Daughters of the Moon Pt. 10

"It still feels like we're pretty harmful to me."

Anika nodded, "We have a long way to go but the changes have already been dramatic. We don't have a way to objectively assess our feeding habits but it's easy to observe the changes in our house and the Dracul. Members of both houses used to keep several thralls that they fed on regularly. Draculs especially were infamous for killing a thrall every few months, or even weeks, and then replacing them with a fresh one. With the distiller and the blood restorers, Draculs and Mircallas are keeping fewer thralls, keeping them longer, and developing closer relationships with them."

"Like me and Elaine."

"Exactly, that sort of relationship was much rarer before the invention of the distiller. It was hard to become invested in a thrall when feeding on them regularly caused them to sicken and die. However, even though things have improved, there are centuries of tradition among the houses of treating humans as disposable. We need to radically restructure our society if we want to live in harmony with humans, and of all the houses the Mircalla are the only ones capable of making that change."

"Because we're so good?"

"Because of who we are. Each vampire house is heavily influenced by the nature of their progenitor. Vlad Tepesh was an arrogant warrior aristocrat who consumed the blood of a patriarchal storm god. Those of his blood are driven by a desire to dominate and control everything around them. Savon Savonson was a simple miller, a petty, vindictive man who consumed a dark god of vengeance and terror. His childer are infected by his fear of his own inadequacy and the only way they can assuage it is to inflict fear on everyone around them. Gevudan was a hunter who consumed a great wolf god, and his progeny have inherited his thrill of the hunt. They see humanity as prey to be taken, but Mircalla..."

Anika paused for a moment and smiled, ran a hand through her hair. With a chill Carla realized Anika had met Mircalla. Not just met her, loved her, laid with her, and been blooded by her, just as Carla had by Gwen.

"...Mircalla was a noblewoman exiled for the crime of being moon touched. She was an explorer and a scholar. A delver of forbidden places who consumed a goddess of love and dreams. That spark of passion and creativity is passed down in her blood. Of all the houses, we are the only ones capable of loving humanity, of imagining a better future with them.

Now, many of our house do not live up to this ideal. Mircalla is..."

Anika sighed and shook her head.

"...a jealous lover who often lets her passion get the better of her, and so our passion for humanity often turns to simple lust, possessiveness, and exploitation. But we at least have the potential to overcome our base nature and create something beautiful. If the blooded are going to create a just society, one that benefits both humans and ourselves, it will be our house that makes that dream come true.

"You really think helping house Mircalla conquer the world will help humanity?"

"It is my great hope. Humanity has shown little wisdom in ruling themselves. Their lives are short and it makes them fearful and shortsighted. They have ruled themselves for centuries and taxation, bondage and pillage are their legacy. Furthermore, if our house had not joined this war, the Dracul would have used the distiller to conquer the kingdoms of men on their own, and the empire they would create would put humanity's sins to shame. By allying with the Dracul, we gain a seat at the table to guide the formation of this new blooded kingdom."

Anika leaned forward, caught up in her passion. Carla felt herself swept along, excitement kindling in her chest at the fire in Anika's eyes.

"That is why I fight. Why I kill for the house, no matter how much I hate it. I believe the immortal children of a goddess of dreams have the potential to take a longer view and rule justly. If there is to be a blooded empire and no matter its eventual size, a kingdom guided by our house is one in which both humans and the blooded are most likely to prosper."

Carla thought about all Anika had said. She didn't know if Anika was right or if even she, one of the wisest and smartest people she had met, was just lying to herself to justify her own actions.

"I'm not sure if you're right," said Carla

Anika nodded, her eyes dimming and her voice growing somber, "I may very well be wrong. I make no claims to wisdom beyond that gained from long experience. But even if humanity were better off without our kind, I have no wish to die for their sake." Anika paused and gave her a weighty look, "I hope you feel that way about yourself as well. You deserve to have a life, you deserve to exist, you deserve to find happiness."

Carla sucked in her lip, felt her chest tighten. It was a question she had asked herself in the darkest parts of night.

Anika leaned forward.

"Where you are right now, doing exciting, interesting work with me, living with a family who, to my eyes, makes you quite happy, and serving Sophia in her mission to create as just a vampire nation as there can be, is the best compromise you can make between your own comfort and your influence on the world."

Carla was quiet for a long time, "You really believe we can make something good out of all this...this?"

"I really do. The world is full of suffering and injustice and the best we can hope for is to work towards a better future, even if it means adding to its miseries in the present."

Carla wanted her to be right. She wanted to keep living the life she had slowly built for herself with Gwen and Elaine and Lily. She wanted to believe she was working toward a real future. And she decided that for now she could try and hope.

"Alright, for now I guess... I'll help you build an army of the undead to conquer the world of men."

