Author's Note

Hey everyone! Thank you for the comments, letters, and prayers I've received. Grandma is still in the hospital; going on week number 3. She seems to be in better spirits but she's tired of it all. She wants to be at home. Bright note, I bring you yet another chapter in my ongoing story. Obviously is being a little weird for the last couple of days, at least with me it has. Please be lenient with my typing on here. My "R" button keeps sticking for some reason. I really hope everyone loves this chapter. I was hell bound and determined to finish it this morning. I stayed up all night. I've been up for 48 hours, literally. Can we say insomnia? I can't hate it as long as something creative is coming from it though. This chapter is also a little longer than the others. Anyway here it is! Enjoy…

Chapter 9: In the Air Tonight

When I pulled away from King's assault on my mouth, I noticed his lip was slightly swollen pink with a little cut. It resembled something akin to a harelip. I brushed it with my thumb and he opened his mouth. Catching it with his teeth, he sucked on it, his eyes bore into mine.

"Are you broken?"

His expression turned into a pathetic, sad face and he shook his head up and down. I gave him a mock look of sympathy and rubbed his cheek sighing. He leaned into my touch, milking the attention for all its worth.

"Then I guess I just can't kiss you anymore."

I've never seen his face drop so quickly. It became truly pathetic and horrified.

"No! No, no…no!!"

He grabbed me and tried to hold me down to kiss me and I ducked out of his way. Making a break for it, I bolted off the bed but not before King caught me around the waist and roughly flung me on the bed. I squealed and writhed beneath him as his nimble fingers tickled my sides.

"King!! Let me go!"

He smiled gleefully and his eyes glistened with amusement as he continued to torture me. He stilled my hips with his powerful thighs and pinned my wrists with one strong grip. So, I was left at the mercy of his hands. He tried again to kiss me but I turned my head into his sheets with my hair flailing around us. He growled in frustration and I peered at him through the curtain of my hair. He was sitting there looking indignant and pouty with his bottom lip stuck out.

"Hey, you're the one who said it hurt. I'm just being considerate and looking out for your best interests. I won't kiss you until it heals."

Here it comes. The whining and begging is about to begin. He sat up on top of my lap and huffed then leaned back down freeing my hands. They went to his back languidly feeling all the muscles there. His lips were a breath away but he kept control of himself as he spoke.

"And you think I would let that stop me? The pain I can deal with but now that I had a taste of the wonderfully delicious Abigail Whistler, I can't get enough. You're like Heroine. I need you in my bloodstream."

I raised my eyebrows and started to giggle. Taking a moment, I fully admired his features and body, and he thought I was a drug? He knew he was too beautiful to resist, but God damnit I was going to try.

"Thank you for comparing me to a narcotic. That's the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me. But, I already have you in my bloodstream."

Sarcasm always seemed to work him. His grin widened knowingly. But, I have to admit that having his mouth so close and being resigned not to kiss it was proving to be a hard and daunting task. I know he was itching to do it, but it had become a silent competition to see who would win. He was teasing me by getting closer and closer then nuzzling me with his nose. My laugh came out seductive. Noises of someone moving around could be heard downstairs. I inhaled deeply and rubbed King's back before sliding out from underneath him. My knees cracked as I stood up and King's eyes softened.

"I'll be fine; I refuse to have you carry me everywhere even though that seems to be your forte."

"I can't help it. I want you as physically close to me at all possible times."

"Well, we'll see how long you can hold off. Cause I'm not going easy on you now."

I put on some gym shorts and a tank top and purposely sauntered away. I felt his tension and restrain as he trained his eyes on me. I stopped at the door, turning back around; I looked him up and down. As he lay on the bed, the sheets were tented clearly at his waist. I smiled triumphantly.

"You won't last 24 hours…"

With that I walked out and faintly heard him groan in defeat. The clock in the kitchen read 9 a.m. I found a busy body putting the milk back into the fridge and grabbing the carton of juice. She shook it in my direction, offering me some but I declined. Zoë looked at me while trying to pour more orange juice in her glass. She winced sharply at the site of my legs. Her voice was timid but held a childlike concern.

"Are you okay?"

I nodded and grabbed the coffee pot and a filter and began to fill it up with water and fresh ground beans. Zoë didn't lift her eyes; she still looked at the dark bruises skeptically.

"It always looks worse on the second day…and doesn't feel much better, but I'll live."

She seemed comforted by that and went back to the task at hand. It definitely wasn't the worst injury I'd ever had. She, unfortunately, had seen worse; especially on King. Part of me thinks that's the main reason she's so attached to him. Zoë saw him in his cell, after he was tortured and threatened to be turned again and starved to the point he was desperate so he could take her life. She should never have seen him so powerless. Ever since then King and I have always been highly discreet about any wounds we obtained in battle. This was slightly different however. I got these out of sheer carelessness and stupidity.

