Clove : Book 4 of Lord Emperor Vampire Series

Birth Vs. Bite – will be answered in the Rants/Journal Section “How do you write? Are you kidding me!!

k
Q: “It’s good they (Sex & Sasha) are back in each others arms but wasn’t that too soon? That can’t end the seven years of HELL, the grief and the sorrow…”
A: Oh, everything is not well in the S&S relationship. Things are glossed over right now because Sex needs, as you said, grounding and the rest of the brothers, even the baby has someone waiting for them with open arms. Sex just wants to be loved but there are big issues that are going to have to addressed.

As I see it right now, both S & S can’t back down but neither of them want to physically hurt the other. I can see this challenge getting out of hand very quickly. (wait for it )

Kudos to the Loyal! I almost made two chappies in two days but damn, my brain shut down and I had to sleep. Once again, a little detour on my plotting but I think it works nicely. What say you? Rosemary; rosei; natana; darma; AsyenMari; Crimson Vixen; k (x2); Marin Liliz and Laur

ENJOY!


Chapter 158: Sex on the City

There had been a shift change of my Loyal but Riot was still with me. He looked tired. “You know you should have gone home. I understand you have a wife and daughter now.”

“My Lord, I swore fealty to your long before I took marriage vows.”

“Keep that up, you’re not going to have a family to return to.”

“Heather gave me her blessing. You know her, my Lord. She is the Librarian at Shadoe Inc. The one you tried to drown.”

Oh gees. “I remember her. Geeky girl. I mean that in a good way.”

“She likes you too. Back home?”

“No, there are some friends I have to see. And I need clothes and a whole mess of other things.”

“Of course Sir. Where to first?”

“I would like to say goodbye to your mother Tommy.”

He stilled for a moment then nodded. “She would have liked that.”

I had the back of the limo all to myself. I think mainly because it was still the Von Drachenfeld shaggin’ wagon. I checked some of the compartments. Oh yeah. Definitely meant for shagging. I stretched out on the seat and savored the smooth and gentle ride.
I lightly dozed. Beach time is really not that relaxing for the body. There was a knock at the window and I snapped awake and my pool of drool poured out my mouth and down my shirt. Crap. Father didn’t need to make me into a baby, I drooled worse than a 12 month old.

I ripped through the sex compartments and found some wiped and cleaned. Which meant I was longer getting out of the car when also meant I was doing something I shouldn’t have. I was going to have a reputation as a pervert. Well, a bigger pervert.

Riot deployed the Loyal and then escorted me to his mother’s gravesite. It was small but well kept and the stone was elegant in it’s simplicity. I walked up and laid my palm on the sun warmed stone.

Edna Rawlings
1943-2014
Beloved mother of Thomas
Beloved grandmother of Hannah
Missed by many, Loved by all.

I could feel my eyes tearing up. I liked her. It was no wonder that Riot turned out to be a nice guy for an assassin. Sometimes a little too nice. I sniffed. She saved my life. There were no if ands or buts about it. If she hadn’t force fed me from her own wrist when Alarik attacked in the shop…I would have died. She did it even though her own mortal life was in danger. Alarik could have walked right back in the store to finish off what he started.

“You only asked one thing of me Edna. Well two, if you count my poor excuse for an autograph I’ll watch out for your boy. I’ll be Tommy’s guardian angel. I have some big shoes to fill. You were a role model on how to be a guardian angel. I will watch over Tommy, Heather and your grandbaby Hannah.” I patted the black marble. “Thank god you wore flats. I can’t walk in heels.”

I soft summer breeze wafted over me. It was almost like an spirit’s caress. We were alone in the cemetery. I willed out my wings and let the breeze chime for her. I reached behind me and yanked out a feather. My eyes teared up even more. It still hurt as if I was yanking on nostril hair with tweezers. “A simple offering. It’s rather minor for a life as rich as yours. The World seems to have gotten darker without your spark in it.”

I laid the white feather with the white roses laying at the base of the marker. I felt the dagger in my pants shift as I lowered myself. I pulled it out and took a good hold of my pony tail. The dagger was razor sharp. I sliced off my tail in one stroke. I held it over her grave, four feet of pure white hair. “In your name, I will continue to donate to the “wigs for sick children.” This is just a small token of your kind heart and selfishlessness. Rest in peace, Edna”

I stood and turned letting my wings glitter away in the bright morning light. Tears were in Tommy’s eyes. I lifted my tail to him with one hand and hugged him to my body with the other. “My condolences, Tommy. I loved your Mother as if she were my own.”

