Michael's dreams were
vivid with images of passion.
He returned to
Sarah's store and fell asleep wordlessly in her arms. Despite her presence, she
never once entered his thoughts that night. No, he dreamed of Leigh and of
Nikki and of Felicia.
He dreamed of their
bodies intertwined. He dreamed of the delight he saw on Virgil's face, during one
unguarded moment when he moved behind Leigh and plunged within her. He
remembered the confusion upon her face. Was this a betrayal? Should she stop
Virgil? Michael's look of satisfaction told all she needed and she surrendered
to Virgil's desires.
He dreamed of when
they took her together, an experience neither Leigh nor Virgil had ever had.
And, ever present,
were the two vixens whose arrival that night at the Fox Club had spurred on
such a magnificent carnal moment. Nikki barked orders to Felicia: "Eat
me", "fuck him", "touch her", and she would wordlessly
oblige. He dreamed of them too, their beauty, their eagerness, and their
unbelievable stamina. He dreamed of what they did to Leigh, to Virgil, to him,
and to each other.
When the sun had set
yet again and Michael's eyes fluttered open, a single thought came upon him. He
would dream of this again. He kicked off the covers and noted his arousal. It was
then and only then that he noticed Sarah next to him, slumbering as she often
did in the nude. Her eyes fluttered open as the dusk woke her.
Then, without
hesitation, he took her. Startled by his fervor, she reached out into his mind,
something she had pledged not to do without his permission. But this was
reflexive and only momentary, but it was enough to flood her mind with the
images from Michael's night before and from his dreams. She absorbed his
passion and surrendered to it.
"By the goddess,
the more we feed your lust the more insatiable you become." she said when
he rolled off of her, his desires spent.
Michael gave her a
look of confusion and she confessed her sin. "I touched your mind when you
took me. I saw what happened. I'm sorry. I know I promised, but you came on me
so fast..."
"No apology
needed." admitted Michael. "You more than made up for it."
"I should be
more disciplined." she chided herself aloud.
A hurried knock came
at the door to their chambers. "Yes?" queried Sarah.
"A message came
for Michael." said Elizabeth through the door. "Something's happening at the
Fox Club and he needs to get down there immediately."
"What? When did
this come in?"
"Perhaps an hour
ago!"
"Why did you
not..." Michael growled, but stopped himself short. He knew the answer.
Had she interrupted him earlier, he'd have been all the more angry.
"I should go
with you." said Sarah.
"No, I want you
safe. Stay here." Michael grabbed his clothes, dressed hurriedly, and
headed for his truck.
---
There were cops
everywhere. And not just local police either; FBI and ATF were there too. The
whole Fox Club was swarming with them.
Michael pulled up and
jumped out of his truck without bothering to park it. "What the hell is
going on here?" he demanded with anger.
Two police offers
moved towards him to block his path. "This doesn't concern you, sir. Move
along."
"The hell it
doesn't! This is my club."
That admission
brought the officer's guns to their hands. "Come with us...NOW !"
Michael scowled. Two
cops with guns were no match for him and he knew it. But he also knew there
were at least 50 more about the premises, as well as a good hundred gawkers
from the neighborhood. No, he could not act as he wished. The Masquerade!
Michael raised his
hands in surrender. The two cops moved in and placed handcuffs on him. They
hauled him beyond the crime scene tape towards a clump of people sitting on the
pavement of the parking lot, all under guard. Among them were Mitch, Boar, and
Virgil.
"Sit here!"
commanded the police and they shoved him down to the ground.
"Michael!"
cried out Virgil in dismay.
"What's going
on?"
"Some kind of
raid. I don't know. About ten minutes after we opened tonight, dozens of cops
charged inside, guns drawn. They handcuffed everybody. I got downstairs and
called you at the number you gave me. Then they found me and dragged me out
with everyone else."
"No one told you
what they're looking for?"
Virgil shook his
head.
