TheRaven: The Tragedy of Ashley Bilefoot

Chapter 6

Beth had been assigned to a small squad of Ashley’s followers. She didn’t much care for the vampires that she was grouped with, but the night air did feel good on her face. Ashley hadn’t returned her effects which meant she was currently moving around from rooftop to rooftop without her grappling gun and without her hood. Surprisingly, it wasn’t as difficult as she had anticipated. With the vampiric curse coursing through her blood she had increased agility and strength. She still would have preferred to have her guns, but it was a small price to pay.

Evelyn, the girl who had been a thorn in her side since she first woke up, was leading their little pack. There were two other women and a young man who she hadn’t met before. Lacy, a girl with violet colored hair, and Margot, an older woman with platinum blonde hair, were the two other women and Sanjay, a young man of seemingly middle eastern descent, rounded out their little group. The two women hadn't said much to her and she hadn't heard Sanjay utter a single word yet. Evelyn had done most of the talking and the majority of it was either work or derogatory comments at Beth's expense.

"I still don't understand what Ashley sees in you," Evelyn remarked as they came to a halt on the rooftop, "I've never seen such blatantly disrespectful and ungrateful behavior from someone favored by our queen. From the way you talk and that little trinket around your neck, you're nothing more than a slave."

The other girls shared a laugh before Beth cut in with a threatening tone, "I am not a slave, I'm in a committed relationship with another woman. Just because I'm submissive doesn't make me any less than her or anyone else for that matter."

"You willingly submit to another?" Lacy asked in a genuine tone.

Beth softened her glare and turned to the violet haired girl, "I do, she's taken care of me through some hard times. It doesn't mean that I'm beneath her, it just means that I give her control over things that would otherwise be too much for me."

"Interesting," Margot said.

"Pathetic is more like it," Evelyn countered, "What kind of self respecting woman, one with your reputation at that, just gives up her independence?"

Beth grit her teeth as she replied, "I have not given up my independence. I choose to submit to her and her alone. Get it through your thick skull, fuck's sake your queen gets it better than you do."

Evelyn snarled and wheeled on her, "How dare you speak to me in such a manner!"

"Enough!" Sanjay's voice was finally heard, "Evelyn, Ashley has decreed that this one is to serve a higher purpose and that we are to put her skills to the test tonight. Her personal choices are of little consequence so long as she performs well. You are not our queen, and just because she counts you among the chosen does not mean you can go against her commands."

Evelyn glared at him and he met her stare with cold eyes. She broke away with a huff and stormed off. Beth looked over to Sanjay, "Thanks."

"Don't thank me yet," he replied, "I admit that I too am skeptical of your place among us, but our lady hasn't steered us wrong yet. Show us that her faith isn't misplaced."

With those words he walked off to catch up with Evelyn. "Not often Sanjay speaks up," Margot remarked, "Glad he did, though, Evelyn has been on a high horse for some time now. He's right, though, you still need to prove your worth to our lady and our cause."

Lacy nodded and walked off with Margot leaving Beth standing alone. She shook her head and wondered just what she had gotten herself into. She reached up and clutched at the pendant that dangled from her collar. "I hope I make it out of this," she said to herself, "I'll be strong for you, I will find a way to be with you again."

She told herself that this was no different than when she was carrying out orders for Pam and Goth. She moved up to rejoin the group and tried to adopt a more professional demeanor, "So what's the objective?" she asked.

Evelyn turned to her and she braced herself for another scathing interaction, "We're looking for any high priority targets to turn. One of our more recent additions has brought an upcoming politician to our attention, Meg Myers."

"Myers, doesn't she run a support group for people traumatized by Goth?" Beth asked.

Evelyn nodded, "That's one of her operations, but rumor has it she's using that as a means to gain a following. Can't say for certain, but our lady believes that she might be useful to have in our fold."

"If nothing else, we can eliminate a potential threat to us and this city," Margot added, "You need to feed, though, you're on the verge of becoming a true version of your mantle."

"What do you mean?" Beth asked.

