Treasure's Slice of the World @veiledtreasurebdb-blog - Tumblr Blog

I AM NOT ALONE!

Treasure: Slowly and cautiously, I slipped out of the room and down the hallway in the direction of the dining room. Someone there had to be able to direct me to where Teyanna @TroubleWACapT had gone. She could perform the test on me to tell if I was with young. Would a test tell this early? From what I had been told, it had only been a few days. In all actuality, I didn’t need the test. I knew I was. It was hard to describe, and I knew it wasn’t normal, but I could sense the new life inside me. I could feel it reaching out and trying to calm me. However, this created the opposite feeling to flow through my bones; I only wanted to protect it with my life, if necessary.

Determination now pushed me forward as I came upon the kitchen. Only a few mahmens were there feeding their young. One caught my eye, and I quietly approached with a small smile. “Hi. I am looking for Teyanna @TroubleWACapT. Would you happen to know where I could find her?”

The mahmen met my gaze and moved protectively before her two young. Her head shook as she responded to me. “I have not seen her in a while, but her office is down that hallway.” She raised a slender finger to point toward the other side of the kitchen.

“Thank you,” I said before striding across the room.

Making my way down the hall, it was quiet. Most doors were closed, and the open ones had people hard at work, but no Teyanna @TroubleWACapT. I was beginning to panic again. I needed to talk to someone I knew, someone I trusted. Not that I knew Teyanna @TroubleWACapT well, but I had already tried to call Amari @PretyGrlAmari, but she hadn’t answered. Outside of her, I only knew the people I had seen at Havers, Teyanna @TroubleWACapT being one of them. She worked there before me and now only came in rarely, but I had met her a few times.

As I reached the end of the hall, I turned back. I reminded myself this was a #SafePlace, and I walked back down to the first open door.

When I looked inside, I saw a female deep in her work. I felt bad knocking on her door, but I needed to figure out a few things, and if Teyanna @TroubleWACapT wasn’t here, I needed another plan. Quietly, I wrapped my knuckles on the doorframe. “Excuse me. I was looking for Teyanna @TroubleWACapT but can’t find her.” @MaryLuce_BDB

Mary: *I was working on our plans for the new intake process for emergencies after discussing it with Marissa @CaldwellsBeauty, Rhym and the others @Beth_Marklon, @BellaRAhgony and @ChosenAislinn. We all agreed that we would execute our plans as soon as possible. The #Brotherhood was still receiving reports on missing females but so far the incidents have been isolated enough that it hasn’t caused a panic among the race but the entire household was worried, especially since we could not locate @Greyhson_BDB. Everyone was on high alert and all hands were on deck to help where anyone could help.

I just finished inputting the new data into our forms when suddenly, I heard a knocking at my door and when I looked up I saw a new face. Beautiful female with long blond hair and blue eyes. She looked slightly panicked and seemed really anxious.*

Hi! Um, I think Teyanna @TroubleWACapT stepped out. I’m Mary, come on in and have a seat. Is there something I can help you with?

Treasure: First, Amari @PretyGrlAmari wasn’t answering her phone, and now I couldn’t contact Teyanna @TroubleWACapT. The only other person I thought of was Alicia from Havers, but tonight was her night off, and I didn’t have her home number. Either way, it was time to trust someone, and who better than someone in charge at a place called #SafePlace?

Slowly stepping into the office, I gauged the room. Children’s toys were organized in bins around the room, and a bookshelf containing all kinds of books for all kinds of people: children’s, young adult, fiction, non-fiction, self-help, biographies, and medical books, to name a few. The slender yet tall female sitting at the desk exuded calmness. It was as if you were in a room with her and couldn’t help but relax. However, I still couldn’t relax after everything I had just gone through and was about to go through; there was no way I would feel peaceful anytime soon.

I walked over to the desk and sat in the seat in front of it. “Hi.” I raised my head to the female across from me, hoping to look strong and not as terrified as I was. “My name is Treasure and I’m in need of help. To start with, I need a test to confirm I am with young. After that, I have a long story to tell, and it starts with the fact that I am in serious danger, and I don’t know where to go or who to trust.”

Mary: *The female went right into her issues and I was surprised she was so open about her life. Most of the females here were more reserved and it was like pulling teeth to get them to talk to me. I always wondered if it was because I was human. Perhaps she hadn’t realized it yet … or she was just more extrovert than most. I didn’t know her story so perhaps I will get to know her.*

Ok. Not a problem. We can let Teyanna @TroubleWACapT or we can get a nurse from #Haver’s. Either or will work. No worries.

You can trust me. I’m here to help everyone that comes through our doors. Everyone here can attest to that. What’s going on? Everyone is safe inside our doors but we do have formidable security if we need it.

*Thinking of the Brothers who would happily assist with any males that would dare try to enter our doors. @Rhage_SASBDB and the Brothers would never let anything happen to anyone here.*

Treasure: ‘You can trust me,’ she said. I certainly was hoping so. Teyanna @TroubleWACapT had mentioned that here I was safe, that the people here in this place were here to help, and from what I had known of #SafePlace from working at Havers for the brief time that I had, I was safe. Today, I would bet my life on how much I could trust her. I no longer had a choice.

Taking a deep breath, I wasn’t sure where I should start. I wanted to start from the beginning, but something had just struck me hard. I may not be the only one at risk right now, but I need to think of the big picture. Sure, I was the last of the Chosen, and some random male had just fed from me. With the taste of my blood being Chosen, he would be driven to find me, and he would be able to do so with his blood flowing through my veins. There are so many problems with that. Normal vampires were not used to Chosen blood, and it can make them do strange things, possessive things to get to what they thought of as ‘their’ females. Most normal vampires knew nothing of Chosen. He would be confused. Not only would I have outed myself as a Chosen, but I may have also outed Chosen as a species subgroup.

This didn’t even begin to explain how it would affect me. I will out myself as the last Chosen to possibly the wrong people and end up imprisoned by the Brotherhood. I could get thrown out on my ass for the male that just fed from me to find me.

“I think everyone here may be in trouble because of what I have allowed to happen, and for that, I am truly sorry.” I blurted out. Continuing, I went into a little more detail, “I happen to be a very special subtype of our species that no longer exists, and I believe that I have exposed myself to an ordinary male of the species.”

Mary: *As she sat in front of me extremely agitated and nervous she started to explain that somehow she was endangering #SafePlace, I wondered briefly what could be going on and I slowly moved my hand to my cell phone to contact @Rhage_SASBDB immediately. But as she continued with her story she surprised me by basically stating that she was a special subtype … so at first, I thought she meant she was a hybrid like @Beth_Marklon or #Butch or maybe like @SinsSecondComin or #Xhex. But I wondered what she meant by “no longer existing”. But as she continued explaining that she exposed herself to an ordinary male of their species … I interrupted her.*

Wait, I’m sorry to interrupt you. What do you mean by “species that no longer exists” … at first I thought you were saying that you were a hybrid or perhaps … a Chosen?

*I watched as she widened her eyes and seemed surprised by my question confirming my answer with my last statement.* Treasure, you’re definitely not the last Chosen, hon. Actually, the Directrix Amayla @Amalya_SASBDB or even Aislinn @ChosenAislinn should be coming in for their shift in a few hours, I can introduce you to them. But wait a second … why did you think you were the last one? Where have you been if you didn’t come from #OtherSide? How did you arrive here on the #FarSide, the Earth realm?

*Now I was really curious. A Chosen found outside the #OtherSide where they have lived all their entire lives with the #ScribeVirgin as I understood it. Until Phury @PegLegPhury freed them and now they stay at @SinsSecondComin’s #GreatCamp. So, what happened to Treasure and what exactly had she been through?*

Treasure: I was startled when the word “Chosen” dropped from her lips. I was not expecting it to be the first guess out of her mouth. Maybe the rumors were true? Maybe I wasn’t actually alone? I was afraid to get my hopes up, but the way she mentioned the other Chosen, it was as if she knew them personally as if she could just pick a phone and call them as if they were not special. Maybe her “Chosen” are not the same ones I am talking about. She did mention one of them was the Directrix … I was still terrified to get my hopes up. I did not know either of the names she mentioned.

Knowing that I needed to be brave here, I decided to tell her a little more of my story. It may have put the whole place in danger, and they needed to know the severity of that. Also, I needed help. I could no longer do this all alone. I needed people that I could count on. Our kind is a social, communal kind. Some prefer to live alone, but most live in communities worldwide. Even though my mahmen, Alexandria, and I lived a secluded life, there was a community not far away that we could reach out to if we needed anything.

“I have been living in Colorado since birth, a little over 90 years ago. My mahmen, Valencia, had lived in the Sanctuary during the raid. She was pregnant with me, and her friends were afraid of the apparent death they were all looking at. None of them wanted my mahmen and her unborn young to be killed, so they helped her escape. Once out of the Sanctuary, she searched for her close friend, Alexandria, a Chosen who had fallen several years before. She took us in, and after a year or so with no word from any other Chosen, they assumed they had all died in the raid and that we were the only ones left. They have raised and protected me as if I were the last one.”

My eyes became teary as memories of their death surrounded me. I swallowed as I tried to continue, my voice shaky, “A few months back, they were out grocery shopping and got attacked. Both of them died, leaving me all alone.” The tears came a little harder as the stress of everything I was going through was added to the memory. “They had trained me to survive, but I did not want to spend my life surviving. I wanted to be amongst our own people. I had also heard whispers of other Chosen. I wasn’t sure I believed it, but if I could find more of my own, I knew I would be safe, so I traveled here from Colorado.

Unfortunately, I miscalculated my needing and ended up not having enough medication to get myself somewhere safe and get through the whole thing. Now that I have been exposed to a normal male of the species, I can already sense a young’s soul growing within me, and the male will seek out my blood again. So, I’m sorry for the danger I have put you all in by being here. I didn’t expect this to happen.

Mary: *I listened quietly trying to understand her timeline with what I have been told about the attack on the Sanctuary that @Rhage_SASBDB explained to me and with what I have learned from Phury @PegLegPhury and @Cormia_SASBDB from the 1930’s. I’m trying to remember the details of their stories, only that three rogue vampires armed with weapons stormed the Sanctuary in search of the rumored treasures that the Scribe Virgin had but I didn’t recall anything about any deaths or escapes. If her mahmen escaped while pregnant, then she was the last daughter from the previous Primale who died in the process of protecting his females. That much was true. So she was the last Chosen in that aspect. But it was because afterward, the Scribe Virgin rerouted all traffic so no one could enter nor leave without entering her private quarters. And the only people who would even know how to request permission to enter were the Brothers. So it would make sense that Valencia would not have heard from her sisters.

Before I could think more about what happened before I was even born, she explained that she was possibly pregnant and that the male might track her down here at #SafePlace. Males were not allowed inside #SafePlace so I wasn’t really sure what “danger” she spoke of, unless the this male was dangerous and would try to get inside where all the females and young were being protected within these walls.

I walked around and slowly came around my desk and leaned down to take her hands hoping to calm her down. She became more and more agitated as she explained her story. Squeezing her hands and tried to use my most calming voice.*

Treasure, slow down, everything will be fine. Amayla and Aislinn will be here really soon. Let me text them and my hellren and we can get everything sorted out. No one is in danger here. We have a top-notch security system, the Brothers made sure of that when Marissa @CaldwellsBeauty created #SafePlace. Especially with all the females and young residing here.

*Holding on to one of her hands, I took out my phone out of my pocket and quickly sent a quick text to Chosen and @Rhage_SASBDB. I let him know it wasn’t an emergency but I really needed to talk to him ASAP as soon as he was available. I knew he was out on rotation tonight but I wasn’t sure what shift he had and which team was doing what tonight.*

Ok, they’ll be here shortly. Let’s get you some tea and maybe some cookies, yea? Everything will be fine. You are not alone, not by a long shot. Amalya and Aislinn can help you assimilate wherever you want to go, whether here at #SafePlace, the #GreatCamp, back to the #OtherSide or even at the #TheManse if you want. I’m sure Wrath @LordOfTheManse and @Beth_Marklon wouldn’t mind at least for a little bit while you get comfortable. Alright?

