Vampire Heart

Chapter 1: Vampire Heart
“Vampire Heart” by: H.I.M.“Hold me like you held on to lifeWhen all fears came alive and entombed me.Love me like you loved the sunScorching the blood in myVampire Heart.”
2304 LocalRock Creek ParkWashington, DC

Time surely did change things. That fact was almost entirely obscured from those involved in a relationship, but clearly seen by those on the outside. The only problem was that Memphis and Paige weren’t in a traditional type of relationship. Some would assume that they were made for each other, while others hoped they would do the deed and let a particular type of tension ease away.
Since the untimely demise of Paige’s marriage to Don and her subsequent need to get away to the Indian Ocean, things were definitely different. The time apart had allowed both Memphis and Paige to revaluate things and start on an even keel.
Time was something that Memphis had plenty of, but for those around him it was a different story.
Such was the case when you were almost 700 years old and had lived to see friends and family wasting away until there was nothing left but ashes.
“It’s nice out.” She commented as they walked along the perimeter sidewalk outside of the park. They had gone out to dinner and a movie and then opted for a walk before calling it a night.
Memphis nodded in agreement, “Sure is. . .Can’t believe it snowed so much this winter.”
Paige sighed. She hated the cold weather, which was just about the only thing she despised about living in Washington. “Don’t remind me. As much as I love my ‘vette, it’s hell on my immune system to drive around in a convertible. I swear, even with the heater blasting, cold air manages to seep through.”
“Can’t say I don’t envy you, though. . .It’s costing a fortune to get Rosy back in shape.”
“Rosy?” In all of the years that she’d known him, Paige never quite heard the man mention that the car had a name. “Rosy?”
Memphis shot a sidelong glance at her direction. “You’re not gonna get feminist on me are you? Rosy was the name of the lady that I bought the car from, way back when, so I decided to keep the name.”
Paige snorted. “Rosy.” She said under her breath, never quite coming to terms with men’s need to name their toys. All of their toys - even the ones that were part of their anatomy. She giggled at the thought of that part of his anatomy and managed to stop herself before asking him a rather dirty question.
‘I missed this.’ Memphis thought to himself as his arm lightly brushed Paige’s. In the beginning, when feelings and emotions weren’t so raw, it was easy to just go out as friends. Now, though some of that old comfort had returned, there was always an underlying question that burned. A question that he didn’t want to think about, especially given the way he’d kissed her senseless on the night of her engagement party.
It had been rather selfish of him and definitely dangerous to the moral code that he lived by. He’d promised himself he would never become involved with Paige and that was something he would have to live with for the rest of his life. He’d never forgive himself if she saw him for what he was and, like most mortals, instantly believe he was the spawn of Satan or some other soulless creature.
Deep in thought, Memphis didn’t register the shadowy figure following them until it was too late. “Give me all of your money and don’t try anything stupid.”
Superior night vision allowed Memphis to get a read on the person – a young male, wearing a hoodie and sporting a Beretta. The man wasn’t nervous and a quick whiff with Memphis’s heightened sense of smell deduced that their attacker was high on heroin. “Don’t you think you should leave us alone?”
“Memphis. . .Let’s just hand over our things.” Marines weren’t the type to back down from a fight, but moments like these, self preservation was more important than opting to become a human weapon. There were at least four places that Paige could have either punched or kicked the man in order to disable him, but it was likely that he’d get a shot off before she had a chance to connect. She wasn’t about to gamble with Memphis’s life or her own.
An itchy trigger finger, coupled with the massive quantities of narcotics in the man’s body, caused his finger to trip the trigger. The bullet sailed through the air, towards Paige’s direction and before she had a chance to move, Memphis’s body shielded her, the bullet slamming into his gut. “No!”
She expected his body to hunch to the ground, but instead, witnessed a sight that boggled the mind.
While Memphis’s facial features hadn’t exactly changed, the length of his teeth (mainly the incisors and the canines) sure as hell did. Then there were his eyes, which normally offered a color palate between sea green and a grey hue. Those were now large black orbs which were trained directly at their assailant. “I don’t think you’ll be taking anything from us.” He spoke the words in a rhythm, like a command given to a misbehaving child.
The tone of Memphis’s voice had changed as well. It was deeper and had an almost terrifying quality. “You will go to the police and turn yourself in.”
“I will go to the police and turn myself in.” The attacker responded in a monotone. He lowered the weapon which was still trained on the pair and immediately turned away, heading towards the general direction of the nearest police station.
Memphis took a deep breath to help him endure the pain that he currently felt. Bullet wounds hurt, no matter what species you were. He heard a gasp, followed by the ‘ping’ of the bullet hitting the ground as the wound to his gut began to heal. The sound made him realize that Paige had witnessed the whole interaction. She’d seen him turn. Shit!
“What’s going on?” Instead of being by his side, as she had been only minutes earlier, Paige was flattening herself against the nearest tree with a look in her eyes that he’d never seen before, but knew too well. Fear.
“Paige, I can explain.” He raised his hands in surrender and made the foolish mistake of walking towards her only to find himself with a frightened Marine, attempting to sever his head with a branch. Knowing she wouldn’t listen to reason, he opted for a mental command. “Stop.”
But it went unheard and he had to almost back up into the middle of the street before he was able to incapacitate her. “Stop, Paige!” But she wouldn’t and Memphis had to use a countermeasure to prevent her from hurting him. Too bad that he had to use a well placed chop to the side of her neck to do so.
He held her limp body in his arms, his mind racing to find a reason as to why it was happening again. Why couldn’t he read her thoughts or force her to heed his commands? It worked with virtually every mortal that he came in contact with, even some others of his kind. True, he rarely used the unique gift, opting instead to try to fit in and be a bit more normal. It made his courtroom cases much more challenging as he fought the want to change the outcome to suit his client.
Minutes later, he was in the SUV, driving towards Paige’s apartment with his cell phone pressed to his ear. “Lucas! Get over to Paige’s place right now. She knows.”
Yes, time really did change things. Two minutes ago Paige was happily oblivious as to his nature and now he was hoping that his oldest friend would find a way to make her forget.
Being a Vampire sometimes sucked.

Chapter 2: Don’t Close Your Heart
“Don’t Close Your Heart” by: H.I.M.
“You are so aloneAnd tired of breathingIt's all going wrongAnd you just can't stand the painBaby just don't close your heart”
0022 LocalPaige’s ApartmentGeorgetown

Memphis and Lucas sat, side by side, on the coffee table facing the sofa. With an aloof expression, Lucas turned to face his friend. “Why did you call me again? I know you have these moral standards, as do I, but I think you can handle Paige while she’s in this condition.” He waved a hand to Paige’s prone form, still unconscious from the blow.
“I wish it were that simple, Lucas.” He stared at Paige as if watching her would help solve some sort of mystery. “I can’t read her thoughts.” There, he said it and quickly cringed when Lucas’ head snapped his way.
From day one, he realized that her thoughts were impermeable. At first, he chalked it up to Marine training and her strong will, but as time passed Memphis realized that it wasn’t a fluke on his part. He really couldn’t read her mind or control it and it had nothing to do with her strength. So, he’d pushed her away when she’d had the guts to make an advance towards him. He’d pushed her away and into another man’s arms, only to live with the pain as he forced himself to watch her love someone else. It made it easier to choose someone else.
It was easy to be with Shawna, she too was of his kind and they had made a good couple. But, his heart wasn’t in it and a relationship couldn’t last on great sex forever. So, she’d set him free. He should have sent Shawna a ‘thank you’ card.
“What!?” Shocked couldn’t quite describe his Lucas’ expression. It was more like, dumbstruck. “You what!?” His jaw dropped and he quickly glanced between Memphis and an unconscious Paige. “Is that why you two have so many problems?” He waved a hand between the two of them and let out a deep breath. “You know what this means, don’t you?”
Memphis groaned loudly. He knew what it meant but it was difficult to accept that there was someone in his life who was made for him. No. No. It wasn’t difficult, merely impossible. There were things that he was waiting for and Paige wasn’t one of those things. “What does it mean? If you’re gonna start with the whole soul mate thing, I will stab you with fire stoker over there.” He sighed and stood up, then headed towards the balcony door.
Soul mate.
Life mate.
Both were terms that Vampires used when speaking about their one true love – a human or vampire who’s mind you couldn’t read or control. No one really knew how that phenomenon happened, only that it was imprinted into their DNA as a means to prevent couples from controlling each other. Essentially, every immortal had their match and Memphis’s soul mate had come and gone.
Soul mate.
The word made him think of her - Katherine – his long lost love – the woman that made him a vampire.
Recalling the night that he was changed was both a pleasant and painful memory. Katherine, was the first true love of his life. She’d saved him from death and they’d lived together for several hundred years. One night she was taken from him, murdered, and Memphis had never recovered. She had promised to come back for him if they were ever separated and he was holding her to that promise despite it being unlikely that she was still alive.
Of course, things in his life were never meant to be easy, especially not when he was forced to deal with not one, but two dead ringers for his lost love. But, he could read Shawna and dictate actions that she was to perform like a marionette to its puppeteer. That alone squelched any thoughts of Katherine coming to him again. Paige, on the other hand, she was still his mystery. He couldn’t read her thoughts but chose to chalk it up to her wilfulness and strength. At one point, he’d hoped that Paige was Katherine and quickly realized that she had no memories of their past. No, Paige was a different person altogether.
“Damnit, Memphis! You know what that means!” Lucas said sternly. The pair had forged a friendship centuries ago and were often each other’s guiding light, so to speak. Lucas had seen his friend nearly consumed with anger and knew that the key to saving Memphis lay in the arms of the woman resting soundly on the sofa. “She’s the one.”
“No. She isn’t.” The words came out as a barely audible croak that belied what he really felt. “Even if she is, I can’t turn her, Lucas. . .I can’t.” Paige was life. She was one of the more animated and incredibly alive persons he’d ever met. Despite adversity, she held a beautiful soul and a mirth that he wouldn’t crush. If Memphis was true to himself, he’d admit that the reason why he couldn’t turn Paige lay at Katherine’s feet. He couldn’t live through the loss of another lover. So, he would remain her friend and when it was time to move on, he would leave and watch her from afar.
It would be hell on him to see her age and know that he had the power to take that curse away, but it would be more of a curse to condemn her to a life that she probably wouldn’t want anyway. Few people really did. “If you lose this chance, it’s over. Some of us never find it again.”
Memphis knew the ramifications of his actions too well. It wasn’t just about losing a lover, it was more about losing oneself. Some of his kind became true monsters that had to be put to death simply because they couldn’t handle the loneliness any longer and turned that rage into murder. “I can’t.” The light across the street from Paige’s apartment flickered a few times before dying completely.
The transition into the immortal world hadn’t been difficult for him. He had always been more of a night person, even before he was turned. It was all of the rules and regulation that were a bitch along with having to deal with the mortal world.
He enjoyed the night, thrived in it. Not to say that he would burst into flames when the sun hit him or anything pathetically cheesy that mortals wrote about in screen plays. He could walk in the sun just like any other person. It did have a slight adverse effect, Vampires tended to be weaker in daylight due to their genetic disorder, but that was countered with a pint or so of blood.
“Just do it.” Memphis commanded, turning to his friend who was still seated on the coffee table. “Stop worrying about me.”
Lucas frowned. Long ago they had made an oath to watch each other’s backs. So far, they’d managed it, saving each other from more than a few harrowing situations. This one though, was Lucas’ most important endeavour. “Fine.” He acquiesced; glad that Memphis couldn’t read his thoughts. While Lucas wasn’t the match making type of guy, he was still willing to try; especially after Paige let it slip that she was in love with Memphis. “But, a hundred years from now you’d better not whine about the one that got away.”
“It’s a deal. Hurry, before she wakes up.”
Taking a deep breath, Lucas concentrated on Paige’s mind, seeking out her thoughts of the evening’s events. He wasn’t surprised that she’d been frightened of Memphis’s change in appearance. He finished erasing Paige’s thoughts and opted not to tell Memphis just how much she was afraid of him. “All done.” He stood up then, and headed towards the door. “She won’t remember much past the two of you walking around the park. And she shouldn’t wake up until morning. . .Night, buddy.”
“Thank you.” Keeping his back to them the entire time, Memphis waited a second or two before returning to where Paige lay. Carefully, he carried her to the bedroom and laid her on the unmade bed. He pulled the comforter over her and wrestled with the want of climbing in as well. Abandoning the idea, he settled for the sofa.
In the morning, Paige was surprised to find him in her kitchen whipping up eggs, bacon and pancakes. It was the coffee that woke her up and she curiously followed the scent. Leaning against the door jam, she couldn’t help but smile at the domestic scene before her. Memphis was absolutely adorable standing barefoot, wearing jeans, a t-shirt and a pink and blue apron with frills on the sides. “Not to say that I don’t like to have attractive men cook me breakfast, but, what the hell are you doing here?” She smiled sweetly at him and opted not to chuckle when he jumped and pressed a hand to his heart.
“You scared the shit out of me.” He had pilot and Vampire reflexes and yet, the woman could still sneak up on him, a fact that tended to tick him off from time to time.
Paige’s smile widened, “I would say ‘I’m sorry’, but I’m not. . .I kind of like having you on your toes.” She took the plates that he shoved at her and motioned towards the fridge. “Grab the orange juice too.”
They sat at the dinner table and before Memphis had a chance to fully chew his forkful of eggs, Paige hit him with the question. “What happened last night?”
It was easy to be confident of the mind altering that he did, but when someone else did it for you, that tended to change the playing field. Especially when your friend was trying to play match maker. “You don’t remember?”
She shook her head and swallowed down a mouthful of pancake before answering. “No, I don’t remember.”
Of course she didn’t, but he still wanted to know what he was dealing with before giving her his version of the events. He finished off the orange juice and placed the glass back down on the table. “What do you remember?”
Paige closed her eyes for a moment, hoping that it would jar back something that resembled a memory. There was something there, an altercation of sorts, but the details were so fuzzy and muddled that none of it made sense. “We were walking around Rock Creek Park. After that, it starts to get hazy.”
Memphis let out the breath he was holding- thank God for Lucas. “We were mugged. . .Or it was an attempted mugging. . .The guy came out of nowhere and you used one of those manoeuvres from your Marine bag of tricks.” He waved his hands around, karate chopping the air. “Unfortunately, he got in one good hit and knocked you out. The next thing I know he’s running the other way. . . I didn’t bother with the cops.”
Paige rubbed her hand over the side of her neck, suddenly finding a dull ache that resonated there. Her next question nearly stopped Memphis’s heart from functioning. And yes, he did have a functioning heart. “Did that guy have a gun?”
“Gun?” He choked out knowing full well that the little mind tricks didn’t work on everyone. There was always a person or two that still held some sort of memory that was impossible to erase. “No. . .No gun. At least, none that I saw.” Thankfully, he thought about changing his blood stained shirt, opting for a t-shirt that was packed into the gym bag in his SUV. “He didn’t take anything either.”
“That’s good.” She said and considered her muddled thoughts once again. “God, I don’t remember.”
Something inside of Memphis caused him to panic. He didn’t want to trouble her and loss of memory was a sure way to do just that. “Paige, I wouldn’t worry about it. . .You and I have both been burnt out at work. Some people don’t remember stressful situations.” The rationalization seemed to appease her, if only for the moment, which he was sure wouldn’t last. Reaching over, he took her hand in his and squeezed gently. “I guess I need to thank you for saving my life.”
That wasn’t exactly true and Paige could sense it, though why bother telling him otherwise? It would likely cause a disagreement, which was the last thing that their renewed friendship needed. “What are best friends for?” She smiled at him and genuinely knew that he was the one that had saved her. It was his turn after all; she had saved him just a few months earlier.
Paige’s heart gave a little lurch at the look that he was giving her. ‘When you look at me that way, what do you see?’
‘I see a desirable woman.’ She was curious to know if he still saw her the same way or if pushing him away had finally driven that wedge between what could have been a beautiful relationship. Paige still loved him, always would and let that fact slip to Lucas. But, it was the moments such as these, when their jobs didn’t interfere and they were just friends, that she loved him just a little more. Leaning forward and closing her eyes, Paige was surprised to feel Memphis’s lips against her own. It was a soft and gentle kiss, not the all the consuming passionate one from months ago.
They were testing the waters, so to speak, and before Paige could deepen the kiss, Memphis pulled away. ‘Damn.’ He thought with his heart at his throat from letting her suck him into a spell. Maybe he should have pushed her into marrying Don? God knows it would have been easier to resist her that way, though his heart would break. “What time is it?”
The way that he was staring at her, Paige almost expect him to kiss her again, but it didn’t happen. “Almost ten hundred.” She couldn’t help the disappointment in her voice if she tried. “Why?”
Memphis reached for his coffee and downed the liquid. “Have to get going. I was supposed to meet Lucas half an hour ago.” They were rebuilding Rosy, something that he hoped to accomplish before the end of the year. “Get some rest, Paige. I’ll call you later.” Seconds later, he was gone.
Sadly, Paige stared at Memphis’s half eaten plate and wondered how long they could go on like this. She’d hoped that their decision to start at the beginning would lead to something else. Obviously, she was wrong. A lone tear slid down her cheek as she made the decision to stop loving Memphis, no matter how much her heart would break. Paige would no longer hope.
Outside, Memphis hurried across the street to his SUV and slipped on his sunglasses which were dangling from the driver’s visor. His body was aching terribly, cramping up from the lack of blood in his system. He didn’t feed after the attack and was paying for it in the rays of the morning sun. At the very least, the physical ache would prevent him from thinking about Paige.

1202 LocalJAG HeadquartersFalls Church, Virginia

Memphis sighed happily. The light caseload was a welcome from the tumultuous weeks he’d endured. Best of all, he managed to beat the pants off of Lucas and would be enjoying free lunches for the rest of the week.
In the break room, he was working on making a fresh pot of coffee when Paige stepped in, Whyt in tow. “Colonel, I am not entirely sure that it’s plausible.”
“Anything is plausible if you just put your. . .” Paige told herself that she wouldn’t scowl, wouldn’t act like a heartbroken teenager and yet, that is exactly what she was doing. Screw professional pleasantries, she was pissed. Depression had weaned off over the weekend. The smile that she’d been sporting all but disappeared when she spotted him.
“Hey Whyt, Paige.” Memphis smiled at the two. He hadn’t seen Paige since Saturday, nor had he heard from her save for one message to his machine that she was alright and was turning in early.
Memphis noted her ‘Harlot in the headlights’ look and wondered what he did wrong now. “Commander.” She regarded him with an icy professionalism that only Paige could muster. Her plan was to distance herself from him or risk her heart breaking to pieces.
Whyt, who knew the Rabb/Harlot tension better than anyone shot the first thing that came to his mind. “Is Sawyer calling me?” He glanced out of the door and quickly sauntered off that way and out of the flames, so to speak.
Alone, the tension in the air grew so heavy it was threatening to choke any poor individual who happened to step into the break room. “Coffee?” Memphis offered, reaching for Paige’s mug which always sat next to his own in the cupboard.
“I’ll get it myself, thanks.” It wasn’t easy to stay angry, but it was much easier than living with that dull ache in her heart.
Memphis sighed and shook his head. He didn’t have to read her mind to know that she was upset over Saturday morning. “Obviously, you’re angry with me.” He’d seen the hope in her eyes after the kiss and the hurt when he walked away. Trying not to feel for her wasn’t easy for him, but hurting her, that was the part that destroyed him the most.
“I am not angry with you, Commander. And how dare you presume to know how or what I feel? Excuse me.” She all but shoved him out of the way, filled up her mug and stalked out as fast as her high heels could carry her.
Lucas, who was standing at the door through the entire show, resisted the urge to throttle his friend. “It’s one step forward, ten steps back for your two. What the hell happened?”
Memphis reached for a spoon and plopped it into the mug. “I left. . .I left JAG to fly Tomcats off of aircraft carriers. . .That’s less dangerous than having to deal with her.” He stirred sugar into his coffee and then tossed the spoon into the sink. It resonated with a loud sound that made his ears ache. “I could have stayed on a carrier. . .I should have stayed.”
“You were ordered back.” Lucas pointed out. Although, it hadn’t been the Navy who initially brought Memphis back – higher powers were at work. There were easier jobs that a Vampire could do. Jobs that didn’t require such a comprehensively false background history or as much training as he and Memphis had been through. Then again, his race needed to be placed into strategic mortal positions in order to maintain some level of control over their adversaries. A high council of elders made sure of that.
Disgusted, Memphis left the break room, seeking the sanctuary of his office but, Lucas followed. “Why were you sent here, Lucas? Was it to check up on me? I thought it was safer for our kind to be inside of a sub?” Memphis tossed the barb knowing it would slightly offend his old friend’s beliefs. They’d always been opposites in many aspects – Memphis the loose cannon/hot head and Lucas the cerebral/detail oriented/careful Vampire.
“I decided to live on the edge.” Lucas still missed that cold darkness of life as a submariner. It was far easier to live on a sub than above the water. There was never a shortage of blood and with over a hundred men on board, it was easy for him to take from more than one person without being noticed.
“Hah. Right.” He studied his friend for a brief moment. Lucas didn’t have to say a word for Memphis to realize that something was up. “They sent you to check on me, didn’t they?”
“I can neither confirm nor deny.”
Vampires as a whole were a relatively small race. Outnumbered by their mortal counterparts three to one, they learned to survive by blending into society.
Blending in brought forth a collection of rules and regulations that would have dire consequences for those that broke them. Immortals needed to be careful who they revealed themselves to. The termination of mortal or immortal life, without approval from the council, a group of elder vampires known as The Collective, was not permitted. Those that slipped, be it by accident or with purpose, were sentenced to death.
It was the hedonistic ways of vampires in the earliest of centuries that had made their culture become so strict. It was all in the hopes of blending in and preventing the various Inquisitions that practically decimated the race.
The rules had helped set a peaceful existence and allowed immortals to slip their kind into all facets of mortal life – government, law enforcement, military. Vampires also learned to curve their hunger for sustenance and began living off of bagged blood, rather than riskily feeding off of mortals. All they wanted was to survive in peace.
“I can take care of myself, Lucas.”
“I know. But who better to watch your back than me?”
“This is true.” Not that he didn’t trust the other vampires around him; it was easier to have someone to count on and Lucas had always been that type of friend. “Listen, can you just forget about last night?”
The question made Lucas want to jump over the desk and kick Memphis until he conceded defeat. The man was more stubborn than a mule. “Okay. . .But, after you answer me this – Why? Why are you so afraid to take what you know is yours? You answer that and I’ll leave well enough alone.” He was tempted to give away Paige’s secret but doubted that it would do much good. Memphis seemed intent on living out the rest of his life in misery. It seemed to be a theme with vampires of their age and Lucas would be damned if he allowed his friend to do something so stupid it would destroy his future.
Memphis closed his eyes tightly, willing that question to disappear into thin air. It was of no use and he knew that the time to voice his concerns had come. “It’s not just one thing. . .Part of me is afraid that she’ll reject me.”
“Like Shawna did.”
“Yes. . .I blame myself for her death. . .If I hadn’t told her what I was. . .She would have never taken that final cruise. . .She would have never crossed Holbarth’s radar.” To say that Shawna rejected him was putting it lightly. She’d been the first mortal that he found a kinship that turned into something more. He loved her, but knew that part of that love stemmed from her likeness to another woman - Katherine. But he could control Shawna’s thoughts, an action that signalled a bad match between lovers. It would have never worked out.
Lucas never understood why Memphis had to continually shift the blame on himself. It was the ‘tortured hero’ lifestyle which he’d hoped would have disappeared after so many years. “What if it was her time, Memphis?”
Memphis ignored the question. “Paige looks like both of them. . .Both of them. Now, I don’t know if the universe is playing some cosmic joke on me, but I am not laughing.” He paused for a moment, letting his memories take him back over six hundred years to the woman who saved him. “Paige’s more like Katherine, though. . .Strong, wilful, desirable.” And while he still desired Shawna, there was something missing and he knew it. But, with Paige. . . “Being with me is dangerous. . .I’ve done things, evil things and there are many out there that want revenge. . .The last thing I need is for Paige to be killed because of me.”
“So you push her away?”
“It’s easier that way.”
“And break her heart in the process?”
Memphis snorted, “Paige’s only infatuated with me. . .She doesn’t love me.” And yet, she had indulged in that kiss with him. In fact, it was her fault that they kissed in the first place. “She might find me attractive, but. . .”
“Please.” Lucas waved him off and stood up abruptly. He wasn’t about to hear the rest of it, not with the secret that he knew. “You know what? I give up. . .But let me give you one last piece of advice – let go of Katherine. . .She isn’t coming back. . .You saw her die, case closed.”
Memphis felt a deep sickening feeling – if only it were that easy. “You don’t understand.” He whispered under his breath and sighed deeply. The memory was due to torture him forever. Katherine was in his arms, dying and her last words filled him with a small sense of hope that would haunt him. ‘Wait for me. . .I’ll come back for you.’
And that is exactly what he was doing, waiting. “We get one chance to turn someone. One chance. I don’t want to make a mistake. . .I don’t want to turn the wrong person and miss out on. . .” With a deep sigh, Memphis trailed off. Lucas had yet to find the one and, therefore, had no idea what it felt like to truly love and lose. The loss was so unbearable that it changed Memphis, turned him into a vengeful monster for so many centuries that he’d nearly lost himself. “She told me to wait. . . Katherine told me to wait for her.”
“And you have.” Lucas understood the sadness of waiting. It gnawed at you, ripped out your soul until there was little left. Immortals who went too many centuries without their match became rogues. Hateful, vengeful, rogue vampires were lawless and used their anger to thrive. The call of the beast would get a hold and those, who once were good, turned to killing for pleasure.
Lucas knew Memphis had experienced some of it when Katherine died. He’d avenged her death for centuries and while he was not put to death, it had cost him his freedom. Now he could sense it in Memphis, the deep, dark desires to break the rules and become one of the hunted just because he never accepted the other piece of his soul.
Contrary to the beliefs of the entertainment industry, Vampires weren’t solitary creatures. No being could live so long without companionship. “Maybe I haven’t waited long enough?” He scrubbed a hand over his face.
“I don’t think you know what you’re waiting for.” With a frown, Lucas stood and headed towards the door. “All of this waiting is going to cost you more than you could ever imagine. . .You’re not going to get another chance.” Stopping with his hand on the door handle, Lucas turned to Memphis. “I know you love Paige, even if you won’t admit it. . .Eventually, she will die. Are you going to be able to live with yourself knowing that you had the power to save her?”
Memphis sighed deeply and watched as his friend departed from the office. The day had been looking so promising. Now, dark clouds were looming in the horizon.

Chapter 3 – Circle Of Fear
“Circle of Fear” by: H.I.M.
“Heartache’s knocking on her doorShadows dance outside her windowTears keep falling on the floorAs the world around her crumbles.”
1930 LocalMemphis’s ApartmentNorth of Union station

Memphis wasn’t particularly into baking, and yet found comfort in sweets when he was depressed. At that given moment he had a right to be depressed. He’d kissed the woman he loved again. And again it led to nothing. True, it had much to do with the circumstances; Paige was obviously ready for him and he wasn’t. Sighing in frustration, he tossed a rag into the sink. He knew he needed to leave and never come back, but Memphis couldn't leave. Not without her. She was woven into the fabric of his life almost as if she’d always been there.
A knock at the door had him instantly on alert. Instinctively, he reached for a knife and shuffled his way towards the door. Before reaching it, he smelled her, that rich, spicy aroma that was very much Paige. Thank God he’d mastered the art of control. If he’d been a fledgling, it was sure that he’d drain her dry. As it was, control slipped from time to time.
He placed the knife on the butcher block and then turned towards the door. “Coming.” Straightening his spine, he opened the door and smiled. “Paige. . . What brings you. . .”
“We need to talk.” She never gave him a chance to finish his question, instead barged right in without him even asking her to. It was rude but she didn’t care.
Sighing, he closed the door and settled against it. He didn’t want to talk about it, merely wanted to co-exist with her without having to worry about talking or kissing or making lo. . .No. . .He just wanted to be. “Talking has never been our strong suit.” Suspiciously, he eyed a white plastic bag which swung from her right hand.
“That’s not true. We used to talk. In fact, we used to confide in each other.” Paige placed the bag on the kitchen island and then pulled out a cream colour box. “I miss that. I miss that a lot.”
“What’s in the box?” He motioned towards his query and saw that Paige had taken the knife he’d previously taken.
She grinned mischievously, as if her box held a secret. Her Pandora’s box. “Chocolate Mousse cake from Giovanni’s.” His favourite and the one dessert she would buy when needing to sway him. Paige would only purchase it during dire circumstances. His reaction towards their kiss and his unwillingness to let her in was definitely dire and it had to end. Especially if there were any hopes of them ever being a. . .well. . .them.
Memphis didn’t even bother fighting her. “I’ll put on the coffee.” Dutifully, he waited for the brew, all the while trying to ignore her proximity as Paige plated up the dessert. He breathed a sigh of relief as she took the plates towards the living room, giving him space to breathe. He soon followed with the coffee, prepared just the way that Paige preferred.
Keeping the safe route, Memphis took a seat on his arm chair, making sure he would kept a safe distance away from her. It had been a long time since he’d been this jumpy around Paige and although annoying, it was necessary until things evened out again. As much as it pained him, maybe it would have been better if she’d married Don. At the very least, she would still be in his life, but loving someone else.
There was no future between them, he thought as he chewed thoughtfully on his dessert. A mortal and a vampire did not make a good couple. If she ever caught wind of the true him, like every other mortal lover Memphis had, she would fear him. He’d wind up losing her anyway. At least this way she was oblivious.
“Mmmm.” A rich moan sounded and Memphis focused on Paige to find her licking the spoon. Eyes closed, pleasant grin on her lips, Paige licked every inch of chocolate goodness from the utensil and then went back for another spoonful. “God, this is better than sex.” A blush crept up her cheeks when she realized that the comment had been voiced. “I wasn’t supposed to say that out loud.”
Memphis was trying not to choke. He gulped down mouthfuls of coffee, wheezing as the dessert remained caught somewhere in his throat. When he finally regained his composure, Paige was staring at him with a raised brown and a cute little grin on her face. “Prude.”
“I am not a prude, Paige.” It wasn’t the first time she’d called him that. Thank God they weren’t on a boat this time. Talk about sinking the Titanic.
“Yeah, right. . .Guess you still can’t figure out how to act around me. . .You’re just this way around me.” She snorted, taking them back to Sydney harbour and a night that had nearly sealed their fate. ‘Only with you.’ Paige was never sure what he meant by his answer or whether or not it was a good thing. The man could be so damned infuriating at times!
Memphis sighed deeply. “Paige, you’re reading too much into this thing between us. . .It’s an attraction, nothing else.” Then why did it hurt him to say that out loud? His heart hammered away inside so hard that he could hear it in his ears. Why was she making him so out of control?
Taking a ragged breath, Paige dropped the fork loudly on the plate. “Then why do you keep doing this to me?” She yelled at him as frustration crawled out from inside. “You don’t want to be with me, and yet you can’t stand to see me with someone else!”
“Paige.”
“Is this some kind of a joke you play on women? Oh, poor Paige, she needs a little attention, let’s see how much I can screw her up?”
Appalled, he stood up immediately and glared down at her. “No! You know that’s not true.”
Standing up as well, Paige took a few steps closer to Memphis, leaving nothing but a breath between them. “Then explain it to me. I deserve it, don’t you think?”
Her smell. Her heat. Her anger. It was all riding hard on his senses. Paige was entirely too close for his own good and the charge between them made him step back before he did something stupid. “Please, Memphis. Do you want me to beg?”
The look in her eyes was killing him. “Paige, the conversation on this topic is over. For good.”
Paige’s mouth dropped slightly. The wind fell from her sails as she stood there, glaring at him. Out of all of things she expected, never once would it have occurred to her that he’d end things, just like that. “Then why did you kiss me that night?” It was that kiss which had left her a mess inside. She was learning to cope – learning to live without him – learning to love another man and then, with just one kiss, he shook her world off of its axis. It was still spinning out of control. “Don and Shawna were right there, just inside.”
“You leaned in first.” He accused and while it was the truth, Memphis didn’t have to grab for her so desperately. To this day, he still felt the breath leave her body as he crushed Paige against him. His hands had slipped under the jacket, feeling the bits of naked flesh of her back which were exposed.
“I only meant to kiss you goodbye. . .I pulled back and you grabbed me.” She closed her fists and pressed them against her chest. “You followed me out to the Guadalcanal. Why?”
The answer was simple but the complications that would arise were too much to deal with. Forever, he needed to shelter his feelings for Paige. “I don’t want to talk about this anymore. . .I made a mistake, so did you.” Then, he mustered up all of his strength and walked past Paige to take the plates and mugs from the coffee table. “It’s getting late, Paige. . .I think you better go.”
Paige felt him brush by on his way to the kitchen. She watched him turn the water on and take the sponge to clean the plates. Her want to mend things was shattered. Without a word she took her purse and left his apartment. ‘I won’t cry.’ She kept telling herself as she jabbed her finger to call the elevator. “It’s busted again.” She heard a voice say from the steps adjacent to the Machine. Paige turned to find Maggie Leosh, Memphis’s downstairs neighbour. “Nice to see you, Colonel. . .Is he in?”
She spotted a small coffee tin in the girl’s hand and motioned towards Memphis’s apartment. “The Commander is there, just knock.” Often Paige had wondered about Maggie and if her good looks had gotten her more than coffee from Memphis. A writer in her late twenties, Maggie was still single, her work for one of the local magazines tended to keep her love life at bay.
Maggie smiled brightly at Paige. “Good, I need to steal some coffee from him. . .Gotta finish a story by tomorrow, you know how that goes.” The two women said their goodbyes and Paige hurried down the stairs. She didn’t want to know, didn’t want to hear any type of flirting. She needed to get home, drown her sorrows in a pint of Ben and Jerry’s and hope to be able to face Memphis Rabb the following day.
When Memphis heard a knock, he was sure that Paige had returned. Being a Marine, she was always ready for a fight. However, the scent was different this time, sweeter and with a hint of a vanilla smelling perfume. “Maggie.” He said under his breath and whipped up a smile.
“Hey, I just saw Colonel Harlot. . .You two never stop working do you?” She let herself in, pushing past Memphis as she headed towards the refrigerator. “I’m just gonna grab some coffee, the boss is on my butt over some stupid story I gotta finish by tomorrow.”
Memphis watched her lithe body moving, felt the beast rage within him. Arguing with Paige had always brought out an animalistic side that he usually had no problems keeping under wraps. Today was much different. Immortals, in efforts to blend in by not feeding off of mortals, had discovered the perfect food source – blood banks. Rather than throw away any expired component of blood, it would be sent to an immortal laboratory who would treat the component to create whole blood and make it useable for vampire consumption. Unfortunately for Memphis, his shipment was late.
“You’re awfully quiet.” Maggie said and then winked. “Cat got your tongue?” She never had any problems flirting with him and, for his current need, she would serve a great purpose. Maggie wouldn’t have to know a thing either. He would easily crawl into her mind, command her to obey then he’d take what was needed. Her memories would be wiped clean.
Out of habit, Memphis ran his tongue over his top teeth to find his canines and incisors fallen into place. With a mental push, Maggie stopped her flirting and stood perfectly still. Zombie-like, she walked to him and tilted her head to offer him her neck.
“You will not remember any of this.” He stated in an otherworldly voice as he came around and stepped behind her. Memphis held her body against him and sank his teeth deep into her throat. He drank deeply, craving the healing effects that only blood would supply for him. It was the benefit of being an immortal, the regeneration that would occur in rapid time. He wouldn’t be fully healed though, until he was able to fall into a death sleep, a time when vampires were, literally, dead. It was a period where their body would regenerate fully and it required for all bodily systems to be shut down for repairs. During that time his heart wouldn’t beat and his lungs would not take in oxygen. For all intents and purposes, he would be dead.
Still inside the building, Paige was waiting for the rain to ease. Each second that passed only seemed to anger her more. She wanted answers, good answers to his behaviour. ‘I see a desirable woman.’ She scoffed at the thought and stared up to the ceiling. Maggie still hadn’t come back down, that thought alone engaged her body. Before she knew it, Paige was headed back up, vowing not to back down until she gave him a piece of her mind.
It was stupid to fight for a man that kept pushing her away but, to be fair, she’d done her own pushing. Maybe that had left him confused as she’d been? The door to his apartment was opened, left ajar and inviting her to enter without a knock.
Stepping in, she witnessed a sight that nearly destroyed her. There was Memphis, kissing Maggie’s neck, holding her in the way that only a lover would. Maggie’s eyes were opened, half lidded and her face bore look of pleasure would make any woman envious of such attention.
Paige wanted to scream, to run across the room and rip Maggie out of Memphis’s arms. Instead, her eyes locked onto something peculiar. She followed it, the droplet of blood which rolled down Maggie’s neck staining her white t-shirt.
“Memphis?” Paige’s voice made his eyes snap open and the horrified look on her face stopped his moment of nourishment. “Oh God.” Something was terribly wrong. His teeth were long, extending farther than that of any human. But it was the creature’s eyes that frightened her most.
“Paige.” The name sounded out in a growl as he fought the urges inside of him. Memphis didn’t want her to see him that way, knowing he would lose her then for sure, especially if he couldn’t get Lucas to erase her mind. With her gifts, it was likely that she’d never forget.
Releasing his hold on Maggie, he took a quick lick of the puncture wounds, ensuring that they would seal and heal before she awoke the next morning. Zombie-like, the woman stood rooted in place, eyes glancing foreword, unseeing.
“Paige, don’t look at me.” He commanded, but she didn’t heed it. Instead, she stared at him in shock. “Look away, please.”
Marine training could not prepare her for this. . .this. . . “What are you?” As irrational as the question was, to Paige, it was totally called for. She knew Memphis and this wasn’t him. Alarmed, she began moving backwards, hoping to reach the open door.
With preternatural speed, Memphis crossed the apartment and closed the door, preventing an escape. Paige bumped into him then and spun around, pulling out a 9mm from her purse as she did. “What are you?!” She yelled at him backing away towards the dinning area. There was a fire exit there, which she intended to use as escape.
He tried so hard to retract his teeth and turn his eyes back to normal but his traitorous body wasn’t cooperating. It was the smell of fear coursing through her veins, making the scent of her even more alluring as it would a wild animal. In fact, that was the other side of him, a wild animal which remained caged. Memphis tried to stop himself from moving forward but took two steps towards her anyway. “Put the gun down, Paige.”
“What is going on?” Paige yelled and maintained the pistol steady on her target. Her mind was trying to come to grips with what she was seeing. Everything in her mind screamed ‘vampire’ but, those things didn’t exist. After what she witnessed, Paige just didn’t know anymore. “Come any closer and I’ll shoot.”
“Paige, put the gun down.” He inched forward, knowing he was tempting fate. Then again, this was Paige and she wouldn’t hurt him, he knew that she wouldn’t. “You won’t shoot me.” Then again, self preservation could make even the most trained individual a little irrational. “Ugh!” Two shots to his gut made him double over. “Damnit!” Memphis yelled. He’d forgotten just how much a gunshot could hurt. Had he fed properly such a thing would not have had such an effect and yet, he could feel the pain start to make him black out. He came to his knees, breathing hard as oblivion began to take him under. Memphis fought hard, managing to keep himself from blacking out. The ordeal had changed his features back to normal.
Paige’s face turned from that of fear to horror. “Memphis?” Eyes wide with shock, she was moved slowly towards him, the hand holding the gun shaking. “What have I done?” She kneeled before him and pressed her hand to the wound. “Memphis? Memphis, talk to me.” When he didn’t immediately respond, she reached for her cell phone and dialled 911. “Oh God, what have I done?”
Memphis took the phone from her and closed it. “Paige, I’m fine.” He stood up and staggered past her towards the kitchen sink. “Did you have to shoot me?” He pulled off his blood soaked shirt and tossed it into the sink.
Staring at the bloody skin, Paige couldn’t quite fathom what she was witnessing. The two bullet holes seemed to be moving. Seconds later, one bullet and then the other fell from the holes, clattering to the ground. She watched in awe as the holes then seemed to seal themselves. “What the?” Sure that she was losing her mind, Paige ran her fingers over puckered skin where the hole should have been. “This. . .can’t. . .How?”
Secrets weren’t the easiest thing to keep, especially when trying to hide them from a person you cared so much for. Worst of all, Memphis knew that Paige would feel betrayed. How would she not with all of the lies? “Paige. . .I never wanted to hurt you, please believe me.”
A poor choice of words, she could only stare at him unsurely. “What’s going on?” Paige’s voice cracked as she fought hard not to flee from the warnings her intuition was feeding her. “What are you?” When she reached out to touch him, Memphis stepped away as if her hands would burn him.
“Immortal . .A vampire.” The terms sounded foreign even for Memphis who had been in this existence for centuries. It wasn’t something he readily uttered to anyone.
The proof was staring her down, his eyes swirling in different colors, something she’d noticed before but attributed to change in emotions and light. It never occurred to her that his eyes changed because he was different. “Vampires don’t exist.”
A brief consideration of knocking Paige out and taking her to Lucas passed fleetingly through Memphis’s mind, but something inside told him that she wouldn’t be easily susceptible to mind control this time around. She knew too much and she had abilities that she had proven by saving him from a watery grave. “Paige. . .You know it’s true.” He held her shoulders, forcing her to look as his eyes took on the color of onyx. His fangs descended and Memphis raised his upper lip, showing canines that extended pass the length of normal teeth.
Paige tried to step away but his hands, in a force she’d never felt from him before, held her still. “No. This isn’t real.”
“I’m sorry, Paige. . .It is real. . .I can’t lie to you anymore.”
At once he released her and Paige took three steps away from him. “You stay away from me.” She raised a finger, accusingly pointing. “You’re a monster!”
‘Monster!’ It wasn’t the first time someone accused him of such a thing. The last person had been Shawna. Coming from Paige made Memphis feel hideous. Indeed, he was a monster and had done monstrous things as a result. “You don’t have to worry. . .I won’t attack you.” He changed his features back and shoved his hands in his jean pockets trying to seem as harmless as possible.
“Yeah, tell that to the girl you just sucked dry!” Just then, she recalled Maggie who was still standing in the middle of the apartment – a living sculpture. “What is wrong with her?”
“That girl is fine, Paige. . .Maggie will wake up in the morning and not remember a thing.” He really didn’t want to explain mind control and how that facet of his life was even possible. To this day, there was no complete answer, simply that it was part of immortal genetics – a way to keep the predator a step ahead of its prey.
Paige stared at him with disgust. He’d just taken the girl’s blood and was justifying it with the notion that the woman wouldn’t remember a thing? Her mind was going in circles, trying to grasp as to how it would be possible for the woman to forget this encounter when she found Memphis walking towards her again. Instinctively, Paige raced to her gun, which sat on the floor. From a squatting position, she raised her arm up and pointed at him. “Please don’t make me use this again.”
“Fine.” He stood in front of her, arms raised in surrender. This wasn’t a fight that he was going to win and it was certain that Paige wouldn’t listen to any explanation. He had to let her go and hope for the best. “Whatever you believe. . .It’s still me.”
Those words brought a pain to Paige’s heart, an ache that she’d never felt before. It nearly compared to the ache she felt after kissing him on the General’s porch. But this ache was much more pronounced and rooted to her soul. She realized now why things always seemed to be so difficult for them. Why it was that he seemed so reluctant to begin a relationship with her. This time, Paige knew she’d lost him for good. No - she never had him. “I came back hoping to patch things. . .Now I realize I never want to see you again.”
She practically ran out of Memphis’s apartment, thankful that she had the habit of shoving her car keys in her jeans. The last thing Paige wanted was to prolong her right to grieve the relationship – their friendship.
Memphis stood at the window, watching as the red Corvette raced up the street and out of sight. A feeling of sadness welled deep inside. He should have taken greater care with Paige, never allowed himself to care for her. “What have I done?” He whispered to no one in particular. Turning to Maggie, he gave her a silent command that sent her out of his apartment and back to work after brewing a strong pot of coffee.
He turned his attention to the small pool of blood on the floor. Cleaning blood completely off of any surface was a hard task. It would take him a few hours to remove that intoxicating smell. In those hours he would contemplate what went wrong and why he was doomed to live a life of misery.

