Reese Ch. 05

"He will find you no matter how long it takes!" she spat at him. "Let me go and you just might live."

He laughed at her. Who was this Giovanni? He couldn't have been from nobility- he would have heard of him. He dismissed her threats as nothing more than a last effort to save herself. The first night he had taken her three times. Each time she called out for Giovanni as if he was going to burst through the door. Each time she became more complacent as she seemed to realize that this Giovanni wasn't coming to her rescue.

He enjoyed her. He enjoyed the tightness of her small body and the marking of her perfect skin. What he didn't realize was that he was sending her into the depths of madness. Her eyes were no longer the clear brown that they had been. They were blood shot and clouded over. She lost weight that she couldn't afford to lose and she refused to eat. Finally he decided that he needed to turn her. He had no idea of how it was done other than there had to be a series of bites. He didn't know that she needed to be fed his blood after the second bite. She was in effect a baby that needed to be nourished.

"He will kill you," Maria said when she realized what he was going to do to her. She also knew that he didn't know all of the steps and she didn't tell him. She was going to die a painful death, but that was preferable to an eternity with him.

"Who is this Giovanni you keep talking about?" he asked. "Where is he? In fact, why had no one searched for you?"

"Giovanni is the one who will kill you even if it is a thousand years from now. The others? They search for me still and will continue to search until there is proof of my death."

Maria smiled when she saw a look of uncertainty cross Emilio's face. She let her words sink in and then she continued.

"You have but one more chance to release me..."

"Still the brave one aren't you?" He sneered. "This Giovanni you speak of- he is human is he not? So tell me, how will he kill me?"

Maria sat up straight and looked into Emilio's eyes. Her eyes were clear and bright for the first time in weeks. The smile on her face unsettled him. It was the smile of one who was confident in what they believed.

"Giovanni is not human," she said softly. "He is as you are and he will find you. So do your worst to me- I no longer care."

That night, Emilio did the first blood exchange as he rammed himself into her. She fought as he forced her to take his blood. The second and third nights were the same. By day four, Emilio realized that something was wrong. The creature that had woken up was a far cry from the one that had gone to sleep after the third exchange. This creature looked at him with such hatred and anger that if it were the sun; he would have been burned to a crisp.

All efforts to feed her were unsuccessful. He locked her in the dungeon and sent humans to her. By morning they were still alive and unharmed. But whenever she saw him- she charged at him. He was both impressed and amazed by her willpower. He made one last attempt to make her eat. He killed a human in front of her and left the bloodied corpse in the cell with her. He could see her debating with herself. After all- she hadn't killed the human... he walked away only to come back to see that the body of the human was where he had left it. She was sitting in a corner her face wet with tears. Before he knew what was happening, she was upon him clawing at him with a strength that he didn't think she would have. He barely escaped her grasp.

He waited until morning when he knew that she would be asleep to kill her. He slunk down to the dungeon stake in hand. When he reached the cell, he slipped in and watched her. At rest she looked as he remembered her before the change. He approached the small cot, raised the stake and prepared to strike. Just as he was about to bring the stake down, Maria's eyes snapped open. For the second time since the turning, they were clear and absent of madness. Emilio froze. How could she be awake? He recovered and brought the stake down straight into her heart. It was over- but it wasn't; not for a few more seconds.

"Giovanni will find you," she said as she turned to dust.

He left the dungeon and as soon as darkness fell again; he left Italy and never returned.

Now here he was five hundred years later and still jumping at shadows and living like a pauper when he was far from it. It was easier to move among the humans dressed as he was- it was also easier to go into the seedier parts of whatever city he happened to be living in to look for nourishment. The only luxury that he allowed himself was the internet. It was how he found out about Paolo and the others that had died.

"Murdered," he mumbled. "They were murdered and I know by whom."

He wouldn't say the name. To say it was to conjure the being up. But what if he was dead? What if the threat had passed? He knew that it wasn't so... the woman died telling him that he would be found. Giovanni whose last name he hadn't bothered to find out was still out there. He was still looking for him.

