Revolution

Deacon

Colton and I were both working the bar when we heard it. No one else in the room even flinched. Not even the Nightwalkers behind the curtains could hear her over the music. We looked at each other as we heard it again.

Someone was yelling for help. A girl.

“I need to go upstairs for a minute. Watch the bar.”

My old friend and bodyguard only nodded, but the look in his eyes said if I got hurt he would chain me up for a while. With pure silver.

I didn’t run until I was out of sight, then used my own speed to get to the door. Even for the Nightwalkers my speed would raise eyebrows.

I opened the door just a crack and saw a young woman standing near my door. Her face showed terror beyond imagining. The light reflected on the top of her blonde head, making it look as though there was a halo sitting on her head.

She reached for the door, trying to come in. “Help, please!” She begged. Her beautiful face was covered in tears. Then she screamed in terror, shooting a dagger through my heart that should have paralyzed me.

The Nightwalker behind her had grabbed her arm.

Reflexively, I reached out and threw her behind me. I recognized this Nightwalker. He had been in my bar a time or two, he was always a bit rougher with my donors, a few people who knew about the vampires and were willing to trade blood for money. Typically, the desperate ones.

“I saw her first.” Victor snarled. “She’s mine.”

“Not unless she is willing. You know my rules. You don’t drink unless they are willing.”

“Yeah, well, she wasn’t in your bar. She was strolling around out here.”

“She belongs to me. Everyone knows you can’t touch a human that belongs to me without paying. You wanna pay, go around the front. I have rooms available and willing donors.” I didn’t know why I was claiming her as mine, but if it got him to leave her alone, then so be it.

He turned and stomped off, grumbling under his breath, not knowing my ears were better than his.

“You can keep her for now, but soon this city will fall and I’ll be back.”

I sighed and closed the door.

I saw the news. I heard the rumors every night. Curtis was finally putting his plans into action. And this girl just unknowingly became a part of it. I turned and saw her balled up on my floor, at the foot of the stairs that lead up to mine and Colton’s apartments.

When I bought the bar, sixty years ago, the top floor had been designed to be part of the bar. I closed it off and built two apartments. They weren’t big by any means, but they were all we needed. At least they were better than the cave I grew up in.

I lowered down to be closer to her level, trying to look as less frightening as I could. “Are you alright, angel?”

“He... he…”

“Did he hurt you?”

She shook her head, her dirty hair flinging with it. She had dirt on her neck and her arms. Her clothes were torn, and not in the places people usually paid for them to be. She looked as though she was on the run.

“No. Was he… was he… uh…” She closed her eyes and laughed at herself. “Never mind. It’ll just sound ridiculous.”

“Try me, angel.” She needed to accept what she already knew, or she would never be able to move on.

Her face fell as she realized she was right. “He was a vampire, wasn’t he? All the attacks. Vampires?”

“Yeah, angel. The vampires are done hiding it seems.”

Her lip quivered in fear for a short moment before she started full out sobbing. Colton peeked around the corner, silently appraising the situation. I looked at her and then the stairs. He nodded then went back to the bar.

I moved closer, my hands out in front of me. “I’m going to help you up and take you up the stairs. I won’t hurt you, and there is a bar full of people that will hear you scream. Alright?”

The crying angel barely nodded her head. I slid a hand under her arm and pulled her to standing. She didn’t seem all that steady, so I decided to just pick her up altogether. I felt a wave of possessiveness come over me, the undeniable need to protect this unknown female.

At the top of the stairs, I opened the door to Colton’s apartment, and laid her on the couch. Her hands gripped my shirt and wouldn’t let me move away. With an amused huff I sat down and let her cry on my shoulder.

I took a deep breath and caught a scent in the air. I sniffed again, trying to figure out what it was. This girl had a very sweet tint to her blood. It called to me in a way nothing ever had before.

No wonder Victor was so set on having her.

No wonder she looked like she had been through the wringer.

There was more to her scent though, it appealed to my tastebuds, but it appealed to other parts of me as well.

I had spent the better part of thirty years trying to find a human that could bear my child. As a Vampire Born, we were the only ones able to produce the seed needed. But thanks to the curse of a witch, we could only produce males.

We were left to use female humans to carry on our genes. Unfortunately, our seed was unable to attach to most of them. The few who did manage to get pregnant, rarely survived long enough to deliver a live baby. Even fewer lived past the delivery.

