Darlings of Darkness: A Vampire Anthology Part 132

"What is that," I said out loud, glancing around my desk. I searched the top of the desk, and then the drawers. "OMG," I shrieked when I found the source of the noise. A huge grin covered my face as I pulled the s.h.i.+ny new iPhone out of the bottom right drawer. A sticky note was attached to it. It said, "Yep, @ ur desk. I luv u anyways. Ur pup." I smiled with tears in my eyes and sighed. Blick was wonderful to me! I loved how he had been spoiling me with the electronics and gadgets. Receiving gifts was a very new concept for me.

The voice inside my head said, "It's just guilt."

I dismissed the thought immediately.

Chime.

"U find it?"

"I did! Thx!!! " I returned a text message to Blick.

"Chk email 4 network instrs."

"k."

What email account did he send those instructions to? I wondered as I set to the task of checking my many accounts. Oh, I was so excited! I felt whole again. Now I had a project for the afternoon, setting up everything on my iPhone and syncing it to my computer. The blog could definitely wait. Finally I found Blick's email with the instructions and wrote down the settings I needed to hook up to the network. I noted his email address, [email protected] Seriously, cloud.com? That was just too cute! I added it to the contact record already existing in my phone. Blick being Blick meant he had already created an entry in my list of contacts with his cell phone number. I found it immediately. I should have known.

Chapter 8.

Awesomesauce The doorbell rang. Ah yes, the supplement lady. Humming "The Pretender," like a small child delighted her relatives were visiting for her birthday party, I got up from my office chair. I couldn't believe how rejuvenated I felt. My day was awesome! No! It was awesomesauce! I laughed out loud, grabbing the doork.n.o.b and making a mental note to check urban dictionary.com to see if that word existed.

"Yes?" I p.r.o.nounced the word deliberately accenting the syllable, letting my voice go down and up in pitch, almost singing it as I opened the door.

A woman close to my height stood in the doorway. She carried two large canvas bags stuffed with an a.s.sortment of small boxes and cartons in each. "Blick asked me to check in on you today, my child." A whiff of ginger mingled with cigarette smoke hit me, making my nose twitch.

"Ray, is that you?"

I observed a tall figure, standing in the shadows extinguis.h.i.+ng a cigarette. A surge of affection took hold of me.

"Death? Oh my G.o.d!" I flew by the lady and jumped into his arms. He fell back a bit, recovering quickly, and scooped me up, returning my hug.

"Oh wait!" I scrambled out of his grasp. "Have you come for me?"

"No? Does it look like I have?" His smile broadened in amus.e.m.e.nt. Glancing down at his dark slacks, he examined one leg, and then the other. "No, I don't think so. Have you been naughty, Ray?" He reached out and tenderly traced the line of my cheekbone and jaw with his finger.

"Oh gosh, you don't know the half of it." I beamed, ignoring his s.e.xual innuendo, but enjoying the playful flirtation. I took his hand in mine, leading him to the door.

"So what is my ex-girlfriend doing so far from home?"

"I could ask you the same question, ex-boyfriend," I responded.

"Shall we compare notes?" He motioned for us to go inside.

"The lady, where is she?" I interrupted.

"I think you scared her off," he laughed, and then shook his head. "She's the supplement lady. She's probably stocking the kitchen with the items she brought. Are those all for you?"

"Let's go see," I said, shutting the door behind me. "The kitchen is this way."

"I'm fine. I'll wait here." He plopped down at my desk.

Leaving Death in the living room, I made my way to the kitchen. Hopefully he would be more interested in viewing Blick's modern art collection displayed throughout the room than what was on my computer monitor or chatting with Lynn.

The supplement lady was bustling around the kitchen. Her steps slowed as she pondered where to put each item.

"Can I help you with anything, ma'am?"

"No, thanks. Just don't call me 'ma'am.' I'm not that old," she said and offered me a sudden, arresting smile.

I smiled back but didn't answer.

She gave me a brief nod and continued her work.

I couldn't get over the fact that she looked familiar to me. She was a lovely lady with long, raven hair tied up in a bun, revealing her slender white neck. She wore an ivory-colored pant suit that accented her curving, regal figure. Her apricot satin chiffon blouse glimmered under the room's recessed lighting as she moved. She strolled around the kitchen confidently putting away the items. Immediately I admired her.

