Finley Jackson's Story

Dalton's Apartment: Dalton

Dalton stared down at the woman in his apartment or, to be more specific, his bed, partly annoyed and yet, partly curious. He never brought women into his room. When he lusted after a particular female human or, in some cases, vampire, he went to them and he preferred it that way. His apartment was special, almost sacred to him. No one but himself and his Coven were permitted to enter and had this human arrived in any other circumstances, he would have killed her. However, these weren't just any circumstances. The Elders, in their infinite wisdom, had seen it fit to shackle himself and his entire coven with Blood Bonds, humans that were turned into halflings and bound to their sire, in order to "teach them a lesson." Dalton grimaced. Were he a thousand years younger, he would have had the audacity to add those old bags of undead flesh to their coven's list of kills, but that was not be. Instead, a woman lay in his bed, curled up in his velvet sheets and sleeping the night away while he was wide awake.

Dalton's apartment was richly decorated. Of course it was richly decorated. He had lived for over four thousand years and had gained and lost tons in treasure and war loot, particularly in his prime, back in the time of Greece and later, Rome. Back when the Celts spread throughout Europe, conquering the land and subduing it only to yield to to the might of the Roman Empire which crumbled from within and was at last swept away from barbarian hoards. Yes, over that time, he had collected much wealth, but what he prized above all were the weapons armor that dotted his walls. Javelins, Spathas, spears, bronze shields, iron shields, chestplates, katanas, axes, etc. he had them all. Some were replicas and others, these he kept in glass cases, were ones that he actually used throughout his long life. He stood in front of a particular pilum, a Roman throwing spear, and frowned slightly. That one's point was still sharp even as he had replaced the wood a century ago as the original had long since rotted. Shaking his head, he surveyed the rest of his collection and smiled at a full set of bronze armor.

"The Trojan War... If there is any proof of human stupidity, it was the belief until recently that it was a myth," he told the sleeping figure idly. She hadn't woken up yet and he had occupied himself speaking of particular artifacts. He placed his hand over a samurai's helmet, "The most recent counterpart to those heroes were the Samurai and firearms took them away too. You humans detach yourself too much from killing. Now, millions can be killed at the push of a button. What a waste."

He sat down next to the girl and smiled slightly, "Wake up soon, halfing. The only component of this modern world I am fond of is the nightlife and we are wasting moonlight."



James was having quite a confusing dream. It was blurred, as though he were not quite conscious or lucid and filled with fanged figures as well as a constant ache at his neck the deviated from being extremely painful to extremely pleasurable and back again. He groaned in his sleep, fighting to open his eyes until a smell reached him. Was that, bacon? His eyes finally managed to open and he took in a view of his surroundings.

He sat up and frowned slightly at the pain in his neck. Now that was unusual, as was the fact that he spotted an attractive young woman that he had no memory cooking breakfast, or, at least he thought it was breakfast. Looking out the window, he saw it was night and he frowned. How long was he out? He couldn't have been out for too short awhile and yet, being knocked out from night to the next seemed far too long, even given his sleeping habits. He groaned.

"I swear that if Johnny slipped me some new drug from Africa into my drink, I'll murder him."

That's when he remembered. He was drinking somewhere with a couple of his friends. They were about to call it a night and he ordered one more and told the others he'd catch up with them later and then, nothing.

Finley Jackson: Dalton's Apartment

Finley stirred slightly when Dalton sat on the bed. She was half awake, but she still had her eyes closed. A thought about getting up crossed her half conscious mind, but she pushed it away and snuggled deeper into the soft sheets. She heard a slightly familiar voice telling her to wake up, but she ignored it as best she could. She wasn't ready to wake up yet. As she was about to fall back into a deep sleep, her mind jerked her back to the surface.

Her sheets were not this soft. Who's voice was that? Andy's? No, it couldn't be. These thoughts were racing across the front of her mind, but she lay still as if she were asleep. Then the events of last night flooded over her current questions. She didn't go out last night, she was staying home because Maggie was supposed to come over today. Today? What was today? Was it still last night? Finley had no idea. Her mind raced as she tried to remember what happened. It hit her like a ton of bricks. Even though she had been slipping in and out of consciousness the previous night, she knew what had happened. She had been taken to a strange place and been forced to drink someone's blood. The same man then in turn drank her blood. "That would explain the pain in my neck." She thought, still slightly asleep. In just a split second, the horrible memories played before her like a movie, and thinking back on it, she was filled with many different emotions. Hunger, desire, pain, terror, but the strongest of all was pleasure.

