The Scent of Jasmin

Saturday night had come and gone as it had for the last nine months. The same crowd. Same old men. The same bad jokes and even worse tips. But that's what she liked about this place. She lived here in this small town for almost a year trying to forget about her past to forget about “Jasmine”. Her shift was winding down and she began to clean the bar before she shut her down for the night, the same routine, wipe the tables, sweep the floor, stock the bar and close the till. She began to let her mind wander and she closed the gate and locked the bolt on the door. “Jasmine?” the voice startled her out of her memories and she spun on her heels fearing someone had found her this far south. Standing before her was the most cliche man she had ever laid eyes on. “Tall dark and handsome, oh please get over yourself” she mused before the weight of what he had said struck her again. “Jasmine?” He asked again almost pleading. “I’m sorry, you must have the wrong person, my names Meghan” she blurted out, the instinct to hide from her past so strong it was the only thing she could say without turning and running. The light of a passing car fell across his face illuminating the most striking eyes, bluer than she had seen in years, so blue oceans wept in envy. “Oh, my mistake. You look like someone I used to know. Sorry to bother you” her gave her a once over and gave a little smirk before he turned to walk away. It was just her luck the light of another car shown on his head, dark full hair. It was almost to much she wanted to reach out and run her fingers through it and she held his face between her thighs. “What the fuck are you thinking” she berarted herself as she watched him go. “Sober for a year and the sight of one sexy stud is gonna knock you off the wagon!!” She was angry and herself and she turned and walked swiftly to her car, she has a new life her, a new job, and one that doesn’t tempt her to sin! She had lived that life, lived it since she was 14 and she had sworn to the gods that she wouldn’t go back. The drive home was short and easy, only a 5 minute drive from the bar. It was time for a bath, that man had shaken her more than she had realized. As the bath filled she added a few drops of her favorite oils, rose and jasmine. She had been soaking in the tub for about 10 minutes when her mind began to wander, she thought a thought that had come to her many times as she relaxed back, "this tub is to fucking small!" But that was the last cohesive thought she had before her mind slipped back into memories.

Megan was a happy child, but that's what all parents say of their pride and Joy, but she truly was for the first few years, at least before Rodger took to the drink. Rodger, the self described pimp of princesses and all around drunken skumbag was who the world called her father. Megan hadn't called him that since she was 7, around the first time he took her to meet a new "uncle"...

The memories moved on to more pleasant moments, like her mother, the sweet and innocent Charlotte who fell for Rodger in his "rock and roll" phase that left her with a bouncy baby girl. Charlotte was an ideal mother, calm and caring, never one to raise her voice, even when Rodger took his anger out on her. Better me than you was the little whisper she would say before tucking Meghan in at night. Actually those were her last words all together, right before the broken Corona bottle hit her, ending her far too short time with her daughter.

The memories kept coming, now Meghan is entering high school, happy to be away from Rodger, even for the day, when a teacher calls her to his office. She doesn't need to know why, that is "uncle Bill" he’s been visiting since she was ten, and she knew the drill.

With that memory, she jarred awake finding herself sitting in a cold bath and freezing. She finished her bath and dried off trying to ignore the silver little lines that criss crossed her body, scars from her days at the club.

The club held a special place in Meghans heart, and that place was one of hatred, hatred with all her heart. Club Dread, yes a terrible and unimaginative name, was a private club owned by some weird guy named Devlin, Meghan had never actually met him and all she knew about him was that he had bought her when Rodger decided his debt was to great and somehow arranged to sell his only daughter to some mysterious businessman. Club Dread was the type of club you only hear about in crime shows, a place where sin and vice worked hand in hand, the only difference was it was a club exclusively for vampires. Yes vampires, not those horror movie half dead zombie SOBs nor were they the gentle and sparkly fucks you read about in trashy preteen novels, no for the most part they were normal looking people that just so happened to LOVE the taste of human blood, they also have cocks the size of baseball bats but that's a detail for later. That is when Meghans life really took a turn, before she was Meghan Daniels she was Jasmine Davis and that was the name she had to use in the club because as luck would have it, rodger had given her the perfect whores name. It all started when she had just turned 14 and was trying to enjoy her first summer after freshman year of highschool when rodger told her that she had a meeting, this was not unusual for him to tell her this, he would arrange “playdates” with uncles where they would “play” with her. This usually began with her removing her clothes so they could see her and then they would have her take their ugly oldman dicks into her mouth and suck until they came. She learned very quickly the punishment for gagging or spitting and that was incentive enough to swallow all that they gave. Next was even worse, sometimes it was straight to ramming their old pud into her and thrusting until they collapse on her where they would fall asleep and she’d be pinned until they woke for another round, and that was when she was lucky, if not it was them spending time “stretching her out” so they would have a go at her ass. That was her hell, the night would usually end with her bleeding and them getting angry at her for ruining their “good nylons”. She’d end up walking out of the hotel or the house to her father's waiting truck with a fresh black eye, one that would soon have a twin after her father heard of her behavior. This summer day was different, they drove for hours into the city and down a nondescript street to the front of a club. She had walked with her father down an alley of the side of the building where he told her that this was were she’d be staying from now on. A door she hadn’t even seen swung open and an older woman wrapped her arms around Jasmine in a vice like hug as she watched the man she called daddy turn and walk away without even looking to say goodbye.

