William cleared his throat and looked around the room. “Welcome, my friends. Although it is always good to see you, I wish we met under better circumstances tonight. There have been a number of incidents that have come to my attention, and we must take care of them. There are children out there who willingly endanger us to satisfy some hidden agenda. Although I do no condone it, they have only been killing the homeless denizens of our city…until now. Last night, they took a young man who happens to the son of a very powerful financier. We found him first and concealed his death as a car accident, which does not help his family any, but it does protect us and allow us to handle this ourselves.”
Drake, a powerful vampire who had lived in Chicago for several years, leaned forward. “Where did this children come from? I do not believe that any one of ours would be so foolish.”
Michelle tapped her nails on the table. “They are Sorscha’s children.”
Heads began to nod when they heard the name. A vampire Lance didn’t know frowned as she scooted forward in her chair. “Why is she doing this? I have heard her name other places.”
There was silence for several moments before Lance spoke. “She’s angry that we did not let her embrace her lover before he died. Now, she embraces indiscriminately, gives them a few lessons, and sets them loose. It’s her way of getting even.”
“Why hasn’t she been stopped before?”
William leaned back in his chair and sighed. “She is my kin, and I had hoped to reason with her, but she continues to burn with vengeance. I have put plans into motion to take care of her, but we still need her children and either bring to the our way of thinking or put them. I will not tolerate this disrespect in my city, nor will I allow her jeopardize us.”
“What would you have us do?” Amelia, a soft-spoken vampire from a suburb of Chicago looked at her prince.
“Be wary, and be willing. If you find her and can deal with her, you have my permission. If you find her children and they will not listen, end it swiftly and with great deliberation as a warning to others.”
The vampires sitting at the table sat back and thought about his words before nodding in agreement. One by one, they stood and, after a nod to William, took their leave. Lance and Justin were the last to leave, and William motioned for Lance to wait a moment.
“I’m sorry for dragging you into this, Lance.” The prince of Chicago leaned against the table.
Lance simply shrugged. “It’s not just here, William. She’s doing this in a lot of cities, and we cannot allow it to continue. She’s dangerous.” He cast a quick glance at Justin before turning back to the other vampire.
“I know, and I know you have more reason than most to dislike her. Be vigilant, she’s here somewhere.”
“So should you be, William. We’ll survive.”
They clasped arms before Lance and Justin left the room. Michelle moved to William, draping an arm around his shoulders.
“Think she’s here for him?”
“No, he’s just icing on the cake.” He stood and moved to the window to look out into the night.
**~~**
He leaned against the doorway, weak from the fight, and knocked on the door. Gabrielle opened it and grabbed him as he pitched forward.
“What happened?” She half dragged, half carried him to the sofa.
“Ambushed, outside a bar. I was…out.”
She nodded in understanding, helping him stretch out. He was paler than usual, his body moving slowly.
“What do you need, James?”
“I…” He couldn’t say the words to her, even though she knew what he was.
“Tell me.” Her voice softened.
“Feed.” The word escaped his mouth on a long breath.
She stared at him for a moment, then leaned close to him, offering her neck. Surprised, he reached up and brushed her cheek.
“Why?”
Her blue eyes were intent, filled with an emotion he was afraid he would never have from her. “Because you’re my friend.”
He scooted up so that he was reclining against the back of the couch then pulled her down between his legs. She rested against him, and despite her determination to go through with it, shivered.
Tilting her head to the side, he brushed the curls away from her neck and breathed in. He slid his hands down her arms, linking their fingers together and bringing their hands up to rest against her belly. Nuzzling her skin, he licked once, twice, a third time, and she shivered as she closed her eyes in response.
“That feels so…”
The sharp pain in her neck was quickly overshadowed by the waves of pleasure that rolled over her body. She gasped and arched a bit as he fed, the gentle sucking reminiscent of the familiar rhythm of sex. He tightened his grip, and she moaned before collapsing against him, her body shuddering as she came. His mouth left her body, and she sank further into him, the sated feeling making her sleepy. It didn’t take long before they both fell asleep.
**~~**
He sighed as dawn approached, then snuggled further into the warmth surrounding him. Without opening his eyes, he catalogued his surroundings. Smell—definitely a woman; touch—soft skin and the gentle rise and fall of the chest beneath his head; hearing—the soft sighs of peaceful sleep. He opened his eyes and looked up, catching a glimpse of pale skin and pink lips slightly open. Another snuffling grunt, and the arms tightened around him.
