Chapter Text
For many residents of the cursed apple, magic only made their lives more frightening. Magic had the power to change lives in terrifying new ways, mixing arcane threats in with the everyday dangers of the city. For a select few however, magic became a tool to gain power. After all, who has the guts to stand up to the thing that goes bump in the night? Few people were blessed with the opportunity, however, and even fewer had the strength of will to pursue it.
Mina Ha was one of those few.
As dark, thundering clouds rolled across the city, Mina Ha felt a similar dark cloud hanging over her thoughts. The ritual was upon her, and as always, her future hung in the balance. The team needed to complete the ritual, summon the patron, and receive their power. Power that Mina eventually intended to use to take up her rightful role as Viscount of New York. That was the goal, at least. If she couldn't manage to drag her compatriots to success, the vampire would be driven back into hiding, biding time until her next opportunity arose.
The cycle was becoming exhausting, and increasingly monotonous. Mina had failed to consider how repetitive life would become after gaining immortality, and that repetition was turning out to be the true curse. Until she could confidently take her throne, she was forced into this endless cycle of battles separated by endless stretches of waiting. She desperately wanted something exciting to happen, but didn't know what.
When she had learned of the patron’s favors, she figured it would be easy. Win a battle and become the viscount. She hadn’t considered how long it might actually take. The reality was, Mina had fought countless times on her patron’s behalf without a single indication of true reward. Each completed ritual contributed to the patron’s favor towards her, and yet she still had no idea of how much longer it would take. Once they did finally find her service satisfactory, her wish would be granted. Despite her impressive performance, it seemed she hadn’t managed to make any sort of impact worthy of their recognition. The victories barely felt meaningful, just another drop in the unknowable bucket.
These thoughts boiled behind Mina’s furrowed brow as she sat perched inside the Archmother’s hideout, staring down on her coworkers with contempt.
They couldn't comprehend how important this endeavor was to her, and would inevitably display their mortal fallibility in the worst moments possible. Mina would swoop in, as she always did, and lead them back down the path to victory. So it continued, ad infinitum, her own sisyphean prison.
An crisp voice broke into Mina's brooding, drawing her back to the world of the living.
“While I generally despise interacting with you, Miss Ha, I've recently discovered a piece of information that you may like to know.”
A set of red doors with gold filigree had appeared and opened in the wall next to Mina, revealing the source of the voice. A redheaded man in a bellhop’s uniform stood in the doorway, hands clasped behind his back. She addressed the figure without raising her head.
“Despite the unfortunate fact that I am your lane partner, I can't say I particularly enjoy your presence either, so speak or leave, Bellboy”
“I'm choosing to forgive your childish nickname for the sake of teamwork. Another vote was held in the halls of the Hidden King this morning, they've inducted a new member for tonight's ritual.”
If Mina Ha still had a pulse, it would have spiked. Things around the city had been changing more drastically over the past few weeks, and the patrons were in the process of bringing new members into their ranks to compensate. Mina had heard the mumblings about these newcomers, but hadn't crossed paths with any of them yet. Tonight, it seemed, that was going to change. Tonight, there was fresh meat on the streets of the Cursed Apple.
···
Celeste was pacing. She was not accustomed to being nervous. The molten magic in her veins usually seemed to draw her into the spotlight. Lenny had always said “the horn shows you where it shines brightest” and for Celeste, the answer was always under the stage lights. It seemed, however, that beneath the angry arcane clouds of a dangerous New York City, Celeste’s confidence wavered. The knot in her gut tightened.
“Oh come on now Cel, give it a break, you’re worryin’ yourself sick. You’ll do great, we got this.”
She didn’t understand how Infernus could be so relaxed, tipped back in the metal folding chair like that, hat over his eyes.
“These Rituals ain't nearly as spooky as they seem, we play by the book and things will work out just fine.”
Another voice chimed in from across the room
“He’s right, for once,” the burly woman lounging on the couch spoke with an easy, uncaring cadence, “Don’t get me wrong, I want the patron’s favor just as much as the next Gal,” Celeste could have sworn she saw a sinister glint in McGinnis eyes as she spoke, “But these shindigs are far from the end of the world. You bust some heads, spend some money, and go home when it’s all done. Really, winning just means we order pizza to jezebels before going home. The patrons are the only ones actually keeping score”
At this point a third voice interjected, a thick jersey accent coming from the lithe scaled woman leaned against McGinnis on the couch. “And by We, She means ole’ Furny over there, the softie never asks us to pay.”