"I made you something. It's over there on the table."

I jumped out of my thoughts and saw a piece of paper by her cereal bowl. I walked over and picked it up. It was a crayon drawing of me in the rain, on the roof deck shooting my bow at the target wall. Exactly the way a six year old would draw it, but she had artistic talent.

"Wow Zoë, you did a really good job sweetheart. Thank you."

I hugged her and she sat down in her chair to eat. I took a seat next to her observing the picture and idly twisting the gold band around my thumb. I felt Zoë's eyes watching me expectantly and I tried to ignore it.

"What happened last night? King looked really mad. When he put me to bed he told me that you were in trouble with him"

My head snapped up and I rapidly searched for a safe answer.

"I came in late last night without telling anyone I was leaving and King wasn't too happy about that. But, we talked about it and everything's okay now."

Of course everything was okay now. We had incredible sex. I mentally slapped myself for even thinking about that now that King and I were playing this little game. Hopefully he would break soon because if not then I'll be a celibate woman, thus beginning the art of self masturbation again. Damnit but it was so much better when he did it. To clear my head I rubbed my face in frustration. I became acutely aware of my thoughts when Zoë clinked her spoon in her cereal bowl, eating her frosted flakes. She sat there studying me. It gave me a familiar but sad feeling. Sommerfield, albeit blind, used her intense presence and other senses to study my moods and feelings. Zoë was the same way. She was getting more and more like her mother everyday. Whether she was aware of it or not, Zoë had inherited her mother's uncanny sense of intuition. Each of the Nightstalkers had a certain presence. King was intimidating and foreboding. I was stoic and lethal. Caulder was intelligent, and Dash was more laidback but possessed finely tuned street smarts. Zoë's stare started to burn a hole in to the side of my head until I couldn't take it anymore. So, I decided to lighten to situation with a change in conversation. A tactic I picked up when King would ask about my sexual conquests, before he became one. Fuck! There I go again. Was it possible to be this sexually frustrated a mere half hour prior to one of the best orgasms you've ever had? I cleared my throat and rested my head on my palm.

"What did you do last night while we had to work?"

Zoë dropped her spoon with an audible clash at the bottom of the bowl. Uh oh, this wasn't going to be good.

"God! I was so bored Abby! Caulder tried to teach me how to make goulash. It's a stew that has all this stuff in it...but I couldn't understand a word he was saying because he went so fast. So I grabbed my crayons and drew. We ate it later and it was really good. He stayed on the phone pretty much all night with Dash checking on you guys. I just watched the Little Mermaid and went to sleep."

I was amused to say the least. Caulder had no idea what to do when it came to children. Dash was a far better companion. He loves to play games with Zoë, but we needed him last night. Next time both King and I go out, I'll make sure Dash stays with her.

"Aw, I'm sorry Zoë. Caulder is from Glasgow in Scotland. That's why he talks so fast and has a funny voice."

"He's weird."

Just as soon as those words came from her mouth Caulder came into the kitchen and got an ice pack out of the freezer. I smiled brightly.

"Speak of the Devil…How was your night Caulder?"

He looked at me with tired eyes and shrugged.

"It was okay, right Zoë."

She didn't lift her eyes from the puzzle on the back of the cereal box. She spoke with the most inanimate voice.

"Fantastic…"

She shoved more cereal in her mouth and caught my gaze and rolled her eyes at him. I covered my mouth trying to hide my smile. Caulder's shoulders slumped, hurt.

"I tried to get you to play Monopoly with me but you said you didn't want to."

"Dash and I already have a game going. We've been playing it for about a week. I get lucky and hit free parking, but he always gets sent to jail."

"Well Dash will be up pretty soon I'm sure. Maybe he'll teach me how to be more fun."

"That's not possible."

I felt bad; she was grilling him pretty good. She was bound and determined to let everyone know that she didn't like having him as a babysitter. Caulder came over to the table and handed the ice pack to me. He lifted my foot onto the corner of his chair to elevate it.

"How you holding up there Abigail? Eh…took a nasty fall last night from the looks of it. Put that on your knee so it won't swell. King said there was a shuffle with a few vamps."

I shook my head and placed the compress with much difficulty on the nice size bruise. There was a slight discomfort at first because it was too cold, but it settled.

"You'll need a good workout so the muscles don't stiffen up. Thank God it's only handful of superficial wounds. We don't need our best Stalker laying up in the med room out of commission and gimping around here. It's got to be sore though. King wants you to do a run through with him and practice hand to hand combat. That should warm it up nicely. He's in the basement. He said to just send you down there after you finish breakfast. Which, contrary to popular belief does not only consist of coffee. Eat an orange; the vitamin C will be good for you."

