Date: Wed, 22 Sep 2010 12:34:53 -0700 (PDT)
From: Nate House <extreamlucky14@yahoo.com>
Subject: Abandoned Blood 7

Greetings once again. This is a story about a woman and her vampire, but
it's not a vampire story. It's not a love story, but it is a story about
love, and the power it has to heal, and to destroy. It contains explicit
sexual acts between females, among other people. It contains scenes of
graphic violence and rape. If you are not of legal age to read this type of
story, or if this isn't your cup of tea then please leave now.

Though inspired by true events, all characters and events herein are
entirely of my own imagination and any resemblance to any actual person
either living or dead, real or imaginary, or actual event is entirely
coincidental; I'll leave it to you to decide what's fact and what's
fiction. I'd like to thank everyone who has written to me so far. Thank you
so very much for your support and kind words.


Comments, questions, concerns, and criticism are greatly appreciated.


Enjoy.

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

Chapter 7

Nadia stirred. She had this nice little smile on her face and it just made
my heart melt to see it. The poor girl has gone through things that I can't
even imagine. Truth is I'd rather not know, but I'm sure I'm going to say
something stupid and force her to tell me anyway. Over the past week I've
developed a nasty habit of doing exactly that. But seeing her looking like
my dark savior, I could help but reciprocate the gesture.

I leaned over and gave her a kiss on her forehead. She cooed and gripped
her pillow tighter. I would have loved to stay with her, but I stank of
day-old sex. So did the comforter. With the curtains drawn, it was hard to
discern what time it was, but I figured it was getting late in the
morning. We had a rough night last night. And the sex only proved the
theory I came up with last time I was in this room: sex is the best
medicine.

I got out of bed and went over to the soaking wet comforter. The massive
puddle was still there. It had to be some kind of record. I've never made a
woman cum like that before. It must have been years since my vampire
allowed a Watcher/lover fuck her like that. In a way, I felt honored. If
she could trust not only me to give her a good time, but herself to not
lose control and end up killing me, then I think she's made great progress
towards the sense of normalcy she kept mumbling about while she
slept. There's another thing we share. We both talk in our sleep and say
things we'd never admit to while awake.

I bundled up the massive blanket and headed upstairs as quietly as I
could. She needed the sleep. It's no coincidence that her washer and dryer
are those newer, high efficiency models. They barely make a sound while
running. In fact, it were those rickety stairs that freak me out the
most. Nadia has virtually unlimited resources but she can't get nicer
stairs installed? I'm going to have to talk to her about that.

I don't think I'll find a better bathroom. Nadia may look the part of the
self-hating masochist, but she does offer herself a good manner of
luxuries. The shower stall is one of those multi-head things. She must be
in good standing with her "friends" for them to put something like this
in. All of the heads were adjustable from a relaxing massage to a painful
jet stream-- yes, I found out the hard way. The water temperature didn't
get all that hot, but it stayed there for the thirty minute duration.



I don't why most of my thinking comes from taking a shower. Well, deeper
thinking anyway. Only when we reflect on events past that we see the error
of our ways. Like running out of the house in my night clothes, ignoring
the voices as I did so. Voices that no doubt were concerned about their
little girl and why she was so freaked. Panic has a weird kind of power. In
those moments of fear, the brain shuts down and reverts back to when
everything we did was based on instinct. Maybe I shouldn't think so much on
it, because now I want to know exactly what the fuck happened to me
yesterday.

Why did I get sick from the scent of a barbecue? Why did I panic? How did I
run so far so fast with my eyes closed down a busy street and not get hit?
How did I know all of that stuff about those hookers? And what the hell was
Harold's problem? Just thinking of that asshole had me stressing out
again. Yeah, maybe I shouldn't think so much, but it's my life damn it. I
have a right to now why it's getting more fucked up by the day. Don't I?

I got out of the shower and wrapped a towel around myself. I looked myself
over in the mirror above the sink. I was clean and my skin smooth from that
awesome body wash Nadia buys, my blaring scars aside, of course. I looked
refreshed. I looked ready to begin my day. Even though the shades were
drawn I could tell it was early morning. A little smile folded on my
lips. I remember thinking that last time I saw that, all I wanted was some
pancakes and coffee. My rumbling tummy agreed. A noise from Nadia's upper
room drew my attention.

