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The Assignment Ch. 01

By: JazCullen



This story is a sequel to Fighting the Inevitable. It is best read after reading FTI first, but could probably be read as a stand alone.

For fans of FTI, Demetri is a very bad boy in this tale but rest assured, he is going to learn his lesson. :-)

* 

Demetri's cool green eyes shone with excitement and he felt every muscle in his body tense with exhilaration. He was on the hunt and it was the most delicious feeling in the world. His prey had no idea the fate which awaited her and his feral nature thrilled at the thought.

It had been so long since he had hunted so aggressively. So long since he had thrown off the veneer of civility he so carefully wrapped around himself so he could walk in the human world undetected. 

The call from the Council had come at an opportune moment. Caleb was royally pissed at him at the moment so he had jumped at the chance to disappear for a few days, maybe even weeks until his friend's temper cooled.

His friend's outrageous behaviour recently had been very trying to say the least. All because of a tiny little redheaded human girl he had 'fallen in love' with. Demetri really couldn't understand why his friend was making himself so vulnerable with regards to the girl. All she had to do was sigh and Caleb was at her side in an instant to cater to her every whim. It was quite frankly nauseating to watch and he was glad to be away from them.

He tensed suddenly, his wandering thoughts sharpening as he spotted his prey rounding the corner. He balanced precariously on the branch of the tree as his glacial eyes slowly took in the woman walking down the lit pavement, passed the little corner shop, as she made her way towards her apartment.

A small smile crossed his face as he regarded her intently. She was a pretty little thing, not beautiful in any kind of classical way but certainly attractive enough. Her photograph didn't do her justice. On first glance at her image he had thought her quite plain but in the flesh he could see he was wrong.

Maybe it was because her hair had been up in the photograph. It was loose now, long ribbons of shiny brown locks flowing down her back as she walked. It looked thick and glossy under the artificial streetlights and he felt a slight stirring in his jeans. This could definitely be a very interesting assignment.

His cool green eyes continued to assess her slowly. She was tall for a woman. He estimated she must be at least five foot eight inches in height. Her build was hard to see under the thick woolly button up sweater she had wrapped around her body. He snorted in annoyance. Why women favoured those chunky garments at the moment was a complete mystery to him.

Human women either dressed one of two ways. The more sexually liberated ones tried to wear as little as possible and the more reserved ones wore thick woolly garments. Reserved women amused Demetri. Did they seriously think covering up would make men less interested in them? 

It only served to make him more curious to find out what delights they were hiding. Seducing a woman out of her protective clothing was an activity he thoroughly enjoyed. Probably because it made the hunt less boring.

Demetri sighed softly and dampened down his lustful thoughts. He was not here on that kind of hunt tonight. The Council had been firm in their instructions. Find out what she knew, who she had spoken to and, if necessary, contain the problem. 

He knew exactly what they were sanctioning him to do, and if the threat posed was dangerous enough, he would contain the problem as instructed. He would take no pleasure from it, but he would do it as he had done so in the past when on assignment for the Council. 

Exposure of his kind was not permissible. Some of his kind partnered up with humans and they eventually found out about them but that was sanctioned because the human involved would do nothing to harm their partner. His prey's actions were completely different though and therefore needed to be addressed.

She had reached her apartment and slipped inside to the safety of her home. Demetri perched in the tree top a while longer and watched the light come on in her sitting room. He had the perfect vantage point where he was so he maintained his position for now.

Glacial eyes watched the woman take off her woolly garment and he finally got a glimpse of her figure. Her body was almost sinful to look at. She was wearing a pale pink T-shirt and tight fitting hipster blue jeans underneath her outer garment. Her breasts were firm and nicely rounded and her hips were nicely curved. He caught a glimpse of bare flesh as her T-shirt rode up exposing a toned, flat stomach.

He groaned as he felt his cock really spring to life this time. He didn't have time for his lust. Bedding her was not part of the assignment no matter how temptingly lush her body was. He had considered it briefly when first reading the dossier. Sometimes a judicious amount of pleasure was good for loosening a stubborn tongue, but he had decided against it in this instance. He gave himself a mental shake and dropped his gaze downwards to make sure no one was around before he lightly slipped down the branches until he was standing at the base of the tree.

He briefly considered giving her one more night to live her life before he acted and then decided against it. One more night could make the difference between being exposed or being safe. His assignment was to keep his kind safe and that was what he would do.

Demetri slipped around the back of the apartment block. He had checked out the area earlier while he had waited for her to come home so he knew the layout well. He had also forced her bathroom window while he was at it and then slid it closed again so it would appear it was securely locked if she glanced at it.

A quick sweep of the area told him he was unobserved, and he leapt nimble upwards until he was grasping the ledge of her bathroom window. He had the window open and was inside in under a second. He paused in the darkened room allowing his enhanced hearing to fan out into the apartment.

His prey was still in her living area. He could hear the muted tones of the television set and the sound of her moving around her kitchen. Probably making herself something to eat. He frowned slightly as he considered his next move. Should he let her eat first? Kind of like a last supper?

There was always the chance she would come into the bathroom and find him there if he waited before acting. Fuck it, there was no point putting it off. He silently entered more fully into her home. He had had a good look around earlier so he knew where every piece of furniture was and skilfully circumvented her sofa and coffee table as he continued on towards the kitchen.

He paused in the doorway. His prey had her back to him and appeared completely unaware of his presence. He could hear the tinny sounds of music and realised she was listening to some kind of mp3 player as she made herself a sandwich. Classic rock. He was partial to a bit of classic rock himself when the mood took him.

He leaned against the doorframe and folded his arms as his eyes travelled down her slender back and nice firm ass which was currently wiggling to the music she was listening to and making his cock twitch in his pants. She had one sexy wiggle on her and her legs seemed to go on forever. It would be a pity if he had to kill her. Under other circumstances she looked like she could have been fun to play with for a little while.

He smiled slightly as he saw her tense almost imperceptibly as his presence finally registered with her. Her head turned slowly and he found himself looking into pair of chocolate brown eyes which were widening in shock, as her mouth dropped open and her hand flew to her throat in fear, knocking her earphones from her ears. He could see a scream starting to build up inside her and he held up a finger to halt her.

"Be a good girl and stay nice a quiet," he said sternly. "If you scream and someone comes I will have to kill them and it will be on your head if I do." He found it sometimes worked to make his prey responsible for the safety of others. He could see her considering his words quickly and the building scream quickly died away. Good. She was going to be cooperative.

"What do you want?" she asked hoarsely her voice full of fear as she turned the mp3 device off. She did so unconsciously, as if it was an automatic habit rather than a deliberate action on her part.

He didn't answer her straight away, merely stood examining her face. Her pretty features were quite enticing. Her eyes were particularly nice, the rich brown colour flecked with little hints of gold. Her nose was straight and had a light dusting of freckles on it and her lips were wide and generous. She had the kind of face that the longer you looked at it the more you came to like it.

Demetri decided he liked it a lot, especially when it was framed by her thick, brown hair. He, again, felt a little pang of regret he wouldn't be able to play with her. He was sure they would be good together in the bedroom department. Still it wasn't to be. Unless he changed his mind again and decided to indulge himself. His indecisiveness surprised him and irritated him too.

"What do you want?" the girl asked again, her tone slightly bolder because he hadn't done anything to hurt her. Yet. He felt his lips tug in another slight smile. She had guts, he'd give her that.

"That all depends on you, Mara Fitzgerald," he answered slowly.

She started when he said her name, thrown off balance which was exactly what he wanted to achieve. His smile broadened. "Yes, I know who you are," he answered her unspoken question. "The question is, do you know who I am?"

Mara licked her lips nervously as she stared at the man in her kitchen doorway. Her heart was hammering loudly in her chest and she was fighting hard to control the fear which was rocking her to the very core. 

The man before her was stunningly beautiful with piercing green eyes and shoulder length black hair. He was absolutely huge, well over six feet tall, and so powerfully built she knew he could snap her in two very easily. His full lips kept curving into a smile but the smile never reached his eyes. Those piercing eyes were cold and very deadly looking and she knew she was in deep trouble.

She opened her mouth to speak but found she couldn't make her voice work. Her mouth was too dry with fear. She mutely shook her head at him. She had no idea who he was. She was sure she would have remembered seeing him before, he was too gorgeous to ever forget meeting.

Demetri sighed softly as he looked at her. He could smell her fear. It was acrid and almost overpowering and distinctly unpleasant. This wasn't going to go as quickly and easily as he had hoped. She was too terrified to speak and she had a very strong natural shield so he couldn't get into her mind to discover her secrets. He was going to have to do this the hard way.

"I suggest you take time to eat your sandwich and then perform whatever bodily functions you need to," he told her quietly. "We'll be leaving in fifteen minutes. If you attempt to call anyone or alert anyone to my presence I will hurt you. If anyone comes here to your rescue I will kill them and then I will hurt you. Your fifteen minutes starts now, Mara. I suggest you use them wisely."

She blinked at him slowly taking in the cold, hardness of his expression, hearing the finality of his words and she knew he meant what he said. He was going to kidnap her and do God knows what to her and if she tried to get help he would kill anyone who came to her aid.

Her fear escalated as she screamed silently inside her head. She had no idea who this man was but she was certain he was going to kill her. If she didn't try to escape she would be complicit in her own murder and if she did try to escape she would be consigning other people to their murders. She was between a rock and hard place. There was nothing she could do but agree to the rules he had set out before her.

She knew she would never be able to eat the sandwich she had made. It would stick in her throat. She needed the bathroom though so she slowly walked towards the man. He stepped back from the doorway and followed her as she walked down the hallway towards the bathroom.

"Leave the door open," he said firmly and she shuddered as his voice whispered closely behind her ear and she felt his body heat at her back. "I promise I won't peek," he tacked on with a hint of amusement in his tone.

True to his word, he hovered close to the doorway but gave her sufficient privacy to do her business and wash her hands.

"Where are you taking me?" she asked quietly when he followed her back into the sitting room and watched as she gathered a black leather jacket from the chair and her keys.

He ignored her question and headed for the door not even checking to see if she was following behind him. He knew she would. The simple fact she wasn't attempting to escape showed she would never willingly let another person be harmed on her account. A rather brave, if slightly foolish act on her part. Demetri couldn't think of any situation in which he would meekly walk to his own demise. Okay, if it were to save Caleb from harm then possibly he would be stupid enough to do so, but to save a stranger? Never.

He waited as she locked her apartment door and then motioned her to walk down the steps in front of him. "Remember what I said, Mara. You hold the life of each and every person out there in your hands when we walk out this complex," he said quietly and saw the shiver which ran down her spine at his words. He smiled again and shook his head.

So brave and yet so incredibly stupid. If she really stopped to think about it she would realise he would be endangering himself if he started taking out humans where everyone could see him doing it. Her fear really must be clouding her thought processes because from the dossier he had read about her, he knew she wasn't stupid. She was, in fact, highly intelligent, with an honours degree in archaeology and one in business studies which she had studied concurrently. No, it was her human emotions which were making her appear stupid. 

They stepped out onto the street and Demetri took her arm lightly and pulled her towards his waiting car. He was thankful he had had the presence of mind to secure a location to take her to in case she proved difficult. It was a rundown old house he had found secluded on the very edge of the woods just outside the city. No one had been there for years and there were no obvious trails nearby. The perfect setting to discover her secrets and then make the decision of what to do with her. 

He had spent three days equipping the place with everything he needed to interrogate her. He had even bought human food for her because he wasn't sure how long it would take to get the answers he needed. They may be there a few days.

He had fed the night before so his needs were taken care of for now. He wouldn't need to feed again for weeks but he would still miss his nightly little snacks. Living so civilly for so long had made him accustomed to sampling the women he was with and he now found he preferred a little taste nightly rather than having to feed deeply because he had gone without too long. Naturally those samplings were always done is such a way the woman involved did not realise he was doing so. 

He released the girl's arm as he opened the car door and then sighed deeply when she took off. He tracked her as she ran through the parked cars trying to find somewhere to hide from him. She had no idea how much noise she was making or how the acrid scent of her fear was like a big arrow pointing straight towards her.

He looked around quickly and then moved so fast she wouldn't have been able to see him even if she was looking straight at him. She was just hunkering down behind a large people carrier when he glided up behind her and bent down.

"He's behind you," he whispered cruelly in her ear and wrapped a large hand around her mouth to muffle her startled scream. He pulled her up and turned her around, keeping a firm grip on her upper arms. "Now do you know who I am, Mara?" he asked softly and saw the dawning realisation in her wide eyes as they filled with tears.

"You really should have kept that pretty little nose of yours out of our business," he said almost regretfully. "Did you really think we wouldn't act to protect ourselves?"

Mara stared in horror at the stunningly beautiful man and tried not to pass out cold. She was so terrified she couldn't control the shaking of her body or the little whimpers which were coming out her mouth. She had dug too deep in her quest for the truth and now it was coming back to haunt her in the guise of a beautiful avenging angel with cold, green eyes and hair as black as sin. The vampires had come for her and she knew she was going to die.

Demetri ignored her trembling and silent tears and pulled her over to his car. He had her inside the Jeep and was pulling away from her apartment block before she probably even realised what was happening. She seemed to be in deep shock. 

He glanced at her quickly and wondered why she was so surprised he had come for her. She had been digging for months into their lives, searching online for each and every little snippet she could find about vampires. Unlike other humans, her searches had been deeper and more refined as she strove to locate them. It was those very searches which highlighted she was not just another human with a gothic vampire obsession but was instead a highly trained individual who was close to breaking their secret to the human population. Hence the reason for his current assignment.

She remained silent the entire journey to the rundown old house, curled up within herself. Demetri tried once more to pierce her mental shielding but couldn't do so. He sighed as he pulled up outside the ramshackle building and saw her sit straighter as she peered out into the dark.

"It's not exactly the Ritz but it was the best I could do at short notice," he said with a hint of humour in his voice. "Come on, the sooner we get this started, the sooner it will be over for both of us." He got out the Jeep and walked around the vehicle to pull her reluctantly from it.

"Why don't you just kill me and get it over and done with," she suddenly spat angrily at him and he turned to look down at her a smile tugging at his lips.

"And spoil all the fun?" he asked with a laugh as she shot him a disbelieving look. "Are you not having fun, Mara?" he whispered softly, "because I sure am."

Mara whimpered and pulled her arm out of his grip. Fun? He was bloody playing with her like she was some kind of toy. Maybe that was what she was to a vampire like him. A toy to tease cruelly before he destroyed it.

"Fuck you, vampire!" she hissed, her voice breaking on the last word. He was going to hurt her, she knew he was. She could see it in his cruel eyes and the set of his jaw. He was here for one reason and one reason only, to silence her before she could tell anyone that his kind existed.

Demetri had to admire her spunk. She knew what the most likely outcome of this little meeting was going to be but she still had the balls to talk back to him. She reminded him a little of Rhianna and the way the feisty little redhead had taken him to task in his own nightclub a few weeks ago. He found himself smiling quite fondly as he thought of her and quickly wiped the smile off his face. Christ, he wasn't going down the same route as Caleb.

"Get inside," he barked irritably at the girl at his side, and she gave a muffled shriek at his harshness and ran into the house quickly. He sighed and shook his head. He really hoped this would be over quickly and he could go home and get back to his nice, quiet existence.


The Assignment Ch. 01



She walked into the ballroom, her body gliding through the crowd as it parted for her. Ignoring the leering looks she gained in her skin tight red dress she walked to the bar and sat down. 

"I'll take a Blackfoot Confederacy" she announced to the bartender who quickly made it and pass it towards her. 

She reached for the glass and was about to grasp it when a hand covered hers, and slowly pulled up towards a well-shaped mouth and kissed it. She looked up to see a man, handsome with his long brown hair tied behind his head and his green eyes looking at her speculatively. 

"You are divine, do you know that" the man said, his eyes surveying her heart-shaped décolletage that sprung from her sleeveless dress. 

"I was not aware of my divinity" she said with a smirk and removed her hand from his grasp to grab her drink. 

"Then are you a devil, come here to this boring science event to tempt me?" 

"I am neither divine nor devious, and you are?" she said with a questioning gaze in her eyes. 

"I am Dr. Van Leeuwan, senior scientist of Sanofi Pharmeceuticals" 

"Oh so you're the reason why the Society for Genomic Research is giving this gala?" she asked with a care not attitude. 

"Why yes, I had forgotten about that" He smiled his beautiful eyes crinkling at the corners. 

"I look forward to the talk you will be giving later this evening" she said. 

"Really, I had not known that you were a scientist. May I ask what your specilalty is?" 

"Merely curious that's all" she said vaguely. 

"If you excuse me I must run to the ladies room" she said as she rose and walked away without giving him a chance to reply. 

Walking towards the bathroom, she surveyed her surroundings, noting the security standing by the back entrance to the anterior rooms. Walking in to the bathroom, she checked her appearance, making sure her curls still looked wild and tousled, and her makeup was perfectly complimenting her nut brown skin tone. Grabbing her clutch she walked out and made her way towards the security guards. 

"Hello, I believe I left something back there" she began her voice syrupy in sweetness. 

"I'm sorry ma'am, but we cannot let you back there" one of the guards began. 

"I was just back there; I left one of my hair clips. I was with.... Dr. Van Leeuwan" 

"Oh really, and what were you guys doing" the other guard asked, lust evident in his gaze and tone as he looked down her cleavage. 

She put on a sultry look. "We needed a moment alone to catch up. I apologize boys but I just need a moment to gather my things" she said while looking the in the eye boldly and walked right past the as their eyes followed her switching behind. 

She walked quickly into the room with a glance behind her to make sure the door was shut. Stopping at a cabinet she opened it to reveal a bunch of briefcases. Pulling them out she searched them, placing them back in the cabinet until she found the correct one. 

The tag on the side read Dr. Van Leeuwan and she unzipped it, moving aside it interior contents until she found an access card and flash drive on a keychain. Reaching inside her clutch she pulled out a tampon, only to push up on the applicator bottom to show a USB port. Plugging the flash drive in, she waited as the port began scanning the files, until it flashed blue. Once done she placed everything as is back in the briefcase and cabinet, and began walking towards the door. 

The door suddenly opened and she stopped as Dr. Van Leeuwan walked in. 

"There you are, I was wondering where you went to. What are you doing back here, you don't have authorization" he asked. 

"I had to.." she began but he cut her off with a wave of his hand. She stopped talking and kept a straight face as to not show her apprehension. 

"You knew I would come back here before I gave my talk to gather my notes. Didn't you?" he asked with a gleam in his eyes. 

Relieved at his suggestion she let a slow smile cross her face as she nodded. He walked towards her and placed a hand at the small of her back. 

"You are very devious indeed" he leaned down to kiss her, his hands moving lower to grip her ass. 

She tilted her face up, anticipating the kiss and his hands sent shivers down her spine. 

"Security told me there was woman who claimed to be with me in here earlier, and I had hoped it was you who told them that" he said his lips inches from hers as he withheld his kiss. 

Not replying, she leaned up and grabbed his face to close the space between their lips as her other hand slowly snapped the clutch shut. 

Pulling away she said, "We will continue this later, after your presentation." 

Walking towards the door, he called out "What is your name?" 

"Devina" she replied as the door shut behind her. He gazed at the door for a few seconds, not noticing the cabinet behind him that contained his briefcase, the door slightly ajar. 

Walking past the guards she made her way towards the ballroom, passing people making their way to their seats for Dr. Leeuwan's presentation. She quickly turned towards the exit and made her way across the street, not looking back and keeping her gaze down. Once she reached her car, a red 2012 Audi a6, she noticed a parking ticket. Eyeing it warily she grabbed it then quickly got in her car and drove off. 

After 30 minutes of driving along I-290, she pulled off, and parked in a secluded parking lot. Rolling up her bulletproof windows and locking her doors she picked up the parking ticket and spit on it. After rubbing in her saliva a 7 digit number appeared in black ink. Grabbing her keys she placed them in the lock in her dashboard and a keypad popped out. Once the 7 digit number was entered the glove compartment opened and she grabbed the file that was inside.  

The file sat in her lap as she breathed in deeply for a few seconds. She then popped the seal and opened it, only to see a picture of a beautiful black woman named Devina Strauss. She had bronze skin and wild curly hair and brown almond shaped eyes. Her file read that she was 29, the daughter of Seargent Strauss and was born on a military base in Maricopa county Arizona. She had a ph.D in Biomedical engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology and was proficient in 4 languages. Ignoring the other facts of the file, she gazed at the picture of herself, understanding the message that her file in her car sent her. 

Picking up her phone she dialed a 12 digit number, which answered on the first ring. 

"Agent Strauss checking in" she said by way of greeting. 

"My favorite agent as always" a voice said with warmth. "Did you get the file I placed in your car" the man said. 

"Yes I did" 

"Well who is your next target?" He asked impatient for the information. 

"It was my file" she said her voice shaky

He was silent on the other line. "They're not getting rid of you. I promise your top good of an agent" he assured her, his voice tense with worry. 

"Either that or it's something really big" she joked to settle he unease in her stomach. 

"I'm on my way to headquarters, I will see you there" she said, hanging up before he could say goodbye. 

Starting her car she began driving in the direction she came from, and set course for Chicago, Illinois.



The Assignment Ch. 01



Mara was standing silently in the main room of the downstairs portion of the house waiting to see what was going to happen next. There was a made up cot in the corner and a small gas stove and burner near the window. A couple of folding chairs rested again one wall and there was a small generator purring away at the far end of the room supplying a trickle of electricity to the house.

"This is my room," Demetri said quietly watching the brunette turn slowly to face him. "I've got a special room all set up for you, Mara."

He turned and walked to an adjoining door and held it open for her to step through. She froze in the doorway and he pushed her inside, closing the door behind them. This room was completely devoid of furniture except for one chair in the very middle.

It wasn't this that stopped Mara dead in her tracks though. What drew her horrified eyes were the manacles and chains secured from the ceiling and the large pulley system the chains dangled from. Her breath came out in deep rasps as she started to tremble.

"I did some home improvements before I came to get you," Demetri said conversationally. "I'm not much of an interior designer though so I decided to go for the minimalist look . Do you think I managed to capture the 'look' correctly?"

She whimpered loudly and swung her horrified gaze to his. He was leaning against the wall with the same infuriatingly smug smile on his face he'd been wearing most of the night. His glacial green eyes were intent on hers as he watched her reaction to the room with interest.

"We can do this the hard way or the easy way, Mara," he said after a long period of silence. "You can let down your mental shield so I can root around in your head for the answers I need or I can force them out of you. If I have to force them from you it will not be very pleasant."

Mara stared at him wildly. She had no idea what he was talking about. Mental shield? What did that mean? "Ask your questions," she ground out. "I will answer them truthfully."

He pushed off from the wall and strode over to her, tilting her head back with surprisingly gentle fingers as he peered into her face. "And you just expect me to trust you will answer truthfully?" he asked softly. He stroked a finger down the side of her face and smiled. "Now how long do you think my kind would have survived if we simply believed the word of a human, Mara?" It was a rhetorical question.

"Let down your mental shield," he ordered. "It is the only way I will know beyond a shadow of a doubt what the truth is." It was also the only way he would be able to alter her memories and steer her away from her search for vampires, which ultimately meant it was the only way she would ever leave this encounter alive.

"I don't know what you mean," she cried. "What mental shield? If I don't know what it is then how can I let it down?" She watched his face harden and a muscle jump in the side of his jaw and she started to cry. He didn't believe her, she could read it in his face. He thought she was lying to him.

Demetri stared down at her disappointed. He had hoped to convince her to let him into her mind but it would appear she was going to be stubborn about it. So be it. He had plenty of time to wear her down. He stepped back from her, ignoring her weeping and the acrid scent of her fear.

"Strip, Mara," he said coldly. "You have five minutes to do so. If you disobey me I will be forced to strip you myself and your clothes will be destroyed. I will leave you to do so." He strode to the door and turned back. "When I say strip I mean everything," he added before he went back into the other room and closed the door behind him.

Demetri sighed and sat down on one of the folding chairs. He felt his cell phone vibrate and pulled it from his pocket, frowning when he saw Caleb's name.

"I thought you weren't talking to me," he said when he answered the call.

"Where the fuck are you, Demetri?" Caleb grunted in exasperation. "Beth called and said you just announced you were going to be out of the office for an unspecified period of time. You know I've got other things on my plate at the moment and don't have time to babysit the office and the club."

"Bill can take care of the club for a few days," Demetri sighed, "and I've already given you time to play with your little human, so it's your turn to hold down the fort at the office."

"Taking off on a whim is not earning you any brownie points, Demetri," his friend growled. "You know I wanted more uninterrupted time with Annie. You've done this deliberately, haven't you? This is just another attempt to try and drive a wedge between me and Annie."

Demetri groaned and ran his hand through his hair. "Caleb, this had nothing to do with you and Annie. I told you I wouldn't do anything to upset the girl again and I meant it. I got an unexpected assignment from the Council which I couldn't pass up."

He heard Caleb pause and then suck in a deep breath. "What kind of assignment?" his friend finally asked.

"The kind you would have agreed to a few months ago," Demetri answered truthfully and heard his friend suck in another deep breath. "I'm sure the Council contacted you first, Caleb. You probably refused them, didn't you?"

"I thought you were passed all that, Demetri," Caleb said his tone heavy with disapproval as his friend confirmed his suspicions. He studiously ignored the question Demetri asked him.

"It's either deal with it or we're all exposed, Caleb," he answered quietly. "Someone's got to do it."

Caleb sighed deeply. "That someone doesn't have to be you," he argued though his voice was full of resignation. "If you breathe one word of this to Annie when you get back I will kill you."

"Understood," Demetri said quietly. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

Mara listened at the door when she heard him speaking to someone on the phone. She heard snatches of the conversation but couldn't really follow it. She heard him rise and hurried away from the door and quickly started to undress. 

She didn't want to be naked in front of him but she believed him when he said he would destroy her clothes if she didn't take them off willingly. Maybe if she did as he asked then she'd be able to dress herself again at some point. Her hands where trembling wildly as she stripped watching the door fearfully. She could hear him coming back and her fear mounted to almost fever pitch.

Demetri re-entered the room and watched as Mara finished removing the last of her clothing. He had half expected to be forced to remove them himself but she had surprised him again. He stared at her absent-mindedly as he replayed his conversation with Caleb. Once more his friend was disappointed with him. It seemed to be a common occurrence these days ever since he'd met Rhianna.

He dragged his mind back into the room and started in surprise as he really looked at Mara. He stifled down a deep groan as his eyes swept over her naked body. She was quite simply stunning. Her skin was a creamy white colour and looked incredibly soft and silky smooth. Her breasts were quite generous and full with dark brown nipples standing erect in the coldness of the room. Her long hair had fallen forward and partially obscured her breasts but there was ample flesh uncovered to see her beauty.

Her stomach was toned and flat and her hips soft and rounded. His gaze dropped lower and he saw her clean shaven mound as she pressed her legs close together to try and hide her most vulnerable part. Her hands were clenched in fists at her side and he knew she ached to cover herself and yet she stood there defiantly as he slowly raked his eyes over her very long, very supple legs.

His body reacted to her beauty and he had to work hard to keep his face very carefully devoid of all expression. It would not do to have her see he desired her. It may give her some false sense of power over him and draw out this whole nasty business that much longer. He pulled his eyes back up to her face and saw her cheeks were flushed with embarrassment, her big brown eyes screaming her humiliation at being made to stand naked before him. 

Demetri tried once more to breach her mental defences but he still could not get passed her shield. He stifled down a sigh and walked slowly towards her. "Lower your mental shield, Mara," he said quietly, his gaze fixed on hers.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she answered hoarsely. "Please, I'm not lying to you. I really don't know what you mean."

His cold green gaze swept over her face and then he reached out and took her wrists in his hands and pulled them over her head. He quickly snapped the iron manacles tightly around her wrists and then took one end of the chain in his hand and pulled it hard. He watched the fear spread across her face as he yanked the chain until her toes were barely brushing the floor. He secured the chain to a hook on the wall and regarded her quietly for a long moment.

He found himself unable to stop looking at her nakedness, unable to stop his body reacting to the sheer beauty of her body. His expression remained hard despite his arousal. She was whimpering slightly, her big brown eyes wide with fear as she waited to see what he was going to do next.

Mara watched a muscle tick on the side of his jaw as he eyes swept once more over her body, pausing at her breasts. His expression was unreadable but she thought she detected something in his eyes briefly, a faint hint of desire. Oh God, was he going to rape her? She whimpered as she tried to find some purchase on the floor but her toes barely brushed the cold wood. Her wrists were already starting to ache in the manacles.

