Midian Evolution

It’s hard to be a fledgling vampire.

I let my legs dangle over the parapet of Hellsing Manor, wondering just how badly it would hurt me to fall from such a height. Not that I wanted to kill myself, but curiosity tempted. I yet didn’t know how much I could take, either in damage or in pain.

Master didn’t help much, either. I got the impression he wanted me to learn on my own, mostly. I knew lessons self-taught usually stuck firmly, while lessons taught by others took longer to cement.

At least I’d learned to shield my thoughts from him. Doubtless he could overcome my mental barriers, rip through them like tissue paper, but so far he had not.

Inhaling, I caught the scent of my master’s master in the breeze. She stood at her bedroom window, smoking one of her exotic cigars. I smelled bourbon, her nearly masculine cologne, and…Walter. She had Walter with her. I knew because he had a stronger scent and didn’t cover it up with perfumes and deodorants.

I smiled.

Hellsing’s Angel of Death.

Master told me Sir Integra’s intentions toward the aged butler. I approved. The next Hellsing heir would have an unusual mix of parentage. Walter would make a wonderful father.

Laughter.

I perked up at hearing it, having never seen Sir Integra do more than slightly smile. The idea of her amusement greatly pleased me. Seconds passed. Walter’s smooth voice joined her, though in a softer way. The breeze now carried a bit of pheromones, from both people.

“I won’t accuse you of spying, because you can’t help your senses,” my master’s voice said from behind me. “Still, why sit and listen to a budding romance? You know nothing of romance, Police Girl.”

Irritated, I shrugged. “Why take myself away from it?” Why did he always have to throw a wet blanket over my head? What joy did he take in his little taunts and torments?

“Why indeed.” Alucard joined me in sitting on the parapet, folding his long legs.

Surprised at his willingness to sit with me, I nevertheless continued to stare into the moonlit night and not look at him. I smelled him, too. He always had an aroma of rain-soaked soil, blood and rosemary. Gunpowder, too, sometimes.

“Contemplating the hunt for prey, or stringently resisting?” he asked.

“I’m not hungry right now, actually. I drank two bags of blood when I woke.” I brought a knee up and put my chin on it. “It tasted flat.”

“It’s quite stale when far removed from the source.” My master took his hat off. His very long hair whipped in the breeze, touching my cheek with stinging softness. “You know you must hunt, eventually. Why do you resist?”

“If I have to take living humans as prey, I don’t want to choose randomly.” Still not looking at him, I dug through my pocket for the cigarettes Pip had given me. Something about smoking eased my urge to taste blood. I suspected just using my lips in a sucking motion did the trick. Whatever. I’d take what I could get.

“A vampire with a conscience,” he mocked. “I don’t know why I turned you, Police Girl.”

“You felt pity,” I answered.

“No, not really,” he answered lightly.

Liar. The fucking liar. He was the king of vampires and he deceived me no better than any other man. I knew an untruth when I heard it; I’d always known. Human or vampire, I obeyed my instincts.

“Don’t lie to me, master,” I said, lighting the smoke. “I’m the only person you never have to swindle; you own me body and soul.”

He shifted. His rain-and-earth musk came strongly, now. “Bold of you to make that accusation,” his tone warned.

“I’m not accusing you of anything.” The cigarette tasted like Pip had it in his gear for two weeks. I sucked on it harder. “Why is it so beyond your idea of pride to have pity?”

“Monsters don’t have pity.” Alucard put his hat back on. “If I pitied you so much, Police Girl, why did I shoot you to kill the freak in Cheddar Village?”

“Boredom.” I threw the half-smoked cigarette over the side of the building. “He wasn’t a challenge and you’d already decided to make me a vampire.”

I felt his dismay. He hadn’t believed I could figure that out.

“You were hungry anyway. You gave me an offer, I took it, and things worked out in your favor.”

“I’m not certain gaining a lippy, opinionated, conscience-soaked servant is favorable,” he replied.

