I hope you like this installment. Please let me know what you think. I'm hard at work on the next chapter.
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As day became night in the Romanian capital, Bitsy returned from her IPD duties in Paris to enjoy a breathtaking sunset. It wasn't often that the winter clouds parted to reveal the spectacular incandescent pinks and oranges that faded to purple and red, colors people sometimes said were never seen in nature. This boisterous display of nature belied their words.
She pulled over just past the IPD Paris-Romania transit tunnel to step out of the silver Camaro that reflected the vibrant hues of the sunset. While her Vampiran senses could catalogue the various shades logically, it was her budding lycanthrope abilities that turned the rational First Lieutenant's categorization on its emotional ear.
While Nature's riotous spectacle was unbelievably beautiful, Bitsy worried about the deeper problem it revealed. Vampiran-werewolf hybridization was illegal; the laws that made hybridization a capital crime had been in effect for several centuries. The treaty that ended the most recent Vampiran-White Gulfian, or witch, war strengthened the resolve of the law. The end result was the same regardless: if Tracy Bathory, who had placed her in the situation where Stuart could and would seduce her, discovered that the king had, in fact, tainted her Vampiran purity with the lycanthrope gene, the Duchess would order her immediate execution.
So, it was with no surprise that Bitsy enjoyed the sunset with a wistful heart. Only after the fiery pinks and oranges faded into the horizon to be replaced by the indigo velvet of twilight dotted with patterns of twinkling diamonds, stars millions of miles away, did Bitsy return to the warmth of her Camaro to drive to the palace.
She was long overdue to arrive. Stuart had long been expecting her, she was sure. It was expected, then, that he would be standing in the expansive circular driveway awaiting her return. His thunderous expression served to make her quake inside with a two-fold purpose: fear of his wrath mixed with an even deeper, more insidious softening within, the submissive demurring to the dominant before her.
"Where have you been?" his voice thundered in the twilight. For once, the dark Master that invaded her dreams and waking reality was not costumed in his riding outfit. She knew, though, that even though the crop was not in evidence, it would probably be made available for his use on her shortly.
Bitsy swallowed hard, trying to calm her racing heartbeat. "I'm sorry, Master," she whispered, her lowered eyes and quietly submissive tone causing his eyes to gleam red with satisfaction. "I was enjoying the marvelous sunset and lost track of the time," she continued.
She dared to glance a gaze up at him. "Most evenings would not be a problem, slave. Tonight, however, is the first full moon that you will face under my protection."
Her stomach roiled in dread. Nightmarish images of men converting into wolves battered her brain. She closed her eyes, but her sightless gaze could not prevent the pictures of flesh stretching, bones elongating, her beloved Master's features becoming feral as a pelt sprouted where skin rested now.
Her psychic mind must have been projecting her distress because he caught her gaze and nodded. "Moonrise is in one hour. At that time, you need to be secure, safe from my reach, my clutches, my claws," he said, deliberately scaring her.
Bitsy shuddered. Even through the violent tremors pulsing through her body, she found the courage to ask, "What about me?"
Her quiet question shook his resolve. "What do you mean?" he asked.
"We've been denying what has happened. That first night, in the dungeon, you...bit me. Your saliva mixed with my blood. I'm tainted. I'm a hybrid. And last night only made it worse. I drank your blood; I shouldn't have; it caused us both to break THE LAW." Her voice shook on the emphasis she placed on her final two words. She licked her lips, a motion the king watched with absolute fascination. "I'm a hybrid now, or at least on my way to being one. What will happen to ME tonight while you are changing?"
The possibility hadn't occurred to him from the horror on his face. After a moment's pause, he asked, "Are you sure?"
"I can feel the moon's pull now; I find bright colors fascinating," was her answer by way of explanation.
"I don't really know what will happen tonight, then, my slave," was his grudging admission.
Her eyes closed on a prayer. "What happens now?"
"We secure both of us in dungeon, separately. The doors of the dungeon will be sealed by my servants. And," he paused, dreading to finish his statement.
"And?" Bitsy echoed.
With a heavy sigh, he continued, "And we await the dawn. The dungeon is the most secure location, but I don't know if any tethers there will keep you safe from me."
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