Fallen From Grace – Minisode 1: Blood Beginnings

Copyright 2017 Nicola C. Matthews

All Rights Reserved

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NOTICE: For those who like what you’ve read so far, I’ll be posting more chapters of this devious tale over on Royal Roads. You can find me under the nickname that many of you are so fond of calling me – NikkiMatt. If you are into surfing the net and want to read more, head on over to RoyalRoadsl.com and see what goodies you can find.

Chapter 1:

“And, and you know what – what else?” he asked as he sat swaying in his chair slightly.

Aleria looked over at Gnash, the master vampire of the Fallen From Grace coven. He had been a regular at the Leather and Lace Gentleman’s Club for the past two years, maybe longer. He was always there every Friday and Saturday night during her regular shift, from sundown until just past three in the morning, a few short hours before dawn. He was always sitting on the same stool, wearing the same leather jacket, jeans, and black shirt, his shoulder-length straight black hair half-heartedly pulled back away from his face.

The longer he sat on his stool, the drunker he got, which was the whole reason for him being there. In the past few years, they had talked about a great many things – her life, his life, her goals, history, music, politics, and any and everything else which popped into their heads. The drunker he got, the more he talked, and the funnier he got. They had become pretty close, and she had her suspicions that a less-than-ideal home life was the driving force behind his consistent visits in recent years.

“Gnash, darlin’, don’t you think it’s about time you headed to your coffin?” she asked as she wiped down the bar. It was nearly four in the morning, well past Gnash’s usual self-imposed cutoff time. The place was almost empty of vampires, fang-whores, and vamp tramps, the last few incapacitated humans being roused from their fang-gasm induced slumber and dropped into the club’s own personal cab service.

She glanced over at the manager as he hefted a young man from one of the corner booths, her bright blue eyes drawn to the movement more so than anything else. The young man’s gaze caught her own, and he sobered up just enough to wave. She tried not to smile. It seemed no matter where she went, if there was a supernatural in the area they were going to find her. Vampire, werewolf, it mattered not. They all seemed drawn to her like a moth to a flame.

“Nope,” Gnash said in answer to her question, the word slurred as his body tilted so far to the left she thought for sure he was going to fall right off his stool. “I’m gonna, gonna stay right here until I finish this drink, and then, then I’m gonna …” his words trailed off as he glanced down at the empty glass sitting in front of him. “Who the fuck drank my Black Leather?”

Aleria snorted, grinning at him as she wiped a stray piece of hair out of her face. “You, did, Gnash, about fifteen minutes ago.”

He looked at her, his dark brown eyes taking in the strawberry-blonde hair which was barely still held in its elastic band, the tendrils outlining her round face like a halo. She was wearing the same black shirt she always wore, with the little “L&L” embroidered on the left shoulder, her skin and hair a stark contrast.

“Damn,” he muttered before he hiccupped rather loudly. “Guess my blood-to-alcohol level … finally, finally … tipped over in favor of the sauce, huh?”

She giggled as she took his glass and tossed it in with the other dirty glasses. “You gonna be ok to get back to the coven?” she asked as she began cleaning up the bar in earnest. “It’s only about an hour until sun-up. Don’t want you getting your ass-cheeks toasted.”

He sighed as stood up, grabbing hold of the edge of the bar to steady himself. She eyed him suspiciously. “You know we got a few coffins down in the cellar in case of emergencies.”

He shook his head as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a few twenties. “Yeah, I’ll be fine, but thanks. This shit wears off entirely too quickly. Guess it just comes with age.”

“Guess so,” she said as she watched him lay out three twenty-dollar bills. “You know your money is no good here, Gnash,” she said as she shoved the wad of cash back across the bar.

“Yeah, I know. It’s not for the drinks, it’s a tip for you having to put up with my drunk ass all weekend.”

She rolled her eyes. “You know I have to share my tips with all the rest of the shitty staff around here, right?”

He took the bills and rolled them up, leaning over the bar and covertly stuffing them into the front pocket of her jeans. “Then don’t tell anyone, ‘kay?” he asked as gave her a wink.

She shook her head as she laughed. She wasn’t sure how many times he had slipped a twenty into her jeans pocket over the years, but she was very grateful. If it hadn’t been for him, there were plenty of times she would have gone hungry. The job didn’t pay too damn well, and since she was forced to share her tips with literally everyone else on staff, it didn’t take long for the really good tips she earned from some of the vampires to leave her virtually empty-handed. Gnash was the only one who knew she was forced to share her tips and started sneaking them into her pants pocket every chance he got.

