoulder, baring her soft pale flesh.

A few human males came up to her and made offers, but being the hard ass she was, she rejected them all. She didn't go for humans. SHe felt she needed someone stronger than her or equally strong to be with her. She hated being the one to protect. Nicka looked around looking for the face of the boss. Her eyes came across a dark looking man sitting in a large chair on the other side of the room. Her eyes narrowed. Vampire... The scent rang through her head like the dark wine it was. She looked away from him and looked at the ground. "C'mon Nickoleth, just go ask for the job..." she whispered to herself.

Nicka straightened up and walked half way over, and stopped. She didn't know why she was getting nervous. Well, she didn't really know when she actually have to ask for a job. She was always the one being asked to work. Nicka felt eyes on her, making her uncomfortable. She leaned on someones table. They looked up at her comfused, but all she did was smile and they went back to their busness.

She looked over her shoulder back at the dark man in the cair. Hoo boy, he was intimidating. Nicka was taught to fear elders, and she could deffinately smell that he was an elder. Just the way the spice added to the aroma set it off. Nicka held her breath, and spun around, walking a few feet, and stopping again. Nope. She couldn't do it. She can't walk over there. Damn her for being intimidated...

[darius]

The night moved by like most did. When you are immortal and have lived as long as Darius, time becomes irrelevant. Slowly, but surly it seems to speed up. Hours become minutes, then seconds, then microseconds, until finally every day that passes seems to go unnoticed and you end up doomed to insanity from your mind being unable to slow down its portrayal of time. A good number of vampires set themselves on fire, of find themselves jumping dead into sunlight. However, Darius learned long ago to preserve the moment. To find joy in each passing second and hour, and that one joy was watching how the clothing of each generation changed, or how desperately the humans in his club wanted to join his ranks. They were all so delicious, yet they were so pathetic. There were few times when Darius sired somebody, and when he did they were those that had nothing left to lose. People who didn’t care if they lived, or died, or became immortal for that matter.

There were plenty of vampires in the club that night, but only one caught his eye. She looked as if she were about to speak to him, but turned. As she turned, Darius rose and moved at a great speed past all of the others, moving like a ghost and reappearing right in front of her as she turned around. Silently he looked at her and could tell that she was slightly new to this lifestyle. She smelled of human blood, meaning she must feed on them and a smile crossed his dark face.


“Greetings,” he spoke solemnly, “may I ask whom you are?” This one seemed different in a way. She was beautiful. She was intriguing. And were she still a human, she would have been a good snack before Darius would have turned her. Though, she was no human, but that was still okay. It took away all of the hustle of teaching a newborn the rules of being a vampire. Some were so ignorant, that their makers would throw them into sunlight to end the irritation. Darius had patience though, but was still thankful to meet her as a vampire.

He rose a hand to touch her face, but stopped part way to feel her undead aura, something he enjoyed doing often. She was fresh. The perfect age to be a vampire. Slightly new to the things that happened in the vampire world, but still growing in experience. He had to have her apart of his flock. She would be rather interesting for the next few centuries. Softly, he lowered his hand after it hovered over the side of her face and head for a few seconds. A grin still on his face as he looked at her, waiting for her to answer his earlier question.

[Nicka Commen]

Nicka's breath got caught in her throat as she could smell the luscious scent of the vampire's blood right behind her. "Greetings," he said to her. Nicka spu around, her skirt doing a flowly effect thing around her. She looked up into hs eyes and found a little bit of confidence.

"Hello..." she said, and put one hand on her hip and smiled, only the sharp white tips of her fangs slightley protruding from her lips.

"May I ask whom you are?" he asked her. Nicka thought of something quick and a little flirty for a response. She wanted to show him she was good with people, and she probably should start with him.