Demetri brought his gaze back up to hers and made another attempt to slip into her mind. It was as fruitless as the last few times. "I will leave you to think about it for a while, Mara," he finally said. He turned and left her dangling from the chains.

Demetri made himself a pot of coffee and lay down on the cot on his side and picked up a book. He would give Mara an hour to rethink her decision before he went back in to her. He opened his book and reached for his coffee, taking a long sip of the bitter brew as he immersed himself in one of the latest crime novels to hit the stores. 

He woke up when the cold got so bad it managed to seep into his subconscious mind. He blinked in confusion for a moment wondering where he was and then he cursed loudly and sprang up. A quick glance at his watch showed it was almost three am.

He was through the door and into the other room in an instant. The dangling girl was passed out, her body shivering uncontrollably from the cold, her skin pale and covered in goosebumps.

"Fuck!" he hissed furiously, yanking at the chain and catching her body as she collapsed onto the ground.

"Mara," he called gently, his hand going to her neck to feel for a pulse. It was there, but it was weak and shivers were wracking her slender frame hard. Cursing again, he undid the manacles and gathered her up in his arms and carried her into the other room. He pulled back the blankets on the cot and laid her down, covering her freezing cold body.

He was furious with himself for falling asleep. If he hadn't woken up when he did she would most probably have been dead in the morning. He heard a tiny voice in his head saying it wouldn't have been such a bad thing. At least the threat of exposure would have been contained.

He pushed the thought away and went over to the old fireplace and started the fire he had prepared earlier. His green eyes turned towards the girl and he frowned slowly. Despite what Caleb thought, he was trying his hardest to complete this assignment with no loss of life. He wanted to at least try to break through Mara's defences before it reached the stage where her death would be the only solution. Accidentally killing her would mean he had failed and Demetri didn't like failure one bit.

He got up and pulled the cot closer to the fire, moving around to the side exposed to the cold room. He wrapped his arms around Mara, covering her with his body as she shook violently. 

He tried to ignore how good she felt in his arms and how wonderful her scent was as it teased his nostrils. Her overriding scent was pure honey, thick and sweet and very tempting. He hadn't been able to scent her earlier because she had been so frightened, her fear had overpowered everything else.

Despite the heat of the fire and the blankets her shivers didn't seem to be decreasing and he felt his concern strengthen. Had he gotten to her too late? He stood and stripped off his clothes, sliding onto the narrow cot and pulling her naked body against his as he tucked the blankets securely around them both. Perhaps direct body heat would help her.

Mara came awake slowly and stifled down a moan of pain. Her entire body ached but her shoulders and wrists hurt the most from dangling from the chains. She was aware she no longer felt the terrible coldness and she wondered if she was dying. 

The man had left her hanging for so long. She had thought he would come back after a little while but the time had dragged slowly passed and all she could hear was total silence from the other room. She had been so sure he would come back soon. He had said he would leave her to think about it for a little while. He had given her other time frames, fifteen minutes, five minutes and he had abided by those time frames rigidly. She had foolishly believed his reference to a little while would be exactly that. How wrong she had been. Obviously his idea of a little while differed greatly from hers.

She moaned softly and tried to stretch her body and realised with a start she was pressed against another body. She froze and slowly opened her eyes to see a pair of glacial green eyes staring at her intently. She gasped in shock as she felt his naked skin against hers and looked down to see they were lying in the cot before a roaring fire and it was still dark outside.

Her eyes went back to her captor and she stared at him apprehensively. His expression was unreadable and some of his face was covered by his long black hair, but she could feel his eyes boring into hers.

"You left me," she said hoarsely, her tone accusing as her eyes filled with tears. It was such a stupid thing to say. He had broken into her home, kidnapped her, chased her when she ran and strung her up naked. Leaving her hanging for hours seemed the least of the many wrongs he had done to her.

"I didn't mean to," he said quietly, a frown marring his perfect features. "I accidentally fell asleep." The admission sounded as if it was torn from him. He seemed angry and she didn't know if he was angry at her or at himself.

She tried to move away from him but her wrist grazed his chest and a bright light danced in front of her eyes as pain wracked through her body.

Demetri's eyes narrowed and he pulled back the blankets to look at her wrists. They were scraped red raw from the manacles and covered in dried blood. His breath hissed out sharply. He hadn't noticed the damage to her earlier. He had been more concerned about stopping hyperthermia setting in.

"Open your mouth," he ordered tersely as he bit his thumb. She obeyed him and he pressed his thumb between her lips. "Suck, Mara."

She stared at him with big, frightened eyes afraid to disobey him. She sucked at his hand and felt her mouth fill with a hot tangy iron taste. It took a second for her to realise it was his blood she was tasting and then her eyes widened further and she was pulling her mouth away.

"You don't need to worry. I'm not trying to turn you into a vampire," he said drolly as he licked his wound closed. "Your wrists and other ails will heal in the next hour or so. I suggest you try to go back to sleep and let my blood to its work. It will be less uncomfortable for you."

He pulled the covers back up and settled down against her back, his arm looping around her waist as he tried to get comfortable on the small cot. It wasn't really designed to sleep two.

Mara lay rigidly against him as she tried to figure out what he was up to. First he leaves her hanging for hours and then he tries to heal her? She could feel how cold the air was in the room. She was smart enough to understand his reasons for lying naked with her on the cot. He was doing his best to keep her warm. Why was he trying to keep her healthy? He was only going to kill her anyway once he learned what he wanted to know.

"Sleep, Mara," he said quietly and his voice startled her and she stiffened even more. She took a few deep breaths and tried to relax into sleep but she was too tense, too confused.

"I don't even know your name," she finally whispered. She knew he was still awake.

He sighed deeply and pulled her closer to his body. "Demetri," he answered, his breath fanning across her ear as he spoke. 

"Are you going to kill me, Demetri?" she asked tentatively and felt him stiffen against her back and his arm tighten around her.

"Sleep, Mara," was his reply.

Demetri remained silent and didn't move until he felt her finally fall back to sleep. He let out a deep sigh of relief. Lying here with Mara in his arms was driving him insane. It was only sheer force of will which was keeping his body in check. Her soft body pressing against his was intoxicating, as was her delicious scent.

The sheer eroticism of her sucking at his thumb had made his blood boil even as he was striving to contain his anger at the damage to her wrists. He was annoyed with himself for being so careless and he was annoyed with her for being so likable. 

He had tried once more to get inside her mind and he been blocked yet again. She had been at her lowest point and still he couldn't get inside her head. He was starting to believe she really didn't know she was shielding. If she didn't know what she was doing then he wouldn't be able to access her memories and wouldn't be able to set her on a new path. Which meant he would have only one other option left.

Her last question still hung on the air and he tried to put it out of his mind so he could get some sleep. 

When Mara woke the second time she was still lying in the cot with Demetri. They were both on their sides facing each other and he was still sleeping. His face was obscured by his hair and one of his legs was resting over hers and his arm was around her waist, his hand resting on her back. She vaguely considered trying to slip off the cot and make a run for it but she knew he would wake up and catch her.

She tried to put a little distance between them and smothered down a little gasp when she saw her wrist was completely healed. An experimental stretch also showed the rest of her body felt fine too.

"If you keep moving like that you're going to wake up something you don't want to, Mara," Demetri said quietly, his eyes still closed.

She sucked in a deep breath and looked into his face as he slowly opened his eyes sleepily. She felt his body stir against her stomach and she didn't know what to do. Should she jump up and start running or just stay where she was? Was he going to rape her on top of everything else? He hadn't done so in the other room last night, so she didn't think he would this morning.

"You know I would catch you if you run," he said with a little smile tugging at his lips. "Whilst normally I would enjoy the sport, I'm far too comfortable to move right now."

His tone was mocking and she bristled at it. "You are not very nice, are you, Demetri?" she asked.

He laughed softly and cuddled into her softness. "I've been called many things but nice is most definitely not one of them," he admitted lazily. He buried his head in the side of her neck and inhaled deeply. "You smell nice." 

He felt her stiffen and sighed deeply. The girl had a lot more common sense than he did right at this moment. His body was reacting to having a hot, soft, very feminine body pressing against his. The fact she was prey hovered somewhere in his mind but his lust was currently overriding it. Her reaction brought him right back down to earth and he pulled back and nudged at her mind. Still no access. 




The Assignment Ch. 01



He sighed again and opened his eyes to look at her once more. She was biting her bottom lip nervously and her big brown eyes were wide with apprehension as she searched his face.

"Is this a new tactic, Demetri?" she asked quietly.

He sat up awkwardly and slid from the cot, reaching for his jeans and pulling them on quickly. He turned back and looked down at her, his hands raking through his unkempt hair.

"You can have ten minutes to get dressed and perform your bodily functions," he told her curtly. "The bathroom plumbing mostly works though there is no hot water. It's the second door down the hallway to the left." He pulled on his shirt and boots and headed outside to let the cold air wipe out the fog in his mind.

Mara watched him intently as he dressed and then left. For a moment he had been almost human and then he had reverted back to the cold, hard man of the night before. For one brief moment she had luxuriated in the feel of his hard body pressing against hers and she shuddered, full of self loathing. This man had kidnapped her, terrorised her and almost killed her. How she could even think of responding to him was beyond her. He was a cold bloodied killer and a vampire too.

She scrambled from the cot and ran into the other room to gather up her clothes and get dressed then she headed to the bathroom to wash and do her necessary business. Demetri was back inside when she arrived back into the main room.

The cot was made and pushed back to it's original position and he was brewing a pot of coffee on the small gas stove. He didn't look up when she entered.

"That cupboard over there beside the fire has some human food in it. Nothing fancy but it should be sufficient to break your fast with." His tone was clipped and devoid of all emotion. He was once more back in control of himself and focused on the job at hand.

Mara walked over to the cupboard and stared at the biscuits and fruit inside. He hadn't lied to her the food wasn't fancy but it would settle her growing hunger for now. She pulled out an apple and banana and a packet of plain biscuits and moved quietly over to the folding chair set nearest to the newly made fire.

She bit into the apple as she watched him pour out two mugs of coffee. He set one down at her feet and retreated to the other folding chair and settled his long frame into it gracefully. She was suddenly conscious of the fact that he hadn't lied to her so far. Okay, so he fell asleep and left her too long last night but that wasn't exactly a lie, more of a mistake. Any other question she had asked he had answered truthfully so far and his subsequent actions had backed that up. 

Which made his avoidance of her question in the early hours of the morning even more frightening. If he truly didn't want to lie to her then his refusal to answer her spoke volumes. She wasn't going to get out of this rundown building alive. She felt tears well up in her eyes and she looked down at the floor, her hair hiding her face from him. She didn't want to die in this horrible, filthy place. She didn't want to die full stop. She tried to eat some more of the apple but it just stuck in her throat and she ended up putting it in an empty plastic bag lying on the floor. 

Demetri watched her intently as she sat silently eating her apple. He could almost see her little mind whirling away as she tried to hide her expressive face from him with her hair. He could guess what she was running through her mind when she tossed her uneaten apple away. 

He felt a slight tinge of pity for the girl. Last night she had been too terrified to think about things rationally. This morning her keen intelligence was kicking in and she was really beginning to understand just how much danger she really was in. The acrid scent of her fear was back cutting through the sweet honey of her unique scent and he didn't like it but knew it was unavoidable given the circumstances.

"We seem to be at a bit of an impasse, Mara," he said quietly and her head snapped up and her big brown eyes looked at him fearfully. "I need to get inside your head and you seem to be unconsciously shielding from me. I can't let you go until I am sure you no longer pose a threat to my people and you seem to be unable to assist me in achieving that end. You're really only leaving me with one option here, Mara, unless you can come up with some other solution."

He watched her fear ratchet up another notch and he felt a little tug inside his chest which caused him to frown slightly in confusion. He had no idea what the feeling inside him meant but he did know he didn't like.

"If what you say is true why don't you just get it over with, Demetri?" she asked her voice shaking with fear. "If you're going to kill me then please do it quickly. It's cruel to let me think there's some hope of getting out of this alive. Just do what you have to do and stop torturing me."

Her words rocked him to the core and he sucked in a deep breath as he looked into her beautiful face. Had he really thought she was merely pretty last night? Pretty was such a bland word for someone as beautiful as she was. Her big brown eyes looked beseechingly into his and in that instant Demetri Bozic knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that he could never end this beautiful woman's life. This assignment had just taken a turn for the worse.

To be continued...



The Assignment Ch. 02



Demetri stared out the dirty window trying to work out what his next move was going to be. He had already decided he wasn't going to kill Mara. It sometimes took him a while to reach a decision, but once made, he never veered from it.

So, now he had two choices. Convince the Council she was no threat to them or hand the assignment over to someone else to complete. He knew without a doubt that if the assignment was passed on, then Mara's life was forfeit. He was one of the strongest of his kind when it came to the subtle art of mind control. Only Caleb was a true match for him, and he doubted even his friend could breach Mara's defences. No, if he gave up the assignment then Mara would surely die, and he found himself oddly loathe for that to happen.

So the only option left was to convince the Council she could be trusted and he wasn't sure himself if she could be. He had sensed no real deceit in her so far, but that didn't mean she wasn't hiding it behind her tight shield. 

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He could feel her eyes on his back and knew she was waiting for him to respond to her last comment. Her acrid scent was escalating along with her fear, and it was irritating him no end. Why didn't she just bloody relax and let her natural scent shine through, that wonderful thick sweet aroma of honey?

'Because you've kidnapped her, and she thinks she is going to die, asshole,' he berated himself. He knew his silence was no less a torture than leaving her hanging naked in that cold room last night. He closed his eyes and tried to block out the sight of her hanging unconscious, and then her damaged wrists later on. He mentally kicked himself again for falling asleep. It had been so monumentally careless of him.

Fuck, he needed to talk to Caleb. Maybe his friend would have some idea on how he could proceed. He turned from the window, his green eyes automatically going to Mara. She was so tense, so frightened and her haunted expression irritated him immensely.

"Eat your fruit, Mara," he finally said, his voice cold and hard as he watched her swallow hard. He allowed a small smile to creep across his face. "I promise you it will not be your last supper."

If he had thought his words would calm her slightly, he was mistaken. She just seemed to shrink further into herself with a slightly wild look in her big brown eyes. He cursed under his breath and dug his cell phone out his pocket and hit the speed dial for Caleb. He was surprised when Rhianna answered.

"Hey Annie," he said. He was so surprised at the little redhead answering his call, he didn't notice the look of confusion which suddenly crossed Mara's face. Even if he had noticed, he would have had no idea why she was looking so perplexed, because he would not have realised that his tone had turned soft and a genuine smile was splitting his handsome face. A smile which reached his cold green eyes and turned them from their usual glacial stare into something more warm and inviting.

Rhianna had debated on whether or not to answer Caleb's phone when she saw it was Demetri. Caleb had been cursing the air blue after talking with his friend the night before, though he wouldn't tell her what Demetri had said to piss him off so much. Her curiosity finally outweighed her ambivalent feelings towards the dark haired vampire.

"Hey, Demetri," she answered. "Caleb's in the shower at the moment, swearing because he has to go into the office."

Demetri's smile broadened. He could just imagine how pissed his friend was at him right now. "He's a big boy, I dare say he'll get over it," he remarked dryly. "I really need to talk to him, Red. Can you get him to call me when he gets out?"

Rhianna sighed, softly. "I don't know about that. He's pretty pissed at you at the moment. Was muttering something about you needing to disappear to some remote area for at least three centuries."

"Yeah, he's told me something similar already," he laughed, shaking his head. "I thought you were pissed at me, too."

"I was, but after listening to Caleb vent I figured you needed all the friends you could get right now," she laughed back.

Demetri felt a rush of warmth, as the little redhead so instantly forgave him. She really was something else. He could see now why Caleb was so protective of her. If he didn't protect her, she would blindly see the good in just about anyone and probably end up getting herself hurt. He wouldn't like to see anything bad happen to little Annie. 

"I'm sorry, Annie," he said, softly, and he truly meant it. "I was an ass the last time we talked."

She laughed again, her tinkling little peels of laughter so lovely to hear. "Yeah, you were, Demetri, but I forgive you. I'll convince Caleb to call you, as soon as possible. When are you coming home?" she asked, her tone eager as if she really wanted him to come home soon.

He frowned. "I don't know yet. That's why I need to talk to Caleb. Have him call me soon, and you take care, Red." He closed the phone when she rang off and slipped it back into his pocket with a thoughtful expression on his face.

"Who's Annie?" Mara asked quietly, and his eyes snapped to hers quickly. 

The first thing he noticed was the acrid scent of fear was considerably lessened, the second was she didn't appear as tense as before. Something to do with his conversation with Rhianna had settled her down somewhat, though he didn't know what it was. He pondered her question for a moment and pursed his lips.

"A friend," he finally answered, and then sighed deeply. The little redhead had snared him just as badly as she'd snared his best friend. He now had another name to add to his very short list of people he would fight to the death to protect.

"Girlfriend?" Mara asked, softly. 

"Well, she's a girl, and she's a friend, so I suppose technically you could call her a girlfriend, but she's not your definition of the word," he remarked, drolly. "I don't do girlfriends, Mara."

He saw her puzzled expression, and then she blushed scarlet, and he could only imagine what she was thinking inside her head.

"I don't do boyfriends, either," he clarified, just in case she had misinterpreted him. "I like women well enough. Truth be told, I indulge in them liberally, but I don't form emotional bonds with them. I lack the finer emotions, which women seem to crave." He had no idea why he was telling her this. It really was none of her business.

He watched her nervously pluck at the banana in front of her and walked over to sit down and pour himself a new cup of coffee. "I meant what I said, Mara. You can eat without fear. It won't be your last."

Mara eyed him warily for a moment, and then split the banana skin and started eating. He hadn't lied to her so far, so she would trust he was telling her the truth this time. His behaviour was quite confusing. He said he lacked the finer feelings in life, and yet the warmth in his face and tone when he had spoken to the woman called Annie called him a liar.

She didn't know what to make of him. Last night, he had almost killed her, and then he had helped her and was now being almost friendly to her, trying to put her at her ease, so she would eat. It didn't make any sense, but she was too afraid to let a little hope creep inside her. If she started to hope, he may be softening towards her, and it proved to be false she really didn't think she could handle it. Her nerves were already shot to hell as it was.

She finished her banana, as she watched him pour her a cup of coffee and push the powered creamer and sugar over to her.

"Tell me how you discovered us, Mara," he said, quietly, as he sat back in his chair and stared at her intently with his piercing green eyes. "I know everything there is to know about you. You're twenty six, no family, a qualified archaeologist. You can skip all that part, just fill me in on the relevant details."

She swallowed, nervously. "I was on a training dig six months ago," she began, haltingly. "It was in these very woods, not too far from where we are right now. I came across a skull which looked to be a few centuries old. There was no other skeletal remains, just the head which was remarkably well preserved for being so old. The teeth....," she swallowed hard again and licked her lips. "The teeth were odd. The incisors were way too long to be a normal set of teeth, and yet, the rest of the skull was clearly human. I don't know why I thought of vampires. Maybe it was my love of watching old horror movies, which made me think the skull belonged to a vampire. My curiosity got the better of me, and I started to research online. The rest you already know."

Demetri had sat forward, as she talked his keen gaze searching intently for any sign of deceit. He couldn't see any, and he frowned slightly. Was she telling him the truth? Could he trust her?

"What did you do with the skull?" he finally asked.

"I put it back, but I buried it much deeper than it was when I found it," she answered. "I didn't want one of the other students to come across it."

Her answer puzzled him. Why would she hide something which could have undoubtedly made her name in the archaeological world? He pondered that even as his mind raced ahead on another tangent. If she re-buried the skull then they could go and dig it up again, and he could at least know for sure that part of her story was true.

He regarded her thoughtfully for a long moment. "Why didn't you announce your find?" It was the burning question in his mind at the moment, one he really wanted answered. Maybe he would be able to understand what motivated her.

She seemed confused by the question, or maybe she was confused by her answer. Whichever it was, Demetri was left none the wiser.

"I don't know," she finally said. "I just felt this...compulsion to put it back. Maybe, I felt the need to do some more research before I went back and retrieved the skull. I don't really know why I put it back and never told anyone about it."

She unwittingly answered his next question in that one answer. No one else knew about the skull, which meant he could remove it and secure it somewhere safe. He sat quietly for a long time digesting everything she had told him.

If she was to be believed, then she was the only person to have seen the skull, and she had kept her discovery secret. There would be no other loose ends to tie up. After this little nightmare, Mara would most likely spend the rest of her life sleeping with one eye open, too afraid to ever open her mouth about vampires. The question was, could he convince the Council she would keep quiet?

He highly doubted it, and he couldn't lie to them and tell them he had altered her memories. Two of the Council were well skilled in detecting deception and despite his own powers, he was under no illusion he would be able to fool them. They would know instantly he was lying, and then he would be in serious trouble, too.

His cell phone vibrated, and he pulled it from his pocket relieved to see Caleb's name.

"I'm only calling, because Annie begged me to," his friend said, shortly. "You'd better not have said anything to her about your current activity."

"I said I wouldn't, and I didn't," Demetri sighed. "Caleb, can we cut through all this macho bullshit? I need your advice." He listened to his friend breathe quietly for a moment, and then finally sigh loudly.

"If it's anything to do with your assignment, Demetri, I don't want to know," Caleb said, tiredly. "I don't want to be involved in it. I want to be able to look Annie in the eye and tell her I knew absolutely nothing about it if it ever comes out."

Demetri ran a hand through his hair and stood up, walking out the front door to have his conversation in private, when he saw Mara pretending she wasn't listening intently to the call.

"Caleb, I need your help," he said, quietly. "I find I am unable to complete the assignment, and I don't know what to do about it."

"Tell the Council to assign someone else," Caleb said, bluntly. He really didn't want to be involved with whatever mess Demetri had gotten himself into.

"If I do that, whoever takes over the assignment will terminate Mara," Demetri protested. "That does not sit well with me."

"Fuck!" Caleb cursed, loudly. "I told you I didn't want to know, Demetri!" He couldn't believe the selfish bastard, formerly known as his best friend, was dragging him into his mess.

Demetri waited for a moment, hoping he would calm down. "I can't breach her natural shield, but I believe she is telling the truth, Caleb," he finally said. "You know the Council won't accept anything less than a full scan of her mind. Mara isn't out to reveal our existence. She doesn't deserve to die, because I can't read her."

Caleb uttered another long string of curses. He knew he couldn't not get involved now, and he was livid about it. Despite his anger at his friend, he also felt a little spark of curiosity too. He had never heard Demetri ever talk in favour of a human before. He either sided against them or remained neutral. Just who was this woman Mara?

"I am so going to rearrange your face when you get back," he finally sighed, but most of the venom was gone from his voice. "You know you only have two choices, Demetri. You either hand over the assignment, or you take this Mara woman under your protection."

Demetri groaned, loudly, as Caleb verbalised the one choice he had been studiously not thinking about. He had no desire to be saddled with a human woman for the rest of her life. Taking Mara under his protection would be effectively doing what Caleb was doing with Rhianna. Claiming her as his special mate.

He recoiled at the very thought. It wasn't that the brunette wasn't attractive enough, because she was, and his body did react to her, but then his body reacted to every beautiful woman he came across, and he didn't want to keep any of them permanently either. There had to be another way to keep Mara alive which didn't involve him having to keep her as part of his life.

"You know, this call is costing me," Caleb remarked dryly, when he didn't respond for a long time.

Demetri sighed wearily and ran his hand through his hair again. "You weren't much help either," he retorted, but there was no heat in his tone. "I'll work something out, somehow. I'll be home soon, Caleb." He terminated the call before his friend could say anything further.

Mara had tried to listen in to the second call Demetri made, but he headed outside, so she wasn't able to glean any more information. This was the second time she'd heard him talking to someone called Caleb. She wondered if he was a friend of his, too. If they were friends they seemed to argue a lot. 

She decided to take the opportunity to go to the bathroom, while he was still outside. She was all but resigned to her fate whatever it eventually turned out to be. She was at the mercy of the mercurial vampire, who had kidnapped her, and there really wasn't anything she could do about it except hope that the longer he kept her alive the less inclined he would be to kill her.

Demetri was back inside and gathering up his belongings into a canvas rucksack when she came back from the bathroom.

"Help me pack up," he said. "You can fold up the blankets on the cot."

She watched him warily for a moment, and then moved to do as he said. His sudden desire to leave frightened her. Was this it? Was he going to make her pack his stuff for him and then take her somewhere and kill her? She tried not to tremble as she finished folding the blankets.

He didn't speak to her again, as he quickly and efficiently transferred his belongings to the back of the Jeep. In less than half an hour, the only remnants of their stay in the broken down house were the chains and pulley system in the horrible room she didn't want to enter ever again.

She expected him to get in the Jeep once everything was packed away, but instead he pulled out a brand new spade and slammed the rear door closed. Mara couldn't stop the little cry of fear, which bubbled up inside her.

When Mara uttered her cry, Demetri turned to look at her with a puzzled expression. Her beautiful face was devoid of all colour and her big brown eyes were fixated on the spade in his hand. Her acrid scent was off the scale, and he couldn't help wrinkling his nose in disgust at the pungent odour.

She backed away from him slowly, her eyes wild as they swung from side to side, as she tried to work out which direction to start running in. Demetri's puzzlement lasted a second longer before he finally worked out what was wrong with the girl. He dropped the spade to the ground and reached her side in two long strides.

"Mara, calm down," he said sternly, his hands gripping her upper arms, as she started to scream and try to get away. Her body twisted violently in his grasp, and she kicked out, catching him hard on the shin. He grunted and wrapped his arms tightly around her, effectively forcing her into an immobile state as she whimpered in terror.

"Mara, I'm not going to hurt you," he said calmly. "Your life is not in danger, I swear it." It wasn't technically the truth. Her life was in danger and would be until he came up with a solution to the Council's edict.

Her trembling didn't decrease nor did her small whimpers. It was as if she couldn't hear him. He did the only thing he could think of to reach through her terror. He threaded his hand into her thick brown hair and tilted her head back and brought his mouth down on hers.

The instant their lips touched Demetri groaned softly, as a spark of electricity shot straight down his spine and his body hardened instantly. His mouth slanted over hers, as his tongue pressed for entrance into her hot depths. She was immobile underneath his assault and then her lips moved hesitantly against his before they parted, and she was kissing him back with a passion, which surprised him.

His hands roamed down her back pressing her tightly against his aching body, as their tongues duelled frantically as the kiss turned wilder as desire flared between them. Mara's softness against his hardness was making Demetri's head spin, and he couldn't stop himself from rubbing his lower body against her.

The kiss turned from one into two and then a third one as liquid fire shot through his veins, and he was lifting her up and pressing her against the side of the building, one hand searching for her breasts as the other lifted her right leg and hooked it around his hip so he could press more firmly against the heat of her body.

"Mara," he groaned against her lips as he ground hard against her, rebelling when he felt her stiffen at the sound of her name on his lips. He was hot and hard with need, and he didn't want to stop kissing her, but her stiffness was seeping through his passion, and her lips were no longer moving against his when he kissed her again.

With a muffled oath he pulled away from her, his green eyes intent on her face as he took a step back.

Mara stared up at the beautiful vampire in shock, her breasts heaving with the strain of the harsh, ragged pants coming from her mouth. He had kissed her! He had done more than kiss her; he had ground his erection against her and fondled her breasts through her T-shirt, and she had responded to him.

Dear God, what kind of person did that make her? The man had kidnapped her, tortured her and was about to head into the woods and murder her and she had kissed him back with a passion she had never experienced before. She had actually wanted him!

Demetri watched the conflicting emotions crossing her face and raked a hand through his hair, as his heart thumped loudly in his chest. The explosive spark, which had ignited between them with a simple kiss, quite literally stunned him. It appeared to have stunned Mara, too, but at least she wasn't terror stricken anymore. He sucked in a deep breath and took another step back from her to give her more space.




The Assignment Ch. 02



14:00 hours

Devina parked the car in the shoddy parking deck in downtown Detroit and exited. From the outside no one would have ever guess it housed a level 1 military funded research facility underneath. Walking towards the elevator she pressed the up button then down button in fast sequence and entered the elevator. Once inside she waited as the elevator went down, past all the available floors listed. The doors opened and she entered into a well-lit hallway with an astringent smell of a research laboratory. Walking down the windowless hall she came upon a door and entered into a meeting room with others inside. 

