That Familiar Taste of Blood

Chapter 1

A/N: This is the third fanfic in my OHC Vampire series. Technically it is a sequel to The Bloody Ties that Bind. If you've been reading the series from the beginning, thank you for continuing to read this series! If you're new, then welcome! You should read Bloody Ties first because that establishes pretty much all the rules of the universe, and then read Healing Bloody Wounds which is technically a prequel but I wrote Bloody Ties first so I didn't bother explaining all the rules over again. Then come back and read this otherwise you'll be really confused cuz I'm just gonna jump right in here.

Oh, and for anyone who has read Blow Me One Last Kiss, I'm eventually bringing in a familiar OC! You don't have to read that fic or know anything about the OC to enjoy this because I'm just bringing over her name, appearance, and like two personal characteristics… but yeah, I'm borrowing one of my own OC's. They're mine, I can do that. Not telling who it is yet though cuz… it would kinda give stuff away.

So without further ado, on with the fic!

Disclaimer: I don't own Ouran Host Club or its characters, but I do own this universe and any OC's in it.

It had been ten years since she'd been taken by the vampire clan Ouran. Ten years since she'd been released. Ten years since she'd chosen to come back.

"Oh, look at my darling daughter! Isn't she just the loveliest little rose you've ever seen in your life?"

"She's not your daughter, Tamaki, and will you please stop shouting and leave her alone?"

Ten… very… long… years.

Four hands roamed over her slender body, carefully adjusting the beautiful light blue form-fitting gown she was wearing. These four hands were carefully staying out of Tamaki's sight, but eventually…

"ARGH! WHAT ARE YOU TWO DOING WITH YOUR HANDS ALL OVER HER?!"

"Relax, boss, we got this covered. You want her to look amazing for the Lobelia delegates, don't you?" Hikaru demanded, sticking his tongue out at his vampire master.

"MOMMYYYYYY!" Tamaki whined, turning towards the only other vampire in the room for help as Haruhi batted away the wandering hands of the twins.

The expression on Kyouya's face suggested that he was really struggling with the idea of letting Tamaki live long enough to say that he had put up with the drama queen for a full century. When the prince was annoying everyone else, Kyouya would occasionally mutter something along the lines of how he'd been dealing with Tamaki for far longer than anyone else, and everyone should stop coming to him for help controlling the other vampire.

"Tamaki…" Kyouya said at last. "I will not ask you again, please stop shouting. Kaoru, Hikaru, you both know as well as I do that the delegates from Lobelia are not going to care one iota about Haruhi or what she is wearing, so please stop using that as an excuse to touch her before Tamaki has an aneurysm. Besides, Lord Mori will be here any second, and I'm sure you won't like the consequences if he sees what you're doing right now."

The twins obediently removed their hands for about six seconds before gripping her arms and forcing her to sit in one of the ornate chairs that decorated the room. Then Kaoru moved to put a hand on Kyouya's shoulder, the pair soon conversing in hushed tones. Hikaru made his way over to Tamaki, and the pair was soon wrapped up in bickering, as was their custom. Haruhi glanced towards the door at one end of the room, waiting for the appearance of two more vampires.

Well, one of those vampires in particular.

Okay, so life with Clan Ouran wasn't always so bad…

The door swung open and everyone rose to bow and curtsey before Lord Honey as he bounded in and settled on his throne. Lord Mori was directly behind him, and although he didn't go over to Haruhi, his eyes raked appreciatively over her, and a smile flashed briefly across his face. Color rose up in her cheeks and she tried not to smile too eagerly at him. Instead, she forced herself to relax against the chair, waiting until the Lobelia delegates arrived.

The Lobelia and Ouran clans had been at war for years, Haruhi knew. She had inadvertently wandered into the middle of that war ten years ago… Although the leader of the Lobelia clan, Lady Benibara, had become fixated on Haruhi, she had escaped with her life, and she knew she was safe as long as she was under the protection of Mori and the rest of Clan Ouran.

