Walking

Walking down the street with the red tipped cane tapping the curb, Vicki listened for Henry to come up behind her. She was testing her senses allowing hearing, smell, and touch to take over for the absence of sight. Without missing a tap she turned and kissed his lips as they were about to bite her neck. "Got ya," she laughed and took off her glasses as he wrapped his arms around her waist and completed the kiss she started. He took the glasses from her hand and placed them on his nose. He couldn't see a thing through the black plastic. "Going to extremes aren't you?"

"I don't think so. I need to do it right all the time. I can't afford to slip up, not even once. I'm getting careless, and Mike is getting suspicious. He can't ever know I am vampire. You understand that don't you?"

Henry put the glasses back on her nose and held her hand asking, "What would be so horrible about Mike knowing? He's been back in our lives for months and he accepts what I am."

Vicki started walking and talking at the same time, "He hates what you are, what you have to do to live, and he hates himself for being attracted to you. Everything about you goes against his grain. Knowing I'm vampire would kill him. He pretends to accept you so that he can be near me, near us. We need to keep what I am secret."

Vicki stopped as she heard a car approach and then begin to slow down. She heard Mike's voice as he leaned out the window, "Taking my girl for a walk?"

Henry put a possessive arm around her shoulders and snapped back, "She's my girl. What do you want?"

Mike grinned hearing Henry's snarl, "Looking for cheese curls and beer."

Henry whispered in Vicki's ear, "One bite. That's all I'm asking." To Mike he said, "You know where we keep them. We'll be up in a minute."

Vicki smiled and tightened her grip on Henry's arm as they followed Mike's car down the street. She said, "He likes being around us. I see it in Jamus and Lana as well."

"That's one reason for keeping a sanctuary away from where you work. We need to have another place to stay during the day because they're going to get curious soon. I've seen it happen before and the results of that curiosity can be deadly."

"Is this what it's going to be like for us? Settling in somewhere only to have to move again every few years."

Henry sighed, "That's pretty much it. You saw how it got toward the end, my condo was becoming a revolving door for everyone and anyone. I made the mistake of thinking this time I could live and play in the same place. That was an error of judgment on my part."

Vicki stood waiting as Henry opened the door for her and called up the steps, "Mike, leave a hand full of curls for me." She looked at Henry and he nodded, "and open two more bottles of beer."

Mike was already sitting on the couch with his tie loosened and feet on the coffee table along with the curls and three open bottles of beer. Seeing Mike comfortable reminded him of the fact the door to his home was beginning to revolve again. Henry snarled, "Don't you have a home? Your own beer and snacks? What about a girl friend? I could scare one your way, if you need help."

Mike clicked the TV remote. "Yes I have a home, beer and snacks. You stole my girl friend. I'm just trying to get her back."

Henry's growl deepened and Vicki stepped between them, "Down boys. Mike you know full well that subject is closed. What about your Kate? I thought you two had a thing going."

Mike jabbed at the remote several times and stopped at a baseball game, "She backed off when I made the mistake of mentioning I was in contact with you again. Kate didn't much care for the way you had a tendency to push into the cases she and I were working on. I don't need Henry to scare up a woman for me. I do very well on my own when I try."

Henry said, "Well try then, and leave my girl alone," and reached over for his beer and a cheese curl. He took a long swallow of the beer then threw the curl into his mouth. Mike stared at the sequence of events, "I thought you couldn't eat anything solid?"

"I can eat and drink what I want. I just don't get benefit from anything but warm blood from a beating heart."

Mike made a face, "That's so wrong. Don't remind me of your eating habits."

"You're in my house, you'll put up with my habits." Henry left the room with his beer and a hand full of curls.

Mike sat with a cheese curl half way to his mouth trying to figure out Henry's mood tonight. They always bicker over Vicki. He then looked at the coffee table and remote covered with orange powder, and water rings from sweating beer bottles. Mike shrugged at Vicki, "What got him so pissy?"

Vicki said, "Give me the remote," and held her hand out. When he placed it in her palm she turned off the TV and made her way to the door, "Go somewhere else. You're spending too much time here."

He got up saying, "You know, Vicki, you're getting as bad as he his. You never let yourself go and have fun anymore. I'm lucky if I can get you to drink half a beer, and when was the last time we shared Chinese?" Mike eyes focused on a spot just above her head, "I can't seem to stay away from you. Something keeps pulling me back."

