by Mia Bishop
"Good. Now, I think we need a few more rules. One, you are never to go anywhere without me. The only time you’ll be around anyone else is when you go up to the Striga house so Arveda can look you over from time to time. Two, no one is allowed in this house without my permission. I will only let someone in if I feel one hundred percent certain you are under control. And three, you have to follow orders. If I tell you to do something I don’t want any arguing. We’ll be hunting demons, I don’t have time to argue with you about something when our lives and the lives of these people are on the line." He pulled his wrist away from the glass and ran it under the water before wrapping it in a towel. Holding out the glass to her he barked his orders. "Eat, now. Then rest, I need a moment to get cleaned up."
Abby snatched the glass out of his hand as if he might suddenly change his mind and starve her to death. She hated this, she wanted her old life back. Even if she couldn't remember what it was like, she knew anything had to be better than this. The wanting and needing that came with feeding from him had brought such intense pleasure and now he had banned her from it. She was certain nothing could feel as good or taste as good as feeding directly from him.
Nico walked away and went into the bathroom, kicking the door shut behind him. She could hear water running. Making her way back to the bed she curled up in the corner and nursed the few remaining drops of red liquid. It burned going down and she couldn't help but gag at the metallic smell as it tickled her nose with every sip, but each sip got easier. It wasn't as satisfying as drinking from him but eventually her hunger started to ease. As soon as the glass was finished she wished she had another one, but with Nico's reactions to her hunger it probably wouldn't go over well.
She sat up straighter, pushing her shoulders back and setting her jaw. She'd prove him wrong. No matter what, she wouldn't let her hunger control her. A few drops of blood were better than nothing and she would survive on it. He wouldn’t see her suffer. She wasn’t going to beg for food. Pride must have been one of her traits in her old life because right now it was her driving force. She'd do better, she would be a better person than him, which at this rate wouldn't be hard to do.
He stood in front of the mirror and willed himself not to strike out and shatter it. He hated the man staring back. He equally hated the creature out in the other room. Right before she had latched on to his arm he had been finding it hard to remind himself she was a creature. He was too easily lost in her soulful brown eyes. Sure she was human, to a degree. She hadn't been bitten, but she still hungered for blood like a vampire. She still had those fangs, the strength, speed, and like all other vampires she would still burn up in the sunlight. No matter how she came to be, she was still cursed. He had to remind himself of that.
Regardless of the facts, deep down he was still a man and any man would fall prey to her. She was just the right mix of innocence and intrigue. His body hadn't stirred like that in ages, but as he stared at his reflection in the mirror he chided himself. "She's a monster. You can't think of her as anything more than an instrument of your own destruction. She will be the death of you and, unfortunately, you will probably bring about the apocalypse because of her."
It wasn't much of a pep talk, but it was enough for his hormones to subside. Judging by his primal reaction to the woman out in the kitchen, he was going to need to drink a whole lot more to keep his body from overriding his mind.
He couldn't bring himself to leave the bathroom, not until he had himself under control. He'd stay in there all night if necessary. Hopping up on the counter he let his feet dangle as he proceeded to count the tiles in the floor. He was just starting on the third row when someone knocked on the front door. Nico groaned, the light tapping could only be one person. He heard the creature in the other room rustle as she moved from the bed. His eyes darted to the window, it was still light out. Nico cursed, but to his surprise he didn't hear the door open.
Instead Abby called out, "Who's there?"
"It's Meredith, Arveda's daughter. May I come in?"
"Um..." A long pause followed and under normal circumstances he would have called out to Meri and told her to come in but something inside of him wanted to see what Abby would do, so he waited. "Nico is busy. I'm sorry, I can't let you in without permission."
Nico smirked and almost puffed his chest out a bit. "Good girl," he whispered to himself.
Meri cleared her throat. "Look, Nico and I have history. He wouldn't mind if I came in."
"Sorry, like I said, I just can't. Gotta follow the rules."
"Rules? Listen girly, there are no rules when it comes to me."
