Urban Vampire The Turning

by Pepper Pace

  I felt like a fist had knocked everything loose in my body and it was crashing to lodge heavily in the pit of my stomach! I closed my eyes to block out the sight of them. I needed to get out of there. If he sensed me outside the door I'd just die...

  I thought about Johan's house, and with barely any memory of movement found myself back in the bedroom that I had just awakened hours before.

  I carefully kept my mind blank. I refused to think about Paul, or Tony or Alexis. I wasn't going to think about the 300 appointments that needed to be made, or how I was going to keep my new family safe during them. I kept thoughts of Mara being in the hospital half dead from my bite completely out of my mind and didn't so much as consider the fact that I would never be able to go home to my friends and family again. More than ever I didn't want to remember the way Paul had felt pressed against me and his soft cries of pleasure as he came against me...

  I just wanted peace. I went to my new master bathroom and ran a hot bath. Absently I lit the candles that had been set up in the corner of the Jacuzzi tub. Johan had a hidden sound system, but when scanning the channels only brought sad love songs I turned it off.

  I stripped out of my clothes and eased myself into the super hot water. It was too hot but...so what? It couldn't kill me. I closed my eyes then and tried to revel in the blankness of my mind.

  I felt the tingly, prickly feel at the back of my neck and knew that Tony was there even before I opened my eyes.

  He knelt beside the bathtub and studied my face. "How do you feel?"

  I didn't bother to cover myself. He'd already seen my breast anyway. Plus, I just didn't care about anything right now.

  "Better." I let my head roll back against the tub and I closed my eyes again.

  "I heard about what happened with the girls. I didn't know that Johan was doing that to them. Are you sure you're okay?"

  I nodded without looking at him. It was quiet for a while.

  I felt the water ripple against me. I looked at him with disinterested eyes. His fingers were making small waves in the bath.

  "I owe you an apology," he said softly while staring into my eyes.

  After a moment I spoke. "Apologize then."

  "Will you forgive me for my behavior these past few days?"

  "You kept my hunger even after you said you'd give it back to me?"

  It was his turn to pause. "Yes."

  "Then I forgive you." I felt him trying to understand what I was feeling. But I didn't want him to understand. I wanted nothing but to be left alone.

  "Believe me I wouldn't have left you while you were sick if it weren't really important. I have to tell you something because I promised myself that I wouldn't keep anything from you again." What in the world could he have to tell me that would be important to me? Damnit was he planning to force me to care about something? ...something bad, I'm sure.

  "What is it?"

  "We found Tige."

  "Ohhhhh" I moaned. "No." I sat up and brushed past him to reach for my towel. Then I got out wrapping it around my body. "Is he okay?"

  Tony sat on the edge of the tub. "He's alive."

  I tucked the towel securely around my body. "What's going to happen now?"

  Tony looked away. "He'll be put to death."

  I groaned. "I have to see him."

  "I know."

  I hurried into the bedroom and threw open the closet doors hoping that someone had left me clothes. Good. They'd sent my clothes from Tony's house. I was curious about something.

  "Did you kick me out of your house?" He had been so mad at me; I didn't quite know how I had ended up here.

  "No." He said surprised. "I didn't want you to leave. Paul...He brought you here." I glanced at him surprised. "Why?"

  "We don't see eye to eye when it comes to you. So...he whisked you away."

  I frowned even harder shaking my head in confusion. "And when did Paul become the boss of me?"

  He had a funny look on his face. "He is your lover."

  I rolled my eyes while discreetly pulling on underwear. "You have to be the most jealous Vampire in history. I'm not having sex with Paul. And for your information, I have not had sex with Alexis, either. I don't want to have sex with anybody right now-"

  "But the other night. You and Paul were...I heard you cry out..."

  I felt the blood rush to my face in embarrassment. "I...needed help with my teeth. That's all."

  Tony stared at me open mouthed, then he turned so dark that I thought he was going to explode when the blood rushed to his face. And here I thought he'd be pleased.

  "Now why are you pissed?"

  "I'm not pissed." He growled. "I-" he concentrated on the floor. "I wanted you to come to me for help with your teeth not others. I could have shown you easily how to control them."

  I pulled on black pants. Then I was happy that it had all backfired on him. "I don't think I'll be needing that kind of help anymore. Alexis has shown me some things." I planned on taking my next available moments to practice-on my own!

  His teeth clenched. "I'm sure he did."

  "Tony." I said while buttoning up a blood red blouse. "He let me join with his mind. Then I could understand things better."

  Tony didn't look quite as angry as before. Not quite. "I heard that Elders could do that with each other. I didn't know they could share memories with younger Vampires." Tony gave me a knowing look. "I heard that there are a lot of talents that Elders can share with their minds."