Treasure: Her warm hands comforted me a bit, but not enough. She was sweet, and I knew she was trying to calm me down, but a little handholding just wouldn’t do it. Part of me was still in that fight or flight state, saying, “Run! Run hard, and don’t look back for anything!” I knew that was the worst thing I could do now. I may have just found my people. The Chosen didn’t die? We could have stayed there and lived a normal life with our kind instead of living this life of seclusion and survivalism. I didn’t have to be afraid all these years? At that moment, anger enveloped me against my mahmen and Alexandria. All this time, hiding and terrified that something was coming after me at every corner, we could have just lived our lives to the fullest. How do you let that sink in without being outraged and bitter? Deep down, I knew it wasn’t their fault. They didn’t know. My mahmen thought they were all going to die. She was just doing what she could to keep her young safe. I put my hand on my own belly, knowing I would do the same.

The words Mary was saying started to stick again. The two Chosen she mentioned were coming here? I was about to meet more of my kind … right now … and wait, did she just say Brothers?! The? Brothers? Is she talking about The Brotherhood? I almost missed the part about a top-notch security system. That was good. I didn’t realize that. That deflated one of my concerns.

Suddenly, I felt like the wind had been knocked out of me. All the stress I had been holding onto this whole time sagged off me like melted butter, and all it left behind was exhaustion. “Tea would be nice, thank you,” I replied to Mary. That’s when the final name spilled from her lips: Wrath. I knew that name. There was only one Wrath — the King of all vampires. “Wr … Wrath?” The Wrath I heard stories about was not a nice male. He was king of the race but wanted nothing to do with it. His only drive was to go out and kill every night. He liked no one. This brought my anxiety back up. “You … you trust Wrath?” I asked, unsure, I wanted to hear the answer. She seemed like she did, and I couldn’t wrap my head around it all. “#TheGreatCamp? #TheManse? I’ve never heard of these places before.” I began to become a little more cautious. I was no longer sure I trusted Mary. I had trusted her this far, seeing as vampires surrounded her, and they seemed to trust her, but she was only human, after all.

Mary: Yes, of course. According to @Rhage_SASBDB, Wrath @LordOfTheManse was a completely different male before he met @Beth_Marklon and took his place as King. Lots of things have changed. You probably wouldn’t have known if you have been secluded all this time.

*I explained as we exited my office and walked down the hall to the main kitchen. You could smell the cookies being baked by the doggen for the kids. I wondered briefly if perhaps mentioning the royal family was too soon. I forget sometimes that speaking about the royal couple isn’t a casual thing amongst the race. I’ve lived at #TheManse for the past few years, that its normal now.*

If you worried, you shouldn’t be … they’re great … *I was interrupted as we ran into @Amalya_SASBDB.*

Oh hey! Perfect timing.

Treasure: Wrath, Son of Wrath, actually took up the throne? I wasn’t sure what to make of this. It seemed so far-fetched compared to the stories I had heard about the male. It was not that they did not respect him or his place as king; it was just that he did not act like a righteous male. They had basically warned me of him, so I was unsure I wanted to throw away all I had been told and meet with this male.

A beautiful female striding down the hall toward us interrupted my thoughts, and I lifted a finger, ready to warn them as the two almost collided. This female, like Mary @MaryLuce_BDB, held a sense of calmness about her. However, the once-over she gave me made my skin crawl a little, and I took a slight step back. Was I doing the right thing here? Should I have opened up to these females? My whole life, I had been safe, and ever since I scored my wrist for Lohre and almost fed him, it was as if I couldn’t do the right thing to save my life, and it was my life on the line. It had become a fumble of one wrong thing after another. Am I walking myself into an enormous mistake, or worse yet, an enormous trap?

That’s when she introduced herself as Amalya and mentioned that she was sorry for how she looked at me, but I reminded her of someone she once knew. Wasn’t that the name of the Directrix? The one that Mary @MaryLuce_BDB mentioned? Is this the actual Directrix? The one that my mahmen spoke of? Is it possible that the person she recognizes in me is my mahmen? “Her name was Valencia. She disappeared from The Sanctuary a very long time ago. Are you related, my dear?” Amalya stated.

A gasp fell from my lips as relief flowed through every cell in my body. I had finally found my race, and there was more than just one of me. I was not the last Chosen in this world. I instantly fell to my knees on the hard tile floor and began to cry the happiest of tears.

#IAmNotAlone #PartFifteen #BettingTheFarm #CROSSOVER #FamilyProblems #PartEighteen #TBC #SaintsNSinners #BDB #SASBDB #BlackDaggerBrotherhood #BDBRPG

TRULY SCREWED

The expanse of time it took me to stop crying felt like days. Suddenly, it had all sunk in. I was not in danger due to where I was. I was at Safe Place. I knew all about it from my time working with Havers. This was a place for wayward females of the species and their young; a place where they could go to get away from abusive situations, situations where the sire in the family had passed and left them with nothing, and situations where they lost their homes and had no place else to go. This was a sanctuary. From what I heard, the security system was state of the art, above all others, so at this particular moment, I was safe, but I couldn’t stay here forever.

Despite all that, I was still in danger, more so now than ever in my entire life. Why had I been so callous and not listened to my mahmen and Alexandria? Why had I insisted on coming to Caldwell after their passing? They must be so disappointed in me, watching over me from above. There is no way I could have let them down more than I had by putting myself in this situation.

All my life, they had told me never to come here. In all truth, they had told me never to leave our home in Colorado. Although, after they passed, I was so lonely. I needed to find more of our people. I needed to connect with more Chosen if there were more out there. The only rumors I had heard were that some might have settled in Caldwell, so I did the stupidest thing I could do and drove 2,000 miles across the country into the lion's den, hoping to find more of my kind.

There were so many problems with my plan. One was I knew no one in Caldwell, nor did I know anything about the city and surrounding areas. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. The second thing was rumors that the Brotherhood had inhabited the area were also floating around. What if I was wrong? What if we were the only Chosen left, and now it was just me? Would the Brotherhood find, catch, and keep me imprisoned for my blood and womb? The third thing that had never even crossed my mind was my needing. How did I end up not considering that? How had I had the timing so far off on that?

Now, my plan had gone so far awry that I was in Caldwell, no closer to finding out if there were Chosen or the Brotherhood here. I ended up going through my needing with someone I don’t know. Someone who could come looking for me now that he has the taste of my blood pumping through his veins. The worst part of it all… I could now be with young. Scratch that, I was. Don’t ask me how I knew. I just knew. It is as if I could sense this little seedling taking root well inside my soul.

Standing up, I went looking for Teyanna. I was truly screwed.

#TrulyScrewed

WHAT DID I DO? W/@TroubleWACapT

Treasure:

Waking up, my body felt like someone had beat every single inch of it. Slowly I opened my eyes, and gazed around a room I had never seen. The room was pretty stark. There was a plain, wooden dresser on the wall to my right with a mirror; a small, simple nightstand in the corner, to my left; and on the wall opposite of the bed I was lying in was a closed door. I could hear muffled sounds of people on the other side and my imagination went wild. Looking under the covers, I realized that I only had a nightshirt on. I sat up, I pulled the covers to my neck, and tried to remember anything I could of the past few days. Where the hell was I? How did I get here? What was the last thing I remembered? I wracked my brain trying to remember any details of coming here. The only thing I could remember was… calling Havers! The last thing I remembered was calling Havers and giving myself the shot. This wasn’t Havers’, though.

Terror bled through my thoughts as I got up and quietly began to investigate the room. On top of the nightstand was my phone, plugged into a wall charger and an ordinary, unobtrusive lamp. There was nothing inside the drawer. Next I went over to the dresser. The top drawer was filled with packages of underwear, unopened. I found my clothes in the middle drawer, cleaned and folded, along with some other random clothes of different sizes. In the bottom drawer were clean sheets for the bed.

Double-checking the door, I grabbed my clothes from the middle drawer and began to change back into them. I couldn’t get out of the nightshirt and into them fast enough. Everything about this whole situation just felt wrong.

Teyanna:

We were short-staffed, but had tried to make sure Treasure didn’t wake up alone, not after everything she had been through. We weren’t sure how much of it she would remember upon awakening and wanted her to know she was completely safe. We had someone in her room round the clock since she arrived, waiting for the medication to finally wear off, however tonight we had a number of emergency intakes at once and I had been pulled away from her room. I was positive that when I got back, she was going to be awake and terrified.

As soon as I was done with the last intake, I rushed back to her room and quietly knocked on the door. “Treasure?” I could hear shuffling on the other side of the door and knew she had woken up. “Treasure, it’s just me, Teyanna… from Havers.” I strained for any sounds. I can’t even imagine how she must be feeling, waking up in a place she had never been before, after all she had just been through.

Treasure:

The knock on the door froze me in place. The places my mind went, envisioning who might be on the other side of the door, were terrifying. The first place my mind went was of course to: someone had figured out what I was, and now they were keeping me hostage, to turn me over to the Brotherhood, who would use me as concubine to force me to breed with them all. I could literally hear the blood rushing through my body until I heard the name of the person on the other side of the door. Teyanna? What was she doing here? How was she a part of it all? Did Teyanna know the Brotherhood? Panic-stricken, I scanned the room again. There was no way out except for the one door.

I thought through my options. They were few. I could let her open the door and try to run, however seeing as there are no windows, there was no way to know if I was going to run outside into the sun; not let her in and stay in this room forever, which really wasn’t an option; or I could let her in, bide my time until I knew it was dark and then run. That seemed like the only reasonable option.

“What do you want Teyanna?” I asked, trying to delay the inevitable.

Teyanna:

I could hear the tremble in her voice and couldn’t understand her hesitation. Why would she not be relieved to know it was me? I understood being a little afraid after what she went through and waking up the way she had, but knowing that someone she knew was here should settle those nerves. She must remember the whole thing and be getting things mixed up. The medication must be intertwining memories, confusing her.

“Treasure, I just want to make sure you are okay. You’ve been through quite an ordeal.” I really wanted to speak to her in person, not through a door. When the doggen had called and told us that they had to use half of the medication sent with them on a male vampire that had found her and mated her, we knew that the only logical place to have them bring her was Safe Place. There were no males here and we were going to need to give her more medication to get her through the rest of her needing. The fact that the memories of the male were getting mixed into what was happening now, was going to make this situation that much harder. “You’re safe. Actually, you’re at Safe Place. We brought you here after we found you.”

Treasure:

My heart began to slow. Safe Place? I had heard of it. It was a home for abused females. We sent a lot of females there from Havers. Abused, beaten, broken females and their young. Why would I be at Safe Place? I wasn’t abused, or beaten, or least of all broken… or was I? My body did feel like a truck had hit it. I assumed that was from my needing. I lifted my shirt and walked to the mirror. There was bruising and what looked like healing scratches across my back and hips. What the hell happened to me? Teyanna mentioned an ordeal. The only thing that would qualify as an ordeal was being abducted, which brought me back to my original assumption. She’s lying to me about being at Safe Place. I was being held captive to be offered up to the Brotherhood and Teyanna was part of the whole thing. That’s probably why she worked at Havers, to check people’s blood as they came through, looking for a unicorn. Looking for me.

Okay, back to my original plan. The only way out was through. I was going to need to be onguard, let her in and see how trusting of me I could make these people. I needed to get out of wherever I was. With this in mind, I walked over to the bed, sat down and called out, “Come on in.”

Teyanna:

A small sense of relief washed over me as Treasure called out for me to come in. I was worried she would lock herself away in the room for a while. Unfortunately, as I walked into the room, I could see wary eyes following my every move. It really confused me. How was I suddenly a threat? What situation did her mind weave around this whole circumstance? I decided not to move too far into the room and I left the door open behind me, trying to show her I was not a threat.

“I’m sorry for the way you woke up. I have been making sure that someone was with you 24 hours a day since you arrived, but we are short staffed tonight and we had a few too many emergency intakes, so I had to leave you for a bit.” I wanted to check her over, see how her bruises were healing, but I didn’t think now was a good time for that. I obviously was going to have to go slow with her.

Suddenly, a giggling young raced past the door behind me and I saw pure astonishment and confusion cross Treasure’s features. “Treasure, you are safe. There is no one here that is going to hurt you. The male that we found you has been taken care of.” More confusion. She really has been put through the ringer, physically and mentally.

Treasure:

Teyanna strode into the room, blatantly trying to make me feel safe. I was sure there would probably be armed guards just outside that door, though. More than likely, there were Brothers out there somewhere just waiting to get their hands on me. I furrowed my slender brows slightly at her as she came to a stop. On with the charade of being at Safe Place…

Then a young ran past the door. Wow! How far will they go? Or, am I crazy? Slowly, I stood up and walked around Teyanna. She just stayed in one place, watching me. I got to the door and looked up and down the hallway. There were a few children and mahmens walking to the end of the hallway and up the stairs at the end. I couldn’t have been more confused, until the words Teyanna said hit me like a brick. The male that they found me with?! What male? What the hell is going on?

