"No!" Vaela scowled. "Don't you dare mix up those vegan options."
She huffs into her phone as she sits at the back of a deep-crimson limousine that tore down the streets of Veruna.
Behind her followed a column of matt-black trucks that rumbled through the streets like a military parade, adorned with red, glowing sigils and large, flapping banners presenting the logo of Moonblood Mercies.
Sipping on an espresso as she barks orders into her phone like a caffeine drunk general, Vaela beams with a sense of calculated accomplishment.
"Truck three goes to Crestview. Not four." she growls over the speaker.
"You're actually enjoying this?" Lilith yawns as she lazily stretches out next to Vaela in her feline form.
"I am!" Vaela laughs, rubbing her hand roughly through Lilith's soft fur, much to her chagrin.
"Whatever…" she hisses, swatting at Vaela's hands. "Just wake me up when the seduction starts."
By noon, Vaela and Moonblood Mercies had already personally visited two senior homes across the city where she had spent time with the residents, learning of their pasts and promising them a brighter future.
News of the mysterious Vanessa Moonblood and Moonblood Mercies' work in the city had already begun to make its way onto local news and social media. By the time she left the second home, a litany of press and paparazzi would be following her around as she raced through Veruna toward her next target, stopping along the way to distribute food and blankets to the homeless and destitute.
They eventually reach North Pine Retirement Home just as the sun creeps behind the Wailing Woods to the west.
The residents are skeptical of her at first. They all peek curiously from windows across the building as Vaela's car screeches to a stop outside. She steps out of the gleaming vehicle, a vision of unimaginable wealth and sophistication draped in luxurious finery.
Volunteers and staff sprang to action as soon as their trucks stopped around Vaela who shouted orders as she shuffled between trucks perched on a precarious set of high heels.
They hauled in dozens of boxes, pulling out thick, soft blankets that were each embroidered with the name of one of the residents. Tables were unfolded along a small garden area and the smell of roasted meats, stewed vegetables, warm buttered breads and various soups wafted through the senior center.
Vaela glowed with happiness as she moved about the facility like a queen among forgotten royalty. She sat with veterans that regaled her of tales of battle. Laughed with a litany of grannies that couldn't stop questioning her about her life of luxury and listening intently as others spoke of difficult lives and being abandoned and forgotten by their families.
Time melted into moments of shared joy. Hours pass at North Pine Retirement home as Vaela lingered about late into the night. By the time she was dragged from a game of poker, surrounded by a gaggle of giggling grannies, it would be well past midnight.
She slumps into the limousine, tossing off her shoes and bra as she releases a long, exhausted sigh.
"That… was…amazing." she mutters to herself softly as she sinks into her seat.
Lilith wistfully rolls her eyes as she stretches out on a windowsill.
The next morning Vaela is woken early by her attendants in preparation for a TV interview that Lucien had organized, intent on introducing the world to Vanessa Moonblood.
Lilith helps her prepare. With a snapping of fingers and curling, magical smoke, she wraps Vaela in a modestly divine outfit that exemplifies her beauty and natural charm.
An announcement of Lucien's arrival would send her racing down the stairs toward the main entrance hall.
Half hidden in a shadow near the entrance door, he smiles warmly at her as she descends the stairs, radiating with ethereal elegance and grace.
"You look… ravish—"
But before Lucien could complete his compliment, Vaela already had him wrapped into a tight embrace.
"It's good to see you too,bVanessa." he smiles as she digs her face into his firm chest.
Staring up at the golden globes of his eyes, she welcomes him with a coy smile before stepping back and resetting her dress.
"You look great, Lucien." she grins as she ogles the young vampire standing before her.
Dressed in a perfectly tailored suit that does little to hide the outlines of his impressive physique. Slicked back hair rested atop his head, save for a few errant strands that snuck down the side of his forehead.
Valea instinctively bites at her lip as he smiles back at her. He averts his gaze as her icy-blue eyes lock on to him, trying mostly in vain to save himself from her looks of seduction that begins to unlock savage thoughts of sensualism in his mind.
She giggles under her breath as she notices him trying to hide a bashful grin. The pair stroll to the kitchen to enjoy casual conversation over some coffee while Vaela's staff help a small production crew setup on the edge of the estate's rose garden.
The interview soon kicks off as Vaela sat perfectly poised, glowing under soft morning sunlight and framed by a canvas of multi-colored roses behind her.
