Undesirable Chapter 30
TITLE: Undesirable (A vampire novel)
RATING: NC-17 (This chapter PG-13)
SUMMARY: George runs out of places to run.
Word Count: 6909
Chapter 30
My head ached. It wasn't the sudden brief twinge of a vampire influencing me. I checked repeatedly, but felt no suspicious compulsions. Nor could I blame this on the Taurus, I had been fine up to this leg of the trip. Nonetheless it was strange, coming and going, like a slow moving but relentless wave lapping at the shore. There… not…. there…
I was just fucking worn out. Shitty sleep, endless stress, no clear notion of what I was going to do. It had caught up to me. I looked to my side and noticed Wally had his head against the glass. His face was paler than usual and he was staring out at the oncoming road with glazed eyes. As he lifted his hand to scratch the side of his neck I noticed a circle of yellowed skin on his wrist. The last lingering remnant of his fight with Abram. The last week had not been kind to him.
Dad at least seemed fine. He had a cheerful smile on his face and his eyes on the road. He signaled to go around a truck. I glanced down and noticed the speedometer. He was going nearly 80 mph.
"Dad you need to slow down," I said.
He gave me an innocent look. "Hmm?"
"We can't afford to be caught by the cops. Really." There was no incognito vampire to get us out of trouble if that happened.
He eased off the gas and turned off the signal, settling back a comfortable distance behind the big rig. "How you holding up."
My headache surged back into existence with a vengeance. "Ask me again in a couple of days." I let my head flop back against the headrest then did a slow neck roll to try to relieve the hurt.
Dad's smile was gone. Shit. I didn't mean to worry him. I never meant my parents to get involved with this at all, but at the same time I was glad that he was there, next to me. His familiar presence was comforting. I wished that I could go back to being a kid again, have everything be simple.
How my life would have played out if I hadn't eaten all those candies and gotten sick? Where would now? In Darlene's Harem. I'd probably be used to sleeping vampires by now. I'd hang with the other Harem on permanent Summer vacation. No work. No school. Maybe I'd still be swimming competitively as a hobby. Maybe I'd have made it past the quarterfinals. But I'd never have shared all those college classes with Wally. I wouldn't have shared an apartment with him. Would I even know him? Did regular harem even socialize with the part timers? He'd only been called up five or six times a year. Perhaps I'd see him in the hall. And then there was my job - I fucking loved my job. For all the shit my boss sometimes threw at me, for all the airline delays, for all the shitty hours and lousy food and loneliness - I absolutely loved it. I saw so many places. I did so many things. I met so many interesting people. And best of all I felt useful, because the product I was helping teach was damn clever and innovative and I loved the way those teachers faces lit up every time they figured out all the tricks they could do with it.
Being useful as a snack just wasn't as fulfilling. Being some desirable thing to show off and then put back on a shelf just didn't cut it. I hated that. I need to be wanted for what I do not what I am. It may have been stolen time, but I'd enjoyed those years as a real adult. No. I was glad things played out the way they had, for better or worse. I wouldn't trade away all the life experience I'd gained.
Dad flipped on the turn signal again. I perked up as he pulled the Toyota onto an onramp. "Hmm?"
"Need to hit the head," explained Dad.
"Yeah," said Wally sitting up. "Me, too." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I think breakfast is sitting wrong."
The off ramp curled down under the freeway and headed off in a wide curve towards a rest stop nestled against the forest. Mount Hood loomed above us. It's shadow cut across the road even before the trees closed in. My headache abruptly eased and the relief brought with it a kind of drowsy euphoria. I breathed in the fresh air pouring in from Dad's half open window. The shade felt awesome. God, it felt good to be back in green country. The familiar smell of wet pine felt welcoming. Almost home.
We parked a right across from the log-cabin style bathrooms. Wally and Dad climbed out, but I didn't feel any need so I remained in the car, savoring the late afternoon coolness and the rich natural smells. Beyond the picnic area I could see trails winding out through the trees as though this reststop had pretensions of being more than a place for weary travelers to stop and take a piss.
Biding my time while waiting for Wally and Dad to return, I sleepily watched someone load up a skittish horse back into the trailer. The man's irritated voice carried across the parking lot. Eventually he got the poor beast in. And then my attention was diverted by a couple over on the benches. As I watched they kissed and walked back, hand in hand, to their car. The man reminded me a bit of Wally, which in turn reminded me I'd have to tell my parents some point about the fact I was dating Wally. As I dimly considered how I'd approach the subject, a flash of movement to the side caught my eye and I turned my neck to see a 10-year-old kid being yanked along the sidewalk by a doberman. I smiled politely at him as he crossed in front of the car and he rewarded me with a suspicious stare. So little trust these days. On second thought, you got the right idea, kid. Keep it up. It's a dangerous world out there.
Time stretched. I rolled my head, listening to the bones click and creak. Then I leaned over to look at the rest rooms in the side mirror. How long had Wally and Dad been in there?
Wait a second… how long had they been in there?
Adrenaline prickled through my body like an electric shock and I sucked a huge breath in. Suddenly, I wasn't sleepy at all.
Pulling open the passenger's door, I scrambled out onto the asphalt, my eyes scanning for danger. The parking lot was empty. Cautiously, I stepped around the car. I felt a moment of relief when the bathroom door opened up, but my hopes were dashed when I saw it was a just woman tugging her daughter along by her hand. Those two met up with the boy with the dog and all three climbed into their car.
God let them being in the toilets. I dashed across the pavement to the mens room. Banging the door open with my shoulder, I set to searching. The bathroom was eerily quiet. The smell of powerful citrus disinfectant hit my nose and made my eyes water. I wiped away the tears from my stinging eyes as I set to opening each of the dozen stalls. No one. No one. No one. They were all empty. "Dad!" I cried out. "Wally?"
Silence. Dad and Wally were gone, just as if they'd never existed.
I ran out of the bathroom again, then spun around, scanning every corner of the rest stop. The dog run, the picnic area, the truck lot, the forest trails, the wide green verge. There was no sign of Wally or Dad. Or anyone else for that matter. The guy with the horse, the family, the picnickers, gone. I realized with a shock that I'd been watching a mass exodus, as if everyone had gotten some signal to clear out except for me. Even the truck lot was empty now.
Aside from Dad's Toyota, the only vehicle left in the lot was a single sports car parked way off at the far end. Its windows were tinted.
No. I took an automatic step back away from that car, just staring with horror and soul sinking realization. Then I spun around and sprinted towards the woods in one last ditch effort to stave off the inevitable.
I took the first trail I could find, a narrow dirt walking path snaking up through pine and maple. I pounded up it with absolute recklessness. Two twists up, my shoe slipped on the polished mud and I grabbed a bush to steady myself. Somehow it didn't stop my momentum. I dashed deeper in, leaping over a puddle. There I misjudged, sinking deeply into the soft mud on the far side. As I tried to step forward, the shoe stuck and I felt the disgusting cold lick of mud slide against my foot. Off balance I yanked my leg up, stiffening my toes in a panicked attempt not to lose the shoe altogether. I succeed but just barely. Staggering back up to speed, my eyes glued to uneven ground in front of my feet, I rounded a large tree.
And smacked right into someone's chest.
"Hello, Mouse."
I looked up into Jeffrey's face with wide eyes, unable to hold back a moan of despair. He looked exactly as I remembered him. Long and lean, clean shaven and coiffed, as if all the running and fighting he'd done in the last weeks had had no affect on him. The expression on his face was soft and thoughtful, with just a trace of amusement behind his green eyes that said catching me was no big deal.
Every fiber of me wanted to rear back and run, but I schooled my muscles stiff and swallowed my spit and stood my ground. I was caught. Jeffery didn't have to tell me. With him so near and so focused on me, anything I tried would be an exercise in futility -- and damn if I hadn't been though this enough to know when I should just conserve my efforts. So I stood there, breathing hard and staring at him, and then, with willpower, I loosened my fists to raise my hands in surrender.
