Kill Me @page { margin-bottom: 5.000000pt; margin-top: 5.000000pt; } Kill MeBlood Chord Novel #1Alex OwensQuirkyGurl.comThirty-something Claire is normal to the point of boring. She has a child, a husband who’s leaving her and a decent job as a PR rep for a boutique firm. While at a music industry convention for work, Claire’s life goes from status-quo to Oh, no! when she meets Bette, a sultry Italian woman with a haunted violin; an instrument that can only be played by the supernaturally gifted. Bette, a vampire with an eye on Claire’s untapped talents, tries to turn her into one of the undead. Only it doesn’t appear to have worked, at least not one-hundred percent. While figuring out what fate has planned for her, Claire must also create a marketing campaign off-the-cuff for a Girl-centric guitar company, survive her first strip club visit, and fake being a violin virtuoso in front of thousands. She turns to Bette and her Vampy-friends for help, but trusting them with her life may not be the smartest decision she’s ever made. Chapter 1I knew that I was dreaming; stuck in an alternate reality that was both creepy and confining, like one of those freaky rubber body-suits. I also knew that I couldn’t wake from the dream on my own. That loss of control spooked me every time. When I was finally able to wake, I’d be breathing hard, soaking wet and pissed that it had happened again. For the next little while, I was trapped in a stark white room with no windows or doors. A single bare bulb hung over a glass table and cast hard, angular shadows against the bright walls, even though there was no other furniture in the room to impede the light. Logically, it didn’t make sense, but my dreams rarely do. I thought myself alone, but that didn’t last long. Like sinister holograms, three figures flickered around the table, seated in newly-materialized chairs. A fourth chair appeared as they looked in my direction with blank faces. A woman and two men waited. And then I heard the loveliest voice inside my head. �śFinally, you’ve come,” she said. It was the woman speaking, but her lips had not moved, nor had her expression changed. They didn’t seem to see me. More like they felt my presence in the room with them. I tried to focus on their faces, to see if I recognized them, but the dream wavered whenever I concentrated on the details. Experience had taught me not to push it or I’d just find myself starting over inside of a whole new nightmare. I’d learned that lesson the hard way, my stubborn streak once trapping me in dream after dream after dream for more than twenty-four hours. My husband had been on the verge of calling an ambulance when I’d finally sat up and asked him what we were having for breakfast. That was back when he actually cared enough to worry about me. �śSit,” a male voice said. I considered the request. In my dreams I’d never tried to do something. Usually I was just an observer. With feet that felt too light, I joined the group at the table. Now for the moment of truth- if I tried to pull out the only empty chair, would I be able to? Or would my solid looking hand pass right through it?I stretched out my hand and the chair slid back from the table with a loud scrape before I ever made contact.Interesting. Had I moved it with my mind? There was no way to know. I touched the chair and it felt solid enough. I took a seat at the table (without falling) and focused on the others.�śWe’ve been waiting a long time for someone like you,” the female said.�śWhat?” I responded, unsure if I’d spoken the words or merely thought them, not that it mattered. The three mysterious figures nodded to each other, but did not speak. �śWhat do you mean someone like me?” I started to rise from my chair, fear settling in my gut when I realized that I could not stand. My limbs felt weighted down. One of the men spoke after several long seconds. �śYou are very special, though you do not know it yet.”I frowned. There was nothing special about me, that I was sure of. I was the most boringly-normal harried housewife this side of the Mississippi. And I had the empty bank account and apathetic husband to prove it. �śShe does not believe,” the other, deeper male voice said.�śWell then, she will have to be shown the way.”I was rendered mute by the conversation of the strangers. They were talking about me, but none of it made sense. �śAre you sure that she is the one?” asked one of the men.�śYes, how can you be sure?” the other one said. �śI am sure. Her powers shine through, despite the neglect. Imagine how powerful she will be once she is trained,” the woman argued on my behalf. Still, I had no idea what powers she was talking about. The only gifts I had were wooing customers and picking the wrong men. Oh, and I made a wicked grilled cheese�"just ask my daughter.�śIf you are sure, then.” One of the men nodded with approval. �śIt is in her blood, after all.”Finding my voice, I started to demand answers. �śSomebody needs to tell me...”As I spoke the words though, my voice began to fade. The light above the table dimmed and the figures in front of me flickered once again. And then there was darkness. Gradually the light returned. Bathed in a calming blue glow, I recognized it instantly. Soon everything would fade to a purplish-pink before bleaching out altogether. Then I would wake up.***Of course I’d overslept; the Claire Adams that everyone knew and (mostly) loved never managed to get anywhere on time. I couldn’t wake until my dreams were done with me. Weird, I know, but it had been that way since I could remember and I’d learned to live with it most of the time. But that didn’t mean I had to like it. Not one bit. I’d rushed through the morning necessities, arriving at the convention center thirty minutes late, sporting damp hair and an empty stomach. The cabbie dumped me out at the base of the conference center’s expansive steps. Great. There had to be a million of them and it was already near ninety degrees, despite being only ten in the morning. I slipped off my sling-back heels and hung my blazer over my messenger bag before heading inside. By the time I reached the large banner welcoming everyone to MUSI 2011, I was breaking a sweat and thankful that air-conditioned heaven was just a few steps away. I’d have to go the restroom and make myself look presentable first. There went another five minutes.Stepping into the stark glass and concrete building I was blasted by processed air. My silk camisole clung to my chest. I sucked in a cool breath and stiffened my spine as the static hum of the crowd turned to murmurs about my disheveled state. I reached around to my messenger strap, like it was too heavy to carry with one shoulder alone. Really though, I was trying to cover my chest and those embarrassing little points that I couldn’t control. I’m a logical person and I have enough common sense to know that not everyone was thinking about my nipples. Really. But sometimes I get a thought, a niggling little voice in my head and for a moment I believe whatever it says. Until the logical-me smacks the fanciful-me upside the head. I located the nearest set of bathrooms on the map kiosk and headed there, careful to avoid eye contact with anyone. I had to win over vendors later and I didn’t need my first impression to be that of a harried, sweaty woman with perky boobs. Thankfully, the bathroom was empty and I used the privacy to wet a few paper towels and cool myself off before heading into a stall. Once there, I slipped off my moist top and put the jacket back on so that I could take the damp shirt to a hand-dryer without giving anyone a peep show.Crossing in front of the long mirrored glass toward the dryers, I glanced at myself in the mirror. I had buttoned up the jacket, but it was not meant to be worn alone. The top edge of my red lace demi-bra could be seen and I had so much cleavage spilling out that I might as well be wearing a corset. I hurried across the room, hoping the bathroom would remain empty since I was looking all hooker-ish. While I dried my top under the blower I gave myself a mental pep-talk for the job that I needed to accomplish over the next few hours. My boss sent me to the convention to woo prospective clients. What we offered wasn’t unique to the industry, so our selling point had to be friendly, prompt customer service. When you went with us, you became part of the family. I was very good at my job. Sometimes those little voices in my head actually whispered something useful, even if vague. Add to that my ability to interpret body language and tone of voice, and I was very adept at reading people. Still though, it’s easier to sound more confident if I look the part. My style was conservative, but with an edge. My black suit had an above-the knee skirt and a form fitting jacket that was top-stitched around the hems with thick ivory thread and the red square button below the bust. Shiny black heels. No jewelry and styled hair. As the dryer worked its magic on my top, a woman entered the room and crossed to the marbled vanity alcove past the more utilitarian sinks. She was tall, lean and moving so gracefully I couldn’t help but stare. Her flowing hair looked almost black against her porcelain skin. She wore a vintage-inspired wrap dress�" the kind that hugged the body in all the right places, but flared at the hip giving the dress a little swing before stopping above the knee. The dress itself was ivory, with overlapping, large black rings. The woman also wore cherry-red stilettos. So she had a little bit of an edge too. She turned to face me and I gulped. Curiosity flashed briefly over her face, but then it was replaced by something that resembled amusement. She probably thought I was a hooker, standing there with my boobs falling out. Just doing my laundry. Don’t mind me.Finally, she nodded an acknowledgment of sorts and resumed touching up her lipstick. I watched as she pouted and expertly applied a deep ruby shade to her perfect lips. Then she leaned forward to check her makeup and hair. I realized I was staring and felt more awkward than ever, so I scurried back to a stall to redress myself. Why hadn’t I said anything? I should have at least muttered a polite hello, offered up a smile, or used my ability to blink. But I hadn’t been able to speak, move, or look away. I couldn’t put my finger on why, but I was drawn to her. Even as I redressed, my mind kept replaying the way she walked, the pout of her lips as she puckered in front of the mirror, the delicate curve of her neck as it disappeared under the mass of hair as she’d leaned forward. If I didn’t know better, I’d say that I was attracted to her. But that was silly. It was strange that my brain went there with the mystery woman, though. Maybe the attraction could be explained differently? Maybe it was like my little voices, a way for my mind to understand that the woman was important somehow and that I needed her for something. The hair on the back of my neck prickled, like someone had brushed a finger across it. This day was just getting better and better. When I finally exited the stall, she was gone and I felt a little deflated. I washed my hands quickly and used a little of the water to calm my heat-frizzed hair. It was dark and straight only because I use a flat-iron religiously. I could stall no longer. It was time to earn my company tons of new customers. Go get ’em girl, I told myself in the mirror before heading out. Chapter 2The main floor of the convention was a swarm of activity. From above, poised at the top of the stairs, I could see hundreds, if not thousands, of people, all ping-ponging between the neat little rows of vendor boxes that stretched across the main floor. From simple display racks to elaborately constructed booths, I was looking down at five-hundred-plus potential customers.My heart hammered as I considered the possibilities. Where to start? I could practically feel the collective pulse of the room as I scanned it again. It was controlled chaos and I loved every minute of it. While I strolled casually by each vendor, I noticed the ones where I got more than a cursory glance. In particular, I made a mental list of who to come back to and who to skip for the first day. The ones that looked my way for an extra beat, the ones that offered an easy smile or better yet, waved me over, would be the easiest nuts to crack. I would hit them first, close the deals quickly then move on to prime the top-choice vendors for a bigger push tomorrow. I’d made the whole circuit of vendors in less than forty-five minutes. My feet were killing me, but I’d have to apologize to them later. Back at the beginning of my loop, I quickly scanned and plotted my first few targets. I took in a deep cleansing breath, in through my mouth and out through my nose, willing myself to be confident and charming. Striding to the first vendor, I placed an easy, welcoming smile on my face and identified the best candidate of the bunch. I quickly eliminated the young guy with the messy brown hair. No way was he old enough to wield any power within the company. Also not an option was the woman talking to a group of leather clad-musicians. Too pretty, too female�" and I didn’t mean that in a sexiest way. It’s just that whenever I was near attractive women, my confidence waned. I see the ways in which they are better than me and I lose my edge. It was like comparing apples to apples, and I always came away as the one with the fat worm sticking out of my side. Finally, I located the guy I would chat-up for the good of my company. He was middle-aged, but not in a sports car, jail-bait sort of way. He exuded confidence and authority without appearing bored or jaded. �śHi, I’m Claire.” I said as I offered my hand to my chosen target. He took my hand into his, firm but not too clingy.�śClaire,” he smiled, �śI’m Stan. Can I show you around our booth?” �śSure, lead the way.” I said, with a simple smile. I listened while he talked shop, extruding the virtues of his company. He was the Senior VP in charge of Sales and when I heard that, I knew I had chosen wisely. At the end of his tour and talk, I smiled and waited a few moments to speak. I’d learned that a well-placed pause in conversation could do wonders to tilt things in my favor. �śWell, Stan.” I started, �śYou guys have a great little company here. Great product, friendly staff...” I made it a point to make eye contact at that moment for extra emphasis, then continued, �śSolid branding. And you’ve managed to do well enough without any real marketing to speak of.”Stan looked a little taken aback about that last bit, like he wasn’t sure if it was a compliment or a well-placed dig. I didn’t give him much time to contemplate which way I’d meant it. I drew a stark white business card from my pocket and held it out to him. The card held just my name in a trendy black font on the front and a web address on the back, which was coded to match customized proposals that were already online. As he took the card, I maintained eye-contact and smiled.�śIf you want to be a serious player in the industry, have a look at the proposal I’ve compiled�" the web address is on the back�" and give me a call.” I half-turned while walking away, as if I really hated to be leaving, flashed a smile and moved on to my next target.God, I was good at my job. Sometime, I felt too successful at it�"a tad shady. But I wasn’t out conning people. My company treated its clients well and had fabulous ethics. We didn’t scam anyone or inflate pricing. So it wasn’t the company making me feel grimy. It was me, ashamed of my used-car salesman talents. Determined not to depress myself thinking about it further, I focused on the job I needed to do. By mid-afternoon I had completed my rounds of the first-selected vendors, so I decided to relax for a few minutes. From Indie record labels hyping new talent to the makers of instruments and accessories for musicians, every aspect of the music industry was covered. I’d even passed by a few authors promoting their tell-all biographies of legends, flocked by a throng of underfed promotional models. I was admiring the works of a Luthier based out of Houston when I saw the woman from my earlier bathroom embarrassment. She was talking to two dark-and-dangerous types a few booths up from me. I forgot all about the exquisite hand crafted guitars in front of me as I watched her laugh delicately and place a hand on the taller man’s arm. It was just a quick touch, but I felt my pulse pick up as if she’d touch me instead. I rubbed my arm without thinking. What the hell was going on with me today? �śExcuse me, Miss. Can I help you with something?” a voice snapped me out of my thoughts.A kindly older man with calloused hands stood to my left and gestured to the rack of displayed guitars. �śCare to see one up close, I could get it down for you,” he offered with an affable smile.Torn between taking my eyes off the enchanting woman, and being angry with myself for losing focus yet again, I decided to channel my energy back into business. I hadn’t planned on pursuing another client for a little while longer, but I hadn’t planned on being waylaid by a strange woman in red high-heels either. �śSure, I’d love to see that mahogany one with the abalone inlay, if you don’t mind.” I said.For the next few minutes I focused all my attention on the little man with his finely crafted guitars. He was a master and I made a mental note to add special terms to his proposal. I saw it as doing a little charity work, so to speak�"a good deed to counteract all of the generic winning-over of clients. Pitch delivered, I handed the man my card, noted the code and special-terms on my phone’s list, and wandered away from the booth. One glance in the direction that I’d last seen the mysterious woman told me that she was gone. I was a little relieved and a lot disappointed, which just made me irritated with myself. I checked my phone and noticed that I had a voice-mail from home. My daughter, Quinn, had left me a slew of �śI miss you Mommy’s” and �śWhen are you coming home’s” and I’m sure in her 8-year old mind I must have dropped off the face of the earth. Once again, I felt bad for having a job. At the end of Quinn’s message, my husband of nine years, Pete, filled me in on what I’d missed in the twenty hours I’d been gone. Because apparently that was enough time for me to forget what a day in my own life was like. The washing machine was on the fritz (more likely an excuse to leave all the laundry for me to do later), the cat had hacked up a fur ball the size of an iguana, and Quinn was only eating salads. Oh and when was I coming home again? I sighed and deleted the message, imagining the dirty clothes multiplying like rabbits, because that’s what they do when I’m not around.I cut the connection to my voice-mail. I’d call them back while I changed for dinner at the hotel�"I just didn’t have it in me at the moment. Struggling to tuck my phone in my blazer pocket, I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going and ran into one of the foreign-looking guys that I’d seen earlier with the mystery woman.�śSo sorry!” I gasped, looking up into his chiseled face. It was blank, betraying no emotion, but in his deep-set green eyes I noticed the tiniest bit of surprise. And something else�Ś maybe curiosity? �śPardon.” He said in a buttery foreign accent, before nodding and walking swiftly away. Well, that was a little rude. Or maybe not. What should he have done, bought me dinner? I ran into him, so why was I being all judgmental? And why in the hell was I suddenly starving?As if on cue, my stomach growled loud enough that several people looked my way. I had a dinner meeting with the people from the fastest growing girl-centric instrument company SheRawks! �" but I wouldn’t last until then. New plan: finish the rest of my drop-ins as quickly as possible and get a snack before the monster in my belly tried to eat a client. For the next hour, I blazed through vendors from all different specialties. One minute I was chatting with high-adrenaline pedal affects makers and the next I was sipping a mild glass of Chianti with a Luthier that devoted so much time to his instruments that he only produced ten guitars per year and charged a fortune for his craftsmanship. Then it was off to compliment the makers of a hot new brand of rocker-inspired clothing, followed by conversing in stilted English with a concert promotions company based in Germany. Things were going smoothly so far and I considered my first day a blazing success. Little did I know the rest of my day wouldn’t go at all the way I’d planned it. Chapter 3Finally done for the day, I began the long walk from where I’d ended up on the north side of the convention floor to the south-side exit. My feet throbbed harder with each and every step I took, my legs trembled like Jell-O and my head was beginning to ache. Heels were out of the question for dinner later. That depressed me a little. I felt short in flats, frumpy even.As I neared the midpoint of the convention hall, I heard the most exquisite sound coming from a paneled booth just up ahead. Whoever the vendor was, they had constructed an elaborate stall and covered the outer walls with mahogany framed prints of various stringed instruments. I approached the booth and circled half-way around before I finally found the door, hidden behind a heavy satin-backed lace curtain. I didn’t see anyone standing outside, though I could make out several voices within. I felt weird about just walking in, like I’d be intruding. That was ridiculous of course, since hello! it was a booth at a convention. People were meant to go in and browse. I hesitated a few more seconds trying to make my feet move. Then, the lilting music began again, and my feet no longer put up a fight. Pushing back the curtain, I crossed over the threshold and had to keep myself from gasping. The booth was so much bigger on the inside. The floor was a marble mosaic tiled floor- the design reminding me of an old Italian fresco. I could have studied it for hours and still not have seen all the details.The walls were lit by candle, which was absurd since they were probably made of plywood and draped with yards of dark blue silk. The low light must be playing tricks on my eyes. And my ears�"no one was playing an instrument inside. In the center of the room hung a modern drop-chandelier with three large crystal orbs. It dangled to within five feet of the floor. Arranged around this was a burnished leather curved settee in the color of cabernet. It was divided into four parts and spaced just far enough apart to form a circle with small gaps for passing through. Several well-dressed people sat around the circle talking quietly, while another half-dozen mingled around the rest of the space. Looking at them made me feel severely under-dressed. Self-conscious, I scanned the room again. The warm, glowing lights were placed every ten feet on the walls. Mounted in between the sconces was mahogany shelves, holding what were sure to be some of the most expensive antique stringed instruments I’d ever seen. Blood-red violins sat above pale blonde ukuleles. Gleaming guitars sat next to cinnamon instruments that I couldn’t begin to name. All were exquisite and they made me wish that I’d gotten my butt in gear and learned how to play the violin like I always said I would. Frowning as I thought of the of many things I’d always wanted to do, but never quite got around to doing, I crossed to the far wall where one extra-old violin sat alone on a shelf. I could tell it was special, even without its singular placement and trio of spotlights. I leaned closer to read the brittle yellowed placard that hung on the wall to the left of the violin. It said, �śViolino Rosso Incantato di Anima, circa Vicenza, 1713” in careful flourished script. Italian, of course. Another thing I’d never gotten around to learning. Now all I needed was just one more reminder of my skilled procrastination and the day would be complete.�śShall I translate for you?” said a lyrical female voice from right beside me. It was the woman from the bathroom, standing so close that I could smell her lemony, spiced perfume. She flashed me an easy smile and said, �śLoosely translated, it reads The Enchanted Blood Red Violin, circa Venice 1713.”She spoke with a heavily accented voice that was musical and passionate. Reaching up to stroke the priceless violin like one would a cat, she continued, �śThis violin speaks only to those that are worthy. And it has called to you.”I had no idea what she was talking about and my face must have shown my confusion. The woman looked at me with scrutiny, hesitated for a moment, and then reached for the violin.�śYes, we must play it.” She purred.While she removed the violin from its perch and motioned to someone who quickly brought over a rosined bow, I struggled to form a coherent thought. An enchanted violin? What did that mean; did it have a spell on it, one that let it talk? No, that didn’t sound right. She said it called to some, the worthy ones. Worthy of what? Not that I believed in that sort of thing. Why was I suddenly acting retarded? I realized that I hadn’t even uttered a word, and we’d nearly had half a conversation. I pinched myself and found my voice. �śBut, I don’t know how to play.” That was all I could muster, but at least it was coherent and a complete sentence. My first grade English teacher would be so proud.�śNonsense,” she said, taking a seat on the leather settee and waiving for me to sit. Nonsense? Once again I was confused. My body, on the other hand, thought it made perfect sense. I sat next to the woman without hesitation. We each crossed our legs at the same time. Then, I felt her slide closer to me, so that our legs touched. Her red shoe hung just a few inches over my black one. My heart rate sped up, but I did not pull away. Her closeness was a comfort, pulling me into the warmth of her nearness. And then she started to play. I closed my eyes and felt myself being swept into the ancient ballad, riding the flights of melancholia and drifting through the swells of euphoria. Without opening my eyes, I could hear the rest of the room fall silently away as she played on. Each note was beyond perfect. My hearing grew more acute and I began to discern the smallest difference between the notes. The room smelled of lavender and the spicy citrus scent of bergamot�" two opposing scents wafting through the air in a melody of their own. After what seemed like an eternity, yet not nearly long enough, the music faded away and carried the perfumed air with it. I felt the loss viscerally, and placed my hand to my chest as if to comfort my broken heart. A single tear swept down my face.I was only semi-aware of my surroundings as the music retreated further away, until I couldn’t be sure that I’d actually heard it to begin with. She placed a hand on my exposed knee, the soft coolness of her skin causing goose bumps to blossom across my flesh. She leaned in closer, her raven hair sweeping over my shoulder. �śNow, you play,” she whispered.I looked up into her dark amaretto eyes and uttered, �śBut I can’t.”�śHow do you know, if you don’t try,” she said. Huh? That didn’t make any sense, but then again neither did my reaction. I held out my hand and she transferred the violin to me like one would a newborn baby. My hands shook as I pulled the violin and bow into position, mimicking as she had done only minutes before. I had no idea what I was doing, but somehow my actions felt natural and fluid as I lifted the violin into position and readied the bow. Then, I closed my eyes and I played. It felt like I’d been born to do it. I could feel my soul being woven into the notes, producing a melody that was lighter and more tentative than hers had been. I began to smell the heavy scent of vanilla and rose and my song became that of springtime and comfort. The bow felt weightless in my hand as it glided over the strings, vibrating and alive. The violin became an extension of my body and I wondered how I’d ever lived without it. I opened my eyes. The room was awash in a light fog of purples and yellows. I wondered if I was the only one who could see the pastel colors lilt and drift, like they were born from the music. If not true magic, it was certainly magical to me. I looked to the woman to see if she saw the lights as well, but her eyes were closed, her face lifted toward the ceiling. Her lips moved, singing a silent song, the words foreign to my ears. Too soon, the song was played out. I cradled the violin in my arms and sat silently while the muted conversations returned around the room. I had no explanation for any of it, but in that moment I really didn’t care to search for answers. I was busy basking in the feeling that lingered. The closest words I could use to describe how I felt are divine fulfillment or charged. I was sated, overflowing with bubbling euphoria. My skin tingled as the vibrato continued throughout my body. The woman sighed, �śYou see, I told you the violin always chooses well.” She patted me on the knee and stood up, holding her hands out for the violin. I didn’t want to give it up. I wanted to take it home with me. I wanted to wake up to it and fall asleep with it. I was in love with that damned violin, and to be cleaved from it meant leaving a part of my soul behind.Then the rational side of me finally secured a voice of its own. I could rob a bank and still not afford something so rare and beautiful. It probably cost more than I would earn in a lifetime. Saddened, I relinquished the violin and stood. �śThank you for letting my play it, Ms...” I started to say before I realized that we’d not had a proper introduction. �śWe are friends, no! You may call me Elisabetta or Bette, which ever you prefer.”My brain was finally functioning again. �śIt’s been a pleasure Bette,” I said hoping it didn’t come off as snooty as it has sounded. �śMy name is Claire. Claire Ciapanna.”No, it’s not. Why the hell had I said that? Bette grinned widely. �śPerfecto, a fellow countryman! Clara!” She opened her arms wide and folded me into her embrace. I tensed, not used to such public contact, let alone with strange Italian women. Still, a part of me, that tiny part that I was getting rather ticked at, not only allowed the hug but enjoyed it. She smelled heavenly and the coolness of her chest pressed against mine made my heart flutter and my skin tingle. It was like she was a drug and I couldn’t get enough. Mercifully, Bette broke the embrace and held me at arm’s length. �śWe have dinner tonight!”I wanted to say yes. I wanted to run for the hills. I wanted to cry because I couldn’t accept her invitation. I shook my head, �śI’m sorry. I have a meeting with some clients over dinner.”Bette looked mildly insulted, but brightened quickly, �śDrinks after then.”Relieved and terrified, I accepted and Bette walked me to the entrance of the booth. As I pushed back the curtain to exit, an audible zap leapt from my fingertips to the heavy fabric. �śOh!” I gasped. Then feeling like a bumbling idiot I shrugged my shoulders and qualified, �śHappens all the time, you’d think I’d be used to it by now.” Bette looked at me with a curious expression; part amusement, with a little smidgen of perplexed. That was odd. �śI will see you at nine!” She disappeared behind the curtain, leaving me standing in the wake of weary visitors heading for the exit. I realized too late that we’d never set a meeting place. I didn’t even know where she was staying. I felt like an idiot. Maybe it had been some Italian version of a brush off? It was probably for the best. The whole experience had left me raw and stirred-up, and I had no idea what I was doing or why I was doing it. Dejected, I joined the mass of people heading back to their hotels. I had to put my game face on for my dinner meeting and I didn’t have time to worry about the rest. I’d meet with the clients, eat a meal and maybe have a drink at the hotel bar before heading back to my room for some much needed sleep. The night was settled then. Or so I thought.Chapter 4The day had been long and I’d logged more footsteps than any woman in high heels should. Plus there was the whole foreign-lady attraction, the possessed violin (that I’d played!) and the vague feeling that I was falling down the rabbit hole. How long before I found a note that said �śEat Me” I wondered? I jumped in one of the dozens of cabs waiting for conference attendees and willed myself to relax, which was rather hard considering my driver was hell-bent on wrapping us around a parking meter. As bad as his driving was, the music was worse. My hotel was only a few minutes away and I promised myself a hot soak in the tub so long as I didn’t snap and shove the radio dial up the cabbie’s nose. I was pulled out of my mental bribery by the feeling of my cell phone vibrating. It was either my husband or Quinn. I didn’t answer, deciding to wait until I’d reached the quiet confines of my hotel room. My driver didn’t have enough sense to turn down the �śKill the bitches, beat �Śem ho’s” song, so I was fairly confident he’d not have the decency to lower the volume while I took a call. When I was almost to the point of smacking some ho’s myself, my hotel came into view. �śKeep the change,” I said, handing him a ten-dollar bill. As soon as the car door shut, he sped off squealing tires. After a quick trip up to my seventh-floor room in the tiny elevator, I entered, kicked off my shoes, dropped my purse on the bed, and shucked my clothes. I started a bath, dumping in more than enough bubbles to float the Titanic, and then went in search of my cell phone. I found it on the floor beside my purse. Pete answered, �śI called you a little while ago, why didn’t you answer?”Great, he was in a bad mood too. That didn’t bode well for the coming conversation. I mentally ran through my possible responses, from �śI’m sorry, I was busy getting a musical lesson on the perils of prostitution” to �śGee, I don’t know. Maybe because I was busy earning my paycheck?” before going with the standard response to a stupid question. �śI was busy.” �śWhatever,” he said, knowing how much I hated that word. He might have well said F-you. �śHere’s Quinn.”I mentally added to the list of things I don’t like about Pete (he can be so petulant sometimes) while I waited for Quinn to get on the line. My heart warmed at the sound of her voice. I could picture her there right in front of me�"her blonde pig-tails flapping, her smile wide and eager as she bounced in place, barely able to contain her excitement. �śMom, guess what!” Quinn said. �śWhat honey?” I went to turn off the tub before the water reached overflow-level. �śI made the honor roll and Mrs. Miracle said I was getting an award next Tuesday for improving the most-est!”�śWow, Quinn! I’m so proud of you!” And I really was. She’d had a hard time adjusting from private school to public school this year. I’d hated every second of it, but I’d had little choice once Pete’s temporary unemployment had stretched into a year and a half of loafing around. Quinn giggled. �śDaddy says we’re going out for pizza to celebrate... only you can’t come because you’re working.” I’d heard the lilt in Quinn’s voice evaporate at that last part and I knew that Pete had taken another small dig at me yet again. �śThat’s okay sweetie. I really wish I could be there, but as soon as I’m done earning us some money I’ll take you for the biggest ice cream sundae that Sherbert’s has on the menu. How does that sound?”I did feel bad about stooping to Pete’s level, but what else was I supposed to do? Let Quinn believe, as her father does, that I chose to spend so much time working away from them?�śCan we go tomorrow after school?” she begged.�śNo, I won’t be home for a few more days, but I promise we’ll go as soon as I get home. Okay?” Sometimes, this working-mother thing stinks. I’d gladly trade a few equal rights to get back to the times when moms were expected to stay at home with the kids and dads were obligated to bring home the damn bacon. I could hear Pete talking to Quinn in the background. Even the muted tones of his voice were irritating to me. �śOkay, I’ve got to get in the tub now. Here’s Dad.” I heard the phone being set down, maybe on the counter, and I counted the seconds before Pete got back on the line. Thirty-four seconds�" that’s how long I paced around in my birthday suit, eyeing my rapidly cooling bath, before Pete picked back up. He was always doing petty passive-aggressive shit like that.�śGot a second notice on the power bill today,” he finally said. �śOkay, I’ll get online and pay it in a few minutes.” I covered myself with a bath towel, noticing for the first time that my room had become downright frigid. Like walk-in freezer cold. I half-expected for my breath to start forming vapor clouds. I inspected the thermostat and saw that it was reading seventy-two degrees in the room. Weird. It felt much colder than that. Then again, I was naked, tired and probably coming down with something.After a lengthy pause, Pete spoke. �śSo, you’re coming home late tomorrow night, right?”�śNo, I’ve got meetings all tomorrow and Friday, you know that. And the conference ends with a banquet Friday night, so I’ll be flying home Saturday morning.” No way was I going to call it what the schedule did, an end-of-conference blow out. That sounded too much like a party and Pete would flip his lid.I could hear him huffing and I was in no mood to argue over something I’d told him a million times. �śLook, I’ve got a dinner meeting in forty-five minutes and I haven’t even showered yet. I can’t keep the clients waiting.” �śWhy do you need to shower�Ś you have a hot date?” he spat, then added a fake laugh to make it seem like he was kidding. I knew he wasn’t joking in the least. I eye rolled to myself in the mirror.�śAs a matter of fact I do. I’m having dinner with an all-female owned Guitar Company,” I added extra emphasis to the all-female part, hoping he’d picture me wooing a group of man-hating lesbians, and then continued. �śAfter that I’m having drinks with a smoking-hot Italian woman, who I’m pretty sure was hitting on me earlier today.”Okay, so I embellished a little bit. In my defense Pete deserved every bit of it. I hoped he tossed and turned all night wondering what I was doing out on the hot town, with even hotter women. �śWhatever. Just don’t forget I have plans Saturday afternoon, so come straight home from the airport.”God, he was such a guy. He wasn’t the least bit threatened by the idea of me out with attractive women, because he didn’t see a woman as direct competition. In his mind no penis equaled no threat.�śFine, see you Saturday,” I said before ending the call and tossing my phone on the bed.I got into the tub and allowed myself five minutes of trying to relax, but that was easier said than done. I kept thinking about my crumbling marriage and how Pete had changed so much since getting laid off. Gone was the carefree, hardworking devoted father and in its place I’d gotten stuck with an ogre. When he wasn’t sulking around, Pete seemed to get pleasure from cutting me down every chance he got. Instead of being the savior of our family, I’d become the bad guy for doing something as inconsiderate as having a job while he didn’t. How horrible of me! Obviously, I needed to be ridiculed. Perhaps by being forced to wear a scarlet �śE” stapled to my chest for �śemployed.” That would teach me.I grumbled to myself and blew a handful of bubbles into the air. Men were stupid. Like, not-even-worth-the-effort stupid. I pulled myself out of the tub and toweled off, perhaps a little too vigorously. Pete just made me so damn mad. It’s not like he was even looking for work at this point. I got myself ready in record time and headed out to my business dinner, all while thinking about Pete. I was meeting the women for dinner just up the block from my hotel, so I chose to save some cab fare and walk. The night was cooling off some, but the balmy air still coated my skin. I arrived at the restaurant five minutes late, which for someone with my track record wasn’t technically late at all. As I entered the restaurant, the smell of flame-grilled red meat captured my attention. I savored the anticipation of dinner as I realized just how long it had been since I’d had a decent meal out that didn’t involve occupying a child. I gave the host my party’s name and she directed me to a table flanking the bar area where the women from SheRawks! waiting on me. I walked to the table while cursing my ballet flats for making me walk like a dude. �śSorry I’m late, my GPS tried to take me to Cleveland,” I said, careful to exude confidence and charm. �śWe just got here ourselves,” said Joni, the CEO and founder of the company. �śMake yourself comfortable while I introduce you to my fabulous partners.”I shrugged off my light blazer and hung it on the back of my chair, then seated myself at one end of the rectangular table, with Joni at the opposite end and two women on each side. The woman on my immediate left was introduced as Cassidy, the director of product development. She had an easy smile, sparkling green eyes and a mass of curly red hair. �śCall me Cass. Everyone does,” she said before tilting a bottle of pale, designer beer to her lips.The woman between Cassidy and Joni, a heavy set woman with cropped blonde hair and an apparent love of tank tops, introduced herself while standing and offering out her hand. �śI’m Vera, head of production,” she said, sliding a smile my way. Something twinkled in her eyes. It kind of felt like flirting.I offered Vera my best ambiguous smile in return. Across the table sat the Director of Sales, a confident thirty-something woman with a blonde bob and tailored clothing. Joni introduced her as Maggie, who nodded and smiled just as much as was polite, but no more. The woman to my right, who was so quiet I’d barely registered that she was there, was introduced as Ophelia, the Director of Marketing. �śSo, Claire did you have a successful first day?” Joni asked.�śIt was a long one, that’s for sure.” I nursed my glass of Merlot. �śMy heels were an inch shorter by the end of the day.”That elicited a round of laughs and I saw Maggie ease out of her all-business mode just a little. �śIt was great though. I got to meet so many interesting people on my rounds,” I said.We spent the next several minutes comparing our aching feet, the most interesting booths, and celebrity sightings. As a whole, the dinner was going well and we’d reached a point where we all began to relax and chat like old friends. I listened as Cassidy told of standing in the lunch line behind Alicia Keys. Vera chimed in with her short conversation with Sheryl Crow while waiting in line for the restroom. The way her eyes sparkled told me I might be right with my impression of Vera; maybe she did play for the other team? Perhaps it was the wine I’d started drinking, but my mind took a little vacation to ponder the mechanics of lesbian sex. I knew how things worked between a woman and a man, but without the obvious body part, what exactly did two women do? I felt myself blush a little as I realized where my mind was heading and I snapped back to the conversation at hand. Vera was still waxing poetic about Sheryl Crow, and I could see how someone might find her charismatic and fun to be with.Vera took that moment to wink at me, like she’d read my mind. But that someone’s not me, I thought, just in case she really could read minds. Our food had been delivered and we spent the next little bit stuffing our faces and talking very little. Once properly sated, I pushed back my plate so the waiter would take it away with his next pass. Maggie, the stoic sales director, pushed her plate away and looked pointedly at me. �śSo, Claire, do you play any instruments?”I sipped my little glass of wine to by me a second before speaking. This company was all about women playing musical instruments; in fact their slogan was something along the lines of �śEmpowering female musicians since 1983.” I didn’t play a thing, and the violin incident earlier didn’t count. But I didn’t want to think about that right now. �śNo, I don’t but I’ve been eyeing that pearloid, mint-green guitar, edged in chrome. It’s the motivation I need to learn how to play.”