Raymond stared back at Dixon and prayed this was a mistake. Oh, this was so not what he wanted or needed. His heart sped up and anger grew within him. He felt set up. In today’s age there were of course female officers in the military, but Dixon omitted the little detail of Captain Brennan’s gender. Alex? That was a man’s name. Of course Raymond assumed the new director would be a man. The director was always a man.
Raymond took in a deep breath to calm himself. Was that perfume? The scent smelled light and feminine — not what he wanted at all. He kept his distance from humans, especially female humans. He didn’t socialize with female vampires either. It wasn’t an official vow of celibacy, but close enough to count since no one could compare to Wilma.
He studied Alex. Or was it really Alexandra? Maybe Alexi? She looked classically beautiful, just like his Wilma was. Her emerald eyes shone across the room and sparkled like gems. Her tailor made suit was feminine. Her outfit curved in all the right places, like an hour glass. With her long sexy legs, she stood in high heels that accentuated her muscular calves as she walked into the room. She embodied elegance with a Greek goddess body.
Raymond’s breath caught, his heart sped up, and he couldn’t stop staring at this gorgeous creature. He needed to remember to breathe. He took in a deep breath and realized his palms now glistened with sweat, and it wasn’t from the heat of the coffee. He listened to the clicks of her heels on the hard floor, and he watched the effect it had on her muscular calves as she walked in. This was the closest encounter he had with a human woman in decades.
Dixon closed the door, trapping Raymond in the room. “Captain Brennan, this is Raymond Metcalf and Ben Gatto.”
CHAPTER SIX
Raymond watched as Alex walked across the room. The clicking of her heels echoed in the tiny space. “Good to meet you,” she said, extending a hand to Raymond.
He shifted the coffee mug to his left hand, and quickly wiped his sweaty palm on his slacks before extending his hand out. He knew his hand would feel warm, so he shook her hand and made eye contact to see if the trick worked. It must have, her pupils didn’t contract in surprise. Instead, her beautiful eyes remained glued onto his.
There was very little shaking considering this was a handshake. She held his hands, and stared at him as though reading his soul.
Closer up, the scent of her perfume was stronger, and he liked the fragrance. He noticed she took in a deep breath, swallowed, and then she parted her lips slightly and bit the lower one. He stared at her plump and kissable lower lip. He needed to say ‘hello’ back, but found he couldn’t quite make the word come out.
Her eyes shifted slightly, and he took note as her temple cringed. He realized she thought she recognized him from somewhere, and was trying to place his face. A slight headache was forming because of her attempts to remember him. He was familiar with this look. Usually, he would dismiss it, but not today. Today, he regretted that his predatory nature had humans forget him unless they had direct contact with him. Obviously this woman had seen him in the background, but her mind had dismissed him. He felt sorry for her as her mind tried to process the holes.
He looked down at the marathon handshake. Her skin felt smooth. How long had he been holding her hand? Actually, she seemed to be the one still holding his. Could that be right? He swallowed hard as he realized the two of them had stepped much closer to each other as their hands touched.
She must have picked up on his awareness, because she immediately released his hand. Her cheeks flushed. Great, he probably embarrassed her in some way. She seemed flustered as she quickly offered her hand over to Ben.
Raymond took note of Ben’s touch on her, and a bitter taste permeated his mouth. His grip tightened around the handle of the coffee mug, turning his knuckles white. He stared at the two of them as they greeted each other. Ben’s age was currently in his mid fifties, and he looked quite distinguished in his tailored suit and shortened, grayed Afro. She probably liked tall and dark men. Of course, he was taller than Ben, but would she even notice? Maybe his pale white skin was unappealing to someone who sported a tan. Since he avoided the sun as much as possible, he looked even more pasty white than the average Caucasian man. His dark brunette hair and teal eyes would only accentuate his paleness even more.
She looked to be about thirty. Perhaps she liked older men. Raymond blinked several times to stop his train of thought. This was ridiculous; he just met the woman. Of course Ben’s smile looked too friendly to him, but then their handshake ended – after a proper amount of time.
Why was he even thinking such thoughts? Women never mattered in the past to him, and neither did his appearance. When he glanced over at Alex and saw her smile, he knew she was not like other women. Was it getting warm in here? Normally he liked feeling warm, but this was downright uncomfortable. He scratched the back of his head, just to do anything other than stare at her. Touching his thick locks of hair he realized that he was back down to his base age. He had fed well this morning, and now looked the same age he was when he transitioned into an adult vampire – 22 years old. He closed his eyes. She must see him as a child, with Ben being the senior member of the team. She probably thought he knew at least ten different Pokemon names, carried Magic cards in his wallet, and secretly wished his car was a transformer. All of which couldn’t have been farther from the truth. If it hadn’t been for the young kids at Fang Manor, he wouldn’t even know what those things were. He was an old geyser locked into a youthful body, and that package was probably someone she couldn’t take seriously – even if Dixon ordered her to.
It was worse than that. Raymond realized that he had not even said hello to the woman when she shook his hand. OK, not only must he be young in her mind, he also didn’t have manners. Great.
