Children Of The Night
By: Veronica Leigh Marquette
CHAPTER 4
Bobby just closed his eyes at the repeat of the same questions. Kris had
been missing for days. And there was no report of her anywhere. The police
had, of course, did the usual show of putting out an APB on anyone that fit her
description, but so far nothing.
Her parents had died some years back, and as far as Bobby knew, she had no
other relatives, so it was up to her friends to push for her to be found.
The police weren't in that much of a hurry to try and find her. If it
wasn't for the fact that her car was still in the parking lot of his diner, and
in the shape that it was in. They would have probably not even bothered to make
the token gesture of an effort that they were making now.
"Look," he slammed his hands down on the desk as he faced the officer
assigned to her case. "I've told you everything I know. She left work three
nights ago, and I haven't heard anything from her since. You all know what kind
of shape her, car, was found in. Why won't you get up off your ass, and do
something about finding her. At the rate you moron's are going, she could be
dead and dumped in a ditch somewhere, and no one would know it until some kid or
dog stumbled across her body." He had never felt so helpless in his life.
"Mr. Duncan." The tired looking detective, who sat across the desk, looked
at him. "I understand that you are very worried about your friend, but calling
people names and growling at me isn't going to do Ms Shepherd any good. Now
would you please go over everything that happened the last time you saw her."
"Bobby, please." A light hand on his shoulder as Alex tried to calm him.
"Just tell the man what he wants to know. Yelling at him isn't going to help
Kris."
Bobby smiled weakly at his lover, reaching out to squeeze the hand that was
resting on his shoulder. "I know, I'm sorry officer, it's just I'm worried
about her. I'm the one that found her car in that shape when I locked up to go
home that night. I'm the one that let her go out alone that night, after I ran
that strange old man off. You know the one that gave her that huge tip. I
tried to get her to wait for my husband to get there before going out. But she
wouldn't wait, and now." He wanted to cry. He had know Kris since before her
parents had been killed, she had worked for him since she was sixteen. And he
felt responsible for her, and her well being. If something had happened to her,
he wasn't sure he would ever forgive himself for not insisting that she either
wait for Alex to get there, or had taken the time to walk her to her car
himself.
The detective just nodded. "And do you know where we can locate this man,
the one that gave her the tip?"
"No," he growled again. "Don't you think if I did, I would have gone to
where he was and made him tell me what he had done with her, by now. I don't
know that man, all I do know is that for the last five months he'd been coming
in and would always see to it that no matter where Kris was stationed, he would
sit where she was working. I just thought he was you know, smitten with her,
and maybe wanted to spend a little time with her. I didn't know that he would
ever," he buried his face in his hands. "And don't tell me you don't have any
proof that he did anything to her. I don't need proof. You never saw the way
that fella looked at her, every time he came in, I did." He looked back up at
the officer. "I knew she was afraid of him, and I let her leave after he
stormed out. I might as well have given her to him. You find that son of a
bitch, and you'll find Kris."
"Rest assured Mr. Duncan, we are looking for him, and when we find him, he
will be answering more questions than we have asked you so far. Your other
waitresses have pretty much told us the same thing that you have, she was afraid
of him. He bothered her and that she was happy when you stepped in to help her.
Blaming yourself for what happened isn't going to get her back. But maybe
working with us, helping, will."
* * *
Again, the hunger woke her. She was beginning to believe that she would
never ever be anything but hungry. And as she turned, reaching for Danny, who
was in the bed between her and Jessy, thinking of nothing but stopping the
burning hunger that ate at her gut.
"Mistress?" Danny moaned softly as Kris sank her fangs into his throat. He
was so used to the feel of having Jessy feed from him, that he didn't know the
danger he was in, as he wrapped his arms around her and just held her as she
fed.
