Heartless Love Chapter 1
The cool breeze brushed against Elinor Snow’s olive skin as she walked out from the dark alley, her knee-high heels clicking against the cement. A low cloud of mist pooled around her feet, appearing to be coming from the alley. Her bioluminescent eyes glowed yellow in the night, with dark grey veins prominent around them. Her tongue ran along her bottom lip to catch the rest blood of her latest victim and traced along the sharp edges of her fangs. “Mmm, that hit the spot.” She moaned, wiping her thumb along the corner of her mouth. She cleared her throat while she made her way down the sidewalk to head to the Bontain Bar.
The dark veins receded around her yellow eyes and in the light of the street lamps illuminating her way, returned to their usual sky blue color. Her pale skin rose a few shades of pink, making her appear less sickly. She stuffed her hands into her jacket pockets while she walked, her eyes scanning the streets for anyone else strolling this late at night. The chime of the bell hung above the door cut through the chatter of the other patrons, silencing them for a moment before the conversations filled the room once more.
Elinor made her way to an open table and slid into the booth. She shrugged off her black leather jacket and set it beside herself by the wall. After a minute, the bell chimed once more, and she sniffed the air.
The distinct aroma of blood filled her nostrils and immediately she knew who came through without even looking, a small smile curling on her lips. She looked up to the door and spotted the redhead with blonde tips sporting her usual blood red beret. The redhead woman made her way to the booth and slid into the opposite side, taking off her purse from her shoulder and placing it beside her.
Hallie flashed her friend a smile. “Sorry for being late. I had to get a bite… if you know what I mean.” She stated coolly, a chilling smirk gracing her pink lips. A drip of blood seeped down her forehead from her beret.
“You’re fine. I get it. I had to stop for a light snack myself.” Elinor said with a small chuckle. She pointed to her forehead and brushed some of her hair to the side, silently instructing Hallie to wipe the blood from her forehead.
Hallie took a napkin from the dispenser on the table and cleaned up the drip of blood from her forehead. She mouthed a ‘thank you’ before neatly folding the napkin and setting it aside on the chance that she may need it again. She swiped the drink menu from behind the napkin dispenser and opened it up. “What was for dinner? Anything good?” She inquired, a small smirk on her lips.
Elinor took a menu for herself and nodded her head. A dark chuckle left her lips. “Blonde. And her blood wasn’t half bad either.” She answered, half-joking with a wink. “AB positive.”
“You played with your food again. Isn’t that cruel?” Hallie mused. Being the redcap fae that she was, she never saw the point of prolonging the killing of her victims.
Elinor shrugged her shoulders, wearing a smile on her lips. “Maybe.” She hummed, placing her hand on her cheek. She tipped her head slightly and her eyes drifted over to the rest of the bar.
The bar was about half capacity, with the bar stools filled about every other. People were talking, eating, and drinking. With her vampire hearing, she could listen in on any conversation. Some of it amused her with the petty human problems they all spoke about with jobs, relationships, friends, and families.
The variety of aromas that filled her nostrils was intoxicating by its own. The mix of the perfumes, colognes, and alcohol from the various options often produced a unique result from night to night.
“But it makes the game fun. You should try it sometime.” Elinor stated, bringing her gaze back to her friend across the table. An airy chuckle left her thinly parted lips.
Hallie rolled her eyes and returned the chuckle. “I have *plenty* of fun.” She replied sarcastically, closing the drink menu with a prompt slap to place more emphasis on what she said.
A server came up to their table. “What can I get you ladies tonight?” He asked politely as he took out a pen and his order pad from his half-apron. He held a bright smile on his lips as he waited for their orders.
“I’ll take a Bloody Mary. Extra tabasco, please.” Hallie answered. She sent a wink in his direction.
He cleared his throat gently, a light pink blush taking over the cheeks of the young server. He turned his head to the dark-haired woman. “And you, miss?”
Elinor rolled her eyes once over to her redheaded friend across the table before meeting the eyes of the server. She flashed him a charming smile. She placed her hand flat on the table. “I’ll take your top shelf rum, if you would be so kind.”
He nodded and scrawled their drink orders on his pad. “Coming right up. Anything else right away?”
Hallie opened up her mouth to say something, but Elinor cut in.