"Nadia, you up here?" I asked from the bathroom. It wouldn't have surprised
me if she was. I couldn't hear her moving half the time anyway. No
answer. "Nadia?"

Tightening my towel around myself, I stepped out. My steps were light. A
silhouette bigger than Nadia's crossed the open doorway. Fear was quick to
the punch. I took a few steps back, trying to keep my emotions reigned
in. If this were a vampire, then they would not only be able to smell me,
but react to the emotions clouding my aura. And by distancing myself from
it, I increased my chances of making it down the stairs before it jumped
me. At least, that's what I was telling myself. I've called out to it; it
knew I was here.

Tension spiked my adrenaline. The shadow moved with blinding speed into the
living room. I was hiding in the stairwell. Whatever was in here with me
wasn't all that concerned about me. Even I could smell my fear. I heard it
thrashing about, knocking over one of the DVD racks. I put my hand over my
mouth to stifle a gasp when the thud came. Backing down the steps, I tried
to tread lightly and keep the squeaking to a minimum.

I was on the last step when the silhouette appeared in the doorway. I may
be new to reading auras, but this one one was not happy. I closed my eyes
and opened them with my new azure vision. I wanted to see it's face. It
didn't help. This thing was so dark that it absorbed the unnatural
light. Its posture was poised to attack. Shit. Wake up Nadia.

I knew if I ran, I was dead. If I screamed out, I was dead. I tried to
"call out" to Nadia in my head. I tried to listen for her in my mind's
ear. She said she always answers, but all I got was the mental version of
dial tone static. Fuck me. I was about to make a decision when it was made
for me. The air around and in my chest tightened. My scar went from a
slight tingle to burning with life. Immediately, I fell to my knees,
wanting nothing more for this thing to have his way with me.

It moved with deliberate slowness, mentally pressing on my bite
marks. Definitely a vampire, and a hungry one at that. My vision was
darkening from the intense pleasure flowing through me; my pussy hurt from
how tight the muscles were squeezing. I fought this thing off as best I
could. That's hard to do when I'm this horny. I couldn't give in to this. I
couldn't!  "Nadia," I whispered, losing the fight. "Where are you?"

My body collapsed over, my vision darkening. I felt a gust of air blow past
me. Two pairs of bright headlights hit the floor in the den. I heard a dog
grow and a cat hiss at each other. When did Nadia get pets? My chest
tightened harder. Several shelves of books fell over. An aggravated growl
come from the bad doggy. I could hear it's claws swiping through the air,
missing their target. The angry kitty hissed again. A shot of pleasure
ripped through my crotch. I resisted the urge to start fingering

 myself thanks to the merciful blanket coating my aura.



The kitty pounced on the other animal in a motion too fast for my eyes to
follow. There was one last growl, then the sickening sound of gurgling hit
me. The black edges of my vision were getting bigger. I tried to will my
heart to slow down. I knew that to these animals fear was as much a turn-on
as me in some

 sexy lingerie. My head thumped to the floor in time with one of the two
silhouettes. My whole body hurt and something reeked. Must be from the bad
kitty breath I felt against my cheek. I looked up, and there, staring back
at me, were two of those four headlights.

I woke up on a soft surface. It smelled like day-old sex in here. I
recognized the oversized pillow. I glanced over at the door and found the
silhouette standing there. Panic coursed through me as I scrambled to sit
up. Pointing I said, "Look buddy, I don't know who you are, but..."

"But what, Charlene?" Nadia said. She sounded upset about something.

"Nadia? Where the hell were you? There's a burglar in here--"

"Not anymore," she interrupted, coming into the room. "And that wasn't a
burglar. He was a renegade. One I told if I ever saw him again I'd kill
him." She stopped at the foot of the bed, looking me up and down. "I just
never expected he'd be stupid enough to come into my home and threaten MY
Watcher."

I didn't need to hear the details. I watched her pull a man's throat out
with the ease of crushing a foam cup. I didn't want to know what happened
to intruders. That's twice now she's killed a renegade vampire for
assaulting me, and then emphasized the fact that I was HER Watcher. And she
is MY vampire, one that I'm supposed to be taking care of. She was still
vamped out, so I gulped and asked, "Is he gone?" She nodded, avoiding my
eyes. "Are you hungry?" She nodded again. I forced myself to relax before
saying anything more. I made my way to the far side of the bed and said,
"Come here then. Let's get it over with."

