Sookie burst up from the chair as I came in, moving to swat my arm and frown deeply.
"You idiot," she hisses. This was counter acted as she engulfed me in a tight hug. I hugged back, enjoying the contact. My hand pats her back after a while.
"I need to change. Ben, you coming with?"
Sookie looked alarmed as she looked to Niall then Ben. Ben rose, glancing to a fuming Jason.
"Yeah."
"What?! You were just attacked!" Jason cries out.
"Fae," Sookie edges. "It's dark out."
A heavy sigh escapes, looking over them.
"I don't need permission. Ben's coming. With both of us, most everything is covered. We'll be fine."
"You're going after this guy."
Sookie was resolute, frowning. Our eyes locked and she looked a bit wary of the teeth she'd been seeing. Though she'd said nothing nor openly reacted to them.
"I want to," I admit tiredly. "But I'm not that foolish. After the other night, it's clear the usual methods are out."
"Other night?" Jason cuts. Easily ignored as well.
"Then why would you leave?"
"She's looking for answers."
Jason whirls on the calm tone. Niall sat forward in his chair, nodding as if he agreed fully with my decision.
"If you know how," he encourages. "Do it. Some things are better when clear."
Our eyes locked, sharing the same determination. I nodded, moving back to Sookie's room to find my things and change. I was out shortly, hands yanking my hair into a ponytail to match Sookie's.
I'd merely put on dark attire and boots. But it was mine and didn't show blood. Blood seemed to be a reoccurring thing for ruining my attire. Hopefully this set wouldn't get ruined, but it stood a better chance than other attire.
Ben had my keys and wallet in hand, leaning on the frame of the entrance to the living room. Sookie rose, offering a faint smile. She was acting like I was going to break apart or fall to tears. Possibly vanish at any moment.
"You're looking to ask your father. Aren't you?"
"Better option than blind attack," I wryly answer, accepting my things from Ben around Sookie. "I'll be fine. We'll hurry back."
"Better be."
We grin, me waving to Jason and Niall. "Call if you need something picked up."
Jason refused to say a word, frowning as I moved out of the house with Ben. Sook was seen in the window, watching as I pulled out of sight. Ben shifted in his seat to look my way.
"Clueing me in?"
"If that's what you want," I tease. "He was calling me out the other day. My hope is that he'll still want to talk. Plus, you may or may not want to feed."
He leans in, taking a breath in by my neck. I blushed a little, grinning as I spared a flirting look his way between the road.
"An appreciated thought. Pull over."
I scoff a laugh, driving a bit more before pulling off on the side. I turned to look expectantly at him after the car was shut off. He leaned in quickly, hands shooting out vampire fast. I let out a gush of breath, both of us over the middle console and his fangs in my throat. My hands were quickly grasping at his shoulder and upper arm to steady.
A loud moan left me, eyes fluttering shut and feeling the change trying to come. A wrist was pushed to my mouth, open to breathe heavily. My sharp teeth easily broke skin with the blind push from him.
The moan fell to a short growl, teeth snapping fully into his flesh at the taste and smell of the blood. All thought of control was overrode, greedily lapping up the blood.
He pulled away with a gasping moan, grasp around my back tightening. His head reared back, fangs piercing flesh that had more than likely healed over. I moaned into his bleeding wrist, trying to tilt my head to better allow his access.
Finally, he pulled from me, brow resting against my shoulder as he let me pull more from him. The sounds coming from him were more in line with getting sexual gratification. He lightly tugged at the hold I had on his wrist. It was enough said. I broke from his wrist, gasping in air as if starved of it. My eyes remained shut, thoughts racing. Mostly racing to the best ways to get him undressed.
A deep chuckle left him, angling my face toward his. "Such a messy eater."
My eyes open, burning bright in the dark car. A devious smirk was aimed to him, promising things far more than this car comfortably offered. His own eyes held a similar dark hunger. His tongue flicked out, drawing up my chin along the line of spillage from my overeager drinking. My breath stuttered out, hands grasping tight at him as my eyes rolled shut. The wet appendage flicked over my bottom lip before we were both closing the gap with a hunger that promised the same as our eyes.
The potent taste of our blood mixed in our mouths, Ben pulling back. It was a combination of dragging me with him and me pulling after him. I was straddling him, hips grinding down as we tasted deeply at each other.
