Hiliad's Special Gift Ch. 43-44

AUTHOR'S NOTES:

Phoebecharmed - Don't cwy! I'll have Santa leave you some tissue.

These are the chapters I was holding off, but I'm in a generous mood! Uh, truth is I still have a lot to catch up and I don't want to make y'all wait.

So, enjoy, and Happy New Year everyone!

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CHAPTER FORTY-THREE

Three days later ...

The sun had just set and Hiliad was again at the mound to monitor Connee's status on rising again. The knot in his stomach from the nerves made his appetite non-existent; as a matter of fact, he hadn't eaten since the day Connee delivered their baby boy.

Every night since he'd buried her, he'd spend most of the time at the grave site, then at least an hour with the baby. Frannie had to show him how to hold the tiny infant the first night, for it had been millennia since he'd held one. But then he was a pro, and even fed the baby his bottle. They had to experiment with the accurate ratio of formula and blood; Frannie had collected and preserved several pints of blood from the best human candidates.

Hiliad was jostled from his concentration of any movement when his cell phone rang in his jeans pocket. He grunted when he heard the ringtone 'I kissed a girl and I liked it' by Katy Perry. He wasn't in the mood to talk with anyone but Connee. It eventually stopped ringing, but then immediately started again. "This better be important, Liza!" he snapped into the mouth piece.

There was hesitation before she replied, "We've had a problem here, Sir." She rarely used that title with him, but she had to appease his grumpiness.

"Handle it."

"Already have. When are you coming back?"

"Don't kn—" Hiliad stopped in mid-sentence when the center of the dirt mound pulsed, then settled back down; nothing else happened. "I've got a problem on my end, too."

"Oh, did that human of yours have your demon child yet?" she retorted sarcastically.

"How the hell did you know? Oh, Wilma, the big mouth."

"Yes, she told me. She was worried about Connee and it sort of slipped out "

"You bribed her, didn't you?" Hiliad asked with a slight wicked grin, relieved that Liza knew; a lot less explaining if he absolutely had to.

"Of course not. She thought I knew. Well?"

"The baby's fine, he's fine," he sighed heavily, mainly from frustration.

Then out of the corner of his eye he saw movement at one end of the burial mound. Without another word he threw the phone aside. Kneeling in the middle, the entire rectangle then constantly throbbed as he knew his Connee had awakened and was struggling to free herself.

Soft, muffled grunts emitted from the depths of the dirt, and he was beyond anxious. Mr. Hiliad Fildri was never one to just sit back and let things happen—well, maybe he was, though not when it involved Connee Byers. He began to dig at the dirt, not even caring if it rapidly collected on his jeans.

A moment later, fingers then a hand finally plunged through and grappled for something, anything to pull herself up. The other hand emerged, followed by another muffled gasp. Within seconds, Connee finally broke free and jumped beside the grave, her feet planted firmly and steadily. She stood in an attack position, looking around her wildly for something to come at her.

Hiliad, on the other hand, stood gaping at her. Connee was nothing like the woman, then official vampire that he fell in love with. Her eyes were wild and menacing, dirt was smeared all over her face and her clothing, picked up every bit of dirt that had encased her.

"Connee—"

She didn't reply but stood erect, her mouth grimacing, her eyes blazing with hatred and fear.

"Who are you?" she asked, looking around her for an imaginary attacker. "God, I'm hungry!" she whined.

"Don't you ... oh, shit." Hiliad took a step closer, but she turned and ran off toward the stream. "Connee! Wait!" He flew into the air, calling out for the queen's assistance.

By the time he saw Connee through the trees, Frannie was at her side but not holding her back. Hiliad floated back down beside the queen, who was then staring at her daughter cautiously. "Connee, baby, you're alright. Come back to the house and we'll—"

"No! I wanna eat!" she demanded, as if she were a spoiled five-year old.

"You will. There's plenty to eat if you'll just come back with us," Frannie said calmly.

Connee looked up and to her left, grinning wickedly with hunger when she heard before she saw, cowering on a branch about fifteen feet up a thick oak tree, a black and white cat.

Before either Hiliad or Frannie could respond, Connee had climbed halfway up the tree before Frannie commanded, "Connee! Get down from that tree right now!" Her daughter paid her no mind. "AS YOUR MAKER, I COMMAND YOU GET DOWN FROM THERE!"

