Wolf Frenzy (12 page)

No one would tell her what happened.  Not a single thing was explained.  They took the bullet from her shoulder, and now they held her here until she gave them something.  Donovan wasn’t here to prove her innocence as the woman he’d been sleeping with.

Donovan wasn’t here.

Tears streaked her face.  The nurse called her name again softly.  She turned her head away, trying to withdraw deeper into drugged numbness.

Warmth dropped on top of her head.  She tried to look up and saw only darkness, but darkness that smelled like dog and felt slightly scratchy on her skin.  She smelled cologne and body oil.

I’m just dreaming…

Donovan lifted his shaggy head from hers, and looked down into her eyes.  Exhaustion dragged down the corners of his mouth, tension in the lay of his shoulders.  He wore a stained, crumbled outfit –the sort of which he never would have been caught admitting to owning before.

“Kori,” he whispered.  Tender hands held her face as she cried, fingers catching her tears.  “They wouldn’t let me go any sooner.  I had to prove I wasn’t a threat.”

She choked out, “What?” but he shushed her and stroked her hair, cradling the unharmed half of her.  She shook her head, earning a jab of pain.  “What happened?”

The next thing she knew, Donovan had crawled into her hospital bed and was holding her as tenderly as he might touch an angel.  Tucking her at an angle into his stomach, he wrapping his arm around her waist.  His wet face burrowed into the back of her neck. 

“I’m going to change.  I promise.  I’ll help people.  I won’t sleep around.  I’ll keep you safe.  Oh, Kori…I can’t stay long.  Everyone knows now.  Everyone has so many questions.  But I promise I’ll protect you better from now on.  I promise.  And you won’t ever get hurt again.”

Everyone knows you’re a werewolf?

The drug was settling in, stealing her away.  Donovan couldn’t stay; when she woke, he would be gone again.  It might be days or weeks before she knew the truth.

“Will you come to visit?” she murmured blearily.

His hand roamed softly.  “Every day.  I never want to be apart again.”

She closed her fingers around his and nodded.  He pressed against her and coddled her, crooning a wolf song without words as she fell asleep.

THE END

How About Another Free Romance?  Enjoy…

I blinked slowly, rubbing my throbbing head and exhaled. Although I didn't need the air, the practice of deep inhales and exhales was relaxing. I was stuck, behind a desk, in my beautiful mansion, dying a slow death.

"David, are you listening to me?" She asked.

"Yes, Mother."

"There will be a hundred women for you to choose from. Only thirty or so will be human. Now don't you in any way feel you have to choose one of them as your bride. They're only here as adherence to our treaty." Her cute mouth turned into a scowl. "Dirty, stinky, conniving lot, they are. All of them," she mumbled.

"Mother your prejudice is showing."

She held the entire race of humanity at fault for the one that staked my father, even though without a human she wouldn't be here. That's right, even vampire royalty had some humanity flowing their veins, though only just. Our bite is venomous, turning every living thing from the inside out to stone, save our eyes and brain. I'm really not sure what keeps us alive. It wasn't a heart, oxygen or the sun. Maybe it was pure ambition and without it, we'd grow faint then cease to exist. I watched my mother talk about my bride ceremony as if it was the presidential swearing in. She vexed herself for months over colors, theme, and particular drinking goblets. Although looking at her, you couldn't tell. Her face held no lines or wrinkles. She was turned on her 21st birthday, frozen at the peak of her womanhood. Her blonde hair hung down her back stopping just above her tapered waist. Her eyes were green, though per normal vampiric trait, could go blood red in anger or thirst. She in some ways resembled a child with her button nose and round cheeks. She had my grandfather's chin, angled and European. She wore a pale pink blouse which was flattering on her pale skin and a black pencil skirt. No matter which century, she was always in style.

"The ball will go all night. Those who wish can leave and you must choose at least five to claim interest. Don't feel rushed in deciding either. You have all night."