"Thank you."

King poked his head in the door just to be nosy. Caulder got up and tossed an orange to me and left the kitchen. Completely undisturbed, Zoë swatted at King's hand before he had the chance to mess up her hair. Good girl. She was learning.

"Hey Ankle-biter. Did you give Abby her present?"

"Mmm hmm…"

He tried to catch whatever she was so concentrated on the cereal box. It was a little picture riddle.

"It's a sailboat."

Zoë huffed, slammed her spoon in her bowl, and got up. King's scent wafted by as he brushed past me. I should've known he'd wear Curve. Fuck him… He was fully dressed and ready to workout, wearing a tightly fitted wife beater and a pair of khaki dungarees. Why is it that as soon as I deny myself something, I want it twice as bad? He took Caulder's seat and readjusted my leg to sit on his lap. I could tell his thought didn't differ much from mine as he lightly stroked my leg, trying his best not to bring Zoë's attention to it.

"Are you going to be okay to train like this?"

I nodded, picking up my orange. He took it and began peeling it for me. Good, give him something else to do with his hands. Zoë washed out the contents of her bowl glaring daggers. She smacked King in the back of the head before she sat back down.

"Thanks a lot King!"

She snatched the cereal box and put it back in the cabinet by climbing on the counter then she stormed out of the room. Poor Zoë, she was just having one of those days.

"She's been trying her best to figure that out all morning you know."

King shrank into himself impishly.

"Sorry."

"I'm not the one you should apologize to."

"Alright let me go do some damage control. Meet me in the basement when you finish up here."

I nodded as he retreated into the hallway, headed for Zoë's room. I sat alone soaking up the silence and eating. My hands were sticky and the juice was trickling down my arm. Figuring everyone was out of the room and wouldn't catch me I decided to be lazy. At that moment I did something in true King fashion, I licked the trail of juice from my elbow to the tip of my pinky, sucking it off.

"Oh My God!!"

Startled I whipped my head around to see King standing there, eyes bugging out of his head.

"You had to do that didn't you? That's just cruel!"

I licked my lips for effect and smiled.

"Jesus Christ Whistler…"

His leaded feet tromped on the floor as he walked downstairs mumbling. Serves him right. I cleaned up and got dressed not to long after that, going into the training room in the basement. I heard the music blaring from the deck. King was listening to "Angel Eyes" by the Jeff Healey Band as singing to himself, quite badly, at the top of his lungs as I stood in the corner, unnoticed. I seriously wondered at his taste in music sometimes but this was far too entertaining to be interrupted. The song ended and I stepped out into view, clapping. King looked up at me from the weight machine, completely horrified. I laughed uncontrollably

"Encore, baby…"

He gave me a sour expression.

"Bite me…"

"Ohhh, I know how much you want me to do that but that would cause my mouth to come in contact with your body. Sorry, no can do."

"Very cute love. C'mon, warm up so we can spar."

"Isn't that what we've doing now?"

"Physically spar!"

I was enjoying his discomfort far too much than I was supposed to.

"Well, either way, you'd enjoy it."

"Whistler…"

"Alright, alright. I'll ease up.

King changed the cd, playing some Weapons of Mass Distortion to amp us up. I put on the safety gear and sparring gloves as did he, so we wouldn't get serious injured. We got into the fighting stance out on the open floor mat. King came at me with a right hook and I counteracted by grabbing his wrist with my right hand, placing my left one on the joint of his elbow forcing it upward, rolling him into a headlock. Letting him go, he switched and grabbed my arms across my chest, straight jacket style. This caused my body to press fully and firmly up against his, but I was in fighting mode. So I jabbed him in the ribs with my elbow swiftly turning and knocking him across with my forearm, knocking him down. I stepped away as he got up and advanced towards me. I ducked one punched aimed for my side, but caught the other one in the stomach. As I was bent over he threw an uppercut into my jaw. He backed off and readjusted his glove.

"Come at me with a kick. I want to test out your leg."

I nodded coming at him and landing a forceful spinning back kick to his stomach with ease. He stumbled back and I turned again, doing a high windmill kick, my foot hitting his shoulder causing him to fall. He breathed heavily as I offered him a hand up.

"You're legs just fine."

Only the immediate area of the bruise was tender. Sure, my legs were awfully sorer than usual but that I could deal with. It would recede in a day or two. I attacked King a couple of time and King resumed throwing a few punches and kicks my way. His skill was improving, but he still had what I like to call 'bar fighting' techniques which switched things up a bit. It made fighting with him more exciting because of his unpredictability. Just like in the bedroom…or shower for that matter. Jesus Abby, focus! I used the aggression to my advantage and took him down one last time, straddling his body. Due to adrenaline, neither of us noticed until it felt like the temperature went up a few degrees. He was pouring sweat.

