Initiation

by H. N. Sieverding

  "Good." Apparently Zak liked it too, a giant grin appearing on his face as his eyes met with hers. "Gimme your phone. I’ll give you my number."

  Addison passed it to him. "Here."

  "Kay." He turned it on and sent a text to his phone. "There ya go." His phone hidden in his shorts beeped as he handed hers back. "You want to go out or something later?"

  "Sure." Addison smiled at him. "Like for dinner or something?"

  "Umm…" Pausing, Zak laughed, a twinkle in his handsome green eyes. "I work nights, but lunch I can do."

  "Okay." She nodded, a small frown trying to ruin her smile. He was a vampire hunter, so she assumed his night job was destroying her family.

  "I’ll meet you at the Anton at noon." He grinned, cockiness in his handsome features. He started running again and left her standing alone.

  A few hours later, she met Zak at the restaurant, waiting for him at the table because he was late. She wasn’t sure if he was going to stand her up, but decided to wait it out in case he didn’t. To pass the time she called her friend Kim, starting a conversation about commissions.

  "What a jerk." Addison was so wound up in her conversation with Kim that she didn’t notice her handsome date walking up to her. "What man would want to commission a painting of his man parts? I mean seriously? Why would—"

  Her face turned bright red when she heard Zak chuckle because he had caught her last few words to Kim. "Umm…" She put on a fake smile, her embarrassment wearing thick on her face. "Hi Zak." Addison quickly hung up her phone, turning her attention to Zak’s cocky grin. "You totally heard that story out of context."

  “‘Man parts’ is an interesting way of saying a dude’s cock." Zak chuckled as he picked up the menu and started looking through it. He peered over the top of the menu at Addison, who was looking at him with a slightly agape expression.

  "Well, I like my way better." Addison pretended to drink from her glass, not wanting to overeat. "I feel uncomfortable saying that other word."

  Zak laughed, taking a big gulp from the cup of water in front of him. "You’re so cute it's hilarious."

  Addison made a sour face and picked up the menu, scanning it for something that wouldn’t make her sick.

  "So what’s the story with that guy?"

  "Well," Her eyes were glued on the menu, avoiding his. "Some guy came to a friend of mine and commissioned her to do a painting of his…" Addison's brow lowered devilishly, kissing her butterfly lashes as she peered over the menu and continued, "Cock as you like to call it."

  Zak chuckled as he flagged down the waiter and gave him their order. "Two chicken salads and an iced tea."

  She quickly interrupted him, "I’ll have a chocolate shake and a side of fries instead."

  Her choices made Zak snicker, his flirty gaze settling on hers as the waiter left "Such a healthy eater you are. How do you manage that slender figure of yours, eating junk like that?"

  "I can work it off." Addison mumbled under her breath, watching a group of women briefly, who were being seated next to her.

  "How?" Zak lifted his glass of iced tea that the server had sat on the table, curiously watching Addison inspect her chocolate shake. "What’s your exercise routine?"

  "I don’t have one of those." She giggled, her intense eyes lighting up. "I’m not sporty like you."

  "Whatever works for you, I guess." He shrugged.

  "So, what do you do?" Addison dipped one of her fingers into her shake, scooping up a small dab of whipping cream and licking it off her fingertip. "For, like, a job, I mean."

  "I’m a doctor." He pulled a badge out of his pocket and handed to her. "See? That’s why I was late. A little guy needed a cast."

  "Dr. Monroe." She was quite impressed by his profession, her eyebrows rising slightly. Addison waved the badge in front of her playfully, "This must be why you hate candy bars."

  "Maybe." He laughed too, taking it back from her. "So what about you, Addison? What’s your profession?"

  "I’m an artist."

  "Do you make any money with your art?" Zak seemed genuinely interested, which made the conversation easier.

  "Not a lot, no. But I make enough to get by, and that’s all that matters. I did just get offered a commission from someone important. It’s a lot of money, but…" Addison paused, her eyes narrowing on her straw for a few seconds, "I don’t know if I want to take it or not."

  "Why not?" Zak drank the rest of his tea, shaking the ice around in the glass.