“No. We’re fine. Thank you.” Elinor said, waving her hand to dismiss him from the table.
“Hey! What was that all about?” The redhead remarked in a snide tone. She sent a death glare across the table.
The vampire chuckled darkly as she slowly met Hallie’s gaze. “It was for your own good. He seems like a nice server. I wouldn’t want you killing another good server, would I? He just got here after all. This is his first job since coming to Bontain. He just got his own place too.”
“Your hearing astounds me.” The fae huffed, leaning her back against the cushion of the booth. She crossed her arms in front of her chest and looked up at the ceiling while shaking her head disapprovingly.
Elinor chuckled a bit and shrugged her shoulders. “It comes with the territory of being from the *family* I am from.”
The Snow family was a family of vampires. Her great-great-grandfather was the first one in line to be turned into a vampire and used his powers to turn his wife into one as well. He used the power of cell manipulation as an elder to create her great grandfather and from there… the cycle continued until it came to her family and, just a short while later, herself and her little brother.
“Ain’t that the truth.” Hallie muttered with a light scoff.
The server returned with their drinks and set them in front of their respective recipient. He offered them a smile before asking if they needed anything else.
“No. We’re good. Thank you.” Elinor returned the smile and wrapped her fingers around the cool glass.
He briefly nodded before leaving them be for the moment until they needed anything else from him.
“Have you heard anything from Darren lately?” Hallie inquired after taking a sip of her Bloody Mary.
Elinor shook her head. “I haven’t for quite a while now. It’s been… what?… Fifty years since I heard anything from him. He was the only one who supported me after… the *admission of self incident*. I’m not even sure why my parents care about that kind of thing. It isn’t like I’m that far away from being an elder.”
Hallie reached out and placed her hand on Elinor’s. “I know I don’t care about who you like, but your parents are just looking out for you.”
“They are looking out for their traditions, Hal. I can guarantee that they aren’t really looking out for me. They want me to marry for status and bear a child. Not that I don’t want to marry… I just want to do it for love. Not for status among the other vampires. And I want to have a child. Just not with who they want me to.” Elinor explained sternly. She shook her head and took her head back. She took up her glass of rum and pressed it to his lips, tipping it until the light brown liquid touched her lips.
She parted her lips enough for the liquid to slip past into her mouth. The sweet toasted sugar taste coated her tongue and she let it settle in her mouth to savor the taste. After a moment, she swallowed the rum, feeling the slight burn all the way down her throat. She placed the glass down on the table and met Hallie’s gaze once more. She opened her mouth to say something, but the bell chime from the door interrupted her.
She turned her head to the door and saw a beautiful young woman of about 26. This woman had strawberry blonde hair cascading down her shoulders in light waves. She wore a thin black ribbon choker around her neck, tied in a bow. This woman wore a maroon tank-top paired with tight light blue skinny jeans and black boots. She smelt of roses and lavender.
Elinor couldn’t take her eyes off the woman that entered the bar. That didn’t go unnoticed by the redheaded fae, who let out a slight chuckle. Her lips curling into a devious smirk. “You really have a type, don’t you?” She mused, teasing her best friend lightly. “How about we make ourselves a little bet, shall we? I bet you can’t play the slow game with this one.”
The vampire raised her brow slightly, hearing the bet from across the table. She watched the blonde walk over to the bar before she finally broke her entranced gaze from the woman and met Hallie’s amused look. “Slow game? You don’t think I can play it slow to get myself a good-looking meal? What are your conditions? And what exactly are we betting for?”
Hallie pressed her stomach against the table and leaned forward halfway across the table, moving her Bloody Mary off to the side. “The conditions are… no compulsion. You can’t just make her give her your number… let alone sleep with you. Get her number naturally and you have to wait at least… a month? Before sleeping with her and drinking her blood. If you win, I’ll get my witch friend to make you a special necklace that allows you to go out in the daylight without having to drink my blood for that immunity.”
“And if I lose?”
“Set me up with our server. All the works too. No skimping out with your powerful suggestions.” An amused grin split the fae’s face in half as she placed her chin on her open palm. “What do you say?”
Elinor couldn’t resist such a reward if she were to take part in this little bet of Hallie’s. She nodded her head. “You’re on.” She slid out from behind the booth and shot up from the seat, making her way to the bar.
