Candy: Book 5 of the Lord Emperor Vampire Saga

Welcome back! Happy 2008!! I have prostituted myself to the working world as a consultant because the full time job market sucks rocks right now. Damn, I have to work harder than when I had a regular job. So…I’m not promising bi-daily updates…weekly might be stretching it. But I will try.

Thanks to the Loyal and True, past and present and those yet to find me, for your kind words of support, well wishes and all that rot. I really appreciated it, especially when I was sitting in the dark staring at the wall. Everyone is entitled to a little bit of self-pity. I wallowed. My writing got dark (Walter & Gan) and now…I got nowhere to go but up.

So kudos go to: Jae, Laur; Rosemary; ayachan; crimson vixen; hey.hey.monkey; lone_child; lavcea; tash; step 291; milkxness; mihara; rainy; asyenmari; lioncourt; blaze; berlin; paradox; jester; spiritofbeyond; Demon Akasha; ana; j42; duelriel and uke.

Questions:
Ack! No X’s mom isn’t dead. Yes, she’s pissed that he healed her – without her consent.
This will be played out further at the b-day bash.

FYI: As you know you are getting the first draft. If you have been following along, ya know that I don’t plot out thinks ahead of time. And you can tell. Case in point: Callia and Raissa. I have changed their hair color – Callia is now black haired (a mini Claudia) and Raissa is the red copper penny (the brotherhood) This is because as little winglets, I really didn’t have a full personality to call on. Now that I started CANDY…I realized that I wanted the girls switched. So…another gold star for bad planning. Eh.

So other than that…..

ON WITH THE SHOW.

Chapter 186: As you sow

I was so tempted just to shoot everyone dead, right here, right now. I can see why X and Sex begged off today. “Hey, Azrael, take the whole day.” I’ll remember this. I can see why they asked me to do it. Skell would have shot the bastards ten minutes into this meeting. How the hell can the definition of the word “deemed” be so fucking contentious? Forty minutes in and they were still bitching about it.

/Don’t do it./ I hear a soft word of caution flitter around my head.

Marcus had twitched an eyebrow but other than that he was standing straight and tall and looking every inch the ideal bodyguard…and eye candy.

/I heard that./

/Man candy./

/Azrael./

/How about I just cut off our lawyer’s pinkie?/

/Could you imagine the paperwork?/

/Yeah./ I forgot myself and let out a big sigh. The bickered stopped and I found myself the center of attention.

/Nice one, Azrael./

I was saved by the cell phone. I pulled it out of my pocket and glanced at the display. Yes. This was what I was waiting for. “Gentlemen.” I pushed myself away from the board table and faced the panoramic view of the floor to ceiling window.

“Tell me, you have good news.”

“Dah.” Vladimir returned easily. I switched over to Russian to continue the conversation.

“And...?”

“It’s just one crazy sick human. As far as we can tell he’s alone. No affiliations with other Bloods or Wessel. Lord Alpha or Lord Marcus should verify the intell.”

‘You have the location?”

“I’m waiting at it right now. Subject has just returned from work and if he follows the pattern, he’s stationary for about three hours.”

“Give me the location. We’ll meet you there. We go in, we verify, we neutralize and then we get the hell out of there. Work for you?”

“Dah.”

“See ya soon.” I snapped the phone closed and cast an eye at Marcus. I nodded once. A slow scary smile crossed his face. I liked seeing him getting down and dirty. Makes him a little more…earthy for me. Sometimes he can be a little too artsy and I have to take my cello bow to his ass. Note to self, need a new cello bow, cracked the last one. “Marcus, get the cars ready. We’re moving out.”

I turned toward the men at the table. My people were on the right. Our prospective business partners were on the left. “Thank you gentlemen for coming today, however, I have just been informed that we have contracted with an alternate vendor at the initial quote price. Thank you for your time. I must go.”

Pandemonium hit the table.

/You are so damned evil, Azrael./ Marcus snapped closed his phone and proceeded me toward the double doors of the boardroom.

