Breathless Ch. 02

This story is a bit wordy and fairly long, so if you are looking for immediate gratification, you might want to look elsewhere.

The following story is a work of fiction. Any resemblance between these character and events and any real person or events is strictly coincidental . . . and pretty darn impressive seeing as it is a science fiction story. Do not reproduce or copy this story without the consent of the author.

This story is based in an alternative universe, where history took a different course than the one we are used to. In this world, the creatures which we now believe to be legends have walked alongside man for the duration of our existence. Vampires, werewolves, wizards, witches, sorcerers, and a host of other beings share our world.

The following story contains, in one chapter or another, lesbian and heterosexual activity in different proportions.

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It was still a couple of hours until sunlight, but Sadie couldn't get back to sleep. She didn't upset easily, but Bart had gotten under her skin. Mel had avoided her after the altercation with the demon and then took off early. Sadie didn't think that the girl would stay mad for long, but she should never have been put in that position. Sadie really hated demons. But a week had gone by and Mel was still sulking.

'No more partners from work,' she thought, knowing she wouldn't be able to stop it. For all her purported promiscuity, she only slept with people she actually knew and liked. She'd tried one-night stands and found them oddly unsatisfying.

She lifted the red silk sheets and rolled out of bed, stretching her naked frame until she heard that little crack in her neck. A friend and chiropractor she had known had told her she should stop doing that, but it was hard for him to complain too much when she was riding him like a racehorse on his own table.

'I wonder whatever happened to him?' she pondered as she pulled on her workout shorts and sports bra. She'd cleared an area underneath a tree next to her house and hung a heavy punching bag out there. Then she was out the door and down the steps, loving the feel of gravel and grass underneath her bare feet. She needed that sometimes . . . the connection directly to the earth. She sometimes thought that was the reason she liked to wear as little clothing as possible, but then she remembered that she was actually just vain and hot as hell.

She did a couple of rounds running up and down an old trail that led to the base of the hill that her trailer was on before settling down into a sparring match with the bag. She was going to have some scratches, but they'd heal quick. As much as she loved her trailer, she couldn't help but wonder what would happen if people stopped living in the concrete and steel world they'd created and remembered where they all came from. When the two solid-black Hummers pulled up her driveway, she reversed herself and wished that some people would stay the hell out of her nature.

"Vamps," she muttered.

The sky was overcast and the sun was low behind the trees, so the occupants of the two vehicles started to clamber out. She waited, knowing full well that the chief clown of this circus would be the last one out, waiting until one of his lackeys finally got around to opening the door.

"Sorry," she shouted, "but my red carpet is at the cleaners." She strode over, watching them stare at her mostly bare legs, exposed midriff and hefty bosom with great interest. It was trashy by their standards, but they looked anyway. 'Hypocrites,' she thought.

One of the vampires, clad in the finest black suit that money could by and looking completely out of place in the wilderness, had been in the process of opening the last door when she yelled. She recognized him as Dazza, whom she had already determined she didn't like. He glared at her, then opened the door. He actually grabbed a mat from inside and placed it on the ground. Finally, two more vampires got out.

The first man was the epitome of tall, dark and sexy. Apparently having been Turned in his late twenties or early thirties, he had short black hair, almost elvish features but with a slightly broader face. And he had light-blue eyes which, against that pale complexion, had an eerie, soft quality that she found quite appealing. His mouth upturned slightly when he saw her, but it wasn't a sneer. Sadie definitely recognized slightly-concealed amusement, and that's what that smile was.

'I hope I get to like him,' she thought, drifting into her own private daydream for a second.

The second vamp had been older when he had been turned, but his mortal age wasn't what got her attention. The vampire hierarchy was arranged almost entirely by age, with old vampires on top. As vampires aged, they gained slightly in strength and speed, but also in their presence. This "presence" was tangible to almost every creature that walked the planet with the exception of wraiths. A true vampire lord could use his or her presence to manipulate those lower in the food chain. It wasn't quite mind-control, but it could certainly rattle someone's brain. And Sadie could feel this guy's presence from fifty feet away.

'Crap on a crutch,' she thought.

"Miss . . . Hewitt?" the attractive younger vampire said. "We do pardon the interruption, but Lord Frost would like to have a word with you."

