by M. Garnet
She slammed the bottle down so hard the small amount of yellow fluid splashed out. Someone knocked on the door.
“It’s your friend Terrie,” he stated and just sat.
“You know this how?” But she heard Terrie’s voice. He didn’t move, so she went to the door, going around the bar and leaving as much space from him as the room would allow. Terrie was her hyper self as usual and pushed in all bubbly. She stopped and gave a big smile to Rad.
“Oh I am so sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt.” Terrie babbled as she held out her hands full of mail.
Suddenly she felt him behind her and a strong cold arm reached around her shoulder and across her neck. “Terrie, Misty and I would never think of you as an interruption. What do you have?” He reached over her with his other hand and took the mail from Terrie. Terrie just stopped and smiled as she turned to walk to the door, waved a small goodbye as she left.
Misty stood in utter terror. She was afraid to move and she was praying that he would move away from her but he held her against him, not saying anything. She realized that Terrie had not acted normal. He had done something to her friend. She felt the anger. She slid down to get under the arm. She turned around, away from him but faced him.
“Damn you, leave my friends alone.” She wanted to hit him but realized it probably would hurt her hand more than it would hurt him. Then, what the hell, she swung and hit him on the jaw. She was right—her hand stung as if she had slammed it into a cement wall. But she did see a complete look of surprise on his face. She pulled her arm back again but he had his hand around her wrist. This resulted in her arm in the air and being pulled up against him with her breasts being smashed into his broad chest. She took a deep breath and bit her bottom lip as she looked in anger at those amazing pale eyes so close.
“It has been a very long time since someone has been able to hit me without having ended up dead. But you only get one.” There they stood, face to face, her arm held in the air. She watched and suddenly those pale blue eyes began to darken. She was fascinated watching the change. She had seen people’s eyes change when light had hit them, but this was different. Then she suddenly remembered where she was and who she was with.
“I really think I want you to let me go.” It was barely a whisper, but it was all she could get out.
He held her a little longer, but at last he nodded and let her go. “I need to go out.” He started towards the door.
“I don’t want to question a gift, but am I safe alone? Aren’t you afraid I will run away as soon as you are out of sight?”
He didn’t turn around. “I can find you in the middle of a riot of 10,000 in thirty seconds. Don’t wear yourself out by running. I won’t be very far away.” Suddenly he was out the door.
* * * *
As soon as he was out of sight of the house he began to slow down and take deep breaths. The sweet smell of her was inside him and he needed to get his head on straight. Maybe he needed some blood, that might help. But the thought of tapping someone right now just didn’t have any appeal.
He was still walking, as he had left his car in her driveway. He got a couple of glances. He was use to that and didn’t even take the time to wipe memories. He was tall, broad and people looked at him, women with an invitation and men with a look up then away.
Even though he was distracted, his instinct as a soldier kicked in when he saw the two who stepped back into a deep doorway. They did not know him but they also had good instincts and knew someone was on the street that had authority and it was not a cop.
He went into the coffee shop that was the next open door, so that it would look natural. He went on through and out the back exit, into a surprisingly clean alley. He moved against the back of the buildings of this small strip of shops and sent out a thread of thought. It did not take him long to locate the two of his kind. Unfortunately they were slowly moving towards the area of her home and very carefully looking at all the sites. They were also trying to wipe out some of the memories of those who were seeing them. Unusual move for just a couple of tourist Vamps.
He went shadow—something that not all Vampires could do, but it was almost as if he disappeared into a shadow—and followed, knowing that they would enter the area of homes with very little traffic. Maybe he could get them into the back of the homes so that he could take them on, first to see if he could convince them to move elsewhere. Right now he needed somewhere to put his fists so he was really hoping they didn’t want to move out of state.
* * * *
She didn’t know what to do. First she went and made herself a salad. She added a couple of hardboiled eggs and some ham in order to get some protein into her body. She took the salad into her computer room and started hunting for chat rooms on Vampires. She immediately forgot about the food as she searched the web. She had never tried these sites before as she had always felt these people were kooks. Now she wondered if any of them were real.
She just watched the chat in one site for a while until she went in and typed, has anyone actually met a real Vampire? and waited to see the responses. Of course it was the usual, my friend Bob met one, I heard of one in New York, there is supposed to be a lot in New Orleans, my cousin said she dated one, etc, etc. But no one actually said they had one living in their home. No one had firsthand knowledge of Vampires.
She went to a web site that was advertised to belong to real Vampires. She soon found out it was a fake. It was for people who wanted to be like Vampires. They talked about having teeth implants. There was advice on how much blood you could consume before you got sick. Where the next party was taking place. Yuck.
Okay, real Vampires were too smart to be advertising on the Internet. How many were out there? She sent off an email to her agent saying that she was sick and she would be late on one of her deadlines. Finally she shut down her system and went through the house locking up. It was now dark out. She wondered if he would knock.
