by Sean Hayden
I nodded.
"I think you're going to be just fine one day. Definitely not tomorrow or next week. Maybe even not over the course of the next year, but one day you will. Do you know why?"
I opened my mouth to make a witty comeback, but I didn't. Instead I thought about it. Then the answer came to me. "I'm going to be fine because I have people who care a lot about me and who will help me get through this shit show?"
"Exactly correct." This time he did set his notebook and pen down and grabbed his coffee. He took a sip and made a face.
"Cold?"
He nodded.
I reached for the mug and didn't ask him if he wanted a refill. I just got up to make him another.
"Thank you," he said gratefully. "So, what do you think the next most important thing is after severing the bond?"
"I hadn't thought that far ahead. Marc told me to worry about the most important thing first. I was sort of clinging to that. But it's kind of a no brainer when I do think about it. I need to learn to be a better vampire."
"And Marcel will help you with that."
I nodded, even though he probably couldn't see me from where he was sitting. I grabbed the mug from the coffee maker and walked back into the living room, handing it to him before I sat back down.
"Yes."
"Okay. You have a plan. I have one, too. Would you care to hear it?"
"Depends. Is it bad?" I kind of squirmed in my seat.
"Not at all."
"Okay. What is it?"
"You're going to go to California. You're going to have your mage friend help you. I am going to sign off on your return to limited duty, and I'll go into the details of that with you before you go."
I warily nodded. "But?"
"We are not going to solely rely on this mage friend. The FBI will also provide a magic user to help with this situation to resolve it as quickly as possible. Hopefully. I'm going to make this recommendation to Director Sanders as soon as I leave here. So, expect a phone call either later tonight or tomorrow."
I nodded. "Thanks."
"I am also going to recommend that Marcel accompanies you on this trip."
"That was the plan. Dealing with finding replacement masters is something that only he can do. I know for a fact that he has one of his people out there already working on it."
"Good. Then that is taken care of."
"That's it?"
"For now. Unless there is something else you would like to talk about?"
I started to shake my head, but one thought kept nagging me. "Doc, can I ask one more question?"
"You can ask more than that if you want to. Go ahead."
"How long should I wait?"
"For?"
"To move on."
"From Victoria?"
I nodded.
"That is a question you should be asking yourself, not me. There is no set time for grieving the loss of a loved one. Each person is different. Each instance is different. Do you feel like you should be moving on?"
"I don't think so. But a few things have happened. It's hard for me because whenever I feed, it turns very sexual. I don't know how to shut it off. On top of that, I might have fooled around with Marcel."
"Did you?"
"Yeah. Quite a bit, but not all the way. He made it clear that we would never seal the deal. At first, I was pissed, but now I'm kind of grateful that we didn't."
"Because of Vic?"
"See, that's why I'm confused. It's like because Marcel is a guy, it doesn't feel like I'm dishonoring her memory."
"But did you feel that way when you were feeding from your female friend?"
"Yes–No, kind of maybe? It didn't at the time, but now that I think about it, I have a lump in my throat."
"Are you interested in getting into a relationship with your female friend?"
"Definitely not. Maybe someday, but not right now. I couldn't."
"I think you just need to realize there is a difference between relationships and sex. Humans, vampires, whatever, we all need release. Don't feel guilty. However, be sure to let those you chose to be intimate with know that you are not committing. Does that make sense?"
"Don't hurt others to get my rocks off."
"Um… Blunt but pretty dead on."
"Thanks, Doc."
"My pleasure. Anything else bothering you?"
This time I shook my head and meant it. My head had officially been shrunk enough in one evening.
"Okay, I'll get going then. I have two-hundred phone calls to make and just as many reports to fill out. Hang in there, Agent Thorne."
"Thank you, Doctor Rosenfeld."
∞ ∞ ∞
Mel returned with a suitcase, a duffel bag, and a laptop. For some reason, the thought of an elf using a computer struck me as a tad bit funny. I managed to refrain from laughing and helped her unload her stuff from her car and tote it into the room she picked.
"Do you have someplace I can set up my computer?"
"I have a desk in the other bedroom. Feel free to set up in there. My laptop is in my bedroom anyway."
"Thanks. What's your wifi password?"
"Bloodisyummy, all one word with a capital B."
"You're kidding?"
"No. I was drinking blood when I set it up. It's all I could think of."
"You and I are gonna get along fine, methinks."
I grinned at her and decided to give her some space. I swung by the kitchen for a snack sack and plopped down on the couch halfway down, feet dangling over the armrest. I debated turning the TV on, but the sound of silence seemed quite appealing at that moment. Sipping slowly, I tried to relax for the first time in as long as I could remember.
Idle thoughts open doors for inner demons. I started feeling overwhelmed almost immediately and shut it down. Grabbing the remote off the coffee table, I flicked on the TV. I still felt relaxed and the anxiety crept away.
Mel plopped down on the couch next to my head. I looked up and saw her sitting there, laptop in hand. "What do you think of this set?"