Connee immediately stopped and peered down angrily at her mother. Hiliad gracefully floated up to her, grabbed her by the waist and threw her over his shoulder. "Put me down, Hiliad! I just need to eat!"

Flying toward the house, he had to continuously fight her and readjust his hold on her, for she kicked and screamed trying to free herself. "Little girl, I am older than you and much stronger. I suggest you calm yourself before I have to do something drastic." That shut her up.

Just as they reached the sliding glass door on the back deck, Frannie opened the panel, allowing Hiliad to glide to his feet and walk into the house. "Hiliad, the kitchen, please. I don't dare give her a human in the state she's in." He nodded and did so, then having a stronger hold of Connee.

After they walked in, Hiliad set her in a chair and held her down by her shoulders. "You can let me go. I'm not going to do anything."

"Oh, yes you will," Hiliad replied, knowing she absolutely would run out in search of the human he could also smell.

"Mom! Make him—"

"Relax, honey," Frannie told her as she handed her a bottle of Sheep's blood. "The quicker you calm down, the sooner you can see your son."

Connee looked at the bottle like it was a bag of dog crap but grabbed it and took a swallow. "Oh, god, this is disgusting!" she snapped, completely ignoring the 'son' comment. She stood, defying Hiliad.

"Oh, dear," Frannie moaned. "I'll be right back. Let me get a bag from downstairs. Keep her down, Hiliad."

"Yes Ma'am," he responded, but had no idea how he was going to accomplish that. He decided on kindness. "Sit back down, sweetheart."

Connee put her hands on her hips. "No! What if I don't want to?"

Kindness lost to tactical action. "Oh, little one, I won't have a problem tying your ass down," he challenged.

She grinned and ran her finger up his chest under his t-shirt. "You know, I would really, really like it if you did."

He took a step closer to her and stood his ground. "I also know that you do not like your ass spanked. Keep it up. We'll see how much you can take if you keep behaving this way!"

Connee's grin quickly evaporated. She crossed her arms and threw herself back down in the chair, huffing and puffing. They stared at the other for a minute, allowing Hiliad to get his thoughts together. All he knew was this: One, he had his Connee back. Two, she wasn't quite what he expected. Three, she didn't remember the baby. Okay, one thing at a time.

He put his hands softly yet firmly on her shoulders. "You really don't remember giving birth to our son?"

"Yes, I do," she said flippantly. "I just want to eat."

"He's doing fine, by the way," he told her coldly. She didn't reply.

He sighed unnecessarily just as Frannie returned with a pint of blood in a preservation bag, pulled a glass from the cabinet, released the lock and poured some blood into the glass. Connee squirmed in the chair while she tried to look behind Hiliad, her nose twitching as the aroma of the blood filled her sensitive nose. "I need to warm it up, darling. Give me a second."

When it was ready, Frannie brought the glass to Connee, who eagerly grabbed it and practically emptied the glass in one swallow. Hiliad pulled back and looked at her in disgust, even if the tempting human blood was dripping from the corners of her lips. It only reminded him how hungry he was, too; he hadn't eaten in three, almost four days.

There was a ding from the microwave and Frannie handed Connee another glass. "Hiliad," she said, nodding to the counter behind them. He followed her the few short steps, and they both watched Connee as she downed the second glass. "She has the exact same ferocious appetite she did when she was a child."

Hiliad was in no mood for a mother's reminisces. "We shouldn't let the baby around her, not in her current state of mind," he whispered softly.

"Agreed. Have you ever seen a change like hers?"

"It varies, but yes. What I'm more concerned about is—"

"The baby," Connee intervened sourly. "Right? I don't want it."

She stood and headed for the hallway but Hiliad was quicker than her. "Oh, no you don't. We have to keep an eye on you," he warned her.

"I am not a child!" she spat. "I don't need anyone to hover over me!"

"Oh, don't temp me."

"I need more ... I smell ... there's a human here. I'm still hungry."

"You've had enough for now. We need to figure out—"

Before Hiliad could finish speaking, Connee shoved her body hard into his. He did not budge but held her firmly by her forearms. "Move, damn it!"

"Connee! Watch your tongue!" Frannie chastised. "Hiliad, control her."

He looked down at Connee with a challenging look. "Queen, I'll need your help upstairs."

Connee turned to look at her mother, as if she would help her daughter. She had no intention of doing so.

Again, Hiliad got a firm hold of Connee, threw her over his shoulder, and carried her upstairs. "Hiliad, mother fucker! Put me the HELL DOWN!"

