Date: Sun, 29 May 2011 15:27:52 -0700 (PDT)
From: Nate House <extreamlucky14@yahoo.com>
Subject: Abandoned Blood 17

Though inspired by true events, this story is a work of fiction. It
contains graphic sexual acts between two females characters (among
others). There are scenes herein which depict graphic acts of violence
against the body and mind. If this sort of thing offends your delicate
sensibilities, or if you are not of legal age to view this content in your
area, then leave now. The author accepts no responsibilities for anything
that may befall upon you for any illegal activity. All characters and
events herein are borne entirely from the author's imagination. Any
resemblance to anyone, living or dead, real or fictitious, is entirely
coincidental. No actual event, either past or present, is depicted. The
author retains the copyright to this work and all of it's preceding
chapters; however, if you would like to download this piece for your own
(and your partner's) enjoyment, ask me first. In other words: don't steal
it.

I would like to take this time to acknowledge some people who asked to see
some certain things presented in this chapter. I know most, if not all, of
you have been wondering where Nadia is from and what kind of physical
resemblance Charlie has to Father Darien, so if you'd like to find out then
read on. For those of you who would rather not know, then wait until the
next chapter.

I would like to thank everyone who has been reading Abandoned Blood since
day one; if you are new to the family, then welcome. As most of you know I
always answer the emails and do my best to honor requests. On a personal
note, I'd like to thank everyone who has written in with their support
through the shit that became my life over the last couple of months. I'm
proud to say that things are really looking up. My therapy is going really
well, as is my book, "A Walk On The Wayside: Embrace The Fall". Hopefully
that'll be ready for print by the end of the month. If you'd like more
information about it, all you have to do is email me.

Now sit back, relax, and enjoy Part 17 of Abandoned Blood.

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

Episode 17

A great man once asked a great question: "Have you ever had a dream you
were so sure was real? What if you were unable to wake up from that
dream--how would you know the difference between the dream world, and the
real world?" Damn you to hell, Morphious. That's what I've been feeling
like for the last two-and-a-half months. This is all some sort of fucked up
dream; none of this could be real. Vampires don't actually exist; my
parents didn't actually get killed by one; my brother didn't actually
stumble upon all of this information about our family; I don't actually
have a demonoid-vampire as a father.

No, none of this is actually happening. It can't be happening. My brain has
been numb for the last five days. Everything has been a blur. Hell, I don't
even remember Nadia's feedings. Apparently the sex afterwards was pretty
boring because she's been extra bitchy lately. The kind of bitchy where you
see it in a cafe and you say to yourself, "She needs to get laid. Big
time." Or maybe it hasn't happened at all--I don't remember. Shit, I don't
even remember when Travis, Henry and Sven came over, but apparently they've
been living in the spare bedroom upstairs for the last three days trying to
help us get through all of this shit.

Nadia was standing in the kitchen preparing the humans the same thing I
made for myself the night I met Adriel. I listened to the minute sounds of
the clock ticking, the tomato's fibers being sliced apart, the bubbles in
the water rising to the surface, the knife cutting into the cutting board,
and Nadia's vocal chords flex as she hummed a tune only I could hear. I
ignored the guys as they discussed their theories of what the hell was
going on. I remember thinking that it would be funny as hell if she
arbitrarily started chasing them down the hall with the knife in her hand.

I must've had a spaced-out look on my face, because I felt Sven's aura
shift. Not a second later came the sensation from the other two. "Charlie,
you okay?" came Henry's voice from nowhere.

"Yeah," I replied quietly. "That smells good, doesn't it?"

All three of them just gave me a weird look. "What? The water boiling?"

I paused. "Um, yeah, we'll go with that." I shut my eyes and put my head
into my palm. Now I'm a numbed-out basket case who just looked like a dumb
ass. "Well, I don't know about you three, but I'm starving."

Sven's expression hardened. "That might be because you've only drank that
weird pink water for the last three days." I didn't like his sarcasm, but I
stayed quiet about it. I knew he was worried about me. Besides, he just
lost his parents too. "So it's good to hear that you actually want food."

I warmed at that. "Especially when it's a hot chick doing the cooking."

"Are you hitting on my girl, Travis?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," the troll said, putting his hands up. He looked between
me and Nadia for a couple of seconds then said, "Since when are you two an
actual couple? I thought you were just live-in fuck buddies."

Nadia snickered, I smacked him in the face. "Not cool, troll."

He rubbed his cheek and smiled. "So is that a yes, or a no?"

"About what?"

"Are... you... two... in... love?" he drawled out.

Blunt question if you ask me. I looked over to Nadia, but she pretended
like she didn't hear a thing. I know how she feels about me, but I'm still
on the fence about how I really feel about her. Did I love her? I mean
really love her? I tossed my hands up in defeat. All three of them knew
that's a touchy subject for me. I think that's why the little fucker put me
on the spot like that. Sven and Henry broke eye contact with me, but Travis
looked determined to know. And I didn't like it.

"Why are you asking, anyway?"

"Because I want to know where the two of you stand," he answered in that
'duh' kinda way. I stared into his eyes and read his aura. No lies
there. And neither were the answers I wanted. I stretched out my own aura
to touch his. I noticed his mouth twitched when I made mental
contact. Without saying a word, I asked him why. "Charlie, I not going to
sugarcoat this. We both know love is a powerful thing. Hell, love has a
power all on it's own; it changes the way you see things, it alters your
perspective of the people and world around you. It's even been proven to
alter people's brain patterns. Take what you're doing right now. We've been
best friends for over a decade and this is the most defensive I've ever
seen you. Shit girl, you're freaking me out with this whole domination
thing over being asked about it. Based on that alone, I know that you love
her. Why not just say it?"

I chuckled and pulled my aura back. "You're right, Travis. We've been
friends for a long time, but this is the first time you've gone all
old-wise-man on me. What gives?"

He almost looked offended. "I care about you, Charlie. We all do, everyone
in this room, and we're all scared shitless about they way everything's
been going down. None of us like seeing you this hurt and confused. From
what I hear about this Father Darien guy, if he's as bad as you say he is,
just wait until he finds you like... this."

Great, thanks troll. Now I have that to worry about too, but it would
explain why I haven't been outside much lately. I took a gander around the
room. Each one of them wore a worried expression, and not just for me. Then
I looked down at the table. "It's just a lot to take in. For Christ sakes,
I watched my girlfriend kill my parents then I turned around and blamed
them for the attack. That's not normal."

