“So the day came, and Wilma called upon a midwife. The birth did not go well.” Raymond looked up towards the ceiling. “God, that’s putting it mildly.” Shaking his head, he looked down at his hands. They were stretched out, as if he were cuddling a baby. “Sterling was a big baby, and also breech.”
Her eyes widened as she saw the size Raymond suggested with his hands.
“Wilma tore herself up trying to birth him. She bled so much. She hemorrhaged and I was desperate to save her. I knew I had only minutes until she bled out, so I told her what I was and I terrified her. She laid there dying afraid more of me than of death.”
His hand balled and his knuckles grew white as he raised his hand to his mouth and bit at his fist. He glanced over to Alex. “I cut my arm and forced her to drink my blood. She choked on it as I kept forcing it down her throat. The midwife kept working to save the baby and Wilma. I couldn’t compel the midwife because I didn’t have that ability yet, so she must have thought I was crazy. To her credit, she didn’t pay attention to me but focused on the birth. Later I contacted my father and he had to erase the midwife’s memories.”
Raymond stopped fidgeting with his fist, and slammed it into his thigh. “By telling Wilma the truth, I terrified and tortured her for no reason. My blood wasn’t strong enough for a turn, plus she didn’t have my blood in her system before the attempt. Of course she also still had Sterling struggling to get out of her.”
Alex’s face had grown white with the tale. “It sounds awful. But I know you did everything you could,” she reassured him.
Raymond tear–filled eyes made eye contact with Alex. “I had never turned anyone before. I was immature and foolish. She kept bleeding and her eyes were wide with fright as she coughed up my blood.”
Again Raymond held out his arms and looked at them. “I held her in my arms as she died. Her eyes glazed over and her body went cold as I held her. The midwife left since there was nothing more she could do but leave me to my grief.” Raymond cleared his throat. “Even through my pain, I knew I had to at least save the life of our child. Wilma lay dead in our bed, covered with blood. I took a knife and cut Sterling from her body so he would live and that I’d have a part of Wilma with me always.”
Alex held Raymond’s hand, their fingers entwined.
Raymond sniffed and fought back the tears. “I killed Wilma. I terrified her the last few minutes of her life, and then I tore my knife into her body. My selfishness, and all of my lies in not wanting to lose her, cost Wilma her life and me my love. So you see,” he continued. “I’m not the good man you think I am.”
“You are a good man Raymond. The best.” They hugged for several minutes in silence until Sterling knocked on the door holding a tray of coffee.
CHAPTER THIRTY–TWO
The President finished his business in Florida earlier than expected. With the personal tour done, the federal funding would soon arrive rendering aid. With nothing left to do, the President and his entourage headed back to Washington D.C.
The President would exit by the kitchen, while the decoy Mason would leave by the south entrance of the hotel. Raymond stood with the other agents making up the PPD. He had put on an AMI TAC3S body armor vest, but merely for show. He felt no tingling sensation and the hairs on his arms weren’t standing up, so he knew no vampires were about, unless they were half–breeds. Looking at the monitor in his watch, he read the heat signatures of all the people in the area. All was good. Once again, he remained the security officer “no–op” and only existed as a precaution. Not that he minded.
While waiting to board Air Force One, Raymond received a text from his son. Sterling would soon be boarding the plane with Mason and the humans since he drew the short end of the stick. Wishing his son had more tolerance for humans, he read the text and grimaced at the message. Raymond didn’t know who “Zippy” was, but figured it was either Brandon or Matt since Sterling never did manage to remember the names of any of the human team. Brandon and Matt were in rare form this trip, and Raymond had needed to do a memory wipe on the shorter of the two humans once already since arriving in Florida.
Raymond typed a response to Sterling which read more of an acknowledgment than anything else, and he entered the plane. The air was stale. Human smelling too. The food from the galley permeated the large craft. If he had to guess, he would say today’s menu included some type of fish. He rolled his eyes. He hated pretending to eat.
