II

The weather was hot in the streets of LA as the youths walked around in summer clothes, laughing and talking while I walked down the streets.

It seemed my charisma was enough to draw attention as all the humans stared at me in admiration and praise as I strutted the streets.

It wasn't my fault I called attention like a succubus it was what we vampires saw as our charm.

This charm was very helpful for hypnosis as humans get lost, staring into our eyes and subconsciously creating patterns in their head that gets us into their mind.

I should have taken the car to come to the company I had built with my blood and sweat.

No one knew I was the owner. The human who fronted as the CEO was aware of what I was, taking orders from me and passing on when his feeble and old.

It would be difficult controlling the company if the CEO refused to... age.

I stopped at the receptionist, putting my details down as I stared into her eyes.

"I'm here to see Mr. Colhoun." I said as I dropped my card.

She took the card as she stared at her system before she looked at me strangely.

"Do you have an appointment?" She asked.

Humans seemed to be getting more arrogant for creatures that haven't seen one eighth of my age.

"Come closer." I said as she raised a brow.

She stood up, bringing her upper half towards me as I smiled.

"You will let me see Mr. Calhoun and forget you ever saw me pass." I whispered as my eyes captured her.

She sat down obediently as I snatched my card from the table, walking into the large hallway up to the elevator.

The last floor was where Derek Calhoun's office was located.

His father was a good man, obedient and obsessed with anything ancient. 

The day I built this company, his predecessors have been eagerly serving me and standing as the owners of the industry.

The money I made, I invested in hospitals mostly, having constant fresh steady supply of blood for myself and guests and whatever I had to find Hope.

My daughter has been missing for more than three centuries as well as my mother. 

I have no interest in finding my mother but I promised to rip her head off her body if I was to catch a sniff of her in town because she had hell to pay.

Hope was just as her name sounded. She was my hope.

When she was born, she had been born dead. I remember crying in thoughts my vampire blood had killed my child but I didn't know that it had caused the reverse.

It had killed her to make her body accept my blood in result, transforming her into the vampire witch she grew up to be.

Hope enjoyed tinkering with black magic. Not as much as Lea but enough to make sure that she was impossible to find.

Why she was still on the run?

I didn't know. I just trusted her enough to stay alive.

I opened Derek's office door without a knock, hardly surprised that he was enjoying himself a nice young bite of his secretary.

Derek smiled as he thrust into his secretary who moaned shamelessly as I took a seat opposite them.

He slowed down as I raised a finger.

"Don't stop because of me. It wouldn't look good on my records stopping you from enjoying a tiny piece of meal." I said as I crossed my legs and brought my finger to my lips.

"Since you're comfortable, I might as well entertain you." Derek said with a smile on his face.

He had his secretary's face turned towards me as he slammed her from behind, pulling her hair a little hard as I stared at them.

Derek really does a quick neat job because he didn't take too much of my time enjoying whatever hobby he was doing.

"One of these days, your wife is going to castrate you." I said as Derek laughed.

The secretary left the room, staggering and lost as Derek threw the condom in the trash.

I clapped my hand once and smiled as Derek quickly adjusted his clothes. Unfortunately for my nose, the scent of sex was still stuck on him.

"I would love to watch my beautiful, Annalise do that. She isn't the most faithful between us." He said as I laughed at his honesty.

Derek was a handsome man more handsome than his father. 

Derek was tall, huge with a muscular body. His dark hair was neat, never out of place or boring on a face like his. 

Derek's taste has always been in suits, custom made with the finest materials.

I remember the first time I met Derek. He was twelve, a young boy with his jacket and shorts with the appearance of an obedient page boy.

The day his father had passed away, that little page boy changed into the man with influence and a beast in bed.

Derek was my suitor. He did everything to make me marry me because he loved me even using his money to try to buy me over; how sad it was when he found out I was actually the owner.

Before he got married to Annalise, his wife who they have a son together with, he was my friend with benefits.

I had him explore sexual heights he could never experience with a human in exchange for his rare blood type freshly bitten.

AB negative.

Derek's reason for marrying and settling down was my decision.

The period we were together, reports and pictures about me had reached the media so my mysterious face was tagged as his lover.

To pull the attention away from me since I didn't need it, I had Derek settle down and give up the idea he could win me to his side.

Our relationship to this day has been estranged business partners.

I took my time going through each of the documents that needed my authorization as a shareholder in this company.

This company wasn't my only source of income but it was my quickest.

Immortality was a blessing and a curse and I was more on the blessed side.

"Here. If that will be all I'm leaving." I said as I handed him the documents.

