“Sure, Marcel.”
Michelle, tipsy and tripping over her feet but certain Marcel hadn’t meant for her to make Sophie a hurricane, went behind the bar, grabbed a glass, and raised the nozzle that had a bunch of buttons on it.
“Which one is for water?”
“The clear one with a big W.”
“Oh.”
She pressed it and looked up to see that the crowd had parted, but Marcel hadn’t moved from his place on the stained wood of the entryway.
A man, larger than any Michelle had ever seen, emerged from the crowd, stalking his way towards the bar.
“Um, Marcel? Should I call the police?”
“They won’t do anything. I got this.”
The guy came closer and closer, and Marcel didn’t budge. Water streamed over the rim of the tumbler, onto Michelle’s hand, and she lifted her finger to stop the flow.
“Go get her and bring her to me, old man,” said the immense tower of a being.
Hearing his voice and seeing his eyes filled with fire, Michelle came out of the alcohol haze she was in, her senses on high alert at the vamp trying to influence Marcel.
“You can’t come in, vampire, and you can’t make me do nuthin’! None of your kind can. Never have been. Never will be. Wanna live to see another night? Get the fuck away from my bar, or I’ll fill you full of silver.”
His eyes returned to normal, and he sneered, “Do you know who you’re hiding her from? She’s Gregor’s property.”
“I don’t give a rat’s ass who you say owns her.” Marcel pumped a round into the chamber. “She’s free now.”
“Sure, she is.” The guy smirked, turned around, and took a step away before looking back over his shoulder. “Tell Sophie Hans sends his regards.”
“Go fuck yourself.”
Chapter 9
Curled in the corner and shuddering with fear, Sophie screamed when she heard the soft knock of the door.
“Hey. Sophie, right? I’m Michelle. Those guys are gone. Marcel took care of them, and I have a glass of water for you. No one here is going to hurt you. You’re safe. Promise. So, open up?”
Her eyes searched left and right, up and down. There wasn’t any other exit from the room, no window she could crawl out of and keep running. As she sat there, too afraid and too tired to move, a grizzled male voice came through.
“Tell her to change into these. They ain’t much to look at, but they clean.”
“I will if she opens the door.”
“Give her a minute. She’s scared, and God only knows what she went through to get here. Tell her she’s welcome to stay as long as it takes for her leg to heal, too. Looked to me like she needs to ice it. And I’ve got an extra room upstairs, no charge. Whether or not she takes me up on the offer, we gotta burn the clothes she’s got on now. Her scent’s too strong for the vamps to think she kept runnin’ or for ‘em to lose her trail if she don’t.”
“Yeah, okay, Marcel. I’ll take care of it for you.”
“You sure? What if they follow her smell to you since you’d have her clothes?”
“I’ll be okay. You got those industrial trash bags, right?”
“Yeah. They’re deodorized, too.”
“Should work, then, huh? Mask her scent enough for them not to track her to me.”
“I believe it will, but we’ll triple bag ‘em just in case.”
“Sounds good. Them’s some peepers you’ve got, Marcel, to take all that in, her injury. She was a ways out there when you came to the door to see what was going on. How old are you, 75?”
“Close. I’m blessed with good eyes.”
“Uh-huh. I’m thinking you got some kinda voodoo running through your veins, too.”
“My great-grandma was a high priestess, and she taught me a thing or two. You want another drink? All the ice’s melted in the one I gave you before all the trouble started.”
“Sure. That’d be nice.”
“That guy gonna come pick you up? You ain’t drivin’, are ya?”
“He’s probably busy playing online. I’ll call a service.”
“That ain’t right, girl.”
“Oh, I’ll be fine. Don’t worry.”
Sophie heard another knock on the door, and Michelle said, “You want something stronger than what I got for you, let me know, and I’ll fix you up. Well, Marcel will. He’s good people. I am, too.”
