That same money allowed her to increase her legitimate business empire within the very heart of London. As the cab driver approached the business center nearby London City Airport, he was completely unaware that his passenger was the most powerful and dangerous individual on the planet. While she had enjoyed the show provided by the flight attendant during her trip, she needed to test her abilities on a more reluctant individual.
The taxi stopped next to one of her buildings. The driver, an Indian immigrant, bounced out of his driver seat. He dashed to the back of the cab and opened the trunk. He placed Mikhaeli's luggage under an awning to keep it dry. A moment later, he opened her passenger door. Dressed in the finest three-piece business attire that money could buy, her shapely legs drew the attention of her driver. She smiled at him and he returned the smile.
Perfect, she thought, Interest, like information, is power.
"Was your trip satisfactory, ma'am?" the heavily accented man asked.
She stared directly into his eyes. "Oh yes, I am more than satisfied with your service. How much do you owe you?"
He looked back into her eyes. "I…I…I am not sure," he stammered. "I must look at the meter."
She kept her focus on him. He wanted to pull away, but his eyes would not waver. Part of him wanted to embrace her. Another part wanted to run away. He was overcome with fear. His heart thumped. He began to sweat. She smiled at him and he couldn't control the urge to smile back.
"I believe that this trip is complimentary," she said.
"I…I…I…I…must…ch…"
She focused harder. She had him almost within her grasp. She could mentally grasp him and toss him through the windshield, but the ability to control minds was much more powerful than brute force. She could sense his fear growing. She concentrated harder. His heart raced faster.
You will agree with me! she thought.
"It…was…my…pleasure," he said robotically.
She furrowed her brow and stared deep within his soul. You will get in your car and take your worthless hide away from my presence. You will never remember me.
Robotically, the cab driver closed her door. He opened his door and climbed into the car. The idling car roared to life and the cab driver sped off. He splashed through several puddles and the dirty spray doused several pedestrians. Mikhaeli enjoyed their accented ire as they told the recklessly driving cab driver exactly where he could park his cab.
She glanced to her left and to her right. No one was in sight. She was fortune that the awning extended to the curb. She remained dry despite the increasing rain. Unlike the storms in Halifax, the sky was devoid of electricity. While she found dreary weather beautiful, the sky was relatively boring. She needed more excitement and she hoped that her wish would be granted in the warmer confines of her building.
She reached in her suit coat pocket and retrieved her new Droid telephone. Her newest employees, the two technicians who had scanned the fragile tome into her e-book reader, had provided her with the most technologically advanced cell phone available. They had cracked the phone and removed all traces of it from any cell phone service. The number was constantly rerouted through cellular services and their respective towers. If someone were to trace her phone, she could be anywhere on the planet. The GPS system was disabled. When she called anyone, her number would appear as 000000-0000. She loved her new technological wonder especially since they were wise enough to change its case to a lovely shade of purple. She pressed a speed dial button and waited. She didn't bother placing the phone to her ear.
Seconds later, three men ran from the building. They quickly picked up her bags and disappeared inside. A moment later, the shortest of the trio returned with an umbrella which he opened and placed above her head. Despite being perfectly dry under the awning, it was a safety measure for his life. She shook her head.
"Being three minutes late isn't going to be made up for with a stupid fucking umbrella," she scolded as she stomped towards the door.
"Forgive us. We were expecting you to arrive later," he said as he struggled to keep up with her angry pace.
She stopped in front of the doors. He stopped too. She tapped her foot and looked at her diamond Rolex watch. She sighed.
"Forgive me again," he said as he reached for the door.
She never spoke. She backhanded the smaller man across the face and he flew onto the sidewalk. He landed hard on the unforgiving concrete. Rain drenched his expensive suit. He staggered to feet. He attempted to stem the flow of blood streaming from his broken nose. His eyes begged for an answer.
"Be thankful," she said as she nearly ripped the glass door from its hinges. "You're alive. If I wasn't in a good mood, you'd be dead."
She didn't wait for a reply. She stomped into the lobby. The two other men were waiting for her.
"We are here to…" a heavy set man said.
"To get the fuck out of my way," she scolded as she stomped towards the elevators. "Take my bags to my executive suite."
She pressed the up arrow and the doors opened. She stepped into the elevator. She turned and faced the shocked men.
"And you'll never look at me again if you know what's good for you," she warned as the doors closed.
