An Angel Among Vampires

by M. Cheykota

“How much are they paying you?” He asks, breaking our strained silence.

  “Enough.”

  “I will double their offer if you release me.” He counters.

  “Right, like that’ll go over well. What am I supposed to say to my client? ‘Sorry, I changed my mind. Oops, my bad. Here is your money back. No harm, no foul.’ Do you truly expect me to live another 24 hours beyond that after reneging on the job? Please Christien, save your breath and don’t bother.” I grab the phone that allows the people in the back of the limo to speak to the driver without lowering the window and shove it into Christien’s chest. “Tell the driver that plans have changed and we are going somewhere else. No games.”

  He repeats the changes to the driver. I hand the address to the warehouse to Christien and request that he relay the address to the driver.

  He looks at the address before reading it aloud to the driver. He bows his head then sighs, handing me back the phone.

  I hang it up, still pointing the gun at him as a precaution. I can never be too cautious with this vampire.

  He watches me as I am watching him.

  Regret and doubt are flooding my emotions, but I hold firm.

  “You do not want to do this, so why are you?” He asks, strain beginning to show on his face from his strength draining.

  “It doesn’t matter what I want. I am just doing my job. Once I take a contract, I no longer have a choice but to complete it.” I admit, despite my own conflicting emotions.

  “You always have a choice, ma chatte petite.” He replies softly.

  Doubts plaguing my mind, I snap at him. “Says the man willing to double my fee and end my life to escape a fate that he, himself caused.”

  “You are correct. Who am I to ask you to sacrifice your life for mine over a little squabble? I do apologize, ma chatte petite. Not another word will be said.” He stretches out on the limo seat.

  “A squabble? What do you mean?” I ask, curious about why the client hired me for this job.

  He closes his eyes, his face taut. “It is a family matter.”

  “And that means?”

  “Do not worry ma chatte petite. You are correct to complete this job. I would… regret it if anything happens to you because of my dilemma.”

  I chance a quick glance out the window and see we are already in the warehouse district. We must be getting close to our destination. Seeing this could be my last chance to ask questions, I fire off another question. “Do you know what is going to happen to you?”

  “I cannot be certain, but yes. I have a good idea of what to expect.” He smirks in slight amusement.

  “Well? Are you going to tell me or do we have to play 20 questions?”

  “I would prefer not to say. Save some of your innocence.” He chuckles.

  “This is not a game Christien.”

  “Oh of that, I am very much aware, ma chatte sauvage.” He replies angrily.

  I can feel the car begin to slow down. I can hear gravel crunching under the tires and undercarriage. “We are running out of time Christien. Just tell me what I need to know!” I demand, tears welling up into my eyes.

  His eyes soften and he reaches up to my face, brushing a tear that has fallen down my cheek. “Shh, ma chatte petite. All is as it should be.” He leans forward and kisses my cheeks where more tears have now begun to fall. He cups my face gently and kisses me ever so softly on my lips.

  My soul shatters. My heart feels as if someone has ripped it from my chest, leaving a gaping chasm in its place. My lungs cannot seem to get enough air, and tears are falling so fast that I can’t see anything but a blur.

  The limo door opens and a strange looking man is standing in the doorway. Two big and burly men flank him with guns on display resting in the shoulder holsters they are wearing.

  Christien blocks my face from their view and discretely hands me a handkerchief.

  I fix my face quickly, using the shiny gold trim inside the limo as a mirror, then follow Christien out of the limo.

  The men gawk at me first, but gather their composure quickly.

  Now that we are outside of the car, I am able to get a look at our surroundings and the man I can only describe as ugly. The homely, pasty, white skinned man is maybe a couple of inches taller than I am. His hair is a short, spiked, blonde and grey mess that apparently has not seen a brush or shampoo in months. His teeth, the ones he still has, are yellow and rotting from decay. I cannot imagine the stench that would come from his mouth. His face is full of scars and craters as if he has had horrible acne all his life.

  “Demetri.” Christien says without interest or inflection.

  “My dear brother. Well, well, well. It is so good to see you.” Demetri replies.

  “What do you want Demetri?” Christien asks irritably.

  “Now, now dear brother. It is not me wishing to see you this time. I told you to return when he first called for you but you did not listen to me.”

  Christien’s eyes widen in surprise before turning stormy. “He is here?”

  “He is inside. And I hope you have a good reason lined up because he is not very pleased with you Christien.”

  I have many questions I want to ask, but only one question I really need Demetri to answer. “What’s going to happen to him?”

  Demetri turns his attention towards me. As if he is seeing me for the first time, he eyes me up and down appreciatively. “Who are you? You look familiar. Have we met?”

  Christien jumps in before I can respond. “You have done your job. What happens to me is not your concern.”

  “Ah, you must be the mercenary I hired. I do not see a scratch on him. Either, you are extremely good or my poor brother here did not put up a fight at all. So which is it?” Demetri taunts Christien while checking me out.

  Demetri walks over and stands in front of me. He raises his hand to touch my face.

