The vampire had watched the boy for several nights. He was the one her queen had asked her to find. The next Prophet. A weapon that could be wielded for their victory - or their destruction. Prophecies were funny like that. She had seen him pop two pills this night, swallowing them without water, before lighting his cigarette. Dressed in black leather pants and a shirt that was more holes than fabric, the human boy approached his usual street corner, leaning against the brick building as he smoked. It had taken her two nights to realize why he stood there and why he often got into cars with various humans, mostly men.

The boy frowned as he rubbed his temple. Tonight, she would no longer be simply observing. Her black Corvette pulled up along the corner and she rolled down the passenger side window. He slowly approached to lean on the door, having to bend practically in half to do so, tilting his hips naturally. The blue eyes that pierced the shadows of the car were too knowing and yet too innocent. A voice of caramel flowed from the interior, her words wrapping around the boy, seducing him. "How much for all night?"

A voice of deep gravel, a voice deceptively old for the boy's age, answered. "For you? Two fifty." The vampire nodded and unlocked the door, beckoning him into the car. The young prostitute took another drag on his cigarette, stomping it out with his combat boot before slipping into the car, unaware that everything was about to change for him.

---

It hurt. Everything fucking hurt. Andy tried opening his eyes again. Even though it was night, the ambient light from the street lamps made his eyes water. He folded in on himself, sinking farther back into the shadows. His lungs burned when he tried to breathe and his stomach cramped like he hadn't eaten in weeks. The worst of it was his heart. He could feel it slowing, each beat more sluggish than the last, and he didn't know what to do to fix it. In frustration, he kicked his leg out, a metal trash can crashing to the pavement of the alleyway.

"Hey. Hey! Shut up. I heard something."

"Probably just a rat."

"No rat makes that kinda noise."

"Then a fucking cat. Come on, I want to hit the bar before sunrise!"

"Will the three of you please shut the fuck up?!"

Andy scrambled back against the wall at the voices, nails bloody as they scraped at the ground. Fuck, he thought. Fuck! He needed to hide, needed to get away, but he couldn't make his muscles work, couldn't even get to his feet to run. His eardrums throbbed as the footsteps got closer, the low level headache he'd had kicking in full force.

"Shit. He's just a kid."

Andy forced his eyes open but could only make out four watery shapes backlit by the street lights. He tried to say something, tried to scream, but the noise caught in his throat as a hoarse whine as he pressed his back into the brick wall behind him.

"Fuck, guys. He's new." The man attached to the voice crouched down and leaned forward. "Hey. It's okay. We can help."

Andy's palms dug into his eyes, trying to clear them. The man turned his face away, speaking softly to the others, and when he turned back, Andy found himself staring into deep chocolate-colored eyes. "My name's Ashley. You need to eat, okay?" He could hear shuffling near the others, but still couldn't see. He choked on a panicked sob, starving and terrified.

Ashley caught something, made a quick motion with his free hand, and the most delicious scent Andy had ever experienced filled the air in front of him. The other man held whatever was making that scent closer to him, voice taking on a honeyed tone that Andy couldn't resist. "Look at me. Don't look at it. Just look into my eyes and feed." He lifted whatever it was to Andy's mouth, something damp smearing against his lips. "Open. Suck. Swallow."

The sticky liquid wet his lips enough to part them and Ashley pushed the thing firmly against the space. "C'mon." Andy locked his mouth onto what his body unconsciously recognized as food, sucking hard, taking long pulls before swallowing, dry throat working the sustenance down.

"There you go." Ashley's hand brushed his hair back out of his eyes tenderly, letting him feed for a moment before pulling it away. "Not too much. You'll get sick." Andy's head fell with a thunk back against the wall and damn if he didn't feel his heartbeat steady, falling into a stronger rhythm, even as he could feel a well-fed exhaustion spread through his body. Careful gloved fingers wiped at his mouth, but Andy was far too tired to care, eyes starting to close. "What's your name?"

He swallowed, voice deep and rough. "Andy." The last thing he saw before he passed out was Ashley's smile.

---

Ashley dropped the poor drunk the boys had been able to snag walking by, reaching for Andy before he keeled over onto the pavement. The kid was solidly out. Ashley had no idea how he'd even sensed the new vampire hidden back in the dark alley, but he'd been too distracted by his state to think too much about it.

Jake came over to get the drunk human up and back on his way, telling the man he'd stumbled and fallen, keeping him occupied while he tied a dark bandana tightly around his torn up wrist. Close enough to the truth. The others crowded around where Ashley held Andy on the ground against the wall. "Fuck, we can't just leave him here." As always, CC remained the master of the obvious. The taller vampire hunched down next to Ashley and brushed Andy's hair off his face. "Damn, he's pretty."

It was only his respect for his best friend that had Ashley swallowing his growl. Andy's long black hair was matted with dirt and who knew what else and there were smudges all over his pale skin - and Ashley still thought he was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. He stared at CC's black leather gloved hand cupping Andy's cheek and had half a mind to rip his hand off. ...the fuck? Ashley shook his head. He felt possessive over some new kid, like he had to protect him, like he belonged to him and vice versa and... Oh. Shit.