“I keep telling you Vyper, everyone else pitches in. Between the pizzas and the beers you owe me like a hundred and seventy-five bucks at this point, and I intend to collect,”
He turned back to Celeste.
“Speaking of pizza and beer, you should join us tonight Celeste, we’d be more than happy to have you there.”
“I mean sure I’d love to, but didn’t she say you only get pizza after success? How do you know we’re gonna-”
“You get a sense for it, Cell, I can just tell. We’re winning this one.”
McGinnis stood and joined the dazzling woman at the window.
“I’m with Infernus here, we’re gonna be just fine. Now let's get going. By the way, Celeste, before I forget,” she added, “If you see the Mighty Mina Ha out there, the pale bitch with the umbrella, tell her the Fairfax family sends their condolences.”
Through the glass, Celeste watched as the swirling grey clouds crackled and shifted.
···
Bats were never particularly suited for rainy weather, and bratty spoiled fashion designers didn't tend to fare much better. So naturally, the loathing Mina felt for the weather was strong. Her bats’ fur and her outfit were soaked, and her makeup was running. Her parasol was also not intended for rain, long ago having become a sodden wretch of its former self.
The gloom had stamped out Mina's hope of a simple victory, and her coworkers certainly weren't helping with that fate. Her and the Bellboy were pushing their troops down Broadway, struggling to find any advantages over Vyper and Billy, both of whom were running circles around them in the rain. They made frustratingly good use of cover, darting here and there from cover to cover, pressuring the others with damage and spells. Across the other lanes, her team also struggled. Greenwich was woefully underprepared, and whoever the newbie on York with McGinnis was, they were good. Occasionally, more often than she’d like to admit, Mina found herself distracted, trying to catch a glimpse of the stranger in lightning strikes and slivers of moonlight. Only once did she manage to really spot them, silhouetted against the dark clouds by a harsh purple arcane bolt. They seemed to be average height, slender, and moved through the air with a flowing grace. Sheets of rain and distance obscured the details, but Mina noticed something odd, a glowing point of light just above the figure's head that would occasionally grow in size and intensity until it cut through the weather like a lighthouse, before launching far into the distance. Every ounce of her wanted more information about this enigma.
Maybe this was why, upon noticing a glowing crystal appear in her periphery, Mina dashed directly towards the Baroness hotel and the Chelsea Market Bridge. Fighting the wind and rain, she ricocheted off the wall of the hotel, carrying her momentum forward onto the launch vent. The soaring vampire rapidly became aware of a form. A slender, radiant figure with a glowing horn who also happened to be airborne, speeding directly at the same bridge she was from the other direction.
The Newbie was a hyperfeminine tattooed acrobat in a custom carnival barker’s getup, with a leather jacket and combat boots. Despite the flashiness of it all, none of these features were her most striking, that honor going to her trailing (now rain soaked) iridescent hair, sparkling makeup, and the foot-and-a-half long glimmering horn protruding from her forehead.
In a moment, both women found their footing on the rainslicked bridge, the patron’s aid floating between them. Mina Lunged. She swung her parasol at the dazzling tattooed performer, but a shining geometric barrier unfolded to catch the attack. The whiffed swing left Mina off kilter for a moment, and that moment was all her enemy needed to shatter the gem. with a single swing of her horn, the performer took her prize. Her shield was starting to fade, she needed to leave.
The vampire’s red-eyed glare cut through the sheets of rain to find her prey. This girl had just embarrassed her, the soon-to-be Viscount of New York. This fresh meat could not be allowed to best The Mina Ha. Her prey dove off the bride towards the cobblestones below, Mina following close behind. The sharp snap of small caliber ammunition rang out, three shots, each finding its target. The fourth shot rang out, and Mina breathed deeply, sanguine senses latching onto the fresh blood in the air. Coppery, and odly…pepperminty. No time to dwell, prey was fleeing.
