by RWK Clark
“OUCH! What the heck, Candy?” Tim jerked away from her and his hand flew to his neck. He pulled his hand away and looked at the palm; two tiny smudges of fresh blood were visible there.
Candy’s eyes grew wide and she scooted away from him, grabbing her pajama pants and using them to cover her breasts. “Sorry. I guess I lost control for a second.” She reached for her t-shirt. “Did I hurt you that bad?”
He looked up at her and nodded. He looked totally freaked out. “I’m bleeding! What were you doing?” His erection was completely gone, and suddenly she didn’t feel so enthusiastic either.
“I wasn’t doing anything! I didn’t mean to nip you so hard, I was just turned on I guess. I can see this little session is over,” she replied. She stood and began to dress. “I’m just gonna go to bed. You can stay if you want.”
Tim still had an incredulous expression on his face. Not only was she distant, she was completely detached. It was as if she wasn’t even there. No, he wouldn’t stay.
“I think I should just get home,” he said, and he too began to dress. “I have to work tomorrow, and I need to unpack and all that.” Once he was fully clothed he approached her; she was back in her original position on the couch. He bent down and planted a kiss on her cheek. “Why don’t you call me after you get some rest?”
Candy barely looked at him. She had the remote in her hand and turned the television on, simply responding, “Sure.”
He turned the door knob and stopped, turning back to his girlfriend. Her eyes were fixed on the TV screen.
“Love ya, Candy. Talk to you soon.” He walked out and quietly closed the door behind him, rubbing his neck as he walked down the hall to the elevator.
Chapter 10
Candy Fredericks spent the next hour staring at the television set without hearing a word that was being said. She was aware that she was doing this, but it was as if she had absolutely no power to do anything else. She should be asleep, but she simply didn’t feel at all tired anymore.
Finally she stood and made her way to her room and her bags. She ignored the need to unpack and walked to her dresser, where she chose a pair of faded skinny jeans and a cream-colored sweater. She dressed, slipped on a pair of loafers, grabbed her purse from the bed, and left.
She hailed a cab once she was outside. She had no idea where she was going, but she knew with certainty that she had to get there, wherever it was. She told the cabby to head north to the country.
He took off, and she simply stared out the window of the cab, waiting to discover her own destination.
∞
Pat Gilliam was sound asleep in the bed next to Abby Cayce. She was awake, and had been since they lay down. She looked over at the alarm clock on her nightstand: seven-thirty in the morning. It was time to go.
She turned to her boyfriend and gently nudged him. Immediately his snoring stopped and his eyes opened as though he hadn’t even been asleep.
“We should go for a ride, Pat,” she said simply. He nodded and turned over, swinging his legs off the bed to stand. The two dressed in silence then left the apartment. They, too, hailed down a cab, and Pat told their driver they were heading upstate; the driver obliged their demands, asking for no further information.
∞
Timothy Howell never even made it back to his apartment. He began walking, and after about forty-five minutes he decided he wanted to take an impromptu tour of Cliffside Wineries up north. The TV had said that tours were offered every day from nine to five; if he took a taxi he would arrive in time for the very first one of the day. Besides, he just wasn’t tired anymore.
None of them knew it, but they were going home.
∞
Cyril DeSai sat in his throne-like office chair. It was seven-thirty in the morning, and he felt the first mental stirring in response to his call. The other three came like stair steps after that. He sat back, rocking slightly and resting his chin on his hands. Indeed, things were going to take off now. Soon, he would begin to re-establish himself, and it would be heaven. At least, as much heaven as a demon like DeSai would ever get.
There was a familiar light knocking at his doors. “Enter,” he said with his thick accent and deep voice. Shirley Louis opened both doors.
“You called me, Sir,” she began timidly.
DeSai smiled at his assistant. “Yes, my dear. I am expecting four visitors within the next couple of hours. Their names are Candace Fredericks, Timothy Howell, Abigail Cayce, and Patrick Gilliam. Be sure they are brought to me immediately upon their arrival.”
“Absolutely, Mr. DeSai, as soon as they arrive.” Ms. Louis was jotting their names in a steno pad as quickly as he spoke them. “Will there be anything else?”
“Thank you, Shirley, but not now.” He smiled and stared deeply into her eyes; she always melted when he became so intense. Her knees almost began to visibly knock. She simply bowed slightly and backed out of the office, closing the double-doors as she left.
Chapter 11
DeSai smiled to himself and sat back in his chair. He had been waiting so long. This was everything he had wanted for literally hundreds of years; since the end of the last time, anyway. He had ached for those he had lost, ached with a deep yearning that had fought for its life. But he had won, and after a time it had faded. Slowly and patiently he had put his ‘life’ back together again. He had focused on what he needed and what he wanted: a family. His intense focus was finally paying off; they had arrived.