"We can take
these guys." whispered Boar. He shuffled restlessly.
"No, too risky."
said Michael. "If you wolf-out they'll freak, as will the crowd of
onlookers. God knows what will happen then. Besides, we need to know more about
what's going on."
"This isn't
normal police procedure." Michael noted to himself, although he had to
admit he wasn't much of an expert. Like most people, he watched TV and saw
plenty of cop shows, and that was about the extent of his knowledge. Still,
something didn't feel right here.
A minute or two
passed and the two cops who'd grabbed Michael returned. They pulled him to his
feet.
“Commander wants to
see you.” Said one gruffly.
---
The lich smiled. His
moment of triumph was at hand. “Oh, how the mighty are fallen.” He
thought to himself. “My hunter’s protector is brought low and soon I will
feast on another awakened soul.” He reached inside his jacket and fingered
the small globe within. “Soon, you will be a matched set.”
The lich watched as
the two officers brought Michael towards a large FBI van. As they approached,
he saw an officer come out of the club with a video tape in hand. He came over
to the truck and to the commander, who took the tape in hand.
"Here, sir.
Pornographic recordings. Looks like hundreds of them."
"Good bet you'll
find your evidence within them. Check the tapes for last night." came the
reply from the commander.
“You!” barked
Michael. The lich smiled. The southern drawl had been unmistakable and Michael
knew exactly who it was.
Damian Drake sat
comfortably in the side door of the van. Gone were his usual suit and tie and
he was dressed in police fatigues like everyone else. In one hand, he held the
video tape he'd just been given. In the other was a clip board with a list of
names on it.
"Hello,
Michael." he said coldly. He set down the video tape and dismissed the
cops with a wave.
"Michelle."
was all Michael said.
"Oh, yes. She
was looking for a way to shut this place down. She had you figured out pretty
well, given that you fuck Ms. Cobbler most every night. Figured you had a thing
for underage girls and sure enough, you fell right into her trap. The only
thing missing was a way to make this huge. Like national news huge. FBI, ATF,
Federal level."
"And that's
where you came in."
"I aim to
please." said Damian. "Imagine the headlines tomorrow. FBI Breaks
Up Teen Pornography Ring." He danced his hands as if drawing the words
on the air. "Proprietor, staff accused of statutory rape; filming it
for profit." He continued.
"Your evidence
is inadmissible." said Michael. It was a guess, and a weak one.
"Oh, most of it
is. Doesn't really matter. You think any parent in this city will let their kid
come anywhere near this place after this news breaks? You think your clientele
who buys these tapes will do business with you again, knowing the FBI has your
sales documents?"
The lich watched this
exchange and savored the look of frustration on Michael’s face. “Too bad,
little fledgling.”
“So your so-called
advice about not anticipating an enemy’s move? An effort to keep me from
guessing this strategy?” Weaker still than his last protest.
“You yourself said I
would not give up all my secrets and I did not. Don’t take this too personally,
Michael. I broke no pledge. No promise. No oath of loyalty. I have been a
neutral party…until now. Not all of us can resist that fine sweet pussy of
hers. I don’t begrudge you your perversions. Allow me mine.”
The lich leaned
forward, eager to hear what he hoped would be next. “The coup de grace. Give
the mage to me. ” He silently pleaded. Damian snapped his fingers and
the cops returned.
“Make an example of
Mr. Allens here and set him loose.”
“Sir?”
“I see two ears on
you, boy. You have trouble hearing me?”
“No, sir. But what
about the others?”
“Take them downtown.
Throw the book at them. Except for Mr. Mitchell and Mr. Boorman. Place those
two with Officers Davis and Scott.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Soon!”
thought the lich. Off in the distance, a crack of thunder gave a hint of
melodrama to his thoughts, and the rain began to fall.
----
The police separated
the group of employees. Boar and Mitch they pulled aside, Virgil and the others
they loaded into a van and drove away. Boar and Mitch were then deposited in
the back of a waiting police cruiser.