Jeffrey regarded my gesture with a slight smile and a shake of his head.
"Let's walk," said Jeffrey at last.
He turned and began strolling farther up the path. He was dressed in leather today. Leather pants, leather jacket, brown shirt. All fitting his slim form perfectly. Tailored, I was sure. Meant for nightclubs, not hiking. With a small amount of satisfaction I noted that his shoes were as caked in mud as mine. So shit did stick to him after all.
Though he wasn't looking at me I could tell he was paying keen attention to what I did. He twitched his head just slightly when I hesitated in climbing a more rocky section of trail. A bit farther up the hill the path flattened out and expanded to the point where we could walk abreast. With a flip of his wrist, he gestured that I should catch up.
"So," said Jeffrey, glancing over at me. "You finally managed to give that vampire the slip. Took you a while." It was a gentle rebuke, not meant to be taken seriously.
"I wasn't even trying until this morning."
"Who was he?"
"Chauncey Towers." He was going to get the information anyway, might as well give him the least damaging answer.
Jeffrey nodded grimly. "Well, that explains a few things. The old ones can be pretty tricky. Did you know, I didn't even realize he was a vampire at first. His false aura was perfect. I was even planning on giving him a gentle nudge to forget about you when he dropped the act and started to hunt, and my goodness, you could have knocked me over with a feather." Jeffrey shook his head, grimacing. "Close call that one. I was terrified for a moment that he'd figured out I was spying on him, and he'd take you and run, but thankfully he was distracted by his prey." Jeffrey glanced over to me. "So when did you figure it out?"
"When he finally got around to telling me," I admitted ruefully.
Jeffrey laughed, "Nearly got the better of both of us then. It's good thing you managed to ditch him. Of course, it would have been better if my little plan in Salt Lake City hadn't fallen through, but this works."
"Yeah, speaking of which, what was that plan?"
"Oh, it would have been glorious! You see, I had to dispose of Gregory somehow. That man had been practically stepping on my shoes for days. And once I knew what Chauncey was, I had the perfect idea for a trap. I let Los Angeles think he'd actually beaten me to the Club, which I tell you, was a lot tougher than you'd think. Gregory is a gloater. But he did exactly what I expected him to do - lured you out and then indulged himself right out in public like an impatient Childe. Utterly crass. And that's when I played the good Samaritan and telepathically informed Chauncey of your compromised position."
"I don't think that's what being a good Samaritan is about."
"Neither did Chauncey. Your old patron was surprisingly ungrateful for the tip." Jeffrey stopped and looked somewhat puzzled. "You know, I think he really didn't like that I'd figured out what he was. I rather suspect he didn't have permission to be hunting where he was - or who he was."
I'm sure he didn't. "I don't understand, why the hell did you wait so long? Couldn't you have told him the moment Gregory showed up - long before he dragged me down to the street." Unconsciously I touched the small bruise high on my cheek where Greg had offhandedly cuffed me. It was still a bit tender when I pressed.
"Oh but you are missing the whole point!" Jeffrey said. "I could have hardly gotten Chauncey to fight Gregory if he didn't have you in his possession." Jeffrey spread his hands as if he were handing me the truth on a platter. "Chauncey would have simply have picked you up and fled, and where would that have gotten me?"
So you thought that the two of them would beat each other silly and while that was going on you'd walk off with me in the confusion."
"Or barring that I could pick off the winner, once he was properly weakened and injured. Either way, two birds, one stone."
"Didn't work out that way."
"Unfortunately," said Jeffrey with a regretful sigh. "Chauncey was too clever to fall for that. He hit Greg with a car. Very unsportsmanlike. But at least that got Lord Los Angeles off my back so I'm not going to complain."
Of course, you aren't going to complain - you weren't hit, molested and nearly run over in an alleyway. I shook the thought out of my mind.
"I would have spared you if I could have. Believe me, it was difficult to sit back and watch that man slobber all over you."
"Oh spare me," I said. The trail cut yet another switchback and we both paused long enough to navigate our way past the tight, steep curve. "So," I said, taking the initiative, "Since it's all moot now that you've caught me, maybe you can tell me how you were able to track me. I thought I being careful." It was like a burr in my sock, no matter how hard I thought, I couldn't see what Wally and I had done wrong. Our trail was hopelessly muddied with our random route. We had switched cars repeatedly and had used other peoples money and ID for nearly a week. We'd been passed from stranger to stranger and yet through all this, Jeffrey had no trouble keeping track of me. "Did you bug us somehow?"
"In a way… yes." Jeffrey pulled a somewhat scuffed Blackberry phone from jacket pocket and waved it in front of me. "You do know these modern things have built-in GPS, don't you? I simply followed your phone."
"B-but I lost mine back at Nadettes!"
"Well, okay, not your phone, of course. Walter's, which was practically the same. I spent a little time in that man's head after I'd fed on him, and I knew that he would stick with you like glue."
"You fed on Wally? When?"
"The night of the party. You think I would turn down such an opportunity? In any case, as long as he kept his phone on, I could simply follow the two of you from cell tower to cell tower. It got a lot trickier when he turned the phone off, but thankfully that didn't last long."
I winced. I'd turned that phone on to make the call with my mom. But I could have sworn I'd turned Wally's iphone off again when I was done. I pressed the button and everything went dark. It certainly looked off.
"You put it into sleep mode," explained Jeffrey, following my thoughts. "Iphones are tricky." Then he patted my back. "Oh, don't feel bad about not knowing. I was rather counting on me being the only one to think of this trick. I figured the only one who might make the connection was Nadette - she certainly knew about Wally, but I guess she isn't nearly as clever as she thinks she is. Turned out that Gregory wasn't as distracted by the entertainment as I thought he was. Crafty bugger figured it out sometime during your sojourn through Nebraska. I actually crossed paths with him at that little airport near Serenity after my close call with Abram. We had an interesting talk. Thankfully, Greg wasn't about to spill the beans about this trick to anyone else. He considered it our private little foot race."
"So was it you or him who put up the road block in Salt Lake?"
"Was there a road block? Good heavens, neither of us!" said Jeffrey, his mouth dropped with horror at the thought. "We don't have the authority to call up a roadblock in someone else's territory, and why would we give you away to the locals?" He tsked. "I imagine it was some Salt Lake Vampire working on a hunch. With enough of us looking, you were bound to get caught in someone's net eventually."
I sighed. The world really was out to get me.
Jeffrey leaned over and held my arm. "Forgive me, George, for ordering you to run. What I asked of you was impossible. I'm frankly astounded you were able to get this far."
I pulled my arm away. "I didn't do this for you."
Jeffrey looked resigned. "Oh, I know that. Still, rejection stings, you know." His eyes slid sideways. "Let's stop here."
"Here" was a wide circle of short grass in front of an overlook. The trees parted to reveal a beautiful view of the Columbia Gorge. There were boats on the river, looking small and toy-like. On the far side the tree covered gorge rose steeply. The tops were catching the golden light of the afternoon sun. Jeffrey circled in on a wooden bench affixed to a block of cement. He swept a few stray drops of water away with his hand and sat down, crossing his legs, heedless of the mud that it left on the cuff of his expensive pants.
He then looked over at me with a seriousness I seldom seen in him. My stomach dropped. I knew that look - I'd seen it on my parents, on my teachers, on my boss. It was the "we need to have a little talk" look and it always meant getting an earful.
"Listen, I'm sorry," I said preemptively. "I know you are going to tell me that I should have gone back to Chicago when I had the chance. I know you are going to punish me. But what you asked me for was impossible - and no I'm not talking about the running away bit. That I think I've proven I can do. I'm talking about the giving up and just letting myself be a kept man. I can't do it, Jeffrey. And trust me, I have wanted to at times. But I just … I just fucking can't."
