Mikka pulled up her hood and stared up at the gray overcast sky. There is not much sunlight that day, so she was brave enough to venture out in mid-daylight. She huddled in her cloak, afraid that her uncommonly pale skin and red-tinged brown eyes would draw unwanted attention. She felt her stomach rumble. Mighty Thor, she thought,I seem to get hungry a lot quicker these days. If it is because it was her time to breed or just a natural phase in her kind, she does not know.

Mikka continued walking, not taking time to admire her surroundings or the beautiful sun obscured by the clouds overhead. Her only thought was of feeding. She felt herself swoon from hunger, and clutched someone nearby for support.

"Hey!" Steffen yelled, looking down upon the cloaked figure in annoyance. His first impression is that the girl was a pick-pocket, but then he took note of her aristocratic profile and fine clothes. He quickly changed his opinion and his demeanor.

"Why, hello there, miss. How can I help you?"

"Food." the girl rasped, doubling over as if in pain. Her hood came undone, allowing Steffen the full view of her face.

Steffen stood tranfixed as he looked at the girl. Porcelain skin. Slanting brown eyes. A cascade of flowing black hair. It was as if all that he desired in a woman materialized before his eyes. It was a moment before he could gather his wits and understand what the girl asked for.

"Oh...Loki, where are my manners?"

He gathered the slender girl in his arms and took her home.

Mikka opened her eyes and found that she was in a different house. Her hunger ebbed for a little bit, but she knew it would return full force very soon. She shifted her position and saw that she wasn't alone in the room. A few paces to her left sat a mortal man, compactly built, with golden hair and big gentle blue eyes. Mikka sat up, pulling the blanket up her chest.

"No, don't get up. You fainted on me down the street, remember? You were asking for food."

Mikka nodded, a red flush crept up on her cheecks as she felt the hot gaze of the strange man sweep over her skin. Then the full force of her hunger hit her, combined with an underlying hint of something else. With an inhuman growl, she flung herself at the seated man, knocking him out of his chair.

"What the---" Steffen began, startled and a bit scared. He let his sentence trail off, unfinished as he felt sharp teeth bury into his shoulder. It was the most arousing sensation he had ever felt. His arms went around the girl sitting at his lap. Heavens, he was supposed to be frightened, not excited, by the girls savage attack! He stood up, and tried to disengage the feeding lass from his neck. He surprised the girl with a slight slap. Mikka fell back to the bed.

"Not enough---" The girl protested angrily, struggling and clawing up to put her sweet mouth upon Steffen's neck again.

"Not enough?! You nearly drained me!"

Steffen thought it was shameful, but he wanted this girl. Even though her mouth dribbled with blood, his blood, he found her beautiful.He still thought of her as an angel instead of some sort of monster that she is.The intensity of his desire made him tremble. He turned around hoping tp get rid of the visions dancing in his mind's eye

"Come back to me." Mikka purred, still hungry, no doubt. Trying to break Steffen's will by the silky sound of her voice.

It worked.

Steffen turned around slowly, as if in a daze, and walked towards where Mikka lay. He sat down at the edge of the bed, wanting to run away from this slip of a girl who had managed to break the defenses of his mind... or heart. "What is your name?" Steffen asked. He hoped that his icy tone would discourage the girl, but his statement came out husky, betraying his true emotions. The girl laughed.

"My family calls me Mikka."

"A beautiful name."

A lengthy pause then,

"I'm hungry Steffen."

"How did you know my name?"

"I know a lot of things."

Steffen felt his body obey the girl called Mikka. Inch by inch, drawing closer to her supple body. "No!" He tried to scream, but he could only groan. He heard the girl laugh once more.

---You cannot fight the hold of my mind, Steffen. It's high time that I choose a lover anyway, despite what Father said. And why not you?---

Steffen moaned. What the girl asked of him is too tempting... But it is wrong! something inside him screamed. He balanced between indecision for a few moments. But the battle was already won when Mikka pressed her soft lips against his and kissed him passionately.

Mikka and Steffens met each other almost every night. Nights filled with love and laughter. Sometimes, tears, for Mikka would worry about losing Steffen... a mortal could only give so much... and she was right. Steffen died at the age of forty-seven. By that time he was as pale as Mikka herself, and so weak he could barely make-love anymore. But he died happily, with Mikka in his arms.

Mikka wept blood-tears when her lover died, not because she wouldn't have a steady source of food anymore, but because she had grown to love him. Steffen was the only thing closest she got to being human, and now he'd been taken from her because of her curse. Wiping her crimson-tainted face, she vowed that she would not have anything to do with humans again, except maybe to feed on them. She had lost too much, felt too much. Before, she thought that nothing could harm her because of her curse. Now she knew better.

Mikka kissed Steffen's blue lips tenderly and pulled the thick quilted blanket over him. She went out into the night, and screams followed her path as she wrecked vengeance for the death of her lover... and for her curse.