He was not aware of their arrival in La Ceiba until their fate was sealed. Once the first bite had taken place he had felt the rush of their existence, and it had woken him out of a dead sleep, from the darkness of his crypt during the high noon hour. Yes, someone was in his lair. Someone had found his truth and decided to explore it, much to their own personal detriment. Initially, he thought it had been only a single soul, but his beautiful minions told him otherwise, and he became aware of the fact that there were actually four of them. They had all found his inner sanctum together. What a gift! With four he could begin his family much, much faster than usual; with one it would take a very long time to build his kingdom. Four was far more than he would have ever dared ask for. Things would move along much, much faster this way.
He wanted to welcome them with open arms.
∞
Candy stood at the main gate at the visitors’ entrance at Cliffside Wineries, her neck craned back so she could look at the sign. Her heart was fluttering in her chest, and even though her mind was confused as to why she was even here, something in her soul knew that the sum of her days would culminate today, at this place. She heard a car door behind her and turned around. It was a cab, and Abby and Pat were getting out. She looked at Abby and smiled without saying a word. No words were needed; they were home. None of them were surprised to see the other.
As the couple joined her on the sidewalk yet another cab pulled up. Tim. After paying his driver he joined the other three, and in silence they walked through the gate and made their way to the main entrance of the building. Even as Tim arrived, even as he tried to sort out his mental confusion, he felt a certain peace about all of it. None of them had yet associated their bites with the strange compelling they all felt; it was as if Honduras, and the subsequent occurrences, had never even happened. This was just another day.
Pat reached the main door first, and he opened it for the other three. There was a young woman seated at a desk typing furiously. She looked up and her face immediately broke into a smile. She made eye contact with Abby first.
“Hello,” she said warmly. “Are you four here for a meeting with Mr. DeSai?”
Abby nodded, even though she had no idea who ‘Mr. DeSai’ even was. “Yes,” she replied. “Mr. DeSai.”
“Good. He’s expecting you. I’m his assistant, Shirley Louis. He’ll be pleased to know you are here. Follow me.” She began walking up a marble corridor, glancing behind her to make sure they were on her tapping heels.
The four didn’t e
ven look at each other, they simply followed her lead. The hallway was quite beautiful, adorned with art which ranged from traditionalist to contemporary. There were sculptures sitting atop gorgeously carved wooden pedestals; some of them were a bit morbid, but all were intricate and breathtaking. They featured dragons and demons with long, ravenous teeth. None of them even took notice of any of this.
After a brief elevator ride Ms. Louis and her small group emerged and began walking down yet another hallway, which was decorated much the same way. The lighting was a bit dimmer, and each of them was thankful for this. The darker atmosphere seemed so calming; the light seemed a bit… painful.
They reach a set of massive double doors which stood ominously at the corridor’s end. They seemed to dwarf the five people standing before them; it was all they could do just to take in their size and the ornate design which they adore. Candy sucked her breath in sharply. Yes, all things had led to this.
The assistant tapped lightly on the left door, her other hand grasping the handle as she did so. They all clearly heard the voice on the other side, even though it seemed to speak as softly as a light summer breeze. It was tantalizing.
“Enter.”
Ms. Louis opened the door just a bit and put her head inside. “Mr. DeSai, your expected guests have arrived.”
“Show them in, show them in,” he said. His voice dripped with eagerness, and this brought a smile to all four of their faces. Candy and Tim both knew exactly who they were here to see; they had just seen him give an interview on television that very morning.
His four new ‘family’ members entered the office without a shred of apprehension, and now, for the first time since they entered Cliffside, they began to take notice of their surroundings. The entire aesthetic of Mr. DeSai’s private workspace consisted of dim lighting and antiques; everything was either mahogany or cast iron, and everything was very detailed and beautiful.
“Sit, sit!” He stood as he spoke, his arms spread out before him as if to say that all they saw was theirs to enjoy. Each one of them took a seat in a different high-backed black leather chair, and instantly they were comfortable.
They were home.
“Ms. Louis, get them whatever refreshments they desire,” he told his assistant as he sat back down. His eyes went from one to another, a broad, satisfied smile on his face. “Nothing is too much to ask. They are family. What would you like to drink? Are you hungry?” He knew the answer would be ‘no’, and heads simply shook all around.
Ms. Louis nodded, bowing slightly, and quietly left the room. All remained silent at first. Candy, Tim, Pat, and Abby were busy just taking everything in. DeSai, on the other hand, was taking each of them in.
Finally, he spoke to them. “Do you know why you are here?”
This caught their attention finally, and all eyes turned to him, and they were filled with immediate adoration.
“You called us,” Tim replied, without a moment’s hesitation.
Cyril nodded, filled with pride. “Yes, I beckoned you. I have beckoned you since you arrived at my cave in Honduras. You are my, shall we say, spiritual children. Do you understand?”
They had no ability to understand anything he was saying intellectually, but all of them seemed to have a full grasp of it anyway, and they did not question this. They were clinging to his every word, and they could not pull their eyes away.
“I have called you to welcome you home. Forever I will care for you now, and nothing you need or desire will ever be withheld. You are my children, my lovers… but we have other family that needs to be brought home as well,” he began.
He stood and began to pace slowly before them, his hands clasped behind his back. He wore a long trench coat, and its tails flapped as if in the wind, but no breeze was blowing in the office.
