Once again my thanks
to Luna and Maggie for their assistance in bouncing.*grin* and to my Beta, you
do work miracles.
A note about Mist:
If you don't know who she is check out the DreamHunter site under Pantheon.
Enjoy!
I stood there trying to figure out what to say to Mitch. I told him to hold on a second and picked up
the phone to talk to Asher but he had hung up.
Mitch looked from the phone to me. “What the hell is wrong with
you?”
“Remember when Ash asked if I took blood from Asher?”
“Yeah. You told him no.” I
sighed which apparently prompted him to ask, “Please tell me you didn't lie to
Acheron.”
I grimaced. “Mitch, I don't remember taking blood. I remember them saying I needed blood but I
don't remember anything after that.”
“Sounds like he rolled you.”
“I remember fighting it.” I shook my head. “Ash is going to kill
me.”
“No. He'll be pissed but he won't kill you. Besides, this Asher
and the others probably thought it was for good reasons.”
“He's not a bad guy. Not really. Vamp. Not a bad vamp.” What the hell was I saying?
My boss gave me a strange look. “Are you okay? You want me to get
someone to do your shift?”
“I'm okay. Just need to think this out.”
Walking over to the soundboard, I put my headset on and pulled
down the mike. The ads were coming to an end and I needed to play some music.
Felt like a good night for Death Metal. I didn't notice Mitch leave.
I tried my best to stay on track as I waited for the lightning
bolt to come my way. I honestly didn't remember taking any blood and that
scared me most of all. If Asher had rolled me that easily, could another
vampire do it as well? Was it just because I was weak? Was it the drugs? My
mind was on overdrive. I was screwing up left and right whether by my own
volition or not.
By the end of the night I was so wired I knew I wouldn't be able
to sleep and it just got better when I got home to find the Princess sitting on
the front steps.
“Long night?” She flicked the ash off the end of a cigarette.
“I have a feeling it's going to be a long morning too.”
She nodded her head agreeably. “Probably going to be.”
“Great. Can't sleep anyway.” I walked around her and unlocked the
door, going inside. I left the door open.
She followed in her own time. Closing the door, she asked, “Got
anything to drink?”
“You know where the fridge is. Help yourself.”
She opened the fridge and sighed. “Not my usual fare but it'll
do.” She pulled out a can of coke and popped the top, taking a long drink.
Lowering the can she asked, “Am I interrupting something?”
“Just a sleepless morning. Why are you here? Just to annoy me?”
“Actually I am.” She flashed me a smile. “That and I'm checking to
see how you are. Any soreness. Stiffness?” She actually seemed to care about
the answer.
“No. None of the above.
Why?”
“Cuz, it happens to us when we're healing.” She cocked her head to
the side as she stared at me. “I'm still trying to figure out what you are.”
She held up her hand when I would have interrupted. “No one sent me. I'm not
here on behalf of anyone but myself.” She stopped and gave me a wry grin. “I
wanted…” She stared into my eyes, “this isn't easy for me… but thank you. If
you hadn't told us how to kill those things… Let's just go with thank you and
leave it at that.”
I looked at her dumbfounded. I realized it took a lot for her to
come here but I couldn't help it. I grinned. “Can I get hug?” The side of her
mouth twitched. “Guess not.” Running a hand through my hair, I made another
suggestion. “How about I buy you breakfast. I can't sleep anyway.”
“I'll buy.” She countered.
“Oh hell no. I'm buying. I want to shower first though.”
“Then I'll buy you breakfast.”
“I'm buying.” Before she could argue, I went to my room. I took
some fresh clothes into the bathroom and started the shower. The warm water
felt good on my neck and shoulders.
I must have stayed in too long because Luna knocked on the door
and said, “By the time you get out of there it'll be lunch I'm buying.”
“I just gotta get dressed and I'm buying.”
I heard a growl from the other side of the door. Laughing I
toweled off and got dressed. When I got out to the living room she said she had
a way for us to decide who would pay. Rock Paper
Scissors. I really sucked at that game as a kid. So we went about
playing like a couple of 3rd graders. We both came up with rock three times. On
the fourth try I gave up and told her she was buying.
She grinned like the Cheshire cat until I told her we were going
in my car. She started to argue, but I mentioned the daylight and that the
Viper had tinted windows. She gave but wasn't too happy about it. We were off a
few minutes later.
We ended up at a Denny's. The place was busy but we managed to get
a table in a back corner. Neither one of us wanted to sit with our back exposed
so we moved our chairs next to each other with our backs to the wall. She
ordered steak and eggs. I ordered the grand slam. I was hungry for some reason.
She got Pepsi and I ordered coffee.
While we waited for our food we tried and failed miserably at
small talk. So I decided to ask her about the whole blood thing and why Asher
could sense my emotions. She stared at me for a minute like she hadn't heard
right.
So I repeated myself. “He said he gave me blood. True?”
“True. He didn't trust anyone else to do it.”
“So now he can sense my emotions? He knew I was angry. He called
the station to find out if I was all right. Want to shed some light on all
this? I mean you know the vamps better than I do.”
She shook her head. “I think Asher should be the one to explain
your bond.”
“Our what?”
“It's a long story. Better he tells you.” The food came. The waitress
went to refill Luna's Pepsi. She also brought more coffee. When she left, I asked the shifter again
what it meant, our bond. “It's hard to explain. So I won't.”
I sighed. “You people are so damn confusing.”
“Ain't it fun?”
