Possession

The crimson glow of the neon sign painted the dive bar in hues of danger and desire. Hazel, a creature woven from shadows and centuries, watched from her shadowed booth. Her eyes, the color of ancient sapphires, fixated on a woman perched at the bar, nursing a cheap beer. The woman, plump and unsuspecting, exuded an aura of naïve sweetness. Hazel craved her, deeply. Not just her blood, though that was a given, but her very essence. To claim her as her own- body, blood, and soul was a hunger Hazel hadn’t felt in decades.

As Hazel moved, a predatory grace in every step, the woman turned, her eyes sharp and surprisingly intelligent, meeting Hazel’’s. A smirk played on her full lips. “Well, hello there, tall, dark, and broody,” the woman purred, her voice a low rumble. “Looking for a dance partner, or just admiring the scenery?” Hazel paused, intrigued. This wasn’t the timid, easily claimed lamb she had expected. “Perhaps a little of both,” Hazel replied, her voice a silken whisper that had lured countless souls to their ruin.

The woman laughed, a throaty, confident sound. “I’m Catherine. And something tells me you’re not here for a quiet drink.” She leaned forward, her gaze unflinching. “What do you want, truly?”

Hazel felt a shiver, a mixture of anticipation and challenge. “Everything,” she breathed, her eyes darkening. “I want everything you are.” Catherine’s smirk widened. “Is that it?” She gestured to herself with a playful sweep of her hand. “The devil’s in the details, ancient one.” Her eyes sparkled with a dangerous allure, and Hazel knew then that this claiming would be anything but easy. This chubby, naïve-looking human was a seductive fighter, and Hazel, for the first time in a very long time, felt a thrill beyond the hunt — the thrill of a worthy opponent.

Grabbing her hand forcefully, Catherine led Hazel to the dance floor. The song, “American Horror Show,” by Snow Wife, belted from the d.j.‘s speakers. Hazel moved with graceful ease, countless lifetimes of hunting human souls defining her every move. Catherine, however, was not one to be trapped by tragic beauty. She followed it with a eerie pace of her own, logical and seductive. Hazel’s ancient eyes widened, a flicker of genuine surprise in their depths. This human, this ordinary woman, saw her for what she was. The air between them crackled with an unspoken understanding, a dangerous current of knowledge passing between hunter and hunted. Catherine leaned in, her voice dropping to a husky whisper that cut through the pulsating beat of the music. “You want everything I am, do you?” She trailed a finger lightly down Hazel’s arm, sending a jolt through the vampire. “And I’m willing to give it. My blood, my body, all of me.” Her eyes, dark and knowing, held Hazel’s gaze. “But only if you can give me something in return, Hazel. Something even a creature like you might find hard to offer.”

“Everything I offer you, I want in return. A bond to unite our souls together, for eternity. You see, I’m not just an easy prey. I’ve seen demons and monsters- truly terrifying to behold. You’ll help me beat them and together we will make them beg for mercy.” Catherine continued in a breathless murmur, the hand not cascading down Hazel’s side tangling in her wavy black hair. Hazel’s ancient eyes widened, a flicker of genuine surprise in their depths.

The offer hung in the air, a dangerous proposition wrapped in desire. Hazel’s centuries of existence had taught her to take, never to truly give. Yet, this woman, Catherine, was unlike any other she had encountered. The thrill of the hunt had evolved into the intoxicating challenge of a worthy adversary, and now, a potential partner. The final, echoing notes of “American Horror Show” faded, leaving a sudden, expectant silence in their wake.

Hazel’s gaze, ancient and piercing, met Catherine’s. A slow, predatory smile spread across the vampire’s lips, a smile that promised both devotion and devastation. “Done,” she whispered, her voice a deep hum that resonated with a newfound, terrifying joy. Before Catherine could react, Hazel pulled her close, her lips crashing down on Catherine’s in a kiss that was both fierce and possessive. It was a kiss of fire and ice, of ancient hunger and fresh, dangerous desire. Catherine responded with equal intensity, her arms wrapping around Hazel’s neck, pulling her closer still.

