I returned to Italy a few years later, missing my old home, and the farm adjoining it. When I returned, I found that a family had bought it. I was surprised, but not overtly so. I offered my services as a maid, and they accepted. They owned a vinery, and had prospered, and therefore had money to spare. It was in the summer of 1878 that I finally returned, but the separation from my brothers had occurred several years prior.

In the fall of 1882, I came across something that hadn’t occurred to me. At the time, I had thought that Colin was the only incubus on the planet. I didn’t know then the things that I know now, and I made a lot of assumptions that proved themselves false. One was that I and my brothers were the only Talons that existed.

It’s interesting to note that, though I considered myself and my brothers Talons – because I was a Talon, and we were related – I was unaware of the fact that since my birth and naming, half-breeds around the world had been referring to themselves as Talons, as opposed to half-breeds. The title of half-breed has been found repulsive, vile, and discriminatory, and we never use it, unless we’re joking around with one another.

But again, I digress.

I was walking down the streets of a small Italian village – I had made a day trip on my day off (if you remember, I was a maid for the Italian family that lived in my old farm) – when I spotted something in the shadows behind a bar.

It appeared to be a man, but he was sitting, his face buried in what looked like fur, and he was making odd snuffling noises. I stepped a little closer, and his head snapped up, to reveal bright, predatorial green eyes flecked with gold, angular cheekbones, and arched eyebrows. His curved mouth was coated in a layer of blood, and I realized that he was drinking the blood of a cat.

His lips pulled back into a snarl, revealing his fangs, and my heart skipped a beat. Was this another relative of mine? He didn’t have the telltale signs of Colin in him, but I couldn’t be sure.

To prevent him from attacking me, I pulled my own lips back to reveal my fangs, and immediately his gaze became suspicious rather than defensive. He stood slowly, his sinuous form flowing perfectly from crouched to standing. His gaze became curious, instead of suspicious, and he wiped his mouth of the sleeve of his black tunic. The blood glistened in the sunlight.

“So,” I said softly, “there are more than just three.”

“Apparently,” he returned in the same soft voice. Though he was several feet away, I heard him as clearly as if he was standing right beside me. His voice was like the soft music of water against a sandy beach: peaceful, calm; soothing.

He approached me, his shoulder-length, black curls fanning his deep, emerald eyes. I couldn’t fathom knowing a being more beautiful than him. He was perfect.

“Markus.” He introduced himself, bowing low.

I found my cheeks burning, a sensation I’d never experienced before. I shook it off – though not literally – and stuck out my hand in the way I’d seen gentlemen greet each other. “I’m Anna,” I said.

He raised one perfectly arched eyebrow in surprise, and then took my hand and kissed it.

I snatched back my hand. “I was thinking something more along the lines of a handshake,” I said, rubbing the back of my hand against my skirt. I wore dresses again, to fit the part I played.

He smiled, and my heart just about stopped beating in his chest. His green eyes were wide; captivating, and his smile just about knocked me off my feet. What was it about the fellow half-breed that had me so dizzy? He was no less attractive, physically, than many vampires I’d seen, or even my brothers, but something in the air about him made him so much more beautiful than any human, vampire, or half-breed I’d ever met. The very air around him smelled like a drug: intoxicating and mind-boggling. I had the urge to close my eyes and breathe in deeply. I only barely resisted.

“I had no idea there were other Talons out there,” Markus commented. I just about choked.

“Talon?” I repeated, shocked. Was he related to me? That would make the things I was feeling VERY wrong, on oh, so many levels.

“I was under the impression that every half-breed called themselves Talons,” he replied, seeing my shocked reaction.

Then, suddenly, realizing what he was saying, I laughed. “I am a Talon,” I replied, “but only because the inn where I was born was called ‘Talon and Claw’. Selena – my caregiver – gave me the last name Talon after the inn.”

Then it was his turn to be shocked, and suddenly he was bowing before me. “I never in my years thought to encounter the First,” he said in awed tones.

“Pardon?” I said, flustered and confused.

“You do not know?” He asked, his beautiful eyes wide as he looked up at me from his knees. “There are stories about you running among the Talons – excuse me, half-breeds – all over the world. The First was born at the Talon and Claw in England, and traveled the globe. Stories only recently reached Europe of your travels in America.”

“I didn’t realize I was famous,” I said, a little wryly. “I’ll have to murder my brothers for this.”

“I don’t understand,” Markus said, confused.

“Well, first, you should stand up,” I replied. “You look like an idiot crouching there on one knee.” He stood. “And second, my brothers, Lukas and Nemo, were with me in America. Everything is their fault; it always is, because the little shits don’t know how to keep their mouths shut.”

Markus’ mouth dropped about an inch at my language.

“What? The stories didn’t tell of my foul mouth? Well, there’s a shocker for you.” I was only partially sarcastic. The weird feelings I was having put me in a bad mood, but an odd one as well.

Markus smiled then, widely, and my face instantly changed into a demeanor that reminded me of the things going on in my body. I felt warm all over, my heart pounded, and I kept wondering about whether his lips were as soft as they looked. I wanted to stake myself right then and there to end this odd torture.

Looking back on it, I realize what I was feeling, but then it only confused and to be honest, repulsed me. I thought I was turning into a pussy, and couldn’t have that. Not in the slightest. So I decided to do the only logical thing at the time: scold him.

“You’re an idiot,” I hissed through my teeth, making my face stony.

Markus’ face fell slightly. “Why’s that?”

“Feeding in the streets in broad daylight? Do you want to kill yourself and show the world that half-breeds exist? They don’t even know about vampires, and you want them to know about Talons?”

His face became serious and remorseful. “No,” he said, bowing his head, receiving the rebuke with dignity. This was not going as planned. I wished for Lukas; he, at least, would have fought me verbally, if not physically. But perhaps a physical altercation was not the best idea with Markus. He was too pretty; I would lose, and that would not help my position at all.

“You should be ashamed of yourself,” I continued. “Next time you see fit to feed during the day, try some trees, or even a grouping of bushes would be better than in the middle of an alley – no matter how dim it might seem. And a flower stand doesn’t count.”

Markus smiled then, looking directly in my eyes, and I completely forgot what I had been planning to say next. “I’ll be sure to take your orders directly to heart, First,” he said respectively. But the smile he gave me told me that he could hear the way my heart was pounding, and see the blood rush to my cheeks in a telltale blush that I hated.

He leaned in close to me. “Are you feeling alright?” He asked in a low voice that sent a shiver down my spine.

“You’ll pardon me,” I managed to choke out, “but besides my brothers, I had thought myself alone in the world.”

He moved backwards. “Ah,” was all he said, and he seemed almost a little disappointed. “Well, First, since you are here, would you be kind and gracious enough to show me how to hunt properly? I have been on my own since birth, and I have had to make do with what I was born with. However, it’s not been enough to keep my belly satisfied, and the thirst sated for very long.”

I was surprised at his request, but nodded. “Of course. We all should know how to hunt properly, not only for our own sustenance, but for the protection of our kind. As I said, we don’t want anyone to know what we are.” I looked him over. The blood on his black clothes was plain to me, but humans would not notice so readily. Still... “However, you ought to go home and change your clothes. You stand out too much with that blood all over yourself.”

He bowed. “Of course.” Then he turned to go, and I followed him.

AN: We all remember that first crush, don't we? This is nothing like that. XD

R&R. CC is welcome, flames are not.