Chapter 4 – Drunk On Shadows
“Drunk On Shadows” by: H.I.M.
“Drunk on shadows and lost in a lieKilling ourselves a kiss at a timeDevil’s dance while angels smile.”
Three Days Later2230 LocalThe National MallWashington, DC

Memphis wasn’t the type to drink his misery away. To begin with, the only way that he could become undoubtedly inebriated was if he fed off of a mortal who was under the influence. Something in vampire blood seemed to dissolve normal alcohol as if it were never present. Eventually, after consuming three times the amount that a normal person could possibly toss down, then, maybe, he would feel a buzz.
But after the day that he’d had, drinking down a few beers just seemed normal – human. “That’s not really a smart idea, is it?” Memphis didn’t have to turn around to know that Lucas had been standing there, watching him.
Shrugging, he glanced up at his friend. “I know this won’t get me drunk, Lucas. . . It’s just . . .aww hell.” Memphis waved between the beer and the reflecting pool and then shrugged again, “. . .makes me feel a little more human.” He finished one beer and reached for two more, offering one to his friend. “Here, I always hated drinking alone. . .So how’d you find me?”
Lucas took the beverage and slid into a spot next to Memphis on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. In all of the years since they’ve been friends Memphis had always been difficult to find, but Lucas had always managed. He would be left clues that he could follow like breadcrumbs. “After all of these centuries, you don’t think that you’re easy to find?”
Memphis snorted at the notion, “How many places did you check on before you chose to come here?”
“Four. . . and thanks for the beer.” Despite the alcohol’s lack of effect, Lucas too had a fondness for the liquid and the way it tickled his throat as it raced into his system. Some of their kind gave up eating and drinking as they had very little nutritional value for their bodies. Much like Memphis, Lucas had always found foods a pleasure and indulged in order to blend in. “This has Paige written all over it.” He said suddenly, a challenging look in his eyes as he stared his friend down. “What did you do now?”
“Me!” It was difficult not to take a defensive position on the matter. “Why is it always me? Did you ever think that maybe, just maybe, she might have a thing or two to do with it?”
“No. . . What happened?”
Despite the clues that Memphis had left behind, he found that company was the last thing he needed this night. And yet, Lucas had always offered impartial advice. He was the only person he could count on to never betray him. “She knows what I am.”
Nearly choking on his beer, Lucas leaned forward allowing the amber fluid to drip out of his mouth and nose. He caught his breath long enough to turn a shocked expression towards his friend. “How the hell did that happen?”
“You know I’ve gotten into the habit of not feeding as much as I should.”
“Oh no.” The older the vampire, the less blood they needed to sustain themselves. It was somewhat of a rite of passage, the ability to cope. Memphis had taken great liberties with that rite and often skipped or altogether forgot about blood until it was totally necessary. Life was easier if he didn’t have to worry about carrying around sustenance, besides, he could always drink his fill once he got home. “You didn’t do something stupid, did you?”
“She came over, we got into a fight and I couldn’t. . .” The manner in which the night in question had unfolded was truly disconcerting. While he didn’t expect Paige to welcome him with open arms, he did expect himself to, at least, stay in control. “I couldn’t give her what she wants.”
Lucas seen it building from the moment he stepped his foot into JAG ops. The chemistry between Memphis and Paige was consuming everything in its wake. “What do you want?”
Memphis had been good at maintaining himself detached, able to control his ravenous hunger while others of his kind couldn’t. It had always been his forte but two women, with similar faces, had threatened to steal that control away. “I want her, Lucas.” He said, as if the admission had cost him something. “I want her so bad that it’s becoming almost impossible to control.” He smiled in memory of the moment, her flushed face and the way she’d licked her mousse covered spoon. The woman could seduce him without even trying, which is why he held back, for both their sakes. “The emotions brought out the beast inside and she, uh. . .she shot me.”
“What?!” Again Lucas coughed up the amber liquid and decided that it was best to leave the beer alone for the rest of the conversation.
“Paige left and Maggie, my downstairs neighbour came up needing to borrow coffee. . .I needed to feed so bad that I couldn’t wait for a blood shipment. So, I took a bit from Maggie.” He cringed at the thought. Not that he didn’t enjoy feeding from mortals, he just rather no one see him. “Paige returned and my fangs were in Maggie’s throat. . .I tried to calm her down but, in the heat of the moment, she shot me.”
“That’s not good. Have you tried talking to her?”
“She won’t talk to me now. Won’t return my calls and removed herself from any case that we have to work together.” That explains their icier than normal interaction for the last few days. While Lucas believed that Memphis and Paige had gotten over whatever it was that affected them when he first arrived, now it was worse. The tingle in the air was almost hostile. . .

. . .Earlier That Day. . .

Paige wasn’t just avoiding him, no, she was positively ignoring him even during staff meetings when he’d managed to get a seat right across from her. The General had given them a case to prosecute together. Hours later, he found himself with Whyt as his new second chair, Paige had removed herself.
“Can we talk?” Finally summoning up the courage, he went to her only to be ignored. Memphis tempted fate and stepped into the office settling himself into one of the guest chairs without being invited in.
Tension wove itself around her, menacing, threatening to strangle the life from her. Paige was scared, the smell of fear wafting towards Memphis who could only hang his head in shame. He spotted her hand which moved to the left where her desk organizer was. From it, Paige retrieved a letter opener, its edge sharp enough to do damage. She held the unconventional weapon with an iron grip, knuckles going white from the effort.
The last few days had been insanely eating away at her gut as she sought out ways to avoid contact. Thankfully, interviews had kept her out of the office, but today there was just no avoiding him. Paige wasn’t sure if the whole stake through the heart routine would work on Memphis, but she was prepared to use it if he attacked her.
Self-defence came natural to Marines and, fundamentally, Memphis understood her need to protect herself from him. Still, it hurt that she couldn’t trust him despite their past. “Paige, you can’t just ignore me. . .The General may have taken you off of the case today, but at some point we’ll wind up working together. . .Not to mention, we bump into each other at least twice a day.”
Paige’s clutch on the letter opener tightened and her stomach began doing summersaults. The Marines prepared her for almost everything but this. . .talk about being sideswiped. She’d been through so much with Memphis in such a short period of life. But this was too much, even for her. At some point Paige knew that she’d have to speak to him, if anything to let him know that she was thinking of requesting a change in her billet.
Today though, she wasn’t ready to face him. She was never big on sleeping and only fell asleep early in the morning when her tears had subsided and exhaustion claimed her. Exhaustion and fear did not make a good combination. It surprised Paige that he was remaining patient with her, waiting for an answer or at least an argument. She could feel his eyes on her and the heat that always seemed to melt her, even if she tried to ignore it.
How could she ignore it anyway? The man had a unique ability of taking over any space he was in. She was beginning to feel claustrophobic in her own office. “Memphis.” Sighing deeply, she finally found the guts to look up at him and challenge the demon that had frightened her last night. He was so handsome, so charming and so dangerous. “I ah. . .I can’t. . . can’t talk to you right now. . .Maybe not ever. Please leave.”
“I had a feeling you would say something like that.” Memphis came prepared though he wasn’t sure how she would take the proof of his existence throughout the years. He’d kept the images in a secret safe in his apartment. No mortal had ever seen them and he vowed that they never would. But, for the good of their friendship, for his sanity, she needed to know. “I am not sure if this helps.” Carefully, with slow movements, he placed an envelope on Paige’s desk and slid it across until it sat just in front of her. “No one has ever seen these. . .So, I am asking you to keep them between you and I. . .Please take care of them.” With that, he stood and closed the door behind him as he stepped back into the bullpen. . .

. . .Present. . .

Lucas stared at his friend as if he’d grown three heads. “You have pictures of yourself?”
“Daguerreotypes, small portraits. . .I’ve had them hidden for years. . .No one has ever seen them.” It dictated his lives he had lived throughout his existence. Memphis didn’t know why, but he needed Paige to see them.
“I don’t know how that will help.” His friend confessed truly, wondering if this was the final nail to the Memphis and Paige coffin. “You know you can’t read her. I don’t know why you didn’t just change her once you found out.”
Memphis groaned audibly though he knew that Lucas would eventually bring up the whole soul mate/life mate situation again. “Lucas, what if she’s not the one I’m supposed to be with? What if I can’t read her just because Paige has a strong will?”
“I can read her and you are stronger than I am. . .If she had a strong will, I wouldn’t be able to erase her memories.” There were times that Lucas really wanted to grab Memphis and shake him hard until he came to his senses. “Why are you taking such a hard line on this? Don’t you want to be happy again?. . . Once and for all explain it to me, damnit!”
He didn’t want to explain, didn’t want to relive the pain of loving and losing only to lose again. Memphis didn’t want to believe that there was someone else out there for him when the woman he loved most had asked him to wait. “Do you know why I became an enforcer?”
“No. . .Just like The Collective chose for me to be a healer, I expected that they’d appointed you.” That was the way it worked in their community. The Collective, their secret vampire government, chose immortals for specific jobs. There were healers who had been taught to wield an ancient type of magic in order to help their kind survive. Enforcers were immortal police, jury and executioners, created to help keep their kind in line and persecute those who broke their hallowed laws. There was The Collective itself where immortal leaders, elders, would gather much like congress did in the US government.
It was all intricately woven into a near perfection and created to insure that the immortal race survived after atrocities such as the Inquisition when so many of their kind were obliterated.
Memphis wasn’t born an enforcer but was rather asked to choose between his own death or the death of those which defied consecrated laws. “When Katherine died, I took it upon myself to avenge her death. . . There were many immortals involved . .people who had spied for Kale and his family. . .Those who lied to The Collective. . .I killed them all and was sentenced to death. At the last moment, they made me chose to either work for them or die. . .I chose to live in hopes that, one day, I’d find Katherine again.”
“Do you regret it?” Ah, the million dollar question. Most of their kind truly enjoyed what they were due to the knowledge and power that grew with each passing decade. Others remained disgusted and truly unable to fully integrate to the immortal way of life.
“No.” He ran a hand through his hair and settled back against the steps, defeat lingering over his features. “I’m just confused. . .Imagine my surprise to find that Katherine and Shawna looked so much alike. . .and Paige. . .Three women with the same face. . .I don’t know what to make of that.”
Lucas understood that predicament, Memphis had mentioned it to him before, but Shawna and Paige were different. “You could read and control Shawna. . .You can’t with Paige. . .Maybe it’s time to let go of Katherine for good?”
“I want to. . .but, I am afraid of. . .If she managed to make it back to me and I am with Paige. . .” An ugly weight settled over his heart again, painfully crushing it. Memphis had been though so much in his life and now it seemed like he was being tested even further. Worst of all, the emotions that he was feeling for Paige were running deeper than ever. He nearly lost her to another man. “How is it possible that I love two women?”
“Then you do love Paige.” The notion made Lucas smile, especially considering the little secret that Paige let slip just a few weeks ago.
“I didn’t say that. . .I care for her. I want her. But my heart will always belong to Katherine. . .Her blood flows through my veins, I can’t deny that.” Yet, it was hard to resist Paige’s pull which was not unlike the feelings that Katherine had produced. In some ways, it was stronger, a living beast caged and waiting its release. “I wish I knew for sure. . .Wish I had some sort of sign.”
Amazingly enough, at that very second, it was as if the gods had answered a prayer. A shrill cut through the air and Memphis fished through his jeans pocket, retrieving a cell phone. “Paige?” He was pleasantly surprised to hear her voice on the line asking him over to her apartment. “This late? Okay. . .I’ll be there in twenty.” He shut the phone and slipped it back into his back pocket. Lucas was studying him, he knew and raised a finger in warning. “Don’t say it.”
Lucas grinned widely. “Not saying a word, but if I were you, I’d chew on some breath mints. Last thing you want is Paige smelling alcohol on your breath.”

2328 LocalPaige’s ApartmentGeorgetown

For once, Memphis was on time. Of course, he didn’t know that Paige had seen him drive up a good five minutes ago. She’d seen him from her kitchen window, hidden by the small curtain that prevented Memphis from seeing her. He was nervous, almost as much as she was. This new discovery had eaten away at her insides to the point that most of her day had been a blur.
In the last few days Paige had hit the Internet hard looking for information on Memphis’s situation. Vampire. The word had brought up all sorts of queries from Bella Lugosi to Anne Rice. There were groups who role played and those who believed to be ‘psychic’ vampires, whatever that was. All of the information was mildly entertaining, but none of it would shed light on Memphis’s predicament.
To say that she wasn’t afraid was an understatement, so beneath her clothes and at the small of her back, a 9mm lay hidden just in case. It was a safety precaution that Paige hoped she wouldn’t have to employ. Maybe this had been a mistake? To have him show up at her apartment rather than some public place devoid of any connection to either of them. She needed to do this, though, to meet with him and set things straight.
Today had been exhausting, trying to avoid him every second of the day. She couldn’t do that and wasn’t about to make the dumb mistake of changing her billet because of him. If they had coexisted for so long without incident, then they could continue onward in the same fashion. Or she hoped. “Before you say anything, this isn’t some friendly get together.” Maybe it was a bit rude to gun the man down the moment she opened the door, but he needed to know the ground rules. It was, after all, her domain. “I asked you over because. . .you’re right, we can’t keep avoiding each other . . .But, I need to understand what I saw. . .Hi, by the way.”
The look of shock slipped away, replaced with a genuine smile. Memphis was happy to be there, no matter the reason. “Hey.”
She smiled back and held the door for him to enter. He was holding a box of Krispy Kreme along with what smelled like two cups of hot chocolate. Shit! Paige thought to herself. He was bringing in the heavy ammunition. She was a sucker for Krispy Kreme. “Just head towards the sofa.”
He did as told, placing the donut box on the coffee table along with both of their drinks. The food was nothing more than just a stall tactic. If they were eating, it would give him a little more time to explain himself.
Explain himself?
The notion made Memphis want to laugh. With the wealth of knowledge and the amount of years that he’d walked this Earth, he didn’t need to explain himself to a being that was inferior to him. And yet, for centuries, he’d wanted to be heard. He’d wanted to tell a mortal of his life without the fear that his secrets would be used against him. Memphis was pleased to see his pictures on a pile at the corner of the coffee table.
Paige took a seat on the opposite end of the sofa and immediately cracked open the donut box. “Thanks. I love these.”
“I know you do.” He reached for a donut and took a big bite of the sugary goodness. “Mmmm. Freshly made.” Memphis said after washing the first bite down with a swig of hot chocolate.
The pair remained silent as they ate the confection. Silence stretched itself out, wrapping around them and strangling the air around. It was becoming difficult to breathe and support life and yet, neither of them knew where to start. As Memphis reached for another, he found Paige staring at him with an odd expression. “What?”
She watched, waiting for Memphis to take another bite of the donut. The act was perfectly normal and yet, it was astonishing to see him eat. “You eat normal food.” It wasn’t the most keen of observations – how many meals had they shared in the past? “I thought vampires only drank blood?”
Here we go. Memphis braced himself. Surely she had a million questions and a million more when he gave her answers. This is what he always wanted, wasn’t it? To have someone he could talk to, someone to understand without being perceived as weak by The Collective. “We can eat normal food. It gives us little nutrition, but I enjoy it anyway. Some of us chose to stop eating after a few hundred years and never touch mortal food ever again. . .We really only need the blood to survive. It’s as essential as oxygen is to mortals.”
Paige let out a breath she didn’t know she’d been holding. The conversation was odd but not completely unpleasant considering the context. “How much blood do you drink a day?”
“Depends on the day. The more active I am, the more blood my body needs. . .Usually, three to four pints per day is enough.”
Three to four pints per day. Paige mulled over that comment, her mind immediately searching out the image of Memphis’s fangs dug deep into his neighbor’s throat. How many pints of blood did the body have again? 8? 9? If he was drinking three to four pints, would the person survive? “So you just find one of us and drain us dry?”
Memphis frowned at the implication, although that’s what he had done in the past, before blood banks were a regular part of society. “Sometimes we feed off of people, yeah. We take a little bit from various people until we’d had our fill. . .It’s illegal to kill anyone for blood. . .For the most part, we are now civilized and have our own blood reserves.”
Paige nearly lost her appetite at the sudden gory thoughts going to her head. She had a vision of Memphis paying off some shady looking gentleman in a lab coat as he handed over plastic bags of blood. “Your own?”
“My kind takes expired blood, adds some synthetic ingredients and we get shipments of it.”
We. He’d used the word quite a lot since the conversation had started. It made her curious as to how many of his kind moved around the world. Surely, there wouldn’t be that many, or someone would have known. “How many vampires is ‘we’?”
That was a question that he would never have an answer for. “I’m not sure. . . Vampires don't exactly have a Census Bureau. Many of our kind were killed during the various Inquisitions. . .The rest of us spent many years in hiding, hoping not to be persecuted.”
Jesus Christ. The man had been alive during the Inquisition? The thought made Paige’s mind whirl. “I was taught that the Inquisition had to do with heresy and religion?”
“Yes and no. For instance, when the Plague attacked Europe, its citizens began to worry and believed the disease was punishment from God. . .People were dropping dead in the streets.” He frowned and shook his head in thought of how quickly mortals seemed to judge one another. There were some memories that he wished to erase permanently from his mind of the atrocities he’d witnessed through that particular time. “Seeing as we need mortals to live and conduct our business, some of the ones that our kind confided in became traitors for fear that God would punish them. . .As a result we were hunted down and forced to either move or live in hiding.”
“Why do you keep calling us ‘mortals’ and not ‘humans’?” The inferior way that he distinguished the two was rather unsettling. Or maybe she just wanted to believe that there wasn’t such a gap between the two. “Are we that inferior to you?”
“I’m human, Paige.” His answer was simple, but she didn’t seem to believe him. Instead, she snorted and reached for another donut. “You don’t believe me?”
Paige pinned him with a ‘yeah right’ kind of glare and licked the glaze off of two of her fingers. “You have fangs, drink blood and can probably kill me just by twitching your pinkie. . .Sorry if I don’t believe that you’re human.”
Memphis wasn’t amused by her sass and the easy way she cast his humanity aside. “I am human.” But she didn’t seem to hear him, instead, Paige was busy licking the rest of the glaze off of her fingers. The sight brought a tightening to his groin and he forced himself to look away. “I don’t age or die, therefore, I am immortal. . . But, we are both human.” He had human traits, as did every single vampire that he’d ever met and that would never change. As much as evolution had warped their bodies, the human element was still there.
“I believe you.” There was an honesty to her words as she searched the recess of her mind and found all of his human behaviour. Memphis was very much human, with a slight illness. . .no, that wasn’t the right word. . .advantage. “What about children?” Paige asked suddenly as the question popped into her mind. Could vampires have little vamps? The idea seemed a bit odd until she remembered that he’d once promised her a child.
“What about them?”
Paige couldn’t help the desperation that suddenly ran through her. She had a feeling that his answer would shatter something that she’d found herself holding on to. Taking a breath she chose to ask the question differently, “Can you have children?”
The question was asked so quiet and tentatively that he had some difficulty hearing her. But Memphis did hear and felt a sharp pain where his heart was. “No. We can’t.” Swallowing hard, he promptly launched into an explication, hoping it would deter the memories of a promise made long ago. “It’s the virus. . .It attacks abnormalities in the body.” Although the latter part was true, many immortals had children. For him and Katherine, it just never seemed to happen.
Paige’s head snapped towards him, anger flaming in her eyes. “A baby is not an abnormality.” She hissed at him, feeling hurt that he would just cast such a thing aside. It revolted her.
Memphis shook his head. “No, they aren’t. . .Children are precious and beautiful and innocent. . .But my body doesn’t see it that way.”
“You lied to me.” She spat out. “You lied to me when I was at my most vulnerable.”
He had lied, but only to protect her, to make her feel better after the loss that she had been feeling. “Paige, I didn’t mean to hurt you. . .When the ambulance took the Roberts’ away. . .I said what I said to make you feel better.”
“You gave me false hope, Memphis.” At that, she stood and walked around the sofa and towards the balcony. The moon had nearly risen to its apex and it shone on her through the French doors. “You’ve lied to me about a lot of things, haven’t you?”
Had he? In his mind, he’d omitted a thing or two and omissions were not lies. Besides, it was what he was trained to do – hide the truth and protect the innocent. Paige was innocent and, just like every mortal, was better off believing that beings like him were birthed in Hollywood. “There were a few things that I couldn’t tell you. . .You wouldn’t have understood.”
Paige shook her head. She resisted the urge to throttle him, but only because she knew he would be stronger. Almost out of the blue, lightening crackled through the sky, the sight giving her an unpleasant memory. What other lies had he told her? What other things had he made her believe? “The night before my wedding to Don. . .The crash. It wouldn’t have killed you, would it?” His hesitation in answering was enough for her.
In anger, she threw her hands up and then headed around to him. “Do you know how much I cried?” She said between gritted teeth. “I would have given anything. . .anything to be out there with you so that you wouldn’t be alone.” Her body shivered as her temper flared. Dear God, she’d worried so much and all over a man who would have survived anyway. “I thought we would lose you. . .Do you understand what that feels like? Do you know what it’s like to pray and pray and pray and pray and not hear anything? It destroyed me!” She slapped him hard and immediately stepped back a bit, fearing his reaction.
Memphis stood, squaring his shoulders. “I could have been hurt badly, Paige. . .I didn’t have blood and if the sun would have risen, it would have slowly killed me.” He came around to her, sidestepping the coffee table. “And I did lose my memory.” And he had really given the crew on the carrier a scare as his body, in efforts to heal, sent him into a dead sleep.
Paige shook her head. She didn’t want to hear this now, didn’t want to believe him. His answers were too easily dismissive and convenient, as if he had rehearsed them. “All you’ve done is lie and take me away from a man who loved me so much.”
“You mean a man that you never really loved.”
She would have slapped him again if her hand wasn’t hurting from the first one. “You son of a bitch! I did love Don. . .I cared for him very much.”
“And yet you couldn’t resist kissing me back that night on the porch.” This time she did slap him and Memphis grabbed her hand roughly to make sure she didn’t try that again. “Stop doing that, Paige.” As usual, the touch sent an electric current rushing through the both of them and Memphis had to drop her hand before that current wound its way to his heart. He’d forgotten how much her touches affected him, a fact that he had ignored time and time again. He couldn’t have her and wouldn’t use her attraction of him to alleviate his savage hunger. “I’m sorry that things are so convoluted now. I never wanted to hurt you.”
“And yet you did a great job of it anyway.” Paige backed her way to the door, undid the locks and swung it open. “I need you to leave.”
Although he wanted to argue, Memphis didn’t see the point. At the very least, she didn’t seem disgusted by what he was. That was progress in itself. The sadness in her eyes, that was the one thing that he couldn’t seem to shake. He caught an image then, only because she’d projected it mentally. It was a scene, almost like a movie, of the two of them together, kissing. He could feel the pain Paige was feeling and realized that it didn’t have to do with the lies but more with the fact that she’d given up on Don in order to be with him. Perhaps he shouldn’t have deceived her then, shouldn’t have asked her to come to him because ‘she knew the reason.’ He should have never kissed her either, not on the porch and certainly not during Christmas, despite traditions. “I can’t make you happy, Paige. . . I can be your friend, but we can’t be more than that.”
Paige slammed the door once he crossed the threshold, choosing to ignore his final words. Leaning against the door, she vowed not to cry for him again, for them. There was no future there. A pesky tear ran down her cheek anyway.

Chapter 5 – The Night side of Eden pt 1
“Night side of Eden.” by: H.I.M.
“In the night side of EdenWe're born againDeadForever we areForever we've beenForever we'll be crucified to a dream”
Next Morning.0708 LocalMemphis’s ApartmentNorth Of Union Station

“Last night, you used the word virus.” The previous evening’s events only perpetuated Paige’s nights of insomnia. She spent half of it tossing and turning and trying not to think about Memphis. It was easier said than done and, at around six am, she jumped out of bed with renewed determination. She wanted to understand everything and maybe not be so quit to judge. Hadn’t she been the one that wanted to start at the beginning?
Memphis glanced wearily at her. Dear Lord, it was seven am on a Saturday, did the woman never sleep? He sure as hell hadn’t. Much like Paige, Memphis had been up half of the night pondering how to better their situation. “Huh?”
Paige’s urge to smack him eased considerably as she took in the sight before her. Hair sticking up in awkward angles, eyes hooded and an expression like that of someone who hadn’t slept in months. Her gaze traveled downward, though, to his chest and its muscular figure. She’d seen him topless before, but never quite had it in her to look so unabashed. Now, she was looking and didn’t stop until her eyes locked on his white boxer shorts and the prize that lay covered inside.
The clearing of his throat brought Paige’s eyes back up to his and a soft tint covered her cheeks. “I didn’t mean to wake you. . .Coffee?” She held up two paper bags, one carrying bagels and the other coffee.
Grumbling something about women and bad timing, Memphis left the door open for her to enter as he moved slowly towards his bedroom. Paige was half afraid that he’d just go back to bed but instead heard the shower start to run. Memphis had always been grumpy when he first woke up, something that she stayed clear of when they were sent on investigations together.
When he’d finished, Memphis joined her, wearing faded blue jeans and a black Harley Davidson T-shirt. “What did you ask me?” He questioned, taking the top off of the cup of coffee that she’d settled before him.
“Good morning.” She smiled and then reached across to flatten a few strands of rebellious hair.
Memphis snorted, “Good my ass.”
She wanted to tease him for the comment, possibly say something about just how good his ass really was. Instead, she hit him with her query. “Virus. . .You used the word virus. Why?”
Ah, that. While not exactly the best description, it was the only thing that most people seemed to understand. The virus bit wasn’t particularly easy to explain nor was he in the frame of mind to get into all of the scientific humming and hawing that was his race. To Memphis, it had always seemed as if they were God’s science project gone wrong. Yet, like all of God’s creatures, they still deserved a place on this Earth. “None of our kind know where it came from. . .But our scientists have confirmed that the condition is like a virus which attacks normal cells preventing them from damage.”
“Can’t something cure the virus?”
Memphis shook his head. “No. The virus is too smart. When something is sent into our bodies to try and stop the virus, it duplicates and attacks. We can’t get rid of it. . .It’s much too strong and has even gone as far as transforming our evolution so that hunting for blood and drinking it becomes relatively easy. . . The only catch is that we have to constantly drink blood or the virus will it’s starving and attack any and all cells in our body, killing us.” Unwrapping the item in front of him, Memphis grinned when he found a sun dried tomato with veggie cream cheese. “Ooooh, I love these.”
“Is the virus the reason why you don’t eat meat?” There had to be a reason why a predator, such as Memphis, disliked meat as much as he did. “Or is it a personal choice?”
“Red meat reminds me too much of blood. . .So I avoid it to not crave blood so much. As for junk food. . .” He paused for a moment and took a bit of the bagel which he washed down with some coffee. “. . .it isn’t healthy and requires me to drink more blood to fix the damage it does to my body . .You’ll find that most of us who still eat tend to have a healthier diet.”
Paige nodded in understanding. All of that seemed to make sense. “I guess I can stop making fun of your stick boy diet . . Of course, you could stop making fun of my occasional, junk food diet.” She smiled at him, that cute smile that gave Memphis hope that everything would be alright. While undoubtedly confused, Paige was alright with this predicament, or, at the very least, was trying to be. He couldn’t hope for more.
“You can walk in the sun, right? You didn’t just put that in my head?” She asked and then finished polishing off the rest of her bagel.
“I can, yeah. All of us have the ability to tolerate sunlight, some can do it more than others. I happen to have been passed on a gene that helps me. When I turned Lucas so that he wouldn’t die, he received the same gene which makes it easier for him to handle the sun.”
Paige stared at him as if he’d grown two heads. “Lucas?” It really shouldn’t have surprised her. The two were as thick as thieves half of the time.
“Yeah, Lucas. . .C’mon, its more comfortable on the sofa.” He motioned for her to follow and settled in comfortably on his oversized armchair. Memphis diligently answering Paige’s questions and even providing a few tidbits that she wouldn’t think to ask. He brought up Lucas and how they had met nearly two centuries ago. Lucas had been hunted by mortals and Memphis had saved him from a painful death.
“Where are you from originally?”
Memphis chuckled. “I was wondering when you’d ask that.” This is good. He thought and couldn’t help but compare Paige’s reaction to Shawna’s. The initial shock had been similar, though Shawna hadn’t pulled a gun out on him, she merely called him a monster and ran off. Shawna never gave him a chance to explain and it shamed Memphis to think that Paige would act the same. She was different, much different and he knew it though preferred not to admit it. “I was born in Ireland in 1222.”
Now that wasn’t something that Paige was prepared for. Yes, she knew he was older, weren’t all vampires? But she never quite fathomed that he was that old. The revelation shocked her so badly, that she fell off of the very edge of the sofa. “Oww.”
“Paige?” Memphis came to his feet, offering a hand to stand her up. He had the audacity to laugh. “You okay?”
“Laugh it off. That’ll save you from my Marine wrath.” She rubbed a sore spot on her back side and turned up to stare at him. “I didn’t quite expect you to be that old.”
The laughter slipped away into a mere smile as he took her hand and pulled Paige up. She tried to move away, not ready for him to be so close to her, not yet anyway. His strength, overwhelming and unyielding held her still.
They stared at each other and the deluge of emotions swept over. After that damned kiss at her engagement party, Memphis found himself wanting to kiss her every time that she was near. His gaze fell on her lips as her tongue slipped out to moisten them. “Memphis.” Her warning tone made him step away. Though he sensed her fear, he smiled and motioned towards the door. “What?”
“Why don’t we head out of here? The weather should be nice. . .We can take a drive over to Georgetown and just walk around.” His eyes held her own captive in a silent conversation that was forcing Paige to be swayed. She was still scared of the unfamiliar world that he’d thrust her into, but instinct told her that she had nothing to fear. Was this the reason that they never worked out? Was afraid of telling her the truth about his condition and having her turn away? Well, she wasn’t about to turn away now but a little distance at a public and neutral setting would make this transition easier. “Sounds good.”
“You don’t have an accent anymore.” Paige stated once they arrived at the opposite end of a crosswalk. They had taken her Corvette to Georgetown and had walked the historical streets as they’d done in the past when things weren’t as complicated. “You said you were born in Ireland but you have no accent.”
Memphis shrugged. “It disappeared. I spent a lot of centuries away from home.” Stopping abruptly, Memphis pointed to the right where a store was advertising the Chesapeake and Ohio canal boat rides. “Ever toured the canal?”
“No. Like most people, I haven’t done the touristy thing in my own town.”
“Up for it?”
“Sure.” Tugging at his sleeve, she manoeuvred him in the direction of the canals, chuckling that a vampire still wasn’t very good with directions. “Rabb isn’t an Irish last name, is it?”
“My real last name is O’Rabhartaigh. . . I’ve changed my last name throughout the centuries but have tried to keep something that sounded like it. In the 1700s there was an influx of Rabb’s coming to North America, so it’s made it easier for me to keep the name. . . But, I am Irish, through and through.”
They came to the entrance to the boat tours and while not congested, there were a few people waiting to board. “We’re not going to be able to continue this conversation on the boat, are we?” Paige motioned towards the boat launch and the small group at the launch.
That arrogant, self-assured grin was his response. “Ye of little faith.” Patiently, Memphis waited for the first boat to leave. Once the second docked, he sent a mental ‘push’ to the captain’s mind, a suggestion to not let anyone but he and Paige on. “C’mon.” Gingerly, Memphis took Paige’s hand, guiding her across the dock and into the boat.
Before anyone else could board, the captain locked a small gate and then headed towards the engines in a zombie like manner. “What did you do?” Paige followed Memphis who took a seat at the end. “How did you do that?”
“We have the ability to read and control minds. Some of us are better than others.” He sensed her shift slightly away, her body becoming rigid with tension. “I’ve never controlled you, Paige. . .And, in case your crazy mind goes there – no, I’ve never changed the outcome of any case. I’ve never controlled a client or a witness or a juror.”
Paige wished that would ease her sudden tension but it didn’t. Just the fact that he could do such things was disturbing. What’s to stop him from manipulating her or anything else around him? “I don’t know how to respond to that.” Dear God, did he ever zero in on her more lust filled thoughts of him?
“Just trust me. . .I know I’ve kept things from you and trust is probably kind of difficult right now but I won’t lie to you anymore, Paige.” He reached for her hand, surprised that she didn’t pull away. He wouldn’t like but would bend the truth if needed.
Sighing deeply, Paige placed a hand over their joined ones. “Okay, hotshot, if you can read minds, what am I thinking right now?”
He should have figured Paige would have asked. The answer was still a difficult pill to swallow. “Honestly, I can’t read your mind.”
Characteristically, Paige’s eyebrow drifted upwards, a look that often fascinated him. “Why am I so special?”
Deep inside he knew the answer although Memphis was unwilling to allow himself to believe it. An immortal’s life was seldom so cut and dry. “I happen to think that it has to do with that little metaphysical ability you have.” He lied, knowing full well that Lucas could read and control Paige like a puppet. So much for not lying to her.
“How did you become an immortal?” The million dollar question – the one everyone wanted to ask but few did. Memphis considered that, perhaps, people really didn’t want an answer. “Let me guess, it involves a woman.” She nudged him playfully.
Memphis couldn’t help the deep rumble of laughter. Paige was good and always would be when it came to him. “Yes, it involves a woman.” Not just any woman, Katherine Burel was incredible – his savoir from a death he was sure to succumb to. He’d loved her, truly loved her with everything that he was. Nothing could ever change that; Memphis feared that nothing ever would. “I was born sick. I’m not sure what it was, back then there weren’t ways to diagnose things. The town doctor said I wouldn’t live to be a year old but I did.”
“Back then you did farm work at an early age. I was so sick that I couldn’t help around the farm. Every little thing I did left me tired. . .winded. I couldn’t even go to school. Just walking into town, I would have these attacks. I guess it was kind of like asthma. So, my father’s sister who was a teacher, worked with me. Dad always believed that a man needed to be knowledgeable.”
Quietly, Paige sat next to him, listening intently to each detail and unable to prevent herself from conjuring up images of Memphis as a child. She wanted to ask him about his current family, Memphis senior, Trish and Frank but figured that was a conversation for a different time. “Sounds like a good dad.”
Memphis shrugged. His father had been a good man, a farmer and somewhat of a town handyman, a real jack of all trades. Still, with all of his popularity, Iollan O’Rabhartaigh failed when his son needed him most. “A good father wouldn’t kill himself when his son is only eleven years old.” Throughout the centuries, Memphis had become desensitized to certain memories and emotions but some still affected him. This was one thing he could never let go of.
He felt Paige’s hand on his own, squeezing gently as if she knew he needed that comfort. “I’m sorry. I’m sure he didn’t mean to leave you behind.”
“He didn’t. . .He just couldn’t deal with the grief after my mother died during childbirth. Both she and my baby sister died. . .He lost the will to live, I guess. . . His sister, Nora, wound up raising me with her husband. They moved into my home, helped me take care of the farm.”
“I was happy with them, but it wasn’t the same not having your real parents. And I was still very sick . . . never could recover from whatever it was that I had. . .When I was in my late 20s, Aunt Nora decided that I needed a wife, someone to take care of me when she died. She also believed that I needed an heir or else our government would get the land. . .So, she found a girl for me, Liadan, the daughter of the town tailor. . . I wasn’t in love with her and though I came to care for her. . .I never, I was never in love with her. She knew that but, like most wives from those times, knew it was her curse to stay with me.”
“We wound up having a boy, Aiden.” Memphis smiled. It was perhaps the only good memory he had of the time until Katherine found him. “He was a good boy, healthy. When he got older, he would help out on the farm. . .Spitting image of me.”
There was a reason why Paige always felt he’d make a good father. Just watching Memphis with little AJ was enough proof but now she understood why it was so easy for him to relate to children. “I can imagine you with a little boy. I bet you were a great daddy.”
“Aiden had everything I could give him. . .That was the part of all of this that hurt the most. . .While I didn’t kill myself, I had to leave him behind.” It wasn’t just leaving the child behind, it was forgetting. For the most part, Memphis had to forget that he had a child and disappear in order to keep him safe. He sighed deeply and stared down at his hands. “It all started when I had to go to another town. . .Locusts had attacked our crops and we needed extra to survive. . . I went with Li’s brother, Connor and we stayed at an inn. I’d never been to a town bigger than the one we lived at. Never went into a pub. To me, it was incredible.” The scent of stale beer commingled with moisture inside of a dark environment. Even to this day, he could remember every second of that moment.
“Connor got drunk. . .very drunk and I wound up having to take him to our room. I became bored and decided to head back.” Typical of taverns during that particular period in time, the place was dark, lit sparingly with candles and oil lamps giving an eerie glow to the stone bricks that made up the walls of the tavern. Wooden tables were scattered around the small space and Memphis had chosen a dark corner to sit at. Not being accustomed to dealing with so many people, the rowdy patrons frightened him, though he tried to hide it behind the pint of ale he was trying to drink.
He found a barmaid that seemed to have a little more than a keen interest in him and responded back with a full smile. “Can I get you something else, luv?” Memphis shook his head, whatever she was offering, he just didn’t want. “Suit yourself.”
At once, something caught his attention and he found the throng of men parting as a woman, dressed in deep blue walked between them. The dress hugged her waist, and showed off the swell of her breast, risqué for the women of her times but it was clear that she wasn’t a barmaid, but rather someone who demanded respect. Most women would dread to be in such a location with so many unruly men, but she was confident and unwavering. They gawked at her, remaining frozen as she strolled passed and towards Memphis.

Chapter 6 – The Night side Of Eden Part 2.
The Laughing Lady TavernIreland, 1254 AD

“May I?” The mysterious woman pointed at the seat next to him, her soft voice warming him from deep inside. He felt his heart lurch and almost stop before banging hard against his chest. She was absolutely stunning and exotic with olive colour skin, long brown hair and eyes the color of caramel and chocolate.
Memphis licked his lips and swallowed down the lump suddenly prevalent at his throat. “Please.” She had moved almost as if floating across the stones beneath her feet and slipped to the seat next to him, the fabric of her dress caressing his leg. She didn’t dress like the women of their time. She was brazen, wild and utterly captivating. “Love at first sight.” Memphis told Paige with a half smile; the love still shining in his eyes as he recounted the tale of the siren which had claimed his heart.
“You are not from here.” The mystery woman stated with a secret smile. She then waved the barmaid over and took a silver goblet with red liquid, then motioned to Memphis. “Please bring him another.”
Watching her with fascination, he quickly snapped out of the trance. “No. I don’t have enough money for another.” Memphis’s voice suddenly came back to him and his brain began to function once again. What was happening to him? Why was he gawking at a total stranger?
The mystery woman simply chuckled and motioned for the barmaid to retrieve his drink. “I own this place, Memphis. You don’t owe me a thing.” Her eyes softened as they locked on his and danced alive with fires of passion. She slipped her hand over his and squeezed gently. While she was always used to getting what she wanted, this time, Katherine knew it would be difficult. She’d never experienced the raw emotions that were being channelled between her and Memphis. It was exhilarating and painful all at once.
“How do you know my name?” Memphis sat back, utterly shocked that anyone here knew of him. He wasn’t an especially popular individual in their town, mostly seen as a weakling. In this town, he was a total stranger. Still, there had to be an account for the odd feelings that befell him. Damnit, did he want to kiss her. Lacking the confidence that most men his age had, Memphis wasn’t the type to stare at women so unabashed or have such impure thoughts. He was married man, for Christ’s sake! “Do I know you?. . . What’s your name?”
“Katherine. . . And I know much about you, Memphis.” As much as she was able to read off of his brother-in-law’s mind when they first stepped into the tavern. Once he stepped inside, automatically, she knew that her lifelong search was over. A great deal of sadness befell her when she realized that he was dying a slow death. Katherine could smell the disease in his blood and chose to read Connor's mind in order to get to the bottom of things.
His almost immediate and insatiable attraction was truly disconcerting. His wife, too, was attractive but he’d never had such a desire to kiss and make love to her. Not with the passion that he was feeling for Katherine. It was almost too hard to resist and so knew that it was frightening.
“Why do I feel like I know you?” He asked as the scent of her drew him in. Katherine leaned closer, allowing him to breathe her in more deeply. Women in his town were never so forward with him. In fact, he was fairly sure that they all pitied him for the weakness he was born with. It was only because of his aunt that he’d managed to marry only to produce a child to take care of the farm when he would pass away.
“You were made for me.” She whispered into his ear, her lips lingering slightly in an action that made him shiver. “It was fate that brought you here.” While most immortals did not believe in fate, there was that silver lining, the meeting between two immortals that was so happenstance that some accredited it to fate.
Taught to be an honourable man, Memphis wrestled between desire and reason. He was a married man and had once made a promise to honour his wife. Yet, there was no love between the two of them, only a sense of duty. “I’m married.”
“And I’m currently involved with a married man.” She smiled shyly at him, almost as if she were embarrassed at the revelation. The truth was that Katherine had grown tired of waiting for him. Centuries had passed and she decided to settle on a man that made her happy. Unfortunately, she could read his thoughts like a book and though he spent most of his nights with her, the man was still married to someone else. “I am not meant to be with him. . .You aren’t meant to be with her.” It was a constant battle to fight her natural drive to read minds and her lover often fell victim to that gift.
“Somehow she convinced me to see her home.”
Paige grinned, ever the gentleman he was, though she figured he had an ulterior motive at that time. “I don’t think you needed too much convincing.”
Memphis chuckled. “Not much, no.” The walk to Katherine’s home had been rather pleasant. It was awkward for him to be so talkative with a woman, something he’d had so many problems with back home. Walking side by side, her hand would occasionally brush his and bring to life feelings Memphis never knew existed.
One more touch, as Katherine tripped over a stepping stone, and Memphis was unglued. He found the courage and was bold enough to kiss her. “I want to make love to you.” Words he was sure would never be uttered to anyone came out of his mouth. It sounded so unlike him and yet, this was him – the man he was supposed to be.
Their lovemaking was powerful, earth shattering and magical. For a man that had only ever been with one woman, it was surprising that he knew how and where Katherine liked to be touched. It was almost as if they’d been lovers for centuries. “My brother in law, came looking for me the next day. . .But, I just didn’t want to go home. . .So, Katherine, she made him believe that I needed to stay and negotiate the trade. . .Connor went back and I stayed. . .I stayed for almost three months.”
Their first time together had been normal; human. The second time, Memphis felt her fangs slide into his neck, followed by such an intense feeling of pleasure that he was sure his weakness would kill him. “It was the most intense thing I ever felt.”
Past mortal lovers had always feared Katherine’s nature, especially when it came to the art of vampire lovemaking which usually climaxed with her teeth piercing their skin. Katherine’s lovers had never quite grown used to the feeling and many times she needed to wash their memories clean of the incident.. Memphis craved the pain and the pleasure, giving in willingly and taking just as willingly.
He never questioned any of it until the night that she almost killed him.
Alarmed, Katherine had fed him her blood, hoping that it would save Memphis but not turn him. She had yet to gain permission from the council in order to create another immortal – rule that they upheld for centuries. Hours later, Memphis lay in her bed, slightly dazed but full with questions he never bothered asking until then, “We’ve spent many nights together and I never question what it is that you do to me. . .But, I need to know. . . what are you?” He knew she was different and that those differences seemed to have a profound effect on him. “You’ve given me your blood. Does this mean that I am what you are?”
Katherine sat at the edge of the bed, the sheet wrapped around her body slipping down her back. Memphis ran a hand down her spine, eliciting a soft moan that caught his breath. “Tell me.”
With a heavy heart she told him about their kind – immortals, vampires, beings that were as old as time. “I was born in Persia over one thousand years ago.”
The notion would have seemed absurd had he not witnessed the changes in her. Katherine was also knowledgeable, too knowledgeable for the women of their time.. “One thousand?. .. How can that be?”
She turned to him, disappointed that he didn’t just accept her rather that question her age. “You don’t believe me.”
“I do, Katherine. . .I have to. There are things about you that don't exist with the women of our time. . ..I believe, but I don’t understand how it can happen. . .Were you cursed?”
Katherine chuckled. In some ways, it was like a curse, having to live on without the hopes of ever finding peace. “I was born this way, immortal.”
Memphis didn’t care what she was or how many years she’d lived on earth. All that he cared was that she was meant to be with him, the fibres of their beings were created for one another. He knew that to be true though it was impossible to explain. Everything made sense when she was around. Without Katherine, it was like the other part of his soul was missing. “Make me what you are.” He pleaded, “I want to spend all of my life with you.”
Reaching to touch her eyes, Katherine found tears, something she hadn’t shed in close to five hundred years. She loved him more than any other and felt that impenetrable bond that nothing could break. She loved him and because she did, Katherine knew it was time to let him go. “You have a wife. A child. I can’t take you away from them. I’ve already kept you away for too long for my own selfish reasons. . .It’s the same reason I kept my former lover from coming home. . .I didn’t want him to discover us.”
“I don’t ca. . .” His words trailed off, managing to cut Memphis from saying the one thing that wasn’t true. While his relationship with his wife was a mistake, their child was not. Aiden needed a father and he wasn’t about to leave him fatherless. “I love my son.” Memphis tightened his jaw, realizing that she’d been correct in keeping him away from his family. He’d forgotten about his son. “I love you, Katherine. I don’t want to leave.” As much as he loved Katherine, this wasn’t the time for them. “At some point my son won’t need me. . .When my son is older, come to me. Please. . .Katherine, I will wait an eternity for you.”
Katherine’s body trembled from the emotions welling deep inside. She didn’t want to lose just when she’d found him, but it was the right thing to do. She’d destroyed so many lives, killed because she could. It was time to right the wrongs in her life for his sake. “That’s how long we may have to wait.” She said under her breath and then turned to face Memphis. “I’ll come for you. Just promise me you’ll wait.”
“I will.” He swore and sealed the promise with a soft kiss. That night he made sweet love to Katherine, forever branding her soul. When he awoke the next morning, Katherine was gone. . .
Neither Memphis nor Paige had realized that they’d been talking for over an hour and that their boat trip was over. “C’mon, let’s stroll down the bank and find a nice place to eat. My stomach is talking to me.” She nudged him slightly, getting him back into the swing of things after the emotional tale that he’d woven.
Reluctantly he followed, feeling the exhaustion draining him from the soul out. Memories of Katherine were always difficult for him, as were the memories of how he came to be – the only part of the story that was missing. He pressed his hand to the small of Paige’s back, needing the comfort he could only find with her. Yet, those touches, as mundane as they were, sent his emotions reeling.
It was happening again to him, falling for a woman that wasn’t supposed to be his. This was what Katherine felt, he knew – the excruciating pain of falling for someone and having to let them go. He’d let Paige go twice and she wound up coming back to him. Wasn’t that a sign? Still, he couldn’t let go of Katherine’s words asking him to wait. Nor could he take Paige’s mortality away and force her to live a life of danger, much like his own. He had also turned Lucas and while there wasn’t some gene that stopped him from turning another, The Collective was tightening their hold on how many immortals one could create. With all of the horrific things he’d done in his past, it was likely that the council would kill him and Paige if he turned her.
“I did go back home.” He stated out of the blue, almost startling Paige whose mind was still churning from his tale. Memphis laughed without feeling and his mood, if possible, turned more sombre than before. “And when I got there. . .It was almost as if hell had broken lose. . .Li was pregnant when I left and had gone into labour while I was away. She died, so did our daughter.” He cleared his throat and brushed off a solitary tear that slipped from his eye. “I didn’t love her, but I didn’t want her to die either. . .From that time on, I became obsessed with our land. . .Katherine’s blood did something to me. It almost erased the disease, made me stronger, powerful. I was finally able to take care of the land on my own.”
“She didn’t come to me, but I could feel her. I could feel her watching over us.” But there was one time that she hadn’t been watching. An immortal elder had needed her assistance with a rogue vampire and she needed to leave, praying to God that Memphis would be taken care of. When Katherine came back, all she found was a fresh grave and the man that she loved buried deep inside the ground.
Paige’s breath caught in her throat. “Oh God.” He’d been buried alive, forced to die in one of the most traumatizing ways. She couldn’t imagine going through that and feared for the amount of damage that the situation caused Memphis. “Who did that to you?”
“Li’s brother, Connor.” The man had blind sided him, using a shovel to bash Memphis over the head until he’d been rendered unconscious. Knowing that Memphis was still alive, Connor had stuffed him in a wooden box and, with the town’s approval, had him buried in the village cemetery. “I found out later that Connor told our town that I’d died due to my illness.” He snorted at the thought, recalling how good he’d been feeling during that time. Katherine’s blood had rejuvenated him. “Before I blacked out, I remember Connor standing above me. He said he knew about the ‘other woman’ that I’d left his sister for. I would pay for the infidelity . . .He told me not to worry about Aiden. . .Thankfully, Katherine found me.”
When Katherine found the grave, she came to her knees, using preternatural strength to dig through mud as rain pelted her. Once found, she pulled Memphis out and leaned her head over his chest. Hid breathing was laboured, heart barely beating. She was losing him. Katherine knew the consequences of turning another but she hardly had time to contact the council or even ask Memphis for his permission, which needed to be given at that specific time.
Being one of the oldest members of The Collective and daughter of the founder, Katherine knew the rules and yet, she couldn’t help herself. Survival for her was becoming a grim reality without someone to share the night with. She needed Memphis, loved him more than any other lover that had come before. He was her soul mate, the other part of her heart. He completed her.
Biting hard, she pierced the carotid artery, and felt the blood splatter into her mouth. Katherine drank deeply, draining him almost completely of the life giving essence. She could still taste the disease in his veins. As before, she could see his memories, sense his immeasurable feelings for her. This was right. This was just. He would forgive her for the change.
As she felt him start to slip away, Katherine bit into her wrist and dripped blood into Memphis’s mouth. The only thing left was his mortal death, an excruciatingly painful experience that he’d remember for the rest of his life. “The change is painful and the one part of my life that I wish I could forget. . .After that she took me away, hid my body from the sun and the elements until I was well enough. . .I never went back home. . .I couldn’t for fear that, being so new, I would attack someone in my family.” He frowned at that, recalling a time when the blood lust had cause him to murder a mortal. “From time to time I watched over my son. He married a beautiful woman and they had three children together.”
“What happened to Katherine?”
Memphis knew it was a natural question to ask, especially since Paige knew he was single. “She died four hundred years ago. . .I don’t want to talk about it.”
Despite her curiosity, Paige honoured his wish and opted to change the subject to something not as heavy. “Any silly things I can ream Lucas over? I need all the help I can get.”
“Oh, there are a few things that will rattle his chains.” Thankful for the emotional reprieve, Memphis steered them back towards M street and down the streets lined with restaurants and shops. “What are you in the mood for?”
Paige glanced around the area, noting a nice Chinese restaurant close to M street. “Express has some good Chinese if you’re up for it.”
“Chinese it is.” He followed her to their destination, a great deal of weight off of his shoulders.

