My Little Ventrue Pt. 02 Ch. 12

"You're ... letting me choose?"

"Within reason."

"I ... um..." She netted her fingers together, twiddled them in front of her, and chewed on one of her fangs. Damien deserved a second chance, she was sure. There was much more to him than Lucas knew, than the others knew, and probably anyone else knew except her and Daniel. But that's how it always went; Mehket could see the truth behind the lies and the deception. That was what Mehket did. Mehket and secrets, moths and flame. "I think we should release him."

" ... you're serious?"

"I am! You were right. And I'm right! He's ... he deserves a second chance." Saying it out loud was much more cheesy than she could have imagined.

But it only made her sire chuckle. "I understand, more than you know."

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~~Beatrice~~

Beatrice sat on the edge of one of the caves, deep inside the Circle's cavern of total metal awesomeness; she really liked it. Ghouls wandered around, keeping the colossal underground cavern clean, changing the candles that sat on skulls in wall grooves, and dusting off the bones that decorated the rock. She was smiling.

Behind her, Jennifer was on her knees on the furs, and combing Beatrice's hair. Behind Jennifer were a couple of male ghouls, sleeping, naked, and smelling of sex. Jennifer had just finished a bout of fucking when Beatrice had come back, and had insisted on chatting.

It was the first time a girl had demanded chit chat, and she really didn't mind. Wow, how much had she changed? Soon she'd be wearing dresses -- oh shit she'd already done that just a few nights ago!

"So you didn't come back after the ball. Have a lovely night with Julias?" Jennifer grinned a sly grin, and kept combing.

"Yeah, I did." The smile on Beatrice's face could not be hidden, especially not with her massive crocodile teeth.

It had been a few nights since the ball. Memories of Julias eating her out in the dark alley were the kind of memories she was hoping to make, especially after seeing those hungry eyes in her white knight during the ball.

What she hadn't expected was the night of being pampered like a queen, with slaves doting on her, massaging and fingering her while she had her man's cock inside her ass. Christ, the thought of that array of fingers rubbing her all over her bits while Julias watched her cum on him was enough to nearly have her running back to him.

But the guy could use some time with his childe. He deserved that.

"No details for me?" Jennifer leaned in closer, and wrapped one of her hands around Beatrice's stomach. Yet she kept combing her hair, and damn it, Beatrice found herself loving having someone else comb her hair; it was new.

"You're getting double penetration on a regular basis, slut. What details could possibly satisfy your curiosity?"

"Aww." Jennifer pouted, but leaned back and resumed combing from a normal distance. "It's not about me. Just the thought of that Mister Tall'n'Broadshoulders bringing you back to his mansion, you, Miss Scary'n'Sexy, is a real turn on."

Beatrice rolled her eyes. Jennifer really was young, only ten years embraced, and it was starting to show. Beatrice knew it would normally irritate her, but not this time. What normally bothered her was proving to be fun when on the greener, happy side of the fence.

"He used his jedi mind tricks to get a couple to come home with us. Lots of sex ensued."

"Oh my, a Kindred pair sharing a kine pair?" She leaned in even closer this time, and put her chin on Beatrice's shoulder. "Were you perhaps doubly penetrated as well?"

Beatrice slowly turned her head away. There had been dicks, and fingers, and stuff. She didn't need to say it though!

"Delicious." Jennifer squeezed in a little tighter, and put her cheek against Beatrice's. "Can I come next time?"

So friendly, this Ventrue. That'd be two Ventrue getting into her pants, too. Maybe she put out some kind of air of vibe that attracted overly-confident Ventrue types?

" ... I'll ask."

Hey, Jennifer was extremely hot. There'd be no harm in asking Julias, right? And Beatrice was getting kind of attached to her fellow witch. It was nice to have a proper girlfriend.

"I've never shared my bed with another Ventrue. Does he fight for the top position? That could be—"

They both stood up with a jolt.

They hadn't heard them coming, no one had. The ghouls were carrying on about their business, and all the other Kindred hiding out in the cave hadn't stopped whatever witch things they did. No one had given warning. But just like that, like stepping out of the air itself, the Prince and her dog of war were in the cave.

"H-how..." Jennifer stood behind Beatrice, practically hiding, and kept a hand on Beatrice's side. She was trembling.

