He slowly rolled to the edge of the bed and sat up. Fine, his stomach's content didn't want to jump out! He let his slender fingers slide down on his pale face. Despite his nausea he needed to eat something, because he was still starving. He felt the hunger slowly rising in him and he licked his canines standing in the open window. The full moon's light bathed his naked body in silver and he smiled. "What a wonderful night for a little game to play!" he whispered with a faint smile and a dark gaze.

He lit a cigarillo and stark naked stepped out to the balcony. No one could see him, though. His apartment was high above the city. A luxurious but smallish one that perfectly fit for his needs. If he had "takeaway" for dinner he could dump his victims on the nearby roofs around and under him. He was strong and could carry a 200pounds adult easily when flying.

Yeah, he wasn't a regular guy, he was the child of the night... Thousands adored the mask he has shown to the public, but no one knew his true identity. And it was right this way. He enjoyed his power and never wanted to change the situation he got used to. He was his own master and he loved his "double-life".

He was just watching idly, not focusing on anything, examining the pallid light of the stars and the reddish, bloodlike light of the full moon and he didn't notice that the cigarillo almost burnt down.

He had enough time and tonight he wanted to choose his prey more carefully. So, he decided to mingle among them and he was thinking which one would be the most perfect spot. He loved

He was walking leisurely on the narrow alleys, secret

He remembered what it felt like when he had that wild period of his life, when he drank a lot of blood full of alcohol and drugs. It nearly cost his life when he drank dead blood. But it was over now. He calmed down and turned into a cold and dangerous killer. He was precise and fatal, but sometimes he loved to play with his prey, just like a big black cat. He smiled behind his mask again while he slowly walked into the heart of the carnival, the Piazza Di San Marco.

He looked around, sniffing into the air. But yet, the only thing he could smell was the smell of the salty lagoons and canals mixed with damp dust. He was walking slowly under the arcades when at last he smelled fear. Fear meant weakness, weakness meant easy prey.

His senses got sharper as he sniffed the air and never let the smell fade away. It was a feminine scent mixed with the salty taste of fear. Usually he loved this odour, but now it was even better. Her fear was pure and beautiful. As he got closer for its source he could dig deeper into the scent as if he'd swirl it on his tongue to taste it better. He didn't know the cause yet, but knew the nature of her fear.

It was a wild fear, a strong one, close to terror. Soon, he noticed the source of it. A young woman was running in a heavy costume in the alley that he was standing in. She didn't even look behind herself, she ran as if she was running for her life. Maybe she did. He saw sharp lights, double lights, a police car was in her heels. He grabbed her hands and pulled her into a dark garden of a nearby palazzo.

“What the..." she started, but a deep voice cut her sentence.

"Be quiet, or they'll catch us" he whispered into her ear pressing her body against an old tree's thick trunk.

They heard yells and saw the red and blue lights. He looked at the entrance of the garden. It was closed and a heavy chain was lit by the police's lights. The girl next to him still smelled of fear, but looking at her he saw a calm body, not stiffed with fear… He decided that this young woman is remarkable enough to spend some time with her.

“What happened to the gates? They're locked now...”

“I locked it, just in case.”

As these words were leaving his lips someone shook the iron bars of the gates “Where did she go? Where? She was running straight and this is a dead end. She didn't come back either. Where is she?”

"Dunno, if it's locked, she could not go there, come on, let's search for her somewhere else!" they heard a hoarse voice but saw the light of a lamp on the nearby bushes for a moment. Then cursing and bickering footsteps.

Silence fell on the dark garden and the two silhouettes didn't move. He could see a dark pair of eyes looking back at him. He didn't need too much light to know they were deep grey in the shadows. He could guess that she had a pale skin under the mask, although she was flushed from the running. He felt her chest slowly calming down, but her blood rushed still fast in her veins.

"How did you do it?" he heard the calm question. He liked the sound of her voice.

“Doing what? Locking the chains?”

“Yes.”

“I am fast as lightning. The lock was there open, I just clicked it shut. That’s all. But now, we are in trouble. We either find an exit, ending in a door or window, or we have to climb these gates. Which…” he looked grinning at her dress “wouldn't be easy for you. I am like a cat, but even with my help, I dunno...”

"Don't try to laugh at me!" she hissed from under the mask "And I'd be happy if you'd let me go, Mister" she put her glove-covered hands onto his chest to push him away.

"First I'd ask something."

"What?"

"Why were they after you?”

“Who are you that you should know it?”

“No one, I was just curious” answered the man with his most seductive smile on his face, after he took off his mask.