One Day Later
1020 Local
Starbuck’s
Washington, DC

“O’Rabhartaigh.” Memphis had not heard his last name in centuries, it was just not in immortal believes to hold on to the past. They tended to concentrate on the future, choosing to call their members by current names. “O’Rabhartaigh!” That voice. That voice specifically was one that Memphis dreaded. It stopped him dead in his tracks and he felt that innate sense of dread that usually welled up when dealing with enemies.
He turned to find a dark haired man, almost as attractive as himself, standing next to Paige who Memphis had bumped into while running at Rock Creek Park. They’d decided on breakfast together in hopes of continuing their talk from the day before. Anger raged inside of Memphis, as did the fear of that man hurting Paige. “Kale. . .What are you doing here?” His words were clipped, his voice almost menacing. He fought the urge to extend his teeth and lunge for the man’s jugular.
The man’s typical, malevolent grin spread wide as his eyes fastened on Paige. He’d been watching her for weeks now, curious as to who the woman was and why she looked so much like someone who shared a past with him and Memphis. “Mmmm. I see the fates have been kinder to you.” Politely, he reached out and kissed the back of Paige’s hand. “Kale Donnelly. And you are?”
“Paige. .” She trailed off as Memphis shoved his body between the two of them, levelling Paige with an almost frightening glare.
“Paige, could you grab us a place to sit? I’ll be there in a sec.” He was surprised when she complied and waited for her to be at a safe distance before facing Kale. “You know damned well you are not supposed to come anywhere near me.” He growled and his eyes glowed red from anger. Kale’s presence was not a good omen, especially considering Paige’s likeness to Katherine.
Kale shrugged; unimpressed by any rules or regulations that The Collective had placed between the two of them. “I never followed the rules; did you expect me to start now?” Unable to keep his eyes off of Paige, his gaze followed her every move. He was fascinated that she would even exist. “Does the poor girl even know what she’s getting herself into?” He moved close then, so that he was speaking directly into Memphis’s ear. “Does she know what evil things you’ve done?”
If it were possible for the blood to suddenly boil in his veins, Memphis’s body would self combust. He felt the animal raging inside, dying for release from the cage it was locked into. “Leave her out of it. . .The Collective may have set that stupid rule between us but it doesn’t mean I can’t kill you.”
“They should have never let you live. . .Murderer.”
Memphis snorted and shook his head. Yes, he had taken lives without much mercy, but what Kale’s family had done was much, much worse. “Your family is the real group of murderers. . .Your father just couldn’t stand the fact that Katherine was meant to be with me. Me, not him. What he did to her is unforgivable.”
Having an affair with Kale’s father, Garron had been Katherine’s biggest mistake. Desperation and loneliness at waiting for her soul mate had made her weak. She never would have considered that Garron would retaliate. He was devastated to find that Katherine wanted to move on without him. The only reason he let her go was because she planted that thought in his mind.
Without someone to teach him the rules of immortal life, Garron eventually murdered his wife and two female children in the rage of blood lust. His inability to cope with jealousy, combined with the utter rage which stemmed from the beast inside, forced him to make Katherine and Memphis his targets. The hatred, bitter and unrelenting, eventually made him turn rogue, poisoning his own blood. It didn’t help that another rogue, nearly as powerful as Katherine herself, had befriended Garron and opted to teach him the benefits of patience.
From that time on Garron took great care in his plans, opting to let his three male children survive to be an older age before he brought them across. Kale hadn’t wanted the change but his father’s constant rage had sullied all that was good in him. Willingly, at the age of 29, he gave in. “Katherine destroyed my family. Someone had to destroy her.”
Death, especially for immortals, was unpredictable, but the one thing that Memphis could never quite understand was how Katherine’s own father, the leader of The Collective, would allow his daughter to be killed so savagely without avenging her death. “She was innocent.”
Kale chuckled. “Innocent? Katherine? Do you know how many people she killed in her life?”
“I knew everything about her. . .She turned your father because they made each other happy. Katherine never thought I’d come into her life. It was a mistake to turn him, I won’t deny that. . .”
“Rules are rules, Memphis. She created two immortals. . .That’s illegal, is it not?” It was illegal. Immortals were only allowed to create one other immortal. Such a privilege was usually saved for one’s life mate if they so happened to be a mortal. Katherine had tried to wait for him but succumbed like so many others had. Not everyone found their life mate and those who didn’t choose to live with someone else or risk loneliness.
Creating more than one immortal was punishable by death. A rule created only to stop the race from overpopulating the mortals. Rules could be bent when dealing with an extreme case as a life mate, the person who could stop an immortal from turning truly evil. For Katherine, it was a technicality that was outrageously used in order to exact revenge. Memphis could still hear her screams as the flames consumed her body. Wait for me! I’ll come back for you.
Even if The Collective was involved, to Memphis her death was worth avenging, so he began a crusade that would end in the extermination of all those involved in Katherine’s death. He did so without permission, executing mortals and immortals alike, even those that crossed his path. Neither the blood nor the pain seemed to be enough until they had all been executed. Unfortunately, he could never catch Kale and his personal vendetta came to an end before The Collective’s high counsel.
His murderous streak would have ended with his death but Katherine’s father, Seth, had offered him a choice – become an Enforcer and uphold the laws of The Collective or die. With the craving for pain and blood still in his veins, Memphis had chosen to become an Enforcer. “I never understood why Seth wouldn’t let me kill you.”
Kale sighed dramatically. “I’m innocent. . .You were the man who killed everyone left of my family. . .It’s me who doesn’t understand how you are still alive.” He chanced a glance back towards Paige who was wearing a concerned expression. “I’ve made it my life’s goal to destroy you and I think I know how.”
Angrily, Memphis lunged at Kale, grabbing him by the shirt and slamming him against the wall. “You stay away from her. . .The Collective won’t protect you forever.”
That ever smug grin spread across Kale’s lips. “Are you willing to die to keep her alive?”
“Yes.” Memphis hissed and reluctantly let Kale go as he sensed Paige coming to his side. “Get out of here and stay away. . .You want to fight me, fine, but this is not the place nor the time.”
Kale nodded in agreement, patience was always the key, his father had taught him that. “I know it will happen eventually. . .I just wanted to remind you that I still haven’t forgotten what you did.” Turning to Paige he smiled eerily at her. “You are beautiful, aren’t you?” He made to take her hand again but the Marine stepped into action, her hand connecting with the side of his face. “Ouch.”
“Don’t touch me.” Paige stood defensively, in a stance used to attack in a hand to hand battle. She had a feeling that Kale was an immortal like Memphis, but she would take any shot she could land.
“Always attracted to the feisty ones, aren’t you O’Rabhartaigh?” Chuckling, he walked out of the establishment, casting a backwards glance.
“You’re not going to tell me about him, are you?” As much as Paige wanted to know more about his life, she wasn’t too sure that this was a subject he was willing to divulge upon. The intensity in his face as he spoke to the man was frightening. She could sense all of his power that was being held back by whim alone.
Memphis shook his head. “No.” Without so much as a goodbye, he walked out of the shop and headed straight towards his car. At the moment, with the rage running through his veins, he just couldn’t be near Paige. His world was far too dangerous.

Chapter 7: Play Dead
“Play Dead” by: H.I.M. “I play deadTo hide my heartUntil the world gone dark fades away”
2210 LocalRock Creek ParkWashington, DC

Cool weather afforded Memphis the chance to wear a long, black trench coat, the perfect place to conceal weapons. He touched his fingertips to a modified 45mm pistol attached to a holster wrapped around his right thigh. Throughout the years of vampire wars and hunting, weapons had been adapted to merge with the modern world. Memphis rather liked guns, they were easy to carry and conceal with the use of clothing or other accessories such as briefcases and knapsacks. However, the certain death of an immortal would only come two ways, with the removal of their heads or fire.
ChemTek pistols, like the 45 he was carrying now, had come to pass as a fluke. One of their scientists had been working on a formula in order to aid enforces in attacking rogue vampires. The scientist had found that combining high quantities of iron with other chemicals could be fatal to some vampires or cause enough damage to make their capture easier. They also hurt like a bitch.
With those thoughts in mind, Memphis headed down an embankment and crouched down, pressing his back against the stones of one of the many rock bridges in the park. Remaining still, he was able to take a good look through the area noticing that his prey had stopped relatively close. Taking a deep breath to the oncoming air, Memphis was able to deduce that the woman he was with was mortal. Frowning, he removed a pair of binoculars from inside of his trench coat and used them to get a better view of the pair.
Gregory Bradford had only been an immortal for a year, but in that time, had committed atrocities that defied their laws. First there were the three women he’d raped and brought across against their will. Second was the attack on a blood bank which had left one mortal dead and another immortal wounded. It had been a miracle that The Collective, hadn’t sent Memphis after Gregory in the first place. He was the best that they had and everyone knew it. No, they decided to send a new hunter thinking that a fledgling vampire would be of no match to an older one. Gregory evaded and killed the young hunter.
It was absolute luck that had brought the rouge to Washington, but Memphis wasn’t about to question its meaning. He was just happy that he didn’t have to travel somewhere to do the job. Slowly, he walked across the creek, careful not to slip on the hidden rocks. He barely felt the cool water lapping at his ankles as he crossed. Then he came down on his stomach, laying prone at he other side of the embankment, just enough so that only the top of his head was visible. He could see Gregory turning back with the mortal, a pretty woman that had been running down the trails.
At once, his mind brought up images of Paige. It was no secret that her bouts of insomnia had made her restless enough to run through this very park at odd hours. The notion had always worried him and had, twice before, brought him out to the area, hiding in the shadows until Paige gave up and went back home. Damnit. Why was he thinking about Paige right now? This wasn’t the time or the place for such thoughts, he had a killer to catch and bring to justice. He trained his binoculars back towards the area where Gregory and the female human were. He needed to wait for the proper moment to pounce on the man.
Another distraction brought his eyes away from Gregory and up to concentrate on the bridge above. Soft steps echoed in his ears and he tensed slightly. If someone looked down, he’d be spotted despite the darkness of his clothing and the leaves around him. Carefully, he came to his knees and pressed himself against the stone. As the tentative steps came closer, Memphis moved beneath the bridge and was barely able to keep watch on Gregory as the embankment took away most of his vantage. He noted that the vampire was on the move, headed his way and hoped that the person above would not scare the rogue off or become a victim. “Shit.”
Under the bridge, he moved across the water and to the opposite end, heading up the embankment only to careen into a person. A woman, he noted from the softness of her body and the succulent scent of her perfume. With a start, he glanced up and stared. “Paige?”
“Hi.” She smiled sheepishly, a blush beginning to taint her cheeks. Noting that they were practically pressed together, Paige took a step backwards creating a little bit of space between them.
“What are you doing here?” Memphis whispered, raising his brows as he noticed her outfit which consisted of black BDU trousers and a sweatshirt with a hoodie.
Paige shrugged. “I went out running.” But the upturn thing to her mouth gave her away and at Memphis’s stern look, she changed the story. “Okay, so I followed you. . .I was just curious as to what. . .” The words caught in her throat as Memphis took her roughly against him, his hand covering her mouth. He manoeuvred her down the embankment, practically crushing her body with his weight.
Memphis bit back a groan as her teeth sank into his hand which he figured was more of a survival thing than a want to actually hurt him. Above he heard Gregory talking with the girl and stopping, mid-bridge. “You will give your body to me.” The rogue said and Memphis realized that he needed to move quickly else another life would be lost. Practically hopping off of Paige, Memphis hurried up the embankment and onto the bridge, pistol drawn and pointed towards Gregory.
“You won’t hurt her.” He said, gun trained at his mark. Gregory did not seem surprised to see him. Then again, most people that did wrong didn’t. “You know who I am.”
Gregory grinned. “Of course. And you know that I won’t make it easy for you to take me in.”
Memphis shook his head. “What makes you think that I’m gonna take you in? I’m an enforcer and can kill you on sight.”
The woman had started to move away from Gregory, heading towards the opposite end of the bridge in slow movements that would not alert the rogue. That is until Paige came out of that end, bumping against the woman and sending her running towards Gregory who quickly snatched her and held tightly to her throat. “Kick that pistol over to me and I’ll let her live.”
Never one to negotiate, Memphis stood his ground, moving towards Gregory slowly until the rogue’s nails dug into the woman’s throat, drawing blood. “Okay. . .fine.” He placed the pistol on the ground and kicked it towards Gregory and then cursed inwardly at Paige. She had ruined his hunt and possibly put all of them in danger. Yet, he couldn’t blame her fully, he knew well enough that he too would have been following her if the roles were reversed. “Let her go.”
Gregory did and the woman set out running towards Memphis. He took that chance to pounce, but the rogue rolled to the right and plucked the weapon from the ground. He pulled the trigger twice, sending two ChemTek shells towards Memphis’s gut.
The initial burst of pain brought Memphis to his knees. “Oh God.” He rolled into a fetal position, tightening his body as the pain rushed through his veins. Suffering the pain from the iron was an initiation rite for all hunters of his kind. They needed to know the pain inflicted in order to know what their victim was feeling. Memphis had forgotten just how debilitating it was. Pleased, Gregory threw the pistol into the creek and headed off past Memphis and into the night.
“Memphis!” Paige rushed to his side and kneeled next to him, her hands skimming his body for wounds. She pulled up his shirt, finding two ugly wounds, each two inches in length which skimmed across his abs. His stomach cramped and she could see something almost moving beneath his skin and spreading out through his torso. “This isn’t good, is it?” Unlike the wound from the time she’d shot him, this one wasn’t closing up easily. It wasn’t closing up at all. “Aren’t you supposed to heal?”
Memphis yelled out in pain, fists clutched tightly at his sides. “It’s. . .a special gun. . .hurts us. . . bad.” He grunted out between breaths. This had been the first time anyone had gotten the drop on him with his own weapon. The idea was quite nauseating and embarrassing. He would have to face The Collective for his failure.
“I’m sorry. . .I shouldn’t have followed you.” Paige tried to make him comfortable, but each movement only seemed to bring him more pain. “What can I do?”
There was only one way to remedy the situation and stop the pain, but it was likely that the iron would kill him before Paige could get him home and fed. “Blood. . .I need blood. . .In apartment. . .inside the island, hidden fridge.” The iron was spreading quickly through his bloodstream, moving through pathways and into his organs. Bloody tears fell from his eyes and he was starting to lose his vision, a sign that he would die without proper help. Taking one ChemTek shell was one thing but two. . .Despite the hurt he’d caused and the pain of living without Katherine, Memphis didn’t want to die. And he didn’t want Paige to see him like this. He didn’t want the guilt of his death to be on her shoulders. It was easier just to send her away. “Go. . .please.”
“Okay. . .I’ll be back as fast as possible.” Paige stood up and set off in a dead run through the park. She needed to get to her car and to his apartment, something that would take time.
Time!
The word echoed through her head making Paige stop abruptly and turn back towards Memphis. Deep inside, she felt it, a pull to him that couldn’t be explained and yet, it spoke to her clearly. He didn’t have time to wait for her. Glancing down at her hands, she spotted a vein on her wrist which had a habit of protruding slightly when she was under tension. “Blood.”
Memphis was surprised to find her back at his side kneeling over him. “Paige. . .” He found her reaching into her pocket and pulling out a one inch, foldable knife. “What?” Before he could say another word he felt his mouth fill with blood; Paige’s blood. He tried to stop her but his weakness was too great and the overwhelming feeling of her liquid life trickling down his throat was too much a temptation.
Paige bit her lower lip, holding back the urge to scream when his mouth fastened to the wound. Deep inside she knew that he’d never hurt her physically, but each movement of his mouth sent a shock of pain up her wrist and through her body. It was a task to remain still and calm for him.
Blood lust had the nasty habit of consuming even the most noble of vampires. For Memphis, it was no exception as the need to take more grew. He wanted to drink her dry and past the point of which Paige’s heart would stop. It was like ecstasy and the reason why he’d usually made sure to feed before making contact with mortals, especially Paige. A groan alerted him to the pain he was causing and reality settled back in. Paige was giving him her blood. Paige’s blood.
He needed to stop.
Against his inner most wishes, Memphis pulled Paige’s wrist away from his mouth. He darted his tongue over her wound, his saliva healing it almost immediately. The pain still coursed through him, easing slightly but it would be long before he could get moving on his own. He needed sleep, deep sleep that would help repair any wounds that were deep inside. Slowly he rolled over and came to his knees.
Paige lifted one of his arms and brought it over her shoulder. She stood up and winced, taking on a good portion of Memphis’s weight as they headed off out of the park.

0830 LocalPaige’s ApartmentGeorgetown

The convenience of a working elevator was the only reason why Paige had decided on venturing to her apartment rather than Memphis’s. The stupid elevator was out at his apartment again and the last thing they needed was to try and haul up a flight of steps with her carrying so much of his weight. As it was, the few steps up to the main door of her apartment complex had been almost daunting. She guided him through the apartment and into her bed. He’d fallen asleep immediately, affording Paige the time to make a run to his place and retrieve some fresh clothes and blood.
Paige stripped him down to his boxers and cleaned up the blood which was caked to his abdomen. Surprisingly, the wound had closed up, leaving only a jagged mark which seemed to disappear before her eyes.
At around five am, she saw the rise and fall of his chest cease altogether. She tried to wake him, shaking his body, but got no response. She’d prepared to start CPR when his body gave a little jerk and then the breathing resumed. The action happened three more times before his breath stopped completely.
It made her nervous and yet, something inside told her it was perfectly normal, a method of healing, really. Cautiously, she waited, forcing herself to stay awake until she felt him stir.
Memphis took in a deep breath of air, a normal occurrence when rising from dead sleep. His eyes opened cautiously as his body sensed that he was in unfamiliar territory. Slowly, Memphis’s senses came back and as he took another breath, he realized that Paige was with him. “Paige, where are we?”
Paige propped up on one elbow and let out a deep breath. For a moment there, she thought he’d never wake again. “You don’t recognize my bedroom? It’s not the first time you’ve seen it.” In fact, after dealing with Coster, Memphis had helped her paint and the color had remained the same.
Slowly Memphis looked around, snorting as realization struck. He was finally in Paige’s bed and yet, it was the worst place he could be. “Never seen your room from this position.”
Trying not to think too much about his position, Paige ran a hand over his forehead to find his skin slightly warmer than usual. “How are you feeling?”
“Like shit.” He said. “I need blood.” Memphis knew he needed to head home and drink his fill before someone else became his victim of blood lust. Still, it was so nice in her bed, so warm and comfortable. He felt at home. “I have to go home.”
Not one moment after he uttered that sentence, he found warm skin pressed against his lips. A pulse sang beneath the skin, beckoning him to take his fill. Paige’s wondrous scent filled his nostrils and his mouth began to water. He recalled what she tasted like, spicy and so delicious that. . . “No.” His teeth were already scraping, tempted to press down and break her fragile skin. “No. . .I can’t take from you again. . .I shouldn’t have taken from you last night.”
“I offered.” Paige said and promptly pressed her wrist to his mouth once again. She knew he needed blood to survive and would be damned if something would happen to him because she didn’t provide her best friends with a means to live. “I’m offering again.”
“I have blood at home. . .I’ll be fine. . . Where are you going?” He felt her move from the bed, the movement sending a wave of nausea coursing through his body. Damnit, he needed blood and a lot of it. ChemTek bullets had a way of almost dehydrating a vampire. “Paige, help me get home.”
When she returned he spotted the bagged blood in her hand. “I went to your place while you were sleeping. . .I wanted to feed some to you while you slept but had no idea how to go about it.” She looked embarrassed as if she should have known such things. He was her closest friend, the least she could do was keep him safe as he did her.
Gratefully, Memphis took one bag from her. “Thank you.” He made to press the bag to his teeth but stopped as he found Paige watching with a disgusted look. “You don’t have to see this. . .”
“Yes, I do.” All the talk of vampires and his life story, but she still hadn’t seen him actually feed; it was too dark at Rock Creek Park for her to really see what he was doing. Curiosity was killing her. “This is part of who you are and if I am to be your friend, I have to accept it. . .all of it.” Even if she wasn’t ready to accept it all. One thing was to talk about what he was, but seeing it in action. . .maybe that would cause rationality to hit her. Maybe then she would find what he was repulsive and monstrous.
She sat at the edge of the bed, watching as the blood disappeared, leaving the small bag completely empty. It wasn’t repulsive, not one bit. Once done, she handed him another bag. “I brought you a few more.”
“Ank ou.” Memphis replied, the second bag already in his mouth and draining quickly.
He had his eyes closed during the feeding which allowed Paige to study the blissful expression on his face. She was glad that at least one of them had enjoyed him drinking her blood last night. She certainly hadn’t. “When you take someone’s blood, does it always hurt so much?”
Startled, Memphis’s eyes locked on Paige. He was horrified; the worst of his nightmares came true. He’d hurt her; physically hurt her. Impatiently, he waited for the blood in the bag to drain fully before pulling away from his mouth. He swallowed hard, “I hurt you?”
“A bit. . .I think it was just the heat of the moment. I’m sure you didn’t mean. . .”
“Goddamnit!” Angry at himself, Memphis quickly came off of her bed, tossing the sheets aside. The act was premature for his still aching body and he careened into the nearby wall. “Ugh.”
“Memphis!” Paige was at his side instantly, helping him back up on the bed and settled against the headboard. “What the hell is in those bullets?”
“Iron and some chemicals. . .It does the trick.” He offered on a grimace as he felt the stinging sensation still in his veins.
Paige frowned. “Apparently it works a little too well.” She tenderly pressed a hand to his cheek, a means of comforting the storm brewing within him. She hadn’t meant to upset him, nor did she think he’d taken it so seriously. Her hand slowly slipped down, fingers brushing his lips as Paige trailed her hand down his neck, coming to a stop over his heart which beat rapidly beneath her palm. “It’s beating again.”
Confused, Memphis stared blankly at her. “What to you mean?”
“A few hours ago it was like you were dead to the world.” She kept her hand pressed to his chest, waiting for the cessation to happen. “I pressed my fingers to your pulse point and you had none.” Assured that he was surely alive and well, Paige removed her hand.
The moment she pulled away, Memphis felt a pain deep within. He rather liked her coddling him though he wouldn’t admit it out loud. The more one on one time he spent with her, the more difficult it was for him to resist. As it was, Memphis was fighting the overwhelming urge to kiss her. Not many people that knew would have offered their blood so readily. She was special and if what he felt inside was true, she was also his. “Oh. . .Yeah, we do that. . .It’s called ‘dead sleep’, when our bodies literally shut down. . .It’s easier for our bodies to repair themselves daily if we give it proper rest. . .When we lose a lot of blood, it’s almost automatic that our bodies go into dead sleep.”
Unconsciously, he reached for her hand, squeezing gently. “I didn’t mean to scare you. . .I don’t want to hurt you.” Yet he had, emotionally. Those were wounds that he was sure would never heal, unlike the physical ones. He turned her hand over, palm facing up and rubbed his thumb over the wrist she’d offered to him.
Paige’s breath hitched as his fingers traced lazy circles on her flesh. “Why isn’t there a mark?”
“Our saliva has healing properties. . .I licked the pinpricks after I fed from you.”
“Oh.” He was still running his fingers over her wrist, an act that didn’t help Paige’s mind from trailing to more interesting things. The thought of him licking her wrist sounded terribly erotic. She found her body leaning forward, moving closer to him when Memphis grunted in pain. “You okay?”
“Yeah.” Memphis ground out, reluctantly letting go of Paige’s hand to press his own hand to the area where the bullet had gone in. “I just need some sleep.”
Frowning, she moved away from the bed. “I’ll be in the living room if you need me.”
“Thanks.” He whispered out a second before the breathing stopped again.
Paige watched him sleep for a few minutes before deciding to get some rest of her own on the sofa. With a soft sigh, she wondered what it was about her that made him pull away. It must have cost him a humongous effort to share his feelings, as cryptic as they were, several months ago on the General’s porch.
Pulling the afghan over her, Paige fell into her own deep sleep, unaware that Memphis would leave just a few minutes later.

Chapter 8 – Dead Lover’s Lane
2210 LocalPaige’s ApartmentGeorgetown

Memphis knew he was in trouble the very second he caught Paige’s gaze once he stepped through her door. Leaving her apartment in his condition was absolutely foolish, but he had a mission to finish, a rogue to kill. “You could have told me you were leaving.”
“I know. I should have but. . .”
“You could have answered your phone.”
“Well, it’s just that. . .”
“At the very least open the door when I went to check up on you.”
“I wasn’t home.”
While she wasn’t yelling, Paige’s posture was positively foreboding. “Why don’t you trust me?”
Memphis remained standing by the doorway, temptation to take her into his arms grew as did the despair in her eyes. She’d genuinely worried about him, a notion that made him feel warm inside. “I do trust you Paige, but I had a job to finish.”
“The guy at Rock Creek Park?” She asked, unable to keep the twinge of anger out of her voice. “You could have been hurt.”
Her concern was truly amusing, Memphis couldn’t help but chuckle. “I’m fine.”
“Right, which is why I needed to feed you my blood.” She made to turn away but his voice stopped the movement, urging her to turn and face him.
“Paige, I know there are a lot of things you still don’t know about me. . .Things you don’t understand.”
“Explain them to me. . .Make me understand.” She motioned for him to sit down and was surprised when he did. For a moment they sat in silence, Paige studying him. He still looked tired, exhausted. It was difficult not to mother him. “Why were you at Rock Creek Park last night? I’m trying to wrap my head around this. . .this . .situation with you.” She waved a hand between the two of them and then tossed her hands up in frustration. “I think I can understand the vampire thing but. . .I don’t understand this double life you live.”
Double life. The term was so dead on that it made Memphis shiver. He’d been living two lives as long as he could remember, yet there was a time when that wasn’t so. With Katherine, he’d always been himself. The consequences of her death had done so much damage to him that all it left was his half existence. “Have I mentioned anything about The Collective?”
Paige wasn’t sure. The last week and a half of life around Memphis had been a whirlwind. “Yes. I mean, I think you mentioned them. . .I don’t know.”
“The Collective is a high counsel created by both made and born, elder vampires. . .They pass judgment and create rules that immortals live by. . .Without them there would be chaos.” Chaos, much like the mortal world still existed with the immortals. He figured it was just impossible for everyone to follow the law even if defying it meant death. “After Katherine’s death, I. . .I decided to avenge her. . .I did many things, evil things. . .” Those memories were the hardest to forget and the demons that came with them would haunt Memphis for life. He still recalled the first mortal he killed, a woman and her young daughter; he was just too ridden with blood lust to know any better.
“I should have been put to death several times over, but The Collective gave me a choice – death or a life of service. He found I was particularly good at killing and made me an Enforcer.”
Paige nodded in understanding, putting two and two together. “Like a vampire cop?”
“More like a vampire mercenary . . .Enforcers hunt immortals who don’t follow our laws. . .Sometimes we hand out their justice, other times we escort them to the council.” Throughout the centuries, Memphis had served as both judge and executioner to more than 15,000 immortals and, in rare cases, mortals who had seen too much and chosen to destroy immortals with their information.
Hunting had helped ease some of the pain revolving around the death of Katherine. It quenched his appetite for destruction. “I gave myself to the service. . .As part of being an Enforcer, we need to join the mortal race again. . .step into strategic positions in order to make sure immortals and mortals can survive.”
“Kind of like a double agent?”
“Yes. Exactly.” Memphis sighed softly. She understood or was, at least, doing a good job of making him believe that she did.
“There are a lot of pieces to you.”
“Probably more than we could ever cover in this lifetime.” Memphis gave her a lopsided smile. “At least Lucas and I have remained friends throughout the last two centuries. . .He’s kept me sane.”
Paige furled her brow. “Is he an Enforcer too?” The idea made her cringe. Lucas, for all of his faults, always seemed to be somewhat of a pussy cat to her.
Memphis burst out laughing. “Lucas? An Enforcer?” He brought a hand over his eyes and laughed harder “No, he uh. . .He’s a Healer. They have spells and powers to heal even the worst of wounds so long as they are not beheadings or severe burns. . .They also help during childbirth. . .Immortals have a particularly difficult time carrying kids to full term.”
“I thought you couldn’t have children?”
Groaning, he turned away from her, uncomfortable now that he’d been caught in a pretty big lie. “Some can. . .It’s difficult and I didn’t want to elaborate on that before because it’s. . .difficult to explain.” And though he and Katherine had tried, something always prevented her from getting pregnant. “We believe that only a born immortal can make another immortal pregnant. . .Katherine and I never could. . .” He trailed off with a frown and shook off that particular memory. “We gave up after a few years of trying and just focused on our marriage.”
Paige wasn’t certain that she’d ever wrap her head around Memphis being married. The thought tightened the band around her heart and she wondered, selfishly, if Memphis had felt the same jealousy when he discovered her marriage to Chris Ragle. “Marriage.”
“Hard to believe I’d make a good husband?” While he’d meant to tease, it came out just the opposite which she mercifully chose to ignore and opted to head into a worse topic.
“Who was that man at Starbucks? He called you by your real last name.” Paige hadn’t asked, especially since he’d practically begged her not to. Now, after witnessing his attack in the park, she couldn’t help but wonder what other dangers lay in wait. “Memphis please.”
As much as he tried not to elaborate on his life with Katherine, he knew that, at one point, he’d have to share more pieces with Paige until she knew the whole story. He hoped that through it all she’d never come to know two key pieces – that the two of them looked exactly alike; that she could be his life mate.
Memphis scrubbed a hand over his face and then let out a quick breath. “Kale isn’t just an enemy. . .His father was the man who was with Katherine before me. . .Garron couldn’t quite get over her and was taken in by a rogue vampire who wound up brainwashing him to the point that he murdered his own wife and two female children.”
“He was married? Why would he have an affair with Katherine if he were married?” Although, if Katherine had managed to snag Memphis, she figured the woman could have any man that she wanted.
Memphis lowered his head in shame. It was the one aspect of Katherine that had always bothered him: the countless stories of other lovers. He wasn’t comfortable with the idea even though, he too, had several affairs during the centuries of his life. His affairs, however, had not led to such a fatal conclusion. “When you spend centuries alone, you tend to take on lovers. . .many lovers. . .She just chose wrong and it cost her. . .It cost me a great deal of pain.” He glanced down, heart aching with memories that he sometimes wished would disappear. “Garron and his family had Katherine killed. . .He. . waited until his boys, Kale included, were in their twenties to bring them across. . .I opted to avenge her and wound up as an Enforcer for my troubles. . . I guess it was fair considering I killed a lot of people in order to right her death.”
“Why didn’t you kill Kale?”
“For some reason, he kept eluding me. . . Once The Collective got wind, they stopped me from finishing. Part of my punishment was to let Kale live and, no matter what stunt he pulled, his life was under their protection.”
“So, if you go after him now you’ll. . .”
“Be put to death.” He stared up at her and carried the uncomfortable silence that had tightened around them. For the first time since the night she shot him, Memphis figured she really understood why there was always an unreachable side to him. At least, that’s what he saw in her eyes. On baited breath he waited for her to lash out, to call him a monster as so many before did.
“What about your family? Is there anyone left? Descendants?”
Memphis shook his head. The last of his descendants had died in a ramp strike. “No. . . They all passed away.”
“So, when we went looking for your father in Russia? Was that just another job of yours?” Much of the day, she had wondered about his family. Who were Trish and Frank? Who was Memphis Rabb Senior? What about all of those pictures that she’d seen of Memphis, at Annapolis with Jack, Shawna and Keeter? Surely, that wasn’t him. Was it all just a lie?
The most intricately woven deception had been the one Memphis created in order to join the US Navy as an established and popular Lieutenant. While immortals tended to easily slip into certain rankings in the mortal government and military, painstaking effort was taken to create a diverse back-story. With that back story came a family, records and anything that could trace the immortal to a normal, mortal life.
“I lost touch with my family.” Although it wasn’t so much as he lost touch as that he wanted to lose touch. “Katherine was everything to me and, as much as I loved my son, I realized that I couldn’t go back. . .From time to time, I would watch over him.” Then a century passed and his want to watch over his family decreased drastically. He did know one thing, “Aiden married and had kids. . .His daughter married a merchant. They traveled and finally settled in Europe. . .I don’t know the exact linage. But, eventually her descendants settled in Pennsylvania.”
“The Rabb’s.” Paige caught on, even before he confirmed it. Memphis hadn’t just taken any last name, he’d managed to find his family. “Did you ever meet him? Memphis Senior, I mean.”
“I didn’t even know he existed until, 1984 when I first visited the Vietnam War Memorial and I saw my name: Memphis.” It wasn’t exactly the most common of names, though, in modern times, it was found more as a last name. “I was curious. . .So, I went searching and found out that I had a great grandson.” And while that didn’t prompt him to automatically search out Memphis Rabb Junior, he still tried to watch over him. “With The Collective, I get sent all over the world. I was getting tired of jet setting and was trying to stay put somewhere. . .When I found out that Memphis Junior joined the Navy, I decided to do the same.”
He waited patiently for the back-story and the documents that would have him assume to be someone else. “During that time, I was sent away again and when I returned, Memphis had crashed into the Seahawk. He survived but was in critical condition at Bethesda.” So he did the one thing that he should have never done. “I went to see him.”
Paige leaned back into her seat, floored by a history so intricately woven that it was practically seamless. A thought came to mind then, one that both disappointed and terrified her. “Did you kill him?”
Memphis placed his elbows on his knees and buried his head in his hands. Lies were easy to construct for his kind – place a memory or a thought into a mortal’s head and let them run with it. With Paige, he wished it could be that easy. “Yes.”
“Oh God.” Mad stood up and crossed to the dining room where she took a firm hold of the back of one of the chairs. Her breath hitched as her heart tried to stop hammering. “Is that what you do? Murder us to take our place?”
“He was going to die anyway, Paige. . .His chute didn’t deploy on time and Memphis had broken nearly every bone in his body. The chance of recovery was less than 4 percent.”
She turned to him, tears threatening to spill. Memphis Rabb Junior, pilot and lawyer extraordinaire, her best friend – it was all a lie. “That’s still a chance.”
“He would have died.” He stood firm on that belief. “We have the ability to smell death, to sense it. . .He wouldn’t have survived and if he did, Memphis would have never come out of that coma.” With his special abilities, he could sense that each laboured breath his great grandson took, the young man was slipping away a little more.
“So you took his place.” She didn’t question, knowing that is exactly what had been done. “Tell me, how do you know so much about his past? More research or did you invent all of that too?” She was referring to Annapolis, and Memphis’s family life – stories too invested to be fictional.
That was probably the easiest part of the whole process. It was the only thing guaranteed. “You already know I can go into people’s thoughts.”
“Not mine.” She shot at him, tilting her head to the side. The smirk Paige gave him made Memphis slightly nervous. That wasn’t something he was about to explain to her.
He cleared his throat and shrugged. “Well, if we drink the person’s blood, whether they are mortal or immortal, we can see. . .everything. Memories, feelings, thoughts. It’s almost like opening up the hard drive of a computer.” He explained in terminology that she would understand. “It all downloads to us. We use it to our advantage.” It was also a big reason why The Collective was trying to prevent immortals from feeding off of mortals directly – they just didn’t know what lengths a rogue or easily controlled vampire would go to in order to extract certain information.
Paige seemed uneasy with the recent news. Her brow furled and what was left of the smirk now turned into a frown. She sure as hell didn’t want him fiddling with her thoughts. “What did you find out about me last night?”
“Nothing.”
“Bullshit.” She snorted. “I’m not about to believe that you had a chance to read my thoughts, which you claim you can’t do, and passed up on that opportunity. I wouldn’t have passed it up.” She pointed to herself, tapping her chest slightly with the tip of her index finger. That comment seemed suspended in the uncomfortably silence that they shared. Glancing towards him, Paige found his eyes trained on her. She knew then that he hadn’t breeched that level of confidentiality and felt ashamed at her accusation. “Damnit. I want, so much to hate you, but I can’t.”
Memphis nodded in agreement. “It would be easier that way. I know. Easier to keep people away.”
But he didn’t have to keep her away, she just wished he understood. Hell, Paige just wished she could fully understand all of this, how it worked and why her feelings for him were running at a million miles an hour without her consent. As much as she wanted to stay angry at him, it was impossible. With a sigh, she crossed the room again and settled back into her original spot on the sofa. “So, what happened? You became Memphis Rabb Junior.”
“Yes. But, since The Collective knew I needed to train a few years in order to pilot a Tomcat, they figured that Memphis needed a change in designator. So I went to law school and during that time also trained to fly jet fighters.” The flyboy grin spread across his lips and he chuckled. “I had a real knack for it too. . .Flying a plane was just natural to me.”
“Trish and Frank?”
“They don’t know he’s dead. . .Neither do any of Memphis’s friends. Keeter included.”
Paige let out a breath she was holding and shook her head. “This is almost too unbelievable . . .Just when I think I want to know more. . .” She trailed off and tilted her head to study Memphis more carefully. Inside, Paige was fighting a war within herself. She’d always known that their jobs were half of the reason as to why they’d never given a relationship the chance to work. Now, she saw it was much more complex, if not insurmountable. Yet, even the most insurmountable seeming object could be conquered. “Memphis, I need to ask you something. . .It has to do about us.”
Bravely, she would have asked him, point blank, if he wanted her as something more than just a friend. It was an odd place and time to discuss such things, but she was tired of running in circles. If he genuinely believed himself unworthy of her love then he was clearly mistaken.
Memphis held her gaze, captivated by the look in her eyes and pained by the loneliness that he found there. Again, he’d wished she’d been urged to marry Don. She would have been lost to him, but at the very least she would have been happy.
There were times when he’d hear her laughter as the lovers conversed over the phone. The mirth in her eyes when the Australian paid her a compliment. As much as it all sickened him, Memphis had to admit that Don wasn’t a bad guy. At least he’d made her happy, if only for a while. It was much more than he’d ever done. It was much more than he’d ever be capable of doing.
Soul mate.
Life mate.
“She’s the one.” He could still hear Lucas’ voice in his head, urging him to believe in a truth that couldn’t exist. Enforcers weren’t meant to be happy. He wasn’t meant to be happy. “There is no ‘us’.” He shot Paige’s own words back to her and immediately regretted it. “Paige. . .I didn’t mean it that way.”
If he were sitting a little closer, Paige probably would have slapped him. “I am trying to understand you. . .really I am.” While she too had a tendency to run hot and cold with him, it had been out of self preservation. She wasn’t ready to suffer heartbreak at his hands again. “You pushed me away and then made my life miserable when I was with Don.”
Memphis wasn’t sure how to answer that. He certainly hadn’t tried to make her miserable; he just always thought she could do so much better. “I can’t give you what you want, Paige.”
“I want to understand why you keep pushing me away. . .How could you kiss me the way you did and then. . .How can you turn it on and off?” She headed back around the sofa, confident now that she let him know just how much that kiss affected her. “Why is it that you’re only interested in me when I have one foot out the door? Your interest fades when. . .when I’m in the position to return it.”
“I’m not like you. . .We’re different types, different beings. . I live with a set of rules and. . .”
“Bullshit.” She interrupted, waving off any explanation that had to do with his condition. “I know what you are. . .I’ve accepted it. . .It’s obvious that we’re attracted to each other and there’s nothing in the way anymore.”
He was hoping it would never end up here, at a place where he needed to explain his actions to her. In truth, he couldn’t understand what had come over him. “Paige, you will never understand this, but I’m doing it to protect you from me.”
Paige’s brows furled in confusion. “You hurt me to protect me?”
“I care for you, a lot. . .I hoped that keeping you at a distance would be better. . .safer.”
The sadness in her eyes made him feel like such a monster. From the moment he notice the attraction, Memphis should have run. He couldn’t, she’d become so much a part of him. “If that’s your way of caring, I hope you never hate me. . .I wouldn’t live through it”
“It’s not about what either of us feel. . .I have enemies. Real enemies, worse than Kale. It’s very simple for them to use you against me. . . I won’t lose you that way.”
“You’re going to lose me anyway. . .I’m going to grow old, die and you’ll live on,”
Her eventual death, Memphis knew, would likely be the one denominator that would cause him to turn rogue. So many people in his life had died and yet, he wasn’t prepared to lose Paige. “I know. . .I think about that all the time when I am with you. . .Every good moment that we have, it’s engraved in my mind. . .I don’t ever want to forget how good I feel around you.” Cautiously, he moved close to her and took her hands in his. “I’m scared of what would happen if we. .”
Paige understood his concern. If possible, she would move heaven and earth to make sure he never felt pain. Maybe it was time to just give up? “I should have a say in this too, you know. . Maybe I don’t care what anyone will do to me because I chose to be with you. . .I should have a choice and you aren’t letting me.”
“I’m sorry.” Reluctantly, he let go of her hands and motioned towards the door. “I think it might be a good idea if I go home.”
Normally, she would have agreed, hell, she would have tossed him out in favour of licking her wounds. “No. . .Stay.” The words came out before Paige could stop them. At his confused expression she shrugged. “It’s late. You were hurt last night and, as far as I can remember, last week you offered to help me paint the living room. . .In fact, you offered your SUV and your premiere expertise on the matter.”
“Oh. I forgot.” Okay? What had happened? Weren’t they supposed to now hate each other for weeks on end and drive everyone at headquarters absolutely insane in the process? “Is this an olive branch?”
Paige shrugged. “I just don’t want to go through another spell of us, virtually, hating each other. . .The only thing that accomplishes is to piss off the entire staff at JAG. . .We’re a part of each other’s lives. . .You’re my best friend and I want to keep that for as long as possible.” She wouldn’t give up on him, not yet. Not until it seemed absolutely impossible. Maybe she was a fool for trying, but something urged her not to give up. Not yet.
Memphis wasn’t going to concede but when she stuck out her lower lip in a pout, it was his undoing. “Fine,” He sighed, “but you take the bed. . .The sofa’s a pull out, right?” And if he remembered Chloe’s complaints, it was awful to sleep on unless the mattress was on the floor. “I’ll just put the mattress on the floor. . .I’ll be fine.”
Paige nodded. “You can take the shower first. . .When I went to your place I brought back some of your clothes. . .The bag’s at the foot of my bed.”
“Thanks, Paige.”
Sometime later, Memphis lay on the mattress with only a towel wrapped around his waist. He was flipping channels on the TV, but his super sharp hearing remaining at attention until he heard the water shut off in her bathroom. There was a silence that stretched on after that and he’d come to the conclusion that Paige was finally in bed and hopefully asleep.
Sighing, he shut off the TV and slid down, laying his head on the pillow. Why was this happening to him? Hadn’t he suffered enough to be put through so much pain with this woman? He wanted Paige and knew that he always would, but he couldn’t betray the woman he loved before. They were true life mates, something that he couldn’t just ignore. Then again, he and Paige seemed to be much of the same. He could feel it start to draw on his heart – this push and pull game he was playing in order to force Paige into hating him. It would be easier if she did, but the woman had a stubborn streak about her. At the very least, she wasn’t throwing herself at him as she did so many years ago.
Things probably would have been easier had he given in during a particular ferry ride. If only Katherine would not have asked him to wait. If only Paige didn’t look so damned much like her. That alone made him fear that his feelings for her weren’t genuine. What if he was in some sort of state of shock that blocked him from reading her thoughts? What if, after sleeping with Paige, he realized that she was controllable? It wasn’t something that he could deal with. Worse yet, what if she was one of those mortals that were particularly difficult to read? She had metaphysical gifts.
Memphis groaned. All of the ‘what ifs’ were starting to give him a headache, something that he rarely, if ever, got.
Consumed by his thoughts he hadn’t noticed that Paige had stepped into the living room and was making her way to the edge of the mattress. “Paige? Are you alright?” He sat up and paused once he noticed one particularly intriguing fact – Paige was naked.

