B007XKEWAE EBOK (23 page)

"Are we friends now then?" Gabriella asked.

"There's no reason we shouldn't be," Xavier answered her.

Gabriella nodded and lowered the weapon. "You can show me how to use this while you escort me to my chambers."

"I thought Francesca didn't want to be disturbed."

"I'm certain she will make an exception for me given what just happened," Gabriella said. "Unless you think she would risk this happening again, without you to rescue me."

"I don't pretend to understand anything she does. Her mind is a total mystery to me, but you know her better than I."

"I'll escort you all the way," he offered.

Gabriella assented and preceded him she was soon heading up the metal stairs to find Francesca. At the doorway to the chambers they were stopped by a pair of vampire guards. But they played their parts well refusing all his orders because they had been specifically instructed by the Mistress not to admit
any
visitors.

"Get the hell out of my way!" Gabriella thundered in no mood to be turned away.

"We have our orders."

"Screw your orders. I want to see Francesca
right
now!"

"Sorry, ma'am, we can't allow that."

"Get out of my way or you won't live to regret it! I've had a very bad day!"

A crowd of vampires from throughout the nest had gathered in the
main chamber and looked up at the commotion.

They weren't the only ones attracted by the noise. Behind the pair of guards the door to    the Mistress's private chambers was opened. Francesca stood there in a thin negligee and glared thunderbolts at Gabriella.

"What is the meaning of this?" she demanded.

"I had to see you," Gabriella said. "I was just-"

Francesca raised a hand to silence her. "I explicitly told you not to disturb me."

"But-" Gabriella began.

Francesca held her hand higher. "There is a time and a place for this discussion but it isn't here and it isn't now with this audience. We will settle this
later. For now you will accept my wish for privacy."

Before Gabriella could argue Francesca had retreated back inside her chamber and shut the door in her face. The guards smirked.

Without a single word or expression Gabriella spun one hundred and eighty degrees and stormed down the stairs. The gathered crowd had shown some intelligence and had completely dispersed by the time she had reached the bottom.

Xavier followed quietly in her wake. He made no effort to strike up a conversation or offer physical consolation. She led him into one of the many warren-like corridors where the end had been sealed off.

Once out of the sight of prying eyes she turned to face him and let her tears flow freely. She stepped up to him and gingerly wrapped her arms around him. Xavier returned the gesture and pulled her close.

They stayed like that for fully ten minutes until Gabriella had cried all her tears and stepped back, drying her face on her sleeves.

"I made a mess of your top," she said indicating a damp patch and trying, and failing, to muster a smile, her lower lip trembled with the effort.

"Never mind," Xavier said graciously.

Gabriella stared at the ground for a long time. Finally she looked up into his eyes.

"I don't want to be alone tonight," she said eyes wide and innocent.

Xavier took her hand in his. "You don't have to be."

He led her to his own private quarters. Not as opulent or expansive as those Gabriella shared with Francesca they were suitable for his needs. He led Gabriella inside and locked the door behind her.

The shouting outside subsided and Fulton tried to relax. He wasn't certain why he hadn't chosen to leave when he had had a clear opportunity to do so. Now he had put himself in a precarious situation. He had to try and continue to walk this fine line between the dual sides
to him. Any misstep would be his doom, one way or another.

His mind was taken off such deliberations when Francesca returned to the bedroom. She had been to deal with the commotion outside. She stood there in the doorway in a flimsy negligee, even if he had never seen her naked he would have no trouble imagining it with her in that.

It took a tremendous force of will, that Fulton doubted he would have the energy to perform again, to tear his eyes away from her. It showed him that all his decisions to take control of his life meant nothing when he could be so dominated by her. As long as he was with her his life was not his own to command. He understood now how she could control
such a large nest, it took a better man than he was to be able to resist her.

When she spoke his eyes were drawn inexorably back to her. She was simply irresistible. It was day so he couldn't leave now anyway so he might as well enjoy himself. Tonight, tonight he would see if he could muster the strength of will to do what he thought he must.

Before he knew it tonight was upon him. Francesca had left him in the care of the rest of the nest while she went to take care of some private business. He half-thought about leaving before she returned but decided that would be a bit suspicious. Besides he wanted to see her again before he left, he owed her an explanation. At least those were the reasons for staying that he told himself.
He didn't want to think that maybe he stayed because he just never wanted to leave. 

In his current state of mind Fulton couldn't be sure how he could bear to be away from Francesca but he felt that he must. If he remained with her much longer he could easily slip and tumble over the edge.

"Like you're not over the edge already," Fulton said aloud.

The vampire nearest him gave him a funny look.

"Something wrong?" Fulton asked.

"With you perhaps."

Fulton stepped closer to him. He opened his eyes wide and stared at the other vampire. He brought both his hands up to the side of his head with his fingers splayed outwards. He stared intently at
the other vampire then suddenly shook his arms outwards grinned and turned away.

"Nutter," The other vampire muttered.

Xavier was supremely happy. In his bed beside him Gabriella lay naked curled up to him. She truly was a skilled lover. He had never properly appreciated her when he had been ordered to join her and Francesca. Now he understood why Francesca kept her around. She may not be good for anything else but when she was
that
good at
that
it hardly mattered.

