by J. E Hanson
“You will experience what he’s feeling, and he will sense what you’re feeling. You will find him sexually appealing, and the one will dream of having sex with the other. I call that an occupational hazard,” he explains what I’m going through right now.
I try to make sense of all these emotions, and I have to gather my thoughts. “Does anyone ever follow through with these impulses?” I ask.
Leo scratches his head. “There’s no way to avoid it. The indecent thoughts will eventually take over, and of course, one thing will lead to another. Christian will eventually pop your cherry sooner—or later. We all made bets, to see who will break first.”
I am repulsed and in shock. “You’re so gross, and let me guess… Ian is behind these bets!”
Leo taps my nose. “You’re absolutely correct. He believes that you will cave in, and beg Christian for sex first.”
I felt like I swallowed another bitter pill. “Oh, great! I live in a house full of men, who bet over my sex life, or lack of one! Thanks a lot, guys! Where is Christian at anyway?” I shake my head with disgust.
“Christian has a business meeting, and is it working yet?” Leo smirks at me.
I try to stand up, but trip over my own feet. “I’m fairly positive that I won’t hike his leg today, or even tomorrow! You and Ian can shove those bets, where the sun never shines!”
Leo catches me. “The sun never shines there anyway.”
He escorts me inside the gym, and he orders me, to run for several hours on the treadmill. Ian walks inside the gym, and hands him another gadget for him to fix. That’s why I’m so glad I have my iPod with me. It is hard to keep Christian off my mind. I try to focus on my sister, and how many different ways I can kill Reno. There’s the sun, but he doesn’t deserve the sun. There has to be better ways to torture that animal. The ways to end Reno and Khan's existences never stop. The same thoughts revolve in my head, and it always ends with those two begging for their existences. I want those assholes, to grovel at my feet. I know I should take the high road, but that will never happen. Ava didn’t deserve to die the way she did. My sister deserved more respect than that. The pain in my chest continues to ache. I have lost so many people in my life, because of Reno and Khan. I won’t rest until those two meet their final deaths. Ava was supposed to be married. I wanted to become an aunt with a bunch of nieces and nephews running around the house. The pain aches deep in my soul. I have to pause, and catch my breath for a few minutes.
Leo stares at me. “I know you’re still grieving, but it will be okay. I won’t hold it against you.”
A few tears drip off my cheeks. Leo clearly understands what I’m going through. I sob for only a few minutes. “Thank you Leo for your compassion, but it only hurts, when I think about the future she clearly deserved.”
Leo lifts up my chin. “What about your future?”
“My sister was the outgoing one. She had the most potential from the two of us, to have a marriage and children.”
“You can still marry and have children.”
“Do you think he will be able, to ignore my fangs?” The tears continue, to trickle down my cheeks.
“I have a simple solution for you. Marry a vampire instead of a mortal,” Leo suggests.
“That sounds easier said than done. I want to have kids though.”
“You can still have kids, even if they are vampire kids. All you need to do is find a male vampire, who will want to have kids with you. After you have his kids, then he can turn you to our side. Do you see how easy that is?” Leo gave me his advice.
“Christian said he will never allow it. I wish that were true Leo, but majority of my life is tied to Christian. So, how does that work with a blood bond?” I wait for his answer.
“In that case, I have no clue. You’re screwed, and if you take another drop of his blood, you will always remain a part of him,” Leo scratches his head.
The idea unhinges me, and I wished someone warned me, before exchanging blood with him, but it’s too late, to turn back now.
~~~***~~~
The last week of August ends with September arriving with coral leaves. My second week of training with Leo begins. There are no signs of Christian anywhere. My body drops to one hundred and fifty three pounds. This size feels comfortable and enjoyable to me. But, there are a few pounds left to lose. My boobs firm up nicely, and I lost additional bra sizes. Since Christian isn’t around, the younger Enforcers act up. Erik, Charlie, Alexander, and Sam left for the week.
Ian takes his skateboard out, and he rides it around the castle. The Hayes twins decide it’s time, to pull pranks on Tommy and Leo.