He patted my back then stepped backwards, brushing at the tears on his cheeks. “She did call you her other short white son.”

I had to laugh at that. “I’m not short…just average.”

“No, Lord Sex. You have never been average. That is what others see and that is what draws them to you. You are special.” I flushed with embarrassment.

“I need to visit Reggie.”

He reached into his jacket and pulled out an epi-pen. I froze like a deer in the headlights. “The labs had created an antidote for the Orel Wessel dart. They were trying to name it anti-dart but that was a stupid name….My Lord?”


I’d just discovered another trigger. Crap. My skin was clammy and I could barely hear Riot. Tide goes in, Tide goes out. Breathe. Breathe damn it. “Anti-venom…we can call it anti-venom. That stuff they shoot you with is poison.”

“Yours are unique. It contains three times the normal amount of anti-venom. The doctors basically said that because your metabolism is ramped so high, you would need more.” Riot held out the metallic blue epi-pen. I physically controlled my tremor as I reached out and took it.

“Thank you.”

“Do you want your hair fixed?”

I nodded. I didn’t trust my voice.

“Mom’s shop is still there but her manager runs it now. It’s gotten a little shishi but since you are the reason that Mom moved up market, I can’t see her telling you that you need an appointment.”

I nodded.

Damn it. I was going to have to on guard 24/7. I was a hair away from a full blown panic attack. I just worked on breathing technique and thinking of warm summer nights with my wing kitty. I gave myself another problem. This wouldn’t kill me. I was kind of glad that my pants were as tight as usual because my hard on would have excoriating. Reggie’s cemetery was just was I remembered. However there was a new addition under an outstretched wing of the black marble angel. Kevin. There was no marker as of yet.

The men in black had spread out across the yard and I had two with me. Riot was coordinating off to my left. Reggie. Kevin. My sons. They had had enough of what life had handed them as an existence. Reggie had been a whore. Skell turned Kevin into one. I couldn’t find the right words to say.

Then I felt it.

A pinprick of heat on my left should just above my wing scar. I moved lower, crouching between the two gravesite. The dot of heat followed….slowly. Bastards. They were hunting for me…for us. Watch the hunter become the prey. I closed my eyes and searched for that hot beam of light from a laser scope. I tracked it easily. Warehouse directly across the from cemetery, third floor, fifth window in. I let myself sweep the room. A five man team. I was considered dangerous. In mind traveling form, what was I? A spirit, a ghost or demon; I don’t know, and I don’t care. I could see their ribbons fluttering in their chests. Pastels. Every since one of them had pastel ribbons. How could that be? The team were killers. Shouldn’t their souls be stained? I brushed the thoughts of the would be sniper. A tranq dart. He wanted a silver bullet. Silver? You shoot enough lead into me, I’m not getting back up. I was just a priority assignment. Bring down the white demon and get a vacation. I wrapped my hand around the soul ribbon of the sniper and yanked it out of him. He grasped at his chest and gurgled and fell over. The team went into code yellow. Too bad, I knew all their moves. I could have done it quick. I could have made their deaths painless.

Fuck that.

I terrorized them. One by one they fell and without rhyme or reason. Four of them died in the building. I let the last one step to the curb then I ranked his soul out of his body. He collapsed in a heap.

The building was vacant but I had learned from X’s little blood starvation stint that I didn’t need to blow the whole thing up. I pivoted on one knee, fashioned my hand of light bow and called a small narrow shafted arrow. Just want to clean the floor…not demolish the whole thing. When I pivoted and glowed the Loyal kicked into action. I let the arrow fly. It traced back along the sniper scope that had alerted me and flew into the open window.

“Explode.”

The whole third floor row of windows exploded outwards. Glass rained down on the streets and glittered like snow when the sun hits it just right. I got dragged to my feet and hustled toward the limo. No one knew I could rip souls out of the body and it seemed prudent that I didn’t tell anyone, so I couldn’t tell them everyone was already dead. I sat back in the limo and allowed the Loyal to do their jobs.

