by S. Coop
“I would change things if I could, okay? So get off of me. Ostavi me na miru!” Leave me alone!
Ignoring her protests, Lasandro looked intently and silently into her eyes. It seemed that he was studying her, trying to find the answer, trying to decide what to do next. She couldn’t help the trembling that broke out across her body. His eyes seemed to soften with every second that passed, and his lips came closer to hers.
Morgan didn’t know if this was intriguing or frightening, but she didn’t want to find out. With no warning, she kicked him dangerously close to his groin to create distance between them. He fell to the floor, and she pounced forward, landing on top of him and straddling him.
Damn! Lasandro thought as he hit the floor. He couldn’t believe how quickly the tables turned, not that he was complaining. Feeling her on top of him like that was by no means uncomfortable, which he made clear by the grin on his face.
“Tsk, tsk,” Morgan teased, waving her index finger back and forth in front of his face. “Only three days old and already trying to get in my … head. I’m really going to have to watch you.”
He cleared his throat. “Speaking of heads …”
Morgan put her index finger over his mouth. “You have much to learn. I’m not anything like these poor ladies you trick into thinking you’re so much. You are young and crude. I’m going to tell you this one time, and one time only.” She leaned closer to him with her voice barely above a whisper.
“What’s that?” he asked while trying to calm the rising in his pants.
“Don’t ever mess with me again,” she said in a soft, sultry tone with a dangerous edge.
Lasandro swallowed the lump that had developed in his throat. “Or what will happen?” he whispered.
Morgan rose in a flash and headed toward the door. “You don’t want to know.”
He watched her and her effortless movement. “Um, am I free or …”
Morgan stopped in the doorway. “Come on.”
Lasandro winked. “Coming, master.”
“Mistress,” Morgan corrected.
Lasandro stood. “I could just call you … Morgan.”
Morgan sighed. “How human of you.”
“I try.”
Chapter Five
Lessons
Lasandro left the barn he had called home for three days and entered a stone cottage-style home, which displayed many antiques. He wondered how much those pieces would go for and figured it probably would be a hell of a lot of money. He was no stranger to the value of antiques like that, but selling furniture was not really his thing. He had done it before for extra change in between cons, but it wasn’t something he really liked to do.
Still shook up by their recent altercation, Morgan pointed toward the stairs. Lasandro followed her cue and made his way up to the master bathroom.
The second floor of the house followed the same standard as the first, a classic setup with a few antiques here and there. He noticed a collection of men’s toiletries set out for him on the counter: shaving gel, razor blades, deodorant, and men’s body wash. He grabbed the body wash and jumped in the shower.
“Shower, dress, and meet me outside,” Morgan said, and she left the bathroom.
Lasandro wondered what Morgan had in store for him. Well, I guess I’ll find out soon enough.
He hopped in the shower and turned on the water. There were two sets of sprayers, one in the front and one facing his back. He put them both at maximum temperature, yet when the water hit him, he didn’t feel it burning. Everything is different, he thought while letting the water cascade down his body. After a lengthy cleansing, he jumped out and dried himself off. He caught a glimpse of his reflection in the mirror and quickly looked away, half ashamed of what stared back at him. It would take a while for him to get used to what he had become. It’s like I’ve been born again. He looked at himself once more, noticing significant changes to his physique—good changes. It was not that he didn’t have a banging body before, but now … Hmm. He flexed his right arm and felt the muscle. Like stone. He was a perfectly sculpted undead David. Michelangelo would be envious. He laughed. Now this I can live with!
Lasandro walked to the backyard to meet with Morgan. He approached her, surprised to see her sitting on the ground with her face covered.
“Are you okay?” he asked. Though she did seem to be a rollercoaster of emotions, she didn’t strike him as the “crybaby” type. Maybe she does have feelings after all?
She said nothing.
“Hello?” Lasandro waved his hand in front of her head. “Anybody home?”
Still Morgan did not answer.
Damn! he thought. She is crying. He was a smooth- talker, but talking to women while they cried was like pulling teeth. He contemplated retreating to the confines of the house.
“Look, why did you ask me to come out here if you were going to sit there and cry?”
Lasandro’s answer came in the form of Morgan jumping up, dashing toward him, and tackling him in record speed.
“What the hell?” Lasandro exclaimed as he hit the cold wet grass with a thud.
“Rule number one.” Morgan stood over Lasandro with a serious look and a dry face, “Never get caught off guard.”
“Couldn’t you have just told me that instead of damn near breaking my back? I mean … if you wanted to be on top of me …” Lasandro winked and flashed a pearly white grin at her. He knew how to get under her skin.
“Of course, I could have, but this was much more fun,” Morgan shot back a smirk of her own. “There are many things you need to know, many things to learn about being a vampire. We do not have time for shenanigans.”
“Oh sweet, are you going to show me how to eat someone next?” Lasandro asked sarcastically.
“Feed! Not eat! We are not ghouls or zombies.”
“Could have fooled me,” Lasandro said.