The last baby to be born was nearly 450 years ago, my mother killed herself a few days later. I never had the chance to scent the birthing women. But something in the scent of this girl, no, woman, made me wonder if she would be able to at least last until the delivery. The scent smelled like… life.

When her sobs quieted, leaving a few hiccups in its wake, she placed a small hand on my chest and pushed off. I kind of liked how she felt in my arms. I wanted her to stay there, where I knew she was safe. In time, maybe she’d let me put her there again.

“Sorry, it has been one nightmare after another the last two days. I guess it all just caught up to me. I’m Carrie by the way.”

“Deacon. You want to talk about it?”

She wiped her eyes and shook her head. “That might just make me start all over again.”

“Is there someone I can call for you? Your parents perhaps? I’m sure they are worried sick about you.” I wasn’t sure how old she was, only that she was old enough for what I needed from her.

My mother was barely fifteen when she had been sacrificed to my father. A different time though, different culture. This angel was older than that at least. Her body was stronger and more developed. Very nicely developed.

Her plump bottom lip quivered. “No. There is no one left.” She swallowed hard, trying valiantly to keep a lid on her emotions. Definitely not the time to talk about it, then.

“Do you have a place to stay? You shouldn’t be out in the dark, especially now.”

A bout of hysterical laughter fell from her lips. “Don’t I know it. The first time I do anything spontaneous happens to be the same time California goes to hell and I come face to face with the very thing my mother warned me about!”

Her mother knew about us. Interesting. I wondered if she had been a donor at one time. Not many others would know we existed. Well, that the vampire species existed at any rate. No one remembered my specific race. Thankfully.

“You can stay here for as long as you like.”

“Oh, no. I couldn’t impose like that. You don’t even know me.”

“You aren’t imposing. This is a spare apartment above my bar. If it helps, you can work for your room and board.” Colton has plenty of places he can stay, and plenty of money too. A thousand years walking the earth, you accrue a few assets. He’s missed wandering around anyway.

Carrie nibbled on her lip, thinking about my offer. “I can’t work in a bar. I’ve never even been inside one.” She snorted with amusement. “I’m a freaking Kindergarten teacher for crying out loud.”

I couldn’t help it, I put my thumb under her lip and pulled it out of her teeth. It was either that or nibble on it myself.

When was the last time I drank fresh blood? Or felt a warm body under me?

Hmm, if I was going to work her around to my side, I might have to satisfy some needs first.

“It’s not that hard. Drunk men are no different from toddlers. I can teach you everything else you need to know.”

“Are you sure you don’t mind? I’m a fast learner. I’ll carry my weight.”

“I have no problem teaching you the ropes to everything.” And I did mean everything. I sniffed again, this time looking for something specific.

Ah, yes. There it was. The scent of innocence. That made my chances of success even greater. And sweeter.

“Why don’t you get comfortable? The bedroom is right through that door. I will bring you something to eat from the kitchen downstairs. A full stomach, and a good night’s rest, and then you can start your new life.”

Carrie enthusiastically jumped on me, practically landing on my lap as she threw her arms around my neck. Yes, I definitely needed to try this girl on for size.

“Thank you so much, Deacon! I promise you won’t regret it.”

I already knew I wouldn’t.

Carrie took her bag to the bedroom, and I went downstairs. I stopped in the kitchen first and asked my cook to make up a bacon and cheese angus burger, with plenty of fries. I couldn’t wait to smell her with the extra iron in her blood. I bet it would make her smell even better. If that were possible.

“So… what happened?” Colton asked as he closed out a tab for one of our human customers.

Things continue like they were, and I would have to expand my hours more into the daytime. I was lucky these guys were already here and drinking before the news of the curfew was sufficiently spread. The building the news station was in was taken out while they were in the middle of it. And that was yesterday. They never should have even come out today, but they probably needed a drink. A sense of normalcy.

I doubted some of these humans would even make it home. They shouldn’t have doubted the rumors. Then again, night had come early today.

“Victor was hunting in my alley. She doesn’t have much with her, and she claims not to have anyone left. Carrie is one of the many who are just starting to lose everything.”

“Carrie?”

“That’s her name. I gave her your apartment by the way. You can grab your things when she is asleep, she thinks it was empty. She is going to help out around here until she can get back on her feet. Permanently, if I can help it.”

Colton laughed. “Going to try again?”

“Yes and protect her for now. There is a scent to her I don’t recognize, but it calls to me on many levels. Victor was adamant about having her. I doubt I am the only one it calls too. When you go up, see if you recognize it. I also need you to run to the store for me tonight.”