Our little dispute fell to the wayside as Sir Integra’s cry of pleasure reached our ears. A glass shattered. Spilled liquor raised a stench. Walter made a sound that brought back memories of my parent’s closed bedroom door.

“You’re blushing,” Alucard accused.

“I’m not,” I protested.

“You are, and you shouldn’t be able to,” he insisted. “Look at me.”

Reluctantly, I did as he ordered. His ginger-red gaze seemed to pierce my soul.

The weight of his stare held me motionless. Suddenly, he reached for me. I gave a cry of surprise and panic as he hauled me to him. Eyes scraping me, he forced me to stillness in his lap. His gloved fingers pressed to my neck, feeling.

“No heartbeat,” he confirmed. “Why, then, does the blood rush to your face?”

“You made me, master,” I said, squirming. “I can’t answer.”

“Stop your infernal writhing.” He shook me, and though I knew he exercised caution, he nearly rattled the fangs out of my head. “I’m your master and you will not fight me, understood?”

Below us, Sir Integra made a sound of pure satisfaction. I caught the scent of her arousal. I’d smelled that scent once before, while I fed from her. Clearly did I remember and cherish the feel of her underneath me. I closed my eyes, shivering in remembrance.

Alucard inhaled sharply. “You fed from her?”

“Not as you did,” I said, opening my eyes to meet his. “She offered and I took.”

We stared at each other a moment. I felt the hard, lean muscle of him. He hadn’t a bit of extra flesh anywhere.

“She tastes lovely,” I went on. “I can imagine you had the better feast.”

Slowly, my master’s lips curled into a smile. “A one-time banquet, I’m sure. She’s Walter’s property, now.”

“Sir Integra belongs to no one.” I reached for a hank of his hair, sliding it between my fingers. I’d always wanted to touch his hair, to see for myself just how it felt. It was silk. Black silk. “It’s not wrong of me to love her, is it?”

He blinked. “No,” he said after a moment, his voice gentle. “Sir Integra is easy to love, if you have the inclination to appreciate strength, duty and honor.”

“You love her, too, don’t you, master?” I asked. “You want to make her as we are, but she refuses. And, though it chafes, you respect her for that.”

“You’re a very insightful little fledgling.” Alucard shifted a bit, pausing to throw my legs to either side of his waist. His long arms caged me close. “Does it not thrill you to imagine what she would be if only she had our freedom?”

“It does,” I admitted. “She’s a beautiful thing. She would make a much better vampire than me.”

He looked into me. “Perhaps a vampire with more…aptitude, yes,” he admitted. “Still, natural inclination can only take one so far. There is something to be said for perseverance.”

In the oncoming silence, we listened to Walter bringing Integra to ecstasy. I smiled. “Walter seems to have some aptitude.”

My master’s lips twitched.

“Walter is another I would grant near-immortality, if he would take it,” he confessed.

“Oh!” Integra gasped. “Walter!”

For a moment we just looked at each other. Then, I began to giggle at the same time my master chuckled.

“They would hate it if they knew we heard them,” I protested.

“Yes, and they might stop if they hear us, so lower your voice,” he suggested mildly. “I want a Hellsing heir.”

I didn’t ask him why. He probably wouldn’t tell me, and it wasn’t my business if he wanted another master.

We listened a bit longer. I heard the rhythm of Integra’s breathing increase, and the sound of her climax. Breathy, beautiful, her voice and gratification gave me the shivers. “She’s so lovely,” I sighed. “At least Walter will be good to her.”

My master’s arms tightened around me. “Police Girl, you’re making heat,” he murmured. “You shouldn’t be doing that, either.”

I met his eyes. “So, bite me and drink,” I bade. “Maybe you didn’t turn me completely?”

He frowned slightly. “No, I made you a vampire. You can’t be half and half.”

Far below us, Integra cried out and Walter moaned. Alucard smiled just a little. “He took her, finally,” he said. “Her blood will taste different, now, should she offer it to us again.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know. Carnal knowledge just flavors the blood.” My master took a handful of my hair, bending my head back. “Speaking of which, I’m thirsty.”
His teeth grazed my neck. “A vampire’s blood tastes different, too, but I prefer it to the old, stale blood Hellsing provides.”

