Vassien Week

The modern age was a blessing and a curse.  Their secret had been thrust under a spotlight and of course, concerns and fears rose.  Violence and riots cropped up worldwide.  But others were more than willing to accept those that had walked beside them in secret for years.  Lucien had watched it all come and go as the centuries passed.  Now he was here and watching over a club.

Down below his eyes locked onto a red-haired beauty, her skin glowing under the lights.  She was the most beautiful human he had seen in quite some time and he slowly rose to his feet.  The eyes of his friends and companions tracking the movement momentarily distracted from what they had been focused on to see what he was going to do.

“I’ll be back,” was all he said before heading down from the private room he was in to the main dance floor below.  He easily maneuvered through the crowds, some women trying to stop him, but he shrugged off their hands and kept going.

Her hair flowed freely and he imagined how silky it would feel between his fingers, what her lips might feel like against his.  He felt his mouth go dry and his fangs descend.  Yes, it had been some time since he had felt this pull toward anyone.  He reached her, his hand stretched out to touch her smooth skin, to try and gain her attention over the thumping bass.  It was then that she spun, a smile on her face that slowly slipped when she saw him.  Not in fear or disgust but in surprise, he had startled her.

No words were exchanged as he pulled her into his arms and began to dance with her.  He couldn’t take his eyes off her gorgeous blue ones.  He could feel the erratic way her heart was beating and saw her breath hitch when he dipped her.  What was it about this one human that seemed to pull him in?  He lifted his gaze to hers, their eyes locked on one another for a moment as he raised her up, her hands clutching his arms.

He took her hand and began leading her from the dancefloor and up to a more private booth where they could speak freely.  The door shut softly behind them and she watched him, her body language not showing any signs of being afraid or wanting to hide away from him.  She watched him openly, studied his face, the way the light caught his hair as the strobe lights from the club flashed in the room.  

“You’re Lucien,” she spoke, her voice just as alluring as the rest of her.  “You come here often if the front pages are anything to believe.”

He cocked his head to the side and smiled, “You keep up with me?”

“No, my friends do,” she said, squaring her shoulders.  “I merely learn about you and the other vampires via forced proximity.”  She sat on the couch and crossed her legs, arching an eyebrow as she did so.  “I knew the club was filled with vampires, and that’s the whole reason my friend decided to come here tonight, but I must admit I wasn’t expecting to capture the attention of one of the most prominent figures of the city.”

He chuckled, “What can I say?  There was just something about you.”

She huffed a laugh, “I bet you say that to all the women.”

“No,” he said as he leaned back against the wall to give her space so she didn’t feel trapped or crowded.  “I do not.”

“So why bring me here?”  She asked, her earlier thumping heart had calmed and she didn’t seem all that nervous like the other humans would have been.  Maybe it was because she simply wasn’t looking for a one night romance with a vampire like the others.

“To speak freely and privately.  Like I said before there was something about you, and I wanted to get to know you properly.”  He gestured to the food spread along the wall to their left, along with the wine and other assorted drinks that could be found.  “Please help yourself to anything here.  And maybe we could start from the beginning.  You certainly know who I am, but I don’t have the pleasure of knowing your name, Miss.”

She wandered over to the spread he had gestured to and looked at him over her shoulder, “Vassa.  And that is all you will get out of me.”

“For now,” he liked the challenge because he saw that glint in her eye.  She was enjoying the mysterious edge she had over him.  He, as she had said before, was plastered all over the front pages.  People were constantly trying to get to know the youngest son of Beron Vanserra, one of the vampire’s oldest known families.

“I can’t stay long,” she said before she popped a grape into her mouth.  

He wandered closer to her lightly brushing his fingers against her back, “How long?”

“Until I get a text saying it’s time to go,” she said.  “So spend this time wisely, Vanserra.”

There was a certain thrill knowing nothing about her and yet being so exposed.  Her indifference to the fact that he was a vampire and a powerful one at that intrigued him.  She wasn’t here because of who or what he was.  They sat on the couch, her legs over his lap as he stroked her calves.  They laughed and talked about nothing and everything.  For the first time, he felt free like he had never felt before.  And the moment her phone dinged and her face changed as she read the text that had come through he knew their evening had come to an end.

“Will I see you again?”  He asked as she swung her legs off his lap and slipped her shoes back on.

Her eyes flickered up to his and she shrugged, “That depends on if I decide to come back here or not.”

She went to pass him and he caught her wrist, “Tell me how to find you.”

Leaning in close as if she were going to tell him a secret she brushed a kiss to his cheek and said, “Goodnight, Lucien.”  And then she was out the door and disappearing from the club.

Determination filled Lucien, he would find her again.  The woman had enchanted him thoroughly and he wanted to know more about her.  Her name was Vassa and he wondered how hard it would be to find someone with that name.