He lifted an eyebrow at me. I chuckled. “I need a uniform for my new waitress, and anything else you want to grab.”

He shook his head at me. “Did you have anything in mind, my Lord?” His grin was teasing, but his words were annoying.

“Yes, actually.” I told him what I wanted, and he barked out a laugh, drawing the attention of the patrons.

“I’ll be back shortly. Let’s just hope the humans haven’t cleaned out every store in the city by now.”

I silently agreed.

The raids started the day before, the greedy were always willing to get a jump on things, no matter the species.

“Do you want me to help you out back there, Deacon?” A syrupy voice called from the bar, a few minutes after he left. Alicia leaned on her elbows, pressing her money-making chest out. She was wearing a pair of short shorts and a bikini top.

The donors who were open to more than just donating blood dressed more provocatively, setting them apart from the others. I only had two or three donors on hand tonight. If the Nightwalkers made it out into the open, I was going to need more donors. Both kinds of them.

“Focus on the clients, Alicia. You are here for them, not me.” We went over this every time she came in.

If she knew what I really was, she would probably back off, but there was no guarantee. Besides, nobody knew what I was. The Nightwalkers knew I was a vampire, they knew I smelled different, but they hadn’t been around long enough to know why.

Many years ago, a few of them theorized that it was my age that made me smell different. I let the theory fly and ran with it. It was the safest option.

With a pout, she turned back around, facing the darker side of the bar, where the Nightwalkers tended to hide. I had a few curtained off areas, which I referred to as my VIP rooms.

When the cook told me my order was ready, I asked him to keep an eye on the bar while I took the food upstairs.

I knocked lightly on the door before entering Carrie’s new apartment. I heard the shower running and stepped closer. A new smell wafted through the place. Lavender body wash. So, my little runner had packed soap.

She hadn’t planned on living on the streets. The running may not have been planned then.

I set the food on the table and stalked toward the bathroom. I turned the knob slowly, pushing the door two inches open. Just enough to let me look through the mirror. The glass shower door emphasized her perfectly. Her wet hair was piled on her head, held tightly with a clip. I watched as she washed her body with a washcloth from the closet.

She didn’t miss a single inch. And neither did I.

I snuck back out before she could catch me. I was antsy to close up the bar and get back upstairs. I couldn’t shake this need to be near her. To smell her. To touch her.

An eternity passed before I was finally able to give the last call to the humans, the liquor portion of the bar and the kitchen would be closing in twenty minutes. I breathed a sigh of relief after the last one left.

“Last call on the donors. No curtains needed.”

This was when I made a good chunk of money. The vamps that didn’t like hiding would wait until two o’clock to buy their drinks.

Like clockwork, three more Nightwalkers walked in and took up a table. That made six I had in all. I waited until everyone was situated and waved my three donors over. Two women and one man.

“Alright, we have three for you tonight. Only one is open for playtime. What’s your choice?”

The group of three signaled to share the man. He walked over and laid on their table, trying not to flinch. One female nightwalker sat by herself, signaling for Alicia to sit on the table in front of her. I was surprised, I expected her to go for the man. She was rather large herself, possibly a lumberjack or a wrestler when she was still human. I would have thought she would have gone for the testosterone filled donor. Guess she needed something sweeter tonight.

The last two Nightwalkers happily shared the other female donor.

I set a timer for ten minutes and began to clean up. My cook brought out a few more burgers and set them on the counter. The male donor especially would need the nourishment tonight. My cook wasn’t new to this either, so he had prepared a double meat angus burger for him.

When the timer went off, the Nightwalkers released their prey, paid, and left. Alicia’s customer paid more of course. The other female donor walked over to her and helped her clean up her thigh and fix her clothes.

They ate their food while I divided up their cuts for the night. It wasn’t bad. I cleared my throat getting their attention while I began handing out the envelopes.

“I’m going to be honest. I don’t like the way things are going in the city. If what I think is happening is happening,” what I knew was happening, “the vamps are going to be out in the open soon. That means things are going to be tough all around here. Humans are not going to want to come out at night. I will stay open for vamp hour, from sundown to closing. If you are willing to risk it, you are welcome to come. I’m going to need more donors too, feel free to bring us help. I’m sure many of the bars will be getting on board soon, but I guarantee that I will be the more humane boss and give you more of the cut.” Which was ironic since I wasn’t human.

“Alright, that’s it. Go home and rest. Remember, I won’t let you back in this bar for at least three days. We don’t want you dying on those tables.”