The Men in Black opened the doors and I made it out into the hall before our lead negotiator for Shadoe Inc. caught up to me. “Sir…Sir Von Drachenfeld.” I turned and looked at the little brown man in the little brown suit. He was human and I could feel the distress just pouring off him in waves. I was trapped waiting for the elevator anyways so I motioned for him to jabber. “In good faith, we have begun negotiations with Dynamark Keller Inc for…”

“We called this meeting to sign a contract based on the original specs. Dynamark isn’t the only provider. I DEEM it necessary for them to sign the contract unaltered if they wish to do business with Shadoe. We can walk away from the table, Mr. Pettigrew, Dynamark can’t. They won’t survive another six months if they don’t sign with us.” The elevator doors opened and Marcus stepped inside and held the open button for me. The Loyal had started forward but stopped and now took up position at the elevator door. What was he up to?

“But Sir.”

“Sign it the way it is, or we walk away. As it is, by all rights they owe me $667 for wasting forty minutes of my time. I’m not above billing them.”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Good, now close the deal.”

I stepped into the elevator and Marcus let the door close. He reached up and yanked the connector out of the security camera then leaned back against the wall, his eyes flashing a come hither look. I hithered. I hithered hard and fast.

No one would believe that my First could submit so beautifully, so elegantly…just for me. Our mouths met in a practiced open French. I thought we were getting ripped off when both of us were under X’s sanctions of 24 hours oh so long ago. The addition of a couple of hours really didn’t help. The addition of brother number four really didn’t help. Oooff. Marcus slammed me hard against the wall of elevator then glanced up with those irresistible sexy red ringed eyes. I wrapped my calf around his and hooked his ankle. He crashed to the floor and I climbed my mighty redwood. He blinked at me. Then he smiled at me. Then he humped his magnificent ass up off the floor driving me forward – into his arms, onto his chest, straight into his lips.

Appley goodness. Cinnamon tartness. Together, we made one hell of a breakfast cereal. The doors went ding. Marcus spiked his fingers through my hair and hauled my head back down to him. When my Babe wanted attention…I wasn’t adverse to give it to him. All night long if necessary. Any way he wanted it. Just the way he needed it, because Marcus Von Drachenfeld was one big hot honey that I wasn’t going to let go of.

“Going Down?” The voice trailed off as the spied the President of the Corporation getting down and dirty with his number one man.

“No enough time for that, eh Babe?”

“That depends…” Marcus turned my head and whispered in my ear, “on who’s doing the deed.”

I didn’t bother looking over…”We’re full, next car.”

“Yes, Sirs.” The doors slowly swung closed…only to open again. “Sorry.”

“You are one horny toad today, Babe.” I leaned forward and captured his bottom lip with my teeth.

The door slid open again. I let my Babe go and sat up straight on his stomach. “Can you please, please let the damn doors shut before you press the button?”

“I’m sorry sir.” The little office clerk just backed away from the elevator all together.

The spontaneous mood was ruined. Marcus gave a huge sigh and I was literally lifted off my knees for a moment. “How old are you, Babe?”

Marcus stretched then angled his arms back behind his neck to pillow his head. “I’m old enough to know better, but I’m still too young to care. If you want to play in the elevator, I’m ready and willing.” I got a hand snagged in my hair and I got hauled back down for a kiss. “You are a Vampire. Birthdays shouldn’t matter. If you need to know, you are the sexiest fifty-four year old, I have ever known. Well Chesterton was pretty hot…”

I hit him in the chest. His arm came up and he caught my wrist. He dragged it to his lips and kissed my pulse point. “But then, why would I want Cat Chow when I got Fancy Feast right here.” I got the sentiment but being compared to cat food wasn’t that romantic. I got fanged. Oooohhh. Okay…cat food comments are dismissed.

I smiled down at my artist. That big blue canvas of me totally unguarded was this morning’s birthday present-- Az Melancholy. He had been offered a damn good chunk of change for it but he had turned it down. He whispered into my ear this morning as I stared at it, “You were thinking of me when we were at our worst. Even then, you held out for hope when the world was blue around you. That expression is ours, my pet Angel. I only want to share it with you.”

We did some snuggle bunny action on the way to work in the limo but that was it. Elevator humping wasn’t enough either. Today was just packed. We were not going to get any Apple Cinnamon loving today. I was so going to kick by beloved brother’s asses.