“See ya around, kiddo,” he said as he turned to leave. “Stay outta trouble.”

“Good night, Gnash,” she said as she waved, watching him stagger down the steps toward the exit.

She sighed as she looked around the bar. With the exception of the dirty glasses, she was done for the evening. She picked up the heavy plastic flat and lugged it back to the kitchen. She debated on just leaving it for the kitchen staff, but thought better of it. Last time she did that she ended up getting her ass chewed out for not ‘pulling her weight.’ Sighing, she loaded down one of the heavy-duty dishwashers and clocked out for the evening, yawning as she flung open the back door.

She stopped for a few seconds and stretched, letting the cool breeze wash over her skin. She could already feel the slight difference in the temperature change, the coolness of the night giving way to the warmer patches of pre-dawn air. She yawned again as she shoved her hands into her pockets, walking slowly down the back alley toward her small apartment two streets over from the club. She whistled quietly to herself, enjoying the short walk. She really loved this time of day. She thought maybe she would climb the fire escape to the roof when she got home and watch the sun rise as she oftentimes did.

She heard the sound of shuffling feet and raised voices as she rounded the corner. She stopped, staring in disbelief at the scene playing out inside the small back alleyway. She could see him, Gnash, half-collapsed over the side of a garbage dumpster, his body limp and flopping around like a rag doll as he tried to right himself, two unknown figures standing to one side. His head was bleeding, his shoulder length black hair matted on one side. He was struggling to get his feet back under him, his impaired balance putting him at a great disadvantage as the other two vampires closed in on him.

Aleria didn’t think, she only reacted. She reached into her back pocket, pulling out the small can of vampire mace she carried on her at all times. It was the one thing Gnash himself had always insisted upon her having with her working at the club. Safety, above all else. She had never had reason to use it – until now. She rolled back the safety lever on the small hand-held can, bending down to scoop up a large chunk of brick as she walked toward the three of them.

“Hey!” she yelled as she came upon the two vampiric vultures hovering over Gnash, their backs to her. One of them turned, and she swung her arm as hard as she could. The brick contacting with the vampire’s skull made a sickening, crunching sound. The kickback vibrations from the blow traveled up her arm in record time, causing her to yelp in pain as the brick went flying out of her hand. She held her arm close, watching the vampire as she took a precautionary step backward. He didn’t make a sound as he crumpled to the ground. The other vampire turned just as she straightened up, her body pivoting as she depressed the button on her can of mace, aiming right for the guy’s eyes.

The sickly smell of rancid butter and garlic hit her nose as the fine mist flooded the other vampire’s orbital sockets, the allergic reaction instantaneous as his eyes immediately grew red and swelled shut. He screamed, his fingernails clawing at this face as the combination of concentrated garlic oil and silver nitride burned his corneas. He stumbled back, falling to the ground next to his friend and thrashed about on the ground as he howled in agony.

She wrapped her arm around Gnash’s waist, bracing herself against the dumpster. She pulled at him, trying to help him back to his feet as he mumbled incoherently. A second later she felt a cold, heavy hand on her shoulder, the nails digging into her flesh as she was pulled back so quickly she had time to do little more than gasp. She felt herself rushing through the air, as if she was flying, and then the pain engulfed her neck like a white-hot branding iron. She tried to scream, but the arms around her waist were crushing the air right out of her.

She could smell metallic scent of his blood. Somewhere in the back of her mind she knew the vampire she thought she had knocked out cold had bitten straight into her jugular. There was no escaping him, his bite, or what he was about to do. His hand grasped the waistband of her jeans, popping the button off and ripping the fabric as if it were nothing more than paper as he shoved the cloth down around her upper thighs. He bent her over slightly, all of this happening in less time it took her to blink. The realization he was fucking her barely had time to register in her muddled mind as he hammered into her, over and over again, his cock harder than steel as he sucked the life right out of her.

The piercing pain in her neck gave way to a splintering euphoria which quickly morphed into the most intense sexual pleasure she had ever felt in her short twenty-five years of life. She knew the vampire was quickly draining the very life force from her body, and yet she hardly cared. She knew he was fucking her like she had never been fucked before, hammering so hard into her he was bruising every inch of her skin he touched. She knew there was the very real possibility she may die this night, and she was utterly powerless to stop it. As the crashing waves of pleasure settled in her midsection, her body suddenly exploded, her entire groin pulsing and throbbing as the vampire induced fang-gasm spread out like a burning wildfire. She moaned, her body convulsing around the vampire cock as one of the hands holding onto her waist slide down, cupping itself over her pussy as the heat radiated out of from within.

