"You killed the master of the city, too?" Thompson groaned inwardly.
"
Non
, that one I cannot claim. He attacked our girl, and she defended herself to the best of her ability, unfortunately for Santiago." Marcel gave me a little grin I didn't return. He pissed me off. I'd decided to let Strozzini live, and yet he took it upon himself to end his life, as well as the rest of his vampires.
"Next time you tell me nothing happened, I'm going to swat you in the head." Thompson sat down rubbing his face with his meaty paws. "What the hell am I going to tell Sanders," he mumbled.
"Tell him the truth, maybe it will convince him I need time with Ashlyn," Marcel answered. "Or tell him she had nothing to do with it and she has a witness to prove it, and let her continue stomping all over the vampires of this country. I really don't care. She wanted me to let Strozzini go and let him run back to the Council. After she left and I looked at his prone form, I realized I couldn't let that happen. I lost the woman I loved to their fears and jealousies, and I knew I couldn't let it happen to her, too."
"Jesus, Marc, you killed twenty-seven vampires. How the hell can I forget about that?" Thomson nearly cried in anguish.
"Ask yourself this, what would you have done? I've seen the lengths you have gone to protect her. Would you have done anything different?"
Thompson leaned back against the couch and looked at the ceiling before giving a simple, "No." I felt my chest catch a little and my anger toward Marcel vanished. "No I would have done the same, I just would have hid the bodies a little better."
Chapter 11
I stared at Thompson. He'd smoothed things over with Sanders after a four-hour conversation, but as soon as he clicked the end button–"What do you mean we're going to Los Angeles?"
"Greer is going to be hobnobbing it down in L.A. for a week. Sanders got a call from the governor himself asking for more protection. Made us look like a couple of rookie assholes by not going through us. No offense, kid," he added.
"Why would he ask for more protection? Doesn't he realize it's not our job to protect him, but to find the people trying to kill him? I took those stakes because I knew he couldn't, not because it's my job."
"He doesn't see it that way. In fact, he doesn't want us to leave his side while we're down there. If you ask me, he sounds a little paranoid about going to L.A. Sanders said good work by the way. Apparently, Greer couldn't go on enough about how you saved his life. Wants you to get a commendation, too," he said and smiled ironically.
"Fuck off, Thompson." I stormed off to my room to pout a little, and just to be alone. I shipped Vic off to go buy new clothes and anything else she might need and Marcel volunteered to go with her, leaving Thompson and I alone in the room while he called the Deputy Director. I'd pulled my bank card out of my wallet, but Marcel handed it back to me and told me it would be his pleasure. He's the first man I've ever seen who wanted to go shopping.
Darkness filled my bedroom like a comfortable blanket and I refused to turn on the light. I didn't need it anyway, so I jumped on the bed, turning midair to land on my back on top of the fluffy comforter. I stared at the ceiling and thought hard about what I wanted out of my life. I couldn't keep going the way I had been. I'd end up getting myself, or someone else, killed. The FBI had been very eager to use me and for the millionth time since I started the job, I found myself doubting my effectiveness. In Chicago, I made a million rookie mistakes and indirectly my first partner had been killed. I'd been told it wasn't my fault, but doubt still nagged at my subconscious every day.
Now, here in California, my utter ignorance of the vampire world had gotten twenty-seven people, or vampires, killed. That didn't nag my subconscious; it cut my soul every second. I counted myself as one of the good guys, but I didn't feel like it anymore. I felt more like a self-serving prick. Tears welled in my eyes and I let them fall. I heard the drops hit my chest and it sounded like a soft drum to my vampiric ears. Without realizing it, I let out a soft sob, and it quickly developed into a fit of body wracking convulsions as I let it out.
Thompson knocked on my door and let himself in without so much as a sound from me. He flipped the light switch and walked to the bed while I lay there crying like a five year old whose puppy just got ran over in the street. He didn't say anything, just sat next to me. Finally he lifted me into the crook of his arm, positioning my face so I could literally cry on his shoulder. I flung my arm over him and held on to him like a giant teddy bear. Okay, maybe a giant stuffed werelion, but I clutched him just the same.