Bringing his eyes back down, he stared at the swell of a breast showing above the collar of a v-neck tee shirt. Indulging in the fifth sense, he pressed his lips against the skin, smiling as she sighed in pleasure.
“Gabrielle.” He kept his voice pitched low, wanting her to waken slowly.
“Mmmm.” She shifted a bit, her mind surfacing from sleep.
“Wake up.”
“Mmm hmm.” Her fingers stroked up his back before burying themselves in his hair.
He closed his eyes as she touched him, contentment dancing along his skin. At that moment, he didn’t care if he ever moved again. There were few times in the past two years where he had that feeling of complete peace, and he was loathe to let it slip away. When he opened his eyes again, she was staring at him, another smile on her face. He didn’t even try to stop himself as he rose up and pressed a quick kiss against her mouth. Wrapping her arms around his neck, Gabrielle let herself be swept away by the sweet touch. She held him close as he draped himself over her body, sliding his hands between her body and the couch to hold her close.
The abrupt blaring of the radio broke them apart, and they laughed after a minute. Lance lifted himself off the couch then held out a hand to Gabrielle. She chuckled as she took it, holding on as she led him into the kitchen. She turned on the coffee pot and let it brew as she looked through the refrigerator. As she stood up, she felt his arms go around her, and she leaned back against him.
“Thank you.”
Turning around, eggs and bacon in her hands, she looked into clear green eyes and smiled.
“My pleasure.” She finished it with a kiss to his cheek, lingering for a moment.
Pulling back to smile at him, she wiggled out of his arms and walked over to the stove to fix breakfast. Lance poured two cups of coffee, fixing one the way she liked and setting it next to her. She asked him to make toast, and he busied himself with the task while she finished cooking. They sat down at the table and ate in near silence.
When he finished, laying his fork on his plate, he looked up to find her watching him with her hands wrapped around her coffee cup.
“Are you okay?”
He nodded. “Yeah, I’m good. The fight took a lot out of me. I really didn’t mean to get you involved. You were the first person I thought of to go for help since I was so close.” He looked down at his cup, running his finger along the edge of ceramic.
“I’m glad I could be there.” She took a sip. “What happens now?”
“I’m not really sure. I need to let some people know what happened, round up the children.”
“And then?”
He looked up into her eyes. “That’ll be up to the people in charge. Acting like that endangers everyone, and we won’t stand for that kind of behavior. If we don’t stop it now, it will only spiral out of control.”
Gabrielle nodded before looking down at her cup and setting it on the table. “Um.”
Lance reached out and laid his hand over hers. “I think you can pretty much ask me anything.”
A blush was his answer, and he raised an eyebrow. “Oh, I’ve got to know now.”
“If you, you know, need anything, you can come back to me.” She bit her lip, never looking up but gripping his hand tightly.
He was surprised. He heard others talk of having just a familiar to feed on, to be there whenever they needed help. Having her offer thrilled him, even as he worried about the consequences. Squeezing gently, he used his other hand to lift her chin.
“Thank you. Knowing I can come to you if I need help means the world to me. I want you to do the same, though.”
Confused, Gabrielle shook her head. “I don’t understand.”
“If you need help with anything, I want you to come to me—whether it’s problems at work or with Joshua or just if you’re feeling down. You’re my friend, and you mean a lot to me.”
Pressing her lips together, she took a deep breath and nodded.
“Good.” He smiled and stood up, grabbing their plates and carrying them to the sink.
They washed the dishes together, listening to the radio as they worked. Lance made a quick call to let Justin know where he was and that he would be home soon. When he hung up the phone, he found Gabrielle staring at him, her lips pursed in thought.
“I can see the wheels turning in your head. What’s up?”
she blushed a little. “Is it always like that?”
He frowned for a moment as he thought, then smiled. “Sometimes, it’s better.” He winked at her.
Gabrielle lifted a hand to her cheek, not surprised to feel it still warm with a blush. “I think you ruined me for anyone else.”
Lance couldn’t help wrapping her in a hug as he laughed.
**~~**
When he got back to the apartment, he wasn’t surprised to find Justin already gone to class. Lance took the opportunity to clean up himself then the apartment, writing out some bills before he went to the grocery store. Joey, JC, and Chris had informed him they would be down that weekend and to make sure they had plenty of booze and snacks. He smiled at the memories their words brought, ignoring the tiny jabs of pain brought on by the knowledge that the time for goodbye would come again.
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Eight