Two pairs of boots hit the wet cobblestones, sending their respective owners bolting. Celeste saw a set of stairs, an opening to a teleporter. Two rain-slicked bodies skidded down the slope. She lunged, now pursued by a screeching line of bats. Suddenly, a gloved hand grasped her jacket by the collar. Caught. Celeste’s gaze flicked up to meet her opponent’s.
The Inimitable Mina Ha stared upon her latest mark, savoring its gasping terror. Nothing made her feel stronger than fear, magic, and blood. She closed the distance between them, both panting from exhaustion and staring daggers into the other.
“You think I'd let that happen?” The voice carried a thrumming undercurrent of venom, “who are you, and why are you dressed like a clown?”
Even as she spoke, Mina faltered. Something was off. Her prey’s expression had shifted minutely. The flash of real terror was gone, now her face merely played at fear.
Her voice carried none of the human linguistic indicators of true fear as she spoke.
“Well, if you’d like, you can call me Celeste, and believe it or not I actually like how clowns look!”
This was deeply unusual for Mina. Her opponent made no clear indication of her next move, responding to her threats with a quip. The terror was gone now, replaced with a wide, mischievous grin.
“Oh and, before I forget, Mina, “ two manicured hands grasped the vampire by her own lapels,
“The Fairfax Family sends their condolences.”
The phrase hit the vampire like a falling grand piano. The despicable infected roots of the Fairfax family tree had destroyed every part of Mina's life, leaving her distraught and incensed. Those feelings had driven her to accept the transformation. Everything that Mina Ha had done since then was to spite the cowardly Fairfax legacy. But the question that really mattered; how did this insolent freak know about any of that?
Unfortunately, she was not given time to ponder that mystery, as the Acrobat’s boots came rocketing towards Mina's sternum. The impact knocked her off balance, and before she had time to think, let alone breathe or stand, the teleporter’s yellow light had engulfed her prey.
Mina now sat alone in the cold, stone chamber, choking to recover her breath. Embarrassed and defeated in her sodden dress, Mina Ha suddenly minded a lot less that the rain had already streaked her makeup.
Celeste’s heart was pounding through her ribcage as she re-formed into existence across the city. She was giddy, in total disbelief that her little escape tactic had played off. This was so much fun, she had no clue what she had been worried about earlier. Maybe Infernus and McGinnis The unicorn cartwheeled, approaching the glowing portable shop. A rune-carved crystal in Celeste’s earring chirped to life, transmitting McGinnis’ voice.
“Saw you snag that bridge buff out from under the Wicked Bitch’s nose, didn’t see what happened after, you okay?”
“Yeah, I'm good, I'm good. Just managed to teleport away. I'm all the way on Greenwich now though, which is kinda inconvenient.”
“That is pretty unfortunate, seeing as we need your ass back in the fight, like, NOW. While you were playing keep-away with Her Majesty, our lane was getting pushed. You played hero, now come back and do your job.”
“Sounds good McGinnis, just gotta spend some souls real quick.”
20 minutes later, Celeste slid into the grimy pit below the Broadway lane. It had been a grueling fight since her daring escape, but the call had come in, they had the advantage and wanted to take out the Beast. By the time she got there, her team was already hard at work, throwing everything they could at the misshapen Cyclops. She joined them immediately, tossing darts of flame at the thing and raining storms of shining daggers on its head. In the back of her mind, some part of Celeste replayed her encounter with the vampire.
Her piercing gaze, her grip on Celeste’s jacket. Her breath mixed with Celeste's. Her cold body pressed against Celeste’s.
Only the dying screech of the monster snapped the unicorn’s attention back to her surroundings. The shining crystalline blessing descended from the ceiling above. From across the room, Vyper called out.
“Look sharp freaks, we got company!”
At that moment, all hell broke loose.
The gunfire became almost immediately unbearable, echoing around the brick cavern. Celeste helped the team claim their prize before it was too late. Flashes of light, both gunpowder and arcane, filled the space. Celeste’s shield materialized around herself almost instinctually. Another sound grabbed Celeste’s attention, this time a sharp, harsh whistle. McGinnis was beckoning to her.
