Samira's Apartment
Characters
 |
 |
| Samira Bastet | Kieran Collins |
On rare occasions, Samira prefers the comfort of her own apartment. It lends a little more privacy, and allows her to be a little messier with her 'hunt' than she would normally be under Kostas' watchful eye. Even so, she is careful.
The Kleptheros has not made a real kill in many years, and while her fangs are itching to have a full on hunt and slaughter she's fine with mimicking it in her apartment. It's not as enticing with a willing donor as it is when the prey is not suspecting it, but it suffices to keep her in check and following Kostas' rules.
Cleaning up the blood is fairly easy work, the tarps carefully rinsed and hung to dry in the storage room. It will be months before she needs them again. The girl with whom she's been playing is safely ensconced in the guest room, dead asleep for the next day or so while she recuperates. At which point, Samira will be back at the estate and barely a fading memory.
The last thing she needs to take care of is cleaning herself. Dropping her robe in the middle of the main room, she starts to make her way across the apartment to the shower.
~
Kieran adheres to proper decorum and uses the bell. He waits a few seconds and then knocks on the door. The midnight hour has come and gone, rather quickly at that, and he's come directly here after putting in a full night at Eclairant. He reaches up, resting his hands on the door frame above, seemingly waiting patiently for the door to open.
Dressed for work, in a loose fitting white shirt, sleeves rolled and pushed up to his elbows, dark pants and loafers and a gray newsboy cap, the vampire looks to be the picture of relaxation. His face is covered in a light stubble, and there are tell tale signs of not so much upset as minor irritation. The set to his jaw, the tightness around his eyes, the hitch of his muscles beneath the creases of the well tailored and fitted shirt.
He gives a tentative sniff to the air. Blood on the other side of the door. Not much and it's not at the height of freshness. It lingers though, enough in the air to tell him that someone's been feeding and playing.
"Sami," Kieran says in a low, quiet sing-song voice. "I know you're home, luv. If you leave me out here long enough, the neighbors will start to talk." Samira won't care, and neither does he, but it's all a part of the game.
~
Halfway across the apartment, she hears the bell. Samira ignores it, takes another few steps, and then hears the knock. Curling her lip up in a snarl, she's quite ready to tell Kieran that he can wait out there for all eternity, she wants her shower.
Instead, she twists her body around in a delicate twirl and tiptoes toward the door.
"Let them talk," she replies, hand just barely touching the door. She remains there silently for another two full minutes before she opens the door, not caring if the woman who occupies the apartment down the hall sees her starkers and a mess.
"To what do I owe the pleasure, Kieran? It's hardly like you to call upon me here."
~
Kieran has patience. He might not always behave as though he does, but being a skilled hunter requires some measure of patience. The only indication he gives that he senses Samira on the other side of the door is a shift of his position. Shoulder resting against the door frame now, arms folded across his chest.
Cool blue eyes move casually over her body. It's a slow gaze, gliding from her head to her feet. Kieran's gaze takes in every bare bit of skin, every drop of blood clinging to her every curve. It's not quite a leer but neither is it totally devoid of anything resembling sexuality.
"For someone who just ate, you're in a mood," Kieran comments, snapping his gaze back to hers. "I wanted to talk."
Hardly, or perhaps he did. The word 'talk' can carry so many connotations where Kieran is concerned.
~
"I dislike being dirty." Carefully, she tucks a strand of hair behind her ear, removing a thin strip of flesh from the ends of it. Wrinkling her nose, Samira leads the way into the apartment, stopping to wrap the flesh in a tissue.
"I was hardly just eating, darling. I was playing. Poor thing is dead asleep." Smirking, she wipes up a bit of the still as of yet not dried blood and offers her finger out to Kieran.
"Come. If you wish to talk, you can do so while I soak."
~
"Yes, but getting dirty is always fun." Kieran steps into the apartment, closing and locking the door behind him. He observes the older vampire, more from a curious standpoint than a hungry or desirous one. He's always found Samira to be something of an enigma, the feral, primal Kleptheros instincts held only in place by her sheer force of will and loyalty to Kostas.
