CHAPTER 6: Claire
A feeder was a person who worked for the blood bank and would be escorted to vampires home to be able to feed directly through the vain. I knew this because I had seen Myrnin feeding from one more than once over the years. Now as the blond-haired girl sat down across from me, the woman who Oliver had brought over was tall light blond hair with dark skin that was marked with tiny silvery marks on her neck and wrist, that she hid with thick silver collar and thick wristbands that covered most of her wrist, it made me wonder how she was able to move her wrist at all. From what I had learned from other vampires, she probably had bit marks on thighs too but I sure as hell wasn't going to take blood from such an intimate area or asked to see.
But what really surprised me about this woman was how she dressed, Myrnin's feeders had always looked and acted on the sluttier side but this woman sat before me dressed in a nice casual yet somewhat sexy blue dress and black strappy flats. The outfit was something I might have worn to an interview or to a casual business meeting, while the outfit allowed easy access to all of the needed areas it still surprised and somewhat made me feel at ease with the situation.
"Hi, my name is Nikki and I'll be your feeder today." She said and smiled a polite profession smile at me. "So I understand this is going to be your first warm blooded feed."
I blinked at her, the way she talked about what was about to happen seemed almost like we were at the doctor's office or something.
"Um.., yes," I answered when I realized she was waiting for an answer.
Nikki nodded and glancing back at the huge vampire who had come in with her, opened a black leather briefcase the pulling out a single document.
"Before we begin I'm going to need you to read and sign this." She said and setting the paper down, slide it across the table to me. Picking it up I started to read over the very legal document.
By signing the binding document, I hereby swear to treat my personal feeder or feeders with respect and swear to protect and feed responsibly.
By signing the contract I hereby swear to obey all of the following listed.
1. the vampire will not go over the set feeding time
vampire will not proposition the feed for intercourse
3. the vampire will not use obsessive force on the feeder, failure to obey this rule will result in the Guardian's immediate intervention and termination of all future fresh feeds.
4. the vampire will provide payment to the feeder on a by user basis, failure to do so will be grounds for termination of all future feeds.
By signing this contract I hereby understand and will follow all of the rules set by and enforced by the Founder's Council.
Blinking I read the contract over again then looked back at Nikki, she was unfazed and seemed to be bored but she hid it behind a mask of professionalism. It seemed so odd that this woman was trusting this piece of paper and another vampire to keep her safe from me, sure I wouldn't intentionally hurt her but what about other vampires?
Deciding to get this over with I quickly signed the contract and slid it back across the table from her, Nikki smiled and handed it over to her 'guardian' who placed it in the brief case without a word.
"Good, so has set up your account with the bank and after this session, I'll give you the catalog that you can pick out your next meal from." She said and I blinked again.
There was a freaking catalog? Seriously?
Nikki stood and started to take off her wristbands.
"Since this is your first time I figure you would want to work your way up to... other area's." She said then suddenly Oliver and Myrnin were there. Oliver held Nikki's arms while Myrnin used a fingernail to gently slit Nikki's wrist enough to draw blood. The smell hit me instantly and made my throat hurt, I felt so hungry and it took everything I had not to jump her.
"Focus, listen to her heartbeat when it starts to stutter pull away," Oliver said as my fangs lengthen, I noticed absently that my gums ached when my fangs snapped down but my thirst filled every thought. leaning forward and licked the blood off her wrist, the tasted of Nikki's blood filled my mouth and I wanted more.
I felt the moment my fangs slid inside her wrist and I moaned when the blood began to fill my mouth as I feed everything became heightened, I could hear and feel Nikki's heart beating as feed deeper. My thoughts cleared and I began listening...there her heartbreak was off, pulling away slowly I sat back and licked my lips as my fangs slid back into place.
"Well done Claire," Oliver said and handed Nikki a handkerchief which she used to wipe the blood away. "Thank you, will come from my account."
Nikki nodded and smiled at me, her guard placed a magazine on the coffee table before the two left.
"That... it wasn't like I thought it be," I said and wiped my mouth with the back of my hand.
