Chapter 2

Never Say Never

-The Fray

Conor left Marie seated on the couch in Josef's library. After calming and attempting to reassure her that she would be safe, He turned to her and said, "Now love, I'm just going to have a chat with Josef for a bit, I'll be back momentarily. Will you be alright?" He lifted her chin with two fingers, looking into her eyes. "Hmm?"

"Yes..I..I think so. I am a little freaked out by this." Marie stared into Conor's eyes, thinking that if she wasn't careful, she could get lost forever.

Conor gave a slight nod of his head, validating her feelings. "I promise, we will get to those questions, as I'm sure you have many. I'll have Josef send in Ariel, so that you may have some company and ask her questions only a human female could answer. But you should know, I'm not Josef. While we may have similarities, I don't have the same attitude about freshies that he does. I actually don't care for having more than one exclusive at a time...not that I've had one of late."

He then gave her good shoulder a reassuring squeeze and smiled at her.

Marie attempted a weak smile, nervously darting her eyes around the room.

"Come on, you can do better than that love. I don't bite.." He winked at her. "Not yet anyway."

Marie had to smile at that. He was quite charming.

" That's better love, that's the smile I expect to see." Conor walked out of the library. He didn't know why, but Marie had already managed to get slightly under his skin. She was pretty. Even with the nasty bruise under her eye, which despite her best efforts to cover up, was swollen and slightly blemished her good looks. " I can't fall for a human...can I?" He thought to himself.

He saw Josef standing with his freshie, Marie's friend, by his side. It always had amused him that human women were so susceptible to the allure and dominance of their kind, doing whatever it took to please their vampire, never wanting to fall from favor. But from what Josef had told him, Marie was a survivor, a fighter. He could not stand simpering, manipulative women, and was glad she did not appear to be one of those.

Josef looked up from his conversation to see Conor coming out of the library and signaling to him with a nod that he needed to talk. Josef was glad of it. Not that he did not enjoy the titillating conversation with the ladies, but he could fully relax with the other vampire.

"Ladies, my pets, Daddy has some business to attend to...Ariel babe? Could you run those hot little legs into the library and tell little Marie about the vampire birds and the bees?" He placed a soft kiss on Ariel's forehead. Then whispered into her ear. " Then maybe big daddy Josef can teach you a little something about the birds and the bees later." Josef grinned then sent Ariel off with a swat on her bottom. He grabbed his glass of whiskey, blooded, just like his girls knew he liked it. And walked into his study, Conor following behind him.

Josef led Conor over to an overstuffed leather chair and motioned for him to sit down. " Can I get one of the ladies to freshen your drink? Maybe a little fang on skin action? Or have you tasted the fair Marie yet? I hear she's O negative..the universal donor." Josef asked, motioning one of the ladies on standby in the office.

Conor shook his head. "No Josef, I'm good I'm still nursing this whisky. And no, I have not tasted her yet. But without offense to the ladies present, this conversation is private."

Josef snapped his fingers. "Ladies...privacy." Josef waited until the girls filed out of the room, and the last one shut the door. He settled back in his leather office chair. "Ok...shoot."

Conor leaned in towards Josef. " First, know that I would not have taken this on but for debt I owe you for saving my life all of those years ago when those crazy freshies tried to serve me up on a platter for something I never did,"

Josef let one of his best , snarky laughs . " Well, that'll teach you for not learning the art of seduction of freshies, like the master here." He said, pointing at himself

"In any event.. tell me more about this David character. I take it he's not a vamp, I've seen no bite marks on her. You said you would tell me what he did to her. I've already noticed the eye, and the shoulder. But what happened to her back? I noticed her reaction when I put my arm around her." Conor took a swig of his whiskey, feeling anger boil up inside of him towards this David, who dared touch a woman, this way.

" He obviously like to beat her. You may want to ask her all of the details, I only know that I had heard enough when Ariel told me that this was not the first time this weasel pulled this crap. "He killed her brother and one of her friends and was somehow smart enough to not get caught."

Josef watched with curiosity as his friend's face contorted with anger. Had he chosen right? He thought so, but this reaction could be just to the thought of a man hurting a woman. He didn't get this far in business not to learn that valuable information could be obtained just by pressing the right buttons.

