Bill and I were sitting together in the back of the ambulance with my head resting on his shoulder. We were both exhausted, him due to his recovery from the bullet wounds and me from loss of blood. I had just finished explaining what had happened after he had been shot.
"You gave me your blood, after everything I told you? And now Charles knows what your blood can do!"
"I was able to give you my blood, because of everything you told me!" I said "Look Bill, there were only three options. I don't give you my blood, I let you die and I survive, I give you my blood and you survive and I don't or I get Charles to help and we both survive. Now I don't know about you, but option 3 seemed the best one to me!"
He hugged me closer and said "I'm sorry sweetheart, I don't want to seem ungrateful. You risked your life for me."
"No more than you did for me." I said "less in fact as I knew Charles would hold you back."
"How could you know that? You must know that you mean nothing to him. He might just have let you die."
"What, in front of all those cameras? No chance! It would have put a serious dent in his publicity drive! Besides, I threatened him!"
"You did what!" If possible Bill looked even paler for a moment.
"I told him that if he let me die, you would never forgive him. He needs you Bill" I lowered my voice "especially now."
"I would never have forgiven myself!" said Bill sounding shocked "but you're right, I wouldn't have forgiven him either. Even so, you took quite a risk."
"Don't you dare talk to me about risks!" I said "If any one of those bullets had hit you in the heart..."
He pulled me to him and kissed me softly, "Don't think about it." he said.
Charles came over to us and looked speculatively at Bill.
"Hmmm….you don't look too bad actually, all things considered." He said "Miss Morgan's blood must be more powerful than I thought."
He glanced across at me thoughtfully and Bill tightened his grip on me.
"Do you think you're up to speaking to the press?" he asked. "Apparently the TV cameras got the whole thing on tape. You're a hero!" He smiled happily. Somehow I thought his pleasure was due more to the good publicity than to any heroic action on Bill's part.
Bill sighed "Yes, I suppose so, do you know if...what on earth is that smell!"
I looked round and saw Gerry standing next to the ambulance with a big grin on his face and a large, flat box in his hands.
"Pizza?" I said excitedly "Oh Gerry! You're an angel!"
He smiled at me, I suspected that you'd be starving after...your efforts." He lowered his voice "I told them to leave out the garlic!"
I reached for a slice of pizza and smiled back at him. "Thanks!" Charles went off to talk to the TV crew and Gerry put the pizza box down within reach and followed him.
"Are you sure you're going to be all right?" I asked Bill, my voice slightly muffled by a mouthful of hot cheese.
"Yes, I'll be fine" he said, watching indulgently as I licked the cheese from my fingers. "Sorry...but I'm starving."
At this point Charles came back at the head of a small TV crew consisting of a cameraman, a sound engineer and a smartly dressed woman presenter who stared at Bill, open-mouthed. He was shockingly pale and, to be honest, looked less human than I had ever seen him before, and yet, somehow the stark pallor of his skin, combined with the intensity of his bright blue eyes only enhanced his beauty. He had taken off the bloodstained shirt and I had wrapped part of my blanket around him, for comfort more than anything else, since he did not feel the cold. There was a bright splash of blood down his right side from the shoulder to the waist, the colour showing up clearly against his alabaster skin and the top of his smart grey trousers were also soaked with his blood, although the bullet wounds themselves had healed.
Charles was telling her about Bill's position as sheriff and the reasons for the court case, all of which I was sure she knew already.
In a few moments the camera and sound equipment was ready and she turned to Bill.
"Mr Compton" she began "Perhaps you would tell us what exactly happened here tonight? Why were you and your friends here in the first place?" She held out a microphone towards Bill and he sat up a little straighter, but did not remove his arm from around my shoulders.
"A few weeks ago, while I was away on business my house was broken into" he explained. "By four men who were members of one of the groups that were demonstrating here tonight, The Warriors of Ra."
"So you were here for the hearing?" she asked.
"That's right." he said.
"You said you weren't in the house when they broke in? So how were they caught?"
"I was not in the house but Miss Morgan here was." Bill pulled me a little closer to him as the camera turned to me. Fortunately I had just put down the pizza! "She was alone in the house when they broke in. I don't know if you are familiar with these groups." he paused questioningly. "They are... how can I put it... antagonistic to humans who associate with our kind. Miss Morgan knows this and was, understandably, frightened by the thought that they might find her. Fortunately she was able to lock herself away from them and called me."
"She called you, rather than the police?" the interviewer asked.
"She called me and the police" said Bill. "When I arrived the man they had stationed at the door attacked me with a three foot long stake." I heard a gasp and looked around to find that we had attracted a small audience.
"What happened?" she asked.
"I disarmed him and threw him into the house, through the front door." said Bill calmly.
"The door was open?"
"No." There was another audible gasp. "He was knocked out when he hit the wall but otherwise he was fine." said Bill, a little impatiently "at the time I was more concerned about the other three."
"What did they do?"
"They also attacked me. There was..." he paused for a moment "a short scuffle. You will appreciate that I am considerably stronger than any human. I was able to subdue them and found Miss Morgan, unharmed." He smiled at the interviewer. "At that point the police arrived and arrested them."
"I had provided Mr Compton with the services of a solicitor and I and two friends accompanied him and Miss Morgan to the hearing tonight." said Charles. "I was talking to some of your colleagues when..." he paused.
"Someone in the crowd pulled out a gun and shot the vampire who was standing next to you" supplied the interviewer.
"Marcus" said Charles sharply. "His name was Marcus! and he had been a good friend to me for a very long time."
The woman looked a little abashed at this outburst, but she carried on. "The second gunman appeared to be aiming at you Miss Morgan?" she asked holding out the microphone.
"Yes, I think so" I said hesitantly "it all happened so fast!"
"Then Mr Compton pulled you out of the way and deliberately stepped in front of you." she said. "That much is quite clear from the tape. Why would you do that Mr Compton?"
"I didn't even think about it" said Bill. "I just knew that I couldn't allow her to be shot."
"You seem...recovered" she said. "Could you explain why one bullet was enough to destroy Marcus and yet you took half a dozen without too much damage?"
There was a laugh from behind us and the interviewer turned to Charles. "Oh he was damaged all right! Don't let his current condition fool you. He could easily have met the true death too." He held out his hand and showed the bullets to the camera.
"These bullets, as you can see, are specifically designed to kill vampires. They are made of wood, with a silver core" he explained. "If one hits the heart, as happened with Marcus, then the vampire will die immediately" he paused for a moment, "as you saw. However the silver alone is not enough to kill straight away, it will only weaken a vampire, although if enough silver enters the bloodstream it will kill him, slowly. This group boasts openly on their website that they use them to bring down a vampire so that he can be staked."
To her credit the interviewer looked shocked at this.
