Dark Whispers: Running Amok 38

Kenyon walked away from the two officers allowing them to see his back while he composed his features and shoved his anger deep. What an idiot! To think Kevin wrote down meetings on a damn calendar. Also, the police were hiding something else. He slipped into the man's thoughts softly and saw bloodshed and violence. It didn't help Kenyon in the least. There hadn't been any bodies at the scene but enough blood and some bullet fragments in the child's room. That was why they were at his club.

The cops thought Kevin was either dead or severely injured. They figured Kenyon as the "KH" on the calendar and hoped to surprise him into giving away something in their informal interview. They also mistakenly thought Kevin was holed up somewhere in the club. Knowing that wasn't the case gave Kenyon something to work with. Smiling, he turned back to the cops while leaning against his desk.

"Wow, so a Kevin Preston had a meeting here huh? Do you want to talk to my bartenders and see if they remember who he met with? That's pretty early for the club, I think we were just beginning to set up for the evening and they should be able to tell you who was on shift." He thought nice peaceful thoughts of how he was going to tear Kevin apart personally if he wasn't already dead. Not that Kenyon held out much hope for that, but he still could dream.

"Mr. Hudson, we think Kevin met with you. Why did you meet with Kevin Preston? Is he here now?" The woman snarled, going for the bad cop image and failing.

This woman is just too cotton candy pretty to be the bad cop, Kenyon thought, unless she's outfitted in some heavier leather and maybe a whip. That image was even more enjoyable than the slaying of Kevin he had been toying with before she offered herself so temptingly. Something in his face must have given away his thoughts because she squirmed and flushed. Fair skinned women shouldn't try to intimidate vampires. It really never worked out like they thought it would. Predatory instincts rose in Kenyon, making him push off the desk and close the distance between him and his prey. She had decided she wanted to play rough and hadn't realized that was the one of the favorite ways that Kenyon liked to play.

"You think so huh? Well, I don't know any Kevin so how could I have had a meeting with one?" His voice was bored and the other cop began to move between Kenyon and his partner automatically protective of the woman. Humans had instincts when it came to vampires, but rarely did it involve aiding others of their kinds. Usually by now the male would be hot footing it for the hills and he would be fang deep into the female. This one had to be the heroic type which was just his luck lately.

"Sir, please step back." The man commanded thinking simple words would make a difference with Kenyon.

Kenyon looked deeper into the man's face and understood where the bravado had come from in the human. The cop had wanted to sleep with his partner for a while and was using basic territorial male posturing to try to impress her. She, on the other hand, thought he wasn't very bright and barely tolerated him. The cop knew it but pretended it wasn't true. Kenyon knew for a fact it was true. The man was pretty stupid. Looking more he simply said, "No, you move."

The female sighed and said, "Both of you stop it." She had lost the tough cop sounds and was reacting, not controlling the situation.

The vampire couldn't kill them both unnoticed but he could have some fun. Catching the man's eyes he said, "Why don't you question my bartender Tim for a bit?" Dazzled and enthralled he nodded and walked out without consulting with the woman.

"Bob, where are you going?" She started to spin to follow when Kenyon put his hand on her arm. The cop bristled at the touch and began to jerk away when she met his eyes. Licking his lips slowly, he smiled and said, "Please let me help you understand what's happening here." He shut the door to his office with a decisive click of the lock. She stared into his eyes and nodded slowly. Her mind flipped easily as he pushed into her with his vampiric powers.

His first impulse was to fang straight into her neck without thought to how it would look. He was that hungry. She was trembling, but not with fear. She was hungry, too. While he was inside her head he found that dear old Bob the cop had been right. She did think he wasn't very bright and had wanted to switch partners, but knew that would earn her some enemies at work. The politics of the local police fluttered from her mind into his as he absorbed her thoughts. She wasn't afraid of him in the least. She hadn't had any sort of playtime in a while, because of her work hours, and the lack of men interested in playing with heavily armed women.

"It's like that is it?" He asked her softly. She simply growled softly.

Finding her ripe he said, "Take off your shirt."

He didn't have to put much command in his voice she wanted someone to control her. She licked her lips nervously yet began to unbutton the uniform shirt. The body armor underneath wasn't as exciting as he hoped. His idea of having her strip was quickly shelved as he didn't think Bob would be at the bar with Tim long enough for him to enjoy the sight. He stopped her with a raised hand and walked closer to see what he could play with and not have any visible signs of his bite. The vest was tightly strapped around her and her shirt wasn't tucked into her slacks anymore. Something caught his eye. She had an elaborate tattoo right below the vest ? a large flower that trailed downwards.