Meghan shot up from her bed in a cold sweat, still seeing the back of Rodger as he walked down the alley and away from her. She hated those dreams, the ones that never let her forget about what she is or where she came from. Today was a new day, at least that's the lie she told herself as she dragged herself out of bed and into the bathroom. Days like this always left her feeling worse for wear and had the annoying habit of making her wrists and lower arms itch, never letting her forget about all the lovely little lines that told her horrible story. She did her best to wash her face and get ready for another day, she went to the kitchen and started the coffee maker as she gazed out the window, in her half dead state she could almost imagine someone standing outside just past her garden hedge in the forest that bumps up to her house, but that’s nonsense no one from her past knew where she lived and even if they did, she is nothing special, just a used and abused bloodbag for monsters to stick their fangs and other things into. She poured her cup and sat with her back to the wall ignoring the feeling of being watched. If she had looked closer she might have seen the shimmer of two beautiful blue eyes looking into her own. She downed her coffee and gathered her things, today was going to be a long one, a double shift at the bar because Geneen called in “sick” for the umteenth time this month, probably out with her latest hookup lapping at his sagging balls and hoping for a half competent tongue to return the favor, guh Geneen was such a bitch. This unpleasant thought carried her to the bar to get ready for the early birds to arrive. For all her bitching Meghan loved the bar and especially the old men who came in every day and the ass crack of dawn to sit and chat with her about the silliest things. Yes sometimes they drank too much and got a little handsy but that stops real fast when they find themselves laid out on the floor from a swift cuff to the ear, it never hurt them anymore than a bruised pride and that's why they loved her, she would laugh and chat but you always knew when to keep your hands in your pockets with the fiery queen of the bar. As the neon flickered to life and the windows freshly wiped, the old timers were there in the same seats ever, it was good, it was easy, it was safe.

The day passed without issue and Meghan soon found her mind wandering and before she knew it, it was 3 o’clock and she spied that strange man from last night standing at her bar chatting with mic, a kindly old man who has become her favorite customer. She hurried over to mics side ready to shoo of the strange and alluring man. “Oh shut the fuck up” she thought as that intrusive tingle accompanied her internal monologue. “Mic, how are you doing today, you need another” gesturing to his empty glass. “ oh yes my dear and one for my new friend, what was your name again, this old mind isn’t what it used to be” mic replied looking at the man before her. “ it’s Atticus, Atticus Cain sir” said the stranger, well not a stranger anymore. With his introduction he performed a quick bow, quite out of place in the backwoods bar they stood in. Before Meghan turned to get the drinks for mic she noticed Atticus’ eyes watching her all through his bow. She turned quickly to keep from getting lost in those beautiful eyes and dashing smile. ‘DASHING AND BEAUTIFUL!! That's what your thinking, get your head out of your ass before you find his firmly planted there” she yelled into her all to aroused and slightly damp mind as she watched the pints bubble over. She returned to Mic with his beers in her hand just catching the last string of conversation from both men. “She is a wonderful woman, couldn’t find better” mic almost whispered. “Wonderful, thats a good word for her” atticus said with a small almost timid smile in her direction. Contrary to her usual reaction when a guy like him flirts with her or even looks at her with desire, she didn’t feel the repulsion from this weird man with an even stranger name. She even found herself returning the smile however briefly. With Mic taken care of and other patrons lining up, she busied herself and found the day slipping by. By the end of the night as she closed down the till and began to shoo the barflies of their stools and into the warm summer night, she found atticus waiting outside. “Bars closed, you’ll have to come back tomorrow if you want to get drunk with Mic again” she said as she turned off the lights and closed the gate. “I’m actually here to talk with you” that sent Meghan into defensive more and her hand slipped into her purse to grip the can of bear mace she kept just in case. Atticus seemed to sense her aggitationand proptly took two large steps back and gave the most corny and well coordinated bow she had ever seen. “ I am so sorry, that came out a lot more creepy than I had intended” Atticus spoke still in full bow. The sight alone almost made Meghan laugh but it did have the effect of calming her down. “ I actually wanted to apologize for yesterday, you seemed really shocked when I mistook you for someone else, I wanted to make sure you were alright”. His apology sounded sincere and Meghan found herself looking at him with kindness in her eyes, A lot of lust to but mostly kindness. She accepted his apology and even accepted his offer to walk her to her car, It being only about 50 feet away wasn’t much but the offer was still nice. They parted at her car and Meghan found herself thinking about Atticus all the way home and even into bed as she lay her head on the pillow. The name she realized as she hovered on the edge of sleep, the name sounds familiar. That was all she had time to think before sleep took her.

