The Art of Seduction

by Annie Harland Creek

  The incorporeal monster’s shape quivered for a short time over the sacrificial cup, sniffed the blood, threw his horned head back, and bellowed in anger. Worshippers dropped face down on the ground wailing. Their offering had been rejected. The shadow monster roared again and they held their hands against their ears to block out the deafening noise. Meaghan blocked her own ears as—despite being incorporeal—she too felt the throbbing of her eardrums as the thunderous roar reverberated through the campus, shaking the foundations. She watched as it grew in size, hovering over the group like a giant fanged storm cloud, threatening to rain down vengeance. With a final resounding bellow, it disappeared in a whirlwind of dark smoke that wrapped around the group. The pungent aroma of sulfur wafted through the air. The worshipers coughed and spluttered as they covered their bodies with their hooded capes.

  Meaghan was able to hear a few comments bandied around to indicate that her deduction had been correct.

  “Why didn’t the spell work?”

  They had evidently made a mistake. It soon became clear when another goth elaborated.

  “Master said that the victim was unclean. He sure looked pissed. We’d better not make that mistake again. I’m afraid of what he’ll do to us if we make him unhappy.”

  So, the “master was unhappy.” She, on the other hand was very happy. There was no way she wanted whatever the hell that was to become corporeal. Even the moon seemed to be afraid because it hid behind heavy clouds, blanketing the area in darkness. Flashes of light streaked the sky followed by the crack of thunder. An icy wind lashed Meaghan’s face. Time to return to her body. She had seen enough to understand that the murders had been ritual killings and more than enough to make her blood run cold. She would take this new information to Terry and convince him that David had nothing to do with the murders. Maybe she would be reinstated to the case? The only problem was … would Terry believe her?

  Chapter Fifteen

  David met up with his brother in the kitchen of the main house to discuss their plans. Now that he was officially dead, it would be difficult for him to make the rounds of the campus without upsetting the already jumpy replacement security guards. While they were deliberating over their options, they were joined by Anna who was finishing a phone conversation. “There’s been another murder.”

  David stared at her in disbelief. “You’ve got to be kidding me. I don’t understand. Why aren’t your visions helping us?”

  Derrick interceded on his wife’s behalf. “Give her a break, David. She’s new to this game.”

  Anna smiled but David could tell that his remark had offended.

  “Sorry, Anna. I guess being dead has made me cranky.”

  “Being newly dead myself, I can understand your dilemma. Anyway, I just got off the phone to Sofie and between us, we’ve worked it out.”

  “Worked what out?”

  “Well, as you know, Sofie and I should have been able to predict the murders and send you guys there before they happened. Between us, we should have had more than enough power and ability, so we’ve come to the conclusion that we are being blocked by another witch, maybe many.”

  “A coven of witches?” David scratched his head. The last coven had been killed off by Torke, a rogue vampire who had also killed Anna’s mother. Sophie had survived the attack and she was training Anna on how to use her inherited skills. “I didn’t know a new coven had moved in.”

  “Neither did Sofie, but that’s the only explanation we can think of. Also, a friend of mine who works down at the police station told me that the latest victim was drained of blood. Her throat was cut left to right and as far as they can tell, from the front.”

  “That would indicate a left handed killer.” David rubbed his chin. “It’s possible for someone to cut left to right with their right hand but the movement would be awkward. Their wrist would be forced into a strange angle which would detract from the power of the strike.”

  His eyebrows rose. A grin stretched his lips.

  Anna looked first to her husband who shrugged his shoulders and then back to David.

  “This makes you happy because?”

  “Because I broke Meaghan’s right hand.”

  “Oh, yes. That makes perfect sense to me.” Derrick told his wife in answer to her puzzled expression.

  “Meaghan is right handed. I don’t believe she killed tonight or any other night.”

  He turned and hurried to the home office. “Are the closed circuit screens up?”

  “Yes, why?” Derrick called after his brother who was already at his desk checking the computer screens. Meaghan appeared to be asleep on the sofa. Her head lay back against the headrest, her mouth slightly agape, her eyes closed. As he watched his sleeping beauty, happy in the belief that she was innocent of the crimes, David failed to notice his brother come up behind him. “She’s a snorer.”

  “I know,” David told him, “but it’s barely a snore … more like a purr.”

  “Like a kitten,” Anna interjected as she studied the screen.

  “That’s what I thought.” David smiled at his sister-in-law. “I think it’s cute.”

  “He’s got it bad.” Derrick teased, elbowing his wife in the ribs. “When you think snoring is cute, you must be in love.”

  “And what does it mean when you think snoring is irritatingly loud?” Anna asked as she rubbed her ribs in mock reaction.

  “It means the honeymoon is over,” David answered for him with a chuckle.

  Movement drew their attention back to the screen so Derrick took the opportunity to change the subject. “She’s up and moving around.”

  “I’ll let Evan know that she’ll be ready for her dinner,” Anna volunteered but David stopped her before she reached the door.

  “Don’t bother. I’ll do it.”