"None of this is normal," Travis reminded me. "But that's exactly what I
was getting at a second ago. You're in love, Charlie. That's why you
haven't been in your right mind since all of this started happening. I'd
bet money on that. It's the real reason you're confused, not the whole
vampire-Watcher thing."

"Thanks Doctor Katz," I mumbled. I knew Nadia was liking they way Travis
kept picking at me like he was my wise uncle. She's been dying to know
herself since her outburst at the chinese place. "But I'm not going to
answer that, and you know it. I was in love once before. I told her, then
look what happened."

"You were seventeen, Charlie," my half-brother intoned. "Everyone is in
love at that age. Things get fucked up all the time, we both know that. But
you know what? It's okay to be afraid of it."

I sat back, affronted. "Afraid?" I nearly shouted. I put an finger in his
face, holding back the urge to smack him. "You have no idea what fear
is. You weren't there when dad smashed Stacy's head into the wall, or when
he threatened Nadia with the knife that killed mom. You haven't been raped
by the scum that walks the streets at night. You haven't seen what happens
to people when all of their family and friends abandon them. I've been
living in fear for so long I've forgotten everything else, so don't sit
there and pretend to be the brother you never were."

I fell back into my chair, my heart racing. I knew without looking that
Nadia's eyes were almost black from all the emotions flowing in the
room. It took a lot out of me to say that to him. I wanted to cry. The
tears welled in my eyes, but I swallowed them back. Years of pent-up
frustration was boiling through my veins. Mom and dad were dead, I had no
reason to be afraid anymore. Nadia and I would find a way to get her freed
from that monster--we've made it this far. I chanced a glance at her
practiced elegance in the kitchen and beamed. They were right: I was in
love. I was in love with a one of the hottest chicks I've ever met in my
life. I was in love with my rapist. I was in love with a vampire.

"Feel better?" Henry asked, touching my arm. I fought off the instinct to
recoil it. The man may have worn his emotions on his sleeve, but rarely
showed them. For him to reach out like that would be like Nadia holding me
in bed at night.

"Not really," I answered, patting this hand. "But thank you." I still
didn't want to say the words out loud, though. I wanted that to be
something special for Nadia and I, when we weren't in a room filled with
perverted guys.

Nadia dumped the pasta into the boiling water and continued humming. I
didn't feel as numb, but my mood didn't increase much either. This wasn't
fair. Why did all this shit have to happen to me? I mean seriously, what
was so goddamn special about me? That I was Father Darien's daughter, or
the fact that he was hell-bent on wanting to see me suffer and die? What
kind of fucking monster was this guy? His entire existence was nothing but
misery and pain personified, and he spent his life bringing it upon
others. He played with their lives because he saw himself as having no
equal--any idiot could tell that.

"Alright," Travis said after another moment of silence. "What do we have?"

"Not much," Henry answered. "We know we're dealing with a deranged
psychopath. The man is fucking nuts, I saw his handiwork for myself just
yesterday."

Sven perked up. "Where? Who?"

Henry shrugged. "I don't know who, but this person was completely wasted. I
knew he was a vampire, but he was also one of those--whatcha call
it?--bleeders. His neck, shoulders and wrists were all ate up,
literally. His entire body was one huge bite mark. But as I watched him, he
took another bleeder and fed on her. She screamed like she was getting off
on it. Then hen he was done feeding, she fell to her knees and started
blowing him... it was the most sickening thing I've ever seen." The poor
guy's face was turning white by the time he was done.

"I've seen it myself," I mumbled. "Only that one was being raped in the
process."

Nadia's aura shifted at the memory of something similar. "Where did you see
this, Henry?" Sven asked, though we could tell he didn't want to.

The blonde troll made a hook-motion with his hand. "Just around the corner
where North Lawn Street intersects with West Needmore." Sven and Travis
blanched. They could throw a rock and hit that spot from the porch.

"Any news on Tiffany?" Sven asked Nadia, who was busying herself with
mincing the basil that she finished five minutes ago.

She shook her head. "No." The girl refused to take her eyes off the cutting
board. I knew she was close to losing it, from both our emotions and her
own. Hell, I could smell the change in the air.

Travis looked at me for confirmation. "You either?"

"I don't even remember you guys coming over here. I've had my own problems
to deal with."

"What else do we know about this asshole?" Sven asked in a dire attempt to
get back on topic.

"We know he is very rich and very powerful, both politically and
physically." Henry kept his voice upbeat in a vain attempt to keep everyone
calm. "He owns most of the underground clubs and controls most of the
vampire community with his status as the coven's Master. In those circles,
his word is the command of God."

"That's not entirely true," I said. "It is true that he holds power over
the vampires and most of the humans hang-arounds, but there are a select
few that he either doesn't care about or thinks are below his notice. They
live outside of the coven's rules, but are not renegades."

The three guys looked at me like I was speaking a foreign language. "What
the hell are you talking about, Charlie?" Sven asked first. "We're talking
about guy that not only kills for boredom, but for pride. We're talking
about a sadist who kills in the worst ways imaginable for something as
small as not liking his food. He has his nose so far up his own ass that he
doesn't care about anyone else. You said yourself that you've seen his work
firsthand. Hell, you ARE his handiwork."

I looked at him askance. "Very funny, but that's exactly my point."

"I'm lost."

"Travis, remember your Freshman year?" He thought about it, then
shrugged. I rolled my eyes. "Sixteenth Century World History. We were going
over the French and British's struggles for control of the Atlantic trade
routes. Because those two got so involved with each other, with their own
pride blinding them to everything else happening that both of them ended up
losing. The Spanish were the ones that came out on top."

"What does that have to do with this?" Travis asked, clearly confused.

"Pride is the biggest weakness of all." It didn't have the response I was
hoping. "Father Darien is so proud of everything he's built and owns that
he can't see anyone taking him down, especially the little morsels that he
thinks of as playthings."

Nadia stiffened at that. The guys gave a much needed sigh of relief. "Okay,
but that still leaves us with one huge problem: How you gonna do it?" asked
Sven, leaning back in his seat. "The man can read peoples' minds, he can
see their entire lives in the blink of an eye, and know the worst way to
torment them."

I smiled for the first time in a while. "He can't read everyone's."

Nadia stopped dead in her tracks. In a near panic her gaze bounced around
the table, her confidence waning with each tick of the clock. She fell back
against the counter, something clearly bothering her. "No," she nearly
shouted. "You have no idea what you're asking." She braced herself against
the granite countertop, her fingers dug in so hard I could hear the stone
moaning from the pressure. "I can't do it."