"So how were you healed so quickly Mr Compton?" she asked. She turned to me "the tape seems to show you cradling Mr Compton's head in your lap Miss Morgan. It isn't quite clear what was going on." I took a deep breath but Charles beat me to it.
"Miss Morgan was generous enough to give Bill her blood to help him to heal himself" he said.
There was a shocked silence. The subject of vampires feeding on humans was one which was almost never publicly mentioned, a subject which the vampire authorities did their best to avoid. Everyone knew that it happened, but no one was prepared to talk about it. It seemed that was about to change.
"Yes, that's right." I said "It seemed only fair, since he had just been shot while protecting me!"
The interviewer looked distinctly uncomfortable with this. "You let him feed on you?" she asked incredulously.
I gave an impatient little sigh. "Suppose it had been you who was shot." I said. " And you needed a blood transfusion. If I had the same blood type and was prepared to donate blood, would that be okay with you?"
"Well...yes, I suppose so," she said "but that's different..."
"Why?" I asked "What's different about me giving blood as a blood donor to save the life of a human and giving it directly to a vampire to save his? The only difference is that I've never even met you before and I owe you nothing, whereas Bill had just risked his life to save mine!" Bill tightened the grip of his arm around me. We both looked up at the interviewer innocently and waited for her next question.
"Right... um...so, you'll both recover I assume?" she asked, trying hard not to appear flustered on camera.
Bill gave her his most charming smile and said "Provided we can both get some rest and Alex can finish her pizza in peace, yes...we'll both be fine."
The woman seemed to understand that that was the end of the interview and began to gesture to her crew to pack up.
I heard a car pull up and turned to see four vampires getting out of a large black Lexus. Charles went over and spoke to them and I watched them stare in horror at the pool of blood which had been Marcus. Bill explained that they were four of the other sheriffs and Charles had arranged for them to take us back to his house and provide some security, together with a human security firm, for the next few days. Three of them came over to us and one, a young man with a shock of dark hair knelt down beside me.
"Hello Alex" he said with a smile, "I'm Louis, let me help you to the car."
He reached over, picked me up in his arms and began to carry me towards the Lexus. I looked over at Bill. He looked a little disapproving, but made no protest so I relaxed a little, watching as two of the other Sheriffs, a blond woman and a stocky bald man helped Bill stand up and walk to the car. He got in beside me and Louis and the blonde woman got in the front seats and started the engine.
"Wait a minute!" I said "Won't the Police want to see us? Take statements?"
"Leave all that to Charles, he's good at it!" said Bill leaning back with a sigh as he put his arm around me.
"But what about the gunmen? What happened to them?" I asked "Did they get away?"
"No! Don't worry sweetheart, luckily for them the Police got both of them."
"Luckily?"
Bill gave a short laugh. "If they had escaped Charles would have hunted them down and killed them both. Marcus was a good friend, believe me, he would have made them suffer before they died."
I went cold. Sometimes my gentle and charming Bill would say things which made my blood freeze, in such a normal tone of voice. He must have felt my unease as he turned to me with a sad little smile. "I'm so sorry precious" he said "I've tried so hard to keep you away from this, but it's not going to work is it?"
I sighed. "I think we're both out in the open now, don't you? We'll just have to deal with it."
Soon we were pulling into Bill's driveway and the sheriffs helped us both into the house and stationed themselves outside for the remainder of the night.
Bill downed a couple of bottles of Tru Blood before helping me downstairs to his safe room. I protested that I'd be fine in another room, that he needed to rest and heal properly but he wouldn't hear of it. In fact he insisted on giving me a few mouthfuls of his blood before we drifted off to sleep in each other's arms.
Since our impromptu interview outside the courtroom, which had not only been aired on local TV but also made it onto the internet, along with the footage of the shooting and its aftermath, Bill had been inundated with requests for interviews from journalists from the local and national press, all of which he refused. However, since he was now a public figure, at least one of the reporters was able to find out where he lived and they began to lay siege to his house.
After a few weeks of trying to avoid them he lost patience and began construction of a light tight area in my spare bedroom. It was a very basic wooden construction covered with blackout material, just large enough for a single mattress. The addition of a lamp and a stack of books made it snug and comfortable and he stayed at my place for a whole week until the reporters followed me home from work one day.
"This is getting ridiculous." Bill complained "we can't carry on like this. Something will have to be done."
"Give it time." I said "something new will happen to distract their attention and they'll lose interest eventually."
Bill wasn't happy with this but he confined himself to muttering crossly until one day, driving home from work I got a really bad scare.
I parked on Bill's driveway, got out of the car and walked, a little unsteadily, into the house. Bill was in the lounge, sitting on the couch with a book. He saw me come in, smiled and got up, taking my arm and leaning forward to give me a kiss. He paused "Alex? What is it, you're shaking. What's happened sweetheart?"
"Oh it's nothing" I answered "Just some idiot in a BMW who thought I shouldn't have pulled out in front of him even though there was plenty of room!"
Bill put his arm around me and pulled me down onto the couch next to him. "What happened? Are you all right?" he asked.
"Yes…..I'm fine." I assured him "Just a bit shocked. It was at the junction just down the road. Traffic was filtering on to the main road but he clearly thought that no one was allowed to get in front of him. He came careering around my car and cut me off, then stopped in front of me. He reversed right up to my car, opened the door and got out. He didn't really do anything just screamed at me and shook his fist, but it was quite scary!"
"Did you get his number?" Bill asked.
"Well, yes, but it's pointless reporting him, nothing happened really..." My voice tailed off and suddenly I burst into tears and clung to Bill, sobbing.
"Oh my precious," he said holding me tight "what is it? This isn't like you, not my brave girl!" He kissed me gently rubbing his hand soothingly across the small of my back as I struggled to get a grip on myself.
"Oh, Bill...I...I thought he was...you know...one of the warriors!"
"Sweetheart, you know the Police have arrested all of that group. They are being held in custody for their own protection. There have been several threats against them from vampire rights groups. Charles has condemned the threats of course, but I think he's secretly rather pleased!"
"Yes, I know all that. It's just that I'm constantly jumpy, what with all the reporters..."
"Right, that's it!" said Bill firmly.
"Bill, you know there's nothing you can do, unless they actually break the law – and they won't!"
But Bill was determined that he would not be bullied. He called Charles the next night to discuss the problem and Charles' solution was uncharacteristically straightforward. "Why don't you just give them what they want?" he asked. "I have contacts in the media and I could arrange for us to appear on a TV chat show to discuss the whole incident. After that's out in the open they wouldn't have so much reason to pursue you, would they?"
"A TV chat show!" I stifled a giggle at Bill's horrified expression.
"Why not, after all we have done nothing wrong here remember! We are entirely innocent – for once. This could be good for us Bill!" he urged. "We need some positive publicity!"
