Demimonde

For HHH, Nolee, and Christian))

Ok! All ready to go! :-3 Remember, only post a maximum of three times a day, as to not bury other posts or move along the story too quickly. I have a few jobs and am too tired sometimes to post frequently. Thank you!)


Shawn surveyed the city from the hill just outside the limits. It seemed fine enough, small for a city, but big for a town. Big cities were great when you were trying to blend in, especially for Shawn's hunted kind. To catch a djinn was to own a genie. He never stayed in one place for too long to prevent that from happening, making him one of the few free ranging djinn left in the world. Slowly, he made his way into the city, wearing a pair of tan pants, black tank top, and his long hair set in braids. He kept himself inconspicuous to avoid drawing attention to himself.

The city seemed bustling, even for the time of night. He noticed the mixed population of supernatural beings and mortals, keeping that in mind. He preferred mostly mortal cities, because few could pick up on what he actually was.

Deciding he wanted a place to stay and to grab something to eat, he unwittingly made his way into the west side, where most of the supernatural creatures lived. He stopped in front of a large red bricked bar and hotel with a historic, Victorian flair. The artful lettering out front spelled out DEMIMONDE. Shrugging, he went inside, setting in at the bar. He let his bag drop by his feet, scanning the place for interesting people.

There was a woman and a man, the man an obvious demon with his horns and wings. He had on a pair of black leather pants and cowboy boots- a bifurcated tail swishing impatiently by his feet. The woman was well dressed in a short, spaghetti strap dress- busily dousing his head with what looked like ice water.

"Come on, Karen! I gotta keep cool- the heat's killin' me!" He frowned and fanned himself. His bare back was wet, signifying that he had water poured all over him. "I hate this time a year!"

"Fool!" She smacked his arm. "Don't fan yourself! You'll spread the scent of your heat!" She hissed to him and then looked up toward Shawn. She narrowed her eyes at him, then looked back to Jeff. "Don't look over at the end of the bar."

"What, why?"

"It'll make your heat worse." She snipped, and reached into her pants. She pulled out a piece of cloth and tied it around Jeff's eyes.

Shawn snickered. So it was demon mating season? He sniffed the air. There was something sweet in the air that he couldn't place. He figured it must be stronger for another demon.

"It's not funny!' Karen barked at him. "This is serious!"

"I can see." Without another word, he went over to her, picking up a cloth. He rung it out over Jeff's soaking blonde hair. "Does actually work...?"

Jeff pouted. "Who the hell is that? He sounds sexy. An' no! It don't work!" He whimpered. "I gotta do a job tonight, but I can't like this! I can't stop thinkin' about sex! Gawd, I want it so bad!" He turned toward Karen, grabbing the woman's breasts.

Karen growled and grabbed the bucket- dumping it over Jeff's head.

"GAHHH! COLD!" He shivered and pulled the bucket off of his head. "Alright... alright... I think I'm good now." Jeff nodded slowly and pulled off the blindfold. He needed to be able to concentrate. After the cold bucket, he felt more level headed, praying that it lasted long enough to do the job he needed to do. "Sorry Karen." He winced watching her dab at the wet hand prints on the front of her dress.

DEMIMONDE.

That one word stood out as Carter looked around the sem-crowded street of the city. He had just rolled in from Houston, Texas and was making a stop before continuing the next night. He reeked of high SPF suntan lotion and looked like a traditional cowboy. His white hat sat on top of his head, covering up the mess of short brown hair that he desperately needed to get cut, his flannel shirt buttoned over his broad chest but at the same time clinging to every tight curve of his back and arms, and his tight blue jeans held up by a simple brown belt with a gold buckle. His black boots contrasted against his outfit but he didn't care. He liked to stand out. Standing out meant he got to eat more. And he didn't mean burgers and fries. He meant people.

Carter had once been a happy, life loving young man who frequented bars and honky tonks after his minimum wage job let him go. It was in one of these places that he met a man he had fallen in love with. A man who had lied to him and told him that everything was fine as his teeth sunk into his neck. A man whose blood he had drank from to gain his long life. A man he would serve until the end of days.