Marcus, suck licked his love bite closed then reached out to pull me close for a kiss. I met him half way and savored the mix of Apple and Cinnamon essence. I truly loved this big man. Which in itself was pretty fucking amazing. I sat up and looked at the indicator. Okay, shocking a clerk on an upper floor was fine. Rolling around in the main lobby, was going to be harder to brazen out. I stood up and then offered a hand to my First. Marcus reconnected the camera and when the doors opened we were looking like captains of industry. Marcus crossed in front of me. I had to slap at his coat a couple of times to get the imprint of a shoe off his jacket. Other than that…no body needed to know we were sucking face.

I cut the meeting short with Dynamark for a legitimate House emergency.

The Empress had a stalker.

There had been a few ardent fans over the years. Claudia was beautiful and graceful. If you were programmed that way, she could make a run for playboy bunny of the year. Lanseng had given us the heads up prior to those disturbing letters showing up. Since Callia read her Mom’s correspondence, there was no way in hell I wanted my little girl to come across filth like that. That last one, about preserving her beautiful blue eyes in a pickle jar was creepy enough to give me nightmares.

The Empress was a hell of a trooper. She wanted to see all of the correspondence that the House had intercepted. After reading it, she had a hunted look in her eye. I know that she went and personally thanked Lanseng for keeping it away from Callia. Vladimir went on high alert. No one was getting to either of them. He had picked up on my worry that if the maniac couldn’t get Claudia, he would take her younger look-a-like. I got younger looking ranked Assassins to hang around her. Hades took the job away from them, highly insulted that it wasn’t offered to him to begin with. I was grateful and not. Nothing would get by him, but...he couldn’t say no to my girls. Callia was a little more even keel than Raissa. Didn’t mean she didn’t want to run wild once in a while, but at least I knew that Hades could rein her in if she needed it.

Vladimir had run him to ground. You can’t dispute the nose of a Lycan. The Labs at Shadoe Inc couldn’t pull up a print or anything distinguishing but the Leader of the Pack, got the faint scent. You don’t fuck with a Lycan’s mate; or an Assassin’s little sis or the mother of our children.

“Search and destroy?” Marcus asked as he held the front door of Shadoe open for me.

“Oh yeah, Babe.” I have mastered mindfucking. Well, not exactly mastered it, but I didn’t get a migraine every time I tried to use it. It didn’t exactly pop up with a snap of the fingers ready and willing every time I wanted it but it did rise to the occasion. It sucked rocks but I’d finally accepted that I was just a blue Vampire with a couple of extras. The crappy Healing Light just wasn’t meant for me. I got the angel’s wings. I got the mindfucking and I got Hand of Light. I’d have to live with it.

I had asked Liam point blank about it while we were on lifeguard duty down in the basement pool beneath Von Drachenfeld. The winglets and puppies and lone single human were splashing around having a rip roaring good time. He just shrugged. “Its news to me, little Emperor. Just think of it as a loaf of bread that’s been sliced up. It got cut at different times when it was more or less hungry/needy. You just got stuck as the crusty end piece.” He had a hell of a good laugh over that. I shoved him into the pool and walked away to leave him to drown. “You forget, little Emperor, I used to hang with the Sirens.” I didn’t know that. Interesting news to put into my arsenal. Liam knew it too. “Hey, don’t tell Honeybee. I’ve just go back into the house.” That was almost ten years ago. I still wasn’t any closer to discovering why I got the short end of the stick.

We got into the limo and I leaned back so Marcus could lay on me. I just gathered him close and rested my face along side his head. The Ancients. They had moved from entities of unspeakable power and malevolent intention to General Hospital. If they were the icons of love, we were truly fucked. Yet they have been together, or pining to be together for a millennia. I don’t know which was worse, their periods of absolute bliss or their periods of sniping. I still think my idea would have worked. Just lock them in a room and let them wail on each other. The winner was the seme. The loser the uke for a decade. Then when the decade was up wail away again. Liam and Hades were not impressed. Still…when they were unbearably cute, the rest of the House had to walk around on pins and needles until the enviable fall out. And there always was a fall out…Liam was the king of cockup. I sighed.

“Angel?”

“We’re not like Liam and Hades, right?”

“Good Lord, what made you think we even came close to that train wreck?”

“They have a thousand years together in one form or another. While this is an ick factor, Hades found Liam three times and raised him back to Emperorhood…or is it ship? Anyways…” I let my voice trail off. I don’t even know what I was trying to get at here.

