Dark Fate Ch. 05

Levy left Aislinn standing on her steps, a shocked expression on her blushing face. He loved her dearly but he still chided himself for getting so carried away. He had waited years to make himself known to her and though he wanted he wanted to court her properly, he found himself struggling more and more to keep his desires under control.

Aislinn was still so unsure of his intentions. He feared that his sudden admission would make her completely withdraw from him. The tiny spark of fear that he was not an honest person still burned in the depths of her emerald eyes.

The logical part of her was still trying desperately to believe he was up to no good. Levy couldn't fault her for thinking like that though, not after she'd been surrounded by people like Verona for years now. He grimaced. Just the thought of that woman left a bitter taste in his mouth. He'd lost count of just how many times he really wanted to strangle her and put her out of everyone's misery.

Once he was well out of Aislinn's range of vision he pulled the car over. He sat for a long moment with his eyes closed trying to calm his mind. He'd thought his emotions would level out once he finally had Aislinn by his side but the reality was quite the opposite. They only thing he wanted to do anymore was to cuddle with her and forget the rest of the world. The world, however, was proving to be quite the attention whore.

Levy sighed. For now the world was on the winning end of things so he reached out to the only people he could trust with Aislinn's safety.

Kaia, Kayle, please protect Aislinn, under no circumstances are you to leave her side do you understand?
You know you don't have to leave her, Levy. We can handle things here, Kayan interrupted.
No, I can't Kayan. I can't think straight around her and besides, I'm not too keen on thinking about what my father might do if he found out I'd shirked my responsibilities to be with a human even if she is my mate.

There was a collective sigh between them because they all knew what he'd do. He'd be absolutely furious and demand he turn her. Levy was certain that if he refused to turn her then Donovan would do it himself, something Levy simply wouldn't tolerate. It was his right as her mate to be the one to change her and he would do so without hesitation should the need arise, for now however, he was determined to let her remain human.

Ian, what do you know so far?
From what I can tell, it's only one vampire and by the looks of it, he's certainly not a newborn. He took out one of our two-man patrol groups and several humans who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. All clean kills with no attempts made to feed on any of the victims.

Wait, I thought you said none of our people had been caught up in it?
With so much blood in the air, we weren't entirely sure how many victims there were. Christian found them half hidden in one of the nearby alleys a few minutes ago.
Levy sighed, pounding the steering wheel lightly with his fist. This night was just getting better and better.
Only one vampire huh? That didn't make any sense. It was insane for any lone vampire to stir up trouble in Mercer territory and Levy knew of no rival clans in the world that would dare challenge them. No one wanted a repeat of the war two hundred years ago, least of all Levy, but there was also no way he would back down from any threat no matter how small it turned out to be.

Tell me if you learn anything new. I'm going to meet up with Kayan.
Yes sir, the preliminary report will be on your desk by this evening.
This was a very dangerous situation. To be able to take out one of the patrols employed by the Mercer clan was quite an astonishing feat. It was all the proof anyone needed to take this lone vampire seriously.

The thought of facing one so skilled in combat filled him with both fear and excitement. Levy sparred regularly but it had been decades since he'd been faced with a true kill-or-be-killed situation. He couldn't say with any certainty that his skills were still as good as they'd once been. Hopefully he wouldn't have to find out. He would only be required to step in should Kayan fail and no one could imagine that ever happening.

The city was in full lock down by the time Levy caught up to Kayan. Every vampire who served under the Mercer clan had been called into active duty to search the city for the rogue and take him down before he could claim any more victims. The search continued for a week, but in the end, no one had been able to find any leads.

Levy stood alone in his study sifting through the files that were splayed out all over his large mahogany desk. Not a damn thing that could solve their problem was in any of those files.

The man was a ghost. He had simply appeared, killed people for seemingly no reason and vanished into thin air like he'd never existed. The worst thing about him was that no one could say with any certainty what he actually looked like. Not a single new piece of evidence had been found even after searching through the city with a fine-toothed comb. Damn it. The longer they had nothing new, the longer he'd be forced to stay away from Aislinn.