He continued, “I need you to bring me your brothers and sisters. Now, you will not be able to simply bring them. You will need to prove your love to them first, and once you have taken possession of them fully you will need to mark them as one of us, as it has been done unto you, do you understand?”
“Yes,” they all said in unison. Each of them knew what this meant: they would seek out family, make love to them, and taste them; this would be the most satisfying part of all.
“All are family,” he finally said. “You will then need to bring them to me; I need to approve. If there is anyone who will prove detrimental to our lives it will need to be determined by me and me alone. This is never your judgement to make. I base my decision on knowledge you do not have.”
They continued to simply listen intently and keep their eyes on him, entranced by the sound of his voice and the look in his eye. “If you find them attractive and, well, appetizing, then I trust that. Have your fun and bring them home to me. You do not have to accompany them here yourself, but the mark you leave on them will guide them.”
Wide smiles spread across each of their faces. He looked at Tim and then Pat. “You two are free to go. It is important that you all keep family business in the… family. Go about your daily lives as usual, and do not let your activities interfere. It is imperative that we remain under the radar of those who are not yet ours.”
Pat rose first, then Tim, both of them filled with eager longing. They had the rest of this day to begin carrying out the directives the ‘Master’ had given them before returning to their daily jobs. They didn’t want to waste a minute.
“I’ll see you both soon. Have fun, boys…” DeSai said, his own smile growing.
When the doors were closed behind them DeSai turned his full attention to Abby and Candy. “While they will use their masculine wiles to bring my daughters, you two should know you are welcome to bring both daughters and sons to me; whatever suits your fancy. I will have my sons continue on a very straightforward quest, but I trust you both to use your own lusts accordingly, whatever they may be,” he said, licking his lips lightly. “Now, I should show you exactly what I mean.”
With that, Cyril DeSai raised his arms, beckoning for them to draw near. They did so with eager anticipation, and as he wrapped his arms around the both they became hidden in the dark folds of his coat. The flames of the candles in his office shot powerfully toward the ceiling, and their ecstatic moans could be heard as he began to ravage them.
Chapter 12
Morning came all too quickly. Abby’s alarm went off at her usual waking time, but she struggled to get motivated. When she and Candy left the Master’s lair it had been four in the morning; her alarm blared its six-thirty announcement, and she despised the sound immediately. She did not want to work; she wanted to return to Cliffside and allow the Master to do all the things he had done to her last night. She wanted Candy to be there too. It just wouldn’t be the same without her.
But he had been very clear on all of his points: it wouldn’t be acceptable to deviate from their regular routines. Besides, they all had a lot of work to do to bring their brothers and sisters home to the Master, just as he had brought them home.
She showered and dressed in a slow, leisurely manner. The memories of the sexual escapade she had experienced with her friend was a powerful memory. The shower was the perfect opportunity for her to relive it in her mind, and to take it out on her body…
By seven-thirty she was ready to leave her small apartment and go to the mundane grind she had loved only days ago. The fact that she hadn’t heard a word from Pat didn’t even enter her mind.
∞
Candy came very close to not going to work at all. Since she had become ‘enlightened’ she found it to be very pointless, but her desire to please DeSai was so powerful that she simply went through the motions of obedience, and she did this for a couple of different reasons. One, her lust for him was overbearing; she would certainly obey, if only to experience his favors once again. But secondly, the thought of what may take place if she disobeyed instilled a dread in her that she had never before experienced.
She showered and dressed as quickly as she could, as she ha
d lain in her bed long after the alarm had gone off. Reflecting on the sex from the night before kept her treating herself for nearly an hour after she had shut it off. She had to run to get to work on time, and she had to struggle to get in the flow again once she was there, but most of her day would consist of thinking about her Master, and when she might be with him again.
Finding his daughters and sons and marking them would be the fastest way.
∞
Pat Gilliam woke in a strange bed, next to a strange blond woman. She slept soundly, and he stared at her face. She was attractive, and she smelled good; she had tasted even better. Her long hair was fanned out over her pillow, and he could clearly see the mark he had left; the Master would summon her soon.
He had met her after leaving Cliffside and returning to the city. He had intended to hit a bar several miles from his home to begin hunting; it wouldn’t do to go to one of their regular hangouts; this would certainly draw attention to the family. What he intended to do was begin visiting new places where he wasn’t known, so he was going to catch the subway and ride to this new spot in his mind, but it had been unnecessary. He met the blond while riding.
He had never been one to monopolize the attention of the ladies; actually, he had always been considered a bit ‘nerdy’, and he had been concerned at first if he could turn on enough charm to get down anyone’s pants at all. But as soon as they started talking she seemed to become putty in his hands; it was far too easy.
He rolled over and looked at a clock on the nightstand: 7:00 am. It was time for him to go. He had done his part, and the Master would do the rest, at least as far as this one went. He would pick up where he left off, seeking another, when he had put in his time at work.
His girlfriend since high school, Abigail Cayce, was but a distant memory.
