Date: Sun, 6 Mar 2011 21:35:30 -0800 (PST)
From: Nate House <extreamlucky14@yahoo.com>
Subject: Abandoned Blood 15

I would like to take this time to explain what took so long to get this
chapter out. As most of you know, I've been having a lot of personal
issues. Those issues reached a pivotal point when I put a loaded gun in my
mouth. Ultimately, I decided not to pull the trigger (obviously), but since
then my life has been at a standstill. I hardly eat or sleep for days at a
time, then binge out on both; my days blur together like a continuous
stream of images with breaks at random intervals. Visions and "voices"
haunt me whether I'm awake or asleep, they argue with me to do or think
things I wouldn't normally consider. So today (Monday, March 6th) I'll be
attending my first "therapy" session. I have no idea what to expect or
think, so I'm not doing either--I know I'll be disappointed with either
choice.

Now that that's over with, time for the usual legal bullshit. Though
inspired by true event, this story is completely borne of my own
imagination. Any characters bearing any resemblance to any person either
real or made-up, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. No actual event
is depicted. This story contains graphic sexual encounters between two
female characters, if that sort of thing offends you, please log off this
site now. This story also contains graphic depictions of violence including
but not limited to rape, murder, and torture of both the mind and body. If
this sort of thing offends you, then you need to go live in the real world
for a while and toughen your delicate sensibilities.

For those who have

 stuck with since the beginning, or if you're just joining the family,
welcome back. Now sit down, relax (hopefully with your partner), and enjoy
part 15 of Abandoned Blood.********************

Chapter 15

Bitter ashes. That would be a good phrase for what I'm feeling like. In one
day my entire world burned down and left me lying on a hospital bed with
nothing but the knowledge that it will only get worse from here. I watched
someone kill my parents without a second thought, and when she needed me
most I thought just as much about helping her. So many emotions went
through my head that I didn't actually feel anything. I think I was angry,
not because Nadia killed them, but because they lied to me my whole
life. As much of an asshole my dad may have been, I always loved him as my
father; we resembled each other so closely I had no reason to think
otherwise. But now... I don't know. Now every one of those moments that
"reminded her of my father" comes to mind, I'm left to wonder who my mother
was referring to.

That's the question that's been running around in my otherwise busy
mind. Jumbled memories that were not mine--at least I didn't think they
were--flashed over my mind's eye like a mix-tape of home movies. Unknown
noises and faces, unrecognizable laughter, happy times from places I've
never been, none of it added up. I saw a masquerade ball from what looked
like the seventeen-hundreds, or was it a very fancy costume party? I have
no way of knowing, but at least that band can hit some very high notes.

A chorus of voices rang out over my ears. Bells echoed off the walls as a
draft floated over me. A man was barking orders about getting some paddles,
a cold-then-very-hot sensation traveled through my veins. It felt like Mike
Tyson just sucker-punched me in the chest. With a hard gasp, I lurched
forward almost falling off the bed. I sucked in all the air I could as if I
was tasting it for the first time. I inhaled more with my next breath. I
fell back to my pillow with a relieved sigh.

"Put'em back, George," the doctor standing over me said over his
shoulder. "She's back."

I took a few more breaths, but with some effort I managed to get out, "What
the hell was that?"

"Your heart stopped, Charlie." Good, I like a blunt doctor. The ones who
sugar-coat shit always seem to be afraid. "Welcome back."

I coughed. "Good to be back." Damn, my throat still hurt. I looked around
the room and decided this wasn't the same one Nadia was in. The trim around
the walls in here were red instead of green, and the TV was hanging in the
near corner rather than resting on a pinewood stand. That, and there was
only one bed. "Where am I?"

"We had to move you to intensive care when your girlfriend left," said
Dr. Anderson, according to his tag. "How are you feeling?"

"Nadia left!" I asked, not believing it. I met his professional stare with
a hard one of my own. "Where did she go?"

"Charlie, I'm not in the habit of asking people where they go after they
check out of here, and I'm not going to call her four days after the fact."
Four days? I've been unconscious for four fucking days? "You are my
patient, not her, so I will do what I can to help you." Yeah I bet. The
good doc took a step back and looked me over again. "Your skin has color
again, finally. You've got enough strength to argue with me, that's a good
sign. Is there anything I get for you?"

"Yeah, you can get me either my girlfriend, or a phone," I almost yelled,
pointing. "And then you can me some fucking food." My stomach started doing
flips at the thought of putting anything in it. I felt myself
pale. Lurching forward, I wrapped my arms around my middle. "I don't feel
so good."

Dr. Anderson sat down next to me, his strong hand rubbing my back. "You
should be lucky to feel anything at all. I'll be honest with you Charlie,
I've never seen anyone lose six-and-a-half pints of blood and survive. It's
nothing short of a miracle that you're awake after such a small amount of
time for your body to replace it."

I closed my eyes and said, "Just get Nadia in here."