“Let’s get started,” said Dixon as he plucked a folder from his desk and took a seat between the Captain and Ben.
Once they all had taken their seats, Raymond glanced at Alex. He reached into her mind to compel her, and was surprised by how accepting her mind was to him. “Captain, please excuse us for a few minutes.” Her expression turned to stone as she froze in her seat; her eyes were expressionless. Raymond now glared at Dixon. “Sir? Seriously?”
“What? This is Captain Brennan.”
Raymond looked in disbelief. “A woman? You chose a member of the fairer sex to be our director?”
Ben huffed. “Good Lord, Raymond. When was the last time you spent any time with a woman. ‘Fairer sex’ my ass.”
Dixon interrupted. “Alex is well accomplished in martial arts, field training, and holds the highest sharp–shooter ranking the military offers. Not only does this woman walk on water with her credentials, but she’d skim across a lake and tear you a new one if you weren’t immortal. Trust me. She’s the one for the job.”
Raymond studied the woman’s 5’ 8” strong muscular frame. Her body shape did not lie. “There was no one else?”
“There were plenty of others, only less qualified.” Dixon glanced over at Alex. “She’s the best. I just need your opinion if the team can work with her.”
Silence hung in the room as Raymond fell deep in thought. “It’s not that I have anything against women,” Raymond defended himself. “My sister Sulie is very accomplished as a doctor and as a soldier for the team.”
“Yes. She is,” Dixon added. “And over the years I’ve seen your sister personally kill dozens of terrorists. She’s gone undercover on numerous successful missions and never let the team down.”
“She is one of the Best,” Ben commented. “Personally, I don’t like being on Sulie’s bad side. She’s like a tiger.”
Raymond smiled. “Sulie’s always been special like that.”
“No Raymond. It isn’t that Sulie is special. She’s a woman. Quite capable of doing anything a man can do, and then some.” Dixon pointed to Alex. “Now unfreeze the captain and give her a chance.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
Once the captain rejoined the party, Dixon contin
ued. “You have perfect credentials Captain. I will be retiring shortly and we’re looking for a replacement as Colony Director.”
Alex shook her head. “I’m sorry. I thought the position was Chief of Security.”
“Oh it is,” Dixon reassured her. “That’s only part of the position. What is discussed in this room is confidential. I need for you to sign this non–disclosure agreement locking in your silence before we proceed.” He slid the paper and a pen over to the captain.
“Of course.” she noted as she signed the paper.
Dixon continued. “The security chief position is the generic term for what you would be asked to do. The job encompasses that, plus quite a bit more. Publicly, you will interface with the director of the Secret Service mostly for daily security protocols involving the President. At times you will work closely with the commanding officer for the Joint Special Operations Command, but only if a situation with JSOC calls for it. Your job will be to coordinate efforts between those two departments and a secret special op team you will be directly responsible for. As the director of this special team, you will report to the President and be his liaison to the team.”
Alex straightened more in her chair as she tried to control the smile that threatened to overpower her. Opportunity wasn’t just knocking; it was barging in and taking down the door. This was exactly what she wanted for her career.
Dixon continued, “The special op team is known as The Colony. The team is funded through the President’s Black Budget, so even Congress is unaware of its existence. It was founded in 1866 as a direct response to the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln and works in conjunction with the Secret Service as presidential security. The Colony’s responsibility has broadened to include assignments with other federal and military agencies, but at all times a member of the Colony is within the inner perimeter of security and works covertly with the Secret Service. Their strengths are many, including the capacity to work with biochemical elements, or in regards to specific ‘cold–blooded’ killers. For example, they were instrumental during the Anthrax scare a few years ago.”
Alex appreciated the longevity of the team. Its history meant security and prestige for her career. “No doubt, unsung heroes,” she commented.
“Indeed.” Dixon continued, “The men and women who form the team are unique. Their existence was discovered by a Union lieutenant and personal aide to President Lincoln. One of the founding members of the Colony served under this lieutenant. Another founder was a freed black slave who fought beside him.”
Alex wasn’t a Civil War buff, but the story fascinated her. So far, the interview seemed right on track and heading to the town of successful–career–move.
“Those two Civil War soldiers, and founding members of the Colony, are the two other men in this room.”
Her train just got derailed. “I’m sorry, can you please repeat that?”
CHAPTER EIGHT
Raymond watched the captain as strong mental patterns washed over her. Her cool demeanor had changed from all business, to being confused, and even a little angry. He glanced over at Ben and saw him deep in concentration as he adjusted her moods with his special ability. After a few seconds, Raymond felt the professional, polished edge emanating from her once again. Raymond nodded towards Dixon to have him continue.
“The two Civil War soldiers are Raymond Metcalf and Ben Gatto,” Dixon repeated as he pointed to the other two men at the table.
Silence.
She laughed. “Oh … yeah, right. I’m guessing you must be vampires and live forever, right?”
We have a winner, Raymond thought. She couldn’t have zeroed in on the truth more if she tried. He watched as Ben concentrated even more. The fact that Ben remained so focused told Raymond that Alex’s moods were hard to control. If he understood the colors correctly, Ben was washing her aura over in a yellow to mellow her out.