The sun broke through the curtains to shine on her face warming her and allowing her to wake slowly. Meghan turned to see the time on her alarm and was surprised to find it was already nine. Thank goodness she was on her weekends. With that comfort she stretched and arched her back exposing her plump breasts and as she glanced down the thin sheet slipped and exposed two small peaks pointing to the heavens. “Damn, the mornings are getting colder, autumn might come early” she mused as her mind woke more to the new day. She began her day as usual with a strong mug of coffee as she relaxed in her kitchen. As she finished her coffee and put it in the sink, a knock came from her front door. “Who the fuck is knocking this early, better not be those damn missionaries or they’ll get the hose again.” She peeked through the hole and sighed internally, it was Charlie, her would be sutor and the thickest man she had ever met (Rodger not being included). He had the habit of coming around on her days off to ask if she needed any house work done or to “see how she was settling in” even though she’d been in this house for over seven months now. She opened the door and put on a smile hoping he wouldn’t stay long this time. “Morning Charlie, how can I help you today” putting on a tone of bored indifference. It wasn’t even that he was a bad guy but Meghan had no desire to be in a relationship nor entertain a quick fuck, no matter how handsome he was, and Charlie was. Imagine the perfect cowboy you can now imagine he had a younger brother, that was charlie, always the little brother never the stud. “Oh I just stopped in to see how you were settling in” ugh so predictable “I also just wanted to see you, is that so wrong” yes, very. “Not at all, and I am settling in well enough but I’m kinda tired, I might go back to bed for a bit” she lied hoping this brick wall would at least believe that. “Oh thats cool, I can maybe stop by later and see if your feeling better” he said as his eyes slipped lower to finally come to rest on her tits. Meghan crossed her arms feeling uncomfortable “goodbye Charlie” she said as she began to close the door but he didn’t even hear her as he watched her breasts still in view in her small T-shirt she wore in the mornings. With the door closed she breathed out a deep sigh, and looked at her chest and realized with a flush that her favorite Tee was as sheer as lace and the cold air from outside didn’t help.

With Charlie gone, Meghan decided it was time for a bit of errands, She went back upstairs and dressed in a casual pair of jeans and a cute emerald blouse that people told her really accented her naturally fiery hair, with a simple coat she locked up and decided to walk instead of drive the short distance away. The morning air was crisp but not cold and really made her feel alive. She walked down mainstreet and stopped in at her favorite cafe, a simple little one room place that never tried to be anything it wasn’t. As she walked in she noticed Atticus right away, who wouldn’t, he stood out like the fucking sun. There he stood in line a few people in front wearing surprisingly a simple tee and jeans over shoes that had to have cost a small fortune. She must have made a noise or a comment because right then he turned to meet her eyes, and his face lit with a kind smile. He stepped out of line and walked up to her, “good morning Meghan, I thought I'd find you at the bar this morning”. From anyone else the comment might be taken as an insult of her job but from him, there was no trace of condescension or insult and she found herself once again smiling at this weird and all to kind man. “No, thank goodness, I'm finally on my weekend, don’t get me wrong, I love the bar and the owner has been nothing but kind to me”. As they chatted the line moved and before Meghan knew it she was standing at the front and Atticus was offering to buy her coffee saying “It’s the least I can do for the company you’ve given me, and if you don’t mind, I’d love to continue our talk sitting outside”. That threw her, most guys who “offer to buy” always seem to follow it up with some sleazy line about going back to their place. “Sure, I don’t really have any place to be” They collected their drinks and made their way out to the front where the cafe had set out a few small garden tables for people to sit at in the warmer months. They sat at a table to the corner of the building but in clear view of the people walking around. It occurred to Meghan that he seemed to choose a place for her comfort in mind, a place out of the way of pedestrians but within easy reach if she decided to leave, he even sat on the end facing the road so she wouldn’t feel trapped. They sat and sipped their coffee both going slow not wanting to rush the conversation that seemed to flow so naturally as if they were old friends just catching up. Soon enough like all the good things in her life, that came to a screeching halt. “Atticus Is that you?” a voice from behind her that sent her blood running cold, she couldn’t even turn her head to see the man approaching the table but she knew who it was. That was the voice of Claude, Claude van Hook, an old regular of club dread and sadistic freak who just loved to see her bleed. Atticus smiled at the approaching man but no hint of kindness could be seen in him as if all the love in the world had drained from his electric blue eyes, “Hook, to what do I owe this unpleasant surprise,” and that voice, that wasn’t the voice of the man she had just been talking to, that was the voice of a monster, a monster who would slaughter an army just to watch the waters turn from their blood. “No need to be hostile, I just came up here for the fresh air and the beautiful woman, and a little birdie at the club told me you had wandered up this way too” with that claude glanced down at Meghan and smiled “and I can see you found a nice little toy to chew up, let me know when you’re bored of her and I’ll take a turn” Meghan clutched the arms of the chair and forced herself to stay put, she knew if she ran they’d catch her in a heartbeat. “HEY” both atticus and claude stiffened slightly, she knew that old raspy voice, that was Mic, “oh please Mic don’t get involved” she thought, not needing more innocent blood on her hands. “Hey, you heard me, I don’t know what you’re saying to this young woman but I can tell from a mile away she ain’t happy” Mic yelled as he hobbled up the street. “I think that's my que to to head out” Claude smiled with his eyes lingering on Meghan, “I’ll see you later Jasmine” and then he was off walking swiftly down the lane and soon out of site. Mic continued up to Meghan and patted her on the shoulder, and without another word was ambling off again in the direction of the bar. She forced her eyes of Mic and glanced at Atticus, His eyes didn’t meet hers as he looked at his empty coffee cup, “I” and before another word was out of his mouth she was off, running with all she had back to her house, She may not know a lot about those monsters but knew they couldn’t enter her house without an invitation. She got home in record time and right when she closed the door and bolted it she fell. Her knees resting at her chest as she fought to breath and tears poured out of her. “ how the fuck could I be so stupid, like I could ever get away, I should have known with how he looked at me” before she could berate her self more the panic attack delivered its final, and in many ways kindest blow. She slumped to the floor in front of her door and passed out.