Jeffrey nodded. "You'll do fine, George. You are making much more of this than there is."
I shook my head. "No, you don't know what it's like for me. You don't really know what you and your kind are asking from me. If you did, you'd let me walk away right now. God damn this crappy world."
"I didn't create this world, George," said Jeffrey. "I did my part in the war, but that was pure self-preservation. I'm not one of the Eugenists who insist on color coding everything. If I had my druthers, I'd go back to doing my bit in peace and letting humans do theirs. But even though I didn't create this world, George, I have to live in it and abide by its rules just like you do. And since that's the case, I'm certainly not going to turn down something as precious and desirable as you, when you land in right in my lap. If it's not me who takes you it will be someone else, and I earned you."
"I'm not something that can be earned!' I said. "For Christ's sake, I'm a human being not a trophy."
Jeffrey laughed. "Oh but we all earn each other, one way or another. You earned Wally's love and affection, and I dare say the vampire world's admiration as well as consternation. They may not admit it but they haven't had this much fun in ages. A proper treasure hunt. And I have worked very, very hard to have you. I have saved you now, several times. I still don't know why you reject me so thoroughly. What have done that is so unforgivable?"
I shook my head with disbelief. "You don't know?"
"Was it the orgy? Oh come on. I mean sure, it wasn't what you were used to, but you felt nothing but pleasure during it."
"The very first thing you did was to torture me as part of a fucking game." He looked about to say something. "-No wait, hear me out. You may have risked tasting nasty blood in order to find me, but you chose to take that risk. Me and the other people you called up, we had no say in that. You ripped me out of my life and took me to your feeding chamber. You scared the wits out of me, and then you hurt me. Deliberately. So that you could prove how tough you were to your friend. And I had no say in any of it. It was not a game for me. Not for any of the others you called up either. It was fucking cruelty."
Jeffrey seemed at a loss for words. "I admit I wasn't looking at it from that-"
"--And you think it should endear me to you that you say you want nothing to do with humans?" I gave a bitter little laugh. "Why the fuck would it? You may keep your hands off of industry, but that doesn't mean you respect us humans any more than your Eugenist counterparts. It was only when I tasted good that you even considered thinking of me as a person rather than an object to be used and discarded!"
Jeffrey said nothing.
"And fuck, even now, I'm not sure you do!" I said. "You want me because I taste good and you can pimp me out to others for money and social standing. But you don't even know who I am as a person. What's to say in a week or two you won't get fed up with me and sell me off to someone else?"
Jeffrey's eyes momentarily closed as if he he were composing some thought in his head. When he opened his eyes again his expression sad and resigned. "You aren't going to like the answer."
"Tell me!"
"I'm not going to get fed up with you, for the same reason you won't run away again. I'm going to condition you."
"Brain wash me."
"If you wish."
"So you are just going to turn me into something you do like. Get rid of all the pesky parts of me that don't fit with your lifestyle. Will I even be me when you are through?"
"Of course, you will be you. But you will be a happier you. You won't have all these conflicted feelings about the future. You'll have no reason to hate me anymore."
"I'll be a happy whore."
Jeffrey clicked his tongue with irritation. "Why do you insist on using the most pejorative labels? Are you trying to convince yourself you won't like it? Surely you've been through enough feedings to know that's not the case. Do you believe that you should be ashamed of your attractiveness? Vampires are not cads. We don't think less of you because you give in to our desires. And you are so, so desirable. It isn't that I wish to whore you out, but that's the compromise we make to give you a stable life. If I didn't share you, you would become like Helen of Troy, George. Your life would become - well this!" He waved his hand around. "Always stressful, always someone fighting over you, always in flux, shuffled from one vampire to the next as your novelty wore off, or they lost you in a fight. This is the better alternative."
Sure, tons better.
Jeffrey looked exasperated. "And you frame this as it if is all about what goes on in a feeding room. But sex and blood aren't everything by a long shot. My harem aren't just my food, they are my friends, my family. I love them. They love me. Together we see to it that our lives are comfortable and fulfilling."
"Fulfilling until they retire … and then what? With no college, no jobs, all they'll be is old with nothing to show for it!"
"You don't think my harem have jobs? You don't remember Ted and Jim? They are my harem, but they also on my staff. And Tina is taking nursing classes - when she is through I'll replace my current nurse with her. And, my dear," Jeffrey leaned forward. "I know you are still very young, but life does not end at 40."
"What about marriage? Family? Human relationships?"
"One of my full time harem is married and I dare say more than a third of my part-timers are."
"How? How do they juggle harem life and family and work and all that?"
Jeffrey laughed. "They are able to juggle it because I'm not a completely unreasonable dickwad when it comes to their schedule." He leaned his head over. "Listen, I completely understand your fear. Some vampires really are, forgive my language, fucking shitholes. They forbid their harem an education or work. Some forbid them from even leaving their estate. But that's not me. And the only way that will happen to you is if you continue to run away and one of those vampires catches you. Stay with me and we'll work something out."
"-I"
"My turn," interrupted Jeffrey, lifting his hand. "This is what I need to talk to you about. You are very good at giving vampires the slip, but as amusing as it has been to watch you make your way across the country, I can't keep chasing you anymore. My time has run out. I have to return to Chicago and go back to my job."
"Your job?" Somehow I couldn't picture Jeffrey as doing anything so mundane as working.
"Yes, I have a job," repeated Jeffrey. "You don't think I could afford a waterfront low-rise on the taxes I collect do you? Have you any notion of what apartments cost in that part of the city? I have a job. I implied earlier that I didn't mess with Human industry, but that was stretching the truth. I don't want to, but I do. I'm one of five vampires who review building permits and land use changes within the Chicago protectorate. And for this service, I get paid a pretty decent amount."
"And it bores you."
"It bores me to tears," admitted Jeffrey. "And I can't stand the people I work with. It's nothing but lawyers and businessmen who will do anything to make a buck. All trying to convince me that a 20 story high rise will have no impact on a sleepy bedroom community, or what China Town really needs to improve it's ambiance is a Wal-Mart. And their minds - they try to school what they think around me, but inevitably it comes down to 'what's his price.' What can we give Jeffrey Bruins that will make him say yes to our project no matter what a piece of crap it is. My only joy comes when they realize that despite my reputation for being a capricious prick, I won't screw over my community for a fast buck." He sighed. "I tell you those moments of joy are few and far between. And it doesn't help that all the other vampires do take bribes. It all comes to nothing. They just pay their fees and bribes and get my decisions reversed." He leaned his head over to me. "This is killing my soul. I want out."
"You think that I can grease your wheels to a better job." It was not that different from what Abram wanted from me. For some reason I found this disappointing - but really, why else would he go through all the trouble he had to acquire me. He didn't even know me.
"Oh I know you can grease the wheels." Jeffrey turned away to stare out at the view with a cynical eye. " It's all about favors in the vampire community. That's the real currency. A white means instant access to anyone important. For many of the most powerful vampires, access to a particular white's blood is just about the only thing they don't already have."
"And what's in it for me?" I asked.
"The privilege of being in my Harem." Then he leaned back and crossed his arms. "Or are you looking for a bribe. What is your price, George?"
My stomach clenched with fury. "Oh, no don't you dare compare my wanting something for my time and effort and pain with taking fucking bribes! This is my life and I shouldn't have to give it away for nothing. If I'm so fucking desirable, then you should be just grand about paying something for me -- to me for a goddamn change."
"But what?" Jeffrey's eyes met mine. I hesitated. "See even you don't know what you want. How can I to give you what you can't even articulate in your own mind?" Jeffrey sighed. "There's no carrot that you want, George, believe me, I've looked for one. So that leaves me with the stick. Go ahead, ask. I know you are afraid to find out the answer, but I think it's time. Ask me what I did with your father and Walter."
