And here's another short story! Again, HtM characters, this time with Lynn, Blaze, and Tokala! (Plus special appearance by random guy who does not exist XD ...and butler :P) Warning for minor violence and kissing-ness. Yay.

The two words that I hated most together: annual check-up (or maybe that’s three words?). Either way, it was evil. I didn’t see why it was necessary: it’s not like I was diseased or anything. And I would have noticed if I was sick (not like that would happen often, being a vampyre and all). Anyway, that was where I was headed: my annual check-up. Ugh.

I walked through the door as it slid open, entering the well-lit infirmary. The marble was cool under my bare feet, although the air was a comfortable temperature. I looked around the room, blue-green eyes searching for Dane. He hadn’t forgotten our appointment, had he...?

A door opened across the room, attracting my attention. My face fell a bit as I saw who walked out. Sensing my presence, his dark eyes flicked up and narrowed slightly.

“Oh. It’s you.”

“Where’s Dane?” I asked, trying to ignore the tone.

Blaze shrugged. “He had an emergency.”

“Oh.”

For some reason, Blaze had never liked me. It was probably mostly from his disapproval of my profession. I’m not sure what he had against belly-dancers though...maybe it was because I slept with some of my clients?

“So, why are you here?” he asked after a few moments.

“Ah, I came for a my check-up.”

“Oh, right. Well, hop up on the table.” He gestured to the metal object behind him.

“Er, I can just wait until Dane gets back...”

Blaze rolled his black eyes impatiently. “I’m a doctor, too, in case you haven’t noticed.”

I sighed, realizing the futility of me arguing. Blaze was rather stubborn.

I walked over to him and climbed gracefully onto the examination table, shivering slightly as the cold metal came in contact with my mostly bare skin. Blaze came to stand next to me, the tray of instruments floating behind him. He pulled a metal rod from the tray and held it in front of my mouth.

“Open,” he ordered.

I smirked. “I couldn’t tell you the number of times I’ve been told that before.”

He leveled me with an unamused gaze, and I sheepishly opened my mouth. I didn’t speak again through the rest of the (awkward) check-up. Blaze had that no-nonsense air about him, and I did not want to cross him when he had access to sharp objects.

We were nearly done when he picked up a needle, and said, “Hold out your arm.”

“What?” I squeaked, staring at the daunting object.

He raised an eyebrow. “I need to give you a vaccine. Vampyres can still get sick, you know.”

“Well, yes, I know that, but...” I gestured to the needle in his hand. “It’s huge!”

He cast a disbelieving glance between the object and me. “You’re joking.”

“Isn’t there another way to get the vaccine? Maybe through a pill...?”

Blaze sighed, rubbing his forehead. “Lynn, just hold out your arm. It’ll be over in a second, and you’ll barely feel a thing.”

“Ah, it’s that ‘barely’ I don’t like.”

“Lynn...”

I scrambled backwards, away from the vicious looking instrument. “No.”

Needless to say, I was surprised to find myself suddenly pinned to the table, my arm stretched out beside me. In one swift movement, Blaze plunged the needle into my arm, injecting me with the vaccine.

“Ow!” I yelped, eyes squeezed shut.

The needle was pulled out, and I glared up at Blaze, annoyed. He looked back at me, purple and yellow eyes bright.

Wait, what?

“Blaze, why are your eyes different colours?” I asked, confused.

“Hm?” He blinked, and his eyes returned to their normal silvery black.

“Uh...never mind.” I shook my head. “Must have been my imagination.”

“Alright. Well, we’re all done.”

“Okay.”

Blaze moved back to allow me to sit up, then took my arm to wipe away the blood. The small nick in the skin had already healed, making a bandage unnecessary. I rubbed my arm as I slid off the table, glancing at Blaze from the corner of my eye. He seemed...different somehow.

He must have felt me watching him, for he turned suddenly, and asked, “Problem?”

“Ah, no, sorry.” I quickly turned and headed for the door, but stopped when I heard Blaze’s voice.

“You’re nothing but a whore, you know,” he hissed.

“What?” I stared over my shoulder, surprised. Blaze looked back at me, eyes red.

“You heard me. How can you live with yourself, selling your body like that?”

I frowned. “What I do is my business.”

He snorted, moving the tray to one of the sinks. “Doesn’t make it right.”

I turned around, hands on my hips.

