by D N Simmons
The male in Warren's arms began to cry and pray, his limbs hanging limply, his body was starved and weak and soiled. “Let's get out of here. He needs to be taken to the hospital. You too, Matt,” Warren said as he walked toward the door. The other three followed. Warren kicked the door down and they walked to their automobiles.
Darian placed Natasha gently in his passenger seat. And he climbed into the driver's seat. He looked at her and smiled warmly. “I'll take you home. Where do you live?” he asked, his smooth, accented voice sent tingles over her body. It seemed to make her even giddier than before. She wasn't sure, maybe it was her imagination. She nodded and told him her address. He started the car and drove off. She watched through the window as Warren pulled the squad car out of the lot. He was heading in the opposite direction. She remembered, at that moment, that they were leaving her alone with a powerful master vampire that she had slapped earlier that night. She felt a panic take root deep inside her stomach. She looked at Darian, whose eyes were locked on the road. He felt her looking at him, and he turned to face her.
“You're worried that I'm going to kill you?” he asked. He chuckled. Natasha decided to be honest.
“Yes I am. I don't know why you saved me back there, I'm very grateful, yet I'm still a bit leery. I don't know much about vampires or how you think, but if this were the movies, I'd be dead wouldn't I?” she asked.
Darian threw her a comical glance, his lips parted in a smile, his dimples giving his expression a friendlier look. “The movies?” he asked. He chuckled again, a deep, rich sound that filled the car. “It's hard to tell what a vampire would do in the movies and I'm far too old to try to emulate some mortal's view of my kind. I'm not going to lie to you, when you slapped me earlier this evening, the thought of your immediate death did cross my mind.” He threw her another glance, wanring to catch her reaction. He figured it would be horrified and fearful. He was right. Natasha inched a little closer to the door making Darian laugh outright.
“Don't worry. I told you, you intrigue me. It's very rare when a mortal can hold my interest, but you do. I have no intention of ever harming you, Natasha. In fact, I'd like to get to know you better, perhaps on a more personal level?” He leaned over, placing his arm around her shoulders. His other hand navigated the automobile as he gazed into her eyes. “I find you beautiful, courageous and extremely sexy.” His fingertips brushed the loose strands of her hair from her eyes. “I am powerfully attracted to you. I want you and I'm pretty sure that you want me as well. We can both have each other.” His hand guided the car from lane to lane as he eyes remained locked on Natasha's. It amazed her that he could drive without watching the road. She couldn't help it, she thought that was pretty damn slick!
“I can't, I'm dating someone already,” she said softly, wanting to kiss those full, luscious lips of his. She wanted to feel his tongue inside her and in more places than one. Darian settled back into his seat and continued to drive, finally pulling the car over in front of her apartment. He turned off the engine and shifted in his seat to face her.
“I know about Xavier and you already. I don't mind it at all that you two are together.”
“Well, then you know why I can't be with you. Look, I don't want to talk about that. I feel funny inside, and I want to know why,” she demanded. Darian allowed her to change the subject. The sun would be rising soon and he did have to take care of some things before daybreak.
“I've given you my blood. In doing that, I've shared with you some of my power. I want you to know that I do not share my blood indiscriminately. Like I said, I do want you but I wanted you to live. I could have easily made you my servant. However, I didn't want to form that kind of connection through the blood. We do have a bond that was unavoidable.”
Natasha looked at him, her eyes widening as she began to realize the price she might have to pay for survival. “What do you mean, by 'bond?”' she asked.
“I mean that we now have a mental connection,” he paused, frowning, a slight creasing of his brows, his lips pursed. “I hope you don't crave my blood in the future. It isn't a disappointing prospect, but that can happen.”
Natasha interjected, “What the hell do you mean, crave?! Like a crackhead?” she asked nervously.
A perplexed expression flashed across Darian's face at the mention of the phrase, “crackhead”. Then he nodded and chuckled. “But it's far better a drug than crack. It doesn't always happen, but it could. In the event that you do begin to feel a desire for my blood, let me know. I can help you through it. The good news is that the mental bond we have now will allow me to help you control your visions. What you see and what you don't want to see. As far as you being able to see or read the thoughts inside my head, you won't be able to. Of course...” His eyes lingered seductively over her body. He leaned closer to her, she could smell the musk scent of his cologne. He raised his fingertips to her face and delicately caressed her left cheek. “Not if I don't want you to,” he whispered as he smiled wickedly.
Natasha blushed, she couldn't believe just being close to him, to hear his voice, brought butterflies to her stomach like a high school teeny bopper. “So let me get this straight...apart from me possibly becoming a blood addict, I'll have you dancing around in my head, playing with my thoughts?” she asked sarcastically.
“Well, in a manner of speaking, yes. There is always a price for the blood. But it doesn't have to be viewed as a bad thing. As I've said, I will help you every step of the way.”
“Yeah, I'm sure you will. Look, it's been a long night and I need to get some rest. Between you and the murderers and all this horror, I just need some peace of mind,” Natasha said as she opened the car door and climbed out. Darian watched her walk to her door. He made sure she was safe inside her apartment building before he pulled out to go home.