The delegates arriving tonight represented the first time Ouran and Lobelia had attempted to negotiate peace in nearly twenty years, Haruhi remembered Kyouya explaining. Naturally, Lord Honey wanted as much wealth and power on display as possible. Everyone was decked out in their finest clothing, including Haruhi, who was currently cursing everything to do with laces as she tried to draw breath. It was common knowledge that Lobelia looked at humans as little more than meat, and that they treated their human servants poorly… Indeed, the members of Lobelia wouldn't be able to understand why humans were even allowed to sit in on the meeting, unable to fathom that Haruhi, Hikaru, and Kaoru were actually respected members of the clan despite being among the living. Which, of course, was why Honey was allowing the trio to stay. It was exactly his style… trying to throw the Lobelia delegates off balance.

"They'll be here soon," Kyouya said softly, rising from his seat at his desk.

Hikaru and Kaoru instantly moved to sit on either side of Haruhi, while Kyouya and Tamaki took their places next to Lord Honey's throne. And they waited.

There was a knock at the door, and then it swung open to reveal three women dressed in dark red dresses. Heads held high, they walked into the room as though they owned it, barely inclining their heads to the young man on the throne surrounded by his most loyal vampires. They didn't even acknowledge the three humans sitting on one side of the room, not that anyone had expected them to.

One of the women approached the throne, inclining her head the minimum amount that politeness dictated. "Lord Honey… Our mistress, Lady Benibara, humbly requests the honor of your esteemed presence. She wishes us to inform you that she dislikes the delays that are inevitable when attempting to negotiate through intermediate parties, and she believes everyone could reach an agreement if there were a face-to-face meeting. In neutral territory, of course," she added with a bland smile.

Lord Honey's smile was positively malevolent, sweet as sugar laced with cyanide. "And I suppose at least one of you is old enough to remember the last time we had a face-to-face meeting, hm?" he asked, resting his cheek against one hand. "Your poor mistress, did she ever find another second-in-command as deliciously loyal as sweet little Kayko? And if she did… could she afford to have another loyal soldier throw themselves in front of my claws to save her life?" He licked his lips, a predatory gleam appearing in his eyes, and Haruhi shivered as she received a stark reminder that Lord Honey's appearance could be VERY deceiving.

The woman in front of his managed not to take a step back, though she seemed to have developed a tic above one eye. "Lady Kayko was a good and loyal soldier, only doing what any of her clan would have done to protect our lady," she said at last.

"Yes, I suppose shoving your mistress aside and letting herself be eviscerated in her place so that the rest of your sniveling clan could run is a mark of dedication for you, isn't it?" Lord Honey said, coolly examining his fingernails.

The young woman frowned. "Mistress Beni thought you might have reservations, and she has sent her assurances that the talks will be quite safe for you and your entourage… as long as the humans don't wander about unattended of course. She said you would of course understand that her clan does have to feed, but would respect your boundaries if your humans were accompanied."

"That seems fair," Lord Honey agreed, his gaze scarcely flickering to the three humans.

Haruhi had gone still, thinking of Benibara and remembering her blazing eyes and horrible claws… She didn't even realize she'd been trembling until Hikaru and Kaoru each placed a hand on her shoulders, steadying her. Mori's face was still turned towards the delegates, but she caught his eyes resting on her, making sure she was okay. She dipped her head a fraction of an inch, and he returned his focus to the talks. Haruhi exhaled slowly, forcing herself to relax. Mori would protect her. All of them would. She would be safe.

Lord Honey steepled his fingers, watching the three delegates and letting the silence drag on for a few moments. "A neutral location, you say? Where will you find such a place? Surely no one but our own allies would wish to play host to a vampire conference."

"Our lady has a perfect location… an estate that has been recently vacated… the occupant passed away and the heirs are too busy squabbling over the title and money to bother with a drafty old manor house. She has heard from many sources that the castle will be vacant for two months, beginning tomorrow."