The room suddenly turned into a pheromone-filled madhouse. The guys
scrambled to get out of the kitchen and into a place where they could
easily escape. Their bedroom does have a good sized window. Somehow, either
through a strong will of her own or some borrowed from me, she didn't fall
back on her instincts to chase and bite them. Or she was too terrified by
whatever was bothering her to care. And I had a good idea what that would
be.

In a show of support, our eyes locked on each others. All of my personal
problems were summed up in that one look on my vampire's face. She was
scared to death about actually going against the man who tormented her
since she came to this country nearly a hundred years ago. One hundred
years of isolation, rapes--physical, emotional, and mental; beatings,
murders. Visual reminders of who and what she was back then, and who she
was now were all around her. Even in this very house. In the moments ago
she must have relived all of the pain from the last century.

I slowly made my way to her. She was cowered in the corner, clawing at the
cabinets as if they were a cell wall. She closed her eyes, but I knew they
were as black as her master's soul. Nadia was completely vamped out. Vamped
out and scared for her life.

"Nadia," I whispered with my mind, reaching out with my hand. "I'm here."

"GO AWAY!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, her hands over her
ears. "I DON'T WANT TO! NO! I SAID NO!"

"I know you did, Nadia." I used my actual voice. "I'm not Father Darien,
Nadia. I'm Charlene. I'm your Watcher, remember." I knelt beside her, but
refused to touch any part of her. "Tell me what's wrong."

My girl was balling her eyes out. After a moment of allowing herself to
feel my presence next to her, my vampire sobered up enough to say,
"Charlene?" She looked at me only once, then refused to meet my eye
again. "I told him I didn't want to. I told him I didn't want to be a part
of his coven anymore. I told him that I wouldn't let him take you from me
like he did Marianna." I fought back the urge to say something. "I told him
that I wouldn't let him kill you. I told him that I wanted you for myself,
forever." That put a smile on my face. "I told him that I'm in love with
you; that you're my Watcher, and I'm you're vampire--me and no one else. No
one else can have you. No one else can touch your mind, or your blood."

"That's very sweet of you, Nadia," I said as sincerely as I could, "But
when did all of this happen? Just now?" She nodded her head, still refusing
to look at me. "You told me a while ago that you were able to fight him out
of your head."

"I can, but he can still tell me things while he's in there." She sniffled,
then added, "He's still stronger than me. It takes me minute to get him
out." Finally, she looked at me and put her hand on mine. I smiled as
warmly as I could, not paying attention to the voices in the other room. I
hated seeing her like this as much as she hated being being seen, but it
was reassuring to know that she still feels things like that. If nothing
else it proves that she's her own person and hates what that asshole tried
to turn her into.

"Nadia, I know you're scared, but this is the only way we can free you from
him. And me, and Tiffany, and Marianna, and all of those others who live in
fear of what he might do." I tried to sound more confident than I felt. She
didn't buy it.

"That's not what I'm afraid of entirely," she answered in a somewhat
thicker accent. "You don't fuck with these people, Charlene. They fuck with
you. After this much time, you still don't understand what you're asking of
me, do you?"

"Meaning?"

"Meaning these people--my people--are vindictive and very violent. When
they see something they want, they stop at nothing until they have it. Same
goes for protecting that which they have. You've seen me when I've
protected you." I swallowed that image back. "Can you imagine what they're
gonna be like when you try to upset the entire social order? I know I
can't."

I sat down beside her. I leaned my head back against the cabinets and tried
to think. "Alright, explain to me what'll happen. And spare me the usual
you-don't-want-to-know crap."

Nadia huffed, blowing a lock of her beautiful black hair away from her
delicate face. "The coven is a very tight-knit group of vampires. Each one
of them has in them the promise to be just as deranged as Father
Darien. They will capture you, Henry, Travis, and Sven, and put them in a
room to be used as bleeders; they will use you to test new interrogation
methods to find out who else has risen up against their master. They will
take me and leave me in a windowless room with no blood, food, or water,
and wait until I've lost my mind before they let me out." A tear escaped
her eye before she spelled out that last sentence. "I've seen those
dungeons, Charlene. They make this neighborhood look like paradise. I'm not
going to let them do that to you. Or me. The screaming, the voices, the
stench... no, I won't let you suffer like that."

I've tried to picture what the vampire underground would look like more
than once. My imagination is pretty nasty, but I don't think I was coming
close to the actual thing. "I heard some time ago that the other coven
masters would like to see Father Darien ousted, or killed. But they haven't
dared touch him. Why not?"

"Where did you hear this?" Nadia snapped.

"From the man himself. I know Adriel's hinted at it, in his own way. Plus
the things I've read in my history books..." I let my voice trail
off. Something about everything I've been told clicked in my head. "Oh
shit."

"What?"

"Get Amber and Sylvia over here," I commanded, getting up. "Guys, get in
here! You all need to hear this."

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

The seven of us gathered in the living room, seated in a semicircle in
front of the big screen TV. Weird that we've never turned it on, but in a
large group we instinctively gravitated towards it. Amber sat next to
Nadia, while Sylvia practically sat in Sven's lap. The other two boys tried
to keep that masculine veneer of confidence and false bravado on their
faces. I didn't have the heart to tell them that all of us women could see
right through it.

It took me a moment to get this started. We each looked down at the dinner
that Nadia was gracious enough to cook for all of us, but I don't think any
of us were really hungry. "I bet you're all wondering why I call the other
two girls over." Sven tried a bite and nodded. He made his icky-face and
stopped eating. So did everyone else. "Okay, here it goes. Nadia, remember
that note that you found underneath your pillow?" It sounded like a good
icebreaker.

"Yes," she answered nodding. She turned to Amber then back to me. "Why?"

"It was signed by a woman named 'Ambrosia', right?" Again she
nodded. "Well, I gave it to Sylvia to have it translated, but I can spare
us all of that. After what happened at my parent's house I've been thinking
a lot. Or at least trying to. But when I was thinking back through
everything I've seen about my family, one name kept coming up. Betsy. Yes,
Sven, our great-aunt. The handwriting matches exactly to a birthday card I
received last year."

"But mom said she was dead," he countered. "We haven't heard from her in
nearly two decades."

"You haven't, but I have. Remember, I'm this generation's family lesbian,
just like she was. I've kept my contact with her a secret from everyone by
having our letters sent through Tiffany's mailbox."

Travis chuckled. "That explains a lot."

Ignoring that, I turned my attention to Amber. "Amber, that means that
you're my cousin."

"What?" she asked, startled by the sound of her voice. Even Nadia gave a
small gasp, quickly covered up by a graceful hand motion. The same hard
realization washed over her face as I'm sure I wore those few days
ago. "No. There is absolutely no freaking way I'm related to that son of a
bitch."