The large woman swung her weapon around with ease, peppering the assailants with shots and dropping deployables around herself. She yelled to Celeste over the noise.
“Don't lose your cool now, kid. It gets fuckin scary from here but we'll be okay, we have this fight. Do your job, and when I run for the door, book it after me, okay?”
The smaller woman nodded, gritting her teeth and bracing against the chaos. She fell back into the rhythm. Pressure them with damage, deny their space with daggers, and stay moving. The tide was changing, The enemy team was starting to crumble, McGinnis was Right!
With almost no warning, and in an indescribably unpleasant way, Celeste was ripped from her proper place in space and time. In less time than it took to blink, the mystical creature became horribly and painfully aware of every single molecule in her organic mortal form, as each one was instantly wrapped around a singular infinitesimal point in space. That point just so happened to be the core of the spherical android floating in the center of the room. The next most obvious torture to present itself was the choking. The air in the room had disappeared into the anomaly, including the air previously filling the lungs of nearby organic beings, including Celeste. She watched in panicked agony as the rest of her team scattered. McGinnis sprinted up the stairs out of the pit, followed by a sinister-looking ginger in a red, black, and gold uniform. Vyper slithered away unnoticed, and the rest dashed for the nearest escape
The pain was unbearable now, Celeste didn’t know what could possibly be next. She couldn't fathom returning from this suffering. Then, as suddenly as it all began, it stopped. Celeste was confused, the world around her had gone silent and translucent. The pain that had consumed her moments before was simply…missing. She floated, unsure of her own “what”, “when”, or “why”.
A moment passed, and Celeste was in her body again. Somehow she was alive, and unharmed. She needed to escape. She kicked off into a mad dash for a door, any door. The metal monster behind her that had just rearranged her molecular structure called out as she ran.
“Sorry lady, no hard feelings. It’s just a part of the job”
The grimy tile catacombs of the city's subway system seemed like a location antithetical to a majestic unicorn. Despite that, Celeste had found herself there after a bad teamfight went south. Her team had been fighting through the rain since grabbing their regenerative advantage, taking objectives around their brawls with the enemies. A few bad calls and rain-cloaked urn runs had left both teams fighting with equal force and fury.
That is, with one exception: The pale woman cloaked in the red light of her open umbrella. She had taken the lead of her team to mount a comeback, and her performance showed why. Again and again, Vampire bats ripped through the hidden king’s knights with screeching rage.
An angry Mina Ha was nothing to be trifled with.
Turning the corner to face the stairs to open air, Celeste noticed a threat before her. At the top of the stairs, highlighted by the flashing lighting, was the very same Mina Ha, sneering viciously. She was most definitely angry. The dazzling acrobat took a deep breath, subtly reaching into her jacket pocket. This time she was ready.
The voice that spoke was cold and precise.
“I won't be made a fool of again”
Shots rang out. Immediately the bullets began ripping into flesh. Celeste slightly squeezed the crystal rune in her palm. Almost. The fourth shot made contact, and she felt the same sensation as before, her life force being drained. Exactly as planned, she fell to the floor.
The taste of Celeste’s blood in the air was just as exhilarating to Mina the second time around. The harsh metallic bite and cool peppermint blended in her throat, before fading quickly. She craved more, desperately wanting to drink deeply from the source. But she couldn't get distracted, she had a reputation to uphold.
The vampire continued down the stairs, gun still raised.
“We’re gonna have a little talk, you and me. See, I really didn't appreciate that little stunt you pulled earlier. The great name of Mina Ha will not be tarnished by rabble like you. I’m going to make you pay for what you did. If you do manage to survive somehow, you can tell your contact at the Fairfax family that if they wish to deliver me condolences, they can do so themself"
Celeste was a performer, she could tell when bravado was faked. Mina’s was, no matter how much she told herself otherwise. In the back of her mind, Celeste grinned, and played off the energy.
Outwardly, she cowered, shuffling back until she hit a wall.
“Get up”
The boiling rage beneath the words was real, but the authority with which she spoke was a facade.
Still, Celeste scrambled to her feet, terror plastered across her face. She pressed against the wall behind her, hand finding a jagged point.
“I-I-I- I'm sorry, I didn't mean to embarrass you, really,” Celeste shuddered slightly.