Lacy spoke up to answer her question, "If you don't feed then you'll go into a frenzy. You've already been experiencing symptoms, hallucinations, lightheadedness, and difficulties concentrating."

"The longer you wait, the worse these things are going to get," Evelyn said, "Worse yet, you'll get to the point where you’ll be at war with yourself. You won’t be able to tell friend from foe due to the pain you’ll be in. The more insatiable your hunger, the more insane you’ll become. I suggest you take this opportunity to feed, unless you want to put our words to the test.”

Beth swallowed nervously as she listened to everyone. She wasn’t sure if they were bluffing or not, but she didn’t want to find out. Still, she wasn’t sure if she could bring herself to suck the blood from another person. Besides being disgusting, the idea just felt wrong. She was grateful that Ashley hadn’t killed her and had kept her flunkies from brutalizing her, but she knew that others wouldn’t be so lucky. The choice was a difficult one, and she once again found herself wishing that Pam was around. She wondered what her mistress would advise in this situation, but this was something she was going to have to do on her own.

"Alright, let's do this," she said as she prepared to move with the rest of her new unit.

Jake and Pam had been wandering the Southside of Metropolis for a couple of hours. It was getting late, and Jake was becoming continually more concerned and distracted. They’d been shaking down different criminals, drug dealers specifically, but they were getting nowhere fast. They hadn’t been able to find anyone with information regarding where the drug was coming from, but that hadn’t stopped Pam from performing some rather intense interrogations. Honestly, he was a little surprised to see how similar her techniques were to Beth’s, but then again Beth had often remarked that Pam found her work both fascinating and endearing.

He couldn't stop thinking about the photos that Zoey had given them. Between that, the drug itself, and the fact that it seemed to be coming from this part of town, he had a feeling that BFB was somehow connected to Ashley. He hadn't voiced it yet, partly because he didn't want to alarm Pam and partly because he hoped he was wrong. If he was right, however, then Beth might have gotten herself in over her head. The biggest question he had about it was why? Why would Ashley resort to drugs? The way she had talked made it sound like she was operating in as legal a fashion as a vampiress could. He needed to be sure of this before he mentioned anything to Pam, getting her riled up without proof was the last thing he needed right now.

"Jake, are you listening to me?" he heard her ask.

He shook his head and realized he'd been spacing out, "Sorry, just trying to piece together a few things. What were you saying?"

She sighed and repeated herself, "I asked you how we should proceed. We've been out half the night and haven't accomplished anything! All we know is that Beth was in this part of town last, and even that isn't confirmed. She could be anywhere and who knows what she's going through!"

"We'll find her, Pam, I promise," he said, trying to reassure her.

"She needs me," Pam said softly, "Something is blocking the communication with her runestone, but I get faint and fleeting feelings from her. I know she's alive, but she's scared and she's wishing I was with her."

Jake was still surprised to see Pam get so emotional. He knew that she shared a special connection with Beth, but seeing it from her was still something new. He put a hand on her shoulder and tried to comfort her, "What you said is key, she's alive. Wherever she is, she's still breathing and that's something. I'm not going to stop until we find her, and I know that together we can do just that. Be patient, Beth might be scared but she's still Beth. I don't know many people as tough as her, and I think you'll agree."

Pam nodded and took a deep breath to collect herself, "You're right. Thank you, Jake, I can see why she's so fond of you. You're a good friend."

"Don't mention it, I-" he started and stopped as five shadows passed over their heads, "What was that?"

Pam frowned as she replied, "I'm not sure, but I'm sensing some mixed emotions from them. Hate, lust, doubt, and...despair?"

"I don't like it," Jake said as he wrapped an arm around her and pulled out his grappling gun.

“What do you think you’re doing?!” Pam demanded.

“We’re going after them,” Jake said as he fired his gun and lifted them both up into the night sky, “If someone is going across the rooftops and Beth is missing, then we might have a lead.”

The two landed on the rooftop and Pam pushed him away, “Warn a girl before latching onto them!” she said.

