***Trigger Warning***

***Brief mention of child abuse (sexual and physical assault)***

It was well into the night and yet Abraham still found himself squinting from the brightness that surrounded him. The bright lights flashed all around, most from the expanse of lavish buildings along the street, as well as the limos and luxury cars driving up to Lugosi. Abraham stood at the top floor of this towering wonder designed in black marble with windows dark enough to match, gazing out through the tinted glass at the sheep on the ground far beneath them. Lugosi was one of the most revered nightclubs in Los Angeles, where the common folk would line up for blocks in the hope of simply gaining entrance to the first level. The club extended thirteen stories into the sky and each floor was more exclusive than the last. Top tier celebrities came on a nightly basis, titans of business from around the world, and on this particular night, Abraham.

The building was owned by Nefertari, who had named it after Bela Lugosi. Abraham found this name far too obvious for the vampire queen's nest, but then he didn't share the same passions that she did. Nefertari had a great fondness for the big screen, the grandeur of it all. As an immortal, she only truly respected humans when they managed to cement themselves in history. She had never herself graced the screen, vampires being unable to appear in photos, but she had built herself as a force in Hollywood over the decades, and under various pseudonyms, having her hand in many major productions.

Still, Abraham had heard whispers for years that Nefertari was growing restless. Dominating the humans, taking pleasure from their industries, could only bring so much fulfillment to a being that was over four thousand years old, who had seen the pyramids built, seen Rome collapse, seen the discovery of new lands, new people and the genocides that followed, centuries of wars. How could watching celebrities dance for her on the big screen measure against all of history? Abraham hoped these rumours of her discontent were true. So much depended on tonight, on Nefertari.

Even this high up, above the main levels of the nightclub, the music could still be heard. Abraham felt it hammering in his chest. As a young man he had fancied himself quite the musician, screaming into the mic until he thought his throat might rip open, but those had been foolish aspirations of one yet to see the power of the True God. He had been young and ill informed, but no longer, and the music was simply a distraction now.

He turned to Raul and Collette, once again brought along for this task. They were all dressed uncharacteristically tonight, suits and collared shirts, but it was necessary to blend in. They had been very much in the public eye, paparazzi all around hoping to catch a glimpse of whatever celebrity was making an appearance. Raul and Collette stood stoic, a few feet away from him. They nearly blended in with the black marble statues that adorned the foyer where they'd been brought to wait. The statues all impeccably carved nudes, each entangling one another, but not quite touching. Abraham suspected it was the preface to the scene that awaited them on the other side of the heavy wooden doors, fixed with solid gold inlays, that stood at the end of the hall.

"Why are we going through all this trouble Brother?" Raul asked, breaking the silence they had held since first entering the limo. "Surely there are vampires in the capital that we could grab easily enough."

"There are," Abraham agreed, examining the statue behind Raul of a finely muscled man, hands bound behind his back, penis out-thrusted and hard, the hand of the woman to his right ready to close around his throat, while the hand of the woman to his left about to stroke his manhood. Each statue combined with the next was intensely sexual, and dangerous in nature. He did not doubt that Nefertari had given personal input on each one. "It is not just any vampire we need for the ritual, Brother. As with the werewolf, the strength of the blood is depleted with each generation, and we need to ensure the True God has a body with strength worthy of his greatness. Nefertari is the oldest living vampire, a child of the very first vampire if the legends are to be believed, and I think they are."

"Meaning no offense, Brother, but you don't seriously think the vampire queen will allow herself to be sacrificed?" Raul asked incredulously. Abraham nearly had to bite back laughter.

"Of course not. But one of her children should suffice. And if we take one without her blessing, there is no telling what kind of fury she would rain down on us. Everything we've worked for could be in jeopardy."

"You believe this vampire has power to match the True God?" Collette said, practically spitting at such blaspheming.

"I made no such claim," Abraham said, turning on her. "The True God knows unmeasured power. Against him, Nefertari would be as insignificant a bloodsucker as a mosquito. But against the Imperial Cult, against us, yes, I worry about her power. Neither of you should forget, that we are but mortal, and finite."

One of the heavy doors at the end opened, and the thin blonde woman that had escorted them up now held the door open for them. The door was large and looked to have considerable weight, but she held it with ease, with vampiric strength. They were heading into the den now. It was time to collect the third.

