Chapter 1


The ship slowly pulled into the harbor of Banti Kira, a small coastal city. The last rays of daylight vanished as Denison peeked out from under a tarp behind some crates. She crept from her hiding place, joining the crowd of departing passengers.

As she walked, she kept to the dark back streets and alleyways. The main streets were a little too lit up for her taste.

A male whistled to her right, from a side ally. "What's a sweet little chick doin' walkin' these allies at night?" He asked as he stepped into view.

Male laughter was heard somewhere behind her. "Maybe she wants to be our plaything." And older man stepped from the shadows.

"you wish," Denison muttered and started walking again.

The first man came up behind her. "Hell, chick, what's your hurry?" he asked, placing a hand on her ass.

Denison grabbed his arm and flipped him over her shoulder. The collision with the concrete pavement knocked him out cold.

The second man grabbed her arm. She kicked him in the stomach, hard. The man let go of her and doubled over, then punched her in the jaw. She stepped back, eyes glaring. In one smooth motion, she pulled his arm behind him, them tilted his hand with one hand. Before rational thinking could set in, she sank her fangs into his neck. And drank. Something she hadn't done in a long time, and swore she'd never do again.

Now she dropped the lifeless body, horrified. Then she turned and ran. Se ran as far and as fast as she could, tears blurring her vision. Once or twice she bumped into people, but kept running.

She finally stopped, unable to run anymore. Denison wiped the tears from her eyes and looked around. Before her stood a gorgeous church.

Denison quietly slipped in. Without much thought, she moved to the confession box. She quietly sat inside for a moment, then spoke.

"Father, I have a confession," she spoke in barely more than a whisper. "I... killed a man. But not just a man. He was a vampire." She sighed. "But he was one of my people. Yes, I'm a vampire, but I try to do good. I try not to feed, but sometimes it just happens. Father, I don't know what to do."

"Calm now," a male voice said. "You are the first vampire I've ever heard of doing good. I can tell by your voice you speak the truth, and must have had a just reason to kill one of your open."

"Yes, I did," Denison quietly replied.

"Unlike most priests, I believe vampires are capable of doing good. There just are so few."

"Thank you for listening," Denison whispered as she stood and stepped out, heading for the door.

The young priest stepped out, only about nineteen or twenty years old. His hair was a dark blond and his eyes were exotic green. A thin body, but toned. He looked around, but she was gone. He sighed, and walked into a back room.

Denison watched him from her perch in the rafters.


Through the day, no one seemed to notice the small figure in the rafters. Denison refused to sleep until she was sure the sun could not reach her. It wasn't till the sun set when she closed her eyes to rest.


When she woke, she saw the priest sitting on one of the pews, looking at a woman's picture in his hands.

Denison watched a moment, then finally asked quietly. "You miss her, don't you?"

The priest looked up and around. "Yes, I do," he replied as he glanced around for the person speaking to him. "You're the one from last night, aren't you?"

"Yes," she replied. "I'm up here."

The priest looked up in her direction. Green eyes meeting red ones. "Hello," he said. "What's your name?"

"...Denison."

"Well, Denison, I'm Father Cleon Marcus." Then silence for a moment.

"Was she a girlfriend...?"

"No," Cleon looked down at the picture, sadly. "She was my wife."

"Oh..." Denison said softly.

"She died in childbirth with our only child."

"Oh... I'm sorry," she whispered, but he didn't seem to hear.


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