Chapter warning for intoxication and dubious consent. There's also smut in it, but that part is consensual.
The meeting with Amanda was fast approaching and Criss found herself anxious at the thought. An unsettling feeling curled in the pit of her stomach, like she was about to embark on a dangerous mission, but it was just a meeting. Nothing more. She kept telling herself that, as if the repetition would somehow feed the beast and put it back to sleep.
For years, she had tried to get rid of the anxiety before a battle and found that the only thing that could put a dent in it was keeping herself busy. Idle hands make the devil's work. Well, busy hands - and minds, for that matter - had no time for such things. Her job did the trick, and she immersed herself in it as much as she could, but it could only last so long. At one point, the students finished presenting their work, and she had to move on and find some other way to pass the time.
She might have considered having lunch under different circumstances, but her appetite was non-existent when she was stressed. Strolling through campus could have worked, but she chose to drive around instead. Without much aim, she drove subsequent streets, until she found herself heading towards the outskirts of town - the complete opposite direction of where she was to meet Amanda. A subconscious manifestation of her fear, no doubt. Fortunately, she caught herself before going too far, and switched direction.
It was still early when she arrived at the main offices of Build Core. The receptionist guided her to the 10th floor, where she found herself in another lavish waiting area. A diligent secretary offered her a drink and a seat while she waited to be shown in. Her mind wandered to the upcoming discussion and how she could steer it to get information. It would be enough to get Amanda thinking about the night in question and then pry the thoughts from her mind and no one would be the wiser. A sound plan.
The secretary's voice drew her back into the present. She followed behind the woman, who led her past the heavy oak doors of Amanda's office.
The redhead was smiling, sitting behind a large desk, a beautiful panorama of the city as her background. She looked to be in perfect health and in a good mood to boot. With a gesture, she invited Criss to sit across from her in one of two comfortable chairs.
"How can I help you, Miss Thompson?"
"Actually, that is the exact question I came to ask you, Miss Rice." She gave her a confident smile and continued. "I have it on good authority that you could use some help wrangling in some of the larger investors needed to secure the development of the project you hired our company to design. After all, who better to pitch the concept than the one who created it?"
"That's surprising, I must admit. Your brother left me with the impression that he'd be the one handling that part. It's no secret that you rarely take an interest in projects. A shame really, I always thought your early work showed promise."
"Rarely doesn't mean never. You make it seem like I've forgone my trade completely, when I've just been selective with the clients I take on."
"Still, your brother has been the one taking care of this side of the business for quite a while. Perhaps he's better equipped for it."
"It's true he usually handles the logistics and anything else that doesn't require my direct input, and our division of labour has benefited us both. He's extremely capable, but I think that for such an important project, the investors might appreciate my involvement. As you said, it's no secret that I'm selective, and my personal attention will most likely flatter them. I trust you can appreciate the advantage in that."
The redhead's smile widened as Criss spoke. By the end, it stretched across her face from ear to ear. She was clearly pleased with the evolution of the conversation.
"You make a good case for yourself. Let's hope you do just a good of a job with the investors. Perhaps it will be good enough to sway the more indecisive ones."
Criss's smile matched the redhead's in width. She was in, and this was her chance to steer the conversation in the direction she needed it to go.
"Perhaps you can provide me with the contacts of the ones you met at the charity event held by the university. I believe you attended?"
Amanda's smile faltered for a second, but she quickly recovered her composure and replied.
"Yes, but I had to leave early with Mr. Reys. He's so rarely available and catching up with him seemed a rare opportunity. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to convince him, but perhaps he'll appreciate your attention more than he did mine."