He walked past the plush seats that were stamped with the presidential seal, the conference room with its monitors and computers, and the President’s personal office with the closed door. He felt no tingling sensation, so he knew a vampire was not on board. He inhaled deeply and breathed out a sigh of relief. Mixed in with the smell of food, airplane fuel, and various industrial cleaners, he could also smell the sweet scent of honey almond – which told him Alex was nearby.
Soon after take–off a human Secret Service man came to escort Raymond and Alex to the executive suite. After being given clearance to enter the President’s office, they found President Harrimen behind the heavy wooden desk in the overstuffed brown leather chair. His glasses perched on the end of his nose as he flipped through paper after paper. He didn’t acknowledge their presence, but murmured comments to various members of his Cabinet who were also in the room. He talked at such an alarming rate that Raymond wondered how the men kept up.
More paperwork was placed on the man’s desk, his signature rendered to them, and then the papers were whisked away into folders and briefcases. Raymond noticed Alex’s wide eyes as she took in her surroundings. She shifted from one leg to the other, obviously nervous. Raymond looked around, but overall remained unimpressed by the familiar sight. The “Football” was the only item to catch his eye. It was a heavy leather satchel that housed all nuclear security codes and was never more than a few dozen feet from the President at any given time. Mason had a similar one, of course with false codes.
Even the “Football” was old hat to Raymond.
Raymond had just crossed his arms and leaned against the doorjamb when everyone but the President and the Director of Homeland Security left the room, each thanking the President for his time.
The President gazed up towards Raymond, his eyes widened with recognition, and a hint of fear drifted as a mental pattern off the man. Raymond and his team were a favorite of this President — a favorite in the same way that someone would watch a slasher thriller movie, or ride the biggest roller coaster, just to get a rush. The vampires scared the crap out of the President, and he loved it. The man stood and puffed up his chest in what Raymond guessed was a feeble attempt to appear more muscular and manly. He reached out his hand to shake Raymond’s, and an all knowing smile crossed his face as he eyed the vampire and felt the absence of body warmth.
Raymond gritted his teeth when the President eyed Alex like she was a prime rib and he was a starving man. Naturally the President was told in his daily briefing, the Presidential Daily Briefing (PDB), that Alex had become the new director of the Colony, but he didn’t have to look this god–awful pleased. A lustful smile appeared on the President’s face and Raymond had to remind himself that he had taken an oath not to compel, or kill, the letch.
Alex beamed with excitement, and in a breathy voice said, “Oh, Mr. President. It is such an honor to meet you.”
“Oh, sweetheart, the pleasure is all mine,” he said, shortening all the vowels in a typical Boston accent. The two shook hands, the President clasping her hand with both of his and holding onto the grasp longer than necessary. “I heard you took the caretaker job for these bastards,” he joked, his head nodding towards Raymond.
Alex hesitated for a moment, and glanced over to Raymond. “Uh, yes sir,” she said returning her look over to the President. “I’m the new Colony Director.” She took a seat across from the President when he gestured for her to do so.
Raymond noticed the courtesy was not extended to him, so he remained standing. Just as well. The Presiden
t’s philandering ways put the two at odds on most occasions, especially since he coveted Raymond’s sister, and had even asked if the team could find him a “vampire broad” for him to experience. The President’s interest in Sulie ended the day she gave him his first annual physical, and Raymond let out a sly grin as he imagined what torture his sister had put the man through.
Alex smiled from ear–to–ear, and proud mental patters radiated from her as she began to talk with the President. Of course, this was to be her first meeting of many with the man. Raymond figured Alex was too intelligent and self–assured to fall for the President’s false praises and plastic charm. He wondered how long it would take her, as a human, to see right through the man.
Raymond listened to the President’s pleasing words as he talked with Alex. Any time the topic strayed from being professional, or whenever the President told a bold–faced lie, Raymond cleared his throat. Alex and the Director of Homeland Security picked up on the not–too–subtle comments by looking his way occasionally, but the President remained clueless – obviously caught up in the web of seduction he was spinning.
