Chapter 44 pt. 2

Leo and I sat on a train sipping champagne with fruit in it. I felt ridiculously fancy but I was happy to be in a sundress on our way to have a picnic in the gardens of Versailles. Leo wouldn’t tell me any more than that. I just assumed that we were delivering something for Warren and Leo was playing around to keep me entertained.
He took my hand as we got off the train, leading me to a car where he handed off the suitcase we had brought with us. “We’ll walk,” he told the driver.

The driver nodded and we took the sidewalk, soaking up the spring sun and making each other laugh.

At the palace gates we were met by a man who whispered something to Leo. I looked at them confused and watched Leo smile.

“Follow me, slowpoke!” he teased, taking off at a run in the direction of a forest. I hesitated for a split-second before following him with my hair flying wildly out behind me. Just on the other side of the trees was a tent with a table set up underneath and two humans waiting to serve us.

“Are you ready to have lunch with me?”

“How did you arrange this?” I wondered, coming out of the trees slowly.

He offered me his hand. “I have my ways and because I love you, I want your birthday to be special.”

We kissed, then he pulled out a chair for me. The humans served us a meal laced with their blood. Not enough to hurt them but enough to put flavor in the food. After food, we lounged in the grass for the afternoon, making out and watching people go by. Just before sunset, he led me up to the palace but instead of going on a tour, he took me higher and higher until we were on the roof to watch the sunset over the gardens. It was absolutely the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.
“I guess we’ll be getting on the train again now,” I sighed, leaning into him, not wanting to leave.

He kissed the top of my head. “What if I told you, we get the whole place to ourselves for the night?”

“What?! No way. How did you…? I mean, is that even legal?”

“Don’t worry about that. Just enjoy your birthday, baby.”

“You are seriously the best thing that has ever happened in my life. I love you.”

We took a giggling walk through the main rooms, stopping to make love on the king’s bed before heading to one of the suites where a fire was burning in the fireplace and candles were lit all around the room. It felt like the whole world had melted away and it was just us.

~~

Leo and I were sneaking into movie theaters to feed. It was too easy but for some reason, it was exhilarating. That night we hit three different theaters before Kris figured us out.

We entered like normal patrons and sat behind a couple. At the third place, the couple was young and giggled as they whispered suggestively to each other. She had long wavy blonde hair that he kept running his fingers through it. His skin was like chocolate, smooth and creamy, waiting to be tasted. Leo made me wait for that taste until I almost couldn’t stand it.

“Let the movie start,” he whispered against my hair as he held me in his arms.

I sighed and leaned into him, watching the previews but not actually thinking about what was being shown. It was a blur of colors and light that made no difference to me. I only wanted the man’s sweet sticky blood.

Then the movie started and Leo moved in on the girl first, leaving me the man. With only a few words he was mesmerized into doing anything I wanted; with a single touch of his cheek he exposed his throat to me and I drank in his flavor.

Then suddenly Kris had me by the throat and around the waist, whisking me away from my dessert before I could fight him.

~~

I had decided that I wanted to know the tourist spots of London and the surrounding area. We had gone in the London Eye and climbed up to see the clockworks of Big Ben. We even rode in one of the ridiculous double decker tour busses. Stonehenge was cool but I was really disappointed when we couldn’t get close. The witches had it protected somehow. So instead, Leo decided we should watch one of their rituals.

We hid in the bushes just outside the barrier of their spell while they filed in holding baskets of flowers and food. Some had torches and some had what looked like goblets, all of them dressed in a black dress of some shape or another.

After forming a circle and shouting a thank you to the gods, they began to twirl and dance, rotating the circle slowly. It was mesmerizing to watch and it drew me in until Leo was holding me down to keep me from joining the witches.

~~

I had been ordered into a black leather tube dress that barely covered my butt. I had been allowed thigh-high matching stiletto boots with a ribbon bow at the back of my knees but otherwise my hair and makeup were done for me and I was alone on my way to Nyctophilia. Leo was working a case with Kris and Warren had basically abducted me. I was going to rough up the Prime Minister apparently.

Kyle, my favorite bouncer and sometimes sparring partner, helped me out of the car. “Where’s Leo?”

“He’s out having fun with Kris. He said that he owes me but I might kill him first.”

He smiled. “Let me know when, so I can stay out of your way.”

I went up to Warren’s lounge and hesitated at the door. I didn’t want to go in but I knew that if I didn’t Warren would be mad and if he found me standing there I would be worse off. So I went in and tried my absolute hardest to keep my cool even though I wanted to rip them all apart.

Leo never came to rescue me.

~~

Leo wanted to make things up to me. I had given him the cold shoulder for a week and was still angry. He had to keep working a case but told me to meet him at the museum where we had our first date. Despite being mad at him, I still loved him, so I showed up on time, ready to forgive him.

As instructed, I arrived on the front steps of the museum and waited. After the first hour, I started pacing, tired of standing still under my umbrella. After the second hour, I texted him obnoxiously and even texted Kris but neither replied. As soon as I hit the third hour without any word, my anger came unhinged.

I smashed all of the doors with my umbrella, fully aware of the alarms I set off, then threw my umbrella like a javelin at a marble statue, impaling it's perfectly sculpted abdomen. I didn’t stay to see the police arrive but I knew they would have their hands full. I retreated within the throng of customers in the illegal market and spent the day drinking instead of showing up for training.

~~

Kris finally let me come on a mission when he needed all of the guard-trained vampires. Someone had decided that they didn’t like how Warren ruled and gathered a big group to try to kill him and take power. Two of Warren’s bars were a complete loss, burnt by the rebels and now they were headed for Warren’s mansion.

Leo and I were on scene first. We set up a perimeter of landmines which would pick off some of the group but not all. When the guard arrived we encircled the house and waited.

I was antsy, not prepared for the tension that choked the air before the fight. Leo hugged me to him.

“Everything’s going to be fine. They probably won’t even make it through the first row of defense.”

I smiled and pushed him out to arms’ length. “No, I’m totally ready for this! I wanna be in my first real fight!”

He pulled me back and kissed my forehead. “You’re ridiculous but I love you.”

When the fight finally did come to us, everything became a blur of blood and limbs. Every moment was terribly exciting to me and it was one of the first times I was able to let all control disappear.