Hiliad's Special Gift Ch. 07

Just before midnight ...

"Hiliad, this is Michael Matthews, the auditor," Liza said as she approached me with a man beside her that I hardly gave a glance.

"Brett isn't supposed to be here till tomorrow." Brett was always the auditor. Why didn't he call that he was going to be early? Connee's gonna be upset.

"Mr. Fildri, Brett is ill. I'm his replacement."

I waved them off and saw them walk towards Connee's office. There was something off-putting about him that I couldn't place. Before I could consider what it was Doug said, "Hiliad, Luke needs to see you at the bar."

Mr. Matthews, if that was who he was, would just have to wait.

Connee's POV:

"There!" I said triumphantly to my empty office. The auditor's paperwork was all done, but it was a miracle how I did it in such short time.

I found my mind wandering to Hiliad more than once and I hated it. He wasn't paying me enough to afford my own apartment, although I was frugal with my money. His offer was generous and thoughtful but—thoughtful? Hiliad could never be thoughtful and generous, but he'd proved to me to be enough. But was it enough? Only time would tell.

That thought caught me cold. I only had thirteen more days working at Naluchra since I'd given him my two week notice last night. I'd be a fool to be anything to him other than his accountant. But maybe I was dreaming when I gave him my two week notice. I was beginning to lose my mind. The least I could do for Hiliad was to look at the apartment, and I promised myself I'd look at it the next day. I hadn't even said anything to Hiliad when he gave me the key, regardless of how he gave it to me. I had to at least show him I was grateful to him for helping me start my life over.

I couldn't avoid him any longer. I went to the door and was startled back when I saw Liza's hand in the air about to knock. "Hey, Liza."

"The auditor is here," she told me. "Michael Matthews."

"Oh, it's a good thing I just finished everything up for you," I replied as I opened the door wider.

"Show him the way out when he's done," Liza said then left.

Turning to my desk I said, "Well, let me show you—" I was cut off in mid-sentence when I felt a sharp pain carve into my left shoulder. I fell forward and caught the edge of the desk so I wouldn't fall, crying out in pain. "What the fuck?"

Out on Hiliad's throne (third person):

Hiliad had been at the bar talking to Luke when he sensed something was wrong. He rushed to Connee's office and was stopped in his tracks when he saw the auditor holding her with her arms behind her with one hand and a carving knife in the other.

Connee's POV:

Lord, did it ever hurt when the blade sliced into my shoulder. I'd have rather been whipped than endure another cut like that. He had a solid grip on my hands behind me, and I knew for sure he was going to kill me. But why?

I had never been more relieved in my life when I saw Hiliad in the doorway, his fangs long, sharp and threatening. There was no look of shock on his face at all; he was calm, although I couldn't fathom how. I tensed again when Matthew put the carving knife to my neck. "Stay back, bloodsucker!" he warned.

"Or you'll do what?" Hiliad asked taking two steps forward. His voice was cool and remained calm.

"Hiliad, don't do anything," I stuttered.

I knew how fast he could move, but my body was in the way this time. My shoulder was starting to burn, and I could feel blood begin to drip down to my back to my waist. I started to get a little dizzy but forced myself to keep my head together, and attached to my body.

"You're Hiliad, right?" Matthew asked when Hiliad stepped forward. "Stop!"

Hiliad obliged. "It depends. Want to tell me what exactly you're doing and why?"

"Like you don't know," Matthew said.

Just then the expression on Hiliad's face changed, and I knew it wasn't good. Hiliad took several steps into the room but Matthew's grip on me didn't even falter. Then I saw the reason why Hiliad looked panicked: Another man had something pressed to his back. He closed the door behind them, locked it then smiled at Matthew. The man then shoved Hiliad onto a chair about ten feet from where Matthew held me. My stomach dropped when I saw the thin piece of wood, the end sharpened to a tiny point that was then at Hiliad's neck. I was then starting to get nauseas and the dizziness was getting worse, too. Even my vision was affected.

"Do you recognize your neighbor, Connee?" Matthew asked me.

I looked at the new man's face. "Yeah, from the hotel." Hiliad growled and his face became strained with anxiety, his hands tightened on the arm rests. "Hiliad, please, don't," I begged. "Why are you doing this? I did nothing to you," I asked Matthew, but I was looking at Hiliad.

"Yes, you did," Matthew breathed heavily into my ear and it gave me chills of fear. "Sue told me what you ... and your friend, here, did."

So the truth was out. Matthew must be Susie's boyfriend.

"You seriously don't think you'll get away with this," Hiliad said. I wished he kept his mouth shut.

"Prick!" Matthew scoffed then scraped the knife across my throat. I whimpered and immediately felt blood drip down to my collarbone. "I really don't care what happens to me. She left me because of what you did to her."

"We did nothing that she didn't want done," Hiliad said confidently, and for the first time I heard anger in his voice.

My eyelids became heavy, and I knew I was close to losing consciousness from the blood loss. I wished Hiliad would do something. He didn't have the chance. I felt Matthew nod his head and the man with the stake brought it up over the back of Hiliad's neck. "NO!" I managed to scream.

The man looked at me startled, which was enough to distract him. Within a millisecond Hiliad had him on the floor, his head turned to expose his neck and was about to rip into it. "No, Hiliad! Don't kill him!" I cried out, though it was difficult to get it out. I was surprised how weak I was becoming.

"Shut up, bitch," Matthew barked in my ear.

It didn't matter anyway because Hiliad wasn't even listening to me. The man was hollering at the top of his voice. I was appalled when I saw why. Hiliad was glued to his neck, his head moving back and forth like he was tearing out chunks of the man's flesh. He was cursing and squirming. Anyone could tell how much pain he was in.

