poisoned my blood and seized my heart.

The Holy Capital was beautiful; the residents of Crocus were civilized, educated humans with a distinctive taste for art and music — Seira Navillera adored the metropolis, even though it was a relatively unfavourable place for vampires. She had not fed on humans in weeks and while there was no desire, there certainly was a need and Seira knew she had to to find someone if she wished to survive. She found this feature of vampyrism especially barbaric and although she had always been a greedy eater, the woman would perhaps never get used to the idea of relying on blood for survival.

Seira felt and looked fatigued — her skin was paler and faint dark circles marked her otherwise pretty face. ”I will return soon,” a frustrated sigh rolled over her lips and she gave Espeon a gentle pat; the feline creature was always by her side and even though this was inappropriate, Seira decided that she had to stay in the inn’s room in case the vampire needed assistance. Batra's Inn was a decently sized two-story inn, with plenty of rooms on the second floor and a restaurant + bar on the first floor; Seira was staying upstairs, but decided to pay the bar a visit in hopes of finding someone delicious down there.

Any drunkard would do — bars/pubs and every other place that sold alcoholic beverages made decent hunting grounds and more often than not she found herself taking dizzy, clueless men with her only to drop them into a ditch when she was full. It was only the beginning of the week and while there weren’t many customers to be expected, the starving vampire wasn’t going to be picky. Seira put a little makeup on to hide her flaws and walked downstairs and towards the bar. There were a few people — some travelers, some locals — and after taking a look around she approached the bar itself and took a seat.

”Gin Tonic,” she said to the bartender and it took her a few moments to notice the unfamiliar face. Seira was used to seeing a woman down here (a pretty brunette, awfully talkative but a talented mixer) and upon realizing that she’d been replaced for the night, the vampire’s attention shifted to the blonde male instead. He was tall and handsome, but seemed strangely out of place and after she spotted the odd, pointy pair of ears the woman’s head tilted to the side and a frown crossed her face. She waited until he was forced to look at her due to serving the drink before reaching out and giving one of his ears a gentle tug.

”You have funny looking ears," she noted nonchalantly, ”what exactly are you?"

poisoned my blood and seized my heart.

Seira did not expect him to become defensive; it had merely been a simple tug and she certainly wasn’t rough. The bartender’s ears were cute — almost ridiculously so — and when he pulled away from her after placing the drink onto the counter, an amused chuckle escaped her lips and Seira shook her head ever so slightly before leaning back and taking a sip from the glass. She was still staring at him and she was surprised to find that although his expression revealed how startled he was, his voice remained steady and calm. He had kind-looking blue eyes and if his hair had been just a little bit lighter, he probably would have reminded her of a certain someone.    

The woman crossed her legs and placed the glass to her lips one more time, thinking about what he had said to explain the ears; if vampires existed (something she hadn’t been aware of until Bianca turned her), then why not elves? Seira was surprised to say the least, but she hid her feelings well in an expression of disbelief and scorn — no normal person would believe in something as silly as elves, right?

”No you are not,” the vampire spoke with a shrug and arched an eyebrow. ”It’s okay, your ears are kind of cute — certainly nothing to be embarrassed about,” she flashed him an innocent smile and eagerly awaited his reaction. There was something off about him, although Seira couldn’t quite place it — still, she didn’t think someone as unique and rare as an elf would give away their identity like that. If there was some truth to his words, she was most definitely interested though. ”So, when’s your shift over?” Seira knew this place closed early — at least compared to most bars and pubs — and since she intended on eating tonight, it was time to pick a victim anyways.

Elf or not, he would do the job.

poisoned my blood and seized my heart.

”Excellent,” a bland smile crept onto the vampire’s face; there weren’t many customers left and the bar was nearly empty. There was no one else inside who currently caught her attention and although it was always easier when the victim was drunk — and forgetful — she certainly wouldn’t have any problems with taking over this particular male. ”You should finish quickly and tell me more about why you think you are an elf,” she said and emptied her glass.

Seira was still wondering whether or not what he had said was the truth, but she’d find out eventually.  She certainly had a favourite blood type (B+ to be exact) and although she was never going to be picky, she couldn’t help but wonder if other races tasted different from humans — could she even feed on other vampires, or would that be cannibalism?