Hoping against hope that she wasn’t making a foolish decision and that Hans wasn’t waiting on the opposite side, Sophie twisted the knob on the lock. The door swung open, and a sophisticated blonde in designer threads looked down at her, holding some clothes on the tips of her polished fingers. When Sophie snatched them with a nod, Michelle’s eyebrows arched.
As the door slammed, she called out, “Marcel! Make that two!”
After going to the mirror and turning on the tap full blast, Sophie splashed her face. She pumped the soap dispenser and lathered her skin, before she turned her head underneath the spout, rinsing her hair of the sweat and grime.
A couple of minutes later, she let Michelle in and thrust her filthy jeans and top into the black trash bag she was holding.
Michelle, Sophie reminded herself.
She leaned against the frame, as she watched Sophie’s attempts to comb her hair with her fingers. Their eyes met, and Michelle set a drink on the toilet lid.
“Are you going to stay?” Sophie nodded, staring at her gaunt and pale reflection in the mirror. “Good. Marcel will take care of you.”
Her ankle throbbed, and the pressure in her head told her a migraine was about to take her down. With any luck, she’d pass out for a few days and then move on.
Chapter 10
The 24-Hour Poker Challenge was on ESPN 3, and Remi was watching with rapt attention. He didn’t care who won. He was concentrating on the faces, the movements of the players, and how they taunted each other, subtly and outright. He was focusing on their tells, analyzing the whens and whys they used them, which ones worked, and on what personality type.
He had DVRed the hours of the program he missed when he was at rest, then later zoomed through the commercial interruptions, catching up to current live action quickly.
Glancing at his phone on the table, he noticed that Michelle hadn’t returned the text he’d sent to her almost an hour before. He thought she’d like having the night to herself, after being cooped up with him for so long, but her ignoring his message told him that she might be pissed off instead.
Pausing the show, he typed another text.
What are you doing? Having fun?
After ten minutes with no response, he sent one more.
What time are you gonna be home?
Nothing.
Regardless of how upset she’d been with him in the past, she’d always replied, even if it was terse. Not saying anything at all wasn’t like her, and worry for her safety crept over him. He had no idea where she’d gone, hadn’t bothered to ask, and had no clue who she was with, if anybody at all.
What was I thinking, sending her off that way?
As he looked at his phone, his mind raced, filled with visions of her being hurt and unable to reach him. It would have been impossible to search every spot in the city for her before dawn.
He pressed the number for her speed dial, and the system took a second to connect. Michelle answered on the fourth ring, right before it would’ve switched to voicemail.
“Hey, Remi. What’s up?”
“You okay, chér?”
“Yeah. Just helping a woman who’s in trouble.”
“You didn’t answer my texts.”
“Oh, my phone was in my purse, and I just pulled it out to check it. I’ve been kinda busy.”
“What kind of trouble? Drugs, domestic, or both?”
In New Orleans, there was always somebody in need of a handout. Remi had set up a special fund for those like the one he assumed Michelle was trying to guide to sources of assistance.
The rate o
f success and full long-term recovery from most dependencies was low. He was a prime example, and he knew it, going from heroin to gambling. Addiction was in his nature, but his current one… he was good at.
“I don’t know. Some guys were chasing her. Remi, one was a vampire for sure. But Marcel took care of it.”
“What? I know that old man’s got some safeguards from supes at his place, but how’d he get rid of them?”
“I’m not sure. She was running, terrified and begging people to help her, but nobody did until Marcel told them to do it. It was like he was compelling them somehow. I think he might be a warlock or something. Who knows? It was weird, watching everybody around stop what they were doing and obey him like that. Anyway, she dashed in here and didn’t stop till she locked herself in the bathroom in the back. The baddie of the bunch came over towards the building, but after Marcel hollered at him for a bit, he left.”
“A vampire was able to get that close?”
“Well, he stopped on the sidewalk. Marcel told him he couldn’t come in.”