My stomach clenched. "What have you done with Wally and my Dad?"
"Nothing terrible. I sent them on with Jim to the airport. They'll be on their way to Chicago within the next…" he glanced at his watch. "Half hour, I'd guess."
"WHAT?!"
"They will be well taken care of, I won't tempt you by telling where, and once your conditioning's taken hold, I promise to let them go."
"Oh goddamn you," I swore. "This is not how to get me to come willingly. This is how to make me hate you!"
"I've given you ample opportunity to come with me willingly," replied Jeffrey calmly. "We both know that will never happen. So. Are you going to give me the slip again or have I finally found your price?"
So this is what it came down to: my loved one's freedom or my free will. As hard as it was to choke down, there was no contest. I hunched forward in defeat. At least the conditioning would likely take this hate away, which is probably why Jeffrey saw no reason not to cause it in the first place. Goddamn but I hated being powerless.
"Well?" poked Jeffrey.
"Okay, just leave them alone. Do what you need to me. Chain me, handcuff me, brainwash me," I said. "This is between you and me. This doesn't concern them. Let them go home."
"Don't be frightened," said Jeffrey soothingly. "Conditioning takes only a couple of days, it's utterly painless, and when it's over, everything will fall back into place. I'll send your father home, and Wally, too, if that's what you want, though I'm afraid it's likely Portland Protectorate will return him to Abram."
Oh god, Wally. I screwed things over so badly for you.
"Or," said Jeffrey, kindly. "We can lean on the system a little and Wally can remain with us. The circumstances of his transfer from Darlene to Abram were suspicious. Outside of his territory, Abram has few friends and little power. Few will heed his complaints, especially if you … grease the wheels a little."
"You don't take bribes but you'll cheat the system to make me happy?" Hope mixed with bitterness.
"We all cheat the system, George. All of us. The etiquettes are little more than a guideline to keep us from killing each other over misunderstandings. As in all nature, when it comes to the things that count, might makes right. The strongest Vampire wins."
"That's… wrong." I said. "Deeply, deeply wrong."
"It may be, but wh -" Jeffrey stopped mid word and frowned. "Shh. Stay here."
He sprang up, pacing the clearing and scanning the forest around us. I hadn't heard a thing, but he seemed to be on high alert. Finally after a moment his eyes narrowed and he squared his shoulders to the path we'd walked up. "Come out. I can feel your mind even though I can't see you."
Chuck appeared between us and the trail. One moment there was nothing, then, poof, he was there. His clothes were sleep rumpled and flecked with mud all the way to his chest. His body was tense and wary and he stared at Jeffrey with an expression that made my blood grow cold.
"You. I should have known that this was too easy," said Jeffrey, crossing his arms in dismay. If Chuck intimidated him, he gave no outward sign of it.
"Chuck, how did you -" I burst out. "You were asleep - we took the keys."
Chuck's eyes flashed to mine. They were dark and unfathomable. "Your scent faded and I woke. I called a …" he paused warily, looking at Jeffrey, "Friend who lived in the area for a ride. Once on the road, I was able to establish a weak connection, even at a distance. Then I simply tracked you." His eyes moved back to Jeffrey. See how powerful I am, they seemed to say. I need no technological tricks to catch my prey.
Jeffrey responded by shaking his arms and loosened his legs. He then assumed a combative stance. I realized with a jolt that Jeffrey was getting ready to fight Chuck.
Oh hell no! I didn't want to be around to view this. Seeing one real life gorefest was quite enough. Fuck that, even knowing that one vampire was slaughtered over me was too much. I didn't to be fought over like dogs over a joint of meat.
"Stop it!" I shouted, not expecting them to listen to me. And they didn't. I tried to put myself between the two, but they simply moved until I was out of the way again.
"Are you sure you wish to challenge me?" Chuck asked Jeffrey, his voice softy chiding. "It would be no loss of face to back off now and acknowledge my claim. Everyone knows the human was mine first."
They continued to move, circling each other and leaving me farther on the periphery. Jeffrey checked on me frequently, his eyes shifting back and forth between the two of us. Chuck's eyes never left Jeffrey, his expression so alien and remote that he seemed more like a thing than a person.
"That may be, but I was the one to realize his worth, and that's what truly matters," argued Jeffrey. "Not even Nadette could deny that."
"Perhaps I can compensate you for the small hurt to your pride. This doesn't need to progress further."
"Don't underestimate my pride, or how deeply it would be wounded by his loss," Jeffrey replied fiercely. "Why should I bow to your claim when you can hardly stir yourself to make it at all? You call him undesirable, let him wander the world without so much as a rubber stamp's worth of acknowledgment of his existence. You raise no formal protest for nearly two weeks, when every vampire on this planet is openly squabbling for him. And now, now you change your mind?"
Chucks expression didn't change but he turned his face just slightly to the side as if Jeffrey's words had landed a blow. "I don't need to explain myself to one as young as you."
"Oh," said Jeffrey hunching forward with a mock shiver. "And now you are playing the age card on me. 'Respect me because I'm beyond your ken' and all that rubbish." He straightened up. "You just want me to give up without a fight."
Chuck gave a small smile. "I have no wish to destroy you."
"Hey!" I said, panic rising. "None of that. No destroying!" They ignored me. I might as well not have been there. I took a step towards their space with every intent of getting between them again.
And froze in place.
The paralysis was short lasting. Just long enough to give me that unpleasantly trapped feeling. It was an offhanded bitchslap to mind my place.
"Destroy me?" Jeffrey was saying. "You really think you could? I may be only a fifth your age but I'm quite a fighter."
Chuck's smile widened. "Starting them is one thing, but do you ever win? How many fights have you backed out of this week? You ran the moment Nadette's back was turned. And Abram - you never even landed a blow on him before he chased you out of his territory. With Gregory, you had me do your dirty work."
"I'm a prudent fighter," Jeffrey responded without missing a beat. "Why waste my skin when I don't have to?"
"You don't have to here, either. You can walk down that path right now, young one."
"No, Chuck, he's got Wally and Dad!" I said. They didn't seem to hear me.
"Not a chance, Old One," sneered Jeffrey. "Just being old means nothing. One can get quite old by playing it safe. I may be younger than you, but I have been in more scraps than you can imagine. I call your bluff."
"It's no bluff."
"Maybe you've gotten too old, Chauncey," said Jeffrey, pulling his shoulders back to stand his full six foot plus height. The leather seemed to bulk him out and he did not look nearly as fragile as he normally did. "Five hundred years from what I hear, most vampires go decrepit about then. Tell me, is the blood not nourishing as well as it used to? Are your memories slipping away? Are you starting to go a bit fey? Perhaps you have nothing to lose by being reckless and brash. Maybe you wish to go out in one last bit of vampiric glory."
"And now you underestimate me," said Chuck. "I'm still well within my prime, I might even go another five centuries."
"Another five - Oh please. Life spans that long are myth!" exclaimed Jeffrey. Then for a moment doubt clouded his eyes. He seemed to shake it away. "No, can't be. You are not the stuff of legend. You must be crazy! Is that why you wander other people's territories and feed on their unwitting harem? Is that why you put that false aura on?"
Jeffrey narrowed his eyes and grew suspicious. Unconsciously he backed a step away from Chuck, as if he were suddenly resizing his risk. "Or is something else going on with you? Why are you hiding your true appearance from me? You are showing me what I expect to see, not who you are. Get out of my head! OUT! HA!" Jeffrey pointed with triumph. "I'm not as weak as you think I am. I see you!"
Chuck stood still. He put his hand to his face and shook his head sadly. "I so very much wish you hadn't. You are not a bad person, Jeffrey. You have so much potential." For a moment he looked almost tender. "I'm so sorry, young one. I really didn't want to kill you."
"Chuck no-!" I pleaded.
But Chauncey had already attacked.