"Agent Strauss, you're right on time" the man standing said. His short military buzz cut gave him a hard demeanor and his steel grey eyes glared into her. 

"Lieutenant Douglass," Devina said towards the man, her greeting brief. 

The rest of the room looked up at her entrance, a man and a woman in white lab coats denoting their research status, and one man, Agent Kent in all black. 

"Devina, you look beautiful as ever" Kent said, his blue eyes gazing at her lustfully as he stood and pulled a chair for her. 

Devina walked towards him and sat down. She smiled at her on and off again lover, their relationship purely physical given their secret agent status. His long blond hair curled at the nape of his neck and his handsome face and toned body a mask for the true spy that he was. 

She looked away from him towards the man standing and said, "I got the files." 

She placed her tampon/usb drive on the table and pushed it forward. One of the research scientists, the woman, grabbed it and plugged it into her computer. 

"This is great, it's all here," she said excitedly.

"What exactly is it?" Ltd. Douglass said his voice impatient. 

"It's the rRNA sequences of the bacteriophage H87YN. He is doing exactly what we thought he was; genomic analysis," she replied never looking up from her screen. 

"Isn't that the one the World health organization (WHO) banned from all experimentation?" Devina asked. 

"Yes the very same given that it was synthesized in a laboratory against all regulations," the woman replied. 

"Okay fine, he's doing illegal research, but you still have yet to explain why this is so internationally significant," Ltd. Douglass said, his voice booming with impatience. 

"What it means," the other male scientist began his voice cutting through the silence. "Is that he is trying to develop a vaccine for it." 

"But the WHO has isolated the bacteriophage in a secret facility so that it will never spread among the human population," Devina cut in, confusion in her voice. 

"Precisely. Which means that if he is conducting research, then someone knows that is will go into population soon, and they are paying him to create a vaccine," the male scientist said. 

"But how can that person know that it will happen, unless they are orchestrating the release of the bacteriophage?" Kent said, answering his own question. 

The room was quiet as they sat there thinking of the consequences of such an event. 

"Devina, we need you to infiltrate Sanofi Pharmaceuticals and collect as much information as possible. We will secure you a job interview through one of our inside men in their administration department, but that is all we can do without raising suspicion," Lt. Douglass said. 

"Exactly what am I supposed to be looking for," She asked. 

"Any low grid laboratories that only he has access to, all information on his day to day habits, current projects that he is working on both publicly and privately, you know the drill. We will need a report every two weeks, and we will contact you about the drop off destination," 

Lt. Douglass looked her in the eye, "We need you to get as close as possible to him, given his attraction to you at the gala last night it shouldn't be too hard for you to get into his personal life," 

Catching his meaning Agent Kent pounded his fist on the table. 

"You want her to sleep with him! This is insane! She is not some whore you get to throw at people, she is a federal agent for god's sake!" He began to stand as he yelled at Lt. Douglass. 

Devina placed her hand on his arm, pulling him down to his chair and spoke, "Lt. I understand my mission, when do you want me to head out?" Agent Kent looked at her incredulously. 

"You're interview is in two days in Paris, France and your plane leaves tomorrow morning, make sure you're at the airport by 09:00 hours," Lt. Douglass then left the room but not before staring down agent Kent, who stared right back. 

"C'mon let's go somewhere and grab some food," Devina said to Kent as she too walked out the door to the garage where her car was. 

They rode to the restaurant in silence, when Kent suddenly said, "Take me to my hotel, and come with me we can get food there," 

Devina turned the car around and drove towards the hotel. 

Once there they walked towards the elevator and rode up in silence. Exiting the elevator, Kent swiftly walked to his room, almost leaving Devina behind, then opened his door. She followed, and was soon pulled inside his room viscously, and grabbed by the back of the head. 

"Why are you doing this? Why did you agree to this assignment?" He asked, pain evident in his eyes. Devina tried not to wince as his grip tightened in her hair. 

"You know why, the same reason why you accept every assignment thrown your way. Don't you throw your sanctimonious bullshit at me when you know you have done far worse than this," she huffed. 

"So what you're just going to sleep with him? Will you fuck him like you fuck me? Hmm? Cause you're real good at that," he said savagely while leaning in to her face. 

She slapped him and he laughed, rubbing his face and replied, "Sometimes when were done fucking I feel like it was all an act, like the emotions you felt during sex were only in that moment, and then you roll over and get dressed and leave like it never happened" 

Devina winced as she knew she could not deny his description of her. She sighed and said, "We have no lives anymore, we gave that up once we became spies. If I try to leave or refuse an assignment, they will hunt me down and kill me because I know too much,"

Devina, breathing heavily, whispered, "I know how you feel about me, and if I were the person I used to be I would love you too. Yet we are not those people anymore, Kent, we are weapons for our country, we are the ones who get our hands dirty so others can keep theirs clean," 

"Yes and because my hands are dirty I can never truly have everything of you can I. Because you're hands are so dirty there's nothing left of you that I can have,"

Devina cut him off with a kiss, her tongue pushing inside his mouth. He kissed her back, her hands roaming his body as she stood on her tip toes to receive every last drop of him. They fumbled around, their lips never separating as they tried to find the bed. Devina's legs hit the bed and she fell backwards, Kent following atop her. Clothes were ripped apart in the search for hot secret places. He ripped her bra off, leaving marks on her skin as the clasps clutched at her. Her breasts spilled forth and he suckled at the chocolate tips. Her head fell back against the pillows as his hands found her center and roughly shoved two fingers in, her channel slick with need. She moaned in his mouth and begged, while pulling his dick out.

Sitting up, he gazed at down, her body wanton and uninhibited with her curly hair loose upon the pillow and her skirt pushed above her waist and shirt ripped open. She stroked his cock and he pushed her hands away and parted her legs. He lowered his mouth to her and began to devour her, his lips and tongue kissing her lower lips as he did her upper lips minutes before. She arched into him, her orgasm hitting her hard and fast, for she had been wet for him ever since he raised his voice in the meeting hours earlier. 

His tongue flicked back and forth over her clit and she keened for him to stop even as she moved her pussy harder into his mouth. Abruptly he sat up and plunged his cock into her, her eyes popping open at the sudden change. He fucked her fast, pounding into to her as though to brand her with his essence. She clutched at his chiseled chest and clung for dear life as the bed shook from their forceful love making. He grabbed her legs and hooked them in his arms and spread them as far as they would go. The sight of his white cock plunging into her cocoa colored pussy was too much and her came, her walls clenching around him as though in congratulations. 

He fell forward, his arms of either side of her and slowly pull out of her warm entrance. Her eyes fluttered open and she smiled a soft smile. They lay there for a time until they both fell asleep. 

Kent opened his eyes four hours later and moved his arm to grab her and found that side of the bed empty. He sat up and turned on the light and she was gone. 

************* 

The next day 13:00 

Devina sat upon the plane, going over her briefs for the Sanofi Pharmaceuticals company. The plane was set to land in Paris in three more hours, and she had one day until her interview where she had to gain the position as Junior research Assistant. Her completion of this mission relied upon her gaining this position. She sipped her wine and looked out the window and her thoughts strayed to the previous day. 

She felt horrible about leaving Kent like that, but she had too. After they made love she lay there her fingers curling around the light hair that dusted the top of his chest. They had been working as agents for two years now, and were best friends. Yet unlike best friends, they told each other very little of their lives, because spies never have true friends and must askew all ties, lest they become liabilities. They interacted simply; they fucked, they talked, and occasionally had assignments together. He knew that and she knew that, yet he wanted more and she was afraid to give more. 

She jumped at the light touch of a hand on her shoulder and had to hide the movement of her hand towards her gun as an innocent gesture. 

"Hello Ma'am, this is for you," a flight attendant said as she handed her an envelope.

"Devina took and looked at the flight attendant as she walked away, noticing that she hadn't seen her on the plane earlier. She opened the envelope and looked at the contents: $8,000 US dollars, the time and pace of the interview, the name of the driver that would be waiting for her outside the airport, and her apartment lodgings. She tucked it away in her purse and closed her eyes until the plane landed. 

*********

19:00 hours 

After settling into her fully furnished apartment Devina felt restless and left to go downstairs to the main office. 

Approaching the front desk she asked, 

"Où est le plus proche restaurant?"

"Madam we speak English, and the nearest restaurant is down the street to your right, called Marseilles," 

"Merci," she said and walked out towards the restaurant. 

Entering Marseilles, she sat down at a booth and ordered wine and a salad. While waiting for her food she looked out the window, and enjoyed the simplicity of the area, from the cobbles stone roads to the laundry hanging from lines above the street. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed some one approaching her table, and moved her hand towards the knife in the holster under her skirt, while not turning her head. The man sat down and she jumped and pretended to be startled by his presence. She smiled and he spoke. 

"Hello, my name is Jacomb I have not seen you here before," he said in heavily accented English. 

He took her hand that was resting upon the table and kissed it. She looked into his face and was unnerved by his handsome visage. His curly auburn hair contrasted sharply with the blue grey of his eyes. She smiled again, and replied. 

"That is because I am not from here. I am visiting here for work," 

"Umm, where it is that you work?"

"I am applying to a few places actually,"

"So you are not yet established?"

"No but I do believe I will get the job I am searching for tomorrow," she replied vaguely. 

"Well I must insist that I show you around sometime, please," he said is eyes pleaded. 

Just as she was about to respond the waiter came with her food and she took a sip of her wine while she studied him from underneath her eyelashes. Excusing herself to the restroom she stood and turned the corner from his sight, and looked around the corner. He picked up her wineglass and took a sip, and as he set it down she noticed a white pill sliding into the drink from his mouth. 

Her blood boiled with anger so she came back and smiled, dazzling him with her beauty. 

"I would love for you to show me around, I have not even begun to experience Paris yet," She said her voice bubbly. 

He looked at, and smiled as she raised the wine glass to her mouth and pretended to take a sip. She set it down and mentally thought I her head what drug it was. Guessing by the white powder residue it left she guess it was a form of roofies, and mentally calculated how long it would be before it took effect. 

She finished the rest of her salad and noted that he never ordered. Pretending to be flirtatious she talked with him for a time, then began to purposely slur her words and move her body mechanically. He immediately stood up and grabbed her, and threw money on the table. She walked with him, her head on his shoulder shielding her face as he loudly said, "My wife has had too much to drink," and led her out the door. 

He walked swiftly almost dragging her to the corner where he called a cab. Once inside she slumped over and he light a cigarette. With her eyes closed, Devina took note of the turns of the car and when the car stopped she barely peeked her eyes open to see the address and street name. He carried her inside up a flight of stairs and opened his door. Setting her on the bed he went into the bathroom and drew a bath. 

Waiting 10 minutes, she stood and unsheathed her heavily serrated knife from her thigh. Looking through the crack in the door she seen him in the tub with his eyes closed and entered and shut the door quietly. Walking behind him she studied him, and noted his well-toned, yet slightly out of shape body. 

'This is no spy,' she thought to herself, and crouched down and placed the knife against his throat. He jerked and his eyes flew across the room until they settled on her. 

"What are you doing, wait, aagghh!" he struggled then stopped as she pressed the knife deeper against his throat, a stream of blood sliding down his neck. 

"You are going to tell me why you tried to drug me," Devina said calmly. 

"I was only trying to be with you, that's all I promise," he whispered sweat breaking out upon his brow. 

Devina stared at him, and was suddenly disgusted by him. "How many other foreign women have you done this too," she asked. 

"None, I swear, I promise,"

She pressed the knife deeper, blood beginning to leak out faster. 

"Liar. Why don't I believe you," 

"Ok ok one other one. I'm sorry you were just so beautiful, and I wanted you, aaggh!" she yelled as she sliced his face, narrowly missing his eye. 

Standing up she opened the door and walked out of the room, not looking back as he cursed and screamed in the bathtub. Walking swiftly down the stairs to exited the complex, and began walking home the way she remembered. Twenty minutes later she made it to her room and laid down on the bed in exhaustion. 

Setting her alarm for early in the morning she laid her head on the pillow and went to sleep. 

****************** 

"Hello Dr. Strauss, how was your plane ride across the pond?" the interviewer asked her pleasantly. 

"It was fine, I had no problems travelling," Devina replied, smiling. 

"Well let's get started. You have a very impressive Curriculum Vitae here. It says that you completed our Ph.D in Biomedical engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology. Can you please explain for me what your major area of expertise was?" 

"Well, I....," she stopped as the door opened and two people entered, Dr. Van Leeuwan and Jacomb. Her face registered no shock as she recognized him from the previoous night, yet his face turned malicious as he eyed her in shock and anger. The scar on his face was red and angry, and the interviewer looked at him in surprise. 

"Dr. Von Frachlein, what happened, are you alright?"

He looked at her as he answered, "I am just fine, I was attacked last night by a mad woman on my way home," 

Devina stared at him back even as the interviewer introduced her to them. 

"Dr. Van Leeuwan and Von Frachlein, I would like to introduce Dr. Devina Strauss, she is our latest applicant for the Junior Research assistant," 

She stood and shook both their hands, her voice ironic, "It's nice to meet you both gentlemen," 

"Let me see her folder please," Dr. Van Leeuwan said. 

The interviewer handed it to him, and he glance through it. 

"Very impressive. I believe you have the qualifications we are looking for. You're hired," 

Dr. Frachlein sputtered I outrage, "You don't even know her and what she can do!" 

"Actually Dr. Strauss and I have already had the pleasure of meeting and find her to be extremely intelligent,"

"This is an outrage, we still have 20 other applicants for the position, who I believe will be far better suited...," 

"Do you question my judgment, Frachlein?" Dr. Van Leeuwan said quietly. 

Realizing his mistake, Frachlein replied, "No no never, I was just saying that the interviews have just begun," 

"Well it's settle then. Welcome to the team Dr. Strauss," he said his eyes never leaving hers as he smiled faintly. 

"Thank you, I am glad to be a part of your team," she replied, ignoring Frachlein's menacing look. 

"May I speak with you a moment please," Van Leeuwan asked as everyone left the room. 

"Sure," she replied turning back around. The door closed and he lowered his voice. 

"What are you doing here? You show up to my gala and act so mysterious, then just leave, and three days later your applying to work under me," 

"I went to the gala because I was interested in the talk, not you. Remember you approached me,"

Heat entered his eyes as he remembered their encounter. "I open my lab every morning at 8 am. You may have the rest of the week off, but be here Monday on time,"

"Of course, I will see you then," she turned to leave and he grabbed her arm. She looked back at him and he said, "There is something I'm missing here, isn't there," 

She simply looked at him then said, "I will see you Monday,"

Removing her harm gently from his grasp she exited the door.



The Assignment Ch. 02



"Fuck, I shouldn't have done that, Mara," he finally said, looking away from her. "You were just so terror stricken it was the only way I could think of to get through to you."

Mara blinked slowly and moved away from the wall putting even more distance between them. Demetri seemed to be just as shaken as she was by their reaction to their kisses. He actually looked almost human for a moment and not the cold bloodied killer he was.

"The spade is for digging up the skull, Mara," he said looking back at her and trapping her gaze with his piercing eyes. "I thought you would have worked out by now that I have no intention of killing you. If I wanted you dead, I would have left you last night."

She stared at him with suspicious eyes, and then she very slowly started to relax. Could she trust him? He had been truthful with her so far. Was that deliberate? Tell her the truth all the time, and then lie at the crucial moment so she would trust him and walk calmly to her death? She didn't know what to believe anymore she just knew she didn't want to die at his hands.

"I can't force you to believe me," Demetri sighed softly seeing her disbelief written plainly across her face, "but I'm telling you the truth, Mara. I am not going to kill you."

He waited for her to decide whether or not she was going to take a chance and believe he was sincere. Eventually, she nodded at him and thrust her hands into her leather jacket pockets.

"So, you want me to take you to the location of the skull?" she asked quietly, watching as he bent and retrieved the spade from the ground.

"Lead the way," he answered, handing her a flashlight just in case the woods became too dense, and she needed some extra light. He shouldered his rucksack and followed her into the trees.

Demetri frowned, as he walked behind her. He could understand why she freaked out at the sight of the spade. He had purchased it when he had started this hunt for the intended purpose she had assumed. Disposal of her remains had been a high probability at the start of this assignment, and he had come prepared for every eventuality. 

Feeling remorse for his actions was not something he was used to experiencing, but he had felt remorse when he had stared into her stricken face when she had thought he was intending to kill her and bury her body. He put his unexpected emotions down to being in a certain little redhead's company too much. Maybe he should just face the facts. He was becoming weak and starting to care about humans way too much.

Mara led him further into the woods, finally stopping after a brisk half hour walk. "Over there," she said, pointing to what appeared to be an innocuous spot beside a large oak tree. He set down his rucksack and began to dig where she pointed to.

It didn't take him too long to unearth the skull. He turned it slowly around in his hands and wondered briefly who the vampire had been. Obviously someone stupid enough to lose their head, most probably a youngling who didn't have anyone to guide them through the first hundred years of life. The mortality rate for younglings was quite high. Unless mentored by a more experienced vampire, they tended to get into fights among themselves and invariably ended up dead.

Demetri stuck the skull in his rucksack and turned back the way they had come. Mara followed silently behind him. It didn't take as long to get back to the Jeep, because he set a faster pace now he knew the route. Mara was slightly breathless by the time they reached the Jeep, but she hadn't complained at his faster pace, and he was glad for it.

He had been silent the entire time, racking his brain for what to do next. He had made his decision by the time he reached the Jeep. Stashing the spade, flashlight, and rucksack in the back of the Jeep, he held open the passenger door for Mara.

She hesitated only briefly before she climbed in, and he walked around to the other side. He would have to call the Council and update them. He was sure they wouldn't be very happy with him, but he was ancient enough to withstand any possible flack from them.

Mara watched Demetri covertly through the cover of her long hair. His face was expressionless, though sometimes she thought she saw a flicker of emotion in his eyes. His deep, brooding silence was unsettling, but then everything about the vampire was unsettling. She had no idea where they were going or what he was intending to do with her. All she knew was he said he wasn't going to kill her and so far he hadn't.

They were on the road for almost fifteen minutes before Mara got up the courage to ask him where they were going.

"Home," Demetri said, quietly, and he heard her breath catch and saw a flare of joy in her deep brown eyes and his breath hissed out angrily. "My home, Mara, not yours."

The startled cry which ripped through her infuriated Demetri. He swore loudly and stamped on the breaks hard, bringing the Jeep to a shuddering, violent halt. He unbuckled his seatbelt and loomed over her, his fingers digging hard into her chin, as he brought his face inches from hers.

"Are you in such a hurry to die, Mara?" he asked coldly, his eyes flashing dangerously. "I said I would not kill you. I didn't say others of my kind would be so lenient. If I take you home, another will come for you, and you'll be dead before you know it. The only way I can keep you alive is to take you under my protection. Believe me, it's the very last thing I want to do, but you're out of options now. It's either me or death. Make your choice." 

He watched the horror cross her face and pushed himself back into his seat. He re-buckled his seatbelt and restarted the Jeep, as she began to weep quietly.

"What's it to be, Mara? Do I turn around or keep going?" he asked tersely. She wanted a choice in her destiny, so now she had it. He would abide by whatever decision she made.

A long moment passed, and they just sat there silently. "Keep going," Mara finally said, and Demetri's hands clenched hard around the steering wheel before he put the Jeep in gear and headed off again.

Mara slept for most of the journey home. Demetri had considered stopping by her place and picking up her belongings, but decided against it, just in case anyone was lurking around. He wouldn't put it passed the Council to send someone else when he failed to call and update them when they expected him to.

They would have expected him to have updated them by now, even if it was just a quick call to say the assignment was still underway. He couldn't risk Jorge or Philippe being the one to answer his call, as they were the two who would spot his deception, so he opted not to call the Council until he was safely back in his own territory.

He glanced at the sleeping woman and shook his head. How the fuck had he managed to get himself stuck with her, and what was he going to do with her now that he had? He toyed with his various options. He could bed her he supposed. They did have a strong sexual chemistry, which was pretty obvious from the kisses in the woods. But, he didn't want to be tied down to her in a sexual way. He preferred his usual lifestyle of a different woman every night. He liked variety, and he wasn't going to apologise to anyone for his lifestyle. 

So if he didn't bed her, what was he going to do with her? She had a business degree. Maybe, he could slot her into one of the companies or the nightclub? If she was utilising her skills, she'd be less whiny to have around the house. That option was a bit more palatable to him. 

She would have to stay at his house there was no getting away from that fact. He could set her up in the west wing, so she was as far away from him as possible. She wasn't exactly thrilled with having to be with him, so there was a good chance she'd stick to her wing of the house so it could work out okay.

He felt a bit better having some plan of action in place. He relaxed when he hit the city limits and was back in his own territory. Mara was starting to stir, and he suddenly didn't want to have to deal with her being all emotional, which she surely would be when she woke up. Weeping women were not his speciality and the last twenty four hours being confined with her was more than enough for him right now.

Fuck it! Caleb could rearrange his face all he wanted to. Mara needed the comfort of a woman, preferably a human woman, and the only one he knew who would be up to the task was Rhianna. He turned off the main road and headed through the forest to Caleb's mansion.

Mara opened her eyes when the Jeep finally stopped. Her brain had quite literally shut down when she realised she had to stay with Demetri or die. She didn't know which option was worse. Actually, she did otherwise she would have told him to take her home. She wanted to live, and this seemed to be the only option open to her.

Demetri was opening the car door for her, and she climbed out numbly and looked at the large white mansion before her. This was her new home? It looked enormous and very imposing, and she wanted to cry again. She didn't want to be here.

She followed Demetri silently up to the front door and waited, as he opened it and stepped back for her to enter first. The grandness of the entranceway stunned her. It was truly beautiful with it's high ceiling and glittering chandelier and white marble floor. She waited to see where she was supposed to go and was surprised at seeing Demetri hover uncertainly in the hall.

A noise made her look up, and she saw a beautiful golden brown haired man standing at the top of the staircase in front of them with a dark scowl on his face.

"You are fucking kidding me, Demetri," Caleb hissed through clenched teeth, as he walked slowly down the stairs, his amber gaze flicking quickly over the shell shocked woman at his friend's side before he turned to glare ferociously at him. "You're bringing your fucking assignment into my home? After what I said to you?" His fury was clear to hear.

"Peace, Caleb," Demetri answered, quietly. "I took your advice. I went for the protection option, and now I'm literally stuck with what to do with her."

Caleb had reached the couple and his fist shot out and connected squarely with Demetri's jaw. He would have punched him again, but the woman beside him screamed loudly and started to cry, and he immediately felt bad for having scared her. He had noted how fragile she appeared to be when he'd walked down the stairs. He should have held his temper until he was alone with Demetri.

"Forgive me," he said, softly to the weeping woman. "I did not mean to frighten you." He turned his gaze back to Demetri, and he scowled darkly. "What the fuck have you done to her, Demetri?" 

"My job," his friend answered, rubbing his jaw. "Jesus, did you have to hit me so hard? That fucking hurt, Caleb."

"Not as much as I will hurt you, if you don't get the fuck out of here before Annie comes home," Caleb retorted turning away from him in disgust and heading into the kitchen.

Demetri followed him pulling Mara behind him by her arm. He settled her at the dining table and turned back to Caleb.

"I need help here, Caleb," he sighed wearily. "You can see the state Mara's in. I'm not equipped to deal with her. She needs a woman's touch."

Caleb's rage escalated again, as he stared at his friend as if he were mad. "Tell me you didn't just imply that you brought your mess into my home for my woman to clean up for you?" His voice was quiet and deadly, as he pinned Demetri with his hard gaze.

"You know how soothing Annie is," Demetri answered. "Everyone she comes in contact with falls in love with her. She's just what Mara needs right now, Caleb."

Caleb took three steps towards his friend and then halted when he saw the brunette tense at the table, her big brown eyes wide with shock, as she watched them argue. He wouldn't hit Demetri again, not in front of the girl. She looked like she'd been through too much already.

"This is your mess, Demetri. You clean it up," he said quietly. "I don't want Annie to know anything about this."

"You don't want Annie to know anything about what?" a voice said in the doorway and every head turned to look at the tiny little redhead, as she walked into the kitchen.

Mara blinked at the other woman and was surprised to see she was human. It was obvious Caleb was a vampire. From what she had gathered from Demetri's argument with Caleb, Annie was Caleb's partner. She had just assumed Annie would be a vampire, too.

The redhead was looking expectantly at the two vampires, and Mara's gaze followed hers and she got her second surprise. Both men were looking exceedingly sheepishly at the other woman. Caleb appeared to be slightly anguished looking, and Demetri was downright embarrassed. Their expressions almost made her laugh.

"I'm waiting," Rhianna said, exasperatedly. Her gaze flicked from Caleb to Demetri and then over to the table to the strange woman sitting there with a tear streaked face.

"Annie," Caleb groaned caught between the urge to gather her up into his arms and beat Demetri senseless for putting him this position.

"Hey, Red," Demetri smiled sheepishly. "Don't give Caleb a hard time. This is nothing to do with him. It's all my fault."

She snorted at him and her lips twitched in a little smile. "Why am I not surprised to hear that, Demetri?" she asked archly. "Are you going to introduce me to your friend? I'm assuming she's here with you?"

Demetri looked at Caleb, and then gave a resigned sigh. "Mara Fitzgerald, meet Rhianna Armand and Caleb Cullen."

The brunette simply stared silently at the other couple a look of apprehension on her face, as if she didn't know what was going to happen next.

Rhianna frowned slightly, as she looked at Mara and then turned to face the men. "I take it Mara is the reason you two have been fighting?" 

"No," Caleb said at the same time Demetri said, "Yes."

Rhianna's frown deepened and she turned back to the brunette and sat down beside her at the table. "Why don't you tell me what's going on here, Mara," she said, gently, giving her a comforting smile. Her smile froze slightly, as she saw the other woman's eyes flicker fearfully towards Demetri, before she dropped them to the table top.

"Never you mind Demetri," she said soothingly, patting the frightened woman's hand gently. "If he so much as opens his mouth, I'll kick his ass for him. Or, I'll get Caleb to do it for me. I'd probably break my foot it I tried to kick him."

She felt Mara tremble slightly, and then she looked up and stared at her with a slightly awed expression on her face. "Aren't you frightened of them?" she asked, timidly. 

"Of those two?" Rhianna laughed lightly. "Caleb would die before he ever hurt me. Demetri would probably love it if I dropped off the end of the planet, but he knows it would hurt Caleb too much if anything ever happened to me, so I get granted a reprieve from him."

"That's crap, Red," Demetri growled angrily, incensed she would think he wished she wasn't around. Okay, so maybe he had given her a bit of hard time at first, but things were different now. "I've decided to grant you family status," he told her gruffly. "Seeing as you're going to be sticking around for a while."

His admission surprised Rhianna and stunned Caleb. Demetri had been fighting Rhianna's influence from the very moment she'd entered their lives. Something had clearly changed in his thought processes, since he'd taken on this assignment.

"As you can hear, they're not so scary once you get to know them," Rhianna smiled at Mara. "Tell me what's happened to you, Mara."

Mara swallowed hard and took a deep breath, deciding instinctively to trust the little redhead. "I accidentally stumbled onto the fact that vampires existed," she began hesitantly. "Something I did alerted them to me, and they sent a representative to find out what I knew and how much of danger I posed to them. Demetri tried to read my mind, but I seem to have some kind of natural ability to shield. He said the other vampires would kill me, unless I came back here and agreed to be under his protection."

Rhianna could tell there was lot more to Mara's tale. She wondered just what Demetri had done to the brunette, as he tried to get inside of the other woman's mind. She was clearly frightened of him. Rhianna knew just how cruel Demetri could be when he wanted to. 

She turned her lavender gaze on the dark haired vampire. "Did you hurt her, Demetri?" she asked, quietly.

His green eyes slid form hers, and she knew the answer to her question even though he didn't voice it.

"Caleb, hit that ass for me," Rhianna said angrily and turned away from him, so she could clasp Mara's hand in hers. "He won't ever hurt you again, Mara. I promise you. Will you, Demetri?"

Demetri picked himself up off the floor and licked his split lip. Caleb really looked pleased at being allowed the opportunity to get another punch in. He shot a dark look at his friend before turning towards the two woman.

"I will never hurt you again, Mara," he promised. 

Mara looked at Rhianna first, and then at Caleb, who gave her a reassuring smile, and finally at Demetri who was watching her intently, the cut on his lip already healing as he lick the blood away. His usually cold eyes seemed to have a bit of warmth in them, as he regarded her.