She took an extra-large sweatshirt she liked to use as a nightgown into the bathroom, with a pair of lace panties. She got into the shower, washed her hair and stood in the hot water for a very long time. She towel dried her hair, leaving it hanging down still damp. She gathered up her clothes and put them in the hamper. Carrying her brush, she went into the bedroom. She had taken four steps into the room before she saw him.
There was only one light on, beside the bed on the nightstand. The room was mostly in shadow and he was a shadow by himself, waiting.
“What now?” She stood beside the bed. She was almost afraid to hear the answer.
“You need rest. Go to bed, I’ll see that you are safe.” His voice was low.
“You can’t stay here. Go away. I won’t be able to sleep with you here. This won’t work.” She was between anger and tears. But she preferred the anger, so she did a silly thing, she threw the brush, but with amazing speed he plucked it out of the air and he was beside her.
“You, my dear, have a temper. Now, you are going to bed, you can do it your way or my way. Choose.” His voice was very quiet.
She tried to move away from him, but there was nowhere to go. Okay, she would not win against his strength. She slowly sidestepped to the bed and slid in under the covers, not taking her eyes from him. She would lie down in the bed but she wasn’t going to sleep while he was in the room. So for an hour she half sat and half lay in the bed and he didn’t move. Because of the shadows she could not tell if his eyes were open.
She did not know when she fell asleep but she woke up to find him in bed, face down and completely naked. She also found she had one leg over his and he had a very large heavy arm over her. She lay there for a few moments, trying to decide what to do. She slowly turned her head to look at him and was staring directly into his pale blue eyes.
“Move your arm.” She pushed against the arm. For a moment he didn’t move and she was ineffective, but at last he did lift up and she slipped out to go into the bathroom. She did the unusual and examined herself in the mirror. Well,
she had slept with a Vampire. She looked for any bruises or puncture marks but didn’t find any. She knew he had held his arm on her for a moment longer to prove a point. Maybe to pay her back for the slug she had given him. She had to pull herself together and go back out. Her clothes were in the bedroom and she did not know what was in store for them today.
She opened the door slowly and he was gone. She walked through the house carefully, finding the doors locked and no Vampires lurking anywhere. She went back into the bedroom, dressing quickly in a cotton bra, panties, and plain loose top with her usual jeans. She pulled her hair back with a scarf and decided a pair of flats would complete her effort. She went to the kitchen, taking a moment to look out the front window—nothing and nobody. She made a quick breakfast then went to her computer.
She spent the next few hours working on a design in Illustrator and In Design, and having to redo lines as she jumped at each noise. But through the morning and into the afternoon she was alone. She finally got wrapped up in her work and forgot the world around her.
She sent a couple of designs to the printer and raised her hands and arms over her head in the chair to stretch and he had his cold grip around her hands. She froze in position, felt her heart beat so loud in her ears that she was sure it was booming in the room. She sat for what seemed an eternity but she knew was only a moment or two. She gave a pull but he did not release her. She finally did what she really did not want to do, she tipped her head back and between her arms she looked up at him.
“I see you missed me. Get dressed in something nice and I will take you out to dinner.” He let go and twirled the chair around to face the door.
“I don’t understand. You don’t eat—do you drink? Why would you want to go out in public? No, I don’t want to go out like everything is normal in my life.” She sat back in the chair and gave him a stubborn look.
He took a deep sigh. “You really are going to make this difficult. You don’t eat properly. You need not worry about me, you should worry about yourself.” He went into her bedroom and she heard him in her closet, pushing clothes hangers from one end to the other. She jumped up and followed him only to see him pulling out a red dress covered in thin cleaners plastic. He threw it on the bed.
“I am not putting that on.”
“I think I would really enjoy dressing you, but I have the feeling that you won’t want me to. Make your choice because you have an hour.” He walked around the bed and out of the room. She watched his back until he turned the corner then she sank down on the bed. What was this all about? First he wanted her to stay in, now he wanted her to go out, and to a nice restaurant.
She got up and looked in the living room but he was gone. How did he do that? She went back and sat on the bed. After about fifteen minutes she realized she did not want him to dress her and she had a vision of them wrestling over the red dress, her naked and him with the dress in his hands. She realized it was slightly erotic so she shook herself. Sure he was a great looking guy, but how could she even have the least bit of thought about him and anything involving sex? Geez, Misty, get a hold. So she got up and started getting dressed.
She found the right kind of underwear, red and lacy—when had she bought them? Oh, yes, one time with Terrie, when actually Terrie had bought them for her. The dress was acceptable, not too daring, not too low at the top and not too short. It had long sleeves and although the neckline was not too low, it started at the edge of each shoulder and left her shoulders and neck bare. It also dipped much lower in back. But it was the color, it just shouted out. It also seemed to bring out the red in her reddish brown hair. She looked in a mirror and could not decide what to do with her hair.
She went into the bathroom and used a curling iron to curl the ends. She put a little eye makeup on and a touch of color on her lips. She went back to her closet and found a pair of black heels and slipped them on. During the whole process she kept asking herself what the hell she was doing.
