Youngblood

Erica had been humming to her self all day as she walked the abandoned path. Her work as a bounty hunter was finally looking to pay off.

This was it, the `big one` that she had desired for so long. people had tried to discourage her from monster hunting and she had only been contracted to catch criminals and hunt realm beasts for quite some time, but she finally got the chance for a `real` job!

It wasn't that her job wasn't playing well, it was that it could best be described as boring. Erica had been working at it for so long that she started to desire bigger targets as a change of pace.

She had never been this eager to take a mission, she had almost forgotten to do her normal equipment checks. Before dragging her trusty companion out to the old mansion where her target lived.

She had known Waylon since they were children in the orphanage. Erica had lost her parents and her memories when she was young, and Waylon had helped her at every turn, from being a friend to going into guild work with her. His words on why were "somebody needs to be cautious for you." so how he was acting now was nothing new to her.

"I still say we should have researched more before we did this." Waylon said as they approached the doors, you never know what a monster could have up her sleeve"

Erica wasn't so concerned "What's not to know? Vampires have increased speed and strength, can see through the darkness and have wings to fly, everyone knows that. Plus, it's morning, sunlight drains their powers so this will be an easy fight... don't tell me you're scared?"

"Scared? No! Not at all! I'm just saying that as are first actual `monster hunt` we should make sure everything is accounted for." If it wasn't for his trembling arms, Erica would have believed him.

They had made it in front of the main doors to the mansion when Erica tried to placate her friend. "I know this feels rash, but... I can't help it, when I heard that there was a vampire here keeping a man as a slave, I've got this urge nagging me forward, saying I should do something about this, and if it helps us in our careers, even better right?"

"Right but..." He was cut off.

"Besides, if things go belly up, you've got my back to make a retreat right? Just like always."

Waylon sighed and nodded, there was no going back now without getting ridiculed anyway, still, as Erica pushed the doors open, he couldn't help but worry.

Looking around, the place was decorated, a little less then the nobles they had visited, but still had the odd expensive-looking vase or nicknack around. It was also quiet outside of the footsteps of the two as they explored the lowered floors. After some time, they returned to the main hall; the silence starting to weigh down on them.

"If the kitchen hadn't had fresh goods in it and the rooms being clean, I would have said no one lives here," Waylon said as Erica huffed.

"You'd think that a Vampire would have servants or something, this feels more like a ghost house then a vampire's den." She said annoyed "What if she got wind of us and she decided to ditch the place till we're gone?"

"That can't be it given all the people she's chased off,  It's more likely she's upstairs and the mansion is big enough that we haven't heard her," Waylon suggested. with a nod, the two climbed up the steps to the upper floors. sure enough, the sound of a piano being played could be heard coming from what was assumed to be the master bedroom.

Erica frowned when the music was clear enough to hear out. The music... stirred something in her... something nostalgic, something she couldn't pinpoint, and it was annoying her.

"Erica? what's wrong?" It was only when Waylon called out to her that she had realised she had stopped.

"I don't know... this music, I feel like I've heard it... a long time ago. It's familiar to me... but I..." She broke into a sprint up the stairs and Waylon scrambled to follow her up, losing sight of her as she ran with reckless abandon. When he next saw her, Erica was outside the master bedroom doors. It was like she was in a trance, standing still with her eyes closed, perfectly humming the same tune coming from inside.

As Waylon approached, the music came to a close and so did Erica's humming. Before he could asker her about the humming, a feminine voice called out from behind the doors. "I know you are there. Come in, and let us get this over with."

The callout snapped Erica out of her trance and she stood blinking for a second before noticing Waylon and gathering herself. Silently nodding to each other, the two stepped inside.

The bedroom was as they expected it, decorated with lavish furniture that looked like it was worth a few high-grade bounties, and there was a lavish piano that was just being played, but the real focus was the heavy black-robed and hooded woman staring out the window.

