The Art of Seduction

by Annie Harland Creek

  “David. What happened to me last night? What do you mean by saying that my body is dying?” Before he could answer, the realization hit her. “I’m becoming a vampire?”

  With a single nod of his head, David confirmed her suspicion. She wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry. Pain shot through her like a bolt of electricity and she slammed the door shut as she rushed for the toilet. When the pain eased, she called out.

  “How much longer will I feel like this?”

  “Not long to go now.” He waited for a response. Nothing. Minutes passed before he called to her.

  “Meaghan?”

  She stepped into the bedroom wearing a cotton bathrobe she had thrown on to warm herself while the convulsions shook her body but she found that her body had stopped shivering. She held out her right hand to show him that the cast was gone and she waved her hand around, drawing patterns in the air with her fingers. “My wrist … it’s completely healed and David … I tore off the cast with my teeth.”

  “One of the perks of being a vampire, my love. We heal very quickly and we have very strong fangs.”

  She smiled coyly. “For someone recently deceased, I feel surprisingly alive. Actually, I feel pretty wonderful.” She opened the curtains and stared out at the stars. “Even the stars seem brighter.”

  “You will discover that everything is a little brighter, my love. Colors are more vibrant and your hearing will become exceptional.”

  “What else?” She asked as she bounced on the balls of her feet. “What else can I do?”

  “You will be stronger … as strong as ten men. Faster than a car—”

  Striking an arrogant pose, she laughed. “Just wait until I show those macho men at the station. There are a couple of guys that I would like to put on their arse. Wait until the next time they challenge me in the gym, I’ll show—”

  “You can’t go back to work, Meaghan. Not as a police officer anyway.”

  Meaghan’s shoulder’s dropped and her expression turned solemn. “I guess that it would be hard explaining why I can’t work the day shift?”

  David nodded. “If it makes you feel any better, at least you can join the company firm.”

  Tilting her head to one side, she asked, “And what does the company firm do?”

  “I guess you would call us private investigators. It should be right up your alley.”

  “At least that’ll make Terry happy. He’s been trying to talk me out of being a cop for years. He’ll … oh, my god. I completely forgot about Terry. Did you turn him too?”

  “Derrick took him to the hospital last night.”

  “Is he okay?”

  “He’s in surgery now. There was a lot of damage to his internal organs and he lost a lot of blood. Derrick compelled one of the officers to call him as soon as they have any news. All we can do now is wait.”

  Memories of the previous evening came flooding back. The attack on Terry. The demon. The last thing she remembered was the demon leaning over her and the overpowering smell of blood. Her stomach rumbled in response.

  “What happened to Nemesis?”

  “Who?”

  “Clarissa.”

  David sat down on the end of the bed and took her hand. “Have you heard the expression … you reap what you sow?”

  “Y-e-s.”

  “Well, let’s just say that she got a taste of her own medicine.”

  “You mean … she’s dead?”

  “She may have believed that the hell-hound was a pet but, like any wild animal, he’s a natural born killer and serves no master. Derrick and I recently learned that they are sent to deliver an evil person to hell. They stalk their victims and on the third visit, they kill them.”

  Meaghan sighed. “Despite all that she’s done … I can’t help but feel sorry for her.”

  David cupped the back of her head and kissed her gently on her forehead. “You have a kind heart, Chérie. Few people could find it in their hearts to forgive someone who attempted to take their life.”

  “I doubt that I’d have been as forgiving if she had killed Terry.” She paused before asking, “David, he is going to be all right, isn’t he?”

  “We’ll go to the hospital as soon as you have fed. It wouldn’t be safe for anyone there if you suddenly decided to snack.”

  “Fed? As in, eaten blood?”

  “It’s the final part of the transformation. If you don’t consume blood—”

  “I’ll die for good?”

  He nodded. “I know that the last time we tried, it didn’t work out very well.”

