This is a story based off the published book "Fire Soul" by my dear friend, Jeddie Bristow. I had hoped to introduce her book in the form of a fanfiction, written about one of her characters and several of the creatures she included in her story. I found her book to be refreshingly different from many other vampire stories, and I would highly suggest you check this book out. You can find it on . This story was author-approved. :) Enjoy!

A shadow crept stealthily through the darkness of the garden, moving with frightening intensity to the warm candlelight flowing through the room of a second-story building in a more prominent 1780's home. Most assuredly, it was neither the light nor the warmth that drew the shadow up onto the room's balcony, but instead a very feral need, a very feral hunger.

The shadow's features became visible in the candlelight flooding through the room's window, revealing what truly must have been a frightening sight. The light first danced across a pair of cold, icy blue eyes, showing them to be nearly starving for a basic need. Illumination showed the rest of the figure to be a tall man, dressed in a black pirate shirt and breeches. Pale, icy looking skin clung to a muscular form, making the man's lips a terrifying red in contrast to the paleness. Black hair glistened in the light as the figure of the man, no, surely not a man, leaned forward and glared through the window, catching sight of the object of his desiring.

Within the room, seated on a well-blanketed bed, sat an exquisite young woman, dressed in a pale blue nightgown, which only enhanced her fine features. Lush red hair billowed in waves down the woman's back and gently over her face, gold strands glistening in the candlelight. Emerald eyes sparkled with pleasure as they gazed at the object in the beautiful being's hand. In the nook of her palm, nestled against her silken skin, was a small, furry brown creature, breathing slowly, its little figure vibrating against the lady's flesh with every breath.

This was what the frightening creature outside the window desired. Not the gorgeous woman, but the brown bat resting within her palm. A hungry mouth opened slightly, revealing finely pointed fangs, glistening white in the dim lighting, as the uninvited stranger watched the woman stroke the bat's back gently.

Just as the being outside the window was certainly not human, neither was the bat resting in the safety of a woman's hand. The bat was one of the Endillion, a race much like the vampires, in that they could take a human shape and fit in with the human world. The Endillion, however, were the prized prey of the vampires. They tasted far better than humans, and the vampires had a preposterous desire to wipe out every last one of the camouflaged brown bats.

Devon, standing outside the window, had no other desire but to break into the house and take the brown bat, fully devouring it for his own satisfaction and strength. This particular bat would certainly be a prize, for it was an Endillion woman, wounded in battle with vampires and carrying her first child. May as well kill off the creature before more Endillion could be created.

Rayne, the woman in which the Endillion had sought refuge, couldn't comprehend what exactly happened when the glass of her window shattered, and a man, far more attractive than any she had ever seen, burst into her room. She immediately saw the darkness in his face, and the purity of her heart caused her to leap to her feet with a cry.

"Get out!" she cried, clasping the bat gently in her hands. "Who are you? Get out!"

"I will leave, my lady, if you would be so kind as to give me that bat," Devon said, holding out his hand, trembling from lack of food.

"What could you want with such a simple creature?" Rayne demanded, her heart threatening to beat out of her chest as the man stepped closer to her, towering above her.

"It isn't simply a bat," Devon snorted, reaching out to grab the girl. He growled when she jerked back, still sheltering the night creature. "And it is much desired by me. Hand it over, and I won't kill you."

"No! Why would you do this to get a bat?" Rayne shouted, trying to summon the assistance of her servants, who were undoubtedly gossiping in the corridors of the great house.

She felt the bat squirming in her hand and uncurled her fingers to gaze down at the creature. It let out a weak screech and then hopped off her hand and hurtled to the floor. Once it hit the ground, it transformed, turning into a gorgeous woman with curly brown hair and the largest brown eyes Rayne had ever seen. The woman got to her feet, struggling to get up as her enlarged stomach made her rising difficult.

"You've been most kind to me, Lady Rayne," the woman breathed, moving to take a step towards the vampire who stood waiting. "But I can't risk your life to save mine."

"You're…you're human!" Rayne cried, suddenly feeling faint.

"No. She's a breed much more desired for feeding than humans," Devon smirked, drawing a knife from his shirt. "Come along, Endillion."

"No! I won't let you take her!" Rayne shouted, getting in between the hunter and his prey.

"Get out of my way, woman," Devon hissed, his fangs snapping at the lady as he spoke.

Rayne fell back at the sight of his teeth, but she grabbed hold of the Endillion's arm and held her tightly. She wasn't able to speak another word, but shook her head viciously, letting her body give the vampire her answer. Devon's eyebrows narrowed, and he surged forward, intending to snap the Endillion woman's neck, but before he could touch her, she was back in bat form, clutched tightly in Rayne's hands. Rayne didn't wait another second, but burst out of her room and took off running.