"Quick to go into the shadows Charlie, it's sad to see you haven't changed after all these years." He said as he touched my hand.

I stared into his eyes and smiled at him.

Did I mention Derek was a smooth man with a smooth mouth?

"It's nice to see you haven't changed your whorish side. It seems humans are getting cocky everyday." I said and hit his head lightly with the document.

"You always talk as though you're some ancient woman." Derek said as I laughed.

"I am ancient." I responded as he laughed.

"No grey hair, no ancient Miss Griffin. Haven't you heard age is just a number?" He asked as I placed my hand on my hip.

"A number you say? How interesting." I said before I grabbed my bag.

"Then when those numbers are quarter of mine, I might consider dinner again." I said and Derek laughed.

"Be careful what you wish for Charlie. I'm a man of possibilities." He said as I laughed.

"Unfortunately, you sir haven't what I need in a man though I will applaud you are marvelous in the sheets." I said in a satirical manner.

"Have a nice day... Miss Charlie Griffin." Derek whispered as I waved at him, my back towards him.

"Same to you, CEO Derek Colhoun." I said before the doors shut behind me.

I sat down with a come of ice cream on a bench as my sunglass rested on my head. 

I couldn't understand what humans enjoyed about this. Lea was an addict to this treat with cake as desert.

Cake I loved but the creamy nature of this ice cream tasted like ash to me.

"Eliza." 

I froze as I searched around looking for where that eery and cold voice was calling me from.

Nothing seemed unusual as I stood up.

"Eliza." The voice called and I was able to pinpoint where it was coming from.

I saw a man walking past the crowd of humans as I dropped the ice cream, quickly chasing after him.

I was tempted to use my ability but with the crowd and the cameras at every point and corner, I had to be quick on heels.

"Eliza I'm waiting for you." He called as I ran a little faster.

Who was that person?

Why was he calling me by a name that was only in my dream?

I paused in a crossway looking for him left and right but couldn't see him.

"Turn right." He said as I ran, turning right.

I watched him cross the road and I ran after him but the moment I stepped in the road he stopped.

He slowly turned his front towards me as I covered my mouth in disgust.

He had worms crawling from the right of his eyes, his flesh ripped at the left of his jaw to his mouth revealing the skeleton and his guts were spilled like he had been cut opened.

"Eliza." He said as he smiled at me and pointed right.

I quickly turned right as my eyes widened to see a truck coming towards me in full speed.

"Watch out!" Someone grabbed me and pulled me hard as well both fell in the ground.

The truck stopped and the back of the truck opened revealing bloody dead bodies inside the trunk as a few women screamed from the crowd.

I needed to leave before these humans would take notice of me.

"Are you alright?" The stranger who saved me asked as I moaned in pain.

"Yes. Thank..." 

Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.

The sound of my dead heart beating confused me more than the green of this stranger's eyes whose scent had my body trembling.

He stared into my hazel eyes with the same confused look on his face before tears escaped from his eyes.

Why was he crying?

Did I hurt him so much that he was crying?

Why did I hate watching him cry?

I got off him, helping him up but the moment he stood on his two feet, he pulled me into a tight hug before he kissed me.

I was confused, kissing a stranger that had my heart beating yet my body moved on it's own accord as I closed my eyes.

He felt warm. He smelt like home. He tasted like spices and he made me feel... loved.

I pulled away as well both panted in the heat of chaos.

Now that I had identified his scent, I knew he wasn't human.

This man was a werewolf yet it was strange to see them moving on their own since they usually moved in packs.

Also, werewolves weren't the friendliest of creatures to humans and werewolves.

"I've never stopped searching for you Eliza. I love you and I'm never going to lose you again." This stranger said as my eyes widened.

Eliza? He was calling me Eliza?

I wanted to ask him more but my throat suddenly felt dry.

I know I took a lot of blood this morning because of my usual thirst but my fangs were throbbing so much and my skin was cracking.

"Eliza?" The stranger said as I shoved my card into his hand.

"Call me." I said before I ran away in full speed.

I couldn't get too far. My body was hungry, my blood hot and my fangs itchy.

I needed to leave here before I made the mistake of attacking a human and having hunters in LA cautious.

I picked out my phone, tapping on one as the call quickly connected to Lea.

"Charlie? Is everything okay?" Lea asked as I panted hard.

"H-help... help me." I whispered before I fell to the ground.

"Charlie! Charlie! Charlie!" Lea screamed as my sight slowly blurred.

I didn't know what was happening to me but the last thing I saw was the hands of a stranger picking my phone.