Nico arched a brow at Meri's words and opened the bathroom door. He patted Abby on the shoulder. "Good job, Abby. I'll take it from here." From the smile she was giving him she seemed to like his praise. He made a mental note to remember that for later. If he was going to train her to survive they had to start getting along, which translated to the fact Nico would have to get over his problems, both personal and professional.
Abby quickly made her way to the corner of the bed, keeping herself as far away from the sunlight that would come pouring in as soon as Nico opened the door. He smiled, at least she was a fast learner. Pulling open the door he braced his hands against the frame not allowing Meri any entry. "So, Meri... We have history, huh? Were you actually trying to imply that you and I are fuck-buddies so she would feel inclined to let you in?"
Meri shrugged and played with a long strand of red hair. "Well, maybe. What's the harm in a little truth now and then?"
He laughed and let her in. "The fact that it's a 'little' truth. You and I don't have much of a mutual sex life these days."
She tossed her hair over her shoulder as she passed him and gave him a curious stare. "You looking for a little action, Father?"
He snorted a laugh but before he could respond Abby snarled from the darkness. "He doesn't like that name, it's an insult."
Meredith quirked a brow and glanced back and forth from the darkness and Nico. "Did you train your pet already?"
Abby growled, but Nico instinctively interjected, "Don't be a bitch, Meri. She's simply stating a fact." He darted his gaze in Abby's direction, "Thanks, Abby. But it's no use, I've been barking up that tree for a decade. No one listens."
Meri's hackles seemed to lower a bit as she slid into a chair at the old table and folded her hands on the tabletop. "Anyway, Nico. How is it going so far?"
"It's only been like half a day, are the Striga that worried about my resolve they don't think I can handle vampire babysitting for a few hours?"
"Mother thinks you will back out on your word. She doesn't trust you and really can you blame her?"
He unrolled his sleeve over the makeshift bandage and pulled out two beers from the fridge. "Guess not. I mean I trust the old bitch about as far as I could throw her so I suppose it's only fair if the feeling is mutual."
She took the bottle and pulled the top off, giving him a glare. "Bitch or not, she's still my mother, I'd appreciate it if you didn't continuously insult her."
"That's a joke right?" When she didn't answer he slammed his bottle down on the table and Abby yipped from the corner where she was still hiding. "That bitch, oh I'm sorry, your mother left me out in the desert to die at the hands of the fucking Wolfman, Meredith! Then, when he didn't kill me, she did everything in her power to try to run me out of town. Do you remember the false allegations she concocted against me with that fucking spell of hers?"
Meredith sighed. "Okay, those weren’t her finest moments."
"Are you kidding me? She used a spell to convince the entire town I was a sexual predator. There was an angry mob, Meredith, complete with torches and pitchforks for God’s sake."
"Alright, I get it. You don't like her."
"That's a fucking understatement. I don't like broccoli, I don't like traffic jams, I don't like the goddamn Beatles. I fucking loathe her and I'm constantly baffled as to how you came out of her evil infested womb." Meredith’s knuckle
s whitened as she gripped the bottle, her brow drew tight. Nico didn’t have time to react before she flung her beer in his face. He coughed, wiping the amber liquid away and chuckled. "Okay, I'll admit, that last part might have been a bit out of line."
"No, it's par for the course with you, Nico. You don't know how to forgive and it has turned you into an asshole."
"Yes, I'm an asshole. Arveda and I are never going to be best friends and for the record, she doesn't know how to forgive either. We both know it’s true. But you and I are friends, so I apologize, I never want you to have to be in the middle of Arveda and me." He took a swig from his bottle. "As you can see, Abby and I are getting along just fine. So tell your mother not to worry."
After a couple of calming breaths, Meri pointed to his wrist. "If you are getting along just fine, what's up with the bandage?"
He shrugged. "She's got to eat something and I don't see your mother offering up any of your sisters as dinner. I fed her the only way I knew how."
Meri's nose wrinkled with disgust. "You let her feed from you?"
