Night's temptation

Disclaimer: All for fun, please let me play and bring the series out on DVD (well I might settle for a vampire episode threesome)

A/N: Set after Kristine died. I also do not have a beta-reader, so volunteers step forward ;) I also know that there are not many Marcus-Fans out there, but well it can also be read as a vampire romance story. There will be tasty scenes, a lot of blood and violence, but not in every chapter ...


Prologue

It was new moon and the pitch black midnight sky showed not even the hint of a star. Nonetheless for Marcus it was as bright as during the day. The master vampire left the cover of darkness and walked into the garden where soft light emerged behind the curtains and illuminated the way softly.

Dr. Rachel Corrigan was still awake and he thought about what the psychologist might be doing so late. It was convenient that the doctor kept her own place. It made things more easy for him. His eyes looked through the curtain covered windows. His superior senses told him, that only two persons dwelled inside the house.

Witches so powerful and yet unguarded – practical helpless - were not easy to come up with. Stumbling on to them made the fact meaningless that it would probably set Derek on his trail again. Although being a mortal with an astonishing ego, that even Marcus was not able to overthrow, he had still been able to manipulate and trick Derek Rayne.

If Marcus had not been so sure, that it would please Derek tremendously to die as a martyr he had not allowed him to stay alive. This solution was anyway more vicious and a much better punishment. The vampire master was too old and too powerful now – no mortal was strong enough to destroy him. They thought they had as he had tried to force Alex to come over.

It was not like him to be so angry, but he loved Philippe so deeply. The need to punish Alex and Derek had been overwhelming. So he had abandoned his principles and had made the same mistake he had warned his friend about. The choice of becoming a vampire had to be made freely. And being absorbed in his revenge Marcus had had learned that even the mighty could fall. That was not going to happen again. At least not in Derek’s life time.

Marcus gave a signal into the dark behind him and two other vampires passed the soft light of the windows like shadows. They took their position left and right beside the front door. Marcus knocked at the door and waited. A few moments later the door opened a bit. The security chain and the pretty face of a woman, who was anyway about to see her last good years, appeared in the opening.

“Yes”, she asked, wondering but far from being alarmed, “can I help you?”

It amused the old vampire, that this woman who had worked with Derek for years seemed to lack any sense of danger. Also being small in size and looking barely older than twenty Marcus felt that a member of The Legacy should at least be a little suspicious about his presence. After all he was not even trying to imitate a young man of this time, neither by clothing or manner of speech.

Still smiling the vampire answered her: “I hope so … are you Dr. Rachel Corrigan?”

“I am she – but it would be better to call my office and make an official appointment”, she suggested.

“Or maybe you can let me in right away”, he said looking into her eyes and communicating the idea directly into her mind. The psychologist was no match for his powers.

Grinning, as if it had been the obvious thing to suggest and had only escaped her for a moment, she replied: “Of course – Do come in.”

Dr. Corrigan closed the door, removed the chain and opened, still wearing that awful smile. Marcus stepped in inviting his aids with an unspoken command. The younger and weaker vampires needed indeed an invitation from somebody already inside the house. Now the woman protested as the two adults towering at least a head over Marcus entered her house.

“What do you think you are doing?”, she yelled angry at the pair.

The master vampire realised that Dr. Corrigan still had no idea that three walking corpses had just stepped over her threshold. The doctor was not alarmed by their pale skin or by the unhealthy looking dark eye-rings or the dried out lips. Concentrating he sensed that she was only concerned about strangers that trespassed into her home.

Only as the two started to giggle and their fangs appeared between the chapped lips, she stumbled back muttering something that sounded like: “No – that can’t be!”

“Silence her – but do not bite her!” Marcus ordered his undead lackeys and left the room heeding towards the second life-sign. Rachel tried to get in his way, but the two vampires grabbed her and dragged her into a chair holding her mouth shut. The woman struggled desperately against the iron grip of her captors instinctively knowing what her guests were here for. Leaving the scene Marcus heard curtains being dragged down and ripped to pieces.

Then the ancient vampire entered the room where his primary target was sleeping or had slept, for she just had woken up and stared at him in fear. Probably her powers had warned her. A witch with her potential should be able to sense an aura as powerful as his with ease. He smirked and stepped closer. The young girl was a real witch and a promising one, too. But she lacked guidance and training. Hence she was no match for him.

Katherine had indeed felt a strange urge that had pulled her out of her dreams into her dark room. She clutched her amulet and faced the intruder, that she identified as the cause of the disturbance. He was old, powerful and here to harm her. Her lips trembled and with his next step towards her she reached for the powers inside her.

Marcus was hit by a massive force. His body was smashed into the next wall which burst open. Also he was almost being stabbed by the little wooden stiffs he started to laugh. It was soft and amused, nearly inaudible laughter, but Katherine felt suddenly ice-cold. He should not have been able to get up, not after this blow. The girl panicked. She jumped out of her bed and ran towards the door.

