Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Descent: Child of Shadows ❯ Chapter 6

Descent: Child of Shadows Six

Nocturne reached out, the brown haired vampiress gently pushing the black mane of hair from her lover's face. "You are being hunted?" she asked softly.

They lay together naked on the large bed, two pale, sweaty bodies entangled on the satin sheets. It had been a most enjoyable night, Descent applying the many things that Nocturne taught to her and having those same things used on her. The slight chill to the vampiress' skin only added a certain eroticism to the experience, going well with the fires that burned in Descent.

"A priest carrying guns," Descent sighed softly. She smiled wryly, "I heard about it through Lisa, actually, it seems the priest was asking about my driving the pimps off."

"Do you need help?" Nocturne asked softly.

Descent looked over at her, feeling a flash of surprise that she kept well hidden. They had been meeting like this for the past few weeks, spending nights together then going their separate ways once the daylight came. She had told her some about her past, her demonic nature, and in exchange Nocturne had spoken of her own becoming a vampire. Still, they were strangers in many ways and the offer of help was unexpected.

"No," Descent finally said to her softly, "I wouldn't want to put you in danger." Nocturne was about to say something and she leaned forward to kiss her, "My intention to battle Lady Diana is the source of this threat, I'm sure of it."

"Lady Diana and a priest don't normally go together," Nocturne noted. The elegant vampire sighed softly, "Though the coincidence is a bit much."

"That was my thought," Descent agreed. She smiled wryly, "But for whatever reason she pursues me, so I guess I have to go see her."

Nocturne looked startled, "Is that wise?"

"Maybe not," Descent quietly agreed, "but I can't see a real priest working for Lady Diana knowingly. So either she's a hitwoman with a serious priest fixation or she's being manipulated." A grim little smile, "I can deal with the first or reason with the second as the case may be."

"I can't talk you into hiding in our home for a few weeks?" Nocturne asked softly.

"As pleasing as that sounds," Descent sighed, "I dislike running away."

"Then let me make this an evening for you to remember," Nocturne startled her by suddenly rolling Descent onto her back. She smiled down at the pale skinned demoness, "There's a few tricks I've yet to show you, little one."

Descent moaned softly as gentle fingers brushed down her neck, finding nipples already painfully hard. "I love surprises," she managed to gasp, fangs gently raking across her nipples.

"You haven't seen anything yet," Nocturne chuckled, her gentle touch soon bringing forth soft cries of pleasure from her companion...

The dawn was just coming as Descent strode down the hall with the maid, dressed in her typical jeans and black T-shirt. "I made sure that she was safely abed before I left, Natasha," Descent said to her softly.

"Good," Natasha smiled slightly, then her expression became somewhat grave. Softly she asked, "Did my Lady Nocturne ask you..."

"She offered me her help, yes," Descent said calmly before softly adding, "I had to turn Nocturne down, though."

Natasha looked visibly surprised, stopping the two of them in the middle of the ornately decorated hallway. "A killer pursues you," she said to Descent softly, her long brown hair flowing down her back, "and you turn down help?"

Descent sighed softly, "This is my fight, I don't want to pull any others into it." She looked up to meet Natasha's eyes, "And I know how vulnerable they can be, in some ways. I don't want to see either Nocturne or Dominique harmed or killed."

Natasha's eyes seemed to soften slightly, then she smiled.

"What?" Descent frowned.

"You care about them," Natasha said softly, wonder in her voice as she continued, "that is a most rare and precious gift." She started walking towards the exit, and Descent hastened to follow.

"Of course I care about Nocturne," Descent softly protested, "I wouldn't be sleeping with her if I didn't. Why does that surprise you?"

"It makes me glad," Natasha corrected her, a bit of regret in her voice.

"You love them both, don't you?" Descent asked her softly, the two women hesitating a moment by the outside door.

"Of course," Natasha said. She flashed a sudden smile, "And nothing makes me happier than seeing both of them happy." With that she gently pushed Descent outside, putting something in her hand as Natasha shut the door firmly.

Descent pulled her long jacket around her as the sun rose above the buildings, slipping the envelope of money into her pocket with a sigh. She had tried to argue with Nocturne about that, but the vampiress was firm. It seemed that she wanted to assist Descent in some way, and her wealth made such a gesture easy.

'Well, to work,' Descent thought, striding down the street. Her hunter was sticking to the same part of town that was her territory, and finding her would hopefully be easy. She rather suspected that gunshots or violence would follow in the woman's wake.

'And then there's the other thing,' she mused grimly. There had been several rumors of a child slavery ring operating in the city, but nothing concrete. Recently Descent was offered information that might lead her to them, if it was legitimate. 'Or it might be a trap,' Descent mused.

The city streets were quiet as Descent walked on, checking in with contacts and informants. The working girls, rent boys, street people, they all knew her by now. Their trust had been slow coming, but her obvious concern with their welfare had shone through, winning them over one at a time. All had seen the intense female priest, but other than that they knew little.

The black haired young woman stalked the empty streets as the sun rose up into the sky, then began to descend behind the tall buildings. A striking figure, black coat and pale skin making her a bold and intense figure. Finally, the faint sound of gunfire drew her to a darkened alley.

Gazing down from a nearby roof she witnessed a pitched battle. Lady Diana's footsoldiers had their weapons up, guns blazing as they fought against the rival Asian gangsters. Men and women dropped on both sides and Descent felt the inhuman fury rising in her, her form shifting slightly, revealing her demonic aspect.

"Stop," Descent cried out, leaping down from the concealment of the rooftop and into the midst of the gangsters. She flung figures aside, jumping into Lady Diana's people before they could take advantage of the distraction she represented.

Then her shoulder exploded in blood and flame.

She walked out of the shadows as the gangsters scattered, fleeing the demoness. Her black garb blended her into the shadows, the white cleric's collar shining into the darkness. Brown hair was pulled back in a simple ponytail, her face intense. Twin guns shone silver in her hands, a bit of smoke curling up from one of them.

Descent reached for her shoulder, hissing softly as she made herself dig into the torn flesh. With a gasp she grasped the bullet, pulling it free and letting it clatter to the pavement. Still clutching her injured shoulder she looked at the priest, "What do you want?"

The priest had a dumbfounded expression on her handsome face, so shocked that Descent thought she might faint. "Those bullets are blessed, formed from a silver cross," she said softly, "you should be dead, demon, not just injured."

"I'm not quite typical," Descent said, pulling her hand from her now nearly healed shoulder wound. "I don't know why you're after me, but I'm not your enemy," she said simply.

"That's not what the church says," the priest answered calmly, keeping her pistols leveled at Descent's chest.

Descent met the woman's eyes, trying to read her intentions. She spread her arms wide, making herself an easy target as she said, "I have no intention of hurting you. I entered this battle to stem the bloodshed, not increase it."

The breeze picked up, the scent of incense and gunpowder carried in the air, the woman's ponytail blowing sideways. She finally raised the guns, studying Descent. "I don't know what's going on here," she said carefully, "but whatever it is, I don't like it."

"I'd love to stick around," Descent said, "but there's a shipment of slaves going out of the docks tonight. I intend to stop them."

The brown haired woman's eyes narrowed as she heard the word slaves. "Would you like some assistance with that?" she asked mildly.

"It might be useful," Descent agreed. She looked at the priest thoughtfully, "What do I call you, anyway?"

"Samantha Teresa," she said calmly, and with that both women walked off into the shadows, watching each other warily.

To be continued....