When I'm Not With You Tonight [Closed]

Zachary remembered that night so clear. He had woken up cold and alone, the burning fire in the back of his throat overwhelming how his body ached. The searing pain even blinded him to the stiff, agonizing pain resonating from the bite on his collar. All of these memories came flooding back as he sat atop his horse, looking down into the piercing eyes of the woman who had just arrived to the party he was throwing on the grounds of his plantation.

He remembered the words of his master, though he was long gone now; We must never know anyone, unless we are ready to kill them. We belong in the shadows. And for the longest time he lived by those words, staying to himself on his grounds, never staying in one place for to long, feeding in the darkness... but now, here was this woman making him feel so alive again, that he was ready to throw it all away.

This was the first party he had thrown at his estate since having been turned years ago. He was tired of being so lonely that he didn't much care if anyone found out about his ailment, if you would call it that. He figured one party on this night would not cause him any trouble, but now that he seemed so infatuated with this woman from just one look, he felt like maybe he was wrong. He could smell the blood pumping through her veins and it caused his mouth to water.

"Arriving here tonight alone, madam?" Zachary asked as he held the reigns to his horse tight in his hands. He had been inside, mingling ever so slightly with his guests, but he had began to grow thirsty so he had left to go on a short ride to find some dinner before he ended up slaughtering his whole house.

---

Samantha sat on the beach off the coast of Bordeaux, France, her violin in hand as she quietly played in front of a bonfire. It was the dead of night and she was about a quarter mile away from a large party that was being thrown, as they often were by nobility during the warmer seasons. The flames from the fire danced across her face as she worked her bow across the strings of the violin, producing a sorrowful melody that swept across the sandy terrain.

She looked over her shoulder, seeing two shady figures communing with each other. Under the pale moonlight, she could barely make out their faces, but she could see they were dressed in royal blues and rich velvet reds and she knew they must be of some importance. She could see one of the men pointing towards her and he began to walk closer and she assumed he enjoyed the melodies she was playing. Looking down at her poorly stitched dress, she felt her face start to heat up, already feeling slightly embarrassed that she was being noticed. By the time she looked back up, the pale man was already standing on the other side of her bonfire.

The flames lit up his hazel green eyes and the blues of his dress were even deeper up close. How pale his skin was struck her as odd and he seemed to be looking at her in such an odd way that she got so nervous she ended up dropping her bow.

"C-can I help you, sir?" She asked, seeing the other man that was with him walking up behind him. He, too, was pale as the moon, with glowing eyes and all Samantha could think about was the many stories and superstitions she had heard about vampires in her travels.

Olivia had been as shocked as anyone when the invitation to Mister Baker’s arrived at her home. Although quite handsome, he had a reputation as something of a recluse, never really associating with his neighbors—which in Olivia’s opinion was very strange. She had also heard from the clients of her older brother that frequented their home that Mister Baker was incredibly wealthy. And from one look at the plantation that stood before her told Olivia that that was true. This was the first party that Olivia had been invited to since she and her brother had moved to their new home. And despite not knowing the man throwing the gathering, Olivia jumped at the opportunity to socialize.

When she stepped out of her carriage, the petite brunette was blown away by Mister Baker’s beautiful estate. She’d heard rumors of its grandeur, and now she was seeing it with her very own eyes. When she met Mister Baker’s emerald gaze, Olivia felt like she’d had the wind knocked out of her. Sitting on top of what was probably the most amazing horse she had ever seen was the most gorgeous man she’d ever seen.

So, this was the Mister Baker that everyone was talking about? Olivia had to admit that he definitely lived up to the hype. He had this… this air about him. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it, but it definitely added to his attractiveness.

Olivia gave him a shy smile before nodding affirmatively. “Yes sir, just me.”

--

Matt and his master had been walking along the shore when the music first caught his ear. Violin, he recognized. But the name of the piece escaped him. He ran a hand through the tawny colored hair that had escaped its tie, just enjoying the melody. The source of the music appeared before he and Jacque a few moments later, and if Matt’s heart had been beating it would have surely skipped a few. Her short, night colored hair framed her heart shaped face perfectly, and her eyes were a deep, rich ebony. There was a look of concentration on her face that made her that much more alluring. Matt found himself drawn to her.

