AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thanks to 'the Brit,' his new official name.
Please remember Hiliad has been a vampire for 2000 years and he's been through a lot. He won't change overnight. The process is slow...and fun!
Thanks for the votes and comments. Please, keep them up!
------------------
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
The next night ...
"Hugh, you still shouldn't have gotten Connee's IM and shown Hiliad how to use it." Wilma was furious, and I sure didn't mean to get him in trouble, but I wasn't going to stop her.
They had popped in to see how I was doing, although they got me out of bed. I couldn't just not have them in. They'd done a lot for me. Besides, I was hoping they had some dirt on Hiliad.
"I didn't have—"
"Wait," I interrupted Hugh, "it was noon when he IM'd me. How did he get online?" Did I mention I'm a little slow on the uptake?
"He is very old, Connee. He doesn't need as much sleep as me, for example. I don't know where his lair is, as we keep our day holds very, very secretive."
"Really?" I asked. I couldn't help but notice how much I wished Hiliad could be like Hugh. He seemed so good to Wilma, and he really loved her. And lucky, lucky Wilma. He was built like—while I was thinking to myself, I noticed her giving me a nasty, 'Get away from my man, bitch!'
I blushed then mouthed, 'sorry.'
I was relieved when she smiled. "Connee," she said, "If you want to gain his trust, have him take you—"
"No, no!" Hugh interjected. "You cannot find out where—"
"Hugh, calm down. I'm not. I have no intention of seeing him again."
That was my resolution until the next night.
------------
Hiliad sent me the prior week's paycheck and a 'bonus' check to cover expenses while I was off work. I had gone clothes shopping then treated myself to dinner, and it was almost nine o'clock by the time I got home. With my hands full, I went straight to the bedroom and threw my clothes on the bed. I heard something odd on the bed, but it wasn't threatening. I quickly turned on the light to see a box, wrapped up in purple gift wrap with a bow the size of the box itself. That damned Hiliad! I was about to grab it and throw it away when it suddenly moved. Tiny scratches came from inside the box.
I sat on the bed, pulled the box towards me and lifted the lid, actually expecting a snake or something to jump out at me and eat me. But this perfect little furry, calico kitten meowed at me.
"Well, hello there." Trying to get out of the box, I grabbed him—her, as it turned out—under the belly and cradled her in my arms. "Did that big ole nasty vampire decide he didn't want you for dinner last night?"
Something caught my attention right outside the window. I knew it had to be Hiliad, but I've never been not gracious enough to not thank someone for a gift. I sighed. "Don't get too used to this place, sweetie. We're moving."
I put her on the bed then went to the window, a double-slider with the screen at the bottom, lifted it up a little and looked through the glass. "Hiliad, I know you're—" Before I could finish, he was standing in front of me. "—out there." He could have at least had some manners to allow me to finish my sentence. "Hi."
"Hello," he said in his deep, throaty, sexy as hell growl. He was wearing an outfit that made him look like a geek from the 80's. And his teeth were hidden. He looked almost—normal. "Did you find my little gift?"
"Yes, I did. Thank you."
"I had her mother for dinner," he said seriously. My eyes flew open, and I was about to close the window when he said, "Connee, I was joking. I heard your comment."
"You need to work on your sense of humor."
"Right. I've already started improving my spelling. All those damned keys, and I never knew where any of them—"
"I'm an idiot for talking to you," I gurgled.
"But you are talking to me." His right eyebrow rose, like he was triumphant in winning an Olympic medal or something.
The kitten had been making a fuss on the bed, and I was afraid she'd fall off and hurt herself. I sighed, picked her up and sat on the floor right by the window screen; Hiliad did the same. "Yes, I'm talking to you because I'm an idiot. I can't talk long because I have to run and get her some—"
"Its' litter box is in the hall bathroom, and the food is in a cupboard in the kitchen. I am so relieved you removed that damned garlic."
Ah, so he couldn't enter? I had removed the bulbs of garlic the night before, but at least I knew they did work. I'd have to remember that.
"I couldn't get the smell out of my clothes. I had to throw them away. And that was my favorite shirt."
Oh.
The tunic I was wearing had a string at the top, and the kitten was batting it around, trying to get its teeth into it. "What do you want, Hiliad?"
"I want us to talk."
"So, talk."
"Um, I don't know what to say. I thought maybe you'd—"
"You almost killed me, Hiliad. You shouldn't know what to say. I should never have agreed to be your sub."
"Connee, what happened had nothing to do with me being your Dom."
"Really? What did it have to do with?"
He looked out into the woods. "I'm a vampire, in case you haven't noticed. We feed off humans. I made a mistake. I admit that."
Well, he was man enough to admit he was wrong. I started to laugh at the human part.
"What is so funny?" he asked, glaring at me then.
The kitten was able to get her claws stuck in the string and pulled the string into her mouth, along with the 'v' of my top opening with it. Hiliad's eyes grew wide. I quickly removed the string from the kitten and closed the blouse.
"Nothing, nothing." I blushed and hated myself for it.
Okay, so we'd been talking for ten minutes, and my heart was pounding inside my chest. I was having a normal conversation with Hiliad, something we'd never really had before. Well, it wasn't too bad.
"Heather," I heard myself say as I was petting the kitten as I was lost in thought.
"Pardon me?"
"I'm naming her Heather."
He just nodded. "I like it." His voice was soft, yet I barely heard him.
"Yeah. I've always liked that name."