Finally, the sobs slowed to whimpers, and then the whimpers faded into silence. The whole time Thompson didn't say a word, simply held me and comforted me. Long after the tears stopped falling, he finally shifted, freeing me to wipe the tears from my face.
"Thanks, old man," I said and meant it.
"Don't make it a habit, kid," he said with a cheesy smile to let me know he didn't mean it. "If the shit that happened last night didn't bother you, I'd be worried. Ash, you're a good kid. Don't ever forget it and don't let the vampires change you. I'm not saying to do exactly what you have to do to survive, but always let it bother you. The minute you don't is when you become one of the monsters. I hope you don't mind the advice, but my father gave it to me and I thought you could use it, too."
"You know what? I don't mind, and in fact, feel free to drop it on me anytime. Honestly, I don't know what I'd do without you. Thanks for putting up with me."
"Alright, enough with the Hallmark bullshit, we've got work to do. Come on," he said and led me out to the other room. He sat at the desk and called Greer, getting the details of our flight out tomorrow night, the name of the hotel, and all the pertinent information we might need. I found myself hoping Victoria would be okay without me for a few days, but I knew she wouldn't mind spending a few days in the hotel. I hoped I could talk Marcel into staying with her.
I sat around, vaguely listening to Thompson on the phone. I knew we had seats on the governor's helicopter and that someone from the L.A. field office would be meeting us when we landed. I also knew we were staying at the Kyoto Grand hotel along with Greer and his aides. After his forty-five minute conversation that had been all I'd caught. I needed to start paying attention.
As if on cue, as Thompson hung up from booking our reservations, Marcel and Vic walked through the door. Both of them looked like they'd won a shopping spree at the mall. Each carried at least fifteen bags with a different store name blazed across it. I rolled my eyes and gave a little smirk at the bliss plastered on Victoria's face. It pleased me to see her happy.
"Did you kids have fun?"
"Yes, ma'am," Marcel said and laughed, dropping his share of the loot on the floor by the door. "We got you two presents, too," he said and grinned.
"Did you get me a G.I. Joe with the kung fu grip?" I looked over at Thompson and he had a serious look plastered on his face. Damn he could act. Or at least I thought he could until Marcel reached into a bag with a clown stenciled on the front of it and pulled out an action figure. He tossed it to Thompson who plucked it out of the air and started laughing.
"Really," I said in complete disbelief. They had to be kidding, right?
"Old joke from many years ago, young one. Your partner doesn't play with action figures, right, James? James?
Jim
!" He kept repeating uselessly. Thompson merely sat engrossed reading the back of the blister package. I started laughing and couldn't stop. It beat the hell out of crying.
Vic dropped her packages on the ground and started rooting through them, looking for something in one of the larger bags. I had no idea what she could be looking for, but walked over to her anyway. She found whatever it was and held it out to me like a kid giving their parent a Christmas present. I furrowed my brows and gave her a disapproving look, gingerly taking the long white box from her outstretched hands. I pulled the lid off and saw a chain of thick silver links with a green gem in the center. I looked closely and saw it had a line through it giving the gem the effect of looking like a cat's eye, or my eyes. I gasped and gently plucked it from the box and held it in my hand.
"Do you like it, master? It's called a Cat's Eye. I loved wearing silver as a human and now I can again." She held out her wrist. She wore the exact same bracelet, but hers had a blue cat's eye set in it.
I looked up at her eyes and smiled. "I don't think I've ever had a more thoughtful gift." I wrapped my arms around her, gave her a hard squeeze, and kissed her cheek.
"Thanks, Vic. I love it." I held it out for her to put it on me.
My skin tingled every time she brushed my wrist with her fingertips, but the effect lasted only as long as it took her to get it on and I sighed in disappointment when she finished. She beamed with pride and held hers up to mine for a moment to get the full effect. She gave me another hug and picked up the empty box I didn't realize I'd dropped. She ran to the trashcan and tossed it in, and then ran to the rest of her bags and picked them up, taking them into the bedroom.
"Thanks, Marc. That meant a lot to her," I told him.
"Little one, when you have lived for centuries, money usually isn't an issue," he said and started rooting through his bags. He pulled a large wooden box labeled "Cohiba" and took it to Thompson who dropped the action figure to take the box from Marcus' hands reverently.
