Oscar fumbled with the deadbolt, his fingers trembling so violently the key hissed against the brass. "Welcome Home! Lydia and I have so much to tell you."
He snapped at her, "God do you need my attention 24/7?! You're clingier than a puppy." Elena recoiled as if struck. Moisture was forming in her eyes and her chin wobbled.
"Oscar. Do not speak to my favorite thrall like that. Go to the bedroom. NOW!" Oscar paled. He didn't realize Lillith was capable of projecting her voice outside her head.
His shoulders slumped and he avoided Elena's eyes as he fled into the bedroom. Elena whispered to Lydia, "who... who said that?" Lydia shrugged, "Hell if I know, but I'm glad that scary motherfucker likes you."
Oscar flopped onto the bed staring at his ceiling as the night's sins flashed before his eyes. The faces of the men he had slain glared at him. Oscar scoffed. Like I give a shit. You all got what you fucking deserved.
[Oh my this is worse than I thought. You're talking to yourself now? Listen up, this is important. I didn't bring it up before, since you were doing rather well on fucking anything that moved. Vampires are nature's perfect creation. We are the embodiment of harmony. Good and Evil. Light and Dark. Sex and Murder. Feeding off emotions isn't just a way to fuel your evolution. The emotions nurture your soul and your body mirrors the growth. If you feed too fast or too often on only one of the options, you will stagnate and become unbalanced. All the Ruin energy saturating your soul is having bad effects on your mental health. You need to harvest some ecstasy to balance it out. Before you say something that makes these two angels leave you.]
Yeah that makes sense. I haven't been this angry since I was a mortal. I don't deserve the love of these two right now and... if I'm being honest I don't trust myself not to hurt them. I'll have to find someone else to feed on.
[There's the Oscar I know and love. I have a few ideas, but first I suggest you apologize.]
Oscar wearily climbed off the bed and returned to the foyer. "Elena I'm deeply sorry. The things I had to do tonight. They are taking a bit of a toll on me. It won't happen again. I promise."
Elena looked at him nervously, unsure if he would revert back to that angry creature who had lambasted her. "It's alright. I've heard worse Oscar. But I have to know. Who was that voice we heard earlier?"
"Ah my sweet Elena. You remind me of myself you know. A switchy woman with more kinks than she knows what to do with. I am Lillith. Oscar's mentor, spirit guide, and of course the one who turned him in the first place."
Lydia and Elena gasped in unison. Lydia recovered first. "Wow, so how come you're a voice in his head and not uh yknow alive? Also you could've talked to us this whole time, why haven't you?"
[Oscar relay this to them. It's difficult to keep verbalizing myself at your current level of power. And you can explain why I'm disembodied.]
Oscar did as instructed. The ladies took in this new information and seemed to take it in stride. Elena piped up, "Well I'm having sex with a vampire and professional swimmer, so this isn't even the weirdest thing to happen this week honestly. Nice to meet you Lillith, I hope we can get along."
Lydia cut in before Oscar could reply, "Alright enough nonsense, we HAVE to update you on what we've done so far." She turned to look at Elena, motioning for her to go first.
Elena bounced with glee. "Okay Okay Okay! So first of all, I bought out all the tenant's leases. Don't worry I set them up all in 5 star hotels for two months while they look for new accommodation. Except for that perv Mr. Grady, I sent him to the Quality Inn." She smirked at Oscar. Wow, she's learning so fast. She even thought to look after her tenants. I don't deserve her.
[Shut the fuck up. What is this emo shit? Can you just be proud of your girls and stop making everything about you?]
My bad, I'm still trying to center myself with all this negative energy surging in me.
[I know sweetheart, but sometimes you need some tough love.]
Elena was waiting for Oscar to praise her and he of course did. "Phenomenal work baby. Nice touch setting the tenants up in the hotels, I wouldn't have even given them a second thought."
She beamed and wrapped in a heavenly soft hug that radiated love and pure joy. Oscar luxuriated in her arms and eventually she pulled away after sneaking in a quick smooch.
Lydia cleared her throat. "That's quaint honey. Let me tell you how a real mogul moves. You may have secured a base of operations for our Coven, but I am insuring our future. I invested into several high tech corporations that Marcus told me were about to secure government contracts. I diversified our portfolio into medical marijuana, cutting edge pharmaceuticals, a few social media platforms including OnlyFans, and stashed some in ETFs for a stable return on investment. That's just the beginning of course. I decided I need to take back my life and I want my legacy to be remembered."