  Before he touches my face, I raise my chin in defiance. “If you want to keep it attached, it better not touch me.” I stare into Demetri’s eyes, letting him see how serious I am.

  He lowers his hand and laughs a full throat laugh. “I like her. Maybe I should cut out her tongue and hang it around my neck.” He calls out to his sycophants behind him and they laugh along with him.

  I roll my eyes, showing my boredom in my face. “What’s going to happen to him?”

  Demetri’s laughter abruptly stops. “We will do whatever we want to do to him. Your job is complete. You will have your money. Now go home and leave the big boys to play.”

  I walk over to Christien and stand in front of him. He meets my eyes and I can see the worry in them. “I want my shackles back. You want some, get your own.”

  Demetri smirks. “Fine, take them. He is already weak. He is not going anywhere.”

  I remove the shackles and put them back into my purse.

  A drained Christien stumbles to his knees when he is free of the shackles. I break his fall and ease him back to his feet.

  Once standing, I look into his eyes and make a decision. I reach up, embrace him tight against me and whisper in his ear. “Trust me.” I pull away from his ear and kiss him fully on his mouth.

  He tries to pull away, but I will not let him. I deepen the kiss, letting my tongue brush across his teeth. The action causes his fangs to extend slightly. I scrape my tongue on his fang deliberately, causing his mouth to fill with my blood.

  Instinctively, Christien swallows and begins sucking on my tongue until the wound closes.

  Having watched enough, Demetri interrupts the kiss. “Okay, that is enough. Well Christien, you have been busy.”

  Now that my wound is closed, I break our kiss. Even with an underlying reason for the kiss, it was still spectacular.

  I step back from Christien, hoping against hope that he does not tell anyone what he found out about me. Even though I have betrayed him, I still believe he will not do anything to hurt me. I am betting my life on it. If he says anything to anyone, I truly believe that I would not s
urvive the night.

  I take a last look at Christien. “Sorry, I couldn’t resist. You’re just so hot!”

  He smiles weakly, which I know must be a ploy.

  If what my mother has been telling me for the past few years about a vampire’s reaction to my blood, he should be feeling remarkably better right now.

  Barely louder than a whisper, I hear his reply. “Thank you.” He responds as if he is thanking me for the compliment.

  I turn towards the limo, climb in, and demand the driver to take me home. Once at home, I pick up my flowers, wipe my address and the entire scene at the warehouse including what I look like from his memory. I put the suggestion in his mind that he stopped to ask me directions, but I do not live around here. He looks around for a moment, gets in the limo and drives away.

  Chapter 22

  It is almost 4:30 pm. The warehouse was farther away than I expected it to be, but I still have enough time to clean up, eat and prepare for my second contract’s dinner meeting at 8pm.

  My face is a mess. I redo my makeup and stare into my bathroom mirror. On the outside, I look fine. On the inside, I feel miserable.

  I go downstairs and check my email and voice mail. I have no voice mails and only one email.

  Just as I thought there would be.

  The client has deposited the rest of the money into my account from the contract on Christien.

  I am sick to my stomach with worry regarding Christien. I wonder what they are doing to him, but I am trying my best not to think about it. I transfer the rest of the money into my offshore account and shutdown my laptop.

  Suddenly nauseous, I lay down on the couch. After barely settling in, the doorbell rings. Opening the door after my usual checks, I am stunned to see Christien standing on the front steps.

  Without a second thought, I fall against him.

  His arms wrap around my back and waist and then I fall apart. He rubs circles on my back and whispers things in French softly in my ear, causing me to cry harder on his shoulder. When my crying starts to die down, he pulls back and looks at me.

  After a hard, long look, he scolds me gently. “That was a very stupid and incredibly dangerous thing you did for me back there, ma chatte petite. What were you thinking?”

  “It doesn’t matter. You’re safe now, so it worked right?” I look into his eyes, seeking forgiveness.

  He groans, letting his face soften at my distress. “Promise me you will never do anything that insane for me again. They could have killed you. You have no idea how dangerous those vampires are.”

  I can’t promise I won’t do it again so I say nothing.

  “Well, I should go. They will be looking for me, if or when they recover. It will be safer for both of us if I leave now. I only wanted to say thank you again, for what you did for me. I know that was not an easy decision to make. You can trust me to keep your secret.”

  “You’re leaving?” I ask, surprisingly tearful.

  “Have you changed your mind about dating vampires?” He smiles half-heartedly.

  I frown. “No. I don’t know. Maybe.”

  He smiles. He leans down and kisses me thoroughly on the lips. After a few more passionate kisses, each one deeper and more urgent than the previous, he breaks the kiss. “Ma chatte, either I leave or you will need to invite me in. We cannot continue this on the porch. It is not safe.”

  He watches me imploringly, almost pleading for me to invite him inside my house.

  Hesitating a moment, I ask an important question. “Are you here to drain me?”

  “As tempting as that may be, my desire for you outweighs any advantages draining you will offer. I have told you before and I will say it to you again. I will not harm you. I am not a man who covets power. I am old enough to have gained enough power to protect myself.”