Jacque must have noticed the look on his face, because he stopped. The Master vampire looked at Matt and followed his gaze to the young woman playing her violin. He put two and two together before shaking his head negatively. “Not yet,” He spoke, his French accent thick. “You’ve still barely turned. Why do you think I waited this long to take you out among the public? You can’t be trusted with humans yet. Your instinct isn’t under control.”
Jacque spoke in a tone that made it clear he was not joking around.

Matt looked from his master back to the woman playing her violin. “I’ll be fine… There’s no better way to know if I’m ready than to practice, yeah?” He chuckled slightly before stepping ahead of Jacque, only stopping when he reached the other side of the young woman’s small campfire.

When she looked up to inquire about what he wanted, Matt almost forgot how to speak. “Hello… I just wanted to say the piece that you’re playing is absolutely beautiful. What’s the name of it?”

Zacky looked down. his eyes exploring every bit of the girl. He quickly moved to slide off of the horse, letting go of the reigns lastly. His horse neighed and bowed his head down for a moment before standing up tall once more. "A girl as pretty as yourself has no escort?" He asked her, offering his hand out to her slowly. He felt like he might start drooling at any moment, he vampire eyes could see the blood running through her veins below her soft skin. The scent was enough to intoxicate him and it was hard for him to resist himself.

All he could think about doing was lurching forward and taking her into his arms and ripping into her throat right then. He had to restrain himself, it was to dangerous to try and taste her there, any moment another carriage of guests could arrive. "Let me give you a ride to the party." He smirked, his sharp fangs finally emerging. Once her hand was in his, he guided her over to his horse, hoisting her up by her waist, he helped take a seat atop the saddle. Zacky stayed on his feet, once again taking the reigns in his hand and guiding his horse to follow him.

---

Samantha looked up at the pale man, only able to focus on how the light of the moon almost made him seem to glow. She opened her mouth to answer, just feeling completely dumbfounded. "I-It's a Carrillo piece." Samantha looked past the strange man for a moment, seeing the man he had been speaking with was just watching them from the shadows. She quickly got up, holding her violin tightly against her chest. As handsome as the man was, she could tell something was not right here, something that made her feel like she was in danger.

"I-I need to go." She grabbed up the bottom of her dress in one hand, enough so that she wouldn't trip on it in the sand. She turned back towards where the party was going on and started to head back to it, hoping she could get close enough to it, so that she was safe from these two men.

@ saraya-jade.

The alabaster skin of Olivia’s cheeks turned red at Mr. Baker’s compliment. Had this absolutely stunning specimen of a man just called her pretty? She could hardly wait to talk to Scarlett Monroe tomorrow and tell her! As delighted as she was by his attention, there was still something lingering—some heavy feeling. Olivia couldn’t quite put a finger on what it was, dread with a little bit of foreboding? “Yes, Mister Baker, it’s just me tonight.” Olivia grinned, her smile growing even wider when Mr. Baker extended his hand to her, mentioning giving her a ride to the party. “Well thank you very much, you’re far too kind.”

A shiver ran down Olivia’s spine during the brief moment that both of Mister Baker’s hands were on her waist. It was an unusual sensation, but not altogether unpleasant. The petite brunette hung onto the steed, eyes scanning the property in wonder. This house, this land was much grander than anything that the young woman had ever laid eyes on. “You have such a beautiful home, Mister Baker.” Olivia remarked.

--

Matt started to raise his hand and call out to the mystery girl, as if to get her to stay, but he decided against it. His efforts would be fruitless—she had already disappeared into the throng of people attending the party. He looked back at Jacque who was now sporting an ‘I told you so’ look on his ageless face. “What now?” The new vampire asked. This wasn’t something that he had experienced before. Jacque sighed like a mother dealing with an unruly child before stepping forward.

“Well, my advice to any other freshly turned vampire would be to turn back and try again. If they followed her into that crowd of people, they would lose their handle on themselves, and expose us all.” Jacque made eye contact with Matt, and his expression changed. It was a mixture of pride and curiosity. “But you’re unlike anyone I have ever turned before. You’ve seemed to gain control of your abilities extremely fast. So, my advice to you is—if you want her, go get her.”

because who remembers the button