A hazard.
Simon stood watching the horizon burn with the morning sunrise, his arm draped on the driver side door of his Jag. The morning rays would soon reached his part of the abandoned Industrial section, just on the outskirts of Nachton. He was weighing his options, considering his life with the Clan behind him, or the unpredictability of his life with Ellis in front of him. It was as if he lived his short human life waiting for her, only to wait again with his immortal one, but finally he was there.
'Let's leave Nachton, go far away...'
She hadn't given anything in Nachton a second thought, which partly warmed his heart. Ellis was willing to leave behind the in clan fighting, Council scrutiny, and ultimately Tacharan's official welcome into the vampire nation. Not that the latter would ever happen, Simon knew this, but it was a goal that he had been working at since the Clan's creation and he wanted to see it through. It should have been Ellis' dream as well.
The sun began its slow rise behind the skyscrapers in the horizon, its burning hot tendrils of fire threatening to engulf him. He could feel the heat on his skin as the shadows faded into light. With a final look at the rising sun, Simon let the cleansing ache of a life he lived so many years ago touch him, if only for a moment, before he slipped back into the Jag and drove into the hidden tunnel that lead down to the parking garage, half a mile in the Earth.
She looked at the state of the art computer system with integrated hologram technology and wanted to cry. Standing, Kenley kept her eye on the desk, reading Carol's extensive notes as she walked back to the outer door to the Lobby to retrieve the flash drives with even more of her predecessor's directions.
With her head down, Kenley tried to remember the information as she made a bee line for her Lobby desk, completely unaware of the Leader watching her quietly. She snatched the flash drives out of the ports of the computer desk and hurried back to her office. She did not notice that the door did not close behind her.
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Simon wasn't entirely sure why he hadn't followed Ellis back to her new lair, why he wanted to take things slow. Maybe it was the doubt niggling at the base of his neck, the warning he had learned to recognize when dealing with Ellis. He had wanted her, as much as he did the first night he had her with that intoxicating dizziness that only she could ignite in him. The sweetness of flesh on flesh, with the hedy aroma of sweat and sex. It was that hunger that nestled tightly in his chest, moving quickly to the southern regions, as he watched Kenley appear in his line of sight for barely fifteen seconds.
Against his better judgement, (isn't it always that way), Simon crossed the lobby with liquid speed, stopping the office door from sliding close.
'Ok. Ok, ok,' she murmured to herself as she took a step back and nearly twisted her ankle, had it not been for someone catching her. Quickly she turned and was startled to see the Leader standing directly behind her.
'Oh shit! I mean...I'm sorry, Mr. Huntington. I didn't know,' she started, trying to calm herself. She took a step back and smoothed down her skirt. 'I'm sorry, was there something I could for you, Mr. Huntington?'
As she uttered the words, she became increasingly aware at the expressionless look on his face. In her mind, the little voice that usually encouraged her, began to scream its bloody head off. The Leader shook his head slowly, finally breaking his stare off her. He looked at her desk and leaned forward, directly into her personal space and read the information streaming across the monitors.
Kenley was aware of his close proximity and took another step back, to which Simon snapped his stare back in her direction, stopping her.
'Just came to see if you needed any help figuring out Carol's system.' His voice was steady and disarming, much to her relief.
Cautiously Kenley replied slowly, 'Well, it's confusing. I'm well versed in this type of technology, but it's the level of it that's confusing...?' She didn't mean to end her statement in a question, but the Leader began to circle around her, pinning her to the desk as he moved her chair out of the way. The desk bumped her hip, forcing her to steady herself with both hands behind her.
Suddenly his hands were on her, tugging at the hem of her pencil cut skirt, pushing it up above her knees and ripping it up past her thighs. Any and all ability to speak disappeared as she tried to decide whether to let him touch her or scream. Really, in the grand scheme of things, it wasn't as if she hadn't considered this very thing from happening - the Leader taking her on her desk, rough and with malice, but imagining it and having it happen were two very different things.
Next he moved himself in between her legs, picked her up, and then settled her onto the desk. His hands moved to her button up and ripped at the buttons, popping them off and across the room. Kenley caught sight of her Christian Louboutin peek-a-boo shoe as its leg wrapped around the Leader's hip. Next she felt the warm breath and soft lips of the Leaders mouth on her chest, biting softly around her demi-cupped bra, finally pushing the straps over her shoulders, exposing her breasts.
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Her nervousness only heightened his desire for flesh, any flesh, especially hers, and finally he just gave in to the desire. She did not resist physically, but her gasps and lack of any type of dialogue was enough to know that he had surprised her. He considered how stupid he was being, taking his former lover's assistant on her old desk, but the want in him made those thoughts inconsequential.
Kenley smelled, and tasted, like strawberries. He was pleased in finding that her taste in lingerie did not match the era of her wardrobe, but was seductive, sensually pleasing, and downright dirty. Her bra was barely necessary, the lace cups not even covering the soft pink aureoles of her breasts. Grabbing the rigid, pink nipple of her right breast into his mouth, he pushed her legs further apart and grabbed her hips, sliding them to the edge of the table. Kenley half leaned back onto the desk, her long red hair spilling onto the surface. Her lips were scarlet red, and often he had become distracted speaking to her, as his eyes traced the exotic and stark difference between the color of desire and the porcelain color of her skin.