Mina moved in further, struggling slightly to keep her composure. The air was thick with the intoxicating smell of this creature’s blood, seeping from her gunshot wounds. Slowly, the woman she had pinned to the wall began to speak.
“I'm really quite sorry for what I did Miss Mina Ha, a-and I think…I might have a way to make it up to you.” The unicorn raised the hand that was previously against the wall. A small bead of silvery pink blood ran down the palm. The vampire’s eyes snapped to the wound. Mina was now salivating with desire. Her cold sanguine heart thrummed hard in her chest, seeing such an immediate source of that beautiful Ichor she'd tasted faintly in the air. She wanted to resist, end the brat’s life now. The scent was growing heavier, minty and sweet. It took significant effort to prevent an audible whimper from escaping her throat. The hand was offered before her, magical blood pooling centimeters from her lips.
How was she expected to resist?
Mina pushed her mouth against the palm and drank.
Unicorn blood was nothing like human blood, and the difference was staggering. It tasted bright and sharp and very sweet, with peppermint cutting through it all. It was strong too. Sure, Mina would occasionally feel sluggish and a bit loopy after a very full day of feeding on humans, but the feeling was pitiful compared to this. She'd barely tasted a few drops and she already felt drunk, tongue pressing greedily against the leaking wound. It tasted incredible, it felt even better. Warm calming heat flooded through her vampyric body, her whole form slouching against the unicorn. Her head was full of a thick pink and blue fog, she couldn’t think, only feeling the intense need for more. If this little felt this good, how would a full artery feel… she shuddered at the idea.
Celeste felt the change. The woman latched to her hand had completely dropped her gun, purse, and umbrella. The vampire’s eyelids drooped and fell shut. She pressed against the bleeding hand with such force and intensity, twitching slightly; It almost looked…she giggled quietly, saving the thought for later.
Mina heard the small giggle through her ecstasy. Her eyes opened just enough to peer up at the source of the noise. That may have been a mistake. The woman literally hand feeding her blood gazed down with an inexplicable expression. An adoring smile, the same expression as if Celeste had just stumbled upon a hungry stray puppy. A deeply unhelpful fire roared to life in the cold empty pit of Mina’s gut. She lapped at the wound, begging, wishing it would bleed faster. Then, with no warning, it withdrew. She tried to follow the hand, earning another giggle.
“Ah yes, the mighty Mina Ha”
Mina didn't recognize the tone in Celeste’s voice, but subconsciously it fed the fire. The hand returned, not to her mouth, but placed just behind the vampire’s head. Ever so gently, the radiant woman guided Mina’s face towards the crook of her tattooed neck. Mina was shivering with desire, fangs extended towards the tender flesh. Then, a muffled crunch sounded from inside a jacket pocket. Just before the fangs could touch Celeste, Her skin hardened over, becoming cold and metallic to the touch. Completely impenetrable by bullets, and by fangs.
This time Mina couldn't help herself, a desperate whining whimper echoed throughout the room.
“Aweee, you poor thing. You didn't really think I'd just give it to ya that easy, didya? Oh no silly, you're gonna have to try much harder than that.”
The patronizing, mocking lilt was almost worse than the denial of blood. If she were any more cognizant, Mina would be incensed at the way this trash was talking to her. But instead she just continued to whimper, laying wet kisses along the metal neck and shoulder.
A faint crackling voice drifted into Mina's perception
“Come in”
“Celeste, come in”
“We got it, your job is done, let's get going”
It was the magically projected voice of Maggie McGinnis. The truth of the situation slowly began to cut through the fog in Mina’s head. By the time the metal skin wore off, it was too late.
“Ssso you…thiss isss all jus… to get me away…from the fight?” The slurred words were barely comprehensible.
“That's right! Just long enough for McGinnis and friends to take down your last walker. And, I might add, a good portion of your team.”
Mina recoiled, shuffling backwards as Celeste began to laugh.
“Now, I do hate to leave you like… this,” her gaze darted across the gasping vampire, “but I'm afraid there's a patron in your headquarters that needs to be seen to, and I’ve got plenty of tricks still left up my sleeve.”
