16 comments/ 23244 views/ 17 favorites Maurice Ch. 01 By: kalamazoo707 My name is Maurice Delgado. I have dark brown hair, brown eyes, and a nice smile that includes all of my teeth and yes they're mine and dimples. I own my own company, am independently wealthy and I am very single. I have never been married and it's not because I don't want to be, I guess the right woman has never come along. What am I looking for? Well, I know that this is going to sound like something out of the personal ads but here it goes. I am looking for a woman who is honest, doesn't care about money, likes NASCAR, is well read and I don't mean that she had to be a member of MENSA but I do like intelligent conversation. She has to be secure in herself and be able to withstand the scrutiny of others. Does she have to be beautiful? That depends on what your definition of beauty is. I'm not looking for Barbie doll beautiful or Miss America beautiful but I consider a woman beautiful if she is confident in herself and in the way that she looks even if she is three-hundred pounds. I like a woman who is able to laugh at herself and who isn't afraid to take chances with things that she doesn't know about and doesn't understand. Did I happen to mention that I am a vampire? I bet all of you went "Oooh, a vampire how sexy!" and I bet that most of you have already come up with a mental picture of me based on my description and based on what vampires are supposed to look like. Am I wrong? Be honest, I bet you all have me at least six feet tall with long hair, a six pack and drop dead gorgeous. Well, I'm about to burst your bubble. I'm five foot three inches tall; I'm bald on top and thinking of just shaving my head. I definitely don't have the broad chest and flat stomach, in fact, my chest is hairless and I have a pot belly, have no ass to speak of, a cock that is no longer than five inches long when it's hard and I have what I've heard referred to as chicken legs meaning that they're skinny. Is your chin on the floor? Well pick it up and stash the pity, I don't want or need it. I like who am and if you don't like it then fuck you. I have nothing to prove to you or anyone else for that matter but anyway let me tell you my story, oh and before I forget, I was born this way. What I mean is that I was born a vampire and not made, my appearance which has baffled many is some kind of genetic anomaly. Now that we have that out of the way, let me tell you my story and before you roll your eyes let me assure you that it won't be an epic novel. As I said my name is Maurice Delgado. I live in many places but currently I reside in New Orleans, Louisiana. In a few months that may change but for now this is home. Why here? I don't know and it's not really relevant to my story at least I don't think so, wait, I forgot to mention a very important fact; part of my strange genetic makeup allows me to go out during the day, that is relevant to my story. Anyway, even though I can go out during the day, the night remains my favorite time of day. I find that people act more like themselves under the cover of darkness, their truest natures come out and I am no exception. One night I follow this group on the vampire tour, I don't know what it was about this particular group that drew me but I followed them watching as they hung on the tour guides ever word. I watched as the tour guide, he was an attractive young man with long dark hair and wearing a long sleeved white shirt complete with the ruffles open at the neck showing off his hairy chest as he led the tour. He actually had most of the women and half of the men convinced that he was a vampire, no he didn't actually come out and say it but he alluded to it. Was he a vampire? Hell no! He was no more vampire than I was the tooth fairy but he was entertaining and very good at his job. There was one woman in the group who obviously wasn't impressed with the tour guide or the tour. She didn't say anything but rolled her eyes whenever people gasped in shock or reacted in any way to what the guide was saying. I recognized her for what she was, a skeptic, she was the type of person who had never believed in anything that she couldn't see and touch, the kind of woman that I liked because they presented a challenge. The woman listened as the tour guide talked about Comte Saint Germaine whom the philosopher Voltaire called "the man who knew everything but never dies" because of the fact that he never seemed to look older than forty. No one knew anything about his family only that he was well versed in alchemy and extremely wealthy. Many believed that it was his knowledge of alchemy that contributed to his appearance but I know differently, Germaine is as I am, he is vampire. He is rumored to have died around 1784 but his death and body have never been witnessed and that is because he moved to what is now known as the Soviet Union. Sometime in the 1920's here in New Orleans, there was a man named Jacques Saint Germaine. By all accounts he was looked very much like Comte; he appeared to be around forty years old and was every bit as wealthy as Comte had been. How is that possible? Because they were and are one and the same and he still lives although I don't know where. It is entirely possible that he is still living in the Soviet Union although I doubt it. The tour moved on to the convent in which all of the windows on the top floor are covered. By now I am thoroughly intrigued by this woman, why would one who is so skeptical come on a tour like this I wondered. The guide starts telling the story of how the top floor of the convent is inhabited by vampires that are under guard by the priests. As he relates the story to the crowd, I can see her disbelief grow finally she spoke up. "Really?" she asked, "You really expect rational people to believe this crap?" I took the opportunity to take a really good look at her, she was an inch or two shorter than I was which made me feel positively tall, she wore glasses that were on the thick side but I could still tell that she had lovely dark brown eyes, her face was round and her skin, was .... Gorgeous. There was no other way to describe it, it was a very lovely dark chocolate, and I wanted to eat her up right there on the spot. Suddenly, I was aware that she was talking to me. "You!" she said pointing at me. "Me?" I asked surprised. "Yes you, you look like an intelligent man, do you mean to tell me that you believe in vampires?" she asked. The entire group had its eyes on me. I got the impression that they were grateful that they weren't singled out by this woman. "Well?" she demanded. "I....." "Regina for god's sake!" someone said interrupting me. "Give it a rest." We all looked to see who had spoken, it was another woman who apparently knew this Regina well enough to distance herself from her but also well enough to challenge her. "If you don't like the tour, go back to the room or something." the woman added. There were murmurs of approval at this. Now that someone else had spoken up, others in the group became bolder. Regina glared at the woman who had spoken and then at the group before stomping off to who knows where. I decided to follow her, it wasn't safe for a woman to be alone especially at night, many of my kind and worse lurked in the darkness waiting for a hapless tourist to wander their way and I had decided that this wasn't to be Regina's fate at least not tonight. I followed her watching the sway of her hips and ass and wondered what she would be like in bed, it had been a while for me and unlike some of my counterparts, I will not compel a woman to fuck with me. For one, I never had the need to do so and for two I find it so much more enjoyable when my partner is aware of what is happening. I had no idea of how long Regina would be in town but if I couldn't get her into my bed tonight and she was gone the next day then so be it, New Orleans was filled with women wanting a good lay. I watched as she turned into an alley that I knew to be a bad place, many people have disappeared from that very alley. "Excuse me." I called to her. "Please wait!" She stopped and turned around giving me a wary look. "What do you want?" she asked her voice laced with impatience. "I don't mean to bother you but that alley isn't safe." I replied. "Why? What's in there? Vampires? Or maybe werewolves!" she said mockingly. If she only knew I thought. I watched as she disregarded my warning and headed down the alley. Once again, I tried to stop her by calling her name. "Regina! Don't go in there!" But I was too late. I sensed rather than heard one of my kind waiting at the end of the alley. If I didn't do something soon, Regina would become the evening meal and entertainment of the vampire waiting at the end of the alley. If the vampire was merciful, he would just feed from her and then just kill her if not.... Suddenly, it was important to me that she is safe, I vanished and appeared at the end of the alley several feet in front of Regina. The vampire who was waiting for her looked at me and disregarded me because of my appearance; obviously he had no idea of who I was. Who am I? I'll tell you later. "Shouldn't you be looking for an old woman to feed from?" he taunted when I stared at him. "You will not harm the woman." I said in a firm commanding voice. Before I continue, I should tell you that this vampire was everything that I am not. He is tall, dark haired, handsome and evil. I knew the second that I laid eyes on him that he would toy with Regina, he would use her in every way possible before turning her and then he would throw her on the mercy of his friends who would in turn use her and then toss her onto the streets to figure out how to survive on her own. I even knew who he was, his name was Baron, he claimed to be a direct descendent of Comte Saint Germaine but he isn't. How do I know? Because I am a direct descendent of Comte's and this arrogant fool is no relative of mine. Back to my story, when I spoke to him in that commanding voice, he stared at me and then began to laugh. "Such a big bark for such a small vampire." he taunted. By now, Regina is just behind me but she cannot see Baron or me. She had just walked past me when Baron made a move for her but before he can even touch her, I am in front of her blocking her path. I hear her mutter, "What the fuck?" and felt her as she tried to push past me. "So the little one has some strength." Baron said with a smirk. It was clear that he still didn't see me as a threat because he tried to go around me to reach for Regina. He must have touched her because I heard her scream and then fall silent. My skeptic had fainted. Baron laughed when he saw Regina hit the ground and that angered me. I could see him salivating as he looked at her breasts which were definitely more than a mouthful, several mouthfuls to be exact. I was further angered when I saw his erection as he imagined the things that he would do to hurt her. This woman was mine, I knew that now and I had to keep her safe. "You will not touch her, she belongs to me." I said my voice low and filled with menace. Baron laughed again and said, "What would you do with her? Your cock cannot be more than three inches if that whereas my cock is three times that length but I will make a deal with you." he said. I wasn't interested in any deals with him but I let him talk. "I'll share her, I will even let you go first so that her pussy won't be stretched out like it will be after I have finished with her, what say you little vampire?" he asked. It was my turn to laugh, "Surely you jest!" I exclaimed. "I do not share and I would advise you to take your leave while you can." I added. Now picture if you will me, who as I said is barely five feet three inches, balding, flat assed and pot bellied against Baron who is around six feet four in height, muscular and let's not forget handsome, now tell me and be honest; who would you place your wager on? Baron am I correct? It's alright; I would have chosen him as well. What happened next is this; Baron didn't like my taunting him and used his brawn instead of his brains. He had forgotten about Regina for the moment which was fine by me and he flew at me with his fangs bared and his claws out. What surprised him I think was the fact that I didn't move even when I could smell his foul breath in my face. When he was close enough for me to touch, I wrapped both of my hands around his neck and refused to let go. I was much stronger than he, why? Another one of those things that comes along with my genetic anomaly and I was older than him by several centuries. I knew that he finally recognized me for who I was when he let out a strangled "Fuck!" "Fuck indeed." I replied. "You really should have listened to me." I said as I took his head off and tossed his body aside. Within seconds, all that was left of Baron was a pile of ashes. Now, before you go getting all judgmental and all that shit on me, you need to understand something, if I had let Baron go, he would have come after Regina again. He would have followed her to the ends of the earth and she would have never been safe unless she was with me, secondly, it would have gotten around that I was incapable of protecting my mate and others would come looking for her so keep your self righteous opinions to yourself. I heard Regina stirring behind me and made a snap decision, I was going to take her home with me. I compelled her back to sleep, picked her up and flew home, yes I can fly. Not all of us can but I am one of the fortunate ones, whether my anomaly has anything to do with it or not I don't know and I don't care, I have accepted everything that I am capable of as a gift. In my haste to get her home, I had forgotten about her traveling companion. I couldn't let her report Regina as missing especially since I was sure that people in the group saw me following her as she stomped off. When I got her to my home, I lay her on my bed and compelled her to stay asleep while I asked her some questions. "Regina love, who was the woman with you?" I asked. "My cousin Annie." She replied. "I see and just how long are you and Cousin Annie planning to be here?" "She wants to stay a week but I don't want to." she replied. Hmmm, interesting I thought. "Why don't you want to stay?" I asked. "I don't like it here." "Why not?" I asked. "Have you been to New Orleans before?" I watched as her face scrunched up as if trying to retrieve a memory, I knew then that she had been here before even if she didn't remember it and I knew something else, she had met one of us during that time and whatever happened was traumatic enough that she wanted to forget it and to deny our existence. I now understood that her apparent skepticism was a defense mechanism. "Alright love, never mind that for now." I said and watched as she relaxed. "Where are you and Cousin Annie staying?" I asked. "The Royal Sonesta, she got some kind of special rate." "What is your room number?" I asked. "415." "Alright love, you rest now and don't wake up until I tell you to." I watched as Regina turned onto her side and curled into a fetal position. I covered her with a blanket and called for Olivia my servant girl to sit with her. "Do not disturb her." I said and "contact me if you need me." I called back as I vanished from the bedroom and into room 415. Cousin Annie was already there and pacing anxiously. It was clear that she had expected Regina to be in the room when she got there. I had gotten there just in time; she had just picked up the phone to call the police. "Annie." I said softly and then waited until she turned around. As soon as she saw me, she opened her mouth to scream. "Silence." I commanded. Even though her mouth was open, no sound came out a fact that she realized a few seconds later and she closed her mouth. Her eyes were wide with fear as I approached her and she realized what I was. But I saw her confusion too; I didn't look anything like what she thought a vampire should look like. "Annie, you will not call the police. Regina is safe with me; there is no need to worry." I said. On the spur of the moment, I decided to ask if she knew anything about Regina's prior visit to New Orleans. After compelling her to cooperate, I asked several questions. I had been correct in that Regina had been here before; she was quite young at the time, fifteen years of age. Annie knew that something had happened but Regina would never discuss it always changing the subject whenever the topic of the trip came up or when the topic of vampires came up. "How old is Regina?" I asked. "Thirty-seven." Annie said. Twenty-two years ago, that would make the year 1989 that Regina had been here, I would have to do some research into what happened in New Orleans that year. After reiterating my requests, I left Cousin Annie asleep on the bed and flew back to my own home. Olivia was still sitting by Regina's side watching her sleep. "Something in her dreams frightens her." Olivia said as she stood. "Did she speak?" I asked. "No, not really but she makes the sounds of the frightened." Olivia replied. I thanked her, sent her on her way and took her place in the chair next to the bed. By now word of Baron's demise was already around the quarter as I am sure that someone or something had been watching at the time which in my estimation was a good thing. Regina would now be relatively safe, I wasn't naïve enough to think that she would be unmolested but the assailant would think twice before touching her. I watched her sleep hearing those frightened sounds that Olivia had told me about. What happened that had frightened her so badly? Had she been raped by one of my kind or did she witness an attack? Was the person attacked a relative or friend? So many questions but no answers and I daren't try to force the information from her. It was time to take her back to her hotel room. I carried her to my car, put her in and then fastened her seat belt, as my hand brushed across her breasts I bit my lip and moaned; I wanted her. I guess you are wondering why I didn't take advantage of the fact that I had her in my bed. I am not Baron or anything like him and his kind who think nothing of taking a woman even if it means using compulsion and there is another reason, Regina has already been traumatized by one of my kind and until I find out what happened, I won't touch her. I parked in the parking garage as close to the entrance as I could get which wasn't very close and woke Regina up just enough so that she could walk. Could I have carried her? Of course but don't you think that it would have looked suspicious given what you know about my size? And besides, Regina while not large wasn't a small woman either; my carrying her definitely would have attracted some attention. "Too much to drink huh?" the parking attendant asked. I didn't respond but nodded as I walked with my arm around Regina's waist supporting her. The elevator was empty for which I was glad; I really didn't feel like exchanging pleasantries with whoever happened to be in the elevator with us. We reached the fourth floor without picking up any additional passengers and made it to her room. I took a quick look around and unlocked the door without touching it. Cousin Annie was still asleep on the bed where I had left her after erasing her memory of my visit except for my telling her that Regina was safe. I put Regina on the empty bed, covered her up and then planted a false memory of her spending the evening with me. Is that cheating? Maybe, but how do you think she would have felt if she couldn't account for several missing hours? I looked at the two women and could see the family resemblance, after giving Regina a final look; I left the room, went to my car and went home. Maurice Ch. 01 It occurred to me that the only cell phone that I had was my business one. Personally, I hate the damned things but because so many of my clients and employees are human, I need a phone. I needed another cell phone that I would use just to communicate with Regina and for nothing else. After I bought the cell phone, I planned to go home and start my research, I had one week to figure out what had happened to my Regina. Yes, that is how I thought of her, as mine because that is exactly what she was-mine. ******* I didn't want to come to New Orleans but I promised my cousin Annie that I would go with her on vacation no matter where she chose, I just didn't think that it would be here. In retrospect, I shouldn't have been surprised; Annie loved reading about vampires and anything paranormal while it scared the hell out of me. That's why I always act so.... What's the word... skeptical? I'm too proud to admit that I'm scared so I act as if I don't believe and belittle those who do. Annie had already gone online to buy the tickets for all of the tours that she thought we would like without asking me first. If she had, I would have skipped the 'ghost walk' and 'vampire tour' and when I offered to pay her for the tickets that she had purchased on my behalf, she pouted and reminded me that I promised to do whatever she wanted to do on this vacation. Reluctantly, I gave in but I was more than petrified. Why? I don't know, I remember coming to New Orleans when I was around fourteen or fifteen with my family. I remember most of the trip but there's a day or two that I can't remember, I only know that something horrible happened here. So here we are on this damned vampire tour, my heart is pounding as the guide is talking about Comte Saint Germaine, my mouth is dry as we stand in front of the convent where it is said vampires are guarded on the top floor. For some reason this place terrifies me and I react in the only way that I know, with skepticism and ridicule. I know that I should keep my mouth shut but I can't. I looked around the group hoping to spot an easy target relieved when I spotted him. He was a short, balding man who could have been anywhere from late thirties to mid-forties. He had a mild manner about him that made him ideal for my outburst. He was actually shocked when I spoke to him, questioning his intelligence because of the possibility that he believed in vampires. He was going to answer me when Annie interrupted him. Damn her! I really wanted to hear what he had to say because usually, people just walked away from me, but not him. When Annie suggested that I go back to the hotel, I took her up on the suggestion, I didn't want to be here anyway; a nice hot shower and a glass of wine sounded much better. I remember stomping off in the direction of the hotel and coming upon an alley. Thinking that it was a shortcut, I started to enter it when I heard a voice. It was a very nice voice calling my name; I was surprised to see that it was the man that I had targeted from the group. If I had been asked to describe what he looked like just from the sound of his voice, I would have been so far off the mark that it wouldn't have been funny. What did I think he would look like? Tall, handsome and very sexy. He was none of those things, wait let me amend that-he wasn't ugly but what I would call interesting, the word sexy didn't apply here but average was a better word. In other words, I could have passed him on the street and he wouldn't have made an impression on me. He didn't want me to go down the alley for some reason and once again, I ridiculed him by asking what was down there. I thought that for just a second, his eyes flashed and I felt a stab of fear but I went into the alley anyway with him calling my name. The next thing I know, I'm having coffee with him but why can't I remember his name? Why can't I remember anything that we talked about? And why am I so scared? I lay on the bed still fully dressed, this wasn't making sense to me and it felt too much like the way I felt the last time that I was in this city and I didn't like it one bit. ****** After I left the hotel, I realized that I had left some holes in the planted memory. I should have told her my name and where we had coffee, too late now, hopefully Regina won't be in too much distress. It was much too early for the 'Verizon' store to be open so I drove around enjoying my ability to be able to be out during the day. I located a coffee shop, parked and got out to go in. An old man sat outside by the door with an empty cup in his hand, I didn't speak to him as I walked by and I gave him no money. It was my practice not to give money but to buy food instead, that was something that I started years ago. The man was still sitting by the door where he had been when I went in, I handed him a cup of large coffee along with several creams and sugars and a sack filled with sweet rolls and croissants. "Thank ya sir." he said as he took the coffee and sack. I went back into the coffee shop to purchase my own beverage and then left. I sat in my car enjoying the feel of the sun on my face and thought about Regina and what could have possibly happened to her here. I took a moment to reflect on the history of my kind here, according to history, during the early colonization of New Orleans, the French were having a difficult time getting females to come here. Why? Because most of the men sent here were of the most unsavory types of characters, they were murderers, rapists and everything in between and let us not forget the creatures of the wild, the alligators, mosquitoes and snakes. At any rate, eventually some women did come, what kind of woman would come here? Some say that they were nuns, some say prostitutes; maybe it was a mixture. I don't know because I wasn't here at the time, this place was to backwoods for me as I am a creature of comfort. Supposedly, it wasn't until the ship reached Mobile, Alabama that the women were told what kind of men lived here and in Mobile most of them stayed. Imagine the disappointment the men of New Orleans felt when instead of women, 300 hundred coffin like suitcases were unloaded. The reports on what was in them varied, some say that they were empty while others say that they contained the bodies of the undead. It is these coffins that are supposed to be kept under guard at the very convent where Regina first spoke to me. It is said that the windows to the convent are nailed shut as they seemed to be able to open by themselves. What do I believe? I believe that it is entirely possible if not probable that there are vampires in those coffins; do I want to find out? Not particularly. New Orleans is filled with stories of vampires, parts of the movie 'Interview with a Vampire' was set here. Are there many of us here? I believe so but I make a point of keeping to myself, live and let live is my motto as long as it doesn't interfere with my well being or the well being of those that I care about. I looked at the position of the sun; the 'Verizon' store would be opening soon. I finished my coffee and threw the empty cup into the trash before driving off. The store was empty which is why I like coming as soon as the doors opened. It didn't take me long to pick out another phone, it didn't have all of the bells and whistles of my business phone but I didn't need those. After my purchase, I headed home to begin my research. ****** I looked over at Annie; she was asleep on the bed fully clothed as I was. That struck me as wrong because Annie was the self appointed queen of the "I hate clothes" society. I've often wondered why she doesn't move to a nudist colony somewhere where she could dance around naked to her hearts content. I sat up slowly and when I found that I wasn't dizzy or anything I stood up and went to the bathroom closing the door behind me. Something was happening that I didn't understand or maybe it was that I didn't want to understand it but somehow it was related to my last trip here. Even thinking about that trip made my heart pound, what the fuck had happened here? I wondered. I stripped, turned on the shower and stepped in letting the hot water wash away the cobwebs in my head, afterwards, I did feel better and I was hungry. Annie was sitting on the side of her bed with a confused look on her face. "I actually slept with my clothes on?" she asked. "Looks that way." I replied. "I never sleep with my clothes on!" she exclaimed. I knew this but didn't reply, I had no answers for her but I did ask if she wanted me to order breakfast. "Sure and how was your coffee date?" she replied. "You know about that?" I asked hoping that she could fill in the empty blanks. "Sure, you went with the man that you tried to put on the spot during the tour." Annie said. "Was I here when you got home?" I asked because I'm usually a light sleeper and I didn't hear her come in. Annie gave me a curious look, "You don't remember?" she asked. "Ummm, not really. " I replied. "I don't remember coming back to the room." "Damn girl, what was in that coffee? Are you alright? You don't think that he slipped you anything do you?" she asked. The thing was I didn't think so, actually; I was sure that he hadn't. While I showered I checked myself out and none of the telltale signs that I had had sex with anyone was present. Like what? Well the obvious, there were no body fluids on me and by that I mean come-dried or otherwise unless he used a condom. My nipples weren't sore- I like my sex a little on the rough side and as a matter of fact, none of me was sore so what in the hell was happening here? I assured Annie that I was fine and that I was sure that my virtue was still intact, in a way it would have been easier had I been drugged and molested, it would have explained the holes in my memory of last night. I almost asked Annie if she knew the name of the man that I had gone with but if I did, she would have dragged me off to the closest hospital and insist that they do a rape kit, did I mention that she watches way too many of those police shows? Anyway, I ordered breakfast as she showered. I wonder what delightful things she had planned for us today. ****** As soon as I got home, I took care of a few business matters and then stripped. I find that I do my best thinking in the nude, I don't know why that is but it's true. Now, I'm sure that you're thinking that I'm nothing much to look at but let me remind you of what I said earlier, I don't give a fuck what you think. Anyway, now that we understand each other let me get back to my story which contrary to what I said at the beginning is going to be longer than I had originally thought. I turned on my laptop, the personal one- I keep my business and personal life completely separate and Googled New Orleans, 1994. I don't know why I started there for but I found out that the New Orleans Saints won only seven games that year and that it was the second straight year that they failed to qualify for the playoffs. As interesting as that was, it wasn't what I was looking for. I was almost certain that whatever had happened to Regina was of a supernatural nature so I changed my search to 1989 and came up with...nothing, at least nothing that was of any help. It was beginning to look like the internet wasn't going to be of much help to me, I was going to have to find things out in the good old fashioned way- I was going to have to talk to other supernatural beings that were still here and had been here in 1989. Maurice Ch. 02 I looked outside, it as going to be a beautiful but very hot and humid day. I wondered what Regina and her cousin Annie had planned for the day. I also hoped that Regina wasn't in too much distress because of the holes that I had left in the memory that I planted. I decided to start my inquiries about 1989 this morning, I knew that there wouldn't be any of my kind out unless they were like me or half human-yes there are a few like that but as I think I mentioned, there are other types of beings that live here. I took a shower, something else that I really don't have to do but that I enjoy just as I do driving and I get dressed. I choose casual wear because I don't want to be conspicuous and who knows what I'm going to run into? Just like in the human world, we have our problems with drugs (the selling of), slavery-(more people go missing in this city than any other), murders, gangs and turf wars. Am I worried? No I'm not. Why? Because like Baron, others tend to underestimate me because of my appearance but even so, I can kick some serious ass and not break a sweat. I am well aware that I sound quite full of myself but I am only stating fact. I looked at my balding head and thought again about just shaving it off, as it stood now, I looked older than the forty-one that I was supposed to be in human years. I made a snap decision, I was going with the bald look, what could it hurt? I called for Olivia who came in no time flat. What is my relationship to her? What you really want to know is if I'm fucking her. Not that it's any of your business but the answer is no, Olivia is.... How can I say this? Different and that's all I'm going to say about her other than she's one hell of a servant. I told her what I wanted and in a few minutes, my head was completely bald. It took me several minutes to make the adjustment but when I did, I decided that I liked it; it took away from that Benjamin Franklin look. I actually looked younger. "What do you think?" I asked Olivia. "I like it sire, you have such a nicely shaped head." she replied. "Nicely sh..... Never mind." I said as I ran a hand over my bald head. "I am going out and I want you to do something for me while I'm gone." "Yes Sire?" "Go online and see if anything stranger than usual here happened in 1989. Check for missing persons especially women and if you can use some of your contacts and see if they know anything." I was about to leave when I remembered something else. "Also check into that convent where the windows are boarded up. Put your report on my desk." "Yes sire." Olivia can find her way around the internet even better than I can and it's because she has the patience and she loves doing the research. I would be surprised if she told me that she hadn't found anything because as I said, the woman is a whiz on the computer and she does have a few contacts that I don't have. The day is already hot and humid but that doesn't bother me. The question that I am asking myself is where to start and how do I want to get there. Traffic is relatively light but then there is the parking issue, walking would take care of a variety of things and I can vanish or fly of I choose so walking it is. As to where I start, I think I'll go to the alley; someone or something may be there. ****** Annie and I ate breakfast in silence. I know what she's thinking; she's thinking that I should go to the hospital for a rape kit. I won't go because I wasn't raped or molested in anyway. I'm not going to tell her that I don't remember where I went with the man from the group or how I even came to be in bed; she'd want me to go for an MRI or CT scan. I want to leave and go anyplace but here. Even now in the daylight I'm scared. I know that if I could figure out what happened in 1989 I might feel better but I don't want to remember. What do I remember? I remember being so excited to be going on vacation. We had never gone on vacation as a family before and we all saved our allowances so we would have spending money. There were three of us and I was the oldest of the three, my brothers Daniel and Edward were considerably less excited about the trip than I was. They were worried about their girlfriends finding new boyfriends while they were gone. Why did we pick New Orleans? I don't really remember, isn't that strange? I can remember everything about getting ready for the trip except for why we chose to come here. I can still remember being packed the week before we were going to leave and counting and recounting the money that I had saved for the trip. 100.00 dollars that I made from baby sitting and selling some of my clothes that I no longer needed or wore. I even remember setting my alarm clock for 3:00 AM because we were leaving at five. Mom and dad were already up, I could hear them talking downstairs and I could smell the coffee as it brewed. Mom was probably packing up the sandwiches that I helped her make the night before and dad was already loading the car, he had insisted that we have our luggage by the front door the evening before. Daniel and Edward were still in bed and wouldn't get up until the last minute meaning 4:15, it would give them enough time to get in the shower and get dressed just before we pulled out. The closer to the time it came to leave came, the more the time seemed to slow down and then suddenly, it was time to go. The date? Saturday June 3, 1989 two days before my fifteenth birthday and that made the trip that much more special, I would be on vacation for my birthday. We would be gone for almost two weeks, something else that was new, we were never away from home for more than a night and that was a rare occurrence. Now that I'm thinking about it, there are so many things that didn't seem strange at the time but they seem strange now. Like what? The trip itself and how I don't remember how we selected New Orleans, the length of time that we were gone and where the money for the trip came from. My parents were working class people; a two week vacation was a fantasy that we had all talked about ever since I can remember. Where had that money come from? I remember now, it was a prize that my mother won from her job, no, that's not right. Her employers, that's it, her employers gave her the money for....something....why in the hell can't I remember? ******* I took my time walking to the alley, I was in no particular hurry so I window shopped and stopped for a cup of coffee. I finally got to the alley where Baron and I fought over Regina, there was no one there but I decided to wait for a while. I had been waiting for about an hour when the first being that I was going to talk to showed up. He didn't see me at first as he was looking in front of him but I recognized him for what he was, a minor demon probably out doing some task for his master. "Good morning!" I said startling him. He turned around to see who had spoken to him. He didn't speak but watched me warily, it was clear that he knew what I was but not who. I sat not moving until the demon relaxed slightly, I took a sip of my coffee and looked around, if this demon knew something, then I didn't want others to know that he had spoken to me. "What is your name?" I asked. "M...Mortimer." he replied nervously. "Don't be afraid, I only want to talk to you." I said still not moving. "W...why?" "Were you here in 1989?" I asked. "I was here." he replied nervously. "Did anything unusual happen in the supernatural world that year?" I asked. "No," he said a little too quickly. "Are you certain? You answered very quickly." I replied. Before I knew it, he was gone. Inadvertently he had answered my question, something had happened that year and Regina was either a part of it or saw something that she shouldn't have seen. I also knew something else; she was in a great deal of danger but from whom? ****** I didn't want to leave the room but Annie had paid for a cooking class of some kind. That seemed harmless enough so I went. As we walked to the class, I looked around. I had the feeling that I was being watched but I didn't see anyone, that it might be a something didn't occur to me. I decided that I was just being paranoid and tried to have a good time for Annie's sake. It turned out that I really enjoyed the cooking class, Annie and I each bought the kit that had a cookbook which the teacher signed and some spices that included real vanilla. Because we got to eat what was cooked, we didn't have to buy lunch. That afternoon we took the river cruise which I loved, I've always found the water relaxing even though I don't swim. I closed my eyes and blocked out the voice of the man talking about the land marks only opening them and listening when he mentioned the 9th ward and hurricane Katrina. To be honest with you, I could have stayed on that boat for the whole day, it was the only place other than my room that I can say that I felt totally safe. After the boat tour, Annie wanted to go to the casino, I'm not much of a gambler but I figured what the hell? It would be nice to win enough to pay for this trip and have a little extra for a nice dinner at a really fancy place. We caught a cab to 'Harrah's' and walked in. Annie's eyes lit up at the sound of the slot machines and the bright flickering lights, I happened to look at her and felt a stab of fear. For just a second, I wasn't looking at Annie's eyes, it had to be my imagination I thought to myself, it was just the lighting. "Reggie? You alright?" Annie asked. "I'm fine." I replied relaxing, I was just seeing things. We walked around the casino for several minutes before deciding to stop and play. Annie chose a game called 'angels and devils' that gave me the creeps. She wanted me to play the one next to her but I just couldn't make myself sit down at that machine. I made up some excuse and walked off feeling better the further away from the machine I got that was until I passed one that had something to do with vampires. As soon as I saw it, my heart began to pound and I began to shake. I started to back away from it and backed into an extremely tall man. I turned to excuse myself and wished that I hadn't, his eyes were a bright green like those of a cat but that wasn't the problem, they were glowing and I don't mean like... I don't know what I mean but it wasn't normal. I backed away from him and went in the opposite direction not caring that it would take me past the vampire slot machines. I kept walking until I reached the far end of the aisle, I turned around to see him still standing there and watching me. I looked around for Annie and found her ten minutes later playing a dollar machine and winning. "Look at that!" she said excitedly. She was up by seven-hundred dollars but then she was usually lucky. "I guess that fancy dinners on me." she said as she pushed the button and won another fifty dollars. I really wanted to leave but I hated to break her winning streak, I would never hear the end of it so I proposed that I go back to the room and that we go for dinner whenever she got back. Annie was so engrossed in winning that I had to make sure that she heard me. "I heard you." she said rather irritably. "I'll see you later." I checked to see if the tall green-eyed man was anywhere around and made my way to the front where I caught a cab back to the hotel. I made my way to the room and locked myself in, other than the boat this was the other place in which I felt safe. I found myself trying to figure out a way to stay in the room until we had to leave and came up empty handed. I could say that I was sick and that might work for a day or two but after that, Annie would take me to the ER. But a day or two was better than nothing I decided as I took off my clothes and put on my house robe and slippers. I just had to come up with an illness that Annie wouldn't question. I sat on the bed and turned on the television ready to relax when the hotel phone rang. I frowned wondering who could possibly be calling me. I answered the phone to hear a familiar voice. "Regina? This is Maurice Delgado. How are you?" The man from last night but why was he calling me? "I'm fine thanks." I replied not knowing what else to say. "Good, I am pleased to hear that." he said. "I am close to your hotel and was wondering if you would join me for a cup of coffee?" "I appreciate the offer but I just got in and I'm whipped." I said hoping that he'd take the hint. "I see, how about dinner this evening? Have you tried our red beans and rice?" "No, I haven't but Mr. Delgado..." "Maurice if you please." he interrupted. "Maurice." I said and then started again. "Thank you for the invitation but my cousin and I have plans for dinner." "She is more than welcome to join us, shall we say six? I will wait for you down in the lobby." he said and then hung up. I stared at the phone, the arrogant little jerk! I would have called him back if I had a way to reach him but either way, I wasn't leaving this room. When I thought about it, the number of the hotel room that I stayed in was 415, it took me a minute to realize that this was the same hotel and the same room but it was redone. How could I not remember that? There was another thing; my mother told me that her employers wanted me to have a room to myself since it was going to be my birthday. When we checked in, I was supposed to be in room 416 but I liked my brother's room better and they actually agreed to switch with me. My parents tried to get us to switch back but we refused, at the time, I didn't think too much of it but now I'm beginning to wonder about a lot of things. It's been twenty -two years since I've been here and not once in those twenty-two years have I questioned that trip but now it seemed important that I know what happened here, why the thought of vampires terrify me and what it is about this room that makes me feel safe. I think that being here is causing some memories to come back but not enough that I can figure out what's going on. My brothers, something about my brothers, they came here with us but.... When I tried to remember, a sharp pain went through my head. I sat on the bed and tried to breathe through the pain, something happened to my brothers here. But what? Another pain went through my head, this one sharper than the last. It looked like I wouldn't have to make up an excuse not to go out tonight. I thought about my brothers again and my head pounded, I tried to remember when I had spoken to them last. Just last week, they called to wish me an early happy birthday. They said that they couldn't make it back to the states in time and that they would be going to some undisclosed location. I jumped up; my birthday was in two days, this it can't be a coincidence. I mean the last time I was here was on my birthday and I'm here again for another birthday. That has to mean something although what escapes me. As soon as I stopped thinking about my brothers and why I was here, the pain in my head disappeared. I lay down, closed my eyes and went to sleep. Annie came in around five-thirty 1200.00 richer and woke me up. "Why aren't you dressed?" she asked. "Our dinner date is waiting downstairs." "Dinner date? What dinner date? I asked. "Maurice Delgado, he said he talked to you about taking us to dinner tonight." Annie said as she stripped so that she could take a quick shower. "Annie, why don't you go?" I suggested. "I really don't feel too good." "What's wrong?" she asked concerned as she felt my forehead. "You don't have a fever; maybe you need a good dinner so get up and get dressed." "Annie...." "Come on! Chop chop lets go!" I didn't want to go but I was forced into it. I redressed and waited for Annie to get ready. I want to go home. ******** I waited in the alley to see if anyone else showed up, a few other beings showed up but none of them had been here in 1989. After they left, I took my leave and started walking; it came to me that I needed to make contact with Regina. I had to mark her in some way, it would protect her from all of the lesser beings, give most of the higher beings pause and it would only tell those who were master vampires and demons that she belonged to me. Theoretically, she should be off limits once marked but as we all know things don't always work the way that they're supposed to and there is this- she was pulled back her for a reason and whatever happened back then predates my mark. After a while I end up at the Royal Sonesta where Regina and her cousin Annie are staying. I called up to the room and was pleasantly surprised when Regina answered the phone. I fully expected her to decline my dinner invitation but I am not one who easily accepts the answer "no". I asked at the desk if both ladies were in using compulsion to get an honest answer. Both ladies left but only one of them came back, I asked for a description of the one who came back and knew it to be Regina. After thanking the hotel personnel, I called Regina. She tried to decline dinner but I wouldn't allow it. I knew that she would plan not to show so I waited for Annie to come in. "Annie, I am Maurice Delgado, we met last evening." "Oh sure, you're the one who took Reggie out for coffee last night." she replied. "Reggie?" I asked. "Regina, I call her Reggie." "I see." I replied. I hated the nickname and it would never be used by me. "I spoke with Regina this afternoon and invited the two of you to join me for dinner at six. Did she not mention it?" I asked knowing damn well that she hadn't. "No she didn't. I'm sorry about that, she should have called me. And yes six is perfect; we'll see you in a half hour." I watched as Annie rushed toward the elevator. I knew that if anyone could get Regina out of the room it would be