That was where Marcus grabbed her. He hold her by her neck and lifted her up. Kat screamed and kicked, but then she felt strange and realised too late, that her attacker emerged into her mind and slowly took control. Being too young and too inexperienced she hardly had a chance as she tried to use her powers to will him out.

Marcus was happy as he sensed her attempts. The first one was good, the second interesting, but being in his grip, it was easy to undermine her will by telling her subconscious that she was lost, without any chance. Kat gave up pretty soon and followed his suggestion to fall into a deep sleep. Then he lifted the girl into his arms and carried her downstairs.

As Rachel saw him carrying her daughter away she started to struggle again. It was almost a funny display. The two had bound her thoroughly to the heavy chair using the curtain strips they had ripped off earlier. Rachel was not able to move more than an inch instead the chair was moving with her. Her mouth was filled with more curtain tissue and secured by an other rough strip.

She was mumbling madly and her eyes e fie filled with horror. Marcus saw the amusement of the two, but he could not feel that way. Rachel was a mother that knew her child would die and she was not able to do anything about it. “She won’t notice”, he told her.

The others looked at him in surprise, but the master vampire did not care. He felt no need to torment the mortal world. Marcus felt no hate toward the psychiatrist. Especially because she was so helpless and unaware. Nonetheless he had no choice. He needed a powerful witch and this was his best opportunity. At least this way the powers of the young witch would not be wasted.

Rachel started to struggle only fur furious and desperate, but Marcus was sure that the mortal woman would realise that her daughter was indeed lucky to have a fast death. She would not be so fortunate. Under no circumstances he would risk that the Legacy discovered his plans before they were carried out.

The death of the woman in Alex’s room had already caused them to call Dr. Steven Morder. He was the leader of the house she had belonged to and the expert on vampires in this cursed organisation. Dr. Morder was an old friend of Derek. If they started to suspect that he was still around, they might began to interfere. All depended on a carefully conducted decoy and Kat’s mother was just one piece of the puzzle.

“Now you will kill her the way I told you!”, Marcus ordered the two lackeys with an iron voice. He could not see their pleased faces, because his concentration and view turned to Kat who seemed to slip out of his control. He tightened his mental grip and the girl fell into a deep sleep once more. His helpers were anxious to start, The vampire lord sighed and left them to their gruesome task.

He carried the girl to the car and lay her on the co-driver side. Then Marcus started the car. The others would find their way easy enough home. For him there was also much to do. While they covered their traces and send Derek and the other on the wrong track, he would perform the real ritual.

An hour later Marcus reached the designated building and entered another part of the catacombs. There where endless tunnels loosely connected, but only for a trained eye or someone who knew his way. Like the young looking vampire - Marcus brought Kat deep into the real heart of the underground network. Four guards stand silently in every corner. The centre was occupied by a stone coffin.

Within it rested what had remained of Philippe. Also Marcus was not his sire, he liked the newly brought over man from the first minute. Even if it meant having that awful woman around him. Well she was dead, killed by Philippe himself, and she earned it well. He never had told his older friend, but Marcus knew. He never understood what Philippe saw in the black woman.

Maybe it was his general discomfort with women. Given, she was very pretty, but weak, always questioning herself. The old vampire master preferred people who knew exactly what they wanted, who where secure and yet not stubborn in there point of view. He needed Philippe back, he loved him too much to just let him rest in peace.

The first part of the reviving ceremony had been completed before he had gone to bring Alex as a welcome back gift for Philippe. His body was restored, healed and only a small silver scar around his neck reminded of the betrayal his ungrateful love had committed. The others had told him, told him about the scene. It had not been really her, that had done the stroke, it was Derek, who had overpowered Philippe’s influence over her.

As weak as Alex was so strong was the head of the San Francisco house. Anyway he had warned Philippe, but he had not listened. The choice should had been hers from the beginning. His young friend had probably been right, that she had never been able to make a choice of that importance without any “help”. Which was exactly the reason why Marcus never had changed in the first place.

That was not important now. He was back and he hold in his arms what he needed to revive Philippe. He nodded towards one of the guards and the pale, creepy looking vampire woman stepped closer. Then she picked up a rope that lay in front of the coffin and raised it. With a further sign from the ancient vampire she threw it over the hook on the ceiling. Both end where dangling down and two other guards, that had the same rampaged dead look as the female vampire, approached.

One hold the robe and the other made a noose. Instead of having her neck put in the female put her feet in and then the noose was tightened. They pulled her up and out of Marcus arms. Since her night-gown was now hanging down they removed it. Only the blood of a powerful being like a witch or shaman was able to revive a young vampire after such an ordeal.

His blood was required for the bound, but first he needed a body to animate. Concentrating he took the knife from the fourth guard and prepared him self for the beginning of the ritual. At each corner the four mumbled ancient phrases, Marcus had told them, that would keep the power inside the blood, even though the person was dead.

A swift stroke and a small cut was made. Blood started to drop into the coffin. Then hee ane another one. The girl remained unconscious due to his will and as more blood left her body, she slipped further away. Finally he made the last cut and blood spilled out of her open throat. With hope not pleasure he watched the ongoing ritual. Joining in the chanting while the girl bled dry.