by Laura Lee
“Leo healed me.” I explained, blushing even more at the memory of how good my medical treatment felt. At the sound of his name, Leo walked into the room and leaned up against the door frame.
Vance looked back and visibly tensed his entire body. “Where are the rest of her clothes?” He ground out. I followed his gaze and saw my bra hanging from the lampshade. Fuck!
“I had to remove them to seal her wounds.” Leo replied, with a little too much satisfaction in his voice. “They were covered in blood. She couldn’t exactly put them back on afterwards.”
Vance winced at the reminder of my attack. He looked at me again and said, “How bad were your injuries?”
Leo didn’t give me a chance to respond. Walking over to the edge of the bed he replied, “She was poisoned, and all the muscles and tendons in her upper arm were destroyed.”
Gritting his teeth, Vance asked, “What do you mean she was poisoned?”
“The demon bit her.” He replied. “Its venom infected her blood stream since she is not yet immortal. I needed to remove the poison from her system and replace her missing blood with my own.”
He whipped his head around at me and said, “You let him take your blood? Jesus, Karli what were you thinking?”
“I didn’t have a choice Vance. I was dying.” I said. “Would you rather he let me die?”
Vance opened his mouth to reply but Leo interrupted while crossing his arms over his chest. “Really Vance, I don’t see what the big deal is. You should be thanking me.”
Vance’s fists clenched tightly. “Leo, will you please excuse us? I need to talk to Karli, alone.”
“I got a better look at the thing than she did.” He replied. “You should be taking a statement from me.”
“I will.” Vance turned his head to flash him a murderous glare. “After I talk to Karli alone. This has nothing to do with you.”
Okay, I had enough of their pissing match. “Christ, you two!” I said. “Can’t you take a break for even one minute? Leo, thank you for everything you’ve done for me tonight. If you don’t mind, I’d like to speak with Vance alone for a while.”
“Of course, my love.” He said smugly. “I’ll be downstairs in the bar if you need me.” He walked over to me and bent down to kiss my cheek, pausing a little for effect. As he was heading out the door he said, “Be nice to her detective, or I will come looking for you.”
As soon as the front door closed, Vance turned towards me. His face was beet red from Leo’s threat. He took my face in his hands again and leaned his forehead against mine. “God Karli, I would have died if I lost you. I promise you, I will find this thing and put an end to it. Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. I actually feel really good. Strong even.” I replied.
He pulled back and looked away. “Drinking vampire blood will do that to you.” He whispered.
Okay, the guilt was really getting to me now. “Vance, I really am sorry but I had no other choice. I couldn’t even move while the poison was in me. I was completely paralyzed. Trust me, I thought about the risks, but I was facing death anyway. I did what I had to do.”
“How much of your blood did he have to take?” He asked. “Did he seem out of control at any point?”
“He didn’t take much at all.” Just enough to rock my world. “The poison didn’t have enough time to spread very far. He was in complete control the whole time.” I was the one who made it get a little out of hand.
He reached out and pulled me into a tight embrace. “Please don’t ever scare me like that again Karli. I wouldn’t be able to go on if I didn’t have you in my life.”
“I thought you were wrong about me.” I snapped. “Wrong about us. Which one is it? You either want me or you don’t Vance. You can’t have it both ways.”
He held me even tighter. “I’ll always want you Karli. I was hurt, and I reacted poorly.” He pulled back to look me in the eyes. “I know we haven’t known each other for very long. I never thought I’d feel this way again but I have no doubts. I want you…. and I…. love you. I’m in this for the long haul if you’ll have me.” He kissed me lightly on the lips and pulled back, anxiously awaiting a response.
Surprised by his admission, I just sat there for a moment taking everything in. “Vance, I honestly don’t know what to do with that. You and I have this connection that I have no way of articulating. I feel like part of me is missing when you’re not around. But I can’t keep riding this emotional roller coaster with you. I just can’t. It’s too exhausting, and it’s not fair to either one of us.”
“I know Karli.” He agreed. “I don’t know how, but we’ll make this work. I promise.”
“Even if Leo is in my life?” I asked.
A muscle worked in his jaw. “What’s the story between you two anyway?”
“I could ask you the same question. In fact, I have…. yet neither one of you will answer me.”
He sighed. “Karli, if the alternative is not having you at all, then I will deal with the Leo situation.”
“Deal, how?” I asked.
“I don’t know.” He said. “Can we at least try to make this work?”
Now it was my turn to sigh. “I don’t know Vance. I’m going to have to think about this. Look, it’s been a really long night and I want to get some rest. Leo can give you more details than I can about my attack. I’ll call you when I get home tomorrow, okay?”
Taking my cue, he stood up to leave. As he was walking out the door he paused. “Goodnight Karli.” He said. “Please don’t give up on me. Please give this some serious thought. I need you.”