Anika smiled, "That's the spirit."

...

Carla knelt over Lily and slowly unbuttoned her nightdress. They were in Lily's room. It was smaller and plainer than Carla and Gwen's rooms but they had wanted privacy tonight. Carla always loved feeding on Lily in her room. It felt more intimate.

Lily's big blue eyes were lit with excitement as her body was slowly revealed to her lover. Carla leaned down and they kissed, slow and deep, mouths moving over each other as they settled into the familiar, comforting rhythm of foreplay. Carla began to stroke Lily's body, hand running up her side, across her breasts, down again over her belly, trailing the tips of her fingers through her hair and over her thighs. Lily was breathing deep and slow, relaxing into the feel of Carla's hands on her body.

When Carla felt her lover relax completely, she slowly began kissing across her cheek, over her ear and down her neck. Lily stayed relaxed, didn't let the anticipation ruin the slow, sensual rhythm they had made for themselves. Carla waited for Lily to breath a small, contented sigh before sinking her fangs into her neck.

Lily went rigid as the fangs penetrated her, taking a sharp breath as the bliss of Carla's bite spread from her neck down her torso. As Carla bit down Lily's blood filled her mouth and it was the sweetest Carla had ever tasted. She knew every Mircalla had their own Lily, their own perfect partner whose blood fit them like a key in a lock. She knew someday she would give Lily her blood and exalt her and then she would never taste this divine blood again, and then she would find another Lily and that Lily would be the sweetest as well. But the other Mircalla and the future version of herself were wrong, they were fools. Right here, in this moment she was drinking the very nectar of the gods, the most wonderful delicious substance that ever existed. And nothing else, in the long stretch of eternity and the wide breath of the world, would ever compare.

Carla drank slowly, savoring the blood as much as she could. Lily breathed calmly, lost in the sensation of Carla feeding on her. Her occasional shaky exhale the only hint of the intensity of what she was feeling. Carla kept stroking Lily's body as she fed, her hand running over her smooth skin, a companion to the movement of lip and tongue on her neck. After too short a time Carla licked the wound and pulled away. Lily kept her eyes closed and exhaled softly as Carla began kissing her collarbone and down her arm. Carla's next bite was in the crook of Lily's elbow. She went rigid again as a fresh wave of climax rolled through her body. As Lily shook in the throes of her orgasm, Carla took another small portion of the perfect ambrosia Lily had coursing through her. When she had fully savored the blood from Lily's arm she licked the wound closed and continued to kiss her way down Lily's body.

Carla's feeding continued from there. After weeks of experiments they had figured out Lily enjoyed this slow, almost meditative experience. Carla had discovered Lily was very sensitive, she could get overwhelmed if Carla made the feeding too intense, so she didn't stroke Lily's clit or pleasure her until the very end. Lily didn't need anything other than her fangs. Instead, Carla's hands would relax Lily, stroking her body gently, enjoying the smooth glide of sweaty skin beneath her hands, until her lover's breathing was deep and even. Then she would bite down and take a small portion of Lily's glorious blood. Usually her bite was enough to make Lily climax on her own, and Carla would savor her trembling, her breathy cries, as she tasted the wisps of her lover's orgasm as they were carried through the blood into her. Carla slowly worked her way down Lily's body, fangs piercing their favorite places. Her left side, her tummy. The crease of Lily's thigh was Carla's favorite because the taste of the blood was accompanied by the smell of Lily's wet sex.

They finished their lovemaking and feeding session the way they always did, with Carla licking slowly across the back of Lily's knee, which for some unknowable reason Lily absolutely loved, while finally stroking her clit very lightly. Then she slowly kissed her way down her leg and until she sank her fangs into the swell of Lily's calf while circling Lily's clit gently with her thumb. The climax from this final bite was always intense, and this time Lily arched off the bed, trembling at the sheer force of the orgasm Carla's finger and fangs sent shooting into her. Lily wasn't a noisy lover but she gave a sharp, high cry at the power of the experience. Carla had sipped slowly until now but her final mouthfuls of Lily blood were big desperate gulps as she tried to cram as much of the glorious essence of all that was Lily into her mouth at once. A final burst of perfection before the long cold wait until she could feed again. After only a few gulps she forced herself to close this final wound and pull away. She looked down at Lily. She was pale and sickly looking but she was giving Carla that beautiful, satisfied smile. Carla hated to see her like that, hated the reminder of what she was doing to her, so she moved quickly to grab the blood restorer on the side table and brought it to Lily's lips. Lily gave her a slightly reproachful look, she never had time for Carla's guilt, then she opened her mouth and closed her eyes. Carla poured the restorer in Lily's mouth, and by the time Lily had swallowed the last mouthful her skin was flush and healthy again. Carla put the empty bottle on the nightstand and cupped Lily's cheek, and Lily smiled and pressed into her hand.

