TheRaven: The Tragedy of Ashley Bilefoot

Chapter 3

Beth rolled as she landed on the rooftop of a building on the southside of the city. She’d been in motion since she left the crime lab and kept her ear to the ground, metaphorically speaking. A more accurate way of putting it would have been keeping her fists lodged in criminals’ jaws in an attempt to get a lead on where this new drug was coming from. She was starting to regret torching that plug’s place.

So far her efforts were continually coming up short, though, but the night was still young. She considered calling Jake and checking on him, but the words of her mistress rang out in her head. Promises of not being able to sit for a week were enough to keep her phone in her pocket. She could still send him messages provided they didn’t exceed ten in an hour. She chose to instead focus on the task at hand. From her vantage point she could see a group of three people making their way into a nearby alleyway. The odds of them looking to make a seedy deal were in her favor and she decided it was worth investigating.

James, Carla, and Andrew were on their way to see about getting their hands on the latest craze that was sweeping the city. They’d been daveling in various substances off and on for years and Andrew had been the one to find out about BFB. Ever the adventurous types, they’d made a vow to try anything and everything once. The problem had first been finding someone to hook them, but once that was done it was a matter of money. The three had pooled together, after working double shifts for a month, enough for one full dose a piece.

Their dealer had specifically requested the meeting place and even though it was out of the way of their homes it was worth it if this drug did what it was rumored to do. They cut into the darkness of a nearby alleyway that was somehow even filthier than the streets on this side of the city. There was an old car that someone had stolen the wheels off of along with various parts from the dash, several trash cans and a dumpster, and a couple of lights that hung down over a few stray doors that lined the walls.

“Are you sure this is the place?” Carla asked, drawing a little closer to James.

“Positive,” Andrew replied, “As soon as dude said the meeting was on this side of town, I triple checked the address. Fucking hate coming to this area.”

“Ah c’mon Andie, it’s not that bad,” James said, “I mean yeah there’s a lot of trap houses, hookers, and gangs, but I hear there’s some badass new club that’s supposed to be somewhere around here.”

“Whatever man, you wanna spend your time in this neck of the woods then be my guest,” Andrew replied, “Let’s just get our shit and get the hell out of here.”

“Yo, you three here to make a deal?” the voice of a man wearing a long green coat asked as he stepped out of one of the doors.

Andrew stepped up, “Yeah, you got the stuff?”

“I got whatever you need if you got the money,” the man replied.

There was a loud crash that startled the group. They turned around and the three friends gasped as they stared up at The Feral standing atop the dumpster, “How about me?” she asked, “Got anything that might interest me?”

“Fuck!” Carla cried as she moved to hug the wall.

“You three working with this cunt?!” the man demanded.

Beth reached into her coat and launched a knife into his leg which caused him to fall to the ground, “No, they’re not,” she said before turning to the group of friends, “If you three are smart then you’ll get out of here, my business isn’t with you. Go home and stop chasing BFB, I catch any of you with another dealer and drugs will be the least of your problems.”

“You’re not serious,” James said.

“James, shut the fuck up!” Carla said, “You really wanna fuck with the woman who’s been offing criminals?! Just do what she says and let’s go!”

“Listen to your friend, dumbass,” Beth spat, “It’s been a long week for me and I’m not in the mood for idiocy. I’ve got to have a chat and unless you want to join him, get out of my sight.”

“Fuck you, you sick bitch!” the dealer cried out.

Beth saw the trio almost trip over themselves as they scrambled out of the alleyway and back into the streets. She hopped off of the dumpster and walked over to the man who’d turned to face her with gritted teeth. She grinned behind her hood as she knelt down next to him, “You want to say that to my face, asshole?”

“I said fuck yoooo!” he started before crying out and Beth took hold of the knife and started twisting it in his leg.

“Sorry, you’re going to have to speak up,” she taunted before letting go of the knife and pulling out a fresh one, “Now, I got questions and you got answers, so here’s how this is going to work. You tell me what I want to know and I’ll let you live.”

“I ain’t telling you shit!” he said before spitting up at her face.

She wiped the spittle from her hood and launched a fist into his jaw, “Do that again and I promise you, you’ll regret it. I got all night and nowhere to be, dickwad. Want to see how much pain you can handle, or would you rather do this the easy way?”

“Go to hell,” he replied.

Beth shrugged, “Suit yourself.”

