by Lisa Olsen
“Oh, no you don’t, you’re not getting out of this that easily,” I muttered, reaching up to close his mouth, and he swallowed reflexively. “Bite yourself again. We’re going to keep doing this until I’m satisfied he’s stable.”
Ellie grumbled and complained the whole while through, but after several attempts, I could hear his heartbeat grow steadier, and his breathing stronger. I helped her heal the bites at his neck (because there were several), and sent Maggie out to fetch clean towels and a bowl of water to get him cleaned up. Luckily, his clothes were flung free from the splash zone for the most part, except for his underwear, and we got him dressed without them.
It took three tries for Ellie to compel him into forgetting he’d ever met her. She kept giggling through it and completely losing hold of him with her will. I kept at her though, instead of doing it all myself, hoping some of the gravity would seep into her alcohol soaked brain. Once we had him up and on his feet, she bade him leave the party without finding Vaughn, and Gunnar made sure he went down the back stairs and left without being seen.
The blood on the wall proved harder to clean up than the floor and bedding, and I reconciled myself to the fact that we’d probably have to repaint. Or who knew, vampires might find it fashionable or soothing. All I knew is it stood out as a stark reminder that Ellie was absolutely out of control, and something had to be done about it.
With only Ellie and Maggie left in the room, I decided I had to do what I should have weeks ago, when I first suspected she had a problem. “Ellie, I want you to listen to me,” I ordered, catching hold of her will with mine. “You are not to kill anyone ever, do you understand me? That is the worst sin you could do, to kill a human being. I don’t want another repeat of what happened tonight. Do you understand? I absolutely forbid you to ever kill anyone.”
“I undershtand.” Her head wobbled as she nodded.
“Good. Maggie, help me get her changed out of that thing. No more party for her tonight.” Soon enough we had her in a pair of leggings and an oversized t-shirt. “Do you mind sitting with her for a while? I’ll go down and make sure things are all going along as planned.”
“Of course, I’ll be glad to stay with her,” Maggie instantly agreed, and I left, feeling secure in my compulsion to keep her safe. That and the bellyful of Marc she’d already had.
As I stepped into the hallway, I nearly ran into Rob as I carefully shut Ellie’s door.
“Anything amiss?” he asked, a pucker of worry appearing on his brow.
“Nothing we can’t handle,” I smiled in return. As much as I wanted it otherwise, Rob wasn’t one of us anymore, and he didn’t need to be privy to all of our secrets, especially ones he might report back to Jakob.
“Are you sure all’s well?”
“Yep, I’ve got it all under control.” Maybe if I said it enough times it would even be true.
*
The rest of the party was something of a blur. Not because I was hammered or even tired, but because I kept waiting for some other disaster to hit. Half convinced I’d hear screams at any moment or Ellie would appear at the top of the stairs with a severed head or something equally awful, I couldn’t relax and enjoy the evening one bit. I was nothing but glad when the last guests filed out before dawn, eager to seek my own bed and the dubious comfort of Mr. Buns.
I left Maggie to draw the curtains against the lightening sky, thanking her again for her amazing efforts to make the night go so smoothly. My steps were noticeably clumsier as I clumped down to the basement level, and Rob’s voice at my elbow made me jump. How did he move about so quietly anyway?
“All things considered, I’d say it was a success,” he offered the validation, and I gave him a bleary smile, soaking up the scant praise.
“Thanks, I sure hope so.”
“No one died, that’s always a success in my books.” But not for lack of trying… If Gunnar had been just a minute later, we might have had a very different after-party going on right about then. “Listen, I had a chance to follow up on a few things, and I think we should be able to come up with some reasonable forgeries that could hold up fairly well against inspection. Your friends will probably want to stay away though, since most in these parts are chipped as well, but they should be able to pass in some of the more remote areas, no worries.”
