Chapter 4: Child of the Night (Alex's Intro)

 Malikai stalked the streets like a ghost, his form settled back into his
old appearance.  He was tall and rail-thin with disproportionatly long
arms and fingers.  His hands had only three fingers and a thumb on each
and his fingernails were longer and thicker than normal to the point that
they resembled claws.  He had been born this way, a freak.  Even though he
could change his looks, he was comfortable this way.  He was clothed in
rags and tattered clothing with a hood.  He appeared to be nothing more
than an old man as he moved through the town.  Finally, he found what he
wanted, a spark of hunger like his own....

The toughs watch the old man shuffle slowly towards them.  He didn't have
money, but they were bored enough to beat him anyway, for sport.  As the
larger youth approched to attack, he saw the man change.  The long
fingernails streched out and became true  talons, and he could not move. 
The other watched as his friend froze in place and then he saw the "man's"
claws.  He ran.  He heard the screams from behind him and then the
silence.  He ran.  He ran until he could run no more and collapsed gasping
for breath.  
"Your friend needed you back there."

He looked but saw no one.

"He's not dead yet.  Bleeding his life slowly to the thirsty ground, but
not dead ... Yet."

Still the boy, for he was only sixteen, couldn't see who was talking to
him.

"I know what you want more than anything else in the world, Alex"

It even knew his name!  He still saw nothing.  "Who are you!  What are
you!  Why won't you leave me alone!" he screamed at the empty night.

"I am Malikai." With that, the ragged, three-fingered man stepped into
sight.

Alex blanched.  He had already run as fast and as far as he could, so he
waited to die.

The figure blurred and shifted as he watched.  Soon a beautiful woman
stood before him.  She was pale, with long black hair and a figure that he
couldn't help but notice.  Then he looked into her eyes.  The same pits of
blackest night still gazed at him.  Her scant clothing fell away, but he
couldn't forget those eyes.  He moved away.

A voice sultry, but cold spoke, "Don't you want this?  Am I not the woman
of your wildest dreams?" She purred on, describing his deepest and fondest
fantasies.  Then, she bent over him and kissed his forehead.  The old man
laughed.

Alex lay and shivered.  The woman had been everything he had desired, but
he hadn't managed to forget that she was also this horrible creature who
had killed his friend and  tormented him.  "What do you want?  Please,
kill me if that's what you're going to do, but just stop."  His voice was
quivering.

Then he felt something like a brush of fingertips in his mind.  ***I will
not kill you Alex.  You will become my first, but not last convert.***  At
that, he passed out.