her. I had just settled in to wait when I sensed one of my kind in the hotel lobby. As I mentioned before, I try to interact as little as possible with others of my kind but I sensed that this one wanted to speak with me. I walked over to him and looked up at him and waited for him to speak. "What in the hell are you doing here?" he hissed. "Do you mean here or do you mean in New Orleans? I asked. "Both!" he snapped. "I find it curious that you are just now questioning my presence especially since I have been in New Orleans for several months." I said ignoring the vampire's tone. "So why are you just now saying something?" He seemed to have no real answer which told me something, he was working for someone else. "Who are you working for?" I asked. He didn't answer me but issued what I took to be a warning. "Stay away from things that don't concern you." "Are you talking about Regina?" I asked not really expecting an answer but getting one. "That and other things." he replied. I grew tired of the game and wanted a straight answer. "Who sent you?" I asked and gave a mental push. Yes I can compel other vampires with the exception of those who were equal or close to my standing. I had just learned something else, whoever sent this vampire had no idea of what I could do. It he did, he wouldn't have chosen this one to give me a message, he would have found another way to communicate with me. "I was sent by....." "Oh look! There he is!" I heard from behind me. "Maurice! We're ready!" Annie called out. "Who sent you?" I asked urgently hoping that the vampire would answer quickly. "Maurice!" Annie called out again but her voice was closer. "Tell me now!" I demanded. "..." "You brought a friend for me? How nice!" Annie said looking at the vampire. "Ah no." I said. "He was just leaving." I said as I pushed the vampire toward the door. I fully expected him to haul ass but he didn't. He turned toward Annie, took her hand in his and kissed the back of it. Annie twittered like a schoolgirl as the vampire further ingratiated himself with her. Maurice Ch. 02 "I would be honored to have dinner with one as lovely as you." He said smiling at her and then winking at me. What in the fuck was this? I had been fooled! Whoever this vampire was, he was almost as strong as I was mentally if not physically. I now understood what was happening, not only was Regina being followed, so was I. How could I not have known that? And how could I have been so easily fooled? To be perfectly honest with you, I hadn't been expecting to be followed this soon if at all and because of my lack of foresight and caution, I had just given whoever or whatever that wanted Regina a way to access her. I had to mark her and as soon as possible. As to how I had been so easily taken in by this vampire, I would have to give some serious thought to. Regina stood back watching, I could tell that she wanted to do nothing more than go back to her room and had I understood the significance of her room, I would have taken her there myself and locked her in until it was time for her to go home. "Hello Regina." I said smiling at her. Her eyes widened, at first I thought it was because of my now bald head but then I realized that she knew what I was. I don't know how she knew but she did, why she didn't notice last night I don't know except to say that it was because she was angry and frightened. Now she was just scared, that fear turned into terror as she looked over at the vampire holding Annie's hand and saw that he was as I was. ****** I tried to beg off but Annie wouldn't hear of it. "Stop being such a party pooper and come on!" Annie insisted grabbing my hand. As soon as we were in the hall, I missed the safety of my room and tried to go back in. This must be how agoraphobics feel I thought as Annie drug me down the hall and to the elevator chattering like a magpie the entire time. We took the elevator down with another couple who politely listened to Annie's excited chatter, I bit my tongue so that I wouldn't tell her to "shut the fuck up" the couple got off on the second floor. I know that it was to escape Annie because I saw them come out of the stairwell and go out of the door onto the street. When Annie caught sight of Maurice, she started waving and calling his name. "Annie shut up!" I hissed "That isn't even him!" "Yes it is." she said and called his name again. When he turned around, I saw that it was him minus the shoulder length dark hair. He was now completely bald and I have to admit that it was an improvement. He didn't look so old but he still wouldn't have drawn my attention, he was still very ordinary looking. Even as I watched him, there was something very odd about him but I couldn't figure out what. On the face of it, he looked like an ordinary mild mannered middle-aged man but one who had money even though he tried to dress as if he didn't. There was something not right about the man with him as well even though he looked normal too. "Oh look! Maurice brought someone for me too!" Annie gushed as she drug me across the hotel lobby calling Maurice's name the entire time. The thing that I noticed was that Maurice and the other man weren't friends, I don't know how I knew that, but maybe it was the body language. The other thing was this, the man appeared to be afraid of Maurice but he really wasn't, at least not much, nervous was a better word but whatever; I was scared and I wanted to run back to the room and I would have if Annie hadn't had my hand in a vise like grip. She didn't let my hand go until we were a foot or so away from Maurice and whoever the man was. Something.... Something..... Oh fuck! They.... I was going to back away when Maurice called my name. I knew what they were, they were the things that.... That... they were vampires, both of them but of the two the tall, handsome one holding Annie's hand terrified me more than Maurice did. I knew him from somewhere but where? Why would I know a vampire? And how did I know that's what he was? Before Annie noticed, I was in the elevator frantically pushing the buttons. I heard her calling my name just as the doors closed. As soon as the elevator reached my floor, I tore out of it like a bat out of hell and rand down the hall pulling the room key out of my pocket as I ran. My hands shook as I tried to put the key into the slot and then dropped it. I glanced around and saw no one as I picked the key up and managed to slip it into the slot. The whirring sound of the lock opening was like music to my ears. I pushed the door open and ducked inside relishing the feeling of safety that immediately surrounded me. ******* Annie ran after Regina as soon as she realized that she was in the elevator. The vampire and I watched Annie leave without commenting. When the women were gone, I turned to him; we had a conversation to finish. "Who the fuck are you?" I asked. For a moment, I didn't think that he was going to answer. "Tremaine at your service." he said with a fake smile flashing a bit of fang. Tremaine? This did not bode well. Tremaine while not at the top of the heap wasn't too far below it, he was working for someone and there had to be something substantial in it for him. One such as he didn't work for free. "So you're working as a lapdog these days." I said deliberately baiting him. "I am no one's lap dog little man." he snapped. "Really? Then how is it that you are spending your evening following me?" I asked. He had no answer for this. "Who is holding your leash?" I asked. "And what little doggie treats are they giving you?" "The warning was just that a warning." he said. "You are interfering with something that doesn't concern you." I raised my eyebrows at him, "Regina is my concern as she is my mate. I formally lay claim to her here and now. She is under my protection as is her cousin Annie. Tell your owner that I have received his message and I am sending one of my own, he is to stay away from Regina and her cousin or I will kill him and anyone that he sends to harm them." Tremaine looked me over, started to say something and thought better of it. He nodded and walked out of the hotel without looking back. What the fuck was going on and what did it have to do with Regina? I left the hotel after another moment and went back to the alley where I killed Baron. Someone or something should be there by now, maybe I'll find out something more about what happened in 1989. Surprisingly, no one was there which was odd because this was a popular spot. It didn't take me long to realize that the word about me had already been spread and no one was going to risk their life to help me. I went home hoping that Olivia had been more productive than I had been. Dinner was in the oven when I got home. It was always like this, Olivia always made dinner even though she had idea of when or even if I would be home. It smelled delicious as always and I decided to eat before I went to my office. Tonight it was liver and onions with potatoes cooked in a gravy, I took my time eating as there was no need to rush. I was confident that Regina was safe as long as she stayed in her room and as frightened as she was there was no danger of her going out. I rinsed the dishes and left them in the sink before heading to my office. I stopped by the fridge and grabbed a bottle of water and a piece of fruit and continued on my way. I unlocked my office, stepped inside and turned on the light, what I saw brought a smile to my lips; there were two folders on my desk. A yellow one and a red one, the yellow one contained things that Olivia thought that I might find interesting, the red one contained pertinent information related to what I was looking for. I picked up the red folder and then put it back down, if I didn't look at the yellow folder first I wouldn't look at it and that would hurt Olivia's feelings. As I suspected, it contained bits and pieces of trivia about 1989 New Orleans. I read through it and then set it aside to pick up the red folder. There were a number of disappearances that year but that's nothing new, there were several unsolved murders also nothing new-all of these came from human sources as did the next few pieces of information. Halfway through the folder, the events of the paranormal world started. The biggest event was the North American vampire conference, I had heard about it but opted not to attend, I go to more than my share of meetings for my work. Right after that article was another one that caught my attention. TWO HUMAN MALES TAKEN FROM HOTEL ROOM, PARENTS FRANTIC I don't know what it was about that headline that drew me but I continued to read. "Two human males were taken from their room at the Royal Sonesta on June 5, 1989. The human males, Daniel and Edward Hawkins were here visiting New Orleans with their family which includes their mother Dorothy, their father Paul and their sister Regina. If anyone knows the whereabouts of these human males, please return them to their family and no questions will be asked, all punishments will be waived. Anyone having any knowledge of this abduction please step forward, if the humans are found unharmed, you will be rewarded." At the end of the article was a contact number. There it was. This was how Regina came under the radar of my people but there had to be more to it, why was the supernatural world concerned with two missing human males? There was another article following the last one dated a day later. It was almost the same but there was an angry undertone to it. "RETURN THE HUMAN MALES NOW! ANYONE WHO HAS KNOWLEDGE OF THIS ABDUCTION AND HAS NOT STEPPED FORWARD WILL BE SEVERELY PUNISHED! Whatever was supposed to happen went to hell in a hand basket with the abduction of Regina's brothers. I wondered how it was that they came to be taken and why Regina would come back to a place that held such horrible memories, unless she didn't remember the circumstances. I kept reading through the file and from what I could gather, Regina's brothers were never found dead or alive so what had happened to them? I needed to talk to Annie. I wanted to know how they happened to be here so close to Regina's birthday and what she knew if anything about the abduction of Daniel and Edward Hawkins. ********* Annie didn't know what to do. I was shaking like a leaf and I had no idea of how to explain it to her without sounding like a lunatic. Yes I know that she loves vampire lore and all that comes with it but that doesn't mean that she believed in vampires. If I told her that Maurice and the other man were vampires, she'd have me 5150'd -put in a psychiatric facility against my will for evaluation. "What in the hell is wrong with you?" Annie asked as soon as she was through the door. "I told you that I didn't want to go." I said weakly. "So you just turn ass and run?" "Annie, I want to go home, you can stay if you want but I want to leave." I told her. I know that I sounded like I was whining, I was and I admit it. It was the fact that I was whining that caught Annie's attention; I wasn't and never have been a whiner. "Reggie, what's going on?" she asked as she sat on the bed next to me. "Annie, I can't stay here. Something really bad happened here but I can't remember what it is, I think .... I don't know what I think but I know that I have to leave." "But we've only been here for a night, and the money is non-refundable...." "I'll pay for it." I said "but please let's go." I begged. Before Annie could say anything, the phone rang. I listened as she talked and then flirted with Maurice Delgado. "Dinner? I would love to! What time? Ten? No that isn't too late, I'll see you soon." Annie hung up the phone and danced around the room, now here's the thing; remember that I said that Maurice Delgado was ordinary looking and that he wouldn't have attracted my attention on the street? Now that Annie was going to dinner with him, I felt.... Jealous is too strong of a word but I can't think of any other word right now that fit but I didn't say anything, and nothing and I mean nothing was going to get me out of that room. I watched Annie as she hummed and danced around the room as she changed her clothes to something decidedly sexier but not blatantly so. Apparently she thought that she was going to get laid by Maurice, something else that irked me. Why it bothered me, I don't know but it did but not enough that I wanted to tell her not to go. By 9:45, Annie was out of the door for a late dinner with Maurice. ******* It occurred to me that Annie might have gotten the wrong idea and it would be an idea that I would have to correct. Don't get me wrong, Annie was very attractive but my cock didn't harden at the sight or thought of her, I was protecting her only because she was Regina's cousin. I was already in the lobby when Annie came down, as I said she was very attractive and if Regina weren't in the picture, I would have taken her to bed. Her manner of dress, a tight fitting top that showed of her breasts and a pair of jeans that accentuated her ass told me that I had assumed correctly, she thought that we were going to fuck after dinner. I chose a restaurant not far from the hotel where I am fairly well known. Annie was chattering away about anything and everything that popped into her head. I only half listened and did that thing that all males do whether they be human or vampire, I made the appropriate sounds in the appropriate places. To be honest with you, she was chattering so much that I don't even think she would have noticed if I hadn't made those little sounds of acknowledgement. Since I had called ahead, we were greeted at the door and taken to a table in the back away from prying eyes and ears. Believe me after realizing that I had been followed, all of my senses were on full alert and so far all was clear. Our server came over right away; I asked Annie if she would like an appetizer which she declined. We both ordered the red beans and rice of which I would eat very little of since I had already eaten dinner. I would take it home to Olivia, actually, I would order two extra servings for her, she loved the stuff but never left the house because she is agoraphobic. After the server left, Annie and I chatted about New Orleans and what she and Regina had lined up. It was a good opening for me to start asking questions. "How is Regina?" I asked. "Alright I guess. She's been acting funny ever since we got here." Annie replied. "How so?" I asked. "I don't know exactly, she seems nervous and she wants to leave." "Annie, did Regina ever tell you about her brothers?" "Danny and Eddie? Sure what about them?" she asked as she broke off a piece of warm bread and spread butter on it. "What does she say about them?" "That they came here for vacation, something happened but she doesn't remember what. Oh and there was this scare when the boys disappeared but they showed up later." "Where were they?" I asked. "I don't know, Regina said that they snuck out of the hotel to go exploring and got lost." Something wasn't adding up here, according to the articles, the boys had never been found. "Then what happened?" I asked. "Regina's parents got job offers that they couldn't refuse. Regina's mother worked for some rich family, that's who paid for the trip. Anyway, the man bought a new house that needed some work on it and hired both of them to work on the house." "What about their other home?" I asked. "The people they worked for had it packed up for them and shipped to the new house, from what Reggie says, they had a gate house that they lived in until her parents died." "Where are the boys now?" I asked. "Not sure, they do some work for the government but they call Reggie on a weekly basis." I was about to tell Annie to stop calling Regina "Reggie" but I bit my tongue. By the time dinner was over, I knew pretty much everything that Annie did but I knew one thing that Annie didn't, there was something very, very wrong. I wasn't the only one who had tampered with Regina's memories and I wasn't convinced that whoever was calling her on a weekly basis were her brothers. I had one more question. "Annie, why did you choose to come here out of all of the places that you could have chosen?" I watched her expression change to one of confusion, I realized then that someone had tampered with her too. As close as her and Regina seemed to be, I highly doubted that Annie would have chosen to bring Regina here if she knew what really happened here. What in the hell was going on? I walked Annie back to the hotel, up to her room and thanked her for a very pleasant evening; she was disappointed when she realized that our evening had come to an end. From there, I went home to give Olivia the red beans and rice that I bought for her and to go over the file again, maybe I had missed something. ******* I was actually surprised when Annie came in just after midnight and judging by the way that she went into the bathroom she didn't get as much as a good night kiss. I have admitted that I was relieved but I didn't take the time to examine the reason why I was so relieved, I had other things to think about. Annie didn't speak to me when she came out of the bathroom; she glanced at me, got into bed and pouted. It was just as well, I didn't feel like talking anyway. Eventually, I closed my eyes and went to sleep but it wasn't a restful one, I dreamt of the vacation that had somehow gone horribly wrong where my brothers disappeared and we .... A sharp pain in my head woke me up. My pillow was wet from the tears that I had shed while I was asleep, what was wrong with me? Suddenly a psychiatric evaluation didn't seem like such a bad idea. ******* I decided to walk home since it was a nice evening. I hadn't gone very far before I sensed that I was being followed but whoever my pursuer was, he wasn't interested in confronting me. I then remembered that in the file that Olivia had left for me, nothing was in there about the convent and I wondered why. The convent was always included in the vampire tour, Olivia would have known that which is why she probably didn't include it but it was unlike her not to do something that I asked of her. When I got home, Olivia was already in her quarters but there was a thick file on my desk, it was all of the information that she could find on the convent. No wonder it wasn't with the other files, she was still working on it. ******* Unable to go back to sleep, I got up and looked out of the window. We had a nice view of the quarter so I pulled up a chair and sat by the window. I'm not sure of what made me look toward the corner but when I did; my eyes met the glittering green eyes of the man from the casino. Maurice Ch. 03 What was he doing out there? I wondered as we stared at each other. The second question was who was he? Unlike the vampire that had been with Maurice, I didn't know this man but he seemed to know me. I made a decision, I don't care what Annie said or did, I was not leaving this room until it was time to go home and once there, I was never setting foot in this city again. I backed away from the window and went back to bed. Annie was snoring softly and then began to talk in her sleep. I lay on my bed and listened to her talk. She mentioned something about my parents and the Lannisters. The Lannisters were the people that my mother worked for, the ones that paid for the vacation that we took all those years before. I didn't know that Annie knew the Lannisters but maybe she had just heard us talking about them. The Lannisters were really nice people, a little eccentric but I liked them. As a matter of fact, when mom and dad died, they took care of all of the funeral expenses and paid all of our college tuitions. What was eccentric about them? Well for one, my mother had to work in the evenings because.... I don't know why. She just did and the times that I went with her to help her clean, I never saw them.... Saw them what? I never saw them.... Just when I thought that I was going to remember, the thought was gone and my head throbbed so bad I thought that I was going to vomit. What do I remember about them? That they had a son named.....oh fuck what was his name? He was my age and very cute with the most beautiful gray eyes. I had a crush on him but he never looked twice at me... Micah! That was it, Micah Lannister. I hadn't thought about him in years, I hadn't even thought about the Lannisters until now, isn't that odd? I mean my mother and then my father worked for these people, and they made sure that we were taken care of after my parent's died so I should have thought about them right? Right? Unable to resist, I got up and looked out of the window, the man if that's what he was with the green eyes was gone. I hugged myself as a chill shook me, somehow I knew that I was in some deep shit and my survival depended on me remembering what happened in 1989. ******* Regina's birthday was in four days. Whatever was going on I had only until then to figure it out. The next task that I would give to Olivia would be to research Regina's family and that included Cousin Annie. Something wasn't quite right with her, I didn't suspect of her doing anything to intentionally harm Regina but something just wasn't right. I left a note for Olivia on the kitchen counter and went out again. Maybe I would get lucky and find someone or something willing to talk to me. The big question was this, what happened to her brothers? Do you want to know what I really think? I think that they've been turned. By who and why I don't know. Are they still here? I don't know that either. If they had been turned, that would be one explanation for the weekly phone calls that Regina received and why they never gave her a location. Since it is so late, I opted to vanish and fly from place to place. The first place I go to is Regina's hotel, I appear just down the block from where the hotel is and see that the hotel is being watched by .... What the fuck? That's Gremlin! What's that green eyed son of a bitch doing here? The last time I heard anything about him was three hundred years ago. Who is he? He's the worst kind of monster and killer, he would be what you would call an assassin. But who was he going to assassinate? Regina? Maybe but if that were true he could have killed her on her first night here. So who hired him and who was his target? Me? Possibly but doubtful. From time to time Gremlin has offered his services as a body guard, was he here to protect as opposed to harming Regina? I didn't get the chance to ask because as soon as he sensed me, he was gone. I looked up hoping to catch sight of Regina but was disappointed. "Stay in that room." I murmured as I went to the ally where I killed Baron. When I got there, two vampires were ready to feed on a hapless tourist. The frightening thing was that the man was fully awake and conscious; the bastards weren't even going to make him comfortable. They were thriving on his fear holding to the belief that fear made the blood taste sweeter. I don't know if it does or not nor do I care but to have a victim suffer is appalling and it is something that I will not allow under any circumstances. When the man saw me, his fear grew, with a look; I calmed him and then looked at the two vampires that held him captive. "Let the human go." I said simply. They did the same thing that Baron did; they laughed and proceeded to ignore me. One of them snatched the human by the head and exposed his neck. "Fucker." I said calmly, "let the nice human go." That got their attention. "Fucker? Did stumpy just call me a fucker?" he asked his companion as he tossed the man to the ground. The human male wasted no time in getting to his feet and running off as fast as he could go. I could only hope that he made it to his hotel safely. Little did I know that saving his life was going to be to my advantage-more about him later. Anyway, two very angry vampires approached me thinking that I was going to run. "Oh look, the little one isn't afraid to die." One of them said grinning at me. The other one stopped short, "Jasper stop!" he hissed. "Yes Jasper." I said. "Please stop." Jasper didn't listen; he approached me until he was an arms length away. "Damn it Jasper stop!" the other vampire said, he knew who I was. "What in the fuck is your problem? He's nothing!" Jasper said angrily. "He's the one who killed Baron!" "This?" Jasper sneered. "It had to be dumb luck!" "Jasper, he is of Comte Saint Germaine's line! Leave him be!" "This midget cannot be a relative to Germaine! Look at him!" Jasper replied but there was hesitancy in his voice as he looked at me. "He can kill you without touching you.... He's ...." He never finished his sentence; he took off leaving Jasper alone with me. "I don't believe you." Jasper said recovering his courage. "I really don't give a fuck." I replied shrugging my shoulders. "But you should listen to your friend." I added with a smile. Why is it that people don't listen to me? I mean I did warn him as did his friend but still he came at me. As soon as he touched me, he screamed in pain. "Son of a mother fucking bitch!" he screamed as smoke rose from his hands. "Would you care to try again?" I asked still not moving. The vampire didn't reply but took off down the alley without looking back. "I'll be damned." a voice from behind me said. I turned around to see who had spoken, my eyes widened when I saw it was the human male whose life I had just saved. What was he doing back here? "That was so.... Intense!" he gushed as he rushed forward toward me stopping only when he saw my eyes flash at him. "I couldn't leave you here alone to face those two but I guess you didn't really need any help did you?" he asked. When I didn't reply he kept talking. "My name is Edgar Allen Poe Long, yeah I know." he said when he saw my raised eyebrows. "My parents were big fans of his, wrote their thesis on him but anyway, thanks for saving my ass." "Go home Edgar Allen or whatever the fuck your name is and forget what you saw tonight." I said and turned to walk away. He stood right where he was and began to follow me like a puppy that had no place to go. "Hey is what he said true? You're related to Saint Germaine?" he called to me. I ignored him and kept walking until he reached out and touched me. Before he knew what was happening, I had him against the wall of a building, my fangs bared, and my face inches from his. "Leave me the fuck alone!" I hissed and dropped him to the ground. I could hear him sputtering and getting up to his feet but he kept talking. I was beginning to wish that I had let the two vampires have him for dinner. I stopped walking and turned around to face him. "What part of leave me the fuck alone don't you understand?" I snapped making him jump. "This is your last chance to go away alive." I told him as I walked toward him. This time he walked away but looked back with that "take me with you look." I made sure that he was gone before I vanished from where I stood and to behind the casino. This was another popular spot for nabbing unsuspecting tourists. When I got there, a demon had a human female backed against the wall. It seemed tonight was my night for playing the rescuer. The woman saw me first, relief showed in her eyes as she silently begged me to help her. "Excuse me but I don't believe that the lady wants to participate." I said. The demon turned around but kept his hold on the woman. "Maurice Delgado! I heard that you were in these parts." he said with a grin. "Word spreads fast." He said answering my unspoken question. He turned to the terrified human woman and kissed her on the cheek, he had just marked her for later and I wouldn't be able to save her a second time. "Go on love, I'll catch you later." He said with what appeared to be a sincere smile. Maybe he wouldn't hurt her-too badly anyway. When the woman was gone, no doubt headed to the first church she saw that was open or to her hotel room to start reading the Gideon bible in the nightstand, the demon turned to me. "So what brings you to this part of the city?" he asked amiably. "You have me at a disadvantage." I said. "Who are you?" "No one special." he replied. I didn't believe that and I told him so. His response was to act hurt, he clapped his hand over his heart in mock distress before he finally answered me. "My name is leg...." "Cut the my name is legion bull shit! I snapped. "And give me your fucking name!" "Temper, temper." he drawled petulantly. "But fine, my name is Arthur...' "Arthur? Really?" I asked laughing. "What kind of name is Maurice for a vampire?" he shot back clearly miffed that I found his name amusing. It's a sissy name." he added. "Maybe but I happen to like it." I replied. "Were you here in 1989?" I asked. "I was here, why do you want to know?" "What do you know about the abduction of two human males from the Royal Sonesta?" I asked. "That's old news." he replied. Finally, someone who was willing to talk to me. "Tell me." I urged. Arthur looked around and then spoke in hushed tones. The fact that he was even talking to me told me a couple of things. One, Arthur wasn't a minor demon but one of note and two he liked feeling important. "The way I heard it," he whispered "was that taking the human males was a mistake. They weren't supposed to be in that room but somehow the rooms got switched." Interesting. "What room was they supposed to be in?" I asked. "The one next door, 416 or 415 I can't remember but the one that they were supposed to be in was the safe room as well as the room that their parents were supposed to be in." he replied. The parents? A whole new crop of questions popped up; did her parents have something to do with this mess? I had to talk to Regina, that's if she would let me anywhere near her. Remember that she knew what I was and that whatever happened to her had something to do with one of us. "Tell me everything that you know." I told the demon and as it turned out, he knew quite a bit. "As I'm sure that you're aware, there was a conference that year. Vampires from all over the country were here and even some from overseas, Yamamoto was even here." "Yamamoto?" I asked shocked. No one had seen him in centuries. "I know, amazing isn't it?" Arthur asked. "Anyway, it was a big deal that he was here, why he came know one knows and no one had the guts to ask." I could understand that, one didn't question one such as Yamamoto but I wondered why he came and if Regina had anything to do with it. "As I was saying, the conference was a big deal that year, supposedly there was some kind of special event planned. A wedding I think who? I don't know but what I do know was that the abduction of the human males shot everything to hell and heads literally rolled but here's what's interesting, at least I think it is; it wasn't Yamamoto that decapitated several high ranking vampires." he said pausing for effect, "it was Frederick Lannister." Now I'm really intrigued, the Lannister family is one of the most powerful vampire families in North America, with only the king of vampires being more powerful than them. For years there had been rumors about the Lannisters wanting to take over but so far, they had remained just that-rumors but now I was beginning to wonder. It was no secret that the Lannisters and Yamamoto were friends and allies and had been for centuries. "Who else of note was at the conference?" I asked. He named the usual players and a few that I didn't know. I mentally ran through the list of current players. There was Tremaine, Gremlin, Regina, Annie and there were others of that I was sure but who? "Who else will talk to me?" I asked. Arthur laughed, "No one little one, you only have me." I wasn't exactly overjoyed at the prospect but as he said, he would be the only one who would talk to me. "Where can I find you?" I asked. "Right here but not for the next few nights, I think I'm in love." he said laughing and then he was gone. ******** Annie woke up in a much better mood and ordered breakfast. While we waited I asked her about the Lannisters and how she knew about them. "I don't know, you must have talked about them or something." she replied. "You've never met them?" I asked. "No, I don't think so." she replied. "I know that they took care of you guys after your mom and dad died. Why?" "You were talking about them in your sleep." I replied. "Really? Why would I do that?" she asked as confused as I was. "Wait, I met them once, not the parents but what's his name? Micah." "And you talked about mom and dad." I added and watched her expression. "What did I say?" "Most of it I couldn't understand but you said something about them and the trip." I replied. I remember telling Annie about the trip, she was so jealous and wanted to come along but my parents told her that she couldn't because.... Damn it! Why couldn't she come? Anyway I promised to buy her a gift but I don't think that I did because Daniel and Edward did their disappearing act and we left.... We left right after they were found- I think. I remember going home and then we moved to the house that was located behind the Lannisters big house. We lived there until both of my parents died a few years later. How did they die? They... I don't..... A car accident! They were hit head on by a drunk driver, I remember now and the funeral was closed casket because they were in such bad shape. I was eighteen at the time and the boys were nineteen and twenty but they weren't at the service, they .... Yes they were. I remember now. They came home long enough for the funeral and left soon afterwards. That was the last time that I can actually remember seeing them or was it? My head was beginning to pound as I tried to remember when I had last seen my brothers. I couldn't believe that my parent's funeral was the last time that I saw them. "Annie, when was the last time you saw Danny and Eddie?" I asked. Annie looked at me like I was nuts, "Two years ago remember? We all went to the Lannisters for dinner and Micah was making goo-goo eyes at you. You don't remember that?" she asked incredulous. "Oh, sure I remember!" I lied but Micah's name gave me a chill that wasn't because of the air conditioner. I was beginning to understand that whatever happened here had something to do with vampires and I was beginning to question my memories. I don't expect to remember everything that ever happened to me but I wasn't remembering major events like the last time I saw my brothers or things about the people who supported us after mom and dad died. What in the fuck happened here? ******* Micah I looked over my city and by my city; I'm talking about New Orleans. She is here and has been for the past two days. I haven't personally seen her yet but she is being watched, in four days, she will become my bride as she should have been twenty-two years ago. All was going as planned until the appearance of Maurice Delgado, I wish that I could just have the little bastard killed but I can't. I cannot risk the wrath of Comte Saint Germaine, yes the little fucker is really related to Comte and Comte does not take kindly to his relatives being harmed not that Maurice needs protection. Hell, most of us need protection from him! Once Maurice appeared, Regina began to try to remember things, but whenever she tried she would experience the most painful headaches. Believe me when I say that it gives me no pleasure to have her in pain but she must not remember, not yet. It is bad enough that she saw and knew what Tremaine was but on the plus side she's afraid of Delgado too. She has also seen Gremlin but contrary to what you might believe, he is there for her protection and not to harm her Gremlin has been watching her for me and this is how I know about Maurice Delgado. It would have been my fault if Baron had gotten his hands on her so yes, I admit that I am in Delgado's debt for protecting her but that doesn't change the fact that Regina belongs to and with me. How is that possible? Her mother worked for us and used to bring her to help her clean when there was no school. I was smitten with her from the first time I saw her with her hair in braids with bright yellow barrettes on the ends. I watched her change from a pesky little girl into a very pretty teenager-we are exactly the same age and I mean exactly. We were born on the same day, the same month and the exact same minute to the second, it was predestined that she be mine. Why didn't I claim her before now? I tried, we were to be married at the conference in 1989 but things got royally fucked up when someone took her brothers instead of taking her, something about the rooms being switched. But from that point on, we have planted the memories that we want her to have. For instance, her brothers have never resurfaced but she gets a phone call every week from them. She remembers us but only certain things, she knows what we are she just doesn't remember but she remembers that it was my family who cared for them when her parents died. Did her parents die in a car crash? Maybe. You have to understand that we didn't take those memories to be cruel; we are trying to protect her. From who? Delgado and herself. Can you imagine being told that you are betrothed to a vampire, then your brothers go missing and you saw what happened to them? Yes. She saw what happened and yes, we took those memories away. Do I know where her brothers are? Yes. Is it really them that call her every week? Yes. Are they now vampire? I'm not going to answer that question, it's not something that you need to know. I do know that she is afraid of me in the same way that she is afraid of Tremaine and he really is bad news but he does have his uses. How do I know all of this? As I said, this is my city but I have to admit that I was ill prepared for Delgado. I knew that he was here and had no problems with it until Regina attracted his attention and now he has claimed her as his. I can see the writing on the wall, one of us, Delgado or me is going to be dead before these four days are up. Which of us are you choosing to survive? ******* Olivia has left another file on my desk, this one green. It contained information about Regina and her family including their financial records. I started with those, you can sometimes tell a lot about people by their spending habits. What struck me is this, while Regina's family wasn't poverty level, they were struggling. That meant that there was no way that they could have afforded a two week vacation much less stayed at the Royal Sonesta. Maurice Ch. 03 Interesting. I read the biographies of the parents starting with the father. He graduated from high with honors but for whatever reason didn't attend college, he worked at a maintenance man at the local high school and married Regina's mother three years later having met her there. According to their financial records, they were quite frugal with their money and had some money in the bank but nowhere near enough for a two week vacation, so where did the money come from? Regina's mother was a domestic worker meaning that she cleaned houses, she worked for several families until she was hired by the.... The Lannisters. A piece of the puzzle fell into place. Their vacation was funded by the Lannisters but why? I knew of the Lannisters but not much and what I knew about them I didn't like. They are bloodthirsty liars and murderers. Regina was in really deep shit but the question was what did they want with her? As distasteful as it was going to be, I needed to find out more information about the Lannister family. I barely tapped the intercom button when Olivia came into the office carrying a file, blue this time. "It is everything that I could find out about the Lannisters." she said. "The pages marked with the yellow stickers are things that you might find interesting; the red stickers mean that you definitely must read that page." I thanked her and looked at the file but she didn't leave, she had something that she needed to say. "What is it Olivia?" I asked. "The woman, Regina... she is trying to remember things." "What is it that you're trying to tell me?" I asked trying hard to be patient. "She is going to leave her room today, she wants to remember." Olivia said quietly. "What?" I asked. I wasn't questioning Olivia for she has only rarely been wrong. The "what" was said in shock and horror, Regina needed to stay in that room! "Damn it!" I swore. Now this is where my ability to be out during the day come in handy. I tossed the file onto my desk and vanished from where I sat into the men's room in the lobby of the Royal Sonesta. I waited for a few minutes; I had to think about how to get Regina to stay by my side given that she was afraid of me. Maybe if Annie came with us it would help but not only that, it would give me another chance to examine Annie a little more closely. I bought a paper and settled in to wait for the ladies to come down, unlike the last time I was here, I knew that I was being watched but not by one of my kind. I acted as if I wasn't aware of it and continued to read the paper. "We have the same goal." a gravelly voice said a few minutes later. "And what goal would that be?" I asked not looking up, I didn't need to, it was Gremlin. "The safety of the woman." He replied. "What do you know about what's happening?" I asked. "Enough to know that she will not be safe until after her birthday which is now three days away." "Who are you protecting her from?" I asked finally looking at him. "You." I have to confess that my mouth dropped open. "Me?" I asked. "Yes you but I don't believe you to be the threat." Gremlin said. "Pray tell." I said. "Micah Lannister and her brothers." Gremlin said his voice low. My mouth dropped open again, so they were alive! Well sort of. "Why are you telling me this?" I asked. "And what will Micah do to you if he finds out?" Gremlin laughed, "Micah doesn't concern me. He is nothing more than a spoiled child in an adult body who wants his toy because it was taken from him." "What do you mean?" I asked. "The Lannisters are deep into the meanings of numbers and astrology. The woman shares a birthday with Micah but not only that, they were born in the same year and at the exact same moment. In 1989, Micah was going to marry the girl even though they were just children because according to Lannister beliefs, 1989 was the year that Micah was to marry the girl even if they had to compel her to do it. The parents were compelled to bring her here to New Orleans and to stay at this hotel. No one took into account that the children would exchange rooms and when Tremaine went to collect the girl, he found the boys instead. Instead of compelling them to forget that he was there, he drank from them not aware that the girl had come into the room and watched the entire thing. He compelled her to forget him and what she had seen and took the boys with him leaving the girl in the room. It was her that reported them missing and that was Tremaine's doing." "Where did he take them?" I asked. "To the conference, you see he didn't know what the plans for the girl were and as far as he was concerned he was giving the Lannisters more than they asked for by bringing two to the conference instead of one." "That's why Yamamoto was here." I said. "It was for the wedding." and it also explained Tremaine's current involvement. He had been the one to fuck up. Gremlin didn't reply. "You said that she needed to be protected from her brothers, what is their role in all of this?" I asked. "Lure." Fuck! I now understood or thought I did, Micah Lannister intended to marry Regina on her birthday! This birthday had some astrological significance and that was why she was here. He and his family had been manipulating events from the time Regina had been born and continued to do so after the marriage plans failed. "Her parents, how did they die?" I asked. Gremlin remained mute, telling me all that I needed to know. They had been murdered by the Lannisters for failing to carry out their part in the plan, as I said they are a bloodthirsty bunch. On the face of it, it sounded so simple but it has been my experience that nothing is ever as it seems. Did I trust Gremlin? No because he hasn't said or done anything other than guard Regina to earn my trust. "Give me one good reason why I should trust you." I said. "The one called Annie." he replied. "Annie? What about her?' I asked. "She is mine, she has been tampered with and that displeases me." Well shit, if that doesn't beat all! Gremlin in love or was it lust? But either way, I had just gained a powerful ally. We talked for a few minutes more before deciding that he would continue to watch and guard both Annie and Regina. We also needed to find Regina's brothers before her birthday/wedding day but let me be clear on something, there will be no wedding. I would die before I let Regina marry into that filthy family and it could come down to that, me dying. Gremlin hadn't been gone for very long when heard someone call out, "Hey dude!" I closed my eyes, it was Edgar Allen something or another. A moment later, he was at my side grinning like a Cheshire cat. "Man are you hard to track down!" he exclaimed which begged a question, just how did he find me? Edgar pulled up a chair and sat down. "You are totally kick ass!" he said. "How did you find me?" I asked. "It wasn't easy." He said. "I just kept walking around hoping that you would show up." He was lying but I didn't call him on it, I wanted to know who sent him. "What made you come here?" I asked. "I saw you walk in, I was at the gift shop across the way." Lie. "Why are you looking for me?' I asked. "I told you, I think you totally rock and I'm doing my thesis on your relative Comte." Truth. "Who are you working for?' "No one." he replied a little too quickly. "You cannot lie to me, who are you working for?" I asked. "Some dude gave me five hundred dollars to see if you were in here.' Truth. "What did this er... dude look like?" "I.... I don't remember, he stopped me, gave me the money to come in here." Truth. "Where are you supposed to go after you confirm my location?" I already knew the answer, he didn't know. Whoever sent him in would find him so I decided to send a message of my own. "When you meet this person, tell them that they are going to die. After you deliver that message, get your ass out of New Orleans and forget about me and Comte. As a matter of fact, forget about vampires entirely and find another subject for your thesis." That would be the last time I saw Edgar Allen Long or whatever the fuck his name was. It would be another hour before Annie and Regina came down to the lobby, I was in no hurry for them to come down, and it gave me more time to think. ****** Annie was surprised by my change in attitude but didn't question it too much; she was dying to go out but planned to stay in with me. I won't lie to you and say that I wasn't scared; I was beyond that, I was terrified but I had had enough. My life was