The Assassin's Folly
Chapter Sixteen
It was snowing on Christmas Eve, something Zarah only registered vaguely. She hadn’t slept in the last two days. She was nervous, scared, and ready to kill Damien with her own two hands. When it finally was 7, Jareth picked her up.
She was in a floor length green dress with the golden quill necklace he bought her.
“You look beautiful,” he complimented and she smiled.
“Thanks but I feel like I’m going to puke.”
“That’s comforting,” Jareth muttered as they pulled into the parking lot.
“Sorry,” she said and he beckoned to her.
She leaned forward and he kissed her deeply. She kissed him back, enjoying the way his lips felt against hers. It made her start to question what she was going to do.
“Let’s go in before I lose my nerve,” she sighed and they walked in.
It was warm and people were already mingling with cups of punch in one hand and phones in the other. There was laughter and it was obvious someone had spiked the punch. Zarah stayed on Jareth’s arm and looked around discreetly as he led her to the front of a small stage. She saw Damien lurking in the shadows, just as she had planned, and she nodded at him.
Jareth went up to the podium and cleared his throat. The assembled people all gathered.
“I want to thank you all for coming to my father’s farewell and Christmas party,” he said into the microphone and everyone clapped. “Ever since this company began, my father worked to the bone until it became the wonder we see before us.” He raised a glass to his father who smiled but also looked nervous. “Nothing will be the same now that he has gone but he is stepping down with complete faith in all of us. Please raise your glasses to the best man this world has ever known.”
They all raised their glasses and took a drink. Zarah could feel Damien watching as Jareth returned to her side. She kissed him and whispered into his lips, “Are you ready?”
“As ready as I’ll ever be,” he whispered back and she led him into a spare office.
“This is going to hurt,” she warned him. “But what will follow after will make up for it.”
Jareth nodded and she saw him brace himself. She extended her fangs and held his hand. He bent his neck and she sank her teeth in. He gasped in pain as she drank his blood. It was sweet and beautiful. The warmth of true blood filled every bit of her and she had to force herself to stop. He fell to his knees, his eyes wide as she cut her arm.
“Drink, Jareth,” she panted, wiping her face on a napkin. “You have to drink, baby, or it won’t work.”
He accepted her blood and drank deeply. She gasped in pleasure, her body yearning for him. But they had to wait. She wiped the blood off his face as her cut healed. His eyes were burning with desire but she put a finger to his lips.
“Just a couple hours,” she panted.
She took a deep breath and went screaming out of the office.
“Help!” she screamed, grabbing Jareth’s father by the shirt. “Someone’s attacked Jareth! Please help!”
He gave her the tiniest of winks and burst into hysterics. People screamed and ran while Zarah faded into the shadows.
“Well done,” Damien complimented, smiling down at her. “Come meet me tomorrow and I shall return you to your human nature.”
-
Two hours later, Jareth and Zarah stumbled into his bedroom, kissing each other passionately. He tore their clothes off and pushed her onto the bed. She moaned in pleasure as he kissed down her body, disappearing between her thighs.
“No,” she growled. “No, I need you.”
She pulled him back up by his hair and he slammed into her, passion taking them to a place neither had been before.
--
The next day, Zarah met Damien at the park. Jareth was hiding in the trees, still as a statue.
“So, your 100th kill is done,” Damien said. “I like how you hid the body. It’ll take the cops longer to find it. Now, there’s the matter of turning you back into a human.”
“Like you promised,” she finished.
He gave a dramatic sigh. “We all know how terrible I am at keeping promises.”
She walked up so that she was a foot away. “Are you sure you want that to be your answer?” she asked coldly.
“I have another contract for you,” he said, grinning evilly. “It’s such an easy one after this last one.”
Zarah reached out to take it but then yelled, “NOW!”
Jareth came sprinting out of the trees followed by a renewed Dimitri, his long orange hair flying behind him. Damien, caught off guard, stumbled as the three vampires pounced on him. He screamed in rage and pain as they sunk their teeth into him and drained his blood. His body gave a vicious jerk then fell to the ground.
The three of them backed away, panting and wiping blood off their faces. As they watched, Damien’s body began to rapidly decompose until he was nothing but dust. At the same time, they all fell to the ground, yelling in pain. All over the country, others were doing the same.
Fangs retreated into gums, blood turned from cold to warm, and all vampiric urges disappeared. Zarah, Jareth, and Dimitri all lay on the ground, panting and crying out in pain occasionally.
