1 Dicey Grenor

by Grenor, Dicey

  So this was the best I could come up with. I’d take pictures of Rafe in a compromising position and dare him to continue waging war. If he didn’t cease, these pics would be in every tabloid across the country by next nightfall. From what Cin had said about him, Rafe was such a homophobe, there was no way he’d let that shit ride. He’d rather be dead than considered a homo.

  Good for him ’cause I’d rather him dead.

  And since Rafe wasn’t really gay, well…there went God’s prohibition against a false statement that degraded a neighbor’s reputation. Cin would have her daughter, but I’d no longer have a clean record in lying against my neighbor.

  At least it was for a good cause…and technically, I wasn’t lying. I was just the one taking the pics. Rafe was the one who decided whether they entered the media, and the general public would be the one interpreting them. I wouldn’t be witnessing in court under oath so it wasn’t so bad.

  “Blackmail just seems wrong,” said Aaron, inserting the obvious morality hitch.

  “So is what he’s doing to Cin.”

  He ran a hand over his head. “Why don’t you lie down and I take the pictures?”

  “Because he’s a horndog. He’d post pictures of me and him on a billboard down 59 himself. No, it has to be a man.” Enough with the questions. Time was a’ wasting. Morn was fast approaching. I needed to hurry, get the ball rolling, and get back in my room before sunup.

  Just stick to the plan.

  “How do I know you won’t use these photos to blackmail me too? My father’s an important businessman. These pictures would be just as damaging to him.”

  “Thanks for the tip.” He snapped his head up and I laughed. “I’m just kidding.” After Remi’s description of his father, I couldn’t see why Aaron would care what happened to the old fart. Why not rebel, show dad he didn’t give a shit about his reputation? Then again, I hadn’t retaliated against my parents either. “You can keep the camera. Do what you will with the pictures.”

  He cocked his head to the side and considered that for a moment. “You’d do that for me? You’d lose your leverage if I deleted the pics.”

  “I know. Look, why are you asking all these questions now? Are you gonna help me or not?” Or am I going to have to captivate you into submission?

  “Yes. I’ll help. I trust you.”

  Was that because I planted trust me in his brain last night or because I sold the plan well?

  Aaron walked toward the bed, eyeing Rafe. “Why is he just lying there like he can’t move?”

  I considered saying Rafe was drunk, mentally challenged, in a coma. But when it was all said and done, I spoke only the truth. “Because he can’t.”

  Aaron looked at me then back at Rafe. “Why not? What did you do to him?”

  “I sort of put him in a trance.”

  “You hypnotized him?”

  I nodded.

  Aaron sat on the edge of the bed and thought for a moment. “If you can do that, why don’t you just make him drop the lawsuit?”

  “Because I’m not certain the command would be sufficient or work permanently. If my hypnosis wore off, Cindy would be right back to Rafe ruining her life. And if he dropped the suit but decided to hurt her in another way…no, I need him to know he’s gotta back off from her in all regards.” Wow. How was that for candor? He was really good for my soul. All this purging, sincerity, honesty, openness…

  Aaron leaned over Rafe, running his hand back-and-forth over Rafe’s eyes like you would a blind man. “Have you hypnotized me? Is that how I knew to pick you up from work?”

  Uh oh.

  I just stared at him which was all the answer he needed.

  “Jesus Christ,” he said.

  “You shouldn’t use the savior’s name in vain.”

  “He’s not my savior, Willow. I’m Jewish.”

  Oh. Now there was wrinkle…one I should have seen coming. Guess that meant Aaron and I would be unequally yoked in faith as well as species. I could really pick ’em.

  Holding the camera steady, I started snapping photos of the couple and explaining to Rafe what he needed to do in order to make sure the images never saw the light of day. The more I said the more flaccid his dick became. He clearly wasn’t happy about the terms.

  Aaron continued posing beautifully, but it wasn’t enough. Rafe needed to appear aroused, to be enjoying Aaron’s company. In order for him to back off Cin completely, the photos needed to be convincingly humiliating.

