Chapter Four

Kiley had parked a couple blocks away and walked to Fangtasia. The sun was out and it's rays felt warm on her skin. She had missed being out during the daytime. She was casually dressed in jeans and carried a backpack and nothing about her appearance seemed out of the ordinary. She approached the rear of Fangtasia since she wanted to be out of sight. Her eyes scanned her surroundings to make sure that there was no one else around. Satisfied that she was alone, Kiley placed her bag down on the ground near the back door. Showtime, she thought. She smirked as she thought what the Sheriff's expression would be if he could be a witness to this. She wasn't Shane's favorite little agent of stealth for nothing. But, even she had a few limitations, she couldn't bring the backpack through with her. Her clothes for some reason would go across, maybe because they were in close contact with her skin. She faced the door and closed her eyes and phased through it. She wasn't sure how she did it, she only knew that she could. She was an orphan so she didn't know if this ability was inherited or if it was a mutation. Her grandmother was normal. Perhaps, there was a wraith or something in her family, who knew? But a locked door was no obstacle to her.

Once inside, she unlocked the door and retrieved her backpack. She quietly went inside since she was sure the vampires were here sleeping. It was dark inside and Kiley turned on the lights and headed for Sheriff's Northman's office. She was only planting a bug in here near the desk. It was voice activated so that the battery wouldn't run down sending useless silence. He had a answering machine and she placed the bug inside of that. She took out a detector and turned it on because she was curious. Sure, enough, her bug wasn't the only one planted in this office. She wondered who else would be spying on the Sheriff. She didn't disturb it, but it's existence could be something to use to bargain with the Sheriff if she need it. Again, he had crept into her thoughts. With a conscious effort, she refrained from touching those bites. Damn him, she thought.

She moved to his file cabinet and picked the lock and opened it. She looked through several files but she didn't find anything too interesting. She kept looking and finally found a ledger that recorded the profits from illegal activities. Hmm, now, this was definitely interesting, she thought. Should she take it? If she had this in her possession, it might be enough to buy her freedom if the Sheriff figured out what she was. Shane would be mad at her, but he had sent her here without any protection, hadn't he? A girl has to think of number one first. She had learned that lesson the hard way. She needed to cover up the theft of this ledger. So, she would have make it appear that the bar was the victim of a random robbing and, perhaps, a vandalism. That brought a smile to her face. She finished going through his desk and didn't find anything to indicate that he had any activities in Arkansas. She placed the ledger in her backpack and then dumped all the files out on the floor as well as the contents of his desk. There were shelves in his office and she overturned them and spilled the contents over the floor. She took out a switchblade and cut his leather sofa to shreds. He wasn't going to bite her again on that thing, she thought.

She moved into the main bar and took out an can of aerosol paint. She always came prepared and there was nothing like a little graffiti to add to any job of vandalism. In black paint on those red walls, she wrote 'Die Fangers' and other juicy slogans. She broke open the register and stole the money. She cut up several of the chairs and sofas in the main bar. She moved to the bar took out a little tool that she always carried in that backpack. It was an expandable police baton. With a downward flick, she expanded it to it's full length. With a smile she moved to liquor behind the bar and began demolishing bottles. She didn't make any excessive noise and she was sure that a few breaking bottles wouldn't wake up Pam and Eric. She stepped back and admired her handiwork with a smug smile. That had felt way too good. She busted the lock on the back door and exited the bar leaving a path of destruction in her wake. She literally felt like skipping to her car, thinking that was therapy, Kiley-style. Payback's a bitch, Mr. Northman, she thought.

So, Kiley wasn't surprised later that evening when Pam called her.

"Don't bother coming into work tonight," said Pam.

"Why? Did something happen?" asked Kiley, so innocently.

"Vandals trashed the bar and stole the cash register money," said Pam. "We should be open tomorrow."

"That's terrible, it was probably kids," said Kiley.

"If we could get our hands on them, we would drain them," said Pam.

I bet you would, thought Kiley with a smile.

"I'll see you tomorrow, then," said Kiley as she hung up.

Eric turned to Pam and said, "Call in Ginger and tell her to up this mess."

He walked back into his office and stared at the mess. Only his office and the main bar had been vandalized. For some reason his sofa had been the brunt of someone's fury. It looked like the victim of a homicidal slasher. Only one other thing besides the money had been stolen. And it's theft had meant that it wasn't kids or random vandals. Someone wants to blackmail him and he realized that until he got that ledger back, he was vulnerable. Whoever took it would no doubt be making their demands soon. And unless that person was very, very smart, he would make sure that they paid dearly for this.

Kiley arrived the next night and found the place for the most part cleaned up. New paint on the walls covered up the graffiti. The bar had been restocked and the slashed furniture was gone. It was a shame all her lovely handiwork was gone, she thought. She still found her mood improved. And nothing felt better than knowing that she had that priceless ledger hidden away. Her little insurance policy. She wouldn't use it unless the Sheriff gave her no other option.

In the locker room, she found that the other girls knew about the biting. After two nights the marks were well on their way to fading away. Which was remarkable to Kiley, for she had feared that vampire might have scarred her permanently. After a few sidelong stares, Kiley grew irritated.

"If anyone has something to say, then come out and say it. So, he bit me. I'm sure that I'm not the only girl in this place that he bites," said Kiley.

"Almost," said Darla. "He bites Tasha sometimes, but no one else."