"Just the two of us?" Bill asked tentatively.
"Well, I don't know, I expect they'd want someone to give an alternative point of view. They usually do. I'll make some enquiries and get back to you."
"In the meantime." I said thoughtfully "I think I might know where we could go for a little break!"
"Really?" said Bill, brightening up a bit "Where?"
"Let me think about it." I said.
"Mmmm….very mysterious" said Bill "Come on, give me a clue?" He put his arms around me and pulled me to him for a kiss. "Please?"
"No! it'll be a surprise!" I insisted. "Don't think you can get round me like that." I said as I felt his hands sliding down my back.
"I can't?" he asked huskily "well….I think I'll try anyway, just in case!"
Several nights later I loaded a couple of bags, some supplies and a quietly protesting vampire into my car and we set off.
After a half hour or so I drove down a steep narrow country lane and came out above the banks of a canal. Below us was a small boatyard containing about twenty narrowboats tied up to pontoons in a small marina. Bill and I got out of the car and walked down to the boats. Since it was now about 4am the place was deserted, the office building locked up and the boats empty and silent in the moonlight. We walked along the nearest row of pontoons, past "The Empress Maud", "Galadriel", "Isis", "Aerys Targaryen", "Yellowhammer", "Tom Bombadil" and even "Erik".
I stopped at the fourth pontoon and put my hand on the rear cockpit of the boat moored there. "Here we are" I said with a smile "Bill, I'd like you to meet "Lady Eleanor" she's mine!"
Bill stared in amazement down the 68 foot boat and then looked back at me. "This is your boat?" he asked.
"Yep, all 15 tons of her" I said proudly. "Would you like to come on board Mr Compton?"
"I'd be fascinated!" he said.
I stepped aboard the stern and opened the rear doors into the cockpit. The main doors were about four feet ahead with a padlock securing them to the hatch above. I pulled out my keys and opened the padlock sliding back the hatch to reveal four steps down into the rear cabin. "Follow me" I said, turning around and taking hold of the handle set into the door of the locker next to the steps. I hopped down the steps into the rear cabin and set off forward through the boat.
The rear cabin was tiny, with two single beds on either side and housed the rear locker and the boiler for the central heating, I used it for storage. Moving forward there was a small toilet and sink then the larger, main cabin containing a double bed and more storage lockers. Forward of this was a self contained bathroom with another toilet, sink and a shower. Then came a small, but well equipped galley style kitchen and finally a sizeable main room containing a small dining table with a couch around two sides, an armchair, a small TV and DVD player and a bookshelf stuffed with books and DVDs from my extensive collection. A pair of double doors opened out onto a small deck at the bow with bench seats on either side. Bill followed me through the narrow corridor which ran the length of the boat silently examining the various cabins with interest.
I sat down in the armchair in the main forward cabin and looked up at him. "Well? What do you think?"
"It's very interesting" said Bill.
"She" I corrected "She's very interesting."
"It's a she?" he asked with a smile.
"Oh definitely" I replied "boats are always female!"
"May I ask where you think I…?"
"Oh yes!" I jumped up "I need you to take a look at this, if you think it's not suitable then we have time to get back before dawn."
We returned to the main sleeping cabin and I pointed to the double bed which was about two feet high set on a wooden base. It was enclosed on three sides, by the hull of the boat on one side and by storage cupboards at the top and bottom.
"Underneath the mattress is a wooden cover over an empty space." I said. "There's never enough storage space on narrowboats so you need all you can get!"
I pulled off the pillows and the quilt and Bill picked up the mattress, moving it to the corridor by the bathroom. He lifted up the wooden cover revealing a sizeable space underneath.
"Hmmm," he said thoughtfully "Plenty of room certainly."
"I thought you could have the mattresses off the two single beds in the rear cabin in there? What do you think?"
He knelt down and examined the join at the outer edge.
"With the quilt hanging down over the side it should be sufficiently light tight, but I could always take a little duct tape in to cover any gaps…..yes, it should be fine."
"Right then, let's get the bags from the car shall we?" I said. We worked as a team, Bill fetching the bags and boxes from my car and putting them in the rear cockpit, from where I took them into the boat and stowed the contents away. Bill then moved my car into the small car park attached to the marina and came back on board. By the time I had everything arranged to my satisfaction it was almost dawn and Bill had moved the two single mattresses from the rear cabin into the big storage locker under the bed. He had fixed a long strip of tape along the outer edge of the wooden cover so that when it was shut it sealed the tiny gap.
"Right then, I need to get in here" he said, looking at his watch, "first let me put the mattress back then I can lift the cover with the mattress on top. That will save you having to lift it back on yourself." He explained. He leaned forward and gave me a brief kiss. "See you at dusk!" he said, and climbed in pulling the cover back down after him. I heard him shifting about a little. "Very comfortable" came a muffled voice.
"See you later then." I said and headed forward to the main cabin.
I put the kettle on and made myself a cup of tea, then sat outside on the front deck watching the sun come up. After a while I decided that it was time to make a move. I hadn't mentioned this part of my plan to Bill and I hoped that I would not disturb him. I climbed back up into the cockpit and removed the engine cover to check the oil, then I tapped at the fuel gauge. Everything seemed to be fine so I put the key in the ignition and started up the engine. Lady Eleanor gave a shudder as the engine fired and then caught and I reached into the stern locker for the tiller pole and fastened it on with the pin. Then I untied the bow and stern ropes and pushed the gear lever gently forward. Carefully manoeuvring the boat out of the little marina I set off onto the waterways with my precious cargo.
Hours later I was curled up in the armchair reading when I heard movement in the bedroom and a moment later Bill came into the forward cabin.
"Well hello!" I said. "Were you comfortable?"
"Very" he replied, going over to the window, "but I could have sworn I felt...movement..." his voice tailed off as he looked out with a puzzled expression. "Wait a minute...where are we?" He opened the double doors and climbed out onto the front deck. I followed him with a small smile on my face.
Lady Eleanor was tied up securely to the bank under a stand of trees. On our side of the canal was a small wood and from the opposite bank, fields spread out into the distance. Bill turned to me and asked "Where, exactly, are we?"
"Exactly..." I replied "Well, if you get the map from the cabin table I can show you."
We went back inside the cabin and I opened the map book. "The marina is here" I said pointing it out "and we are..." I turned over two pages "…..here. Just below this bridge, see." Bill glanced out of the open doors and back at the map.
"You've driven the boat all that way today, while I slept?" he asked.
"It's not really that far!" I laughed. "Anyway, its not the distance that matters, it's the number of locks."
"Locks?" he asked, looking completely blank.
