The Vampire Xia

Finished, she looked at herself in the mirror and had to hand it to the man, this dress was something else. She had noted the hints of gold until she had put it on and walked towards the mirror. In the light her dressed shimmer into dark red almost black hues with a soft golden twinkling. It was beyond anything she could have imaged. Her daggers were able to be strapped to her upper thighs and the dress hid them perfectly, but they were at easy access. She wondered if Mizushima had planned it that way.

She shook her head and slipped out of the room to relieve the boys, finding Henngian already there, dressed in a lovely lavender gown, with simple lines, beautiful pearls encrusting the waist and running down the side slit of the dress. Something she had excepted to wear when Mizushima had mentioned a down. Mizushima stood at the other side, silent and watchful.

“Henngian you look lovely. The color is amazing on you!” She exclaimed taking in the gown on the tall and slim vampire.

“Thank you! You look drop dead gorgeous! I can’t wait until the nobles see you! Their mouths and pants are going to drop!” Hennigan replied huskily and Awendela noticed an almost predatory look in the vampire’s eyes as she skimmed her over.

Awendela remember that sex was not gender oriented for vampires who were very sensual creatures and wonder how much trouble she was going to get into because of this dress.

“Mizushima remind me to repay you for this dress. Don’t you think it is a little over the top?” she asked turning her attention to him in order to avoid Hennigan’s hungry look.

The vampire however looked hungrier then Hennigan, his eyes were dilated and focused very intently. He shifted forward towards her, and she knew based on everything she knew and had learned over the centuries about vampire was not to bolt.

He shifted into her personal space, “I think I need to repay myself.”

“You are eying me like a piece of meat. Back off and get yourself under control or I will send you home right this moment.”

Her eyes were cold and her tone colder and it seemed to help snap the vampire out of his funk, his eyes returned to normal and he grinned at her.

“Ya, but I don’t like my meat tough, I like it soft and tender,” he replied jokingly, sounding more like himself with a slight roughness to his voice.

“Sorry to disappoint then because I am very tough and tasteless. You are switching with
Anderson and have the outer perimeter of the ball room.”

He knew better then to argue and merely nodded before leaving to get ready.

She sighed rubbing her temples wondering how badly the night was going to go.

“That was nicely handled.”

“Ya, but you can stop eyeing me too,” she replied tartly to Hennigan.

“I like penis don’t worry. While girls are fun to play with I would never tangle with a nephilim, no matter how exciting it might be in bed.”

“Ugh, can we change the subject please!”

Hennigan’s crystal laugh filled the hall which is what she wanted, normality. They guarded the door until the boys returned, dressed formal suits, Anderson with grey touches and Mizushima with violet accents.

“Mizushima, Hennigan go to the ball room and do a sweep, Anderson and I will enter with the Xia in ten minutes. The guests should already be there.”

They left without a word and Anderson arched an eyebrow at her in regard of the change in assignment. She gave a quick shake of her head and he knew not to ask. Awendela rapped her knuckles on the door then entered when she felt the Xia’s approval on her mind.

Awendela entered the room, finding the Xia in a simple yet well fitted black suit, his back towards her as he fiddled with something on his desk, “you did well in handling Mizushima.”

“I had a feeling you would have felt that.”

“I didn’t need the connection to feel that, you two were outside the door and I could smell his pheromones, pretty sure everyone in the ball could. They will be curious as to what caused it.”

“Great, as least they won’t find out,” she muttered as the Xia turned around.

“Oh, but I think they will,” he answered as he took her in, his eyes studying her from top to bottom, not bothering to be discreet about it.

“That dress was very well chosen. You look powerful yet soft, sexy yet elegant. You look like everything you are, a powerful woman who could slay men both with her body and her words.”
She couldn’t help the blush that rose to her cheeks, he chuckled and stepped towards her, his hand reaching towards her, she held perfectly still as he removed the pins that lifted her curls, sending them rolling down her head and around her face.

“Better.”

He walked to the door and she shifted into position at his right and slightly behind. Anderson fell into step at the Xia’s left side as they walked down the hall; he eyed her hair and gave her a grin of approval.

Damn, vampires, she thought to herself as they entered the ballroom. Music played, vampires were milling about chatting; they couldn’t dance until the Xia opened the dance floor which he normally did with Lady Lilith. She wondered which noblewoman would have the honor this night. The vampire shifted to look at their King, bowing and curtsy as he walked to the dance floor, obviously intending to open it immediately, but it was the whispering left behind that put Awendela on edge because it was her name on their lips.

The Xia turned and lifted his hand to her, she blinked and looked at him in surprise as he took her hand and pulled her into his arms, a new song started and he shifted them in dance. The glided across the empty dance floor, the nobles and ladies watching in a mixture of awe, lust and disgust. Awendela however was fully focused on the Xia.

~I did not realize I would be assisting in opening the dance this evening.~

~Not the originally intention but the dress is something to behold and I figured this way the vampire could gawk their fill and hopefully leave you be for the evening. Otherwise you might have been fending off vampires the entire evening. I will admit you still might have that problem.~

~Oh heavens forbid it. I have a job to do, I am not a guest. I am not dancing again after this.~

~Agreed.~

Soon the song ended and the filled with applause before another song was started and the vampires began to dance and make merry. The Xia, however, moved towards his guest and began to chat with them. The good thing about this kind of security was she didn’t have to be glued to his side but could wonder some. She slipped from his eyes, giving Anderson a look, he immediately moved towards his King but stayed a bit away to allow the King an illusion of privacy and freedom.