I briefly wondered if boredom could turn our eyes red. I had absolutely no interest in hearing these details. I knew the gist, show up, choose a vampire bride eventually get married, continuing ruling the vampire throne as King David Aaron the third should.  Eventually, I'd take a human concubine and sire an heir. The end. But it wouldn’t be the end because the circle of life would keep turning, me ruling, facing political nuisances, going on and on until someone decided to stake me or in a fit of depression I burned myself to a crisp in the sun.  I could retire once my future son was of age, but I wouldn’t want to force him into his lineage the way I had been forced to take the crown. My grandfather, after 3,000 years of reigning as a King accidently, as the story has been told, was burned to death when a maid left the curtains open in his room. My father reigned 200 years of the Vampire Dynasty, keeping vampire feedings unnoticed and silence those who tried to force our existence into light. After he had been staked, my mother gave me no choice. I had to be king and although I put it off, after 10 years and a newly signed treaty outing vampires and aligning using peace with humans, my time had come. I must take a bride. A King without an heir was an unnecessary danger to the crown and vampire dynasty. Living forever was expected, but not a given, one could not afford to take chances on the passing of the crown.

My mother was being thorough, continuing on a litany of things that must be done and I was close to yanking out my own hair. Merely as a metaphor, Kings do not act in such ways in public. Kings were at all times, polite, approachable and silently dying on the inside.  

"Mother, I tire and must rest. Please let your assistant handle the rest. Tomorrow will be everything you dreamed it would be. Go get all your unneeded beauty rest." 

A former queen should be dismissed with class and dignity, lesson learned well and applied.  With a chaste kiss on the forehead, I opened my office door and escorted her to the guest hall. Finally free of my office-prison though it was spacious, I made my way to my bedroom. I had a 5 bedroom home, three floors, a blood cellar, ballroom, library, indoor and outdoor pool and a pool house. It was modern considering the castle my grandfather ruled from but less drafty. Thankfully with the tech age came sun proof Windows. My windows held the New York skyline. Truly beautiful in all its skyscrapers while holding the silence of solidarity. Tomorrow, hundreds of women would be here vying for my attention and holding me from the solace I crave. But once it was over, everyone would again leave me in peace. Hopefully, my mother included.

My room was in the hall farthest from my mother. Between super hearing and super prying, I wanted to be completely left alone. My room! In comparison to the guest room was bare and understated. I didn't need much for happiness. I had a huge bed and night stands. My walk in closet was the size of most people’s bedroom, with several shelves for my shoes to be seen individually. Rows of pants hung according to color and shirts on the opposite wall the same, organized by shirt style. On the other side was my bathroom. I ran bath water, brushed my teeth, barely glancing at my reflection. I still scoff at human's idiocy believing vampires have no reflection, of course, I have a reflection, light reflexes off me the same as anything else. You can thank my dear great, great, great, great Uncle Vlad for that rumor. He lived in the age of vampires taking the night, terrifying women before pleasuring them with their bite. It was only believable because most homes during that time didn’t have mirrors.

With my bath water ready, I stripped, sliding deep into the huge tub until I sunk to the bottom. I sat there submerged thinking of tomorrow and all that was being asked of me. It was nice laying on the bottom of that tub, the water cushioned all the static noise and even with my super hearing there was a cherished silence. There were no cars honking, trivial arguments occurring on the street or ambulance sirens. There were no babbling about the fine china and the political land mine of his true feelings of the peace treaty the vampires made with the humans.

Ruling was a game of chess, full of politics and hidden agendas. It was exhausting. Some days I just wanted to be free, free from responsibility, free from the legacy of my father and his father’s father’s greatness. Why had the burden of ruling fallen completely on my shoulders? Was it just because I was born the only male, fated to be king? Was it just because no one else could do it.

I sat up, unfazed by the ten minutes I spent underwater. My fingers weren’t pruned and if I could have, I would have laid there forever. But I could not. Tomorrow was waiting and Kings do not run from their responsibility. I covered my body with suds, washing robotically, rinsed and tucked myself into bed.