Finley sat up straight and her eyes flew open. She almost knocked heads with the man sitting on the bed by her. She would have screamed, but she seemed to have lost her voice. She was so scared and in such a hurry to get away from him, she fell out of the bed and landed on her butt. She scrambled away from him as quickly as she could and pressed herself against the wall. She sat with her arms around her legs, rocking back and forth slightly.

"What.. What happened last night? Who are you? What did you do to me?" She said. her voice was panicked and almost even a whisper. Her entire body was trembling. She felt different and she needed to know what had changed in just a short amount of time. "Oh God. I drank your blood. I think I'm going to be sick," Finley said and put her hand over her mouth. She looked pale in the face and her eyes were filled with terror.

She tried to look anywhere in the room, but at the man with her. She saw all of the weapons lining the walls "Oh, God. He's going to kill me. This is how I die. She thought as her fear heightened. Tears welled up in her eyes and her body was racked with tremors. She was shaking uncontrollably. She stopped looking at the weapons to prevent herself from thinking about all the different ways he could kill her. She found herself staring at the man again, waiting for him to make his next move.

"What I did to you was no more my choice than it was yours," Dalton told the girl evenly. Inwardly, he was slightly disappointed. Her behavior was that of a typical human girl in a strange situation. Part of him had been hoping that his blood bond would have some courage, given that he was going to be stuck with her for the rest of his foreseeable future. He sighed in annoyance, noting that she had almost knocked down part of his collection. She did not even make a grab for one. She reminded him of a frightened rabbit at the moment.

"Calm yourself. You will find that you are in no danger from myself, a condition very few people left in this world may boast about. I am Dalton Leonidas Ser Ulric, halfling, and our lives have been inexorably intertwined by the decree of the Council of Elders. I am a vampire and have murdered and devoured the blood of humans for over four thousand years. I am part of the Heriotza Coven, a... retirement from my previous profession, if you will. The leader of my Coven, Eldric Caine Devine, committed a grave crime in the eyes of the Council. He murdered a fellow vampire and brought their wrath down upon the rest of us. Our only saving grace was that it was done in self-defense, otherwise myself and the others would doubtlessly have been beheaded and immolated. Instead, we have each been sentenced to create and care for a Blood Bond."

He paused for a moment, allowing the depth of the information he imparted upon the mortal to sink in, "A Blood Bond is a human who has been partially transformed into a vampire. He or she is neither fully human nor fully vampire, trapped between the two natures. You were assigned to me as mine and I had no choice but transform you into one. Our spirits are intertwined and, eventually, you will need to drink my blood to survive."

He reached for a shelf by his bed, where he kept most of the liquor he had in his personal possession. Grabbing a glass, he poured some red wine and offered it to her.

"Drink. It will calm yourself. It must be quite a shock, I'm sure to find that vampires are not myth after all. Oh, and to prove I am not simply mad or in a cult."

He placed the glass down and drew a knife, cutting the palm of his hand and showing it to her as it healed itself.

Kasey's Apartment: James

"Oh, like you do not have weird friends either."

James was about to make another joke when Kasey interrupted. To say that he was taken aback would be an understatement. Vampires existed and he had the misfortune to be abducted by them? It sounded like something he might write. Indeed, he was jotting down the details in his head, happy to have some new material for a novel after he managed to escape and call the cops on the cult of madmen/madwomen who were convinced that they were vampires when one sentence struck him.

"You drank my blood, I drank yours."

James had always thought that your jaw dropping was just an expression, a good literary device to use instead of the bland statement that the character was surprised or shocked. However, at those words, his jaw literally dropped as memories surged through his mind, blurry images of his neck being pierced as pain and pleasure engulfed him and he eagerly lapped up the crimson liquid offered to him. Inwardly, he felt like he was going to vomit. He swallowed, pausing for a moment to think about what he should say. At least the vampire before him wasn't bad-looking. No, she looked like the type that he would try to pick up at bars or nightclubs in any other set of circumstances. She was quite attractive with a body toned but not disgustingly muscular and a few sweet tattoos from what he could see of her. After a full minute of silence, he spoke.

"Just one thing. If you sparkle or go on about about having to protect me, I'm killing myself before you can say "Breaking Dawn". I'm James Stephens by the way."