I awkwardly glanced at the screen. There was a cute bed, nightstand, and dresser combination. I whistled at the price and debated buying one for myself. It was a good deal. "That's adorable. And cheap."
"I know right? I think it's because you have to put the shit together yourself."
"I'm not helping."
"Aww, come on."
"Me and power tools don't mix."
"We'll use hand tools then. You can wield a screwdriver, can't you?"
"I might be able to. As long as it’s the X bit and not that stupid flat one. The guy who invented that should be drawn and quartered and cast into the deepest pit in hell."
"Don't hold back. Tell me how you really feel."
"Just did," I said and went back to flipping channels."
"Isn't the Bachelor on?"
I shrugged my shoulders and flipped through the networks. When I saw a guy holding a rose, I stopped and handed her the remote over my head.
"You ever watch this show?"
"No. Not much of a reality TV show person."
"What do you normally watch?"
"Sci Fi, fantasy, and…" I trailed off in embarrassment.
"What?"
"Promise not to laugh?"
"No," she said honestly.
"Promise not to make fun of me then."
"Absolutely. Not."
"Wait, what?"
"Nothing. Carry on. What do you watch?"
"Mostly anime, but I like a lot of cartoons."
"Sooo making fun of you. Otaku."
I blushed. Then I realized something very important… "How the hell do you know what an otaku is?"
She looked down at me, gave me an exaggerated slow wink and patted my head.
"Baka." I turned sideways, facing the television and curling my legs so I fit neatly on the rest of the couch.
It took her all of five minutes to start stroking my hair and I fought the urge to purr. "That feels good."
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"I know. I love it when people play with my hair."
"You're hired," I said.
"Just part of the rent. Scoot a little closer."
"Any closer and I'll be in your lap."
"That's what I meant. You watch anime, surely you've seen the legendary lap pillow…" She closed her laptop and set it on the table in front of us.
I laughed and lifted my head, pushing myself closer with my feet. Her thigh was very firm but comfortable, and the plain black leggings she wore were kind of silky. I sighed, closed my eyes, and let the tension drain from my body.
I probably drained too much. I fell asleep in her lap.
My doorbell rang and woke me up. I sat up and looked around in confusion. Mel must have carried me into the bed at some time during the night. She was snoring lightly under the covers. I felt around in the sky and sensed the sun as it began dipping below the horizon. All the important people in my life knew the code to get in. Whoever it was knew better than to ring my door before sunset. Or, they just got lucky.
I slipped out from under the blanket and padded softly to the front door. Without peeking through the peephole, I opened the door and shielded my eyes against the tiniest remnants of sunlight painting the evening sky.
An elf in full leather armor stood patiently, hands clasped behind his back, staring out at the neighborhood. He turned, and I saw his face. I squealed like a little girl and jumped into his arms.
"Daren!"
"Hello, youngling. How are you," he said gently and set me down on my front porch.
I backed up and couldn't help but smile. "I've been better. What brings you to my neighborhood?"
"I received a call from the director last evening. He said you required the assistance of a mage?"
"Holy shit. And they sent you? Come on in!" I let him into my house and shut the door behind us. "Can I get you anything to drink?" I seriously needed to up my company game. I had a coffee maker and bottled waters and a small box of teas, but that was about it.
"Do you have tea?"
I nodded. "Sure. Grab a seat, I'll make you a cup."
The kitchen overlooked the dining area. I watched his graceful movements while I unceremoniously filled my aunt's favorite teakettle with water from the tap and set in on the stove to heat up. He pulled out one of the chairs and swept into it like a king sitting upon a throne. The difference between him and Mel was staggering. She was graceful, but not regal in the least.
"Did I wake you?" He asked, but I had a feeling he knew damn well that he did.
"No. I've been up for hours and hours." I lied jokingly.
"I see you've kept that extraordinary sense of humor of yours."
"Only thing that keeps me sane."
"Did you want to start a debate?"
I laughed and joined him at the table while I waited for the kettle to boil. "How I missed you. I'm sorry I haven't visited or called. Things went from crazy to worse and then reached a head and and and–"
He silenced my rambling with a gentle hand on my head. "I've been keeping abreast of your adventures and troubles. I must say, for the most part, you've done quite well. I am proud of you."
"I've fucked up so much though."
"You're young. There is no greater teacher than experience. It is even better than I am. Or, so I've been told." He smiled at his own joke.
I was just amazed that someone could be built like Loki, have a face like Thor, and sound like Dumbledore. I hated to say it, but he was even hotter than Marcel. Darenthalis was the entire shebang. I was probably staring. He was probably used to it. Luckily, I was saved by the teakettle steaming angrily.
"Sugar?"
"Honey, if you have."
"Sadly no."
"Just the tea then, please."
I nodded and ran into the kitchen and pulled the kettle off the burner. Grabbing two mugs, I plopped a teabag into one and poured the water into it without managing to burn myself. While it steeped, I grabbed a bag out of the fridge. I popped it into the microwave for a few seconds and then snipped open the bag with kitchen shears and poured most of it into the other mug.
