04

Chapter 3: Just a Trace

Drew woke to a loud knocking. He threw on a robe and stumbled to the door. He looked through the peephole and saw Neil looking agitated. "As glad as I am that you've stopped letting yourself in, I'd appreciate it if you didn't wake me up in the middle of the night," Drew yawned, opening the door to Neil and, to his surprise, Alex. "Alex? What are you doing here?"

Neil grabbed Alex's wrist and gently pulled her into the room. "She was paid a visit by some old friends," he said. Drew looked at his friend sharply. Neil mouthed "F.B.I." Drew nodded knowingly and grimaced.

Alex's head was still swimming in confusion. "Why was the F.B.I. asking me about you? Are you guys in trouble with the law? How did he-" she asked pointing to Neil -"know my last name?"

Drew shushed her soothingly and hugged her, which she awkwardly accepted. "I'll explain it all in a minute. First things first, what did they tell you?"

"Nothing."

"And what did they ask you? What specific questions?"

Alex thought back to the interview. "Most of it was just general questions. How did we meet? How long had I known you? That sort of thing. Oh, but they kept asking if we had sex. How many times? What positions?" she said in disgust, muttering "Dirty old men" under her breath.

"What did you tell them?" Drew asked apprehensively.

"I told them it was none of their business. If the old pervs want to hear sweaty details of sex they can call a 1-900 number or read bad erotica. Besides, it's not like you're James Bond slipping me secret documents and screwing me afterward. There's no reason for them to know about our sex life." Both guys looked pleased with her answer. "But they did know about the busted condom..." she added. Realization washed over her. "Shit. I knew they were the ones who broke into my apartment! That's the only way they could have known about it."

The color drained from Drew's face. "Your house was broken into?" he repeated, a barely repressed knife's edge of violence in his voice. Alex nodded. For a split second he looked downright terrifying as anger flashed in his eyes. He took a step towards Alex and she instinctively cringed but found herself wrapped in his warm embrace, a soft kiss on her temple. "I'm so sorry. You must have been so scared," he murmured into her hair. She felt some of the tension slip away as he held her. Drew led her to the sofa and sat next to her, holding her hand and stroking it reassuringly. He swung his head towards Neil, and they seemed to have a whole unspoken conversation made up of meaningful looks and shrugs. She looked from one guy to the other, still waiting for answers. She was starting to get irritated when Drew finally uttered "You better stay with me for a few days."

"A few days?" Neil asked pointedly.

At the same time Alex gave a surprised "What?"

Drew squeezed her hand. "I know you're confused. They're after you to get to me. I'll explain it all to you. God knows you won't believe me but I'll explain it."

Neil's face broke out into a big grin and he leaned back on the sofa. He couldn't wait to hear Drew's explanation. Drew glanced at him and his face turned dark. "Neil, you can go home now. Thank you for looking out for her."

"Don't you want me here to help explain?"

"No."

Neil sighed. He stood up, gave a wave goodbye and a devastating smile to Alex before sauntering to the door and letting himself out. He was halfway to his car when he heard Alex exclaim "You're a

what

?" followed by uproarious laughing. Neil smiled to himself. He knew his friend was going to have a hell of a time explaining everything and that Drew was in for a long, long night.

****

The next day Neil rapped on Drew's door merrily. Drew opened the door, and turned around to walk to the sofa, not even bothering to greet his friend. Neil shut the door behind him and followed him in.

"So what'd you tell her?" Neil asked.

"The truth."

"All of it?"

Drew didn't bother replying. Alex came stumbling into the living room. She was dressed in one of Drew's old tee shirts and panties. Neil took a long, appreciative look at her causing her to blush and try and pull the shirt down more. "I need to go by my apartment and get some of my clothes," she explained, embarrassed.

Neil gave her a lecherous grin. "Nah, you look fine as you are. Don't you think so, Drew?"

Drew glared at him. He knew Neil, and soon he'd be pushing him to have sex with Alex again to complete her transformation. He had to admit how tempting it would be to bed her again (and again and again) but he knew Neil was wrong. She only had a bit of the virus and as long as he could control himself she'd be fine.

"So did Drew explain all the details of our 'condition'?" Neil asked Alex.