She knew that name - just like everyone else interested in large developments - but few could put a face to him. The man was wealthy and eccentric. He kept a low profile, no scandals or tabloid pictures, no social media. Only the occasional interview and a photo never accompanied it. It was no wonder Amanda had been glued to his side. Could it be possible for a vampire to rise so high in human society with no one taking notice, or was he just some rich oddball who didn't like his photo taken? After all, Amanda seemed untouched and - even if Criss was no authority on vampires - if someone had their blood drained mere days ago, they wouldn't look so healthy and vibrant. Amanda's memories of the night would surely hold the answer to these questions. With delicate care, Criss prodded at the woman's mind but drew a blank. Her mind was in a blissful daze, and nothing about it was natural. She kept her surprise to herself and carried on with the conversation. There was definitely something there she needed to unearth.
"I've never had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Reys," Criss said. "If you think I could be of help…"
"I can arrange a meeting for you. Smooth things out. If you can get him on board, then it would settle the whole matter. Once word gets out he's invested in the project, they'll be clamouring to give us their money."
Amanda looked positively gleeful, and Criss couldn't help but feel like there was something odd behind her excitement.
"In that case, I'll do my best to secure his support," Criss said with a casual smile.
"Perfect! I'll have my secretary call you with the details."
Criss nodded, and Amanda continued. "Then if there's nothing else you wish to discuss, I believe this concludes our meeting. "
As they both stood, Criss decided to try her luck once again, and this time she meant to be more forceful about it. She extended a hand, hoping that physical contact would facilitate her access to Amanda's mind. Sure enough, the instant their hands touched, two things happened. First, she saw behind the illusion that was Amanda's appearance. Beneath the skilful spell lay hidden pale, sickly skin. Her deep blue eyes had dark circles around them and an overall dull expression. She looked sick, weak, and absent. The second thing that happened was that a torrent of images from the night of the event flooded her mind.
She saw and felt everything Amanda had felt. Mr Reys dark eyes mesmerizing her, making her thoughts hazy. She was giddy, like she was drunk and excited all at once. He was charming, smooth, and very cunning. His lips moved, but she couldn't hear the words. Nonetheless, she knew what he wanted, and she willingly agreed to what he was proposing. He led her by the hand; her legs moving by their own accord until she felt the cold fresh air outside, darkness, a short flight and then she could see the park from above.
The next moment, they were on the roof. She wanted to stop the images, but it was too late. The flood gates were open and she could do nothing to shut them. The images continued, accompanied by sensations that made her uncomfortable, hands touching her, squeezing her soft flesh, roaming around, removing her dress, eliciting reactions from her body. As they floated above the roof tiles, she gave herself to the vampire, half awake and half dazed. He sank his teeth into her neck, a sharp pain followed by a feeling of intoxication. He drank his fill while grinding into her. She let out a quick gasp as her mind descended into a blurry mess, and a small fire burned in the park. A howl and shots being fired were the last things she heard, then nothing. Complete and utter darkness.
She breathed out in relief when the avalanche of images and sensations dissipated and withdrew her hand hurriedly. Once the contact stopped, the illusion refreshed itself and Amanda appeared to be in good health yet again, but now Criss knew the truth. And dearly regretted it.
She forced a smile and left the room as quickly as possible. The need to scrub the skin off her hand overwhelmed her, and she repressed a grimace of disgust. If only she could scream. It felt too real, as if it had been her body and her memories, not Amanda's. And she had no one to blame but herself and her damn curiosity. She had been a willing lightning rod that attracted the unwanted and repressed memories of a traumatized woman, along with an unhealthy dose of darkness.
Fighting the urge to run, she made her way back to her car, trying not to curse and shout. Amanda's thoughts left her with a bitter taste in her mouth and an ever-increasing darkness building up inside her. She needed to find a release for the terrible energy she had absorbed or she would lose control of her emotions - a dangerous thing for a Source. Slamming the car door behind her, she fought the urge to bang her fists on the steering wheel, to punch something, anything. One breath in, one breath out. She tried to force herself to relax and let go.