Whipping back around to face her, I blurted, “What male? Where am I? What happened? Please, I need the truth.”

Teyanna:

Oh, crap! She doesn’t remember the male. What is she so afraid of, then? “Treasure, we weren’t the first ones to find you. When the doggen got to you, they found you mating with a male vampire. He must have been drawn to you because of your needing. The two of you had obviously been involved for quite some time. They ended up needing to use half of the medication they brought with them just to subdue the male. Unfortunately, that didn’t leave them with enough to get you through your needing and that is why we brought you here. We have been giving you medication here to get you through it. It was the safest place to bring you that you wouldn’t be near any males.” At this point I could see the horror in Treasure’s eyes and she rushed past me, back into the room.

Treasure:

My gut sank, the further into the story Teyanna got. Visions of this male she spoke about popped into my head, slowly at first, as if some kind of faded dream. I couldn’t see it all, just slivers. One particular sliver terrified me more than anything else ever would and I rushed off to the mirror above the dresser in the room I had been in. Closing my eyes, I slowly pulled my collar off my shoulder. I didn’t want to open my eyes and see what I knew was going to be there, but I needed to know. Sure enough, faded tooth marks shown on the side of my neck. No! The male tasted my blood! He would know. The secret I guarded with my life was now out because of some ridiculously stupid mistake on my part. My life was now on the line more so than ever before. I could hear my mahmen’s voice in my ear, “Never let any male drink from your veins, my nalla. No matter what. Your life depends on it. Do you hear me?”

I had heard her and up until now, I had kept the promise I made to her. Now, I had let my mahman down, I had let Alexandria down, and I had put my own life at risk. “Where is the male? What happened to him?” I needed to know anything I could. The more I knew the better prepared I would be for what might happen next. Plus, with my blood coursing through my veins, he would be able to find me now.

Teyanna:

Following Treasure back into the room, I watched carefully as she looked at the bite mark on her neck. “It’s almost healed honey.” I tried to reassure her, but it was as if she didn’t even realize I had walked back into the room.

“The male? Oh, we brought him to Havers until the medication wore off, then we released him. He wasn’t from here. I’m guessing he went back home. Did you want to see him again? Havers won’t be able to give you his information, but I’m sure we can figure out a way to get a message to him.”

Behind me, one of the volunteers stuck her head in and let me know we had another intake. “I’ll be right there.”

Turning back to Treasure, I said, “Treasure, honey, are you going to be okay?”

She just sank onto the bed and nodded.

“Okay. If you get hungry, the kitchen is at the top of the stairs at the end of the hall. It’s daytime, so you won’t want to leave now, but I’d like to get a look at your bruises one more time before you leave, anyway. I’d also like to discuss what happened to you a little more and…” I hesitated for a minute, but it had to be said. “We should also discuss the possibility of you being with young.” I knew it was a lot for her to take in, but when she called in to us, it seemed like she had been fleeing something and I wanted to try to help her, if I could.

Treasure:

My body just fell to the bed. The visions made it all real. This was not what I had thought it was. This was not me being abducted and taken to the Brotherhood, although it was almost as bad and could lead to that happening. A male had drank of my vein. It was exactly why I left town in the first place. I had scored my wrist and almost offered it up to Lohre. The realization of that, at the time, had put me in such a tailspin that I immediately packed my camper and left town. Now, I had put myself in a position where I had mated with a male and allowed him to taste my blood. He had to know what I was now. He would know how to find me. Ironic wasn’t it? I left town because I was afraid that I had almost let a male that stirred some really strong feelings in me, drink from me, only to leave town and let some male I didn’t even know do it. This male could be a crazed lunatic! I don’t even know who he was! Then Teyanna’s last comment sank in. With. Young. I could be carrying a young inside me. I watched Teyanna leave, got up and shut the door, then went back to bed and cried.

#WhatDidIDo?! #SASBDB BDBRPG

ECSTACY

Groping hands sent a fire through my body that I’d never experienced before. All that went through my mind was, “More!” and in cue with that, my hips lifted, as if to seek out the body that went along with those hands. In response, I heard a low growl rumble deep, and shudders rolled through my body in places that had never been awakened before. Quickly, I felt clothes sliding off me and dropping to the floor as those strong hands moved up my torso, across my shoulders, hips, and legs. Then they were gone for a minute and I could vaguely hear my own voice, as if so far in the distance, “No! Don’t go away! Come back!”

“I’ve gone nowhere.” Came a deep, raspy voice. “I’ve gotta get these fucking pants off!”

It seemed like a lifetime before those hands came back and when they did, I sucked in a deep breath, reaching my own forward, across the body of the male that was exploring me. He was a large male, with an incredibly muscular body that was naked and hovering over me.

Fingers grazed my nipples and sensations I’ve never felt rocked my body. Then his lips took over and his hands made their way further down my torso. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew this wasn’t right, but everything else in my body was screaming for this male and I gripped onto him, pulling his body to mine.

The large length between his legs poked into me and instinctively I raised my hips to meet it. That low growl now rumbled through my chest now, as his chest rested on my own and it created a sense of urgency in me. Grabbing at his shaft, I pushed it down to meet my core, not quite knowing what I was doing, but it just felt like the thing to do. He moved himself into position and slid himself inside of me. The feeling of that movement was painful for a second, but then as he pulled back out and thrust back in, it sent shockwaves of delirium throughout my entire being and I sank my teeth into his neck. Blood rushed into my mouth as I could feel him moving inside me. For a time, everything seemed so out of sorts. My body was experiencing a new, sexual euphoria as we moved together, all the while his hands were still squeezing my breasts and pinching my nipples making the experience even more surreal. Suddenly, I felt his teeth against my neck and he bit down and started drawing my blood in. That’s when it went from out of sorts to completely clouded. My body turned into a frenzy and I couldn’t pull him any closer to me. Suddenly, an unbridled eruption of ecstasy ripped through my body and I trembled uncontrollably. The male gripped a hold of me tight and groaned low in his gut, slowing for a minute. But, as soon as the trembling stopped, I pushed him over on his back and started to move on top of him. I never wanted this to stop. Screw the voice in the back of my head! This was what I needed! Forever! Just this male and me, doing this for the rest of my life and into The Fade.

We went on for what seemed like hours before fervent, hostile voices interrupted us. Arms reached in, trying to pull this male from me and I wrapped my entire being around him to keep that from happening. I could hear his threatening snarl as the others got close and it seemed to make my nipples even harder than they were, and I rocked a little more forcefully against him.

“Fuck!” It was the male’s voice.

Abruptly, I felt him stand and push me behind him, but I still couldn’t get enough of this powerful male. My hands roamed along his back, butt, and hips, finally reaching around his front in an attempt to pull him back to me. He was still rock hard and I gently wrapped my fingers around him. He let out a groan and turned to me. Next thing I knew he was slumping to the ground in front of me and I hit my knees next to him. “No!” A prick in my neck, then all things went black.

#Ecstasy #SASBDB #BDBRPG

TIME SLIPS BY

The sickness that I had been experiencing over the past couple of days was becoming worse and it wasn’t until the muscle aches kicked in that I realized exactly what was happening to me. Quickly, I grabbed my phone and rifled through my calendar to check on dates. How had I been so foolish? How could I have not taken this into consideration during the move to Caldwell? But, the dates were off. This was too soon. I wasn’t due for another year, or so. I hobbled to my bathroom and rummaged through my medicine cabinet. One syringe, that was all I had. One syringe would get me through the next few hours, but not through the entirety of my needing. I was going to need more. The only place I knew for a fact that I could get more was the one place I didn’t want to go. Thankfully, I wasn’t going anywhere in the state I was in. However, I was going to have to make a phone call that I really didn’t want to make.

Scrolling through my contacts, I stopped at the number in my phone for “Work” and hit send. It barely rang once when a soft female voice came through the phone. “Alicia. It’s me, Treasure. I need your help.”

“Treasure! What’s going on, honey? You ran out of here so fast, the other day. Is everything okay? What can I do?” Alicia was the sweetest. We had bonded immediately. She reminded me of Alexandria. She had that same instincts as a mahmen, yet the acceptance of an aunt. The type of person you could tell anything to… well, almost anything. My origin was one thing that I had yet to tell anyone. Even Amari didn’t know about where I had come from.

I buckled down in another wave of pain. Grunting, I replied, “Needing. My needing has hit a little early and I’m not prepared.”

“Oh, Virgin Scribe! Honey where are you? Tell me what you need and I’ll bring it to you.” I could hear the fear in her voice. We all knew what happened when you weren’t prepared. First off, the pain was excruciating… and it lasted up to a full day. But, the fact that I didn’t know where I was was not a good thing, at all. When a vampire goes into their needing, they produce these pheromones, which can be scented for quite a distance. If I were somewhere close to male vampires and not know it, I could be in colossal danger.

Gritting my teeth through the pain, “I am about 125 miles outside of town. I have one syringe, but it will only get me through a few hours.”

I heard a small gasp coming from the other end of the phone. “Treasure! What are you doing all the way out there? I don’t know how we are going to get…” There was a pause and a shuffle against the phone. Faintly, I could hear a conversation going on. Then Alicia was back on the line. “Treasure, honey, you still there?”

Nodding, I replied, “Yes.”

“Okay, here’s what we need you to do. We need you to tell us exactly where you are. We are going to send a doggen to you with what you will need to get through this.” More muffled conversation.

“I’m at Paradise Campgrounds just off exit 256 on the I-80. You can’t miss me. I’m in the camper outfitted for a vampire.” At least I still had some sense of humor. “I’ll be waiting.”

The phone fell to the floor as another wave of pain crashed through my body. It almost felt like my bones were splitting. I plucked the covering off the syringe with my teeth, pushed up on the plunger just a little too much to get the air out of it. Well, that was going to lose me some time. Thrusting the needle into my arm, I pushed the rest of the plunger down, allowing the medication to rush through my veins. Sliding to the floor, I knew it was okay to let my consciousness slip for a bit. It would be a while before the doggen would make it here.

#TimeSlipsBy #SASBDB #BDBRP

EXHAUSTION AND WEARINESS

Somehow, I managed to get about 100 miles out of town before something caused me to become so sick, I needed to pull over. It was as if every mile I put between Caldwell and me, the illness became more and more severe. By the time I was near the 100 mile mark, I could barely breathe and the nausea was so bad, I was just about keeled over in pain. I put the camper in park along the side of the highway and ran back to the bathroom, where I kissed the porcelain throne for a good two hours. I couldn’t imagine what was causing this illness, nor how it came on so abruptly. But, I decided I would just have to sleep it off where I was. Hopefully, no one would bother me.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t going to be that lucky. I’m not quite sure what time it was when I heard a loud rapping on the door. My body was so wrought with exhaustion that my eyes could barely open, and as the pounding on the door got louder, so did the pounding in my head. I knew I couldn’t answer it, not while the sun shone outside. At least, I was pretty sure the sun was up. So, I kept my eyes closed and tried to ignore the onslaught. Finally, after about 10 minutes, it all stopped and I quickly slipped back into unconsciousness.

Next time I woke up, the camper was tilted up toward the front and it was moving. Crap! I was being towed. To where, I had no clue, but there was no way in hell this was going to turn out well. I steadied myself enough to sit up and look at the clock. 12:37 pm. Even worse. The sun was still up, my camper and car were being towed, and with the few hours of sleep I had gotten, I wasn’t feeling any better. In fact, I was feeling worse, if that were possible.

Gently, I rolled over and pulled my knees into my chest. There was nothing I could do about the situation at the moment, especially with the condition I was in, so I attempted more sleep. It wasn’t likely to happen though. When we arrived at the destination. There were more shakes and jiggles of the whole camper, before we were finally, quietly resting in some tow lot, in Scribe knows where.

Finally, exhaustion and weariness washed over me.

******

The clock read 1:22 am when I finally woke up. I was still feeling completely under the weather, but I had to get moving. I needed to get as far away from Caldwell and this tow lot as possible. So, I made my way to the front of the camper and raised the shudders. I was definitely in an impound lot, full of other vehicles. Thankfully, it looked like a small town lot, one that didn’t have it’s lot manned overnight. There was a padlock on the gate that would be easily cut with cutters.

Quietly, I made my way out of the camper and over to the gate. As soon as I was satisfied no one was around, I took my bolt cutters and clipped off the chain. Once that was done, I opened the gate and as fast as my sick legs could take me, got back into my camper and drove as fast as I could to get out of town.

