Emelda

Every vampire born or turned had to be registered under the council, a body of five special vampires who ruled over every vampire in the country. Each member known as an elder. We all had to answer to them but I answered to no one. I was the girl whose birth was unscented, undisclosed. I had never met my mother, so I had no knowledge about authority as it went until I was nineteen. I had gone on a raid with a few of my friends as usual like the scavengers we were but I got caught by a protector. Being dragged like an animal to the council when my name wasn't found in the registry was one of the worst days of my life, the humiliation was real and I had swore to never relent to them. Suffice to say, my hatred for the council ran deep.

I was twenty five now and I still felt that way. I was the same girl that didn't conform to rules.

"Not sneaking away again are we Emelda?" Tiberius' hearty but hoarse voice came into my hearing.

"Of course not uncle." I gave sarcastically before rolling my eyes.

He wasn't a blood relative, not like I had any of that, but he was the one who raised me. He taught me all I needed to know after he found me in the woods in Lycan territory.

"Ralyne and I planned to go hunting. It's been a while since we last fed."

Tiberius gave me the look.

"Don't worry, I won't cross the border this time," I smiled sweetly.

He still had the look on so I finally gave in.

"Fine. I won't cause trouble."

He finally relaxed. "Of course you won't." he patted me on the shoulder before walking back into the house.

That sly old fox.

Couldn't blame him though. I had a knack for getting into trouble almost every time I left the house. The council had even once threatened to confiscate my talisman as punishment for breaking laws. Like I would ever let them. My talisman was an anklet with an emerald stone and strange insignia. Every registered vampire received a talisman from the council which enabled them to walk in sunlight without burning. Every council had a special witch to create talismans for the vampires they oversaw. I was different, I knew it. I never knew my mother. I was found in Lycan Woods by Tiberius who was hunting. Lycans and Vampires maintained a treaty, so far neither disrupted the peace of the other but I was pretty sure their kindness wouldn't extend to an abandoned vampire baby. My talisman was always on me, no one knew why. I used to think I would outgrow it but it always expanded, it was different.

I gazed down from the snow covered cliff our little cottage was built upon to the village down below but I didn't have the time to sulk about how life was unfair.

I jumped. Landing on the snow covered ground, I took a big whiff, Ralyne was already at our spot. Maybe I wasn't a Lycan, but my sense of smell was almost as strong as theirs. Tiberius had warned me when I was five to never tell anyone that. He said it was for my protection which I couldn't understand then but now I did. Imagine what would happen if an elder -that was perceived as the strongest breed of vampires- were to find out that an abandoned child found in Lycan Woods had stronger senses, sharper reflexes and more agility than any normal vampire. Anyone could predict the outcome. And I wasn't ready to lose my head.

Everything soon became a blur as I sped by the village.

"What's up blondie?" I snickered to the wind. I knew she could hear me.

A blonde female covered in black leather jumped down from a tree and landed with a soft thud, her boots sinking into the snow.

"Right back at'cha ginger," Ralyne smirked "what's with the coat? Feeling rich?"

I shrugged, dipping my hands into the pocket of the chic fur coat I had stolen during a raid. "No I'm just cold." I faked a falsetto in amusement.

"Same old ginger." Ralyne rolled her eyes as she led the way into the woody forest.

"Any changes with Philip?" I questioned while following her lead.

"No," she kicked a pebble out of the way and it burst into a hundred pieces as it hit a tree "he's still grumpy, the last healer we found didn't say anything useful so his mood has worsened, understandable if you ask me." Ralyne calmly spoke like we were talking about food.

But I knew she was hurting.

"Tiberius did mention a healer that lives just outside the village," I passed the information just as she turned left and I followed "he said he'll do what he can otherwise we might just have to take it up with the.. council." I huffed in annoyance.

"I hope this one's useful. I can't stand his whining any longer. He fucking complains about every fucking thing." she mumbled "Oh you won't believe what he said last night! I had a date with Aideen so I returned home late and he called me names like it's my fault his runaway wife left his sick ass alone... he should be thankful I even came home, I could've spent the night with my boyfriend in peace but no..I fucking came back and he gave me bullshit for it!" Ralyne was rambling at this point.

I rolled my eyes. The way she said the Boyfriend to spite me.

"Don't you fucking roll those eyes sister." she quickly added.

"I didn't." I quickly denied, putting on my best convincing face in case she decided to turn around and read me.

But she continued "His wife should be the one looking after him after all and I'm a full grown woman.." preach sister "..so I am allowed by law to have a boyfriend not like vampires care about that anyway," she was right we didn't "not to talk about him giving the my house my rules bullshit as a pathetic excuse." I could hear the sneer clearly on this one.

"Oh no he didn't!" I faked interest to avoid her attacking me again.

"Umm.. yes he did." she corrected like she was speaking to a child.

That was sarcasm bitch.

But whatever.

We were close anyways, I could hear humans not far away.

"Shhh." I held Ralyne back, I was a faster tracker than her. We hid in position as the humans stopped moving. I peeked to see a man bent over the engine of a vehicle, his car must have stopped and his partner a woman, was searching for reception with her cellphone far away from him. There was none here, I guess the reason was obvious. I smirked.

Ralyne made the first move. Her pick was the man, she sped past me to where the man stood. I could see her touch his hand though, using her power of persuasion. Good thing she was far from me, I didn't want her to see me use mine. I didn't have to touch to persuade and she didn't know that. I reached deep inside my mind, looking for a connection to the female human before me and I found it, held onto it and sent the command from my mind. The woman walked to where I stood, presenting her wrist for me to sink my fangs into. The rush came quickly, I could feel the canines elongate I sank them into her soft flesh.

The moment the metallic taste of blood hit my tongue I almost lost it. It had been a while since I had tasted fresh blood. The council distributed blood bags to all vampires in the village and sometimes we preyed on animals but fresh human blood was the best.

Control.

Control.

I pulled away from her wrist, biting my own wrist and allowed my blood spill unto her bite mark before my skin healed to heal her own skin. I reached into her mind once more to erase the memory before speeding out of there.

Ralyne returned almost the same second, her finger wiping a blood stain in the corner of her mouth.

"I hate my mother." Ralyne suddenly said.

"Yeah me too." I mirrored her action.