  “Wait. He’s soft.” Grabbing Rafe’s limp noodle, I squeezed and slid my hand up and down over and over. His head tossed from side-to-side as if he was trying to clear it and fight for control. It was purely a clinical action on my part until I realized how close nearly-naked Aaron was. He was watching me, and as sure as I wasn’t a mule’s ass, I was turned on by it. I started working Rafe faster and harder and the more he grew, the more I got into it.

  Until I noticed there was nothing stirring in Aaron’s boxers.

  Surely, not everyone was a voyeur. In fact, some men would find a woman stroking another man in front of him downright offensive. But damn. Nothing?

  When Rafe moaned, my attention turned back towards him. I dropped his dick like a hot frying pan. If I wasn’t careful, this would be rape. And I wasn’t into that.

  I backed away and let my camera take over, sealing the deal. Aaron leaned in for poses without me asking. Modeling should have been his hobby, if not his bread-n-butter ’cause…

  Rafe suddenly lunged upward with the force of two horses, head-butting Aaron in the nose. Blood gushed. Aaron yelled and grabbed his nose with both hands, falling back from the bed unto the floor. Blood ran down his fingers, arms, neck...

  Oh shit.

  My captivation power had worn off. I hadn’t given Rafe another command after telling him to get on the bed and wait for me.

  But forget what I did and didn’t do. We had another problem…a bigger one.

  My fangs were protruding, ready. My eyes were glowing red. My mouth was watering. The human I used to be was completely gone and my vampire instincts had taken over. I saw only one thing—blood. I didn’t care about the Ten Commandments, Rafe staring at me in horror, or the fact that my plan had gone to shit. And though I felt bad Aaron was hurt, I didn’t care enough to get him a wad of tissue.

  His blood was calling me.

  And I couldn’t resist.

  Chapter 18

  Tossing Rafe out of the way like a sack of potatoes, I pounced on Aaron with the fierceness of a lioness attacking the last antelope in the wilderness. I sank my fangs into the bridge of his nose and latched onto his bleeding nostrils without regard for his pain or the damage I inflicted. He fought with everything he had but his strength was no match for mine. Pinning his body down, I had no thought for the feelings I had for him or Remi. No thought for the fear and panic he was in.

  His blood was good and I was on a natural high.

  At some point, I remembered two things: one, I needed to stop before I took too much, and two, things would get scary for me if I fell asleep while feeding. But ultimately, those thoughts faded with each gulp of his satisfying blood.

  I’d had blood straight from the source not long ago. But this was my first Aaron feast. I was overcome with hunger, no, greed.

  Did I mention how good it was?

  I was vaguely aware of a tingling in my fingers and toes, of cool breeze on my neck, and the faint smell of sweet vanilla. I chalked it up to Aaron’s energy seeping into my pores and sucked harder. He stopped struggling, probably passed out. I was too gone to care.

  Hey, beauti—Ach Mein Gott! Willow?

  Where was that voice coming from? And why was it speaking German? It was in my mind and I had the vague sense I should know, but the blood, the hunger—I couldn’t think.

  Tearing myself from Aaron’s face, I looked around the room like a madwoman. Rafe’s punk-ass was crouched in the corner with a phone to his ear. His hands were shaking and his eyes were w
ide like he’d seen a ghost.

  Or a vampire.

  “9-1-1? My address is—”

  I lurched forward, backhanding him like the bitch he was. He slammed into the wall and plopped onto the floor. It had happened so fast he couldn’t even think about blocking it. So much for being a super offensive lineman. He wasn’t shit.

  Willow, please tell me these are strangers you are planning to kill.

  There was that voice again. It wasn’t Rafe or Aaron. They were both out cold. Who the…?

  Wiping blood from my mouth with the back of my hand, I looked around wildly. Aaron was on the floor on the far side of the bed, Rafe was on the floor by the door. No one else was in the room.

  Willow, you have been a very bad—

  “Not now, Max.”

  I slowly came to myself. To the realization of what I’d done. To the horror of my actions. Looking over at Aaron, I dropped to my knees in shame. He wasn’t moving.

  Wait—Max! I’d heard Max. He was here.

  “Max, where are you?”

