AUTHOR'S NOTE: This chapter takes place AFTER Gigs' next chapter(s)
covering
the hunt for Tinkler. The only reason I'm not waiting to post this
is
because I may lose my phone tomorrow and not be able to after that. --Tam
Disclaimer: You know by now which characters belong to LKH...I'm
just
borrowing. The lyrics to the song "Tomorrow We'll See" are copyrighted
1999
to Sting and are used without permission.
Rating: R (didn't get as graphic as I had feared earlier)
IN A FOG, BUT TOMORROW WE'LL SEE
The streets are wet
The lights have yet
To shed their tawdry lustre on the scene
My skirt's too short
My tights have run
These new heels are killing me
My second pack of cigarettes
It's a slow night but there's time yet
Here comes john from his other life
He may be driving to his wife
But he'll slow down take a look
I've learned to read them just like books
And it's already half past ten
But they'll be back again
Headlights on the rainy street
I check, make sure it's not the heat
I wink, I smile, I wave my hand
He stops and seems to understand
The small transaction we must make
I tell him that my heart will break
If he's not a generous man
I step into his van
They say the first is the hardest trick
And after that it's just a matter of logic
They have the money I have the time
Being pretty's my only crime
You ask what future do I see
I say it's really up to me
I don't need forgiving
I'm just making a living
Don't judge me
You could be me in another life
In another set of circumstances
Don't judge me
One more night I'll just have to take my chances
And tomorrow we'll see
A friend of mine he wound up dead
His dress was stained the colour red
No next of kin no fixed abode
Another victim on this road
The police just carted him away
But someone took his place next day
He was home by Thanksgiving
But not with the living
Don't judge me
You could be me in another life
In another set of circumstances
Don't judge me
One more night I'll just have to take my chances
And no it's just not in my plan
For someone to care who I am
I'm walking the streets for money
It's the business of love, "Hey honey
C'mon, don't leave me lonely, don't leave me sad
It'll be the sweetest five minutes you ever had"
Don't judge me
You could be me in another life
In another set of circumstances
Don't judge me
One more night I'll just have to take my chances
And tomorrow we'll see
"Tomorrow We'll See" -- Sting
My head felt fuzzy. Everything seemed muted. Vision was foggy
and grey. A
voice was calling me, but it was hard to make out the words. I strained,
concentrating on the sound. Finally I made out a shadowy figure through
the
fog. It sounded like he said, "Where are you? Ma rose d'acier?"
Asher.
I couldn't understand why he couldn't find me. I didn't seem to be
more than
a few feet away from him. Yet he sounded further away than that...and
sad...so sad.
I opened my mouth to call out to him, but no sound came. I tried
to reach
him through the marks...and discovered they were blocked off. The
harder I
tried to reach my master, the thicker the fog grew, and the further away
he
seemed to get.
I woke up with a really bad headache, crying. "Asher...."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When my headache had subsided enough for me to take in my surroundings,
I
found myself in a rather dingy room. My clothes had been changed
while I was
unconscious. I was now wearing a silky red dress. It was sleeveless
with a
drop waistline and appeared to be tea length. Didn't feel like I
had any
underwear on beneath it. My boots were nowhere to be seen.
I also noticed that my hands were cuffed behind my back, and my ankle was
chained by a fur-lined cuff to the metal bedframe of the lumpy bed I was
on.
I managed to sit up and wriggle my fingers. My hands were numb from
where
I'd lain on them.
How had I gotten here? The last thing I remembered was being in the
dark
woods with Vladimir. He'd spotted the dragon and knocked me to the
ground,
falling on top of me. I must've hit my head on a root or something.
Had the
dragon overcome him and taken me?
The door opened as I sat mulling over my situation, and Vlad entered the
room, leading what appeared at first glance to be a garishly dressed young
woman. I suddenly remembered feeling a prick to my arm when he'd
fallen on
me...a hypodermic. So...he'd abducted me. Question was, why?
And why
couldn't I reach Asher?
"Who's that?" Vlad's guest asked. I blinked. It may have looked
like a
woman, but the voice was masculine...a bit effeminate sounding, but
definitely male. A male prostitute? The outfit was certainly
loud enough.
Neon orange tube top and micro-skirt connected by several gold-tone chains,
ratty fishnet stockings that looked like they'd seen a few too many nights,
knee high patent leather boots with acrylic platform stiletto heels, a
jade
bellybutton ring, bangles on both wrists, and shoulder duster earrings.
His
dark hair was done in a spiky shag cut, streaked with magenta and about
2
inches of the tips done in bright blue. He also must've been on
hormones...the breasts looked real.
Vlad took notice of me and smiled pleasantly, as if it was perfectly normal
to have a woman chained to his bed. "Guten abend, Frau," he beamed,
careful
to keep his fangs concealed. "I see you are awake at last."
