THE DEAL
                              a vignette
                             by Darkangel

        'Goddess, my hands hurt,'  I thought, looking at the aching appendages woefully.  I popped
the lock on the sliding glass door, sliding it open.  'Maybe I'm getting a little too carried away
with this "Forever Knight" stuff.'  I had just finished the fifth installment of my tale, totalling my
writings for the day at a little under 1000 lines of text.  I had also managed to compose a short
story, which I dutifully mailed to my editor, and had exchanged several bloodthirsty messages
with Jen, my mercenary cohort.  I shook my hands, trying to revive them, and sat wearily onto a
stool I kept on the porch.  I lit a cigarette and took a deep drag, watching the moths try and
break open the screen which surrounded the concrete patio, trying to get to the glow arising
from the lights inside the house.  I sat, silent, smoking and wondering what to write for part six.
        Suddenly I felt the hairs on my neck stand up, and the night grew silent.  Even the crickets
stopped chirping.  Something was very wrong.
        A shadow emerged from the darkness, and I recognized the visage immediately.  LaCroix.
I instinctively threw up my shields and fingered the pentacle at my neck nervously.
        "Ah, you know who I am, then."  He casually opened the patio door and stepped inside.
"My cousins tell me that you've refused your calling.  They say that you're stuck on this
mercenary nonsense."
        He looked even sexier in person that he did on the show, and I swallowed nervously.
"And why would my affiliation on a list on fans matter to you?  I'm sure you must have better
things to do than play silly games with mortals."
        He smiled, though his polite expression didn't fool me for an instant, and took the chair
opposite me.  "Let's just say that I read the list for entertainment, and you caught my eye.
After all, the upcoming war requires planning, ne c'est pas?"
        "As I've told your devoted followers, I have no desire to be subordinate to anyone.  I'd
rather make my own rules, thanks."  I puffed on my cigarette, flicking ashes into a discarded
Coke can.
        "You see?  That's what I like about you."  He looked at me intently, ice-blue eyes trying to
penetrate my thoughts.  "That shield is a cute trick."  He leaned back in his chair, still smiling.
        "You expected something different?"  I arched an eyebrow, somehow managing to remain
calm.
        "Not really.  But then again, you wouldn't be of interest to me unless a little effort was
involved."
        I was a little relieved - I hadn't been sure whether Wiccan religious tricks would work on a
vampire.  LaCroix was the first one I'd met.
        "So tell me, Darkangel," he looked amused as he said my net-name, "what would it take to
have you?"
        "The same as any other mercenary - the proper price."  I gave him my best mercenary look.
        He laughed.  "Which is?"
        I hesitated.  I knew what I wanted from him, but I didn't think I could trust him to control
himself in the process.  "I don't think there's a high enough price where you're concerned."  I
took a drag, savoring the calming nicotine.
        "Oh really?"  He laughed.  "I highly doubt that.  After all, I read your stories."
        I tried very hard to control my shock, but something resembling a yelp escaped my lips
before I could compose myself.  "Those are fiction, nothing more."
        "Really?  They look more like fantasies to me."  He continued to watch me closely.
"Besides, your friends the cousins told me what you're into.  And they even sent me a copy of
your 'extra scenes'."
        I mentally made a note to myself to kill Candace and Caile at the next possible opportunity.
"How kind of them."  Sarcasm, while potentially fatal, was sure to amuse LaCroix rather than
annoy him at this particular moment.
        He laughed, genuinely amused.  "I'm perfectly willing to pay you in that way.  You're not
unattractive, for a mortal."
        "Gee, thanks."  The line about damning with faint praise came to mind. "But no thanks - I'm
quite happy being alive and mortal.  I like sunshine, okay?"
        "I have more control than that, you should realize that.  And you were right - as long as I've
fed properly first, I would not lose that control."
        I was impressed - a master vampire was making references to my stories.  It had also
satisfied any doubts I had on that point.  But that was something to think about later.  "Just
because you wouldn't kill me accidentally doesn't mean that you wouldn't kill me on purpose."
        "Ah, but don't you see?  I need you for this war, more than you know.  Your devious mind
intrigues me, as well.  It would be wasted if I killed you, or brought you across unwillingly.
What good would you be then?"
        I could see his logic, and properly thought out logic will work on me every time.  My
recent fantasies about him came unbidden, and I felt my resolve weaken.
