A rare opportunity - Ellis Duban's Intro

'This really is a rare opportunity.'

Harold Gray nodded happily as he sat with his wrists tied to the chair.

'It's one I like to take when the situation presents itself, you know.'

Harold twisted his hands out, opening them as he agreed with a shrug of his shoulders. 'Of course', he said. 'Long story?'

'Eh, depends if I get nostalgic or not.'

Ellis Duban sat on the desktop of Harold Gray's oak desk. Harold was a lawyer. Harold was in fact the Assistant District Attorney of Nachton City. Ellis will be responsible for his death in a few minutes and she also happens to be a vampire. A fact she was about to reveal to Harold Gray.

'I'm a vampire.'

Harold looked blankly at his captor. 'I'm hearing about vampires more and more each day, actually,' Harold commented.

'Really?'

'Yes. It was quite funny. I heard about you today.'

Ellis crossed her legs and smiled. 'Really? Anything good?'

'Actually it was a death threat...not you per say.'

Ellis frowned, 'Oh that's disappointing.'

Harold half smiled, 'Yes, sorry.' The assistant district attorney looked at Ellis as she contemplated her disappointment. She had watery green eyes, olive skin, and her black hair was pulled back in place by two short chopstick looking devices. The rest was pulled to the left, over her shoulder. She was his height, about 5'8 or so. Ellis wore black cat suit with silver accents along her arms and down along the outside of her legs. Amble breasts moved slowly as she breathed. Boots with matching silver buckles started at the knee and ended with rather angry looking steel-toed shoes. Ellis was sitting with her back straight, legs crossed, smiling at the man who was making mental notes.

'Back to my story.'

'Oh right, please go on. You are vampire.'

'The city is infested with us, you know.' She gave him a lecherous smile. Ellis Duban was indeed one of thousands of vampires in the city, living in historical residences, high rise condos and even under the ground. 'There are the ancients, the businessmen and the orphans. The orphans belong to me.'

'Belong to you?'

'I'm their leader.' Ellis took a breath and sighed quietly.


'Getting nostalgic?'

She grinned, 'Sorry.' Leaning back against the desk she put her hands behind her and relaxed. Licking her lips, she popped them. She decided to regale Harold with a bit of history. 'I was born at the turn of the 4th century in Ireland. My family roots are from the Gaelic Sect Corco Duibne of Scotland. Lucky me, rich, privileged and bored." Ellis rolled her eyes. 'Being rich does have its downfalls, especially in those times. I was,' she formed the next word slowly and with much contempt, 'property. I had to marry smart, which I did. So, it took some doing but I secured an ambassadorship for my 'dear husband' and we set sail. On the outer reaches of Europe, I met my maker.

'He was an Evenhet. A businessman vampire who was feeling a little reckless and started to do stupid things.'

'Stupid things?' Asked Harold.

'Believe it or not, but we have rules; rules that have one penalty if broken. My maker liked to feed on humans. Which in itself is fine, but fed constantly and back then that was very much frowned upon. Drawing attention to yourself. Vampires survive in the shadows. It's where all the best kept secrets are.' She laughed. 'He unfortunately had an insatiable thirst, really, a very annoying flaw. He fed on too many humans and made too many of us.'

'There's a cap?'

'So to speak.'

Harold thought a moment. 'You killed him?'

Ellis shook her head, 'No, I didn't have the pleasure, but it was a sanctioned Ancient kill. Don't get many of those anymore.' She sighed. 'Good times.'

Harold nodded. 'Then you took over as Leader?'

She smiled again. 'Not exactly. I'm not recognized', Ellis held up her hands and did an air quote, 'as an Elder. So I took steps.'

'Steps?'

'Well, ambition can be classified into two categories. There's smart ambition and then there's flat out greed. I waited out the greedy ones while they killed each other off. Then, I bloody killed everyone older than me that was left! In the Clan, at least.' Ellis has a beautiful laugh, it was like listening to soft church bells ringing miles away. She ended her laugh with another nostalgic sigh. 'Tacaharan isn't recognized, not that it matters.'

'Matters enough to you to mention it.'

Ellis's smile faltered. She tilted her head to the side and looked at Harold Gray. In a softer voice, 'I suppose it does. Why rule as a leader when you can conquer?' She slid off the desk and fixed Harold's tie. 'Its time, Harold.'

Harold began to sweat as Ellis undid the ropes at his wrists. Pushing his chair back, she turned to the large window behind the desk and pushing the curtain aside, she touched the clasp.

'That was sealed years ago.'

Ellis effortlessly pulled the window open with two fingers. Harold watched the clasp flip across the room, glinting in the moonlight that they now basked in. The wind swept past her, picking up her hair, making it sway behind her. Harold stood shakily and turned to face the window, looking out into the night.

Ellis put her hand on his left shoulder behind him.

Harold gasped, 'I'll see you in hell, woman.'

Grabbing his shoulder, her right hand came up and across, slitting his throat silently. Ellis let Harold fall back against his desk, arms outstretched symbolically. Quietly she murmured, 'Not for a long time, dear.'

Ellis turned and stood on the window ledge, she knelt down, letting the wind catch her hair, billowing it out. Crouched down she smelled the salty night air and it filled her lungs. The vampire turned back and looked at recently departed Harold. Her eye caught something shiny.

'Oh.' She climbed back in the office and back over Harold. Watching his blood drip off the floor, she clicked her tongue at the waste. Then she leaned over his body and reached for a beautifully crafted crystal bowl. The blood ran around the bottom of it, seemingly filling it red. With her hand she reached in and took a handful of m&m's.

'Waste not, want not,' and popped several into her mouth. With liquid speed Ellis stepped back on the ledge and jumped. High from the top of the building, she glided down, stopping her fall on the overhanging lamp post on the street. She grabbed it, slowing her descent. It was like a whisper in the night. Dropping the 20 or so feet, she finished her handful of candy. Taking out a cigarette she frowned, disgusted by the thought of mixing chocolate with smoke. There were some things she just would not do.

'That's ironic.' A smooth voice snickered. The voice belonged to Simon Huntington, her clan XO.

'Blech,' she replied.

Simon's british accent had long since faded, having never feeling the need to live in England ever again after being turned. 'Done, are we?'

Ellis, who embraced her irish burr, gave Simon an exaggerated wink. 'That we are, boy-o.' She looked at her cigarette again.

'Those things will kill you.'

The dark haired beauty fought her better judgement and lit the cigarette, inhaling deeply. 'They did,' Ellis started, walking down to their parked blue steel jaguar. Her voice trailed off into the night as Simon followed her. 'About 1700 years ago,' she snorted.