  “Oh, I’d say it worked fine if the objective was to make me puke and pass out.”

  “At least you have retained your sense of humor.”

  “I don’t see that I have much choice. Besides…”

  “Besides?”

  “I can’t believe that I’m going to say this, but, I’m kinda hungry.”

  David undid the buttons on his white silk shirt, exposing his chest. He dragged a fingernail across the side of his neck, the skin opened and blood began to trickle from the wound. Meaghan licked her lips. Her newly formed fangs shot through her gums with such force, she heard them snap as they broke the skin. She lunged forward, knocking him onto his back as she straddled his waist and sunk her fangs into his neck without hesitation. She gripped his shoulders, digging her long nails into his flesh as she siphoned the warm liquid from his veins. Her taste buds danced as the thick, coppery fluid ran across her tongue and down her throat, igniting every nerve ending in her body.

  He sat up, lifted her, her legs still wrapped around his body as he unzipped his jeans, allowing them to drop to his knees. He untied her robe and threw it across the room as he positioned her over his lap. She felt a wave of pleasure as he entered her, filled her with moist, solid heat. She rode him, keeping a tight grip on his shoulders, lapping every drop of blood as it oozed from his neck. The taste tantalizing, deliciously decadent. She craved more. They came together in an explosion of sensations … passion, urgency, ecstasy. He flipped her onto her back and pulled free of her fangs as he pinned her to the bed by her shoulders. She tried to sit up, she reached for the blood, needed more but he held her fast.

  “You’ll bleed me dry kitten. As it is, I may need to feed again before we go to the hospital.”

  She gasped, suddenly aware of what she’d done. David’s face had turned deathly pale and dark circles formed under his eyes.

  “David. I’m so sorry. I couldn’t stop.”

  “Don’t be sorry my love.” He leaned down and caught one of her nipples in his teeth. He tugged gently and she bucked beneath him ready to continue their lovemaking.

  The sound of David’s phone broke the mood. She pouted as he released her nipple and eased himself from her in order to reach the phone. He laughed at her pout but his expression hardened as he turned to her. “It’s Derrick. Palmer is out of surgery but it doesn’t look good. The doctor says that he isn’t likely to last the night.”

  Meaghan sprung from the bed and rushed to her wardrobe. She threw on a pair of jeans and a t shirt and searched for a pair of boots. Combing her fingers through her bed-tussled hair, she secured her unruly locks into a ponytail with a rubber band and turned to David.

  “Show me how to get to the hospital in the shortest time possible.”

  ****

  “You must concentrate on keeping to a human speed,” David informed Meaghan as they left the underground parking station. “I know that you’re anxious to get to Palmer, but, we mustn’t draw attention to ourselves.”

  “I’m sure we could have been here much faster if we’d run.” She bypassed the elevator and ran up the stairs in a blur of speed that would have gone undetected by the human eye. At the top floor, she paused. “No one would have seen me.”

  “It’s not the running that causes humans alarm, it’s the sudden appearance when you stop.”

  “There wouldn’t have been any cause to stop. If we hadn’t been in your car, we wouldn’t
have been held up in traffic and at the red lights.”

  “There is a downside to being a vampire, kitten.”

  Meaghan pushed open the exit door, almost breaking it off its hinges. She cringed and checked to see if anyone saw her grand entrance before turning to David. “Is that one of the downsides? Super strength?”

  “Among other things.”

  “Such as…”

  “Such as our ‘allergy’ to the sun.”

  Meaghan screwed up her face as she pointed out, “It’s the middle of the night David.”

  “At present. But we don’t know how long we’ll be here. If we’d run here and the sun came up before we leave, we would have been stranded. The car has specially tinted windows and the underground parking protects us as we leave.”

  “What about the windows in the rooms?”

  “Taken care of.” David slipped his arm around her in order to slow her down as they made their way to the Intensive Care Unit. “Slowly, kitten, slowly.”

  “How is it taken care of?”