        He smiled, seeing me relax slightly, realized he was winning.  He stood, whispering.  "Drop
the shield, my dark angel.  Let me see what would please you."
        I looked at him intently, trying to make a decision with my brain that my body had already
made.  I looked up at the moon which hung low in the sky, hoping for divine guidance.  I felt the
power rush through me at the sight of Hecate waning in the night, and pulled the power from my
shield, feeling it collapse into me.  I took comfort knowing that I had practiced enough that I
could recall it at any moment.
        He held out his hand to me, and I stood, adrenaline racing.  He was about an inch or two
taller than me, and once again I remembered why I enjoyed being six-foot-two.  I felt cold,
delicate probes touching my thoughts, finding the part of my mind which housed my darkest
fantasies.  I let myself be trapped in his gaze as he read my wants.  Then he was no longer
inside my head, and he smiled.
        I looked at him nervously.  "I hope you realize that not everything I dream about is
something I want to happen in reality."
        His hushed laughter filled my ears.  "I gathered that.  Some of the things I saw would be
much too painful for you to handle in this mortal form."
        From the expression on his face, I knew that he had seen the particular fantasy I had about
my taking him after he had brought me across.  "You are especially to forget that one.  While the
thought of fucking you for the rest of eternity is quite pleasing, I'd rather not give up my freedom.
Or chocolate, for that matter."  I ground out my cigarette.
        "You understand that, while I won't bring you across without your permission, I will try to
convince you."
        "That's expected."
        "And you will do my bidding in the next war?"
        "Will this be an exclusive contract, or can I work for you and someone else at the same
time?"
        "As long as it does not affect the work you do for me, or harm me."
        "Does that mean I can't go after the cousins?"  Damn, I had plans for them, too.
        "Only if you warn me first, so I can get out of your way.  And no seriously harming them - I
need them healthy for the war."
        Yes!  I wiped the grin from my face.  "Done."
        He moved closer, and I felt my insides melt as he stood only a centimeter away from me.
        "One more thing."  I couldn't resist asking.
        "Yes?"
        "Is this to be a, ah, one night stand, or...?"
        He laughed.  "Will my... continued presence keep your loyalty?"
        "If I enjoy this as much as I think I will, then yes."
        "Oh, trust me - you *will* enjoy this."  He began kissing me, putting his arms around me
only when my legs would support me no longer. Despite the odd feeling of kissing cold lips, he
was the most technically skilled kisser I'd ever met.  I dimly realized that my arms were around
his neck, and I was pressing my body against him.  Our tongues met, exploring each other's
mouths, and I felt his fangs extend.  For I moment I panicked, but then his voice was in my head.
"Don't be afraid, little one.  Enjoy it."  I relaxed and ran the tip of my tongue along his fangs, and
felt him shiver.  Oh Goddess, I had made him tremble!  No longer was I passive in his arms; I
kissed back, determined to give as well as I got.
        Just as I began to run out of air, he pulled back, eyes blazing.  I panted, staring at him, both
afraid and excited by his feral nature. He smiled around the fangs.  "I think we need a bit more
appropriate spot, don't you think?"
        I nodded wordlessly.  "Meet me out front."  I went through the motions of turning out the
lights and locking up the house, automatically putting my keys and wallet into the field jacket I
wore.  I closed the front door behind me.  As I turned the key in the lock, I felt his teeth on my
neck - normal teeth, the fangs having retracted.  I moaned, somehow managing to put the keys
back into my pocket.  I turned to face him, and we walked out from under the awning on the
front porch.
        "Put your arms around my neck."  I did as instructed, and felt him wrap his arms around my
waist in a vise-like grip.  Upwards we flew, so fast that my house was now just another dot like
the rest of the neighborhood.  I look up at the starry sky, the twinkling lights closer than they'd
ever been.  I drank in the wonder of it all, almost forgetting LaCroix in the moment until I heard
his voice in my ear.
        "How refreshing, to see wonder..."  He smiled, remembering something from his past, as I
held him tighter.
        The flight was over all too soon, as we landed on the roof of a large plantation house.
"Where are we?"
        He opened the door on the roof, and held it open for me.  "Atlanta."
        My mind could not comprehend the speed at which we must've been going.  The distance
between my home and southern Georgia was some eight hundred miles, if I remembered
correctly.  We had been in the air less than an hour...