She hadn’t expected this to be easy and, truthfully, she didn’t care. She was going to get the answers she wanted one way or another. She trailed the knife along his pant leg, and applied just enough pressure for him to feel it as she moved it from his waist to his torso. Once she got to his shirt, she applied more pressure and began cutting through it. Blood started to pool along the cut she was making as she trailed it closer and closer to his neckline. She moved the blade along his neck and up to his jaw with just enough force for him to feel it; she relished the tremors of fear that were overtaking him. Without warning she suddenly drove the blade into his shoulder and forced him back onto the ground.

He cried out in pain in hopes of somebody, anybody, possibly coming to check on him. Most people tended to avoid the distressed cries from society’s underbelly these days, it usually meant that a gang was at work, a villain was having their fun, or The Feral was conducting her business. She twisted the knife in his shoulder for a moment before standing up and promptly stomping on the hilt of the blade. It was driven further into his shoulder and his screams reached a new octave as fresh pain flooded his brain.

She considered asking some more questions at this point, but decided that he might need a little more convincing. She grabbed another blade from her coat and debated on where to strike next. He already had one in his thigh and one in his shoulder. She’d gotten some decent results from the hands in the past, so she decided it was as good a place as any to move to. His hands were on the ground as he whimpered and she carefully drove the blade down between his fingers which caused him to wince in fear.

“Awe, what’s wrong?” she taunted, “You look like you’re scared. What happened to the big strong man who was calling me a cunt and a bitch just a few minutes ago?”

She took hold of his wrist and held it up to make him watch. Without another word, she took hold of his middle finger and snapped it at the knuckle. He screamed in pain and screamed louder when she suddenly snapped his index finger. “Okay, okay!” he screamed, “I’ll talk, I’ll tell you whatever you want to know, just please stop!”

“Good boy,” she chided, trying to sound like Pam with a hint of mockery, “Where is BFB coming from?”

“I don’t know!” he yelled.

“Wrong answer,” Beth said and gave his wrist a painful jerk that left his hand broken and useless, “Lie to me again and I’ll break the other one. Keep it up and you won’t be walking again anytime soon, and anything after that...well let’s just say you won’t be doing much of anything then.”

“You’re fucking crazy!” he yelled between pained breaths.

She shrugged again, “No, I’m pissed off because people like you are infecting my city. Let’s try this again, where is BFB coming from?”

“I already told you, I don’t know,” he said and quickly added when Beth went for his other wrist, “But there’s a club!”

She stopped, but didn’t release his hand, “I’m listening, what about a club?”

“Don’t know much about it, but my plug told me to send anyone looking for another fix to it,” he said, “Club’s called Clove and apparently they got the shit on a regular basis. Guys like me only get enough to spread out and get people started!”

Clove, it wasn’t much, but it was something. She jerked his hand without damaging it and demanded, “Where is it?!”

“Halcyon and Third!” he yelled, “Club’s ran out of some old fuckin’ warehouse! Ain’t been open long, but the place is always fuckin’ packed. That’s all I know, I swear!”

“Tonight’s your lucky night, dirtbag,” she said as she tossed his hand to the ground, “First shithead I’ve let live tonight. I’d say it’s been a pleasure, but we both know that’s bullshit.”

She snatched her knife out of his leg and used it to pry the one from his shoulder out. She wiped them down and made a mental note to wash her clothes once she got home. With a new destination in mind, she turned to head off and left the dealer wallowing in his own filth and blood. That was the plan, anyway, she froze when she heard him yell after her, “Go ahead and run back to your fucking master, you sick ass slave bitch!”

She took a sharp inhale and looked over her shoulder, “What was that?” she asked.

“You ain’t fooling anyone, everyone knows you were a slave to the Goth Goddess and you still wear one of them fuckin’ collars!” he yelled back, “Your boss wanting to muscle in on the competition or are you just trying to get her to flick your fucking bean?”

She let out a shaky breath as she cracked her neck. She turned around and slowly walked over to him, “You think I work for that fucking bitch?” she asked, “You want to rethink your fucking words, you piece of shit?”

“Don’t fucking matter if you work for her or not,” he spat back, “You might act tough, you might be a fucking killer, but that collar means you ain’t nothing but a pathetic slave!”

That did it. Her hand was on her pistol and she had it drawn before he could blink. She was kneeling down over him and she shoved the barrel into his open mouth. Panic flared through his eyes as he realized what was happening too little too late, “Let me make something perfectly clear, you miserable fucking shit! I am not a slave, not to her and not to anyone! What I do in my off time is my fucking business and if I want to submit to someone then it’s my choice!”

