Thick clouds, like hostile ghosts, swirled into life out of the San Francisco bay and swept across the starry sky as if shooting out from their watery graves. A sweet mixture of salt and surf drizzled in the air, while light rain drops rode the rising winds, touching down into black, night-time waters and the busy streets below. Had these clouds once lived as men? Died like men?

Were they just as lost as mortal souls, wandering the skies and the cosmos?

The city night revealed faces that seemed hidden behind masks and only eyes and bitter, white teeth were exposed. These masks were of rain, wind and winter nights with the potent smell of marijuana just before bed. They were of sex and semen, of oils and incense, and the very taste of it in the air was all but calming.

The winds weren’t calming.

Antonia could taste all of this as she stood between the beach and the lot, looking ever so delicate in her white, nightly attire. Her gown revealed every curve of her body and the fullness of her breasts. Her pale skin was soft and without a hint of age, but in fact she was over one thousand years old. Her dark, brown eyes revealed her secret wants and desires, and her very movement showed how easily they could be done.

Her long, dark hair whipped through the winds as if caressing the very clouds overhead. She so often enjoyed such weather, no matter how violent it would become. She also felt the mortals around her- their tense behavior and mannerisms as they interacted with one another. They were of flesh, spirit and pain, all full of unease and anguish.

The landscape around her so much reminded Antonia of the beaches along the southern coast of Spain. It made her think of her own youth, so long ago. It was dangerous to be a young woman in those ancient times during the Christian year of 945 A.D., when the rise of Roman Catholicism spread throughout all of western Europe and the lands were besieged with disease and famine.

Everything had changed so much, and she wondered where it had all gone. Decades passed like days to her, and people with their constant inventions seemed to change the world ever so faster, and it left her and some within her coven bewildered. Ah, but some things throughout the centuries never changed; the practical egos of men and the sensational lust of young women who want to experience life and become trapped in their mistakes.

It was her dreams which brought her back to those long lost times- to the very day she left her family for the convent in Madrid. She had just turned twenty, and she wanted to devote the rest of her life to God. The travel there was long and, at times, boring, but she knew that the journey was well worth the privilege to serve in God’s house.

There, at the convent, she had introduced herself to the sisterhood. They had given Antonia a place to stay and wash, and had promised to teach her the lessons of the Bible. Though, her dream always changed and turned against her, and instantly she’d find herself captured in a nightmare... a nightmare where she was tormented by the very sisterhood in which she sought to be a part of.

The nightmares had always made her uneasy, and she shivered at the thought of it all.

To dream was something that Antonia found both fearful, yet, comforting. Perhaps, because a tiny piece of her was reassured over the fact that she still possessed something from her youth all of those centuries ago. It was as if all the emptiness in her mind suddenly drew in the spirits of the past. Antonia could hear everything, and she could see everything, and when she awoke she remembered it all.

To dream was a phenomenon that happened to all vampires, but Antonia felt that she was the only one who paid close attention to it. Every once in a while she would speak a word or a syllable, and be mindful enough to pronounce it softly to herself so that none of the others could hear her. Words like- child, blood-lust, flesh. And, not every word would be from the same tongue, and yet she could pronounce and understand them all. Why would such horrors besiege her in this way?

Antonia whispered lightly to herself those words, and they sounded painful and full of torment. Torment blinded by blood and sacrifice. Then, before she could whisper them again, Jerard suddenly appeared onto the beach with his arms folded across his chest. His black, wavy hair was slicked back and untouchable from the harsh open winds, and his brown eyes peered wildly at Antonia.

He had been a vampire for seven years now and already Antonia found him to be one of the most fiercest killers within the coven. No, he didn’t trick his victims to their demise as she and the others often did. Instead, he would pluck them out from a crowd- usually someone who was alone or a small child- and carry the poor souls to somewhere dark and abandoned, and there he would feast like a crazed animal that hungered for that very moment.

Though, there was a time when he would end his victims lives in front of mortals without a care, but those days were over. Jerard was now a vampire who could take care of himself and protect the coven from careless dangers. Indeed, he had grown to be quite the powerful vampire with an unquenchable lust for blood and death.

Jerard smiled wickedly as he neared Antonia and said, "The night is toying with me, my mistress. I can taste the life in this city and dine alone on their souls."