Emilio finished the glass of blood, considered having another and changed his mind. It had been more than two weeks since he logged onto his laptop. He knew that there was a ball coming up, but the guest list hadn't been posted when he last looked. Of course the chances of him being on it were small, but if he were...

He grew hard thinking about the last ball that he had been to. To be allowed to fuck Cristiano's bitch like she was a whore had been priceless- and a one-time thing. Still if he got invited, he would be able to obtain 'party favors' as Paolo had called them. Just the idea of it made his cock grow harder. He looked around the room for something that he could use as a fake pussy- something that he could pound into and saw nothing.

Then he remembered something- some of the adult stores had rooms. Moments later, he was in an adult store. He had never been to one before and wondered why he hadn't thought of it before. While he wouldn't be able to do the things that he liked, he could get his cock sucked provided they had a glory-hole or a room. He walked around the store and left. As luck would have it, this was one of the legit ones. He went further into the seedier parts of New York City and wandered around until a movie house caught his attention. Looking around, he walked in and looked around. He watched as a male patron walked into the restroom and one walked out adjusting his cock with a satisfied look on his face. He was at the right place.

He walked toward the bathroom and was stopped by a burly man who towered over him.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"I would like to use the restroom," Emilio replied with a slight mental push.

"These aren't for public use," the man replied. "There's a restaurant next door..."

"I want to use this one," Emilio said with a harder push which to his surprise the man resisted.

"I told you that you can't use these now get out before I kick your scrawny ass!"

Not to be deterred now that his goal was within reach, Emilio stepped closer to the man surprising him. He looked up at him and spoke softly, but he might as well have been shouting.

"You will allow me into the restroom free of any charge- now move out of my fucking way!"

An expression of pain and confusion crossed the man's features and then cleared.

"You want to go back there?" the man hissed glaring down at him. "Two hundred fucking dollars."

It was then that Emilio realized that the man wasn't human or at least not entirely human. He was in a quandary. The money wasn't the issue- his relief was and if he was going to pay for it, he wanted his money's worth.

"I want the best you have," he said as he reached into his pocket. "I want one that knows every trick there is and.... I want a room."

"That will be two- hundred more," the man replied holding out his hand. "And be sure to tip her good."

Emilio nodded his agreement when he wasn't going to tip the slut anything. He couldn't use her as she wished so there would be no extra compensation.

"And keep your fangs in," the man said as he pocketed the money.

"I'll pay..."

"Keep the fangs in," the man repeated. "The rooms back here."

The 'room' was no more than a small dirty storage space with a mattress on the floor. But he didn't care- he needed relief. A moment later, a woman walked in, looked at him and undressed. Before she could ask him what he wanted, he issued his first command.

"Get your ass over here and give me my money's worth."

The woman's eyes widened and she looked back toward the door. Nick hadn't mentioned that this was a mean one.

"Now," Emilio said softly as he dropped his pants and stroked his cock.

The woman approached him, dropped to her knees and took the large purple head of his cock into her mouth. Usually her pussy watered when a cock filled her mouth, but not this time- this man scared her. All she could think to do was to pleasure him, hope that he was satisfied and that he would leave. She had a very bad feeling about this one.

Two hours later, Emilio was relatively sated. The only thing that would have left him completely sated was listening to the woman scream in pain as he violently took her. He thought about doing it, but if he wanted to come back; he had to restrain himself. As it was, he drank from her while she was in the throes of orgasm. If Nick found out there would be hell to pay. When they were through, he patted her on the head as if she were a good little doggie and left without tipping her.

Now back at his room and in a much better frame of mind, Emilio rebooted his laptop. He went to the ball website first. The guest list was up and to his shock and pleasure; his name was on the list. He stood up, danced a jig and sat down again. He read the entire page looking for any more details. Satisfied that he hadn't missed anything, he went to the equivalent to the human's want ads. He always searched the want ads. There was always the possibility that a female was looking for someone like him. Halfway down the page, an ad caught his attention.