�śYou should come by the booth tomorrow,” Vera chimed in, �śWe have that guitar on display. I could take it down and give you your first lesson.”�śThat’d be great!” I didn’t really mean it. Somehow, I was sure that a guitar lesson wasn’t the only thing Vera wanted to teach me. �śYou can consider me another SheRawks! convert.”�śIf you like the Mint Retro, you have to check out my newest line,” Cassidy started. �śIt’s like the Retro, but more sleek and sultry. We’re calling it the Siren, after the silver screen ladies.”�śIt retails for a little more than the Retro, but quality always comes with a price tag,” Maggie said. �śWell, from a sales standpoint it’s always a good idea to have a wider range of price-points to offer consumers.” I said. Maggie was clearly pleased that she’d found a kindred spirit, but Joni was looking decidedly less friendly. I needed to win her back a little. �śAlthough, I suppose you would need to be very careful not to alienate your existing client base that have become used to your quality instruments at a very fair price.”Now it was Joni’s turn to look smugly at Maggie, her smile beginning to wilt. Now, time to bring the two together. �śNow, if I was working with Ophelia here,” I motioned to her but kept my eyes directed towards the real power at the other end of the table. �śI would come up with a campaign to cover all your bases. You are a progressive company, so show it in your zeal for constantly raising the bar on your own products.”I had everyone’s full attention, so I kept going, letting my sales pitch integrate into the topic at hand. Before I was done, I would land the account, I was sure. �śI’d expand your marketing efforts.” I said, hoping not to offend the oh-so young Ophelia. �śUp until now, most of your advertising falls into one of two categories: the young girl looking for her first guitar or the Indy musician hoping to take her performances up a notch with the dazzle of your guitars.”I waited until one of the others was about to speak before I continued. �śPicture an ad in Vanity Fair or Town and Country�"a refined setting, with a model in her early thirties draped on a settee like a figure in a classical painting. She is stunning, elegant as she holds your newest guitar tenderly, fingers poised to play. Soft light pours in from a window, effectively spotlighting her and the gleaming guitar. She’s smiling, just a little, a’ la Mona Lisa.”I sipped my wine, letting that thought marinate for a moment. I could damn near picture the advertisement myself, causing my flesh to rise with baby-fine goose bumps. Not from my advertising genius, but because I was picturing the model as the captivating Bette from my whole violin experience earlier. And she was naked.�śI love it!” Joni said with a satisfied smile. Where the hell had that thought come from? I needed to know so I could send it back�"pronto. Focus, I told myself. It was a time for business only, not to deconstruct my fracturing life or question my sexuality.�śIt could work.” Ophelia added, with enthusiasm. I was confident that I’d landed the account with my pitch and smiled at the prospect of flooring my boss with the news. The SheRawks! Company was one of the top five accounts that he’d coveted for years. �śClaire, how about we grab a drink at the bar before you slip off to another meeting?”My stomach dropped. I felt like I was being called to the Principal’s office. Maybe dinner hadn’t gone as well as I thought.I accepted the invitation and followed Joni to the bar. The others paid us no mind, so maybe it wasn’t all that bad and I was working myself up for nothing. Joni seated herself and ordered a Jack and Coke. I did the whole I’ll-have-what-she’s-having bit as I climbed onto my stool. �śThat was impressive, Claire.” Joni started, �śI can tell you’ve done your research and I like that.”I sensed a �śbut” coming, so I spoke up quickly to cut it off. �śActually Joni, I did do my research�Ś but I had no idea about your new line. I dropped my original ideas the minute the new campaign formed in my head.” I was trying the honesty approach and I prayed that it didn’t backfire on me. �śIn that case,” Joni started, �śI’m even more impressed. Consider yourself part of our team now, and we’ll save the other ideas you scrapped for another time.” �śSounds like a plan. Salud!” I said, raising my glass to her already uplifted one. My euphoria lasted only a few minutes before I noticed a new text message from Pete on my phone. As I read the cryptic words �śWe need to talk” my bubble burst straight away.Those words fell into a group of phrases that no woman ever wants to hear. �śWe need to talk” is akin to �śIt’s not you, it’s me,” and �śI need to tell you something.” No good conversation ever started with any of those words. Joni joined us at the bar, so I took another long swig of my drink and readied myself to wrap things up so that I could call Pete�"which didn’t happen as soon as it needed to. For the next forty-five minutes, I sat on my left hand to prevent myself from fidgeting. My right hand helped me down another drink. After they finally left, I read back through four text messages. The first message was the �śNeed to talk” one, followed by �śDid you get my message?” and then �śDon’t ignore me, I’m serious.” The last message had come in five minutes ago and made my stomach drop.It said, �śI’m done.”Chapter 5What the hell was that supposed to mean? It was just like Pete to assume I was ignoring him, just because I hadn’t jumped at his first text message. Compassion for my husband wisped awake like smoke. Before he became unemployed, we were a typical family that enjoyed spending time together. We liked each other and things had been easy. Then Pete had been laid off. At first, I’d felt bad for him. It really was unfair and I knew that he must be depressed. But I figured he’d come out of it eventually. Then, despite the fact that he was home all day every day, Pete quit helping out around the house. Even the things he did before, like taking out the trash, he stopped doing. He no longer searched for work. He looked down on me for being busy with my own job, yet he constantly held out his hand for slices of my paycheck. It made no sense to my logical brain. How does someone have more free time, but contribute less to the household and then hate me for taking up the slack?Taking the supportive route hadn’t done any good, so I tried the tough-love track. Only that just made things worse to the point that I was just waiting for the moment that my marriage crashed and burned. It seemed that moment was now. But quitting via text? I didn’t see that one coming at all. I didn’t think he’d be so callous as to do it over the phone while I was miles away from home. Add that to the list of things I hate about my husband�" he’s a coward. Since I’d worked myself up from being wounded to being outraged by his behavior, I figured it was a good time to call him back. Hell hath no fury and all that. Of course Pete didn’t answer his phone. That would have taken stones that my husband no longer had. I walked back to my hotel through the sticky night air. Normally the blanket of stars overhead, broken only by the occasional palm tree, would set my mood to whimsical. But not then, not after that message.I left Pete a voicemail telling him that I was booked up with meetings for most of the evening and I’d call him in the morning. Really, though, my anger had already waned and I didn’t feel like talking to him anymore. Back at the hotel, in the dark and crowded bar, I sat in a corner booth. I switched to beer because it would take me longer to drink it, every bitter sip becoming a test of wills.While drowning my sorrows, I flipped through photos I had stored on my phone. Just stewing over my crappy marriage wasn’t enough punishment; I had to suffer through it in Technicolor. I started at the beginning of us. Images of the young, naive couple that hadn’t had a clue what real life was all about. I realized how far we’d deviated from those initial feelings and it saddened me. It was like looking at pictures of someone deceased, knowing that you can never get them back. Those days, those people, were long gone. Seriously depressing, and cause for another gulp of my beer. Next were the pictures from our first year together. Hopefully newlyweds, expectant parents with slightly terrified looks on our faces. It had been a time of adjustment and change, but we’d weathered it together as a new family. That was the difference between then and now. We weren’t on the same team anymore. Hell, we weren’t even playing the same sport.Pictures of Quinn as a wrinkly newborn, then as a chubby toddler. One picture in particular stabbed at my heart. Quinn was about four years-old and she was clinging to Pete’s neck as he held her above the water’s edge. The picture had been taken on the last vacation we’d had, before everything had gone downhill. Pete and Quinn were in crystal-blue water with a dozen manta ray’s circling around them, fins flapping. The look on both of their faces was pure joy. Tripping down memory lane made one thing painfully obvious: my marriage was officially over. It didn’t even matter if Pete tried to redact his spineless texts. The pictures from a better time reminded me just how bad things were. Irreparable damage was done. There was no fixing me and Pete, not anymore. The best that either of us could hope for was to hobble away with duct-tape holding on the broken parts so that one day that we would both pass for whole, undamaged individuals. I hadn’t considered the logistics of a separation yet, but one thing was for sure, I had to minimize the damage done to Quinn. I still held the tiniest thread of hope that I could avoid a messy divorce, for my daughter’s sake. I sighed and tossed the phone on the worn table. I’d been wrong to blame all of our troubles on Pete losing his job though, I could see that now. We’d gotten complacent, lazy even, and started leading our own lives long before then. It had made us weak as a unit and at the first bout of trouble the cracks had widened into a canyon.I finished off my beer in two swallows and signaled the waitress for another round, one more to still the thoughts bouncing around in my head. Then I’d head up to my room and sleep it off. I had another full day of work ahead and even though I’d landed the account earlier, I still had other companies to court. The waitress brought my beer over quickly. I made a mental note to tip her well because despite being slammed, she was attentive and friendly. I’d been a waitress as a teen and I knew just how hard that could be sometimes. �śWhen you get a chance, would you mind bringing my bill?” I asked. She smiled and shook her head. �śNot necessary, you’ve been taken care of.” The waitress motioned to the corner of the bar before flitting off to the next table. Great, someone had paid my tab. That usually meant that I’d look up to find a middle-aged, balding man winking at me from across the room. As-if. I didn’t care if I was almost single. I’d had enough of all that. I’d rather end up eighty and living with a house full of cats.When I did look up to nod graciously, but without encouragement to my benefactor, I was completely taken by surprise. Bette was seated sideways on a bar stool, her long legs crossed with her toes pointed in my direction. Two men were chatting her up, but Bette looked bored. She brightened as she saw me staring and smiled. I heard her make excuses to the men as she stood and left them drooling. I could be exaggerating, but I’m pretty sure every person in the bar had eyes on Bette as she strode towards my booth. Not that I could blame any one of them. Bette wore a simple sleeveless black dress with matching heels, her hair flowing loose and long. The dress stopped well above the knee and had a dangerously plunging neckline, both of which called attention to her supermodel body. Suddenly I felt rather frumpy in my pencil skirt, cami and cotton blazer. Of course, I could have been wearing Versace and still pale in comparison to Bette. As she drew nearer to my booth, I felt equal parts of fear, excitement, and of course alcohol-induced fuzzy-brain. I expected to regret drinking in the morning, but damned if I wasn’t sorry a whole lot sooner. �śHello, Clara,” Bette said as she took a seat beside me, instead of on the opposite side of the booth. Clearly, personal space was thought of differently in Italy. �śUm, hi,” I stammered. So much for not sounding like an idiot again, I thought. Bette signaled to the waitress and faster than seemed humanly possible she returned to our table with a deep red drink that resembled a cosmopolitan. I’m not sure what was in it, but it smelled tangy. I wrinkled my nose. �śYou look good enough to eat, Clara,” Bette said as she brought the drink to her lips and then pulled it away, licking away traces of liquid. �śUm, thanks?” I said, managing to add one new word to my side of the conversation. This was going oh, so well. �śRelax, Clara.” She stroked my cheek with her cool hand. Instantly my body felt lighter and less stressed. I wish I could take her back home with me. I needed a little bit of her calming juju for my talk with Pete in a few days. �śYou had a good dinner, yes?” she asked.�śIt went well,” I said. �śIn fact, I landed a pretty big account.”I wondered if Bette had that effect one everyone she met. Then I remembered the men at the bar, and decided that I wasn’t unique in being spellbound by her. She was the most potent, affecting woman I’d ever met. Bette sipped her drink some more, repeating the lip-licking thing. �śThat is fabulous news. We should be celebrating!” She signaled to the waitress for another round. I still had half a beer left, so I concentrated on finishing it before another arrived. As much as I hated beer, warm beer was even worse. Really what I should have done is cut myself off. Lots of alcohol was not my friend. �śSo tell me, Clara. Why do you look so sad, when you should be happy, happy?” Bette asked, leaning closer to me. I felt a small tingle behind my eyes and it stunned me for a second. It was like taking a q-tip to the ear�"a little itchy but oddly pleasant. Then the feeling was gone and I felt instantly better. �śI am happy,” I replied, �śI’m especially happy that you found me here, out of all the bars in Orlando.”Where had Miss Perky come from? And why hadn’t she shown up earlier when I needed her? And how did Bette manage to find me? I’d not given her anything more than my name when we’d met earlier in the day? Curiouser and curiouser.Bette frowned, �śWe had plans, no?”�śSure. Yes, we did.” I seemed to have lost IQ points again. Damn. �śBut we never set a time or place.”She broke into a smile and placed her hand over mine on the table. A small, violet spark leapt from my finger to hers.Bette looked at me quizzically, and then continued. �śOf course we did, Clara. How else would I have found you?”My fingers twitched under Bette’s and she grasped my hand more firmly. Even drunk, I could have sworn no such plans were made. I started to protest, but the words that came out of my mouth were not the ones I wanted to say. �śYes, of course. I must have forgotten.” I said. I was a little conflicted, more than a little drunk, and a lot confused, so I excused myself to the restroom to buy a few minutes to think. I needed to come up with a reason to call it a night. Standing at the bathroom sink I splashed water on my face and looked around for the paper towels. Movement in the mirror caught my eye and I gasped. Bette was standing in the corner by the wall, arms crossed with a scowl upon her face. Water ran into my eyes, blinding me. �śJesus, Bette! You scared the crap out of me!” Bette made no reply, so I toweled the water from my face and turned towards her. Only she wasn’t there anymore.Becoming a tad unhinged, I checked the bathroom stalls and they were all empty. I had been standing in the way of the door and I was fairly confident that she didn’t pass by me. And what was up with her grouchy face? At least I had my excuse for turning in�" clearly I was losing it.I hurried back to my booth only to find Bette sitting there, sipping her drink and licking her lips, same as she was doing when I left.�śHow did you do that?” I asked, slumping into the booth.�śWhat do you mean?” Bette said, turning toward me and putting her near arm on the back of the booth. �śHow did you get in the bathroom and out again so quickly? I blinked and you were gone.”Bette cocked her head to the side and studied me for a moment. I could practically hear her thinking. Her slight hesitation made me think that just maybe I wasn’t seeing things after all. �śI do not know what you are talking about.” She was pouting. And damn if she wasn’t knock-out gorgeous doing that too. �śPerhaps you are over-tired?”I wasn’t going to give in that easily. I shook my head. �śNo. I splashed my face with some water, looked up and you were standing there frowning. I wiped my eyes and when I looked again you were gone.”I tilted up my beer and let the amber liquid slide down my throat in several gulps, because what I needed was more alcohol, it seemed. Better judgment, why hast thou forsaken me?�śI think you have had enough to drink. Come, Clara,” she said, standing and offering a hand to me. �śLet us go to bed.”I took the offered hand without hesitation, noting how cool and smooth it felt against mine. My own had seemed to grow warmer in comparison. I was pretty sure that Bette had misspoken. She meant to say that I needed to get my ass in bed before I stared to see little green men or Willie Wonka. Not that she was taking me to bed, with her. At least I hoped that’s what she meant.My skin prickled and the room swayed a bit as I stood. I was drunk, no doubt about it. And I was having doubts about Bette’s intentions. It had been a very long time since a man made a pass at me and I’d never had a woman do it, so I couldn’t be sure. Still, the last thing I remember thinking was that Bette wanted something from me. If it wasn’t sex, then whatever she wanted could be a whole lot worse. It turns out that I was right on the money, only I was a little slow figuring it all out.Chapter 6I was dreaming again, random snippets of things that made no sense. A blood-red turtle, fireworks, and a fog so thick that it had fingers. My mind blinked and I was standing on a stage, facing hundreds of people�"all of them laughing and pointing. I was completely naked, except for some sort of instrument in my hand. Blink. I was gardening, holding up an obscene mutant clump of tomatoes. Grown together, they resembled a large-breasted torso, complete with a cleft where the legs would have joined. Then that scene left as well. I woke up without my normal slow, begrudging ascent into wakefulness. One moment I was floating in a serene purple light, entranced by the cadence of a million twinkling lights, and the next my eyes flew open and fixed on the ceiling. It was an odd feeling, like I’d fallen back into my body but didn’t yet have full control of it. That had never happened before. Usually, waking up was a bit like being lifted up slowly out of quicksand. Instead I lay flat on my back, with my arms and legs pinned to my sides and the covers neatly draped over me, which was not quite right. I’m a stomach sleeper and I remake the bed every morning after a night of tossing and turning. I’d expected a massive hangover after all that I’d had to drink the night before, but I didn’t feel woozy and my head felt fine. Maybe I wasn’t such a light-weight after all? I pushed myself up into a sitting position and squinted as a random beam of sunlight crossed my face. Ow, the light hurt my eyes. I slid over in the bed, putting myself into the shadows again. It was only then, when the covers slipped during my move, that I realized one more thing�"I was completely naked. As in, clothing-optional, going-commando, nakkid.What had I done last night, stripped off all of my clothes and passed out? But no, there were my clothes, folded neatly on the end of the credenza. Drunk or sober, I would have never done that. So who had?Oh, god. What had happened after we’d left the bar? I mentally scanned my body, searching for any signs of soreness that might suggest I’d not spent the night alone. But that was stupid. Bette wasn’t a guy, with the requisite guy parts. If anything had happened, would I be able to tell at all? I scanned the room for any clue that might help jog my memory. The room was tidy, which helped not one little bit. I flopped down on my side and pulled the covers up to my chin. Sure, I’d been drunk before, but I’d never had a black out moment. So why couldn’t I remember a single moment from last night?Out of habit, I climbed out of bed to go to the bathroom; only halfway there I realized a few things. One, I didn’t have to pee, which was a first for me and my pea-sized bladder. Two, the bathroom door was closed. Crap. It was a quirk I’d had since childhood; closing doors gave the boogeyman a place to hide, so every night I left all the doors in my bedroom wide open, even the closets. My legs felt rooted to the floor, so I stood there, naked and unsure what to do. Behind me was the safety and cover of the bed. In front of me was a closed bathroom door that may or may not have somebody on the other side of it. I backed into the bed and covered myself again. Naked-me turned out to be a big, fat sissy. Ridiculous, it was. Cowering in the bed, waiting to see who, if anyone, came strolling out. It was almost as crazy as me waking up nude and without a hangover or any memory of the night before. My curiosity got the better of me, so I just sat there, waiting. Minutes passed�"each tick of the antique bedside clock making me feel more and more like a dork. I heard housekeeping pass by my room and I could also hear a lot of other things through the silence. A bird chirped outside my window. A child giggled in the hallway. A vacuum hummed in the room next door. And the shower was running in my bathroom. Every muscle in my body tensed as the door finally opened and I forgot to breathe. Seriously. She stepped into view, wearing the plush robe like a shawl instead of belting it for modesty. I drew in a deep breath at the view, my body reacting in ways that would have irritated me if I hadn’t been so stunned. Or turned on.Bette had towel dried her hair and was shaking it as she walked in my direction, but not yet seeing me. Errant water droplets flew from her hair and landed across her exposed chest, like little glinting jewels on ivory silk. In that moment, Bette dazzled me.She looked up, saw that I was awake, and smiled at me warmly. I stared at her with my mouth wide open. I may have, possibly�Śuh, drooled a little too. �śGood morning, Clara Bella,” she said as she joined me on the bed, her robe falling further open. God help me, I couldn’t help but to stare. She was all curves and creamy, dreamy skin, and it was all I could do not to reach out and trace a path over the course of her body with my fingertips. Did it mean that I liked girls now? �śBette.” I said, in barely more than a whisper, my mind running like a hamster on a wheel.She reclined on the bed and pulled me to her in one fluid move. I found my head resting on her exposed breast before I’d even realized that she’d moved. It made me wonder if I had blinked out for a minute. �śHow do you feel this morning?” she asked, stroking my hair. Everything should have felt wrong and completely against my nature, but I could see that my nature was changing on its own, so I decided not to fight it. I inhaled the scent of her and closed my eyes.�śGood, not hung over at all,” I mumbled. Bette’s cool fingers trailed up and down my spine with movements slow and deliberate. A tiny, barely audible gasp broke from my lips as she skimmed a sensitive spot on my side. I shifted slightly, pressing myself closer to her. Beneath my cheek I could feel Bette’s nipple harden. It was all I could do not to turn my face a slight few inches. I wanted to kiss her breast. I wanted to lick it. I wanted to bite her. Bite her? Wow. Where the hell did that come from? �śYou are hungry, Clara?” Bette asked. �śI will call down for delivery.”Bette pulled away to reach the bedside phone and I clung to her. She laughed and patted me on the head, while speaking Italian on the phone. I wondered briefly what she’d ordered for breakfast. That thought dispersed as she returned to my side and took me in her arms again. Satisfied, I snuggled into the curves of her. I wanted to stay in that bed with her forever and ever. Or at least for a few more hours. I felt cocooned, protected, loved... and increasingly hungry. �śThe food should be here any minute,” she said. �śAfter that you can come right back to me.”�śI have to go to the conference,” I forced myself to say, though I didn’t like it one bit. �śI do not know if that is a good idea,” said Bette.�śI have meetings�Ś I can’t just blow them off. My boss will kill me.”Bette chuckled, �śI don’t think you need to worry about that. But if you insist we will go for a few hours.”�śI do.” I said, �śIt’s no big deal, I’ve been drunk before and I feel great, so you don’t have to worry about me. I’m a big girl. I can take care of myself.”�śI’m sure you can,” Bette soothed, �śbut you aren’t leaving my side before it is a necessity.”I wasn’t sure how to interpret that. Thankfully, Bette gave me no chance to think it over. All reason left my brain when she slid down in the bed beside me, tilted my face to hers and kissed me. My sense of time and space hiccupped as I clung to her. My body felt like a live wire, humming with a current that desperately needed grounding. I squirmed in an attempt to be closer to her, but it did no good. As close as I wanted to be was not physically possible. More forcefully, she held a handful of my hair in one hand and her other hand latched on to my hip, pulling my body closer. Kissing me again, we lay breast to breast, hip to hip, with legs intertwined. I was drowning in her and it felt like nothing I’d ever experienced before. A halo of bluish-purple light colored everything I saw. My skin was hypersensitive; the little bits of friction between my skin and hers caused me to twitch with every shift and readjustment. The knock on the hotel room door came abruptly and I cursed under my breath.�śWe will have to finish this later, Clara Mia,” she said kissing me on the forehead. I whimpered in protest. At that moment, I was not an intelligent adult capable of reason. I was feral, my focus reduced to the most basic human emotions; hunger, desire, and fear. She left me like that, gasping and clutching the bed sheets as she got up, slipped on her robe and answered the door. Bette let a man into the suite and I could feel his eyes linger over my naked, heaving body. My nerve endings felt raw, exposed and inflamed by the gentlest of breezes, such as the one created by the closing of the door. Or the draft created as Bette circled the bed, her robe fluttering out behind her like the wings of a Monarch. She touched down on the bed bedside me. �śYour food Clara, you need to eat now.” Bette said, petting my hair. If she wanted me to focus, that didn’t help in the least. Being near her was distracting enough, but her touch, it was like a de-focusing drug�"one that I was fast becoming hooked on. �śClara, you must eat.” Bette tried again. My limbs felt full of sand and I struggled to sit up. I looked around the room, but saw no breakfast tray waiting. �śWhere’s the food?” I asked. �śI hope you ordered me something I like�" a bagel, and omelet or pancakes maybe?”Bette studied me for a long moment, regarding me with curiosity. �śI... I didn’t know what you’d like.” She stood and went to the closet, opening the doors wide to survey my wardrobe. �śBut,” I started to say, before Bette cut me off. Where was the food she’d promised?�śGive your breakfast order to Guillermo,” she nodded to the man standing beside me, staring at the floor with such intensity it was creepy. �śThen you go shower. I will put out clothing for you and then you must eat.” I pulled the sheet around my body, suddenly feeling uncomfortable with my nakedness, and headed toward the bathroom. �śI’d like a sausage and egg croissant, with a small glass of orange juice and a coke, in a bottle so I can carry it with me.” I said over my shoulder.It was only after I had the door shut firmly behind me that the fog dispersed completely from my head. Since I’d woken up, I’d been moving, thinking and feeling through a barrier, or a cloak. Present and accounted for, but hearing, seeing and feeling always through an impermeable membrane. Real life, once removed. I noticed it, but I still wasn’t ready to question why.Even more than usual, I was confounded by how quirky the human mind can be in times of stress. But that will make more sense later I suppose. I started the shower, letting the room fog nicely before shedding my sheet and stepping under the spray. It was one of those rain-shower heads, and while attractive, it had little in the way of water pressure. It took me ten minutes to get all the generic shampoo out of me hair, but I didn’t mind.Anything that kept me in the bathroom longer was fine with me. I didn’t want to think about things I didn’t understand, so instead I focused on what I knew without a doubt. While washing my hair, I pictured the toothy grin of my daughter and I longed to wrap her in my arms. She was heading to school now, probably already seated on the fading yellow bus, staring out the window as the bus pulled away. If I had to guess, I’d say she was wearing her favorite outfit�"pink skirt, white striped shirt, white and pink polka-dot tights and a pair of teal sneakers. While I lathered my body, I thought of the husband I didn’t know anymore, and how my life would seem half-empty once the space he’d occupied for so long was vacant. It would be like walking on two legs all your life, then suddenly waking up with only one. So what if the missing leg had been arthritic and cranky�" you could still stand on it. I turned my thoughts to business and how I needed to touch base with the office, and drop in on several vendors at the conference. And get my first guitar lesson with Vera.Would she be able to tell, I thought? I shook my head. That was the dumbest thing I’d come up with lately. What was I thinking? That there was a blinking (rainbow) sign over my head now? That I’d give off some sort of vibe? My dorkiness amazed me sometimes. Of course, all that thinking was aimed at doing one thing, and one thing only�"to ignore the fact that there was a woman in my bedroom, or any thoughts that pertained to her and my missing memory or that �śthing” that happened earlier. At least until I ran my fingers over the top of my left thigh. At the fold, that crease at the top of the leg, yet snatch-adjacent, I’d felt something. Like a bump or scab. Not exactly the easiest place to look at oneself; it took me a minute to maneuver my body into a position for inspection. Finally, one leg resting on the toilet tank right outside the shower, I was able to make out not one, but two tiny healing scabs. In-grown hairs maybe? It was possible, but not likely I’d missed them last night. I frowned, frustrated that the things I knew were outweighed by the things I didn’t know lately. I turned off the water and stepped out onto the cold tile floor. I dried off quickly, casting a peeved look at the toilet. Maybe I was having kidney problems? When I exited the bathroom, carefully wrapped in a clean, dry towel, I found the room empty. Bette was gone, but she’d left a silver tray with the things I’d requested sitting on the corner of the bed. Perched atop the silver dome of the tray was a hand-scripted note. �śI have a few matters to attend. Clothes are on the chair, and I hope you find your meal filling. I’ll be back to take you to the convention center within the half-hour - Bette”With no better plan in mind, I did exactly as she instructed, albeit with a scowl planted across my face. Chapter 7Exactly twenty minutes later, I was standing outside of my hotel room when Bette came back for me. It occurred to me, as I watched her practically glide down the carpeted hallway, that I’d felt more like my old self from almost the moment she’d left. �śClara, you look stunning!” Bette embraced me, kissing me on the mouth. I had no idea if that was an Italian custom, or just what one does after doing pretty intimate things.Either way, I finally felt the prick of unease that I should have felt, oh, about a million times since yesterday. �śThanks,” I tried to sound chipper. �śYou have excellent taste.” Yep, that was me being chipper all right. Bette motioned for me to twirl so that she could get a good look at me and although I felt silly, I did it anyway. I’d had a mini-moment of clarity while getting dressed. I’d decided that I needed Bette’s help to understand what was going on. So I’d placate her until I’d pieced everything together. Separate from that, I had to figure how I felt about her on a personal level as well. That’s why I was wearing the clothing that she’d laid out on the bed for me: a short flared black skirt, a fitted, plum short-sleeve sweater with a deep V-neck, and dangerous midnight blue suede heels. It was something I’d never wear on my own, and I have no idea where the heels came from, but I had to admit that I felt pretty fierce in the getup.I did an about-face, and caught Bette staring at me with such a fevered look on her face that I stumbled backwards. �śWhat is wrong? Do you feel weak? Did you not eat your food?” she said, reaching out to me. �śNo, I... I just lost my balance.” I recovered quickly. Bette studied my feet, as if I was going to wobble again. She scrunched her mouth into a partial frown and looked back to me. �śClara, what is on your legs?” I looked down, expecting to see an errant sock hitchhiking on my clothes. �śWhat? I don’t see anything?”�śOn your legs! Pantyhose. I did not put those out for you Clara.” Bette said, kneeling down in front of me. �śWhat...” I started to say, but was silenced by Bette sliding her hands up my thighs.�śOut of your shoes, please,” she said. I relented and kicked off the heels, though I’m not sure if it was because I was trying to keep Bette on my good side, or if wanted to see what see what she would do while down there. Clearly, the fuzzy-headed me had returned.�śYour legs are too nice to be covered up, Clara.” She began to remove the offending garment, her fingers like little feathers as she maneuvered. She brushed my skin in random places, so that I began to anticipate where she would next touch. Heat built up in my core. I could feel my legs trembling. And then she looked up to me.Bette’s face was a mixture of hunger and carnal thoughts, with a dash of malice. Her pupils were dilated wide and dark, like two pools of murky ink. But it was her teeth, whiter and sharper looking than I remembered, that snapped me out of the fog I lingered in. �śI...I’ve got �Śem,” I said, stepping away from Bette and removing my pantyhose as quick as possible so that we could get going. Suddenly, I was glad that we were going to be surrounded by hundreds of people for the next several hours. Bette regarded me with mild shock, before composing herself, standing and saying, �śI have a car waiting downstairs. Andiamo, Clara!”She turned, striding down the hall at a pace that had me semi-running in heels behind her. Thankfully, the elevator ride passed without incident, though I did notice that we didn’t get off at the ground floor. Instead the elevator stopped in the underground parking garage. The doors parted and a black limo waited just a few steps away. A hulking beast of a man got out of the driver’s door and came to help us into the limo. �śGrazi, Domino,” Bette said, taking his huge lump of a hand as she climbed in the car. Domino shifted his eyes toward me. I shuddered as I returned his gaze. His eyes were like two raisins shoved into risen dough, and trying not to look away first made me more than a little queasy. He did not offer me his hand, not that I would have taken it anyway, but that gesture told me I was right. Domino was being openly hostile towards me, which made no sense. I’d never met the man, so how would he know anything about me? �śCome Clara.” Bette’s voice came from within the car. I mustered up the steeliest expression I could manage, and tossed it back at the driver instead of doing what I really wanted to do�" stick my tongue out at him. Though he didn’t move, I saw something flicker in his eyes before he motioned to the open limo door. Feeling like I had won the game, I climbed in without a backwards glance in his direction. The little encounter had made me irritable, and I dreaded the ten minute ride to the convention center. I seated myself at the opposite end of the passenger area, kicking off my shoes and reclined against the seat. Bette regarded me with curiosity. �śMy head is hurting a little. I’m going to relax for a few minutes.”I didn’t wait for her to respond. I closed my eyes, draping one arm back over my face. The car began to move and for the next ten minutes I remained on alert just in case Bette tried anything. I concentrated so hard, it was almost as if I could see her sitting there, legs and arms crossed while she stared at me. But that was silly really. I didn’t have any comic-book-style superpowers. The limo pulled into the underground garage at the convention center, which seemed to be off limits to the general public, judging by the smattering of caterer vans and shipping trucks. Bette must be very rich and powerful, to receive special treatment everywhere she went. Of course, with charisma like she had, Bette probably had no need to wield monetary influence over anyone. The car stopped and the back door swung open, letting in the yellowed light from the garage. Bette motioned for me to exit first. I climbed out despite the overwhelming urge to be difficult. My mood had sure gone downhill in a hurry. Domino was standing in my path as I stood upright, like a pale side of beef. Did he really want to have another pissing match with me? I could feel myself getting angry. No, that wasn’t the right word. I could feel myself becoming unhinged. A flare of red light burst behind my eyes, flashing over my field of vision for a split-second. I thought before I even realized it�" you listen here, you over-glorified hamburger, get out of my way before I rip your friggin’ throat out�" and I’ll admit I was so startled by my own thoughts that I almost missed what happened next. As I was flipping out internally, Bette had stepped out of the car behind me. I heard her say, �śDomino?” in a concerned voice, so I forced myself to look at him. His puffy face was turning a grayish-blue, and his hands were clutched at his throat. I could hear him trying to breathe and I swear it sounded like someone quietly gargling mouth wash. The agony of his expression snapped me out of my rage and I rushed to Domino as he fell to his knees. �śOh, shit! He’s choking,” I shouted as I circled the man, trying to figure out how to get my arms around his massive torso to do the Heimlich maneuver. As my fingers touched the stiff suit fabric on his back, an arc of white static leapt from my fingertips. And just like that, Domino slumped over, breathing normally though obviously shaken. I didn’t understand what had just happened, so I looked to Bette. She mirrored my gaze, but for the first time since meeting her, I saw something new behind her carefully controlled expression. I saw fear. At the moment, I had a healthy dose of fear pumping through my veins as well. �śWhat the hell just happened?”�śThat�Ś that was you, Clara.” Bette’s words sounded strained.�śMe? What? That little spark?” I said, approaching Domino who was curled up on the concrete in a fetal position, sobbing.Bette remained quiet. �śThat was just static electricity. It happens to me all the time. At least a half-dozen times a day.” I reasoned. Bette looked away, like she didn’t agree but was in no mood to explain further. I dropped to a knee beside Domino, putting a hand on his shoulder to turn him towards me. �śAre you alright? What were you choking on, gum, candy?”Domino didn’t respond at first. It wasn’t until his tiny eyes made contact with mine, that he spoke. Or rather, he screamed. �śGet away from me, you crazy bee-tch! You try to kill me!” He said, backing away from me, like a crab scurrying for cover in the marsh grass. �śDomino, enough.” Bette said. �śTake yourself back to the hotel and rest. I’ll call you when we are ready to depart.”Bette joined Domino by the front of the limo, speaking in hushed tones. She seemed to be soothing him, and his body language relaxed visibly. I was thankful that Bette had silenced our driver, but his brief accusation still ricocheted in my head. I hadn’t caused his attack, right? It was absurd, the very idea that I’d managed to attack someone just by thinking�"like with my mind. But then again, most of the past twenty-four hours hadn’t made much sense to me either.I’m a logical person and as much as the recent events didn’t make sense individually, maybe together they somehow fit a larger picture? I thought back, plucked out the most important details, and made a mental list. First, I lost IQ points every time Bette came near me and it got worse when she touched me. But, I already had suspicions that Bette was the source, not me, so I filed that away to think about later. I had to focus on me. What was the first strange thing? I had played the violin without any prior experience. What had Bette said about the violin, that it was haunted? And that it had called to me, deemed me worthy. The question was, worthy of what? I saw the limo pull away and Bette motioned for me to follow her. I quickly caught up, and together we waited for the service elevator to arrive. �śBette, can I ask you something?” I said. She sighed and hesitated for several beats. �śNow is the time for business. We work now; tonight we talk.”�śBut...” I started to say as the elevator chimed and opened. �śCome now, we both have work to do.” she said. I followed her into the elevator, miffed that she was blowing me off. I wanted answers and if Bette wasn’t going to help me until later, then I would just analyze everything myself until then. Moving on, what else had triggered the that’s-not-right vibe? Right, the shocks. I’d suffered daily battles with static for a very long time, at least since I was a teenager. I had no idea if they always came with a blast of white light, like when I’d touched Domino. Bette seemed intrigued by them, so maybe I should be too?Also, there was the whole disappearing-Bette moment in the bathroom. She denied being there, and it would have been impossible for her to leave without me noticing, yet I know what I saw. Bette had been standing in the bathroom. The elevator jarred to a stop and the doors clanged open. We seemed to be in a subsidiary hall used by staff, but Bette headed to the left like she’d done this before, so I followed her. I felt like I was forgetting something, a very big something. Oh, yeah. There was the whole forgetting-thing. How was it possible that I had no memory of an entire evening? Granted, I’d had a lot to drink but without the typical hangover the next day I couldn’t use that as an excuse.I wondered if Bette touching me turned my brain to pudding, had she done something worse that amplified the affect? That only made the tiniest bit of sense, so I added that to the list of things Bette and I had to discuss later.We stopped right in front of a set of metal doors. I looked to Bette, who seemed to have something to say. �śUm, aren’t we going in?” I said.