being fucked with by..... I couldn't even bring myself to say it, those things and I wanted it to stop. I dressed in a tee shirt, a comfortable pair of jeans and tennis shoes, Annie dressed likewise. I didn't know where were headed but I was leaving this damned room. I walked to the door and almost changed my mind; Annie was right behind me and bumped into me when I suddenly stopped. "Reggie, we don't have to go." she said. But I did, I wanted and needed to know what happened on the night of my fifteenth birthday. ******* I heard Annie's voice first and then Regina's softer more uncertain one. For just a moment I thought that she was going to change her mind and go back upstairs. I really was hoping that she would but when she came into view, I saw the determination mixed with fear on her face and you know what? I was proud of her. I still wished that she had stayed in her room but I couldn't help but feel a pride that was tempered with fear for her and how she would react when she found out the truth about her family and the Lannisters. Annie spotted me first and called my name. I could tell that Regina was frightened but she didn't run. Instead she walked up to me, got right in my face and spoke. "What in the hell do you things want with me?" Maurice Ch. 04 I couldn't believe it, Regina was in my face and as mad as hell which I believed to be a good thing at the time. Annie stared at her in shock as Regina asked me again what we wanted with her, her exact words were, "What in the hell do you things want with me?" I knew what I wanted with her but I don't think that she was ready to hear that any more than she was ready to hear what Micah Lannister wanted with her or that her brothers were vampires. I was absolutely certain that she wasn't ready to hear the truth about her parents. "Regina." I said not moving away from her, "I am not here to hurt you." She looked as if she didn't believe me and I suppose that she didn't at least not entirely. After all, it was one of my kind that destroyed her family and the life that she should have had. Annie moved closer so that she could hear what was being said. "Who the fuck are you?" Regina asked. "Maurice Delgado." I replied. "You're one of those things that.... That.. Did something when we came here before." Regina whispered. "Yes Regina, I am a vampire but I give you my word that I did nothing to you or your family." "Liar!" she hissed. "You're one of them and that makes you guilty." Annie put an arm around Regina and tried to comfort her but Regina pulled away and slapped me as hard she could. I should tell you that it didn't hurt me at all but I could tell that it hurt her so when she went to slap me again, I caught her wrist. "Bastard!" she hissed as she tried to raise the other hand to slap me again. Fortunately the lobby was deserted and the person at the desk was on the phone. "Regina, calm down and let me explain what's happening." I said as I held her wrists with no effort whatsoever. "Maurice? What is she talking about?" Annie asked. "It is as she says, I am a vampire and I swear to you that I mean you no harm." "What... how.. A real vampire?" Annie breathed. "Yes now be quiet." I commanded and turned my attention back to Regina. "Regina, I can help you remember everything if you really want to remember but I must warn you none of it is pleasant." "Get your fucking hands off of me!" Regina hissed and tried to pull away. I released her and stepped back just in case she decided to take another swing at me. "Regina...." was all I got out before she turned and ran away headed to the busy street. ******* By the time we made it to the lobby I'm more angry than scared. As soon as I saw Maurice that anger boiled over. I walked over to him and I got into his personal space but he didn't move. I wanted to hurt him, it didn't matter whether he was one of the ones responsible for whatever it was that happened or not, he was one of them. I was surprised when I actually made contact with his face when I slapped him. He didn't even flinch nor did his face turn red from the impact of the slap and I'll tell you something else, it hurt like hell but I was going to hit him again. I could see Annie in my peripheral vision looking totally confused and appalled at my actions but I didn't care. That first slap was the only one that I got in, by my third attempt; he had both of my wrists in his hands. I tried to break free but I couldn't, his grip while firm was gentle. He can help me he said, he's not one of the ones who did whatever he said but I don't believe him. He is one of them and that's all that I need to know. I have to admit that I was surprised when he told Annie what he was but in the whole scheme of things, it didn't matter. When he said that he could help me remember, that gave me pause but then I discounted it, why would he help me? But it did sound like he knew something but instead of asking, I demanded that he let me go. As soon as he released me, I ran out to the street and started walking as fast as I could walk. I didn't know where I was going and I didn't care. I just had to get away from that...thing. I could hear Annie calling my name as she tried to catch up with me and then I heard him, he was right next to me. How had he caught up with me so fast? I wondered. Yes I know that he's vampire but you have to remember that anything about them scared me so I had very little to no knowledge about what they could and couldn't so except this one thing; how was he out and about during the daytime? The sun was supposed to hurt them right? "Regina, stop." he said but I kept walking. "Stop now!" he said and I stopped right where I was and I couldn't move. I started to scream and he said one word- "Silence" and I couldn't talk. I looked around to see if anyone was looking at us but they weren't, he probably controlled that too. Now that he had a captive audience, Maurice moved so that he was standing in front of me. "Now, you are going to listen to me." He said firmly. I didn't want to listen to him but what choice did I have? And where was Annie? "She's fine." Maurice said. Fuck! He read my mind! I realized. If he could do that, what else could he do besides making me obey him? "If I release the compulsion, will you listen to me?" he asked. I was going to say yes but had no intention of listening to anything that he had to say. I tried to imagine a brick wall in my head you know like that movie with those scary blond haired kids? Anyway, I nodded my head yes and as soon as I felt myself being released I took off. I heard and exasperated "Damn it!" As I ran around a corner right into.... him. ******* I let her get several feet in front of me before I vanished to beside her. I also knew that I was going to have to compel her but I gave her the chance to stop. She seemed surprised at the compulsion and I realized that because of her fear of us that she probably didn't know much about us. I read her mind, and no I won't apologize for what you may consider an invasion of her privacy. Let me ask you this, if you had this ability and you had a loved one in danger would you not use it? That's what I thought. That was the case here, Regina was in danger but she wasn't about to talk to me so I did what needed to be done to keep her safe. Her first concern was about Annie, I assured her that she was fine and she was. Gremlin had her in his sights. The second thing was she realized that I could read her mind. When she indicated that she would stay and listen I knew better but I was still surprised at how fast she moved but I was faster. I was around the corner seconds before she was, she ran right into me. Once again I compelled her but this time I compelled her to walk back with me to where Annie was waiting. She fought the compulsion for all that she was worth but to no avail. It was time to find out exactly what she remembered. I saw Gremlin standing on the corner- you're wondering what he is that he can be out during the day. He is... for lack of a better term an hybrid, he is part vampire and part something else but he has never divulged what the something else is but whatever it is, it makes him formidable. The fact that he isn't afraid of the Lannisters bears witness to that. I wanted to take her to my house or should I say our house because that's what it was but I thought better of it, we would go back to her and Annie's room. Since Gremlin was present, I left it to him to take care of getting Annie back to the room while I tended to Regina. "Regina, walk with me." I said and held out my arm. I had to repeat the command twice; my mate had a strong mind. ******** Micah Gremlin has betrayed me. Believe me when I say that I didn't see that coming. Why? Because Gremlin is legendary for completing a job, he has never, ever switched sides as he has just done. How do I know that he switched sides? I have spies everywhere some that even Gremlin knows nothing about. One of them works at the Royal Sonesta and happened to be on duty when Gremlin talked with that pain in the ass Delgado. She even heard why he switched sides; it is because of the woman. No not Regina, she is mine but her cousin Annie. He knows that we do not take betrayal well and he will be dealt with- not him directly but through his woman. He will think twice before he betrays me or anyone else again. What will I do to her? I haven't decided yet, I have many options. Why not punish him? Because he is not afraid of any of us and he would almost relish the attempted punishment so we have to hit him where it will hurt the most-his woman. There are only two days left until Regina's birthday and the last chance for me to have what is mine. I know that you are wondering why I didn't court her and get her to fall in love with me. It is because she would have refused me. How do I know? I just do and not only that, this is the Lannister way. My mother was human and her birthday fell on the exact day, year and time as my father's. Like Regina, my mother's parents worked for us but unlike Regina's parents they fulfilled their end of the bargain and lived to be very old. They were cared for until the day they died and are buried in the Lannister family cemetery, why shouldn't they be? They became family the day my father married their daughter- my mother. One of my spies has informed me that Delgado is with Regina and her cousin as well as the traitor. There is nothing that I can do for now but wait. I have no doubt that Delgado and I will fight to the death even though Regina and I will be married and if I lose, I will kill her, I will not allow him to get his hands on her. What I need to do is to get her alone and I already know how I'm going to do that. ********* Gremlin had already introduced himself to Annie and fortunately she was as drawn to him as he was to her but something was amiss. I could see it in the way that Gremlin kept looking around and in the way that he stood close to Annie with both arms around her. "We must get the women to safety." he whispered to me, "someone is coming." He took Annie by her hand and then pulled her close to his side and began walking back to the Royal Sonesta as quickly as he could taking into account Annie's short legs. I grabbed Regina's hand after compelling her to come with me and pulled her close to my side all the while looking around me, Gremlin was right, someone was coming. We had just walked into the hotel lobby when I saw who was coming after Regina and now Annie. They were ugly brutes who wouldn't give up until their mission was accomplished or they were called back. Gremlin and I looked at each other and then picked up our women and flew up the stairs. We weren't afraid of the creatures, but we wanted our women to be safe. As soon as we arrived at room 415, Gremlin opened the door with a touch; the creatures arrived just as the door slammed shut. We could hear them on the other side talking amongst themselves and knew that the neither woman was safe to go out for the duration of their time here. "Does someone want to explain to me what in the hell is happening here?" Annie asked looking at Gremlin and shaking slightly. Gremlin took Annie's hand and led her into the bathroom for some privacy. I could hear his raspy voice and then her softer one that was filled with disbelief and then acceptance. "Lucky bastard" I murmured. Getting Regina to accept me was going to be an uphill battle and here Gremlin's mate had accepted him within moments of him telling her who and what he was. I had to remind myself that Annie was very different from Regina in that she believed in vampires and other supernatural beings. Hell, she probably fantasized about being with one of us. I heard Annie's soft moans of pleasure and then Gremlin's coming from the bathroom and wished that I could give them more privacy but this room was even safer than my home as it was a specified safe area. Gremlin and Annie came out of the bathroom a few minutes later; Gremlin had marked her which would go a long way toward keeping her safe from the likes of the creatures that were waiting just outside of the door and other lesser beings. I had a decision to make, I could mark Regina as Gremlin had marked Annie but it would be without her consent. What would you do? Mark her and deal with the fall out? Or give her a choice even though you already know the answer? I marked her. I compelled her to sleep, turned her head to expose her neck, bit, took a small taste of her blood and then licked the wound closed then I repeated the same process on the other side of her neck. I would now be able to find her no matter where she was. Saying that she was going to be furious was an understatement but her safety outweighed how she was going to feel about what I had done. ******** Micah Damn it all to hell! They were all in the hotel room! And from what I could gather, both women were now marked which meant that all of my lesser vampires and demons would be ineffective. I would have to bring out the big guns and many of those would die if they tried to take the women forcibly. I still have some time to figure things out, I wasn't worried about Regina mating with Delgado, she was too afraid of him unless he compelled her to fuck with him but he wouldn't do that. Maurice Delgado and all in his line were very much into honor, he would see it as nothing more than rape but marking her was another issue altogether, if she had been here I would have done the same. Would I have compelled her to fuck with me? Maybe, probably but then again maybe not. Contrary to what you may think, I am not a monster. ******** Annie and Gremlin lay curled up together on the other bed. To look at Gremlin it was hard to believe that he was a ruthless, cold blooded killer for hire. With Annie his glittering green eyes seemed less intimidating, hell he seemed less intimidating as he cradled Annie in his arms as she dozed off. I hated what I was about to do but I had to find out what Regina remembered about what happened to her and her family. I compelled her into a deeper sleep and spoke to her sort of like a hypnotist speaks to the person that he is going to hypnotize. "Regina love, you will remain asleep until I tell you to wake. Remember that you are safe with me, Annie and Gremlin. Nothing will happen to you when you remember and Regina, I care for you, when you wake you will remember that if you remember nothing else. Say yes if you understand." "Yes." "Good, when is your birthday?" "June 5, 1974" "Do you have brothers or sisters?" "Two brothers, no sisters." "What are the names of your brothers?" "Daniel and Edward." "Good, Regina, do you remember being in New Orleans in 1989?" "Y... Yes." "What did you like to do as a child?" I asked to relieve some of her anxiety. "I liked to read, watch movies and spend the night at Annie's house." "Do you remember the people that your parents worked for?" "The Lannisters? I remember them." "What do you remember about them?" "I thought that they were strange because.... I don't remember." "Alright love, what did they do that made you think that they were strange?" "I... my mom had to work at night and... they... they..., I can't remember." "Did you ever see them during the day?" Her face scrunched up as she tried to remember. "N...no and I never saw them..." Her hands flew to her head and she moaned in pain. The mother fuckers! They associated any true memory of them and her family with pain. "Regina, listen to my voice, when I say the word white there will be no pain, do you understand?" I got a hesitant yes in response and continued with my questioning, I won't bore you with all of the questions that I asked but here's the bottom line, Regina was unaware of the plans for her to marry Micah Lannister whether she wanted to or not and she had no idea that her brothers were now one of my kind, she also had no idea that her parents had been murdered and that Annie had been compelled to bring her to New Orleans. I wondered where her brothers were and if they remembered her. I suspected not if they were going to be used as lure but if I could find them and reawaken their memories they would protect her, if not then they would be treated as enemies and I would have no problems with killing them. Gremlin lay on the bed not moving, his green eyes glittering in their normal frightening to others way. "Do you know where her brothers are?" I asked. "I only know that they are in the city somewhere but they cannot be too far away. Micah will want them near for when he needs them." Gremlin replied. I had to think about that, it made sense but there wasn't enough time to search for them, I went to the window, opened it and extended my senses searching for those of my kind and located eight. Whether any of the eight were Regina's brothers I don't know but I was going to find out. I wanted to have Gremlin stay with the women but he made a good point when he said that we would find the brothers faster if we both looked. I watched as he kissed and touched Annie with a gentleness that I didn't think that he was capable of and slipped out of the bed. He touched her forehead and commanded that she remain asleep until he woke her and then once again kissed her. What does he look like? He's huge! His size alone frightens people, he has to be at least six-nine and well over three hundred pounds and none of it is fat. His hair is black and falls to his shoulder blades but what amazes me is that he wears it loose and it never gets in his way. As you know, his eyes are a very vivid glittery green and his skin has a very slight greenish tinge to it. Let's just say that I'm glad that he is now on my side. I looked down at Regina; she was trying to wake up but failing. I kissed her forehead and compelled her into a deeper sleep and repeated the command that Gremlin had given Annie. Before I left, I closed the window, looked at Regina one more time and vanished from the room and appeared where one of the vampires was. He wasn't one of the brothers so I immediately left for the next place. ******* Edward Once again I wondered who this Regina was and why we had to call her one a week. I must have asked Daniel that question a million times over the years and his answer remained the same. "I don't know who in the fuck she is so stop asking me!" But I couldn't help it, every time I spoke to her I felt as if I should know her somehow but I don't know why I should. To be honest, there's a lot that I don't remember and each year the list of things that I do remember gets shorter. I don't know if Daniel is experiencing the same thing because when I ask, he shuts me down. I guess he has no interest in knowing what happened before this.... Whatever this is but I want to know how we came to be here with Micah Lannister. Do I remember him? Of course I do! His family were the ones that paid for our trip here back in 1989, a trip that Daniel and I fucked up by sneaking out of the hotel room and getting lost. I do remember my parents being frantic and there was someone else too but I can't remember who... she, I think it was a she was upset too. After that, I remember us going to college somewhere, out parent's dying and meeting a girl at the funeral.... Regina, the one that we call once a week. She is supposed to be our sister or at least a pretend sister but I have no memory of growing up with her so how is it that she is so familiar to me? I don't even bother to ask Daniel, he likes this life of excess and of being able to fuck all of the women that he wants. Me? I will admit that at first, I loved it. What wasn't to love right? I mean a different woman in bed every day if I wanted, super human strength being able to have whatever I wanted and being able to do whatever the fuck I wanted without consequences.... So tell me why I now hate it and why none of it explains why we were still with the Lannisters. Daniel Eddie needed to get a fucking grip and let go of the past whatever it was. I didn't know or care who this Regina was although like him I felt as though I should know who she was, she was vaguely familiar to me. Just to shut Eddie up, I did ask Micah about her once and he said that she was someone very important to him and that we were going to help him bring her home. If pretending to be her brother did that then it did. The weekly phone calls were no sweat off of my back, they only lasted for ten minutes or so but Eddie would think about it for hours afterwards whereas I did it and it was over until the next phone call. Maurice Ch. 04 What do I remember of the past? Only that Eddie and I snuck out of a hotel room one night and about gave everyone heart attacks, we went back home, went to college and our parents died. I remember meeting the girl that we called on a weekly basis for the first time and pretended to be her brother. I must have done one hell of a job because she believed me. No it didn't strike me as odd and I didn't really think about it. We saw her once again about two or three years ago and it was the same thing, she really believed that we were her brothers! It really bothered Eddie but not me that we were doing this but he went along with it. I now understood what was happening, Micah had a hard on for this girl whoever she was and she wasn't reciprocating. Actually, it looked as if she was afraid of him which I thought was strange although I can't tell you why. Micah and his family have been nothing but good to Eddie and me; we owe them a lot which is why I have no problems with doing this favor for him. ******** Gremlin I am a killer for hire. It is what I am, it is what I do and I am not ashamed of it. I have always worked alone... until now that is. I find that I don't really care for it but to protect Annie I will do what I must and if I had to work with Delgado to keep her safe then so be it. I have never reneged on a job before ..... Until now but then I never expected to find a mate. After this is over, I will have some decisions to make. Can I keep doing what I am doing even though I know that Annie will want me to stop? It isn't that I can't stop and it isn't about the money, I have plenty enough to last us a millennia and much longer. I could have stopped centuries ago but had no reason to. It will all come down to whether I want to stop but I will think about that later, I see one of the vampires that Delgado sensed and it is a female. On to the next vampire. ****** Fuck! Why can't I open my eyes? I remembered leaving the room with Annie, slapping that thing and going outside. I also remembered trying to get away from him but he did something to me that made me come back to the room. The thing was asking me questions about my parents and the Lannisters, why? When he asked me a specific question, the pain set in and he made it stop by saying a word-white after that....I went to sleep but now I can't wake up, I'm not supposed to wake up. Fuck that! I don't know how I managed it but I got my eyes open and looked over at the other bed. Annie was sound asleep under the covers as if someone had tucked her in. I sat up on the side of the bed but my body felt so heavy that I wanted to lay back down and go back to sleep but I forced myself to my feet and went over to Annie. "Annie? Wake up!" She didn't budge even when I smacked her hard on her ass. Apparently he had done the same thing to her; she was out cold but with a smile that I recognized on her face, it was the "I got fucked smile". He fucked her? And she let him with me in the next bed? I made my way to the bathroom to wash my face being careful not to fall. Once inside the bathroom, I looked in the mirror and saw... what in the hell? My neck! He...it bit me! That woke me up fast! I ran back to the bedroom and checked Annie neck. Bite marks the same as mine. Fuck! Were we one of those things now? And if we were, then what? Was that how he got her to fuck him? I tried to wake Annie again but soon gave up. I went back into the bathroom and looked at my neck again, "mother fucker!" I swore out loud and then I made a huge mistake.... I left the room to look for him. I stomped off not realizing that I was being followed, once I got to the lobby and was out on the street my neck began to tingle. It was then that I realized that I had done something very stupid and as I turned around to go back into the hotel, I ran into the thing that was talking to Delgado a couple of days before. "Hello pretty lady." he said with a smile that didn't reach his eyes. I tried to back away but I didn't have a chance, I was in his arms and we were gone before I could even scream for help. ******** Micah She's coming! By some stroke of good luck, Tremaine caught her as she was leaving the hotel. My question was this, where were Delgado and Gremlin? Surely they couldn't have known that she had left the room and here was another question, why would she have left a place of safety to go out alone and unprotected? It just didn't make sense to me but I didn't care, I had her. The issue now became how to keep her hidden from Delgado until well after the wedding, I had to get her out of New Orleans as soon as possible. I would leave Daniel and Edward here, I could always call for them if needed but there was another issue, Edward. He was questioning his relationship to Regina and had been for sometime. I know this because he has been questioning Daniel and he has asked me about it more than once. For some reason my hold over him isn't as strong as my hold over his brother. I would have to think about that later but for now I had more pressing issues. ******* I kicked and struggled to get away from... it but it was useless, he only laughed at me and said something about liking feisty human women. That was enough to make be go limp as was his intention I'm sure. He also made some comment about being marked and that it wouldn't help me where I was going. Where was he taking me? I even asked nicely but he didn't answer as we flew to an unknown destination. Yes I said flew, I could see the city below me and even though I didn't want to, I held on to it tightly and buried my face in its neck much to its delight and arousal. "It is such a pity that you belong to someone else or I would fuck you right here in the air but then a little play never hurt anyone and I am quite sure that your intended won't mind as long as I don't fuck you properly." "No, don't ...." Somehow, he maneuvered me so that his hips were between my legs and he was grinding against me-hard. When I struggled he moaned in my ear. "Yes do that again!" I stopped moving but it didn't matter, I knew when he came only because he stiffened against me, howled and we began to fall from the sky. He quickly recovered and planted a kiss on my neck right over where Maurice had bitten me. "Thank you that was delightful." he said and he kissed me again. I wanted to vomit and would have if there had been anything in my stomach to vomit. Instead I tried to find out where he was taking me. "You've had your fun now where are we going?" "To your intended's home." he replied. Intended? What was he talking about? So I asked and he wouldn't say anymore. I have to admit that I did something that I'm exactly proud of but I needed to know more about where I was going and about this intended and if it meant what I thought it did, I used my sex to get information. "How much further?" I asked. "Not too much further, why? Do you like my cock rubbing between your legs?" he asked. I bit my lip and ... I lied. I told him that it felt good but because I was so afraid of falling that I didn't enjoy it as much as I could have. Unbelievably, he bought it, slowed down and began to grind against me again. "Better?" he asked. Again I lied and told him that it was much better. "Then why are you not moving your pussy against my cock?" he asked suspiciously. Fuck! Now he wanted active participation. I moved just enough that I thought that he was satisfied but I was wrong. "Harder or I won't tell you what you want to know!" he hissed. The bastard knew what I was doing and let me hang myself. If anything more happened, he could say that I seduced him. I thought about refusing but my desire to know what was happening overrode my revulsion at what he was and what he wanted from me. I ground against him hard and heard him moan, then my jeans... they were gone and I felt the hardness of his bare cock pressed between my legs. This was much more than I had bargained for and more than I was willing to do for information. He laughed at my surprise as his hands grabbed my ass and pulled me tight against him. "Did you really think that you could trick me into telling you anything?" he asked still laughing as he ground against me making sure that his cock rubbed against my clit. "Are you going to come pretty lady?" he asked. "No, please stop! You don't have to tell me anything!" I begged. I was crying now, not only had I been bitten by one of these things, one of them was fucking me and was going to make me come even though I fought it. That it was purely a physical reaction didn't and wouldn't help me when I thought about it later. "Too late for that." he breathed into my ear as he pulled me even tighter against him. "Too bad I cannot deposit my seed deep inside of you but as lovely as you are and as good as you feel, you aren't worth dying for." They could be killed? Was the last thought I had before I came screaming into its chest and it came with a yell against my neck. The next thing I knew, we were dressed again and we were landing on the patio of a house. I looked around and realized that I had no idea of where I was but it wasn't New Orleans of that I was sure, I wasn't even sure that I was still in Louisiana. I had gotten my wish to leave New Orleans now I wanted to go back. Maurice Ch. 05 I looked around to see if I could at least figure out if I was still in Louisiana and after several minutes I realized that I wasn't. The thing that brought me here was sitting in a patio chair watching me with a wary expression on it's face, maybe it thought I was going to jump. I might be scared, angry and disgusted but I wasn't suicidal. I looked over the rail and heard him move toward me and I backed away. I didn't want him touching me again; I wanted to forget the flight- I guess that's what you'd call it over here. "There is no escape from here pretty lady." He said from behind me. "And even if you managed to get out of the house, you wouldn't get far and you would hurt yourself and that would upset your groom." "Groom?" I asked turning to face him. "Yes love, your intended." "I don't have an intended!" I retorted. "He'll be here shortly and he would like for you to be presentable. I believe that everything you need has been provided for and there is a change of clothing on the bed." I stared at him; I wasn't going to get presentable for anyone! "Kiss my ass!" I hissed. "Was that another invitation?" he drawled. "No! Touch me again and I'll tell my intended!" I screamed not knowing what else to say. The thing shrugged its shoulders; it really didn't seem to care. "Go ahead, I could care less if you tell him or not. As I mentioned before, he doesn't care as long as I don't stick my cock up what I am sure is your delectable pussy and ass." "Oh fuck." I murmured as I backed away He gave me a lopsided grin that under normal circumstances would have been incredibly sexy. "Here are your choices," he said still grinning at me, "You go in there and get ready of your own volition or I help you. Please, go ahead and refuse, I would like nothing more." "Where's the bathroom?" I whispered. ******** Gremlin and I met in front of the hotel and compared notes. None of the vampires that I had sensed were Regina's brothers which begged the question where in the hell were they? It was now one day before Regina's birthday and time was getting short. It was already past one am and I could tell that Gremlin was anxious to see and tend to his mate. I have to tell you that I was jealous of him, the only way that I could touch Regina was under compulsion and that is hardly satisfactory. We agreed to go check on the women and to reinforce the compulsion to sleep if necessary and to continue to search for the brothers. I was also going to call Olivia and have her make preparations to ward the house. Once that was done we would take the women there and Gremlin and Annie could have some much needed privacy. Both of us scanned the hotel and thought it strange that there was no one watching it. A feeling of dread filled my stomach as both of us flew up the stairs and into the room. Annie was still asleep exactly where Gremlin had left her but Regina was gone. I looked in the bathroom and out on the patio, how could she be gone? How could she have woken from the compulsion? And where could she have gone? "She left the hotel." Gremlin said in his raspy voice. "Tremaine took her; I can smell his stink from here." I made myself calm down and inhaled deeply. Gremlin was right, Tremaine had taken her and wherever it was, it was away from New Orleans, as a matter of fact, it wasn't in the state of Louisiana. I was glad that I took blood from her, it would take me some time but I could find her. Once again the ability to be out in the daylight was going to be to my advantage. Neither Tremaine nor Micah Lannister had that ability and I was certain that Regina's brothers didn't either. I just had to figure out which direction they had gone and leave, they had a good four hour start but I could make that up in no time. Gremlin was sitting on the bed next to Annie who was still asleep, he wasn't going to go with me and I didn't want him to. Annie was his first priority and was still in danger until he did what he needed to do to ensure her safety. Micah wouldn't dare come after Gremlin himself but he would go for Annie and there was no telling what he would do to her once he got her. As I prepared to leave Gremlin did something that was amazing and surprising at the same time, he stood, walked over to me and bit his wrist so that he bled and offered his bleeding wrist to me. What did that mean? It meant that I would always know where he was. It meant that Gremlin, a cold hearted killer trusted me not to betray him and that is no small thing. I reverently bowed to him and took his wrist in my hands and drank. "I thank you for your trust in me." I said my throat tight. I then bared my wrist which was pencil thin in comparison to his and bit into it. I offered my wrist to him as he had offered me his but because of the great difference in our height, he dropped to one knee, bowed his head as a show of respect before taking my wrist in his hands and drinking. We were now linked for eternity, as with Regina, I would be able to find him anywhere and he me but I had to know why he decided to trust me. "My Annie loves your Regina; if anything happened to her she would be inconsolable as your Regina would be if anything happened to Annie. The best way to protect both of them is for us their mates to be linked together, now go find your mate. When and if you need me I will be there." I don't mind telling you that I was speechless; this had to be a first. I thanked Gremlin again for his trust and went to the window. I closed my eyes and searched for Regina, after a moment, I knew which way they had gone; north. Which state I didn't know but if I had to guess I would say Arkansas, it only made sense as it bordered Louisiana. In a flash I was gone, in a day or two; either I or Micah Lannister would be dead. ******** Annie Reggie and I have always been close. I had no sisters and neither did she so we became as close as sisters. Either she was at my house or I was at hers which is why it hurt when her parents wouldn't let me go to New Orleans with them. I remember that both Reggie and I begged and pleaded to the point of Reggie refusing to go if I couldn't go with them. Her mom, my aunt got this panicked expression on her face that I didn't think about at the time but now.... Anyway, I didn't go and Reggie promised to bring me a gift- something with Vampires on it. You see, even then I loved vampires and things like that to the point where I believed that they really existed and before Reggie went on that trip she liked that kind of thing too but not to the extent I did. I think that even though she really didn't believe in the supernatural, it still scared her a little. I remember the day that they came back; they hadn't been gone for long. When I asked Reggie why they were back so soon, she said something about Danny and Eddie being lost in New Orleans and after that she wouldn't talk about the trip at all. Whenever I mentioned vampires, she totally freaked out but here's the weird thing, soon after they got back they moved. When I say soon I mean days after they got back and.... I never did see Danny and Eddie. Reggie said that they were on punishment because of what they did on the trip and weren't allowed to come out of their rooms. I didn't think too much of it as those two were always being punished for something. I asked Reggie where they were moving to and she said that the Lannisters, the people her mother worked for bought a new house and that both of her parents were moving to a small house located on the property. Even after they moved Reggie and I stayed close with me even spending the night over there a few times. What I thought was strange was that everybody was up at night. Now you know that I love vampire stuff so... I thought that they were vampires-the Lannisters I mean. Did I have any proof? Of course not, but still the signs were there. Then the boys were gone off to college and Reggie's parents were killed in that horrible car accident. The boys came home for the funeral but they didn't seem quite like themselves but then again it had been a while since I'd seen them and people do change. Both Reggie and I went to the same college with the Lannisters footing her bill and me doing the work study/ grant/loan route. We both graduated with degrees in social work and even got jobs at the same agency. The last time I recall seeing the boys was... two years ago I believe and they were... odd? But then there was Micah Lannister, talk about a dreamboat! He was there the last time I saw the boys, as a matter of fact it was at the Lannister home. I don't know where the parents were but I do know that Micah Lannister only had eyes for Reggie and she wasn't biting. You know, that was the last time Reggie saw her brothers, I know that they call her on a weekly basis from wherever they happen to be working but the phone calls never last for more than ten minutes tops. I know that you're wondering why I brought Reggie here knowing what happened here but I really didn't know what happened here. She never talked about it and not only that, I got this bee in my bonnet to come here, call it an obsession if you want but coming here was all that I could think of. I don't know when it started or how the idea got into my head to come here but here we are. From the moment we arrived Reggie started acting funny. That night during the vampire tour she was over the top, she verbally attacked that cute man who I considered to be a friend. There was one thing that I did know something was happening and I was the one that brought my cousin, my friend here and if anything happened to her, I would feel guilty for the rest of my life. Gremlin I could do nothing more for Delgado than I did. This fight is his but I will help him if the odds are not in his favor. Just because I am a killer it does not mean that I am without honor or that I do not have a sense of fairness and as I told Delgado, if it would help to keep Annie safe and happy then I will join with him. I guess that answered the question as to my profession, I was no longer a killer for hire and I was at peace with that. I now had what I needed to be able to leave my life of violence and move to a new kind of life. Did that mean that I wouldn't kill again? No, it meant that I would no longer do so for money, if I kill it will be to protect my Annie, her cousin and even Delgado as they are now my family. All I could do was wait and tend to Annie. I had no doubt that when I told her of all that had transpired that she would take the responsibility on herself when none of it was her fault. She was just a pawn in a much bigger game and to punish me for my betrayal, the Lannisters will try to take her. She will not be safe until she is completely mine and once that happens no one will dare to touch her for she will be protected by all of my kind. When I looked at Annie, I saw such beauty and kindness. She will be a good mother to my children and a good mate to me. It was time for us to finish what we started and then when the time comes for me to help Delgado, she will be safe. I don't look forward to telling her about what happened although I think that on some level she knows that things are not right, I am anxious for this to be over. I woke her with a word and a kiss, the smile that she greeted me with was beautiful. When she looked at me, I knew that she wasn't seeing a cold blooded killer for hire, she saw her mate, the one who would keep her safe and love her always. "Are you ready for me?" I asked. I received my answer when she reached between my legs and stroked my cock. "Do you understand what this means?" I asked, "Your life as it was is over, your place is with me no matter where that may be." "I understand." she replied as she continued to stroke me. "Annie, do you accept me as your mate?" "Yes." she replied without hesitation. I helped her sit up and kissed her on the neck where I had marked her. I needed just a little more blood from her and she would take from me. Why? Because it will create a two way link. Just as I will always be able to find her, she will always be able to find me. Chances are when this is over, Delgado will taste of her and she of him as well as Regina, it would be the prudent thing to do. I nicked the earlier wound and watched as the blood welled up and I drank from her for a few seconds. I lay her back on the bed and was amazed by the total trust that shone in her eyes as I made a small bite into my wrist and offered it to her. There was no hesitation on her part as she put her mouth to the small wound and drank. The feeling of her sucking the blood from me traveled straight to my cock. "Annie, stop." I said when I knew that she had taken enough. She stopped, looked at me and then kissed my wrist. This woman who did not know me before yesterday loved me and I loved her. Not wanting to waste time, I stripped us. She was ready for me, I could smell her arousal, and I could see it in her eyes. As much as I wanted to take my time this first time, it was imperative that we be mated. I tried to be as gentle with her as possible but I still caused her some pain but after a moment, she was moaning in pleasure as I emptied deep inside of her. Afterwards, she slept while I held her and waited for word from Delgado, I would tell Annie everything once she woke up and if time permitted. ******* Micah I could hardly wait to see her-Regina. She was already at one of my homes in Arkansas and was preparing for me. Everything she needed to please me was already there; you thought I was going to wait for the wedding? Oh no, she was going to be mine as soon as I got there. It doesn't change anything though, we still have to be married and if Delgado finds her there will still be a fight to the death. Daniel and Edward were still in the city and would join me in Arkansas the night of the ceremony. I was still worried by Edward's hesitancy about Regina. He was remembering things but nothing important. Why was I worried? If he remembers that she is his sister, he will protect her and will die doing it. I was actually thinking about leaving him behind but I decided that I needed to keep him in sight. Daniel on the other hand remembered nothing; he of the two adjusted the quickest to this life and loved it. I had also planted a command in his memory-if Edward should happen to remember who Regina is, he was to kill him immediately. I didn't want anything to fuck up what should have happened twenty-two years ago. ****** I stood in what was probably the biggest bathroom that I had ever seen in my entire life. The bathtub which looked like a small swimming pool was already filled with clear blue water that smelled of lilacs, the fixtures were gold colored and I would bet real gold. I touched the fixtures and then the sinks; someone had a lot of money I realized. I could hear it just outside of the door and hoped that he stayed there; I had no desire to feel its touch again. It was the thought of his semen on me that got me out of my clothes and into the tub. I submerged my entire body under the scented water and stayed there for as long as I could. When I came up for air, it was watching me, the front of his pants tented out. "Need some help?" it asked. I didn't answer, I was too afraid that I would say something that it would take as an invitation. It waited for several seconds and then was gone. I mean he vanished from where he was sitting! I looked around and didn't see him and then I relaxed only to tense again. What if he was still here and I just couldn't see him? I hesitated not sure of what I should do and then I heard him talking to someone. I got out of the tub as fast as I could, dried off and put my clothes back on. I didn't care what he said; I wasn't wearing clothes that weren't mine. "Are you finished pretty one?" he called in and then flung the door open. "Those are not the clothes that your intended wants you to wear." he said looking me up and down, "but then, I don't see why it matters since you won't have them on for long anyway." "What... what are you saying?" I asked as I realized just how stupid I'd been. If I would have only stayed in the room I wouldn't be here now trying to find a way to escape. "Why wait until the wedding night to sample the goodies?" he replied chuckling at my surprise. I looked around frantically; suddenly jumping off of the balcony didn't seem like such a bad idea. I must have edged toward the balcony because he moved with me the amusement in his eyes and voice gone. I realized then that he was responsible for me until my intended arrived. "Don't think of it." he said his voice low. I froze and waited. For the first time since I met him, Maurice didn't seem so bad. I wondered if he had returned to the room yet and if he had, was he looking for me? But I was in another state and I didn't know which one so how would he find me? Yes, I know. I wanted to get away from vampires, hated them and now I was hoping that one would come to my rescue. "What are you thinking about pretty one?" He asked. "N... nothing." I stammered but I could tell that he knew that I was lying. "I bet I know." he said as he circled around me until he was standing behind me. "Would you care to make a wager?" I wasn't about to wager anything with this thing and I had to get its mind off of sex. "Do you have a name?" I asked. That surprised him but only for a second. "I know what you are doing but very well, my name is Tremaine." I knew him from somewhere. Remember I thought that the first time that I saw him but I don't remember why or where. "My name is...." "Regina, yes I know." he said interrupting me. "You are also hoping that Delgado finds you before your intended arrives, am I correct?" I didn't answer him, there was no need to, he already knew that I was hoping for help although I wasn't specifically thinking about Maurice-alright, yes I was. It was time for me to start using my head instead of reacting with emotion, what could I use against this thing in front of me? I started to replay our conversations in my head, there had to be something that I could use but I couldn't recall him saying anything that could help me. I had to watch what I said; it