Chapter 9 – Heaven Tonight
0020 LocalPaige’s ApartmentGeorgetown

Memphis had to be dreaming. Despite her actions towards him in the past, Paige had never been the type to be this forward. She moved as if stalking him and although he was certainly the hunter, at the moment, he felt nothing more than like her prey. Thank God he had the gift of nocturnal vision. He could see her body almost perfectly. “Paige?” His voice caught in his throat and he swallowed thickly.
Between their last conversation and the end of her shower, Paige had contemplated all that had happened in the last few weeks. As much as she wanted to hate him for the feelings she held, Paige knew that she never could. He was much too important to her. She wouldn’t let Memphis destroy them because of his fear of hurting her. She wouldn’t let him stop her anymore.
“You keep saying that you’re afraid you’d hurt me.” She walked up to the mattress and stopped at its foot. “I don’t think you have it in you to do that.”
Memphis's gaze lingered on her body, taking in every swell and curve until his eyes found hers. He’d fantasized about this; seen her in his dreams wearing nothing more than a sexy smile. For all of the comparisons that he could have drawn up between Paige and Katherine, the Marine had a much more wonderful physique. “I’ve already hurt you.”
She shrugged. “No. You were trying to protect me from you. That’s different.” But Memphis didn’t see the difference. He’d hurt her, broken her heart more than once. He’d known that she wanted him and turned his attentions to someone else knowing the act would make her upset with him. “You’re making these decisions on my behalf without consulting me.”
“Paige, you’re playing with fire.” As he said this, she squatted down and crawled towards him until she settled herself on his lap. “I’m not talking about hurting your feelings.” His breath hitched as she ran a hand over his chest, the tips of her fingers teasing his skin. Each touch set every nerve ending on fire. Even the softest of touches was sweet agony. “Paige. . .” The fight was starting to leave him and something was making him give in. Paige was bewitching him much as Katherine did centuries ago. Men were powerless to this kind of onslaught.
This is why he never allowed her to get close enough. This is why he preferred that she be kept in the dark over what he was. It would be too difficult to distract her now. And it was damned near impossible to resist a woman hell bent on seducing you. Most men in his position would thank their lucky stars, but Memphis was damning the heavens. “Paige, we can’t.” His voice hitched as her fingers ran along the edge of the towel, the only scrap of fabric between them.
Paige bent over and pressed her lips gently against his, feeling a strange sensation – a peaceful one. As much as Memphis wanted it to be wrong, Paige could feel it in her bones – this was right. They were meant to be together. Breaking the kiss, she pulled up to look at him. Even in the near dark, she could make out his expression and see his brow furled in confusion. She’d chased him before, yes, but never this blatantly. What had come over her? Paige still wasn’t sure but, she was determined to ride out the storm with him. She smiled at him and pressed her fingers to his lips, so soft and kissable that she couldn’t resist claiming them again. “Memphis, I want you.” She whispered softly and pressed her lips against his again.
She wasn’t the only one that wanted and needed. Since the day that they’d met, Memphis had wanted her but chose to fight his feelings until he made some sense of her likeness to Katherine and Shawna. His resistance, Memphis knew, was futile and did nothing more than damn him and hurt her in the process. It was the waiting that scared him the most. Some vampires who waited too long for a life mate often caused physical pain during their first union. Knowing that the monster still lurked inside, he was afraid of hurting her or worse. “Paige. . .” There went her hands again, tracing lazy circles on his chest, skimming the edge of the towel. She had bewitched him, else he wouldn’t have started to kiss her.
Gentle kisses gave way to deep, sensual ones as hands roamed in discovery. A vampire could only hold out for so long before their basic nature made its presence known. Memphis’s mouth moved towards her delicate neck and a spot he’d taken pleasure in with so many women. He could smell the blood underneath, feel the staccato of her heart as excitement and fear rushed through her veins. It’s song was to hard to deny and his fangs slide out, rasping Paige’s skin. She gasped as he made to bite down and pierce her flesh.
The fear radiated between them and Memphis could sense her apprehension even as his blood lust begged him to bite deep and take all that he could. With a start he pushed her back and stilled her hands. “Stop. .” He couldn’t do this. “We have to stop.” He wouldn’t kill her. “Paige, we can’t.”
“I’m not afraid of you.” She lied and then kissed him again, trying to stop him from pulling away.
Memphis was proud of her determination despite her fears. It was one of the things he enjoyed about her. But, perhaps the biggest problem was the unknown or rather, the things that she didn’t know. Damnit, he was dangerous and she needed to know. He took her face in his hands, stopping her kisses so that he could explain. “I’ll hurt you. . .I want you so bad that I won’t be able to stop myself from draining you dry. . .” It sounded like something out of a melodrama and yet, it was nothing but the truth. “It’s happened to me before and I killed a woman because I couldn’t stop myself.”
The revelation was heartbreaking. Memphis was a good man and she couldn’t imagine the guilt that he’d felt at such an act. Rather than pull away, it made her more determined to see this through, to make him understand just what was happening between them. Could he feel it? - The charge so strong that it was often impossible to resist. “You won’t hurt me.” She said solemnly. “I know this because. . .” It was now or never. Too many years had passed and her secret lay hidden beneath painful memories and tears. Words sometimes didn’t mean a thing but, in this case, she hoped it meant everything. “I know you won’t hurt me because I love you.”
I love you. The words nearly made him cry. I love you. Centuries had passed and no one had dared uttered those words to him. Most people didn’t love monsters and though he rather liked what he was, it was true - beings that drank blood were considered monsters. Monsters were unworthy of love. “You love me?”
“More now than ever.” She claimed and felt her heart swell at the look on his face of pure admiration. Any resistance left over seemed to melt away as he began his ministrations on her naked skin once more.
The temptation was too hard to resist, as was his desire for her. Memphis only prayed that he could make this last, that he could please her in the ways he’d only dreamt of. And when she reached out and ran a hand delicately over him, Memphis was unglued.
He pulled the towel off and then sat up bringing Paige up with him. His tongue traced the seam of her lips until he slipped inside her welcoming mouth. Their kisses were deep, urgent and their tongues meshed, massaged. She was reviving feelings in him that had lain dormant for centuries.
He tried desperately to memorize the sensations and savour the moment. She exposed her throat to him, something that teased and tempted him so much that his fangs slipped out again.
Memphis could feel the edge coming but it wouldn’t be the same, not without feeding off of her. Instinctively, his mouth came to the pulse point on her neck. His tongue swirled around it, the temptation so irresistible. He needed to taste her. He wanted it so badly that, Once again, his fangs grazed her skin. And once again, he hesitated at her gasp. Memphis could feel Paige’s heartbeat and the fear that lingered. To a predator like him, fear called to him and sang a sirens song so sweet it was impossible to give up.
Paige’s moans reverberated through his body tempting him to take what he wanted the most. He hesitated once, twice and then he heard her voice. “Do it. Please.” She brought his head down, urging him on as his lips caressed her neck. Her heartbeat was racing wilder from the pleasure and the fear he instilled in her. She was afraid to die in such a fashion and yet, something about him taking blood from her neck was so damned erotic. “Please, Memphis. . .You won’t hurt me.”
Memphis’s desire to claim her won out and he turned his head to the havens. “God help me.” He said and lowered his mouth to her neck. His fangs extended again and without hesitation pierced through the delicate flesh. Blood bubbled to the surface and Memphis created a seal with his lips to prevent any from escaping as his teeth did the work.
The act sent a shockwave of pain through Paige’s body so hard that she had to gasp. Then, just as she was about to beg him to stop, the sensation changed entirely. She could feel his lips on her skin, a sweet, tingling sensation that radiating from there and moving through the rest of her body. Ripples of pleasure ebbed, flowed and as she closed her eyes Paige could sense that this type of love making was on a different plane. Beneath her closed eye lids she was seeing things, visions that played like a movie which was telling a story of her youth. Frightened of the scene, she popped her eyes open only to realize that it wasn’t just a vision but a memory. Closing her eyes again, Paige opened herself to the visions and found herself in the very distant past.
As Memphis fed, memories of his past crossed between them in a silent conversation. She felt his pain, his pleasure and the sadness that had lived through him due to a great loss. The memories made her grind harder against him, increasing the heightened sense of pleasure. With each movement, she sensed the pain lessen and soon Paige only saw colors, bright and beautiful. Music rang in her ears in tones that she hadn’t heard before. A concerto that played beautiful songs only for them. Riding that wave, she was disturbed to find Memphis start to pull away and pressed his head down to stop him from doing so.
Memphis willingly took more until he lost himself in her. Paige’s blood was the sweetest he’d ever had the pleasure of tasting. Rich and spicy, it nurtured his body and soul. His want to consume her completely was overweighed with his fear of killing her. When he finally pulled away, Memphis was sure he heard her groan in disappointment. The erotic feelings he was giving her during the bite was a common practice among their own as a way to mask the pain when they fed off or mortals. He ran his tongue over the blood trail that had leaked from the wounds and then sealed it closed with his saliva. It never ceased to amuse him at how easily certain superficial wounds healed just by using his tongue.
When Memphis felt her body start to relax, he quickly moved their position so that Paige was lying on the bed and he was on his side next to her. She could feel his gaze on her skin, almost as if he’d been branding her with just his eyes.
Soon after, Paige was held down by his strong arms as the sensation sent her on another ride that she wasn’t sure she’d survive. Could people actually die from pleasure? If so, she welcomed death with opened arms. This time, their love making was not as gentle.
“My God.” He breathed out softly as the sensations still rattled his body and flowed onto Paige. She held him to her, arms wrapped around him as tightly as possible until exhaustion and blood loss claimed her.
It was a little over half an hour later when Memphis came to, finding Paige asleep. His eyes skimmed her body, noting every bite mark that he’d left in his wake. It wasn’t an uncommon act but it disturbed him to have lost so much control. Carefully, he moved his fingers over each bite hoping that none of them had caused her much pain.
Settling his hand over one bite mark atop the swell of her left breast, Memphis felt her pulse beneath the skin to be weak and slow, almost sputtering. She was alive but if he’d taken a little bit more. . . “Christ, what have I done?” Sitting up, he glanced around the room to find that they’d made love on a mattress on the floor. It wasn’t quite the setting that he’d dreamed of for their first time, although, most of his fantasies of Paige usually involved harder surfaces.
Still, a floor wasn’t the best place to spend the night. “Damnit.” Carefully, he pulled her into his arms and lifted her off of the mattress. Recent experience taught him that Paige’s bed was, indeed, as comfortable as it looked. It would allow her to rest more soundly and hopefully counter the effects of the blood loss. In the morning, he would feed her a hearty breakfast and make sure she got plenty of orange juice and vitamin B12.
After pulling back the covers, Memphis laid her down and then climbed into bed with her, his body settling against hers protectively. He kissed the top of her head and then covered them up with the comforter. As much as he wanted to remain awake, there was a little problem when vampires had sex with their life mates, they tended to be completely worn out. It wasn’t long before he drifted off into a dead sleep.

Chapter 10 – Right Here In My Arms
0720 Local
Paige’s ApartmentGeorgetown

What have I done? Memphis didn’t have to press his fingers to her pulse point to know he’d taken too much the night before. Paige’s heartbeat was slow, irregular and utterly disconcerting. During the third time they’d made love, he couldn’t help but indulge in small bites on various places of her body. She was so addicting, a fine wine that a vintage collector couldn’t get enough of.
Paige would live but if she had a heart condition, his feasting on her body would have likely killed her. As it was, she would be weak for a few days while her body worked on building up its blood. If he wouldn’t have fallen asleep, Memphis would have insisted on her eating something in order to jumpstart that process.
He didn’t want to sleep but there was something about making love to your life mate that wore you out. It was impossible not to give in.
Life mate? No, she couldn’t be. As much as he wanted Paige to fill that void, there was someone else who had filled that space. Someone else that he still. . . loved? Did he still love Katherine? That question had been pondered throughout the years when his lust for blood had grown so savagely that he’d nearly lost himself. Sometimes it felt as if it didn’t matter anymore. She was gone and he was left to deal with her mistake.
Sighing deeply, he turned to face Paige. She was lying on her side, arm tucked under her chin and a relaxed expression on her face. Memphis was sure he’d never seen her this content, something that was making his heart swell with pride. God, he loved her, so much that. . . He sighed again, confusion rearing its ugly head. Was it possible to truly, genuinely love two women? The thought had caused havoc in his mind from the first day he’d met the Marine.
In truth, guilt was the only thing holding him back from giving his heart fully to her. Lucas was right, Paige was meant for him. He felt it as they made love, that unique completeness that most lived without. She fit him perfectly and knew exactly where to touch and what to do, as if she’d done it before. Yes, she was his and he was hers, but could he live with the guilt of knowing that he betrayed his first love?
Katherine had forever locked him in a prison of guilt and all she’d done was ask him to wait. He had waited. . . somewhat. . .indulging in women he knew weren’t for him if only to take the sting out of being alone. Now, much to his dismay, the wait seemed to end. It was time to let her go.
Carefully, he eased himself off of the bed and headed into the living room where he slipped on a pair of boxers and a t-shirt. He made his way to the kitchen, deciding to prepare Paige a very hearty breakfast in hopes of building her blood back up. He had taken a lot, too much, and the weak pulse had filled his dreams with nightmares.
Reaching into her cupboards, Memphis took out two tall glasses and set them on the counter. Each was filled to the brim with orange juice which he placed on a tray. Next, he located her frying pan and proceeded on making an omelette consisting of Canadian bacon, onions, cheese, tomatoes and mushrooms. While the outside of the omelette browned, Memphis popped two pieces of toast in the toaster.
The feast barely fit on the tray but he managed to make it to the bedroom without incident. Memphis placed the meal on the opposite end of the bed and then tried to rouse Paige. “Wake up.” Gently, he shook her shoulder but received no response. “Paige, wake up. I made you breakfast.”
“Mmmm.” Paige moaned as she tried to force her eyes to open. Her body felt odd, heavy, almost as if she’d been running a marathon. There was a pleasant ache between her thighs and a tingle in her body that was utterly heavenly. She didn’t want to wake up.
“I should have figured that the mention of food would have gotten you up faster.” He chuckled as he urged her into a sitting position. “I need you to drink this.” Memphis waved the glass of orange juice in front of her face and then eased it to her lips. She took a small sip and then made a face as the bitter taste assaulted her senses. “Take a big drink, Paige, it’s important.”
Too tired to argue, Paige did as told and then settled back against the pillows. “Why am I so tired? I feel practically lethargic.” Her voice was soft, subtle, lacking the strength it usually carried.
“I’m sorry, Paige. . .Last night, I. . .I took too much.” Memphis frowned at his admission and brought the glass back up to her lips. “I told you it was dangerous. . .I could have killed you.”
Paige propped an eye open and gave him a dubious look. “But you didn’t and you won’t.” He should have argued with her, but deep down inside, Memphis knew she was right. He didn’t have it in him to kill her and was beginning to doubt that the blood lust would grow so out of control that it would endanger her life. Life mates tended to control and quell much of an immortals rage. With every touch and every caress he was beginning to feel whole again, almost human.
Memphis swallowed down the lump at his throat. It didn’t matter what she was or what her presence in his life could do to his battered soul. He wouldn’t turn her. If Paige was to become an immortal like him, her life would be put in jeopardy. His enemies and even The Collective would make her a likely target in order to force his compliance. “You’ll feel better once you get some food in you.” He speared some owlet with a fork and raised it to Paige’s mouth.
With a groan, she sat up and took the offering, then took the fork away from him. “I can feed myself, thank you.” Once she was done, Memphis suggested she get some rest. Though Paige would have complained, exhaustion won over.
A few hours later, Memphis retreated to the living room and reassembled the sofa before lying down to watch TV. With a heave, he pushed himself upright and sat up, unaware of the pair of eyes on him. He leaned his head against the back of the sofa and closed his eyes. Immediately his mind conjured up images that he knew would never be deleted from his memory. Making love to Paige had been incredible, much more so than it ever had been with anyone, even Katherine.
From her doorway, Paige watched him, curious of the pleased expression on his face. She wondered if he was thinking about her, them and the exquisite moment they’d shared. Would things be different now? Lord knows that they had a nasty habit of taking one step forward and twenty back. Shrugging away her insecurities, Paige made her way to him. “You know, my bed is big enough for two.”
Memphis raised his head, looked at her and smiled. She was wearing a dark red, fluffy robe and surely nothing under it. “Feeling better?”
Paige’s smile was positively radiant and so damned infectious. “Yup. . .Still a little tired. . .I guess you did a number on me.” With a grin, she walked right up to him and slipped up on Memphis’s lap, her legs on either side of him. “And I have a bunch of bite marks that are starting to sting a bit. . . You need to kiss them better.” Except for his dreams, Memphis had never imagined she could be so seductive and sassy. With a grin, she leaned forward and kissed him. Her hands cupped Memphis’s face as she deepened the kisses.
Memphis’s hands which were resting on Paige’s hips moved down and under the robe. He trailed his hands up her legs and to the junction of her thighs to find that, indeed, Paige wasn’t wearing underwear. The notion brought certain parts of his body alive and a rich moan escaped his throat. “You are going to be the death of me.” It had been several lifetimes since he’d felt this aroused by anyone. As it was, Memphis was starting to believe that even his lust for Katherine was now being outmatched.
His body was longing to feel itself against her own. Pushing her down onto the sofa, he growled into her ear. “I want you so bad, Paige.” Memphis felt a shifting in his mouth as his canines fell into place. To his surprise, the aroused state didn’t scare Paige away. Instead, she helped remove his clothing as quickly as possible.
“I want you too.” Instinctively, she tilted her head back, giving her throat up as an offering. Though they weren’t exactly gentle, Memphis did resist biting. His guilt for nearly draining her dry weighed heavier than his lust.
Afterwards, he reached up grabbing the afghan off of the sofa and draped it over them. “Sorry.” He said softly as he turned to the side to watch Paige.
“Sorry for what?”
Grinning, he waved a hand over them. “Sorry that I lost control. . .There are better places to make love than a sofa. . .Your bedroom isn’t that far away.”
Paige chuckled and pulled him in for a soft kiss. Her lips lingered over his, teasing him. “I can’t exactly complain. . .I did seduce you. . .Successfully, I might add.”
Yes, she had, and Memphis doubted very much he would ever be able to resist her wiles again. He’d tasted the sweet wine he’d secretly craved for so long and wasn’t about to live without it. The exchange, though not as powerful as turning her, was enough to bond them together for life. Though he knew that, in all likelihood, he would have to let her go at some point, Memphis chose to give in. He pulled her closer and kissed Paige slowly as if he were searching for the meaning of life through her kiss.
When they parted, her eyes were heavy lidded with a drugged expression that made him want to kiss her again. He was surprised when she opted to take on a bit more of his existence. “Memphis, I want to taste you like you did me.” Memphis didn’t even bother trying to talk himself out of it. Instead, with supernatural strength and the edge of his finger nail, he tore a two inch line over his chest, just above the heart. Blood immediately oozed out of the wound and his eyes never left Paige as she glanced at the sight with curiosity.
She leaned in, her lips almost sealing the wound as her tongue licked the blood. Paige took only a tiny amount before the iron taste overwhelmed her senses and made her pull away. Memphis licked his index finger and ran it over the wound, his saliva instantly healing it. He noted the awe in her expression and smiled. “One of the perks, I guess.”
“That’s how you closed the wounds on my neck.” She nodded in understanding and snuggled into him. “When you let go, you really let go, don’t you?”
That statement had meant to be a joke but to Memphis, it was a painful reminder of a ferry ride across Sydney Harbour. “I’ve wanted to let go, Paige. . . There’s just so much. . .too much that I don’t know how to explain. . .I was afraid we’d destroy our friendship and. . .”
“Katherine, right?. . . I imagine that it must have been difficult for you to allow yourself to care for someone else.” Only she didn’t know the half of it, the one denominator that was so hard for Memphis to deal with. “I understand.”
“No, you don’t. There are things that I don’t understand.” Like why three women had all looked nearly identical. While Shawna and Katherine had some differences, Paige and Katherine were almost identical. Maybe if he had lost Katherine a different way it would have been easier to cope with her death. They way that it had happened, he’d been rendered useless. “She died in my arms. . . On my birthday. . .” He trailed off, wishing he could erase that piece of history from his mind. “We were together when they broke in, pulled her off of me. . . I was held back, too weak to do anything. . . I was forced to watch as they cut her and then set her on fire. . .Then Kale knocked me out. . . I don’t know why I was allowed to live.” In truth, he would have been happier dying with her.
Memphis swallowed hard and brushed away the solitary tear that fell from his eye. “When I woke up she was almost dead. . .I threw a blanket over her, doused the flames and held her. She wouldn’t take the blood I offered. . .and then she asked me to wait for her. . . so I did. . .I waited.”
Despite the shift in their relationship, Paige felt an overwhelming sense of sadness. She now understood why it was so difficult for him to ‘let go’, Memphis was still waiting for Katherine and always would be. Part of her wanted to run away and hide her newly broken heart. There was a reason why he’d never voiced his love for her. While Paige loved him deeply, his heart belonged to someone else. “You’re still waiting, aren’t you?”
“I don’t know anymore because I feel something so strong for you. . .It’s challenging what I felt for her. . . It’s almost making those feelings and memories disappear.” Sometimes he wanted to make those memories disappear so that he could explore his feelings for Paige without having a barometer to measure them to. Deep inside, he knew the wait was over. Katherine was a memory and just that. The only link he had to her was the blood in his veins and even that had been watered down through the centuries. “I want you, Paige. . . I need you.”
The range of emotions Paige had just experienced had almost drained all energy from her. It was foolish, she knew, to trust him despite the many times that they’d let each other down. She didn’t have the strength to fight her feelings anymore. It was time to give in, damn the consequences. “I need you too.”

0845 LocalJAG HeadquartersFalls Church, Virginia

On his way to the break room, Memphis crashed into Paige who was coming out with a piping hot mug of coffee which, luckily, didn’t burn either of them. “Excuse me, Colonel. . .let me help you clean that up.” He took a few sheets of paper from the counter and squatted down to clean up the mess he’d made. “How was your weekend?” He couldn’t help the smug grin when her eyes met his and a shocked expression registered on her face.
Paige cleared her throat and took a breath. “Nothing special, Commander. . .Spent a lot of time in bed, resting.”
“You weren’t feeling well?” He asked innocently as he wiped up the rest of the mess and tossed the wet paper in a trash bin.
“I was a bit exhausted.” She replied and brushed just a little too close to Memphis as she made her way back to the coffee pot. “Never mess with a Marine and her coffee, Memphis.” Paige went about preparing her coffee and then made a show of licking clean the spoon which she’d used.
Memphis groaned at the sight knowing full well that she was just doing it to torture him. “Sorry about that. . .You can let me take you to lunch and call it even.” He tried the charming approach, using that sexy grin which he hoped would win Paige over.
“Can’t. . .I have a few meetings today. . . I’ll see you in court, counsellor.” Paige brushed against him as she passed, chuckling when he groaned once again. “Suck it up, sailor.”
“Looks like you two finally made nice?” Lucas’ voice startled Memphis from his mental images of his weekend with Paige. It was difficult letting her go in the morning, but he knew he had to. Though he could control the office into believing that they were TAD together, he wasn’t about to backlog the office to indulge in Paige.
“Yeah, we’re on speaking terms again.” Nonchalantly, Memphis reached for a coffee mug and filled it with hot brew. He took a sip, deciding to forgo adding any condiments. He needed the jolt of drinking black coffee; hopefully it would help him get rid of the fog in his mind from lack of sleep and improper nutrition. Memphis hadn’t quite fed except for the last pint of blood in his fridge and that would barely tide him over. “You know us, Lucas. Ebb and flow.”
“Mmmm. . .More like Oil and Vinegar. . .By the way, you look a little pale.”
“Yeah, I ran out. Didn’t realize it until this morning.” Memphis shrugged it off and leaned against the cabinet just next to the coffee machine. “Not the first or the last time, I’m sure.” He only hoped that the day wouldn’t prove to be a stressful one else he would have to lure someone to the men’s room and use them for blood.
“I’m sure you can slip out and get some during lunch.” As Lucas reached for the coffee pot he noted a specific scent on Memphis which he’d never smelled before. It wasn’t on his uniform but more like soaked into his skin and radiating from his pores. It was a sweet, intoxicating scent. Though faint, it was there. “You slept with her.” He accused and the answer was confirmed when Memphis spewed coffee, choking on the liquid. “Which means you also drank her blood.” This too was confirmed by a renewed choking fit.
Memphis poured out the rest of the coffee and grabbed a napkin to clean up as much as he could of the mess he made on himself. He took a deep breath, thankful that vampires couldn’t choke to death and then turned to glare at his oldest friend. “How did you know?”
“I can smell her on you.” Lucas confessed, grinning idiotically as Memphis proceeded to blush. “Wow, didn’t know our kind could do that.” He sipped his coffee and leaned against the opposite cabinet. “So, when are you going to turn her?”
Groaning, Memphis pushed himself away from the cabinet and motioned for Lucas to follow. “This is definitely not a discussion to have here.” He weaved his way through the bullpen and towards the office, closing the door behind Lucas who had followed. “You know I can’t turn her.” He said, setting into the chair behind his desk while Lucas slid into the one at the front. “I turned you which means I’d have to ask for permission to turn Paige. . .I’m afraid of what The Collective will do if they find out she looks like Katherine.”
“Don’t you think they already know?”
Memphis had considered that time and time again but it never made sense to him. “You think that they did this on purpose? A test?”
Lucas shrugged. “I know they like to play games with us. Seth especially has thrown every obstacle in your way that he could.”
It was unpleasant to think of Paige as just an obstacle. She was more than that and he could sense it from the moment they met. By choosing to push her away, he’d endangered himself greatly and constantly felt the inner demon waging a war with his good side. “I don’t believe they know. Kale does.”
Now it was Lucas’ turn to spew coffee. “What?! He’s here? He’s not supposed to be here.”
“I know. . .Paige and I bumped into him at a coffee shop. . ..It’s been so many years and he still wants to destroy me. . .I’m just afraid he’ll use Paige to do it.” He scrubbed a hand over his face and took a deep breath. “I may have to die to keep her alive.”
The centuries hadn’t been kind to either of them but they’d been absolutely dreary for Memphis. He’d lost his life mate and practically lost his soul before being forced to hunt after vampires for the rest of his life. Lucas too longed to find the other half of him and was slowly starting to give up hope that she existed in this world. It was his own drive for a life mate that had pushed him to champion for Memphis and Paige. They were meant for each other even if Memphis’s past had collided with his future. “I hope it doesn’t come to that. . .If it does, you can trust me to make sure that she stays safe.”
Throughout the centuries, the worst torture Memphis had endured were the memories of Katherine. She was woven into the very fabric of his soul and almost impossible to get rid of. Often, she would haunt his dreams and extend his nightmares. “I need to ask you a favour and it’s a huge one.”
Lucas stared wearily at his friend. “I’m not going to like it am I?”
“If something happens to me, make Paige forget me. . .Erase her memories of me.” He took a ragged breath, realizing that his favour was absolutely huge. After sharing blood with a mortal, memories were much harder, if not impossible, to erase. Those sorts of bonds were so difficult to break. He just didn’t want her going through the pain that he did. “Please.”
“You know that won’t be easy.”
“It will if you can get The Collective to help and Seth owes me that much.”
Reluctantly, knowing that Paige would hate him if his promise ever got out, Lucas conceded. “Okay.”
Outside, Paige came out of her office and made a beeline for the fax machine that happened to be situated just across from Memphis’s office. She wanted to try and act normal around him, as if nothing had happened. She figured ignoring him was probably the best way to get scuttlebutt moving, so she decided to make a copy of the fax and make the delivery herself. In time the novelty would wear off and they could maintain professional decorum. Sawyer and Whyt were proof of that.
“Time to change the subject.” He warned Lucas and then waved Paige inside. “How may I help you, Colonel?” He couldn’t help the sultry grin he gave her any more than she could help the blush that tinted her cheeks.
“The evidence on the Duffy court martial just came in. . .You may be interested in a copy.” She handed him the file and wasn’t too surprised to find Lucas smirking at her. “You know, don’t you?” At his nod, she settled into the chair next to him with a deep sigh.
“For the record, Memphis didn’t say a thing.” Lucas’ grin widened almost mischievously as he stood up and waved between the two of them. “So, I guess this means I don’t have to keep that secret anymore.” He leaned forward almost as if to tell Memphis a secret and then said conspiringly, “Paige let it slip once that she was in love with you.” He was sure that the Marine wrath would eventually catch up to him but Lucas just didn’t care. His friend deserved a little love in his life. Maybe it would give him something to truly fight for. “I’ll see you in court.” With that, he up and left before either of them could attack with questions.
For her part, Paige wasn’t upset but only relieved to have a friend like Lucas. “He’s a good guy. . . .I want to rip his spine out, but he’s a good guy.”
“Let me know if you want help with the spine ripping thing.” He chuckled, remembering all of the stunts that Lucas had pulled through the centuries. “Thanks for the file. I’ll make some notes and send them over once I’m done.”
Paige hesitated a moment before leaving and decided to just give in to an idea that she had. “I really didn’t come in here for that. . .I. . .It’s just that. . .How about we go out to dinner tonight?” It was silly to be nervous, they’d had countless of meals together, but this time, she knew, it would be different.
Amused, Memphis settled back into his chair, flyboy smile firmly in place. “Are you asking me out on a date?”
“Yes.”
Her answer only made his smile go up in wattage. “They guy is supposed to ask the girl out, not the other way around.”
“Independent woman, here.” She said, smiling coyly at his amusement. With a huff, she came to her feet and pretended to walk away. “I mean, if you are too macho to let a girl ask you out. .”
“No, no. . .What time shall I pick you up?”
“Eight.”
“Attire?”
Ooooh, now that was a good question. Though casual was more her style, Paige could honestly say that she was in the mood for a dressy kind of place. “Suit and tie.” She had a certain dress which she’d purchased a month earlier. It was bought on a whim and was dangling behind her bedroom door, begging to be worn. She just hadn’t found the person to wear it for until now.

Chapter 11 – The Path
2330 LocalMemphis’s ApartmentNorth of Union Station

Why was it that plans had a way of never working out? Sure, certain things would follow their course, but most tended to veer off track much as her day had. The desire to have a nice, dressy, romantic evening was squashed when Paige was ordered off of her current case and sent to Norfolk. As the daylight began to dwindle down, she had a sneaking suspicion that dinner would have to be cancelled.
Memphis offered to cook, suggesting that she head straight to his place from Norfolk. He picked up a spare uniform and even managed to locate and pack those infamous cowboy jammies. He knew she would be too exhausted for anything else but he needed to spend the night with Paige – even if he just held her. Though drinking some of his blood had revived her incredibly, Memphis was sure that she wasn’t actively taking B-12 vitamin and, eventually, the lack of blood in her body would wear her down.
Using her spare key, Paige let herself into the near darkness of his apartment. The only light was that of the lamp on his desk. Though she’d made the drive from Norfolk in just over two hours, it was still late and the two of them had work in the morning. Sighing heavily, she hung her coat on the rack, removed her heels and left them next to the door with her briefcase. She would have figured that Memphis was in bed until the familiar sound of running water drew her towards the bathroom.
Paige slipped her uniform off, draping the blouse and skirt on the top of the dresser. The last of her clothing fell away before slipping into the shower with him. “Do you normally shower in the dark?”
Chuckling, Memphis turned to face Paige and then drew her into his arms. He kissed her slow and deep, enjoying the feel of her body against his own. Memphis could feel the exhaustion in her body and kept a hold on her even after they stopped kissing. “I am a vampire, Paige. . . Besides, it’s not that dark in here.” He motioned towards the glass blocks that made up his bathroom window and the soft light that slipped through from the street lamps outside. “You know, mortals can see in the dark, somewhat.”
“Not if it’s pitch black.” She pointed out and stepped under the spray of water. The warmth felt wonderful over her tired body and Paige welcomed one of the simplest pleasures in life. “I thought I’d never get here.”
Leaning against the side wall, Memphis stared as Paige raised her arms and raked her fingers through her hair while standing under the water. They had showered together the evening before. It was awkward at first and then playful. He was amazed by the ease that they quickly fell into in the span of two evenings. Then again, it shouldn’t have surprised him that they could no longer fight the attraction which had always pulled them together like opposing magnets.
Reaching around her, Memphis took the bar of soap, lathered up his hands and then handed the bar to Paige. “Just relax.” He whispered into her ear before placing his hands on her shoulders. Memphis kneaded her muscles gently, applying more pressure when he encountered a knot. “Jeez Paige, I think your knots have knots.”
She chuckled and tilted her head to the right. “Try that spot there.”
The action halted his movement altogether and his eyes focused on that very tempting flesh of her neck. Memphis licked his lips as if savouring the taste of her, something that had been haunting him since the very first time. He bit his cheek, hoping that the painful sensation would stop him before his animal nature took over. His hands fell away from Paige’s body and Memphis spun around quickly trying to put as much space as possible between them. Damnit, he needed to feed – especially with a temptation like Paige being so near. “I ah. . .I’m going to warm up dinner.”
“I’m not hungry.”
He expected the objection. Although Paige had a healthy appetite, she rarely ate when she was this tired. “You need to eat.” Memphis growled out and decided to make a hasty retreat before his desires got the best of him. After towelling off and dressing, Memphis headed to the kitchen and popped a plate of food into the microwave.
As the food warmed, Memphis pushed in a certain spot under the island which opened up a hidden, mini refrigerator filled with bags of blood that had arrived earlier that day. He took a bag and emptied the contents into a wine glass, then tossed the empty bag into the garbage. “I gotta stop doing this to myself.” He said, referring to the lack of blood in his system. It wasn’t that he was purposely trying to keep himself from feeding, but when Don became a permanent fixture in Paige’s life and they didn’t see each other as much, the cravings had waned slightly.
He took a whiff at the blood and then swirled the liquid around the glass before taking a long sip. Memphis practically deflated against the island as the euphoric feeling rushed through his veins, nurturing his body and mind. With each sip he took, the craving for Paige’s blood decreased until it was something akin to a memory. Eyes closed, he savoured the sense of strength pulsating through every nerve and fibre. He barely registered where he was standing until the annoying ‘ding’ of the microwave brought him back to the present.
“Are you okay?” Paige stood on the opposite side of the island with a look of confusion that changed to amusement as Memphis stared with an aloof expression. She shook her head and sighed. “Never mind. I’m not too sure I want to know.” After popping up on a stool, Paige breathed in the savoury aroma and conceded to the meal which Memphis placed in front of her. “Amusing how a smell can make you hungry.”
Memphis knew a thing or two about that. Paige’s scent was positively alluring. He took another long sip of the red liquid and remained at the opposite end of the island, leaning against the cabinet. It was better that way, he thought. Though Paige had accepted his condition, he wasn’t too sure that she would keep her appetite with him sipping blood next to her. Curiously, Memphis studied her, noticing the faint circles under her eyes and a pale complexion that she wasn’t wearing that morning. Working at JAG was far from easy. Though it wasn’t a war zone, verbal combat had a way of affecting someone in ways a bullet never could. “How’d you feel today?”
“Ah, he speaks.” Paige looked up and smirked. She was done trying to force him to talk when it was obvious that something was wrong. If there was one thing they both shared, it was the ability to close up until it bottled over. She swallowed down a bite of food and pointed the empty fork towards him. “I don’t mind saying that you did a number on me this weekend. . .I’m still pretty tired.”
It wasn’t as if he didn’t know that he was the cause for her exhaustion, but it still bothered him. “Sorry about that. . .It’s just. . .It’s complicated.”
Paige waved him off. “I’m not really complaining. . .It was wonderful.” She blushed at the thoughts running through her mind. Every touch and caress set each nerve ending on a rampant fire. At times, Paige thought she’d stop breathing and would have happily died in his arms. Even moments ago, his hands on her shoulders had sparked to life sensations that still had her tingling. And then he stopped abruptly. “What happened to you a few minutes ago?
“I was wondering when you’d ask.”
“You were hoping I wouldn’t notice.” She pointed out with a smirk. Paige thought about it for the briefest of moment which was all it took for insecurity to rear its ugly head. “This is moving too fast isn’t it? We’ve only been together for a few days and there I went, barging into the shower.”
Memphis chuckled. “If there’s one thing I don’t mind is your barging into the shower. . .And this is moving just fine.” After all, they had done the platonic thing for years now. With Katherine, they fell into bed the first night and never once thought about the consequences. They were life mates and consequences were always easily dealt with.
“So, then, what was it?” Still new as it was, Paige couldn’t help but have a million bad ideas come into her head. He’d mentioned once that he could get called away at any minute. What if The Collective had ordered him not see her? Wait, did they even know about her? Damn, she was giving herself a headache on top of the one she already had.
Tilting his head to the side, Memphis’s eyes searched for that certain spot that had caused his erratic behaviour in the first place. She was wearing one of his sweatshirts, the collar low enough that he could see the delicate piece of flesh. It still called to him but he would be able to resist, for now. “Your neck.”
Confused, Paige arched an eyebrow and brought her hand up to touch the spot he was referring to. “What about it? I don’t still have a bite mark do I?”
Memphis shook his head. “No, it’s just that. . .in the shower, you tilted your head to the side. . .” He trailed off and sighed. A million years would pass and Memphis would never fully grasp the art of conversation. Sure, he could do the lawyerly thing in court, but when it mattered, he tended to be at a loss for words. Katherine always teased him at how unromantic he could be. “Let me try to make it simple.” He offered but took a moment or two to formulate the simplicity. “I haven’t had any in a while. . .Blood, I mean. And when you tilted your head. . .”
“You thought I was offering again?” She wasn’t. Though she had to admit that having him drink from her was kind of a turn on. “I was hoping you’d work your magic hands on that spot actually. . .I have a crick in my neck from holding the phone there for two hours.” Paige massaged the area to make a point and made a face when that dull ache resurfaced.
Clearing his throat, Memphis glanced away from that spot and turned to his wine glass. He finished it off, still feeling the craving for more. It was likely that three more bags would be consumed before the end of the night. He waited patiently for her to polish off her plate of food before taking another bag and pouring it into the empty wine glass.
“Memphis.” He turned to find her looking at him with a soft smile, a cute expression that he’d rarely seen through the years. Paige usually gave him that look when he was doing something that she found silly and amusing. “You don’t have to hide.”
“I thought that you’d be grossed out watching me drink this stuff.” He poured it into the wine glass and tossed the empty bag away.
Paige hopped off of the stool and took her empty plate to the sink. “Nope. . .I’ll admit, it’s a bit unsettling but, I’ll get over it.” She gave him a kiss on the cheek and smiled. “Dinner was wonderful. . .How about you finish that off and we head to bed?” She felt his hand sneak up around her waist, pulling her body to his almost suggestively. Chuckling, Paige slapped his hand away and turned to face Memphis. “To sleep, Memphis. . .I’m too tired for anything else.”
Memphis finished off the blood, washed the glass and then shut down for the night. He headed into his room, finding Paige under the blankets. “Are you warm enough?” From past experience, he knew that Paige could get cold rather easily. He slipped into bed and pulled her close.
Paige snuggled closer to him, savouring his warmth. “I’m good now.” Sighing, she settled into him, allowing her body to relax for the first time all day. “Your body isn’t very sensitive to temperature change is it?”
“With us it’s as subjective as it is with mortals. We can handle the cold much better. Heat we need to be very careful with.”
“Why heat?”
Memphis shrugged. “For the same reason as mortals. Heat can kill you faster than cold can. It can take a while for your body to be at the point where you freeze to death. Fire can kill you in minutes.”
“When you crashed into the ocean and Seahawk picked you up, they said that you were hypothermic.”
“My body was trying to go into dead sleep to repair itself. They kept trying to wake me up. . .Had I stayed out there, in the ocean without rescue, I would have died.”
It was a morbid line of questioning, but Paige was curious as to his weaknesses. She needed to know if her fears that night could be validated. The events that had unfolded because of the crash had a habit of haunting her at night. “Would you have drowned?”
“No. We can’t drown. Technically, we don’t have to breathe to survive. The only reason we do is mostly because it’s a human characteristic.”
She turned to look up at him and felt his breath on her skin as well as the rise and fall of his chest. “You do breathe though. . .Doesn’t it give you any benefit?”
“From what I understand, it helps to keep the blood alive longer. . .Makes us require less blood, too. If we weren’t breathing, we’d need to drink twice as much.”
That made sense, after all breathing took oxygen from the air and infused it into the blood. “I get it.” Paige listened to the sound of his breath and the beating of his heart beneath her fingers. She could have lost him and nearly did all because she was too stupid to say ‘no’ to a man she never really loved. It was difficult not to traipse into the past and to that conversation on the General’s porch. So many truths were unravelled and yet, had she never discovered Memphis’s true self. She understood, now, his concern about losing her. Only, she didn’t know how deep and complex that vein ran.
There was a relatively easy solution – he could turn her, but Paige knew that it wasn’t as easy as her mind made it out to be. There was probably some odd ritual and a long, painstaking process that she would be willing to endure if it meant that they could stay together. “Times like this, I wish I could read your thoughts.” Memphis said suddenly and turned down to look at her. “What’s on your mind?”
“Nothing.” She tried to reassure him, not wanting to take a step into variable darkness. Too tired for deep conversation, Paige concentrated on his breathing again. “Don’t worry about it.” But he would worry about it though Memphis chose to let it go - for now.
0545 LocalMemphis’s ApartmentNorth Of Union Station
Paige awoke to an empty bed and a muffled clicking sound – the type generated when someone was at the computer. She raised her head, peering through the louvered windows and focusing on the object of her affections. He was sitting at his desk, working only with the light of the computer monitor. She saw him lean back and raise his hand to his chin in a pensive position. All he needed was that damned pen, the one he often had in his mouth. Pens, stir sticks, tooth picks – Paige was fairly certain that he would wrap his lips around those objects as a way to torment her. She’d never let him know how much it worked.
After stretching, she jumped out of bed and padded across to the living room. “You didn’t wake me up so we could go running.” She leaned down and pressed a kiss to his waiting lips, then leaned against the corner of the desk. He didn’t automatically hideaway his work, something that he usually did when strategizing an offence to her defence.
Memphis motioned to the windows. “It was raining a little while ago.” He kept his eyes on the screen, feverishly typing with two fingers.
“Considering how old you are and all of the time that you have to learn things, why aren’t you better at computers?” The man could fly a plane that had more cables, microchips, hard drives and computing equipment than Microsoft and yet, he was almost comical on a PC.
“Sometimes, they cause more problems than what they solve. . . Let’s not forget that op-ed piece I never wrote.” While Immortals had grown accustomed to using computers for some business, not all of their members were so keen to use machinery to do their bidding. It frustrated Memphis immensely that The Collective had decided to join the 21st century, shifting their operations to a means that was more accessible and, in his personal opinion, dangerous to use. “Damnit.” He banged his fist on the desk and sat back to stare at the screen.
Paige found it all rather amusing. “Cursing the computer won’t get it to like you more.” She teased and then turned to look at the monitor. There were words, represented by symbols, that she could not understand. “Sanskrit?”
“This language has no name.” He pointed at the screen and at two symbols that were a mass of swirls ending with periods. “Centuries ago, our first Enforcers created a language used to communicate strategic advances of our enemies. . .It stuck and is one of the first things that we need to learn.” The language was not spoken. In fact, there was no way to communicate each word into a sound. “It’s strictly a written language which has prevented some of our enemies from deciphering it.”
“Have they deciphered it?” She asked, staring at each beautiful symbol with amazement. Paige loved languages and they loved her. She’d picked up German relatively easy and Russian, including Cyrillic, was almost a cinch.
“Yes, but not for long. The beauty of the symbols is that they can be changed at will.” He didn’t elaborate more on the subject. For one, it was considered treason and for another, it would be impossible to explain their meanings. “We have to install a special language setting on a computer to get those symbols.” He pointed out, then sent a quick response back to the sender of the message. “You need to stay at your place tonight.” He said as he stood up and made his way to the kitchen where he turned the coffee maker on. “I’ll be. . .uh. . .busy.”
Paige didn’t need a more elaborate explanation to know what he was referring to. “I promise not to follow you this time.” Her curiosity had almost killed them both as well as another innocent. She wasn’t about to let that happen again.
“I would appreciate that.” Not that he didn’t already have a plan, just in case she decided to try and tail him - a ‘thought’ that he would put into the General’s mind in order to keep Paige busy. It would mean another day of exhaustion for her but he preferred tired over dead.

