Shade's Loss

  Shade obediently followed him down several streets and one alley until he came to a super sleek, a two door, black Maserati. He threw the duffle in the trunk, what little there was of it. From the silver lettering on the side it was a newer model Italian race car. This car she would never have heard of except for the video game.

  Of course this car had been adapted for the streets. It had the regular lap and shoulder seat belts, grayish silver leather interior and tons of buttons. Everything you could possible want in a balanced sports and luxury car.

  Having absolutely no knowledge of cars she moved on to Damon once more. For the first time ever she actually was noticing him. His back was to her so she proceeded to follow him.

  Damon opened her door and walked around to the driver’s side. Of course, it was a stick-shift, she thought to herself getting in, men loved sticks maybe they were trying to compensate, or rather over compensate. He started the engine which of course purred, and headed for the interstate.

  “How in the world did you buy this hundred and fifty thousand dollar car? The insurance alone would break a person,” Shade asked suspiciously. She looked at everything around her trying to keep her mind off the obvious.

  “My job requires it and I am paid well. If it makes you feel better I know nothing of this car other than how to get in, start it, and drive.”

  Shade did not think she could handle the silence which would cause her to think of miserable things, so she pulled out her CD’s and held one up.

  “If that is one of the musical devices of your age then I fear I do not know your current music or understand the machines which produce the sounds, if you know how to make my car make them, then by all means,” he said gesturing for her to proceed. He did not care much for the current era but the Goth’s seem to be okay. Dark colors that blended in making him seem as if he was not a Tracker but an angst ridden teen full of hate. The emotions were accurate but not the age.

  Shade was stupefied for a second by his choice of words until it hit her. She thought back to everything he said. It slid into perspective now that she was in more of an accepting mind frame. Paranormal, that meant…. She had read a book recently… ah… mystical beings like werewolves and…vampires?

  Vampires! Oh hell. Okay she could understand how something bit her brother causing him to have the same disease… until she remembered he called them Lykan’s which was a werewolf, right? Oh man this man believed he was a vampire and that meant she was riding with a psycho, or a potential psycho or quite possibly a blood drinking monster. Her world was quickly opening up and giving her a whole new point of view.

  She hesitated then put her CD back in her backpack fighting hyperventilation.

  “I see we need to talk, you are finally understanding the situation and comprehending the severity without the shock. I am Damon Lothos. You are…?”

  Shade hesitated unsure whether she should share personal information. If she lied then he may find out. He had the money to do so. She had little choice it seemed.

  “Shade Trinity, um I’m confused just a little…” she started.

  “You are mortal and I am a vampire of seven hundred odd years. I died when I was twenty years old in the early thirteen hundreds. The dark ones became my life and I adapted very quickly. That is the way or you die the final death. You are my human pet for lack of a better word. Others of my kind are not as kind as I. I may seem what were the words you used? Oh yes callous and heartless, but child, I am very kind compared to the others. Some would have killed you and saved themselves the trouble. Others would have fed from you. I am not sure what I will do with you but I could not kill you. That really would be such a waste.”

  From all she had heard and witnessed she was willing to stay calm for now and listen. What other choice did she have? And where was that cat? Jumbled thoughts all chaotic in her mind but now were free of the mind numbing pain, enough for her to focus anyways.

  “I have your attention I see. I do not want to seem threatening. My manners appear cold and old world I know, just give me time to adapt. I interact with humans very little. Much of that experience is of offenders and low lifers as I call them, those who wish to do harm to themselves or others. I am taking you to my home where you will be safe for the moment. I have two weeks to decide what to do with you. My laws require that I make you a permanent part of my world, use you, or kill you. I want you to have a choice in this matter given there are a few. I obviously do not want to use you or kill you so that leaves one option. I will have to sire you.” His voice was still accented and choppy but more American or Cajun considering he did not use contractions. The more he talked the more normal he sounded to her.

  “Make me like you?”

  “Or give you to another for the same purposes, but yes. I may seem evil or a monster but I hope to show you that there is reason to exist as I am.”

  “You say that as if that’s all it is but an existence,” Shade replied thinking now that he seemed miserable. She had been so focused on her own pain that she did not see his until now. She stared into space considering what he’d said.

  “Yes for me it is that way. Others find it simply rewarding, or a distraction from nothingness. Those with mates are quite happy.”

  His old world tongue confused her momentarily once more but she was quickly adapting. His Shakespearean mannerisms and speech was not so unfamiliar after she thought of her high school teacher. She loved the characters from that era.

  “You are single?” Shade asked very curious now that he had mentioned it. She had not noticed him very much, and had wondered why. Looking at him now it was a shock if he was single, he was beyond gorgeous. So delicious she felt awkward beside him, or less than average. His eyes were enough to make her gasp for air. Soon she was hyperventilating. That is what she got for paying any attention to him.