  “After an incident last year when Anna was admitted to hospital—prior to her conversion—we realized there was a need to protect ourselves so we could enter the wards. Derrick and I paid to have all the windows in the hospital replaced with treated glass.”

  “Didn’t the board question your agenda?”

  He shook his head. “We’ve always generously sponsored the hospital so they had no reason to suspect any ulterior motives. We told them that it was a safety precaution and they were happy to comply.”

  “Meaghan!” A young police officer rushed towards them. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

  “David, this is Adam.” She instantly realized her mistake. David was believed to be dead. She turned to David with wide eyes but he merely smiled and offered his hand. If Adam understood the connection, he didn’t react.

  The men shook hands and Adam hugged Meaghan. “You look pale. I heard that the scum that attacked Detective Palmer also hurt you. Are you okay?”

  She nodded. “Fine now. How is he?”

  Adam bit his lip. His expression spoke volumes and tears rimmed his lower lashes. He shook his head but choked when he tried to speak. Meaghan hugged him again. “I’ll stay with him for a while. You go and have a coffee. You look as though you need it.”

  “Will you call me if…” A sob caught in his throat.

  “The moment there is any change.”

  Adam forced a smile and headed towards the cafeteria. They watched as he walked away, his shoulders slumped, his head down.

  “Palmer seems to mean a lot to him.”

  “He means a lot to everyone at the precinct.” She stepped inside the room and gasped. Terry was hooked up to an intravenous drip and transfusion bags. His complexion ashen and dark circles defined his eyes. She hurried to his side and lifted his hand. “He feels so cold. Isn’t there something we can do?”

  “He may not want our help, kitten.”

  “Why wouldn’t he? He’s not like me. He doesn’t have a problem with blood.”

  “If I turn him, he won’t be able to return to the force. All those people who you said look up to him and rely on him for support would lose him.”

  “The force is my life…” Terry’s voice was barely above a whisper. “But I see that being dead agrees with you, Megs. You look completely healed.”

  She hugged him as gently as she could but he still groaned under the pressure of her embrace. “Trying to hasten my death, Officer Lamb?”

  “Let us help you, Terry.”

  “No, Megs. It’s like Corel said. I would have to give up the force and I can’t do that. It’s my life.”

  “No, Terry. It’s your death!” She dropped his hand and walked to the window. “You are so pig-headed! Let us save you. We can work out the consequences later.”

  Terry looked into David’s eyes. “I know that you could overpower me and turn me into whatever the hell you are, Corel, but, you seem to be an honorable man. Promise me that you won’t let her talk you into it. Give me your word.”

  “You have it, Palmer. It is not something that I do lightly.”

  “Well I’m not prepared to lose you.” Meaghan flew at him, fangs bared and ready to attempt a conversion despite having no idea what to do. David intercepted her and held her firmly.

  “Do you have any idea what you’re doing?”

  “No, but I don’t care,” she sobbed as she struggled in his arms. “I have to try.”

  “Please, Meaghan,” Terry mumbled. “Just let me go in peace.”

  David saw the look of desperation on his love’s face and felt his own heart break. “There may be something…”

  She grabbed his forearms. “Whatever it is, please try.”

  “Palmer. What if we were able to save you but you would be forever linked to us? Could you handle that?”

  “Would I be undead?”

  “That depends on how you look at it, old man.” David laughed. “You would be alive, so technically you would be undead but not in the same sense as us.”

  Terry smiled at Meaghan. “I’m already forever linked with you, Megs, have been since the orphanage, so I may as well make it official.” He questioned David. “In what way linked?”

  “A telepathic bond. You will be able to communicate across long distances telepathically.” When Terry turned his attention back to Meaghan, David instantly regretted his idea. Despite Meaghan’s rejection, Palmer still loved her.

  “So, we’ve come to an agreement?”

  “Yes. I accept those terms. How is this done? I’m not sure if I have enough blood for you to take, Meaghan.”