The world outside the bar faded, replaced by the intoxicating scent of blood and passion, a promise of eternal darkness and exhilarating battles yet to come. As their breaths mingled and their bodies pressed together, Hazel felt a tremor, not of fear, but of raw power awakening within her. For in that moment, she realized that in accepting Catherine’s terms; she hadn’t just gained a lover and an ally; she had unleashed something far more potent, something that would change the very fabric of her immortal existence forever. And as the kiss deepened, a chill ran down Catherine’s spine, for she knew, with a certainty that settled deep in her bones, that this bond, forged in a dive bar under a neon glow, would lead them down a path from which there was no return.

Hazel led the woman to a dark alley beside the bar, reeking of stale beer and forgotten dreams. The vampire pulled Catherine deeper into the shadows, her ancient eyes burning with an eager intensity. “Our bond,” Hazel murmured, her voice a low thrum against Catherine’s ear, “requires more than just words, my love. It demands a true commingling.” She held up her hand, a silver dagger appearing as if from the very air itself, its blade catching the faint light. “Blood sharing, of course,” she continued, her gaze unwavering as she pressed the tip of the dagger to her own wrist, a single drop of crimson welling on her pale skin. “But also, a spell of ancient power, binding our essences. Are you ready, my fierce one?”

For once in her life, Catherine was hesitant. She knew what she wanted- power, justice, and protection, but making this covenant could lead to more trouble than it’s worth. Sensing her apprehension, Hazel leaned in close and stroked her thigh, stopping at the hem of Catherine’s black lace dress. “Don’t tell me you’re scared now, fierce one. I’ll give you everything you desire and more- as long as I get the same.” Catherine met Hazel’s gaze, a flicker of apprehension battling with a deeper, more primal desire. “Scared?” she scoffed, a wry smile touching her lips. “Honey, I have nothing left to fear. But I want to know, truly, what is this bond? What are we inviting into our lives?”

Hazel’s smile softened, a rare, almost tender expression. “It is a joining,” she explained, her voice a hypnotic blend of ancient wisdom and intoxicating promise. “Our strengths intertwined, our weaknesses shielded. Your human spirit, fierce and unyielding, married to my immortal power, limitless and eternal. We will be a force, Catherine. Undefeatable. And the ritual... it ensures that bond is unbreakable, woven into the very fabric of our souls.”

Catherine considered her words, the neon glow of the distant sign casting long, shifting shadows around them. “A force, huh?” she mused, a dangerous glint in her eyes. “Sounds like fun.” Her hesitation dissolved, replaced by a surge of audacious resolve. “Alright, ancient one. Show me.”

Hazel nodded, a triumphant gleam in her sapphire eyes. She sliced the dagger across her own wrist, a thin line of crimson appearing, pulsating with dark energy. Then, with a swift, clean motion, she nicked Catherine’s wrist, drawing a bead of vibrant red. Hazel brought their bleeding wrists together, mingling their blood. As the first drops merged, a low rumble echoed in the distance.

“Now, the incantation,” Hazel whispered, her voice resonating with an unearthly power as she chanted in a language older than time itself. The surrounding air grew heavy, charged with an unseen energy. Swirling mists formed, coalescing around their entwined hands, humming with an almost palpable force.

Suddenly, a blinding flash of lightning ripped across the night sky, followed by a deafening clap of thunder that shook the very ground beneath their feet. Rain fell, not a gentle shower, but a deluge, as if the heavens themselves were weeping or celebrating. Violent flashes illuminated the alley, each strike revealing the two women, their faces rapt with intensity, their hands bound by the crimson thread of their shared life force.

As the last words of Hazel’s incantation echoed into the storm, the mingled blood on their wrists pulsed with an incandescent light, then sank into their skin, leaving no trace. Another monumental crack of thunder reverberated, shaking the city. The rain intensified for a moment, then, as abruptly as it began, it ceased. The clouds parted, revealing a sliver of the moon, casting a pale, ethereal glow over the alley.

A profound silence descended, broken only by the steady drip of water from the grimy brick walls. Catherine felt a jolt, a sudden, powerful surge of energy coursing through her veins. A dormant power awakened within her, forging a connection to something ancient and formidable. She looked at Hazel, her eyes wide with a mixture of awe and newfound understanding.

Hazel’s predatory smile returned, richer and more complex than before. “It is done, my fierce one,” she murmured, her voice laced with a triumph that resonated deep within Catherine’s newly bound soul. The alley, once a place of stale beer and forgotten dreams, had become the birthplace of something terrifyingly new, a chapter irrevocably closed, and an eternity of intertwined destinies had just begun.