" He want's her dead, and just not in the simplest of terms. He wants to do things to her that would make anything our kind has ever done look like an act of mercy" Josef sat back in his chair, waiting, watching.

Conor stood up, gripping the glass of whisky with ever increasing strength til Josef heard the sound of breaking glass. Conor had shattered the glass in his grip, causing shards of glass and whiskey to go flying on to his carpet.

"That's not gonna happen Josef. Tell me. Just where do I find this coward? Because in the off chance that I don't kill him, he'll wish he was dead."

In the library, Ariel was sitting with Marie. She grabbed her friend's hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. " He seems nice Marie, did he bite you yet?"

"No Ari, maybe he decided that he doesn't want to. Why would this guy want to take on what I'm bringing to the table. Hell, I wouldn't want to deal with me either. Exactly what is expected of me as a Freshie?" asked Marie

Ariel sighed, then settled back onto the sofa. " I saw the way he looked at you Marie, so if he hasn't bitten you yet, he may be waiting. I know you are scared, and they can taste that in our blood. There's a reason why we are called willing freshies."

"oh, ok that makes some sense. So my job is to come to him willingly and feed him?" Marie turned her body so she was facing Ariel.

"Kind of, I can only tell you what Josef does, I think Conor will have some different rules but... An exclusive Freshie lives with her vampire. She feeds only him, and in Josef's case there are a few of us, so we are on a rotation schedule. Feeding every night from the same freshie is just not a good idea. We signed a contract, and in return for feeding him and being at his beck and call, we get a safe roof over our heads, and most anything we could ask for. "

Marie looked intrigued at the prospect of being Conor"s willing freshie, but she wondered how many women he had living with him. She supposed this was just one of the many questions she would have to ask him.

"So, where does he bite you? And what does it feel like? I saw you and Josef earlier, and you looked like you enjoyed it?" Marie asked

"Well, it doesn't hurt, they make sure of it for you. To me, it's almost, if not better than having sex. It has a warmth and a chill at the same time. He can take from your wrist, which is the most common area, or your neck. Ariel leaned in close to Marie and whispered. " And if you are very good, and very exclusive, he'll drink from your femoral artery in your leg." Ariel grinned, and sat up. " Again, that's Josef. I can't speak for Conor. I can tell you that he will keep you safe, Josef has sworn this to me. I don't know what Conor is going to expect of you, but I honestly think that it will all turn out fine. Just don't try lying to them, they know it. After you've given him your blood, there will be a sort of bond between you, and he will be able to know you and your needs better than you can." Ariel sighed loudly.

"Ok, I think I can handle this...I-I-think." Marie said. She didn't see Conor and Josef standing in the doorway.

"You can love, and I think it's time we went back to my home...your home. You look tired, and I'd like to show you around and talk a bit." Conor held out his hand to Marie. "Come Marie."

Marie stood up from the couch and looked at Ariel, who nodded to her. She walked to Conor and put her hand in his. As she walked out of the library. She noticed Josef standing outside the door. He took her free hand in his and squeezed gently. " It will be fine babe, you couldn't be in better hands. Well..except for mine, and if you ever get tired of the old geezer, there's always a room for you here." He grinned. Marie gave him a quick hug. "Thanks Josef."

Conor rolled his eyes at Josef. "Keep it up Kosten, keep it up." Conor smiled at Marie. "Ready to go?"

Marie nodded her head and walked out the door and into the night air with Conor. A valet drove a sleek black Mercedes AMG SL 65 up to the door. Conor tipped the valet and led Marie to the passenger side of the car, opening the door and helping her in to the seat. He reached over her to click the seatbelt into place, and Marie caught his fresh, woodsy scent. She liked it. " Can't be too safe."

Conor belted himself into the sports car and drove off, heading towards his home, silently thanking Josef for asking him to take on this Freshie. She would prove to be interesting, once her "problem" was quickly and efficiently dealt with. But what neither of them knew, was that their problem would be much harder to deal with than they could have realized.

Marie was in for the fight of her life.