The Slayers Ch. 07

"Danielle," he said softly.

She continued to berate him, telling him that he would be punished by sleeping alone and that there would be no sex and so on and so forth.

"Danielle, sit down," Troy said in a tone that caught her attention.

"Troy..."

"I said sit down," he repeated staring at her.

Danielle's heart pounded. The thing that she had feared most was happening. Sometime during that meeting whatever doubts Troy had been having about their relationship came to the fore. She had watched powerless as Troy seemed to blossom in front of her. Even Xavier saw it because he has stopped stealing glances at her to see if she agreed with what was being said. She sat down and waited.

"You are my mate," Troy said, his tone still firm. "And as such I love and respect you, but there is going to be a change in our relationship. I have let you run things including me and it stops now. You are no longer in control of the businesses, me or our sex life. I am. I will include you in the decision making process, but I will have the final say. You will make no decisions without my approval unless it is an emergency situation. I know that this is a change for you but to be honest, I was beginning to have my doubts about this arrangement a long time ago. It was working with Xavier as an equal that made me truly see that I am more than capable of running things. Now, I will do this for you. I will give you a small subsidiary company to run as you see fit. That should help you as you adjust to the changes in our lives and will ease your need to control."

Danielle was speechless. She wanted to tell him that she had made him as successful as he was, but it wouldn't have been true. He wouldn't have believed her anyway.

"Troy- I know that it felt good to be in control and although I said that you did everything wrong; you were spectacular! That was me wanting to retain control and I apologize. Could we possibly be equals..."

"My decision is made," Troy said as he took his already erect cock out of his pants. Unless it was his imagination, it was harder than it had ever been before. "Come here," he said firmly. He felt exhilarated as Danielle approached him, knelt before him and waited for the next command. She was furious that she hadn't nipped this in the bud when she first saw the signs that Troy was changing. "You know what to do," he said softly. As she took the head of Troy's cock into her mouth, Danielle was already planning on how to regain her control.

**

Brittney woke up to see Jian watching her.

"What time is it?" she asked surprised that she was clear headed and not groggy as she usually was when she first woke up.

"Six am- are you alright?" he asked assessing her for pain or discomfort.

"I'm fine- hungry but fine," Brittney replied. "Do we have to get up now?"

"Are you still tired?" Jian asked frowning. The change should have taken effect while she slept.

"No, not at all- but I'm a cuddler."

"A-a what?" Jian asked perplexed by the term.

"A cuddler, I like to snuggle before I get up. Granted it's been four years since I've been with anyone until you, but..."

"I understand," Jian replied as he pulled her closer. "Thank you for not being afraid to tell me what you want and need," he added kissing the top of her head.

Brittney didn't reply but snuggled even closer. She was dreading the day. It was going to be a long and difficult one because of Amanda's service. A tear escaped followed by a soft sob. She missed her sister and would have given almost anything to tell her that she had been right about Jian. If she could do it again, she would have opened her eyes sooner and taken Jian to meet them. She would have made that call at three am.

Jian knew what she was thinking but said nothing. There was nothing that he could say to convince her that making that phone call wouldn't have changed anything. He hoped that someday she would see and understand that.

"Beloved..."

"I know," Brittney said, "it's time to get moving."

"That isn't what I was going to say. I was going to remind you of something," he said. "I want to remind you that you do not have to bear your grief alone. I am here as your friend, your mate and whatever else you need me to be. Tell me about your sister."

Brittney hesitated and then the floodgates opened. She told Jian about their childhood and finally about the last time that she saw Amanda alive.

"She teased me about you," she said. "She asked me why they never met you and she had a point."

"You weren't ready," Jian replied. "But I would have liked her. She was a good person- an honorable person."

"She was all of those things and more," Brittney replied. "She wanted to be a wife and mother so badly and it was going to happen. Paul was going to propose. He had the ring and everything- Why her? Of all the places that thing could have gone to, why did it pick her? I mean they aren't supposed to into the homes of connected humans so what happened?"

