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Chapter 12 : Those That Wear Sheepskin
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2023-07-01 14:09:02Related chapters
Creatures of THE Night Chapter 13 : The Price of A Cage
Veronica's POV "Q, I don't…I don't think she's breathing.""Does it look like I care, Venus?" Q was sitting in his chair by the main stage, laughing as Erika slumped over after her spin kick, face still a red soggy mess. She slurred wetly, blood loss making her incoherent. She needed a doctor! "Jeffrey, can you get her back in line? Make her go around again?""With pleasure, sir!"The Popobawa made a sign of inferni in the air, and I felt the magic loop around my limbs like Marinette strings forcing me to dance, Erika's limp body following. The Popobawa opened his limpet-like mouth, our pain filling him like a five-course meal at a Three Michelin Star restaurant. The cryptid was swollen with our anguish, once angular insectile body, now bloated like a tick's. His extra legs struggled to support his newfound bulk, as he danced about contorting us this way and that.On one rough spin, my shoulder gave, my arm disconnecting in a rush of lightning-quick pain.I scream
Last Updated : 2023-07-01Creatures of THE Night Chapter 14 : Restless
Jévon's POV Where the fuck was everyone?I clicked my teeth and Hirodeus flew lower over a city we'd been guarding since its infancy.It was rare that I got to enjoy my city at night, my work as a guardian usually kept me busy and grounded, but every now and again I could see what others saw when they first visited. The skyscrapers made out of pure gold, the many rooftop gardens that littered the canopies, and the emerald cobblestoned streets. Cibola City, The City of Imagination, glittered like a gem in the harsh desert it resided in, streets like veins, all flowing back to the golden heart of city hall.And for once, she was quiet."I think we can call it a night, after this last stop."I couldn't use telepathy between the other races and myself, but dullahans had always had a connection with their steads. Hirodeus neighed, great skull-like head opening as he screeched into a wet-looking cloud. Correction—a wet cloud. I was drenched, which wasn't the best of
Last Updated : 2023-07-01Creatures of THE Night Chapter 15 : The Real Ethridge Alston
POV Ethridge ***April 1909*** "I'm sorry to do this to you, Mr. Sinclair, but we don't really need horsemen like we used to. People have cars now. Have you considered getting the new Model T's? I heard you can get them in any color now, besides the black, sir!""That's…" I wanted to hit the gnome so hard his little golden teeth would rattle, but Clarence hadn't done me wrong out of any real source of animosity.The way of the cowboy was losing its rugged edge as the rush dried up, and any farms were already filled to bursting with the lot of us. The circus had been a last-ditch effort to find stable work for the season before the cold settled in, and I got in trouble.Looking at the poster for their bearded lady, inspiration struck.I just hoped it would be gold. "What if I told you I had another act?""Then I would say, tell me in the next sixty seconds because we got a line from here to Milwaukie, and we need a show for our seven-thirty today.""A real live wo
Last Updated : 2023-07-01Creatures of THE Night Chapter 16 : The Heist (Part 1)
Veronica's POV I looked at The First National Bank of Atlantis and wanted to pass out.There was no way we were walking away with whatever the hell it was that the AAs wanted the fault.There was only a small group of us—Q, Marcus, and I—that would be leading the charge on the heist. I assumed. From what I was of big movies like the Oceans series and the Italian Job, this seemed like the type of operation that needed a small battalion of highly specialized jewel thieves, techs, and mercenaries to do.Not a college dropout, a man on the verge of an anxiety attack, and a half-burnt chicken nugget."Is anyone else freaking out?" The blueprints from Marcus' bag had been the specs for the vault we needed to get into. It was so old, that the bank had been built around it. Likely, the bank had been built specifically for what was inside the vault. Which wasn't menacing at all. "No, but seriously, I can't stop thinking about all the ways in which we can—""Will you shut the fu
Last Updated : 2023-07-01Creatures of THE Night Chapter 17 : The Heist (Part 2)