She leaned forward to kiss his cheek and he grabbed her in a tight embrace, "Vicki I love you and still want you." He started to kiss her passionately, groping with his hands. The scent of his desire called to her vampire, making her eyes silver and she used her powers to put him in a trance. The kissing became deep and frenzied, making Henry's vampire respond and he rushed into the room calling out to Vicki, "Stop Victoria. Don't do this." She turned, bared her teeth and growled, like the hungry predator she was, to keep its prey from another of its kind. Henry's voice deepened, "I said stop. Not here. Not him." Vicki tried to shake off the power of his voice and started to turn back to bite Mike forcing Henry to pull her off and she bared her teeth to him. He flung her to the corner and focused his mind's power on Mike. The deep voice told Mike, "You had a pleasant time but Henry was being a boring prig so you left early. Vicki wished you a good night and went to her office. You will leave now." All rational thought was gone with the denial of food as the vampire, denied its prey, crouched in the corner ready to spring at Mike or Henry. Henry used his body to block Mike from her and repeated, "I told you to go. Leave here NOW!"

Mike seemed to shake off the influence and took a wild swing at Henry, " Listen you prig, she'll come to her senses and come back to me. You wait and see. It's me, not some blood sucking, bastard vampire that she needs."

Henry easily avoided the hit and listened to Mike's rambling for a moment before shoving Mike toward the steps. He planted another memory. "Mike I'm glad you came. Vicki and I look forward to your visits because it's hard to find a good friend. You're an honest cop and a good friend. We aren't going to do any thing to put that special friendship in jeopardy. Go home."

Mike stumbled down the steps and headed home, thinking that he had had one beer too many. He could remember saying good night, but little else. Vicki and Henry were his good friends. He needed to remember that. Vicki and Henry together. That's right, he thought, she's made her choice, she wants Henry to love and me to like.

Henry turned to Vicki. Her eyes were open wide, and she was shaking her head from side to side in denial, "Henry, I was going to feed from Mike. You stopped me."

Henry slid down the wall, and sat beside her, slipping his arm around her shoulder and pulling her onto his lap so he could cradle her. "Yes you were. Vampire gave you little choice. I had to stop you before it was too late. He wouldn't have forgotten the heat of your passion He would've known you're vampire now. He knows enough about vampires to figure it out, had you fed."

Vicki covered her face with her hands saying, "What do I do? How do I keep this from happening again?"

Henry stroked her hair, "Control. I forget sometimes how young you are in the vampire life. Perhaps by not allowing the bond to break, I have kept you from growing up."

Vicki dropped her hands from her face and pulled herself closer to him, "Don't talk about our bond breaking."

Henry's grip tightened and he sifted his weight to bring her closer to his heart, "I won't. Your feelings for Mike are projected by vampire. You still love him and you can't deny it. Vampire pulls those we are attracted to closer, making it easier for us to feed. It's our lure and our curse. The one's we love the most are the ones we hurt the most. You haven't let him go yet. Closing off part of your heart to others gives you control over vampire. Always keep up a barrier, a line in the sand that can never be crossed. As vampire you have to do that, so that friends, family, and lovers have some protection against your power. They would offer up all their blood to vampire if given a chance. Don't give them the chance."

Vicki looked into the sadness of his eyes, "Is that what you did?"

Henry looked away, "I tried to. Sometimes I failed. I won't burden you with the failures but too many have died because of me and what I am. Vicki, it's not jealously that has me telling you to back off from Mike. It's a desire to protect us all that makes me tell you this. Harden your heart. You have a great loving heart that needs to toughen up."

Vicki listened to his words and thought of the last few weeks teasing and flirting with Mike. She had committed to Henry, but she was woman enough to enjoy the attention Mike was giving her. "I, I hear what you're saying. You hide behind a regal facade to protect others from vampire. Calm, cool, authoritarian, and in control, is your approach to life. Is that it?"

Henry grinned, "You've found out my secret. I'm snotty to protect the ones I care for from vampire when it's not right to feed from them." He stroked her cheek with one finger, "Loving you and wanting you, while not being able to have you, was tearing me apart. I'm glad fate stepped in so we can share this life, the good and the bad."

Her hands touched the strands of white in his hair, "I'm glad too."

Thank you Beta Reader, your help is appreciated.

Dear Readers: I hope you are enjoying this story line. There will be few a more chapters along this line then I plan to take our vampires in another direction. If you care too, let me know what you think of the stories so far. Your remarks are appreciated and help with the creative process.

Thank you,

RealTears