"Yeah, he... uh, explained what you both were," she answered softly, hugging herself to suppress an unconscious shiver. Even though she had seen the evidence with her own eyes, she still could hardly believe it, much less say it aloud.

"And did he explain that you'd turn into one too?"

Alex's head shot up in surprise as Drew shouted "Neil!"

"What? You only revealed what you are but none of the details?" Neil sneered at Drew.

Rising to his defense, Alex responded "No, he explained that there was something in your DNA. Some glitch in your genetic code that causes it." She took a step to join them on the sofa but remembered her lack of clothing and stayed put. She didn't want to give Neil any more of a peep show than he was already getting.

"Very good. You got the basic history lesson. So you know how our unique DNA gets transmitted?" Neil inquired.

"I told her the ways it can be passed," Drew wearily explained. Then, as if he was reading a boring textbook, recited "It's like a virus. It can be passed through fluids such as blood or saliva. It has been contracted through biting, sex (both oral and coital) as well as, in very rare cases, excessive kissing."

Neil slid off the sofa and patted Drew on the head condescendingly. Drew scowled and smacked his hand away. Neil started slowly walking toward Alex.

"But he told me that it usually takes several times of unprotected sex to infect someone. We only did it once," she said defensively.

"But we're the originals, baby. Our families were the first to have the unique coding. We don't need several times. Sometimes it just takes one or two encounters with us," he smiled.

"Neil, stop. You and I might pass on the virus a little quicker than most but Alex wasn't infected. Not after just one time," Drew protested.

Alex looked relived and insisted that she didn't feel any different.

Not taking his eyes off Alex, Neil chided Drew. "Use your senses. Can't you smell the trace amount of pheromones her body is producing?" With a predatory gleam in his eye, Neil stepped closer toward Alex, causing her to back up against the wall. "Her body is starting to transform and soon lust will overtake her as the virus craves to finish the process."

She scoffed. "Do you use that line to talk women into going to bed with you?"

"So you're not slightly aroused? Your heartbeat isn't rapidly increasing as your mind starts to picture us naked on a bed intertwined?"

She stood there, nervous. Her heart started pounding like he described and all she could do was stare at his lips, imagining them all over her.

As if reading her thoughts he chuckled and leaned forward to whisper "Convince me that you're not thinking about me fucking you against this wall."

"Neil," Drew warned. Neil held up his hand to signal "wait a minute" to Drew. He needed to show both of them what would happen if Drew didn't have sex with her and complete the transformation.

Neil was inches away from Alex. He started to slowly lift the tee shirt. "Why aren't you stopping me?" he taunted softly. She had no answers. Some part of her body was screaming "Danger!" but most of her was twitching with desire. He leaned forward and kissed her shoulder blade as he stripped her of her shirt. His eyes glowed as he took in the sight of her large breasts straining against her cheap bra.

"Neil!" Drew yelled.

"So lovely," Neil crooned, ignoring Drew. He tugged her lower body forward off the wall. He cupped her intimately and whispered "Just say the word and I'll stop."

She gurgled as she tried to find her voice. "Please... " she murmured as she lowered her eyes. "D...Don't stop."

Neil's face broke into a grin and started softly rubbing her over her panties.

Drew strode angrily up to them. "Leave her alone."

At the sound of Drew's voice she looked up at him, her eyes hazy with lust. She reached out to him and pulled him toward her, kissing him passionately. Drew was surprised but gave in to the kiss.

Neil laughed. "No doubt who she prefers." He continued caressing her, amazed at how wet she was already. He shifted over, to give the two a little more room to kiss but his hand stayed locked on her pussy. He tugged the panties up slightly so she could feel the silkiness of the cloth inside her wet folds. She gasped into Drew's mouth. Neil then hooked two fingers on either side of her panties and slowly slid them down her long legs. He stood up and began rubbing her again, letting his slim fingers explore her.

Drew broke the kiss and tried to corral his desire. "Neil. We have to stop. Please."

Neil had already given in to his lust and began stroking her clit, causing her to moan softly in pleasure. He glanced at his friend and saw Drew staring hungrily at her pussy as Neil's touch turned more insistent. "Take off her bra," Neil commanded and Drew complied, forgetting his hesitations. Drew almost pushed Neil over as he moved closer to her to start kissing her breasts. Neil held onto her and just readjusted. He raised her knee up and wedged it between his body and the wall to allow easier access to her wet pussy. He slipped a finger inside her and was using his thumb to stroke her clit at the same time.