* * * *
He had discovered something interesting when he took on the two prowlers who were looking for her—they had been sent by a strong older warrior who was supposedly the male in charge of this area. The man had been in this county for a hundred years and had built up quite an army, had a lot of control over politicians and police.
It seemed that this old Vamp was feeling like it was time to thumb his nose at the Council, maybe declare some independence. This would-be King of the Hill felt that others would follow his defiance. He might be able to build a bigger army of followers. The Lord of the Province had probably been planning this for a while, just waiting for the right time or event to give him an excuse to flex his muscles.
Rad had dusted the two creeps so there would be no reports to go back, but he decided it might be time to wave a little bait out there and see if the rat took the cheese.
* * * *
When she went into the living room he was there, dressed in a black suit, white shirt open at the throat. It made him look very handsome and very dangerous, like a gangster from the movies. He even had the white handkerchief in the pocket.
He looked her over critically and she held her breath. He walked around her and went into the bedroom. She did not know what to do, but just stood and waited. He came back out with a couple of black clips that had been in a tray by her bed.
“When you go out with a Vamp, you must leave your neck uncovered. It makes a statement in case any other Vampires see you.” He handed her the clips and waited while she took them. She stood and looked at him for a long moment. She felt a shiver run down her back.
“You want me to pull my hair back?”
“Just a little, behind your ears. It is charming hanging down your back.”
She took a deep breath. What was he saying? Other Vampires might see them? “Please,” she caught her breath, “give me a moment.” She took the clips and walked through the bedroom and into the bathroom to the mirror. She looked at her reflection. She felt she could do this. She caught her hair back on the sides and pulled it up high and clipped it. She went back into the bedroom and opened a drawer and pulled out a large black lace scarf that she could wear around her shoulders. She picked up her small purse.
He opened the door for her. She went through and hesitated. The vehicle was a large black sedan. It had a BMW emblem on the front. He went around her to open the door. She got in and waited until he got in behind the wheel before she asked, “Is my house locked?”
He smiled that crooked smile. “Believe me, no one will bother it.”
She watched her house as they backed out. “What did you do, pee on the lawn like a wolf?” This came out with a snap to her voice.
“You really have an imagination.” He glanced over at her and then his eyes returned to the road. “Or are you just trying to agitate me?”
They drove in silence for almost forty-five minutes. She recognized that they had moved into a busy area with dark bars lit by neon signs and long lines. Finally he pulled up in front of a restaurant that seemed to be very busy. It had valet, but there were several cars already at the curb. He just pulled up beside one of the cars and got out. Someone seemed to recognize him, because a young man immediately ran over to take his keys as he came around to open her door and help her out.
She pulled her lace wrap around her as he assisted her to weave between the cars and walk up to the double doors that were being held open for them. He held her lightly by her elbow as they entered and the maître d’ approached, all smiles. He indicated that their table was ready. She did not say anything but just turned and followed the smiling man in the tux. She felt him let go of her elbow but he also pulled the lace wrap down and off. She glanced back at him but there was no expression on his face as he laid the lace over his arm.
They were seated at one side, in a corner that left her back to the room and left him where he could look at her, but more important, over her at the entire room. She wondered if when he went out, he always chose a location for himself that
let him see what was going on. She found this preferable, as she did not want those cool pale eyes on her all the time.
A waiter came and she heard him order for them in his low velvet voice but she couldn’t have repeated what they were getting. It was a short time and drinks were set in front of them. White wine for her and what she guessed was whiskey over ice for him.
“You drink?” She tipped her glass towards his.
“I have acquired the taste for a good malt whiskey over the years.” He raised his glass and saluted her.
She looked over her shoulder at the rich surroundings and the well-dressed people in the well-spaced tables. This expensive restaurant had given all their guests room for privacy with lots of plants, marble statues and some classic dividers. “Exactly what is this all about? I don’t understand this lesson. I sure didn’t like the first one but at least I understood it.” She looked down at the wine glass and moved it around to have something to do with her hands. The waiter brought a soup and set it down in front of her. She noted that none was put in front of him. There was also a plate with some flat bread put in the middle of the table.
“Eat your meal.” He sipped his whiskey and sat back in his chair. She frowned, picked up the spoon and tried the soup. It was really good. She decided to look down and just enjoy. After all she could not afford such an expensive restaurant. She was half way through the bowl when a sudden chill hit her back and she sat up suddenly, looking at him. It was not him, but he was watching her closely. She put the spoon down and sat up straight. She was trying to decide to look around the room when he spoke very low.
“So you did feel him. Interesting. Don’t look around and when he approaches don’t react. You are under the protection of the Council and I am their arm. Sometimes it has to be tested.” His voice was almost a whisper.
Out of the corner of her eye she saw three men approaching. They were all dressed very properly and were very handsome men. The middle man, who approached as the other two fell back a step or two, had an air about him of being use to giving commands and having them obeyed. He would have looked very natural in a uniform of a general.
