In the shadows at the far end of the underpass, two figures watched the little scene being played out ahead of them. The skinheads were threatening an Asian gentleman who'd had the misfortune of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. They had him up against the wall, jeering and catcalling, telling him that he wasn't fucking wanted here, to go back home to his own fucking country, fucking slanty-eyed gook!

It hadn't descended into violence yet, but the hatred flashed as brightly in the boys' eyes as the swastika pins on their jackets flashed in the overhead lighting. The man made the mistake of pushing the leader. The skinheads descended on him like a pack of rabid dogs.

The figures exchanged looks. Echoes of the past... A repeat of scenes they had witnessed almost a century ago on a different continent. It had led to the events that had driven them from a burning Europe...

A second yell from the mall security guards sent the skinheads skittering away, their laughter echoing ominously along in the tunnel, the Asian gentleman lying battered and bleeding on the ground. The two figures melted back into the shadows as the boys raced past. Then they turned, following them.

Hando lobbed the empty beer bottle at the bin, giggling when it bounced off the edge and clattered on the floor. Davey grinned lopsidedly. They were the only ones still awake. They'd bought beer and cheap whisky with the money they'd stolen from the gook and the rest of the boys were draped in drunken unconsciousness where they'd fallen. Hando pushed himself unsteadily to his feet, turning towards the kitchen area to get more beer.

They were standing by the door. Two women, dressed in black. They were both tall, one with short mahogany-red hair, the other with long copper tresses that she wore in a braid that fell over one shoulder.

Hando's beer addled brain laughed "Goths" and dismissed them as no threat. They were women and there were only two of them. But there was something about them, something that made him uneasy... He took an unsteady step forwards, demanding, "How the fuck did you get in here?"

"Like you did," the shorthaired woman told him quietly as Davy glanced round and shot to his feet, "through the door."

Hando heard her accent and laughed, sneering, "Fucking pommie bint!"

She smiled, and it chilled him to the bone. "I am..." she admitted.

"I'm not," the other woman told him pleasantly, turning.

"So say that again and she'll take umbrage!" the pommie warned as the other woman moved slowly around the sofa, her eyes sweeping across the sprawled bodies in a way that reminded Hando of a predator stalking its prey... "As will I, lad," pommie continued, "for the condescending nature of your tone!"

Davey was gazing at her, open mouthed. Hando swallowed, telling her, "Fuck you!"

"Oh," pommie replied huskily, "I intend you to..." She dropped her head. And when she looked back up her eyes had changed colour to a captivating, azure green. "And a good deal more besides!"

Trapped in her gaze he was unable to move. Fear beginning to wind tendrils through his gut and wash away the haze of alcohol, Hando asked, "Who the fuck are you?"

"Call me Morrigan," the first woman told him. "My Irish friend here is Raven."

"Hello," Raven greeted lightly, smiling sweetly at Davey who had turned. He gasped, taking a small step back as she tilted her head and trapped him in the gold of her eyes... Then she broke the gaze, beginning to prowl again, picking her way carefully over the discarded bodies of the drunken skinheads.

Raven gave a small cry of delight, dropping to her knees. Morrigan kept eye contact with Hando, not allowing him to move, sensing the wash of fear that pounded through him at his inability to see what her sister was doing.

"Found something?" Morrigan asked.

"Oh, yes..." Raven replied dreamily, catching hold of Bubbs and pulling him easily into a sitting position. "A boy... young, sweet and tender..." She scented the air around him, looking back at Davey who had taken a step towards her. Raven's gaze snared him, holding immobile as she cradled the youngster tenderly.

Davey watched, terror stabbing at him as she opened her mouth to reveal the long, sharp fangs. "No..." he breathed. She tilted her head slightly as if in question, still smiling at him

Hando heard the unintelligible sound and tried to turn, but Morrigan was moving slowly towards him, the swing of the skirt around her ankles as tantalising as the azure green of her eyes. Fear swept through him. He was trapped by her, unable to turn when the redheaded bitch was up to something that had fucking Davey terrified...

Morrigan smelled Hando's fear. It swept towards her in waves, woven with the perfume of the blood that his racing heart pounded through his veins, tantalising her. She wasn't finished playing, though. She closed her eyes, releasing him.