"Very well," Lord Honey agreed. "I presume we will each be sending an advance party to make sure there will be no double-crossing or traps."

"Lady Benibara indicated you would request as much, and she has agreed. She wishes for the conference to begin in ten days, if that is convenient for you, milord?"

Lord Honey's fingers drummed lightly on the arm of his throne. "A week would suit us better."

The woman nodded. "Her Ladyship will be able to make that work. She looks forward to seeing you again, as well as the rest of your people. To your good health, sir," she finished with a small curtsy, and she and the other two women backed out of the room.

"You know it's a trap, don't you?" Kyouya said the moment the door was closed.

Lord Honey snorted. "Of course it's a trap; I expect nothing less from Lobelia. I'm half-surprised that meeting didn't end with one of them trying to slip a blade between my ribs, but it lacks the subtlety and finesse Beni prides herself on. She'll surely have something fun planned for the conference, so we'll all have to stay on our toes," he added, glancing around the room.

Before any of them could move, there was a knock at the door, and everyone stared in surprise. After a moment, the door swung open, and a servant stood at the threshold, but didn't actually enter the room. "Milord…" he began hesitantly.

"Yes, what is it?" Lord Honey demanded impatiently.

"The Lobelia delegates nearly forgot that they had a personal message from Lady Benibara to deliver to you. I have it here, milord," the servant said, still not entering the room completely.

Lord Honey made a vague gesture with his hand. "Haruhi, would you take that from him and read it to us?"

"Of course," she exclaimed, rising to her feet, relieved that she wasn't shaking any longer. She took the folded parchment from the servant, who fled at once. Haruhi returned to her chair and sat down before opening the parchment. Trying to ignore the way the twins leaned over to read over her shoulder, she cleared her throat and read:

"Lady Benibara of Clan Lobelia extends her compliments to Lord Honey of Clan Ouran and looks forward to seeing him at the peace talks. She advises that Lord Honey and his retinue take care on the road, as there have been reports of increased hunter activity in the area. Most of them should be easy for such a strong clan to overpower, but take special care to guard against the one called Enishi. Best regards."

As Haruhi finished reading, a strangled noise came from the direction of the throne. She and the twins looked up to see that Lord Honey was gripping the arms of his throne in a death-grip. His claws pierced the antique wood, dark shards splintering off beneath his hands. His head was bowed, golden hair hiding his face for the moment.

"That… that's not much of a threat…" Hikaru whispered.

"It's surprisingly polite even," Kaoru added in an equally low whisper.

When Lord Honey looked up, everyone instinctively recoiled at the look on his face and the ferocious scarlet glow of his eyes. "Everyone get out…" he snarled, his voice suddenly at least two octaves deeper, more dangerous than anything Haruhi had ever heard.

"Milord, what…?" Tamaki began.

"I said get out… NOW!" Lord Honey growled.

Tamaki and Kyouya both started to retreat. The twins grabbed Haruhi's elbows and pulled her to her feet, keeping her almost behind them as they backed towards the door. Only Mori had the courage to stay close to his cousin.

"Mitsukuni…" he began.

"What part of 'get out' is confusing all of you?" Honey practically roared.

"It cannot possibly be him…" Mori began. "It has been over eighty years…"

"I SAID GET OUT!" Honey shouted, practically launching himself out of his throne.

The last thing Haruhi saw before the twins yanked her out of the room was Mori launching himself forward to grab Honey, restraining him as Tamaki and Kyouya pulled the doors shut behind them, cutting off the scene from view.

A/N: And so we begin our new adventure! I hope it proves as enjoyable as the others have been so far! I have a whole bunch of really interesting ideas…

And no, the OC I mentioned earlier was not in this chapter. She won't be appearing for a little while. I'll post a note at the beginning of her first chapter.