Nadia's steps were hesitant at best. If I offered myself freely, I thought
it would be easier. Besides, I owe her. Twice. She placed her hands on my
cheeks and kissed me. I closed my eyes, feeling her soft lips caress
mine. Her hands slid down the curve of my neck and over my shoulders. I
knew in that moment that this was going to hurt like hell, and the kiss was
an early apology. Just do it already, I thought as I felt myself getting
wet.

I failed to breath in the time it took for her to go from my mouth to my
shoulder. My eyes bulged out. Her sharp teeth easily cut through the scar
tissue. My neck was on fire, the painful way. I gasped. She squeezed my
shoulders tighter. We fell back onto the bed. Her lips were suctioned to my
neck. The pain ripped through me like a knife through warm butter. It
wasn't until I felt her tongue press against my skin that the fire started
to subside.

Warm liquid coated my neck and shoulder. Once the pain faded, I wrapped
Nadia's head in my hands. In a twisted way, this felt right. Like a mother
feeding her baby. I stroked he hair as she drank. It was weird feeling the
blood oozing out of the holes after they've been numbed from the vamp
saliva. If I hadn't been so relaxed, I would have thought it
ticklish. Nadia, MY vampire, alternated between sucking and tongue
probing. I trusted her enough to not lose control and release me if it got
to be too much. And from the short time I've been around her, that's a lot
of trust.

After several more minutes I said, "Nadia, I'm not feeling good." Nausea
set in. She kept drinking. I grabbed a handful of hair. "Nadia. Stop. I
can't take anymore." Fortunately, with a quick tug, she pulled away. I
turned my head to see her, but she grabbed my chin and turned my head back
to where she had it. I felt her tongue enter each wound in turn and wiggle
around a bit. It felt like the night she did that to my pussy. Good thing I
was only in a towel. Easier access.

She licked up the remaining blood from my neck and shoulder. The memory of
the university bathroom flashed through my head. I guess there's something
in a vampire's saliva that coagulates the blood and quickens the
development of scar tissue. I shuddered. Both Travis, my medical student
best friend, and Nadia, the vampire, both told me that nobody should have
been that white and still alive.

I looked up at her once she finished. "You okay?" she asked, her eyes back
to their normal dark brown. Her teeth were still tinted in red, but that
would be gone in no

time.

I nodded. "I'm just a little exhausted," I said as I tried to sit up. Nadia
rushed in to hold me down. "I'm also a bit horny and hungry."

She smiled at that. "Okay. We'll deal with that later. Right now you need
to lay down and take a nap." She said all this as she put me back on the
pillow and covered my towel-clad form. "I'm going to take a shower myself
and get this place cleaned up. You stay here; you'll pass out if you move
around too much."

I uttered a soft, "Okay," before nodding off. She was right. I needed a
nap.

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

I didn't want it to end. The sensations of Nadia's tongue running up and
down on my clean slit had me shuddering. Her fingers danced over my
skin. My towel laid open, exposing me completely. Nadia complimented my
above average bust while she played with me. I loved it when she spoke
against my pussy like that. The vibrations from her voice gave me shivers
the way my favorite toy couldn't. Her strong hands groped me while her
mouth feasted on the pink gap between my legs.

Using one of her hands, she opened me up more, exposing my sensitive clit
to that lovely mouth of hers. Her tongue wiggled around the opening before
zig-zagging to tease the blossoming bud. I screamed from the contact. Her
nose tickled the small strip of hair I keep down there--it drives me nuts
when someone tickles it. Nadia stuck her tongue inside me. My back arched
to give her better access. That marvelous tongue bounced around against my
cunt walls, teasing me with just enough force to NOT get me off.

"Nadia..." I moaned, grabbing her hair. I bit down on the pillow and held
her head in place. "Please... I need to cum!" The bitch didn't listen. She
kept at it. I swear I heard her laugh at my plea.



