Chapter 125 - Frustrated
**Ambrogios pov**
For a long moment I stood completely still and completely silent in my room. My eyes were closed and my focus was directed in one direction. Facing the room wall to wall to my own. I could hear her in there. She paced slowly back and forth, opening doors and cupboards, presumably to familiarize herself with her surroundings. I focused further...there it was, the sound of the most beautiful heart in the world. It changed rhythm every now and then, from beating calmly then increasing for a minute or so, was she upset? Afraid? Excited? After a while it calmed down again and in my calculations I could assume that she sat on the bed, laid down maybe? I tried hard to isolate my thoughts, I doubted she would appreciate images of herself that popped into my head right now..silver hair spread on a pillow, a naked body in an unmade bed. I became hard at the thought and had to exert myself even more. This would certainly be a challenge. For as long as it lasted anyway. Nothing made me happier than her being here, so close to me, voluntarily too. At the same time, it did not come without obstacles, difficulties and questions. She had chosen not to take my life tonight, even though I willingly laid it at her feet, and I really willingly did, nothing felt more right than to give her the gift of moving on without me. Now I’m glad she chose a different path, as frustrating as it will be to be on guard around her. I wasn’t worried about my children, they were mirrors of me and if I’m happy, they’re happy. They know pieces of their history, my history, but not all of it, and I don’t know Zandra’s purpose in meeting them. Is it to satisfy her own curiosity or to let them know who she really is to them. Sounds from her room gossiped about her leaving the bed. Sounds from the water pipes told me she was draining a bath. I bit my knuckles hard. Fuck! I have to get out of here before I tear down the wall between our rooms.
“Father!” Tony caught up to me and when I turned around he stopped and looked questioning.
“Father, are you okay?”
“Why do you ask?” I clenched my jaw and took a deep breath, not at all in the mood to be stopped.
“You look...tense. I was told you have a visitor, an overnighter at that...would you care to share who it is and why the person in question made you look like you’re ready to tear the house down?
“No.”
“No?”
“You heard me.” I looked at Tony who was scratching his head. Sure, I can tell him Zandra is here, but I can’t tell him why, not without locking him up afterwards. Tony was my second in command , my closest and most faithful son, my successor. If he found out that Zandra was here to possibly end my life, his only goal would be to get to her room, and rip her throat out. His new age style, the peace with the werewolves, all the species around the campfire singing Cumba ya..none of it would matter, if he thought my life was threatened. I took another deep breath and rubbed my face.
“It’s Zandra, she’s here for a short visit, she lives in the room next to mine. That’s all you need to know. I have given orders that she is not to be disturbed unnecessarily.” “Zandra?...The witch? Great Falls white witch? Your witch?”
“Yes, the one and the same.”
“Why?”
“Tony, that’s enough for now. It’s none of your business, she and I have a long history and some sorting out to do.”
“Ah, hence the frustration?” He wiggled his eyebrows and smiled his charming smile.
“Was there anything else you wanted?” I sighed loudly to show that he was nearing the limit of my patience.
“Just to inform you of the plan against the Sons, two days from now.” I nodded slowly, two days..it would have been better if it was immediate, I really needed something else to think about, something that could calm the frustration inside me. I needed blood and probably sex…I needed to hunt.
“You can inform me tomorrow, I’m going out for dinner.”
“Alone?”
“Yes, alone Tony. And stay out of my quarters while I’m gone, and make sure others do the same, that’s an order.”
“Yes, father.” I turned my back on him and left, but couldn’t help but hear his chuckle. Anyone else would probably have been punished for disrespect. But not Tony, for whatever reason he could push the boundaries with me and most of the time I didn’t mind. He kept me young, alert with his challenging manner. It was a good thing, he wouldn’t suspect anything and visit Zandra for information if he just thought I was sexually frustrated.
Hunting in this city was easier said than done, not that everyone was so aware and wary of the danger that walked among them. No, on the contrary, everything was easily accessible, everyone was willing to be dragged into the nearest shadow for nocturnal adventures, high on drugs or drunk on countless colorful drinks. Women and young men, sometimes a mix of them, smiled, winked and made lewd suggestions as they saw me pass. That’s not what I needed right now, I needed a challenge, a no. Someone who looked me in the eye and knew they had nowhere to run. Dragging a woman into an alley, scaring her and drinking her dry while she satisfied my sexual need was one option , but not the real thing.
I went into a club, the music was loud and the bass in the room like a single strong heartbeat. After having to repeat myself a couple of times to the bartender, I got my glass of whiskey. Remaining at the bar, I looked around. Tables overflowing with scantily clad women either sitting on someone’s lap or ignoring men who wanted their attention, another type of cat and mouse game I assumed. The big dance floor was like a meat market, women twerking, men dry-humping and everyone thought they were irresistibly sexy. In my eyes, it looked more like most of them had some kind of seizure. The disc jockey above the dance floor looked no better as he stood pulling his levers and pushing his buttons. I really missed the big bands, live music. Everything from string orchestras to softly playing jazz and blues bands. Music that still allowed conversations and above all, dances where the man brought the woman in his arms over the dancefloor.
“Buy me a drink?” A young woman in a tank top that was far too small pressed against me. She was sweaty after coming back from the dance floor, her ragged breathing making her breasts almost bulge out of the tight fabric. My gaze was drawn to her neck, a fat artery pulsed under the skin to obey the heart’s command to oxygenate her body. I could have leaned forward, taken a few sips and no one would have noticed. She seemed to be alone, if she came here with someone the person was probably busy twisting their body on the dance floor or emptying it into one of the dingy toilets. I emptied my glass, took a bill out of my pocket and gave it to her.
“I would recommend water.” she looked surprised but willingly accepted the money. This club had nothing I was interested in so I decided to find what I was looking for elsewhere. On my way out, I passed the section with gaming tables, Roulette, blackjack and other types of table games that attracted fat middle-aged men, the kind of men who wanted to move around the clubs but didn’t fit in unless they had a fat wallet to attract the night’s female pleasure.
“Bye! See you tomorrow.”
“Bye Ana, good job tonight!” A young woman squeezed past me after saying goodbye to a work colleague at one of the tables. I walked behind her towards the exit. Unlike the women at the club, she was actually clothed. A white short-sleeved shirt under a black vest showed only the skin on her arms, tanned? Latinas? Her black trousers revealed no more, hanging over high heels. A typical outfit for a croupier. I hadn’t seen her face yet so I concentrated on her hair, it was braided in a braid that ended at her shoulder blades, not black..brown?...whatever, I liked braids, they made good reins to hold someone in control. She took her jacket out of the closet and talked a little with the people who worked there. Her voice was bright and pleasant, polite, out of place in such an establishment. She said her goodbyes before stepping out into the night. With me just a few feet behind.