Her whole life had been turned upside down, and she had no idea what was to become of her now. Caleb and Annie seemed really nice, and Demetri was a completely different person around them. She sighed deeply and nodded her head at Demetri, silently accepting his promise. She felt slightly better than she had done since the start of this nightmare and allowed herself to relax a bit.

"You. Sit," Rhianna said sternly to Demetri pointing at the chair beside her before turning to Caleb with a wide smile for him. "How about some coffees, love, while we get to the bottom of this mess and work out what to do about it?"

Caleb's lips twitched in a little smile, and his amber eyes glowed with love, as he strode across the room to pick up his woman and kiss her long and hard. "You never cease to amaze me, my Annie," he whispered softly, as he planted another quick kiss on her luscious lips before setting her gently back into her chair and turning back to the coffee machine.

Rhianna met Demetri's cool green gaze, and she sighed deeply as she shook her head at him. "You really are the limit sometimes," she said quietly, her tone laced with disapproval. "I swear if I ever hear of you deliberately hurting a woman again, you'd better spend the rest of your life hiding in some remote place on the planet, because I'll task Caleb to make the rest of your days are a complete misery. Are we clear on this?"

"Fuck, Annie, you're a right pain in the ass," Demetri grumbled, but his lips twitched in a little smile, and he leaned over and kissed her quickly on her forehead before she could react. "I'm almost tempted to set you on the Council. They wouldn't know what had hit them, if I did that." 

Lavender eyes regarding him intently, and then she asked, "What Council?"

To be continued...



The Assignment Ch. 03



"Hope everyone enjoys this chapter. Fingers crossed I have done it justice. I am sure I will hear if I haven't :-)  Once again, LadyPineRose74 you have my eternal thanks for editing for me. I think I managed to post the correct version of the chapter too LOL!"



"What Council?" Rhianna's words rang around the kitchen, and Caleb hissed out a long breath, his amber eyes fixating on Demetri with a murderous glare.

"You are so fucking dead," he bit out angrily.

Demetri cursed under his breath and stared down at the dining table for a long moment before he met the little redhead's lavender gaze. "The Council is our ruling body," he explained, quietly. "An elected body, which changes every couple of centuries usually made up of five elder vampires. Just like our.....other friends....we need rules too, Annie."

He watched a slow dawning cross her face and was relieved she knew who he was alluding to. He couldn't mention Weres outright, not with Mara sitting at the table. It would only cause issues with the local pack, and Rhianna had a strong tie to them so he wanted to avoid that out of consideration to her.

"Our most prominent rule is the need to be hidden from the human populace," he continued, quietly, "From time to time, one of us meets a human we come to care for, like you and Caleb. In those circumstances, the bond is for life so it is not an issue for the human to know about us. They would do nothing to endanger the one they love, and they are therefore classed as under the protection of the vampire."

Rhianna nodded, as she listened, aware that Mara was listening just as intently to the dark haired vampire's explanation. The brunette had learned of vampires without this 'protection', and now, her life was up in turmoil because of it.

"So, if someone comes along like Mara, this Council acts?" she asked.

Demetri nodded. "One of us is sent to assess the threat and to resolve the situation," he explained, pausing and trying to figure out how to continue on without totally freaking Rhianna out. Caleb would have his head if she started going mental at him.

"Why you?" Rhianna queried. "What's so special about you that you were chosen for this task?"

Demetri looked at Caleb for help. He had no idea just how much of their other abilities his friend had told her. The cold hard expression on Caleb's face promised dire retribution later, and he stifled down a deep sigh.

"There are three levels in our world, Annie," Caleb said quietly, surprising her when he took up the explanation. "Youngling, Elder, and Ancient. The older we become the more enhanced abilities we have, abilities like mind control, the ability to detect deception, and the ability to alter human memories. Both Demetri and I are ancient. We can do all three, but we are more efficient at altering memories. It is not unusual for the Council to contact one of us when they have an Assignment which needs taken care of."

He had been making coffees as he spoke, his body tense. He crossed to the table and set the hot brews down and picked his woman up, sitting in her chair and settling her on his lap. She was going to be upset by what she heard, and he wanted to be close to her, to help her deal with the knowledge she was about to hear.

Caleb's tenseness wasn't lost on Rhianna, and she braced herself for what was coming. He only ever reacted like this when he didn't want her to know something and was forced into her finding it out against his objections.

"Did this Council contact you, Caleb?" she asked quietly, looking up into his beautiful face so she could read his expression. His amber eyes met hers, and he nodded unhappily. 

"I turned the assignment down," he answered. "Told them I wouldn't be available for any new ones either. That's not who I am anymore, Annie. You took the person I used to be and you turned him into someone so much better, right from the very first moment I saw you. I told you I used to be a monster, Annie. I know you don't want to believe that, but it's the truth. I have done things in the past, which I've walked away from without one shred of remorse. I may feel remorse for my actions now, but it will never negate the fact that I did do those things."

She could hear the pain in his voice, see it in his eyes too. Pain and incredible self loathing. Her heart wrenched at his misery, and she reached up and touched his cheek lightly. "It doesn't matter, Caleb," she said softly. "Whatever I hear this day, no matter how bad it is, I will deal with it. I love you, and I will always love you. Whatever you've done, I will forgive you, and I'll try my hardest to help you to forgive yourself, too."

He groaned softly and buried his head in the side of her neck struggling with his emotions. She was just too forgiving. He didn't deserve her, and he knew it, but she was so wrapped up in his heart he couldn't be without her ever. He breathed in her sweet scent and kissed her neck lightly, before he raised his head again and looked deeply into her eyes.

"Most assignment were really quite simple," he said quietly. "The human mind is really quite weak, and it is relatively simple to erase their memories of vampires and plant a directive away from ever attempting to find us again. Sometimes, though, a human would come along with a natural shield so tight we would be unable to breach it. The only solution to that scenario was to dispose of the threat."

Rhianna had expected it. Caleb's tortured expression had told her the story, before he even opened his mouth. He had killed people to protect his secret. He had quite literally been an assassin for his people, him and Demetri both. It was difficult to relate the cold bloodied killer he had been to the man sitting with his arms wrapped around her right now. They seemed to be two completely different people. She sighed softly and rested against his wide chest, closing her eyes as she mulled everything over in her mind. 

This was going to be hard to deal with, but she knew she would handle it. She'd handled all the other crazy things, which had turned her life so completely upside down the last few months. She sighed again and looked back up at Caleb, who was watching her intently, his expression concerned. She smiled gently and reached up and planted a quick kiss on his mouth. 

"We'll talk about this later, love," she said softly. "For now, I want Demetri to explain to me why he accepted the assignment." Her lavender eyes swung to the other man who was watching them intently. 

Demetri's cool green gaze met her angry lavender gaze, and he stifled down a groan. She was really going to give him a hard time. Not that he probably didn't deserve it, but it didn't make it any more palatable having to accept her censure.

"I took the assignment, because Caleb is the only one of my kind who can rival me when it comes to memory manipulation," he said coolly. "and I knew he would refuse it, because of you. Also, your influence on him was making him weak and that was irritating me greatly. The more you irritated me and I reacted to it, the more furious Caleb became me. I figured getting away for a bit would calm things down."

Rhianna felt a rush of anger as he tried to justify his actions by putting the blame on her and Caleb. She reached across and slapped him across the face hard. His head barely moved under her blow, but his eyes widened in surprise.

"Don't you ever use me or Caleb as an accuse for your actions, Demetri," she said coldly, her angry gaze boring into him. "You took the assignment, because you wanted to."

He glared back at her, equally as angrily. "I took the bloody assignment, because I knew I had the best chance of bringing it to a satisfactory conclusion," he ground out harshly. "I didn't know Mara was going to have a natural shield against us. I thought it would be a straight forward matter of getting in, finding out what she knew, and then diverting her away from her goal. And, I wasn't lying. I did want to get the fuck away from you and Caleb. I wanted to get as far away from you as I could, Annie."

She reeled back from the fury in his voice, and Caleb growled low in his throat.

"I've fucking told you about minding the way you speak to Annie," he growled angrily. "Watch you tone, Demetri! This is the only warning I'm going to give you."

Demetri snarled angrily at him, but held his peace, his furious eyes dropping down to the table.

Rhianna took a couple of deep breaths to try and still the rapid beating of her heart. Caleb's hands were clutching her so tightly she knew he was close to losing control. If she didn't calm down he would most likely explode and then all hell would break loose. She patted Caleb's arm soothingly and sensed him look down at her as he slowly relaxed, but she kept her gaze fixed firmly on Demetri.

"And, here I thought we were getting on so well," she sighed softly. "I thought I was part of your family now, Demetri?"

His eyes shot back to her and a slow grin crossed his face, the tension suddenly leaching out of his body. "Why the fuck did you think I wanted away from you, Red?" he asked though there was no heat in his tone. "You were making me as weak as Caleb, and I didn't like it. I figured some time away from you would let me get back to normal. Didn't work though. Instead of being normal, I found out I was unable to complete my bloody assignment. Which brings us right back to where we are now, sitting in this bloody kitchen and trying to figure out what to do."

She wasn't completely surprised by his admission. She had seen genuine pleasure on his face when she had entered the kitchen earlier, and he had kissed her forehead like a fond older brother, too. She knew he hated to admit to what he saw as his 'weakness', but it was important for Mara to see that despite being vampires, the two men around the table were human too. It would ease her fear a lot if she wasn't so hung up on the fact they were such deadly predators.

Mara was astounded, as she watched the little redhead interact with the two vampires. They were so volatile, reacting furiously at the drop of a hat, and yet, Rhianna just sat there calmly and didn't let it phase her one bit. She was so confident they wouldn't hurt her, and she'd even slapped Demetri. She couldn't deny the satisfaction she'd taken from seeing his smug face being slapped. He deserved it after all he'd done to her.

She took a deep breath. "So, what happens to me?" she asked hesitantly, and they all turned to look at her in surprise. She had sat so quietly they had almost forgotten she was there.

Demetri pursed his lips, an unhappy expression crossing his beautiful face. "I will contact the Council and let them know you're now under my protection," he said quietly. "Which effectively means I am now responsible for you. You will live in my home, and do as I say. You will never breathe a word about vampires to anyone. If you do so, my life will be forfeit just as yours will be."

Mara's big brown eyes widened, and she stared at him in shock. "Live with you," she gasped. "You don't mean like them, do you?" she asked pointing at Caleb and Rhianna. He didn't think she was going to sleep with him, did he? The very thought of it horrified her. Forced to have sex with her kidnapper? She beat down the little voice, which reminded her of just how she'd reacted to his kisses in the woods. That had been different. She had thought he was about to kill her and wasn't thinking clearly at the time. 

Demetri's eyes narrowed at her horrified expression, and his lips curled into a cruel sneer. "Oh, don't worry, you're virtue is quite safe, Mara," he jibed cruelly. "I have ample willing bed partners. I don't need to resort to rape to get my pleasure."

He grunted loudly, when Rhianna's hand sneaked out and connected with the side of his face again. His disbelieving eyes turned to her. "Will you stop doing that, Red?" he said curtly. "It's really starting to piss me off."

"Well, you speak to Mara with more respect, and I won't have to do it again," she answered, sweetly. "Just for one moment try and put yourself in her shoes, Demetri. Take a long hard look at just what she's been through and what she's consigned to for the rest of her life and maybe you might actually feel a tiny bit of empathy for her and modify your behaviour accordingly."

She slipped from Caleb's lap and held her hand out to Mara. "Come on, Mara. You can stay here tonight and let this Neanderthal have some time to think over his actions. You'll be safe here. Caleb will protect you."

Mara couldn't help looking towards Demetri to see his reaction. In such a short period of time, she had become used to having no control over anything she did, relying on Demetri to tell her what to do and when to do it. She missed the deep frowns, which crossed both Caleb's and Rhianna's faces as they saw her do so.

Demetri rubbed his face and looked into Mara's deep brown eyes. He wasn't unaware of her dependency on him and the little redhead's words had struck home too. He softened the scowl on his face and managed a slight smile as he regarded her.

"Would you like to stay with Annie?" he asked quietly. "It's your choice, Mara. If you want to stay here, then do so, or you can come home with me. I'm happy with whatever decision you make." He forced himself not to look to see if Rhianna approved or not. She hadn't hit him again, so he figured he must be doing something right.

"I'd like to stay here," Mara answered after a long pause. She watched for any sign of displeasure on Demetri's face, but he was still smiling slightly so she allowed herself to relax.

Demetri reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet and a credit card. He pushed it across the table towards Mara. "You need some new clothes and whatever else women usually need," he said gruffly. "Just buy what you want there's no limit on the card. I'm sure Annie will have fun shopping with you."

His gesture surprised her. She hadn't stopped to think that all her possessions were now lost to her. She felt tears well up in her eyes, as she realised she had lost her precious photographs of her parents and her mum's wedding and engagement rings. She didn't care about any of the other stuff, just the few keepsakes she had left of her parents.

Demetri raised confused eyes to Rhianna, when Mara silently started weeping. His eyes beseeched her for help. He had no idea what was wrong with the woman now. He had spoken kindly to her, told her she could buy whatever she wanted. Why was she crying?

Rhianna took pity on Demetri. She could see how hard he was trying and how completely out of his depths he was. "What are you leaving behind, Mara?" she asked gently.

Mara scrubbed at her cheeks and stared down at the credit card blankly. "Little things," she whispered. "Some photographs of my parents, my mum's rings. Nothing valuable. Just reminders of my past."

Rhianna put her arms around the brunette and hugged her tightly. "I'm sorry, Mara, I really am," she said, quietly. She could feel her pain as if it was her own. She knew the pain of losing family, how important little keepsakes became. She shot Demetri a dark look even though she knew it really wasn't his fault. Mara would most likely be dead now if Demetri hadn't accepted the assignment. She might have lost her possessions, but she still had her life.

Demetri frowned as Rhianna led Mara from the kitchen. He looked at Caleb with a new kind of respect. Dealing with human women in some kind of relationship was so difficult, and yet his friend seemed to be able to deal with it so easily.

Caleb sighed, as he looked at Demetri's bewildered expression. He had intended to kick the shit out of him at the first available opportunity, but decided to be satisfied with the couple of punches he'd managed to get in and the two slaps Rhianna had given him. His true punishment was going to be learning to deal with Mara as a permanent fixture in his life.

His lips curved into a smile. "Welcome to my world, Demetri," he chuckled lightly, and then laughed harder as his friend groaned loudly and lowered his head to the kitchen table.

Demetri finally raised his head and stood up. "I need to get going, Caleb. I have a couple of things I need to do. I'll swing by tomorrow and pick Mara up."

Caleb raised an eyebrow at him, but didn't asked what he had to do. If he wanted him to know, he would have told him. "Call first," he told him. "Ask Mara if she wants to go home with you. Don't just pick her up like she's a piece of left luggage."

Demetri frowned slightly. Mara couldn't put off coming to his house. The sooner she got over her reluctance the better. He was half tempted to make her go home with him now. It somehow didn't seem right letting her out of his sight. He had made the decision to place her under his protection, therefore he should be keeping her close at hand.

"Let Annie do what you brought Mara here for her to do," Caleb said quietly when his friend frowned. "I will keep her safe, Demetri. Annie has adopted her, as she does all waifs and strays, which is what you knew she would do. Let her ease Mara into this new life she suddenly finds herself in."

He nodded reluctantly to Caleb. He knew he couldn't really take Mara home tonight, because he wasn't going home immediately anyway. Still, he couldn't help looking upstairs, as he headed to the front door. He inhaled deeply and scented Annie's light floral scent and then the overwhelming scent of rich, thick honey which was undeniably Mara. His body tightened instantly, and he forced himself to leave even though he was overcome with the desire to head up the stairs and take the brunette with him.

Rhianna showed Mara into the purple bedroom. It was the most feminine of the many bedrooms in the mansion, and she hoped the lilacs and deep aubergines would appeal to her. She watched the other woman's eyes widen, as she took in the sumptuous surroundings and plush bed linen.

"Wow," Mara breathed quietly. "This place is really amazing."

Rhianna smiled. "It's Caleb's place," she told her. "He likes to live in style, no expense spared. He has a flashy house and flashy clothes and cars. Typical spoilt rich man." Her tone was warm, as she spoke. She really didn't mind Caleb's wealth and his obvious enjoyment of it. He didn't really let it go to his head, just lived in the manner he was accustomed to.

Mara looked at her with a curious expression on her face. "How long have you and Caleb been together?" she asked.

Rhianna smiled, again. "A few months. We met at a nightclub he's part owner of with Demetri when I was going through a rough time. It was a bit bumpy at the start, and we still have our odd moments, but it's going pretty good."

"You really love him," Mara said quietly. "Doesn't it bother you that he's a vampire?"

Rhianna moved to sit down on the chaise lounge underneath the window. "Stopped my heart when I first found out," she admitted with a little laugh, "but then I figured it didn't really matter. It's not what he is that counts, but who he is. He's a very changed man from what he was like before we met. He was like Demetri before he fell in love with me."

She watched Mara closely, as she deliberately brought Demetri's name into the conversation. She started the first time his name came up, almost in terror, and then she relaxed and didn't seem as concerned the second time.

"Do you want to talk about it, Mara?" she asked gently. "About what he did to you?"

Mara frowned and sank down onto the edge of the bed. "What, about how he kidnapped me, convinced me he would kill anyone if I tried to attract their attention, and then took me to an abandoned old house and hung me naked from chains suspended in the ceiling, until I almost died?" Her voice was harsh, her bitterness thick in her tone.




The Assignment Ch. 03



Rhianna sucked in a deep breath and tried to dampen down the instant rage she felt. She had guessed it was something bad, but hearing it made her want to slap Demetri so hard. Maybe even kick him in the nuts too, the fucking asshole.

"I suppose, in his defence, he didn't really mean for things to get so carried away," Mara sighed seeing the furious scowl on Rhianna's face. "He didn't mean to leave me so long. He accidentally fell asleep. The moment he realised how cold I was he wrapped me in blankets and put me in front of the fire. He made me drink some of his blood, so I would heal."

Rhianna sighed deeply and pursed her lips thoughtfully. Maybe she'd just slap him and leave his nuts alone. He had tried to redeem himself from the sounds of things.

"He wasn't mean to me after that happened," Mara told her. "He wasn't particularly nice, but he didn't hurt me again. I was in the room when he spoke to you on the phone. You have no idea how that phone call made me feel, Annie. He seemed to mellow when he was talking to you. He didn't seem as scary anymore. It really helped me a lot."

Rhianna smiled and crossed over to sit on the bed beside her. She put a comforting arm around the other woman. "In the kitchen, when Demetri said you had to go live with him, you looked so horrified, Mara. He didn't do anything to you?"

Mara stared at her in surprise. "Oh, you mean....no he didn't touch me. Well, he did kiss me in the woods, but he didn't force himself on me in anyway," she tried to explain. "It was hearing you are technically under Caleb's protection, and I'm now under Demetri's, I just assumed he'd be expecting me to have sex with him."

"I wouldn't put it passed him to make that assumption," Rhianna remarked drolly. "He certainly likes beautiful women, and you are stunning to look at. I'm sure he wouldn't force his intentions onto you though. If you came to him willingly, he would most probably indulge himself, but he wouldn't force it."

Mara relaxed noticeably and even snorted loudly. "It will be a cold in hell before I ever go to him willingly," she said so fiercely that Rhianna burst out laughing, pleased to see some spirit in her. 

The poor woman may be a little shell shocked with everything that had happened to her, but she had a bit of fight in her and would probably give Demetri a right run for his money, once she got over the captor/captive complex she had.

"You don't find him attractive?" she asked, curiously. Demetri was bloody gorgeous, even she could see that. She was curious to find out what Mara thought on the subject.

Mara flushed scarlet, remembering the way she'd responded to him in the woods when he'd kissed her, the way liquid fire had rushed through her veins when he'd pressed his erection against her body. "The beauty only runs skin deep," she answered tartly, making the other woman laugh again.

"He's not so bad, Mara," Rhianna sighed. "Just struggling a little a moment. He's not used to dealing with emotions. He'll get there eventually. Caleb was a lot like him when we first met, and he turned out all right."

Mara gave her a really odd look, and she smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, am I coming on too strong?" she asked with a little laugh. "Caleb says I have a pathological need to fix people. Despite bitch slapping Demetri for half the night, I am really quite fond of the ass. I can't help wanting to fix him."

Mara burst out laughing. "Bitch slapping!" she laughed, "Oh fuck, I love it! I so enjoyed watching you hit him, Annie. I confess I wanted to bitch slap him myself!" She fell back on the bed laughing so hard she started crying, as she clutched her stomach as it began to hurt.

Rhianna smiled, relieved to see Mara could still find some humour in the situation. She would be so perfect for Demetri, just the right combination of fire and vulnerability. 

Mara finally stopped laughing and scrubbed at her wet cheeks sitting back up and regarding Rhianna intently for a very long moment. "You're expecting something to happen between us, aren't you?" she asked, quietly.

"Something already is, Mara," her new friend answered with a knowing smile. "Demetri Bozic has just selflessly put his life on the line to keep you alive. It is probably the first selfless thing he's ever done in his very long life too. You may need him to keep you safe, Mara, but he needs you just as badly. He's not your captor anymore. What he is to you is what you allow him to be."

Mara stared at her thoughtfully, and then smiled sadly. "I wish I had it in me to be as forgiving as you are, Annie," she said, quietly.

"It'll come in time," Rhianna smiled. "Until then, let's liberate the stupid ass of some of his money. How much should we spend? Fifty thousand? A hundred thousand?"

Mara burst out laughing again at the wicked glint in the little redhead's eyes, as she brandished Demetri's credit card in the air. "You are such a fraud, Annie," she chuckled, loudly. "You had me convinced you were so sweet and innocent when really you're quite evil at times."

"When it's called for," Rhianna laughed.

___

Demetri sighed tiredly and ran a weary hand through his long black hair. He'd barely slept the night before after leaving Mara at Caleb's mansion. He'd had so much to get done in preparation for bringing her home, and then there was his other little task he'd had to perform too. There had just been so much to do in so little time.

It was late now the following night, and he knew he was running out of time to go and collect Mara. If he left it any later, she'd be as well spending another night under Caleb's roof. A frown instantly marred his beautiful face at the thought. He had told the Council she was under his protection, therefore her place was in his home not his friend's.

He was about to jump into his Jeep and head over to get her when Caleb's words came back to him. Sighing again, he pulled out his cell phone and hit the speed dial for Caleb.

"You're cutting it fine," Caleb said, drolly. "I thought for a moment you were going to leave Mara with us another night."

"I had things to do," Demetri sighed. "Is she there? Can I talk to her?"

A moment later, Mara came on the phone. "Demetri," she said, quite coolly, and he felt a little shiver of pleasure run down his spine at the sound of her voice.

"Mara," he replied keeping his tone carefully neutral. "I know it's quite late, but I was wondering if you would like me to come over and pick you up." He heard her sharp intake of breath.

"You're asking me?" she finally said, surprised.

"Yes, I am asking you," he sighed deeply. "If you wish to stay another night, that's fine with me, or I can come over and get you now. Whichever is most convenient for you." He didn't know he was actually holding his breath until he slowly let it out when she next spoke.

"I suppose there's no point putting off the inevitable," she answered, slowly, "You can come and get me, Demetri."

He terminated the call and jumped into the Jeep. He felt oddly anxious to see her again. It had been strange not having her around today and last night. He put it down to the fact he had been so focused on her over the last few days. He had spent a couple of days learning everything he could about her before he finally approached her, and he had subsequently spent the last twenty four hours preparing for her to move into his home. Like it or not, Mara Fitzgerald was now a part of his life permanently.

It didn't take him long to reach Caleb's mansion. They didn't stay that far apart. He practically bounded up the steps and into the house turning automatically towards the kitchen, when he heard voices there. His cool green gaze slid instantly to Mara as he entered, and he quirked an eyebrow in surprise.

She was laughing at something Rhianna had just said, and her beautiful face was practically radiant. Her brown eyes twinkled merrily and her lips were curved with obvious pleasure. For a brief moment, he forgot to breathe, and then her head turned and she saw him and the joy died out of her eyes to be replaced by wariness and distrust.

Demetri frowned darkly when her expression changed. He didn't like the way she was looking at him. It was really irritating him, and he opened his mouth to say so, and then closed it quickly when he heard Rhianna clear her throat delicately.

He turned to the little redhead and smiled slowly and put his hands up in mock surrender. "You going to slap me about tonight, Red? he asked cheekily and was rewarded by a warm smile.

"I think I can manage to contain myself," Rhianna laughed, as she stood up and crossed to give him an unexpected hug. 

He froze dumbfounded for a second and then tentatively embraced her tiny body shooting Caleb a quick glance just to make sure he didn't have a problem with it. His friend merely smiled fondly at his woman and rolled his eyes. 

Demetri looked down at the little redhead and smiled slowly. She was so tiny and affectionate and he felt a deep warmth spread through him as he bent impulsively and kissed the top of her head. "Maybe I should leave Mara here and take you home instead," he teased lightly, and she slapped him on the chest, as Caleb snorted irritably.

Rhianna stepped out of his embrace and laughed. "Didn't we have this conversation once before?" she asked impishly, and he threw back his head and laughed.

"Yeah, when you did your Martha Stewart impersonation at the club," he chuckled. "Put me right in my place that night and almost earned me a beating at Caleb's hands into the bargain. You've been nothing but trouble, since the very first moment you walked into my club, Red, but if I could turn back time and change things I'd let them play out just the way they did." 

Rhianna practically beamed at him, her beautiful face awash with pleasure. "Oh, you old charmer you." she said, coquettishly, which brought a low rumble from Caleb who had decided enough was enough.

He stood up and all but snatched the little redhead into his arms and dumped her rather unceremoniously onto the nearest kitchen counter and proceeded to kiss her to within an inch of her life. He stepped back and smiled his satisfaction at the slightly glazed look in her eyes and her lips swollen from his kiss. "Mine," he said smugly, and his woman laughed softly.

"Neanderthal," she giggled, wrapping her arms around his waist and leaning her head on his chest.

Demetri smiled, as he watched them so obviously in love. What had once completely nauseated him now filled him with a little yearning. He sighed and turned his gaze back to Mara. She was still watching him, but her gaze didn't appear to be as unfriendly as it had been when he first arrived. He offered her a tentative smile.

"Are you ready, Mara?" he asked her gently, and she nodded before rising from the table.

He waited, while she quickly thanked Caleb and Rhianna for allowing her to stay and then followed him from the house. He opened the door for her to get in the car, and then climbed in himself.

"We don't stay far," he told her, quietly. "I have a few cars. You can choose whichever one you want. I'm sure Annie won't mind if you want to pop over and visit."

His consideration was unexpected, and Mara shot him a quick look before she stared out the side window. "Thanks," she muttered, grudgingly. The damned vampire was confusing her again. His interaction with his friends turned him into such a warm, caring person. She found it hard to reconcile that person with the man who had entered her home only two nights ago and quite literally destroyed the life she had been living quite happily.

True to his word, Demetri was pulling up outside a huge mansion type house in under ten minutes. Mara stared at the imposing building. It was just as large, as Caleb's only it wasn't painted. The outside was made up of dark bricks.

"Home," Demetri said, watching her face intently as her gaze roamed over the outside of the building. She didn't comment, so he climbed out the Jeep and walked around to get her door. She sat inside the car for another long moment, and then, she finally stepped out.

"You don't like it?" he asked with a slight frown. 

Her big brown eyes snapped to his, and she blinked slowly. "Does it really matter one way or another if I don't?" she asked quietly, before she looked away from him.

Demetri's frown deepened, as he looked down at her bent head. She was right. It didn't really matter. It would have been nicer if she did like it, but ultimately she didn't have a choice in where she lived anymore. He stood regarding her for a few seconds longer, and then he turned and headed towards the house leaving her to trail behind him.

Mara sensed he wasn't happy with her response to his home. Good! She had no intention of doing or saying anything which would make him happy. Her time spent with Rhianna and Caleb had settled a lot of her fear. Now she just felt so incredibly angry. She might have to live in his house, but she wasn't going to pretend she was happy to be there just to assuage whatever little smidgeon of remorse he might be feeling.

The house was beautiful. It wasn't as light and airy as Caleb's, but it had it's own unique charm about it. It was very Victorian looking in style and décor with lots of red and gold hues. Mara hated that fact she actually liked the stupid house though she kept her expression carefully neutral.

Demetri stifled down a deep sigh, as her beautiful face set in a stubborn expression as he gave her a quick tour of the downstairs area. He had no idea if she liked the house or not, and she seemed intent on keeping him guessing. Living with Mara was not going to be easy. 