Answering the interviewers questions with unusual grace and honesty, she dug into the sufferings of her past and her goals for the future.
"I was abandoned. Forgotten by those that were supposed to protect me." she said softly, her voice cracking slightly as tears welled in her eyes. "No warmth or food… or hope. I want to bring back hope to those that have been forgotten by this cruel world."
Lucien watches on smiling, arms-folded as he leans against a tree. Her words resonate within him as he finds his heart once again pulled deeper into her orbit of sweet sincerity.
The interview soon ends. As the crew pack up their gear, Valea approaches him smiling widely.
"You did great." he smirks as she steps into the shade beside him.
"Thanks again for doing this for me." she says, eyeing him with a flirtatious smile.
"You're not making this easy." he snorts, biting at his lip with thick fangs. "Just looking at you…"
"I could say the same." Vaela giggles, slapping his arm playfully.
The pair playfully chat and flirt for a while before Lucien is called back to work. He flicks open an umbrella and the two stroll back to his car under the pounding, midday sun.
She sees him off with a peck on the cheek and sighs longing as his sports car roars down the driveway and out of the main gate.
"Poor thing is hooked." Lilith chuckles as she fades into existence from behind a puff of smoke. "You're really got him good… it's kind of terrifying."
"The power of love, baby!" she says proudly before cackling under her breath.
Later that afternoon she would find herself back at North Pine Retirement Home.
Construction buzzed and workers scurried around the facility. Stairs and walkways were mended, rooms and plumbing upgraded, ramps and accessibility improvements added and a variety of new entertainment and activity options brought in.
"It's our angel!" a voiced crowed as Vaela popped her head into a steam room filled with grannies lounging around mostly naked.
She turns down their invitation to join them, strolling through the facility to check in on the rest of the residents instead.
She ends up enduring a lengthy story from a 95-year old woman who tells tall tales of being whisked away by elven royalty in the magical forest of Northern Europe and spending years being pampered by powerful djinn in the deserts of the Far East.
"Oh! Dominic, my boy. Right on time." the old lady suddenly calls out excitedly as she waves at a figure behind Vaela.
She could feel the alpha werewolf's presence crawling up behind her, immense and powerful. The scent of his raw, animalistic musk already began to tickle at her nose.
She lifts from her seat, gently sets her dress and turns to meet the target of her next conquest with a sweet and salacious smile.
Her gaze first finds a solid mountain of muscle standing right before her. She whimpers as the intensity of his alpha aura seems to grab at her throat, and choke her words.
She gulps and turns her gaze up toward his face.
Deep brown eyes look down at her with furious intensity as they silently stare at each.
"Moonblood?" he asks, his voice like hot gravel soaked in vodka.
Vaela nods softly, forcing herself to maintain eye contact as the alpha stares her down, sneering and snorting as he takes long, deep breaths.
"She's been an angel." The old man quips from the nearby table. "You best treat her nice, Dom. Else, I'mma open a can of whoop ass on you, boy!"
"Yeah!" an old lady adds from a nearby rocking chair. "Don't be mean to her, Dominic. She's been really nice to us."
Dominic nods at the residents before turning his attention back to Vaela.
"Walk with me…" he says sternly.
He leads him through the facility, twisting his head to view the various construction and improvements that proceed with swift precision.
"You're doing good work here." he says, turning to her as they walk. "I appreciate it… this place… these people… they mean a lot to me."
"Thank you… Dominic." Vaela smiles softly. "They deserve so much more."
He thanks her again with a half-smile and a soft nod before his face shifts back to stoic seriousness.
"But…" he growls, eyes tightening onto her. "If all of this is just for show. Some way for you to earn leverage or clout. If you're using these people… it won't end well. Not for you or your trucks or your fancy cause."
"I'm here cause someone needs to be." Vaela responds, calm and confidently. "I know what it's like to be discarded. I know how hard it is to find someone who cares. I know their suffering better than you can imagine."
He stares at her, eyes blazing with alpha intensity which washes over Vaela like a tidal wave of crushing pressure. Yet, she doesn't falter.
"I'm not here for an audience. I'm here for them." she barks.
Her words resonate, and for a moment, his fierce expression falters. A glint of vulnerability flickers across his eyes as Vaela's conviction bites at his emotions.
He turns away with a grunt.
"I guess we'll see." he mutters as he walks away.
Pulse pounding through every extremity, Vaela slumps against a nearby wall, gasping for air as a sly grin curls across her lips.
"This one's gonna be fun!"