Slender ebony fingers squeezed the delicate neck of her willing victim. She tilted her head to the side to better access her jugular. Her bat fangs were protruding, ready to gouge away at her throat for blood. Lux would not have hesitated to drink, mostly because she always indulged herself. She would have sunk her teeth deep into the delicate human skin and fed on that beautiful woman without thinking twice about it. Yet, she wasn't at ease. She felt that someone was observing her and she couldn't locate them. Her hunger forced her to refocus on her blood bag.
As she savored the delicious crimson liquid, she felt the uncomfortable sensation of being observed increase. She stopped feeding and focused her attention on the room. It was a beautiful ballroom, filled with hungry night-dwellers and humans. The place was known to be a nightclub for the upper class and few knew that it was a hot spot for the creatures of the night. It was supposed to be a safe place as the rules enforced in the club were that no fights should occur there. Murder wasn't allowed either and was punished by Death. So for centuries, it was understood that the nightclub was sacred ground and no one violated the rules. So why did she feel oppressed?
Lux licked the blood off of her lips and leaned back in her chair, assuming a relaxed position while she was busy scanning the ballroom. She could identify most of the well-known vampires gathered that night and most seemed to be minding their own business. Briefly, as the superb blonde woman she was drinking from came back to her senses, Lux was distracted. The woman held onto her hand and put it back on her throat as she wanted Lux to feed on her again. It was tempting and the vampire licked her lips for a moment but she shook her head and decided to stroke the blonde's cheek.
"Give it a rest Kelly. I took a lot of blood from you."
"Lux... I probably shouldn't be telling you this but someone asked me to keep you busy tonight."
Lux flashed her fangs at her and grabbed her cheeks in a fit of rage. Why was she informed only now? Who knew enough of her habits to know she liked to feed on Kelly? Kelly gasped and held onto the vampire's wrists. Lux's red eyes glowed as anger was slowly taking over. She remembered the rules of the club and released Kelly's cheeks. The woman tried to soothe the pain she felt in her cheeks with gentle strokes before she resumed talking.
"They told me that you needed some strength back and that I should let you feed for most of the night. I.. believed them. I thought I was helping you."
"Who asked you this, Kelly?" -Lux's anger was bubbling at the surface.-
Kelly could tell that she was beside herself and trying her damnest to keep her emotions in check. Had they not been in public, in that specific place, perhaps she would have been tortured to speak or worse. It bothered Lux a lot that her most trusted ally had been approached and literally used against her. Who would want her to be busy? Did they know about her inquiries and private investigation? Aside from Alceste, nobody knew why Lux was trying to locate the elders. They believed she wanted to find their resting places to pay her respects. They believed she was a history buff who wanted nothing more but to know about their origins for her own knowledge of Vampiredom.
It wasn't unheard of, some vampires were attached to old traditions and still lived like a couple centuries ago. Some even went as far as going on pilgrimage to the places their ancestors lived, akin to humans visiting places where their most illustrious kin were born or grew up. Vampires still wanted to keep a trace of their civilizations and history throughout the ages. Perhaps, a long-lost human trait. perhaps... That was beside the point, however, because while her interest in Elder Vampires wasn't new or shocking, the fact someone was trying to keep tabs on her was.
"He... It was a male vampire. I know he's a French vampire because of the accent. Frederic! I think his name is Frederic!"
"Does he have long blonde hair?" -She nodded- "And does he have green eyes?" -Kelly frantically nodded-"Thank you, Kelly." -She cupped her cheek once again and stroked it with her thumb.- "I appreciate your loyalty to me. I will make sure that nothing happens to you and pretend I don't know Frederic is the one spying on me right now."
"Should I know who this Frederic is?" -Vanya shook her head- "Thank you, Lux. He scared the hell out of me and I don't want to meet him ever again. I assume you're not hungry anymore?"
"You're spot on. I think we can entertain a conversation while I gather my thoughts and think of a way to intercept Frederic to ask him what he wants from me. Please, Kelly, tell me more about your family drama!"
And while the blonde woman started to talk, Lux's attention focused on her surroundings. now that she knew Frederic was the one observing her, she was able to focus on finding him. Vain as he was, he definitely would have been the one observing her. He believed he was superior to her because he was older but like she said to her sire, they had the blood of an elder vampire rushing through their veins, therefore they were far more powerful than even older vampires. Lux was underestimated by most of her peers, who believed that her oddly shaped teeth made her a runt, easily overpowered by the rest of them. they were mesmerized by her uncanny beauty, even to vampire standards with her red hair and black sclera, but aside from thinking she was an exotic creature, most didn't consider her to be their equal.
It forced Lux to beat them at their own games. Her sire ensured she was well-read, well-traveled, and well-accustomed to their customs and traditions. He wanted to make sure that whatever it was they challenged her with, she was up to the task and even better than most of them. Of course, even Lux had limits and while any young or mediocre vampire could easily be outclassed and outsmarted, some posed an actual challenge and forced Lux to push herself beyond her limitations. Her capacity to always go further earned her some respect but she couldn't shake off the disdain and sense of superiority most older vampires had when it came to her. Frederic was no exception. He was one of the most vocal about rejecting Lux as Aurelius' offspring but he was forced to accept her which always left a bitter taste in his mouth. If he knew she was looking into the elder vampires, perhaps he saw an opportunity to ruin her reputation? She had to figure this out as fast as possible if she didn't want him to become a hindrance in her investigation.
When Kelly decided to leave the party, Lux followed and both went their separate ways after they bid farewell to each other. Lux walked in a dark alley, badly lit by public lighting. She could still feel uneased like in the club and knew that Frederic was following her. She decided to take a turn to a small alley and stopped walking when she was deep into it. She then shrugged and slowly turned around. She was hoping that her guesses were right and that she was indeed followed by the French vampire Frederic. It was a gamble but she was ready to play that game and mentally prepared herself for a fight that night in case she was wrong.
"Perhaps now would be the best time to reveal yourself, Frederic."
-TBC-