"Are you feeling better?" she asked as she worked.

"I haven't been. But right now, I am. Yes." Feeling the urgency to put myself to use, I rearranged the bowl of fruit on the kitchen table a few times. Then I fidgeted with some cartons of spices on the counter, which she had yet to put away. A sparkle around her neck caught my attention. I moved in closer for a better look.

"This is beautiful," I said, grasping the pendant she had on. "What is it?" After the fact, I realized I had probably moved too fast for her to process.

She froze and studied me intently for a moment.

Thinking I had overstepped my politeness, I withdrew to the table, sliding in one of the chairs. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that," I blurted, acting as if I would be disciplined for my error. Memories of the recent nightmares invaded my mind. I leaned over the table and closed my eyes, trying to stop them. Reaching under the table and taking one of the wooden legs in my hand, I focused my thoughts on that one item and squeezed until I heard a sharp snap.

'Okay, okay, that's good. Release,' the voice inside my head said.

The supplement lady had stopped her tasks and was standing in the middle of the room, observing me. "That's fine, my child. Let me get you some water," she replied without waiting for a refusal. She placed the gla.s.s on the table in front of me. "The necklace was my mother's," she began slowly, still watching me. "In her time, people gave their loved ones amulets as a form of protection. Supposedly this ankh dates back to the Fifth Dynasty when the Egyptian sun G.o.d, Ra ruled supreme."

"Really? How incredible! I love Egyptian artifacts. The ankh is the symbol of life, right?"

She caressed the pendant gently between her fingers. "Yes, that's correct. Very good. You know my mother used to say it had been handed down so many times in our family that they had lost count." Her features became more animated and a flash of humor crossed her face. The lady drew up a chair and sat beside me.

"She even told me a story one time, although she denied it later, but she said this ankh holds the essence of Ra. Look, you can see the red fluid flowing from point to point as you move it." She leaned in close to me without removing the pendant from around her neck.

"Oh yes, you can. Amazing!" I said. "What is it made out of?"

"Rose quartz. Supposedly that's his blood in this very amulet." The supplement lady beamed with pride.

"The blood of a G.o.d? Get out!" I exclaimed as I playfully slapped her arm. My eyes widened in awe.

She giggled like a teenager sharing a well-guarded secret with her best friend. "So the story goes."

"You girls having a good time in here?" Death lounged casually against the doorframe. He nodded to the supplement lady. "We better wrap up here. I've still got pickups to make this afternoon."

"Of course. I lost track of time. I'll make a few notes for Blick and be right there. Excuse me, dear." The lady's amus.e.m.e.nt swiftly died away. She returned to completing her tasks.

As I joined Death in the living room, I asked, "Do you work here now?"

He winked at me. "Yep, got a better offer. You know how it is with us contractors, we can go wherever we like if the deal's sweet enough."

"I bet that went over well with Father," I said sarcastically.

He shrugged his shoulders in mock resignation. "He'll get over it." Holding his head up, he b.u.t.toned his grayish-blue Italian suit jacket and brushed his hands lightly over each arm, settling into a GQ model stance with one hand in his pocket and the other poised at his side. He added, "You are looking at the newly appointed Angel of Death with operations based out of the House of G."

I found it impossible not to return his disarming smile. "I like it. Your suit is a refres.h.i.+ng change to that punk phase you were going through when we dated. All the leather, chains, skulls patches, and stuff." He had let his green Mohawk grow out into a shortly-cropped hairdo, heavy on the mousse, with sun-kissed blonde highlights scattered through his dark-blonde hair. He looked stunning in his new 'uniform.'

"Yeah, I guess. I'm still getting used to it. I liked my leather, baby. But J suggested I get some tailor-made suits in a variety of colors. Nothing black or made from animals. So no leather obviously." He checked the knot of the light blue tie he wore and tugged impatiently on his white s.h.i.+rt collar.

"Black leather suits. I could see that," I laughed out loud. Then I paused, considering. "You know, wearing black is rather ominous in your line of work."

"True. J actually said that, but I like black, and I like expressing myself. Besides, you always told me I looked very luscious in black." His wild sapphire eyes were sharp and a.s.sessing.

"Oh yes, absolutely!" I said and rolled my eyes, knowing better than to disagree with his ma.s.sive ego. "I always thought you looked like Brad Pitt from that movie, uh, what was it?" I struggled to think of the name. My newfound, delightful mood was rapidly leaving me.

