KING IN THE SHADOWS

CHAPTER 3

“You have some exceptional talents! I would be delighted to have you on the basketball team.” Mr. Frederico said, following me into the changing room. I turned around and made sure no one was watching, then I placed a hand on his shoulders and looked him in the eye and said, “I have no intentions of joining the team permanently, so don't ask again. But I will help you against the Salvatore school tomorrow, after that - no more. Hope I'm crystal clear.” He nodded with a smile. “Good. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a friend I need, to satisfy my hunger.” He turned and left without saying another word. I took a quick shower to wash away the immense sweat. Then I left to see an old acquaintance of mine, someone I had a mutual relationship with. She helped me and I helped her kind of thing. I walked into the apartment and moved around without a single noise. It was quite the sight. Apart from the numerous boxes that held personal belongings, it was neat and smelled nice. I peered into a few boxes, out of curiosity. Then something caught my eyes. It was a photo of a little girl in a red dinner gown, it was her tenth birthday. As was depicted by the cake in the photo. I couldn't remember my tenth birthday, probably didn't even know when it was back then. I just woke up to the shouts and screams of my fellow people. Despite my distraction, I still noticed the obvious presence of someone trying their best to creep up behind me. I gently put the photo back into the box and turned to catch the hand in mid air. “When will you ever learn that this will never work?” “Something has to. Else how am I supposed to pass the message that you shouldn't waltz into my house without telling me. My daughter could be home.”, she said, letting the knife go. I took it and placed it on the box nearest to us, and let go of her arm. “But she's not.”, I said non-challantly, which she didn't like, because it showed all over her face as she turned to look me in the eye. Then she suddenly avoided eye contact. “Could you not? I don't like it when you do that. And plus how would you know? You don't know my daughter.”, she said, strolling into the kitchen. It was then I let my guard down and lost control. Phiona was the Questore until recently when she resigned because her family asked her to come back. It seemed trouble was brewing and it was going to be big - whatever it was. I had a feeling it had something to do with the Witches, the Emerald sisters perhaps - they were born trouble makers who didn't work with anybody. I had known her since she first came here to Venice, or before that actually. I had secret control over New Orleans at the time, and her family wanted me dead. She didn't love me, but she didn't hate me either. We just did crazy things to each other when we felt like it, an unwanted hook-up is what you could call it. But out of all those years of hooking up, this was the first time u had seen her like this - in a satin night gown, that broadly explained all her edges and left no stone unturned. I had hooked up with a hundred women or more in my lifetime but she was my first experience at hidden romance. Generally what I wanted I took, whoever opposed got killed and I moved on. But now I had to take what I wanted secretly without knowledge because I cared for someone other than myself. “This is why I don't get attached to people.” “Can you stop! You're sending a lot of body signals right now. I don't like it.”, she said, holding the coffee mug in her right hand rather tightly. “Sorry. It's just…this is the first time I'm seeing you in something like this. You're usually dressed in…battle clothes?” I said, quite unsure of what to call her usual dressing. Honestly I don't know where this lady got her clothes, or what in the world her wardrobe was filled with. She smiled at my question and turned her head a little away from me. “Maybe it's not so bad.”, she said looking back at me. Then I instantly knew that hungry look in her eyes and knew what she wanted and what was about to happen. “Bring it on.” I said as she hurried to where I sat on the table and jumped on top of me. “You really can't control your thoughts, can you?”, she said as she ripped my jacket away. “And you never learn to resist, do you?”, I said kissing her hard and deep. “Shut up! You monster!”, she managed to say as she took the night gown off, exposing her soft and beautiful round breasts. It was as firm as I when I first had them. Even now they had that plumpy feeling inside my mouth I had always craved for. “Ah…uh! Yes!” She moaned quietly. “Take it all in, please! Everything! Take it all!” “Will do.” I said, as I resumed sucking them. I started with her right breast, while toying with her left n****e. They grew firmer by the second, and I could already feel the growing heat and warmth coming from her legs. She spread used them to wrap around me, as I lifted her and jammed her against the wall. “Ah! Easy you freak!” She groaned and gasped as she hit the wall. I ignored her lifting her effortlessly, and placing my head in between her legs. “Oh s**t! Not this ag… AH!”, she moaned loudly as i buried the full extent of my mouth into her and licked vigorously. “Damn you! You moron that hurts! AH! f**k!”, she yelled as she crapped my locks and cursed. I loved it when she did that. “That's what makes it fun Hun, the pleasure in the pain!”, I said, taking a break to catch a little air. “You're a psychotic maniac, you know that? f**k you! Not the fa…Fuck! Ohhhh, s**t!”, she screamed in pain. After about five minutes I put her down and let her take over. “Your turn, princess.” I said, as I kissed her and let her take over it. She pushed me back to the table as she knelt down to take control of my groin. “Wow! That never gets old, does it?”, I said, taking in a long, deep breath. She swallowed me whole, in a single gulp, and I couldn't help but wonder- how many guys got this side of her? “You're the only one.”, she said to answer my question. She probably read my facial expression or something, there's no way she could have read my mind. It went in for another three to four minutes before I grabbed her and carried her to the couch. We took turns on each other and let ourselves take control one at a time. We usually stayed longer, but she was worried her daughter would be back, so it had to stop. Although thirty more minutes of that vigorous shaking, and her neighbors kids would have had some new questions for their parents. “You need to go, my daughter shouldn't see you here by any chance. I'll be leaving on Sunday, so she could enjoy the Friday night party. And she'll maybe want to spend the night at a boys place, so I'll let her. If she does eventually.”, she said, putting the gown back on and heading back to the kitchen to warm the coffee from earlier. “Not supposing you want one?”, she asked, pouring herself a cup of the coffee. “I don't mind, but I'll be fine with my usual stash.” I said, putting my clothes back on. “You don't have one? You always have one!”, I said, as I felt her cold stare linger on my back. “I don't keep one at home. Because I don't expect you here. It's that simple. I don't get why you can't understand that.”, she shot back in retortion. “Tone!” , I called at her as she walked away. “Screw you, Drason!”, she said, lifting her mid finger in the hair as she backed me. “I suppose there's nothing else you came for, so you can leave now. The door's wide open, or the window is. You could pick one. Can't really care, can I?” She was such a pain after they did this. Everytime! At least don't be so sassy about it, b***h!