“Will we still be able to choose what we are willing to do?”

I looked at the woman, who was still quite young. “Yes, at least in my bar. Be warned though. The curtains will disappear. Just like after closing time. Everything, and I do mean everything, will be in the open. Vamps don’t care who is in the room. They will even take pleasure if you want to watch, bonus points if they embarrass you.” She nodded and followed the other two out.

I cleaned off all the tables, turned the chairs over, setting them on top, and had just started on the floors when Colton came back.

“Darn, I was hoping you would be done before I got back.”

“Har. Har. Were you able to find anything that would work?” I leaned the broom against a table and walked toward the bar, where he was setting down his contraband.

“Yes. I grabbed a few different kinds, that way she can wear clean clothes every day and have backups for spills. We have two of the pencil skirt kind, nice, tight, and will barely cover her butt. Black and Green. We have the catholic schoolgirl style, in both red and black and blue and black. Again, they will barely cover her butt. Finally, two jean skirts, that will ....”

“Barely cover her butt, yes. Thank you for making me feel like a dirty old man.” I cut him off.

Colton barked. “Well, you kind of are.”

“Oh, please. You are literally twice my age. Now, what about the tops?”

Colton pulled out a few shirts and laid them on the counter, they looked like strips of material and nothing more. Two were literally just that, one red, and one dark green. They had no sleeves, not even a single strap. The next two would wrap around her back, then cover her perfect specimens, while crossing in front of her neck. The valley wouldn’t even be covered. She’d be just as covered with nothing but her fingers. Or mine. These two came in white and black. Another was black leather and zipped up in the front. The last was a set of three sports bras that dipped low in the front. Pink, black, and dark blue.

I held the last up. “Really?”

He shrugged. “Options were limited, and you have to admit, they cover more than some of the other tops. With her walking around in these, you are going to have an increase in clients and patrons.”

“No one is allowed to touch her.” I growled menacingly at him.

He put up both hands and took a step back, shock written all over his face. I shook my head, a bit confused, myself.

“Woah. I was just saying. If you don’t want anyone to touch her though, you know what you have to do. It won’t work with the humans, but it will cut down on the battles with the Nightwalkers, and maybe help cover up whatever that scent was you got off her.”

I frowned. I hadn’t planned on doing anything of the sort, but he had a point.

Colton started re-bagging the clothes. as I went to continue sweeping. I did notice a few more items in one of the bags, of a small lacey nature. And he had two shoe boxes.

A scream ripped through the bar, causing us both to freeze in confusion and look around. It took less than a second before I dropped the broom and ran through the bar as fast as I could up the stairs, my friend right behind me.

Colton placed a hand on my chest at the door to his apartment. If there was a threat, he would be going first. I may not want to accept my royal duties, but he would never shirk them. He sniffed the air and placed an ear to the door.

“No one is in there but her.” He stepped back and I shoved my way through.

Carrie was in the bed, sleeping, but thrashing around. A nightmare, she was having a nightmare.

Not sure what to do with that, we both went back out to the small living room. At least she had eaten the food.

“Do you recognize the scent?”

I waited as he stood in the doorway to the bedroom, starting to look, and sound, more like a Doberman than a vampire. He gave up after a few minutes.

“There is something familiar about it, ancient in a way. But it has been too long to place it. If you do decide to keep her and try her for breeding, we can take her to your father and the others. Surely one of them would remember. I was never part of the breeders.”

“No. I won’t take her there unless I have no other choice. If they think it’s possible, she will be passed around like my mother was meant to be after me. We both know what happened next.”

“Your choice. In the meantime, I am heading out. You have extra help now, and I want to look into what Curtis is up to.”

I took his hand and pulled him into a hug. “Be careful, my friend. Keep in touch.”

“You as well, your highness.” Carrie was whimpering in the other room again. “She must be having one hell of a nightmare. If you want to spare yourself some fights over her, you know what to do. Those who understand the purpose of it will back off. And those who don’t, need the lesson.”

“I’ll think about it.” I kept my eyes on her door as he left.

Quietly, I joined her in the room and sat on the edge of the bed. A few strands of her hair had fallen from the loose braid she had created and fell into her face. I gently moved it away, my fingers grazing along her forehead. At my touch, her breathing slowed and her face relaxed.

Interesting.

I sniffed again, the fear and panic were receding. Contentment was taking over. That special scent of my angel’s was getting stronger. My instincts pulled me closer to her neck, bare of all except a thin strap of material. I sighed happily with the stronger scent.