All right, so I was going to die. In the grand scheme of things that life threw at me, death was always an inevitable option. It was something you made peace about the older you got. The grace of getting older, some might say.Dying really fucking sucked.It didn't feel like drifting off into a restful sleep or like blink and then you in heaven, or really in any of the scenarios I might have imagined death to feel like.And I imagined it a lot as a depressed young woman who'd suddenly become orphaned at the ripe old age of nineteen and a day. Happy belated birthday to me!I imagined death to be graceful or solemn.Not me—this time for real—actually pissing myself. The first time had been a fluke. This time I felt it. I know, I know—very uncool and not heroic of me. Listen, I am a stripper and sometimes a nice fake nurse/glorified janitor. I am not the type of person that will run into burning buildings to save someone's ailing grandmother from the flames. In fact, I had
Last Updated : 2023-07-01Creatures of THE Night Chapter 18 : We Could've Been Great
"Veronica…"I was deflecting, I knew that. I didn't want to deal with anything that I was going through right now. Ethridge and his threats, the potential end of the world, how close I'd come to death, or—Or, the bits of colored scrap that would come swirling up through my subconscious in the form of fucked up dreams about what may or may not have happened that fateful day when my parents died.It was all just too much, and could anyone really fault me for wanting to swap all this angst for a moment of feeling good. For feeling held? For security, and maybe even a facsimile of love?I just wanted my life to go back to the way it used to be before things got all messy. Before life got all complicated. Before I had to worry about figuring out all the hard parts.When I'd wake up in a warm bed smelling like that detergent they discontinued last year, the one that smelled like chrysanthemums on a spring morning. Ignoring the buzz of my alarm for a few more lazy moments
Last Updated : 2023-07-01Creatures of THE Night Chapter 19 : A Date With Destiny
"We don't know what happened. They're doing everything in their power to locate your—""Okay.""Okay?" Noelle glanced up at the officers scattered around Nana Bet's room. It looked like a bear had been sent loose on her little shoebox studio: furniture toppled over, pictures cockeyed, lamps broken, lock undone. Or, rather, a wolf. "Can we, get a moment?""Yeah sure, if you can step over here—""Thanks, come on, Ronnie." Her hand slid over mine, coffee warm and seasonally dry. Grounding. "Let's go get you something to eat at the cafeteria. Have you eaten today?""No."We spilled out into the hall and a world of autumnal delights. Jack-o-lanterns and scarecrows filled every nook and cranny bats and black cats hadn't occupied. A couple of our residents' grandkids were over for some early Halloween shenanigans, dressed up as whatever popular fancy had taken kids these days with a couple of classics. A ninja followed by a yeti dressed as an ice princess shoved past us to g
Last Updated : 2023-07-01Creatures of THE Night Chapter 20 : Do Not Go Gentle
"Fuck me!"I was trying not to look down at the city far below me. The cars looked like ants marching along a green pathway through a dark jungle. I screamed, I knew I did, but the rush of the wind over my ears blocked it from reaching me. Brick bit into my raw palms, and the slate roof was surprisingly slippery to walk on when barefoot and like a million stories up. But, I'm pretty sure if I wasn't so batshit terrified, my red dress flowing in the wind would have made me look like one of those high-class models in quality production luxury perfume ad.No. 5 the Film style, ladies and gents!The office of the former Mayor of Cibola City erupted in literal hellfire, taking half the domed glass ceiling and all the stability of what I was standing on with it. A fiend made of an unholy amalgamation of one Duke of Hell and one partially possessed of one Ethridge Coolidge Alston Jr.—sorry, Ethridge Coolidge Alston Sr., as it turned out he was a Faustian contract-having bastard (I ca
Last Updated : 2023-07-01
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Creatures of THE Night Chapter 20 : Six Months Later-Gabriel
