Forever

The Order of Things

“I’m not saying we should ban bringing people up here, I’m saying we should ban eating people up here!” Hope yells out, glaring at Aoife with eyes of fury. It wasn’t exactly the look she expected an Angel to be giving her.

Alexei wraps his arms around her, his own glare focusing its hellish power on the bitchy winged pest. “Dying a virgin might make you an angel but it doesn’t make you godly. We have to eat just like any other living creature.” Aoife felt bad about this, truly. She hadn’t had a chance to eat in days, too busy with her bakery to pay attention to the weakness that was dragging her down by the knees. She only charmed a nice teacher from the elementary school, told her there was a nice recipe book back up in her apartment she wouldn’t mind loaning out. She didn’t plan on taking too much blood, just enough to sustain her. Alexei was home, and the two got a bit carried away with their meal. Then Hope walked in…

The Angel’s expression pulls into disgust as she looks down at the unconscious woman on the floor. There wasn’t a spot of blood on her clothes, on the floor; Aoife felt a little proud at how neatly they had fed. “You two are going to ruin everything we’ve worked for!”

Alexei laughs, “Are you joking, pigeon? This poor thing won’t even remember what happened! She’ll wake up on the couch, Aoife will tell her she fainted, and she’ll go about her day as if nothing happened.”

Frustrated, Hope opens her mouth to argue, when Croa walks in, water dripping from her hair onto the floor. One look at the scene in front of her and she sighs, “Hope, leave them be. You know Vampires have a hypnotic bite. The blood bag won’t remember anything.”

In a gust of wind, her wings unfurl, and anger rips through Hope’s being. “This is our apartment! This is the Noah’s Ark of monsters and freaks! This is the only way our kind can live in society without being killed! And you two glorified ticks are ruining it with this!”

Aoife rushes to hold onto Alexei's hand but it’s too late. He walks forward, grabbing Hope by the throat. His eyes practically glow as he glowers, his fangs slowly slide out as he parts his lips to speak, “Ticks? You think we’re ticks? For such a pure being you certainly have a foul mouth.” His grip tightens slightly, “You died with your legs crossed, good for you. Just because you were granted wings does not give you the right to judge others. You’re not a monster, you’re a pet for your precious god to play with.” He doesn’t yell, yet his voice booms. Hope’s toes barely touch the ground as Alexei lifts her, pulling her up to eye level. “These living arrangements work best when nosy pigeons stay out of others’ business.”

“Alexei,” The warning tone of Croa rings out, and Alexei's fangs slide back into place. He releases Hope, and as she falls to the floor, she gasps for air. The mermaid helps Hope up, the wings slowly retracting into her back as she stands. Croa sighs again, “You two do need to keep the blood-sucking in your room though.”

Alexei practically growls as he heads towards their room, completely forgetting their meal left on the floor. Flashing an apologetic look towards Croa, Aoife quickly follows. As soon as she enters their room, Alexei slams the door, pushing her against it. “Darling, calm down,” She whispers, staring up at him. He hated living here, hated the cramped space, hated the other monsters, hated the city, hated the Americans...

He lets out an exasperated growl this time, pushing off of the door and away from her. He felt such rage, such anger, such a desire to hunt; she wraps her arms around him, his skin hot to the touch, hers cooling. “I want to go back home, to the castle,” He mumbles.

“It’s a tourist trap at this point,” She responds, levitating herself to his height. He smiles lightly, touching her cheek. “Alexei,” Her voice cherishes each syllable, just as it always does.

Before she can utter another word he picks her up, holding her in his arms as he lies down on their bed. “Aoife, I don’t want to stay here anymore. Let’s go back to Europe! We can-”

Aoife laughs, not able to help herself, “Back to Europe? And do what? Build a new castle? This isn’t the 1800s anymore darling, that was our last chance for that life. These days people don’t live in castles.”

“You’re right, they live in mansions and villas and away from pests and pixies and filthy witches.” He gets on top of her, nuzzling her neck with his nose.

Aoife gasps lightly, her hands running through his hair, “Alexei, it’s not safe.” He grabs her wrists, pushing them up over her head and holding them prisoner there, his fangs now fully released from their confinement. They lightly graze her neck, his breath hot against her skin. “We can’t just live alone, we live with others because we’re safer in a pack.” Using one hand to hold her wrists, he uses the other to unbutton her blouse. “You won’t listen to a word I say will you?”

