A Tempest In The Night Part 2

She'd been trying to catch it for so long that well, maybe she should keep it as a pet. Call it Ralph.

That voice again. Yes, I did and one of them was being able to sense someone in my lair.

Lair? Who talks like that? Dracula? She waved her hand, dismissing it. She opened the refrigerator door, took out her pitcher of filtered water, and placed it on the counter. She looked up amazed that she could see in the dark. Something was wrong with her. No one can see in the dark, but then she wasn't just anyone. She was an empathy/telepath who hadn't used her powers in five years, a psychic who needed to write a report for tomorrow's daily morning meeting. Until she could get rid of the headache, it wasn't going to get written.

His voice echoed in her head again. She wanted more than I could and wanted to give.

Ilida's cheeks heated up. A guy breaking up with his girlfriend. She was nosing around on someone's private pain - thoughts and she didn't know how to stop it.

Thirty minutes later, the limo turned onto Gramercy Park and East Twentieth Street. My body tensed and I prayed I wouldn't encounter anyone on the way to my house. I have an animal inside me that had to be reigned in. "You can let me off here," I said into the intercom. "I want to walk the rest of the way home." My voice when in battle-readiness rumbled.

The windowed part.i.tion was awash in a red haze. The driver's hand I saw in red, also.

The driver opened the door for me. His eyes widened and his pulse picked up. Then he visibly relaxed. He knew he wasn't tonight's meal. "I have two uninvited guests in my home."

"Do you need my help, Sir?"

"I'll take care of it."

"I'm under the King's orders."

"Tell him I let you go. See you soon."

He's just a kid-an acolyte. To young and innocent for him to see what I'm about to do to the intruders.

"Good night, Sir."

I thanked him and then began my walk down the block.

Chilled wind danced on my skin bringing with it the smell of a dog taking a dump, coffee, cooking, paint, and fish. I preferred warm weather, but loved New York City and took what came with it. I swung open the gate to my townhouse, took off my shoes, pulled the lace out of one, and ran up the terra cotta stairs. The stairs were hard slabs of ice but I ignored it. My hunting instincts were on full alert now. If anything moved, I'd kill it. It didn't' matter what or who it was. I am a quarter wolf. It makes me somewhat wild when I have to protect myself, feed or have s.e.x.

Humph, the fish stench was more pungent and it emanated from my house. Hermes!

Inaudibly, I unlocked the front door of the house I bought three years ago, before I became Daedalus Sqourakis Wulf, Prince of Vampires. The thought of officially taking Radu's surname made my stomach heave. That vampire brought nothing but misery to all of his children. I didn't want to be reminded of it by taking my rightful name. I needed the separation to function normally. I've since learned to separate the vampire from the name.

They had no idea I was watching them. Being a powerful psychic made it possible to sneak up on other vampires undetected, and impossible to have my thoughts read. I left the lights off. I'm comfortable without them on and that would alert the intruders. Vampires don't need light to see.

With stealth, I breezed past the kitchen table. My kitchen is open and large enough to include a couple of loveseats and couch. I reached over, took a knife that was taped under one of the loveseats and flung it at the male pawing through the drawers.

Hermes grunted and fell back as blood spurted from the front of his shoulder and out the back. I jumped on him, pushed the knife clear through his shoulder, then pinned him to the white oak cabinet doors.

I wanted him to pay for what he did to me in Santorini, but not here. I didn't want his blood desecrating my floor, my home.

His girlfriend made a dash for the hallway. She was going to leave her beloved Hermes behind to bleed to death? How heart warming. Not missing a beat, I reached out with my long arms, wrapping the shoelace around her neck twice. She struggled and I pulled the lace tighter. We then landed on the black tiled floor the blonde's back to my front.

I tasted Terra and Hermes' fear.

"You're turning three shades of blue, blondie," I warned. She kicked. Her arms flailed then hit the bottom cabinets. She raised her sharp talons. I kept an eye on her menacing nails and Hermes.

"I don't know what you came here for. I don't care, but you two had better get out of here before I get nastier," I said in her ear, but loud enough for Hermes to listen.

She sputtered, "Go."

Hermes struggled, pulled the knife out of his right trapezoid. Blood coated the sleeve and torso of his turtleneck sweater. The right arm hung pathetically. I was surprised Hermes didn't rip his arm off to get away. It would have grown back. He held his right shoulder tight. He raised the knife in the air ready to kill me. Oh Joy! "I'll use her as a s.h.i.+eld, idiot."