"Ködalte!" Levy cursed loudly, swiping a majority of the files off his desk in a rage. The pages fluttered to the ground like falling leaves as silence descended upon the room again.

He sighed. The situation fucking sucked and for a moment he cursed Aislinn's mortality. If she was a vampire then she could have been there with him instead of being forced to stay at arms length.

He was beginning to desperately want to tell her truth but he had no idea how she would react even though she was already on the brink of figuring out everything for herself.

He stalked to window to gaze out at the darkening sky. He had learned long ago that he simply couldn't make good decisions when he was so wound up. He HAD to take a break and clear his head.

A knock at the door interrupted his thoughts.
"Come."

It was Arthur with the autopsy reports and he had Ian in two. Like a light bulb being switched on Levy realized exactly what they'd have to do to push the investigation forward. Ian wouldn't like it, but they didn't have a choice. Levy had to rely on Ian's ability.

"So far there is nothing but bad news. At this point in time, our search is in vain because we don't even know who we're looking for. I hate to ask this of you, Ian, but I need your particular skills to track this bastard down," Levy informed, walking back to take his seat.

"I knew you'd ask, so I took the liberty of compiling these for you," Ian replied, handing Levy a manila folder.

Levy hesitated. He didn't want to open the folder for fear that it would reveal the culprit as someone under his command, possibly even someone he knew firsthand.

Ian's ability was that of Psychometry, the ability to see the past, present, and possible future of an object or person through touch. For situations like this one, it was an invaluable asset, but to Ian, it had been a curse for a majority of his life. Had he not found Kayle when he did, he might have been driven completely insane by it. Kayle acted like a shield for him, blocking the psychic waves of objects and people from reaching him, which allowed him to finally be able to live the mostly normal life he'd always wanted. Still though, he hadn't yet been able to overcome his aversion to touching things.

After a moment he sighed and finally opened the folder. He spread the pictures contained within out on top of the other files that had managed to remain on his desk. He sat there in shock.
"Is this some kind of sick joke?" He asked, studying the pictures Ian had drawn very closely.
"I wish it were. The man responsible for these murders looks nearly identical to you except for the fact that he has blonde hair and silver eyes. He could be your twin," Ian replied grimly.
"A twin? That's impossible. I'm an only child and my mother died when I was very young."

"The one thing I've learned about my visions is that they never lie, so there must be some explanation or some ability this guy has that can trick me into seeing what he wants me to see."
What the hell was He supposed to do now? How could he show those pictures to his men and not have every single one of them questioning him? The ability to project an image into the mind of another was a common ability among vampires but to have an ability that could possibly trick Ian's was unheard of.
"Should I give these to the men?" Ian asked, breaking Levy out of his thoughts.

"It's the only lead we have so far so we don't really have a choice. Make sure they're all fully aware that he may have some psychic abilities that allows him to blend into plain sight. Make sure that if anyone runs into him that they take him alive. I need to know just what the fuck is going on here," Levy commanded gathering the pictures up and handing them back to him.
"Yes, sir," Ian said, bowing slightly before leaving the room.

"You know it's always a possibility that he could be related to you. There was a lot more vampire activity going on back then as well," Arthur pointed out after Ian was gone.
"The chances of that are so slim, it's damn near impossible. Anyway, what have you learned from the autopsies?"
"Elemental abilities such as yours are extremely rare which is why I suggested that he may be related to you because this fellow has some means of using biological electricity to burn his victims from the inside out," Arthur explained, handing Levy the folder with his findings in it. He was no stranger to violence but the pictures contained within the folder made him stomach turn a little.

"That is a rare and dangerous gift indeed. Now I can see how he took out that patrol so easily. All he needed was the element of surprise and a lucky placement of his hands," Levy murmured, studying the pictures. All the victims had one hole in the center of their chests; he'd gone straight after their hearts, burning them to cinders to make sure they were all definitely dead.
So now they knew the who, and the how, but the biggest question, the why, still remained a complete mystery. What could one lone vampire hope to gain by pissing of the second largest coven in the United States?