�śYes, in one moment.” Bette looked me up and down. �śHow do you feel? Hungry?”Why was she always trying to feed me? �śNo, I’m good.” I said, �śI just have a lot to accomplish in a few hours.”�śFine. You go do your work, but if you need anything I will be watching.” She said cryptically.I didn’t have a clue what she was talking about, but my patience with Bette was wearing thin. It seemed as if she didn’t have much of an effect on me anymore.Bette continued, �śIt is noon now. Meet me at my booth at say, three so that we can travel back to the hotel.”�śThat’s not enough time. I need at least until the end of the day.” I whined, aware of how childish I sounded. �śClara...” Bette grazed my cheek with her slender fingers.A ripple of current spread from my face where she’d touch it, all the way down to my toes. It felt familiar and safe. I felt the tension in my body wane; she unfurled me.It was a moment before she spoke again and in that time I had a reversal of opinions. Why had I been so suspicious of Bette, when she’d been nothing but helpful to me? And loving, I couldn’t forget that. �śI need...” Bette said, only this time I silenced her. Pushing her back against the metal door, I kissed her, and I must admit that I wasn’t very gentle. Her shock faded quickly and her hunger began to mirror my own, or was it the other way around? Bette clutched the back of my neck, her fingers cool against my skin. I snaked a hand around to the small of her back, looping my thumb over the top of her skirt. She sucked lightly at my bottom lip, I pressed her body with my own, the two of us being supported by the door. She pushed her leg so that the top of her thigh pressed on my crotch. I groaned, and shifted my stance to allow for better contact between us. She bit my lip, drawing blood. The metallic taste had a familiar tang. I nipped her bottom lip in return and her blood tasted so much better than mine�" full-bodied and complex like a fine wine. Pressure was building in my abdomen and it was almost more than I could take. With both my hands, I grabbed her by the butt, lifting and pulling and pushing, positioning her leg closer to where I needed it. We kissed, our bodies grinding with such focus that anybody could have been standing right beside us, completely unnoticed. Compared to our earlier encounter, this was a whole new game. I wasn’t being passive at all and it felt fabulous.A fresh flow of Bette’s blood filled my mouth and I swallowed it greedily. I shuddered, every muscle fiber in my body contracting violently. Every cell in my body was humming. I felt like a faulty light bulb, flickering on and off.Dazed and panting, I looked to Bette, hoping to understand what had just happened. But she was still reeling from the encounter as I was and it took a minute for her to focus on me. While I watched her inky eyes coming back into focus, I realized that as weird as my life had become, it didn’t worry me as much as before. Whatever was happening didn’t appear to be all bad, and I was hopeful that I’d be able to make some sense of things soon. When Bette had recovered enough looked at me quizzically, I smoothed her mussed up hair and straightened her shirt. She returned the favor. When we both looked presentable and not like two grown women that had been groping in the service hall, I quickly kissed her and walked away. Over my shoulder I called out, �śSee you at five!”Chapter 8Entering the main floor of the convention center, I squinted against the modest amount of light spilling in from the oblong skylights far above the main floor. No doubt the architect had thought that letting in a small amount of natural light would help combat the yellow-orange cast from the fluorescent fixtures, but they really didn’t help. Still, the light seemed brighter than it had the day before. As if on cue, I felt a headache coming on. Was it possible to have a time-delayed hangover? Probably not, I decided. I checked my phone, remembering that it had vibrated a few minutes earlier while I had been, uh, occupied in the hall with Bette. I blushed at the already fading memory, not quite sure what to make of the whole situation. I was, after all, a life-long man-fan. I’d loved, and made love to, a handful of men. And not only had I enjoyed the opposite sex, but I’d never considered being anything more than friends with a woman. I’d never even had the obligatory drunken college experiment. As I listened to the first voice-mail, from Pete, it occurred to me that I was being unfaithful. I still had no idea what had happened the night before, but that morning in my room and a few minutes ago in the hallway had been, mostly, under my own volition. I felt the shame wash over me. I didn’t want to be �śthat woman” who runs to the arms of another the minute that her marriage gets rocky. The guilt subsided slightly upon hearing the voice-mail from Pete, and was replaced by quite a different set of emotions. Namely, anger and fury. A mood swing that fast usually calls for a hot bath and copious amounts of chocolate. �śClaire...uh, I’ve been seeing someone...a therapist. She’s really smart and I think you’d like her. Anyways, she says our relationship is toxic to me. That it’s not healthy for me.” Silence stretched out in the message, like Pete was trying to figure out what to say next. Or possibly find his place on a cue card. I’m sure I looked like a mad woman, mouth agape, staring at my phone and standing in the middle of the aisle. Streams of people passed around me. I was just an obstacle in their path. Just like with Pete. He continued, �śA marriage is a partnership, not a dictatorship.”God, he sounded so rehearsed that I immediately wondered where Pete had found his so-called therapist and if he was sleeping with her yet. If not, it was only a matter of time. The irony of his last statement wasn’t lost on me either. If we were supposed to be partners, then how was it that I did all the cooking, the cleaning, and the bringing home of the bacon, while he contributed absolutely less-than nothing? If the person who worried over everything and tried to hold it all together was a dictator, then perhaps he was right. If I was the dictator though, he was just a dick. �śSo, what I’m saying, Claire...” Pete faltered, coughing to clear his throat. �śIs that I’m moving out. Saturday. When you come back.” The voice-mail ended abruptly, like Pete had been afraid I’d respond so he’d hung up quickly. Yes, my husband was a coward and an ingrate. He was so hung up on himself that he completely failed to see how he’d made me the overbearing woman he was trying to escape from. Pete had created this monster, and for once, I was looking forward to showing him exactly what his creation could do.I quickly listened through my other messages. The first was from my boss, letting me know that he’d already heard of the SheRawks! deal. He promised a bonus for all of my hard work, which lifted my mood a little. I always needed the money and I doubted Pete would be of any help once he moved out. Which begged the question, where in the hell had he gotten money to rent a place? I made a mental note to check our online account statements the first chance that I got. So help me, if Pete thought I was going to finance his little bachelor pad, he was delusional.The second message was from the head of the PTA at Quinn’s school. At some point, I’d signed up to help with a fundraiser and would I mind helping out on their upcoming project? Specifically, she wondered if I would help coordinate a blood drive to be held at the school, targeting parents and other family members of the children. Why couldn’t she have asked me to do something Bake Sale-ish? I disconnected, locked the screen on my phone and slipped it into my bag. Scanning the booths in my immediate vicinity, I mapped a plan for the next hour or so and set to work. I moved through the motions as I won over vendor after vendor, but my heart, or rather my mind, wasn’t in it. I wondered how I was going to break the news to Quinn. I wondered how life was going to be, day in and day out, as a single-parent. I thought of the man I married and wondered how he’d changed so much from the version of him I fell in love with, to the man he’d become�"which led me to think of how much I’d changed from the girl of my youth, to the assertive woman in control of everything. At least, that’s how I appeared to everyone. Inside I was still the sensitive, self-doubting woman that barely made it through high school. I’d gotten so used to maintaining the facade, that others rarely got a glimpse of the real me.�śClaire!” boomed a voice from behind me. I turned to see Vera ambling toward me with a zealous smile plastered on her face. �śReady for that lesson?”I returned her smile, actually glad to see her. �śI guess now is as good a time as any,” I said. She clapped me on the shoulder, steering me down the row towards the SheRawks! booth. �śGreat! Now, the first thing you have to remember is to treat the guitar like your lover. Stroke her with passion, and she’ll sing like an angel for you.” Vera winked at me, like I wouldn’t get the double-entendre without her clue. �śGood to know.” I said. As we approached the booth, I saw the rest of the ladies from the dinner except the sales manager, Maggie. That was a little bit of a relief. I wasn’t up to her appraising eyes at the moment. The booth itself was perfect for the company and I made a mental note to compliment Ophelia when I had the chance, since the decor had young and spunky all over it. Freestanding half-walls made of planked lacquered wood were artfully arranged throughout the expansive rectangle. Each wall held a separate line of guitars that varied in options and finishes. They’d kept the products within reach and inviting, which was sure to increase the sell-through. Multi-hued spotlights angled down on the guitars, so each gleamed and sparkled under the hot lights. To complement the large zebra-print area rugs, all the ladies were dressed in what I would call rocker-chic: edgy basic black with a kick of femininity. Joni, deep in conversation with the parents of a young girl, was clad in dark washed jeans, a black peasant top, and black heeled boots. Her hair was pulled back in a loose braid, allowing her silver and teal beaded necklace to stand out. Vera, not surprisingly, had on all black, though her fitted t-shirt did have a pink cat on the chest. I leaned a little closer to read the phrase at the bottom. Vera chuckled, and when I finally read her shirt I realized why she’d laughed. The shirt read, �śReal Women Like Pink.”I laughed too, as the tongue-in-cheek humor suited Vera perfectly. �śChoose your poison, Claire,” said Vera, sweeping her arm out to all the guitars I could choose from. There were so many, I took several minutes to wander through the display. One guitar called out to me above the others. It was baby blue and decked out with chrome, except for the neck which was made of rosewood and inlaid with delicate pearl butterflies. �śAh, good choice,” Vera said coming up behind me and taking down the guitar. �śC’mon. Let’s fire this baby up.”I followed her to the center of the booth, where a small platform had been set up, with a couple of stools, a microphone, an amplifier and two towering speakers. I backed away, shaking my head.�śNo way,” I said. �śI can’t play the guitar Vera, putting me in front of people won’t help that!”�śDo you trust me?” she said.I guess I did. Vera seemed like a trustworthy person and not the type to make an idiot out of me in front of half the convention goers. Still, I shrugged. �śYou’ve got to have more faith in people, honey.” Vera patted the stool on the right and I sat down. She handed me the guitar and then stepped away to grab one for herself. She came back with striking all-black guitar with bright pink strings. Vera hooked long cables to both of our guitars, then sat beside me and showed me how to hold the instrument. She was so close that I could hear every intake of breath, close enough that I could swear I even heard her heart beat. She gave me a quick overview of chords, guiding my fingers into the proper positions. Finally, she settled on one chord that she wanted me to play, only varying in how quickly I strummed the guitar for different effects.�śOkay, good. Now do it fast three times.” she said. Careful to keep my fingers in their proper place, I did as Vera asked, and within minutes I was making music! It was a good feeling. Not as good as when I’d held the violin, but in a way this was better. Probably because it felt real in a way playing the violin had not. �śNow, put one foot on the floor and tap it to keep time with me. Keep the rhythm, one strum for one tap of the foot,” she instructed, �śthen, every time I wink at you, do the three. If I shake my head, stop. And when I nod wait three beats and start again.”That sounded simple enough. Now, if I could just keep it up without looking like a fool. Vera leaned over to the amplifier and adjusted the knobs. An electronic hum filled the air. �śYou ready?”I gulped, then nodded, and watched as Vera began. Slow, sultry notes filled the area and conversations around us quickly died down. At least a hundred pairs of eyes turned to us. In my peripheral vision, I saw movement coming my way. Cassidy, with her fiery hair and short purple tutu skirt sauntered up on the little stage, claimed the stool to my other side and produced a second microphone. She gave me a you-can-do-it smile before singing the opening line to a Joan Jett classic. Her voice was deep and dangerous, and I almost forgot that I was supposed to be playing an instrument at all. Vera nudged me with her foot, prompting me to look at her. At the appropriate time, with Vera’s nod, I began my rhythmic strumming. It was a little odd, having to stare at Vera so I’d know when to triple-strum. It felt more personal, more intimate than it should. Eventually though, I relaxed and let the notes take over. Cassidy crooned, �śWe’ve been here too long...” while I kept an eye on Vera. Finally, she gave me the wink I’d been waiting on. I did just like Vera instructed, providing a little pick-up right before Cassidy belted out, �śDo you wanna touch...” and Vera chimed in with a seriously wicked sounding guitar lick. I was just fine playing background and I seemed to be doing an okay job of it. Of course, whenever things seemed to be going good lately, they just had to take an abrupt left turn into Weirdsville. The fingers I had on the correct strings began to feel hot and twitchy. I fought to control them as long as I could, but when Vera was halfway through a guitar solo, I lost all control over both of my hands. I looked at Vera for help, but she was too busy looking at the audience we’d accumulated to notice my distress. It wasn’t until my guitar solo took off that Vera turned to me with a look of surprise on her face. And just like with the violin, I kicked some serious guitar-playing ass. Vera joined back in, while Cassidy sung her little Irish heart out, �śWon’t you please, run your fingers through my hair...”A drummer from a few booths down joined in, taking the performance to a whole new level. The crowd started filling in the �śYeah...Oh, yeah” parts and it felt like every person in Florida was focused on our performance. I felt like a Rock Goddess and it was flipping fantastic! When the music stopped, cheers erupted from the entire convention hall, all the way back to the stairs. I was a rock-star, beaming out at the crowd. Then I saw Bette standing off to the left of the stage with a smug look on her face. In hindsight, I should have known from the moment that my fingers went AWOL that Bette was nearby. It was disappointing to know that my performance, at least the part that had people cheering, wasn’t one of my own making. As soon as the crowd began to disperse, I propped the guitar against my stool and hurried over to Bette.�śWhy did you do that?” I gasped once I reached her, frowning.�śDo what, love?” Bette did look honestly confused by my question, I’ll give her that.�śMake me play all great! Like you did with the Violin?” I argued. �śClara,” Bette took my shaking hands into hers, and I let go of some of my anxiety. What can I say, since I knew she had that effect on me, I decided to let her use it.�śWe do have a lot to discuss,” Bette said, nodding to the stage, �śbut I assure you that I had nothing to do with that. You have more than one gift it seems. But we will have to figure all of that out later.”I didn’t want to believe her, but the opposite of that meant believing that she’d somehow used magic or something to make me play, and that didn’t make a whole lot of sense either. I was thinking of how to respond when an arm draped over my shoulder. �śDang, you little tease!” Vera said, shaking me playfully. �śWith finger skills like that, you could teach me a thing or two.”I decided to let her double-meaning go and offered up a weak smile. �śNah, you’re just a great teacher.” I said weakly. Vera wasn’t buying my bull, but she was more interested in Bette at the moment, so she didn’t press me any further. �śWho’s your friend, Claire?” Vera offered up her handsomest smile to Bette, who only nodded politely. �śThis is Elizabetta. She’s got the best collection of antique instruments here,” I said, wishing Vera would take her arm from around my shoulder. I had a suspicion that it was irking Bette. That or she just didn’t like Vera in general. �śCool,” said Vera, looking from me and back to Bette, clearly trying to decide what we were to each other. Maybe once Vera figured it out, she could clue me in as well. The three of us stood there for a full minute, smiling politely without either of us coming up with something to say. It quickly moved beyond the acceptable silence rule, and I couldn’t take it. Awkward silence makes me say stupid things and this time was no exception. �śBette’s great with her fingers too!” I said, realizing how that must have sounded a bit too late. My face flushed with embarrassment. �śI mean, uh, you should hear her play the violin. It’s magical.”Bette looked to me with amusement, clearly enjoying seeing me squirm. Vera, always with a few brain cells in the gutter, said, �śI’d love to watch you two play together sometime.”I’d thought my face couldn’t get any redder, but I had been wrong. Bette had mercy on me finally and leaned in to caress my cheek. �śWe’ve only an hour left before the car comes, so finish up your business here soon, mi dolce.” Bette quickly kissed me, the kind of kiss that skirted the line between culturally customary and sexually charged, before turning her attention to Vera.�śDon’t tire my Claire out; I have plans for her later.” With her claim laid down, Bette glided away, leaving me with Vera smiling like the Cheshire cat. She slapped me on the ass, saying, �śI just knew you were a Sister. Where’s Cass, she owes me five bucks!”Great. One naked groping session and I was already giving out the �śL-Vibe”. If I ever actually had sex (that I could remember) with Bette, would it become transparent to everyone? I didn’t even have it in me to protest. I wasn’t sure that I could do it with a straight face, so I just shrugged. Vera left me to seek out Cassidy and I stood alone in a sea of thousands. It seemed I was the only person for miles who was still unclear which side of the sexual fence I was on. At that point, I wasn’t interested in love, or even romance.The bitter taste in my mouth from Pete was still going strong and I wasn’t sure I’d ever be ready to commit to someone again. It just didn’t seem worth the inevitable trouble later. Sex, on the other hand, wasn’t forever and didn’t have to be complicated unless you let it. In theory, that is. Chapter 9Two hours later, I was back in my hotel room with some time to kill. Bette said she was taking care of some business, and that she’d swing by to pick me up at nine. That left me with more than enough time to shower, dress, and flip through all thirty channels available on television, oh, about a million times. I called home, praying that Quinn would answer. I didn’t want to speak to Pete any more than I had to. Naturally, he answered the phone. I tried to keep my voice even to avoid the obligatory long-distance fight. Phone arguments just didn’t yield the same satisfaction as yelling in someone’s face and I wanted to save up my anger. �śPut Quinn on,” I said, not even bothering with formalities. We were way beyond that. �śClaire. We need to...” Pete started before I cut him off. Just hearing his voice spiked my blood pressure. I never pictured myself hating anyone with as much passion and tenacity as I hated Pete in that moment. If I had been home, I just may have choked him. �śNo! You do not get to do that�"end our marriage via voice-mail and then try to absolve yourself over the telephone. You�Śyou sonovabitch!” I shouted.Pete hung up on me somewhere between �śsonova” and �śbitch.” Okay, so maybe I’d let my temper get the best of me.But he really deserved a whole lot more than I’d dished out. He should be very nervous about facing me in a few days. I counted to one-hundred. Breathed in through my nose and out through my mouth. I thought of Bette’s calming touch and wished she were there to soothe me.When I had better control, I called again. Quinn answered with a shrill, �śMooommmyyy!”�śHey bug. How’s my favorite girl doing?” I said, my heart skipping a beat at the thought of all she would have to go through as soon as I returned home. �śGood, how’s my favorite Mom doing?” she parroted. �śYour favorite Mom? I’m your only Mom!” I said with mock outrage. �śYou are!” Quinn said, �śAt least until I buy a new Mom on eBay!” I smiled at how she’d reversed one of our inside jokes, which started a year ago when I’d joked about selling her on eBay to buy myself a daughter that kept her room clean. The familiar banter with Quinn was comforting, like an old beloved pair of slippers.But then I realized that she might very well have a second mother figure someday soon. Pete was inept when it came to taking care of himself, so I was confident that he’d find someone to fill my shoes fairly quickly, if he hadn’t already. That just made me angry all over again. Tears welled up in my eyes.�śI love you Quinn.” My voice wavered and I hoped that Quinn didn’t pick up on it. She was super-sensitive sometimes. �śAnd I. Love. You.” Quinn said. I could picture her doing the sign language while she spoke. My eyes filled with water and I blinked to clear them, spilling tears down my cheeks. �śI’ll be home soon honey, be good for daddy, okay?” I blotted my face with a hand towel. When I pulled the towel away, I noticed red streaks on it. Startled, I hurried to the bathroom mirror, while trying to pay attention to Quinn. �śAnd then, we’re going to go to the zoo, okay?” she was saying. �śMmm, okay honey,” I answered, trying to make sense of what I was seeing in the mirror.My face was streaked pink, from my eyes all the way down both cheeks. Pink tears? What the hell was wrong with me? Who the fuck cried pink tears? �śMommy, are you listening?” Quinn asked. �śSure, sweetie. I’m here.” I stared at myself in the mirror. It was too freaky to wrap my mind around. Pink tears for cripes’ sake.�śThen what did I say?” Sometimes that child was too damned smart for her age.�śYou want to go to the zoo?” I said.�śNo, after that?” Quinn asked, not even giving me a clue. �śUm, I don’t know. Sorry.” I scrubbed my face with a wet washcloth. Was something wrong with my eyes? I’d know it if I had Ebola, right?�śPaddle boats!” she said.�śDeal. Zoo, then paddle boats.” I promised and glanced at the clock. Bette was probably on the way and I had to reapply my makeup. I could hear Quinn telling her father about the trip to Salisbury that I’d promised her. Quinn sounded excited. Pete, not so much. I was sure that the minute I hung up he’d find some way to belittle me to our daughter, like tell her not to get her hopes up. You know how much mommy works. She might not be able to take you. �śLook honey, I’ve got to go. Mommy has a dinner meeting to get ready for.”I was worried she’d be disappointed, but Quinn was still excited about the zoo and whatnot, so she simply said, �śOkay, see you Saturday!” before hanging up on me. We needed to have a little talk about telephone manners at some point. That would probably have to come after the your-father’s-moving-out talk. Sigh. I opened the music folder on my phone and did as any depressed woman does in a time like that�"I played a song to amplify the life-sucks attitude I’d adopted. Jar of Hearts began to play as I chucked the phone on the bed, checked my white sundress for any errant pink tears, and hurried to the bathroom to re-do my face. More concealer under my eyes, a little loose-powder and a fresh smudge of eyeliner, and I was ready again. The knock at my door seemed perfectly timed. I grabbed my phone and a small silver clutch, slipped on my silver and white sandals, and opened the door. I had been expecting Bette, but standing there in front of my opened door was the last person I expected to see.�śOh, good! I got the right room. I was worried I’d transposed the numbers or something.” Cassidy, from SheRawks! said, sweeping into my room, her fiery locks bouncing about her face.�śI was on my way out, I’m sorry.” I wasn’t sure how she’d gotten my room number or what she wanted, and I was feeling a little too scatter-brained to put on my business hat at the moment. �śOh, crap. I should have called. I just wanted to let you know that I know, and I can help,” she said, fidgeting with her hands. I must have looked as confused as I felt, because she continued. �śYou know, with your gifts,” Cassidy said, lowering her voice to a whisper.�śI...I don’t know what you mean.” I said. Cassidy drew closer to me, touching my arm. �śI know you don’t. But I can help you understand.”I believed that she meant well, but she was confusing the hell out of me. I didn’t have any gifts, at least not the kind she referred to. Or did I? Some of the unexplained moments of the past few days popped into my head, but I pushed them away, not ready to consider what she was saying. �śLook, I really don’t know what you mean and my ride is going to be here any minute. Can we talk about this later?” Disappointment flashed across her face, but Cassidy quickly covered it with a sincere smile. �śOf course. Give me your phone.” Cassidy held out her hand and wiggled her finger-tips.It felt a little odd, but I handed her my phone and waited while she played with it. �śOk, I programmed my number. So call me when you’re ready, m’kay?”�śSure,” I said, taking back my phone. �śI’ll, uh, call you soon.”Another knock sounded on my door. For some reason, I wasn’t keen on Bette meeting another one of my clients, albeit one who wanted to help me with my so-called gifts. Maybe it was another surprise visitor. One could hope, anyway. I was half-right. When I answered the door, I didn’t find Bette waiting for me. Instead, it was the limo driver, Domino, and he didn’t look pleased to be sent for me. I turned back to Cassidy. I had to get rid of her quickly, just in case things got weird with Domino again. �śHere’s my ride,” I said, ushering her out of the door. Purse and phone in hand, I pulled the door shut behind me. Domino waited silently, like a proper limo driver should, while I said goodbye to Cassidy. After promising to call her soon, she flitted down the hall. Domino and I headed in the opposite direction in silence. Finally, in the service elevator, I worked up the nerve to say what was on my mind. �śWhy don’t you like me?” I asked. �śYou crazy. You the one who try to kill me, I should be asking you �Śdat question.” He wouldn’t look me in the eye. Instead, he pulled a flask from his pocket. I couldn’t help but notice how his hand shook as he pulled a swig of what smelled like bourbon. Was he really afraid of me?�śI didn’t...” I protested, my voice dying off. I wasn’t sure what I had planned on saying. I didn’t do anything, or I didn’t mean to do whatever in the hell it was that I’d done to him? �śLook, �Śis not personal. I’ve been with Elizabetta a long time and I don’t like seeing her take risks on your kind.” He said to the elevator door as he blotted his mouth with a blue silk handkerchief.�śWhat do you mean my kind? A woman? An American? That’s doesn’t make any sense.”Domino tilted his face my way, keeping his eyes averted. �śYou have not a clue, do you? Well, tonight will be much fun.”He was almost smiling, though I detected a hint of malice behind his words. My stomach hardened into a knot and I wondered for the first time what Bette had in mind for tonight. I’d like to say that things couldn’t get any stranger, but even I knew better than that. Well, since I was already half-way to crazy, I might as well stay on for the full ride. Chapter 10Oh, bloody hell�"that was my first thought when the limo pulled into a crowded lot outside of a nondescript, windowless building. When I’d entered the limo back at the hotel, I’d been surprised to find the car empty. Bette was meeting me somewhere, but it wasn’t until Domino deposited me underneath a blinking pink sign that I understood just how wrong the night was going to go. Aside from the buxom twenty-foot female silhouette, the words �śSweet Treat’s Strip Club” kind of gave it away. To quote Spike from Buffy, �śOh, bloody hell,” was the only thing appropriate to say. A noisy little marching band of emotions headed my way. First, I was angry. Bette promised to answer my questions and I was willing to bet that little talking was ever accomplished in a place like this. Second, I was mortified. Married moms didn’t just waltz into strip clubs. It was insane! Third, I’ll admit, I was more than a little curious, though not enough to enter the building. Lastly, I was back to being pissed. Bette had summoned me and Domino had dropped me off and left. I was standing outside, alone, in the parking lot of a seedy club where horny drunken men were probably lurking behind the nearest palm tree, just waiting for the best moment to pounce on defenseless little ol’ me.Screw this, I thought. I’m a grown woman, with the same parts as the women inside shaking their moneymakers. What did I have to be scared or ashamed of? It’s not like I was going inside for my own pleasure. I just had to think of it like a business meeting, nothing more. Mind made up, I put on my best nonchalant expression, drew in a deep breath of the humid Florida air, and headed into my very first strip club. Inside the door, almost blocking my path, was the check-in station manned by an attractive woman in a low-cut silver dress. She smiled pleasantly, and I hoped that I didn’t look too out of my league. �śParty of one?” she asked, looking up from her book- a weathered copy of The Scarlett Letter.I supposed, whether incorrectly or not, that her book was a warning sign meant for me. �śNo, I’m meeting someone. Uh, she’s already supposed to be here,” I said, scooting out of the way to let a handsome couple pass by on their way out the door.�śOh, okay,” she said, �śjust sign in here and I’ll need to see some ID please. The cover’s five bucks.”I signed the sheet she pushed toward me and handed over my license and the cover charge. I wondered briefly if I could write off the fee as a business expense. My company’s matronly accountant would probably have a heart attack. And if she didn’t, the news that I was a pervert would be all over the Shore by midday. In my hometown, the grapevine was more like a forest of kudzu vines�"invasive, sturdy and hard to get rid of. She finally gave my ID back, after a long time of comparing my picture to my actual face and back again. I had to give it to the place, the security was tight enough. The last time I’d been scrutinized this much was when I’d tried to buy a bottle of Boone’s on a dare when I was seventeen.�śPrivate rooms and restrooms to the left, bar and main stage to the right,” she offered, after looking up to find that I was still standing there like a lost child.�śThanks, but, do you know where a woman name Bette might be? She’s tall, attractive and Italian if that helps?” I figured it wouldn’t hurt to try. Maybe I’d get lucky. Or not.�śSorry, try the main bar area first. If she’s not there, maybe get one of the girls to take you back into the private rooms.”I nodded thanks, and skirted the counter, trying to remember which way the bar was. I guessed left, which wasn’t right. That just led me into a dark hall with heavily curtained doorways. Above the thump of music, I could make out a symphony or groans, sighs and hushed voices as I passed the private rooms. I kept going, for no better reason than to hide out in the bathroom for hours while I regained my nerve.At the end of the hall, I shoved open the bathroom door and was surprised to find it clean and well lit. That made sense though, the dancers probably had their own bathrooms in the back, and since men made up the bulk of strip club visitors, the women’s bathroom surely got very little use. I crossed to the mirror and took stock of myself. I was wearing an outfit I’d picked out, meaning that I didn’t look half as good as I did when Bette dressed me. My sundress was too long and my blazer practically screamed PTA volunteer. I looked fine for a dinner in an upscale restaurant, but here, in this den of flesh and fantasy I just looked absurd. I studied myself for a moment, before realizing with a few quick adjustments I could look at least a little less uptight. It was like what I did before a big meeting. Acclimate and reflect the people I had to win over. Walk a little in their shoes, so that I could fit in. I pulled the thin, twisted silk scarf from around my neck and tied it around my waist. I hiked my skirt up, tucking it under the belt in a sort-of blousy way, until the length hung just above the knee. I unbuttoned my blazer and rolled up the sleeves into cuffs. I tugged my neck line down in the front to show a little cleavage. When the girls still looked rather sad, I adjusted the straps of my bra to hoist things up a little further. I took stock of myself in the mirror again. It was better, but still not quite like I’d hoped. Stockings were the next to go, and I had to admit that my legs looked better without them. At least I’d worn a pair of killer turquoise heels. To finish out the transformation, I ran a little water over my hands and mussed up my hair, then applied my lipstick a little darker than I had earlier.I felt modestly better, perhaps even borderline sexy. I marched out of the bathroom and past the private rooms, trying really hard to ignore the flashes of skin and lustful sounds that escaped every time the curtains billowed out around me�"which was another thing I ignored. Strobes flashed from the ceiling, beating with the pulse of music. Adele’s song Rolling in the Deep blared from the speakers, all rhythm and soul, and it was the perfect music for strutting. I felt like a force of nature and with every step my walk became more confident, cocky even. The beat of the song echoed through my body and I caught the irony immediately. I was positive that I’d make a grand entrance into the bar area. Every eye would turn to stare, fog would unfurl around me and I’d pose against the doorway to give everybody a chance to drool over the goddess that was me.Of course, that didn’t happen. When I walked in, I was hardly noticed at all. I was the most dressed woman in the room, so I was practically a dude compared to the legs and asses that circulated the room like sharks in frenzy. Actually I was less than a dude. Men had penises and a wad of cash to shower on the ladies. So unless I looked like a needy, rich, lesbian, the women would probably pay me no mind whatsoever. And I didn’t look like a stripper, so the men would ignore me as well. Thank god for small miracles.I quickly found the bar and bought myself some liquid courage. It hardly burned going down and I was disappointed that of all the times for me to not get tipsy on one drink, my body had chosen that moment to increase my liver function. Bloody hell.�śYou know that won’t work anymore, right?” a voice said from over my shoulder.Cassidy leaned over my arm, her blood red hair sweeping over my hand in a thick blanket of curls. She smiled coyly at me.A half dozen curse words came to mind, but instead I said, �śWhat are you doing here?”So, I’d left my subtle skills back at the hotel. It had been a long day and I just couldn’t get my game face to stay put.�śSame as you,” she said.�śBusiness meeting?” I said with a little more ice in my voice than I’d meant.Cassidy grinned wide, �śSure, we’ll go with that if you’d like.”I felt like an ass, a naked-girl-loving ass. �śSorry,” I mumbled. �śThough, I really am looking for a client.”�śNo worries. I’m here with Vera. She doesn’t like to troll alone. I guess you could say I’m her wing girl for the night.”Great, it was bad enough running into Cassidy again after the way she’d shown up at my hotel claiming I had some sort of gifts, but I had to avoid Vera at all costs. She already thought wrong about me, plus she was technically a client. Mixing business with my personal life was something I tried very hard not to do.I glanced in the direction Cassidy nodded, and spied Vera sitting back in a chair with her hands clasped behind her head, a deliriously happy smile upon her face. She was focused on a thick Latina in a sparkly pink g-string, I needn’t worry about her recognizing me at the bar twenty feet away, Vera only had eyes for her stripper. The dancer was straddling Vera’s legs, bending over to grab her own ankles. Vera was drooling over the round ass just inches from her face, and I could picture what she was seeing up close and personal. Firm cheeks, split by the tiniest bikini bottom ever, allowing the woman’s lips to peek out from the sides of the fabric. Caramel hips swayed back and forth, teasing with every shift of the pink fabric. My face flushed and my mouth watered. I wanted to taste her. No, that wasn’t right�" Vera wanted that, not me. She wanted the woman in front of her, and somehow, I seemed to be in Vera’s head, or at least her emotions, or her desires, or something equally unexplainable.Cassidy put her face to mine, touching our foreheads together, effectively blocking my view of everything else in the room.�śBreathe,” she said. �śJust focus on me.”I felt myself returning to normal after a few seconds of staring at Cassidy. Her focus on me was intense, like she trying to needle around in my brain. Never one to back down, I kept the weird pose and tried to emulate Cassidy’s determined look. She smelled like spring rain and I could see her kneeling in a garden, hands turning rich dark earth, caressing tender stalks of green. When I also pictured Cassidy biting into a fresh picked tomato, I tasted it myself. I backed away quickly, whacking my elbow on the bar and stepping on a stripper’s toe. I turned to mumble my apologies, but the young brunette with doe-eyes and cleavage up to her chin totally ignored me, choosing instead to focus on her round, sweaty sugar daddy. �śWas that the first time that’s happened to you?” Cassidy said quietly, turning me back towards her.�śYes...no...I don’t know.” I gulped down the nearest drink on the bar, not caring who it belonged to, or what it was for that matter. I would have downed motor oil to get the taste out of my mouth. To me, the only good tomato was a cooked one. I let the fire spread down my throat as I thought about what had just happened. Chances are, that had happened to me before and I just hadn’t recognize it for what it was. Just because I couldn’t recall anything that obvious, didn’t mean more subtle instances hadn’t occurred without my notice. Heck, maybe that was why I was so good at my job. Maybe I’d been using the little bits of information I absorbed to win over clients. �śHey you, where did you go just now?” Cassidy asked.I snapped out of my own head and signaled the statuesque bartender that I wanted another drink. �śJust thinking. Trying to make some sense, you know.” I took the amber colored shot placed in front of me and gulped it greedily. I was just so damned thirsty all the time. �śFeeling tipsy yet?” Cassidy asked, with a bemused smirk. �śYou’ve had what, three drinks in ten minutes, right?”Yes, that sounded about right. But it also sounded very, very wrong. I was a lightweight. I should be halfway to hugging a toilet bowl by now. �śI feel fine. Why does everybody keep asking me that?” I said. �śWho keeps asking you that?” Cassidy asked.�śBette,” I said, then I finally caught that I’d missed something Cassidy said earlier. �śWhy can’t I get drunk?”She looked surprised, and then thoughtful. She took me by the hand and led me into a dim hallway at the back of the room. It was a full minute before Cassidy spoke. �śI’m not sure and I can’t explain how I know that. It’s odd, I know, but I just know.” She shrugged her shoulders.I wasn’t buying it, but I also wasn’t not buying it. I was beginning to think there were plenty of things out there that I didn’t have the experience to understand just yet. I stayed silent, hoping that Cassidy would continue. She waited a few beats and then spoke again. �śAlso, I think you’re extremely empathetic�" almost like a sponge�" possibly telepathic, and who-knows what else. I just know I’ve never met someone like you.”Cassidy was animated as she talked, clearly excited that I was a freak of some sort. I, on the other hand, was not so pumped. The last time that I’d considered how cool it would be to have any kind of supernatural ability was way back in elementary school, when I read the book The Girl With Silver Eyes. I’d dreamed of waking up telepathic for months. Alas, I stayed perfectly normal. I was still normal, right?�śI don’t even know what those words mean.” I shook my head, like I could merely disagree and it would all go away. �śWho’s Bette?” Cassidy asked, squeezing me up against the wall to let two dancers pass by. They could have been sisters, blonde, leggy, blue-eyed sisters. I watched them walk away, their hair cascading down tanned backs, their hips swaying in tandem. My face grew warm as I thought of how to answer Cassidy’s question. �śShe’s the client I’m meeting with.” I settled for simplicity. �śI really do need to find her. She probably thinks I stood her up.”Cassidy looked defeated, and I wanted to reach out to her, but I stopped myself. With everything going on, how in the hell was I supposed to know what it was that I really wanted to do, instead of just more of the empath-tele-bullshit? �śOkay, but until I can help you figure things out, I want you to take this,” she said, holding out her hand to me. �śIt should help block some of the outside interference you’re taking in.”She’d handed me a necklace. More precisely, it was a pendant, with gemstones set in silver and hung on a silver chain. The pendant itself was a full-moon with two half-moons flanking either side, waxing and waning. The stones inside the moons were light blue and black�śThat’s black tourmaline.” She pointed to the dark center stone before pointing to the matching half-moon stones. �śAnd these are Aquamarine.”