“Oh, thank you!” I resisted the urge to hug him again, having learned my lesson the last time, though I couldn’t help but add, “I really appreciate that. You have no idea how much.”
“Not at all, miss,” he said with a clipped nod. “I’ll say goodnight then.”
“Goodnight.” It was with a frown that I put on my Hello Kitty sleep pants and matching tank top with my fuzzy warm sleep socks. Not that I needed them to stay warm anymore, but I liked them all the same. Instead of climbing into bed, I slipped back up to find Maggie’s room, scratching lightly on the door to see if she was still awake.
“Anja, what is it? Is something wrong?” she asked, her liquid eyes wide and expressive.
“No, not exactly. Well… maybe, I’m not sure,” I replied, waffling all over the place. “I’m sorry, do you have a few minutes to talk? I could come back when the sun goes down if you’d rather.”
“Don’t be silly, of course we can talk. Would you like to come in?” She stood back from the door, inviting me into the bedroom. The room itself was tastefully decorated, as I would have expected given her general sense of style, with many period touches that accentuated the Victorian architecture. I came in to sit on the only seat besides the bed, a tufted chair in a cheery, yellow floral print. “Has something happened?”
“More like something hasn’t happened. Have you noticed that Rob’s not acting… Rob enough since he came back?”
“I… it’s difficult to say. I don’t know him as well as you do.”
“Yes, but… you must have noticed how aloof he is all the time. He almost never speaks unless spoken to, and then it’s miss this and miss that, like I’m his boss or something.”
“You are his boss,” she said gently.
“Okay, so I’m technically his boss, but we’ve been closer friends for a while now. He says he’s not mad at me, but… I can’t help feeling like he’s built this wall to keep me out.”
“Maybe he’s protecting himself.”
“From what?”
“Getting too involved.”
“With what?”
“With you.”
“He was perfectly fine with being my friend before. Why should it be different now? It’s not my fault Jakob ordered him to come back and watch out for me.”
“I can imagine it’s difficult to form attachments for someone in his position,” she said thoughtfully. “Especially, as you said before, when he can be ordered away on someone else’s whim.”
“Yes, but it was his decision to leave before, not Jakob’s. What if he got sick and tired of hanging around me all the time before he left? What if he does hate me but is too much of a good guy to want me to worry about it now?”
“I don’t think there’s much danger of that.”
“What do you mean? He’s a good guy.”
“I’m sure he’s the chap of chaps,” she assured me quickly, the hint of a smile playing around her lips. “Anja, it can’t have escaped your attention that he genuinely cares about you, has it?”
“I used to think so. Do you really think he still does?” He seemed so different now, more formal than he’d ever been, even when I first met him.
“It seems that way to me. I’m not surprised you never noticed it before though. You’ve been distracted since I met you.”
“It has been kind of crazy, hasn’t it? Then you’re sure he still feels the same way about me?”
“I’m almost certain of it.”
“Alright then. All I have to do is be patient and eventually we can get back to the friendship we had before.”
A wrinkle appeared on her brow. “Is that all you want from him, friendship?”
> “Of course, he’s one of the best friends I’ve ever had. He’s been there for me time and time again. I never thought he had to be my bodyguard, I just liked having him around.” Heck, I hadn’t even known it was work for him until he’d let it slip after killing Serena. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – I’m stupid sometimes.
“That’s not what I… nevermind. I agree, the first step is for you to rediscover your friendship. I’d recommend a little patience with him. It can be difficult for a man to find himself with few choices in life. It can make him act out in the strangest ways.”
“I guess I can understand that. Thanks, Maggie, I feel a lot better about things.” I hugged her impulsively, glad to have someone who didn’t stiffen or recoil at my touch. “How about you? Are you happy you came to the US with me?”
“I am, yes, thank you. I miss some things about home and some people especially.”
“Have you been keeping in touch at all?”
“I’ve exchanged a fair bit of emails with Tucker these past weeks. He has a far greater gift with words on the page than in person.”