Hando staggered as the weight was lifted. Then he snapped round. The redhead was on her knees, Bubbs' wrist to her mouth, the sharp, canine teeth denting his skin. The sane part of Hando's mind told him that this wasn't happening, that he was lying in a drunken stupor and was going to wake up any moment... Any fucking moment...

But instinct told him it was real, as real as the fear that was churning in his guts. With a roar of rage he vaulted the sofa, launching himself towards the redhead. In one, fluid movement she had discarded the child, rising to her feet, turning her eyes on him.

She let Hando reach her before catching him in the gold, vampire gaze. He skittered to a stop, his breath coming in quick, panicked gasps. He sensed Davey taking a step towards him. Then the movement stopped.

Morrigan reached the taller skinhead, stepping in front of him as he started towards Hando and Raven. She reached out, gently running the back of her fingers down his cheek, tracing the line of his jaw. He was trembling, partly from fear, partly from anger. She smiled at him and felt his terror surge.

Raven tilted her head, moving closer to Hando, running a finger down his chest to scratch a nail across the fabric covering his manhood. He grunted, deep in the back of his throat, his eyes going wide as he felt himself harden in response to her touch. Standing on her tiptoes, Raven brushed her lips across his. He gasped, everything driven suddenly from his mind except the loss of the gold eyes and the feel of her body against his. He wrapped his arms round her, kissing her brutally, cutting his tongue on her fangs.

Raven moaned softly, the promise of blood, the taste of him, exciting her

Morrigan smiled then admonished in mock petulance, "Raven, play fair! I saw him first..."

The redhead pulled away, giggling, running her tongue across her lips and tilting her head back to let the blood run across her tongue to her throat, hissing in delight. Hando took a step back, fear sweeping back in, slamming at him. Nothing in his life had prepared him for this, for the erotic, passionate, thinly veiled savagery of the two women who stood in front of him now. Violence excited him, he got a fucking kick out of it, but this was different, this was so completely fucking different...

He was trapped, no longer in control, unable to protect his people should these women decide to massacre them. And he was finding that the helplessness aroused him as much as it terrified him... Which fucking disgusted him...

Then Morrigan was touching his arm. He span round, trapping himself in her gaze again. And he no longer cared. All that mattered now was the green depths of her eyes and the soft caress of her hand against his face as she searched his soul and pulled at secrets so deeply hidden that he had forgotten they were even there...

She slid her hand behind his neck, pulling her to him, kissing him softly and gently. He opened his lips to her, letting her explore his mouth.

Morrigan tasted his blood, tainted by the whisky and beer. She dropped her other hand to undo the button of his waistband, tugging gently on the zip of his trousers and pulling it down across his hard manhood. Still kissing him, she slipped her hand in, finding him naked beneath the fabric. He moaned softly, reaching up and taking hold of her face as she wrapped her hand round his length, pulling him gently free of the confines of the material and slowly began to work him.

She pulled away from his mouth, her hand still moving, asking huskily, "So, do you still want to fuck me?"

He nodded, his eyes hungry.

"Anywhere private we can go?" she asked.

"My room..." he murmured. She moved behind him, wrapping her free hand round his chest, making him walk as she continued to pump slowly on his length. She glanced at Raven, grinning as she saw that her sister had already laid Davey out on the couch, relieving him of his shirt and slowly undoing his trousers. He was lying looking up at her in awed desire.

Hando opened the door and Morrigan finally let him go as they moved into the room. She let him close the door, let him wrap his arms around her, kissing her. Then she dropped slowly to her knees. Taking hold of him, she pulled back the foreskin, licking him, feeling the shudder that went through him. She let him go, resting her hands on his hips as she took him slowly into her mouth, her tongue running down his length. She drew away, her front teeth grazing his skin, only to swallow him again, suckling him, hearing the breath catch in his chest.

He cried out in consternation as she let him go, standing up. She silenced him with her mouth on his lips. Then she pushed him, sending him sprawling backwards across the mattress. Eyes wide with shock, he swore and sat up. Then he smiled slowly, leaning back on his arms as she unhurriedly, tantalisingly, removed her clothing. She stood for a moment, naked in front of him, his eyes running over the pale, alabaster of her skin. Then she dropped to her knees, crawling across the floor to him, moving up the length of his legs to push him back onto the mattress.