  "It’s from Brandon Welsh. He’s a wealthy businessman from Caron." Addison tried to ignore Zak’s reaction, as a slight scowl tainted his friendly expression. "I met him a few times when I lived in Caron, and I…umm…I…" She forced a smile then looked up at him, "You must think I’m an idiot for wanting to turn it down, don’t you?"

  "How do you know Brandon?" Staring down at his cup, Zak trailed his finger along its side, catching some droplets of water that clung there.

  "I knew his wife. She was a very sweet woman." Addison took a very small sip of her chocolate shake, her wobbly smile genuine. "She just died a few months ago, and Brandon sent a message out to all her artist friends to produce a piece of art in remembrance." Zak’s obvious anger over the discussion was scaring her, but she tried not to show it. "I think that’s—"

  "What did she die from?" Zak narrowed his gaze on her, but Addison was trying her best to avoid his eyes.

  "Cancer or something, I think. It was very sudden and…" Addison sent him a confused look as she bit her lip. "Have I said something to upset you?" Her shy personality was showing—the tenderness on her nervous face making his anger dissipate a little as his eyes met hers. She smiled up at the waiter when he set down their food down.

  "No, it’s not you. I’m just thinking about something else." Zak stabbed at his salad in annoyance. "Sorry." He glanced at her and was soon captured by her gaze. She had very expressive, beautiful eyes and right now, they were working their charms on him. "If Nicolette was your friend, why don’t you want to do a painting for her memory?"

  Looking worried when he mentioned Nicolette’s name, Addison popped a French fry in her mouth, looking away from him. "How did you know her name was Nicolette?" She forced herself to eat a few more fries.

  "I know Brandon." Zak was staring at his food instead of at her.

  "Oh."

  "So, why don’t you want to do the painting?"

  "How well do you know Brandon?" Making a slightly squeamish face, Addison picked at her French fries, as if deciding which one to eat next was one of the hardest decisions in the world.

  "Very well."

  "Oh." Addison smiled at him awkwardly, slight fear showing on her face.

  "He’s a vampire." There was a sneer on Zak’s face, the word vampire rolling off his lips with a hissing tone that made Addison shiver.

  She looked up at him with great hurt in her eyes, trying not show she was taking anything he said personally. Addison uttered her next words in a breathless, scared voice, "Vampire?"

  "Yeah—a vampire." Zak’s expression was hard, a passion in his voice as he spoke. "A killer that feeds off humans. All vampires need to die." He narrowed his gaze on her as she looked at him with a dumbfounded expression. "You women think they’re so damn sexy and think living the lifestyle of a vampire is the most romantic thing on earth. You’re all wrong. Vampires are heartless murderers who kill and torture people for sport. It’s disgusting. Someone has to punish them for what they’ve done."

  "I—" Addison was having a very hard time finding words to say.

  "Don’t tell me you don’t know what I’m talking about." Pointing at her with his fork, Zak took advantage of Addison’s silence to continue his rant. "Your friend Nicolette was a vampire. Finally, that damn bloodsucking bitch got what was coming to her. She’s dead. Just like Master Vallore’s going to be when I get my hands on him. If I were you, I’d stay as far away from Brandon as possible. A good girl like you doesn’t need to get mixed up with that barbaric
way of life."

  "You want to kill vampires?" Addison’s hands lightly touched the charm bracelet on her wrist, her body shivering at the thought. "Even scavengers who have no choice over what has happened to them?" She was quickly losing her ability to remain in the conversation without bursting into tears. She gathered herself together and forced a smile, wiping her eyes and trying to pretend nothing was bothering her.

  "Yes." Zak looked back down at his food, calming a little. "All of them deserve to die. Even the thought of one of them remaining alive makes my blood boil."

  A nasty feeling welled up in Addison’s stomach, her food not agreeing with her. It forced her to bolt, a few tears falling down her face that she couldn’t hide. She quickly took some money out of her wallet and tossed it on the table.

  Her words flowed quickly, and she wasn’t able to contain the shakiness in her speech, "I should get going. I have an appointment at one o’clock that I can’t be late for. Thanks for lunch." Forcing a smile that Zak could tell was fake, Addison quickly stood up.