Sadie froze up for just a second. She knew this guy. He was the head of the Midian Council, and he was definitely old. Rumor had it that he had sat at the side of Roman emperors at the Coliseum, back in the time when they first started recording the identities of vampires in the Book of Names: a tomb of knowledge about the vampire race that Frost had locked up in the basement of the Midian Temple. He was the undisputed Lord over the western half of the United States. Hell, he'd come over on the Mayflower, stepped off and headed west.

She grinned. She knew how to start this meeting off properly.

"Let me slip into something more comfortable," she said, jumping from the ground to the door of the trailer and disappearing inside. She was only gone for a minute before reappearing with an ice cold Guinness. She plopped her butt down on the top step, popped the cap on the door frame and took a long, slow swig.

"Okay, now I'm comfortable."

Frost, much to his credit, was unphased. He'd proabably had to deal with a rebellious vampire or two in his life. Technically, there was nothing illegal or "against the rules" about Sadie's lifestyle. It was just frowned upon.

"Miss Hewitt," the vampire lord started, his voice pleasant enough.

"That's 'Arbiter' Hewitt, thank you," Sadie responded. The man standing behind Lord Frost got a twinkle in his eyes. 'I definitely need to meet him alone sometime.'

"I understand that you have chosen not to present yourself to the Council and to your peers? I hope that our reputation abroad hasn't hasn't been tarnished, as I see no reason why you would shun us so?"

'God, does he ever listen to himself talk?' Sadie thought. 'No one talks like that except bad British actors pretending to be Dracula. And I heard that Dracula never actually sounded like that either.' "Yeah. Cop work, ya know?" She took another drink. "I REALLY regret it though. I'm sure you guys through a great wine and cheese soirée, but the criminal underworld has been painfully negligent in accommodating my schedule. I'm sure you understand."

"Of course, hence my decision to greet you in person. I would hate for anything to keep you from protecting the streets of our fair city." He walked a bit closer, pushing his presence outward and trying to get a feel for this woman. He, like everyone else here, was slightly taken aback by her extreme erotic beauty, but he was not so easily put off by her demeanor. Though he could sense little of her presence, he had a feeling she was much more controlled than she let on. It made reading her difficult.

"I hope you don't mind, but I took the liberty of checking up on you in the Book of Names, but there doesn't seem to be a record of your Turning. Unfortunately by law, all vampires are required to register. How is it that you have not?"

She rolled her eyes. "Got Turned by some guy named Clark Hogan. He was a rogue down in Texas about --" She paused and scratched her chin, "-- about eighty . . . ninety . . . maybe a hundred years ago. Something like that. Time flies when you're drunk in the old West. I binge drank through the Great Depression. Anyway, old Hogan never asked for authority to Turn me, and no one got around to telling me about it until after he'd been decapitated by that opium addled werewolf."

"How does a werewolf 'decapitate' someone?" Dazza muttered, not liking the continued lack of respect the Lord was being shown.

"Very slowly and with a lot of dental floss," Frost's bodyguard said, trying to keep a straight face.

"Mr. McDermott, I think we could have all done without that visual. Don't you agree, Arbiter Hewitt?" Frost asked.

Sadie wasn't even trying not to laugh. "Dental floss?! Oh that's rich! Can I steal that one?"

"Go right ahead."

"Terrence," Lord Frost said, his voice carrying a definitely deeper feel to it now: he was tired of the games. "Anyway, since the vampire that turned you is dead, you will at the very least have to provide a birth certificate so that we can record your name and age into the Book."

"I'll get right on it," Sadie said, giving him a quick wink. "I'm sure I've got that in one of those boxes I haven't unpacked yet, but I'm sure it'll turn up." Actually, she had unpacked everything and the certificate in question was sitting in the first folder in the top of her filing cabinet. She was registered with the federal government as an Arbiter, so she doubt even Frost would be able to bring any heat on her about not being a registered vampire.

Frost nodded, quite aware he would probably get no cooperation from this woman. But before getting back into the car, he turned around.

'Shit,' Sadie thought, polishing off her Guinness, 'here it comes.'

"I completely forgot. The mayor is having a fund-raiser to help the police department. On the agenda is to provide much needed repairs to the Gravestones precinct house. That IS where you are stationed, correct?"