Antonia blinked as she wrapped her arms around herself, and she replied with a voice that was most eloquent, yet soft and sweet like that of an innocent soul. "I enjoy listening to you speak in such a way, Jerard. Meandra must be affecting you more than you realize."

"I thank you whole-heartedly for giving her to Aron and I. She is beautiful and so very luscious. When gliding just above the night time waters, much like when I peer into her eyes, so too can I see myself deep within." Jerard exhaled the rest of his breath then looked off into the black waters of the bay.

"And, where is Aron and Meandra?" Antonia asked.

Jerard set his eyes back onto his mistress, raised both eyebrows and answered, "Oh, they’re around the city, somewhere."

"Now, you know what I told you," Antonia warned. "You must accompany Aron while he’s in the city. The coven doesn’t want him off exploring. Chances are that he may regain the memory of his former self and we’ll lose him again."

"Yes, yes, I know. But, he’s so beautiful. There are times when I think I wouldn’t mind if he were my master instead." Jerard said then laughed out loud, allowing his voice to spill out into the city night for those around to hear.

Antonia stepped close to Jerard, and ever so gently she placed her fingertips underneath his chin and whispered, "Go find him, my sweet, and I shall give you... something sweet in return."

Jerard knew what she meant. Her blood. It was the elixir of life, and his black magic that made him more and more powerful with every syrupy taste he could take in his mouth. Jerard smiled and ran his tongue along his long, sharp teeth.

Antonia took a few steps back and turned around, facing the waves and pondering over her dreams. After a moment she looked over her shoulder to where Jerard had stood, but he was already gone. She smiled, thinking about the two vampires that she had created. Yes, they were so very beautiful. Aron and Jerard were a definite pair. Without each other, life would undoubtedly become as boring as death.

Within the hour, Antonia fed from a number of victims. They were all homeless drug addicts, searching for any way to get their next fix. All were delicious, especially her last victim. Antonia had pulled open her top, allowing the woman, who was twenty but looked to be forty, to suck on her breasts until Antonia was satisfied.

Antonia had then ran her tongue along her victim’s neck, tasting her human sweat and feeling her warm blood coursing through her veins. She slowly bit into her neck, and the woman fell limp into Antonia’s arms with a gentle scream that was never heard. Antonia then stepped away from the broken body like a spirit that had walked down that path hundreds of times before, and rushed back to the coven house- a great mansion overlooking endless hilly fields within Marin County. The area was peaceful, and the locals were unaware of the activity that happened around them. It was the perfect home... a place where she was safe to sleep and dream.

Except her dreams were no longer safe.

Her sleep led her to the very night where she was betrayed by the sisterhood. She was born into the blood of night and had spent months chained away in a dungeon underneath the cathedral, pleading for blood and for life. But, the sisterhood would not feed her. Instead, they let her suffer, as they enjoyed listening to her cries until the time came when she had reached the brink of death. The coven’s leader, the Madam, finally fed her blood from goats. Antonia had drank it down heavily, feeling both thankful and disgusted at the same time. Since then, she was released into the night to feed upon the living, but it took a half a year for her to be truly saved.

As Antonia flew into the coven house, everything that had happened so long ago raced into her mind all at once, paralyzing her instantly. After all of this time, the pain never left her. It was a mix of anguish and rage, and she had the urge to utterly destroy the few vampires who were still inside the mansion. Except, she didn’t. The pain slowly subsided and she found herself in front of the open window with her hands curled into two tiny fists, trembling.

She so dearly wanted her Aron and Jerard, though she did not see them until she retreated back to her coffin to escape the sun’s deathly light, but it was only for an instant. In one second, her eyes were opened and fixed on Aron’s tangled mass of wild, brown hair and black painted lips, and then they were gone and all was darkness.

There, within a secret room under the mansion, Antonia slept. She dreamt of voices that so often crept into her mind- voices of the Madam and her sisterhood of vampires. They would whisper to her: Taste my ancient God, succumb to his death.

Over and over these words came to her, burning her mind like undead flesh to sunlight. And, Antonia screamed for silence, but the whispers overpowered her cries and all she could do was close her eyes and wish it all away.

While still trapped in the depths of sleep, Antonia’s eyes flew open and only darkness filled her sight. Helplessly she laid there and awaited nightfall. When it finally came, she retreated into the study and lit a number of candles, just enough to light the room, and plucked a book out from the shelves. The title read, "Bloodlettings: A Midnight Sport For Human Vampires". Antonia had never picked the book up before, nor wanted to. After all, she had little use for it. The book belonged to Jacqueline as she was aggressively attempting to understand the dark pleasures of humanity.