Myrnin shrugged his shoulders and stood then walked over to what I assumed was a liquor cabinet, and pulled out a crystal decorator filled with a light brown liquid, I watched as he poured himself a glass than taking a sip.
"Each feeder is picked to match the vampire personal needs," Myrnin said and I raised an eyebrow at him as the memory of the two barely dressed red heads I had walked in on him with came to mind.
"Don't give me that look, some single vampire like to mix pleasure in their feedings." He said hotly and took another sip of his drink.
Oliver rolled his eyes before adding.
"While others like myself prefer to keep it clean and professional."
Biting back a laugh, as the doorbell rang. Oliver left to answer the door leaving Myrnin and me alone for the first time since the attack. Neither of us spoke just stared at one another, for almost two years I had fantasized about this man, had woken up at night my nipples tight and aching for him and feeling guilty for it. For the first time since the abuse with Shane started I got angry, all this time he had known that I was his mate and didn't tell me, all that time I could have been saved from the pain and humiliation Shane had inflicted upon me and he hadn't told me.
"Claire..." He started but I cut him off.
"Don't Myrnin... just don't," I said and looked away because while part of me wanted to blame Myrnin for me staying with Shane, I couldn't really be angry at him. I had chosen to stay, from the beginning everyone had thought Shane wasn't good for me and I had wanted to prove them wrong. Wanted to prove that Shane wasn't like his father and that he loved only me, but as memory after memory of Shane abusing me played over and over inside my mind it brought home just how stupid I had been.
"How long did you know?" I asked when I was finally able to look at him again. "How long did you know I was your mate?"
He stared back at me for a long moment before answering.
"The night of the final battle with Bishop, when I was feeding on you I felt the bond snap into place." He said and finished off his drink, I stared at him as tears began to slide down my face.
"Why?" I asked my voice thick with tears.
"Claire... I was going to tell you, but then I saw you run into the boy's arms and I saw how happy you were with him...I didn't want to hurt you so... I let you go." he admitted.
"That wasn't your choice to make!" I snapped as I began to cry harder. "You should have told me! You should have let me choose what I wanted!"
Myrnin flinched at my words but said nothing and in that moment I wondered how fate could be so cruel as to give me the unconditional love of two smart mature men who wanted to be with me, only to make me question everything about them.
When Oliver finally came back into the room Myrnin was gone and my tears were gone as well. To his credit, Oliver didn't ask any questions and I was grateful as he handed over a handful of bags full of clothes and shoes.
"Thank you," I said as I started as I started to look through the bags, they were all expensive designer brands but I noticed that while the clothes were much more expensive than I normally got they were all things I would have picked out for myself.
"Take your time getting ready," Oliver said. "The others won't be here for another hour."
"Others?" I asked as I pulled out a simple purple T-shirt.
"You'll see," he said.
The next few hours were filled with lawyers and paperwork, as a vampire I legally I had to hand over the human version of my will so any people listed on it would get any settlements or personal items I had left for them, then write up another one for my immortal life. When that was taken care off I had to meet with the college's lawyer to sign up night classes and sign a binding document stating that I wouldn't feed on anyone while attending school, then when I was told to get an order of protection against Shane I started to be difficult.
"Shane can come and get me at anytime, a piece of paper isn't going to stop him from hurting me," I said and the lawyer who's named turned out to be Katty gave me that professional sympathy looks that all lawyers worth anything had. Katty was human and one of the best lawyers in town from what I had heard and she must have been for Oliver to have called her here, but she simply didn't get what I was trying to say.
"Claire I understand that you are unwilling to press charges against him. But if you get the order and he violates it in any way that is an automatic five-year prison sentence," She said.
"And what happens when he gets out? He'll just keep on and on until either I am dead or he is." I snapped the looked away.
"Claire, it's better to have it than not." she said and I caved, Katty said that the order of protection would be filled in the morning and so it went on and on and on.
When everyone finally left dawn was starting to creep up on the town and dragged me down into sleep.