“Hey we travelled your way last time, and I doubt you can lock onto them that quickly,” he said as he scanned the rooftop for the group, “Come on, we need to move.”

Pam blinked as he rushed off before chasing after and called out, “You don’t have to be a jackass about it!”

Jake rolled his eyes, but laughed as he chased after the shadowy group. Whoever they were, they were moving incredibly fast. He heard Pam’s footfalls behind him as she trailed behind him. If he hadn’t spent years chasing after super powered and smelly villains keeping track of this group would have been impossible. The five of them leapt from the edge of the rooftop to the next in a way that would have made gymnasts jealous. Whoever this group was, they were talented.

He rolled when he hit the other rooftop, and he turned around to make sure Pam wasn’t struggling to make the jump. He wasn’t surprised when she merely glided across the gap and came to rest beside him. He turned back just in time to see the group rushing for the edge facing the street. He took off in a hurry and produced a tracer from his utility belt. He launched it with a flick of his wrist and he managed to get it to stick to the back of one of the shadowy figures. He skidded to a stop as one by one they leapt from the ledge and down to the streets below. He balked and rushed over to see if they actually managed to land safely. Sure enough, the five were fine and moved without missing a step.

“Why did you stop?!” Pam’s voice called out as she came to a stop beside him.

“If we continue to pursue them, we run the risk of them catching onto us,” he said as he grabbed a small device from his belt, “Lucky for us, I managed to get a tracker on one of them. I don’t know who these people are, but I don't know many people that can move that fast or survive a drop like that.”

“Jake,” Pam began as she peered over the ledge, “I think Beth was with them…”

“What?” Jake asked as he turned to face her, “Are you sure?”

“That feeling of despair was coupled with fear and hopelessness,” she said, “Those feelings I’ve been getting from her runestone have been identical, and I could have swore that I saw a flash of pink from the one in the rear. Say what you will, maybe I’m being hopeful or maybe I’m desperate, but my heart says that she was with them.”

Jake furrowed his brow and looked at the small screen, “If you’re right then we need to move.”

Beth brought up the rear of the group as they dove down to the streets below. She half expected to feel a shooting pain in her leg when they jumped from the ledge of a three story building and into the streets, but amazingly she felt nothing. If it weren’t for being unable to set foot in daylight and having to feed on other people, being a vampire might not have been so bad. She was faster and stronger than she had ever been as a mere mortal. She still wasn’t sure where they were heading, but the others seemed to have a clear goal in mind. She could have swore she felt someone tailing them on the rooftops, but she never bothered to check. Honestly, she was a little worried that if she did she would lose her squad. Loathe as she was to admit it, she needed to stay with them if she was going to survive.

They ducked into an alleyway without slowing down. Her coat billowed in the wind as they all but flew through the darkness and into the opposing street. She was briefly reminded of the time she, Pam, and Jake had spent in Citiville escaping Goth’s castle. This made her think of Sally and Sam, and she wondered what her aunt and Jake’s sister were up to. She hoped that they wouldn’t eventually become targets for her or Ashley, she had finally started to establish a connection with her aunt and didn’t want to risk losing it. She also wasn’t sure how Jake would react if she turned his sister into a vampire or worse, cattle. She pushed the thoughts aside as her group started to slow to a stop.

Evelyn held up a fist and everyone came to a halt, “Twelve o’clock,” she said and looked back to Beth, “Hope you’re ready to eat, those are drug addicts and according to Ashley, they’re all that we’re allowed to target unless directed otherwise. Ah, looks like we might be in luck! That white haired bitch isn’t far from them either!”

Beth felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see Margot giving her a reassuring look, “The first time is always difficult, we are only removing the filth from our home. Relax and don’t hesitate when the time comes and you will be fine.”

Beth swallowed as her hunger hit her again. It had to have been base urges of her new gene taking over, because the notion of feeding on someone had her mind feeling foggy. She shook the feelings off and nodded, “Right, don’t worry I can do this.”

“That’s the spirit!” Lacy said, sounding slightly bubbly.

