The Vampire Playboy - Blood and Lust

Chapter 35

Charlie's POV

Three weeks had passed since I'd seen or spoken to Noah, he had ignored all of my calls, disappeared from town and cut me off. David had just about tried to decapitate me when I'd seen him at a council meeting three days after I'd left the cabin. Sophie had told him what had happened or at least a sanitised version of it. According to him Liv had refused to leave her bedroom and was rarely eating or drinking. Tom had to intervene and pry David from me. I couldn't blame him for his reaction. He had warned us all to stay away from Liv and he was right. We should have listened, she ended up getting hurt. In it all, I forgot a human heart was more fragile than a vampire's. Guilt played on my mind and I fought the continuous urge to call her or to go see her or to even go watch her sleep. I'd avoided O'Malley's too, it wasn't fair for me to invade her place of work when I'd cast her aside coldly as I did.

But my feelings for her feelings couldn't be my priority now, I needed to figure out where Noah had gone and start repairing the damage. I hoped him knowing it was over with Liv, that I'd chosen him might go some way. I'd tried every mutual friend I could think of, every contact I had and yet nobody had seen or heard from him, or at least that's what they were telling me. I was under no illusions that if he told some of them what had happened that their loyalty would be with Noah and they would tell me nothing. His business was ticking over without his input, he had plenty of managers that he trusted with his affairs to keep it going so that Noah could do little for years if he wanted to but would reap the benefits. I'd told Tom what had happened, the unfiltered truth of it and saw the disappointment in his eyes. He had ordered me to fix it but I didn't know how.

I'd spent the morning in my office making yet more fruitless phone calls when Tom arrived unexpectedly. The same disappointment showed on his face, I'd seen this look for three weeks now and it didn't lessen the guilt I felt.

"Any luck?" He asked as he took a seat on the black leather sofa.

I shook my head "none, he's gone deep underground. Vanished. Have you heard how she is?"

He c****d an eyebrow, "David says she's mum the same, she goes to work and not much else, a shell of herself but that she is getting better with each day. She doesn't understand the bond that we as vampires feel, how could she? She feels used and whilst she understands your friend should come first she's deeply hurt, the girl had feelings for you and believed that you had feelings for her. How could you be so damn careless? I warned you about the blood lust and yet here we are, in this sorry miss, there's only so long I can give excuses to the rest of the council, if Noah's absence goes on too long they will force a vote to revoke his place."

I nodded and Tom rose from his seat, he placed a hand on my shoulder and paused. " I know you didn't intend this, but maybe now you've learned a hard lesson, our actions have unintended consequences." He sighed and patted my shoulder before seeing himself out and I rested my forehead on my desk.

Tom was right, I was running out of options and out of time, if Noah lost his seat on the council the balance of power would shift. There were members on the council who wanted to relax the rules on feeding, who felt the council was too sympathetic toward the needs of the humans to the detriment of the vampires, that by relaxing the rules we could form alliances with more ruthless councils across the country and the world. If that happened none of the humans would be off limits including Liv. I'd lived in places like that before, where the value put on human life was as food, the vampires ruled the town through fear, residents couldn't leave without consequence, their existence was merely as a feeding vessel, it was a miserable life and a miserable place and not something I wanted for this town or for anywhere really.

I closed my laptop and rubbed my temples, all of this was my fault. I'd made a series of bad choices, wrong choices and my actions did have consequences, maybe this was what I deserved for the life I'd lived. My phone began to ring, it was James, another council member.

"James, what can I do for you?" I sighed.

"I know you've been looking for Noah." He began and I felt panic, how did he know? I'd tried to keep it from the others. "Don't worry I'm not calling to blackmail you about ratting Noah out to the rest of the council, this information I'm about to give you, you can't tell anyone ever that you got it from me."

'Ok"

"I'm in Dublin at the club, and before you ask yeah, I'm aware of what Tom will do if he catches me here, that's why you can't tell anyone. Noah's here, I saw him."

"When did you see him?"

"About ten minutes ago. He was going upstairs, I don't think he saw me, so if you want to speak to him, I'd suggest you find a way to get here today."

The line went dead as my mind went into overdrive, he was there now, if I waited until tomorrow I'd lose my chance, if I left soon I could be there tonight, people usually when they went to the club stayed there for hours, you would lose all sense of time. But I knew I wouldn't get in without a human, that was your entry fee, a compelled human for you and others to feed on. f**k! Had I driven Noah that far? This was all my fault. If Tom were to find out any of us fed on humans we would be banished or worse, especially if he knew it was at the club, but Noah had connections he could get in there without a human, without feeding, I wouldn't get the same privileges. Immediately I knew I was about to make another choice that was potentially very stupid and dangerous.