The elevator rose quickly. She had seen many changes during her lifetime. Elevators were once seen as a luxury item. She had even ridden an elevator on the Titanic. It was slow and confined. This elevator was spacious and moved rapidly. She could feel her insides lift as it elevated. She was annoyed that they had not prepared better for her arrival. Three times during the twenty-five floor trip, her elevator had stopped for people waiting to enter. Three times she warned them to wait for the next one. The last time a burly vampire tried to force his way into the elevator. She mentally grabbed him and angrily threw him down the hallway. He flew through a wall, but he survived. However, the remaining vampires had disappeared.
Shortly thereafter, her trip ended. The elevator doors parted and she was met by a tall man in his mid-forties. His hair was thinning and, as far as she was concerned, he was decidedly unattractive. Like his hair, he was thin and when he smiled, he had remarkably bad teeth. However, he was impeccably dressed in his designer suit except she hated the tan color that he had chosen.
"Greetings, My Queen," he said as he bowed.
"Care to get the fuck out of the way so I can get out of here?" she asked impatiently.
He stepped aside but he bowed dramatically again. "Forgive me…"
"I have been hearing that a lot today," she said as she stomped down the hallway towards a large meeting room.
He matched her pace. Neither of them spoke. He did impress her by hastening his pace and beating her to the door. He opened it and bowed again.
"After you, My Queen," he said.
"Improvement," she said as she walked into meeting room.
The interior of the room, while being adorned with expensive furnishings, was decidedly bland. There was a large table surrounded by large, plush imported leather chairs. The windows were smoke grey to limit the light. Plants and flowers adorned several pedestals, but not a purple rose in the bunch. She sighed. She stomped to the head of the table and sat. The ten sets of eyes glared at her.
"Anyone here have a problem?" she asked angrily.
"Who the fuck are you?" a young man dressed an Armani suit demanded.
Mikhaeli stared at him. Her eyes never left him. She walked at a slow but angry pace. He glanced at his colleagues for an answer. When he turned back to face the beautiful woman who had just entered the room, she was face to face with him. Her blue eyes bored into him. He swallowed hard.
She could smell his fear. He was human. He was a preppy twentysomething who probably had recently graduated with his master's degree in business administration. She could hear his heart rate rising. A bead of sweat formed on his brow. She could feel the blood pumping through his body. His fear began to envelop his soul. Her eyes bored deeper until she could feel him within her aura.
She
stepped back and raised her right hand. The terrified businessman rose out of his seat and floated in the air. She snapped her hand violently to the right. The preppy businessman flew through the wall and landed in a neighboring office. He smashed through an expensive office desk and he was motionless. He had been impaled on a shattered desk leg. His lifeless eyes stared at his killer as blood oozed from his mouth. Her eyes burned.
Mikhaeli seethed with anger. She snapped her head back to the meeting room.
"Your boss is the answer to his goddamn question. Is there anyone else in here who cares to waste my fucking time?" she said as her vampire face appeared.
A frightened business executive stumbled to his feet. He knocked over his office chair and fell. He scrambled to his feet. His terrified eyes stared directly at the frightening face that had once been exceptionally beautiful. He staggered backwards. Mikhaeli stared directly at him and smiled. He screamed and started to turn towards the door.
"STOP!" she commanded before he could turn his head.
He froze in place. His eyes stared directly at her. She smiled and her vampire face disappeared. She stretched. She walked towards him. Her seductive sway held every set of male eyes in the room. Every fiber in his body wanted him to move. He was frozen in place. His eyes followed the sway of her shapely body. His heart thumped against his ribs. He could hear it in his ears. More importantly, she could hear it.
THUMP THUMP! THUMP THUMP!
His heartbeat flowed like sweet music in her ears. With each successive beat, she felt him becoming closer to being a part of her. She continued to focus on her prey. She slowed her pace. All eyes were directed towards her. Another member of the board began to stand, but the man who had met her at the elevator placed his hand on the man's shoulder. The board member slowly sat back down.
THUMP THUMP! THUMP THUMP!
Mikhaeli continued to focus on the man under her control. Her mind flashed back to when she rose from the earth. She remembered how Lord Viktor held her like a puppet. She wanted to move, but she was frozen in place. She wanted to speak but she could not. Only her eyes were free to roam, but everything else was controlled at Viktor's whim. She listened to his heartbeat. It sounded like Morse code. She listened to each beat and remembered the rhythm. She lowered her eyes and her control was broken.
The terrified captive gasped for breath. Mikhaeli smirked. She learned a new feature of her growing power. Humans couldn't breathe while under her control. She was torn. It was powerful information. But she did love torturing humans, they screamed and it excited her. She paused and scratched her chin. The freed board member turned and ran. Mikhaeli glared.
"Where the fuck do you think that you are going?" she asked.