I saw myself out, and stole a little coffee before doing so. I had to attend to another pressing matter, urgently. Couldn't let it slip past me. If there's going to be a new wolf in town from the Royal Bloodline of Augustus, I had to control it first.

“I sure am going to miss you, Elena. It's not fair you have to leave me here in this city.” Marie was all over me. Saying she had to make it memorable for me, before I left for New Orleans. Starting with the game, and then the party, she had even started to plan my last day at Venice party. Of course we were the only ones invited. “Don't worry, I'll call everyday and FaceTime every weekend, and come visit every holiday I get the chance. I swear!”, I promised. We were walking to my house together, because we wanted to spend a lot more time than we would have if we took the Vasperetto. She had convinced her dad she wanted to stay the night. And though he was very protective of her, and it wasn't planned ahead of time, he agreed. Apparently he had some important work stuff to do and might not make it back home either, which worked for me and Marie. “So how were things with Francesco? Is he giving you any attitude? Is he giving you cold feets? I'll set him ablaze if he did!”, I said trying to get a little out of her concerning what happened earlier. I was still worried if she had heard any of what he said. “Welllll…”, she stammered, unable to get the words out. “Well?”, I said, urging her to complete it. Then she looked me in the eye, and I raised a burning finger in front of her to show I was serious about burning him. “Noooo! He's fine, just a little agitated he lost to your crush. That's all.”, she said, after taking a long look at the finger, and deciding she didn't want her crush covered in burns. Wait! My crush?! “Marie, you little urchin!”, I said, realizing she was referring to Drason as my crush. She laughed and ran away as I chased her down the lonely street. I gave her a little chase before stopping abruptly. I felt someone watching us. It was a mere feeling but it was too strong to ignore. I looked around and there were nothing but a few buildings that weren't largely occupied by many people. The street was most active at night and rather lonely in the day time. “Elena, come on!”, Marie called out after me. Her voice echoed across the street and I had to ignore whatever was watching us, or whatever I felt was. “Sure. I'm coming.”, I said as I ran towards her. “Something wrong?”, “No. Let's just get off this street, ok?” “Yeah, sure. But you look a little tense all of a sudden. Are you sure your fine?” I gave a light chuckle and held her hand, “Sure. Let's go.” “Ok. Race you out the street!”, she cried as she broke free of my grasp and ran down the street. At least she was getting off the street, I thought to myself as I hurriedly followed her. But maybe it was just me as usual, seeing things. But I could have sworn I saw a woman standing behind a car, with a phone to her ear watching us closely, as we ran away. We got home to my mom's cooking. “Wow! I never get tired of this!”, Marie said as she hurried into the kitchen to meet my mom. Marie's mom had left her and her dad when she was little and never came back. So she was always eager to meet mine and called her, Mother, too. And Mom was always happy to have her around, she never refused her and made sure she came by as much a possible. Though that wasn't possible with her dad bearing down on her every second. “Marie! My darling! Hope Elena hasn't been too much trouble. If she is, just let me know, ok?”, Mom said as she hugged and kissed her repeatedly. Marie shook her head in return and smiled a mischievous smile at me. “I'm standing right here, you know? You can't just talk about me like I'm not.”, I said with my hands in the air. Marie and Mom laughed as they hugged tighter, and made faces at me. “Whatever. Do what you want. I'm not paying attention.”, I said, defeated. “So I hope your enjoying school?”, Mom asked, inquiring about our day. “Won't be much to enjoy after you're both gone. I already miss you. Can't your family just find someone else to do their supernatural hunting business? Why does it have to be you?”, Marie said, but then realizing she had said too much. I looked at my Mom for her reaction, but it was blank. “What? You thought i didn't know you knew?”, she said, looking at both of us for an answer in our expressions. And she found it. “Oh please! Elena tells you everything. Even the ones she can't tell me. So I knew when she discovered her powers and that she told you. Because she always makes mistakes when she tries to tackle a new problem alone. So the fact that half the city didn't burn down, meant she told somebody. And that would be you.”, she finished with a smile. We both looked at ourselves and smiled at how well she knew us. And that she didn't suspect us for the weird fires at the time. “Oh! I knew the fires were started by you, no doubt there.”, she said, smiling at us. “Oh, come on!”, Marie cried. “Really?!”, I said, concurring with her. She smiled at us and stretched out her hands for us to get a hug. We ran to her and embraced her tightly, as she whispered in our ears, “I love you both, so much.” “We love you too Mom.”, we said in unison.