Move past it! Move past it! Just simply move past it! She screamed into her head. It wasn't you. It was her. Nobody touched you. Just let it go! As she kept repeating that to herself, she realized another frightening fact, she would have to meet Reys and disgust overwhelmed her again. Her mind raced to ways of getting out of it, even if the meeting was all her doing.
"You should meet with him," she heard Sama's voice in her head. She looked in the rearview mirror and saw his eyes instead of her own looking back at her.
"If you've taken an interest in him, it means it's serious." Silence met her assumption, so she continued. "I'm not equipped for this." The monster coiled in her stomach churned again.
"Aren't you?"
She gripped the next excuse that came to mind. "The tether will cripple me. With my energy poured into it, I can only do so much."
"What about the man at the other end of the tether? He could help you."
"I won't drag him into this."
"So you refuse?"
She remained silent. Never before had she refused his requests. He never made them on a whim. All of them had a purpose in the Plan.
"No." She rubbed her forehead and exhaled. "What am I supposed to do?"
"We need information, so consider this a scouting mission. Find out who he has allied himself with."
"But it's not excluded that I might have to do more."
"You are correct."
"Fine, I'll do as you ask. I'll meet him..." She sighed as Sama disappeared. "... and try not to die."
She got home to find a morose Geralt nursing a bottle of wine. Her mood wasn't much better than his, so she sat down next to him, poured herself a drink and downed it before filling up the glass again. She hadn't even bothered to remove the effects of the alcohol. Maybe they could help her. Dull her. Numb her. He looked at her with gloomy eyes.
"Mmm, so it's going to be a competition as to whom had a worse day?" he asked. She just shrugged and looked back at him silently. "Do you want to start or should I?"
"I would rather hit a punching bag than talk. Maybe we can go to the gym so I can legally put my fist through something."
The darkness had not dissipated completely. She needed a physical outlet for it before it got worse. The anger and disgust were still boiling inside her. She took another sip from her glass, then pushed it aside. It was only worsening her mood. "I'll go change and you can tell me about your awful day." She moved to the bedroom, and he followed.
"There's not much to say. I can sum it up in a sentence. They want me to capture one."
She stopped halfway through undressing and looked at him from under furrowed brows. Maybe she misunderstood.
"A vampire?" she asked.
He nodded.
"Can you do it?"
He shook his head after a moment of thought.
"I'm not sure. To kill them is one thing. It takes speed and a sharp blade, but to capture one... I can't imagine how I could do it. I'd have to be near it and that's very dangerous."
"Can't you refuse?"
"Even if I refuse, they're still going to try it. The Director couldn't be moved. He's going to get all of them killed." He sighed. "I can't stand by and watch."
She buried her head in his chest. When did things become so complicated? He stroked her hair and held her tight.
"When are you supposed to capture it?"
"Next week, after the full moon passes. It won't be so dangerous then. Don't worry, it'll all be fine," he lied, trying in vain to reassure her. "You didn't tell me how the meeting with Amanda went. I take it, it was bad?"
"Not quite. She's alive, and she agreed to let me convince Mr. Reys to invest. Care to guess who Mr. Reyes is?"
"I have no idea, and you know it. Why would I even try to venture a guess?"
"Because you know who he is. Better yet, you know what he is."
His forehead creased as he looked at her, his eyes serious. He knew - she could tell - but he was holding on to the hope that he misunderstood.
"Yes, you guessed it. He's the one with whom Amanda left the fundraiser."
"You can't go." Confusion and hope were replaced by a stony expression. "Even if he let her live, that doesn't mean he's not dangerous. Higher vampires are very unpredictable and much more difficult to kill."
"I have to, I've already agreed..."
"Tell her you've changed your mind, tell her to find some other moneybag to invest!" His voice was harsh, but it was only because of his worry for her.
"I wish I could, but the matter is settled. I'll go and I'll be fine. Now, please, let's go to the gym. I need to blow off some steam, then we can continue to argue about this if you want. Right now I feel like my head is going to explode."