Jessy stirred, there was something wrong, one of those that he loved, and
held dear, they were in trouble. But as he opened his eyes, and saw what was
happening beside him, if he still had a pulse, it would have stopped at the
sight. He cried out, reaching out to pull Kris from the boy's throat. "No,
Kris, here, not my boy, here, from me." He knew that now, lost as she was in
the heat of her feeding, that if he didn't break her hold, Danny would die. And
he didn't want that to happen, he never wanted any of those in his keep to be
hurt, but most especially not Danny, for if Danny died, then Kris would be lost,
there would be no way to ever make her accept that what had happened was an
accident. That she wasn't responsible for what she did. *Let him go girl, now.
* Fear gave him added strength, a strength that he would never normally use on
anyone, but now, with the lives of two, one mortal, and one so newly made,
hanging in the balance, he threw all caution to the wind, and used force to
separate the two.
Kris cried out, trying to hold to the throat that she was latched to, but
Jessy just pushed the boy from her, waking him fully in confusion.
"Master?" Danny lay on the floor by the bed. He didn't understand, why had
his master stopped his mistress from taking what was hers by right, he had been
willing to let her feed, why didn't his master want her to feed from him?
"Kris," Jessy fought with her, struggling against the blood lust that had
taken her. "No, here, take me. Like you are, you will kill him, take me." He
pulled her head to his neck, sighing as he felt her stop fighting him. Felt her
hunger as she resumed feeding, but on him this time. "Yes, baby, that's the
way, just feed, you can't hurt me, feed." He looked down, just long enough to
hiss at Danny, "run boy, go hide with the others. Your mistress, she is just a
baby, she didn't mean to hurt you, but you don't need to be anywhere near her
until I see that she is taken care of."
Danny just looked first to him, and then to Kris who was so lost in the
blood that she was taking from his master, before nodding and moving to leave
them in peace. He wasn't really frightened. He had knows that his master would
never let anyone hurt him, not even his young mistress. But it was reassuring
to know that the faith that he had always had in his master was not only
justified but also earned. Jessy had woke, had known the danger, even though he
hadn't. And now he was seeing to Kris, going to take care of everything like he
had always promised he would.
* * *
Kris, half sobbed, half moaned as her hunger released her. She didn't know
how she had gotten over Danny who she remembered curling up between her and
Jessy, to cool the pain in her gut with her older cousin. But as the red haze
left her, and she lay back, contented, and very much in need of a man, she
wished that she hadn't let go of Jessy's throat, "Hmmm, hi." She smiled up at
him as he leaned over her, bright green eyes watching her face. "Sorry about
that, when does this stop being the way I wake up every night?"
She had no idea how close she had come to hurting, maybe even killing his
boy. "A about six more months, so tell you what, until you can finally wake up
before you decide to have your breakfast, I think I'll sleep in the middle. You
damn near scared fifty years off of me girl."
Kris looked at him confused. "Why?" She looked around the room, "hey
where's Danny? Did he skip out while we were asleep or something?"
Jessy just smiled down at her, bending to kiss her lightly. "Nope, he was
here, that is why you almost scared half a century off me. You have no idea how
scary looking over at first waking, to see another in the middle of draining one
of yours, is. I got you from him, switched you to me and sent him running."
Again his light, teasing kiss.
Kris pushed him off her, sitting up. "I did what?" She looked down at him,
a horrified expression on her face. "Oh, God, did I hurt him? I'm sorry
Jessy." She almost, 'no' she couldn't believe it.
"Girl, calm down. I made a mistake, I forgot just how much hunger affects
us when we are as young as you are. There hasn't been anyone as young as you
are right now, since I was, and that was well over a hundred years ago." He
pulled her back to him, kissing her again. "Good evening, baby," he nipped at
her throat playfully. "Now that you're back to yourself, full, and doing well,
and I'm awake, shall we greet the night, the way it should be greeted?"
Kris just shook her head, amazed. She had just almost killed one of the
mortals Jessy kept here, and all he wanted to do was screw. "You do know,
you're some piece of work, don't you?"
Jessy just laughed down at her. "I have no idea what you mean by that. How
else am I supposed to behave, you just fed from me. I'm just a man, after all."
"I almost killed Danny. Or have you forgot that?" She turned her head to
avoid his kiss. "I can't believe you are taking the fact I, me, I almost killed
him, and you're acting like nothing happened."