He only smirked as he continued down the hallway to the bedroom, throwing her roughly on the twin bed against the wall as if she were a rag doll. "Queen, the handcuffs are in the top drawer. Can you bring them to me?" She fought him valiantly, though to no avail. "Keep it up," he cautioned her.

Frannie handed him the wrist cuffs. While he was able to quickly secure them to Connee's wrists then to the rail head board, Frannie was having difficulty with her feet. "Connee! Stop kicking!" she ordered.

Reluctantly, she calmed down enough for the cuffs to be clasped and locked with the leg post, only then testing her strength with the restraints. No, she wasn't going anywhere, and she knew it. "Hiliad, Mom, why are you doing this to me?"

Hours later ...

"How is she? Did she eat?"

Hiliad didn't immediately answer Frannie as he walked into the living room, where he met her standing anxiously by the antique bassinet; the baby was fast asleep. Hiliad walked to the window and pulled the curtain aside, peering outside at the dreary fall weather. All the snow had long-ago melted, and Hurricane Stella was in her third hour of intermittent torrential downpours, and there showed no sign of it stopping. The rain pouring down in sheets was the perfect invitation to run out the door and keep running.

"No," he finally muttered.

She shook her head frustrated before she approached him at the window. Putting her hand on his shoulder, she said, "The sun has just set; it's only been a day. She'll have to eat soon."

He peered down scowling at her for touching him before he forced himself to calm down. He glared back out the window. "And what do we do if she doesn't? You have no idea how stubborn that girl is."

That cut Frannie like a knife. Sure, she hadn't been in Connee's life since she was a little girl, but that didn't mean she didn't love her daughter. "Sadly, she gets that from her mother."

He tried to laugh but couldn't. "What if I take her the baby now?"

"Not a good idea. You know that."

He turned around sharply. "What else am I supposed to do?"

Frannie gave him a comforting smile, although forced. "Just bear with her. You are strong, Hiliad. She needs someone like you that can—"

"GET ME OUT OF THIS!" Connee screamed at the top of her lungs from upstairs.

While he looked up the stairs fretfully, Frannie looked at the bassinet to see if the baby had woken. A bright flash of lightening made her jump, but Hiliad stood stone cold dead.

"Maybe I should go up and try—" Before she could finish speaking, Hiliad was already turning the corner at the top of the stairs.

"Hiliad, please! Maaawwwwm!"

At the door, he slowly opened the door and looked at Connee. The bed sheet was all twisted; half of it was balled on the bed while the other half was on the floor. Her hair was matted and dirty from being buried in the dirt for three days and bloody streaks streamed on the side of her head from her relentless tears of frustration. And yet she was still the most beautiful creature he had ever seen in more than two thousand years.

"Are you willing to eat now?" He had no idea why he even asked; he already knew the answer.

"Yes, please," she replied sweetly and innocently, giving Hiliad an alluring smile.

He tried not to show surprise at her answer. She might have been all sweet and lovey dovey, but he grew immediately wary. "You will eat?"

"Yes Sir."

Oh, no. She's definitely up to something.

"I am not up to anything! I can't do anything because you won't let me!" He'd have to remember to practice keeping his thoughts more to himself, though he had no idea how.

Turning his head toward the hallway, he said softly, "Queen, please bring the human up again." He then walked around the empty twin bed to the bed by the wall, where Connee was no longer thrashing and screaming as she had been when he left her a few minutes earlier, then sat across from her on the bed. "I have no patience for this, Connee, you realize that, don't you?"

"I know, I'm sorry. It's just ... everything is so new."

It's not possible she could do a complete turn around ... is it? "You will get used to it, Connee, but you're not even trying."

A gasp at the door made Hiliad jump as he turned to see Frannie and Connee's dinner standing in the doorway dumbstruck. "Hiliad Fildri! You didn't even clean her off?" Frannie berated. She huffed then disappeared but returned within seconds with a wet washcloth. "Genie, wait at the top of the stairs, please," she said. The girl left and Frannie went to her daughter's bedside.

"Oh, baby, I know you're scared. But newborns are very hard to control."

As Frannie gingerly cleaned her off, she said, "Mom, I'm okay now. Can I take a shower?"

The queen leaned back and scrutinized her face, wearing a pleased smile. "I don't see why not." Frannie quickly removed the cuffs around Connee's ankles.

"Majesty, are you sure that is wise?" Hiliad stood up cautiously.