He's seen her play. His hungers may veer in other directions - most of the time - but there is something raw and natural about it that can be terrifying beautiful and erotic.
"Enjoyed yourself then?" Kieran captures her hand when the finger is offered. A quick dart of his tongue tastes the pad and then he sucks the digit in his mouth, swirling his tongue around before releasing her finger. In the same motion, he closes the distance between them, and draws her closer into his personal space. Not close enough that her blood spattered body will come into contact with his pristine clothing, but close enough that he can drag his lips and tongue over her shoulder, lapping up the blood drying there.
"Wash your back," Kieran offers with a sly wink.
~
Samira is an enigma for her kind. She's not as wild as her brethern, much in part thanks to her Maker who preferred the refined things life had to offer as well as the complete ferociousness and ferality of the Kleptheros clan. A well-bred soldier, after all, does have a particular taste for both gentility and blood sport.
"I would have enjoyed myself far more had she been a little less willing to play. There is something absolutely tantalizing about rising that level of fear in a human." The blood tastes thicker, richer, far creamier to her when the fear is there. "Enjoying yourself?" Glancing over her shoulder, she smirks at Kieran, and then laughs. He is one of the few whom she allows to get so close to her without an adverse reaction.
"Mmm. I haven't had my back washed in ages."
~
"We should go out to the countryside sometime," Kieran suggests idly, dragging a finger over a single, thin rivulet of blood. It's not done often, but it can be arranged. They are what they are, and sometimes they need to release the energy and beast inside of them. He can't remember the last time he's had a proper hunt, instilling fear and terror in the heart and very core of his prey.
Kieran does like his civility, but at times he misses the old days and the old ways.
Using his clean hand, he removes his hat and places it on the sofa table before he falls back into step behind her, following her to the bathroom.
"Not nearly as much as I could be." The younger vampire gives a sharp slap to her rear, smirking at her. "That's because you don't ask and it's been ages since you've invited me to play."
~
"We should. Once the murderous little neophyte has been found and dealt with. A weekend away will be absolutely necessary." Though Kostas does let her have a bit of fun on the estate, going up to the country and chasing poor unsuspecting people through the woods is like music to the very core of her being.
Samira gives another laugh, and reaches for his hand to keep her from swatting her rear end again. "You get away with one of those, Kieran." It's a soft, playful warning, almost akin to a purr.
"I haven't asked you to play for a while because you've been quite busy with your Child, and your new public arm dressing. Redhead, if I'm not mistaken? Very much your type, Habiibi."
~
"Consider it a date." Kieran smirks and wiggles his fingers when she grabs his hand. There are lines and boundaries here, and he treads them carefully. Teasingly sometimes, but carefully as well.
"I'm not that busy, álainn." The younger vampire replies. He drifts closer to the elder and bites playfully at her shoulder. "We could all play together." Easier said than done, if only because Kieran doesn't like sharing what's his. There is a reason that, in five years in the city, he hasn't brought Serafine to indulge with he and Samira. It's not only his Child's humanity and carefulness with her food, but also that possessiveness and protectiveness that he feels toward her.
Kieran swipes his tongue over the playful bite mark and steps away from Samira, slowly unbuttoning his shirt. "Yes. Brooke."
Beat.
"You know everything about her." It's not a question. Blue eyes fix on Samira as he shrugs out of his shirt and begins to unsnap his pants.
~
"You don't like to share," Samira replies with a laugh. She well knows Kieran's possessiveness, but she can't help but poke at it just a little. "Were you planning on bringing the witch with you as well? That could be a very interesting weekend in the country."
Turning toward the large claw foot tub, she begins to fill it with warm water, and copious amounts of bubbles. Nice, relaxing, and the best way to clean herself. Unlike most "cats", Samira has never had issues with water, enjoying luxuriating in it from time to time.
"I keep a record of all the witches born in the state. There were records kept before mine as well. I just happen to have compiled them in an easy to follow database that spans generations of research." One might call her paranoid, but knowing the players in the magic user field is for the best. It keeps things from happening to those she cares about.