He shook his head, capturing her face between his hands. "No Kris, you
could have if I didn't stop you, but you didn't almost kill him, not even close.
He wasn't even frightened when I told him to get. I promise you, as soon as you
get to a point that you have some sort of control over your hunger, he's
probably going to be the first one to throw himself at you. You've bitten him
once already, and didn't take that bite to its proper end. He's not going to
let you forget that, trust me. Now, let it go girl. I have something much
better to do than worry about what might have been." He lowered his mouth to
her throat, even as he pulled hers to his again, and sank his fangs deep into
her flesh. *It's okay, Danny, it's okay. Feed from me, as I do you. *
Maybe it was because she was so young, or maybe it was because the mad thing
that made her what she was, didn't stick around long enough to show her
anything, but the fact that Jessy could speak to her, mind to mind, was a neat
thing. One that she wished she could do. But no matter how much she wanted to
ask him how he did it, she was too lost in the wonderful feelings he was drawing
up in her as he not only fed her his blood, but took from her, hers as well.
This time their coming together was brutal as they merged together, both
lost in the heat of the moment, the passion and lust that took them both to
where no mortal had ever gone. Jessy sobbing against her throat as he thrust
into her again and again, no longer thinking of anything but feeling her hot,
sweet, tight warmth around him. And she, crying, in both joy and almost, in
pain, as she welcomed him.
She lay against him afterward, crying softly. Her response, it frightened
her. Jessy had been almost as brutal with her as Marcus had been, and yet she
welcomed it. The depth of her desire, it scared her. What kind of thing was
she turning into, she almost killed someone tonight, and she didn't care what he
said, had he not stopped her, she would have killed Danny. And then, God, what
kind of sick thing was she becoming?
"Ssshh, Kris, what's wrong baby? Did I hurt you? Oh baby, I'm sorry, I
didn't mean to hurt you. I keep forgetting how new to all of this you are." He
planted light kisses all over her face, her cheeks, her nose, her forehead, and
lastly, her lips as he held her. "Hush, don't cry honey, talk to me, tell me,
what is wrong. I'm sorry, I really am."
"Wrong?" She whispered, holding on to him. "You want to know what is wrong.
Me, I'm what is wrong. I almost killed Danny, would have if you hadn't stopped
me, then you, I, what kind of depraved thing am I turning into?"
Jessy just chuckled kissing the top of her head again. "Depraved, honey if
you're depraved, I must be in real sad shape, because, I didn't think a thing
about your little almost accident with Danny, he won't think anything of it
either, that is the risk they run, living with me, being mine. As for what we
just shared. If you think your depraved over that, if you enjoyed it even half
as much as I did, like I said, I must be in real sad shape, because sweety, I
didn't just enjoy it, I want to feel that, again and again. You have no idea
what you make me feel." He ground his hips against hers, reminding her that he
was still very much with her. "Like now, if I haven't frightened you too much,
I want to lose myself in you again."
She moaned, it was so tempting, but she just pushed against his chest.
Trying to pull away from him, she needed just a little time to think. "Please,
Jessy, give me a few minutes, okay."
Jessy pulled away, but not far enough to let her get far. "Okay, Kris, take
your time, we have all of eternity to work this thing out. Just take your time.
I'm a patient man, no matter what Janis might say."
* * *
Again, Jessy was met with silence as he led Kris into the living area of his
house. Six pair of eyes watched as he moved to sit, pulling Kris along with
him. Six pair of eyes had the same questions burning in them. 'What was she
going to do next, which of them would be the next to run the risk of being
killed by her while she struggled to learn to control herself.' Jessy had been
right, Kris's feeding from him hadn't frightened Danny. But that all changed
when he hurried, as his master had ordered, to hide with the rest. The others
upon hearing what had almost happened, fussed over him, telling him how close to
real death he had just came. This frightened him, and frightened him very
badly.
"They're afraid of me." Kris just moaned at the smell of fear in the room,
fear that was directed souly at her.