Levy ran a tight coven. Those who worked hard were always rewarded and those who fucked up were taken care of swiftly. This had earned him the reputation of being a hard-ass but it had also made the Mercer clan the second largest and strongest coven in North America. It came as no surprise that they'd have enemies, but it struck him as odd and out of place that a lone vampire would act out on his own, knowing this particular city was basically their house.

Levy hadn't realized he was nodding off in his chair until Arthur rested his hand on his shoulder, making him jump.

"Now you're nodding off in the middle of conversations. You need to get some rest."
"I haven't been able to sleep much this week. The need to be with Aislinn is far stronger now than I ever thought it would be," Levy confided.
"It's not too late to pay her a visit. Besides, I don't think she'd turn you away, no matter what time it was," Arthur replied with a mischievous grin.

Levy couldn't help but smile. Arthur always had a way to cheer him up, even in the worst of situations.
"If anything happens, notify me immediately."
"I'm sure nothing will happen that Kayan and Ian can't handle. You really need to stop worrying so much about everyone else and go attend to your own needs for once."

There really was no point in arguing with him. Torn between his duties to his clan and his overwhelming need to be with Aislinn, he was a wreck and it was starting to show.
Levy grabbed his coat and headed out, deciding to walk rather than drive in his condition. The last thing he needed was to be responsible for running some poor soul over.

He had no idea what time it was by the time he finally arrived at Aislinn's house, but the crescent moon was high in the sky. Levy was way beyond tired but the need to see Aislinn, to hear her voice, to feel her burning skin against his was all consuming. Really, he should have been complimented on how long he'd managed to stay away from her, on how long he'd managed to go without claiming her fully.

He was vaguely aware of the twins' presence downstairs and it put him at ease. He could have told them to go home and spend some time with Ian and Kayan, but he knew they'd never leave him unguarded in his current state.

Like it was the most natural thing to do, he sneaked around the back of the complex and jumped the twenty feet up to Aislinn's balcony to let himself in, something he'd done many, many times in the past few months.
He found her curled up beneath her blanket, snuggling her pillow to her chest like a teddy bear. She wore her baby blue cotton pajama top only half buttoned and a pair of white underwear that didn't seem to want to stay up, revealing the top half of her cute little rear.
His fatigue diminished substantially the moment he caressed her lower back, the chill of his fingers causing her to shiver and moan in protest as gooseflesh cascaded across her skin. It seemed near impossible for her to ever get any more sexy than she was in that moment; totally innocent and blissfully unaware of the world around her.
Levy pulled the blanket back up and kissed her forehead before deciding to take a quick shower. He didn't want to give Aislinn a rude awakening by trying to cuddle with her when his skin was ice cold.

A few minutes into his shower he heard the door creak open. He opened the curtain to ascertain who it was that would so boldly intrude on him and to his surprise and delight it was Aislinn. She looked straight at him, her eyes barely open, her mind clouded by a think layer of sleep. She didn't register at all what was going on.

Despite Levy's desperate need for sleep a flood of adrenaline rushed through his system as he watched her lift her shirt up and pull her underwear down so she could relieve herself.
After not being able to be with her at all for the past week it took every ounce of his control to keep himself from stepping out of the shower and taking her right there in the bathroom before she could even contemplate the idea of refusing him.

Instead he reached out to caress her lower back, totally failing to contemplate the effect his wet hand would have her. She let out a loud yip as the first of several water droplets hit her skin and proceeded to slip down her backside.
In an effort to escape the sudden onslaught she ended up falling completely off the toilet. The shock of seeing Levy with the curtain partially open was more then enough to keep her from being able to control her bladder. The white floor mat fell victim to her need to finish relieving herself.

She growled like a furious little wild cat, her face as red as a tomato as she desperately tried to pull her underwear up.
Levy couldn't help but laugh as just how incredibly cute she was. Teasing her was one of his greatest pleasures. He loved the myriad of expressions she made, especially when she was embarrassed or angry.