Her sharp fangs brushed against my outer folds. It's so hot when she does
that. I knew she was careful with those, but the danger that went with it
is too much. A small stream of cum leaked out of me. Her mouth was happy to
receive it. She started sucking on my swollen clit to get more out of
me. After last time, I was afraid I'd drown her. But her moaning deepened,
sending those fabulous waves through me again. Her upper hand squeezed my
tit--she knows I like it rough. My hand gripped her hair tighter. I made a
noise, then my pussy erupted.

Before the first wave left me, the vampire unsealed her mouth and just
opened wide. Her lower hand began rubbing my clit with a speed and force I
never thought possible. My ass came completely off my towel. The spray that
she loved so much splashed against her face. I heard her moan her
approval. I tried to close my legs, but she pried me back open, demanding I
give her more. And I was happy to oblige.

Wave after wave erupted from me. Whatever missed her face, Nadia was quick
to lick it up from the bed. When I finally finished, she was completely
soaked from head to toe. So was I, except with sweat. My hands wrapped
around the vamp as she crawled up to me. Her tongue flashed over my rosy
nipples a few times before she nestled against my chest. I held her close
to me. She cooed at the sound of my heart beating. I kissed the top of her
head and drifted back to sleep.

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

It's weird how dreams imitate life. I felt like I was riding a surf board
in the

 ocean, the small choppy waves rocking me. Night had risen in the sky. The
water was a little chilly tonight. Someone from the shore was calling my
name. I waved back and told them to hold on; I'd be there in a minute.

"Charlene..." the Voice kept saying.



"Stop. ...Another minute."

"No, get up. You need to get something to eat." My eyes fluttered open. I
was still in Nadia's lower bedchamber. The sun was up, trying to penetrate
that think red curtain. The towel that I'd wrapped myself in was splayed
open. My legs were parted, my body on display for the world to see. And
Nadia was staring. I think I knew what that "water" was from my dream. My
pussy was drenched and my little strip was matted.

"What time is it?" I asked, the grogginess wearing off a bit. I really
don't want to know what had just happened for me to end up like that. I
just told myself that it was a very intense wet dream, in spite of the fact
that I could smell my cum all over her face.

"Past noon already. You said you were hungry, so let's go get you something
to eat." I took in her full visage. Typical vampire attire: Stretchy, black
long-sleeve tee covered with a corseted bodice, black jeans, dark
sunglasses resting on her head, and draped over her body was that sexy
black denim trench coat. I heard her buckle-boots clank and jingle as she
moved.

I rolled back over on my pillow. "Ten more minutes."

I squealed when Nadia lifted my naked ass up. "Now." I instinctively
wrapped my hands around her neck. My expression went crestfallen when I
looked up at her. "You blood sugar is low and you need some iron." I
blinked. Wow. "Yes, I can tell."

Interesting. "Where are my clothes?"

"Upstairs."

She was using her one-word answers again. Not good. It's something I've
come to learn: the shorter the answer, the more the person is holding
back. "Nadia?" She shook her head at the prompt in my tone. Shit, she was
trying not to vamp out on me. What the fuck, woman? "Nadia, talk to
me. What's up?"

We were walking up the stairs, going towards the light. How romantic. Me,
completely nude, being carried by the woman who saved my life twice into
the light. A slight flush of embarrassment went through me. As nice as the
gesture was, she didn't have to carry me--I felt strong enough to
walk. Typical Nadia, though, refused to say anything. Even when I nudged
her with my hands she remained quiet.

In a quick nodding motion, she lowered the sunglasses over her eyes. Even I
had to squint at the light flooding into the dining room. The vampire
carried me into the upper bedroom and set me down on the bed. I watched her
go through a couple of the drawers and pull out what looked like random
articles of clothing. One by one, she tossed them to me. I've gotta admit,
I absolutely love her taste in underwear. She watched me as I slipped the
panties over my legs. Pervert, but I smiled anyway.

The hose she tossed me first were a sheer-filled mesh thigh-high set. The
material riding up my legs felt just as sexy as the oddly similar panties I
had on. The skirt was made from layers of black organza, and detailed with
satin ribbons. Black lace provided some accent and ran along every
hemline. There was a heavy-duty zipper that ran up the right side and a
studded strap and buckle that held it against my waist. Weird combination,
but it worked.