"Let her go!"

"When you're out the door, I will."

Hermes' face contorted in pain and his veins shown green and stark under his pale skin. "She might die by then," Hermes said.

"Take a risk," I ground out.

"You c.u.n.t hair," Hermes hollered.

"You talk tough for someone who's half dead."

One thing I loved most in the world besides s.e.x was the smell of blood. It made me deliciously bloodthirsty and l.u.s.ty. s.e.x I could do without for a night. Blood I cherished unconditionally. If Hermes doesn't tend to his knife wound like now, he'll bleed to death. Already my bat self tried to a.s.sert itself: my ears grew pointy, gums itched signaling the growth of fangs, and my fingernails wanted to lengthen. I was seconds away from having my own blood drive, and I couldn't hold it back.

Black hair bursts through my pores. I opened my mouth revealing fangs and bit down on the vampiresses's neck. Salty thickness spurted to the roof of my mouth. The prized liquid, heated from her exertion, flooded my throat. Then saltiness turned spicy, hot. It burned my throat.

Hermes gave me a red-toothed smile.

"This is a taste of what she can do to you. You f.u.c.king freak! Let her go!"

Yes, it was time to. They'd overstayed their welcome, and my vocal cords were melting. We were at a deadlock but it was by no means over-not for Hermes and me.

I pulled her up. The harpy-in-training still struggled. Then her skin, dissolved into vapor, enveloped Hermes. The string I had wrapped around her neck fell to the floor in front of my feet. Hermes maniacal laughter filled my kitchen then faded to nothingness, their psychic signatures gone from my home.

I spit the blood out of my mouth. The droplets of crimson sizzled, danced, and bubbled on the cold surface of the sink. Copper scented steam rose up and coated the already-bloodied cabinets.

Hermes obviously shared blood with her, marking her. I didn't know he had it in him.

I pushed the faucet to the right for cold water and drowned my mouth with it. I gulped and spit it out until I could taste neither her blood nor the water.

I ran a white cloth down the dagger, wiping the blood off the blade. Going over the past four hours: I broke up with Brittany Lane after realizing she's on drugs. I hurt her deeply. I know I can be a s.h.i.+t sometimes, but we'd agreed a year ago that the relations.h.i.+p would be light, fun, and s.e.xually gratifying, only. I don't ever want to lead someone on.

To prevent this from happening I had to cast out the wards around my home. I should have done it before. My three-day-old argument I had with my daughter distracted me.

I let my mind, or a part of my essence, flow out and encircle my townhouse. It's a strong barrier, like me, and won't let the unwanted in.

There was the nagging, tingling sensation in my head just as I finished fortifying my lair. More visitors were about to darken my doorstep and my wards would not keep them out. Something to work on later.

The shrill buzz of the doorbell signaled my family's arrival and my aggressive instincts once more. Tania and Alec knew it was better to come invited. The wolf instinct to guard my lair made it impossible to have uninvited guests. It wouldn't be different for my brother and sister-in-law.

I opened the door to see Alec on guard already. He stood still and met my steady gaze, ready to strike me if needed. The cool breeze blew his longish black hair. Alec is as ferocious and as cunning a fighter as I am. If we had to fight each other, I would be hard pressed to guess who'd win. Tania, Alec's wife and Queen, crossed her arms in agitation as she looked from me to Alec. Then she looked around. She sensed my wards. "You should have called first."

"We sensed you were in trouble," Alec said equally as tense.

"I handled it, as usual."

"I swear it's like watching Animal Planet. Are you two alpha males finished?" Tania said.

I know from whence my aggressiveness comes. There was no need for me to feel threatened.

"Give me five more minutes," I half-joked. Alec was about to growl at me. I love goading him and would have continued if Tania hadn't interrupted me.

"We didn't mean to encroach on your territory. By the way, it's freezing out here," Tania reminded me, hugging herself.

Her crocheted rose-colored hat tamed her long black tresses. The color of her hat vibrated off her cocoa colored skin. Staring at her, I suddenly realized I was attracted to her. What male wouldn't be? It would never go any further, though. We're best friends and I...love my brother as much as I could love him. Love has always been a mystery to me. I've only seen the opposite so I was stunned I could say that. I don't think I know what love is, but without question I would do anything for him while joyfully giving him a hard time. "Come in. I'll turn up the heat."

Once their coats were off and shoes discarded by the door, they settled in the kitchen. I continued cleaning up the blood on the cabinet doors. I wiped back and forth turning the dark, viscous liquid into pink bubbling suds.