He ended the tour in the kitchen. He supposed she would spend a lot of time in this room, because she would need to eat. Unlike Caleb, he suddenly wasn't about to turn into a gourmet chef on her behalf. If she wanted to eat, then she could damn well fix her own food.

"I stocked the refrigerator and got in some dry foods, too," he told quietly. "I didn't know what you like. You can throw out what you don't want and shop for new stuff."

She nodded, but didn't speak, and he felt his irritation start to escalate. He was really trying hard to think of her needs. She could at least show a little appreciation for all his efforts.

"Where am I to sleep?" she suddenly asked.

He couldn't help himself. His lips automatically curled into a cruel smile, and he opened up his mouth and then he stopped, already anticipating the slap Rhianna would most likely give him, if he said what he was about to say. His breath hissed out in irritation, and he turned from the kitchen.

"This way," he bit out curtly, turning to the wooden staircase and heading up to the first floor. He took the steps three at a time and had to wait for her to join him on the landing. He pointed to the door at the end of the short corridor to the left.

"That's the west wing of the house," he said a bit less harshly. "That's the connecting door. It locks and seals off from the rest of the house and has it's own entrance too. There are a few rooms to it. The only room it doesn't have is a kitchen. It's yours."

Mara looked at the door, and then looked at Demetri. His expression was guarded, his cool green eyes remote as he stared down at her. "Where do you sleep?" she asked suspiciously, not trusting him to leave her to have her own private space.

"The next floor up," he answered coolly. "I won't intrude on your private space, Mara, and I don't expect you to intrude on mine." He figured he may as well lay out the ground rules, so they both knew where they stood. She nodded her agreement and headed towards her rooms.

"I'll say goodnight then," she said, before she went through the door and locked it behind her.

Demetri stood on the landing, as she disappeared from his view. He was frowning and suddenly felt extremely weary. Having Mara here was going to take a lot of getting used to. He sighed deeply and headed up to his own rooms.

Mara checked out each room quickly. They were tastefully done in the same Victorian style as the rest of the house. There was a library and a sitting room and three bedrooms, each with adjoining bathrooms. In the largest of the bedrooms, there was a gift bag sitting on the middle of the sumptuous red and cream bedding. 

She frowned, as she looked at it. Did the arrogant ass think he could buy her with gifts? She flew across the room to the bed, her pent up anger suddenly erupting, as she grabbed the gift bag ready to toss it across the room in fury. Something inside tinkled lightly, and she hesitated. With trembling hands she turned the bag over and emptied the contents onto the middle of the bed.

A sharp cry clawed it's way up from the very depths of her soul, as she looked down at the photographs of her parents and the shiny gold rings and other pieces of personal jewellery.

Slow tears began to roll down her face, as she picked up her treasured possessions and stared at them through her tears. Demetri had gone back for her things. The arrogant ass had actually done something nice for her. She lay down on the bed, confusion and anger warring inside her. She wanted to hate him so much, and he had to go and do something so bloody nice!

___

Caleb locked the front door after Demetri left, sliding the bolt home at the top, which was something he didn't normally do. Rhianna watched him with a quizzical expression on her face.

"Just in case he decides to come back for some reason," he smiled at her before he headed into the library and came back bearing a flat, white cardboard box in his hand. "I bought you a gift," he told her, holding the box out.

She took it slowly, looking at the very exclusive designer name on the top and her quizzical expression deepened, as she looked at him for some explanation.

His beautiful face was very serious, an unknown emotion lurking in his golden brown eyes. "Will you wear it for me, Rhianna?" he asked very formally. "I'll be waiting for you in the sitting room."

Rhianna opened her mouth to ask what was going on, but he silenced her by brushing his finger gently across her lips and turning to shoo her upstairs to change. Puzzled, she went in the direction he wanted her to go.

The box contained the most beautiful deep aubergine shift made of lace and satin. She pulled the lovely garment from the tissue paper it was laying on and held it up to look at it.

She smiled, as she looked at the delicate fabric. This was the first time Caleb had bought her any lingerie. She stripped quickly and slid the delicate material on, pausing to admire her reflection in the mirror. The satin hem came to just above her knees and the bodice was mostly satin with just enough lace to tease with a hint of nipples on display. Caleb must be exploring his romantic side tonight.

She skipped back downstairs and halted in the doorway of the sitting room, blinking in surprise when she saw the room lit by candles of all shapes and sizes dotted around the room. The fire was lit and burning brightly, and Caleb was kneeling on the thick brown rug before the fire staring into the flames. He had changed too and wore a black, silk robe.

His head swivelled round when she appeared, his golden brown hair flowing around his shoulders, and his amber eyes blazing as they slowly moved over her slender frame. Her breath caught in her throat at the heated look in his eyes, as they slowly travelled over her before moving back to her face. He smiled and held out his hand to her, and she walked slowly towards him.

Caleb watched Rhianna approach, and his heart soared as he took in her perfection. She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen, and she belonged to him and no one else. He knew the beautiful garment would add to her perfection, and it did. She was truly stunning.




The Assignment Ch. 03



He pulled her down to the rug and turned her until she was facing away from him, but not before he once more gently brushed a finger over her lips letting her know he wished her to remain silent. His hands slowly stroked through her beautiful red curls lightly, and then he produced a brush from the floor beside him, and he gently began to run it through her hair.

Rhianna sighed her pleasure, as Caleb stroked the brush through her hair, slowly and methodically. His touch sent shivers down her spine, his silence slightly disconcerting, but strangely erotic. She had seen him in many moods, but not this quiet, almost introspective one. She couldn't stop the soft moan that bubbled out her throat when his fingers replaced the brush again, and he leaned forward and scented the side of her throat.

A sudden thought came to her, as his breath whispered over the side of her neck. Caleb hadn't fed from her in days, not since Demetri had left. She knew he didn't need to feed often, that he only sipped recreationally from her, but she was still surprised to realise so much time had passed since he'd last done so. She stayed completely still, as his lips gently brushed the side of her neck before feathering lightly across her collarbone before he placed a gentle kiss on her shoulder, and then turned her until she was facing him.

He silently traced her brow with a finger, as his golden, brown eyes memorised every single perfect feature. His light touch moved to her delicate cheek bones and down to her jaw line. He finally stopped his slow exploration when he came to her throat, his thumbs rhythmically stroking the sides of her neck.

"You are perfection, my Annie," he finally breathed softly, his eyes glowing with adoration, as he felt her pulse start to race beneath his fingers, and she let out another of her erotic little moans which so stirred his desire for her. "I've so missed tasting you, my love. It's been sheer hell staying away from your sweetness."

"Caleb?" she asked quizzically, completely at a loss to what was making him act the way he was. She had never denied him anything, so why was he talking about how hard it was to stay away from her?

He smiled slowly and leaned forward to brush her lips with a fleeting kiss which was gone before she'd even registered the contact. "I had to abstain so I could give you what you want," he whispered against the corner of her mouth. "You do still want this, Annie?"

He raised his head and his eyes bored intently into hers, as she realised what he was asking. Her heart skipped a beat and her eyes widened, as she smiled tremulously at him. She reached up to brush his golden brown hair back from his face so she could rest her hands against his cheeks. Her lavender eyes met his unflinchingly.

"There is nothing I want more, Caleb," she answered softly. "I love you, and I want to be with you for eternity. I haven't changed my mind."

His answering smile made her heart thump loudly in her chest. She read intense longing and deep satisfaction in his golden brown eyes. Whatever reservations he had had about turning her had melted away completely. All that was left was his deep need to have her by his side forever. 

Rhianna smiled back at him and her eyes quickly looked around the room again, and she was taken back to the first night she had met him, when she had come home to his house, and he had made love to her on this very rug, before the open fire. It felt as if she was finally coming full circle, and she knew it felt the same to him otherwise he wouldn't have chosen the same setting for this.

"Will it be scary, Caleb?" she asked quietly, and he pulled her closer, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her astride him as he held her close.

"No, love," he sighed into the side of her neck. "I will make it beautiful for you."

She could feel his excitement in his tense muscles, feel his hardness pressing against the heat of her body.

Caleb opened his robe and pressed her satin covered body against his chest, luxuriating in the feel of the delicate material rubbing against his skin. Her sweet scent of lavender and jasmine drifted over him, as his hands slid slowly down her side and bunched her clothing up until her wet pussy was brushing his aching length. He groaned when they touched and slowly coated himself with her wetness, as she moaned and pressed against him.

He secured her shift around her waist with one strong arm and pressed against her breast lightly until her upper body bowed backwards, and her glorious curls tumbled to the floor. This position gave him an unobstructed view of her beautiful cunt, as he eased the head of his cock to her entrance and slowly pushed inwards.

He entered her slowly and carefully, groaning at the wonderful feel of her tight body sheathing him inch by inch. He could never get enough of watching his cock slide deep inside of her. His thickness stretched her and made her cry out with pleasure, as he rocked his hips up to impale her further onto his cock.

His need to be fully seated inside her beautiful body rose swiftly, and he thrust up hard, sinking completely into her and beginning to move instantly. He took her with long, hard strokes, his eyes riveted to her body, as he pulled her onto his cock with each upward movement. She was so wet and hot around his aching cock, and she was making her sexy little moans, the ones which always drove him wild with need.

Caleb pulled her back to him, so he could devour her sweet lips as he drove hard into her tiny body. His tongue thrust into her mouth to ravish hers as he rode her hard, feeling her body flutter wildly around his as she cried out and came hard on his cock. He gave her no reprieve, no time to recover from her first blinding orgasm. He continued to fuck into her with long, grinding strokes, rekindling her fire instantly until she was wrapping her arms tightly around his neck and moving wildly against him. She chanted his name hoarsely, as she met his strokes with a need as wild as his, taking him just as surely as he was taking her.

He could feel his own release approaching, he could feel the tension mounting in her beautiful body once more, and he fisted his hands in her curls and bared her neck to his mouth. He growled deeply, his eyes flashing hungrily, as he licked at her throbbing pulse, his fangs elongating as he began to slam harder into her body.

She screamed and shattered in his arms again, and he roared loudly, his hot cum spewing from his body, as he sank his fangs into the side of her neck and pierced her artery. Her whimper of pain choked off, as he released his soothing toxin swiftly and began to pull deeply at her neck.

Her sweet blood heightened the pleasure of his orgasm, and he fucked into her furiously, as he bathed her insides with his hot, sticky seed and drank greedily from her neck. He could feel her body shuddering wildly again, as the combination of him cumming and feeding sent her crashing over into a third orgasm so intense her cries were almost one long wail of sweet bliss.

Caleb feasted hard, his body no longer rocking into hers though she remained impaled on his cock. He swallowed deeply and sucked harder, her sweet blood sliding down his throat and making his head swim with ecstasy. He cradled his beautiful woman tightly against his body, as he listened to her heart stutter slightly and her arms dropped weakly from his neck as he pulled once more against her neck and drank down her blood.

Her heart beat so weakly now, her breath sounded so shallow and strained, and he felt a sudden deep fear and forced his mouth away from her neck. He tenderly touched her face, stroking her pale skin with such reverence. She had never looked more fragile than she did at that moment.

He quickly sliced a deep wound in his neck and cradled her head against him, rubbing her mouth over his wound. "Drink, Annie," he whispered, anxiously.

He waited with baited breath until her mouth began to move weakly against his skin, and then slowly her lips increased in pressure until she was sucking at him more firmly. The sweet pull of her mouth against his neck lit the spark of his lust again, and he moved inside her gently, groaning when he felt the sharp pin prick as her teeth pierce his skin to re-open his wound, which had started to heal naturally.

Rhianna moaned, as Caleb's thick, rich blood flowed into her mouth as he began to stroke his cock deep inside her once more. She moved with him, grinding hard against his cock, as she drank deeply at the wonderful tasting fluid from his body. She had never felt so alive, so connected to him.

The terrible weakness she had felt only moments earlier quickly faded, as Caleb's blood flowed down her throat, lending her his strength as her heart began to kick up a fierce beat. She could feel his blood moving through her, pumping slowly through her veins and setting her entire body on fire.

Everywhere his life essence flowed within her suddenly felt stronger, more resilient. She could hear Caleb's heart beating so loudly, she could hear his breath rasping from his throat, she could hear an owl somewhere in the distance calling into the night. And she could feel him sliding so deeply inside her, the friction from his body sending waves of ecstasy through her. 

She whimpered her displeasure when he gently coaxed her mouth away from his neck, and then sighed softly when his lips met hers as they rocked together in perfect harmony. He pressed her back against the thick rug and took her slow and hard, growling his pleasure as he was finally able to love her the way he'd always wanted to.

He could feel the strength in her body, her vampiric abilities taking hold, negating the need for him to be restrained with his lovemaking. Her grip tightened on him, and she bucked up hard against him, demanding more of his cock inside her, her nails scoring wildly down his back as he increased his thrusts, slamming into her with long deep groans.

Rhianna was in heaven. Every single sensation she experienced was so much more intense than it had ever been. Caleb's passion consumed her and burned her up inside, and she was desperate for more. She laughed throatily when he pulled out of her and hauled her back up, bending her over the arm of the sofa and sliding back inside her with one long hard thrust. She pressed backward, sliding her pussy onto his cock, as he thrust hard and fast, drawing deep, guttural cries from them both.

He took her mercilessly, and she revelled in it. Her lust was at fever pitch and the only thing she craved was more of the same. She could feel her orgasm approaching, she could feel the tension coiling in her stomach, and she thrust back wildly begging him for more, begging him to make her cum.

Caleb felt her shatter, as she cried out her pleasure and his cock thickened instantly, and he was once more bathing her beautiful body with his seed, his own cries echoing hers as they ground harshly against each other. 

Heart thumping wildly, he slid from her body and fell onto the sofa, pulling his woman down beside him and holding her close, as they breathed raggedly as they sought to recover from their pleasure.

Rhianna opened her eyes and looked down at Caleb. He had always been beautiful, but he looked even more beautiful now. Everything did, she realised as she looked around the room.

"Annie?" he said softly and her gaze swung back to his, and she smiled her beautiful smile at him, her lavender eyes glowing with happiness.

"I feel so different," she whispered. "But in a good way. The world looks so much more beautiful, Caleb. You look so much more beautiful."

He laughed softly and stroked her cheek gently. "As do you, my love," he answered. "Your curls are so much more vibrant, and your lavender eyes are so much more alive. You take my breath away, Annie."

They kissed tenderly, tongues touching briefly, as they slowly rubbed their lips together.

"What do we do for food now?" Rhianna suddenly asked with a slight frown on her face. 

Caleb's laughter deepened, and he gave her a hard kiss. "We're on bottled food from now on," he told her. "Though we can still taste each other when we make love. But to properly feed we will need human blood, and it will need to be of the cold variety, because I sure as hell will not be allowing you to feed from a live source, and I assume you will not be wanting me to do so either."

"As if!" she said, indignantly slapping him on the chest. He let out a tortured breath and gripped her wrist hard.

"Best not to do that, love," he said firmly. "You're not a weak little human anymore."

She blinked at him in surprise for a moment, and then flushed when she realised she had actually hurt him. Getting used to monitoring her strength was going to take a bit of getting used to. "Sorry, Caleb," she said, contritely. "Guess I've got a lot to learn about how to be a vampire."

He smiled and pulled her down until her head was buried in the side of his neck. "It's okay, sweet one. I will teach you all you need to know."

Rhianna sighed contentedly, cuddling into his hard body, slowly running her foot up and down his leg. "You were right, Caleb," she sighed, softly. "You did make it beautiful."

He smiled and cradled her against him, his lips brushing her hair. "I love you, Annie," he whispered, softly.

"I love you too, Caleb," she whispered back.

To be continued...



The Assignment Ch. 04



Okay, chapter 4 has arrived. Sorry for the slight delay and the lack of proper editing in this chapter. I've submitted it with no editing so please excuse any little errors.

* 

Demetri was so tired it was starting to really piss him off. He'd spent the night tossing and turning wondering if Mara had found her precious trinkets, wondering how she had reacted to finding them waiting for her. Had she smiled or did they make her feel sad? Was he right to go back to her apartment and retrieve them?

He felt anxious not knowing and he hated the feeling. He hated all the stupid emotions which were currently driving him insane. He felt guilt for ruining her life. Remorse for what had happened in the woods. There was nothing he could do to change any of it though. All he could do was try and make her stay in his home as comfortable as possible.

He finally gave up trying to sleep and got up and had a shower. He scrubbed at his skin angrily as he stood under the hot spray. He didn't want to care about whether she was happy or sad. He didn't want to care that she looked at him like he was the monster he really was. He didn't want to care, but he did.

Sighing deeply he dried himself off and grabbed the first pair of jeans he laid his hands on. He dressed quickly, pulling on a white denim shirt and dried his hair before he headed downstairs.

He was surprised to see Mara already awake and sitting in the kitchen eating a bowl of cereal. He paused in the doorway watching her quietly as she ate. He could smell the clean scent coming from her skin and knew she had showered though her hair was dry and quite tangled. She probably didn't have a brush.

"Did you order the things you needed?" he asked quietly as he stepped into the kitchen. She started at the sound of his voice and then slowly relaxed.

"They're being delivered today," she answered carefully. Her hand went to her hair and she tried to smooth it with her fingers. "I'm glad I remembered to buy a brush."

It was the first non solicited response from her and he smiled slightly as he headed to one of the kitchen drawers and magically produced a comb. "Don't know if it will be much good but it may suffice until your delivery arrives." He set the comb on the dining table and retreated towards his coffee machine. It was no way near as fancy as Caleb's but it suited his needs. 

He quickly made himself a coffee and poured one for Mara adding one sugar and a spot of milk. It was how she had taken her coffee in the woods so he figured it would be to her liking. He deposited the cup beside the comb and then headed away from her again, leaning against one of the kitchen counters as he sipped his own coffee and watched her intently.

Mara swallowed hard and kept her gaze averted from him. She felt a lump in her throat and she swallowed again. "Thank you," she whispered quietly and wanted the ground to open up and swallow her when her voice broke and a tear slid down her cheek.

Cool green eyes tracked the lone tear which fell down her face and Demetri frowned. "It's just a comb and a cup of coffee, Mara. Hardly something to weep about." His tone was a tad harsher than he meant it to be because of his confusion at her response.

Big brown eyes connected with his and he sucked in a deep breath as he took in the emotion in them.

"That wasn't what I was thanking you for," she said quietly and he knew in that moment that he'd made the right decision to go and get her trinkets.

He watched her for a long moment and then walked slowly over to the table and sat down beside her. He stared into his coffee cup and tried to get his thoughts in order. Everything he wanted to say just didn't sound right in his head.

"Fuck it, Mara," he suddenly growled angrily. "We're both stuck in a situation neither of us particularly wants to be in. I've been a complete utter bastard to you and I'm sorry about it but there's nothing I can do to change it. We can either spend the rest of your life taking pot shots at each other and making ourselves miserable or we can try and find a way to live together in a civilised manner. I know which option I'd prefer. The question is which one do you?"

His eyes bored deeply into hers as he waited for her to respond. He had spoken a lot more roughly than he'd wanted to and she appeared to be slightly startled at his aggressiveness, but he'd essentially said what needed to be said. It was up to her now.

Mara stared into his beautiful face digesting his words. She couldn't quite make out his expression. His normally cold green eyes were flashing with something she didn't understand and there was a tiny muscle jumping at the side of his clenched jaw. His gaze seemed to be boring right into her very soul and she felt as if she was being sucked under water as she stared helplessly at him.

The longer he stared at her the harder it got for her to breathe. The silence in the room was suddenly palpable and she felt a rush of heat course through her as her eyes slipped unconsciously to his lips which were drawn together in a tight line. He was too close. His body heat was radiating out towards her and she was suddenly fighting the need to lean closer to him. Dear God, she wanted him! A startled whimper escaped her and she watched his eyes narrow sharply. 

The sudden onset of her arousal startled him. His nostrils flared as the sweet scent of honey assaulted him first and then the wonderful musky scent of her juices kicked in and he growled loudly as he reacted instinctively. His hands reached for her, dragging her from her chair and into his lap, his head descending as he lips sought hers hungrily.

It was like being back in the woods. The moment her lips touched his the blood rushed to his head and his body hardened and he was thrusting his tongue deeply into her mouth searching blindly for hers. A deep crippling need washed through him as he plundered her soft lips, his hands pressing her tighter against him.

Never had a woman tasted so good, so completely intoxicating. Her touch set him on fire and he ached for her to consume him. She was kissing him back with the same level of want, and her lust for him sent shivers of pleasure down his spine and into his groin. He had to have her. He had to know what it was like to slide between her legs and sheath himself in her hot body. Even if it was just the once and she never let him near her again he had to know what it would be like to lie with her.

He literally ripped his mouth from hers, his breathing harsh and ragged, his eyes flashing as he stared into her beautiful face. "Mara," he breathed softly waiting for her to open her eyes and look at him. He saw the confusion in her eyes when she looked up at him. He could see it on her beautiful, expressive face and it made him groan deeply and he did the hardest thing he could ever remember having to do.

He closed his eyes and took a deep shuddering breath before opening them again. "I want you, Mara," he said raggedly. "I want you more than I've ever wanted a woman before. You set my body on fire with just the slightest touch and I ache to be inside you, to know what it feels like to make love to you. I'm not going to take you though. I won't take advantage of you like that. If you want to come to me I will welcome you gladly into my bed but I won't ask it of you."

Mara stared up at him hearing his words through the haze of passion which was still running through her confused mind. She had kissed him again, wanted him as she'd wanted no other man before. She was sitting in his lap with the proof of his own desire pressing against her backside and he was telling her he wouldn't take her unless she came to him. 

How could she want him after everything that had happened? Why did the warmth in his green eyes take her breath away? Why did she wish he would stop being so bloody noble and just take her anyway? 

She knew the answer to the last question. She wanted him to take her so she could satisfy her deep need for him and hold him the one responsible for it because she didn't want to admit she was lusting after him. She closed her eyes and swallowed down the deep shame she felt inside.

"Your need for me makes you feel ashamed, doesn't it?" Demetri asked quietly. He saw her face flush with colour and he knew he'd guessed correctly. He stifled down another deep groan and lowered his forehead to rest against hers. "I'm sorry, Mara," he whispered. "I promise I won't put you in this position again." He slid her gently from his lap and stood up and strode quickly from the kitchen, leaving her staring after him with a confused expression on her face.

Mara kept to her rooms for the rest of the day only venturing out to eat. Demetri was absent each time so she basically had the house to herself. Her purchases arrived and she spent a large portion of the day filling her bedroom closets and washing her hair and drying it. After dinner she sat in her library and read for a while before she decided to have an early night.

Demetri was up before her the following morning. He was in the kitchen drinking a cup of coffee when she arrived in the doorway. He smiled rather absently at her as she headed over to the coffee machine to make herself a coffee.

Her brown eyes roamed over him slowly as he sat with his back to her. He was dressed in a black Armani suit with a deep green silk shirt and black tie. His long black hair was tied back with a leather thong and she couldn't help drawing in a deep breath at how gorgeous he looked.

"I need to go into the office," he said conversationally, as if yesterday morning hadn't happened. "I don't know if you want to come in with me or perhaps you have other plans? I own a few businesses with Caleb. I remembered reading you had a business degree and wondered if maybe you wanted to do some kind of work? You don't strike me as the type of woman who would be content sitting around all day doing nothing."

His offer surprised her. He was constantly surprising her at the moment and it was only adding to her confused feelings towards him. She stared at his back for a moment and then walked over to the table and sat down with her coffee.

"What kind of businesses do you own?" she asked.

"A few technology companies and the nightclub," he answered with a slight smile tugging at his lips. "Caleb and I rotate the days we spend at each company and I do the day to day running of the nightclub. It's not really Caleb's thing."

"Sounds like you spend a lot of time at work," she commented neutrally.

Demetri laughed softly. "You could say that. Caleb tries to take more to do with the office part of things because I have the club to contend with too. I probably should get around to hiring someone to manage the place but it's hard to find someone to trust when it comes to nightclubs. Pick the wrong person and before you know it your place is being raided because of drugs or underage girls."

Mara sipped at her coffee for a moment and then turned to look at him. "I don't know anything about nightclubs but I know the theory behind running a business. Maybe I could help you out at the club? You'd need to train me but I'm a quick learner. I'm sure I'd pick it up quickly enough." She watched him stare thoughtfully at her for a long moment and then a real smile crossed his beautiful face and his glacial eyes warmed ever so slightly. 

"That would be a great help to me," he answered quietly. "The bar manager doesn't usually get in until lunchtime. I can swing by and pick you up or give you the address and you can meet me there?"

"I'll meet you there," Mara decided. It would be easy to let Demetri ferry her around but as Rhianna had pointed out to her, she wasn't his captive anymore. She could make her own choices, all bar one that was. She couldn't go home.

Demetri rose from the table putting his coffee cup in the sink. "The cars are in the garage and the keys are in the top drawer by the door," he said writing down the club's address for her. "I've already added you onto all the insurance policies so it doesn't matter which one you take. There's also cash in the top drawer in case you need to buy anything. I've ordered a second credit card in your name but it will take a week or so to be delivered. We can discuss your salary etc when we meet at lunchtime. I'm assuming you won't want to be spending money you haven't earned yourself for too long?"

The last was posed as a question and she nodded her agreement. She was okay with him paying her a salary because she would have earned it. She wasn't okay with being some kind of kept woman though. She would just have to swallow her pride until the necessary financial setups could be set in place.

Demetri gave her one last lingering look before he said goodbye and headed out of the house. He let out a deep breath the moment he was out of her sight. That had been so hard to do, pretending that her scent wasn't teasing him unbearably and that he didn't want to drag her up against him and kiss her senseless. She was under his skin and battering hard at his defences and he knew he was fighting a losing battle. He was starting to care about Mara Fitzgerald and it would be a cold day in hell before she ever returned his feelings. Payback definitely was a bitch.

Mara entered Karpathia's a little after midday and was greeted by a short, stocky man who was changing optics in the bar area. "Hi, you must be Mara," Bill Pike smiled. "I'm Bill, the bar manager. Demetri is in the office through the door marked private." 

"Thanks, Bill," she answered with a smile. "Nice to meet you." He gave her a wave of his hand as she headed towards the door he'd pointed towards.

Demetri was just finishing a phone call when she entered the office. She looked around the room as she waited for him to get off the phone. It was modern, with a couple of filing cabinets along one wall, a large sofa with a coffee table and the desk Demetri was sitting behind. There were a couple of comfortable looking leather chairs placed in front of the desk but she didn't sit down. 

When she realised Demetri was no longer speaking she turned back to him and saw him staring off into space with a stunned expression on his face. "Something wrong?" she found herself asking.

Demetri's eyes flickered to hers and he just looked at her for a moment before he shook his head as if trying to clear it. "It's probably best if you don't go over to Annie's for a week or so," he finally said.

His careful tone made her frown. "Is something wrong with Annie?"

"Not wrong," he sighed pinching the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. To say he was floored by what Caleb had just told him was an understatement. He hadn't even seen it coming. "Caleb sired Annie last night after we left," he explained.

Mara's confusion grew. "Sired? What exactly does that mean, Demetri?" The way he said it obviously made sense to him but none to her.

"He turned her, Mara," he answered. "She's a vampire now."

Mara's mouth dropped open in shock and her brown eyes widened as she sank down onto the sofa which was the closest to her. "Oh my God!" she gasped loudly. "Why?"

Demetri stared at her with a slightly amused expression crossing his face now his initial shock was starting to recede. "Knowing Annie, she probably nagged him into it," he chuckled lightly. "She's one determined lady when she wants something and Caleb would do anything for her." 

He leaned back in his chair and shook his head. "Two thousand years and he's never once sired another vampire and then along comes Annie and he's suddenly breaking his oath never to turn another person to this life." His tone was rueful but with a hint of fondness. He really should have seen this coming, especially after his conversation with the little redhead before he accepted his assignment from the Council. 

Mara was watching him intently. She suddenly felt all alone again. Rhianna had been her one link to normality and now she was a vampire too. "So, why can't I visit with Annie?" she finally asked in a small voice. "Will she be dangerous to me or something?"

Demetri snorted and rolled his eyes. "You've watched too many bad horror movies," he said drolly. "Of course she won't be dangerous to you. Your blood is safe, Mara. She hasn't suddenly turned into a mindless savage who wants to drain you dry. She just needs to learn how to moderate her new strength and well....her sexual appetites will have become more heightened so she'll appreciate the alone time with Caleb while she works the initial euphoria out of her system."