The shirt she threw at me was an off-the-shoulder gothic long-sleeve
top. It had a corseted front and back with small chains "laddering" up the
front. The cut in the back was a bit low, but I think Nadia was thinking
that it was sexy. The hems of the sleeves were ruffled. It fit pretty tight
around my tits; any tighter and I think they'd pop out. That explains the
lack of a bra in the pile. When I stood up, the corset part supported the
girls pretty well, actually. Good thing we have similar body styles--I'm
still not convinced THAT's a coincidence--with the exception that our
heights differ when in certain shoes and my boobs were slightly bigger. I
wore this outfit quite

comfortably.

"Got some kind of shoes, or boots, or something?" It was a dumb question,
but I figured I'd break the silent stoop she was in having just watched a
reverse striptease. Yeah, I put on a little show for her. I think that sly
grin was telling me how much she liked it.

"Under the bed, in the box against the wall," she said nodding. "They just
arrived this morning." With the smile still on her face, she left. A moment
later I heard the bathroom sink running and splashing. Interesting time to
wash up.

I shrugged it off and crouched down. Good god, there must have been thirty
boxes under here. And they all looked exactly alike. They each had the name
Aderlass printed proudly on all sides. I pulled out and opened the one that
Nadia mentioned. I held my breath at the beautiful pair of leather stiletto
knee-high boots before me. The heels looked no more than two inches high
and the soles were about three inches thick. I slipped one on and knew that
these had to be custom made for my foot. That it that well. Large straps
and buckles secured it to my leg once I got the corset-like stitching done.

I couldn't believe it. I felt like some sort of gothic, vampire
princess... all irony aside, of course. I've never worn any real designer
clothing before. Now those outrageous prices make sense. This is nice. I
ruffled my hair up then let it fall. I fiddled with my bangs for a few
seconds before deciding that my hair looked okay. I turned to the door when
I heard Nadia gasp. I smiled sheepishly. "You like it.?"

"Of course," she said with a hand over her heart. "I had it made specially
for you." That had my attention. "But I didn't think it would look that
good on you as I was drawing it."

What! "You designed this? For me?"

Her expression dropped as if I just insulted her. "You're my Watcher,
Charlene. You need to understand what that means to me." From the look on
her face, I didn't want to push her any farther on the subject so I just
nodded. The vampire came fully into the room and took my hand. She made a
motion with her free hand that told me to spin around. When I did, the
skirt twirled with me. Little moments like that will never get old. I
couldn't stop the smile that spread on my face. "I've got one more thing or
you."

"Okay, Nadia, that's the last straw, you don't--" My words were cut off
when she presented me with a chocker/necklace. It was made black velvet and
lace, tied together in the back by ribbons of red satin. A beautiful black
rose was in the center. Twin sets of real rubies dotted the
sides. Cute. "That's beautiful."

"Turn around," she commanded blushing from the compliment. She had this
specially made too. I felt her tugging on the ribbons. It tickled my scars,
but didn't set off the usual sensations. I guess this kind of velvet has a
way of relaxing the nerve endings. Nadia smoothed out the ribbons down my
back. I looked at myself in the mirror. I was speechless. "You like it?"

Does she have to be so insecure about every little thing? I ran my hands
over every inch of my body as if exploring it for the first time. "I don't
know what to say, Nadia. I've never had anyone buy me stuff like this
before." I paused, the smile on her face faded. "This is overwhelming. I
almost feel like a little girl again playing dress-up. Yes, Nadia, I love
it."

Her smile returned. Our eyes locked in the mirror. Her chin rested on the
good side of my shoulder. Her arms wrapped around my middle. I couldn't
help but smile at the image we made... and then the night she bit me
flashed through my head. I was in jeans and a tank top and she was in a
gown befitting royalty. Today, we swapped places. A contented look came to
both of our faces. I placed my hands over hers. This was nice. Then my
stomach growled. We both snorted.

"Come on, Charlene. Where do you want to go?" Nadia practically floated out
of the room. I had to run to catch up. And in these stilettos it wasn't as
hard as I thought it would be. When I caught her, she handed me my purse
that I left here the night I almost died. I remember thinking I wanted
pancakes and coffee, and that sounded good now.

"A place that serves breakfast," I said rummaging through my
bag. Everything that I left in there was in there. "Other than that, I
really don't care; I'm just starving."

My vampire grabbed my hand and led me out to the garage. "I know a good
place."