  I just gave him an innocent look. "Where is my comb, brush, makeup, perfume?" I said anxiously opening up drawers. I can see how Paul might not have remembered to bring those things, but how in the hell didn't the ladies know to send me my personal care products. Well, maybe it was because I looked like such a grunge the first time they'd seen me. Never mind. Tony was sitting on the edge of the bed watching me with interest.

  I grabbed his hand. "Take me to Tige."

  When we stopped moving I wasn't surprised to find that we were in the Council house. Of course he would be here...it's the place that I hated most of all.

  We were in the lower levels. I could tell that instantly. But I had never seen this room. It was fairly small and there was a man sitting in a chair outside of a small shiny door. I understood that the man was a human, his smell reminded me of Paul and Mei Wah's, and he, too, was someone's donor.

  Tony was holding me back. He pointed to the door. "That is silver. Jonathan is going to open the door for us and once we go in we will be in a hall that is lined in silver. Don't worry, you will be able to touch the walls as they are layered in stone. In the hall is another door that leads to a cell. The door that leads to the inner cell has fine silver mesh embedded in it. We can touch everything within this area but understand that you will not be able to transport from inside. If that door locks with you on the inside, you will be a prisoner.

  I nodded fearfully.

  He nodded to Jonathan who slid the pocket doors back into the walls. Once they were completely within the wall Tony led me into the hall. Jonathan closed the door after us. Tony didn't even seem to notice. When the door was closed I saw that it was sheathed in wood on our side so that we could knock if we needed to.

  Tony produced a key from his pants pocket and once he unlocked the door I stopped him.

  "I want to see him alone." He frowned. "I need to talk to him privately." He drew in a long breath. He seemed to do that a lot with me.

  "Okay. But you do understand that you cannot break him out of this prison?"

  I nodded.

  He turned away. "Call me if you need me. You'll have to speak. The metal prevents us from linking psychically. And don't try projecting yourself out of the room...because even if you could you'd be dead before you got to the other side."

  I nodded and opened the door.

  Tige was sitting on the floor with his back against a cement wall. The room was totally bare. He watched me.

  He looked just as I remembered. His dreds were tied behind him
by one long lock that was looped loosely around the others.

  "I heard that you have done well" he said. The sound of his voice brought shivers up and down my spine. It wasn't how I felt with Tony or Alexis or even Paul. It was much more intense, but without the sexual overtones.

  Tige felt like...a blood relation.

  I knelt in front of him "How long have you been here?"

  "Since yesterday."

  "Have you fed?"

  "Why? Are you going to offer me your neck now?" I noticed that he had a slight Jamaican accent.

  "If you need it, then yes."

  "There is no need."

  I closed my eyes and inhaled him deeply. I felt his hands touch my cheeks. "You have many questions."

  I opened my eyes. "Yeah, I do. Why did you leave me with no answers?"

  "It wasn't my intent to leave you alone. It wasn't even my intent to turn you. I was going to drive you home when my car was hit by another. You were very badly injured and I...didn't want to be the cause of your death. I gave you the kiss of life. Once I had made that decision I knew I'd be hunted. There was no reason to give you that death sentence, too.

  "Still, I checked in on you. When I linked with you briefly you seemed to be doing well; well enough to shop at the Home Depot." In the parking lot, when I had felt something it had been Tige! He was watching me curiously. "I've never met a Vampire who went shopping the day after been turned. When I had been turned I awoke bound. Tony wasn't taking any chances. He had awoken with a murderous blood lust. Sometimes you take on the characteristics of the one that turns you." He stroked my cheek again and I closed my eyes wanting to purr like a kitten.

  "I know I owe you a debt. I brought this living death on you-"

  "Tige, how can you say that? You exchanged your life for mine. Is there any way for you to get out of this?"

  He shook his head but watched me intently. "And don't ask Tony to break the rules. Then he will forfeit his life. This is the way it has to be."

  I touched his face this time. "This is my fault."

  He shook his head quickly. "No. I chose you. You didn't choose me." My legs were getting tired so I sat down on the floor and brought my knees up to rest my chin on them.

  "Is there something I can do for you?"

  "I'm happy you came." He smiled at me and I knew that it was true.

  "What about your personal affairs? Can I-"

  "Tony will handle that." He took my hand. "You have questions. Don't be afraid to ask them. I will try my best to help you if I can."

  I closed my eyes. I felt so sad. How could I feel this way for this strange man that I barely remember ever meeting? I did have some more questions of a personal nature. But I couldn't put aside the desire to slide onto his lap and hug him. I didn't even know this man. My life was a mess because of him. And yet I knew that I loved him deeply and wanted nothing but his safety.

