Full Moon Rising - 02 by Heath Stallcup Page B

fed females with soft curves.  They were easier to sink his nails into when he fed.  And, he hated to admit, it just seemed wrong to touch his lips to the skin of another man.  Although he had done it many times in the past when he found himself hungry enough, it just seemed more sinful than feeding from women.
    He often sat in the darkness, peering out the broken wi ndows at the moon and reflected on his long and ancient life.  The many ways he had tried to reverse the curse on his life.  He’d tried so many things.  None worked.
    He’d tried to baptize himself in the river Jordan.  He’d tried to renounce his sins and beg God to forgive him.  He’d tried H oly Water.  He’d tried absolution by a priest, sitting for hours in a confessional until the priest left screaming in terror.  He’d tried forcing himself into the sunlight…but the sunlight did burn.  Like the fires of Hell, it scorched him and seared his flesh to the very bone until he thought he could never be made whole again.  But as soon as he gave in to the thirst, he was made whole, and began his torment all over again.  Holy water, crosses, religious dogma from all denominations did nothing but incite his rage now.
    He stepped to the window of the upper floor of the cathedral and looked out over his city.  This Roman city is all that was left of a once great empire that spanned the known world.  Oh, how the mighty have fallen, he thought.  They had tormented and tortured and crucified their way across all the lands, breaking the will and the spirit of any they encountered.  They deserved him and all that he would bring.
    “Sicarii?  You sent for me, master?” the small messenger inquired.
    “Sì, Puppet.  I need for you to do me another thing.” The vampire said, his gaze never leaving the window.
    “Anything, Sicarii.  You need only to ask…”
    “My vision…our new world…it will take many hands to mold properly.  When we finally send word to all of the familia, inform them that we will also have need of their familiars.”
    “Sicarii?  I do not follow you.” The messenger said, hones tly puzzled.
    “We will have much opposition from the humans, Puppet.  Many of them will have weapons that our vampire brothers simply cannot recover from quickly.  And we are limited to the night.” He explained.  “But our brother’s familiars are men who walk about during the day.”  He turned to the messenger.  “They can lay our groundwork by the light of day and prepare for our coming.  They can do things that we will not be able to do.  We must have them to ensure that we are successful.”
    “As you wish, Sicarii.  But, how do we find them?” he asked.
    “They will come to us.” He said softly.  “You will need to make arrangements to bring them to me.  I will work out the necessary arrangements with them.”
    “They will come to us, master?”
    “Oh, yes.  Many will come with their vampire masters, ot hers will come on their own, just for the opportunity to perhaps one day join in our ranks.”  The dark vampire said.  “We have struck a vital blow all across the world at these human hunters.  And we did it using everything at our disposal.  Vampire, goblin, the regius lupus, the ‘royal wolves’ who can shift at day…we strike them with terror and the hunters never saw it coming.  The familiars are a very important part to our plan.”
    The messenger’s eyes lit with understanding.  “Yes, Sicarii.  We will make arrangements for their arrival.”
    “Good.” He stepped down from the window and almost appeared to float from the second story to the crumbling floor below.  “Now, as for the familia that could not be reached before?  Have you a list for me?”
    “It is being compiled, Sicarii.  Not all of our field people have checked in tonight.” The messenger’s eyes were upon the floor again.
    “Very well.” The dark one said.  “Before sunrise.  Yes?”
    “As you wish.” He bowed