Still not responding, Aoife finally gives in and wraps her legs around his torso. Leveraging herself, she pushes him over, sitting on top of him. Alexei gives her a cocky smile, “Playing along?” She leans over, kissing him as she finishes the job on her blouse he had attempted to start. After throwing her blouse and bra aside, she reaches out for his shirt’s buttons, only to be grabbed by the throat and to have her lower lip lightly bitten. “No no,” He chides, his voice filled with amusement.

He hovers off the bed, pushing her off of him and back onto the sheets. Grabbing the blouse off of the floor, he uses it to tie her hands to the column of their canopy bed. “What are you up to?” She asks, a little fear in her eyes as he slides her skirt off.

“I’m in a mood, let me have my fun.” He licks up her leg, sulking as he reaches her panties.

Aoife lifts her leg, pushing him back by his chest, “And what if I want to play too?”

He yanks her foot off of him crawling on top of her and biting into her lower neck, right where it meets her shoulder. Aoife's breath catches in her throat as her blood drains into his mouth. Right as the pleasure begins to rise he pulls away, blood dripping from his lips. His face is barely above hers, their lips practically touching, her blood almost against her. “You know we only stay here for you,” He rumbles, his hands gripping her hips as he kisses down to her breasts, licking and nipping along the pale, white flesh of his lover.

Her arms strain against her restraints, and her legs once again wrap around Alexei. Her thighs squeeze as her body tenses from underneath him. He licks and kisses further down her body, pushing her legs off him as he spreads them. As he reaches her thighs, he can feel her pulse quickening. His fangs almost ache to rip into her again, so he does, biting as far up her inner thigh as he can, earning a yelp from Aoife as her legs go over his shoulders.

Blood drains once more and her eyes roll back into her head, unable to utter a sound through the waves of thrilling satisfaction hitting her. She would never admit it to him but she liked when he’d get in his moods, when he felt the need to be completely in control. Eventually, he would always untie her, unable to take them not being even closer together. But right now he seemed to only be concerned with going back and forth between her c**t and thigh, sucking and biting one before devouring blood from the other. Aoife's hips push up against his mouth, moaning as she pulls against her bondage.

Without being able to control herself she begins to levitate, Alexei going along with her. Her strength grows and the wood cracks, revealing the metal skeleton inside of the framework. Custom made bed. They’ve broken so many over the years…

Finally, with one last tug, her blouse rips and she pulls him up towards her, the two hovering in the air. “Take. Off. Your. Clothes,” she maunders, each word biting through the air. In the blink of an eye, he strips downs, and she latches herself onto him, gnawing on his neck as he delves into hers. The bloodlust intensifies, the two grinding on each other.

Alexei rips himself from Aoife's pale skin, pulling away and staring into her hungry eyes, “Since when are you the one in charge, my pet?” His voice is barely above a whisper, and his smile is as coy as a fox. Pushing her down, she releases her levitation, allowing him on top of her. Wrapping arms and legs around him, she pulls him even closer to her.

The two interlock lips and tongues and fangs as Alexei finally gives Aoife what her body’s been begging for, thrusting his c**k deep inside her. Unable to contain herself Aoife gives out a loud moan, squeezing him even tighter between her legs and she pulls on his dark hair. Alexei laughs and Aoife bites back into him once more. “Damn, Aoife…” He groans, grabbing her hips and plunging inside her, deeper and deeper with every move of his hips. Aoife grabs the sheets, pulling and tearing at them as she screams in pleasure, moving her hips up to meet his with every impaling thrust.

As they moan and gasp and claw and scream the two move back and forth between floating and falling, biting and kissing, blood and c*m all over the sheets. Finally, Aoife ends up on top, Alexei catching his breath as she bounces along his throbbing c**k. Alexei grins a wolfish grin, watching her perky breasts bounce in front of his face. He pulls her forward, wrapping his tongue around her n****e and pushing her hips harder against him. Aoife practically melts into him, feeling her final orgasm build and intensify, her wet aching p***y craving more and more.

Alexei feels her walls pulsing against him, he sees her biting her lip and feels her nails digging into his thighs. Knowing she’s about to c*m he sits up, pushing her backward and throwing her legs over his shoulders. Aoife braces herself, nails still digging into his legs as he puts every last bit of devastating strength into railing her, her screams tearing through the air as she begs him to c*m. With one final thrust, Alexei growls out her name, climaxing inside of her in pure ecstasy as her body quakes beneath him, the two panting in satisfaction as they lie down on the bed next to each other.