Gabriel's POVSix months later…"Who's next?" I asked, flipping through paperwork at my desk. The blinds were open, letting sunlight stream into my office. I'd admit that was the biggest thing I'd miss from my humanity—the sun. But I could enjoy the warmth as the high-end glass protected blocked out the rays. My tie was loose around my neck. Still hated the things. That didn't change. My suit jacket thrown on the coat rack behind me. I rolled my sleeves up, gazing over the recently closed cases, and filing them into the proper categories.VampireShifter.Ghost.Demon.Boogeyman.Etc. I'd make a new file if we came across a new type of monster.The scent of strawberries filled my nose as Lucy plopped onto my lap, setting her laptop down to scroll the schedule. I brushed her longer blonde hair over her shoulder, peppering kisses against her throat.When we were human, her pulse would jump, but her reactions were still the same. She'd lean against my mouth, h
Creatures of THE Night Chapter 19 : Burying Demons-Lucy
Lucy's POVI was floating in the black. The call of the void beneath my feet. A bottomless ocean. Deeper than the heavens above. I watched the clouds split apart, beckoning me to rise, but I chose to sink deeper and deeper. Finding warmth in the abyss.A burning pain seared my throat, churning my stomach with an insatiable hunger as my eyes shot open. Air clawed into my lungs, even if I didn't need it. I felt cold. Usually, I could hear my heart beating in my ears.Blood rushed under my skin. Warming my cheeks.But I heard nothing.Felt nothing.Except for this nauseating hunger.Disorienting. The first face I saw was Gabriel's, leaning over me, fully dressed. The last thing I could remember was intertwining myself with him and Vivi. Finding a mind-bending pleasure as I soared.Intoxicated in the sensations. Until everything became cold. Chills and pain settled over my body, and it paralyzed me. I remember the pain heightening to a point where I couldn't breathe, my
Creatures of THE Night Chapter 18 : Fresh Bloods-Vivianna
Vivianna's POVI felt powerful.Like I was siphoning Lucy and Gabriel's power for myself. The more time passed and the closer they got to a full transformation, the more strength surged through my body. It was like nothing I had ever felt before.And there was a reason for it.All the pain had vanished, leaving euphoria in its wake. Addicting. Enough to drive mature vampires into madness. I blinked hard, holding on tight to my mind, not letting it sweep me away.Gabriel and Lucy were mid-transformation. The initial heat of my blood had worn off, sending them spiraling into a lust-filled hunger. I remembered my transformation. Delirious lust. Hunger. But I was confused. Lost in the haze. Pain embedded into every fiber of my being. My muscles ached as they stretched and strengthened. Agony clenched my heart as it slowly stopped beating.Alistair left me alone during the change. Let the fear consume me as I felt myself die. I was in the dark, buried in a box in a shallow gr
Creatures of THE Night Chapter 17 : Together-Vivianna/Lucy/Gabriel
Vivianna's POVI leaned against the headboard, my body flushing with heat. I could taste Gabriel and Lucy on my lips. Decadent and sweet. Rich and bright. Exactly how I imagined they'd taste together. Perfect accompaniments. My core tingled, wetness spreading down my thighs at the sensation of Gabriel's cock rocking against my slit. Lucy stared up at me, dazed with lust. Her pretty pink-tipped breasts asking to be licked. The taste of her pussy in my mouth. Heady and sweet, and I couldn't wait to sink my face between her thighs and use my tongue to make her come.But there was something I needed to say first. They had to know what was going to happen. "Once this starts, it won't stop," I murmured, my throat bobbing, the ache burning between my legs. I brought my nails to my collarbone and slit across the skin.The desire I felt kept me from feeling the sting, and I released small ruby droplets from under my skin. My blood would heal Gabriel now that I was strong again. All his
Creatures of THE Night Chapter 16 : Take What You Need-Lucy
Lucy's POVThere was no time to react. Vivianna shoved Alistair against the wall, cracking the stone as Vivianna sliced through him with claws. Her face had morphed into that of a monster, with fangs and veins, while Alistair morphed into something resembling a wolfman. They disappeared into the darkness of the cave, but I could hear them.Every hit sounded like grinding stone. Heavy impacts. Blood spraying across the chasm. Hissing and snarling echoed off the walls, but I wasn't sure who had the upper hand, and I was afraid to think it was Alistair.Gabriel crumpled against the ground, and I ran to him, beaten and bloody. His shoulder was torn open, riddled with bite marks just like Alistair had shown me. God, he felt so cold. No shirt to protect him from the chill of being underground."Gabriel," I whispered, cupping his handsome face, bruised and pallid. Lacking his natural healthy, honey gold tan. "Baby." I stroked his cheeks with my thumbs and he groaned. A noise of pai