Drake walked up to
Officer Davis and handed him a revolver speed-loader. “Use these on Mr.
Boorman.”
“Yeah.” Davis tucked the bullets into his pocket. “And Mitchell?”
“Leave him on the
beach...alive. There is something special planned for him.”
“Right.” Davis waved to his partner and the two got into the cruiser.
They drove away from
the Fox Club and headed east. In the back seat, Mitch glanced over at Boar.
“Why separate us from
the others?” he whispered.
“They know.” Said
Boar. “They know what we are.”
“And they mean to
kill us.”
“Wouldn’t you?”
“I’m not planning to
die tonight.” Said Mitch.
“Me neither.”
The car pulled up to
the beach and stopped. The cops got out, came around to the back, and pulled
each of them out by their handcuffed arms.
The surf was rough
and choppy, a sign of the storm that threatened to begin above them. Davis looked up. “Ugly weather. Best get off this beach soon.”
“Then you take that
one over there and do what Drake said.” Said Officer Scott hurriedly. “I’ll
take care of this one.”
“A bullet’s a
bullet.” He said, tucking it back into his pocket. Boar smiled as Davis leveled his gun at his head.
“So long, asshole.” Davis fired, planting a round square in Boar’s forehead. Boar flopped over
backwards. Davis holstered his gun and began to walk away.
“Drake gave you those
bullets for a reason.” Said Boar. Davis spun around,
utterly astonished to see Boar come to his feet, the wound in his head closing
before him. “Silver bullets.”
Boar morphed into a
great wolf-beast. Davis barely had time to scream.
---
Scott shoved Mitch
roughly onto the sand. He heard the report of his partner’s gun and smiled.
“I’m guessing that’s
to be your fate eventually.” Said Scott. “Not sure what Drake is planning, but
you must have pissed him off something mighty.”
Then came the scream.
Scott drew his gun and spun around.
“Guess it’s just not
your lucky day.” Said Mitch. Scott turned back and leveled his gun at Mitch.
“Not lucky at all.” Mitch looked up at the storm clouds above. “You know what
the odds are to be struck by lightning? You know how unlucky you’d have to be?”
A great white bolt of
energy cascaded down from above. Unlike his partner, Scott had no opportunity
to say anything before he was incinerated.
“Pretty unlucky.”
Said Mitch. His handcuffs fell off. “Oh, how lucky is that…”
----
Michael endured the
punches and kicks of the police officers in annoyed silence. There was no pain.
No injury. Such attacks were a futile gesture against the body of a vampire.
Damian, of course, would have known that. This was all for show, a show Michael
was humiliatingly obligated to play along with.
They finished their
battery, satisfied that whatever lesson they were inflicting with their fists
had been well taught. The cops tossed Michael onto the pavement next to his
truck and left. Once they were out of sight, Michael came back to his feet,
brushed off his clothes and climbed into the cab of his pick-up.
He forced his anger
and humiliation down; the Beast was close and he could feel it. But he needed
to think clearly. Mitch, Boar, they could take care of themselves. Virgil and
the other employees were on their own, but were thankfully of little threat to
Michael’s true enemies and therefore in little danger. But it was the employees
who were absent that night that most concerned him. One in particular.
Michael put the truck
into gear and raced for Leigh’s house. He hoped he would be in time.
A frantic dozen
minutes or so later, and Michael felt a wave of relief. No cops. No sirens.
Just her townhouse looking as it always had. He got out and headed for the
door. This moment’s peace might make way at any time to the chaos he was envisioning.
Michael quickly
pounded on the door. “Leigh! Open up. It’s Michael.”
There was no answer
for a long moment. Michael pounded again. After a minute or two, the door
opened. It was Leigh, dressed in a short midriff-baring t-shirt and black thong
panties. The sight aroused Michael, but he knew he could ill-afford to slake
his lust now.