CHAPTER 20
Warren waited patiently in the hospital emergency waiting room. He had called his precinct and reported the incident, informing them of where to find the body of the shape-shifter he'd killed. His captain seemed pleased that they were making such great progress on the case, but was unnerved to discover that there had been two supernaturals committing these murders. She had informed Warren that he could have any assistance he required to continue his investigation. He stretched his long legs out in front of him, hands resting on his stomach as he watched the morning reruns on the nineteen-inch color TV suspended in the upper far right corner of the room. He looked at his watch, noting the time was 7:42 A.M. He had been at the hospital for almost three hours. He'd have to wait for the male victim to regain consciousness from the medication given to him in order to make a report. Matthew was still being sewn up and there was still one killer left out there for them to hunt down. Warren sat in the chair, reflecting on his mistakes in the hours before. He should have never let Natasha go into the building. He should have kept a better eye out for Matthew. He wondered if it would have been wiser to change forms. His half-breed form would have been better suited for battling the wolf than his human form. He considered the events of the past several hours then decided what was done was done and should not be repeated.
He rose and walked to the vending machine. Pulling a dollar out of his pocket, he slid it into the automatic slot and pressed the desired button for an apple danish. He was extremely hungry and tired of eating the vending machine junk food. He had already consumed two danishes, three bags of potato chips, three chocolate candy bars and three pops. He was still hungry. If Matthew didn't come out of the ER soon, he was going to have to desert him for a few hamburgers. He turned around to walk back to his seat and saw Matthew walking through the white double doors. Matthew looked a bit worse-for-wear but he smiled hazily at his partner.
“You look like shit, how do you feel?” asked Warren.
“Shit, just like I look. I have about sixty stitches in my back and it's sore as hell!” Matthew said as he shuffled closer to his partner. He put his coat on slowly, wincing in pain when he had to lift his arm to s
lide it into the sleeve.
“I can take you home,” Warren offered. Matthew looked at him and shook his head.
“I know that look, Warren. What are you planning?”
“Matt, you're in no condition to go with me.”
“Fuck that, I'm you're partner, you might need my help. Whatever it is, I'm not letting you do it alone, so you might as well tell me what's your plan,” Matthew said, looking at Warren seriously.
“The female vampire is still out there. Last night Darian didn't get a chance to kill her, he saved Natasha instead. It's day time, I want to see if I can track down her daytime resting place and put an end to her.”
Matthew frowned. “That's going to be hard as hell. She's not stupid, I'm sure she's not at the same warehouse. It's going to be impossible to track her down. Nighttime comes faster now, we only have about eight hours to do this. Did you get a chance to talk to our witness in there?”
“Not yet, the nurse said he was still asleep from the pain killers. They had to bandage his wrist and ankles and give him a tetanus shot. But he'll pull through just fine. I figure we'll come back here in a few hours, but right now, I want to search for that blood sucking bitch,” Warren said. Matthew nodded in agreement. And both detectives walked out of the hospital. They walked to their squad car and climbed into their seats; Matthew moving a lot slower than his partner.
“So, what's going to happen to Natasha?” asked Matthew.
“I'm not sure. She was completely healed last night. Then Darian took her home. I trusted him with her, because he saved her life and if he would have done anything to her, I would have killed him, even if it cost me my life,” Warren said sincerely. They drove back to the warehouse to look for clues. The warehouse was surrounded by yellow and black police tape, both of the men knew that the body of the shape-shifter was no longer present. They walked through the door and looked around. It was still dark inside, so he went back to the car to retrieve the flashlight for his partner. Matthew pointed the light around the warehouse, looking for any hint of evidence that would help them locate the female vampire or any clue at all as to why they did what they did. Warren walked into the dark room where the male victim had been held and looked around. The room still smelled rancid, but he ignored the scent once again. He found nothing in the room. He came back out and looked at Matthew.
“Find anything?” Warren asked.
“Just a piece of my shirt from last night,” Matthew said, pointing the light on a torn piece of bloody fabric from his dark blue t-shirt.
Warren chuckled. “Well, at least it's not a piece of you!”
“Oh, you sick bastard,” Matthew chuckled. “Look, there's not a damn thing here. Let's get something to eat and head back to the damn hospital.”
“I thought you'd never ask. I'm starving. Shit, I spent about twenty dollars in the vending machine alone,” Warren complained as they headed back to the squad car. He drove to the Pancake Cottage, in the Hyde Park area. He enjoyed their food, to him they had the best breakfast in the whole city. They had to wait for five minutes before their number was called. The pretty hostess that led them to their table was wearing a black turtleneck with dark grey knit pants that fit her slender figure perfectly. Warren and Matthew watched her hips sway as she walked in front of them. She turned around to direct them to their table, both of the men smiling at her. They watched her walk away as they sat down in the wooden chairs. The restaurant was crowded and the tables were practically side by side. The hardwood floors were polished and wooden ceiling fans circulated the air in the room.