Finley blinked the tears away from her eyes as she listened to Dalton. She knew she should still be scared, but for the moment she felt calm. She believed him when he said she was in no danger of him. His voice was soothing. She listened to what he said about devouring humans and her stomach churned again. She almost laughed when he got the the "assignment" part. She didn't like this, she didn't belong to anyone. Her stomach flipped when he told her she would have to drink his blood again, then she tried to sooth herself by reminding herself that this guy was absolutely nuts, and that she wasn't going to be drinking anyone's blood.

She let go of her legs and reached out to grab the glass of wine. She wouldn't refuse liquor, especially not red wine that looked expensive. She closed her eyes and stretched out her legs. She sipped her drink and listened as he spoke of the fact that vampires were real. She almost snorted, but when she opened her eyes, he was cutting his own hand. She opened her mouth to speak, but something in her shut her up. She saw the blood and her mouth began to water slightly. She bit her lip, wondering what this feeling inside her was. It was almost like lust, and hunger all mixed together. Then, it was gone. His hand healed right before her eyes.

Before she could stop herself, she leaned forward again and touched the palm of his hand, completely fascinated. "How did that happen?" She said almost to herself. Her mind began to race. She crawled up on the bed again, feeling foolish. If he had wanted to kill her, he could have done it already. And if he had any bad intentions, why would he let her sleep in his own bed? She pulled the sheets over her legs again. She closed her eyes and let the information sink in. "You're serious. You're really a Vampire," She said it as a statement, although she meant it as a question. Somewhere between her brain and mouth, she had answered her own questions without ever saying them out loud, and she spoke the answers. She took another drink of her wine. It was delicious. "I'm a.. Vampire? No, what did you say? Halfing. I'm half vampire, half human." She licked her lips and took another drink. She set the glass on the night stand and rubbed her face. She ran her fingers through her hair and tried to get some of the tangles out. She took a deep breath and then sighed heavily.

"My name is Finley Jackson." She reached out for her glass and downed the rest of the wine. She had a feeling he wouldn't appreciate this, because wine was meant to be enjoyed, slowly. She knew this, but she wanted the alcohol in her system. She needed it. As the alcohol made it's way into her blood stream, she finally stopped shaking.

She didn't want to, but she was beginning to believe him. She had a million questions to ask him, but she decided to start off with something he had already mentioned. "What does it mean that our "spirits are intertwined"?" She asked and looked at him. She found it was very hard not to look at him. He was extremely handsome, and his eyes were a gorgeous grey color she only dreamed about.

Dalton's Apartment: Finley

Finley. Now that was an unique name. At least she did not go by a dreadfully common name such as Jane or Susan. He watched in amusement as her eyes trailed over the blood that dripped from his palm. Already the bloodlust was kicking in. Good. It would be tedious to convince a new Blood Bond who absolutely refused to drink blood to drink his own in order for her to survive. After all, if she died of starvation, Dalton had little doubt that he would not outlast her for long. At her question about being linked, he paused for a moment, considering how he'd explain a concept that he knew only theoretically at the moment.

"I... Feel what you feel: Happiness, anger, sadness, despair. I am also told that I will eventually desire your blood above that of any other human. It will taste sweeter to me and me alone. As for you, you share in my immortal life. You will not age or grow sick from mortal illnesses and you will live for as long as I live. This could mean you will live for over a thousand years, but if I should die, you will die with me. We are also... connected. A bond will develop whether we like it or not. This bond differs between pairs of vampires and Blood Bonds, but it can be that of a parent/child or sibling relationship or we may develop into lovers. Truthfully, I have no way of telling but should it become sexual, your body is... adequate," he explained to her patiently before smirking over at her.

"You will find that your physical strength and speed is superior to that of a normal human, but you will never be as strong nor as fast as a vampire. Truthfully, I do not know if the sun will irritate your skin or not, but that point is moot. My Coven runs a club, Eden that is open only at nightfall. In fact, it is past time that we should be there. I am in charge of its security."

He stood up, approaching the wall calmly before selecting a katana, complete with a kanji-covered hilt. He murmured, "A Fourteenth century model. Flashy and new. Should intimidate the humans I suggest you select a gladius, a Roman short sword. There is a collection of them, modern replicas and my own from the days of Rome by Pompeii's shield. If an unfriendly vampire arrives, I suggest a swift stabbing motion should he attack you. It should wound him or her long enough for myself to arrive. Of course, I suggest you deal with humans unarmed. Do you know any martial arts?"