He shook his head, snapping from his own thoughts as he pushed his way into the place. It wasn't his usual dig but it was the only place in town that had stood out to him. It sounded like the type of place he could meet others like him, people who weren't going to judge because of his unnaturally pointed teeth and inhuman abilities.

Carter made his way to the bar, taking in the site of a few other patrons. One woman stood out to him, who was talking to a man who was most defintly a demon. He could smell his stench from there. The other was a handsome man at the end of the bar who seemed like he didn't want to stand out to anyone. And by god if the man didn't want to stand out, Carter wasn't going to try and get his attention.

"A bottle of Jack,' he told the barkeep, "leave the glasses, I just want the bottle."

Jay checked himself in the mirror one last time as as brushed his long blonde hair back and pulled at the tight mesh shirt he wear before flashing a sey grin and heading towards the bar. He was hunting alone tonight with out his sire which suited him just fine he hated his sire with a passion, he for some reason lacked the normal Sire/Changling bond with his sire. He was a young vampire having been made only a year ago, he had meet his sire in a bar and had foolishly agreed to go home with him only to wake up and be told not only he was a vampire but he now belonged to his sire. Jay sighed at the memories as he walked inside the bar and looked around for any prey. He walked up to the bar and ordered a beer before looking around the room, he suddenly realised there were two other vampires in the room as well as a demon of some sort and something else he couldn't place. Jay bit his lip and debated wether to leave and find another place to hunt or to stay and see what happened, he finally decided to stay for a bit and took a drink of his beer.

Josh has no real understanding of "conventions." Information could be more easily and efficiently communicated electronically. It seemed to be an occasion used solely for tiny talk and sexual relations, neither of which Josh has much use for.

He comes into the bar, frowning slightly and taking an unoccupied seat near the exit. One of his colleagues wanted to meet here. Though why she assumed they would also be having coffee in the morning was a little confusing. How did she know they would wake up at the same time. It was all very strange.

--

Heath has a life, a pulse, a job, it's more than a lot of people can say these days. Still, sometimes he just needs to go outside. If he doesn't use his powers a lot, he starts to feel hemmed in, like the walls are going to fall down around his ears.

So he'd gone walking along a deserted trail, using some fire to light his path. And his wanderings have lead him to this bar, frowning at the odd assortment of people. It was interesting; being a non-human, you learned to recognize when you were among your own kind. Not that Heath knows a hell of a lot about his kind. There wasn't much research done on Nymphs and even less on hybrids.

Still, he shrugs to himself, taking a seat near the window, ordering himself a beer.

Mark sighed, again, looking at his blonde companion. Not for the first time, he wondered why the hell he was babysitting a vampire. Ever since he whooped Hunter's ass to prevent the baby vampire from compromising the entire underworld's existence by going on a public rampage that would have no doubt ended up plastered on international tv, Hunter had sticked around, coming to him when he had trouble, when he was lonely, when he was hungry.
Mark, the good soul that he was, tolerated it, if only because it let him keep an eye on the rogue vampire.

"Hunter. You wanted a place to hunt exotic meals. This is it. I'm sure you'll find someone to experiment with. Now. I'm going home, and I don't want you to follow me, ring me, or even think about me for the next 12 hours. Think you can do that?"

Hunter grinned. It didn't look reassuring.

"Demi-monde? Okay, I'll give it a shot." He hooked his arm around Mark's. "But not without my favorite bite. C'mon Mark, when was the last time you had fun? Who knows, maybe you'll find some pretty little thing who'll jump your dead bones, hm?"

"For the last time, I'm not dead. It's just a stupid nickname."

Mark facepalmed. Hunter would get his way. He always did.

"Fine, fine. I'll go in with you and have a drink. But after that, you're on your own, understood?"

"Yes sir!"

Hunter dragged him inside the bar. Mark ordered drinks for them both and surveyed the crowded place, absently scanning for any potential dangers. The usual crowd was there: vampires, minor demons... His eyes fell on a lithe blonde and he frowned, trying to determine his species and failing. He had the same problem with another red head, and small sturdy man. Mark shrugged. No point in torturing himself when he wouldn't find answers by just looking.

