“What have you got on your clothes?” asked Adagio, stepping closer.
“Just, um, raspberry jam,” said Sonata. “You know me, such a clutz. It was delicious, though.”
“This doesn’t have anything to do with this burning house or the body they found inside?” asked Aria, gesturing at the TV news.
Adagio grabbed the hem of Sonata’s shirt. “This looks like blood.”
“So, um, funny story,” said Sonata. “People are actually filled with raspberry jam. Which is delicious.”
Adagio let go of her shirt. “You idiot! Drawing this kind of attention was the last thing we needed! What were you even doing there?”
Fuck it. Sonata was the strongest now. She could do whatever she wanted. She smiled. “Like I said, she was delicious.”
The realization dawned slowly. Aria blanched. Adagio made a disgusted face. “Why would you do something like that!?”
Sonata’s grin stretched wider. “Because I discovered that emotion can be carried by blood. And when Cinch died, she was feeling a lot of things.”
Adagio started forward. “You utter moron! You just jeopardized us all! Now they won’t be looking for magical emotional tweaking, they’ll be looking for a murderer!” She raised her hand.
Sonata caught her wrist. Adagio came to a sudden halt, eyes widening. Sonata smirked at her. “Like I said, it was delicious. And nutritious.”
Sonata let her go. Adagio rubbed her wrist where Sonata’s fingers had dug in. Her anger flared up. “How dare you do this on your own! If you knew about this, you should have told us!”
“Well, I’m telling you now.”
“Are you really drinking people’s blood?” said Aria.
Sonata ran her hands down her ruined clothes. “Most of it, anyway.”
“And it actually works?” said Adagio.
“Better than you can imagine. I haven’t felt like this since before those asshats at school took our magic away.” Sonata curled her arms and flexed. She had been toned before the newfound source of power. Nothing had changed by outward appearances, but she felt powerful.
“Do we have to do this?” said Aria. “Surely if emotion transmits to blood, there have to be other ways to get it.”
“Don’t think so,” said Sonata.
Adagio crossed her arms. “If we’re going to do this, we’re going to do it right. We should come up with a plan, and it has to be careful and well thought-out. I say we take our time and make sure this is legitimate.”
“No, you’re not in charge anymore.” Sonata put her hands on her hips. “I’m the one that discovered this. I’ve put in the effort to figure out how it works. I’ve taken precautions to not get caught. I’ve got my power back, and we’re going to do this my way.”
“How dare you!” Adagio wound up a punch. Sonata sidestepped, and tripped Adagio as she went by.
As Adagio picked herself up, Sonata spun on her heel, clasping her hands behind her back. “You’re slow. You’re weak. You don’t know what I know. I’m tired of your attitude and I’m not going to be your punching bag anymore. If you want your power back, you’ll follow me and do exactly what I say.”
Sonata glanced over her shoulder at Aria, who still wore a shocked expression. “If you two want in on this, get dressed. We’re going out.”
Satisfied with her exit, Sonata went up to her bedroom. Even though she was alone, she couldn’t help but grin. She’d been dreaming of the moment when she finally spoke her mind. When it came, she hadn’t expected to be covered in crusty blood and fistfighting with her sister, but it was still just as glorious as she had imagined, like a second high.
She stripped out of her soiled clothes and headed for the bathroom. After a quick shower, she threw on some music and opened her closet.
The Hollies’ Long Cool Woman began to play. Sonata smiled. Definitely the little black dress tonight.
She got dressed and did her makeup with a ‘fuck subtlety, and then fuck me’ theme. Sonata had realized that getting targets to come to her would be a lot easier than trying to find them. The easiest way, she figured, was to get slutty. Though as a creature that fed on negative energy, the actual act of sex wasn’t exactly a priority.
She went downstairs where the other two were waiting. Adagio had her professional clothes, perhaps because she couldn't fit into her fancier outfits anymore. Aria’s dress hung on her, and her makeup wasn’t doing her or anyone any favors.
“I’m taking your car,” said Sonata, grabbing Adagio’s keys out of the bowl beside the door. Adagio started to protest, but Sonata cut her off. “You two, follow me.”
Sonata drove into town, leading her sisters in another car. She headed for a shady bar in Crystal City, one where she knew it would be dark and there were no cameras.
Sonata was no pickup artist, but within five minutes she had men talking to her at the bar. It was almost too easy. Adagio and Aria watched from nearby.