Antonia sat alone behind a fifteenth century antique desk and pondered over her dream when Aron, Jerard and Meandra stepped into the study. Antonia looked up at them and smiled- something she rarely did in front of the others. She then laid the book down on the desk, rose from her seat and said quickly, "My children. Please join me."

Jerard stepped forward and took Antonia’s hand in his and said, "My mistress, you promised me... to give me..."

"Yes," said Antonia as she let Jerard take control of her wrist.

While Jerard drank heavily to his delight, Antonia peered at Aron and Meandra and asked, "What do you make of dreams?"

Aron shrugged, "What do you mean, my mistress?"

"Dreams, Aron. Don’t you ever pay attention to them?" Antonia asked again.

"Only when I dream of blood trickling down your naked, pale body," said Aron then followed it with a sigh.

Antonia gave a small smile then yanked her wrist free from Jerard’s hold and crossed to the other end of the room. "But, don’t you see anything else? Anything at all?"

Aron shook his head without a second thought.

"I dream sometimes," said Jerard with his lips smeared with Antonia’s blood.

"I can only imagine what Jerard dreams about," Aron said sarcastically.

Jerard gave a wide smile and wiggled his eyebrows at Aron. "I dream of wicked pleasures, my Aron."

Aron smiled back.

Antonia rolled her eyes. "But, do you get anything meaningful out of your dreams? Or, is it just filled with silly fantasy that makes little sense at all."

Jerard raised his eyebrows then shook his head. "Nope. I feel nothing for my dreams, nor do I really care for them.

"I try to ignore them," said Aron.

Jerard glanced at Antonia then set his eyes on Aron. "Maybe it would be best to talk about this at a later time. I’m eager to feed, and strangely I feel like Italian tonight... if you know what I mean."

Aron and Meandra grinned.

Antonia turned away and uttered, "Then, why don’t the three of you go on. I will join you after a while."

Aron, Jerard and Meandra obeyed their mistress and fled the mansion for the city night. Antonia remained in the study, thinking about her dreams of being held prisoner by the vampire coven- the sisterhood who betrayed her and forced her to die night after night as she stayed locked away in the dungeon.

Nevertheless, there was more to it than just that. It pained Antonia as she thought about all of those days she spent alone and hidden away from the world, and why the others did what they did. She was just a child who happened to stumble across this dementia. It was a vampire coven she had found when, in fact, she had been searching refuge and worship in the house of God. What she had thought was a nunnery was instead a house of vampires!

Antonia didn’t want to dream anymore. She thought about what Aron and Jerard had said, and she wished that she could just do away with her fears and torments as easily as they. Even Aron seemed oblivious to it all, just as if he was truly a full fledged vampire himself.

Oh, if only she could tell him, and to convince him that everything she had done was for his sake. The very fact that he was a part of the coven stemmed back to her old fears- that Aron had a true human soul- and she wanted that part of him to stay alive and to be with her forever. It was like basking in the daylight sun, but not having to fear destruction. And, that meant, in a way, being that much closer to God, to where she truly wanted to be so long ago. Why couldn’t the sisterhood just killed her and got it over with?

Antonia sighed, her eyes staring off into nowhere.

"My beloved," said Aron.

Antonia woke from her daze and focused her eyes on the intruder.

"I... I have to admit something to you." Aron looked down to the floor, trying to think of the words to say.

Antonia rose from her seat, giving her full attention.

"The dreams you mentioned earlier. I... think about them as well," said Aron then continued, "The pictures that fill my head are... frightening."

"Frightening?"

Aron stepped further inside the study and glanced down at the book which Antonia was reading through before he, Jerard and Meandra interrupted her. He then looked up at her with green eyes that were full of emotion; sadness, sorrow, confusion. So very human.

"I see visions of a young woman and a little girl. They’re covered with blood," Aron said. "There’s blood and flesh everywhere, like if the very world was a canvass. The nightmare drowns me in death, and I find myself sickened."

"Perhaps these are images of past kills. They could be thoughts and fears locked away in your subconscious," Antonia uttered, knowing far too well that his visions were of his wife and daughter.

"I don’t know," said Aron as he shook his head. "Maybe so."