Back to chapter 29
Forward to Chapter 31
RATING: NC-17 (This chapter PG-13)
SUMMARY: George runs out of places to run.
Word Count: 6909
Chapter 30
My head ached. It wasn't the sudden brief twinge of a vampire influencing me. I checked repeatedly, but felt no suspicious compulsions. Nor could I blame this on the Taurus, I had been fine up to this leg of the trip. Nonetheless it was strange, coming and going, like a slow moving but relentless wave lapping at the shore. There… not…. there…
I was just fucking worn out. Shitty sleep, endless stress, no clear notion of what I was going to do. It had caught up to me. I looked to my side and noticed Wally had his head against the glass. His face was paler than usual and he was staring out at the oncoming road with glazed eyes. As he lifted his hand to scratch the side of his neck I noticed a circle of yellowed skin on his wrist. The last lingering remnant of his fight with Abram. The last week had not been kind to him.
Dad at least seemed fine. He had a cheerful smile on his face and his eyes on the road. He signaled to go around a truck. I glanced down and noticed the speedometer. He was going nearly 80 mph.
"Dad you need to slow down," I said.
He gave me an innocent look. "Hmm?"
"We can't afford to be caught by the cops. Really." There was no incognito vampire to get us out of trouble if that happened.
He eased off the gas and turned off the signal, settling back a comfortable distance behind the big rig. "How you holding up."
My headache surged back into existence with a vengeance. "Ask me again in a couple of days." I let my head flop back against the headrest then did a slow neck roll to try to relieve the hurt.
Dad's smile was gone. Shit. I didn't mean to worry him. I never meant my parents to get involved with this at all, but at the same time I was glad that he was there, next to me. His familiar presence was comforting. I wished that I could go back to being a kid again, have everything be simple.
How my life would have played out if I hadn't eaten all those candies and gotten sick? Where would now? In Darlene's Harem. I'd probably be used to sleeping vampires by now. I'd hang with the other Harem on permanent Summer vacation. No work. No school. Maybe I'd still be swimming competitively as a hobby. Maybe I'd have made it past the quarterfinals. But I'd never have shared all those college classes with Wally. I wouldn't have shared an apartment with him. Would I even know him? Did regular harem even socialize with the part timers? He'd only been called up five or six times a year. Perhaps I'd see him in the hall. And then there was my job - I fucking loved my job. For all the shit my boss sometimes threw at me, for all the airline delays, for all the shitty hours and lousy food and loneliness - I absolutely loved it. I saw so many places. I did so many things. I met so many interesting people. And best of all I felt useful, because the product I was helping teach was damn clever and innovative and I loved the way those teachers faces lit up every time they figured out all the tricks they could do with it.
Being useful as a snack just wasn't as fulfilling. Being some desirable thing to show off and then put back on a shelf just didn't cut it. I hated that. I need to be wanted for what I do not what I am. It may have been stolen time, but I'd enjoyed those years as a real adult. No. I was glad things played out the way they had, for better or worse. I wouldn't trade away all the life experience I'd gained.
Dad flipped on the turn signal again. I perked up as he pulled the Toyota onto an onramp. "Hmm?"
"Need to hit the head," explained Dad.
"Yeah," said Wally sitting up. "Me, too." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I think breakfast is sitting wrong."
The off ramp curled down under the freeway and headed off in a wide curve towards a rest stop nestled against the forest. Mount Hood loomed above us. It's shadow cut across the road even before the trees closed in. My headache abruptly eased and the relief brought with it a kind of drowsy euphoria. I breathed in the fresh air pouring in from Dad's half open window. The shade felt awesome. God, it felt good to be back in green country. The familiar smell of wet pine felt welcoming. Almost home.
We parked a right across from the log-cabin style bathrooms. Wally and Dad climbed out, but I didn't feel any need so I remained in the car, savoring the late afternoon coolness and the rich natural smells. Beyond the picnic area I could see trails winding out through the trees as though this reststop had pretensions of being more than a place for weary travelers to stop and take a piss.
Biding my time while waiting for Wally and Dad to return, I sleepily watched someone load up a skittish horse back into the trailer. The man's irritated voice carried across the parking lot. Eventually he got the poor beast in. And then my attention was diverted by a couple over on the benches. As I watched they kissed and walked back, hand in hand, to their car. The man reminded me a bit of Wally, which in turn reminded me I'd have to tell my parents some point about the fact I was dating Wally. As I dimly considered how I'd approach the subject, a flash of movement to the side caught my eye and I turned my neck to see a 10-year-old kid being yanked along the sidewalk by a doberman. I smiled politely at him as he crossed in front of the car and he rewarded me with a suspicious stare. So little trust these days. On second thought, you got the right idea, kid. Keep it up. It's a dangerous world out there.
Time stretched. I rolled my head, listening to the bones click and creak. Then I leaned over to look at the rest rooms in the side mirror. How long had Wally and Dad been in there?
Wait a second… how long had they been in there?
Adrenaline prickled through my body like an electric shock and I sucked a huge breath in. Suddenly, I wasn't sleepy at all.
Pulling open the passenger's door, I scrambled out onto the asphalt, my eyes scanning for danger. The parking lot was empty. Cautiously, I stepped around the car. I felt a moment of relief when the bathroom door opened up, but my hopes were dashed when I saw it was a just woman tugging her daughter along by her hand. Those two met up with the boy with the dog and all three climbed into their car.
God let them being in the toilets. I dashed across the pavement to the mens room. Banging the door open with my shoulder, I set to searching. The bathroom was eerily quiet. The smell of powerful citrus disinfectant hit my nose and made my eyes water. I wiped away the tears from my stinging eyes as I set to opening each of the dozen stalls. No one. No one. No one. They were all empty. "Dad!" I cried out. "Wally?"
Silence. Dad and Wally were gone, just as if they'd never existed.
I ran out of the bathroom again, then spun around, scanning every corner of the rest stop. The dog run, the picnic area, the truck lot, the forest trails, the wide green verge. There was no sign of Wally or Dad. Or anyone else for that matter. The guy with the horse, the family, the picnickers, gone. I realized with a shock that I'd been watching a mass exodus, as if everyone had gotten some signal to clear out except for me. Even the truck lot was empty now.
Aside from Dad's Toyota, the only vehicle left in the lot was a single sports car parked way off at the far end. Its windows were tinted.
No. I took an automatic step back away from that car, just staring with horror and soul sinking realization. Then I spun around and sprinted towards the woods in one last ditch effort to stave off the inevitable.
I took the first trail I could find, a narrow dirt walking path snaking up through pine and maple. I pounded up it with absolute recklessness. Two twists up, my shoe slipped on the polished mud and I grabbed a bush to steady myself. Somehow it didn't stop my momentum. I dashed deeper in, leaping over a puddle. There I misjudged, sinking deeply into the soft mud on the far side. As I tried to step forward, the shoe stuck and I felt the disgusting cold lick of mud slide against my foot. Off balance I yanked my leg up, stiffening my toes in a panicked attempt not to lose the shoe altogether. I succeed but just barely. Staggering back up to speed, my eyes glued to uneven ground in front of my feet, I rounded a large tree.
And smacked right into someone's chest.
"Hello, Mouse."
I looked up into Jeffrey's face with wide eyes, unable to hold back a moan of despair. He looked exactly as I remembered him. Long and lean, clean shaven and coiffed, as if all the running and fighting he'd done in the last weeks had had no affect on him. The expression on his face was soft and thoughtful, with just a trace of amusement behind his green eyes that said catching me was no big deal.
Every fiber of me wanted to rear back and run, but I schooled my muscles stiff and swallowed my spit and stood my ground. I was caught. Jeffery didn't have to tell me. With him so near and so focused on me, anything I tried would be an exercise in futility -- and damn if I hadn't been though this enough to know when I should just conserve my efforts. So I stood there, breathing hard and staring at him, and then, with willpower, I loosened my fists to raise my hands in surrender.