“Save your praise for when she actually does it,” Evelyn chided and gave Beth a look, “For what it’s worth, I hope you can do this. Don’t mistake me, I still don’t like you or understand what Ashley see’s in you, but you’re one of us now and seeing someone slip into a feral state is always difficult.”

“Uhm, thanks I think,” Beth said, she was surprised to hear any sort of concern from the woman.

“Enough talk, let’s move out,” Evelyn said.

Jake and Pam were following the signal from the tracker he had planted. They kept to the rooftops to avoid being detected. They had stopped to perch atop a ledge when the signal stopped suddenly. For a minute, Jake wondered if they had found the tracker and removed it, but then the signal started moving once again. He and Pam watched as the signal took off once again and a group of shadows bolted out of the darkness. There was a couple, who looked to be strung out and staggering down the street that the group rushed. Jake saw a faint glimmer of and heard a faint hiss as they approached.

“Shit!” he yelled as he fired his grappling gun and swung down before calling out to Pam, “Move, now!”

With his free hand he produced a smoke pellet and hurled it in front of the couple. It exploded into a plume of smoke that startled them and their would be attackers. He dropped into the cloud of smoke and started looking for a heat signature. His fears were confirmed when his goggles failed to detect anything other than the couple and a woman a little ways down the road.

“Who dares interfere with us?!” a woman’s voice demanded.

Jake didn’t respond and instead chose to take a defensive stance. If he couldn’t see his opponents, he would have to rely on his other senses. He steeled his mind with a resolve to save his friend and protect these people; he hoped that it would be enough to keep his mind from slipping into an unfocused state. There was a rush of air as someone advanced on him to attack. He sidestepped at the last second and felt the wind brush past him. He leapt into a spinning kick and felt his boot connect with his attacker’s back. He heard the sound of their feet staggering forward, but he never heard their body hit the ground. Whoever they were, they were tougher than the average human.

The sound of another person moving in to attack him caught his attention, and he raised his arms just in time to catch a strong and slender arm that had been aimed at his throat. He jerked his arm down and felt their body get forced downward with the momentum before he brought his knee up to collide with their jaw. He released their arm and let the force from his attack knock them back. There was a groan followed by a growl as the woman was knocked backwards. He readied himself for the next attack, but a surge of cold wind caught him and seemingly everyone else off guard. The smoke that had been surrounding them was cast aside and he saw Pam standing across the street looking madder than he could ever remember seeing her.

His eyes locked on a familiar face and both their jaws dropped for a second. Behind a raven haired young woman, a middle aged woman, and a young man was Beth. Now he knew why Pam looked angry and everyone turned to her as her voice filled the streets, “You have something that belongs to me! I want her back and if you stand in my way then I will end your miserable existence!”

The raven haired woman reeled on her and spoke in a hateful tone, “You are little more than prey, I don’t take demands from my food!”

Beth swallowed and tried to warn Evelyn, “I wouldn’t talk to her like that if I were you.”

“Silence,” Evelyn reprimanded, “Stay back and out of my way!”

Pam’s eyes ticked as she raised her hand and another cold wind blew past everyone. Ethereal chains cracked the concrete below and started to snake their way around her, “Do not speak to her like that! She is mine!”

Evelyn rolled to the side as one of those ghostly chains rushed past where her heart had just been. She looked over to Beth with wide eyes and asked, “That’s your girlfriend?!”

Beth nodded and stepped back, “Yeah, she’s a little possessive.”

“Clearly!” Evelyn remarked before sighing, “Ugh, dammit! I can’t kill her then, but that doesn’t mean I can’t hurt her.”

“No, don’t!” Beth yelled.

“Quiet girl,” Evelyn replied, “It’s either fight and knock her out or she’ll kill us. Magic isn’t something that we have resistance to. She’ll be fine once we turn her.”

Jake seized the opening and launched himself at the raven haired girl’s back. His boot slammed into her back and sent her rolling forward, “Don’t leave yourself open!” he said, “You’ve got more than one opponent.”