Sadie almost growled. 'He knows damn well that's where I am, otherwise he wouldn't even have brought it up.'

"Yes," he continued without waiting for affirmation, "well the mayor likes to have representatives from all the public services present. We were having lunch just this past midnight and I suggested that you should be allowed to attend. It would help your precinct greatly by securing additional donations, and it would give you a chance to socialize with some of the other Council members without taking you away from your work. Your Captain agreed that it was a good idea when the mayor called him. I suspect that you'll find the invitation on your desk when you get into work. I just wanted to give you a heads up so that you might pick out a dress before the weekend." With that, he climbed into the Hummer.

Sadie was grinding her teeth so hard she thought she might break something. She didn't like high-end social events much, she hated socialized with politicians, and the presence of the "elite" of vampire society didn't make things any easier for her. She had taken a field job just to avoid crap like this.

Mr. McDermott turned and winked at her. He said something to Lord Frost, then turned and walked over to the trailer. "You HAD to realize that they were going to play this game with you, didn't you?" he asked, the mirth in his voice impossible to hide.

She didn't want to grin, but he was making it hard. "Yeah. I'll let him have this round."

Terrence McDermott pulled out a business card and held it up. "Here's the name and number of an excellent boutique, in case you're looking for something dressy." He handed her the card.

"Thanks, but I'm sure I'll find a way of weaseling out of it." Then she noticed that it wasn't one card but two, the second reading, "Mr. Terrence McDermott" with his work number on the front and his cell phone number on the back. 'Bastard's been planning on giving me this since he got here!'

"I hope not," he replied. "This 'wine and cheese soirees are incredibly dull. Might be nice for someone to shake things up a bit." Then McDermott turned and walked away.

'I guess I could handle ONE night of pointless ego-stroking,' she thought, staring at Terrence's well formed ass as he walked away. She looked at the card for the boutique. 'I HATE dresses!'

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Later, at work . . .

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"Captain!" Sadie whined loudly. "What did I ever do to you?"

The Captain looked slightly apologetic. "Sorry, but your bosses called and told me to make sure you got more involved in the community in a non-destructive capacity. I'm assuming you know what they're talking about. And we really could use the money that was somewhat promised us if I made sure you went to fund-raiser." He raised his hands as the vampire tried to object. "You can be quite charming when you choose to be, and we need friends in high places. Not a lot of people care what happens in the Gravestones."

Sadie glowered. Grom was a good guy trying to do what was best for his precinct, but she didn't have to like it. "Why can't you go?"

"Because I am too old and too set in my ways. That and two of my kids have the flu and my wife is going out of town that weekend, so I get to babysit. If it makes you feel any better, I'm making Officer Koloff go as well."

"Why would that make me feel any better? He'd look as out of place in a tux as I will in a dress!"

"For some reason, I think you're a lot more suited to wearing dresses than you'll admit." Captain Grom glanced at the door. "And these kinds of events are the one thing that makes Vladimir's wife stop bitching at him for an hour."

Sadie pondered that for a moment. Grom was politically correct and generally proper. 'How bad can this woman be that even HE is taking shots?' She sighed. "Okay, okay."

"Thanks Aribiter --"

"I'll change my mind if you don't start calling me 'Sadie" instead of 'Arbiter' all the time."

He smiled. "Okay Sadie. If you don't have a dress, talk to Melissa and she'll give you an expense voucher for a rental."

"Save it. I've got money for a dress, and there's no sense in the department coughing up money for something like this if we're broke anyway."

"I appreciate it. And there are two invitations, so I'm thinking you're expected to bring a date. I don't think that'll be too hard for you. Just go outside in your work clothes and I'm sure you'll get plenty of volunteers."

She stuck her tongue out at him as she left the office. She would take one for the team. She noticed that Mel was back up at the front desk. The girl had been giving her the cold shoulder since Bart outed them.

'She'll come around,' Sadie thought. 'I hope she will.' It was depressing, and she hated being depressed.

"Hey Arbiter --" Officer Devilin started to say, then caught himself. "Sadie, looks like you're in my car today. I'm supposed to finish your tour of the Gravestones . . . anyplace you haven't seen yet."

She smiled at him. A bat could see that he had a crush on her a mile wide, but she figured it was harmless. "Good to hear. Go get one of the SUVs from the lot and I'll meet you out front."