Aoife laughs, sweat dripping down her body. “Still in a mood?” She teases, turning on her side, cuddling up beside him.

He smiles, his arms around her, “Not for now.” Alexei stares at her curly hair sprawled out against the silk. He stares at her lips, stained with blood, at her hips, wrecked with scratches. Over 1,000 years and he still couldn’t believe how beautiful she was.

Aoife sighs lovingly, playing with his chest hair. She remembered all those years ago when he frightened her, his scruffy jawline, his hairy chest. He was like an animal to her, but now he seems less like a beast and more like a teddy bear.

Alexei and Aoife nuzzle up together, completely at peace. And then the door opens.

Savannah walks in, scowling at the two. “You two… why? Just… why?” Her tone is that of defeat. She leans against the wall, “You two do know that whenever you go at it, A. we can all hear you, 2. blood gets everywhere that needs to be cleaned, and C. no one in the house can make eye contact for a few hours because we’re all picturing the catastrophic s*x you two humping monkeys have!”

Alexei throws a pillow at the pixie, “Go shrink down and fly away then. If you don’t like the sound of two lovers showing their affections for one another you don’t have to listen.”

Savannah throws the pillow back, “Aoife, for once, could you call your bat off? It’s bad enough he has no manners.” she emphasizes and sticks her tongue out at Alexei, “But the guy f*****g hates anyone who isn’t a vampire.”

Aoife rolls over, yanking the comforter to the bed off of the floor and over the two. She then sits up, covering her breasts, and gives Savannah a poignant look, “He likes mermaids too. And Savannah, I’m sorry, but we’ve always been loud and messy. You can’t undo half a millennium of messy and loud sex.”

The pissed pixie gives her an irritated look of despair, “When Sarah and I bang when other people are in the house, we’re at least quiet about it.”

Now Alexei stands up out of bed, his mood setting all over again. “Well how considerate of you. To be perfectly honest though, I couldn’t give the slightest f**k if you two were loud. Hell I’d probably just get in the mood to give Aoife the time of her life. Could probably make her scream louder than you could make Sarah.”

Offended, Savannah scoffs, “Are you saying you f**k your girl better than I do mine?! I swear to god you little-” She lunges forwards, shrinking into her pixie form as her wings sprout out, only to have Sarah come barging in, grabbing her.

“I am soooo sorry you two, she’s just… well, we’re all a little angsty after you two hook up.” The Werewolf’s nose twitches a little at the scent of the blood in the room, her Pixie girlfriend held prisoner in her grasp; she slowly backs out of the doorway. “It’s a little… uncomfortable hearing the screams of two vampires,” She mumbles quietly, trying hard not to look at Alexei’s naked body.

Now exasperated Alexei goes back to the bed, burrowing himself under the comforter and resting his head on Aoife's lap. Nika gives the Pixie and the Werewolf an apologetic gaze as they leave the Vampiric domain, closing the door behind them.

“Someday I will kill that mutt and her winged keeper, my pet,” Alexei mutters from beneath the blanket.

She rolls her eyes, softly playing with the curls atop his head. “Darling, if you did that we’d be outcasts to all within the community.”

He pokes his head out from the quilt, a sarcastic expression on his face, “Why only the filth my love. No Vampire would turn us away simply for killing an abomination.”

Vampires and Werewolves have never gotten along. Being a Werewolf was like being an AIDS carrier to anyone, including monsters. Once you were infected, that was it, you were a Werewolf. Whether you started a human, a pixie, a mermaid, or any other sort of being, once a Werewolf infected you, you were nothing more. So to creatures like Vampires, that prided themselves on the purity of the species, Werewolves were the most horrific abominations in existence.

“Darling, you really must try to get along with the others. We need this to survive, to exist in this modern-”

But he presses his lips to hers, mounting her again and holding her down, “Promise me something, pet.” She poises a curious brow towards him. “Let’s go back to Europe, not to some castle, but to a villa. Not now, but someday. We have the money, the resources… All we need now is the place and the home. We can start construction as soon as we decide where.”

And he was back on this once more. “Alexei…” She reaches her hands out to touch his face, thumb pressed against his lower lip as she gazes into his desperate green eyes. “We need protection, this is our family now. We’ve lived with them for so long.”