“Get dressed.” He
barked. “Get your son.”
“What...what’s going
on?” She was half-asleep.
“Cops raided the club
tonight.” Explained Michael frantically. “They’re looking for the employees.
Once they have our records, they’ll be coming here for you.”
Michael’s anxious
tone roused Leigh from her drowsiness. “Wha...what? They raided the club? They
know about…?”
Michael cut her off
with a curt nod. “Please hurry.”
He watched the door
as Leigh headed back to get dressed and get Matthew. Michael wondered if
Leigh’s roommate was about, but heard no sign of neither her nor the little
girl Ladonna about the house. He checked his watch repeatedly, nervous as the
minutes ticked by.
Leigh came back out,
still dressed in the t-shirt, but with a pair of snug shorts. He found her
attire no less arousing than before. The little boy Matthew was in hand,
rubbing his eyes.
“I put Matt down to
sleep and then must have nodded off myself. I’m not usually asleep this early.”
she explained.
“Tori?”
“Ladonna is with his
father this week. Tori decided to go out tonight…Monday or not.”
“Good.” His concern
was not terribly genuine, but Tori might complicate matters.
“I should leave her a
note.”
“No.” barked Michael.
“The cops will use that to track us.”
“I don’t know where
we’re going.” Retorted Leigh.
“Best that way. Come
on.”
He led them to his
truck. The little boy climbed into the middle and promptly fell back asleep,
oblivious to the danger. Leigh got in and then Michael. He gunned the engine
and raced off. He headed for the interstate and Norfolk .
Leigh rode in silent
apprehension and said nothing until Michael pulled up in front of Sarah’s
occult shop.
“This is her place,
isn’t it?” Leigh asked.
Leigh had seen Sarah
about with Michael on occasion, but Michael had never introduced the two of
them in any official capacity. “You’ll be safe here until the heat’s off. This
isn’t really about you; it’s about me. They’d use you to get to me and if they
can’t reach you…”
Leigh nodded and got
out. Matthew fussed a little at being woken again, so Leigh picked him up and
carried him inside.
Sarah’s sister Elizabeth
greeted them with some surprise at the door. They followed her inside to the
residence, where Sarah was indifferently doing a tarot reading on the floor.
She looked up and knew immediately things were not right.
“What happened?”
“Michelle’s made her
move. She had Damian raid the club, arrested the staff on-duty, and confiscated
everything as evidence. I brought Leigh here so the cops won’t find her.”
“Hampton police don’t exactly have jurisdiction here in Norfolk .” Said Elizabeth , stating the obvious.
“True, but Drake’s
brought in the Feds.” Said Michael.
Sarah nodded in
understanding. She gathered up her cards. “Elizabeth , can you ready a room for our guests?” As her sister departed, Sarah
stood up and walked over to Leigh. The two women looked each other over; one
vampire, the other mortal.
Michael was not sure
which aspect of Sarah disturbed Leigh more: her childish appearance or the
truth of her age that showed in her eyes. Either way, it was clear that Leigh
was growing increasingly uncomfortable. Sarah glanced at Michael.
“What does she
know?” Michael heard in his mind. That threw him for a loop. He knew Sarah
could read his thoughts. He did not know she could project her own into his
mind.
“Nothing of our
relationship. Only suspicion.” Michael thought back.
“And of our true
nature?”
“Nothing. She is
bound to me however.”
“Then if she is to
learn, it must come from you.”
Michael nodded and Elizabeth returned. “I’ve got a room ready.”
“That didn’t take
long.” Said Michael with some surprise.
“We have guests from
our coven with some frequency.”
“Coven?” queried
Leigh.
“My family practices
the Wicca faith.” Explained Sarah. “Our ‘church’ is called a coven.”
Leigh accepted that
explanation. Elizabeth gestured for them to follow. Leigh followed
silently. Michael gave Sarah a brief look, as if waiting for permission. She
nodded, sensing his intent.