"Well, that depends on who's asking, darling." she purred, her natural instincts of a female kicking in. He was deffinately attractive to her. Deffinately... And the smell of his blood was deffinately lovely. Human and animal blood didn't satisfy her bloodlust at all no matter how much she fed. She remembered her days when she was first turned about 50 years ago when she had devoured 10 humans in one night. Nicka smiled again, shaking off her previous comment. "My name is Nickoleth, and please call me Nicka." No one had called her Nickoleth since Joanna, her maker, and Barry, her maker's other fledgling.

Nicka tossed her hair off her shoulder, exposing her creamy pale flesh, and her neck with her mother's choker. She always wore it, since her "Father" Wrath had given it to her. "May I ask who you are?" she purred again, her seductive nature coming on. She never tried to be like that, it just came out. She wasn't sure if it was just her being a bartender or a vampire...

[darius]

Darius’s eyes scanned the young vampire as she revealed her bare neck that sported a choker. Young and seductive! She knew what she wanted when given the right motivation and Darius had eternity to figure out what made her tick and tock. She had asked him his name. Normally, most vampires her age were still nervous when speaking to those that have lived as long as he had. This one was still connected to this day and age, where free thought was becoming more and more free by the second. Darius liked that.

He took her hand and gently kissed it with a smile. Darius did this with all female vampires that he met, so this was something that came natural for him to do. It was much more polite than just shaking hands in his opinion. “It is a pleasure to meet you Nicka,” he said, “however, your name is intriguing. Is it based off the French name, Nicolette? I’ve known plenty of Nicolette’s in my time, but never a Nickoleth.” He released her hand and kept his gaze to her own eyes. Other vampires and humans began to swarm around them. Somehow, Darius’s face was a mixture of a grim look, with a warm, welcoming nature. Hardly anyone could ever pull that off unless they were a vampire, and even vampires had a difficult time perfecting it. One had to be of Darius’s age, or older to be able to do so.

“I am Darius LaCroix,” he finally spoke to her, “the owner of this nightclub that you happened to step into, and the leader of the vampires that also live here.” Something about her reminded him of one of his ‘meals’ from long ago. Darius believed in reincarnation, and had a theory that those he fed on were some of his past snacks from long ago. It was interesting how he would find some turned into vampires in this life. A shame, as it would either be a very long time before he fed on them again, or he may never do so again if they are as clever and crafty as the other vampires. “It is of good fortune that I managed to catch you turning away from me,” he said, “you looked as if you were wanting to introduce yourself in the first place and ask me something. May I ask what that would have been?” He was always one to make others finish what they started, and since he was curious tonight, he would love to hear it.

[Nicka Commen]

She felt the brush of his lips on the back of her hand and it burned like fire. She gasped lightley, sure no one heard it. Males scared her most of the time. Even though she was tough as nails to males her age, she absolutely cowered in fear with elders.Nicka glanced over to the bar and eyed a human as he stared at her. She looked to the other side and realized many humans were doing the same. Vampires too. 'Guess he gets attention...' she thought to herself. She looked at him, into his beautiful blue eyes. Nicka smiled. "It's Nickoleth. And, I really have no family line. My father ran off and died when I was born and my mother was a hopeless drunk with an abusive boyfriend, and I'm babbling, and I know it." she brushed her hair from her face and looked at the ground. Elders always made her nervous no matter what. Her maker Joanna was the same age as her father Wrath, who was 1,097. He was much younger than her former mate Stefan, she could smell that.

She could tell he was a leader. Nicka was the co-leader to her mate's coven before the war. Then she left him. Last she heard he was looking for her, and hasn't been seen since. She didn't care. She didn't want to go back to him. Everything was to fast. WHen the intruiging make asked her what she wanted she almost fell over, but she recovered. She pushed her hair behind her ears. "Forgive me sire, it's loely to meet you, but, I am never this nervous. I'm making a fool of myself." she felt embarrassed. "But, I came here to ask for a... a job? I am an excellent bartender. I have been doing all my life, if you know what I mean. I actually-" she stopped herself before she got to the part where she owned a club in NY. "I mean, I worked as a bartender in my mother's club." she ment mother as in her maker, but she was always careful to mask her words from humans.