“I remember. So you miss him a lot then? I wasn’t sure how close the two of you were.”
“It never progressed very far, but I always had a soft spot for him in my heart.”
“You could always go visit him sometime, or he’s welcome to come and stay here for a visit, anytime.”
“Perhaps.” She didn’t sound too hopeful though.
“Is it the money?”
“No, it’s more than that. Things have been difficult for him lately.”
“Oh?”
“Vetis has been all in an uproar since we left.”
I didn’t want to hear about anything to do with Vetis, it made me think about Bishop too much. But she’d listened to my stuff, so I tried my best to listen to her. “What sort of an uproar would involve Tucker?”
“The Order’s completely divorced themselves of providing any personal protection for the house, so it’s fallen on the were-guard to handle it all on their own. That means Tucker’s been on a fair number of protection details and it doesn’t suit him very well.”
I remembered the shy boy with the painful stutter. She was right, he didn’t seem well suited for security at all. “Why doesn’t he quit then?”
“Where would he go? The House rules not only the vampires but the shifter community as well. He’s been ordered to serve in this manner, so he serves.”
“Oh, that’s too bad,” I murmured, wondering if that was Bishop’s influence. I knew he hated it that the Order had lost sight of its original intent and become little more than private security to the House of Vetis over there, but I could sympathize with Tucker’s plight. “Don’t worry, they’ll get more staff on soon enough and then maybe he can find something that makes him happier.”
“I surely hope so,” she sighed, neck arching gracefully as she held onto the bedpost.
“It’s late. We should both get some sleep,” I declared, rising to my feet before I got so tired I had to crash on her floor. “I’ll see you tonight.”
“Sleep well,” she smiled, escorting me to the door. “And try not to worry about Rob. I have a feeling he won’t be able to keep you at arm’s length for too much longer.”
Chapter Twenty
“We should talk about self defense.” Rob hadn’t said two words to me since I’d meandered into the kitchen and found him eating a gloppy mess that looked like lumpy porridge. But now he opened the conversation like we’d been chatting for the past half hour as he carried his dirty bowl to the sink.
“What about it?”
“Part of why I’m here is to make sure you have all the skills you need at your disposal. I’ll feel better about leaving if I know you can handle yourself if you’re alone.”
“I can handle myself fine. It’s not like people are openly challenging me to a fight or anything. In fact, I haven’t had anyone try to kill me for over a month.”
“Still, I’ll sleep better if I know you’re protected against any eventuality,” he pressed, setting the bowl to soak. It almost sounded like he cared. “Now, you’re faster and stronger than most vamps you’ll meet, but a certain skillset will always give you the advantage.”
“There’s always a use for skill and finesse over age and brawn,” I quoted Carter.
“Yeah, where did you hear that?”
“It’s something I picked up. So, what did you have in mind? Do you want me to enroll in a Tae Bo class or watch old re-runs of Buffy or something? ‘Cause I could totally get into a Buffy-athon right about now!” I was pretty sure I could watch them instantly on Netflix. That sounded like a way better night than going out to the Hart.
The corner of his mouth twitched. “You could do that if you like, but I thought I’d give you some more practical instruction to start with.”
“Oh, that works too. Alright then, when should we start?”
“No time like the present.”
As much fun as some one on one time with Rob sounded, I had to remember his motivation in getting me in fighting trim. “Of course, the sooner we’re done here, the sooner you can make your great escape, right?”
“Right.”
I considered dragging it out then, to make it take longer, but part of me was itching to find out what he’d show me. “Do I need to change or is this okay?” I still had on my comfy sleep pants and a tank top.
“That’ll do fine, unless you prefer to change into exercise gear.”
“I don’t own exercise gear.”
“There you are then,” he allowed. “I took the liberty of setting up some mats up in the attic. It’s the only open floor space we have.”