I picked up the phone and dialled my housekeeper in Dublin.

"Good afternoon Mr Thomas, how can I help you today?" Marie's breezy voice came through.

"I need you to get the apartment ready for this evening, I'm unexpectedly going to be arriving in a few hours, absolutely nobody is to know I am arriving, including Noah, I understand he may be in town. Please get Noah's room and one of the guest bedrooms ready for a female guest. I'll need the utmost discretion Marie as always, it's pivotal that my arrival is kept secret."

"Yes, of course, I understand Sir, I'll get on that right away."

"Oh and one more thing Marie, I'm going to need you to discreetly get me a females outfit including shoes, the type that the sort of human females who frequent the club would wear, including shoes, I'm not sure of sizes so please just buy the items in a range of different sizes."

"Right away Mr Thomas"

Now it was time for me to be stupid. I didn't need to pack a bag as I kept clothes at my Dublin apartment, and I couldn't risk taking one of my cars, they might be recognised so I had to do this first part on foot. I used my speed and reached David's house in a matter of minutes. I took a breath as I knocked on the door.

David answered, fury was in his eyes the moment he saw me. "You're not welcome here" he spat.

"I need to speak to Liv and Sophie, it's time they hear the truth," I said calmly.

His eyes widened and his face fixed in a grimace, "You can't be serious"

"I am, you might be able to stop me telling Sophie as your daughter but Liv should be given the choice, I want to tell her the truth about everything, about what I am. Before you tell me to f**k off, know that Noah's life and that of your families all potentially hang on this."

"What do you mean?" He asked, unable to mask the concern in his voice.

"Noah's in Dublin at the club. If he's drunk from a human and Tom finds out he's likely to banish him if not worse, but you know as well as I do that even without that if he doesn't return soon the rest of the council will force a vote to replace him, and if that happens we're all outnumbered. I'm ashamed to say it but I think I need Liv's help"

David knew exactly what I meant and what was at stake, he stepped aside and let me enter. I immediately helped myself to one of the seats on the sofa, whilst he went upstairs and returned moments later with Sophie and Liv. My breath caught in my chest at the sight of her, she was pale and tired looking, she looked like she had lost weight, some of the sparks had gone from her eyes and her eyes looked puffy and red. I wanted to take her in my arms and tell her how sorry I was for all of this, my chest ached looking at her, it hadn't stopped aching since that night in the cabin and at this moment I realised that I wasn't just the loss of Noah that caused the pain, it was Liv too.

They took seats, Liv looked at the floor but Sophie's eyes met mine as though she was daring me to say the wrong thing and give her a reason to give me a verbal dressing down. I felt so ashamed of myself for my treatment of Liv and yet here I was about to ask more of her.

I inhaled deeply. "I…thank you for coming down to hear me out, I um don't know where to start and I don't suppose there's any good way of me saying this so I'm just going to come out with it and try to answer any questions you might have. I've been keeping things from you Liv."

"No s**t sherlock" Sophie muttered under her breath.

"I'm not human, I'm a vampire and so is Noah and well several others in town."

Liv didn't flinch or react. Sophie looked incredulous.

"Is this some sort of prank? Is someone going to jump out with a camera? You have an absolute nerve to be here after what you've done and now you pull this…this" Sophie shouted.

"Sophie, it's not a prank, it's real" David sighed, Sophie, turned to look at her dad and realised he was being serious. Her mouth fell open but she was speechless. "It's the reason the town council was formed, it's made up of humans and vampires, Tom is one too. We coexist with each other under the rules of the council, they don't feed from humans and in exchange for being able to live among us without question, they protect us from less humanised vampires."

I studied Liv for any hint of how she was taking it but there was nothing but blankness on her face.

"I wanted to tell you Liv since the very beginning every fibre of my body was desperate to tell you but I couldn't. I feed on animals and have for many many years. The story of how Noah and I met, that was true, only I was living with my maker, um the person who made me into a vampire and Noah with his. I wasn't like this back then, I didn't have much regard for human life unlike Noah, but he found me and showed me a different way to live. He saved me really, and I owe him everything, that's why"

"You chose him," Liv said softly, not lifting her head.

"We've been by each other's side for centuries, he's been my moral compass and my strength when I've needed it, my brother. "

"I'm finding this all very hard to believe," Sophie said with a c****d eyebrow.