�śThanks,” I said, wasting no time in putting the necklace on. I needed all the help I could get at that point. �śI really do have to find my client, but maybe we could meet for breakfast in the morning?”I waited nervously for Cassidy’s reply, though I don’t know what made me feel so twitchy. It’s not like I’d asked her out on a date or anything. �śSure. And in the meantime, I’ll see if I can dig up some answers for you.”She embraced me there in that shadowed hall, and for the first time in ages, I felt the bonds forming of a friendship. It was nice, and I relaxed just a little knowing that I didn’t have to figure everything out on my own anymore. Maybe between her and Bette, I could finally get a handle on everything. If they could just help me with Pete then I’d be set. Cassidy pulled away first. �śDon’t worry girl! We’ll get to the bottom of it.”I smiled weakly as she left me standing in the hallway. I suddenly felt very tired and hungry and the night was still young. I dreaded finding Bette and I was pretty sure that whatever she had in store for me would make the last hour seem easy-peasy. Chapter 11 When I re-entered the main lounge, it was more crowded than before, and things seemed to be heating up. The customers, however, were more diverse than I expected. Respectable men in business suits chatted jovially. Small clusters of fashionable men and women enjoyed the company of beauties. Even numerous couples and few single women seemed to be at ease in the club. A chocolate diva with some junk in her trunk knelt on stage, money raining down on her oiled body. Two guys stood on either end of the runway with stacks of singles in their hands, pulling off bills and tossing them at her to the beat of �śGet Low.” The crowd cheered as she ended the dance with something I’d never seen before�" ass clapping. And yes, that is just like it sounds. Everyone seemed relaxed, so I figured I might as well go with it. I scanned the room, looking for Bette and didn’t see her. Vera was still right where she’d been earlier, though her current entertainment had switched out. Seated beside her was Cassidy, who seemed to be enjoying the company of the perky hippie-stripper seated across her lap. The girl whispered in Cassidy’s ear and I felt my body warm. So much for the charm, I thought. I hadn’t even realized Cassidy was gay, so maybe she’d been wrong about my so-called gifts as well. I forced myself to concentrate, which was a hard thing to do while the lights flashed, the music drummed and the sea of flesh undulated before my eyes. I had to find Bette. But first, I had to get another drink. I sidled up to the bar and ordered a kamikaze, figuring I’d gladly go down in flames if I could just take the edge off. Drink in hand, I made a choice and it surprised me. I decided not to go poking around in the back rooms looking for Bette. I was avoiding, yes, mainly because I didn’t want to see anything that required eye-bleach, but also, I was becoming frustrated. Bette wanted me here so badly, well then damnit, she could just come and find me. I headed to the low runway up in the front of the room. It was built into the corner and had barstools with only one view�" whoever was doing the spotlight dance. I sat there, putting the rest of the room to my back. A dancer finished up her act and scurried around the floor grabbing up her tips and stuffing them into a pink fedora. She blew kisses to a few customers who must have tipped well, pulled the fedora to her exposed breasts and made her way off the stage. Within seconds, a new dancer arrived as Rhianna’s S&M began to play over the speakers. She was short, maybe 5’4”, wore black boy-cut shorts and a black studded halter top. Her long auburn hair cascaded over her tanned skin, but it was her eyes that held my attention. They were big, green and fixed on me�"maybe because I was the only single woman sitting by the stage. She smiled and began to dance, starting at the opposite end of the bar.First, she untied the halter, letting the straps fall to reveal a skimpy silver bikini-top. She shimmied to the beat, pushing the halter down her lithe body, eventually stepping out of it and flinging it at a guy by the stage. Next, she bent over languidly and played with the sides of her boy shorts, pulling them and pushing them for a series of tantalizing sneak peeks. Finally, she removed her shorts, right when I was about to die from anticipation, revealing a teeny-tiny silver g-string. She untied the bikini top, covering her breasts with her arms while the top fell to the floor. Again, she teased and taunted, letting glimpses of nipple be seen here and there before blocking the view once again. She jumped on the chrome pole in the center of the stage, back to me, and climbed up to the top. In one fluid set of motions, she hooked her legs around the pole, flung her upper body backwards and slid down the pole upside down, back arched and hair whipping. The catcalls kicked into a frenzy.The dancer dismounted and all I could think was how cold the pole must have felt against her warm skin. Goosebumps prickled my arms. She climbed on the bar, putting herself into positions that looked so painful I felt myself flinch. She bowed and arched and flexed and split herself in two. She spent only a little bit of time in front of each person at the bar, enough to warrant a tip without encouraging conversation or touching the merchandise. She finally slid over the bar in my direction. She knelt in front of me and leaned in close, so very close. I could smell the cocoa butter on her skin, the flowery shampoo on her hair as it brushed by my face. And I smelled something else, something tangy and sweet. Her breathe came as a whisper in my ear, sending chills down my neck. �śI saved you for last.” She licked my ear, purred like a freaking cat, and rocked back away from me. She went from kneeling into a full split, and then sat back on her tail with her legs spread out before me. I tried not to look, I swear. But I don’t care who you are. If you’re sitting there and even a passably attractive woman does that, you will look, dammit. It would be impossible not to. She arched and moved to the rhythm of the song and her full breasts began to entrance me. Her nipples were dark and large and hypnotizing. All the alcohol I’d had must have finally kicked in, because I sure felt buzzed. Her bottom slid towards me and I felt silky flesh bump into my hand that rested on the bar. I didn’t know the protocol about touching, but she didn’t seem to mind that my hand was touching her ass, so I left it there.She was practically sitting in my lap, and her hair blocked out most of what was going on around me. Her face was close enough to mine that I could have kissed her. And I wanted to, or at least I think I did. But it was impossible to tell what was real and what wasn’t anymore. At the moment, it didn’t seem to matter. With both of her hands, she touched each side of my face softly. �śFirst time?” she said, removing her hands and leaning back on the bar. Her voice was bubbly and wholesome. �śDon’t be shy. The body is a beautiful thing.” I nodded, searching for something to say, anything, but all I could do was stare. I licked my dry lips, wishing I had another drink. She put both feet on the back of my chair, one over each shoulder and pumped her ass into the air. It was quite an impressive move, made more so by the fact that her barely-covered vagina was just inches from my face. I swallowed hard as she pumped up and down in front of me. Through her tiny g-string I could pretty much see it all, even the little patch of hair above her cleft. My breath quickened and my body clenched down low. I was sure my face was beet red and that everyone as looking at me. But I didn’t really care. From the other side of the stage I heard someone yelling, �śBring that sweet ass back over here, she doesn’t have what you need.” Deep, manly guffaws followed. Mercifully, she sat up draping her legs over my lap. But before I could feel any real relief from the burning sensations that pricked my throat and quickened my groin, she made things for me so much worse. The kind of worse that comes along after a horny, frustrated working mother sees somebody else’s kibbles and bits for the first time and realizes that she likes it. In one fluid motion, she lay on her side, kicked one leg straight up in the air, and tugged the g-string out from her body. From watching her earlier, I knew that I was expected to place the tip under the snip of fabric. Actually doing it, not so easy. I had to move, and my body wasn’t listening to my brain. I had to place the bill without crossing a line. And worse, I had to watch myself do it.I slid a bill out of my pocket, not even looking to see what it was. I’d not come prepared, so I had nothing but larger bills. The green-eyed dancer stopped gyrating and pulled her money-keeper further away from her body. As I slipped the bill under the fabric, I could see the manicured slip of dark hair which dipped into her dewy pink folds. My breath caught in my throat and I jerked my hand back like she’d bitten me. She regarded me for a long second before she kissed me full on the mouth. I was confused. I didn’t think strippers did that? Or was it hookers I was thinking of? Damn Julia Roberts for not making that clear. While she collected her tips from the stage behind the bar, I pulled another bill out of my pocket. I threw the twenty on the bar and stood to go get another drink, since they were obviously helping me out so far. A hand clasped mine and I turned to see the dancer whose vagina had recently been in my face. She pulled me toward the private rooms with a smile.�śCome with me,” she said, wrapping her arm around my waist and guiding me down the dark hall. It felt awkward, me walking like a normal person, with a mostly-naked goddess draped around me. Worse still, her breasts bobbed as we walked and I couldn’t take my eyes off them in all their jiggling-splendor.In a moment of self-consciousness, I scanned the room as we left to see if Cassidy and Vera noticed my wanton display. I didn’t see them anywhere and I could only hope that they hadn’t seen me. I wasn’t worried about them telling anyone. I mean really, what could they say that wouldn’t also place them in a strip club too? Rather, I was more worried about what they would think of me. Hell, I was beginning to worry about what I thought of myself. Looking in the mirror wouldn’t be the same tomorrow�"that I was sure of.A stripper took the stage sporting spiked hair, a dog collar and a pink ballerina skirt over four-inch-heeled combat boots. On cue with her entrance The Dollyrots belted out attitude. As Bad Reputation rocked the room, I smiled at the timing and entered the hallway with my stripper clinging to my side. Chapter 12Once in the darkened hall, I felt the stripper’s hand slip under my jacket and cami, stroking the curve of my hip. She must think that I’m loaded, I thought. Why else would she be corralling me into a private, high-priced room? Oh well, I went with it. At the third curtained room, she motioned for me to go ahead as we passed through the narrow opening. I felt her press up behind me, her arms snaking around my waist as I stopped. It felt both comforting and clingy at the same time, almost like she was hiding behind me. Of course, the room wasn’t empty. Why hadn’t I considered that?Inside the ten foot square room was a low bench that ran along three of the walls. A handful of people were seated on the bench, scattered around the room and partially obscured by deep shadows. To my left were two dark and handsome men in tailored suits that looked somewhat familiar, and in the back a pretty blonde socialite lounged, each with their own private dancers. To the right was one more person, seated alone like she was waiting.�śAh, Morgan, I see you found my Clara!” Bette said.The dancer, whose name was apparently Morgan, peeked around me to nod quickly before hugging me tighter. �śBette.” I nodded. My vocabulary was stunted by the press of Morgan’s breasts into my back. �śPlease, have a seat,” Bette waved her hand to the stretch of bench between herself and the back of the room. With Morgan still attached to me, I crossed the room and took a seat down the bench a bit from Bette. Morgan sat on the other side of me, curling up under my arm. I wasn’t sure what was going on with her. She’d gone from a confident temptress to clingy child in less than a minute. �śHave you met Clive and Gregor?” Bette nodded to the two men across from us. Both men leaned out from behind their matching strippers and offered up a cursory �śh’allo.” I wasn’t sure which one was Clive and which one was Gregor. The men were similar in height and athletic build, but that’s where the similarities ended. With black, gelled hair, the man directly across from Bette looked polished and decidedly upper crust. The man across from me however, had closely cropped hair, a five o’clock shadow, and a slight scar interrupting his brow line. The first guy was a bit creepy, but the second man was hot. I nicknamed them Dark and Dangerous almost immediately. I’d take dangerous any day over dark. There was no trusting a man that took that much care with his appearance�"you’d always be second in the relationship. �śAnd China, an old friend,” Bette motioned to the blonde woman in the back, whose stripper was oriental. Talk about irony. �śNice to meet you all,” I said quickly. Something in Bette’s tone told me that she was on edge. Was it because of the talk she promised me, or her other guests? A waitress entered the room with an obscenely large bottle of champagne and five glasses. �śWill there be anything else, Miss?” she asked Bette.I stifled a laugh. While Bette was stop-traffic gorgeous, she obviously wasn’t a �śMiss”. I guessed her age to be near mine, or maybe just a couple of years older. Bette sliced me with a steely gaze before returning her attention to the waitress. �śYes, send me a girl. A healthy, bubbly one.”The waitress crinkled her forehead at the strange turn of phrase. �śSure, I’ll send one right in.” She hurried from the room. �śSo, Clara, tell us a little about you,” China said while the stripper bobbed up and down on her lap. I was becoming grumpy and thirsty again. Imagine that. I had to talk to Bette and doing the whole cocktail party introduction thing wasn’t my style. I only forced myself to smile and make small talk when it was my job, which this clearly wasn’t.I looked to Bette who was uncorking the champagne and pouring it into the glasses. She nodded indicating that I should answer. �śWell, I’m an account manager for a boutique advertising firm,” I started. �śHumph. Blue collar,” said one of the men, the one I’d nicknamed Dark. I ignored him, afraid of what I might say if I replied. People who couldn’t be cordial had a way of getting under my skin. I continued, trying to keep the bite out of my reply. �śI live in coastal Virginia and I have an eight-year old daughter named Quinn,” I said. Bette almost dropped the glass she was holding. �śYou can’t have a child! You are not wearing a wedding ring.”What century was she from? Gawd.�śWell, Bette, I am married, but separating, so I’m not wearing the rings,” I said, hoping that made sense. Only I knew the real reason my fingers remained jewelry-free. Specifically, that I’d had to borrow money against my entire bridal set last month to cover the mortgage and I’d been stressing over it ever since. �śSo you like men?” said China, looking pointedly at Bette. I started to point out the obvious, like the might-as-well-be-naked girl stroking my neck, but I was too tired for snark. �śI married a man, so I guess I like them well enough most of the time.”�śElizabetta, did you not know of the husband, or the child?” Dangerous said. Bette looked bewildered and it was odd to see her not totally in-control at the moment. �śNo, I did not,” she said. �śQuite the predicament you’ve placed us in,” said Dark.�śAre we sure this conversation is even necessary?” said China.�śChina is right. We are getting ahead of ourselves,” Bette agreed. What they hell were they talking about? I was having a hard time following. Their voices seemed to be faster, like I was hearing the frequency wrong or something. Maybe the alcohol was finally kicking in like it should have an hour ago.�śClara, talk to me. What questions did you have?” said Bette, passing out the filled champagne glasses. A new stripper entered the room. She was a southern belle, all the way down to her peach-colored bikini and seductive drawl. �śWhat can I do for y’all?” she said. Bette summoned the girl to her, and she complied by mirroring the actions of every other stripper in the room, except for Morgan. She had regained some of her charisma and was using it against me. She’d pressed her bare chest to me and was stroking my thigh, tracing just fractions of an inch higher with each loop of her hand. That made it so much easier to think. �śWell, I thought we were going to talk in private,” I hedged. �śWe are,” said Bette, �śthe ladies are not paying us any attention. So ask what you will.”It was Bette’s friends that bothered me, not the strippers. I’m sure they’d heard all kinds of things in their line of work. �śBut I don’t know where to start,” I said, swatting Morgan’s hand away when she skimmed the tender skin just outside of my bikini line. �śThe beginning will do,” said China with a trace of impatience in her voice. �śOkay. What is with that violin of yours Bette? How could I play it?” I asked.I heard the men murmur to themselves. China remained silent, but stared at Bette.�śI told you, that instrument is enchanted. It called to you; it is how I knew you were the one,” Bette said. �śI’ll pretend that makes any sense for now. But how could I play it?”�śOnly those destined for our life can play it,” Bette said simply. Well, that was helpful. Since I was striking out on all fronts, I decided to push on until I learned something useful. �śOkay, I’ll come back to that too. Why don’t I remember a single thing from last night? I know I had a lot to drink, but if I’d had enough to black out, surely I would have had a hangover this morning.”Dark and Dangerous pushed their strippers to the side, to pay better attention to the conversation. �śWe’ll come back to that in a moment,” Bette hedged. �śWhat else did you want to ask?”�śUh, okay. Did I do something to Domino earlier, like he insists?”That got China’s attention. She tossed aside her doll as well. �śI am not sure, Clara. If you did, it is outside the scope of my knowledge.”Well, this was going swimmingly. �śOkay, how is it that after a night I don’t remember, I haven’t used the restroom once, I have no desire to eat but I could drink everything in this building and still be thirsty, and when I cry my tears are pink?”�śSo you did do it!” Dark addressed Bette in a congratulatory fashion.�śHas she really had nothing to eat yet?” China got up to study me like I was some experiment on display. She leaned in, too close for comfort, staring at my mouth. She looked like she wanted to dissect me. �śHow is she so...so composed?” �śThat is why I brought you all here. Did you think it was for the oppressive heat and the loose women?” Bette said.�śI’m sure China did,” sneered Dark. �śWould somebody please tell me what you guys are talking about? You’re creeping me out.” I wasn’t kidding either. My skin crawled with dread and apprehension. Something bad was coming. I could practically see the storm-clouds rolling in. My spidey-sense was right on the nose, and for once, I figured it out ahead of time. Chapter 13 Bette caressed me with her gaze, her features softening. �śLast night, we made love, Clara. And you begged me to do it. Do you truly not remember?”I shuddered. I hated that phrase�"make love�" it was too cutesy, too Pollyanna. Real people had sex. The act was a verb and deserved an action-word. One couldn’t invent love by getting naked. Therefore love was not possible to make. It already existed or it didn’t. Really though, I was just avoiding the topic at hand. I had slept with a woman. And I didn’t remember a second of it. Damn.�śGreat, so my first time with a woman and it might as well of not happened,” I complained mostly to myself. One of the stupid men gaping at me snickered�"who cares which one found my girl-virginity amusing. �śWait, what do you mean, I begged you to do it? Do what?”�śI turned you, I think. Or I tried, but it doesn’t seem to have taken, at least not fully,” Bette explained. �śTurn me into what, a pumpkin?” My humor missed its mark apparently, because nobody seemed to get the joke. Have I mentioned that I make stupid jokes under stress? �śOne of us. Like me,” Bette was being vague and it scared me. She was usually uber-direct. She continued, �śI fed from you, drained you of most of your blood, and then I fed you.”�śThat sounds like a homo-erotic vampire flick. Seriously, what happened?” I said, wringing my hands. �śI have already explained. You are vampire. Maybe,” she said, shrugging her shoulders and looking so very nonchalant. We could have been discussing weather or current affairs.�śSo you killed me?” I deadpanned. �śDo you feel dead?” Dangerous smirked and slapped his stripper on the ass. The echo sounded through the room. �śOk, let’s say for the sake of argument that you are serious and I’m a baby vampire. Shouldn’t I be stark-raving mad, biting anything that moves, gorging myself on blood?” I still didn’t believe. Not at all. No way, no how. �śThat is the maybe part. You seem to have taken on some of the characteristics of vampirism, but not the more unsavory ones. I’ve never encountered this before, so I cannot explain it.” I sat there, my mouth slack. I could feel Morgan shiver against me. I placed my arm back around her instinctively and tried to ignore her flinch. She was scared again, but of me instead of them. �śI don’t believe it. Prove it,” I said. �śDo something Vampy.” Dangerous laughed and I shot him a cold look. Bette considered my challenge, and then crooked her finger at the stripper seated on the floor. She got up and climbed onto Bette’s lap, offering up her creamy skin. Bette traced the delineation of her neck, pressing down like one would do if checking for a pulse. She whispered something in the stripper’s ear and the girl went limp in Bette’s arms. Casting a glance at the velvet curtain to our room, Bette waved her hand at it, and the curtain stilled. I swear it looked more solid than it had ten seconds earlier.Slowly, tenderly, Bette pushed her lips against the girl’s skin, and I heard a low popping sound, like an oily bubble bursting. The stripper moaned and writhed as Bette latched on, drawing the blood into her mouth in long gulps. The moaning grew louder, cresting when the girl shuddered and went limp again. A dark spot spread across the peach fabric of her g-string.Bette pulled away from the girl and I could see a fine trail of blood in the corner of Bette’s pouty mouth. She licked the trace away with a flick of her tongue, stroked the girl’s hair and murmured to her for several minutes before the girl became more alert. When she had gathered herself up, Bette finally spoke aloud. �śIs that proof enough for you Clara?”�śNope. All that proves is that you have some strange dietary restrictions. I’m sure there is a logical answer for that�"like you’re missing a gene or something.”There was a term for that. Picarism. Or was that only for people who ate really weird shit like dirt or nickels? Did I really just infer that eating dirt was weirder than sucking blood? What was wrong with me? I was panicking, with a deep undercurrent of denial. If vampires were real, then I’d be forced to revisit my Boogeyman fear, and I didn’t even want to consider the Leprechauns. Those little buggers creeped me the hell out. Bette gave me a you-don’t-really-believe-that look and I averted my gaze. Morgan clung to me tighter and I could feel one of her hands snaking behind my back, clutching my rib cage. Her other hand was back up my skirt, resting close enough to my vagina that I could feel it twitch with anticipation. Even my body was going rogue. �śYou seem intelligent enough. You can’t possibly refute what you just saw,” said Dark, pushing the head of his stripper down south so he could look me in the eye. I felt the fight go out of me and it was more than a little depressing. �śOkay, okay. It might be proof that you could possibly be what you say, uh, a vampire, but I think I’d know if I was one too. You didn’t bite me. I think I’d have noticed that.” I argued just because I wasn’t ready to believe just yet.�śYes, I did. Look for yourself.” Bette motioned to my lap, roughly where Morgan’s hand still sat. I felt myself twitch again, though I wasn’t sure if it was from Morgan’s hand or Bette focusing on the supposed location of my bite. I shook my head. No way was I going to hike up my skirt, spread my legs and look for a bite wound. �śClara, you must,” Bette prodded. �śNo, I most certainly do not,” I argued. �śThe champagne is getting warm. Please, just do it so we can celebrate,” Bette tried again. On a side note, how could she think I’d want to celebrate becoming one of the undead blood suckers? Really.�śUm, thanks, but no,” I repeated. �śShall I help Claire bare her mark?” Dark said. China giggled, though the sound was muffled as her face was currently buried in moderate cleavage. �śOh, no!” I protested. �śYou’re not coming near me, slick.”�śPity. I might have enjoyed it,” Dark said. What an arrogant, self-absorbed ass. I was beginning to see that my instincts were spot on where he was concerned; he was the vampire to steer clear of if I could help it. Bette sighed and slid her stripper off of lap. �śClara...”Dangerous stood, holding up his hand to Bette, who fell silent at his interruption. Bette seemed unable to go against him. She watched him cross the carpeted floor, as did I, in silence. He was bigger than I’d realized. Not in a body-builder type of way, either. He looked like someone who was just born tough, and the tight black fitted tee only exacerbated the fear creeping up my throat. God, he could probably tear me in two. A chill crept along my spine. He stopped in front of me and looked to Morgan, who quickly peeled away from my side. �śLook, I’m not going to show you anything either,” I said, biting my lip. I bit harder than I meant to and felt the stab of pain as my lip punctured. The tiny trickle of blood tasted heavenly though. Thoughts of my constant thirst returned to mind.�śShhh,” Dangerous said, kicking my feet apart with his boot. �śJust hold still, so we can get it over with.”I opened my mouth to protest, but my voice faltered. Looking into his chestnut eyes froze me and I could do nothing but watch as he knelt in front of me and ran his large, scarred hands up the outsides of my legs. He pushed my skirt up around my hips, revealing my bare thighs and the front of my underwear. Thank god I’d gone with black lace. If I’d been wearing granny-panties, I probably would have staked myself right there.Dangerous studied what little he could see for just long enough to make me squirm inside. I didn’t have any control over myself, so he had to be a vampire as well. It felt similar to the way I’d felt around Bette several times. Why had it taken me so long to realize she had some kind of power over me? I was such a fool. He placed a hand on the inside of each of my knees and pried my legs apart like he was resetting a bear trap. The cool air hit my exposed skin and my body tightened. I was scared, yes, but more than that I’d been teased and titillated one too many times that evening. So a slight breeze was enough to make me breathe a little faster. �śIt’s on the left,” Bette said coldly. I don’t think she liked the idea of Dangerous being that close to my goods either. �śNo, your left,” she clarified.Without finesse or tact, he pushed the fabric of my underwear aside to reveal the skin along my bikini line. I did not look. It was bad enough feeling his rough hands so close, close enough that it was triggering a set of mini-quakes down there, but I certainly didn’t want to see it. For all I knew, my entire snatch was out on display for everyone. Nope, no way was I looking. �śAh,” he said, running his fingers over two hard scabbed spots. �śSee here.” I was mortified, sitting there spread eagle for the whole room to see. But only Dangerous was looking at me. He was bent over, his face very close to the place where I was beginning to want him. God help me, I’d gone from under-sexed housewife to nymphomaniac in a span of just a few days. It was like a switch had been flipped. He inhaled sharply. �śShe reeks of you, Elizabetta.” Dangerous pushed back from me abruptly and stood. I quickly lowered my gaze to my still-exposed lap. I prayed for a hole to open up in the floor so I could be sucked down into the pits of hell right then. I prayed for a strong shaft of sunlight to set me ablaze�" I assumed that little factoid was true, but I hadn’t actually been in the direct sun, so I couldn’t be sure. Bette laughed a smooth, buttery sound. �śHe only means that I’ve marked you, Clara. I’m sure you smell delicious as always.” I don’t know if that made me feel better or not. �śThanks, I guess.”My arms seemed to be working again, so I used them to fix my clothing. Nobody was looking at me, so I ran my hands over the spot and felt the marks myself. They were the ones I’d noticed in the shower earlier. How could I have forgotten about that already?�śSo...” I said. �śIt is time to celebrate!” Bette said. She called Dark’s stripper over to the tray of waiting champagne. Bette took the girls wrist, whispered briefly in her ear, and brought the girl’s wrist up to her mouth. After a slight wet-popping sound, Bette held the girl’s bleeding wrist over each glass on the tray. The crimson liquid rained down and sunk to the bottom of each glass. Bette brought the girl’s wrist back to her mouth, licked it quickly and dismissed the girl. The stripper took a seat beside Dark, clearly dazed. At least she’d be able to go home at the end of the night and forget all about it. I, however, would probably remember the night for the rest of my life.However long that was.Chapter 14Bette delivered each glass of champagne to the rest of us, taking a moment to swirl the contents first. I watched as the dark and light circled each other in the glasses, before melding into something new altogether. She stood in the center of the room with her glass aloft. ”Tonight, old friends, we celebrate the birth of Clara, a vampire like no other we’ve known.”�śHere, here.”�śSalud.”Glasses chinked and everyone downed their laced drinks. Everyone but me, that is. �śDrink,” said Dangerous.I drank slowly at first, because hell, the champagne did have blood in it. But then as the blood hit my taste buds, hunger took over. I gulped until the glass was empty. Then I tilted the glass up waiting for the last drop to slide out. I licked at the sides trying to get every last molecule. Table manners were not a priority.�śClearly, she likes it,” said China, �śbut shouldn’t she need more? Does she even have fangs?”It was a good question, really. I ran my tongue over my teeth, which felt like they always had. Normal, that is. �śI don’t know,” said Bette. Dangerous got up and strode toward me, cocksure and full of himself.�śWait,” I said. �śA friend pointed out earlier that I seem to be empathic, or tele-something, so maybe that is why I’m not normal like you all.” I held up my hand to Dangerous, hoping to keep him away from me as long as I could. He was a vampire after all. Bette was a vampire too. And I was�Ś like them? I still couldn’t make myself say the V-word. �śMaybe,” said Dangerous, not convinced. �śNo really. She thinks I’m like a sponge. I soak up things that others are thinking or feeling and use it somehow.”They all looked skeptical, not that I blamed them. It sounded stupid even to me. �śAnd maybe I can reflect things too, like with Domino. He was pissed off and I got so mad. For no reason at all�"I could have choked him.” I didn’t point out that I probably had choked him, if not with my fingers then with my talent.The room grew silent. Dark regarded me with equal parts apprehension and wonder, like I was a loaded gun that he wanted to pick up and play with.�śWho is this friend, Clara? You must not talk to outsiders about any of this, it is much too dangerous,” Bette said. �śHer name is Cassidy. I think she’s Wiccan or a witch or something. She figured out some of my weird behavior. She can help.” I was babbling and I knew it. Anything to prevent the fang inspection.�śNo, you must not talk to her again,” Dark ordered. �śIt’s okay. She gave me this,” I placed my hand upon the necklace at my throat. �śShe said it would help block the some of the incoming things.”Bette came over to me, reached out to touch the necklace, but recoiled at the last moment. �śTake it off, Clara. That is tourmaline and it can harm you now. Slowly, like a poison, it will weaken you.”I felt fine, better than I had before putting it on, but I didn’t feel like I could argue with Bette. She looked almost scared of the necklace. I unhooked the clasp and held the necklace out in my hand towards her. She shook her head. �śNo, put it in your purse. It is hung on silver, which is bad for us as well. It won’t burn your skin, like those silly television shows, but it does weaken us.”China leaned forward catching my eye. �śDoes your friend suspect you are vampire? It’s odd that she gave you a necklace that can hurt you two different ways.”I’d like to think that Cassidy could be trusted, that she wouldn’t intentionally try to hurt me, but the truth was, I had no way of knowing that. Maybe she had given me something to help block my receptiveness and it was just a coincidence that the silver and the stones were bad for vamps. It didn’t mean the gift was ill-conceived. �śCassidy didn’t have the whole story, so how could she have known?” I argued. �śShe has helped me so far. In fact, if it wasn’t for her I would even have a clue about these weird abilities that she thinks I have.” Maybe even, that was why I was such a half-assed vampire. My dual natures were locked in conflict. Like yin and yang. Whatever, I was getting tired and grumpy�"and thirstier still. Bette watched as I put the stones away, only relaxing once I’d shut my purse and the necklace was out of view. She pleaded to me with her eyes. �śUntil I can acquire answers, please say nothing to your friend.”I gave Bette a small nod, letting her know that for now at least, I would keep Cassidy in the dark. �śYou guys are real party animals,” China said. �śCan we have some fun now?”�śShut up, China,” Dangerous said, shooting her an irritated look. �śFirst, we need to see if she can feed,” Dark chimed in. �śYes,” said Bette. �śA Vampire cannot survive without nourishment.” Bette looked forlorn and it made me want to comfort her. But then I realized what she meant. If I was a vampire, then I had to suck blood. If I couldn’t suck blood, I wouldn’t survive. I could die. Well, shit. �śBut isn’t it supposed to be instinct?” I asked, hoping I didn’t sound too stupid.Dangerous shrugged and Dark just looked smug. That bastard was gloating a big I-told-you-so at Bette.�śTeach me then,” I said, getting desperate. I had Quinn to think of. Besides, I didn’t want to die. Or was I already dead? Anyway, it didn’t seem fair to go out like that, before I’d had a chance to get my life back on track.Bette considered my plea, oblivious to my state of panic. �śI have an idea,” she said. �śThis friend of yours, Cassidy is it? She thinks you can absorb the emotions of other? Like you did with Domino in the parking garage?”�śYes,” I nodded, �śprobably.” �śGood, good. Let us hope she is right.” Bette gathered the attention of the others and directed her words to them. �śBe as you are and let your desire to feed take focus.”I knew what she was doing. They were going to try and use my gifts against me; they would trick my baby-vampire body into wanting to feed, and hopefully it would work. �śMorgan, go to Claire,” Dangerous commanded.There was silence while everyone allowed the music to build the mood back up. Through the speakers, the pleading, seductive tones of a Melissa Etheridge classic began to play. What was up with that song lately? I was hearing it everywhere.Morgan came to me and mirrored the other strippers by doing a seductive dance of dips and stretches. The swell of her hip. Those dimples at the top of her back. I looked to Bette, hoping she’d tell me what to do. Of course, she was no help, fully taking her own instructions. She focused on her Georgia-peach stripper, who was inching closer with each dip and sway of her tanned body. My view of China was almost entirely blocked by her petite stripper, who gyrated slightly out of time.That left Dark and Dangerous. I didn’t want to even look at Dark, he was repugnant. And Dangerous, well�Ś. he’d shifted his body at an angle, so that he could watch me and his lithe stripper at the same time. She was toned, tanned and moved with the confidence of someone stellar in bed. Where the hell had that come from? Ah, that thought was his, not mine. The corner of his mouth turned up slightly, like he was enjoying himself. I got Morgan’s attention and whispered, �śdo everything she does,” nodding over to Dangerous’s girl. As instructed, she began to mirror the other girl. Morgan bent over in front of me, swishing her hips slowly. With her hands on the floor in front of her, she transitioned into the downward dog yoga pose, sliding her feet closer to mine so that when she pushed back up, her ass was very near my face. God, I wish I could pull off that yoga pose. I shook my head. Dammit, focus!I looked at Dangerous as he placed his palm atop the ass in his face. I did the same. Through her legs, I could see Morgan’s breasts bouncing in cadence to the music and I wanted to touch them, to feel their weight in my hands. My desire, or his? There was no way to tell, because Morgan turned to me, thrusting her chest in my face before I could figure it out. Her breasts were firm, but soft. Silky, even. In the center of each darkened areola was an erect nipple. Morgan teased, brushing the nipples all around my reaching mouth. She cupped my breasts in her hands, squeezing. She pressed herself down on me harder, closing the gap between my leg and her crotch. She slid back and forth on me and I looked to see Dangerous getting a ride of his own. He was hard and hungry, I could feel it. Yet, instead of being focused on his dancer, his eyes burned into mine. My stomach knotted and I felt heat spread up my legs. A slight stab of pain shot through my jaw, but it was quickly forgotten as I realized that Morgan had worked my skirt up around my hips. Dangerous flicked his eyes to my panties and I found myself spreading my legs a little further apart, without breaking eye contact with him. Yes, the words �śwanton slut” popped into my mind, but I flicked them away like a pesky bug.His jaw set, Dangerous looked back to me as his dancer worked his groin. His stare was unnerving and I could feel the weight of his eyes skimming over my body. My skin prickled and the room glowed with a slight, red haze.�śTouch me, please,” Morgan purred in my ear before guiding both of my hands to her ass. I cupped her bottom as she rolled her hips, feeling the muscles flex with each dip. She slid back and forth on my leg, the dampened fabric of her G-string warm against my bare leg. Morgan pressed one knee between my legs, titillating me with each roll of her hips. She reached around and guided my hands lower, so that my fingers pushed under the edge of her g-string. Dangerous inhaled sharply and I tried to ignore him. Really, I did. But I just couldn’t help myself, so I gave in and looked up. His t-shirt had been pushed up to reveal his tight abs and his stripper was on her knees working at his belt buckle. Ah, it must be one of those-kinds of clubs. China was laying on the back bench with her stripper, her hand disappearing into the girl’s crotch. Dark had his face buried in his girl’s breasts, his pants tented with his erection. Apparently, vampires had no circulation problems despite being dead and all. Bette was the last place I looked, probably because I didn’t want to see her with someone else. I liked her, or at least I thought I did. But seeing Bette with a naked stripper covering her like a blanket didn’t bother me like I thought it would. That made me sad. The room was beginning to look like a bad seventies porno. More than not wanting to see the others taking care of business, I was not at all comfortable with others watching me, especially Dark. I sighed, conflicted over what my body was craving and what my morality could bear. At that point, I couldn’t tell which side was winning. Or what side I was rooting for. Back to Dangerous and our little game. His stripper had opened his fly and was stroking him under the weight of his pants. Morgan glanced behind her then shifted to straddle both of my legs again. My breath hitched as she kissed me hard on the mouth. I snuck a peek at Dangerous as Morgan’s tongue twisted up my own. He did not take his eyes off me, despite the talents of his stripper. His focus was singular, which was unnerving and arousing at the same time. Then he did something that took the evening into I can’t believe I did that territory. I mean really, I just don’t do things like that. It may be one of the most clichéd excuses out there, but in my case it’s true. Also, I would deny it, if I was ever asked. To the death, even. Dangerous pushed his stripper aside, stood and straightened his clothes. I cast a glance to Bette, but she was still otherwise occupied, as was everyone else. No one noticed Dangerous heading my way. Or at least if they did, they didn’t care. The room grew noticeably darker, as if the shadows had grown in size in an effort to help with my modesty issues. Did I do that somehow? It was certainly convenient though. With the lights dimmed, I had a hard time making out anything further than a few feet away. I couldn’t even see the others around the room. Which meant that they couldn’t see me either. From out of the darkness, Dangerous appeared before me. Morgan flinched and skittered off my lap as he approached. My chest thumped once, hard, as every muscle in my body tensed. I licked my lips, feeling that first pang of hunger and recognizing the desire for what it was instantly. Carnal. �śI thought I could sit and watch,” Dangerous said as he picked me up, turned and sat with me on his lap, facing away from him, �śbut I cannot help myself.”His stripper crawled up beside him, stroking my back. I could feel him hard underneath me and I instinctively rubbed against it. Oh, I was so going to hell for that and everything that followed.Fire burned my throat and for the first time, I was more than just thirsty. I was consumed with an intensity that was sudden and engulfing. It hurt and it burned.Morgan danced over me as Dangerous held on to my hips, sliding me back and forth several times before lifting me up. His stripper grasped my breast and kissed me on the back of my neck. �śNow,” Dangerous growled, lifting me up. My underwear was removed and my body lowered on to him. The burning in my throat was matched by a fire in my groin. I could feel myself swallowing him a bit at a time. Inch by inch, it was like a drug. A potent, addictive drug. I rode him with desperate need. I could feel the pressure building as my body tightened and trembled. He clutched my hips, pulling me down further with strong, calloused hands. I felt a slight nip on my shoulder as he grazed my back with his teeth. I wanted it all; to be screwed and sucked, and most of all, to bite something, anything with a pulse. My vision went hazy white, then red. Static buzzed in my ears, every sound within the club closing in on me at once. My thoughts flickered like someone was flipping my switch every few seconds. I felt disconnected, dazed. And I was getting close. Very close. �śMorgan,” Dangerous said, his voice strained. �śGet up.”She pressed herself to me, breast to breast, pushing my face into her neck. Another shot of pain surged through my mouth, like I’d chewed on a faulty electrical cord. My mouth stung, but felt numb at the same time. An odd pressure spread across both of my cheek bones. I ran my tongue over my teeth to check for canines. Nothing new there. Dangerous pushed into me, so far that I could almost taste it. I clenched and drew myself up the length of him, then down again with force. I kissed Morgan’s neck, felt her pulse under my lips. I rocked my body while licking Morgan’s neck. The thrusts became frenzied and I felt Dangerous’s stripper lean between us. A new song piped through the speakers and The Toadies singer crooned about showing his dark secret, telling me to make up my mind if I wanted to live forever. To be his angel. Do you wanna die, he asked. Too late, I thought. Morgan clung to me. She smelled heavenly�"exotic and metallic�" it was her blood that smelled divine. I closed my eyes and inhaled sharply. I’d died and gone to heaven. Pleasure had been just a concept before that night. I’d never known what I was missing. Little waves of pleasure lapped at me, building in momentum. I heard myself hiss, at least I think I did, but I was far too gone to be sure. I ground myself against Dangerous, feeling him fill me up completely. I couldn’t take much more. Every one of my senses was misfiring, my skin felt electric, all abuzz and tingly. I didn’t know what I was doing, but it needed to end. I didn’t want it to end; but still, I couldn’t take it much longer. Morgan grabbed me hard by the hips, and that was the little push that I needed to carry me over the edge. I heard a popping sound behind me, followed by a tiny little gasp. Dangerous thrust one time more, hard into me. I clenched around him, rocked to the core. It was only after I heard another pop, and Morgan sigh, that I realized I’d bitten her. I’d latched on to her neck, gulping the warm, tangy blood greedily as the darkness crashed and carried me away. Chapter 15The next little bit was foggy, like I was seeing things through the holes in an old cotton blanket. It reminded me of when I was a child and made a tent in my bed so that I could read late at night without giving myself away. But this time was not nearly so innocent. I didn’t remember much right after, but what I did remember would have my mother turning in her grave.Sounds were muffled and I felt like I was drifting, not exactly within my own body. Focusing on one thing for more than a second was impossible. Figures passed in front of me. Voices floated through the air like spring winds. I snatched thoughts as they floated by. I was a vampire. I was dead, or half-dead or something. I was a single mom (almost) and I was dating (sort of) another female. I’d just had anonymous sex with a vampire in front of a bunch of other people. My life was over; my life was just beginning.Oh, and I just drank human blood�"warm, from another person.Was Morgan ok?Finally, I was able to concentrate long enough to find the one person I sought. Morgan was across from me, laid on a bench. She looked to be sleeping. A figure passed in front of me and from the blond hair, I assumed it was China.The music overhead changed again and I could almost see the stripper in the main lounge strutting to the stage under the high-energy pulse of Paralyzer. The music gods were having a good laugh at my expense, because I felt as close to paralyzed as I’d ever been. I was definitely struck by something. The fog thickened again and I felt myself being stood up. Dangerous separated from me and his withdrawal was disappointing on a visceral level. A shiver passed through my body as the world tilted slightly. I was full, sated�"possibly to the point of being high. That made me wonder if Morgan had been on anything, and if so, was it possible for me to get high or drunk by proxy?My vision cleared a little and Bette was standing in front of me, touching my cheek. Her face was devoid of emotion, but her eyes sparkled. God she was beautiful, regal even. And oozing with sex appeal. Part of me hoped that we had something real, something tangible, even when I understood that I’d been under her spell for most of the last few days and not acting on my own desires. Was wanting something a good enough reason to get it? And what about Dangerous? Was Bette mad about that? I couldn’t tell. She didn’t look mad, but she was hard to read, so much going on under that stunning veneer of hers. God, I was babbling. The fact that I was babbling to myself, in my own damn head, made it that much worse.