“I do what I do out here because of people like Goth and people like you. What I do with my girlfriend doesn’t have any effect on my work out here! Now, before I blow your goddamn brains out, you want to try to apologize for being such a fucking asshole?”

He started to mouth something that came out garbled, but she didn’t even bother listening. As soon as he started trying to speak, she pulled the trigger and blasted his brains along the pavement. She fired until her clip was empty out of sheer rage and until there was little more than a bloody mess painting the alleyway. Great, now she was definitely going to need to change before going to some stupid fucking club. Oh well, a small price to pay when it came to personal justice.

She leered over her shoulder as she put away her pistol and grabbed her grappling gun, “Boring conversation anyway,” she said as she fired it up to the roof and retracted the line to send herself zooming into the night once again.

Jake opened the door to his and Goth’s temporary home. He’d taken his time walking back and his mind had been racing with everything that had happened. He was conflicted by his interaction with Ashley. She was much different than he remembered and everything that she was up to was shocking. He’d fully expected her to try to force herself on him or at least try to hypnotize him, but instead she had treated him to what he could only assume was a date. Up until the end, it had actually been a pretty pleasant evening.

He set his keys down in the bowl beside the door before shutting it behind him. He hadn’t the faintest idea what time it was until he glanced at the clock on the wall. A quarter past midnight, maybe Goth would be asleep. Somehow he doubted that he could get that lucky. There was a large wingback chair that sat in the living room where Goth typically sat whenever she was awake. Sure enough, he could the top of her head peeking over the chair.

He considered attempting to sneak past her, but that plan was brought to a swift end when she spoke up, “Jake? Where have you been? It’s past midnight and you’ve been gone for hours.”

He stopped and resigned himself to whatever was about to unfold, “I got a little sidetracked on my way back,” he said as he removed his coat, “Ran into someone I hadn’t seen in a long time. What are you still doing up?”

“Just doing some reading to keep my worries about my little Raven at bay,” she replied as she stood up and moved closer to him, “Who on this Earth did you run into that kept you away from me for so long?”

Jake tried to choose his next words carefully, but his mouth betrayed him before he could stop it, “Oh I think you have a good idea who it was.”

She feigned ignorance as she approached, “Why would you say that? How am I to know who you’ve been cohorting with?”

“Drop the act, Rebecca,” Jake said, growing more annoyed, “We both know you’ve got an idea who it was. You’ve probably been waiting on her to find me.”

“Her?!” Goth asked, pretending to sound outraged.

“Damnit, Rebecca, knock it off!” Jake yelled, “Ashley, Ashley Bilefoot stopped me on my way back here!”

Goth’s faux shock shifted into a grin, “I take it you had a rather eventful evening then?”

“Matter of fact, I did,” he replied, “She wanted to talk, nothing more. I heard her out, and let her show me what she’s been up to. Turns out, she’s been running some kind of club downtown.”

Goth’s grin widened, “I take it she’s no longer operating said club?”

Jake gave her a quizzical look, “Why wouldn’t she be running it?”

Her grin fell as she pointed out, “Because you got rid of her, didn’t you?”

“What?! No!” Jake said, “Why the hell would I have done that?”

Her grin was completely gone now and in its place was a look of pure confusion, “Because that soul sucking vampire is a threat to your precious city.”

“She’s not a threat to anything, not right now,” Jake replied.

Goth’s demeanor was quickly shifting to agitated as she asked, “So what, pray tell, were you doing with her that kept you away for so long?”

“Like I said, she wanted to talk,” Jake said, “She said she’s worried about me, among other things, and took me to her club to show me around. We shared a drink, swapped some stories, and I left.”

“So let me see if I understand this,” she said as she started to approach him in a menacing way, “You met up with a woman who turned you against your will years ago, a woman you hated, she offered to take you out and you accepted, and then she took you to her club and tried to get you drunk. Am I missing anything?”

Jake narrowed his eyes at her tone. She was trying to assert her dominance and he knew it, but he wasn’t going to fall for it, not tonight. “She didn’t try to get me drunk,” he said, “I poured myself a drink.”

“What were you thinking?!” Goth finally demanded as she took another step towards him.

“Me?!” Jake replied as he stepped closer to her, “You’re the one who brought her back!”

