Everlasting Hunger (The Hunger Mate Series) (5 page)

              Annabelle watches Ian stalk across the bar to her table and gets a flutter of awareness in her stomach. 
The man is still walking sin after all these years,
she thinks to herself. 

“Good evening, Your Royal Highness.  How may I be of service to you?”

Annabelle grins up at him and says, “You can drop that ‘highness’ bullshit and call me Annabelle like you always do, unless you are upset with me.  Did I interrupt a private party, Ian?”
              Ian pulls out the chair, turns it around, and straddles it.  Running his fingers through his tousled hair, he sighs and tells the truth to another he can’t lie to.  “I believe I have found the one to satisfy the Hunger, Annabelle.” 

             
Annabelle’s eyes grow wide as she grabs his hand.  “Are you serious?  Why are you here with me? Go!” 

“I can’t, Annabelle.  She heard you were asking for me and thought you were a lover or wife.  I started to explain to her that you were my Maker, and what that is in the vampire world but she was upset and wanted to go home.  Her pain is my pain, I can feel it already.”

              Annabelle claps her hands excitedly.  “I’m so happy for you, my darling child!  To find the one after all these years is exciting.  What can I do?  Would you like me to talk to her?  I can have Erik explain the Hunger to her.  Where would I be without my own companion?  Erik has been my redeeming quality, and we will help in any way we can.  Oh, I’m so happy for you, Ian!”

             
“Slow down a bit.  I’ve not gotten to the explaining of the Hunger part yet.  We were ‘busy’ when you arrived, and our evening got cut short.” 

             
Annabelle reaches into her purse and pulls out an invitation.  “An invite plus one to my annual masquerade ball Labor Day weekend.  Bring … what’s her name, darling?”

“Ellie Dawson.  She is the human resources director at my hospital.  She has been working for me for about five years.  I noticed her at a dinner party for senior executives two years ago, and started tracking her last year.  I overheard some of the women were planning to come to the bar tonight and I made arrangements for Ellie to come here alone.  I stayed late at work and ‘ran’ into her.  I offered my escort to her.  Being that close allowed the passion the Hunger causes to run free.”

“Bring your Ellie, and you two may have the cottage at the back of the property for the weekend.  This way there is privacy, and you can explain everything to her.”

             
Ian glances at the invitation in his hands.  “Where should I go to find a dress for the ball to send to her?  It has been awhile since I had a mistress or full time lover to buy for.”

“Have Jasper provide me with her address, and I’ll send Claudine to her at the end of the month to help her pick something out for the ball.  Does compulsion work on her?”  Annabelle asks quietly.

              Ian lays the invitation down on the table and shrugs.  “I don’t know. I’ve not had to use it on her.  I calmed her but have not compelled her.”

“Not a problem, love,” she says. “If we need to, we can do it for you.  I have to go meet Erik at the restaurant but I wanted to bring your invitation to you.  I’m so happy for you, my darling boy.” 
             

Annabelle stands up, leans toward him, and places a chaste kiss on his lips. 

“See you soon!”  As Annabelle heads out of the club, she’s amused by this new revelation.  Ian has finally found a Hunger mate.

             
Ellie sits quietly while she waits for Jasper after Ian left to meet the mysterious Annabelle.              

“What was I thinking I was doing here tonight
?” she whispers quietly.  “What kind of person allows her boss to make love to her in a vampire bar and drink from her?”

“A woman who knows what she wants and takes it, my lady,” a voice says quietly. 

Ellie jumps startled at the intrusion. 

“I’m sorry, my lady.  I didn’t mean to frighten you.  If you are ready, we can exit the back and avoid the rush of the club,” Jasper says
, pointing behind her. 

Ellie rises and walks toward the door at the back of the room walking through and down the corridor. 
                           

“Jasper, who did all of these beautiful pictures?”  People and places from different eras all around the world lined the walls on both sides.  Color, black and white, all vie for space on the walls from floor to ceiling. 

“I have to confess that I did, my lady.  I’ve always been fascinated with pictures, ever since I discovered painting as boy.  When cameras were developed, there was no stopping me since I wanted to capture as much history and beauty as I could on film.”

“They are breathtaking, Jasper.  You have a true talent for it and please call me Ellie.” 

Jasper opens the door at the end of the hall and holds the door of the limo that’s parked on the curb.  Ellie climbs in and slides over when she realizes that Jasper is coming with her. 

“What’s the address, Ellie?” 

“502 Parkwood Avenue.”