Evelyn snarled and barked out to her fellow vampires, “Goddamnit! Take this one out, but for the sake of your own skins don’t kill him! That’s our lady’s prize there.”

Jake frowned and glared as he heard the woman speak. That confirmed it, Ashley was behind this and had taken Beth. God he hoped that Pam wouldn’t do anything too rash. He turned just in time to dodge an incoming fist from the young man. He locked eyes with the man who reset himself into a fighting pose. His stance was almost flawless, this one was going to be trouble. He looked around to realize that he was slowly getting surrounded by the other two women, but one of them was quickly yanked off of her feet by one of Pam’s spectral chains. He winced as he heard her cry out and her body drag across the pavement. He made a note to ask Pam about just what those chains were and what all she could do with them later.

He was left to fight against the young middle eastern man and the older blonde woman. He doubted that the raven haired woman or the other one would get a chance to attack him with Pam being in the mood that she was in. He kept one hand near his utility belt to retrieve either his staff or some birdarangs. The two attacked in a coordinated and simultaneous assault with one going in high and the other going low. He launched himself into a backwards handspring just in time to avoid the sweep of his legs and for his boots to slam into the jaw of the young man. He landed in a crouch and flung a couple of birdarangs at the two in hopes of breaking through their guard. To his surprise, the woman easily dodged while the man batted them away with ease.

He frowned and produced his staff. This was going to take some finesse if he was going to take these two out. Whoever they were, they clearly had more skill than he originally anticipated. He kept it retracted and behind his back, he widened his stance in preparation for their next attack. As he anticipated, they once again rushed him together, but this time they were both aiming for his upper body. He batted their arms away with both hands and managed to rap the woman’s knuckles with the steel of his staff. She faltered for a second and he spun around her to deliver a powerful blow to the back of her head that sent her to one knee. He extended his staff and drove the base into the ground to use it to propel himself upward and out of the way of another attack. He spun himself around with expert balance and managed to avoid another set of slashes from the man’s claws.

He landed on the ground and slid his foot behind him to spin the staff in a vertical arc that was aimed at his attacker’s head. The blow was blocked, but he shifted the momentum and spun the staff in the opposite direction. The man clearly wasn’t expecting it and took a nasty shot to his jaw that knocked him into the air. Jake sidestepped once again and spun his staff to bring it smashing into the man’s ribs. There was a loud grunt followed by a thud as his body was knocked into the pavement. He heard the sound of the woman’s hand slicing through the air just in time to spin once more and slam his staff into the back of her knees. She grunted as she was forced down once again.

He swung his staff at her back, but to his surprise her hand latched onto it and held it in place. He tried to pull it back, but her grip was like steel. She slowly got to her feet and turned to face him with a snarl before pulling him forward. She was stronger than she looked and he let her pull him towards her. At the last second, just before she was about to slash at his chest, he let go of his staff and dove into a slide. It was enough to surprise her, and when he suddenly shot into an uppercut she was sent flying upwards. He snatched his staff back and yanked it down to send her rocketing back to the ground. He planted his staff on her throat and shot her a look of warning.

He heard something coming for him just in time to jump back. The body of a young woman was slammed down onto the woman he had just managed to best. There was a burning chain that had been rammed through her chest and without warning she was lifted up and thrown back to the ground. She let out a gurgling sound just before her body started to dissolve into ash. He turned to Pam and yelled, “Pam don’t kill them!”

“They took my beloved from me!” she roared as she moved her arms as though she were conducting an orchestra, “They will all suffer for taking her from me! This is war, Jake, mercy has no place in times like these.”

He was about to reply when he felt a stabbing pain in his leg. He looked down to see the man’s fingers piercing his thigh. He growled and brought his staff down on the back of his neck. The blow was enough to knock him away and free his leg, but the damage was already done. He wasn’t immobilized, but he wouldn’t be much good if this fight continued for very long. He took as good a defensive stance as he could, but he wasn’t confident in his ability to fight with an injured leg. As the man was rushing him, another chain burst from the front of his chest. He watched as the man’s face contorted into one of pain and agony while he looked down to see what had happened. Without warning, the chain ignited into flames and ripped itself upwards to slice him from his chest to the top of his head. It was a disgusting sight to see as his body fell backwards before disintegrating into dust.