“Don’t be ridiculous!” Goth replied, dismissively, “Why would I do that?”

“I don’t know, Rebecca, why did you do it?” Jake asked, “Why in the hell did you drug me, steal my blood, and have one of your old followers perform the ritual?!”

“I’m sure that I don’t know what you mean, but I am sure that I don’t like your tone,” she said in a warning tone.

“I’m sure that I don’t give a shit right now,” Jake replied, “How long are you going to keep this up? She told me what you did and then she said you wanted to rub her face in the fact that I’m trapped here with you!”

“Trapped?!” Goth said, growing slightly more hurt as well as angry, “Is that what you think you are?”

“No,” Jake replied, “It’s what I know I am. Ashley may have said it, but she was right. Why won’t you just admit that you brought her back?!”

“Alright, fine!” Goth roared, “I had her resurrected from that void she called home, is that what you want to hear?!”

“Why?” Jake asked, as his tone shifted to cold and calm.

“Because I vowed to fix you,” she replied, “I swore that I would return you to your old self and I figured bringing you face to face with a woman who, quite literally, stole your humanity might help to snap you back. Obviously, I wasn’t expecting you to try to date her and cheat on me!”

“Cheat on you?!” Jake repeated, “Do you still think that we are together after everything you’ve done to me?”

Goth’s air of dominance and outrage suddenly deflated. Her face dropped as a painful feeling shot through her heart, “Yes,” she said with a trembling voice, “Jake, I love you and I am trying to help you.”

Jake tried to maintain his glare, but the hurt in her eyes made it increasingly difficult. He sighed before speaking, “Rebecca, if you really care about me then tell me the truth. I’m not an idiot and I’ve been with you long enough to know you’ve got another angle. Why did you bring her back? What does she have that you need?”

Goth bit her lip as she tried to find the will to deflect and avoid his question. She looked away and realized that she was just looking guilty, “Damn this mortality!” she cried out, exasperated and sighed, “I need her blood, Jake, her blood and the ashes of a vampire queen.”

“Why?” he demanded.

“It’s integral to a new ritual,” she replied, “I need it and I need you to be my Raven once again. You are meant to be so much more than just this city’s civil servant, serve me and I promise you won’t regret it.”

Jake closed his eyes and looked away. He knew that there was something more going on, but he still didn’t have a full grasp on what Goth was planning. In his gut, however, he knew that this was probably some kind of plot to get her powers back. He took a deep breath and decided to stand his ground, “I’m not going to kill her, Rebecca, she isn’t a threat to me or this city. You want her blood and those ashes so damn bad, then you get them yourself.”

“Jake, I’m giving you a command,” she said, more pleadingly than she liked, “Are you really going to tell me no?”

“I won’t take the life of someone innocent,” Jake defended, “I killed Aurora, but that wasn’t on purpose. Not that she didn’t have it coming considering what she did to me, Beth, and Dart.”

Goth scowled and was about to lash out, but she stopped herself. The way that Jake glared at her reminded her of just how fragile her relationship was. Her scowl morphed into a frown as she fought to figure out another way to approach her current dilemma. She knew that fighting with him was only going to push him further away from her and tried to figure out her next move. If he refused to bend to her will then she would have to take another route.

She took a deep breath and tried to release the tension that had been steadily building inside of her. After a moment, she spoke in usual calm and collected voice, “Very well, I will not force your hand in the matter.”

Jake blinked in confusion and stared up at her, “Really?”

“Of course,” she replied, “Jake, I told you that I love you and that I gave my word to fix you. In the past, I would have exerted my power and dominance to enact my will, but that only served to drive you further away and into the abyss that you’ve fallen into. I am here to help you just as you are here to serve me.”

Jake narrowed his eyes at her, “The abyss that you put me in,” he clarified.

“I do hate hearing that out loud, but yes the one that I pushed you into,” she admitted, painfully, “Please, Jake, I am trying not to fall back into my old ways. The last thing that I want is to further your resentment of me. If you believe that Ashley poses no threat to your city and can swear that you will choose me, then who am I to argue?”

Not for the first time tonight, Jake felt a familiar bit of confliction bubbling up inside of him. His head was starting to hurt from the weight of everything tonight. He was tired and desperately wanted to rest. He knew, however, that there was only one way that he was going to be able crawl into his and Goth’s bed.