1856 Local
Fashion Center at Pentagon City
Arlington, Virginia

Best laid plans, even brainwashing the General, had nothing on two women and a shopping mall. “This was a great idea, ma’am.” Sawyer said as the pair stepped inside of Victoria’s Secret. To this day, Paige wasn’t entirely sure why women bothered with lingerie, it was bound to come off anyway. Still, trips to Vickie’s Secret were always fun.
“Sawyer, out of the office, it’s Paige.” She pointed out for the second time since entering the mall. Spotting a certain rack, she swiftly headed over and began looking for her size. With a grin, she held the item up and stared at it with amusement.
“A girl doesn’t buy something like that unless she has someone to wear it for.” Cheekily, Sawyer pointed out. While Paige had resigned herself to avoiding men after her botched wedding, with the playing field open, Sawyer was waiting for Memphis to make his move. What no one knew was that she had seen them kiss the night of Paige’s engagement party. Sawyer hadn’t meant to pry, but at that particular moment, she’d looked out and seen the illicit kiss. Knowing she was overstepping a boundary, she asked a burning question. “Is that for the Commander?”
Paige knew Sawyer would ask and prepared to steer the ship away from that particular iceberg. But, when the moment of truth arrived, she just didn’t want to lie or mislead one of her closest friends. “Yes, it’s for Memphis.” She prepared for yelling, lots of yelling, but instead acted perfectly normal. “Why aren’t you surprised?”
Grinning, Sawyer walked away, turning to rummage through the clearance section where various cute, pink pajamas were hanging. “All of us at the office know you two like each other. We don’t discuss it, but we know.” There was a certain way that everything seemed to stand still when the pair occupied the same room. Yesterday, Sawyer noticed the air charged with something though the two remained consummate professionals. “Of course, I also saw you two making out the night of your engagement party.”
Bracing herself against a display rack, Paige tried to wrap her head around that revelation. Someone had seen them. “You saw.”
“I didn’t intend to, but I remember the General was looking for you two and I peaked out at that moment and. . .I was surprised you were still going through with it.” With Whyt she too had misgivings and cold feet. It didn’t really help that the man spent the night before their wedding in jail. Yet, she loved Whyt, wholly and truly – that was something she didn’t see in Paige or Don. “I don’t pretend to know everything. Whyt wasn’t exactly the tall, dark and handsome guy my mother wished for me. But I fell in love with him and it all worked out. I was deliriously happy when we were planning the wedding.”
Paige smiled in remembrance. As the maid of honour, her duties required her to follow Sawyer around and help pick out all sorts of things. From dresses to flowers and even the wedding cake. It was all in good fun but it left an ache in her that was hard to fill. “I enjoyed it.”
“Yes, but you didn’t enjoy anything about planning your own wedding.” A time that was supposed to be stressful but fun was more like a chore. The planning had made her weary and so Paige decided to pass most of it over to Don who was excited to help. “I know you loved Don if not you wouldn’t have spent all of that time together . . .But, I don’t think you were supposed to marry him.”
Words she knew to be true rang in her head as she followed Sawyer to the clerk and paid for her purchase. They then decided to stop at the coffee shop in the mall, each ordering a little something to tide them over. “So, how long have you and the Commander been together?”
Paige chuckled at the question. Thankfully, she knew that she didn’t have to ask Sawyer to keep that news to herself. “A couple of days, really. . .I don’t even know where we’re going with this.” She couldn’t tell her everything but hedging towards her insecurities would, at least, loosen some of the anxiety she felt. “I only went to Don because I thought Memphis didn’t want me.”
Sawyer raised her brow in surprise. Was the woman dense or blind? “I think he’s always wanted you.”
“Well, he had a funny way of showing it.”
“Not all men are the openly affectionate type. . .Take Whyt, his idea of romance is taking me with him to the latest Star Trek convention.” The two laughed at her husband’s obvious alien obsession. “Enjoy it. . .And if it gets serious, fine. If it doesn’t, I think you two have the ability to remain friends, good friends, and that’s really all that counts.”
While Sawyer had a point, Paige wasn’t sure she could go from friend to lover and back to friend again. Not with Memphis and especially not with all of the secrets that had been dropped into her lap. “I can’t just go back to being friends with him.” The pull was much too strong now and Paige knew, deep inside, that it would be absolutely impossible to resist him. “I’m afraid of investing myself and then losing him.”
It was a valid point, one that even Sawyer worried about when Whyt was called away from Washington. “Whyt’s not a pilot like Memphis, but we’re in the military. . . .Every day that we put on our uniforms, there’s a chance that one of us won’t come home. We’re taught to fight and kill for our country no matter what job we do.”
Paige hadn’t thought of it that way. Besides The Collective, there were other ways that they could lose each other. The thought made her sick to her stomach as she recalled the night before her wedding. “I almost lost him once.”
“And I could have lost Whyt when Raglan took him hostage.” Sighing, Sawyer leaned forward across the table to make her point. “I think that you need to stop worrying about what you can lose and start enjoying what you have.”
“You’re a really good friend, you know that Sawyer?” Paige was lucky to have her and Whyt even though casual moments like these were not very common. They would have to remedy that as soon as possible. “Whenever we decide to make this public, maybe the four of us can go out sometime?”
Sawyer nodded in agreement. “I’d love that and I’m sure Whyt would too.”
With that Paige settled into an ease that she hadn’t felt before. A calm that came after you weathered the storm. She knew things with Memphis would never be perfect. Parts of his life were cryptic and Paige knew she’d never unravel all of the mysteries. Yet, she was willing to set aside her fears and fight for them; even if it meant fighting him.
An odd tingle at the back of her neck made her feel awkward. Paige glanced over her shoulder finding nothing of interest as other patrons made their way through the shopping centre. That was odd. She thought and shrugged the sensation off as nothing more than paranoia. They were two attractive women, alone. People had a habit of staring, especially when they were in uniform. Government town or not, it was somewhat of a taboo to find a pretty woman in a military uniform and people had a habit of staring too long.
What she didn’t know was that the admirer could care less about the military or anything that encompassed law and order. He was accustomed to chaos, a trait that was passed to him the day his father turned him into a Vampire. Now, he just needed to wait – revenge was a dish best served cold.

Chapter 12 – Love’s Requiem
December 24, 20012234 LocalPaige’s ApartmentGeorgetown

Memphis slipped his SUV into an empty spot just across the street from Paige’s apartment, glad to arrive before the weather got worse. Snow was blanketing the area and he wanted nothing more than to curl up next to Paige and enjoy the rest of the evening by the light of the fire place.
Smiling, Memphis glanced up towards to her apartment where he could see the twinkling white lights of her Christmas tree. His usual, melancholic Christmas Eve’s were going to be a thing of the past.
The Holiday Season, ever since Katherine’s passing, had been horrible for him. Often alone, he chose those particular days to reminisce about the things he’d lost and how he could have saved her. When he’d found out about Memphis Rabb Senior’s disappearance, Christmas had become nothing more than a regular day. It held nothing special anymore, no meaning until Paige helped put the ghost of his great grandson to rest in the Taiga.
Despite visiting the wall that evening, Memphis no longer felt heaviness in his heart but a warmth and a peace that he never wanted to live without.
They'd even chosen that night to let the JAG staff know of the change of their relationship, something that was received positively, especially from Shawn. At Lucas’ attempt to make him a little more romantic, Memphis was considering a road trip in the spring. Now that his Classic Corvette was restored, it was suggested that he and Paige take a trip to some place secluded – a cabin in the woods. Though the idea was quite intriguing, Memphis knew that Lucas’ urging had more to do with him turning Paige than any specific romantic overture.
Tightening his coat around him, Memphis shook himself out of his thoughts and raced across the street, careful not to slip on the ice near the curb. Though cold didn’t affect immortals much unless they were exposed to it for a long period of time, he still didn’t enjoy the feeling of brisk air rushing up and under his clothing.
Using his key, Memphis let himself into Paige’s apartment and stopped short as he was treated to a sight that he wasn’t quite expecting. At Whyt and Sawyer’s party, Paige had been wearing a sexy, feminine, black suit with pink lapels that made a perfect ‘V’ across her chest. She’d looked adorable and he couldn’t resist stealing a few kisses which caught the interest of the other party guests. While he hadn’t expected to walk in and find her still wearing that suit, he’d figured that Paige would have changed into some sort of jammies. This was so much better and so unexpected that he was sure his heart would pop out of his chest.
Straightening ornaments, Paige stood by the tree wearing a deep red chemise with fluffy white trim along its hem that rested just above mid-thigh. Along with the Santa hat, Paige painted the picture of the sexiest Mrs. Clause he’d even seen. Santa never had it so good. “Close the door, you’re letting a draft in.” She turned and gave him a coy little grin and continued her musings as if nothing was out of the ordinary.
Memphis was sure his heart had stopped as he stood motionless, unbelieving that she’d taken such care in perfecting their first holiday together. Setting himself to motion, he closed the door, toed off his shoes, removed his coat, jacket and tie, then crossed the room to reach her. From behind, he wrapped his arms around Paige, pressing his body against hers. “Are you my Christmas present?” He whispered to her ear, his voice husky.
Grinning, Paige leaned up against him, arching her back so that she could tilt her head in order to look at him. “Yes. But you can’t un-wrap me until after midnight.”
“It’s almost midnight.” He tried to reason knowing Paige wasn’t likely to bend so easily. Now that she had his attention, she would draw this out. It would be sweet torture. “I’ve been a good boy.”
Chuckling, Paige turned in his arms and faced him. “A good boy? Right! Let’s face it, trouble precedes you, Rabb. That isn’t the sign of a good boy.”
“I’m trying to be a good boy?” He waggled his eyebrows suggestively and recanted his previous statement.
“Well, since you are trying. . .” She teased, her hands moving up and down his chest until they slipped behind his neck. Memphis tightened his hold on her, pressing Paige’s body almost painfully against his. He kissed her long and slow; his need for her had been growing uncontrollably like it always did. Before long, she could feel his hand slipping down and under the fabric covering her thighs, moving upwards until she broke the kiss and smacked his hand away. “Now, now, Commander. Patience.” She purred and gave him a quick kiss before she snuck out of his embrace and headed towards the kitchen casting a backwards glance that called to him like a siren’s song.
Helpless, Memphis followed though he didn’t stop ogling Paige’s legs until he noted a pleasant scent. “I smell hot chocolate.” He leaned against the kitchen cabinets and watched as Paige took a ladle and stirred the dark liquid in a pot. “Ooooh, is that what I think it is?”
“Yup! Home made hot chocolate and I have a box of glazed donuts over on the coffee table.” The recipe was special, given to her by a Spanish classmate at college. The result was a decadent, thick concoction that would warm you instantly. “It’s almost ready. Grab a couple of mugs.”
After pouring the piping hot liquid into each mug, Paige followed Memphis out to the living room and settled down on the sofa. He pulled her close and placed the donut box on top of Paige’s lap, promising to lick the sugar off should any fall on her. Sighing deeply, he let the atmosphere wind him down.
Instrumental Christmas tunes played softly in the background and the glow from the fireplace and Christmas lights made Paige’s apartment even cosier. How many centuries had passed since he felt this wonderful during the Holidays? Katherine’s death had been the crux of a change that nearly destroyed him. He wound up spending hundreds of Christmases alone or in the arms of women that he really didn’t want.
He felt her hand on his arm – a gentle caress that awoke a tidal wave of sensations. How could he ever deny this for so long? Was he really protecting Paige by keeping her at arms length or was he protecting his broken heart? “This is the first time in centuries that I haven’t felt. . .lonely.” He took a sip of the hot chocolate and sighed in contentment. That was one of the most difficult things he had to admit, especially to Paige. Words always seemed to fail around her especially when he needed her to hear them. “Thank you for being here with me.”
Memphis grimaced at the words knowing that his true feelings were guarded by the strong walls erected around his heart. Even in his happiness, he could feel the pain of a lie that he believed in order to keep Paige alive. She could never know that Memphis was in love with her so deeply that even his past admiration for Katherine was now marred, tainted. By not getting closer, he truly believed that he was saving her.
Paige too was having her own thoughts about the past and how it would have effected the present had her marriage gone through. “Last Christmas, with Don, I really wanted it to be perfect. . . I tried so hard and we wound up fighting about how he practically bent my arm backwards in order for me to put the ring on my other finger.” She never should have taken that damned ring in the first place. She was a smart and rational woman whose defences were low when another man offered such a grand attention. Don had chosen the perfect time to snag her. In retrospect, Paige honestly believed that the turn of events would have forced Memphis to play his hand. Instead, she ended up committed to the wrong man. “I feel so horrible. . .I know I crushed his heart and I don’t know how to make that right.” Heading to the Indian ocean seemed like a good idea at the time – a way to punish herself and nearly tank her career in the process. Even AJ had let her know it was a step back. At that time, she just didn’t want to step forward, Paige didn’t feel she deserved it after hurting a good man. “I guess I shouldn’t have let it go as far as it did. Especially when almost all of the fights were about you.”
The fighting, Memphis knew, would have been a regular occurrence in the Harlot-Brumby household. Don wasn’t a bad guy – a reason why he could quite stand the man – but, he did seem like the type who was used to dominating every aspect of his life and Paige just wasn’t the submissive type. A survivor, she had a fiery spirit and would have fought him at every turn. Still, it saddened him to know that he’d been correct – Don would have made her miserable if they’d married. Worse yet, their friendship would have made things even more unbearable. “I’m sorry, Paige.” He really was.
“Let’s change topics. . .Actually, there’s a present I want you to open.” She slipped out of his arms, placed her mug of chocolate on the coffee table and then picked up a flat box from under the tree. “I wanted to get you something special which is damned near impossible knowing what I now know about you.” She handed him the box and took her seat just next to him.
“Special, huh?” He was going to comment on how her outfit was special enough for him, but doubted that Paige would appreciate it. Instead, he tore through the wrapping paper and into the non-descript box which held the item. Memphis pulled out the gift and stared at it with surprise. His fingers gently ran over the carefully crafted wooden shield that bore the O’Rabhartaigh family coat of arms. It was done perfectly and with an old world craftsmanship that reminded him of centuries gone by. “My God.”
The only surviving crest had been destroyed in a fire hundreds of years earlier when his family home in Ireland had been a victim of arson - a feuding neighbour set it on fire. Memphis had eventually purchased the land where the home stood and repaired as much as he could, adding certain modern conveniences. He’d never thought about the coat of arms until now. “Paige, I. . .I haven’t seen the crest in centuries.” The detail was almost identical to the original and only the colors were a little off. “How’d you find this?”
Paige smiled. “It wasn’t easy.” She confessed, “Your last name is practically ancient. . .But I got in contact with someone in Ireland who does traditional coats of arms. . .I hope it’s accurate. He had to do some research.”
Memphis ran his hand over the lacquered wood, feeling the grains under his finger tips. “It’s perfect.” He didn’t get the chance to reminisce for too long as Paige took the crest away from him, slipped it back in the box and placed it on the arm chair. She turned to him with a particular look that he knew too well.
“It’s almost midnight.” Paige stepped in front of him and took his hands, threading her fingers through Memphis’s. Moving forward, she placed her knees on either side of him and settled herself in his lap. “I really do love you.” And though she never expected to hear those same words from him, Paige knew that his feelings also ran deep. Her right hand gently caressed the side of his face, fingers coming down, running over his lips.
Memphis didn’t question her though curiosity was begging him to. He knew the answer; it usually lay in a lover's touch. Instead, his arms flattened her body against him as his lips sought out her own. His lips moved from her lips to her cheek and across to her neck, an area he was absolutely fascinated with. She always tilted her head back for him, always expecting the bite. Instead, he licked at the shell of her ear and then whispered, “Merry Christmas, Paige.”

January 13, 2002
1655 LocalMemphis’s ApartmentNorth of Union Station

Paige was on her back, lying on Memphis’s sofa, her head buried in a paperback novel. Engrossed, she didn’t hear him sneak up. “Why are you reading that?”
Lowering the book, Paige pinned him with an annoyed glare. “You do know that it’s dangerous to sneak up on a Marine, don't you? I mean, no matter how much of a vampire you are, I can still kick your ass.”
Memphis grinned. Her threats at bodily Memphis were always amusing considering that he could incapacitate her with the tip of his pinkie. She did look absolutely adorable with her face flushing pink from embarrassment though.. “I didn’t know that you could sneak up on a Marine.” He teased knowing that he would be burnt dealing with her fire. He just couldn’t help it. “I guess you were too carried away reading. . .” He settled himself on the top of the coffee table and snatched the book to peak at the title. “. . .’My Vampire Lover.’ Catchy title.”
Trying to hide her embarrassment, she snatched the book back. “I’m a woman, Memphis. Reading romance novels is a chic thing.”
So it was but romance novels did seem a bit too uncharacteristic for Paige. “Uh huh. What happened to the Clancy novel?”
Paige sighed and shook her head feeling like a fool for being caught with such a book. “This is research, okay.” She waved the book at him. “There aren’t a whole lot of Vampire books out there besides a Vampire ‘Encyclopaedia’.” She used quotation fingers and grimaced. “And what a load of shit that was. Full of Hollywood mumbo jumbo. . .Not that this is any better.” Disgusted, she flung the book to the opposite end of the sofa and sat up. The book did have some rather sexy scenes but it wasn’t research and she was beginning to think that information just didn’t exist anywhere except in his head.
“If you really want to know something, you could ask.”
The look of disbelief on her face stated otherwise. “I don’t know where to start. . .And I don’t want to ask you anything stupid.”
Memphis understood her concerns. When he was first brought across, he too had many thoughts but no real way to verbalize them into intelligible questions. Through time, he learned more than he ever wanted to. “Don’t be too embarrassed. . .I read those novels too.” He confessed, chuckling when Paige stared with a perplex expression. “Enforcers are urged to look into lead, no matter how stupid. . .We need to make sure our kind isn’t writing things they shouldn’t.”
“You’re joking, right?”
“Nope. . .Ever read Stoker’s ‘Dracula?”
She nodded, “Of course, it’s practically a classic.”
Memphis snorted and shook his head. “Well, that little ‘classic’ is what made the term ‘vampire’ a household name. Before that, there were legends but not something so readily available.” He motioned towards the bedroom and came to his feet. “I’m gonna hit the shower.”
She watched him go amused at how much you could learn from one small conversation. “Research.” Groaning, Paige pulled herself up and headed after him. “Which suit are you wearing?” She yelled, hoping that Memphis could hear her over the sound of water. Standing in front of his closet, she ran her fingers over the fabric of his clothing.
Memphis poked his head around the glass wall. “The black one all the way to the right.” Grabbing said suit, Paige laid it out on the bed along with a white dress shirt.
Her dress was hanging in the center of the closet amongst Memphis’s civilian and military attire. There was something to that, a simple, domestic combination that warmed her. Taking the outfit, Paige placed it on the bed next to his suit and began to get ready.
“You know, we really don’t have to go.” Memphis said stepping out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist to find Paige sitting on the edge of the bed, bent over slightly, and fiddling with her shoes. He stretched out across the bed, wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her against him. “We could always stay in bed.” Fingers grazed an exposed thigh, sliding upwards until Paige slapped his hand away. “Hey!”
Chuckling, she leaned in and gave him a quick kiss. “As good as that sounds, I didn’t get all dressed up for nothing’” She pulled out of his embrace and resumed her previous task. After tightening the strap on her heel, Paige stood up from Memphis’s bed and studied herself in the full length mirror. “How do I look?”
Memphis rolled to the side and gazed at her through the mirror. Thoughts of seduction raced through his mind as he hungrily stared at her. “You look good enough to eat.” Seconds later, he was behind her with arms wrapped around her waist as his lips kissed her neck His fangs extended and teased the delicate skin which she offered to him as she tilted her head back and to the side.
It was a touch that she was finding nearly impossible to resist. “You’re not going to seduce me, Memphis. . .Maybe later, but not right now.” Grinning she pushed herself out of his embrace and pointed to his clothing. “Get dressed, now.”
With a groan, he accepted defeat. “Fine. But, I’ll have you know, this whole double date thing is going to be a disaster.” He loved Lucas like a brother and though Bobbi Latham wasn’t a bad person, Memphis knew of all the tricks that she was capable of. The two had been dating for a few months now and things were getting a little more serious as the days passed.
“Bobbi can be a handful but I’m sure Lucas can handle it.” She pointed out with a grin recalling that she wasn’t too terribly surprised to find that the Congresswoman was also an immortal. The woman did have a certain predatory prowess to her. “Did you ever stop and think that maybe it’ll work out?”
“No.” Memphis just couldn’t see Bobbi as being ‘the one’ for Lucas. “It’s a bit more complicated than it just ‘working out.’ You wouldn’t understand.” Then again, he never really got into the whole soul mate/life mate thing with Paige. She just didn’t know that there was a perfect match for each of them.
“Complicated, huh? Now there’s a word I’ve never heard you use before.” She teased and headed towards the living room in hopes of finishing off the last chapter of her silly romance book. Paige stopped when the phone rang.
“Paige, can you get that? Whoever it is, just take a message."
“Will do.” She walked across the room and towards the small desk Memphis had situated in a corner of the living room. “Hello. . .Yes, the Commander is not here at the moment, may I take a message?” She asked the voice on the phone and then proceeded to rummage around his desk for a pen. “Okay, give me just one moment.” Opening one of the drawers, she was surprised to find a bit of a mess, Memphis was usually a very organized individual. Still searching, she pulled out an oval frame and placed it, picture side up on the desk. “Go ahead.” On a note pad she jotted down the information diligently until her eyes caught sight of the picture.
Only it wasn’t a picture, but a painting – a portrait to be more exact. “Thank you.” She placed the phone back on its cradle and took the frame in her hand. Her brow furled and confusion registered on her face as she tried to understand what she was looking at. It was a portrait of her and Memphis, each dressed in what appeared to be medieval dress.
Whoever drew the portrait was a true artiste capturing the love in the couple’s eyes as they stared at each other. Paige knew it wasn’t her in the portrait but couldn’t quite understand the significance until she turned it over and stared at the names written on the back. “Katherine and Memphis. Oh, God.”
Unsteadily, she made her way to Memphis’s sofa and crashed down, the portrait still grasped in her hands. ‘Katherine and Memphis.’ She lived through the ups and downs of her relationship with Memphis never understanding why, if they were so attracted to each other, they couldn’t seem to make it work. Now she understood and the reality was positively unsettling. Paige didn’t want to be someone’s dead ringer, especially when the woman had meant so much to Memphis. Jesus, was that the only reason he was with her? Was this what Shawna had gone through?
Memphis chose that moment to emerge from his bedroom half dressed with his shirt wide open and holding two different color ties. “Okay, which color? The light blue one or the dark grey?. . .Paige? Are you okay?” He placed the ties on the kitchen island and came to her side. When he did, he saw what she was holding and an overwhelming sense of guilt came over him.
He hadn’t seen that portrait in months, choosing to try and ignore the memories by shoving them into a drawer. This wasn’t an element of his past that he wanted to visit with Paige. He knew it would be difficult on her, even more difficult on him. “Paige, talk to me.”
“This could be me.” She turned the portrait so that he could see. “Katherine?”
Nodding slowly, Memphis grabbed the portrait and ran a hand over the images. Memories flooded his mind as he recalled the hours that he and Katherine had sat together while the painting was drawn. “It was commissioned for our wedding. The artist was a friend of ours.”
“Wedding. Oh.” It never donned on her that vampires could or would marry. What was the point if you were designed to live forever? “Why didn’t you tell me? Why didn’t you tell me I looked like her?”
“I wanted to. . .” That was a lie and it wasn’t one that he was prepared to feed her. “No, no I didn’t. . .I didn’t want to tell you. I’m sorry.” He reached for her hand in hopes to smother the whole incident before it blew up in his face. Instead, she pulled away. “You need to listen to me. . . Let me explain.”
Standing up quickly, Paige moved away from him, retreating to the relative safety behind the kitchen island. “You don’t have to explain. . .I understand.”
“No, you don’t understand. . .There are a lot of things that you don’t know.”
She waved him off and hoped that her anger would stop the tears from falling. “You told me you were no longer waiting. . .Why do I feel like you still are?”
“She asked me to wait.” His argument was sounding flat, even to him. Lucas had been right all along; the wait was going to kill him. Memphis returned the portrait to his drawer and shut it closed hoping to shove the memories away once more. “I just don’t know what I’m supposed to wait for. And then I have these feelings for you.”
He took a step towards her and Paige took two steps back bringing her closer to his dinner table. “I’m starting to understand why, all of a sudden I’ve gone from being in control to losing myself when I’m around you. . .You lied to me when you said you couldn’t control me. You can and you’ve been using it.”
Out of all of the accusations, Memphis wasn’t prepared for this. She had believed him once, why was she back peddling now? Had he ever given her a reason to believe that he could control her? “What? No! Paige, I can’t read your thoughts. I can’t control you and even if I could I wouldn’t. You know I wouldn’t.”
All that she knew was that he’d woven a story but missed an essential piece which placed her right smack in the middle of it all. Paige weighed her feelings carefully and felt disgusted over the fact that she’d become an addict to his touch, especially after tasting his blood. Her love for him had grown so much since then that she felt as if she would burst from the feelings deep within. It was always the case with life mates, feelings would grow rather than diminish. But she didn’t know that. To Paige it seemed like the ultimate betrayal. “I don’t believe you.”
“You care for me because you were meant to. I haven’t tricked you. . .I haven’t lied to you.”
“What about Shawna? She found out about Katherine and left you, didn’t she?”
“No. . .Shawna never knew about Katherine.” And that was the truth. The demise of his relationship with Shawna came when he’d made the decision to show her the monster within. “When she found out what I was, it scared her. She left me but it wasn’t meant to work out.”
Paige snorted. “What? She didn’t like getting bit?”
The barb hurt and though Memphis tried to brush it off, Paige could see in his face that she’d scored a small victory. “I could read her mind and control her thoughts. . . .You can’t be with a person like that, the relationship would never work. . .Katherine couldn’t read my thoughts and I couldn’t read hers. . .I can’t read yours.”
Paige found the whole ‘reading minds’ scenario rather ridiculous. “Right. . .I’m special.”
“More than you know.” More than he wanted to admit. It had taken him years to get this far and put himself in a position of trusting someone with his heart. He had tried bedding other women, hoping that spending the night in someone else’s arms would heal the pain he had inside. It hadn’t worked and merely made the sense of guilt even deeper - until Paige. “The very first time we kissed, down at the docks. . .I think, since then I realized what you meant for me. . .But, I didn’t want you to get involved with me. . .I didn’t want you to die for the same reasons Shawna did.”
She understood the hidden undertones of his last statement. “Holbarth didn’t kill Shawna because of a sexual harassment issue did he?” Suddenly, the fear that had been squelched the night she shot him was coming to the surface again.
Memphis shook his head. Sadly, that had all been misinformation in hopes to lead Krennick off of the scent. It hadn’t worked and, as a result, Memphis, himself, had been held suspect of murdering Shawna. “There’s a group of mortal vampire hunters called The League of Light. Holbarth was a member and had been after me for two years. . . The League doesn’t care if we’re good or bad. To them, we’re just monsters.” For the most part, the group was nothing more than a nuisance that immortals learned to cope with. Sometimes a deranged member or two would exact their form of revenge on the wrong person. “Holbarth believed that Shawna was one of us. He waited for the right moment and killed her. I avenged her.”
“That’s why you tried so hard to get away from me that night.”
He nodded. “Yes. . .Holbarth wasn’t innocent, Paige. He needed to die. Crushed against the hull and dock, by bullet or with my hands, he was meant to die.”
Holbarth’s death and Memphis’s involvement had often leaded to sleepless nights that were now nothing but a waste. If Memphis had shot the man, nothing would have happened. There would not have been any consequences and her memories would have been erased. It all seemed very unfair. “Where do I come in? Why do I look like them?”
Memphis threw his hands up in the air and began pacing the small space between the coffee table and the sofa. “I don’t know!” He’d tried rationalizing her likeness, often wondering if Katherine had returned to him somehow. It was impossible, the feelings for Paige were much stronger. “You aren’t the only one surprised. . .Imagine, six months after Shawna’s death you appear. I thought I was losing my mind. And then I realized that I couldn’t read your thoughts. . .I couldn’t manipulate you.” He stared at her for a moment knowing that the significance meant nothing to her. He’d never divulged about life mates for hopes of never having to turn her.
This time, the fear in her eyes reminded him that his life was hanging by a delicate string. It was time that he explained in hopes that she would save him before it was too late. “Every one of us has a mortal or immortal that we’re meant to be with. . .A life mate who’s mind we can’t manipulate.”
“You were created for Katherine.” As silly as it all sounded, Paige did believe that every person had a counterpart. Unfortunately, so many walked the Earth and died without ever finding the perfect fit. “She died and, what? Someone else becomes your. . . whatever the hell it is?”
Memphis shrugged. There wasn’t an immortal’s handbook with information about such things. “I don’t how it works, Paige. . .I don’t know why I can’t read you. . I only know that I can’t. . .Since Katherine, you are the only woman that I’ve been with that I couldn’t read.”
Paige would have been touched if thoughts of past girlfriends didn’t come to mind. “Annie?”
“I could read her like a book.”
“Jordan?”
“Same. I could read her.”
And then the last one, a person that Paige tried to stand, if only for his sake. “Shawna?”
Ah, that was another case altogether. “Shawna is an immortal like me. . .We could read each other.” That relationship had been a mistake from the get go. His want to put distance between himself and Paige had nearly made him miserable with the Video Princess. “She wanted to try and find a way for us. Some of our kind have gone on to marry, despite them not finding their true match. It just doesn’t work out.” Shawna had also realized that she was no match for Paige. “I can’t read you, Paige. . .It doesn’t matter who you look like. . .Do I still think of Katherine? Yes. . .What happened to us was unfair. . .But, ever since you’ve been in my life. . .” He trailed off, not wanting to gamble too much with emotions that were so raw, and too intense. He loved her, but part of him was still waiting and always would be. Memphis reached out to touch her, hoping that contact would win her over. “I don’t know why this happened. I don’t know how long this will last.”
Paige hadn’t realized that, with each word, he’d bridged the gap between them until she felt his hand on her arm. She raised her head and saw the sadness in his eyes. Those feelings, ones that both of them were having trouble controlling, came to the surface. She had to fight it this time; had to fight that control that he seemed to have over her. “You’re never going to turn me, are you?”
Memphis glanced down at his hands, which were caressing the palms of her hands. “If I turned you, it would be so dangerous for the both of us.”
“No. . .You’re just afraid that if you turn me, whatever you had with Katherine would be gone, for good. . .I can understand that. . .But, I can’t keep feeling so out of control around you.” She pulled away from him, heading towards the front door before she lost her nerve. “I have to go.”
“Paige, don’t.”
She sighed deeply and stared at him. “I know I can’t stay away from you but, for now, I’ve gotta try.”
Memphis stood still as she rushed past him, grabbing her keys off of the coffee table before heading out of the apartment. In the deep recess of his mind, he could feel the darkness taking its hold, baiting him. It would be so easy to fall back to old ways. It was much more fun to be bad. The sick emptiness filled him urging the beast to be unleashed on humanity. There were so many he could kill, so much blood he could taste starting with Paige’s own. The beast had no conscience; it was a wonderful way to live.
The thoughts of Paige’s death on his hands severed his homicidal thoughts and had him reaching for his one lifeline. He hurried to his desk and punched the speed dial number that would connect him to his strongest ally. “Lucas. I need your help.”

Chapter 13 – The Funeral Of Hearts
Three Weeks Later.1820 LocalWhole Foods MarketGeorgetown

“Shit!” Paige cursed when she felt her Corvette sputter and then die. “Why me? What the hell else can go wrong?” The last three weeks had been a disaster. After breaking up with Memphis, nothing in her life was complying. It was as if some otherworldly force was hell bent on destroying every aspect of her life.
Work was almost unbearable, especially when trying to secure another TAD assignment in hopes of keeping her distance from Memphis only to wind up with him sitting second chair. He’d been cordial to her, as much as possible given the fact that they’d been intimate, a fact that hadn’t bothered her until then. The General, who was normally quite lenient, had driven her to the brink of insanity. When the TAD finally did come around, the end result was nothing more than a waste of time for the Navy. The airman she was defending decided to sing like a canary during cross. Then there was the sea sickness, something she’d never experienced before.
Once home, Shawn informed her that she could take the rest of the week off. Four days to relax and unwind if she could only shake the feeling of unease - a tension that seemed to want to strangle her. It was as if an icky fog that manifested itself no matter where she went and could only mean that someone was watching. It was a feeling that Paige hoped to never experience again. Dealing with one stalker in her lifetime was more than enough.
Now, as she sat in the confines of her vehicle, Paige could feel the hairs sticking up at the back of her neck. The prickly sensation sent a shiver down her spine and female intuition was practically screaming at her to run. There was just one problem: Marines didn’t run. Using the car mirrors, Paige checked around the lot, happy to find that while she was not completely alone, the other patrons seemed harmless enough. “I’m losing it.” With a huff, she rubbed the back of her neck, hoping to erase the unease. “I need a vacation.” And she would get one too – four whole days. With renewed enthusiasm, Paige threw open the car door and headed into the store.
Paige took a shopping wagon and pushed it down the produce aisle, stopping to grab a bottle of orange juice. As she continued in the section, that eerie sensation settled in the pit of her stomach. A cool wind swept through her body, chilling her from inside out. Casually she looked around, hoping not to arouse suspicion if someone was watching.
To her right, a woman with two playful children stood by the vegetable section, rummaging through the stacks of broccoli. Behind her, an older gentleman with a Montreal Expos cap was placing lemons into a clear plastic bag.
Paige took a few apples and placed them into a similar bag and then into the cart. Each step she took made her feel as if she were moving deeper through a gauntlet. “Get a grip, Marine.” She said to herself and wondered what she had done to deserve all of this bad fortune.
Not even in sleep was she afforded a respite. A particular nightmare plagued any type of sleep that she tried to have. Not even naps were exempt from the horrible visions that her psyche had conjured. It was always the same dream – She was running through a forest trying, without success, to outrun a wild animal that was chasing her. The animal pounced at her legs, tripping Paige and sending her tumbling down a ravine where a fallen tree finally stopped the decent. That’s when the beast attacked and searched out her throat only to tear the flesh and kill her instantly.
With a sigh, she shook the thoughts lose and continued shopping, gathering only a few more items before heading to the check out. While waiting in line, she called for a taxi, opting to tow the car back in the morning. A relatively light traffic had her home in no time.
She considered calling Memphis, just to let him know that she was back in town. Paige was sure he’d head over the second he knew she was in some kind of distress, but her actions towards him had been rather despicable and she was sill trying to sort out why she’d acted as she did. As was her nature, Paige had jumped to conclusions about Memphis and his relationship with Katherine. It was unfair to accuse him of brainwashing her, especially when Paige fundamentally knew that he wouldn’t do such a thing unless she was in severe danger.
Being hurt afforded people the right to act foolishly and, in retrospect, her accusations were definitely unfounded. At the time though, it made sense that he had controlled her in hopes of turning Paige into a version of Katherine. Why else was she so out of control with her feelings when it came to him? It wasn’t until she was out at sea that something else struck her as interesting.
The whole soul mate/life mate thing sounded preposterous at first. As much as she wanted to believe in the perfect match, this was real life and not a fairytale. Then again, she had warmed up to Memphis’s ‘condition’ and willingly accepted him for what he was. You couldn’t get more storybook than that. It was that life mate issue which prompted her to contact Lucas on the guise of needing information on a case.
“You shouldn’t have disappeared like that.” He’d admonished her after collecting the information she was looking for. “Memphis’s worried about you.” And Paige was worried about him and what repercussions, if any, this would have on both their personal and professional relationships.
She knew that Lucas, despite being such a good friend to Memphis, would shed light on current revelations. Gut instinct told her that he was a good man and was only looking out for his friends. So, she’d asked him and felt like a fool for doing so. “Lucas, what’s a life mate?” Memphis had explained, or tried to, but most of his words went in through one ear and out of the other.
Paige could hear the Commander’s deep sigh and the faint sound of a door closing before he settled into a chair. “I was hoping to stay out of this as much as possible.” He had, except for the ‘motivational’ conversations with Memphis that he hoped would get the man together with Paige. “All of us have someone that we are supposed to be with. Someone that makes up for our faults and fills in the empty gaps. . .When one of us finds that person we know because we can not read or control their thoughts. . .That person can be an immortal or a mortal.”
She still didn’t understand that whole ‘mind reading’ process and why it had such a bearing on whom you could or couldn’t be with. “I don’t understand that whole ‘mind control’ issue. If you love someone, why does it have to matter?”
“It shouldn’t.” Lucas confessed as he recalled falling victim to love and the fruitless relationship that had ensued 50 years ago when he’d met an immortal that had absolutely fascinated him. In retrospect it was probably nothing more than puppy love but it had taken him as far as nearly killing someone when the woman was in danger. After almost a year together though, the whole thing fell through and he felt nothing but disdain for her. “But, if you can read and control someone, even a person that you love, that relationship will self destruct. . .You can’t really love someone unless you are willing to allow them their free will.”
Okay, now it had started to make sense. Thinking back to past relationships, Paige was sure that her strong personality had probably irritated her former lovers. Don had certainly felt the full force of her wrath in times when she didn’t feel like complying. She just couldn’t wrap her head around someone controlling her mind even if it was just to save her from arguing. She understood now the importance and was more than a little floored at the implication. “So Memphis and I? Are we. . .” Paige couldn’t bring herself to finish the question for the answer brought a deep weight on her shoulders from the guilt she was now feeling.
“Life mates? Yes.” Lucas was sure of it. He hadn’t ever seen Memphis this crazy over anyone to the point that his constant pining over Katherine was starting to wane. “I know it’s a lot to wrap your head around, Paige, but it’s true. . .you’re supposed to be together.”
“I thought that Katherine was supposed to be with him.”
“She was and some of our kind never find another life mate and are forced to deal with living a half-life. It’s rare that he found you.”
“And even rarer that I look like her.”
Lucas considered that for a moment and shrugged it off as purely coincidental. “I know what you’re thinking, Paige and Memphis doesn’t, for one minute, believe that you are Katherine.” It was true, though at first, the warning bells had been ringing. Three women with the same face was a hard sign to interpret. “Look, I know that you’re probably angry as hell with him and I can’t blame you. He isn’t exactly tactful in explaining things, but the bottom line is that you can’t just keep away from him.”
Oh, she knew that. Not even being at the opposite side of the Earth was really keeping him away from her. Paige thought about him constantly and the way her body was craving his was akin to a junkie needing a fix. “Why is that?”
Groaning, Lucas settled into the more difficult part of this conversation. He really didn’t want to know about their intimate functions although he’d teased Memphis mercilessly about it. “Well, the attraction is there from the start, really. You can try all you like to have a normal relationship with someone else but it just won’t work.” It was funny that way and sometimes a bit depressing how the whole life mate thing was supposed to bring you happiness but it often led to the destruction of someone else in the process. That was why most immortals just didn’t let anyone in, unless they were being used as a food source. “The moment you umm. . .get intimate with your life mate, whether they are mortal or immortal, the bond can’t be broken, ever.” You just would not fall out of love with your life mate unless, as in Memphis’s case, there was someone else that was created for you.
Unabashed with the conversation, Paige continued onward with her questioning. “What happens if I had his blood?” She was hoping that it meant he was going to turn her – a thought that both excited and unsettled Paige at the same time. At one point she was ready to give up anything to be with him, a thought that shocked her. However, as time went by, she was considering her life – it had been hell but she’d made it to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and, as unfair as it was, the law was her life. It was the only thing that really made sense and, perhaps, the one aspect that she had some control over.
Several conversations with Memphis had informed her that all immortals, eventually, would have to leave their current life and start over again before mortals became suspicious about their lack of aging. She also knew that immortal scientists were working on a serum that would make the user appear to age – something that would reverse the second in which the serum was not ingested. Memphis had experimented with the concoction a few times but found that it not only made him appear to age, but it also zapped some of his preternatural strength and abilities – something he wasn’t willing to part with.
“You’re not a vampire, Paige. . .It’s a little more complicated than just drinking blood. Memphis would have to drain you to the point of death and then feed you his blood. . .Then, if you make it, you’re one of us.” If you make it? Could he sound anymore melodramatic? Sad fact was that many would-be immortals didn’t ‘make it.’ The pain of the turn was so bad that it felt as if you were being ripped in two. Though Lucas had no memory of it, Memphis still retained every excruciating detail down to his spine cracking from the seizures that had gripped his body. Then again, Memphis had been a very sick man and it was probably a miracle that he was alive now. “Sorry to cut this short, but I’m expected in court in twenty minutes. Call him, would you? At least just to let him know you’re alright.”
“I will, Lucas. Thanks.” She did call but not after weighing her predicament all over again. Paige was just too chicken to have a live conversation with the man and opted to phone his apartment, leaving a short message on his answering machine. She promised that she’d talk to him as soon as she was home and had a couple of days to unwind from her assignment.
After storing her purchases, Paige turned up the radio in her kitchen and decided on cleaning out the refrigerator. She donned a pair of yellow, dishwashing gloves and set to removing a cranberry stain from the floor of the appliance. She hoped that doing some sort of work would get her mind off of him, if only for a bit. Amidst singing along with Fleetwood Paige’s “Little Lies”, she felt it again, that eerie fog like sensation. Only this time the feeling was so strong that Paige careened against the cabinets as she struggled for air.
Try as she might, Paige just couldn’t breathe. In hopes that it was due to some form of claustrophobia, she ran out of the kitchen, heading towards the balcony for some fresh air when a pair of hands grabbed her. “You will do as I say.” She remembered that particular tone, it was the same that Memphis used to control others except, this wasn’t Memphis. “I said, you will do as I say.”
Paige felt a ruffling in her mind, a strange movement that was compelling her to listen. Instead, she shook her head and turned on her assailant, stomping her right heel on his foot. The man fell back in agony but quickly recovered and took her again before she had a chance to reach a pistol hidden behind her book shelf. “Let me go!” She ordered.
Never one to be denied, Kale struck her hard and then glanced down at Paige’s unconscious form. He didn’t really want to do this, but the evil in his veins was telling him otherwise. If ever there was a way to fulfill his father’s wishes, this was it. And that was more important than his own life or his own happiness. Despite earlier protest, Kale had been bred for revenge.
So many centuries had passed and none of them had helped him complete the task set by his father. It just wasn’t interesting enough to kill Memphis – suffering would end with his death. No, what Kale had in mind was much more devastating. Carefully, he took Paige in his arms and jumped out of the balcony, landing on the grass beneath with the grace of a cat. There was a lot of travelling that needed to be done and little time to do it.