Problem was, about 25 miles out and my illness so bad I could barely function. I wasn’t going to get towed this time, though. So, I pulled over and looked for the nearest camping site. Checking myself in, I closed down all the shutters and put myself to bed. Hoping that I could nurse myself back to health soon and continue on my way.

As a vampire, I didn’t get sick like this, so I was intensely concerned as to what was going on. Even in all my time working in the medical field, I had never seen anything like this. I was half tempted to call Havers and see if he knew what might be going on. But, calling Havers brought up more emotions than I wanted to think about. It was only a day and a half ago that I was last at Havers, almost offering up my blood to Lohre, before walking out without any notice. I wasn’t sure Havers would want to help me, if I asked. So, I crashed out on my bed and let nature take over, hoping that I just needed a little rest.

#ExhaustionAndWeariness #SASBDB #BDBRPG

REAR VIEW

It took longer than I had expected to pack up the camper. I hadn’t realized how much stuff I had accumulated in such a short amount of time here, in Caldwell. I had gotten complacent, too comfortable. Obviously, I had gotten too comfortable! How had I ever gotten to a place where I was offering up my own vein?! That was the one thing I had always been told to never do. It was the utmost taboo. I was a Chosen. If anyone were ever to catch whiff of my blood, I could be putting myself into serious danger.

When the sanctuary was raided more than 75 years ago now, my mahmen, who was pregnant with me, somehow made it out alive. From everything she has learned, she was one of the few to make it out, and the only one carrying young. So, that meant I was the last of my race, the last of the Chosen. There were many that would kill to acquire my blood, and even more that would kill to acquire me.

Yet, here I was, scoring my vein, all willy-nilly and such, for some male that I knew nothing of. What could have possibly come over me?! It was more than evident that I needed to get the hell out of here and never look back.

Tossing the last of my gear into the storage compartment on the camper, I went back to make sure the car was hitched up properly… which, of course it had been. I had already checked it over four times. It was like I just couldn’t force myself to hop in the front of the camper and start it up. I knew it was what I needed to do. I would be stupid to stay. If I stayed, I would be putting my whole life in jeopardy, not to mention breaking about a dozen promises I had made to Alexandria and my mahmen before they passed unto the Fade.

I took one look around the campsite and turned to step up into the camper. Taking a deep breath, I ascended the stairs, closed the door behind me, sat down in the driver’s seat, and started up the engine. I had absolutely no idea where I was going to go now, but I knew that I needed to put Caldwell in my rear-view. Putting the car in drive, I pulled out of the campground and headed West.

#RearView #SASBDB #BDBRP

IMPOSSIBLE DECISIONS

Terror bled through my veins as the reality of what I had just done hit me like a brick wall. I had just done the one thing my mahmen had always trained me not to do, the one thing I vowed I would never do. All these years of living free, and it could all come crashing down in one, thoughtless millisecond. What the hell was I thinking? This male was nothing to me. He was a male I had paid to take his vein, nothing more. Although, the more I recited those words in my head, the harsher the lie sounded. Somewhere along the way, this male had became more than that. When, I don’t know, because we had not known each other for more than a few weeks, a few feedings. How was it that it took so little time to feel like this male was meant for me? I knew nothing of him. Was this what my mahmen had always sheltered me from? I had heard whispers of how when a male and his mate met, there was a pull between them that overpowered anything else. Was that what this was? I couldn’t possibly be experiencing that. Not only because it wasn’t possible, but it wasn’t probable, it was insane is what it was! How was I ever supposed to keep what I was a secret if I was to be so drawn to someone else that I had no say in it? It all suddenly made sense, everything that my mahmen and Alexandria had taught me. The reasoning behind why I was never to reveal who and what I was to anyone, the reasoning behind why I was never to feed from any male that was not paid specifically for that reason, and the reasoning behind why my mahmen was always so picky as to who she paid for that service. It all made sense. For if I were to ever find my mate, I would not be able to keep away. She and Alexandria had always been so vigilant in choosing who they used for the service of feeding me. I had always thought they went overboard in being as picky as they had. Now, I knew better.

How could I have been so ignorant?! How could I have been so reckless in choosing someone to feed from? Better yet, what was I to do now? How was I to move on from this? Instinct screamed to leave Caldwell and never look back. But, I had come so far in finding the Brotherhood, that if I did leave now, I would surely never find my sisters. So, I had two choices: 1. Leave Caldwell and more than likely never find where I truly belonged, or 2. Allow fate to decide my course of action and without question be found out for who and what I was.

I went back to the front desk and told Alicia that I needed to leave, family emergency and all that, packed up my things and fled for my camper. It wouldn’t take any time at all to load it up and be on the road.

#ImpossibleDecisions #SASBDB #BDBRPG

CLOSE CALLS

True to her word, Amari had helped me land a receptionist job at a clinic for our kind in the area. It was run by a male named Havers and apparently, he had been running it for a very long time. Recently, one of the females that had been working the front desk had taken time off to have a young. Once the young was born, she had decided that she did not want to return to work. So, a position opened up. It actually worked out perfectly for me. The position was only a couple days a week, so it gave me something to do with some of my time, all the while allowing me to work alongside my own kind… and listen to the whispers. I was desperate to hear anything that would lead me to believe there were others like me still left in the world.

As much as my mahmen wanted me to believe that there were none of us Chosen left. I just felt in my bones that there had to be. There had obviously been others that fell from the Sanctuary before the raid, and she couldn’t have been the only one to have escaped. I refused to believe that every last Chosen died in that raid. One thing I had learned was that the Black Dagger Brotherhood was in the vicinity. I didn’t know where exactly, and that didn’t matter, just to know I was that close to the Brotherhood, was enough for me.

Caldwell was a place I had heard my mahmen and Alexandria talk about, when I wasn’t supposed to be listening. It was how I ended up here. They used to talk about how it was where a lot had settled when moving to the New World. It wasn’t until after I started working at Havers’ clinic that I found out the King ran an Audience House in the city. Part of me wanted to seek out the Brotherhood. They were probably my best bet in finding others like me. But, part of me still worried that if I truly was the only one left, like my mahmen believed, would they just let me be? Or, would they want to sequester me somewhere safe and try to make me mate one of them to start the legacy all over again? I definitely didn’t want that. I may be of the Chosen, but I had lived too long on my own, and been brought up to be too independent to be thrust into a situation like that. So, for now I decided to just keep that idea in the back of my mind.

It was the middle of the night and so far my shift had been pretty uneventful, which was always a good thing at a medical clinic. I was about to take my mid-shift break for lunch when a couple of guys burst through the front door. Two of the guys pushed a gurney down the hall toward the emergency wing, while the other stopped at the desk. The problem was, the scent of the male on the gurney was too strong and it hit my sinuses like a brick wall. I’m not totally sure why I reacted the way I did, but I left my position at the desk and bolted down the corridor after him. I could hear the male calling after me from the front desk, but my feet just wouldn’t stop. The blood that I scented ran through my own veins. It was as if his blood was pulling me towards it, and at an alarming rate. I had no thought process, my feet just carried me down to the E.R. so fast that when I finally arrived there, I felt like a rabid dog after it’s prey. My head swung back and forth, looking for the male whose blood had me tied up in knots.

“Lohre!” They were piling him onto the corner bed. I’d never imagined a 6’ 4” male could look so small, but he did. He was lying there, completely immobile, and barely breathing. “What happened?!” I screamed at the males that brought him in. They were trying to calm me down, but for some reason I couldn’t see straight. Terror boiled my blood and I only wanted answers.

I didn’t even realize it, but I was muckled right a hold of Lohre’s left wrist as the two males that came in with him were trying to move me out of the way. They were not going to tear me away from him, though. There was something terribly wrong with him and I needed to know what it was just as much as I needed his blood in my veins. Blood! He needs blood. Without even thinking, I scored my wrist and shoved it at his mouth. “Drink! Please!” Tears were actually welling up in my eyes as I pleaded with him to take of my vein. That’s when it all hit me, what I was actually doing. I was offering up my own vein. The one thing that had been taboo to me all my life. I sucked in a massive breath in disbelief. What was I doing?! What if he actually got the taste of my blood in his mouth? What if he woke up and realized what I was? What if one of the people standing around me could scent my blood? Without another word, I pulled my wrist back, wrapped it with some gauze lying on the table next to the bed and shot out of the room, just as quickly as I came into it.

#CloseCalls #SaintsNSinners #SASBDB #BDBRP

LENDING A HELPING HAND w/@PretyGrlAmari

Treasure: It had been a few weeks since I had ventured out to the club and I was already becoming weak, again. I was going to have to do feedings every few weeks for a bit, until I make up for all the time I had lost in the move here. So, I had called up Amari and asked her if she could schedule me in with Lohre a little sooner. She was happy to and offered to meet up after, for coffee. I was thrilled! I had been a little nervous that I had pushed my luck too far with her at the club and she would no longer be interested in a friendship. My first female friend in Caldwell. I really needed one! This town was beginning to get a little lonely.

***

Sitting at the bar, I awaited my turn with Lohre. My turn with Lohre… How odd that sentence sounded. Sure, I had had a number of males that fed me over the years, that were nothing more than just that, feedings, and here Lohre was, a male that got paid for those precise services, yet it seemed strange to think of it as my turn with him. Feeding from him felt different. The thought of it gave me a strange flutter in my stomach, remembering how insanely intense and out of control I felt after my last feeding with him. It was definitely his blood, nothing more. It was different than what I was used to.

Just as he was the last time, Lohre had been a perfect gentleman during our meeting. Although, he had begun to ask me some personal questions that I wasn’t interested in answering. I think he was just trying to make conversation, make the whole thing a little less… transactional. But, he took my hint quickly and apologized for prying.

Although, in that moment, I desperately wanted things to be less transactional. However, I was a Chosen. One of the last ever born. 75 years ago, when the Sanctuary was invaded and attacked, my mahmen escaped to This Side. She was pregnant with me, making me the last of my kind. If I were to get involved with any male, and he were to feed from me, I would be found out, and if he turned out to be the wrong male, I would probably be tortured, or worse killed. It was for that reason that I had promised my mahmen, many years ago, to live a life of solitude, where males were concerned. They were for feeding only, and in some special cases, friendship, but never as a mate. Yet, these new feelings Lohre was stirring up in me were far from friendship.

Once I was done, I quickly left and sent a quick text to Amari and headed off to the bar to wait.

Amari:

(Sitting behind the desk lost in the reviewing the invoices for liquor, my phone pinged and I actually jumped, started by the silly little noise. I checked and it was from Treasure. It had been a while since she had been back and I had thought I might not see her again. I was relieved when he had contacted me and asked to have a feeding scheduled and I was more than happy to help her out. She was done and we had planned to meet up for a drink afterwards to catch up. I picked up the keys and locked the office door behind me and headed out to the bar finding her sitting at a table looking very content.) Hi Treasure. Feeling a bit better now?

Treasure: The place was packed tonight and I was lucky to have had some guy offer up his barstool to let me sit. ‘Who said chivalry was dead?’ I thought to myself for all of 2 seconds before the creatin started grinding on the side of my leg. I hauled off and slapped him a good one. Unfortunately, this was not a male to be messed with.

He got right up in my face and began to scream at me, “Do you have any idea who I am, you slut?!”

“Not a clue, but I’m guessing you’re going to tell me.” The words barely fell from my lips before Lohre was at my side, and at 6 foot 4 inches, he towered over the idiot that thought that by my accepting his invitation to sit on that barstool gave him some sort-of ownership rights over me. I was really going to have to remember that I wasn’t in some hick town in Colorado, anymore.

“Go ahead and call her a slut… One. More. Time.” There was a distinct growl that came out of Lohre’s throat as ‘time’ rolled off his tongue and I swear I saw the other guy shrink about four inches. Not only that, but something visceral stirred inside me. I don’t fully know how to explain it, but something tugged at my soul.

Reaching up, I placed my hand on Lohre’s arm. Wow! The tension in his bicep was intense. “Lohre, it’s fine. He was just leaving, anyway.” I turned and glared at my would-be assailant. “Isn’t that right?” As much as I appreciated the assist, I did know how to take care of myself.

The guy grabbed his drink and muttered, “Fuck you both! I’ve got better things to do with my time,” his eyes raked up and down my body, “than you.”

I swear, I thought Lohre was going to pick him up by his throat right then and there, but I squeezed his arm and the distraction gave the kid just enough time to turn and storm away.