had a tendency to take what I said as an invitation even though it wasn't my intent. ******** Damn it! How had she overcome the compulsion? I knew that she was mentally strong but I had no idea that she was that strong. That was an error on my part, I should have known better and yes I know that I'm supposed to be able to do all of these supernatural things but it doesn't mean that I'm not infallible. I can only hope that my error doesn't bring Regina to any harm. I know that they are in Arkansas and not far over the border, I will be there in a matter of minutes but I can't go in like gangbusters until I know that Regina is out of harms way. I had to wonder what she was thinking when she left the room, where was she going? If I had to guess, I would say that she was looking for me and that she was very, very angry. She wants answers and tonight I think she's going to find out more than she bargained or was prepared for. I hoped that her strong mind would be able to handle the truth which reminds me, her brothers, where were they? ******* Edward Micah came down and said that he had to leave and that he would see us the following evening at the wedding. What wedding? I didn't know that he was getting married. All he ever talked about was this Regina, maybe it was her he was going to marry. Every time I think about her the feeling that I should know her somehow resurfaces, I didn't say anything to Daniel, I didn't want to hear his spiel about getting a grip and all of that. "You coming?" he asked. Maurice Ch. 05 Since we had the evening free Daniel decided that we should go out for the evening. I didn't want to go but I would anyway. Just as we were about to leave, Micah came back. "You're going with me." he said. I wondered about the sudden change in plans but didn't ask and just got ready to go. Daniel grumbled under his breath, he apparently had big plans with several young ladies. Did you ever have the feeling like something really bad was going to happen? When I was human, yes I have some memories of being human, I would get that feeling from time to time but tonight, the feeling is so strong that I had to bite my lip so that I wouldn't ask Micah not to go. What would have happened if I had? He would have laughed at me and then asked me why we shouldn't go. After I told him that I had a feeling, he would laugh at me again and tell me to get my ass into gear. The thing is, when I looked over at Daniel, he looked spooked too and that meant something but like me he didn't say anything. He didn't want to be laughed at anymore than I did. Maybe if we had presented a united front things might have turned out differently but then who knows? Fate can be such a funny thing. Daniel Something was going to happen. When Micah told us that we could stay back I was relieved and I wanted to be gone before something happened to make him change his mind. I tried to hurry Eddie up but he was thinking again and I knew that he didn't want to go with me but he wanted to go with Micah even less. My stomach dropped when Micah came back saying that there had been a change of plan. I saw the look of anxiety that crossed Eddie's face before he hid it. Whether he knew what I was thinking I didn't know and I wish that I had taken the time to find out. ******* Micah Delgado was already on his way. I know this because he was seen leaving the hotel and headed in the direction of my home. I thought about having Tremaine move her from place to place until tomorrow evening but I decided that this had to end. Neither Daniel nor Edward was pleased by the change in plans although they didn't question it but got ready to go. The one thing that concerned me was Daniel, he was uneasy and that was a new thing. I could have changed my mind and let things go meaning, Regina but it had become a matter of pride if you want to call it that. Yes I know that I could die but somehow that doesn't really matter but as I think I may have mentioned before, I'll kill Regina too. Delgado might win the fight but he will be mate less so really, who would be the winner? ****** Think! I told myself, there has to be a way out of this. Tremaine was watching me like a hawk but not speaking, he was waiting for my "intended to arrive." "What's his name?" I asked. "I am not free to divulge that information." he replied. I looked at him closely, I knew him... I knew him but how? The memory was right there if I could only make it stand still enough that I could grasp it. "How do I know you?" I finally asked not really expecting an answer. "Our paths have crossed before." he replied. I thought that I saw a little anxiety on his face and pressed for more information. "Where?" "You should rest now, your intended will be arriving soon." he replied ignoring my question. He was nervous but why? "Why are you so nervous?" I asked. "I'm not, but your intended will be angry if you are too tired for his attentions." he replied. I had a sudden flash, a memory and it involved him. He was hurting someone- two boys... "He's here." Tremaine whispered to himself. "Who's here?" I asked hoping that it wasn't whoever I was supposed to be marrying. Without replying, he grabbed me and shoved me into a room that had no windows and locked me in. I pounded on the door and began to scream at the top of my lungs and then I stopped. What if it was someone else like him? I backed away from the door and looked around for something that I could use as a weapon. The only thing that I saw was a poker by the fireplace. I picked it up and looked for a place to hide, there were several doors but they were all locked which left one place and I know that this is going to sound like I watch too many horror movies but I stood against the wall beside the door. My plan was to crack whoever came through the door over the head and then make a run for it. Yes there were problems with that plan but I couldn't think of anything else. "Idiot!" I muttered under my breath as I wondered about Annie. Was she safe or did she wake up to find me gone and left the safety of the room to look for me? Several other things crossed my mind as I waited to whack someone across the head, Maurice. Remember the night that I was on the tour and left to go back to the room? He followed me and tried to stop me from going down that ally. If he meant me harm, why would have done that? Annie liked him and she had good instincts when it came to people. Many a time she's saved me from making a mistake with a man and it was because she picked up on something about the man. Maurice had ample time to kill me or to do whatever it was that he was planning and the one time that I saw him and Tremaine together, it was Tremaine that I was more afraid of. The more I thought about it, the more I was coming to realize just how big of a mistake that I had made when I left that room. I had allowed my fear and anger to cloud my thinking and I was going to pay dearly for that mistake, I already had on the flight over here. I felt a tear escape and wiped it away. I was not going to cry. ******* "So this is where she is." I muttered to myself as I sat in a tree looking at the house. I sensed that there were guards around but they weren't very good ones. I never should have been able to get this close to the house without being challenged. I was wondering where the guards were when heard whispering just below me. "Tremaine says he's out here somewhere." One of the voices said. "Does he know how big this damned place is?" the other asked. "He knows and reinforcements are on the way." "And if we catch the bastard, then what?" the first man asked irritably. "He says to kill him right away and then to bring him the head." I floated down from the tree and walked around so that I would be in front of them. "Are you looking for me?" I asked pleasantly. They were so shocked that they just gave me a dumbfounded look. "Well are you?" I asked. The two vampires looked at each other in disbelief then back at me. "You have got to be kidding!" One said to another, "This is what has Tremaine in such a panic?" The other one looked at me long and hard, his eyes widening in recognition. "I know you, you killed Baron." "Him? The other asked and then started laughing. "You must be joking! Look at him; he couldn't fight his way out of a paper bag!" "No! Listen, he killed Baron! I saw it and there's more, he's a direct descendant of Comte Saint Germaine!" I stood still listening to the two vampires argue. I had no doubt that the one who knew me was going to run off and leave his partner alone with me. I could hear more vampires arriving, Tremaine was taking no chances. A few seconds later just as I predicted the one who knew me was gone. The remaining vampire lost a little of his cockiness but decided to face me, I guess he thought that he would rather die by my hand than that of Tremaine's or Micah's. He ran at me and I moved feeling the wind as he rushed past me. He charged again and I moved out of his way but this time, when he rushed by me, I slashed his arm. It took him seconds to realize what happened and when he did, he screamed. I had to end this now or else I would soon be surrounded by Tremaine's guards. I held out my hand and closed my fist as I visualized his neck in my hands. Within second's he lay dead on the ground, his head rolling down a slight incline. By the time the other guards got there, I was gone. I went up to the roof of the house and encountered another guard. This one didn't wait for conversation, he knew who I was and wanted to be the one to kill me. I waited for him to make his move and he didn't disappoint me, as soon as he started toward me, I pulled my arm back and made a fist then punched forward. The vampire gave me a look of surprise just as he flew backwards into the trunk of a tree. I heard the bones of his back crush from the impact. Was he dead? No but he wouldn't be getting up anytime too soon either. ******** My arms were getting tired from holding the fire poker up but I was too afraid to put it down. After a while, I had to, I just couldn't hold the thing up anymore. I wondered what the excitement was about and if they had forgotten about me-fat chance but it didn't hurt to dream. I thought about trying the doors again but decided against it, I had checked them all and they were locked and would still be locked. Who was this intended supposed to be? I wondered as I tried to think of things to keep me occupied. And why hadn't I met him yet? A few minutes later, I could hear Tremaine on the other side of the door talking to someone who didn't sound particularly happy. I could tell that there were questions being asked and answered but I couldn't hear well enough to hear what they were. ****** Micah Delgado was here somewhere, not in the house but somewhere on the property. Tremaine was full of himself because he thought that he ran the little vampire off but I knew better, he was biding his time. "But he is gone!" Tremaine insisted. "NO HE ISN'T!" I yelled at him, "He's still on the fucking property somewhere!" Tremaine didn't believe me, I could tell by the way in which he looked at me. "He is still here." I repeated but in a much calmer tone of voice. "He is not leaving unless one of us is dead and he's banking on it being me." I said. Edward and Daniel stood behind Tremaine listening. I was beginning to wonder if I shouldn't have left them in New Orleans as I had originally planned. I was also wondering if I shouldn't send them back, but I didn't and would come to regret that decision. In the meantime, I wanted to hear about Regina. "Where is she?" I asked a no longer so confident Tremaine. "I put her in the secured room when I sensed Delgado." he replied. At least he took Delgado seriously enough for that I thought to myself. "Is she prepared?" "She has bathed but she is not wearing the clothing that you selected for her." Tremaine said. "And why is that? I asked. "She refused and you didn't want her compelled into submission." I looked at Tremaine, something was..... He had touched her after I gave specific orders that he not. "You touched her." I said not as a question but as a statement of fact. He didn't even try to deny it but instead blamed Regina. "She offered herself to me." A half lie. "Tell me." I urged. He had no choice but to tell me the truth. "I did not enter her." I saw red but I let him continue. "The second time she tried to get information by using her body, who was I to turn her away?" "Did you give her the information?" I asked. He hesitated. "No, you instructed me not to tell her anything...." I watched his face as he realized what he had just said. "So you allowed her to believe that you were going to give her information that you knew that you couldn't give." I said dryly but my anger showed. "It is because of your initial fuck up that we are even here." I added. His eyes widened, he was in deep shit and he knew it, he had disobeyed me not once but twice and then tried to lay the blame on Regina. "Go find Delgado and kill him." I said knowing that it was a death sentence. "How many can I take with me?" he asked. "None-bring his head to me by morning or greet the sun." I replied and walked away. ******* What was happening out there? I wondered as I tightened my hold on the fire poker. I couldn't hear them anymore and wondered if they had left the room. Don't get me wrong, I knew that I was still in very deep shit but maybe I had gained a little more time to get myself out of this mess that I had gotten myself into. I heard someone on the other side of the door and got ready to hit and run. Whoever it was stopped and then said something. "Regina, I know that you're on the other side of the door." I knew that voice; it was a voice that I hadn't heard in over two years. What was Micah Lannister doing here? "Come out, it's alright now." I was about to run out of the room when something stopped me. This was wrong, something was very wrong here and it had to do with Micah. Why was he here? How did he know that I was here unless..... "Fuck!" I whispered, it dawned on me then, he was my intended. "Regina, it's safe, Tremaine is gone and will not touch you again." Micah Lannister, tall, good looking and totally creepy. I've never really liked him although I knew that he was interested in me and here he was trying to get me out of this room. ******** I could have gone in after her but I wanted to give her a chance to come out on her own. Daniel and Edward were behind me anxiously waiting for her response as was I. I really didn't want to force her but I would if I had to. "It will be so much easier if you came out on your own." I said. ******** What choice did I have? I could have held off but then what? It was then that another thought hit me, he was one of them! That's why I never saw them during the day! That's why I never saw them eat but drink red stuff that I had assumed to be wine! But why wasn't I having the headaches? It was because he wanted me to know, he wanted me to know what I was marrying! ******** Tremaine was here and looking for me-alone. That meant that he must have really fucked up and Micah wanted me to do his dirty work for him. I was curious as to what he could have done to warrant such a punishment/ death. I appeared in front of him not wanting to prolong his death but wanting to find out some answers. "Greetings Tremaine." I said pleasantly with a slight bow. He looked at me warily. "Did you think that I would be so dishonorable that I would attack with no warning?" I asked. "Why didn't you?" he asked. "We need to chat first." I replied. "How is Regina?" "She is unharmed." "Good, do you know where her brothers are?" I asked. I figured that if they were still in New Orleans, I could let Gremlin know and he could find them. "They are here with Micah." "Why are you giving me this information so easily and what have you done that you were sent out here alone to kill me?" I asked. I didn't think that he was going to answer me at first. "It is because of my fuck up that Regina and Micah are not married. I wasn't told of the wedding plans and took the brothers instead of her. In fairness, had they told me I would have compelled all of them and taken her as I was supposed to but as you know the Lannisters care little about what is fair. At any rate, they have been watching and waiting for the moon and the stars and all of that shit that they follow to properly align and it is this birthday. In an attempt to ingratiate myself to them and in exchange for certain.... Favors, I offered to help Micah." There was more, while the information was helpful; he had done something to displease Micah. "Why were you sent out alone?" I asked. He gave me a cocky grin that didn't sit well with me. "I fucked her." "You what?" I asked as anger rose. "She has the most delightful pussy, I came twice and she came while burying her face....." I didn't let him finish his sentence; he was now a pile of ashes blowing away through the trees. Afterwards, I realized that he baited me. Did he really fuck my Regina? I doubt it but he did assault her in some way of that I was sure. I suspect that Micah knew and this was Tremaine's punishment. Now, what to do about her brothers. They were here which could be a good thing... or not. I heard voices and vanished to the house to see what I could see. ******* I stood behind the door still holding on to the fire poker which would be of no use to me. I heard the underlying threat in his voice and knew that he would follow through on his unspoken threat. I moved from behind the door and stepped back before reaching for the door knob. I took a deep breath and opened the door coming face to face with Micah Lannister. "Ah there you are and as lovely as ever." he said as he reached out and touched my cheek. I took a step back and saw anger flash in his eyes and then it was gone. "What's going on?" I asked. "Something that should have happened twenty-two years ago." he replied and stepped toward me. I frowned, twenty-two years ago was when I was last here. It was also the night before my birthday, the same night that my brothers disappeared. And Tremaine..... "Regina?" Micah called. "Why are you not wearing the clothing that I left for you?" "I.... I don't want to wear your clothes." I replied. "But you will." "No.... I won't" I replied fighting the urge to do as he wanted me to do. His eyes widened and this time when the anger flashed, it didn't go away and he stepped toward me. "You will do as I say." I swallowed hard and decided to make a run for it; I hadn't gotten very far when I stopped short. There standing by the door were my brothers. My first reaction was relief, they would help me, they would protect me as they used to when we were children. I started to run to Daniel and I stopped, something was wrong and then I knew. They were vampires. Maurice Ch. 06 I couldn't believe it, Daniel and Eddie were standing right in front of me and they were vampires! When had that happened? Then I remembered where I had met Tremaine, he was in the boys room, the room that I was supposed to be in. I got it, I was the target and not my brothers but why did he take them and not me? I was there and saw him..... I saw him drinking their blood. I felt my stomach turn, this was my fault! If I hadn't changed rooms Eddie and Danny wouldn't be one of those things but I would be married to Micah. It would have been a lose-lose situation just as it was now. I looked at Danny first and realized that he didn't know who I was now and two years ago. Both of them had acted odd but Daniel more so than Eddie but at the time I chalked it up to not seeing them in a long time. I turned my gaze to Eddie and noticed that he seemed to be struggling; it was as if he was trying to remember me but couldn't quite do it. It was him that I chose to speak to. "Eddie? It's me Regina, what are you doing here?" I asked not knowing what else to say. Just as he was going to answer me, Micah sent them out. Of the two of them, Eddie was the one who lingered. I turned to face Micah. "What did you do to them? Why don't they know me?" "Change into the clothing that I left for you and I'll tell you." He replied. I wasn't about to make the same mistake that I made with Tremaine. "Tell me first and I'll think about putting on the clothes." Micah nodded at me and apologized. "Tremaine over stepped his bounds with you, he was not to touch you in anyway and I apologize for that but the fact remains that you disobeyed me and now you try to barter." "Me? You're the one who won't tell me anything unless I put on whatever outfit you picked out for me!" I shot back. "Touché." Micah replied softly. "I suppose that you are entitled to an explanation without strings attached" "You're damn straight I am! Start talking!" Micah gave me a grin that unsettled me a second later I found out why. "Fucking you is going to be so much fun if you have as much spunk in bed as you do out." I bit my tongue; I wanted to tell him that it would be a cold day in hell before I allowed him to touch me. Instead I said, "My explanation?" "This might be for the best." he said as he walked to a counter and took out two glasses. "I remember that you don't drink much alcohol so I made sure that we have plenty of juices on hand. Sprite mixed with cranberry correct?" I nodded my head yes but I had no intention of drinking or eating anything that Micah Lannister gave me. I watched as he mixed the drinks-he had a scotch and soda and handed me my drink. "Sit and make yourself at home." he said indicating the love seat. I sat in a chair across from the loveseat and waited. He smiled at me and nodded, he knew exactly what I was doing. I didn't like him when we were kids and I liked him even less now, he was smug and arrogant and so sure that he was going to marry me. "I'm waiting." I said impatiently. For just a second, his eyes flashed angrily and I realized that I had to be careful. "Sorry." I said. "I've been through a lot since I got to New Orleans." Instantly the anger was gone and he was smiling again, it was as if the anger had never been there. "It's quite alright." he said as he took a sip of his drink. "As I was saying, maybe it's for the best to get the unpleasantness over before we go to bed and get married. Tell me, what do you remember?" "Only what you allow me to!" I snapped and instantly regretted it. Before I knew it, Micah was standing in front of me, his eyes flashing. "I understand that you have been through an ordeal tonight and I have apologized for that and have even made some concessions to accommodate you but watch your tone with me." "Sorry." I said again as I mentally kicked myself. If I wanted to get out of this I had to stop lashing out at him and use my head. He gave me a curt nod of his head and went back to the loveseat. "Are you ready for the truth?" he asked. "Yes." I replied. ******* Daniel So that's Regina, I remembered her from the dinner two years ago but it was more than that, I knew her from somewhere else. I now understood what Eddie was trying to tell me, this woman ..... "Is nothing to you." A voice from the inside of my head said and I listened to it. I didn't know this woman other than to call her on a weekly basis. Edward Who in the hell is she? I asked myself as I watched her walk toward us. She meant something to us but what? "She means nothing to you." I heard in my head and knew that Daniel had heard the same message. "Who is she?" I asked silently and received another command to forget her, but I couldn't. I knew this woman! The feeling was reinforced when she said my name and that's not all, I felt the need to protect her but from whom? I wanted to speak to her but Micah sent us out of the room before I could say anything. As soon as we were out of the room, I pulled Daniel aside. "Do we know her?" I asked. "No and I would suggest that you let it go." he replied. "Daniel, you know her." I insisted. "I saw it on your face." "For the last time! I don't know the bitch!" he snarled and walked away. ******* Tremaine is dead but there are plenty more to take his place. I knew that Micah had arrived because the guards were more vigilant and there were a lot more of them. It wouldn't be too much longer before I would have to remain invisible to avoid detection but there was another issue, getting Regina out safely. It was clear to me that I was going to need Gremlin maybe soon. I still hadn't caught sight of Regina's brothers which meant that they were still in the house somewhere. I made a decision, I wanted Gremlin here. He could keep the guards occupied while I went inside of the house to find Edward and Daniel. My hope was that one or both of them would help her and take her to safety while I dealt with Micah Lannister for good. ******** Gremlin I woke Annie up and made her eat and drink something before I told her what was happening. While we waited for the food to be delivered, she took a hot shower to wash away some of the soreness that I caused when I entered her. I also called a cousin, someone that you're already familiar with, Olivia. Yes she is agoraphobic but on occasion she can be convinced to leave her home especially if all she has to do is vanish from one place to the next. Now that Annie is mine, it will be safe for her to be at Delgado's but I don't want her out of this room. I also didn't want to take the chance that she would be able to override the compulsion to sleep as Delgado's mate had done, that is why I called Olivia. I was taking no chances. Annie came out of the bathroom wearing just an oversized tee shirt that I wanted her to remove, she is by nature a very open person and I didn't want that to change. She could walk around naked all the time if she wished and it wouldn't bother me-it would make some things much easier. "Annie, come sit." I told her and patted the side of the bed. When she was sitting next to me I took her hands in mine. They were tiny compared to mine and so soft, it would have taken nothing for me to break every bone in her hands. Before you get upset and think that I could hurt her, I couldn't and I wouldn't, it was just an observation and nothing more. "Annie, there are things that I need to tell you." I said and she immediately tensed. I told her everything and as I expected she took full responsibility for bringing Regina here. "I did this? This is my fault?" "No Annie, none of this is your fault, things have been in motion from the day the Lannisters met Regina's parents and since her birth. You were an unwitting accomplice; your memories have been tampered with as were hers." I told her. Unfortunately, that was of little comfort to her, all she knew was that she brought Regina here and convinced her to stay when she wanted to go home. "Eddie and Danny are vampires? I thought that they were acting oddly the last time I saw them but vampires? How could I not have known that? She asked as she cried. I held her as she cried; she was realizing just how much trouble Regina was in and her guilt intensified. "The Lannisters are behind this?" she asked through her tears "and you were helping them?" she asked when I told her my part in the plan. "I was until I saw you and that is why it is imperative that you stay in this room. The Lannisters are very angry with me because of my betrayal and the only way that they can hurt me is through you. We are mated and that alone will keep you safe but I am taking no chances." I said. "My cousin Olivia is coming to stay with you, do as she says and you will be fine." "Where are you going?" she asked. "Delgado will need my help in rescuing Regina." I replied noticing the worried look on her face. "Don't worry, if all goes well we will be back by the evening." We ate breakfast together and I asked her if she wanted me to compel her back to sleep so that she wouldn't worry. She gave it some thought and decided against it. "I have my laptop to keep me occupied and it would be rude for me to be asleep when your cousin comes." she said. Olivia appeared an hour later, I made the introductions, kissed Annie goodbye and then I was gone. Since I knew exactly where Delgado was, I would be there in no time. ******* I waited for Gremlin about a mile from the property that way we could meet and talk in peace. There was also another reason, I wanted to lure Micah into a false sense of security, and I wanted him to think that I was gone even if it was temporarily. If Regina hadn't been there I was have just gone in and confronted him but her life was in danger and I couldn't take the chance that he would kill her. To be perfectly honest with you I believed that to be his plan, he would kill her just for spite. I had to find her brothers, jar their memories and maybe save their lives in the process. I heard Gremlin to my left and waited until he was next to me to speak. Quickly I apprised him of the situation including the fact that Tremaine was dead. "What is your plan?" he asked. "Tremaine called in extra guards and Micah has called in more, the property is crawling with them." I replied. "What is it that you need from me?" he asked. "I am going into the house to find Regina's brothers in the hopes that I can awaken their memories of her. I can handle the guards in and around the house if you will take care of those around the property and keep the reinforcements out. Once I have Regina out of the house I want you to take her back to the room and keep her there, if she tries to leave, tie her up, compel her; I don't care but keep her there until I get back." "Consider it done." he replied. I looked up at him and saw none of the being that had treated and cared for his mate with such gentleness. I was now looking at a being that could and would kill without remorse. "Gremlin..." "Save your thanks for later when your mate is safe and Micah Lannister dead." he said his voice cold. Seconds later, he was gone and then I heard a howl of pain, he had already started doing his part. ******** I held my drink in my hand and tried to wait until Micah was ready to explain things to me. In the few minutes that I had spent with Micah, I learned a lot. He was a flipping control freak and a dangerous one at that. He was also full of himself, I watched as he held his drink just so and how he was constantly straightening his shirt and patting his hair as if to say "look at me! I'm the shit!" Well he wasn't, not in my book anyway. When he was good and ready, he started telling me how we were always meant to be together. I had to interrupt him; I wanted to know how they figured that out. "Excuse me, but may I interrupt for a moment?" I asked making sure that my voice was honey sweet, I almost made myself gag but he ate it up. "I'm sure that you have questions." he replied apparently pleased with my fawning over him. "How do you know that we're supposed to be together?" "You see love, we were born on the same day, the same year and at the exact same moment as were my mother and my father and so on." Astrology? They fucked up my life over astrology? I took a deep breath and calmed down; I couldn't afford any more mistakes. "My brothers?" "Let me explain something to you," he said with a condescending tone of voice that made me want to pour my drink all over his perfect hair. "You were mine from the moment you were born. My family sought out your family and gave your mother a job and no, they didn't know what we were initially." "When did they find out?" I asked. "When we were eight." he replied. "Eight? What the fuck...." I stopped, his eyes were flashing again. "I mean why then?" I asked. "We needed to start preparing for our mating. Think about it, it was then that your mother started bringing you to work with her and you started seeing more of me." "I remember but I can't believe that my parents went along with this." I replied. "They really didn't have too much of a choice but make no mistake, they were well compensated." Compensated? They sold me? "The deal was that when we turned fifteen we would be married and the only thing that they had to do was to bring you to New Orleans, make sure that you were in the room that was chosen for you and that was all." "What did they get out of this?" I asked sick to my stomach. "They would have been cared for until they died and then they would have been buried in the family plot along with my mother's parents." "Are you saying that my parents sold me? I asked. "I suppose you can look at it that way but no, they wanted no parts of it but my father made your father an offer that he couldn't refuse...." Micah cocked his head and looked toward the window. "We have a visitor, no two visitors." Maurice? I can't believe I'm going to say this but I was thrilled! At that point in time I didn't care that he was a vampire, he was a friendly -yes I said friendly and familiar face. I feigned innocence when I spoke. "Really? Whose here?" "Don't be coy!" Micah snapped, "You damn well know who's here!" Before I knew what was happening Micah had me in his arms and was running through the house carrying me as if I weighed nothing. He didn't stop until he reached a room somewhere on the other side of the house, he whispered something and the door opened. Micah carried me in and threw me on the bed. "You had better be ready when I return." he growled and then he was gone. I jumped off the bed, ran to the door and tried to turn the knob, it was locked. No big surprise there but there was a window. I walked over to it and tried to open it, the damned thing wouldn't budge. It was too high and I didn't have enough leverage to lift it up. I looked around and saw another fireplace complete with the poker, I wasn't sure that I could lift the window with it but maybe I could smash it but then what? I had to be at least one story up. "Going somewhere?" A voice from behind me asked. I turned around to see a man no a vampire watching me with open interest. "Who are you?" I asked. "My name doesn't matter." He replied. "I am here to make sure that you don't do something stupid which apparently you were thinking about." He was standing in front of me one second and behind me the next effectively blocking the window and my possible escape route out. ****** Edward I know her! Or at least I did. The longer I thought about it, the more convinced I became that our past was tied to this woman. I turned around to see Daniel staring at me as if he were debating something, "What is it?" I asked. "Stop thinking about her, we don't know her." he said. The voice was his but something was missing; it was almost as if he was repeating something that he heard and not his own thoughts, kind of like a robot. "But we do." I said. "We know this woman somehow and....' Then his hands were around my throat. I was caught by surprise but moved fast enough that didn't have a good hold on me. We struggled for what seemed to be a long time before we both heard a voice behind us. "Stop this nonsense!" Daniel When I saw the woman I had the same feeling Eddie did, we knew her but what I found interesting was that she spoke to him and not me. When she called his name, I felt something, a memory maybe but it never materialized. I was mistaken, we didn't know this woman but I could see that Eddie was affected by her; he was more convinced than ever that we knew her. When we left the room, I could tell that he was still trying to figure out who and what this woman was to us. I tried to warn him to stop thinking of her but then he insisted that we knew her. "Kill him!" I heard in my head and against my will I attacked my brother. I tried to stop myself but I couldn't, my hands were around his neck but I couldn't get a good hold. Just as I was about to pick Eddie up and throw him, someone spoke. I was so surprised that I dropped Eddie to see who had spoken. "Who in the hell are you?" I asked the small, bald vampire. "My name is Maurice Delgado." he said with a slight bow. My first thought was, this is who Micah is so afraid of? I mean he hardly reached five feet three inches and he was bald. What I'm trying to say is he looked like he could be someone's favorite uncle. "Alright Maurice Delgado, what the fuck do you want?" I asked. ******* I made it into the house after killing several of Micah's guards. I knew that he knew that I was here and that he wasn't afraid for one reason, he didn't think that I would get past all of his guards. The fact that he hadn't taken off with Regina told me that he knew that we would meet face to face if I got past his guards. Regina wasn't too far away, alive and at the moment safe which meant that I could deal wither brothers. "What I want Daniel is to spare your life." I replied. He gave me the same look that so many others gave me and laughed. Edward stood by watching but not commenting. It didn't take me long to figure out who I had to swing to Regina's side. "Edward." I said, "You do know her." "No, you don't!" Daniel said vehemently, "We do not know her!" "Edward, think about her face, who does Regina remind you of?" "I.... I don't know." he replied but I could see that he was struggling to remember. I saw Daniel move toward Edward and moved between them. Daniel's anger flared as he glared at me and then I understood what was happening. "Daniel, you are to kill your brother aren't you?" I asked. "But you don't want to." His look of anger was replaced with one of shock. "How do you know that?" he asked. "I just do." I replied. "We don't have much time; I am going to tell you how you know Regina." I could feel Micah's presence, my time was about up. "Regina is your sister. She was brought here by Micah Lannister to be forced into marriage." Edward was the first of the two to believe me; Daniel needed a little more convincing. "Think about it, she has a familial resemblance to the both of you and Daniel; if you're honest with yourself you will admit that you know her." I said. "She doesn't want to marry Micah?" Edward asked. "No she doesn't, our time is up so you must decide, are you going to continue to follow a vampire that controls your thoughts or are you going to go with what you know to be true?" All of a sudden, Daniel was holding his head and moaning. Micah. I touched Daniel's head and commanded the pain to return to its sender, a moment later we all heard a loud moan. I had stalled Micah for just a moment. "What will it be?" I asked and then thought it prudent that they know that I would kill the both of them if I had to and while I would feel badly for Regina, I would feel no guilt whatsoever. Maurice Ch. 06 "What do you want us to do?" Edward asked. I breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Daniel, he was still undecided. It was Edward who turned the tide in Regina's favor. "Danny come on, let's get her out of here and we'll figure the rest out later." Daniel hesitated for another few seconds and then nodded. ****** Micah She is quite beautiful but I can tell that she'll have to learn a few things about obedience; her impertinence is the result of living without my influence for too long and her language! Soon she will be the perfect mate as my mother became the perfect mate to my father. Just so you don't think that I was a total jackass, I was truly sorry that Tremaine disobeyed me and touched her, it is only for that reason that I have been so lenient with her. I also knew that when I sent Tremaine out alone that he was going to die. Let's face it, either I was going to kill him or I could let someone else do it. Tremaine hadn't been gone for very long before I got the report of his death but I wasn't surprised or worried, Tremaine had called in reinforcements and I called in more. I heard the stories about Delgado and I didn't believe half of them so there was no way that he was going to get past all of my guards. I made Regina her drink and offered her a seat. That she took the chair across from me was of no matter, after Delgado was taken care of, we would begin to work on what her role was and sitting across the room from me was not one of them. Her place was at my side and never to leave it unless I have her permission to do so, it was going to be a pleasure taming her to the point where she was compliant but not broken- I like a little feistiness. I was just beginning to explain things to her when I sensed Delgado and someone else-Gremlin nearby. Gremlin's betrayal was now complete, I then became a little more concerned, I knew of Gremlin's abilities and they weren't exaggerated. That one such as he would aid one who was not of his kind was unheard of, something happened that brought the two of them together and I knew what it was. Regina's cousin Annie and Gremlin had mated making Regina one of his to protect and by extension an ally to Delgado. There was trouble brewing elsewhere in my house, Edward was remembering Regina and that couldn't happen especially not now. Once again it hit me that I had deemed the wrong brother stronger, Edward of the two was the stronger of the two mentally. I had allowed his quiet and reticent mannerisms to deceive me and it was too late to rectify that, the only solution was to have Daniel kill him so I gave the order. It was perhaps ten minutes later when I sensed Delgado in the house; he had managed to get past all of the guards! I grabbed Regina and took her to the other side of the house and called ten guards to watch the bedroom from the front and there were another ten on the ground and in the trees. I ordered one to sit in the room with her with orders not to touch her unless she was going to do something stupid like jump out of the window. After taking her to the room and giving her a direct command I left the room in search of Delgado. ****** Edward Sister? She was out sister? That explained why I had such a strong feeling that I knew her and that was enough for me. Daniel on the other hand wasn't entirely convinced; I could see him fighting against what he knew to be true. I hoped for his sake that he believed the little vampire because I had no doubt that he would kill Daniel without hesitation. I knew that Daniel was trying to remember when he grabbed his head and moaned. Micah was blocking him but when Delgado took the pain away and sent it back to Micah, he made a believer out of Daniel, when we heard Micah's moans of pain coning from the other side of the house, we were both convinced. The question now was what did Delgado want us to do? Daniel God I wished that Eddie and I had talked before then! Actually what I should have said is I wished that I had listened to him about the woman-Regina. I don't know what we could have done but .... At any rate, it took some convincing but I finally believed after Delgado took away the pain in my head. I still found it hard to believe that this little vampire was the one that had Micah so spooked. We heard Micah from coming from the other side of the house and then his moans, we didn't have much time. "What do you want from us?" I asked. ********** Finally Daniel believed me. "Get your sister out of here and back to the Royal Sonesta." I said. "Take her back to the room that she stayed in when you were last there and do not allow her to leave. You will be accompanied by one called Gremlin and you may have to compel her to sleep." Remembering how she woke up from the previous compulsion, I added a warning. "She has a very strong mind so beware." Micah had recovered and was coming our way. "Go!" I said and we all vanished from where we were. ********* Micah They were on the other side of the house; if luck was with me maybe Delgado would kill both brothers and save me the mess. I hadn't gotten far when a pain tore through my head, it was the deterrent pain that my family had given to Regina and her brothers. "Son of a bitch!" I moaned as I clutched my head and waited for the pain to recede. As soon as it had receded enough that I could think I took off to what would be the brothers' rooms. I opened the doors to find both of them gone. ******* I looked at the vampire who wouldn't tell me his name and he looked back at me his face expressionless. When I went back to the window he didn't move and I wondered why. I had my answer a moment later; there were vampires in the trees and on the ground so even if I had jumped I would have been caught. Suddenly, my silent guard tensed and looked back at the door, something was happening on the other side of it. I watched as he pursed his lips and whistled. By the time he was finished; three more guards were in the room with us. "What's going on?" I asked not really expecting an answer. "Go to the bathroom and do not come out." he told me. When I didn't move, he nodded to a guard who grabbed me none too gently and tossed me into the bathroom locking the door behind him. I heard muffled voices and then I heard the sounds of furniture being thrown and of things hitting the walls. I got into the huge bathtub and covered my ears to block out the cries of pain. ******* I helped the brothers clear the hall where several guards were watching a room. "She is in there." I told them. "Get her to the hotel and do not let her leave." I vanished to what would have been Micah's office, poured myself a drink, sat at his desk and propped my feet up. I took a sip of the drink, made my exact whereabouts known and waited. ******* Micah "Damn it!" I swore. For the second time everything regarding my marriage to Regina was going to hell. Delgado had managed to sway Edward and Daniel to his side. I know this because if that hadn't been the case, they would be at my side looking for instructions. I knew where they were going, they were going to get Regina and Delgado was with them. The brothers were excellent fighters, I made sure of that but they wouldn't be able to defeat the ten guards that were blocking the door to Regina's room without help. I vanished to the room to see what I had expected, all ten guards were dead and the door was wide open. I went into the room to find six more dead guards and no Regina. ******* All of a sudden, it was quiet and to be honest with you, that silence scared me more than the ruckus did. I cowered in the tub with my arms over my head not moving even when my name was called. "Regina." a familiar yet strange voice called to me. "You have to come with us now." I didn't move. I didn't want to see what my brothers had become. "Now! Regina!" another voice said. "Delgado sent us to get you out of here." Delgado? I slowly looked up to see my brothers. Both of them were covered with blood from the fight outside of the room and still I didn't move. "Fuck it!" Daniel said and the next thing I knew, I was being carried, slung across his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and then it was lights out. ******* Gremlin I knew where they were holding Regina by the amount of guards that lingered in the trees and on the ground. Did Lannister really think that these could stop me? I cleared the tree first and then the ground before checking on Delgado's progress. He had found the brothers and I needed to be on the look out for them, once I found them I was to leave with them, he would join us later. I didn't question him on his decision; I too knew of Delgado and wasn't too concerned about him. If he needed help he would let me know. Twenty minutes later I saw two vampires one of them with someone draped over his shoulder running out of the house at top speed. That had to be them. I vanished to their side and nodded at them, Delgado had already informed then of my presence. One of them, the one not carrying Regina wanted to go back to assist Delgado but I wouldn't let him. "You are needed here; Delgado is more than capable of taking care of himself." He gave me a dubious look but let the subject drop. ****** I continued to wait, Regina was now safe and on her way back to New Orleans. I know this because I felt her heading away from here with Gremlin and her brothers. I could now concentrate on the matter at hand. Micah Lannister. I finished the drink and leaned back in his chair waiting for him to come to me. The door opened and a very angry Micah Lannister stood there glaring at me. Maurice Ch. 07 I didn't say anything when Micah came into his office and found me sitting at his desk quite comfortably I might add. His anger was palpable; I could feel it from across the room even from where I sat. "What's the matter Micah? Did you lose something? Or should I say someone?" I asked not moving from my spot. I half expected him to come rushing in demanding to know where Regina was but he didn't, probably because he already knew. He walked up to the desk, looked at me for a moment and then sat down in the chair across from me. To anyone not aware of what was happening, it would have looked like two perfectly reasonable men having a friendly chat except that the atmosphere was tense. I should tell you that prior that meeting I had never met Micah or any of the Lannisters before so part of what was happening was us