Zarah reached out blindly until she found Dimitri and Jareth’s hands.
She was in a floor length green dress with the golden quill necklace he bought her.
“You look beautiful,” he complimented and she smiled.
“Thanks but I feel like I’m going to puke.”
“That’s comforting,” Jareth muttered as they pulled into the parking lot.
“Sorry,” she said and he beckoned to her.
She leaned forward and he kissed her deeply. She kissed him back, enjoying the way his lips felt against hers. It made her start to question what she was going to do.
“Let’s go in before I lose my nerve,” she sighed and they walked in.
It was warm and people were already mingling with cups of punch in one hand and phones in the other. There was laughter and it was obvious someone had spiked the punch. Zarah stayed on Jareth’s arm and looked around discreetly as he led her to the front of a small stage. She saw Damien lurking in the shadows, just as she had planned, and she nodded at him.
Jareth went up to the podium and cleared his throat. The assembled people all gathered.
“I want to thank you all for coming to my father’s farewell and Christmas party,” he said into the microphone and everyone clapped. “Ever since this company began, my father worked to the bone until it became the wonder we see before us.” He raised a glass to his father who smiled but also looked nervous. “Nothing will be the same now that he has gone but he is stepping down with complete faith in all of us. Please raise your glasses to the best man this world has ever known.”
They all raised their glasses and took a drink. Zarah could feel Damien watching as Jareth returned to her side. She kissed him and whispered into his lips, “Are you ready?”
“As ready as I’ll ever be,” he whispered back and she led him into a spare office.
“This is going to hurt,” she warned him. “But what will follow after will make up for it.”
Jareth nodded and she saw him brace himself. She extended her fangs and held his hand. He bent his neck and she sank her teeth in. He gasped in pain as she drank his blood. It was sweet and beautiful. The warmth of true blood filled every bit of her and she had to force herself to stop. He fell to his knees, his eyes wide as she cut her arm.
“Drink, Jareth,” she panted, wiping her face on a napkin. “You have to drink, baby, or it won’t work.”
He accepted her blood and drank deeply. She gasped in pleasure, her body yearning for him. But they had to wait. She wiped the blood off his face as her cut healed. His eyes were burning with desire but she put a finger to his lips.
“Just a couple hours,” she panted.
She took a deep breath and went screaming out of the office.
“Help!” she screamed, grabbing Jareth’s father by the shirt. “Someone’s attacked Jareth! Please help!”
He gave her the tiniest of winks and burst into hysterics. People screamed and ran while Zarah faded into the shadows.
“Well done,” Damien complimented, smiling down at her. “Come meet me tomorrow and I shall return you to your human nature.”
-
Two hours later, Jareth and Zarah stumbled into his bedroom, kissing each other passionately. He tore their clothes off and pushed her onto the bed. She moaned in pleasure as he kissed down her body, disappearing between her thighs.
“No,” she growled. “No, I need you.”
She pulled him back up by his hair and he slammed into her, passion taking them to a place neither had been before.
--
The next day, Zarah met Damien at the park. Jareth was hiding in the trees, still as a statue.
“So, your 100th kill is done,” Damien said. “I like how you hid the body. It’ll take the cops longer to find it. Now, there’s the matter of turning you back into a human.”
“Like you promised,” she finished.
He gave a dramatic sigh. “We all know how terrible I am at keeping promises.”
She walked up so that she was a foot away. “Are you sure you want that to be your answer?” she asked coldly.
“I have another contract for you,” he said, grinning evilly. “It’s such an easy one after this last one.”
Zarah reached out to take it but then yelled, “NOW!”
Jareth came sprinting out of the trees followed by a renewed Dimitri, his long orange hair flying behind him. Damien, caught off guard, stumbled as the three vampires pounced on him. He screamed in rage and pain as they sunk their teeth into him and drained his blood. His body gave a vicious jerk then fell to the ground.
The three of them backed away, panting and wiping blood off their faces. As they watched, Damien’s body began to rapidly decompose until he was nothing but dust. At the same time, they all fell to the ground, yelling in pain. All over the country, others were doing the same.
Fangs retreated into gums, blood turned from cold to warm, and all vampiric urges disappeared. Zarah, Jareth, and Dimitri all lay on the ground, panting and crying out in pain occasionally.
Zarah reached out blindly until she found Dimitri and Jareth’s hands.