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Chapter 13

He lifted her up with his one arm, pressing her against the wall. She was young, just married perhaps. Thankfully none of the plagues had touched her too harshly to scar her skin. Credence had a fondness for healthy appearances. Hers was clearly eye catching, outside of a few bruises here and there.

Life's harsh, he thought.

He stared into her eyes, watching her fear. Or could it be excitement? He smiled at her, Fear of excitement, least her man hears us. His smile revealed his teeth, and her excitement fled like so much morning dew. Credence did not care, fear was more than morsel enough.

With his free hand he started unlacing her bodice, revealing her full breasts. She'd had at least one child, her wide hips and full figure would never do on a peasants yearly feed without such a consideration. Credence's traced a line up the curve of her revealing breast to her throat.

Her flesh was promising, her blood filling, yet Credence also yearned for entertainment. The glint in his eye must have warned her of what to expect as she thought to call out. Credence squeezed her throat, softly, at just the right places and pressed her harder. She went silent.

Running his finger back down her neck he slid bare her shoulder. Pulling, slowly, almost gently, downward he revealed her breast. His fingertips brushed across her nipple, then pinched till he could feel the involuntary hardening. Now he held her in place with his gaze, slipping his hand off her neck and baring both her shoulders now. His hand cupped her breast as he leaned towards her. As their lips touched he watched her eyes close - once again she felt excitement.

He could feel her heat. Her pulse throbbed to him through her breasts. His one hand continued to fondle her while the other wrapped around her waist. Her own hands moved, hesitantly at first, then more firmly up his arms and around his back. He felt her heat pulse to him through his garments, into his hands and against his lips.

Slowly his kisses moved down her chin and along her neck. With each touch of his lips he searched for her pulse, feeling for the throbbing, the pounding. As she lifted her leg against him, wrapping herself tightly to his body, he found her pulse along her neck. Gentle, wordless moans escaped her as his fangs slipped into her. Her body was grinding against his even as her heat become his own. He drank deeply, luxuriously enjoying her taste, the feel of her flesh heating his own, tasting more than just her blood.

Oh, yes, he thought, she will have a surprise for her abusive husband. And then feed upon her own children as a dessert. And she'd be satiated and sleepy long before dawn, long enough for her to be dragged helpless to watch the sun rise. Credence so enjoyed his entertainments.

As her heat drained and her body relaxed he again kissed her chin, then her lips. Running his own tongue against his teeth he pressed his lips to hers one last time. Only this time the kiss gave to her instead of drained. His blood ran down her tongue, his hand working along her throat to help her swallow. It wouldn't take much before she would return, hungry, cold and lusting for her loved ones.

Credence stepped back as she slid to the ground. Confident that she would revive shortly he allowed himself a moment to gaze down upon his deed. So young and once so innocent.

Her arm twitched.

Credence smiled, anticipating the entertainment in watching this lovely young form devour her own family. With a leap he made the roof's edge, and shifting himself to watch, vanished into shadows. He continued to watch as her hand moved back to her bare breasts. Her eyes snapped open even as she cupped her own breast, felt her own chest stilled of breath. Panic. She stared down at her own clothes, lifting them up as if to ask them what had happened. Her fingers brushed against her stomach, then she forgot her clothes while her hands ran up and down her stomach. A response to a hunger that had nothing to do with her digestion, a response so ingrained that Credence marveled each time he saw it.

She shifted, pulling her feet under her, crouching. Instead of pulling back on her clothes she pulled them away, leaving herself naked, feral. Animal instincts being burnt into her psyche by Credence's blood in her veins. Then Credence heard something - no, someone. An unexpected visitor. This will be interesting, he remembered how the random act of knocking over a lantern had lead to his own release from the same fate he had designed for the young flesh below him. If need be he'd leave her to survive or die on her own, in the meantime an unexpected visitor would be further entertainment.

The newly embraced didn't notice the intruder until she came into view. They both stopped, taking a moment to stare at one another. The new comer, if anything even healthier than Credence's toy, backed against a wall, arms outstretched. A position easily taken as fearful. Credence was not fooled though, the newcomers face did not hold fear but calculations. Credence made certain not to move.

The young vampire moved forward, cautious yet still feral. She had not the chance to learn what she was capable of, and every second she did not feed her hunger would grow by leaps and bounds. She glanced right, towards the entrance to her hovel. Before she turned back to face the new arrival she leapt forward. Credence smiled, it was a good ruse.

It didn't work. The young vampire was fast with hunger, yet the mortal was moving with trained experience. With a twist and thrust the mortal used the young vampires speed against her, slamming her against the ground. Yet, she didn't press the attack. Smart of her, thought Credence, and surely enough the young vampire's speed had her back on her feet at once. Credence wondered about this mortal female, who was she? As he watched her move, watched her fight, he felt more than just his hunger return.