  Derrick grabbed his arm. “What do you plan on doing, David?” He knew his brother well enough to suspect his next move. “You can’t risk Meaghan finding out that your death was a hoax. At least not until we find the real killer.”

  “I hate to rub salt into the wound,” Anna added, “but unless you plan on revealing yourself as a vampire, I can’t see any way of resurrecting you.”

  David opened his mouth to argue but hesitated. Anna was right.

  “I’ll leave the tray at the door and disappear, I promise. I just want to be close to her.” He left the room before they had a chance to argue but heard his brother’s observation. “He does have it bad.”

  ****

  Meaghan answered the knock on her front door and discovered the covered tray of food on her porch. David watched her turn her head left to right. She shrugged her shoulders, called out a “Thank you, Evan,” and took the tray inside to eat. He moved around to the back of the house to a spot where he knew the trees would conceal him from view. It was taking a big risk but he had no choice. He desperately needed to be close to her, to smell her fragrance. It pained him to think that he would not be able to help her with her food. Her break was still fresh and he knew that using her right hand would be uncomfortable. Silently, he cursed himself for not having thought to cut up the food before leaving the tray, but realized that hindsight is twenty-twenty and there was nothing he could do now to rectify the problem.

  When Meaghan slid open the sliding door and took her tray out to the porch to enjoy eating her meal on the patio, he smiled in satisfaction. He was close enough that he could almost touch her and she would be none the wiser. But the sweet taste of victory soured in his mouth when he watched the love of his life pick up the knife with her left hand and cut the meat with the precision of a surgeon. She wasn’t right handed after all, she was ambidextrous. Why didn’t she tell me? Why had she led him to believe that she was helpless with her broken wrist? What else was she keeping from him?

  David stepped back into the shadows and made his way back to the main house, confident in the belief that he’d gone unseen but, had he stayed a while longer, he would have seen Meaghan’s head snap up, her attent
ion drawn to something beyond the terrace.

  ****

  Meaghan picked up her tray and hurried into the house, locking the sliding door behind her. She’d felt the presence of something malevolent, something that wished her harm. Even more confusing, she could sense another force, that while equally dark, its aura had tinges of conflicting colors. This troubled her. Since moving onto the estate, her ability to pick up the colors in auras had proved increasingly difficult. Sure, she could easily see the colors but they conflicted both with the personality of the people and also the color itself.

  Meaghan shook her head. Since the day she began to see auras, the ability had never let her down and now she found herself doubting her own assessments. She turned to face the large mirror that hung on the wall in the hall and observed her own reflection. As expected, her aura was muddy brown, signifying her self-doubt. Lately, the only time her aura glowed pink was when she imagined herself in the arms of David. Now, she suspected the pink would never return. Her life, as well as her aura, would be forever dull and void of any passion. Oh, David. His aura was the strangest of all his family and they were indeed a weird mob. A rainbow of colors painted David’s black aura with streaks of gold, orange and green confirming Meaghan’s intuition that with David, what you see is what you get.

  He was creative, gregarious, charming and comfortable being the center of attention. The darkness troubled her. It was usually associated with evil and negativity, which was strange because none of those traits appeared in his nature. Anna, who wasn’t a blood relative, had the same darkness about her as her husband and brother-in-law. Not black as such, but there was definitely a tinge of danger in her purple hue. Meaghan flopped down on the couch and considered the significance of Anna’s colors. On the few fleeting occasions that they had met, Anna gave the impression that—like herself—she was a bit of a loner who probably only had a couple of real friends. Purple in her aura suggested that she probably had psychic abilities and also that she may have had a troubled love life before meeting her husband.

  Derrick’s aura was as dark as David’s although it was streaked with silver lights, signifying a talent for teaching which explained why his Karate Dojo was reputed to be packed to the rafters with students. She’d done some research on the family and discovered that Anna’s father had part owned the health club and she inherited his share after the death, being the only surviving family member. Anna and Derrick were only recently married after a whirlwind romance and since she only saw them on occasion, Meaghan assumed that the honeymoon was ongoing.

  Jealousy shot an arrow into her heart and she instantly felt ashamed. Why shouldn’t they be happy? Everyone deserves happiness don’t they? Everyone except you it seems, she decided as she leaned back into the comfortable sofa cushions to wallow in self-pity. She sighed. Twenty-four hours ago she had been on the verge of striping naked and posing for David, knowing full well that—considering his passionate nature—he would attempt to seduce her. Why had she taken so long to make the decision? Their mutual attraction was palpable, sensual, and completely irresistible but somehow she had found the strength to resist. Once again her self-doubt had brought her undone.

  Tears burned the backs of her eyes so she closed them, hoping to block out the pain and temper the regret that ate at her thoughts like a disease. David was gone … lost to her forever. She would never again feel the warmth of his touch on her skin, blush at his playfully naughty mind games or experience the joy of finally making love with him. While her thoughts focused completely on David, she barely noticed as her spirit left her body and drifted off into the ether.

