Part 5

7

I felt Ka'lath finally begin to move, keeping to the shadows but edging closer to where his leather-clad prey continued to wait.

I had only known this "master" vampire for a few weeks, but I already was beginning to think he was a bit delusional, and this night only served to deepen that suspicion. His chastisement regarding how I should have waited for him was a prime example. He left me to starve, then unlocked the door to my room and left. In none of the conversations we'd ever had previous to that did he ever say "You need me to be with you when you hunt." I wonder if leaving me alone like that bothered him somehow, and his diatribe on my failings was simply a means to soothe his own dented ego.

And now this... a woman who held some attraction for Ka'lath that made him extremely desirous of her blood, yet overly cautious as well. It was as if...

The woman's voice echoed from the end of the alley, startling me from my thoughts. "Are you out there, master vampire? I've been standing here waiting for you, ready to let you have your way with me. Aren't you going to come and sample my blood?" Her words were followed by a burst of harsh laughter, sarcastic and taunting. Ka'lath froze, still hidden but now within three long strides of tasting her blood. I moved quietly closer, curious about how she might know she was being stalked by Ka'lath.

The woman turned, facing the back the way she had come, back toward where Ka'lath blended into the shadows. "Don't you remember me, Ka'lath? Don't you remember the delicious struggle I gave you 30 years ago, when you turned me into a blood-draining monster like yourself? And how, when I tried to return to my old life, tried to reclaim my husband and my children for myself, you came after me? How you drained most of my blood, then bound me so I couldn't escape? And then you killed them all in front of me... my husband, my children. And then you left, knowing I was not strong enough to escape... knowing that the morning sun would strike me where I sat and turn me to ash." The woman's lips moved back from her teeth, the movement of a predator about to fight. "Of course, I sat there for several hours, being driven mad by the death of those I had loved, as well as by the scent of their blood, draining from their bodies. So I swore a curse on you, Ka'lath, as I raved and screamed, waiting to die. I swore that one day I would come back as a mortal and find you. And then... it would be your turn to die."

Neither Ka'lath nor I moved as the woman finished speaking, though I could feel a true rage building in the vampire below me. It was not a feeling of hunger or a desire to feed. Instead, it was need to destroy.

"Do you like my mortal body, Ka'lath?" She turned in a slow circle. "I awoke inside it six days ago, by the grace of whatever supernatural force allowed me its use. I woke up alone, in a motel room in this very city, with no identification. In fact, besides these clothes, all I had on me was $300, hidden in a secret place inside the skirt. I think the person who used this body before me must have been a prostitute. Perhaps one of her clients got a bit too rough with her, and she died at his hands. But her death allowed me a second chance, and her money allowed me the means to prepare. And now, Ka'lath, I am ready for you. Come get your precious Kimberly."

From beneath her coat she drew a wooden stake, holding it casually in her right hand as she let her arm fall back to her side.

Suddenly, the alley was filled by the sound of Ka'lath's laughter, a sound that made even my blood suddenly feel chilled. He stepped from the shadows, laughing and clapping his hands, like someone who's just seen a marvelously acted play.

"Bravo!" he said several times between laughs. "What a wonderful actress you are, and brave as well! To come here thinking you could make me believe that you were the reincarnated spirit of a vampire! Again, bravo!" His clapping tailed off; by this time he had moved to within 10 feet of the woman.

"There is something about you that I recognize; that I will concede. Something in your walk as you traveled past my building earlier, or something I felt in your attitude. However, while there are many supernatural things I do believe in, the fulfillment of a dying curse through reincarnation is not one of them. But, since you've come all this way, I will give you the opportunity you seek." Smiling coldly, Ka'lath put his arms behind his back, looking like a soldier at parade rest. "Here is your chance, mortal avenger. Come... slay your dragon."

For the first time, the woman's confidence and swagger seemed shaken. It was as if she suddenly realized that she, a mortal woman of great physical attraction but unlikely physical strength, had just challenged a vampire of 300 years experience to a duel to the death. Of course, that was Ka'lath's goal - to put that doubt into her mind, to ramp up the fear and anxiety. To him, tasting that was almost as satisfying as the taste of the blood.

The woman made no move to charge Ka'lath, perhaps thinking it was some kind of trick... which it most likely was, I suppose. He was probably hoping to grab her as she charged, redirecting her motion into a wall or some other object. I had no doubt that he wanted to add some physical punishment to whatever else he had planned for her. From personal experience, I knew how much he enjoyed administering pain to those who challenged him.

They stood motionless for endless moments, simply staring at each other. Then, without seeming to move, Ka'lath was suddenly in front her, still standing at parade rest. Still smiling, he asked mockingly, "There, is that better?"

It was as if she'd been waiting for just that moment. Her arm shot sideways and backwards, arching over her head; then her hand plunged straight down, the stake aimed right for Ka'lath's heart. She struck, and then recoiled, moving back several steps. I could not see the front of Ka'lath's body, so I moved farther to my right, trying to see what damage she might have done.

Perhaps, if Ka'lath had been mortal, she might have struck him a death blow. However, it took only a twitch of his vampire reflexes to put his left arm in the path of her strike. As I looked down from my rooftop perch, I could see the stake sticking out of the upper portion of his arm - a nasty looking wound, but most certainly not a fatal one.

Ka'lath looked down at his arm; the smile never left his face. "Well, that does sting just bit," was his only comment before he reached over with his right hand and pulled the stake from his arm. He tossed the stake away nonchalantly, turning his attention back to the woman.

"My, my. I gave you a chance to strike me dead, and the best you could do was wound my arm. Buffy the Vampire Slayer certainly need have no fear of competition from you." He put out his right hand, palm up, saying only one more word.

"Come."

The woman's eyes widened, as she realized what Ka'lath meant to do. For a few seconds, she resisted his mental control, locking her muscles to keep from moving toward him. Yet, inevitably, her right foot slid forward, fighting to keep from moving but failing nonetheless. Her left foot followed a moment later, with even less resistance than the right. Her left hand came up as she moved forward, and, with two strides more, it was clasped in Ka'lath's outstretched palm.

Her eyes were wide with fear mixed with anger. Ka'lath had not subdued her mind, only taken away her conscious control of her body; he wanted her to feel every tormenting moment of what was to come, so he could dine on the roil of her emotions even as he drained her of blood.

He pulled her closer, wrapping his wounded arm around her, her right cheek pressed against the fabric of his shirt. For a moment, they looked as if they might be lovers, as Ka'lath bent his head to her hair, and inhaled whatever fragrance might have been there. Then, on a whim, his right hand, still clutching her left, came up and to the side, and suddenly they were dancing! He led her through the alley, sweeping over the cobblestones and asphalt in an energetic waltz. In any other circumstance, it might have been touching; here, it only seemed agonizing, another indignity foisted upon his unwilling victim.

Perhaps tired of the game, Ka'lath slowed, guiding his victim though a pirouette at arm's length, then back into his arms. Letting go of her hand, he clutched her to his chest, and then bent her over in his imitation of a dip - her hands touching his chest, arms extended fully; his arms supporting her at the waist, letting her flop backward limply; her head nearly brushing the ground as tears leaked backward, draining into her hair. Ka'lath held her like this for a moment, smiling up at me, showing off his power and control.