He distanced himself from her and gathered his things in silence, his jaw clenched tight. She wanted to tell him the whole story, but she couldn't. Not with them watching and listening.
"Why are you choosing to be so stubborn? Do you really care this little about your life?" He finally burst out once they were out of the building. "If you don't give a shit about your life, how about mine or Ciri's?" She tried to interject, but his words came in angry torrents and his voice was getting progressively louder as he was getting more and more worked up. "If you die, so do my chances of getting back. If I don't help Ciri, if the Hunt gets her... If they open the gate of worlds and start conquering... Do you realize what's at stake? Fuck your project! Fuck your investors! It can't be more important than the fate of the worlds that will be ravished by war or the fate of those who will become slaves or corpses!"
She stopped dead in her tracks. That's what he thought of her? He thought she was just a selfish asshole, willing to trade his safety for money? She couldn't think straight. All the darkness that had built up within her made it hard to control herself. She shoved him as hard as she could, but he hardly budged.
"You think this is about some project?"
"No! I think it's about your obsession with keeping your word when it comes to every stupid thing! You're an idiot! You'll be risking your life for a stupid promise you made to a woman you've seen twice in your life and whom you barely know!"
"Yes! Fine! Believe that! I'm an idiot and I make stupid promises! Let me remind you that a stupid promise to a woman I've seen twice in my life brought you here and kept you alive. And you're planning to risk your life for people you don't know to achieve a purpose you don't understand! I guess that doesn't make you that much better than me in that regard! Tell me, how is that different? And if that means I'm an idiot, then you're one as well!" she shouted at him, angry and hurt, letting the darkness seep into her words.
He didn't answer. On his face, shock replaced anger. They stood there, in the middle of the street, not knowing how to move on, staring daggers at each other. Remorse flooded her now that she realized what she had said to him.
"I'm sorry... I shouldn't have thrown that in your face. It's not your fault, and it wasn't your choice to end up here." She breathed in and took a step towards him. His face softened, and he covered the rest of the distance between them. He hugged her tight, his arms wrapping around her back and shoulders. His cheek rested against her temple, and he took a deep breath.
"I'm sorry too. You're right, I'm a hypocrite. I'm doing the same thing I accused you of. I don't want to lose you or see you hurt. And I still don't really understand why you have to do this, but I'll support you in any way I can. I'll go with you."
"No, you can't. This has nothing to do with Amanda or the project. Sama asked me to go and I can't refuse him. This is about whoever is behind Reys and it's important."
"And dangerous no doubt."
She couldn't contradict him without lying.
"Let me come with you."
"No. If Sama thinks someone else is behind Reys, he's not referring to another vampire. It's someone from an Underworld, which means it's something or someone dangerous. Besides, he saw you at the party and if he remembers you, then it will come to blows. If possible, I want to avoid that. I'm hoping to get the information and get out without having to do anything else."
He said nothing and just squeezed her tighter to his chest, his cheek pressed to her hair.
"Say something," she pleaded.
"I'm trying very hard not to. For once, I'm choosing to trust you and not say anything. Let's leave it at that and go murder a punching bag. Now I feel I need it just as much as you do."
Later that evening, her phone rang. Amanda had arranged the meeting. She was to have dinner with Reyes on Friday.
"Shit! It'll be a full moon by then! And why dinner? Isn't a normal business meeting usually conducted in an office?" He was struggling to control his outrage with little success. The thought of her across the table from a higher vampire sent a chill down his spine.
"Do you really want me to answer that?"
He clenched his jaw and said nothing. After she had told him what she witnessed in Amanda's mind, it was clear what the vampire fancied. He didn't like any of it. Not one bit.
"Stop worrying, I know what he wants and he'll have none of it. Besides, the meeting is in a public place, which means I'll be safe."
She sauntered over to him, a promise in her eyes.
"No one but you will ever have me," she voiced her promise before raising herself on her toes to reach his lips. "I'm yours and yours alone."