Finley began smiling despite herself. She couldn't believe she actually started to believe this lunatic, even for a second. Okay, so there was the hand thing. Must be some creepy magic trick. "But what was that feeling inside of me? That.. longing for..his blood? No it couldn't be.. it just looked so.." She thought, then abruptly cut off her own thoughts. She couldn't want someone's blood.

"Whoa, if you die, I die? And what's with this whole relationship thing..? I am not your child, first of all. My body is adequate? Well, thanks." She said, surprised. She appreciated the compliment, especially from a guy as good looking as Dalton. He continued to speak, saying something about a club. "Eden? That's the best night club in Manhattan, I've only gotten in twice and it was amazing.. I don't remember you. Funny, I think I would remember you, considering.. your.. charming personality, and attractive appearance." She smirked at him. She was thinking about playing along with whatever game he was playing. If he was playing one at all. She couldn't decide whether he was being serious or not. Either way, she found herself wanting to believe him anyway.

"Okay security isn't really my style; I dance." Finley said and crossed her arms as he picked up a katana and said the facts about it. She let her feet hit the ground as she stood up and stretched out her arms and back. "I know Brazilian Jujitsu, 2nd degree black belt, and a little bit of judo," She said casually and searched the wall for a gladius. She picked one of them and weighed it in her hand. She had decided to ignore the part about stabbing someone. It's not that it grossed her out, she would be able to do it, considering she was trained with similar weapons in Jujitsu, she just wasn't fond of the idea of even needing to use that kind of weapon.

She couldn't understand why she was so comfortable with him. Her only explanation was that it was because he was shockingly attractive, he hadn't killed her yet, and she was getting a free ride into Eden. Andy was going to be so jealous. "Andy. Holy shit, Maggie!" She thought and glanced at Dalton. She looked down at herself. She was wearing what she had been wearing when she was.. chosen. A simple black bra with a lime green tank top, and plaid pajama shorts. "I'm going to need to go to my apartment. I can't go to the club in this." She gestured to herself. "By the way, since we are like connected now, do we have to be together all the time? Am I going to be living with you?" She didn't sound fond of the idea, but her face had more to tell. A small smile was playing on her lips. "Anyway, my apartment isn't too far from Eden.. It won't take me that long to change and.." She trailed off and looked at him.

"What the hell am I getting myself into?"

James Stephens | Kasey's apartment

"Well aren't you a little rebel. I see you didn't inherit that charming personality from your parent's, hm?"

James laughed.

"Well, you know how it is. Kids never want to be like their parents, only I didn't get around to their type of thinking because mine are either worse or I'm one of the few stubborn ones. That and I'm smart handsome, clever, sweet, what more could you want?" James told her with a grin. Well, she was easy to talk to, that was a plus and she was drop-dead gorgeous, literally. He watched her pour herself a drink, reminding him how long it had been since he had a drink. Damn, he had been sober for at least 24 hours.

"I wouldn't use the word slave since you're free to do whatever you want within the confines of my authority. A blood bond is basically a human that a vampire was forced to change into a halfling - a half vampire, half human. Since I changed you, you already know I'm responsible for you." At that, she took a big drink out of her glass. It seemed that she didn't want to be responsible for him or anyone for that matter. James could understand that. He wouldn't want to be burdened with bringing someone new into her world either.

"Mhmm. You get to drink my blood."

James winced slightly. Well, he knew that blood had to be in there somewhere and at least he only needed to drink her blood rather than draining random strangers. Irreverent and rebellious he may be, but he didn't think he could stand having to murder people to survive. It was true that he was a bit religious, only not in the judgmental kind of way that his mom and her group of friends loved to be. He rolled his eyes at her next statement.

"And I'm aware you need my blood to survive, but you're gonna have to put in some work before you get to that point, girly. Need a drink yet?"

"Blood or wine? Because, I don't think I'm craving anyting except a buzz at the moment," he told her honestly before giving her a grin, "At least my mom's right now. I am a demon child!"

Dalton's apartment: Dalton

"I know Brazilian Jujitsu, 2nd degree black belt, and a little bit of judo."

Dalton actually smiled at that. He had studied many fighting styles in his long time on earth and it was nice to see that this halfling wasn't completely hopeless. In a sparring match, he'd take her down in a few seconds, of course, but that was a couple seconds longer than most mortals or halfings would last. At her next comment, however, he frowned, considering the possibilities.

"I'm going to need to go to my apartment. I can't go to the club in this."