That surprised her, since she had been sure he was biting all the women here.

"It didn't mean anything," said Kiley.

"Keep telling yourself that," said Darla. "You have been marked as a favorite. No other vampire will touch you, now."

Well, that didn't sound so bad to Kiley, except she didn't want the Sheriff biting her either.

Darla turned to leave and said, "I would watch your back. Tasha isn't happy about you taking her place."

Like she was going to waste her time worrying about some floosie dancer, Kiley had much more important things on her mind. Like staying alive if the Sheriff figured out that she was a spy.

For most of the evening, the Sheriff stayed in his office. Maybe, he was still trying to clean up that mess in there, thought Kiley with a smile. Not that she minded his absence in the least. The more probable the reality to having to see him again became, the more her stomach began to twist into knots.

Yet, her luck held out and the bar closed. She worked like a madwoman and finished her cleanup in record time. She only threw a jacket over her clothes and rushed for the exit, only to find Mr. Northman blocking her path. He was wearing a black v-neck tee shirt that showed off his muscular arms and hinted at the form that it concealed. She had to admit that he was literally drop dead gorgeous. Too bad his personality didn't match that body. She paused nervously and he slightly smiled at his effect.

"Goodnight, Mr. Northman," said Kiley as she stepped to the side and once again walked for the exit.

He easily moved in front of her again.

She stood there knowing that she could escape from him with her gift. But, that was only to be used as a last resort. She was certain that he didn't realize that she was different which was odd since he had tasted her and Shane had hinted that she would taste different from a regular human.

"I'm hurt that you didn't come to see me, tonight," said Eric.

"I didn't think that was how it works. Don't you do the summoning and everyone jumps when you call?" said Kiley.

Eric smiled and said, "Everyone except for you."

"Well, I wouldn't want to disappoint you now," said Kiley.

And she once again moved to the exit and he once again blocked her path. Only this time, he moved next to her.

"You didn't disappoint me the other night," said Eric. "You can't imagine how much I have been looking forward to doing that again."

He stepped closer to her, invading her personal space, and breathed in her ear. She knew that he didn't have to breathe as a vampire, but he was doing it for her, wasn't he? She couldn't control her response and she broke out in goose-pimples.

"I...I have to go," said Kiley.

He lifted her chin and stared into her eyes and said, "But, you don't really want to go, do you?"

Kiley stared back and felt herself falling into those icy blue depths.

"There's no one waiting for you at home, is there? You're all alone, sweet Kiley," he said.

"Please," whispered Kiley.

"I have no mercy, especially for someone who doesn't want it," said Eric.

He gently took her hand and pulled her back into his office. Everyone that was still in the bar had watched that little scene play out, including Tasha. She angrily turned and went into the dressing room.

When Kiley entered into the office, she saw that he had already replaced his sofa. The new one was larger and he drew her down next to him on it. He caressed her cheek and his eyes searched hers. Her brain was sending a warning signal, telling her to run. But, she felt powerless to obey. She closed her eyes.

"Don't do that," said Eric.

He moved off the sofa and knelt before her. But, she knew that he was not subjugating himself. He gently parted her thighs and bent his head to kiss them. He lifted his head back up and brought out his fangs.

"Look upon me and watch," said Eric.

He held her in his gaze for several seconds as his hands pushed up her dress. Then, he again bent his head to her thigh. His eyes raised up to hers to make sure that she had obeyed his request. He smiled and then turned his attention back to her thigh and sank his fangs into her flesh. The blood flowed more freely from this spot and he aggressively lapped at it. The action of his tongue on her thigh caused Kiley to moan and sink deeper into the cushions of the sofa.

It was at that moment that Tasha barged into the office. She stood frozen in place as her eyes fell upon the sight of Eric kneeling between the girl's legs. When Kiley moaned again, he lifted his head and looked over to Tasha. There was blood on his chin and he smirked at her as Kiley's hands reached for him. He moved in a flash back to the girls thigh and ignored her. Tasha stepped outside and closed the door. There was something in that interaction that was different from how he fed on her. This waitress was not some passing fancy, she was sure.

Eric moved up to Kiley's lips and kissed her. He had her blood on his lips and chin and smeared it onto Kiley as he kissed her. But, she didn't seem to mind and opened herself to his probing tongue. He paused and licked off blood. She wrapped her legs around him and pulled him closer. He returned to kissing her. Being fed on was usually an pleasurable experience for humans, if the vampire wanted to make it so, of course. Yet, every once in a while you get one that like Kiley. In spite of her somewhat prudish manners, Kiley had a latent sensuality. And even though she might not like vampires very much, she was wired to respond to a vampire's touch. His touch. As he moved back to her thigh, he thought that whoever had sent her to him had been a fool. If she had been in his possession, he would have never given her to another vampire. Especially not when she tasted so divine. He stopped feeding on her and licked at the bite wounds, causing her to tremble at this touch. He looked up to find her staring down at him. She liked to watch as he knew she would, causing him to smile.

"We don't have to stop here," he said.

He saw her warring emotions pass over her pretty face. Shame, embarrassment, fear and lust. But, he knew that lust would triumph over all the others. It might take Kiley a little while longer to realize that. But, he had nothing but time to devote to her, didn't he?

Kiley gave a sound almost like a sob and ran for the door. Eric watched her go, but he did not pursue her. He didn't need to. The girl was his, now.