Jeffrey regarded my gesture with a slight smile and a shake of his head.
"Let's walk," said Jeffrey at last.
He turned and began strolling farther up the path. He was dressed in leather today. Leather pants, leather jacket, brown shirt. All fitting his slim form perfectly. Tailored, I was sure. Meant for nightclubs, not hiking. With a small amount of satisfaction I noted that his shoes were as caked in mud as mine. So shit did stick to him after all.
Though he wasn't looking at me I could tell he was paying keen attention to what I did. He twitched his head just slightly when I hesitated in climbing a more rocky section of trail. A bit farther up the hill the path flattened out and expanded to the point where we could walk abreast. With a flip of his wrist, he gestured that I should catch up.
"So," said Jeffrey, glancing over at me. "You finally managed to give that vampire the slip. Took you a while." It was a gentle rebuke, not meant to be taken seriously.
"I wasn't even trying until this morning."
"Who was he?"
"Chauncey Towers." He was going to get the information anyway, might as well give him the least damaging answer.
Jeffrey nodded grimly. "Well, that explains a few things. The old ones can be pretty tricky. Did you know, I didn't even realize he was a vampire at first. His false aura was perfect. I was even planning on giving him a gentle nudge to forget about you when he dropped the act and started to hunt, and my goodness, you could have knocked me over with a feather." Jeffrey shook his head, grimacing. "Close call that one. I was terrified for a moment that he'd figured out I was spying on him, and he'd take you and run, but thankfully he was distracted by his prey." Jeffrey glanced over to me. "So when did you figure it out?"
"When he finally got around to telling me," I admitted ruefully.
Jeffrey laughed, "Nearly got the better of both of us then. It's good thing you managed to ditch him. Of course, it would have been better if my little plan in Salt Lake City hadn't fallen through, but this works."
"Yeah, speaking of which, what was that plan?"
"Oh, it would have been glorious! You see, I had to dispose of Gregory somehow. That man had been practically stepping on my shoes for days. And once I knew what Chauncey was, I had the perfect idea for a trap. I let Los Angeles think he'd actually beaten me to the Club, which I tell you, was a lot tougher than you'd think. Gregory is a gloater. But he did exactly what I expected him to do - lured you out and then indulged himself right out in public like an impatient Childe. Utterly crass. And that's when I played the good Samaritan and telepathically informed Chauncey of your compromised position."
"I don't think that's what being a good Samaritan is about."
"Neither did Chauncey. Your old patron was surprisingly ungrateful for the tip." Jeffrey stopped and looked somewhat puzzled. "You know, I think he really didn't like that I'd figured out what he was. I rather suspect he didn't have permission to be hunting where he was - or who he was."
I'm sure he didn't. "I don't understand, why the hell did you wait so long? Couldn't you have told him the moment Gregory showed up - long before he dragged me down to the street." Unconsciously I touched the small bruise high on my cheek where Greg had offhandedly cuffed me. It was still a bit tender when I pressed.
"Oh but you are missing the whole point!" Jeffrey said. "I could have hardly gotten Chauncey to fight Gregory if he didn't have you in his possession." Jeffrey spread his hands as if he were handing me the truth on a platter. "Chauncey would have simply have picked you up and fled, and where would that have gotten me?"
So you thought that the two of them would beat each other silly and while that was going on you'd walk off with me in the confusion."
"Or barring that I could pick off the winner, once he was properly weakened and injured. Either way, two birds, one stone."
"Didn't work out that way."
"Unfortunately," said Jeffrey with a regretful sigh. "Chauncey was too clever to fall for that. He hit Greg with a car. Very unsportsmanlike. But at least that got Lord Los Angeles off my back so I'm not going to complain."
Of course, you aren't going to complain - you weren't hit, molested and nearly run over in an alleyway. I shook the thought out of my mind.
"I would have spared you if I could have. Believe me, it was difficult to sit back and watch that man slobber all over you."
"Oh spare me," I said. The trail cut yet another switchback and we both paused long enough to navigate our way past the tight, steep curve. "So," I said, taking the initiative, "Since it's all moot now that you've caught me, maybe you can tell me how you were able to track me. I thought I being careful." It was like a burr in my sock, no matter how hard I thought, I couldn't see what Wally and I had done wrong. Our trail was hopelessly muddied with our random route. We had switched cars repeatedly and had used other peoples money and ID for nearly a week. We'd been passed from stranger to stranger and yet through all this, Jeffrey had no trouble keeping track of me. "Did you bug us somehow?"
"In a way… yes." Jeffrey pulled a somewhat scuffed Blackberry phone from jacket pocket and waved it in front of me. "You do know these modern things have built-in GPS, don't you? I simply followed your phone."
"B-but I lost mine back at Nadettes!"
"Well, okay, not your phone, of course. Walter's, which was practically the same. I spent a little time in that man's head after I'd fed on him, and I knew that he would stick with you like glue."
"You fed on Wally? When?"
"The night of the party. You think I would turn down such an opportunity? In any case, as long as he kept his phone on, I could simply follow the two of you from cell tower to cell tower. It got a lot trickier when he turned the phone off, but thankfully that didn't last long."
I winced. I'd turned that phone on to make the call with my mom. But I could have sworn I'd turned Wally's iphone off again when I was done. I pressed the button and everything went dark. It certainly looked off.
"You put it into sleep mode," explained Jeffrey, following my thoughts. "Iphones are tricky." Then he patted my back. "Oh, don't feel bad about not knowing. I was rather counting on me being the only one to think of this trick. I figured the only one who might make the connection was Nadette - she certainly knew about Wally, but I guess she isn't nearly as clever as she thinks she is. Turned out that Gregory wasn't as distracted by the entertainment as I thought he was. Crafty bugger figured it out sometime during your sojourn through Nebraska. I actually crossed paths with him at that little airport near Serenity after my close call with Abram. We had an interesting talk. Thankfully, Greg wasn't about to spill the beans about this trick to anyone else. He considered it our private little foot race."
"So was it you or him who put up the road block in Salt Lake?"
"Was there a road block? Good heavens, neither of us!" said Jeffrey, his mouth dropped with horror at the thought. "We don't have the authority to call up a roadblock in someone else's territory, and why would we give you away to the locals?" He tsked. "I imagine it was some Salt Lake Vampire working on a hunch. With enough of us looking, you were bound to get caught in someone's net eventually."
I sighed. The world really was out to get me.
Jeffrey leaned over and held my arm. "Forgive me, George, for ordering you to run. What I asked of you was impossible. I'm frankly astounded you were able to get this far."
I pulled my arm away. "I didn't do this for you."
Jeffrey looked resigned. "Oh, I know that. Still, rejection stings, you know." His eyes slid sideways. "Let's stop here."
"Here" was a wide circle of short grass in front of an overlook. The trees parted to reveal a beautiful view of the Columbia Gorge. There were boats on the river, looking small and toy-like. On the far side the tree covered gorge rose steeply. The tops were catching the golden light of the afternoon sun. Jeffrey circled in on a wooden bench affixed to a block of cement. He swept a few stray drops of water away with his hand and sat down, crossing his legs, heedless of the mud that it left on the cuff of his expensive pants.
He then looked over at me with a seriousness I seldom seen in him. My stomach dropped. I knew that look - I'd seen it on my parents, on my teachers, on my boss. It was the "we need to have a little talk" look and it always meant getting an earful.
"Listen, I'm sorry," I said preemptively. "I know you are going to tell me that I should have gone back to Chicago when I had the chance. I know you are going to punish me. But what you asked me for was impossible - and no I'm not talking about the running away bit. That I think I've proven I can do. I'm talking about the giving up and just letting myself be a kept man. I can't do it, Jeffrey. And trust me, I have wanted to at times. But I just … I just fucking can't."