I heard his neck tense as he nodded. "Very well." He put a glass of pink
water on my lap. "A friend of yours left me with this and said it will
help." I knew what it was just from the stench drifting up from it. I had
to will my own hand into picking it up. My doctor got up and took two
symbolic steps towards the door. "I should thank whoever made that stuff;
I've never seen anything like it."

I swallowed a few sips. A serious, bitter expression replaced my
nasty-taste face. "And you won't ever again if you thank him. That man is
evil incarnate. This was his only gift to society in his entire, rat-shit
life."

"I see." He opened the door, saying something to the nurse's station about
getting him a phone.

I finished off my gross but needed beverage and turned on the TV. According
to the weather channel it was two in the afternoon on Tuesday, October the
twentieth. Damn already? A soft rain beat against my window in an effort to
sooth my shaking nerves. I thought back to that night at my parent's house,
or, more specifically, the expression on Nadia's face when she attacked my
dad. It was twisted in a way that it almost made it look demonic. Her
blackened eyes and crimson mouth made her look like Adriel on a normal
day. Just the idea of her becoming like him was sickening--the man was
truly insane. Anyone looking like him on one of his good days would be like
saying that's you beyond your worst.

However true that may be the man was always a man to me, out first meeting
aside of course. Even so, I will always remember him chasing me down that
hallway with a knife rambling that strange banter. He never hurt me. Hell,
he's protected my ass almost as much as Nadia. A singular thought came to
me. It's the same question that's been stirring in my head since all this
shit started: Why?

It didn't seem to matter how deep the research took us, nothing that either
me, Nadia, Amber, and now Sylvia, has found has been useful in answering
that. Yes, I know a few secrets about Father Darien, but it still doesn't
tell me a fucking thing about why he's been after me for almost two
months. Damn, has it been that long already? I've been raped, bitten,
beaten, attacked. And survived, and according to Nadia and Amber that's no
easy task. Have I survived just because Father Darien willed it so he can
continue his sick little games? Or was it because I'm lucky enough to have
been born different? Is that why he had this large of a hard-on for me,
because I was born different? Well, so was he.

That's what I thought was weird about vampires. None of them are "turned"
by a bite, they're all born with some kind of DNA-based virus that forces
the change as the hormone levels reach a fever pitch. That's why it happens
around puberty. I don't understand all the scientific crap, but that's the
gist of it. It happened to Nadia and it happened to Amber. Hell, it even
happened to Harold. But that's not what happened to me. My pubescent years
went by just like any other girl's I suppose. But after what my mom blurted
out a few days ago just before she died has me rethinking everything I
thought I knew.

And then there was Sylvia. I've known that girl for over two years and she
just now comes out of the closet about what she is--no pun intended. What
the hell is a canicula? And how does it figure into to all of this? I mean,
seriously, why would a guy like Father Darien ask someone like Sylvia to
translate a bunch of arcane texts and then NOT bite her? What would be the
point? The man's been alive for a long time, couldn't he do that himself?
God damn I'm asking a lot of questions lately.

"Charlie?" I turned my head to my door. Speak of the devil, and she
appears.

"Hey, Sylvia," I groaned, going back to the meteorologist's fascinating
rundown about isobars.

"How are you feeling?" My brother's girlfriend sat down on the chair beside
my bed and leaned forward. I could smell sex all over her. I guess my
brother and his band are back in town.

"Like crap," I snorted. "Look at me." She did, then grimaced. "My doctor
just got done telling me I shouldn't even be alive right now. It's not the
first time I heard some medical professional tell me that, either, and
quite frankly I'm getting tired of hearing it."

Sylvia nodded and put a hand on the edge of my bed. "Nadia's on her way up
here." A sense of joy spiked then fell. She didn't sound happy to tell me
that. "Do you want me to leave when she gets here?"

"Why would you leave? I'm sure everything she has to tell me you need to
hear too." I turned my head back to the TV. Oh goodie, we're in for some
rain. "How's Sven doing? Has he heard the news yet?"

"What news?" I shot my attention back to her, my head protesting. That was
conspicuously inconspicuous.

"What does that mean?"

The canicula sighed. "Charlie, I want you to understand that I love you and
your brother with all my heart, but there are some things at work here that
he'd be better off not knowing. Ever. He thinks they've gone away on a
couples' retreat to work on their marriage. So do the police." That last
word sent a chill down my spine. So they did look into it. "Everything has
been taken care of, Charlie."

My face went crestfallen. I didn't know how to respond to that. A million
thoughts and emotions flashed through my mind; so many things came at once
that I chose not to feel anything. Numbness was better than pain and
confusion right now. Losing not just your family, but knowing that
everything you thought you knew is thrown to the wayside like a piece of
discarded trash has a way of forcing that. No wonder Nadia always seems so
down and depressed.

