Retribution
I wasn't sure if I could really go through with it.
There's no explanation for why I waited so long to act. This plan has been floating around in the back of my mind since I found out what happened and seeing him for the first time several nights ago only assured me of my eventual success.
He is such a creature of habit that even though he was careful not to tell me where he had been staying, locating him was easily done. I found him on the Boulevard des Capucines... in a hotel not far from where the Saint-Gabriel once stood. I have never been adept at reading the thoughts of the mortals around me, but those who had seen him pass by that night had a vivid image in their minds which led me directly to his room.
There was the briefest moment of hesitation as I grasped the door handle, but I quickly swallowed down my apprehension and stepped inside.
I saw him immediately, but he didn't seem to notice me. Cautiously I approached the leather recliner, uncertain of why he hadn't moved or spoken yet. His face was illuminated by he dim glow of one small lamp on the table nearby and he looked even more gaunt and pale than he had been when we last spoke. Monstrous, yet still as beautiful as he had ever been. His eyes were closed as if he were in a deep sleep and when I leaned in closer I could hear the shallow beating of his heart. He was dying slowly... and perhaps some might see it as an act of mercy to simply quicken the pace. Ah, but I've never been a merciful man. My motives tonight were fueled by something far more vindictive.
Unable to resist the temptation, I reached out to stroke his cheek. His eyes were open in an instant and his hand shot out to grasp my wrist.
“What are you doing here?” His voice was little more than whisper and I could tell the he was not nearly as upset by my presence as he was by the fact that he had been caught off guard in a building filled with mortals.
“I just want to talk” I lied, easily prying his thin fingers loose from my arm and resting my hand on his shoulder.
“There is nothing more to discuss,” he explained in an irritatingly polite tone. “We have come to an agreement.”
If this was going to work at all, I'd need a little cooperation.
“Non, not about that,” I continued. My hand slipped down just slightly and my thumb brushed the smooth skin of his throat. A small red mark was still visible there. Immortal flesh does not heal so quickly when lost blood is not replenished. I bent down until my lips where only inches from his ear and whispered...“Do you know how much I've missed you?”
His body tensed visibly and he turned his head to one side, unable to look me in the eye. I knew he didn't want to think about the time we shared here in the City of Lights. I was like some dirty little secret to him... a mistake that should never have happened, but could not be erased. I hated him for making me feel so insignificant.
“Louis...” I would not be ignored. When those gorgeous emerald eyes finally met mine, I nearly forgot my plan completely.
I didn't give him a chance to speak or even think. I had learned a few years back that the best way to get what I want from Louis is to surprise him. I pressed my tongue against one sharp fang until I could taste my own blood then I leaned in to kiss him. At first, he simply sat there... as still and cold as some ancient marble statue, but eventually his lips parted in sweet surrender and I felt his arms slip around my shoulders to draw me closer. No one can ever resist me for long.
There wasn't much time. Hesitating or pausing for even just a moment could mean disaster.
The recliner creaked and tilted back as I climbed onto it trapping him beneath me... though he didn't realise it yet. My mouth left his, moving past his chin and down his neck until I could feel the slow beating of his pulse beneath my lips. He didn't try to stop me, but he would soon if I failed to act quickly. His moan when my teeth broke his flesh was like music to my ears.
We both knew there wasn't enough blood for me to take, but I took it just the same... swallowing it down in great gushing gulps. Images of his life... the life I should have lived... flickered through my mind and by the time he realised what was happening, he was already too weak to fight me. The fingers that were tangled into my hair curled into fists and pounded against my chest in a futile attempt to throw me off, but I held fast, drinking down every last drop of blood that he had left to spare.
He was unconscious when I finally released him and he remained that way when I left him in a place where the morning sun will be sure to find him.
There's no explanation for why I waited so long to act. This plan has been floating around in the back of my mind since I found out what happened and seeing him for the first time several nights ago only assured me of my eventual success.
He is such a creature of habit that even though he was careful not to tell me where he had been staying, locating him was easily done. I found him on the Boulevard des Capucines... in a hotel not far from where the Saint-Gabriel once stood. I have never been adept at reading the thoughts of the mortals around me, but those who had seen him pass by that night had a vivid image in their minds which led me directly to his room.
There was the briefest moment of hesitation as I grasped the door handle, but I quickly swallowed down my apprehension and stepped inside.
I saw him immediately, but he didn't seem to notice me. Cautiously I approached the leather recliner, uncertain of why he hadn't moved or spoken yet. His face was illuminated by he dim glow of one small lamp on the table nearby and he looked even more gaunt and pale than he had been when we last spoke. Monstrous, yet still as beautiful as he had ever been. His eyes were closed as if he were in a deep sleep and when I leaned in closer I could hear the shallow beating of his heart. He was dying slowly... and perhaps some might see it as an act of mercy to simply quicken the pace. Ah, but I've never been a merciful man. My motives tonight were fueled by something far more vindictive.
Unable to resist the temptation, I reached out to stroke his cheek. His eyes were open in an instant and his hand shot out to grasp my wrist.
“What are you doing here?” His voice was little more than whisper and I could tell the he was not nearly as upset by my presence as he was by the fact that he had been caught off guard in a building filled with mortals.
“I just want to talk” I lied, easily prying his thin fingers loose from my arm and resting my hand on his shoulder.
“There is nothing more to discuss,” he explained in an irritatingly polite tone. “We have come to an agreement.”
If this was going to work at all, I'd need a little cooperation.
“Non, not about that,” I continued. My hand slipped down just slightly and my thumb brushed the smooth skin of his throat. A small red mark was still visible there. Immortal flesh does not heal so quickly when lost blood is not replenished. I bent down until my lips where only inches from his ear and whispered...“Do you know how much I've missed you?”
His body tensed visibly and he turned his head to one side, unable to look me in the eye. I knew he didn't want to think about the time we shared here in the City of Lights. I was like some dirty little secret to him... a mistake that should never have happened, but could not be erased. I hated him for making me feel so insignificant.
“Louis...” I would not be ignored. When those gorgeous emerald eyes finally met mine, I nearly forgot my plan completely.
I didn't give him a chance to speak or even think. I had learned a few years back that the best way to get what I want from Louis is to surprise him. I pressed my tongue against one sharp fang until I could taste my own blood then I leaned in to kiss him. At first, he simply sat there... as still and cold as some ancient marble statue, but eventually his lips parted in sweet surrender and I felt his arms slip around my shoulders to draw me closer. No one can ever resist me for long.
There wasn't much time. Hesitating or pausing for even just a moment could mean disaster.
The recliner creaked and tilted back as I climbed onto it trapping him beneath me... though he didn't realise it yet. My mouth left his, moving past his chin and down his neck until I could feel the slow beating of his pulse beneath my lips. He didn't try to stop me, but he would soon if I failed to act quickly. His moan when my teeth broke his flesh was like music to my ears.
We both knew there wasn't enough blood for me to take, but I took it just the same... swallowing it down in great gushing gulps. Images of his life... the life I should have lived... flickered through my mind and by the time he realised what was happening, he was already too weak to fight me. The fingers that were tangled into my hair curled into fists and pounded against my chest in a futile attempt to throw me off, but I held fast, drinking down every last drop of blood that he had left to spare.
He was unconscious when I finally released him and he remained that way when I left him in a place where the morning sun will be sure to find him.