"As am I," he replied. "Just yours." He broke their kiss. "But I worry for you and I can't think of anything else right now."
She hummed. "I might know of a way to take your mind off everything. By the end, you'll have only a single thought and it'll be a pleasant one, I assure you."
"And what would that entail?"
"Nothing much, you'd just have to lay back and let me do to you what I please." A hint of a smile lifted the corner of her mouth.
He nodded and entrusted himself to her. Once her hands snaked under his shirt, everything else faded and became background noise. She stripped him bare while she undressed bit by bit until there wasn't a single piece of fabric on either of their bodies. He sank back into the mattress with her on top of him, her lovely weight pushing him down, delicate hands pinning his wrists, urging him to lie still for her, a canvas for both their delight. Her touch and kiss brought oblivion, delicious electric oblivion in which he could sink for hours and not need anything else.
Her fingers teased him, dancing on his skin, not lingering enough where he wanted them, giving him just enough for him to crave more. Hot lips followed their path, captivating all thoughts with their firm touch. He balled his hands into the sheets, stifling the urge to fuck into her willing mouth. She grasped his thighs and rubbed her thumbs into his tense muscles as she sank down, her lips touching against his groin, slick tongue laving over his balls. With a steady pace, she swallowed him down over and over again until he gasped, ready to burst, then she pulled off, denying his pleasure only to kiss alongside his abdomen.
He sighed and closed his eyes, and she smiled against his skin as her fingers stroked him, the tip of his cock against her hardened nipple, and the game began again. Her wet mouth circled him again, and he submitted to her arduous affections. He let her drag him to the edge again, patient until he could no longer hold back and he bucked into her mouth in a daze. The pressure lessened and her lips left him again unsatisfied, but her hand continued stroking along his length.
"Tell me what you're thinking," she asked in a low, honeyed voice, her tongue lapping at his tip between words.
He groaned, struggling to remember words and coming up empty. "Fuck!" was the only word that came to mind and out of his mouth. She smiled and smoothly swallowed him down again. At that moment, he was mind-numbingly stupid, all higher reasoning gone. All that remained was a primal hunger that needed to be fed. His body tensed up in anticipation, but after a few strokes, she broke rhythm again.
"Tell me what you want," she asked again in the same sultry voice.
"I want you to keep working that gorgeous mouth of yours and make me come," he replied, having finally found the words he needed.
"Do you want to come inside my mouth?" she asked, dragging her tongue from balls to tip. "Or do you want me to ride you?"
She teased and edged him to where there was no other thought in his mind except finding release, and yet - as much as he loved her mouth - there was nothing better than feeling her pleasure as he came.
"Ride me... please," he replied. "I want to feel you come around me."
Her mouth left his cock, and she shifted on the bed until her knees sat astride his hips. She sank onto him with her hands resting on his abs. For a moment, she was still, unbearably warm and tight around him. Her body was an endless well of pleasure and he wanted to drink his fill, but she wanted him to be parched before letting him take a sip. Only her thumbs traced the scars up his body, lingering on the three puncture marks on his chest, then her hips rocked against his.
He was on the precipice of begging - the word "please" might have even left his lips once or twice - when the languorous movements of her body turned into a steady rhythm, slowly building in intensity. He prayed to all the gods, old and new, that she wouldn't stop and would finally give him what he so desperately needed. His fingers made their way between their bodies and his thumb brushed against her clit, eliciting a soft moan. She arched her back and sighed, never stopping the roll of her hips. Then, leaning over him, she looked at him with enraptured eyes. She was as close as he was, right there on the edge with him, ready to fall into nothingness and fullness at the same time. He caught her lips, and she shuddered around him, moaning against his mouth. They came undone, side by side, his breath caught in his throat and he could swear he saw stars.
She laid atop his chest, smiling, studying his face as she often did in moments like these. He had never asked her what she was looking for, but this time, his curiosity got the better of him.