I study history in the library, when all the sudden, I hear a loud “BOOM” echo in the library. I nearly jump out of my skin, and I can hear Brannon snicker.
“You stupid mother fucker, and I will get you for that!” Tommy yells at Brannon.
Brannon apparently lit a firecracker at Tommy. He runs out of the library, hysterically laughing. His brother Brennan winks at me as he pours maple syrup all over Leo’s keyboard. I shake my head at him with disbelief. Brennan chuckles, while he nonchalantly leaves the library.
Zane returns and he commits additional practical jokes. I watch him open Ian’s laptop. He replaces his screensaver with rotting vaginas. He snickers, and then he puts Ian’s laptop back in his seat.
Ian stops riding his skateboard long enough, to strut inside the library. I try to hide the giggles, but he catches me. “Did one of them do something to my laptop?”
I point at Leo’s laptop. “At least your laptop, isn’t as bad as Leo’s.”
Leo has excellent hearing, and he runs inside the library as soon as I say his name. “What the fuck happened, to mine? You had better tell me now, Jeannie! What did they do?”
Ian turns his laptop on. “Okay Zane, this so means war, dude!”
Leo swears up a storm, “Which asshole did this to my laptop?”
I wrote Brennan’s name down for him, and hand Leo the perpetrator. “You had better tell me who did it, Jeannie! I will make you suffer in training, if you refuse to tell me!”
I play along with him, “I was sworn to secrecy, and I refuse, to be in the middle of this!”
Brennan arrives acting nonchalantly, “Whoa, dude! Who did that shit to your laptop? I feel sorry for your poor laptop, and that really bites, dude!”
Leo walks over casually, and then he grabs Brennan by the neck, “Fucker! I will kick your ass for this one!”
Brannon walks inside with a paintball gun, and he ducks inside the library. Tommy storms in with another paintball gun. “Come out, wherever you are, Brannon! I’ve got red paint with your name on it, waiting to light your ass up!”
To my horror, they start a paintball war inside the library. The blood red paint scatters, and a few drops land on my arm. I duck behind Ian, and laugh. The paintball tournament escalates outside. It is fun, to see the younger Enforcers enjoy themselves for a change. Sophia cleans up their mess in the library, and covers for them.
The following day, Louie runs in whistling, “Shit! Erik is back!”
The younger Enforcers run out of the room in a blur. Brannon manages to place a Whoopee cushion in Erik’s chair. Brannon drapes a blanket over his chair. He quickly returns to his usual seat. All the Enforcers sit perfectly still. Erik storms inside the library with a scowl on his face. Everyone stays away from him, because he’s the most intimidating out of all the Enforcers. His face never relaxes until he’s about, to take a seat in his chair.
Alexander arrives with Charlie right behind him. The younger vampires are snickering. Brannon has his phone ready, to take pictures of Erik’s reaction. He keeps a straight face the whole time. Erik finally takes his seat. All you can hear is an obnoxious sound coming from his chair. The younger Enforcers are laughing hysterically, but not Erik.
Erik stands up and he’s hot. “You little fuckers! I will make you pay for this! Reconnaissance for Brennan and Brannon right now, and both of
you have two weeks!”
“How do you know it was us?” Brannon asks argumentatively.
Charlie grins at their admission. “That right there bloody told him, who did it!”
Erik turns around to Brannon. “You are lucky that Christian isn’t here, to deal with your childish antics! You should be watching the Princess! All of you are failing at protecting her! We are an elite group, not a bunch of clowns! Take your jobs seriously boys!” Erik yells at them.
“They actually were doing their jobs. None of them left my side at any point, Erik. They were having fun for a change. I actually enjoy, seeing this side of them. They have actual personalities, and they are not a bunch of stiffs,” I boldly speak up for the first time.
“You are a princess, and you will learn your place soon enough! Don’t interrupt our methods of discipline!” Erik huffs at me, and he yells back.