She paused for a moment and wringed her hands together, remembering how the scars Marcus had left on her psyche. "I started the Lydia's Love foundation. I know it's a bit corny, but just shut up and listen. I am paving a path for new young people to swim without having to deal with all the hurdles I did as a poor kid. I've setup free pool rentals, equipment, and personal training sessions with some of my colleagues as mentors. Hopefully this will make it easier for the next best swimmer to find their fins." She stared at the floor, too nervous to check Oscar's face for his reaction. Had she done so, she would have seen nothing but pride radiating from him.
Oscar moved to her and lifted her into the air. "I'm learning more and more about you every day gorgeous. I expected you to invest the money with ease and you went above and beyond. I'm so proud of you for taking back your life and your identity. This foundation is going to be a gamechanger. I know it."
Elena chimed in, "I know she probably left this unsaid, but having a nice charitable arm to our Coven's business dealings will help us avoid any pressure from rival companies and the government. Nobody wants to be the one persecuting the nice guys."
Oscar nodded thoughtfully, "You're quite shrewd, Elena. I missed that actually. But I'm sure our business guru over here knew that this would be a welcome side effect to her philanthropy."
Lydia simply smirked. "Now that that's out of the way, how about you reward us for our efforts? We still have to finish what I started in the shower earlier..."
The slutty swimmer pressed her hands under her breasts and squeezed them sticking her tongue out at Oscar. Elena spanked her ass sharply and the crack rang out across the room. "Naughty little slut. Stop trying to seduce Master. He's got to take care of his anger problem first."
Lydia pouted fiercely, "Why can't he take it out on me?"
Oscar coughed awkardly, "As much as I'd like to take you up on that, Elena is right. I need to rebalance my soul before we celebrate."
As he said this, his phone began ringing. That's odd. Who even has my new number besides these two and Samantha?
He answered the phone and heard a crackling voice on the other end. "Meet me at the pawn shop on 78th. Come alone. No phones." The call ended as quickly as it came. Oscar stared at the phone shell shocked. Was that Siobhan? Why does he want me to go to a pawn shop?
Lillith chuckled. [Just go. I think I know where you're heading and it'll be worth the trip.]
Oscar's truth in Lillith was unshakeable, so without asking questions he started getting ready to leave. "Girls, I've got to go pay back a favor to a Fae. Try not to wreck the place while I'm gone, yeah?"
Elena and Lydia exclaimed, "A FAE?!" Elena added, "Are they hot?!" Lydia seemed to have the same question on his mind. "Depends what you're into I guess, maybe I can find a female one to bring home for a night." They both vigorously nodded at the idea, eager to expand their mystical sexual escapades.
Oscar left his phone on the table by the door and headed to the pawn shop. He took his time and contemplated trying to remember how he had felt before slaughtering the losers earlier that night. The feelings eluded him and all he could remember feeling was the roiling toxic fury.
[Don't stress yourself too much. Where you're headed, I'm sure we can find you a more... durable partner.]
Oscar could swear she winked at the end of that comment. How a ghostly entity could wink was beyond him. Shaking his head ruefully, he sped up his pace.
Arriving at the pawn shop, he noticed a broken neon sign reading Exotic Goods Pawn Shop. The building looked like the kind of place a man went to go sell his wedding ring after a messy divorce. He walked in the door and saw Siobhan waiting for him in the foyer.
"Follow. Behave while we're in here. I vouched for you, do not make me look bad."
Oscar didn't know how to handle that. Surprised that Siobhan would vouch for him for whatever it was they were headed into, he nodded his assent and followed the deadly Fae.
Siobhan led him to the back of the shop through the employee entrance and then moved in front of a brick wall. He chanted something musical. The words he said fled Oscar's brain as he tried to comprehend the archaic words of power. The wall shimmered and Siobhan walked straight through. Holy shit Lillith, this is just like Platform 9 3/4.
[Could you be any more of a nerd? Don't embarrass me in there either.]
Oscar walked through the brick wall entering into a surreal courtyard. The trees and bushes ringing the area had white bark and deep blue leaves. A sparkling blue powder emanating from the plants seemed to be forming a dome around the courtyard. He looked around in awe, noting the pristine white marble floors inlaid with gold and other precious jewels. The opulence was staggering.
