The Highest Stakes

He eventually gets in and sits there for a minute, looking at the apartment and how he was leaving his life behind. "How long have you been...a vampire?" he asks Kira finally, looking at her.

Kira stared on out the window, not caring for where this conversation was headed. The only one who dared inquire anything about her past was Julian, and he knew everything there was to know. He'd seen how she'd been and he'd seen what she'd become. The others knew next to nothing.

"I was turned in 1648," she replied shortly, gripping the steering wheel in her hands. "Russia."

She put the car in gear and rolled out of the parking lot. "And if you ask anything else about my past as if we're the best of friends, you'll be wearing your scrotum for a hat."

He shuts up and looks out the window, after a few minutes of silence he puts on the radio. He fiddles around with the stations and finally comes to one that sounds decent, Germany's best metal station it's called.

He blasts that.

Kira snarled. Noise, all of it. She preferred silence. Clearly, Tyler did not.

Her gaze found his. "I'm fluent in many languages and even I don't know what this is," she murmured.

Tyler looks at her,"So then you don't know everything....,he's saying "Lonely hearts are far from my dreams.." 

He does this is in a screamy metal voice, he sees the look on her face. "Do you ever laugh? I have had the worst fucking week imaginable and I find things still amusing."

Kira rolled her eyes. "You're young yet. And this is atrocious."

Still, if it shut him up, she'd let it play. She turned the next corner until the castle wasn't far from view. Within minutes, she was pulling into the driveway, the music vibrating the concrete beneath them. She had no wish to wake up the early sleepers in the house. She reached for the volume knob and turned it down.

Before Tyler could protest, she held up a hand for silence. "The sun's not far from rising. We need our rest." She stopped the car once they were in the garage and sat in the seat, staring ahead at nothing. "Julian has given you three days of inactivity. Once those days are up, I'm expected to train you and prove your worth."

She turned to him. "Of all things I'll do, letting my maker down isn't one of them. So enjoy peace while you have it."

Tyler looks at her, "Your maker?...That's what you call it? Not killer or robbing you of your life? I will call Jessica that, if that's okay with you..and train? Train for what?"

Kira didn't allow herself time to think. She did what she did best when someone insulted Julian. She leaped.

In a mere instant, she was straddling his waist, her fingers wrapped around his throat, her eyes menacing and locked on his. His own eyes were wide with fright. Good.

"He saved my life," she hissed. "My loyalty belongs to him. I belong to him. Do not confuse your maker for mine. He never once forced me into something I didn't ask for. No one can say the same for yours. Jessica is not a maker. She is a thief of will."

Her grip tightened as he squirmed beneath her. "You'll do well to remember this, Tyler, and to keep your fucking opinions to yourself."

Tyler looks up at her,"I don't understand why anyone would want this..., get off me."

"Your second mistake is issuing me an order," she snarled, not loosening her grip in the slightest. "I'm far stronger than you, boy, and I'll get off of you when I see fit."

The tips of her fingernails dug holes into the skin of his neck. Blood ran down her fingers in small red rivers and trailed down her arm. The muscles of his jaw worked hard, clenching and releasing, bearing down on his teeth to keep his composure.

"You don't see how anyone would want this? To survive, you make yourself want it. There's some advice."

She released her grip and flicked the blood off of her hand. She still sat on top of him, her face mere inches from his, and she made no attempt to move.

"Disrespect Julian again and I'll gladly watch him rip your heart from your chest. You know nothing of which you speak."

Without another word, she sprang from her position and disappeared through the open doors of the garage.

Tyler sits up, thinking it's wise to not be an ass with this woman. He still doesn't agree why anyone would want this? His life is over as far as he's concerned.

He gets up and goes off to his bedroom, getting in and shutting the door. He puts his clothes away and stands around the room.

Julian stepped out from the bathroom, a towel around his waist, and laughed. Out loud. Before him stood Kira, her arms stained with blood, a scowl on her face.