She looked around. "You know what, could we talk in your office instead, or somewhere quieter? Sorry, but the smell is getting to me." she gestured to a group of drunk and high humans that leared close watching her and Darius.

[darius]

Darius could not help but chuckle a bit, but that was his nature. He was normally a bit arrogant around other vampires, considering their past lives as their long-forgotten weak lives and that they should be best forgotten. “Do not worry my child,” he said at last, “though I do not dwell on the past myself, allow me to comfort you with this: At least your father was not a sadistic Pirate with several wives.” That was the only information that most knew about his past. The vampires who had been with him for centuries knew only the past that they have had with him. Hardly anyone, aside from his own maker, knew how old her truly was. However, he laughed lightly when she asked about a job and speaking somewhere better, such as an office.

He turned to walk away, but as he did he said, “Follow me Nicka.” He walked gracefully past the other vampires and humans and lead her upstairs. The stairs themselves were simple enough. Solid oak steps with a smooth oak railing with carvings of vines going up the railing. It was two hundred year old oak, and yet Darius’s coven had managed to keep it looking as if it were recently made. None would give away the secret behind how most things within the club looked new, yet were so old. They finally made it to a large hallway with massive wooden doors at the end. Above the door was a chandelier, a thing of beauty as well, for it was well over four hundred years old and was one of the first things put inside this very building. As Darius opened the door, he lead her into his office, which also acted as his sleeping quarters.

The walls were a pale gray, but worked well with the dim lighting in the room, and the blood red carpeting on the floor. Only a vampire could tell whether real blood mixed in with the blood red coloring, or not. It was highly spacious, and there was a marble tomb at one end of the room. On the other was a massive flat-screen television with a self-made entertainment center holding it. One could tell that it was self made, because no entertainment center could hold as many game consoles, or videogames that were resting on the lower shelves. Apart from running a coven and a nightclub, Darius often took the time to make things of interest to pass the long immortal lifetime that he had.

He had it all to go with the entertainment center. A gaming chair, a stand where, obviously, glasses of blood went, and other assortments that could be imagined were there. Aside from this, four speakers hung over each of the four corners of the room. The circuits came to an end and reached an iPod stand on his redwood desk. Although the iPod was there, at one other end of the room, there was a shelve that held hundreds of CD’s, and books. Some from long ago and some from modern day novelists. One of the most noticeable was the book, Paradise Lost by John Milton. Finally, at the other end of the massive room was a single, long, silver painted steel lamp that was equipped with one of those eco-friendly bulbs. It may not have looked much, but it was enough to generate enough light into the entire room.

Darius went over to his desk and sat in the black leather chair that was at it, and began to play one of the songs he had selected on the iPod. Suddenly, a weird type of horn began to hum from the speakers, along with a violin, and other instruments. It had a Celtic tune to it. “Please, sit.” he asked her.

[Nicka Commen]

As he lead her to his office, she was blown away when she found out that his office was also his home in a sence. Nicka hesitated. She was almost uncomfortable in another vampire's home, but she quickley shook it off, and advanced. As he asked her to sit, she looked over her shoulder. She admired her surroundings, and more importantly the exit. She was always cautious of what she was doing and what was going on. She couldn't count how many times she had been lurred to "the back" and taken advantage of. She didn't care anymore. She had so many thoughts of suicide lately she hoped somewhere deep in her body that this man would end it. But, she didn't think she was that desperate. She wanted to start her coven again soon in Vegas maybe in the future.