The vampire managed to slash at her, cutting her along her leg. The mortal stumbled back, nearly falling. The young vampire jumped on the advantage. Only Credence could plainly see it was not an advantage, but a trap. With a snap the mortal thrust with shaft of a forgotten garden hoe upwards, impaling the young vampire. There was no scream, for she'd not yet drawn a breath after her reawakening. No, she simply crumpled to the ground to lay defeated.

Credence watched as the mortal regained her feet. He smiled as she reached down and broke off a part of the hoe's handle, Don't go unarmed, you don't know what might be lurking out there. She examined her leg, speaking to herself under her breath, perhaps even cursing.

Credence alighted a short distance from her softly. For a second she didn't notice his presence, then she glanced, startled, and scrambled to her feet. Credence waited patiently.

"You!" She hissed at him, "You did this," she pointed at the dead vampire beside her.

He smiled in answer, seeing no reason to debate the obvious.

"Damn you," she went to move and flinched. Credence did not shift a muscle, aware of the traps she could use to her advantage. "Do you have any idea how long I've been hunting you?"

That surprised Credence as nothing else that evening had. Then he realized who this was, Cassandra, his young cousin. Had it been that many years since? So long since he'd devoured his own family - uncle and aunt as well - before the fire had burnt down their farmhouse? He had thought she'd perished in the flames, the one family member to get away. Yet she'd lived. And followed him, To follow in my footsteps. He smiled broadly.

She shifted, her own confidence lagging.

Credence opened his arms to her and calmly stepped forward. She raised her stake and shifted her stance, no longer pretending the wound hindered her. Credence paused, lowering his arms a touch, tilting his head, questioning.

They gazed into each others eyes.

Years before Credence was told that the peasantry believed that ilk of his kind could enter the minds of the weak, plying them to their own ends. Credence had laughed at that, before killing the peasant who had said as much. No, Credence could not enter the minds of others. He could, though, let others into his own mind - to feel what he felt, to sense what he sensed, to taste his desire.

Cassandra inhaled sharply, the sensations engulfing her. She felt heat, could feel her heart pumping loud and hard against her chest. Her skin tingled as she watched Credence step closer. She raised her stake, even as the heat suffused her body. The waves of heat and the feel of the cool air against her skin washed down her chest and along her thighs. Her legs felt weak, yet she held her stance as Credence took another step. She wondered what took him so long, why did he not rush her. He simply came, step by step, staring deeply into her eyes as she felt the warmth rise into desire. Her breasts felt on fire, she wasn't even aware of her own hand loosening her clothes - only of the cool night air causing her nipples to harden. She stood up straight now, yet the stake was still raised before her as she watched Credence step up to it. Her gaze was so locked onto his own that she didn't even feel him walk into the raised stake. What she did feel was his finger tip tracing a line along the curve of her neck. It sent shivers down her whole body till she feared she'd stumble and loose sight of him. Her skin was electrified by his gentle stroke, the heat surging through her thighs muscles began to spasm.

Do you feel that desire? he asked her.

She couldn't speak, she could barely think, Oh yes.

Do you want to feel that desire for all eternity? His fingertips slid down her throat, pulling open loosened clothing to reveal her breasts. He traced the firm curve till his fingertips brushed against her hardened nipples. She moaned even as she felt the heat between her thighs blossom and pour down her legs. Even then, the desire didn't stop, if anything the heat between her legs only added fuel to the fire. To the sensation that felt more enticing than any she'd ever knew existed, Oh, God, yes, forever!

And will you do anything it takes to keep your desire burning?

She gazed into his eyes even as his hands slid around her waist. She looked up at his face, pale except where the peasants blood still trailed down his chin. She watched as he smiled down at her, revealing his fangs. She closed her eyes as she leaned her head back, revealing her throat to him, Anything!

She welcomed his arms around her, pulling back her hair, running up and down her bare back. She wrapped her own arms around him. The stake rolled down his back to land at their feet, forgotten. Her hands pressed against his own neck and pushed his mouth down to her waiting throat. Pressing herself against him she moaned softly.

Credence drank fully, deeply, Ah, once so young. So innocent.

And suddenly for the first time in nine hundred and thirty five years the old vampire was aroused from his sleep before the sun had gone down. Something was not right…something was not right at all…..they did not dream..they could not dream…..how was this even possible?

And suddenly her face flitted before his eyes…and the memory of the kiss warmed the ice in his veins…

She was the one he had been promised….the heiress….

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