  ****

  David lay on his bed in the darkness of his bedroom. He had wanted desperately to venture to the studio and finish his latest piece of work but he knew he couldn’t risk the chance of running into Meaghan. Derrick would have conveyed the message to her about avoiding the studio until further notice. However Meaghan had proven to be inquisitive. She may try to snoop around. What secrets are you keeping, kitten?

  He should have been lingering in the shadows of the campus buildings looking for clues on the killer except he had lost all desire to leave his room or even dress for that matter. It all seemed pointless. He’d finally found the woman of his dreams. More beautiful than he imagined, seemingly purer of heart and body than he had ever hoped to find and… she was probably a serial killer. How could I have been so blind?

  Since becoming a vampire, he had learned to fine tune his ability to judge body language and, usually, his mind reading skills were spot on. Except when it came to Meaghan. The memory of watching her skillfully slice through her meal using her left hand sent a shiver down his spine as he realized she could easily have switched the murder weapon to her other hand. Something puzzled him. The first two victims who were strangled. Meaghan may be deceptively strong but was she strong enough to strangle two women who were of equal size to her? Crossing his arms behind his head, David lay back on his bed, staring at the ceiling and contemplated his next move. I should probably put on some clothes and head to the campus in case Meaghan is already there. I might…

  A wisp of a breeze brushed over his legs, floated there for a moment and then settled on his genitals. At first, he relaxed and closed his eyes, enjoying the light touch on his bare flesh as the draft of air teased his flesh until his balls prickled with goose bumps and his shaft rose to the occasion. As the pressure around his cock increased, he gasped. His eyes flew open. This was definitely not a dream. A figure took shape at the foot of the bed and although it stayed incorporeal, he recognized her at once. He tried to rise and opened his mouth to protest but the apparition shook her head. She touched her finger to her lips to indicate for him not to talk while she used her left hand to fondle his genitalia. Her touch was featherlight, almost surreal while she held his cock firmly but gently in the palm of her hand. Her movements slowly pumped him, teased his skin, her mouth hovering over the tip. He watched her lick her lips and realizing her intention, he reached for her, his hands passing through the ethereal mist and grasping at air.

  She pouted, shaking her head in disapproval while she continued to stroke his hardening erection. He gasped and lay back on the bed, afraid that the fantasy would end before completion. When she extended her tongue, he held his breath, hoping that his fantasy woman would not be as shy as the real Meaghan. He was not disappointed. A bead of seed formed on the tip of his erection in anticipation of her mouth and she licked it up with a deft flick of her tongue, leaving him quivering and rock hard. He groaned as she took him into her mouth, tasting him, pumping him, driving him insane with desire. It was more than he could bear. He felt his orgasm building, his cock throbbing in anticipation of the release he was desperate to experience. Unconsciously, he reached for her again, needing to hold her while he came in her mouth. The moment his hands came close to her face, the apparition faded from sight, leaving him alone, bewildered, and extremely disappointed. Idiot!

  ****

  Meaghan came back to her corporeal body with an emotional thud. For the first time in her memory, her spiritual identity had left her body unbidden and located a person rather than a place. This was the least of her worries. Not only was David still alive, her alter ego had actually seduced him and performed oral sex. What is happening? She had no control over her actions as she implemented the deliberately suggestive directions from “lesson two” in David’s naughty instruction manual.

  Covering her face with her hands, she groaned her embarrassment and wondered how long it would be before David teased her about her indiscretion. Oh, God! He would know her secret, realize that she had the capacity to leave her body and explore parts unknown. Parts unknown. She shuddered when her concentration drew her back to David’s bedroom. At least she presumed it was his bedroom having never been there before. Days ago, she could barely bring herself to look at his naked body. Tonight her incorporeal personality found the courage to put her mouth where her eyes refused to go. She could still taste hi
m despite her body never leaving the room. She remembered how he had reached for her, unaware that she was only there in spirit and how she had pulled her spirit back to her body before he had achieved orgasm. The involuntary action had served a purpose. She hoped that he had felt as frustrated as she had been on the day he left her at her easel, her body over sensitized, her mind racing with notions of naked flesh and writhing bodies.

  She covered her face with her hands. Believing it to be a dream, she’d allowed herself to act with wanton abandon. There would be no consequences. But she was wrong. As she berated herself for her actions, reality sunk in. David is alive? How is that even possible? Terry had informed her that David had been shot six times and fell heavily onto a bench, impaling himself on a piece of broken timber. Derrick had removed the body from the morgue and buried the cremated remains in the garden. She had seen the plaque with her own eyes but, then again, she had also seen him in the flesh and very animated in his bedroom. Maybe it was a dream? But, it seemed so real. Terry’s taunt about David being a vampire suddenly sounded disarmingly credible and Meaghan realized that, despite the incredible notion, it was the only possible explanation. It all added up. The dark aura, the windowless rooms, and the superhuman strength. He had broken her wrist with hardly more than a squeeze and he was only trying to hold her. She imagined what damage he could do if he were really angry and shuddered at the thought. She knew his secret. He knew her secret.