He’d never drunk from me since the night he changed me into a Midian. I didn’t remember much about how it felt, since I’d lost most feeling by that time. “Master,” I whispered.

“You offered,” he reminded, a smile in his voice.

“Y-yes,” I agreed. I’d meant it, too. Being his servant, his property, I had to offer. The bond between us compelled me to serve him.

He bit down.

The sharp pain surrendered to hot bliss almost instantly. I went limp in his arms, amazed I could have forgotten this pleasure. It seemed he had a connection to my private areas. When he sucked, I felt it between my legs, inside me. My nipples hardened, and my shirt caused them too much friction.

You still taste the same, he said silently, tone wondering. You shouldn’t.

You say that a lot, master.

His mental chuckle increased the swollen feeling in my pelvis.

What’s the matter, Police Girl? Did you forget how this felt?

I-I was almost dead, master. I didn’t feel much of anything.

Ahhh. I see. His arms tightened around me. Then, this is almost new.

“Yes,” I groaned aloud.

Do you like it?

“Yes, it feels so gooood,” I told him, unable to keep the moan from my voice. Lying in his arms felt good, too. I clenched my legs around his narrow waist. The movement mashed my groin to his, where a distinct hardness made contact with my clit. “Oh God, master!”

Another, mental chuckle from him. See what you denied me by not drinking my blood, Police Girl? I rarely offer to anyone. Will you change your mind, now?

“I-I…”

Answer me, Seras Victoria.

“Yesss…” The thought of giving him this pleasure made me throb all over, inside and out. “Please, master?”

His triumph flooded me through our connection. He’d tempted me with drinking his blood for months and months. You want to please me, girl? This is what motivates you, finally?

Yes, I answered silently, unable to speak any longer. The throbbing in my body gained a tingling sensation. I felt wet and slick at my thighs. I twined a hand in his hair, making a fist and hanging onto that black satin.

My pleasure is important to you? His hand dropped to my waist and spread out, going still. You want to please me enough to give up that last bit of what you guard as human? The hand slid between the buttons of my shirt, popping a few loose. Such devotion won’t go away by drinking my blood, will it, Police Girl?

No. No, I couldn’t imagine I’d feel any different about him.

What have I done to gain such loyalty, Seras? I disgust you, frighten you. I made you into what you are. I’m cruel to you.

Not always, master. You’ve helped me, too. I see more of your kindness than anyone else does, don’t I?

I felt his teeth retract from my neck.

He didn’t say anything.

Slowly, I relaxed my leg-lock on his waist, but otherwise didn’t move. I felt a little dizzy. That luscious throb at my center abated a little, but didn’t entirely vanish. Blinking past the vertigo, I met his eyes.

He had beautiful eyes. I’d always thought so. Even enflamed with bloodlust, their beauty didn’t fade.

What a fearsome, awesome being my master was, truly. I never wanted to part from him. I had nightmares about him sending me away.

“You still dream?” he asked softly.

I nodded.

He looked at me, really looked at me. The hand slid from my abdomen and came up to cradle my jaw. Gaze piercing, he leaned closer. “What have I made?” he seemed to ask himself.

“Master?”

He blinked. Suddenly, he stood, holding me in his arms. I cherished the feeling. He’d carried me shortly after making me a Midian. I’d felt protected.

“Are you weak?” he asked.

“Yes, a little bit,” I admitted. “I could drink a few more bags of blood.”

“I’ll take you back to your room.”

I drifted a bit during the journey, enjoying his masculine scent and strength. We passed a few guardsmen on the third floor. They didn’t look directly at us. We frightened them terribly. I could hear their hearts beating a tattoo of tightly controlled anxiety.