Emmy, it is of utmost importance that we talk before the big party. Please leave a message in this section to let me know that you have seen this. Donnie

Emilio stared at the ad not knowing what to think. He knew exactly who 'Donnie' was and the 'big party' that he was referring to. He hadn't seen Donatello since the last ball. It was actually the first time that he met him. It didn't take long for him to figure out that Donatello hated him. He didn't know why nor did he care. Now he wanted to talk to him. He almost didn't respond but something told him that he should. Over the years he had learned to listen to his gut and on more than one occasion, it saved his life. His response was short and to the point.

"Donnie,

I would love to meet with you before the party but I don't know when. Contact me when you are free.

Emmy"

Emilio placed the ad and shut down the laptop. He was nervous; his feeling of relative wellbeing was gone. All he could do now was wait for Donatello to respond. He wondered where Donatello had been all of this time. Of the original group that had been turned, other than the Borcelli's- he and Donatello were the last. A name crept into his mind- a name that he tried hard not to think about; Giovanni. He knew with a certainty that his days were numbered unless he and Donatello somehow found him first. He had another thought- he could avoid the ball. Just as quickly as the thought occurred to him, he discarded it. The guest list was to be taken as an invitation when it was really a command. He was expected to be at the ball. So was Donatello and there was no way out of it.

The ball he realized would expose him so he had to ask the question- why remain in hiding? His days were numbered so why spend them in a drab hotel room? Why not live life to the fullest? He packed up his few belongings and vanished to a small chalet in Austria several miles from where the ball would take place. His servants who hadn't been expecting him jumped to attention. Emilio grabbed the first female servant that he saw and dragged her to his rooms while the others watched in horror and shock. Their hopes that he would never return had just been dashed.

****

Alex went over the list of why Reese shouldn't go through with his plan several times. She made sure that most of her arguments were valid and from a statistical point of view. She had a list of questions ready such as where the points of entry and exits were, how much security would be there, what was the escape plan and so on. If none of her arguments worked, she would resort to tears and begging. She wasn't too proud for that. She would even offer to turn so that she could help him. She whispered a prayer that he would see reason. She simply could and would not allow him to do this alone.

As she waited for Reese to arrive, she thought about the resources that she had available. The problem was that in order to use them, she had to call in a few favors. If this had been a human issue she would have done it without hesitation, but she couldn't risk anyone else's life. There had to be a way to get to find out something without rousing suspicion.

The other problem was that she didn't know when the event was going to take place and judging from what Reese told her; neither did he. He didn't even know where it was going to take place which made some of her points even more valid.

She jumped when she heard the knock on the door. It was show time. She had to convince him to wait until the odds were more in his favor. She had to make him see that she wouldn't be an Achilles heel, but an asset. She opened the door and looked up at him.

"You can't do this," she said as soon as he stepped inside. "There are too many unknowns..."

"Alex..."

"Who is going with you? Can you trust them? How about the security? How many will be there? Where are the escape routes? How will you get in?"

Reese pulled her into his arms and kissed her to quiet her. When he broke the kiss, she started in again and he kissed her again. When he thought that she would be quiet, he broke the kiss and looked down at her. He felt her worry, concern and fear and hugged her to him.

"Let's sit," he said after a few minutes. He nestled her in his lap and waited for her to settle before he began to address her questions. "I know that you don't understand why I have to do this and I can't explain it to you any better than I did..."

"Oh I understand," Alex broke in. "I just don't get the timing. I understand vengeance. I understand keeping your word, but Reese- you have to be smart about it. All of this time you've been hunting these people down one at a time- why can't you keep doing it that way? Why take the risk of showing up at a party where the odds are against.... Wait a minute- what aren't you telling me? And don't you lie to me."

Reese quickly told her about Paolo Rossi's party.

"You did what?" Alex asked as she jumped from his lap. "Are you out of your fucking mind? Do you realize that you could have been killed? What if that vampire hadn't helped you? What if he had turned on you? And you kidnapped someone? Again, are you out of your fucking mind? Where is this person?"

"He's safe and he hasn't been harmed," Reese replied.

