“That is none of your business,” I said in a harsh voice.
The girl blinked. I expected her to insult me, and even try to harm me. To my shock, she looked…ashamed.
“I’m sorry. You’re right. It’s none of my business. But do you need to go to the hospital? Is there someone I can call for you?”
I stared at her, this time unable to speak due to my incredulity. Why was this human so determined to help a stranger? Did she suspect I had something to offer her in return? I knew what kind of human clothing conveyed wealth and prestige, but I had not chosen such attire, as I wished to blend in.
I studied the girl’s face. For the first time, I noticed she was very beautiful. My human male body noticed her beauty even more so, but I was above such petty desires of the flesh. My mission was to explore the human world so I could appease Blackhole and Necoc Yaotl and, hopefully, discover what they were really up to. Since this was the first human I had ever encountered face-to-face, I decided I would interact with her for a little while. Once I determined what I knew, that this display of selflessness was really a farce, I would dismiss her and proceed to explore some more.
“What do you want?” I asked.
“What?”
“Do not insult my intelligence.” My voice grew cold. “I want to know what it is you are after.”
Her acting skills were something to be admired. Her face was the perfect picture of innocent confusion.
“I…what are you talking about--?”
“You aren’t trying to help me because you merely desire to aide me,” I cut her off. “You want something from me in exchange for your help. Tell me what it is right now.”
“Sir, I don’t want anything from you. All I want to do is help you if you need it.”
“You are lying.” I was beginning to grow very irritated. Did this girl truly believe she was deceiving me? “You want something.”
“I want to help you,” she insisted. “But if you don’t want my help, just say so, and I’ll walk away.”
Inwardly, I smiled.
“Then walk away. I don’t need or want your help. I want you to leave me alone.”
Against my will, I was impressed by her acting skills. Looking very hurt, confused, and angry, she backed away from me.
“If that’s what you want.”
She walked away. I stood there, confident that she would turn around. That she would call my bluff. Humans would do anything to fulfill their selfish desires. She would come back, and she would make more clever attempts to manipulate me into giving her whatever she wanted.
But she disappeared behind the trees and did not come back, even after I waited several minutes. I was stunned. And I was confused. Very confused.
I hated being confused.
I closed my eyes to channel my powers. Though I was contained in three pathetically weak bodies, I retained all of them. I just needed to channel the proper amount of energy through each body. In a burst of speed, I caught up to the girl. She was still walking, and her face still wore that hurt, confused look.
That look disturbed me more than I cared to admit. But what I wanted most of all was for this confusion to go away. I wanted answers.
I hid my other two bodies and deliberately made a noise. The girl turned around.
“Are you following me?” she asked suspiciously.
“I mean you no harm,” I assured her so she would make no attempt to flee. “Why did you walk away? Why didn’t you try to manipulate me further?”
Her skin went very pale. She marched right up to me and practically stuck her nose in my face.
“I did not try to manipulate you!” she hissed. “I don’t know how the hell you got such an idea, but all I wanted to do was help you. You’ve made it very clear that you don’t want or need my help, so the least you can do is leave me alone.”
She attempted to turn away, but I caught her arm.
“Please,” I said softly.
I was surprised at my actions. I was even more surprised at my words. But nothing, nothing surprised me more than the truth: this girl wanted nothing from me. Her intentions had been genuine. She had wanted to help me…but why?
“Why did you offer to help me if you did not expect anything in return?”
She was surprised at my question. More surprised than she had any right to be.
“Because you looked like you needed help,” she said. “All I wanted was to help you.”
“Humans are selfish,” I insisted. “They only help one another if they expect something in return.”
Her slender eyebrows rose. “Is that what you believe?”
“It is what I know.”
“But you now know that I didn’t offer to help you because I wanted something in return.”
I hated to admit it, but she was right. Unfortunately, this discovery only enhanced my confusion. How could this girl display true selflessness? Was it possible that she wasn’t human?
“Are you one of those misanthropes?” she asked me.
Deciding to test her again, I nodded.
To my frustration, she merely smiled and shrugged. “Well, I won’t tell you how to live your life or what to believe. Just try to find happiness, okay? That’s all I have to say.”
She started to walk away again, and this time, I did not stop her. But there was one thing I needed to know.
“What is your name?” I called.
She turned her head back. Her smiled seemed to reflect the sun itself.
“Mercedes Strand. What’s yours?”
My lips curled upward slowly.
“You can call me Thomas.”
“Well, you have a great day, Thomas,” she said with deep courtesy. “And remember to find happiness.”
Happiness was irrelevant, of course. But whatever Necoc Yaotl and Blackhole were up to, I realized my time here would not be boring in the slightest.
“Until next time, Mercedes Strand,” I whispered.
***
Mercedes
Wearily, I shucked my backpack onto my bed before kicking my shoes off and starting up my computer. That had definitely been a weird encounter.
“You look troubled, Miss Mercedes,” Lulu, my AI guardian and loyal friend commented. “Has the royal family summoned you, yet?”
“No, and I’m glad, though I should probably be disappointed,” I said.
“Why is that?”