“Azrael?” Marcus shifted so he was looking at me in the face.

“Claudia is doing our job. She placed herself in danger for us. If Lanseng didn’t alert us…that psycho might have gotten to her. He might have gotten to Callia.”

“But he didn’t. I think Skell is a bad influence on our blueberry friend. Before he would have just quoted the Code and sauntered off. I think, Lanseng gave us good, sound and timely advice. What is going on up there?” I got a ping between the eyes.

“I think I’m just feeling my age.”

“You’re still a fledgling.”

“X never planned beyond thirty, Babe. Sex…well I can’t say he never plans, but his are usually immediate. Skell does what needs to be done now….which leaves me to be the planner and I’m finding out that it’s not my forte.”

“That is what the Pod is for. Concentrate on what you do best, and let others who gather to you pick up the slack. While Hades can still be an ass, he can plan better than anyone I have ever met and you know what he says.”

“I won’t let you fail utterly.” There are times I want to punch that smirk off his face.

I got a thumb on my forehead. I blinked. That was an Armor trick my Babe had picked up and I was still out whether or not I appreciated it. “My little brother is right. You’re going to get wrinkles.” Marcus urged my head forward and he ran his lips all over my head. Okay. I can live with it.

The limo pulled to a halt. I glanced out the window and glimpsed the white Russian for a moment as he looked over the side of the building in wolf form.

“Get your game face on, Babe. I want this fucker to know the kind of terror he wanted to give to little Chippie.” The men in black went ranging. I don’t know stalkers but I would think that if you are out hunting someone you would think that somewhere down the line, you would become the hunted. Marcus and I joined Vladimir up on the roof of the next building as the Loyal went in by the numbers. I flicked over to heat-o-vision.

The apartment building was old but it was full of tenants. I could only hope that everything went as planned. I didn’t want civilians involved in this. “You find him Babe?”

I glanced up and Marcus had that vacant look in his eyes that only came with mindfucking at a distance…or a really hard satisfying orgasm. Stay on target. I flicked my attention back to the building. Loyal had taken up position at his door.

“Got him. Richard Huntington. 34. Single. I have his cell phone number.” Marcus’ lips twisted in an evil little smirk.

“Too many people here for you to take him down Vlad.”

“Fuck him up, Lord Alpha. He has caused the Empress distress.”

“You hear the Lycan, Marcus.”

“Ready when you are, Angel.”

I got a little kick right here in the solar plexus when Marcus got into the First zone. I always knew that had the capability and talent to work his way up the ranks in the House of Assassins. Fourteen was safe. Fourteen was secure. He was First for me. For me and my brothers and our strange little pod.

I dialed the number Marcus had given me. I watched as the heat signature know as Huntington gave a startled little jump as his cell phone jangled. I was surprised the coward had the guts to answer it. My call display would list DEATH. It was a little petty and beneath the rank of Head of the House but it was pure me.

“Cute. What?”

“As you sow, so shall you reap.”

“What do you want.” The voice was tight and wary.

I let my out a big sigh. “You have been a very bad boy, Richard.” The heat signature jumped to his feet. “You have been following someone who’s very near and dear to me. That just can’t continue. Ah, the door is blocked. Come to the window, Richard.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about and I’m not going anywhere near the window to get shot.”

“I don’t need a gun to kill you Richard.” Marcus took that as a sign to show our little stalker just how out of control this situation had become. The man did the zombie shuffle to the window.

“Verification, Vladimir.”

“I tracked him by scent to his liar. This is the one who sent those letters.”

“So, that’s a dah?”

“Dah.”

I lifted the phone back to my ear. “Look across the alley, Richard. Who do you see?”

“You don’t love her. You’re never with her. You’re a cuckold! That man beside you dares to touch an Angel.” Oh yeah, Richard was the king of mount instability.

“I have given them my blessing. They are happy together. I am not so selfish to stand in the way of their love. I am her husband, what makes you think you are better than her chosen lover?”

“ She has called to me. She speaks to me in my dreams.”

/Fruitcake./ Marcus sent me a silent message.

/Fruitcakes can be deadly, just remember Grandpappy Sigmund./

“You have sent terror into the life of the one your claim to love and want to protect.”

“I had to show her that I am capable of protecting her.”