As soon as the sun went down, 5:02 pm, I was awake. I could have awakened earlier, but it would have put me in a foul mood. Sounds of scurrying and moving could be heard on every level. First I quenched my thirst. There would be several humans at the party, no need to tempt myself. Thankfully, I had a small refrigerator in my room. Once sated, I dressed in my best penguin suit, donning a royal pin, thinking my crown would be too much. Mother told me to show at 7 pm and I knew being tardy was not an option.

I stepped into the room seeing the labor of Mother’s hard work. There was dancing, socializing and several tables filled with food and drink. In the corner was a blood fountain. I was impressed by my Mother’s tact infusing vampire necessities while remaining opulent. The band was playing Frank Sinatra.

“Good evening King Hansen, lovely party,” said Bill Nye, the humanity ambassador. We’ve met on several occasions signing and amending treaties.

“Thank you, Bill. Mother is due such praise. I had no hands in this.”

He nodded. “Still, I have to say, vampires know how to have a party.”

I laughed. How else would we have fit in for several centuries on this planet? But for risk of seeming rude, I said, “we aim to please.” Humans liked to appear in charge or have others defer to them. It was a battle to give and take at the right time.

“You are looking for a bride tonight as well, right?” he asked, sipping champagne.

“More like my Mother is, but yes, I am expected to choose,” I said appearing jovial.

He laughed and raised his glass, “Cheers to that. There are more than several beautiful choices.” I grabbed a glass of champagne from a passing waiter and raised my glass, “thank you.” It was sweet and I appreciated the small bubbles on my tongue.

In the front of the room was a large chair elevated from the floor and presumably for me. I felt sitting above everyone would be pompous and continued walking around introducing myself and entertaining guests. It wasn’t like people didn’t know who I was.

“King David! Hi,” said an Amazon-like woman. Her eyes were gray and her fangs were slightly extended, either she was recently turned or aroused. At six feet, in heels and a tight dress cut in all the right places, she appeared almost naked. She grabbed my hand and slightly curtsied, a feat I would have thought impossible. “I’m Sophie.”

“Pleasure to meet you,” I said.

“I’m 28, newly turned and I work as a real estate agent. You have excellent taste, your interior designer knew their stuff. Is that a real Kandinsky?” She answered herself, “of course it’s real. You’re royalty, why would you have a fake.”

A woman in a gothic-like dress with red accents cut in, “Hello King, my name is Amy.” Her voice reminded me of Barbie and she smelled like a human.

“Pleasure to make your acquaintance,” I said shaking her hand to the dismay of Sophie. “This is Sophie,” I said, introducing the ladies as diplomatically as possible.

A woman in a mint green dress came up to me, interrupting Amy to discuss the merits of the age of vampires and if one really did get better with time. She had big lips and they were outlined in a loud red. While a woman to my right, dressed in pink, with enormous blue eyes, kept caressing my neck. I didn’t even know her name, yet she was trying to display a false sense of intimacy between us. It was alarming and every step I took away from her put me deeper in the growing pit of women trying to get my attention.

One woman was interesting, she was very petite, no higher than my elbow really but she knew music and engaged me in a debate on why Mozart and Bach were incomparable as composers. Truly interesting. I found myself staring at her in interest and not fighting, trying to find a reason to continue the conversation. She said she was from Washington, D.C. and had flown here courtesy of the President. She lost me after the name drop. I wanted no parts of a woman cavorting with the President of the United States. No, thank you.

 I suddenly got the feeling I was in a shark tank with several women circling me ready to sink their teeth into me. As the night went on, my vision blurred with women traipsing themselves in front of me and the merry-go-round of introductions. None of them made an impression and no names stuck out in my head. At my early convenience, I released myself from the torture, citing thirst and ran to the blood fountain. There in the corner was a woman in a one-piece, all black. Her hair was black, her eyes were brown though lined in black and she was writing in a small notebook. She was not dressed to impress though her outfit was form fitting. Her shape was curvy in all the right places. If I had to guess, I'd say C cups and a size six pants. The black did nothing to hide her form, if anything, it made me pay more attention. Someone is not throwing themselves in my way. Even more curious was she was human but standing beside a blood fountain.