  "I'm going to go to Alexis to see if there is a way to stop this insanity-"

  "Alexis?" He looked confused.

  I told him briefly about my relationship with Alexis. He didn't look happy.

  "What?" I asked.

  "Having a close personal relationship with an Elder is a double edged sword." Alexis had implied the same thing.

  "Why?"

  "Alexis was a human for thirty years. Not much more than that. He's been Neratomay for 12 hundred years. I don't think he's capable of understanding human emotions anymore. Alexis is moved by nothing more then what amuses him. You, having his attention only means that you will be his play thing when he desires it." I let my mind remember the way Alexis had held my face in the palms of his hands...

  "Play thing?" I asked distracted. "What do you mean?"

  "His pet. He has had a number of pets."

  I was quiet because frankly, I couldn't connect the Alexis he was describing to the one I had spent time with. Yes he had said that he could make me his pet but I didn't really understand what he had meant by that, and still didn't, and guess what? I didn't want to know right now, either. I was going to Alexis and nothing was going to steer me from that idea.

  "I've asked Tony to protect you," he said carefully.

  I couldn't help but to smile shyly.

  "Now I'm going to ask you to protect Tony."

  "Huh?"

  "You're stronger then you think." I looked at him doubtfully. I only felt that I was keeping one step ahead of the rest of the Vampires.

  "Tige...there is something." I thought about how to ask this question. "I'm different-"

  He just nodded. "More human. Yes. It does happen. And Tony told me about the holy words and implements. That's very rare but even that happens with Thirds. You are a Master now and your talents will be useful but don't depend on them alone."

  I bit back my embarrassment and plunged in. "It's not just that. Alexis said that I was a succubae. My bites cause a physical desire. I thought that maybe you would understand since you made me."

  He nodded. "When Nera...Vampires bite, they automatically bring a euphoria. But it's considered poor class to bring on lust unless its seduction or by mutual consent..." He considered his words with a frown. "For me it's always been different. I have to make a conscious effort not to bring lust to my donor...as well as to myself."

  I felt myself sigh in relief. I wasn't the only one.

  "It restricts me to only take feedings from the opposite sex." He looked at me then. "But it can be done, with practice. Even still, there is always a bit of an arousal. And because I become aroused, I try to make it...satisfying for my donor."

  I nodded. "It was. Even though you didn't touch me I felt like I had experienced a really great-" I closed my mouth. Yeah, this was starting to feel like talking about sex education class with my Dad.

  "I'm sorry that I didn't get to teach you more. It should have been weeks of us together. You were supposed to feed from me until you could control the hunger. You didn't hurt anyone did you?"

  "Not really. Mostly they just beg for me to drain them."

  "I would not have allowed you a human donor so soon, but then I'm more cautious...at least I was." He released my hands. "I was the first that Tony had turned. Tony isn't taking my punishment easily."

  "How will it be done?" I didn't really want to know but I had to know.

  "Tony will make it quick. I will be taken into the sun while I sleep." He smiled at me. "I hope that I have a few moments to recognize the sun. I'm from the islands and the sun is like a long lost friend to me. I went home to visit my family. My children's children. I said that I was their cousin far removed. But they were my children." He shook his head. "You look sad and I know this is hard for you because we are linked, but I am at peace."

  I stood up slowly. He had kids. Tige had kids. He stood also and before I knew I was going to do it, I hugged him.

  Despite the fact that I could not read his mind, when I held Tige I felt all that he had been trying to hide. Maybe because, like Alexis, Tige was in me and I was in him. But I could clearly feel his terror. He had hidden it well but now that I knew it was there, I had no choice but to try and save him.

  I quickly kissed him on the lips and opened the door.

  Tony took one look at the expression on my face and put his arm around me. He hurried us out of the hall and I know that I didn't need to breath but my brain must have forgotten because I thought I was going to suffocate.

  When we were outside the silver door my head cleared and the air felt cooler. It was so odd. I didn't need to breath but I felt as if I had been suffocating.

  Tony put both arms around me and I welcomed it. I held on to him and the next thing I knew we were suddenly in motion. When the sickening motion finally ended we were standing in my new bedroom right before the fireplace. Tony still held me in his arms and I continued to welcome it. Paul, who had been sitting on the chaise just inches from us, leaped to his feet in surprise.

  "Kim!" He glanced at Tony unhappily. "What's wrong?"

  Tony still hadn't
released me. I looked at one then the other. Damn...could they be any more different...

  "They found Tige. I had to go see him." I finally answered.

  Paul watched me thoughtfully. "Are you okay?" I moved out of Tony's arms before answering. For one, I didn't know what his reaction would be to what I was going to say next. And for another thing, I didn't think Paul needed to be hit in the head with the intimacy.