Bliss (The Custos) (32 page)

Preacher sat beside me for hours. Not moving other than to look into the cell. It was like we shared the same fear that they would somehow disappear. I asked Preacher if they could disappear like Leushus and he said the cell would prevent it. It did, they were there watching and waiting same as us.

I could feel the stress in Preacher as the hours grew and finally he escaped up stairs to smoke a blunt, I'm sure. I thought he would wake up the minute Preacher left. I don’t know why I just did but he still slept and I waited. It had been nine grueling hours and I honestly didn’t know how much more I could take.

Leushus and Bastian came back with Preacher as we all resumed our waiting stance. The room wasn’t as silent. Like me Bastian had a beating heart and was unable to hold still the way the undead could. I finally got up to walk around the room and stretch my legs but I walked to close to the cell. Simon the Bliss dealer slammed a fist against the glass and hissed. My instinct was to jump back and he laughed at my fear. I hated him more for that if it were possible.

Apparently Preacher had had enough. His movements so fast I could follow as he jumped from his chair beside mine and was in the cell a blink later. He had Simon by the throat and against the wall.

"Give. Me. Your. Sins.!" He roared and the glass of the cells shattered by the force of Preacher. Leushus and Bastian made no move to interrupt, both standing with their arms folded over their chests on each side of me, as if daring Simon to say something else.

"Will he loose his soul?" I asked Leushus who shook his head no.

"Preacher knows how to control this side of his self. He lets God guard his soul." Leushus said.

"Well then I let God watch mine." I stepped through the shattered glass and walked into the cell. "Tell Him." I grabbed the
Nex
with no legs because he would be easier to control. I wanted vengeance but I wasn’t a fool. "Tell him." I screeched before slapping him. It was the perfect bitch slap and I wished a human were around to see it, it was that perfect.

"Cookie get out!" Preachers voice was completely distorted and he turned that anger from me to Simon. "Last chance before I send you to hell."

Preacher wasn’t going to ask me again but I wasn’t going to back down. They enjoyed every minute of my pain as I begged and prayed for Cash's life. I would not yield on this. I gripped my
Nex's
throat and let my nails dig in. "Have you any idea who you’re sick fucking buddies tried killing tonight?" He said nothing but smiled and I yelled. "Do you?"

"Yooooou."

I didn't understand his answer but I didn’t get a chance to ask again. Preacher came to him and roared "SHUT UP!" and moved my hand. He sliced his head clean off before stabbing him in the chest and kicking the chair he sat in out to Bastian and Leushus who simply kicked it aside. Neither one made a move to intervene.

Preacher went to the next one and did the same, kicked the chair towards Bastian who moved to stand closer to Leushus. Now it was Simons turn, and hell yes there it was, absolute fear.

"I have information." Simon croaked but Preacher was beyond hearing.

"I doubt that boy." He raised his stake but I screamed for him to stop.

"What if he does?"

"Cookie they all want to talk before I kill them. He will spout bull shit I assure you but go ahead." He turned and looked at Simon. "Make it fast because I
am
going to kill you."

Simon made it fast and his words stumbled out. "The girl you met tonight was a set up. They told me." He motioned to his two dead friends. "They said she was a working girl for Conlin at Bliss."

"Christ." Leushus said before disappearing again leaving me to guess who they meant.

Simon continued. "They say your name is London Chase and they came here tonight looking for you. Conlin won’t give up, especially after what you did, you’re more important then he thought."

"What I did? I didn’t do anything but suffer through our Fathers abuse for twenty six years. Conlin’s a big fucking crybaby." And it was true I knew it. He was pissed off that I was raised with money and acknowledged as Walter Chase’s daughter. Conlin had it easy though, minus becoming a
Nex
and all. He had the better life.

"No tonight human. What you did tonight. Conlin knows. Before that Russian brought him back minus a leg he called Conlin and told him what you did."

I looked at Preacher my face a whole lot of 'what the fuck' going on. "I've been locked in a room for the night so your little buddies here lied to you."

Simon laughed. "He wipe-" Preacher cut him off- "Enough." and roared raising his stake, but Simon screamed. "Wait."

Preachers’ arms in the air and his mighty stance frozen he looked at Simon with death in his eyes. "What for?"

"I need to confess. I wasn’t a good person in life or after but I'm scared I admit it to see what's next." He waited on a wing and a prayer for Preacher to take his confession and ease him into his final death.

Wrong.

"There isn’t enough hail Mary’s to save you from the demons waiting for you in hell." Preacher dropped his stake efficiently and then swiped it across his throat and Simon lost his head. Something told me Preacher never intended to take his sins for death. Not tonight. And that was ok.

*

London

I sat alone next to Cash. Bastian and Preacher were cleaning the mess from the
Nex
and taking the bodies out to burn when sunrise finally came. I held Cash's hand in mine and talked hoping he heard me.