But then Lily got up and went to the wash stand. She started to rinse the sweat and stray droplets of blood from her skin. Carla would normally enjoy the sight of Lily's naked back, the gentle curve of her hips, but now she felt uneasy. Lily always wanted to cuddle for a few minutes after they finished. She had never gotten up from bed so quickly before.

"I talked to Abby the other night," said Lily. Her back was still to Carla as she washed.

"Oh? How is she?"

"Not good. She and Will are fighting."

"Oh no what happened?"

Lily finished washing and threw on a robe hung from a peg next to the wash stand. Then she turned around.

"He's not letting her go with the army."

Carla paused, realizing where this was going. It had been a few weeks since the fateful court meeting and the preparations for the march to Tallis were almost complete. Rumor was the army would march in the next week. After her talk with Anika, she had told Gwen they could go with the army. Gwen had been overjoyed, crushing Carla in one of her big hugs and telling her everything would work out. Calra hadn't found that very reassuring. Anika had been very sensitive to Carla's concerns and had assigned her to support for the house's skeleton army. The march would put a lot of wear and tear on the skeletons and they'd need constant repair and maintenance. Carla wouldn't have to participate in any fighting, wouldn't have even see any if she didn't want to, and she hoped that was enough.

Carla avoided talking about the campaign as much as possible, even as Gwen got more and more involved in training and preparing the house revenants, brushing up their fighting skills and doing drills and exercises on how to command the skeletons they'd lead into battle. Carla had thrown herself into her own work, even if she tried to ignore what the work was for, and as a result she had pulled away from her family. She had been seeing less of Gwen, even though they still woke up next to each other every night and shared a deep kiss, and barely saw Elaine. Now she realized she had become distant from Lily as well, and her unwillingness to talk about the campaign meant she had never spoken to Lily about whether she was going. Lily had been very patient, she always was, but now it appeared that patience had run out.

"That sounds difficult but I can see why Will feels that way. Abby's very young. And with the Savons' gifts I bet they always get put on the front lines," said Carla. She was choosing her words very carefully.

Lity nodded, "That's what Will said. But Abby loves him, she doesn't want to be separated from him. And Abby is very dedicated to her new house, her new family. She wants to prove her worth."

Carla sucked in her lip and looked away from Lily. Her eyes wandered to a picture Lily had hung on the wall. Lily had been writing to her mother for the past few months and at some point she had sent a small mage wrought painting of her family that Lily had put in a nice little wooden frame. Carla stared at the picture of Lily with her parents and sisters. It was from a few years ago and she looked so young, though she still looked young. Staring at the picture gave Carla an idea.

"I was... I was thinking."

Lily waited.

"Maybe... maybe you should go home. To visit your family. I'm sure they'd love to see you."

Lily looked at her, quietly, for a long moment. Carla took in the flush in her cheeks, the small pimple on her chin, the sweat in her brow. She was so wonderfully, delightfully human.

"You really mean that?" asked Lily.

Carla felt like she had swallowed burning coals, but she nodded.

Lily looked at her for another long minute, really thinking about it, then she shook her head.

"No. I'm not leaving you," she said. She said it in that very calm, very sure way she had. As if she was stating a fact. Carla always loved that about her.

"But if you come with me you could be killed. I know you wouldn't be fighting but it'd still be so dangerous," said Carla, "It's dangerous for all of us but at least we have the blood to protect us. I...I've loved being with you the last few months. With all of us together. But that's over now. Whatever happens next I know... we're not going to be the same after. We're not getting this back and..." Carla looked away, staring at the picture of Lily's family one more time. They looked so happy. "...You're the only one that can still escape all this. You still have something else to go back to."

Carla felt Lily's hand on her face and she let Lily turn her head to look into her eyes. Lily sat on the bed next to her.

"You're so sweet. I know how hard it was to say those words. And you're right. About all of it. It's going to be terribly dangerous for all of us. You and Gwen and Elaine may be tougher than me but that doesn't mean you're safe either. And even if we do all survive we won't come back here. We could come back, but I know we won't. Even if the houses win, things will have changed so much it won't make sense to return."

Lily took her hand.

"But I will take that risk to be with you. I know how hard this is going to be for you. How conflicted you are. I want to be there for you. To help you through it. And whatever comes after, I want to be a part of it, to build it with you. I know you don't believe all this better future talk. But whatever future we do have it'll be better if we're together. All of us."

Carla pulled her into a hug. She was so small Carla could rest her chin on her head, and Carla just soaked in her warmth, her smell. She held Lily close, closed her eyes, and hoped for the future.