*********************
Leo returned a half hour later after giving Vance his statement. He stepped into the closet for a moment, and came out wearing a pair of Nike warm up pants. “Look, I’m behaving.” He teased. He sat on the bed and put his arm around my shoulders, kissing my forehead. “How did everything go with Vance?”
“It was exhausting,” I sighed. “But I’ll be fine.”
“How are you doing?” He asked. “Do you feel stronger?”
“Yeah, I feel really good actually. Kinda like I want to leap across tall buildings or start bench pressing cars.”
He chuckled. “Well, don’t take it too far, my sweet. The high will wear off soon enough.”
Blushing I said, “So……I guess this means you won’t need to make a trip to the blood bank anytime soon, huh?”
He pulled me closer, lightly nipping the tip of my ear. “No, I won’t and I can’t say I’m disappointed in the least.” He moved lower, grazing his fangs against the curve of my neck, sending little tremors down to my toes.
Mustering up all the will power I could manage, I pulled away to look at him. “Leo, I think we should talk about what happened between us earlier.”
He turned off the lamp and tucked me into the crook of his arm. “There will be plenty of time for that later darling. You’ve been through a lot tonight. You should rest now.” I snuggled up to him and breathed in his manly soap smell. He started lightly petting my back which caused me to doze off within minutes.
The beast was on top of me again, looking down at me with those terrifyingly alien eyes. The air started buzzing around us as it started shifting back into its human form. I was lying in a supine position staring into a pair of huge breasts. I looked up into its red, scaly face, waiting for that part to change too. Instead, it bit down on my arm again, torturing me with mind numbing pain. I woke up in the dark, screaming and gasping for air. I was drenched in sweat and my heart was beating erratically.
Leo jumped up in bed and wrapped his body tightly around mine. “Shh, my love. It was just a dream.” He assured me. “I’ve got you. You’re okay.”
After a few minutes and several deep breaths later, I managed to calm down enough to form words. “Omigod Leo, the demon. I remembered something!”
He reached over and turned on the light. “What is it?” He asked. “What do you remember?”
“Before you came…..it started shifting into its human form. It was only for a second, but I saw something. Leo, the demon…….the killer…….is a woman!
Chapter 25
**************
“Are you sure?” He asked.
“Yes, I’m positive. It’s definitely a woman. Leo, I need to talk to Vance. What time is it?”
He checked his watch. “About ten after eight.”
“Really? God, it still feels like the middle of the night. I could’ve sworn I just fell asleep.”
“The window coverings are probably skewing your internal clock.” He said. “I’m guessing you’re not used to waking up in the dark.”
“Not so much, no.”
“I’d like to change that one day, my sweet.” He leaned over to lightly kiss me on the lips. “I’d wake up to you every day for the rest of my existence if you’d let me.”
“Um……..” Yeah, that pretty much left me flabbergasted. That’s the second time in twelve hours that someone has basically asked me to spend my immortal life with them.
He barked in laughter. “Wow, it’s not often that I find you speechless.” He teased.“Listen, why don’t you get ready while I call Vance? I’ll get some breakfast too. How hungry are you? Will you be eating for one, or twelve today?”
“Ha ha, smartass.” I glared. “A Denver omelet will be fine, thanks.”
“One it is then!” He chucked me on the chin and went into the living room.
After my shower, I opened the bathroom door to find a large shopping bag sitting on the bed. I peeked inside and saw several outfits, complete with undergarments and footwear, all in the right size. I checked the labels out of curiosity. The clothing and shoes were Prada and the lingerie, La Perla. Wow, Leo knows how to shop!
I poked my head into the living area and found Leo dining on a fruit plate with my entrée waiting for me. I held up the shopping bag and said, “What’s this?”
“It’s nothing really.” He said nonchalantly. “Your clothes were ruined so I made a call last night and had some things delivered. They just arrived a few minutes ago. I hope you like them.”
“Leo, they’re beautiful. That was very thoughtful of you.” My God, there must be at least five thousand dollars worth of clothing here! “I’m going to get dressed. I’ll be right back out.” I walked back into the bedroom and selected a white mid-thigh length dress with ruffle trim and matching wedge sandals.
Leo stood when I came back out and kissed me on the cheek. “You look beautiful.”
Blushing, I replied, “Thank you. I feel pretty great. These clothes are amazing Leo. You really shouldn’t have.”
“Seeing you look like this was worth every penny.” He smiled, showing a wee bit of fang. Ooh, that reminded me. I discreetly touched my teeth, checking for any changes. Nope, not a vampire.
He held out my chair, smirking at my failed attempt to be subtle. “Vance should be here within the hour.” He said.