"Interesting night, I presume?"

"That's one word for it," she answered tersely.

His eyes narrowed. "Did the boy try to escape?"

Kira picked at her fingernails. "He's not dumb enough to try that. He just pissed me off."

He grinned. "I'm guessing there's more to the story than that."

Kira nodded. "Sure."

"And?"

She brushed past him into the bathroom and turned the tap on in the sink, running both arms under the scalding spray. "Nothing of importance."

He knew she would never directly lie to him, but she was the queen of evasion. He leaned against the door frame, watching her, his arms crossed. "Naturally I'd assume he said something about yours truly to cause such violence in you." He paused. "Then again, that's highly narcissistic of me to jump to that conclusion."

"You are narcissistic."

He smirked. "It was definitely about me, then." Kira looked back to glare at him, and he held his hands up in defeat. "Far be it from me to push you, mein Schatz. I won't kill the child for voicing an opinion." He stepped forward until they were mere inches apart and planted a gentle kiss against her neck. "It's sweet how defensive you are of me. You needn't bother."

She spun and picked up the cloth hanging nearby to dry her hands, then kissed him back, a quick peck on the lips. "I'm going to bed. It's been a long night."

Julian nodded and made a sweeping gesture past himself into the bedroom. "I'll join you in a moment."

Kira knew where he was headed. She smiled wryly. "Give him my worst regards."

Julian chuckled. "Your wish is my command."

---

Julian listened for a moment as he stood outside Julian's bedroom door. Funny how he never really passed this end of the mansion. Unsurprisingly, he still heard the young vampire wandering about. The newest ones were always the most energetic.

Grinning to himself, he gave the door a knock.

Tyler was in a tank shirt and pjay pants, ready for bed and opens the door. He sees Julian, "Great, did you come to finish what she started?"

Julian chuckled. "She's a firecracker, my Kira, isn't she?" His smile said there was nothing to fear, but he understood Tyler's unease. "May I come in?" He didn't wait for an answer. "Silly me. Of course I can. It's my house."

He brushed past Tyler into the large bedroom and let his gaze wander about. So far it was pretty empty. He lounged at the edge of Tyler's bed and rested his forearms on his knees, his gaze resting on the packed duffel bag on the floor at his feet.

"You grabbed everything you need, I assume?" he asked. "I must assure you that money isn't an issue. All of us are welcome to purchase what we need."

Tyler looks at him,"Considering I was a University student...it may be surprising to know I was not rolling in the doe."

Julian laughed. "University student no more," he reminded him. "Now you're a vampire. Now you have power. And Geld." He rubbed the fingers of one hand together and winked. "There's some German for you."

He ran a hand through his hair, still wet from his shower, and thought. "You know, I'm aware of your opinion of our lifestyle, but you've only ever known the cons," he went on. "Wait until my Kira trains you. She's the best of the best because I'm the one who taught her all there was to be learned. You'll know true speed, true strength. You can compel, you'll never fall weak to sickness, and you'll never age. You'll keep those youthful, boyish looks with you for all eternity. Even the Hanson Brother hair, if you so choose."

Tyler looks at him, listening to him and taking in what he says. Finally he just nods, "I will figure it out, also..you are how old and know who Hanson are? I thought you were cool, guess you still have some work to do..."

Julian gets up and looks like he is going to attack, Tyler quickly says "It was a joke..."

Julian chortled. "Tyler, as much as I may dislike the burden of having you with me, I'm quite fond of my genitals. If I lay a hand on you, I fear what my lovely Kira will do to them. Motherly instincts and such." He shrugged. "Perhaps something more is behind her reasons for giving you a chance. I'll never understand the woman, and I mean that in the most loving way."

He folded his arms across his chest. "Speaking of, I need not remind you that I'm very... possessive of what's mine, shall we say? Perhaps you're a bit hung up on Anya, still, and that bodes well for me. Kira is, and always will be, mine."