He glanced at his "friend", and raised an eyebrow when he saw the gleam in Hunter's eyes. He followed the vampire's gaze and soon noticed the odd couple of a vampire and a sex demon. A sex demon. Mark groaned and rubbed his face. If he wasn't mistaken, this was mating season for this kind. He gave Hunter a worried look, then sighed.

"You're gonna try to fuck him, aren't you."

"Yep."

"Just... don't kill him."

"I'll try. Do you think he tastes good?"

"How the hell should I know?"

Mark downed his glass in one go and prepared himself for a long night of trying to prevent disasters.

Karen patted Jeff's arm, pausing when Carter walked by. A vampire- one of her own kind. She glanced up when Christian walked in- yet another of her kind. It seemed like she was going to feel more at home tonight. Poor Jeff though, he was having a difficult time trying to keep himself under control.

After the bartender filled Carter's order, he set the pair up with another bucket of ice water. Karen dipped another cloth into the bucket, setting it on Jeff's head. "You are such trouble sometimes, I don't even know where to begin." She sighed in frustration as Mark and Hunter walked in. Yet another one of her kind, but coupled with a mortal. Her eyes narrowed slightly. She had to deal with them all the time at work. "Excuse me. I need some air." She muttered and grabbed her purse- she needed some air. The scent from Jeff's heat, which smelt pleasant at first, was growing harder to ignore.

Jeff pouted and nodded, fanning himself a little with his hand. He didn't notice Hunter- he was trying so hard to will the heat away like he had done many times in the past. But due to his new job, he didn't pay enough attention to the signs until it had snuck up on him.

Once Jeff's heat problem was seemingly under control, Shawn picked up his drink, sipping at it as he plotted his next move. Shawn looked around at the new people who had come into the bar. So far, so good. No one seemed to know, or even care if they did know, what he was. He relaxed a little, watching the people in the room as they entered. He tipped his hat to Carter, smiled at Christian, and watched Mark and Hunter. Karen seemed to be bothered by something- but he didn't know what. Seeing as how she was hanging around a demon, maybe she was bothered by her own kind.

At that point, he noticed one of the men sitting at a spot by the bar's exit, looking like he was waiting for someone to meet him. Another man, a red head, was by the window. Shrugging his shoulder, he went over to say hello. There was something about him that was different too. "Hey." He said to Heath. "I'm Shawn. Mind some company?"

Carter looked at the woman leaving, shaking his head. He wasn't a big fan of other vampires. They had caused him nothing but pain and he had a few scars across his chest and arms from fights he had been in with them. Usually his opponent didn't survive. He smiled at the demon, wondering how demon blood tasted, but then his eyes caught sight of the mortal. Mortal blood made him happy. It tasted like heaven on Earth, an explination he once would have applied to the taste of an ice cold Budweiser. He picked up his beer and walked over to the mortal, flashing a dazzling smile.

"Hello, my names Carter. What might I call yeh?" he smirked, extending a hand.

Alex quickly shifted back to his human form as he reached the door of the bar, he made sure he looked ok before walking into the bar. Alex snifed the air and found many vampires in the bar as well as some others he couldn't quiet place. Alex srugged and make his way to the bar before ordering.

Jay looked around the room as he took another drink of his beer, he wondered if his sire realised he had left without him. He shook his head he didn't care if a monster knew or not he was going to see if he could have a good time tonight.

Heath looks up at the new voice and smiles brightly. "Not at all, Darlin', take a seat." In fact, Heath stands up and walks over, pulling the chair out for him before going back to his own and settling down. He holds out his hand. "Heath Slater, pleased to meet you."

Over the years, Heath has been told that he's hot. Well, hot as in good looking, but also hot to the touch. Growing up, doctors were astounded that his normal body temperature was approximately one hundred degrees, far hotter than a human being, but to him, it was just normal. "And you are?" He flashes his brightest smile, certainly not minding the company.

--

Josh stares around at the occupants of the room, then glances at his watch again. He will give this encounter another five minutes and then go back to his room and ... exist.

Mark watched Hunter accost the blonde demon and half expected him to get slapped, knowing subtelty wasn't the vampire's specialty. He blinks when someone approached him, and turned to meet the man, apparently called Carter. He shook the offered handfirmly.