The room they entered was round and domed with a lavish vaulted ceiling. A painting stretched across the ceiling, similar in design to Michelangelo's work in the Sistine Chapel, but it depicted an orgy involving many people. Some were cut and bled into the mouths of others, but all held pleasure on their faces. There were no windows in this room, this space was protected from the sun, but there were a number of doors along the room's rim. The space was full of people, mostly vampires, some humans that had been hypnotized and brought in as guests (or snacks), all dressed to varying degrees. Some stood in the finest suits or dresses, worth more than most would earn in a year, while others were stripped down to lace or leather, or in some cases simply golden chains and jewels. Large couches sat around the room, stitched together from the furs of numerous endangered animals. Some of the vampires fornicated vigorously on the couches, drawing their human guests into the mix, sipping of their blood, letting it pour out over the other, licking it back up. There was no discrimination of gender or skin colour; in here the only distinction that mattered was vampire or prey. There was violence in the room. And there was pleasure, carnal, visceral pleasure; the type Abraham had spent most of his life purging himself of, and it would take more than this to distract him from his purpose now.

The statues they had seen in the foyer continued through this room, spiralling around the edges, becoming more graphic in nature. A man thrust deep into a woman as she rode him in one statue. In the next, he knelt before her, chest split open as she held his heart high up in the air. Each one held a different story, but all similar. In each the man was dead, the woman victorious in whatever sexual battle was being fought. The floor ascended a few steps near the far end of the room, rising to a large platform. Atop of this, taking up nearly the whole stage, was another fur couch (though this one of a different kind, white fur, perhaps polar bears?), which curved in a semicircle, and another black marble statue standing behind the platform, overlooking the whole room. The statue stood larger than all the others, and unlike the others, she was clothed. It was in the likeness of Nefertari herself, dressed in the garb of an Egyptian queen (something she claimed to be), and at her feet there were two smaller statues of naked men wrapped around her calves, reaching up to her in desperation. And on the couch sat the woman herself.

Abraham and his two companions approached from across the crowded room, as vampires fucked and human slaves stood with drinks at the ready, a hypnotic glaze over their eyes. Nefertari was not alone on her throne of white fur. Four other vampires sat on the couch around her, three female, one male, playing with one another, stripped to the barest undergarments. Nefertari had another playmate close beside her, wrapped in her hands. He was an incredibly beautiful man with statuesque muscles, which Nefertari was stroking gently through his unbuttoned shirt. Abraham had only glanced at it, but he thought he recognized this man from the cover of a magazine aboard their flight, some famous actor. He had the same hazy look as the other snacks in this room.

Nefertari only turned her attention to Abraham once he had ascended all the steps and stood just a few feet in front of her. Raul and Collette waited at the bottom. When Nefertari looked at him, all other eyes on the couch did as well.

"Welcome, Brother Abraham," she said with mock grandeur. "It's been so many years since we last saw each other. And I can't say those years have been kind to you. You look bloated. Pale. Your hair greasy, wispy. Your eyes, small." The actor chuckled along to these insults and Nefertari stroked him gently below the belt for it.

"Queen Nefertari," Abraham said, bowing. "I thank you for allowing me this honour." Abraham stared at her. She looked to be in her early twenties, her eyes a heavy brown, lips full, painted a glossy red. Her hair was extremely long and braided with golden jewels, falling off the couch nearly to the floor. Tonight she wore a thin silk dress of a light cream colour, which was almost entirely see-through.

"Have a seat, Abraham," she said and gestured to her left, where the mostly naked male and female vampire sat locked in each other's arms. They instantly moved at their mother's request. The female cuddled closer to Nefertari, sliding an arm around her waist, while the male stayed close to Abraham as he took a seat. They all continued to stare at him, except the actor whose eyes wandered around the room. "Can I tempt you Abraham?" Nefertari asked. There was a hint of an accent to her voice, but it was hard to pin down what it was, likely it was a combination of many.

"To what exactly?" he asked, managing a smirk.

"A drink to start? At the very least. Though I would be more intrigued to see what you would do with my children here. Do you have a preference for men or women?" Abraham stayed looking at her calmly.

"I have no interest in such things anymore."

"As I assumed. Tell me, is it just mental castration your order performs or are you required to physically remove your testicles as well?" The actor gave a throaty laugh and Nefertari smiled along with him. She turned his face so they could lock eyes. "Hush now my darling, you can't be so rude to our guest." But the cloying look she gave back to Abraham suggested otherwise. "I am famished, I hope you don't mind if I indulge before we talk business." But there was no waiting for Abraham's response. She turned back to the handsome actor, holding his chin, lips nearly touching. "Stay still my love." She slid up onto her knees so that her head was above his neck. Fangs grew from her canine teeth, sharp and menacing. She tilted him slightly to the side, and then bit into his neck, but only for a second.

"Ouch, that hurt," the actor said in a numb daze. He had an Australian accent. Nefertari was already at work sucking a large gulp of blood from the wound. She lifted her head away, giving a quick lick to the wound as she went, slowing the flow to a trickle.