"Why not a patrol car?"

"Because SUVs make me look cooler. Now scat!" She watched him scurry off to get a larger vehicle. She actually found bigger vehicles to be a bit more intimidating, so the underbelly of society didn't bother you as much. She started to hum the music for a song called "A Devil and an Angel" by some hot new vamp group called Lost in Texas. She was by the vending machine getting a pre-shift Mountain Dew when she heard footsteps in the hallway stop right behind her.

"Hey Mel," she said before she even turned around.

The girl looked embarrassed. "Sorry," she said.

Sadie smiled, grabbed the back of Mel's head and pulled it into her shoulder, giving her a hug. "S'okay. We cool?"

"Yeah. I'm just not used to people paying that much attention to me. I don't think it's for me, but that isn't your fault. I guess I should be happy it hasn't been worse."

"Guys giving you grief? Let me know and --"

"No, that would just draw more attention. Besides, I think what you said kind of defused things."

Sadie nodded. "I had to make us seem like another boring couple."

"And we're not even really a couple. I'm not being snotty, just honest. I know what you said when we started, and I really appreciate you helping me figure stuff out."

"So . . . you don't want to play anymore?" Sadie felt weirded out by the concept. Normally, she was the one who did the leaving.

"No! I mean . . . uhm," Mel stammered, wishing she hadn't sounded quite so vehement. "I like what we do."

"Phew! You were going to give me worry wrinkles. Anyway, wanna be my date for this fund raiser on Friday?"

One of Mel's eyebrows shot up. "You're kidding, right?"

"C'mon! Both the guys around here and the vamps know that you're with me, they just don't know how much. It saves me having to start rumors about me and ANOTHER person I work with, which is a lot of work." She brought out the big bright eyes and quivering lip to accompany the next statement. "Puh-wease?!"

Mel didn't want to smile, but she had to. "Okay, okay."

Sadie hugged her and, making sure no one was watching her, gave her a friendly kiss. "Yer the best. Got a dress?"

Mel's eyebrow went up again.

"Okay, I'm going shopping tomorrow afternoon before work. I'll pick you up --" Sadie stopped, noticing that Mel had blushed a little and was trying to say something. "Unless," Sadie crooned, "you'd rather I just roll over and nudge you."

Both of Mel's eyebrows wiggled as she turned and sauntered out of the vending area. A passerby seemed captivated by that sleek, sexy frame and that saucy walk.

'I believe I've created a monster.' In a much better mood, she skipped outside to the waiting Officer Devlin.

"Alright Dev, let's kick this pig and go roamin' the hood." She actually jumped up to the open window of the SUV and slid in like Bo and Luke Duke.

Devlin's eyes were slightly wide. "You really don't act like I thought an Arbiter would," he said, turning on the ignition.

"Cool. Normally people complain that I don't act like they thought a vampire should."

"That either."

It only took five minutes before Sadie made Devlin pull over so that she could drive. He drove like a little old lady, and not the "I've been alive for so long that I don't believe I can actually die" kind of old lady that cut across four lanes of traffic with a heat-seeking gaze locked on the Denny's sign floating next to the off ramp. No, he drove the speed limit exactly, kept four seconds of separation between him and every other vehicle, basically needed an engraved invitation to pull onto a street if he could even see another car coming, and slowed down in front of traffic lights just to make sure they didn't change at the last minute.

Five minutes after Sadie started driving, it looked like Devlin was going to have a heart attack. To the vampire, the rules of the road were more like . . . suggestions. And anyone who had known Arbiter Sadie Hewitt more than a few minutes would know that she didn't pay much attention to suggestions. Poor Devlin was clinging to the "Oh Shit" handle and praying feverishly to one god or another to help him survive the next five minutes.

They cruised an area of the Gravestones down next to the river. Midian had a gift for making low-income housing look almost reasonable, but there was a sense to such places that no stucco or paint could cover up. Sadie could see mistrust and desperation on every door . . . every street corner. Much to Devlin's chagrin, she found a hole-in-the-wall barbecue restaurant called "Roll the Bones" and pulled into the lot. He had jut planned on showing her the area, he hadn't actually planned on stopping in it, much less getting out of the protection of the SUV.