He sighed, stepped closer to her, and took her hands in his, “Rebecca, she gave me the choice to join her and I chose you,” he said, “If she turns out to be a threat then Beth can handle her, if Beth needs me to step in and help out then I will. Right now, I’m tired and I just want to go to bed.”

Goth gave a small smile and gently stroked his cheek, “Then why don’t we retire to our bedroom?” she asked, “Go, I need to put away my book and I will be with you in a moment. I will keep those pesky nightmares at bay, and should they arise I will be here to take your mind off of them.”

Jake debated on whether or not to protest. His head was pounding at this point and he still felt that this wasn’t completely over. He was too tired to think straight right now, however, and he decided to concede. Her offer was too good to pass up and the last thing he wanted was to put her back in a foul mood, “Alright, that...that actually sounds nice,” he said, “Promise you won’t be long?”

“You have my word,” she replied, “Now, go get yourself ready and I will join you momentarily.”

Without needing to be told, he lifted himself up and kissed her. She felt her heart swell for a second even when he pulled away. She watched him walk away with a smile, one that she mirrored. They were smiling for different reasons though. Jake felt as though he had won himself a peaceful night, and in a way he had, but Goth’s smile was because of the plan that was forming in her mind.

What Jake didn’t know was that his own words were the basis of her own plan. Elizabeth would inevitably stick her nose in the midst of Ashley’s affairs and undoubtedly earn the vampire’s wrath. Without Pamela around, Elizabeth’s temper was prone to getting the better of her. Something that was evidenced by the fact headlines that continued to appear on the front page. All she would have to do was wait, either Elizabeth would deal with Ashley or she would fail and force Jake to intervene. While her powers may have been gone, her greatest asset was her patience. She had waited years to obtain the power she deserved, she could wait a little while longer.

Beth had burned through an hour going home and changing. She swore that she saw Jake on the streets, but she couldn’t be sure. Her mind was focused on getting answers on this drug and maybe unearthing the missing link in the missing persons case. Clove was the closest thing she had to a conclusive lead. Someone at that club knew something and she was going to find out who.

She relished the feelings of weightlessness that came with the freefall before firing her grappling gun at another anchor point. She spread her arms and let herself twirl before firing it once again and launching herself back up. She pulled herself up onto a street lamp and perched while she debated how to make her entrance. She could see a line outside of what looked like an old and rundown warehouse that she assumed was Clove. She let herself drop from the street lamp and decided to try a different and more direct approach.

She marched herself up to the street and pushed her way through the men and women in line. At first, some of them turned to glare at her or say something, but upon seeing The Feral they quickly closed their mouths and stepped aside. The bouncer at the front was looking at a clipboard when she got to the front of the line, “Name?”

“Fuck comma off,” she replied which caused him to look up and glare.

“No heroes allowed, get the fuck out of here,” the large man said as he crossed his arms.

Beth shrugged and turned to walk away before whirling around and sucker punching the man in the face. He groaned as he fell backwards unconscious. His clipboard was in the air and Beth caught it. She looked at it and took the pen from the top to scribble something on it, “Look at that,” she said as she tossed the clipboard onto his chest, “Looks like I’m on the list, jackass.”

She stepped over his body and walked into the loud and colorful atmosphere of the club. Lights flashed from red to green to blue in time with a pounding and rhythmic beat that filled the air. The music was incredibly loud and she was pretty sure that even a gunshot from her might not be heard over it. Nevertheless, she marched through the club like a woman on a mission. People moved their dancing bodies out of her path once their eyes landed on her, but she could feel that she was being watched. Someone didn’t want her here and whoever they were, they weren’t afraid of her.

Ashley had been sitting in her booth sipping on the scotch that she had procured for Jake when one of her underlings came to her. She had an unexpected guest this evening who had apparently knocked her muscle on his ass. The murmurs of her family and those yet to be turned reached her in no time. Apparently, her little club was being graced by The Feral this evening. She gave the order to let her pass and sent someone to retrieve her, unharmed lest they wish to share the same fate as Everett.

Knowing it was Beth, gave her a slight edge in this encounter. She had been mulling over Jake’s parting words to her since she left to change. The boy was loyal to his friends and those that he cared about, one of the things she admired about him. He wouldn’t accept her gift unless there was some way to keep both Beth and this Pam woman in his life. Perhaps Beth would be more inclined to hear her out. The girl was close to Jake and if she could get her onboard then maybe she could convince Jake. There had been a time where she viewed Beth as a threat, but from what Jake had said the girl was heavily invested in a relationship with another woman. Something that was both a relief and a surprise when she had learned it, but given what the girl had been through she couldn’t say she blamed her.