“I know where you’ll
be come dawn.” She said.
Michael followed
after Leigh and Matthew.
“I’m not sure which
part bothers me more. That she’s a witch or that she’s a child. Is that why you
fled Blacksburg ? Beat the tar out of someone trying to protect a kid
from you?”
“Jealousy does not
become you.” Retorted Michael in irritation. He had to admit to himself though
that her indignation must have been mighty for her to buck the power of his
thrall bond so.
“I always knew there
were others, but this…”
“Enough.” Michael
barked. Leigh cowered before his anger. “Never forget! You are mine, not the
other way around. This defiance disgusts me.”
“I’m…I…” she
stammered.
“What I do with Sarah
is not your concern. You should be grateful. If not for her help, you’d be left
to the cops. Imagine what they’d do once they caught you. What would become of
your son?” Every word revealed a cruelty even Michael hadn’t known within
himself, but the effect was dramatic.
“I’m sorry.” Leigh
was on the verge of tears.
Satisfied his
authority had returned, Michael softened. He reached out and touched her cheek
with affection. “No more of this jealousy. You are mine and I want you. I
always want you, even if from time to time I also want others.” He gave her a
brief passionate kiss. “I want you now. I wanted you the moment you opened the
door for me half-dressed. If things hadn’t been so urgent, I would have taken
you right there. Now that the danger has passed…” He let the thought linger,
knowing he’d made his desires plain.
Without taking her
eyes from him, she unbuttoned her shorts and let them slide to the floor. She
made to remove her t-shirt, but Michael prevented her. “No. As you are now.” He
grasped her by the shoulders and, with gentle force, turned her and bent her
over the footboard of the bed.
Michael smiled
lustfully as he unzipped his pants and plunged into her.
---
Tucked away behind
Aegyptus was a large penthouse which served as one of Michelle’s havens. Damian
rapped on the front door eagerly. A butler opened the door and invited him in.
“The mistress is on
the back patio.”
Damian took that
instruction and headed to the back of the penthouse. Outside under the
moonlight, he found Michelle lounging poolside.
“The deed is done.”
He exclaimed proudly.
“And Michael?”
“Contemplating his
utter failure, I presume, quite possibly in the arms of little Sarah.”
Michelle frowned at
the sound of her name. “Not for much longer.”
“That will be for you
to decide. You asked he not be harmed tonight.”
“And he was not?”
“I am a kindred of my
word.” Said Damian, again with pride. “But the Fox Club is no more. His
employees are all guests of the Hampton police
department, many will be facing numerous criminal charges. I’m sure you can
arrange for incompetent public defenders to represent them, allowing certain
rights violations to be overlooked.”
“Did you get them
all?”
“No, a few were
off-duty tonight, but we have the payroll records. It will not take us long to
track them down. However, I do have to report that the lycanthrope and the mage
did escape.”
“I wanted them dead.”
“As did I, but they
proved most capable.” Damian neglected to mention their escape came about
largely due to the ineptitude of Michelle’s thrall police officers. “Michael
and his closest allies I think will prove more resourceful than you’ve
anticipated. He’s inexperienced, but he has a sharp mind.”
Damian was about to
speak again when the door behind him burst open. A harried young man in torn
clothing and covered in blood dashed onto the patio. “Miss La Croix…” he
uttered in pure terror.
A naked young woman
leapt upon him, knocking him forward into the water. They struggled briefly
before she sank her fangs into him and had her fill. The water turned dark with
the spilled blood of the dying man.
“Nikki,” said
Michelle, talking past Damian, “you and Felicia will have to learn to not be so
wasteful.” Damian saw another naked young woman walk out, licking her fingertips.
Her body too was covered in blood.
“Thank you so much
for your presents, mistress. I’m sure Ray was as yummy as Felicia.”