sizing the other up. As of yet Micah hadn't made the mistake that so many others did- he didn't underestimate me. Part of the reason was because he knew of me and if he didn't believe half of what he heard about me before, he believed it now. I was sure that he knew how many of his vampires had already died in trying to keep me out and if he didn't I was about to inform him. "So finally we meet." I said with a smile. He didn't reply or smile back at me. "How many guards did you have here?" I asked as I finished my drink, "I know that I myself disposed of thirty, Edward and Daniel took care of those guarding Regina, how many Gremlin disposed of I don't know." "Bastard!" he hissed at me. "Yes well, I've been called much worse and by better." I replied and then waited. ******* Micah Regina was gone along with her brothers and Gremlin. Most of the guards I had were either dead or they ran when they heard that Delgado and Gremlin were both here. Remember when I said that I didn't believe half of what I heard about Delgado? I found myself wishing to the gods that I had listened more closely to the stories, I would have doubled or even tripled my guards and I would have moved Regina as soon as I arrived but you know what they say about hindsight. So here I sit in my office with Delgado who has made himself at home with a drink and his feet propped up on my desk as if he belonged there. I had two options, I could leave and go to my family in disgrace or I could stay and fight. If I fought and won, I would still have time to find and marry Regina, there would be Saint Germaine to deal with but I would have my family's backing on that. If I lost then well, I would either be dead or considered to be dead and Regina would be forever out of my reach. And if that were the case, then I would just as soon die, being killed by one such as Delgado would bring a certain amount of honor to me and my family. I didn't bother to ask where Regina was, I already knew, she was back at the Royal Sonesta in the safe room; it's where I would have taken her had I been in Delgado's position. That also meant that Gremlin would go unpunished for his betrayal as well, Annie was also out of my reach and even if we had her, every one of Gremlin's kind would come after her. How is it possible that things got so fucked up? Delgado is why, had he not been here and met Regina, this wouldn't be happening but that is neither here nor there, there is only now. "Yes, finally we meet." I said as I made myself comfortable in my chair. I was sizing him up, he wasn't nearly as big as I was but if he could kill thirty vampires and not even look tired then I was in for a fight. "Is it true that you are related to Saint Germaine?" I asked trying to buy myself some time. "It's true." he replied, "Stop stalling," was the next thing that he said, "it doesn't become you." I resisted the urge to fly out of my chair and strangle him. What stopped me? I heard that he could kill without touching his victim and after tonight I didn't want to find out. If I was going to die, it was going to be fighting him and I was going to make him work for it. In the meantime, I had to keep him talking until I could formulate a plan. "So Regina is your mate." I said. He didn't answer, he just looked at me with a bored but amused expression on his face, he wasn't fooled. He was having a good time watching me make a fool of myself and he knew exactly what I was doing. ****** He was stalling, I don't know why because he was a dead man no matter how long he stalled but who was I to deny him his last few minutes of life? But then again, I did have other things to attend to namely Regina and I was tired of his trying to buy time. I was going to make Micah an offer that I rarely made; I was going to let him choose how he was going to die. Why did I do that? I took into account who he was, he wasn't some lowlife although that depended on one's point of view but at any rate, he came from a very high ranking family and deserved to choose the manner of his death. Before I offered him the choice, I had some questions first; they were questions that I was sure that Regina would want the answers to. "I already know why you chose Regina or should I say why you feel that she belonged to you but why did her parents agree to let you have her?" I asked. "As I was telling Regina before you arrived, my father made her parents an offer that they couldn't refuse." he replied. "And what was the offer?" I asked He hesitated and I think I knew what the offer was, they would have lost no matter what they did except had things gone as planned they wouldn't have been killed. "They had the choice of giving Regina to us voluntarily or we would kill the boys as they watched and then they would have been forced to watch our wedding." he replied. "And you call me a bastard?" I asked. "Did you feel nothing for Regina at all?" Micah shrugged and smiled a smile that didn't reach his eyes, that was all that I needed to know. ******** Edward Our sister! I knew that we should have known her! I still don't remember much about her but I supposed that the memories would come back once Micah's influence wore off. He was still alive, I could feel him in the back of my brain but he wasn't trying to control me, I had the feeling that he other things to worry about. I looked over at the woman, Regina I mean, she was still asleep draped over Daniel's shoulder then I looked over at the other.... Whatever he was. Micah had told us about his kind and until tonight I had never seen one like him. He was part vampire and something else but according to Micah no one knew what the something else was which made him extremely dangerous. I looked back to be sure that we weren't being followed as neither Daniel or.... I don't even know his name seemed to be concerned. "We are not being followed." he said in a raspy voice that grated on my ears. "Who are you?" I asked. "I am called Gremlin; I am an ally to Delgado and mate to Annie." Annie.... it was another name that I should know. I looked over at Daniel, he had been listening and ha that scrunched up look on his face when he was thinking hard, he knew the name Annie too. ******* Daniel So Eddie was right, we knew this woman. Not only that, we were related to her, I was beginning to understand a few things, we didn't remember her because Micah didn't want us to. He used us to keep tabs on her and he was planning to kill us one at a time. I was supposed to kill Eddie tonight and then Micah would either kill me himself or have someone else do it; the latter was more like it. Micah was a cold hearted son of a bitch but he didn't like to get his hands dirty, if he could find someone else to kill me, then he would. I adjusted Regina on my shoulder and compelled her back to sleep when I felt her stirring; I didn't want her waking up kicking and screaming an end up dropping her. I could feel Micah in the back of my head but ignored him concentrating on getting back to the hotel safely. I don't know about Eddie but I was having little snippets of memories like Annie, I know her, I think that she is related to us somehow. How? I didn't know. I was also beginning to wonder about our parents, I know that they died but did they die the way the Lannisters told us they did? So many questions and only Micah knew the answers to all of them. I looked over at the slightly green colored being flying on the other side of Eddie and was glad that he was a friend and not an enemy, we wouldn't have stood a snowballs chance in hell against him. I was also glad that Delgado stopped me from killing Eddie and I would have because he wouldn't have tried to stop me. As I said before, he hated this life whereas I accepted and learned to love it. ******** Annie I tried to talk with Olivia to pass the time; Chatty Cathy she wasn't and when she did speak it was in one word answers. Finally giving up, I took out my lap top and then I had her full and undivided attention. "Do you play games?" she asked in a hushed whisper. "Sure, what do you want to play?" "I like solitaire if that is agreeable with you." she replied. So this was Gremlin's cousin I thought as I gave her the laptop. I wondered if the rest of them were as chatty as she was, come top think of it, Gremlin wasn't all that chatty either. Thinking about him made my heart hurt, I was scared for him, Delgado and Reggie. What if they were dead and I just didn't know it? But I would know wouldn't I? We exchanged blood and made love before he left. I couldn't help but feel responsible for bringing Reggie here no matter what Gremlin said.... "He lives and will be here soon. Olivia said, "If he had died, you would have felt it." "Can he die?" I asked. "No, he cannot, he can be injured and weakened but not killed, none of our kind can die." "What are you exactly?" "A little of this, a little of that." she replied. "Are you vampires?" I asked realizing that I had no idea of what I had mated with. "Yes we are vampire among other things." "What other things?" I asked. "That is for Gremlin to tell you, he will be here soon with the others." Others? Did that mean Reggie and Delgado? Several minutes later I had my answer. Gremlin came through the window first, then Danny carrying Regina and finally Eddie. I ran to Gremlin and hugged him letting out a sigh of relief when I felt him hug me back and then pick me up. "You're alright!" I said kissing his face. "I am unhurt." he replied as he returned the kiss and set me down on my feet but not letting me go. I looked at Regina who was sound asleep and then at Eddie and Danny. They didn't remember me; I could see it in their faces. "I'm Annie, your cousin." I said by way of introduction, "I used to come over to your house everyday and play with Reggie after school and on the weekends." As I talked I saw a little glimmer of recognition in Eddie's eyes so I kept talking. "I used to follow you around the house just to piss you off, remember?" "Pink bicycle with a pink basket." Danny murmured. "That's right." I said, "What else do you remember?" "Not much." Danny replied as he looked at Regina. Suddenly, his whole demeanor changed, I can't explain it exactly but it was as if the lights went out and whatever memory he was having was gone. All of a sudden, he was in full vampire attack mode. ******* Something was happening, I could feel it.... Gremlin, he was alarmed. I looked over at Micah who had a smug grin on his face. The son of a bitch booby trapped one of the brothers and if I had to guess, I would say Daniel, he had just sent him on a suicide mission but something wasn't adding up, why let them make it all the way to the Royal Sonesta? But not only that, they were in the safe room....which the brothers would be safe in because it was originally meant for them. I stared at Micah; he was speaking to Daniel telepathically. "What are you saying to him?" I asked calmly. He feigned innocence. "I don't know what you're talking about." he said still smiling. I stood up, my good humor and my patience was gone. "I suppose that you think that Daniel has succeeded in killing Regina." I said. The smile left his face. "I have just received word that she and Daniel still live. Do you have anything to say?" ******* I had just played my last card and failed, Delgado wasn't lying when he said that Regina and Daniel were still alive, and Delgado was furious but if I could evade him for long enough, I could still beat him. I vanished from where I sat and went to the far side of the house where I kept a variety weapons none of which I knew for sure to be effective against him. I bypassed the standards such as the wooden stakes because I didn't think that I would get close enough to use it but I grabbed the crossbow with the poison tipped arrows, the dart gun that had darts dipped in another kind of poison and an a revolver that had exploding bullets. One of these had to work didn't it? I quickly armed myself really believing myself to be at an advantage because he was in my home and I was armed whereas he wasn't. I became confident that everything would turn out right and by the evening, Regina would be in my bed, both of her brothers would be dead and Annie I could care less about. I could hear Delgado as he went from room to room looking for me but I wasn't fooled, he knew exactly where I was and was trying to lull me into a false sense of security, but I had already done that to myself. I vanished from the room and into my bedroom where I leapt out of the window and headed toward the deepest part of the woods. I wanted him to come after me. ******* He can't be serious, hide go seek? Really? Apparently he had chosen to die slowly. I took my time in going after him, now that I knew that Regina was safe, I had time. I made sure that he knew I was coming, unlike him, I believed in fairness. I knew that he had weapons, Edward told me about the weapons room the question was which ones had he chosen? Which one would I have chosen if I had been him? I would have chosen something that didn't require me to be close to my enemy, guns and bows, things like that. He was in the other part of the house, I felt him leave and head toward the woods, he was so damned cocky thinking that he would come out of this alive. I chose to let him believe that, his arrogance is what was going to get him killed. I jumped from the nearest window and headed toward the woods. I could hear him to my left making much more noise than he should have but then I realized that it wasn't him. He still had a few guards who stuck around hoping to kill me and be rewarded for the deed. I moved toward the noise and ended up standing beside the vampire making the racket. "Shhh!" I said, "Delgado will hear you!" The startled vampire looked at me and reached toward me, he was dead before his arm left his side. I had to wonder how many others were in the woods but it really didn't matter, if they didn't leave they would be as dead as the vampire lying on the ground. "Micah!" I called out. "I'm coming for you!" ******* Daniel I was fine one minute and then..... It was as if my mind went blank except for one thing, I was supposed to kill the woman even if I died doing it. I remembered moving toward the bed where she lay still under compulsion and then I was tackled from behind and from the side by Gremlin and Eddie. I heard Annie scream but it sounded as if it was far away. There were arms around me and I knew that it wasn't Eddie, it was Gremlin but damn he was strong! I fought against him but it was pointless. I heard Eddie calling my name and gradually my head cleared, "I'm ok" I said but Gremlin wouldn't let me go. Edward Was this ever going to be over? I saw Danny move toward the bed but so did Gremlin, he grabbed Danny from behind while I came at him from the side. Micah still had some control over Danny; he was trying to make him kill Regina. Thank god Gremlin was there because I would have been hard put to stop him, it took several minutes before the fight went out of Danny, Micah must have let him go but even so, Gremlin held on to him until he was convinced that he was no longer a threat. By unspoken communication, his cousin Olivia placed herself between Regina and Danny. Gremlin motioned to Annie who moved behind him out of reach of Danny and myself, Regina continued to sleep which was probably just as well. "You will not be completely free of Micah Lannister until he is dead and as of this moment he still lives." Gremlin said. "For the safety of Regina and Annie, I am going to put both of you to sleep." We didn't even have a chance to protest before we felt ourselves landing on the floor where we stood. ****** Micah I was surprised to find a few of my guards scattered here and there, I promised each of them an astronomical amount of money if they could bring me Delgado's head. Even among immortals money talks! I counted ten that I could see-ten left out of one hundred and thirty guards! That should have given me pause but it didn't, I had the gun, the darts and the crossbow remember? And on top of that ten guards. How could I not kill him? I could hear him calling out to me as if I were a child that he was playing a game with; little did I know that that was exactly how he saw me except that this was one child that he meant to kill. I didn't respond to his calls but kept moving. Every so often I would hear a cry of pain and then him calling out to me. "Ten little vampires now there are nine! Ten little vampires and now there are eight! Ten little vampires....." When he got down to two, I knew that I was in deep shit. My first line of defense had failed miserably soon it would be just me and him but even so my confidence remained high. ******* I went through the woods killing every vampire that I came across, one of them told me that there were about ten of them and I had already killed three by that time. Micah was moving deeper into the woods to where he considered himself to be safe then for just a few moments I lost track of him. When I stopped to take stock of where I was, I felt a sting and then a burning in my left arm. I plucked out the dart and smelled it, poison but not one that could hurt me anymore than it had. "Come now Micah, surely you can do better than that!" I called out as I continued on my way. Suddenly, I was tired of the game and wanted it over so I issued a challenge. "I am tired of playing children's games!" I shouted, "show yourself and let's be done with this unless you are too afraid to meet your death as a vampire should!" I added. ******* Micah I had no more guards left, they were all dead all by the hand of Delgado. I managed to shoot a dart at him, of the weapons that I had, it was coated with the most powerful poison and it hadn't fazed him at all. I threw down my weapons when he issued the challenge; it was time to meet him face to face. It was time for the fight to the death and the winner would have Regina. ******* Annie I looked at the three sleeping forms, I wondered if we shouldn't wake Reggie up to give her a chance to get used to the fact that her brothers were here and were vampires. I was going to suggest it but apparently Gremlin had the same idea. "Annie, go sit with her, she will need a familiar face." Gremlin told me. I sat on the bed next to Reggie and took her hand in mine. I looked at Gremlin and nodded, seconds later Reggie was awake but disoriented. She looked around the room and saw Gremlin, Olivia, Eddie and then Danny, she opened her mouth to scream but Gremlin silenced her with a word. "Reggie, it's alright, you're safe." I said. "Wh... who are they?" she asked looking at Olivia and Gremlin, "they're vampires!" she whispered. "Yes, they are but they won't hurt you." I assured her. Maurice Ch. 07 "Eddie and Danny, they're vampires too." she said looking at them, "why are they on the floor?' "Gremlin put them to sleep so that Micah couldn't control them." I replied. "Annie, we have to leave before Micah gets here!" "He will not come to this room, he cannot." Gremlin told her. "Annie...." "Reggie, it's alright, Gremlin is ...." I hadn't even thought about how I was going to tell her that I was mated to one of the creatures that she was so frightened of. "He's what?" she asked staring at him and then Olivia suspiciously. "He's a friend of Delgado's and Olivia is his cousin and works for Delgado." I let her absorb that piece of information for a few minutes before I told her the rest. "Reggie, Gremlin is my mate- I married him." Regina stared at me, her mouth dropped open and then she shot off of the bed and into the bathroom locking the door behind her. Gremlin came to me and hugged me, "she is in shock." he said, "give her time." ****** The last thing that I remember was that I was hiding in the bathtub and there was a huge fight going on in the next room. Then my brothers were in the bathroom trying to convince me to go with them, even the mention of Delgado's name carried no weight with me. I remember one of them saying "fuck this!" and I woke up to a room full of vampires with the only humans being myself and Annie but now I wasn't sure about Annie. After all, she had mated with one of them. I couldn't deal with it, I had to have some time to think about what was happening so I locked myself in the bathroom and sat on the floor. I braced myself for the knock on the door and was relieved when it didn't happen then I realized that I hadn't asked about Delgado. It was because of my stupidity that he went to Micah's house, he had come after me and I didn't even think to ask about him. I stood up, walked to the door and called for Annie. "Reggie, come out no one here is going to hurt you." she said. "Where's Delgado?" I asked not addressing her statement. "He's still at Micah's but Gremlin says that he's alright. Reggie please come out." I wasn't ready, I wasn't ready to face her or anyone else for that matter, I had too much to think about. The first thing was my brothers, were they still my brothers now that they were no longer human? And Annie, what was she now that she had mated with whoever he was and who was that other woman? I also knew that there were questions that I would probably never know the answers to like what did the Lannisters offer my parents that would make them give me away to vampires? The last question was why would a vampire put his life on the line for a woman that he didn't know? To be honest with you, it was a question that I wasn't sure that I wanted the answer to. I don't know how long I sat on the floor before I got up and washed my face and brushed my teeth. I looked at the bathroom door debating if I was really ready to face a room full of vampires but I couldn't stay in the bathroom forever so I went out. Annie was standing by the window with Gremlin standing behind her with his arms around her, I could hear her crying. You have to understand that Annie wasn't a crier and for her to be crying she had to be really upset. For just a moment I forgot about my brothers who were still out cold on the floor, the woman and who I assumed to be Gremlin and called her name. "Annie?" ******* As I waited for Micah to show himself, I thought about Regina. I was betting that they had to compel her to sleep and that she was still sleeping. When she woke up to a room of strangers she would be frightened but something else worried me, after her experiences with vampires she would be loath to mate with one which put me in an interesting position. If she decided not to acknowledge me as her mate as is her right then I will be alone unless she changes her mind. My hope was that even though she was frightened and didn't think much of my kind that she wouldn't disregard me right away. I was also hoping that the fact that Annie's mating with Gremlin would help. "I'm here." Micah said from behind me, I'll have to deal with Regina later. I turned to face him, his hands were empty but that meant nothing. Micah was a powerful vampire and killing him wouldn't be easy, it was time to lay down the terms of this fight. "No magic." he snapped out. "No secret weapons." I replied. "No Gremlin." "No weapons except our hands, feet and teeth." I said. That got him; he had a weapon on his person. I watched as the knives- there were four of them clattered angrily to the ground. "Is that all of them?" I asked. I was rewarded with an angry glare as another knife clattered to the ground. "Did you not learn to fight fairly?" I asked with a smile. "Arrogant little prick aren't you? He asked. "Not really" I replied, "I find it interesting that you feel that you have to resort to cheating." Then he was flying at me, I have to admit that he surprised me so much that he actually got a strike in. I felt the burn and then the flow of blood resulting from the slash on my neck just above my collar bone. The wound closed almost instantly. "No magic!" he hissed. "I didn't use any." I replied and I hadn't, part of my genetic makeup included healing even faster than what was normal for vampires. Could I be killed? Of course but a wound wasn't going to do it, Micah had to decapitate me, that and driving a stake through my heart were the only ways that I could die. ******** Micah I was going to die. I knew that now and I had only one request to make of Delgado. "If I don't survive this, please make sure to tell my father that I died fighting you." For a moment I didn't think that he was going to grant my request but then he nodded, if nothing else I believed him to be a vampire of his word. Would I be missed? Maybe but I doubted it, that would be too sentimental. There would be a memorial service as a final goodbye after which life would go on as before. The most important thing now was to die with honor with a witness and what better witness could there be but the one who killed me? After we set out terms I still tried to give myself an advantage, I kept a knife but he knew and called me on it. The only thing that I had now was the element of surprise so I charged ahead and actually cut him. It was a deep cut just above his collar bone, he should have still been losing blood even with the speed in which we heal but he wasn't, I watched transfixed as the cut was closed in just a matter of seconds. I accused him of using magic and of course he denied it. No wonder the poison failed! I realized then that every fucking story that I had heard about him was true and that I had fucked up. I didn't take the time to know my enemy and now I was going to pay for that error. ******* Annie turned to look at me, her eyes were red and swollen from crying and Gremlin gave me a look that almost sent me running back into the bathroom. He was seriously pissed off at me. "Annie?" I called again. "I'm so sorry that I brought you here!" she cried, "It's my fault that you're here and that Micah tried to make you marry him." "No Annie, it isn't your fault, none of it is." I told her, "The Lannisters did this, Micah told me some of it, they fucked with your head just like they fucked with mine." "But I should have known that something was wrong as soon as we got here! We should have left when you wanted to!" That we didn't was Micah's doing. I now knew that even if we would have tried to leave we couldn't have and that's what I told Annie. I looked up at Gremlin relieved to see that while he was still angry he wasn't as angry but he had some thing to say to me. "Go on and say it." I said. "Do you understand what you did when you left this room?" he demanded. "Yes." I said quietly. "You endangered yourself needlessly. If you would have stayed here all of this would have been over hours ago." "I get it!" I snapped back at him, "I fucking get it! I was mad and made a stupid mistake!" I don't know what else he wanted me to say, he just looked at me and then turned his attention to Annie. I wanted to give her a hug but wasn't sure if I should, even though he was hugging Annie, it was obvious that he was protecting her as well. "Annie, can I give you a hug?" I asked. She broke away from Gremlin, met me halfway across the room and opened her arms. We hugged each other tight and at that moment I no longer cared whether she was human or not, she was my cousin and best friend, which was something that was never going to change. That thought led me to another one, Daniel and Edward were vampires but they were still my brothers. I had to start confronting my fears about these creatures who were now family members and I had to figure out where they would fit in my life. I swallowed hard and looked over at Gremlin. "Hi, I'm Regina Annie's cousin. Thank you for helping me and I'm sorry for any trouble that I've caused." I felt like a kid at the principle's office and like I was introducing myself at an AA meeting as I waited for a response. He didn't say anything but gave a slight nod of his head indicating that he heard me. I turned to the woman and repeated the same thing only she replied. "I am Olivia cousin to Gremlin and now Annie. Delgado is my employer and I am making all ready for your arrival." My arrival? What was she talking about? I was leaving this horrible city and never coming back if I could help it! I heard Gremlin growl deep in his throat and Olivia stopped talking, she had said too much. "What are you talking about?" I demanded. "My cousin has spoken out of turn." Gremlin replied before Olivia could reply, "Delgado will explain everything." he added as he glared at Olivia. "Gremlin is right, I have spoken out of turn and I apologize." After that I couldn't get a straight answer out of any of them Annie included. I soon gave up and asked about my brothers. "What's wrong with them?" I asked. "Nothing, I put them to sleep until Delgado returns." Gremlin replied. "Why? Is he going to kill them?" "No but as long as Micah Lannister lives he will have control over them; it is for their safety that I compelled them to sleep." "Delgado, where is he?" I asked. "He is with Micah Lannister." Gremlin replied. "You have to go back and help him!" I said, "it's my fault that he's there.' "He will call if and when he needs assistance." Gremlin replied. I argued with him but he simply stopped talking and blocked me out. ****** Micah did have options if he wanted to exercise any of them, he could have conceded defeat, he could have ended his own life or he could have begged for mercy but he did none of those. He chose to go down fighting although he knew it was suicide. He took off at a run and came straight at me, he was faster and stronger than I had originally thought and got in another slash this one closer to the mark. It was time to end this. This time when he came at me, I met him head on with my fangs bared and my claws out. In this case my size was very much to my advantage as Micah was used to bigger targets. As the point of impact approached, I curled into a ball with my arms stretched out. I felt his skin tear and then smelled his blood as it poured from the near fatal wound on his neck. Not wanting to drag this out, I immediately attacked again this time decapitating him. I watched as his head fell to the ground and rolled until it hit a tree. ******** Micah I had absolutely nothing to lose and everything to gain by winning this fight. As long as I breathed I had a chance no matter how slim. When I charged him and managed to slash him again, I was ecstatic, I could do this! I could win against Delgado and all would be mine. That happiness was quickly dashed when I went at him again, I almost didn't feel his claw as it cut into my skin but I felt the warmth of my blood as it ran down my neck. I knew that it was over, I couldn't heal as quickly as he could and he was already coming back to finish it. And then there was nothing. ******** I said a few words to preserve the head; I would send it to his family not to gloat but so that they could place it in the family tomb along with the heads of his ancestors. I would also write a note informing them that he had died in battle with me and that he fought courageously, there was no point in telling them that he tried to cheat and he did in the end fight with honor and courage. I went back to his house and looked for something to put the head in. I found a box, lined it with towels and went back to where his head lay as if it was waiting for me. I put the head in the box and went to my home to shower, change my clothes and eat. The events of the past day and the fight had tired me and I hadn't had food of any kind in over twenty-four hours. I was surprised to see a note from Olivia saying that she was at the Royal Sonesta with Annie. She didn't know Annie so I wondered why she was there-no I didn't know that she was related to Gremlin. I took a hot shower, dressed in clean clothes and sat down to write a note to Micah's parents. It wasn't very long and just conveyed what he asked me to tell them and what I told them was the truth. I packed the head in plastic, stuck the note in the box and made a phone call; someone would be here within the hour to pick up the package and put it in a more presentable container and then deliver it to Micah's family. I ate the entire tuna casserole that Olivia left in the fridge and instead of wine; I drank six units of blood. Feeling refreshed, I headed to the Royal Sonesta. ****** "He is coming." Gremlin said in his raspy voice. "Who?" I asked. "Delgado, he is coming." "I am here." I heard from behind me. I turned around and came face to face with Delgado. Maurice Ch. 08 I looked at Delgado but couldn't speak; I was the only human in a room full of vampires and whatever it was Annie was. Unconsciously I backed away until I was on the other side of the room, Eddie and Danny were still passed out on the floor and showed no signs of waking up any time soon. At first glance they didn't seem to be breathing so I took another glance. Shit! They weren't breathing! "Are they really dead?" I whispered. "Technically yes." Delgado replied, "You're wondering about the breathing." he commented. "They're not breathing and you're not breathing either." I said. "We don't need to but if it will make you more comfortable, I can give the appearance of breathing." he said. "Annie? Are you human?" "A part of me is." she replied. "And your..... Husband, what is he?" "I am part vampire and many other things." Gremlin replied. I had stopped moving, where was I going to go? And besides, vampire or not Delgado and Annie's whatever he was did come after me when they really didn't have to. "Regina, why don't you sit down and I'll wake your brothers?" Delgado said. I looked over at Eddie and Danny. They looked like my brothers and protected me like my brothers would have but they weren't human! I looked over at the one called Olivia and then back at Delgado, "she says that everything is ready for my arrival, what's she talking about?" I saw Delgado give Olivia a dirty look which she didn't flinch from and then he looked back at me. "That we will discuss later." he said, "But if you wish, I can wake your brothers and tell you and them what happened to your parents." "They died in a car accident." I said. "No love, they did not." Delgado said, "Please allow me to rouse your brothers and I will explain." I swallowed hard and then nodded my consent. I was so intent on watching Eddie and Danny wake up that I didn't notice that Annie had moved next to me. I jumped when I felt her arm go around my shoulder and relaxed when I realized that it was her. Delgado woke Eddie first and then a few minutes later he woke Danny. Part of me wanted to run over and hug them but part of me was afraid, what if they bit me? "They won't hurt you." Delgado said softly. "How do you know that?" I asked my eyes glued on the two men who were teenaged boys when I last saw them truly alive. "I know this because the one who controlled them is dead." Delgado replied. "Micah is dead?" I asked. "Micah is dead as well as Tremaine." I should have felt relieved but I wasn't. What about the rest of the Lannister family? Was I supposed to marry someone else? "Regina, you are safe now." I wished that I could believe Delgado but I wouldn't feel safe until I was out of this city. ******* Eddie When I woke up, Delgado was there talking to Regina, I could tell that she was scared but .... She was always scared of things that she didn't understand. I was remembering things, little things like the thing that I just mentioned. She wasn't entirely convinced that we were her brothers and it would take memories to convince her. I tried to remember something, anything that would help her know that we really were her brothers. "The rabbit." I said softly, "we had a rabbit named cuddles." She looked at me still not convinced. "He could have told you that or planted the memory." she said meaning Micah. By this time Danny is awake and looking at her. "How you doing nutty nut?" he asked. ******* Nutty nut? I hadn't heard that name since.... Since we came here the last time. It was Eddie and Danny's nick name for me but I still wasn't ready to concede that they knew me. They had been with Micah for all of these years and who knew what they told him. ******* Danny I don't know why I called her nutty nut but it felt right and sounded familiar. I could tell that she recognized the name by the way she reacted. She doesn't trust us yet and I understand why but I didn't know what to do to ease her mind. ****** "Reggie, sit down." Annie said as she led me to the bed. She went to move away and I grabbed her hand. I don't know what I thought she could do for me but I felt safer with her there. Gremlin moved toward her and I forced myself not to jump after all if Annie wasn't afraid of him then he had to be alright. I remembered my manners and thanked all of them after I apologized again for my stupidity. "I shouldn't have left, I'm sorry." "Thank you Regina, your apology is accepted" Delgado said with a slight bow. I found myself wondering just how old he was and how he had managed to kill Micah. Remember he isn't very big and not much taller than I am and even with help I don't see how he managed to get me out of there with all of the guards that were there. They were waiting for me to say that I was ready and I wasn't but I didn't know if I would ever be ready to hear the whole thing. "I'm ready." I said still holding onto Annie's hand as she sat on the bed next to me The boys sat on the floor, Delgado sat in the chair at the desk, Gremlin stood next to Annie and Olivia stood in the corner. "What do you know?" Delgado asked. I related what little Micah told me. "He was about to tell me about my parents but you got there before he had the chance." "Did he tell you anything?" Delgado asked. "He told me that his father made mom and dad an offer that they couldn't refuse." "First of all, you have to know that your parents loved all of you very much." Delgado said, "Micah's father put them in an impossible position." This was going to be bad, I could feel it. "You are aware of why you were chosen to marry Micah." Delgado said, "You were targeted as soon as they found out about your birth. It was then that they hired your mother and when you reached a certain age she started taking you to work with her-it was the getting acquainted period. Your parents were given an ultimatum, either they gave you to the Lannisters on your fifteenth birthday or they would take you and kill your brothers as punishment for their disobedience. They had to choose and there was no room for compromise. Your wedding was to have been on your birthday when you were last here, your brothers were to stay in this room, the safe room but you switched rooms with them even though your parents tried to make you trade back. When Tremaine came he didn't know that it was you that he was supposed to take and took your brothers instead, no one had informed him of the wedding that was to take place. When you went into the room, you saw him feeding from your brothers; he compelled you to forget and took your brothers. Everything from the time you were born was manipulated by the Lannisters, they planted false memories in you, Annie and Micah took all memory of you from your brothers." "What happened to my parents? How did they die?" I asked. "They were killed for their failure to follow instructions, that's why they were moved so soon after you returned home." "Wait! But they were at my high school graduation!" "No love, they weren't." "But...." "Regina, do you have pictures of them being there?" "Nutty nut, they weren't there." Danny said, "They were already dead." "How in the hell do you know?" I shot back. "Because..... I saw them die, I was there but no one saw me." "You were at the funeral! Why didn't you say something?" I asked. "I didn't remember until now, when they fucked with out heads they took away most of our memories and I guess that one went with it." "Who was in the caskets?" I asked. "No one." This was too much! "If mom and dad were dead, then who raised me? And who was it that Annie saw?" "They tampered with me too." Annie replied. "All of this because of my fucking birthday? My parents are dead, my brothers are vampires all because of my fucking birthday!?" I asked. "It is how Micah's father found his mate and his father before him." Delgado said. "So what about this birthday?" I asked. "According to Micah the conditions whatever they were, are right for your marriage to occur, that's why he planted the urge to come here in Annie's head and while I know that Annie feels guilty that she brought you here, it wasn't her fault." I finally understood something, even if Annie had agreed to leave, we wouldn't have made it out of the city. Suddenly I was tired, I wanted to cry for everyone who had been hurt by the Lannisters, I wanted to cry for my parents who had to make a horrible choice and then died because I refused to stay in the room assigned to me. This was my fucking fault! "No Regina, it isn't." Delgado said. "How in the fuck do you know what I'm thinking?" I screamed at him crying. "I see it in your eyes." he said gently, "But it wasn't your fault, you were a child who thought she was here on a wonderful vacation of a lifetime with your family." "I should have stayed in the room that they wanted me to." "Nutty nut." Eddie said softly, "I would rather live like this than have you married to that monster. If we would have walked in and Tremaine was trying to take you, we would have died to save you, if mom and dad had been given the option to give their lives to save you, they would have. Do you see what I'm trying to say?" I got it but it didn't make me feel any better. Then another thought struck me, most of my life had been a lie. Did I go to the prom? Did I really have a first kiss and if I did was it someone that was chosen for me? Or was it Micah Lannister? The first time that I made love, who was I really with? The things that I liked to do and to have done to me during sex, was that me or were those things planted in my head? I didn't know what was really me and what was a produced me. I felt sick to my stomach, I flew off of the bed and ran into the bathroom and dry heaved. I heard Annie come into the bathroom, turn on the faucet and wet a wash cloth. "Annie...." was all that I got out. She hugged me and rocked me as I sobbed that I had no identity. "Yes you do, you're still my best friend and cousin who I love as if you were a sister. You're a sister to those two guys out there, you're as stubborn as hell and you always have been and you're one hell of a social worker." "But my memories.... I...." "Reggie, the memories that you have about your parents, were they good ones?" "Yes but they're lies!" "Are they?" she asked, "I believe that your parents were at our graduations even if it wasn't physically. The things that we did together with your mom were things that we would have done if she had been alive." She had a point. "Annie, what if .... If it was really Micah that I was with and...." "But what if it wasn't?" she asked. I don't know how long we were in the bathroom before I stopped crying but everyone was still where we left them. I looked at Eddie and Danny and realized that I had a decision to make, was I going to accept them as my brothers or was I going to lose them again? I walked up to Eddie first and after a moment I hugged him. I was crying again and telling him how sorry I was that he had been made into what he was. I went to Danny next and hugged him, "I am so sorry!" "Nutty nut, you should know something." Danny said, "The entire time we were with Micah Eddie kept trying to tell me that we should know you, he was ready to kill me if it came to that, I'm glad that you're alright." I hugged each of them again and thanked them for helping to save me but I could handle no more. It was Delgado who saw my mental and physical exhaustion. "I think she's had enough for tonight, Gremlin, Annie, my home is your home. The same goes for you Eddie and Danny, we can talk about your options later." Then he looked at me, "Regina you are welcome at my home as well but I understand would if you prefer to stay here." Olivia's words came back to me, "all is ready for your arrival." and I got spooked. "If I come, will I be able to leave?" "Of course! You aren't my prisoner but my guest." he replied. I looked over at Annie; I was only going to go if she was. "We're going." she replied softly. "We are too." Eddie said speaking for Danny. "How are we going to.....?" I stopped answering my own question. "It's alright." Delgado said, "I can have a car here in a few minutes." I looked outside, dawn wasn't that far off. "Olivia, why don't you take our guests home and I will be there shortly with Regina." Delgado said. A moment later, it was just me and him. "I won't hurt you." he said, "come, the car will be here by the time we get downstairs." I made him walk in front of me, while I was accepting my brothers, I didn't know about him; he wanted something from me. A bright red jag was parked in the front of the hotel; the doorman nodded at us, opened the passenger side so that I could get in and then ran to the driver's side. I saw Delgado slip the man a bill and it must have been a hefty tip judging by the way the man grinned. We didn't talk for the entire drive to his house; thankfully the drive wasn't too long, fifteen to twenty minutes if that. Delgado pulled into a garage that had several vehicles in it, there was everything from a bicycle to whatever the most expensive car was... a lamber something. I followed him into the house and could smell food cooking, as tired as I was I was hungry too. I followed Delgado to the kitchen to find Eddie and Danny cooking. I recognized the smell... corn fritters, mom had always made the best corn fritters. I felt myself choke up because I didn't know whether that was a real memory or not but then if Eddie remembered then maybe it was. Olivia stood close to Danny watching intently. "Olivia is a very good cook." Delgado said as he patted his round stomach. I looked around for Annie and saw her and Gremlin standing off by themselves talking. It struck me that Annie looked happy as she talked about whatever and Gremlin stood listening with a slight smile on his face, he really loved her. I saw it in the way that he touched her face with his huge hands and when he looked at her, those green eyes that had scared the hell out of me were filled with tenderness for her. "Come and get it!" Eddie announced as he put the first of the corn fritters on a plate. ****** My poor Regina, this whole thing was almost too much for her. Thank god for Annie! I watched as she grappled to understand everything and then as she blamed everything on herself. I was worried about her acceptance of her brothers, if she couldn't accept them then she wouldn't accept me either. I admit that I was relieved when she hugged them. There is the issue of us but that can wait, I am also hoping that by watching Annie and Gremlin she will see that there is nothing to be afraid of. I'm not fooling myself, there are major trust issues and when she finds out that she is my mate I have no doubt that she's going to think that it's another situation like Micah Lannister. When I heard her sobbing in the bathroom, I wanted to kill Micah all over again for the life that he and his family robbed her and her family of. I wanted to go to her and hold her as I knew Annie was doing but I couldn't, it hurt me to know that I couldn't comfort my mate. I had to be content with the fact that she was safe. I also had to deal with the fact that she was leaving New Orleans as soon as humanly possible. What did that mean for me? Absolutely nothing, I would go wherever she went, she just wouldn't know it for awhile. Today everyone would rest and then tonight I'll finish the tale with the exception of revealing who I am to her. I planned to find out what plans Edward and Daniel had and if they had none, I had plenty of openings in my companies as I am sure that the Lannisters had cut them off as soon as they received word of Micah death. If they agreed to stay with me, we would exchange blood as Gremlin and I had and we would be tied together for eternity. Annie would be made the same offer and I was sure that she would accept. Gremlin would want her to and Regina? It would have to wait until she was ready to accept me. She was protected since she was already marked by me. I was sure that she hadn't eaten at least since the previous day so I fixed her a plate of the corn fritters and took them to her. "Here, sit down and eat." I said offering her a chair. "What would you like to drink?" ******* This all seemed so.... Normal except that it wasn't. I looked around the kitchen, everyone was eating. I didn't think that vampires could eat but there they were eating corn fritters and Olivia was asking for the recipe. I was surprised when Delgado brought me a plate, he didn't seem the type to serve and then he offered me a drink. I barely