I didn't want to piss him off, considering I wasn't really in a position
to
defend myself. But I wanted some answers. "I didn't mean to
sleep so long,
Vladimir," I replied politely, like it was perfectly normal to *be* chained
to his bed. "Do you mind telling me what's going on?"
"Not at all, liebchen," he fairly purred, standing behind the hooker and
stroking a hand down the man's arm. "I thought I'd have a little
something
to eat before tonight's festivities began."
"Whoa, sugar," the hooker said, laughing. "Usually I do the john...you
wanna
do *me*, that's fine, but it'll be another twenty bucks."
Shit! The guy didn't realize *what* Vlad was! When he said
something to
eat, he'd meant it *literally* not sexually. The realization must've
shown
on my face. Vlad smiled at me over the man's shoulder, a look of
pure
malice. I quickly schooled my features to cold indifference.
He was
*trying* to scare me...and I didn't have the first clue *why*.
"Don't worry, my sweet," Vlad whispered seductively in the man's ear, snaking
one arm around his waist and pulling him back against his chest.
"You'll get
your pay." He began feathering kisses up the hooker's throat, searching
out
the pulse.
"I better," the man stated, then screamed in agony and terror as Vlad struck
and began to feed. The vampire used his other arm to pin his victim's
arms
to his sides, and lifted him until his feet dangled inches above the floor.
The hooker continued to writhe and scream. His hands hooked into
claws and
his legs flailed about seeking leverage. Vladimir hadn't rolled him,
I
realized. The poor thing was aware of and feeling everything that
was being
done to him.
I kept my face immobile and my eyes empty and emotionless. Vlad's
gaze never
left mine, watching for the least reaction. Damned if I was going
to give
him one.
The victim managed to land one good kick to his killer's shin. Vlad
drew
back snarling, then struck again, nearly ripping the man's throat out.
The
screams began to sound more like gurglings. The struggles gradually
grew
weaker as the blood drained away, taking the man's life with it.
The man's
entire upper body glistened with the viscous red fluid. The metallic
tang of
fresh blood filled the air of the small room. I was suddenly glad
I had
forgotten to eat anything since I'd gotten up.
Once the light faded from the hooker's terror-filled eyes, Vlad dropped
his
prey's lifeless husk casually to the floor, licking his lips. His
shirt was
completely soaked with his victim's blood. "Delightful city," he
remarked.
"They have the *best* take out...and nice disposable containers,
too...biodegradable, of course. Wouldn't want to litter up the landscape
with too much plastic, now would we?"
I watched my captor warily...aware that the bloodlust was still on him.
Vlad
gave me an almost feral smile as he peeled the blood-soaked shirt from
his
body. I must have let something show on my face when I heard the
squelching
of the sodden fabric. He gave a cruel laugh as he dropped the soggy
thing to
the floor with a splat.
He then began to slowly stalk towards me. I made one more desperate
attempt
to call Asher through the marks. I was rewarded with a sharp pain
behind my
eyes and a crushing pressure to my lungs. I had to gasp for air.
"Ah, ah, ah," Vlad waggled a finger at me. "None of that, liebchen.
You
cannot call your master for help. You will only hurt yourself, and
he cannot
hear you." He was already beside the bed, looming over me.
I flinched back
from his bloody chest despite myself. He was succeeding in scaring
me.
"*Why* can't he hear me?" I asked the supposed Council representative.
"Now that would be telling," he laughed again. "Suffice to say that
he is in
a safe place...for now...and will remain safe, as long as you cooperate."
His laugh just wasn't as good as Asher's or Jean-Claude's...no texture
to it.
Made me remember that I wasn't dealing with a *master* vampire.
"What do you want from me, Vladimir? What could you possibly gain
from
kidnapping me?" I asked coldly.
He placed a hand on either side of me, leaning in, forcing me to either
lean
back on the pillows or let him touch me. I leaned back...not quite
willing
to let him touch me. And still he leaned into me, until his lips
were just a
breath away from my ear. "Power," he whispered seductively, starting
to use
voice tricks. I quickly reassessed my opinion about his vocal talents.
He
still wasn't as skilled as Jean or my master, but he was damned close.
"You see," he continued, his voice wrapping around me like silken fur,
trying
to pull me under, "I know who you really are, liebchen."
"And who is that?" I breathed back. Shit! He was starting to
get to me. He
*had* to be using more than just voice tricks.
He began feathering kisses along my jaw, causing me to give a small whimper,
my eyes fluttering closed of their own accord. "You are the one known
as the
Absorber, liebchen," he chuckled. "Asher sensed your rebirth and
sought you
out so he could be whole again."