Marcus may have been killed by the Sect, but he wouldn't have been found out if it weren't for magic.
~
"I could quite possibly be enticed into sharing if the offer was … properly presented and decadent enough," Kieran waggles his brows. He pushes his pants down and then steps out, leaving himself clad in only boxers. Those follow the same route as the pants, and are carefully folded and placed on the counter.
"No, I wouldn't bring Brooke."
He's across the room in a flash, and even if he knows he's only gotten close to the older vampire because she allows it, it doesn't show in his face or his behavior. Kieran tugs her body against his, biting sharply at her pulse point before dragging his mouth up to her ear. "Why didn't you tell me she was one of Regina's?"
Would it have made a difference? Probably not.
~
"Kostas has a lavish country estate that we could borrow. Plenty of room for blood, parties, and debauchery. Though I do think you should let your Child make her own decisions as to whether she wants to be shared or not, hmm?"
Samira chuckles when he speeds toward her and tugs her against him. The little games they play are both amusing and fun — something she doesn't have as much of when playing with Kostas, because she doesn't retain the same level of control.
"I do not keep track of your human pets, Kieran. Once I saw the tabloid, I knew who she was, but you didn't ask."
Her words pause as she pushes them both backward against the wall.
"Do you want more information?"
~
Kieran makes a sound, something akin to a growl. "It's not as though I'm not already sharing her." Maybe it irritates him just a wee bit that she's being so attentive to her new boy toy. He nips at Samira's throat again. "I'd certainly invite her along and let her make her own decision."
Beat.
"I wasn't aware I had to ask."
There's a low smokey chuckle as his back hits the wall. "Yes," Kieran hold her gaze steady. "I'd like more information."
~
"With the sorcerer from the Priory?" Samira chuckles, and leans in to whisper, "You are still her Maker darling. A word from you could end that fling I'm sure."
Beat.
"When it comes to my little database, you do."
Trailing her lips from his ear to his throat, she teasingly bites his pulse point. "After I was the blood off, darling. Then you can have all the information you'd like."
Stepping away from him, she turns the water off and slips into the tub.
~
"I'm well aware of that." He could very easily get Sera to give up her latest plaything, however he won't. "It's beneficial to us to have her close to him. I'm more worried that she'll tire of him before the usefulness wears off." Given that knowing what the Priory is up to won't wear off, that could be a bit of a nuisance. Fortunately Sera's interests tend to run more long term that Kieran's and she's been known to attach to a plaything for a year or more.
He grunts appreciatively at the bite. Smirking as she turns away from him, Kieran takes a moment to appreciate the view.
The younger vampire crosses the room and slips into the large tub, positioning himself behind her. A handful of water is gathered up and trickled over her back. "Did you know Kostas was going to make an appearance at Sera's book signing?"
~
"It is beneficial to have her stay close to him." Samira will not disagree on that point. Especially since this particular one is being groomed to take over for Ashcroft, and it could prove problematic if Sera were to suddenly drop the man. Cause tensions that they cannot afford to have.
Water trickling down her back, Samira pulls her hair over her shoulder and turns to glance at him. For several seconds she looks absolutely serene. The perfect image of a young woman sharing a bath with her lover after a long day apart.
Then he mentions Kostas.
"No."
Beat.
"He doesn't deem to tell me everything. You know he rarely makes public appearances."
~
Kieran's disappointment and surprise are clearly writ on his face. He makes no attempt to hide either, a small wrinkle working its way between his knitting brows.
"No." It's a repitition of her answer, one that doesn't sit well with him, though it's through no fault of Samira.
He grabs a bath sponge and holds it under water. Lifting it out, he squeezes it over Samira's back and shoulders, rubbing in a slow, circular fashion. The idea that Kostas might be keeping an eye on him is not an issue and fails to bother Kieran in the least. The idea that the Ancient One might be watching his Child … unsettles him.
"I know he does, that's why I was surprised to see him there," Kieran tells Samira quietly. "He registered under an assumed name."