She sat down in a chair and crosed her legs, and folded her hands in her lap. She looked at Darius and took in a shaky breath to speak. "I know you can sense I'm a little scared..." she whispered. "Forgive me. My Maker taught me to fear elders. Males especially." she whispered. Nicka brushed a strand of hair from her face. She took in another breath and calmed down. "Well, like I was saying, I was wondering if you were hiring?" she started to fiddle with her fingers. Oh god, her emotions were a wreck. A moment ago she was being her normal self, and now she was a nervous mess. Lowered eher gaze to her lap and closed her eyes all of a sudden ashamed of herself. But, she looked up and locked eyes with him once more.

A wave of energy hit her hard. She felt her hunger again tonight. Her eyes flashed from her deep brown to bright yellow. Her fangs elongated, and she could smell him. His blood. Nicka shifted in her chair, and then ran her tongue over her fangs. They throbbed, ached to penetrate. "Shit..." she cursed to herself rather quietly, and winced, covering her mouth with her hand, and gripping the arm of the chair hard.

[darius]

Darius eyed her oddly, and knew how she felt before him. “There will be no need for fear around me, young one,” he said to her, “though I am your elder by a long shot, I am nowhere near as old as those before me. I am simply the master of this coven and nothing more. I do not look to be respected by vampires with no desire to be within my own coven, but I do look for them to respect my rules whilst residing in my home for however long they are deciding to…what you young people refer to as… ‘hanging around’.” He spoke is a strict tone. As a matter of fact, this tone was present when he was speaking earlier. It was a sort of a noticeable tone, a way for others to recognize that he owned the place they were socializing in, and that he was indeed an enforcer should anyone think of fighting in his coven. The last time a vampire disrupted the flow that was happening inside his coven, Darius had that vampire drained of all blood and kept him thirsty until sunrise, where he had one of his human barmaids stand in direct sunlight and watch as the weak vampire went for her and get burnt to a crisp before he made it to her.

He looked at her for the longest of times and realized that there would be some questions for her. “I will need to know your intentions for the position,” he said, “such as how long you planned on remaining? Are you planning on this to be a temporary, or permanent stay?” Should she decided it was a permanent, it meant showing her the quarters underneath the club. Darius had made sure that there was plenty of space for the vampires that decided to remain with him. There was always space for others who sought to be apart of a coven, though he hardly had over six, or seven vampires in a coven.

He then heard her mutter a word and a eyed her oddly. “Shit?” he asked, “There is something you are not telling me. If you are going to work here, I demand that no secrets be kept from me.” He sat and gazed to her. There was much she was hiding behind her eyes and Darius wanted to know what was haunting her thoughts, as to know how she would remain in his coven.

[Nicka Commen]

Nicka shuddered a she felt her thirst rage foreward, desprately begging to escape her stomach. She looked at Darius and put her hand down on the arm of the chair, away from her mouth. Her fangs were protruding from her lips now, white as snow and long as a tiger's fang. They were so long now that she could't even close her mouth all the way. She looked Darius dead on in the eyes, and sighed. "Please, forgive me... I am a, well... I guess I am a recovering vampire blood addict." she looked away, almost ashamed. She loved the taste of her own kind, but she felt ashamed of drinking from them, treating them like food. But, she knew the dark part of her wanted to lunge across the desk and sink her fangs into Darius' neck, and she also knew, onewrong move with him and she'd more than likely die. She shook her head. "I had been captured by another vampire once before and he forced me to drink from him because he liked the way I felt. It got him off for some odd reason. I couldn't help but love the taste. And so, from every mate I had had, they allow me to drink form them." she shrugged. "And now I have no mate, so I've forced myself to resist every vampire. It usually works, seeing as I had an outstanding sence of resistance, but, with you..."

Nicka couldn't help but smirk. "I guess I like older blood. It's like wine. Perfect aged." she shook her head. "But, I'm not going to do anything, I promise. You'd probaby serve me my own head anyways." she laughed ta herself lightley, and shook her head. Her dark curls swirled around her shoulders and settled.