  Damon moved to the side of the road and then pulled her to him.

  He put his face directly in front of hers and breathed for them both controlling hers. Her head cleared and she once more could maintain herself, even if she did feel like she was suffocating.

  “I am sorry for that. I have learned to use glamour so that mortals don’t shock at my appearance. Most see me as what I choose for them to see. Very few can see me clearly like you. It takes a lot of energy to maintain the façade and I have no extra. Try not to look at me directly.” Damon said quietly. A little conceited? Well after her little episode she could understand why.

  “You mean others don’t see you, you are there but not significant enough to worry with.” Shade thought she understood.

  “Exactly, very astute I must watch myself with you.”

  “So you were saying before I forgot to breathe,” she prodded.

  He watched her for signs that she was in shock or panicky. She was nervous and very likely to bolt but otherwise fine. He had locks installed so she wasn’t going anywhere unless he said so. Humans tended to harm themselves a lot for various misconceptions.

  “I must turn you into a vampire…” Damon whispered. He wondered if he should tell her the rest. She would more than likely bolt or attempt to, already she was borderline weary of him.

  He debated mentally for ten seconds thinking of every potential outcome.

  “We can only turn one every thousand or so years depending on the situation.”

  “Let me guess you already have and are stuck with option one kill me, or option two drain me, and kill me or option three get rid of me…”

  “I have never turned a mortal. Actually the turnings are saved for our mates,” he said realizing her anger was going to be an issue apparently.

  “I’m not your mate. I can’t be. I mean… oh… jeez… I don’t know…” Shade threw her hands up as she said the last part.

  That was a reply he was not expecting. Mortals would give up everything to be with their kind. She was backpedaling acting as she was not worthy when he was the bloodthirsty murdering monster capable of immense destruction and pain.

/>   “So you were saving it and now I have ruined all your plans. Well I didn’t ask for this, you did so don’t blame me,” Shade told him once more panicking and looking for an escape route, her nervous hands flittering from one spot to the next.

  She had snuck in a look at him and thought she saw an angel, maybe a fallen one. Once again her poor self was not handling his beauty all too well. What the hell was wrong with her? Things were just so confusing.

  Damon sped up, he was already doing a hundred but they could reach his house in another ten minutes if he hit one thirty-five, which was only forty minutes tops from the park. He blindly reached for her hand and pulled it to his chest where his heart was. Despite the myths he had a heart and it beat, he was alive in the literal sense of the word, it pained and felt emotions like any other. Actually it beat steady with no flaws, perfectly, until they met their true life mate.

  Vampires were called dead because their blood cells quickly deteriorated trying to keep up with the reconstruction process, healing various parts of the body including aging.

  Damon’s had never skipped, faltered, or stopped. He swore it did just then when Shade passed out again beside him. They were going to have to work on that.

  When he arrived at his mansion he parked in the garage and gently, and closely to his body, carried her to his room, the only one with furniture. He took her five sizes too large jacket, her black boots, and her back pack and put them next to the bed. He sat next to her and breathed for her. She was beginning to wake with him only inches from her face. Her eyelids popped opened and she grew bright red in the face and would have passed out again if he had not been controlling her still. His glamour was not at its peak. She seemed unaffected by his attempts to shield himself so she would have to just avoid him, however unappealing that sounded.

  “I…I’m… sorry,” she stuttered. She could not help it. This was beyond her wildest dreams. She chastised herself thinking of her brother.

  “It is all right, it is not your fault little one. I am very tired and having difficulty maintaining my glamour. I need to feed, and then I would be able to do this properly.”

  Shade was way too confused and just a little worried for her heart.

  “We could have stopped somewhere…” she started until she saw his fangs. He was a little close at that moment and very nearly caused her to jump from the bed. He caught her and dragged her to him. Things did not seem real until she watched as the fangs dropped right before her eyes.

  “I will not cause you harm, little one. I only wish to protect you if you will let me.” He was real, a real vampire, not a story but a real breathing bloody vampire!

  “Well, my heart disagrees, vampire,” attempting to joke and failing miserably when she whimpered.

  He smiled at her joke and very quickly left her alone in his bedroom.

  Damon had to think quickly. What could he do in two weeks for her? Already the thought of trading her to another was distasteful, downright unpalatable. He was becoming immensely fond of the tenacious woman.

  He hastily found his meal and headed back, a knife wielding idiot who thought he‘d tried to snatch a purse, not as flavor able as some mortals. Thoughts of Shade rushed him so he could return to his curious new pet. He never killed his victims but drank until they passed out and woke with a headache. No one would believe a criminal. He knew he risked the code with his foolish attempts of grand heroism.

