Dangerous Love

by Stephanie Radcliff

  A dream. It was nothing more than a dream.

  Vayna pushed the covers off of her and stood up as she moved across the room and out into the hallway. Her footsteps were quieter than a cat’s as she moved into the bathroom and rested her hands on the edge of the sink. The person staring back at her in the mirror looked wild and frightened. Her eyes were wide and her hair was all over the place. Parts of it even managed to end up in a knot. Shaking her head, she reached down and washed her hands. She wanted to wash the taste out of her mouth, but knew it wouldn’t do any good. Water would just end up making her sick, even if she didn’t swallow any of it. Sighing heavily, she merely stood there and tried to push the dream out of her mind.

  “Vayna?”

  Her head whipped up and she looked over toward the doorway where Sage was standing. Her human wore a sleepy, confused look on her face as she looked at the ancient vampire. Vayna gave her a small smile as she asked softly, “Did I wake you?”

  “No,” she said as she shook her head softly and moved into the bathroom to stand behind her vampire lover. She wrapped her arms around her waist and rested her head on her back, “I woke up to find you missing from bed and wondered where you went off to. Is everything alright?”

  “Strange dream,” Vayna murmured as she closed her eyes and took comfort from Sage. It was strange. She normally didn’t rely on others for comfort, and yet she couldn’t help but soak up the comfort her human was giving her.

  “Care to talk about it?” Sage asked as she opened her eyes and gazed toward the wall. She felt the vampire relax in her arms and smiled. She’d seen the alarm, the frightened look in those blue eyes of her lover when she first stepped into the doorway.

  “Not particularly. I’d just like to forget about it,” she replied quietly and shook her head. It wasn’t a particularly terrifying dream. But the years she spent right after she was created were lonely and that dream felt almost as if she were back in that time. Alone, afraid, and unsure. Except it was worse because she wasn’t able to see or feel anything in her dream.

  “We could always go back to sleep,” Sage offered as she lifted her head and rested her chin on Vayna’s shoulder.

  “I doubt I could sleep,” Vayna said as she shook her head and turned around. She wrapped her arms around Sage’s waist and pressed a light kiss to her human’s lips. She sighed softly as she spoke, “I think I’ll stay up for a while. You go get some more rest, my petite amour.”

  “One of these days I’m going to make you tell me what that means,” Sage said as she slowly slid out of her vampire’s arms and padded out of the room toward the bedroom, “When I’m more awake, that is.”

  Vayna merely laughed and watched Sage head back into the bedroom. Her smile slipped from her face as she turned the other direction and walked into the kitchen, her mind buzzing with different thoughts.

  Chapter 11

  The knock on the door startled her out of her thoughts as she jerked her head up from staring blankly at the kitchen counter. Who would be knocking at this time of the night? Setting her cup down onto the counter, she walked over to the door and opened it without looking to see who it was. Jeran stopped in the middle of knocking again as he said, “Don’t you ever look to see who’s knocking?”

  “Didn’t think I’d need to,” she replied as she turned and left the door open for him to walk in.

  He walked into the apartment and shut the door behind him as he said, “We need to talk, Vayna.”

  “You never did waste time,” she replied as she went and got another cup and filled it with blood. Handing it to him, she said, “The council?”

  “Is demanding that you meet with them. They know about Sage,” he said with a nod as he took the cup and drank a sip. He made a face as he looked down at the dark liquid inside, “I still can’t believe you drink this packaged stuff. Fresh is so much better.”

  Vayna growled at him softly. She didn’t want to talk to the council, least of all about Sage. She avoided the council as often as she could, appearing only when needed to. She absolutely hated the fact that she wasn’t able to avoid it this time. She just knew they were going to harp on her about being their Pharaoh. She absolutely hated that.

  Jeran took a step back and held up his hands in surrender, not wanting to aggravate her anymore than he had to. He knew how much it pissed Vayna off having to deal with the council, and he honestly couldn’t blame her. It was very annoying dealing with them. They all thought they were right and that the rest of the world was wrong. The only one they ever thought about listening to was Vayna, but she had to accept becoming Pharaoh. That was the only way they’d listen to her. And Vayna wanted nothing to do with being Pharaoh.

  He heard rumors of when she was willing to be Pharaoh. That was a long time ago, when the vampire world was just starting out. Back then, she was a very harsh, very cruel person, or so he heard. He hadn’t even been alive when that happened, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to see her like that. When he met her, she was a very carefree, let loose and live type of girl, as much as vampire could live, anyway. So it shocked him to hear that she could be anything but. He never asked her if that was true, not wanting to know if she was as cruel as he heard.

  Vayna was his friend, even if they didn’t like each other very much anymore. She was the closest person he had to family that was still alive. She annoyed the hell out of him, and he out of her, but he still relied on her during the years they existed. It was more than enough that he had someone who would back him up, even if they hated each other. It really as a love hate relationship.

  He sighed deeply as he shook his head. Placing his hands on his shoulders, he said, “I know you don’t want to deal with them, but they’ll come here to you if you don’t. And that will cause a scene.”