Alex could only moan as the two concentrated on pleasuring her. Her body had never felt so stimulated. She'd never tried Ecstasy but she was willing to bet this surpassed any pharmaceutically enhanced pleasure. Neil was on one side of her, finger fucking her and playing with her clit. Drew was on the other, alternating soft bites and sucking on her nipple. She pulled Drew up to capture his mouth in hers while her hand slid down the front of his pants to stroke his crotch. He was hard and she tried clumsily with one hand to undo his pants. Mouth still locked on hers, he quickly undid them for her. Her hand sought out his cock and started stroking it. He stopped kissing her for a second to groan in pleasure.

Neil noticed her jerking off Drew and couldn't help but let out a tiny grunt of jealousy. Alex turned toward him and tried to reach for his jeans with her other hand. Due to the angle of their bodies and Neil's ministrations on her, she didn't have access to play with him. He just smiled at her and told her to concentrate on enjoying herself. She leaned over to thank him with a sensuous kiss, her tongue darting in and out of his mouth. Neil rubbed her furiously and she was forced to break the kiss and yell out from the bliss. She could feel her orgasm coming and knew it would be a shattering one. Her knees started to shake and her legs felt like they might give out but Neil had control of her lower body with his unrelenting assault on her pussy. Drew had slid her upper body towards him to help hold her up and give him unrestricted access to her breasts and mouth. Alex felt her whole body spasm as she came. Wave upon wave of pleasure seemed to rock her body from her toes to her scalp as she experienced a violent orgasm followed by several delicious aftershocks.

She slumped back against the wall in happy exhaustion. Neil smiled at her, kissed her forehead and gently removed his hand from her. He looked deeply in her eyes and deliberately licked her fluids off his hand, moaning that she tasted sweet. Her eyelids grew heavy and she felt like she could just fall into a puddle on the floor. Drew was still bracing her up against the wall to prevent her slipping. He pulled her towards him and carried her to the guest room to recover.

Drew walked back into the living room to see Neil stretched comfortably in the chair. "Believe me now?" Neil asked.

"That was just momentary lust," Drew scoffed. "She's had a long, scary few days and she just gave in to give her mind a break."

"Your ability to delude yourself is so great it could be considered a super power."

"Whatever. I didn't notice any physical changes on her. Other than your sniffing her like a bloodhound there's been no indication she's been infected. If an increase of pheromones is all that she'll get then she can just learn to ignore those urges."

Neil just shook his head. "If you won't complete the process then at least let me do it."

"Hell no! I should be kicking your ass for what just happened."

Neil chuckled and leaned back in the chair. After a few moments of silence he suddenly piped up "Hey... have you ever wondered what would happen if we both passed the virus to someone?"

"What the hell are you talking about now?" Drew muttered.

"Think about it. We're part of the original blood lines. If our families had gotten along instead of fighting all those years, then the virus would have strengthened, instead of getting watered down with each new generation. But someone with both of our families strain in them - just imagine the power they'd have," Neil mused.

Drew thought a moment to consider it. "Nah, you're just looking for an excuse to screw my girlfriend."

"Won't deny that is a perk," Neil admitted with a full toothed grin as he thought of the many, many ways he would happily infect her.

Chapter 4: A Taste of Freedom

Drew was in a situation he hadn't been in in a long time: living with a woman he wasn't sleeping with. The last time he'd done that... well, it was when he lived with his mom and sisters and that had been eons ago. He was starting to feel like he was the one infected with constant sexual urges when she'd do things like flash a bit of skin while stretching, or say good morning in a sexy, not-quite-awake husky voice. He'd tell himself "Don't give into your weaknesses" until the craving passed. Lately he'd been chanting that mantra a lot. Alex also wasn't immune to the sexual tension, but she told herself that it was merely due to the fact that Drew was so damn handsome. Thick brown hair, dimples that stayed hidden in the slashes of his cheeks until he smiled. And a precise jawline that made her want to run her tongue along it. Of course she'd continue to desire him. She refused to believe that the itch she felt was only due to a chemical reaction.