I nodded in sympathy. "Funny. That's exactly what I said. But it gets even
weirder."

"How much weirder can this get?" Sylvia asked, instantly regretting it. "I
mean, I haven't even gotten the damn note translated yet."

"You don't have to. I may not have been able to read the language, but I'm
not an idiot. I recognized some of the words from my old high school
foreign language classes." Henry let out a little laugh. If it wasn't for
him I wouldn't have passed those classes. "The translation is a little,
shall I say, soggy, but the words 'kinship', 'family', and 'demon' appeared
several times. I'm no expert, but after hearing what little I learned from
mom's last words, what Sven told me last week, on top of what I learned in
my history texts from the library, it wasn't hard to add it all up."

Everyone gave me a curious look. "What history text?" Travis asked, looking
around as if speaking for everyone.

"The one I checked out for our research project for Economics, remember? It
was the one I refused to let out of my sight." I turned around and picked
it up for everyone to see. I opened it up to the earmark I made in the
chapter that talks about early sixteenth century aristocracy. "Nadia, I
found this after you told me the story of Count Gregor de Rais and his
wife." I held open the page and asked, "What names are beneath these
pictures?"

Her expression went crestfallen. "Count and Countess de Rais," she mumbled.

"Exactly, and who does he bare a striking resemblance to?"

She let out an annoyed noise and looked back at the pictures. Her face
hardened the longer she stared. "He looks a lot like Father Darien."

"Yes," I said as I turned to Sven. "And who does she look a lot like?"

"Oh shit," he mumbled, rubbing a hand over his face. "Aunt Betsy."

"Whoa, wait a minute," Sylvia nearly shouted. "The countess was killed by
the count." I nodded in agreement. "If that's the case then how--"

"They had several children," Amber interrupted. "Any one of them could have
a line that lead to Charlie's aunt."

"Exactly." I don't know why, but knowing all of this was out in the open
was making me feel a whole lot better. "I'm guessing that Aunt Betsy,
assuming that's even her real name, found out about my newly found
abilities and decided to write to the one person who would be able to help
me out."

"How would she know you and Nadia had hooked up?" Henry asked.

I paused for a second. Good question. "Henry, actually both of you boys,
need to understand that our brains don't work like yours do. She could have
found me in any number of ways. Granted that all of the letters I got from
her were postmarked from different towns, but all of them have been around
this area and some county near the Ukraine/Romanian border."

"Where exactly?" Nadia asked softly.

"I can't pronounce it. I looked it up one time on the internet; it's about
a day's drive from Bucharest."

"No shit." The uniquely American phrase sounded so weird in her
accent. "She could have been near my hometown."

I shrugged. "Yeah, maybe. And if that's the case then she's been snooping
around my life since before I was even born into the vampire world."

"Do you think she's one of the seers that the Brotherhood sent after Father
Darien?" Sylvia asked, suddenly back to her perky self.

"Again, maybe, but the real question would be why my very old aunt would be
sent in to take down Father Darien's coven in the first place. Maybe she
was close to finding something juicy because before my last birthday card,
the last I heard from her was three years ago. Which brings us back to my
lineage." I looked at the pictures of the royals again, but with a
discerning eye. "I think we can agree that my skin tone, eye color and
shape, nose and cheek bones come from either one of these two."

"Yeah, but what about only having half of the virus?" Sylvia asked,
standing up to start pacing. "It's such a rare occurrence that most people
don't believe a real dhampir could possibly exist."

I smiled and made a gesture. "In yet here I am. Dark hair and all." Travis
snickered at that. He often joked that Tiffany and I could be sisters with
how closely our hair matched. That would explain my childhood fascination
with hers. "All physical resemblance aside, I'm still at a loss as to how
he pretends to not know anything about this."

"I was thinking that too," Nadia said suddenly. "He's never made even a
hint about you being a daughter of his after all this time." She turned
back to Sylvia, who was pacing and biting her thumbnail. "I would think he
would take that into consideration and rethink his reasoning for hunting
you."

I made a face. "Did you have to phrase it that way?" Then put my hand
up. "Don't answer that." The room fell silent. We all just started looking
at each other, hoping someone else would be the first to speak up.

"Okay," Henry said after a few more ticks of the clock. "Now that we know
to whom you're related, what difference does that make in taking him down?
I mean, like you said, he gets off on seeing people suffer, so do you
honesty think knowing that you're being tortured to death by your own
father is going to help any?"

That sent a chill up my spine. Damn Henry for always being the thinker. "I
don't think he knows that I'm his daughter," I said in the most positive
voice I could muster. "If I told him who and what I am, then maybe he would
back off and find something else to do."

Both Nadia and Amber shook their heads. "Wishful thinking," they uttered in
unison.

"Okay," I exhaled, putting my hands on my hips. "You two have a better
idea?" After a quick glance, they shook their heads again.

"The one thing I can't put my finger on is how any of this has to do with
Adriel," Sylvia said to no one in particular. "He's been here for every
turn, watching everything that happens between you and Father Darien, but
neither one of them has really acted on anything."

I scoffed. "He put a price on my ass."

"Then he lifted it after several of his best hunters were killed." I
thought about the two bodies outside, then the one that attacked me in the
basement. "You've told me yourself that the two of you have had a
face-to-face after that, so why didn't he do anything to you then?"

I lifted a shoulder. "He smack me a good one the last time I was alone with
him."

She raised an eyebrow. "That was it?" I was about to protest when she
nodded towards the two vampires. "Look what he did to them." I don't think
THAT could have come out any less tactful. "You're telling me that the guy
who holds dominion over this entire area, the guy who would love nothing
more than to torture you to death in the cruelest ways possible, had you in
his hands and all he did was smack you in the face?"

I thought back to that night. "Well, Adriel was standing right
there... sort of. Maybe he thought he was protecting me so he did what he
could get away with." The other six in the room either laughed, shook their
heads, or both. Good, I wasn't the only one who thought that was a stupid
thing to say. "Any other theories?" Sylvia, Amber, Travis, and Henry each
let out an exaggerated sigh. No one spoke up. Sven looked back at his
girlfriend and let out a breath. Nadia and I exchanged a glance before
breaking off to look at the rest of the group. I rubbed the sides of my
head, then said, "Alright, if there's nothing else, then why don't we pick
up this conversation tomorrow?"

"Sounds good," Amber said getting up. She went over to the big chair and
retrieved her coat. Every one that didn't live here followed suit. We gave
a series of hugs before anyone was allowed to leave. The cold October air
had us all feeling a chill that wasn't borne of the weather. This was the
season of weird shit to happen after all. And it doesn't get much weirder
than this.