When she came to, the day had passed into night. She clambered up and began to gather her things in a manic frenzy. She had to go, if they found her now maybe she could find another place more remote and hide. She threw her close in a bag and opened the door to take the first load to the car. As the door swung open, she saw a figure draped in shadow standing at her stoop. In her panic she dropped the bag and took a step back but before she could take another, she was engulfed in warm arms holding her in place. “Don’t run away little one” came the raspy old voice and the warm scent of pine and whiskey that she knew as Mics. She returned the hug not knowing what else to do. “I don’t have a choice, you don’t know what they are,” she cried. “I know all too well what those two are and I understand your fear, but running never solved anything and if you do, all you show is that you are prey to be caught” he let the hug end and held her at arm's length and looked into her eyes “and you’re not prey”. He took her hands between his and placed a small bundle into her palm. He turned and walked to the door with one more glance back before the door shut, “prove them wrong” with that the door closed and Meghan was left standing in her entryway alone with the small bundle left by the weird and kind old man.

Leaving the bags in the entryway meghan returned to her bed, to exhausted to run now and as she lay in bed the words Mic had said rang in her head “prove them wrong”. Who was he, why did he know of vampires and why was he not afraid of them, these thoughts and many even more troubling carried her off to sleep. She awoke with a start as the sun peeked through the blinds and on to her face. Today was the last day of her weekend and that meant she wouldn’t have to leave her house and she’d be safe. Out of paranoia she checked the window locks and made sure no one was waiting for her outside, just because those leeches couldn’t come in didn’t mean a thrall they had twisted around their finger couldn’t march right in. Satisfied that the area was secure she went to the kitchen to get coffee started and take some painkillers, she had a headache from the adrenaline crash and needed to sort that out. As the coffee maker began its first pot of the day, certainly not the last, she spied the bundle Mic had given her sitting on the table. “I don’t remember putting it there last night, but whatever, I can barely remember getting to bed” she let that thought die as she went to unwrap it. What she found was not what she had expected, inside the cloth wrapping was a little crucifix but not at the same time. It was Jesus, she knew that from all the church picnics she was dragged to by Rodger when he was trying to find new “clients” for her, but instead of a normal cross it seemed to be two crossed spears. All of this was surrounded by a beautifully designed circle of interwoven vines. The little charm was not so little a fit comfortably in her palm and had a healthy weight to it. As she turned it over in her hand she saw some writing on the back, if you could call the squiggles writing. If it was writing it was in a language she had never seen.