One last desperate look her way and she knows something ridiculous is about to escape his lips. “Build a mansion big enough for all of us?’

Aoife rolls her eyes and shakes her head, “Now that, my love, would draw much unwanted attention.” Defeated he collapses down on top of her, resting his face in the crook of her neck. “Darling, why do you hate being around them so much? I’m trying, desperately, to understand, and I simply don’t.”

He mumbles gently against her skin, “I simply prefer my solitude.”

Aoife strokes his hair and stares off into the black drapery of their bed, “What about me?”

Alexei wraps his arms around her body, burying his face deeper into the soft skin just above her collarbone, “You’re not some aggravating noise I have to force myself to sit through, my pet. You’re my comfort, my partner… You give me the most incredible feelings of life and love… You are a part of my solitude.” He props himself up, staring into her golden eyes again. “Other beings are a distraction, just noise I have to sift through. Even other monsters, my pet.”

Aoife can see the exhaustion in his face, the decades of having to comply with the Order. It was just over a century and a half ago when the Order of the Changelings was founded. The leaders of each monster race came together, creating a united front. It was a constant battle in the modern day and age to not be found out. 80 years ago the world’s top governments found out of their existence and classified it. It was a tactical move on the Order’s part, recognizing that the ever-changing world of mortals would be a dangerous place for monsters alike. It was then, after gaining protection from the world’s governments, that the Order gave a new law. No longer could monsters stay secluded on their own, being required to join society, and stay hidden. The Order knew that hiding in plain sight was the safest way. Each race had its own capital, where those that preferred to stay out of mortal eye could live if they wanted. The capital, however, was the last place Alexei wanted to go.

“You know, you could always just accept the position,” Aoife comments, knowing full well the reaction that will come from her husband.

Sure enough, he rolls over, lying on his back and staring up at the black canopy as well. “My life would belong to the Order more then than it does now.” When the Order was first founded, Queen Odelia had offered Alexei an ArchDuchy, the highest position one could obtain outside of the royal family. But Alexei quickly declined. Aoife gazes at Alexei’s exhausted and perturbed expression. “I would be responsible for all of King Cyrek’s dirty work. I’d be the Albescue Monarchy’s glorified henchman.”

Aoife's brow furrows, “Why do you think they offered you the position?”

Alexei doesn’t respond, and his body stiffens. Aoife had never understood his complicated relationship with the Monarchy, all she knew was he detested it. He was often heard saying, in drunken conversation with some of his closest friends, if the Vampiric government were a proper Republic, the Albescues would have never been in power.

Aoife sits up, and raises a rare bitchy brow towards Alexei. “What, did you trounce the King in bedding the lovely Odelia first?”

Alexei sits up quickly, his eyes wide in confusion, “Aoife no. Vampires… we’re not like that, I’ve told you before, we-”

She rolls her eyes, “Mate for life, yes, yes, I’ve heard it before. I’ve also heard Queen Odelia has quite her fair share of male Half-Blood toys locked up in her sick Blood Dungeon.”

Again Alexei’s eyes widen, “How in the hell did you hear about that?”

She hops up on her knees and points an accusing finger towards her playmate, “Ha! So it is true! See, Vampires are so self-righteous yet we’re just as ravenous as others.”

Alexei groans, “No, my pet. She doesn’t have s*x with them, she simply… It’s not a Blood Dungeon, it’s her Blood Cellar. This is precisely my point, Nobles enjoy changing humans to keep them as flavors in their Blood Cellars. We mate for life, which is why such audacious rumors of the Queen occur in the first place. People love to sully the names of Royals.”

Aoife sits back, and stares inquisitively, “Is that why then? You don’t want to be a Noble and be mocked by the other Vampires?”