Raymond hated the President, but would more than likely vote for the man again since he had turned around the economy, lowered the deficit, and encouraged businesses to use green resources. It was the President’s personal lechery that bothered Raymond more than anything else. Each Colony team member took turns in the “inner circle” of protection to the President. Everyone knew less tension existed when Sterling or Ben pulled that duty.
Alex shifted in her seat. Her body sat stiff and rigid, her jaw muscles tight, and her brow furrowed. Raymond felt emotional walls already forming in her mind in regards to the man. A chuckle almost escaped, but Raymond quickly put his hand to his mouth and held it in.
Unfortunately for Alex, her job was to be the interface between the office of the President and the Colony. Not only was she supposed to confer with the President over any vampire threats against the country, but the job was also to accommodate the President and his comfort level. Some presidents loved having the vampires around, others were scared out of their minds. It was a job that changed with every new president.
Usually when the President said he could give up five minutes of his time, the meeting had less time than promised. However, it was typical for those five minutes to span much longer if a woman was in his company. Raymond looked at his pocket watch. It had already been over ten minutes, which was too long for Raymond’s taste. As the President ended the meeting, he placed his hand on Alex’s arm. The look she shot back towards him was enough to cause most men to pause and take a step back, but not a man who thought he was the most influential and powerful man in the world. Sure he had great political pull, but he wasn’t even the most powerful man in this room.
On his way out of the office, Raymond made eye contact with the President. No words were spoken, just a head nod from the vampire to the human. Raymond allowed Alex to exit first, and then he made sure to block the President’s view of her backside as she walked back into the main cabin of the plane. It pleased him to no end when Alex leaned over and whispered into his ear, “What an ass!”
CHAPTER THIRTY–THREE
Alex squeezed into the closet and found the loose panel. Rotating the panel to the left, she revealed the entrance to the Cave and let herself in. The room was not much more than a closet itself, but impressive in size considering the Cave was hidden within the White House residency floor. There were also crawl spaces along the walls thanks to the remodeling efforts of President Truman in the late 1940s when the building’s interior had been gutted and then reconstructed with concrete and steel.
The padding along the walls of the crawl space suggested some attempt at soundproofing, but Alex heard the clanking of swords from a computer game she knew all too well. She walked in the Cave to find Mason sitting on a couch with Ben. The large T.V. Monitor buzzed off and she was sure she saw the game World of Warcraft before the screen faded to black.
“Hey, Alex. Come on in. Welcome to the Cave. We were just reviewing transcription logs and watching the surveillance cameras surrounding the house.” Ben said.
Alex smiled as she pulled out the papers from her briefcase and ignored the lie. “I need to go over some personal appearance dates the President will have on his calendar with you, Mason.”
Ben got off the couch and stretched his enormous body from side to side. World of Warcraft was addictive. You could play the game for hours. Judging his body’s reaction to his long stretch, Alex suspected the two had probably been playing most of the day.
“I’m going to grab a bite. The interns should be downstairs.”
Alex wasn’t sure she heard that quite right. “I’m sorry, Ben. You’re what?” she asked.
“I’m hungry so I’m going to find an intern for lunch.” Ben turned towards Mason. “Hey Mason, sorry about that.”
Mason shrugged in reply.
“I guess I shouldn’t have said that in front of you either,” Ben said looking over at Alex.
“You can’t bite an intern!” Alex scolded.
“Sure I can. My new alias needs me to be younger. Besides, I snack all the time. You want to watch?” He gave her a wicked smile.
“You have bagged blood to eat, you don’t need an intern.” she insisted. “You’re not even allowed to bite for food. It says so in your ‘No Biting’ agreement.” Hah, she got him on the contract details.
He trumped her appeal with the contracts fine print. “Fine. I’ll have sex with her afterward and all will be good.”