I wanted to strangle her. “Well I'll never know then. Because I
sure as hell am not going back down there.”
“Oh I'm sure you won't have to.”
I stared at her. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“Eat your eggs sweetie. They're getting cold.”
Realizing that she wasn't going to tell me anything else, I sat
quietly like a reprimanded sibling and ate my breakfast.
We drove back to my place and parted ways. I was going to try and
get a few hours sleep before work.
I was announcing the winner of the contest tonight. I'd need to
pick up a cashiers check to give the guy. I figured three hundred dollars was
enough. If not I'd cough up some more. Some of the CDs probably weren't in
stock anyway. I had told the music store to let me know if he went over. I mean
I had the money. What did I need it all for? Not like I had a big nightlife or
anybody to spend it on.
I went inside, stripped down and got into bed but try as I might I
couldn't fall to sleep. I was at a point of making a deal with Morpheus if I
could just close my eyes for an hour.
After twenty minutes of trying every position I could think of I
finally gave up and got up. It wasn't even noon yet. Maybe I should call Dr.
Maggie and ask her to give me something. I knew she would enjoy it.
I took another shower, making the water as hot as I could stand it
then went back to lie down. I growled in frustration as another twenty minutes
went by. If I were a God I could ask Mist for help, I thought to myself.
However, Dark Hunters and Gods were not supposed to be anywhere near each
other. It was forbidden.
I rolled over to my stomach and let my arms dangle off the sides
of the bed. Closing my eyes I let my thoughts drift to a summer’s day, a field
of tall grass, a light breeze. I felt cool hands run down my back. A sigh escaped
me. The touch was so light and gentle it was like the breeze itself. A soft
female voice whispered in my ear. “Sleep Hunter. You have much to do.” She laid
a gentle kiss on the back of my neck and was gone.
I woke up with my alarm clock shouting that it was six o'clock. I
felt great! Rested, like I had slept a full day. I dressed and grabbed a coke
then left for work. It was going to be a good night. At least I hoped so.
I walked in as Myra walked out. I asked her how she was doing. She
said things were better. She and Kevin were working things out and that she was
no longer a snack for the master. I was glad to hear that.
I opened the show with Crossfade followed by Breaking Benjamin and
White Stripes. Then I went to a few ads and the local news. After the news I
announced the winner of the contest.
“Okay people. Sorry this took so long but the winner of the A to Z
contest is Caleb Masters. So Caleb if you're listening come by the studio
tomorrow night and pick up your prize. I want to say thanks to all of you for
playing. There were some great entries and now in honor of the winner, I'll
play his list from A to Z, starting with Anthrax.”
I cued up the first five songs then went to grab a bag of chips. I
would have loved to have a French Cafe sandwich. Mama Lo could make one so good
it would melt in your mouth. She’d take a baguette and slather one side with
Brie and the other with Irish butter and then slap a bunch of ham in between.
It was nutritionist’s nightmare but it was so damn good.
I bought a bag of chips and another coke and headed back toward
the control room. The elevator doors opened and Ralph got off. He was one of
the overnight security guards. To my amazement, he had Nathaniel in tow. I knew
that the were could break Ralph in half even though the man was a good two
hundred and forty pounds. Still Nathaniel was playing the penitent.
Ralph gestured at the shifter. “This kid says he knows you and you
sent for him.”
“It's okay. I do know him. Thanks for escorting him up.”
“Not a problem.” The guard got back in the elevator.
As soon as the doors closed Nathaniel gave me one of those smiles
like 'I just got away with something.' I grinned and motioned for him to
follow. I liked Nathaniel. He didn't pretend to be something he wasn't.
We walked into the control room and he started firing questions
about what everything was, what the dials and buttons did. He sounded like me
on my first day. I answered his questions, being as patient as Ellen had been
with me. Then I got an extra headset and plugged him in.
Turning on my mike, I told the audience, “I have a special friend
who is going to announce the next set of songs on Caleb's A to Z list. His name
is Nathaniel.”
I showed him the list and told him to announce F through J on the
list, which he did flawlessly. He mirrored me pulling the headset down around
my neck.
I asked the kid, “What are you doing here?”
“Asher sent me to check on you. He's worried about you.”
“I'm alright.”
He shook his head. “He wants to see for himself.”
“I'm not going back to the District. Sorry Nathaniel, I can't.”
He looked surprised. “You're just going to walk away from him?
After he's shared everything with you? I would love for him to share blood with
me.”
“It's different for me Nathaniel. I'm not used to cozying up with
vampires or shifters either for that matter.” He got a hurt look on his face so
I explained. “We don't usually hang out together where I'm from.”
“You aren't there anymore. You're here and I want to hang out with
you.”
Nathaniel took off the headset and left the control room. I let
him go. I had a show to do but I felt like a jerk. Why? I put it on the back
burner of my mind like all the million other things stored in my memory. One
day I was going to have to wipe the hard drive.
I cued up some ads that would go into the news and then went after
Nathaniel. I didn't like being a jerk. I wasn't good at it. I caught up with
him in the lobby.
“Nathaniel!” He kept walking. So I rushed up from behind and
grabbed him. Turning him around, I asked, “Don't you have to work tonight?”
“I took the night off.”
“Won't your girlfriend be mad at you for being here?” He rolled
his eyes so I told him, “Come on back up. I could use the company.”
“Are you sure? I wouldn't want to get you in trouble.”
I sighed. “No more than I already am.”
We got back on the elevator. He looked at me dead serious and
said, “Can I go home with you?”