"Oh-ho-ho-ho." He tore away the paper seal with his thumbnail and pried the box open. Immediately, I smelled tobacco. I walked over and peered inside and there amidst torn up tobacco leaves lay twenty-five hand rolled cigars. Or at least that's what the top of the box said.
"You smoke," I said disgustedly.
"Only the finest of cigars when Marcel buys them for me," he said. "God bless you, Marcel."
"A small repayment for the grief I caused you last night, old friend. I just wish I could find Cuban's in the mall. I'll give Fidel a call when I get home and arrange for a few boxes."
"You actually know somebody in Cuba named Fidel? That's funny," I said and started to laugh. They didn't join in.
"You know him too, little one. He's been on the news enough," he said and returned to his bags.
I stared at his back, sure he was teasing me, but Thompson merely gave me an affirmative nod. I shook my head in disbelief and went to check on Vic. I knocked on the doorframe as I entered and she glanced up from putting clothes in the dresser, giving me a peculiar look.
"What?" I looked at her, uncertain as to why she looked at me the way she did.
"Master, um…can I tell you something?"
"Of course," I said, my confusion growing.
"I haven't been a vampire long, so I remember what it's like to be human. Please don't be mad at me for saying anything, but you're too polite," she said and walked over to me, putting her hands on my shoulders. "I am yours, body, mind, and soul, if I even have one. You need to stop treating me as if I would mind if you did anything to me. Do you get it? You could slap me in the face with a two by four and I would be happy you noticed me. You don't knock when entering your own room," she finished and bowed.
"It's going to take me a while to get used to this, but thank you for your honesty," I told her and she rolled her eyes.
"See?" She gave a throaty chuckle. "Trust me, master, I don't mind, but watch how you treat me in front of another vampire."
"The other vampires will make fun of me?"
"No, they'll think you are weak and attack."
"She's absolutely right, little one," Marcel called softly from the door behind us. "Between your young Victoria and me, I think we might be able to turn you into a proper vampire. You left before I could give you your gift," he said changing the subject.
"Marcel, you didn't–" He cut me off with his upheld hand.
"A gift isn't something you give out of obligation, a gift is a token of love, appreciation, or esteem," he said and picked up a large gift-wrapped box from the floor outside the door. He crossed the room and handed it to me. I slipped off the large ribbon, keeping the corners secure, and set the box down on the bed to slip the large cover off. Inside the box, a large expanse of black silk wrapped in tissue lined the bottom. I gingerly picked up the corners and lifted it free. The dress, as it turned out, fell to the floor and shimmered under the overhead lights. I gasped at its beauty. Never before had I seen its equal.
"Marcel, it's beautiful." I stared, too stunned to say anything more.
"When you are presenting yourself to a master of the city, it is proper to dress nicely. Plus, I noticed in your closet that your wardrobe needed a lot of work." He sniffed disgustedly.
I flushed and ran into the bathroom to try it on. I slipped my clothes off and pulled the dress over my head. Looking at myself in the mirror, I got the shock of my life. I'd never considered myself beautiful, pretty maybe, but never beautiful. The black silk dress made me look like a woman and I couldn't believe it. I tried to imagine what I would look like with my hair done and makeup. How had Marcel gotten the exact size right? I barely knew my dress size.
I debated taking it off and slipping back into my skirt and shirt, but figured Marcel would want to see what his gift looked like on me. I held on to the doorknob and counted to ten to build up my courage before stepping out into the room. Marcel and Vic stood there quietly conversing about something. I saw Marcel's eyes go wide over Victoria's shoulder. Seeing the change in his expression, she spun and gave me the biggest smile I've ever seen in my life.
"Master, you are beyond beautiful." Vic walked up to me and gave me a warm hug.
"I am going to have to agree with young Victoria. You look amazing, little one," Marcel said from his spot by the door.
"Thank you, both." I tried really hard not to beam. It's a shame they were the only two people who would get to see me in my beautiful dress, unless… "Hey, Thompson and I have to leave for a few days. In fact, we're leaving tomorrow night, but we seem to have the evening off. Would you like to do something?"