             
The driver slips the car into gear and they glide smoothly forward.

             
“I think there are a few things about Ian that I should tell you about, Ellie.”

“I don’t want to hear about the other women in his life. I’m just a one night stand
. It’s none of my business.”

             
Jasper turns toward her and states in a clear voice, “You are
not
a one night stand.  He has mentioned you to me several times over the last year.  He just doesn’t want to put himself out there for fear of rejection.  Vampire or not, we still feel that bittersweet sting.”

Ellie shifts uncomfortably in the plush, leather seat.  “I’m sorry. It has just been a long, confusing night and I don’t know what to think about all this.  I came out to have a good time and have a one night stand if I was lucky and instead I get a huge dose of vampire 101.”

              “How familiar are you with the life and relationships of vampires?” 

             
“I pretty much know only what is common knowledge in society.  I wasn’t even sure what a vampire bar was until Ian explained it, and what exactly is involved when you are being tasted.  I thought Everlasting was just a bar that vampires and wannabes hung out in, got drunk, and found someone to take home.  You can imagine my surprise to learn I was wrong.”

             
Jasper smiles. “You can imagine how surprising all of this was to me in the beginning when vampires where the devils minions and those who were turned were hunted.”

“Ellie, vampires are just like everyday humans.  I mean, we all
were
humans at one point in time.”

Ellie nods her head in agreement at his logic.

“The difference is the Hunger,” says Jasper. 

             
Ellie looks at him in confusion. “The Hunger?  Is that what you call the craving that vampires have for blood?”

             
“Sort of.  When a vampire is turned, who and what they are stays the same.  If you were a killer, you stay a killer.  If you were a doormat, you’ll be a vampire doormat.”  Ellie grins at him.  “The Hunger is what we are trying to satisfy.  We need blood in order to survive but that’s not a secret.  The secret is that with every taste we are looking for the other half of our vampire soul.  The one person that can satisfy the thirst and craving that we all feel.  When we find that person we hold onto them for all that we are worth.  That person is worth their weight in gold and then some.”

             
Ellie looks at Jasper with a quizzical look. “I don’t understand something though.  Does this person who satisfies their Hunger cure them?”               

“No, Ellie.  There is no ‘cure’ for vampirism
, but the person that is their Hunger mate is like an extension of himself or herself.  It’s like finding the missing piece of a puzzle.  The best way to describe it is like this: vampires go through life drinking soda trying to find a glass of water to quench their thirst.  The person that can satisfy their Hunger is like a glass of water.  They can always have a glass of soda but the water is what they crave.” 

“How many times do you run across these people?” she asks.

Jasper sighs as he sits back against the seat. “It’s very rare to find one, to be honest with you.”

“Do you have to turn them? What happens if you never discover that one person?  How does that work?  No one will actually talk about how to be turned into a vampire so no one knows how that works exactly.”

                Jasper takes a deep breath and closes the partition between the front and back. “I wish I could give you an easy answer.  Turns are a tricky thing.  Not everyone is compatible to a turn, and if they are turned without what is needed then they go crazy and die.” 

“What exactly is needed to complete a turn, Jasper?”

He sighs deeply and leans back in the plush seat of the limo.  “Blood.  It comes down to a simple, yet rather complicated component in the blood.  Our scientists discovered it several years ago and it has helped save lives.”

“Saves lives?  I don’t understand,” she says. 

“Turning someone is a very intimate thing.  It’s not like in horror movies where it’s done as a mean-spirited thing or to take revenge.  It’s something that’s normally done between lovers or friends.  If the person you love doesn’t have the blood component that’s needed, then they will go insane with the turn and die.  There is more to it than that but it will be divulged if you are ever faced with the decision of a turn or not.”

             
Ellie sits back and takes a deep breath. “Thanks for the information, Jasper, but I honestly don’t think I’m going to need to know any of this.  Ian is my boss and while we had some fun tonight, I don’t see this being a forever type of romance.”

             
Ellie reaches for the door handle of the limo as it pulls up in front of her house.  “Thank you for making sure I got home tonight.” 

“Goodnight, Ellie.  I’ll see you soon.” 

She turns and waves as the limo pulls away.  Ellie is no fool.  The odds of seeing Ian in a setting outside of the hospital are slim to none.  However, who knew the night would go the way that it did, she thinks with a rueful smile. 