"Yes look, see these little v shaped marks on the map?" I explained "each one represents a lock to move the boat up or downhill. Like that one." I pointed directly ahead of the boat to where there was an arched bridge. On the other side of the bridge the ground rose up on either side of the canal which appeared to be closed off by two brick walls with a pair of tall gates between them. "In the morning, if I want to go further up the canal, I'll have to go up there and open the gates, then drive the boat into the lock. It's not easy as the lock is only a little longer and wider than the boat, Lady Eleanor is nearly the maximum length. Then I climb out, close the bottom gates and open the sluices in the top gates to fill the lock up with water from higher up. When the lock is full and the boat is raised up to the top level, I open the top gates, close the sluices and drive the boat out again." I grinned at him "To go downhill you just do all that in reverse."
Bill stared at me for a moment and then looked back at the map. "And you have passed through, three, four..." he turned a page "...six of these today? Alone?"
"That's not many really" I said, enjoying his surprise "I can do twenty or so in a day if I'm really in a hurry and the sluices are not too stiff."
Bill sat down on the end of the little couch and gazed at me in surprise. "See" I said "I have many talents that you don't know about!"
"You certainly have!" he said smiling. "You seem very comfortable here. How long have you owned her?"
I took a bottle of white wine from the fridge and poured myself a glass.
"A few years now, before that she belonged to a group, a society in a company I used to work for in London" I explained. "She's getting a little old now and they wanted to get a new boat. I'd come into some money from a relative and I was able to buy her."
"Why have you never told me about her before?" he asked curiously.
"I've never told anyone about her before" I said "She's my secret, my refuge from the world." I paused for a moment. "Anyway, I didn't think that it was really something that I could share with you. You can't navigate on the waterways after dark. It's not like there are street lights out here! I know you…..you'd have me driving the boat all day and making love all night!"
"Sounds good to me!" said Bill happily, "how about…we stay here, you sleep all day with me and we make love all night?"
I laughed "Don't you ever think about anything else?"
"Occasionally." he admitted "But not when you're around." He smiled "So, are we alone out here?"
"There are usually a few bats" I said "The occasional owl, but other than that...yes"
I opened the doors and went out onto the front deck, Bill followed me and we sat down on the bench seat. I took a sip of my wine "Well, what do you think?" I asked. Bill leaned back against the hull and looked up at the stars, "Peace and quiet, moonlight, no reporters, what more could I want?" He reached over and lifted me into his lap "Oh yes...there is just one more thing!"
As we sat together in the darkness there was a slight rustle and a great shadow passed over us. Bill looked up startled and instinctively held me tighter to him. I laughed. "Gwenhwyfar!" I said, "The White Spirit!" Bill stared at me, wide-eyed. "It was a Barn Owl...the White Owl...!" I giggled, "don't panic!" We looked out over the field where the owl was swooping down after an unwary field mouse.
"What was that you called it?" he asked.
"Gwenhwyfar" I said "It's Welsh. It means literally "White Ghost or Spirit" but it's used for the Barn Owl because it's white."
"She's beautiful." he said, watching the owl sweep away across the fields, "and so silent."
"She's a very effective night hunter." I said looking him deliberately in the eye.
"Yes, I imagine so." he sighed "I've not spent time in the countryside for quite a while now, not in this country."
I got up rather stiffly and stretched my arms up. "Ouch!"
"Are you all right?" asked Bill, concerned.
"Oh yes!" I said "Just a bit stiff, some of those locks were hard work you know."
"Let's see if I can help you relax." he said picking me up and carrying me back into the boat. He managed to carry me down the narrow corridor to the cabin and put me down gently on the bed. "Now then, let's see". He tugged my sweater out of my jeans and eased it off over my head, then reached around me to unhook my bra. As I slipped my arms out of the straps Bill climbed up onto the bed and leaned forward to kiss my breasts, curling his tongue around the nipples. I watched him with a smile.
"Ah...sorry," he said, looking up at me apologetically "I got a little distracted there!"
"Don't apologise" I replied "it's very relaxing."
He laughed "But that wasn't what I had in mind" he said "at least...not immediately." His lip curled up in a tiny smile as his hands moved down to unbutton my jeans. He carefully removed them and my panties and ran his hands down my legs to my feet, smiling at the sight of my fluffy pink socks. He took me in his arms and laid me down on the soft quilt on my stomach. Then he reached up to the shelf over the bed and picked up my bottle of coconut body lotion, poured some into his hands and began to rub it into my skin. His long fingers gripped my shoulders as his thumbs rubbed firmly into the base of my neck, easing the knots in my aching muscles. He gradually worked his way down my back, rubbing little circles in my flesh with his thumbs and I felt myself melting under his firm, but gentle touch.
"Feeling any better?" he asked softly, as his hands moved down to curl around my bottom.
"Mmmm...much more relaxed." I murmured.
Bill began moving his hands up and down my back, his thumbs rubbing on either side of my spine moving gradually down towards my buttocks. I had thought that I was too tired to do anything other than fall asleep, but Bill evidently had other ideas. If he carried on like this then soon I would be too relaxed to move at all. It occurred to me that I was completely alone, miles from anywhere, at the mercy of Bill's insatiable appetites. Hmmm….I decided not to think about this.
By this time his hands were moving rhythmically over my bottom and thighs, kneading the stiff muscles in my legs, his long fingers trailing upwards slightly further with each stroke. I began to lift my bottom up a little each time, encouraging him to explore further between my legs. He slipped out of his clothes and climbed up onto the bed kneeling astride my body and rubbing his hands up and down my back and legs. After a few more minutes of his teasing touch I was moaning softly into the pillow and had come to the conclusion that a little insatiable appetite might not be such a bad thing after all!
The tips of his fingers were moving over my slick, wet opening and I arched my back, inviting them in.
"Oh, please Bill….!" I whispered.
Bill took pity on me and obliged, sliding two fingers into me and rubbing gently inside me. I relaxed completely and lay on my stomach enjoying the delicious sensation of Bill's skilled fingers stroking me as he slid his other hand around my waist and eased the fingers of this hand between my wet lips and began stroking me from this side as well. Soon I began to feel a hot sensation building inside me and Bill, sensing this through our new blood bond, rolled me gently onto my back and leaned over me. He smiled down at me and placed his soft lips on mine and kissed me tenderly.
"Now, what shall I do with you?" he asked.
I lifted my head for another kiss and Bill put his arm around my waist and pulled me close to him, kissing me harder, more passionately. I ran my hand down his back to his firm buttocks and pulled him closer, wrapping one leg around his waist, making it obvious what I wanted him to do with me. I could feel his substantial erection nudging between my legs and a slight shift of my weight was enough to bring the swollen head into my wet opening. Bill didn't need any further encouragement but entered me, gently and slowly, rocking his hips as he eased himself deeper inside. I lay back on the bed, dazed with a combination of exhaustion and pleasure as Bill's cool tongue explored between my lips and trailed down my neck to the hollow of my throat.