"Are you tired?"

"I'm so many things but tired isn't one of them. Horny, however…"

I shoved him and got up walking to the weight bench grabbing my water sitting on top of it.

"I love fighting with you, not only does it turn me on. It makes me hot like this, the type of hot that makes your ass stick to leather seats."

"I don't know whether to thank you or be appalled."

"It's definitely a good thing. Take it as a compliment."

"You have such a way with words."

He was silent for a moment, which was shocking and then said something out of the blue as I toweled off the massive amount of sweat on my skin.

"You don't know much its killing me not to kiss you right now. I want to so badly."

"It's all a matter of willpower baby, and pride. I know how much you hate to lose. If it helps, it most certainly isn't a cake walk for me either."

We were interrupted by Dash rushing into the room. King looked up.

"Man, are you just getting up?"

"I've been up all night running coordinates of the clan of goons from last night. Azrael is hiding out in a blacked out warehouse on 46th. He's got something planned for tonight. There are about 40 of them. Something is definitely going down, something big. Should we set up shop tonight?

"Fucking absolutely! I can't wait to get my hands on those dog humping ass monkeys."

That caused an eyebrow lift from not only Dash, but me as well, and usually I was used to it. On occasion he did have a memorable gem slip through.

"What the Hell is wrong with your brain? You need some help.

He walked out murmuring to himself

"Crazy white boy."

For the remainder of the day I tried to take it easy and store my energy for tonight. Zoë and I read some more and I practice my archery on the roof. I took to playing Monopoly with Dash and Zoë. Caulder, being out of touch as he was, actually took notes during the game. King kept a watchful eye over us, tossing a humorous comment in here and there, but not participating in the game. My mind wandered to him from time to time and I would catch him looking at me at times lovingly and others lustfully undressing me with his eyes. The game lasted for 6 fucking hours. We took a break and King and I went to grab pizzas to bring back. We ate and by the end of the game, Dash had been in Jail for the ninth time and Zoë wiped us all out, winning the game. I was putting up the game when King put his hand on my shoulder, his touch automatically making me shiver.

"Abby we have to start getting ready."

He took my hand in his and we walked to the computer stations to get the rundown from Dash and Caulder and strap on our weapons. Dash handed me the schematic of the warehouse and where all the hiding spots were.

"Listen to me Abby. I have a gut feeling that they're well organized. And from what I could find we equipped. I want you to be careful. You both pissed this guy off royally last night. King, you're going to drive tonight, but I'll be in contact with you periodically. He simply nodded once, focused. I was already tuned out to everything but what I had to do tonight.

"Whistler, let's head out."

We arrived 3 blocks away through the back alley. From what I could tell there were about 15 entities outside looming around outside keeping watch. They all seemed fairly young. The frontline; useful but disposable. My guess was that the stronger vampires were held up inside armed and waiting for the shit to hit the fan.

"I'm going ahead of you so I can cover for you."

"Are you kidding me? Do you know how much danger that puts you in? If we split up they're going to take us both out."

"Abby if we don't split up, it'll be twice as easy for them take us out. They'll have a field day."

Taking his advice, we split up and moved in deftly. The poor bastards out front didn't have a fucking chance. I lit up the sky with ashes and fire all thanks to my trusty bow and UV Arc. The arc usually stunned the younger vampires just looking at it long enough for me to incinerate them. This time was no different. I could hear King's gunfire in the near distance as 2 vampire approached me fighting and then finally wiping them out.

It wasn't long before the older and stronger vampires took notice of the bonfires being lit up outside. King was on the front side of the warehouse holding his own against four older vampires who possessed guns and titanium throwing knives. He strangled the last one with his massive arms and shoved a silver spike through his chest, watching him burn. After 3 full minutes of nothing happening, King tuned his ears, listening for signs of more. Panic twitched in his body and the bile rose in his throat. Something was definitely wrong. It was too quiet. He looked around frantically. Where was Abby?

"KING!!"

My voice split the silence as I was ambushed by seven older vampires. I could see King near the edge on the other side of the warehouse. One vampire kicked me hard as the others held me and carry my away.

ABBY!!"

He saw my struggling body being tossed into the back of a beat up van. As he broke out into a run the van lurched forward, causing me to tumble to my knee as it peeled out onto the road. Through the thick blood pouring from my face I made out his figure. His pistols were drawn but quickly lowered, afraid of missing his target and hitting me. I watched as King's shadow slowly receded in to the distance trying in vain to catch up. Even in the dark his eyes glittered mixed with defeat, murderous anger, sadness, disappointment in himself, but perhaps most clear of all was that of bright fear and vengeance.