“Because Shadow and I will have to meet with the royal family no matter what. It’s inevitable. And I like to get inevitable things out of the way as quickly as I can.”
“That’s understandable. Is the upcoming meeting troubling you?”
“Nah, I just had a weird encounter with a guy today.”
I relayed all of the details to Lulu, but talking about it didn’t relieve a growing sense of anxiety within me that had nothing to do with the royal family and everything to do with that guy. I pictured him in my mind: tall, young, but mature. Probably early to mid-thirties. Classically good-looking with honey blonde hair, green eyes, and a cleft in his chin. But the way he had looked at me…
“There’s something about him, Lulu,” I said when I finished my tale. “Something that really creeps me out.”
“Do you believe he could be a stalker?”
“I don’t know yet.”
“Well, I wouldn’t be worried, Mercedes. You have the finest security systems on the planet at your disposal, not to mention a five-hundred year old, hot-headed, incredibly protective vampire warrior who is absolutely crazy about you.”
I smiled and touched the mark of my beautiful, haunting love on my neck.
“Maybe I shouldn’t tell him. It could be nothing. And he’s stressed out enough about our meeting with the royal family.”
“But you are worried, Miss Mercedes. Honesty is vital in a relationship. You know that, of course, but I believe your main concern is that Shadow will do something reckless, yes? If this mysterious stranger turns out to be an innocent, you don’t want Sh
adow to hurt him.”
“No, I don’t,” I said. “But I also have to trust Shadow, too. If I ask him not to take drastic measures, I know he’ll listen to me.”
“That is very debatable if your safety is in question.”
I groaned and rubbed my temples. “Lulu, do you know how much you’re confusing me?”
“All I have done is give you several reasons why you should or should not tell Shadow. In the end, the decision is up to you.”
Yeah, the decision was up to me. I sighed and proceeded to do my homework. Normally, I wouldn’t do homework this early. I would kick back for an hour, read Othello, or Gone With the Wind, plan some math lessons/computer lessons, or re-watch that Holocaust documentary that I loved so much. Unfortunately, I crossed another line with my History teacher, Mr. Price again. I guess he was in a bad mood today since he started firing off questions at me about the Cold War. He almost never did that. His usual tactic was to ask one question from material we would cover in the future, or material we had covered years ago. This time, we covered the Cold War in freshman year. I tried to keep the details to a minimum when I answered his questions, but I couldn’t stop myself from quoting several history books and documentaries. As punishment, he held me after class and assigned me a ten-page essay on the Pharaohs of Egypt. If I couldn’t hand it in on Monday (today was Friday), then he would lower my grade two full letters.
I could have gone to the principal. Mrs. Pena had been an English teacher during my freshman year. I could tell Mrs. her exactly what had happened and she would believe me. I could even tell my parents. But I knew what the consequences would be for Mr. Price. Mrs. Pena would fire him, and Mom would probably send him to work in a sweat shop in Malaysia or something. Either way, I would be rid of him forever, and every student in the school would hail me as a hero.
But, of course, I wouldn’t do that. Mr. Price may be a jerk, but I didn’t have the heart to leave him unemployed or have him banished to a country where it would feel like he was earning a living in hell itself. I was the only student he was so harsh on, and I fought my own battles. I would do the essay and I would hand it in just like he asked. He couldn’t fail me because I always had my “extra” History essays checked by Jonathan Forbes, who was not only a History professor at Harvard and a good friend of mine, but one of Mr. Price’s past teachers. I would email Professor Forbes once I was done, and he would give me a seal of approval. If word got to him that I was failing History, he would find out, and Mr. Price would be in for the lecture of a lifetime.
I started the essay and actually had a great time doing it. I loved learning about the Pharaohs of ancient Egypt, from the enchantingly beautiful Nefertiti, to the mighty Ramses II. Before I knew it, I was already three quarters of the way through. It was tempting to just get it all done right now, but I wanted to get some gymnastics and Aikido practice in before I had to meet Shadow. More importantly, there were two new women who needed my help.
Fortunately, it didn’t take much time to help them. Both of them had the same problem: they were trying to divorce their abusive husbands, but said husbands were trying to frame them for theft and vandalism. These men were so egotistical, that they left evidence lying around like confetti. A hacker with a third of my skill could have traced everything with no trouble at all. Dear God, they were as careless as Xavier had been.
I froze at the thought of Xavier. Memories of a horrible ordeal flashed through my mind, but I let them run their course instead of trying to crush them. I wasn’t suffering from PTSD or anything, but I would never forget the pain Xavier had put me through. And what he put me through had been nothing compared to what he put Shadow through.
Shadow…
I halted my movement on the balance beam and glanced at the clock. It was past nine. Shadow always called for me after ten. I had said goodbye to my Aikido instructor three hours ago, so I went through some katas on my own. Finally, I felt my neck grow warm.
I was unable to stop myself from wearing an enormous smile as I ran to the back door, elation and love coursing through me. When I opened it, I stepped out into the night. I didn’t have time to gasp when a pair of indescribably powerful arms seized me around the waist and pulled me behind a tree. Cold lips were pressed against mine before I could even think.