“What makes you think that I can’t?”

“You don’t love her.”

“I love her to the power of four. I know that her Chosen loves her more than me. You pale in comparison.”

“NO! Our love is true! You’re jealous. Our love is pure. It was sent from the Heavens on high. The Angels themselves have placed it in the stars that our love is pre-ordained!”

“Angels?”

I did a quick sweep of the tenants and was satisfied that no one was staring out the window. I brought my wings out with my snow white hair and my enhanced wingspan, I definitely looked like a storybook angel. I remained unchanging except for our weight due to the continuing post burn hyper metabolism but my wings continued to grow. They were a little higher, a little wider, a little big longer and all of that ended up being a damned impressive package – unless I stood beside Father when I looked like the 98 pound weakling at the beach. Oh, did I mention that X finally had a eureka moment and all our suits now had wing vents. I had been going through suits and shirts like made for a couple of years. Designer suits do not grow on trees.

I could feel his shock as he looked at me. How could a mere mortal man bring joy to someone joined to the celestial? Dismay and despair emanated from him.

“I shall show you how I protect those I love. As I said, you reap what you sow, Richard. Feel the terror you have given to my Chippie.” I nodded at Marcus.

There was one short sharp cry of agony then Marcus forced a vocal binding on the bastard. Marcus dragged it out. I felt Vladimir shivered and leaned heavily against the ledge of the roof. I knew instinctively he wanted to be the one to bring down the threat to his mate. That is what Claudia was – truly was. I’m glad X let them stay together.

My Babe was doing his thing. He didn’t need me. Little Vlad did. I dropped my wings and dropped an arm around his shoulder. “You’re a damn good Lycan Leader. You protected the Empress and the pod”

“I would never allow anyone to harm the winglets. Those things he wrote…”

“He will never write those things again. Your option, White Russian -- alive or dead.”

“Mangled but alive. Someone may benefit from harvesting his organs. He will have had a purpose in the world.”

I would say that Claudia’s altruistic tendencies were rubbing off on the pale Russian in a Von Drachenfeld kind of way.

“You heard the Lycan, Marcus.” I did like watching my Vampire work. I had liked Puppy but my Mastiff was better. He wore confidence like a comfort blankie. He stood tall, no slouching or pretending to be smaller. When he hunted now…there was no lurking in the shadows. He drew his prey like moths to a flame.

I wanted to flame on his ass right now. Oops! Marcus crunched the stalker as my desire swept over him. He turned to me and arched an eyebrow at me. “Really.”

“Really, really.” I sent out a silent call for retreat. Vladimir called in for a cleaning crew. Once all evidence of his stalkingness was cleared out of the apartment there would be an anonymous call to 911 and a brain dead card carrying organ donor would be located.

“I’m going to stay and supervise the clean up.” Vladimir stated glaring his gold feral gaze across the way.

“Everything gets destroyed. We don’t’ need any of that sicko’s trophy wall around.”

“Understood, Lord Alpha.” I went to start back down inside the building but was stayed by a firm grip. “I almost failed her.”

‘But you didn’t. Forever diligent Vladimir. I am damned thankful that the Imperials are still around.”

His face changed and softened. “Fifteen years, and I still miss the little runt and his pups.”

“We all do.” Haley and Ping had been invited to this shindig but we didn’t get an RSVP so I guess they weren’t going to make it.

“Tell the brotherhood that I extend to them Happy Birthday wishes.”

“Thanks, Vladimir.”

“If you intend to air out your birthday suit before the party tonight, there is a watermain break over on 43rd. The traffic is gridlocked for about an hour. It would be too bad if you couldn’t avoid it, dah?”

I let my eyes flare Prussian blue. I flashed the Lycan a little fang with my thin smile. “Dah.”

Marcus had already gone down the stairs leading back to the limo. I stepped off the side of the building and dropped about six stories to the pavement. I lightened my weight so much, I didn’t even need to bring out the feathers to slow myself. Cicero jumped a bit but grabbed his composure back quickly. “Lord Azrael.” He opened the back door of the Von Drachenfeld shaggin’ wagon. I settled myself across the bench seat. I arranged myself like a playgirl spread and just waited for Marcus to make it to the limo. Hmmm, I think I was going to unwrap a Birthday gift early—to both our mutual delight.

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