  Zak watched her curiously as she hastily left the table. Addison held her hand over her mouth and ran to the bathroom, where she threw up all the food she had eaten. She stayed in there for several minutes, vomiting and sobbing, unable to push back the sadness and terrible things Zak had said about her and her family.

  She shakily exited the stall, going over to the sink and fixing her makeup that had smeared with her tears. Addison popped a piece of gum in her mouth and walked out of the bathroom. To her surprise, Zak was standing outside waiting for her.

  "Hey—sorry for that rant before. I didn’t mean to scare you off or anything. I get a little emotional when it comes to the subject of vampires." Zak smiled when he saw her, seeing her red eyes and knowing she had been crying. "Are you all right?"

  "I’m fine." She forced a smile, but he could tell she was anything but happy.

  "You want to walk me back to work?" Zak held his hand out to her. "The hospital’s not far from here."

  "Sure." Addison nodded but didn’t take his hand.

  "So," Zak sighed as they walked out of the restaurant, putting his hands into his pockets. "What’s wrong? Obviously, you hate vampires."

  "Some of them I do, yeah." Addison frowned, staring at her shoes. "Zak…" Looking up at him, her face showed her seriousness, her voice low, "I have friends who are vampires."

  When he glanced over at her, she looked away and back down at her feet. "But—" Pushing back her fear, she said something she totally disagreed with, managing to choke out the words. "I agree with you."

  Pausing for a few seconds, she swallowed the lump in her throat, looking at Zak and trying to hide her anger toward him, "Some vampires, they, they are evil, and I’m terrified of them." Sniffling a little, she tried to stay in character—thinking of the right words to say was difficult when she wanted to say the complete opposite. "So having someone like you to rid the world of them is very comforting."

  Zak narrowed his eyes on her, not sure where this conversation was going. "I—"

  "I know who you are. You're the legendary Monroe—a hunter." A few tears made their way down Addison’s nose, "You kill vampires." Her words were breathless and almost inaudible as she fought back tears, "Will you…umm…" Addison stopped walking, looking down at her charm bracelet. Her lip quivered furiously, her false teeth chattering against her real bottom ones. "Help me?"

  Zak stopped too, a very confused look on his face. "Help you with what?" Addison glanced away from him, unable to answer him as she wiped her nose, the tears that clung there tickling and making her sniffle. "Hey," Zak mustered a huge grin, trying to cheer her up. Putting his hands on her shoulders, he shook them gently. "Do you want me to help you kill a vampire? Is that it?"

  Words were choking her, but she swallowed them down before she could give them life. She nodded her head quickly, falling into Zak’s arms as he held them open to her. His embrace stung, and Addison was trying desperately not to shutter at his touch. She hated this man. He had killed her friends and wouldn’t hesitate to kill her if he knew who she was.

  "I’ll try and help. I promise." Zak rubbed her back as she cried.

  She jumped when she heard her phone ring, quickly letting go of Zak. "Umm…" Addison pulled it from her purse, Christian’s number on the screen. "I…" She frowned at her cell before putting it away. Addison looked back at Zak, a very scared look in her eyes as she whispered to him, "Can I see you again?"

  "Sure." Zak laughed, trying to lighten the mood. "How about you join me for a run tomorrow?"

  "No." She snorted, wiping away some tears from her cheeks as she found the strength to smile. "How about lunch or something? I’d love to see you for dinner, but you—" Addison paused, looking down as she tried to gather a burst of strength. "Have to work." She looked up and smiled at him, her twinkling eyes meeting his friendly ones.

  "What you do is very important. I’m sorry I got all emotional like that. A vampire killed my—" Quickly stopping herself, her lip began to tremble. She was about to give life to the words she had been trying not to for the past two years, the deep hurt welling up in her chest too much for her to bear. Covering her mouth, Addison couldn’t stop the tears that erupted from her eyes. "Sister."

  "Oh, so that’s it." She held her shaky arms around Zak’s waist and he slowly rubbed her back. "A vampire killed your sister."