Nadia and I stood in the door and watched as all of the cars disappeared
into the night. Her arms snaked around my middle. The slight tightening of
her grip had me feeling both safe and worried. This was a long night for
everyone. Not only did I not have a plan, but now every single person I
cared for was wrapped up in all of this shit. Just thinking about it made
me want to cry. I didn't want to bring it up to anyone, but not a single
word was spoken of Tiffany. Or rather, the lack of Tiffany. Or Marianna,
for that matter. The last time I saw her she wasn't looking so good. But at
least she had someone who knew people with her. It's like finding solace
that your crack-addicted friend has a safe place to shoot up. It scared me
how close that analogy really was.

Nadia's nose nuzzled against my scar. I let out a soft moan, allowing her
to have her way with it. Her left hand slid up from my midsection to
lightly travel over the curve of my breast. I barely felt it through the
lace of my bra. My head lolled back against her--I was hers and she knew
it. Her mouth soon met mine. With the pressure of a feather, our lips slid
over each others. That wonderful tingling travels through my body, and
hers. "Take me downstairs," I whispered just before her mouth covered my
shoulder.

My vampire pulled me away from the door and spun me around. I felt her
claws dig into the fabric of my shirt as she kissed me with the force of a
long-lost lover. Her nails pressed against my skin, her soft tongue licked
around my lips then down my neck. Just as I closed my eyes again, Nadia
lifted me up and took me into the dining room. It happened so fast I didn't
even have time to squeal. She set me down near the top of the stairwell. "I
missed you, Charlene."

The softness of her eyes pierced right through me. She was hurt by my
mental absence these last few days. And it hurt me to know that. "I missed
you too, Nadia," I said stroking her cheek. I pulled her mouth back against
mine. My vampire forced me back against the wall. Her hands continued that
beautiful molestation of my body; she was vamped out, and for all the right
reasons. If my girl wanted blood, she was going to get and so much
more. One of her claws touched my scar, sending a tidal wave of juices
through my pussy. "Please, Nadia... Take me to bed." I have no idea how I
got that out, but I did.

Before I knew what happened, Nadia had me sprawled out on the bed. I sat up
to watch her undress. My vision changed over so I could she her in all of
her curvaceous glory. The long tresses of her ebony hair, the ample swells
of her tits that weren't too big or too small, the flat of her stomach, and
well defined hips. This girl got me wet just thinking about her body. I
squeezed me thighs together just to get through the show she was putting
on. I love it when she looks me dead in the eye and takes it off like a
pro. My nipples hardened, I cooed when she licked her lips.

Ever so slowly, she slid her bra down her arms and off her chest. She put a
finger in her mouth then slid the digit between her breasts. I put my legs
over the side of the bed to get closer. She took it as a sign that I wanted
a lap dance. Fine by me. Her nearly-naked form straddled my thigh. I must
have had the brightest smile on my face when she pulled my head down to one
of her nipples. She loves it when I pinch it between my teeth while running
my tongue over it. I felt her goosebumps rising. I dug my nails into her
soft skin as I continued suckling on her offering. I barely even noticed
her starting to rub her pelvis against my leg in time with my motions.

Nadia pulled my head back and kissed me. She slid off my leg--adding
pressure between hers--and proceeded to remove what was left. I starting
rubbing my own tits when her pants slid down her well defined legs. She
hooked her thumb into the waistband of her thong and looked me square in
the eye. "If you want me, take it off."

I love it when she takes charge. I fell to my knees, running my hands up
her calves. My thumbs pressed into the soft flesh of her inner thighs as my
fingers grabbed her panties. I slowly lowered the garment, allowing my nose
to be filled with the heavenly aroma of her moist sex. In what looked like
one motion, she stepped out of her thong, threw me back on the bed and
straddled my shoulders. I would have giggled if I wasn't so hungry. I
wrapped my hands around her hips, pulling back the outer fold of her vagina
making her clit that much easier to tease.

"Just fuck me, Charlene," she commanded. I lifted my head towards her. She
gasped immediately as my wet tongue ran up her open slit. I felt a hand
hold my head against her, grabbing my hair. My tongue dove deep into her
velvety folds, fucking her with every inch I had. I've always loved how
easily her pussy opened for me to fuck her like that. I lifted and lowered
my mouth muscle against her walls, pulling it out then shoving it back
in. It wasn't long before I felt her grinding against my face. My mouth
started sucking against her sensitive clit. I groaned against her, sending
vibrations through her love-hole. I sucked with my mouth, then fucked with
my tongue. My nails scratched her skin. Her grip on my hair tightened.

Somehow, I pulled my mouth off of her, my chin dripping with her
juices. She opened her eyes and looked down at me. I put one of my fingers
into my mouth to get it damp--I think my nails might have drawn blood. Her
yes, black as sin, smiled back at me. Nadia grabbed my wrist and directed
me to where she wanted it. The vampire lowered herself down on my hand,
moaning as I slipped inside of her. She continued to stare down at me,
fucking herself on my raised finger.

"More," she breathed, refusing to look away. Oh my god, it was so hot to
watch her fuck herself on me. A second finger slipped into her. Her
bouncing quickened. Her tits were shaking from the impact. "More," she
repeated a few moments later. I smiled and gave her what she wanted. My
third finger entered her. Trying to be sneaky, I slid my thumb out just
enough for it to hit her clit when she came back down. Her walls tightened
around my digits.

"I'm so close..." she moaned. I bent my fingers ever so slightly, teasing
her G-spot. Nadia got so lost in her building climax that she stopped
bouncing. Instead, I decided to give her a good finger fuck. My tongue
attacked her lit from above as the speed of my hand increased. "Don't
stop!" Almost there, I thought. I moaned in anticipation. "Don't stop,
don't stop, don't stop..." I wouldn't think of it.

I groaned against her opening. "Give it to me," I mumbled. "Just cum all
over me." That did it. She grabbed my wrist and her glorious spray splashed
against my face. It's been too long since I've had this. I couldn't
stop. And neither could she. I kept fucking her, she kept cumming. Nadia
screamed so loud that my new ears went deaf for a second. But I didn't
care. I missed this too much.

"Stop... No, no more." Nadia fell over to her side of the bed, covered in
sweat. Her whole body shook from the countless orgasms running through
her. I swear she was about to cry from relief. The whole upper half of my
body was saturated in her juices. After another minute, she opened her
eyes. "That was amazing," she breathed out.