�śClara, can you hear me?” Bette said. Rough hands pulled down my skirt. The fabric scratched at my bare legs, shooting odd sensations through my skin. A body pressed against me from behind, strong arms wrapping around me. It was him�"Dangerous. I could smell him, musky and salty, behind me.�śHow did it feel, your first time?” Dangerous whispered in my ear.A warm shiver ran up my spine and I responded, �śDivine.” He backed away and the fog lifted from my brain like a curtain. My gaze landed on Morgan, unconscious on the bench. Dark sat beside her with his hand upon her wrist and a scowl upon his face. Time stuttered as my brain connected the dots. My stomach dropped, remembering what I’d done. �śOh my God, is she...” my voice faltered. I couldn’t bring myself to say it. No, I could not even bring myself to think it. I wasn’t a killer. Please, don’t let me be a killer.Nervous glances were shared around the room. Time skipped another beat and my full belly suddenly felt like a lead ball, anchoring me to the floor. I wanted to throw up but I didn’t even know if it was possible. I wanted to die, to trade places with Morgan. She didn’t deserve that. Dark finally spoke up, �śShe’s resting. You took too much but she’ll be fine after a long rest and some vitamins. You need to learn the art of restraint.” I covered my face with my hands and sat down. I’d almost killed Morgan. It was little consolation that I hadn’t. I could have. I was armed and dangerous even when I didn’t realize it. My god, what had I become? I was some kind of monster. The question was how was I going to live with my new self?I was a single mother with responsibilities and that was hard enough, but a Vampire mommy? That was unheard of. How was I going to function? I needed answers. I needed help. Popular culture had twisted vampire mythology so much that I had no idea what was actually true about them. Details, tiny little details that would affect every minute of my life for who knows how long and I was uninformed. I wiped the tears from my face and looked around the room. The other strippers were gone, just leaving the five of us and Morgan. �śAre you sure that she’s okay?” I asked again. China checked her pulse and nodded. �śYup. She’ll be fine. You’re lucky that Clive here skips the foreplay in favor of a quicker transaction, otherwise we might not have noticed in time.”She’d motioned to Dark and I wasn’t surprised at all. He looked the part and was one example where judging a book by its cover was accurate. So, Dark was actually Clive. Creepy Clive. Yeah, it fit. So that must mean that Dangerous was named Gregor. Nice to finally know his name, though it would have been better to know before I’d had sex with him. Thinking of him, I scanned the room and saw him seated in the shadows of the back corner. I couldn’t see his face, which bugged me. Like any woman, I needed that post-sex validation. I’d felt like a slut for the first time in my life and I needed someone to reassure me that it was okay�"that I was okay�"even when I knew I wasn’t.�śClara,” Bette took me by the arm and led me to the front of the room. �śWe need to discuss this more, but not here.”I noticed the trepidation in her voice. She was worried, perhaps even scared.I wasn’t sure how to respond. I was in open water, fighting the pull of the riptide and sinking fast. I needed a moment to gather my thoughts. �śI�ŚI have to use the bathroom.” I said scurrying out of the booth and heading down the long hall. It was only after I closed the door behind me that I realized I couldn’t use running to the bathroom as an excuse anymore.After checking to be sure the room was empty, I looked in the mirror, expecting to see some drastic change in my appearance. Whatever I’d hoped to see wasn’t there. I still looked like me, only it was more like looking at the ghost of a life-past. It was all mirrors and smoke. A trick of light; an illusion. �śIf I had not intervened, you would have killed your little stripper girl.”I looked up in the mirror, and Dark/Clive was standing directly behind me. The hair on my neck stood up, fear cloaking me like a shroud. I was determined not to let him see me sweat, not to show weakness, but he was an old vampire that could kill me before anyone thought to come looking. He had the upper hand and we both knew it. �śI suppose I owe you a thank you, then.” I kept my tone even despite the bite in my words.�śI do not agree,” he said, stepping closer so that I felt dwarfed by his stature. It was a classic bully move. �śBy stopping you, I deprived you of completion.”I turned to face him, holding my ground. �śSomething tells me that’s one of many things we won’t see eye to eye on.”Power radiated off of him in waves and I stepped back away from him. He smirked and pushed me up against the sink. �śVampires are killing machines. We stalk people, we hunt them, and then we drain the blood from our victims. Anything less is incomplete. It is like an appetizer compared to a seven course meal. Or foreplay with no sex.” Geesh, what was it with Vampires and sex? I wanted to throw up (really, could I even do that anymore?) but I fought the feeling. I thought of Domino and how I’d channeled his anger. Maybe I could use Clive’s power against him as well.He held me by my shoulders and put his face close to mine. �śOnce you kill for the first time, whether by accident or not, you will know what I mean. To feel the life drain out of a body and into you is a feeling that cannot be described. It is what we are made for. Once you drink in their fear and pain, you’ll understand a little. After your first kill, the difference will be crystal clear.”I closed my eyes and cleared my head. I began to feel the pulse of Clive’s power washing over me. I opened my eyes and everything was blurry, like looking through a Vaseline-coated lens. The blurs flickered and the shadows waivered behind him.Domination�"one word�"but it summed up Clive’s basic need. He had to dominate everything. Well, I was one woman he would not control.�śLet me make myself crystal clear, I see you for what you are,” I began, �śa misogynistic bully with mommy issues. Now, get out of my way.”I poked one finger in his chest and a red bolt of static zapped audibly. Heat flamed in my chest and spread through my body like a wildfire. Clive’s jaw twitched and I could tell I was only seconds away from becoming his next meal. So much for Plan A. �śOh, the fun I’m going to have with you.” He licked his lips and leaned closer, baring his pointy teeth.Adrenaline surged through me, my body preparing for battle. Fight or flight�"that is the question. I wished I had a third choice, because getting away didn’t seem possible, and I was certainly not up to taking on an older, stronger vampire just yet. I concentrated on that ball of white-hot light still burning within me and pushed against his chest. To my surprise, Clive didn’t move an inch. It hadn’t worked, not even a little bit. Since I couldn’t count on anything supernatural to help me out of the tight spot, I reached all the way back to a self-defense classes I’d taken ages ago. I was pretty sure that none of the moves I’d been taught to inflict pain would work on a vampire, so I went for throwing him off balance so that I could run. Instead of stepping away from him, I moved a step closer, looking the arrogant prick right in the eyes. With his attention drawn to my face, I snaked my foot behind his, pushed my other foot back for leverage and shoved at his chest with everything I had. Clive may not have flown across the room, but he did stumble backwards just enough to seize my chance.I didn’t wait for his reaction. I ran out of the bathroom and back to the private room. Even though the room was full of vampires, it was the safest place for me at the moment. What a sad statement on my current situation. I thrust back the curtain and rushed into the booth. I had no idea if I was being chased, but my adrenaline wouldn’t let me stop and compose myself. �śAh, Clara,” Bette came to me, her brow furrowed. �śIs everything okay?”Her face was strained and I knew she suspected that something had happened, but at least she had enough tact not to ask me about it directly. What was I going to say? �śClive tried to eat me” wasn’t a sentence I wanted to utter. Besides, with this group it would probably be taken the wrong way. �śYes, I’m just not feeling very well. Rough night,” I shrugged, trying to be nonchalant. Bette nodded in agreement, �śDomino is on his way. We’ll take Morgan back to our hotel so she can rest and drop you off at your hotel on the way.”China brushed passed me, stopping in front of the curtained doorway. �śWell, it’s been real.” She offered me a fake smile. �śNice to meet you Claire.” China swept out of the room without so much as a backward glance to Gregor, who stood further back in the room watching the rest of us. I looked away before he caught me staring. What was his problem? I guess he’d gotten what he wanted from me and now I was old news. As if I didn’t regret the past few hours enough. I needed some mind-bleach to strike the night from my permanent record. �śYour driver is here, Elizabetta.” Clive strode into the room with his usual swagger and mumbled something to Gregor who turned and looked in my direction. Boys were stupid, all right, especially ones with sharp, pointy teeth. Domino entered the room and made a bee-line to Bette. He whispered to her before taking Morgan up in his arms. As he cradled the poor girl tenderly, Domino shot me a look that could only be interpreted as hostile. I quickly looked away, not wanting to soak up any of his anger again. Plus, I deserved it. �śDomino is taking her out the back door. He’ll pull around and pick us up in the front,” said Bette.The two men joined us at the front of the room. Clive took my hand in his, kissed it and eyed me hungrily. He was such a creep he made my skin crawl like a thousand ants marched on it. I shuddered, pulling away from him.�śI’ll be seeing you Clara.” He mimicked the way Bette said my name, which pissed me off even more. I hoped to never see him again, but something told me I wouldn’t be that lucky. I muttered �ścreep” under my breath as he left. Gregor stepped in front of me and I made myself face him. If I could actually feel my heart beating, I’m sure it would have skipped. Damn, he was handsome. He had a great poker-face too; I had to give him that. I couldn’t tell what he was thinking at all. I really didn’t want to know anyway�"unless, of course, he was thinking something good about me. Gag, I was such a chick sometimes.�śAre you coming Clara?” Bette touched my arm.�śIn a second,” I said a little too sharply. �śI’ll meet you up front,” I tried again, offering up a warm smile to her. She nodded and left the room and I was alone with Gregor. He studied me, patient to let me speak first. I struggled to come up with something that wouldn’t sound stupid. �śI’ve never done this type of thing before” was overplayed and not believable, even though it was true. �śThanks for the smoking hot sex” would make it sound like I had casual nookie all over the place. I exhausted myself thinking, so I decided to just be me. �śI’m sorry; this is all so new to me...”Gregor looked amused as he thrust his hands into the pockets of his tailored Italian suit. He rocked back on his heels briefly, waiting for me to continue. I wanted to die, again. Could I be any more awkward and needy? I might as well say, �śLove me please. I’m pathetic.” Finally, mercifully, he spoke. �śIt gets better.” He stepped closer to me and my breath hitched.I wasn’t sure what he meant. Being a vampire, or wicked vampire sex? I wasn’t sure which scared me more, truthfully.Gregor brushed a stray hair from my face, his fingers grazing my cheek. Instinctively, I grasped his hand as he lowered it. A tiny blue spark shot from my hand to his. He seemed not to notice. �śWhat does?” I said.�śThe lifestyle. The powers. The love-making,” he said. �śEverything ripens with time.” He flashed a boyish smile.�śI guess I’ll have to take your word for that.” I struggled to hide my pleasure in hearing his words. I hoped they were true. Things just couldn’t get any worse. I didn’t think I could handle that.�śYou will see soon enough, even if I have to show you.” He embraced me, kissing for the first time despite our earlier encounter. His lips were cool, but still I flushed with warmth. The kiss ended too quickly, right on the border of passion and platonic, so I had no way to interpret it. �śI’ll see you to the car.” Gregor ushered me out of the room and down the dark hallway. His hand was on my lower back and I liked the way it felt. Protective and a little territorial�" but either way I was sad when he pulled away to hold the door. The limo waited right outside the door and Bette was already inside with Morgan. �śSoon,” he whispered in my ear while touching my arm. And then he was gone. It happened so fast, I briefly wondered if vampires could fly, or at least move super-fast. I filed that away to ask Bette later. My list of questions for her was growing to epic proportions. �śComing, Clara?” Bette called from the limo.I secretly liked it when she called me that�"Clara. It made me feel exotic and foreign. Why did Clive have to go and mess that up for me? Simple answer�"he just wanted to get under my skin. Well, I wasn’t going to let him. I got in the limo with focused determination. I needed those answers now more than ever, and Bette was going to give them to me, even if I had to tease them out of her.Chapter 16The ride back to the hotel was a quick one. Traffic was spotty at two o’clock in the morning and in no time, we pulled up to my hotel. �śAre you tired, Clara?” Bette asked as I scooted towards the door.�śNot really. I’ll probably catch up on some emails and do a little researching on the internet when I get to my room. Why?”Bette pressed the intercom button to speak with Domino. �śTake Morgan back to our suite. Keep an eye on her and have a hearty breakfast waiting for her in the morning. I will be staying here tonight with Clara,” she told him. Nice of her to ask me.She turned back to me, gesturing toward the door. �śWe need to talk.”I’d misjudged her again. Why did I think everyone was trying to have sex with me? Maybe because that’s what my life had evolved to�"strange happenings and insane sexual exploits.We got out of the limo and walked to the lobby entrance, our heels clip-clopping on the tiled entrance out of sync.�śI have so many questions. Can I go out in the sunlight? What about my daughter? How am I going to hide it from my neighbors? Can I still go to work? If I can’t work anymore, how am I going to pay my bills? It’s not like my soon-to-be-ex helps out with anything.”Bette placed a hand on my shoulder, stopping me under the lit hotel marquis.�śWait until we are inside, please. You never know who is listening.” She cast a quick glance around before ushering me into the hotel. I shuddered, chilled by Bette’s implication. Did she think someone specific was spying on us, or was she just always that cautious? I hadn’t considered that I’d be in danger. At least not from anyone but Clive. The truth of the matter was, while I knew that four other vampires existed, I had no clue if there were more out there. Once again, my lack of knowledge wasn’t exactly comforting. I shivered as the air conditioning blast out of the hotel. �śOkay, but hurry up. I have so much to ask you, I feel like I’m dying here.” I realized what I’d said, and laughed to myself.Bette looked confused while she held the ornate glass and bronze door for me. �śDying here... get it?” She shook her head and I gave up. Something ceases to be funny if you have to explain it.We passed through the quiet lobby unnoticed and arrived at my hotel room door within minutes. I opened the door and held it for Bette, who breezed into the room, kicked off her heels and made herself comfortable on my bed. I followed her in and started babbling questions before the door clicked shut. Bette cut me off. �śWe will be talking all night at this rate and that is not what I have in mind. Perhaps it would be better if I just told you what I know and then if you have any questions at the end, you may ask. Okay?”I took off my jacket and tossed it over the arm of the nearest chair. Kicking my heels off, I stretched my feet for a second before responding. �śOkay, I guess.”Bette crossed to the bed and sat. She removed her heels, placing them neatly beside the bed table. �śFirst I will tell you about us, the Vampires in general. As you already know, we do drink blood from the living�"never from something dead�"only zombies do that.”�śZombies! Those things are real?” I pulled a white V-neck tee and a pair of black yoga pants from my bag.�śYes, Zombies do exist, though they are exceedingly rare. You may not see one for hundreds of years. But back to the topic at hand�Ś decomposition does something to the blood and vampires that drink from the dead can go mad quite quickly. Never forget that.” Bette eyed me standing there with my change of clothes. She was hoping I’d change right where I stood, in plain view.She was wrong. I headed to the bathroom and pushed the door mostly closed. �śOkay, no drinking from the dead. Got it.”I started the shower, overcome with the urge to wash away my immorality. I held my hand under the stream until the water felt deliciously hot and stepped in. Bette continued talking and I was surprised to realize that I could hear her just fine over the shower hum. An added benefit of being a vampire? I scrubbed quickly and cut off the water, then toweled off and dressed. �śLet me see, what else. Oh, garlic does not harm us. We have a delicate sense of smell and strong odors can be overpowering, so we avoid them.”I came out of the bathroom and Bette eyed my fitted t-shirt. I might have been imagining it, but I could swear my boobs were bigger, or at least a little perkier. �śOkay, how about the sunlight?” Bette chuckled, �śCome sit with me.” She patted the bed beside her.�śHang on a second; I need to check my email.” I pulled back the desk chair, opened my laptop and booted it up. While I waited for the machine to come to life, I turned back to Bette. �śSunlight?”�śDo not believe all that you see on television or read in books. Entertainment, in any form, often lies for the sake of the story. You will not burst into flames in the sun, nor will you sparkle like a Fairy.”�śGood to know. Wait, Fairies exist too?” I wondered at my naive understanding of the world. What else was out there, bustling around under the noses of Normals?�śYes, and they are numerous. Full of mischief and mayhem, if you ask me. Never trust a fairy,” she warned.My computer finally awake, I opened my email client and quickly scanned through the dozen or so emails waiting for me. They all could wait until later. The obvious junk I deleted unread. �śOkay, so never eat from the dead, avoid strong scents, and never trust a Fairy. But how will I know who is a fairy?” I asked.�śIt can be very hard to tell sometimes,” Bette seemed to be thinking. �śMost people will feel oddly drawn to them, but with you that may not help.”Yet another example where my gifts might muddy the waters. Perfecto!Bette continued, �śYou may feel a strange sensation when they look at you intently, like they are poking around in your brain.” Bette poked her fingers at me and scrunched up her face. It was so cute I wanted to kiss her. Was I falling for her? I couldn’t think about that. �śAnything else?” Bette nodded and continued, �śThey tend to eat more fruits and vegetables than the average person; perhaps it’s their closeness with nature. But, the best sign is their aversion to blood. In a way, they are the opposites of us. We are dark, they are light. We crave blood, they abhor it.”I still wasn’t sure how much of a threat these Fairies could be to me, but Bette seemed so serious while she spoke of them that I vowed to take her warnings to heart. �śNow, the sun will affect you. At least it should...” Bette let her words trail off, not wanting to state the obvious, that I was some sort of freak.�śSo what will the sun do to me?” I logged onto my bank account and my stomach dropped. As I looked at my pitifully low bank balance, I remembered wondering where Pete was going to get the money for his own place. The good news is that I didn’t have to wonder anymore. The bad news was that Pete had cleaned out our account. Well, damn.�śTo vampires, the sun is like a big oven. It dehydrates us very fast, to the point where you could find yourself tearing swept into a frenzy of bloodlust. It can also give you very bad sunburn. If you have to go out in the sun, eat well beforehand, cover as much of your skin as you can and get back into the shadows as quickly as possible. Oh, and expect to be very tired afterward.”Well, that sounded pleasant. I’d have to make like a normal vamp and keep myself in the dark as much as possible. Of course without enough money in my account to pay the light bill, it looked like I’d be sitting in the dark anyway. I snapped my laptop shut and joined Bette on the bed, feeling deflated again. Pete was still screwing things up for me. �śSo I can still work? That’s great, because my ex just stole all of my savings.” I tried to downplay my hurt and anger, but inside I was floored. How could he do that to me? More importantly, how could he do that to his daughter? He’d taken the food right out of her mouth and the shoes off her feet. And yes, as far as I was concerned, Pete was my ex�" as in over and done with, past-tense. I’d tried for far too long to salvage our marriage and that well had finally run dry, as had my patience. �śAh, that brings me to another issue, that of your inheritance.” Bette clasped my hands with her own, her eyes twinkling with something that bordered on giddiness.�śHuh? I don’t have any inheritance. My parents both died years ago and they barely managed to make ends meet their entire lives. Their savings amounted to a few hundred bucks.” Which Pete promptly spent on some stupid sports memorabilia. It hurt bringing that up, so I closed the door on that subject, while I could still avoid the pain. �śBut, I don’t want to talk about that.”�śI wasn’t referring to your parents. You see, it is like this: a vampire cannot in good conscience bring over another into their fold with making adequate provisions.” Bette looked at me eagerly, waiting for the moment when I understood what she was hinting at. I was confused and I’m sure it showed on my face. �śYou sound like a lawyer, Bette.”�śI have studied the law over the years. You’d be surprised at what you will have the time to master.” Bette smiled, like a cat that ate the canary. �śWhat I mean is that I will provide for you. You will have a trust that is being set up as we speak. It should be adequate until you begin to build your own fortune.”I pulled my hands away from hers, a sour feeling in my stomach. �śI don’t want your money, I was just venting...just complaining, that’s all.” My face flushed at the thought of needing charity. I’d never asked for a handout in my entire life, and I wasn’t about to start. My parents raised me better that that.She pulled my hands back, bringing me closer to her. She smelled like fresh rain on a forest floor. I inhaled slowly, savoring the scent. I leaned closer without realizing it. She was sucking me in again. �śIt is done. And we do it this way because being a Vampire is sort of like a disability when it comes to living. Until you get used to it, you are at a disadvantage. You will have several lifetimes to pad your accounts, but until then, you needn’t worry about finances.” She stroked my hair, relaxing me to the core. I leaned into the weight of her. �śBut now we need to speak of more practical things,” she said.�śWait, how much money are we talking? Not that it matters, but...” I let my voice trail off. I felt like a loser, but if it was enough to pay the mortgage ahead a few months I’d be happy.�śJust a modest fund, roughly a few million American dollars.” Bette tossed the number out there so nonchalantly that I was momentarily stunned.�śIs that all?” I bolted up right, using humor to fill the moment. Un-freaking-believable!Bette missed my joke yet again. �śIs that not enough? I can wire in more if you think you will need it.”My god, she was serious. Exactly how rich was she?�śNo, Bette. It was a joke.” I dropped the comedian act. �śWhatever you want to give me, I promise I will pay it back as soon as I’m able.”�śNonsense, it is my gift to you. Case closed. Now I assume that you will have no help from your husband, correct?”I nodded, not wanting to verbalize all the ways that Pete had let me down. It was a long list, and one that I was tired of wasting energy on. And after the bank account thing, thinking about him made me want to hurt him. I didn’t want my mind getting too comfortable with those types of thoughts. I would never be anything like Clive. �śSo, you have a child, which will make things difficult. You need a nanny now and Morgan seems to have taken to you, plus you can trust her now. What do you think of taking her home with you to Virginia?”Bette was serious, which was plain crazy. Did she really want me to kidnap the girl? Have a stripper help me to raise my daughter? Seriously?�śOf course, we will ask her and I’ll compensate her well. She won’t have to dance for strangers any longer.” Bette argued, even though I’d voiced no argument. Sometimes it was like she read my mind. �śBut I don’t even know her! What if she’s horrible with children? What if she teaches Quinn to pole-dance or drop-it-like-it’s-hawt?” Bette frowned at my pop culture reference and dismissed it with a wave of her hand. �śPlease consider it, Clara. We do not have the convenience of time on our side. You have must have help before you go home,” Bette said. Since she’d put it that way, it made a little more sense. I would need help because of the whole daylight thing. Who else would pick up Quinn from school? Or stay with her if I needed to go out at night? For that matter, there would be a lot I wouldn’t be able to do where Quinn was concerned.A dark mood swept over me and I began to count the ways where my life was completely screwed. And to think two days ago I’d thought my life sucked lemons. Being a single mom with a douche-bag Ex was a cake walk compared to this. �śDon’t frown, mi amore, I only have your best interests in mind. Trust me, I have good instincts. I chose you, didn’t I?”I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. �śAsk Morgan, and if she says yes, we can figure out the details from there.” I bit my lip.�śYou have good instincts too. You only take to the good-hearted. Have you noticed that?”No, I hadn’t really noticed that. I’d chosen Pete and we all know how that had turned out. I decided to change the subject, to something that had just begun to bother me.�śIt is safe for me to go home, isn’t it?” I hugged up to Bette, nuzzling into the creamy skin of her neck. �śI know I’m not normal, but I won’t be a danger to my daughter right?”I held my breath while Bette pondered my question. If she said there was even a chance of Quinn being in danger, I couldn’t go back. It would break my heart, but I’d have no other option. Bette finally spoke after kissing me lightly on the forehead. �śI believe you are fully in control. I knew the moment you woke up this morning that you had taken the change differently, or it hadn’t happened at all. It is why I felt it was safe for us to go to the conference, though I did keep a close eye on you just in case.”�śYou were spying on me?” I pouted with mock indignation.�śNot spying Clara, protecting you. Though I will admit to watching a little more intently when you were with that guitar-playing woman.” I heard Bette sigh. �śOh, really? Why is that?” I feigned ignorance.Bette tilted my face up to hers. �śBecause she is interested in you. You know, for a relationship.”I laughed before I could stop myself. �śI don’t think so. She’s nice and all, but it’s safe to say that she’s not my type. I may not know what my type is, but Vera is definitely not it.”Bette pulled away from me, sitting up and looking into my eyes. �śAm I your type, Clara?”�śI don’t know what my type is anymore.” Bette looked at me with sadness, so I hurried to explain. �śI’ve never considered being with a woman. I just wasn’t raised to even think that was a possibility. But now...” I shrugged.She smiled at me, her pupils going inky-black again. You would think that would be unnerving to see, but like Pavlov’s dog, I knew what that meant and my body responded on a carnal level.Bette tugged my shirt up over my head and threw it on the floor. She traced her fingers over my collar bone before pushing me back on the bed, tracing down my abdomen and back up the sensitive skin of my sides with her pale fingers. My body tingled in response. I closed my eyes and relaxed, letting my mind go blank. She laid down beside me, planting kisses on my stomach and chest, her silken hair brushing over my skin in waves. I pulled her face up to mine and we kissed slowly, tenderly. My eyes opened and I was pulled into the tide of our connection. We were swirling in a gentle eddy, floating over lapping tides, rocking to the rhythm of the waves.I didn’t know where things were going with Bette. Did I have feelings for her? Did she think of me as more than just a meal? Could I handle being a single-mom, vampire lesbian? Thinking made my head hurt, so I stopped. Bette climbed on top, straddling me as she slipped her sheath dress over her head. I should have been surprised by the fact that Bette wore no undergarments, but I wasn’t. It seemed so like her and it did add a layer of convenience to things. She laid over me; the only thing separating us was my thin yoga pants. I wiggled, trying to get her to pull them off. I needed full skin to skin contact badly. �śPatience, we have the rest of the night,” Bette soothed. �śBut first, I need to shower.”I pulled Bette to her feet. �śPlease do. All I can smell is Miss Georgia-peach.”Chapter 17I awoke to cool sheets in an otherwise empty bed. Bette was gone and while I was disappointed, I didn’t let it get me down. I lay there for several minutes, stretching my body across the bed and plumping the goose-down pillow under my head. I let the events of the night before skip across my memory. Gregor and the steamy, hot feeding. Blush worthy, for sure. I wouldn’t go as far as to say I’d never had a one-night stand; I did go to college after all. But I’d never in a gazillion years ever thought I’d find myself boinking a hot Vamp with other strange people in the room in full view. What kind of freak had I become?I shook my head and forced myself to think of anything else but my eventual stoning. Rewinding the night back to getting dropped in the parking lot of the club seemed a safer place to start. I chuckled at the memory of walking into my very first strip club; if the other soccer moms could have seen me�"well, they’d probably stake me. After gleaning all the juicy details, that is. Goodbye, prudish-me. Hello.... well, something entirely different. I’d always thought of nudie-bars as places that lonely, perverted men frequented in search of temporary affection. While that may be true, it’s so much more than that. For starters, it’s the one place where appreciation of the female body is openly accepted. Other than stuffy museums or art galleries, where else can you do that without someone judging you?Maybe it was the tiny bits of vampire DNA that had merged with my own, but I felt much more open-minded. As a recently separated, newly-bisexual career woman with some sort of psychic talents and a penchant for drinking blood, I really couldn’t afford to throw stones, you know?I glanced at the clock. It was a quarter to eight in the morning. I’d only been asleep for a couple of hours. Despite that, I felt great. Hopefully, being all vampy meant not needing to sleep your life away just to be pleasant around others. Maybe, if I was exceedingly lucky, my dreams would stay gone as well. I hadn’t had one since the night-I-don’t-remember, so I had high hopes.I eased out of bed and crossed to the table at the corner of the room. A single crisp sheet of paper lay beside a silver ice bucket. A dark bottle was nestled deep in the melting ice cubes. I picked up the note and read it aloud, imitating Bette’s luscious accent.Good morning, I hope you had a pleasant rest. I have some business to attend to, but I left for you something to eat, in the event you are hungry. I shall return near lunch and perhaps we can go to the convention for a few hours. ~ ElizabettaI placed the note down and lifted the bottle out of the bucket. Errant water droplets splashed to the table and I wiped them away with my hand. I twisted off the silver cap and inhaled the tangy scent of blood. It tickled my nose and I wanted to gulp all of it down. Instead, I recapped the bottle and dropped it back into its ice bath. I felt too much like a junkie seeking a score. I wasn’t even hungry. Besides, I didn’t seem to be like the other vampires, so it was time I tested myself to see just how different I was. I’d skip the blood drinking for however long I could without going scary-hungry. I was taking the Stay Thirsty, My Friend commercial a little too seriously.Maybe I’d try out the sun thing. I remembered Bette’s warning about not going out in the sun on an empty stomach, but I wasn’t worried. I felt fine, actually, I felt more than fine. I felt fabulous. I slipped into the bathroom for a quick shower to wash away the grime from the night before. I thought about everything I’d seen and heard. I thought about everything I’d done. I didn’t even let the morality of any of it weigh on my mind. What was morality anyway, but someone else’s ideals shoved down the throats of others? I was intelligent enough to make my own decisions about right and wrong, thank you very much. Besides, it was done. I couldn’t rewind time and change my actions. The best I could do was to try and do better in the future. After showering and drying myself off, I decided to go ahead and dress for the day even though I was beginning to like walking around nude for no reason. Silly, I know, but it made me feel sexy and mysterious.I chose a low-cut pair of fitted jeans, a strapless bra and a turquoise embroidered halter top for the day. Normally, I feel too self-conscious about my body to wear anything that showed that much skin. I mean, I wasn’t overweight or out of shape. It was my chest. I’d developed earlier than my friends and long after they had settled into B’s, I was busting out the seams in my C-cups. As an adult, I hid my D-cups with carefully selected clothing, but something more revealing, like the tube-top I slid on, left little to the imagination, especially when juxtaposed with rest of my hourglass body. At the moment, I didn’t care what anyone thought of me. It felt great. Dressed and makeup done, I slipped on a pair of silver sandals to match the clunky silver bangle I slid over my wrist and left my room to do a little bit of exploring. The hotel lobby was bustling. I assumed it was due to this being the last day of the conference. Everybody was up and at �Śem to make the most of the last day. I didn’t feel the same pressure. My first two days had proven very successful and this last day was one that I wanted to enjoy.I entered the little coffee shop attached to the hotel and ordered a mocha latte from a mousey barista sporting a severe bun. I took my steaming hot cup and seated myself at a dark corner table, not ready to test out my sunlight vulnerability yet. Of course after I’d taken my first sip, I realized that Vampires probably don’t drink coffee, and for good reason. The caramel colored liquid was super-sweet on my tongue, so much so that I gagged just a little. It made sense, though. Vampire senses were supposedly heightened and that must include taste buds too. Still, I couldn’t just sit around a coffee shop and drink nothing. That would look odd. Better to master food and drink now, where nobody was around to eyeball me, than to wait until I got home where it would be more noticeable to people who see me every day.�śWell there you are!” A lilting voice said behind me. Cassidy plopped down in the chair beside mine and dropped her hemp tote bag on the table.�śI’ve been looking all over for you. Did you forget that we were supposed to have breakfast this morning?” She said.Shit. I had forgotten. It felt like ages since I’d last talked to her, even though it had only been a handful of hours. �śOf course not,” I said, �śI was waiting for you here, like we decided.”Confusion swept over Cassidy’s face, but it cleared just as quickly. �śGeesh, I can be such a blonde sometimes!” She flipped her ringlets of red hair with a wave of her hand and laughed. �śDo you want to eat here, or go someplace else?” she asked. Someplace else meant going outside, which was something I needed to test out alone. �śHere is fine, if you don’t mind. I’ve already got my latte.” I raise the cup to my lips and took the tiniest of sips, trying to mask my revulsion at the taste.�śSure, no problem. Let me just get something for myself and I’ll tell you what I’ve learned. You want anything?”I shook my head and Cassidy went to order whatever she was into. I’d forgotten that she’d promised to do some research. Well, good. Maybe she’d been able to find out something helpful. Bonus points if her answers didn’t beg more questions. I had too many of those already.While waiting for Cassidy to return, I thought back to my heightened taste buds. I wondered if my other senses were working better than normal. I hadn’t noticed any changes like that, but then again, I hadn’t exactly been paying attention. I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply, letting nearby scents co-mingle in my nose. Typical coffee-shop aromas were dominant, but underneath those were more delicate scents. I picked up grapefruit, strawberries, and blood. Lots and lots of blood. �śLong night?” Cassidy sat down with her bowl-full of fruit and a glass of juice. I sighed. Well, that was a mostly failed experiment. Cassidy had probably been standing there with her breakfast under my nose. But the blood I could smell ten-fold. It was everywhere. Sitting beside me, walking behind me, teasing me from the table by the window. �śHello, Claire.” Cassidy waived a napkin in front of my face. �śSorry, I guess the night’s finally catching up to me.” I needed to make this breakfast fast. My hunger was increasing by the minute and I was beginning to feel exhausted to. �śM’kay.” Cassidy popped a strawberry into her mouth and then continued. �śLet me tell you what I’ve learned.”I tried to concentrate, I really did. But for every word she spoke, I heard the beat of ten different hearts. �śSo you’re probably empathetic. That’s how you can feel what other people are feeling.” Claire said. �śThink of an Empath like a sponge...they can soak up excess emotions. The stronger the emotions someone projects the easier it should be for you to pick up on. Like anger, lust, love, jealousy, etc.”Okay, that made sense. It was what had happened with Domino. �śIs there any way to control it? Or block it?” I asked. �śYes, I can help with that. I’ll teach you techniques that you can practice and help you hone and control your gifts when you use them. And there are certain stones and amulets that can help in the meantime.”