Nico ignored the small snarl coming from the corner. "Don't be daft, woman. I put the blood in a cup for her, she knows the deal. As long as she doesn't fang anyone she can keep a full belly, but she is under strict orders to not bite anyone, not even me."
"Well, at least she's trainable."
"It remains to be seen just how trainable she is. Don't forget her mind is still mostly human, training her to fight and to kill might be more than her psyche can handle. We may just break her before we make her."
"Either way as long as the Gate doesn't open makes no difference to us."
"Cold, Meri, real cold."
"Coming from you I should almost be insulted, but I'm sure you've said far worse to the girl." She stood up and smoothed out her clothes. "Now if you'll excuse me I have a wolf I need to go see. The sun is almost down, are you taking the creature out tonight?"
Nico cleared the bottles from the table. "Nah, I think we've had enough excitement for her first day."
"Suit yourself." She made her way to the door and paused glancing back in the direction of Abby in the corner. The fiery Striga shook her head and left the house without another word.
Nico leaned back in his chair eyeing the darkness. "You going to come out?"
"Maybe."
Her eyes glowed red from the shadows. He sat back down at the table and drummed his fingers against the wood. "Would you like a written invitation?"
Her voice cracked. "Why are you all cruel to me?"
"Is a vampire really about to cry over being insulted by some humans?"
Abby came out of the darkness, her eyes shimmering as they changed from red to brown, and lifted her chin defiantly. "She is not human... You both talked about me like I wasn't even here. Like I was some second class citizen. I'm human, damn it, you said it yourself. I wasn't bitten."
He wiped his hand over his face and groaned. "You are still an abomination." He regretted the words as soon as they came out, but there was no taking them back now.
"You keep saying that but where is your proof? My fangs, my eyes, my hunger for blood? They are all a spell, it's not me on a biological level. Look at what Arveda did to you with a spell, how is it any different than the spell someone put on me? Everyone thought you were a sexual predator because of her magick, but it didn't make you one, right? A spell was cast on me, now everyone thinks I’m a vampire. It doesn’t actually make me one."
She was huffing and puffing and her eyes fluctuated between lethal red and their harmless chocolate color. He nodded as his eyes stayed locked on her. She was magick of a whole different kind, a tiny spark ignited inside him. Nico tried to ignore it but it still flickered in the darkness that filled him. The conviction in her argument sang to his soul. He wanted to believe in her. Concepts and beliefs couldn’t change overnight, but he was having one hell of a definite shift. His mind might be set on the fact she's a creature of pure evil, but his soul wasn't as easily convinced. He needed more time, he needed to see what she was capable of, see if she was able to restrain herself and learn.
Most of all he needed answers, but he was fairly certain the man upstairs wasn't going to be giving him any answers anytime soon. "You make a good point, Abby."
She crossed her arms as if she assumed his words might be condescending.
He patted the now empty seat and waited for her to sit down in a huff. "No really, you do make a good point. I need to recognize you might be different than a regular vampire, but you will need to give me time to collect some evidence. I don't go by blind faith anymore. I need proof. While we're getting to know each other why don't we do this, we'll focus on training you. You can work on controlling these new instincts of yours and I'll cool my attitude if you promise to work at this."
"I promise."
"Then you have my word. I'll tone down the way I talk to and about you. Deal?"
She gave a small smile and warmth stirred in his gut as she tucked a long strand of her chocolate colored hair behind her ear. "Deal."
CHAPTER FIVE
“Rise and shine.”
Abby stretched on the rickety cot and ignored the slight mildew smell coming from her makeshift bed. “Is the sun still up?”
“No, it set about five minutes ago.”
She pursed her lips together and nodded. “I wonder if that is why my body started itching.”
“Itching?”
“Like something was irritating me. It woke me up.”
“Well, I’ve heard that vampires always know when the sun goes down. Sort of like an internal alarm clock. That’s probably what it was.”
“So, what’s the plan? Do I need to go see Arveda tonight?”