  “Answer my question with a yes or no.” I demand nervously.

  “No, ma chatte petite, I am not here to drain you dry. I am only here for you. May I come in?”

  If I invite this vampire into my house, he will be able to enter it at anytime in the future without an invitation. Once that protection is gone, it is lost until I move. I am a private person. I have never invited anyone into my home, except my best friend Roman. Not even Tyler knows where I live. Therefore, for me to extend the only vampire in the world who knows what I am and has already tasted my blood, an invitation into my house is like me committing suicide. I would be a fool to invite him inside my house. I should not even be contemplating another answer besides no. I have risked my life for him already and I know nothing about this vampire. I have trusted him with my most guarded secret without any sacrifice on his part for me. My instincts crumble around him. All of the rules I have lived by my entire life has brought me here to this point. The man of my dreams stands right here in front of me, holding me in his arms, but he is also the boogeyman of my nightmares, a vampire.

  “Ma chatte petite? Are you okay?” He rubs up and down my arms soothingly, chasing away the chills I am getting.

  “Let’s go to your place instead, please?” I blurt out, hoping for a reprieve from his question. My body is shivering. Tears have stained my face and I have ruined my makeup, again.

  He watches me curiously for a moment before responding to my request. “Where is your car?”

  I let out the breath that I do not realize I am holding. “It’s in my garage. Meet me over there and I’ll get my keys.”

  He nods then kisses me on my cheek and disappears around the side of my house. I rush back inside, snatch my keys, purse, lock up the house and meet him at the garage.

  “I will drive.” He says reaching for my keys.

  I hand him my keys as he opens the passenger door for me. I climb in and he shuts the door. Before I can reach for my seatbelt, he is climbing into the driver’s seat beside me.

  “Whoa!” I exclaim, startled by his speed.

  “Is something wrong, ma chatte petite?” He asks as he starts the car.

  “No. I’m just not used to being around anyone faster than me.”

  He smiles at me affectionately and then backs the car out onto the road.

  I don’t bother asking where we are going, which is a first for me. I am too busy thinking about how rapidly my life is changing because of the vampire next to me. We ride in silence. I fix my makeup in the overhead mirror to pass the time. Outside my window, houses, trees, people and buildings zoom by, but I am unable to recall anything I am seeing in front of me. Coming to a neighborhood rich with large trees and huge houses, things begin to come back into focus as we pull up to a gate to one of the smaller estates.

  Christien punches a code into the security box beside the driver side window and the gates before us open silently. He drives down the driveway and pulls up to the steps leading to the front door then stops. He exits the car and has my car door open before I can blink.

  Christien has a smirk on his face as he helps me out of the car.

  “Now you are just showing off.” I smile back at him.

  An older human man, who looks to be in his 60s, meets us at the door.

  “Good afternoon, master. Welcome home.” The man greets Christien and moves aside, retrieving my keys from Christien’s hand.

  Christien greets him pleasantly as he walks past him, going straight into his house. As I move to follow, I notice I am unable to cross the threshold. I blink in surprise, remembering that I need an invitation to enter a person’s home and pause at the door frowning.

  Christien sees my hesitation and smiles at me. “Is something wrong, ma chatte petite?” An amusing glint fills his eyes.

  “I’m unable to enter and you know why.” I growl at his teasing.

  “I was wondering if it worked for you the same way. That is interesting to know. Jessica, you may come in.”

  The resistance immediately melts away and I step forward, towards him. “It’s good to know that I am amusing you.” I do not hide the hurt in my voice.

  His eyes narrow and he
walks towards me, pulling me into his arms. “I am sorry, ma chatte petite. I do not mean to hurt your feelings. It has been a long day. Let us go and relax a little.” He dismisses the old man and guides me towards the stairs.

  Anger forgotten, I am astonished at the beauty of his home. The paintings along the stairway wall are large and look very old. Some of them look as if they are 16th century, but most of them look older.

  Christien leads me into a very large room with vaulted ceilings and marble floors. The cream-colored silk draping covering the walls give the room a softer and more elegant feel. The beautiful crystal chandelier in the middle of the room provides a warm glow to the room. There are several large, cream, leather, sectional couches expertly placed throughout the room, maximizing a seated person’s view of the room from any position. A large fireplace angled in the corner of the room, complete with a cherry wood mantelpiece seems to be the focal point.

  Christien and I sit on one of the couches near the fireplace. The cushions are so plush, it seems the couch reshapes itself to comfort and soothe my body. I look at the clock near the door and see it is almost 6:00 pm.

  Too bad, it is too late for a nap.

  Christien puts an arm around my shoulder, pulling me close to him. I lean against his firm body and sigh in contentment. He rests his head on top of mine, while running his fingers through my hair. I snuggle closer, trying to wrap myself in his comfort.

  Suddenly, the doors open and a group of ten, good-looking men and women enter the room. All of them are scantly dressed in underwear or skimpy lingerie.