That was a question that Jian had been thinking about for quite some time. He knew that it had to have been a lower rogue, but where was its master? The higher rogue kept a tight rein on the lower rogue to prevent things like Amanda's death. The more he thought about it, the more he was beginning to see that the death of a connected human was planned. Not specifically Amanda, but a connected human. Paul's leaving the patio door open gave easy access.

"There is more going on than meets the eye," Jian replied. "Amanda wasn't a specific target- she was a target of opportunity. I believe that whoever owns the lower rogue is a piece of the puzzle."

"What are you saying?" Brittney asked sitting up.

"I don't know," Jian replied. "I can only say that a human death was necessary. After the service we need to start looking at the clans that are in the city. The lower rogue may belong to one of them. The lower rogue are little more than pawn to their owners. My guess is that once he has completed his task; he will be killed."

"Jian, what is going on?" Brittney asked perplexed.

"A takeover is being planned," Jian said as the puzzle began to come together. "Whoever owns the lower rogue is the one behind the coup. Beloved, I hate to end our cuddle time but I must make some phone calls."

"I'll make breakfast," Brittney said as she stood up. "Can I ask a question?"

"Yes beloved," Jian replied as he hugged her.

"Is there any chance of getting a bed or a thicker mat?"

"What is your preference?" Jian asked.

"Let's try a thicker mat first," Brittney replied. "If that doesn't work then we can get a bed."

"That is fine; we will get a thicker mat in the next day or so. Is there anything else?"

Brittney couldn't think of anything and took a quick shower while Jian started making his phone calls. She washed her hair and then remembered that she hadn't called her friend yet. It would have to wait she decided. There were too many other things happening. She finished her shower, dressed and went to the kitchen where Jian had already started breakfast.

"It is almost ready," Jian said when he heard her enter the kitchen. "Please sit and I will bring it to you."

"Fine but I get to do cleanup," Brittney said.

Over breakfast Jian told her about the phone calls.

"I called my father first to find out if he knew anything. He didn't but he is sending three more teams of slayers. He agrees with me that there is something major happening. He is checking to see where the clans in other states are. I spoke with Bruce, Robert's associate and the preparations for the ceremony are completed. We will leave here at ten am and drive to the ceremony. Although the location is secret, we must still be on our guard and be armed."

"They wouldn't..." Brittney said and then stopped. Of course they would interrupt the ceremony. How many times had she seen or read in the news about drive by shootings at family gatherings or funerals.

"I know that I don't need to say this, but I will anyway," Jian continued. "You must follow directions. It isn't that I don't trust you but you have not been tested in a real fight."

He paused to give her a chance to argue with him and was surprised when she didn't.

"I understand," she said finally.

After breakfast Winona came over, took one look at her and hugged her.

"Welcome to the family! And remember call me if you need to talk or anything."

"Thanks," Brittney said tearing up once again missing Amanda.

They worked out until it was time to get ready to go to the service. After she was dressed, Jian out fitted her with two small knives that couldn't be seen. Winona came over and they left in Jian's car and drove to a residential area of the city.

"Is this where the services are going to be?" Brittney asked.

"No," Jian replied. "We are exchanging vehicles. There is a chance that one of your neighbors talked and my car is recognizable. In fact, we won't be going back to the house for a few days."

"What?" Brittney exclaimed. "You couldn't have told me that? I have no clothes or anything else for that matter."

"If anyone is watching, I want them to think that we are coming back," Jian explained. "Don't worry about clothing or your other toiletries; we can go shopping on our way to our new location."

"Wait- what about our weapons?" Brittney asked.

"It is taken care of," Jian replied. "Someone came for them while you were in the shower"

"What about Winona?"

"I'll stay at my house and keep an eye on things as the old lady," Winona replied. "You can always reach me by phone."

Jian pulled into the driveway of a large estate and made Brittney wait in the car. He went to the front door of the house, spoke to someone and came back out.

"The cars are in the back," he said when he opened Brittney's car door.

Five minutes later, they were on their way in a small Honda suv and headed out of the city. Brittney held on to Jian's hand as he drove.

"Where will we be living?" she asked.

"Not far from work," Jian replied. "If this isn't over by then we need to be close to work and if you like it, we can stay there."

