Just before midnight ...
"Hiliad, this is Michael Matthews, the auditor," Liza said as she approached me with a man beside her that I hardly gave a glance.
"Brett isn't supposed to be here till tomorrow." Brett was always the auditor. Why didn't he call that he was going to be early? Connee's gonna be upset.
"Mr. Fildri, Brett is ill. I'm his replacement."
I waved them off and saw them walk towards Connee's office. There was something off-putting about him that I couldn't place. Before I could consider what it was Doug said, "Hiliad, Luke needs to see you at the bar."
Mr. Matthews, if that was who he was, would just have to wait.
Connee's POV:
"There!" I said triumphantly to my empty office. The auditor's paperwork was all done, but it was a miracle how I did it in such short time.
I found my mind wandering to Hiliad more than once and I hated it. He wasn't paying me enough to afford my own apartment, although I was frugal with my money. His offer was generous and thoughtful but—thoughtful? Hiliad could never be thoughtful and generous, but he'd proved to me to be enough. But was it enough? Only time would tell.
That thought caught me cold. I only had thirteen more days working at Naluchra since I'd given him my two week notice last night. I'd be a fool to be anything to him other than his accountant. But maybe I was dreaming when I gave him my two week notice. I was beginning to lose my mind. The least I could do for Hiliad was to look at the apartment, and I promised myself I'd look at it the next day. I hadn't even said anything to Hiliad when he gave me the key, regardless of how he gave it to me. I had to at least show him I was grateful to him for helping me start my life over.
I couldn't avoid him any longer. I went to the door and was startled back when I saw Liza's hand in the air about to knock. "Hey, Liza."
"The auditor is here," she told me. "Michael Matthews."
"Oh, it's a good thing I just finished everything up for you," I replied as I opened the door wider.
"Show him the way out when he's done," Liza said then left.
Turning to my desk I said, "Well, let me show you—" I was cut off in mid-sentence when I felt a sharp pain carve into my left shoulder. I fell forward and caught the edge of the desk so I wouldn't fall, crying out in pain. "What the fuck?"
Out on Hiliad's throne (third person):
Hiliad had been at the bar talking to Luke when he sensed something was wrong. He rushed to Connee's office and was stopped in his tracks when he saw the auditor holding her with her arms behind her with one hand and a carving knife in the other.
Connee's POV:
Lord, did it ever hurt when the blade sliced into my shoulder. I'd have rather been whipped than endure another cut like that. He had a solid grip on my hands behind me, and I knew for sure he was going to kill me. But why?
I had never been more relieved in my life when I saw Hiliad in the doorway, his fangs long, sharp and threatening. There was no look of shock on his face at all; he was calm, although I couldn't fathom how. I tensed again when Matthew put the carving knife to my neck. "Stay back, bloodsucker!" he warned.
"Or you'll do what?" Hiliad asked taking two steps forward. His voice was cool and remained calm.
"Hiliad, don't do anything," I stuttered.
I knew how fast he could move, but my body was in the way this time. My shoulder was starting to burn, and I could feel blood begin to drip down to my back to my waist. I started to get a little dizzy but forced myself to keep my head together, and attached to my body.
"You're Hiliad, right?" Matthew asked when Hiliad stepped forward. "Stop!"
Hiliad obliged. "It depends. Want to tell me what exactly you're doing and why?"
"Like you don't know," Matthew said.
Just then the expression on Hiliad's face changed, and I knew it wasn't good. Hiliad took several steps into the room but Matthew's grip on me didn't even falter. Then I saw the reason why Hiliad looked panicked: Another man had something pressed to his back. He closed the door behind them, locked it then smiled at Matthew. The man then shoved Hiliad onto a chair about ten feet from where Matthew held me. My stomach dropped when I saw the thin piece of wood, the end sharpened to a tiny point that was then at Hiliad's neck. I was then starting to get nauseas and the dizziness was getting worse, too. Even my vision was affected.
"Do you recognize your neighbor, Connee?" Matthew asked me.
I looked at the new man's face. "Yeah, from the hotel." Hiliad growled and his face became strained with anxiety, his hands tightened on the arm rests. "Hiliad, please, don't," I begged. "Why are you doing this? I did nothing to you," I asked Matthew, but I was looking at Hiliad.
"Yes, you did," Matthew breathed heavily into my ear and it gave me chills of fear. "Sue told me what you ... and your friend, here, did."
So the truth was out. Matthew must be Susie's boyfriend.
"You seriously don't think you'll get away with this," Hiliad said. I wished he kept his mouth shut.
"Prick!" Matthew scoffed then scraped the knife across my throat. I whimpered and immediately felt blood drip down to my collarbone. "I really don't care what happens to me. She left me because of what you did to her."
"We did nothing that she didn't want done," Hiliad said confidently, and for the first time I heard anger in his voice.
My eyelids became heavy, and I knew I was close to losing consciousness from the blood loss. I wished Hiliad would do something. He didn't have the chance. I felt Matthew nod his head and the man with the stake brought it up over the back of Hiliad's neck. "NO!" I managed to scream.
The man looked at me startled, which was enough to distract him. Within a millisecond Hiliad had him on the floor, his head turned to expose his neck and was about to rip into it. "No, Hiliad! Don't kill him!" I cried out, though it was difficult to get it out. I was surprised how weak I was becoming.
"Shut up, bitch," Matthew barked in my ear.
It didn't matter anyway because Hiliad wasn't even listening to me. The man was hollering at the top of his voice. I was appalled when I saw why. Hiliad was glued to his neck, his head moving back and forth like he was tearing out chunks of the man's flesh. He was cursing and squirming. Anyone could tell how much pain he was in.
Without thinking about what I was doing, I struggled to release Matthew's grip on me and was shocked when my hands slipped free easily. I fell to my knees whimpering at the intense pain in my shoulder. Matthew approached Hiliad and grabbed the stake. My mind screamed at me to save Hiliad.