remember tasting the corn fritters but I do remember nodding off in the chair. I heard Delgado say something to Olivia who helped me upstairs to a room and into a bed. I woke up disoriented and then remembered everything; I turned on my side, curled up and cried. I felt violated in ways that I can't even explain but then something happened, I decided that it was time to get a fucking grip and that crying wasn't going to change anything. I know that it seems like a fast turnaround but I've always been that way. I give myself a pity party and I move on and besides I had a feeling that there were more explanations coming. I crawled out of the bed and headed to the light shining through a door and hoped that it was a bathroom. I felt gritty, I had to go to the bathroom and I wanted a shower. I slowly opened the door and much to my relief it was a bathroom! I used the toilet, stripped and in a few short minutes, my hair was washed and I was using whatever good smelling soap was in the shower. After the shower I put on the robe hanging on a hangar and went back to the bedroom. I wasn't sure of the time but figured that it had to be late afternoon. I wished that I had clean clothes because I really didn't feel comfortable wearing nothing but a house robe with ....people, I guess that's what they are-sort of but anyway as I was saying, I wanted more than a house robe. There was a tap on my door and then I heard Annie's voice. "Reggie? Can I come in?" ******* Annie I can't even begin to imagine how Reggie must have felt when Delgado told her what really happened, to know that a day that is supposed to be fun was the cause of so much pain....I doubt that she'll ever celebrate her birthday again, I know that I wouldn't. I'm still sorry that I brought her here and that we didn't leave but Gremlin told me that we never would have been able to leave and if by some chance we had actually managed it, the Lannisters would have come after her. I have to admit that Reggie handled things better than I thought she would and far better than I would have. For a minute or so I didn't think that she would accept Eddie and Danny but I think that Danny calling her their nick name for her helped, that and the fact that Micah Lannister was dead. In a way I find that sad. What I mean is that he could have walked away but he didn't; surely there would have been someone else whose birthday matched his. But you know what? I wouldn't want anyone to go through what Reggie did so maybe it's for the best that he's dead. After Reggie went to bed, the rest of us stayed up and talked. Delgado asked Eddie and Danny about their plans now that Micah was gone. Neither of them was hurting for money but it was Lannister money and they didn't want it even though they earned it. In the end both of them signed on with Maurice, each of them would work at a different company. They decided to talk about which company and pay later and it appeared that Delgado had other things that he wanted to talk about. By early morning all of us with the exception of Reggie had exchanged blood, we would always be able to find each other no matter where we were. I asked about Regina and Delgado was confident that she was safe without exchanging blood with all of us. I had to wonder when he was going to tell Reggie about him and her, he was in for a fight when he did. Maurice Ch. 08 ****** Now that everything else has fallen into place, I can concentrate on Regina. I showed Gremlin and Annie to their rooms while Olivia showed the brothers to theirs, I noticed that she seemed to like Daniel quite a bit and he was reciprocating. Good for her, she deserved some happiness. I sat in my room which was next to the room that Regina was sleeping in and weighed my options; I couldn't just come out and tell her that she was my mate, that's exactly what Micah did. If I presented it that way, the war would be lost before the first battle had been fought. I couldn't even use any of my gifts; she would see it as a manipulation and as her free will being taken. What did that mean? It meant that I had to in her on my own merits and for the first time, I felt insecure about my looks. I had no doubts that if I looked anything like a vampire that all of you have in your minds that the battle would be half won but as you know, I look nothing like that. That pity party lasted for about an hour, "Snap the fuck out of it!" I told myself. "You are still Maurice Delgado direct descendent to Comte Saint Germaine and you have a mate to woo!" I had no illusions, there was no way that Regina and I would be mated anytime soon, I had to begin with building trust, she trusted me not to hurt her or else she wouldn't be here but I'm talking about the kind of trust that a woman and a man have for each other, the kind of trust that Gremlin and Annie. ******* I let Annie in, hugged her and then stepped back to look at her, she was glowing with happiness; love suited her. "Your luggage is in that little room over there, Gremlin and I went back to the room to get our stuff and to check out." She said. "Annie, I can't stay here." "I know but Reggie, I can't leave but we'll come to see you." A small part of me wanted to beg her to leave with me but I shushed it, she was where she wanted and needed to be. I smiled at her, she was already crying because we were going to be saying goodbye soon. It would be hard going home and back to work without her and I missed her already. "Reggie, I want to tell you something that you may not want to hear." she said. "Annie....." "No, just listen to me and then I'll shut up." She took me by the hand, led me to the small sitting room and made me sit on the couch. "You have been through so much and had so much taken from you and the past few days have been horrible." she said, "but Reggie there's something that you should know and it's going to be hard for you to accept but Delgado cares for you...." "Stop right now." I said, "I don't know if he sent you in here as a character reference or not and I don't really care. I'm grateful that he saved Danny and Eddie and that he came after me but that's all I feel for him, gratitude and that's all." "Why do you think he went after you?" she asked, "if you had been anyone else he wouldn't have gotten involved and by the way, he doesn't know that I'm talking to you about this." "Annie, I'm happy for you, I really am but I don't want to see another vampire." "Does that include Eddie and Danny?" she asked. "No but....." "Look, I shouldn't have said anything but since I did, you have to start thinking about where your brothers fit into your life; forget Delgado for now but you can't dismiss your brothers so easily." After she left I got dressed and headed downstairs, everyone except for Delgado was there. Olivia and Danny were cooking dinner while Eddie was talking to Gremlin and Annie. Once again the normalcy of the situation struck me and like before I reminded myself that this wasn't normal. Then it struck me that I had to keep reminding myself that this wasn't normal and I wondered about that. "Hey sis!" Eddie called out when he saw me. "Hey!" I called back, that had always been our greeting for each other no matter the time of day. Danny looked up at me and grinned with that same mischievous grin that he had when he was a boy; these vampires were really my brothers just in another life form. I thought that I had accepted that fact last night when I hugged them, I guess I hadn't but now I did. "Good evening everyone." I heard from behind me. Delgado had finally come downstairs; he was casually dressed in a tee shirt, jeans and flip-flops. If he had been on the street he would have blended in with the thousands of tourists roaming the streets. We all spoke to him as he passed us on the way to the stove. "What are you making?" he asked Danny. "Chicken fried steak with white gravy, mashed potatoes, and green beans." "What about biscuits?" Eddie called. "Them too!" Danny called back. Maurice rubbed his stomach and asked when dinner would be ready. When Danny told him it would be another hour, he asked to speak with me. I followed him into what had to be his office. He sat behind his desk and offered me the chair in front of it. I sat down and waited. "I am aware that you are anxious to be gone from New Orleans and understandably so." he said, "I just wanted to talk to you to see how you're doing." "I'm better thanks and yes, I want to leave this city as soon as I can." "I thought as much, I've taken the liberty of having my jet ready to take you whenever you are ready to go." He said. That surprised me; I was expecting him to try to talk me into staying. Did I want him to? Hell no! Like I said, I never wanted to come back here again. "Thank you but I'm going to call the airline to see if my departure can be changed to tonight." I replied. He looked like he was going to say something but didn't, he simply nodded his head and stood up. I followed him back to the kitchen where it was quite obvious that Danny and Olivia had made a love connection. Since supper wasn't quite ready yet, I took out my cell phone and called the airline. After being placed on hold several times they finally told me that the earliest flight out would be the next afternoon. I had to spend another night in this wretched city. Dinner was absolutely wonderful! Danny's chicken fried steak tasted every bit as good as moms and the biscuits were damned close. Olivia made a pecan pie that I have to admit was better than any that I'd ever tasted and I had to have the recipe which seemed to please her to no end. The evening was spent with Eddie, Danny and I asking questions about what was real and what wasn't. The memories of our childhood up until that first trip here were real although some of the circumstances were influenced or changed. Most of what happened after the trip was implanted memories although I really did go to college and the Lannisters supported us after they killed my parents. There was one more issue and it involved me and Delgado and I wasn't going to discuss it now or ever if it could be helped. We stayed up late talking mostly about what we remembered about mom and dad, it was a memorial service of sorts. We laughed and at the end we cried together as we should have years ago. The sad part was that mom and dad should have been alive now, they were only in their forties when we came here for the first time, we cried for that too. Eddie and Danny understood why I couldn't stay but promised to keep up the weekly phone calls and when time allowed they would come to visit. Annie wanted to tell me to stay, I could see her struggle not to say it but I helped her. "Annie, I can't. I love you but I can't stay here." It was almost five when I went to my room, I lay on the bed fully clothed and thought about the past week. Its funny how things work out; the creatures that I had been so afraid of were now family members- who says that god doesn't have a sense of humor? I must have fallen asleep because the next thing I knew, someone was tapping on my door. "Reggie, it's time to get up." I looked at the clock; I had to hurry if I didn't want to miss my plane. I stripped and was showered and changed in less than twenty minutes. Everyone was waiting to say their goodbyes- and it was a tearful one at that. Delgado stood back and waited by the door, he was my ride to the airport. The drive there was as quiet as the drive to his house had been; I was the one to finally break the silence. "Thank you for everything." He looked over at me and didn't speak for several minutes. "You're welcome." he said, "Regina, our paths crossed for a reason and they will cross again. I hope that the next time that happens that you will remember that not all of us are like the Lannisters and you will at least agree to have dinner with me." I didn't answer one way or the other; I really didn't think that I would see him again. ****** Watching the four of them mourn over people who should still be alive and thriving was difficult but watching Regina becoming reacquainted with her brothers was uplifting. I could almost see them as children, with Regina being the pesky little sister who as Danny said that her brothers would die for and in a way had. Hearing her laugh was like music to my ears, it held none of the fear that had plagued her from the moment she stepped foot off of the plane upon her arrival. She was going to be fine. When I drove her to the airport, I planted a seed; I mentioned our paths crossing again knowing full well that if she never saw me again it wouldn't be too soon. I parked the car and carried her luggage in to be checked almost offering to wait with her. I did wait until she was in line for security before leaving and not once did she look back to see if I was still there. ********** Six months later My life had settled down, I went to work, went home and did it all again the next day. At first I really missed Annie, she was my lunch buddy, and the one who could make me laugh at the stupidest things and the one that I could cry to. I think my phone bill was tripled for the first three months I was back. Eddie and Daniel called two or three times a week and it was nice because they knew who I was and it wasn't a false knowing. Danny and Olivia were officially a couple and Eddie had just found his ..... Mate. Both he and Danny were working for Maurice as CEOs of a couple of companies that he bought and loved it. Annie and Gremlin were expecting a little Gremlin and they were ecstatic although it was hard for me to imagine Gremlin being ecstatic about anything. Delgado.... I hadn't spoken to him since I left although I would occasionally get a card or an email from him. Sometimes I replied to the emails and sometimes I didn't. I assumed that he was still in New Orleans but I didn't ask and he never said. One day, I got an email from him telling me that he was coming into town and asking me to dinner, I deleted the email and logged off. The next night there was another email from him asking me to dinner, I didn't delete that one but I didn't answer it either. By the end of the week, there were seven emails all saying the same thing and I know what you're thinking, why didn't I give the guy a break? After all he did save my life ect..... I finally replied to the seventh email, "Delgado, If it will make you stop emailing me then I will have dinner with you. Regina" Two minutes hadn't even passed when he responded. "Regina, Thank you for accepting my dinner invitation, will Friday night at six suit you? Delgado." Friday? It was Thursday when he sent the last email! Where was he?" "Delgado, That will be fine, where are you?" Regina." ****** It's been six months. I stayed away but did send cards and emails reminding her of my presence in her life. It was now time to start actively pursuing her. I wasn't at all surprised when she didn't answer my emails right away because Annie had forewarned me. "Reggie isn't big on emails and.... Well Delgado, she really doesn't want to hear from you." That, I already knew but I wasn't about to be deterred and besides, she had responded to a few of my emails even if they were one word responses. For example, I would send her an email asking how she was, IF she replied it would be either "good" or "fine" and nothing more. I believe the response to my repeated request for dinner was the longest response that I had gotten from her. I responded to her inquiry to my whereabouts honestly. "Regina, I am here in your lovely city on a business matter. I am looking forward to our dinner tomorrow evening. Delgado" Of course there was no response and I wasn't expecting one. The question that I had to ask myself was at what point I would tell Regina about us, I believe that on some level that she knew but it had been six months. She was comfortable with talking with her brothers, Annie and even Olivia but then none of them would be taking her to bed. I spoke to Annie about this and she gave me a very valuable reminder. "She's going to fight it and you even if she knows that you're right. I don't know if you noticed or not but when she found out about everything, she had a meltdown and then she pulled it together and dealt with it. That's Reggie; she's been that way for as long as I can remember." "Are you suggesting that I just tell her and then wait?" "You can do what you want." she replied, "I'm just saying that she hates being coddled." That conversation took place three months ago. It wasn't that I didn't believe Annie after all she and Regina had been and still were close but I just wanted to give her a little more time to settle before I dropped the "I'm your mate bomb" on her. I have to be honest and admit that I was growing impatient enough that I considered telling her at dinner, I'll just have to see how it goes. I did however make preparations for a home here; it was still being made ready and was supposed to be complete in two weeks. In the meantime I was staying at a hotel that catered to Vampires and other beings. The restaurant that I chose wasn't far from the hotel and the reservations were made. ******** Annie called me just to chat and invariably the talk turned to Delgado. "Reggie give the guy a break." was always how the conversation started and this time was no exception. "For god's sake!" I said, "I'm having dinner with him tomorrow night, happy?" "Really? You and Delgado are having dinner?" "Cool your jets!" I snapped, "It's just dinner so that he can leave me the hell alone." Annie hesitated, "did he say that?" she asked. "Say what?" "That he would leave you alone if you had dinner with him." "No but....." "Reggie, I'm going to speak out of turn here and if Delgado knew that I was telling you this he'd be pissed, so would Gremlin come to think of it." "Fuck Annie just spit it out!" "Delgado loves you." "Annie...." "He loves you and you know it true." "Annie...." "He fought and killed for you and are you going to tell me that when you were being held at Micah's that you didn't hope that he would come for you? Are you going to tell me that when you found out that he was there you didn't feel relief? And when they left him there, you were worried for him, can you at least admit that much?" But damn she was relentless! "Answer me!" she demanded. "Well damn Annie!" I exclaimed, but she wasn't to be put off. "Alright! I was worried about him when Gremlin and the others left him." "That's a start." she replied. "Why is this so important to you?" I asked, "You should be concentrating on Gremlin Junior and not me." "Reggie, Gremlin Junior as you call him is your family and.... We want you to be his guardian if anything happens to us." I didn't know what to say, I had assumed that they would have asked Olivia since she was Gremlin's cousin. "I don't know what to say." "Say yes." she said softly. "This doesn't explain why you are so hung up on me and Delgado." I replied. "I just want you to be happy, remember how we used to talk about how we hoped to find someone to love us quirks and all? I found that with Gremlin and I think that if you give it a chance you would find it with Delgado. As far as the baby is concerned, either way we want you to be his or her guardian." "What's involved?" I asked, "other than being his or her guardian I mean." "You.... You would have to come back here to be present for the birth." "What?! No, I can't do that!" I exclaimed. "Just think about it." she said before hanging up. "Fuck!" I said and then repeated the curse word. I thought that I was done with New Orleans and now I was going back. There was no way that I was going to say no to Annie and I think that she knew that when she asked but there was still the issue of Delgado and what Annie said about him being in love with me. Was I aware of it? Honestly? Yes, I just never acknowledged it. Did I have feelings for him? No, well not really other than to say that I liked him which begged another question, if I liked him why was I acting the way I was. I also couldn't deny any of the things that Annie said about me hoping that he would come after me and being relieved when he did. Fuck. ****** Friday dragged by slowly, I spent the day debating what if anything that I was going to say to Regina regarding us. I wasn't nervous about it I just wasn't sure about the timing. Eventually I decided to play it by ear, if the conversation headed that way then I would say something, if not then I would continue to pursue her. I knew that she was at work and unable to help myself I had a bouquet of flowers sent to her job along with a note saying that I was very anxious to see her. After that was done, I went for a walk downtown and eventually ended up at our home, yes I said our. I had no doubt that some point Regina would be living there with me and I hoped that she would get over her fear and hatred of New Orleans. After checking on the progress of the house, I continued my walk passing several jewelry stores along the way. I stopped in one to browse and noted the disdain that was directed my way. No one greeted me with even a smile believing me to be poor because of how I was dressed. I wasn't dressed in shabby clothes but even if I were I was entitled to common courtesy. I was about to leave when I saw the most perfect diamond, it wasn't so large that it looked gaudy but large enough to be noticeable. As soon as I saw it I knew that it belonged on Regina's finger. I stood by the display case waiting for someone to help me; it was a full ten minutes before someone finally came to assist me." "Yes?" He asked, his tone impatient and bored. "I would like to see that ring." I said politely. "That one?" he asked. I looked at his name tag and then up at him. "Yes Chad, that one." I wanted to slap the amused expression off of his face but waited patiently as he pulled out the key to open the case. I looked up to see that two security guards had appeared, one by the back and one by the front door, I pretended not to pay attention to them as Chad took the ring from the case. I took the ring from his hand and examined it without looking at the price tag; Chad was barely containing his laughter. The ring was perfect, the diamond was flawless and I was going to buy it. "I'll take it." "Funny." Chad said as he reached for the ring. "I said that I will take it." I repeated as I reached for my wallet. "You got thirty K in your wallet?" he joked. "No but I have this." I replied as I took out my black card and slapped it down on the counter. "Now ring this up you arrogant prick!" I watched as he swallowed hard and then he asked me for my ID. I reached into my pocket, took it out and slapped it down next to my card. "Ring it up." Fifteen minutes later I left the jewelers with the ring but not before I gave them a good dressing down. From there I went back to the hotel to get ready for my evening with Regina. Maurice Ch. 08 ****** "Reggie!" someone called, "somebody sent you flowers!" Who would......? Delgado, it had to be him. I went to the front to see everyone looking at the flowers and someone was even reading the card. "Oohhhh Delgado, I wonder who that is." "None of your damned business!" I said and snatched the card out of the busybody's hand. He couldn't have sent a small bouquet; oh no it had to be the largest one in the shop. "So who's this Delgado?" someone asked. I didn't reply as I took the bouquet into my office and closed the door. I read the note and laid it on my desk, what I was going to do about him I didn't know but I would be less than honest if I said that Annie hadn't planted a few seeds that were taking root. I kept my door closed for the rest of the afternoon; I wasn't in the mood for all of the questions about the flowers and Delgado. My last appointment was at three and I left soon after they did, the flowers I left on my desk because one, I didn't want to be slowed down by carrying them out and two..... They made my office look more cheerful, even my last client commented on it. It was almost four when I got home; time enough for a nap before I had to get ready for dinner with Delgado. As I stripped and lay down for my nap I decided to tell Delgado that we could be friends and that was all, I had no desire to be with him on any other basis. The funny thing was, when I said that I felt...... I don't know what I felt but anyway, I closed my eyes and went to sleep waking up in time to get ready. ******* I locked the ring away and got ready for dinner, I chose to wear a nice suit complete with tie and everything that went with it, I left the hotel at five-thirty stopping along the way for more flowers, it was six by the time I pulled up in front of Regina's house. ***** I heard the tap on the door and quickly put on my shoes; he knocked again and was ready to knock again when I opened the door. "Give a girl a minute!" I snapped. "My apologies, I wasn't sure if you heard me." he said as he handed me a bouquet of roses, "You look lovely." He cleaned up pretty good himself and I told him so. "Thank you Regina, shall we go?" By the time we got to his car everyone was out on their porches watching. I wanted to tell them to go mind their own damned business but to be fair it wasn't too often that an expensive car like a Lamborghini graced our neighborhood. We were a middle class neighborhood but no one owned anything close to Delgado's car, most of the cars were nice practical family vehicles. We didn't talk on the way to the restaurant which was fine by me; it gave me more time to come up with a nice way of telling Delgado that he needed to find himself another woman. ****** She was absolutely beautiful in the peach knee length dress that she chose to wear and I could tell that she was pleased with my appearance as well. I handed the flowers to her and waited while she put them in water before holding my hand out to her. She looked at it briefly before taking it, Oh yes, this woman was mine and I could hardly wait to be touching more than her hand. The drive to the restaurant was quiet with the exception of the music playing on the radio, whatever the song was she liked it; I could hear her humming softly with the music. I pulled up to the front of the restaurant for valet parking and quickly got out, I wanted no one else touching her. The valet on the passenger side actually reached the door before I did but I waved him away and tipped him even though I didn't need to. Once again I offered my hand but this time she took it with less hesitation. I didn't release her hand as we walked into the restaurant, if she minded she gave no indication of it. We were lead to a table that was semi private and as I had requested we had our own server who greeted us as soon as we were seated. She took out orders and left us alone to begin our evening. "Annie looks radiant." I said wanting to start the evening off with something of mutual interest, "and Gremlin, I've never seen one like him so animated." "I bet, he is rather stoic isn't he?" she replied, "Annie asked me to be guardian of the baby." That meant that she would have to go back to New Orleans for the birth. "Are you going to accept?" I asked. "Yes, I can't say no to that now can I?" she replied. The server came back to the table with our drinks and quietly left. She had been given strict instructions for the evening and she wouldn't be back to ask about appetizers for another fifteen minutes. "How do you feel about coming back to New Orleans?" I asked. She hesitated before answering, "I don't want to go but I will because if it were me Annie would do it no matter how she felt about it." ******* I know what he's doing by talking about Annie and I appreciated it. I was glad that he gave us time to get comfortable instead of coming out with guns blazing but I knew that the conversation would eventually turn to us; it was a matter of who brought it up first. The next topic was about Danny and Eddie finding their mates. "I believe that they are mated but want a human wedding." "As in a church wedding?" I asked surprised. "You seem surprised but yes." He replied, "We do believe in god and many of us still attend church and pray. As a matter of fact some of us are priests and things like that." I was surprised, you would have thought that given that part of my family was now vampire that I would have researched the subject but I had no real interest in knowing any of the particulars. "When's the wedding?" I asked. "I think that they're planning it for around the time the child is born- they want you there and are waiting to hear when and if you are coming for the child's birth." "I'll call them tonight." I said just as our server returned with our drinks and asked about appetizers. Delgado ordered two different types of appetizers and then waited for the server to leave. "I have found my mate as well." he said as he put several mushrooms stuffed with crab meat on his plate. My heart stopped. "You what?" "I have found my mate and I plan to marry her. As a matter of fact I purchased the engagement ring today." ******** Cruel? I didn't think so. Manipulative? Maybe but I had come to the conclusion that a sure way to get her to run was to make the same mistake Micah did and that was simply telling her what she was going to do. Now, as far as telling her that I found my mate goes I didn't lie, I just didn't tell her that it was her and I didn't do anything that women haven't done for centuries. After I told her that I let the subject drop for the time being, it was time for her to do some thinking. ****** Mate? What the fuck? Annie said that he was in love with me and if he loved me who was this other person? I didn't ask because it would come off like I was being jealous. "Really?" I said, "congratulations! Are you planning a wedding as well?" ******** Got her! She's jealous even if she won't admit it. I felt a tingle in my groin, a sign that she was soon going to be in my bed whether she realized it or not. The rest of the meal passed pleasantly enough with her asking me albeit reluctantly how much longer I was going to be in town. "Another week or so, perhaps we could go to dinner again." "I don't think so." she replied, "I don't think that your mate would appreciate it." I realized then that I had just royally fucked up; I had no choice but to come clean. "My mate is here." Regina looked around and then turned back to me. "Where is she?" "Regina, it's you." I said softly. Maurice Ch. 09 I had to have heard him wrong; I could have sworn that he said that I was his mate. "What did you just say?" I asked. "I said that you are my mate." he said watching me carefully. My first response was "hell no!" then several things came to mind at once, the first thing being was this like another Micah Lannister where the sun moon and stars came into play? The second thing was why I got pissy when he said that he found his mate, my thought was that he was supposed to love me. Did I love him? Hell I hadn't even thought about it, it's like I told Annie, I know that he and others risked themselves for me and I appreciate it and yes I was worried about him when they left him alone with Micah but that doesn't equal love. I decided to be as blunt as he was. "How do you know this? Did we sneeze at the exact same moment?" He looked at me and laughed but I wasn't joking, I couldn't go through another Micah Lannister scenario. "No Regina, it is nothing like that but if you wish I will be more than happy to explain it to you." The question was did I want to hear it? And what would happen if I did? As if reading my mind Delgado spoke. "If you tell me that you want to know then I will tell you everything so be warned, what are your wishes?" I excused myself to the ladies room, I needed a few minutes to think, maybe I needed the evening to think but then I started to think about some of the things that Annie told me. Like what? That I could have a good thing with Delgado if I would just let myself but the vampire thing.... Remember when I said that I would brood for only so long and then deal with the issue? Well I had brooded long enough and obviously Delgado wasn't going anywhere until we talked about this. I washed my face and hands and went back to the table where fresh drinks were waiting. I sat down and didn't say anything for several minutes. ****** There it was said, she was surprised- her initial reaction was "hell no!" But not surprised if that makes any sense and I had to wonder if Annie had spoken to her or if she was already coming to her own conclusions, maybe it was a combination of the two things. I had to know so I asked. "Has Annie spoken to you about this?" When she hesitated I had my answer, I really needed to speak to Gremlin and Annie about her helping me. I didn't want her to help me, I wanted to win Regina on my own but what's done is done. "What did she tell you?" I asked. "She basically that I should give you a chance because you care about me and she wants me to be happy." "What she said about my caring for you is true." I said. "But you don't know me!" she exclaimed and there was my in. "Regina, you have been through a horrible experience and you have done well at recovering from it. You talk with your brothers and Annie and accept what they are and for that I commend you." I said. "But...." she said. "But you just made a very interesting statement, you said that I don't know you and that is true but you won't allow me to get to know you. I could understand your reticence when we were in New Orleans and even for a time afterwards but that threat has been taken care of. I have given you six months to readjust to your life and with the exception of a few emails and cards, I've left you alone." She was giving me a very wary look but she said nothing. "I am going to issue a challenge to you; I want you to spend time with me. We can do whatever you like, whenever you want with the only stipulation being that we must talk and I don't mean superficial idle conversation although that does serve its purpose." ******** The dare. I felt like a kid playing truth or dare. Unwittingly he touched upon my competitive streak, what he wasn't saying was that if I said no then I was a coward and he still wouldn't leave me alone. "If I agree to this- by the way how long are we talking about?" I asked. "A month." he replied without hesitation. "A month?" I asked. I was thinking more like a week. He gave me one of those looks; you know the one that asks, "What's the matter? Scared?" "As I was saying," I continued, "If I agree to this, and at the end of the month I decide that I don't want to see you again, it ends there. Deal?" I should have known by the way that he smiled at me that he had no intentions of losing. "I agree." he said, his eyes twinkling, "The month starts now." he said. "I thought that you were only here for a short time." I replied. "For a vampire a month is a short period of time." he replied. ******** She is so mine she just doesn't realize that she's already lost. I might have to thank Annie after all; I think that she softened Regina up for me. "I'll tell you what," I said, "this evening we'll get all of the superficial nonsense out of the way, tomorrow we will begin to get to know each other in earnest." I started by asking her the basic getting acquainted questions such as favorite color and things like that. I encouraged her to ask me anything that she wanted about myself and vampirism. By the end of the evening I had come to several conclusions with the most important one being that other than Annie she had no real close friends. She had people from her job that she on occasion went out to dinner with or to some social function but for the most part she was a loner. My guess is that the Lannisters had something to do with that; it was a case of keeping her isolated so that when the time came for her to leave few people would miss her. I believe that they only allowed Annie to get as close as she did because they needed her to get Regina to New Orleans. I also found out that her relationships with males were.... Lacking. Again I think that the Lannisters had something to do with that but she was free of them and still she hadn't socialized with the opposite sex. I didn't ask her why, that was a topic for another day. "Surely there is something that you would like to ask me." I said. "Well, yes but I don't want to be rude." she replied. "Please, ask." I said. "I won't be offended, I give you my word." ******* So I can ask him anything...... "Why don't you look like a normal vampire?" "Define normal." he replied. "You know.... Like Micah." I replied, "Or even Gremlin although he is a little green." "Genetics." he replied, "No one understands it but my genes have somehow mutated. It is because of the mutation that I can be in the sun. My height and body build are a result of the same mutation, am I upset or feel that I have been cheated? No I don't, for one I happen to like myself and for two even if I hated myself what would it change?" "The night of the vampire tour, why were you there?" I asked. "I really don't know, I was out and about and saw your group. I must tell you that I was surprised when you spoke to me although I knew why." "Really?" I asked. "It was my appearance, I look very non- threatening but I also noticed something about you." he said, "You were very frightened and instead of showing fear you became belligerent and rude." "You knew that I was scared?" "Yes I knew but I didn't know why or of whom, it was that night that I figured out that you had been to New Orleans before and that you had met one of my kind at some point." he said. Jeez, he had me figured out in one meeting. "There's more." he said, "that night you were going to walk down an ally and I tried to stop you, do you remember?" I remembered, I was so mad at Annie that we were in New Orleans and then she insisted on that damn vampire tour that I was going back to the room and was going to take what I thought was a shortcut. "What about it?" I asked. "That was the first time that I saved your life." he replied. ******** "What do you mean?" I asked. He told me about Baron and what would have happened if he hadn't been there, at best I would have been used and killed at worst I would have been used, passed around, turned and then left to fend for myself. "It was then that I knew who you were." he told me. "But you didn't say anything." "No but you wouldn't have believed me anyway, you were much too frightened and angry." We spent the rest of the evening talking about that trip, maybe it's what I needed because by the end of the evening I was more relaxed. I wasn't thrilled to find out that Delgado had compelled me and took me to his house but it was there that he started putting the pieces together. I also was less than thrilled that he planted memories but he didn't know about the Lannisters. I looked at the clock, it was getting late and I had to be up early for an early appointment. Delgado paid the bill and led me out of the restaurant where the car was waiting. I know that it looks like that I was accepting the fact that I was supposed to be Delgado's mate but he jury was still out, in other words I wasn't convinced. However, I was certain that Delgado was on the up and up, it didn't take me long to realize that he could have compelled me at any time to be with him. One point for team Delgado. ******* The conversation is flowing much easier and I found myself wishing that I had done this much sooner, we would be living as husband and wife by now if I had. Talking about that week in New Orleans was like a cathartic for her, many misconceptions were cleared up and she was satisfied that I am not anything like the Lannisters. I took the opportunity to tell her that I marked her for safety and that I would always be able to find her, surprisingly; she didn't as get angry as I expected her to. I wasn't ready for the evening to end but she had to rise early for work, as I drove her home, I asked her what she would like to do the following evening. "I have no idea." she replied. 'No worries, tell me tonight or you can call me at the hotel." I replied. I walked her to the door of her home and kissed her hand and wished her a good night's rest. All in all it was a very productive evening. ******* There was another thing that I wasn't thrilled about, being marked by him. I didn't like the idea of his knowing where I was at all times although if he hadn't marked me I would be Mrs. Micah Lannister by now. I did ask if I could be unmarked and wasn't surprised when he told me no but he assured me that he made a point of not following me. "Are you saying that you really have business here?" I asked. "I really do have business here." he replied, "If I were here just to see you I would have told you that." I had the sense that he wasn't lying about the business part of his trip but I do believe that I was the main reason for him being here. How did I feel about that? I really don't know. There were four voice messages all from Annie waiting for me when I got in. I was really tired but I did need to tell her that I would go back to New Orleans for the baby's birth. The only thing was I knew that I would be on the phone for a good hour at least and I really didn't want to talk about my evening with Delgado. I decided to send an email telling her of my plans and promising to call her later in the weekend. I sent the email and got ready for bed, day number one was over. ******* One week later I've seen Delgado every night this week. Everyday there were fresh flowers delivered to my office and boy were the tongues wagging! I kept my mouth shut; it was no one's business but mine. One day I was sitting in my office, It was Wednesday, the lightest day of the week and the day that I tried to get caught up or get ahead in my paperwork. I was deeply engrossed in entering a report on a client when someone tapped on my door. "Yep!" I hollered. "There's someone here to see you." the receptionist said. "Who is it?" I asked thinking that I had forgotten an appointment. "I don't know but it's a man and he's kinda cute in an odd way." It had to be Delgado. Now here's the thing, I was actually sort of glad to see him. "Send him back." I said as I fixed my clothes. He walked in carrying a bag of food whose odors made my stomach growl. "Do you have time for lunch?" he asked. I shut the door to my office and we had a very nice lunch together for which I thanked him. Now, up until this point no one from work had ever seen him and I was so not looking forward to the many questions that I knew were going to come as soon as he was out of the door. Toward the end of lunch he asked me if I would like to go dancing on Saturday night. I shrugged and said "what the hell? Sure." What I wasn't realizing or acknowledging was that it was getting easier and easier to be around him and I was thinking less and less about what he was which was his intent. Annie was calling me nightly for updates squealing like a school girl every time I told her that I was still seeing Delgado. "Maybe you'll come back and stay! That would be so great all of us together again." She said. I hated to rain on her parade but I had to tell her to chill and that I wasn't moving to New Orleans. "I'm only staying long enough to do what we need to do for little Gremlin and then I'm coming back home." "You just might change your mind." she said. ******** Her heart is softening; I feel it and see it in the smile that she tried to hide. Our conversations are beginning to flow as a hot knife through butter and she answers my emails in more than one word answers. This has been one of the best weeks in my long life and I cannot wait until Saturday night when I can hold her in my arms and hopefully I might even get to kiss more than her hand or cheek. Just thinking about her body being pressed against mine made my heart beat faster and my poor cock which hasn't been touched in a while grow stiff. The house is almost completed but the rooms will be left undecorated, I wanted to give her the option of decorating the house however she wanted. I also had to wonder if she wouldn't be in my bed wearing nothing but that diamond before the month was up, one could hope. ******** After that first lunch Delgado brought lunch everyday sometimes bringing enough for everyone, the tongues still wagged and someone even asked me point blank about him. I finally got angry and told them to mind their own damned business and to leave mine the fuck alone. After that the whispers happened behind closed doors or when I wasn't around which was fine by me as long as they left me alone. When Saturday night came I realized something, I was looking forward to seeing him. What that meant I didn't want to know and didn't want to think about. I didn't know where we were going so I dressed dress/casual even putting on a little perfume behind my ears and on my wrists. Since I hated being late I was actually ready thirty minutes early and took the time to do some thinking. The first thing I thought about was Eddie and Danny and how they came to be what they were. They were given no choice in the matter. In retrospect none of us were given a choice but what was important was that I had them back, what they were no longer mattered. Then I thought about Annie who had never been afraid to tell me where to shove it, she was happy and having a baby, she was going to be a good mom. I felt a little twinge of jealousy at that and that surprised me simply because I had never seen myself as a wife let alone a mother. Then there was Delgado himself who was still unremarkable in his looks and as someone said cute in an odd way but he had a presence about him. But what I really liked was his kiss my ass attitude, he was perfectly comfortable with himself and with what he was. I had to appreciate and like a man who didn't whine because he didn't fit the mold of what people considered to be attractive. Now me, I had to look at my reaction the night that he told me that he found his mate-I was hurt and angry. If I didn't care for him at all why would I have reacted like that? The truth? I'm not ready to say yet, ******** I found a place that had both dinner and dancing and made our reservations and asked for our own private server. "We don't do that." The person who identified herself as Angie said. "I understand that this is an unusual request but I am willing to pay." I replied going under the assumption that money talks. "We just have enough staff for tonight and I won't make the rest take an extra table just for you." she replied. I sighed wondering whatever happened to customer service. "Are you telling me that you don't have one employee who isn't asking you for extra hours?" I asked. I knew that she did just by the way that she hesitated. I could have compelled her to do whatever I wanted but I wouldn't. I didn't compel unless I absolutely had to and what I wanted this woman to do for me wasn't a must but a want. "I'm sorry but I can't do what you're asking." she replied. "I would like to speak with a manager please." I said as politely as I could. "Why?" she asked, "he's going to tell you the same thing." "Be that as it may, I would still like to speak to him." Several minutes later the manager, Walter was on the phone. "Yes sir, what can I help you with?" he asked his tone pleasant. I explained what I wanted and asked if there was anyway in which he could help me. "You do understand that this isn't something that we normally do." he said. "I understand and I am willing to pay the server myself." He was hooked; he would have no problem with an extra worker if he didn't have to pay them. He took my number and told me he would call me back within the hour. Twenty minutes later my phone rang, it was Walter. "Alright Mr. Delgado, I found someone to be your personal server for tonight." "Wonderful! What's the person's name?" "David, he's happy for the hours, what time do you want him here?" "Five and could you please have him call me when he gets there? I have specific instructions that I would like to go over with him. Oh and please tell him that his pay begins when he gets there." "Is there anything else that we can do for you?" he asked. "Yes as a matter of fact there is, I would like a table to the back but not too far to the back, can that be arranged?" "Of course." he replied, "and thank you for choosing our restaurant for your special evening." Now that is what I call customer service! Chad at the jewelry store and Angie could learn a thing or two from Walter. That done, I still had some time to kill before I picked Regina up so I went for a walk. Just because I felt like it and because I wanted to see if the people at the jewelry store had learned anything I went back for another visit. I walked in and within seconds someone was greeting me with a smile and a cheerful hello. Apparently they took my little talk with them to heart. I didn't buy anything this time and