“Oui. His place is warded against vamps. The rest of them must not’ve been human, either, or they would’ve tried to go in there and take her by force.” Remi shuddered at the thought of Michelle being in such a dangerous situation. A moment later, he asked, “Did you give her the contact information for the outreach center?”
“No. I didn’t need to. Her ankle’s hurt, so she’s gonna stay here with him in his extra room upstairs. He said he’d take care of her.” She sighed, and Remi closed his eyes at the sweet sound of her breath in his ear. “What a night. Did you need something?”
“Non. Sit tight, chér. Have another drink. I’m gonna come get you and bring you home.”
A beat passed, and he imagined how her eyebrows had scrunched together.
“You don’t have to do that. They’re all gone. I can call a cab.”
“Non.” He jumped to his feet, flashing to the side table where his keys lay. “I don’t care what kind of mojo Marcel has going on, and we don’t know who that vamp was... or the others with him. They could be hanging around, hiding, waiting to make their next move. You wouldn’t be safe once you stepped outside his door, and you’re sure as hell not getting into a car with a stranger. Not after all that.” He paused, waiting for a response. “You there, Michelle?”
Her voice was soft when she answered, “Yeah. I’ll wait for you, Remi.”
As he swiped his finger across the screen to end the call, the protective vehemence with which he spoke to her surprised him. He slipped the phone into his pocket, and a moment later, he looked down at his fist and saw his blood seeping around the jagged metal of the keys, and he realized that he’d meant every word.
After a quick drive to Marcel’s place, he shifted his black Cadillac Escalade into Park in front of the bar. Hopping out, he rounded the vehicle, holding a hand up to Michelle for her to wait, as his eyes scanned the surroundings. Nothing seemed out of sorts, so he beckoned for her to come out, extending his hand to her. She took it, and he guided her to the car.
“Oh, can you pop the trunk? I need to put this inside.”
“What’s in it?”
“Sophie’s dirty clothes. I’m helping Marcel. He gave her something to change into.”
“Why can’t they take care of it? His washing machine broken?”
“I’m just trying to do something nice, Remi. It’s late. I’m a little drunk and really tired. I wanna go home and crawl into bed with you.”
“Okay, chér.”
When he clicked the remote, the lid lifted, and he waited for her to toss in the bag. Then he pressed the button again to close it. When she stumbled to the front, he helped her in, closed her door, and rounded the vehicle, climbing into the other side.
Taking Michelle’s hand in his, he raised it to his lips, placing a soft kiss on her skin. As she sat beside him, he glanced at her and wondered for the first time if he should make her vampire.
The long-term relationship he dismissed before had become something he desired without his realizing it... until that night, when the possibility of her absence from his life had become all too real.
Chapter 11
Remi stepped into the apartment, and after shutting them in, he plopped down onto the sofa while Michelle tossed the knotted-up bag into the laundry room.
“I’m gonna change real quick.”
“Okay, chér.”
Their bedroom door clicked, and a few minutes later, she came over to join him. He wrapped his arm around her, pulling her close, and pressed a kiss into her hair.
“You want a whiskey?” she whispered.
Moving to her ear, he said, “I thought you were tired and going to bed.”
“Nah. I’m gonna stay up a little longer.”
“Okay. Yeah, go get me one and then tell me about that vampire.” She yawned and stretched, her nighty rising to show the low curve of her ass. She padded to the kitchen and then came back, handing him a tumbler. As she snuggled back onto him, he said, “Go on.”
“Well, I didn’t really see any of them too close, except for the one.”
“And?”
“He was huge, Remi. Bald and scary looking. I’m guessing about 6’2” and 220 pounds, maybe heavier than that. And his voice….” Remi took a sip and waited for her to continue. “It went right through me. Gave me chills and sobered me up fast, for a few minutes, at least.”
“What did he say?”
“He told Marcel that the woman, Sophie, belonged to somebody named Gregor.”
“Never heard of him.”
