Twisted Fate Chapter 9

Frustration and anxiety jumble into a mental cluster f**k I can only describe as excruciating. I recline the car seat. My muscles persistently contract, causing an immense pain that resonates through my entire body. This is not indicative of hunger pains. This is my weakness getting the best of me.

There is a knock at the door. How she found us, I’ll never know. It must be a mother’s intuition because she is here, pounding furiously when Caleb refuses to answer. “Caleb? Caleb! I need to talk to you!”

Hearing her voice sends me into panic mode. I want to go out there. I want to reassure her that I am alright. But I’m not alright, far from it. It has been merely one month since Lavinia turned me. I am still too volatile to endure human interaction. Caleb has my face in a vice-like grip. “Calm down!” he whispers with a sternness to his tone. “She doesn’t know you’re here. She can’t possibly know. I’ll get rid of her, just…stay....here!” The pounding persists as Caleb leaves the room. Then, the pounding in my chest drowns out the commotion. My vision begins to blur.

I lay staring at the roof of the car. My muscles begin to relax, but my stomach feels like it’s being put through a meat grinder. It’s so debilitating, I can barely move. I reach into the center console for my phone. I need Caleb’s help if I ever want to make it out of this parking lot. Damn! There are ten missed texts and three voicemails. He’s pissed!

“Well, well. He lives,” Caleb says snidely.

“I need your help.”

“Do you, now?”

“Just meet me at the…”

“I know where you are. Just sit tight. I’ll be…” A tap on the driver’s side window makes me jump out of my skin. “right there.”

“Jesus!” I snarl as Caleb rounds the car and sits in the passenger seat. “You son of a b***h!”

“If you want my help, resorting to name calling isn’t the way to go about it.” Caleb flashes a conniving grin.

“Fucktard,” I grimace as I pull myself up to a seated position.

Caleb’s demeanor changes as he watches me struggle. “What’s going on with you?” Caleb asks.

“I was hoping you could tell me,” I say, wrapping my arms around my torso.

“If I had to guess, I’d say it’s all that human food swimming around in your stomach.”

“I’ve seen you eat and you don’t react like this.”

“True. Then again, you do have a tendency of going to extremes. There’s only one way to remedy this. I’ll drive.”

As Caleb drives to his unspecified location, I sit idly by just waiting for his lecture. A lecture doesn’t come. “So, did you seal the deal?” Caleb asks.

“What?” Why would he ask that? I expected him to lash out, to scold me for pursuing Rachel.

“The Tarbill Agency. Did Richard take on Julie, or what?”

Wow! I completely forgot about that! I cancelled my dinner meeting with the head of the Tarbill Agency and took Rachel instead. Well, that explains how he knew where I was and why he is so calm and collected.

“He is undecided, but he’s coming by the office in the morning to meet Julie in person.”

“Great! Don’t let him off the hook, Damien.”

We arrive in the seedy underbelly of downtown Los Angeles. I would have been scared shitless setting foot here just months ago, especially after dark. Caleb pulls into a back alley. The headlights shine directly on a beast of a man. He stands roughly seven feet tall with dark skin and a fanatical body builder’s physique. “Come on,” Caleb beckons as he exits the car.

The man stands with his arms crossed, exuding a seriousness that reminds me of Xavier. Caleb stops inches in front of him, turning his gaze upward. The man abandons his rigid posture and grabs Caleb’s shoulders. “Caleb Donovan. It’s been a long time, brother.”

“Too long. Is Petrova here?”

“Yeah, she’s here, but so is Kazamir.”

“Is that going to be a problem?” Caleb asks.

“No, it shouldn’t, but where Kazamir is concerned, there are no guarantees.”

“Understood.”

The man opens the door and I follow Caleb inside. I can see the bar from the entryway, but Caleb remains in the hall as the burly man makes a phone call. Suddenly, the floor rises revealing a staircase. Caleb heads downstairs and I follow closely behind.

I glance around the room. The heavy haze of cigarette smoke fills the room. A card game is being played. I thought that this kind of thing only happened in the movies, but here I am, smack dab in the middle of thug central.

“Do they know?” I ask, glancing at the group of men who are paying us no mind at all.

“No, but she does.”

Caleb walks toward the bar. He leans against the rail, staring at the woman behind the bar. She is facing the shelf of liquor bottles, fidgeting with her long, blonde braid as she places the bottles in their proper place. “I never get tired of staring at that luscious a*s of yours,” Caleb says.

She shrieks as she spins around. The bottle teeters off of the shelf and crashes to the ground as she vaults over the bar. The woman flies into Caleb’s arms, kissing him passionately. A blustery Russian voice bellows, “What da f**k, Petrova?” She ignores the outburst and continues to ravage Caleb. The man shakes his head and resumes his card game. “Is always something with her!”

He must be Kazamir. He looks young, about my age. His military style buzz cut makes him appear bald from this distance. Blonde facial hair covers his chin and upper lip.