continued my walk after exchanging pleasantries with the manager. It wasn't until four that I headed back to the hotel to get ready for my evening with Regina. I took a moment to call New Orleans to check on things and was pleased to hear that all was well. Gremlin and Annie had moved to their own home and were busy preparing for the arrival of their child and the other two couples were preparing for their wedding now that they knew Regina was coming. I wondered how New Orleans would feel to her now, whether the old fears would resurface. I would know in a few weeks. ******* No one bothered to look anymore when Delgado came to pick me up; we and his car were old news. He looked nice in his blue open at the neck shirt, dark dress slacks and shoes; actually he looked..... Handsome. As with each date before this one.... Yes I'm fully aware that I said date, he brought me flowers and waited at the door for me to put them in water. Up until now he had never been inside of my house, he seemed surprised but pleased when I invited him in to wait. Maurice Ch. 09 I happened to glance back at him and saw his eyes flashing; they stopped as soon as he realized that I had caught him looking at me. "What?" I asked. "Do you want the truth or shall I say nothing?" he asked. "Say nothing." I replied. He laughed before responding, "As you wish but please permit me to say that you look lovely." Damned if I didn't blush which made him laugh again. ******** The valets started walking to the car as soon as they saw us. When the car was stopped one came to the driver's side and one waited by the passenger side. Each young man greeted us with a smile and wished us a pleasant evening; I had to wonder if Walter didn't have anything to do with this. The one on the passenger side had already helped Regina out of the car but I didn't like the greedy way in which he was looking at her breasts. When I got close to him I gave a nudge hard enough that he gasped, when he looked at me I gave him a stare that made him gulp. None other than Walter greeted us at the door. "Welcome!" he said as he led us to the table, "I hope that this is satisfactory, if not I do have another table." "This is perfect." I said making sure to smile at him, "Thank you for meeting my needs." "You're more than welcome and you may have just started something here." he replied. After we were seated our server came to introduce himself. "Good evening, my name is David and I will be attending to all of your needs this evening. May I offer you something to drink?" He took our order and was back in minutes. He left our drinks and then stepped away to wait for my signal. "So Regina, I hope that you had a pleasant day." ******* Alright, he was beginning to grow on me but I wasn't giving in just yet but I will admit that I was having a good time. The one thing that I really liked was that he didn't push the mate thing, if it came up it was because I brought it up. He answered my questions clearly and without pontificating on how great my life would be if I would give him a chance. There were times over the past week that we didn't talk about it at all, we were just two people spending time together and yes I know that I said people. I was finding that I was enjoying being treated like a lady although I was getting tired of all of the fancy restaurants. Don't misunderstand me, I liked the restaurants and dressing up but sometimes a peanut butter and Jelly sandwich with a glass of milk just can't be beat. David was very good at his job and Maurice made sure to tell him that, it was just another thing that I liked about him, just because he had money he didn't act as if the world should bow before him, he showed everyone respect. After dinner we moved to the room where the dance floor was, our server went with us and stood far enough back to give us privacy but close enough to hear us if we called is name. The first few songs were fast and Delgado wasted no time getting me out on the dance floor. Believe it or not the man could dance! I mean he looked like a professional! I found myself clapping along with everyone else as we left the dance floor. "Did you take lessons?" I asked. "No but I used to be a dance instructor among other things" he replied. That explained it, and I wanted to know what else he had been in his life. "Many things." He replied, "I have been a farmer, a teacher, a lawyer but for the most part I am a business man." "What kind of business?" I asked. "Imports, exports, microchip technology and things like that." He replied as he stood, "come let's dance." he said and held out his hand. ******* As the evening wore on another side of Regina came out- the fun loving side, I suspected that it was a side of her that few ever saw with the exception being Annie. I loved hearing her laugh and I have to admit that I didn't miss the side of her that could be sarcastic and as stubborn as hell. That doesn't mean that I wanted to change any of those things, I just meant that that part of her wasn't needed at that point in time. She is really a good dancer and watching her breasts and ass jiggle as she danced was almost my undoing so I kept my eyes on her face. I could tell even if she couldn't that she was beginning to see me as someone that she liked being with as opposed to a pest that she was hoping to be rid of in a few weeks. Tonight was the beginning of the second week and this week I was upping the ante, I was going to start introducing the physical part of our budding relationship. Tonight I was going to kiss her. What's the worst that could happen? She'd slap the shit out of me but it would be worth it if I could get that kiss. There was a slow song playing so I held my hand out to her expecting a little reticence and was pleased when there was very little although she was thinking about declining. Once on the dance floor I took Regina into my arms for the first time as a man/vampire, I can't even begin to explain what it felt like. If I had to choose a word it would be perfect, she felt as if she belonged in my arms and I didn't want to let her go. When the song was over I forced myself to release her, I looked at her and was speechless, I wanted to kiss her right then and there and didn't care who was watching. I kissed her. ******* I guess when you live forever it only made sense that there could be more than one career, I myself have only had one and that was as a social worker. I wondered if I chose that profession myself or if it was chosen for me but then decided that it really didn't matter because for the most part I liked my job and because there had to be some part of my personality and life that the Lannisters couldn't control-right? I mean my personality is my own, I can't imagine the Lannisters letting me be the stubborn woman that I am unless.... Never mind, I don't even want to go there. When Delgado asked me to dance to a slow song, I was a little hesitant. Other than when he carried me to his house and then to the hotel room and those don't count because I don't remember it I haven't been that physically close to him. I almost said no but then he gave me that "I dare you" Look again. When he put his arms around me, I felt .... Safe. His hold was firm but gentle and I knew that if I backed away he would let me go and not try to keep me in there. I guess it confirms what he's been trying to tell me, I am not a prisoner like I was with Micah, it was my choice whether I stayed in his arms or not and.... I chose to stay. I know that some of you are getting impatient with me and wonder what in the hell is wrong with me but consider this, most of my life wasn't my own, it was being controlled by vampires and Maurice was a vampire. I maintain that there's nothing wrong with my being cautious and wary. If you feel that I should just jump into his arms and bed already you're entitled to your opinion but this is my life that we're talking about here. Anyway, as I was saying, I felt safe and I chose to remain on the dance floor with him. What I wasn't expecting was to be kissed. My first reaction was to push him away, this dance was going places that I wasn't ready for. I didn't get mad or slap him; I just put my hand on his chest and pushed just hard enough so that he knew that I wanted him to stop. Was it a bad kiss? Not by any stretch of the imagination but I was afraid that things were moving much too fast. Remember that this was the first night of week two and I was still planning on telling him adios after the end of the month. To his credit he stopped almost immediately but he didn't let me go either, if anything he held me even closer and I chose to let him. Fresh drinks were waiting for us when we returned to the table and David was standing at a discreet distance away from the table. I noticed that when we sat Delgado slid his chair a little closer to mine but I made no comment about it. Instead I asked a question. "Why me?" ******* After I kissed her and she pushed me away I braced myself for a slap or for her to take off running. When it didn't happen I allowed myself to relax and enjoy the fact that we had just shared out first kiss. It wasn't one of those kisses where people look at you and roll their eyes and make comments like "get a room." but it wasn't a chaste kiss either. In that kiss I made my intent known and she responded even though she tried not to, I knew what she was thinking, she was thinking that she was going to win this. For the time being I would let her think that at the end of our month together she would win. She wanted to know why her and I didn't know how to explain it to her without it sounding like what Micah Lannister had tried to pull so I answered her question with a question. "Why not you?" "That's not an answer." she replied but she let it drop. As much as I enjoyed our week together it was time for me to give her some time alone to think. "I have some business that I need to take care of so I won't be seeing you tomorrow." I said and watched her reaction. "Oh... alright." she replied. "I'm sure that you're more than ready for an evening to yourself, I'll call you sometime on Monday." She didn't know what to think but she didn't question me about it. We danced a few more dances and I didn't kiss her again as much as I wanted to. After the last dance I paid David the agreed upon amount plus a tip. "You did an excellent job." I told him. "Thank you sir." he replied. I took a closer look at him and saw a touch of sadness in him and I wanted to know why so while Regina was in the ladies room I asked. "It's nothing really." he said. "David, I sense the sadness in you." I said, "So tell me." He hesitated for just a moment before he spoke. "I guess I was jealous." he replied. "Jealous of what?" "You." He replied, "I want what you have, the money, and the beautiful woman... all of it." "Why do you think that you can't or won't have these things?" I asked. "The days of the self-made man are over." he replied, "you have to have a college education to get anywhere and even then you're not guaranteed to find a job." After thinking for a minute, I pulled out my wallet and handed him a card. "Be at this address by 10 am on Monday." I said, "But I want to tell you something, the grass always looks greener on the other side of the fence. Having money brings with it great responsibility and means nothing if you don't share it with others." I said. "I know that but I want to be able to do the things I've always wanted to do and help people along the way, you know what I mean?" he asked. "I do." I replied, "But if that young lady who I'm here with tonight told me that in order to be with her that I'd have to give away every dime I had I would do it in a heart beat. David there are some thing that are much more valuable and important than money. Always remember that." ******** I came out of the bathroom and saw that Delgado was talking to our server. As far as I could tell neither of them knew that I was listening to their conversation, alright yes I was eavesdropping! But I wanted to know what they were talking about and yes had I asked Delgado would have told me. Confession time. When I heard Delgado talking about the responsibility of having money I understood him a little better. I understood that while he did drive fancy cars and took me to fancy places this was only a part of him. There was the part that wore tee shirts with ratty jeans and flip flops and that was the part of him that I was more familiar with. But when he told David that I meant more to him than all of his money.... My heart melted a little more. Did I believe that he would give away all of his money to be with me? Yes. I said something to alert them that I was back from the bathroom and walked up to them. Delgado nodded at David, put an arm around my waist and led me out through the restaurant. He stopped at the hostess desk and asked for Walter. While we waited, I took the time to think about the evening, it had been a long time since I could really say that I had a good time, it had been even longer since I could say that I enjoyed being with the person that I was with. "Regina?" Delgado said, "Are you alright?" Walter came out with a huge smile on his face. "How was everything?" he asked. "It was perfect!" Delgado said, "I wanted to thank you once again for your willingness to help me with this evening." "You're more than welcome and if you ever want to do this again please let me know." Walter replied shaking Delgado's hand. "If you are amenable, I would be happy to pass your name on to my business associates...." "That would be wonderful!" Walter exclaimed, "I've been on the phone with my bosses and they like the idea. Thank you for choosing us!" The car was already waiting for us when we reached the front; apparently David had given the valet warning that we were on our way out. A short time later he was walking me to the door. "Sleep well Regina." he said and kissed me on the cheek before walking away. ******* As I walked away, I realized that it was getting harder and harder for me to leave her. It was never easy but the closer she came to accepting me the harder it was becoming for me to say good bye to her. I was seriously reconsidering not seeing her on Sunday but she needed to be alone to think or to do whatever it was she did to relax. I was also regretting not kissing her again and even thought about going back so that I could but I didn't, I would have to wait until Monday. ****** After Delgado was gone, I felt lonely. It galled me to admit it but it was the truth. I changed clothes and called Annie knowing that she would want details. I told her about everything except for the kiss, if I would have told her she'd have me getting married along with my brothers which reminded me that I hadn't spoken to them in a couple of days. She asked me when I was coming and I told her that I wasn't sure yet but that I would let her know as soon as I did but that I would be there in plenty of time for the baby's arrival and to help with the wedding(s). We hung up a few minutes later and I called my brothers both of whom happened to be home. "What's going on nutty nut?" Danny asked. "Not much but I am making plans to come for the wedding and the baby." I replied. "How long do you think you'll stay?" he asked. "Until everything is done." I replied. I talked to Eddie and realized that I wouldn't be meeting his mate until I go there for the wedding. I could tell that he was happy, I could hear it in his voice and I could tell that he loved his mate; I could hear the smile in his voice when he said her name- Marlena. "She can't wait to meet you!" he said excitedly. It never occurred to me to ask if she was human or vampire because.... Well because it just didn't matter. The only thing that did matter was that he, Danny and Annie were happy. "I'm anxious to meet her too." I said meaning it. We hung up a few minutes later and you know what? I really was looking forward to seeing everyone again even Olivia and Gremlin. I put a movie in the DVD player and fell asleep before the opening credits were done. I woke up early and wondered how I was going to spend my day. What was funny is that I never had to think about that before; I would watch movies or work on a quilt that I was cross stitching but none of that sounded good. I made a cup of hot tea as I thought about how to spend my day. I had a mind to call Maurice...... oh shit! I was actually considering calling him and that wasn't acceptable. I finished making my tea and pulled the quilt whose stitching was only a quarter of the way complete and prepared to spend my day the way I usually did- alone. ******* It was going to be a very long day for her as well if what I thought was happening was correct. She was missing me as much as I was missing her but the ball was in her court, it was time for her to take a step toward me. I know Regina, she is a very stubborn woman and more than likely she'll decide to spend the day alone rather than admit that she wants to be with me. As much as I wanted to march over to her house, shake her and demand that she wake up and smell the damned coffee, I couldn't, not yet. If she doesn't come to her senses soon, I'll do just that and still hold her to our agreement of a month. For now I will continue to wait. Maurice Ch. 10 So here I am on a Sunday trying to do what I normally do which is cross stitch and watch television. If I sound as if I was bored, it's because I was. I'm usually quite content to spend my Sunday quietly relaxing because Mondays are usually horrible. I managed to get a little of my quilt done and then gave up and called Annie to see what she was up to. I was surprised when Gremlin answered the phone. "Regina, how are you?" he asked. If I didn't know any better I would have to say that he was pleased to hear from me. "I'm fine." I replied, "How's the new house coming?" "It is almost ready, Daniel and Edward are helping me put the baby's crib together and the women are decorating the nursery as we speak." Alright, I have to admit that I felt left out and before any of you say it I'm well aware that it's my fault that I'm not there helping. "Could I speak to Annie?" I asked. "Of course, please hold while I go get her." While I waited I was thinking about when I should leave for New Orleans. I could save myself some airfare and go back with Delgado, he's already made that offer to me but I haven't said yes or no. Annie came to the phone sounding out of breath; I wished that I hadn't bothered her. "Reggie! Hi!" "Hi yourself!" I replied, "I hear that the baby's room is being decorated as we speak." "It's almost done." Annie replied, "I wish that you were here helping us." "Me too." I replied surprising both myself and Annie. "When are you coming?" she asked. "I don't know yet." I replied. I didn't mention anything about going back with Delgado and she didn't ask which was fine by me. I spoke with Danny and Eddie for a few minutes and then I hung up. I did more of my cross stitch and within minutes I was bored again but I wasn't going to do it, I wasn't going to call Delgado like some little kid who needed a playmate and ask him to come over and play. I decided to go out for a walk, I put on my shoes and glanced at the clock, it was only eleven in the morning, and I still had hours before I could even begin to think about going to bed. I cursed under my breath and headed out into the warmth of the day and started to walk. Neighbors who happened to be out spoke to me and a few asked me about my gentleman friend with the Lamborghini. My only response was that he was just a friend and nothing more but why did it feel like more than that? ******* I did some paperwork to keep busy. I wondered how much longer Regina would hold out before she took that first step toward me, after that step things would begin progress. Unlike her I'm not too stubborn or proud to admit that I missed her and I'm not too stubborn to say that I was seriously thinking about just showing up at her home, but I wouldn't. I had to exercise patience as difficult as that was becoming. It was early yet there was still the possibility that she would call me and when she did I would run and not walk as fast as I could. I was no longer concerned about her feelings for me; she felt something when I kissed her when we were dancing the evening before. She is feeling something now and I would wager she is fighting the urge to call me hoping that I'll call her but that wasn't going to happen. I went back to my paperwork and tried not to think about Regina all it did was give me a hard on and make me impatient. Just so you know; I hadn't been with anyone since I first found Regina and it wasn't because there wasn't opportunity. In my mind once I found Regina we were married, it just wasn't consummated and I knew that she hadn't been with anyone for far longer than I have. Since I couldn't seem to stop thinking about her I gave up and planned my next move. The florist already knew to deliver flowers to her office every morning which included a note that said something like "have a nice day" or "I can't wait to see you." you know the generic sentiments, well starting tomorrow those notes were going to get more personal. Since it was early, I decided to call the florist and get that little detail taken care of and then I decided to stop for lunch. ****** I finished my walk, kicked off my shoes and made myself a peanut butter and Jelly sandwich and poured myself a big glass of milk to go with it. After eating with someone all week it felt odd to be eating alone and the sandwich just didn't taste as good as I thought it might. I ended up eating only half of it and throwing the rest away although I did finish the milk. But damn I was restless! I thought about calling Annie again but if I did she would ask me about Delgado and then tell me that I should call him. I looked at the clock; it was only one in the afternoon. I thought about taking a nap but if I did that I would be up late and Mondays just weren't good days to go in sleep deprived. What in the fuck was I going to do all day? By three, I gave in. ******* I had actually managed to push Regina out of my mind for long enough to finish the paperwork that I had started earlier in the day. I looked at the clock; it had taken me a couple of hours to complete the tasks that should have only taken me minutes. I was about to go out for a walk when the phone rang, I knew who it was even before I answered it. Regina. She had finally taken her first step toward me and I was overjoyed. "Hello Regina." I said not giving her a chance to identify herself, "How are you today?" "I.... I'm fine, I talked to Annie today." she replied. She was stalling but that was alright, the important thing was that she called. "And how is she feeling?" "Tired but good, they're working on the baby's room." I knew that because I had already spoken with them as well as her brothers. "Have you decided when you're going back?" I asked. "I thought that if the offer was still open that I would take you up on the plane ride back." Those words were music to my ears! "Of course it is! I still have some business here so it will be another three weeks." I replied. She hesitated and then agreed. "Was there something else?" I asked. "Do you want to come over and watch a movie or something?" she asked. "I would enjoy that, why don't you let me provide dinner?" I asked. A minute later we hung up and I let out a whoop that I'm sure was heard all the way across town. ******* What was I thinking inviting him here? I mean I knew what he wanted, he made that quite clear when he kissed me and I invited him here! But it was just for a movie and nothing more I reminded myself... but why was I so excited then? I rushed up the stairs and took a quick shower taking care to wash those private areas thoroughly. My nipples were stiff and tingled..... I was.....I didn't want to complete the thought. I finished my shower, oiled my skin and avoided touching my nipples and between my legs as much as I could in the hopes that they would cool down. I dressed casually but comfortably wearing a brand new matching purple bra and panty set that I bought months ago. I know what you're thinking but I'm not there yet, as far as I was concerned nothing was going to happen tonight other than watching a movie or two and eating whatever Delgado brought for dinner. ******* Chocolate dipped strawberries, champagne.....and ......pasta with grilled chicken and rolls. That sounded like a winner to me. I called the hotel restaurant and placed my order and then called the florist to tell them to have a dozen of red roses ready for me. I quickly showered and changed before calling to check on my dinner and flower orders, when I was told that they were ready, I left the house and was standing at Regina's door an hour later. She looked lovely and I told her so as I handed her the roses and kissed her cheek. The table was already set for two so I took the sack with the food to the table and set the food out. I remembered that she didn't like cold fruit so I left the strawberries in the sack but asked to put the champagne in the refrigerator to keep it chilled. Dinner was pleasant with idle chitchat which normally I hated but she was nervous so I let it go. While she cleared the table, I looked at her movie selection and found myself rather impressed. There were documentaries on various subjects ranging from prehistoric history down to current events. There were also some movies, none of them horror or having to do with the supernatural which didn't surprise me but there were plenty of action movies and historical dramas. I took note of a few movies that hadn't been opened yet and looked at them, all of them were historical dramas and then it hit me, none of the movies in her collection were comedies. I wondered about that, I understood why there was nothing pertaining to the supernatural but why no comedies? "Did you find anything interesting?" She asked from behind me. "You have quite the collection." I replied, "but why is there nothing meant to cause laughter?" I could tell that the question both surprised and confused her. I knew that there was a fun loving streak in her, I had seen it and for her and Annie to have been so close it had to have there. "I don't know." she replied, the tone in her voice suggesting that she had never really given the matter any thought. "Come on." I said walking toward her, "we're going shopping." ******** Dinner smelled wonderful, the half of a sandwich that I had eaten for lunch was long gone. While Delgado sat the food out, I took a moment to really look at him. As I've said before, he wasn't handsome in the traditional sense and if I hadn't known him and passed him on the street he wouldn't have drawn my attention. But now that I knew him I was beginning to see him in a different light. I began to see that he had physical attributes that I had always found attractive in a man. Like what? His eyes. The eyes are usually the first thing that I look at and his were a beautiful dark brown that showed whatever emotion that he happened to be feeling, right now it was curiosity. The next think that I notice is the smile and he had a nice one that reached his eyes. After that I usually stop looking, height and weight was never really an issue, if you recall I'm not built like an Amazon warrior myself. The realization that I was even thinking about him like that made me nervous, it had been a long time since I paid attention to a man like that. I chatted through dinner about everything that I could think of instead of what I was sure he wanted to talk about, us and what my feelings were but I wasn't ready. He knew what I was doing and to his credit he didn't push me, he let me ramble on until dinner was over. I cleared the table while he looked at my movie collection. I didn't know what his interests were but figured we could watch a movie on pay per view on cable or streamline one from netflix. I watch mostly documentaries and historical dramas and if I watch any comedy at all it's on television and until he asked me about the lack of comedies in my collection, I hadn't really thought about it. I liked to have fun, I mean look at who my cousin and best friend was and I was having fun...... shit. He wanted to go shopping? The only thing open was the super Wal-mart. "What are you shopping for?" I asked. "Not me, we." he said, "It's time we add some lightheartedness to this amazing movie collection." "I don't watch comedies." I said as he grabbed my hand as he walked by me. "Then it's time to start." he replied, "I know that you like to have fun, I saw it last night so come on." Twenty minutes later we were in the movie section of the Wal-mart. I had no idea of what I would like and let Delgado choose. By the time he was finished we had over twenty movies some of which I was sure that I wasn't going to like if the picture on the front was anything to go by. When we got back to the house Delgado gave me the task of opening the movies and choosing one to watch while he poured champagne and put the chocolate covered strawberries on a plate. I had only managed to open three of the movies by the time he came back with dessert. With his help we got the other movies unwrapped and chose a movie.... 'Date night' with Tina Fey and Steve Carroll. I had to admit to being skeptical when the movie started but it wasn't long before we were both laughing. I didn't realize how close he had moved to me or was I the one to move? At any rate, his arm was around me and my right hand was on his knee. As soon as I realized where my hand was, I jerked it away and he pretended not to notice but didn't move his arm. ******** Ah progress! I love the way that she is reacting toward me without being really conscious of it. Going shopping with her was an experience that I would love to repeat. Why? Because her guard was down. I touched her several times and even had my arm around her as we or shall I say I picked out movies. Her guard stayed down until we were watching a movie and she realized that her hand was on my knee and my arm was around her shoulders. It didn't surprise me when she moved her hand but I wasn't moving my arm unless she said something. I waited for several minutes and the requests didn't come. I was grateful that I decided to wear loose fitting slacks, it gave my cock room to grow and grow it did, it was rock hard and throbbing and Regina? She was aroused. Her nipples were hard and I so wanted to touch one but I didn't because as aroused as she was she wasn't ready yet but almost..... When the movie was over, I poured the champagne and handed her the plate of chocolate covered strawberries. I watched her close her eyes in pleasure when she took the first bite of one. I left the champagne on the table, took the plate from her and kissed her. When she didn't resist I pulled her closer to me and cupped her face in my hands, her lips tasted like the chocolate and strawberry that she had just eaten. I could have stopped there but I decided to see how far we would go before she stopped me. I could feel her struggle within herself, she wanted to stop but she didn't. I stayed alert for any sign verbal or otherwise that she was no longer enjoying what we were doing, that she would be angry at herself later I had no doubt but we needed this. ******* There was nothing wrong with him having his arm around me and I have to admit that it felt good. I knew that something more was going to happen even though I tried to convince myself otherwise and if it did...... it had been a long time for me and well damn! We were both consenting adults weren't we? And I knew that if I told him to stop, he would. A little light petting was all that I wanted.... I thought. When I took the first bite of that strawberry, I thought that I had gone to heaven. I love, love, love those things and for that reason I rarely buy them, I would eat them all in one sitting. I was but wasn't expecting the kiss at least not so early in the evening but here it was and it was good. Do you remember your first real kiss? How you got lightheaded and you felt like you were almost floating? That was how that kiss felt. The kiss at the club was very nice but it wasn't anything like the kiss after the movie and I didn't know what the difference was and I wouldn't for a while yet. ********* Regina, whether she know it or not had just accepted me. I could only imagine her reaction once she figured it out and I wasn't going to tell her. I was gaining a good understanding of her, she had to realize things and come to terms with them on her own time. Her physical reaction to me is a case in point, had I told her that she was aroused and needed release she would have fought and denied it and I wouldn't be kissing her right now. At that moment she was choosing to believe that what was happening was nothing more than lust and to a point I supposed that was true, I wanted her and she wanted me and for that time lust was alright. I broke the kiss and moved my lips to the spot where I had bitten her when we were in New Orleans. That spot would forever be one of the most sensitive areas on her body and I kissed it. She turned her head to give me easier access and moaned when I sucked on it, she had to be soaking wet by now but I had just come to a decision, I wasn't going to take her tonight. I would make her come and I would come as well but it wasn't going to be inside of her. Why? Because I'm a glutton for punishment and the anticipation would feel delicious. Think of it as knowing that you're going to get something phenomenal for a gift, when you finally get it what happens? It's all the more special, do you see my point? I pinched her nipples through her dress and wished that it was gone. I wanted to see if her nipples were as large as they appeared and I wanted to touch them with my tongue. "Patience." I reminded myself, we had come too far for me to fuck it up by trying to rush things. ********* I was warm and my clothes felt like I was wearing a cocoon but there was no way I was taking them off. I almost changed my mind when pinched my nipples and then sucked on my neck. The need to come overshadowed any other thought, I knew that I would be pissed at myself when it was said and done but at that moment, I just didn't care. I let Delgado push me back on the couch as he stretched out on top of me and positioned himself between my legs. My dress was pushed up to my waist and then he touched me. He ran a finger up and then down my panty covered slit and then he sniffed his finger. "Is this for me?" he asked with a smile. I don't know what happened but I wanted him to stop. I didn't want to continue, no that's not exactly true but I had to stop this. "Maurice, we have to stop." and as I suspected, he stopped immediately and without question. Somehow I don't think that he was that surprised as he backed off of me, pulled my dress down and smiled at me. There wasn't a trace of anger or disappointment on his face as he helped me sit up and gave me one of the glasses of champagne. He was and had been the absolute gentleman. He left shortly afterwards leaving the strawberries with me. The question I asked myself was why I made him stop. I liked what we were doing so what was the problem? ******* We had actually gotten further than I thought we would and as much as I wanted to make her come, I was pleased with how far we'd gone. We hadn't talked about Monday and it wouldn't surprise me if we didn't see each other or talk, she would want the time to process what happened between us tonight. When I got back to the hotel there was one thing that I had to take care of or else I would be miserable for the rest of the night- I was still rock hard. ******* Monday I called in sick and then I called Maurice and told him that I didn't want to see him. I needed time to think and in spite of what I said about us being consenting adults things had gotten a little too intense for me. He took the news about seeing him as well as he took my request to stop, with understanding and grace. I started asking myself the same question that some of you have been asking-what in the fuck is wrong with me? I mean, he had been nothing less than a gentleman, he hasn't pushed me at all and he didn't get mad when I told him to stop. N o matter how I felt, I had to stay away from him for the day. ******** Told you didn't I? I know and understand how my Regina thinks. Yes, Yes, Yes I know that it's been six months but remember that to me six months is nothing in the whole scheme of things. I also I know that some of you are thinking that I should just leave her and see if there's someone else but there isn't anyone else and I don't want anyone else. I also know this, when she finally acknowledges what she feels for me, there will be no reservations on her part. So you see I can wait. Maurice Ch. 10 I planned to send her flowers later and add that extra sentiment that I mentioned earlier and there was no time like the present. I called the florist and asked that they stop by the hotel first; I wanted to write the note myself. The woman at the shop told me to expect them within the next two hours as the drivers hadn't arrived yet. That was plenty of time for me to put my thoughts into words. "My dear Regina, I thank you for allowing me to get as close to you as I have. I have never denied what I want and feel for you even though I have never said it until now. Regina, I love you. Maurice." How was that for short and to the point? It turned out to be closer to the two hour mark when they came to pick up the note. I gave them strict instructions to be sure to tell Regina to read the note. When they were gone, I walked over to our home and sat in what would be our living room. Did you notice that I said our? That's because the battle was half over I had already won. ******** I didn't even bother to change out of my nightclothes, I wasn't going anywhere. I didn't really sleep much last night for several reasons, one I was as horny as hell and two I had to examine what I was feeling for Maurice. The one issue was easily solved, the second issue wasn't. Was part of my hesitation because of Micah Lannister? Initially yes but that was no longer a factor and besides the two of them was as different as night and day. Micah would never have shown me the patience that Maurice had and was still showing me. Was I afraid of falling in love? I didn't think so but then again I had never really been in love. Did I want to be loved? Well sure I did and .... I know that Maurice loves me and not because Annie told me so but because of the way he treats me and before you say it I'm not talking about the fancy restaurants and all of that. I'm talking about the way he treats me as if I'm the most important thing in the world to him. It was getting time for me to start facing some facts... I wanted Maurice Delgado. I jumped when the doorbell rang and opened it to the biggest floral arrangement that I had ever seen. I took the flowers and heard the delivery person say something about a note. I carried the bouquet to the dining room which had the only table big enough to put it and found the note stuck at the top. I read the note and then reread it and realized that he was right in that he never denied or made a secret of what he wanted from me. But what did I want? The vampire thing was no longer at the top of my list of concerns; I suppose that was a step in the right direction. "What do I feel for him?" I asked myself out loud as I reread the note. I was falling in love with him and had been for a while but I was just too busy reminding myself of what he was to recognize it. And when I did I was too busy trying to keep him away to acknowledge it. So there you have it but I wasn't ready to admit it to him. ******* The day and evening passed slowly and to occupy myself, I began decorating the bedroom. I got a feel for Regina's likes and dislikes from being at her home. I went to several stores before I found the type of bed I thought that she would like and actually ended up buying the entire bedroom set. I had assurances that if she didn't like it that it could be exchanged with no difficulty. I arranged for the furniture to be delivered that night and offered to pay extra since it would be after hours. My next stop was at an art gallery where I purchased several paintings for my office at the house; those would also be delivered that evening. My final stop was at an office supply store where I purchased my desk, chair and everything else that I wanted and needed. By the time I was finished, it was past supper time and I was famished, I went to my room and ordered room service and settled in to spend the evening alone. ****** I spent the day cross stitching and watching some of the videos that Maurice bought the night before. I spoke to no one and didn't even send emails. For lunch and dinner I ate the leftovers from the night before and finished off the chocolate covered strawberries. By ten I was in bed and wide awake, it was well past midnight before I fell asleep. ******** The end of week two Maurice still came for lunch during the day and we saw each other in the evenings. He never mentioned the note and neither did I as a matter of fact I didn't talk about my thoughts and feelings at all. During that second week we went to the movies-the early showings, we went out to dinner and had a picnic once but I avoided being alone with him in my house until the weekend. I invited him over for dinner and this time I cooked, if you want to call peanut butter and jelly sandwiches cooking. I was tired of all of the rich foods and just wanted something simple hence the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches along with fresh fruit, potato chips and milk. For dessert I made chocolate chip cookies from scratch and managed not to eat too many of them. I didn't dress up but wore a simple sun dress and flip-flops and told Maurice to dress comfortably. I even went back to the Wal-mart and bought some movies that some of my co-workers had suggested. I knew that I surprised them with the question and I knew that they were wondering what was happening with me because I was so much more laid back but they didn't ask. I guess they didn't want me to tell them to mind their own damned business. Maurice showed up around six with the usual bouquet of flowers, purple ones this time and a small sack that he set out of view when he came in. "So what's for dinner?" he asked. "Peanut butter and Jelly sandwiches." I replied and watched his reaction. "Really? With grape jelly?" he asked. I really don't know how I thought he was going to react but apparently peanut butter and jelly sandwiches was one of his comfort foods and he ate four of them one right after the other. After dinner we cleared the dishes together -there weren't that many and I showed him the movies I bought. "You bought 'death at a funeral'?" he asked surprised. "The people at work said that it was funny and....." "Regina, its fine and it is rather amusing." He said, "Let's see what else you bought." I bought a total of six movies all of them recommended to me by people at work. I was actually quite proud of myself. I let him pick the movie and I wasn't surprised when it was 'death at a funeral'. I offered dessert but he declined saying that he was still full from dinner. A short while later, we were watching the movie. This time I was aware of when he put his arm around me and I was aware of snuggling closer into his side. Believe it or not I was getting to like this, it felt normal and not once did I think about him not being human. ******** Almost. The day apart was what we needed as difficult as it had been. Any questions as to whether I had compelled her as Micah had were answered without her needing to ask me. When I got excited over peanut butter and jelly sandwiches? That excitement was real. I love the things but Olivia- remembers her? Olivia refused to make them so I made them myself although it had been a while. Regina was much more relaxed and I wondered what people at her job thought about the change. I knew that they attributed it to me; I would hear the whispers whenever I went to her office for lunch. So there we were watching a movie like any couple on a date. As the movie played, I wondered how far we would get tonight with my goal of not totally taking her in mind. I let Regina choose the second movie while I went to the restroom to adjust myself. By the time I got back, she had set out the cookies and a pitcher of milk with two glasses and the opening credits of the movie were playing. I sat next to her and settled her back against he and we started the movie. I watched her out of the corner of my eye and began to lightly stroke the side of her face with the tips of my fingers. It wasn't too long before she was squirming in her seat and then I got a very nice surprise.... She kissed me on the cheek. I know that it doesn't sound like much but this was huge! It meant that she had been thinking about us and our relationship. I didn't comment on the kiss but continued to stroke the side of her face still watching her from my peripheral vision. ******* I have to agree that I found the movie 'Death at a funeral' disturbing and funny at the same time. Maurice was right; I needed more laughter in my life. Annie had provided some of that but now that she wasn't here I laughed less... a lot less. After the movie he excused himself to the bathroom, did vampires still use the bathroom? Hmmm, I'd have to ask Annie the next time I talked to her. I took the opportunity to bring out the cookies and milk and to put the next movie in. I was all set up by the time Maurice came out of the bathroom, when he sat down next to me and put his arm back around me I didn't resist. The movie started and he began to stroke the side of my face and I don't know why but I kissed his cheek. I was expecting him to say something but he didn't, he only smiled and kept stroking my face. The movie was about a quarter of the way through when he turned to face me. "Did you read my card?" he asked. ****** The one question I had was whether she read the card. I wasn't expecting a response other than yes or no and was surprised when I got more than a one word answer. "I read it." she said, "but I'm not ready to respond to it." "Fair enough." I replied, "But I hope that you won't object to my verbalizing my feeling for you." Now it was out in the open. "I.... it's a free country." she replied. "I'm taking that as a yes." I said and then for the first time I told Regina that I loved her. I watched as she struggled with the open admission of love. She wanted to say something, I could see her debate on whether she should say it or not. After a few minutes it was clear that whatever it was she was going to say, it wasn't going to be said at this point in time. The movie was forgotten as I kissed her and then eased her back on the couch sliding her skirt up as she lay back. If you will recall that was as far as we had gotten the week before. Later when I thought about it I wondered if I should have asked if it was alright for me to touch her in that manner even though there were no signs that she was uncomfortable with it. So this time, I asked. ******** Its one thing to read a note that says I love you but a horse of an entirely different color to hear it. I heard the truth in his words but even so I wasn't ready to share my feelings verbally but I wouldn't and couldn't stop him from sharing his. When he asked if he could touch me I realized that he thought that was why I stopped him last week but that wasn't it and I'm still not sure of why I stopped him and really, it no longer mattered. "Regina, may I touch you?" he asked again. I hesitated for just a moment, if I said yes then our relationship would change if I said no we would remain as we were. It was time for a decision, I said yes. As soon as I said it, something changed; our relationship as it was had become a thing of the past. ******* It was another step toward total acceptance. I ran my hands up and down her legs with my eyes glued to her face. I leaned forward and slipped my hands under her shirt and cupped her breasts gently squeezing them and pinching her nipples. "When were you last made love to?" I asked. "A long time ago.... I don't remember." she said softly. "Will you allow me to love you?' I asked. "Here?" she asked. "Wherever you wish." I replied although a bed would have been more comfortable. I kneaded her breast in my hands as I waited for her to decide if and where we were going to make love for the first time. ******* I know what I wanted to say when he asked about making love but was it what I should say? Then I had a moment of clarity, our relationship had already changed so what was I waiting for? "The bed." I whispered although I