James Stephens's Story

Kasey had done just about everything she could do while waiting for her latest ball and chain to wake up. Cards, push-ups, a little TV. Nothing seemed to kill the time fast enough, as she could have sworn the same three numbers had frozen on her digital clock for about five minutes. Now she stood in front of the stove, frying up some bacon in a skillet. Of coarse she wouldn't eat it. There wasn't a physical need to. However, she was still hopeful the smell would wake up the man on her couch. His hair was all over the place and his arm dangled off the couch, but he was still attractive. Kasey wouldn't deny that. Maybe if things were different she'd make a move and take him in as her latest plaything. However, thanks to one person's mistake, she was being forced to take care of him. Like a child. The thought made Kasey scowl at the food she cooked. One thing was for sure, though;

She wasn't going to let him ruin her guest room.

Kasey cut the fire off and tossed the skillet to the side, the bacon still cracking a little. It didn't look like anything was going to wake him up. At least, not anything she did. And she'd tried multiple things. In reality, she was just hoping whatever she did to prevent her boredom would happen to wake him up, too. But that wasn't happening, and Kasey was done trying. No, she'd just wait for him to wake up on his own and soon enough he'd realize he was in a strange woman's apartment. She smiled at that. She honestly couldn't wait to see the look on his face when he came to.

Kasey walked out onto her apartment balcony. Leaning onto the railing, her bangs fell into her eyes a little, but the view was unaffected. Cars and Taxi's flooded the streets like ants as the sun faded away. It was always interesting to look at, even for someone like Kasey. Out of all the places she'd lived in over the years, none struck her like New York. It was perfect for a vampire. People out at all times of the night, doing all sorts of things. You didn't need to be strategic when you hunted; just walk outside in heels and your best outfit. Sometimes it was easier than that.

Just thinking about it made Kasey's mind flicker back to the man on her couch. She never got to finish what she started and ended up with a blood bond. But at least he was something to look at.

If only he'd wake up.

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.

Kasey | Kasey's apartment

She heard him stir in his sleep before she heard the quiet moan he made. Kasey watched him sit up and look around, a confused look on his face. She could tell he was trying to remember how he ended up here. You didn't attempt to concentrate like that for no reason. Either way, she was relieved he finally woke up. Any longer and she'd have to resort to drastic measures. Kasey didn't want that halfling to make her late for job at the club, even if she didn't care for the people there and had a new reason to add to the Eldric Devine is a fucking idiot list. Kasey ran a hand through her hair and cleared her throat. Unlike the others, she assumed, she wasn't scrambling for the right words. She didn't plan on trying to keep him comfortable or break everything down into easy to understand portions. Why should she? For one thing, it was out of her nature to not get straight to the point, and two, she didn't choose to be stuck with this roach. So he'd have to deal with whatever he got. She had places to go and things to do.

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

Africa? "Oh god, don't tell me I got the weird one," Kasey scoffed as she walked back into the room. She stood a few feet from the couch with her arms folded and an observant stare. The staring part was actually unintentional, but she was curious about the new guy despite having negative feelings about him. He certainly wasn't very tall for a male. It still looked like he tried to work out every now and then. Long hair wasn't really her forte; maybe she'd cut it in his sleep someday. That is, if he was still sleeping in her apartment tomorrow night. Kasey rolled her eyes. He'd probably be her roommate for a long time, seeing as he was her responsibility. Though, it could always be worse.

He could have been ugly.

Kasey sat down on the coffee table in front of the couch, pulling her legs up so that she was sitting Indian Style. "Whatever you remember happening probably did happen," she stated, leaning back onto her hands. She knew he had been drinking with friends before the group split up. More than likely he thought he had gotten so wasted that the rest of the night - going home with a girl, staying in her apartment - was just out of his memory. "And while I'm establishing things, try not to interrupt, princess."

"I'm a vampire. I belong to a vampire coven, and our leader's name is Eldric. Let me tell you about this piece of work, he's the reason we're all in this mess. Since he - Eldric - broke one of the vampire rules, we're being punished with Blood Bonds - that's you." Kasey gestured toward him, "so you're my blood bond, meaning I'm pretty much shackled down, with you being the shackles, if you weren't smart enough to get that. And, yeah... you're a half vampire."

Kasey listed out the facts and nodded at the end, feeling like she explained the story decent enough. Was there anything else to say? Maybe it was her pride, but she didn't want to bring him to the club to find some other vampire cluing him in. That would mean she wasn't doing her job right, and Kasey always did her job right. Unless you ticked her off. Then she'd slack off just to mess with you, but on any other case, she did her job.

"I'm your creator; you're welcome," Kasey started again, though she wasn't grateful in the least. She was trying to tell him as much as she could and answer questions later. "I have to watch over you, I feel what you feel, and if you get in trouble, my ass get's busted, so don't screw up, halfling." The last part was laced in malice, and a serious threat. She wasn't going to sugar coat her personality for him. And if she was lucky, he'd be one of those passive types. She prayed he was, at least. Passive vampires and people didn't go against authority or try to voice their opinions.

