Love Befuddled

The smell of blood drove the vampire wild. Mentally he thrashed in fear as his body slowly responded to his command to move. With his first breath in hours, he bolted up to a sitting position and called for Vicki.

She came running from the sitting area of their hotel room yelling, "What's wrong?"

His eyes open wide, lips pulled back from fangs, he growled, "I smell blood."

Vicki relaxed, "I was starving. I ordered two rare steaks and a bottle of merlot from room service."

Henry, once he remembered how he came to be in this room and knew Vicki was safe, also relaxed, "Did it satisfy your hunger?"

Vicki eyes silvered as she shook her head, "No."

He held out his wrist and Vicki looked at it saying, "You'll have to help me."

Henry took the pen knife from the nightstand and held it out to her, "Make the cut yourself. One way or another, you're going to have to make a wound to get the blood from your prey."

She turned away saying, "You're not prey."

"For now, I'm your prey." He let the knife drop from his hand and grabbed her arm and said, "Come here." He shook her arm just a little and asked, "You want this life don't you?"

Vicki sat down beside the knife and answered, "Yes, Henry. It's what I want."

"From now on you're going to make the wounds yourself. I'll hold the prey still, but you're doing the rest."

Hunger and anger motivated the vampire growing within Vicki as she took the knife, slashed Henry's wrist and made a larger opening than she intended. Eagerly she pressed her lips over the cut before a drop of blood could fall onto the sheet. Without realizing it, her vampire took control of her mind and cast out a powerful hold on Henry. He responded as human, keeping his vampire tamped down so that its own blood lust wouldn't interfere with Vicki's. He sensed more power in her than she'd ever shown before and closed his eyes as she dominated their lovemaking while she fed.

Seconds flew by as they reached passion's peak, then it was over. Henry stroked the top of her head as her tongue pressed down on the rapidly healing wound. "Your vampire power in is growing stronger."

She kept her head down but moved back from the healed wound enough to say, "Perhaps, but I'm not complete. Something or someone is holding me back."

"That's why Xenethia's here." He took his other hand and lifted her chin, "We better get going. I'm sure Xenethia will have some snide remarks if we're too late getting back to the apartment."

***

Sonny sat watching the TV as the other old man, called Junior, kept Xenethia company in the bedroom.

She watched the small bite mark on Junior's neck taking longer to form the clot than it used to. She also had to admit that the bruising lasted for weeks instead of days now. She sighed when she remembered just how long these two men had been with her. She patted Junior on the cheek and asked, "Are you getting tired of this, old friend?"

He looked up at her and smiled, "It's the aches and pains of growing old that's wearing me down."

Her face was full of tenderness as she said, "I can end your suffering anytime you want."

"Not yet. As long as we can share passion, I'll stick around. End it for me when the pleasure is gone."

"That will be a long time from now." She had the strength and energy to jump out of bed but refrained. It did no good to remind her boys of their aging as she stayed the same. "Come on you lazy old fart. Let's get a quick shower, our young friends should be here soon."

Henry and Vicki decided knocking made better sense than barging into their own home. Sonny opened the door and stood back. As Vicki entered, a small gray and white ball of fur jumped down from the book shelf and landed in her arms with a pleading meow that demanded attention. Henry, watching Vicki didn't see the orange and white kitten creeping toward his feet. When it reached the hem of his pants, she climbed as fast as she could to his shoulder, pressed herself against his neck and started licking his ear.

Henry and Vicki looked at each other sharing a secret moment before he reached back out the door and pulled in a grocery bag full of cat goodies. At the sound of a bag rattling the four older cats belonging to Xenethia came to investigate.

Xenethia came out of the bedroom with Junior close behind. She spoke with a commanding voice, "Away from the bag you four. That stuff belongs to the babies."

Vicki replied, "I learned enough being around Mike's family to know if you bring something for one kid, you damn well better make sure you have something for all the kids. Henry and I bought treats for all the cats. Hope you don't mind?"

"Crap and Damn! Of course not. Who's Mike?"

Henry raised an eyebrow wondering how she was going to explain Mike.

"Mike's my friend and former partner. He's Henry's friend too, whether either of them know it or not. Mike and I shared some good times together, and I'll admit to some bad times."

Xenethia nodded her head knowingly, "Lover?"

"Yes. Lover. But in the past tense. He'll always be a part of my life, but Henry comes first. Mike doesn't know Henry's back, and he doesn't know about my being almost vampire."

"You're sure about your choice?"

"I'm sure. I can live without ever seeing Mike again, but I wouldn't want to spend a single night without Henry."

"There's more to life and living together than sex, you know."

"If great sex was all I wanted, I'd still be with Mike."

Henry's spine stiffened, his brow lowered and he looked about ready to make a scathing remark when Xenethia pointed at him and said, "Don't get your royal blue attitude in an uproar. You've more that your share of exes." Xenethia looked towards Vicki and said, "I like you. Henry needs an eyeopener like you. From what I've gathered, he usually gets his way. It'll do him good to have to work at a relationship with you."