His finger caught the bottom of the vest and he traced the path of the flower. As his nail sharply ran over the vivid colors of ink he found out to his delight the tattoo was still relatively fresh. A hiss of pleasure and pain as he found a tender part; thus fortified with that knowledge he roughly pushed her against the wall and sank his teeth into the blood red rose. Her moans grew as he quenched his thirst. She gasped and pulsed with his lips against her. Her eyes rolled back as he drank and drained life from her. He didn't kill her. Stopping, he pushed images in her brain of how they had spoken and she was satisfied by him. He also put in her mind the desire to return after her shift ended some evening and meet back up with him. Quickly he put her clothing back and unlocking the door he sent her out on wobbly legs. He stayed in his office while he heard Tim escort them out of the club.

Once they were gone Jim shuffled back into his room saying, "That Ginger is a ball-busting bitch."

Kenyon came back to the current problems and looked at Jim less hungrily than before thanks to the volunteer 'take out' cop's arrival.

"Why, you've lost your ability to sway women now Jim?" Kenyon needled him.

"No, she wasn't having any of it. Tim introduced us and she started asking me about my childhood. Claimed it was background for a study. I didn't tell her shit." Jim stalked over to the bar in Kenyon's office and helped himself to a bottle of red wine while pulling a wine stem from the shelf. Pouring a large measure of the wine he gulped down the glass and set the pricy wine onto the marble surface, shaking his head. The glass joined the abandoned bottle. Vampires really had no luck getting buzzed, much less drunk, but Jim needed the familiarity of a human trait. Kenyon watched his vampire, puzzled by the distracted air and uncharacteristic level of emotions.

"Where's Bethany?" Kenyon asked not really caring where the crazy little vampire was hiding. She gave him the creeps with her wardrobe and odd posing as a gothic club girl while toying with the humans who pissed her off. She wasn't in the least stable with her pacing around constantly trying to impress him. Nevertheless it was odd to see Jim without Bethany behind him. They thought he didn't realize how they were paired closer than mere tutor and fledgling. He knew, but figured Jim would be able to keep her on a leash and he would use her when it was necessary.

"Charlotte killed her," in his torment, Jim didn't see Kenyon stumble at the news. Kenyon knew something was wrong. But he never felt Bethany die. He should've as her master. Somehow the tie was broken. That could mean only one thing.

Jim was moaning. Kenyon, fueled by fury, felt his fangs fill his mouth at the conclusion of his thoughts. There was no other explanation he could come up with but that Jim had turned Bethany into his vampire with his blood gift and supping on her, pushing out Kenyon's mark and making her one of his. Kenyon had been too distracted to notice the loss, and Bethany had always left him queasy to a degree with her insanity and intensity. Jim had made her his blood slave and paid the price. Charlotte wouldn't have liked that much -- she was pretty old fashioned when it came to some vampire activities when it suited her. Nevertheless Kenyon's army was dwindling.

"Where's Charlotte? Have you seen her?" Jim asked his master, still unaware of how Kenyon's thoughts were turning. "She killed Bethany and left me to die pinned to a hotel wall. I had to bury her once I drained two cleaning ladies. Then I had to return and burn the hotel to the ground to cover up the signs. I couldn't bring Bethany home, Master. So where is Charlotte, did she make it back yet? She owes me blood!"

Kenyon laughed. Had Jim not been so upset and distracted by his own wants and memories, he might have caught that the laughter wasn't mirth-filled, but sardonic and bitter. Vampires ruled by blood and fear. Jim wasn't afraid and that left only one thing for Kenyon to use.

"If anyone owes anyone blood here it's you," Kenyon said while closing the space between them. Jim was wearing an expression of puzzlement as Kenyon sunk his incisors deeply into his jugular. The snake-strike speed that Kenyon struck down his vampire with was nearly invisible. Kenyon ignored the feeling of rush and ruin as he tore a piece of Jim's neck free in his rage. He didn't cloak his slaying with pleasant thoughts like he did with humans but tore into him with a ferocity that was unnerving.

Cannibalizing his own fledglings was ill-planned but then Jim wasn't controllable any longer. Jim hadn't even found Charlotte before she came back into town. It was Kenyon who caught her scent last night when he was out riding. It was the Master who found his vampire. Not Jim. No, Jim had been busy trying to spin the baby fledglings for his use. That wasn't to be. As he continued to drain his vampire he felt others strumming with confusion. Jim had been a busy boy and had started turning more than just Bethany, Kenyon was discovering.

He stopped before Jim was fully drained. Kenyon left just enough blood in Jim to let him feel all the pain and damage his master had inflicted. Jim was trapped inside his brain unable to move. He decided not to finish off Jim just yet but to use him for bait.

Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand he went to his phone and punched in an extension. Tim answered.

"Have someone cover your bar shift for this evening and come to my office when you are ready." It was a one-sided conversation. Kenyon placed the receiver down and sat behind his desk. It wasn't long before Tim was at the door.