CHAPTER EIGHT

After the elegant banquet of spaghetti and meatballs, it was almost 7:30 and Michelle looked wide-awake, watching some show and saying damn near everything that they were saying on the show.

I could fix that.

“Michelle?” I asked, getting her attention off the television.

“Yeah?” she asked, looking at me.

I looked into her eyes and mind whispered her to sleep. Her eyes closed and her body went slack within a second. Then I picked her up and carried her into her room. I laid her in her bed, took off her shoes and put the blanket over her. She will be in a deep sleep for at least six hours. I turned around to find Felix at the door.

“Nice,” he said, complimenting my babysitting tactics.

“We needed alone-time without her eavesdropping,” I told him.

He nodded in agreement. “Let's do this.” Despite the calmness of his tone I could still see the nervousness of the situation behind his cool façade.

We made sure the windows were locked shut and curtains drawn tightly. I sat him on the bed and put a knee next to him. I put one hand around the back of his neck and used my other to move his shirt out of the way.

“This is weird,” he commented.

“Don’t worry. Mike’s done this before, as well,” I reassured him.

I leaned my head down to him. My fangs raked across his neck and he grabbed my wrists.

“Shit. I can’t do this,” he said getting off the bed.

“I’ve fed. I have control. Everything will be fine,” I told him.

“I know. It’s just…” His voice trailed off.

That’s when it hit me. Pain. He was there when his parents died. He saw how much pain they went through. Just as Vampires could make their bites orgasmic, we can also make a bite feel like acid in a wound, which we tended to do when we meant to kill in horrible ways.

“If you’re willing to, I can make it to where you don’t feel anything,” I said.

He looked at me questioningly.

I pulled him back to the bed and laid him down. Then I got on top of him, straddling his waist. His hands went to my hips to stop me.

“Wait. What are you going to do?” he asked warily.

“Just trust me,” I whispered to him.

He hesitantly relaxed his grip on my hips. I had my hands on his chest, sliding them to his shoulders as I leaned down to him.

“Do I have your trust?” I asked softly, my breath washing over his lips.

He inhaled, drawing in the breath of my words, and answered. “Yes.”

I lowered my lips to his, kissing him lightly. When he didn’t stop me, I deepened it. His tongue slid into my mouth, gliding across my own. I slowly pulled out of the kiss and started trailing kisses down his jaw line. Soft and loving. His breathing was steady and shallow. He was under my trance. I kissed down his neck and moved his shirt collar out of my way. I found the spot and slowly sunk my fangs into his neck. He let out a moan. The pain was out of his mind. He only felt the pleasure side of the puncture. I drew the blood into the fangs themselves. When I had enough, I pulled out and took a moment to focus before I fused the information to it.

It took a few minutes to get every detail in place. Then I sunk my fangs back into his neck and injected his blood back into his body. He was still in the trance and didn’t have full awareness of what was going on. When the blood was back in, I licked and kissed the wound, sealing it with the healing agent in my saliva. I then had to strengthen the trance in order to activate the blood information. So I kissed him again. It only took a second to activate the blood but I couldn’t help but kiss him just a little longer. That was, until I felt one of his hands grip my thigh and the other creep up the back of my shirt.

I pulled away from him and looked into his focused brown eyes. “When did you come out of the trance?” I asked, a little astonished.

“Just as you triggered the memories,” he said. Taking in a shaky breath.

“And why didn’t you stop me?” I asked softly.

He took a second to answer. “I don’t really know.” His fingers traced my spine. “Why didn’t you stop yourself?” he asked me.

“You just tasted too good,” I said honestly. He really did taste delicious. Sweet and soft. Nothing like I expected from the guy you might associate with Batman.

He removed his hand from my thigh and tucked some of my fallen hair behind my ear. His eyes traced my face. From my eyes, to my lips.

I took in a deep breath. “We shouldn’t do this,” I said, getting off of him. Hoping to keep this mission straight.