She couldn’t breathe, couldn’t cry for help. She was completely trapped within his embrace as her life was taken from her, even as his bite and crude thrusting forced her body into the most intense pleasure imaginable. The waves of pleasure crashed over and over again, each orgasm barely ebbing before she a new one crashed down around her, each more powerful and intense than the last. She was slipping away, her vision growing dark even as her body yearned for more.

The air came rushing back into her lungs as she discovered herself in a small heap on the cooling ground. She rolled over, pulling at her pants as she tried to look around but her vision was so blurred, her head pounding as the small amount of blood left within her rushed throughout her body, trying desperately to save itself.

“Gnash,” she whispered, her voice barely more than a cracked whisper. She tried to reach out to him, but her arms felt as though they were made of lead. In the back of her mind she knew she was dying. She thought she should be scared, should be fighting this more, but she was so tired, and so cold, and in so much pain. She just wanted the pounding inside of her head to stop, to give in to the tempting slumber and never awaken.

Someone was saying something right beside her ear, but she couldn’t make out the words. She was suddenly moving, the wind flowing over her body so quickly she began shivering uncontrollably. She moaned, the pain nearly unbearable. Her body felt as if it were made of glass, each step putting her in more pain than the last, as if her entire being was a split second from shattering into a million pieces.

Something hot and wet slipped past her lips, the taste metallic and oddly sweet. She tried to push the object away, but it persisted. “No,” she murmured, her open mouth allowing more of the elixir to flow down her throat. She involuntarily swallowed the concoction. It burned as it flowed down her esophagus, her body immediately growing warm as if she had drunk a shot of whisky. The warmth was quickly followed by the same intense sexual pleasure, her already over-stimulated nerves and raw body responding rapidly to the fresh vampire blood slipping quickly past her lips.

She wrapped her hands around the wrist pressed against her mouth. She sank her growing fangs into the hardened flesh, only vaguely aware of someone swearing beneath his breath as he stumbled. Suddenly they had stopped moving, the two of them pressed into the corner of a building as she drank the life-giving nectar quickly, pulling harder as she drank down each mouthful as quickly as possible. She could feel him inside her mind, the barest of glimpses into his. She saw the two of them standing in the shadow of the building, feel his arm wrapped around her waist as he held her tightly to his chest, his face buried in hair.

The pleasure inside her body intensified until she was once again moaning in pleasure, her core pulsing and throbbing so intensely it was almost painful. One of them was moaning, and she wasn’t sure if he was him or her as he pulled her closer, his twitching cock pressed against her stomach.

The arm was suddenly wrenched from her grasp, causing her to hiss. She squirmed within the arms still holding her, trying to get away.

“Be still, dammit. Fuck, Skitz is going to crawl my ass for this,” she heard Gnash say quietly next to her ear.

“Gnash?” she asked as her vision began to slowly clear, the entire night exploding inside her line of vision in high-definition.

“Yeah, it’s me. Be still for a few minutes, let me get ahold of myself. We’ll be home in just a few minutes.”

He held her for a few more seconds before he adjusted her weight in his arms and took off running, her head bobbing up over his shoulder for a brief second. That’s when she saw it, the blinding light inching its way over the horizon. Fear immediately set in.

“Gnash, is that – is that the sun?” she asked, feeling her erratic heartbeat jumping around inside her chest.

“Yeah. We’ve got maybe three minutes before the first rays hit the city.”

She shivered. “Are we going to make it?”

“Not if you don’t shut up,” he said as he jumped down from the rooftop.

She nodded, hunkering down closer to his body. Everything was so bright, but the horizon was like nothing she had ever witnessed before. It reminded her of being inside a train tunnel with a runaway locomotive barreling down on them. Only this one wasn’t just a train, but a red-hot laser of death waiting to scorch them all straight back to hell. She imagined witnessing a nuclear bomb detonation would look very similar.

Aleria suddenly felt their bodies lifted into the air, the feeling of sudden weightlessness causing her to gasp. And then they were flying down a tunnel, sliding past the stairs so quickly it was all little more than a blur.

A second later they were still, and she discovered herself standing inside a covered courtyard, the warm glow of gas-powered street lamps giving off just enough light for her adjusting eyes to be able to pick out the centuries old crumbling brick holding up the wrought-iron gates. She looked around as Gnash set her on her feet, giving her a few seconds to just take it all in.

“Come,” Gnash said as he took her hand, urging her gently forward. “You’re home now, Aleria. And you’re safe.”

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