~
"I will ask for you, habiibi. He may not answer, or not answer truthfully until he is ready to show his hand, but I'll ask." Samira doesn't owe it to Kieran to ask, but she can't help being curious herself as to what her pseudo-Maker is up to.
Rolling her shoulders as the water from the sponge drips down her back before the circular motion, she smiles. She can relax and converse at the same time, even if the subject is a tense one for Kieran.
"An assumed name, which means that he didn't want to alert anyone to his presence." Obviously. "He could have been coming to see how close you've gotten to one of the Coven. Thinking of ways to make her useful to him."
~
"Thank you." Kieran knows that she doesn't have to ask, but he does appreciate that she will do so.
Conversing isn't a problem. Even bathing and conversing with a beautiful woman isn't a problem. Kieran is tense, however. He doesn't like not knowing things, particularly as they are concerned with him or his Child.
"Not nearly as close as I would like to be," Kieran drawls, nuzzling behind Samira's ear. "I've been especially human with her. It's been fun, but I didn't know she was Coven."
Beat.
"Good thing I haven't been too overboard with this one."
~
Leaning back against Kieran, Samira smirks. "Keep that up, and you realize the information will have longer to wait?" Dipping her hand under the water, she sets it to his thigh and squeezes.
"Relax, Kieran. He may have just been doing it to unsettle you to see if you were the one causing him issues. It's hard to tell with Kostas, and I've known him for over nine hundred years." The man is a conundrum, even to Samira who literally 'grew up' with him.
"You always did have a thing for witches."
Beat.
"The Coven could be an issue, especially considering if they find out about Gabriel Howe, and then see that another vampire is interested in one of their own. You'll have to play this one carefully."
~
Kieran considers her words, then nips lightly at her earlobe. He's incorrigible sometimes, but he doesn't push his playing beyond that. He has priorities, and he'd really like to know what other information the Kleptheros has on Brooke.
He doesn't argue that he's not relaxed. It would be rather fruitless, and it will take him a bit to unwind and relax over the matter. "I'm hardly stupid enough to cause the sorts of problems we're having right now." Not to say he's not caused problems in various locations in the past, but he's not causing problems for Kostas.
"I can't help it. Have you ever tasted a witch?" That's not all it is though. Kieran is a man of habit. Not all of them good.
"I need to talk to him." Kieran adds soap to the sponge and smooths it over Samira's shoulders. "Howe. It could have been nothing, but I think he might be a little … closer … to the Coven or at least some of its members than he implied. It would be very frustrating if he tips his hand and ours."
Beat.
"I might need to remind him of the rules and lines, but first I need to verify my suspicions."
~
"You're too high up in Kostas 'kingdom' to bother. He'd suspect you first thing anyhow." Samira should know. She's been put to that test multiple times to prove her loyalty to him, which is quite ridiculous considering that she much prefers to be taken care of than having to be the one doing the caring.
"Several times. Their blood does tend to run sweeter, but that's your cup of tea, habiibi, not mine."
Curling her hair over her shoulder with one hand, the other slides up his thigh to tease just a little. "Invite him to your club. A private little tete-a-tete with some distractions might be what he needs."
Beat.
"I have no doubt he'll tip them off. One cannot return to a city after a decade, looking exactly the same and expect everyone not to notice."
~
"I wouldn't want to bother." Kieran drags the soapy sponge down her arm and then up and over her collarbone. He has enough responsibility and he's not the sort who wants power over all of the Vampires of the city. To be intimidating is good enough for him.
Switching the sponge to his other hand, he slides it down Samira's other arm. "Sweet. Powerful. It tingles." Like discussing a fine wine or a steak.
"I might be able to find a few perfect distractions," Kieran muses. Though he isn't quite sure what Gabriel's tastes might be, he has few in mind that fit a broad palate.
Kieran dips the sponge beneath the water, following the curve of her side and hip. "If you kneel or stand luv, I can do this proper."
~
"I don't think anyone would want to bother. It's been years since someone tried to betray Kostas, but most of us are able to remember how poorly that went." Samira knows for a fact. She was scraping bits of that vampire off of the floor for a full day after Kostas decapitated and eviscerated the man.
