It was rather cute to him whenever his wives, both whom were alphas in their own rights and were heads to the family, took snipes at one another. In truth they got along as fairly as one would expect though he suppose the mutual feelings came with time. The three of them had a fairly simple relationship and he was ultimately loyal to both women. “And I wouldn’t change a thing either.”

Egjora was a territory that the family could seek to sink their teeth into for not only its prosperity but all those juicy fat cats that were stupid enough to corral themselves onto an island. All it took was for some clever predators to start feasting on them and their resources and they would be defenseless. His nose twitched upon the smell of the fruit, but it didn’t hit him as it had when Celeste had them brought here the previous times.

“If you call eating them good, then I’d agree of that preference between men and women”, Nemesis said in dark humor. That being said, his mood instantly turned serious once she mentioned whom the family turned out to be. His blood felt ice cold as it coursed through their veins as a part of his past had ventured onto his domain once more, despite the flux that occurred with him when he came here. Time had apparently caught up with him and while he wasn’t thrilled with it, an opportunity had arrived just the same. The epiphany forced a smile to curl up. “Draconis, you said? I have heard of such a name a very long time ago. If the person is the same one I suspect to still be running the that clan, then we are fortunate. Very fortunate.”

He stole a bit of her fruit and plopped it into his mouth, “They were both very wrong, my dearest. Slavery between families is taboo, and murdering an entire clan only brings discord amongst the rest of the vampires here. That is if they get caught. How fortunate it is that such a generous clan like ourselves have such damning information. The girl herself, unless she drastically changed since my time with her, is still coming into terms of ruling a clan. Her inexperience led a bloodbath to my doorsteps once a upon a time. She is deadly though for she, like us, is more than a mere child of the night. But she is about as dangerous as a wildfire, engulfing things until they both tired and snuffed out.”

It became clear that not only was the Draconis leader was somewhere in the city, but her mother had been too. “Her clan was one of great power, though I cannot say what they are like now. Given that they took out the Levas, they could pose a problem…for your average family.” But for one that had the ability to slay two-thirds of the population with their bite, the Volkovs would prove a more difficult beast to handle. “Their only other trump card would be her mother. I am familiar with her, or used to be.” He moved his finger beneath her chin and scratched at it lightly. “Very much so. Still, her damn heritage grants her strength to be on par with vampires several lifetimes older than her, if I recall correctly. Still, you might be right and we should pay her a visit at some point.” Celeste was clearly the strategist when it came to diplomacy; Nemesis merely had to be the one that sent the call between calling for treaties or declarations of war. The horn of the latter had yet to be called upon mainly because he wanted to see how things would be done discreetly first.
Watching with sick pleasure, he observed her reacting to her other meal coming to and attacked. Despite her appearance, she was a killer and sadist like the rest of them. The fact that she left him alive didn’t matter for she wanted her alpha to deliver the final blow. He nodded and moved around the man, picking him up by the back collar of his shirt and held him tightly as he bite savagely onto the untouched side of his neck. He let the man scream into the room as he feed cruelly, taking his leisure as he got lost in the moment.While Celeste wasn’t as gluttonous, Nemesis was and then some. Rivers of blood gotten onto the floor, staining him and the man as well. The feeding ceased once he felt not a single movement nor another breath drawn and dropped him. Getting onto the bed on all fours, he crawled over to her and kissed her deeply with his bloody mouth “How was that”, he asked, referring to the show.   

Celeste chuckled a bit at him. “They are sweet when you eat them. They might smell bad but it is the complete opposite. Judging this fruit by its smell is generally a bad idea.” She teased him gently as she popped more of the fruit into her mouth.  “Well if this was before you met me maybe the girl has learned a thing or two?”

Tilting her head she shrugged. “In a fit of rage anyone can be powerful. I would know from anyone. I do know that her clan was around for a while before she showed up. It could be that they got separated.” She purred as he scratched under her chin and smiled at him. “What’s her mother like? For you to use such words against her much make her much more of a pain.” She thought about the strength of the girl and frowned. “If she is so strong… Why would she need her mother?” Her thirst for knowledge was showing as her red eyes began to glow a bit more vividly. It was her sin for sure. “We should make friends with them. I want to learn.”

Celeste was giddy as the man stirred. She forgot all about the Draconis for the moment as she dove into the situation, literally. Once she was planted on the bed with her knees pulled up she looked at him with a smile. She was mighty entertained by her love when he swept in for the kill. The blood was much like an artistic painting. When crawled she unraveled and took him into her arms and kissing him gently. “A good performance. You are always good with shows.” She clapped her hands gently. Gently she licked the blood off of his face and chuckled. “You always make a mess of yourself. Even when it was from my own blood.” She teased him before she was finished cleaning his face.

She looked at his bloodied shirt, “You stained it. You can’t get into bed like that.” With a mighty tear she threw it off to the side and leaned back onto the bed looking up at him. “Much better view anyways.” She was almost like a little torture doll sitting there feeling his chest almost daring him to move an inch. The moment he moved she flipped them and she was sitting on his stomach with a grin. “You are terrible at the waiting game.”