But he broke it, head falling back with our chests heaving as if there just wasn't enough air. I watched, catching my breath and smiling as his own lips curved up and those handsome dimples were exposed. Eyes I'd come to look forward to seeing looked toward me, playful but heavy with emotions.
"Pretty sure you were about to have your way with me, Miss Lynwood."
I giggle a bit, leaning in to touch my nose to his in a playful way. My voice was husky with desire and the smoky sound brought with the change. "My way or three."
Tapping at the window had both of us at attention. Ben's hold was tight, ready to shift me quickly away. I was snarling, teeth openly on display as the animal like tendencies of my new side reared. I curved more over Ben, almost protective with a clawed hand to the side to swing.
White in the pitch dark. Glowing eyes to nearly match my own showing clearly in the dark with all that white. The door clattered open, me rushing to get from Ben and close the gap the man had created. Handsome as before. He'd stepped calmly back, hands folded in a regal fashion behind his back. The white dress shirt and slacks all but stood out like our flesh in the dark, nearly as stark as our eyes.
The protective surge was gone, eager and rushed now. The change didn't go away, breath steaming out in the warm air. He looked pleased as he let his eyes flick over me.
"Well then, healthier than our last encounter."
Ben was getting out carefully, frowning as the man closed space to use long, thin hands with claws more threatening than mine. The hands were deftly aware of their sharp tips, using pads of fingers to grip gently and tilt my head to see my face.
"How good of you, taking to it so easily. Better than my last."
"There are more of us?" I was a bit in awe.
His claws were shy of cutting flesh, but never doing so. He shifts my lips open by pulling at the left cheek. There was no threat to him. Nothing in me screamed to run. Just…content.
"Mm. Poor thing. Been like this all day, I suspect."
A claw tested a few tips of my teeth. "A brother in Europe. If he still lives. Let me see."
I felt the heat burn further, like the full rage I'd felt the night prior when I'd feasted upon the guard's arm. But it was nothing outwardly different than the usual of my change. He was looking pointedly at my eyes and cheek bones. I suspect he thought I'd have changes similar to the one I'd seen earlier.
"Curious." The pad of his thumb pressed into the bones of my cheek, feeling. "Do move back, lad. I'd rather my daughter not think I'm challenging her claim."
This last was nearly absent, gaze focused upon my cheek bones still. Ben frowns, but takes the half step back.
"Antony's my dad," I counter in a soft tone. "Not you."
"Yes, as well as it could be. I would have raised you had the harlot not taken you from my territory, massive as it is, when I deemed her unfit. Nothing else has physically changed in feature?"
"What?" I stupidly blurt.
"No then," he muses, letting go to examine my hands.
I was stunned, eyes a bit wide as I looked to the face that held the masculine match to my own. I'd gotten a more delicate shaping from my mother's side. But we both had the same mouth. The same eyes. The same pointed nose. There was no question of relation. But he was as youthful as I was, meaning he could have been my twin.
"She only kept you because she was paid well to. She demanded a good deal of money on a monthly basis. I'm rather unversed in the ways of infants and children."
He lets my hand go, claws tapping his cheek in thought.
"And what do you want from me?" I speak up, less awed as I met his eyes. "Everyone wants something."
He gives a hum, gaze flicking loosely to Ben as if judging just by build. "Sentimentality in my old age." His eyes move back to me. "A pleasant surprise to finally have a daughter, when I decided to add another member to the line. Further so that you've lived so long. You're my third child to complete the change."
"Complete?" I gush, eyes wide as I search his face over.
"Oh, you've had one of the fastest I've seen. Though, circumstance does seem clear now." He pointedly glanced over Ben, another thoughtful sound given.
"Look," I cut off, shaking my head and waving a hand to clear this mess up. "'Nother time, 'nother day. Different matter."
He seemed to perk, attention to me as if waiting.
"Are you aware there's another male in the area? A male who is threatening me currently."
His eyes changed sharply, the pupils slit and the air feeling to tense around us. It was nearly like the very darkness were gaining life and density. That amused grin was gone to the faintest frown.
"Threatened?"
"Killing girls in town. Was dropping one off at my family home when I spotted him finally. All like the attack-"
He chuckles into a clawed fist.
"What's funny?"