Beatrice was trembling too. The sheriff was there, standing in the middle of the grand chamber. His hands were folded across his chest, and his trench coat looked as boring as ever. Hell, even the flat, monotone look the school-teacher sheriff gave everyone from behind his boring glasses was the definition of dull, but when his eyes met Beatrice's, she took a step back deeper into Jennifer's little cubby-hole.

She could feel the anger pour out of the beast inside the dull man, and it was more than enough to bury the whole of the Circle's cave. She could almost see the sheriff's inner beast, like a titanic, coiling snake of shadow and venom. The moment he decided to strike...

And beside him was the Prince. Tall, beautiful, and just as pissed. At least she was wearing something more interesting, a lovely power suit with loose pants, and for just that split moment Beatrice was intrigued by it. But then Antoinette's wandering gaze found hers, and again the Nosferatu was paralyzed.

If Daniel was the serpent, ever still until ready to strike, Antoinette was the tiger. Quiet when she wanted to be, and more than willing to be loud when she wanted to be.

Othello came out of his hole, and so too did Aaron. She had never spoken much with Aaron, a Gangrel pale-skinned fellow of average height and build. But he too, like Jennifer, blinked in dismay at the sight of the two suddenly in their home, and backed away.

Jacob was in the further end of the grand room, closer to the wall that held the largest array of bones in a grand decoration of patterns. He was just in his robe, like usual, and he'd been playing with a new pile of bones when the two dragons arrived.

"My Prince, sheriff, I'm humbled that you've both decided to visit!" Jacob raised a hand through the air, like he was parting a crowd, and stepped forward toward them. "What brings you to the Circle of the Crone's little hole in the earth?"

The Prince walked forward to meet him. Othello was about to join Jacob, but one look from the sheriff made him back off.

"I nearly died," she said. Just a whisper, but the solid walls of the cavern made it echo in the dead silence.

"I'm sorry?"

"I nearly died." She got even closer, until there was only two feet between the two titans. "My ghouls could have died. Jack could have died!"

"I'm not sure what—"

The sound of her fist colliding with Jacob's face was just a quiet thud, but the following silence was colossal. The ancient Nosferatu fell back in a spin onto his hands and knees. Even caught by surprise, he managed to land with cat-like grace, and he got up with a casual nonchalance before rubbing at where the Prince punched him.

"I take it your date with the Archbishop didn't go well?"

Beatrice winced. Antoinette was shaking, fists tight at her sides, and her body screamed ready-to-kill.

"Why would you do this? I thought—"

Jacob was the one to step in this time, and he laughed right in the Prince's face. "I didn't do anything! I—"

"You goaded Lucas! You knew what he would do! You arranged this, you knew he would bring chaos to my door. You knew Kindred would die!"

Two elders screaming at each other. The tension had Beatrice crouched down and ready to bolt like a scared animal. Hell, no use denying it, she was a scared animal.

When Jacob punched Antoinette right back, everyone gasped. Only the sheriff didn't make a noise.

"How dare you," she said. "I will—"

"You needed a wake up call, Prince." He used air quotes around her title, and snarled more rebuttals. "When Tony and Viktor were vying for power and looking for ways to usurp you, what did you do? You waited, and came to me when you wanted a way to end them with minimal damage. Minimal damage!" His voice was a scream, but it deteriorated into a laugh. "You forget what Kindred are!"

The two of them were throwing around secrets that could shatter the Danse Macabre if abused, but it was like neither of them cared anymore.

Antoinette rubbed at her cheek where Jacob punched her, but she didn't strike back. Instead, she glared daggers into him. "It does not have to be that way. It does not!"

"Bullshit. You know it, I know it, and you need to accept that! You spent over a hundred years trying to raise Tony 'right' and all you managed was to create your typical scorned lover, with a good dose of obsession. How long did you try and convince Viktor to change!" Jacob stepped in closer again, and he shoved the Prince back with both hands.

This wasn't the battle of wits Beatrice had always pictured elder Kindred engaged in when they fought. This was too familiar. This was no different than her arguing with Julias. And the sheriff was just letting it happen, but Beatrice could see the frown grow on him.

"Viktor was alone. Tony chose to be alone. But you, you had someone!" The Prince caught Jacob's wrist, squeezed, and yanked him in until their faces were almost touching. "You had someone you loved! You know it does not have to be this way!"

