Chapter 2

"I'd like you to meet her," Mitchell said to George.

"What about me?" Annie asked.

"Uh hello Annie, Amber won't be able to see you. She's a human so isn't like us," Mitchell said.

"I'll be able to see her," Annie said.

"I guess I could tell her what you say or something," Mitchell said.

"Well I guess that's settled then. When is she coming?" Annie asked.

"I think I'd like to get to know her a little better first," Mitchell said.

"Well that's fair enough," George said.

"What's she like?" Annie asked.

"Amber's beautiful. And get this she actually WANTED to see my fangs and my eyes go black. And she wasn't frightened of either. She thinks I look sexy when I'm manifesting. No one has EVER said that to me before.

"Wow that is really cool," George said.

"What does she do?" Annie asked.

"She's studying to be a counselor," Mitchell said.

That night as Mitchell went to sleep his thoughts were on Amber. He had to see her again and soon. She made him feel so good and so in control.

A week later Mitchell decided to visit Amber as he hadn't seen her since the night at the club. They'd been in contact via texting and had had several long text conversations. On the way to Amber's Mitchell began thinking about everything he'd done in the past. If he was honest with himself he was a monster, a murderer. He had killed because he'd enjoyed how it had made him feel. He had felt powerful and free and more alive than he'd ever felt before. After he'd become a vampire he wasn't human and he'd lost his conscience. He had felt he was fee. It was those sensations he had been addicted to. But now that he'd met Amber he didn't want to be that person any more. Once he reached Amber's he knocked and Amber answered.

"Hey Mitchell," Amber said.

"Uh hey," Mitchell said.

"Are you ok?" Amber asked, noting he looked upset, after she'd invited him in.

"Not really. I've been thinking about everything I've done over all the years of my life," Mitchell said.

"And?" Amber asked.

"I'm a monster, I've murdered loads of people. I'm a disease. And I loved it. It made me feel powerful and more alive than ever before. When… when I became a vampire I wasn't human anymore and I lost my conscience. It was that which I was addicted to. I don't want to be like that anymore. I need your help Amber," Mitchell said.

He had tears running down his cheeks and as Amber moved forward and hugged him he started sobbing.

"You aren't that person any more Mitchell. I can see that you are a good person now. You need to forgive yourself and reach out for forgiveness to those who you've hurt," Amber said.

"There's too many of them," Mitchell said, "And besides the families of the victims don't know they were murdered. We have an arrangement in place where the deaths are ruled a suicide or something like that. So the families don't actually know. It's better that way," Mitchell said.

Amber could understand that as she herself hadn't known that vampires really existed until she'd met Mitchell.

"Are… do you still have contact with the other vampires?" Amber asked.

"There is a group of us here in Bristol but I am going to ask them to leave me alone and tell them I do not want to be involved with them anymore. Seth is one of them," Mitchell said.

"Will they leave you alone?" Amber asked.

"I hope so. But Herrick… I don't know. He thinks the vampires need me that they look up to me and that I'm a hero to them. He will likely be furious when I tell I'm I no longer want to be involved with them," Mitchell said.

"When are you going to see them?" Amber asked.

"Tonight," Mitchell said.

"I will keep you in my thoughts," Amber said.

"I need you to promise me…promise me that you won't go anywhere near the B Edwards funeral parlor. That's the headquarters for the vampires," Mitchell said.

"I won't go anywhere near it. Thanks for warning me," Amber said.

Mitchell leaned forward and found Amber's mouth with his, losing himself in the sweetness of her kiss. They were still kissing when a knock came at the door.

"Shoot I'll have to answer that," Amber said disentangling herself from Mitchell.

She went to the door and opening it found a dark haired young woman on her doorstep.

"Hi I'm Lauren is Mitchell here?" the woman said.

"Actually he is. But how did you know he was here?" Amber asked.

"I followed him," Lauren said.

Just a minute I'll get him," Amber said.

She returned to Mitchell.

"There's a Lauren here to see you," Amber said.

"What?" Mitchell exclaimed.

"She said she followed you and that's how she knew you were here," Amber said.

"Oh for heavens… wait here," Mitchell said.

He strode out of the room and to the door way.

"What in the name of heaven are you doing here. I told you I wanted to be left alone," Mitchell greeted Lauren.

"I need your help. I don't want to be like this. You made me like this so you have a responsibility to help me," Lauren said.

"We aren't having this conversation here," Mitchell said.

"Who is Amber?" Lauren asked.

"Never you mind," Mitchell said.

He did not want Amber to be mixed up with Lauren.

"Is she your girlfriend?" Lauren asked.

"Mind your own," Mitchell said.

"Does she know what you really are?" Lauren asked.

"Yes she does and she isn't scared of me," Mitchell said.

"Wow that's unusual. Anyway are you going to help me?" Lauren asked.

"The only way to free yourself is to go cold turkey like I am," Mitchell said.

"I can't," Lauren said.

"If I can you can," Mitchell said.

"It's like the Hotel California. You can check out but you can never leave," Lauren said.

"I will stay clean. Amber gives me the strength to," Mitchell said.

"Like I really believe that," Lauren said.

"Just leave ok. I'm not inviting you in," Mitchell said.

"Whoever came up that rule is dumb. It's like the stupidest rule. I'll be seeing you around Mitchell," Lauren said.

She turned and walked away down the street and Mitchell went back inside.

"So what was that all about?" Amber asked.

"That was Lauren and well she's someone I recruited about a year ago. It was a case of me not being able to separate sex and feeding and I didn't want her to die so I turned her," Mitchell said.

"You must have been so angry with yourself afterwards," Amber said.