She glanced over at the other women in her booth and warned, “None of you are to move on her, do I make myself clear? For now, she has the same protection as Jake. If something happens then I will handle it, understood?”

“As you wish, your highness,” one of the women said, followed by nods from the others.

Beth had been about halfway through the dancefloor when another man approached her. She had taken a defensive stance, but he had simply held out his hands and told her that her presence was requested. She relaxed, but only slightly, as she followed him through the wall of people. The entire walk she kept her hand resting on the pistol strapped to her thigh. They came to a staircase where he stopped and gestured for her to go on ahead. She shot him a skeptical look, but headed up the stairs.

Her eyes locked on a familiar face, one that she had hoped to never see again. Pale skin, ruby eyes, and hair that reminded her of hellfire, there sitting with her legs crossed was Ashley Bilefoot. Her hand gripped her pistol, but Ashley’s voice stopped her short, “Calm yourself, Beth. I did not call you here to fight.”

“Then you called the wrong woman,” Beth replied, “Give me one reason why I shouldn’t put a bullet in that pretty head of yours.”

“Other than the fact that your bullets would do no good?” Ashley asked, “I am no threat to you, your city, or your main concern, Jake. I see the rumors of your sexual preference are true, I’m glad you find me attractive.”

“I-what?!” Beth sputtered, growing flustered, “S-shut up!”

“Still easily embarrassed I see,” Ashley taunted, “Sit, you have been allowed to walk through my establishment without harm, despite your violent entrance, because I have forbidden any of my family from laying a hand on you. I would think that the least you can do is to try to be diplomatic for a change.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Beth demanded.

“Even vampires keep up with current events, sweetie,” Ashley deadpanned in a way that reminded her of Pam, “The whole city has been abuzz with news of The Feral and her violent and valient exploits. Now, have a seat and do me the kindness of removing that helmet of yours.”

“It’s a hood,” Beth remarked, slightly unsure how to respond, “You know why I’m here?”

“Given that your rumored girlfriend is absent, I can only assume that you’re here on business,” Ashley answered, “Why don’t we discuss it, after you sit down and remove your hood.”

Beth groaned and decided to lament. She took a seat opposite of Ashley and removed her hood to expose her face. She set it beside her and leered at Ashley, “Leave her out of this,” Beth warned before demanding, “And who the hell told you about that?! That isn’t common knowledge!”

Ashley rolled her eyes and smiled at her, her fangs showing, “Jake, he and I had a little meeting earlier this evening,” she held a hand up when Beth shot to her feet and reached for one of her weapons, “Relax, I did nothing to him and I made sure that he was untouched and will remain that way. I offered him the gift of eternal life with me, but he declined.”

“You expect me to believe you’re just okay with him rejecting you?” Beth asked.

“I am in no way okay with his choice, but I am not going to force him into anything,” Ashley said, “I don’t expect you to believe me, but I care for your friend and I seek to court him not conquer him like that wretched witch.”

Beth stared at her for a moment before sitting herself back down, “Never thought I’d say this, but we actually agree on something,” Beth said, “Fuck Goth, that selfserving, selfcentered, egotistical bitch.”

Ashley laughed as she poured them both a drink, “I will drink to that, here” she said as she offered a glass to Beth, “So who’s the lucky lady who managed to tame that wild fire of yours?”

Beth accepted the glass after a moment of hesitation, “Pamela Lavely, I’d thank you to keep her name out of your mouth. I didn’t come here to discuss my lovelife with you, I came here because word on the street is that a new drug is coming out of your club.”

“Oh?” Ashley asked, “This is a nightclub, Beth, I am afraid that drugs are an inevitability in this environment. Powerful though I may be, I cannot keep every powder and pill out of the hands of everyone.”

Beth rolled her eyes, “Don’t give me that,” she said, “You know damn well that’s not what I’m talking about! BFB, a new drug that’s been polluting my city and causing people to disappear.”

Ashley took a sip of her drink and set her glass down, “Ah, I see you’ve been busy. I had heard that a number of drug peddlers had been having encounters with you, but I had no idea that’s what you were after.”

“So you’re not even going to deny that it’s coming from here?” Beth asked.

“Why would I?” Ashley responded, “You’ve done your homework, battered and broken many lives, and all you’ve been led to me. Yes, BFB is coming from me.”