A tear trickled down my cheek in spite of it all. Why does so much bad shit
happen to good people. I was a good person, right? I've never so much as
got a traffic ticket. I did my homework and helped around the house. I was
even in the girl scouts for a few years. And now this? "Sylvia. Please tell
me what you mean by that."

She took a steadying breath. At least I wasn't the only one feeling like
shit. "That means just that. You have nothing to worry about from the
police or your brother."

"Half brother," I snapped. Sylvia gave me a confused look. "You mean that
asshole cleaned up the mess just to find a new way to torture me, don't
you?"

She looked positively affronted. "That's not what I said. And what do you
mean by half brother?"

I tossed my hands up. "You didn't hear?" She shook her head. "The night
they died my dad kept going on about how we weren't his kids and that my
mom tricked him into caring for us."

"How does that equate to him not being your real brother?"

"Think about it. We were born nearly five years apart. Then Father Darien
has absolutely no interest in using him in his little games. My mother gave
off this strange aura when my dad shouted that out. And on top of all that
he doesn't look a thing like me." By the look on the banker's face, I think
she got the message. "I just never thought anything about it until
recently."

"But he is still your brother, Charlie," Sylvia intoned.

"Yeah, from that lying whore mom of ours." I heard my friend gasp. Why did
that feel good? Sylvia gave me a look like she didn't know what else to
say. Good 'cause neither did I; her silence said it all. She knew all along
and never bothered to tell me. Seriously is there like some secret
organization of people that know more about me than I do?

"I don't know what good it'll do right now, but I heard that the price on
your head has been lifted." She was right; it didn't do much good right
now. Maybe if I wasn't laid up in a hospital bed I would care, but not
right now. I'll wait until I'm back at Nadia's house to feel relieved about
that.

An uneasy silence fell over the room. Even the TV seemed to be muted. A
look of hurt washed over my guest's face. Or, more precisely, a look of
guilt. I was curious to know if it was from knowing and not telling me, or
if there was something else going on. Her aura and body language gave no
sign either way. She just sat there, unmoving. I closed my eyes and tried
to concentrate. My aura expanded and touched hers. Images of memories long
surpressed played out before my eyes. She gave them to me freely, she
wanted me to know. I saw her first meeting with Father Darien, the first
time she met my brother--and the sex two hours later--and the true feelings
she had for him; everything I could passably want to know was right there.

I don't know how long I kept at it, but when I opened my eyes again the
only word that came out of my mouth was, "Bitch."

"Who's a bitch?" Nadia asked from the door. It would have scared me if I
wasn't so pissed off.

I glared back at Sylvia before muttering, "No one. Just venting." I looked
over to the vampire and just had to smile. Not because I needed the
distraction but because she was absolutely glowing. Her eyes were as lively
as I've ever seen them. Her skin was radiant and her aura just exhumed
happiness. She actually had on make-up, mascara and a little eyeliner which
only made her look even more beautiful. "What's the occasion?"

"What?" she asked innocently.

"What do you mean what?" I retorted. "You look beautiful." She had on one
of those shirts that I was drooling over in her closet a few days ago. The
trim work and soft materials pulled a smile the first time I touched
it. Her black jeans accented her legs in a way I've never seen before. "And
I look like shit."

She ran her hand down my cheek. "No you don't," she smiled. "You're
beautiful."

I didn't want to argue. If Nadia said I looked good, then damn it I looked
good. I let out a little huff and tried not to think too much; my head hurt
too much to do much of anything. I heard Sylvia shuffle over to the door
then stop. Her pulse quickened. I heard a gasp as if she saw something she
shouldn't have. Then threw the bolt. Great. Now what? Nadia heard it
too. She took a possessive hold on my shoulders as my brother's girlfriend
turned the handle. The air in the room shifted, it made my head throb.

"What is it?" I asked through a wince.

"Father Darien."

Shit. "What the fuck does he want?"

Sylvia turned back towards me. "How should I know?" she asked in a hurry.

No sooner had those words left her mouth that the door swung open. A large
chunk of the doorframe skidded across the floor, winding up somewhere under
my bed. Father Darien, in all of his charming, beautiful, disgusting glory
stood just inside the threshold with a gleam in his eye and smile on his
lips. He was dressed to kill--and probably has already. He looked between
the three of us as if discerning which one was the most tasty. He walked
with an unnervingly slow cadence, like a predator on the prowl.

He opened his arms in that signature grand gesture and said, "Well, let's
not all welcome me at once." No one said anything. If anything his fond
mood only added to the tension. He softened his gaze when he looked at
Nadia again, only to harden it once he found Sylvia practically crawling up
the wall. "No, no, no, no, this simply will not do," he uttered with a tsk,
shaking his head. "I'm disappointed in you three."

"Just tell me what you want now," I said with a sigh, my contempt failing
to mask my fear. "I'm not feeling very good, so can we make this quick?"