I began to feel a slightly disorienting sensation and opened my eyes only to realise that Bill's smooth movements were causing the boat to rock gently at her moorings. Between Bill's movement and the rocking of the boat I began to feel as though I were drifting away and I clung tightly to Bill as if to hold myself in place. Bill sighed in response and began to lick gently at the base of my throat, the bond between us telling him that I was close to the edge. He shifted his weight a little and the slight alteration of the angle of his thrusts sent me into a convulsion of pleasure and, as he felt the rhythmic contractions of my body around him he sank his fangs into my throat, the taste of my blood, as always, driving him to his own climax.
I sat in the bows of the boat with a bottle of Tru Blood in my hand. Alex had fallen asleep in my arms and I had carefully wrapped the quilt around her and left her sleeping peacefully. I sat for a while thinking about all that she had done for me. I thought back to the moment when I saw the gunman raise his arm towards her and I had stepped between them. The woman interviewer had asked a good question. Why had I done that?
After some consideration I concluded that what I had said to her was correct. I simply hadn't thought about it! But why? The only other person that I had ever even considered taking such a risk for was Sookie, and that hadn't worked out too well had it? You'd think I'd have learned my lesson by now. Sookie had simply taken my action as her right, she had given no indication that she thought she owed me anything, hadn't even visited until Sam told her she should. The more I thought about it the more I realised that she had always acted this way. Assumed that I would always be there to take care of her, and she was right wasn't she. I always had.
I sat up and took a swig from the bottle. Perhaps I wasn't being entirely fair. After the episode in Jackson she was right to assume that I owed her. My mind drifted back to the horror of that night. Waking to find her lying half dead in my arms. I had spent so many fruitless hours since then trying to recall what exactly had happened. I could remember the old stable block in the grounds of Russell Edgington's mansion, the searing agony of Lorena's torture and possibly...seeing Sookie come in to join me in that terrible place. At the time I had thought I was hallucinating. But after that...nothing.
I shook my head as if trying to dislodge the terrible memories of my past. After leaving Bon Temps I had travelled extensively in both America and Europe, eventually settling in England, but I had almost reverted to living as I had before the Revelation, in secret, hiding even from my own kind, who eventually concluded that I had met the true death. But I had always liked to be amongst humans, even though they didn't know who, or what I was, I still liked to walk in crowded places, watch people, hear their voices. Then came that day when I had seen the girl in the bookshop. Stretching up for a book she clearly couldn't reach. I hadn't intended to scare her but when she fell back into my arms with a frightened squeak I knew immediately what she was, and I realised with a shock that she also recognised me for what I was! The only thing I could think of in that moment was that she had the fae blood which could heal me...and she was leaving, I might never find her again.
Not following her out of the bookshop was the hardest thing I had ever done. What she had said to me in the hotel room in Amsterdam was quite true. I could so easily have followed her, tracked her and simply, brutally, taken what I needed from her. But to do so would have finally turned me into that monster that Lorena had tried so hard to create. I would rather have died than do that. So I simply stood in the doorway and watched her. And, by some miracle, she had the courage to stop and wait for me. To talk to me, get to know me and although my intentions at first were purely selfish I found that as I got to know her I began to truly love her, her courage, her honesty, her innocence and most of all her generosity of spirit. Being with her made me realise that I wanted to live in the world again, that I was tired of hiding.
I had been determined to be honest with her, brutally honest, no matter how uncomfortable it was for me. I was so glad now that I had. I was sure that Charles would not have tried to stop her from giving me her blood while I was unconscious. For that to happen a second time would have been too much to bear. I had to smile at the thought of her confronting Charles, threatening him even...she had some guts!Perhaps if I had been honest with Sookie from the start then Eric wouldn't have been able to step in with his information and come between us. But somehow, deep down, I knew that if I had, she would have had nothing to do with me from the start. She would simply have flounced off in a rage, as she had on other occasions, but this time she wouldn't have come back.
I heard a slight sound and turned to watch the White Owl, Gwenhwyfar, sweep back up the field and over the boat into the woods, then stood up and went back into the cabin, draining the bottle and putting it in the tiny sink. I edged quietly down the corridor to where Alex lay, worn out by a combination of bringing her boat to this beautiful place and our lovemaking, fast asleep, on the compact bed. She was lying on her back, her long black hair spread out on the pillow, one foot poking out from under the quilt. I smiled to see that she had put the fluffy pink socks back on and caught myself wondering idly if she had put on anything else. I could feel through the bond that she was sleeping peacefully, as if her consciousness was resting quietly in a corner of my soul.
Getting a grip on myself, I gently pulled the quilt over and tucked her foot inside. Dawn was coming and I wondered if I could slip into the storage space without waking her. As I watched her she stirred in her sleep and rolled over until she was tucked up against the hull of the boat, on the far side of the bed. I took the opportunity to gently lift up the edge of the mattress and slide myself inside. As I made myself comfortable I heard her shift in her sleep and move back. As I lay in the darkness listening to her soft breathing I realised the answer to my question. I had stepped in front of the gunman because I knew that my life simply would not be the same, would mean so much less, without her.
Bill and I had spent a couple of days and nights on Lady Eleanor. As I had suspected, I spent most of my days sleeping and my nights making love. On one particularly clear night with a full moon Bill helped me move the boat a few miles up the canal, closer to a village where I would be able to get milk and bread. All Bill appeared to need was me. Then one night Bill's cellphone rang. He looked at the screen and sighed, "Charles" he said. He listened in silence for a few moments. "All right, fine. You'll send the car for us?" He glanced over at me, "hold on a moment!"
"Alex, do you need to get the boat back to the marina? How long will it take?" he asked with one hand over the cellphone.
I thought for a moment "We could leave her here" I said "We can carry our bags down the towpath to the village and get a taxi. It's not far."
Bill spoke into the phone again, "yes, that's fine, we'll see you then."
"Well, that looks like the end of our little holiday!" he said, putting the phone back in his pocket. "Shame really, I was just starting to get the hang of it!"
"Some other time perhaps" I laughed.
"Wait a moment!" said Bill suddenly, turning to look at me. "I thought you got seasick?"
"Oh don't be silly!" I said "You can't get seasick on a canal, there's almost no movement at all!" I slid my hand into his shirt and stroked the soft hair on his chest, "well...not unless you start getting excitable! I laughed and jumped away before he could grab me. "Come on, we'd best be making a move hadn't we?"
A few hours later we were at the junction at the bottom of the hill from Bill's house. We had picked up Bill's car from my house, put the luggage in the back and headed back to his place in the Aston Martin. As we approached the junction I automatically looked down the main road for approaching traffic and saw a familiar silver BMW approaching. "Oh no!" I said "It's him again, that guy who yelled at me the other day!