She held the charm to her chest and thought on the events of yesterday and tried to put them in order. First and foremost Claude, that horrible abusive monster, knew where she was. Second, Mic knows about vampires and said “they” when talking about them like he was hinting at something bigger. And finally Atticus seemed to know Claude and wasn’t afraid of him so maybe Atticus is a vampire too... That is a scary thought. She looked back at the charm and decided that if Mic, whatever he was, gave her the charm then it was probably worth keeping it close. She went to her room and found an old shoe lace and looped in on the charm, it would serve as a basic necklace until she could get a proper chain for something this pretty. The rest of the day was spent in the house doing basic chores and planning for the week, she had come to the conclusion that she wouldn’t run away, couldn’t now even if she wanted to, they would find her like they did here. Meghan called her boss at the bar explaining that she is having a problem with an “overzealous patron” and was hoping to work the morning shift for a while since she wasn’t feeling comfortable closing. Her boss agreed and even told her that he would say around to keep an eye on the place to make her feel better. Meghan loved her boss and felt better knowing she’d have company during work, it did surprise her how quickly he agreed, almost like he was expecting this to happen. But whatever, she wasn’t going to questions Dans preparedness and was just happy that she had some good people on her team. With the chores done and the calls made, the evening had crept in and she relaxed on her sofa watching some mindless tv barely watching as she ate her dinner. She was shocked out of her stupor with a knock at her door. She got up and slowly made her way to the door and looked out of the peephole. Her blood ran cold when she saw who it was. There on her stoop was Claude, dressed as if he had walked off a cheesy pirate play, in full puffy shirt and leather trousers. Behind him stood three men dressed in what looked to be full length trench coats with sickly pale faces peeking out from ugly cowboy hats. “Thralls” she knew that ugly look in the eyes and knew Claude wouldn’t hesitate to have them break the door if she didn’t answer. She grabbed the charm from the coat hook and tucked it into her t-shirt where it almost felt warm against her skin. She opened the door, being sure to keep away from the threshold, Claude couldn’t pass but the men behind him could. With all the strength she could muster she spoke “What do you want, my debt to the club has been paid, I don’t want anything from you” She steeled her eyes to look as menacing as possible, it really wasn’t much in the face a monster renowned in the club for his cruelty and love of pain. With an overly cheery smile he answered “What, no hello for your favorite client, I know you missed me”. Meghans eyes slipped from Claude and glanced past him to the men who each took a step towards her as if in response to her insult of their master. She took a breath and steadied herself, “My days at the club are done, I would appreciate it if you left, I am not in the business anymore”. His smile fell as he narrowed his eyes “of course your still in, a whore is a whore no matter how she tries to run. If you your truly out why were you with Atty, he’s more of an animal in the bed than I am”. She took a step back as if she was pushed. “I’m tired of this little back and forth.” he tilted his head to the men “grab her”. The Thralls surged forward before he could even react and close the door. They took her by the arm and dragged her out the door and into the cold night air. With claude in the lead he led her and the men out of the neighborhood and into the forest that bordered the town. They walked for almost half an hour, Meghan struggling the whole way but the thralls had a tight grip on her arm and rag in her mouth to keep her quiet. They came to a small clearing where the men dropped her in the dirt at Claude's feet. The men dispersed to the edge of the clearing. Meghan knew she couldn’t run, Claude was to fast and if she tried he’d punish her more that he was already planning to. She looked up at him and in the pale moonlight she saw the cruelty shine from his long dead eyes. “Strip” he shouted. She knew the drill, she slipped back to the little girl she once was at the hand of the clubs matron and her “training”. Meghans shirt came off and lay in the dirt exposing her black lace bra she had bought last month. Tears slid down her face and she tried to focus on getting through tonight. “Stand and off with the pants, I want to see you in that sluty lingerie you wore for me”. She stood with her eyes downcast and slipped out of her sweatpants bending down to remove them fully she felt a sharp smack on her ass and shuddered with fear. With the pants off she stood in her bra and the matching black panties. Claude smiled as he eyed her up and down until his eyes locked onto the pendent that still hung from her neck and rested on her ample breast. “You won’t be needing any fancy jewelry for this” he reached to rip the pendent of and as his hand wrapped around it, the pendant began to glow and warm. “FUCK!!!” Claude let out an ear piercing shriek as he pulled his hand away. His palm smoked from a charred circle as if he had held a burning lump of coal. “You fucking bitch, I don’t know what the fuck you did but you’ll fucking pay” he lifted his uninjured arm ready to strike when he froze stiff as a board. Claused eyes grew big and the cruelty that was once there was replaced by a look of fear, primal fear more terror that meghan had ever seen in her life. “Fuck” he whispered as he turned and ran as fast as he could away from Meghan. Knowing that if a monster like Claude was afraid, she should be to but she slowly turned to she what she knew would be her end. When she turned and looked, what she saw was shocking. The three thralls lay dead and headless on the ground at the edge of the clearing and through the trees she could just make out the shape of a man riding a horse away from her. “What the fuck is going on!!” she shouted into the night. She gathered and put on her clothes and began to walk swiftly back to where she hoped was home. The going was slow as she walked without her shoes and every few steps she’d smack into something stumbling through the woods. It was about twenty minutes after she left the clearing when she tripped on an upturned root and landed hard on a rock, badly splitting the skin of her knee. “Meghan!! Is that you” came a voice from the dark. Meghan froze thinking claude had found her. “Meghan!” the voice came closer and she recognized it, though that did not bring her comfort. That was Atticus wandering in the forest looking for her. She clamped her hands over her mouth and hoped he wouldn’t find her but as she shifted the rock dug deeper and a small whimper escaped her. Atticus was on her in an instant, she tried to yell but he had already wrapped his arms around her and had her face buried in his, all to warm, chest. “I was so worried about you, I went to see you and make sure you were alright after yesterday but I found your door wide open” he almost sounded like he was crying. His warm body soothed her and before she knew what was happening she was clinging to him and sobbing into his shoulder. They stayed wrapped in each others arms for a time before Atticus noticed Meghan shiver. He began to stand when he had to grab Meghan to keep her from falling. Her pant leg was soaked with blood and matted with mud and twigs. He scooped her into his arms seemingly ignoring the sweet and seductive scent that wafted up from the small girl in his arms.

