Ashlynn Monroe - Vampires and Mistletoe

Victor didn't like that his daughter lived in the human realm, held down a menial job, and refused to use her powers unless pressed. He considered his progeny above such a life. In the Other World, half-humans stopped aging on their twenty-fifth birthday; unlike in the human world. It irritated her father that she would let her life escape day by day. Equally human and demon, she chose her mother's heritage. Movie monsters were fun on Halloween, but every other day of the year it was a pain in the ass to deal with them.

Tessa missed her sisters, but the thought of staying forever in the nightmare her father called home terrified her. Every visit, rare as they were, her father would threaten to forbid her return to the human realm. When he made the threat it frightened her, because she knew he could do it. This anxiety was one of the reasons that she didn't return more often.

Christmas brought her back each year, only because her sisters begged her to join them. She spoke to each of them daily on the phone, texting and emailing too; but seeing them was much better. They would spend one terrible -for Tessa- night in Victor's castle, and as soon as brunch finished, they would leave.

Having magic and a long life ensured that Victor was very wealthy in the human realm as well as Other World. He had wise financial managers in both worlds. As much as he hated coming into contact with humans, having a foothold in each of the two worlds was unavoidable. Her mother had been a young bank teller who'd caught his eye. The years he'd spent with Hannah were the only years he took frequent and regular trips into the human realm, or so she'd been told.

He constantly offered Tessa cars and money and she always refused. If the man had taken a personal interest in her as a child, even for a moment, it would be different. He'd been trying to buy his way into her heart since she'd come into her full abilities on her eighteenth birthday. She could do some scarily powerful stuff. Knowing that her father only cared about her because of her talent bothered her. She hated the sight of the man. Taking his gifts would be hypocritical, most assuredly. She accepted one gift from him each year -buying out all the rooms at a chic ski resort in Aspen for a week- and that was a gift to all six of them.

She refused every wrapped box from him under the tree. It infuriated the triplets, because they adored Victor; in their eyes he could do no wrong. If they didn't love her they would most likely disown her. It surprised her a little that she always saw so many gifts under the tree from her father. After years of refusing them, she wondered if he'd gotten wise to her feelings and just had empty boxes wrapped for show. The idea made her a bit curious, but not curious enough to let down her guard and accept anything from the man.

She tried to be a good person, but forgiving the person who'd crippled you emotionally was hard. Her sisters had never dealt with the same kind of pain and abandonment she'd experienced. She was almost thirty and she still slept with a nightlight to keep the terrible nightmares at bay. The first two years she'd lived in the castle had been filled with fear and confusion. No one understood that she wasn't used to monsters popping up everywhere. No human father would've assigned his daughter a werewolf as a bodyguard or a zombie nanny. Victor forgot she'd been raised by humans. The blue woman was the closest thing she'd had to a normal caregiver. She'd been afraid of monsters under the bed before she'd meet her father. After going to live with him she was afraid of the monsters who put her to bed. She'd slept in her closet until she was thirteen. It would take more than a few shiny babbles to make the wall of bad memories go away.

Mid Morning, December 22nd

The throng of waiting sisters quickly crushed Tessa in a group hug as she entered the warm, lavishly decorated main hall of her father's home. Talia looked a bit forlorn; her son was with his father for the Christmas holiday this year. Tessa missed hearing his cheerful little voice. She had brought gifts for the servants and all of her sisters, and even one for her father. It was Christmas after all; and her mother had taught her about the importance of giving.

Mutely supervising her return from a dim corner, her father nodded to her levelly in a pathetic excuse for a welcome. She returned the nod with equal casual coldness. A tall zombie helped carry in all of her packages. He gave her the creeps, but she attempted to graciously thank him for the assistance. His throaty growl quickly caused her to back off. He was definitely on Santa's naughty list for next year!

The family settled down in the comfortable room. Almost the moment her backside hit the cushion her father made a drastic announcement.

"Your Aspen trip is canceled. Recently, several attempts have been made on Tessa's life recently."

His announcement was met with stunned silence. After several panicked heartbeats Tessa spoke earnestly, "That's a lie, Victor."

In her shock she forgot to call him Father. Victor's eyes glowed a deep angry red and Tessa could literally see little flames dancing in them. Her use of his first name always caused him anger.

"There's a fringe group of humans who know about the Other World. They call themselves demon hunters. Somehow they've discovered you are a demon. On three occasions they have tried to kill you."

Her mind fought to process what he was saying. Her brain turned off, but her mouth unfortunately, stayed operational. "Shut the fuck up!"

He raised his eyebrow. Looking at her sister's terrified and surprised faces made her feel even more nervous. The last time she'd seen him things had gotten scary. You could only push a demon so far before it got dangerous. She hated the thought of ruining her sister's holiday -again- with a fight with Victor. His eyes glowed red, not a good sign. Her words were a mistake, and she knew the moment she said them that Victor would make her regret them. Cringing, she waited a second, and then another second passed. Nothing happened, and she glanced up at her father. He hadn't lost his glamour yet; that was a good sign. He didn't look happy; but he wasn't calling his wrath down on her like he would if anyone else talked to him like that. His eyebrow stayed raised, and she wondered if it was stuck.