“Blaze, what is wrong with you? Why are you suddenly attacking me?”

He smirked. “You think that is attacking you?” I was suddenly thrown against the wall, the doctor’s hand on my throat. I choked, aqua eyes wide. He leaned in. “This is attacking you.”

“Blaze...you’re hurting me,” I gasped.

“I’ll do more than hurt you,” he whispered, pale fingers tightening.

I choked, scratching fruitlessly at the hand pinning me. It wasn’t that I needed air; it was more the fact that Blaze was slowly crushing my windpipe that bothered me.

Unable to loosen the doctor’s hold on my throat, I started kicking at him, my bare feet also proving useless. When had Blaze gotten so strong?!

My fighting seemed to fuel his bloodlust, for he smirked, fingers pressing harder against my sensitive skin.

“Don’t bother fighting,” he murmured in my ear, free hand caressing my cheek. “It’ll all be over soon.”

“Like...hell...” I forced out, eyes losing focus from the pain.

I dug my long fuschia nails into his arm, quickly drawing blood. He hissed, but still didn’t let go, causing me to dig deeper. I refused to give up while I was still conscious.

Suddenly, Blaze’s eyes rolled back in his head, and he crumpled to the floor in a heap. Finally released, I collapsed against the wall, sliding down beside him, coughing and panting. Air rushed back into my lungs through my bruised windpipe, and I wiped tears from my eyes as I stared at Blaze. What the hell?! When the other vampyre’s hand moved, I flinched back, bracing myself for another attack. But the eyes that opened were back to their usual black. Those dark orbs took in my appearance, and something flashed through them.

“Get out,” he whispered, face pinched. “Before it happens again.”

“Wh-what?” I stuttered, shrinking against the wall, skirt in disarray around my tattooed legs.

“Hurry,” he growled, eyes flashing red.

Heart pounding, I scrambled to my feet and dashed out of the room, stumbling once before getting my footing. Too panicked to teleport, I raced through the empty foyer, heading for the hidden door that led to the basement. My feet softly slapped against the worn stone steps, my many bracelettes jingling.

Only when I found him in the training room did I finally slow down, sagging with relief.

“Tokala...” I whispered hoarsely.

He looked up when I entered, barely managing to drop his scimitars in time to catch me as I threw myself at him.

“Lynn!” he exclaimed, surprised. “What’s wrong?”

I clung to his orange shirt, shaking, as I rasped, “There’s something wrong with Blaze.”

“Your voice sounds strange...” he remarked, sounding worried.

I tilted my face up, feeling on the verge of tears. Tokala’s orange eyes widened as he took in my appearance.

“Your throat! What happened?”

I touched the bruised skin, looking away. “There’s something wrong with Blaze,” I repeated softly.

That shocked him. “Wait, Blaze did this?”

Silently, I nodded. “He just started acting like a completely different person. And then he tried to kill me...”

“He tried to kill you?!” The fox daemon’s slit-pupiled eyes widened even further.

“I’m okay now,” I assured him, forcing a smile. “I’m just a bit shaken.”

Tokala scratched one of his ears, frowning. “But why would Blaze do something like that? It doesn’t make sense.”

I shrugged, shaking my head. “I don’t know.”

“Are you going to tell Ewgard about it?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t want to get him involved. Blaze should be given the chance to explain himself.”

“And that’s why you ran away?” he asked dryly.

I blushed, not answering. Tokala sighed.

“Well, if you’re not going to tell Ewgard, then you should at least tell Chay.”

I jolted at the sound of my boyfriend’s name. I had completely forgotten about him.

“No way.”

“He could talk to Blaze for you,” argued Tokala.

“I don’t need him to talk to Blaze for me,” I replied. “I can do it myself.”

“Well, I figured since Chay’s a prince and all, he’s probably good at sorting out problems.”

“In case you’ve forgotten, my brother’s king of the vampyres, which makes me—”

“A princess, I know.” He rolled his eyes.

“Exactly. So I can sort this out myself.”

He sighed, tail swishing. “Fine. Do what you want. But if you need help, I’m here.”

I smiled. “Thank you.”

“No problem. Anyway, isn’t it nearly time for your appointment with one of your rich clients?”

My eyes widened, incident with Blaze completely forgotten. “Oh, you’re right. I guess I’d better go get ready, then.”