Should she tell him how he was created? He'd probably ask on his own, but why not beat him to the punch? "It's only logical to assume you want to know how you came to be a blood bond," Kasey nodded, standing up. She hated sitting for too long. As she made her way through her apartment, she walked into the kitchen and leaned against the counter. Her nails tapped against the marble. "You drank my blood, I drank yours," she shrugged like it was the most normal thing in the world, "welcome to being a vampire. Or, something close to it, in your case." She shot him a sarcastic grin and waited for the questions to pour in. "I'm Kasey, by the way."

"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."

Kasey | Kasey's apartment

Kasey was waiting for the moment when he'd break out in hysterics or disbelief or try to argue with her. Through her whole explanation he seemed to be thinking it over, but lacked any extreme emotion. In a way, it was a relief. Kasey wasn't good with overly emotional people. Plus, that would make it really hard to not break her new blood bond's neck. But it was entertaining to see his jaw drop the way it did. Only a human or a halfling would loose their calm like that. He looked utterly sick at the thought of them drinking each other's blood. However, she'd seen equally 'horrific' sights on the news and throughout her life. Grinning, Kasey stood up straighter and looked over at him. "Close your mouth, boy." She had to laugh at the end, though.

"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."

"Oh, a Twilight Series reference - how original," Kasey rolled her eyes, adding emphasis to the last two words. Those jokes never got old. She looked back over at the food she had cooked earlier. No one was going to eat it or need it, so she scraped it into the trash and cut the water on in the sink. It took a few seconds to rinse it out, and once she was done she dried her hands off with a cloth. Really, his lack of questions surprised her. He must have been one of those people who believe anything you tell them. Not that this was a lie, but wouldn't that explain him accepting this so quickly? Suddenly Kasey decided to just not think about it. Why question a good thing? For all she knew, Eldric, Dalton and the rest of the coven were probably drowning in questions.

"I hope you didn't read those books," Kasey raised an eyebrow, thinking about what he said again. It felt logical to assume he didn't; he was a grown man. But why would she pass up the opportunity to mess with her newest victim?

Kasey kneeled down, looking through her bottom cabinets for something to drink, something she always did before she went to the club. Matter of fact, it was probably past time for her to get there. "So... Mr. James Stephens, anything interesting I should know about you before I find out by surprise?"

James | Kasey's apartment

"Oh, a Twilight Series reference - how original."

"Hey, if you're a vampire, you got to be used to those books and movies ruining your good name," James told her with a smirk, pleased that he got the woman laughing. That was good. It meant that vampires had a sense of humor. Since remembering the whole blood drinking ritual, he was a little afraid that his life would be nothing more than serious monologues about blood this, blood that, and sexual debauchery. Well, he wasn't afraid of the last part, actually...

"Read those books? Seriously? You insult me as a writer, madame," James told her in mock-horror, "I simply had to deal with pre-teen girls everywhere I went obsessing over Edward Cullen, not to mention the movie trailers. I have no idea how people got it into their heads that vampires were brooding pretty-boys waiting for an average-looking teenage girl to swipe off her feet."

"So... Mr. James Stephens, anything interesting I should know about you before I find out by surprise?"

James grinned at that, "Let me see.... My dad is a typical close-minded conservative City Councilman that honestly has no idea what he's doing and my mom is an avid volunteer of a far-right Protestant church so true to literary convention, I rejected pretty much all my dad's political stances, became a starving writer rather than go into a stuffy college they approved of, and became Catholic to spite my mother, partly because atheism was overdone and partly because I didn't want to put in the effort to become Muslim. Oh, and I have acharming personality, as you might have seen."

After he was finished, he decided to ask a question that was really bothering him.

"Alright, I'll ask. What is a a Blood Bond? A slave? Do I have to drink blood?"

Kasey | Kasey's apartment

"Read those books? Seriously? You insult me as a writer, madame."

"A writer," she laughed under her breath, looking at the face he made. Well, he certainly was.. enthusiastic? Enthusiastic felt like a good enough word to describe the guy. She tuned out the rest of what he said as she looked for that drink she wanted. Kasey was actually kind of curious about what he wrote about. There were so many topics, and Kasey did enjoy a good story, seeing as she had to kill time somehow. Living forever kind of sucked sometimes. If he was a journalist that would be interesting. That would mean he actually had a career with his writing rather than being a lonely guy trying to crank out a novel.

Kasey stood up with a bottle of wine then went through her cabinet's for a glass as she listened to his life story. "Well aren't you a little rebel," she smirked. Kasey pulled down a glass and turned towards him. It did sound like his childhood sucked with parents like those, but Kasey wasn't one to hand out sympathy easily. Though she was sure he didn't need it. Hate to say it, but he did have an interesting personality, from what she gathered. Chill, kind of sarcastic. It looked like the living arrangement might work out after all, but why put so much faith in it right now? More than likely she would find a reason to see him as a threat. "I see you didn't inherit that charming personality from your parent's, hm?" Kasey poured herself a drink.

"Alright, I'll ask. What is a a Blood Bond? A slave? Do I have to drink blood?"

Merp. Thought too soon. Really, Kasey thought she was getting off scott-free as far as questions went, but maybe not. "I wouldn't use the word slave since you're free to do whatever you want within the confines of my authority," she nodded, plainly. "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." Kasey took a sip of her drink and chuckled a little at the last part of his question. "Mhmm. You get to drink my blood."

Kasey figured he wouldn't expect that sudden plot twist. It was a little weird, having to drink the blood of your creator. "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," she teased, gesturing to her glass. "Need a drink yet?"

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.