My stomach growled. Oh gees. Kill a few Orel Wessel and I get hunger pains. I dug through the sex paraphernalia until I found the bar fridge full of frozen bloody goodness. I gave myself an ice cream headache and was wincing when Riot opened the back door. “Are you injured my Lord.”

I squinted at him and held my forehead. “I’m fine. Blood pack.”

Riot reached in an touched a roof panel. A hidden compartment slide back in the divider wall to show a microwave. “No more than 15 seconds. You can scald your fangs if it’s longer than that. You only need to do that once. Then you’re stuck with sensodyne toothpaste for six months. We are heading back to Von Drachenfeld.”

“No…the situation is taken care of.”

“Protocol…”

“Each team works alone. You fail. You fall. No one is coming to the rescue. That is the Orel Wessel way. We go and get my hair cut. I need to get some fighting leathers, or at least leathers that fit then we go back to Von Drachenfeld.” I tossed the blood pack into the microwave.

“My Lord.”

I turned and looked Riot in the eye, “I discovered the problem and took care of it. Why do you think they are laying there dead?”

“But you never moved.”

“I don’t have to and let’s leave it at that.”

“Sir..” His eyes were sad and yet concerned for me.

“I had this little talent before I got taken, Riot. Let’s just keep this amongst us.”

“Yes, Sir. We’ll head to the hairdressers”

A tranq dart. They wanted me back – intact. The little white dragon was awake again. Even though the epi-pen freaked me out, I had it and I would use it. The next time I stepped back through the gates of Orel Wessel, I would be a cleansing fire. The Hunters were the protectors of humanity. Orel Wessel was just a cult. A deadly ancient cult.

They weren’t all knowing, nor all seeing. Hell they didn’t even know there were four of us. They thought each new round of resistance was just me adjusting to the meds. They called all of us Edward. The limo came to a halt. I glanced out. That was quick. Eer…I had drank three blood packs without realizing it. If this keeps up I’ll be back in my old clothes by the end of the month. Thank god.

I hated looking like a fashion victim. The door to the limo opened and I climbed out. There was a sharp pang looking at the outside of the hair salon. I was going to miss Edna. Riot pushed out of store and shook his head. “They can’t get you in for half an hour.”

I turned toward the spot where Riot had gotten funky clothes from before and I think I got Azrael and Marcus’ nipple shield there. I wasn’t adverse to shopping. Father actually had my old wallet and I do believe I had some plastic that needed burning. Loyal were left to tell me when I could head over to the salon and Riot and me headed into the funky store. Hmmm, things were a little more funky and revealing that I remember. Prude. I’d turned into a prude. Uh,uh. X could be prudence mcprude.

I got Riot to call Frederick and while I was flipping through the racks of concert tees of bands who never existed before my…disappearance I told him what I was looking for. That he was excited was an understatement. He just told me to call when I was almost at the store…oh and they moved to a bigger place and they were now an exclusive boutique…he would close the store for me.

I would need to shop for Skell. I had to get him out of the Orel Wessel grey. Once he started wearing something else, he could start forming his own opinion of what he wanted. Discover what he liked and begin to form his own style.

I grabbed some shirts, some jeans and headed to the dressing rooms. Everything was a little big for me. Which would mean it was normal for Az and X. I signed. They can’t keep wearing my clothes. I put them in a buy pile. Not my taste but…there we go. A red plastic wrap vacuum form long sleeve tee. Ooh, soft and I likey. Didn’t find pants for me but I did find some earrings I liked. I reached up and touched my lobes. The original holes had healed up. The little Goth girl punched my ears. Just a sting. I looked in the mirror and saw a skull and cross bones sitting on my pink lobes. The eyes of the skull were blue.

The Loyal showed up. I kept the red shirt on and left one of the Loyal with my credit card to pay for everything. I was almost out the door when I spied a gaming poster. I slid to a halt. That was me with violet colored eyes. What the hell? Was my image public domain? Still, the hair was cool. I turned and did a quick scan of the magazine rack and found the same picture on the cover on one of them. I waved it at the cashier, he nodded and I buggered off with it.

An hour later I was safely ensconced in the back with two healed ears. I did a minor healing flare when I was in the back waiting for the dye to set. Short and spiky. Well shorter than what was usually getting caught everywhere. 10:30. Where the hell was time going?