“The year is 2011, and this isn’t the Viking Era anymore, Erik. A little bit a fun never hurts anyone. I actually enjoy watching the men turn into something other than a bunch of soldiers. If you don’t mind, I think I will surrender to my room,” I quickly stand up, and abruptly end our conversation. I take my book, and leave them behind. I surprise the younger vampires, by sticking up for them. I spend the rest of the week reading up on history.
I fight hard, to keep Christian and my sister far from my mind. Those two consume my waking thoughts. Tommy gives me additional meditation advice. Louie works with me, after my initial training with Leo. He isn’t easy at times, and I even thought he would break me. I stumble in the bathroom a few times, because of his late night training.
Leo takes me outside, during the second week. This time he orders me, to run through the woods. It is hard to complete the painful obstacle course. The logs are too heavy, to carry from one end of the woods to the other. I climb over and under all the barbwire fencing. Leo makes certain that I wade through the mud, and climb over the wooden fences. “Come on, kid! You have this! You have to beat the time limit!” It is incredibly hard to make the time limit.
~~~***~~~
Leo taught me how to make a bomb, and how to disarm a bomb. He also taught martial arts, and he taught me how to use other guns. Leo even adds how to throw a grenade. “Disarm, and throw. Jeannie, you need to throw the fucking grenade now!” Leo takes it from my hand, and chucks it just in time.
I apologetically stare at Leo, “I’m so sorry, Leo! I never thought it would go off that fast!”
“Open you ears! When I say throw, you had better throw! I really don’t feel like having our guts explode everywhere today. We should practice throwing a few more times,” Leo yells as he shakes his head at me.
Leo loves to set things off. We practice a few more grenade throws, but I won’t make the same mistake twice. My mind focuses on the bombs and grenades for at least two hours. Christian is probably doing the same thing too.
I secretly meet Louie in the basement. He trains me in gymnastics. The flips are the easiest thing to learn. He blindfolds me, to teach additional gymnastic moves. My punches and kicks are potent with Christian's blood flowing through me. That has to be another side effect of our blood exchange.
~~~***~~~
The cool breeze blows gently, to signify the weather change. Leo shakes my hand, and he congratulates me at the end of our training. For the next two weeks, Sam takes over. Sam continues to train me on detonating bombs and grenades. Besides Louie, he’s the only one, who refuses to treat me like a girl. He’s vicious with his training.
“I refuse to take it easy on you. The next two weeks of training, will be your most brutal weeks thus far,” Sam, warns me.
Sam takes out a swordstick, and he hands it to me. My fighting with him commences.
“Someone has been working with you. You shouldn’t be this far along,” he accuses me.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about! Now, show me what you got, dear trainer of mine!” I smirk at him with a guilty look on my face.
Sam laughs and he smacks my hands a few times. I fire back at him, and give him everything I have. Christian makes his grand entrance. I can feel him inside of me, and he’s here. Sam nails my hands a few times, and I swiftly nail Sam hard in the groin.
Sam crouches down. “Vampire or not, that shit still fucking hurts!”
Leo laughs overhearing and watching our little duel.
Sam falls again from another smooth hit to his family jewels. “I’m so sorry, Sam!”
Sam grimaces from the pain. “Can we make the family jewels off limits?”
I notice the pain in his face, and I’m constantly apologizing to Sam. Christian enters the gym, and he watches me bend over Sam. “What is going on here?”
“Jeannie has killed my family jewels, and I need a break,” Sam answers grimacing.
Christian helps me stand up. Sam and Leo left us alone in the gym together.
“You are doing such an excellent job. You have come a long way, from the time you came through my doors,” he compliments me.
The sexual attraction towards him reaches its peak. Without thinking it through, I lean in and kiss his lips. He immediately pulls back, and he isn’t exactly happy. His face twists and he’s hot. “Why did you do that?”
“I’m so sorry! I never mean to!”
Christian places his hands over his head, and he yells at me in a foreign language. He slams the gym doors, and he walks away from me. Maybe I should have thought twice about kissing him, but I didn’t.