I propped myself up on my elbow. "I know; I was there." When she smiled I
saw her fangs at full extension. For some reason they seemed to be getting
longer.

"Sit up and turn around, Charlene," she said in that phone sex voice. I
obeyed. I felt her presence behind me stir. Her strong but delicate fingers
ran up the sides of my neck. There was a moment of coldness before her
teeth sank into me.

I squealed from the force of the bite. I knew from experience to just relax
and let the saliva and pheromones do their job. A soothing sensation took
over my aura. Nadia's coated mine with the love and affection she felt for
me. In an instant, it turned from love to lust. And I wanted it. The walls
of my pussy convulsed, my juices leaked out of me. My hands roughly grabbed
my breasts, rubbing them through the fabrics of my clothes. No, they were
in the way. I pulled and ripped my shirt clean off of me. I unhooked the
front clasp of my bra just so I could play with my bare tits. Lost in the
throes of passion, I rolled my fingers over my nipples to the point of
pain. But it felt so good.

Nadia sucked at the nape of my neck. I reached back and held her in
place. My pussy begged for attention. My other hand reached between my legs
and tried to get me off. But again, there were too many clothes in the
way. I fought with the button and zipper of my jeans, but nothing
happened. This was so no fair. My orgasm was building up with no chance for
release. I screamed out, my hand trying in vain to rub it out of me. The
sucking continued. My head was in the clouds, but my anger was building. I
had to cum, I needed to cum.

I felt my body fall. I landed on something soft and wet. My eyes creaked
open, Nadia let out an animalistic sound of desire and wanton lust. The
crimson smile she gave me told all I needed to hear: she was about to feed
on more than my blood. Her extended claws traveled down my cleavage and
over my stomach. With her ass up in the air, she undid the button and
zipper. The cold air hit my pussy-soaked legs, but for some reason that
just made the visage that much hotter.

I felt her tongue travel up my slit through my satin panties. Oh my god,
that was incredible. Using the cloth as a barrier, she bit down on my sex
and lightly gnawed at my sensitive skin. Her fingers slipped underneath the
underwear and pulled my hole open. I don't know how, but she managed to
slide a finger in me while holding me open. She pressed against my walls
with just enough force to piss me off. I grabbed her hair and squeezed her
head between my thighs. "Fuck me, Nadia." Her teasing continued. "I need to
cum so bad, please fuck me!"

She pulled my panties aside, then her face diapered. Her nice long,
eel-like tongue slipped into me. I love feeling that muscle bounce around
inside my pussy, hitting everyone of my spots like only she knows how;
feeling that hotness from her mouth against my labia while her tongue licks
from the inside out is the most amazing thing ever! I bucked my pelvis
against her face, demanding she go faster. Her hands pried me open even
more. Her perfect teeth pressed against my exposed clit. I had to bite down
on a pillow to keep from losing my voice. I felt her tongue turn upwards,
licking directly on my G-spot in time with her mouth and fingers playing
outside. When our eyes locked, I couldn't take anymore. Watching this hot
chick eat me out, her eyes staring up at me as I get off...

I almost cried when Nadia pulled her tongue out of me. "NO! Put it back in!
Please, I'm so close!" She just smile and ran a finger though my dripping
wet slit. I reached up, grabbed her hair and forced back between my
legs. "Please, I need to cum! Put it back in."

"You want to cum all over your vampire?" she asked in that innocent
schoolgirl tone.

"I'm not playing," I whined. "I need to see my cum drip off your
face. Please, Nadia, I'm begging you!"

She didn't give me time to beg further. Before that last word left my
mouth, hers was back at doing what she does best. She pressed her hot
tongue against my favorite spot and held it there as the pressure built
back up. Her hand vigorously rubbed my swollen clit harder and harder. I
went back to the pillow, but I'm sure I was loud through it.

Then it happened. My pussy erupted in a tidal wave of girl juice. I didn't
even feel Nadia's tongue leave me, but her hand never slowed. It just kept
pouring out me like a never-ending cascade. When I tried to grab her wrist,
Nadia grabbed mine in turn and held me down. With her face an inch from
mine, she purred, "I want it all."

Before I knew what was happening, Nadia started grinding her pussy against
mine. Our clits brushed against each others, her hands squeezed my bouncing
tits. Before long I felt her pussy leak more girl sauce against mine. As if
on cue, that caused another eruption from my depths. Nadia pulled away and
began fingering me to get it all out. As she did that, she fingered herself
for one last orgasm before we both collapsed in a heap of spent
sexiness. If it wasn't for the overpowering smell of girl-sex, we probable
would have fallen asleep in the lake of our cum.

"We need to take a bath." I couldn't agree more. We needed a bath, then a
good night's sleep. We had a long day tomorrow.

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

Nadia woke me up with the smell of freshly cook pancakes. With
blueberries. I cooed a little as I stirred on the upstairs bed. I don't
know when she got on this whole cooking fix, but I liked it. "Good
morning," she said to my mind. "Sleep well?"

It's creepy that she knows when I'm awake. All I could do was smile and get
out of bed. The aroma of breakfast cooking helped. Nadia must have changed
my clothes, because I got up wearing a wife-beater and sleeper shorts. And
yes, it was cold in here this morning. By the time I got to the dining
room, Nadia threw a few pieces of bacon down on the skillet. Seriously,
when did she go to the store?

"Smells good," I complimented taking a seat.

My vampire looked over her shoulder and grinned from ear to ear. "Thank
you. I wanted this to be special after the night we had."

It would have been amazing if it hadn't been for the earlier
conversation. Thinking back on it I couldn't see any other way around
it--my father was a monster and I had to kill him. I had to kill him to
free Nadia and myself from his hold. The Order wanted him dead, but didn't
dare send anyone in to do the job. Which raised another good question: Why
not?

"What's bothering you?" came Nadia's voice from nowhere. "You seem a bit
down."

"Just thinking." I leaned back and let the aroma of her cooking overtake my
senses. "That smells good."

She plated up a few cakes and plopped a few pieces of bacon beside
them. Her hips sashayed over to the table, the belt of her robe bouncing
off her legs. "Enjoy," she said with a knowing grin, sliding the plate in
front of me. The syrup was already on the table. And a glass of
O.J. appeared out of nowhere. "That's really creepy, Nadia," I mumbled when
I felt her presence shift behind me.

I felt her beaming from the compliment. "You like my cooking?"

"You know I do," I said, cutting a blueberry-filled piece off. Wow, now I
know what Meg Ryan meant in that scene. She just beat out
daddy-dearest. "This is wonderful. Are you going to eat anything?"

