Passing Through[Nykolae]

Getting out of the penthouse was getting easier and easier. Once he found the loopholes, anyway. It took a while but it was definitely paying off. After drinking a few blood bags from the fridge, which apparently Kaia's spell allowed, he set himself out onto the town. So he couldn't divulge in his favorite past time of drinking straight from the vein but he could at least enjoy his second favorite; sex. Las Vegas, even with the University not far away, was a hotbed of youth whether it be Bachorette parties, Ladies' Night, or just having fun, everywhere Nykolae went, beautiful women were bountiful. It wasn't like he would have any trouble picking any of them. With noble human blood pumping through his veins, Nykolae was always turning heads and he knew how to work the crowd. He was all suave and charm. He used to have the money to blow on them but since being with Kaia, he had to get more creative. After the confusion of sleeping with Kaia and wondering where exactly their relationship stood, Nykolae hadn't gotten anything. Like an addict in withdraw, he'd managed to sneak himself out of the penthouse and was leisurely strolling down the busy sidewalk of the strip.

He didn't pick right away. In fact, he was more enjoying his freedom than anything else. Constantly leashed by Kaia, Nykolae had felt suffocated and the tension between them was growing tighter and tighter, especially when he realized Kaia had placed a spell on the locket that didn't allow him to drink from anyone. The very locket was under his shirt, unusually warm against his chest, reminding him, like a collar, that he had restrictions to his freedom.

He crossed the street to the other side of a casino and his ears immediately picked up an angry retort from a large man who was bearing down on a girl who seemed genuinely sorry for something. He immediately recognized a were and hurried to the girl's side, stepping between the two and laughing casually at the were as he backed him up. "Heeey, sorry about my friend here. It's her first time in Vegas and she was so caught up in the glory that is this city that she didn't see you. Don't worry about it, dude. She's with me and I'll make sure she doesn't step out of line."

The were glared at Nykolae, raising a fist as if to punch him than thought better of it and just growled at the two of them before strolling off. Nykolae waited till he was out of ear shot before he turned back to her, flashing her his trademark smile. "Hey there! Sorry about that. Don't want to start a war in the middle of the-" He paused as her scent washed over him and he felt his heart race as he took her in, not bothering to hide the fact that his eyes looked her up and down. "Hybrid." he said, excitement rising up inside him. It wasn't often he came across others like him. He'd only dealt with vampires who either wanted to suck him dry, turn cold shoulders towards him or, on rare occasions, like Alex, actually want to make friends. But because of his fear of vampires, especially male vampires, it kept him from joining the other half of his blood. When he'd been younger, three male vampires had corned him and drank so much from him, he'd almost died. And he'd been powerless to defend himself. Even Kaia turning on him for his blood terrified him even though he knew she wouldn't kill him. He'd never had anyone to talk to that could understand the pain he was going through. Looking at her now, he felt a strange longing and it wasn't the longing that had gotten him to leave the penthouse in the first place.

He snapped out of his trance and took a step back from her, running a hand through his hair in a rather embarrassed gesture. "Sorry about that. Didn't mean to call you out like that. It's just... I haven't met many like you-like us." He let his words fall empty before he cleared his throat, attempting to clear the unease he felt. "So it looks like you're lost?" he asked her, indicating the map in her hand. "I've been here for a while. I might be able to help you, you know, if you want." he said with a simple shoulder shrug.

He felt an all too familiar tug in his gut when she blushed and he found himself thinking just how cute she was. She was easily charmed and was a damsel in distress to top it off. Even if Kaia found out he'd escaped the penthouse, meeting her was all worth it. Besides her, he'd only met one other hybrid and she hadn't been nearly as accepting of him as she was. He chuckled as he took a few moments to look around them at the mass and chaos of buildings that seemed to have no real organization to them. "Yeah, Vegas is good for that. There really is no rhyme or reason to these streets and buildings. Everything built up around the casinos so it's hard to give directions. What hotel are you looking for?" Maybe I could help?

He thought back to his earlier hunting skills. A lot them pertained to helping young women in distress. This particular meeting was starting to feel like de ja vu for when he'd first met Tessa. He'd met her outside a club, her friends had ditched her and she was looking for the nearest hotel. He'd offered to help her, gaining a semblance of trust but because of her Magi blood, had been unable to resist dragging her into the alley for a taste. Of course, the very thought made the locket against his chest burn and he was brought back to the present. Lucky for this girl, she wouldn't have to worry about him drinking from her. The spell wouldn't allow him. However, he wasn't looking to say good bye to her anytime soon. He was intrigued by her and it wasn't just because they shared the same curse of being hybrids.