"More hunters here wish to face me, and here I thought I would see the last of...." The vampire appeared to freeze up as faced the two, or more accurately at Erica. Despite the hood, the hunters could see the monster's red eyes narrow in Erica's direction. "You... It cant be..."

Erica could only stare back confused, "I... what?" the vampire didn't respond, simply continuing to stare. trying to get back on track, Erica drew her sword. "We... We are from the guild, tasked to have you removed forcefully if need be!"

"I see... " The vampire left "I assume this is why you wished to challenge me in the middle of the day?" Erica shivered and the small chuckle from the monster didn't help. "Did you really think that I didn't have that covered?" She pulled from her robes what looked like a small black lamp.

"A dark Lantern!?" Erica, knowing exactly what it could do, dashed forward in an attempt to stop her but it but was to late. The room was almost instantly plunged into the pitch black and the vampire now in tune with the darkness dodged the hunters charge with ease.

"Erica! where ar-Gah!" there was a thumping sound that made Erica curse herself for forgetting this job wasn't like the others and cursed again that the darkness of the room left Waylon blind. The fight hadn't even begun and one of them was already removed as a threat. "That won't work on me! I can-"

"See in the dark, correct?" Erica's eyes widened. "I think it's best we had a little talk." Before she could react, Erica felt she was being pulled down before she knew she was in a different room from the master bedroom. Looking around it appeared to be the mansion's study. Erica.

"Now It's just us." The Vampire declared as she emerged from the shadows.

"How did I get here? Where's Waylon?" Erica demanded, her grip on her sword tightened as she tried not to panic about being out of her depth against her enemy.

"Him? I left him behind in that bedroom. Do not worry yourself, we shall deal with him later.

"Later? No! You will not get our blood! I will not become one of you!" In anger, Erica almost jumped the vampire in a rage if it wasn't for the monster laughing like she had heard the best joke of the year.

"Silly girl, I neither need nor want your lover's blood. My beloved is the only one I drink from. As for you, you are different." The vampire said circling the hunter but keeping her distance though her stare was softer than their initial encounter. "I had no idea this would be our reunion after so long, Erica."

Erica almost started sputtering at the notion of Waylon being her lover if it wasn't for a certain word."Reunion?" Erica parroted "We've never met! And how do you know my name?"

The Vampire's response was a sigh before removing her robe. revealing the black dress she wore under it along with her mantle-like wings twitching a little but what made Erica gasp was her face.

~X~

Waylon was glad that the dark lamp's power was either short-lived, but now he had to deal with being locked in the bedroom while the vampire had taken Erica. Fortunately, he wasn't trapped in the room, unfortunately, he didn't know where to begin looking for his friend.

And so he spent a horrible amount of time checking room after room for where they could be, and constantly coming up empty was starting to frustrate him as the isolation made him dwell on his current situation. Maybe he should've been a bit more insistent when it came telling Erica to hold off? Maybe they should have scouted the place out for a day or two before making a move? It was too late for that now.

There was also the fear that Erica could be turned into a vampire and they would feast on him together, or join the slave this one supposedly kept...

After checking what felt like opening too many doors to count, He finally overheard a voice, a voice that definitely sounded like their enemy. "Finally!" he huffed as he unsheathed his sword and prepared to do battle, hopefully, he wasn't too late. Calming himself as best he could, he entered the room to the sight of two Erica's seated like old friends.

What he saw put him through a loop. Two Ericas? No... one was more mature, had her hair done in a braid but the face and hair made the resemblance uncanny like erica had an evil twin.

"Ah, here at last, though to be fair I didn't exactly say where I had gone." The vampire (`evil Erica`) Said amused. "Then again, that meant it wouldn't get to have our talk, right Erica?"

"Right..." was all Erica said as she slowly rose from her seat Waylon's eyes kept flicking between her flushed face his friend and her neck, trying to look for bite marks.

"You know, I must thank you, Waylon," The vampire said as she swirled a glass of wine. "Here I was thinking that you two were just another pair fools wanting to defeat a vampire, and while that may be the truth you have given me so much more, returning her to me," she said as Erica slowly approached.