"Come, Aron. Let’s go to the city and feed together before we drown ourselves in our pity."

Aron revealed his fangs and took Antonia’s hand in his and said, "A thousand tormenting screams could never chase me away from you."

Antonia froze for an instant, immediately remembering her dreams, but she knew that he was just speaking figuratively. Of course.

"Are you coming, my mistress?" Aron asked, concerned.

Antonia sighed and replied, "Yes, but I can’t stay for long. You, Jerard and Meandra could then enjoy the night together."

Aron opened his mouth to speak, then quickly changed his mind. Antonia squeezed his hand in hers for a moment and smiled wearily. "Don’t worry about me, Aron. I am okay." Antonia lied. She knew that she was far from it.

Together they left the mansion and fled for the city. There they walked arm in arm, playing with the mortals in silly conversations that didn’t matter to Antonia and Aron what-so-ever. They fed from street hookers and the homeless. Their smells were both pleasing and appalling. Ah, how it delighted her as she bit down on their necks, allowing all of that thick, rich blood to pour inside her wanting mouth, spurting to the back of her throat. It so reminded her of the time when she had taken her first mortal life. The whores were her favorite kills, and there were so many!

Two hours later, they caught up with Jerard and Meandra, who too were walking arm in arm with a human arm held between them both. None of the passerby’s noticed this as both vampires continued along as if nothing was out of the ordinary. It was just a simple night out. A few drinks, a few kills.

Aron put a hand over his mouth, and Antonia covered her eyes in disbelief.

"What’s wrong with you guys?" Asked Jerard. "Haven’t you seen an arm before?"

"Jerard, I thought we were over this," said Antonia as she moved her hand away from her face.

"Well," said Jerard. "This guy put up a pretty good fight, and so I thought I’d take him around the city one last time."

Antonia looked at Aron and then back at Jerard and said, "I swear, you two need to be watched twelve hours a night." She then turned to Meandra and said, "I trust you will keep an eye on both of these guys." She then peered at the severed arm then looked away, obviously agitated.

Meandra giggled as she picked up the severed arm and handed it over to Jerard.

Jerard took it then looked down at the homeless man passed out in front of the doorstep just a meter from them. "This will do," he said to the others and slid the arm inside the homeless man’s jacket.

Antonia, Aron and Meandra turned away, pretending they didn’t see what Jerard just did.

Jerard shrugged. "Well, it’s safe... for the time being."

"I think we should bid ourselves farewell. It seems that some of us had more fun than others," said Antonia.

Aron took Meandra’s hand in his and said, speaking to all of them, "I think it is time to explore other desires. I don’t believe Meandra’s experienced what I have in mind."

Meandra gripped Aron’s hand and spoke, "Oh, as if I didn’t experience enough on the day of my dark birth, now I have to go through more humiliation, eh?"

Aron and Jerard chuckled with grins stretched across their faces.

Antonia took a step back and said, "Good night my dark children. May your dreams comfort you, so as long as you’re sane."

The other vampires looked at her, saddened.

Antonia vanished in the night. She swiftly made her way back to the mansion and once there she spent the remaining hours alone in the rose garden. The roses were a night-time black, and their sweet sent smothered her with kisses. This must be what it’s like to be loved, she thought to herself. Yet, she had known what it was like before she became a vampire. It was so long ago... in a different lifetime and in a different world. So easy to forget, and so easy to remember what the word love really stood for.

And at last, as she closed her eyes within her coffin, she dreamt of love. But, it wasn’t the familiar love of her mother or her father. This new love came from another vampire. It came from Gallich, the one who rescued her from the sisterhood. In her dream he rode in dressed in armor with a design common from the north. His metal skin was black and gold, and he carried himself gallantly with a sword and a mace strapped to his hips.

Antonia was on the cathedral floor, hidden behind the pews, when she saw Gallich open the two immensely tall cathedral doors. She paused and held her breath, praying that he would not find her, and that her Madam would protect her from this strange figure. Whether he was a mortal man, Antonia did not know. Not, of course, until he held her in his arms.

The candles inside flickered and danced on their ends, and the shadows all around seemed to do just that. The night was behind Gallich only for a moment before he shut the doors, and all that remained were the candle flames, calm once again. Still, Antonia was far from calm. She could still feel the night winds rush against her naked skin and through her long brown hair which was matted with dirt and decay.

