by T. A. White
"Here we are," he said, stopping in front of an open entrance that had sound spilling out.
There was no door marking the room, just molding framing the archway. You had to step down onto a fluffy, beige rug that softened your footsteps, before transitioning into a mahogany wood floor. On one side of the room was a pool table, while a dark brown leather sectional sat on the other side in front of the biggest TV I'd ever seen. The room looked like the sort of place you’d find in a mountain retreat, but with all the amenities you could want, including a small kitchenette complete with wine fridge.
It was also occupied. There were two men in the middle of a pool game, while the sectional on the other side of the room was covered with several large bodies as they battled it out in a video game. The game paused as Nathan stepped down, reaching back and tugging me forward, when I would have stepped out of sight. We found ourselves at the center of several curious pairs of eyes.
It was like being the new kid in the middle of the school year. You didn't know what your reception would be—whether the others would welcome you, or treat you to the hairy eyeball and make snide comments to your face before pouring syrup into your locker.
"Nathan, who did you bring us?" one of the men at the pool table asked, pool cue clutched in his hand. His eyes were a pretty hazel, and he looked like a Viking of old—tall, fair, and sporting a beard that somehow made him seem handsome despite the fact I'd never been a fan of facial hair.
"This is Aileen. She'll be staying here for a little while," Nathan said, crossing the room to the wine bar and fishing out a bottle. He poured two glasses.
I stayed where I was, feeling like a gazelle facing down a pride of lions on the African plains. All of the strangers’ eyes remained fastened on me. I couldn't read their intent, whether they were hostile, welcoming, or ambivalent.
"That's the stray yearling, right?" a man sitting in front of the TV said. He looked Asian and had shaved his head on either side, before dying his hair a bright blue and slicking it back from his face. He had a piercing in one ear and a tattoo crawling up his neck.
"That would be the one," Eric said, sitting up from where the couch had hidden his slouched form. He barely glanced in my direction before hitting a button and resuming the game.
Blue hair aimed a kick his way. "Hey fucker, I wasn't ready."
"Not my problem," Eric said with a negligent shrug.
The third man on the couch snorted. "He's just pissed because he's gotten his ass kicked for the last hour."
Eric didn't respond, mashing the buttons and staring intently at the screen.
"For that, I'm going to make sure all remember your name as a pathetic waste of characters," Blue said, standing and glaring at the screen as his thumb and forefinger moved over the game controller.
The third man shook his head and folded one arm behind his head. "As if you haven't had it out for him since we started." He aimed a lazy smile at the other two. He looked like a warrior from a long-ago era, one more used to swinging a broad sword, than a pen. His hair was dark, almost black, and his skin tan. He'd been turned later in life, if the crow's feet at the corner of his eyes were anything to judge by. His face looked like he'd lived and laughed and loved, the grooves just beginning to form.
"Shut up, Anton. You're just pissed you broke your controller when I pwned your ass on the last level," Blue said, not taking his eyes off the screen. His character switched between a bazooka and a sniper rifle to kill two enemies before he lobbed a grenade into a room.
The screen in front of Eric lit up, and his motions grew more frantic as he tried to lob his own grenade, only to have it rebound toward him.
Nathan stopped next to me and handed me a wine glass as a victorious cry rose from one end of the sectional and a muttered curse from the other side.
"What's this?" I asked, taking the glass. It was dark red, but lacked the consistency of blood.
"Blood wine. It's good. It's how we unwind after a long day. Thought you could use one."
I eyed it with curiosity. "I thought you said the only way we could get tipsy was to drink from an inebriated person." I frowned. At least that's what I thought he had said.
"Wow, she really is new," the Viking said, bending to line up his next shot.
I flicked a glance his way but didn't comment. He was not wrong.
Nathan frowned over at the pool shooter before turning to me. "This is an exception. It has wine and blood in it, but the wine is a fairy wine. The magic inside can make us tipsy if consumed in large enough quantities."