"Oh really!" said Bill and promptly pulled out in front of him. Sure enough the BMW came flying around Bill's Aston Martin and pulled up in front of him, blocking the road. "Excellent" murmured Bill with an evil little smile "let's see how he gets on this time shall we?"
The man got out of his car, slammed the door, and approached Bill's car. He saw me through the windscreen and stopped. "You again!" he yelled. Bill opened his door and got out of the car calmly. "Brought your boyfriend this time huh?" He approached my side of the car waving his finger in the air.
"I was driving, not her." said Bill mildly.
The man glared at him and started around to his side of the car. "Was I speaking to you?" he asked sarcastically. He was a big guy and obviously used to being able to intimidate people with his size, he certainly scared me, but if he thought he was going to intimidate Bill he was very much mistaken! He stalked up to Bill and began poking him in the chest with a finger. "You keep out of it! It's her I have the problem with. I'm not listening to you!"
There was a blur of movement and a muffled cry and suddenly Bill was holding the man by one arm, his right hand pulling his head back by the hair. His feet had been kicked out from under him bringing his face down close to Bill's. Bill's fangs were fully extended and he spoke quietly and calmly into Mr BMW's ear. "Are you listening now?" he asked.
Several other cars had now stopped and people were watching, horrified. However, no-one made any move to intervene.
"You do not have a problem with her." said Bill quietly "In fact, if I ever catch you within 100 yards of her again I will rip out your guts with my bare hands and make you eat them! Do you understand?" Somehow, Bill's calm, conversational tone made the threat sound even worse as it was quite obvious that he meant it, literally. "Do...you...understand?" he asked again, slowly and carefully, as if to a child.
"Yes, yes okay!" Bill let go and the man fell to his knees in the road as Bill calmly got back into the car, manoeuvred around the BMW, and drove off.
"Well, that was quite satisfying, but do you think it was a good idea?" I asked. "With your position as Sheriff to think about?"
"He started it" Bill pointed out reasonably. "Anyway, he wasn't hurt, I just threatened him a little. Besides….." he turned and smiled at me "once he gets back into his car he won't remember me."
"Oh great!" I said "How about me? will he remember me?"
"Only enough to stay away." Said Bill in a satisfied tone of voice.
"First let's have a look at the footage that was taken at the time shall we?"
The presenter's voice came in clearly through loudspeakers set into the walls on either side of a large screen showing the studio. I was in the "green room" at the Television Studios where Bill and Charles were making an appearance on "Late Night Talk" with "Pete and Susie" whoever they were! I was not really au fait with the latest talk show hosts. However, they appeared to be doing well tonight! The studio was packed full to bursting point and half a dozen more people were crammed into the green room with me.
There were five armchairs on the stage. The fifth chair being occupied by the Reverend Stuart Nelson, a representative of the Fellowship of the Sun. When Bill heard this he nearly walked straight back out and had to be restrained by Charles who argued with him for about ten minutes before finally persuading him to stay. Apparently Bill had had dealings with the Fellowship in the US and hadn't been impressed, to say the least.
The large TV screen behind the interviewer came to life and I sat up and stared at the images. I had never seen this footage before and I watched, fascinated, as Charles' car drew up outside the courtroom and Charles, Bill, Marcus and I got out and began to walk towards the camera. Charles moved up to speak to the reporter who was standing next to the camera and it focussed in on him for a moment. Bill and I were both out of shot until Charles waved me over and introduced me. Bill was standing further back talking to Gerry, who had just got out of the other car.
Watching carefully, I noticed the moment when I looked around for Bill and saw the man in the crowd move forward. The camera was still focussed on Charles, with Marcus at his side when suddenly, horrifically, there was the sharp crack of a gunshot and Marcus simply dissolved in a fountain of blood.
There were a few gasps from the studio audience, but most of them must have been expecting it. For a few moments there were simply blurred images as the cameraman recovered from the shock and tried to refocus. Then it moved to me. The camera was behind me now as I had turned away, shooting over my shoulder as I was looking into the crowd and right in front of me, clearly in shot, was a man with a gun in his hand. He was just raising his arm when suddenly Bill appeared in front of me. I closed my eyes, unable to bear the sight of the bullets punching into Bill's body, but I guess I must have been the only one. I could hear more gasps from the studio audience and still more from the people in the green room with me.
I opened my eyes and looked around. All eyes were fixed on the screen. I looked back and saw Bill lying motionless on the ground. The camera was trying to focus on him, then Charles and I came into shot, heading for Bill. I watched fascinated as, on the screen, I held up my wrist to Charles and he took my arm and bit me. I was expecting more gasps but instead there was silence as every head in the room turned to stare at me. I kept my eyes fixed on the screen and watched myself kneel down on the ground and take Bill's head in my lap. Charles licked his lips, somewhat ostentatiously I thought, and then joined me.
The next few moments were blurred as the cameraman tried to get into a better position to see what was happening. When the shot focussed again Bill was lying with his head in my lap holding on to my arm with both hands, his mouth clamped tightly to my wrist. Blood was trickling from the corner of his mouth, over his lips and dripping onto my lap.
I took a deep breath and looked around, the people in the green room were looking at me as if I were insane, or worse, as if they pitied me for having been glamoured into doing such a terrible thing.
My nerves were on edge anyway and at this point I lost my temper.
"What?" I said. "You have a problem with that do you?"
There was no response.
"Well? You just watched him deliberately allow himself to get shot in my place and you think I should have just walked away? Left him to die?"
They all looked at each other, not sure how to respond.
"Well….isn't he dead already?" said one girl.
I glared at her. "Well, that has to be the most stupid remark I've heard in a long time!"
I turned back to the screen where Charles had picked me up and was carrying me across the road to the ambulance. Gerry was helping Bill to stagger to his feet. I noticed that his lips were stained red with my blood and a trickle ran down his chin and had dripped onto his chest to join the smear of his own. The cameraman focussed on Bill and we could clearly see that the ragged wounds in his side where the bullets had penetrated his flesh were healing as we watched.
The camera continued to track him as, with the help of Gerry, he made his way over to the ambulance where I sat wrapped in a blanket, looking a little weak but obviously okay, and sat down beside me taking me in his arms and pulling me to him for a gentle kiss.
At this point the camera was obviously shut down and the screen went blank.
There was silence both in the green room and out in the studio, while people absorbed what they had just seen.
The screen in the green room came to life again, showing the scene in the studio.
"Well Reverend?" said Pete "Perhaps you would like to give us your opinion of what we just saw?"
"I don't know what you saw." He said "but I just watched a young woman being drained by a vampire!"
There was a chorus of groans from the studio audience, I got the impression that the Reverend's view was in the minority.
Pete just grinned, a bit of controversy is all these people want really.
"How about you Mr Montague" he asked "what did you see?"