Four Days Later1900 LocalMemphis’s ApartmentNorth of Union Station

There were certain times when the lights just needed to be off completely. Darkness had been his friend for so long. Hiding sins, scars and even his fears. This time, it did not provide that comfort anymore. No, this time, all it did was remind Memphis that he was still alone and so bitterly lonely. He cast a jaundiced eye towards the phone and considered, for the tenth time that evening, if he should call Paige. He knew her assignment had concluded four days prior so she had to be there. She’d promised to speak to him after getting back home and unwinding.
What would he say? For days now he had a nagging feeling inside that something had happened but was consoled on the belief that bad news would travel quickly. Groaning, he reached for the bottle of Jack Daniels which was sitting on the coffee table. Again, he unscrewed the top and took a long pull knowing that, if anything, all it would do was give him a light buzz. Liquor just did not have an effect on his kind. It was the act itself which made him feel again, if only a little.
“Memphis?” A voice appeared from his doorway and upon inspection, Memphis realized that he’d left it unlocked. “Hey? You here?” The room was then bathed in light which exploded into his sensitive eyes like daggers. “Good, you’re here.”
“Kill the fucking light, Lucas!” He pressed a hand over his aching eyes and pointed with the opposite hand which was holding the Jack Daniels. “I told you to leave me alone.”
“Like that was going to happen.” Lucas knew of Memphis’s mood better than anyone. While he didn’t take offence, he decided to cut to the chase. “I was hoping Paige was here.”
Memphis peaked from under his hand, his eyes half lidded. “Yeah, me too.”
“You haven’t even tried calling her?”
“No. She said she needed to unwind after her assignment. Maybe it’s a good thing too, in all likelihood she’s liable to chew my head off.” Lob his head off was more like it. He hadn’t quite been tactful in his means of explaining the truth about Katherine. Then again, what was he to say? ‘Hey, did I tell you that you and my dead wife look alike? I used to love her a whole bunch but, lately, it’s only you that I think about. How about I turn you into a vampire and we can live happily ever after?’ Yeah, that would work wonders.
“This won’t do a thing but require you to need more blood.” Lucas pointed out and then snatched the bottle away and dumped its contents into the sink. “I’m worried about Paige. I saw her car being towed out of Whole Foods. . .When I asked the manager he said she left it there four nights ago.”
Snapping out of his wallowing mode, Memphis stood up and walked into the kitchen. “That’s not like Paige.” If anything, she would have her car towed that very night or the next morning. “She loves that car.” Reaching the phone on the wall, he dialled her number only to be greeted by her answering machine. “Hey Paige, if you’re there please pick up. . . Look, I know things are weird right now but I need to talk to you. It’s urgent.” He waited for a few seconds, expecting her to pick up and when she didn’t that strange sensation he’d been experiencing grew. Even when angry, she’d still answer, he knew that she would. Something was definitely wrong. “Can you drive me to her place?”
“Sure, I was gonna head there anyway.”
The trip over had been nerve wracking. For days he’d been feeling a sense of distress that was gnawing at his gut. Anticipating her arrival had put him out of sorts and he didn’t read his feelings for what they really were – fear. It had been too long since he’d had a connection with someone else and completely forgot that when a life mate was in danger, those feelings would commence. Sleeping with Paige had only intensified those feelings, but he was too preoccupied with their argument to realize what it was until now.
Not bothering to knock, Memphis pulled out his spare key, opened the door and stepped inside. Everything seemed to be in place except for movement that came from the curtains over by the balcony. They were nearing spring and though the weather was not as bitter, no one would be crazy enough to leave windows open. Especially not Paige who tended to get cold very easily.
The apartment felt like an icebox and there was a certain tingle in the air, detectible only to immortals, and it put both Memphis and Lucas on high alert. The men took opposite paths - Lucas towards the kitchen and Memphis towards Paige’s bedroom. What he found was a clue that his worst nightmare was now a reality. He spotted the object taped to the mirror of Paige’s vanity – a postcard with a specific image. Dejected, he stepped out into the living room and held up the discovery for Lucas to see. “Kale’s got her.”
“What? Are you sure?” Lucas took the postcard and stared down at the image. Lush, green contrasted against the harshness of jagged, sea-side cliffs. “Cliffs of Moher. Ireland.”
Memphis nodded. “Kale has a place a few hours away from my family home.” He had been trying for years to tap into Kale’s resources and figure out what the rogue was doing back in Ireland. True, Kale was Irish but his family home had been torn down many centuries ago. What distressed Memphis the most was the length of time that Kale had Paige. “Four days is a long time, Lucas.” For an immortal with the ability and resources to disappear to any ends of the Earth, that was a generous head start. “I knew something would happen to her.” He also knew what rogue vampires like Kale were capable of. Their sins were unforgivable – a straight ticket to hell. There was a reason why mortals believed that immortals were an abomination, a race too perfect to co-exist peacefully. “Kale is going to torture Paige.”
Lucas didn’t understand the point. Knowing what he knew about their relationship, anything that Kale could do to Paige, Memphis could reverse by turning her. “Why would he torture her?”
“Because, he’s going to make me kill her.” Verbalizing that thought made him feel like a million hot knives were being pressed into his flesh. Memphis felt a pain deep within, so painful it drowned out the hurt he felt when he lost Katherine. Dejected, he sat on the edge of Paige’s sofa and buried his head in his hands.
Alarmed by Memphis’s statement, Lucas took a seat on the coffee table and stared at his friend, waiting for an explanation. “Okay.” When it never came, he prodded for more information. “You can’t say things like that and not explain.”
“You’re a healer, Lucas. . .You help patch us up and make sure our women have healthy kids. You don’t see what I see. You don’t know what I know.” His vague answer lingered in the air only making his friend that much more curious as to the horrors that Enforcers were programmed to endure. Rogues have been trying to raise an army against The Collective. To them, mortals are meant to be used for enjoyment and food. Rogues didn’t want to co-exist. Every race had that group who fought against their government. Immortals were no different. “He’ll turn her rogue and force me to kill her.” He couldn’t handle losing Paige and feared what he’d turn into for the sake of vengeance.
Lucas shook his head in disagreement. There were rules and while not absolute, it was awfully difficult to get around them. “He can’t turn her rogue.” In theory, it was damned difficult to create a rogue vampire. Rogues usually targeted murders, rapists and sociopaths; people who’s minds are warped so much that they were easy to control. Some people were just evil inside and Rogue vampires exploited that evil to create a foot soldier, a puppet to their vicious wiles. Turning Paige rogue would be a near impossibility. She had memories of her and Memphis as well as his blood in her veins – bonds that couldn’t be broken unless they lost one another.
Memphis didn’t want to think about it, much less explain the procedure. The discovery was a recent one, only a couple of years old. It was still a novelty and not readily known in the immortal world. “There’s a sedative that acts quickly on the nerves of the human body. You won’t be able to move but you’ll feel everything done to you.” The drug had little effect on immortals themselves, but to mortals, the lack of being able to defend oneself leaves such a psychological impact that makes the change easier for rogues to slip in and begin to mold their victim. He felt Lucas’ eyes on him, following as he stood and paced the living room. “Whatever that does to the mind of a person being tortured is enough for the change to happen. It does take several days though, especially with people who are strong willed.” Despite her strong will, with Paige’s past, Memphis knew it would be that much easier on Kale. “It’s the one thing he knows can destroy me. . .If Paige turns rogue, I’ll have to kill her. . .They’ll order me to.”
Lucas stood up abruptly and walked right into Memphis’s path. “No. There has to be a way to turn her back.”
“Once it’s done it’s not reversible. .There’s no way to turn her back.”
The two men stood there, staring at each other in a silent conversation. They needed to get moving if Memphis was going to find Paige in time. “If you get there and she’s a rogue, would you kill her?.” Lucas dreaded asking that question, knowing that often, for duty's sake, they had been asked to sacrifice anything and were expected to comply.
Memphis’s heart told him one thing, but his head, the one thing he’d counted on for so long, said another. “I’ll have to. . .and after I kill her, I’ll find a way to kill myself. . .” He trailed off and felt a blood red tear sliding down his cheek. “Get me to Andrews.”

Same TimeCounty Kerry, Ireland.

If there was one thing that Kale despised, it was quiet. Things were much too quiet which was the original reason why he forced the owners of the bed and breakfast to hand the castle over to him. He’d owned it for over ten years now and, much like Memphis, had used it as a retreat when his life needed grounding. Unlike Memphis, the place had no meaning for him. His family home had been destroyed when a young Memphis had set it on fire in hopes of avenging his love. Really, it was more of a lair of sorts where he could do his dirty deeds without The Collective’s prying eyes on him.
It was the perfect place to bring Paige.
The small castle was two stories high with turrets on each of the four corners of the building. There were six bedrooms, a library, a den and the usual rooms most homes had. What originally attracted him to the rather large home were the stories of the castle being haunted. However, if any ghosts did exist, Kale surely scared them away. All of the walls inside of the ancient home were made of stone. The only modern additions were the plumbing, electricity and climate control; the rest remained suspended in history.
Secluded as the home was, prying neighbours were kept far away and any plans of rescue from the outside world could be sensed with his preternatural hearing. From his place on the terrace outside of the library, Kale could see his new toy. The likeness between her and Katherine was absolutely astounding. Oh, there were differences. For one thing, Paige’s hair had a few unnatural highlights and her body was much more tone and firm than Katherine’s had been. As he recalled, Katherine had the same feistiness as the Marine, however, Paige seemed to have so much more fight.
He’d been in Memphis and Katherine’s bedroom when she was murdered. He saw the pleading in her eyes as she begged them not to kill Memphis. Katherine did not fight but accepted her fate in an almost alarming way. That look in her eyes terrified him still. Had they done the right thing? To this day, he couldn’t quite blame her for breaking his father’s heart. Living a life devoid of love and then finding the other half of your soul was a powerful attraction. Nothing could stand in the way of the pull your life mate had on you – nothing. In a way, he was in awe of Memphis holding out for so long in regards to Paige. A man willing to put aside life’s greatest happiness for whatever the reason was admirable.
Deep inside, he knew he wasn’t meant to be this destructive. He wasn’t supposed to kill for pleasure and yet it was the life he was forced into once his father’s poisonous blood mixed with the anger of losing his family. It wasn’t just the revenge which flowed through his veins, Kale and learned to enjoy torturing mortals. Hurting Paige, however, was becoming a true test. He kept seeing Katherine’s face, kept remembering the remorse he felt when she died.
His hand, which was normally as steady as a surgeons’, shook quite noticeably when he made a laceration down her spine with a knife. Kale still held the knife, blood now dried on its sharper edge as he tried to remember why he kidnapped her in the first place.
Stepping inside, he moved towards where Paige hung by the arms from a T shaped bar that was attached with chains from the ceiling. Her eyes were open but unseeing, lifeless, though very much alive. The drug he’d used was quick and effective, working to sedate the person to the point where they were conscious but could not move. With that conscious came awareness of what was being done as well as the excruciating pain.
Kale took Paige’s hand and turned it over to expose her wrist. “I know this hurts you.” With the tip of the knife, he made a line from the base of her palm to the middle of her wrist. “I can’t apologize for it. Trust me; this is for your own good.” A reckless life with no rules had to be more appealing than Memphis and The Collective’s pathetic society. With his opposite hand holding her arm steady, Kale licked the trail of blood and then fastened his mouth to the wound. He drank from her, slow and deep until he sensed her heart start to cease.
With great effort, he pulled away – it wasn’t time yet. He needed to be patient just a little while longer. “I want him here. . .I want him to see you when you become mine.” Until then, he would dangle her between life and death.

Chapter 14 – Cyanide Sun
“Cyanide Sun” by: HIM.
“This emptiness I’ve made my home
Embracing memories of dreams long gone
One last caress from the corpse of love
Is all I want underneath the Cyanide Sun.”
2220 LocalCounty Kerry, Ireland.

For an immortal, being stealthy wasn’t something that needed to be learned. For the most part, they tended to automatically blend in to all surroundings without being detected, if they so required. For Memphis, the adrenaline rushing through his body was almost impossible to control in order to keep his position hidden. After gathering what he could from his family’s home he’d hopped on the motorcycle he kept as transportation and pointed it towards Kale’s place.
It was no secret that the other immortal was waiting for him and yet Memphis desired to use the element of surprise in breaking into the home. From previous surveillance he knew every square inch of the place, but was in doubt as to how far-reaching the security system was. There had been upgrades, motion detectors installed around the perimeter. Their location, however, was a secret. Spending so much time at JAG had cut his trips to Ireland short and his surveillance had suffered.
That was why he lay crouched behind the log of a fallen tree using night vision goggles to scope the terrain around Kale’s home. The lights inside were off and he wondered briefly if, maybe, he’d chosen another place to hold Paige. Maybe the postcard had been a ruse in order to buy him some more time? As far as Memphis knew, Kale had homes in four other countries.
This home, in particular, was his most extravagant – something that most of their kind tended to enjoy owning. It was a show of power and wealth, two things that Memphis could care less about. The castle, he knew, was some sort of a trophy for Kale, a way to show that though he wasn’t part of The Collective, immortals like him could still amass a tidy sum.
Memphis glanced up as lightening crackled above. The wind shifted and a familiar scent of the rain and sea brought him memories of his boyhood. Once he was a young man who was too ill to even care for his family and now, with all of his strength and power, it seemed he still couldn’t care for those who he considered family. With a huff, he dropped the goggles into a rucksack and began moving towards the castle.
Between the trees that hid him and the short stone fence that surrounded the perimeter, there was nothing but an empty field. He needed to keep low to the ground and look out for any motion sensors that could tip Kale off. Moving slowly and keeping low to the ground, Memphis crossed the field in a zigzag pattern stopping only to plaster himself against the stone wall. From that vantage point he could now see that there were lights inside the home, only extremely vague from his previous distance. He sat down and leaned against the wall as he prepared the quiet attack. He didn’t have many weapons, just a long knife which was attached to a sheath around his right leg and about five sticks of dynamite that he was slipping into the pockets of the black BDU trousers he wore. In his worry, the two ChemTek pistols had been left in the plane that brought him to Ireland. It did not matter though; he would finish Kale off one way or another.
Leaving the rucksack at the wall, Memphis jumped over and made a quick dash for the castle. There were no guards, no dogs, nothing in the way of a deterrent. It was almost as if he was being welcomed into the home and the uncertainty that lay in wait. He found an entrance on the side, a wooden door which opened to the bleak and dank kitchen area. Pots and pans hung from a brass rack, covered in cobwebs, which dangled over a wooden butcher’s block. There was no smell of food which made him realize that Paige probably hadn’t eaten in just under a week. It wasn’t likely that Kale would feed a prisoner.
Moving out of the kitchen and towards the dining area, his eyes began to pick up the flicker of light coming from a fireplace at the great hall. He could smell it then, the specific scent that most rogue vampires seemed to have and followed it up the steps to the second level of the castle. There, he found another flickering of lights which he followed with his knife drawn and ready to strike. Memphis pressed himself up against the wall and inched forward slowly until he came to the opened door where the light came from.
The smell that now assaulted his senses made his stomach churn in disgust. There was a hint of blood, mixed with an acrid smell of chemicals, charred wood and a faint scent of a woman’s perfume. His hold on the knife tightened as he pushed himself off of the wall and turned into the opening, immediately squatting down in case any attack came from above. What he saw, once he righted himself, brought him to his knees.
There, dangling from ropes that were strung through a metal ring anchored to ceiling trusses, was Paige. “Oh no.” She was a mess. Clothes torn and filthy, blood dried to the visible parts of her skin. Her head hung to the side and if it wasn’t for the slight movement of her chest, he would have figured that she was dead. “Paige?”
Memphis had seen worse – he’d done worse. Yet, the scene before him was sickening, nauseating. He would have given his soul to erase the image that he knew would remain seared into his mind. In his rush to rescue Paige, he’d let his guard down and never realized that Kale was standing behind him until he blacked out from a hit at the base of the skull.
When Memphis came to, he was sitting on the sofa, his head propped up against one of the armrests. Straightening, he glanced about the room, noticing he was in either a den or a library. A fire raged in the confines of a fireplace. Kale was standing next to where Paige was hanging. “I did a good job baiting you.” For years the bait never seemed to work. It had drawn out the war between them and given birth to a renewed sense of destruction.
“Yes you did.” Memphis agreed. He’d taken the bait this time and walked straight into a trap so carefully set that there was no means for escape. In fact, he knew that the snare began tightening months ago. “You came looking for me in Washington.”
Kale turned to him and grinned. “I did.”
“Why?” It was fruitless to search each other out. The one thing both men had to adhere to was to never culminate the feud between them. As an enforcer, that stupid rule had forced Memphis to continue on, waiting for the day that Seth and The Collective would give him the permission to end Kale’s life for good.
“I needed to see if you were still as miserable as I was.” Kale’s words were punctuated by an unexpected crackle of thunder that shook the home’s foundation. He glanced fondly at Paige and then crossed the room and took a seat at the opposite end of the sofa. “I found my life mate last year.” He deadpanned and waited to see that knowing expression in Memphis’s eyes.
Most rogues were unable to ever find a life mate. However, the few lucky enough to find their other half were often saved from the evil that motivated them to kill senselessly. Kale would have gone back to being the man he was before his father’s vengeance corrupted him for life. “Surprising? I was surprised myself.” At first, the feelings were so intense and confusing that Kale tried to keep himself away from the woman. Eventually, the desire, the connection, was too strong to resist. “It was incredible and I began to realize just why Katherine couldn’t stay with father. Why she had to be with you.” He closed his eyes and sighed. “It’s an undeniable pull. . .I’m surprised you held out with her for so long.” He pointed at Paige and shook his head. “I started to feel sorry for you. . .Living without Katherine, it must have been torture for you.”
“It was. It still is.” He glanced at Paige and frowned at the predicament he’d placed her in. If only he would have resisted harder. If only he would have mentally pushed Don into staying around and marrying her. If only. . . “If you found your life mate why aren’t you with her? Why are you doing this?”
Kale laughed mirthlessly. The sound seemed as if it stemmed from the depths of hell. “She’s dead. . .I tried to turn her. . .Did everything I could, but since I’m not a member of your stupid little vampire club, I couldn’t find a fucking immortal to help with the Turn.” He had tried to find anyone that would assist him. Someone that made sure that the woman wouldn’t suffer. With all of the centuries of knowledge under their belts, creating a vampire was still a very tricky business. Even Immortal scientists could not understand why some could go through the transition while others died before the virus had a chance to work its magic.
“No one would help me. . .So, I sat there for three days watching Beatrix in pain. . .There wasn’t a goddamned thing I could do about it. . .She waited for me to go off in search of blood and then took a gun and shot herself.”
Memphis knew better than most how almost impossible life could become without a life mate. He’d lived it, breathed it and was consumed by it – a debilitating pain that made you long for death. While most immortals would find a way to kill themselves, Memphis craved blood and vengeance. That combination left a gaping hole in his heart that was only now starting to mend. “I’m sorry Kale. . .No one should have to feel the pain of losing a life mate.”
Kale nodded in agreement. “I can’t image what it must feel like for you. . .losing two of them.” He sighed dramatically. “I came to Washington to ask for your help. . .I wanted to find a way to stop the monster inside. . .I knew that if anyone of us could help, it would be you. . .” After Beatrix’s suicide the heartbreak had made Kale long for something else – a different existence and a chance to remedy his monstrous past. He wanted to live without the shadow of his father’s hatred looming over him.
“And then I find, to my surprise, a woman with Katherine’s face. . .” Kale hadn’t expected to find Memphis in love again. Most vampires could never find another match and the chances were so slim that most just gave up. The first time he’d seen Memphis and Paige together, Kale tried to fight the hatred and anger. “You know, I wanted to stay away. I tried to stay away, but the poison in my blood wouldn’t let me. . .I started to remember what my father wanted me to do.” That’s when he approached them at the café and the rest was history.
Standing, he walked back over to Paige and ran a finger down the front of her shirt. “She’s close now. . .Just a little more and. . .it’s over.” He took Paige’s wrist and bit down, taking just a little more blood.
From his seat, Memphis was trying to hold his composure. If he launched himself at Kale, surely he would finish Paige off. He needed to be calm and rational. Emotions could not rule him in this battle. That said, he jumped out of his seat when Kale pulled on Paige’s hair in order to tilt her head back to receive more of his blood from a cut on his own wrist. “Even if you kill me, you still lose. . .I can’t imagine the pain of having to kill someone you love. . .I’m sorry you’ll have to go through it, but it’s the only way to end all of this.”
Using Memphis’s knife, Kale sliced through the ropes that were holding Paige up. Her body dropped to the floor with a sickening thud which he ignored. He turned his back on her and casually walked to the adjoining den where two swords hung on a wall with his family’s crest.
Memphis ceased that opportunity to come to Paige’s side. “Paige. It’s Memphis. . .I’m here. . .Hold on.” He pushed down on her abdomen and then tilted her to the side, striking hard at her back, hoping to get her to cough up the blood she’d been forced to swallow. “That’s it. . .let it out.” He hadn’t spotted Kale’s return until he heard the ‘swoosh’ of a sword slicing through the air. Moving just in time, Memphis rolled away and angled his body so that he could kick Kale’s shin.
The fall had the sword skipping away from Kale and landing just in front of the fireplace. As he scampered towards his weapon, Memphis came to his knees and reached for a pillar candle that was burning atop a round, wooden table. When Kale made to strike again, Memphis grasped the candle firmly and flung melted wax at his face. “Son of a bitch!” Kale yelled, stumbling backwards in pain.
That momentary lapse in attack offered Memphis the chance to run to the other room and take the second sword from the crest. He stared at the weapon wondering if he still remembered how to wield a blade. It had been centuries since he’d actually used it to fight – currently he only used such a weapon as a method of severing heads. Kale’s second attack came unexpectedly and Memphis barely had a chance to move away. He wrapped his hand tightly around the grip and quickly moved backwards as Kale sliced wildly at the space between them. The force was so violent that Memphis stumbled backwards, falling through a wood and glass door that led outside to the balcony. From his back, he was powerless to stop the attack and braced himself for the familiar feeling of a sharp blade cutting through skin. Be it divine intervention or dumb luck, the blade missed his heart by half an inch. Despite the pain spreading through his chest, Memphis reached up and grabbed Kale’s arm, holding him still as he threw one leg upward, kicking Kale in the face with a blow so forceful, the man was thrown back into the den.
Carefully, Memphis wrapped his hand around the blade in his chest, feeling the steel slice his palm as he pulled the weapon out. Blood gushed from both wounds, saturating the clothing he was wearing. Rain water falling on him only made each wound that much more painful. He could sense the dizziness that came from such wounds and fought the feeling of weakness that could render a vampire useless. He would heal soon enough but would require a few bags of blood to repair all of the tears his skin sustained.
Glancing upwards, Memphis could see Kale moving from the den to the library next door. He rushed after him, recalling that Paige was unconscious and vulnerable to any attack. Reflected on the walls, Memphis could see a bright light emanating from the other room. Rushing through the doorway that led to the library, Memphis could see a fire spreading across the room and, in the middle of it all, was Paige.
“Remind you of something, Memphis?” Laughing malevolently, Kale stepped out through the balcony and leapt off and into the night.
Without his consent, his mind began racing back in time to a fateful night that had sealed his future. There, laying on the floor and being licked by flames, was Katherine’s body. He could still see her eyes staring back at him, knowing that she was leaving him behind. A bloody tear slid down his cheek and he was back at the present again. Paige was awake now but unable to move. He could see the fear in her eyes as she pleaded for him to help. “Memphis!”
“I’m coming.” Braving the fire, Memphis leaped over a sofa, landing just in front of Paige. The heat was intense and it made it almost impossible to see. He grabbed her body and made a run for the balcony, lucky to move out of the way before the trusses on the ceiling began to fall in the room. Outside, he placed her body as far away from the doors as possible, hoping that the rain would keep her safe from the flames until he finished his task. “Are you okay?”
Paige coughed hard, ridding her lungs of the smoke that she’d inhaled. “No. . .So much pain.” She could barely speak, much less move from all of the injuries that she’d sustained as Kale’s toy. Her body shook violently and blood was mixing with the droplets of rain and mixing to form a swirl of red liquid beneath her. “So tired.”
It was best if she stayed awake but Memphis just could not stay with her. He needed to find Kale and finish him off once and for all. “Try to stay awake, Paige. . .It’s important.” He kissed her gently and said a silent goodbye before jumping off the side of the balcony. He ran across the courtyard and into the woods to find Kale waiting for him.
The other man was leaning against a tree, the sword sticking out of the ground, within reach. “You know you can’t save her. . .She’s dying and my blood is flowing through her veins.”
“That doesn’t mean she will turn into something like you.” Memphis’s blood was in her veins too and had long established itself along with Paige’s genetic makeup. It was part of her now and Memphis was counting on that for her salvation. “This thing between us is over, Kale.”
“One of us will die.” Kale agreed and lunged himself at Memphis, sword aiming at his chest. This time, Memphis managed to move out of the way. He jumped to the side and came to a rolling stop before bracing himself for another attack. Memphis’s sword came up crosswise, blocking the blow with a loud clang. Several strikes sent him scurrying backwards until a tree stopped his movement. Memphis used that tree to push himself up and forward, lunging at Kale who moved out of the way at the last second.
Memphis spun on his heel, intending to rush forward again when he found Kale running towards him. Their swords clashed repeatedly, each man trying to take a piece of the other with every blow until the pair wound up blade to blade, shoving back and forth. The force of the movement sent both weapons flying, landing several feet away.
Kale yelled loudly as he threw his body at Memphis, the blow taking him right off of his feet. Kale straddled him and began to rain down punches which Memphis managed to block. The weakness of his body was causing his muscles to shake from the strain. He managed to roll out from under the other vampire and waited for another attack. When it came, he was ready and carefully pulled the knife from the sheath wrapped around his leg. When Kale made to attack again, he lunged forward, sticking the knife into Kale’s gut. He twisted the blade deeper and felt it give as it pierced through any organs it encountered.
Extending his fangs, Memphis plunged the sharp edges as deep as possible into Kale’s throat. He drank deeply, with each swallow taking in memories, information and healing properties used for him to recuperate. Once done, he removed the knife quickly, blood spurting to cover his hands before he raised it again and, this time, used the sharp edge to sever Kale’s jugular. While it wouldn’t kill Kale, the injury would, at least, incapacitate him enough to complete the deed. He took Kale’s body and dragged it back towards the castle and into the waiting flames consuming the building. Mesmerized by the fire, Memphis watched as the flames licked up the sofa and over Kale’s body. “Rest in peace.”
Returning to Paige, Memphis dropped to his knees before her and placed a hand over her heart shocked to find her skin so cold. “No.” An overwhelming sense of dread gripped him. Memphis didn’t have to press his fingers to her pulse point to know that Paige was dead. “No. No, Paige!”
Memphis could never believe that he would cry for anyone more than he had for Katherine - until now. Sobs shook through him as he grabbed Paige’s body and held her close. “What have I done?” This was his doing, a mistake made when he let himself care for her. Now she was another victim.
Her salvation lay in his blood. Memphis knew that her death had a chance of being reversed, but did he have enough proof to know that his decision was correct? Was she really the one, his life mate?
Yes.
“You wanted this once. . .I hope to God you still want this now.” He pulled up the sleeve of his shirt and then bit into the flesh of his wrist. Blood immediately pooled to the surface and dripped down. With his other hand, he forced her mouth open and let the blood drip down. All the while, he prayed that she wouldn’t hate him for turning her. There were many immortals that, despite wanting the change, hated what they became. He hoped Paige wouldn’t loathe him if she survived the ordeal.
He forced the blood into her, keeping her mouth open and watching intently as the liquid moved down her throat. “C’mon. . . Paige, wake up. Drink!” Memphis shook her body violently, hoping that the movement would jar her back to life. He needed her to swallow and take the blood deep inside of her. “I love you.” He said suddenly and felt everything suddenly stop and shift. “I love you.” Memphis said again surprised to realize that it was true – he did love her. “Paige, I love you. . .You need to drink, please.” He said hoping that she could still hear him and that his voice would bring her back. “Drink, Paige.”
Paige had heard him but the pool of warmth that she was currently floating in was too hard to resist. She felt safe there, comfortable. It was easy to just slip away, but every time she tried, he’d wake her again, shake her body into a living dreamland. She wanted to comply, wanted to feel him, but the warmth was so pleasant. With whatever ounce of strength that she had left, Paige weighed her options and forced herself to join him, if only for a second. She opened her mouth, cleared her throat and swallowed the iron-tasting liquid. And then, she let the warmth take her over again.

Chapter 15 – Tragic, Ecstatic Agony
0345 LocalO’Rabertaigh Family Home5 miles East of DunquinCounty Kerry, Ireland

During an immortal’s existence, life and death were always intertwined. It was the mortal death which brought about an immortal life. Centuries of existence taught immortals to cope and, even so, certain aspects were impossible to prepare for.
The rain hadn’t stopped beating as Memphis plucked Paige from the ground and carried her into Kale’s Land Rover. He placed Paige inside and went about the dirty business of erasing centuries of life with a raging inferno. To insure that Kale’s death was permanent, he used the sticks of dynamite he brought to destroy the building, then remained vigilant until the castle was completely gone.
He secured Paige as best as possible to the passenger’s side, hoping that the change would not begin until he reached his cottage, an hour’s drive from Kale’s. He wasn’t surprised when Paige began to groan in pain and was lucky to have found five coolers full of blood inside a shack on Kale’s land. The change always required two things – pain and blood.
With each second that passed, Paige’s groans became louder and louder. Though most made vampires forget entirely about the Turn, Memphis had every painful moment inscribed into his memory. It felt like being ripped apart from the inside out with a white hot object. The second you though that the pain had subsided, it hit you again with a force so strong that you longed for death.
By the time that he arrived at his family’s home, Paige was bathed in sweat and shaking like an addict with withdrawals. She was still unconscious despite the movement. Carefully, he took her inside and placed her at the center of his bed. Though he was reluctant to leave, there were things he needed to do in order to insure her safety. First, he brought in the coolers of blood. Second, he set to finding ropes to tie her down with. Third, he prepared his IV kit – something that all immortals had in case they were too wounded or needed extra nourishment as they slept. Intravenous kits allowed for the blood to bypass the digestive system and go straight into the body. It made recovery a cinch and had saved many immortals from fatal wounds.
Memphis stood at the foot of his bed, staring at Paige with concern for what he had to do. “I’m sorry.” He took her arms and legs, binding them each to one of the posts of the bed. As heartless as the sight seemed, it would prevent Paige from hurting herself or removing the IV once he got it started.
It was fairly easy to find a vein, years of practice had almost made him a pro. He hung a bag of blood on his portable IV stand and set it to drip at a medium pace. She’d been quiet for some time but Memphis knew it was all part of the calm before the storm. He used that moment of peace to look over his ancient home.
The stone cottage had been partially destroyed by a fire which had prompted Memphis to buy the land and restore the home. The land itself had not remained within the family. After his great, great grand daughter married and moved from the village, the home had passed onto another family. Then, for two centuries it was nothing more than a partial ruin. It had only been just over fifty years since Memphis seriously considered repairing the old home. In 1989, he hired a stonemason to repair the walls and make the building slightly larger. He weighed heavily the decision of bringing modern conveniences into the cottage and considered the horrors of life without plumbing. It was really the only thing that he would rather not live without. Combined with a small, gas powered water heater, hot showers were possible. He really needed to keep things simple with minimal utility bills and an alias to keep mortals and immortals away. For cooking, Memphis had purchased an antique wood burning stove which, along with the fireplace, provided enough warmth during the colder seasons. This home had become his sanctuary and the safest place to take Paige during the transition. It was also an “immortal friendly” home with four windows – one in the bathroom and three in the kitchen/living room/dinning room area. All windows were treated with a special tint that let light in but kept UV rays out. The drapes were heavy, with special black out material that could dip the cottage into total darkness if he wanted.
Memphis walked to one of the coolers and pulled out a bag of blood which he promptly bit and drained. He wasn’t going to take much, merely two or three bags, enough to hold him over until he was able to find more. During his own change, Memphis had consumed over two dozen bags in less than 24 hours. Katherine had suggested that his lifelong illness attributed to the gross amount, but he wasn’t about to take chances and deplete the supply which could save Paige. She was going to be uncomfortable enough as it was. He would have to endure his own injuries until it was all over.
The first sounds of pain sounded out nearly an hour later when the moaning began. He was at her side in seconds, frightened over having to deal with something he’d never witnessed before. Theoretically, Memphis knew what to do, enough immortals had discussed the change to him, but that didn’t mean that he was ready. As of the last fifty years, Immortals would use pain medication in order to ease the suffering. Paige wouldn’t be offered such reprieve and Memphis hoped to God that she wouldn’t remember any of the last few days. More than anything, he hoped that Kale’s rogue blood would not take root in her veins.
Beads of sweat began breaking on her face and the moans grew louder. She began to tighten her body almost as if she were preparing to break out of the restraints. Then came the cold chills that caused Paige’s teeth to rattle and her body to shake as if she were experiencing severe form of hypothermia. Taking a blanket out of a chest, Memphis draped it over her, knowing that it would soon become more of a hindrance than a help.
Seconds later, the screams began. He was never more grateful that neighbours were nowhere in earshot. Strangled cries escaped Paige’s throat, each sound cut off slightly when another feeling of pain tore through her. Then hallucinations were a part that Memphis had nearly forgotten about until she began to speak between her cries. He couldn’t make out the exact nature of the nightmare but knew that she was seeing and remembering all of the horrors that Kale had inflicted on her.
Paige thrashed wildly trying to move away from Kale’s sharp knife and his techniques of torture. She called for him then, begging Memphis to save her and cursing him when he didn’t. Every inch of her body was now covered in beads of sweat and in one swift movement she had managed to dislocate the needle in her vein. Trying furiously to get the flow started again, Memphis clumsily took the half empty bag and wound up ripping it from the stand sending blood cascading in all directions. “Damnit!” He cursed and rushed for another empty bag in hopes of starting the procedure again.
It took him nearly ten minutes before Paige’s convulsions stopped enough for him to successfully find a vein. His previous attempts had left several tracks on her arm not unlike those of a drug addict. She seemed fine now, almost relaxed, but Memphis knew differently. The calm would not last long, there was still much more to come. He took a deep breath and slipped off of the bed to the floor. “Damnit.” With curiosity, he stared down at his hands which were pink from the blood that had spilled. Half a bag of precious blood wasted. He’d always been awful with anything medical – it just wasn’t his specialty, which was why an ‘official’ Turn was overseen by a member of The Collective and a Healer like Lucas. Healers used special herbs and medication that, when infused along with the blood transfusion, would quell the pain and stop the hallucinations.
It wasn’t wise to risk a Turn without the proper know how. Many would-be immortals had died due to their maker’s carelessness. It had happened to Kale and Memphis was not sure it wouldn’t happen to him. He’d brought it on himself, after all. How many times had Lucas called him out on his feelings for Paige? How many times had his friend urged Memphis to turn her? The risk would have been lesser then as he wouldn’t have had to challenge her body with the wounds Kale had inflicted. There was an unwritten rule within the Immortal community about the Turn – ‘Those to be turned must be healthy.’ The virus had a way of running rampant on persons who were ill; devouring any illness that they found, sometimes the battle for supremacy was too much for a wounded body to bear. With Kale’s blood running somewhere through Paige’s veins, Memphis worried that the mixture would turn volatile and seal her fate without giving her much of a chance to survive.
Laying his back against the side of the bed, Memphis felt the weariness hit him like a ton of bricks. He knew he needed to feed more but was unwilling to ravage through any supplies that were needed for Paige’s change. With no food in the cottage he had nothing to eat, which would have forced his body to produce a little more blood. Fighting the want to sleep was futile and he would soon find himself laying on the cold, stone floor in a dreamless sleep.
Memphis would have slipped into a dead sleep had he not heard Paige’s voice calling to him. “Memphis? Where are you?” Her voice was raw from screaming, words coming out just above a whisper. Slowly, he pulled himself up to a sitting position and found her tugging at the restraints.
“Paige, just relax.”
She turned to him then with an expression that he couldn’t quite pinpoint. It certainly wasn’t one that he’d seen before. Paige looked absolutely pitiful but her eyes hinted at the anger within. Dear God, what did it all mean? “Memphis. . .I hurt so much.”
“I know.” He would have done anything to take that pain away but there was nothing more that he could do. There were neither medications nor the time to rush out to find some. He certainly couldn’t leave her alone and trying to contact another Immortal for help would lead to the discovery of his ancestral home. He still wasn’t sure how The Collective would receive the prospect of a life mate for him. Katherine had been much loved and he hadn’t let any of the elders know of his decision. While he sometimes doubted that they would take his life – his past transgressions had his fate dangling by a string.
Again, Paige tested her restraints tugging at her legs and her arms without much result. “Why am I tied up? Let me go. . .Please.”
“I can’t do that.” And he needed to turn away from the pitiful look before he gave in and set her free. “You’ll hurt yourself.”
But she continued to plead, this time sounding more pathetic. He couldn’t help but feel sorry for her. “Memphis. . .Please, everything hurts so bad. . . let me go.”
Unable to look at her any longer, he stood up and turned away. The act hurt him more than he could ever imagine but he reminded himself that it wasn’t an act of cruelty – he was trying to save her life.
Paige took it as a sign of treason and used the remnants of her energy to bellow out, “Goddamnit, you fucking bastard. . .Let me go!” When harshness didn’t work, she stared at him, eyes soft and pleading, but Memphis wouldn’t look at her. “You’re killing me.”
And she was killing him. It killed Memphis to know that he could have prevented her pains if he would have thought this out better. There were drugs that he could have administered that would have lessened the discomfort. Now, he was forced to watch her writhe in pain as another round of convulsions overtook Paige’s body. The second half of the Turn came much faster than he had anticipated. This was the most crucial and deadly side when the virus would start to attack vital organs if enough blood wasn’t presented into its host.
Unsure of the procedure, Memphis increased the flow of blood on the IV. There had been claims that administering the blood as quick as possible would allow for the Turn to continue without the virus attacking and killing the heart from the start. It would first search out sickness and wounds and then move onto the organs. The virus would morph Paige’s body and turn her into a predator if she survived the agony.
Her wild movements caused the ropes at her feet and ankles to burn into her skin. Memphis could see the angry marks and was sure that they would soon bleed from the friction. He didn’t expect the bindings of her wrists to break and was then forced to use his strength to keep her from moving. Nearly half an hour passed before he could let go of her. He lamented having to put her bindings back in place, especially with her skin so damaged as it was. The virus would take care of it all, he knew, but this was extra stress that she didn’t need. “Why didn’t I turn you years ago?”
Thinking about the past was one of the things that had always consumed him. Neither moving on nor letting go were never his strong suit. He tended to let things fester and knew that Paige’s fate would be added to the ranks of his worries. Sighing, he moved away and headed towards a cooler in hopes of starting a fresh IV cycle.
For two whole days Memphis rode the waves along with Paige, changing the bagged blood and keeping her calm as much as he could when she began to hallucinate. He heard the bones of her right leg snap when one particular seizure became more violent than the rest. Her screams of pain echoed in the small building until exhaustion mercifully forced her to sleep.
When it all subsided, Memphis opted to make Paige a little more comfortable. She’d fallen into dead sleep as was common once the change was complete. Now all she had to do was wake up and when she did, the last thing he wanted was for her to wake with dried blood on her clothing and lying on dirty sheets. He drew a hot bath for her and then carefully removed the IV from her vein and set aside the stand in case she was too weak to feed once she woke up. Memphis carried Paige into the bathroom, removed her soiled clothing and then placed her in the water. He bathed her slowly, making sure to remove every last drop of blood from her skin and hair. Once finished, Memphis wrapped Paige up in his robe and laid her on the sofa while he attended to the sheets and bindings on his bed. He placed them all in a corner until he had the chance to burn them outside.
When she was lying comfortably on his bed, Memphis sat on the side and watched her sleep. Again he questioned his decision and feared that he may have been too late. If the Turn was meant to fail it gave no warnings. Bathing her, Memphis was able to see that any and all of her wounds had closed. It gave him faith that, maybe, she had made it through and all she needed was a recovering sleep. He took her hand in his and rubbed his thumb gently over the palm.
Paige could feel his presence, even from the dark recesses that she was cocooned in. She forced herself to wake up and was greeted with a strange sensation all over her body. She took a deep breath, feeling as if it were the first time that her lungs had taken in air. The feelings surrounding her were slightly euphoric in nature, Memphis’s touch even more so. Her breathing regulated and a sensation of warmth filled her body. Paige forced her eyes to open and glance around quickly at the unfamiliar home. What the hell happened? Whose home was this? The very last thing that she remembered was cleaning the fridge before someone knocked her out. There were other things, bits and pieces that seem to be more of a nightmare than real life.
She turned her head to the side and found Memphis sitting just next to her. His eyes were closed and despite the uncomfortable position, he was most definitely asleep. Squeezing his hand, she urged him to wake up and hopefully fill in the numerous blanks in her memory. His eyes settled on her own and she noticed his expression turn from that of worry to that of happiness. “You’re alive.”