Jeffrey nodded. "You'll do fine, George. You are making much more of this than there is."
I shook my head. "No, you don't know what it's like for me. You don't really know what you and your kind are asking from me. If you did, you'd let me walk away right now. God damn this crappy world."
"I didn't create this world, George," said Jeffrey. "I did my part in the war, but that was pure self-preservation. I'm not one of the Eugenists who insist on color coding everything. If I had my druthers, I'd go back to doing my bit in peace and letting humans do theirs. But even though I didn't create this world, George, I have to live in it and abide by its rules just like you do. And since that's the case, I'm certainly not going to turn down something as precious and desirable as you, when you land in right in my lap. If it's not me who takes you it will be someone else, and I earned you."
"I'm not something that can be earned!' I said. "For Christ's sake, I'm a human being not a trophy."
Jeffrey laughed. "Oh but we all earn each other, one way or another. You earned Wally's love and affection, and I dare say the vampire world's admiration as well as consternation. They may not admit it but they haven't had this much fun in ages. A proper treasure hunt. And I have worked very, very hard to have you. I have saved you now, several times. I still don't know why you reject me so thoroughly. What have done that is so unforgivable?"
I shook my head with disbelief. "You don't know?"
"Was it the orgy? Oh come on. I mean sure, it wasn't what you were used to, but you felt nothing but pleasure during it."
"The very first thing you did was to torture me as part of a fucking game." He looked about to say something. "-No wait, hear me out. You may have risked tasting nasty blood in order to find me, but you chose to take that risk. Me and the other people you called up, we had no say in that. You ripped me out of my life and took me to your feeding chamber. You scared the wits out of me, and then you hurt me. Deliberately. So that you could prove how tough you were to your friend. And I had no say in any of it. It was not a game for me. Not for any of the others you called up either. It was fucking cruelty."
Jeffrey seemed at a loss for words. "I admit I wasn't looking at it from that-"
"--And you think it should endear me to you that you say you want nothing to do with humans?" I gave a bitter little laugh. "Why the fuck would it? You may keep your hands off of industry, but that doesn't mean you respect us humans any more than your Eugenist counterparts. It was only when I tasted good that you even considered thinking of me as a person rather than an object to be used and discarded!"
Jeffrey said nothing.
"And fuck, even now, I'm not sure you do!" I said. "You want me because I taste good and you can pimp me out to others for money and social standing. But you don't even know who I am as a person. What's to say in a week or two you won't get fed up with me and sell me off to someone else?"
Jeffrey's eyes momentarily closed as if he he were composing some thought in his head. When he opened his eyes again his expression sad and resigned. "You aren't going to like the answer."
"Tell me!"
"I'm not going to get fed up with you, for the same reason you won't run away again. I'm going to condition you."
"Brain wash me."
"If you wish."
"So you are just going to turn me into something you do like. Get rid of all the pesky parts of me that don't fit with your lifestyle. Will I even be me when you are through?"
"Of course, you will be you. But you will be a happier you. You won't have all these conflicted feelings about the future. You'll have no reason to hate me anymore."
"I'll be a happy whore."
Jeffrey clicked his tongue with irritation. "Why do you insist on using the most pejorative labels? Are you trying to convince yourself you won't like it? Surely you've been through enough feedings to know that's not the case. Do you believe that you should be ashamed of your attractiveness? Vampires are not cads. We don't think less of you because you give in to our desires. And you are so, so desirable. It isn't that I wish to whore you out, but that's the compromise we make to give you a stable life. If I didn't share you, you would become like Helen of Troy, George. Your life would become - well this!" He waved his hand around. "Always stressful, always someone fighting over you, always in flux, shuffled from one vampire to the next as your novelty wore off, or they lost you in a fight. This is the better alternative."
Sure, tons better.
Jeffrey looked exasperated. "And you frame this as it if is all about what goes on in a feeding room. But sex and blood aren't everything by a long shot. My harem aren't just my food, they are my friends, my family. I love them. They love me. Together we see to it that our lives are comfortable and fulfilling."
"Fulfilling until they retire … and then what? With no college, no jobs, all they'll be is old with nothing to show for it!"
"You don't think my harem have jobs? You don't remember Ted and Jim? They are my harem, but they also on my staff. And Tina is taking nursing classes - when she is through I'll replace my current nurse with her. And, my dear," Jeffrey leaned forward. "I know you are still very young, but life does not end at 40."
"What about marriage? Family? Human relationships?"
"One of my full time harem is married and I dare say more than a third of my part-timers are."
"How? How do they juggle harem life and family and work and all that?"
Jeffrey laughed. "They are able to juggle it because I'm not a completely unreasonable dickwad when it comes to their schedule." He leaned his head over. "Listen, I completely understand your fear. Some vampires really are, forgive my language, fucking shitholes. They forbid their harem an education or work. Some forbid them from even leaving their estate. But that's not me. And the only way that will happen to you is if you continue to run away and one of those vampires catches you. Stay with me and we'll work something out."
"-I"
"My turn," interrupted Jeffrey, lifting his hand. "This is what I need to talk to you about. You are very good at giving vampires the slip, but as amusing as it has been to watch you make your way across the country, I can't keep chasing you anymore. My time has run out. I have to return to Chicago and go back to my job."
"Your job?" Somehow I couldn't picture Jeffrey as doing anything so mundane as working.
"Yes, I have a job," repeated Jeffrey. "You don't think I could afford a waterfront low-rise on the taxes I collect do you? Have you any notion of what apartments cost in that part of the city? I have a job. I implied earlier that I didn't mess with Human industry, but that was stretching the truth. I don't want to, but I do. I'm one of five vampires who review building permits and land use changes within the Chicago protectorate. And for this service, I get paid a pretty decent amount."
"And it bores you."
"It bores me to tears," admitted Jeffrey. "And I can't stand the people I work with. It's nothing but lawyers and businessmen who will do anything to make a buck. All trying to convince me that a 20 story high rise will have no impact on a sleepy bedroom community, or what China Town really needs to improve it's ambiance is a Wal-Mart. And their minds - they try to school what they think around me, but inevitably it comes down to 'what's his price.' What can we give Jeffrey Bruins that will make him say yes to our project no matter what a piece of crap it is. My only joy comes when they realize that despite my reputation for being a capricious prick, I won't screw over my community for a fast buck." He sighed. "I tell you those moments of joy are few and far between. And it doesn't help that all the other vampires do take bribes. It all comes to nothing. They just pay their fees and bribes and get my decisions reversed." He leaned his head over to me. "This is killing my soul. I want out."
"You think that I can grease your wheels to a better job." It was not that different from what Abram wanted from me. For some reason I found this disappointing - but really, why else would he go through all the trouble he had to acquire me. He didn't even know me.
"Oh I know you can grease the wheels." Jeffrey turned away to stare out at the view with a cynical eye. " It's all about favors in the vampire community. That's the real currency. A white means instant access to anyone important. For many of the most powerful vampires, access to a particular white's blood is just about the only thing they don't already have."
"And what's in it for me?" I asked.
"The privilege of being in my Harem." Then he leaned back and crossed his arms. "Or are you looking for a bribe. What is your price, George?"
My stomach clenched with fury. "Oh, no don't you dare compare my wanting something for my time and effort and pain with taking fucking bribes! This is my life and I shouldn't have to give it away for nothing. If I'm so fucking desirable, then you should be just grand about paying something for me -- to me for a goddamn change."
"But what?" Jeffrey's eyes met mine. I hesitated. "See even you don't know what you want. How can I to give you what you can't even articulate in your own mind?" Jeffrey sighed. "There's no carrot that you want, George, believe me, I've looked for one. So that leaves me with the stick. Go ahead, ask. I know you are afraid to find out the answer, but I think it's time. Ask me what I did with your father and Walter."