Pam had seen Jake’s attacker coming before he did, but she wasn’t fast enough to stop him. She ended his life with a simple flick of her wrist and felt her concentration becoming torn between her girlfriend and her friend. These creatures weren’t human, not anymore at least, and they had done something to Beth. She had the feeling that Jake knew more than he was letting on, but she would question him later. Her attention was brought back to the raven haired woman who had disrespected her pet. The girl was a talented fighter and had managed to dodge the majority of her attacks, but Pam was making sure to keep her at a distance. Every time that the girl tried to advance, she forced her back with a flurry of attacks. It was becoming easier now that their numbers had been cut in half.

Evelyn turned back to Margot and yelled, “Get her out of here, now!”

Beth had been watching everything unfold, unable to bring herself to intervene. She was more confused than ever now as she watched her friend and lover fight against the group who had just started to show her some kindness. A set of hands on her shoulders brought her out of her stupor, “Come on, we need to get you back to Ashley,” Margot said, “It’s too late for them, and your girlfriend isn’t letting up anytime soon.”

“I-I can’t leave her, not again,” Beth argued.

“You odn’t have a choice right now!” Margot replied, “Even if Evelyn somehow manages to get the upper hand, she won’t kill her. Our lady has forbidden us from killing either of them, you’ll see her again, young one, I promise.”

Beth looked back at Pam and Jake before turning back to Margot and nodding, “I’m trusting you,” she said as the woman took her hand and bolted into the darkness.

Pam saw Beth running away with the blonde and turned her attention to them. She wasn’t going to let them get away, she wouldn’t lose her again. She was stopped, however, when she felt a stinging pain in her midsection. The second she had taken her attention off of the raven haired girl, she had managed to get close enough to attack her. They locked eyes and glared at one another, “You’re fighting me,” the woman said, “Your little pet can wait.”

Pam roared as another surge of power and rage blew out of her. The chains that had been fluttering about rushed to her and lifted her up into the air. “You want to die that badly?!” she demanded, “I’ll make sure that your death is nowhere near as quick as your comrades!”

Evelyn winced as she watched the blonde woman rise up into the air. How powerful was this witch?! She knew she couldn’t win against her, but all she needed to do was keep her occupied long enough for Margot to get Beth to safety. Ashley wouldn’t be happy and without her there to explain what happened, the pinkette was sure to earn her wrath. It was a pity, the girl had finally started to show some promise and now she would almost surely starve. She prepared herself to fight against whatever type of magical onslaught the woman was going to throw at her. She was instantly put on the defensive as those chains that surrounded her started diving for her. She noticed that none of them were aimed at her heart, however, and she grimaced. This woman wasn’t bluffing, whatever she was going to do was going to hurt worse than anything she had ever felt.

Pam felt the energy from her spectral weapons connect with her body and moved them as an extension of herself. This girl was fast, that much was for sure, but she seemed to think that her chains were her only means of attacking. She would toy with her for a bit, she needed to work out some frustration anyways. She was surprised when the girl took hold of one of the chains, no normal mortal should have been able to do that! The girl was naive, though, and foolishly tried to pull on it to knock her off balance. It did nothing and only served to give Pam an opening to attack. She launched three chains at her limbs, but they missed at the last second when the girl abandoned her plan and dodged.

“Goddamnit!” Evelyn yelled, “Who the hell are you?!”

“Your death,” Pam replied coldly.