  “I know,” she said with a heavy sigh. She really didn’t want to even bother going to the council, but she really didn’t want to explain to her neighbors why there were suddenly half a dozen vampires standing in her hallway. She nodded her head with some reluctance as she said, “Alright… I’ll go.”

  “And what about her…?” he asked hesitantly as he nodded toward the living room. He didn’t want to bring her up, but she was a part of this, and the council was going to want to know. Even if she didn’t go, and Vayna kept her away from the council, they’d find a way to see her. And he knew what their response was going to be.

  “She has no part in this,” Vayna said angrily as she glared at him. Even she could tell it was a lie. She just didn’t want those heathens to get a hold of her human. She knew how ruthless they could be when they wanted to be. They would tear Sage apart for lunch, literally if she let them. Not that she would. Sage was her human and she would be the only one tasting her blood. She sagged against the counter as she whispered, “I have no choice, do I?”

  “Not really,” he said with a shake of his head. He didn’t like it either, but it had to be done. The council already knew that Sage existed. They just didn’t know the true nature to their relationship. He looked at her sadly as he said, “You created the rules, Vayna. You of all people know what needs to happen.”

  “Don’t remind me,” she said with a soft hiss. She knew very well that she created the rules. She just didn’t want to admit that there was no other option she could take. It was either go to the council herself, on her terms, or have them come to her and risk Sage’s safety. At least she could keep Sage safe while she was there. She really hated the fact that she created those blasted rules in the first place.

  Long time ago, when she was still a young vampire, she banded together with the sparse amount of vampires that she turned and made a system of rules. That was back when she thought she could still be a ruler of her people. Of course, she learned over time that she just didn’t have the urge to rule anymore. She ruled people all of her human life, and she finally had a chance to see what it was like to live a commoner’s life. To make her own choices, live how she wanted to live. She became reckless after that and
it almost got her killed.

  At one point, though, while she was still ruling the vampires, she came to realize that they needed some kind of rule system in place or else the vampires would multiply and overrun their food source: the humans. That was when she sat down with some of the most brilliant minds back then and created rules that would keep their people safe for many centuries to come. That was what she naively believed back then, anyway.

  Now that she was truly old enough to call herself wise, even though she didn’t feel like it, she knew that the rules she created weren’t as effective as she hoped they would be. They actually hindered her race to a point, but she felt helpless to do anything about it. The only way she could change the rules was to become Pharaoh again, and even then, there was very little hope of actually changing the rules with the council still being in charge. They wouldn’t let her do a thing if they really didn’t want to, no matter how much they claimed to listen to her. They were nothing but greedy pigs in her mind. Hungry for blood, lust, and power.

  She refused to give them the last of that. Being the original, she was the one person that could change someone without needing to drain their blood. She had the most power of all the vampires, and she knew how to use every little bit of it. Her weaknesses were fewer than those of other vampires as well. She was the strongest and most powerful. They wanted her in a position where they could use her and make things happen the way they wanted them to happen. She refused to let them have that.

  She sighed tiredly as she shook her head and moved out into the living room. Sitting down on the couch, she said, “I really don’t want to take her to see them. You know what they’ll say.”

  “I do, but you have no choice, Vayna,” he said as he stood in the doorway and folded his arms across his chest. There really wasn’t much she could do, so the best way would be to get it done and over with as soon as possible. That way they could all move on with their lives… well their undead lives for the most part. He wished there was another option, any option for her, but there just wasn’t.

  She sighed and nodded as she dropped her head back on to the edge of the couch and thought about that beautiful human sleeping peacefully in her bed a few rooms over. Her heart ached at having to take her with her to see the council, but she knew she didn’t have much of a choice. She looked over her shoulder long enough to murmur, “Thank you, Jeran. I know how much you hate having to deal with me.”

  “I never disliked you, Vayna” he said seriously as he walked through the room. He walked over to the door as he spoke, “You’re just very annoying to put up with sometimes. Besides, I really don’t have much of a choice, do I?.”

  “Not particularly,” she replied with a small chuckle. She turned her head and gazed blankly at the TV and sighed heavily. She really didn’t want to do it, but… “I’ll contact the council and set up a time. I just don’t want her to get hurt.”

  Jeran stood just inside the doorway to the apartment and gazed at her. He could tell, even if she wasn’t ready to admit it, that the vampire was very much in love with the human. He only hoped both of them would be ready for the consequences that were about to come. Things were going to get very difficult from here on out, and he hoped there was enough strength in both of them to keep going. He nodded his head as he murmured softly, “Good luck.”

  She snorted softly at that. She was going to need all the luck she could get dealing with those fools. She really didn’t want to talk to the council, but… her eyes closed and she dropped her head back onto the couch again. Life just loved to make her undead existence difficult.

  Chapter 12

  That day, Jeran left with the promise that he would deliver to the council Vayna’s reply. She decided to get it done and over with, and so wrote them a note saying she would meet them with Sage. That was two days ago and the two women were getting into a limousine graciously provided by the council to transport them to the meeting place. Since they so nicely allowed Vayna to choose when and where, she picked a place that would set them on edge, but make her feel comfortable. She grinned darkly to herself when she realized just how much they must hate having to go to that place just to meet her.