Chapter 16 – Resurrection
“Resurrection” by: H.I.M.
“We've been slaves to this loveFrom the moment we touchedAnd keep begging for moreOf this resurrection”
1845 LocalO’Rabertaigh Family Home5 miles East of DunquinCounty Kerry, Ireland

“You’re alive.” Memphis’s eyes watered with unshed tears and then each pesky drop fell, sliding down his cheeks. He pulled Paige close, holding her tight against his body, hoping it wasn’t all a dream. She had survived perhaps the most difficult thing any human could endure. Words just could not explain how truly traumatic the Turn was to a human body.
Paige was still tired – exhausted, more like it, and would remain so for a few more days until the Turn properly rooted itself and set her body in top condition. With what little physical strength she had, Paige wrapped her arms around him, happy to feel the warmth that radiated from his body. Damnit, she’d missed him so much. She was a fool for running away. “I’m sorry for leaving you. . .I shouldn’t have. All I could think of was you.” The frustration in her voice sounded out along with guilt over any heartache she’d caused. “I’m sorry.”
Amused, Memphis pulled away and smiled. “I thought you said that apologizing was a sign of weakness?”
“Oh sure, throw that back at me when I’m too weak to hurt you.” She chuckled and settled back into the pillows, her head was starting to spin. Something was definitely different though and Paige wasn’t too sure if it was the good type of different or the bad kind. Concerned, she opened one eye to find Memphis staring at her with a look of wonder. She closed her eye and tried to remember what all had occurred. There were still jumbled pieces but nothing that put together a storyline that she could follow. Annoyed, she opened both her eyes and looked at him. “What happened?”
Although he hadn’t wanted her to remember any part of the Turn, Memphis would have been happier not having to explain that she was now an immortal. Some people, despite their want to be changed, just didn’t handle it well. As it was, there was still the matter of Kale’s blood and what effects, if any, it had on Paige. “What is the last thing you remember?”
That was a fairly easy answer, “I went to Whole Foods to pick up some groceries and then went back to my apartment, had dinner and started to clean the fridge.” It all sounded like a normal evening, however Paige recalled that icky feeling and a weird ruffling in her head. “I had this feeling. You know? The type you sense when someone is watching.” And someone was watching, she recalled being taken from behind. “Someone kidnapped me.” The pieces were coming back to her now, in bright flashes and fast scenes, like a movie on fast-forward. While she didn’t remember travelling to any given destination, Paige was conscious when Kale first strung her up and began making cuts on her body. “Jesus!”
Frantically, she pulled away the covers and yanked open the robe believing that she would find terrible scars from such a horrific ordeal. Instead, all that Paige found was perfect skin, not marred in any shape or form. Confused, she looked up at Memphis, her brow furling. “I didn’t dream that. . .I know what Kale did to me.” She stared at her chest, recalling a particular time when Kale’s blade had cut his initials right between the valley of her breasts. There was nothing to signify that the mark had ever been there and only one conclusion came to mind. “Memphis? You turned me, didn’t you?”
“Yes.” He admitted and then defended his reason. “Kale did a number on you. . .I did the only thing I could do to keep you alive.” He took a deep breath, fearing the worst once she had knowledge of her new lease on life. “I had to turn you, Paige. . .You weren’t breathing, you’d lost so much blood. . .I couldn’t let you die.”
Why was it that, often, once you got what you wanted, the euphoria of it all seemed to wear off? Paige still wanted this but only if it meant that she could be with Memphis, something that still hadn’t been clarified. She just couldn’t imagine living forever if he wasn’t with her. “If I weren’t dying, would you have turned me anyway?”
Memphis thought hard about the question and considered his feelings for her. After they’d made love the first time and he tasted her blood, Memphis knew that resisting was impossible. He may have wanted to hold out on turning her but, eventually, his emotions would have gotten the better of him. As much as he wanted to spare Paige from this life, he couldn’t watch her die and grow old. She needed to be at his side. “I didn’t want to turn you. . .Eventually, though, I would have had to.”
“Why?”
“Because I love you.” It surprised him how easily the words slipped from his lips. This time she was awake and able to hear the declaration that she most desired from him. It meant that she wasn’t seen as a clone of another woman and that he’d finally let go enough to find what had eluded them – happiness. When she didn’t reply Memphis leaned forward and brushed his lips over hers. “I mean it, Paige. I love you.” He kissed her then, gently, not wanting to cause any undue stress on her body. It was a chaste kiss but enough to drive home the affection behind his words. “Get some rest. I’m sure there are a ton of things you’ll want to know.”
Paige didn’t want to rest, all she could think about were the millions of things her body was now capable of doing. Most of all, she was curious as to how their bodies would react to each other now that she was truly a part of him. “I don’t want to rest. . .Not right now.” She sat up in bed, resting her back against the headboard so that she could look more clearly at the space. Her ‘new’ eyes focused on all sorts of things that mortal eyes could not see. She spotted a small crack on the pane of the window at the far corner of the room as well as the year that was stamped to the side of the old stove.
She could smell the grass outside and the passing of heavy weather which brought on the cold. The wood burning in the fireplace smelled of hickory and humidity. In the distance, she could hear the sound of water dripping from a towel that Memphis had used to dry her. The senses came and went as they were still not refined – something that would come with time. In wonderment, she looked at Memphis and furled her brow in confusion. “We’re not in Kansas anymore, Toto.” She joked and then did a quick skim of the building.
Washington and Virginia had a few historical districts but Paige was fairly certain that none of them boasted the looks, feels and smells that she was witnessing. “Where are we?”
“Ireland. . .This is my family home.” He said knowing that she had a small knowledge of the place.
Paige glanced up at the wooden ceiling and then looked around once again. The home was destroyed in a fire, he had told her. It had taken him several decades to put it back together again. “This place is amazing.”
Memphis nodded in agreement. “Some of the things in here are a little more ‘modern.’” He said with quotation figures and chuckled. “Originally it had a thatch roof. I decided that putting in a proper roof wouldn’t destroy the memories.”
Paige chuckled. “I think the thatched roof is a memory you wouldn’t mind destroying.” It must have been hell to build such a thing, especially when there was a tear or a leak.
“Weaving a roof stinks. . .With me being sick it took forever and my wife wasn’t too big on any type of housework.”
“How many people used to live in one of these?”
“Up to a family of six. . .Mother, father, two children, grandparents.”
Paige glanced around with a sceptic eye. “In here?”
Memphis couldn’t help a chuckle. Back then, you got used to those conditions, now it seemed ludicrous, though he knew some of the poorer citizens of society still lived that way. “Most of the time you would be working on the land, tending to the animals. . .You really didn’t bump into each other.” In fact, he and his wife usually had plenty of time to be alone, if they so desired, he was always too tired to bother and his wife had given up on him the moment they were engaged. They had children more out of her family pressuring them then from a want of actually sleeping together.
Silently Paige pondered his past and the life that he must have lead before Katherine turned him. From his stories, she could always tell that he wasn’t happy then and that he truly loved his current existence. She hoped to share the same exuberance for this half life. “So, what now? After the changing is done, do we go back home?”
Home. He bit back a cringe at the sound of the word. His true home was here in his motherland and yet, his home had been so many different places during the years that it felt as if his heritage had been watered down. Somewhere along the way he’d lost his accent, his culture, all with the hopes of fitting in without others recognizing that there was something truly different about him. Through the years, Memphis never quite felt at home, until he went to JAG. Now, with his life mate in his ancestral home, was there a need to go back to that world? Theoretically, Memphis knew there wasn’t, and yet he couldn’t forget the family he had there. “We’re not heading back. . .not yet anyway.”
To Paige that sounded awfully like their return to Washington would never come. “Then when? I have cases. I finally found someone who would testify against Kudrow. You know how big that is.”
“I know, Paige.” He frowned. Damnit, this really was the most inopportune time for her to turn. Though he was sure that Whyt and Lucas were capable, Marine Lieutenant Leonard Kudrow was scum, accused of sexually assaulting two female petty officers while onboard the Patrick Henry. One of those women had come forward after nearly six months of silence and was hoping that, with Paige’s help, more victims would step forward. “I know what the case meant to you. . .Lucas will take it over.”
“Lucas? He doesn’t know Chelsea, Petty Officer Herrlin. . .She’s afraid to death of men right now.” Angry, she leaned her head back and closed her eyes. While she wanted this change to happen, Paige would have preferred that it fit her schedule. “What about the General? He’ll court martial both of us, for sure. . .we’re AWOL.”
Now that was something that was easily remedied though Memphis had fought hard and denied his basic desire to often control Shawn. He shrug, not particularly caring about mortal laws at the moment. “Lucas’s will make him believe that we’re TAD.”
“TAD where?”
Memphis sighed deeply, “Does it really matter?”
Did it? With their abilities, it was a miracle that Immortals didn’t run everything to their liking. “I guess not, you’ll just brainwash people when we get back anyway.”
“If we get back.” He didn’t want to fool her into believing that things would be alright. Some people just never went back home, he was proof of that. In fact, if it weren’t for the fire, Memphis would have never stepped foot in this home again.
“We have to go back. . .We have a life there, a family. . .We’re godparents to such a wonderful little kid.” She frowned at the thought of never seeing little AJ again. Sawyer and Whyt were the main reason why she still believed in unconditional love. “The Roberts’? Lucas? Tiner? Gunny? Don’t you want to see them again?”
“I do. . .JAG has been like a home to me. . .But it’s not as easy as just picking up and leaving once you’re well. . .You need to learn to use your knew senses. Most important, you need to learn to stop the hunger from forcing you to kill someone.”
It would have sounded very melodramatic if it weren’t for the look in his eyes. Paige could sense a hunger deep within and considering that she was now a predator, she wondered how deadly that hunger would make her. “How long can that take?”
“I don’t know. . .sometimes months.”
“Months!?” Paige knew from his stories that, eventually she would have to leave for fear of friends and family discovering her lack of aging. However, she hadn’t considered never going back. How could you leave without saying goodbye? “I didn’t want this. . .I mean, I did. . .I would do anything to be with you. . .I thought I would have a chance to see my friends again.”
“I understand, Paige.” These last decades were easier. Advancements in medicine could make mortals appear younger and there was always a vast amount of cities and countries to integrate with. Before, living outside of the city, while safe, was also dangerous since bagged blood had yet to be invented. That forced immortals into towns where they were seen as total strangers, people that weren’t meant to be trusted. It made feeding hell. Had it not been for mind control, all of them would have either burned at the stake or starved to death. During those times, Immortals did not make friends with mortals. That unwritten rule had lessened throughout the centuries until they found a way to live cohesively with mortals. “There are a lot of things that you don’t understand. . . We have rules and though I doubt that I’ll be punished for turning you, technically, they can.” And probably would make an example out of him.
“You’re right, I don’t understand.”
“We’re allowed to turn one person, period . . .I turned Lucas.” And while that wouldn’t mean a thing to those that chose not to follow The Collective, Memphis was a hunter, an Enforcer. He was the law and yet he had broken every single one of their commandments. “Sometimes The Collective will allow another turn. . .But, I would have had to ask their permission and since I never planned on turning you. .” He trailed off and glanced downwards to their hands entwined. There was a time where he would have planned for this, the belief that he’d find love again. If she looked like anyone else, it would have been so much easier. As much as he didn’t want to admit it, it was her likeness to Katherine that had caused all of this. “. . .I shouldn’t have said that.”
“Why not? It’s the truth.” She pulled her hand out of his and slipped it under the blankets, away from his touch. All Paige wanted was to be happy with him. Why was that so difficult to attain? He was still pushing her away. “You say that you love me, but you don’t seem happy about this. . .I feel like I’m an obligation. . .Do you even want me with you? Honestly?”
“Honestly? Yes. . .I do love you, Paige. But, there’s so much in the way. . .” He ran his hands over his face and through his hair and then buried his face in his hands. “Damnit, why does everything in my life need to be so fucking difficult?” Hadn’t he paid his dues? How much of his life did he have to give to The Collective? Would he have to give Paige up too? “I just need to stay here, with you, until I’m sure it’s safe. Please, try to understand that. . .I lost the love of my life once and I can’t lose her again.”
Paige still wanted answers; she knew there was something he wasn’t saying, a secret of some sorts. Being angry with him, however, wouldn’t solve a thing. “You won’t lose me, not if I can help it.” She tried to lighten the situation and was happy to see him smile, even if it didn’t reach his eyes. At that moment, she heard her stomach rumble loudly and stared at Memphis with concern. Was she in an all blood diet at the moment? Paige wasn’t sure she’d be able to stomach drinking blood so soon. “Ah, Memphis?” Her eyes followed him, as he jumped off the bed and headed towards a row of coolers. He pulled open one and took out two bags of blood. “I’m not too sure I’m ready for this. . .Drinking. . .err. . .you know.”
Memphis chuckled at her distress and pulled the IV stand to her side. “Don’t worry, for the next day or so, I’ve heard it’s better to use the intravenous. This way you can sleep and still feed.” Surprised by her compliance at him poking her with a needle, Memphis set up the IV to a heavy flow with one bag. The second bag he brought to his mouth, his teeth puncturing deep holes which allowed him to drink. He finished that bag rather quickly and then took another with him as he walked towards the bathroom. “I’m going to go take a quick shower. If you need anything, anything at all, just yell.”
While he had taken time to change his blood stained clothing, showering hadn’t quite been a high priority during her turning. Now he was able to wash off all of the blood, dirt and grime from his battle with Kale. He let the warmth of the water wash away the horrors of seeing her in so much pain. It was over now and he had saved her – Paige’s hero. When he finished, Memphis stepped out of the shower, dried off and wrapped a towel around his waist. In the bedroom, he rummaged quietly through his drawers, looking for the t-shirts and sweatpants he had stashed. By then, Paige had fallen asleep again and his want for her to rest made him seek a resting place by way of the oversized sofa. While it wasn’t the most comfortable of places to sleep in, he’d slept in worse places. As the vestiges of sleep swirled around him, Memphis heard Paige’s voice calling to him. He popped his head up and found her staring at him with a perplexed expression. “Paige, what’s wrong?”
“Why aren’t you in bed?” She wondered if their past argument still weighed between them. Leaving wasn’t the smartest of things that she’d done, but was it really that punishable? “It fits two.” Paige tried to tease and found him smirking at the comment. “And the IV is finished.” She pointed at the bag and then jutted out her arm for him to remove the needle.
Memphis came to his feet and shuffled his way to the bedroom. He removed the needle from her arm and put the IV stand in a corner, close by if needed. When Paige pulled back the covers, he gladly slid in close to her side. Her body curled next to his and he was reminded of what he’d been missing for so many centuries. Memphis pulled her closer, his arms wrapping around her body protectively. He prayed to God that he was strong enough for this task and that she would not fall victim to any of his misguided steps.

Chapter 17 – Dark Sekret Love
O’Rabertaigh Family Home5 miles East of DunquinCounty Kerry, Ireland

“Are you still angry with me?” Curiously, Paige stared at Memphis who was sprawled out on the sofa, book in hand. Though Paige had fallen asleep, Memphis was suffering from a bout with insomnia. He remained in bed, staring up at the ceiling for nearly three hours before giving up. Annoyed, he quietly got out of bed and headed to the sofa. He’d turned on a gas lantern and took to reading a book from the small library he’d acquired throughout the centuries.
Lowering the novel, Memphis turned towards Paige and smiled. “No.” He closed the book and dropped it on the sofa before moving towards the bed. “I’m too old to hold grudges and I can’t blame you. . . The relationship between Katherine and I was complicated.” He admitted with a groan and settled on the corner of the bed, just next to Paige.
Studying him, Paige found his face to be different, exhausted. She wondered if he was as tired as she felt. “It’s just that. . .you haven’t kissed me.” It was odd to wake up with such a thought in her mind, but that is just what had happened. Weeks ago, before she had decided to sabotage their relationship, the two of them were inseparable. “We had a moment there that we could barely be alone without . . . I miss being that close.”
Memphis grinned at her hesitation, understanding the craving that her body had for his. It was natural and happened to all Immortal life mates. If they wanted each other before the Turn, the want would grow to a need so great it was hard to resist. She was right; however, he really hadn’t kissed her since waking up hours before. It was time to remedy that.
Cupping Paige’s face in his hands, Memphis leaned in and kissed her. It was meant to be slow and gentle but the moment his lips touched hers, a familiar fire began to grow. Unable to help himself, Memphis deepened the kiss, his tongue darting out to brush over her lower lip. Paige sighed into his mouth and opened to him, her tongue reaching out to caress his. Her heart was hammering a tattoo at a million miles an hour as they devoured each other. It felt as if it had been years since they touched and eagerly Memphis’s hand slipped under the robe, parting it to reveal Paige’s naked form. She sucked on his tongue, as his hands dipped between her thighs.
The moment he touched her Memphis could sense a change and it wasn’t the good type. He eased his ministrations and broke their series of kisses to find Paige gasping in pain. “Paige?” He saw the muscles of her abdomen tightening as she fought the need to curl into a fetal position. “Damnit!” Quickly, he jumped off the bed and hurried to one of the coolers. He pulled out two bags of blood which he brought to Paige. “You should have told me you were hungry.” He chastised and helped her sit up.
“This is what it feels like when your body is heavily dehydrated . . . Your organs are being attacked.” The pangs of starvation were unique to anything a mortal would ever feel. Some had equated it to contractions when giving birth. To Memphis, it felt like acid was eating its way through the circulatory system and spreading out to all of the organs in the body. Once experiencing that pain, every Immortal made sure it never happened again. “Open your mouth.” Memphis commanded intent on forcing her fangs to appear as he slashed his wrist and waved the wound under her nose. As expected, her teeth dropped down, perfect canine teeth in order to pierce the blood bag for her to drink.
Paige stared at him with horror. She wasn’t ready to drink the stuff and turned away as he offered her the bag. “Not yet. . .I’m not ready.” And didn’t really think she’d ever be, though it was likely that the metallic tasting liquid would now taste differently. “Use the IV.” She moaned as another pang of pain ricocheted from inside.
Though the IV would serve its purpose, Memphis knew that she needed blood much quicker than that. As fast as possible, he put the needle into her vein and set the contraption to a fast drip. The wound on his wrist had closed fast enough but there was still a corner that was open. He brought his wrist to her lips and nodded for her to take from him. “You did it before, Paige. And this is crucial if you want the pain to stop quickly.” Memphis was happy that she didn’t argue and braced himself as she began to suckle at his wrist. Pleasure exploded within him, much as he knew that it would. Sharing blood between life mates equated to rapture for the whole body. The feelings were exquisite and Memphis tried to calm himself before he became too excited.
Almost immediately the pain began to dissipate and Paige could feel something that felt rather good. As she hoped, the blood no longer tasted metallic but something like what she expected a fine, sweet wine to taste like. Memphis pulled his wrist away and licked the wound in order to close it. He watched Paige for a moment, noticing her eyes start to close in what he assumed was relief.
Recalling his own lack of nourishment, he went to the coolers and pulled out two bags which he made quick work of. The first thing on the agenda, after Paige was fed and feeling normal enough, was to teach her a few things, mainly how to bring forth her teeth and stop them from coming out without her consent.
Once Paige had woken, Memphis set to that very task and found, with great surprise, that she was a quick study. Not only had she mastered the movement of her new teeth, but she’d also come to realize that they could now communicate without speaking. All of those years of sharing conversations with just their eyes had come to a true fruition. While they still couldn’t read each other’s minds, if projected, a silent conversation could be had.
From that point on, they spent several days in training when Memphis suddenly suggested an outing. “How about going out for lunch?” The question, however normal it may have been at one point, just managed to shock Paige.
She arched a brow and couldn’t be more surprised if Ed McMahon suddenly knocked on the door with a Publisher’s Clearing House cheque. “You’re letting me out?”
Memphis chuckled and shook his head. “You aren’t a prisoner, Paige.” Though, at times, he may have treated her as such. It wasn't his intention, of course. He only wanted to make sure she healed properly. “There’s a nice restaurant in town.”
Paige’s mouth watered in anticipation for restaurant food. Both of them had been on an all liquid diet since her turn. Their trips to the city had normally been late at night when only one or two patrons were left stumbling out of pubs. It was the easiest way to teach someone to feed - attack those that were least likely to resist. With Paige’s feminine wiles and gorgeous smile, even her first time out had landed her a willing candidate. Memphis controlled his mind while she fed, knowing Paige was still too early in her Turn to feed and control all at once - that was possibly the most difficult aspect of being Immortal.

1405 LocalHalf Door RestaurantDingle, County KerryIreland

Though she’d seen Memphis eat countless times in various restaurants, Paige still wasn’t quite sure that she could stomach regular food. That was until she stepped into the quaint restaurant and was assaulted with so many different smells that her mouth was watering. The restaurant was something like she’d envisioned when thinking about Ireland – intimate, with stone and wood walls, old pots and pans hanging from an area in the center near the kitchen. “Thank you.” She’d told Memphis and planted a soft kiss on his lips as gratitude.
They had ordered similar plates, each filled with various forms of seafood, which was the restaurant’s specialty. Paige savoured her meal and the explosion of flavour that she was more attuned to with her new senses. Over lunch, they chatted about nothing in particular, mostly over the Dingle Peninsula which was absolutely beautiful. Sighing happily, Paige leaned back and grinned. “I thought I wouldn’t ever be able to eat regular food again.”
“You’ve seen me eat.” Memphis said and then recalled that he’d worried about the same thing. After spending days on a liquid diet, it wasn’t difficult to forget that there were other pleasures in life. “Some of us do stop eating entirely.” Memphis confessed and shrugged, “I did for a while, but I find I rather like a good meal.”
“Why did you stop eating?”
Memphis sighed and shook his head. That aspect of his life was one that he rather not get into. Some of the memories were fuzzy and others were just a little too well remembered. “When you go rogue you just don’t consider things like that anymore. It’s the blood that really drives us. . .And it drove me.”
Reaching across the table, Paige placed her hand over his and squeezed. “Hey, that’s over. You have me now and I’m going to make sure nothing like that happens to you again.” She wasn’t sure how exactly to keep that promise, but she was going to try.
After lunch, Memphis had made a stop at several stores, purchasing much needed clothing and food. Though it was not a particularly sunny day, Paige’s body needed to learn to cope with even the most minimal of sunlight, a trait she would acquire with time. Deciding to stock up on their liquid nutrition, Memphis stepped into the community hospital and ‘convinced’ the nurse on staff that he was there to collect the blood bags that were close to expiration. The woman had taken the bags and placed them in a large cooler and then handed them over to Memphis who then erased her mind and the minds of anyone else that had spotted them.
“So, are we going to go out again sometime?” Paige asked expectantly when Memphis drove the Land Rover onto the small patch of dying grass that he’d designated as the driveway. He put the car in park and killed the engine. “To see the town, I mean.” She frowned at the thought of feeding off of another person. Taking Memphis’s blood was one thing but stalking someone else like prey was an entirely different matter. Paige supposed that he would take her out to feed a few times until she mastered the art of controlling minds.
Memphis was starting to get a bit of cabin fever himself. “We can, just as long as we pack extra blood for you. . . Soon enough you’ll be able to handle the sun just like I do. Thankfully, that doesn’t take centuries to learn, you just need to finish healing.” As he understood, all turned Immortals took on the exact same strand of virus as their sire. That being the case, just like Memphis, Paige would be able to withstand sunlight better than most.
While all Immortals could go out in the daylight, most couldn’t stand the direct mid-day sun and chose to either step out later in the day or gorge themselves on blood before stepping out. Noticing the skies start to darken, Memphis motioned for Paige to step out of the car. “C’mon, I want to show you something.”
Once outside, he took her hand and guided her through a small path that traversed heavy green foliage which Memphis had purposely allowed to grow out of control. His family home had been built just adjacent to a great hill which helped block most of the cold air that came off of the coastline. The overgrowth of shrubbery and trees helped to mask his home away from prying eyes. “Where are you taking me. . .Oh!” Paige exclaimed when they had passed most of the green vegetation which opened up to show jagged, bright green hills and the angry seas of the Atlantic Ocean.
The view was the sort of thing one would only see on a postcard. A majestic coastline and rolling green hills combined with the darkening skies to form a scene that truly was breathtaking. “I really wanted to show Ireland to you that one time we were here.” He said softly as he stood behind Paige and wrapped his arms around her. “The Real Ireland, not the bustle of the city.” He stared out with her and breathed in the smell of the sea. “I used to spend hours out here when I was a boy. . .I was always curious what was out there.” He motioned out to the sea, still in surprise at what became of his life and where it had all led him. He should have died several times over but, somehow, he’d survived.
Paige wrapped her arms around his own and leaned back against him, craving his warmth. “This is beautiful. . .Kind of makes me forget about everything else.”
“Mmmm.” He agreed and bent down to press a kiss on her shoulder and another on the nape of her neck. “We should get back, it’s about to start. . .” Memphis barely got the sentence out before fat drops of rain began to pelt the area. “. . .raining.”
Laughing, the pair ran back through the trees and shrubs, weaving their way through the path until it ended right next to the cottage. “C’mon!” Paige urged but then stopped to find Memphis headed towards a stump a few feet in front of the Land Rover. “Memphis?”
“Go inside, Paige, I forgot to chop wood for the fireplace.” Annoyed, he took the axe that was stuck in the stump and grabbed a piece of wood that was in a covered stack nearby.
“Damnit.” He cursed, wishing that the weather would have held up until his task was done. Memphis had made quick work of several logs which he dumped into a wheel barrow and carted to the entrance of the home. Taking an armful of logs, he pushed the door open and then was stopped dead in his tracks just in front of the fireplace.
Turning slightly, he spotted Paige lying on the bed wearing nothing more than a bra and panties. His mind immediately turned to fog and he dropped the logs without caring where they fell. She was on her side, haphazardly draped across varying pillows and the heavy comforter. “Are you trying to seduce me?”
“That’s exactly what I was going for . . . It didn’t turn out too well last time, but I just had two bags of blood and I’m feeling pretty good.” She grinned conspiringly at him. She was watching him through the window. He’d taken off his jacket allowing him to slice through each hunk of wood without restriction. Seeing him in the rain, muscles rippling under a wet t-shirt, had done things to her body. As much as she wanted him, Paige really hoped that this attraction had an ‘off’ button. The last thing she needed was to face Memphis in court while turned on. Especially with the way he was looking at her now, as if she were a feast.
Memphis ripped off his wet shirt and tossed it to the side, then tugged off his jeans and moved slowly towards the bed. He loved the way her eyes devoured him and noted them shifting to the more interesting part of his anatomy which was already twitching with desire. Crawling on the bed, he slipped between her thighs, his cold body making her shiver. “Warm me up?”
“Absolutely.” Paige kissed him and wrapped her legs around his waist.
They made love passionately, their mouths rarely leaving each other’s skin as they moved together. When their climax neared, Memphis bit into the top swell of her breast drinking deeply as blood bubbled to the surface. Don’t stop.” Paige begged, pressing his head against her chest as the tension of pleasure vibrated between them. Memphis could feel her need for release and offered his wrist for her to take in her mouth. Instinctively, she did so and plunged her teeth into his flesh. He felt Paige tighten around him, her nails scraping the flesh of his arms as she screamed out with her final release. Exhausted, Memphis rolled off and pulled Paige so that she was draped over his chest. Soon they were both asleep.
Hours later, the lack of fire was inviting a slight chill into the room. It was Memphis that felt it first, his body shivering as he reached for the covers but they had fallen to the floor. Annoyed, he raised his head up and glanced around, surprised to find the other side of the bed empty. Shaking the vestiges of sleep from his head, his eyes followed the soft light which pointed him to the bathroom. Grumbling, he stumbled out of bed and followed, finding Paige fiddling with the old water heater. “Sneaking up on me won’t work, Rabb.” She said with a start and turned to find Memphis rooted in place. Chuckling, she turned to him and inched up to kiss him. “I was getting a little cold and decided to draw a bath.”
Memphis turned to the tub, finding heat swirling off of the water. He’d never really used the thing for himself, other than for showers. “Join me?” She asked and Memphis found himself unable to resist.
They settled at opposite ends of the tub, enjoying the warmth of the water as it relaxed their weary bodies.
“Not every Immortal works for The Collective do they?” Paige asked suddenly. The query had made Memphis’s head snap up in surprise. He’d offered to answer questions but her overwhelming situation had left her rather at a loss for words.
“Nope. You have to be chosen.” Memphis was never certain as to why he was chosen. Besides the fact that he had eluded The Collective for years, he wasn’t ‘warrior’ material, or so he thought until the training had started. He found he had a knack for catching bad guys. “Some of us actually want to work for The Collective but that doesn’t mean you’d get chosen to do the job. Hunters, especially. We don’t just pick whoever to join. There’s a process and much disciplined training.”
“So you can’t just fill out an application.” She grinned.
Memphis chuckled. “Nope. . . And then you have vampires like me, who have both a mortal and immortal job. That can get very tricky.”
“How do you do it? How do you find the time?” She’d been curious about that very fact from the moment she’d followed him as he stalked a vampire in Washington DC.
“For the most part, The Collective knows where all of its Enforcers are at any given time. For us with a permanent residence, they send us off to areas that are a quick plane ride away from our current location. They try to make sure that we can make it back in time for the next workday.”
“What happens if you’re TAD?” She had reason to suspect that he’d been sent to hunt while they’d been away on investigations.
“I need to let them know where we’re headed and if something comes up, I take care of it.”
“That would explain why you’ve been too tired or busy to go to dinner when we’re away?” Paige recalled numerous occasions when he’d declined joining her for dinner while away on investigations. There was even a time when he’d faked feeling sick and was not in his hotel room when Paige went to check on him.
Memphis nodded. “It wasn’t like I could tell you.” He’d lamented that fact over and over again even remembering how he’d ruined Christmas for the both of them some years ago. “You remember that Christmas Eve when Chloe hid in the elevator at JAG?”
Paige grinned and shook her head. “Of course I do.” Thankfully, the girl had matured and was turning into a wonderful young woman. She supposed having a family did that to those who had lost their way like Chloe had.
“I know you wanted to spend Christmas with me.” He’d seen it in her eyes, the hope of not having to spend the holiday alone, but his duties had called him away. “I wasn’t trying to find someone else to spend it with.”
“What about all of those girls you were calling?” At that point she was wondering where she stood in his life. Hadn’t they gone through enough in nearly three years for him to, at least, see her as more than just one of the guys?
Memphis snorted and shook his head. “I needed you to believe that I was unavailable and make sure you wouldn’t just drop by my apartment. If you thought I was on a date. . .”
“You know, I was going to ask you over. . .I’d hoped that maybe we could have. . .” She trailed off, trying to remember what she felt for him then. Paige wasn’t surprised to realize that she loved him, just as she did now. “Maybe it was stupid to think that the magic of Christmas, or whatever, would have made you want me but . . .”
Sliding forward, Memphis reached over and placed a hand on her cheek. “Paige, I did want you . . .I have wanted you for a long time.”
“It’s good to know my feelings weren’t one-sided.” And even better to know that he reciprocated those feelings with the same fervour that she felt. All in all, it had worked out, thankfully. Leaning forward, she brushed a kiss over his lips. “I love you, Memphis.”
Approximately half an hour later, Memphis stepped out of the bathroom, leaving Paige to relax while he planned dinner. He dressed quickly and shivered at the cold still seeping into the small building. The unpredictable Irish weather had turned and with it, Memphis could sense an unseasonable cool air that was coming off the ocean. He decided on something hearty and warm, deciding that a soup would be best. As he stepped out into the main room of the tiny home, he felt the hairs in the back of his neck perk up.
An eerie darkness settled over the stone home whose only light was that of a small lantern over the kitchen sink which he had not turned on. His eyes adjusted quickly and settled on a figure that was standing behind the closed door. “Who are you?”
The figure stepped out of the shadows and moved to the light of the lantern. A familiarity became apparent as the figure turned so that Memphis could clearly see his face. If it were another place and time, Memphis would have been glad for the unannounced visit.
“Memphis?” He heard Paige question behind him and quickly, Memphis threw his hand out to stop her from approaching.
“Stay back, Paige.” Memphis’s fangs dropped into place and his eyes turned to a deep black. He kept Paige behind him as he circled around the kitchen table. “No. . .You aren’t going to take her.” He pointed at the intruder and growled menacingly. “You can’t take her away from me.” His body tensed, ready to strike if the other man should come closer.

Chapter 18 – Thorns In Every Rose.
O’Rabertaigh Family Home5 miles East of DunquinCounty Kerry, Ireland

“Lucas!” Paige sounded genuinely happy to see their friend and really didn’t understand why Memphis was holding her back. “Memphis?”
“Stay away from him, Paige.” Memphis kept her behind him in hopes that, in case Lucas should strike, he would have the ability to defend her. Lucas was not a fighter but, like most vampires, could hold his own if required. “You can’t do this to me, Lucas. Not after all I’ve done for you.”
The man held his hands up defensively. “I’m here only as a messenger. Seth wants to see you, both of you.” He may have come as a messenger but he was also given the right to use force, something that he wasn’t comfortable with. “Did you really think you could just hide away from him?” Lucas asked and remained where he was standing. Although strong, none of his efforts at battle would be enough to stop Memphis’s attack.
“Memphis, you know I’m on your side with this.” The news had been a great blow for Lucas. First, he had been busy trying to put away the rapist from Paige’s case and second, he wasn’t willing to comply with the Collective, and possibly, get both Memphis and Paige killed. In the end, he knew he had no choice. “I wasn’t going to say anything, but Seth read it from me.” Lucas truly looked upset at that fact and said with disgust, “You should have never told me about this place. I’m a liability to you.”
“I only told you about this place in case you were in danger. . .It’s as off the Collective’s grid as possible.” Relaxing a bit, Memphis slid his fangs back into place and released his hold on Paige. He motioned at the table and waved for his friend to come forward. “Take a seat.” Memphis waited for Lucas to sit and then pulled a stool around to settle into so he could offer a chair for Paige. The two men sat staring at each other, Lucas looking decidedly worried.
“How long are they giving me?” Unless requested immediately, Memphis would take his time and double his efforts to train Paige before having to meet other vampires. She needed to learn to guard her thoughts from them, especially older vampires who weren’t too fond of his past exploits.
“Two weeks. He said that would be sufficient time for you to wrap up what you’re doing.” Lucas hesitated slightly and then said in a rush, “You need to bring Paige to him.”
“Him who?” Paige asked, starting to feel like the third wheel. She wasn’t fond of all the posturing men could do. As far as Lucas was concerned, she was quite sure that she could kick his ass if needed. Vampire or not, Bubbleheads just couldn’t stand a chance to Marine training.
Lucas turned to Paige in surprise and then he turned back to stare at Memphis. “I thought you told her about Seth.”
“Ah, him. Yeah, Memphis’s mentioned him a time or two. He leads the Collective, right?” At least, that is what Memphis had told her though she often wondered how convoluted that story was. It was obvious to her that no vampire lived without some labyrinth of a life.
“Seth is a born Immortal and one of the oldest vampires in existence. He was a Pharaoh during Egypt’s second dynasty.”
Paige stared at him as if he’d grown two heads. While Memphis’s age had been a shock at one point, she hadn’t really considered that vampires could live thousands of years. “That would mean that he’s thousands of years old. Jesus.” She sat silently for a moment, trying to absorb the concept of time, or lack there of. She’d been in Egypt before and got a quick glance at the pyramids without the availability to see them up close. To think that there was someone alive that lived in that period was truly shocking. “Did he know Katherine? Is that why you don’t want to take me to him?”
Memphis opened his mouth to speak and then shut it quickly. He brought his hand up and scrubbed his face. Lucas was right, they couldn’t hide away forever. “Paige. . .Katherine was Seth’s only daughter.”
“That’s not something I really wanted to hear.” She stated suddenly, her face falling with the news. It finally became clear as to why Memphis had done his best to keep her away from his affairs – he was afraid that her likeness to Katherine would be seen as something more than it really was – a coincidence. “What’s going to happen to me?”
“I don’t know.” Memphis admitted on a sigh. “I also created you without his permission though they are sometimes lenient when it comes to the death of an innocent victim. And you were an innocent victim in all of this.” Besides his own fears over falling in love with a woman that was a copy of his lost love, Memphis knew that others would see Paige and immediately want to probe at the meaning. “I swear, Paige, nothing will happen to you.”
“I guess we’ll see.” She said sadly and then turned to Lucas. “So, how’s my case going?” Paige hoped that the man would hold some good news in the shade of all of the current unpleasantness surrounding them. There was no way that Kudrow could be set free and Paige knew that Lucas was as zealous about that as she was. “That bastard has to be put away forever.”
Lucas glanced down at his hands nervously as he said, “The Collective called me away before we could even step into the courtroom. I put into the Judge’s head to issue a continuance. I know how important this case is to you and I wasn’t ready to push it onto someone else. Not even Roberts.” He said with a frown. “The last news I received was that the prosecution found a few people to speak on Kudrow’s behalf. I’m not sure if they are trying to claim insanity or if they are planning to vouch that he was somewhere else when the assaults took place. I’m sorry, Paige.” The Collective had a nasty habit of requesting things at the most inopportune moments.
As of late, Paige seemed to have the worst luck in cases, but while the others had been petty at best, this was one of the most important cases of her career. “When you get back do what you can to put him away and if it doesn’t work, we’ll appeal.” Even if she had to go against Memphis’s ethical principals regarding an immortal’s gifts, Paige would make sure that Kudrow was behind bars.

Two And A Half Weeks Later1310 LocalThe ChâteauLoir-et-CherFrance

The two weeks following Lucas’ news had become somewhat of a boot camp of sorts for Paige. Gone was any form of romantic interaction between her and Memphis. It made it difficult not to be angry. She knew he was only trying to protect her but hated his methods. The way that Memphis could shut off his emotions and pretend that they were nothing more than friends always disturbed her. It reminded Paige of the elicit kiss that they’d shared during her engagement party and the nothingness that had ensued afterwards. Even the long trip to France had been a silent one.
Crossing through the countryside they passed many small homes, farm houses and even a few large Châteaus until Memphis veered off to a dirt road with no discernable signs. The tires of their rental car crunched on the uneven surface and a ten minute ride seemed to go on forever until the car was swallowed up by a dense forest and stopped in front of a set of thick iron fences. Looking left and right, Paige noted a ten foot high stone wall with iron points at the very top to stop any intruders.
There were no guards or security of any sort except for a closed keypad which extended from a metal pipe that ran into the ground. Memphis opened the keypad box, punched several keys and then pressed his finger to a small plate at the bottom. He winced as a needle shot up and drew a bit of his blood and then waited patiently. “This system was invented twenty years ago. It basically tests and matches our blood and fingerprints with people who are allowed in the property. You also have to enter in a secret alphanumeric code.” He explained and rapped his fingers anxiously on the steering wheel as he waited for entrance.
Minutes later, a loud beep sounded from the machine before a light turned green, signalling that it was safe to enter. Then the gates parted and Memphis drove pass, still engulfed in the dense forest that served as a perimeter for the 2,000 acres which the property stood on. “You need to be on your guard here.”
“I figured as much.”
“No. . . The Chateau is big, there will be a lot of immortals there that knew Katherine and might find it odd that you look like her.” He hated having to remind her of the resemblance but knew that it was for Paige’s own good. Memphis was quite certain that Katherine’s kin would not take kindly to her. “Her brothers especially . . .All but one of them hate me. . .They think I could have stopped the attack on her.”
Paige hesitated a moment and then asked, “Could you?”
“As much as I blame myself for not doing more . . .We were blindsided and I wasn’t a warrior then.” He hated to admit it but Katherine had him as more of a love slave than a husband. It was amazing to him how finding Paige had started to cloud his judgment of Katherine. He was seeing things now, little things that didn’t seem right. But then, he’d been young, impressionable and sheltered during his life with her.
Memphis held his breath as they drove pass the trees and found the clearing which opened up to a large, gothic looking building. The term “large” was an understatement and he heard Paige gasp as her eyes took in the sight. “When you said Château I was expecting a large mansion in the woods not a. . .” Her eyes slid over the building and its five stories of grandeur. “. . .small city.”
Built in the 1400s, the Château had been the creation of Seth himself as a means of establishing a home base for his family and The Collective itself. The façade was absolutely intricate and specific details had been taken into consideration to the ornate decor of the building’s roofscape which looked like a city line with several rooftops extending skyward. There were six turrets, four in the front of the Château which extended upwards to spires. The other two, at the rear of the home. A wall ran along the perimeter, making the rear side of the Château appear more like a fortification.
To the right and up, at the end of a well maintained dirt road was a small home as well as another road which led to the stables and garages in the rear. “With over 400 rooms, yeah, I would say this place is a small city.”
Paige expected to see several people bustling about but her first sign of life was that of the man waiting expectantly at the front door. “Doesn’t look like there are too many people here.”
Memphis shrugged. “People come and go. For the most part, Seth and his family live here as well as some of our hunters and their families. I lived here with Katherine for around fifty years or so.” And the year that they moved out Katherine was killed.
“I’ve never asked, what year did she die?”
He remained silent for so long that Paige thought he’d never answer. As Memphis pulled the car to a stop he finally said, “1622 on the night of my 400th birthday.”
“Memphis!” As they stepped out of the vehicle a man looking to be in his mid-20s stepped forward and took Memphis in a bear hug. He was attractive with light brown hair, ice blue eyes and a stocky build. While not as tall as Memphis, the man certainly was taller than Paige. When he turned her way, she saw him freeze for a moment, his eyes scanning over her body in a peculiar fashion. He looked as if he’d seen a ghost.
His scrutiny, however, was still unpleasant and she became very aware that this man was likely one of Katherine’s family. “I would have thought this was impossible if I hadn’t seen it with my own two eyes.” He stepped towards Paige and extended his hand in greeting. “I’m Michael but I prefer to be called Mike.”
Politely, Paige placed her hand in his and nearly snatched it back when he turned it over and placed a kiss on her knuckles. “Paige Harlot, you can call me Paige.”
Once Mike released her hand, he remained standing in place still gawking at her as if expecting a trick. “I’m sorry for staring but you look like. . .” Trailing off he turned to Memphis and raised his hands in defence, “How is this possible?”
“I don’t know.” Memphis confessed and cast a jaundiced eye towards Paige’s direction. He was convinced that she and Katherine shared nothing more than the same face and yet, in this ancient setting, even he was having trouble forgetting the past. “Where are we staying?” He moved around to the trunk of the vehicle and pulled out two duffle bags and the one cooler which had made the trip with them.
Michael motioned to his left at the small home which sat about forty yards away from the Château. “In the manor house.” He shouldered one of the bags and motioned for the pair to follow. “I told father it might be a bit weird for you to stay there but he insisted, saying that you and Paige might be more comfortable.” All of Seth’s children, except Michael, had always taken offence at their father’s blatant attempts at making Memphis feel like part of the family. It had all been for naught when Katherine’s death put a wedge between the two men. To say that Memphis hated the man was an understatement. “Memphis and Kath lived here for a while.” The younger man stated and continued the trek until they reached the front of the manor house. “The maid filled the refrigerator with food and blood. You guys can relax today; Father won’t be here until sometime tomorrow. Show Paige around. I’m sure she’d love to see the main house.” He suggested and then handed his burden over to Memphis. “Here you go. I’ll go put your car in the garage.”
He started walking back and then stopped and turned around. “He doesn’t hate you. . .Though I can’t say the same for my brothers but, dad’s never hated you.” Getting no response, he shrugged at his efforts and hurried back to the vehicle.
Memphis pushed open the front door and then paused as the familiar scent from the house took him back in time. He hadn’t actually been back to the small home since 1621 and all of his subsequent visits for Enforcer related affairs usually found him staying somewhere in town. He really hadn’t wanted to spend more time in The Château than needed.
Paige stepped inside and glanced around. The manor house was much bigger than Memphis’s cottage in Ireland. In that room alone was a full kitchen with a modern day oven, microwave and all of the conveniences of the century. To the left was a living room with a large television set which was mounted over the mantle of the fireplace. On the right a dinning table which was surely able to accommodate six people rather comfortably. “What’s upstairs?” She motioned to the spiral staircase and headed up before Memphis could say differently.
At the top she stepped into a bedroom approximately the size of the first floor. She moved further into the room gawking at the elegance of the home. The bed was a large four-poster bed with the proper curtains tied against the posts. The comforter was deep red velvet which matched the throw pillows on the seating area near the window. A door just next to the stairs leaded to a bathroom double sinks, a very large shower and also a Jacuzzi tub which sat to the corner. While it was all very beautiful and offered the conveniences of home, Paige had grown quite in love with the cottage and the bare necessities. It was definitely a treat not to have any distractions while she and Memphis were alone together. “Seth has always been big on keeping up with modern technology.”
Memphis walked to the desk in the seating area and opened up the main drawer to point out a computer monitor, keyboard and mouse. “I haven’t actually been in here since the year before Katherine died. Michael kept me up to date on the new amenities.” He shrugged and closed the desk up. “You’re a little more in touch with civilization here.”
Walking up to him, Paige wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down for a kiss. She was surprised when his arms wrapped around her. “When we’re done here, I want to go back.”
“Okay, there’s no reason to hide you away anymore.” As much as he wanted to go back to a normal life with Paige, he rather liked keeping her to himself.
She shook her head and grinned conspiringly. “Not to Washington, back to the cottage. . . Back to just you and I.”
He couldn’t help but smile at her words and his arms tightened around her waist. There was nothing more that he wanted than to spend more time with her at his ancestral home. “As much as I would love that, we have to go back to Washington, Paige. . .I just didn’t really realize it until now. I have to finish what I started there. You’re not in danger, not from whom I thought would try to hurt you. . . We can go to the cottage any time you want but, now, we need to wrap things up here so that we can go home and you can prosecute that bastard. . . I made Lucas promise to delay as much as possible until I can get you back to take over the case.”
Paige was touched that he’d considered her want to prosecute Kudrow. They weren’t mortals anymore and definitely weren’t held to the same standards but if she could take one more bad man off of the streets, it would all be worth it. “Thank you.” Grinning, Memphis began moving forward, forcing Paige backwards towards the bed. “What do you think you’re doing?”
“I know I’ve been a bit of an ass these couple of weeks. I just needed to know that you could hold your own out here.” He said and finished with a kiss which trailed down to her collar bone. Memphis turned his head and began to kiss and nibble on the delicate skin of her neck. Paige’s body shivered and she pressed herself against him urging him to continue. They hadn’t been intimate since before Lucas arrived and that lack of closeness was torture. “I want you.” Memphis whispered softly and didn’t wait for an answer as they toppled into bed together.
A short while later Paige lay on her side, watching Memphis with curiosity as he glanced up at the ceiling. Their love making had an almost desperate edge to it and she wondered if there was some hidden meaning to that. Gently, she ran a hand down his face, outlining the contours with her fingers. Taking her hand, Memphis pressed the palm to his lips. “I didn’t think you’d want to make love while we were here.” She said softly and blushed at the admission. “I mean, you lived here with Katherine. . .I thought it would be uncomfortable for you.”
Memphis turned to his side to glance at her. Since stepping inside the home, he’d wanted to forget about his past but he knew it was impossible. The next best thing was to make new memories. Good memories. “The years that we were here weren’t the best. We were living in Italy in the mid 1500s and decided to flee when the Roman inquisition came calling. We moved around for years until Seth managed to get word out that he needed Katherine to come home.” During the 51 years that Katherine and Memphis lived at The Château, only 49 of them were spent in the manor house. “He built this little home for us at Katherine’s request. She was used to being on her own, unlike her brothers who had stayed to help Seth. I guess she wanted a place that was close to home but afforded us some privacy.”
“How many brothers does she have?”
“Four, Michael which is the youngest, he was only eighteen when we first came here in 1570. Peri, short for Per Ibsen who was born sometime in 700 bc when Seth found his life mate, Kiya.” He smiled at the word and then saddened at the same time, the woman who had captured Seth’s heart had died while giving birth to Michael. She was a charming woman and a person whom Memphis loved to discuss history with. Her death had affected him just as much as her children. “Around 100 BC, the twins Alexander and Gabriel were born and then Katherine in 205 AD.”
Paige furled her brow in consideration. There had been a huge gap between the birth of Seth’s children as well as an extreme difference in their names. “Why did they wait so long between each kid?”
Memphis shrugged. “Some of us don’t even have kids. You can try and try and try but never get pregnant; I think that’s the story with all of us – kind of like God keeping tabs so that vampires don’t over populate our food source.” As macabre as that sounded, it was the most plausible of ideas. “I never really got along with Katherine’s older brothers. I think it’s a guy thing; you really aren’t comfortable with anyone who dates your sister. Seth didn’t help either. Since Katherine was his little girl, he bent over backwards to make sure that we were both happy.” In fact, Memphis hadn’t realized just how much Seth preferred him to his sons until just that very moment.
“When we first moved here it was so exciting to me.” He recalled and smiled at the memories of being able to run, with reckless abandon, up and down the fields surrounding the property. Even after all these years, Memphis never forgot his mortal illness which prevented him from doing such things. Seth had offered to train Memphis and Michael in the art of sword fighting, something that his sons had declined in favour of more modern weaponry. It had been Memphis’s first taste of battle and he was found to be a quick study. “I had some of the best days of my life here and then. . .Katherine was pregnant, things slowed down, we were more careful.” But even being careful couldn’t prevent what was bound to happen, “One day we were coming home from horse riding and I find Michael absolutely freaking out. Katherine had miscarried while she was asleep and nearly died from the blood loss. 21 years we spent here while she dealt with the grief of losing our son until she just couldn’t handle spending time with her family anymore. So we left, and the rest you know.” He sighed deeply, wishing he could force certain parts of his past out of mind. Some things were just harder to forget than others.
“I’m sorry that you went through all of that, Memphis. I wish I could make it better for you but I know that I can’t.” Paige knew that being with Memphis meant that there was a lot of baggage that she’d need to help him carry. She was ready for it now though still felt a pang of jealousy at how the past with Katherine still affected him.
Memphis wrapped his arms around her and pulled Paige closer so that his body was touching hers. “I know it’s hard to trust me when there’s so much to my life. I love you, Paige.” He chucked at his own thoughts and then said out loud, “With her, I never felt equal. I don’t know if it was me and my lack of knowledge of the world at the time, but with her I sometimes felt like she was superior to me. . .With you, I feel like we’re equals, despite my age.” He couldn’t explain it but he had sensed it from the moment they met, Paige was someone who would stand by his side, not in front of him or behind him. “I love that we can argue about things and come to the same resolution at the end. . .And I love that you can defend yourself and that you’re tough as nails. . .I love how sexy you are when I look at you and your body blushes all over like it’s doing now.”
Memphis’s voice had dipped to a low, seductive timbre. He slipped a hand under the sheets partially covering her body and moved from her arm down to her hip bone. “I love the way your body forms perfectly to mine when we make love.” His body covered her own then and Paige’s legs parted to accommodate his body against her own. They kissed wildly and passionately, Paige sucking at his tongue while his hands roved over her excited flesh.
Releasing his mouth, Paige plunged her fangs into his shoulder, the mixture of pain and pleasure so intense that it nearly blinded Memphis as he plunged into her. They made love at a frantic pace, Paige matching his movement until she felt his own fangs pierce her flesh. It didn’t take long for both of them to black out, spent and sated.