"I think that you were a fool tonight Cash. You went out alone and look at you now. If this is what eternity will be like every time we fight then I am so not signing up. There is no eternity wit out you." I felt the tears roll from my eyes spilling out at their own free will. I squeezed my eyes trying to hold back but it was so useless.

"See now I love you and I dream of what the future will be like with you and a long one. Making me love you is what made me hope for a brighter future, though with you it would be darker, sunlight and all. If I knew that I would love you this much I would go back to that night I met you and make you turn me before I could know the hate. I would have become a Custos then and all of this would have become moot and pointless."

I said nothing more for fear of sounding crazy if someone were listening. So the silence dragged on and it was almost midnight when I felt myself doze off, soon to be woken by Cash squeezing my hand. "Princess." He croaked and I jumped up and leaned over him, my tears were so out of control and kind of ridiculous really but I had no control. My hair fell around my face and I wanted to move it but I couldn’t let him go.

He reached up and cupped both hands at my face and tucked my hair behind my ears. "Princess...." He said more clearly and I died a little hearing the rasp in his voice. my heart couldn’t take that beautiful sound of safety and it took years from my life. His grip tightened and he pulled me to him in such a fierce hold I struggled for breath but didn’t care. "I was so scared I would never see you again Princess, and I don’t do scared." He spoke against my neck and I had to fight from wailing.

"I was so scared you were dead, the real kind and I don’t do scared." I pulled back a small space to look at him and make sure he wasn’t a figure of my imagination. But I saw those sapphire eyes and they bore into me like a thorn pricks a finger. It hurt but so fucking beautiful. "Are you ok?"

He tried to sit but I told him no. "I'm fine Princess, just sore really and a little dizzy." He pulled me on top of him and held me to his body. "I need to feel you Princess just let your Vampire hold you."

I did and we stayed like that for some time kissing and me crying as I touched every part of him I could reach. "Preacher said you were lucky because it wasn’t liquid silver....If it had been...." The sentence died because he knew what would have happened. I tried to pull back; the moment was so thick and deep. "Do you need anything?"

He held me tighter. "I need you and our bed and days to spend there." I knew he meant our fight from before and my heart broke. He finally got it.

"Well maybe when your better Cash but you almost left me tonight I think rest is good." I moved to sit but he grasped my wrist and pulled me back down.

"No, I need you." He took my hand and guided it to his cock, hard beneath his jeans. "You are all I need."

"How....I mean..."

"It's normal Princess. Different species remember?Blood and sex are a deuce after injuries. They both draw life from the heart and are as important to humans as monitors."

I said nothing because my body and its hormones were gung ho for the bed and some few days of Cash naked, yummy. My heart and mind were screaming
no he can’t be well enough
. But he made the decision for me.

"Preacher!" He roared so loud I covered my ears.

"He's up stairs-" I was saying but Preacher came running down the stairs.

"Bloody hell, good to see ya mate." He said and walked to Cash who embraced him in a hug.

"I am so sorry for what I said to you tonight Preach. Forgive me, I'll make it right." Cash sounded so sincere and I wondered what brought it on.

"Forgiveness is divine Cash, and given freely to you. I am sorry as well these are not my decisions to make." Preacher was so high I stifled a laugh. His accent cracked me up regardless the moment, when he was blazed out of his mind.

"What the hell happened to you guys?" I asked and came between them hugging them both and loving how they let me.

"You'll know when the time is right." Preacher said and stepped back. His eyes looked a little misty and I thought that was sweet. I looked to Cash but he was too fast, his head was turned and when he looked back at us his eyes were dry.

"You two need help getting upstairs?" Preacher asked and Cash laughed.

"Not in the physical sense but Princess won’t believe me on my...needs right now." His gaze dropped to his cock for a second but Preacher knew what he meant.

"Tis' true Cookie. Go enjoy and I'll see ya after next sundown."

Preacher left and I looked at Cash a bright blush in my cheeks. "Told ya." He said and stood to take my hand.

*

Cash

I knew before I could be with her that I had to tell her about the attack on my house and what part she played in it.

"So you'll give me my memories back?" She asked me after I had explained everything. She told me about Simon and what he had said and I told her about the lead on Bliss from the PALMS girl. That fucker Conlin was good, I hated to admit it but he knew what he was doing. He knew I would go there the minute I found out about it. The fact he had fooled me twice, one by attacking my home and two for my falling for the Bliss trap, games were over and I
will
start a fucking war over this shit.

But damn she was so calm I was shocked and also aware she was concerned with my being shot more. I should get shot more often when I had bad news.

Scratch that. I was done playing nice. They were able to shoot me because my mind wasn’t in the game after my fight with her and Preacher and the news of Bliss being an actual place of torture for human women. I was in the game now and they would see my wrath and know it firsthand. I am an old Vampire and by the undead standards I am not one to fuck with.

They fucked with me, their fault for not heeding the warning.

"Yes." I said referring to her memories and my task at hand. I could be mad and vengeful later.

"Will I be terrified and in danger of shock again?"