  The place in question was a high rise office building in downtown Manhattan. Not just any high rise, either. It was the building that housed Vayna’s very first business she created. The one that she knew they absolutely hated because of what it stood for. She delighted in the knowledge that they would be forced to watch as hundreds of her workers went about getting packages ready for those without homes to live in. Her very first business was a charity that helped the homeless prepare for the winter months. And they weren’t simply homeless in general. Her organization helped human homeless find places to stay and live during the winter months.

  The council hated it.

  She took delight in making them squirm. It was her way of punishing them for making her do this. If they wanted to be cruel and force this on her when she wanted nothing to do with them now, then she was going to make it the worst situation possible for them. The limo pulled up in front of the building and she stepped out, pausing for a moment to look up at the old building before holding out a hand to Sage and helping her out. As the limo pulled away, the two made their way inside and over to an 1920’s style elevator. The operator nodded at her as he closed the doors and set the elevator in motion. It took them to the highest floor in the building, which being as old as it was, was only 30 floors up. The elevator made an old grinding noise when it came to a stop and the operator bowed as he held the doors open for them.

  As they stepped out onto the floor, a young woman in a business suit stood waiting for them. She bowed low as she said, “Miss Chronos, it’s been a long time since we last saw you.”

  “Yes, it has,” Vayna said as she stepped forward, her hand still wrapped around Sage’s. She brought her free hand up and lightly rested it on the young woman’s shoulder as she continued, “Everyone’s doing such amazing work that I usually don’t have to make a trip down here.”

  “Thank you, Miss Chronos,” the young woman said as she straightened up, revealing for the first time to Sage what she looked like. Her curly brown hair was tied behind her head in a neat bun, and her green eyes sparkled as she smiled at them. She turned and started to lead the way as she said, “We take pride in our work here. We love what we’re doing.”

  “JessAnn is a human like you, my love,” Vayna said as she introduced the two. The young woman smiled sweetly at Sage as she shook her hand. The vampire noted the confusion on her young lover’s face and chuckled as she said, “She also knows all about who we are. Her lover also happens to be a vampire.”

  “Oh, so we can gossip about how annoying it is when our lovers say things like “back when I was your age…,” Sage teased as she smiled at the young woman. JessAnn laughed as Vayna rolled her eyes, taking the teasing with a small smile.

  “Yes, I suppose we could!” JessAnn replied once she got done laughing. She actually didn’t mind the thought of gossiping with her boss’ lover. The older vampire was always so close nit about who she was… the brunette saw it as a perfect opportunity to get to know her employer a bit more without risking her wrath. The vampire had a definite temper on her when she was angry. Her smiled faded once they reached the board room and she turned to Vayna as she asked, “Is it true, Miss Chronos? That they will be here today?”

  “Unfortunately, yes,” Vayna replied with a nod as she held the door open for Sage. The young human walked in, followed by JessAnn and then Vayna. The vampire walked over to a chair at the head of the table and sank down into it as she said, “They requested a meeting with me and I suggested this place. I know it inconveniences our staff, but I thought it to be the perfect spot, considering the fact that they absolutely detest humans.”

  “Does this mean that I should make sure as many of our human employees can be seen as possible?” she asked with a malicious grin. JessAnn hated the council almost as much as Vayna did. They were constan
tly harassing her lover to turn her and she absolutely hated it. She would have quite a lot of fun watching them squirm at the sight of so many humans working together with vampires.

  Vayna nodded, a smile on her lips at the dark grin on her employee’s face. This was why she chose this place to hold the meeting. Her employees were faithful to her and hated the council just as much as she did. It was a delight for her to see them reacting this way and punishing the council with her. It was almost worth the hassle of disrupting the organization’s work for the day. Almost, but not quite.

  JessAnn bowed once again as she said, “I will have refreshments brought up for everyone so they won’t complain about that.”

  “Thank you, JessAnn,” Vayna replied with a nod of her head. The young woman left the room, leaving the vampire and her lover alone in the room for a few moments. The vampire turned in her chair and drew her human into her arms as she nuzzled her neck. Sighing softly, she said, “Is it over yet?”

  “No, not yet,” Sage replied as she kissed her vampire’s forehead. She hated seeing her lover look so forlorn about everything, but she knew they didn’t really have a choice. This had to be done, no matter how much they hated it. Smiling softly, she said, “Just imagine the looks of disgust on their face when they get here.”

  That made Vayna chuckle softly and she nuzzled her human’s neck a little bit more, kissing her pulse point softly as she held her closer. She sighed as she said, “I really hate the council. I don’t know what possessed me to create it.”

  “Oh, you were just out of your mind, that’s all,” Sage said teasingly as she raised her hand and stroked her vampire’s hair.

  “Ha ha, very funny,” Vayna said as she lifted her head and rolled her eyes. She wore a smile on her face as she titled her head and kissed her human tenderly, just enjoying the moment with her. This was what she loved about the young woman. Sage wasn’t afraid to joke around with her, even though she was such a dangerous creature. Vayna enjoyed that.