“Probably. You sure you’re up to it?”

I beamed at him. “Of course.”

I pulled away, waving as I headed for the door. “Thanks, Tokala.”

He nodded at me, tail swaying as he bent down to pick up his scimitars.

Now that I was calmer, I was able to teleport to my room. I was glad to have found Tokala. If I hadn’t...well, I’d probably be curled up in a corner right now. Although the option was still open.

My room was exactly how I had left it, fresh laundry laid out on my bed and curtains open to allow the moonlight to spill in. I was glad I had washed my clothes earlier, because now I had to hurry. Quickly pulling off my current outfit, I ran to the bathroom to check my appearance. My aqua eyes widened as they took in the bruise already darkening against the tan skin of my throat. I would need to cover that up before leaving.

With my skilled hands, my make-up was put on, and my hair fixed within minutes. It took a bit longer to decide on a new outfit, since I had so many. In the end, I chose one of the freshly cleaned ones laid out on my large bed. I pulled the long plum skirt over my lean legs, the silk settling on my hips. The matching top bared my arms, stomach, and back, all of which were covered in a variety of tattoos. Finally, I added the belt of jingling coins around my waist, and new bracelettes to my limbs. With the decorating of my body done, I moved on to the defence. Two long, sharp chopsticks were pushed through my bun, matching the rest of my jewellery. Although this was just a standard appointment with a client, I could never be too careful. I just felt safer with some sort of weapon.

Some people found it odd that royalty such as myself worked as a belly-dancer. However, I hadn’t always known I was royalty, and until I had found out, I had been training as a dancer. I figured that since I enjoyed my work, and I had trained so hard for it, that I might as well continue. Besides, it’s not like I made any important royal decisions; that was left to my brother.

The soft gong of a clock sounded nearby, signalling the time for my departure. One last glance in the mirror, and I was ready to go.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

As I stepped out of the hovercraft my client had sent for me, I stared in awe at the building before me. I suppose I shouldn’t have been so amazed, since the NH was a castle, but this place...it was beautiful.

I gracefully climbed the steps to the large carved doors of the mansion, my jewellery tinkling softly. As I reached the threshold, the doors swung open, revealing a well-groomed butler. He bowed to me, gesturing with an arm towards a hallway beyond the foyer.

“Welcome, Miss Xiu,” he murmured, eyes downcast. “Please follow me.”

I smiled, nodding at the man, and allowed him to lead me past tastefully decorated walls and tables to a large room near the back of the house. The pushed open doors revealed a fire roaring between two enormous windows, the flames the only illumination in the room. I glanced at my surroundings briefly before my attention turned to the man standing in front of the fireplace. He was tall and handsome, thick black hair cut neatly, and dark eyes sharp. But beyond the attractive mask, I could sense something a bit off about him. I wasn’t sure what it was, but it made me wary. Suppressing a shudder, I fixed a smile on my face and curtsied to the man. All I had to do was dance for him.

“Good evening, Mr. Delyon,” I greeted politely, looking up at him through my long lashes.

He smiled, stepping forward.

“Lynn. How lovely to see you.”

I allowed him to take my hands in his and kiss them, despite my slight uneasiness. He must have signalled his butler to leave, for I heard the door close behind me, and the soft click of the lock. When I turned questioning eyes to him, he smiled.

“So we won’t be disturbed,” he explained.

“Ah.”

Although I could understand the desire for privacy, my clients did not usually lock their own servants out of the room. After all, what if something happened to their master, and they weren’t there to help him?

“Would you like something to drink?” asked Delyon, gesturing to a glass coffee table set between two couches before the fire.

I smiled, ducking my head coyly. “That would be lovely.”

Soon, I was perched on the cushions of one couch, a tall glass of pomegranate juice in my hands. I would’ve preferred blood, but Delyon was not aware of my true nature, and I had no intention of him finding out.

I lifted the glass with the pretense of drinking, but really I was sniffing for poison or drugs. Again, you could never be too careful.

Finding the liquid clean, I gave a small sigh of relief, and took a sip. The juice was deliciously sweet, and I drank more, suddenly thirsty. However, the more my throat worked, the more it hurt. Grimacing, I lightly pressed my hand to it. Delyon raised his eyebrows at me.

“Something wrong?”

“Oh, nothing.” I glanced at the clock, then the door. “So, when are the rest coming?”