Mara blushed furiously and dropped her eyes from his. His tone had turned from derisive to mocking and she wanted the ground to open up and swallow her. He was enjoying making her look like a fool. It wasn't her fault she knew nothing about the world she was currently in anymore.

Demetri felt a twinge of remorse as he looked at Mara's bent head. He had liked digging at her, showing her just how little she knew about his world, and now he felt bad about doing so. The woman before him made him want to lash out in irritation even as she made his body ache with need. She'd been on his mind all morning. He'd even arrived at the club early just in case she was there already. He didn't like what she was doing to him.

Her head raised and her expression was carefully guarded, her brown eyes remote. "So, you were going to start explaining how the club is run?" she asked quietly.

His glacial eyes locked with hers and he felt his body stir with life. She was so beautiful, sitting there with her head tilted defiantly at him, almost daring him to try and get through her thick animosity towards him. "I'll have Bill sit with you," he answered smoothly. "Because Caleb has sired Annie, I'm needed at the other businesses while he teaches her. Bill can give you the basics and I'll answer any queries you have when I get home from work. Oh, and Mara, no one at the club knows anything about the world you now live in. So, hold your pretty tongue so I don't have to clean up any mess you make."

He rose from behind the desk abruptly and she rose too. He was tempted to taste her mouth again, to see if she would respond as she had the other two times he had kissed her, but her body language quite literally screamed at him to stay away from her. 

"I'll send Bill down and see you at the house tonight," he said curtly before he strode from the room before he could change his mind and just take her and to hell with the consequences.

___

Mara managed to successfully avoid Demetri for the next three days. She spent most of her days at Karpathia's learning with Bill and was safely ensconced in her rooms before he got home from work. In a rare moment when she wasn't wishing she could whack the beautiful vampire in the face with a baseball bat, she actually smiled and wondered just who was really avoiding who.

She knew Demetri was uncomfortable having her in his home. She knew she was cramping his hedonistic lifestyle and she found herself taking a perverse kind of pleasure from it. Anything which made his life as much of a nightmare as hers was, made her smile. 

She tried to forget about him kissing her and how wonderful it had felt but at nights he would reach for her in her dreams and she would eagerly surrender to his kisses. She would wake up feeling angry at herself, rage at him for sparking those feeling inside her, and a deep, aching longing to feel a man's arms around her, loving her. Not just any man's arms, either. She ached for Demetri to hold her and it only heightened the self loathing she already felt.

In an attempt to get out of the house she dressed up and went to Karpathia's the following evening. Rhianna had called to say she and Caleb were finally leaving the house and going to the club and asked if she fancied going too. She was curious to see what her new friend was like now she had made the transition from human to vampire so she readily agreed.




The Assignment Ch. 04



She was annoyed when she came out of her rooms to find Demetri waiting at the bottom of the stairs for her. He looked sexy as hell in a pair of tight fitting leather pants and a teal green silk shirt. His glossy black hair was loose and his glacial green eyes were practically boring holes in her as she walked down the stairs.

Demetri tried to work out what was wrong as he watched Mara glide sensuously down the stairs in her figure hugging red dress which barely came to mid-thigh. Her long brown hair fell in silky ribbons down her back and her beautiful brown eyes held a trace of irritation in them as she regarded him coolly. Despite her slightly sour expression, she looked truly stunning. She quite literally was breathtaking and the moment he thought that he realised what was wrong. 

He wasn't breathing. He was simply staring spellbound at her as she finally reached his side. He gave himself a mental shake and looked away from her, taking a deep breath to cool the heated blood which was starting to pulse through his body. Her sweet scent wafted over him and he had the urge to sample that delicious honey flavour. He stifled down an irritated groan and took another deep breath.

"I see Annie extended her coming out invitation to you too," he remarked dryly as he motioned for her to proceed him from the house. "I assume you won't have an issue if I drive us both to the club?"

Mara bit her lip and scowled darkly as she walked through the door. "Fine with me, Demetri. If you're driving then I get to drink. It's been a while since I've had a good drink. I quite fancy letting my hair down tonight."

They didn't speak after that, Demetri grinding harshly through the gears as he pushed his Porsche as quickly towards their destination as possible so he wouldn't have to endure her scent in the confines of the car. She was everywhere he went these days. His home was full of her honey flavour, as was the club. Now she was invading his precious car too. He wondered if she was doing it deliberately, if this was some strange brand of torture she had concocted up to get back at him?

He wanted her so badly. He craved her as he'd never craved another woman before her. Whenever she was in his company all he could think about was kissing her, tasting the sweet depths of her mouth, running his hands over her delicious body. He had tried to get her out of his mind. He had tried to slake his lust with other beautiful women but none of his usual women enticed him in the least. They all seemed to pale in comparison to the woman sitting at his side. A woman he had barely touched and most probably never would again because it shamed her so when he did.

He snorted and sensed her head turning to look at him but he kept his eyes firmly fixed on the road. He wasn't going to give her the satisfaction of knowing just how badly she had disrupted his life. He was sure she would take great pleasure out of knowing how he was pining for something he could never have.

Mara was relieved when they reached Karpathia's. Demetri appeared to be in a foul mood and his dark brooding was driving her insane. His closeness in the confines of the small car was setting her on edge too. The same heat which had overcome her at the breakfast table a few days ago was threatening to overcome her again and she had to clench her hand into a fist to stop herself from reaching out and touching his thigh encased in the tight black leather. She could literally see his muscles bunching as he pressed down on whatever pedal he was using and it was igniting a deep need inside her.

She didn't wait for him to open her door. She was out of the car and heading towards the club the moment the car stopped moving. Karpathia's was busy when she entered and it took her a moment to spot Rhianna and Caleb sitting close together in one of the booths. She stared dumbstruck at the little redhead. She had always been stunningly beautiful but now that beauty seemed to have transcended into something so much more. She was exquisite. Her long auburn curls were radiant as was her stunning face. She looked up as if sensing Mara watching her and her face lit up in a glorious smile.

"Mara, you look stunning," Rhianna laughed, sliding gracefully from the booth and hugging her very carefully.

"I look stunning?" Mara found herself laughing back. "You look....Annie, I'm lost for words you look so amazing!"

Rhianna laughed again and gave her another hug. "I feel amazing too," she whispered in her ear. "Though I have been worried about you. Is Demetri treating you well?" She stepped back to regard her friend with an intense look.

"Demetri has been the perfect gentlemen, Red," the object of their conversation remarked dryly at Mara's side, as he smiled down at the little redhead. "We are so lucky to have you grace our world, Annie," he breathed softly, his green eyes shining with deep affection.

Rhianna slipped into his warm embrace, laughing lightly when Caleb growled possessively as they hugged. "Thank you, Demetri," she smiled stepping back and sliding back in beside her man before he became too irritated at his friend.

Mara slipped into the booth, followed closely by Demetri. She had been a bit worried that Rhianna would be different now she was a vampire, more like Demetri but after ten minutes it was quickly apparent that her friend was just the same as before and she relaxed a bit more as she sipped at her drink.

Being in Rhianna and Caleb's company was hard. They were so obviously in love and at times barely kept their hands off each other and it was uncomfortable sitting beside Demetri as their sexual tension washed over them. Finally she could stand it no longer and she excused herself to go to the bathroom for a brief respite.

Mara felt hot and extremely flustered. A couple of times Demetri's leather clad thigh had brushed hers under the table causing all sorts of wild reactions inside her body. She wondered if he had done so deliberately. He had told her he wanted her but she had to come to him. It sounded so noble at the time but she wouldn't put it past the sneaky bastard to stack the deck in his favour by teasing her unbearably until she was desperate for the feel of his arms around her.

Dear God, what was she thinking? She had to stop thinking of him as a potential bed partner. She had more self respect than that. She had to remember that Demetri Bozic had ruined her life, kidnapped her, tortured her, kissed her. She groaned loudly and stared at herself in the bathroom mirror. She would not surrender to him, not ever.

With a muttered curse, she left the ladies and headed over to the bar to get another drink. She asked Bill for a shot and threw it back without blinking an eyelid. She calmly asked for another and did the same. The scalding alcohol burned her throat on the way down but she felt better once it hit her bloodstream. The music began to pulse to a heady beat and she suddenly wanted to dance. 

She felt strong arms slide around her waist from behind and she knew it was him before he even spoke. "You weren't kidding when you said you fancied letting your hair down," Demetri breathed against the shell of her ear.

"Shut up!" she muttered angrily. "And take your hands off me, Demetri. You only have the rights to where I live. You don't get the rights to my body too."

Demetri felt his anger rise and his hands tightened around her slender waist, pulling her back against his aching body. She had been driving him insane all night and he was about at the end of his patience with her. 

"You are under my protection which means you belong to me, Mara," he hissed out through clenched teeth. "How I choose for that to be is my choice, not yours. Never forget that, little girl. Your bed is empty at my whim, Mara. If I choose to take you there is nothing you can do about it except lie there and be grateful that I can take you to such a height of pleasure you've never experienced before."

He released her as abruptly as he grabbed her and vanished into the throng of dancers, choosing the first pretty girl he came across and pulling her into his arms and grinding his mouth hard against hers.

Mara watched him, her heart thumping painfully hard in her chest as Demetri all but fucked the blonde in his arms on the dance floor. Her gut wrenched painfully as she watched his hands stroking over the girl's covered breasts as they ground against each other in time to the music. For one brief second she thought that could have been her on the dance floor with him. Then she pushed the thought ruthlessly aside and went to retrieve her purse.

She bade Caleb and Rhianna a hasty goodnight, smiling reassuringly when the little redhead asked if she was okay. She had to get out of the club. Watching Demetri with the blonde was tearing her up inside and she didn't want to be feeling what she was feeling. She didn't want to care that he was with another woman. 

Demetri smiled apologetically at the woman in his arms and placed a gentle kiss on her lips before he extracted himself from her embrace. Mara had just made him so angry he had lost his head for a moment. He didn't want to need her but he did. Kissing the blonde was enough to tell him that she was a poor substitute for the woman he really wanted. The girl was very attractive but she just wasn't Mara. 

He sighed deeply and turned back towards the bar. There was no sign of the Mara. She had gone, probably back home to her little sanctuary which she kept locked against him. Running a weary hand through his hair, Demetri wondered what the hell he was going to do, because he couldn't live like this much longer. He ached for the woman whose life was in his hands and she hated him with a vengeance.

___

Mara hoped to avoid Demetri the following day but he seemed to be everywhere when she turned around. His expression was always closed and guarded, his green eyes cold as they regarded her intently before he would walk away without a word, only to show up somewhere else a bit later.

It was really starting to get on her nerves and she was actually starting to mutter angrily under her breath. She was ready to scream when he turned up unexpectedly at Karpathia's, walking into the office just before Mara was due to head home. 

Mara's breath hissed out angrily and she shot him a murderous look. "Is there something I can do for you, Demetri?" she asked waspishly.

His eyes narrowed sharply at her tone and a muscle jumped in the side of his jaw. "I wasn't aware I needed your permission to enter my own office," he said levelly, pinning her with his piercing gaze.

She flushed slightly, realising he had a point but still irritated that he couldn't wait until she had left before he came to the club. "I was just getting ready to leave," she muttered crossly turning away from him.

"Running home to your ivory tower, Mara?" Demetri drawled sarcastically, leaning his back against the door and effectively blocking her escape route. "Scared the big, bad vampire is going to get you?" His tone was mocking, designed to infuriate her.

She spun around and gave him another murderous look. "You don't frighten me, Demetri," she shot back without thinking and then swallowed hard when his expression suddenly darkened and he pushed away from the door and began to walk towards her. She backed up instinctively until she hit the desk and could move no further.

She tried to slide sideways but his hands shot out on either side of her, effectively pinning her to the desk. His eyes were dark and smouldering as he deliberately pressed his body against hers and casually rubbed himself against her. He was aroused and making no attempt to hide it.

Mara swallowed hard and pushed against his chest, almost groaning out loud as she felt his hard muscles ripple under her touch. "Demetri," she managed to get out through her dry lips.

"You should be frightened of me, Mara," he breathed softly, lowering his head to the side of her neck and inhaling deeply at her sweet scent. He knew he shouldn't be doing this but he couldn't stop himself. She was driving him insane with her tantalising scent and the way her hips swayed when she walked. All day he had tried to stay away from her but found himself irresistibly pulled towards her. Now the feel of her hands on his chest was sending shivers of desire through his body and he pressed his erection against her softness, groaning at the sweet friction.

She uttered a strangled moan and his lips descended on hers to capture the sweet sound, his tongue thrusting deep inside her mouth as heat flared through him as he pressed her back against the desk. Her mouth was hot and so sweet tasting, her tongue brushing erotically against his as she matched his passion with her own and her hands stopped pushing against his chest and instead curled into his shirt.

White hot need exploded inside him and his kiss turned more demanding, more possessive as he tried to brand her with his lips, his hand lifting her until she was sitting on the desk and he was running his hands up to her cup her breasts through her blouse and knead them gently.

Mara whimpered and tore her mouth away from Demetri's. Shock rocked through her body the moment his hands touched her breasts. "No," she gasped pushing at his chest once more, shame lancing through her once again that she had kissed him back, wanted him to keep kissing her.

"Mara!" Demetri groaned thickly, trying to capture her lips again with his, trying to stop her from pulling away from him again and shutting him out.

"You promised me," she choked out angrily. "You promised me you wouldn't do this again."

Her words were like a bucket of cold water being thrown over him. He pulled back and looked down into her beautiful face and saw her tears of shame and he cursed loudly and moved away from her, his breathing ragged as he turned his back to her.

"Go home, Mara," he ordered curtly, clenching his hands together so he couldn't turn around and reach for her again. He stayed that way until she ran out the office and then he sank down into the chair behind the desk and lowered his head into his hands, mentally cursing himself for having touched her when he had given his word that he would wait for her to come to him.

___

Mara wondered what Demetri would do next and was surprised when he seemed to disappear for almost a week. The next time she saw him it was as if nothing had happened in the office and his behaviour towards her puzzled her.

A strange truce seemed to be in place at the house. Demetri was cordial and even friendly at times. He kept his distance and never touched her, not even accidentally. His distance was quite noticeable to both of them but they never spoke of it.

Sometimes he would sit with her chatting about his day as she ate her dinner and sometimes she would join him in the main library quietly reading a book while he worked on his laptop at the large mahogany desk in the corner of the room. There was almost a harmonious feeling between them but they both knew it was really a sham.

Sometimes Mara would look up unexpectedly and catch him staring at her with a deep hunger in his eyes. He would look away immediately and invariably leave the room but not before her heart would start thumping wildly and a rush of longing would seep right through her.

When those moments occurred Demetri would go out to the club and stay out most of the night. She didn't go to Karpathia's on those nights because she didn't want to know what he was doing. She had a fair idea. There were many beautiful woman frequenting the club and they were all drawn to the beautiful dark haired vampire. A lot of them touched him with such familiarity it wasn't hard to guess he had been intimate with them in the past.

She didn't know for sure that he was slaking his desire for her with other women but she guessed he probably was. She was curious about what he did for feeding and asked Rhianna when she popped over for a visit. She had blushed scarlet when her friend had explained how they usually fed whilst making love though they could survive on cold blood too.

The thought of Demetri having sex with other women and biting them didn't sit well with her. Truth be told it made her feel jealous that he was doing things with other women that he wasn't doing with her. She knew her jealousy was irrational. If she wanted to be with him all she had to do was go to him and yet she couldn't make herself do it. She couldn't get passed the fact that she was here in his life against her will. She wanted to have the choice of where she lived and with whom she lived with. The lack of control she had over her life festered underneath the surface and there was just no way of getting around it.

Demetri watched Mara covertly as she read her book. He was idly clicking keys on the keyboard but not really doing anything. He was just letting his eyes roam over her slowly, his body hard and aching. 

He had promised he wouldn't take advantage of her and each day that past drove him more and more insane. He had hoped she would soften towards him and eventually come to trust him but she could never quite hide the anger she felt deep inside.

Something had to change and had to change soon or one of them was going to explode and all hell was going to break loose. He sighed softly and stared down at the keyboard. He had been tossing a decision around in his mind for the last week. He knew he couldn't go on like this any longer. He had finally admitted to himself that he was in love with Mara and probably had been for a very long time now. He didn't just want her body, he wanted everything. He wanted her smiles and her laughter, her warmth and her companionship and the only thing she wanted from him was her freedom.

A deep lance of pain welled up inside him and he rose abruptly, startling her so she dropped her book and looked at him quizzically. "I need to see Caleb," he said tersely. He turned and hurried out of the library before she could respond.

Ten minutes later Demetri sat in another library with his friend. Rhianna was visiting her brother so they were alone in the house.

Caleb frowned as he looked at his friend. The normally arrogant man was quiet and subdued, a dark frown on his face. "You and Mara fighting?" he asked curiously.

Demetri blinked slowly at him and shook his head. "We don't fight," he answered quietly. "We don't do anything. Oh, we're civil to each other, discuss each others days etc but it's all just superficial."

Caleb's frown deepened as he heard the bitterness in Demetri's tone. He had often wanted to see his friend get some comeuppance but now it was here he actually felt sorry for him. "You're in love with her," he said, not asking a question because it was plain to see from the expression on his friend's face.

Demetri looked at him forlornly. "I can't do this anymore, Caleb," he ground out. "You have to help me."

"Help you how?" Caleb asked perplexed. "Do you want me to ask Annie to talk to Mara?" He really didn't know what his friend thought he could do to help.

"I want you to alter my memories," Demetri replied quietly, his green eyes suspiciously moist as they beseeched him. "I want you to convince me that I finally managed to breach Mara's shield and was able to scan her and alter her memories so I can call the Council and let them know."

Caleb's golden brown eyes widened in complete shock and his mouth dropped open. He stared at his friend as a deep fear started to settle inside him. What he was asking him to do was so dangerous and he didn't know if he could agree to his friend's request. He didn't know if he could bear to take the risk of losing Demetri from his life if this didn't work out the way his friend hoped it would.

To be continued... 



The Assignment Ch. 05



Well, all good things must come to an end. Here is the final chapter in Demetri and Mara's tale. Can't thank you all enough for your wonderful response to TA! You've had me smiling a lot and laughing too at some of the comments. Hope you all enjoy it and NO, I am not writing anymore chapters to this haha! 



Caleb continued to sit and stare at Demetri as the enormity of what he was asking him to do continued to sink into his stunned mind. "You would really do that for her, Demetri?" he asked in a hushed tone. "You are really willing to take that risk?"

"She's not really living at the moment, Caleb," Demetri answered, his voice low and full of anguish. "She's just going through the motions but her anger is eating her up inside. I can't watch her suffer like that anymore. You have to help me set her free. Please, Caleb."

Caleb was stunned by his request. His friend must love Mara as much as he loved his Annie for him to even consider taking this course of action. Vampire minds were harder to manipulate than human minds. There was a high degree of risk involved. If Caleb slipped even marginally he could cause Demetri irreparable harm. It was the reason neither of them had even suggested it as a possible solution to Demetri's original problem with Mara. 

"Have you discussed this with Mara?" he finally asked.

Demetri shook his head. "There's nothing to discuss. She wants her freedom and I want the same thing. Just alter my memories and then she can finally be happy."

Caleb shook his head firmly. "Not going to happen, my friend," he said. "Not until you have discussed it with Mara and she's in agreement with you." He held up his hand as his friend opened his mouth to protest. "I mean it, Demetri. Talk to Mara first. I'm not taking the risk until I know it's what she wants."

Demetri growled his frustration but could see his friend wasn't going to be swayed. "Fine, I'll talk to Mara," he grumbled, his eyes flashing angrily. "But I mean for this to happen, Caleb. I'm half expecting Jorge or Philippe to show up to check that everything is above board. The Council weren't happy with me for changing the parameters of the assignment in the first place. I have a friend keeping a close watch on them just to give me a heads up if they decide to send someone."

Caleb frowned at that, his expression turning pensive. "You really think they'll come here?" he asked quietly. If the Council came, if they tried to hurt Demetri, he didn't know what he would do. If they issued a judgement against Demetri he wouldn't be able to stand idly by, but there was Annie to consider too.

Demetri shrugged. "I don't know, but I do know that I won't let them hurt Mara, Caleb. If any of them so much as lays one hand on her I will kill them." His tone was cold and hard, his green eyes glacial as he looked at his friend.

Caleb's expression turned even more worried as he regarded his friend intently. What he was asking him to do was so risky. What he was threatening to do to the Council was utter suicide. He shook his head. "You know, you could just tell Mara you're in love with her and see what happens," he sighed wearily, running a hand through his hair.

The look his friend gave him was incredulous. "You think she's going to feel the same, Caleb? I've ruined her life for fucks sake. How could she ever feel anything but hate for me after all I've done to her? No, altering my memories is the only way to do this."

"Then you go and tell Mara the risks involved, Demetri. Tell her everything. About the Council too. I won't even attempt to do this until I know for certain that she fully agrees to it. I won't budge on that point." ____

Mara had retreated to her wing of the house by the time he got back but he was determined to go ahead with his plan. He opened the connecting door and blinked in surprise when he realised it wasn't locked. When did Mara start leaving the door unlocked?

"Mara, I need to talk to you," he called down the hallway and waited until she appeared at her bedroom door, a confused expression on her face. He was thankful to see she was still dressed. "Can you come out here a moment, please?" He paced on the landing impatiently as she walked slowly towards him.

"What do you want, Demetri? What's so important it can't wait?" she asked him suspiciously, her brown eyes narrowing as she looked up at him. 

She looked so utterly adorable standing before him, her glorious brown hair tumbling down her back in silky waves. His greedy gaze memorised every detail of her beautiful face as he took a deep breath. "I've found a way for you to be free of this arrangement, Mara."

She blinked slowly at him her expression shocked, a faint glimmer of hope crossing her face before she frowned. "What way?" she asked breathlessly and Demetri fought down the deep pain which was threatening to consume him. She truly did want to be free of him, he could see it in her eyes.

"Caleb is going to alter my memories," he said his voice hardening as he spoke. "He will convince me I have succeeded in breaching your shield and have altered your memories so I can then call the Council and truthfully tell them I have done so. You'll be able to go home."

Mara's mouth dropped open and she just stared at him. A fierce joy welled up inside her. She could go home, she could have her old life back. Even as those thoughts registered she felt a flutter of disquiet deep inside her. If she left she wouldn't see Demetri ever again. She stared up into his beautiful face and tried to imagine not seeing him just about every day as she was now used to. The thought of never seeing him again actually hurt her more than she thought possible. 

She frowned as her muddled brain tried to work out what she was thinking and feeling. She had thought Demetri wanted her with him but his face was so cold and hard as he looked down at her. She had thought she wanted to be free of him but now the chance was here she wasn't sure what she wanted anymore. The solution to her freedom just seemed too simple too. Her eyes narrowed and her frown deepened.

"Why didn't you suggest this right back at the start of this nightmare?" she asked suspiciously. "If it was such a simple thing to do, why have we had to go through these last few weeks?"

He had prepared for that question. He knew she would ask it because she was so shockingly intelligent and she knew him so well even though she tried to stay as far away from him as she could get most of the time. Now came the hardest part of what he knew he had to do to make her agree to this. His heart ached at the thought of the pain he was about to cause her, but he knew he had to keep going. He silently asked her forgiveness for the lie he was about to tell her even as his lips curled up into his cruellest smile. 

"Because I was having fun, Mara," he said, echoing similar words he'd uttered to her so long ago. "It amused me having you around, watching you fight helplessly against something you had no control over." He watched his words cut her deep and he had to use every ounce of his will power not to react to the flash of pain in her eyes and the growing horror on her beautiful face.

She shook her head. "You don't mean that," she whispered horrified. "You could never be that cruel, Demetri. I don't believe you."

He laughed harshly, his own pain making the sound seem so much more authentic. "Believe it, Mara. You brightened up a few dull weeks and now I grow weary of having you around. You're severely cramping my style. It's time for you to go home so I can have my real life back. But you've been such good fun. I won't let anything bad happen to you. Caleb will do his thing so you won't be harmed. Not unless you're foolish enough to open your mouth, which I highly doubt, now you know just what will happen if you do."

The colour completely drained from her face and she looked at him with such wounded eyes his resolve almost broke, but he had to do this for her. He couldn't take the risk she wouldn't agree to Caleb altering his memories if she knew it was dangerous. He had to make her hate him so much she would agree to it.

"Come on, we're going to Caleb's," he said harshly. "I want this over and done with and he won't do it until you agree to it too. Annie's turned him into such a hopeless romantic. He actually believed we would come to care for each other." He laughed derisively at the possibly and watched Mara shrink further into herself, his heart twisting painfully with every wound his words caused her.

"He will ask you if I've explained the reason why we haven't done this before, Mara," he continued as he grabbed her by the arm and pulled her downstairs and out the door towards the Jeep. "Remember to tell him just how fully I explained it to you."

The ten minute drive back to Caleb's was the longest in Demetri's life. He felt as if he had a hole right where his heart was as he tried to ignore the woman at his side and the deep misery she was in. He only had to hold on a little longer and then it would be done. Maybe he'd get lucky and Caleb would accidentally slip and he would lose his identity completely and never know just what a precious thing he had lost.

Caleb was surprised when they entered the house. "Demetri, I didn't expect you back so soon," he said coming out of the sitting room.

"I've spoken to Mara and she wants you to go ahead," Demetri answered brusquely.

Caleb's amber gaze swung to the unhappy woman at his friend's side. "Mara?" he queried softly, waiting for her to look at him. He sucked in a deep breath at the blank look in her eyes. If Demetri had hurt her he'd fucking kill him. "Mara honey, are you okay?"

She blinked slowly and then nodded her head. "Demetri's explained to me why you haven't done this before," she said her voice devoid of all emotion. "I want you to do it, Caleb. I want to go home."

Caleb sucked in a deep breath unable to keep the frown from his face. He had been sure before tonight that something would develop between Demetri and Mara. It was why he had insisted Demetri tell her of the risks. He had really thought she cared about his friend and wouldn't agree to it.

"You heard her, Caleb. She knows and she still wants to go ahead with it," Demetri said calmly. "Let's do it." He walked into the sitting room and sat down in one of the leather armchairs.

"Are you really sure about this, Demetri?" Caleb asked quietly following him into the room. He looked back over his shoulder to Mara. "Are you really sure, Mara?"

Mara nodded and stood in the doorway as she heard Demetri tell Caleb to get started. There was a knot of pain the size of a fist in her chest. She couldn't believe Demetri had been toying with her all these weeks for his own amusement. He had been pretending he wanted her when he hadn't really. He had even been kind and supportive and considerate to her every need recently, and it had all been a lie. 

She had let herself care about him. She closed her eyes against the sudden rush of tears which threatened to overcome her. She hadn't just let herself come to care for him she had allowed herself to fall in love with him and it had all be some cruel, sick joke to him. How could she have been so wrong about him?

She hardened her heart and opened her eyes. Caleb was sitting on the edge of the coffee table, his golden brown eyes locked with Demetri's cool green ones. She stared at them intently a random thought suddenly whirling around her head. 'Still'........the word 'still' circled over and over in her mind. Demetri had said 'she still wants to go ahead with it'. For some unknown reason that sentence took on some kind of importance she didn't understand.

"Caleb," she whispered softly, afraid to interrupt him in case it was dangerous.

Caleb heard her as he slowly slipped into Demetri's mind. He had placed Demetri into a light hypnotic trance before doing so. He was instantly wracked by the deep pain his friend was experiencing and he had to buffer his mind against it. But Mara's voice penetrated his concentration. Mara wanted to talk to him. He wasn't in too deep, hadn't started to do anything yet. He slowly slipped out of Demetri's mind and turned to look at the brunette.

"What did he mean about 'still wants to go through with it'?" Mara asked urgently.

Caleb blinked in confusion. "He did explain the risks? You said he'd told you the reason why we haven't attempted this before."

"He said it was because he was having too much fun playing with me," she answered, her voice breaking at the end, her pain clear to hear.

Caleb cursed long and loudly, his anger palpable. "Mara, the reason we haven't tried this before is because it's so dangerous. There is a high probability that I could inadvertently damage Demetri's mind. He could come out of this only ever remembering the thoughts I implant, the thoughts that will free you to go home."

Mara felt her knees go weak and she sat down heavily on the carpet. "But why would he say what he said?" she cried, confusion wracking her. "Why would he lie to me, tell me he was only playing with me? Why would he risk himself this way? I don't understand, Caleb." She could feel her tears sliding down her face as she tried to work out what the hell Demetri was up to this time.