She spent her time teasing him and pinning him down if he moved. This was her most favorite game. She did not need to torture him physically or damage his body to make the scene more enjoyable. Today they enjoyed each other and she managed to strip them both entirely, not ripping anything else, almost like magic.

This was a game she was use to playing with him. Something that had taken decades to perfect. Their love making was more sensual and not at all the desperate sex most vampires had sought after. Maybe it was her delicate form or just the bond the two of them had grown over the years, but this was what they had cultivated. 

She stretched and laid her head on his chest. Listening to the soft thump of his heart she fluttered her eyes for a moment, “The Moons. They are waning. At least one of them is.” She pulled herself up a bit and looked towards the window.  Her pink hair was almost making them swim as it spread across the bed and them like an unforgiving sea. She pulled on it and began to groom it so it wasn’t suffocating. She laid back down on her him and almost purred softly. “This pleases me greatly. Though your information on the other family does as well. It has been a long time since we made ‘friends’ with someone.”

“Perhaps. Perhaps not”, he responded nonchalantly. The girl had been gullible and under pressure as to not disturb the other houses and get into a war with them when it came down to her misguided brother and his deeds. Then again, he had a bleak and cynical outlook upon the rest of the world and had good reasons for it. Still he wouldn’t be quick to dismiss Celeste’s theory. “I am going on knowledge from another time, another life. Perhaps she has wised up but she still lacks the experience any of us here have.” When it came to learning something knew, she was one that craved to learn all that she could. It wasn’t hard to tell from all the questions she poured out at once. There had been times where he even felt overwhelmed by her barrage of questions. If she could, she would likely get fat off acquiring information more so than all the blood or meat she could have. “That could be the case, which would explain why they were such easy prey for the slave trade.” Nemesis shrugged it off; he personally didn’t care too much for either family in this scenario, and was only amused that one of them was vanquished. It made the Volkovs’ job so much easier now. “Her mother was the opposite of her. She was crafty and determined, and wasn’t afraid of breaking rules to get what she wanted. Once a upon a time, she used me. Lured me into her bed and would later bear children, though they were more so hers than mine.”

It was a pity now that he thought about it; those twins were likely carriers of the dual blood as well, though it might have been diluted because of their mother’s. Angela was an effective leader, though even she can be fooled given the right circumstances. He pondered if Celeste would harbor a bit of jealousy seeing how he was bedded and sired children before her time. Any more questions of that were tossed aside as they embraced after the kill. “Oh I know, but that doesn’t stop you, now does it?” He watched as she licked at his face, mingled with the blood of their meal. She was like a feline tending to her kitten as she cleaned him. While he was planning on saying something coy about the shirt, she ripped it in one fell swoop, leaving his  toned torso exposed “Enjoying the view?” Apparently not so much until he was pulled down and she straddled him. His own hands felt around her smooth thighs and he looked to her deeply. “I can’t help it if you make so anxious, love.”

The game continued as his torture grew when she stripped them both of their clothing and before long their game went to the next level. Passion and moans filled the room, blood and sex tainted their bed as it had done before in the past. Both his consorts desired different things, but Nemesis ultimately made it his duty to satisfy both of them as much as he could. Seeing how there weren’t many if any complaints, he felt that he was doing a good job so far. Long moments pass before they were finished and he felt her body close against his. His hand went to caress her head and down her back. While he wasn’t completely up for seeking them out, he knew that it was an opportunity that shouldn’t be passed up, not if it meant for their family to advance even further. “I suppose that it’s been due. I’ll have to remind myself to be on my best behavior should the time arrive. Though if she doesn’t keep a tighter leash on her kin, I will deal with them the way I had wanted to back in the past”, the alpha said with a wicked smile.

Celeste nodded to him and took a good sigh as she thought on it. “Wisdom comes with time my Love. If no one is there to guide her then she will fail. Simple as that. If she has come this far she must have someone guiding her.”  Learning about his other children she got highly upset for a single moment that she had never heard about it, then she let it go. Her red eyes cleared up and she shrugged. “I can’t be too mad at you. A woman get the better side of you? To use you even? That is a great feat for one to do and live. If anything it makes me want to learn about her.”

The littlest Volkov gave a smirk, “Not much deters me Love. You know this.” She chuckled at him and let her skin shiver from his touch. “Well, I do thrive on making you anxious.” She reached her hand down and stroked his face. Her fingers were small, soft, and rather delicate. 

After all the excitement her first thing to do was purr as he pet her softly. “It would be best and I would reward such behavior with my love and affection.” She teased him. “I’m sure she won’t risk much if they are in ruins like I suspect. I would worry about her mother… I’ve never seen Paladins come into the city like that before.” Celeste chuckled. “Though Paladins are known for their rather stupid nature when at the command of someone they revere.” Celeste was genuinely interested in this girl’s mother. 