"Taker."

The hand was cold as ice. A vampire in all likeliness then. Mark nodded at the bartender when he got his drink and took a sip of his beer, thinking Carter was a welcome distraction. Nevertheless, blood suckers could be unpredictable and he said guardedly:

"I don't think I've ever seen you around here. You new around these parts?"


Meawhile, Hunter was making his way towards the demon, and watched with satisfaction as the female vampire left her hot companion alone. He licked his lips, sniffing the air and inhaling the scent of Jeff's heat. If there was one thing Hunter was not good at, it was being patient. Most times, he felt the slow and complicated seduction process was entirely unnecessary, especially when dealing with meals. He was unsure if a succubus could constitute a meal, but hell, he was more than willing to give it a try.

He casually took Karen's place, leaning against the counter and turning his head to look at the blonde creature, mouth stretched in a smirky grin that revealed his pointy fangs as a way to introduce himself. He said, half joking:

"Hello, pretty. Wanna fuck?"

(At this point since everyone is properly introduced and has made their introduction, feel free to not post in order. HOWEVER PLEASE DO NOT POST MORE THAN THREE TIMES A DAY. THIS PREVENTS THE THREAD FROM GROWING OUT OF CONTROL Thank you for your compliance)

Jeff glanced over to Hunter, raking his teeth across his bottom lip- his fangs drawing a bit of blood as he nibbled on it. "Ah... Wanna fuck?" His mind was so hazy right now. A fuck would be good. It would get rid of his heat, that was for sure. But it was so dangerous to have sex like this. His kind often became linked with whomever he slept with while in this state. He slept with Karen once to get rid of his heat, now they were linked. But that was fine, as he knew her for quite sometime. This man, he didn't know at all.

"I..I don't know if that'd be such a good idea." He finally stammered out, feeling around in the bucket for a rag. He dumped the water down his neck, sighing at the cold relief it brought. "I don't even know who the hell ya'll are, an' when I'm like this? It actually matters."

Karen in the meantime was outside, watching the cars and people go by. She fanned herself a bit. Jeff's heat was stronger for her as she had slept with him before. But he was her friend, and he needed her. Karen was a steadfast woman, she stuck by the people she considered to be her friend no matter what.

Shawn sat down. "Why thank ya- that was mighty kind of ya! I'm Shawn, nice to meet ya Heath!" He put his arms on the table, leaning over them slightly. "So what's this whole town like? Unless ya'll are a newcomer like me. I just got in." He said and glanced back around the room. The woman by the demon was gone, replaced by some blonde haired man, looking to take advantage of the state he was in. "Hey, turn your head toward them over there. The demon's in heat, that guy's tryin' to score." Shawn snickered. "This should be interesting to say the least."

Carter nodded at Mark's question of if he was new here, "Yessir. I just got in from East Tennesse." He licked his lips, eyes resting on the throbbing veins in Marks neck, which would have looked like normal veins to everyone else. "Yer not supernatural, but the buddy yeh walked in with is a vampire, care to explain how that happens?"

He took a drink of his own beer, watching the man who was much bigger than him with an almost preditorial gaze.

Heath shrugs. "It's a good mix of normal folk and the supernatural types like us. They tend to mix pretty well, so long as the supernatural ones don't kick up too much of a fuss or show off their powers all that much. I've been here for a while now, few years probably. Kinda wandered in, found some work and set down roots. Damned if I know how it happened."

At Shawn's words, he blinks and looks over, smirking a little. From the sounds of things this would be a hell of a show.

--

Josh looks at his watch again, finishes his drink and starts to leave. He could go back to his room and exist without the increased noise level. He starts to go.

Hunter sniffed the air and sighed happily. Not only was the demon incredibly hot, his blood smelled lovely as well.

"Mmh. Name's Hunter. There, you know me now."

Hunter leaned in close, turning his head to lick the drop of blood from Jeff's bottom lip himself.

"Tasty... Why the heck would this be a bad idea? You want sex, heck your scent is practically telling 'Fuck me now!' to anyone who can pick it up."

Hunter blew air on JJ's wet skin, just under his pointy ear.