With a wink, Celeste leapt to her feet and cartwheeled towards the doorway. Before disappearing into the rain, she paused for a moment in the doorframe.
“Oh, by the way Batty, you’re real cute when you’re feeding.”
Mina was finally left to gather herself. Her pale bloodless face had taken on an uncharacteristic blush. She gradually, with wobbling steps, rose to her feet. Her head swam. The young woman was reminded of her less elegant phases of life, waking up miserable after a night of drinking. This was not a sensation she missed. Her tongue darted across her lips, cleaning the last drops of iridescence. Even in droplets, the taste was strong. The memories of its full strength lingered. So did the now deeply embarrassing memories of her own actions. She could never face the team after that behavior, let alone…her. Distant sounds of chaos and combat reached Mina’s ears through the pounding rain. She shook the fog from her head, The choice of facing the team was no longer in her hands. They’d hate her even worse if she disappeared now. She would fight.
she had to.
Laughter and chatter filled one small section of the nearly empty bar. Open pizza boxes filled a table, and the six victorious fighters sat at the bar with paper plates and full glasses.
McGinnis’ voice rose above the hum
“You chucklefucks did okay out there today, I must admit. But the real hero, and we all know it, was the newbie. You did great for your first ritual, Celeste, and it was a successful one because of it.” The rest of the team raised their glasses and passed warm congratulations down the bar at Celeste. She grinned back, twirling her hand in a seated bow. McGinnis turned to her and spoke to her directly.
“Now Cell, I gotta know, how’d you hold off the brat while we took their walkers? She’s not the easiest to pin down-”
“Oh I don’t know about that,” Celeste offered lightly, “she put up a fight but I really just kept her busy until you called me. Y’know, the usual, get ‘em angry then let them wear themselves out trying to get you. Seems like she’s more bark than bite to me.”
McGinnis shook her head in disbelief.
“You certainly are something, Celeste,” the burly woman paused for a moment, then reaching into a pocket of her jacket to retrieve a small bandage that she tossed to the Unicorn.
“Wouldn’t want that hand to get infected. Or worse, lose too much blood.”
Maggie McGinnis winked and stood from her stool.
“I’ll see ya’ll later, I’m beat.”
She threw the very intoxicated Vyper over her shoulder on the way out of the bar, eliciting some nonsensical vulgar comments about lash and man-tits.
Celeste wandered home shortly after, having left Infernus money on the bar and thanked her new coworkers for their help. The cold night air filled her lungs. In the unavoidable forefront of the unicorn’s mind, a desperate Mina Ha still whimpered into her neck.
A dim, candlelit tile bathroom was filled with the smells of expensive fragrant soaps and the sounds of calm, slow jazz filtering in from the radio in the bedroom. A half empty bottle of wine sat on a small table within reach of the elegant claw-footed tub steaming in the center of the room. In the bathtub, Mina Ha sat scowling, arms crossed. She was still seething at the results of the ritual, despite her best efforts to relax. This didn’t happen after any other failed rituals; that freak had gotten in her head. Memories played on repeat in her head. The tattoos, the shine and sparkle, the neon glow that surrounded Celeste. The way she soared through the air almost weightlessly, her stupid grin, her gorgeous hair, her soft looking lips, her kind eyes…
Mina took a large swig from the wine bottle. She was embarrassed, annoyed, frustrated, that's all. There had to be some sort of lingering effects of the feeding making her feel strange. She'd been bested by that annoying little brat and it was getting to her. The vampire shifted in the warm water, trying to dismiss the slight hum she felt creeping into her nervous system. An almost unfamiliar itch. Almost…
For all her aloof pretenses, Mina Ha was still a victim of her own desires. Behind the stoic facade, the vampire desperately craved touch. She spent too many nights curled up around a pillow, imagining it was a beautiful woman. Picturing how she might slowly run her fingers through Mina’s hair, whispering how beautiful and perfect she was. The vast gothic canopy bed felt even more vast on those nights.
Other nights, she found herself squirming, her nerves thrumming with a different craving. A gnawing knot in her gut, wishing to be unwound by someone’s skillful touch. Mina would imagine the same woman, setting the vampire down in her lap, hands slowly creeping below clothes. She spoke to Mina, teasing her for being so needy. The whisper, just as quiet as her other dreams, but with a whole new tone. Those fantasies left her just as heartbroken when all was said and done.