“Ah, okay, good then. If you don't want anything, I can tell you. Well, I caused a smaller havoc in a ballroom, I actually kicked into the groin of the host of the event, because he was too arrogant and sexist and aggressive in every other way. Though I didn't speak to him and don't know him personally, I couldn't see how he was humiliating two poor girls ripping their dresses off in the heat of the ball. So, I didn't just stand and shouted, I did something against it. Unfortunately, he is one of the top nobilities and richest man in this city of dirty money and hatred and he sent his hounds after me. That's all I can say.”

"Really?" he gave her a doubting look.

"Why do you ask this?" she watched his pale face in the half-light. She was suspicious.

"I think you did something else, too..." he reached for her bag which matched her dress' design.

"You are one of them, right?!" she yelled at him and tried to push his hand away "Jesus I'm so silly!"

"You're wrong. I'm just a stranger who gave you a helping hand. Nothing else... so... what did you steal?"

"How do you..." she asked in disbelief but sighed and pulled out a little  portrait from the bag "My mother" she shrugged and put it away again "She was an offspring of a noble family and this cheater, this man took all of her money and left her. But it's distant past now. And I really don't know why I'm telling all of this to you, Mister..." she turned her head away and closed the little bag.

“I can understand you, you know. Sometimes when there is no other way, justice should be done by ourselves. Help yourself, and God will help you, yes?”

“Well, sort of, yes. But, I ask you for the third time now: who are you?”

“My Lady, I am just a drifting Grand, Wanderer of The Universe, King of the Six Continent and Devil of The Seven seas, otherwise call me David. David Giovanni De Cardonne.”

She couldn't help herself, but burst out in a laugh.

"What's so funny?" he looked down at her with a little pique on his face.

"Sorry... sorry Mr. Cardonne, it was just the way you said it" she lifted one of her hands which was covered with a light black lace glow "Anyway it's my turn to introduce myself. My name is Viola."

"Viola... beautiful flower! And your family name?" he asked and stepped back to let her go.

"It's not important. I'm just Viola, the girl from the streets of

“A gondola? Ah, you could be right. Who would search me on a gondola? Well, Signor Cardonne, thank you very much.”

“David, just call me David and I call you Viola, right?”

“All right, David. What a strange and fabulous man you are, David!”

“You say fabulous? Like someone out of some legend?”

“Yes, a dark knight, a prince.”

“Well, I could be whatever you want me to be. “

“Ah, you have already done so much. You are my savior."

“It is my pleasure to serve such a beautiful lady.”

“You can't even know if I am beautiful, I am still wearing my mask.”

“Indeed, you do. But beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. Always” answered David smiling as he hailed a gondola for them “Do you have a place to go?”

“Well, I'm afraid I cannot go home now. That is the first place they are looking for me.”

“Well, I live nearby, being your host would make me happy.”

For a moment she was just standing there in front of the gondola and looked at the man, a total stranger to her. What should she do? Accept his invitation? She didn't know the mysterious dark man. Yes, he was handsome, right. But that's not all. Finally after a minute of struggling she accepted the offered hand and stepped into the gondola…

The guy in the gondola didn't ask anything, it seemed he knew Signor Cardonne. Without a word he made the boat moving and under the black velvet night they were sitting there in utter silence. Neither of them wanted to speak, they were watching the beautiful palazzos all along the Grand Canale.

She was nearly completely under the sight's spell, so she didn't notice when Dave turned his gaze toward her and continued examining her. She was still wearing her golden mask which fit her heavy gold and lilac costume. He didn't see too much from her slim body, because the dress covered her arms too, but the lines of her beautiful collarbones were visible in the pale moon light.

He was thinking about what he would do to her when arriving home. True, he had some blood for dinner, but not enough. Only, he can't suck dry a guest he is inviting into his house, especially not one as lovely as Viola was. He sighed, he should be patient. He was watching her secretly and she wasn't scared. Most people sensed somehow that he could mean danger, but she didn't. She seemed to feel herself pretty comfortable in his company.

It was strange for him, but he just shrugged. Humans always had surprises for him. He licked his lips unwittingly and moved his gaze up from her half-naked breasts to the fine line of her perfect neck which covered its sweet secrets and the source of her sweet perfume. He followed the soft line of her jaw and just arrived to her eyes when she looked at him.

"I think we arrived" she said calmly.

"Yes, you are right" he added and stood up to offer his hand. He was a bit surprised that he sank this deep into adoring her natural beauty. Usually he never lost track of where he was. But it seemed that this was a special night.