"Yes it hurt, but you enjoy the hurt don't you darling," she breathed into him.

"I do enjoy it," he agreed, happily.

"I have to discuss a few things with this man, why don't you lie back with my girls and get started. I will join you all in a bit." The actor didn't have time to give his opinion on the matter; the two females to Nefertari's right pulled him back to their side of the couch and began licking his chest and the remaining drops of blood coming from his neck.

Nefertari turned back to Abraham. She was done with her performance, done showing Abraham where he stood in this world. The other two vampires still clung near their sides, but would not disturb things.

"Why did you request this meeting, Abraham?" Nefertari asked, straightening herself out on the couch.

"I would have thought you'd already know. I never considered you to be one left in the dark. Metaphorically speaking of course."

"Perhaps I know, but it would be good manners to tell me all the same."

"Very well. The time draws near to raise the True God from his cage. All other pieces are in place, but we still require the third sacrifice to perform the ritual. One who is forced into evil. The voice of our Lord has spoken to us and we know this sacrifice must be a vampire. I request from you, vampire queen, that we are given one of your children for this sacrifice." Nefertari snorted in derision. She ran a thumb along the line of her mouth and licked the drop of blood she found.

"I'm curious, Abraham, why you and your cult of fanatics think I would help? How does it benefit me to raise the devil from hell, and at the expense of one of my children? Your mindless followers may be brainwashed," Nefertari gestured to Raul and Collette. "But I am no fool. I know what would follow if the devil walked this Earth again. All would die, my kind included. Do you deny that this is your ultimate goal?" Now Abraham couldn't help but smile. He saw something hidden away in Nefertari's questions. There was eagerness, liveliness.

"That is precisely our goal. The end to all life, all existence. The universe returned to blackness."

"And yet you think I'll agree to this?" she asked, an unavoidable smile touching her lips as well now. Abraham glanced around the room: a den of fornication.

"You've created an elaborate life for yourself."

"Certainly better than the dark catacombs you call home. I never understood that about your order. There is so much pleasure to be had in life. No wonder you crave the end of existence."

"Yet for all you have," Abraham continued. "I doubt it brings you much joy anymore. How could any of this mean anything to you, after millennia of experiencing this and so much more?" The smile left Nefertari's face. She was insulted.

"Your point?"

"Curiosity. It's a curious thing. I have only lived a small fraction of a life compared to yours, yet I know the aching of the years. I long with all my being to see the True God rise. You may not have the same desires on the matter as I do, but for how much of your life have you known of our Lord, known that he could rise and bring on the apocalypse? Hundreds of years? Thousands? For generations you have had a hand in stopping us from raising him, but tonight I have staked my life that despite that, you want to see it happen. More than that, I think you want to face him. Humanity is pushed to the brink in the process and if you can actually best the devil (which I believe you believe you can) than you and your kind are left as the true rulers of the planet. Do I have that about right?"

Nefertari gave a small unknowable smile and then stood up. Her long hair fell past her knees. She walked down the steps and waved a hand at Abraham to follow. He did. She walked past Raul and Collette towards the centre of the room where a massive fur rug stretched across the floor.

"You've come to collect a vampire, one of my children. You think this alone will meet the requirements of your ritual?" she asked as she led Abraham. She stopped in front of the rug and snapped her fingers at two of the humans waiting with drinks. They hurried to her sides. "I think you need to consider things more carefully. One who is forced into evil against his will. Most of my children were never forced; they came to me, desperately seeking a place by my side. But I have one whom I turned that fought against me every step of the way." With the two humans at her side, she pointed down at the rug and they bent, starting to roll it up; anyone standing on it quickly stepped aside. Abraham saw that there was a glass window underneath the rug. "He didn't trust me, didn't trust the potential I saw in him. He...well let's say he tried to be the hero of the story." All other vampires in the room were now gathering around this window in the floor, listening to their queen. "Eventually he was made to see our ways. Forced, you may say."

Abraham stood beside Nefertari, Raul and Collette close behind. The rug was pulled away completely and through the glass was a room, decorated well enough with a fine bed, a desk and chair, bookshelves, paintings on the walls. And sitting on the bed was a boy, who looked to be a similar age to Nefertari. He had long black hair and tanned skin. A bit of scruff on his strong jaw, and as he looked up at the crowd gazing in, Abraham saw his delicate green eyes, though his face was quite gaunt, and his clothes were stained with dried blood.

"Beautiful isn't he?" Nefertari cooed proudly. "His name is Elias. He's been my little pet down there for...must be nearly two years now."

"A direct child of yours?" Abraham asked, growing tired of all the pageantry.

"Yes, I turned him myself, held him through the night. But as fond of him as I am, I will part with him. You may take him Abraham, but not for free." Abraham had anticipated a price, and he suspected he knew what it was.