It was the sixth night at Drew's and Alex was starting to get a little restless. Having to be around him all the time was like being on a diet and working in a candy store.

"So, how long do I have to stay here?" she asked.

He set down the book he was reading and thought a minute. "I'm not sure. It's been a long time since we've had to deal with this. The government knows better than to go after us after the virus has transmuted our DNA. You're the rare one who hasn't completed the process."

"Yay me," she said unenthusiastically.

He smiled in sympathy. "I'll ask Neil to follow up with his contacts. They'll let us know if the government is really pursuing this or if they're putting it on hold. They might decide to leave you alone since you're under my protection."

"How long could that take?"

"Not sure. A few weeks? A month, maybe a couple?" he guessed.

"I can't stay here a couple of months!"

"Tired of my company already?" he teased, lifting his eyebrow.

Alex was tempted to tell him her first thought,

I'd enjoy it much, much more if you were naked and between my legs,

but bit her tongue. Instead she stammered "N...no, that's not it at all. I just want to be in my own home, ya know? And I can't keep calling out sick at work-"

"Take a leave of absence," he interrupted firmly.

"I can't do that," she replied in irritation.

"Why not? Your safety is more important than a job."

He could see her bristle at his tone as she pushed herself forward on the couch. "It's not just a 'job' to me. Do you know how hard it is to get hired as a librarian with all the budget cuts? If I keep calling out or even request a leave of absence without a good reason I may get fired, and not all of us can afford luxury apartments!" she huffed.

"So it's worth endangering yourself? Having the government get a hold of you and subjecting you to all sorts of experiments?" he asked coldly.

"I can't just sit around your apartment waiting indefinitely. What happens if the government continues to pursue me? I move in and live here forever? I need to go out, do things, live my life. Besides, do you really think the F.B.I. is going to invade a public library just for me?"

He thought about how much she'd been through in just a week and begrudgingly agreed she could go to work the next day. "But I'm coming with you," he declared. She was relieved to be getting some sense of normalcy back but resisted giving him a thank you kiss, afraid of what it might lead to.

****

The next day Alex happily strode into the library wearing a button up white shirt, a black and grey plaid pencil skirt, and a pair of black heels. She didn't normally dress like this - she usually dressed business casual - but she was celebrating finally being able to get out of the house. Plus a little part of her wanted Drew to see her sexy librarian side. She slid her badge in the access panel to the employees-only back room and held the door open for Drew. She groaned when she spotted a coworker making a beeline for her.

"Ms. Daniels! Ms. Daniels! You can't let anyone back here! This is for employees only!" an older man with an unforgiving face cried.

"Oh, Mr. Armstrong. Let me introduce my friend Drew Elias. I'm giving him a tour-"

Mr. Armstrong waived a hand dismissively at Drew and recited the rules for non-employees. Drew smiled charmingly and reached for the man's hand to give a firm handshake. "Nice to meet you, sir. I understand this area is normally just for employees but you wouldn't mind if I come back here occasionally, right? I promise not to steal any books or reshelve improperly," he said smoothly with a smile.

Mr. Armstrong just stared at Drew slightly dazed. Finally his eyes came back into focus and his face broke into a smile. "As long as you promise not to steal anyone's lunch," he chortled. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Elias." And with that he wandered away.

Drew turned to Alex with a half grin, only to see her staring at him suspiciously. "What?" he asked.

"I hope you use that mind control for good and not evil."

"There's no such thing as good or evil," he smirked.

Her eyebrows shot up. "That's kinda ironic coming from you."

He shook his head at her. "I told you. Forget everything you've read, all the stories you've heard about us, all the myths. At our core we're human, remember? We make mistakes, we fall in love; we just try and live inconspicuously. We have some unrelenting pricks, and there are some who are annoyingly virtuous too. Most of us are happy mediums."

"Most, huh? I wonder where you and Neil fall on that sliding scale," she teased with a small smile. Not bothering to respond he merely grinned at her with a gleam in his eye. She smiled back but something kept niggling at the back of her mind. Finally she asked hesitantly "Do you hypnotize people like that a lot? Like, uh, to get to know them better, or get them to do things? Maybe even seduce them?"