Into Death's Arms (17 page)

  
Shit,
I
paused;
did
Ta
mcorp hold stock in channel 12?
Dayton Tameron was doing another interview. He smiled at the talk show host. Bah, I booed at the
TV
.
He
sat
there in his dark silk shirt
,
and
he looked like he’d just climbed from bed.
He just oozed charm. “T
he questions my viewers want answered the most Mr. Tameron is
,
are you actually
some sort of walking dead?” T
he host
leaned forward
,
and I wondered how she kept her enormous
implant-augmented
breasts
from falling out of her shirt
. W
as there like shirt glue to keep them in?

    Tameron
laughed
. D
amn
Vamp
ire
power
.
I could feel the urge to laugh along with him. “No, Dana
.
I am a
s I was born. I have never died, but
I have come close
. A
s I said befor
e
,
there are those who hunt us, b
ut thus far
,
they have been unsuccessful.” He
made a little pouty face, d
amn demon. He must truly be powerful
f
or his powers to work on me over the TV because I so wanted to bite that bottom lip. Apparently so did the host.

      She licked
her over-
glossed
pink
lips while staring
at his mouth. “That’s terrible,” s
he gushed at him. “Wh
at happened to those who failed?” H
a, chalk one up for journalistic integrity. I leaned forward myself to hear the answer to that one.
I knew it would be a lie
,
but I was curious as to just what the lie would be.

       Tameron shrugged.
H
e had his arms spread out across the black leather sofa he was sitting on. He petted the leather without moving his arms just a soft brushing of his hands. I watched his hands move almost mesmerized by the way they glided over the soft fabric.
He had graceful lovely hands.
“I must admit in the past
,
when others have tried to kill me
,
I have returned the favor.” He said it like I might have said I bought bagels at the bakery. Then he looked directly at the camera
, his amber eyes burned as he
said, “But the man who was the most successful, the one who came the closest to endi
ng my existence, is stil
l alive.” H
e smiled
,
but it wasn’t that seductive smile
. I
t was almost sad
a small turn down of the lips
.
The part that was truly impressive was the eyes, his eyes looked so very sad.
For a moment
,
with his arms spread out like
that,
he looked quiet martyred
. Had he taken acting lessons?
Probably.
I booed him again and threw popcorn at the screen.

      Dana Peirce
,
our local talk show girl
,
gave him a
ll the sympathy he needed. Blah.
“I don’t suppose you’
d be inclined to give us a name?” S
he asked
,
flashing those super white teeth at him.
They were so white I thought about having my own teeth bleached. I bet she did dental commercials.
I
do
n’t know why I didn’t just change the channel
,
but my hand seemed to be stuck.

      He did that lowered lashes thing again as if he were shy or embarrassed.
Thos
e perfect dark crescents kissed his pale skin. Yeah, I bet, bastard.
“
Reece
,” h
e told
her. I felt ill
. H
e did not
give her my dad’s name!

      The host seized on the name.
S
he looked as if right after the taping she was going to run out and get my
father’s
head for him. I laughed at the thought of my father besieged by tons of stupid little women like her out to protect the poor misused
Vamp
ire
.
“
Reece
, is that a first name o
r a last?” S
he asked eagerly.

      I held my breath
. I
f he said my
father’s
name
,
we would be in more danger than ever
before. “That would be telling,” h
e returned to that ultra sexy
smile, s
howing off
strong white teeth but no fang.
“And I wouldn’t want anyone
trying
to hurt my dear
friend
Reece
for me.” His eyes turned that neon
yellow and I heard in my mind.
I want that pleasure for myself.
Holy fuck!
I just heard that
Vamp
ire
’
s
thoughts.
I gasped to myself.

    Tamero
n’s head snapped up.
He looked directly at the camera again.
 
Ao, has no one taught you it is impolite to browse through a man’s thoughts?
I dropped the
popcorn;
i
t plinked all over the
white
carpet.
He smiled
another
seductive smile
,
but I knew this one was just for me. I felt his power actually flow over me
,
and he wasn’t glowing at all.
He had gotten control of himself again.
His fangs were do
rmant, his eyes weren’t glowing, and
I felt my breath quicken. This was not supposed to
be happening. He had none of the tells that said he was using his powers.
Nasty, nasty powerful
Vamp
ire
, I trembled.
Where are you sweetheart
?
I will come to you?
I felt the menace in his words.
Sweetheart
,
my ass. T
he buttery popcorn smell I had so been enjoying not ten minutes ago was suddenly upsetting my stomach.
I felt like I was going to hurl.