I now understood why my other-sight was seeing white lights fizzing and popping like bubbles in the deep red. That must be the source of the magic.
I hesitated, watching as Nathan took a generous sip of his own. Being tipsy in front of this lot didn't appeal. Any loss of control could mean bad things for me. Trust was not something I gave easily, and no one in this room had earned that.
Reading my hesitation, Nathan said, "Even then, it takes a few glasses before we feel the alcohol's effects."
I took a small sip and made a pleased expression. It tasted good. Better than wine and better than the bottled blood I'd been drinking. It popped and fizzed on my tongue. I didn't know if that was the magic or the wine, but the sensation was close to the bubbly nature of sparkling wine or champagne. So delicious.
"So, what's she doing here?" Blue asked, folding his arms over the back of the sectional and looking at me with dark, curious eyes. He didn't seem antagonistic, even if his question was borderline rude.
Eric set the controller down with a frown. "One of the new werewolves went on walkabout. Aileen has a close friendship with the person in question, and she’s already been contacted once and let her slip away. Until the wolf is found, we're on babysitter detail."
I watched Eric in fascination; it was the most I'd heard him speak. Ever.
Blue raised both eyebrows and whistled. "I'm surprised the alpha didn't demand the yearling's head."
"He has a soft spot for her," Nathan volunteered. "She's saved his life a time or two."
I scoffed. "That man doesn't have any soft spots."
Not that I could find anyway. Brax was surrounded by a diamond-studded wall of unfeeling, by-the-book rules. My being an unclaimed vampire pissed him off because it violated his set of principles. Kind of like a certain vampire, who had forced me to come here, and then pawned me off on his second in charge. The two could have been brothers given how similar they were.
"She speaks," Blue said with a wicked gleam in his eye. There was a pop of air, and then he was standing next to me. "Is it true you shot our fearless leader?"
I blinked, trying not to show how impressed I was at his speed. Not even a split second had passed. I hadn't even seen him move, before he was beside me.
"Yes, three times," I answered after a moment. It took me a second to put his question together with the incident. It had been when Liam threatened to kill my family after he'd convinced them to do an “intervention” for my nonexistent drinking problem.
"Were you really stupid enough to give a marker to a sorcerer?" the Viking asked, leaning against the pool table.
Blue didn't wait for me to confirm, his face lighting up with excitement. "Let us see it. Let’s see the mark."
My eyes went to Nathan, asking without words for him to save me from their interrogation. He kept his eyes focused on his glass as he swirled the wine around and took another sip.
No help from that quarter. Guess I should have expected it. These were his boys.
I sighed and held the glass carefully in one hand as I used the other to roll my right sleeve up, exposing the sorcerer's mark where it had melded with Liam's.
Blue took my arm, his fingers cool and gentle, as he tilted it so he could see it better. "Liam's marked her too."
The words brought everyone but Nathan and Eric's attention to us. The Viking set his pool cue down and advanced on us. "Where?"
Blue tugged my arm around, s
howing him the oak tree where it had bloomed with leaves behind the lion. "That's his mark."
Viking looked from it to me, his eyebrows lowered and a thoughtful expression in his eyes. His head swung towards Nathan. "Did you know about this?"
Nathan shrugged.
"What's the big deal about having his mark?" I asked.
Blue and Viking looked back at me, both sets of eyes more than a little impressed.
Viking's voice was a deep rumble as he said, "Liam doesn't mark yearlings. He thinks looking after them until they mature enough to be useful is a waste of his time. The only ones he ever keeps around are the ones he's made, and they were exceptional before he ever turned them."
"Has he marked you?" I asked. I knew both Eric and Nathan held his mark and was curious to see who else in this place had it as well.
Viking was wearing a t-shirt that hugged his chest and biceps lovingly. He turned his arm so I could see the forearm, where an oak tree spread its branches. Bigger than mine, his also had roots, making it similar to a Celtic tattoo I'd seen when I'd been human and thinking about getting one.