Jake watched as Pam literally toyed with her prey. He’d never seen her fight like this. He knew that she had been training with Dilatrix, but he had no idea that she had learned this level of magic. As she stood now, she might have been able to give Goth a run for her money years ago. He was glad that she was on their side. He looked off in the direction that Beth had ran with the blonde woman. Something was wrong here, but he couldn’t figure it out. The way that the one girl had spoken to Beth made it seem like she was less than them, but then the same girl had ordered the other woman to get her away. Part of him wanted to stop Pam from killing this last one, but he knew it wouldn't do much good. She was more like Beth than he realized, both girls were ruthless when it came to their mates.

He saw a patch of concrete rise up and encase the girl’s foot after she dodged another attack. She was caught, Pam must have had enough of her running. He wasn’t going to let her torture the girl, though, there was something more going on and he had a feeling that the girl wasn’t quite as guilty as Pam believed. He reached into his utility belt and produced one of his blessed birdarangs. He hoped that these things would work on a vampire. He hadn’t been able to field test them yet, but it seemed like as good a time as any. Pam’s chains ran through her arms and legs as the girl cried out. Jake chose this moment to throw the weapon and when it embedded itself in her back her head fell back. There was a bright flash of light and he swore that he saw her look at him and mouth a thank you right before her body turned to ash.

“Why did you do that?!” Pam demanded as she marched through her remains and up to him, “She took Beth from me, from us! She deserved a slow and painful death.”

Jake shook his head and finally let his exhaustion and pain take him to the ground. He sighed as he relaxed, “She wasn’t the one who took Beth,” he said, “I know who did and we’re going to see her, but first think you can patch me up?”

Pam kept her glare up, but leaned down to start healing him. Her hands emitted a warm white glow as she brought them over his leg, “Tell me everything, now.”

Jake exhaled as he felt the warmth spread through his leg. He looked up to Pam and asked, “How much do you know about vampires?”

Beth had finally managed to fall in step with Margot as they rushed back to Ashley’s club. She hated herself for freezing up like she had. She should have done something, maybe she could have talked to Pam or maybe she could have joined in the fight. They entered through the back doors of the club and Margot practically drug her up to Ashley’s office. The redhead had been looking through some papers when they barged in. She felt the vampiress’ eyes on both of them and she could practically sense her anger and confusion, “Margot, where are the others?”

Margot shook her head as she answered, “Gone, we were ambushed by this one’s girlfriend and your beloved.”

“I see,” Ashley said as she rose from her chair and stepped around her desk, “Tell me what happened.”

Beth stood to the side and listened as Margot explained everything. The entire time, Ashley’s face never changed. She looked impassive and seemed to be taking everything in with genuine interest. When Margot finally finished she watched as the vampire queen turned around and sighed. She wasn’t expecting it when Ashley spun around without warning and drove her hand into Margot’s chest. Beth’s eyes went wide as she watched Ashley rip her heart out and squeeze it. The organ burst and Margot’s body fell to the ground in a heap of ash and dust. She stared down at what used to be the blonde woman, but felt herself get thrown backwards and slam into the wall.

“What the hell?!” Beth asked, “She was one of your own! She did what she was told, why did you kill her?!”

“I will not tolerate failure on such a grand scale,” Ashley replied coldly as she leaned down to her, “Why didn’t you help them?”

“I-I am not going to fight the woman I love and my best friend!” Beth yelled back.

Ashley glared down at her and stood straight up, “I have been tolerant of your behavior and attitude up to this point. That stops now, you will serve your purpose. This was your one chance to prove yourself to me and my cause, but you have failed it miserably. It won’t be long now, another few hours and you will be starved to the point of desperation. Don’t worry, though, I won’t kill you. No, your friends will do that or you’ll bring them to me.”

“No!” Beth yelled, “I won’t do that!”

Ashleyl’s eyes took on a frightening red glow as she stared down at Beth, “You will because the only way you’ll feed and regain yourself will be to feed on one of them!” she yelled before turning to two men who had stood by the door, “Take her back to her room, I can’t look at her right now.”

Ashley watched as Beth was drug out of her office and back to her chambers. She walked over to her window and sighed, “Desperate times call for desperate measures,” she said to herself, “Forgive me, Jake, this is for your own good. I’ll save you and once your mine I’ll save your friends too.”