Elinor slipped in beside the strawberry blonde and tapped her fingers on the bar, “Let me pay for her drink.” She declared, pointing to the blonde beside her. The vampire turned her head to the woman and flashed her a suggestive smile. She took out her wallet from her pocket and fished out a hundred-dollar bill. “Keep the change and use it to keep buying her drinks, will you?” She placed the bill on the table and slid it to the bartender, who took it with a nod.
The bartender soon returned with the drink that the woman ordered, setting it in front of her under a square napkin to use as a coaster. He left the pair to tend to his other patrons seated at the other side of the bar.
The strawberry blonde chuckled softly as she wrapped her fingers around the cold glass. She let out a soft chuckle and shook her head. “You didn’t have to do that, but thank you.” Her voice sounded melodic, like an angel. “Also, I should probably let you know this now… and don’t take this the wrong way either, but I’m not into girls.”
Elinor tipped her head to the side. “Who said I was trying to hit on you?” She asked, chuckling a little. “Just didn’t want any of the creeps in this place to take advantage of you. I thought I was helping you out. I guess not.” She feigned a defeated sigh.
“Oh. Well… thank you then. I just thought that you were hitting on me.” The woman began. She held her hand out to the dark-haired woman beside her and turned to face her. “I’m Dawn. Dawn Fletcher. To whom do I owe the pleasure of saving me from creepy old men buying me drinks?”
Elinor’s eyes flicked to the black ribbon choker around her neck. Her breath hitched a little, seeing how the ribbon clung to her skin that she wanted to sink her teeth into. As the woman finally introduced herself and extended her hand, the vampire peeled her gaze from the blonde’s neck.
She gave Dawn a warm and charming smile and took her hand in hers and shook it. “Elinor Snow. At your service.” She responded, the corner of her lip turning up into a pleased smile. “So what brings you here?” She asked, releasing the other woman’s hand.
“I’m uh... was going to help my sister move in. We were meeting up here.” The blonde looked over the bar for any sign of her sister. She sighed heavily. “I guess she isn’t here yet. I swore she said to meet her at ten.”
Elinor’s eyes flicked up to the clock to the side of the bar that hung by the front door. It read ten-thirty, and she crooned. “Maybe she got hung up somewhere.” She answered, shrugging her shoulders. “... with a guy that she met at the bar while waiting for you. I’ve seen it happen a thousand times around here.” A soft chuckle rumbled in her throat only because it wasn’t an exaggeration by any means. She may be a vampire just slightly over 500 years old, but she had seen that scenario happen time and time again.
Dawn shook her head and looked over at Elinor. “She wouldn’t do that. My sister is scarily punctual and not only that... Maye is into girls. She wouldn’t just sleep with anyone. Let alone a stranger.” She explained, her voice shaking with worry over her sibling.
“Hey...” Elinor hushed, placing a delicate hand on Dawn’s arm. “It is just been a half an hour. She could’ve just taken a detour exploring the town or something or just had a long phone call. A half an hour isn’t anything to worry about.” She thought for a moment about how to keep this conversation going. “How about I stay with you until she arrives?” Elinor raised a brow and gave her a friendly smile. “What do you say?”
Every instinct of hers beckoned her to use her compulsion to take over Dawn’s mind and get exactly what she wanted from her. But the deal that she made with Hallie banged at the back of her mind.
Dawn looked down at her drink, her brows stitching together as she thought about it. A few moments later, she nodded her head. “Sure,” The blonde glanced back at Elinor out of the corner of her eye. “I’d like that... thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” A small, confident smirk curled on the edges of her lips. The vampire’s eyes slowly looked over at the strawberry-blonde beside her.
There was an undeniable beauty about her. Elinor could see that from the woman at first glance. It was enough to turn her head the moment this human entered the bar and keep her attention. Normally when the vampire would hunt for victims, looks were one of the first aspect she would choose. She would use the natural attraction between herself and the victim before using her compulsion to drag them away to where she might bed them before draining their bodies of blood — leaving them to die.
Elinor’s gaze narrowed to Dawn’s face and studied its features. Her face overall was a cute round shape and her eyes were a light shade of amber that almost appeared golden under just the right light. Her skin was a caramel beige.