Only a night... Part of him frowned while the other part was relieved. Whatever happened between the two of them today, he'd never have to see her again and yet, the part of him that was saddened by the news, didn't want to readily let go of someone he could ask questions and get to know. Ever since he'd been cast from the orphanage at a young age, Nykolae had been alone and, when his father's connection had been severed, Nykolae gave up on ever finding someone who he could connect with. He'd scoured the world searching for his father, the one person he felt had a deep connection with but as the years went by and he found no trace of his father, he began to get the ideas in his head that he had been unwanted; karma for one night of pleasure. So after the connection with his father was cut and he was left utterly alone, Nykolae fell into a state of reclusion, taking on a new face and turning into the person he was today; quick to anger, disobedient and flighty. Nykolae's aversion to rules was his main downfall. He did as he pleased, when he pleased and didn't care what anyone said or thought of him. He was sure that was the reason he landed, literally, in Kaia's lap and was also sure this was universal karma back to bite him in the ass. Either way, he was making the most of it and perhaps, even learning from his past mistakes. He'd met Alex, a young vampire who he'd formed a sibling like connection with and the both of them experienced new things together without the criticism of others. She got him to eat human food and he got her to partake of her first bite of fresh blood. Because of this step up, Nykolae was able to bare with the curse of the locket. Instead of starving himself and belittling himself by drinking Kaia's blood, he'd learned to stomach lots of different kinds of human food he only needed to call the front desk for. Because of Kaia's "detention", he had also stopped sleeping around. He hadn't felt the body of a woman beneath him since he'd accidentally bedded Kaia a few months ago. To someone standing as a bystander, Kaia had changed Nykolae's life for the better but Nykolae refused to admit it. His deep seated hatred for the woman who nearly killed him was a seed that had already sprouted. At this point, he needed to branch out to continue his growth and it was part of this unconscious thought that had him so keen on staying with her, no matter the costs.

"Yeah, I'm only staying in Vegas for awhile. I'm- staying with a relative." Okay, that's wasn't a lie. If he stepped back to look at the whole picture, she was the vampire original. Technically she created all vampires, even hybrids. "But I've been around her long enough that I might be able to find you a place that works for you, if you're interested." he said causally, stuffing his hands into his cargo shorts, his trademark smile spreading across his face once more as his green eyes met hers.

He laughed and looked away from her, unable to help his smile growing larger. He decided to avoid her immediate question behind his smile. "No, I ripped my mother apart when I was born and the nuns who had helped me into this world, refused to allow her to turn. Imagine that. I've been alone my whole life. I was thrown out of the orphanage when I grew faster than the rest of the kids and when my blood lust became something dangerous. I spent the next several years searching for my father but I had no idea who he was or where to look." He paused, suddenly feeling as though he didn't want to reveal his troubled past to her. Instead, he changed the conversation to looking for the nearest hotel. "There's one just up the street and around the corner. Reasonably priced and across the street from this great diner!" Which was, in fact, the very same diner Alex had gotten him to eat a cheeseburger. He smiled secretly about that particular memory before turning back towards her. She had introduced herself and he'd rudely brushed over it. This time, he held out his own hand. "Nykolae Sovereign. It's a pleasure to meet you, Alita!"

--

GAH! It sucks! I'm sorry -.-

For all the similarities, she could have been talking about his own past. As far as he knew, his mother had been raped and then left to die when he tore himself out of her womb. He hadn't bothered to come back and find him, hadn't care he'd created life. And then when he went and got himself killed, he severed the blood connection that tied him to his father and he'd never felt such pain in his life. He was happy his father was dead. It was what he deserved. But it seemed she, also, wasn't looking to talk about her past as she switched subjects. One he was happy to switch to. He shrugged. "I don't mind. Gives me something to do besides wandering aimlessly around this city with nothing to do." he turned to her. "You want me to leave, I can. I mean, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable..." He stopped in front of the hotel where a loud mouthed woman was talking angrily on her cell phone while a bellboy struggled to get suitcases through the swinging doors. Otherwise, the traffic in and out was quite light, suggesting there weren't many people staying here. Perfect.

He hoped to pull the conversation away from her making him leave and answered her last question. "Yeah, I've eaten there. They make really good cheeseburgers." he said with a smile, remembering the first cheeseburger Alex had made him eat. Minus the necromancer who'd tried to kill them...

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Outfit