Page 63 of Of Fate & Forbidden Desire

Melting into the shadows cast from the street lights being just too far apart, I made my way into the city of Edinbrugh through the network of streets and alleyways. It was alive tonight with people drinking, walking home from lateshifts and those who are homeless. In a world with so much wealth, it really was heartbreaking to see those who have to go without the basic necessities like housing, food or amenities. However, those same people with no home to go to are who vampires can rely on to feed us if we need to. Although tonight I wasn’t looking for the blood bank equivalent of fast food, I need something more substantial.

Not being able to help Charleene had made me feel redundant in a way and tonight, I wanted to chase and hunt my prey. To dominate it.

I headed to the rougher parts of the city, watching for the perfect victim. Someone who was bad enough to warrant me hunting them, but not too evil that I would lose my self control. I also required someone that no one would believe if they remembered me feeding from them. Let's face it, who would believe that a person would bite and drink from another person.

It took me over an hour to find someone dealing drugs to an addict who looked so far out of her right mind that it seemed laughable for him to be taking the money from her shaking hand. Waiting until the transaction had been completed and the woman had scurried off, I began my hunt. I let my feet fall heavily on the pavement, close enough that he started throwing glances over his shoulder but keeping far enough away to make him doubt if I was following him. His glances became quick flicks as he turned a corner and I followed. After the third corner his strides grew faster, until another street later he was almost running.

Tasting his fear taint the air, I let a cruel smile twist my lips into a sneer and made myself catch up to him. I was within grabbing distance when he finally found his balls and spun on the spot to face me.

“What ya want lass?” The scumbag asked, showing me his black and missing teeth in the process, “You after a score?”

My lips peeled back from my own perfectly white teeth at his words. “Why would I want your poison?”

“Then wha’ ya followin’ me fer?” he asked, seeming genuinely perplexed with the situation he found himself in.

“To teach you a lesson.” I all but growled at him, letting my own monster dangerously close to the surface and my fangs descend.

The streetlights in this part of town were not maintained very well and every other one seemed to be broken, however the scumbag still had enough light to see them.

“Wha’ are yer?” he asked, narrowing his eyes at me.

“Your worst nightmare.” I deadpanned, before grabbing his throat in one hand and the fist he threw at me in the other. Using my superior strength I forced him down the alleyway we'd stopped next to.

Cutting off his oxygen stopped any noises from leaving his foul, rotten mouth and his free hand clawed at my unbreakable skin as he tried to free himself. Smiling viciously, I allowed him to struggle as I took him to the bottom of the alley. There were no windows, and at this time of night, there would be no one to offer him aid, as I tilted his head and roughly tore into his rancid skin. The stench of his body odour was overpowering as it mixed with the scent of fresh piss. His struggles grew more frantic and he kicked out at my legs, hoping to dislodge me as the first spurt of his blood hit my tongue.

I almost spat it back at him as its bitter taste coated my tongue like oil. The drugs coursing through his system tainted it and made it taste disgusting. However, I'd started now and needed to force myself to drain enough for him to lose consciousness. If he passed out his brain would assuage him that this had all been a drug fueled nightmare. There'd be no marks to say otherwise, when he woke. Forcing myself to drink faster, I smiled against his sweaty neck as his fight lessened with each heavy pull, until finally he sagged in my hand.

Thankfully pulling away, I forced myself to lick my puncture wounds, before dropping him in a heap at my feet.It’s going to take days of donated blood to wash my mouth clean, I thought to myself, trying not to retch as I headed off back towards the city centre and the first contact I had here.

So far my night had been a complete failure. My first two contacts could only tell me that the Nicnevin Witches had been persecuted more than others throughout history, making them secretive and aloof. None of them could tell me why the Coven decided to fully withdraw into obscurity. One had heard murmurs of a strange place outside of Glasgow, where it was said that people walked one way only to find themselves turning around. The other had said the same about rumours from up near Inverness. I was hoping that my final contact would be able to find them for me, but I wasn't holding out much hope.

Still trying to free my mouth of my last meal, I step up to Carol's front door and press the button of her doorbell. It was already well past midnight but I wasn't afraid of waking her, she'd been expecting me after all, and it wasn't as though vampires typically kept to sociable hours. The door of the tall brownstone building opened a crack and Carol’s one green eye met mine.

“Adrina.” She greeted me coldly, swinging the door open further so I could enter. There was no love lost between me and Carol, but she was too afraid of my Coven and myself, to deny me information.

“Carol,” I matched her tone and walked further down the thin hallway, towards the kitchen at the back. The air was heavy with the scent of sage and smoke still clung in thinly to the ceiling.

“Well make yoursen at home, why don't ya.” She grumbled, closing the door behind her with a sharp bang.

“I need to locate the Nicniven Coven.” I said with no more preamble as she shuffled into the kitchen to join me.

“Now there's a name I ain't heard in a long time,” she rambled, “Wha’ yer want with them?”

“That's none of your business,” I informed her, narrowing my eyes to match hers.

“Well they ain’t been seen in almost twenty odd years, findin’ ‘em will be difficult.” She mused.

“I'll pay double, can you find them or not?” I asked, taking out the thick roll of cash I'd taken from the drug dealing scum.

“Course I can.” She scoffed with a snort, as though my doubts were unfounded. Carol was a witch who specialised in scrying.

I propped one shoulder against the kitchen door frame, watching as she gathered everything she would need and laid it all out on the table. She lit four candles to represent the elements and poured water into the scrying bowl. Carol chanted quietly, speaking words only she needed to hear, and watched as smoke rose from the water, filling the bowl and dancing hypnotically near the top. Carol’s normal—one blue, one green— eyes were now a cloudy white as she raised her head and settled them on me. A shiver ran down my spine as her voice took on an otherworldly tone; no matter how many times she’d used it in the past it always had the same effect.

“Speak your question and receive your answer.”

“I require to know the location of the Nicnevin Coven.” I responded, keeping my words clear and concise.

The minutes dragged by slowly as Carol sat unblinking, her lips moving silently. “They are bound to Scotland.” Her otherworldly voice intoned, unhelpfully.

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