But I didn’t want to think now. All I wanted was to be consumed by the icy fire that was coursing through me.
When we broke apart, I was panting and feeling very flushed despite the coldness of Shadow’s skin. His hauntingly beautiful features were bathed in darkness, making him look more magnificent than ever. I wanted to trace that long, flawless nose with my fingers, feel the masculine curves of his classic cheekbones. Instead, I allowed myself to be captivated by his eyes. Once black and glittering as volcanic glass, they now glowed a very pale blue. They were the eyes of a merciless predator. At least normally they were. When they met mine, they were still unbelievably intense, but filled a desire and tenderness that was all for me, only for me.
Shadow wasn’t panting, but I heard a familiar growl simmer in the back of his throat.
“I am very glad that I have already fed,” he said in a husky voice that sent a thrill down my spine. “Else I would be tempted to do more than kiss you right now.”
“You can, you know,” I whispered. I pulled my hair back, exposing my jugular vein. “Go on. Take what you want, I give it freely.”
“Little cheater,” he rasped, his desperation evident in the way his grip on me tightened. “You know those words have always been my undoing.”
“Because you know why I say them,” I said. I put my hands on either side of his face. “You know how much I love you.”
Pain and wonder contorted his face at my words. My heart ached whenever he looked at me that way, as if I were a dream. Instead of biting my neck, he pressed our foreheads together and held me close.
“Mercedes…” he whispered my name.
“I love you, Shadow,” I whispered back. “I love you so much.”
His grip on me tightened further, and he kissed me again. Before I knew it, I was in his arms and we were both speeding through the trees. He took me through the portal, and I found myself in vampire society once again. To me, it looked like a cross between a utopia and a dystopia. The buildings were dark and high-tech, but the sky was permanently filled with red and black clouds that blocked out any sunlight. Shadow had told me that those clouds were a vampire invention. In vampire society, no one had to be afraid of ever getting caught by the sun. In a way, it was beautiful, but it also tended to creep me out quite a bit.
Shadow led me to his apartment. Though we were both now under the protection of the royal family, we were content to keep a low profile. Vampires had a very strict class system that included elites, warriors, and Outcasts. While Shadow was a fully trained Kshatriya or warrior, his class was that of a Harijan, or an Outcast. He had lived a life filled with constant abuse and prejudice, and had always hated himself for wishing for a better life, believing such a dream to be laughable. After defeating Xavier, there was a definite positive change to him, but he still had a long way to go. And I would be there for him every step of way.
He opened the door for me, and I stepped inside. I had been here several times before, but this was the first time I was actually invited in as a guest. It was a strange, but very good feeling.
“The royal family has not yet summoned us,” Shadow said after locking the door. “So for the time being…it is just you and I.”
He turned to gaze at me, and the suggestiveness in his posture and eyes made me flush deeply. I was alone with Shadow in his home, and there was no one to bother us. I never considered myself a “bad girl,” but I found myself both very nervous and very excited at the possibilities.
A pale marble hand extended toward me and I took it. He led me to a couch in the living area and sat down beside me. Then he kissed me.
“I believe in being a good host,” he whispered close to my lips. “B
ut as far as refreshments goes…”
I wrapped my arms around him and kissed him deeply. “This is all I need.”
He growled in approval and pressed me to him. As we both grew more passionate, he began to lean my body down so I was lying on the couch. Before I knew it, he was on top of me, eyes glowing blue and fangs fully bared. I was panting with nervousness, excitement, and awe at how beautiful he was.
My dark angel…
I saw the hunger and desire in those predatory eyes, and part of me relished in seeing him this way. It made me feel powerful, the way I affected him. And I loved him so much. The emotions and the connection we could share if we went even further…
My body said yes, but my mind said no. My heart said no also. I loved Shadow more than my own life, but as great as my love was, it wasn’t enough. I needed to know him more. I needed him to know me more.
“Shadow…” I said, and my nervousness and insecurity crept into my voice.
He closed his eyes and bowed his head, not out of shame I could tell. He was trying to calm himself down. Slowly, he pulled himself off me.
“I apologize,” he said at last.
“Please don’t,” I said, taking his hand. “I want to…just not now.”
He opened his eyes and turned to look at me. I could see his lingering hunger, his incredible will power battling for control against his base instincts. But I also saw his love and respect for me.
“Mercedes…” he said in a careful voice. “Are you an innocent?”
I nodded without shame. He had a right to know.
“Then it would be best if we waited.” His hand gripped mine. “I desire you deeply, but I would be content forever simply to have you beside me…to see you gaze at me with such compassion. I need nothing else.”
“But we can have more,” I said. “We do have more. And we’ll go at our own pace. Shadow…” I took a deep breath. “I meant what I said when I wanted to know you. And when I discovered how much I loved you, I realized that I need to know you. As strong as my love is, I barely know who you really are.”
“I understand,” Shadow said seriously. “I feel the same as you do. You need to know me, and I desire to know you.”
“Okay, so…how should we start?”
He brushed his fingers against my cheek. “What do you wish to know about me, my love? Ask me anything.”