“You don’t deserve to be spoken to like that.” The aggression in Lohre’s voice was clear, and I was sure that at some point down the road, that kid was going to get what was coming to him. It just wasn’t going to be tonight.

“I appreciate that, Lohre, and I thank you. But, I’m fine. No harm done.” I saw Amari walking up behind him and waved my hand.

He took a quick look over his shoulder and turned back to me. Placing his hand on my wrist, he made a quick promise to me, “I will be watching over you, and if that guy comes within twenty feet of you again, he’ll be in for a shitstorm of pain.”

“I’m sure he won’t, but thank you.” I offered up a soft smile, thankful for his thoughtfulness.

He smiled slightly back and walked off, just in time for Amari to join me. I let out a soft sigh and smiled. “So much better, thank you! I can’t tell you how appreciative I am for you fitting me in, again, tonight! I wasn’t expecting to need more so quick, but I guess I waited a little too long after arriving in town.” I looked over my shoulder in the direction that Lohre had disappeared to. “I guess I may have to schedule a few out, for now, until I’m back to good. So, you want to stay here and have a few drinks, or should we head out for some coffee?”

Amari:

(After the little incident I witnessed before walking up, I was not sure staying was the best option. Lohre was still lurking protectively and I surely hoped that male was not fancying Treasure more than what it was. I did not believe she was looking for anything more than the requirement of feeding. She was a rare beauty and I warned him to keep it simple. I turned toward the young male who is lucky to still be in one piece to sins he was still watching Treasure too.) Why don’t we take my driver and find a cafe? I have a craving for pie and really strong coffee. I’ll be certain security makes sure we are not followed. (Thinking to myself that the male is who needs a lesson in being gentleman gets that lesson after we were gone regardless of what bloodline he was from. No one disrespects my employees and most certainly not my friends.) Deal?

Treasure: There was a slight relief that washed over me when Amari mentioned going somewhere else. I thought I would have been up for anything, but I hadn’t realized how concerned I had been about staying until the words dropped from Amari’s lips and the relief settled in. On the one hand, I really liked the club. It was so different from the places I was used to going to, in Colorado. But, I could feel that little punk ass kid’s eyes still boring into me and that made me feel a little uncomfortable. My mahmen had taught me to stay away from males like him and to avoid any kind of attention. Drawing attention to myself was the worst thing I could possibly do. I was to always blend in. “Be a wallflower,” my mahmen used to always tell me.

Nodding once, I agreed, “Pie would definitely hit the spot, right now.” Not that sugar was the best thing for me right now, either. I was already slightly hopped up on Lohre’s blood. I was pretty sure he had a touch of aristocracy in his blood. It was sweeter than some of the other’s that I’d had in the past. It made me wonder what his story was.

I finished off my drink and stood up, “So, what’s Lorhe’s story, anyway?” As soon as I spoke the words, I realized how it sounded and quickly tried to correct myself, “I only mean that his blood is so sweet. He must have some aristocracy blood in there.” I didn’t want Amari to think I was interested in him, because I wasn’t. I couldn't be. That would be crazy… crazy, stupid! I just didn’t want her to think he was crossing any lines. She was his boss, after all.

Amari: (Wondering exactly why she would think that of his blood. Could she someone she is pretending not to be? I’ve wondered that for a while now and this makes that feeling strong.) Lohre? I don’t know much about him outside of the club. He is a pretty private person. But I suspect you are right. And it’s ok if you are curious about him. He is an attractive male isn’t he. (Smiles at her as we head out to my car, the driver opens the door as we approach and we both slide inside.) As I was saying, he is an attractive male and I know he is a bit intrigued by you. He has asked a few times if you would needing his services. (Watching her reaction) But don’t fret, I won’t say anything to him about you asking about him unless you want me to. Anything else new?

Treasure: An attractive male? Well… yeah… But, I had been trained since birth to ignore such things, so I had been trying so hard not to notice. However, the more Amari mentioned it, the more it crept back into my thoughts. The way his blood set my veins on fire. The way he jumped in to protect me, how he had told me he’d be keeping an eye on me, and that guttural growl that erupted from his lips when he was telling that kid off. All hard things to ignore, even for me.

Amari made it all worse when she mentioned that she knew he was a bit intrigued by me and I could feel the heat burning up the back of my neck at her comment. I could only hope that the blush hadn’t reached my face. “I… uh… well, I was hoping to continue to use his services. He’s been such a gentleman.” Shit, Treasure! The words fell from my lips and I wanted to take them back. The last thing I needed was to get attached to a male, in any way, and something told me that the more I fed from Lohre, the more I would want to. At the same time, I couldn’t take back what I said. The desire to feed from him again was strong. “Please don’t tell him I was asking about him, though.” I added quickly. I definitely didn’t need him to know I had been asking about him.

This was all becoming a mountain out of a molehill. So, I changed the subject. “Things are going well. I finally have the camper set up for the summer. It’s not much, but it’s served me well for the whole trip.” I was hoping that by the end of the summer, I would have a more permanent place… That was, if I chose to stay. If, by the end of the summer, I was no closer to finding what I came here looking for, I would probably move on, which is why I’d decided to keep the camper. That was my plan, anyway. However, I was hoping that by the end of the summer I would have some kind of inkling that what I had been looking for, was in fact here, in Caldwell. “I was thinking about looking for a job, next. Any suggestions on that?”

Amari:

Her reaction was exactly what I expected. I knew the signs so well. The car stops at the coffee shop and I lets the subject change stand as we both get out of the car and head to the door. “What type of job are you looking for? I mean what experience do you have? We don’t have any openings at the club now but I know of a few other places that you might be able to find something.” Taking a seat at an empty table waiting for her answer but somehow expecting her to say no. I wonder if I could find something for her if she doesn’t at the club. I will have to see if my hunch about her never working is right.

Treasure: Stepping out of the car, I followed Amari into the coffee shop. Experience? The only work I had ever done was Medical Transcriptionist work… and it had been boring as hell! But, my mahmen wouldn’t allow me to work outside the home, so that was what we had settled on. Alexandria had gotten me the job through a friend of hers. I worked for the local hospital, running through hours and hours of dictation a night. It wasn’t a job I was looking to do again. But, if I didn’t use my skills as a transcriptionist, what was I going to do? What was I qualified to do?

As we reached an empty table, I slipped into the seat across from her. “When I was back home, I had a Medical Transcriptionist job. I worked for the local hospital. But, I really don’t want to do that again!” I shook my head for emphasis, as I spoke. “Let’s just say that watching paint dry would have been ten times more fun.” A puzzled look washed over my features. “But, aside from that, I’m not sure I’m qualified for much else.”

“Actually, I’d like some hot chocolate, please.” I requested of the waitress, when she came by for our order.

What was I looking for? It’s not like I needed the money. I just hated to have so much free time on my hands. Also, I figured that if I acquired a job, I would be around more people, and more people meant more opportunity to find those like me… especially if those people were people of my race. “I’d like to find something that gives me a chance to meet… “ I lowered my voice an octave, “more people like us.”

Amari:

After ordering a second hot chocolate, I watched her closely as she leaned in and also whispered. I nodded and thought for a moment about what would be a good place for her. “Ya know, there are a couple of clinics that you might be able to help at. Maybe a clerical job since you have some knowledge of transcription. I could reach out to a few contacts and see if anyone is looking or in need of someone? If you would like?”

The waitresses showed up with the drinks and the smell made my mouth water. It had been a while since I had been to the shop and realized I had actually missed it. I ordered a sampler plate of pastries before she walked away and smiled at Treasure. “I thought we needed a bit more sugar on top of the cocoa. Can’t come here without splurging. But seriously, do you want me to inquire?”

Treasure: As I watched the plate of pastries slide across the table in front of us, I groaned internally. The effects of Lorhe’s blood was still humming through my veins and sugar was only going to exacerbate that. But, it all smelled so good. I knew I was going to hate myself in about twenty minutes, once the sugar rush kicked in, but I reached out and grabbed half of a bear claw and began picking pieces off and stuffing them in my mouth.

“As long as it’s not transcription work again, I guess it would be okay.” I really wasn’t interested in working in a medical environment again, but I didn’t have much experience elsewhere, so… beggars can’t be choosey and all that. Besides, working in a clinic, I would be assured to be working around people of my own race.

Our race didn’t go to real hospitals. We had our own medical clinics. There were too many things different in our physical makeup from humans. If we ended up in a human medical facility, almost any test run would give away our physical abnormalities. It was one of the first things my mahmen told me about the human world.

“So, yeah… if you could put some feelers out for me, I would be so grateful!” I washed my bear claw down with the last of my hot chocolate. “Anyway, enough about all my stuff. How’s things with you?”

Amari: “I’ll do some checking for you. Give me a week or so on it. As for me, things are good. Trez’s return has changed things up at the club.” I take a drink of my cocoa thinking about how I feel when he is around and I’m pretty sure I blush. “It has actually made the job easier. I’m not even sure I’m really needed anymore but he seems to be making things for me to do.” Smiles over at her. “I believe he likes having me around and I know I like him being back. There is just so much ..” pauses for a moment “well, unsaid things I things I guess you could say.”

Sitting back in my chair my thoughts stay on Trez. Wondering what is truly going on. “Anyway, it’s all good. He said we are having a meeting very soon which I’m very curious about. I can’t quite figure out what he is up to.”

Treasure:

“That would be great!” I was so appreciative of everything Amari had done for me. First she set me up with Lohre, as a means to feed from. Now, she was helping me with my job search. I honestly don’t know where I would be if I hadn’t run into her at that laundromat a little over a month ago. “If I haven’t said it yet, thank you for everything you’ve done for me. You’ve been so incredibly helpful.”

An unstoppable grin crossed my features as I heard her talk about Trez. She was far from able to hide that blush on her face as she spoke about him. Arching a slender brow, I questioned her, “Unsaid things?” It was obvious from the look on her face, there was more to their boss/employee relationship than met the eye. I wondered if there had been history there, or if this was something new for her.

All my life, I had been the one that wasn’t allowed to indulge in romantic relationships with the males of our species, and I had never even had a friend that had been close enough for me to ‘live vicariously through,’ as they say. Due to my status as the last of the Chosen, I was not allowed to have a mate, in fear that they would figure out who and what I was. On top of that, Alexandria and my mahmen never had mates, either. So, I never really had a chance to experience myself, or anyone else go through that initial attraction, that sensation of falling in love. I had read all about it in books. But, the experience of it all was somewhat lost on me. It was interesting to see the light in Amari’s eyes as she spoke of Trez. It seemed so fascinating and exciting. I wanted to take it all in. “How long have you known Trez?”

Amari: “Honestly, only since I came back here a little over a year ago to help at the club. We met when I got here and then he left and has been in and out since that time.” I sit back thinking of the crazy off and on feelings for him. “I’ll tell you a little secret. He fascinated me. I know I shouldn’t think of him the way I do since he is kinda my boss, but there is this chemistry between us that makes my skin tingle every time we are together.” I sigh and play with my cup as I continue. “Or, I’m completely wrong and I am just imagining it all. I mean, every now and then I think he is interested but he never acts on it so.. I’m probably just wishing.

But anyway, enough of that. I will see what I can do to help you out. Anything else I can help you with?

Treasure: The sparkle in Amari’s eyes spoke volumes, even before she started speaking about Trez. She was definitely interested in more than just a boss/employee relationship with him. So, was this what it was to be in love? In like? Infatuated? In lust? It was all so new and interesting to me. I wanted to ask more, but I didn’t want to sound like an idiot. Nor, did I want to sound like someone that had never experienced it all before. I was supposed to be just some mundane civilian, not a completely sheltered Chosen that had never been allowed even friendships with the males of our species.

I wanted to interject with, ‘What does your gut tell you?’ Because, books always said that your gut never steered you wrong in those circumstances… but, what if that was just one of the elaborations that books made and I looked like a complete ass saying it? I know that my gut had never steered me wrong, but I had never had to listen to it in matters of the heart. Something told me that matters of the heart had their own rules, ones that I was not privy to. So, I kept my mouth shut.

My napkin was just about tore up from all the fidgeting I’d been doing during my contemplations. As soon as I noticed, I flashed an embarrassed smile at Amari and pushed the folded up wad of paper out of my way. “Oh, no! You’ve done so much already! You know, if there’s ever anything I can do for you… please, don’t hesitate to ask. I feel like I’m leaning so much on you, right now. I don’t want you to feel like I’m abusing our new friendship.”