The distinct killing aura that radiated from her engulfed him in a firestorm of need, turning his blood to liquid fire. Fuck she was so damned sexy!

"Don't laugh at me you stupid jackass!" Aislinn hissed.
"Well now that you've gone and made a mess all over yourself how about you come take a shower with me?" Levy snickered, reaching his hand out to help her up.
He couldn't help but grin when she fell silent, her eyes growing big with embarrassed awe. It wasn't Levy's hand Aislinn was staring at but his fully erect member just a few feet from her face.
"You're staring again Love!" He teased, causing her to blush deeply and turn her head to the side, her eyes downcast.

"What the hell are you doing in my house..." Aislinn demanded in an angry hushed tone.
"Finally got a break from the work I was doing and I absolutely had to come see you." Levy replied, stepping out of the tub.

"And you thought sneaking into my house was the best way to see me?!"
"I couldn't wait any longer," He admitted, gently helping her to her feet.
Levy wrapped his arms around her waist when she attempted to leave the bathroom to get something to clean up the mess she'd made on the floor.

"Clean it up later, I want to take a shower with you NOW."

"What are you, a spoiled little child?"
"Mmmm, as spoiled as you'll let me be Csitri!"
"You're very irritating sometimes..." Aislinn sighed in defeat.

Levy slid her pajama top over her head and took great pleasure in slowly teasing her underwear the rest of the way down her legs before leading her to the bathtub.

"I don't even have to turn around to see the smile plastered on your face right now..." Aislinn complained.
"Damn right I'm happy, after all, it's our first shower together."
"And if you pull this kind of stunt again it's going to be our last one together." She threatened.

"Has anyone ever told you just how sexy you are when you're angry, its quite a thrilling experience to be on the receiving end of you wrath!" Levy mused, trying to kiss her shoulder.
"Are you a masochist? You'll be singing quite a different tune when I decide to kick you between your legs!!" She retorted. She was trying so hard to act angry but Levy knew that she was just as relieved at their reunion as he was.

The past week had been total hell for him, and though Aislinn's need for him wasn't yet quite as strong for him as his was for her, he could tell she hadn't been doing too well herself. The shadows under her eyes and the tenseness of her muscles spoke of the many sleepless nights she'd contended with.

"You are too tense, my love," Levy cooed, gently kneading her shoulder with is fingers. He took his time slowly working his way down her back, caressing every inch of her bare skin.

Aislinn became pliant under his touch, leaning into him as he brought his hands down to gently squeeze and massage her ass. As usual her body betrayed what she really wanted. If she hadn't woken up when she did she might have been able to escape the need welling up almost violently deep inside her but she knew it was too late to escape when Levy brushed his hands against the insides of her thighs.

It didn't take much effort at all before her breaths became shallow and raspy, barely audible whimpers escaping from between her bright red lips. Levy slowly trailed his hands up her abdomen, tickling and scraping her skin with his fingers until he arrived at her soft, perky breasts. He squeezed firmly then flicked one of her nipples with his thumb, illiciting a very loud erotic moan from her. The sweet sound of her voice made him physically tremble with need.

"You really have no idea just how damn sexy you are." Levy whispered, rolling her nipples between his fingers as he nibbled his way down her neck to her shoulder. He loved how she blushed deeply at the sounds of her own lustful whimpers.

Feeling her pulse just under the surface of her burning skin made Levy tremble again in anticipation, his erection becoming so full and painful he could barely stand it. He pressed his hips against her rear, nestling himself between her legs. The minor contact with her most sensitive place caused Aislinn's next breath to catch in her throat.

"Tell me what you want," Levy commanded, pressing himself harder against her.
"You," Aislinn answered, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Hmmm? I can't hear you, baby. What do you want?" Levy teased, biting on her shoulder.
"You, please. I want you!" she pleaded, forcing his hands down her stomach to rest just above her womanhood.