My stomach clenched. "What have you done with Wally and my Dad?"
"Nothing terrible. I sent them on with Jim to the airport. They'll be on their way to Chicago within the next…" he glanced at his watch. "Half hour, I'd guess."
"WHAT?!"
"They will be well taken care of, I won't tempt you by telling where, and once your conditioning's taken hold, I promise to let them go."
"Oh goddamn you," I swore. "This is not how to get me to come willingly. This is how to make me hate you!"
"I've given you ample opportunity to come with me willingly," replied Jeffrey calmly. "We both know that will never happen. So. Are you going to give me the slip again or have I finally found your price?"
So this is what it came down to: my loved one's freedom or my free will. As hard as it was to choke down, there was no contest. I hunched forward in defeat. At least the conditioning would likely take this hate away, which is probably why Jeffrey saw no reason not to cause it in the first place. Goddamn but I hated being powerless.
"Well?" poked Jeffrey.
"Okay, just leave them alone. Do what you need to me. Chain me, handcuff me, brainwash me," I said. "This is between you and me. This doesn't concern them. Let them go home."
"Don't be frightened," said Jeffrey soothingly. "Conditioning takes only a couple of days, it's utterly painless, and when it's over, everything will fall back into place. I'll send your father home, and Wally, too, if that's what you want, though I'm afraid it's likely Portland Protectorate will return him to Abram."
Oh god, Wally. I screwed things over so badly for you.
"Or," said Jeffrey, kindly. "We can lean on the system a little and Wally can remain with us. The circumstances of his transfer from Darlene to Abram were suspicious. Outside of his territory, Abram has few friends and little power. Few will heed his complaints, especially if you … grease the wheels a little."
"You don't take bribes but you'll cheat the system to make me happy?" Hope mixed with bitterness.
"We all cheat the system, George. All of us. The etiquettes are little more than a guideline to keep us from killing each other over misunderstandings. As in all nature, when it comes to the things that count, might makes right. The strongest Vampire wins."
"That's… wrong." I said. "Deeply, deeply wrong."
"It may be, but wh -" Jeffrey stopped mid word and frowned. "Shh. Stay here."
He sprang up, pacing the clearing and scanning the forest around us. I hadn't heard a thing, but he seemed to be on high alert. Finally after a moment his eyes narrowed and he squared his shoulders to the path we'd walked up. "Come out. I can feel your mind even though I can't see you."
Chuck appeared between us and the trail. One moment there was nothing, then, poof, he was there. His clothes were sleep rumpled and flecked with mud all the way to his chest. His body was tense and wary and he stared at Jeffrey with an expression that made my blood grow cold.
"You. I should have known that this was too easy," said Jeffrey, crossing his arms in dismay. If Chuck intimidated him, he gave no outward sign of it.
"Chuck, how did you -" I burst out. "You were asleep - we took the keys."
Chuck's eyes flashed to mine. They were dark and unfathomable. "Your scent faded and I woke. I called a …" he paused warily, looking at Jeffrey, "Friend who lived in the area for a ride. Once on the road, I was able to establish a weak connection, even at a distance. Then I simply tracked you." His eyes moved back to Jeffrey. See how powerful I am, they seemed to say. I need no technological tricks to catch my prey.
Jeffrey responded by shaking his arms and loosened his legs. He then assumed a combative stance. I realized with a jolt that Jeffrey was getting ready to fight Chuck.
Oh hell no! I didn't want to be around to view this. Seeing one real life gorefest was quite enough. Fuck that, even knowing that one vampire was slaughtered over me was too much. I didn't to be fought over like dogs over a joint of meat.
"Stop it!" I shouted, not expecting them to listen to me. And they didn't. I tried to put myself between the two, but they simply moved until I was out of the way again.
"Are you sure you wish to challenge me?" Chuck asked Jeffrey, his voice softy chiding. "It would be no loss of face to back off now and acknowledge my claim. Everyone knows the human was mine first."
They continued to move, circling each other and leaving me farther on the periphery. Jeffrey checked on me frequently, his eyes shifting back and forth between the two of us. Chuck's eyes never left Jeffrey, his expression so alien and remote that he seemed more like a thing than a person.
"That may be, but I was the one to realize his worth, and that's what truly matters," argued Jeffrey. "Not even Nadette could deny that."
"Perhaps I can compensate you for the small hurt to your pride. This doesn't need to progress further."
"Don't underestimate my pride, or how deeply it would be wounded by his loss," Jeffrey replied fiercely. "Why should I bow to your claim when you can hardly stir yourself to make it at all? You call him undesirable, let him wander the world without so much as a rubber stamp's worth of acknowledgment of his existence. You raise no formal protest for nearly two weeks, when every vampire on this planet is openly squabbling for him. And now, now you change your mind?"
Chucks expression didn't change but he turned his face just slightly to the side as if Jeffrey's words had landed a blow. "I don't need to explain myself to one as young as you."
"Oh," said Jeffrey hunching forward with a mock shiver. "And now you are playing the age card on me. 'Respect me because I'm beyond your ken' and all that rubbish." He straightened up. "You just want me to give up without a fight."
Chuck gave a small smile. "I have no wish to destroy you."
"Hey!" I said, panic rising. "None of that. No destroying!" They ignored me. I might as well not have been there. I took a step towards their space with every intent of getting between them again.
And froze in place.
The paralysis was short lasting. Just long enough to give me that unpleasantly trapped feeling. It was an offhanded bitchslap to mind my place.
"Destroy me?" Jeffrey was saying. "You really think you could? I may be only a fifth your age but I'm quite a fighter."
Chuck's smile widened. "Starting them is one thing, but do you ever win? How many fights have you backed out of this week? You ran the moment Nadette's back was turned. And Abram - you never even landed a blow on him before he chased you out of his territory. With Gregory, you had me do your dirty work."
"I'm a prudent fighter," Jeffrey responded without missing a beat. "Why waste my skin when I don't have to?"
"You don't have to here, either. You can walk down that path right now, young one."
"No, Chuck, he's got Wally and Dad!" I said. They didn't seem to hear me.
"Not a chance, Old One," sneered Jeffrey. "Just being old means nothing. One can get quite old by playing it safe. I may be younger than you, but I have been in more scraps than you can imagine. I call your bluff."
"It's no bluff."
"Maybe you've gotten too old, Chauncey," said Jeffrey, pulling his shoulders back to stand his full six foot plus height. The leather seemed to bulk him out and he did not look nearly as fragile as he normally did. "Five hundred years from what I hear, most vampires go decrepit about then. Tell me, is the blood not nourishing as well as it used to? Are your memories slipping away? Are you starting to go a bit fey? Perhaps you have nothing to lose by being reckless and brash. Maybe you wish to go out in one last bit of vampiric glory."
"And now you underestimate me," said Chuck. "I'm still well within my prime, I might even go another five centuries."
"Another five - Oh please. Life spans that long are myth!" exclaimed Jeffrey. Then for a moment doubt clouded his eyes. He seemed to shake it away. "No, can't be. You are not the stuff of legend. You must be crazy! Is that why you wander other people's territories and feed on their unwitting harem? Is that why you put that false aura on?"
Jeffrey narrowed his eyes and grew suspicious. Unconsciously he backed a step away from Chuck, as if he were suddenly resizing his risk. "Or is something else going on with you? Why are you hiding your true appearance from me? You are showing me what I expect to see, not who you are. Get out of my head! OUT! HA!" Jeffrey pointed with triumph. "I'm not as weak as you think I am. I see you!"
Chuck stood still. He put his hand to his face and shook his head sadly. "I so very much wish you hadn't. You are not a bad person, Jeffrey. You have so much potential." For a moment he looked almost tender. "I'm so sorry, young one. I really didn't want to kill you."
"Chuck no-!" I pleaded.
But Chauncey had already attacked.
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