"I'd appreciated it if you did. Abaddon, Sanguine Desires. Anywhere to get Gabriel's mind on something other than the witches in the city. Regina is already on edge thanks to the death, and while I happen to trust you not to harm one, habiibi, I do not trust the young one."
Forcibly exhaling a sigh of mock irritation, she kneels up in the tub.
"I should warn you to be careful with your witch. She isn't exactly all she seems to be."
~
Kieran draws the water and soapy sponge over Samira's body with the care and tenderness of a devoted lover. He's thoughtful while he does so, so much so that one who didn't know him might think that he was distractedly going through the motions. The vampire is very well aware of what he's doing, as can be told by the way he slows sometimes to brush fingertips against skin, and the moment he leans in to press a kiss between her shoulder blades.
"I'll send him word to meet me at Sanguine Desires." Abaddon might be better, but Kieran doesn't wish to give the neophyte any recourse to bring an unsuspecting witch to such a place. Abaddon is after all a human realm, where there is no denying what Sanguine Desires is.
Kieran pauses for a moment, and then lifts himself to his knees. An arm slides around Samira's waist and he draws her back against his body. "What more pray tell, is she? Part fey? Part demon?" There is something of an amused tone to his voice. One might even say hopeful.
~
Samira can tell the man is thinking things over, but it doesn't bother her in the least. She's not attempting to make this anything more than what it is. Until he presses the kiss between her shoulders and she laughs. It is going to be a rather fun night after the information is shared.
"Probably for the best. Your Child seems to get on with the Bishop women. Perhaps she can distract them and play a game of anywhere but there with them." Witches do venture into the Undercity, but it would be folly for them to go into Sanguine Desires.
"Sorcerer."
~
"My dear Serafine has a way of getting on with almost anyone." Kieran murmurs the word against her skin, then places another kiss on her shoulder blade. It's but one of the reasons he so adores her. "I think inviting them out for dinner and drinks will suffice. Brooke is a huge fan, and really wants to impress Sera."
Beat.
A soft exhalation of air accompanies the faint whistle. "Sorcerer, hm? Her mother was a naughty witch."
Beat.
"How did this one get past the Coven?" Kieran knows about the other one. The daughter of the witch and disinherited sorcerer. He pays little attention, except to know the names because sorcerer vs witch politics don't concern him. "Or did this one get by the Coven?"
~
"She does. It's that humanity she portrays. It makes her entirely likable." Samira grins at that, knowing that it's partially part of the allure of a Karneros, and partially because Serafine has an extra quality about her that she can't quite put her finger on. "Dinner and drinks should suffice, though your witch is not the issue."
Grin devolving into a smirk, she almost sing-songs, "Not just any sorcerer."
Beat.
"Randall Reynard."
The things Samira knows due to having a witch or two in her employ.
"They know. The old matriarch wanted to do away with her, the baby, and the rest of the Coven closed ranks. It's not as though it's not happened in the past. Your witch has a thing for sorcerers as well. Bryn Blackwell, soon-to-be new head of the New York Priory, for one."
Beat.
"Come let us get out of the water and talk in front of the fire, habiibi. I want to stretch out and air dry."
~
Kieran looses a whistle at the revelation. "How did that happen?"
Beat.
"Yes, I know the mechanics, but how is it that Reynard didn't decide to make certain that news never saw the light of day?"
Kieran stands at her prompting, and steps out of the tub, extending a hand to assist Samira. His blue eyes rake over her body, following the trailing drips of water that wind their way over her skin and down her body. "I know about Brooke and Blackwell." He knows that they were together years ago, and so long as it's not problematic to his pursuits or Serafine's, he doesn't need to know much else.
He can't help but laugh a little and shake his head. "I couldn't have placed Sera more perfectly if I'd planned it." There is certain to be some tension when it comes out that Ashcroft's replacement is sleeping with a vampire, and things will have to be handled carefully. But there couldn't be a better position for the Child of the Master's Sheriff to be in.
~
"The usual way, I presume." Taking Kieran's hand, Samira steps out of the tub. "Thank you." Tossing her head to allow the hair to fall down her back, she smirks.