Sam returns, shaking his head. “Oh, you really did it now, Princess! Christian is angry! I have no clue what you just did, but he’s really hot!”
“I accidentally kissed him,” I answered.
Sam shakes his head at me. “That wasn’t the smartest move. All I can say is yikes, Princess! You’re screwed now!” He keeps shaking his head at me, and then he instructs me, to run on the treadmill.
My legs are in so much pain. For the rest of the day, I make my own lunch, snacks, and dinner by myself. Louie left me a note on my door, to state that he’s ending our training, since the others are catching on. I sit in my bedroom all by myself. Christian remains in the house angry. I crossed a line that I shouldn’t have crossed.
I remember his number on my cell phone. I promptly chose to send a text to Christian. “That was completely stupid of me, and I’m truly sorry. I was way out of line, and I hope you can forgive me.”
I left my phone on the desk and shower. The shower lasts for a good hour. I stop to think of what I could have done differently. After my shower, I dry myself off, and quickly change into my pajamas.
I return and to my surprise, Charlie is perched on my desk with my cell phone in his hands. His eyes are closed and this doesn’t look good for me. Through our bond, Christian isn’t even in the castle. The anger is far away from me now.
I mournfully peek over at Charlie. “I really pissed him off this time.”
He comes to life. “Bloody hell… I have to say this, darling. You’re very young, and bloody naive about vampires. I’m the only one; he has turned into a vampire. This kind of existence is my bloody choice and not his. My daughter turned as well. Nevertheless, she also chose to turn. I know you will do things out of bloody line. Aye, that’s okay, but you must understand that there are things you must never do. You need to understand a few things about him. He loved his bloody wife very much. Kissing you is a smack to her memory. He also had kids with his mortal wife. There are many other things about him and he’s occasionally misunderstood. He still loves his wife, even after all these years. Do you understand me at all?”
“I understand now, and I’m sorry,” I keep apologizing to him.
“I want you to understand, why I will never replace my wife. You need to hear my story, to have a glimpse at what our lives were bloody like way back when. My bloody wife and I met on an island. I married her and created beautiful children with her. My wife was bloody tough! She took shit from nobody, and she answered to nobody! As a pirate, she w
as my equal in every way. We sailed the open seas together, and then one day, it all came to a bad end. These pirates from the ship took over ours. They pillaged and plundered. They made me watch them rape, and murder my own wife right in front of me. I couldn’t do anything, not a bloody damn thing! My daughter was with her grandmother at that time. Our other children were also brutally murdered. Willow was sick a lot as a child. Luckily, she wasn’t with us, when that bloody went down. My quest for greed killed my wife. I live with that painful memory every bloody day. They left me on this bloody island over fifteen hundred years ago. Chris is much older than I am. The young lad found me, and saved me. He hated turning me, but I wanted my revenge. I found those bloody pirates, and I got my revenge. I wound up turned for all eternity, and I became a member of the dark side. My wife is still gone, but my daughter is now a member too. She saw me, and she demanded me to turn her. She had the flu that could have killed her, so I turned her at her bequest. My daughter is only a couple years younger than you are.”
Their ages surprise me, and they are older than what I previously thought. The guilt swallows me. I thank him for telling me his age, and how he was turned. Now, I see why it’s painful for him, and the others to talk about their pasts. I have a full understanding, to why they never discuss their pasts. Christian was once married with children during his mortal existence. The news takes me by surprise. There’s only one person, who I could rely on right now. It is time to make that phone call to my grandfather.
Saber answers on the first ring, “I often wondered when you were going, to give me my first phone call. How’s everything going, Jeannie?”
“I need to ask you a private question, but you don’t have to answer, if you don’t want to.”
My grandfather sounds like he’s tapping on something. “I have a feeling that I may already know what you’re about to ask me—but go ahead.”
“Why... I’m sorry, but I made an honest mistake with my guardian. He’s furious with me right now, and I feel extremely guilty. I don’t know what to do next…”