Today, Celeste was the first person in months to touch her for longer than a moment. And goddamnit Mina hated how badly she wanted more. That damn blood was mixing with the wine. She couldn’t get her mind to stop. The unicorn was undeniably attractive, and every little thing she did, down to the way she winked, showed that she took pride in her beauty. She moved with such grace. She was strong too, deceptively sturdy for her lithe frame.
Mina's eyebrows furrowed. How did she know how strong Celeste was?
A realization struck Mina for the first time that day. Celeste had held Mina up, keeping her from collapsing to the ground from the moment she started feeding until she found out about the ruse.
Half of Mina's brain chided her for being so careless and pitiful, letting a dangerous enemy that close, letting herself become so vulnerable in battle.
The other half, the one she tried her hardest to ignore, swooned at the knowledge. In the moment where she had the most power over Mina, this gorgeous woman had chosen to hold her steady, keep her close so she wouldn't fall. She was so kind, for no reason. The woman’s voice echoed in the back of her head.
“By the way Batty, You’re real cute when you’re feeding.”
Okay, maybe there was a bit of a reason.
That thought, of all things, finally broke Mina’s resolve. Her hands wandered below the bubble-coated surface of the bath. A very different version of her usual fantasy began playing in her mind as she slowly ran her fingers across her thighs, hips, up to her midriff. Behind closed eyelids, Mina saw Celeste’s sparkling features, gazing down with a mischievous smirk. The unicorn straddled mina, both hands finding their places. One clamped down firmly around the vampire's mouth, a small gash in her palm dripping blood onto the waiting tongue. The other hand slowly unbuttoned Mina’s jacket and began gently caressing her chest.
In the bath, Her own hands, frustratingly small compared to Celeste’s, simulated the touches. She kneaded her breast and pinched the hardening nipple. A muffled whine died behind her palm. She wasn’t used to being this sensitive this fast; every touch made her skin buzz pleasantly, and the hunger for more was staggering. Somewhere buried in the haze of her own need, Mina cursed the traces of unicorn blood still in her system. The thought did nothing to help calm her. Somehow, even unconsciously from across the city, Celeste was making her feel this way. It was unbearably humiliating, a truth which simply added to the desperate need.
The version of Celeste in her head leaned into the spiraling desires. The hand on Mina’s chest shifted to her thighs, closer and closer to the source of her need. The whimpers turned to full on panting whines. Mina could hardly think, her mind turned to mush by the staggering desperation. She couldn’t resist anymore, she needed to cum. Her fingers found her clit and started pressing small steady circles against it. Warm water radiated heat into her ice cold vampyric body, only intensifying the effect of her ministrations. Mina’s whines simmered into shuddering moans, sparks of pleasure climbing her spine. Any semblance of self control had abandoned her. Her noises were barely restrained anymore. Nothing in this moment mattered more to her than chasing her cravings. In the vampire’s head, Celeste’s gloating grin still mocked her. Another memory came surging to the front of her mind. It was the unicorn’s voice from earlier in the day, once again mocking her.
“Aweee, you poor thing”
Her voice sounded like honey, unbearable sweet and thick in Mina's mind.
It only took a couple minutes, She was certain that Celeste's blood was still affecting her. Every touch felt more intense, and she never got this close this fast. It was unbearable now, the hungry tension, clearly moments from snapping. These echoes and visions of Celeste only winding her tighter. She heard the teasing tone yet again
“Ah yes, the Mighty Mina Ha.”
That was all it took. She unraveled completely, shuddering as she rode the waves of pleasure that crashed into her. It had never been like this before, Mina’s orgasms were typically so underwhelming. She had come to see orgasms as more of an endpoint than anything, simply the indicator that she was done. This was different. She felt electric, like her nerves were supercharged with euphoria. A final pitiful cry escaped her throat.
Her imaginary tormentor laughed one last time, basking in the reactions to her sacarine torture. Everything about the dazzling woman was sweet; her blood, her tone, even her cruelty. Mina couldn't deny it anymore.
The vampire had developed a serious sweet tooth.