Sonny and Junior had taken the bag of treats and passed them out to the six cats. Vicki's Littlebit ate daintily from the dish of moist cat food then sat back to lick its paw and wash its face. Polly took a few quick bites then started chasing a catnip mouse around the room. The other four nibbled at treats and batted toys. For now the cats were quite pleased with themselves.

Xenethia moved over to the couch and said, "Crap! I'm tired of standing. Let's sit and talk about want from me."

Vicki sat in the recliner and Henry perched himself on the arm leaning slightly towards her. Xenethia sat on the couch and inwardly nodded as he assumed a position of possession and protection. An attacker would have to go through him to get to her. Vicki placed a hand on his knee and kept her eyes on everyone in the room, so that if necessary, she could push him out of harms way and fight. X nodded and thought, "These two are a team."

Henry started speaking, "Xenethia..."

"Call me X or Thia."

Henry started again, "X, Vicki hasn't turned completely vampire. She's been at the same point for months, able to feed from prey if I hold them under my power and make the bite. She's awake during part of the day and the vampire attributes are less than half of what's normally available to our kind."

X watched Vicki's face as Henry spoke, then said, "That doesn't sound so bad."

Vicki added, "Having part of the day can be useful, but it doesn't feel right. The only time I don't feel torn is when I'm asleep."

Xenethia pressed her lips together in thought then said, "Crap, Henry. You've some ideas. Share them."

Henry stood up and walked around behind Vicki's chair and placed his hands on her shoulders. He was about to say some things that were going to upset her and he wanted her to remain sitting.

"Vicki's been marked by a demon. Her friend, Mike, listened to a priest and nearly got me killed. She stabbed me and drank my blood to fight an Inca mummy. Then she accepted the temptation of the demon. Some, or all of this, could be blocking her."

Vicki's eyes silvered in anger as she listened to his words then said, "As though I had choices in any of that. You know I didn't. Norman held me captive, gagged and bound while he painted the marks on my arms and summoned the demon. Mike made a mistake and he helped me look for you when he realized what he had done. You were in danger of dying by the hand of a mad priest when Mike and I found you. The mummy was after your power and drinking your blood with the herbs was what Coreen and I were sure was the only way to save you. I didn't want what the demon offered for myself – I needed it to save Coreen. Damn it, Henry! Nothing I've done since I've met you was for myself."

"Don't you think I know that? But that doesn't change what happened. And maybe because it, you won't complete the transformation."

Vicki suddenly slid out from his grip stood and faced him. "Let's get this all out in the open. You haven't forgiven me for stabbing you. You're blaming me for everything. Well listen buddy, I was doing just fine with my life until you went and slugged me then told me you were a vampire."

"Going blind, quitting a job you love and trying to start a business that puts you in harms way. Yeah, I call that doing just fine."

Vicki's eyes flashed silver daggers as she pulled back lips to show her fangs and lunged for his throat.

Henry's vampire speed responded and his hand whipped out to backhand her away.

Xenethia, eyes red, smiled to reveal impossibly long fangs, raised her hands and growled, "Enough!" Blue white blots of energy hit the both of them and they froze in place and she continued, "Are either of you listening to yourselves? All that crap's history. You can't change history by arguing about it!"

She waved at Sonny and sat back down on the couch. Sonny handed her a glass of water and Junior placed the oldest of the four cats onto her lap. She took several sips of water as she stroked the cat and studied the two frozen lovers. "Okay, I get the picture. You met, you were attracted to each other and a series of bad events kept you from taking that attraction to its logical conclusion. You're both trying to find balance." She held out the glass for Sonny to take then waved a hand canceling the spell. "Crap and damn. Sit down and put the vampires away."

Vicki ducked as Henry's hand neared her face and collapsed into the chair. Henry moved around to face her and knelt. Taking her hands in his, he said, "I've forgiven you but, you won't let me protect you and I can't change you."

Vicki pulled back her hands, placed them on his cheeks, leaned forward and kissed his lips, "Don't try to protect me, and I have changed. I depend on you more than I've ever depended on anyone. Given time, I'll work my way around to where you need me to be."

"That's the trouble, there isn't always time. You've got to learn to trust me to know what I'm doing."

"I've always trusted you. It's the rest of the world I don't trust."

X cleared her throat and they both looked her way, "You don't trust yourself Henry , and Vicki, he's right. Four hundred and fifty plus years as vampire gives him a perspective that you should pay attention to." X shifted on the couch and the cat jumped down to investigate a tail flicking in and out from under the chair. X continued speaking, "Let's see the marks."

Henry stood up and leaned close to Vicki and whispered, "You're my love, my life."

Vicki whispered back, "Why do you think I've done everything I could to keep you alive?" She licked his cheek then added, "Without you, I'd be the loneliest woman in the world."

"Crap and damn. Focus you two. Quit wasting my time. Fight and make up later. Move Henry, I want to see the marks."

Henry licked Vicki back and said, "I'm glad you saved me." He moved back to his position behind the chair as Vicki held out her arms, wrists facing up.

X slid forward on the couch grabbed Vicki's arms and pulled her forward. She nodded and said, "Just as I thought."