�śGreat. I’d do anything to keep from sliding into Vera’s head again.” I shook away the heebie-jeebies and laughed.Cassidy laughed too, �śTotally understandable.” She washed down the last bit of her fruit with some juice. �śHey, why aren’t you wearing the necklace I gave you last night?”I touched my throat instinctively. Why wasn’t I wearing it? Oh, right�"because something about it was bad for vampires. I shrugged, �śI felt funny wearing it, like it didn’t agree with me.”She eyed me curiously, which made me nervous. It was like she was on to my secret. I decided to change the subject. �śCan an Empath take the energy absorbed from another and use it somehow?” I asked.�śI guess...I mean if someone is sad, then you would be sad if you let them get to you.” she said. �śIs that what you mean?”�śNot exactly,” I paused, choosing my words carefully. I didn’t want to give too much information away. �śWhat if someone was angry, could I take that anger, and multiply it somehow, then use it?”�śUse it? I’m not following you.” Cassidy studied me again. �śDid something happen to make you ask that?”I backtracked and tried not to breathe too deeply. I was so thirsty. �śNo, nothing happened. It just seems like I can feel an emotion much stronger than the person it came from did. Just wondering if it could be useful, that’s all.”�śOh, well then, in theory, I guess you could be amplifying emotions somehow. Or maybe your gift is just so strong that emotions are condensed into a stronger beam.” Cassidy finished her juice and pushed the empty plate away from her. �śLike how bouncing sunlight off of a mirror can start a fire.”That was logical enough. I nodded to myself. �śOk, but can an Empath look into a person and see a memory?”�śNot that I’m aware of, why?” she asked. I blushed slightly. �śWell, say I was talking to someone and I clearly pictured them working in a garden, digging the soil, and then picking a cherry tomato and eating it?”Cassidy smiled, poking me in the arm. �śWere you in my head?”�śNot on purpose, I swear. And that was the first time I’ve ever seen something that clear. And that’s not all...” I let my voice trail off, teasing her.�śMaybe that makes you psychic too?” She asked, �śWait, what do you mean that’s not all?”�śWhen I saw you eat the tomato, I could taste it. I hate tomatoes�Ś it was so gross I had to take a shot to get rid of the taste in my mouth.” I made a disgusted face.�śI’ve never heard of that, but I’ll do some more digging. Anything else I need to research?” She laughed, mocking me and my strange abilities. Clearly, she was enjoying my freakish nature much more than I was.�śWell, while we’re on the subject...Sometimes I touch things and little bolts of light shoot out from my fingertips. I just thought it was static, but I’ve noticed, now that I’m looking closer, that sometimes the light is blue, sometimes it’s white, and it’s even been red a time or two.”�śTelekinesis maybe? Can you move things with your mind? Have you tried?” she asked. I shook my head no, choosing to forget about the whole Domino incident. I was feeling far too drained to try and explain that one. �śMaybe it’s like little power discharges. You know, since you haven’t been using your gifts, maybe things build up until some of it has to be released. Like steam from a pressure cooker.” Cassidy held up her juice glass for several seconds, waiting patiently on the last drop to slide off into her mouth. The girl really liked her juice. �śThat would make sense,” I agreed and took a fake sip of my latte. I sure was going to miss enjoying them�"that and a lot of other things. Brownies. Fettuccini Alfredo. Pizza. Anything with chocolate or peanut butter. Sigh. �śWell,” Cassidy clucked her tongue, �śYou’re just a little pot-luck of psychic abilities, aren’t you Claire?”If she only knew about the rest of my twisted talents. �śThank you Cassidy, for giving me way too much to think about.” She laughed and placed her hand over mine. I could feel her pulse bounding where our skin touched. I gulped and fought the urge to make Cassidy my brunch. It might hamper our blossoming friendship.�śDon’t worry; we’ll get you figured out.” She withdrew her hand and I felt my blood lust quiet. �śI’m headed out tonight, back to L.A.” Cassidy stood and picked up her bag. She pulled out a folded stack of papers. �śI’ve got to get over to the convention for the wrap up, but I brought you some bedtime reading.”I took the papers, unfolded them and scanned through the stack. She’d printed me over a dozen articles on everything from �śBlocking Exercises for Empaths” to �śUnderstanding Your Gifts.”�śThank you, for these,” I fluttered the articles, �śAnd everything else too. You’ve been more than helpful.”�śHush, girl.” Cassidy hugged me tightly. I stiffened, not from the personal contact, but because my teeth began to tingle as soon as she touched me. She smelled so damn good. It was all I could do not to bite her. She ignored the fact that I didn’t return the hug. �śWe’ll see each other soon. Until then, there’s always email. And texting. Don’t you just love technology?” She laughed, and let go of me. �śSure, I sleep with my smart phone,” I said. �śWell, that’s a topic for next time,” she said, smiling and shaking her head. I realized too late how that had sounded. I’d rather let her think that than the truth�" that I’d recently begun sleeping with anything that so much as twitched at me. Heartbeat not required. �śNext time, then.” I backed away from the table, feeling unsteady on my feet. I needed to get back to my room where a bottle of blood waited for me. �śBye Cassidy.”She waved as she walked away and I breathed a sigh of relief. I hadn’t snacked on my new friend. So that was something to be proud of. I wasn’t home free yet. I still had to get away from the pulsing bodies all around and up to my room, before I did something regrettable, like sinking my tingling teeth into that hunky little busboy cleaning the tables. He looked so healthy and fit and I just knew that he tasted divine. Better than he smelled, even.My mouth twitched and two sharp pains stabbed my mouth. I pursed my lips, feeling the twin canines descend and poke into my bottom lip. Before I could even process my changed mouth, I swept out of the cafe and headed for the stairs. I couldn’t wait for the elevator or risk riding with anyone. I hurried up the stairs with one hand covering my face. I kept my eyes down and focused on one step at a time. My stomach felt leaden and it began to burn, like a hot poker to the gut.Finally, mercifully, I arrived at my hotel room door. I fumbled the key card, dropping it to the floor. A maid pushed a cart towards me and I considered forgetting the key and the cold blood behind the door. Surely warm blood tasted better, even if the owner smelled like bleach and lemon furniture polish. Her heartbeat was the only sound I could hear. It beat a drum in my ears, lulling me into a semi-trance. I whacked my head on the door handle as I bent to retrieve the fallen card. �śF-thuck!” I gasped, touching my forehead. The lisp would have been comical if I weren’t so damn close to ripping the poor woman’s throat out.�śYou okay Miss?” the maid asked, drawing so near I detected a faint heart murmur beneath her starched cotton uniform. I wondered if she knew about it. �śI’m F-thine,” I said, snatching up the card and thrusting it in the slot. Come on, green light. Come on!The lock clicked and I pushed open the door. The cool air from my room blasted outward, which calmed me for the four seconds it took me to close and lock the door, cross the room, snatch the bottle from the melted ice, tear off the cap and pour the contents down my throat. Ah, sweet relief. I dropped the empty bottle on the floor and fell onto the bed. My teeth retracted, uncomfortable for a split-second, like I’d had huge pieces of food wedged between my teeth. I could think again, but that was about it. I was still hungry and without the energy to sit up. I had no choice but to lay there, a prisoner of my body. When my mind cleared a little, my negative thoughts returned. Who had I been kidding? I wasn’t any different from the other vampires. I had no control over myself at all. I was a dangerous predator that couldn’t be trusted, not for one tiny moment. Especially around my daughter. I had to protect Quinn at all costs, even if it meant removing myself from her life. How stupid I’d been, dressing like a twenty-year old and ignoring Bette’s warnings. Acting like my life was peachy-keen, when really it was anything but. My life was over and it had only taken me days to realize it. Dehydrated and spent, tears wouldn’t come. So I cried the silent tears of a woman on the edge and waited for something to take away my pain. Chapter 18A loud rapping on my door woke me with a start. The weight of my body felt off, like I’d gained two-hundred pounds during my nap. �śClaire!” Said a muffled, masculine voice from the hall. �śClaire, are you in there?”I tried to sit up, but my limbs were made of stone. I didn’t recognize the voice, but I really didn’t care who it was. I needed help in whatever form the universe chose to offer it. �śYes, I’m here,” I croaked, hoping whoever was there could hear me. �śHello? Who’s there?”The door handle rattled. �śClaire, its Gregor. Let me inside.”�śI can’t.” I shivered violently, without control. �śI...I just can’t.”The door handle rattled, followed by a loud thud. The crazy man was trying to force his way into my room. Any other time and I might have been titillated. Wasn’t that ever woman’s secret fantasy? To be rescued by her own personal knight?Muttered cursing came from behind the door. Not much chivalry there, for sure. I tried to sit up, to roll over or do anything to get me closer to the door, but all I managed to do was inch my feet so they were dangling oddly. My legs drooped over the bed, like they were anchored to the floor. �śGet another key. Tell them you’re my husband if you have to,” I panted. Even my lungs weren’t working right. For the first time, I wondered if I were dying. Maybe my body was rejecting the change or duking it out with my other abilities�"and loosing? Panic crept over me, like a snake crossing my paralyzed body, and there was nothing I could do about it. �śI’ll be back,” Gregor said, his voice strained. I heard a hand brush the door and then he was gone. For the next two minutes and forty-nine seconds I waited for some sign of his return. I wondered if he would actually be able to help me, or worse, would he even want to help me. Honestly, just because we’d had hot strip-club sex didn’t mean that he actually cared about me. I wasn’t that naive. Not anymore. He did seem concerned, so that was better than nothing. Like an idiot, that led me to thinking about how I would look once he finally gained access to my room. He’d see a pathetic lump of a woman, looking all fat and hopeless, since it’s common knowledge to all women that what looks like sexy-curves in one position morphs into fat-rolls in another. And I was in that �śanother” position.How retarded was I? Stuck alone in a hotel room, practically paralyzed, dying for blood (and possibly dying period) and all I could think about was looking good for Gregor. And what did that mean for my feelings with Bette? I heard a shuffling outside of the door, followed by Gregor saying, �śJust open the damn door!”The latch clicked and the door swung open. Gregor said to the person in the hall, �śYou may go now,” before slamming the door and rushing over to me. His face was full of concern.�śYou look horrible,” he said, reaching for me.Just stake me now, I thought. If I could have moved my arms, I surely would have snapped the leg off the nearest nightstand and rammed it through my own chest. Absolutely. Without hesitation.�śAre you injured?” Gregor sat me up and knelt down in front of me. �śDid someone hurt you?”�śNo, I don’t know what’s wrong with me.” My voice was almost a whisper. It hurt to talk. Hell, it hurt to think.A flicker of relief crossed his face. �śTell me what happened.”�śI woke up fine. I dressed and went down to the coffee shop to meet a friend. Then I started to feel very tired. Then hungry. I barely made it back up here to the bottle Bette left me... and then I collapsed.” I nodded to the discarded bottle on the floor and I gnawed on my lip.�śSo you need to feed. I can take care of that.” His eyes sparkled, and I felt my heart thump once, hard.�śI’ve never heard of hunger doing this. Usually it makes you energetic, fueled by the desire to feed. Frenzied.”He picked me up and laid me against the mounded pillows, with neither great care nor lack of concern. Joining me on the bed, he kicked back and crossed his hands behind his head. �śHave you mastered releasing your teeth yet?”�śI don’t think so.” I shook my head as much as I could. The nearness of Gregor perked me up ever so slightly. Maybe I was borrowing strength from him?�śTry. Think of your hunger, of how badly you want to drink, and then focus that energy to your teeth,” he advised.I shut my eyes and remembered how all the people had smelled in the café, their blood all around me like a giant whirlpool of packed red cells. The maid had been within feet of me and she had smelled just lovely despite the chemical overtones. I’d wanted to drink them all dry then tear open the corpses and lick the blood remnants away. Points to me for not actually doing that, though. I felt my blood-lust swell, so I focused on my teeth. I ran my tongue over my canines, letting the sharp tips scrape the flesh, drawing a little blood. My upper jaw began to shift, not in any noticeable way, but enough to tell me something was happening there. I bit down on my lip, drawing a bubble of my own blood. I suckled at it. It tasted so good, it was almost orgasmic. �śLook at me, what do you think I want?” he said.I couldn’t help myself, I faced Gregor and the minute I did, his need washed over me. My fangs dropped, causing me to bite my lip more than I’d meant to. �śF-theed me, plea-th.” I lisped. Well, that was embarrassing. Not exactly the impression I was going for. Gregor laughed, �śDon’t worry; we all did that in the beginning. You will become used to it.” He grinned widely, and I noticed that his teeth were already out and proud. And that wasn’t the only part of his body ready to go. He kissed me hard, pressing his body against mine. I tried to mirror his restraint, but it required more control than I had. I nicked his lip with my teeth and felt his blood roll over my tongue. A fission of energy passed through me and I felt some of the weight lift from my limbs. I wrapped my arm around his neck and leaned closer. Suddenly, I was flying backwards on the bed. Gregor was standing, grabbing his neck. �śWhat the bloody hell?” I was stunned. I had no idea what just happened, but clearly he thought I had done something. �śWhat... What’s wrong?” I stammered. He looked to me, still rubbing his neck, until his eyes landed on something. �śWhat is that?” He pointed to my wrist.�śMy bracelet,” I said.�śI know that. What is it made of?” he spat.�śI don’t know. Silver I think.” �śJesus! Did Bette not teach you anything?”That irritated me. I jumped to her defense, �śOf course, but you must know by now that I’m not normal and not everything seems to apply to me,” I argued. Of course, the bottom line was I’d done something dumb. Again.�śTake it off, now,” Gregor commanded, with an air of authority that quaked my insides. I did as he asked, tossing the bracelet on the nightstand with a clang. �śLook, I don’t understand.”�śOf course not, but I do. That,” he pointed to the offending metal, �śis what is wrong with you, other than being hungry.”Oops, Bette had warned me about that, I was pretty sure. �śMy bracelet paralyzed me?” �śIt would seem so. Though how you managed to wear it at all, let alone for hours, confounds me.” Gregor rubbed his temple and stared at me, perplexed.I felt my teeth slide back up into normal position, the moment clearly gone. �śLook, I’m sorry. I didn’t think. I mean, it’s not like the effects were as obvious to me as they are to you.”He relaxed a little bit and came towards me again. �śElizabetta was right about you. I don’t know what you are yet, but I can tell that you are extraordinary.”He sat on the bed beside me, close but not touching me. A sign of respect or a little bit of fear? �śWe forget that you are not like us, so you will have to forgive us if we don’t always understand.”That didn’t seem to require a response, so I stayed quiet. He inched closer to me, tilting my face upward. �śNow, how are you feeling?”�śBetter now, thanks.” I smiled. �śHow did you know to come find me?”�śBette felt that something was wrong, but she’s... detained. So I came to make sure you were all right.”I frowned, not liking the explanation. �śHow would Bette know something was wrong?”�śShe is your maker, so you are both bound by the same blood. She will always be able to sense you, and in time, you will be able to sense her in return,” he explained. I wasn’t sure that was good news. I’m a pretty private person and sharing myself without being aware of it made me nervous. I let the logical part of my brain take over.�śOk, great. So Bette made me and we share blood. What about who made her? If we all share the same blood, is there someone else out there that can sense me as well?”Gregor looked at me with amusement. �śThe blood is diluted, so in general the answer should be no. Did Bette not speak of her maker to you?”I noticed the �śshould” in his answer. So he wasn’t sure then. I shook my head and fidgeted with my halter top. It wouldn’t do to have a wardrobe malfunction while I was getting to know him. And yes, I was aware of how ridiculous that sounded, after the orgy moment we’d shared the night before. But I was trying to forget all of that. �śWell, I’m sure Bette has her reasons. But now, we must get you fed,” he said, brushing the hair back from the side of my face. �śI’m really not that hungry anymore,” I said. �śDoesn’t matter. After that episode it would be dangerous for you not to feed. It must be done.”His tone scared me a little, but at the same time I sort-of liked it. Feminism be damned, every woman likes a bit of take-charge in a man, whether they admit it or not. He didn’t wait for me to approve. Instead, he swept me back against the pillows again with strong, sure hands. He nuzzled my neck and I felt the sting of his teeth nip the sensitive skin over my collar bone. In the interest of trying not to sleep with him again, I pushed him back against the bed. I mean really, if I had to feed this often, I needed to figure out how to do it without the side-order of sex. I couldn’t be running around my hometown seducing everyone in sight. That just wouldn’t do.Gregor looked amused. He reclined there, waiting for me to make my move. The trouble was I had no idea what my move was supposed to be�"so much for my grand taking-charge ideas. I closed my eyes and focused on thoughts of blood. Big vats of delicious blood. Crimson and shimmering and warm, still steaming from the heat of life. My teeth dropped much more quickly the second time and without as much discomfort. He grinned, �śNice, almost as smooth as myself.”One minute his mouth was normal, the next his fangs glinted in the light. It was an imperceptible change, one that made mine look juvenile and awkward.�śIf I was easily impressed, I’d say that was impressive,” I teased, procrastinating. I struggled to speak normal and avoid the lisp at all costs. I’m sure I looked like one of those speech coaches with my exaggerated mouth movements, but I didn’t care. I was speaking normally. He beamed back at me, thinking I’d given him a compliment for a moment before his smile slackened. �śI think if you are not impressed yet, you soon will be.” His normal cock-sure demeanor returned in full-force. I rolled my eyes and ignored his taunt. �śSo, do I just bite you or what? Teach me, oh impressive one.”�śIf you want to make a mess, sure. However, you are not a dog, so why eat like one?” Gregor turned his head to the side, lifting his neck up closer to my face. He ran his finger over the flexed muscle running from his collar bone to up under his ear.�śFeel this,” he said. I touched my finger to the extended, taut skin. He covered my hand with his own, pinning my fingers there while he straightened his head. �śThe muscle relaxes, falling back and what you have left is the spot you are aiming for. Now, on a normal person you would feel a distinct pulse.”�śBut we don’t have one?” I asked. �śNot one that you can feel,” he said. �śOur hearts beat once every few minutes, maybe a little more frequently when stimulated.”I felt a flicker under my fingertips, which was matched by a flicker of my own, albeit one much lower on my body. �śOkay, what else?” I questioned. �śDon’t bite into it like a steak. You may tear the tissue, which will make it harder to conceal the bite. Instead, try a combination of pushing your teeth against the artery while you create suction on the skin. It is a much cleaner process.” I was impressed, though I didn’t show it. He seemed to really know his stuff and more than that, he was very good at teaching. I made a mental note to tell him that. Eventually. �śIf I ask you to do something, will you do it no questions asked? I promise it is important.” Gregor looked dead-serious and it was unnerving. No way, I thought.�śOf course,” I said. �śSing me the child’s song Twinkle, Twinkle.” He smiled, the lamp light glinting in his eyes.My mouth fell open. �śYou can’t be serious.”�śBut I am.” He stared at me and I stared right back. I only sung in the shower or in the car, when I was alone. I used to think I had a decent voice, that is, until a stuck-up group of girls made my life miserable in junior high after hearing me audition for a school play. I’d not sung to anyone one since, not even my daughter. Teenage girls can be so brutal. It’s a wonder any woman makes it past the age of seventeen.Gregor’s posture deflated, �śFine, just recite the words so I know that you know them. And do it quickly, talking around my fangs this long is a bother.”I did as he asked, running through the nursery rhyme lyrics quickly and with great embarrassment. �śClose enough. Now, when you start to drink, sing the song in your head. It will help you two ways. One, you will not lose control if you focus on something else. Two, it gives you a time frame for feeding.”�śSo when I’m done with the song, I stop?” I asked. He nodded and stroked my neck. �śDon’t worry; I will stop you if necessary.”Great, I hadn’t thought of that. But it was better to learn with someone stronger and older. I wondered though, just how old was he? �śNow, enough procrastination.” He pulled me into his arms and I took a deep breath, inhaling his scent. He smelled manly, like night and thunderstorms. Pressing my mouth to his neck, I remembered his tips and put them to use. My teeth poked at his neck while I sucked the surrounding skin into my mouth. I heard the tinniest popping sound and my mouth filled with the potent taste of his blood. It would have been easy to let myself go�"to just drink until the fount ran dry. But I couldn’t do that. I could never do that. Instead, I began the song in my head.Twinkle, twinkle little star...Gregor’s blood assaulted my senses. It rolled over my tongue like a spring wind, alive and fresh. How I wonder what you are...All sounds but my own suckling dropped off, like I had noise-canceling headphones on. The quiet grew into a roar as my own gulping pounded in my ears.Up above the world so high, like a diamond in the sky...My body felt free of gravity, like I was floating in a gentle current. Even with my eyes closed, I could see colors shining through my lids. Pale blue, vibrant red, ghostly white. Twinkle, twinkle little star, how I wonder what you are...I was supposed to stop once the song was over, but if I ever wanted to not follow the rules, it was then. In that moment, I thought of Clive and how he wanted me to take a life. To drain someone dry. And it was with that thought that I pulled my lips away from Gregor’s neck.�śNow lick the wounds to make them heal,” he whispered. I ran my tongue over the twin holes in his neck and watched as they closed up, leaving faint pink dots as the only evidence. �śVampire saliva can heal?” I asked. He nodded. �śYes, now it is my turn.” I didn’t have time to process that. Gregor rolled us, pinning me beneath him. He stroked my neck and I shivered. My skin tingled as he whispered in my ear, �śOra sarete mio.”I damn near swooned at his words, even if I didn’t understand them. There’s nothing sexier than a hot guy speaking a foreign language. �śTranslation?” �śMmm. Now you will be mine.” Gregor didn’t wait for me to catch what he’d said. His mouth pressed to my neck and I heard the faint noises as he drank my blood. He was very good; I had to give him that. I didn’t even feel the bite. What I did feel was pleasure; exquisite, pure bliss, to be more precise. I’m pretty sure his bite brought me to orgasm at least a handful of times. If I had been thinking clearly, I would have wondered about his strange choice of words. They’d sounded ominous and foreboding. It would be a few hours later when I’d remember them with clarity, and realize just what he’d done to me, and to the both of us. Chapter 19I sat on the edge of the bed, one leg folded under me as I watched Gregor leave. He pulled the door closed without looking back. He’d floated me mindlessly through the clouds while he fed on me, and when it was done, he’d kissed me chastely, straightened his suit and said he had business to attend to. I wasn’t sure what to make of all that. Just like the night before, Gregor seemed to run hot and cold without rhyme or reason. Perhaps it was a vampire thing, or maybe even just a guy thing. Either way, I didn’t want to think about it. I felt better after feeding and removing the silver, but I also felt worse. The blood-high had been temporary and when it faded so did my positive outlook. As if on cue, my cell rang. It was home calling. Middle of the day, the only person home would be jobless Pete. I answered on the third ring. �śWhat?” I said, trying to think how I wanted to broach the subject of the missing money to him. �śI don’t want to fight Claire,” said Pete. �śWe need to discuss a few things before you come home.”�śReally, what could you possibly want to discuss? Do you want to know if there are any other accounts I have that you can empty out?” Oops, I hadn’t meant to say that, but I was just so damn angry for what he’d done.Pete sighed on the other end of the phone. �śIt is my money too and I needed it to put down the deposit on my apartment.”That made me realize he was partially right. Virginia was a community property state. Half of everything that was mine was also his. Not that I had any intention of sharing that knowledge with him. I had to talk to Bette. Maybe she could put the trust in Quinn’s name. But then as her father, wouldn’t Pete have access to the fund as well? Shit. A dummy corporation maybe? Or were they just fictional television plot devices? No matter, I had been the only one slaving my days away. The state would split everything equally, regardless if the marriage itself had had any equity. No way would I let him get his hands on any more of my money�"of our money, mine and Quinn’s. �śYou haven’t earned a penny in months, how could you think that taking all my money was okay?” I could feel my anger quotient multiplying. Pete started to respond, but I cut him off. �śThat money was for silly little things, like the mortgage, the power bill, food for OUR daughter.”Silence greeted me from the other end of the line. Seconds ticked by. Finally, Pete found his tongue. �śI thought you had more money somewhere else. You’re always putting money in the rainy-day fund you have,” he said. His stupidity confounded me. Did he ever pay attention to anything I ever said? I wondered if he’d be able to function without me at all. Probably not, but that wasn’t my problem any longer. �śThat was just a bunch of loose change in a jar, for Christ sake! And anyway, I emptied that out two months ago for Quinn’s new gym shoes.”Pete was silent for several seconds. �śWhy didn’t you tell me that we were that broke?” �śHell-oo! Why do you think I’ve been trying to get you to look for a job? God Pete, I’ve been waiting around for you to pull your head out of your ass for over a year!”How could one person be so stupid? Oblivious, even. �śLook,” Pete said in a controlled voice. �śI’ll figure it out, but I still meant what I said. We aren’t working together anymore.”�śWell, we finally agree on something,” I snapped. �śHere’s what you’re going to do. Go get your deposit back, then get online and pay the bills that just can’t wait. There’s a file on my desk with the all the bills and log-in information. You’re not moving out.”�śBut...”Pete said. I stopped him. �śYou’re not moving out, but I will.”�śHow can you afford to move, when I can’t?” he asked, confused.Good question. I didn’t have an answer that I could share with him, so I hedged. �śGinny has a few vacation houses that she rents out. It’s the low season, so maybe she’ll let us stay in one of them until I figure something more permanent out.”Ginny was like an aunt to me. She’d been my mother’s closest friend for years and we’d kept in touch after my mother had died. And she did have rental houses; I just had no intention of asking her about one. It was Bette that I needed to talk to. �śFine. I’ll see if they’ll give the deposit back.” Pete sounded defeated. �śAlright. I’ve got to go to the convention center now. I’ll call and talk to Quinn later this evening okay?” I said. �śSure. Bye.” Pete hung up. Thinking of my mom reminded me of her little life-maxims. You know, like �śif you can’t say something nice” or �śthe early bird gets the worm.” I tried to put myself in his shoes, just like my Mother would have suggested. How would it feel to be stuck in a bad marriage because you couldn’t afford to get out? Then I realized that I didn’t have to imagine, I knew the feeling all too well. We had both been trapped by circumstances, only I hadn’t even realized it. I wasn’t stuck anymore though and I’d be dammed if Pete was going to profit from my sudden vampire disability fund. I chucked my cell on the bed and went to the bathroom to give myself the once over. Pink streaks marred my complexion and I cringed�"no wonder Gregor hadn’t tried to bust a move. I looked frightful. I snatched a clean washcloth from the shelf and went to work to make myself presentable. I scrubbed my face squeaky clean and then slathered on moisturizer. I picked up the small bottle of liquid makeup, but set it back down again once I looked in the mirror. I looked several years younger and for the first time in my life I didn’t need makeup to even-out my complexion or cover those dark circles under my eyes. Who needed to invest thousands in creams and gels and microdermabrasion? Vampirism had a few hidden perks, it seemed. What other changes had the gift of blood bestowed upon me, I wondered? My hair was shinier and perhaps a bit longer. I thought of baby vamp Claudia from that movie and remembered her hair always going right back to the same pre-transformation length when cut. But then I remember Bette saying that movies lied, so I reconsidered. If normal human hair was already dead, then perhaps all that extra-deadness made one’s hair grow faster? I stepped back from the mirror to judge my body next. It seemed mostly like the body I was used to. I still had the same proportions, though things did appear a little firmer and more in their original place. Not that it mattered much. Half the battle to looking fierce was all in the attitude and I felt fabulous. As in, Ru Paul Fab-u-lous�"at least physically anyway. Mentally, I was borderline in good moments and spiraling downward in bad ones. Looking human again (I was still human, wasn’t I?), I retrieved my cell from the bed. I quickly scrolled through a few junk emails and a handful of business messages. I responded to the ones that needed answers and then decided to call Bette, which would be a nifty trick considering that I didn’t have her number. I would just have to wait until she came for me. To kill time, I booted up my laptop. If I couldn’t brainstorm with Bette, then I could at least browse the real estate listings for a new place to call home. I wanted to stay in the same general area so I selected the only two counties of Virginia that were on the small peninsula I’d lived for my entire life - the Eastern Shore. After scanning the few pages of rental listings I didn’t see anything that would really work for me and Quinn. Most were small and sad looking. The rest were smack in the middle of a community and I knew that for various reasons, I’d need more privacy than that. All it would take was one nosy neighbor seeing Bette entering my house and I’d become a Hollywood Madame through the often-wrong, local grapevine. No way would she be mistaken as a local.My chest tightened at the absurdity of Bette staying in my home. It would be like a supermodel living in Little-House-on-the-Prairie-land�"almost comical in disparity. I hadn’t thought that far yet. How in the world could I integrate my normal life with all my new �śfriends?”Would Bette even come visit me? Or Gregor? And did I want them to? Who was going to help me through the transition if not? My brain whirled and I could practically smell the smoke. Disgusted at myself, I clicked over to the For Sale listings. Maybe I could find a house listed for sale with more privacy and the sellers could be coaxed into renting. I bookmarked a few possible houses and glanced at the clock. It was after noon, and Bette still had not shown up. I needed to wrap up a few things for work at the convention and I needed to talk to Bette. I had to get a handle on my Vampirism and I had to figure out my mental talents so that I could control them... and eventually use them. I had a lot to accomplish. Making a list made me feel better, even if I knew I’d probably never look at the notepad file after creating it. I was a list maker, yes, but not a list-doer. I stared at the blinking cursor for several minutes, thinking about what else I needed to add to my To-Do list. Find a divorce lawyer. Figure out job situation (work from home?) and financial situation. Figure out how I was going to feed when I returned home. Hell, I had to figure out how I was going to survive, right down to the mundane activities of daily living. Ugh.I closed the laptop and skimmed the print-outs Cassidy gave me. Most were vague and only helpful for wrapping my brain around the fact that talents existed, at least as much as other people believed in them. I did glean a few nuggets of understanding from the articles though. Several mental exercises revolved around building up a mental wall inside my own mind to block the incoming emotions. In theory, a barrier would keep me from being swamped by others, but would allow me to tear out a small section when I wanted to be able to use the gift, and then rebuild that portion when I was done. Wouldn’t it make more sense to install a door in my mental wall, one that I could open and close without much effort? Work smarter, not harder and all that.I glanced at the clock again. It was 12:30 and I was getting impatient. Where the hell was Bette? Maybe she meant for me to meet her at the conference.Focus, I told myself. Sitting on the bed in a meditation pose, I closed my eyes and followed the instructions for creating my brick-and-mortar safe mental-haven. I pictured my brain (it looked like a lump of regurgitated food) and then the dark space just outside of it. I mentally took a brick into my hand and laid it down, and then another, and another, until a chain of bricks encircled my brain. Then the next layer went on, followed by a third, a fourth, and so on, until I had a towering wall of red brick around my mind. I’d forgotten my trap door. Crap. Oh well, I’d had enough mental construction for one day. If it really seemed to be helping, I’d remodel later. One o’clock and still no Bette. It felt stupid admitting it, but I was worried. Something about Bette’s absence just felt off. What had Gregor said earlier, that Bette was busy? No, he’d said something like detained. That still didn’t help me, though it did make me more suspicious about what he hadn’t told me. When it came right down to it, I didn’t know him enough to trust him and I’m sure he felt the same about me. Since I couldn’t call anyone, I’d have to go to them. That meant dealing with the sunlight, as if I hadn’t tested myself enough already. I remembered Bette’s warning. Cover my skin, eat well, and hurry. I grabbed a lightweight silver-gray sweater out of my closet and slipped it on over the halter top. Aside from protecting my arms, it also gave me a more business-casual appearance. I didn’t have a wide-brimmed hat, but I did have an old baseball cap of Pete’s stuffed in my bag for jogging, so I pulled it out and went in the bathroom to see how it looked. I was not Vogue material, but it would have to do. One problem down, two to go. I couldn’t feed again, not without some form of supervision and a willing victim. I just had to hope that my last meal was enough. Which left me with one more thing to consider�"I needed to get there fast, and preferably in the dark, so I’d have to hire a car. I picked up the hotel phone and dialed the front desk. I explained the situation (not that I was a scary vampire with a sun allergy) by claiming that I had an aversion to public transportation and a deep need for privacy, so I wanted the name of a service that carried town cars with tinted windows. The concierge offered to make the call for me. I hung up and waited for the call back and within two minutes I had a reply. A private car would be waiting for me in the parking garage in ten minutes.A sinking feeling crept into me, like I was taking the first steps into an adventure I wasn’t quite prepared for. I swallowed back my fear and gathered up my phone, purse and most of my courage. That was all I had to arm myself against whatever waited for me�"that and a bunch of otherworldly talents I had no idea how to use. What’s the worst that could happen? Bette and her entire clan had decided I was more trouble than I was worth and had taken off for the hills, leaving me broke, untrained and hopelessly alone? I shivered. That would be very, very bad. If it was anything but that cheery little scenario I could handle it. Maybe. I hoped. Chapter 20I made it to the convention center with little trouble. My car had been waiting and the driver had been the strong and silent type, so that had gone in my favor as well. Getting dropped off had proven a bit trickier, as the driver had been scared off by the �śNo Admittance” signs posted at the entrance to the service area. In the end, he’d left me at the base of the exposed, blinding white expanse of stairs that the �śnormal” people used. In hindsight, I should have tried to use some of my talents, natural-born or Vampirish, to persuade him to drive into the covered garage. Instead I offered up a quick prayer to whoever was listening, paid the driver and sprinted up the stairs while my skin grew hotter by the second. I arrived at the glass double-doors without spontaneously combusting or chowing down on the handful of smokers clustered under the canopy shade. And I wasn’t even winded from the jog. Yay, me!Once inside the cool lobby, I scurried to the nearest bathroom to make sure that my face wasn’t crispy or glowing red. I looked remarkably normal and if the memory of the sun’s heat on my skin hadn’t been so vivid, I would swear that the sun had no effect on me. Shrugging, I resigned myself to figure that out later. I had more important things to deal with. I pulled off the cap and tucked it into my bag, then smoothed my hair and unbuttoned my sweater to let it hang open. I was ready to hit a few vendors and track down Bette. I managed to get through meet-and-greets with several vendors before I was waylaid by a familiar face. �śClaire! Nice to see you again.” I knew without a doubt that she’d witness all or part of my strip-club escapades. Well, crap. �śYou too, Vera.” I pushed my hair back from my face. �śYou guys about to wrap it up here?”�śYup. Just a few more hours and then we head back to the hotel to get ready for the party. You’re going to be there, right?”I hadn’t thought about it. I did need to mingle, but I was pretty sure I had other things on the agenda. So I shrugged. �śI’m going to try, but I’ve got so much to do before I head out in the morning.”Vera faked a pout, a flirty let-me-in-your-pants frown. �śBut you have to come; we’ve got a special surprise lined up.”�śOh, really. What’s that?” I asked. She smirked, leaning in like a co-conspirator. �śWe’re hijacking the stage for a few minutes from the band. We want to debut our new line.”I was torn. I really wanted to see that, but I also wished they’d let me know ahead of time. I could count the ways it might undermine the Siren’s official roll-out when the time came. Too late now, I thought. Maybe at the very least I could use it to create a buzz well ahead of the heavy marketing�"which meant I needed to go to the party, at least for a few minutes. �śWell, I wouldn’t want to miss that. Tell Joni I’ll be there.” I smiled. And then I had an idea. It might have been brilliant, or insane, depending on your point of view. �śYou know what would be great?” I blurted, �śDo you remember Bette?”Vera frowned briefly, �śYeah, the violin Diva, right?”Now it was my turn to frown. �śYes. She’s got an amazing collection. What would you say to a duet of sorts? It would be perfect for the campaign. Haunting violin melody to start, then in comes the cries of the Siren. Slow at first, then picking up in energy?”�śI like it. Sort of an old meets new thing, right?” she said. Then, behind Vera, about half way down the aisle, I saw something that made my heart thud. Two men, more specifically Dark and Dangerous in what looked like a pretty intense conversation. Clive gestured wildly and I could make out tension in Gregor’s face. The two men were polar opposites, so why were they always together? Vera continued talking, but I hadn’t heard a word she’d said. �śSure. Hey, do me a favor, say something to Joni and I’ll catch you before I leave, okay?” I watched the two men head into Bette’s booth.She looked crushed and I felt bad for blowing her off. She really seemed like a genuinely nice person, even if she was a little strong with the come-on’s. Without thinking it through, I hugged Vera and smiled as sweetly as I could. �śI hate to run off, but I’ve been trying to pin those little buggers down for days. I need to catch them before they head off to talk NASCAR or something.” I nodded to the booth opposite of Bette’s. A group of hair-metal dudes loafed around their orange-flame and chrome displays. I had no idea what they were selling, but I was guessing it was something I wasn’t interested in.�śSure thang, sweet thang.” Vera joked, hooking her thumbs through the belt loops on her jeans. I laughed and tossed her another smile. �śLater.”I hurried toward the booth, but kept one eye on Vera as she headed off in the opposite direction. When I was sure she was far enough away not to notice, I cut across the burgundy carpet and snuck around to the door to Bette’s booth. I paused, trying to pick up any bits of conversation from inside. I stood there long enough to wonder if Clive and Gregor had left while I had been distracted, but then I heard the low, terse whispers of men involved in a passionate debate. I couldn’t make out what they were talking about, so I leaned closer to the curtained doorway. Gregor spoke. �śYes, I claimed her. And you know what that means.”Clive protested. �śYou can’t claim her, she was already Bette’s?”