Chapter 19 – Endless Dark
0820 LocalThe Chateau

Memphis awoke with a start as he heard someone stepping into the bedroom. He whirled his head towards the door, ready to pounce until he spotted Paige carrying in a tray. “Paige? What’s the matter?”
“Why does anything have to be the matter?” She said and settled the tray on the empty side of the bed. “Can’t I make you breakfast in bed? You’ve been taking care of me for the last few weeks; I had to return the favour.”
“What time is it?” He asked, and then pulled himself up to a sitting position, accepting the tray she handed him. She took a plate off of the tray and settled in next to him.
Paige thought for a second and then said, “8:21 local. . . My internal clock has been a few more seconds off than usual since you turned me.” She figured it was all of the time that she spent unconscious as well as the difference in time zone. Nevertheless, the accuracy was almost perfect and she could live with that. Taking a mug of coffee, she took a sip and motioned for him to do the same. “I made it like you usually drink it, six teaspoons of sugar and a quarter cup of cream.” She made a face at his form of coffee and then shivered. “I swear, it tastes more like maple syrup than it does coffee.”
Memphis took a peek at the vast darkness in her mug and snorted, “Better than lighter fluid. Thank God this stuff can’t kill me; whenever you or Shawn make coffee I’m afraid that my kidneys might need dialysis.” He joked but was on the money, at least with Shawn’s Seal coffee which could probably be used as jet fuel. And then there was Tiner who had forgotten, on more than one occasion, that the coffee machine required a filter. Shaking his head, Memphis took a fork and cut off a piece of the omelette that Paige had made.
“How is it?” She asked after swallowing a bit herself, deciding that it was light, fluffy and delicious.
For many years the pair had joked about their cuisine, Paige comparing everything to his meatless meatloaf and Memphis couldn’t forget when they’d been working on a case in the living room and she’d nearly burnt her kitchen down. To be fair, the woman could cook, just chose not to. She’d explained once that it was rather boring to cook for oneself and it was just easier to pop something in the microwave. But if there was one thing Paige was very fond of, it was breakfast. He’d found it cute when they’d gone to an all-day breakfast place in Texas and while he was having a salad, she was eating through one hefty stack of buttermilk pancakes.
He’d never really been a big eater and was sated rather quickly; Paige on the other hand, savoured her food like she did her life. Her homemade breakfast was definitely some of the cuisine which he preferred. “It’s great though not as good as those homemade waffles.” He grinned her way, hoping that she’d get the hint.
Chuckling, she waved her fork at him. “No waffle iron here, but I can make some pancakes and just use a similar batter.” Memphis had driven her crazy the day that she’d decided to treat him to Harlot’s Wonderful Waffles, as he’d dubbed him. He’d been trying to swipe the recipe since. “And no, I’m not giving you the recipe, don’t ask.”
“Well, we’re going to be together for a very long time, eventually I’ll figure it out.”
Paige shook her head. “Not a chance.” She missed their banter and the fun that they used to have. Thankfully, that part of their relationship survived intact. Life was too boring sometimes to not have a little fun.
Once they were done with breakfast, Memphis took the tray downstairs and set the plates and glasses in the dishwasher. He was amused at the irony of staying at such an old establishment with such modern conveniences. He glanced around, spotting paintings and decorations all picked by Katherine, including the dinning table. Her presence was making the home feel tiny, almost claustrophobic. As much as he wanted to forget her, the memories would always be there.
“You’re thinking about her, aren’t you?” Paige slipped an arm around him and snuggled close to his side. Staring out of the kitchen window she could see The Château standing there majestically in the morning light. “You have history here. I can’t blame you for thinking of her.” Even though Paige understood, it didn’t mean she was pleased by it. She didn’t like being someone’s doppelganger, nor the looks that Michael had given her. If Memphis’s warnings were any indication, she’d be the recipient of many other strange looks as the days progressed.
For now, Memphis didn’t want to consider their likeness or the up coming meeting with Seth. He just wanted to spend time with her and forget the past. Taking her hand, Memphis pulled her towards the steps. “Let’s go back to bed. No one here has a mortal job so they keep Immortal hours. They won’t be up until 5 or 6 tonight.”
“Right, like we’re going to get any sleep.” She said, laughing when Memphis took the steps two at a time.

1748 LocalThe ChateauLoir-et-CherFrance

“Close your mouth, you’ll let flies in.” Memphis whispered to Paige as they stood inside the great room of the Château. The walls were a white stone, stretching upwards to fifteen foot arched ceilings. Within each section there were small squares etched into the stone, inside each a coat of arms and the famous fleur-de-lis. The floors were another kind of stone, beautifully maintained and polished to a mirror shine. In the center of the room was a great staircase that went straight up the center and broke off to the two separate wings of the home. On the main landing was a beautiful stained glass window with a multitude of colours that shined from the rays of the setting sun.
From the steps descended a man dressed in khaki pants with a long sleeved blue shirt. He seemed to be in his late twenties and had jet black hair, dark eyes and facial features that seemed to be chiselled by an artist. “Memphis.” His greeting wasn’t friendly and if the slack of his jaw meant a thing, it was clear that this mad did not like Memphis.
“Peri.” Memphis regarded the man in the same fashion. “Where’s your father?”
If Peri had a problem with Paige’s likeness to Katherine, he didn’t show it except for a slight twinge which was barely noticeable. Speaking with Michael had prepared him somewhat, but having her so in reach, he was fighting the desire to cry with joy. “In his office. He wants to see you, alone.” He stepped off the stairs and walked right to Paige, his hand shaking as he extended it in greeting. “You must be Paige.”
Paige took his hand and expected a kiss but, instead, he just held her hand for a moment while his eyes stared deep into her own. She felt a familiar movement in her mind and knew that he was trying to read her mind. Automatically, she thought of a brick wall, hoping that Memphis’s attempts at teaching her to guard her thoughts would work. Irritation flashed in his eyes as he let go of her hand. “My name is Peri. . .Would you like to me to show you around?”
She turned to Memphis seeking his approval which came in the form of a nod. “I would like that, thank you.” Confused, she stared at Memphis’s retreating form as he headed quickly up the main steps without even turning her way. The whole interaction was certainly odd and she doubted that other interactions would get better. At the very least she would try to be amicable. “Where are we going?” She followed Peri down a long hallway lined with windows that she knew had a special UV treatment.
“You’ll see.” Peri lead her through one hallway to something that resembled a foyer and then stopped at a set of double doors. “I don’t know how long they’ll be chatting, but this will give you something to do.” Opening the doors, he led her into a room that was absolutely massive. “This is the main ballroom, there’s a smaller one on the East wing.” He pointed out and flicked on a light switch.
Three massively ornate chandeliers hung from high ceilings, bathing the room in a warm glow. The wooden floors expanded out in a unique criss-cross pattern which could only be seen when standing at the entrance of the ballroom. The first two feet of the walls were wood with a moulding that spilt the wood from golden colour wallpaper that stretched to the ceiling where more moulding rounded the room. There were five massive windows, all with wispy curtains in a matching gold color. At the end of the room was a small stage where a harpsichord sat, waiting to be played. “Dear Lord, this is absolutely beautiful.”
Paige had seen ballrooms before, she and Memphis had been to several functions along with the rest of the JAG staff, but the opulence of The Château was truly one of a kind. “This looks to be frozen in time.”
Peri grinned and then took her elbow, motioning her to the center wall. “These are the family portraits. Father prefers not to have pictures. Actually, the only pictures that he does have are on a secured computer with files on all members of The Collective.”
“What’s your job title?” She asked with a raised brow and found it amusing how the man seemed to think as to how to answer. “Oh, c’mon. I’m one of you now, it’s not like I’m going to run off and tell someone. Not that anyone would believe me anyway.”
“I’m a scientist.” He said finally and followed Paige as she walked along the wall, looking at each portrait. “We do many things for our kind, including making expired blood usable again. We provide blood for mortal blood banks and even are working on various serums that would aid immortals in the mortal world.”
Paige wasn’t listening, instead she was trying to put together the century in which each portrait showed. The family was simply stunning, each person just as beautiful as the next. Then she caught an image that she was familiar with. Cocking her head to the side, she studied it knowing that a smaller version sat in the drawer of Memphis’s desk back in Washington. “Memphis and Katherine.” She whispered and moved on to find several more portraits of the pair, even one where her twin was heavy with child. Surprised, she studied that picture the longest, feeling an odd sense of pain.
“You remember that don’t you?” The voice mad her jump and she turned on her heals to face a man she hadn’t met before. He was elegant, with beautiful facial features and dark, piercing eyes. The man bore an uncanny resemblance to Peri.
“You must be Seth.”
The man held himself in check for a moment, seeming displeased that she would use such a name. He took a breath, regained his composure and smiled. “Yes. I’m Seth.”
“Do you have a last name?” Except for Memphis and Lucas, Paige had failed to hear any other immortal introduce themselves with anything more than a first name and wondered why that was.
Seth nodded, “Several, actually. Vampires don’t really care to have a last name; it just makes us easier to track. So, we create a new one every few years just to deal with business related issues.” He saw that she wasn’t terribly impressed with the idea so he offered an olive branch. “Currently, I’m Seth de Artois.”
“So you keep your first name but change the surname?” Memphis had done that, choosing some variation that was close to his ancestral name.
“Yes. Though some of our law breakers try to change their name completely in hopes of evading capture. It rarely works.” He studied Paige for a moment and appearing to be satisfied in what he saw, motioned towards the door. “I’d prefer for us to chat in my office, if you don’t mind.”
Seth was being extremely pleasant and though she didn’t want to fall into a false sense of security, Paige truly could not find something worth fearing. At least, not yet. “Only if you lead the way.” She said with a smile and followed down a separate hallway that, while grand, was not quite as ornate as the others. There were more paintings on the walls, landscapes of nature as well as more stone statues. It made Paige wonder if any of the pieces were from a famous painter like Monet or Michelangelo.
“I have a few original Monet’s.” Seth said suddenly and turned to start up a winding stone staircase. Pausing, he turned around to find Paige still at the bottom and staring at him with a perplexed expression. “Are you coming?”
“You read my mind and I didn’t even notice it.” She accused more disgusted with herself than she was at his probing. While she had defended herself against Peri, Paige could not hold her guard up at all times. It was much too difficult for newly turned vampires and something that would take years, even centuries, to master. For Memphis, guarding his thoughts was just like breathing – involuntary. Unlike breathing, if he was injured or very worried, thoughts could be sent out subconsciously, allowing for any immortal, young or old, to hear them.
Seth chuckled. “Well, it’s not like you were guarding them. . .In fact, you seem to be broadcasting your thoughts at the moment and have been since you were downstairs looking at the paintings. . .Come along, now.” He motioned for her to follow until they reached the very top which landed at the second story and another long hallway.
This part of The Chateau looked more ‘lived in’, if you enjoyed medieval appeal. A dark red rug ran the entire length of the hall. There were several doors and between each hung tapestries in all shapes and forms. Though large chandeliers hung from the ceiling, at certain intervals, Paige found sconces that were likely used to illuminate halls in the old days. She nearly bumped into Seth when he suddenly stopped and opened the fifth door on the right side. “Wow.”
Naturally, the owner’s office was meant to show his strength and power but Paige was taken by how beautiful the entire space was. The walls were mahogany that reached the ceiling and then flowed around the room in the form of crown moulding which then shot across and met in the middle. To the left was an extremely large conference table with enough chairs to sit, at least, sixteen people. Against the wall near the table were various types of warriors dress from traditional Japanese Samurai armour to chain mail all with their accompanying weapons. Turning to the right was a seating area with four leather sofas and a coffee table between them. An expanse of shelves covered with books of all types of bindings and colors ran the length of the shelves. They even offered a sliding ladder to reach the books in the upper shelves. Right in the center of the office was a large desk, behind it windows floor to ceiling windows lined the wall. Stepping forward, Paige was able to peek out and see the view of the gardens. Even with the low light from dusk, the rear area of The Château was breathtaking. The gardens were a collection of miniature hedge mazes and rose bushes in every color imaginable. The different sections pieced together to form a horticultural version of a stained glass window surrounding a large pond at its center. “Perhaps Memphis can show you the gardens later. The pathways are lit at night and though not as beautiful as in daylight, they are still worth a look.”
Paige turned to him and raised a brow in question. “Let me guess, there’s some story in those gardens, something having to do with Memphis and Katherine, right?”
Seth didn’t answer, his annoyed expression was answer enough. “Let’s move to the seating area, I’ve had the maid bring some tea and scones.”
“Thank you.” Paige eyed the tea suspiciously, deciding to forego any food until she was safe with Memphis. She was grateful when Seth took a seat across from her, leaving plenty of space between them. “How long has The Collective existed?”
While Seth had intended to be the only one asking questions, such an act required her to drink the tea which was infused with a couple of droplets of a psychotropic chemical. Throughout the years, Seth had toyed with small doses of the drug to help an immortal successfully fall into hypnosis. “Myself and seven other immortals created The Collective just after the Medieval inquisition. Around the late-1200s”
Though Memphis hadn’t been an Immortal at that time, he’d heard stories from Katherine of the vampires having to run off and leave their belongings in order to survive. It was how she’d arrived in Ireland in the first place, choosing to leave her father and brothers behind in order to survive. “Historians want to believe that it was all Religious persecution and it was, but it was more than that.”
There were secrets that were not written into any history books but the Immortals knew the stories by heart. “One of the Cardinals during that time had a priest working under him who was constantly hospitalized due to some mysterious illness. When the years went by and the priest failed to age, the Cardinal thought it a sign of Satan and began to search out others like the priest. Anyone who they found with such a condition was tortured and killed. Figuring that there was a greater chance success, that Cardinal founded a secret order meant to eradicate vampires. We don’t have a count but know that hundreds, if not thousands of vampires, were killed during that time and the other Inquisitions to follow until one of us broke through the secrets of the order and managed to steal documents that accounted nearly all of our abilities.”
History, for all of its wonders, was truly paved in blood. “Does that order still exist?”
Seth frowned. “Yes. Even today, they are the prime reason why The Collective and its Enforcers exist.” He leaned forward and reached for the teapot, pouring some of the liquid in each of the two cups on the tray. “If we find a hunter, we will kill them. No sympathy and no mercy would be given to these individuals.” He took the tea cup and slid it across the table so that it was sitting just in front of Paige. “I hope you like jasmine tea. We grow the flowers for it right on our property.” Settling back, Seth pretended to take a sip and simply spit it back into the cup.
“What is it that you want from me?” Paige finally dared to ask the question that had been burning so deeply inside. She knew who she looked like and that it would, no doubt, raise a few brows, but this need to summon her to The Château seemed more like a hidden agenda than a once over.
“You’re one of us now and the life mate of a very prominent figure in our community.” He sighed dramatically. “There are a lot of things that Memphis knows. . .things that he probably shouldn’t know. . .I want to make sure that you can keep our secrets just as well as he has.” Although the spiel had been part of his want to speak with Paige, there were more pressing matters. He watched her settle in more comfortably, the invisible weight on her shoulders less of a burden. It would have been easy to sneak into her mind and force her compliance, but Seth knew that Memphis had trained her against such an onslaught. It would then be impossible to make her forget what he had done. Instead, he was trying a different approach that would get answers just the same, if not better than a simple mind control.
He tried to hide his relief when she finally reached for the cup and took a sip. The drugs would work almost immediately and offer him, at least, five minutes of unblocked thoughts before the virus took care of its foreign guest.
Memphis had hoped to be part of Seth’s meeting with Paige and found it extremely odd to find himself seated in a large room amongst a group that he’d come to know like brothers. “When was the last time all of us were in the same room together?” He asked Gabriel, the man sitting across from him.
Gabriel and Memphis along with Beck, Octavian, Iain, William and Savin were the seven leaders of The Enforcers. Spread out in charge of different parts of the world, they were the strongest and most experienced in battle which is what awarded them such a coveted leadership position. The group followed up on the toughest vampire cases and dispatched other Enforcers when needed.
Gabriel’s green eyes seemed to come alive at the question and he furled his brow in thought, “It’s been a while. . .I was surprised you came. Last time we had to meet you in Paris.”
“We heard that you found a life mate, my friend. I’m happy for you.” Savin said in a Russian accent that had watered down through time. He was the youngest of the group, born in Moscow in the late 1500s during the reign of Tsar Ivan IV who was commonly referred to as Ivan the Terrible. “There are some pressing matters to attend to.” His scowl deepened and he reached for the glass of vodka that was on the table next to him.
The room looked much the same as Seth’s office, similar rich colors but while the office was a place of reflection, work and study, this room was created as a situation and war room. The floors were entirely made of marble with a 25ft x 25ft map of the world intricately painted right into the center of the floor. Small tables and chairs were spread out along the expanse of the room and, to the side, where the men all sat, was a small area with seven overstuffed chairs set in a circle, each with a small table next to it. In that room was a large saloon style bar that stretched across the rear wall. Alcohols of all types were available along with cigars, cigarettes and refrigerators stocked with blood.
Iain stood and made his way to the corner where his laptop sat in his bag. He pulled it out and waited for the file to be brought up before presenting it to Memphis. “Do you know him?”
A picture of a teenager, pimple faced and wearing a backwards baseball cap stared back at Memphis. Did he know him? Of course he did, the boy had been one of the most high profile marks of his career. “Ridley Matthews. I know him.”
An orphan, Ridley was dropped off at the steps of a monastery in New York when he was only three months old. No note, no information as to why his mother had done that, priests had made it their mission to raise the child. Through the years, the priests noted that Ridley had accelerated mental abilities, the boy was a genius. However, like many geniuses, his mind was flawed and filled with a penchant for violence that the priests fought hard to help him battle. It didn’t help that Ridley had the rare ability to manipulate minds, just like immortals did.
His gifted mind allowed for Ridley to skip high school entirely and was accepted to a local university at age fourteen where he met Professor Theodore “Teddy” Chikola, an economics teacher whose want to educate stemmed beyond moulding young minds. Teddy was fourth generation vampire hunter and like his father and grandfathers before him, searched for impressionable young adults to aid in their mission. Almost instantly, he’d set his eyes on Ridley.
The boy was resilient at first, unwilling to bend until Chikola showed him the proof of a vampires existence In his basement was a special room made entirely of metal. Its door had been welded shut and inside its bowels was a male vampire kept alive by small quantities of blood and the belief that, one day, he’d be released. Catching the vampire had been relatively easy, the man was newly turned and, like most young men, though that he was king of the World.
Ridley found the vampire to be nothing more than a caged animal, a play thing for his wicked thoughts. And play with him he did, often forcing the vampire to comply by way of his astute mental abilities. Once bored with the immortal, he forced the man to slash his wrist and bleed to death. His powers were fascinating and Chikola had found a new soldier for the cause.
Memphis was first notified a year and a half ago, when Seth had taken him off of several cases in order to turn his full attention towards Ridley. He was finally located in Pennsylvania and, with great effort that nearly cost him his life, Memphis managed to put the boy under his control, making him his prisoner. It had been difficult, the boy was only sixteen and Memphis battled with the demons surrounding the death of his own children. Ridley had to die, it was essential if it meant keeping everyone in The Collective safe.
In his possession, Memphis had found several documents, including the location of various Immortal homes and a partial copy of a list that had information about everyone in The Collective. The information had still been in their special written language, but Memphis was sure that a mind like Ridley’s would likely decode the information no matter how long it took. He wanted to kill the boy onsite, but was ordered to escort him to a secret holding facility located in the depths of the Arctic Circle.
The facility was a prison of sorts, used to hold immortals whose crimes warranted a punishment other than death. It had been Seth’s idea to keep Ridley alive in hopes that the boy would disclose information on The Order that could be of use to The Collective. “Why wasn’t he killed?”
Octavian snapped his head up and stared at Memphis in disbelief. “He’s just a boy.” It was difficult to voice out what he thought of the whole situation, having had children himself; he was surprised at how heartless Memphis seemed. “A boy.”“Yes, he is a boy. . . with an extraordinary mind. . .I’ve seen him do things to other immortals that we thought was impossible. . .He’s also been completely brainwashed by The Order.” All of his hard work in capturing the kid was all for naught. “How did he escape?”
“After you caught him, Seth went to meet with him and was intrigued after spending several hours with the boy. He decided to spare him in hopes that he could gather information on The Order.” Gabriel flinched at his words knowing that it wasn’t something that anyone wanted to hear their leader was doing. Normally Seth was a level headed individual and defensive of the vampires to a fault. Visiting inmates was simply unheard of, that was part of their penance. William spoke up then “From what he told me, he did help us out. Gave us the names and addresses of a few people . . .I guess he was just biding time.”
“How did he escape?” Memphis asked, suddenly concerned that one of their own had been hurt in the process. The guards watching over vampire prisons were usually the youngest from the Enforcers and were given grunt work as a result.
“He manipulated one of my boys.” Beck said with disgust and took a long puff from the cigar that he was smoking. “I had to terminate the lad. . .The fucking council wouldn’t let him off with a warning.”
Memphis’s fear was almost palpable. He was probably the only one that understood that this was not just a routine job. The boy had eluded him for months and the only reason why he’d caught Ridley was because he caught up to him while he was asleep and suffering from the flu. Curiously, he skimmed the men in the room, while they weren’t the closest of friends, they were like brothers. The battling between The Collective and the rogues had forced them to form an alliance that would only be broken through death. The strange part of it all was that Memphis had never been in the same room with the other six men. If there were meetings it was only one or two, maybe three of them that would meet up. Yes, the situation room had seven seats but that was reserved for emergencies only. While Ridley was somewhat of an emergency, it didn’t warrant for all seven of them to come together. Unless the most catastrophic of things occurred.
“He has the list doesn’t he?”
“Yes,” Iain confirmed with a nod. “We don’t know how much he was able to get, but we know it was accessed the same day that he escaped.”
The list was the absolute most guarded thing in the vampire world and, Memphis decided, the worst thing ever created. One of the top members of the council had suggested that a list be generated with the names and personal information of all members of The Collective. It would be a vampire census of sorts but only displayed immortals that directly worked in or for the collective. Seth and two others had opposed the creation of the list stating that it would be dangerous in the wrong hands, but the elder vampires ignored their concerns and pushed its creation along. It was to be locked in a special computer that could only be accessed after passing no less than four different security checks. Ridley had stolen part of that list once before and if he could piece the two together, The Collective was doomed. “How long ago did he escape?”
“We found out a few days ago, but figure he’s been out for a days.”
“Days? He could be anywhere by now.” Memphis trailed off on a sigh and began to rub his temples against a headache that he felt looming over him. “Let’s get the hunters together, have them drop their current cases and search for Ridley.”
Beck had made sure of that from the moment they realized the boy was missing. “We’ve done that. The only problem is that he’s been sighted in France, New York and Australia almost simultaneously.”
“He’s coming here.” Memphis said with certainty realizing that, with the seven of them together, they were sitting ducks for any attack that The Order may launch on The Chateau. “The seven of us are here, together . . .That never happens and if his intention is to rage a war against us, getting rid of us seven is the perfect way to start. . . For now, I think we’re safe. He needs to find some followers, even a few crack pots who were taken in by The Order and trained . . .That gives us some time but I wouldn’t press our luck past a few days.”
Interested, Octavian leaned forward. “What do you propose?”
“We need to get moving as quickly as possible, bring some of our boys to France, have them stay in the outskirts but not come to The Chateau . . . as for us, we need to make Ridley believe we are all here . . .Only Gabriel and I will stay, the rest of you need to leave but do so inconspicuously. . .I’ll give you all 48 hours. . .it will give us time to plan and put an army together.”

Chapter 20 – Close To The Flame
2030 LocalThe ChateauLoir-et-CherFrance

Memphis was exhausted after meeting the Enforcers but was satisfied at the plan which went into play almost immediately. Beneath the stone floors of The Chateau was a maze of tunnels that led to storage rooms. The longest tunnel stretched past the perimeter of Seth’s land and ended under a barn of an opulent farm house owned by a mortal in the French government, an associate of Seth’s. The tunnels were used to move the enforcers out of the Château without letting prying eyes in on the operation. Only Memphis and Gabriel stayed behind.
The first time that Memphis dealt with Ridley he was shocked at how strong the boy really was. It took an almost supernatural force for Memphis to guard his mind and even still, there was a brief moment when he feared he’d lose the battle. Thankfully, nature had intervened and caused a fluctuation to his powers during which Memphis launched at him and injected an aesthetic that knocked him out instantly. This time, he wouldn’t be brought in alive and rather than using ChemTek ammo, which was useless against mortals, their pistols would be loaded with regular bullets.
Walking across the rocky driveway, Memphis could see a figure sitting on the steps outside of the manor house. He didn’t expect to find Michael sitting outside but was sure that it meant something was wrong with Paige. “What happened to her?”
Michael stood up, followed Memphis in and pointed towards the sofa where Paige lay. Her appearance was different, shaded with lines of exhaustion. She was shaking from the drugs still running in her veins, a concoction which was too strong for her to handle. Had she still been mortal, the medication would have killed her in less than half an hour. “I don’t know what father gave her, but she’s been like this for at least an hour.” He made a face and sighed deeply, disgusted with the efforts of his father and older brother. “I tried to feed her but she still didn’t wake up.”
Memphis ran his hand softly over Paige’s cheek, distressed at how tired she looked. Not even the Turn had taken so much out of her. “Stay here and watch her.” He commanded. “I’m gonna go have a chat with Seth.”
Once outside of Seth’s office Memphis didn’t bother knocking, merely stepped in not surprised to find both Seth and Peri at the seating area. “Sir, I need to speak with you.”
“Memphis, time and time again I’ve asked you not to call me ‘sir.’” Seth scowled as he made notes on a legal pad he’d used when questioning Paige. “That word makes me feel old.”
Memphis raised a brow in disbelief and resisted the urge to laugh out loud. “You are old.”
“Yes, well, I don’t need to be reminded how old, thank you.”
“As long as you’re the one telling me what to do, I’ll call you ‘sir.”
Annoyed, Seth chucked the pen onto the coffee table and stood up. “Memphis, I think you’ve spent too much time with your military folk.”
Sometimes he shared the same sentiment but there was an order and routine which fitted nicely with his personality. “I like the military folk. Everything has a procedure and a purpose.”
“You mean to say that we don’t?” Peri asked, now equally annoyed as his father.
“I’m saying we can take a page from mortals. That’s all.” He watched the two men intently, realizing from their posture that the conversation with Paige didn’t give them the result they were after. “I came to talk to you about Paige. . .Whatever you did has left her exhausted and I am not going to stand by and let you hurt her while you search for answers that are not there.”
Peri snorted and his dislike of Memphis hiked up another notch. He’d never quite liked the man, finding him too puny and weak to match with his powerful sister. Her death had cemented this belief and his dislike multiplied. It also did not help that Seth seemed to have a soft side for Memphis. “Her name is Katherine. I would really prefer if you call my sister by her real name.”
This is what Memphis had feared all along, the general feeling that Katherine had, somehow, come back. While he had once hoped it was the case, now Memphis only had eyes for Paige. “Until you find out otherwise, Paige Harlot is her real name. As much as you want to believe it, she’s not Katherine.”
“I know you think you know her better, but I’m her father.” Seth said, then picked up his tablet which he took to his desk and stuffed into a drawer. “I want to be sure.”
“I’m sure! Katherine died. . I saw with my own eyes, she died. . . I would like to bring her back, that won’t happen.” In some ways, he did want her back, if anything to beg her forgiveness for not taking care of her better. “What happened with Paige? What did you do to her?”
“Our exercises this afternoon were difficult on her. . .She likes to resist.” Seth said with a grimace only to find Memphis chuckling at his admission.
“She’s a Marine. She’s trained to resist. I’m just afraid that you’ll push her too hard and wind up killing her.”
“She’s stronger than that.”
“Yes, she’s strong. She’s the strongest person I’ve ever known. . .Stronger than Katherine was. But what you’re looking for, you’re going about it the wrong way.”
“I’ve heard enough of this. Goodnight, father.” Peri said, and quickly moved out of the room, bumping into Memphis on the way out. “Goodnight Memphis.”
Seth watched the interaction, not amused with his son’s actions. “I really wish you two would get along.” He sighed deeply. “Let me ask you something: do you want it to be her?”
Memphis scrubbed a hand over his face, knowing that if he lied, Seth would surely catch it. As strong and powerful as he was, Memphis was no match for an elder vampire. “At first I did. . . I used to pray to God that one day she’d remember me. . .Now, I just want her to be Paige.” What truly shook him from within was the knowledge that her loss would bring back the evil monster with a vengeance. “Seth, I’m not prepared to lose someone again. . . I can’t. . .If I lose her this time, it’s over. .. You’re going to have to kill me because I will really lose myself. . .There’s no turning back this time. There’s no saving me.”
Losing Kiya, Seth understood what Memphis was feeling in terms of losing a life mate. While Kiya had died during childbirth, Katherine’s violent death caused a psychological damage that was nearly impossible to recuperate from. “I’m not trying to kill her, if that’s what you think. I’m trying to find the truth.”
“Find another way.”
There wasn’t another way and what Seth was trying to unravel affected both men. He just couldn’t explain without betraying his daughter and the secret she begged him to keep. “I’ll try to wrap it up with the next meeting . . .It's important, Memphis, more than I can tell you.”
Reluctantly, Memphis gave in. It wasn’t like he had much of a chance of changing Seth’s mind anyway. “Fine. . . One more meeting. . .Good night.” With that, he stepped out of the office and headed back to the manor house to find Michael sitting outside again. He chuckled at the younger vampire’s expression and patted him on the back as he sat next to him. “What’s wrong, Mike?”
“She’s not my sister, is she?”
“No.”
Michael didn’t like the answer, but unlike his father and brothers, believed Memphis. He had held out hope at finding her again but realized how difficult that now was. “Did you ever believe that she was?”
Did he? Of course, but hope dwindled with each passing day as Paige’s mannerisms were so much different from Katherine’s. “For a while I hoped that she was. . .That she would remember me. . .That she would remember us. .As time went by, I knew it wasn’t her.”
“You sound okay with that.”
Memphis looked at the younger man and sighed. By the sound of the other man’s tone, he didn’t seem too pleased. “Mike, it’s not that I didn’t love your sister. I did and I probably always will. . .If I could go back and change things, stop those men from killing her, I would.”
“Even if you knew that you’d meet Paige?”
Memphis thought about that for a moment. If Katherine would have lived and he’d then met Paige, it would have been terrible to decipher his feelings. However, if he had to chose between the two, Paige would have won his heart. “Yes. I’ve always felt like a failure because I couldn’t protect your sister. I would do anything to keep her safe. But, if Katherine were still alive when I met Paige. . .” He stopped for a moment surprised at what he was about to admit out loud, “I would choose Paige over Katherine.”
Michael couldn’t understand how someone could choose the love of one over another. It seemed rather heartless. “If they are both meant to be with you, how could you love one more than the other?”
Memphis had asked himself the same question over and over. Having a soul mate wasn’t something of varying degrees. It was cut and dry. You loved your soul mate, honoured and cherished them and no other. But he knew with certainty that if he’d met Paige while he was with Katherine, the connection would have been strong enough to lure him away. “I don’t know. . .I mean, I know that some of our kind have lost a life mate and then found another but. . .I don’t know how it works.” He just knew that something was different and the differences were expanding day by day. “But I love Paige with all my heart.”
Inside, hidden by the shadows, Paige stood not wanting to eavesdrop on the private conversation but unable to turn away. They were talking about her, after all. She was surprised to hear Memphis’s words, spoken with such conviction. He loved her; really loved her. Paige knew that, of course, but not to the degree that he would have chosen her over Katherine. That confession was absolutely shocking to hear. She didn’t believe that the depths of his love for her ran so deep. Now she felt like a fool for not believing him.
Quietly, she removed two bags of blood from the refrigerator and drained each before heading up the steps to their bedroom. Remorse gripped her heart, squeezing it tightly so that she could barely breathe. Paige sat on the edge of the bed and bent over, deep, sorrowful sobs shaking her body. God, what was wrong with her? Why did she have to second guess everything? Her doubts and insecurities weren’t fair to Memphis who did the only thing he could in order to keep her alive.
She didn’t hear him enter the room, only felt it when his hand dipped under her chin to raise her head up. “Paige? What’s wrong?” He asked in a concerned voice as the flames of anger danced in his eyes. If Seth hurt her, he would move Heaven and Earth in order to dispense his brand of justice. “Paige, talk to me.” He probed; dread seeping its way into his heart.
Paige opened her eyes and looked at him – really – looked at him. She saw the love shining in his eyes along with anger and worry. How could he ever consider himself a monster? The man before her, while he had, indeed, committed evil atrocities, just didn’t have it in him to hurt her. She knew that and it was that knowledge which allowed Paige to seduce him so many months ago. Yet, part of her feared that his attraction to her stemmed from Katherine. It was a weight off of her shoulders to know it was not true. He had fallen in love with her.
Completely.
Forever.
Paige brought her hands up to cup his face. Her thumbs stroked his cheeks gently and she saw the fires of anger hadn’t subsided. Whatever was going on in the turmoil of Memphis’s mind was not directed at her, Paige knew. She wondered what had happened to make him so upset. Were they in danger again? Leaning forward, she captured Memphis’s lips with hers, tasting a sweetness of wine. She savoured the sweetness knowing that, as a vampire, she could partake in spirits if she wished without much consequence. Paige didn’t and wouldn’t betray all her years of sobriety.
Her hands moved from his face, sliding downwards and settling over the expanse of his chest. “I want you.” She whispered, not wanting to destroy the spell that had woven itself around them. According to Memphis, it was like this with all life mates – the need, so strong, that it would never be sated. Not that she minded, making love with him was like collaborating with the elements around them. Each and every time it was as if an explosion had brought the Earth to nothing but dust. It was as if they’d been lovers since before the dawn of time.
“Paige, a moment ago you were passed out from exhaustion.” His argument was holding little water, Memphis noticed. Her hands were dipping lower, touching him through the fabric of his jeans. He pressed his lips against hers, kissing deeply as she opened her mouth to him.
Paige smiled against his lips. He wasn’t about to win this battle. “I fed a little and feel much, much better.” She said between kisses to his lips, cheek and collarbone. Her fingers nimbly worked on the buttons of his shirt until she was able to push it from his shoulders. She caressed his chest, aching to feel his flesh against her.
Even as his own need began to grow, Memphis pushed her hands away and sat back on his haunches. “I need to know that you’re alright. . .What Seth did. . .”
“I’m fine.” She cut him off, annoyed at his lack of compliance. “And I’m going back tomorrow so he can finish poking and prodding. Or whatever the hell it is he did.”
Memphis looked as if she’d lost her mind. Despite his earlier conversation with Seth, he wasn’t about to submit her to another round of ‘poking and prodding’, as she’d put it. “You aren’t going back. . .I can’t leave here, not yet. . .Something came up.” He said suspiciously and then turned away so that she could not read the distress in his eyes. “But, I can get you out of here. . .Get you back to the cottage. You’re safer there.”
Paige crossed her arms definitely and raised a brow in irritation. That patented look often worked on him. “You are not going to hide me away like a damsel in distress, Memphis.” When he made to argue, Paige stood up and began pacing wildly, a complete 180 to the fragile woman he had found moments earlier. “I’m not her. . .And I’m going to do whatever it takes to prove that to Seth and you.”
Memphis sat on the carpet, leaning his back against the foot of the bed and looked up at her as she paced. “Don’t get all defensive on me, damnit! I’m only trying to keep you safe.”
She pinned him with an angry stare and shook her head in disbelief. “Can’t you tell I’m doing this for you? For us?” Paige stopped in front of Memphis and then kneeled next to him. “You’re never going to be free of her ghost unless you know for sure.”
“Paige. . .”
“No. Part of you needs to know what’s happening.” Sighing, she sat next to him. “Hell, I need to know.”
Memphis didn’t like the idea of Seth poking around her mind or what the outcome would be. He was vowing to put Katherine in the past but, somehow, she always come back to haunt him. “Fine.” He gave in, knowing that Paige was right – they all needed to know. “But, if he can’t find what he’s looking for after this session, that’s it. . .No more.”
“You always have to sneak something in, don’t you? Have the last word?” She said with a smile. “Sometimes it’s infuriating, other times it’s amusing.”
Memphis stood up and offered Paige a hand, bringing her to her feet. “Let’s just go to bed, we can talk about how infuriating I am tomorrow.” He moved forward, his larger frame towering over Paige as he backed her towards the bed which made her chuckle. “You did say you wanted me.”
“Always.” Paige said as she fell into bed, sighing happily when his body covered hers.

1735 LocalThe ChateauLoir-et-CherFrance

Seth sat across from Paige who had, wisely, opted not to partake in any drinks that he’d offered. She sat there with a cocky smile, pleased that she’d managed to beat his system. Paige had noticed the drugs before, but was too far under to do anything about it after consuming the tea. “So, what did you put in the tea this time?”
Despite himself, Seth laughed wholeheartedly at the question. “Same concoction, different mixture . . .It’s only herbs but in a special, high concentration.” She continued to stare him down, a small smile curling the edges of her mouth. “I know you are curious as to why I used such a potion on you.” At her nod, Seth continued. “You are defiant by nature. Strong. Stronger than most. You would have resisted hypnosis every step of the way. I can’t afford to deal with such a setback.”
Hypnosis? Is that what he had done to her? When Paige awoke last evening she had felt as if her brain was mush. There was an ache all over her body and a dehydration that was appeased only after drinking two bags of blood. In her limited experience, it felt almost as if she had been turned again. “Did you find anything interesting?”
“A few things. . .You have a hard mind to crack. You always did.”
Paige crossed her arms in a show of defiance, but to a trained eye like Seth’s she was shielding herself against the truth that he was seeking; a truth that she had begun to seek for herself and Memphis’s sake. “Look, I need to know because it’s driving me crazy - am I Katherine?” She asked, her voice edgy.
“Yes.” Seth’s simple answer wasn’t what she was hoping to hear, though Paige shouldn’t have expected otherwise. All of the men seemed convinced, only Memphis seemed to be on the outside looking in. “Though not in the way you think.”
“Reincarnation?” He was Egyptian, it made sense that he would believe in a life after death. Being vampires, they defied death. Reincarnation wasn’t too far of a stretch. It was the thought of being someone else which was devastating, unbelievable. She didn’t want to be someone else and still, Paige had to wonder why she couldn’t remember her past with Memphis or this family. “So? What? All of this life has been a lie? I’m a sham?”
“No. . .You are you. You are Paige Harlot, but somewhere in the deep subconscious of your mind is my daughter.” There was sadness in his eyes, something that Seth normally masked from his family. He let Paige see it now to make her understand that she wasn’t alone in this confusing time.
“What do you want from me?” Paige asked desperately. All she wanted was to be at peace with the person she saw in the mirror every day. She didn’t want to be someone else, didn’t want to be the clone of someone who had meant everything to the man she loved. “What do I have that you need?”
Seth remained silent, a far off look in his eyes as he stared at a portrait which hung to his left. It was a beautiful piece, commissioned eight centuries ago, when his wife was still alive. He understood Memphis’s ravenous anger at losing his life mate. Seth had dealt with the same emotions, but while he had an outlet for his anger, Memphis had chosen to turn rogue. “I am sure that Memphis spoke of my wife, Kiya. We were together for thousands of years until Michael was born. She died giving birth to him.”
Despite herself, Paige felt a pain deep inside, an ache which she figured Seth was sharing with her. No doubt to make her understand just how painful losing a life mate really was. “Memphis says it’s a terrible feeling when you lose a life mate.”
“It’s not just grief. . .You ache over their death. It’s a painful emptiness that strangles you. Some of us can handle it better than others. . .I had my sons and my daughter, they were my reason for living. . .Memphis chose to have no one.” He had tried to help the younger immortal but was met with such hatred that any attempts at keeping Memphis with the protection of his family were destroyed. “I have ached over Kiya’s death and became a miserable old bastard because of it. . .I find little joy in anything and have thrust myself into business. . .Now, I am even more of a mess. . .Last year, I was in London working on a lead for a friend of mine when I saw Kiya.”
“Your wife?”
“Just like Memphis saw you five years ago.”
Paige sat silently for a moment. “I don’t understand.”
“I was in a pub and she sensed me, turned and our eyes locked for what seemed like hours but it was only seconds. . .It was like neither of us could look away until her husband called her attention. . .She calls herself Elizabeth now but, it was Kiya, I know it. . .I know her. . . Because I love her, I can’t and won’t force her to leave her husband for me. . .He’s a good man and a sick man. . .I will let nature take its course before trying to pursue her. . .Memphis once told me that Katherine asked him to wait for her. I never understood what that meant or why she had asked him to wait . .So, after running into Elizabeth, I ventured to Washington in hopes of discussing that with him. I knew that he had a friend in the Navy who had a similar appearance to Katherine but had died several years earlier. . .Then I saw you. He didn’t tell me a thing about you, I guess he was afraid that I would intervene. . .”
“At first, I thought he had turned you but, when I noticed that you were with another man, I realized I had to intervene.. . . Katherine had returned . . .Not as herself, but she had returned. . . I understood what he felt. . .and I also knew the pain he was living with so I worked it so that Lucas would serve with the two of you in hopes of making him realize that you were made for him. . . I’d hoped that Memphis would turn you. . .And he did and I made him bring you here so that Peri could run a test on your immortal blood.”
Paige was intrigued by the story which, as crazy as it sounded, had something authentic sounding. “Test for what?”
“In the last year, I discovered that there were six of us with the same occurrence. . .Six of us who have lost a life mate and then found him or her centuries later. All without memory of the past. . . same face, and same connection, but a completely different person.”
“So it’s more than just a coincidence? There’s a reason for all of this?” Paige was interested now and a little shocked that the power between life mates could be so strong.
Seth stood and walked around the coffee table in order to sit by her side. “I think that the pull between life mates is so damned strong that not even God can separate us. . .Eventually, you have to meet again.” He saw her shoulders slump and didn’t have to read her mind to know that she didn’t want to be someone else. Paige just didn’t want to be changed, even if she held part of someone else within her. “Paige, I am not looking to change you. . .I don’t want to. . .Memphis loves you.” He sighed, shifting slightly under the weight of her gaze. His eyes had teared up, emotions running lose that he could find someone who would even slightly measure up to his long lost wife. “It’s clear to me that Immortals, if linked to a life mate when they die, will come back. We’re meant to be with the same person, no matter how many lifetimes pass us by.”
“Meaning what? I am a part of Katherine but I am not her?”
He smiled at how smart she was and understood, for the first time, that Memphis had been right, Katherine couldn’t hold a candle to Paige. While his daughter was a strong force, she wasn’t quite as astute as the woman sitting next to him. “Correct. . .I just need to make sure of something really important before I leave you be.”
Paige studied him cautiously wondering if this important thing would be more trouble than it was worth. She didn’t see the same look from yesterday, that of a mad scientist. This time he seemed sincere although she realized that he could simply be tricking her with mind control. “You aren’t going to tell me what it is, are you?” She felt him touch her mind, easing the fears that she held within. He the answer without speaking and the knowledge that she acquired was horrible and frightening. It was all of the convincing that she needed. “Do what you have to do.” She said and gave herself up to the cause.

Fin

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