              It had been two weeks since the night at Everlasting, and Ellie was beginning to think she had imagined the entire experience.  She had yet to see Ian at the hospital, which is not surprising.  However, with the incredible passion between the two of them she thought he would’ve called or sent an email.

             
“Ellie, are you coming to the meeting or just going to sit there staring into space?” Sheila asks from the doorway. 

“Yes, just let me finish printing out the cost estimates for the new insurance plans, and I
’ll be ready to go.” 

Sheila walks in and sits down.  “Do you think that moving to a different benefit plan is going to be good move for the employees?”

Ellie continues to organize the presentation as she answers, “Yes, I do.  Mr. Lochlan has selected a company that provides better coverage, no deductible, and a low co-payment.  When we offer a plan like this when hiring, we stand a better chance of getting people that are more qualified to come onboard at Lochlan Medical.  Employee retention is always difficult in a rough economy, but we have been doing better than a lot of other medical facilities in the area.”

             
Ellie gathers the presentation and joins Sheila in the doorway of the office.  Taking a deep breath since she knows she will be seeing Ian, Ellie heads toward the conference room down the hall with Sheila.  As Ellie walks in to the meeting, a feeling of warmth spreads through her veins leaving a tingling sensation in the pit of her stomach.  Looking around, she locks eyes on Ian, and watches the silver pool in his eyes. 
Maybe he didn’t forget about me after all,
she thinks.
 
As she looks at him, Sheila nudges her from behind to have a seat. 

“What is wrong with you, girl?  It looked like you were going to jump Mr. Lochlan’s bones while we all sat here and watched.” 

Ellie clears her throat nervously. “I thought about it for a split second, Sheila.” 

             
Ian stands up.  “Welcome to the quarterly meeting for new business.  As everyone is aware the board has decided to make some changes in regards to the benefit package that’s currently offered to employees.” 

             
Sheila passes out the presentation package, which goes over the types of plans that are being offered. 

             
Ian continues, “We have two types of plans that we feel will be beneficial to the employees.  The basic plan covers doctor visits and prescriptions and then there is a higher-level plan that would include maternity benefits.  I have worked with the board to come up with a plan for the hospital to cover 80 percent of the premium on the insurance.  Any thoughts or concerns?” 

He sits down as everyone at the meeting starts looking through the presentation package.  Glancing down the table at Ellie, he is amazed at how stunning she looks.  He thought that staying away for a few weeks would help him realize that she was not the one to help with the Hunger.  He had never been so wrong about something in his life.  The craving to be buried deep inside of her body as he drinks from her was so overwhelming that he had to adjust himself and count to ten.

              He’s startled from his thoughts. “Mr. Lochlan?” 

“Yes, Sheila?”

              “Do you intend to have the hospital cover the eighty percent from the date of employment or after a probation period?”               

“Good question, Sheila.  If I understand the memos from Ms. Dawson correctly, our turnover is comparable to other hospitals in the area.  Is that correct?”

Ellie clears her throat and answers, “Yes, sir.  Our turnover is minimal for a hospital of this size.  I would recommend that the hospital allow the benefits to kick in after a ninty-day probation period.  This will allow us to have a vetting period with new employees to see if they will work out here at the hospital or in the clinics.  There have been documented cases of people who take jobs to get immediate employer provided insurance.  They then have expensive medical procedures done and then skip out on the bills.  I would hate to put our hospital in that position.”

             
Ian nods his head slowly. “That makes perfect sense and I believe the board will agree with your recommendations, Ms. Dawson.  Anyone have any other questions or concerns?  If not, I do want to let you know that there will be some restructuring in the executive level over the next few weeks.  These would be minor changes and I don’t want any of you thinking that you are losing your jobs.  I just want to promote and give more responsibility to those who are deserving of it.  If there is nothing else then this meeting is adjourned.” 

Everyone rises and starts out of the conference room. “Ms. Dawson
, if you have a moment, I need to see you in my office.” 

Ellie glances at Sheila and back to Ian, “Yes sir.  I need to put some things in my office and I will be there in ten minutes if that works for you.” 

“That will be fine.  Thank you, Ms. Dawson.”

             
Sheila and Ellie walk down the hallway together.  As they enter Ellie’s office, Sheila turns to her.  “What’s going on with you and the hot Boss man?  Don’t tell me that it’s nothing either.  I can see the sparks flying from both of you.” 

“Sheila, I honestly don’t know.  He took me to the club the other night, I told you that, and we had a good time.  Since then I’ve heard nothing.  No phone calls, emails, carrier pigeons, or smoke signals.” 

