Night and Day

The street was dark and cold and anyone who was remotely concerned with self-preservation hurried along in groups, trusting in the old saying ‘safety in numbers’. There was the smell of rain in the air, a storm in the offing.

Though it should be noted that it wasn’t one of Mother Nature’s. No, in fact it was someone infinitely more dangerous who was stalking the streets, out for someone’s blood. Samuel’s blood in particular. Of course, that was only a figure of speech. Samuel hadn’t had blood of his own for centuries. Other people’s, certainly. That would also be the reason for his being in trouble.

The first thing most people thought when they saw Emmaline Valiant was usually either ‘wow’ or an unprintable mixture of expletives; more often than not because she was bearing down on them with the force of a city-crushing hurricane. Samuel, however, wasn’t thinking either of these. He had accepted his fate, and slumped against the store window in a parody of the ever-insecure teenage boy he appeared to be. Emmaline hadn’t done much the last three times he had stepped out of line, and he doubted she would do anything extraordinary now. Despite the horror stories and the legends of her terrible wrath, he had yet to see any evidence of it. Emmaline might talk it well, he thought, but she can’t walk it.

That was one of the many thoughts that led to Samuel’s demise.

He saw her coming long before she reached him. Emmaline was a tempest, a force that could not be ignored. Nevertheless, he ignored her, content to wait until she acknowledged him. Samuel wasn’t one to grovel. Not that that would have changed his fate.

Emmaline walked down the path like she always did when she was about to kill someone. She stalked along in black stiletto boots, tight blue jeans, a crimson blouse and a leather jacket; showing neither a tear nor a crisis of conscience. Her long brown wavy hair was out and brushed the edge of her top.

“Samuel.” It was only one word, yet her voice commanded attention. He pushed away from the wall and bowed mockingly.

“Milady. What brings you to this cold, lonely street tonight? Surely not my sorry self!”

Emmaline sighed and shook her head. “Samuel, enough is enough. I have given you chance after chance, but every time I offered you forgiveness you threw it back in my face. I will not allow a kid vampire to bring ruin to my territory.” She held out her hand expectantly.

Samuel was confused. The words she was speaking were familiar, yes, but her behavior was utterly alien. And what did she want him to give her?

“Milady?” he asked, confused and feeling doubt begin to creep into his mind.

“Your token, Samuel. Surely you don’t think so low of me not to expect this? I told you I would not have you rampaging around under my protection. The token. Now.” Her voice was like cold steel.

His token?? No. Absolutely not. Unacceptable! He would not give this child the only thing that separated him from death. Never mind if she had given it to him in the first place, he would not give Emmaline his token.

You see, when Samuel was only a few decades old he had run afoul of a very large coven with many connections. The token – a sign of protection from one of the world’s rulers (in this case Emmaline) – kept the coven from hunting him down. No coven in their right mind pitted themselves against a monarch, it was suicide. They had the resources if not the determination to wipe countries from the face of the earth. It had happened before.

“ I’m afraid I don’t understand you Milady. Surely you cannot mean…?” Samuel let his voice trail off, buying time to think of an escape route. It was clear that his time in Emmaline’s territory was coming to an end.

“Yes, Samuel, that is exactly what I mean!” Emmaline was losing her patience. “Give me your token now. I will not ask again.”

Samuel shrugged and put his hand to his throat, as if he was going to take the token off. He saw the infinitesimal loosening of her shoulders as she relaxed, and he took off. The border was only a few moments away; once he was past that she would have to call before she could follow. He tore around the corner –

-and ran straight into Blake Finly, six-foot, bodyguard-built, incredibly intimidating vampire. Not that Samuel was intimidated. Of course not! He was just – cautious.

Blake grabbed Samuel by the scruff of his neck and deposited him back in front of Emmaline. She sighed and shook her head.

“Samuel, Samuel, Samuel. I had really hoped that you wouldn’t make me do this, but I can see now that there is no other way.” Emmaline looked up at Blake and nodded. “Go ahead, just get rid of the…remains…afterwards.” She turned and walked away, stopping at the end of the street to don a helmet and gloves, and left on her motorbike.

Meanwhile, Samuel struggled, cursed and threw wild punches, all of which affected Blake the way a fly would affect an elephant. With a quick twist and a loud crack Samuel was gone. Blake dropped him on the sidewalk, and after grabbing the token and stuffing it in his pocket, used a lighter to destroy what was left of the once-arrogant Samuel.

No-one crossed Emmaline and got away with it. Ever.