  Shade pulled her black suede pants off and crawled under the blanket. She was exhausted, emotionally more than anything. What little sleep she had managed to get was only from shock or from passing out and didn’t really count. Before she knew it she was out again, dreaming of white angels and hairy demons. She had been through a lot but her protective older brother had her in the habit of sleeping easy.

  When Damon finally reached his still room, he heard a barely audible whimper and charged in, only to find himself half amused, Shade was only dreaming.

  He half figured it was a nightmare, one about him. He debated quickly whether to leave or not and decided to stay based on the fact she was alone in a big unknown, house. He wrapped his larger form as gently as he could around her and forced himself to doze. He knew he needed to get back to her brother but something inside him refused to part with her just yet.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Shade woke in the dark in a strange place beneath someone or something. She couldn’t be for sure but as her thoughts coalesced she remembered and decided to stay very still. It did not feel like a cat, more like a man…

  Instantly Shade realized she was warm, safe, and comfortable. Something she would not have thought possible since she became all alone having just lost her brother.

  Part of her wanted to scream, fight, and run away from the man, no vampire, beside her but she knew if he wanted to hurt her or take something from her he would have already. He had offered only comfort and safety.

  Damon had been aware of her waking since her very first wiggle. He considered letting her go but amazingly he felt very comfortable wrapped around her as he was. He usually avoided humans altogether but since the moment the girl beside him ran smack into him he had been curious. He felt her tense so he released her rolling onto his back and sitting up.

  “I figured you might get scared when you woke in the dark in a strange place. Forgive me if I upset you, young one, I did not intend to alarm you.”

  “Why do you talk like that?” Shade asked moving over away from him, getting the much needed space.

  “How?” he asked clearly confused, looking over his shoulder at her in the dark. She thought he looked like a black shadow in the darkened room.

  “All proper and stuff?” her lack of proper speech in itself was appalling but he chose to answer her.

  “I do not speak to humans very often. I do not speak to my own kind much more. I am a reject of my kind and very recluse. I will try to speak more like you if you wish.”

  “Whatever, that is up to you. I just noticed is all,” she replied, not wanting to seem bitchy.

  “I will leave you. I will be downstairs finding you some food.”

  “Would you like to learn how us humans talk now?” she asked faking a countrified accent. A hint of a smile appeared on her face and lit her eyes for the briefest of moments.

  He tilted his head trying to ascertain her meaning once more but nodded nonetheless. If this meant her approval then of course he would. It would also make things easier when in public, and it was such a simple request.

  “I’ll… I’ll be downstairs…”

  He attempted her altered version, it sounding broken to him but her smile appeased him.

  Shade nodded and waited as Damon left closing the door behind him.

  She quickly jumped up and got dressed as she tried to figure out what to do now. Her brother was a beast of some kind and the strange man she had woke up next to was downstairs after explaining he would have to make her a vampire like him. Did that mean she would have to die first?

  After standing in the dark for a few moments she left all but her boots, which she put on, next to the bed and went downstairs to find him.

  “If I leave you for a short time will you try to escape?”

  Shade considered and knew she was best off here until she could figure out a better plan.

  “Nah, whatever. Are you going to kill my brother?” The pain on her cherub face pained him.

  “I must rectify the problem, yes. He cannot kill innocent people, I am… I’m sorry I have to be the one to do this.”

  Shade ignored him. It was bad either way it went.

  “My house is yours. Do not answer the door please. I will… I’ll move my things from the room when I return. We can discuss your options then as well.”

  Shade continued looking down in her lap.

  Damon let himself out locking the door behind him. He hated leaving her, especially with such pain in her eyes. She would be feeling all alone right now and the only person who could comfort her was abo
ut to get finished off by him. He did not think she wanted to see him right now but seeing as he was the only one that could be around her for now, without sacrificing her safety, he would do the best he could.

  He did not want to kill the young man but it was his job. Why didn’t he want to? Normally he didn’t think twice about it.

  Damon got into his car and pulled out the only technological device he owned other than the car, and called Gideon’s house. Simple cell phones preprogrammed were acceptable to him. He did not understand the thing mortals called texting much more than computers. His Master had given him the cell not long ago and explained that all he had to do was scroll up or down to a person’s name and hit send to speak with them. It was easy enough that he consented.

  “I have to call in a favor. I need you to come watch my new pet. She is quite angry with me and may attempt to flee. For her own good she must stay inside the house. I have some Tracker business to attend to and will be back before dawn,” he told his Master’s mate Leila who answered the phone, just as he had expected.