  “There’s no need for the taking of your blood, Palmer, but, I hope that you’re not squeamish.”

  “You mean…”

  “Just close your eyes and pretend that you’re drinking a warm milkshake laced with pennies.”

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  “So, this is the Corel Detective agency.”

  “What do you think, Terry?” Meaghan ushered her friend inside the building and showed him to her office where she pointed to the chair beside the large mahogany desk. He flopped into the large leather chair and surveyed the room.

  “Not too shabby, Megs. Not too shabby.” He glanced around the room. “Where’s Corel?”

  “He’s on the phone in the other room, finalizing details for our honeymoon.”

  “Oh, yeah. I forgot. How many weeks till the big day?”

  “You know very well that it’s three weeks until the wedding, Terry Palmer. You’d better not let me down. I couldn’t go through with it without you by my side.”

  “And miss the opportunity to remind Corel that I am the best man … not a chance. Besides, if you change your mind at the last minute, I’ll be there to help you escape.”

  You are walking a very fine line, Palmer. Must I remind you that I have access to your thoughts and I am very close to ripping your head off. That is my fiancé you are lusting after.

  “Damn, Megs!” Terry cursed as he looked over his shoulder. “Why did it have to be him to give me blood? Why couldn’t you do it?”

  “I had every intention of giving you my blood but David insisted. I think that he decided I was too new at being a vampire.”

  We both know that’s not true, don’t we, Corel?

  No, it did play a small part in my decision.

  Terry could hear the laughter in David’s voice as he continued.

  Meaghan might not appreciate some of the thoughts that pop into your head while you’re staring at her and besides, I think I’m going to enjoy knowing what’s going on in that stubborn head of yours. What was it Meaghan called you … pig-headed. He laughed again.

  Why don’t you shut the fu—

  Now, now, Palmer. No need for profanities.

  Well … it goes both ways you know. I will be able to—

  Sorry old man but it doesn’t work that way unless I allow it. I can listen to your thoughts anytime I want but you can
only hear me when I need to contact you.

  Meaghan cleared her throat. “I hate to interrupt this male bonding but we have business to discuss.”

  “Sorry, my love.” David entered the room and gave Terry a slap on the back as he passed the chair. “Palmer and I were just having a little man to man talk.” He leaned down to kiss her forehead before sitting on the edge of the desk beside her. “So, Palmer. What do you think of our little business venture?”

  “I can see at least one major problem.” He rose from the chair and walked to the window. “Most people do business in the daylight hours. How do you propose to deal with that?”

  “The windows are tinted.” Meaghan informed him with a huge grin. “David has the glass made specially. As long as we don’t follow the clients outside, we should be fine.”

  “How do you propose to follow wayward husbands and tail criminals? Not all evil deeds are performed at night.”

  “I may have risen up the food chain but I still have my old talents, Terry. I can astral travel during the day. If you remember, it’s a safer way to stalk unsubs anyway.”

  “Well, you seem to have everything sorted out. Looks like you’re still chasing bad guys, Megs.”

  “And she’s developing quite a following as an artist,” David added, with a proud grin on his face.

  “Good for you.” Terry helped Meaghan to her feet. David stepped forward, but allowed Terry to give her a congratulatory hug.

  “Everything is coming up roses for you kid. I couldn’t be happier.” He reached out his hand to David. “I don’t think I’ve thanked you yet, Corel. You saved my life … twice. First when you found us at the cemetery and then when you gave me your blood. I’m in your debt.”

  “I believe that you paid your debt in full when you not only helped Meaghan and I obtain our licenses but also when you had me officially declared alive.”

  “That one was the hardest to pull off. Explaining your demise at the University wasn’t too hard. The powers that be believed that you were working undercover for me and that, somehow, we used theatrical makeup and special effects to fake your death. The coroner was harder to convince. He swears that he remembers cremating you.”