With her gaze dipping down to the rest of the human’s frame, she saw Dawn held all of her curves in all the right places without being too slender. Elinor was certainly not afraid to break her if she could get her writhing underneath her.
“Give me your phone.” Elinor demanded, holding out her hand for Dawn to place her phone in. When she got a questioning look, she continued, “I’m just going to put my number in it. On the off chance that you may need anyone to talk to or a tour guide.”
After a few seconds of debating, the blonde took out her phone from the back pocket of her jeans. Dawn unlocked it before handing it to the other female. “Here.”
Elinor’s lips curled into a smirk as she wrapped her fingers around the phone. She navigated to the contacts and keyed in her number. She entered her name as ‘Elinor Snow’ alongside it she entered a winky face emoji, and saved it before she handed it back to Dawn. “Send a message my way if you need some company, alright?” She offered her a smile.
After seeing the contact name that the dark-haired woman set, a small chuckle escaped Dawn’s lips. “I had a feeling that you would save your name like that when I gave you my phone.” She locked her phone and slipped it into her back pocket. She took up her glass and pressed it to her lips, sipping at the cool liquid inside.
Elinor shrugged a bit and chuckled softly. “What can I say? I’m one of a kind.” She turned her head back to the booth that Hallie was still sitting in and noticed her intense stare while she watched her work her natural charm on the strawberry-blonde beside her.
Hallie raised a curious brow in her direction before taking their drinks in her hand, walking over to them. She stood on the other side of the strawberry-blonde. “Hallie Mosley. Pleased to make your acquaintance. I’m a friend of Elinor’s.” She introduced, offering a friendly smile of her own. “I figured she may want her drink that she started having with me before you walked into the room.”
The part was a light teasing jab towards the vampire and her lip curled in a smirk to match it. The fae placed the glasses on the bar and slid the rum over to Elinor, who caught it effortlessly.
Dawn turned her head to the redhead on her other side and flashed her a smile. “Dawn Fletcher. Did she hit on you too when you two first met?” She asked teasingly, poking a bit of innocent fun towards the friends.
“No, she didn’t.” Hallie trailed off with a light chuckle. She hummed as she recalled their meeting. The fae sipped at her Bloody Mary and pointed in Elinor’s direction. “She found me after they, my family, cast me out, and was the only one there for me. The only one who accepted me after I *stepped* out of the ideals set by my *dear* family.”
That faithful night, Elinor was on the hunt and stumbled upon the herd, torturing her soon-to-be fae friend. She stepped in front of Hallie and took a blow before grasping the thorny vine whip in her hand, demanding for them to stop. The vampire hadn’t paid the pain in her hand any mind. Once Elinor scared them off, she assessed the injured fae and was there every step of the way during her painful and heart-wrenching transition to a redcap fairy. From there... they made a vow to always be friends, no matter what. Thus starting their friendship of nearly two centuries.
Dawn’s gaze dropped to the floor for a moment, hearing about what happened to her before raising it to meet Hallie’s. “I’m sorry to hear about that... but do you mind if I ask what part of you that your family didn’t like? Not that I can judge or anything.”
The fae waved her hand dismissively and shook her head. “I don’t mind you asking. I just made some choices that they didn’t agree with and they reprimanded me. I really don’t want to go too deep into what happened there. It happened so long ago, anyway. We were *teens*.”
In actuality, Elinor and Hallie were 300 and 250 years old, respectively, when they met. The length of both the vampire and fairy lifespans, they were practically teenagers.
“Anyway...” Hallie trailed off, flashing a smile to Dawn and her vampire compatriot. “Let’s have ourselves a toast, shall we?” She raised her glass halfway in the air towards the strawberry-blonde human beside her. “To new and old friendships. And to a good time.”
Dawn returned the smile and raised her glass in the air between them. She turned her head to Elinor and nudged her with her shoulder. “Aren’t you going to toast with us?”
The vampire’s mind lost in thought of memories of the past. It wasn’t until the human nudged her did she bring herself back to reality. She smirked a little and raised her glass. “Sure. Why not?” She remarked smartly.
They leaned in and the sound of their glasses clinking resonated throughout the bar.