�śFunny you should argue that, when you weren’t going to let that stop you from trying to claim her yourself.” Gregor argued. I heard the sound of something scraping across the marble floor, followed by a thump.Clive muttered something unintelligible. �śBesides, Bette cannot refuse me, you know that.” Gregor argued.I didn’t know what the hell they were talking about but it scared the bejesus out of me. The air around the booth was crisp and dangerous feeling, and a slight bluish haze seemed to flicker around me, wavering like an oasis in the desert. The two men were talking again, but their voices had lowered. I needed to be closer. I inched up to the curtain as close as I dared, and pushed the curtain aside just a tiny bit. As my fingers made contact with the curtain, a blue spark bridged the gap, followed by a loud pop. The conversation from inside halted and I held my breath. The seconds stretched into minutes as I stood there, somehow knowing not to move, not to twitch one singular muscle.Finally, I heard Clive hiss, �śIt is not decided. We will finish this conversation later, under more secure circumstances.”Shuffling told me Clive was headed for the door and directly towards me. I started to back up, but not before I heard Gregor say, �śBrother, I’ve never gone against you. We’ve not once fought in two thousand years, but believe me when I say this: If you insist on challenging me on this, I will fight, to the death if necessary.”They were brothers? But they looked nothing alike and had different accents, though Gregor’s was diluted far more than Clive’s. Maybe it was said in more of a slang fashion?The footsteps grew louder and I backed around to the corner of the booth. Clive swept the curtain back and stormed up the aisle, his face set in stone, calling over his shoulder. �śThink on this until we talk later; who will protect her once you are gone?” If my heart had been beating, it would have stopped. Like the little voices I’d heard most of my life, I heard a distinct whisper in my head. They’re talking about you. You are in very grave danger, Claire.Icy tendrils of fear clawed at me. Gregor was probably right behind Clive, but I didn’t wait to find out. At the moment, I didn’t want to be seen by him either. I practically ran in the other direction, away from the booth.Something was definitely rotten in Denmark. I hid in the restroom for the next twenty minutes, replaying the conversation in my head. I dissected each word ten different ways and still came up short in the way of answers. So what did I know for sure at that point?Bette was AWOL, Clive and Gregor were locked in a possibly deadly stalemate, and somehow I was involved. So basically, I knew nothing that made me feel the least bit hopeful. Apparently, I’d said �śYay, me” a bit too prematurely.Chapter 21I spent the rest of the afternoon scouring the center for Bette, who proved harder to find than Carmen Sandiego. Near five o’clock, I’d given up and gone back to my hotel room to ready myself for the party. It was a formal affair and I’d spent my Christmas bonus months earlier on a last-season dress, praying no one would notice. It was gauzy, flimsy and looked flipping fantastic on my newly-toned body. And the fabric made my eyes look electric against my fair skin. It was midnight blue silk, draped in all the right places and revealing in all the wrong ones. With a dangerously plunging neckline and a slit clean up to my right hip bone, wearing underwear was out, and my boobs probably would be as well if I tried to bend over.If I was being honest with myself, I hoped to make Gregor and Bette drool, while taunting Clive with something he would never have. Namely, me. But I wasn’t in the mood for the truth. The events of the day weighed heavy on my mind even as I strode into the banquet the height of confidence. Heads turned and I noticed. I only wish I hadn’t noticed quite so much. I should have been paying attention to other things. Like where I was going. I ran full-tilt into Gregor. Perfect. I faked a smile and willed my lips to speak. �śHave you seen Bette?” I asked him. �śI’ve been looking for her all day.”Gregor shook his head, looking me up and down. �śI have not talked to her since last night. You look very nice tonight Claire.” A waiter stopped to offer us a glass of champagne. I gladly took one even though I knew it would do nothing to take the edge off. Arousal radiated from Gregor in waves and my knees buckled just a little bit from the onslaught. I fought to regain control of myself. �śThanks. Hey can I ask you something?” I said.He raised an eyebrow and waited for me to continue. �śYou told me earlier that Bette sent you to me, when I was ill.” I gulped the bubbly. �śBut just now, you said you haven’t talked to her since last night.”Something wasn’t adding up. I was beginning to think that Gregor was a master of half-truths and misdirection. �śNo, I said that she knew you were in trouble and sent me. I never said we spoke.” He was right, technically. �śBut then how did you know?” �śThe same way that Bette knew you needed help,” He said. I still felt like he was holding back on me. Then, like a bolt out of the blue, his meaning smacked me square in the forehead. �śShe’s your maker too!” I gasped. Did that make us siblings? Oh my god, I’d slept with my vampire-brother. Eww!�śNo, Bette is not my maker.” He scanned the room as if he was bored with the conversation already.I was back to being confused. �śBut then how...” and then I got it. He was Bette’s maker. Did that make him my Vamp Gramp?He smirked at me, watching as the realization landed. That’s why Bette deferred to him at the club. She had to respect his authority. She’d had no choice. �śSo you’re her maker then?” I asked the question more to see how he would respond. Was that what Gregor meant earlier when he said that Bette couldn’t refuse him?�śYes,” He said, still not looking my way.Well, that was a let-down. But I wasn’t ready to give up just yet.�śHow old are you? Who is your maker�Ś Clive?” I really didn’t suspect that. I just figured the best way to get him talking was to insult him. Guys are easy like that. �śYou ask a lot of questions.” He stiffened and sipped his champagne.I pressed further. �śOnly ones that need answering. So, do you have to do whatever Clive says or something?”Gregor’s face turned to stone. �śHe is not my maker. He is my brother.”�śYour real brother or your vamp brother?” I needled.�śYou’re not going to quit, are you?”I couldn’t tell if he was irritated by me, or enjoying the banter. It was getting me the answers I needed, so I kept at him. �śNope,” I smiled as sweetly as I could and he visibly loosened a notch.He sighed. �śFine�ŚGregor and I have the same maker. In fact, we were changed at exactly the same moment and as far as I know that had never been done before us.”�śSo you’re special, like me?” I teased him.Gregor furrowed his brow. �śAside from the normal vampire gifts, we cannot do what you do.”An awkward silence settled in between us. Well, this was going just peachy. I wanted to ask him about the conversation I’d overheard earlier between him and Clive, but a little voice in my head warned me not to. That left Bette or our strip club encounter as possible topics. �śI really do need to speak with Bette. I have to borrow her and one of her violins for a performance in a little while.” I scanned the room looking for her again. �śI can get you a violin, but I truly do not know where Bette has been all day.” Gregor was still holding back. There was a subtle difference in me asking where she was currently and him qualifying that he didn’t know where she had been. Emphasis on had.I wondered if I could sense Bette like she felt me, in the twisted sense of vampire-lojack. I hadn’t tried, but now seemed like as good a time as any. I closed my eyes and remembered the first time I saw her, the way she looked at me and smiled. I thought of how it had felt to press her up against the metal door. I thought of falling asleep in her arms just hours before. My body tingled once and a red haze drifted in front of my darkened eyelids. Trust no one. Be strong. Use your gifts. I will see you when I am able.I gasped, �śBette?” and felt a hand on my arm.�śClaire?” Gregor took my face into his hands. �śIs everything okay?”I thought about what Bette had whispered to me from wherever the hell she was. Trust no one. �śFine. I guess I’m just a little hungry.” I shrugged my shoulders and gave my best Newbie Vamp smile. �śAlready?” He looked like he didn’t believe me. �śYeah, I guess that bracelet really took it out of me. That and I had to come through the sun to get here.” I lied, but at least it sounded plausible. Gregor bought my little fib and he relaxed, scanning the room. After several seconds, he nodded to a doorway in the back wall. I watched the door not understanding what he meant. Then I noticed one of the caterers carrying a stack of empty trays away.�śGo on. Feed while the urge is still manageable.” He practically shoved me toward the door.Well, crap. I couldn’t very well say that I’d lied and I wasn’t hungry at all. I also didn’t want him questioning how easily I made out in the sunlight. Without much of a choice, I left Gregor’s side and slipped through the service door unnoticed. I didn’t plan on feeding again, but then it occurred to me that if something bad was going down and if I had any chance of surviving it, I’d better top off my tank. I wasn’t sure how logical my thinking was, but it was the best I could do. Besides, I’d be dealing with all of this completely on my own in a few days, so I’d better get the hang of it. The same person I’d seen earlier with empty trays was now returning with a full one. I pulled my cell phone out of my pocket and pretended to take a call while he passed by me and went out to the main hall without a backward glance. I formulated a quick plan while I waited for him to return. I would act like I was in distress; play the damsel that needed saving long enough to get him into the dark corner at the elbow of the hall. Then I would feed for the first time all on my own while singing that damn child’s song so I didn’t get carried away. Okay, so it wasn’t much of a plan but I cut myself some slack. I was, after all, an untrained newbie.The metal door swung open again and I hurried to the corner and assumed the position. In this case, that meant flopping down on the floor and grabbing my ankle like I was in pain. The man, middle aged and smelling like garlic approached me. Great, of all the people at the dinner, I had to pick the stinky one.I contorted my face at the scent of him, which hopefully looked like a pain grimace. When he was close enough to almost step on me, I whimpered. The man jumped, startled. �śOh! Are you okay Miss?”He’d called me Miss, how sweet! It was almost enough for me to let him go unbitten. Then I thought of Bette and snapped back into my role.�śI think I’ve sprained my ankle. Owww!” I made a big show out of clutching my leg and for good measure I pushed my skirt up an inch further with my elbow. �śLet me get you some help.” He turned to go. I couldn’t let that happen. �śNo, I’ll be fine. I do this all the time. Can you just...help me stand?”He looked unsure and I noticed for the first time that he avoided eye contact with me, like I frightened him. Did he know what I was? No, that was impossible. It was more likely that he was phobic or something. I held up my hand, betting that he wouldn’t just leave me hanging. I was right. As he took my hand and bent to help me up, I decided to try Bette’s trick to soothe him. If I knew how she’d done it, my persuasion might have worked. Instead, a faint sweat broke out on the man’s brow and his heart rate doubled. I pretended to be unsteady on my feet so that he had to hold onto me a little bit longer. There was nothing left to do but bite quickly and hope that he didn’t scream bloody murder. �śThank you,” I said squeezing his hand. �śAnd I’m sorry.”�śWhat...” his words were cut off as he looked into my face. I had no idea what I looked like at the moment, but if it mirrored the way I’d caught Bette looking at me in the hall, then I understood his terror. The confusion that flashed across his face was replaced by blinding fear as I launched my attack. Unlike the writhing strippers, the caterer most-certainly did not enjoy being my little snack. He didn’t scream, he didn’t fight. Still, for the length of Twinkle, Twinkle, his fear and anxiety marched over my skin like ants. Maybe I was just that green. Or maybe my other gifts were interfering. Already, being an empathetic vampire was beginning to suck.I left the man curled into the fetal position in the shadows of the hall. He whimpered like a baby and my stomach lurched at the thought of what I’d put him through. Still, a tiny part of me wasn’t concerned about the man, only satisfied and fed. That scared me more than Clive ever had. I was becoming. �śThere you are,” said a voice from the open door. �śI was beginning to think that you’d become lost.”Gregor looked from me to the lump of a man in the corner. I bit my lip and avoided his eyes. �śDidn’t you sing the song?” He sounded angry, ready to scold me for my inept Vamp skills. �śHe’s not dead. He’s just terrorized.” There wasn’t much more to say than that. I licked my lips and shrugged. My Vamp-gramp mumbled something in Italian and went to the man, kneeling down and staying that way for several minutes. Then he helped the man stand and sent him on his way. �śLet’s get you that violin.” Gregor strode past me without even looking my way, his jaw set in a firm grimace. Great, he must think I’m a monster. He was right though. I was now one of the things that went bump-in-the-night now. �śHey!” I jogged to his side and grabbed Gregor’s arm.He spun like a top and looked at me in surprise. �śI see you’re finally getting some vampire abilities.”I scowled. �śHuh?”He motioned down the long hallway, back to where we’d been standing in the far corner. �śIt took you less than a second to get from there to here, and hardly any effort at all to spin me.”I looked from Gregor to the corner and back again. Impossible. It was at least fifty yards. Had I really moved that fast? Speed and superhuman strength, nice! At least I was getting something for all the trouble. I imagined how quickly I could clean my house or deal with all those pesky repairs that never got done.Trust no one.�śWell, you know me. I’m just a kettle of surprises.” I shrugged my shoulders. �śNow, about that violin...”I didn’t miss the frown on Gregor’s face. He seemed concerned about my abilities, especially the ones he didn’t understand or know about. He said nothing though, as he followed me back to Bette’s booth to choose an instrument. Chapter 22When we entered the booth, I was surprised to see Domino pacing and Morgan reclining on the settee, looking bored. Both looked up as we entered. �śSquee! Claire!” Morgan jumped up and ran to me, wrapping me in a hug and kissing me squarely on the mouth. She smelled like apple blossom and pear. And blood, sweet, delicious blood. I pulled away and held Morgan at arms-length. I was glad to see her, but I’d been unprepared for how delicious she would smell. I couldn’t eat my future Nanny. It was just bad form. �śWhat are you doing here?” I asked, forcing myself to smile. �śBette said you wanted to talk to me. You know, about living with you.” Morgan grinned and bounced in place. I made a mental note to thank Bette for giving Morgan the wrong idea. �śWell, if you decide to take the job, you would be staying at my house as a Nanny for my daughter Quinn.”A look of disappointment flashed across her face, but she recovered quickly. �śYou have a daughter? How old is she?”�śQuinn’s eight. She’ll be in school most of the time, but I need someone to pick her up, run errands and little things. Does that sound like something you’d be interested in?” I asked.�śSure, anything you need.” Morgan winked. If I didn’t know better, I’d think Morgan had feelings for me. I looked to Gregor for some help. He shook his head, as if to say �śwe’ll talk about it later.”I turned back to Morgan. �śOkay, great. We’ll get the details straight later, but I guess the biggest question is can you be ready to go back with me tomorrow?” If she was surprised by the swift deadline, she didn’t show it. �śYou bet!”�śGreat!” I turned to Domino, who’d remained silent in the background the entire time. �śCan you take Morgan home so she can start packing?”Domino regarded me warily, but agreed. �śGood, I’ll walk you two out.” I gestured to the wall of instruments as I looked at Gregor. �śCan you pick out a violin, something that looks old please?”Gregor eyed me suspiciously as I left him alone. I caught up with Domino and Morgan just outside the booth. �śThanks again, Morgan.” I hugged the Stripper-turned-Nanny quickly. I didn’t want to encourage her. �śGive me a sec with Domino, okay?”Morgan nodded and bounced over to a nearby display of concert images. The photographer noticed her and her skimpy clothing right away and wasted no time in chatting Morgan up. I’d have to get her a more conservative wardrobe soon. Followed by a what’s-appropriate-and-what’s-not talk.I turned my attention to Domino. He was surly and barely containing himself, as usual. I wondered again why he hated me so much. What had I ever done to him? I decided to take the honey approach. �śHave you seen Bette today? When I got up she was gone. No one seems to know where she is�Ś I’m worried. I mean, is it normal for her to disappear. Maybe it is. How would I know?”Okay, so I gush when I’m anxious.�śI have not seen her.” Domino grunted. �śBut I am worried also.” Fear crept up my spine. If Domino was worried then something was definitely wrong. �śWhen was the last time you spoke to her? What did she say?” I asked.�śBette called early this morning. I assume she had just left you at the hotel,” Domino said. �śShe said she had something to take care of and asked me to bring Morgan to see you.”�śWhat was so important that she had to rush off and leave me sleeping?” I said.Domino shrugged and remained stoic. Right�"a good employee doesn’t question, they just follow orders. �śShe also had me take care of this.” He pulled a sheath of folded papers from his inner suit pocket and thrust them in my direction with a sneer. �śWhat is this?” I asked, opening the bundle. It was mostly a bunch of legal mumbo-jumbo, but buried in between the last two pages was a cashier’s check for an obscenely large amount of money. And it was made out to me.My stomach rolled. I should be happy. I should be doing cartwheels, flipping over-the-moon with joy. But instead it just felt wrong. One of the last things Bette had seen to was making sure I received my inheritance. Had she thought there was a chance she wouldn’t be around to do it herself? I hoped that wasn’t the case. �śBut...” I glanced to the little piece of paper that changed my life and then to the man who’d handed it to me. �śNot that I’m not grateful, but I’d rather find Bette. I need her.”�śI know. But I can’t feel sorry for you right now. It all comes back to you.” Domino wouldn’t look at me, but his voice softened just a little. I wanted to protest, but I knew he was probably right. The guilt knotted in my stomach. He walked away from me and retrieved Morgan from the photographer’s clutches. The poor guy looked so sad to see her go. I didn’t blame him. Morgan was a looker, all right. �śDomino!” I called out to him. �śI’ll find her, it will all be okay. I promise.”He studied me for several long seconds, took Morgan by the arm and said, �śYou better” before walking away, leaving me standing there with no answers and a fat check in my hand. �śWhat do you have there, Clara?” purred a voice right behind my ear. I jumped and shoved the check and papers into my bag. �śJesus, Clive! Didn’t anyone ever tell you it’s not nice to sneak up on people?”I stumbled backwards, trying to put a little distance between us.�śI am vampire, Clara. It’s what we do.” Clive snickered, shaking his head. �śYou new ones are too soft, with your empathy and morals and manners.”I rolled my eyes. �śI’m sorry Clive. If you’d prefer, I could just tear your throat out right here?” Eww. Just saying that creeped me out. I prayed that I’d never be like him. But if I really wanted to, I bet I could kick his slimy tail all over the dark side. Clive’s eyes sparkled with amusement. �śI’d love for you to try.”I glared at him, trying to pluck a snappy insult from my brain. I came up with a big, fat nothing. No doubt a dozen zingers would come to me later. It was always that way.�śThere you are Claire.” Gregor ducked through the curtained doorway holding a deeply burnished violin gingerly in his hands. �śBrother,” he acknowledged Clive before turning back to me. �śIt’s perfect!” I beamed, �śNow if I can just find someone to play it.”I looked hopefully at Gregor, but he shook his head. �śI don’t play. But Bette said you make beautiful music.” �śI’m pretty sure that was the haunted violin, not me,” I argued, still ignoring Clive. I hoped he would just disappear into a puff of smoke and ash. If only a girl could be so lucky. �śShow us.” Clive gestured to the violin. I laughed in his face. My, my�ŚI was getting brave. Gregor stepped closer to me and lowered his voice. �śJust do as he says. You may surprise yourself.”I considered my options. My favorite one�"crack the violin over my knee and plunge the wooden neck into Clive’s chest cavity. Or I could skulk back into the booth and try to play the damn thing. I chose practicality over pleasure. I did have to find someone to play it since Bette was AWOL.�śFine, give it here.” I held out my hand and took the antique violin. �śIn the booth, now.” I pointed to the door, and both men seemed momentarily stunned that I was ordering them around. I’d gotten cocky, not to mention faster and stronger since my first solo-feed. I wonder if that was just a coincidence.�śWhat are you waiting for? Go on.” I shooed them inside. Chapter 23I was not amused. I’d tried to play the violin and judging by the looks on Gregor and Clive’s faces, I had failed miserably. Not that I needed them to tell me that. My own ears were bleeding, for heaven’s sake. �śI won’t say I told you so, but...” I smirked. Gregor paced, �śOkay, so we know you can’t play the violin; not even the special one.”Clive grunted, �śSo what is different this time?”�śNothing, really. I was sitting here. Bette was beside me, close enough that our legs were touching. And...”Gregor smiled and threw up his hands. �śThat’s it! Bette is a Maestro. You borrowed her talent.”It made sense. I did seem to be borrowing a lot of things from others lately. Emotional hijacking may be the typical Empath accomplishment, but using someone’s talent was too sweet for words. Imagine all the things I could do with that. Painting like O’Keefe. Juggling like a circus clown. Crazy gymnastics like Mary Lou. Clive brought me out of my thoughts. �śSo you just need someone with a talent for violin.”Something about his smirk made my stomach recoil. I shook my head. �śNo. I’ll find someone else.”�śThere isn’t time Clara, the show starts in twenty minutes,” he countered.�śClive is right, Claire. You are out of options so I suggest that you go get ready, do the show and get it over with.” Gregor took the violin from my hands and placed it back on the shelf.He was right and I hated that. I didn’t want to share the same oxygen with Clive, let alone have to touch him for the length of the song, while in front of hundreds of people. But I’d promised the gang at SheRawks! I would help. I didn’t need the money from my job anymore, but I’d been raised better than to let the people that depended on me down. �śFine. I’m going to freshen up in the ladies room. Meet me beside the stage in fifteen minutes.” I addressed Gregor and ignored Clive. �śBring the violin and a stool.” I figured the easiest way to pull the whole thing off was to sit on the stool and have Clive stand behind me touching my back. I damn sure didn’t want any skin-to-skin contact with that lizard. I left the boys gawking as I swept out of the room with an air of indifference. Five minutes later, after preening in the mirror to psych myself up, I made my way to the big event. I found the men waiting for me stage left. I could see Joni running frantically between the wires and gear already set up behind the closed curtain. Any minute now, she’d spot me. My stomach rolled at the thought. Stage-fright or Clive-fright? I wasn’t sure. I decided to distract myself. I addressed Clive and Gregor simultaneously. �śWhat’s up with Morgan? I think she’d do any damn thing I asked.” Clive sneered. �śYou bound her to you.”I shook my head violently. �śNo I didn’t.”�śYes, you did. When you drank too much, we had to give her your blood. You were still high, so I’m not surprised that you don’t remember.”My eyes widened. �śShe’s a vampire? Oh, God.”I couldn’t have a vampire taking care of my child- that was absurd! Wait, I was a vampire. Shit. �śNo, wench.” Clive lowered his voice. �śIt takes a large blood exchange to turn someone. You just gave her a little of your essence to keep her living while her body replenished its blood supply.”�śOh.” I let the wench comment go. It probably wasn’t smart to piss Clive off further right before I had to lead him onstage. �śSo... will she always be like that? Like a puppy eager to please?”�śSadly, no.” Clive’s eyes twinkled, probably thinking about what he would do to an ever-complacent stripper.Gregor cut him off. �śThe effect will fade over time, so long as you don’t feed it again.”I cocked an eyebrow at him, not sure what he meant. �śLiterally, feed it.” He flashed his fangs at me so quickly I didn’t worry about anyone else catching the peep show. I was actually kind of impressed. �śOkay, got it�"no snacking on the nanny.” I looked forward to the day where I didn’t feel like a complete imbecile at least thirty times per day. This Vamp stuff was complicated.�śClaire! There you are!” Vera huffed and puffed as she headed our way. �śEverything is set. We’ve rigged the lights with colored filters, so everyone on stage will look like they’ve just stepped out of an old black and white movie. The Siren is being played by an up-and-coming Stunner out of Portland�"Lana something. Where’s your violinist?”I didn’t miss the way Vera’s mouth twisted at the near-mention of Bette. Jealousy did not become her at all. �śBette can’t be here...” I smiled and shot her my best I’m sorry look. Vera looked on the verge of a stroke. Sweat beaded up on her ruddy temples. �śWhat do you mean...?” I touched her arm and she calmed�" enough that it was clear to me at once. Gregor noticed it too, which was just peachy. �śIf it’s okay, I’ll play the violin instead?” I said to Vera, squeezing her hand. Vera perked. �śYou play?” I nodded and tried to do it convincingly. �śIf you can handle it like you did the guitar earlier, then we can still put on a great show.” She clapped her hands and bounced just a bit. �śNow, please tell me you can wing this song.”She thrust a crumpled set of sheet music in my direction and I took it slowly, pretending to study it so that Clive would have a chance to get a decent look at it. I had no idea what I was looking at. It might as well have been Phoenician. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Clive nod. That was all I needed. �śSure, no problem. Just tell us where to go,” I said to Vera. �śUs?” she stopped me. Crap, I hadn’t thought of an explanation for Clive. I scrambled for a reason and once it finally came to me I cringed at having to say it out loud. �śWell, given the Hollywood-esque context, I thought it would be fun to tease my friend Clive here a little while I play.”I almost choked while referring to Clive as a friend. And after practically seducing him on stage, I’ll probably wish that I had. �śOh, sure then. Right this way.” I could sense the disappointment in her voice as she led us to the stage. Perhaps she thought we were an item?Over my undead-dead body.We followed Vera up to the stage, which was currently cloaked with a heavy curtain around the expansive rectangular platform. At the other end of the stage, a lone spotlight illuminated a single mic stand and I assumed that’s where the guitarist with the Siren was going to stand. On the opposite end of the platform I found our spot. And I was none too happy about it. Sitting there under the hot lights was an ornate damask chaise. The kind that I’d envision Bette reclined on when I pitched the campaign to the ladies. �śOh, so we are standing over there?” I said with a flicker of hope in my voice. Please say yes, please say yes.Vera shook her head. �śWe did have it set up that way, but your friend,” she nodded to Clive, �śsuggested that the guitarist stand and the violinist recline, since we’re unveiling the Siren. You know, so she has the room to kick it up a notch.”I tossed my best threatening stare in Clive’s direction. He returned the look with a smug smile before lowering himself onto the settee. He reclined back on the one arm with his feet dangling off the end. Clive patted the fabric and gave me a wicked grin. I shook my head. I was not cozying up to him on a couch. I leaned against the arm of the settee, resting my butt on it. I pulled one of Clive’s arms up and rested his hand on my lower back, shivering involuntarily. Vera scuttled off to brief the guitarist who walked up on the stage, a waif-thin dark haired girl in a long flowing white dress. Her hair was pinned up in a controlled mess of auburn curls, framing her porcelain face. She cradled the Siren like a baby and the light gleamed from the polished ebony and chrome finish. While we waited, I felt Clive’s hand descend down my back, grazing the top of my backside. My canine’s dropped at the perceived threat. I turned to him, growling, and got up in his face. �śYou are here for only one reason. So I can borrow your talent. After that, you are useless to me. Expendable. Think about that while we’re up here, because if you cross the line even the tiniest bit, I will claw your heart out as soon as we are off the stage.”Clive showed no emotion during my speech, so it was hard to tell if I scared him at all. Probably not, but I was beginning to scare myself. I’d turned into a badass overnight. I turned back to the curtained crowd, muttering for good measure. �śDon’t think for a moment that I won’t enjoy the hell out of licking your blood off my fingers either.”I heard his distinct laugh behind me. Bastard thought I was joking. Vera headed our way. �śReady?” I nodded and gulped. Mostly to buy some time while my teeth went back to the human-acceptable position. �śDon’t worry girl, you’ll do fine.” Vera squeezed my shoulder, a move meant to be comforting, but her hand lingered a little longer than necessary, taking the moment well into awkward territory.I did my best to give Vera a carefree smile while my teeth retracted. �śThanks.”Vera gave my shoulder another little squeeze and exited the stage. Chapter 24The lights dimmed and for the briefest second I found myself alone, in the dark, with Clive behind me and out of my sight line. I had the irrational (or maybe not so irrational) fear that he would take the chance while my back was turned, literally. I turned to reassure myself that he was not preparing to eat me. Only I couldn’t see him. That was a bad, bad feeling. Kind of like being a kid and certain that something was hiding in your closet�"only it’s dark and you can’t be sure. It was like that, but much worse. I knew the monster existed and he was right there, getting ready to do god-knows what. �śOh, how I want to,” Clive said, his lips grazing my ear as he spoke, before traveling down the length of my neck in warp speed. I jumped and almost dropped the violin. While fumbling to regain control of the errant instrument, Clive used the distraction against me. He pulled me down from my perch on the arm of the settee and enveloped me with strong arms and his solid torso. I struggled but it was like fighting a strait-jacket. Damn, he was strong. And excited. I heard his teeth clack near my head at the same time I felt his erection pressing into the small of my back. My vision clouded red. I was seriously past irritated. Easy. Stay calm. A duo of voices sounded in my head. That was a first. I’d become used to hearing my own thoughts and more recently to the voice I assumed was Bette’s, but who was the new voice? I didn’t have time to think about that further, as the curtain parted silently, revealing the stage to the audience. My heart thumped once, hard, but not because of Clive and his disgusting body parts. It was the crowd of people. There had to be several thousand attendees and they all looked directly at me. How had I not considered that? Oh, god, what if my power failed me? What if I bombed in front of everyone? The spotlight over my head flickered on, glowing brighter and brighter, until I couldn’t see much of the audience at all. I wasn’t sure if that made me feel better or worse. Not seeing them was good, but knowing they were out there unseen was almost worse. Even creepy, the more I thought about it. I calculated that I had less than thirty seconds to pull myself together before I was supposed to start. I inhaled deeply, closing my eyes and relaxing into Clive. Erection be-dammed, I needed his talent more. For the first time I tried to borrow someone’s talent on purpose; I didn’t want to rely on pure dumb-luck. So I pictured my mental brick fortress and nudged a few bricks out of place, leaving a hole big enough to let Clive’s talent in. I tried to picture him playing the violin, to hear the notes. A melody came to me, somber and dark. Gooseflesh spread down my arms. I felt his hand stiffen on my back, telling me that I’d tapped into his talent just fine for my first official time. Bonus points that Clive didn’t seem to enjoy the connection. Clearly, he was used to being feared, not used. That thought brought a smile to my face as I lifted my eyes, pulled the violin under my chin and prepared to play. I tapped my foot on the scuffed black stage, counting in to my first note. As the time approached I let myself go, mentally drifting away as I heard myself making beautiful music. It was a slow and morose ballad and I’m not even sure I’d ever heard it before. Nonetheless, it felt familiar to my soul. Or maybe that was Clive’s soul? Yeah, right. Clive didn’t have a soul. The song stretched and peaked, undulating around me in a hazy aura of colors that only I could see. I reached my first lull in the song and rested the bow on my lap. Clive shifted ever-so slightly behind me and I could feel his lips brush my ear. I expected him to say something crass or irritating, but he remained silent. I was overcome with a feeling of sadness and loss. It was like my heart was breaking and I could literally feel it in my chest, cleaving in two. I closed my eyes, willing the pain to recede. Instead, I saw an image, a flickering still-frame from eons ago. A dark haired man cradled a limp child in his arms, wailing up to the gray sky as rain poured down around them. The cobbled street was dark, lit by dim gas lamps every hundred feet or so. There was no one else around to witness the man’s pain. But I witnessed it still. Clive nudged me and I came back to myself. I wasn’t sure what had just happened, but if my suspicions were correct, I’d just taken a trip down Clive’s memory lane. That’s the one thing that most people, including myself, forget�"monsters are not just born, they are created and shaped by experiences. But enough of feeling sorry for Clive; I didn’t want to let my guard down any more as far as he was concerned. No matter what he’d experienced in the past or what he’d lost, he was dangerous in the here and now. I’d be smart to remember that. I shook my head to clear my thoughts and rested the violin in my lap. The guitarist waited a beat after I paused and then stroked the Siren at the exact moment her spotlight came on. A collective gasp rose from the crowd and once the �śoohs” and �śahhs” died down I readied myself to join back in. The two instruments played well together. My violin weeping while the Siren wailed. It was both extremely sad and amazingly beautiful at the same time. I felt a tear escape from my eye and Clive did the first selfless thing I’d witnessed. He’d smelled my bloodied tear and turned my face away from the crowd so they wouldn’t notice the violinist who cried pink. I’d like to say the man had at least one redeeming quality, but even that was probably a stretch. Clive’s idea to remove the errant blood-tear? Why the bastard kissed me, of course. I can only assume he wiped my face at the same time, but I was beyond surprised and in no shape to do anything other than continue to play through the end of the song. What stood out most about the kiss was the fact that I did not enjoy it. That might sound strange, but it was actually comforting. With vampire talents running amuck lately, it surprised me that Clive hadn’t tried to glamour me or put me under some sort of spell. I couldn’t say the same for Bette or Gregor, at least not with a hundred percent certainty. My lone thought for the last few bars of the song? If I was so psychically gifted, why the hell hadn’t I seen that one coming?Chapter 25As soon as the curtain fell I scrambled off stage. I felt claustrophobic and needed a moment to get my bearings. Gregor looked surprised when I passed by him without stopping. I heard him call my name, followed by Clive telling him to leave me alone.Everything felt tilted, like the earth was suddenly upside down. In the span of five minutes I was ready to reverse my opinion of Clive. Based on what? That he’d suffered loss and pain ages ago and that he’d not tried to bespell me before he’d kissed me?I was losing it. I had to be. The rational part of me knew that a handful of normal human interactions did not a good-guy make. I’ll bet even Dahmer did something redeeming every now and again. No, Clive was not a good guy�" and I needed to remember that. I practically ran back to Bette’s booth, hoping that if she was at the conference, she’d come looking for me there. Of course, the booth was empty and dark. I entered anyway, lighting one sconce by the door and leaving the others dark. I huddled in the back corner and let myself calm down before trying to think my way through everything. My mind was a jumbled mass of thoughts that writhed like snakes in a pit. My marriage was over. I was a blood-sucker. Who could I snack on once I was back at home? Can a vampire raise a child? Did I have feelings for Bette or had she just charmed me, literally, out of my pants? Ditto for Gregor. Vampire talents notwithstanding, had I ever made a decision that wasn’t based on the emotions or desires of someone else? The knowledge of my empathic abilities tainted my entire life. Had I even loved Pete at all, or had I felt love only because he did? Oh, my-saints. I was getting dizzy from all the thought-spinning. And further depressed. �śHey there, fair Claire. Why are you hiding? You should be out catching some glory.” Cassidy strolled into the booth like there was nothing in the world wrong with me sitting there in the dark, huddled in the corner like a scared child. �śThat was amazing!”�śI just needed a minute. I don’t do well with crowds.” I made up something that at least was based in truth. I ignored the compliment. Those made me uncomfortable and I never knew how to respond, so usually I changed the subject. �śI’ll bet. Most empaths don’t handle a lot of people very well. It’s like getting bombarded with all their junk at once. �ś She plopped down on the floor beside me, crossed her legs and leaned up against the wall. I nodded. �śThat makes sense. And that’s probably why kid’s birthday parties leave me with migraines. All that chaos and energy must be like an Upper to me.”Cassidy laughed and shifted her position to face me better. Her expression faded quickly from amusement and into a more serious countenance. �śSo, you know these violin people well? Don’t take this the wrong way, but they seem a little odd,” she said. I wasn’t sure what she was getting at, but the question gnawed at me. I was almost sure it wasn’t just making conversation. Of course, I was seeing demons where there weren’t any, and angels where the devil stood, so who was I to get defensive over one little question?�śA little while.” I brushed some lint from my dress and stretched my legs out. �śWhy?”She shrugged and shook her head slightly. �śNo reason. Just curious.”�śThey’re certainly interesting,” I said for lack of anything positive to say regarding Bette, Clive and Gregor. Since figuring out that I’d been be-spelled on more than one occasion, I had a harder time coming up with something positive that I also knew to be true about them. From outside of the booth I could hear people laughing and mingling. Flashes from the dance floor strobes flickered behind the booth’s curtain. Techno music pulsed through the thin walls. The party was getting well under way and I was cowering in a booth. If I had never met Bette, I would be out there enjoying drinks and securing business connections, not pondering my uncertain future on the floor of my maker’s booth. I missed being normal more than I thought I would. �śSo, how are things? Did you try that blocking exercise I gave you?” Cassidy said. Crap, I’d almost forgotten she was there. I needed to get it together and at least pretend to be normal. �śThings are good. I built myself a nice little brick containment system and it seems to be working very well. I should thank you for that.” I smiled and patted her hand. She stared at me intently. So much so, that my head felt itchy. Was she trying to test my shield? �śStop that. You’re freaking me out.” I rubbed my forehead and swatted her away playfully. �śDoes that mean you have a gift too?”I’d not considered that before. I just thought she was interested in the spiritual, psychic mumbo-jumbo�"one of those Hippy-Dippy sorts. It never occurred to me that she might actually be one of us weirdo’s.�śWhat? I have no idea what you mean.” She smiled coyly and hopped to her feet. �śCome on, I’m dying for a drink.”I took her outstretched hand. �śMe too. I’m positively parched.”We left the booth giggling like school girls and made our way toward the bar. Since I’d run off stage, the party had doubled in size. Wall to wall, people laughed and engaged in lively conversation. A smooth jazz band provided appropriate background music. I didn’t see the dastardly duo anywhere, but I did spot Domino waiting patiently in the wings. Maybe that meant Bette was finally around. �śHey.” I tugged on Cassidy’s hand. She stopped and looked at me, and I asked her to get me a drink while I took care of something. As soon as she turned her back to me, I headed straight for Domino. He didn’t seem surprised to see me coming over. In fact, he reminded me of those palace guards in England�"his facial expression didn’t change at all. I wouldn’t let him ignore me though. �śPlease tell me that Bette is here.” I practically begged.Domino didn’t look my way, but grunted a quick, �śNo.”I was afraid of that. �śHave you heard from her at all? Please tell me you’ve spoken with her?”I pleaded with the universe for Domino to give me the answer I wanted. I needed Bette. She was the only vampire I half-way trusted and I still had plenty of questions. My life might actually depend on getting those answers.�śYes. You call her in an hour.” Domino fished around in his jacket pocket and pulled out a cell phone. He handed it to me and walked away.