Thirty minutes later, Jian turned right onto a side road that led into the woods. They followed the road for five miles before coming to a stop. Ahead of them was a pavilion surrounded by flowers. There was an altar sitting on a table in the front of the pavilion. On a table sat a gold urn that contained Amanda's ashes. Brittney stopped, looked at the urn and then turned into Jian's arms. It was hard to believe that all that was left of her sister was in the small gold container.

"That is not the true her," Jian whispered in her ear as she cried. "The real Amanda is in the stories that you told me and in your heart."

Brittney nodded and pulled away when she heard her name being called. She turned to see Paul anxiously looking at her. Tears were running down his face as he waited for her to respond to him. She walked toward him and then took off running not stopping until she was hugging him.

"It wasn't your fault," she told him. "It wasn't your fault!"

Paul hugged her tight and sobbed deep; gut wrenching sobs that made his whole body shake. Brittney held on until the big man settled. She stood beside him in front of the table with the urn and took his hand. Jian stood to her right with his arm around her waist. Bruce stood to Paul's left and placed a hand on his shoulder. A man of indeterminate age came from behind the altar and began the ceremony. Fifteen minutes later it was over. Brittney and Paul each got to say tearful goodbyes. Each of them asked for forgiveness for not saving her. When it was over, they hugged each other and cried together. Brittney pulled away from Paul and entered Jian's embrace. Bruce stood next to Paul with a hand still on his shoulder.

After several minutes, Brittney looked around to see where Winona was and saw her in the arms of a huge man blond haired man. She was sobbing but trying to do it quietly so the ceremony wouldn't be disturbed. Justin had wanted to wait until the ceremony was over, but once he saw her, he couldn't wait.

"Brittney! Come here!" Winona called when she saw Brittney watching them. "I want you to meet Justin my mate."

Introductions were made and Jian and Justin talked.

"Thank you for helping with Paul," Jian said. "As far as you know, other than being able to see the monsters, does he have any other gifts?"

"Besides being as strong as an ox? No," Justin replied. "But he's a good man and learns fast. Willie and Myrna will be with him at Robert and Bruce's and will continue to train him."

"Good," Jian replied. "Why don't you take our car and we'll take yours? We can take care of things from here. You and your mate have lost time to make up for."

"Thanks," Justin replied, "Call us if you need anything."

Jian and Brittney took Paul to Robert and Bruce's house and dropped him off.

"We will talk later," Jian told him, "but in the meantime continue to train."

Brittney gave Paul a hug and a kiss on the cheek and promised to call later. After they left, they went shopping for clothes and toiletries for her. He didn't comment when she bought all store brand items even though he told her that she could buy whatever she wanted.

"We don't make that much money," she quipped.

She whistled when Jian pulled out a black card when they were checking out.

"You don't have to work do you?" she asked when they were in the car.

"No, but I enjoy it," Jian replied. "One needs more in life than hunting monsters. Finding one's mate helps but I like being around others. I like to watch their mannerisms when they think no one is watching."

They had barely gotten to the new house when Jian's cell phone rang. It was Justin. Someone had broken into and ransacked their house. Brittney's clothes were torn in shreds and everything that had been in dressers, closets and the kitchen was on the floor. It was the work of lower rogue- but whose?

"One of your neighbors talked," Jian told her after he hung up. "Our home is destroyed."

Brittney was surprised but not really. Many of the people in their neighborhood suffered financially and if enough money was offered, someone would talk. She wasn't angry or upset about it; it was just the way it was. If she had been in that position, she would have talked too.

They settled in for the night with Brittney washing all of her new clothes while Jian made a few phone calls. Brittney yelped for joy when she saw a thicker mat on the bedroom floor. In the corner stood a bed that only needed to be assembled if the mat wasn't comfortable. When Jian walked in, she dropped what she was holding, ran to him and jumped into his arms trusting that he would catch her. Jian was more than pleased with the display of trust.

"Thank you!" she said kissing him.

"You are welcome- are you up to a run tonight?"

"Let's go... should someone go with us?" She asked.

"It's already arranged," Jian replied setting her on her feet.

Then let's go!" Brittney exclaimed.