"But?" Alex asked.

"He will not be harmed as long as his father does as he is told. The other vampire- Leo is well aware that he could die..."

"And that makes it right?" Alex asked heatedly. "You're taking advantage of his gratitude and you know it! Reese, listen to me. Don't do this – at least not now. I know that strategically it makes sense, but logistically it doesn't. Even if Leo goes with you you're still outmanned..."

"But that is exactly why it makes sense," Reese said. "No one is going to be looking for one or two vampires. Who would be crazy enough to do such a thing? That was why I succeeded at Rossi's. Granted having Leo's assistance helped, but I still would have succeeded."

"What if this vampire- the party planner gives someone a heads up? Are you really prepared to kill an innocent and his partner? Can you live with that? I don't know if I could."

"Alex, I have to do this..."

"Where and when is this party?" Alex shouted. "Tell me how you can plan an offense and defense when you don't have all of the information? If you wait, I have resources..."

"You are to stay out of this!" Reese exclaimed raising his voice. "You gave me your word and I expect you to keep it!"

"Oh I see," Alex said angrily. "I'm just supposed to be the stupid scared little woman who lets her man go off and do something asinine. Well I am neither stupid nor am I what you call your Achilles heel. I happen to be your greatest asset if you'd only see it."

"I cannot and will not allow you to go into danger," Reese said softly. "I know that you are an officer in the United States Army, but cara-sweetheart, the enemies you fight are human. You would be defenseless against those that I go up against. What if you were caught? Do you know what they could do to you? They would use you to draw me out and then right before my eyes they would abuse you. When they were done, they would either kill you or turn you. Then they would kill me and all that they thought helped me. You are my Achilles heel."

"You can't expect me to do nothing- Reese, I'm begging you not to do this. I can't go through that again- please don't make me go through that again."

Reese stood up, walked to her and enfolded her in his arms. He wasn't going to tell her that it would be alright although he believed that it would. She wouldn't believe him. He was grateful that she hadn't pressed him for an answer about killing Edgar. She wouldn't have liked the answer.

"Alex- tell me about your husband."

"I will," she said after a moment, "if you tell me what these people did to you that you can't let it go."

"You first," he said as he lead her back to the couch.

****

"Well, the ad is placed," Vangie said. "Now we wait, but in the mean time I still have to get clothes for this thing. I suggest that I get something there."

"Vangie..."

"Donatello, I'm going and that's all there is to it. When are we leaving?"

"Tomorrow evening. I want to give Emilio a chance to respond to the ad. I also need to come up with a neutral place for us to meet. In the meantime I think I'll play chess. I'm sure that my opponents are chomping at the bit wondering where I've been. And you my dear are behind on your studies."

"Not really," Vangie replied. "My dissertation is almost finished and I'll take the final in my philosophy class in a day or two- on second thought, maybe I'd better take it tonight. I'll be busy for a good couple of hours; do you need anything before I get started?"

"Just a kiss and to say thank you," Donatello replied as he leaned over to kiss her. The kiss could have led to more, but it was as she said; she had to get busy with her school work. Donatello turned on hers and then his laptop and waited for them to reboot. While he waited, he thought about his favorite chess opponent. It had been a while since either of them had played and he was anxious to see what unique moves his opponent had come up with. When the laptops were booted, Vangie started taking her finals and Donatello went to the Borcelli website.

He was surprised to see that no other details regarding the ball had been posted. For a brief moment, he thought that maybe it was going to be cancelled. It had happened one time that he knew of and that had been centuries before the ball that he had attended. But still, it had to be soon if the guest list had been posted.

Next he went to the ads. He was hoping that there would be no response from Emilio even though he knew that they needed him. He hoped that when all was said and done, that Emilio would die a painful death. He let out a curse when he saw that Emilio had already replied to the ad. He looked over at Vangie happy to see that she was engrossed in the final. He would tell her after she was done. Finally, he went to the chess site. He took his turn against all of his easiest opponents first and then turned his attention to his main adversary 'Dragon1313'.