  “Right here, darling.” This time his voice came from right next to me, along with his unique vanilla scent. And it was no longer in my head, but audible. He was making himself visible to me even though he wasn’t in the flesh.

  This was one of those times I could have used his actual presence instead of his metaphysical manifestation. Nevertheless, I jumped in his arms and hugged him tightly. I had no experience with cleaning up the mess I’d just made because it had never happened to me before. Max would know what to do.

  My bloodlust had scared the bejesus out of me. But worst of all, I’d hurt Aaron…sweet Aaron. He’d already suffered so much in life.

  Oh, God. This was precisely why humans were killing us off.

  Letting Max go, I rushed to Aaron’s side. Having read my mind, Max beat me to him.

  “He is alive. Barely,” Max said.

  The closer I got to Aaron, the worse I felt. His nose looked like it had been mauled by a savage animal. I burst into tears. I’d done that.

  I rubbed Aaron’s hair as my first tear fell on his forehead. “Oh, God. I did this to him.”

  Max looked at me with a weird expression. “You are a vampire, Willow. What do you expect? I told you to stay away from him.”

  Ignoring Max, I wiped my tears and leaned down to feel how strong Aaron’s pulse was. Not very. I got a good look at him and winced. Such a beautiful face destroyed. I couldn’t stand myself at the moment.

  “He is not conscious so you cannot erase his memories. If he lives, he will identify you. You have to kill him, Willow. I will tell you how to dispose of the body so that—”

  “No.” I would not do that to him. Rafe on the other hand...

  “It is doubtful your human will survive anyway.” He went to check on Rafe. “Kill this one and make it look like a burglary. You must hurry before—”

  “I won’t leave Aaron here to die.” I stood up. “I’m taking him to the hospital.”

  “You cannot risk it. It is nearly dawn.”

  Fuck.

  There had to be something I could do for him.

  Rafe started moving around and murmuring in the corner. Too bad for him.

  Just as I was about to land a fatal blow to his head, I remembered all the reasons why I shouldn’t kill him either.

  “What are you waiting for, Willow? Finish him.”

  “I can’t.” When I explained why, Max especially thought killing him was best. Of course.

  Instead, I tried several different commands. Forget you saw me tonight wasn’t good enough. Forget I’m a vampire was just as inadequate. I finally went with: You passed out drunk tonight and cannot remember anything at all. Max suggested I email Rafe the photos tomorrow from an anonymous account and threaten him with exposure from afar. The affect should still be the same…maybe worse.

  It was his best idea yet.

  But Aaron was still out cold. “There has to be something I can do for him.”

  “I would forbid such bonding, but short of giving him vampire blood, there is no other way to end his suffering than death.”

  Ding ding ding. I didn’t give a damn whether Max forbade it. My blood’s rapid healing agent was what Aaron needed and so help me, I was going to give it to him.

  Saybree had called it, hadn’t she?

  Kneeling next to Aaron, I cut my wrist open with my fangs and no second thought. I’d kill two birds with one stone: save Aaron and bind us forever.

  Max grabbed my arm in a tight grip. “What the fuck are you doing, Willow? You would give this human your blood?”

  “Yes.” I jerked my arm away, lifted Aaron’s head with the other and fed him from my vein. I could feel my blood dripping in his mouth. It was giving him back some of what I’d taken, but more. Much more. He really should have consented to this but under the circumstances I hoped he would forgive me for forcing the decision on him.

  Max fell back on his rear like he’d been clipped in the chin. I was fully aware that he could have used his metaphysical powers over me and prevented me from feeding Aaron, but he was too surprised. Surprised that I would blatantly disobey him and more importantly, that I cared enough for a human to risk angering my maistre. I was signing my own death warrant, motivated by something unexplainable. Something that felt close to love, and Max knew it. Oh yeah, he was surprised…and pissed…and insulted.

  “You really care for this human,” he whispered as if he couldn’t believe it.

  “I do.” I couldn’t either.

  Max snarled like a vicious beast, “I have not given you permission to bond with this male. You are my bride!”

  “Then I’ll have to accept my punishment.” I felt Aaron’s mouth pull on my wrist wound. “Because it’s done.”