Jessy patted her leg before looking up into the six pair of frighten eyes.
"Stop it, all of you. Yes, she earlier fed off of Danny,, but he was never in
any real danger. You all should know by now, I will I 'never' let any of you be
hurt, and getting killed sure as hell falls under the heading of hurt." He
fussed at all six. "I was the one that made the mistake this time, not your new
mistress. I forgot how hungry she would be when she finally rose tonight, and
well, I didn't put myself beside her when I went to sleep this morning. It was
all a mistake, a mistake that will never happen again. She, is, harmless guys,
she is no more likely to hurt any of you than I am. It was just one little
mistake, a mistake that will I 'never' happen I 'again', so quit looking at her
like she is about to go mad and tear into you all." Then he held out a hand to
Danny. "Come here Little One. I know that this had to be just a bit shocking
for you. But it's over."
"I kept trying to tell them that you wouldn't let anyone hurt me, but she
is, well Randy kept telling me that with as young as our mistress is, that any
of us could end up being killed by her, and she not mean to do it." Again, he
went, willingly and freely into his masters' arms.
Jessy looked up with the heat of anger in his eyes. "Randy, when have I
ever let anyone of you get hurt, much less killed?" The younger man just looked
down, muttering an apology. "I don't even 'punish' you guys, but let me hear
one more false accusations like the ones you have made so far, and I will, or
worse, I'll let my mother do it. You've been through her idea of punishment,
just once. Would you like a repeat of that? As is, I'm tempted to tell her
what stupid shit you have been babbling to frighten the others, anyway."
He looked down at the light touch on his arm. "Jessy, please, don't. I
scare them, they don't know what to expect from me yet, I did a stupid thing, I
don't care if it was an accident or not, it was still stupid. So yeah, they're
going to be a little skittish around me for a while. But don't hurt any of them
because of me. Don't get Janis involved, please."
He just nodded smiling. "Okay, cousin, it's your call. You don't want me
to tell my mother, I'm all for that. I don't like thinking that any of mine
will be hurt like Janis can hurt them when she punishes them. Particularly
'not', Randy."
"Then don't. I don't want to see any of them hurt either. Not by you, me,
or anyone, I might not have a grip on what is going on right now, but I do know
that I don't want to hurt, or kill anyone. I don't care if I am a vampire now.
I still don't want to see anyone hurt."
Jessy smiled at her. *Just because you are a vampire, sweety, don't mean
that you automatically want to hurt anyone. I've been one for what sometimes
feels like forever, and I haven't hurt anyone, in a very long time. That was
one of the things that they put into the law, no killing, no hurting, nothing.
It's only been in the last twenty-five years or so that we have even begun to
keep mortals as our food. Before that, it was all bottled blood from a
slaughterhouse that is run by some of us. *
This time, she just couldn't resist, she had to know how he talked to her,
mind to mind as he did. "Okay, that's great. Now would you please tell me just
how you do that?"
"Do what?" Mental laughter sprinkled over her. *Do this? It's really very
simple. Just concentrate on thinking to me. That is all I am doing to you,
just thinking. *
She shook her heard, 'nah'; it just couldn't be that easy. *Like this? *
It was a test, but what the heck; he said think at him, so she did.
Jessy laughed at her, "yes, honey, just like that. What you thought it was
some big secret power that only old and decrepit vampires have?"
She shook her head, "I didn't know. That is cool as hell, and can I just
think 'at' anyone, and they hear me, or just other vampire's?"
Jessy looked up to where Randy still stood, watching them both silently.
*Pet, she just saved your ass from getting torn out of the frame. Why don't you
come over here and offer your mistress your throat. I am here, you should know
by now, I won't let her hurt any of you. * He gently pushed Danny off his lap
as Randy, trembling just a little, came and knelt at Kris's feet.
"Mistress," he whispered. "Are you hungry? I was wrong when I said you
would hurt us, take my blood if you are. I'm sorry."