Rayne was smart enough to know that there was no safe place in the house, and she knew that the best thing she could possibly do was get the bat to safety, somewhere outside where it could hide. Risking her own life, the woman charged out into the gardens and then ran, full speed, into the woods. Branches ripped at her flesh as she soared, and leaves whipped at her face, cutting her, but she paid no mind to them. Instead, she ran to a familiar place, looking up only once to see a giant shadow swooping above her, and found a favorite tree where she kept all of her secret writings and poetry. Moving as quickly as she could, Rayne found a hollow nook in her tree and placed the bat inside. She took several pieces of writ and put them in the hole, effectively hiding the scent and sight of the bat.

"You'll be safe here. I'll come back for you when I can," she promised, and then took off deeper into the woods, distracting the vampire above from realizing that she ever parted from the bat.

Devon watched from the air as the woman fled through the woods, never fully understanding what she did at the tree and his anger and senses too infuriated for him to think clearly. He flew above her, swooping down on her like a storm, and when his feet hit the ground, he was only a few feet from her.

Rayne screamed when she heard the footfalls behind her, and she cried as Devon grabbed her by her shoulder and spun her around so fast that she nearly got whiplash. Without a trace of concern for the woman's safety or comfort, Devon slammed her back hard against a tree, her teeth clicking together and her head slamming back against the rough bark.

"Where is it?" he shouted, grabbing her hand and forcing it open, his nails scraping against her skin. "Where is the bat?" he cried with an unearthly keening sound as he forced his body hard against the terrified woman's.

"You'll never get her!" Rayne whimpered through clenched teeth. "No matter what you are, you can't just go about killing innocent beings, especially not pregnant ones!"

"And you would know all about innocence, wouldn't you?" Devon sneered, a red tint covering over his blue irises.

Rayne gulped but refused to look away as the man smiled, every fang glistening. Devon then closed his eyes, lifted his head slightly, and took a deep breath of the blood that was dripping on the woman's body. He had thought only the Endillion could smell so good, but no, this human smelled equal to their deliciousness.

When Devon's eyes opened again, he gazed coldly into Rayne's, entrancing her, hypnotizing her so she couldn't move. He slipped one hand to her neck, pinning her against the tree, and then moved his mouth to one of the cuts on her arm. Rayne couldn't think as he drew her blood into his mouth, savoring it, temporarily having forgotten about his true prey.

The vampire was hungry, and in complete recklessness, he cleaned every cut on the woman's arms and then moved his mouth to her face. There was a scratch on her forehead and a nice-sized cut on her chin. His hunger was consuming him, and he moved his mouth to her lips, pressing his mouth firmly to hers, hoping to find blood on her lips from when he had jolted her. He wasn't disappointed, and drew in each drop of crimson that he could get, moving his lips against hers in the process, freezing her with his motions. He growled in his lust for blood and grabbed her hair in his hands, holding the auburn strands in fistfuls as he kissed her more passionately, getting more angry when he found she wasn't responding. She may have been hypnotized, but this woman had learned long ago that she possessed special gifts, and no matter what the circumstances were, she wouldn't give those gifts away.

"You are entirely useless," Devon snarled against her lips as he moved his mouth away from hers and trailed kisses down her neck. He shoved aside some of the fabric of her gown, intent on moving in for the kill at the base of her throat, when something shining in the moonlight caught his attention.

He grabbed hold of the offending object and brought it up to his face, studying it. Rayne came out of her temporary trance with a great, choking gulp of air, as Devon studied the jeweled cross that hung from the chain of her necklace. He stepped back slightly, letting her breathe better, and then looked up and down her form, studying her clean skin, her soft hands, and her gentle face. Even when terrorized, the girl looked beautiful and strangely calm. She had a special peace about her that only those of a truly pure heart seemed to have. The vampire had never seen a woman like this, one whom he didn't want to kill, simply because she was so clean and so unique.

"You do know plenty about innocence, don't you?" he whispered, running his fingertips down her soft cheek. "Thank your Lord that you have maintained such innocence in such a corrupt age, for it is that purity that saves you. I shan't torment you any more tonight."

He pulled away and then took to the skies, jumping up and transforming into an immense vampire bat as he swooped towards the full moon above.

Rayne fell back against the tree and shut her eyes, clutching the cross in her hand. She didn't move, but for several seconds took time to thank God that she was alive, that she had been spared.

When finally she caught her breath and could walk without shaking, she moved towards the brown bat's hiding place and took it out of its shelter.

"I've done what I could," she whispered, and the bat chirped in response. It stretched its tired wings and then hopped off her hand, fluttering deeper into the woods. Rayne was concerned that it would be left alone and the vampire would find it again, but she was comforted when, seconds later, other cries echoed the bat's call.

Never could the woman have realized, as she went home, that not only did she save a female Endillion, but also she had saved a whole family of the creatures. Hundreds of years later, Rayne's kindness would be rewarded when a descendant of that same brown bat would defeat the last of the vampires, rescuing both the Endillion and all of humanity from an evil end.