“What is it?” Beth demanded.

“Use your head, Beth,” Ashley said as she held her arm up, “BFB, tell me what you think it stands for?”

Beth narrowed her eyes and stared at her arm for a minute. Her eyes widened as she realized what it was, “Are you fucking kidding me?! Bilefoot Blood! You’re selling your blood as a drug?!”

Ashley flashed her another toothy grin, “In a sense, it’s a diluted version of my own blood that is mixed with a few neutralizing agents that make it so that the user isn’t overpowered by it.”

“Why?” Beth asked, equally confused, disgusted, and outraged.

“It’s simple really,” Ashley explained, “It serves as a means of distinguishing who is worthy of joining my family and who deserves to be cattle. Before you go on a tirade, I have a family to feed and support and I am doing you and your city a favor.”

“In what universe is forcing people to join you or be your foodsource doing anyone a fucking favor?!” Beth asked.

“Your streets are riddled with addicts who will commit heinous atrocities for their fix,” Ashley replied, “Since I started utilizing BFB, I’ve had throes of these troublesome individuals removed from your home. I’ve saved the lives of those that are strong enough to take to my blessing and given those that aren’t a new purpose.”

“You’ve stolen their lives and freedom!” Beth cried out, “There are families out there who are worried sick about these people!”

Ashley waved her off, “They are safe with me, Beth, time heals all wounds and given time they will move on. If you are truly worried about their families, then you could simply send them to me.”

“So you can turn them into fucking cattle?!” Beth asked, incredulously, “What the fuck is wrong with you?!”

Ashley took a sharp inhale to calm herself, “I would thank you to watch your tone with me and not to insult me,” she warned, “I am helping you, your city, Jake, and my family.”

“Helping?!” Beth asked as she bared her teeth, “You sick fucking psycho! You’re as bad as Goth!”

Ashley winced and glared at the comparison. She rose to her feet to stare down at Beth, “Do not compare to me that pathetic, second rate witch. I am nothing like her, unlike her I actually care about Jake and those that serve me.”

“Those that serve, you sound just fucking like her,” Beth retorted, “You’re out for yourself and you don’t give a damn about anyone else!”

“Hold. Your. Tongue, Beth, or I will hold it for you,” Ashley ordered, losing her patience.

“Fuck you!” Beth yelled, “You don’t deserve Jake and you don’t deserve to live!”

That was the last straw. Ashley’s body moved before she could stop it, and before Beth knew what was happening she was behind her with her arm wrapped around her neck. “You dare to speak to me in such a hateful and demeaning manner?!” she roared, “I was trying to be civil, trying to show you kindness, I welcomed you into my home despite your bloody personality!”

Beth fought to get out of Ashley’s grip, but she was stronger than she had anticipated. She was stronger than Goth and Aurora and all she could do was struggle futilely, “What are you doing?!”

“Putting you in your place,” Ashley responded before sinking her teeth into Beth’s neck and giving her an unwanted present.

Beth squirmed in her grip and screamed as Ashley drank her blood and forced her curse into her system, “No, stop!”

Ashley drained her until she was certain that the girl would be useless. She made sure to keep her alive, and when she was done she pulled away and pushed her to the floor, “Let’s see how strong you really are,” she said.

She stared down at Beth as the girl struggled for a moment before fading into unconsciousness. She wiped a small bit of blood from her chin and licked it from her hand. She turned to stare at the other women in the box who looked on with eagerness and delight. She glared at them, “Not a word from any of you, and no one is to touch her without my permission,” she warned, “Evelyn, Aubrey, take her to the back and notify me as soon as she is awake. If anyone touches her or tries anything then they will deal with me.”

“Of course, your highness,” Evelyn replied as she and Aubrey grabbed Beth and hauled her down the stairs.

Ashley walked to the railing of her box and looked out into her domain. Her anger subsided and she realized what she had done. She closed her eyes as she came to terms with her decision. She had lived long enough to know that there were no mistakes, only choices be they good or bad. She had made a choice and would find a way to overcome it. She would have to deal with Beth when she awoke, but that was a minor problem and one that she was sure she could handle. Her concern was when Jake found out, she would use the time while Beth was out to ponder a solution.

“We will be together again, Jake, I swear on my life and my honor,” she said to herself before her voice dropped to a whisper, “Forgive me, my beloved, I will take care of your friend as though she were one of my own.”