Nicka glanced over her shoulder, feeling akward, and decided to throw in the job again, knowing that it would probably get ignorred. "So... The job. I mean, you don't have to hire me, it was just an option..." se shrugged, and felt her fangs throb again. She tried to resist, but the pain made her almost sick. She shook her head to get it off, but another wave of his scent...

Nicka jumped up out of his chair. Her eyes turned from her calm brown to their brilliant yellow once more. They burned so bright they could light up a room. She covered her mouth again. "I'm sorry, but I can't sit still." she backed up against the nearest wall, and tried to calm down. She didn't know if this job was for her now that she knew she couldn't resist his blood. But, she was drawn to him more than likely like any younger female vampire would. She wanted to go to that door and run away, but his eyes held her down like a tied up dog.

[darius]

Darius simply eyed the vampire before him. There were few vampires that fed on their own kind. Fortunately, feeding on the blood of other vampires never killed anyone. At least not in the long run. Some have been drained to the point that they did not make it in from sunlight. Darius knew there was something different about her, and now he knew. She smelled of other vampires, and it was because she fed on vampire blood. His eyes gazed her down thoroughly and noticed how it was extremely difficult for her to keep still. Sighing softly, he rose from his chair and walked to a tiny refrigerator near his coffin. Opening it, he pulled out a packet of blood and two coffee mugs. Pouring one with half of the packet’s blood, and the other with the remaining half, he put the mugs in a microwave for a minute, one after the other and finally handed one mug to Nicka.

“I must apologize my dear,” he said to her, “I am normally not a fan for blood banks, but I keep some with me at all times when necessary. One is never sure of when they will face some grave damage from fire, or sunlight and will be in need of blood. I hope you do not mind O+ blood. It happens to be my favorite type. If need be, I will fetch another cup of blood, but in the meantime drink that and if a problem arises, I do believe I can handle myself. However, try to restrain yourself. I have a few of my coven members nearby and while I cannot guarantee you that I will not try to harm you too gravely, they will do everything in their power to protect me.”

A smile crossed his face again. While he felt some bit of remorse for the girl, he partially enjoyed what he saw. He did not show it in his stone cold eyes, but deep down, it was amusing to him. “As I said,” he begun again, “I will need your intentions for this position. If I did not wish to hire you, I would have never stood to speak to you. You looked like an obedient, and loyal vampire, so I saw it best to talk to you. Drink your blood, and let us talk about this job in question.” Sitting back in his chair, he kept his gaze locked onto her, examining her very form extensively, already prepared to react against anything that could, or would happen.

[Nicka Commen]

Nicka took the mug of blood and looked down in it and made a face. She slowly made her way back into the chair, crossing her legs. She sniffed the cup and sipped at it, making a face again. "Packaged blood. Eck." she groaned but forced it down well. She licked her lips free from blood, and looked at Darius. "Thank you for the drink." she slightly raised the cup and set it into her lap. She cleared her throat, and then decided to go onto the subject of the job.

Nicka drew in a breath to speak. "Well, I don't know if I want this to be so permanent. I have plans of my own to move to Vegas to get my coven back again. But, it all depends on how things work out here in New Orleans." she looked to the side, thinking of what else to say, and slowly continued. "I have been a bartender almost all my life. Hell, I mixed drinks for my mom since I was 6. I do a very good job at flaring bottles, my maker taught me how to do that. It does great with tips and gets others attention. Now, I don't know what your dress code for your bar is, but all the bars I've worked at require girls to show skin. I'm pretty much ok with that, just no open back shirts.” Nicka was ashamed of her back. When she was human, her mother’s junkie boyfriend whipped her with strips of wet leather just for the hell of it. The scars ran all across her back and they were deep.

Nicka then set her eyes back on Darius and smiled. “I guess that’s all I can say. I listen well to orders and I get along with people. Except for stupid people, I don’t mix well with those.” Nicka shrugged. “Yeah, that’s pretty much it. All your qualities of a good bartender.”