"Come on, Pretty. We'll both have a good time and be relieved. What's the harm in wanting that?"


Meanwhile, Mark was trying and failing to remember some very important fact about demons' heat season. With a mental shrug he let it go, focusing back on the vampire before him.

"Not really. I don't see how it's any of your business and explaining would take too long." Mark looked at Carter, sipping his drink. "I know that look. Been a while since you fed, vamp?"

Alex smiled as he took a drink of his beer, he need to relax after the day he had especially with the stupid pack leader acting like a controlling monster. Alex sighed and pulled it from his mind and decided to enjoy himself.

Jay finished his beer before he pushed his hair back and made sure he looked ok before walking over to the handsome young man by himself. Jay gave a sexy grin as he walked to his table "Hi my names Jay can i sit with you." he said.

Carter licked his lips, his gaze going from Mark's deep eyes to the throbbing veins in his neck. He hadn't fed in a few hours but he was undeniably hungry. "I...I should feed soon..." Carter agreed.

Hey guys, seems like we're doing great so far! Just keep in mind- no short posts. A paragraph is fine, usually 3-5 sentences denotes a paragraph. Thank you for your compliance.)

"You're settled here?" Shawn blinked in surprise, he pegged Heath for a wander type like himself. There was something different about the other man, what ever he was it wasn't something Shawn had ever come across before. "Well, then it must be a pretty cool place to live then. I dunno- I normally don't stick 'round parts for long amounts a time. Maybe that'll change though." He grinned a little at Heath and turned his attention back to the vampire and the demon. "What till his female friend comes back an' take a load of that."

Jeff froze when Hunter licked at him. It sent a shock of heat down his spine so fast he felt like his temperature spiked one hundred degrees. He bristled and squirmed on the bar stool, his pants growing uncomfortably tight. He muttered curses under his breath, not wanting to be bonded to a man he didn't know.

"I- I don't know you." Jeff growled. "I d-d-don't want to be bonded to you. PLEASE. Jus' leave me alone."

Karen headed back inside to the bar, seeing a blonde man sitting beside her friend. Her eyes narrowed at the other vampire. She clamped her hand down on his shoulder. "Hey. Pal. Back off." She bared her teeth. "He's not for you."

Heath shrugs. "I've done a little traveling here and there, but mostly I'm pretty settled." He sips his drink. He had run away a few times in his life, spirited off whenever one of his little fires got out of control. He'd never hurt anyone, but the law certainly didn't like too many unexplained fires getting started in a short span of time. To that end, Heath is used to being on the road for a couple week at a time, till things die down. Even now, in his apartment, he's got a bag packed and ready to run if he needs to. "But I'm boring as all get out. Why don't you tell me about yourself, Shawn." He flashes him a big smile. "Do I hear Texas in that accent?"

He's distracted by Shawn's pointing at the display at the bar. He's pretty sure there's going to be a brawl or something interesting happening, but it's hard to keep his eyes off the pretty blond sitting across from him.

--

Like a scene from a movie, Josh glances over both shoulders to make sure he's the one being spoken to; he finds it a little surprising... he's never the one people are speaking to. It pitches him off guard, but he manages to nod. "Of course," he says simply, settling back into his own seat. He suspects the blond man might be trying to reserve the seat for someone else, but he's not certain, so Josh remains where he is. He licks his lips, trying to remember that customary greeting. "Jello."

Hunter frowned. The demon was squirming quite nicely, but he was talking way too much.

"Bonded? What are you talking about..." He stopped mid sentence and turned back to face a mean looking vampiress. He bared his fangs in response.

"Who the hell are you to tell me to back off. This is my hunt now. Get lost or get hurt."

***

Mark tilted his head at the obviously hungry vamp, a hard expression on his face.

"Look, Carter. Maybe you're a nice guy, I don't know. But if you don't stop looking at me like dinner, we're gonna have a problem."

Mark hesitated, then took out a piece of paper from his jacket and scribbled a few words on it before handing it to the vampire.

"Here. In case you're unlucky in your hunt tonight, this is the address of the closest red cross center. You can buy your way into getting bags of fresh blood, or steal them if you don't have the money. It's the most I can do for you..."