"Ah, Azazel. The fool." His eyes danced with mischief, smiling again. "Hardly a threat, my girl. He's foolishly attempting to court you in the old ways. Show how he can provide. He forgets his age."
A sneer was given to him, annoyed and disgusted. But…a bit flattered. "You're telling me he's trying to flirt?! He attacked me!"
"That was dealt with at a prior date."
"You're so casual about this. It's not funny in the least."
"It explains so clearly why he has been eating so heavily of late."
I hold a hand up, emotionally spent. My arm crosses to cup the elbow of the opposite arm to lift the hand that had waved while I message the bridge of my nose.
"Why?"
"The challenge, of course. Had you no chosen mate, he would challenge you. This would be to show his worth. Seeing as you have one, he would challenge the mate. But I shall have to amend his plot. Azazel is a climber. And a foul judge of his level in comparison to others far higher. Though I can't fault the fellow. There are only three other females in the world. And you are the only one in country. Further, the only female to ever actually make it to change in our line. A prospect he, sadly, cannot seem to pass."
"I'm going to pretend that matters and that I care."
"As you should," he primly intones. That…
"But, I'm going on a limb here to clarify. You don't want anything from me."
"Time at best. It does get rather lonely."
"This Azazel is stopping."
"Of course. You'd eat the cod alive."
"Good," I sigh, hands snapping to my waist. I spare a look to Ben, wincing a bit at him in silent apology. He'd been so very quiet this whole time. I understood he was letting me handle it, but it just felt like he was letting us forget him. "Great. Then that solves that."
"You sound as if there is more."
My attention shifts back to my genetic father. He looked lightly curious, but amused. So very amused and pleased.
"Not on this side of…" I trail off, eyes slipping to the side before a finger points out at him and my attention locks upon him again. "Know anything about a vamp bible or prophecies of a Lilith?"
He gives an affronted look. It was akin to one puking on his white dress shoes. Ben was tenser than I'd seen, eyes sharp upon me. I was curiously serious as I waited for something.
"That filth? Avoid it. Nasty affair all that."
"Hard to avoid. Apparently the Authority for the vampires wants me. According to Bill, a vampire in the area, they want me for some prophecy. Or at least some want me for that. I'm assuming this fanatical crap isn't really on the agenda for the greater part of the Authority and is a sub plot of some in this faction."
He sighs, stance sagging a bit in the shoulders. It looked like a put-upon sagging.
"Closer to mark this time; more so than a few centuries back. Fanatics. Sickening things." He lets a small audible breath out, shifting on his feet to stand taller again. "It must be the same beast as the last time. Exotic looking, wavy long hair in a brown. Favors her breast all but hang out. Seductive thing."
My finger aims at him in recognition. "Yes! Her! She was going on and on about how import I am or such and such. Honestly, I mostly missed what she was trying to smooth talk." My hand motions in a light twirl by my head. "Out of sorts."
"Foul beasty, she is. Just eat her. It's how I dealt with her maker."
"Honestly, that…." I nearly face palmed. That really didn't solve it. "That doesn't solve more than hunger and just her."
He grins, patting at his belly. "Yes, there is that. I've yet to feed this week. Beg pardon, on the mind."
"This week?" I blanch, embarrassed greatly at my far more frequent hunger.
"Age and gender, my girl."
"Relax! Don't do it!" The tune played loudly from my pants. I fumbled quickly at my pocket, frowning as the phone was pressed to my ear.
"Tell me you did not change the ringtone."
Sookie laughed happily. "'Course I did. It's a fun song. Catchy."
I snicker, turning from the men as I hunch over in a belt of laughter that was not stifled well. It was a laugh I really needed.
"What? What is it? Fae?!"
"Ah shit," I wheeze, fanning my face as I lift it to the sky to open my air ways again. "I gotta-" I fell to laughing again, hand to my face. "Jesus. I'm so telling Pam. And Eric. Oh gosh. He'd just die again!"
"Don't you dare make me the butt of a joke!"
"Too late. Why are you calling?" I was still snickering and tone utterly showing the laughter.
"Checking in."
"I'm not three."
I hung up, fingers flying rapidly across the screen as I let out snickers still. My upper teeth rested on my lower lip, shy of actually biting. Did it once. Didn't want to make the mistake again.