Waylon wasn't an idiot, he knew exactly what she meant. "But Erica isn't-"

"Correct, after all, when she was conceived, my husband was still human. My beloved daughter Erica is a daywalker."

"Dhampir..." Waylon whispered. His friend was a monster this whole time? He didn't know what to think.

"Don't worry... Waylon, my ... mother... told me things... things that make things clear..." Erica's speech was laboured with heavy breathing as she slowly approached Waylon. her eyes flickering from brown to a deep crimson to match her mother's.

"What's happening to her?" Walon asked as he took a step back.

"Just as dhampirs affect us, vampires, the same happens in reverse, especially for ones who don't fully know their nature. Her vampire side is fully awakening after so long." The vampire explained while Waylon kept backing up.

That was until Waylon was pounced on by his friend and pushed him against the wall, a look on her face he had never seen before. "Your blood... it calls out to me, Waylon... I thought I was weird for wanting it, but now I can't suppress this feeling any more... you'll let me have some, right? You will be there for me just like always?" Erica was starting to nuzzle his neck in a way Waylon admitted to himself was doing... things to him. He gently pushed her head away so he could look her in the eye. the only sound that filled the room was Erica's breathing.

"Erica... I will always be there for you. Just...  let me have one thing before you drink from me." he then dived in for a kiss just as Erica opened her mouth to question. Like a switch was flipped Erica aggressively kissed back, and like that would around him dulled, and all he could focus on was the woman in front of him.

Breaking the kiss-off, Erica wasted no time and went for his neck. the sensation of something piercing his neck and feeling it drained was better then the stories said it was, in fact, he felt than he had for quite some time.

He was so out of it, he almost didn't hear the vampire call out "Welcome to the family, son-in-law!" before she left the room.

~X~ [The next day]

So as it turns out, The vampire Evelyn Fontaine and her husband Walter had been caught in a bandit raid while travelling; their wagon having gon off a cliff and their daughter with it to her supposed death.

What the couple didn't know was that Erica survived the drop and was picked up by hunters. Discovered to be suffering amnesia and only remembering her name, they had no choice but to drop her in the orphanage. By the time that had happened, the mourning couple had already left the area with no way to contact them. Now they were reunited and Erica's inhumanity revealed, the for of them couldn't be happier.

"it's kind of sudden," Erica said after she and Waylon exchanged stories with her parents. "I'm still used to having parents... and a husband," she said as she blushed. Just looking at Waylon made her heard rush, and unknown to her, her eyes flashed red again. "... How do you deal with the...um"

"Bloodthirst?" Evelyn asked and Erica looked down and nodded.  "Your urges are new so it'll be hard at first, but as you're not a full vampire it should be easier to control, though when you do get the thirst, I doubt trouble keeping yourself satisfied." The vampire grinned as her daughter and son-in-law squirmed in her seats "Ah, what fun this is!"

"Anywho... what should we do now?" Walter asked, clearly not invested in his daughter's sex life.

Erica thought for a second. "If you want the constant attacks to stop, we will have to make an official statement with the guild, with our reputation we should pull enough goodwill to get them off your back."

"That should be fine then, we shall all go tomorrow, as a family." Evelyn declared. as she stood up and pulled her husband up with her. All Walter did was chuckle

"Tomorrow? why tomorrow?" Waylon asked as the shadows in the room began to glow. Evlyn's expression turned to a fang baring grin.

"Watching my daughter drink and this talking has made me thirsty, we shall continue talking later but for now..." Evelyn didn't say another word as she kissed Walter and the two sank into the shadows of the room, probably travelling to the master bedroom.

"Show-off," Erica muttered. "I have to learn how to do that! she knows how far our room is!" Waylon was about to ask why that mattered when Erica's eyes turned back to crimson. Erica then practically carried her new husband to their room for more, Waylon learning one of the boons for being an awakened dhampir was enhanced strength.

It's worth pointing out, that the new family of four didn't make it to the guild the next day...