Nico leaned against the wall and rubbed the back of his neck. “No, you’re going to start training.”
“What kind of training?”
“Demon hunting.”
“But I’ve only been a vampire for one day and I don’t even really feel like a vampire to tell you the truth. Now you expect me to just wake up the next day and be an expert demon hunter?”
“No, I expect you to train and learn. First, drink this,” he held out a small glass of crimson fluid, “As much as you say you don’t feel like a vamp you still need to eat like one.” She took the glass as he added, “And then get dressed, we need to get in as much work as we can so you can start helping me patrol.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever been in a fight. I’m not going to be much good to you.”
He ran his fingers through his hair and blew out a breath. “Look, you might not like it but you are a vampire now. Maybe not a full-fledged one but one thing you need to know about yourself is that all of your human limitations are gone. You don’t need to breathe, you can see better-near perfect in fact- in the dark. You are stronger, faster, and you have an innate instinct inside you now that has the sole purpose of being the perfect predator. You will need some training, yes, but your instinct to kill will be the biggest asset you have. The thing you need to remember is to listen to your gut when you are fighting. Your body will know what to do long before your brain ever figures it out. I’m going to teach you some basics, but if you are anything like other vamps I’ve encountered you will be a natural at chasing down something and killing it. Drink your breakfast and get dressed, time’s wasting.”
She slowly sipped her meal to savor the taste as long as possible. He’d already gone into the kitchen before she’d even took her first taste, leaving her with a bit of privacy to get dressed. As she drank she scanned the room. The same room she’d been tied up in the day before, but it looked different tonight. She studied his nightstand. It was a sad sight. The old wooden stand held an empty bottle of Jack Daniels that hadn’t been there yesterday and a glass with a chip in the rim. The only other items he kept by his bedside was an empty picture frame, the Holy Bible, and an auto magazine that looked to be at least two decades outdated.
Abby shook her head. Why an empty picture f
rame? Did he have a picture to go in the frame? Had the picture gotten lost? It nagged at her like a riddle she might never know the answer to. In the kitchen she could hear him pouring himself something to drink, the strong aroma of coffee hung in the air.
Glancing down at the sweatpants and t-shirt he’d given her to sleep in she blew a strand of hair out of her eyes. She practically swam in Nico’s clothes, but the thought of the revealing clothes that the Striga had dressed her in made her feel uneasy. It wasn’t so much about the clothes but the idea of killing something and having blood splatter all over her half naked body. Would it send her into a blood lust? Would she become the monster that Nico insisted she was?
She stalled by trying to catch the last drop of blood from the glass on the tip of her tongue when he called out, “I don’t hear you getting up.”
Abby groaned and pushed herself off the cot. “I’m up. I’m up, have some patience.”
“No time for patience, Creature. We have work to do.”
She glared at the name Creature and whispered under her breath, “My name is Abby.”
Nico’s voice came from directly behind her making her jump, “Abby. Happy now?” She spun to see him standing in the open space between the living room and bedroom. Before she could answer he added, “Hurry up.” As he headed to the back door in the kitchen and called out, “Meet me out back when you’re ready.”
After giving the Striga clothes one last glance she reluctantly slipped out of his sweatpants and t-shirt. There was no way she was fighting demons in short shorts and a halter top. Her choices might be slim but she had to make the best of it. Grabbing another t-shirt from his drawer she slipped it on and quickly cinched it tight around her waist and tied it with a knot in the back. She rummaged through the drawers again until she found another pair of sweatpants. After a minute of examining her newest find she ran to the kitchen, grabbing the knife Nico had used to slice open his wrist a few minutes earlier and returned to the bedroom. It took a moment for her to reign in her desire to lick the blade for any residual blood that might be clinging to the stainless steel, but when she finally managed to get herself under control she took the knife to the sweatpants cutting them into shorts that hung below her knees. It would do for now. Her outfit covered a bit more than the Striga clothes and she’d done enough to make sure she didn’t trip over the garments or get tangled up while fighting.