"Certainly," he beamed. "I just came by to check in on my sweet little
morsel. I heard about your unfortunate incident with your parents. Such a
shame you had to witness that." If I was a fool, I would have bought that
act. "And then watching Nadia-"

"Just shut up!" I interrupted. "I'm asking nicely: please leave me alone."

Ire burned behind those beautiful eyes. "Is that anyway to talk to your
master?" I put on my best teenager-duh-look. "Very well. Your contempt and
foolish insolence is wasted on me, Charlene." Ah shit. It's never a good
thing when he calls me by my first name. "Especially since I was the one
who ordered that mess cleaned up."

Nadia's grip was beginning to cut off my circulation. I knew she was close
to vamping out; I could smell the pheromones from both of them. "Why did
you?"

"There are things in life that we are best to leave alone, Charlene."

My eyes narrowed. "Why. Did. You?"

A satisfied smile spread on his lips. "Defiant to the last. I like it, but
it will not save you from the things that wish to do you harm."

"Things like you?" The master vampire appeared in my face before I could
blink again. Nadia hit the wall on the far side of the room a second later,
the impact leaving a dent.

"Perhaps. If I wish to." His breath smelled like death. I swallowed back
the bile that threatened to spew out. He smiled again, his perfect teeth
glistened even in the dim light. "But you're just too much fun."

Holding my breath, I searched his face. His usual, unreadable face. "Is
that why you're here? You needed another bit of fun from your favorite
toy?"

"Don't flatter yourself, Charlene," he taunted, inching closer. "You'd be
dead right now if it weren't for me."

"Yeah, you've said that before. Twice in fact. Oh, and I understand that
the price on my head has been lifted." I tried to challenge him with a
look. I hoped he would crack and show me some emotion I could
use. Nothing. "Am I supposed to thank you for that?"

"A thank you from the likes of you would mean less than shit." He reared
back a little, reminding me of Adriel when he feeds, and took a shallow
breath. "But from Tiffany, it would mean the world to me."

I felt my heart flutter at the sound of her name. So did he. "Look,
whatever you're wanting me to do by saying her name, it won't work." Nadia
moaned and propped herself up.

He smiled. "It already has."

Frustrated, I grit my teeth. "Why are you here? I don't believe you crawled
out of your little shit hole just to piss me off."

"No? You think too much of me then." I rolled my eyes. "Can you not smell
it on me?"

"What?" I asked through an exasperated sigh.

"I told you why I'm here. To make sure you're being taken care of, but I
don't see why I can't have a little fun in the process." His old accent
made that last part sound really creepy.

"Well, I'm fine. Now can you please leave?" God, I hate it when he does
this shit. I don't think I'll ever understand that man.

He nodded. "Very well." He backed off and headed for the door, stepping
over Nadia along the way. He spun around, causing his coat tails to
furl. "Oh, I almost forgot. I must congratulate the two of you for keeping
each other alive like you did. Marvelously well done. Such love and
devotion." He started applauding. "Absolutely splendid work. Both of you."

I rubbed my forehead. "Just leave already."

"You rest easy now, little morsel. Nadia, I expect you to see to it that
she makes a speedy recovery." She nodded, not knowing what else to do. "And
Sylvia, if you would, be a dear and have those translations ready for me by
this weekend."

"Y-yes. Of course." It felt so wrong to watch both of these strong,
independent women cower before this man. It made my heart sink. Without
saying another word he was gone. Suddenly, the air in the room relaxed, the
tension on my chest slackened and my heart monitor turned back on. When the
hell did it turn off?

I flopped back against my bed, failing to ignore Sylvia's troubled
gaze. "What!" I finally said after another moment.

"How'd you do that?" I didn't like her shaking breath.

"Do what?" I turned back to towards her. Why was she crying?

"You didn't feel the aura he was pulling in here?"

I shook my head. "Should I have?"

My brother's girlfriend covered her mouth. Surprise replaced
trepidation. "Then it IS true." I just shot her a questioning look. "I
heard that you were a dhampir, but I didn't believe it." A slight maniacal
giggle escaped her open mouth. "I don't freaking believe this. I'm standing
in the presence of the first known hybrid in this country in nearly a
hundred years." More laughter followed.

Standing in the presence of? I know she's well educated, but since when did
she start talking like that? "What so goddamn funny, Sylvia?"

"I've known you for years..." Yeah, and? "You've been right under my nose
this whole time. He said I'd find you hidden in plain sight, but I didn't
think..."

"Ah, shut the fuck up and tell me what you're talking about!"

"Don't you see it, Charlie? The Order has been looking for a way to take
down Father Darien's coven for decades." That got my attention. "They've
planted rogues into his ranks to deplete his numbers, but everyone of them
has been killed."

Nadia stood behind behind me, her arms draped down my chest. I could feel
her nodding along with what the voluptuous blond was saying. I could take
two guesses as to who did most of the killing, but I'm sure I'll only need
one. I've seen what my vampire could do to a person. Just thinking about it
send a chill down my spine. I felt her tense at my shift in emotion. I
don't know if I'll ever get used to that.