[darius]

Nodding to her when she thanked him for the blood, he thought about the problem she could pose if she was unable of controlling her thirst. Most of her situation were not that troublesome, but every once in a while, you got one that did not know when to stop. Paying attention to her words, he put what she had said to thought. “Well, while you are here, you will be given a place to stay. Considering your slight addiction to your kind’s blood, I would suggest you do your best to keep it in check. Most of the vampires here are not abhorrent to the thought of giving their blood to others of their own kind, but to do so often will result in problems, thus if you think it will be a problem, I suggest keeping a human locked in your room at all times, or at least have packs of blood present.”

When she asked for the dress code of the bar, he immediately moved from his desk with his aged vampiric speed and went from his desk to a nearby closet and to Nicka’s side with a thing of clothes within a manner of seconds. The uniform consisted of a fishnet shirt, and leather corset that went from the breast to the midsection. They were specifically made to cover the backs, thanks to one of the vampires in Darius’ coven that was gifted in crafting such clothing together. The bottom half consisted of a gothic-schoolgirl skirt with stockings and high heels. “We are fortunate to have a rather young vampiress in my coven’s ranks that was once a designer in her human life. She could have gone somewhere with her merchandise had I not turned her,” a smile went across his face as he mentioned one of the few vampires in his coven, “though she asked me to,” he added, “since then, she has designed the uniforms to fit my employees with a very specialized need, and are hardly recognizable from the rest of the vampires that arrive.”

Darius turned and walked back to his desk and pulled one of the drawers open. Finally, he pulled out a piece of paper and a pen and handed both to Nicka. “I must ask you to sign out this application,” he said, “unfortunately, these wretched things must be filled out by my coven in order to avoid suspicion. Fortunately though, the inspectors that have come through here in the past are too dumb to realize anything is strange. I do not even have to warp his mind to remain off their map, but they do have enough sense to make sure that they have a list of those that work here with us.” Darius walked to his coffin and leaned against it with his arms crossed as he waited for her to complete the application.

[Nicka Commen]

Nicka nodded as she took the uniform from him and looked it over. It wasn't bad. At Nicka's club it was free dress for the tenders, just as long as they showed cleavage. Better tips that way. "So I can deffinately tell the bar's theme is sort of, gothic." she almost laughed. She didn't mind the theme at all. The irony of a vampire owning a goth club was kind of funny to her. "I mean no disrespect, sire." she stopped her fidgetting as she tried not ot laugh and looked at him. She took the papers that he asked her to fill out. As she filled them out she listened to what he said about inspecters.

"Inspecters never give you a problem if you send your best girl after them. Handling the promblem yourself sometimes makes it more difficult for a vampire owner." she glanced up at him smirking. "That's how I-...er, I mean, my old boss did it." she finished the application and pushed it forward. She remembered the first time she had to deal with inspectors herself. Not to pretty. She was still a newborn, and she almost attacked him. If her maker's other ledgling, Barry, hadn't of been there, she would have killed the poor man. Even though she knew that wouldn't happen to the vampire before her. It was always a quick way to get the vermin out of your bar, send the prettiest girl out to them, pose them as the manager, they sign the papers in hopes of getting laid or something, and then the girl pushes em out.

Nicka sat back and smiled. "So I'm guessing I have the job?" she said. "Anymore questions?" she asked. She never really talked about her life unlesssomeone asked her. She was pretty open and honest abou most things. It's not like they can actually kill her for telling the truth. Nicka wasn't the type to be underestimated. Yes, she still had her human side, but man, you pissed her off, she'd rip your head clean off your shoulders. Her maker was one of the oldest vampires ever lived, and one of the strongest females she had ever known. Her maker, Joanna, had trained her for combat with the strongest of beings. Nicka had actually killed Joanna. One of the first Newborns to ever kill an elder of such high quality like Joanna.

Nicka folded her hands in her lap and waited for the vampire to speak.