Sonata was careful with the drinks that came her way. Not that alcohol did much to a siren, but a smart man might be less inclined to make a move on a drunk girl. She wanted to keep her options open with as many potential targets as possible.
She knew her sisters were watching. The three of them didn’t feed on love like changelings, but surely they were envious of the attention Sonata was getting. Still, though, Sonata wasn’t in it for that and after half an hour or so made her choice.
She leaned forward and whispered in his ear. “Want to get out of here?”
His eyes lit up. The two of them quickly paid and left the bar together.
She had a short mental debate on whose car to take. Leaving his at the bar would arouse suspicion when he was dead, but Sonata decided it was better than taking it back to the sirens’ house and having to dispose of it later. She invited him into her car.
He was attentive on the drive back. Sonata played along enough to keep him interested, though not to the point he was drenching her with lust. He smelled enough like lust as it was.
They pulled into the driveway. He glanced up at the darkened house, but his attention was quickly brought back to Sonata as she ran her hand along his leg. The two of them leaned close. Sonata bit his ear off.
“What the fuck!?”
Sonata smiled and spit it out in his lap. He took one look at it, and yanked the door open. He forgot about the seatbelt and Sonata tugged at his arm while he struggled with it. The overhead light showed him the blood on her lips.
He finally managed to free himself and got out of the car, turning to face her. Sonata opened her door and got out. With one jump, she leapt to the top of the car, making a three point landing on the roof. She showed him the ear, retrieved from where it had fallen, and licked it.
He bolted for the woods.
The other car with Adagio and Aria pulled up just then. “He went that way,” said Sonata, as the two of them got out. They could hear him crashing blindly through the trees.
Sonata gestured. “Come on.”
She ran after him. Her high heels weren’t needed here, but she barely felt the ground beneath her feet. The smell of blood and fear was in her nose, and Sonata knew she was faster, stronger, and more powerful. That alone was a high, but nothing compared to the one she was chasing. Sonata licked her lips.
She caught up to him easily enough. Sonata moved like a ghost in comparison to her panicked prey. He didn’t even know she was right behind him until she gave his shoulder a light shove. He stumbled but recovered, glancing over his shoulder, eyes huge.
“I thought you wanted some action,” said Sonata, not breathing hard at all. She kicked him in the back of the knee and this time he went down.
She was on him before he could recover. Sonata flipped him on his back, straddling his chest and driving her knees into his biceps. It didn’t stop him from flopping, she didn’t weigh as much, but unless he was an experienced wrestler there was no way he was getting free.
Especially when Sonata reached back and grabbed one of his ankles, jerking the leg forward and hyperextending the knee until something popped. He howled in pain.
Sonata heard footsteps as her sisters arrived. Partially for their benefit, but mostly for herself, she ran her hand over the man’s wound, showing him his blood in the moonlight. The taste on her fingers…Oh yes, that’s it.
She glanced back at Adagio and Aria. “Well, what are you waiting for? Dig in.”
“What are you-” the man began. Sonata interrupted him, grabbing his nose and twisting it until it cracked. More screams, though with a little nasal gurgle this time.
“What are we supposed to do?” asked Adagio.
Sonata rolled her eyes. “You want the blood. He’s filled with blood. Use your imagination.” She scraped her fingernails along the skin of his neck, opening shallow cuts that oozed.
Adagio made a face. The man burst out, “Stop! What are you doing!?”
Sonata shifted her hips slightly and smiled. By way of reply to both of them, she said, “I hope you like it raw.”
Adagio would not let herself be teased and stepped forward. She knelt, pulling her hair back and lowering her face towards his neck. Sonata swatted her. “Get your own place.”
Adagio gave her a dark look, but yanked his shirt down at the collar and drove her fingers into his flesh at the clavicle. The man went through a fresh spasm of pain and his flailing arm caught her across the face. Adagio slapped him right back and used his recovery to put her mouth to the wound she had just created.
The pure fear hit her system and Sonata saw her shoulders clench, then release as she inhaled. Adagio pressed her face down harder, throat working to provide suction to consume as much as possible.
“There’s got to be a better way,” Aria muttered.
Sonata looked at her. “Are you going to drink or not?”
Aria hesitated, but then came forward slowly. She mimicked Adagio’s opening on the other side and took an exploratory lick. After that, her reaction was much the same.
Sonata looked down at their quarry and grinned. “No more holding back.”
His terror spiked again and she went for his throat.