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

"No peeking," Nadia said for the tenth time. I wasn't about to peek, even
if it would ruin the surprise--the sun was burning my eyes. That new vision
I'd been infected with, though great at nighttime, was a pain in the
ass. Add to that the sensitivity of my skin to this blistering sun and I
understood why vampires stayed in the dark.

I let out a huff. "I'm not gonna peek already." I couldn't for the life of
me figure out where we were heading. I think she was taking unnecessary
turns just to throw me off. Even with my new eyes, I still couldn't make
out the blurs past my eyelids.

Sometimes I hate my random way of thinking. Feeling a bit irate about the
way she kept saying that, I thought back to the squeaky, shaking stairs and
frowned. "When are yo going to fix those damned stairs?"

I heard Nadia turn her head towards me. "Is that where you'd like to
start?"

Huh? "Start what?"

"Father Darien taught me to always have a project ready for me and my
Watcher to complete," she said as we turned down a darker street. "As
you're well aware, my basement is my sanctum. I've spent the better part of
a decade finishing it off. I guess you'd like to start our project building
a new set of stairs?"

I just smiled and shook my head. It seemed the more I learned about this
chick, the more questions she brought up. "Why do you need a project with
your Watcher? Build sentimental value?"

"Yes, actually. I figured home improvement projects is a good distraction
from my daily grind to survive and bring a sense of normalcy to my life."
Tough to argue that point. "We'll need to do some redecorating for you
before you move in--"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, chica," I interrupted. "I don't mind helping a friend
out with some house work, especially after you bought me some nice things,
but I never said anything about moving into your house." Somehow, I kept my
eyes closed. I could feel her aura deflate. I didn't want to give her any
thing resembling the upper hand so I decided to stay harsh. "I think that's
moving just a little bit too fast. And don't bring up the sex, you know
damn well why I slept with you."

"I'm sorry Charlene," she mumbled. "I didn't mean for that to sound he way
it did. You called yourself my Watcher in front of a lot of vampires,
including Father Darien."

"So."

"So that means you've accepted the responsibilities. In order to be an
effective Watcher you must live in my house."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "And you didn't bother to tell me
any of this because...?" She didn't answer. "Is there anything else that
you're not telling me?"

"Like what?"

"Like any other life-changing decisions I'm going to be forced into
making. What are all of my 'responsibilities'?"

I heard Nadia let out a sigh. "I'm terrible at this part, Charlene. After
what I'v shown you so far, I thought that you'd understand. I need you to
be my Watcher." She grabbed my hand and squeezed. "I need you here with
me."

"Why?" I asked solemnly. "There are countless other people out there." I
decided to ask the one question I had yet to get a straight answer to. "Why
me?"

She laced her fingers through mine and chose her words carefully; I could
feel her thoughts drifting. "For one, you're gay."

Okay, that dwindles it down pretty good. "And so are about two thousand
other people in this town."

"Shut up and listen." Shuttin' up. "At first I had no intention of making
you my Watcher. I saw you on the day I registered for school and thought of
you as nothing but a sweet morsel." Nice. At least she thought the same as
Father Darien. "The school year is only a couple of months in, but I
started to go insane from you rejecting my advances."

I let go of her hand and scoffed. "You didn't make any advances at me."

"That you could hear. I told you once that you had a strength that isn't
often seen among the human population. I tried using my mind's influence,
but it didn't work. You seemed... immune to it. And because I didn't know
what else to do, I asked for permission to use my aura to get to you. I
thought that too would be folly since I've never seen that happen
before. Ever. Father Darien gave me the okay."

I heard her sniffle. I waited a couple of seconds before deciding to
speak. "Did it ever cross your mind that maybe if you just tried talking to
me, like a normal person, that I would have given it some thought?"

"No, because you wouldn't have." She said bluntly. "Humans automatically
reject the notion that non-normal people like me actually exist. You would
have laughed at me at best, after several rounds of insults and immature
banter."

"Sounds like you've been there before."

"Yes, I have, and it hurt." I cocked my head. She was right. As much as I
loved a hot chick dressed up in goth clothes, I'm not sure if I would have
believed her. She needed me to see it for myself. The air in the car
changed. Suddenly I felt like I was lost in a fog. "You're beginning to
understand, aren't you?"