Frederick was good as his word. He had kicked everyone out. Thank god because he hung off my neck and cried all over me. He had the store manager running all over the place like a newly hired gopher. Everything he had pulled was based on my old size. He took one look at my new hair and just dismissed everything.

“There is only one outfit that would go with that blue.”

Yes, I dyed my hair blue again. They wanted a blue line royal blood Vampire. They were getting a blue vampire.

Holy Moly. Frederick pulled out a pair of electric metallic blue leather pants There was a matching leather…shirt? Tank? Apron? It was almost a halter. It tied at the neck, below my pecs just clearing the wing scars and once more at my natural waist.
I mean, damn I looked good, but for fighting? I came out of the change room. I got double takes from everybody. Frederick actually squealed.

“Please..you have to get pictures done again….”

“Not right now, Frederick. Checking for clearance.” I let my wings out The halter didn’t interfere. I shrugged and twisted letting my wings flare out as much as possible in the confined space.

Well if this was a regular challenge, this shirt wouldn’t do. It left too much exposed and vulnerable. Since this was Sasha… I let my hands stroke down the leather. I liked it. Hell, I could use it for hunting.

I searched but that was the only thing that I could use that didn’t need altering for wing clearance. “Wrap it up.”

Frederick bolted to the back and I could hear him clattering down the stairs. What the hell? He seemed to have gotten a little more frantic. I went to pay for my purchase and staggered to a halt at the posters professionally framed behind the counter. I had only seen the motorcycle one. I looked so young, and healthy. There was just me with my big green eyes peering out of feathers. There was Sasha and me again with a feather backdrop. The backlight through my feathers diffused the luminance so it looked like the wing was glowing. There was Carnage with cold blue eyes looking undeniably cute and dangerous. Cat ears poked up out of his sleek black, black hair. The last poster was….deliciously dirty. It was almost pornographic with the heat and desire in our eyes. Father had danced for me This photo had caught us in mid-sway, hair frozen in mid flip and I think was snapped just before our eyes flared.

Schwing!

Damn it.

“I found it!” Frederick came back carrying a white leather long coat. He flipped it open and held it up. Oh…It was like my traditional braided monkey suit. Overly ornate with white leather braids on the chest and sleeves. Long, slim almost like a Chinese style coat.
“Try it on!”

This was butter soft. The smell of leather was intoxicating. I slipped it on. With my blue hair, I definitely looked like I stepped out of a video game. A damned hot video game. I liked the mandarin collar.

“I can have it altered for your wings.”

“I’ll take it now. I’ll bring it back for altering tomorrow. This is cool.”

His face got serious. “Where have you been, Lord Emperor?”

“In hell or the equivalent of hell on earth. I’m back. I’m getting better.”

“Blue?”

“Making a statement.”

“Yes you are, My Lord. Take this as a gift.”

I narrowed my eyes at him. Fredericks gifts usually had a camera shoot attached to them. “I’m not interested in modeling.”

“Just charity events.”

“Frederick.”

“Actually you would be doing this for your wife. She’s got me roped into another fashion show. She won’t take no for an answer.”

“I got a busy day today. Let’s say I’ll take it under consideration. You might not want me after today. This pretty face just might get rearranged.”

“Who would dare to mess with perfection?”

“Oh, you are good for the ego, Frederick. Later.”

I was flash. Sparkle, sparkle. Hopefully, I wouldn’t look too stupid laying there all glittery if I got my ass kicked. I ran a hand down my face. I came across as confident with Father but…could I do it? Could I really defeat him? Honestly. I can see why Hades was so quick to offer up honey. The little shepherd boy was guilty. Liam. Liam was Liam. An annoying but knowledgeable pain in the ass.

I still couldn’t believe that Claudius went along with the suggestion. Maybe betrayer was a strong word for him, but what he did still hurt. If he had had these thoughts before then, he should have shared them. Sasha and I weren’t good yet. Maybe we couldn’t be good. Trust is a big issue here. I blindly trusted Sasha and I got fucked over big time. Father loved me. He treasured and cherished me but in the end he didn’t have any faith in me.