Kris looked first at him and then to Jessy. "What do I do now. Yes I'm
hungry, I think I will stay hungry forever, but he's one of yours."
*No, baby, when Janis brought you here, to get back on your feet, to live
with me. They all became just as much yours as they are mine. Go on. I am
here, so you don't have to worry about hurting anyone. * He lifted her chin up
to kiss her. Besides, it gives me as good an excuse as I can come up with to
nail you again. *
*Is sex all you think about? * She moaned softly pressing into his kiss.
Again the light laughter washed over her. *Damn near, I'm a vampire honey.
* One last soul stealing kiss before he pulled away. "Go on sugar, I can feel
your hunger, and if I can feel it, it's got to be bad. Remember, at this point
in your new life, don't worry about being hungry all the time, it comes with the
territory." He nodded at Randy, who was still kneeling before her. "Go on
Kris, you don't have anything to worry about. I'm here, I will always be here
for you."
Kris looked down at Randy, who was looking up at her with a combination of
both fear and incredible need. "Okay, Randy, right?" He nodded, looking first
to her and then to Jessy. "It's okay, I'm not going to hurt you, I didn't mean
to scare you like I did. But Jessy is right, I am starved." She held out a
hand to him. "It really is okay, I promise, it really is okay."
Jessy watched on, as Kris pulled Randy up, to sit beside her, before
crawling into his lap. He smiled a little amused. It must be a big switch for
his boy, to be the one who is pinned to the couch for a change. But as he
watched Randy, reach up and direct her head to his throat, listened to her moan
as she sank her fangs home. He realized, she wasn't the only one that was
hungry. Well no matter, they had five others to play and feed from still
tonight. That was another plus of having mortals bound by blood to them, it
used to take days for the mortals body to replace what his people would take
from them, now it was all done in a matter of hours. He would safeguard his
boy's safety, and then he would get a bite to eat from on of the others. Oh
this was going to work out so well. All he had to do was just be patient. Bide
his time, and let his little cousin come to terms with all that had happened to
her. Fortunately like he told her earlier, he was a patient man.
*Okay, Kris, pull away. * She hadn't fed from Randy as much as he usually
did, but he wanted to be extra careful with his, their, kids for a while. If
she was still hungry, and at her age, she would be. He could always suggest
another for her to feed from, or he could feed from two, and then let her finish
her hunger with him.
She sighed, pulling away. "Thanks, kid, I needed that." She smiled at the
young man whose lap she was in. "I didn't hurt you did I?" She looked over
him, a bit of concerned worry in her tone.
Randy didn't answer her in words, but with actions as he pulled her head
back to him, but this time it wasn't his throat that he guided her mouth to, but
his mouth, sighing as he gave himself to her kiss. No he wasn't quite as bad as
Danny was, but then again, who was? But he did know how to properly thank her
for what she had just given him, the glory, the delightful warmth that he always
felt as Jessy fed from him.
The fact that she was in another absolute stranger's arms didn't much matter
to her at that exact moment. All she wanted to do was cool a different kind of
hunger. The hunger for physical contact, Jessy had joked, when she had asked
him if sex was the only thing he ever thought about, that of course, he was a
vampire. And she was beginning to believe he just might be right.
* * *
Janis stood quietly outside of the place that her brother had taken his
Childe. Watching, listening, patiently. Kris was so young, there was not going
to be any way that Jessy could possibly keep up with her continuous hunger at
this age, and hope to tend to his as well, no matter how much his blood had
altered the six he had. So she would see to it that she brought two, maybe
three to him, to add to his herd of toys.
She had come here, knowing that this was the place that her niece was most
at peace with. That from this place, she could gather a few that the girl would
be the most likely to be at peace with. Would have a connection to.
* * *
"Look, Alex, go on to work. I promise you, the first time I get so much as
a word about Kris, I'll let you know." Bobby fussed over his lover. "That goes
for you too, Mitch, go home, stay by the phone. Detective Warrens told me that
the first break they get, he would call here first, and then if he didn't get an
answer, at the house."