“Patience,” Morgan said, more to herself than to Lasandro. “Now for the rules of being a vampire. Forget what you’ve heard and what you’ve seen in the movies. Some of it is true, and some of it isn’t. We vampires can tolerate some sunlight, but frequent exposure over a period of three days will kill us. We can eat food, but we don’t need to because blood sustains us. We can consume any type of blood, and a warm temperature is preferred. You will come to find this out.” Morgan disappeared for thirty seconds and returned with a rabbit with a broken neck. She threw the rabbit in his lap and watched him expectantly.
Lasandro stared at her. “You want me to eat a rabbit?”
“Feed. not eat!” Morgan rolled her eyes. “Yes, you should feed.”
“Right now?”
“Yes, now.”
Lasandro looked down at the brown-haired bunny and threw it to the side. “No.”
Morgan growled softly and tilted her head. “I’m sorry. I forgot you prefer housecats.”
Lasandro squinted. “I prefer domesticated food, yeah.”
“Animal blood is what most of us live on, but human blood tastes and smells better.”
“Bring it on!” Lasandro smiled.
Morgan shook her head. “Not yet. Human blood contains healing properties but also tends to make vampires the equivalent to feeling high or drunk.”
“And what’s wrong with that?”
“There are many drawbacks to this. Technically vampires should not feed on humans too much because frequent consumption of human blood will make vampires not only crave it, but any other type of blood will be rendered useless and will not sustain them anymore. We call that blood fever.”
“So you attacking me was only a case of blood fever?” Lasandro asked.
Morgan frowned. “Moderation is key.”
“Moderation, huh? Well, I certainly feel moderated, and you didn’t show much moderation that night.”
Morgan turned away from him. “I can’t explain to you why those things happened that night. I’m still trying to figure it out myself. It was very unusual for me. It’s just that some humans are
more susceptible to being fed on. Something about their blood is nothing less than intoxicating.”
“Yeah? Cool. I have intoxicating blood.”
She glanced at him. “Um, yeah, you fit into that category. In essence, you were my weakness, like one hundred proof alcohol. Anyway, let’s continue.”
“So I got you drunk?”
“Something like that,” Morgan said.
“My blood hammered, you, huh?”
Morgan decided to change the subject. “Consumption of human blood is one of the conditions for our going public. After scientists were able to prove that vampires could live on animal blood, our coming out was viewed as something exciting and amazing instead of scary. This country was the first country to accept us. Many vampires have joined the military as a gesture of goodwill. Imagine the power this country holds by having vampires serving. It is the equivalent of having super soldiers. Hence, America continues to be the superpower of the world. However, this does not negate us from our main responsibility, that being self-control. Humans know vampires still feed on human blood. They would be naive not to, but as long as we exercise control, everyone wins.”
Lasandro eyed Morgan while she went through the laundry list of information, like a kindergarten teacher reciting her lecture. “So this is supposed to be a win win for me, huh?”
“Well …”
Lasandro picked at a few blades of grass. “Sorry to interrupt.”
Morgan could tell she was boring him, so she decided to go on to something more interesting. “Well, you’ll be able to levitate.”
“Great,” Lasandro said. “Always wanted to float like a butterfly and sting like a bee.”
“Um, a very old and practiced vampire can even fly.”
“So why aren’t there vampires in the NBA?”
“We would have an unfair advantage,” Morgan said. “Do you want to learn how to levitate?”
“Sure. Why not?”
Morgan rose into the air and floated in front of him. “See? It’s not hard.”
Lasandro waved his hand under her feet. “No strings. You could make a killing as a magician.”
“We’re not here to make money,” Morgan said.
“Just to make more like you,” Lasandro said. “Nice.”
“Um, the first step is to clear your mind and concentrate,” Morgan said, descending to the ground.
“That might be a problem,” Lasandro said. “My mind is really messy right now, you know, as a recently deceased human and new member of the undead.”
“You have to try,” Morgan said. “Vampires can do incredible things. You must not think like a human anymore, with human limitations. I want you to try. Remember to clear your mind.” She looked at him expectantly.
“Okay, I’ll try.”
Lasandro thought about how advantageous it would be for him if he could fly. He could get away from anyone. As instructed, he cleared his mind and concentrated. He pushed off the ground with one foot and did not feel himself come down.
“Oh, shit! I’m doing it!” His eyes grew wider than a child’s on Christmas morning.
“Good. Now come to me.” Morgan extended her hand to him.
Lasandro looked down. “I’m content to float for now, if it’s all right with you.”
“Come to me, my child!” Morgan belted, hoping to compel him to move.
“Your child? What the hell?” Lasandro lost all concentration and fell face-first into the grass. “Damn!”
“You are my child,” Morgan said. “I made you, didn’t I?”
“Really, Morgan? You’re aren’t my mama, and you have to be the worst teacher ever!”
Morgan giggled. “That was a nice face plant, by the way. The way you dropped like a stone—priceless.”
“I’m glad you find my suffering funny,” Lasandro said, wiping dirt and grass from his face. “Always happy to entertain the crazy cat lady.”
Morgan chuckled. “I am sorry, but you should have seen your face as you fell.”
“All my face saw was earth,” Lasandro said. “Gravity sucks, you know?” He laughed. “But it’s nice to know its laws won’t apply to me much longer.” He suddenly lunged forward, grabbed her by her feet, and down she came like a ton of bricks. “Ha!” he exclaimed. “I have caught you off your guard!”