The man staggered and fell. He tried to climb to his feet and run at the same time. He fell again. He turned back to face his tormentor. Mikhaeli rolled her eyes and shook her head. She listened. She could hear his heartbeat again. She looked skyward. The man crawled backwards across the imported Italian hardwood floors. He panted. He was on the verge of screaming.
"Stop!" Mikhaeli commanded before she drew her attention back to the man.
Silence filled the room. The man stopped breathing. He was frozen again. He sat on the floor with his arm raised. His eyes pleaded with his tormentor. She smirked and slowly walked around her captive. She dragged her sharp fingernail across his forehead drawing a small trickle of blood. She licked a small drop of blood from her finger.
"Gentlemen," she said as she continued to circle her captive, "I am Mikhaeli Lanaova. I am your boss."
All eyes including the pleading eyes of the trapped man remained on her as she continued to circle him. Previous murmurs were replaced by silence.
"I am the most important person in your world. I control your lives. I can give it…"
She stopped directly behind him. She snapped her fingers and he gasped for breath.
"…and I can take it away," she said as her vampire face returned.
She hissed and slammed her fangs into the man's jugular vein. She held his frightened face for everyone in the room to see. She watched their faces. Some tried to turn away but others were envious. The man struggled to free himself from her powerful grasp. She fed feverishly. The plane ride had made her hungry. His arms flailed until he lost all strength. His legs quivered until his life force was consumed. His face became gaunt as she continued to feed. She drained every drop of blood from his body.
She dropped the body. She raised her blood soaked face and smiled. She licked the blood from her lips but she allowed the majority of the blood to drip from her chin. She licked her fangs and looked from one face to the next. She hummed as she licked her lips. She walked to the head of the table. She flopped into the chair. She placed her hands behind her head as she looked at the ceiling. She sighed.
"GET THE FUCK OUT!" she ordered.
Hurriedly, the human members of the board of directors ran from the room. The vampires casually pushed their chairs into the table. One winked at Mikhaeli before he walked out of the room. Another smirked at her before he also left the room. The rest slowly departed. Several nodded at the man who had escorted Mikhaeli to the room. When they had all departed, he closed the door behind them. He turned his focus to his queen.
"Kill them," she ordered.
"The humans are valuable…"
"The vampires," she corrected as she removed a silk cloth from her pocket and wiped her chin.
"Care to explain, My Queen?" he asked.
She sat up as she wiped her chin. She licked the remaining drops of blood from her lips. She crossed her legs and smirked.
"No," she said, "Because you will follow my orders."
He bowed slightly. "Of course, My Queen, but…"
"But nothing," she replied. "Sit."
He didn't reply. He pulled out the nearest chair and sat. He never took his eyes off of his lovely, but dangerous queen. She nodded her approval.
"Very wise," she said.
"Thank you, but I fail…"
She smirked again. "You respect my power. You could have walked up and sat in any of the chairs next to me. However, you are keeping your distance."
He nodded. "I do fear for my life. As I have witnessed, you could control me and kill me at your whim."
"Yes, but I haven't."
"Yet."
She laughed loudly. She threw her head back. She looked back at the confused board member who shifted uncomfortably in his seat.
"If I was here to kill you, we wouldn't be having this conversation. I would have ripped your heart out at the elevator."
"And why do you keep me alive?" he asked.
"You are bold enough to question my plans without acting like a pussy and begging me for answers by saying please over and over again. However, my companies are making me money. I like money. It allows me to buy things," she said with a smile.
"I still don't understand why…"
"Your vampires don't fear me which is why I want them dead. They might be rich but they need to know their place."
"And the humans? There are a couple that I would love to kill myself," he asked.
She smirked. "They fear us. Those who fear us respect us. I know, and you can confirm it, that your best employees are human."
He nodded again. "Very wise."
"Thank you," she said honestly. "So order your guards to stake those pompous asses and keep the humans. Now to why I am here."
"Very well, My Queen," he said as he held his hands wide, "I am all ears."
"As am I," she added. "I need to know why you have given yourself a rank without my consultation, Governor Murray," she stated sternly.
He smirked and chuckled. "Are you familiar with General James Murray?" he asked.
"I cannot say that I am. Enlighten me," she said.
"Interesting choice of words."
"Ok then. Educate me."
"Better," he said. "General Murray is a little before your time. He was the first governor of what
is now Canada. After the British won the territory from the French, General Murray, from who I am a direct descendant, took over the colonies. Since I am your regional leader in England, I believed that I was entitled to the same title as my relative."
"Interesting," she said. "However, I will let you know that I do not look favorably upon those vampires who become so full of themselves that they believe that they have become greater than they actually are. The last vampire who gave himself a pompous title, let's just say he died rather well."
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