Still she curled up on her and ran her hands down his chest. “I want to go for a run I think. Not right now but in a bit once I know for sure the moons are done with their little party. I just want to run around, if anyone gets in my way I will kill them. Will you come with me?” Big red eyes stared up at him now. It was the same look she had given him on the night he turned her, what fun they had together.

If it had been up to Nemesis, he would have made sure that the girl wouldn’t bother him again. The same went for her mother as well. Despite the chaotic life he been be flung into over and over again, they did nothing to make it more tolerable. They were merely ghosts of his past, remnants of what had once been that could never be allowed to happen again. Celeste, who’s hungry for knowledge was rivaled only by that of blood, was prying into dangerous waters; not that this would have been the first time though. But he did absolutely promise her no secrets would be kept from her.

His mood darkened a bit yet his voice maintained its sultry tone as he faced her.“Another life, my love. Another time, I was weak, fragile minded and full of sins. Lust being the highest around that time. It would have been rather easy at that point to play on my weakness the way she did, though the only reason she was kept breathing was merely because of my children. I consider it her form of revenge for playing a mere small role in her son’s demise. I trust that woman as well as I would trust a wolverine to not bite off someone’s hand.”   

Nemesis was far different than he ever was back then. He was in control, not his bloodlust, sense of revenge or the “voices in his head”- those times were over. His time of serving the Gods were over and he was free to do as he wished. The family he orchestrated now was far greater than any he served before. And this time, the necessary points would be taken to make sure that he stood above even the mightiest of beings. For now, he settled into their bed and listened to Celeste’s peaked curiosity. “One of these days, you may end up dead because of your fixation on knowing how this world works”, he spoke softly as his fingers intertwined into her locks. “I am not so much afraid of what she can or can’t do. Remember beloved, everyone has their weaknesses, it’s just a matter of knowing what they are and when to strike the hardest. Of course I merely speak that hypothetically. The paladins would be wise not to stir up any more trouble, or at the very least not show up here again and be remembered. They only live to serve and nothing more- the only other thing they are good for is a good meal. I think all that righteous filth they spew makes their blood and meat extra tasty.”

His other hand moved to trace along down her, from the base of her neck to the small of her back. She may have been the calmer of the two, but when it came to her and Sera, it was still a matter of getting between a rock and a hard place. “I suppose so. It’d be good for you to get a run and not be cooped up in here tonight. Does it still pain you?”       

Celeste’s amused smile began to wane as she sighed. “I’ve already paid for it once or have you forgotten.” She reached up and took his cheek in her hand. “Regardless, the woman sounds scary in her own right.” She had gotten herself sold into the sex trade for being a scholar and outcast. That was why she was here now. That was why no one was alive anymore that could help her. She had unknowingly fucked herself over.

She shook her head letting her long pinkish hair shake with her. Her hand came up and she ran her fingers through her locks. “Not pain as much as annoy now dear.” She let her other hand take his as she curled up into him and sighed. “I want to run.” While she was not as strong as Sera could be, she tended to think before she acted a lot more.

Pulling him out the doors she could care less what they were wearing or not. Let them watch. “Come,” she beckoned him to follow as she walked through the halls. As soon as she was outside the shifting happened as if it was ready to explode from her. The pain was hardly there as she landed on the ground with all four paws ready to run. White fur flickered in the breeze, the silver flecks shined brightly in the moon as she let a howl out. She was ready for a run.

“Come,” the wolf beckoned again.

Her response only brought forth a lazy shrug from him. Gods, as mighty as they sounded had plenty of weaknesses to exploit that went beyond their physical coil. Only those that actually made use of at least half their mind and didn’t follow the rest of the worthless sheep could put two and two together.  “If slaving away to fickle gods and goddesses for a good amount of my life and making enemies out of others had taught me anything, it's that when they are truly harmed it is not through their bodies, it's through their hearts and minds.” He poked at the tip of Celeste’s nose. “Which I assure you is quite still mortal. The decline I have seen from them when they are struck in such matters has shown me that they fall even worse than the rest of us. Always suspected that it was because they had refused to remember that they had once been mortal and there are things they can’t do or protect even with all that power. My former love was a testimony to that.” It was a pity, she had been such a beautiful woman, in both appearance and ambition.

But alas, he wouldn’t be like his former self, pining away for a woman whose loyalties were ever wavering. There was no point in living in that past, and he had hoped that the matter of Angela would be the same way.

His attention turned to the idea of a run, and he suppose that Celeste still had plenty of energy that hadn’t been exhausted through their previous love making. “Very well, I suppose that’s a good idea. Not that she was giving him much of a choice as she pulled at him to come, whether he wanted to or not. Nemesis, though, didn’t put up much of a fight as they were led downstairs and out the doors.

First she had transformed beneath the light of the moon basking the front courtyard and he waited patiently until she was ready before he did the same. In time, his appearance had shifted into a large snowy white wolf that slowly approached his mate, staring coyly into her eyes before dashing off into the thicket nearby. It was his turn to get lost and her to find out where he was.