Yeah, X had hit the nail on the head. Father knew me when I was a feral beast. I didn’t know when I would get shuffled back into the dark so I grabbed at everything --every experience; every sensation. Before Armor took X has his toy, I think I slumbered. I wasn’t dead…I was like those 50’s sci-fi movies. I was in suspended animation. Now that I was back I horded everything, good or bad. Father accepted me as that creature. He gentled me to his touch. I only wanted him now. His touch, his caress, his low rumble laughter, the way he holds his head as he does his calligraphy or how he loses himself at my piano. He gave me all those things…but he didn’t trust me. ‘Cause how could he had done something so traumatic and orchestrated without talking to me about it?

I brought my knees up and I hugged my legs up to my chest. I had time to rant and rail over the past five years. I’ve traveled over every conversation, every gesture and there was no hint of a warning of what was coming, or could be coming. Is that how he still saw me? A feral child? What did Marcus say? When I was a child I played with childish things, but when I grew up I put childish things away. Or something like that. If Marcus could mature. I could. Okay, the blue hair was going to slow me down a bit but…maybe it was time to put childish things away.

The limo came to a halt outside of Von Drachenfeld. I looked out the window and saw the puppies and winglets in the lobby. My girls were the center of attention. Lex was off to the side with a book in his hand. Damn, I wanted to dance. I popped open the door and made it into the elevator just as the doors began to close. Nine pairs of eyes stared up at me well ten if you include Ronan Sensei.

Raissa finally asked the question everyone was curious about. “Why is your hair all cut off and blue?”

“I thought it would look good. Does it?”

Lex looked at me. “Can I do it too?”

“You can when you are as old as I was when I first dyed my hair.”

His face lit up. “Really! How old were you?”

“Thirty.”

He held up his hands and started counting. Ronan took pity on him. “You need to count your sister’s hands too.”

“That’s old.”

I raised my eyebrows. I wasn’t even 50 yet. “Well, I didn’t say no. Do the feathers and paws and human get recess?”

“We were just coming from the pool. Why?”

“I thought I would have some fun with them.”

Ronan met my gaze with a concerned look in his eyes, “I heard there is a challenge today.”

I nodded. “I’ve got half an hour to spend with the youngsters.”

“Since this is a special occasion, I can’t see any harm in it.”

Arashi yanked on my pants. “What’s special occasion mean?”

“It means that something is going to happen that only comes once in a while. We are going to party like it’s 1999!” I just got puzzled looks at me. “You are so sorely lacking in fun.”

The elevator opened and I lead the gaggle toward the entertainment. I had no idea what passed for popular music today, so I scrounged the cds until I found one I knew. I popped it in and listened to the screeching cars of the beginning of Ricky Martin. “It’s time to shake your bonbon!” Ha, Ha I made a funny. I started dancing. The girls jumped in right away jumping and giggling. The boys, vampire, Lycan and human just stood there and looked at us.

“What?”

“Boys don’t dance.” Wolfgang muttered. Wolfgang -- poor kid. It was almost as bad as Sigmund.

“Who said that?”

“Sang Ku.” I haven’t seen that Lycan yet.

“Well some boys choose not to dance. Some boys do. It’s up to you. Just don’t get your ulgys on if everyone is having fun and you choose not to.” I caught my girls hands and all of a sudden we were doing a livin’-la-vida-loca-ring-around-the-roise. By the time the song ended, everyone was in the circle and we collapsed on the floor. I got covered with wiggling children.

Screw it. This is me. If I want to dance, I’m going to dance. I sat up and kissed Raissa’s cheek. Callia hugged me around the neck and kissed my cheek. “I like your hair Papa.” Lex gave me a quick hug and kiss and rubbed at my hair to see if the color came off. He wrinkled his nose then got tackled by Ike. Little chubby arms strangled me from behind. I twisted to see Jack giving me a death grip.

“My Daddy said you are good and that you would keep me safe.”

“I will Jonathon. You are part of my family too.” I kissed his forehead and turned just as three female puppies launched themselves at me. I rolled and yipped. This was who I was. I was happy with who I was. That should be good enough for Sasha. I looked up at the clock as it chimed 11:00 o’clock. Half an hour went by quick.

Ronan gave me an exasperated look as he gathered everyone up to head back to class. I’m worse than a sugar high.

It was time to start getting ready. Lord Emperor vs. Lord Emperor. One of us was going to get spanked and I hope to God is wasn’t going to be me.

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