        He led me into a darkened room.  It took a moment for my eyes to adjust to the gloom as
he lit a few candles.  The bed was enormous, an antique medieval four-poster bed of dark
wood, complete with black hangings.
        "Would you like a drink?"  I looked at him, my mind still cloudy from the evening's events.
"Wine, perhaps?"
        "Sure."  He filled a goblet and handed it to me, then poured himself a glass from a different,
unmarked bottle.  "A toast?"
        "To what?"
        "Many long evenings of plotting, and even longer nights of debauchery."
        "I'll drink to that," I muttered, grinning despite myself.  I sipped the wine I held.  I know
nothing about wine, but this tasted incredible.  It had to be good vintage.  I drained the glass and
set it on the nightstand.  I looked at the nightstand.  LaCroix' nightstand.  I couldn't get over it,
that I was standing in his house, next to his bed.
        "Would you like some more?"  He was holding the wine bottle in his hand.
        "No thanks.  I haven't got much tolerance for the stuff, and I'd  rather remember tonight."
        "As you wish."  He returned the bottle to the small bar set into the wall.  He emptied his cup,
setting it down before returning to my side.  "You don't mind the taste of blood, do you?"
        "Not really."  I smiled.  "I'm rather prone to minor accidents, and usually don't have any
available band-aids."
        LaCroix chuckled, pulling me close.  He began kissing me as he removed my jacket, tossing
it haphazardly onto the floor.  I returned the kiss with equal passion as we moved toward the bed.
His fangs pierced my bottom lip, and he sucked on it lightly, drawing the tiny beads from the
wound.  His lips moved down my jaw, planting tiny kisses down to my throat.  He paused over the
vein there, and I could feel his breath against my skin.  I moaned.  He raked his teeth over the spot,
and my orgasm shook me to my toes.
        His voice was in my ear.  "You are rather, excited, aren't you?"
        I wasn't coherent enough to reply.
        Then his hands were removing my shirt, my boots, my jeans, my underthings.  I could do
nothing but stand there, letting him move me like a rag doll until I was naked before him.  His hands
were everywhere, touching my shoulders, my hips, my back, never touching my breasts or my
cunt as I strained against him.
        My fingers, feeling numb, began to unbutton the black silk shirt he wore.  I managed to
unfasten three buttons before he grew impatient, finishing the job himself, followed by his pants and
black silk boxers.  I kissed him again, savoring the feel of his chest against my hardened nipples.
He parted the hangings on the bed with one hand, lowering me onto the mattress without breaking
the embrace.  He was lying partially on top of me, but to one side so that his hand would have
access to all my secret places.
        He pulled my right arm from around his neck, kissing my palm, letting me feel his fangs against
it.  He began nibbling on my wrist, and part of the passion I felt was because I knew he could tear it
open and kill me on the spot.  He continued kissing and rubbing his fangs upward, against all the
sensitive point on the inside of my arm.  By the time he reached my collarbone, I had already come
several times.  He continued along my neck, down between my breasts, to just above my mons, all
the while watching me with yellow eyes.  He penetrated me with two fingers, his skin rapidly warming
from the heat within me.  I tried to reach for him, but he simply lifted me up and pulled me arms
behind my back roughly, holding my wrists together so that my back was arched and my breasts
were tilted upwards.  His fingers continued their rhythm.  As I came, his fangs sunk into my left nipple,
the added pain making me come all the harder.  I screamed, struggling against his grip, wanting the
pleasure to never end.  He released me, moving between my legs, looking down at me, my blood on
his lips.  He sat back on his heels and pulled me towards him, so that I was sitting on his lap when he
entered me.  His cock felt exquisite - large enough to fill me, but not so big that I couldn't take him all
the way.  He began to rock back and forth, holding me to him.  I came again and again, his rhythm
never ceasing.  Then, suddenly, his teeth were in my neck, and I forgot who I was, what I was, that
anything existed besides the pleasure.  My nails dug into him, and still the rhythm continued, my
heartbeat and his thrusts one and the same.  His teeth left my neck, and the waves stilled to an intense
feeling of contentment.  He gently lifted me off of him and laid me back on the bed, curling around me.
        It was several minutes before I even remembered where I was, or who I was.
        "You were right, LaCroix."
        "Hm?"  The ancient vampire sounded as content as I felt.
        "I did enjoy that."
        Laughter.
        I smiled to myself.  This was going to be one hell of a war.