The mere thought made her roll her eyes and she shrugged it off, not even wanting to think about the only other vampires she knew as of now. Seira waited patiently until the ten minutes were over before she leaned over the counter and stared at the blonde. ”What’s your name anyways?” He wasn’t exactly talkative, but Seira couldn’t blame the man. She was the same and she rarely approached strangers unless she absolutely had to — which happened to be the case as of now.     

poisoned my blood and seized my heart.

The bartender’s forthcoming response surprised her; she didn’t expect for him to be so accepting and willful to give away something as precious as information regarding his race. Seira always thought that she had to protect her identity, but at the same time she couldn’t think of anything dangerous that could relate to being an elf — thinking about it now, they were most likely nothing more than nature loving, good-hearted peachmuffins. When he introduced himself to her (and even asked for her name in return) a genuine smile snuck its way onto the girl’s lips.

”It’s nice meeting you, Christian. My name is Seira,” the vampire made a habit out of collecting the names of the people she fed on. Somehow she thought that remembering them in some way would excuse what she did — deep down she knew this wasn’t true — and in the end it was merely one of many strange coping mechanisms. One day she might even get used to the idea of having to do what she did.

She watched and waited patiently and when he eventually finished his work, Seira stood up and walked a few steps towards the door that led upstairs to where the apartments and rooms were located. The last few guests had left as well and now all that was left was to close up and turn the lights off. ”This way,” she said nodding towards the door and waiting for him to follow up.

poisoned my blood and seized my heart.

Seira initially intended to drink his blood and disappear, but the circumstances had changed when she noticed that he was different; she wanted to know about the elven race and perhaps this was the perfect chance for her to offer him some alcohol as well while they talked. A glass of wine always made things easier and she quietly led him up to her room, which was at the very end of the hallway. She didn’t turn the lights on — vampires could see perfectly in the dark after all — and assumed he would simply follow her.

”You wanted to tell me about elves, remember?”

Hunting had never been difficult and it still surprised her how easy it could be — then again, when Seira was still human herself Bianca’s charm and sweet words had mesmerized her immediately as well; it was difficult to resist a vampire, especially a pretty female one. ”Christian, now that I think of it I have actually never seen ears like that,” she began and offered a light hearted smile, ”I guess it’s my fault for being so uneducated and ignorant in that aspect — after all, anyone could tell that those ears aren’t human, right?”

She opened the door to her chambers and invited him in. ”Please, have a seat and be my guest,” this time she turned the lights on and nodded towards the table across the room. In the meantime, Seira approached one of the shelves containing a few bottles of wine and picked a red one. She didn’t think about asking him whether or not he drank alcohol — he was a bartender, of course he did. She poured him a glass, then herself, took a seat in front of him and crossed her legs.

”So, is there anything else other than the ears that your kind is known for?”

poisoned my blood and seized my heart.

Christian was shy and dismissive at first; he barely spoke and pulling his ears seemed to have spooked him — but he was more open now, and Seira wondered whether it was the alcohol or the topic they chose to discuss. Speaking about something you were familiar with — something you could relate to — was much easier, especially in front of a stranger. She was glad that this opportunity had presented itself and everything seemed to be going wonderfully thus far.

”True, I have never seen an elf in my life before,” she spoke softly and brought the glass of wine to her mouth. The red liquid had left a stain on her lips after only a few sips. ”I suppose it is ignorant to think that humans are the only beings out there, especially in a world of magic,” she shrugged, placing the glass back onto the table and focusing on the man in front of her.

Patience was a virtue and Seira knew this; she was hungry, but not exactly starving and knowing that she would have the opportunity to feed tonight made her all the more curious about who this person in front of her actually was. Usually, she didn’t bother much with getting to know her victim past their names and professions, but this one was extraordinary and interesting. ”Elves seem to be incredibly efficient,” she gave him a genuine compliment, ”it’s quite admirable. Do you think, or perhaps even know of any other races that might be out there?”

poisoned my blood and seized my heart.