"Are we there yet?" I asked, trying to change the subject. A myriad of
emotions swarmed my head. Confusion. Trepidation. Anger. Angst. Fear. But
most of all I felt both misunderstood and hurt. From the vibe I was getting
from her, I could tell Nadia wasn't doing much better. I finally got over
the feeling of being used, and now this? "Where are we going anyway?"

"A place that serves breakfast and isn't often visited by vampires." I
couldn't help but notice the sorrow in her voice. "I know how uncomfortable
we make you."

"They don't make me uncomfortable, just those damned pheromones they kick
out," I said. My head was starting to hurt from processing everything my
vampire was telling me. And from the lack of food. "Question."

"Yes..."

"Whenever you feed, would it be a good idea for me to eat first, or
second?"

"For me it really doesn't matter; however, if you eat first the blood
tastes sweeter from the rise in blood sugar and other nutrients. What it
does for my sustenance stays the same."

"What about for my health?"

"Now that you mention it, I really don't know. I've never had a Watcher ask
me that before. I guess we'll have to see next time."

Yeah. Next time. After this little conversation, I was hoping there weren't
going to be any surprises about next time. I kept telling myself to ask her
about why she's so slow about giving me information that could possibly
save my life. From the tone of her voice this whole time, I knew she was
holding something back. I just didn't know what--nor could I make up my
mind if it was a good or bad thing. I hoped to all hell that she'd let me
know before "next time".

We made a couple of small turns before I felt the car jerk to a stop. "Open
your eyes, we're here."

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

I slowly cracked my eyes open. My hands covered my mouth before they
finished opening. "You brought me to Carlton's?" My tone was flushed with
wonder. "I haven't eaten here in years."

"I know," she said holding back a tear. "Your parents brought you here when
you graduated high school. It's where you took Tiffany on your first
date. It's where your brother and Sylvia went on their first date." Now it
was my turn to let a tear drop. "And since our last little outing didn't go
as planned, I thought I'd make this our official first date."

I don't know how she does it. All of the anger, hatred, confusion and fear
melted away with that look she was giving me. What she just said told me
more than everything we just talked about. Nadia really was trying to ease
me into this, making up for the shove she gave me last week. I couldn't
help but smile. I stared out of the windshield, at the decorative entry and
the doorman whose name I never remembered.

Nadia, acting like the kind woman I thought her to be, opened my door and
took my hand. We walked like that to the door. The doorman, Thomas,
according to his name tag, just tipped his hat to us and opened the
door. I've always thought of him as a nice guy. Just like the guy that ran
the place, he didn't care about with whom you ate, as long as you were
happy and paid your bill.

We stepped up to the host stand, my eyes roaming over the lush drapes and
beautiful late nineteenth century decor. "Reservations for Domitrovich,"
Nadia said, her accent making her name sound like some important
politician's.

"Right this way ladies," Fredrick said in his heavy Manchester accent,
leading the way.

"You made reservations?" I asked, bewildered. "How long have you planned
for this?"

"Since yesterday," she answered. "I was going to bring you here anyway,
but, for obvious reasons, I had to push back the time."

I smiled. "I don't think you'll ever cease to amaze me."

"I hope not," she intoned, "Otherwise, things can get pretty boring." True.

Fredrick pulled both of our chairs out and tucked us back in
respectively. Nice guy. I smiled and thanked him before he ran through the
specials. As good as it all sounded, I wanted my freaking coffee and
pancakes. And this place has not only the best, but the biggest. Fourteen
inches in diameter and a half-inch thick. I could probably eat five of
them.

"Enjoy your time, ladies," Fredrick said as he departed. I smiled again,
despite the overwhelming aroma of the kitchen playing hell with my stomach.

I looked over the small crowd. It wasn't more than the usual people
suspects of people who would be out and about this time of day. Grandma
taking her grandson out for a birthday celebration--the cake was a dead
giveaway. A couple out on a nice date. Nadia smiled at me, reading me as I
scanned the room. I think her smile fell the same time mine did. Coming out
of the bathroom was someone I hoped to not see for a long time. Father
Darien. I watched him walk to his table and sat opposite his date.

Tiffany.

He, as usual, was all smiles and big gestures. She looked even worse than
Nadia in his presence. Shit. This can't be good.

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

To be continued...