He tilted a brow in Tyler's direction. The room turned dead silent. "Du wirst mich schon verstehen, nicht?"

Tyler looks at him,"I am assuming you're asking..that I don't make a move on her? That would be impossible since she hates me and yes, I still am hung up on the woman I moved here for. You have no threat with me...I assure you."

Julian seems to nod and walks off, Tyler takes his chance "I told Kira the vampires name, who turned me...her name is Jessica, she has dark hair, very curvy body and works or worked at the University. Anyone like that ring a bell to you?"

Julian shook his head. "No clan of vampires, Tyler, allows the forcible turning of a human. That means she's a lone one. Perhaps she'll travel with one or two others, but no more. They're the type who stray from our rules." He winked. "And they never last long before we find them."

He reached for the door and turned back to Tyler. "I'll look into it. You'll have your revenge soon." With a flick of his wrist, he turned off the overhead light. "Schlaf schön, Bübchen."

Sleep tight, little boy.

Smirking to himself when he heard that the American did indeed know some basic German and wasn't pleased with his choice of words, Julian closed the door behind him and walked back to the bedroom where Kira lay in wait, whistling all the way.

A week later, Tyler started talking to more vampires in the house and was learning about more abilities, this compelling one coming up a lot. 

He decided to test it out on getting a few things from the store, he does so and has it all set up in his room. A vampire chick hangs out in the room with him, they drink champagne and play a video game, she eyes him like sex on a stick but Tyler is clueless to her hints.

Kira stepped into Tyler's room, curious as to what the ruckus was that was coming from behind his bedroom door. Her eyes narrowed when she saw Alexa sprawled across the bed at his side, her eyes roaming over him as if he were a rare delicacy, her fingers pushing down the neck of her blouse to expose more of that pasty but plentiful cleavage. She was gorgeous and she knew it. Tyler, it seemed, didn't seem to be taking her hint.

Kira clapped her hands to snap Alexa out of her pitiful efforts in seduction and Tyler jumped from his seat, the controller to his game console falling to the floor with a plastic thud.

"He won't fuck you, Alexa," Kira snarled. "Leave."

Alexa knew better than to roll her eyes but she didn't hide her displeasure, either, when she got to her feet. "There's no fun to be had here," she whined as she crossed the room to the door.

Kira crossed her arms. "No? There's always a street corner with your name on it."

Alexa growled. Kira growled right back, her fangs extending past her full lower lip. It was deeper, softer, but it held more menace than Alexa's pathetic attempt. Alexa's shoulders slumped, her body bowing in on itself in a classic show of submission. The girl wanted to impress Tyler, but she'd forgotten just who she was addressing. "Challenge me, Alexa," Kira hissed. "Oh, please do."

Alexa's fangs retreated back into her gums, the fight in her gone entirely. Without a word more and with significantly lesser attitude than before, she left.

Kira shook her head and let her eyes roam the room. Clearly Tyler had made some additions to the decor. A huge television and three different gaming systems, namely.

"Well, this is a change," she observed.

Tyler looks at Kira, as he sits back down and has a look of surprise,"That's what she was trying to do? I am more used to taking a girl out for a month and finally getting some..."

He hits play and looks to Kira, who is watching him. He paused the game, "Yeah, thought I might as well enjoy being here in this room, why not?"

Poor, clueless Tyler. Alexa wasn't a poster child for subtlety. When they'd first taken her in in the late 1940s, she'd made a pass on Julian. Kira had taken a large rock from the long, winding driveway and ground it into her face until it was only a mess of marred skin, blood and matter. It had taken a while for her to heal. She'd also never given Julian so much as a sidelong glance ever since. She'd moved onto fresher meat since then. Single meat.

Kira dropped to examine the Wii system lying near his feet. "I must say I'm surprised you asked Julian for money. You bonded, I assume?"

Tyler looks at her, "I guess so,...I thought you were going to be training me on stuff? Think I'm ready, not like I have anything else to do with my time."