"She's dead!" Jacob yanked his hand free, and shoved her again. "She's dead and you know why!"

"And you know it was worth fighting for! We do not have to devolve into savage beasts!" The Prince stood her ground, but lowered her head and looked to the side, toward Beatrice. Just a quick glance, just a small hint of knowing before looking back at Jacob. "Do you think Minerva would—"

Jacob growled, a real growl, a growl that did not fit a human's mouth, and he punched the Prince again. This wasn't the same as the others, the frustrated jabs and the childish shoving, this was a real punch, with all a Nosferatu's strength put into it.

Antoinette went flying. She spun out of control in the air and collided with the front wall of the cave over the entrance. Bits of ash trailed in the air from where she'd been flying, and when she finally came to a stop, Beatrice could see much of the Prince's face was destroyed by Jacob's punch. The rock had cracked where her body smashed into it.

Daeva and Nosferatu were both very, very strong, but neither could take a punch like a Ventrue or Gangrel. Whoever got the first punch was liable to win the fight, and Jacob was the one who did.

But he didn't follow it up. It wasn't because of the sheriff, who just stood by and watched. Maybe Jacob didn't want to follow it up, and instead fumed and snarled from where he was. He tore off the bandage that covered his eyes to expose the empty voids of permanently seared, ruined flesh.

"Shut your fucking mouth. Fucking snake, do you have ... how dare ... you fucking..."

Beatrice brought both her hands up to her mouth as Jacob's speech fell apart. Minerva? She looked down at Jennifer and mouthed the name, but Jennifer just shrugged and mouthed 'I don't know.'

The Prince put a hand to the wall and forced herself up. Beatrice could only imagine the elder's stamina; it was only a few days ago she was barely in one piece. But the Prince shrugged off the damage, put a hand to her half-ruined jaw, and shifted bone into place. It regrew in moments.

God fucking damn she healed fast. The fuck happened to her in the tower that had her so near death before?

"Jacob." She walked toward him, confident in her stride despite Jacob's attack, and stopped before him. "You may have your witches fooled, but I remember the days when we came here, the three of us. And now there is two of us. You," she said, and pointed a finger at him, "I ... I do not want to see you gone, as we saw with Viktor. We do not have to be enemies."

Jacob didn't seem interested in a nice chit chat anymore. He took another swing, but the Prince was ready this time, and she ducked under it with speed that had Beatrice's eyes sting trying to follow it. Daeva were faster. Antoinette got her hand around Jacob's throat, lifted him up, and choke slammed him into the stone earth hard enough Beatrice could feel the vibration.

"So you will listen!" She slammed him down again, and Beatrice gasped at the sound of breaking bone when Jacob's skull cracked against the cave floor. "You know there is only hard times in the Kindred's future, witch! You play your games and let us destroy each other, so only the strong survive, but your game makes us weaker! Soon there will only be a handful of us, strong, wise, and alone! What good is there in our second life if we are doomed to live it alone!"

"Not everyone wants—"

She cracked his skull again.

"You deceive yourself as much as anyone else! I remember how you laughed, full of joy and spontaneity when Minerva was alive. I saw what it did to you when she died. And now, like a child, you want to spread misery! Your culling is a lie, and I will not have it. I will see you dead before I let you risk everything I have worked for, for everything I have earned."

Beatrice got ready for the next hit. If the Prince really pushed it, she could probably punch straight through Jacob's skull and splatter his head; even Jacob couldn't survive that. But it never came. Antoinette gave a long sigh, let go of the Nosferatu in her hands, and stood up straight.

"I found someone, Jacob. Someone with whom I can lower my mask." She dusted herself off -- comical considering the situation -- and reached down to offer Jacob a hand. "You think us all animals, concerned only with survival. I think differently. Minerva thought differently."

Jacob tried to swat the hand away, but Antoinette caught his wrist and held onto it.

"Enough with your Daeva poetic bullshit, girl. Minerva is dead, and your—"

Antoinette yanked him to a stand with a hard grip and harsh glare. "You do not fool me, old monster. If you could just let your misery go, you could move on." She got in closer, until they were almost touching noses. If Beatrice didn't know any better, she'd think Antoinette was going to kiss him. "And, perhaps, you could find someone again."