"My sources have stated that Randall wanted a powerful son of mixed bloodlines. The witch wanted to give her husband a son. If it was a girl, she would keep it. If it was a boy, when he came of age he would be sent to school with Reynard."
Shrugging, she drips her way across the bathroom and beckons for him over her shoulder.
"Very few, including the woman herself, are aware of her true lineage."
~
"Mixed bloodlines doesn't always guarantee power," Kieran muses. He was very closely involved with a witch once, more than two centuries ago before he met Serafine. That was a nasty situation and it involved his brother, and is yet another one of the reasons that Kieran doesn't trust the younger or wish to have him around in any capacity.
As far as Kieran knows all witches can access the elements of sorcerer magic and vice-versa. It's not typical or easy, and is much akin to double work and triple effort. He's heard it theorized, by that long ago witch, that potentially the child of mixed bloodlines in a proper twist of fate would be neither sorcerer nor witch, but both and therein would lie the power. However, most of the children born to sorcerer-witch pairings, if they were acknowledged at all were one or the other.
"Does she have power?" Kieran asks, curiously. "Does the Coven know?"
If so, does the returned neophyte know and are his attentions toward the elder sister merely a feeling out of the younger? He hasn't been in town long enough for the Hecanthenos to have set him to feel out new candidates.
For whatever reason, the thought of Magda and hers setting their sites on Brooke makes him frown.
~
"No, they don't."
Mixed bloodlines generally mean diluted power, in Samira's experience.
"I am well aware of Gwendolyn's theory," she says, stretching out in front of the fire in the main room. She arches her body once in a catlike manner, and when she finds a comfortable position, she grins. "It is quite possible, and the Hecanthenos do like that type of power, so I'm certain if it does exist, the Coven is keeping it tightly under wraps for her protection."
Beat.
"Or quite possibly they don't know."
Her laptop and database aren't that far away from where she's laying, but she doesn't reach for them yet.
"She dated a sorcerer. She definitely has an easier time with their magic than another witch would."
~
"Maybe she just likes sorcerers," Kieran suggests. He joins Samira on the floor, palming a hand over her side. Dipping his head, he drags his tongue up her throat to nip at her pulse. "Though I'm not sure where that leaves me."
He's not denying that Brooke might have power, but simply that she might have had other reasons for dating a sorcerer. Especially as a teenager. Teenagers tend to be notoriously rebellious, no matter what the age or decade.
~
"She has power, Kieran. The burst she had when she was a teenager was powerful enough for it to be documented in the Coven books." Samira purrs as his tongue drags over her skin. "That leaves you here with me." Smirking at him as she turns her head to face him she adds, "I'm not complaining."
Beat.
"You should ask her for a demonstration of power."
~
"Tonight it does," Kieran teases. He nips lightly at Samira's ear, allowing his hands to freely roam the canvas of her skin. Dragging his mouth downward again, lips hover over the pulse point, dotting small kisses before suckling for a long few moments. He curls an arm around her, pulling her body against his and pressing his foreward against hers.
Lifting his lips from her pulse, Kieran bites at her shoulder. All blunt teeth and no fangs, still mostly playing. "But that would be telling. She'd wonder how I knew what she is, and I so enjoy being a real boy."
~
Having been with Kieran briefly ages ago, Samira is well aware that he knows all of the buttons to push to get her revved up in a matter of seconds. Purring again she curls her body in toward his, pressing against him. Long nails drag slowly over his back, and she slides one leg up and around his.
"Allow me to grab the laptop, Kieran. I can tell you everything else you'd like to know."
~
The younger vampire chuckles, his breath warm against her skin. He fights something of an internal war with himself - information versus hedonistic pleasure. It's a very tough call, but in the end, information wins. Capturing Samira's mouth in a hungry kiss full of promise and decadence, he nips at her lower lip as the kiss breaks. "Go on then, fiáin álainn. Grab the laptop. My curiosity is a terrible thing."