“Yeah, what a great joke fellas. Now really, what is the promotion?” She glanced over to Dixon, but the man’s look was stoic and no laughter followed. She gazed over to Ben, who was too focused to notice.
Raymond cursed inwardly. Of course she’d look over to Ben for any guidance during this interview. Raymond’s youthful appearance made him look like a joke, instead of the team lead. Raymond waited until she shifted her eyes in his direction, then he bared his fangs to show her there was no joke. Ben followed suit, and bared his fangs as well.
Alex practically jumped out of her chair, her eyes wide in fright. Ben focused even more, mentally painting gallons of yellow paint over her aura. To Ben’s credit, Alex slumped back into her chair. Her response was very calm indeed. Alex’s eyes bulged in her head as she shifted in her seat. Next she pointed at Raymond’s fangs and asked, “Are those real? Can I touch them?”
“No, you can’t touch them!” Raymond exclaimed. He glared over at Ben to have him tone the mellowing down. Bright canary yellow wasn’t the best color for an aura anyway.
Ben turned down the aura paint job and she reacted in a way more in line with someone whose world had been turned upside down.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa” she insisted as she held up her hands.
Raymond easily read her thought waves now. They were a roller–coaster of emotions. So many thoughts pummeled him that he became dizzy himself. Thankfully, Ben was at the helm of her mental carnival ride and prevented Alex from panicking.
Raymond felt sorry for Alex. She woke up this morning understanding the world. Now everything was torn apart. As her thoughts subsided and calmed, Raymond nodded to Dixon to continue.
“Immortals, vampires … whatever you want to call them. They go by either name. They live among us. Their numbers are small. The Colony itself has less than a dozen members.
Alex examined Raymond. “Vampires? OK. So next you’re going to tell me that werewolves and leprechauns exist? What’s next? Should I worry about running into a mermaid when I go swimming? Or even a unicorn at the Bronx zoo?”
Alex paused as she caught her breath. “You appear human. … Well, except for the fangs. You live among humans?”
Raymond liked that she directed her question at him, and not Ben. Most Director candidates treated him as a zoo specimen at this point in the interview. The woman was either properly bred, or incredibly open-minded and brave. Either way, he appreciated her manners and it was a point in her favor. “We don’t grow older, but we can alter our appearance by our blood consumption. The more human blood we have in our system, the younger we appear. If we consume daily amounts of blood, we can look to be in our 20s. If we feed once a week, we look in our 30s. If we feed every 6–8 weeks, we can look as old as the President himself. Of course, it depends on how much we consume at each feeding.”
Her voice cracked. “You look well fed.”
Raymond noticed she crossed her arms and leaned away from him. Her body language and thought patterns spoke volumes. She was scared. She remained under control thanks to Ben, but scared nonetheless. “I’m not hungry right now,” he lied. Vampires were always hungry. He sensed her elevated heart rate, and had even stared at her jugular vein once or twice. Her blood type was A+. Sweet and delicious. He wondered if other parts of her tasted as delectable. Her lips certainly looked plump and inviting.
“So you can be 20 one day, and the next day 70?” She relaxed her stance. Whether it was her own choosing or Ben’s doing, Raymond wasn’t sure.
“In theory, yes,” Raymond answered. “Aging that quickly in such a short amount of time usually means that we’ve been physically hurt in some way; maybe even dying. When hurt, we age rapidly and need human blood immediately. Under normal circumstances, we never change our age that quickly intentionally because the switch in our feeding habits, from young to old, can cause serious discomfort in us. Painful reactions, actually. Going from old to young is no problem at all. In fact, many times a vampire will relocate, appear to be in their 20s, then over the next 60–70 years they gradually allow themselves to appear to age so they can go und
etected among the humans. After they look the age of 80 or 90, they fake their death and start anew in a different location.”
Her mental patterns flashed like a strobe light. He noticed she processed the information quickly, with curiosity winning out.
“And you drink human blood.” It was a statement, not a question. Her beautiful eyes traveled up and down his body, at least to the areas not covered by the table.
“Yes. Animal blood can’t give us the nutrients we need.” Raymond felt on display. It was an odd sensation to be scrutinized in such a way by a woman. Did she like what she saw? She certainly didn’t act repelled. Her emerald eyes pierced his as if she were looking deep into his soul.
“You look young. Do you bite people every day?”
And there it was. Dietary needs were always the first issue of business. “No. The Colony is classified as a private military hospital. We receive bagged blood courtesy of Uncle Sam every week. Enough for us to feed daily.”
The refreshing breath and softer posture suggested a comfort level of probably knowing she was not Raymond’s next meal. “So you blend into the human population by pretending to be human.”
If she wanted to hit one of Raymond’s buttons, she certainly did. His jaw tightened. “I don’t pretend to be anything I’m not. You assume everyone you meet happens to be human.” Scorn filled his thoughts, and in an accusatory tone he added, “I’m guessing you won’t be doing that again.”
“Probably not.” Her tone seemed level and calm. He could tell he hurt her, not just by her mental patterns, but also by the fact she shifted those beautiful emerald eyes away from him and now looked down at the table.
Eternal Service Page 4