“Me, either.”
“Then what happened?”
“Marcel told him he didn’t give a rat’s ass.”
Chuckling, Remi drained the rest of his glass and set it on the coffee table.
“He’s a tough old guy, that Marcel.”
“Yeah. He wasn’t scared at all, or if he was, he didn’t show it a bit.”
“Anything else?”
“Oh, the vamp said he was Hans.” She craned her neck up to look at him. “Recognize that name?”
“Non.”
The silence stretched between them, as they gazed at each other. Remi raised his hand to cup her cheek, before guiding her mouth to his. His lips grazed over hers, touching and teasing with light touches, as his mind wandered to how the night could have ended horribly differently. The thought of losing her sent a shock to his heart. His cock hardened with a need to be inside her and claim her in a different way than he ever had before.
“Next time there’s trouble, call me, chér.”
“Okay.”
“I’ll protect you and take care of you like I told you I would.”
“I didn’t think—”
“And don’t now.”
“You want me to get into the swing?”
“Non. I want you right here.”
She gave him a hint of a smile, and he waited, as she stood and slipped the straps of her shortie gown off her shoulders. When it fell to the floor, he urged her to lie flat on the couch, and then he spread himself over her. She wrapped her legs around his waist, as he caressed her neck.
“I’m sorry I’ve hurt you in the past when we were intimate, chér. It won’t happen again.”
“It’s okay. You always healed me.”
“Non. That doesn’t matter. I was wrong to take you that roughly.”
“It wasn’t as if I didn’t like it while it was happening. I got as caught up in the moment as you did,” she said, as she ran her fingers through his hair. “I don’t want you to be unsatisfied, Remi.”
Smirking down at her, he gave her a peck on her lips.
“No worries there.”
Michelle’s face shone with joy, as she reached for his belt. After unbuckling it, she tackled the button and zipper. Once loosened, she pushed his trousers over his hips, using her feet to slide them down his legs. He kicked them away, and his shoes fell to the floor with one thud and then another. Lifting his
t-shirt by the hem, she raised it for him to take his arms out, and then Remi tossed it across the room.
With gentle touches, he trailed his hand over her warm skin. Circling her raised nipple, he kissed the tip and closed his lips around it, tugging with a light insistence. Michelle sighed and arched her back, offering him her breast, as she clung to him with her fingers plunged into his hair. Holding her under the swell, he nipped her. She gasped and then moaned, digging her nails into his scalp. He licked over it once more and then moved to the other.
Sliding down her body, he flicked his gaze up to her and said, “I still want you as open as I showed you, chér. That hasn’t changed.”
Michelle nodded, throwing one bent leg over the back of the couch and placing her other foot on the floor. Then she laid her hands on her knees and pressed down.
“So pink and pretty... and all mine.”
“All of me is yours, Remi.”
“I know, chér.”
Moments later, she screamed out her orgasm, and he gripped her hands in his as she came. Remi lifted his head and licked his lips, cleaning them.
Pushing her hair off her face, Michelle said, “Why’d you do that?”
“Hmm?”
“You held my hands as I climaxed, Remi. You’ve never done that before. Don’t act like you don’t know what I’m talking about.”
He climbed up her body and slid inside her.
“Mmmm… I don’t know much at all right now, chér. I’m lost in your pussy tightening around me, like you’re trying to keep me...” He pressed deeper. “...there.”
“I am.”
“Then, maybe I should let you take me over tonight.”
After withdrawing from her, he stood and took her hand, and then he led her over to the armless chair in the corner. He sat down and flicked his hair back out of his face, as he beckoned her to straddle him.
“Come here, chér.”
Michelle placed her hands on his shoulders, and he held his cock straight, as she lowered onto him and he sank into her heat.
“Aahhh!” Her head lolled to the side, and he kissed her neck with gentle presses of his lips up and down her skin. “Remi!”
A Vampire's Thirst_Remi Page 4