"You'll appreciate that I didn't see anything at the time" said Charles, calmly. "I was too busy wiping the blood of my bodyguard out of my eyes!" he turned to the camera, "My friend, who had just been shot and killed in front of me for no reason by some vampire-hating lunatic!" he paused for a moment. "However, watching the video just now, I saw a vampire save a woman's life by taking half a dozen bullets which were meant for her. She then saved his by generously giving him her blood to enable him to heal himself."
There was a sudden uproar in the audience and the camera panned across to half a dozen people waving the ubiquitous "Vamps Kill" and "God Hates Fangs" banners. A number of men in dark suits carrying radios appeared and hustled them out of the studio.
When everything had settled down a little the female presenter, Susie, turned to Bill.
"Let's start again shall we. Would you like to tell us something about yourself Mr Compton?"
"Certainly" said Bill, "What would you like to know?"
"Well…..could you tell us about your life before…" she stopped, obviously embarrassed and Bill, ever the gentleman, stepped in to help her out.
"Before I was turned?" he asked with a smile. "I was a farmer. I worked my father's land in Northern Louisiana and when he died I took over the farm with my wife."
"You were married?" she asked, sounding surprised for some reason.
"Yes" said Bill "I was married and had two small children. Then when the War started I joined the Confederate Army. I served in the 28th Louisiana Infantry, formed in Monroe in 1862 under Col. Henry Grey."
"You fought in the American Civil War?" asked Susie.
Bill gave a little smile, "Yes, indeed. We believed in the cause of Southern independence, at least at first. By the end all we had left to believe in was survival."
"Did you keep slaves?" she asked.
"No" he said "When I was a child my father owned a house slave and a yard slave, but I never did."
"And how did it happen. How were you….turned? Can you tell us that?" asked Susie. I noticed that she didn't take her eyes off Bill. She seemed mesmerised by his story.
"It was after the surrender in April 1865" said Bill quietly "I was one of the few in my Company who survived and considered myself to be fortunate, at least I thought so at the time. I was making my way home through the woods alone. I was half starved, you must appreciate that we had received no supplies for many months, and just as I was going to make camp for the night I came to a cottage. I knocked and asked for help. The door was opened by a woman, who took me in and cooked me a meal. She told me that she was the wife of a confederate soldier, but that she had not heard from her husband for a long time. I tried to comfort her, saying that the postal routes had been disrupted by the war, but we both knew that he was probably dead." Bill paused for a moment, seemingly lost in his memories. Then he sighed and sat up. "But unfortunately for me, my charming saviour was not a war widow at all, she was not even, in fact, human."
There was a gasp from the audience as they realised what he meant. He did not need to elaborate any further.
"And she…?"
"Yes." There was a pause as everyone took this in.
"I woke in the upstairs room. I was lying on the bed, weak and faint. I felt as though I was dying…..because in fact I was dying. I turned my head away from her and saw, in the corner of the room, a pile of rotting bodies, all dressed in the dirty, ragged remains of army uniforms. It appeared that I was not the first lost soldier to pass that way, but for some reason, Lorena chose me over the others."
"Lorena?"
"Her name was Lorena Kryseki."
"Was?" asked Susie.
"She has met the true death." said Bill
"Oh, I'm sorry" said Susie.
Bill gave a short laugh. "Don't be" he said "I wasn't!"
Susie looked shocked at this. "But she was your "maker" wasn't she? I thought that vampires were very loyal to their makers?"
"Some are" said Bill "It depends on the circumstances. I was taken completely against my will. She tore me away from my human life, from my wife and children, she stole my humanity and turned me into a monster. You think I should show her loyalty for that?"
There was silence in the studio as everyone tried to take in the reality of Bill's situation. A farmer, a soldier, a husband and father snatched out of his life forever. It seemed that what I had always imagined, was in fact true. People conveniently forgot that vampires were all once human, they never thought about who they had been, only what they had become.
"Do you consider yourself to be a monster Mr Compton?" asked Pete.
The reverend gentleman sniggered loudly at this. He evidently did!
Bill smiled gently "I try very hard not to be and I think that, most of the time at least, I succeed." There was a little ripple of laughter from the audience.
"But you disagree Reverend?" asked Pete turning to Stuart Nelson.
"I certainly do! These creatures are unholy monsters who have cheated death and who survive on the blood of the living!"
"That's not true!" said Charles quickly "The production of synthetic blood has meant..."
"But we just saw it!" interrupted Nelson waving his hand at the screen "Your colleague here was filmed drinking that young woman's blood!"
"That was under highly unusual circumstances!" snapped Charles "and it wouldn't have been necessary if he hadn't been shot by your colleagues! Who, incidentally, were attempting to shoot her!"
Nelson had no immediate answer to this. He began to bluster a little, pointing out that the Warriors of Ra had nothing to do with his Church and that he didn't approve of their actions.
"So are you trying to say that your "Fellowship" doesn't approve of killing vampires?" asked Charles curiously. "Because you'd never know that from some of the detailed instructions provided on your website! I believe it recommends the use of bullets just like those which killed my friend Marcus and almost killed Bill."
Pete turned to Nelson with a questioning smile. "Is that correct Reverend?" he asked.
"I have no control over what our supporters post on our website" said Nelson in a self-righteous tone. "But they evidently feel that the killing of vampires is necessary to protect themselves, to protect the human race."
"In what way would killing Miss Morgan protect them?" asked Bill coldly. "Why, exactly did she deserve to die? Simply because she knew me, because she was brave enough to get to know me and make up her own mind about us rather than listen uncritically to your sanctimonious rhetoric?"
"Of course I don't condone their action with regard to Miss Morgan, but I am aware that some people consider humans who...associate with vampires in the same light as collaborators in wartime. That they have betrayed their own kind."
"Forgive me" said Bill, "I wasn't aware that we were at war."
"We will always be at war!" snarled Nelson. He turned to the camera "These creatures are inhuman monsters who should not be permitted to associate with humans. As The Reverend Newlin said, we should never have given them the vote and legitimised their unholy existence! They are all dangerous to humans and they only need us to satisfy their unholy lusts!"
Bill blinked and raised an eyebrow, turning to look at the reverend. "Really?" he asked mildly, to a ripple of laughter from the studio audience.
I have to admit to feeling a little twinge of unease. Although I knew that Bill would never harm me I wasn't so sure about other people. In fact, especially after the incident with Mr BMW, I was beginning to realise that, if anyone were to threaten me directly, then he would probably kill them without a second thought. Charles, I knew to be a genuine, cold hearted, monster. We were just fortunate that, at the moment, we fitted in with his plans. I had no doubt, however, that the moment I ceased to be useful, he would consider me to be disposable.
