Amor Ardentis the Beginning
After two years you've been promoted to field work as a detective unexpectedly, and you happily accept the position. On your first day you wait to receive your dog near your first crime scene. Every detective gets one, or sometimes several to make a team. Your boss, Sergeant Alicia Pete stands to the side with her arms crossed, her high and tight ponytail dangling down her back. The silver strands in her hair catch the streetlights and you can't help but to think how they contrast with her youthful face. She's wearing thick combat pants and a fitted under armor shirt, a far cry from the office attire you currently wear. The chill of the night brushes against your exposed legs and you fight the urge to shiver.
Down the street you spot a large van turning your direction and you straighten your posture while pulling your shirt taut, smoothing any wrinkles. A nervous habit you hope to shed now that you have such a high ranking role. Every coworker would be a trained observer, not quite as skilled a profiler but skilled enough to read you and your nervous "ticks".
The van's windows are tinted almost black and large white letters on the sides of the vehicle and the hood read " POLICE DEPT". It slows to a stop on the shiny wet road and a stocky man steps out, giving you and your boss a polite greeting.
"Got the dogs all ready, told'em they were getting a new handler." The comment strikes you as odd, but you don't remark. Plenty of people talk to their pets and other animals, you aren't one to judge them.
"Let's get the introductions over with. We have killers to sniff out and the rain is on its way." Sergeant Pete says as she walks to the back of the van, mist dances in the air like smoke and as if to prove her point, begins resting on the van and forming larging beads. The driver nods, whistling, and unlocks the backdoor. You move to stand by your boss and impatiently lean to peak inside. You're excited. You haven't had time for a pet in ages, and the thought of bonding with a work dog and becoming partners makes you giddy. What breed will you get? Will it be a boy or a girl? You hope they like you and take to you well, regardless of the breed. But when the door is fully opened you're left speechless.
You stare into midnight black eyes that are cold, distant, and they're on a human. A man. You can hardly contain your shock as you take a step back and inhale sharply. Sergeant Pete laughs, but it's not a laugh of humor.
"Didn't I say in my request that my recruit is new? She's never had a dog before. She can't have Leo assigned to her. He's been dropped by his last four handlers. For fucks sake..."
You don't hear the driver respond, you pay no mind to their bickering at your side. You're staring at the man in the back of the van, dressed in dark clothing, with a thick metal collar around his neck keeping him chained to the wall of the van. Your mouth dries and you move your tongue to combat the discomfort but your tongue is a shriveled sponge. He has circles under his eyes, light smudges of grey giving him a tired appearance, his skin is pale and almost looks like it will start glowing. He looks away from you and you notice there are other people in the van with collars on their necks. Two men and a woman, though they look curious and somewhat excited in comparison.
The woman lifts her chin slightly and you see her nostrils flare. Before you can think more on the strange behavior Sergeant Peter storms to your side with a huff, one hand on her temple.
"We don't have time for this! Leo, any games tonight and you're done. You hear me? I'll have you retired." Sergeant motions to you. "This is your handler for tonight. You'll be with her and if she even hints at you giving her trouble, the paperwork for your retirement will be filed so fast your head will spin." The man she calls Leo doesn't look at her, but he gives a curt nod as the driver steps into the van with keys in his plump fist.
He unlocks Leo, the collar opens and you watch as he unlocks the others one after the other. Chains slide and metal clanks on the floor of the van as the occupants stand and stretch their necks.
"Sergeant," you whisper. She side eyes you, still facing the open van. "I thought I was getting a dog."
"You are. You're a Level S Detective, we're not going after humans. Our dogs are demons, the desmodus sapiens, so that we survive to work another day." You don't have time to press her for more information, Leo is towering at your side and another demon stands at your Sergeants back. His hair is a striking blond and his body looks athletic, lithe. He catches your gaze and flashes you a charming smile, making you look away quickly.
"Hazel," Sergeant hands the blond demon her secondary gun from her left hip. "Leo, no gun for you tonight, your handler is keeping them both. We're hunting three ghouls, ladies!" She says the last part to the entire team and turns away.
"Tsk, tsk, Leo, guess you're hands-on only." Hazel purrs as he spins the gun in his hand and drops it in the holder on his hip. He turns and walks towards the Sergeant who's calling out the next set of instructions.
Each handler is to go off with their..."dog" in search for the ghouls that are killing young women. You and Leo are assigned the east side of the town and before the sergeant dismisses the team, he walks off, heading east.
You cast one last look at the lifeless body covered in a white sheet, and turn away, quickly following Leo. He's tall and his strides are large, carrying him away faster than you can comfortably walk.
You quicken your pace, the sounds of the crime scene fade behind you and the tap of your footsteps echo off the sides of businesses that have closed for the day. You can't help but to eye Leo closely.
You'd never been around a demon before, you knew what came on the news and what was written in papers. Neither source ever made them sound human yet every one of them in the van looked...normal. You're at his side and glance over to him, tracing his strong profile and shaggy black hair. His features are strong, well sculpted, and despite his hard expression you take note of his thick eyelashes and the gentle curve of his cheekbones.