Returning to the dining room, I set them on the table in front of us and sat back down. "Did the director tell you we need to go to California to take care of this issue? Hell, did the director even tell you what the problem is?"
"He said that in the process of ridding this world of a great evil, you had the vampires of four cities magically tethered to you? Did you mean for this to happen?"
I shook my head emphatically. "No way in hell. I can barely control my own power. The last thing I wanted was to increase it. But I still don't get it."
"Get what?"
"Greer, that's the evil sonofabitch I killed, did this on purpose to become stronger. It's had the opposite effect on me. They're draining me dry. I have to continuously feed just to stand upright for any amount of time."
Daren looked puzzled and motioned to my hand. I let go of my warm mug and held it out for him. His hand felt warm as it wrapped around mine, but that was all I felt. No tug, no pull, no power. My hand just sort of melted into his.
"What are you doing?"
"Well, casting a spell at you won't work, so I'm trying blending my shields into yours, just to have a look at what's going on inside."
"Oh. Sort of tuning the frequency of your shields to match mine so you can protect both our ships."
"What?"
"Just trying to figure out what you're doing by putting it into Star Trek tech."
"Oh," he said and nodded as he thought about it. "Kirk or Picard?" He asked out of the blue after a few seconds.
"Picard. Patrick Stewart is a god."
"Shatner was good looking, but couldn’t act his way out of a disintegrating Tholian web."
"Never would have taken you for a Trekkie, Daren."
"I've been a fan since its debut."
"That must have been exciting!"
"There was nothing else like it at the time. Paved the way for so many things. It is a world that I would love to see come to fruition. Races living in harmony, the end of hunger and strife…"
"Softie," I said with a smile.
"What kind of world do you wish for, little one?" He arched his eyebrow as he waited for my response.
With Daren, I knew better than to give a half-cocked, shot from the hip answer, so I thought about it for a moment while I felt our shields click together. Apparently, his plan worked. "I'd love to say that I would like to end all evil in the world, but that's just impossible. I'd just like to level out the playing field a little more. See people getting hurt less. Seeing an increase in cooperation, tolerance, and acceptance among the races would be awesome. There's too much we don't know about each other and I think that needs to end for the former to happen. They teach basic supernatural and natural biology and sociology in school, but what we don't know about each other is far greater than what we do know. Hell, what most people know is ninety percent incorrect, too. Too much rumor and speculation, not enough facts."
He nodded and closed his eyes but continued speaking. "Most of the information was spread by the races themselves to mislead their persecutors. I, myself, am old enough to remember a time when I could have been killed on sight just for having pointed ears."
"That's sad," I said.
"Even yourself could have been killed for being what you are up until a few decades ago."
"Yeah, well elves don't go around sucking all the blood out of people. That's probably why you've been free longer."
He nodded but didn't say anything else. I could feel something swimming around in my head for the first time. It didn't hurt, and it didn't tickle, but it did feel strange.
"Is that you?"
"Yes. I'm surprised you can feel it. Is it uncomfortable? I can stop."
"No, just strange."
"Just looking at some memories to see what happened when the vampires shifted to you."
"Oh. Yeah. Don't make me watch that again,
please."
"Can you see anything?"
"Just you. No memories are flashing before my eyes."
"All right," he said and continued picking my brain.
I sipped my blood and laughed.
"What?"
I giggled again before answering. "Just thinking about how you have pointed ears and are digging around in my brain. It's almost like a Vulcan Mind Meld. You know I'm going to call you Mr. Spock from now on, right?"
"I've been called less illogical things."
"Ha. I see what you did there."
He froze, and I felt his hand tighten around mine. His half-smile vanished as his eyebrows lifted. I could see his surprise as the scene unfolded before him.
"Can you–"
He held up his other hand for silence as he relived my memory. I could almost tell what was happening just by the emotion playing across his face. Anguish and tears marked the beginning of my fight. Vic had just passed. Rage as I tore Greer apart. Anger and then sorrow as the scene ended. He gasped and let go of my hand. I could almost hear my shield crash back into place.
"My goddess, child."
"Yep. Not the best day of my life."
He wiped tears from his face and took several swallows of his cooling tea. I drowned in my mug of blood, drinking it all in several gulps and went to pour more. I even skipped warming it up. When I returned to the table, conflicting emotions warred on his face as he contemplated everything he had witnessed.
"I'm sorry for your loss," he said as I sat.
"Thank you. Know how to get rid of her ghost?"
"Excuse me?"
"She's haunting me."
"That's impossible."
"Tell her that."
"There's no such–"
"I have witnesses…"
That stopped him. If it were only me who had seen it, it could be chalked up to an overemotional teenage girl who had suffered a devastating loss. When multiple people see the same thing…
"I don't understand it. Only humans can become ghosts and then only under horrific circumstances…"
"Wait. You're telling me ghosts are real?"
He nodded. "But this is not possible for vampires, as they are already technically not alive. Elves don't because we do not lose ourselves when we pass from this world. It is the same for the rest of the races, as I understand it."