“The rest?”

“The musicians,” I clarified.

“Oh, no one else will be coming.” A small smile curved his lips.

I frowned. “I need music to dance.”

He laughed. “I doubt you’ll be doing much dancing.”

I felt a sudden sense of apprehension. “What do you mean...?”

He looked at me, smirking. “I think you know.”

I started to rise, a mixture of anger and indignation rushing through me.

“I’m sorry if there was some miscommunication between us, Mr. Delyon, but that is not my profession. I am a dancer. And if you did not bring me here to dance, then my time with you is done.”

I wasn’t able to fully stand before being pushed back down, the glass in my hand slipping from my fingers to shatter against the hardwood floor. I thumped against the cushions, Delyon’s grip on my shoulders pinning me.

“Leaving so soon?” he murmured, a wicked grin on his lips.

“Release me,” I hissed, eyes spitting blue-green flames.

“I’ve got you for the entire night,” he replied, one hand moving to stroke my cheek.

My lip curled, and I pushed against his shoulders. “I’m not a whore!”

“I’m sure you have it in you.”

Without warning, he grabbed both of my wrists in one hand and pinned them above my head, before leaning in to capture my lips with his own. My eyes widened, and I struggled to get him off me, but he wouldn’t budge. He forced my mouth open and dove in with his tongue. Completely disgusted, I clamped down on the offending organ with my fangs, drawing blood. He jolted back in angry surprise, lips curled in a snarl. Taking advantage of his shock, I brought up a foot and shoved it against his chest, successfully dislodging him. As he stumbled to the floor, I jumped up and dashed for the door. Unfortunately, I guess I didn’t push him hard enough, for he was back on his feet and on me in seconds. We crashed to the ground, my skirt being ripped on the way. Hands were on my skin, groping and scratching as my clothes were torn away.

“Stop it!” I screamed. “Let me go!”

He didn’t reply, too busy latching his lips onto my throat.

Not seeing any other choice, I twisted my arm, reaching for the chopsticks in my hair. Managing to secure one, I brought it around, intent on stabbing my attacker. However, he must have seen me, for my hand was slammed down against the hard floor, the metal skewer skittering from my hand. Tears streamed from my eyes as terror wracked my body. Even with my strength, I couldn’t fight him off. And if I teleported, I would give away my species, thereby putting the NH in danger. I couldn’t do anything!

Suddenly, the extra weight on me disappeared, and I heard a loud crash. Pushing myself up, I skidded backwards on the floor until I hit the wall, my breaths harsh. It took me a moment to realize what was going on, and when I saw the figure before me, my heart nearly stopped. Blaze stood amidst the shattered glass of the coffee table, one foot planted on Delyon’s chest. A fierce glower on his fair face. Why was he here...?

As he moved away from Delyon and towards me me, memories of earlier came rushing back, and I shrunk against the wall, trembling. Was he going to try and hurt me again?

But the eyes that studied my face were silvery-black, and the expression on his face not the least bit malevolent. My body went limp with relief, and I gave him a small smile.

“Hi, Blaze,” I whispered.

“What the hell was going on?” he demanded, kneeling next to me.

I shrugged, letting my eyes slip closed. “Difficult client.”

Arms wrapped around me, and I was lifted up, my tattered clothes fluttering around me.

“I can’t believe you let yourself get into a situation like this,” the doctor muttered, annoyance tainting his accented voice. “This is why I think you should give up this profession.”

“I’m not giving it up,” I murmured. I peered up at him, exhausted. “Why are you here?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know.”

“You don’t know...?”

“I don’t know,” he repeated.

I sighed. “Can you tell me why you tried to kill me earlier?”

His mouth tightened as he stared straight ahead. “It won’t happen again.”

I frowned. “But—”

“Don’t.”

I sighed again, sagging against his chest. “Fine.”

He gave me a humourless smile. “Sorry, but there are just some things you are safer not knowing.”

I sighed at the cryptic answer, my eyes slipping closed. “You are an enigma, Blaze. You really are.”

I thought I heard a small laugh, but it may have just been the sleep pulling at the edges of my mind. Either way, I was happy to be going home, even if I was being held in the arms of a man who hated me (although I was starting to question that last bit). In the end, it was the least strange thing that had happened to me today, and I just wanted to sleep.

Maybe tomorrow would be better.