"I was furious with myself," Mitchell said.

"I guess you need to prove you can have sex without it ending with you feeding on the woman you're with," Amber said.

"Yes most definitely," Mitchell said, "But anyway back to Lauren. She wants me to help her get clean like I am. And she feels I should have been there when she woke up as a vampire. I wasn't there because I was so disgusted with myself at what I'd done," he ended.

"Are you going to help her?" Amber asked.

"If it's ok with you. I promise I won't feed on anyone," Mitchell said.

"Yeah it's ok," Amber said.

"Lauren doesn't mean anything to me before you ask. But I was responsible for her becoming what she is so I do have a responsibility to help her," Mitchell said.

Amber nodded.

"Now where were we when Lauren so rudely interrupted us?" she asked.

"I believe I was doing this," Mitchell kissed her, "and this," he kissed her again and they resumed kissing. When they came up for air Mitchell smiled at Amber.

"My friends that I live with want to meet you. I wasn't entirely straight last time about who I live with. As I said I live with George but I also live with Annie. The thing is you won't be able to see her as she's a ghost. George and I can because well we aren't exactly human. I'm a vampire as you know and George well he's a werewolf," Mitchell said.

"And I won't be able to see her because I'm human," Amber said.

"Yes," Mitchell said.

"I can understand you not telling me about her," Amber said

"She and George are really good for me. If I mess up it's their disappointment I have to deal with. It keeps me strong knowing they'd be disappointed if I fell off the wagon again," Mitchell said.

"You feel you're accountable to them in other words," Amber said.

"Yes. And to you now. I know if I screwed up you'd be disappointed in me. I couldn't bear it if that happened," Mitchell said.

"It's good you have made yourself accountable to people and to the right people. The people that influence you are so important. If you returned to the vampires you'd be influenced to carry on feeding and killing and that wouldn't be good," Amber said.

"That's right and I know that would happen as it's happened before at various times in my long life," Mitchell said.

He and Amber were snuggled up on the couch and Amber was running her fingers through his long curls.

"There is something you need to know," Mitchell said.

"What's that," Amber said.

"If we were to ever marry we won't be able to have children. Remember I told you that when I became a vampire I became frozen so to speak and I haven't changed since that moment. I have been sterile since then as you can imagine," Mitchell said.

Amber realized what he meant and nodded.

"So you wouldn't need to use protection," Amber said.

"Yeah," Mitchell said.

"Well we can always adopt or I can get pregnant using a donor sperm," Amber said.

"Yes there are ways. It depends if we want to have a child growing up with a father who's a vampire," Mitchell said.

Amber nodded knowing he was right.

"Well I better get going now as I have work this afternoon. I'll let you know how I get on with the other vampires," Mitchell said.

He kissed her and then was gone.

Amber didn't see Mitchell again until the next weekend when she visited him at his place after he'd called and invited her to. When she arrived at Mitchell's house she knocked and Mitchell answered the door with a smile.

"Heyyy how are ya?" he asked.

"I'm good. How about you?" Amber asked.

"Good. The vampires have agreed to leave me alone. Well except for Herrick who doesn't think I can stay away from blood. Herrick was furious as I had thought he'd be. He thinks that I can't be a good person as he is a slave to his vampire instincts. From what he told me he sees me as his protégé. But I couldn't give two hoots about that as I don't want to live that life anymore. I haven't told him about you but if he finds out about you he'll try to kill you," Mitchell said.

"And then you'd have to kill him," Amber said.

"Yup. Stake to the heart would do it," Mitchell said.

He invited her in and showed her through to the lounge where he introduced her to his house mate George.

"Nice to meet you," Amber said.

"So you're the girl Mitchell's fallen for," George said.

"Looks like it," Amber said.

"Amber, Annie says hello," Mitchell said.

"Hi Annie," Amber said.

"Yes Annie she knows about you. I told her you live here," Mitchell said.

To Amber he seemed to be talking to no one but she knew that Annie was there.

"What did you tell her about me?" George asked Mitchell.

"Uh I told her you live here with me," Mitchell said.

"Did you tell her about my um condition?" George asked.

"He told me you're a werewolf. How did it happen?" Amber said.

"I don't believe this. Um I got scratched by another werewolf, " George said.

He glared at Mitchell.

"Can I have a word with you?" he asked.

Amber watched as they went into the kitchen. As she couldn't see or hear Annie she couldn't make conversation with her. She could hear raised voices in the kitchen and realized that George was having a go at Mitchell for telling her about his condition. Finally Mitchell came back into the lounge.

"We're leaving. Stupid arrogant jerk," Mitchell said.

"Sorry Annie I have to go now. Nice to meet you," Amber said.

She let Mitchell lead her out of the house and when they were outside Mitchell turned to her.

"I'm sorry you had to hear all that," Mitchell said.

"Maybe you shouldn't have told me about him being a um werewolf until after we'd met," Amber said.

Mitchell hung his head.

"You're right. I didn't think. Now he's mad at me. I guess I need to apologize to him," Mitchell said.

He smiled at Amber and they went back inside where Mitchell found George and apologized to him. George apologized to Mitchell for going off at him and everyone sat in the lounge.

"Mitchell seems to be smitten with you," George said.

"He is. He's lovely," Amber said.

"And you seem to be just what he needs to be able to stay on track," George said.

"Amber's wonderful," Mitchell said.

"Annie thinks you're the best thing that's happened to me," Mitchell said.

He smiled at Amber and kissed her.

"Alright alright," Mitchell said after they came up for air.

"Annie said enough of the tonsil hockey," George explained.

"Sorry Annie," Amber said.