We sat around for a little while longer, discussing nothing incredibly important, just basic chit chat between friends. But, before long, Amari had to get back to the club for closing and I needed to get home. So, we said our goodbyes and promised to talk soon.

#LendingAHelpingHand #SASBDB #BDBRP

Friends or Not w/@PretyGrlAmari

Treasure: This night had so not gone as I had planned. I had expected to come to the nightclub, feed, spend a little time saying hello to Amari, then head home to sleep. That whole plan got thrown out the window before I even met Lohre, the male Amari had set me up with for the feeding. I had been at the bar no more than five minutes when a male sat down at the next stool. There was something very different about this male. He had this essence about him. My mahmen had told me about the hierarchy of our race. From what I knew, this male was one of two ranks in the race, a male of the Brotherhood, or a male of the Glymera. He was definitely not just a regular male. There was something that stood out about this male. The thought that someone so powerful, and possibly with their own agenda, was sitting right next to me both terrified and excited me. I was a Chosen. One of the last ever born. 75 years ago, when the Sanctuary was invaded and attacked, my mahmen escaped to This Side. She was pregnant with me, making me the last of my kind. I still wasn't sure that if the Brotherhood found out about me, they would help me or hide me away as their own personal Chosen to mate with.

Then there was the feeding. #Lohre was the male's name. This was a male that seemed really rough around the edges, yet something about him drew me in. The second I lengthened my fangs and scored his wrist, the scent that poured out of him set my veins on fire. This was not like any other feeding I had ever done, and I wondered if they pump these males up with some sort of drug to intensify sensations of it, something addictive because that was how I was feeling. I was definitely going to want to feed from this male again.

When I was done, we said our goodbyes and exchanged the cash. As I walked back into the club, I took the very next hallway off the main room, hoping to find escape from these feelings that were rushing through my veins. Instantly, I was accosted by doormen. Apparently, this was the wrong hallway to be stumbling down. I guess I missed the “Employees Only” sign on the wall.

Amari: Walking around the corner from my office, I see one of the staff, Smith, dragging a blonde by the arm towards the front, at first I didn’t recognize her, but then I did. It was Treasure. I had been watching on the security camera for her to come out of the private room i had set up for her, but I must have missed her when I had to go up to the bar to have a little talk with one of the regulars about his behavior and how we treat my bartenders. I quickly call out to my guard as I work my way to them. “Smith, what are you doing? She is my guest tonight.” Treasure’s face seemed to ease as she saw me approach and Smith pipes up to say she was where she should not have been. “Don’t worry about it Smith, I’m sure she just made a wrong turn. This is her first time here.” Taking Treasure’s arm and pulling her away from him. “Go back and watch for real troublemakers.”

Turning to her a smile on my face. “Sorry about that Treasure. Smith is one of my best guards but sometimes he is a little too intense.” Noticing her looking around. “Did everything go ok? Feeling better? I’m assuming Lohre was acceptable?” Let’s get a drink and you can tell me how it went and what’s on your mind. Sound ok?”

Treasure: As the doorman grabbed at my arm and began to escort me back to the club, I caught a glimpse of the male that had been sitting next to me at the bar earlier, his eyes following every step I took. At the same time, I could practically hear my mahmen chastise me for coming out to Caldwell in the first place.

I was abruptly shaken from my thoughts as I heard Amari’s voice coming from behind, and I turned my head to see her rushing down the hallway toward us. A wave of relief washed over me as I realized, this was my escape. Visiting with Amari would take my mind off the whole ordeal.

Once Smith was on his way back to the club, I turned back to Amari and gently shook my head, “It’s fine. I’m fine.” Not totally true, but I was hoping the more I said it, the more true it would become. “Lohre? Oh, Lohre was good… I mean…” I paused as I realized how wrong that sounded. “I mean, yes, he was acceptable.” My eyes knitted together as I thought about the word ‘acceptable.’ That didn’t quite sound right either, but… “I feel so much better now! It had been too long. But, now that I know where to come, that shouldn’t happen again.” I turned my body so I couldn’t see the club. “So, this is where you work? It’s a little loud, isn’t it?”

Amari:

“Yes, it can be. I guess I have just gotten used to the noise. I don’t even notice it anymore.” Laughing as I notice she keeps looking around. Like she is looking for someone or something. “Hey, what’s going on? Did someone bother you?” Glancing around I don’t see anyone staring at her which is crazy as she is a beautiful female. The men should be drooling. The look in her eyes tells me something happened. “Spill. It’s written on your face. Something happened. What? Who do I need to take out?”

Treasure: I could feel the flush reach my cheeks as Amari asked about what happened, and I tried my best to act nonchalantly. Turning back to Amari and shaking my head, “I… uh, it was nothing. I mean, no one bothered me. I just… well, there was a male sitting next to me at the bar when I was waiting for Lohre, and he had a strange vibe. I'm sure it was nothing." I waved my hand in the air, as if to blow it off.

Swallowing, I tried to change the subject. “So, can you show me your office?” Hoping to get away from the hallway’s entrance to the club. I needed to get further away from that male. It was as if I could sense his presence all around me, which was kind-of like sensing when someone was watching you from behind, only multiply that by about one hundred! I couldn’t help the pleading look on my face as I shot Amari a look.

Amari:

Nodding knowing what she was feeling. “A male, huh. Let’s go to my office.” Grabbing her arm and pulling her towards the back. “Well, if you see him, point him out and I will tell you what I know about him if I do. There are a lot of males that I know have a reputation you want nothing to do with. As long as he wasn’t one of those we are good.” Nudging her side trying to make her smile as she seemed way more affected than she wanted me to know. “I’m sure he is one of the good males. Maybe even an extremely important one. We do have a few of those that frequent here.”

Treasure: Following Amari back to her office, “Actually…” I raised my hand to over my shoulder at the club behind us, before thinking better of it. The last thing I needed was for this male to think I was singling him out in any way. “It's not a big deal.” I placated Amari with a soft smile as she nudged me.

Then one word almost stopped me in my tracks… Important. Not just important, she said, ‘extremely important.’ How important were these males, I wondered? Important enough to know of the Brotherhood, to know of my sisters, or were they just members of the Glymera? Hope began to bleed through all other thoughts and I couldn’t stop myself from asking, “Important? What do you mean by important?” I tried to make the inquisition sound more like curiosity, but I was suddenly captivated by the idea that I might have just found my family, and if I had, was that a good thing or a bad thing.

Amari:

Realizing I probably shouldn’t have said that, I quickly backtrack. “Oh, nothing. Just wealthy males looking for a quiet drinking place where they Don’t have to worry about anyone bothering them. We do have excellent security and the VIP section is secured. Maybe next time you come in, I’ll see if I can get you in if it isn’t too busy.” Glancing back at her and noticing her expression. “Something else on your mind?”

Treasure: I tried to hide it, but I was sure the disappointment was evident on my features. I was so sure that I would find something here in Caldwell to point me to my sisters. The stories I had heard sounded so real. Stories that told of other Chosen actually living here, with the Brotherhood. Then again, maybe they were just that, stories. I wasn’t ready to give up just yet, though. I had traveled over 2,000 miles based on a hope that the stories had some bit of truth to them, and until I heard for certain that they were wrong. I wasn’t going to stop my search.

“Huh?” I quickly scan back to Amari. “I’m sorry. I must seem like a total flake to you, always seeming so disoriented.” Choosing my next words carefully, “I just haven’t yet been able to find any hint of my family. I was hoping that the…” This would be a test. Her reaction to this next part might be an answer for me. I quieted my voice, “Brotherhood might be able to help me, but I haven’t seen any hint of them being here, either, despite rumors to the contrary.” If the Brotherhood were here, she just might know about it, being a manager at such a popular place in town. Then again, she, like me, has only been in town a short time so she may know only what I’ve heard. But, it was a chance.

Amari:

Her comment almost floored me, looking around I grab her and and head to my office. “I think we should continue this talk in private.” Once we are inside and the door shut. “Ok, fess up. There is something more than you are telling me. No one looks for the Brotherhood without an agenda.” I grab a bottle of whiskey and pour two glasses handing her one and taking a seat behind the desk. “Start talking.”

Treasure: The look on Amari’s face and the fact that she muckled a hold of my arm and practically dragged me to a side office gave me hope that I might actually be on the right track. Excitement pumped so hard through my veins as I thought of the possibilities of actually finding family, sisters… more like me, that I didn’t realize I wasn’t containing my enthusiasm. By the time that fact hit me, Amari was standing in front of me, wide-eyed, waiting for a response to her question. Crap! What to tell her? I had been bending the truth so far, I was afraid it was going to break, and someone would figure out what I was. Although, I was so tired of lying, and the idea that the lying just might be over with soon, made it even harder to come up with one more. But, I wasn’t there yet, so… I needed to pull another one out of my hat. “It’s just that I found out recently, after my mahmen passed, that I may have ties to…” I paused. What would sound plausible? A member of the Glymera’s princeps? What if she led me in the direction of the Glymera here? That wouldn’t help me in any way, and might out me as a fraud. “Well, some very important members of society.” I waited impatiently, gauging Amari’s interest. I couldn’t allow this to become an issue. I couldn’t have people’s eyes on me. However, I might have pushed my luck already with her. I could tell that she knew I wasn’t being completely honest with her. I don’t think she’d blame me, if she knew the truth, though. She seemed really sweet, which made it that much harder to lie to her. But, this was about survival, and I wanted very much to survive.

Amari:

It was obvious from her body language, she wasn’t being honest with me, at least not completely. There was more to it. I could feel it in my gut. “Treasure, I’m going to be up front with you. I do not play games with anyone. If you have a” makes quotes with my fingers as I said the next word “tie to some important around here you need to admit it. If you are running or looking for protection from someone, I can make some contacts and see if someone can help you out. #Trez has a lot of connections and he would do anything I ask of him.” Sitting back and taking a drink watching her for a few moments, the silence almost eerie. My thoughts wandering wondering if she was here looking for them for not so positive reasons and maybe I have already said too much. But I just can’t believe that my intuition was wrong. She seems too pure to evil. “Look, I thought you knew you could trust me. It appears maybe I should be leery of trusting you? Either you come clean with me, or” picking up my cell “I send a text and you will be removed immediately. The ball is in your court.” Glaring at her as I wave my cell at her.

Treasure: As much as I really wanted to trust her, and felt that maybe I could, I had actually only just met her, and if I told the wrong person I was the last of the Chosen it would be a matter of life or death for me, and I just wasn’t in a position to cross that line. Maybe, if I had a chance to get to know her better? Had a little more time? “You’re right. I haven’t been completely honest with you and for that, I’m sorry. But, there are people’s lives on the line here, and as much as I really want to trust you, we only just met the other day. I believe you are a good person, and I was honestly hoping you might be my first friend in Caldwell, but there are certain things about myself and my past that I am just not willing to talk about with someone I have only known for a couple of days.” I paused and walked to the door. “I’m sorry if I put you on the spot tonight. I was just so hopeful when you mentioned important people, that I got caught up. It is true that I had heard my family might be here, in Caldwell, and like I said, they are important people.” Twisting the doorknob open, I stopped in the doorway. “Anyway, It has been nice meeting you. You don’t have to call security or anything. I will let myself out.” Turning, I walked into the hallway to find my way out.

Amari:

Watching her walk away was not what I expected to happen. And, that’s not what was going to happen. I quickly follow her, gently grabbing her arm and turning her to me. “Look Treasure, You’re right, you really don’t know me. But if there is anyone in this crazy ass town you can trust. It’s me. I know what it’s like to have secrets. And I know what it’s like to be scared. But there is obviously something going on here that you need a friend for. So let me be that friend. Let me be the one to help you through whatever this is. Because Scribe knows I don’t have any other girlfriends and I could sure as hell use one.” Her expression seems torn and I don’t know why I am overwhelmed with such a desire to help this female, but I am. There is something about her. “As you said, we don’t really know each other very well. So you sharing your secrets, would be like me sharing mine. You’re looking for something here. And I very possibly have the information to help you find that. But again, those type of things you just don’t share with strangers. So, If you want me to open up to you, you have to open up to me.” I finally let go of her arm, hoping she doesn’t bolt. “What do you say? Take a chance? Or walk away from your best shot at finding what you want?”