"All of his enforcers have one." Viking dropped his arm.
"I thought vampires wore the mark of their clan," I said.
The two shared a long look but refrained from commenting on my lack of knowledge. Since I didn't have the benefit of a vampire mentor willing to tutor me in all things of the fanged variety, I had to ask questions, even when it made me look like an uneducated hick. It forced me to don my reporter's mantle, thread-worn, and bug-eaten, as it was.
"Normally, that would be so. Enforcers are different. We're a clan unto ourselves. Instead of sharing the bond of blood or the same creator, we have chosen to be part of this fellowship and have passed rigorous testing for the honor," Viking said, watching me carefully. "Makoto is new to our ranks, so his is only partially formed."
Blue raised his arm and showed me the tattoo on his forearm. It was small and only sported a few scraggly branches. The green was faint and barely there in places.
I touched mine. Why was mine full of leaves and in full color when Makoto's was still in the beginning stages? It was a question I hesitated to ask in case there were ramifications that might make dealing with the enforcers difficult. Makoto had already demonstrated a speed far superior to my own. In a fight, I would lose. I wanted to keep things on as even a keel as possible. They might not be allowed to kill me, but vampires, even baby ones, could take a lot of damage before kicking the bucket. With the assistance of an older vampire to heal wounds, a lesson taught by these guys could get very painful indeed.
Neither one commented on the difference between mine and Makoto's mark for which I was grateful.
"What are you playing?" I asked to change the subject.
Makoto spared the screen a glance. "Halo. Ever play?"
I nodded. "A time or two."
That was a lie. Military guys loved this game, and to fit in, I'd learned. Not to mention, it felt good to beat their asses at something they assumed men were superior at.
Makoto's smile was slow and crafty. "Looks like we got a challenger, boys."
CHAPTER FIVE
"NO! HOW ARE you doing that?" Makoto howled as his screen exploded in red.
I smirked, my character on screen swerving, as I made for the spot he’d have to cross when he re-spawned. That was the third time in a row where I’d sniped him before he could do much more than pick up some extra grenades.
"Who cares how?" Anton said, his voice delighted. "She's kicking your ass. That's all that matters."
I was kicking his ass, and it felt awesome. Makoto was good. Better than I was, to be honest. I had to work my ass off to kill him as many times as I had. It helped that he underestimated me early on, giving me the opportunity to snap up the sniper rifle and a few other key items. All I had to do after that, was sit back in a few key spots, waiting for him to show. Then, it was a red parade for him.
I think even Eric was impressed. It was kind of hard to tell because the extent of his facial expression was a slight twitch of his lips as I, yet again, sniped Makoto's avatar from across the city.
Makoto cursed as the game kicked him back to a different part of the map. My avatar took off to get a bead on the grenade launcher I had a feeling he was going after next.
"Anton?" a feminine voice asked from the hallway. Pretty brown eyes in a heart-shaped face peered anxiously into the room.
"Catherine, my dearest. What is it you need?" Anton said, his voice lazy from where he sat watching me decimate Makoto.
Catherine stepped inside, her gaze flitting around. She was a pretty woman, human and delicate looking. That was all I had time to notice before being forced to return my attention back to the TV or risk losing my advantage.
"I thought you were coming to my room tonight," Catherine said, her voice holding the faintest edge to it.
Anton gave her a charming smile over his shoulder. "And I shall, my dear. As soon as I watch the yearling finish trouncing our resident game shark."
"Oh." Catherine didn't say anything else.
"Have you met our newest addition?" Anton asked her.
From the corner of my eye, I saw her shake her head. "Aileen, meet Catherine, my companion."
I hit a button, pausing the game. I gave her a friendly nod and a small smile.
"Nice to meet you," she said, her smile slightly hesitant before her attention went right back to the vampire sitting on the other side of the couch.
"Same to you," I said even though I had a feeling she was no longer paying attention to me.
She fixed Anton with an expectant look. "I'll just wait here, then, until you're ready."
