Do Mine Eyes Deceive Me...A Gorgeous Sadistic Vampire?

Believe me, I am not a crier. Honest to God, I can't remember the last time I cried. Perhaps my eyes watered one time when I stubbed my foot. Usually, I'm fairly gracefully - by human standards - so I don't suffer through many accidents.

Now, I was very close to the verge of tears simply because I was lost in this big-ass castle I had to call my 'home' and I couldn't find Harrison's damn office!

But, of course, I didn't cry. I wouldn't waste the tears. Instead, I came upon a room somewhere on, I think it was, the second story. There was a window. I had long since given up hope of finding my way even back to my room without assistance of some sort.

Now, I had an idea. I sauntered over to the window, and undid the heavy-duty lock-bolt that kept it shut. Looking down, I remembered never having been afraid of heights. Usually, however, I was trying to jump out of a window that was forty feet up. Sure, I was on the second floor, but each floor was twenty feet high!

If I could land strategically on my feet, I would face the least damage. Maybe a sprained ankle, but didn't Harrison say something about me healing quickly?

So, instead of having a talk with myself inside my head, which I figured would be a bit on the loony side, I jumped. I got into a crouching position mid-air just before I hit the ground.

That was a short drop for being forty feet! Oh well, I thought. At least I'm okay.

Then, my knees buckled and I fainted!

________________________________________________________________________

Why do my ankles hurt? I feel a little woozy. Oh, I was having a nice dream. Harrison was there. Hmm, Devlin was there, too. We were having a picnic. That seems a bit odd, now, but it was absolutely lovely, then. I was in the middle of them; we were all lying down on a checkered blanket.

On one side, I held Harrison's hand. On the other, I held Devlin's. They were both talking to me, but I didn't understand any of it. Now, I've awakened.

A scene flashed before my eyes. It was of lush green grass rushing up to meet me, and then I remembered. I stifled a laugh as I remembered. I had jumped from a 40 ft. high window after getting lost inHarrison's our home. Well, now where was I?

"I can answer that question, Joan. You're laying in Devlin Calhoun's lap on the front steps of Stillhart Manor. I found you - ankles broken, in the backyard as I was leaving the pleasant company of your husband and decided to wait with you until you revived. I believe you tried to jump out of that window. A suicidal attempt? Why on Earth someone like you would try and jump out a window, I've no idea," said a voice. Then, I felt it. A surprisingly comfortable lap beneath my head and even-temperatured fingers running through my hair.

Faster than I knew possible, I shot straight up off of him into a feeble standing position. I wobbled a bit, but stood my ground, refusing to seem weak in front of this creature.

"What are you, and why didn't you bring me to Harrison? For your information, I am a usually graceful person, and was not attempting to end my life, only to find a way out of the house. I got lost. It turns out my sense of direction doesn't quite amount to my grace, so I figured it would be a lot easier to find the front door if I were outside - not that it should matter to you anyway. I thought you left days ago," I said all in one breath. After I thought over what I said, I couldn't remember much of it. It had all come spilling out much to fast. Did you know that homosapiens only used about 2% (or something like that) of their brain in every day life.

"I am a hybrid, actually. Half-vampire, half-werewolf. The best of both worlds, I'd say. Unfortunately I don't possess the full strength of either . . . I'm glad to know you weren't trying to kill yourself, and I do believe you are quite graceful by the standards of your kind. It doesn't surprise me about your horrid sense of direction. I'm pretty good at reading people - although that may have something to do with my ability to read minds. I didn't bring you to Harrison because I didn't want to, of course. Obviously, I haven't left days ago. Your husband and I were indulged in very important business matters," he said, the same way I had.

"Don't mock me," I said, abashed, but slowly and carefully. "I didn't know vampires and werewolves could have offspring! And, why can you read minds? I don't like it."

Great, that just meant I would have to be extremely careful about what I thought around him . . . like the fact that I hated long hair on men, but it seemed to suit him somehow.

"Thank you. I could cut it if you like, but I don't think you want me too. There were precautions that had to be made in the case of my mother's reproduction, and I'm sure you'll learn about that sooner or later. I could tell you more about it later . . ." he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively before moving on. "And all hybrids have certain special abilities because we don't have the full strength of one of the full immortals they are half of."

"Stop that! I don't want anything to do with you, if Harrison's reaction when you suggested you leave the two of us alone has anything to do with it. You may be on your way now," I said. I hurried past him and began walking up the steps.

My balance had been affected by my swollen ankles. They weren't broken anymore, just pretty sore. I wasn't sure whether to be happy about this strange new development or not.

"But he left us alone, didn't he? And I think you'll be needing some help up all those stairs. You don't heal that fast," he snickered.

"I don't think that's a good idea," I said, biting my lip in anxiety.

He pulled his outstretched arm back. "Fair enough - I don't want to make you anxious. Besides, your hubby does seems to have some overprotective issues. It's a shame you don't love each other."

"Anxious!" I snorted. "You don't know what you're talking about. Harrison and I feel very passionately about one another and I won't hear a word against it. If this is some plot to steal me away from him or something ridiculous like that, because of some power-monger thing your stuck on, then forget it!"

With that, I tromped up the stair, wincing with every step, even as I felt my heart speed up when I thought about Devlin and his underhanded-ness.

"I'm not forgetting anything, Joan, and neither are you," he said. I whipped around to tell him off one last time, but he was gone.

I feared he was right, too.

Devlin made an unforgettable impression on me . . . Damn him!

I hauled open the monstrous front door and closed/locked it behind me with the dead bolt.

"Harrison!"