Sylvia was beside herself with misplaced excitement. "He has a way of
sniffing out the traitors and deceivers, but he never once caught on to
you. He was looking for either a vampire or a strong human... and you're
both. Or is it neither?" I shrugged, trying to keep up. "Exactly."

My head hurt again. "Sylvia, could you please just give me the simple
version?" Again, Nadia tensed. Fuck, what was she not telling me now? And
at this point, would I really want to hear this?



********************

That was five days ago. I still haven't received the simple version and I'm
still having nightmares about the night my parents died. Or is it
parent-plus-someone-else? Is that too cynical, even for me? I don't think
so. That man, though he tried his best, really wasn't a good father. All
the years of anger and malcontent, all of the fighting and arguments
finally made sense. He didn't accept me because I wasn't his. In his mind
it was as simple as that. I wasn't his kid; I was his problem.

I'll never accuse myself of being a perfect angel. Whenever something bad
would happen, like Sven fighting with him over his stash of pot, or his and
mom's shouting matches, I just locked it all away and took it out on myself
later. They didn't know about the little drug and drinking binges I had
over at Tiffany's house. Or about the all the skipped classes just to get
laid. Or about the petty shit I did just for the sake of doing it.

Why do memories have to be such a bitch? The old adage does say everything
comes back to bite you in the ass, but this? I was sitting in my chair in
the den downstairs, where I've been sleeping for the last two days,
moping. Sven would have been by the house by now. Slut-mother or not, he is
still my brother. He deserved to know the truth. Now that I know why Sylvia
hooked up with him in the first place, I can't look at him the same way
again. If I ever see him again, that is. A tear trickled down my
face. "Damn it!" The guy does nothing but get on my nerves, but he's my
brother. He's MY brother. He's the only family I've got left, and he
doesn't have a clue.

The phone on the other side of the room scared the shit out of me. At least
that explains the hum that I heard the second before. I almost forgot that
Nadia replaced the one I smashed a while back. "Hello?" I answered, holding
back a sniffle.

"Hello, who's this?" an unfamiliar masculine voice asked.

"Depends who's asking, asshole." Good one, Charlie, take your self-loathing
out on someone else, just like always.

"Is this Charlie?"

"Like I said, ass wipe, depends on who's asking."

"Charlie, this is Ben. I'm a researcher with Amber."

"Okay. What do you want?"

"I'm wondering where Amber is. She was supposed to call me when she got
back from the library three hours ago. Is she there?"

I had to think about that one. "No she and Nadia went to the store more
then an hour ago. Why?"

"Well I think I can trust you." I just rolled my eyes. "Can you tell Amber
that I did some digging and came up with some names that might be able to
help us out. Have her meet me at the usual place. How are you feeling, by
the way?"

"I'll pass on the message, Ben. Bye"

"Wait! In my digging I think I might have found out why Father Darien has
such a hard-on for you."

"Yeah, I figured it out a while ago. I'm a dhampir."

"No, I mean why he wants to torture and kill you."

I stopped and thought for a minute. "The last time someone told me stuff
like that over the phone he was dead before I got to talk to him."

He didn't have time to say anything else. I put the phone down, struggling
not to slam it. He was being nice, so why shouldn't I? Because Charlie, you
just found out that everything you thought you knew was a lie and everyone
who you thought you could trust was a part of it. That's why.

I staggered back to my chair. My comfortable, cushy chair that never failed
to comfort me. Ever since the first time I sat in it there's been a mood of
bliss about it. Even that night when Nadia attacked me down here, there was
a strange aura all on it's own. It was as if the thing itself was alive. Or
maybe that's just my disillusioned brain making shit up. Everything I knew
was wrong, why not the small comforts too?

I looked at the table beside Nadia's chair. Or, more precisely, the book
that sat on it. It was the book from which I learned Father Darien's dirty
little secret--or so he thought. I still haven't told Nadia, Amber, or
anyone else on their "research team" about it. And for good reason. He can
peer into their minds much more easily than he can mine. Secrets aren't
safe in that kind of company.

A shower sounded really good for some reason. Maybe it was because I
haven't had one in almost three days and smelled like crap. Maybe it was to
get the scent of old blood off of me--Nadia almost got too carried away
this morning. Yeah, she's still needing to feed, and lately she's been
getting more and more giddy about it--I think that's a good word. Ever
since I watched her kill my parents, her biting me has taken on a whole new
perspective. My mind is more cloudy. My body reacts differently. My aura
receives hers as if it were my own. And then today, just as her teeth made
contact with my scars, the usual pang of sexual excitement was both
nonexistent and at fever pitch; it was there but it wasn't. Everything is
different now... Maybe a shower IS what I need.