Anton sighed, his lips curling up into a seductive look that he aimed at his companion. He patted the couch next to him. "You could always spend the time over here."
She giggled and ducked her head, an appealing blush staining her cheeks.
Makoto made a sound very similar to gagging. When I looked at him, he was staring at the TV as if he hadn't just made it obvious what he thought of the two's flirting. He hit the un-pause button as soon as he noticed my inattention.
I was forced to react, picking up several grenades as his avatar ran across the city. My fingers felt suddenly clumsy, fatigue causing me to miss the next shot. My eye-to-hand coordination devolved from there, and suddenly it was a struggle keeping my head upright.
Dawn. Somehow it had crept up on me while we played the game. I didn't remember the last time I'd lost track of the sun. Now, I was going to pay for it.
I hit the pause button, the controller sliding out of my hands as I struggled to stand.
"What are you doing? I was about to turn things around," Makoto said, his face outraged.
"I think it's time for me to find my bed," I said, the words tired sounding. I stumbled a few feet then lost my balance.
"Oh, my goodness, are you okay?" Catherine's surprised voice asked. "What's wrong with her?"
"Aileen?" Nathan's face appeared above me.
"Think I'll just stay here for a few minutes." I gave him a sleepy smile, my eyes drifting shut.
From far away, I heard another voice.
"What's going on?" It sounded like Liam
"The baby collapsed on her face." Makoto sounded insultingly pleased about that fact.
"Why is she so tied to the sun?" Viking asked, his voice a deep rumble. "She should have grown out of that after the first year."
There was a long sigh as Liam walked over to where I rested, eyes closed, on the floor.
"You got her?" Nathan asked.
"Yes," Liam said. A set of arms encircled and lifted me, cradling me against a strong chest. "I'll take her back to her room."
I snuggled deeper into the nice smelling shirt, rubbing my nose against it, and enjoying the rumble of his chest under my ear. It was soothing.
"Aileen, put your arms around my neck," Liam ordered. I resisted, my arms feeling like they had weights attached to the
m. "Aileen."
"Such a grumpy boots." My voice slurred with exhaustion. Grudgingly, knowing he wouldn't leave me alone until I did as he asked, I lifted one arm and draped it around his neck. I took the opportunity to nuzzle my nose against his neck, inhaling deeply his own unique smell—a blend of a spring storm and nighttime.
"You're a pain in the ass," he said. He didn't sound upset about that fact.
I let out a hmm, before sleep claimed me.
*
I jerked awake and sat up in bed, my head clear. I was alone. Even better, I wasn't in the entertainment room covered in marker graffiti or any other unsavory element. I swung my jeans covered legs out from under the covers. Good, Liam hadn't undressed me when he delivered me to my bedroom.
I couldn't believe I had been so careless as to get caught off guard by the dawn. Not only was it embarrassing to collapse in the middle of things, but it was a moment when I was at my most vulnerable. I would be hard pressed to defend myself in the event someone should try something.
I still couldn't figure out how it happened. I should have felt the sun before it ever cleared the horizon. This matter required some thought. It could be that Liam's blood had affected things. If this was going to become a thing, I needed to figure out a way to adapt. Maybe set an alarm on my phone that told me when it was time to retreat to the safety of my bedroom.
I set my feet on the floor. Perhaps a shower would clear my head and help me figure a way out of my current predicament. Out of the dresser, I grabbed a change of clothing before heading to the bathroom.
My feet stuttered to a stop and my mouth dropped. Now I knew what Nathan meant when he said the bathroom would tempt me to the dark side. About the size of my apartment bedroom, it was probably the most decadent bathroom I'd ever seen. It was straight out of one of those MTV 'Crash My Pad' shows. It had a sunken tub with room enough for three people and a shower that an entire football team could get clean in.
I let myself take it all in for a long minute. The place deserved that and more. I could spend days in this room, luxuriating in its spa-like atmosphere.