I looked at her and then felt my features change, my eyes and my teeth revealing the true me, prompting Sophie to gasp.

"Noah, that night in O'Malley's, his features," Liv said in almost a whisper.

I nodded affirming her connection. "He hadn't fed in a while and when he drew blood from you" I stopped, I couldn't finish that sentence. "He wouldn't have hurt you ever and I wouldn't have let him, and that's where he went that night of the cabin, to feed"

I searched her face for a glimmer of information as to how she was taking this but there was none, her expression remained blank and fixed on the floor. My heart broke to see Liv like this, knowing I only had myself to blame. I compelled her to forget me, all I had to do back then was stay away from her but I was too selfish to do that.

"Cool story bro, but why in the name of the wee donkey are you telling us now? What is it that you think you need or want? Because I know you, and you are selfish to the core, you're not telling us because you think we deserve to know the truth" Sophie said scornfully, causing David to smile slightly before he corrected his expression.

"Your very perceptive Sophie, as you'll be aware Noah's been gone for about three weeks, nobody has seen or heard from him. We have rules we need to obey in the council, all of us and if Noah isn't back soon, some of the council who are less fond of humans will force a vote to replace Noah, they will likely win this vote and it would change how we all live. The no-feeding-on-humans rule would be lifted so they could form allegiances with other councils who have more strategic power and position. That would put all of you at risk."

"Don't pretend this is about our safety, this is about you saving your skin and massaging your own guilt" Sophie spat, "so we move town! There's a solution that doesn't involve helping you."

I sighed. I deserved every word she was saying, I'd earned them. "It's not for me, it's for Noah. He's in Dublin at a club, an exclusive and notorious vampire club that Tom has forbidden us to go to. If Tom finds out Noah is there there's every chance he will banish Noah, if not worse, Noah doesn't deserve that, he's left because of my actions."

"That still seems like your problem and not ours" Sophie raged.

"I understand your rage towards me, but Noah hasn't done anything."

"Oh I don't know, right now I'd say you both have done nothing but manipulate everyone, especially Liv, he's not innocent here" She had me there. "You still haven't explained either what exactly it is you need"

"This club Noah has gone to, I can't get into it without a human, only humans who have been compelled can get access to it, and by compulsion or glamour or however you want to phrase it, it means I can control your thoughts, your action, my every order you would follow if I compelled you. Tom would forbid us from compelling someone to get entry to the club especially since the reason for taking someone is usually to feed from them. What I'm asking is that Liv comes with me, I won't compel her, but I think together we stand a better chance of convincing Noah to return.

"Not bloody likely!" Sophie shouted, "It's not happening, no way is Olivia going there, dad tell him!"

I looked at David, and he sighed and nodded when he met my eyes.

"I should have told you long ago about the existence of vampires, I just didn't want you in that world, but I see now it was a mistake not to tell you. I won't say I condone any of the behaviour from Noah and Charlie, but they have always tried to put the interest of the town first and I owe them." David said a vacant look on his face.

"Owe them how?"

"I didn't want you to find out like this but I can also see keeping it was a mistake, please know I've kept this from you to protect you and because I love you, Sophie. You've always known your mother died in a car crash. I hadn't long joined the council, we had a pair of vampire mates who lived in the town, and they struggled to settle and fit in, I was young and eager to make a name for myself within the council. The female slipped up one day and fed on a human, a friend of mine. She begged for mercy and the judgement fell to me, I could have shown leniency, I should have, your mother wanted me to, but I wanted to make an example of her so no other vamps would step out of line. I thought I was making the town safe for you to grow up in. So I sentenced her to death and took her head. Her mate was distraught when he found out, begging for her life but it was too late. So he sought revenge against me. He ambushed your mother's car with you in the back, Noah and Charlie heard your mother's cries for help and came to her aid. Charlie got you out of there and to safety whilst Noah stayed and fought the vampire to try to protect your mother. She had been gravely injured in the crash and the aftermath. By the time Charlie got back, Noah had managed to kill the vampire but was severely injured and your mother had died despite his best efforts."

"That's not true, dad tell me that's not true. " Sophie said, her voice cracking as a tear rolled down her face.

"I'm so sorry sweetheart," David said sadly.

Liv suddenly rose from her seat. "I'll do it. Noah is gone in part because of me, and David, I owe you and Sophie everything. I can't let you be in danger because of my actions" she said her voice clear and hard.

"Olivia, you don't need to do anything for us, you owe us, nothing sweetheart," David said softly, his arm wrapped around Sophie who was sobbing silently.

"I'll pack a bag" she said nodding at me.