I started eating my breakfast and asked, “So, what are you going to do when they catch this thing?”
“What do you mean?”
“Are you moving back to your place when this is all over? Are you going to start working out of your club on Tropicana again?”
“I planned to.” He replied.
“Oh.” I said, realizing I was a little disappointed. “Where do you live anyway?”
“Under the club.” He answered.
“Under the club? As in underground? I wouldn’t have considered you a cave dweller.”
He smirked. “I assure you my dear, it is quite luxurious, modern, and most importantly secure. Besides the human contractors, who I have paid very well for their silence, you are the only person who knows of its existence.”
“How long have you lived there?”
“Since I arrived in Las Vegas. The business above ground has changed many times over the years, but I’ve owned every one of them. There is a hidden panel in my office leading to the stairwell.”
“Why the need for such secrecy? Paranoid much?” I teased.
“You must remember being a vampire is very different now than it was before we went public. We did not have the technologies back then that would allow me to live above ground. Not to mention the fact that I’ve been involved in some….questionable business practices over the years. I needed somewhere to disappear when the need arose.”
“How questionable?” I asked.
“I’ve done many things that I am not proud of. My love, please understand that I am a very different man than I once was. I associated with a lot of dangerous people over the years because it was incredibly fruitful for me. Being alive for hundreds of years really takes its toll on your conscience though. I eventually learned that the wealth was not worth the guilt. I severed those ties and in time, I found ways to make just as much money without sacrificing others.”
“Sacrificing others’ lives?” I asked, my pitch a little higher than normal.
“At times, yes.”
“You’ve killed people? Like, actually caused their deaths?”
He looked away. “Yes.” Wow, I really didn’t know how to process all of this. Leo has always been such a kind and generous man. I can’t stop thinking about how scary he was with that demon though. I can’t help but wonder if that was a glimpse of his former self.
He knelt down before me and grabbed my hands. “My darling, the man you see before you now is the man I have been for a long time. I’ve made it my mission to atone for the sins of my past. You must believe that.” He lifted himself up to frame my face with his hands. “Do you believe me Karli?” He asked.
I focused on reading him. I could feel his regret weighing very heavily on him. I could also feel his worry for my acceptance. When I didn’t answer him, his anxiety started turning into grief, as if he felt he was losing me. I knew then, without a doubt that he was sincere. “Yes, Leo. I believe you.” I said.
“Oh, thank the Gods.” He exclaimed as he was showering my face with kisses.
“Leo, we’re not done with this conversation.” I pulled away from him. “I know you’re a different man now. I really do believe that. But I can’t just ignore the fact that you have taken lives. I’m probably going to regret asking, but I think I want to know the circumstances.”
“Of course, my love.” He grabbed my face and pulled me into a mind-blowing kiss. I almost forgot what we were talking about. Nothing else seemed to matter when I was kissing this man. A knock on the door interrupted us just as he was moving down my neck. As he was walking towards the door he said, “That must be Vance.”
Suddenly feeling very awkward, I stood up to smooth the imaginary wrinkles out of my dress. Vance breezed through the door with no acknowledgement of Leo’s presence whatsoever. He came up to me and pulled me into a tight embrace. As he pulled back, he took in my obviously expensive clothes and seemed to be biting his tongue. A moron could figure out who my benefactor was.
He made a point to softly kiss me on the lips in front of Leo. Man, my lips were getting a work out today. “Karli, you look incredible, as always.” He said.
“Thank you.”
Vance and I sat on the couch, while Leo joined us in a chair. Vance was still ignoring Leo as he said, “So, you remembered something from last night?”
“Yes.” I replied. “While I was being attacked, the demon started shifting into its human form. I only saw a quick flash, but it was enough to identify the unmistakably female body.”
“Did you see a face? Any identifying marks?” He asked.
“No, not really. Just breasts. Very large, very female breasts. I guess that doesn’t really narrow it down much in this town.”
“No, this is really helpful Karli.” He assured me. “It confirms my theory that we are dealing with a jealous woman. Probably one of Chad’s jilted lovers. Crimes of passion are always the most violent.”
“That’s what I was thinking too.” I said. “But one thing about that doesn’t make s
ense. Why me? Why now? Chad and I broke up over a year ago.”
“That’s a good question.” He scooted in closer and placed a possessive hand on my knee. “I want you to stay with me until we find this thing. You’re not safe being by yourself.”
“What?” I asked, shock clearly in my voice. “I don’t think that’s necessary Vance.”
Leo decided to add his two cents. “I agree with Karli. She’s perfectly safe here with me.” Vance’s fists clenched tightly as the air quickly filled with testosterone.
“No, Leo. That’s not what I meant.” I said, giving both men a look that said, Don’t mess with me. “I meant I will be going back to my apartment.”