"Meet Joe Black," he answered.

I glanced down at his feet and noticed he wore chocolate-brown dress shoes. They had a funny look to them. "Yes, that's right," I said, staring at his shoes.

Noticing my observation, Death replied, "They are made out of canvas. The beige ones I have look better than these."

I smiled at him and chuckled. "Canvas dress shoes for men? J must be serious about your not wearing clothes, and shoes, that are made from animals."

"Yeah, he and G are sticklers for it. I'm not sure why."

I searched for my water bottle at the desk.

Changing the subject, Death asked, "Ray, what happened to us? Don't I still look like Brad Pitt?" He moved in close, pulling me into his arms. "You decide to go canine on me and bounce off with Wolf boy instead?"

I pushed at his sculpted chest with one hand as I sucked down the remaining amount of water. His heart pounded an erratic rhythm. My head swam with memories of our pa.s.sionate lovemaking. "Blick is a friend. I've told you that many times."

"Uh huh. Didn't believe it then and don't believe it now."

I twisted out of his grasp, feeling my body tingling with new life, hopefully due to the liquid and not his embrace.

"Look at this place," he went on. "He's got you sitting pretty! Had I known he had connections like this, I've hit him up for a job a long time ago. I take it you called in some favors so you could leave with him? Last I heard, your father was declaring you legally dead, transferring everything into Stephanie's right."

"That doesn't surprise me."

"Such the little princess," Death said with a slow, secret smile I understood.

Irritated with his mocking tone, I recalled why I had broken up with him. Ultimately, I had known my dating an employee a.s.sociated with my father's business would be trouble. At the time, Death had a bad boy image I loved. Maybe that's why I did it, to get back at my father. Actually Father had approved of him and that only exasperated the situation. Death always thought of me as a spoiled daddy's girl, being favored since I was part of the top floor of the organization, as he put it. He loved reminding me of that fact: how good I had it. If he only knew... Since our relations.h.i.+p was primarily physical, I kept my guard up and resisted sharing details about myself with him. For example, I didn't tell him what I felt like after Father's torture sessions: ashamed, angry, disgusted, broken, fearful, and above all, unlovable.

"Don't worry. I'll come back and woo you." His words interrupted my thoughts. "You probably need a real man at this point, especially if you're still eyeballing that wiry Earth actor." He pointed to the photos of Ashton on my monitor, then strolled over and kissed me, letting his lips linger.

Smothering a groan, I stepped back. "You'll be the first one I call."

"One last thing. Any idea why everyone is thinking Blick is harboring a vampire? I tagged along today to see if a real vampire lived here. But it's just my Ray."

"Snagging a vampire certainly would be a feather in your cap, especially with your new management, huh?" I asked.

"Possibly. I don't know really."

I shrugged my shoulders nonchalantly.

He studied my reaction. "It's why I had to leave," he said.

"What do you mean?"

"Your father wanted me to come after you, take you home." Then his gaze dropped from my eyes to my shoulders to my b.r.e.a.s.t.s. "One of Satan's daughters a vampire? Delish."

I snapped my fingers to get his attention again. "I'm not going back, you know," I said.

"Are you admitting you're a vampire then?"

"No," I replied flatly. "And even if I was, he has no claim to me."

"Tell him that."

"I will," I challenged.

"Hey," Death said, lifting his hands in a gesture of defeat. "Like I said, take it up with him."

He drew closer and dipping his head slightly, he said, "Listen. Security may be top-notch around here, but there's always a way in. Okay? Just be careful." He flashed me a smile, turned, and headed to the door.

I sank into the couch. My weakness had returned. I had enough to worry about without thinking about Death's comments. Finally I felt safe and happy being away from h.e.l.l, only to have that taken from me? Father couldn't possibly find a way in, I thought. I wasn't even sure how I got here. But was I safe? Could he find me? Would I be accepted here by the others? Could a vampire live among angels? I sighed. It was too much to think about.

The supplement lady appeared over my right shoulder and sat the gla.s.s of water on the wooden coffee table. "You left this in the kitchen, my child." Leaning over me, she whispered, "It was wonderful to finally meet you."

I mumbled a faint 'goodbye' as I closed my eyes and fell asleep.

Chapter 9.