Creatures of THE Night Chapter 15 : The Thrall-Gabriel
Lucy's POV"Are you sure, Lucy?" Vivianna asked like she desperately wanted me to say no. She wanted me to withdraw my consent. Give her a reason not to hurt me.Her heart cried out to me, begging me to leave her. Run before it was too late. But I wouldn't. Not when my husband was on the line.Rage burned within me. Alistair showed me Gabriel, chained up against a stone boulder, wounds weeping with blood. His chest was heaving, willfulness apparent in the cut of his rib. Even with his shoulders strained, riddled with teeth marks, he didn't lose himself. He was going to fight.And so would I.Anything for him. I was going to get my fucking husband back.My neck ached, bruised where Alistair claimed me. It felt like I was breathing smoke. Suffocating like ash in my lungs. Burning my insides. Searing me from the inside out.I could feel him in my head like he was wiggling his fingers in my brain. Trying to figure out what buttons to press to get me to do what he wanted. I
Creatures of THE Night Chapter 14 : Ride or Die-Vivianna
Vivianna's POVA sinking feeling filled my gut.Where was Gabriel? He hadn't returned after his meeting with William. The moon was high in the sky, the middle of the night. He should have been back by now. I turned to look at Lucy, still barely coherent, mumbling nonsensical words.Alistair wasn't ready to use her yet. I didn't like thinking about what he would use her for. All the things he did to me under his thrall…took centuries to heal from. Some I'm still healing from. She was sweating, small sobs breaking from her chest like he had her submerged into an eternal nightmare.Seeing Lucy in so much pain. So much terror on her face. It broke my heart. I reached out to comb my fingers through her matted curls, and I swear my touch relaxed her a little. Her nose unwrinkled, and instead of being afraid, she just seemed exhausted.So much sleep, but so little rest."Wake up, Lucy," I whispered, leaning down to press a kiss against her forehead. "Come back to me." Her eyeli
Creatures of THE Night Chapter 13 : Protector-Gabriel
Gabriel's POVThe sun was setting.I was so close to town. Just a little further. No longer than a thirty minutes drive. Northpass had already slammed their doors, locking up for the night. I was absorbed by my thoughts.By my plans. Billy had answered most of my questions, and I wouldn't have gotten very far without him. In fact, I'd probably be dead in the water. Billy was callous and resistant, but he was good for his word.The sunset painted the sky with all sorts of colors, violets, and oranges. Beautifully disappearing into a night sky, only lit by a full moon. A brewing storm cloud perpetually floated above the castle, waiting to storm, but never able to. Like it was trapped in eternity with Vivianna.My mind wandered to them. How Vivianna would care for my wife. I should be there. Dampening Lucy's forehead with a cool cloth. Easing her fever and erasing her chill. I should be listening to her cries, holding her hand, and keeping her from falling too deeply.Bu
Creatures of THE Night Chapter 12 : Alukah-Gabriel
Gabriel's POV"So Elizabeth Bathory really was a vampire?" I asked, the journal open on my lap. My leg was crossed over the other, giving me a flat surface to work on while I face Vivianna.I took notes as I analyzed everything she had to say. It was like a dam of information had cracked wide open, spilling and overflowing the river beneath it.All of the pieces were falling together. The mystery of the portrait under the library. The missing people. How Vivianna enticed me.Vivianna had her legs parted, speaking easily, freely. She didn't have anything to hide now. She nodded, gazing at me with interest. "Elizabeth liked virgins. She'd host extravagant parties and every guest had to bring her a virgin. Alistair was a frequent attendee.""You said you slayed her. How?""The first fifty years of my curse was a bloody blur." She paused. "Pleasure. Death. Emptiness. I was so empty until one of Elizabeth's citizens grabbed my arm in passing, begging me to save his daughter from