Without thinking about what I was doing, I struggled to release Matthew's grip on me and was shocked when my hands slipped free easily. I fell to my knees whimpering at the intense pain in my shoulder. Matthew approached Hiliad and grabbed the stake. My mind screamed at me to save Hiliad.

Hiliad, of all people, er, uh, vampires. I pushed myself up on my shaky legs and managed, albeit swaying and staggering, to jump on Matthew's back. His arm was up and ready to stake Hiliad in the back so I reached up, grabbed his wrist and pulled back with the remaining strength I had. A lot of good that did, though. I was so weak that when he leaned back I flew several feet away, landing on my back and hitting my head on the edge of a chair. My body collapsed to the hardwood floor hard and painfully, grunting loudly. Watching Matthew, I tried to stay awake but it was incredibly difficult.

"You're dead anyway," I heard Matthew say to the man then he walked towards me.

"No, no, don't," I managed to mumble.

"Shut up, bitch!" he repeated.

I chuckled painfully when I thought to myself that he needed to expand his vocabulary.

Matthew lifted his leg and stomped down hard on my right hip. I shrieked as the pain exploded through my entire body. Tears poured out of my eyes and my body shook with pain worse than I had ever felt in my entire life, even the bout of gout in my knee I had. So, this is going to be the end for me. No one to cry at my funeral. God only knew where I was going to be buried. I closed my eyes and waited for death to make his appearance and carry me away...

Hiliad's POV, hours after the attack:

Liza and I had been standing at the foot of the bed where Connee had been unconscious for the past several hours. The sun would be up in a little over an hour, and I couldn't leave her yet. "I should have known something was wrong when that bastard didn't have a briefcase."

"Yes, you should have, Hiliad. What is it about Connee?"

"I owe you no explanation, Liza," I sneered at her.

She unnecessarily sighed in frustration towards me, I assumed. I didn't care, though. "You know I don't pry but you care for her, don't you?" Her tone wasn't accusatory, simply matter of fact.

"You are prying," I told her angrily.

I didn't know if I did care for her. Staring out the window I looked for the answer and noticed the horizon beginning to lighten just a little, too little for any human to distinguish.

Ms. Connee Byers did mean something to me. No one had caught my attention and desire like she had, except for Wilma. Hugh, her current boyfriend, had made it absolutely clear she was off limits and only when I met Connee did I back off. It didn't matter. I got what I wanted.

My attention was drawn to the bed when I heard Connee whimper loudly in great pain. "Liza, go get Wilma. The sun will be up soon." I was too afraid to look at Connee. It would break my heart—if I had one.

"It'll take half an hour to get there."

"Then get your ass moving."

"What can she do?"

My patience with Liza ended at the moment. I snarled at her, displaying my fangs to warn her. "Tell her what happened with Connee. She'll be babysitting Connee today. Hugh will not mind."

"Hell, Hiliad," she muttered exasperatedly.

"Do as I ask, Liza." I heard her snicker. "Please."

"Oh, well, since you said please."

After she left I rushed to Connee's side and sat down beside her. Her complexion was as pale as mine, her face contorted in pain. It just killed me. "Connee?" She cried out and rolled her head back and forth trying to move her body. "No, no. Stay still. Look at me." Again I found myself needing to glamour her, but I would have done anything to end the anguish I could only imagine she was in. "Please, open your eyes."

"Cannnn't," she grunted and gasped.

I could tell she didn't have much time left. While I was able to heal her bleeding shoulder from the deep gash and the small slit on her throat, her smashed hip was a completely different story. I couldn't give her my blood while she was unconscious. And when I picked her up back at the club, her hip bones creaked and she was so limp. It shocked me she was still alive when we got to the apartment. If I were a religious man I would have thanked god.

Then I only had one option. Angrily I said, "I gave you an order to look at me, slave, or you will receive the worst punish—"

Just as I had hoped her eyes flew open, and she focused on my face within a second or two.

I breathed a sigh of relief. "Let the pain ebb away. You will feel no pain." Immediately she closed her eyes. I got a hold of her shoulders and shook her gently. "Damn it, slave! Don't make me whip your ass!"

She looked at me again, her eyes filled with pain, fear and helplessness. The depth of the emotions in her eyes astounded me. "You must drink or you will die," I said as I sliced into the vein in my neck with my Swiss Army knife.

"Then le' me die," she groaned.

I didn't give her a choice. I buried my neck over her mouth and plugged her nose for only a second to make her breathe out of her mouth. "Take it. I give you my blood to heal you, Connee."

Within seconds she finally began to suck, although it was weak at first. Soon enough her lips encased my skin fully, and from the sounds emitting from her I knew she was getting plenty. I allowed her a minute or two longer before I pulled back and looked over her face. Her cheeks were then pink instead of sallow. I knew she'd be alright. Her face was relaxed and she actually smiled at me. "That's a good girl."

"Y ... your eyes," she stuttered more coherently then.

I didn't know what she was talking about until I felt a thin trail stream from the inside of my eye to the middle of my nose. I didn't answer her but wiped the tear away. "You're looking healthier. How is the pain now?"

"'s better," she said then she closed her eyes.

"You will need a lot of sleep, I'm afraid. You were hurt badly. My blood will help, but not enough. Liza is getting someone now to watch you for the day."

Her eyes slowly fluttered open. "No ... wan' you to stay."

"Dear one, the sun is coming up soon. I must—"

"Hiliad," she interrupted me then closed her eyes again, settling back into the pillow. The four words she said made me laugh, but it was more from relief she was back to old spunky self.

She would definitely get the raise she just asked for.