�śWait!” I called after him. �śDon’t you need your phone?”He stopped, shook his head and said, �śI have another. Just call number in history. One hour.” Then he simply walked away. I scrolled through the phone’s call log, and sure enough, there was only one number in there. Why in the hell would Domino have a burner phone? And why did I have to wait for an hour. I’d certainly fallen down the rabbit hole this time. �śThere you are.” Cassidy handed me a fruity mixed drink. �śEverything okay?”I assured Cassidy I was fine and tucked the phone down the front of my dress. I didn’t have anywhere else to put it, so down the bra it went. For the next several minutes, I forgot all about the phone. Instead, Cassidy and I laughed and cruised around. We made fun of a few partiers that were hitting the booze a little too hard. I almost felt normal�"so long as I didn’t let the thousands of blood-carrying bodies get to me. That was a bit of a struggle, but one that I could handle with a little effort. On our third lap of the large banquet room, my boobs began to vibrate. I looked at the clock on the wall and realized we’d been at it for over an hour. Bette�"it had to be Bette calling. I excused myself while fishing the phone out of my cleavage. Cassidy shot me a funny look, but left to go talk to some friends of hers as I walked to the side entrance where it was quieter. �śBette? Bette, is that you?” The desperation in my voice annoyed even me. Static swallowed the connection and the line went dead. Shit, flies and horse-feathers. It had to have been her. Who else would be calling?I found the number in the history and sure enough, it was the same as the only other number on the phone. I hit send and waited for someone to answer. After the tenth ring, the call went to a generic voicemail box, so I hung up. Then I paced. The dewy night air did nothing for my hair or my mood. What the hell was going on?Was she all right? Surely Gregor would let me know if something was wrong. He had to have some sort of affection for Bette. She was essentially his child, after all. There had to be allegiance there; some sort of bond. Wasn’t that the way things worked?The phone buzzed in my hand and I answered faster than humanly possible. �śBette?”Seconds ticked by before I heard her sultry voice. �śClara? Yes, it is me.”�śOh, thank god. Bette�Ś where have you been? I’ve been going crazy worrying about you. And Domino hadn’t spoken to you and Gregor had no idea where you were. You gave me an ulcer. Is everything okay? Where are you?” I gushed. �śClara, Clara�Śrelax, I am fine. I just had some business to attend to,” Bette soothed and my body relaxed. It was one more time that I didn’t mind her brand of vamp-juju. I hadn’t realized how tightly-wound I’d been until my body let go of the tension. �śWhat business? What was important enough to leave me worrying?” I wanted to gag�"I sounded like a jealous wife. �śSorry, I didn’t mean that.”�śClara, it was important. But I am sorry that you were worried.” Bette said. �śI went out of town for a little while, but I’m back now and anxious to tell you what I learned.”�śLearn about what?” I asked. Bette hesitated. I could practically hear her thinking about how much to tell me. Couldn’t I get a straight answer from anyone anymore? �śI had someone looking into you,” she said quietly. �śAnd I found something interesting.”�śWhat do you mean, looking into me? Did you hire a private investigator or something?” I bristled at the thought. It’s not like she’d find anything unsavory. Up until the last few days, I’d been a model citizen. But the invasion of privacy, that was not something I was comfortable with. �śNo. Not at all. We researched your family tree, thinking maybe your gifts were inherited and if we knew more about them, it would prove useful,” she said.Well, that made me feel moderately better. At least she wasn’t running common credit checks on me or running my name through sex-offender databases. It would be my luck she’d come up with something in error, like that I was really a transvestite dog-groomer from Houston that went by the alias Puddin’ Cup. �śOkay, what did you find?” I was more than curious. I knew very little about my ancestors. It hadn’t been a big topic in my family. My parents were too busy working around the clock to keep the house running. There hadn’t been time for a lot of trips down memory lane. Or trips, period.Bette interrupted my thoughts. �śMy research took me back to Italy, but you probably knew that given your surname. From there it got harder. No official records exist from that time.”�śHow far back are we talking? I know my great-grandparents came over near the turn of the century,” I volunteered.�śI know. I was able to go father back, until the trail ran cold in the sixteenth century. From there, I had to make a few guesses and put out some inquiries to Book Sellers�"specifically ones that collect old and rare volumes from Italy.”Damn, she was thorough, I’d give her that. �śAnd?”Bette laughed at my impatience. �śAnd I am fairly certain that you are the descendant of a powerful Strega who last shows up on record in the early fifteen-hundreds�"1531 to be exact. The Siege of Florence was over and the city fell under the rule of Alessandro de Medici. Unfortunately for your relative, she drew the attention of Medici because of her legendary powers and great beauty.”I tried to absorb what Bette was telling me, but it was all too much. From what I remembered from college, the Medici family had been rich and powerful. Gaining their favor was all some ever hoped for. Many of the Masters of Art History were only known as such because of Medici patronage. �śI’m not following. Why was being recognized by the Medici unfortunate for her?” I asked.�śBecause, my dear Clara,” Bette spoke softly. �śThe Strega Venna was never mentioned after that. She must have died around then, probably at the hands of the Medici, most likely for being a witch. You know, the Hunts began again around that time.”�śOh, that’s awful.” I was saddened by the loss of a woman I’d never met, a woman I felt an ancient connection with. She’d probably died for her gifts, the very same ones that she’d passed on to me. �śDon’t worry, I will investigate some more; it will just take some time,” Bette promised. �śI left a packet of research at the hotel for you until I learn more. Perhaps we will even discover more about you through this Strega.”I was grateful that Bette was going to keep looking into my family, specifically the woman named Venna. I wanted to know every single detail about this woman’s life and death. I felt like I owed her that. �śThanks. It means a lot to me.”�śIt is my pleasure.” She said. �śNow, we have a meeting tonight and you will be there.”�śWe?” I asked.�śYes. All of us. Domino will bring you. Go find him and I’ll see you soon.” Bette cut the connection and once again, I was left with more questions than answers. The main one I’d wanted to ask�"was she being overly paranoid, or was the whole cloak-and-dagger, burner-phone thing really necessary?I did the only thing I could�"I went in search of Domino.I found him waiting on the other side of the door, or rather I practically ran over him as I came back inside. �śFollow me.” He turned and headed to the entrance expecting me to tag along like a dutiful child. Pouting, I chased after him while muttering under my breath. Why did he have to be such an ass all the time? Within minutes we were in the limo and on the way to god-knows-where. I watched palm trees roll by at an impressive speed, flickering like towering giants, each standing in their own golden glow of a spotlight. I rolled the window down and felt the moist air kiss my skin. Wherever we were going, Domino wanted to get there fast. Not that I’d been kept in the loop. Dread coiled in my stomach and I knew that this meeting wasn’t going to be good. Cryptic phone calls aside, when it came to my friendly family of Vamps, I stood on shaky ground. I was new, uninformed and flopping around like a fish on a pier. I used to think I was prepared for whatever life could throw at me, but since meeting Bette I realized that I had been na�Żve to think I could handle just about anything. The past few days had proven that I was not equipped to handle the weirdness that now dominated my life.My survival felt hinged on how quickly I could gather myself up and stand on my own two feet. If I was right, this impromptu meeting might prove more pivotal than I could imagine. The car rolled to a stop and Domino killed the engine. I scanned the area outside the window to get my bearings before climbing out into whatever awaited. We were in the woods. Dense brush and light-blocking trees surrounded the tiny clearing just big enough for the limo, a small stretch of dirt that served as a path to a blocky, concrete structure. Covered in dirt and peeling paint, the building hardly looked big enough for two people at a time�"no way was the meeting being held here. Domino opened my door. I waited for him to say something, but all I got for my attention was a stone-faced stare. I rolled my eyes and climbed out of the car. The scent of dampness and bog cloaked the area. Just how long had we been driving? We were in the middle of a damn swamp.I shivered and crossed my arms over my chest. I could practically hear the creepy-crawlies skittering my way, the gators ambling through the tall grass, and the snakes slithering in the branches over our heads. �śWhat the hell, Domino. Where are we?” I turned to the doughy man. �śI know you didn’t bring me out here to feed me to the swamp.”I shot him a look that hopefully reminded him of the choking incident. He rubbed his throat and I knew the message had been received. Domino raised an arm, pointing behind me at the squat block building. He had to be kidding. I shook my head. No way was I going into a glorified outbuilding with him, especially one in the middle of the swamp. �śGo, they are waiting.” He pushed me toward a rusted door in the face of the building.I stumbled forward. �śWatch it Bub.” I shot him a nasty look and Domino backed away while keeping his eyes on me at all times. Smart man. �śGo,” he said again. �śIn there? Really?” I waved to the door. He nodded, so I reached for the knob; it turned under my hand with a scraping-creak. I pulled the door open and was completely surprised by what waited on the other side. I expected a tiny room full of electrical panels or the like, but what I saw was a single bare bulb in the ceiling which illuminated that the rest of the room disappeared into a dark hole. On closer inspection, within a few feet of the door, the floor turned into steps that went down into darkness. Movement behind me said that Domino was near. I turned to him. �śYou expect me to go down there?” He smiled and it unnerved me completely. �śAre the others down there?” He rested his hand on the open door. �śYes, now go.”Before I registered the movement, Domino slammed the door, leaving me in the tiny room with no place left to go but down. I could only imagine what awaited me down in the dark recesses. I could feel my body shaking as I weighed my options. Go down or try to get the hell out of there. Something told me that Domino would give me a hard time if I chose to leave, but I was a Vampire and he was just a sour-puss. He couldn’t hurt me. On the other hand, if Bette and the rest of them were waiting for me, I needed to go down into the dark. Pissing them off wasn’t in my best interest and if they were going to do something bad, I’d rather have it go down in the swamps�" somewhere far away from my daughter. I pulled in a deep breath of stale air and stepped down into the void, the blackness swallowing me within seconds. Chapter 26�śFinally, you’ve come,” Bette said, her lips pulling up at the corners into a forced smile. So much for the welcome wagon. And to think, I’d been beside myself wondering if she was okay. Apparently, our relationship, if you could even call it that, did not mean the same thing to the both of us. I took a few tentative steps into the white-washed room, which was empty except for a large round table with four chairs. A bright light hung over the table and cast physically impossible shadows around the otherwise empty room. And despite all the white on every surface of the room, a certain gloomy darkness permeated everything.And then there was the freaking fog, seeping into the room, crawling up the walls like spiders. �śSit,” Clive pointed to the chair opposite Bette. He looked as smarmy as ever. I wanted to pout and rebel, or at least say something smart-assed, but I kept my mouth shut. With feet that felt too light, I joined the group at the table. I didn’t want to, not at all. Something about this clandestine meeting felt big. As in, the �śholy crap, I didn’t expect that!” kind of big that upends your life. And since I’d survived the baby-vamp-slash-empath-girl news with little fanfare, whatever was coming had to be even worse than that. Much worse.I stretched out my hand and the chair slid back from the table before I’d laid a finger on it. Empty silence filled the room. Interesting. Had I moved it with my mind? There was no way to know, so I took a seat at the table and focused on the others, all waiting patiently with blank faces. Finally, when the crawling fog was about to seriously freak me out, Bette spoke, distracting me. �śWe’ve been waiting a long time for someone like you.”�śWhat?” I said in a low voice that didn’t sound like my own. My hand twitched and I looked to each of them for a reply. Why weren’t they answering me? I had one of those paranoid moments, where I wasn’t sure if I’d spoken at all. I cleared my throat and tried again.�śWhat do you mean someone like me?” When there was no reply still, I started to rise from my chair, fear settling in my gut when I realized that I could not stand. My limbs felt weighted down, or rather pinned under a thousand hands. Clive was glaring at me, as if the weight of his gaze was enough to hold me still. His lips formed into a sneer. �śYou are very special, though you do not know it yet.”I frowned. There was nothing special about me, that I was sure of. I was the most boringly-normal harried housewife this side of the Mississippi. Well, I was before all the paranormal crap of the last three days, but that all felt like a dream. My real life back at home was not nearly as exciting. �śShe does not believe,” Gregor stated. It wasn’t until he spoke that I realized he hadn’t yet looked my way. We’d had some awkward moments in the past few days and I wasn’t sure how to handle him. There was definite chemistry with him, but I’d also thought Bette and I shared something more than a blood connection. Now I didn’t know what to think. Heck of a way to start things off.I responded to what he’d said, but kept my eyes averted. �śBelieve what? You guys are being all cryptic. I don’t even know what you are talking about.” �śWell then, she will have to be shown the way,” Bette said to Clive and Gregor, who nodded in agreement.I was rendered mute by the conversation around me. They were talking like I wasn’t even in the room. It ticked me off and scared me�"both in equal parts. I shifted in my seat. I still couldn’t stand, but my binding had loosened just enough to allow me some wiggle room. �śAre you sure that she is the one?” said Clive, eyeing me like I was a bug to be squashed.�śYes, how can you be sure?” asked Gregor clasping his hands together and leaning over the table. �śI am sure. Her powers shine through, despite the neglect. Imagine how powerful she will be once she is trained,” Bette argued on my behalf, which made me grateful. �śIf you are sure.” Gregor straightened in his chair. �śIt is in her blood, after all.”I wanted answers and I intended to get them. �śSomebody needs to...”Clive interrupted, glaring at Gregor. �śWell, I wouldn’t exactly know that, now would I?”Ah, so that’s why he was vibing some serious anger my way, even more so than usual. He didn’t like being left out of the all-you-can-eat Claire buffet.That made me smile and I began to feel like myself again. Funny how being near three powerful vamps messes with your mind�"so much that you don’t even notice until the fog clears.I sucked in a deep breath and prepared to make myself heard. Looking up, I could see Bette glaring at Gregor, while Clive sat back smugly. �śWhat? What did I miss?” I stood, no longer rooted to the chair. Since they were all distracted, I could assume it had been one of them holding me down earlier. Probably Clive. That sick bastard would get pleasure from something like that. I looked forward to the day that I could give him a taste of his own perversity�" preferably by draining him. Or maybe I’d light his twisted ass up. Thank the goddess I’d gotten over feeling sorry for him earlier. Three heads swiveled in my direction, mouths agape.Bette spoke first. �śNow, Clara. You need to calm down please. There is much to go over tonight.” She glanced down and I followed her gaze. My hands, unbeknownst to me, were cupped a few inches apart and glowing. Well, not exactly glowing; more like holding two spinning balls of light. �śWhat the...”�śBreath, Clara. Relax and let the light burn out. Whatever you do, don’t throw those things, please.”My first thought was: I can actually throw balls of light? Cool! My second thought was: What would balls of light do to a vampire? Namely what would they do to Clive? And lastly: Holy Mother of Pearl, how freaking cool was this?I fought the urge to try and juggle the balls of light. Instead, I did as Bette asked. I closed my eyes and imagined the glowing balls growing dimmer and dimmer until they were just faint pin-pricks. I opened my eyes and they were gone. Now you see them, now you don’t.�śYou sure do like to keep things interesting,” Gregor said with a hint of sultry in his voice.Bette looked at me, her eyes going ice cold. �śDid you exchange blood with Gregor?”In that moment, I knew that I had done something bad. I remembered Gregor’s odd choice of words as he’d fed from me and my body shuddered involuntarily. I nodded.Bette became unhinged, flying at Gregor with a speed somewhere in the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it zone. The screech that came out of her was bone shaking and unnatural. She collided with the seated Gregor and they both tumbled across the room.�śShe�Ś is�Ś mine!” Bette hissed, her face contorting as she clawed at Gregor’s throat.He deflected her attacks expertly, never fighting back, but by the looks of it he had his hands full just keeping his head.I glowered at Clive. �śDo something, you ass.”He kicked back in his chair and laced his fingers behind his head. A fake smile breached his face. �śNot my fight.”I’d had enough. Actually, I was beginning to see my breaking point right up ahead, like a finish line I couldn’t wait to cross. I was so over Gregor’s hot-then-cold attitude. Bette was driving me insane with her mood swings. I didn’t even want to think about the ways in which Clive managed to push my buttons. And then there was the fighting. You’d think it would be cool to have two people fighting over you, at least until it actually happens. But it’s not, really. It’s just super-frustrating and irritating on multiple levels. �śStop it!” I yelled. Of course that had no effect on two older-than-dirt Vamps. I should have known better. Bette still screeched and clawed. Gregor was still pinned down and defending himself. Clive was still being Clive�"in other words, a colossal dick. Balls of light. I channeled the growing frustration into my hands. From nothing, something flared and two red orbs appeared vibrating between my fingertips. I pushed more energy down my arms and felt it flowing down into my hands. The two balls became a dozen, each gyrating to their own music.�śI said STOP IT!” I flung the balls into the air and the room lit up like the Fourth of July. Everyone froze as the lights flared and popped overhead before drifting down again like embers in the wind. The room shook and I grabbed the table to steady myself; the combination of the flashes and movement momentarily disorienting.Bette stared at me before glancing back to Gregor, like she was trying to decide what to do next, or which one of us was the biggest threat. Clive chuckled to himself, clearly amused by my temper tantrum.�śGet off,” Gregor grunted at Bette.She complied, standing and backing away slowly, keeping her back to the wall. I could see the merit in that, given she’d just tried to tear his throat out. �śI’m glad to see that your anger is directed to me, my child,” Gregor said to Bette. �śI didn’t think that you would try, given the risk for complications, so I did not warn her. It is not her fault.” Bette answered, stepping closer to me. �śI knew that you desired the power, I just thought you would not risk so much to gain it.”�śWhat complications?” I chewed on my lip. That didn’t sound good at all.�śAttempting to break a vampire bond can sometimes be lethal,” Clive chimed in, clearly amused. His eyes glinted with arousal. �śLethal?” So he had knowingly risked my life, and for what? A roll in the hay, a plaything, a pocket-empath?�śYes.” Gregor lowered his head, like it pained him to admit. Or to make me think he was remorseful. �śDid it hurt very much?” Clive interrupted. He hoped that I said yes, the greasy sadist.I shook my head. Nothing about my little moment with Gregor felt remotely painful. It had been the opposite in fact. �śNo. I don’t remember any pain. Not a drop.” I answered honestly while trying not to blush. My anger helped with that.�śThen it didn’t work?” Bette said, hope tinting her voice.�śYes it did. I can track Claire just as you could.” Gregor actually looked proud. I could swear I saw his chest puff out just a bit. �śBut I can still track her. Our bond is intact as well.” Bette stood beside me, draping one arm over my shoulder. It was a possessive move, but one that I liked. I tried not to think about the fact that she was claiming me. �śImpossible!” Gregor drew closer.�śWait, someone needs to explain this bonding thing to me please, before I set off more fireworks,” I pleaded. I really didn’t understand. Wasn’t bonded a fancy way of saying �śconnected” or was I missing something?�śOh, please. Let me.” Clive put his hand up like a school-child.�śStuff it, ass-hat.” I countered. �śBette, please.”She took my hand and led me back to the table. We sat and she explained that a vampire can only be bonded to one vampire at a time. Most of the time bonds were formed between maker and child, but sometimes bonds were formed for other purposes, like power or wealth.�śAs your maker, we are bonded. But Gregor has tried to steal you from me and for that I will never forgive him.” Bette hissed in her maker’s direction.�śBut our bond didn’t break.” Silently I added, �śI can still hear you in my head.”Bette smiled, my mental message received. �śWell then, we will need a test to see who your Bonded One is.”I grimaced, picturing two people trying to call the same dog. �śPerfecto!” Bette exclaimed. Crap, had she read that from my errant thoughts?Bette pulled me to standing and nudged me to the center of the room. She retreated, leaving me halfway between her and a confused Gregor.�śCommand her,” she said to Gregor.A look of confusion crossed his face. I could almost see the moment it dawned on him. His face hardened and he lowered his voice. �śClaire, come.”I felt a pull, like a cord stretched taut between us. What I didn’t feel was compelled to obey him. Sadness crossed his face and despite the fact that he tried to steal me away from Bette, I felt sorry for him. It couldn’t be easy for him, a man who probably lived through times when women were subservient, to lose to a woman.�śClara, come to me,” Bette commanded. And like before, I felt our bond humming like a plucked chord. But I didn’t have to follow her command either. Bette’s scowl matched Gregor’s, leaving me the only one in the room with a big, fat smile plastered across her face.I already knew I’d fallen squarely in the freak realm. So what was one more oddity in my life? I was bonded with two powerful vampires, yet neither of them could control me. I’d take that win any day.Chapter 27�śNow, what are you going to do about that?” Clive injected. I’d almost forgotten he was there. Like he’d ever just go crawl back into his coffin and leave me alone. Silence stretched throughout the room. I had no clue what he was babbling about and judging from the looks on Bette’s and Gregor’s faces, they were confused as well. I decided to take control of the conversation for a change. �śDo about what?”He hissed at me, baring his fangs. �śI wasn’t addressing you, Infant.”It seemed Sarcastic Clive had been replaced by Scary Clive. I backed away before I thought better of it. I hated showing weakness, but when he threw off the restraints he was one scary bastard. He turned to Bette and Gregor. �śThe Triad! Or have you already forgotten our six-hundred years of power? A new toy comes along and you both just forget? She must be a demon in the sack.”Bette opened her mouth to speak, but Clive continued. �śHave you also forgotten the chaos we lived in before we formed the Triad? The wars. The death. The poverty?” Clive paced back and forth along the far wall. The creepy fog swirled in his wake, twining between his legs with each stride.Stupid me, I just had to butt in. �śWhat’s a triad?” Clive was on me instantly, his hands grasping my throat as he flung me against the wall. I could feel the icy fog crawling up the back of my bare legs. I should have been afraid of Clive, seeing as how he had me in a choke-hold, but for some reason I wasn’t. Clearly a lapse in judgment.�śThe Triad is us. Together, we control the vampires.”�śAll of them?” I gasped. I had no idea how many vampires existed, but the number had to be a big one. I couldn’t wrap my mind around the math to extrapolate how many vampires answered to Clive. Picturing a bunch of his minions running around terrified me.�śYes.” Clive said through gritted teeth. �śBette oversees all of Europe and the Middle East. I command North and South America. Gregor has Africa, Russia and the Orient.”I felt a Poly Sci lecture coming on when Clive continued. My eyes started to glass over and defocus. As I listened to the Cliff Notes version of Vamp Politics 101, I have to admit my attention wandered away a bit further. A superhuman hand around your throat will do that. I did, however, catch that the world of the Fanged-ones is eerily similar to the way the Human world works. At the top you had the Triad, with each person in charge of several countries. I happened to be sitting in the room with the three Triad members. Below them was a vampire in charge of one country, like the president or something. Below that were the state-level vamps, like Governors, and they had a handful of trusted vampires that ruled over each region within the states, like Senators. Lower than that, things became more un-official. �śSo, I live in your territory.” It wasn’t really a question, more like confirming my fears. I lost confidence and Clive sensed it, squeezing my throat tighter.�śYes,” he growled, flinging me to the floor. I tried to break my fall, but only succeeding in breaking my wrist. The bone popped loudly and the pain snaked up my arm. Tears, of the pink variety I assumed, rimmed my eyes. But as the bone began to knit and heal almost immediately, hell flew into me. I wasn’t about to be man-handled by the likes of Clive and I’d finally reached the point of taking no more crap from him or anyone�"man, woman or vampire. With a growl to rival Bette’s earlier outburst, I lunged at Clive tackling him to the ground. My vision did that going-red thing again and before I could think better of it, I bit Clive, hard. I tore at his flesh like a woman possessed, glad to finally be tearing his throat out. I couldn’t ignore the rush I felt as his skin ripped and his blood filled my mouth. The rich flavor of a well-aged vintage was heads over the average smelly human. I briefly wondered why vampires didn’t just suck each other dry. The blood was that much better.I went from wanting to tear him apart to wanting to drain him. I probably would have, if Bette and Gregor hadn’t pulled me off of his motionless body. Later I would thank them, but at the moment I was pissed. Why had the stopped me? They should have let me finish him. The world would be a better place without Clive in it. And it’s not like he didn’t have it coming.I retreated to a shadowed corner, sulking. Funny how quickly my rage had been replaced by petulance. Normally I’d just blame PMS and seek out some chocolate, but I was fairly confident that it was one of the many drawbacks to being a baby vamp.Did that mean I had to look forward to another puberty of sorts? Ye, gods. Where was a stake when you needed one? Out of the corner of my eye I could see Gregor checking Clive over and helping him to his feet after several minutes while Bette stood against the wall, clearly uncomfortable. If she was smart, Bette was worrying about reprisal from Gregor. He was, after all, her maker and trying to kill him had to qualify for a time-out or something, right?Hushed tones followed. I half-listened, crouching in a post-feeding stupor. I wasn’t pouting anymore, at least not much. My inner child calmed and was replaced by fear. I heard them talking about upsetting the balance of power, the Triad, and me. They talked a lot about me.�śClara, can you hear me?” Bette knelt beside me, stroking my hair. It felt good and my mind stilled. God, she was a potent drug. She folded me into her arms and whispered, �śWe have to make things right or we could all be destroyed. In a minute, Gregor is going to ask something of you and you must do as he says. Your life depends on it. Do you understand?”�śMmm, hmm.” I agreed, tucking myself deeper into the embrace. Bette tilted my face up to hers and kissed me, sending tingles down to my toes. I would have done anything that she asked in that moment�"which was probably the point behind dosing me with her special blend of vamp-mojo.Gregor was at once by my side. �śI am sorry Claire, truly. But this has to be done. He is right, if the vampires in his territory learned that we held more power than Clive, it would mean world-wide war.” He held onto my other shoulder, only it felt a lot less loving when he did it. �śI don’t understand.” I said, fear beginning to burn in my gut. I really should start to pay more attention to my instincts. If I did, things would probably go a lot better for me in general. Before I got my answer, Clive was on top of me with his fangs bared. He bit into my neck without finesse or tact, tearing my flesh. And unlike the times I’d let Bette and Gregor feed, there was no pleasure in feeding Clive. It burned like a thousand fires in my veins and I struggled against the attack, but I was pinned, defenseless and at the will of three vampires�" the most powerful vampires in the world. Oh, god. Was I going to die for real this time? Panic seized my chest and I struggled to fight it off; to fight them all off.My teeth snapped like a hungry jackal, my body bucked like a mustang. I growled and hissed like a cornered animal. Pretty, I’m sure it was not. Thankfully, I wasn’t going for beauty queen at the moment. Fighting was futile and I could feel myself weakening with each gulp Clive took. Worse still, he was enjoying it, as evidenced by the erection pressed against my arm. I promised myself if I lived, I would gladly pay him back in kind.But it felt like I would never get that chance. I was out of blood and out of time. I could think only of Quinn... my precious daughter, who would only know that her mother was gone for good. That she’d left for work one day and never come home. My body might never be found. Would my baby girl grow up thinking her mother had abandoned her? I couldn’t bear the thought.My body almost drained, I slumped as they released me and backed off at once. My mind reeled under a blanket of confusion. I was tired. And hurt�" in more than one way. My neck was sore, but the betrayal by Bette and Gregor cut much deeper than fangs.How could they let Clive drink from me? They had to know how much I hated him. I’d rather stake myself than to willingly let him touch me. And they’d held me down like a sacrificial offering. They had violated me. I was fully clothed, but nonetheless I felt raped.I’m not sure how long I sat there, wounded and dazed, staring at the white floor, speckled with blood. It was presumably mine and I thought it odd that a part of me could just be sitting around independent of me. I tried to see patterns in the droplets, like reading tea leaves, but the only shape I plucked out was that of a turtle, so that couldn’t mean anything. My blood looked lonely laying there and I wondered if it missed me? I pulled a finger through my life-force and made a smilie face. Then I wondered if I was crazy or just dying.�śClara, stand up please,” Bette said. She was standing in the corner to my right. I managed to get to my feet, though I’ll admit the wall supported me for the most part. �śNow, come to me.” Bette said and felt the vibrating cord between us once again. I shook my head, refusing her. I wasn’t sure I’d ever go to her again. Hell, I couldn’t even look her in the eye. She betrayed me. �śCome to me,” commanded Gregor, standing in the corner on my left. The connection to him hummed to life, but I refused him as well. Clive cleared his throat and I spied him in the corner on the other side of the room from me. �śCome.”The new connection to him twanged like a plucked string on an acoustic guitar�"a blood chord. My chest tightened and he visibly stiffened. He felt it too, the bastard.�śNo, I said quietly and with finality, �śI am not property. I am not one of your puppets, any of you.” I swept my arm out to the group, letting my gaze fall to each of them, one at a time. If my eyes could have thrown stakes they’d all be piles of dust. A thought flitted across my mind as soon as the words were out of my mouth.Without considering how they would react if I could pull it off, I tugged at the blood cords stretched taught between us. First gingerly, just to get a feel for it. The three of them gasped at the nudge. Fear flickered across Bette’s face and Clive growled a low threatening rumble. Gregor pulled back slightly as if to test the chord that bound me to him. Then I let my anger get the best of me. �śWhy don’t you all come to me instead?”At once, I jerked on the chords with all the mental-strength I could muster and the three big, bad vamps flew to me like children on a zip-line, stopping inches from the blinding white aura I was putting off.So it wasn’t the best idea, corralling myself with vampires to see if I could, but it was fun watching the surprise on their faces. I could control them and they didn’t seem happy about it. Well too bad, I thought as I pushed my way past the glowering vamps. I was electrified and recharged. And finally in control. �śNow, if you three will excuse me I have a plane to catch if I’m going to get back to my daughter before sunrise. I’m sure you’ll all be in touch.”I breezed out of the room without so much as a backward glance. I’d had enough of their vampire politics and circle-speak. I’d figure things out on my own and I didn’t want to see any of them, including Bette, any time soon. Quinn was my only concern. Given my growing abilities, I began to see all the ways in which she could be in danger and I wasn’t about to let that happen. I had to get home and circle the wagons, so to speak. I took the dark stairs two at a time, surprising even myself with how quickly I broke out into the balmy night air. I found Domino waiting outside by the limo, just as I’d left him. �śChange of plans. Take me to my hotel, then the airport.”I opened my own door as Domino looked back to the shadowed entrance, clearly waiting for Bette. �śShe said to come back for her. They have business to go over.”Domino took my words at face value and shut the door after I climbed in the car. I thanked the heavens that he couldn’t see my entire body shaking or the splattered blood on my dress. The cover of darkness served me well and concealed my fears until I could get a handle on them. When the limo began to move I relaxed and pulled out my phone, satisfied that I wasn’t being chased by angry Vamps. First, I called the airline and changed my flight to the next available one, leaving in exactly two hours. That would put me at the airport at 5 am and back at my house at six-thirty. Too bad sunrise was at six according to Virginia weather forecast. Thank god my car had tinted windows. I’d only have to worry about the sprint to the house. Next, I called Morgan and postponed her flight. I needed time to get home, find a house and make sure that I had Quinn safely tucked away with me. To do that, I’d need a certain amount of anonymity so I told Morgan I wanted to treat her to a day at the spa. I suggested she’d be a beautiful blonde and maybe she should try out some sort of drastic hairstyle change. Go short, maybe. I hoped that my power of influence was still strong so that Morgan would arrive in my hometown a much different girl than the one people in Florida knew her as. I made a note on my phone to order her a more conservative wardrobe as well.Once I’d taken care of necessities, I dropped my phone into my bag and rested my head against the window. Neon signs and streetlights blurred by as I considered all that had to be done. It was overwhelming to think about, but I would do each and every thing I had to do. And that included killing anybody, human or vamp that tried to use my daughter to get to me. We would be alright. I’d make sure of it. EpilogueI took in a deep breath of steamy night air and looked to the moon. It was full and bright and I felt myself calm under its silver, shimmering light. I slipped off my shoes and felt the cool earth under my bare feet. I stood there, still and quiet, rooted to the earth. I wiggled my toes in the dirt and a pervasive sense of peace came over me. I’d never felt as alive as I did in that moment, not even when I was actually one-hundred-percent alive. My soon-to-be-ex headed out the door the moment I’d stepped into the house, feeding me some line about staying for a few days with his fishing buddy. I didn’t believe him, but I really didn’t care where he went. Without Pete around I had one less complication to deal with. And I had my privacy to do the things that needed to be done. When I’d arrived home Quinn had been so happy to see me that we’d spent the day cuddled on the living room couch watching movies and eating junk food. Well, she ate and I pretended to, except for the bowl of �śtomato soup” I had mid-day. During my travel home, I’d learned that anything can be bought for the right price, no questions asked.On a side note, you wouldn’t believe how pungent cheese curls and pizza are to a vampire. I made a mental note to buy less smelly groceries for Quinn in the future, once I figured out which foods I could tolerate. In the mean-time, I’d become very adept at holding my breath while around offending odors. After my baby fell asleep on the couch, I’d popped open my laptop and scoured the local realtor websites for our new home. I had an impressive list of needs that had to be met and it had taken me half the night to come up with a short list of houses. Arranging to see them in the dark was my next task, right behind setting up a dummy corporation to protect the money I’d need to live on for the rest of, oh, forever. So much to do; it’s a good thing I don’t need to sleep anymore.Feeling better than I had in days, I smiled to myself. I wasn’t sure how, but I’d make everything work out. I’d get my house in order, I’d raise my daughter up right and I’d somehow learn to control my gifts and be a Vampire Mom that my daughter could be proud of. Yep, that’s just what I was going to do. And maybe, just maybe�Ś have a little fun along the way. About the AuthorAlex Owens is a woman with little free time, which means she stays up all hours of the night putting pen to paper. By day she’s June Cleaver in jeans, and by night she writes. Somewhere in the middle of all that she finds time to tend �Śdem babies, fry up the bacon and curl up with a good book (or ten), much to the chagrin of her family. She’s currently at work on her Blood Chord Series, with book two slated for release in the summer of 2012.You can find out more about Alex and her books by visiting her Publisher’s site, Quirky Gurl Media. While you’re there, be sure to sign up for the mailing list or blog notifications so that you can get the scoop on freebies, contests and new releases �" including the follow up novel to this book.Don’t forget to visit:The Blood Chord series siteTwitter!Facebook PageQuirkyGurl.comClosingIf you enjoyed this novel, please consider leaving a review for it on Amazon, LibraryThing or Goodreads, etc. Any artist, or in this case an author, is only as successful as her fans deem it, more so without the publicity budgets of The Big 6 Publishing Houses. It makes the success that much sweeter though�"when an author gains fans based on merit alone, instead of the deck being stacked with blitzkrieg advertising campaigns. So, how can you support an Indie Book or Author? You could:�ó Post a review on one or more book sites, your blog, etc. Reviews are golden for an Indie book�ó Mention that you are reading the book via Twitter using the #amreading or #ebook or other similar hash-tags.�ó Post a link to the book or review on Facebook. Spread the word through cyberspace. �ó Mention the book to your fellow readers.�ó Visit the author’s website and leave a comment. (Authors are an insecure bunch at times. You just don’t know how much it means to hear from someone that you enjoyed their novel!)However you chose to support Indie’s, just know that it is greatly appreciated!DedicationI’d love to dedicate this novel to my supportive family, but since they don’t even know that I’ve written it, that would be absurd. Don’t get me wrong, they know I write. What else would I be doing up all hours of the night tapping away at my laptop? Well, KindleBoards and Facebook aside, I spend A LOT of time writing. Then rewriting. And writing some more. I just hope that all my toil and trouble has produced something that my family will be proud of�"once I finally tell them!So this one’s for you�"Tater, Bug and George!Also, I’d like to offer a special thanks to Staci and Vicy�"my brilliant beta readers who were both instrumental in helping me hone and polish this novel. I couldn’t have done it without ya’ girls!~AlexNo part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without expressed permission in writing from the publisher. If you have received a copy of this book without paying for it, please consider the author’s hard work and effort and purchase a legitimate copy. Thank you. Kill Me (A Blood Chord Novel)Alex OwensCopyright 2012 by Alex OwensQuirky Gurl MediaLibrary of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication DataOwens, AlexKill Me / Alex Owens.-1st edFormatted by CyberWitch PressCover Photo and Design by Karen Fowler PhotographyQuirky Gurl Media 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9Table of ContentsKill MeChapter 1Chapter 2Chapter 3Chapter 4Chapter 5Chapter 6Chapter 7Chapter 8Chapter 9Chapter 10Chapter 11Chapter 12Chapter 13Chapter 14Chapter 15Chapter 16Chapter 17Chapter 18Chapter 19Chapter 20Chapter 21Chapter 22Chapter 23Chapter 24Chapter 25Chapter 26Chapter 27EpilogueAbout the AuthorClosingDedicationTable of ContentsKill MeChapter 1Chapter 2Chapter 3Chapter 4Chapter 5Chapter 6Chapter 7Chapter 8Chapter 9Chapter 10Chapter 11Chapter 12Chapter 13Chapter 14Chapter 15Chapter 16Chapter 17Chapter 18Chapter 19Chapter 20Chapter 21Chapter 22Chapter 23Chapter 24Chapter 25Chapter 26Chapter 27EpilogueAbout the AuthorClosingDedication