Meghan woke slowly, wincing as she shifted in bed. The pain had her awake and alert in an instant. She threw the blanket off to expose her neatly bandaged leg. She wore new sweatpants that she didn’t recognize and was laying in a bed that was not her own. Panicking, she tried to get up only to land hard on her injured knee and let loose a shriek that would have made a banshee envious. The door flew open and youngish looking girl hurried to help her into the bed again. The girl deftly scooped Meghan in her arms and deposited her on the bed, her strength out of proportion to her slender frame. “Now if you fall out of the bed again I won’t be helping you again, got it?” the young woman spoke with a kindness in her tone, as if speaking to an errant child. “WHERE THE FUCK AM I” meghan yelled hoping to get some reaction from this small person. “Oh don’t worry, your still in North Bend and no ones gonna hurt you here” the young girl said with a small cute smile gracing her lips. “Atty brought you here after he found you in the woods with a nasty cut on your knee, I’ve been playing nurse!!” she stuck her hand out to meghan with a beaming smile “i’m Shelby, Shelby Cain, but you can call me Sugar, everyone else does.” she said with a little wink. Meghan not knowing how to process this bizarre situation shook Sugars hand and attempted a smile in return. “I’m Meghan, nice to meet you?” ending the shake with a question. “Oh I know who you are, Atty can’t seem to shut up about you!” using her hand Sugar mimicked a person talking while rolling her eyes. Meghan couldn’t figure out why but this girl made her feel okay, like she was with a little sister. A memory of last night burst into her head stopping the torrent of words from Sugar from being processed, she remembered last night, the sight of Claude at her door, the cold walk into the woods, the fear that pierced his eyes and the blood, all the blood on the grass from where the three thralls bodies lay, their heads a few feet away. She felt nauseous and slammed her hand to her mouth, shutting Sugar up with the sudden movement. She didn’t have time to stop anything before Meghan emptied her stomach all over the bed and herself. Perks to Sugar who didn’t even flinch at the sudden surge of vomit and bile that splashed across the soft cotton blanket and even landed on her dress. Calmly and without a care for her own clothing helped Meghan through the final spasms before Meghans stomach couldn’t release any more. With the last shudder passed, Meghan felt the fear sink into her bones. When she was young and got sick, either from the flu or cum clogging up her throat, Rodger would all but throw her at the nearest wall. He hated the site of vomit or even hearing someone get sick was enough to send him into a rage. Though she hadn’t seen Rodger since he dumped her at the club she still held the instinctive fear of punishment. Meghan slowly turned her head towards Sugar, ready with an apology on her lips. Before the words could come out, Sugar let out a laugh as cheery as a summer day, “I haven’t seen that kind of show since my first day working with cadavers in college” Sugar wiped a tear from her eyes and she finished with a giggle. “Okay, lets get those blankets and other dirty shit off you and get you cleaned up”. This show of kindness was not at all what meghan had expected and it must have shown on her face. “What, you think this little display of vomit is gonna get me mad, oh no, you should have seen the show during my anatomy lecture when we first split open a corpse!” Sugar giggled “now that was vomit, this, this is nothing” she gave Meghan a warm smile hoping to convey the truth of her words. Sugar gathered up the soiled blanket and dropped it in a basket by the door, she then turned back to Meghan and looked her up and down. “We’re gonna have to get you washed and into a fresh change of clothes, let me help you to the bathroom” Meghan slowly stood and leaned on the slim frame and they made their way to the ensuite. Sugar gently lowered her to a bench and turned to the bathtub. As the bath slowly filled Sugar excused herself to get some new clothes and a fresh towel. This bit of solitude gave Meghan a chance to muse on her weird and almost comfortable surroundings. She knew she should be panicking, being in a stranger's home and a Vamps home to boot, but the young girl had shown no sign of anger or hatred or anything even resembling a negative emotion and it put Meghan at a strange peace. She lifted her hand to her chest where she found the charm still sitting against her breast almost thrumming happily. If the weird little charm was happy then she guessed she could be for now.