I headed up the stairs, stopping to appreciate my creation. I call it that
because I drew up the plans, and did most of the labor. It would be fair to
call it mine and Nadia's but I'm not in a fair mood. I ran my hand over the
rail, taking in the smoothness of the finish that I put on it. The carpet
beneath my feet felt softer than usual. I could smell all of the memories
of this spot. I felt a little smile come over my whole face.

The air beyond the threshold felt thicker than usual. The scents changed
from good memories to bad company. Someone I didn't recognize was either up
here or has been in the last day or so. I didn't like either option. I
quickly grabbed a knife from the block in the kitchen. None of the lights
were on down the hall, but that wasn't unusual. My vision changed over, I
willed my pulse to slow down. Even in the daylight fighting a vampire is
not a good idea. The closer I got to the living room, the stronger the
scent became. Whoever was in here spent a good deal of time in there. I
past the bathroom and the smell diminished. I checked the far
bedroom. Nothing. The scent was gone.

My grip on the knife tensed. Then that somebody was in the living room for
a reason. I walked back there for a more thorough investigation. Everything
was in perfect order. The oversized TV was on the stand, all of the
electronics hadn't been moved, but that damn odor persisted. I fully
entered the room, eyeing something amiss on the DVD racks. They're all out
of order. Someone made a mess in here and tried to clean it up. I don't
know why, but I touched the cases and recoiled just as quickly. In that
brief moment, I saw flashes of a fight, and I didn't recognize either of
them. Exhaustion smacked me in the face. Yeah, a nice hot shower would
definitely wake me up.

I went back into the bedroom and stripped down. My muscles were hurting all
over, my shoulder in particular. I winced when the joint cracked. Then, as
I stood up straighter, all down my spine gave. I guess that's what I get
for taking to the small comforts in life. Damn chair. I picked out some
bumming around clothes, threw my robe around my body, and headed for the
bathroom. It was weird being this naked in Nadia's house without her being
here. I actually felt kind of naughty.

Adjusting the temperature, I could have sworn I heard the garage door
open. I listened for another minute, but heard neither the car or the door
close. Okay, Charlie, snap out of it. I stepped into the water jets and
instantly felt like falling asleep--it felt that good. I turned around and
let the water beat down on my sore shoulders. The scar tissue ached when
the heat touched them, then sent that jolt of sexual energy through my
body.

"Want some company?" Nadia asked, making me jump. Her face was smiling at
me around the curtain. Even from here I could tell she was naked.

"Yeah, actually. That'd be nice."

She stepped in, giggling like a schoolgirl. I shut my eyes to avoid rolling
them. They shot back open when I felt her hands cover my breasts, touching
them so softly that I barely felt it. She ran her tongue up the good side
of my neck. Her hands squeezed the tender flesh, her claws threatening to
break the skin. She went from schoolgirl to dominatrix. And liked it. I
parted my legs when one hers demanded entry between them. Her sharp teeth
replaced her tongue on my neck. My pussy was soaked. Nadia's soft thigh
brushed against my swollen clit causing me to gasp.

I loved the way she masturbated me with her leg like that. The soft skin
gently gliding over my soaked opening, teasing me, making me beg for her to
enter me. Her lovely teeth moved over to my wounded shoulder, her breath
cool against the heat of the running water, eliciting the goosebumps over
my whole body. I will never tire of her being rough with my tits like
that. Her fingers would dig into the skin, but her palms would gently glide
over my nipples; it was enough to make me beg for more, but not enough to
make me come. I could feel my pussy leaking over her leg, the pheromones
only adding to the pleasure. I was becoming overloaded.

"Nadia, please," I breathed. "Fuck me."

I felt her lips pull back into a smile. "Not yet," she purred, forcing her
leg upward. "I'm enjoying you writhe like a good, horny girl."

I don't know what came over me. Maybe it was my new brain going into
overdrive, maybe it was all I could do to get her to fuck me, but the next
thing I knew I threw my head forward and bit her on the neck. As soon as I
had her skin in my mouth I felt her teeth enter mine. She let go of my left
tit and thrust two fingers into me. It happened so fast I didn't feel her
leg move.

I pulled back and cried out. Her teeth drove into my scars just enough to
pierce the skin; her fingers went in much deeper. Her thumb found my
enlarged clit a second later. Nadia pressed it like she wanted me to cum
right then, but quickly thought differently. I felt her digits move inside
of me then quickly stop.

"Oh please, Nadia, I'm so close."

I opened my eyes to beg further only to find that devious smile. "You bit
me," she said, her voice taking on that vampiric edge. Her eyes never left
mine. She jerked her hand in such away that it felt like she wanted to
punish me. "Do you know how hot that was?" A finger bumped into my
G-spot. "Do you, Watcher?" I shook my head. She added a third finger. My
fingernails dug into her back. "Do you want to cum?"

"Yes-s-s." I don't know what I would have done if she kept at this whole
start-and-stop thing.