And trying to keep us from doing something we’d regret – him more than me.

I sat at the edge of the bed and took off my shoes and socks. He sat up and angled himself to sit at my side. “You’re right. Sorry.”

“No problem,” I assured him. I stood up and checked out the window for any movement. He was right behind me.

“So, that’s the guy?” Felix asked, referring to the mental image of KC. Information siphoning worked a hell of a lot better than hidden cameras and microphones.

“Yep. Do you recognize him?”

“Looks familiar. Same thing with the teacher. I just don’t know where from.” He looked in deep thought for a moment and then spoke. “What about this Vampire, Gerald DeKade?” he asked me.

“As you know, he seems to have ‘business’ going on in this town. Something that’s hidden even from my father. All my father knows about DeKade is that he trades in the underground. A black market for Vampires. I need to learn more about him. I don’t trust him,” I said with a sneer at the thought of that guy.

“He’s a Vampire. What do you expect?” Felix commented, voice careless as though it were something he would have said to anyone because it was his true feelings.

And I snapped.

I grabbed him by the shirt and flipped him over, knocking him onto his back and then straddling him. I materialized my dagger and pressed the blade to his throat.

“In case you forgot, I’m a Vampire!” I seethed at him.

He was shocked by my reaction but then relaxed.

I looked into his eyes and my voice lowered. “You didn’t really trust me, did you?”

He remained silent.

“Answer me!”

“No. But I didn’t really have a choice.”

My eyes became a more smoky blue. Why the Hell was his words making me sad?

I pulled the dagger away from his throat and slowly stood. “I’ll call you if anything new develops,” I informed. My voice distant and professional. I suppose he was just suffering from the after affects of my trans over him. That’s the only explainable reason why someone like him would even consider doing that with someone like me.

He was about to say something but before he could speak, I waved my hand over him and transported him back to Mike’s office. I can’t work near him if he doesn’t have trust for me, I assured myself. I got ready for bed and sunk into the comfy sheets. I needed the rest.

Mike’s Office

Felix appeared on the floor in Mike’s office. He was a little startled by it. Mike, on the other hand, just raised an eyebrow to him.

“You piss her off or something?” Mike asked.

“Um, I suppose,” Felix responded.

Mike let out a weary sigh. “What did you say? Something pertaining to her being a Vampire, I suppose.”

Felix was at his feet and looking away. A little shameful of what he said but not completely regretful. Vampires killed his parents. Of course he doesn’t trust them.

“Felix. Do you remember the woman who took care of you and trained your brother after your parents died?” Mike asked while getting up from his chair and walking around his desk to confront Felix face to face.

“Yes. She was a Head Huntress. She came in a little over twenty years ago but then she disappeared a couple years later,” he said as he thought back to try to remember what the woman’s name was.

“Harmony.” Mike answered Felix’s unasked question.

“Yes. Now I remember. Harmony Raith.”

Mike nodded. “She was War’s mother.”

Felix was genuinely shocked. “What do you mean?”

“Yes, War is only half Vampire. And yes, her mother was a Huntress. She’s the reason why War decided to become one of us.

“War was eight when she watched her mother die. Ever since War was born, her mother’s body began to wither. She knows the pain of losing a parent. And she knows what it’s like to watch someone you love suffer excruciating pain. So don’t go judging her so harshly.” Mike looked at Felix’s expression to make sure Felix understood what he was saying.

Satisfied, he continued. “Now, this information about War is very confidential. So I’d appreciate it if you’d keep it to yourself.” Mike smiled.

Felix nodded slowly, having a hard time taking in all this new information about the Princess of Vampires.

“Good.” Mike beamed. “Now back to work. This is a vary important mission. We need our best in top shape.” Mike patted Felix on the back and sent him out of the office.

When the door closed, Mike’s expression gloomed. He walked back to behind his desk and stared out of the large window.

“Damn it, Serenity,” he whispered to himself. “Don’t lose yourself over this mission.”