My eyes flew open in shock. 'No! Oh no!' my mind screamed in
horror. 'He
thinks I'm Jules?! And he's Council...part of the same group responsible
for
destroying the Absorber's host every time they discovered one!'
"Oh ja, liebchen," Vlad purred. "I like this! Your terror is
exquisitely
delicious!" He began nibbling down my throat, then sucking painfully
at the
soft flesh where my neck and shoulder met. He wasn't feeding, however.
I
realized with disgust that he was giving me a hickey instead. I fought
not
to cry out from the discomfort.
After a couple of minutes, he drew back to look at me. He grinned,
flashing
fangs at my horrified expression. "Oh you are going to be fun to
break, ein
bitte. I see fire in your eyes," he chuckled evilly. "Good!
I enjoy it so
much more when they fight back!"
'Asher!' I screamed, first in my mind, then in pain as I came up against
the
block again.
"And now I shall let you in on a little secret of mine," Vlad leered at
me,
his body hovering just inches above mine as I tried to burrow into the
bed
away from him. His voice once again became a velvety whisper, a promise
of
pleasures untold...or nightmares undreamed. "The reason my dark mistress,
Belle Morte kept me in her court, even though I am not a master...was because
I share an ardeur almost as strong as her own."
His shields suddenly dropped and I was hit with a wave of lust and desire
stronger even than Jean-Claude's when he nearly lost control. Without
access
to Asher's strength, I had no hope of resisting it. I screamed in
despair as
Vlad descended upon me.
Everywhere his mouth touched felt like fire, the desire was so strong.
My
mind raged against his every action even as my body responded as if I were
willing. It was maddening. He took me in so many different
ways I lost
track. It went on nearly until dawn.
Eventually, I was only aware of lust and pain. My throat was raw
from
screaming until I had no voice left. My body was covered with bruises
from
his rough handling. My hips ached, making me wonder vaguely if they
were
cracked or dislocated. My entrance was raw and swollen, making it
impossible
to find a comfortable position. It wouldn't have surprised me if
he'd torn
me wide in his ardeur. It felt that way.
I kept repeating over and over in my mind, 'God help me!' My mental
voice
becoming weaker and more pitiful with each touch of Vlad's hand or thrust
of
his hips. I felt as if my very life was draining away in the sex.
Just as I thought I was going to lose consciousness, Vlad rolled off me.
I
lay there shivering in the chill of the room. With amazing gentleness,
he
rolled me to my side, and producing a key from somewhere, unlocked the
handcuffs. My hands were numb and stiff, my wrists bloody, but healed.
'At
least the marks can still help with that,' registered in my mental fog.
Vlad was saying something to me. When I didn't respond, he slapped
me
lightly, still managing to rock my head back. I tried to focus bleary
eyes
on him. "I said, there's a chamber pot under the bed, liebchen,"
he
repeated. Then with a malicious smile, he added, "I'll just leave
our friend
where he is to keep you company until I rise tonight." With that,
he left
the room.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hours later, I woke from a fitful sleep. I was freezing and sore
all over.
There weren't any windows in the room, so I didn't know what time it was.
There wasn't any heat either, and Vlad had shredded the dress I'd been
in.
My ankle was still manacled to the bedframe. I lay there in the cold
room,
naked...with the body of the dead hooker staring mockingly from the floor
where Vlad had discarded him. At least HE didn't have any more worries...no
cold...no pain...no fear.
I shook my head violently. NO! I would NOT give in to this
terrorizing so
easily!
I noticed that my ankle was itching furiously. Must've bloodied it
as well
with the chaffing and jerking about. I reached down, trying to slip
a finger
between it and the manacle to rub some of the soreness away. Something
didn't feel right. There was something around my ankle underneath
the
imprisoning band.
I managed to hook it out after several attempts. It looked like some
sort of
macrame anklet. The beads looked suspiciously like bone fragments,
and the
cord appeared to be made of hair twisted together. I fought back
rising bile
at the sight of it. It *felt* evil. I HAD to get it off!
It must've taken an hour to cut through the cords with my thumbnails.
My
fingertips were tender from the effort. But I finally had the damn
thing
off! I flung it across the room as far as I could. I suddenly
felt like a
great weight had been lifted. My mind was clearer. I could
feel my body
speed up the healing process as my link with Asher reconnected itself.
Vladimir had *lied*, I realized. He'd led me to believe that Asher
had been
boxed or some such. Instead, it was that damnable charm, whatever
it had
been, that had been blocking me.
I still didn't know what time it was. I just prayed that Asher was
all right
and that he would rise before Vlad did.
I began calling out his name repeatedly, like a homing beacon...eventually
drifting back into a stupor from the cold and exhaustion, my mind still
repeating, 'Asher, Asher, Asher, Asher....'