Simon undid his pants with one hand as the other ripped the bit of material separating him from the richness of her sex. He barely hesitated as he pulled himself out and entered her roughly, pushing his hips forward with reckless abandonment. Kenley leaned back forward and wrapped her creamy thighs around his hips as he began a hard and fast rhythmic push into her. Her hands pulled at his shirt and her scarlet red lips came forward, capturing his with a gasp.
As he kissed her, he fucked her hard against the desk. It started beeping errors like some sort of musical soundtrack, but he ignored it and continued pulling at her hips, digging his fingers into her peaches and cream skin. He considered biting her, something he had never done with Carol. His perception picked up the fast pace of her heart thumping beneath her skin, the sweet spot on her neck just beckoning to him. He roughly pulled away from her kiss and ran his mouth down her throat, his tongue burning a trail in his wake. Harder he pushed into her, her whimpering cries becoming louder and full of want.
Don't stop, she said. Harder. He was more than happy to oblige her.
Picking her up off the table, Simon pulled her into the chair behind him, still nestled tightly inside her. There she put her hands on the back of the chair and began to ride him. He helped her, gripping her hips and pushing up into her as she came down on top of him.
Oh god, she said. Yes, yes.
They stayed like that till he pushed her over the brink, letting her orgasm wrack her body as his hands traveled up her back, feeling the softness of her skin. As she rode the wave, he stood back up and pulled her off him, only to plant her face first on the desk in front of her. Again without hesitation, he entered her from behind and pushed as hard as he could into her. Her hands grabbed the edge of the desk, her cries now loud and boisterous as he pushed himself toward his inevitable end.
He could hear himself grunting, cursing, and praising god as he felt his orgasm gather force into a tight knot in his gut. Ripping her shirt off her body, he looked at her creamy skin as he pulled her back against his chest by grabbing her shoulder and he sank his teeth into her neck. Kenley's body stiffen with shock and then melted against him with such erotic intensity. As he drank her, he felt his orgasm come and claim him. Pulling his teeth out, he came hard inside her as she whimpered with delight.
The descent had come as quickly as the ascent and as he finished the final pushes into her, he watched the scarlet red blood drip down her pale skin.
Resting her forehead against the table top, a few more beeps erupted from the angry and abused computer surface to which Kenley replied, 'Shut up already.'
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Finally Carol had made her way up to Simon's office on the second floor of the three thousand square foot quarters. He spent most of his time up here and rarely slept in his bed, instead he would either sit endlessly at his desk working on this or that, slept on the couch, or until recently, slept in Carol's quarters. Her apartment in the Domicile was empty now, save for furniture, and this had been the first time she had been back at the Domicile since she left him. She could barely remember when that was, some months ago.
In the darkness, Carol sat on Simon's black leather couch, and tried not to recall the last time she had been on it. No doubt it involved sex. Carol tried to recall a moment with Simon that didn't involve sex, and much to her disappointment, could not remember one.
'Carol?'
She looked up at his voice. With a soft, but sad snort, she realized that their bond was all but gone, having not even heard him come up the stairs.
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Walking out into the hallway, Simon considered what had just happened. His body was still tingling from the rough sex, his legs felt rubbery, and his heart was still racing. The taste of Kenley's blood fueled his blood lust and enhanced his abilities enough to immediately register someone in his quarters. Pausing he listened to the familiar heart beat and realized who it was in his apartment. Simon looked down at his clothes, now slightly disheveled. He could smell both Kenley and Ellis on him and immediately broke out in a panic. But then he remembered, she left him.
He entered his quarters and looked up to the stairs leading to his office. She was up there waiting for him. With a curious look, he wondered what she wanted. After checking his face again and wiping off any makeup that clung to his swollen lips, Simon took the steps up two at a time.
'Carol?'
A startled look crossed her face and something inside him died. Their bond was gone, completely. The thought seemed to cross her mind as well. He stood across the room by the stairs, letting the space between them fill up with nothing. He walked over to his desk and touched the light switch for the room and set it to a low level. Carol was sitting with her feet tucked underneath her. She was wearing a shift, although not a trade mark see-thru one. It was a soft blue that matched her eyes, capped sleeves, and the hem covering down to her knees. He had not seen nor spoken to her since she left and he honestly did not know what to say.
He swallowed and gave her a small smile as he laced his fingers together in front of him. Not knowing what to say, he waited for her to speak.
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It was something she could have easily asked him via email or the phone. It was an excuse to see him, as much as she did not want to admit it to herself, because she missed him despite basically moving on with her life. She had relinquished her overall control of the Domicile to Kenley's capable hands and was assisting Jacob, Marthinus' only son, with the running of Duibne Industries. Her life was busy and potentially fulfilling, she couldn't complain, only it wasn't what she had wanted. What she wanted was standing in front of her, lips swollen from doing god knows what and covered in red lipstick.