The hunter in me wanted to catch and eat them. If only they reacted like our old guardsmen, they wouldn’t tempt me. I supposed they couldn’t help how we made them feel, but they needed to manage themselves. If I found it difficult to resist such obvious quarry, surely my master had it worse. He lived with live prey darting around him attractively, like a tiger caged among gazelles.

“A good analogy,” he said. “Though, I’ve become accustomed to the temptation.”

“Do my mental shields account for nothing?” I complained.

“You don’t have them up. You project directly into my mind, Police Girl.”

Shit.

I concentrated on my barriers, lifting and separating thoughts from impulse. He chuckled as he carried me through the walls to my bedroom. “Better,” he praised, setting me on my feet in front of my small table.

A blood pack on ice already waited on me. Walter must have come through before going to meet Sir Integra.

I tore the thing open and drank directly, ignoring the bowl and spoon. I’d attempted civility for quite awhile before concluding the uselessness of it; monsters didn’t need to use flatware and bone china.

A surge of energy rippled through. I finished the blood and threw the pack in my trashcan. “I could take a few more of those,” I observed.

My master’s eyes glittered pure red a moment. “Come with me to hunt and you’ll feel satisfied,” he murmured.

Tempted, I looked away.

“To hunt live prey, to drink your fill, is glorious,” he went on, his voice dark and smooth and persuasive.

“We don’t have a mission,” I argued.

“Do you think I limit myself entirely to Sir Integra’s assignments?” he asked softly. “I would starve if I did.”

A bit more of my resistance eroded.

“Come with me and claim your heritage, Seras,” Alucard pushed. “I didn’t make you to be this weak, cowardly thing. When I change someone, I mean for them to honor me. You do me no honor drinking these bags of sterile blood.”

I winced. Doing him a dishonor bothered me. I respected his power, his obvious age and intelligence. In straddling two worlds, I’d alienated myself from him, and he hadn’t given me much chance to get closer. Wanting closer meant I had to let go of more humanity. Wanting closer meant giving him even more power over me.

I didn’t even kid myself. He already had the ultimate power over me.

“When, master?” I asked, surrendering.

He looked at me with near suspicion, eyes deepening from primary red to wine. “Now,” he replied.

Of course.

I wondered sometimes why I had such conflicting trust and mistrust in him. On the one hand I had perfect confidence in his survival skills, unwavering belief in his adaptability and cleverness. On the other hand I had to contend with never feeling altogether safe in his presence. It wasn’t a definable fear, either. I didn’t think he’d harm me unless provoked in some way. I was his blood-progeny.

I smiled at him, enjoying the brief flare of surprise in his pretty, inhuman eyes.
He didn’t have to be wooing me this way. If he so desired, he could force the vampiric takeover of my humanity. He could be brutal. He had it within him to be limitless in his cruelty. He had no mercy for his quarry, human or inhuman.

Yet, he’d had clemency for me, at least once. Pity heavily flavored by whimsy…

My reward for walking toward him came in the form of pleasure in his gaze. If I had any sense, I knew I should worship this creature like a god. There were no other vampires like him, none as strong or inventive; he’d made me in his image. I was his little Anti-Christ, and he wanted to see me shine with the bloody darkness he’d endowed.

Well, even Jesus had his little moment of “why me?”

My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

“How shall we go?” I asked.

I almost regretted caving in when I saw the light of satisfaction blaze in his eyes. He looked demonic. None of Satan’s angels could hold a candle to him. His grin alone could make a man wet himself. Ear to ear teeth.

“I’ll take us,” he answered, opening his arms. “Come to me.”

I already stood right in front of him. He wanted me to walk into his arms. Somehow, being jerked into his grasp hadn’t been as frightening a concept as voluntarily entering his embrace. Then again, my whole issue was surrender, not fear of having him tear me limb from limb.

The moment I stood nearly against him, he sighed. It seemed like such a human thing for him to do. He didn’t need to breathe.

Arms wrapping around me, my master clenched me firmly but not painfully. “A lesson for you, Police Girl,” he murmured. “I’m reducing us to atoms, taking us to the location directly. You will concentrate and learn this.”

No pressure.