"Do I have something on my face?" he asked her with a wry smile.
"You make me see colours," she whispered in his ear, then looked into his eyes, and said in a hushed voice: "It's so beautiful. I wish you could see it too."
And for a second, he did. The room was alight, colours changed and flickering orbs of light danced like fireflies in summer. Her body was enveloped in a colourful shroud, pink being the dominating colour; her skin was shining silver and her eyes glowed brightly. He gasped, surprised, and sat up, but the image was gone in the blink of an eye. Only the shock written all over his face remained. She looked at him, intrigued.
Once the surprise wore off, he pulled her on top of him again. He kissed her neck and whispered into her ear, so low no one would hear.
"I saw it. I don't know how, but I saw it. And you're right, it's beautiful. Did you do that?"
"Not on purpose. I just wished for it..." She rested her head on his shoulder and sighed happily.
"What were those colours? The lights?"
"Feelings..."
"And what's pink?"
"Love," she answered and kissed him.
"There's been an interesting development." He handed the Director a folder.
"Tell me, what have they been up to?"
The man hesitated. He was not used to being asked for a personal recollection of events. The documents he provided always spoke for him, but now the Director himself was waiting for an answer.
"Apparently, the woman they thought dead is not dead at all. Amanda Rice is very much alive and has set up a meeting between the architect and the one they suspect is a vampire. Problem is, the vampire is a high-profile businessman and no other than Mr. William Reys. I've looked into his background, but there is little information available. If he is a vampire, he's unlike any we've seen so far."
"But they're certain he's a vampire?"
"No doubt. Mr. Rivia was furious with her. It led to a serious row between them. I took the liberty of tracking them using the street cameras. They fought... well, you can see the images... unfortunately, there's no sound from those cameras..."
"What was the conclusion?"
"She'll meet with the vampire on Friday. He invited her to dinner."
"Or to be dinner," the Director added. "And Rivia agreed?"
"Reluctantly and only after she told him the meeting will be in a public place and she would be safe." He coughed.
"But? I sense there's more."
"Indeed." He had done his research well. "I looked into the dinner reservation. Reys booked the entire restaurant. It won't be public. He wants her all to himself, and, if he's who they think he is, he'll probably kill her."
"Hmm..." The Director clasped his hands under his chin. "Make sure Rivia works that night and I want another two teams to be available. Arrange it and call Lisa. I want to see her as soon as possible."
The man nodded and left the office. An hour later, Lisa was standing in front of his desk.
"I want you and your team to work tomorrow night as well as Friday night. You'll have a special assignment. I need you to watch over someone, but I don't want you to tell the others beforehand." He pushed the folder over the desk towards her. She opened it and skimmed over the pages, a frown deepening as she read.
"You're taking an interest in her? Why? He's the interesting one."
"I think they're both interesting." He paused and focused on her. It was time he confronted her. "And I believe she's responsible for your renewed good health."
Lisa blanched. "You knew…"
"You've been taking unnecessary risks for a while, behaving out of character. I grew suspicious of your reasons. It wasn't hard to find out about the doctor's appointments and dig up the records. Did you really think you could hide terminal cancer?"
"I hoped to be dead before anyone knew." She stared at an imaginary spot on his desk, shame written all over her face.
"Killed in the line of duty, suicide by vampire... Clever... Lucky for you, your team saved you each time. And then you had the good fortune to run into these two and get yourself cured in the process... If only others were so fortunate."
"I'm sure it was his doing. He used pyrokinesis and telekinesis more than once. It's not too far-fetched to assume he can do other things as well. She, on the other hand, is utterly ordinary."
"I believe otherwise. Do as I asked. Lead your team and keep this information to yourself."
She nodded and left him to his thoughts. Time was running short. He was taking another gamble, and he was praying it would pay off. Perhaps one favour for another could get him what he wanted. Only time would tell.