Her jaw fell open. "You would compel the woman to sleep with you?"
"No need. There's plenty of willing women around. Besides," He cleared his throat. "I can't."
"You can't compel women?"
"Not that. I mean, I could compel them, but I swore a morality oath to Raymond that I wouldn't force a woman."
Alex didn't remember any morality paperwork in the files she had read. "He asked all of you to verbally swear this oath?"
Ben paused a moment. "He asked everyone. Everyone took the oath except his son, Sterling."
She thought back upon Sterling's file. But before she could ask a question, Ben said, "The oath was voluntary. Sterling refused because he was angry with his father. They're often angry with one another. It's best just to let the two of them be." Ben pointed at Mason. “Besides, just be glad it’s me biting and having sex with an intern and not Mason. We don’t need a scandal to rock the White House again.” He turned and left the room without another word.
Alex felt like Alice down the hole in Wonderland. She looked over at Mason, horrified that he might answer ‘yes’ to her next question, but she had to ask. “Do you bite and have sex with the interns, Mason?”
He laughed and shook his head. “Heck, no. I doubt any of those lovely young gals would fancy an old coot like myself. Besides, I can only eat one syringe of blood every few weeks, and I fed yesterday. Until I’m out of the White House I need to control all of my urges. So don’t worry none.”
Alex was relieved, but confused. “How can you eat only one syringe of blood every 6 weeks and only age about 8–10 years during that time? Raymond misses a day of feeding and he’s aged a good 5 years in only 24 hours.”
“To appear young takes a lot of blood, and Raymond and the others gorge themselves. You have to understand Miss Alex, we are always hungry. The Colony is blessed to have a lot of blood at its disposal to help our cells keep us young. But a lot of blood is needed to maintain our youthful appearance. Plus, the more you eat, the more your body expects the blood. If you wean yourself a bit at a time, and you choose to look older, your cells get used to having less. Of course, the hunger never goes away. The stomach cramping, the nausea… I’m not one to complain, Miss Alex, but appearing old is no picnic. My body is used to this age, it only needs a little blood right now. Besides,…” he smiled at her, “… it won’t be forever. Four more years at the most.”
Alex’s anger and a
nxiety calmed down. “I’m so sorry that your hunger hurts you so much.”
“Shucks. It ain’t nothing I can’t deal with.”
Alex pitied Mason. He did not ask to resemble the President, and now he hurt every day when the other team members didn’t have to endure the same pain. There was a moment of silence between the two of them as Alex thought about their eating habits. Her curiosity needed satisfying. “So Mason, can a vampire consume too much blood? If so, what happens?”
Mason cleared his throat. “Blood brings about something we call blood lust. If there is plenty of blood to eat, our biological clocks kick in… if you get my meaning.” Alex noticed Mason look away as he rubbed the back of his neck. “Now, that type of information should be in our paperwork. At the very least, perhaps Raymond could explain it to you.”
Alex felt herself blushing. She found his dismissal of the topic incredibly old fashioned.
“I’ll make sure to ask him,” she said, smiling back at Mason.
“But, overall, I don’t think there is such a thing as too much blood in our system,” he continued, now making eye contact once again. “Our spleen processes the blood and stores any excess so having too much shouldn’t be a problem. Of course, if you didn’t have a spleen I guess you would have to be careful not to consume the blood, but rather inject it directly into your bloodstream. I reckon you’d have to inject blood often since it can’t be stored.”
Alex had never understood what the spleen did in humans. No better time than now to ask. “What exactly does the spleen do?”
“For you humans it’s a visceral organ that doesn’t do squat. For us, the spleen stores and processes the blood we consume. It routes the blood from our digestive track to our circulatory one and stores any excess blood. My guess is the two species evolved in parallel, and there are some minor differences in our organs. But don’t worry about my feeding at the White House. It’s only Ben and Sterling who go after the interns and the press, not me.”
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