Bethany had been furious after Cliffton incited a frenzy out of her — in Elysium no less! The indignity! So she couldn’t help but smile smugly when Adam was announcing the upstart’s punishment. Cliffton’s precious privilege to make a childe had been removed — but color her shocked when Adam gave it to her! She generously thanked him, delighting in watching Cliffton seethe, and then promptly ignored him. After some time had elapsed, and she’d had some time to think, she approached Sergei.
“To what do I owe this pleasure, Bethany?” he asked.
“Sergei, darling. I have a favor I’d like to ask of you.”
He grinned. “Of course, of course. What did you have in mind?”
“Tell me — what do you know of whomsoever dear Cliffton had in mind to embrace?” she asked.
“I know of whom. I can do some digging, if you wish. The usual rates apply, of course.” he reminded her.
“Of course.” she said, waving her hand slightly dismissively. “I’m quite curious.”
“Planning to steal him?” he asked.
“If a Brujah planned to make him, it’s doubtful he’d be a good fit for my clan. But, you never know. Besides, who knows? Perhaps I can persuade him to just up and leave, that way Cliffton will never have the chance to have him.”
“I like the way you think.” He smiled. “I’ll have the information dropped off to you soon.”
“Thank you darling.” she gave him air kisses on either cheek before departing Elysium for the evening. She had plans to make after all. With luck Sergei would have the information within a night or two.
~~
True to his word, Sergei had the information delivered to her in short order. After receiving the information, she made sure to transfer the required amount of money to him, before reviewing the dossier she had been given. The target’s name was Liam McKay, and the dossier included quite a bit of information: born and raised in San Diego, he had moved to Phoenix to attend university, studying Criminology and had spent a short stint on the police force before becoming an MMA fighter. He was a handsome boy, but she could see why Cliffton would be interested. So far, nothing particularly intrigued her, beyond the young man’s looks.
That was, until, she spotted his hobbies, and one of them was dancing. It couldn’t hurt to observe him, she felt, and arranged for one of her ghouls to have him tailed, to alert her with what he was up to so that she might be able to observe should time and her duties as Primogen allowed. Eventually, there came a night when her ghoul informed her that he was at a club. After inquiring which one, she made herself properly presentable, and headed that way, and tried to find him. It took some doing, but there he was on the dance floor, dancing his heart out. It was evident he was passionate, and the way he moved was captivating; indescribable. His style and movement fascinated her, and she nearly lost herself in a moment of entrancement. Damn the clan curse, she muttered inwardly.
She would watch him, for a few nights after that, until she got word that he had a fight coming up. Wrinkling her nose a little at the thought, she made the decision to attend, just to see what he was capable of. There was no disappointment to be had. He was agile, his movements quick and precise, and still every bit as captivating to her as his dancing had been. That settled things, in her mind. She had to have him; had to claim him before Cliffton got another chance to embrace, or someone else set their sights on him. She made the decision to linger, to wait until after this match to approach him.
Bethany caught him as he was exiting the building, heading for his car. It was late, and there was no one else around — they had all left. By the looks of things, he had taken the time to shower and change into clean clothes before leaving. Now was the time to approach him. She emerged from the shadows she had been concealed in, her heels clicking on the pavement as she moved towards him. As she grew closer, he looked up, noticing her.
“Can I help you?” he asked cautiously.
“I loved your performance.” she said, smiling.
“Thank you.” he said, his hands tightening on his keys. He was cautious — not a bad trait. Still, she had to tread carefully, but quickly, she felt.
“Come, walk with me.” she said, hooking an arm through his and pulling him along. He stumbled at first, but then began to move along. “I have to say, darling, I’m a big fan of your work.”
“Thanks?” he asked, puzzled by her behavior, though he kept walking with her, fingers still tight around his keys, and confident in his ability to fend her off if he needed to.
She pulled him to a place not far away, one hidden from passersby. She could feel him tense up before he spoke. “Look, you seem nice and all, and if it’s an autograph you want, sure…but I really need to be getting home.”
“Nonsense. You want to spend time with me.” she smiled at him, activating Presence in order to get him to stay.
He smiled then, and it was beautiful. “Alright then. What’s the worst that could happen when I’m in such beautiful company?”
“You flatter me, darling. I like that in a man.” she said, a hint of amusement in her voice. “Would you accompany me to my place?” she paused, turning to face him, casually running a finger across his jawline.
“I should tell you, you’re not my type.” his voice was low, puzzled by what she wanted.
“That’s alright, darling. I just want to talk.” she replied.
“Alright then. Should I drive?”
“I wouldn’t hear of it. We’ll take my car.” she pulled him along again, leading him towards her car, where a driver was waiting for them. He opened the door for her, and got in after. Bethany kept a firm grip on him on the drive back to her apartment. Upon arrival, he got out of the car, then offered a hand to help her out — the makings of a true gentleman. She smiled at this, and slung her arm, through his again as they made their way to her apartment. Once inside, she made a gesture to her ghoul, who discreetly locked the door behind them.
Bethany escorted him over to the sofa as he looked around the apartment. She guided him to down next to her, and then turned him to face her.
“What would you say if I told you I wanted to give you a whole new experience; a new outlook on the world?” she asked.
“I’d say I’m curious.” he admitted.
“Good.” she said with a smile. Then, with a swiftness, she was on him, fangs bared, biting deep into his next and feeding. He was delicious, and it had been so long until she’d indulged so. Her Beast kept pushing her, urging her to go on, to feed until he was gone. But she had to be careful — he needed to be fed yet. Finally, she pulled away, and licked the wound she’d created closed. Quickly, she bit her wrist, and pressed it to his lips, willing herself to bleed. One…two…there.
He’d started swallowing, eventually latching on to her arm. She smoothed his hair back as he fed, taking her wrist away. She watched as he went through the process of dying fully, gesturing to her ghoul to set things up for what was to come next.
“What…what did you do to me?” he asked, beginning to panic.
“Shhh….she said, her voice soothing. “All in due time.”
The ghoul had laid a tarp out across the floor, then brought out a victim, someone that appeared dazed. They then handed a small knife to Bethany, who tilted it in the light, watching it glint before going over to the victim, putting a small cut on them — just enough for Liam to smell the blood, to get hungry — to let instinct take over.
It didn’t take long before he latched on, feeding deeply and messily, as all fledglings did at first. She didn’t worry about him draining the victim. They would not be missed, and she could take care of the corpse. After he was full, she would begin to teach him, keep him near until he had a basic handle on things. Liam was hers now; Clifton would never have him. She smiled broadly. She would teach him well, already making up her mind that he would be a credit to her, and to the clan.