The hostess had left two menus on the table, one on each side. Opening their menus, they pored over the items, trying to decide on what they wanted to eat. A waitress came by the table a few minutes later. She placed two glasses of water on the table, removed her pen and pad from her apron and poised herself to take their orders.
“What can I get for you two gentlemen?” she cooed. She loved to flirt and was planning on flirting with them as long as they were there. She had seen them there once before, she knew they were cops but more importantly, they were gorgeous, and big tippers, she wanted to hook herself one or the other.
“Well,” Matthew started. “I'll have the peach crepes and a large orange juice. Oh, and a side of chicken hash browns.” Closing the menu, he handed it to the waitress, who smiled broadly as she took it. Matthew looked at Warren.
Warren lifted his head up and smiled at the waitress, causing her to blush.
“I'll take the strawberry crepes, the western omelet, the side of Canadian bacon, and the chicken hash browns. I also want a side of this apple glazed chicken sausage, and with the western omelet, can I have strawberry pancakes instead of regular?” he asked the waitress, whose hand was still busy jotting down his order.
She nodded.
“Good, that's what I want. Oh, and a large coffee and orange juice for me as well.”
She finished writing down the order. “Will that be all, Sir? There are still some items left on the menu you didn't mention,” she said teasingly. Matthew laughed outright, hand slapping the table top. Warren pouted playfully.
“Well, now that you mention it,” he drawled, the waitress's eyes grew wide, making Warren laugh. “No, I'm kidding. Nothing else, that's all I want.” She chuckled and walked away to get the order placed.
“Having a good time over there, ya bastard?” Warren glared at his friend playfully.
“Ohh...I'm sorry...It's just...she said what I was thinking,” Matthew said, between chortles.
Warren rolled his eyes and snorted. “Shut up,” he said as Matthew laughed harder, tears welling up in his eyes.
“OW!” Matthew cried out as he was reminded of the fresh stitches in his back. He decided then it was a good time to settle down. He didn't want any of the stitches reopening because of excessive laughter. He looked at his partner, who seemed to be in deep thought. “What are you thinking about? When you get quiet I know you're thinking about something, and it's bothering you.”
“Natasha. You. This female vampire knows about us now, she knows that Natasha is human, she knows that you are human. She may try to attack either one of you for revenge. I don't want to find her when it's too late. I can't get it off my mind, I have a bad feeling and I just can't shake it.”
“Well, I'm with you and I'm staying with you, it's daylight right now. So we can relax for a minute. Let's call Natasha after breakfast to see if she had any more visions.”
Warren nodded. After ten minutes had passed, the waitress brought Matthew his meal. Warren caught himself staring at the creamy peaches that topped and filled the crepes his partner had ordered. His stomach growled as he fought the urge to beg. The act of begging was synonymous with shape-shifters.
Warren commented, “Why is it that I'm always stuck watching you eat first?” Matthew opened his mouth to speak. “Don't answer that,” Warren added. His partner chuckled and finished pouring peach syrup over his crepes. After three more minutes had passed, Warren's meal arrived. The waitress set several plates in front of him. The delicious aroma of the dishes drifted to his nostrils and made his mouth water. He dug into the meal immediately. The waitress had just set the last plate of strawberry pancakes and syrup on the table. She asked him if he needed anything else and he shook his head. She smiled and walked away. She couldn't wait to finish the gossip she had starred in the back with the other waitresses about the two of them.
The two men talked about sports and movies, not wanting to discuss the case over breakfast. In spite of Matthew getting his food three minutes earlier, Warren finished his huge meal two minutes faster. Each plate that was in front of him was now empty. Matthew still wondered where it all went. He knew his friend had a high metabolism, but it was amazing to watch him eat. The waitress brought the bill, both cops looked at it and reached in their pockets to leave a generous tip. They took the bill to the front of the restaurant to pay.
“Don't worry, this one's on me,” Matthew said.
>
“Naw, I got it. You'll have lunch, deal?” Warren asked. Matthew smiled and nodded. Warren paid the bill and they left the restaurant, headed for the hospital. They hoped their witness was wide awake and able to answer some questions. They made it back to the hospital, going directly to the room their witness was in. There was a uniformed S.U.I.T. officer outside of the door. Warren had called the station and requested one when they had brought him in. They flashed their badges and the officer nodded, stepping aside, allowing both detectives to walk in. Warren looked at the patient in the little narrow bed. The white sheets were pulled up to his chest. His eyes were opened but he looked confused, he didn't recognize the two officers.
Warren walked to one side of his bed as Matthew leaned on the foot of the bed. Warren introduced them. “We're the two detectives that rescued you last night and brought you here. Tell us, do you remember anything about what happened to you? I know this may be difficult, but we need any information that you are able to give us,” Warren said compassionately. The male survivor looked at both cops, he took a deep breath and nodded.
“My name is William Banner. I work at the Discount Alley on seventy-ninth street. I had to close up three nights ago and that's when they got me. They put a blindfold on me and threw me in the trunk of a car. The trunk smelled terrible, like something had died in there. I remembered thinking that I was going to die. I could hear them laughing from inside the trunk. They were two sick assholes and I hope they burn in hell!” he said venomously.