She straddled him, sliding her hands beneath his braces and moving them slowly off of his shoulders. She dropped forward, holding herself above him on her arms, running her tongue around his nipple. He lifted his hands, tangling them in her hair, holding her to him as she took the nipple in her mouth and gently sucked on it. She let him hold her down, allowing him believe for a moment that he was in control again.

Then, growling deep in her throat, she sat up, grabbing his wrists and pinning them to the mattress above his head. For a stunned moment he did nothing, his eyes going wide in surprise. Lifting the magic, relishing the stab of fear the swept through him, she smiled, letting him see her fangs again. He struggled against her deliciously, his eyes flickering to the door.

Hando fought desperately, trying to get away from her, unable to accept the strength of the pale arms that held him down. The rest of the gang were out there, out there with another of these things, unable to defend themselves! And Davey was...

Davey! Fuck!

He took a breath to scream a warning, but Morrigan laughed, muffling the sound in his throat as she claimed his lips, her tongue plundering his mouth. He ripped his head to the side, away from her, spitting obscenities, but it was the wrong move.

The long curve of his neck was exposed. The scent of fear wove with the perfume of his alcohol fragranced blood. She dipped her head, driving the fangs down through skin to find the precious liquid that pulsed beneath...

Agony exploded, driving darkness across his consciousness and ripping a scream from him.

The blood poured into her mouth, the rich tang pulling a small moan of delight from her. She swallowed, drawing another mouthful.

The scream died to a whimper of astonished surprise as Morrigan's tongue moved against his neck and the pain warped into bliss. Her mouth against his neck was doing things that only a mouth around his dick had ever done... He stopped struggling and lay stunned, gasping for breath, his manhood standing proud.

His submission thrilled her, driving her to take a third mouthful, but she forced herself to pull away, hissing in delight. She wanted some fun before she took any more from him. Lapping softly at the wound until it flowed to a trickle then stopped, she felt him move against her, heard the small sound deep in the back of his throat as wave after wave of ecstasy pounded through him. Finally, she lifted her head away, looking down at him. He turned his head, gazing up at her with wide, confused eyes, wanting nothing more than to feel the draw of her mouth against his neck again...

She smiled, reminding him softly, "You promised to fuck me, lad. Remember?"

She slid down his body, tugging his trousers down over his hips, her tongue flickering over the end of his arousal, pulling another groan from him. She pulled at the laces of his boots, giving him time to recover from the bite. He sat up, hauling them off, pulling off his trousers.

Then he grabbed her, throwing her down on the mattress. She giggled in delight. He crawled up her, bracing himself above her on one hand, the other guiding himself between her legs.

"No!" she told him. He looked at her and she caught him with her eyes again, holding him immobile as she wriggled further up the mattress. Then she put her hand on his head, pushing him gently down, telling him, "There's work for your tongue to do first!"

He looked at her, the confusion in his eyes pulling another giggle from her throat, but somehow it didn't surprise her that he had only ever taken pleasure from a woman, never given it. She slid herself back down the mattress, taking his hand from his arousal and guiding his fingers between her legs to the small mound between her lips... "There! See?" she asked, moving his fingers.

He dropped onto an elbow, exploring her with his fingers, losing then finding the small mound again, hearing her light sigh. His hand worked slowly as he watched her face. Then he moved again, positioning himself between her legs, his mouth taking over from his fingers, his tongue pressing into the cool flesh to flicker across her, sending waves of pleasure into her.

He was no slow learner and soon she was writhing beneath him as he sucked gently, his tongue never still, his fingers finding their way into her sex, slowly stroking her.

The pressure built deep inside her, driving all thought from her mind but the heat of his mouth and the movement of his fingers. Then he surprised her by moving again, his fingers returning to her clit, his warm mouth closing over a breast, tonguing the bud to hardness.

She moaned, her hips pushing up against the pressure of his touch, her head thrown back, a growl purring deep in her throat as the pressure wave expanded through her. He lifted his mouth, his tongue finding her other nipple. For a long, agonising moment she teetered on the brink of the orgasm, then crashed down. Crying out, she bucked against him, nails digging into the skin of his back, shuddering to a stop as the climax faded.

Morrigan lifted her head, grinning at him, telling him, "I warned you you'd do a good deal more besides!"