Yes, she would have been driving every Nightwalker in the city crazy. What must her life have been like?

Unable to resist, I kissed the spot softly, and then licked it. A small taste of what she had hidden deep inside her.

The sleeping angel’s breath caught, her chest rising higher. A sweeter scent began to permeate in the air.

Colton was right, I needed to make it so the others would know to stay away from what belonged to me. Princes did not share what belonged to them. Whether they be donors, lovers, or pets. Whether they be willing or not.

I did not share.

I moved to lay by her side, the smallest pout forming on her lips from the temporary distance between us. I chuckled softly to myself. I could take her right now. Her fight wouldn’t last long. But I wanted her to come willingly.

The blood tasted so much better that way.

Some may prefer the fear being strong in the blood, but not me. It always tasted too bitter and sour to me. It would spoil her sweetness.

Once I was in position, I lifted Carrie’s head, resting it on my right upper arm. I bit into my wrist, puncturing the skin with my teeth. With my left, I traced under her bottom lip, and then on top. Her mouth opened just enough, with the slightest moan on her lips.

I lowered my right wrist down and let my thick blood drip into her mouth. Soon, my wrist was resting on her soft, warm lips, making sure every drop reached its destination.

Her eyes moved quickly behind her closed eyelids, and the scent of panic began to rise in her blood again. I cursed at myself. I should have waited longer to do this. Her fear of Victor was probably freaking her out right now.

I leaned toward her ear, not wanting to wake her, and kept my voice soft enough to be a whisper in the wind.

“Sh, now angel. You are safe here. I will protect you.” Her eyes slowed and her breathing began to calm. My blood was already beginning to slow, as vampires did not bleed easily. “I need you to suck the drink up, angel. It will help you to feel better. It will heal you of your fears and nightmares. It will give you peace.”

Her tongue licked me tentatively, causing me to press my own lips together to keep any sounds out that might wake her completely. She licked again, this time with more pressure, followed by her lips locking around my skin. The suction was pure bliss.

I never shared my blood with another before. I never wanted to risk it. Both vampires and humans were easily addicted to our blood. It could cause an incredible increase of dopamine, which led to a hunger for more intimate acts.

From the sounds of things, my little angel was feeling the effects as strongly as I was. I lowered the blanket to her stomach, feeling slightly disappointed at the thin material covering her. But the more she drank, the more the shirt tented up. I was having a similar issue, only more pronounced.

I lightly passed my free hand over the tents, enjoying the feel of them. I froze when my angel’s hand landed on top of mine. I looked up quickly, but she was still out cold. Her hand was squeezing mine tight, so I squeezed her. Her hand released and moved away.

Someone was deep into dreamland, and this dream was starting off better than the one before.

I massaged her through that shirt, both her hands gripped onto the blanket, while her suction on me increased.

The spoiled prince in me needed more.

I slid my thumb under the rim, and over the tent stakes. The angel whimpered against me, her tongue sputtering. I moved the shirt all the way up, soaking in the sight before me, and continued without the shirt in my way.

I was putting myself in a right mess, but I didn’t want to let go until she was done. Besides, it would help move my blood through hers faster, forcing the marking into place.

Soon a new scent bled through the air, along with her sigh, and her hands releasing their grip of the sheets. Her tongue did one last tired swipe and she released me, her mind and body falling into a much deeper sleep.

My tongue was salivating. She wasn’t ready for my bite though, not yet. Not after what she had been through lately.

But the sleeping angel was deep enough now, that I should be able to get a small taste. And since she was so kind as to invite me to the area, I might as well enjoy it while I could.

Very carefully, I placed her head back on the pillows. I crawled to be partly over her and lowered my own tongue to her. The urge to bite was stronger than I anticipated. I was shaking with the battle against my inner demons.

Quickly, I unzipped my jeans and found another way to satisfy the demon inside. While I worked, her breathing increased, her hands flying up to hold my head. Her back arched as my teeth sank in, not quite breaking skin but deep enough to leave a mark on her. A mark even the humans would recognize the point of.

I pulled away, chuckling at the small whimper she made in her sleep. I laid by her side, enjoying the view until the sun started peeking through the curtains. I carefully, and regretfully, covered her again. Not caring about my own state of dress, I snuck out her door and back to my own apartment to catch a short nap.

I could go days without sleeping, but it was uncomfortable. And if trouble arose, I needed to have all my strength and wits about me.

And this woman was going to be trouble, lots, and lots of trouble.