"Three of you came here, I will choose one of your companions to feed to my sweet Elias. It is sure to be an exhaustive travel and he has not fed in weeks. You see he's always been...reluctant to eat, so I found the trick is to starve him for a while and then when food is offered his instincts take over and he has no choice but to feed." Both she and Abraham turned to Raul and Collette. Their stoic expressions had never changed, but Abraham saw the tension in their stance.

"May I choose then? Unless you would like to offer yourself Abraham?" He gave a grim smile and stepped back, gesturing to his two companions. Nefertari looked them both over, beaming with delight at their unsmiling faces. "Her," she finally said, pointing to Collette. Abraham was proud that Collette didn't so much as flinch. He would reflect the whole journey back about why Nefertari chose her, but maybe there was no reason to it, only the abstract illusion of it. Nefertari leaned close to Collette, locking eyes with her, hypnotizing her, and whispered something softly to her that Abraham couldn't hear. A couple vampires stepped forward and took Collette by the arms, though she didn't struggle, and led her out of the room, through one of the doors on the side.

A few minutes later, a door in Elias' cage opened and Collette walked in. The door was shut behind her. She looked calm, but there was sweat rolling down her forehead.

"Turn on the speakers so we can listen," Nefertari called out. A moment later there was a static feedback from speakers in the corners of the glass window, and then they could hear what Elias and Collette were saying.

Collette went down to her knees and tilted her head slightly so her neck was prominent. There was a glaze over her eyes though, and when she spoke it was in an unnatural way. "My name is Judy Morrison. I grew up in a run down house with my mom and my dad and my two younger brothers." Abraham was getting a sense of what orders Nefertari had whispered in Collette's ear. She did have a twisted imagination.

Elias looked up at Nefertari. "Stop this!" he screamed. "Stop, please! I will not hurt her!" But his growing fangs said otherwise.

Collette continued her story. "My father wasn't a good man. He'd beat my mom, and me and my brothers. I tried to protect my brothers. My mom tried to protect me. She wasn't well, in her head, and had trouble. He knew how to control her, how to control us all. He started touching me when I was little, I don't remember exactly when, but it wasn't until I was eleven that he raped me."

"Please!" Elias cried out desperately. "Stop doing this! How cruel can you be? Just let her leave! Let me starve, I don't care!"

"He does have quite the spirit," Abraham said, an observation, but no amusement in it. Nefertari on the other hand, her eyes were dancing.

"My mom wasn't able to protect me anymore. It was me he wanted more now. My mom tried to put herself in the way, but he only hurt her, hurt her worse if I ran away. I loved my mom. When she told me to run away I ran." There were tears in her eyes now. Abraham had wondered at first if this was a true story or simply planted in her head by Nefertari, but he didn't doubt the truth to it now. He watched on, curious.

Elias had backed into the far corner of the room. "Nefertari, I will kill you! I'll kill all of you!" Nefertari grinned, fangs showing, as the rest of the room laughed.

"One night when I ran from him, he hurt my mom so bad. Beat her 'till there was blood running from her ears. She wasn't the same then, not all there. He'd broken something in her that couldn't be fixed. I hid a knife under my mattress. Next time he forced himself into me, I waited till his head was buried in my pillow, then I took the knife out and stabbed him in the neck. He bled out all over me, all over my bed. He was still inside me when he stopped breathing."

Elias was clawing at his hair, blood dripping down. He let out a long scream. Collette's last words were barely audible over it. "I miss my mom," she said as tears poured down her pale cheeks. Elias darted across the room, too fast to follow, then he was standing over her, one hand on her head, the other her shoulder, pumping vein of her neck directly below his fangs. With an anguished roar he bite down hard, and started draining. There was a shocked expression on Collette's face, and then it faded. Everything about her faded, and she went very still. Elias kept feeding, blood drenching his chin, rolling down his neck. There were tears in his eyes too, if Abraham wasn't mistaken.

Nefertari looked hungry herself. She turned to Abraham, still grinning wildly.

"I will arrange sufficient transportation for Elias, and you will have him shortly."

"I thank you for your help," Abraham said, bowing to her. "Would you like to be there when it is time for the final ritual?"

"No," she said casually. "I imagine it will be a messy affair, I doubt any of you will be alive afterward. I would rather face the devil on my own terms."

Andwith that Nefertari turned back towards her throne, going to join the threesomeunderway as promised. Abraham turned toRaul and then led the way out of the den, walking over the glass window of thecage where Collette was now no more than a limp corpse. Against his better instincts, Abraham glancedback at Nefertari one last time. Shetruly intended to face the devil herself. That vanity would be the death of her, Abraham thought and smirked.