Mitch, who hadn't been there the night that Kris disappeared, and if
anything had happened to her, would never forgive himself. She was his girl,
his fiancee. They had planned on getting married just as soon as he was
finished with his schooling. He was going to be a lawyer, only had another year
until he was ready to take the bar exam. But if something had happened, if he
never saw her again, he wasn't sure if he could go on.
They had both made a solemn pact the night he popped the question that they
would wait for their wedding night to give into the feelings that they both were
having for each other. They had laughed after making the pledge to each other,
that in this day and age, where the running joke was a virgin was an ugly third
grader, that it had to be fate that brought them both together, how else could
it be explained? So they promised they would wait. Now, with her missing, his
fears eating at his gut, he wished, so much, that they had just given themselves
to the feelings that they had both been feeling for each other. "I can't go
home Bob, everywhere I look, I see her." He felt so helpless, and he hated that
feeling. "I'll go by and see about printing off some more of those missing
persons fliers. I know that the police, said they were doing all that anyone
could do to find her, but, I'm going to be a lawyer, I know all too well, just
how little that kind of help is going to do for Krissy. So I'm going to go and
get more fliers made up."
"Good, you did put a reward for any info leading to her recovery, didn't
you?" Bobby was so worried, so upset, that he didn't even pay attention to the
fact that he had just been called Bob.
"Yeah, twenty-five hundred dollars, it was going to be the money that we
used for our honeymoon, but if it just helps to get her back, I don't care if we
spend our wedding night at some roach motel. Just so she comes home.
"You change that reward, boy, I'll mortgage this place if I have to. Put a
ten thousand-dollar reward promise on it. I feel like it is all, my, fault
anyway. If I had just taken the time to walk her to her car, she might still be
here." He had spent last night, in bed, with Alex, crying. Deep in his soul,
he knew that there would never be anyone who would ever collect that reward.
That Kris was dead, but he just couldn't bring himself to tell Mitch his fears.
The kid was so young, and loved her so much. For a little straight boy, he was
a pretty good egg. He had told Alex time and time again, that Kris could have
done a whole hell of a lot worse that him, even if he was going to, one day, be
a lawyer.
* * *
Janis had listened to every word that had been spoken. 'Yes', these two
would do very well, true that one was obviously gay, but after a feeding or two,
that would no longer be an issue. And the other, her lover, oh with her
bringing him to her, she could begin to undo some of the wretched damage that
her brother had done the girl. There would be no need for fear, this time, no
struggles, no terror. Though she did not make a habit of taking the will from
mortals had never taken it from any of the three that she had collected for her
son, this was different. And take their will, she would. She would do anything
short of killing to help her brothers Childe, her niece. She watched as the two
men walked towards her. "Excuse me," she stepped out of the darkness. "I might
have some information you need."
They both stopped. "Kris, you think you know something about her?" Mitch
didn't waste words.
"Yes, that is the girls name. I think I might know where she is." Just a
few more steps, just a few more feet and she could take them both. She, felt, a
bit bad for the pain she knew that the man in the establishment would feel, with
the loss of his lover. But, he was only a mortal. Mortals lived for such a
brief time. Their loves and passions were like a summer day, hot, yet fleeting.
"I'll go get Bobby, he'll want to hear what you have to say." Alex began to
turn. This woman said she knew where Kris was, or at least thought she did. If
she was right, then Kris might still be alive. But the hand on his arm stopped
him. "No, it's okay, my friend, he is hers as well." That was all he had time
to say as her deep brown eyes, seemed to swallow him whole.
"Hush, you are in not danger, I am not my brother." She kept both their
stares locked to her. "I am sorry for what I am doing to you, but it's okay,
soon enough you will find your way back to yourself." She spared Mitch on quick
glance. "In my brothers defense, he did not know that she had a lover. I would
like to think that even as mad as he was there at the end, if he had known about
you, he would not have taken her, but no matter. Come, I will take you to my
son, who is even now, caring for my brother's Childe." She led them both into
the darkness, quietly, peacefully, almost willingly. As they could think of
doing nothing more than following her.