didn't want him to stop touching my breasts. He stood up and held out his hand to help me up. "Lead the way." he said. He followed me to the bedroom that no man had ever been in and waited for I don't know what. Maybe it was like a time out to give me a chance to reconsider but I didn't need to think anymore. It was time that I start accepting what we both knew to be true even if I didn't say it. "It's alright "I said giving him the go ahead. ******** The bedroom just as I had hoped. I helped her up and followed her into her bedroom. Like the rest of her house it was immaculate with the bed being more than large enough. Remember when I said that I wasn't going to take her? I was no longer sure that I could keep that promise to myself once she took her top off. She was about to take her bra off when I stopped her, I was always more intrigued by what I couldn't see and I wanted to remove it myself. I stopped her again when she was going to take off her panties. I stepped back and looked at her; she was every bit as beautiful as I thought she'd be. She didn't move when I walked toward her still fully dressed. She gasped when I pulled her bra down over her breast and touched each nipple before rolling them between my fingers and giving them a firm but not painful pinch. Unable to resist any longer, I lifted a breast and sucked a large hard nipple into my mouth. Regina cried out and grabbed my waist to steady herself. I went from breast to breast before putting them together and sucking on both nipples at the same time. I was in heaven! With a thought I was as naked as she was and very, very hard. ******* For just a minute I thought that he had changed his mind as he just stood there and looked at me. I did wonder why he was still dressed but I didn't ask especially after he started playing with and then sucking on my nipples. It had been way too long since I'd been touched like this. Suddenly he was naked; it had to be one of the vampire things that he could do. I felt him gently pushing me backwards until we reached the bed and then the next thing I knew he had lifted me onto the bed and was laying on top of me grinding against me while he sucked and nipped at my breasts. I was going to come if he wasn't careful but then I believe that's what he wanted so that we could get the urgency over with. ******* It wasn't going to take long for either of us. As I ground against her wetness, I slid in and almost released right then and there. Regina's arms were wrapped tightly around me and her legs were wrapped around my hips, she met my thrusts with her own and began to scream as her orgasm began, she thrust against me wildly triggering my orgasm. So much for waiting to take her. I rolled off of her taking her with me and held her tight as she slowly regained control of her breathing. Several minutes later I heard her softly snoring, I kissed her and settled in to wait for her to wake up grateful that the next day was Saturday. ******** Oh my God! I don't know who said that a man had to have a big cock in order to please a woman but I sure would like to talk to him or her. I grant you that maybe part of why I had such an intense orgasm was because it had been awhile but I don't think that it was a big part of it. I think that those two weeks before that night were nothing more than prolonged foreplay whether that was his intent or not. By the time we were finished with round 1 I felt like a rag doll. I barely remembered him moving off of me before I fell asleep. When I woke up, he was lying on his side watching me, to be honest; I didn't know what to say to him so I said nothing as I moved closer to him and kissed him. I lost count of how many times we made love that night but by morning I was exhausted. I woke up around one and smelled food cooking and my stomach growled. I took a quick shower and went to the kitchen to find Maurice already in clean clothes. "I ran back to the hotel while you slept." he said answering my unspoken question, "are you hungry?" ********* That night was worth everything that I had to go through to get to that point. The question was did I tell her that we were now mated or do I wait? We had two more weeks together so it could wait. Do I think that she already knew? I would have to say yes but like so many things, she had to come to that conclusion herself... I decided to wait. I pulled out a chair for her and kissed her before she sat down, "You don't have much by way of breakfast foods but I found ingredients for an omelet." I said as I sat her breakfast in front of her. "What would you like to do today?" I asked hoping that she wasn't going to tell me to go home. ********** Another first! A man in my bed and he cooked breakfast to boot. What did I want to do? I had no idea and left the decision up to him. He spent the rest of the weekend at my house and still I didn't tell him that I loved him. Why? I don't know. What I do know is that I was dreading Monday more than I usually did. Maurice left the house when I did and actually wanted to drive me to work but I wasn't ready for that just yet and was honest enough to tell him so. When I got to work, everyone looked at me and then smiled. "What?" I asked. "You finally got some!" someone said. "What?" I asked again but in a different context. "You're either on medications or you've been getting laid." Myra the receptionist said, "So which is it? My money's on the getting laid." I didn't reply as I went into my office and shut the door behind me, had I really been that difficult to get along with? Apparently so. I stayed in my office until someone knocked on the door to tell me that my fresh flowers had arrived. I thought about leaving them out there but I had to leave my office sooner or later. I carried the flowers from Friday out to the counter and exchanged them with the new ones. As always there was a note attached to the flowers but this time someone had opened it. "Who in the hell read my note?" I bellowed. It didn't take me long to find the culprit. "Do you have nothing else better to do besides read personal messages?" I asked Leanne the office manager. "It was open and fell out of the envelope." She was lying, Maurice always sealed his envelopes but I didn't say that. I took the note and the flowers into my office and shut the door. I didn't open it until my first appointment of the day came in around nine-thirty; it stayed open until Maurice came in bringing lunch with him. ******** She's angry. I can see it in the way that she was sitting and I wondered what happened. "Regina what happened?" She told me about the note being read, I really didn't see what the big deal was. I agreed that the note shouldn't have been read but it wasn't worth being so angry over. It was then that I learned something else about Regina, she was a private person. She had gotten used to the flowers being delivered and me bringing her lunch but emotional sentiments were a very private thing for her. "Regina, it's nothing to worry about, I don't care if they know how I feel about you." "It's not about that! If she's reading notes that aren't meant for her what else is she doing?" she asked. "Alright, so what are you going to do?" I asked. "I don't know." she mumbled, "Why can't people just mind their own fucking business?" she grumbled. As we ate I heard the conversations that were going on outside of her office and the rest of the puzzle fell into place. Her workplace was a hotbed of gossip; someone had googled me and knew who I was. They were wondering if Regina was "fucking me for money." Someone else was commenting on how much Regina had relaxed since I started fucking her. No wonder she's pissed off! When we finished lunch, I kissed her and told her that I would see her later. I closed her door as per her request and went in search of the office manager. I found her sitting in the break room eating her lunch. Maurice Ch. 10 I sat down at the table with her and in a very nice way told her that she needed to stop gossiping about her employees. When she denied doing any such thing, I repeated to her the various conversations that I heard over the past hour. "Now, this is a place of work and not your living room, please act like the professional that you are supposed to be." I said and then I left not giving her a chance to respond. That day was just as slow as the day that Regina and I didn't see each other but the difference was that I would be seeing her in a few hours. ************* The end of week 3 The gossip at the office had decreased significantly. No one read my notes or made comments about whether I was getting laid or not and I had started leaving my door open again. It seemed hard to believe that we were coming up on the end of our third week already. We spent every evening together with him spending the weekend at my house and no, I still hadn't said anything about how I felt about him. I hadn't even told Annie and was surprised that she hadn't asked. Maurice was going to be in town one more week and I had to decide what I was going to do. I had already let the office manager know that I had to take a leave of absence which she granted without a fight. I guess she felt bad about the invasion of privacy and gossiping about my private life. That third week was.... Phenomenal. We watched television and he took me to the house that he had built. The only room decorated was the bedroom and it didn't escape my notice that it was done in colors similar to the ones at my house. Deep down I knew what that meant but I made no comment. The house was huge but beautiful; my little house could have fit in it four times! Some of the evenings were spent in shopping for furniture for the house. It always amused me how we were often discounted when we walked into the high priced stores simply because neither of us looked like we had money- I didn't have money but Maurice did. One place, an art gallery threatened to call the police if we didn't leave. "Go ahead and call them." Maurice said refusing to leave. "Maurice let's go!" I said visualizing myself sitting in jail for trespassing or whatever charge they came up with. "No love, we're waiting for the police." he replied. Several minutes later the police arrived and asked for the manager who started talking a mile a minute while pointing at us. Maurice looked at the group totally unconcerned when they approached us. "Sir, the manager says that you and the lady are loitering." The police officer said. "No sir we are not." Maurice replied politely, "the young lady and I are here to buy some artwork for a home that I just had built." "Can I see your ID please?" "Of course!" Maurice said as he took out his wallet. "You too ma'am." This was nuts! All we had to do was leave but as I found out Maurice wanted to make a point. The officer took Maurice's ID first. "Maurice Delgado." he said, "You're from New Orleans?" "Yes, I'm here on business." He took my ID next, "You live here?" "Yes." "Wait here." He said and walked off with our identification He came back a few minutes later very red faced and handed our identification back to us. "Mr. Delgado, I apologize to you and the lady for the inconvenience....." "Wait a minute!" the manager said heatedly, "why are you apologizing to them?" "Mr. Ames is it?" the officer said, "This is Maurice Delgado." "I don't care who he is! He was asked to leave and he refused!" "This is the Maurice Delgado who is one of the investors in the new mall." "I don......" And then he stopped as recognition dawned. "Mr. Delgado, I apologize......" I didn't hear the rest of what he said because Maurice took my hand and led me out of the gallery. "Why didn't we just leave?" I asked, "There are other galleries." "I wanted to make a point." he replied, "from now on he'll think twice about how he treats people and besides, what if I was poor but loved to look at beautiful paintings? Who is he to deny me or anyone else that opportunity?" I saw his point and admired the fact that he stood up for what he believed. I also realized that this was something that he did whenever the need arose. Me? I would have left and wouldn't have ever shopped there again but Maurice was right, that wouldn't have changed anything. By the end of the weekend, the house was furnished, the things just had to be delivered and the pictures hung. I have to admit that it was fun shopping like that and I like decorating. At one point I made the comment that he needed to make the decisions as it was his house. He didn't say much other than to say that he liked my selections and was more than satisfied with them. ******** There was only one thing left to do; she had to verbally accept me. Was I worried about it? No, it was only a matter of time. She already loved me; I knew that without her having to say it. As I've said before, I had to let her figure things out when she was ready. The trip back to New Orleans was a little over a week away and I was already beginning to worry about how she would react to being back there. I would find out a day or two later that she was worried about it too. I'm not even sure how it came up, we were talking about something completely unrelated and she just blurted it out. "Delgado, I'm scared to go back there." It was made as a simple statement made without tears or hysterics, there was no mention of her not going; she wouldn't do that to Annie or her brothers. I really didn't know how to take away her fear. I could tell her until I was blue in the face that there was no danger to her but she wouldn't believe it until she saw it for herself but I had to try. "Sweetheart there is nothing there to harm you." "How do you know?" she asked, "maybe the Lannisters are waiting for me." "They aren't." I told her, "I've been watching them and they have no further interest in you." She didn't look convinced. "If I thought for one second that you were in danger I wouldn't have left you alone for those six months, I would gave been here whether you wanted me to be or not." Of course I knew what was happening with her even though I wasn't there and I really had and was keeping an eye on the Lannisters, they really didn't have any interest in her. Gradually she began to relax as what I said sunk in, New Orleans would never be her favorite place but it would no longer terrify her either. Did you notice anything? Remember how she would act when she was afraid? She would become belligerent and rude, there was none of that; she knew that I could and would keep her safe. ******* New Orleans. I really don't want to go back there but I will. I had come to know Maurice as a man of his word, when I told him that I was afraid he didn't patronize me and make empty promises. He quietly assured me that I would be safe and that he wouldn't let anything happen to me. He did have a point, Micah was dead and he was the only reason for their interest in me. That didn't mean that I wasn't nervous, I was and would be but I wasn't frightened. Frightened or nervous, I wasn't looking forward to this trip. As I'm sure you guessed by now, I had become very comfortable with Maurice and found him very easy to talk to. He had always been that way but I in my stubbornness and fear hadn't noticed until the past few weeks. I also knew that the ball was now in my court. He had shown me in every non verbal way that he loved me and only verbalized it a few days ago so when was I going to fess up and tell him how I felt about him? I honestly didn't know. My last day of work before the trip was on Wednesday. As I mentioned before it's my slowest day of the week and it was a good day to get my replacement up to speed. That night was going to be the first time that I was going to stay with Maurice at his house. Was I nervous? No not really and if I was it had nothing to do with him. He picked me up after work and drove me to my house so that I could pack for the trip. While I did that he went through the fridge and got rid of anything that would be spoiled by the time I got back but somehow it felt like more than that. I had the distinct feeling that I wouldn't be living here anymore. That feeling was confirmed when I packed the picture of my family before we went to New Orleans the first time. I also packed the quilt that I was working on telling myself that it would give me something to do while I was on the plane and in New Orleans while we waited for Annie and Gremlin's baby to be born... yes I realize that I was in denial but give a girl a break! I went from wanting to be rid of Delgado to sleeping with him in less than two weeks surely that counts as progress doesn't it? ******* Her fears about going back to New Orleans seems to have been allayed for the moment as she was now thinking about something else, she was saying goodbye to her house. I let her take her time as we had no place to be and dinner would keep. I emptied the trash and took the perishables from the refrigerator out to the trash and then warded it so that animals couldn't get into it, I would also ward the house when we left. What would happen to it? Nothing, it's her house to do with as she wishes. Actually, I could see us spending some time here, it was cozy and I think that we both had very pleasant memories of the time that we spent here. By the time I got back into the house Regina was downstairs and there was a large suitcase sitting at the bottom of the stairs. "Are you ready?" I asked. ******** I'm really leaving this house! I knew it with a certainty that I couldn't understand. Was I scared? No. Nervous? Yes but not in a bad way. Excited? Yes because I was going to see Annie and my brothers again plus meet my soon to be sisters and not to mention the new baby. I had just made it down the stairs with my suitcase when Maurice came in from outside and asked me I was ready, it was a question that had more than one meaning but the answer was yes to everything that the question entailed. "I'm ready." I replied as I realized that I really didn't know much about his vampirism. It was mostly because I didn't ask and partly because he didn't want to push it. As always he was waiting for me to decide when I wanted to hear about it. I had actually thought about doing research on my own and then asked myself why I would do that if I had the real thing? Tonight I would start asking questions and hope that I wouldn't offend him at least not too much. This time he drove a more sensible car, a Honda something or another. One of the neighbors who had become friendly with Maurice asked him about the Lamborghini. "I needed something a little more practical this time." Maurice replied. "That sure is one sweet car!" Dean-that was the neighbor's name replied. "It is at that." Maurice replied, "Perhaps we could take out for a little spin." "You mean take it out on the road?" "I mean exactly that." Maurice told a surprised Dean, "I'll be around in the next day or so." Dean's face lit up, he was our neighborhood go to man when there was an issue with our cars and for him to have a chance to ride in a car like Maurice's thrilled him to no end. Maurice put my suitcase in the car as I looked at my house for what I thought was the last time. Until Maurice came it was just a house and nothing more. Don't get me wrong, I loved my house and had a good time decorating it but it didn't begin to feel like a home until Maurice started spending the evenings and nights there with me and now I was leaving it. ******* I helped Regina into the car after putting her suitcase in the trunk. She knows even if she hasn't verbalized it, she knows that she won't live here again. The drive to our home was quiet, she had things on her mind and I had the feeling that she was beginning to have questions. I encouraged her to ask me anything and I do mean anything it's the only way to clear up any fallacies or misconceptions of what I am. We were almost home when the first question was asked. "Do you really drink blood?" "Yes but I don't bite someone to get it unless I'm in dire straights." And so it went. Once the flood gates opened... Once inside of the house, I carried her bag up to the bedroom with her following close behind me. Part of me wanted to drop on my knees and ask her to marry me but another part of me knew that the timing was all wrong. I had to let her get acclimated to being with me and besides she hadn't even admitted to loving me yet but it was coming and soon. I showed her where she could put her things and asked if she was hungry. I can do many things but cooking isn't one of them so we settled on Chinese take out. While we waited for the food to be delivered, I encouraged her to ask as many questions as she could think of. By the time our food arrived I realized that Regina new next to nothing about vampires. That surprised me given how Annie loved supernatural lore and had even believed quite a bit of it even before she married Gremlin. In a way Regina's ignorance of my kind was a blessing, there were a few preconceived notions but the biggest one, that we were all like Micah Lannister had been dispelled. What I told her was that as in humans there are many types of us, some good and some not so good. The rest of the evening passed quickly as we talked about my lifestyle and Annie. "He took blood from her?" she asked. "Yes, like I took some from you but he took a bit more." "And she drank his too?" "Yes." I could see the wheels spinning as she thought about what I had just told her. "But.... Annie will never die?" "Annie is now immortal but she isn't a vampire." I assured her. "So......" And she changed the subject. ******** There was a lot that I didn't know such as there are vampires who don't drink blood but live off of other peoples emotions. Maurice called them emotional vampires.... It made me wonder about some of my clients and coworkers. He also told me that there was a type of vampire called rogues who were male vampires who had given up any hope of finding their mates and became nothing more than vicious animals. "Those I kill on sight." he said. "Can't they go back to being as they were?" "No they can't but sometimes one of them will take a human woman in the hopes that she is his mate." "He thinks she can change him back." I said understanding. "Exactly and to my knowledge it has never been successful." Then he told me about the hunters. "They hunt us and have since we came into being." he explained, "they can be very dangerous especially the ones that we call the zealots." This world of his was a very dangerous place but so was the world I lived in and the truth of it was, I lived in his world for years, I just wasn't aware of it. Annie made a conscious choice to live in Gremlin's world because she loved him; did I love Maurice enough to make the same choice? By the end of the evening I had completed vampire 101 and I found that I wasn't as nervous about going to New Orleans. Don't get me wrong, I was still nervous and I probably would be any time we I mean I returned there, yes I know that I said we... After dinner I brushed my teeth and got ready for bed like I did when I was at home when I knew that I wasn't going out. Maurice was dressed as comfortably as I was, sweat pants, tee shirt and flip flops both of us ready for a relaxing evening at home.... Home. I was already thinking of this as home. As I thought about that I remembered the smile that Maurice gave me when we made our deal. He knew what was going to happen! He knew that I needed to see him outside of New Orleans and that I needed to get to know him on a more personal level. Was he successful? I would have to say yes, I'm here aren't I and I've admitted to myself that I love him. Am I going to tell him soon? Maybe. ******* She belongs here and she knows it and blast it all to hell, it's time to end this dance and to start a new one. "Regina." I said from behind her, "we have to talk." "I thought we were talking." she replied. "We are but not about what we really need to talk about." I replied. She looked at me and knew where this was leading. "I love you and you know this to be true." I said, "I have done everything in my power with the exception of compelling you to prove this to you, it's time to define our relationship." She didn't say anything so I continued. "I had this house built for us; I left it undecorated because I wanted to decorate it with you." I paused again to give her a chance to speak. "Aren't you going to say anything?" I asked as I began to question the wisdom of pushing her a little. "I.... I love you too." she said as if she was afraid to say it, maybe she was. Finally! It's out in the open and we can progress. I walked over to her and kissed her, she had to answer one... well two more questions. "Regina, will you accept me as your mate?" ******* I guess I have to fess up sooner than I thought I would. I still had a few days left on our agreement but what would it have changed? Nothing. So when he gave his pitch I decided to come clean. When he asked me if I would accept him as my mate, I got the feeling that he already knew the answer long before I did but he had to hear me say it. The look on his face when I told him that I loved him made me feel guilty for not telling him sooner but for whatever reason I couldn't. Now about the mating thing, I knew what was involved and as I said earlier, he lives in a dangerous world but so did I. did I want to do this? "Yes." I said and as soon as I said it I felt a weight that I didn't know I was carrying leave my shoulders. I didn't know what I thought would happen but it wasn't that. I felt.... Relieved. I was no longer alone in either big bad world. ****** I wanted to run over to her, throw her on the bed and make love to her but we weren't done yet. "Do you understand that this is irrevocable?" I asked, "You cannot mate with me and then change your mind." "I..... "tHere's no divorce? Ever?" she asked. "Not ever." I replied, "The only way that we will be separated is if one of us dies and even then it isn't a permanent separation." "What do you mean?" she asked. "I mean that if one of us dies, the other will die soon afterwards and we will meet on the other side." "But you can't die." she said. "Not easily, but the chances of someone killing me are next to nil," I said " and once we mate you'll be as Annie is." "What else?" she asked. I told her that we would have to move from time to time because people would notice that we weren't aging. "The genetics reason only works for a while." "What about my job?" she asked. I knew that it would come up and I had an answer. "You can work if you like." I said, "I want you to be happy and if working make you happy then I have no issue with it." Two hours later I had answered all of her questions including the one about children. I won't lie to you and say that I thought about children of my own because I hadn't. It was one of those things that I decided not to worry about especially since I hadn't found my mate and that's exactly what I told her. Now that I found her did I want children? I did but if for some reason there were no children then I would be just as content. I left her sitting on the bed while I went to get the ring that I bought weeks before. Was I afraid that she'd say no? Not really because she was already my mate in the only way that really mattered. The human engagement and wedding were for her and even if she said no to the wedding, I would still add her name to my accounts as my wife. Maurice Ch. 10 She was sitting exactly where I left her with a slightly apprehensive look on her face. I sat on the bed next to her, put the jewelry box on the bed and took her hands in mine. I told her once again that I loved her, that I always would and that she would always be safe. I released a hand, picked up the ring box and opened it. "Regina, will marry me in a human ceremony?" ******* Married? Me? And with the possibility of having children? What was I thinking? If what he said was true we were already or would be married, this was for me if I wanted it. Did I want it? I did but not a wedding like my brothers were having and that's what I told Maurice. "We can do whatever you want." he replied, "We could go to Vegas or Hawaii ...." "Why don't we get through Danny and Eddie's wedding and the birth of baby Gremlin before we start planning what we're going to do?" I said. It wasn't that I was putting him off, I wasn't but I didn't want to do anything that would take away from my brothers and Annie's time. ****** I understood and saw her point so I didn't press but I did want her to wear the ring and asked if she would. I thought that she was going to say no and I think she was thinking about it and then changed her mind. I took the ring out of the box and slid it onto her ring finger left hand. It was a perfect fit and it looked beautiful on her, it looked as if it was made just for her. Now that she had accepted me as her mate, I wanted to get it done. In seconds I had the both if us naked and her lying on her back. I took a moment to look at her, by morning she would be as she was but different, by morning she would be completely and irrevocably mine. "Thank you for accepting me." I said as I knelt between her spread thighs. In all of the times that we made love, I've never tasted her, don't ask me why because I don't know and it really doesn't matter but that was about to change. I could smell her arousal which only served to increase my own. I prepared to give my mate the first orgasm of our mated lives. I knew where all of her sensitive spots were, I had touched most of them with my hands and lips except for this one place. "Are you ready for me?" I asked. She nodded her head yes but that isn't what I wanted and needed, I wanted and needed for her to say it. "No love, I want and need to hear you say it, that way there's no misunderstandings later." I told her. "I'm ready to be with you in every way that it entails." she said covering all of the bases. The moment that I had been waiting for was finally here, it was a long time in coming but it was well worth the wait. Instead of just diving in, I didn't move for several minutes just looking at her and taking in her scent. I was also trying to decide from where I would take from her. I know that you're thinking the neck and that is an option to be sure but I think...... I think I'll take from her femoral artery and I'll let her decide where she wants to take from me. ******* I know you're all thinking that it's about damned time that I finally accepted Maurice and the fact that he loved me and then I'm sure of those who are thinking that the turnaround was too fast. Well, to both things I say this; I have never made any secret of the fact that I do things on my own time. I had to go through the agonizing and all of the shit that went with it before I decided enough was enough. To those of you who think that I finally decided when I saw how much money he had, I say to you that his money had nothing to do with it. So here we are Maurice and I about to be married and this would be enough. I didn't want or need a fancy wedding; I didn't want the crowds or even to plan it. I was sure that Annie was going to object but this was how I wanted it. Maurice and I would go to the wedding as mates but we wouldn't say anything until after the two couples came back from their honeymoons. I jumped when I felt a kiss on the inside of my left and then the right one. My nipples hardened when I realized what he was planning to do. I closed my eyes in anticipation and when I felt his tongue flick across my clit I shuddered. It had been a very long time since I had been pleasured in this way and I hoped that he wasn't going to tease me and to his credit, he didn't...much. ******* That first taste of her was exquisite; I made myself stop so that I could savor the taste. I knew that she thought that I was teasing her but I really wasn't, I was as anxious to mate as she was. After I kissed the inside of each thigh again, it took her glistening jewel into my mouth and I sucked on it so lightly that she cried out in frustration. "Damn you Delgado!" That folks was my cue to get on with it. I licked and sucked at her until she came with my name on her lips. I stayed where I was for several minutes before starting again, this time I would drink from her. When she was close to orgasm again, I replaced my tongue with a finger, kissed the area over her femoral artery and bit. If I thought that the first taste of her was heaven, this was beyond that! She had a sweet coppery but slightly salty taste that was so...... I can't even come up with a word good enough to describe how wonderful she tasted but all too soon I had to stop. Once she took from me I would be able to take from her with no ill effects to her and her from me if she wishes. I licked the wound closed and stretched out on top of her , slid in and began to pump slowly in and out . Regina had both of her arms around me holding me as close to her as she could. It was time. "Where do you wish to drink from?" I whispered in her ear. "You choose." she whispered back. Thinking about our current position, I chose the left side of my neck. With her watching me with widened eyes, I made a cut on my neck and offered myself to her. My goal was to hold off on coming until she was finished; it was a goal that I didn't meet. When I felt the first drawing of my blood into her mouth, I came. Both my blood and seed poured into her at the same time heightening my pleasure. It was done; Regina Hawkins was now Regina Delgado for all of time. ******* I had to wonder if making love would always be like this or if after a century or two we would become polite strangers who were going to spend the rest of time together. The thought was gone when I felt him sucking on me; it wasn't going to be long before I came. When I did I saw stars and still he didn't stop until he had bitten me and took my blood. Did it hurt? Surprisingly no. I felt a slight pinch and then I felt the blood leaving my body and going into his mouth. What did surprise me was that it didn't last long; at least it didn't seem to. Then it was my turn. I had no idea of what to expect and hadn't thought to ask. When he asked me from where I wanted to drink, I had him choose, I didn't know if asking to drink from his neck was stereotypical or not. As it turned out it wasn't. I watched fascinated as he made a cut into his neck and then offered it to me. I took a tentative swipe with my tongue fully expecting his blood to taste gross but it really wasn't. It tasted almost like human blood but had more of a tangy taste. While it didn't taste bad I don't think that I'll be adding blood to my menu unless I had to. "It's done." Maurice whispered in my ear after a few minutes. ******* We spent the rest of the night and the following morning in bed making love and talking. New Orleans came up again only because we were leaving in a day or so. I wanted to reassure her that she was totally safe; I had even alerted my security people that we were coming although I really didn't need them. This was for her comfort and peace of mind. When we finally got out of bed, had something to eat and got showered and dressed it was late afternoon. If you will recall I made a promise to Regina's neighbor Dean that I would take him out in the Lamborghini. As you know, I am a man of my word and I was going to keep that promise. Regina was going to go with me and stay at her house while Dean and I took our scheduled joyride. She wanted to make sure that she had taken everything that she wanted from the house and to make some phone calls to set up automatic withdrawals for the utility companies. When Dean and I returned from our drive, she and I were going back to the same place that we went for dinner and dancing a few weeks before. Walter was again very helpful in setting up the evening for us. Our server for the evening was named Caleb and he was every bit as good as David had been. It amazed me that it was only three weeks ago we had been here as a couple getting to know each other but now we were back as mates. It turned out that we really had started something with the personal waiter thing for which Walter thanked us several times over. We spent most of the evening there having dinner and then dancing before going home to get ready for our first trip as a mated couple. As far as I know Regina hadn't told Annie yet which surprised me but maybe she wanted to do it in person. As it turns out, I was right. "I want to give her the chance to say I told you so to my face." Regina replied when I asked her about it. We headed to bed after a quick shower, the plan was to rest since we were getting up early, let's just say that it didn't happen. We were at the airport bright and early. We sped through security and were on the jet in no time. It was then that I realized that Regina hated flying. She did it because it was the most expedient way to get places. I wish that I known that, we could have driven but I will remember the next time. ******** Do you know the feeling you get when you finally understand what you wanted and needed in order to be happy? That's how I felt. I finally understood that we-meaning Delgado and me were supposed to be, Annie and Gremlin were supposed to be and as much as I am sorry that my brothers were turned into vampires, even that was supposed to be. The death of my parents didn't need to happen; it wasn't their fault that I bugged the boys until they switched rooms with me. Out of everything that happened, that is one thing that I will never accept as something that needed to happen. So here we are on a plane and headed toward New Orleans. I wondered if I would feel the panic that I felt the last time. In a few short hours I would find out. ******* New Orleans I held Regina's hand when the pilot announced that we would be landing in thirty minutes. I sensed her nervousness but very little fear. I wondered at what point of her last flight here the fear set in and decided to ask. "Not until we landed." she replied. I kept an eye on her as the wheel's of the plane touched the runway and taxied to the gate. "Regina, are you alright?" I asked. She looked a little pale and her hand that was previously warm was now ice cold. "Sweetheart?" She swallowed hard and then nodded her head yes. ******** I hate this place! Even though I know that there's nothing here that can hurt me, it's the memories of everything that happened here. I sort of panicked for about ten minutes before deciding that I needed to get my act together. We were going to be here for at least a month..... I had already arranged for a leave of absence so I could be away from work for that long. I kept reminding myself of the good things that were going to happen here, the baby and the weddings. Maybe they would counteract the horrible things that happened here. And then as usual, I told myself to get a grip and move on, I squared my shoulders, took a deep breath and told Maurice that I was ready. Everyone with the exception of Annie and Gremlin met us at the airport and that was because Annie would have been too uncomfortable. When I got off of the plane, I stopped and looked around almost surprised that I didn't feel the sense of danger or fear that I had the last time I had been here, all I felt was an intense dislike. "I'm alright." I said to Maurice squeezing his hand and I really was alright. Would I want to live here? Not on your life. Would I live here? Only if I had to. ********* She's alright! But she doesn't like it here which is understandable. I watched her straighten her shoulders literally and figuratively as she decided that she wouldn't allow this place to scare her. This is one of the times that I am glad for her stubbornness and that once she makes a decision she acts on it and doesn't second guess herself. Edward and Daniel meeting us also helped to take away some of her nervousness. We greeted Daniel, Olivia and Edward with hugs while Edward's mate a shy pixyish dark haired woman stood back and watched. "Joanie come meet my sister and my friend Delgado!" he said holding out his hand. He made the introductions and we headed out to our house where Gremlin and Annie were waiting with supper. We had snacked on the plane and it was time for something more substantial. I was amazed at how much Olivia talked and laughed, she didn't even seem to mind being out of the house; Daniel had been a positive influence on her. As far as Edward's mate goes, I think it was a case of nerves; already she was smiling and talking with more ease. If either brother noticed that Regina and I were acting any different they didn't let on. We had decided not to say anything to anyone but Annie because she would notice and she would announce it. In no time we were at home. The smell of cooking food hit us as soon as we were in the house. Regina immediately went in search of Annie while I took care of the luggage. I heard a squeal of delight and knew that Regina had just told Annie the news; I could almost hear Annie telling Regina "I told you so!" I carried the luggage to our room and left it by the door. We wouldn't be staying her but for a few nights as we would be going to Gremlin's and Annie's home to wait for the baby to be born. The wedding reception would also be there at Annie's insistence. The house had an entirely different feel to it now that it was filled with love and laughter, even Gremlin was smiling. The cruel glint that was usually in his eyes was gone but I had no doubt that it was still there but buried. These people, all of them were now my family and it felt damned good. ****** Annie was huge! Prompting the question about the possibility of a multiple birth. "No there's only one." she told me, "Olivia says that during pregnancy the women are always huge." I wasn't convinced but I didn't argue with her. "So how are things with you and Delgado?" she asked, "Have you seen the light?" I closed my eyes and got ready for the scream that only Annie could do and I answered her. "Yes I've seen the light as you call it, I....." She let out a scream that brought Gremlin running. "Quiet!" I hissed. "Why? Are you getting married with the others?" She asked. "Annie?" Gremlin called to her, "is everything alright?" Annie looked at me for permission to tell, I gave it knowing that she would tell him anyway. "Delgado and Reggie mated!" she exclaimed her happiness evident in her voice. Gremlin smiled his approval and you know, he didn't look so scary, as a matter of fact, he was downright handsome. "Congratulations." he said with a slight bow. "She doesn't want the others to know." Annie said and then explained the reason. "I don't think that your brothers would think of your announcing your mating as .... What did you call it? Raining on their parade." Gremlin said, "I happen to know that they were very concerned for you." "She doesn't want to have a wedding." Annie piped up, "and I think that she should." I didn't want a wedding and no matter what anyone said, I wasn't having one. We would fill out any legal paperwork and get my last name legally changed and be done with it. "Annie there isn't going to be a wedding and that's all there is to it." I said in the tone of voice that she knew to be what she called my "give it up." voice. "I'm just saying...." Maurice came in and interrupted her. "We have already decided that there won't be a wedding unless Regina wishes it and for the time being we are both happy with our mating." In effect he ended the conversation. ****** After dinner we sat around and talked about the baby and the wedding. Eddie was the one to bring up our mating first. "Delgado, when did you and Regina mate?" So much for keeping it under wraps. Maurice gave a much abbreviated account of the past month and politely declined the offer for us to join them on their wedding day. Around and around we went until they finally gave up but not before making sure that we understood that we were more than welcome to join them. Maurice thanked them for the both of us and brought up another topic of discussion, the exchanging of blood between all us. I was the only one that hadn't taken from everyone and hadn't been taken from. I understood why they did it and it made sense so after thinking about it for a few minutes, I agreed. One by one they came before me and offered me their blood. I didn't need to take much from them and they didn't need much from me. At the end of an hour, we were all bound to each other; we would always be able to find each other no matter where we were. It was both an unsettling and a comforting thought at the same time. ********* Epilogue Two weeks later, Annie and Gremlin welcomed ten pound six ounce Shane into the world. Apparently Gremlin's people have no use for middle and last names which is alright I guess. He was a beautiful baby with a head full of dark hair, long eyelashes and dark eyes which I am told could change color at any time. Annie was simply radiant and Gremlin was the perfect picture of the perfect husband and father. For the first time I wondered what kind of mother I would be. I already knew what kind of father Maurice would be, he would be every bit as doting as Gremlin was being to Annie and their baby. The ceremony to make me the god-mother to Shane took place two days after his birth. It was a simple ceremony with all of us there but instead of Annie and Gremlin holding the baby, Delgado and I did- he was made godfather with Edward and Daniel as surrogates. An official was there, said a blessing, asked me and Maurice if we agreed to assume care of Shane if anything happened to Annie and Gremlin. We both accepted the responsibility without hesitation; Shane would always be cared for. The wedding(s) took place two weeks after Shane was born. Daniel and Edward made very handsome grooms and Olivia and Joanie made beautiful brides. Did I wish that I was up there with them? No way! There were too many people watching and I would have fallen on my ass or something and embarrassed myself and the others. The ceremony was as long as a typical human wedding and took place in the evening in the back yard of Annie and Gremlin's house. All told there were close to one-hundred people there and the hose was full of people visiting after the ceremony. A week later we left New Orleans to go back home, this time we drove. My leave of absence was almost up but since my replacement was doing such a good job I was able to get a two week extension. We took out time driving back and stayed at several bed and breakfasts along the way, have you ever stayed at one of those? If you haven't you should, they're really romantic. One of the things that we talked about at great length was my job; did I really want to go back to it? No I didn't but neither did I want to sit around on my ass and do nothing either although Maurice told me that I could go back to school if I wanted. Did I want to do that? Hell no! I had no desire to go back to writing papers and studying into the wee hours of the morning. We were almost home when Maurice made a suggestion. Maurice Ch. 10 "Why don't we start our own charitable organization? You could call the shots and you would be the final word on who really needs assistance or not." It sounded good on the surface but it wouldn't be cheap, a fact that I pointed out to him. "Regina, I want you to do this and the money is of no consequence." He replied. The more I thought about it, the more I liked the idea." "We could use my house as a base to work from!" I said now excited. That was three years ago and what a three years it was! We had a baby- a boy that we name Jonathan Maurice and from the looks of it he inherited some of Maurice's mutated genes but we wouldn't know which ones until he was much older. I was right about Maurice being the doting husband and father; he was totally involved in the pregnancy, delivery and care of Jonathan. We had a ceremony similar to Annie's and Gremlin's in which all of the adults were asked to be god-parents to Jonathan. Eddie and Daniel were both hoping to become fathers soon but as Maurice told them, it happens when it's supposed to. Our little organization which we called it 'The Paul and Dorothy Hawkins Foundation' in honor of my parents who were killed by the Lannisters because I switched rooms. This is how it worked, I stayed in contact with the office at my old job and if someone needed help but didn't qualify for whatever reason, they were referred to us. We met with the person or persons and then determined how best we could help them. Sometimes it was paying tuition or something as basic as paying utility bills but at any rate, I loved doing this and came to realize that the profession that I had chosen for myself was my choice. It felt good to know that there was some part of my life that I had some control over, well at any rate, thank you all for listening to my story and I hope that you all find your happiness as I did.