Treasure: Stopping, I look down at my arm, her fingers muckled around it, then back up at her. Quietly, I listen to everything she has to say. “I’m not sure you’re understanding my point… Life or death.” I pause to let that one statement sink in. “My secrets cannot be so easily given up. Trust needs to come first, not blind faith. Someone’s life could become a horrible, tortured life if I trust the wrong person, and that’s the best case scenario. The worst case would be a grisly death. So, before I ever share my secrets, I am going to be damn sure I can trust the person I am talking to. I’m sorry if that comes across sounding harsh, but it’s just the way it has to be.” I turned toward the door to the outside, thinking about just walking away again, but stopped. Facing Amari one more time, I continued, “I meant it when I said I was hoping you would be my first friend here, in Caldwell. You’re just going to have to accept that I may never tell you my secrets. As it stands now, the only people that have ever known my secrets were my mother and my aunt, and they are now both dead.” I swallowed the lump in my throat down. Having to say those words aloud still hurt. “I’ve never told anyone else. So, maybe that will give you an idea as to how guarded my secrets are.” I watched the expressions move across her features. It wasn’t clear as to what she was thinking. She was definitely a hard person to read.

Amari:

Understanding her reasons completely I take a moment to think. The pain in her eyes at the mention of her family who are now gone, makes my heart ache for her loss. I have met many different types of people through the past few years working in the different environments of our secret world. In all that time, no one has ever made me want to reach out to them anymore than this female standing in front of me now. Maybe I share the same loneliness she does but just for different reasons. “Treasure, I won’t push you any more for those secrets but trusting is a two-way street. I don’t tend to trust many people either. I have learned that most people have an agenda. I will protect with my life the people I hold dear AND all of their secrets including the ones bestowed upon me by my presence here.” Taking a deep breath “I really wanted you to be my first real friend here too, I still do. And I believe, that you know somewhere inside of you that you can trust me. You wouldn’t have come this far if you didn’t. So????

Treasure: Nodding, I responded, “I fully understand that trusting is a two-way street, which is why I have not asked a second time about the important people you speak of. When and if you decide to tell me, it’s obvious now that it would only happen after you trust me. I get that and actually, I am not going to ask you to trust me. I know that for people like us, trust is a long way off. I hope we can get to that point someday, because I see you as a really good person, one I could become friends with. So, my suggestion is this, let’s walk away from this subject now, no more questions about it. If we are to be friends, that will happen, but let’s let go of the pressures of what we each know.” She was right, I did trust her, to a point… it just wasn’t with my life, and who knew if I would ever get to that point. Either way, I was sincerely hoping to make a new friend here. “What do you say?”

Amari: Offering her my hand to shake. “Deal. No more pressure, no more talk of secrets. Shall I set up the same arrangements for you again here? I mean Lohre of course. Just tell me when you want to set it up and then maybe you and I can go for coffee after that. There is an all night shop just up the road from here and we could maybe start to work on that friendship?” Smiling at her hoping she agrees.

Treasure: I was surprised by the sense of relief that washed over me. I hadn’t realized how much I was really hoping for acceptance here. Returning the smile, I raised my hand and shook her offered one. “Deal.” After thinking for a moment, I nodded. It would be good to make regular plans for feedings. I didn’t need to get to a point where I was having health issues again. “Could you set me up with a once a month appointment? And yes, please make that with Lohre. He was a perfect gentleman, and I need someone that is going to be good about keeping it professional.” Realizing that a month was a long way off, I continued. “Maybe, I could come by sometime before that though for that coffee?” Amari agreed and we said our goodbyes. For the first time in a really long time, I felt like I was going to have a new friend, which was awkward, exciting, and terrifying, all at the same time. Not to mention the thoughts rustling around in my head about Rahvenous! Dearest Virgin Scribe, Treasure! Stop those thoughts! I quickly made it to my car and started the drive back to the campgrounds.

#FriendsOrNot? #SASDBD

A Chance Meeting w@PretyGrlAmari

Treasure: It had been a month since I arrived in Caldwell, and for the most part, I was all set up. The camper was fully stocked with everything I needed. I had gone out and purchased some summer things for the upcoming season. There were two things that I still needed to take care of. One, was the legal things. If I was going to stay in Caldwell, I was going to need to get new identification, plates for the camper and car, etc. However, seeing as I wasn’t sure I was staying, that could wait. What was top priority however, and getting more and more pertinent every single day, was finding a civilian to feed from. It wasn’t as if there were corner stores with signs out front, “Need To Feed? Inquire Inside”. It was a whole underground market and you had to know someone involved to find it. In Colorado it was easy. I grew up using the services. But here, I didn’t know a soul and it wasn’t like you could go up to any civilian and feed. Well, you could but, most of the time they wanted an exchange, tit for tat, you feed off me, I feed off you… I wasn’t able to do that. If anyone fed from me, they would know what I was, immediately. As much as I wanted to find others like me, that wasn’t the way. If knowledge of what I was, were to become known to just any civilian, I would be in grave danger. That’s why I had always used the service of paying someone to feed from. I fed from them, I paid them for the service, the reciprocation was the payment, there was no expectation of feeding from me when I was done. It was clean and easy. So, that had been what I had spent the past couple of weeks doing, trying to find an underground service for feedings. However, I hadn’t actually met any civilians yet, so that caused a problem. I had run into a few, seen them from afar, but my instincts had told me not to approach, or maybe it was just my mahmen whispering in my ear. Either way, I hadn’t introduced myself, hoping a better opportunity would present itself. However, now I was getting desperate, and that was not a good place to be.

An annoying beep sounded and woke me from my thoughts. Standing up, I grabbed at one of the baskets with wheels and dragged it over to the washing machine that sounded. As I began to pull the clothes out, I could feel the weakness in my muscles. Simple tasks had begun to make me weary and I was sure I was beginning to look weak to any onlookers. That was why I decided not to go to the same laundromat tonight. I needed to switch up my routine. The weaker I got, the more I needed to protect myself. So, I drove a few miles into the city and found a quiet, little, corner laundromat to do my dirty laundry in.

Amari: Loading the baskets in my car, grumbling to myself that the only night I get off from #ZeroSum I end up doing laundry. Not a date, not a girls’ night or even just a night to go to the movies all by my lonesome and hide out in the back eating way too much popcorn and candy. But NNNNOOOOOOO……. Here I am off to the corner laundromat. Thank Scribe there is a actually a 24 hour one only a few blocks from the club so I don’t have to try and find one. It is almost always completed empty and that is the way I like it.

Thinking as I make by way to the laundromat, I still haven’t met many people outside of the staff of the club and #Trez. The VIP room is so well secured, even I have only had the brief pleasure of seeing a couple of the Brothers. The other females at the club don’t seem to keen on being chummy with me either. Seems my presence has ruffled a few of their feathers. I’m only doing as I was asked and, if truth be told, I am actually loving this place. Does hurt that Bossman lets me do as I please and, well, I don’t know what it is about him, but something intrigues me. Maybe it’s what he is. I don’t know but, i will figure that out sooner or later.

Pulling in, I notice another vehicle already there and I see a blonde inside filling a washer with laundry. Parking and walking in with my basket, she looks my way, a small smile and a very quiet “Hi” is mummerred at me. I reply a quick “Hello” and start to fill a washer not to far away. It isn’t hard to tell she is the same as I, and from the looks of her, she needs a good meal. I watch her from the corner of my eye wondering if I should engage conversation with her, but I hesitate. If she is willing to talk, I will let her make that contact.

Treasure: As I pulled my laundry out of the washer and began to move it to the dryer, the sound of the front door opening up startled me and I jumped slightly at the noise. How can I be so ignorant as to let my guard down for even one second?! I shifted my body so that my body was facing the door, and whoever it might be that was entering the laundromat. Back to the wall, Treasure, back to the wall. My hand moved to my purse, inside of which is my trusty Beretta Nano, as well as a dagger my mahmen gave to me years ago. Those were two of the weapons my mahmen made sure I knew how to use. The Beretta was perfect as a concealed weapon, and the dagger, well… that had its own uses.

The jump my heart had done seemed to settle once I got a good look at the newcomer. It was a somewhat petite brunette, with her own basket of laundry. I offered her a small smile and a soft, “Hi.” as she made her way to the washers. She responded with a brief, “Hello.” and continued with her own business. I could tell right away that she was just like me. Well, maybe not /just/ like me. But, she was definitely of my race.

Fumbling a bit with the change for the dryer, I ended up dropping half my roll of quarters on the floor. Hands shaking, I fell to my knees, trying to pick them all up before the female across the room notices how out-of-sorts I truly am. As she looked my way, I shot her a sheepish grin, “I’m such a clutz. My mahmen has always told me I’m all thumbs.” So totally not true, but she didn’t have to know that.

Amari: Watching her scramble trying to pick up the quarters, it’s obvious she is nervous. Something is off with her. I lean down and pick up the wayward quarter that had stopped just shy of my feet and walk it over to her, smiling. “Mahmens know us better than anyone, huh? Wrong, at least in my case. Mine is so clueless to the way of the world we live in now. She still tries to test me like a young even though I am nowhere close to that.” Handing her the quarter, trying to give her a reassuring smile that I’m no danger to her but seeing a bit of something in her eyes. Maybe it was fear, maybe anxiety? I don’t know. Maybe she is hiding from someone or maybe she is a crazed female and I’m about to have a brawl on my hands. “I’m Amari. Is everything alright?” Noticing her looking out the window like she is expecting someone else. “I’m alone. Are you expecting someone? I’m just here to do my laundry on my night off and not looking for trouble.” Backing away from her as she rises, wishing I had worked tonight.

Treasure: Memories of my own mahmen rushed through my thoughts as the female in front of me rambled on about her own. Everything was so much simpler back in Colorado. Alexandria, my mahmen, and I all lived in a quiet cabin in the woods in the Rocky Mountains. Once a month, or so, we would venture in to the nearest town to get things we couldn’t make, or hunt for, or supply for ourselves, things like toilet paper and feedings. Otherwise, we pretty much lived off the land. Alexandria was a survivalist, and she taught us well. I swiped at a singular tear that slid down my cheek before looking up and out the window. How I wished either of them would walk in that door and rescue me from the mess I had found myself in. Although, my mahmen was probably looking down at me from the Fade, at that very moment, completely ashamed and irate at me for coming to Caldwell, in the first place.

My gaze dropped to the coin in my hand as the female, Amari stepped back. Everything, from her posture to the tone in her voice, told me that she wasn’t a threat, and this was the closest I had come to any kind of a conversation with someone of my kind. So, I decided to take a chance. “Thank you.” My voice sounded distant, even to myself, and I shook my head, “I’m sorry. I’m not from around here… and I’ve heard so much about this place… Caldwell, I mean, and not much of it was good. I probably shouldn’t have come. Yet… “ I didn’t want to explain who I was seaking, that would give away too much. “Well, I lost my family recently, and… I just felt drawn here.” Why I kept talking, I wasn’t sure. It was probably nerves. I did that sometimes, when I first met new people, I would just blab on, and on. “I’m sorry, you didn’t really ask.” I turned back to the dryers and filled them with the change they needed.

Amari:

Completely understanding how she feels to be in a new place and, I’m guessing, all alone, since I’m pretty much in the same position. Although, not by choice. Still not sure the reasons I was given to come here were the real reasons as #ZeroSum was doing just fine. I mean #Trez himself was a bit of a mess, but the club was thriving. Bringing my thoughts back to her.

“Look. I’m new to Caldwell myself. I was sent here to help out family friends or so I’ve been told. But I understand. I’m all alone in a strange place. So, if you need to talk, please go ahead. I’ve got nowhere else to be tonight since it’s my night off from the club so go ahead and share.” Watching her as she turns back to look at me, unsure exactly what her expression means. Not sure if it is relief or what that crosses her face. “Honestly, you can talk I me. I could use some friendly chit chat. The females at the club dislike me so I haven’t really made any friends yet.” Smiles at her.

Treasure: The need to trust someone was so strong and Amari intentions seemed authentic enough. Yet, there was no way I could tell her my story. Being who I was, or more to the point, what I was, I couldn’t just allow anyone to have that kind of information about me.

I was a Chosen, very possibly the last of my kind. My mahmen was pregnant with me when the Other Side was raided. Somehow, she made it out, to This Side. With the help of Alexandria, we stayed hidden for 75 years in the mountains in Colorado. My mahmen was sure we were the only survivors, but I had heard whispers of others like me here, in Caldwell. That was what had drawn me here. However, if anyone knew my real origin, I would be in grave danger. So, I couldn’t share my whole story with Amari. However, it would be nice to have a friend.