He actually fell on his ass, stunned, blinking stupidly at Andy's unconscious form. There was no way. No fucking way. His heart sped up, mind shorting out and then coming back online with a million things going through it. CC's hand shot out to rest on Ashley's shoulder. "Hey, you okay? Ash? Buddy?" The other vampire quickly forgot about Andy, letting him go, letting him slide toward the filthy ground and Ashley did growl then, righting himself to catch Andy before he fell over.

"Yeah, fine. Just... help me get him up." Together, CC and Ashley got Andy to his feet, though he certainly wasn't supporting his weight on them. Ashley muttered something about another tall bastard and looked up to where Jinxx stood blocking the alleyway entrance, Jake at his back.

Jinxx's eyes traveled over the new vampire and gave Ashley an unreadable look. "What are you planning on doing with him?"

"We can't leave him out here, man!" Jinxx cut off CC with a wave of his hand. Ashley sighed heavily. Jinxx would make them wait until they risked burning up in the sunrise if he didn't answer. Stubborn bastard.

"I'm taking him home. He's recently turned and he'll never make it out here without help. You saw him. He doesn't even know how to feed yet. Probably wouldn't know to get out of the sun either." For one moment, Ashley met Jinxx's pale blue eyes and let the fear of his suspicions be read in his eyes. "I can't leave him."

After a moment of quiet, Jinxx nodded. "CC can carry him." Ashley started to protest, baring his fangs and tightening his hold on Andy even as CC started to try to pick the kid up. Jake stepped forward, putting himself between Ashley and Jinxx. "Ashley!" Jake's voice was stern, authoritative, the tone that said his words were not up for discussion. "CC will carry him. Let him go and you protect our rear."

"C'mon, man. Promise I won't drop him." CC's voice was soft, calming, as he scooped up Andy. Ashley's eyes dropped to the unconscious vampire cradled in his best friend's arms and ran his palm over his own face in exasperation. He had to get himself under control and quickly. He nodded to the rest and let CC step forward, falling a few paces behind the group.
Ashley didn't bother to look up when Jake fell into step beside him. None of them stayed in the back by themselves. That was a rule. One of their many rules that kept them safe and helped them survive. Probably just as well since Ashley was too busy rehashing the last few moments.

He'd sensed the kid, Andy, in the alleyway before he'd heard the trashcan fall. He'd wanted to rip his own best friend's hand off for touching him, especially when he was vulnerable. Ashley would have stayed out, risked the sun and the danger, if Jinxx had said he couldn't bring Andy home with them. And when the kid had finally spoken, those wide blue eyes focusing on Ashley before he passed out? Felt like every fucking birthday he'd ever had or would have, only better. He slid his eyes to Jake. He would know. He could ask and Jake would be straight with him. That would mean saying it out loud though. Ashley couldn't find the strength in him to do that, not yet. Putting his suspicion into actual words and to find out he was wrong would break him. A bright hope snatched away, a reminder that he didn't deserve such a thing. Yet... He lifted his eyes to where CC carried Andy a few feet ahead.

What if Andy was his bondmate? What if he'd actually found him after all these years? What if... He shook his head, looking back to the sidewalk under his feet. Better to ignore it than risk the heartbreak.

What would a Deviant like him know about love anyway?

---

"You lost him?" The hiss of her voice did not raise a decibel, but it was no less menacing for its soft sound. "He is a child and you lost him."

The three darkly dressed vampires kept their eyes to the floor, heads bowed submissively. "We did not realize he was the one, Your Grace," the one on the left explained. "Your Deviant-"

Her words cut him off. "Where is my Deviant? Why is she not here to account for herself?"
The three shuffled nervously. "You have lost both my Deviant and my Prophet." She rose from her dais, long black robes trailing behind her as she descended to the three before her. "I cannot abide failure."

The vampire on her right lifted his head, eyes panicked. "Lady Lily, please, we can hunt for them. We can-" His words stopped abruptly, mouth opening and closing like a fish as his hand went to his throat, dark red blood seeping between his fingers as he crumpled to the stone floor.

Lady Lily's dagger-sharp nails dripped with her now deceased minion's blood. "Yes. You will hunt him. You will find my Prophet and return him to me. There will be no more excuses and no further failures." Red eyes flashed at the remaining two vampires. "Now, go," she ordered and gestured to the dead vampire at her feet. "And do clean up after yourselves."

Notes

Inspired by "Fallen" by ImpossibleHumanParadise.

Thanks as always to my beta readers, VeiledWriter and Estella.

This is very much a Work in Progress, though there is a lot more than what I'm posting right now. Encouragement through ratings/votes/comments highly appreciated!

Suggested song for Chapter 1: "Vampires" - Godsmack

While Andy is referred to as "boy" repeatedly, it is only that his human age is so much younger than the vampires' ages. He is intended to be a legal adult.