"Yes, Hiliad. She'll be—"

As Frannie spoke, she had just finished unlocking the wrist cuffs when Connee pushed her mother away and bolted for the window. Before Hiliad could react and Frannie could get back on her feet, Connee already had the window and screen open and jumped onto the window sill.

"Connee! Get back in here!" Frannie demanded.

But her mother's words fell on deaf ears. Connee leapt from the two-story window onto the drenched grass and made a beeline for the forest. Within two steps she was completely wet from the heavy rain hitting her from every side. But it didn't faze her. She was overjoyed at getting out of the bedroom so quickly, and ran for all she was worth.

"Oh, hell," Hiliad grumbled and raced after Connee.

She was quick, that was for sure. He flew out the window after her, but had no trouble finding her. As she reached a darkened corner of the tree line, Hiliad descended vertically and caught her in his arms.

"No, no, Hiliad! Please, let me go!" she pleaded.

He didn't even bother replying. Not knowing if it was because he was so pissed at her for escaping, or deceiving him, or simply the fact that she wouldn't eat, he grabbed onto her forearms from behind and pulled her to him.

She screamed and cursed and fought him the entire time he went back to the house. He met Frannie at the sliding glass door, where she held the door open for them, and he took her to the living room. Throwing her down hard on the couch, he towered over her.

"Connee, do not even think about doing that again!" All she did was stare up at him, her arms crossed over her chest, and smiled wickedly. "You will eat now. And if I have to force it down your throat, so be it! Frannie ..."

The queen met them with the shaking, frightened human female beside her. She had been fed on before, but never with as vicious a vampire as Connee appeared to be then.

"Sit down, dear," Frannie said to the girl, who did, but reluctantly. "We will control her. Do not be scared."

Connee tried to squirm up and over the couch, but Hiliad was well prepared to take her on, now that he knew what she was capable of. In a single heartbeat he was behind the couch with Connee's arms beside her head, and leaned her forward a little. "On your knees," he said, directing it at the human. The girl did as she was told, and Frannie stood behind her as double enforcement in case Connee decided to bolt again.

"Eat," Hiliad told Connee firmly.

"You know, all that cold rain hitting my face ... I don't think I'm hungry anymore. Besides, I don't want to."

Hiliad had had enough. With all the upper body strength he could muster, he held her arms back with his elbows and got a tightly controlled grip of her head. "Oh, I can make you do anything I want you to, little girl," he challenged. "Now shut up and drink!"

Frannie was able to convince the girl that she wouldn't be drained of every single drop of her blood, and she finally leaned forward, tilting her head to one side so that Connee could have easy access to the artery and closed her eyes.

Which was a good thing, because Connee bared her short, fresh vampire teeth, opened her mouth and sunk her fangs into the girl's neck. Growling from the back of the throat, the hunger that had built up inside Connee grew feverishly, and she fed more vigorously. Within seconds, the girl began to slump her shoulders.

"Love, that's enough," Frannie said softly.

Connee immediately removed her fangs from the girl's flesh but didn't retract them. She felt the warm, thick blood trace down her chin, and although she was still hungry, she felt completely defeated. "Okay, you can let me go now," she said quietly but full of pretense.

"Oh, I don't think so," Hiliad replied. In one swoop, he picked her up from the couch and hurried her back upstairs to the bedroom.

"Damn it!" she screamed as he threw her back on the bed. "I've eaten. I'm okay now."

"You are far from okay," he said as he quickly fastened the cuffs around her ankles and wrists again. "Your behavior leaves me no choice." Standing with his hands on his hips, he told her, "Until you can prove to us you are capable of behaving in a civil manner, you will stay right where you are!"

"Do you really think these damned things will keep me strapped in here?" she asked maliciously.

"Yes, I do. You may be Bintaur, but your strength is far from being good enough to be able to escape yet."

"No, Hiliad, Master, please!" she begged.

Without a word, he turned and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.

"HILIAD! Don't do this!"

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Just before the sun was to rise over the horizon, Hiliad slowly and as quietly as he could opened the bedroom door. He smiled when he saw Connee fast asleep, but he knew she would be by that time. Silently gliding to her bedside, he carefully and gently removed the ankle and wrist cuffs before he slid into bed beside her, pulled her still body into his arms and held her tightly as they slept.

At dusk, with a still-sleeping Connee, he gave her a good evening kiss, put the cuffs right back on her and left her alone for the night with no food whatsoever.