Siobhan smirked at him, "Settle down kiddo, this is just the beginning. Do you know where we are?"
Lillith help me out here, let me wipe that smirk off his face please. I swear I'll do one ridiculously lewd feat just for you.
Lillith's menacing cackles rang in his head. [Damn right you will. We are in the Sindhe Auction Hall. The Fae built this place as a neutral meeting ground for race negotiations and more importantly, the biannual auction. I've procured several priceless magical treasures from this auction. And oh boy, the things I've done at the afterparty would make Caligula look like a priest.]
Oscar shook off the last comment and evenly replied to the condescending Fae. "This must be the Sindhe Hall. The decor screams Fae. And judging by how you brought a vampire here, this might be a meeting place for the races. Since I doubt you brought me here for that, are we here for some event? Maybe an auction?"
Siobhan's jaw dropped to the floor. "How... I... no. No. You cheated. How could you possibly have guessed all that?!"
Oscar luxuriated in his suffering and simply responded, "A little birdy told me."
Siobhan was fuming, but he composed himself again. "Well I guess I don't have to explain why we're here after all. I'm not here to cash in my favor just yet. I brought you here to introduce you to the magical community and see if the High Table approve of you."
"High Table?" Oscar prompted.
"AHA! So you're not omniscient. Thank the gods. Yes, the High Table is a council composed of 5 elders from each race. They handle conflicts between parties that escalate too far and they cull newborns like yourself that can't control themselves. They will test you and I hope you do pass. I can't collect from a pile of ash after all."
Oscar paled. What the hell? There's a ruling council for immortal monsters? Actually that kind of makes a lot of sense. The world would be ruined if the races waged war with no limits.
Lillith didn't comment, so Oscar assumed he had hit the nail on the head. Siobhan stalked off and Oscar followed his lead.
Siobhan entered a secluded chamber with 5 elevated thrones overlooking a meadow with a babbling brook running through it. He bowed at the waist and left the room somewhat hurriedly. Looks like even that guy is nervous around the High Table.
Oscar heard the whoosh of the wind and a tall vampire with silver hair appeared next to him. He froze in place, trying his best not to react. The vampire sniffed him deeply and hissed at him. "You reek of Lillith, blood lilies and body fluids. She must have turned you, but her scent shouldn't have lingered on you this deeply. What did that sex-crazed woman do to you?"
Oscar stammered, "Um yeah. Hi, I'm Oscar. Lillith did turn me and she also did something else. I'll let her tell you."
The vampire's eyebrows shot up. "Nice to see you Dearth. It's been what a few centuries? We had some good times in the Carribean if I remember right. Yes I did something you old fogeys could only dream of. I joined my soul to Oscar's. We are two in one. The first and likely last of our kind."
Muttering burst out from the thrones as the elders discussed this development. A rough rasping voice came from a shadowy throne, "Well that makes our job rather easy. Surely you will take responsibility and vouch that your uh... charge stays on a tight leash."
She relayed her response to Oscar. "She says of course Elder Wendigo. She also insists that you test me regardless. Something about her being certain I'll pass..."
Oscar was more than a bit stressed out and Lillith's provocations were not helping. A harmonic voice chimed like the voice of an angel, "Pride always came before the fall, my dear Lillith." The elder moved forward out of the shadow and Oscar saw the most ravishing Fae he had ever seen in his life. No words could bear to describe her divine visage. It would be an injustice to try and describe her, but he had to try. She appeared like a vision. Aphrodite herself must have descended to the mortal plane. She had irridiscent rainbow colored hair with bangs covering her eyes. Her body was refined like the Statue of Venus. No exaggerated curves, but still her womanly appeal was undeniable. Oscar struggled not to drool in front of her as his thoughts faded into a pink fog. His knees began to wobble before Lillith came to his rescue.
[Snap out of it numbnuts. That's her aura. It charms you.]
Oscar felt a sharp sting in his ribcage. What the fuck? Did you just pinch me? From inside me? Please don't do that again.
[No promises.]
The fourth and fifth elder opted to remain silent, but he could feel the weight of their gazes landing on him like cinderblocks.