Her tongue flicked at my earlobe. "My pussy is empty, Charlene," she said,
grabbing my wrist. "Fill it." I wasn't going to argue. She put my hand
against her mound, I did the rest. One finger slipped inside her soaking
wet hole. Then another. I started to finger-fuck her when she whispered,
"More." I added a third. I cocked my wrist to apply the pressure I know she
liked. Only then did she begin grinding her hand against me. She moaned
against my ear, my girl- juice spilled into her hand. "More," she
repeated. As a fourth finger entered her she groaned, "Harder."

It was hard enough to concentrate. I was coming so hard into her hand that
I forgot what day it was. She refused to stop. Good, because so did I. I
loved it when she fucked every drop of cum out of me. Even more so when it
was her tongue. Halfway through it all, I started mimicking what she was
doing to me. My fingers ground into her pubic bone, pulling my palm against
her enlarged clitoris. I don't know how loud we yelled, but I think the
neighbors needed a cigarette. My legs buckled beneath me, gravity pulled me
down harder against her wonderful fingers. My pussy spasmed one more time
before everything went all fuzzy.

The next thing I remember was the thick smell of sex in the steamy air. I
was propped up against the toilet seat wrapped in my towel. My soft terry
towel. My blue vision changed back to normal as everything came back into
focus. A satisfied smile spread on my lips. I haven't orgasmed like that in
a while. My legs were still weak.

"That was nice," I mumbled, my throat hurting a bit.

"You're not done yet," she purred, looking back over her shoulder. She was
in that sexy black stain robe, tied loose enough for me to see
everything. With that dominating cadence, she walked over to me and placed
her legs over my shoulders. Her fingers slid through my wet hair. Suddenly,
she grabbed me and forced my face against her sex. Not that I was
complaining; I think it's hot as hell when she takes charge like
that. Plus, she smelled great. Her other hand reached between her legs and
she opened herself up to me. "Eat me, Charlene. I want to feel your wet
tongue--"

I obeyed, making her words trail off into soft moans. My tongue snaked into
her, my teeth nudging against her soft vulva. I've always loved how good
she tastes. I could eat her pussy for hours and not get enough. And judging
from the force on the back of my head, that's what she had planned. My
tongue fucked her just hard enough to tease the juices out while my mouth
sucked on her sensitive skin. The louder she moaned, the harder I
sucked. The harder I sucked, the tighter her grip on my hair. It wasn't
long before she started grinding her hips against my face.

I looked up to meet her eye. I don't think I've ever turned her on that
much with a simple look. Her dark hair framed her dark eyes just like the
light of the bathroom lightened up mine. I felt her coming a moment
later. I opened my mouth to drink my reward, only to have it flow down my
chin. I groaned into her pussy, begging for more. I tongued her opening
with every ounce of strength I had. My mouth greedily sucked in what she
gave. I don't think I've ever drank from a girl's pussy like that before,
but I loved it. My eyes would plead for more whenever hers would open.

Nadia had to literally pull my head out from between her
legs. "No... more," she panted, that delicate accent making her sound so
innocent. As she fell into my lap, I held my tongue out to travel up her
body. I buried my head between her lovely breasts as she cradled me. I held
her in place and just enjoyed the moment, feeling her heart beat against my
ear. "That was fantastic, Charlene."

"I know, Nadia," I exhaled. "I was there." She chuckled and pulled me back
to kiss me. She cooed when our lips met, tasting her own essence. She
slipped her tongue out and ran it around my lips. "Oh God, that's so
freaking sexy," I thought out loud.

"Why do you think I do it?" she teased before kissing me again.

********************

I don't think I'll ever get tired of watching Nadia get dressed. I
absolutely love seeing her strong naked form move around, bending over to
pick up things that aren't there just to give me a better look. The way she
sashays her hips just to make me drool even more--it doesn't matter that I
just ate her out five minutes ago. And when she's walking around in just
her black lace bra and panties... ah, it doesn't get any better. Especially
that whole thong-thing she's got going on.

She stood in the mouth of the closet, raking through the multitude of
clothes hanging on the bar. "Having fun?" she asked over her shoulder.

"Um, yeah," I said trying not to sound as dumb as I looked. I slipped into
the frilly underwear she had set out for me and stepped up behind her. I
wrapped my arms around her middle and sighed on her still-damp skin,
enjoying the gooseflesh beneath my own. "Find something good?"

"Good is what's holding me up," she murmured back. "But if you mean
clothing, then no. It's hard to concentrate with you doing... that." I
couldn't help but tease. Her head lolled back against my wounded shoulder,
raising the bumps anew.

"Well," I prompted after a second, "What's the plan for tonight? More
research?"

"More like an investigation, actually. But first you need to eat something
other than pussy."

I blinked. "Say what?"

"I want to know who the hell was in my house." That had my attention. "I
noticed that the living room was cleaned up, and not very well. All my
movies are out of order. The TV is offset on its hooks, and the DVD player
isn't in the right place either." Nadia spun and faced me, her sexiness
making a much needed momentary distraction. "I smelled you in there, but I
didn't recognize the other person. There aren't that many people in this
town I don't know."

