Reserved for Billiam
"God that felt fucking good." Royce muttered to himself as he flicked his dying cigarette into the overflowing ashtray and lit another. He looked over at the couch in front of him, taking in the sight of the two lovers slowly drifting off to blissful sleep. The man and woman, their skin a light olive, their hair thick, black, and curly, and their bodies covered with tight, bulging muscles, were naked and lay spooning one another, the man softly stroking the woman's thigh. Small puncture wounds dotted their neck, arms, and legs, where thin threads of blood had begun to slowly dry. They were nice people, a young couple from Italy visiting America on their honeymoon who he just happened to run into as he arrived at the airport. While they spoke little English, they had been very happy to accept Royce's offer of giving them a ride on his jet, especially once he had hinted at what he desired in compensation. He couldn't say for certain, but it seemed likely that they were fang bangers, even if they would not refer to themselves as such. They happily offered their blood to him, going as far to beg him to drink from them as their passionate love making became hotter and hotter.
Royce reclined in his chair, feeling the cold recycled air of the jet's AC against his naked body and savored in his first feeling of drunkenness in nearly five years. The Giovanni had forbid him to drink from any inebriated humans and had given him little room to try and circumvent that rule. He desperately wanted to get fully trashed, since it had been FAR too long, but he had felt bad pressuring the couple to drink to such an amount and also knew that Ari would not be happy if he showed up drunk as a skunk.
At the thought of Ari, Royce's chest ached with longing, guilt, and just a hint of betrayal. He had gone over that night a thousand times over the past few years, but still could not say with certainty that he thought Ari had approved of his punishment. While the crime itself hadn't been much, the clear message from Charon and the rest of the family was that Royce had become an annoyance that needed to be sorted out. And in his heart, Royce feared Ari felt the same. He'd received no communication from his sire during his time in LA, although he did not know if it was by Ari's choice or Charon. Royce wouldn't put it past the old geezer to decree that Royce was to be kept at arms length while he was away. But he feared that it had been Ari's choice to cut off contact with his fledge, desiring a few years of peace and quiet before Royce came back to cause more trouble.
A soft chime echoed through the cabin as the stewardess left the cockpit and walked over to Royce. If she was bothered by the state of the jet or the nakedness of its passengers, she gave no notice. She gave Royce a polite smile and said "Sorry to bother you Master Royce, but the pilot wanted to inform you we'd be landing in a few minutes. Is there anything more I can do for you before then?". Royce smiled back and replied "Nah, I'm good love. Seeing your pretty smile's enough." The woman lightly giggled and returned to the cockpit. After the door closed behind her, Royce stood and began to dress himself, feeling the plane begin to descend gradually toward the ground. His wardrobe consisted of black leather pants, a tight dark maroon dress shirt, unbuttoned down to his chest, alligator leather shoes, and a large black overcoat with a fox fur collar. He walked over to the couch, preparing to shake the couple awake, but saw that they had both fallen fast asleep. Deciding to leave them be, Royce sat back down and waited for the thump of the plane landing.
Fifteen minutes later, the jet's door opened, allowing the cool, moist air of the City flow into the cabin. Royce took a deep breath of it and slowly descended the staircase. The pilot and stewardess were waiting at the bottom, chatting with the limousine driver which had been waiting for him. He walked over to the group and took out a large wad of cash. He handed some to the pilot, some to the stewardess, and gave a little more to the latter, telling her to give it to the couple once they'd awaken and asked her to help them arrange flights to wherever they liked. She happily agreed and the pilot gave a thankful nod, both quickly turning back to the aircraft to finish their respective jobs. Royce greeted the driver warmly and slipped through the open door and into the dark confines of the limo.
Neither Royce or the driver spoke as the limo drove on towards the Penbrook Estate. Royce felt his buzz slowly drifting away as the nervous thoughts about what awaited him grew louder and louder in his mind. He knew that his punishment was still not truly over and the true test would come when the family would assess if he had truly changed his ways. Royce knew he had not, holding onto his hedonistic desires and rebellious attitude with a vice like grip in his soul. While he knew his personality had gotten him into more troubles than he could remember, he was loathe to change who he was simply because Charon and the rest of his family demanded it. Royce hoped Ari was not of that opinion as the limo entered the Penbrook Estate grounds and he exited the limo, gazing up at the mansion and wondering where Ari was waiting for him.