  Nodding her head, Addison pulled away from him as she wiped her cheeks. She couldn’t speak, the death of her sister still a very sensitive subject for her.

  "I like your dinner idea." Zak took her hand and started walking again. "I can take the night off, and we can go someplace nice. My treat."

  "Okay." Addison smiled weakly. She walked to the hospital with him, waving goodbye before turning and heading back toward the restaurant. Her phone rang, and she quickly answered it, "Hello?"

  "Hello." Christian’s velvety voice came from the other line. "What are you doing?"

  "Walking back to my apartment." Hearing Christian’s voice made Addison smile, a small giggle escaping her lips. "It’s such a nice day out, I wanted to get some fresh air."

  "Where are you? I will come and pick you up."

  "Can I just meet—"

  "Where are you, Addison?" Christian sounded angry, his tone frightening her.

  "Berrington St., near the Anton."

  "Good, I’m close by there. I’ll see you soon."

  * * * *

  Sitting in the backseat of the car, Christian held Addison in his arms, her body melting into his. She had just fed, a man’s dead body now lying on the floor at Christian’s feet. She had missed Christian tremendously, and the thought of having to seduce another man broke her heart. All she wanted to do was stay right where she was, safe and warm in the embrace of her love.

  "Did you talk to Monroe yet?" Christian gently rubbed his fingers up and down her arm, his loving look keeping her thoughts entirely focused on him.

  "Yeah." Addison regretted the scene she had made with Zak earlier and wondered what would transpire if he found out who she was.

  "What happened?" Christian rested his cheek against hers, letting her hair kiss his face.

  "I told him the story about doing the commission for Brandon and about Nicolette." Addison picked up Christian’s left hand, playing with his fingers, a small smile on her face as she caught sight of his wedding band. "And told him I was scared of vampires."

  "Did he believe you?" Christian slipped his hand from her and placed it around her waist.

  "Yeah. I was really scared, but I think I did okay." She wanted to burst into tears and beg him to let her abandon this mission, but she stopped herself. "Good." Christian began kissing her neck, his hand rubbing the inside of her leg as he held her. A small laugh escaped his lips as he halted his kisses, his lips hovering about her skin, "I can’t wait until I can take you home again. I miss you."

  "I missed you too." Addison’s sad gaze was fixated on the man on the floor. She jumped
a little when she felt Christian bite her neck, his nips playful and light. After a few sips of her blood, he pulled on her hips gently, motioning for her to turn around.

  Seeing the loving look on his face, Addison immediately jumped into his arms. Her rough kisses hid the few tears that fell from her eyes. Soon his kisses made Addison lose all her negative thoughts.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Spoils of the Hunt

  Turning on her phone as she entered her apartment building, Addison saw a few missed messages from Zak. She had been pretending to be his girlfriend for weeks now, but was still putting off a relationship milestone he really wanted to share with her. Even kissing Zak was hard, graduating from girlfriend to lover seemed impossible. She loved Christian and wanted to remain his faithful wife.

  Addison quickly sent Zak a text.

  I hope you get lots of vampires tonight.

  Scrolling through her phone, she also saw one from Josh, telling her about what he was doing back in Caron. Addison debated whether or not to call him.

  Brandon was supposed to be watching over her tonight because Darien had almost blown her cover. The vampires were forbidden by the House to come near her in public, which hit the hardest for Darien and Christian because they were closest to her.

  Dialing Josh’s number, Addison walked back outside and over to a swing outside the building. She sat down, tracing small circles in the sand under her feet as she waited for him to answer.

  "Addison?" Josh sounded very surprised, a severe apprehension in his voice.

  "Hey, Josh." Addison’s voice was excited, but there was a hint of fear in it as well. "I had some time, and I decided to call you. I miss you."

  "I miss you too. You’re not going to get in trouble for talking to me, are you? I thought you said you couldn’t talk to me until you were done with that mission thing you were doing."

  "I’m not supposed to, but it’s okay. I’ll delete it from my log before anyone notices." She giggled, but her slight cheeriness couldn’t hide her depressed mood, "I just need my brother right now."