Daerth took the lead oozing charisma. "It's always a pleasure to meet a new Vampire. Especially one so unique as yourself. Our test varies for each race and of course the respective elder doles out the test. For you, I think I have an idea about what makes you tick. If you can withstand the test without lashing out, I will consider it a pass. Is that amenable to you lot?"
The other four resounded with grunts and noises of approval. The wendigo elder's grating voice burst out again, "Don't go easy on him. I can tell he has the potential to be dangerous one day."
Daerth didn't consider that to merit a verbal reply and scoffed instead.
He circled Oscar like a shark and jabbed him in the kidney. Oscar grunted and fell to his knees. It felt like the punch had enough strength to go right through him even with the vampire clearly holding himself back.
"That's better. Children should kneel before their betters. You clearly have an ego that's far too inflated. Know this child. You are a guppy in a pond filled with leviathans. Any one of us could wipe you off this plane on a whim."
Daerth paused, measuring Oscar's reactions. His shoulders had tightened and a vein was visible on his head. "Angry are we? I'm just getting started. Not only are you a miserable excuse for a vampire, but I can smell the imbalance emanating from you. You've fed on far too much ruin far too quickly. Don't fear, you're not the first vampire to run afoul of the balance of the soul. But you don't deserve to be absolved. You have a legendary vampiress in your head and you never though to dredge her pool of wisdom. Pathetic." The elder spat on Oscar's head. He spasmed. Fuck this is awful. But trust me a little trash talk won't be enough to crack me.
Daerth seemed pleased with his lack of response. "Maybe you have a little self control after all. Let's see just how far that goes. I lied earlier. Lillith isn't legendary, she's infamous. Her hedonic escapades are a tale we tell to our children. Failing to advance past her sad rank with her potential is an embarrassment to our race."
Oscar clenched his fists and bit down on his tongue. Coming for you is a low blow, but I won't take his bait.
Daerth had a hint of a smile on his face. "Seems like you found a rather stoic one. But we all have our weaknesses and yours is written on your face. Considering your choice in partners, I'm sure your sad little coven isn't any better than your mommy Lillith. I bet those sorry whores are nothing more than holes you use to grow in power. You don't love them. You don't care for them. You're a greedy, cold little man ready to throw aside anything to become more powerful."
Oscar roared, finally hitting his breaking point. He jumped to his feet and bared his fangs at Daerth. "You've gone too far. I won't stand attacks on my coven. This test is over. I couldn't give a single fuck about your High Table. I'm leaving. Stop me if you can."
Oscar started leaving when he heard slow even clapping coming from behind him. "Spectacular. You withstood my verbal lashing beautifully. Not only that, but you are more mature than most your age. To defend one's coven is part of being a vampire. We are an ancient and prideful race. Our coven belongs to us just as much as we belong to them. If you hadn't defended them at the end there, I would have failed you."
Oscar face was a mosaic of conflicting emotions. He didn't trust himself to be thankful and opted to just nod.
[GOOD FUCKING SHIT BABY. THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT YEAHHHHH]
Oscar finally smiled and relaxed his body. Hearing Lillith's out of character pride drained the anger from his body.
"Well, I think I speak for all of us when I say this. Welcome to the realm of the mystical, Oscar. We will watch you with care. Make me proud. And Lillith, please don't turn him into another you. We need more reliable vampires."
Oscar spoke for her, "She says take the stick out of your ass and that she couldn't turn me into anything if she wanted to. I'm too stubborn apparently."
Daerth smiled again and waved him off. Oscar took the hint and hurriedly left the Elder's chambers. Siobhan was waiting for him outside impatiently. "Would you look at that? You're still breathing. Congrats! Now let's hurry the auction is almost over. That and my friend Sallie wants to meet you. Fair warning, she is a bit of a handful. And by that I mean she's got the sex drive of repressed catholic teenager. Oh uh, she's also a werewolf so... yeah. Good luck with that one."
Oscar gaped at him, but quickly reconsidered. A werewolf huh? That's kind of perfect. Is this that fate thing again? I need a partner who can handle my destructive urges and here's one served on a silver platter.
[You may be giving Fate too much credit here. You are at the Sindhe Auction. I wanted you to come here to find someone you can fuck without worrying about breaking their bones and now we have it. By the way remember that favor I asked. It's about to come into play.]
Oh fuck.