    
I focused my thoughts
,
not happening demon
,
I managed.
The last thing I needed while my dad was gone was a visit from Dayton Tameron.
The mere thought of it was enough to terrify me.

   
Where did the AoD go, little Ao?
H
e
asked.
My skin prickled
like he was looking over my shoulder searching for my father.
He wasn’t going to find anyone and suddenly all that fear I’d felt earlier at being alone for the first time was so much stronger.

    
Fuck,
I thought.
I was starting to sweat.

     He laughed
aloud
on t
elevision, startling the host.
She jumped about a foot and a half out of her overstuffed light blue talk show host chair.
You think about that a lot Ao?
So I have a filthy mouth. Lots of people do.
I meant your recent night
ly
obsession my sweet.
He was bluffing. Or, he was sending me those dreams. Either way the bloodsucker had to go.

    “Well that is very honest of you Mr. Tameron and not wanting anyone to hurt your enemies is very noble of you.” She smiled brightly at him. Sen
sing she had lost his attention and trying desperately to reacquire it.
“What kind of future do you see for your people now that you have come out of the proverbial closet Mr. Tameron?”

      Shield
, I thought.
I
could
do this. I punched the power button on the remote.
Hoping that by severing the visual connection to him
,
I co
uld sever the mental connection
I was suddenly afflicted with.
Focus…

    
Focusing won’t
save you Ao
.
I will find you eventually
,
and you don
’t have
the AoD to protect you
.
He sounded so smug. I hated smug, especially when he was right. If he could take on my dad
,
there was very little I was going to be able to do to protect myself. Yeah, I was going to be great bleeding all over him. That’ll teach him.

     Focus
, I told myself
I took in a deep breath, and let it out slowly like I’d been taught
…
You are mistaken
.
I am the AoD
!
I severed the connection ruthlessly.

      I didn’t get to see it until the next day
,
but
when I turned on the TV they were showing the interview again
,
and at about the same time I’d cut him off
Dayton Tameron’s nose
had
bled.
I rejoiced
.
I’d made him bleed if only just a little
. I
t was a major accomplishment.
It was for me anyway.

     A
fter that little encounter
,
I went through the house flipping on the lights
.
L
ow-grade
u.v. lights lit the rooms throughout my house.
Yes
I was an AoD now
,
but I was still a new AoD
,
and Tameron
scared
me.
I did what we all do when we are afraid of the dark. I brought the light.

   
After flipping through the channels, and telling my Tivo to record Tameron’s embarrassment.
I padded barefoot to the gym.
I needed
to work out
and
maybe
burn
off some of this fear.
I had been planning
to take
another
night off. Now I was more sure than ever that I needed to practice.
I started with
meditation
. With the way I
was
shaking
I was sure my
shields
were going to drop. I took a deep breath and let it out. I focused on me. I was Macyn
Reece
.
My parents were Caden and Iris
Reece
.
I was twenty years old.
I lived in San Mateo
,
California. I attend
ed
the San Francisco College of Art
. I had
yet to declare a major. My best friend was Laurna
Ericson
. My breathing steadied. My pulse no longer raced. The AoD tattoo on my belly glowed with white light through my tank top.
I took comfort in the sharp shapes
of it
on my belly.
I stood. Step one, I thought…know who you are,
check
.
Step two
,
call the light
,
check.
I smiled. Step
three,
focus the light to your needs. I needed
Vamp
ires
to stay out of my thoughts. I envisioned the
light
closing around my body, protecting me. The light hurt my eyes so I closed them. My skin warmed, my shoulders
felt
heavy,
and
I
opened
my eyes. The mirror on the walls gave me my reflection. Wow! I was awesome! Wh
ite light
encased
most of my body. My red hair looked so dark against all that white light
. I ran my hand along my belly
. I
t felt hard.
I moved
,
testing the feel of it. It moved like a second skin
. H
eck
,
it fit like a second skin.
This was so cool. I’d never seen my dad do this.