"Is there a reason you're staring at me?" It's the first time he's spoken and the softness of his tone startles you. He speaks just loud enough for you to hear his question, but not loud enough where you can get a grasp on the sound of his voice.
"S-sorry." You say quickly, looking ahead. You want to act like you belong, fit in, but you're ogling a demon and can't help but to scold yourself.
"Huh, you really are new." You resist the urge to look over at him again, instead you scan the quiet road ahead, lingering on the shadows and straining your ears, but the only thing you can hear are your own shoes clicking on the pavement.
You were supposed to be doing orientation in office, so you dressed business professional. A fitted skirt, blazer, a white blouse and heels. You were shocked when you were instead greeted with a double holster and the news of a dead body.
"Sorry, we don't have time for coddling in this department. Set your things at your desk and meet me in the garage." Sergeant had said to you. You barely had anytime to take in the drab office.
You're suddenly stopped, Leo's arm is crossed over your abdomen. You look to him in question but you pause your curiosity as you take in his dark expression and narrow eyes. Holding your breath you slowly look around, squinting into the distant tree line. Nothing looks amiss, nothing sounds strange. In fact there's no sound. At all.
Leo balls his hand into a fist and grips your shirt firmly, with a yank you fly forward. You throw your hands out but your knees scrape on the sidewalk and a burning sensation floods through your legs. You want to cry out at the pain, the shock of being thrown to the ground, but you hear snarling at your back that makes the pain on your knees seem like a distant memory.
Looking over your shoulder and see Leo's back to you and his arms in the air, holding back a creature with an elongated jaw and bright red eyes. A ghoul; a demon that had fed on it's own kind. Their skin is a sickly gray and the hair that hangs from their head is thin, stringy. Leo has the creature by the throat, his other hand holds the creatures talon-like claws, and you can hear him grunting a command at you.
You listen, scrambling to the grass while your hand fumbles with one of your hip holsters. You hear the screeching ring louder and it's followed by a series of thuds. With your gun in hand you stand up and press your back against a tree, watching Leo and the ghoul attack each other. Their moves are too fast for you to follow.
You bounce your head rapidly, attempting to keep track of what was happening but they're nothing more than a blur. From across the street you make out another blur, the faint flicker of movement in the shadows.
The movement heads in your direction and once it enters the milky moonlight you see the telltale sickly, clammy, gray skin. It's eyes are set on you, it twists it head to the side and it's jaw cracks as it unlocks and widens to unnatural lengths. You grip the butt of your weapon and aim as the creature runs towards you on all fours.
You fire. It dodges your first shot. You fire again, and make contact with it's leg. It screeches, its jaw swings and dark saliva drips from the mangled teeth.
It's only mere feet from you now, and you fire again. The bullet rips through its throat, blood sprays down the front of the ghoul and sputters choke from its mouth.
It wasn't supposed to happen like this. Not on your first day. There's a sour taste prickling your tongue but you swallow and take a step back, flattening yourself against your support tree, then sliding into the small patch of mulch at the base.
Blood leaks from the ghoul, a putrid black liquid that slowly spreads over the pale pavement. You watch until the fingers stop twitching and the sputtering silences. For a moment you forget you aren't alone, you forget there was another ghoul. The silence is back in place and your ears are ringing with the screeches from the dead ghoul and the wet gurgles from its lips. And its eyes...they looked shocked. The human expression takes you by surprise, but before you can get too lost, Leo bends down at your side.
He doesn't speak, he balances on his haunches and you two sit in silence. Your heart is racing but gradually it settles as does your breathing. Eventually you're able to tear your eyes from the ghoul on the pavement and you look at the motionless form in the road, its abdomen and chest ripped open. You take a deep inhale, the smell of the mulch fills your nostrils.
"I did that to you?" Leo's voice is hushed, almost a whisper. You look over to him and see his eyes fixated on your leg. You lift your chin to inspect and see trails of blood from your knee snaking down your calf. You hardly feel it at all.
You sit yourself up straight and move your leg, a small wince dances on your face. At your side, Leo lets his knees sink into the ground and his palms flatten on the grass. His eyes are wide and glassy, reflecting the moonlight, and he lowers his face towards your leg, slowly. Inching in a painful pace.
You stare and feel his breath brush over your leg and the warm blood drops that stretch down towards your ankle. His breath is hot, almost scorching, like the air from a winter fire. The chill of the night is gone and the warmth you feel from him on the outside seeps inside of you. Your chest is enflamed and your cheeks are burning. His breathing is ragged, he closes his eyes and you watch his tongue drop from his mouth and slide over a pearly trail of crimson.
Your eyes widen and your lips part. He flattens his tongue against you and drags it further up your leg, slowly, a low groan rumbling in his chest and vibrates through to you. You feel it in your flesh, your muscle, and bones. In the milky moonlight you catch a gleam in his mouth and notice pointed teeth. Your gaze follows his mouth as he moves over to another thin line of blood and you watch his fangs lengthen before your eyes. The sight takes your breath away and your chest deflates audibly.
