Journeys

He Wakes Up

Vicki opened her eyes to the sound of an annoying talk show host arguing the pros and cons of using a wire whisk to make scrambled eggs. Vicki pounded the off button mumbling, "Who cares? Use a finger and lick it off." She stumbled into the bathroom and did her morning thing while the preprogrammed coffee pot completed it's assigned task and hot coffee waited for her in the kitchen. She grabbed bra, tee, panties, and socks from the drawer then went to the closet for her jeans and saw him curled up in the back corner. After a year, he called her needing help and she ran to his aid.

It pissed her off knowing how much he trusted her. She could drive a stake through his heart without his ever knowing, but she would never forget. No matter how angry she got, she could never live with the idea of hurting him. She kicked the closet door, felt a sudden sharp pain, looked down at the ripped toe nail and started swearing, "Damn, damn, damn!" Still swearing, she limped out to the kitchen to drink her coffee and call the answering service setting it to call forwarding so that she could work from home.

Between working for long periods she went into her room to check on Henry. Sitting on the floor next to him she told him her secrets. It was easy to say the words aloud when he couldn't hear them. Returning to her files she tried to keep busy and not watch the clock but found herself glancing at the lower right hand side of the computer every 15 minutes or so.

Vicki closed down her computer just before sunset and waited outside the closet door. She was relieved when she heard his gasp as he pulled in the first breath in over 13 hours. "Okay" she thought, "He survived the day, now I can get his sorry ass out of my life."

The deep breath told him where he was as his memory filled in the blanks of what happened in the early hours of the day. In a matter of seconds he would be facing the woman he loved and try to make her listen before another argument started.

He asked, "Is it safe to come out, or am I going to get hit again?"

"It's safe enough. Why ask?"

He gave a soft laugh, "You're unpredictable."

"Thanks for that, I think." She opened the closet door and invited him to come out.

She saw the faint bruise on his chin and pointed at it whistling, "Nice."

Henry touched it and said, "I don't heal so fast when I'm hungry."

She sat on the bed and held out her wrist, "Go ahead and feed, but nothing else."

His hardheaded woman would never give an inch if she could help it. Sitting down beside her he said, "I'm too hungry to argue." He took the offered wrist into his hand and before he could say anything else, the vampire rose and bit down.

She made a hissing sound as the pain of his bite registered, then she felt cherished.

He controlled the taking of her blood, willing her to understand how much he valued her.

They wrapped their free arms around each other's waist and pulled closer. He held his tongue to the wound a little longer than necessary savoring the taste of her. He could smell her desire and the man in him wanted to give her the love she needed.

Finally he let her arm fall from his lips, "I came back to finish what we started."

"You've been gone over a year, why now?"

He looked down at the puncture wounds left by his fangs on her wrist, "I love you and the timing is right."

Vicki let go of his waist, pulled her feet up onto the bed and wrapped her arms around her knees closing herself in, "For whom? I'm still me. Nothing's changed."

"You're wrong."

"I'm still visually challenged. I'm still going back and forth in a relationship with Mike. My mom continues to drive me nuts and the agency is on rocky ground. So what's changed."

Henry said, "I've changed and if you trust me, the marks on your arms will change."

"What the hell are you talking about?" She held out her arms and pushed up both sleeves studying her forearms. The marks that Norman had painted on them to call up a demon were still black circles with arcane symbols.

Henry reached out and placed his hands over the marks. She felt the coolness of his touch slowly turn warm and saw bits of green blue light spreading between his spread fingers. "What?"

Henry looked into her eyes as he spoke syllables in a strange language. He smiled and nodded in satisfaction as he too felt the warmth and saw the glow. "Vicki, do you want the power offered by Astaroth?"

"No! I don't want anything evil."

She tried to pull her arms away, but he held them even tighter and asked, "How do you feel about me?"

She looked into his eyes ready to spit out words of hurt and anger, instead she said, "I can't tell you."

He gave her arms a little shake and demanded, "What are you feeling and what do you want?"

Closing her eyes she let her chin drop to her chest. "What I can't feel is love for Mike. He's kind, and a good friend, but I don't love him. I've tried to love him for years. We get close, then I pick a fight. I'm tired of fighting. I want to stop."

"Then stop it. Accept that life can't always be on your terms. Let me in."

"If I let you in, then what?"

"Let me in and I'll tell you. Trust me with your life the way I've trusted you with mine."

She thought of him in her closet. Then she remembered the other times in his condo when she sat beside him during the day. He gave her his absolute, unquestioning trust. "I can't fight you anymore." She raised her chin, squared her shoulders turned her arms in his hands and let her fingers hold his forearms, "I trust you. I'm yours if you want me."

The blue green light coming from under Henry's fingers became brighter and he let go. The marks changed before her eyes as the black circles broke and now looked like green vines with small leaves and the star in the center became shades of blue and teal. The arcane symbols were now those of white magic representing, spirit, earth, air, water, and fire. The black magic had been burned away.

"it's taken me a year to learn what needed to be done. Friends gave me suggestions and lent me books. Astaroth and evil will always be a part of this world but I was able to make a bargain. If you trusted me enough, I'd have the strength to change the marks."

"There's a catch. What is it?"

"The dark ones get me when we're no longer together."

"If I die tomorrow?"

"They get me."

"If I turn vampire and the territorial issues drive us apart?"

"They get me."

She pulled back her fist and nailed him on the chin again, "You stupid fool. I'm not worth the price."

He rubbed his chin shaking his head, "Bloody hell! Leave my chin alone! It's my life. I wanted you free of Astaroth and you're worth the price."

"Damn you, Henry."

"I already am. I was damned centuries ago for choosing vampire."

Vicki pulled back her fist again but this time he ducked and she grazed his ear, "If I have to be vampire and sit next to you snarling every night for all eternity that's what I'll do. You're mine, and I'll do what it takes to keep you safe."

Henry pushed her back and pinned her to the bed, "That's my girl." He started tugging at her clothes, "It's about time you gave me the rest of you."

She ripped the shirt from his back and bit into his shoulder drawing his blood, "I'm thinking it's about time I take what I want from you too."

He let her take a taste of his blood before he pulled back his shoulder, "Not yet. I have a few things to do here in the city that you can't be a part of."

"What do you mean? I thought we just agreed to me being a part of your life."

"You're a part of my life. But turning you has to wait until my business is finished."

"Keep it up and I'm going to get pissed off."

Henry didn't want to say anything to make her mad when he finally got her in a position to make love, so he kissed her and kept kissing until she got the idea he wasn't going to let her speak.

She sighed in pleasure and defeat.