“I like that plan, fewer eyes watching me fall on my behind while we’re at it,” I agreed readily, grabbing a scrunchie along the way to pull my hair back. Rob had set up four large mats in the center of the attic space and I wondered when he’d managed to do it without the rest of us noticing. Probably while we were all dead to the world during the daytime. I promptly locked the door behind us, serious about not wanting an audience for what was sure to be a lesson in humility for me.
Rob took off his shoes once we reached the mats and I slipped off my socks or I’d be sliding all over the place. He also took off his shirt, leaving him in a black tank-style undershirt, highlighting his muscular arms and shoulders.
“This is gonna hurt,” I muttered while he went through some simple stretches, and I followed along, not sure if I needed them or if my vampire muscles would care one way or another.
“Now then, I think your instincts are good, I’ve seen you move. Like I said, you’ve the advantage when it comes to strength and speed. But despite your strength, there are certain positions you might find yourself in that might be harder to get out of.”
“Like what?”
One moment we were chatting about training and the next he had my arm twisted up behind my back, my wrist locked in an uncomfortable position. It didn’t particularly hurt, but I couldn’t move much either without a sharp pain zinging up my arm. “Alright then, try to break free.”
I twisted in his grasp the best I could, but any direction I moved in caused almost immediate pain. “I can’t, I’m stuck like this.”
“You’re completely forgetting the bottom half of your body,” he replied. “You’ve the power to crush my foot into a pulp with yours. A simple stomp on the foot will do. And your head’s free. Never underestimate the power of a good head butt. If you aim it right, you can smash my nose in – that’s guaranteed to make me drop my hold on you. Plus, your other hand’s free. Instead of trying to twist free, you’ll want to be thinking about what other pain you can inflict to make me let go of you.”
I never in a zillion years would have though of all of those ways to fight back, but they made perfect sense. “You want me to try one of those now?”
“That’s the general idea, yeah.”
“But I don’t want to hurt you.”
> “Not that I wouldn’t appreciate you holding back a bit, but you go ahead and try to get out. Don’t worry about me, I’ve had plenty worse.”
“If you say so…” I murmured, stomping on his foot tentatively. Rob didn’t so much as budge and I tried it again, a little harder.
“You’re holding back too much.”
“Well, I’m sorry, I don’t like the idea of causing you pain.”
“We’ll be here all night if you don’t step up and try harder.”
Not that I had much better to do, and the attic was nice and cool, but the air was stuffy, and could benefit from some open windows. Of course, the only way to open them was to shake him off. “Alright, you asked for it…” I muttered, lifting my foot again. Only instead of stomping on him, I drove my free elbow back into his stomach hard enough to make him loosen his grip, and I twisted myself free the rest of the way.
“I did it!” I crowed, jumping up and down in an impromptu victory dance while Rob rubbed at his middle.
“Yeah, you did at that.”
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” He straightened, and to his credit he didn’t look any worse for wear. “Alright, let’s go again.”
“Are you sure? You don’t need more time to recover?”
Instead of answering, he grabbed hold of me again, this time twisting around my other arm, his hold on me slightly closer, with one arm wrapped around my waist. “I think I’m ready to go, yeah?”
We tussled for a good half hour or more, and I grew increasingly bolder in my strategy, anything to avoid actually causing him pain. I found I had a harder time getting him to let go when I assaulted his foot or his thighs and the head butt made me dizzy for a few seconds but he still hung on. All the while he tossed out pointers on where the tender spots could be found on the human body. Besides the obvious groin area, he pointed out the vulnerabilities of the throat, the eye sockets, and the knees, along with the effectiveness of a good ol’ broken nose.
While we worked together, he forgot to be quite so distant, becoming more of the Rob I remembered with every grudging compliment and the elusive half-smile. He also held me closer, maybe to make it harder for me to escape, and maybe because he’d gotten more comfortable around me again. Whatever the cause, I felt more at ease with him than I had in weeks.