Caleb breaks away from Petrova’s lip lock and says, “My friend needs your help.”

She eyes me up and down and says, “I suppose, for you,” in the same accent as Kazamir. As she begins to lead us toward the back hallway, Kazamir starts rambling in Russian. “Okay, Kazi,” Petrova says with more than mild annoyance. “Go on back. I’ll be right there.” Her sweet smile is infectious. For a moment, I barely notice the pain that grips my abdomen.

Caleb leads me down the hall and opens the first door he comes to. The room is so bright, it messes with my senses. Multicolor swirls and gaudy flowers give off a sixties vibe. If I didn’t know any better, I’d presume that a unicorn threw up in here. I guess anything is possible.

“Why’d you bring me here?”

Caleb traces one of the wallflowers with his finger and says, “The only way to get rid of your discomfort is to feed.”

“I could’ve done that anywhere. Why here? Why her?”

Caleb turns toward me. “Because with Petrova, you will get the added bonus of a willing donor.”

“I don’t know what you’re getting at. Could you please get down to brass tacks and just tell me why the f**k we’re here?”

“Okay! When you feed on her, not only will the venom burn up the human food and absorb it into your bloodstream, but a willing donor might also help you with your blackout issues. If you can feed on Petrova and stay alert, then your problem is mental, not physical.”

Petrova enters the room, just as Caleb finishes his explanation. Caleb adds, “Plus, I haven’t seen this one in a long time.” Caleb sweeps her into his arms and dips her. Petrova giggles as he lifts her back up.

“Still a charmer, I see.”

“Always, baby, always.”

“So, your friend, he needs blood, yes?’

“Yes.”

Petrova frowns and asks, “And you, you do not need blood?”

“No, but don’t worry, I’m still up for round two.” Caleb briefly nuzzles her nose with his and they are back to kissing. The happiness exuded prompts me think of Rachel. The blissful feeling turns to longing, then quickly turns to disappointment. I would give anything to be able to rewind and start from the beginning, to have a chance of having even a fraction of their joyfulness.

“Let’s get on with it,” Caleb says, motioning for me to move in closer. “I will let you know when she is about to pass out. When I say so, release and seal the wound, got it?”

“Yeah. I got it.”

Petrova takes my hand and says, “Whenever you are ready.”

God! She’s so freakin’ adorable! I don’t have the urge to feed on her, but my stomach continues to suggest otherwise. I take a deep breath and focus on the steady rhythm of her pulse. My lips are forcibly parted as my fangs protrude. Tunnel vision begins to take hold, but it is different this time. I am alert as I break the skin, fully in control as I indulge in the sweet prescription that immediately takes away my suffering.

“Stop,” Caleb says quietly.

I release on his command and let the venom pool over the area until the taste of blood disappears. I back away and notice that Caleb has his arms wrapped around her waist, steadying her in case she loses consciousness. Petrova lifts her hand to her neck and grins.

“I knew you had it in you,” Caleb says with an air of relief. “Excellent!”

My mind is reeling from my unparalleled accomplishment, yet I can’t help but feel apprehension as well. Could this be a fluke? I certainly hope not, however my track record hasn’t been promising to say the least. I glance at Petrova, who looks better than ever. “Thank you. You have no idea how grateful I am.”

She doesn’t make eye contact with me, just stares at Caleb with an unmistakable longing in her eyes. “I have a drink waiting for you. I hope you like whiskey.” I take my cue and leave the room so they can be alone.

With my drink in hand, I watch the card game from the bar. It is an odd bunch. There’s the Russian, a Hispanic man, a black man, and a Chinaman. So a Hispanic, a Russian, and a Chinaman walk into a bar, I think to myself. There has to be a joke written about this. As I muse about possible endings to the scenario, I am beckoned by Kazamir’s bawling voice. “You, come!”

He waves me over to the card table. His intent is hard to read. I remember what the man at the door had said about him. With Kazamir, there are no guarantees. I make my way toward the table, knowing that the ending is about to play out one way or another.

Reviews

[Kate Whitaker]

Well finally!
Although it is refreshing for a vampire to have trouble with feeding. Usually in fiction they just get after a try, maybe two.
Can't wait to see vampire poker, but some how I don't think it's as easy as Damien thinks it's going to be

[easybreezy]

I'm having fun writing the poker scene. It's been a long time since I've actually played and it is harder than I thought to put it on paper. I sure hope it flows well. Should be posted in a few days.

[Kate Whitaker]

lol, gonna have to watch some poker games on youtube!

[EurasianFlavour]

Aw, Damien's finally learned how to feed like a proper vamp haha. Interesting he remembers his flackback of when he was still in a highly weakened state. I guess the weakness he feels with his stomach reminds him of that. Looking forward to reading about the card game!

[easybreezy]

Yeah, the card game should be interesting, considering he can gauge emotions to an extent by hearing pulse rate, smelling endorphines etc. Ante up!