On one hand, he could send her ahead and trust that she will report to him as soon as she changed, but there was a chance that she would tell other people about what was happening and the human authorities would come after them, assuming they were a fringe-cult. Part of him would enjoy this challenge, easily showing the pathetic human policemen that their firearms were nothing compared to his speed and skill with weapons, but that would also mean that they'd have to relocate and he was loathe to make trouble for the Coven.

"I will walk you there. Then, we will head straight for Eden afterwards. As for living arrangements, it would be best if you lived with me. Your neighbors would notice your un-aging appearance and perfect health after a few years, a decade at the most. It would be best not to attract that kind of attention," he told her, heading out the door that served as the entrance/exit to his apartment, gesturing her to follow him. He left a certain concern unspoken, deciding to wait for her to realize it and deal with it.

Dalton's Apartment: Finley

She became almost instantly angry at his comment about walking her there. She didn't need to be protected, but she realized that wasn't the reason. She was even more upset he didn't trust her. Well, why would he? If he had let her go alone, she probably would have ran away to Cali again. She frowned as he kept speaking. She was feeling light headed. Thank god the wine is kicking in more. She sighed turning and making the bed a little bit, she didn't want to seem like a slob. "We have to live together? Can't I just move out later?" Finley was going to keep arguing, but she decided to leave this alone. She didn't want to make him mad and not let her go home.

She walked out the door and asked another question. "Does this mean I can't see my friends or family anymore? Can't I tell them about this?" All she could think about was Maggie and Andy. She already knew the answer, of course she couldn't tell them. She wanted to cry, but she didn't want to in front of Dalton again. "Woah, wait a second. That's your apartment. Just.. That." She stated, not in a rude way, though. Fin blinked a few times, "I-- I'm not sleeping on the floor, am I?"

She couldn't decide what was worse: the floor or sharing a bed with a complete stranger. She decided the floor was worse and impatiently waited for his answer. She was also eager to get home. She needed to call Maggie and apologize for not being there today. And she needed to feed her pet bunny, Maia. She grimaced when she realized she'd have to tell Andy she was moving. If she was moving. She was planning on bringing it up again at her place.

Dalton's Apartment: Dalton

"Does this mean I can't see my friends or family anymore? Can't I tell them about this?"

Dalton smiled slightly. It was about time that the girl caught on. He looked at her directly in the eye and spoke, "No, you cannot tell anyone about this. Doing so will violate one of our Laws and will merit extreme punishment upon myself as I am responsible for you and I in turn will be sure to punish you tenfold. I suppose you can see your friends and family, but you will have to sort of... drift away from them. Humans do that nowadays, do they not? It would be best if they forget about you... I suppose I can project a mental suggestion upon them to make it easier. Human minds are very easily manipulated."

At her comment about his apartment, he rolled his eyes, "No. That was not it. You would find that you and I moved rather quickly if you'd recall. Remember that you move faster than the average human. You simply did not bother to see the rest of the apartment."

He gestured behind them, showing her the rooms, decorations, and other features she may have missed including a kitchenette, living room, bathroom, and a guest room, along with many other weapons that lined the walls. He smirked, "You will need to get used to your new senses and other abilities. I suppose I will have to teach you."

"Oh." She said as he told her no. "I figured." She shot him a glare. Tenfold? What the hell was that supposed to mean? And wasn't he supposed to be keeping her safe? "No, not all humans do that. I won't drift away from my sister. I refuse." Or Andy.She crossed her arms. "No mental suggestions either. That's messing with free will. This was not going to be easy.

She looked around, "Oh," she said again. She hoped the guest room had a bead as comfortable as Dalton's. "Yes, oh mighty teacher, tell me your ways!" She smirked, she was kidding, but not totally. He was arrogant. That was a bad thing, because guys like him were right up her ally. She began walking again. "Are we going to my apartment or not?" She was extremely impatient. She huffed out the breath she hadn't realized she's been holding. This was not going to be an easy eternity. Then a thought came into her mind. I could sneak away one night, fake my death, Dalton would never know. Me and Andy could go back to California... Wait, he said we're connected. He would know I'm alive. The only way to escape would be to actually kill myself.. "So, how does one go about killing a vampire? Or a blood bond? Chopping of their head? Burning? Wooden stake through the heart? Just curious so I can know what to avoid." She added on quickly. It's not like she was actually planning on doing it, but if she ever felt like she needed to, she'd like to have the information. Maybe she could just kill him.. but wait, she would die too. Either way they had to die if she was going to escape. She pushed away the thought and was now genuinely curious as to what exactly was a danger to her.