The Texan was going to add that once Carter was fed and clear headed, maybe a drink would be nice, but glanced in his friend's direction to check up on him.

"Oh that fucking... idiot!"

He left his place in a hurry to try and stop the incoming disaster.

Carter hung his head, taking the piece of paper. He hated having to go to blood banks for his meals. The intimacy of sharing blood with someone else was always nice. The blood banks always asked if he needed it. Couldn't the idiots tell he needed it? Seeing the handsome man rush off, he stuck his hands in his pockets and hung his head. It was going to be another lonely night.

Jay smile at Josh "Hello yourself." he said as he looked at Josh "I'm Jay whats your name?" he asked, his powers turning on slightly by themselves before he shut them down, he didn't need his sire knowing where he was at.

Alex looked at the vampire that had been shot down by the human and wondered if he'd be interested in a one night stand. Alex finished his beer and made his way over to the vampire "Hi."

Carter's eyes flashed as he looked at Alex, "Wolf..." There had been a strict hatred between were's and vampires for a while, something that the Twilight series had gotten right. The only thing it had gotten right as a matter of fact. Carter had no love for were's of any kinds, be they wolves or tigers.

"He is not your hunt!" Karen growled out and grabbed Hunter by the collar- pulling him off of Jeff. She growled in his ear. "You don't understand, his kind is different. His kind goes into heat once every ten years. If you do what you probably want to do, you'll be bo-" Karen was interrupted by Jeff quickly getting off his bar stool and bolting out of the bar.

-

Jeff felt better once he was in the night air, flying up toward the roof. He sat on it, running his hands through his short blonde hair. He was so screwed. It happened with Karen ten years ago- she stripping, he couldn't say no. Now they were bonded. Which wasn't a bad thing, he had lucked out. But who was to say he'd luck out again? He sat up against the little building that held the cooling and ventilation for the hotel and bar on the roof, fiddling with his bifurcated tail- feeling better being away from everyone else.

-

Shawn grinned. "Yep! Lived there a good chunk a my life. I'd love to go back one a these days- Wish I could say that I was born an' raised, but... my momma gave me life some place else though." He shrugged a shoulder. "I'm a wanderer. Ya get the most out of life that way. I've seen so many sites, done so many things. I can't imagine my life being any other way."

He left it at that, not wanting to say too much about himself. His kind was often hunted for what they could do, it was best to keep a low profile even with a friendly face. "That accent a yours is a bit thick for these parts. But so was that demon over there- there must be somethin' good about this city if it keeps attractin' us southerners. It obviously has good taste." He joked.

Josh cocks his head, then shrugs. "My name is Josh Mathews." He orders himself another glass of iced tea from the waitress who passes by. Jay is intriguing. Vampires have always had a strange effect on Josh. Dead, but not dead, it's interesting to him. He stares at him, almost unblinking. Though Josh does try to adhere to the advice people give him when it comes to socialization, he still has a lot he needs to learn.


--

"Wow, that sounds pretty awesome. I haven't had much occasion to do any traveling, but I do love to spend time outdoors. Can't get me off the camp site, naw mean?" He chuckles and flicks a hand through his hair. "You hungry? I was about to snag a burger for myself. The beer might be a little watered down, but the cook knows what he's doing."

Heath fusses with his hair a little more. He's been on another of his camping trips, so he's in need of a haircut. It's not bad, only a couple of inches longer than normal, but still annoying. Sometimes he wonders if his love of the outdoors, just aimlessly wandering the woods, is part of his nymph heritage. "There are some beautiful spots around here to check out. Some of them are a little rough to get to, but they're worth it."

Alex rolled his eyes "Great another mindless can't think for themselves asshole who follows the stupid code of Vamps and Weres must hate each other for some unknown reason bullshit, your just like my fucking jerk of an alpha." he said with a frown "All i wanted was to see if you wanted a drink maybe a one night stand but whatever."

Jay smiled at Josh "So Josh why is a handsome guy like you out by yourself?" he asked trying to flirt a bit, he hoped he wasn't coming on to strong. He thought Josh was handsome and hoped that maybe they could have some fun together.