Even though she lay in the cold wet grass, Morgan continued to laugh. “You learn fast, and from the worst teacher, too.”
“You aren’t so bad,” Lasandro said. “I suppose learned from the best.” He grabbed her ankles and pulled her toward him.
As soon as Lasandro was on top of Morgan, she saw, if only for a brief second, the officer’s face from so long ago. Uncomfortable beneath him, she turned the tables on him, pinning him to the ground.
“Why is it that you always have to be on top?” he asked in a low husky voice.
Morgan merely looked into his eyes. She could not tell him what had happened to her years ago because she was too ashamed. But she didn’t have to read his mind to know what he was thinking, because he wanted her and he wanted her badly. What surprised her were the feelings she was beginning to feel.
“I get the ‘I need control’ thing, but seriously, Morgan. At least buy me dinner first. Hold my hand. Something.”
She tried to bury her feelings deep down. She knew as a human he had been an attractive playboy, and now that he was a vampire, his attractiveness would increase tenfold. But as she held him down, she felt an all too familiar feeling, like waking in the night, unsure if the nightmare was real. But her nightmare was real and would be for eternity. She looked away from Lasandro’s eyes and stared straight ahead, concentrating on the feeling inside her head. No. Not this. Not now.
“Don’t move,” she muttered.
Morgan leaped up and dashed toward the house in record speed, vanishing and leaving Lasandro behind.
As Morgan neared the house, the feeling became stronger and stronger. It’s him. There was no denying it. A faint squeak came from the old creaky swing set by the flower garden. There her Maker swung back and forth smirking, as if he were having the time of his very long life.
“Oh, how I love these things,” he said as he glanced at Morgan. “You are as beautiful today as you were decades ago.”
“Marcus.” She did not no attempt to hide either her surprise or her hatred.
“So you do remember me?” He smiled at his beloved child. “We were close once, weren’t we? Oh yes. We were. But now you look at me with disgust and … embarrassment? Is that what I’m sensing?”
“Why are you here?” Morgan knew the answer even as she asked it. I thought I had more time!
“Is that any way to greet your Maker?” he spat. “How about ‘How have you been?’ or ‘Nice to see you.’? You still have no manners.”
“I would say those things if it were nice to see you. Enough with the games, Marcus. Why have you come?”
“You don’t know?” He chuckled. “Come now, Jasmina, you know full well why I am here. The newborn. Where is it?”
Morgan was not surprised that he knew. They were connected for life whether she liked it or not. He could feel her pain, loneliness, and happiness, just as she could now feel Lasandro’s confusion. Why wouldn’t Marcus feel it as well?
“He’s … safe.”
“Oh, I hardly think—”
“He is,” Morgan interrupted. “Are we done here?”
“Quite the contrary,” Marcus said, studying her every curve. “Tell me something. Did you think that I wouldn’t know? My, my, what have you gotten yourself into this time?”
“Cut the shit, Marcus!”
“Jas … What are you calling yourself now? Organ?” He studied her gaze well aware that he was still getting under her skin. “Since we last parted ways, I have made a few changes.” He looked intently into her eyes. “You do know about the AVC, do you not?”
“It’s Morgan. Don’t act like you don’t know, and yes, I know of the AV
C, we all do. I also know you are a member.”
“I’m not just a member Jasmina. I am on the High Council, which means I am very important now.” He studied her reaction as he circled her. “It seems you have put me in quite a predicament. You have made a new vampire without authorization. You do know the consequences of that, do you not?” He came to a stop behind her and lightly grabbed a handful of her hair. Bringing it up to his nose, he inhaled the familiar aroma. It was an old habit that Morgan was so accustomed to she did not move. She barely breathed. The memories began to flood in. They were sweet memories that he would never forget, but memories that she never wanted.
“Look, I know what I’m doing. You can leave!” Morgan turned and began to move toward the house, her hair slipping through his fingers as she walked. As far as she was concerned, the conversation was over.
Marcus’s rage flared with his notorious temper. How dare she walk away from me! He flew like a shot and grabbed her, slamming her back up against the side of the house. “Know your place, child!” He twisted and squeezed her arm against the foundation, causing her to let out a small moan. “So you say he’s safe? He! Seems you’ve made a little boy toy to play with. I guess I didn’t give it to you good enough all those years, hmm? You’re lucky I didn’t kill you the minute you left me, you wretch! Is this how you return a favor? Where is he? Tell me where he is!”
Morgan tried to push him off her, but he persisted. He was her Maker. He would always be older and stronger. She would not tell him, though. She would never hand Lasandro over to him. Instead, she spit in his face.
“Will you never change?” Marcus bellowed. “Why must we replay that fateful night every time we meet? All I have ever wanted is for you to love me. That is all I have ever wanted.” He squeezed her arm harder with one hand and extended his other to smack her in the face. He had to teach her a lesson. He had to put her back in her place.
Morgan braced herself and waited for the crushing blow like throwing on an old blanket. She closed her eyes, hoping it would be over soon.