Bill's startling beauty and gentle charm had begun to win over the audience. Together with the fact that he was totally innocent in this case. I reminded myself sternly that we were in the right here. The reverend's friends had threatened me with rape and tried to kill me. If the warriors had caught me that night in Bill's house I dreaded to think what they might have done or, come to think of it, what Bill might have done had he caught them. They had tried to shoot me and had succeeded in shooting Bill.
At this point Pete decided that he should take charge again. "So," he said, "going back to what we just watched in the video. Did you know that the bullets were silver Mr Compton?"
"I had no idea what they were made of" said Bill
"But you'd just seen Mr Montague's bodyguard...well...totally destroyed by one bullet!"
"I didn't see that," Bill explained "I wasn't looking in that direction. I just saw the gunman raise his hand towards Miss Morgan."
"So you had no idea what the bullets were made of?" Pete asked.
"I only knew that if they hit Miss Morgan she would certainly be killed." said Bill "It was far more likely that I would survive."
"But surely it was quite possible that what happened to...er..."
"Marcus!" supplied Charles irritably.
"...what happened to Marcus, could have happened to you as well?" asked Susie.
"Yes." Bill answered turning to her.
"Then why did you do it?"
Bill paused and looked down for a moment. Then he seemed to come to a decision and looked back up at the camera. "Because I love her." he said simply.
For a moment there was complete silence in the studio, even Reverend Nelson seemed lost for words. Then the audience appeared to wake up and a low murmuring started up.
"Nonsense!" said Nelson briskly, "everyone knows these creatures aren't capable of love."
I was amazed at the restraint both Bill and Charles were showing. In fact I could think of several humans I knew who would have given the Reverend a good smack around the ear by now!
"Do they?" asked Charles. "How could anyone know such a thing?"
The camera panned towards a section of the audience where a loud argument had broken out between a couple who were evidently vampires, who were supporting Bill's case and some members of the Fellowship.
"Why would you think that?" asked Bill, sounding genuinely curious. "Do you think that we can't recall our human lives? I assure you we can!" He glanced at Charles for a moment, perhaps unsure that Charles actually could. "I loved my wife and my children, I remember what that felt like. Believe me, what I feel for Alex is the same thing!"
"What about you Mr Montague?" asked Pete turning to Charles.
Charles smiled. "Well" he said "I am very much older. Almost three thousand years." There was a pause while we tried to take this in. "I have to admit that I can barely recall what it was like to be human but I have feelings believe me! Marcus was a very dear friend and I was devastated to lose him. Although I wouldn't say I actually loved him!" There was another ripple of laughter at this.
I stared at the image on the screen of Charles, sitting in the armchair looking relaxed in his tailored suit, and tried to imagine who he had been in life. I realised that I didn't have the slightest idea.
I spotted someone to the rear of the studio waving his hand in a circular motion at the two hosts and guessed that it was a signal to wrap up the show.
"Well" said Pete. "This has been a most interesting discussion. I'm sure we'll have a lot of feedback on this subject. Please let us know your opinions by e-mailing us at the usual address. We look forward to seeing you all next week with another topical discussion. Good night everyone!" Pete and Susie waved to the cameras as the closing music began and, as the red light went off over the main camera they got up and Susie went over to Bill and held out her hand. "It's been a pleasure to meet you Mr Compton" she said.
Bill took her hand and raised it to his lips. "The pleasure was all mine I assure you." he said smiling. I smiled too, damn he was smooth!
The screen in the green room shut down at this point and a moment later the door opened and Bill came in followed by Charles. Bill came over and gave me a hug, "How do you think it went?" he asked.
"Pretty well I'd say" I answered "I think the audience were on your side, at least the non-fellowship part. Personally I felt that the Reverend made a complete ass of himself!" Bill and Charles both laughed and so, rather to my surprise, did a few of my green room companions, including the girl who had assumed that, since Bill was dead already, it didn't much matter that he had been shot. Seeing him in the flesh had evidently changed her mind!
After shaking hands with what seemed like every producer and director in the building we finally found ourselves at the entrance to the studios and headed for the car which Charles had arranged to take us to our hotel. Bill had booked us into one of the latest vampire-friendly hotels in the capital. We drew up at the main doors and said goodbye to Charles, who had a house in London and was returning there. "Well done Bill" he said seriously "We did a good job there tonight, one which will be of great value to our cause and I have no illusions that I could have done it without you." Bill smiled slightly and thanked him, then we headed into the hotel.
After checking in we made our way to the elevators, our room was on the tenth floor and the elevator was empty. No sooner had the doors swished shut than Bill snatched me up in his arms and began kissing me ravenously, pushing me up against the velvet wall of the elevator. "Oh, I am so relieved that's over!" he said releasing me.
"I was quite enjoying it actually!" I said.
"The interview!"
I laughed. "Well, you've done it now" I said, "You're famous!"
He looked at me seriously for a moment "Are you sure you're okay with this?" he asked.
"It's a bit late for that now isn't it?"
He sighed "You know I never wanted you to get involved..."
"I got myself involved. It wasn't your fault. Besides, I never thought that being with you would be easy."
He took my face between his hands. "Then why did you do it?" he asked.
I reached up to kiss him and laid my head on his shoulder. "For the same reason you gave tonight, in front of an audience of thousands." I breathed into his ear. "Because I love you."
He had just wrapped his arms around my waist and begun kissing me again when there was a hiss and the elevator doors opened. I pulled back from him, embarrassed as three more people got in. Bill just grinned at me and hugged me to him. I tried to move away again, but he held me tight in front of him and as I was pressed up against him I realised why! I gave a little giggle as the elevator started up again and wriggled in his arms.
He bent down and kissed my ear. "Stop that you little hussy!" he whispered.
"What?" I asked innocently giving another little wriggle.
"That!" he muttered "I'll never make it to the room at this rate!"
The elevator stopped at the ninth floor and, fortunately for us, all three other passengers got out.
"Got the key?" I asked.
"It's in my pocket"
"Wow! You mean there's room for something else in there?"
Bill gave me a sly smile "Like to try and get it out?"
I slipped my hand into his pocket and tried to wriggle my fingers down to grasp the square of plastic. Bill flung his head back against the velvet wall and moaned.
"Bad idea!" he muttered from between clenched teeth.
"Just a second." I gave another little wriggle with my fingers, completely unnecessary actually, but fun! "Got it!"
The elevator doors opened, there was a rush of air and suddenly I was in front of a door.
"Key" groaned Bill "Quickly!"
I put the little plastic key in the slot and a green light came on. The next thing I knew I was flat on my back on a king sized bed and Bill was crouched over me with his fangs out.
"Now then madam" he said gazing down at me with a determined look in his eye. "So, you love me do you?"
"I'm afraid so Mr Compton." I smiled up at him "I couldn't help myself. I've just got this thing about celebrities!"
"Care to demonstrate for me?" he asked.
So I did.