~
"I was unaware you had so much willpower," Samira replies with a smirk. She's fairly certain she can tell what he wants, and information isn't the only thing that's on the younger vampire's mind it would seem. Stretching her body out until just the tips of her fingers touch the laptop she slowly begins to draw it toward them.
The screen is flipped open and with just a few keystrokes she's got the database in front of her.
"Now what is it that you'd like to know?"
~
Information is not the only thing on Kieran's mind right now. He's capable of multitasking, but he sometimes does have a one track mind. It's currently divided between finding out anything of import that Samira can tell him about his latest charming little bit of arm candy, and tracing the line of muscle in her shoulder and neck with his tongue while reacquainting his fingertips with the smooth curves of her body and softness of her skin.
Multitasking at its best.
"If I didn't have some measure of willpower, I'd be a bit dangerous, don't you think?" Kieran teases between tongue lathes and light kisses. Lifting his head, blue eyes flicker over to her laptop and then he presses an oddly sweet kiss to her temple. "Whatever you can give me or tell me that will help me understand my little witch a bit better."
Beat.
"Starting with how come she's so familiar with Kostas?" Kieran's fingers trace a pattern over Samira's hip. "She's not one of the Elders or one of Regina's high ups, otherwise she wouldn't have slipped past me."
~
"Let's see, Brooke Bishop…" Pulling up the file Samira's collected on the witch is fairly easy. The Bishops are one of the oldest bloodlines in the United States, and they've got a fairly prolific history back in the 'Old World' as well. Generally, she does watch the main lines to see what becomes of them. To know how many, and how powerful a family they've become over the years.
Closing her eyes momentarily, she enjoys his touch, his tongue, and then exhales a sigh as though pulling up the information is the absolute last thing she wants to be doing.
"She's in the in-between right now. Not exactly one of Regina's higher ups, but getting close to becoming one. She has information, but not all of it." Double-clicking on a file in Brooke's folder, she nods. "She's put on several parties for Kostas' 'human' face, but she knows who he is and what he is. Regina would never allow one of her witches to enter into a contract with one of our kind without at least informing them of what they were getting into."
~
"Mmm," Kieran purrs, scratching his nails over Samira's hip and nuzzling at her neck for a moment. Blue eyes lift up just enough to glance at the file as she's reading it, but mostly he's taking in what she's saying and filing it away for later. "That means I'm going to have to be even more careful with this one."
Beat.
"To my credit, I haven't hurt her," Kieran says. He slides his hand over her abdomen, thumb tracing small circles there. Her hair is nosed aside for the younger vampire of the pair to dot kisses over the back of her neck. "I've only even taken the barest little taste."
Of course, there's always the possibility that Regina might give his game away and that just won't do.
~
"Yes, you will have to be. Regina will fight to keep her witches clean of the 'taint' as it were. She'll allow them to enter into contracts with us but only if they're in full disclosure of what we are." Samira scrolls down the page, scrolls back up, and then double clicks on the link when she finds it.
"Chances are, if Regina has seen the tabloids, she knows full well what is going on between you and the witch. I suggest you tread extremely carefully, Kieran. She could be a very good asset if groomed carefully, and a terrible enemy if not"
Once the file she's clicked on opens up, she laughs.
"You do have rather interesting choices."
The laptop is spun toward him, showing a family tree.
Samira is not ignoring his touches, but is rather focused on getting him the information he requested. Her body reacts perfectly, as though she's separated her mind from it so that they work separately.
~
"Something tells me that Regina doesn't lurk in the tabloids." Kieran's hand moves northward, venturing into more sensitive and tempting areas. He presses his bare body against hers, sliding a leg over hers. His mouth explores her throat and the back of her neck. Quite ready to put the Life and Times of Brooke Bishop aside for more interesting 'study,' he pauses when she laughs.
"I'm amusing to you?" Kieran teases, lifting his head again.
His pale blue eyes drop to the information on the screen and the only sign that he's reading what's there is the slight widening of his eyes in surprise. "Interesting."
Then he reaches over and closes the lid of the laptop, plucking it gently from Samira's hands. Kieran places it gently to the side, and draws the older vampire in for a deep, lingering kiss. "For later consideration."