Sheila giggles.

Ellie admits, “I was beginning to think that I had imagined the whole thing.”

“Well, keep me posted on how things go with Mr. Lochlan.  I wouldn’t mind going to a club with a man as sexy as that.  Girl, you know that man oozes sex out of every pore on his body.  A couple of hours between the sheets will cure everything that’s ailing you.”  Sheila heads toward the door. “Have a great weekend, honey. I will see you on the sixth.” 

“Thanks, Sheila, for covering for me so I can take some time off.  I just need a little break.” 

Sheila waves as she leaves the office.  Feeling slightly apprehensive, Ellie is not sure if Ian is going to fire her or just wants to talk about the restructuring that he mentioned in the meeting.

             
Taking a deep breath, Ellie shuts down her computer and grabs her purse.  Since the meeting with the boss is her last appointment of the day, she can head out afterwards and get a jumpstart on her overdue vacation.  She is heading to a little town in Northern Minnesota called Detroit Lakes, to stay at a cottage she bought a few years back.  A simple location where she can relax and work on her tan, which is almost impossible in the middle of the city.  Also, if she can get some work done on the pile of books on her to be read list, well that would be nice little added bonus. 

Ellie stops in front of Ian’s door at the end of the hall.  Hesitantly
, she knocks and waits for his response. 

“Come in.”

Pushing open the door, she walks in and sees him on the phone.  Ian waves her in and finishes the conversation. “I’m not sure how it’ll go, Jasper.  Just take care of those things for me, and I’ll let you know what’s going on when I can.  Goodbye.”

             
Ian sets the phone in the cradle on his desk and gestures for Ellie to sit down.  She gracefully sinks down in the plush chair in front of the desk. 
Hmm, I should get some of these for the house.  They are amazingly comfortable.

             
“Ellie, I wanted to talk to you about the club the other night.  I was sorry that I was unable to accompany you home.  My obligations sometimes limit what I’m able to do at a given point in time.” 

Ellie raises her hand to stop him. “I actually wanted to apologize for my behavior, Mr. Lochlan.  I’m not normally the girl that tries to go home with the boss, and I hope that my actions will not reflect poorly on me at this restructuring time.”

“Dear God, Ellie.  What type of man do you think I am?”  Ian rises from his chair and wanders around to sit on the edge of the desk.  “Do you really think I regret our actions that night?  Little one, I’ve wanted to come for you every night since then but was afraid that I was rushing you.” 

Ellie’s breath rushes out as he reaches for her hand and pulls her to her feet.  Wrapping his arms around her, he tugs her close to his chest and leans his forehead against hers. 

Whispering softly, “Lover, I feel like I’ve waited an eternity to find someone who speaks to my soul the way you do.  You’re precious and dear to me, and I’ll do anything to keep you by my side.”

             
Ellie pulls back to look into his eyes. “I believe you, Ian, but this is so very sudden.  I mean, honestly, how well do we know each other?”  She pulls away and sits back down in order to put some distance between them.  “You have only touched on the basics of what it means to be a vampire, and Jasper only confused me more.” 

Ian walks to the other chair and sits down, turning it toward Ellie as he speaks, “I know we don’t know each other well, but I believe that we have something very special.  Would you be interested in exploring it with me?”

              Ellie twists her hands nervously in her lap. “Will you answer all of my questions?  Will you tell me about the Hunger and tell me about your life?”

             
Ian sits back and crosses legs at the knee.  “Yes, if you agree to explore a relationship with me, then I’ll tell you all that you need and want to know.  Will you go with me to the bar tonight?  I would like for you to have the whole experience as a patron if you are interested.” 

             
“Would I be on the menu to be passed around?” 

Ian smiles at her
. “No, love, you’re a rare vintage and as the owner of the bar, I have exclusive rights.  Can I pick you up at seven?”

             
She stands and reaches for her purse. “Can we make it eight instead?  I have to do some packing.” 

Ian reaches for her arm.  “Are you leaving the cities?”

“Relax,” she says. “I’m heading up to a place I own in Detroit Lakes for about ten days.  I’ll be back on the sixth.” 

Ian brushes his hand up and down the length of her work blazer.  “Would you be interested in some company?  I happen to own a place up there as well and have been meaning to get away from the cities for a little rest and relaxation.” 

              Ellie starts toward the door and looks over her shoulder. “I think we should see how tonight goes before you invite yourself on my vacation.  I’ll see you at eight, Ian.”