It catches Leo's attention, the sound of you being breathless and his eyes flick to you with the speed only a predator can manage. His eyes aren't as dark as they were previously, his irises look a faint red and black pin drop pupils were visible, giving him the savage appearance of an untamed animal.
He eyes you like he's ravenous and he moves up the length of your body with his mouth opened slightly, taking in your scent. Your heart is racing, it's thudding in your ears as he trails his nose lightly up your chest, his breath fanning over your neck. Unfamiliar sounds are coming from him, something close to a click like purr, and then, he abruptly pulls back. The sudden loss of his presence is startling and your shoulders drop as the chill of the night returns.
Leo has a tight fist over his mouth, he turns away sharply.
"Go back to the van and call the sergeant." He hisses.
"What? What about you?" You do your best to steady your voice but there's a hint of faintness.
"You need to go. I can't...be around blood. I'll watch your back but you need to go. Now."
What he says does something to you, it has an effect that's almost ailing and you don't know why. There's a pang in your chest and slowly you stand to your feet with your eyes downcast, then walk away without another word.
You don't bother looking back or checking to see if he's really behind you, you feel almost too embarrassed to. Why didn't you stop him? Why didn't you say anything? And why did you care so much when he deduced his actions to a weakness for blood?
The van comes into view and as you approach you see the sergeant standing with Hazel and the driver. When the sergeant spots you she walks away from the two men and flicks her chin towards you in question as she looks behind you.
"He's coming. We encountered two ghouls." You say in a controlled tone.
"No shit! Two? That should be all of them, right boss?" Hazel remarks as he walks over to join you two. When you look closer at the sergeant and Hazel, you notice blood splatter on their clothes and a few specks on their faces.
With one last look around you holster your gun and cross your arms across your stomach. Hazel pulls out his phone but pauses his gesture midair as his pupils contract. His distant gaze shifts to you and drops down your form until he sees your bloody knee, and he turns abruptly.
"I-I'm gonna call Leo and see if he's good." He mumbles, but Leo appears, like magic. He drops down from the sky and it catches you off guard, making you jump back and stare questioningly up to the roof of the theater. How did he get up there without anyone hearing anything? Or seeing anything?
He has the ghouls in tow, one on each shoulder. He lets the bodies fall to the ground and tilts his head, cracking his neck.
"No need. I'm here." He looks collected, nothing like he did moments before when you two were alone.
"Wow, look at that." Sergeant Pete scoffs lightly. "I guess I stand corrected on you two working together. Unless something happened I don't know about." She's eyeing you both, but you especially. Her brow raises, as if she's daring you to lie to her.
"Nothing at all." You say. "He got the first one, I wasted a few bullets but took the second one down." Her gaze lingers on you, her icy blue eyes intently peer into your brown ones, then they slide over to Leo.
"Aright then," Sergeant says slowly. "Then perhaps this team up works after all." She turns away and Leo steps forward.
"Sergeant," she looks over her shoulder and with wide eyes you stare at Leo. "That's not entirely what happened." The sergeant turns back around with one slender brow raised.
"Oh?" She pushes, crossing her arms. But something inside is telling you to stop what's about to happen.
"He's being dramatic," you say, stepping just ahead of Leo into your Sergeants line of sight. You gesture to your leg which Sergeant Pete acknowledges with a tight forehead.
"Did he touch you?" She demands.
"No!" You answer quickly. Your voice echoes in the night and catches the attention of Hazel and the driver. "I mean, he pushed me out of the way because a ghoul was approaching at my rear. I banged my knee. That's it. He feels guilty for pushing me is all."
You had never lied to a superior before. Ever. The urge to do so in that moment was confusing, but inescapable. You didn't even question it. You feel Leo's stare but keep your focus on Sergeant Pete with your face relaxed. She slides her eyes over to Leo and gives him once over.
"Is she telling the truth, Leo?"
"Yes." He doesn't hesitate and you're grateful. Your shoulders relax slightly just as your sergeant turns her attention back to you.
"I want the reports on my desk by tomorrow morning." She turns away and walks towards her car to call off the search, leaving you and Leo by the deceased ghouls.
"Well, now we've both lied to the sergeant." He says in his soft tone. You glance over to Leo and the sensation of his tongue caressing your skin invades your senses when you make eye contact. Afraid he could see your thoughts in your eyes you look away and cross your arms over your stomach.
"I'd rather not be known as the detective that was licked by her partner on her first day, thank you." You reply haughtily.
"I'm not your partner; I'm your dog. Don't let the other detectives hear you refer to me any other way." He walks towards the van before you can respond and you drop eyes to the pile of ghouls growing cold at your feet.
Author: Thank you to everyone that reads, reblogs, comments, messages, it's so appreciated. This is one of my vampire concepts that's been in my written drafts for a long time. I've always wanted to explore it and since it was so well received and I am STILL (❤️) receiving DM's requesting more, I decided to add additional context. How I envision them meeting. I don't experiment often with second person but I'm thrilled changing my first person perspective paid off so well. If anyone's interested in exploring these characters and their world more, don't hesitate to let me know!
Hugs and kisses to you all
