The Pack and The Ruffian

Playing Games

Paine stood on her balcony. The smoke billowed around her head as she looked out over the expanse of her property. She’d bought the old ghost house since it was far from any neighbors. And she had privacy for her, not so quiet, extracurricular activities. She took another drag of her vape and blew the smoke out slowly. She knew she should get back to her current plaything. But the night was crisp and clear. And the man wasn’t going anywhere anyway. She chuckled to herself. Paine had been good. She’d not taken a treat for weeks. But tonight, when he’d followed her into the alley after she’d left the bar, it had been like fate. With Simile keeping her end of the bargain, she’d dropped Davey off at the bar as she’d promised. Unharmed. She hadn’t realized how tough it would be not to hurt the child. But it had taken all her self-control not to even give him a little scar. This man was her reward. Or at least that’s how she thought of him. And besides, she’d not gone looking, no, he’d come to her. He’d followed her, he’d tried to take her bag. She was only defending herself. Paine nodded to the night sky and blew out the fragrant smoke.

Speaking to them had been so much fun. And using Mya’s lover was a bonus. Watching them squirm was the best feeling. And that Mya offered herself, that was no surprise. But she did like the game she was playing. And they’d soon figure out who she was. That was okay too. She’d covered her tracks and they wouldn’t find her until she was ready for them. She’d known Sam wouldn’t come to Amber City, herself. She’d hoped, but she’d known. Mya would never have stayed behind if she had known Sam was coming here to get closer to Paine. Oh well, she was just going to have to settle with the four women she got. Maybe she could get one of them. Her eyes lit up and she felt a tingle through her body at the thought. “They’d last for a long time!” She whispered. “Like the wolves, I played with them.” She shuddered with pleasure at the memory. They’d bleed, heal, bleed, f**k, bleed, heal. Over and over. It was like the perfect toy. But she’d gotten bored of the man begging. And she’d killed him. The woman had fled when she’d seen what Paine had done. So, Paine had to kill her too. Sad day. She shook her head. “Imagine having a vampire as a toy.” She grinned into the night sky. “Perfect.”

Paine set her vape down on the dresser and stared at the man spread-eagled on her bed. She’d have to buy new sheets. Again. His eyes were open, and he glared at her. For a human he was resilient. But in the end, he would die. She sat down next to him, not caring that his blood-soaked the shirt she’d pulled on over her naked body. She trailed a finger down his torso, and he squirmed under her touch. She lifted the blood-soaked fingertip to her mouth and sucked it onto her tongue. She moaned as the taste filled her mouth. He jerked on the bed and tried to pull his legs and arms free. Paine chuckled as he fell back against the bed after a minute. The man snapped his teeth at her.

“Feisty,” She said.

“f**k you!”

“Oh, honey, I’m going to be f*****g you soon. But I’m stalling.” She shook her head. “You see, once I do that, you’ll beg me to keep you alive, and ultimately, you will die.”

“You won’t get away with this!” He snapped his teeth again.

“Oh, and why not?” Paine pulled the shirt over her head, exposing her body to him. She grinned when he couldn’t stop his eyes from tracking down her body, his gaze lingered on her bare breasts. “See, you’re already warming up to me.” She took his hard p***s into her hand, rubbed him up and down. “You can’t deny it.”

“My body is not my brain. You’re a messed-up woman!”

“And behind my internal pain and suffering is a man who never understood me.” She laughed. “Or something like that.” She shrugged. “I just enjoy what I do, and hearing you beg and scream is a plus to me.”

“I won’t beg you!” He swore as she took the knife and poked his side. “I won’t beg you.” He repeated.

“I see you won’t be any fun.” She frowned and sat back on her heels. “So, what to do with you?”

“Just kill me!” He shrieked when she absentmindedly drew patterns on his chest with the knife.

“No, no I have something else planned for you.” She stood suddenly and he flinched. She grinned down at him. “You’d make a perfect message.”

“What message?” He groaned.

“You’ll see. Or you won’t. They think they’re smarter than me, sending spies. Sam will soon discover I’m no pushover. I want Mya.” She ran a hand over her breast and down her stomach. “I want Mya.”

Paine waited for the elderly lady with her dog to disappear down the road, before she got out and pulled the limp man onto her shoulder. She shook her head at herself as she thought she should have kept him alive until she had him replaced. He could have walked in on his own damned feet. As it was, she had trouble keeping him on her shoulder.

“Do you need help, ma’am?” A kid at the door asked her.

Paine smiled at him. “No, I’m okay, he just had way too much to drink at the party.”

“Alright. I’ll get the elevator for you.” He said and grinned at her. “You a vampire?”

“Nope. I’m not. Similar.” She didn’t want to get pulled into a conversation.

“Oh, okay. Good luck.” He said and waved at her as he walked away. She rolled her eyes at the kid and then watched the numbers change as she went up to the correct floor. When the doors opened, she stuck her head out to make sure no one was coming. Then she walked down the corridor to the correct rooms and dropped him unceremoniously. She blew him a kiss and left the same way she came. Humming to herself as she made her way to her car. She drove off with a huge smile on her face and her fingers tapping a rhythm on the steering wheel. Her only regret was that she wouldn’t be there to see their faces when they opened their doors.

The smell hit Morgan first. Then she heard Michelle swear. She jumped from the bed and rushed for the door. She pulled hers open at the same time as Michelle.

“Fantastic!” Michelle said and met Morgan’s eyes. “I’ll call Sam.”

“I’ll call the front desk.” Morgan shook her head. Obviously, the Ruffian knew they were in town. And she’d just let them know in the most brutal way. The man’s body was slumped to the side between their rooms, a note pinned to his chest with a pocketknife.

“Tell Mya I said hi.”

“Well, this is a disaster,” Ash said. “Mya is going to be pissed.”

“Let’s deal with this problem first. You and Gem go see if you can track her. Don’t engage if you find her. Call us.”

“Okay.” Ash rushed back inside and pulled on clothes. She met Gem in the hallway. And they went down to the parking lot.

“There.” Gem pointed to a lot across the street. “She got in a car here.” They looked up and down the street. “That way.”

“So let’s go,” Ash said.

“No use, the scent is so light, I’ll probably only be able to follow it to the end of the street. If I’m lucky,” Gem swore. “She’s good. She’s hidden her scent under some sort of herb.”

“Great. She’s right under our noses and we can’t do a think about it.” Ash spun in a circle and looked up at the night sky.

If she’d looked just a few steps to her left she’d have seen the woman on the roof of the building, glaring down at them with a grin. “I get to see your frustration after all.” She laughed as she disappeared into the dark. The sound was eerie and chilling.