Damian looked back at
Michelle. “Our ‘rape victims,’ who gave us our excuse to raid the Fox Club,
have been now been duly rewarded for their part. I embraced Nikki and she, in
turn, drained Felicia and turned her. Ray was a bus boy at Aegyptus who I
invited up with an offer of a ‘good time.’ Wasn’t it?”
“It was.” Purred
Nikki.
“Footsoldiers.” Said
Damian.
“Of a sort. Nikki and
Felicia have long served me. They were due.”
“We’re going to need
them.”
“What’s that supposed
to mean?”
“A bit of news I
heard on the way over. A mass cult suicide in Norfolk at Shakespeare’s theatre.”
“What does that have
to do with anything?”
“Suicide is the
reason given to the press to preserve the Masquerade. Those cultists were
slaughtered in the service of the Disciples as they took out our newly elected
Regent.”
“Solomon is dead?”
said Michelle, sitting up.
“Dead or torpor.
Either way, the Regent is gone and with him the last barrier to war.”
---
Over the next several
hours, Michael ravaged Leigh. Time and again, he took her, venting all of his
frustration and rage over the night’s events upon her. He fed, liberally as
well and left her spent as dawn approached.
“You are not normally
so rough.” Said a voice, a man’s voice.
Michael made to get
dressed. “For one who has such disdain for this sort of thing, I’m surprised
you watched enough to notice.”
“It’s my job to
notice. It’s my job to know.” Said Max. He was sitting in the recliner against
the far wall. Michael had not heard nor seen him enter.
“Why are you here?”
“You know why. I told
you once this day would come.”
“You said the young
came to you.” Retorted Michael, remembering the conversation Max was
referencing: the exchange on the night Sarah brought Pastor Ian out of his
stupor. “I didn’t ask for you.”
“As if that matters
in the end. Oh, I’m sure you’re going to tell me all about how you don’t need
my help; your pride speaking instead of your brain like it always does.”
“What do you want?”
“That’s the question
I’m asking you. The game is now afoot.”
“Damian has betrayed
us.”
“Technically not,
although I can see how you’d believe it that way. No, he’s declared his
allegiance at last, and sadly it is not us.”
“Yes, I believe his
rationale was that he found Michelle irresistible. Still believe sexuality has
no proper place in our world?”
“Lust is dangerous.
Makes you vulnerable, blind, and stupid. It’s how you ended up here in
Tidewater, remember?”
“And yet, resisting
it is what got me in my current mess.”
“Of a sort. You got
in this mess out of some misplaced sense of fidelity to our host.”
“Well, for someone
who makes as many mistakes as I do, I appear to still be here.”
“For now…” replied
Max ominously. “You are at your most vulnerable. You have lost your strongest
asset. Michelle is savoring the hunt, but she will be coming for you soon
enough.”
“Yes, I’ve lost my best
asset here in Tidewater, but not my only one. I have Boar, and Mitch, and
myself. And I have whatever aid you’ve come here to offer, presuming that is
your intent. After all, doing so now might risk bringing the regent down on
you.”
“There’s no danger of
that.” Said Max grimly. “The Disciples sent him into torpor last night.”
“What?” Michael
jumped to his feet in astonishment. “How…why…?” he stammered.
“I don’t know.”
Replied Max. “I can guess though that they believe themselves in a strong enough
position to take the throne. I’d never guessed Hiroshi to be so forthright.
It’s not his nature.”
“Where is he? Where
is Solomon?”
“Solomon is safe in
my keeping. Ernie delivered him to me and now I guard him as he slumbers.”
“Do you know why the
Disciples have made this move?”
“No.” answered Max
honestly. “Hence my apprehension and why I’m here.” Max paused for effect. “The
Disciples believe themselves strong and perhaps they are. But we must convince
them that we are too strong to attack directly. We must give them a juicier
more tempting target.”
“The Servants.”
“Yes. Shoehorns
nicely into your desires. If she wants a war, then we will give her one. And I
know where to start.”
To Chapter Nine
To Chapter Nine
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