The figure began to walk toward the alter with heavy, metal steps against stone and wood. Clunk, clunk, clunk. Antonia held her breath, eyes wide and aware and ready to escape. Who was this man? Where did he come from?

Finally, as the figure reached the final row of pews, he brought his hands to his full helmet and slid it off his head. There, Antonia saw Gallich for the first time. He looked to be in his late forties as his hair was long, thick and gray. His thin lips were pressed tight together and his eyes were ever-watchful.

Gallich dropped his helmet to the floor, drew his sword and mumbled something in Latin. His voice was deep and intoxicating and the sword glimmered like gold within the candle flames. He then closed his eyes and stood there, waiting for something. Antonia figured he was waiting for death. However, she soon realized that this man wasn’t here for death. This man was death. Yes, he was true to his conviction, as he had the look of a warrior but the eyes of a lover with deep passion.

Antonia held her breath.

The great Gallich turned to his left, opposite of Antonia and searched through the shadows. Antonia saw the vampire minions there too. Three to be exact. Gallich held up his sword to defend himself and the three female vampires shot out of the darkness toward him. Gallich cut each one down with his weapon and their blood spilled to the floor, draining all three.

Two others came at him from behind, and he threw them off his back with ease. The two vampires crashed into the pews, wounded but not fearful. Then two more dropped down from the ceiling and Gallich grabbed one by the face and crushed her skull with his hands. The other backed away, startled by his ungodly power.

Antonia, horrified by what she had just seen, began to crawl for the doors, hoping to escape into her coffin in the dungeon below, but the closer she got to the door, the more she felt trapped by this crazed vampire killer. Gallich triumphantly slaughtered the remaining sisterhood with ease, and all were gone but two. Antonia and the Madam.

The Madam appeared before the alter of Jesus Christ, dressed in her full nun attire. With her eyes blazing white, she hissed at Gallich, "You will be destroyed for what you have done to my flock!"

Gallich turned around, and just before he faced her, he caught sight of Antonia hidden behind the pews. He gave a quick smile then focused his attention on the Madam.

The Madam saw this and glanced toward Antonia’s direction, spotting her. Then she peered back up at Gallich and bellowed, "I will not submit to you, or to any other coven! Leave, or face death!"

Gallich stood his ground with his sword held out before him.

The Madam hissed and growled with her fangs revealed. Then, she rushed for Gallich with lightening speed, but Gallich was quicker. Within a fraction of a second he took a step back and stuck her through the neck with his sword. Blood spurted from the Madam’s throat and Gallich lapped up whatever he could get.

When the Madam was fully drained, Gallich dropped the body to the floor. Lifeless.

Antonia gave out a whine and rushed as fast as she could for the cathedral doors. But, the escape proved to be impossible, for, Gallich was much faster, and he caught her by the arms and dragged her to the alter. His strength was unlike Antonia had ever faced, and she had no choice but to surrender to him.

"Kill me quickly," she pleaded in Latin.

Gallich laid her down on the floor and kneeled over her, holding her face in his hand and whispered, "I did not come here to kill you." Then he looked deep into her brown eyes and said softly, "I came to take you away from this place."

Antonia narrowed her eyes with confusion.

Gallich then asked, "Do you believe in dreams?"

Antonia thought for a moment then whispered, "I used to."

Gallich grinned and continued, "For the past twelve years I dreamt of your sweet face and of this black magic hall. A rose blooms within the night. And for a long time it was a single rose, but now I think there will be two." He then said as he brushed his lips against hers, "I dreamt of you, Antonia. You’re more beautiful than I ever imagined."

Gallich kissed her deeply, and both vampires drank each other’s blood as they did so. Antonia held Gallich as tight as she could and together they made love atop of the alter in candlelight. His motion against her body was ever so flowing, and ever so breath-taking. It made her want to cry out and take heaven by her thrusting motion...

All at once, Antonia awoke from the dream. Her vampire eyes were wide with fear, and her chest was heavy with breath. It was still day time and all she could see was the darkness of her coffin. Her dream was still clear in her mind, and Gallich’s deep voice still echoed in her ears.

Black magic hall, black magic hall...

She remembered what else Gallich had said that same night after making love. That dreams are visions of what can be possible. Indeed they were, for he had dreamt of their coven. The Coven of Black Roses. It was then when she had fallen in love with him and the horrors of the sisterhood were finally over.