"Let me get this straight," I said backing up a step, "You could tell I was
in there but didn't know who else?" She nodded. "But I smelled two
different people when I checked it out earlier." Again, she nodded. I
blinked. "You've lost me."

"What you smelled was the other side of you. It's the side of you that's
been dormant until recently. And for you to fight off an intruder without
leaving any blood behind is extremely impressive."

"Whoa, hold up. I would think I might remember a fight..."

"Not like that you wouldn't," my vampire interrupted. "Charlene, you not
only protected the house, but yourself as well. Something in the nature of
dhampirs causes them to shift into a pseudo-vampire during times of extreme
stress, only to suffer from lacunar amnesia." I just stared at her like she
was speaking in tongues. "It means you blacked out during and now you don't
remember it."

Nadia grabbed my waist and ushered me to the bed. "Charlene, you must
understand that you are infected with the vampire virus, it's only
muted. Limited. Those kinds of episodes happen when we vampires lose
control like..."

"Yeah, I get it," I said quickly. "So you don't remember much of that
night?"

"Only bits and pieces," she admitted, looking away. "A true master vampire
can black out during something like that and recall it at will. I neither
can or want to." When she looked back at me her eyes reddened. "There's a
reason why everything goes blank. It isn't right to want to remember
something like that."

I pulled her into me, our near-nakedness suddenly very apparent. "It's
okay, Nadia. I'm still here." I kissed the top of her head as her arms
snaked around my waist.

"I could have really hurt you."

"But you didn't."

She paused to give herself a breath before saying anything. "Why are you so
good to me? Sometimes I feel like I don't deserve you."

"Why? I'm our Watcher, remember? It's what I'm here for, to keep you sane
and beautiful." It felt weird saying that out loud. I don't know if saying
something like that will ever be 'normal', but I've come to learn that
nothing is normal with these people.

I felt her smile. "I don't know what I would do without you, Charlene."

"Yeah, me neither." That got her to laugh a little. I know she was scared
out of her mind about that night, it's caused her to be even more clingy. I
guess that's a good word for it. Whenever we've gotten to be alone
together, she's been extra lovey-dovey. I just hope it doesn't become a
habit. "So what's the deal with my fight today?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. But I would guess it has something to do with
Father Darien visiting you in the hospital."

"He said my price was lifted."

"Don't think that won't keep people from attacking you. You're in our world
now, Charlene. It's a fact that you're going to have to learn to respect
every second of every day." Great. That's another thing I'll never get used
to either: our conversations drifting from our relationship to my survival
like that, that fast. "It's a part of our lives."

"Fair enough, I guess. That doesn't mean I gotta like it though."

"Even renegades don't like it; they just accept it and live with it." Very
true, if one can call that living. Well it is in the most basic sense of
the word, but still. "And before you ask, no, that wasn't a renegade that
was in here with you."

Nadia got up and headed back to the closet. I went over to the dresser to
think and do my own digging around. "Let's start with who we know it wasn't
and go from there?"

I heard my girlfriend laugh a little. "That will be an equally long list,
Charlene."

I moved the same shirt again. "Then what? I don't suppose there's an
olfactory database somewhere." Her silence gave me a start. I spun back
towards her. "Is there?"

"No, not really, at least not in the way you're thinking." She emerged from
the opening with an outfit draped over each arm. "More like a VERY long
list of different odors, kinda like a PDR."

Now it was my turn to laugh a little. "You've got to be freaking kidding
me." I took the one she offered me and started putting it on. I've gotta
say, the girl had taste.

"Again, Charlene, you need to respect certain things about us. When all you
have is time, the mind creates things to keep it occupied. And over the
course of five centuries, that just happened to be one of them."

"How big are we talking?" I asked, checking myself out in the oversized
mirror. Damn my ass looked good in these jeans.

"It's about six inches thick, and given the kind of paper it's printed on
that should put it in the neighborhood of about six thousand pages." I
couldn't help but laugh at that. "Laugh all you want, Charlene, but it's
all I've got to go on."

"Yeah, and then what? You still need a name and physical description if you
want to do, what's a good word? Your thing. You have a better chance of
running into him, or her, by chance twenty years from now."

Nadia expanded her aura, making it hit mine as if we were kids on the
playground, and pushed. It didn't hurt, but it I could tell I was making
her mad. "No. I don't." The look in her eye and those three words answered
every question I might have had about the subject. I just swallowed that
lump in my throat and stared at her for a minute. In that vampire speed,
she appeared before me, making me jump back a little. She was so close that
our breasts grazed against each other. I cooed a little when I felt our
nipples harden against each other. Nadia kissed me and added, "Finish
getting dressed, Charlene. I've got a little surprise for you."

She pulled away to let me do just that. My nipples were poking through my
bra, my pussy was dampening and she just left me hangin'? Bitch.