Caleb frowned deeply and walked over to her, pulling her up and moving her to the sofa. He sat down beside her. "He wanted to give you what he thought you wanted, Mara," he explained gently. "He knows the risks of doing this. We talked about it earlier. He's willing to take that risk if it means you can have your freedom back."

Demetri was willing to risk his mind so she could be free to go home? Mara stared at Caleb and then looked at Demetri. His beautiful face was so relaxed and he had no idea what was going on in the room at the moment. He wanted her gone so badly he was willing to risk his mind? His actions didn't make any sense. 

"Don't do it, Caleb," she whispered hoarsely, fear escalating through her body. "I don't want to be free if it means Demetri is lost. I'd rather spend the rest of my life with him and put up with his arrogant ass than be free knowing he is diminished in any way. Please, Caleb. I'm begging you. Don't do anything that will hurt him."

He blinked slowly, a small smile curving his lips as he regarded her intently for a moment and then nodded solemnly at her. "Okay, I won't do it, Mara," he said soothingly giving her a big hug and feeling the huge sigh of relief which went through her slender body. "You two are going to have to sit down and have a proper talk though about what you both want out of your relationship, though," he added rolling his eyes. He left her on the sofa and went back to his friend, quickly bringing him out of the light trance he was in. 

Demetri blinked slowly and then frowned angrily at Caleb, knowing instantly that his friend hadn't done as he asked him to. "You didn't do it," he bit out furiously, his tone accusing as he glared at Caleb.

"I asked him not to," Mara answered from the sofa. "So there's no point in yelling at Caleb about it."

Cold green eyes bored into her as his head swung in her direction. He saw her wet face, saw her determined expression and wondered just what he had missed when he was in his trance. His anger escalated as did his fear for her. If Caleb didn't do this she was in danger. "You had no right," he said tersely. "It was my decision."

"I had every right," she snapped back standing up. "It's about time I got the opportunity to taking control from you, Demetri. How does it feel? Feels like shit doesn't it knowing you want something so badly and can't have it because of someone else?" The vehemence in her tone shocked her. The anger which had been festering for so long had finally come out.

Demetri rose from the chair and stalked over to her. "Is that why you did it, Mara?" he asked incredulously. "You wanted payback more than you wanted your freedom?" He glared down at her furiously, surprised when she didn't back down as she so often did.

"I did it because you lied to me, Demetri," she hissed at him. "How dare you lie to me on top of everything else? All through this entire nightmare I've had only one constant in my life. The one thing I could trust completely. That you would always tell me the truth and you went and LIED to me!" She screamed the last part out, slapping him hard on the chest. 

The moment she hit him the first time she shrieked furiously and hit him again. She hit him over and over calling him all the names she could come up with, ranting at him almost maniacally.

"Mara," Demetri groaned hoarsely, wrapping his arms around her and enclosing her in a band of steel so tight she couldn't move. "Hush, Mara, it's okay. Everything is going to be okay, I promise." He whispered to her soothingly over and over as she sobbed against him.

His eyes searched Caleb's. "Where can I take her?" he asked his friend mentally.

"First floor bedroom right at the top of the stairs. It was the room she stayed in," Caleb answered quietly inside his head. "Are you going to be okay with her?"

Demetri nodded and lifted Mara into his arms, striding upstairs and into the bedroom. He kicked the door closed and crossed to the bed, sinking down on it with his arms still firmly wrapped around the sobbing woman, every single tear she shed wrenching at his heart. "I'm so sorry, Mara," he whispered. "I just wanted you to be free, love. I didn't want to lie to you. It broke my heart doing so, but I thought I was doing the right thing for you. Please don't cry, Mara."

His words penetrated through her sobs which slowly eased until she was just lying cradled in his arms, the odd hiccup making her slender frame jerk sporadically. "You're a bloody ass, Demetri Bozic," she muttered against his chest. "How could you even contemplate doing something so bloody stupid?"

"Which something bloody stupid are we talking about?" he asked softly. "Lying to you? Wanting to set you free? If I'm going to get my ass kicked I'd at least like to know for sure which wrong doing I'm getting it for." 

Mara snorted against his chest. "All of them," she retorted without any real heat in her voice. "Did you really want me gone so badly you would risk damaging your mind, Demetri?" she asked plaintively another hiccup wracking her body.

He cursed loudly and rolled her onto her back so he could stare down into her face. "Do you really think I did all this because I wanted you gone?" he asked incredulously. His thumbs brushed at her tearstained cheeks as he cradled her face in his hands. "I don't want you gone, Mara," he groaned. "I just want you to be happy. I wanted to be the one who made you happy but it's obvious the history between us is never going to make that possible."

Mara stared into his beautiful green eyes and saw such longing in them as he let his mask slip and she was finally seeing what he was really feeling deep inside. He hadn't wanted her gone. He had been willing to risk himself for her. She swallowed hard. He had already risked himself for her by taking her under his protection and now he was willing to do so for a second time.

"Why don't you want me gone, Demetri?" she asked breathily, searching his face intently.

"Don't you know, Mara?" he breathed softly, his beautiful face shining with such adoration it took her breath away. "I love you. I've loved you for such a long time, my Mara."

Her heart thumped wildly in her chest and she felt the last shreds of pain wash away as she stared into the face of the most beautiful man on the planet as he told her he loved her. "Demetri, if I kiss you first will that count as me coming to you?" she whispered a split second before she kissed him softly on the lips and pulled back.

"Mara?" he asked hesitantly his eyes searching hers intently.




The Assignment Ch. 05



"I don't want to be free of you, Demetri," she said quietly. "I haven't wanted to be free of you for such a long time. All I've ever wanted was to have the freedom to choose what I want, to have control over my own destiny. What you were willing to do tonight has given me that. I choose to stay with you, Demetri."

Demetri couldn't believe it. His eyes roamed over her face searching for any sign of doubt and only finding a deep warmth radiating from her. He cradled her face so gently and leaned forward to brush his mouth against hers so softly. "Are you sure, Mara?" he whispered against her lips.

"I'm sure," she whispered back, threading her hands in his silky hair and pulling his mouth down hard against hers. "I love you, Demetri," she sighed against his lips.

Demetri groaned loudly taking over the kiss and deepening it, his tongue pressing for entry into her mouth and finding no resistance. He slanted his mouth possessively over hers, his heart thundering in his chest as liquid fire engulfed him as her tongue duelled erotically with his.

Never had he tasted anything as sweet as the moist hot depths of her mouth and his cock strained to be released, demanded the warmth of her hot wet sheath. He groaned again and ripped his mouth from hers, his breathing harsh and ragged as he stared into her flushed, passion filled face.

Mara," he whispered. "My beautiful, sweet Mara." He stroked her face tenderly his love for her almost crippling him with its intensity. Her big brown eyes opened slowly and she stared up at him in confusion.

"Why are you stopping?" she asked breathlessly. "Don't stop kissing me, Demetri. I want you so badly."

Her words were almost his undoing but he managed to keep a tight reign on his self control. "Not here, beautiful," he whispered huskily. "I want our first time together to be in my bed, where you belong. I've waited this long for you I can wait a little longer." 

He smiled ruefully and ran his hand through his hair. "Plus, I need to get a hold of my self control too," he admitted with a little laugh. "It's been so long since I've lain with a woman I fear the combination of that and my need for you could make me embarrass myself quite disgracefully."

She sat up slowly and looked into his face. "You haven't been with anyone else?" she asked curiously. "All those nights when you left for the club. I thought you....." She didn't finished the sentence, not really needing to.

His warm green eyes twinkled slightly and his lips curled into a little smile. "You seriously thought another woman could put out the fire you set inside me, Mara?" he queried softly. "I stayed at the club so I could keep my word to you. I promised you I wouldn't touch you and make you feel the deep shame you experienced when I kissed you. Leaving the house was the only way I could do so."

His admission surprised her and she also delighted her. It wouldn't have mattered if he had been with other women, well, it would have mattered, but she would have been able to deal with it. She was just glad she didn't need to.

"Let's go home, Demetri," she said softly and her heart thumped painfully hard in her chest at the sheer joy with crossed his beautiful face.

Rhianna was just coming in as they headed back downstairs. She took one look at their faces and her beautiful face lit up with a big smile. "About time too," she said happily as Demetri laughed hard and scooped her up for a quick hug and a kiss before passing her over to Caleb who was watching him with narrowed eyes.

"Go see to your man, Red," he laughed softly. "You've fixed me so you can go find someone else to terrorise now." He pulled Mara to his side and hurried out the door with a quick goodbye tossed over his shoulder.

Rhianna sighed contentedly and leaned back against Caleb's chest as his arms wrapped around her tightly.

"Well, you heard him, woman," Caleb growled against her ear. "Your meddling is done so come see to your man."

She giggled at his husky tone and the feel of his arousal pressing against her back. "So who gets to be in charge tonight?" she asked throatily and then shrieked with laughter when he gathered her into his arms and planted a hard kiss on his mouth. 

"Me," he growled loudly as he took the stairs three at a time. He was always so terribly arrogant about their lovemaking but they both knew he would submit if she really wanted him to.

___

Demetri felt strangely nervous as he led Mara into his bedroom. She gasped in shock as she took in the room slowly. It was identical to hers in every way right down to the sumptuous red and cream bedding. She turned her eyes to his, her question plain for him to see.

He shrugged almost in embarrassment and looked down at the floor. "I wanted you to be with me but I knew it may never happen," he admitted quietly. "So I made your room exactly like mine so I would be able to imagine you lying in your bed and it would be almost like having you here."

Mara smiled softly and reached out to take his hand in hers. She could tell how hard it was for him to make himself so vulnerable to her, to admit how long he had been so 'weak'. She wondered if her beautiful vampire would ever get over his hang up of thinking it weak to love someone. She knew she would try her very hardest to help him over that hurdle.

"Demetri, why don't you kiss me again?" she asked softly. "I really like feeling your mouth against mine."

His head shot up quickly and his eyes flared with liquid heat and then he pulled her into his arms and his mouth slanted over hers and his tongue was seeking immediate entry into her mouth and she was moaning quietly as she let him taste her sweetness with a relish she couldn't deny.

He trembled slightly as her tongue met his and her softness pressed against his hardness and desire shot right down his spine and settled firmly in his groin. His cock hardened instantly as his need for her spiralled quickly out of control and he was picking her up and following her down onto his bed, his mouth never once leaving hers.

God, she tasted so good, so sweet and hot and fiery. He growled softly and trailed his lips along her cheekbone and down her jaw line until he was kissing the side of her neck and hungrily licking at the heavy pulse where her sweet life's blood flowed through her. He wanted to taste her so badly. He wanted to taste every single inch of her skin, her sweet musky juices and the rich, tangy blood in her veins. He just didn't know which one he wanted to taste first.

"Mara," he whispered huskily his glowing green eyes searching hers almost desperately, almost pleading with her for permission to taste her.

She looked into his almost frantic eyes and she knew what he wanted. "Take what you need," she said softly stroking his face tenderly. "Everything I have is yours, Demetri."

He growled loudly and kissed her lingeringly before his hands moved feverishly over her body quickly stripping off her T-shirt and jeans until she was naked before him. His memory of her beauty didn't do justice to the vision before him. She was perfection and she was his.

His greedy gaze trailed slowly over her full breasts with their dark pebbled tips and he bent his head to swirl his tongue slowly around one hard peak before he sucked the nipple into his mouth and teased it mercilessly with his lips and teeth as she cried out and arched up against him.

Her response inflamed him and he suckled harder, his hand moving to her other breast to tug on its hard peak while he bit down gently on the delicious flesh in his mouth. He laved her nipple gently and then trailed his mouth over to her other breast and began to suck and nip her succulent flesh with relish.

His cock throbbed painfully in his denims but he didn't want to leave her beautiful breasts long enough to undress. If he stayed clothed for as long as possible he would maybe be able to retain enough self control to pleasure her beautiful body before his need became intolerable.

He wanted to taste her blood so desperately it was becoming almost impossible for him to keep his fangs retracted. He groaned against her breast and slid a hand down over her taut stomach to slip between her legs to feel his first touch of her wet pussy.

She cried out as his fingers slithered lightly over her mound to dip down into her silky folds and stroke slowly up and down her wet slit. The hot spicy aroma of her arousal assaulted his nostril and the combination of her musky scent and the unique honey scent which was so undeniably Mara made his head spin and his body tremble.

She was so wet, so aroused he knew she would quickly achieve the first of the many orgasms he planned on giving her. His fingers dipped deeper and he pressed two of them deep into her body and she cried out again and her hips bucked up to meet him. God, she was so tight despite her wetness. She obviously hadn't lain with a man in a very long time.

"Oh God, Demetri, that feels so good," she moaned thrusting up to meet his talented fingers. Her hands threaded into his silky black hair to hold his mouth to her breast as he slowly drove her mad with the slow, steady rhythm of his fingers driving deeper and deeper inside her, stretching her wider with every movement.

Her moans broke his tenuous control and his fangs elongated and he sank them into her breast as his thumb rubbed hard against her clit. She screamed and bucked up wildly as her orgasm crashed over her and his soothing venom took away the brief sting of pain from his bite and heightened the pleasure of her orgasm.

He pulled deeply on her pleasure laden blood and swallowed down her delicious life giving fluid greedily as his fingers rode her orgasm higher and higher as she shuddered wildly in his arms. Never had a woman's pleasure excited him the way Mara's did. He fed greedily from her as he slowly coaxed her down from her bliss, reluctantly retracting his fangs so he didn't take too much from her. He licked her wound closed and gently eased his fingers from her body as he looked up at her.

Her beauty took his breath away. Her lips were swollen and parted, her eyes closed in rapture, the heady flush of passion tingeing her cheeks. She was magnificent his woman and his love for her swelled his heart and made him feel ten feet tall. How could he ever have imagined loving someone like Mara could be a weakness? He smiled as her eyes fluttered open and she looked at him with such adoration he felt as if his very bones were melting.

"Wow, that was pretty spectacular, " she laughed, blushing slightly. "I thought it would be kind of scary but it was just so amazing."

"It isn't normally that good," he smiled softly. "It's usually pleasurable enough but nothing on the level it is with you, Mara. You make it so much more wonderful, so much more intoxicating. You taste so delicious, beautiful. You have the sweetest, most wonderful blood on the whole planet." He leaned down and kissed her slowly, his cock twitching hard in his jeans as if to remind him it was still there.

She laughed softly feeling the involuntary movement. "I think you're rather overdressed, Demetri," she smiled impishly and he kissed her again solely because he couldn't stop himself from doing so. He could kiss her all night if she let him and he really hoped she would let him. He didn't plan on having any sleep tonight. 

"I can wait," he whispered against her lips as his hands stroked slowly up her sides to cup her full breasts and slowly knead the plump flesh. "I want to pleasure you first, my Mara. I want to worship your beautiful body with my hands and my mouth. I want to feel you come apart in my arms as I pleasure you. Only after that will I take my own pleasure."

She opened her mouth to object but he silenced her with another long, drugging kiss as he tugged hard on her painfully erect nipples and she moaned softly. When he was satisfied he had her compliance, he trailed his lips slowly down her body until he was pressing her thighs apart and inhaling deeply between her legs.

"God, you smell so wonderful," he growled hoarsely a second before his tongue snaked out to taste her sweet nectar and he growled again as her delicious flavour coated his tongue. Her arousal tasted almost as good as her blood. He licked slowly up and down her wet slit and then suckled lightly on her clit.

Her body was thrusting upwards with each stroke of his tongue, throaty moans bubbling out of her mouth as he feasted on her succulent flesh with relish. The more he lapped at her the more sweet juices she gave him and he was soon drilling his tongue into her hot opening to lick out more and more of her nectar.

Mara was mindless with pleasure as Demetri's wicked mouth assaulted her pussy relentlessly. She had thought nothing would surpass the heady pleasure of his fingers but she was wrong. His mouth was finding pleasure points she didn't even know she had and she writhed against him as she held him firmly to her body by threading her hands into his thick hair.

She was so close again. She couldn't believe his touch could drive her so quickly towards a second orgasm but she could feel the tension coiling in her stomach. She was going to cum soon if he continued on with his relentless licking.

"Demetri, I'm going to cum," she ground out hoarsely pressing her pussy onto his spearing tongue. His deep growl sent vibrations flooding through her sensitive skin and she cried out loudly, her body tensing as her pleasure peaked and she was tumbling headlong into one long rush of ecstasy which sucked the very breath from her straining body.

Demetri growled when she came apart in his mouth. Her hot cum literally flooded from her body and his eager tongue was there to lap it up with relish. He lapped greedily as his cock throbbed painfully and he knew he couldn't put off his own pleasure much longer. Mara's total abandonment was an aphrodisiac he couldn't fight any longer. He needed her so badly he felt as if he'd die if he didn't take her.

He rose swiftly to his knees and almost ripped his clothes in his haste to be naked with her. She was watching him with hazy, lust filled eyes as he bared his body for her perusal.

Mara's eyes roamed greedily over Demetri's hard muscled chest. He was so gloriously beautiful to look at. She licked her lips in anticipation of what other delights he had to offer her. When he stood to strip his boots and jeans from his body she gasped out loud when she saw the sheer impressive size of his cock. It was enormous. So much bigger and thicker than any man she'd been with before.

She'd only been with two men before so she supposed she didn't have that much experience to go by but she was sure Demetri's size wasn't the norm when it came to men's bodies. She swallowed nervously and met his smouldering green eyes which were watching her face intently. He smiled slowly and crawled onto the bed to kneel before her between her legs.

"You're big," she said swallowing again and he threw his head back and laughed softly, his midnight black hair swaying with his movement. His beautiful face shone with a mixture of male pride and amusement.

"Don't be worried, I'm sure it will fit," he laughed lightly and she swallowed again.

"Demetri, it's been at least a year since I've been with a man and he was probably half your size," she admitted nervously.

He laughed again and reached down and pulled her astride him, groaning as her wet heat pressed against the length of his cock. "Your body was made for mine, my Mara," he whispered gently stroking his hands down her back soothingly. "I will never hurt you, my love. Never again will I ever do anything that will cause you pain."

Her big brown eyes met his smouldering green ones and she knew his words related back to their unconventional meeting. She read the deep remorse in his expression and she cradled his face gently and looked deep into his eyes.

"Forgive yourself, Demetri as I have forgiven you," she said softly. "Don't let past actions cloud what we have here. I trust you with my life and my heart and my body. Make me yours, love."

Her forgiveness humbled him and he closed his eyes briefly and swallowed against the pain he felt. When he opened his eyes again his expression was full of his love for her and he kissed her slowly, licking her bottom lip teasingly before he plunged hungrily into her mouth to taste her sweetness.

She moaned softly as his hands came to her hips and he raised her until the spongy head of his cock was prodding at her hot opening. She pressed down instinctively as he thrust up slowly. They cried out in unison as he carefully eased his cock into her tight canal.

He took his time stretching her slowly as her scalding heat engulfed him and he thought he would die from the sweet bliss her body was giving his. He thrust up harder and he pulled on her hips, needing to be fully seated inside her so badly.

"Mara," he groaned hoarsely as he thrust up once more and her beautiful body welcomed him into her snug warmth. He held himself still for a brief moment when he finally bottomed out inside her. He had been so right. Her body was made just for him.

His need overcame him and he pressed her back against the bed slowly withdrawing from her wet heat and thrusting back inside almost instantly. She was so hot and wet and tight around his aching cock. His heart thundered loudly as his breath came out raggedly as he set a slow, languorous pace.

Mara groaned and thrust upwards wanting to feel Demetri's hard cock moving deeper inside her. He was perfection and he was hers as surely as she was his. She wrapped her long legs around him as their bodies moved slowly against each other as they learned what gave each other pleasure. Everything Demetri did seemed to pleasure her. Every touch, every stroke of his body, every place his mouth touched her skin was complete and utter bliss.

Demetri couldn't keep his lips and hands from her body as they slowly rode against one another. He wanted to take his time but he knew his control was almost at an end. She felt too good wrapped around his aching cock, she tasted too good against his lips. He devoured her mouth with a lusty kiss as he threaded his fingers into her glorious brown hair and began to move harder and faster inside her hot body.

She matched his movements, her hands clutching wildly at his hips as she egged him on with breathy moans and whispered words of how hot he made her and how much she needed to feel him deep inside her.

His control shattered completely and he began to thrust wildly into her his balls aching with the need to cum as her moans turned into sharp cries and finally loud, lusty screams as he pounded into her hard and fast pushing her relentlessly towards another orgasm. She was so close. He could feel it in the tightening of her body and the frantic urgency of her movements against him.

"Cum for me, Mara," he growled hoarsely increasing his speed and pushing her that last little distance. She thrashed her head from side to side as she screamed loudly and stiffened beneath him, her pussy muscles clenching around his cock almost painfully as her pleasure ripped through her body.

Her tight canal rippled around his cock and he roared his own release loudly as his balls erupted and he was shooting thick ropes of cum deep into her waiting body as he shook uncontrollably. His orgasm seemed to last for eternity as he jerked into her again and again as her beautiful body milked him dry of all he had to offer her.

His heart thundered loudly as his breath came out in harsh pants as the sweet bliss slowly began to subside. The scent of sex was heavy in the air as was the scent of his Mara, the sweet thick aroma of honey. He groaned softly and rolled to his side, taking her with him as he clutched her tightly to his body, his hands automatically stroking down her back to soothe her down from her intense pleasure.




The Assignment Ch. 05



"Mara," he breathed against her hair. "I feel like I've just died and have been reborn."

Mara sucked in a deep breath and tried to answer him but her heart was still beating too wildly to talk yet. Instead she stroked her hand lightly against his chest and kissed him softly. She lay in his arms and listened to his heart slowly return to normal. She didn't ever want to move from his embrace. She had never felt so safe, so loved and cared for the way she felt in Demetri's arms.

"Are you okay?" he asked softly when his breathing returned to normal. "I didn't hurt you, did I?"

His anxious tone made her smile and she raised her head to look into his beautiful face. "You just took my breath away," she smiled softly. His anxious expression smoothed out and he smiled a slightly arrogant smile of immense male satisfaction which made her laugh. He was probably always going to be an arrogant ass but he was hers so she'd just have to put up with it.

"I love you, Demetri Bozic," she sighed softly, her face glowing with her love for him. His beautiful face lit up with such joy she sucked in a deep breath and leaned up for a kiss.

"I love you, Mara Fitzgerald," he murmured against her lips. He gave her another long kiss and then he pulled back the covers and settled her in bed beside him feeling a deep contentment now she was finally in his arms. He didn't deserve this beautiful woman at his side but he would never be able to let her go now. She was way too precious to him. She completed him every way.

She wriggled against him and he felt his breath catch in his throat as he looked down to see her big brown eyes watching him. "Are you sleepy, Demetri?" she asked with a little smile playing over her lips.

He smiled slowly and brushed her hair from her face. "Why? What did you have in mind?" he asked with a little laugh, his body hardening instantly as he saw the impish look on her face.

She rolled over to lie on top of him, her face barely an inch from his. "I was thinking we had a lot of lost time to make up for," she laughed softly and rubbed herself sensually against him.

He growled as his body moved in answer to hers. "Then let's make up for that lost time," he said huskily capturing her lips with his and proceeding to show her just how much he truly did love her.

___

Demetri sighed softly as he slipped behind Mara so quietly she wasn't even aware he was there until his arms snaked around her body from behind and his mouth unerringly found the spot on her collarbone that made her go weak at the knees. She gave a slightly startled squeak before she relaxed back into his embrace and moaned softly. 

He had a habit of doing that to her, appearing out of nowhere and scaring the living daylights out of her. She honestly thought he took a perverse pleasure out of it and it would be his own fault if he ended up with something sharp sticking out of him if he chose the wrong moment to do it.

His lips whispered up the side of her neck and her irritation faded completely as she melted under his touch. He was just way too sexy and way too sure of himself but she loved him anyway. "I thought we were going to the club tonight," she smiled, turning in his arms and sliding her hands over his bare chest drawing a deep growl from him.

"We won't be going anywhere if you keep doing that," he said huskily, his mouth moving to capture hers in a deep, drugging kiss. He knew he should be getting ready but Mara was wearing the most sinful little black dress he'd ever seen and all he could think about was stripping it slowly from her body and sliding deep inside her. Making love to his beautiful woman was all he could think about since she'd finally surrendered to him.

"We are going to the club," Mara said firmly stepping back from him and giving him a mock scowl. "I'm sick and tired of hearing your little bimbos asking Bill if you're going to be in. So get ready and come to the club with me. It's about time they realised you are most definitely off the market."

Demetri grinned widely at his woman's possessiveness. As if he cared about any other woman now he had his Mara in his life, but if she needed to stake her claim then who was he to deny her? "You're stunning when you're jealous," he laughed softly, moving to slide a black silk shirt over his wide chest.

Mara laughed at the smug satisfaction on his face, containing her little pout of disappointment that he was covering his gorgeous body up. Crawling back into bed with him was a very appealing notion but if she was to take over the complete running of Karpathia's then she wasn't doing so until every woman who entered the place knew without a shadow of a doubt that Demetri Bozic belonged to her and no one else. 

"Have you spoken to Caleb yet about the club?" she asked slipping on her a sandals and grabbing her wrap from the bed.

"He said he's going to kiss you the next time he sees you," Demetri answered with a slight frown on his face. He'd approached Caleb with an offer to buy out his half of the club, knowing his friend wasn't interested in running it and wanting to give Mara something that was completely hers. Caleb had been glad to get rid of his stake in the place, hence his comment. Demetri didn't know if he meant what he had said but he sincerely hoped he didn't. If Caleb kissed Mara...well he didn't think he would like that very much.

"Why on earth are you scowling?" Mara asked with a slightly puzzled expression. "You think Caleb wants to run away with me?" She laughed when his scowl darkened further and she shook her head. "I somehow doubt Annie would allow it, love," she said with a smile. "And you can't really complain if Caleb did give me a sisterly peck. Not the way you're always winding him up by hugging Annie."

Demetri laughed, his scowl melting away as he ran his fingers through his long black hair, his green eyes twinkling with devilment. "It doesn't seem to bother you when I hug her. You don't get all jealous and possessive like Caleb." He had to admit that he did hug Annie way too much just to irritate his friend. It usually worked too.

Mara rolled her eyes at him but her lips were twitching in a smile. "I'm not about to get into a fight with a vampire," she remarked drolly. "Anyway, even the densest person on the planet can see that Annie only has eyes for one vampire and it most certainly isn't you." 

She jabbed at his chest and he caught her back into his embrace, dropping a quick kiss on her luscious lips. "No kissing Caleb," he murmured softly. "One friendly hug is permissible the next time you see him, but no kissing. So I won't be tempted to beat him up for trying to take what's mine."

He gave in to the temptation to kiss her again, threading his hands in her long brown hair so he could tilt her head back and possessively devour her lips. He meant it to be a quick kiss but the moment her beautiful body was pressing against his he hardened with desire and his tongue was teasing its way into her sweet mouth to lick boldly against hers.

When he finally raised his head, his eyes had darkened with need and he was mentally calculating how pissed she would be if he ripped off her dress and threw her on the bed. His earlier thought of sliding the dress slowly from her body was obviously way too optimistic for him. When Mara was in his arms he couldn't do anything slowly. It was always hot, passionate and extremely lusty.

"Demetri," she groaned when she saw the look on his face. "I really want to go out tonight."

His beautiful face etched into another scowl before he grinned ruefully at her. "Whatever my woman wants," he sighed softly, hurrying her downstairs and out to the car. He decided that the sooner they went out the sooner they could come home again. It had nothing to do with the fact that he wanted to be seen out with her, that he ached for everyone to know that she was his.

Getting to the club turned out to be quite hazardous. Demetri found he couldn't keep his eyes on the road when her short skirt slid up to reveal far too much tempting thigh to his gaze. And her sweet scent of honey was permeating the car too. He was groaning by the time he finally pulled up outside Karpathia's. At the rate his body was reacting to Mara he was going to be spending most of the night with a very painful erection.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked for the fifth time. "We could just go home and spend the night alone." He gave her a hopeful look, rolling his eyes when she met his with a stern glance. Conceding defeat for now, he teased her with a wicked smile as he leaned over and ran his tongue slowly over her bottom lip before he slid it inside her mouth for a long, wet kiss. When the scent of her arousal was off the charts, he pulled away and got out the car.