He sighs, “No, my pet. I… how old do you think the King and Queen are?” Aoife ponders for a moment, they had certainly been the King and Queen for as long as she was a Vampire, possibly centuries longer. She continues to wrack her brain, and can’t think of a single utterance of another King or Queen. “They have always been King and Queen. They’re older than sin. Some even argue they could be the first Vampires, but-” He stops himself, shaking his head. “Aoife, my pet,” He wraps his arms around her, pulling her towards him and resting his head atop hers. “I’m a Pureblood.” Stunned, Aoife's eyes widen in shock and she attempts to wrestle out of Alexei’s grasp, but his grip tightens, and he holds her in place. Purebloods were rare. Firstly, two Vampires having a child was more ritual than anything, and secondly, Aoife had never heard of Alexei’s parents. If they were Vampires, what happened to them? “I know, I never told you, and I’m sorry. But there’s a reason why, and I didn’t think you-”

Finally she wriggles away, and Aoife pounces on Alexei, knocking them both onto the wooden floor as she pins him down. She glares hatefully into his frightened green eyes, “How could you not tell me? We’ve been bound for centuries, we’ve shared in life for centuries and you never told me?!” Anger was rippling through her. All this time she assumed he was changed himself, all this time she believed their experience to be the same, yet he had no clue what it felt like to be mortal. “You took me in! You brought a mortal girl into your domain, you dense fribble of a man!” A Pureblood bringing a human girl into his home… it was scandalous. For something as ridiculous as a cook, unacceptable. If he was a Half-Blood, perhaps; she had dismissed it long ago as a stray nostalgia for food, much like she herself still had. But a Pureblood? He was born never needing to feast on human food. Angry, she slaps him, and stands up, walking over to her armoire to grab a change of clothes. “Why on Earth did you ever ask me to be your cook?”

Alexei can only watch her, stunned. She was angry. She was never angry, not with him. He silently watches as she puts on a simple white sundress, and silently bows his head as she passes him by towards the closet. Finally, as she begins to search for a jacket, Alexei stands himself, hugging her from behind. “My parents had been dead for 60 years to the day, and I was walking through your village to find a sacrifice for their grave. I was on the prowl, eager to find a virgin to m******e in their honor. I saw you.” Aoife's pulse slows, and she turns to face Alexei, an expression she had never seen before splayed across his face. It was a longing emptiness, the face of loss. One she had seen on her own face when she lost her raiding party. Alexei’s voice is low, and without air, “I had never in my life felt as alive as I did when I first saw you. I was convinced during those 6o years that immortality was a curse. I longed for mortality, I longed for death. To this day I don’t know what befell my parents, but each night I found myself wishing the same fate would reach me. And then, as I searched for a sacrifice for my parents grave, there was a…” He brushes a stray strand of hair from Aoife's face, and his gaze softens, “You gave me great pain to stare at. Deliciously sweet pain. I felt alive. I remember the basket of meat tarts in your hands, you seemed to have a hearty business with the villagers…” He gives a small chuckle, and Aoife smiles as she remembers the baker who had taken her in as an apprentice once she was found, dirty and beaten, wandering the woods, scared. “Asking you to be my cook was the easiest excuse to have you come to my estate. I honestly thought I would sacrifice you as soon as you stepped foot in my domain… but then I saw the wonder on your face as you took in my home… and I kept feeling those riveting stabs of joyous life… I told myself it’d be good to keep a spare meal around… I told myself I could build my own Blood Cellar… feature you as my finest selection… I told myself a lot of things as an excuse to keep you around.”

Aoife hugs Alexei, tightly, and feels both confusion and love. He holds her back, at arms length, and his gaze is pained, “Aoife, my parents were longtime friends with the Albescue family. My father was the King’s ArchDuke. I know the life that comes with that title. I grew up watching them do the Royals’ dirty work. It’s not a life I want to live, even if it allows me to live away from mortal man.”

Aoife can’t help it, the man in front of her feels like an absolute stranger. In all the time together, he had never told this side of his life before. Aoife had never wanted to know, and perhaps that made it partly her fault. But a Vampire’s past? They could be ancient. And it was becoming more and more apparent that he was truly older than she had previously believed. “Alexei… How old are you?”

To ask a Vampire’s age is a daring thought. You’ll get one of two reactions: Pride or Shame. It depended completely on what they did with their everlasting life. Alexei hangs his head, and mumbles incoherently. Aoife snarls in disgust, putting on her jacket and heading for the door, “Alexei, you don’t know what you want. Choose. Either take the position you oh so despise, and get away from the mortals you despise just as much, or stop complaining about our living arrangements. I think I understand a bit better now. You’re a Pureblood… you’re spoiled. Living around humans isn’t as bad as you make it out to be. I was a human, and you lived with me for two years. Get the audacity out of your head and ground yourself. I’ll be escorting the teacher downstairs. She should be coming to shortly.”

With that, Aoife storms out, leaving a solemn man in her wake.