"No, I will not."

He could be so literal sometimes, she thought with a sigh. "

Listen to me, Tessa. Your life is in danger. If you take your sisters to the human realm they too will be in danger. I know how much you love them. Stay here; be safe. This is your home, child."

"This has never been my home, and you know it! I'm not an idiot. You can't fool me into staying here. I give you kudos. This was a creative idea, but I would know if someone was trying to kill me. What would stop them?"

"Your bodyguards would stop them."

"My- my- my what? Have you had me followed?" Tessa felt confused. Why hadn't she known? "How long has it been going on?"

He looked menacing, as if he could slay all these would-be enemies himself. "Do you think I would let my heir, my eldest, wander around foolishly playing human unprotected? I've always had a security detail charged with your safety."

It was the greatest outrage she could imagine. Horrified, she didn't even know if she could scream her rage at him. No wonder some crazies knew she was part demon. Demons were stalking her. Feeling uncomfortable and almost dirty she slammed her hand against the table in frustration. Tessa's whole body shook with the rage she felt building inside herself. What had the strangers seen? What details of her life did her father know? It just seemed grotesque.

Violated beyond words, Tessa tried to pull herself together. Regally she stood, and with all the demon fury she daily suppressed, she used her magic for the first time in years. Snapping her fingers she teleported herself back to her apartment.

Rushing to her closet, she began to pack. It would be hard to escape his long reach, but determined, Tessa made a mad dash for the door. She would not be house-bound at her father's like she had during childhood.

Because she had left her coat back in Other World she grabbed a thick sweater and left her apartment, knowing she would never see her small, tidy home again. The life she'd built -home, job, and friends- was lost to her.

Taking only the single suitcase and her purse she rushed away; hoping to lose her father's goons. Tessa wasn't his pet. She would make sure her father and the demon haters never found her again.

Early Evening, December 22rd

As much as Victor hated vampires, this time he made an exception and hired one. Gideon, a badass vampire, stood waiting for admittance to his Grand Master's office. When he'd risen to power the vampires had been his greatest source of opposition. His older brother and father had been killed by vampires, so his hatred for them ran deeply.

Contacting the vampire proved just how terrified he was for his most beloved daughter. Tessa, the strongest and most stubborn of the girls, was also the most talented demon. She fought it, but she certainly took after Victor the most; she shared his stubbornness, his power, and yes, even his ability to ignore facts he didn't want to see. His inability to connect with the traumatized little girl had caused a lifetime of distance between them and he accepted his responsibility for it. However, he would not accept her foolishness. In the human world she was mortal and could easily die.

He should have lied about the reason for cancelling the trip. When she walked into the room the other girls, and even the servants, had lit up brighter than the Christmas tree in the center of the great hall, and his long worry had turned to anger. Tessa honestly couldn't see how precious she was to all of them. When she wasn't brooding or angry with him, the girl had a delightful sense of humor. She'd insisted that her sisters be happy and she'd filled the castle with her love for them. It was a different place when she'd been home. She'd taught her sisters to dance and sing. She'd been fearful, but she was always good to his servants and truly tried to see past the stereotypes she had been taught as a child. She'd earned their love without ever realizing it.

Tessa put her life at risk every day that she lived away from the Other World, her family, and her birthright. Someday -in centuries, he hoped- she would take his place when he died. Tessa rejected the notion entirely, but Victor knew the truth. The moment of her birth he'd felt it; she was the one to carry on his legacy. If only she could get past her anger and resentment.

He could never tell her the truth about her mother. It would devastate her. He accepted her hate to spare her the misery of the truth. Pulling his mind away from the crippling pain of the memories he cleared his throat and spoke into the intercom at his desk.

"Send in the vampire."

Casually, as if the man were Grand Master himself, the vampire entered and, without permission, sat down. Victor raised his eyebrow, but said nothing. He needed the man's skills too desperately to alienate the vampire right now; Gideon was the best tracker in all the Other World. Victor hated having a vamp in his home, but for Tessa he would tolerate the man. Vampires knew his aversion to their species and resented his rule, probably with some justification. He'd had more trouble with them than any other race in his domain.

The vampire put his feet up on Victor's desk. Insolence! If he didn't need the arrogant creature he would order an immediate execution. Gideon smiled, and Victor knew that the vampire knew he was safe for just that reason. Clearing his throat, Victor spoke with barely restrained anger.

"Vampire… Gideon of Burning Side, I called for your assistance and will tolerate your insolence only so far. You are to return my daughter, Tessa, home, and will receive a handsome payment when you have completed the task. She is using her magic to cloak herself. Human demon hunters have their sights set on her and are determined to end her life. If she dies or is harmed in any way, it will be you I call my vengeance on."

"Why should I drag some spoiled demon Royal home? It's not my concern if hunters get the foolish girl." The vampire's eyebrow rose mockingly.

Victor could feel his horns growing long and curled and his fingers became claws at the disrespect to his daughter. His current worries left him absolutely no tolerance for arrogant vampires.