"Working on it," she said from the stove. Now she was just showing off. She
wasn't vamped out, stressing out about today, or anything. "As soon as
you're done we need to go for a little walk."

I paused. "Why?"

"Before you woke up, I got a call from one of the neighbors down the
street." I almost laughed. "I'm being serious, Charlene. He says he's
keeping Tiffany and Marianna safe in his basement." The fork stopped
halfway inside my mouth. "No need to worry, he's the only neighbor that I
would trust for anything."

"That doesn't make me feel much better." I leaned back in my chair. It's
been weeks since I last heard from her. I was thrilled to hear she was
still alive and still attached to Marianna's waist, but at the same time,
her life was so fucked up that she'd rather be dead. "Is that all he told
you?"

The vampire shrugged. "I don't hear from him often, and he doesn't say much
about anything. However, the tone of his voice told me they were doing
okay. Well, as good as two bleeders can be."

That last bit killed my appetite. Suddenly the bacon took on a whole new
perspective. Nadia's face gave me a silent apology. Using that word is
normal to her, but I used to love Tiffany; we've been best friends since
before either of us could remember, so hearing Nadia talk about her so
easily like that made me uneasy. It reinforced the notion that true nature
of vampires isn't the Hollywood glamour, but ugliness and violence. That's
why they go through such great lengths to hide it.

"I'll get the dishes later, Nadia." Nodding to the back to the bedroom, I
said, "Let's get dressed."

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

I'll never get tired of Nadia making/picking out my clothes. Everything
from the lingerie to the jeans to the coats and jewelry to the shoes all
matched and fit me perfectly. I don't think I want to knowhow she got my
sizes and measurements. I decided to wear the necklace with the twin rubies
on the side--a nice joke of the vampire community. Along with the
tight-fitting, long sleeve black shirt and black jeans, I wore the boots
that Nadia had made especially for me.

She decided on a similar outfit to mine, but she decided to wear a little
eyeliner and her black leather trench coat. She looked like pure sex in a
gothic getup. Just as she walk past me towards the garage door, I wanted to
get one last kiss in before the day really went downhill--it always does
whenever I see another one of Nadia's friends.

"That was nice," she purred with her eyes still closed. I smiled in
agreement and opened the door for her.

"Why are we driving?" I asked.

"Just in case," she answered without looking at me.

I followed her into the garage. "Just in case of what?"

She opened her door and looked over the roof at me. "We're not human,
Charlene. They are." And that was the end of that.

We both had to throw on our sunglasses to keep the morning sun from
blinding us. The drive down the street was so quiet that I didn't even
realize that the radio was turned off--the exact opposite of my first ride
in this car. All I remember about it was all the noise.

Nadia made a few turns around the block. She kept looking in the rearview
mirror, and that made me nervous. I pushed my aura out to try to get a read
on hers, but I couldn't. "Nadia, you're freaking me out. What's going on."

"I'm making sure your father isn't having us tailed." Did she have to
phrase it that way? After one last turned, she braked in front of a
house. "We're here," she declared. I didn't appreciate the ominous tone
lilt in her voice. She gave one last look over her shoulder and got out of
the vehicle.

"Peachy," I mumbled, following suit. She came around the front and took my
hand. Now she was really scaring me. Her hand was trembling. The quietness
of the street was the most unsettling part of all this. Not to mention the
darkened windows, or the plethora of bolt locks on he front door. This
looked like the creepy neighbor's house from all of these old horror
movies. And this is supposed to be one of the "good neighbors" on this
street. Nadia tugged on my hand. Alright, it's go time.

Nadia knocked some sort of secret code. We both listened intently to the
footsteps coming towards the door. I thought I recognized the cadence, but
I couldn't be sure. Odors weren't all that forthcoming through this
particular door. Come to think of it, this house's door was identical to
Nadia's. I'll have to ask her about that later. The steps halted. A voice
that I didn't recognize called through, "It's open. Everyone's waiting
downstairs."

Weird to have that many deadbolts and chains on a door and not have them
locked. I guess he's one of those friends. Swell. Nadia just shrugged and
pushed it open. As soon as the air seal was broken, about a dozen different
scents hit me all at once. When he said everyone, he meant
everyone. Tiffany, Marianna, Sylvia, Amber, Travis, Henry, Sven, the guy
himself, and... Marcus?

"You must be the famous Charlie," the not-so-attractive thirty year old
said with a smile. For all of the muscles on his body, his face looked like
it was beaten with an ugly stick. His house looks like a time capsule from
fifties. Charming, but definitely once belonged to his grandma.

"So it would seem," I retorted looking around. "I guess I'm famous to
everyone except me."

"Just as witty as I remember," he replied, ushering us in so he could close
the door. He grinned at my curious glance. "I hope you would remember me
from the phone a few days ago. I'm Ben." I thought back through the week
I've had. His smile fell with each passing moment. "Amber's research
assistant?"

"Oh yeah, I remember you." I feigned a knowing, friendly smile. The last
time I met one of these guys, the man was ripped to shreds and eat from
dinner. Literally. Poor guy has no idea what he's in for should Father
Darien find out about this.

He turned to Nadia. "It's good to see you again." My vampire nodded and
headed for the basement stairs. I was curious myself as to why all of my
old friends were gathered at his house. Plus I wanted to know what Marcus
had to say about his involvement.

Ben followed us down the rickety wooden steps. My knuckles went white as I
descended into the makeshift meeting room. The basement looked like
something out of the Godfather. A few lightbulbs gave off enough light to
illuminate the space, a few mattresses spotted the floor along side some
fold-up tables. I hoped he didn't live down here too. If that were the
case, then I really felt sorry for him in more than one way.

"Charlie!" Tiffany shouted when I reached the bottom. She peeled away from
her brother and lunged at me. I fell back against the wall, but returned
the hug. It felt really good to see her alive and not whacked out. She
actually looked pretty good, for a bleeder. All up and down her neck,
across her shoulders, and covering her wrists were scars from the many
vampires that took a piece of her. "I'm so glad to see you," she said in
her little lost girl voice.

"So am I," I said against her shoulder, holding back a tear. It took a lot
of guts on her part to see me in her condition. I know I would want to
disappear. Seeing her like that, then thinking of the luxury that Nadia
afforded me wasn't fair. She wasn't even supposed to be a part of all
this. "How have you been?"

Without letting go, she answered with, "Getting better."

"I've been so worried about you," I uttered quietly. "I'm so sorry about
all of this. For everything. It isn't fair."