Shaking my head slightly, I began, “It’s just been a rough couple of months for me. I’ll be okay.” I paused and bit my lip. “But, do you happen to know of somewhere I can pay for a feeding? Somewhere I don’t have to trade? I’m… I had a bad experience once and I don’t like trading with someone I don’t know.” Okay, great way to start off a friendship, by lying. But, if I told her the truth, and she did turn out to be trustworthy, I could be putting her in danger, too.

Amari: Her question explained why she looked so tired. The need to feed when ignored does not do our bodies well. It said a lot that she even opened up. But, something tells me there still is more than what wants me to know. I can’t blame her for that. We all have a few secrets. Walking back over to her leaning on the machine next to her, with a smile on my face. “It might just be your lucky night. I happen to work at a little club not too far Into the city limits of Caldwell. It is a very elite club. I’m sure I could if you wanted to come in, maybe tomorrow evening, definitely arrange a private feeding for you. No return feeding required, of course.” Smiling as I noticed a change in her expression. Almost a look of relief. “The club tends to cater to a variety of clientele. If there are other needs you have, just so you know, this could also be arranged. Just let me know what you require and when.”

Treasure: The most enormous sense of relief flooded through my veins as she explained the services at the club she worked at. It couldn’t be a more perfect set up for me. I could pay for the feeding, and there would be no expectations of a feeding in return. It was almost like the ones I received back home, except those weren’t done in a fancy nightclub. Yet, this way, it kinda seemed self-indulgent, a little bit wicked, and maybe even a little bit naughty. What would my mahmen think? …she would think I was doing what I had to, to survive. Actually no, she would think, ‘What the hell are you doing in Caldwell, Treasure?’ But, what choice did I have? After both she and Alexandria went to the Fade, what was I supposed to do? I needed to find out if there were in fact more like me.

Turning toward Amari, I spoke up, “Could you do that for me? I would be eternally grateful for the assistance.” I was almost afraid to ask, but curiosity got the better of me. “What other kind of services are there?”

Amari:

I was a little surprised by her question but we all have needs. “Well, if you are looking a job, we are always looking for dancing girls. If you are looking for a sexual encounter of some sort, male or female, there are plenty of opportunities to partake of that in one of the private rooms.” A feeling coming over me that she is looking for something or someone in particular. “Tell me what you are really looking for and I’ll tell you if I can help?” Walking over to check on the washing machine hoping she opens up but getting no response. “You can trust me. I know what it’s like to not want to lean on anyone, but frankly, having a friend in this crazy ass place would be kinda nice. Wouldn’t it?”

Treasure: My eyes turned to saucers as Amari started to explain exactly what kind of ‘services’ were offered at the nightclub she worked for. Okay, the word ‘naughty’ didn’t even come close to the visions that were now bopping around in my mind. Well mahmen, I guess I’m not in Kansas anymore… Swallowing down a large lump in my throat, I replied, “I really only need a way to find a feeding. That’s all. I don’t need… any of that other stuff.” I paused for a minute before my curiosity got the better of me. “I don’t mean to be rude by asking, but is that other stuff common at nightclubs?” Growing up in a cabin in the mountains, I guess I really did miss a lot more than I ever realized. I felt badly now. My mahmen really would have my hide if she knew what I was learning about.

Amari: Realizing I may have just freaked her out a bit, I give her a friendly smile before speaking. “You could say the club I work at is a bit exclusive and some may, but not all. And, we don’t offer some of the services to the masses. Again, it’s very elite. We have some ……exclusive clientele. it’s all very discreet. No one know who comes and goes or why.” Seeing her body relax some, hoping she isn’t changing her mind. It was so nice to find a female to speak openly with for a change. “So, how about you come to the club tomorrow night as my guest? You can check it out. I can kinda give you an idea of how things could work. And then you can decide if you want me to go ahead and look up a feeding for you?”

Treasure: The whole thing sounded very… elusive, and as much as I was put off by some of the offerings, the visions that were bubbling up in my mind were so intriguing, it was difficult to say, ‘No.’ to Amari’s offer. So, I didn’t. “…Okay.” I replied, quickly adding on, “I will definitely need a feeding. It’s been way too long.” I felt comfortable enough in trusting her to help me set that up. Sure, I didn’t know her very well at all, but my gut was telling me she was worth trusting, and I pretty much always followed my gut.

The dryer housing my clothes dingged and I walked over with a rolling basket to pull my clothes out. “Would it be difficult to set up a feeding on such short notice?” I hoped not. The aches in my body were getting to the point where they were really beginning to get in the way of doing normal activities… like simply pulling clothes out of a dryer, and folding them.

Amari: “No, not at all. I can make a quick call and have it set up for you tomorrow night.” Pulls out my phone putting in #Trez’s number. “You want just a one-sided feeding? Nothing else, right?” Types a text to #Trez to see who is free. “And you are ok coming into the club? You can meet me there first and have a drink?”

Treasure: Rolling the cart over to a table, I began the process of folding my clothes. “Yes, just a one-sided feeding. No return feeding, and no extras.” I could feel the flush burn across my cheeks at the thought of wanting something else. “Coming to the club would be fine. I’m curious about the experience of a nightclub. We don’t have any where I come from. Just bars.” I smiled at the thought of the bar that I would go to once in a while, back home. It was called ‘Diggers.’ It was named after the many gold diggers that flocked to the area during the great Gold Rush Era. Surprisingly, there were quite a few vampires in the area, and they seemed to congregate there. It was one of the places I felt safe. I missed that feeling, now.

“Do you think I could I meet up with you after, though? I’m going to be a little nervous, and really only focused on getting that feeding done. I won’t be much company. But, after would be great.” I offered a sincere smile, hoping not to put Amari off by my suggestion of meeting after. She had been so sweet, and genuinely helpful tonight. It would be nice if I just made my first friend here, in Caldwell. “Would you have time to meet up then, or would you be working?”

Amari:

Smiling at her excited about the prospect of making a true friend when there are so few to make. “Yes, afterwards is good. Most of the time I’m just monitoring things and visiting with guests. I’ll watch for you after the feeding and you can come to my office and have a drink in private to give you time to, well, regroup yourself so to say. Scribe knows after that you surely don’t want to be surrounded by some of the males that would surely hit on you there.” A reply comes in on my phone from #Trez and I quickly scan it. “Looks like tomorrow is a good night, Bossman says we can do it at 11pm if that time works for you. Lohre is free and he is most appealing to the eyes. He is normally booked as the ladies find him most appealing and good luck keeping your desire to have bite you back in check once you get a look at him.” Laughs softly at her expression as my machine chimes done and I go to gather my things. “So, 11pm tomorrow?”

Treasure: I was thrilled that Amari hadn’t seemed to take offense my change in her plans, and looked forward to seeing her after I would have a chance to get some blood in my stomach. My mind would be so much less scattered than it was now.

Another blush creeped up my neck and into my face at her mention of males hitting on me. I knew I was a Chosen, a fact I shared with absolutely no one, and I knew Chosen were supposed to be these beautiful females, but I had grown up in a small town in the middle of the woods and saw myself more as somewhat of a redneck. Not that I hadn’t been hit on before, but I was never comfortable with it, when it happened. Most of the males I knew from back home, I had grown up with, so they saw me as their sister, or whatever. Back there, I had never gotten the stares or come ons that I had gotten from males since moving to Caldwell. It put me on edge, and I avoided them as much as I could. I guess I would have to deal with it, if I wanted to get a feeding in, though. I brushed a hair behind my ear in embarrassment at the thought, “I’m sure there are plenty of females less ordinary than me at a nightclub.” At least that was the hope.

Watching curiously as Amari checked her phone, I continued to finish up folding my clothes. 11pm. I nodded. That would be perfect, early enough where I could visit with Amari after, and still get some other things accomplished at home later. I could feel the heat burning off my cheeks at her comments about Lohre, and let an anxious chuckle slip past my lips. Flashing a soft smile, I replied, “I’m sure I will be able to control myself.” If she only knew. I honestly didn’t know what it would be like to have someone draw from my vein. Not once, in my whole existence had any male ever taken my vein. My mahmen had forbidden it, and for good reason. If someone were to taste my blood, they would know immediately I was a Chosen, and nothing good would come of that.

Before I packed up my folded laundry, I scribbled my number down on a piece of paper, and giving Amari one last smile, I passed it to her. “That sounds perfect. Here’s my number. If you send me a text with the details, I will see you tomorrow at 11pm.” Grabbing my bag full of clothes, I exited the laundromat, excited at the prospect of a new friend, as well as finally getting a chance to feed.

#AChanceMeeting #SASBDB

Setting Up Shop

Being so secluded from the world of mine own people, I had no ideas on how to find permanent shelter in Caldwell that would be suitable for me, considering my special needs. Thankfully, my mahmen had purchased an RV and had it retrofitted for the needs of our kind. She was a very paranoid female and bought it for the “just in case” that I swore would never come. I used to think she was a crazy fool to do some of the things she had, now I only wish I could thank her for them. She even managed to squirrel away some savings for me, as well. It wasn’t a hugely substantial amount but, it was enough to get me by for quite some time, while I established a place in the world for myself. If she only knew that place was going to be in Caldwell, I am sure she would come back from The Fade with a vengeance.

I found a small campground outside the city that due to the time of year, it was practically empty. I asked for the quietest corner of the lot and from the looks of it, that’s what the office had given me. I was practically parked within the forest limits that skirted the grounds. It was also the lot farthest from the main road, which was fine with me. Too close and people driving by would see some of the oddities the RV was fitted with. I didn’t need any unwanted attention.

Once I had the camper set up, the next thing on my to-do list was to find a grocery store and a hardware store. A grocery store for obvious reasons but, a hardware store because, not only had my mahmen retrofitted the thing with all the bells and whistles, she taught me how to fix anything should it break. She was a real survivalist and wanted me to know how to take care of myself again, for the “just in case”. In order to do this, I would need to make sure I knew where to get any items I may need down the road. So, I set up my laptop on the table in the kitchen and started to do my research.

It wasn’t long before I was able to find the closest grocery store that stayed open late enough, as well as a local hardware store. With those mapped out, I grabbed my purse and keys, my GPS (in case I needed it… although, my mother taught me only to use it in emergencies. She wanted me to know how to depend on only myself) and headed out to unhook my little Scion XA from the camper. Successfully untethered, I headed out on my journey to discover the beginnings of what Caldwell may have to offer me.

#SettingUpShop

Betting The Farm

Caldwell, New York. The forbidden city… at least it was supposed to be for me. It was the one place on this earth that my mahmen swore she would never take me. She was always telling me horror stories about how she came from another place and when she was pregnant with me, that place was attacked and overrun by a horde of murderers, forcing her to take refuge down in this world, “This Side” she used to call it. She told me she was sure after that happened, they must have had the power to come down to “This Side” and overthrow the Brotherhood as well, making Caldwell the worst place for our kind to be. However, I had heard whispers, from those she paid to nourish me, that there was in fact a King of our kind, alive and well and living in Caldwell, along with his Brotherhood, strong in numbers, living in the city with him. That led me to believe that all may not have been lost on “The Other Side”, as well. So, when my mahmen passed a few months ago, Caldwell was the only place I wanted to go. I wanted to find others of my own kind. Not just the ones my mahmen called civilians, the ones she paid to feed me. I wanted to meet others that may have come from “The Other Side”, the ones that were supposed to be my true sisters.

That’s how I landed here, in Caldwell, all alone. It took me a while to get here. I had to take care of all of my mahmen’s things, as well as Alexandria’s after their deaths. Alexandria was the female that took us in many years ago, after the attack. She helped my mahmen though the pregnancy and taught us how to live, hidden from the rest of the world, in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. She taught my mahmen how to find civilians willing to provide her, and later me, nourishment for payment. This was also where she found someone willing to help me during my transition. She also helped my mahmen find work in order to pay for such things. She was a kind female and I miss her just about as much as I miss my mahmen. For all intents and purposes, she may as well have been a second mahmen to me.

A few months ago, she and my mahmen were doing the most mundane thing, grocery shopping just before closing. While they were out in the parking lot, loading up their car, a group of lessers just happened upon them. The whole run in was by sheer accident but, the lessers took advantage of the situation and killed my mahmen and Alexandria.

Now, I was in the city I was forbidden to come to, looking for the sisters I could only hope were still living. I was betting everything I had left in this world, as well as my life, that if this King and his Brotherhood actually did exist here in Caldwell, there was a chance my sisters did too.

#BettingTheFarm #BDBRW

Trending Blogs

Recently Viewed Blogs

Treasure's Slice of the World