Awendela shifted around the vampires, forced to stop and make short pleasantries with a few, give thank-you to the compliments on her appearance and decline offers of dance. She slipped away with simple words that she was working and they left her well enough alone but she noted several sour looks aimed her way.

“You look stunning. May I have this dance?” a husky voice said softly into her ear, she froze for a variety of reasons.

First, she hadn’t sensed him approach her. Second, he was a vampire and she always sensed vampires. Third, only one vampire could hide from her and it was because he had been the same as her, a nephilim. Her eyes turned to look at her brother, he looked down at her with a look of pure want and need.

She threw up a thick barrier against the Xia as her heart went cold with terror. She had never really been frightened of her vampire-turned brother until now. There was something ‘off’ tonight. The last thing she needed was the Xia noting her emotions and thinking she couldn’t handle the situation.

“Apologize but I am working. Excuse me,” she said and tried to walk away but a grip of steel on her wrist all but yanked her back into place.

She felt the tiny bones protest and grind under the grip and her bones were extremely strong.

“Let go,” she hissed under her breath, trying to not cause a scene.

“Then dance with me.”

“I am working. I cannot dance with you,” she all but growled.

“You danced with him,” he replied, anger clear in his voice.

“That is my boss and I helped him open the dance floor. It was work.”

The grip tightened and she took a sharp intake of breath as bones snapped sending a course of sharp pain up her arm but there was no other indication that he had just broken her wrist.

“Dance. with. me. now.” Devon said harshly but suddenly dropping her wrist, shaking his hand in pain, his palm blistered and red but already rapidly healing.

She smiled coldly, “don’t forget dear brother, I have not changed while you have. Touch me again and I will make you regret it.”

Awendela had been prepared to go when Duke Anton Volikov suddenly joined them.

“Ah Devon there you are!”

“Master,” Devon said bowing to the man.

Awendela turned her head to the Duke. That explained the question about her brother.

“Ah Ms. Shemihaza! Catching up with your brother? He has been talking non-stop about dancing with you tonight. Please don’t disappoint him! He speaks highly of you!”

“I am afraid she already has, master,” Devon replied with sweet innocence lifting his hands in defeat as if he was a two year child and she the mean older sister who wouldn’t play with him.

“As, I told my brother, your Lordship. I am on duty,” she replied, her hands clasped in front of her, her good hand holding her broken wrist, applying pressure to a pressure point to ease the pain.

“Surely one dance wouldn’t hurt. He is family. The Xia would surely understand that!” the Duke said good naturedly.

“What would I understand?” the Xia asked suddenly appearing behind her though she had sensed him because of the connection.

~Are you ok?~

“Your Majesty! Devon here would like a dance with his sister, who is duty. Surely you would allow her one dance with her brother.”

~Fine.~

“I see nothing wrong with it unless of course you don’t wish to Awendela,” he replied calmly.
Awendela knew this was a delicate situation. Her brother was a scion of this vampire, a powerful clan leader, the last thing she needed to do was insult him by refusing to dance with his scion who was also her brother.

“Of course I would love to dance with my brother! I merely did not wish to impose on my position here. I am here at all as an employee not a guest.”

“It is a very respectful thing to try to keep your personal life and career separate my dear, but sometimes it will mix due to who you are,” the Duke replied matter-of-factly.

“Indeed it does. If you gentle will excuse us, I do believe I owe my brother a dance,” she replied taking her brother’s proffered arm and allowed herself to be lead to the dance floor.

The song was a waltz and her brother pulled her close to him, far too close for comfort or appropriate for siblings. He held her in steel vice, one hand on her lower back, insuring she stayed in place, the other holding her hand of her broken wrist, her good hand on his shoulder as he shifted them through the waltz.

“I don’t appreciate you blowing me off that like.”

“And I don’t appreciate you breaking my wrist,” she snapped back.

“You’ll heal,” he replied dismissively.

“So will you,” she growled.

“Oh, but I won’t. Every harsh word you have said to me over the past ten years has been ripping into my heart and soul, wounding me. You think I would merely let those go because you are my sister?”

Awendela stared at her brother. He was different from two months ago. A lot different and she could only guess at what had caused the change.

“What is it you are trying to say to me brother?”

“You come with me while you have the chance. Don’t die for a powerless King. He is going to topple over and you will be dragged down with him. The rebels won’t care that you are just an employee. They see you as a Watcher and not just any Watcher but the heir of the Watchers, one of the most important beings in existent. Do you think the rebels will merely let you go? The rebels will you use as leverage against the Watcher’s. They will torture you and wait until you beg for death then keep you alive to spite you. They will only put you out of your misery when you become a boring play toy with little use left. An angel with broken, black wings.”

“Do you see me as so powerless brother?” she hissed.

“You will kill many in the process but in the end the sheer numbers will force you to yield. You are not all powerful. You have weaknesses,” he said whispering the last into her ear as the song ended.

“Remember what I have offered, you have a month to decide. Choose wisely.”

He walked away from her then, leaving her on the dance floor. She trembled by the weight of his words.

“You have weaknesses.”

There was a threat in those words that wasn’t just aimed at her but at her entire species. Surely her brother wouldn’t tell the rebels the secrets of the nephilims.

Notes

Sorry for the delay!