I heard Travis sniffle. He's been having a rough time himself with all of
this too, he's just better at hiding it than I am. Even Nadia's aura
shifted to that of shame and guilt, most likely due to Marianna being in
the room. "I want to make it better." I looked over to where everyone was
seated. "For everyone here. It's all my fault that we've ended up like
this."

"No it isn't," Ben said, taking his seat. "Nadia, Marcus, Sylvia, and
myself chose this. You on the other hand had no say in the matter. Don't
you dare start beating yourself up like that." Nadia, Tiffany and I made
our way over to the round table. Nadia was practically in my lap,
completely avoiding Marianna's woeful gaze. "Everything that's happened to
us here today was not of our making."

"In yet, here we are," I answered. I adjusted my chair, then asked, "Why
are we all here, anyway? I thought most of us went over all of this just
last night."

Ben nodded. "You did, but I thought it best to make sure everyone that
knows about you was here to discuss your plan."

My eyes widened. "You think I have plan? I thought you told Nadia we were
coming here to make sure Tiffany and Marianna were safe."

"And we are. Now that that's settled, let's move on to what we're going to
do about Father Darien and his coven." It wasn't a suggestion. I expanded
my aura and thoughts to read his. In a wave of memories, his manly yet
grotesque appearance made sense. He was a freaking Navy SEAL back in the
day. And based on the instantaneous movie I just watched, he was a damn
good a t his job. No wonder Nadia liked having him on her side.

"The simple version? I want to kill him." There I said it.

"No you don't," Marcus said firmly.

I shot him a nasty look. "And what part in all of this do you play? Another
one of my unsung protectors?"

"Yes, actually. Do you honestly think that of this shit that's gone down
has been my accident?" I paused and sat back. "Good, because it's no
accident. That's how much power and control Father Darien has over this
city. Do you have any idea what'll happen if he gets taken out? All of the
renegades that he scares out of this city will invade like locusts. Every
little peon that thinks he commands the respect of every vampire will fight
for the position. The Order will come down so hard on us to keep the humans
from being exterminated--or interfering--that even more chaos will ensue."
He paused and tried to stare me down. "I was here the last time that
happened. Chaos isn't fun."

"But it's fair," Travis said quickly. The ire in his voice frightened me a
little. "My sister got dragged into this shit because she's Charlie's
friend. I say if my sister has to suffer like this, then let's all suffer."
Henry and I stared at him with our mouths open. "These fucking savages prey
on people like her and me for the shear joy of it, just to get a night's
fun."

Amber look about ready to cry. "You think I enjoy feeding on people? I hate
drinking peoples' blood. I hate myself overtime I look in the mirror. I
hate that it's the only way I can stay sane. If I could stop right now I
would. It's disguising."

"Right, and I suppose you hate the orgasms that come with it, too." Even I
felt that sting.

"Yes I do! It makes me feel like a soulless monster." A couple of tears
traveled down her cheeks. "The way we survive defies the natural order of
nature. That's why we look for voluntary donors."

Travis scoffed. "Voluntary? Like Tiffany, or Marianna?" We all felt the
hurt of that comment. "You call begging on the cold streets like a used-up
whore voluntary? Last night I watched a woman allow herself to get raped
just so that animal would bite her. Is that what you call voluntary?"

"No," Nadia said quietly.

"Or raping someone in a bathroom?" He turned his anger at both of us. "Look
at her, would you? You fucked her in the middle of a bathroom just so you
would satisfy some demon's sick game."

"You don't understand, Travis," Sylvia said in her defense.

"You're goddamn right. I don't understand." The vein in the middle of his
forehead swelled.

"Anyone else share his opinion?" Ben asked the group. Sven raised his hand,
but not his temper.

I let out a breath. If this was how this meeting was going to go, then we
were going to get nowhere. "Travis, Sven," I said calmly, "None of us here
expect you to understand what this is like. Nadia, Amber, and I are
infected with a virus that causes our brains and bodies to act differently
than yours. You understanding us is like understanding what the voices tell
a schizo--unless you've been there, you really can't."

Travis fell back in his chair, his anger spent. He hated that I was right,
as did my brother, but when you're right, you're right. "I hate myself too,
Travis," Tiffany said after a long moment of silence. She too started to
cry. "I don't enjoy sucking some guy's dick for a bite. And your whole rant
just made me feel even more worthless. I fucking hate going through the day
knowing that I'm eventually going to be overpowered by these creatures and
give in to my addiction. And when he's done, the only thoughts that keep me
from killing myself are you and Charlie."

We go from discussing strategy to an intervention. "So," I said after
giving TIffany a few minutes to cry out her frustration. "What are we going
to do about Father Darien? We can't let him keep on going, but we can't
kill him either. So watt other options are there?"

"Put Nadia in his place," Marcus said casually. That got everyone's
attention. "I've heard him say that Nadia is only a couple of steps away
from being a master herself. Why not dethrone him and put her in his
place?"

"Because I don't want to be over the coven," Nadia retorted angrily. "I
just want to live my life with the one I love." She gave my hand a symbolic
squeeze. Marianna chocked back a tear.

"And wouldn't living that life be so much easier without him there to
interfere with it?" Good question Ben. "Isn't your personal freedom worth
anything to you?"

"Not if it causes that many people that much pain and suffering." Both
Amber and I smiled at that. We knew of the lengths she's gone through to
keep people from being hurt. "I won't do it."

"Who else in the vampire community commands as much respect and fear as
Father Darien?" Henry asked, leaning forward.

I answered with the only name I could think of. "Adriel." Everyone in the
know gave that one a good laugh. "You think I'm joking? Yes, he's insane,
but no one else compares to what he can do. I watched him tear another
vampire to shreds without a second thought."

"And that's who you would like to see over the coven?" Marcus asked me,
almost affronted.

"Is he any worse than what we've got now?" I countered. The big black
bouncer dropped his gaze. "Got a better person in mind?" He shook his head.

"Alright, if that's you're decision, how are you planning on getting him to
do it?" asked Ben.

Another good question. I started thinking back through all of the times
I've been with him. All insanity aside, the man was more than capable of
handling the renegades and aggressive peons that lived on the streets. Plus
the two of us had a certain rapport and mutual respect. In his own way, he
always appeared gracious whenever I was around. I have yet to hear of
anyone else say that. But as far as contacting him, I was at a loss. The
man always found me. Never the other way around. I looked up. Everyone was
eagerly awaiting what I had to say. "I have my own way of dealing with
him."

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

Stay tuned for Part 18.

Things between Charlie and Father Darien hit fever pitch when he finds out
the dhampir's plan to get him off his throne. Charlie thought that her
friends have been suffering for the last two months, but she hasn't seen
anything yet.