Alec and Tania sat down on the stools in front of the bar. Tania still wore perfume knowing other vampires would be sensitive to it. I chalked it up to stubborn human habits. My nose itched then got used to the floral scent. Heat gradually warmed the living room and kitchen.

I hated silence. Silence meant something not too savory was on the horizon, and yours truly was going to be the fall guy. Whatever it will be, I was on a roll tonight.

Alec spoke first. "Let me guess. The Jacquerie paid you a visit?"

I shrugged. Their visit barely meant anything to me, though something told me I shouldn't have been so peace loving tonight. "Hermes is after me."

"Why is he after you?" Tania asked.

"I had a feeling you knew him," Alec said.

How do you say what I was about to say? My secret will be out, then what? Will they think less of me? Will I have to prove myself in their eyes?

"What is it?" Tania asked.

"Are you being dramatic?" Alec asked.

Hardly. I didn't know where to begin. It was safer to look into Tania's eyes. She had an understanding non-judgmental way about her. Alec is a lucky a.s.shole. I doubt if I will ever find that, and do I really want to? All relations.h.i.+ps are complicated at best. There was so much they didn't know about me and vice versa. We're family and this would help me to know how much of a family they want to be.

Tania's eyes softened. The dawning of understanding showed in her eyes. "Wait Alec. I don't think he's about to tell us a bedtime story."

"I cut off his left arm and p.e.n.i.s two centuries ago. He and Terra smelled like s.e.x so they grew back obviously."

"Ouch!" Tania visibly shuddered. "I'm not a male and that hurt. Why so harsh?"

It was a vicious act, but I will not apologize for it. "I believe it was a Monday. I hate Mondays."

"You hate Mondays?" Alec asked.

"Doesn't everyone?" I wasn't ashamed. It wasn't my fault but telling my newfound family about the most horrendous night of my life-no never. But it may come out soon especially with Hermes lurking about again trying to cause trouble. I could see him resorting to blackmail next.

"What did he really do to you?" Tania asked softly.

I'm a sucker for compa.s.sionate women and vampiresses, and she's my best friend. I should tell her, but when she became Queen of Vampires, our friends.h.i.+p changed.

"He tried to humiliate me and it worked for all of five minutes." Shrugging, I said, "I took care of it." Pride means everything to a vampire male.

Alec's eyes were intense as he watched me. He wanted to probe my thoughts, find out what I was hiding, but had the good manners to leave it alone.

"I'm sorry you got pulled into our fight with him," Tania said.

"I don't shy away from fighting." I want Hermes to remember I'm not peace loving. "There is something you should know about Hermes. I bit his girlfriend's neck tonight and her blood burned my throat. It felt like it was being eaten away, like corrosive acid eats through metal."

"Well, that isn't good," Tania, breathed. "What does that mean?"

I said shrugging, "Hand-to-hand combat is not advisable. What do you know about his girlfriend?" I asked Alec.

"Terra has a background in biochemistry. She grew up in Spain," Alec said. "She most likely manufactured red queen."

"She'll be dead soon. If I don't kill her first."

"How do you know?" Tania asked.

"Hermes likes power and he doesn't like sharing it. He and Ma.n.u.s made the perfect couple that way."

"How is that?"

"Ma.n.u.s loved power. So did Hermes. I killed Ma.n.u.s-beat Hermes to it."

"What did you do to Hermes?"

Tania has delicate ears. "And that's where the cutting off arm and p.e.n.i.s come in."

"Are you-?" Tania asked me.

"Never been better. I'd love a cig though." Tania doesn't understand. In a m.a.s.o.c.h.i.s.tic way, I have to thank Hermes for trying to kill my spirit. His act forced me to act and free myself and the other Vrykolakas clan members.

"What did you do to her in the past? Is she a woman scorned?" Tania asked.

Obviously, my s.e.x life was fodder for critiquing. "I remember every woman and vampiress I've slept with. She wasn't one of them. So, what can I do for you two?"

Alec fixed me with his serious gaze. "This is strangely apropos. We want you to be our Enforcer."

"And we'd like you to start right away," Tania added.

The sponge in my hand froze. Then I dropped it in the green bucket and turned around to face my brother and his wife. "I think both of you fed on a drunk wino tonight," I said while wiping my hands.

I've been restless lately, itching for a risky venture, and they just handed it to me on a silver platter, but did I want to be their Enforcer?