Jacob lowered his head, looked away, and gave a small grunt. The dude looked ashamed, and even a little broken.

"But," she continued, "if you try to test my worth with more of your games, I will not be merciful next time." She pulled away and started to walk off, but stopped after a few feet and looked over her shoulder at the old man. "We do not agree on much, old monster, but..."

"Yeah, I know. I remember our promise." He shrugged a little, and rubbed at the back of his head where a cracked skull was healing. "Besides, I knew you'd come out on top."

The Prince gave him a mix of a smirk and a glare, and left through the cave's tunnel entrance with the sheriff behind her. No more words, no ceremony, she just walked out.

Really? Is that what this was about? Jacob used to have a girl, dead now, and now he was sour about it? And what promise?

Beatrice leaned forward to hop out of the wall cubby, but Jennifer grabbed her arm.

"Might want to—"

"Fuck mights and wannas." None of that shit. Done with that. She was in the Circle now, and part of the reason she was here was because of Jacob's words to her that they didn't beat around the bush.

So she walked up to him, stood in front of him, and reached over to grab his eye bandage from the floor. "So, uh, Minerv—"

"Annie ... she would say Nosferatu are such tragic creatures."

Annie. Beatrice could only imagine the ramifications of calling the elder by such a nickname to her face, if she said it. But the Prince and Jacob had a history she had no idea of, and a huge one, apparently.

Jacob didn't look her way, but held out a hand. Putting the bandage into his palm, Beatrice found herself sighing with the weight of it. Jacob put the bandage back on over his empty eyes; the metaphor of it hiding his beast and curse was grandiose and disgusting. Nosferatu's curse indeed.

"Triss. You seem to really like that Mire fellow."

" ... I do."

Jacob gave her that crazy smile of his, but after a while, the insanity of it faded away, and she was left with a sad smile from a sad man. "Enjoy it while you can, you know? It's worth it." He didn't wait to hear what she'd say back, but turned around and started to walk out of the cave.

Jennifer jumped down beside her, jaw dropped and eyes wide. "Holy shit, right? I've never seen the master so ... human."

"Me neither." Beatrice looked down at the claws of her hands, claws that, like all Nosferatu disfigurements, made Kindred wear their curse on the outside just as much as the inside.

Claws that didn't bother Julias one bit, and that made her smile.

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~~Antoinette~~

To be kept in her basement, pampered by her ghouls and her sheriff, was sickening.

She wanted to be above the earth, in her tower, controlling her corporations and undoing the damage that fool Lucas had caused. But Daniel would have none of it. It had only been a few nights, and she had already undone the damage to her form, but for some reason her companions felt she needed more. Perhaps her visit to Jacob's domain had scared her friend? When they had returned, he had forced her to bed and brought her her ghouls, and more blood on top of that as well.

So she sat within the luxury guest room of her tower's depths, and worked on managing her city as much as she could from her large tablet. The wonders of technology made her ancient mind spin sometimes, but unlike others, she made sure to bury herself in the power of it. Today, she sat upon a bed with her back to the wall, her legs folded out in front of her along the blankets, and a host of tasks to accomplish on her woefully limited tablet.

Ashley and Julee were laying on the colossal bed, wearing their nighties, snoring, and very much drained of blood. They would not awaken for many hours, but she did not want to let them out of her sight.

She put the tablet down and smiled at the two creatures. Her two ghouls were such beautiful little women, but no one ever guessed how much she also enjoyed talking with them. They were ditsy things, but she had cultivated intelligence within them, and that self-awareness she valued so much. They were her sounding board for many of her frustrations, and they often offered simple but elegant advice.

And that idiot Bishop in her dungeon would have killed them, purely because his version of his beliefs of his archaic religion thought kine were to be kept separate from Kindred.

It took all her effort to not destroy the tablet in her hands. But Daniel had insisted. That fool man was being persuaded by his childe over his friend, but then, the thought of Natasha and Daniel sharing words quelled her anger. Maybe her old friend would start smiling again? If Madame Vola could bring that out of Daniel, then it was worth it.

She set the tablet down on her lap, and stared into the empty void of nothing. Her mind wandered to that night Daniel had saved Jack, and returned him with burns and a huge gash from Viktor's sword. Jacob had been there, and he had insulted her humanity by suggesting she could not care for a fledgling such as Jack.