His mind was fully made up now concerning her. When he assumed control of the nest he would keep her around as his personal servant. She might even be willing to be his given
Francesca's recent behaviour towards her. But a part of him hoped she wouldn't, enslaving her to his will would be such a thrill.

He would keep her to himself though, at least until the novelty wore off. Then it might be fun to watch his followers force themselves on her. He had been sorely tempted to let the three vampires he had duped into attacking her take it further and just watch. But he kept to his plan, kept his focus on his little coup d'état.

Such thoughts had made him ready for another go and he was moving into position when somebody knocked on his door. Even before she spoke he knew who it would be. Only one person would dare to disturb him.

"Xavier! Open this door at once."

Francesca.

Gabriella bolted awake and looked from Xavier to the door.

"I don't want her to find me here," she whispered.

"Open this damned door."

"There are other rooms back there," he said as he got out of the bed. "Hide in one of them."

Gabriella fled, naked, into one of his other rooms. No sooner had she closed the door behind her before she opened it again and ran back out.

"What?"

By way of reply she grabbed the clothes he had stripped her of earlier in the day and took them to hide with her.

Xavier jumped into a pair of jogging trousers and opened the door.

"Took you long enough." Francesca pushed past him.

"Something is going on with Fulton. I sense he is reluctant to join the nest. In any case I have decided he is probably unsuitable for the role I had intended for him."

Xavier nodded, he guessed she had been grooming the young upstart to take
his
place. "As you wish. Does this mean Gabriella will be forgiven for her earlier behaviour? She only-"

"I will deal with her as I see fit," Francesca interrupted him. "But spending so much time with Fulton has awakened some of my other desires."

She sauntered over to him and put her hand on the front of his trousers. "I might want you more than her for now."

"I will serve in any way you want. But before you dismiss her you . . ." Xavier faded off at the look she gave him.

"Don't think I will deign to make decisions based on your say so."

With that she left. Xavier replaced the smile he wore with an expression of concern. He walked over and went to Gabriella.

"I'm sure she only said those things in the heat of the moment," he told her.

"I'm not." Gabriella answered fighting back tears. Her lower lip trembled uncontrollably until he kissed her.

"So, have you decided whether you are going to join my nest?" Francesca asked.

She was sat on the back of Fulton's motorcycle. In a twenty-four hour opening
supermarket car park. The blood from her most recent kill stained her chin and the front of her blouse. Fulton absentmindedly wiped gore from his own face before answering.

He knew what he should say. It shouldn't be a flat out refusal, something about wanting to see a bit more of the world before settling down would go down better. He didn't want to admit that he was a coward, that he was afraid he was murdering a part of himself with every human life he took. What he wanted to say was: 'Yes, I want to stay with you.'

"Yes, it would be an honour to join your nest," he said.

Damn.

Francesca gave him a funny look. "You sure you want to settle down already?"

"I want to be with you," Fulton answered honestly, even though his brain told him to say he needed one last trip.

Francesca must have been able to see his inner conflict because she smiled and motioned for him to move closer.

"I'll still be here when you return," she said. "If you're worried that I will think that you think any less of me because you need a last taste of freedom don't be. I understand that there are instincts that can't be satisfied cooped up in a large group. There is a reason that some of the legends about us call us the lonely ones. Sometimes we just need to get out on our own. I understand that you have
wandered solitary for the last few years. Are you sure you don't need one last solitary adventure?"

'No, I just need you,' his heart answered.

'Okay, if you promise you'll be waiting for my return,' his head urged him to say.

Fulton knew that he had spoken but he didn't know which of the options he had taken.

Fulton climbed out of bed and came face to face with himself.

The other Fulton was dressed in a garish red shirt with a large collar. The shirt was adorned with nauseatingly bright pictures of wedges of fruit in every conceivable colour and some that Fulton thought must be new.

Along with the shirt the false Fulton also wore a pair of tie-dyed, knee-length Bermuda shorts. He had a pair of brown leather sandals on his feet.

Since leaving Francesca and her nest he had forced himself back into his old routine. The corpses of a pair of stray dogs were starting to stink out the place from the corner of the room. He had put black tape over the inside of the bed-sit
window, he wasn't about to trust the thin curtains to keep the sun at bay.

"Who are you?" Fulton asked circling the impostor like a shark.

"Who in the blue hell do I look like, moron? I'm you," the false Fulton said.

"Nice try, bud. But I'm me and there can be only one," Fulton said.

The other Fulton gave him an exasperated look. "I'm not
literally
you, idiot. I'm a creation of your screwed up psyche. Would you really be seen dead in this ensemble," he indicated the sickening shirt and shorts.

"No," Fulton answered uncertainly.

"And neither would I if your imagination had even the remotest hint of class," False Fulton said.

Fulton gave up his circling and sat down on the edge of his crumpled bed. "So why are you here?"

False Fulton shrugged. "I haven't the foggiest idea. You created me, I just turned up when I was called for."