When Christian revealed that he did not have the gift of magic, a sigh escaped the vampire’s lips and with a smile she leaned against the backrest cushion of her chair, kissing the glass of wine once more while finishing it. ”Wizards are nothing special,” said Seira and poured herself more of the fine alcohol, ”at least in my own, humble opinion. It’s easy to be born with strength — but training and hard work always beats talent,” Seira wasn’t sure whether she actually believed her own words or if she simply wanted to ooze charm in front of the male elf.

Christian’s comment regarding his sword skill made her chuckle and she shrugged in response before nonchalantly nodding towards the bedroom. ”Oh, I am sure it does — you should show me a little bit later,” Seira’s sweet smile became ambiguous; she hadn’t missed the red tint on his cheeks when she invited him to her room, but it was best not to comment on everything or else he might have felt too uncomfortable to join.

”Do you live alone in Crocus, or are there other elves, or humans I guess, with you?” Seira was coquettish (and men were easier to win over when she pretended to be a little dumb) but not heartless. If he had someone waiting for him at home she’d make sure that the elf would return where he belonged — safe and sound and most likely more experienced.

poisoned my blood and seized my heart.

When the elf’s cheeks blushed scarlet, Seira could not help but smile; he was adorable, almost overly so, although she found it difficult to believe that his endearing behavior could be too much for her. She took another sip from her glass and decided not to finish her wine; she’s had enough to drink and quietly stood up before looking towards the bedroom. ”There’s no one waiting for you to return home tonight then,” she said and almost sounded relieved — no magic, no people who knew where he was and he was gullible as well.

Christian mentioned that he was, in fact, a cook and the vampire flashed him a contented smile before holding her hand out; if he took it, she would lead him to the backroom. ”A cook, mh? I enjoy cooking very much as well and now that you mention it, I’m actually kind of hungry.” Seira approached her bedroom and closed the door behind them as soon as the man had stepped inside. There were no other rooms bordering this one, only the floor and the backyard behind the hotel. Of course Seira, who had a plan for almost everything, had rented the only room bordering the one in which she currently resided at as well — in case Christian was going to be noisy, she didn’t want to risk someone overhearing their little situation, so to speak.

”You have told me quite a lot about yourself and I would like to return the favour,” she said with a smile and approached the delicious looking elf. A small hand found its way onto his cheek and she allowed herself to inspect his strange looking ear one more time (this time more gently) before turning his head in a way that would force im to look at her. ”Thinking about it again, there certainly is more out there than just humans and elves, but they are not all good and not everyone can be trusted — you understand that, right?”   

poisoned my blood and seized my heart.

”You poor thing,” said Seira; her smile faltered and she lowered her head for a moment while a pondering silence overtook the room. Christian certainly did not deserve what was happening to him, but after he explained his own perspective on the situation, the vampire believed that there was something good to be gained from actions. The elf didn’t seem to know a lot about this world yet and in a way she was just like him once, after her life had been turned around in its entirety by one simple mistake — being at the wrong place at the wrong time.

He would learn not to trust people (especially pretty women) and perhaps this experience would even teach him that there was more to be aware of other than what you saw in your daily life. Seira didn’t think Christian ever expected to meet someone like her and from the things she had learned about this man he clearly lived a decent, humble and normal life. ”There’s no such thing as an ‘evil’ race,” she explained, ”only evil people — what you are doesn’t matter, only who you choose to be,” she looked up and for a moment Seira saw something else in him.

She was surprised by her own emotions and her eyes widened for a second; in the end, the woman didn’t know why she did what she did. Pulling his face closer to her own, Seira planted a single, soft kiss onto his lips before digging her fangs into the man’s neck to drink his blood. A part of Christian was helpless, gullible and somewhat lost in this big world — he reminded her of someone she really cared for and eventually she found herself in a moment of weakness.

In terms of physical strength the vampire towered over him, so even if he fought back this wasn’t a fight he could win. She drank a lot — it had been a while after all — and when he fainted from blood loss she gently carried his body over to the bed and began to nurse him back to health. She cleansed his wound, bandaged it and made sure he had water and food by the time he woke up. Christian wouldn’t die, Seira made sure of that, but she wouldn’t be here anymore when he came back to his senses.

The elf’s blood was incredibly delicious and unlike anything she had ever tasted before, which was yet another reason for her to leave the scene quickly before she took more than she needed. Seira removed every trace of her ever being in that room and once everything was cleared, the vampire disappeared into the night.