With the bath full, Meghan shrugged out of her vomit coated clothes and with help from Sugar she slid slowly into the hot water. The bath was huge, it was big enough for her to sit fully submerged and her long red hair floated gently in the steaming water and caressed her large breast that just peeked above the level of the water. Once she was in and comfortable sugar told her that she would be heading out for a bit and to rest, she’d be back before long and assured Meghan that she’d be their to help her out of the bath once she got her new clothes. With that Meghan found herself alone to soak and clean herself, she began to think on the weird turn of events and looked to her pendant that sat on the stool and if she could almost sware she could feel in watching her, not in a creepy way but it almost felt like, and she felt both sad and happy at the thought, but it felt like her mother was sitting with her like she used to when she was a tiny child. Meghan closed her eyes and let the water soothe her into a daze. She was not sure how long she sat there before she heard footsteps running up stairs when suddenly the door to her bathroom flew open and their in all his sexy glory was Atticus. With a shriek and a splash she flung her arms out as if to stop him from coming closer and when she opened her eyes, she saw with slight amusement, Atticus standing their in a three piece suite dripping wet. She couldn’t hold back the laughter and burst out laughing at this intimidating vampire who stood motionless, eyes wide and soaked to the bone. When he finally seemed to process what had happened he swiftly turned away, “I am so sorry Meghan, I heard Sugar had left for a bit and I thought you’d still be in bed, when you weren’t there I assumed the worse and I Just had to check to make sure you were okay”. For all her fear and hatred to these monsters, she couldn’t help but feel safe in his presence. “I’m ok, Sugar went to get me new clothes, I got sick,” she said, trying to hide her blush even with his back turned to her. “And I am sorry but I think I ruined those nice blankets, I’ll pay you back for them”. Atticus turned sharply “you don’t have to appo..” another wave of hot water slammed into his face, cutting him off. “Don’t FUCKING look, you creep!!” He turned back to where he was standing “sorry im stupid, but like I was saying, you don’t have to appologize or pay for anything, I should be the one to appologize, if it weren’t for me coming here to North Bend, HE would never have come and found you” Atticus hung his head low and sounded broken. “Why did you come to North Bend, I can’t imagine it’s a place high on vampire vacation destinations, You are a vampire, right?” Meghan asked knowing the answer already. “Yes I am, as for why I’m here is a kind of embarrassing story, one to be told when your not sitting naked in a bath”. A knock from the bathroom door broke them both out of their conversation, there in the doorway stood Sugar with a eyes alight in anger. “ what the fuck are you doing here, I leave for twenty minutes and you’re already in here doing heaven knows what to a woman who is clearly injured!!” She spoke with a barely controlled fury that sent a shiver down Meghans spine though she still sat in the hot water. “I” was all Atticus could utter before the flood gates opened “GET THE FUCK OUT BEFORE I THROW YOU FROM THE WINDOW!!” Sugar bellowed which sent Atticus running from the bathroom leaving a trail of bathwater dripping from his clothes.

Sugar helped Meghan from the bath and into a new set of surprisingly well fitting clothes and helped her hobble back to the bad. “I really need to go, my boss is probably pissed that I skipped out on work, I’ll be lucky to have a job when I get home” said meghan trying to stand on her own. Sugar, with a strong but gentle hand held her in place, “Atty called your boss and told him you were attacked and injured, your boss seemed to know something like this might happened and was more concerned with your health and safety” Sugar led Meghan back to bed and helped her sit on the plush mattress. This surprised Meghan but it really shouldn’t, of course this weird and beautiful man thought to call Dan on her behalf, at least she told Dan about the “stocker”. “I should still head home, I don’t want to be a burden to you or Atticus” still Meghan tried to stand. “You’re not a burden, and no why in hell are you going home alone in your condition, you wouldn’t even make it ten feet before that knee gave out on you” a gentle hand pushed Meghan effortlessly back into the bed when a knock came from the open door where Atticus stood in new, clean, and dry clothes. No longer in an impressive suit but in a t-shirt and a pair of grey sweatpants that, at least to Meghan showed far too much of what must be an impressive endowment, to be proper for him to wear around the two women. Sugar seems not to notice the almost laughable bulge on his front and promptly stood, “well I am going down stairs for a bit of lunch, i’ll leave you two to talk” as she left Sugar closed the door and have Meghan a small wink as if they were in on some secret, Meghan for the life of her couldn’t guess what the small girl was hinting at. As the door latched shut a silence fell between them that was almost too much for Meghan to take. She watched Atticus as he stood and shuffled as if nervous or scared to be in her presence, which is weird, him being a vampire and her, an injured girl sitting in his house. Her eyes wandered up and down but kept falling to his pants and she could have sworn she saw it twitch. Meghans eyes flew up to his as a full face blush rushed across his face, matching the one growing on Meghan who’s dirty mind made it hard not to notice the warmth spreading south. “I” Atticus stuttered and coughed to clear his throat “I wanted to see how you were feeling, your knee was really swollen by the time I got you back here to have Sugar clean and dress it” he looked up from where he seemed to be boring a hole in the floor with his eyes to catch hers. “Thank heavens my little sister took a spin in med school before turning to bio-med” he smiled at her and the smile almost reached his eyes. Something else is going on, thought Meghan as she watched him still shuffling a little in place. “Atticus, What's going on? There’s something you’re not telling me” Meghan said with an accusatory tone. He took a deep sigh and his eyes slipped back to the floor. “How did you survive, before I found you, I found three dead and mutilated thralls still warm”. With that he looked her in the eye and his gaze held little comfort in its intensity. This caught Meghan off guard, she hadn’t had a chance to really think on the hows, only on her drive to escape from that clearing.