  He grinded his teeth. “Yes. You will be punished.”

  And just like that, he was gone.

  Whatever. I couldn’t worry about Max and his threats right now. I’d worry about the consequences of pissing him off and bonding with a human with multiple personalities later. At least Aaron would be okay.

  When he started coughing on my blood, I sat him up further. Oh, goody—his nose was healing.

  Blood was everywhere, his and mine. And our skin was vibrant, humming with energy. I was curious about how deep the bond would go with a human, and we’d have plenty of time to explore and test its limits. Right now, I had to clean up any signs of us being in Rafe’s house and get my ass to some shelter before it was too late.

  Rafe was tucked in his bed, sleeping soundly when I carried Aaron out. By the time we reached the car, Aaron was completely healed.

  And looking at me like I was the reincarnated Jack the Ripper.

  “I’m sorry, Aaron. So sorry.” I looked at the sky. Dawn was coming. Too bad it wasn’t daylight savings time. I could really use an extra hour. “Are you able to drive?” It seemed terrible to have him chauffeur me back after all I’d done to him tonight, but I felt it was right to ask him since it was his car…and I didn’t trust myself driving that far. Insurance wouldn’t help if there was nothing left to insure.

  He nodded and settled behind the wheel. “Guess I better speed so the sun doesn’t get you.”

  “Please.”

  He did. Silently. We weren’t short on tension.

  As we pulled onto my motel’s street, I was feeling the burn. Tucking my jacket over my head, I tried to shield myself from the light. I pulled my keycard out so it would be ready for quick entry once we arrived. By the time he pulled in the parking spot with a screech, my lips were tight, my skin was hot and sensitive to every stitch of fabric I wore, and my limbs were so stiff I could barely move.

  I reached for the door handle and jacked my hand back with a scream. Light had only caressed it for a millisecond, but it had been horrific. I was in trouble. No way I’d make it inside in time.

  There was rapid movement beside me, a door opening and closing. The whole car bounced with the impact of the trunk lifting and shut
ting. Then from out nowhere, my car door opened, Aaron grabbed the keycard and threw a blanket over me. He lifted me from the seat and carried me to my door. He opened the door one-handedly with the stealth of the hero he was, then closed us in from the sun.

  I peeled the covering away as he laid me gently on the bed.

  He cut on the lamp and stood still as a statue. I gazed at him.

  After everything I’d done to him tonight, I couldn’t believe he could be so sweet. From picking me up at work, to lying in his underwear next to a naked man and taking pictures, to getting me home safely—He was a saint.

  Maybe bonding with him wasn’t a bad idea after all. I felt love for him. I could be in a relationship with Aaron and to hell with the rest of the world, including Max. Maybe Aaron would spend the day with me. Just the two of us in my room…in my bed. I could be ready for something like that.

  “Thank you for—”

  “Will you please erase my memories too? Like you did for Rafe. I don’t want to remember what you are…or any of this.”

  Gulp. So much for love and a relationship.

  I took his camera out of my pocket and held it out to him. He shook his head, not even wanting it back. It contained memories too. Memories he didn’t want.

  I walked over to him and looked in his metallic blues thinking the last thing I wanted was to make him forget all we’d shared. No, I didn’t want him seeing me as a monster. Didn’t want him afraid of me. But I wanted to be real with him. I wanted him to know me like I knew him. That’s what true intimacy was. Something I’d never had with anyone, I wanted at this moment with him. Maybe I could get him to see that.

  When I extended my hand to smooth the black curls from his face, he flinched.

  Damn. I’d blown it.

  Trust was a vital part of a relationship too and we no longer had that. We’d have to start over.

  Willing his brain to obey my command I spoke softly into his soul, “Aaron, forget everything you saw tonight. Forget what I did to you. Forget what I looked like. Forget I’m a vampire. Remember you picked me up from work and we went for a walk. We talked about our hopes and dreams and passions and desires. I opened up to you and showed you my true self. I was beautiful, loving, kind. And I thanked you for a lovely evening.” Then I planted a seed for tomorrow’s date.