Mara groaned when he quite literally kissed the socks off her and then walked away as if nothing had happened. He was deliberately trying to use her lust against her and she wasn't going to fall for it. Living with Demetri had quickly taught her to guard against his subtle manipulations. He thought he was so clever when he tried to get around her but he didn't fool her one little bit.

She accepted his hand when he opened the car door for her. Casually, she brushed the back of her hand against his groin, moving away a fraction of a second after doing so but still hearing the breath hiss out of his mouth. Two could play his game and she was most definitely planning on being the winner tonight.

Demetri couldn't stop the almost feral grin that crossed his face when Mara declared all out war on him. His green eyes sparkled with delight as he followed her into the club, his gaze fixed on the gentle sway of her backside in her figure hugging dress. He was going to have a hard time keeping his hands off her. He wondered idly how she'd feel about a little bit of fun in one of the booths, or maybe they could go down to the office?

"Demetri," Mara laughed looking over her shoulder and seeing him standing still with a thoughtful expression on his face. She could almost imagine what was going through his head. He quite literally had a one track mind and it usually involved her being naked and his hands and mouth wandering over her body. The word insatiable had been invented by Demetri Bozic. 

He gave her another of his wicked grins, the ones that set her pulse racing and a wet heat pulsing between her legs. He was at her side in an instant, looping an arm around her waist and hugging her tightly against his side as they entered the club.

It was busy as usual as they threaded their way over to a booth that had been roped off and marked as reserved. Mara had called Bill earlier and told him to keep a booth free for them. She could feel eyes on them as they moved through the throng of people and she was sure the eyes belonged to the many woman whom Demetri had once satisfied his hunger and lust with over the years.

"So, how are you going to do this?" he chuckled in her ear as they slid onto the cold leather seat. "Do you want to announce it in between dance tracks?" The laughter in his voice was unmistakable and she elbowed him lightly in the stomach which just made him laugh even more.

"Shut up and go and get me a drink," she snorted trying not to laugh at his obvious enjoyment at her reaction to him being in such demand from his previous lovers. She watched him walk over to the bar and her heart leapt inside her. Sometimes she had to pinch herself to make sure she wasn't dreaming. Sometimes it seemed so impossible that someone as beautiful as Demetri wanted her and no one else.

He moved with such grace, his big, powerful body oozing his sex appeal and causing many a head to turn in his direction. She wasn't surprised to see a pretty little brunette appear at his side almost instantly. Though she couldn't hear the conversation between them, she could tell by the other woman's body language that she didn't like what she was hearing and she smiled slowly as the brunette was left standing with a stunned expression on her face as Demetri turned away from her and made his way back to their booth with a bottle of wine and a couple of glasses.

"What?" he asked with a confused smile as he slipped back into the booth, pouring two glasses of wine and handing one to her.

"I think you just broke her heart," Mara laughed softly and he turned his head to look back at the brunette who was still watching him with a vexed expression on her face.

He shrugged. "She'll live," he answered after sipping at his wine, his eyes now firmly fixed on Mara's face. He wasn't interested in the other woman. He had been polite but firm with her, getting his point across succinctly. The only woman he wanted was sitting beside him watching him with an amused expression on her face. "What?" he said again. "I thought the whole point of coming out tonight was to let everyone know that I belonged to you?"

Mara laughed and sipped at her wine before she set her glass down and slid closer to him. His arms automatically reached for her, half pulling her onto his lap so he could lean down and give her another breathless kiss. He groaned deep in his chest and she answered him with breathy little moan of her own. "Now, I prefer you to let them know like that," she sighed against his lips when he finally let her up for breath.

"Oh, I think I can do that," he answered huskily going back for another long, hard kiss before he released her slightly and sat back so he could look into her beautiful face. "Though I do have something else planned." Big brown eyes stared up at him with more than a hint of curiosity in them and he smiled roguishly at her. 

"Mara, I know we talked about the future just a little bit," he began with a slightly uncertain expression on his face. "I know you don't want to make the change just yet." He stopped and frowned slightly, considering his next words carefully.

Mara frowned too, reaching up to smooth his silky black locks over his shoulder. She knew what he wanted but she wasn't ready for it at the moment. "Demetri, I love you so very much," she sighed softly. "I don't ever want to be without you. I'm not saying never to the change. You do know that, love?"

Demetri watched her expression carefully, seeing the concern on it and lightly tracing one perfect cheekbone with his finger. "I know, beautiful," he breathed softly. "I can wait until you're ready. I may get a little impatient from time to time because Caleb has Annie completely and I want the same with you, but I'd never push you into it. What I was thinking was, until you're ready to fully join my world then maybe I should join yours while I'm waiting."

He watched her confusion grow and he smiled slowly, one hand disappearing for a moment and coming up with something shiny in it. Mara stared at the ring with an open mouth. There was no box, just a beautiful perfect band of white gold with a square cut emerald which matched the colour of Demetri's eyes.

"I know this isn't the most romantic of settings and I should be getting down on one knee or something equally as ridiculous," he sighed, his eyes intent on hers as he spoke. "I will do that if it's what you want, Mara."

She dragged her eyes from the ring and stared at him stunned. "You want to get married?" she finally managed to get out when she could breathe again. Demetri really wanted to marry her? She didn't think vampires could get married. Surely if they could, Caleb would have married Annie? She was quite literally stunned and didn't know how to react.

Demetri was watching her face intently, almost being able to see her thoughts whirling madly in her head. He couldn't believe how nervous he felt. He wasn't used to actually caring what someone else thought. "I want to get married, Mara," he said quietly. "If you'll have me. If you don't want to get married then fine, just wear the ring so everyone can see that we're together." He didn't particularly like option two but if she was more comfortable with that then he'd live with it.

Mara's heart thumped wildly in her chest as she saw the longing in Demetri's beautiful green eyes. She knew this was hard for him. If she hadn't already been certain that he loved her, this unexpected action would have proven it. She smiled slowly, her brown eyes shining with her love for him. "I would love to marry you, Demetri," she breathed softly, holding out her hand so he could slide the engagement ring onto her finger.

He felt a wild joy spring up inside him at her agreement. He did pull her fully onto his lap and began to kiss her quite outrageously, his tongue delving deeply into her mouth as heat exploded between them instantly. He lifted his head and cradled her face gently, his expression warm and loving as he held her close. "I love you, my Mara," he whispered softly. "Come on."

He pulled her from the booth and marched into the middle of the dance floor, the sea of dancers parting to allow them to do so. No one got in Demetri Bozic's way when he wanted something, and the unassuming humans who frequented the club were no exception.

He smiled at his woman, holding her left hand high so he could admire his ring with a fierce possessiveness taking hold of him. Who would have thought that something so intrinsically human could have such a profound affect on him? That one little item of jewellery could tell the whole room that Mara belonged to him as surely as he belonged to her?

Mara managed to refrain from rolling her eyes as she heard startled gasps around them, mostly from women. She was acutely aware that they were simply standing still in the midst of the other dancers and that quite of few of them were standing still too, watching them with open interest.

"Is this enough for you, Mara?" Demetri asked with a smug smile on his beautiful face. He wasn't unaware of the slight looks of disappointment on some of the men's faces around them. He knew his woman was beautiful and so incredibly desirable. He wanted them to know without a doubt that she was not available should there ever be a night when he couldn't escort her to the club.

He spun her round and then caught her into his arms, moving slowly against her body in time to the slow, heady beat of the next track to be played. His beautiful woman laughed, her hair swaying as her head tilted back and her face shone with such radiance. She quite literally took his breath away and he wondered how he could ever have been so lucky as to find her in the first place.

"Demetri, stop pretending all of this is for me," Mara laughed, bringing her mouth close to his and grinding slowly against him, delighting in the feel of his hardness pressing insistently against her. "We both know this little show is just as much for your benefit as it is for mine."

He laughed with her, gently teasing her mouth with tiny little touches of his lips. "I can't hide anything from you, can I, beautiful?"

"No," she sighed softly, gripping the back of his neck so she could deepen the kiss and press her tongue into his mouth as they continued to move sinuously against each other.

Her life had changed so much and all for the better. She would always have to be one step ahead of Demetri at all times, because he was such a manipulative man and so used to always getting his own way. But he loved her with every fibre of his being and she knew that anything she wanted, all she had to do was ask him for it and he would try his damnedest to give it to her. And she loved him too, just as fiercely as he loved her. He was her entire life now and she couldn't imagine a moment when he wouldn't always be in her thoughts and her heart. Her beautiful, arrogant vampire.

"I love you, Demetri," she sighed against his lips and she felt the soft growl which rippled through him at her words. He raised his head and stared into her big brown eyes, his expression strained with his need to be with her.




The Assignment Ch. 05



"Can we go home now, beautiful?" he asked almost plaintively and she threw her head back and laughed when he quite literally dragged her bodily from the dance floor when she nodded her agreement.

The End 



The Assignment Ch. 1



Well, my life is in shambles now. I had a loving wife whom I adored, and was in my final year of my master's studies. It all started with an assignment in my English class. Our professor was a very strange person. She had some weird sense of humor, and was always pushing us to write about things that made us very uncomfortable. Her idea I guess was to help us to push our own private boundaries. 

The assignment in question had to be an erotic piece that dealt with some aspect of our lives, in the past or present. It could be written as a sci-fi, historical, or present day. It had to have some truth to it, and it had to have affected us in some deep way. She then gave us one month to complete it. This in itself was unusual for her, since she was always pushing us on short deadlines, saying, "In the real world, you don't get a long period of time to complete projects."

We were all surprised by this assignment, me more so than the others in my class. I had never read or wrote 'erotic' anything in my life. I actually used to read Penthouse and Playboy for the pictures. I had written some poetry for my then fiancé', and even something once in a while for her after we were married. I didn't want to go into my past for erotic stories, and especially didn't want to write about anything that had happened to me then.

It took me a full week to finally find something that I thought 'fit' the assignment. My wife, Kate, knew that something had been bothering me, and I finally told her part of the truth. I told her how we had to write an erotic story for our class, based on our knowledge. I should have, looking back, told her everything about the assignment. Maybe the things that happened would never have occurred, and I would still be in marital bliss.

Some of my classmates were very into this assignment, especially Gary and Ted. They were you typical jock-type guys, always grab-assing and flirting with the ladies. I tended to be more, well, moderate in my social and public outlook. I had a beautiful and loving wife at home, and I didn't need the attentions of other women. Hanging around with those two would have been something I wouldn't do in any circumstance. To be honest though, deep down, I wanted to 'be one of the guys'. 

When I started to write my story down, I used a very personal memory of when I had been about thirteen years old. My father had owned an apartment building complex in the city. He had tenants that were for the most part college kids. Some of them were married, and most were single. As long as the rent was paid and trouble kept to a minimum, dad would leave them to their own devices. Usually they were busy studying and tired from working part-time jobs, to be too adventurous. It wasn't like that at all in the dorms down the street a ways though. There, the parties were notorious, even a geek teen like me had heard about some of the goings on at those parties.

Anyway, one afternoon, dad had me working in the building. My job was to sweep up the hallways, and dump the garbage cans on each level. I got paid a very small sum for this, but dad was a firm believer in hard work. This day, I swept up and was on the third floor finishing up when near the door of an apartment I heard many voices. The tenants in this apartment were always in my mind because they were one of the few married couples in the building. I had a crush on the girl. She was the embodiment of everything I looked for in a woman. She had long blonde hair, great figure, big chest, and to top it off, she talked to me like I was an adult. She was very nice, and was majoring in teaching.

I looked for her every chance I went to the building, hoping just to see her just once, just a glimpse. Ah, teenage angst. This day, the door was open, and I heard her moaning and begging. I figured that her husband was some lucky jerk to be able to 'have' her whenever he wanted. I thought that they were having some hot sex, so, being young and daring, I snuck up to the door and peeked in. What I saw, well, I was stunned. I had never thought that a married couple would do something like this, and I wasn't prepared for the sight that befell my eyes.

She was in the living room, naked, astride her husband. Behind them another naked man was pushing his cock into her butt. A third man was nude in front of her feeding her his large cock. There were three other men standing around naked also. I was stunned. My angel was nothing but a common whore, fucking all of those men. I couldn't believe that her husband was involved in this either. I watched them for about an hour, and then as she was coming down from a large orgasm, she looked right over at me, still standing in the hallway. Recognition loomed and I panicked and ran.

It had affected me greatly. It took days before I could even set foot in the building, let alone clean the third floor. Eventually, I had to go upstairs and clean the hallway. The tenants had complained so I worked up my nerve and was in a hurried frenzy, trying to get done before they came home from their classes. I couldn't face her at all. I had been embarrassed when she had caught me watching and I thought that she would think I was a pervert or worse yet, tell me father about what I had done.

I had just finished up when she came into the hall behind me. I couldn't run because she was in front of me blocking the way. 

"We need to talk I think." "You saw us doing something that you shouldn't have seen, but since you have I think we need to talk about it."

I was embarrassed. I was probably red faced as could be. I stuttered out some inane thing, hoping that she would just let me go away.

"Jim, you are a handsome and intelligent young man. You saw me doing things with men that shocked you. I want to know if you told anyone about what you saw."

"Uh," I replied," I haven't said anything, HONEST. I am sorry that I was watching you, and I won't ever do that again." I was scared she was going to tell on me, and she was evidently afraid I had told dad. I just wanted to have this all go away.

"Jim, do you know what we were doing? Aren't you curious about why my husband and I were, well, having sex with those other guys?"

She had taken my hand in hers and was leading me into her apartment. I was deathly afraid of who or what would be waiting in there, and just wanted to leave. I had some very erotic dreams about her nakedness after that night, but the concept of her sharing herself like that was too much for my thirteen-year old brain to accept.

We ended up talking for about two hours, and when I left that day I knew that I wasn't in trouble, nor was she. We got along after that, but never with the same feeling that I had had for her before!

So I had been writing about that, but because of my nature, I had the husband tied up and the men were in the process of 'taking' her. I had never been able to accept that she had wanted to do those guys, and I had, since being married, never dreamed of why her husband would have wanted her to have sex with those guys. I guess that in writing the story down, I still wanted to place her up in my imagination as my first love, taken against her will.

I had the rough draft done, then the professor made us hand them in. She then redistributed them to the class in mixed fashion! Someone else was going to be reading my rough draft. It turned out that it couldn't have been a worse person. Gary the 'jock' got my story. I was mortified. It had happened that the lady in my story, and my wife had the same first name. I knew that I should have changed the names in the story, but I just couldn't bring myself to do that to 'my first love'. Bonehead mistake. 

We all read through the stories given us, mine I didn't do justice to due to the fact that Gary was reading MY story. I never in any circumstances have let him, of all people, read that story. I was embarrassed all over again! This time because someone else knew my secret of that day. I knew that he would have some crude comments and jokes about it and was waiting for the torment to begin. Instead, he really surprised me. He made a few grammatical notations and caught a few typos. I was pleasantly surprised. He handed my story back to me and smiled. 

"Hey Jim, want to go out for a few beers after class?" I was in a quandary! Why now? Why would he ask me to join him and his friends for a few beers? I thought that maybe he would make fun of me to his friends, so I started to beg off! Gary wouldn't take no for an answer though, so I ended up saying that I would go for 'A' beer.

Again, at the bar, I was surprised because Gary never mentioned the story or anything about class. We talked and laughed and kidded around, and pretty soon, I felt like I had been so wrong about him and his friends. They were actually pretty nice guys, and they were careful to include me in the fun. I had a great time, and when I left to go home to Kate, I was on cloud nine. I felt like I fit in with the jocks, which really shocked me when I thought about it. When I got home Kate was flabbergasted that I had gone out 'with the boys' and wasn't even mad. She thought that I was too much the student and needed to go out and kick up my heels once in a while. We talked about things, and I decided that I would take her out for a well-deserved dinner and or a movie on the following Friday. We hadn't been out at all for about a year because of the fact that I had no money, and being broke means that you don't do those things very often. I made up my mind that I would try harder to set aside funds to do this regularly. Kate deserved it after all.

Gary and I became buddies of a sort, and one night the following week he came over for dinner at our place. Kate had outdone herself, and dinner was great! Gary was impressed with my wife, both her looks and her cooking! Kate was nervous and kept close to me all night. Gary left after dinner after having made lots of compliments about Kate's beauty and her cooking, and Kate was hot as I had ever seen her that night in bed. She just about ate me alive; I even got to cum in her mouth. That was something that she would rarely let me do. I think that she liked it when I did, but she thought that 'nice girls' didn't do that at all. Matter of fact, she even let me penetrate her tight little ass for a few strokes! That was a first for either of us. I didn't get over an inch in and it wasn't for a very long time, but still it was a first for us. I figured that the wine Gary had brought had really gone to her head for her to allow me to do something like that, and I hoped that she would allow me to do that again, for a longer time, in the future.

On Friday of the week, I noticed that Gary wasn't in class. I guess his parting had caught up with him, since he often would miss class. That weekend Kate was preoccupied and reserved around me. I couldn't figure out what was bothering her, she wouldn't talk to me about it. I thought that it might be her 'time of the month' so I blew it off and tried to be extra attentive. On Monday, Gary was in class, and he invited me out that night for a party. I had to decline; I had to finish my story. He got me to agree to a rain check for the following Wednesday. I went home and Kate was all bubbly and happy. We ate and I finished my story, then we went to bed, where Kate made up for the last few days of being 'out-of-sorts'. We had some great sex, and she let me in her ass again, for a longer period of time. Still not very deep, I think maybe I got in about two inches this time. We slept spoon fashion that night and in the morning she was hot again. She fucked my eyeballs out before I went to class. This was a little out of character for her, but to be honest, I liked the change.

Tuesday night, Kate had some errands to run and left me to my own devices for about three hours. When she got home she had some packages that she put away saying it was for a surprise for me. My birthday was long since over, and I couldn't think of any reason for a surprise for me, but I didn't mind. She had always been one to like giving me surprises so it wasn't too out of character for her.

Wednesday, in class, Gary was effusive and friendly. He said that he had a party in mind, but didn't have a place to throw it. I called home just after class, and Kate thought it would be ok to have it at our place. I caught up with Gary on the campus, and told him to have it at our place. He was thankful, and said that it would be a party to remember for sure. I went home after the rest of my classes that day, and hadn't seen or heard for Gary or his friends at all. I figured that he was busy letting everyone know where the party was going to be. 

When I got home I was surprised to see that quite a few guys were already there. Gary shoved through the crowd and pulled me with him thru the mass of men. 

"Well, the guest of honor is here. Jim, sit down right here on this chair." They had taken one of our kitchen chairs, and put a cushion on it. It looked like a throne, sort of. As I sat down, someone grabbed me from behind and my hands were tied tightly behind the chair. My legs followed quickly. I overheard someone saying, "Better gag him, don't want the little missus finding out that this isn't his real fantasy now do we!" There was laughter and a ball gag was produced and forced into my mouth. I was tied and trussed up so well that I couldn't move at all, except for slight motions of my head.

Then the crowd parted. Kate came through the men gathered around and she was wearing a very sexy dress that I had never seen before. It had slits up both sides that went up to just under her armpits. It buttoned up the front to its plunging neckline. It shimmered and glowed like sequins and satin. I could see that she had no underwear on at all.

"I love you very much Jim." She started out. "Enough to give you your biggest fantasy." I was confused now. What the hell did she mean be my biggest fantasy? I had always told her she was my biggest fantasy. She moved away from me and the ten men in the room started to get undressed. Gary grabbed her from behind and started to fondle her. His hands were all over her body. She reached over her head and grabbed his head in her hands and pulled him to her lips for a 'behind the back' kiss. MY WIFE KISSING ANOTHER MAN IN FRONT OF ME! I was furious. Trying to get loose, but they had tied me too well. My wrists started to bleed; I could feel the blood dripping down to my hands and onto the carpet. What the hell had she meant by my fantasy? Shocked and stunned, all I could do is sit there, gagged, watching as the love of my life gave herself to other men.

Gary was moving fast now. He had Kate do a little dance, like she was being forced. I realized then that somehow, Gary had used my story to convince Kate that my biggest fantasy was to watch her get gangbanged. OH MY GOD! GANGBANGED! The pain in my wrists was now matched by severe pain in my heart. Why would Kate allow herself to believe that I would have wanted something like that? She had to know me better than that, but obviously, I hardly knew my own wife now. I would never in a thousand years believed that she would allow herself to be used by any one like this.

Gary had Kate dancing and showing glimpses of her body to these now naked men. Kate reached up and started to undo buttons on her dress. She looked at me, where I was struggling, trying to let her know that I didn't want her to do this. Gary leaned in when she hesitated, and told her that I was going for the realistic approach. Bastard. Kate laughed and kept on undoing buttons. Soon she was naked in a room full of naked men. They started to get closer to her as she danced around, then all of the sudden one guy reached out and grabbed her perfect tits.

She was quickly in the center of a mass of naked male flesh, grabbing and being grabbed. I could hear her moaning and begging for someone to fuck her now. Nobody was paying attention to me now and I just sat there watching my life go madly out of control. I started to cry, like a baby, knowing that it was all over now. I could never stay with her with the visions of what was to come being played over and over in my head.

Someone came up behind me and using a towel, wiped my eyes. I was surprised to see a girl that Gary had dated around. She leaned in and whispered in my ear, "Well, looks like Kate is going to be well fucked tonight. Maybe Gary or one of the other guys will take her for the weekend. Don't worry, I will set you loose after a while, and then you will see how big of a slut you have for a wife. I know what she is going to get and it is a wonderful thing that Gary gives women. I love being gangbanged!" 

For the next four hours I watched my love being fucked and fucked. Hard driving cocks, stroking in and out of her tight body. She was in a constant orgasm, begging for more when one cock would be pulled out! At the point Gary stepped up to her I knew that she was no more than a slut. She was begging Gary to fuck her with his 'magnificent' cock. She spread her legs wide and pulled her knees up beside her head. She was wide open and her pussy was gaping open, cum running down. Gary told his girlfriend to clean her up for him and the girl left my side and started to lick and suck on my wife's pussy. Kate was beside herself. When the girl was done, Gary stepped between my wife's legs, and told her to beg for his cock.

Kate was begging! "Yes! Yes! Gary, I want your cock. Please! FUCK ME with your huge cock again! I'll do anything you want, just fuck me!" I couldn't believe what I was hearing. My wife begging for another man's cock. Then the part where she had said again, had Gary and Kate already had sex? I was crushed. WHY? Why did my wife agree to do this with this bastard?

Gary stepped back, "If you want my cock Kate, you will take it up your ass." Kate looked at him and shook her head no. "Kate," Gary said," Take my cock in your hand and put it on your asshole." Kate was still shaking her head no, but her hands were pulling his cock to her rosebud. Soon, the head of Gary's large cock was pushing against her asshole. Someone handed him some K-Y jelly. He placed some on his cock and then started to finger Kate's asshole. He soon had three fingers going in and out of her ass, ramming into her hard. Kate had started by groaning, but that soon changed to moaning. She liked what he was doing to her. When He thought she was loose enough, he pushed his cock into her ass. She clenched her fists, and then moaned a long drawn out moan. He was all of the way into her, at least ten inches, fully inside her asshole.

His girlfriend had moved back by me. "His cock is so big. I have never been able to take him in my ass. Your slut-wife must really be turned on to let him take her asshole. Don't you wish that were you? You know, you are really twisted to want to see your wife being taken, so to speak. I think that is one twisted fantasy. I wish you were my husband and would want me to fuck other men that would be great."

I hung my head and closed my eyes. I couldn't bear to watch my wife, now begging for more cock, acting like such a whore. Gary started to cum, and he pulled out, moving up to Kate's mouth. She took the offered cock into her mouth, down her throat. She sucked and licked him until he shot off in her mouth. She had some of his cum dribble down her chin, where she used her fingers to catch it and put it back into her mouth.

She looked over at me with a funny look to her eyes, and then hollered for more cock. Soon there were three men at a time in her. There was one man in her ass, one in her pussy, and one in her mouth. At one point that night, some one got her to sit on two cocks, taking them into her pussy, loose and dripping with cum. When they were fully in her another guy put his cock into her wide-open asshole. Three cocks in her lower body, over thirty inches of cock. Another guy pushed his cock into her mouth and started to face-fuck her mouth like he had done her pussy earlier. Stroking in and out, hard and fast. She was now able to take all cocks into her throat to their base with no problem.




The Assignment Ch. 1



When everyone tired out, they got dressed and left. Gary and his girlfriend were the last ones there, along with a big black guy. Gary said that they were going to take my wife for the weekend, and they would have the 'slut' back on Monday morning. That was the deal that they had made with Kate last week. They left and after they had been gone a minute, Gary's girlfriend came back and untied me partially, so that she could get away before I did something stupid.

I didn't see Kate for four days. I cleaned up the house and packed up my things. I found an apartment across town and moved my stuff there. I went to class, but had a hard time since it seemed like most of the school knew about what had happened to my wife, and there were a lot of smirks towards me during the day. I checked in regularly at our apartment, since someone needed to feed the dog, and walk him. It had been Kate's dog, so I didn't take him when I moved out. I was concerned for her safety, and almost called the cops, but realizing how their questioning and investigation would all point to me as being the 'sicko pervert' I just kept it quiet. 

On Monday morning, I skipped classes, since it was now almost impossible to show up without comments or stares being directed at me! I went over to walk the dog, and when we got back to the apartment, I saw that Kate was there. She was looking around, seeing my stuff gone and when I came in she ran up to me. She gave me a big hug and tried to kiss me on the mouth, but I turned my head away.

"Jim, what's wrong? Why are you mad at me?" 

I just looked at her before replying.

"I think you know what's wrong Kate, you cheap slut!" I was pissed all over again. She looked at me then got mad. 

"I did this for you and your sick fantasy, and now you blame me for being what you wanted? You bastard! Or is it because I went away with the guys for the weekend? Is that what is bothering you? That I went away from you for the weekend? Well that was the deal Gary worked out with me so that you could have your fantasy. I did this all for you."

I was just sick. She thought that my biggest fantasy was to watch my wife being gang-fucked while I was tied up helpless?

"Look at my wrists Kate, does this look like something I wanted? Had I ever, in our entire time of knowing each other, even hinted at a fantasy like this? Don't you think that you should have at least talked to me before committing to doing such a thing? Do you really believe that I wanted my wife, the love of my life to be such a whore? YOU HAVEN'T KNOWN ME AT ALL HAVE YOU?"

Kate broke down crying. 

"Gary said that this was your fantasy. He said that the assignment was to write your biggest fantasy down and present it to the class. I saw your paper. I did it because I loved you more than life itself, and wanted you to know that I would do anything for you." 

"Kate, do you really think that I would want you to fuck other men, to fuck a group of men? To be the center of a gangbang? I can't believe that you would willingly go along with something like that, let alone go off on your own for four days for more fucking and sucking. YOUR fantasy might have been to be gangbanged, since I saw you get into it so well, but I already had MY fantasy. MY fantasy was to have you, only you. Of course, now my fantasy has been ruined, before my eyes, and what I see in front of me now, well is nothing but a cheap whore, a slut for any man, not my love, or my fantasy."

I left her there; she was on the floor on her knees, crying. I went to my new home, and when I got there a package was waiting. Gary had sent me ten videos of my wife and I now had in my hands, knowledge of what she had done for those four long days. He also had a note in an envelope. In it he thanked me for the 'use' of my slut wife, she had been a real good slut for him and his fraternity brothers. I put the tapes in the closet. I threw the note away, its words burned into my memory forever.

We have been apart for about three months now, I haven't seen anyone, and neither has Kate, to my knowledge. We have started dating some, and talking a little. There has been no sex at all between us, and frankly, I am not sure that I will be able to 'perform' for her or any other woman. Our lives are in check now and maybe; just maybe we will get back together. The thoughts of what she did that night and for that weekend, well, they stick in my mind hard. I have watched the movies Gary sent over, and saw a woman I thought I knew better than life itself. I learned that there was an awful lot I didn't know about my wife, like how debauched she could get, or how much sex she was capable of, or even what type of sex she liked.

My wrist's healed, with little scaring, except for that deep inside me. Kate isn't quite as bubbly as she once was, and I am sure I have lost some bounce too. I will be changing schools in the next semester, and perhaps Kate will move with me. We are not sure at this point. Kate harbors a deep secret from me and won't say what she thinks, and I don't really want to go there anyway. I guess all I can say, as a word of warning, when you get assignments, in school, or even at work, be very careful what you write down, and never, ever, let anyone know your deepest secrets. Also, if married, let your wife know what your fantasies are, all of them. It may save a lot of heartache and trouble between you. After all, your wife should be your closest friend and confidant.