****

Jack reread his notes for what had to be the hundredth time. He was sure that he had written down the address for Amanda's ceremony correctly. He was meticulous about things like that. He hated wasting time by having to repeat a task. When he got to the supposed address, there was nothing there except an abandoned gas station. He tried various combinations of the number three-five-two and kept coming up empty. He called the number that was listed on the paper and kept getting a recording.

"Fuck it," he grumbled as he threw the notepad on his desk.

"Something wrong?" The captain asked as he left his office.

"No- it's good," Jack replied picking up the notebook.

"The guys are going to the bar..."

"No thanks, I've still got some work to do," Jack replied. "And I no longer drink- it dulls the senses."

"You don't have to drink," the captain persisted.

"I stay away from the bars," Jack replied, "but thanks for the offer."

Jack hadn't lied. He did stay away from bars. Sobriety hadn't been easy for him to attain and he knew from very painful experience how easy it was to lose it. He still checked his mouthwash for alcohol content even though it claimed to be alcohol free. He didn't even drink the synthetic beer because he was afraid that the taste would make him want the real thing. Over the years he had relaxed a bit, but not much. After he became sober, he took up a mission- he wanted every single rogue vampire dead.

He looked at the calendar and his heart ached. It was the tenth anniversary of his wife Emily's death. No he amended; it was the tenth anniversary of her murder. They had just gotten home from a night of dinner and dancing. He hated to dance but Emily loved it so he did it for her. His brown eyes filled with tears as they always did when he thought about that night.

Up until that night he had never believed in the supernatural. He didn't believe in creation and believed that everything had a scientific basis. Now he believed that had he believed in the supernatural, he might have been able to save Emily's life.

They had pulled into the driveway and he wanted her to wait in the car, but she was out before he could stop her. The man seemed to have come from nowhere. Before he knew it, the man had Emily and was gone but not before he saw his face. It was something out of a nightmare. He began to scream for help and one by one porch lights began to come on. He called 911 and waited for help.

Emily showed up three nights later wearing the same dress that she had worn the night that she was taken. It was ripped and dirty and hung from her in shreds. He was so relieved to see her that he didn't notice the almost blank stare or how she didn't return his embrace. It wasn't until he had her in the house and was calling for an ambulance that he noticed the color of her skin. It was pasty white and her eyes were a strange shade of blue.

"Emmy? Honey?" he said gently. "I'm going to call for an ambulance. I don't know what he did to you, but we'll get through it together." She didn't answer him, but gave him a blank stare that made his stomach drop. His sweet Emmy had been raped. He could tell by her mannerisms. "Oh my sweet baby," he murmured as tears ran down his face. He then prayed that there would be no pregnancy forgetting the fact that he really didn't believe in god. He turned his back on her to use the phone and froze. The hairs on the back of his neck and arms stood up. Without thinking, he reached into the drawer, pulled out the spare gun and cocked it. When he turned around what was looking at him in no way resembled his wife.

It's face was pulled back into a grimace and her teeth bared. Jack blinked when he saw her fangs descend. His mind rebelled against what he was seeing. It couldn't be! But there it was... his Emmy was a monster. He still tried to reason with her by reminding her of who she was and what she was to him and for just the briefest of seconds; he thought that he had gotten through to her. Her eyes cleared a little as if she recognized him. She took one step and then another until she was less than two feet away.

"Emmy honey, it's me Jack- don't you remember me?"

The response was a low snarl that in no way sounded human. Suddenly he realized that Emily was going to kill him. No he realized. She was going to do something far worse; she was going to turn him into whatever she was.

"Baby please," he begged. "Please stop!" He was crying and the hand aiming the gun at her was shaking.

Then there was a moment where Emily's eyes cleared. She looked at Jack and said two words.

"Kill me."

"Baby fight this thing! Fight it!" Jack yelled as Emily took a few more steps toward him.

"Jack," she said her voice raspy. "Please kill me."

After that, her eyes clouded over and the last of his Emily was gone. He took a breath to steady himself and fired shooting her in the heart. He watched heartbroken as she fell to the floor. He tried to think of what vampire lore he knew and discovered that it wasn't much. He needed help and fast. He was actually surprised that there were no sirens approaching and was grateful. He wracked his brain trying to think of who could help him.