She rolled him over, claiming his mouth. His hands returned to her head, holding her as she sucked gently at his tongue, pulling blood from the cut Raven's fangs had caused. Then she turned round, straddling his chest, trapping his arms beneath her lower legs. She dropped forward, bracing herself above him on one hand, wrapping the other round his manhood to pull the foreskin back, dropping her head to lick the sensitive, exposed tip.

"Fuck..." he groaned, rapture weaving with dismay. He was lost without her eyes, relishing her touch on his dick but also wanting the draw of her mouth against his neck... "Morgan...?" he pleaded.

"Morrigan," she corrected, turning slightly to look at him. "As in Goddess of War."

His breath caught in his throat as he dropped into the amethyst pools again. He rolled over abruptly, taking her with him, needing to own her, wanting her as powerless beneath him now as she had been earlier when his tongue had worked its magic on her body, wanting to do anything that would force her to drive her fangs deep into his neck in the wash of agony and devour him.

Surprised by his sudden wash of strength, he was on top of her almost before she was aware of it. She lay beneath him as he turned round, allowing him to take control, his tongue plundering her mouth - allowing him to shove her legs apart and drive himself brutally inside of her, gasping as he ground against her. There was no finesse, only raw power coupled with desperate need as he pounded against her, driving them both towards ecstasy.

She climaxed only moments before he did, her muscles rippling around him and dropping him over the edge. He cried out, almost passing out at the intensity of it. Then she was flipping into his back, kneeling beside him, her hands on his shoulders, lifting him off the mattress. He cried out again as pain exploded into pleasure, her fangs driving into his neck, her mouth and tongue moving, sending surge after surge of unbelievable bliss through him, exhausting him in its intensity....

Morrigan drew another mouthful of blood, feeling the beat of his heart slowing and weakening. If she took any more she would kill him. She broke the kiss, lapping gently at the wound, the blood slowing to a trickle then finally stopping. Gently, she laid him back down on the mattress and sat up, looking down at him, tracing a tattoo with her finger.

Hando looked up at her through exhausted, half-closed eyes, never wanting to leave the embrace of her amethyst gaze. She leaned forward, kissing him softly but deeply on the mouth...

Her time was growing short... The sun was moving inexorably towards the horizon. It was later than she thought and there were now little time left before she and her sister would have to leave for their sanctuary. Pulling away, she murmured softly, "Forget..."

His eyes drifted closed.

She turned to retrieve her clothes and saw the book half hidden by the bedding. Reaching out, she ran her fingers lightly over the embossed title on the front...

She and her sister had only come here to feed because it had been so long since they had tasted such fear and hatred. It had been an appalling lure to them, drawing them after the group of boys. They had watched from the windows giggling in anticipation as the lads had partied and, one by one, passed out... leaving only two. And so they'd finally made their move...

Most humans had at least one saving grace. She had no idea what Raven had found in Davey, but in Hando's soul she had glimpsed a life sparsely scattered happiness and a heart hardened by hatred and violence. Yet that was countered by a fierce commitment to the humans lying drunk on the other side of the door. And yet, despite that protectiveness, he had willingly thrown himself into her thrall to lose himself and find a release from the pain for a time.

She bent down again, her cheek against his. It was over sixty years since she had read the book, driven by curiosity about the events taking place in the country that had, for a time, been her home... but certain passages had caught her attention and stayed with her. By the time he woke he would have forgotten her in a pounding hangover, but if there were any mercy in the world, he would hear her now and never forget the words. Her mouth by his ear, she quoted the passage, "As soon as the spirit of egotism begins to prevail among a people then the bonds of the social order break and man, by seeking his own personal happiness, veritably tumbles out of heaven and falls into hell."

Kissing him gently on the cheek she told him, "Never leave them, lad. Stay with them. And you'll never tumble completely into your hell."

She brushed his lips with hers then climbed to her feet, walking across to her discarded clothes and pulling them on. Then she unlocked the door, walking into the main room. Davey was sprawled, unconscious on the sofa, the wounds on his neck already beginning to heal over. Raven was dressed, lying on the floor beside the child, caressing his cheek with the back of her fingers.

She looked up as her sister appeared, giving Morrigan a smile, leaning over to kiss the child on the forehead. "If," Morrigan warned her with a grin as she climbed to her feet, "you're getting broody, I'm going to kick your arse!"

Raven glanced down at the child the looked back at Morigan. Stepping over his body, she admitted playfully, "Sure now, give it ten years and I might just come back.."