She ignored the telltale signs of another woman on him. What could she do? It wasn't as if she hadn't been dating Brian and practically dating his nephew, Lothias. She slid from her perch on the couch and walked barefoot across to the bathroom located next to his office. Taking a wash cloth, she wet it with warm water and then returned to the office. Without a word, she walked up to Simon and began wiping the rest of the lipstick he had missed and noticed that a little of it was blood as well. With a smile she shook her head and folded the wash cloth once she finished, and placed it on desk next to him.
'I guess the meeting went alright? Anything DI needs to prepare for?'
Miss indepedent, miss self sufficient.
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Simon felt his stomach turn inside out. The least he could have done was clean up properly at the downstairs bathroom, but instead he came up with proof that he had moved on without her. If it hurt her, he couldn't tell, but part of him wondered if he had wanted to hurt her. She had left him, he kept telling himself. But then, did she really have a choice?
His eyes followed the wash cloth as she set it down on the desk. He could see the red lipstick mixed in with the blood. Her chuckle had been curious, but now he understood. He had never fed on Carol during love making or ever.
'I guess the meeting went alright? Anything DI needs to prepare for?'
'Carol', he started, but the look on her face was void of any type of emotion, jealousy or pain. She looked up at him with those deep blue eyes, all business. He took a deep breath and shrugged. 'No.' Nodding, she crossed her arms and walked back to the couch. Slowly she pulled her boots on.
'They came to offer a truce with their pack and to let us know that theirs isn't the only one in Nachton.' That stopped her.
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The werewolf pack dynamic was not lost on her, she had the Discovery channel, but for some reason she had never considered the odds of there being more than one pack. There were more than one clan of vampires, why wouldn't there be separate packs of werewolves?
'So, Marthinus' pack will leave us alone, but what...they wouldn't vouch for the other?' Carol finished putting her boots on with an annoyed look. She didn't like surprises, no matter how fun they might end up being. DI had plenty to prepare for; the possible attack of 'other' werewolves and the mere fact that the city was filling up with them. Geez, there goes the neighborhood.
'I think there's plenty DI needs to prepare for.' Then she added as she gave her shoes a final check, 'I guess you're busy with other things, otherwise you'd see that.' Carol stood and walked briskly across the office toward the exit. 'I'll let Jacob know and see what we can find out about their possible human front. I'll be in contact...' She had started to move past him when his hand came out and grabbed her arm, stopping her. Carol turned and looked at his hand, then back up to his face.
This was a side of him that she was not familiar with, nor was she looking forward to becoming familiar. The grip on her arm was like steel and he held it up just enough that it pulled her close to him.
'What the fuck, Simon? Let go of my arm.'
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'Let's get one thing straight, Carol. When you speak to me, you do it with the respect deserving of someone in my position, whether you like my decisions or not. I let you skirt the edge of what was appropriate because of our relationship...but you left me.' Finally he looked down at her, his face tight and his eyes cold.
'Watch. Your. Mouth.'
Abruptly he let her go and she fell back staring up at him. He made no move to step aside to let her leave, instead he just stood his ground, watching the startled look on her face.
'See if you can get any information on a group called 'Vyusher R'asa', then have Jacob report to me directly.' Simon watched as her eyes filled with angry tears and a solitary drop ran down her cheek. He loved her, god he did, but he wasn't going to let a broken heart tear him down as a Leader when he was already struggling as a man. Basically, he was done fucking around.
'Are we clear?' He asked quietly.
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Which was exactly what she was now.
'Yes', she said after finding her voice. It was all she could manage as she dropped her eyes from his face. She took a step around him and hesitated, surprised that she waited for his dismissal which he gave her by looking away from her face and back across the room. Carol completed her wide berth of Simon and swallowed hard as she took the steps quickly back down to the door back into the Domicile.
Carol broke into a run as she left Simon's quarters and headed for the elevator. As the doors closed behind her, she pressed her face up against the back wall of the small box and cried the cry of the hopeless and alone.
((Carol out))
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With heavy and deliberate steps, he took the stairs back down to the ground level of the apartment as he pulled off his shirt and kicked off his shoes. He walked barefoot into the large bathroom and turned on the water in the shower, not bothering to test the water. With a blank stare, Simon undid his trousers and stepped out of them and into the shower.
The water was scolding hot and was begging for low grade burn as he let the hot water run down his face, steaming up the bathroom. Was the hot shower figurative of his situation? Washing off the taint in hopes of cleansing himself? Opening his eyes, he felt the burn but ignored it as he stared at the tiled wall in front of him. Being with Ellis and feeling his love for her finally reciprocated was invigorating and venting his sexual frustration with Kenley had left him feeling dizzy and relaxed, and it almost made him feel...worthy? But treating Carol, the woman he loved with more than he thought his heart could give, like an employee broke him in ways he couldn't describe.
Fifteen hundred years after being turned, this was his life. Leader of a clan that his own kind didn't recognize, in charge of fixing the mess his creator left in the wake of an unspeakable betrayal, more severe than his own, and torn between a life he wanted with one woman and the life he ruined with another. None of this was what he had wanted, not how the ballgame had started.
Simon considered all this as he closed his eyes again and wondered if there was such a thing as a happy fucking ending.
((Simon out))