She reached to her shirt and clasped the pendant and it seemed to thrum to match her heartbeat. Meghan looked into Atticus’ eyes and held his gaze, “I don’t know, clau... That man was about to hit me and he just ran off, he looked scared and when I turned around I saw the three laying there dead and beyond them it almost looked like a cowboy riding off into the distance” Atticus looked confused and let his stern look slip. “A.. a cowboy?” he stuttered out trying to keep the laughter from bubbling out of him. “Like, high ho silver cowboy?” his smile was steadily climbing up his face. His remarks started to grate on Meghans nerves, how can he laugh, he’s a fucking vamp. “No, not like that, but it was a man on a horse, how else am I gonna explain a random person on a horse in the middle of the woods!?!” she was mad and being laughed and madder still at herself for the silly story that she had just told. Atticus still stood trying not to laugh as he digested what she had just said when his smile suddenly fell as his eyes spied the pendant sitting against Meghans all to distracting chest. “Where did you get that necklace?” his voice was flat and monotone. Meghan looked down and looked at her pendant and wondered if she should tell him or keep it a secret to protect Mic. The memory of Claude howling in pain and the smell of burning flesh made her loosen her grip on the pendant she hadn’t remembered grabbing again. “I bought it, at a thrift store in Seattle last month.” the lie sounded weak even to her own ears. “Fine, if you don’t want to tell me that's okay, you’ve been through a lot and I don’t want to put you on the spot.” Atticus turned and started to exit the room. The view from the back wasn’t bad at all, he had a butt gay men would kill for. This thought sent another wave of warmth straight down Meghans spine.

With Atticus out of the room Meghan breathed a sigh of relief, she was mad at herself for allowing him to see her flustered and worse naked. He was a vamp and hadn’t she spent years trying to get away from them. With her mind made she began to work her way out of the bed and on to her all to unstable feet. She had just made it to a vertical position when the door swung open and in walked Sugar carrying a tray with plates piled precariously with sandwiches and bowls containing what smelled like a stew. The moment Sugar spied the wabbly and still in pain Maghan, she switched from carrying the tray with two hands to a one handed palm with the grace of a russian ballerina and promptly pushed Meghan back with a single finger straight back onto the bed. “By god you're worse than Atty when he's in one of his antsy moods, sit your cute ass back on the bed and let me help you!” Using only one hand Sugar rearranged the blankets and helped maneuver Meghan into a sitting position. Meghan would have argued but the risk of burning stew falling on her kept her in line. Once the blankets were back on meghans lap, Sugar gingerly laid the tray of food on top and plucked a sandwich for herself. Meghan, resigned to her fate for the time being, picked a small half sandwich from the tray as well and brought it to her lips. Before she had even gotten a chance to take her first bite, sugar spoke “why do you not want to be here really, and don’t give me that half baked idea that you are a bother.” This question stilled the foods journey to Meghans mouth and before she could think of a proper lie her mouth was already talking and the stress from the last week and the last decade came pouring out. “I’m scared! I’m scared for vampires, of the things they do, of the nice guys who seem innocent but the moment I let my guard down they are on me, using me, defiling me. Do you know what some of the elite vamps like to do to the girls when they take them from the club, do you know the pain of having a knife pushed into you, into the most sensitive and private place, only to have some old perv lap up the blood from the source before shoving his old pud into you for hours and whenever he gets thirsty he uses the same knife to slash across your back so he can snack without having to stop. But of course you wouldn’t know because you are one, you are one of the monsters who tortured me for years!!” tears rolled down Meghans check dripping onto the forgotten sandwich. Once her anger had ebbed, Meghan sat, eyes unfocused when she heard Sugar shift. That was it, they know how she felt and they would toss her out or worse, hand her over to Claude. The bed dipped and the tray slid from the her lap and clattered to the floor, the sound of breaking plates sharp and jarring, when two arms wrapped around Meghans shoulders, she flinched before they grew tighter and she realized Sugar was hugging her and in her ears she heard soft snuffling and Sugar wept with her. Meghan lifted her arms slowly and embraced Sugar in turn. They stayed wrapped in a hug until the door slammed open with Atticus bursting in. Meghan seemed to grow smaller in Sugars arms before a single word drifted past her ears, low and primeval, a word not meant for Meghan but for Atticus, “out”. Such a small word, spoken by such a small creature seemed to carry the weight of ages with it as it seemed to all but knock Atticus out of the room.